The First

“Did you know I was the very first,” said the voice, staring at the round face of a small boy.

“That’s what my elder’s have been telling me,” replied the boy. “I’m Billy Keting and you’re the first.”

“That’s correct. I’m the first, and don’t you forget it. You can call me” he hesitated in thought “You can call me Mr. First, ‘The Original One’”

The small boy had a puzzled look on his face; he opened his mouth to say something then quickly shut it.

“Come, come now what were you going to say or ask, out with it Billy boy!”

Billy glanced down looking at his feet as he spoke “My elder’s tell me it bad manners to ask someone how old they are”

Mr. First looked at him and smiled “so right, so, so right, it is improper manners these days to ask someone their age, but for me it, well… I’ll give you permission to ask, it will be ok, but if you’re going to ask me, you’re going to have to do it correctly, first off I want you to look me straight in the eyes, that’s it, make eye contact with me, good good, looking at your feet while talking with someone is considered bad manners as well.  When you are going to ask an important question, look the person straight in their eyes, now second you will ask in a polite manner, you will say ‘may I ask you a personal question, Mr. First; I will understand if you do not feel comfortable answering it’ got it” barking out the last two words with his commanding voice.

“Yes Mr. First” Billy said and looked him straight in the eyes, straightening up his posture at the same time “Mr. First may I ask you a personal question, I will understand if you do not feel comfortable answering it”

Mr. First looked thoughtful for a few seconds before he answered “you may ask me, but only if I get to ask one of you in return”

Billy nodded; he wondered what question Mr. First would want to ask him.

Just then the vidcom in the room beeped twice announcing a pending message, Billy’s attention diverted to the vidcom.

<ATTENTION, ATTENTION, SHUTTLE B5 TO PLANET BLUEHALLER WILL BOARD IN 30 MINUTES>

<SHUTTLE P82 TO PLANET JAMESBERRY WILL BOARD IN 45 MINUTES>

<ASTROGLIDER 1209 TO STAR-CRUISE LINER PESTOBER WILL BOARD IN 1 HOUR>

Billy’s returned his attention back to Mr. First “I have to board in 1 hour” he said, he didn’t sound too excited when he said it.

“Ahhh you’re on the star-cruiser, I’ve traveled on the Pestober, it’s a nice liner, and you will see many things. I’ll tell you my favorite area on the Pestober is the holo-rooms, if you get the chance to check out the holo-rooms, request holo program D51822, that’s a program I enter into the system”

Billy tilted his head to one side “what is it about?”

Mr. First took on a look of reminiscing “it all about me, before I became the First, what things were like back then, in the holo you can put yourself in my place and find out how I felt when I became the first and what went into me becoming the first, those were the good old days, nothing like these ones of today”

Billy just stood there looking at him.

Mr. First stared back at him, waiting for him to ask the question “Well don’t just stand there and stare at me, ask the question, we don’t have all day, times ticking away, tick, tick, tick”

Billy snapped himself out of his self imposed stupor “I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to stare, it’s just such a big decision and my elders tell me that I have to make it myself, that’s why they have brought me here so I may talk with you”

“And so you should.  Billy lean closer to me.” Billy lean as close as he could “If you want to know everything and I mean everything about me, then take out your portable and type in holo program D51822” Billy did exactly as he was told “that program will help you make up your mind”

“Mr. First did it hurt any, my elders tell me it won’t hurt and everyone that passes the tests is doing it and I’m of age to do it, I’ve taken all the test and passed them all, with very high marks, my elders were very proud of me.”

Mr. First gave him a big smile The tests, did you know there were no test when I became the first?” Billy shook his head “And who do you think created the test?” Billy shrugged “Me. I did, I created the test. there was too many wanting to join and a lot were not right for the program, so to weed out the unacceptable ones I created the test. The whole story is in that holo program. You say you marked high on the tests?” Billy nodded with a smile “You must have marked between 8.0 and 9.0 dots to mark high”

Billy stood straight and tall “I marked 9.9 dots on the test” Saying it with such pride in his voice.

Mr. First had an astonished look on his face “9.9! 9.9 on the test, that’s, that’s never been done, no one should be capable of marking 9.9 dots on the test”

Billy pulled out his portable and tapped a few buttons and showed it to him “I’m not lying sir; here are the test results right on my portable”

Mr. First looked intently at the screen and read the test results from it and gasped as he was reading, he finally stopped looking at the portable and glared at Billy.  Billy wasn’t sure if the look he was getting from him was a good thing or a bad thing “Sir” he said timidly “Are you mad at me?”

“Mad at you! Why would I be mad at you?”

“I’m not sure, it’s just the way you were looking at me, like I ruined your test by getting marks higher then you intended for anyone to get” Billy took a step back from him.

“No Billy boy, I’m not in any way mad at you, but on the contrary I’m elated with you and those results, I made the test so tough so that only someone very highly smart, highly special would be able to mark higher than 9.0 dots and you are the first who has done it”

The vidcom started again.

<ATTENTION, ATTENTION NOW BOARDING SHUTTLE B5 TO PLANET BLUEHALLER WOULD ALL PASSAGER PLEASE COME TO THE GATE. ATTENTION, ATTENTION NOW BOARDING SHUTTLE B5 TO PLANET BLUEHALLER WOULD ALL PASSAGER PLEASE COME TO THE GATE>

“Billy time is ticking away quickly and I have things I like to say to you, I want you to look over to your right, in that corner, do you see that model there in the corner” Billy nodded “that Billy is model T689, that is the last model I created, it’s made of titanium and bio-flex, its in my opinion the best and not just because I’m the creator, they last almost forever, sure they have developed those light and strong plastic models and with today’s technology people are switching in and out of them, just for fashion sake, but nothing compares to the titanium ones, if I were you I would think of getting a titanium model”

Billy looked at the titanium model and then scanned the room and found the plastic models, there were only a few titanium models in the room, the room was mostly filled with the plastic models, Billy compared the two of them, he remembered what his elder’s were say about the models and how they wished that Billy could get a T500 series model, but that was just hope, they were not available to solar citizens, with a puzzled look on his face he asked Mr. First “I was told that the titanium model was not available to solar citizens only the P4000 type models and their the plastic models”

Mr. First laughed “that is correct to a point, they are not available to the average solar citizens, because of the cost of making them, but they can be specially ordered if you have enough money to buy one, a titanium one cost between 10 to 20 million solar credits, titanium is much harder to get these days, we have just about mined titanium out of every planet we have gone to, but the plastic one are being created by the thousands each year, in different styles to suit the whims and style of the people and their cost is very low 70 to 100 thousand solar credits, I’ve seen some of the rich people buy 5 to 8 plastic models, just so they can switch them for their mood or fit some occasion”

Billy took this in and he smiled “well it looks like it easy answer, I don’t have either amount of solar credits and I know that my elders don’t have millions of solar credits, so if I decided to join I’ll be getting a plastic model, I know my elder’s would be able to afford a plastic one”

While they were talking the vidcom beep again and made the announcement for the boarding of Shuttle P82 to planet Jamesberry.

“But Billy boy, there are some factors in getting a titanium model that I have left out and it would not cost a solar credit to acquire one, but I’ll let you find out how for yourself and I’m sure you will, when the time is right”

Billy looked at him with doubt “I can’t see how”

“You will, trust me; you will, the answer is on your portable”

Billy smiled “the holo program”

Mr. First winked at him.

A lady walked up behind Billy and put her hand gently on his shoulder “Billy their going to be announcing our boarding soon, we need to get ready”

Billy looked up at her “Yes elder mother. Elder mother I like you to meet Mr. First, he was the very first one, Mr. First I like you to meet my elder mother, she was the first person I saw when I hatched from my egg” Mr. First smiled.

Elder mother nodded to Mr. First “Yes Billy I know, that’s why we brought you here so you could talk with him and understand what an important decision you have to make”

The vidcom beeped twice again.

<ATTENTION, ATTENTION, NOW BOARDING ASTROGLIDER 1209 TO STAR-CRUISE LINER PESTOBER, WOULD ALL PASSAGER PLEASE COME TO THE GATE. ATTENTION, ATTENTION, NOW BOARDING ASTROGLIDER 1209 TO STAR-CRUISE LINER PESTOBER, WOULD ALL PASSAGER PLEASE COME TO THE GATE>

<ATTENTION, ATTENTION, THE BIO-BOT MUSEUM WILL BE CLOSING IN 30 MINUTES THE GIFT SHOP WILL BE CLOSING IN 15 MINUTES>

Mr. First had a sad look on his face “Billy I want you to leave here knowing this ‘I was The First Bio-Bot and you’re The First Person that has marked the highest on my tests, once your brain is transferred to a bio-bot body you will become ‘THE FIRST’”

Billy looked up at his elder mother and smiled; turning back to him he said “Thank you sir, I will remember” his elder mother started to direct him away when he stopped suddenly and turned back and looked at Mr. First, then back to his elder mother “Just one more question elder mother” he asked her, she nodded to him and said “Quickly”

“Mr. First may I still ask that question?”

Mr. First nodded “Of course”

Billy looked him straight in the eyes “Sir may I ask how old you are?” Billy’s elder mother heard this and gasped at the question. Mr. First waved his hand to let her know that the question was acceptable and approved by him.

Mr. First locked eyes with him “I’m one thousand nine hundred and fifty seven years old and a bio-bot body last for as long as you want it to, now for my question, may I ask you, how old are you?”

Billy was ready for the question, he had the idea that the question would be reversed “I’m one thousand nine hundred and fifty years younger than you.” And he gave him a big smile.

Mr. First smile back “You have a long ways to go to catch up to me.”

Billy rejoined his elder mother and they walked slowly out of the room, Billy looked back once and his face was beaming with pride, the First Bio-Bot told him, he told him he was the first person to get the highest marks on the tests, which made him full of pride.

As the lights were lowered in the museum room; the maintenance tech came by to check on each of the bio-bots on display, he stopped by Mr. First “you seemed to been having a long talk with that boy”

“That boy is Billy Keting and he is going to be ‘The First’ Bio-Bot Solar System President”

The maintenance tech looked at him and laughed “Really; now is that what he said?”

“Nope that’s what I say, he took the test and got a 9.9 dots on it, he’s the first to mark higher than 9.0 dots and he got 9.9 dots.”

“Well it looks like your title as ‘The First’ may have competition, the first to get 9.9 dots, and maybe the first bio-bot solar system president”

“For short time, but I’ll be ‘The First’ again.”

The maintenance tech shook his head “How you have done everything?”

“Not everything, there is one thing I have not done yet and I plan on being the first to do that too”

“What could that be, the only thing you have not done is to d—” and the maintenance tech stopped himself from saying it. He couldn’t say it. No bio-bot has done that. In the history from the start of the bio-bot program, no bio-bot has ever died; it was unheard of, just the simple transfer of the brain to a new body kept a person living forever.

“That’s correct and I’ll be ‘The First Bio-Bot’ in history to do that, I’ll be the first to complete the full circle of life”