“Girls, excuse me Ms. Logan, Ms. Grover, I know you don't wish to be here, which I can understand completely since you've already completed your schooling in your own dimension. But can you please be nice to Principal McDaniels? She means well. . .”
“She needs the stick yanked out of her ass and shoved in the other hole for a while, it might make her feel better.” Greta says in Japanese. I snicker quietly.
“She's new here, while she's a wonderful administrator she's not used to geniuses. She'll learn when she's been here a while longer.” She leads us into a room where two tables have been set up at opposite corners of the room. Each table has a number of boxes on them and she waves us to seats. Greta, as usual, takes the seat in the corner with her back and one side covered.
“On the table in front of you are the computer programs we use at Tesla schools. You have two hours to install them on your computers and answer the quiz that should come up when they're installed correctly. Please let me know if there's any problems with the installation, this is considered part of your test to determine where you will be placed in my classes.”
I take a deep breath and let them out before opening the first box, allowing the computer to boot up as I read the installation instructions. My first thought is . . okay, there's at least fifteen programs here. I start the first one installing as I sort the others into order I want to install them. I should reboot the computer after each installation, but that will take time. I look over at the beep and type in the information needed, when it says reboot now or later clicking on later before turning to the next program.
The teacher nods at the front of the room as she watches her students quickly read the instructions and load the programs. Josette isn't rebooting the computer after each program is installed or taking the tests like most people would, opting instead to install two or three at a time before rebooting the computer. Greta on the other hand is installing, rebooting, and taking the tests before moving on to the next program if her fingers flying over the keyboard. ..both girls pulled plug in full size keyboards and mouses from their computer bags when they'd sat down she sees with a slight smile. Josette's lips are moving silently and she thinks she can make out some of the words, complaints about the size of the computer screen?
Greta turns to pick up the next program and the printer by the teacher's desk springs to life, she takes the paper and begins to read, her lips twitching.
“Ms Logan, you do know that anything you put in your school profile will be on everything you print?”
Greta looks up over her glasses and smirks. “I kinda figured that.” she says in a southern drawl.
The teacher shakes her head in amusement, the notes on the page will make some of her more stuffy colleagues howl. She has the feeling these two girls are going to dump Tesla's faculty on their collective ears.
I sigh and reboot my computer, I'd installed five of the programs and watch as they appear on the desktop. The teacher chuckles as I reach into my pocket and flip a coin to decide whether to take the quizzes now and get the damn things over with or wait until everything is installed.
“Heads.” Greta says automatically as she sees the coin fly up in the air.
“Shaddap,” I say absently.
“You know it would be easier on you if you didn't use your dad's old two headed quarter.” she sniggers.
“Yeah, but since it's the devil you know. . .”
“vs. the devil you don't, either way you're not gonna be happy.”
“ 'xactly.” Sighing, I open one of the programs I installed and the quiz comes up. I look up on the task bar and smirk, selecting something after I type in the information. The teacher sighs as she takes the test. “Ms. Grover, please leave the language set to English?” She looks at the test in German and shakes her head. “And reprint the test you just sent please? In English.”
Chuckling I change the language back and the teacher sighs as the test comes out in English this time. She's happy, at least until Greta's next test appears in the printer. While the test itself is in English, her answers. . . .
Deciding that she's better off not arguing, she watches the two girls finish installing the computer programs. Each girl looks at the last program and then at her. “Ain't a chance in hell.” I say, pushing away the program to install a monitor on the computer.
“Girls, Global Dynamics requires it on their computers. It allows them to locate them in case something happens.”
Greta grins. “Ahh, but Global Dynamics didn't supply our computers. And I don't want spyware on my computer, even if it is disguised as a firewall/antivirus/antispyware, except for what they put on your computer, program. My computer, my decision. I'll use a different program of my own choice.”
“What she said.” I nod.
The teacher leaves the room and returns a few minutes later we can hear quiet talk in the hallway. “We can't order them to install the software, they're right those are their personal computers. The only reason GD gets away with having the tracker on the other students computers is the fact they provided them.”
“But they have to install the trackers.” the Principal insists. “GD demands it on every computer. Tell them if they don't install the programs I won't give them accounts on the school's intranet.”
“Toooooo laaa-aaattttte,” Greta says in a sing-song voice from the classroom. “Dr. Stark already set us up with accounts and passwords on GD main intranet, not just the area Tesla's allowed to use.” I swear I can hear her smirking.
“I'll call Dr. Stark and tell him you're being deliberately difficult.”
“DUH!” I call. “We don't want to be here, you just got wild hair up your ass about us being teenagers and just had to have us in your school. Go ahead, go running to Stark and whine that we're being mean to you. Wimp.” I roll my eyes as I hear her heels rapidly click down the hallway.
The computer teacher smiles at us when she comes back into the room.
“Gather up your programs and computers girls, all except for those tracking programs and come with me. I'm sure she did go call to whine to Dr. Stark, I'm also sure he'll tell her that you don't need those programs.”
“Dr. Stark already told us what firewall and antivirus programs we could have on our computers, he was going to pick us up a couple copies at Global Dynamics today.” Greta says, grabbing my copy of the program and handing it over as I put everything in my computer bag and then clip it to Sugar's harness. Sugar gets to his feet and presses against my legs as we leave the room.
We go down the hall, Greta sniggering as she can plainly hear the Principal's voice whining from the office. The computer teacher sighs as she opens the door to another room.
“Ms. Logan, Ms. Grover, this is our science teacher, she's going to be proctoring the tests. We've scheduled you three hours, finish as many as you can in that time period. Then we'll break for an hour for lunch. Ms. Grover, you said you're diabetic, will that be okay with you?”
I look at my watch and nod. “Yes, that's about the time I generally have lunch anyway.”
“Good then, I'll see you in a few hours with the results of the tests you already took.”
Once again Greta and I are separated, pshaw like we'd really cheat off each other. What do they think we are kids? A mental voice that sounds suspiciously like Ares trying desperately not to laugh reminds me that Greta and I are kids, at least physically. As usual Greta settles herself in the back corner so her back and side are covered as the teacher puts a website up on the screen at the front of the room.
“Please type this website into your computers, this will lead you to standardized tests by year. When you are finished with a test, please send it to the printer. When you get to the math tests, please hold up your hand and I will lend you a calculator.”
“Graphing or regular?” Greta asks absently. “And if you haven't had some of the classes you've got tests for?”
“If you haven't had the classes, ignore the tests. This will give us a general idea where to place you.”
“Should I even bother with the Algebra tests? Just so you're aware, I've already failed Algebra five times.” I say without looking up from the computer. Might as well get the basic classes out of they way first.
The teacher blinks. Five times.
Greta chuckles. “The first time they didn't believe her, the second time they didn't believe her, the third time they sat down with her and tutored her every step of the way. . .and she still failed.”
“The fourth time I thought Darius would take the test himself to make sure I passed if he could.” I snigger.