It Reads Zero

Dax felt a cold chill on his skin and his eyes sprung open. He found himself back in his dream. The roars of monsters filled the air as the ground beneath him violently vibrated from their rampaging towards him. He was only an observer and his body moved on its own.

He held out his two arms and formed a massive ball of fire in his left palm, measuring over ten meters in diameter, and in his left, he formed a massive ball of condensed air, equaling the ball of fire in size. With a shout he put his hands together and slammed the two orbs into each other.

The result was a massive fiery tornado that ripped apart the land and carved a path through the monster army that was quickly approaching. As the tornado reached the center of the army, he closed his fists and the tornado imploded in upon itself, then as quickly as it imploded it erupted in a blast of superheated air that vaporized the rest of the army.

The smell of burned flesh and dirt filled the air.

"Mr. Caraway!" The doctor yelled, snapping Dax out of his slumber. When he awoke, he found the small room to be charred and smoldering. Tiny flames danced in the corners and the once pure white walls were stained black.

"Just what happened in here?!" The doctor demanded.

"I don't know?" Dax replied. "I only closed my eyes for a little nap."

"In all my years I have never seen anything quite like this." The doctor said, "You must be at one hundred, there is no other explanation. Let me get a reading on you." The doctor held up a scanner and scanned Dax's injection site. It beeped and made an assortment of other noises, but the doctor did not say a thing. She just kept pushing buttons.

After a few minutes she finally spoke. "This damned thing must be broken. I will be back in a minute; I need to get another scanner."

The doctor then left the room again, leaving Dax alone in the charred remains.

He looked at his hands. "Did I really do this?" He asked himself.

Before he could talk to himself further the doctor returned with another scanning device. She went right back to work. The look on her face became increasingly frustrated as she fiddled with the device. Eventually she just stormed out of the room, without saying a word to Dax.

"What is even happening right now?" Dax wondered aloud. He jumped down from the examination bed and walked over to the door. In her hasty exit the doctor had left it slightly ajar. He could hear her talking in the hall to Administrator Ordeen.

"I keep getting a zero!" The doctor said, "But that doesn't make any sense! You should see his exam room! It has been completely torched!"

"How many devices have you used?" Ordeen asked.

"Two, both gave me zeros." The doctor explained.

"A zero should be impossible." Ordeen said. "Even if his body does not respond to the nanites they should still be producing a light signal. At least forty percent!"

"It is zero!" The doctor repeated. "It is as if all the nanites we injected into him were destroyed!"

"Maybe that is exactly what happened." Ordeen replied. "Maybe his body rejected the nanites at such a force that it caused them to burn out. Yes, that would explain the charred room."

"Should we inject him with more?" The doctor asked. "I mean, if that is the case there is a chance he could explode if we are not careful."

"No, I am sorry to say that boy will have a difficult life ahead of him." Ordeen said. "Not only is he destined for class F and expulsion, his lack of nanites will make it difficult for him to even function in our modern society."

"So, we do nothing?" the doctor asked.

"It is better for the academy if we do nothing." Ordeen explained. "If we try to fix whatever is wrong with him and kill him, that will cause a black mark on our sterling reputation. However, if we just shovel him into class F and out of the school, he will no longer be our problem. Let his wealthy parents find a way to help him. I see no benefit in it for Excelsior academy."

"Of course." The doctor replied. "I will go let him know he is in F class right away."

Hearing the doctor's footsteps Dax jumped back onto the examination bed.

"I am sorry Mr. Caraway, there is no easy way to tell you this. You are in Class F." The doctor said, as she cracked open the door and poked her head in. "Take the time you need and then exit the building. Head to the left and you will find the Class F classroom and your new teacher." With that she shut the door.

"Damn, I wish I didn't hear everything they said." Dax said with a sigh. "Dad is going to kill me."

Dax sat on the examination table for a few minutes as he gathered his thoughts. As he did, he heard a small knock on the door. It cracked open and Fey slid in.

"What in the world happened in here?!" She questioned as she saw the charred walls, ceiling, and floor. "Are you okay?!"

"I am." Dax said with a deep sigh. "Well other than the fact I was placed in F class."

"Damn." Fey said.

"What class did you get?" Dax asked.

"I got class S." Fey responded.

"Oh." Dax replied with a pause. "Well, I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thanks, but I was hoping for class C." Fey said. "It really would have pissed my mother off. Class S just complicates my plans…"

"I have to admit, class F complicates mine as well." Dax said, trying to laugh at his own bad joke.

"Well, I am going to head to my class, but we should hang out sometime." Fey said. "Here is my number." She handed Dax a folded piece of paper and then left the room.

"I guess I should get to class as well." Dax said with a sigh as he slid off the bed. He exited the room and the building and made his way to the classroom for class F.