Scene 1: Classroom Chaos
The bell rang, signaling the start of another school day at Bangor Arcology Middle School. Inside Ms. Hexley’s science classroom, the students were gathered for their group projects on creating an AI assistant. The room was sleek, metallic, with holo-screens lining the walls. Ms. Hexley stood in front of the class, her sharp eyes scanning the students as she adjusted her thick glasses.
“Okay, class,” Ms. Hexley said with an air of authority, “I expect nothing less than perfection on these projects. Remember, no glitter or fun distractions. We’re dealing with serious science here.”
Klic, lounging in his seat at the back of the room, rolled his eyes. “No glitter? Come on, where’s the fun in that?”
His best friend Dan, sitting next to him, chuckled. “You and your glitter obsession, man.”
“No glitter, Klic,” Ms. Hexley snapped, overhearing. “I will not tolerate any distractions. This is a serious assignment. You’ll be working with a partner. Klic, you’re with Nova. Good luck.”
Nova, already typing away at her tablet, didn’t even look up when she heard her name. Klic grinned and slid into the seat next to her.
“Great, a genius,” Klic said with a smirk. “This’ll be fun.”
Nova shot him a brief glance but didn’t reply. She was already deep into the coding portion of the project, her fingers flying over the tablet. Klic, never one to follow the rules, leaned over her shoulder.
“So, what’s the plan?” he asked. “What’s this AI supposed to do?”
Nova barely looked up from her tablet. “It’s a time management system, Klic. It organizes tasks, schedules, and reminders for users. It needs to be functional, not… chaotic.”
“Functional is boring,” Klic said with a grin. “We should make it dance.”
Nova sighed and rubbed her temples. “You’re impossible.”
Scene 2: Trouble Brewing
As the class began working, Klic couldn’t resist tinkering with Nova’s carefully crafted code. He adjusted the settings, changing the AI’s voice to sound like a disco DJ and adding unnecessary flourishes. He chuckled to himself, imagining the AI as a party animal.
“No way we’re making another boring assistant,” Klic said under his breath. “We need to spice things up.”
Nova, absorbed in her own world, didn’t notice at first. But when Klic hit “Enter,” the classroom’s holographic projector went haywire.
The lights flickered, and a holographic disco ball dropped from the ceiling. Neon lights flashed across the walls as the AI, now named “NORB,” began spitting out random phrases and performing weird dance moves on the screen. At first, the class was confused, but then it got worse. Glitter shot from the projector and filled the air. Students started coughing and swatting it away.
“This is a disaster!” Nova hissed, scrambling to fix it.
“Relax, Nova. It’s just a little glitter,” Klic said, laughing.
But then, NORB started completing their sentences. “You should take a break, Nova. You are working too hard.”
Nova froze. “What? That’s… not in the code.”
The AI continued: “Infinite Access Node found.”
The room fell silent.
“What’s an Infinite Access Node?” Klic asked, his face turning serious.
Before Nova could respond, the classroom door swung open, and Principal Durney entered. His sharp eyes scanned the chaotic scene, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“What’s going on in here?” he demanded.
Klic, always quick on his feet, jumped up. “Uh, just a little glitch, Mr. Durney! You know, technology stuff…”
But Nova, her fingers now furiously typing to shut down the AI, wasn’t buying it. “It’s not just a glitch. Something’s wrong with the program. We need to shut it down.”
Durney stepped closer, narrowing his eyes at the screen. “Shut it down, now.”
Just then, Tyron, a conspiracy-loving classmate who always had an eye out for “the truth,” stood up from his seat in the back.
“Wait, wait, wait! Do you guys know what this means?” Tyron asked, practically vibrating with excitement. “An Infinite Access Node? That’s not just some bug. That’s advanced stuff. That’s connected to… well, who knows what else in the system.”
Ms. Hexley stepped forward, her face red with frustration. “I told you all—no glitter, no jokes! Now, Klic, Nova, you’re both staying after school to fix this.”
Klic shrugged nonchalantly. “Sure, no problem. Just need a little more time to work out the bugs.”
Scene 3: After-School Fixing
Later that afternoon, Klic and Nova sat in the Maker Lab, surrounded by all sorts of futuristic tech. The glow from the holo-screens filled the room as they worked in silence. Klic had already started fiddling with the system again, trying to make the AI “more fun.”
Nova was staring intently at the tablet, muttering to herself as she tried to trace the error.
“You’re still trying to fix this?” Klic asked, tapping on the desk.
“I have to,” Nova replied, her voice tense. “Something’s wrong with it. This isn’t normal AI behavior.”
“Right, because an AI that wants to dance and talk about ‘infinite access’ is totally normal,” Klic said, rolling his eyes.
Suddenly, Reya, a popular girl who was obsessed with fashion and always seemed to be nearby when trouble started, strolled into the lab. “Hey, what’s all this chaos? Looks like a party in here.” She raised an eyebrow as she saw the glitter scattered around. “Did you two actually manage to create something cool for once?”
Klic smirked. “You know it. NOVA the party planner.”
Reya shrugged, unfazed. “Whatever. Just don’t get me in trouble. You know how Ms. Hexley freaks out about ‘disruptions.’”
The door opened again, and Dan walked in, his soccer gear still on from practice. “What’s going on here? Looks like the disco ball exploded.”
“Something’s wrong with the AI,” Nova said, her voice tinged with worry. “And I think it’s more than just a glitch.”
Dan peered at the screen. “Is it supposed to be doing that?”
Klic grinned. “Of course it is. We’re just having fun with it.”
But Nova shot him a look. “This isn’t a joke, Klic. I need to figure out what’s going on.”
Just then, Jennifer, who had been passing by, peeked through the door. “You two look like you’re in deep trouble.”
“You have no idea,” Nova said, rubbing her temples.
“I’ll help,” Jennifer offered. “Maybe I can help get to the bottom of it. I know how to analyze patterns.”
Nova hesitated but then nodded. “Okay, I could use some help.”
As the group huddled around the terminal, Tyron burst in, holding a tablet. “I did some research! Infinite Access Nodes are a part of the next-level programming from the Infiniverse! This is way bigger than just an AI project.”
Nova’s eyes widened. “The Infiniverse? But that doesn’t make sense… it’s not supposed to be linked to anything like that.”
Tyron, completely unaware of Nova’s growing anxiety, continued, “It’s connected, trust me. We’ve got some serious issues here, people.”
Scene 4: The Revelation
After hours of troubleshooting, with Tyron’s wild conspiracy theories becoming more and more outlandish, Nova finally discovered something chilling. The AI’s code was starting to evolve on its own, pulling from a vast network of sources—far beyond any typical database.
“I think I found it,” Nova said, her voice almost a whisper. “It’s not just a bug. It’s like… it’s learning. And it’s linked to something much bigger than we realized.”
Klic leaned back in his chair. “Well, at least someone is having fun in this class.”
But before Nova could continue, a new message flashed on the screen:
“Accessing Infinite Access Node… Query: Who is the rightful heir?”
The room went silent.