The Constant
Part 1: The Altar of Measurement
Their real names were incomprehensible. They have been replaced with human names, names we can understand and relate to. In this way, the story of the "The Constant", and his world, can be told.
Jonathan Everett Constant was born to Gladiolas Everett Quartic. These people reproduced asexually, so each child had only one parent. There had been Everett Quadratics, Everett Cubics, Everett Quartics and Quintics, and even Everett Mutants (until they were all killed for being mutants).
Gladiolas had even heard of an Everett Linear, but never heard or imagined an Everett Constant. The children of constants went to work immediately after birth. They were just as able to work at a day old as they were at 100 years old. In fact, their best day of work was their first, as they hadn't endured any storms or any beatings or violence. Everything wore down a constant over time.
Their maximum capability remained the same, but what they actually could do was worn down one incident at a time, until the elderly Constant was supported by his newborn grandchildren.
Linears and even Quadratics put their children to work right away, too, as long as their rough measurement said the child could make a good impact.
Cubics were the rulers, the wealthiest caste of society, often employing Constants in guard duty and agricultural work, while employing Linears in simple crafts and Quadratics were commonly the professionals and teachers in society.
While the Cubics thought of those below them in degree as simplistic and stuck in their ways, they those of those above them in degree as crazy and unmoored in reality.
The Quartics were ostracised and often working in ideological and technological frontiers way beyond what was popular with the schools which were run by Quadratics.
The Quintics had recently been condemned as too dangerous to be allowed to live to an old age. A new crusade was arising to hunt down the Quintics.
The Mutants didn't fit into the polynomial order of society, and had always been hunted down and killed.
The Cubics and degrees above did not put their children to work right away, even though some of them could have done ir. They waited for the children to grow and get smarter and stronger, like we do.
So it was that Jonathan did not work, even though Gladiolas had sized him up as one of the strongest babies born that year. She said his, "Constant factor" was large. She spat on the floor after using that term. Basically, Jonathan was stronger than the others now, but they didn't know if the other Quartics would pass him up later.
It was a month of boredom for Jonathan, where he wanted to go out and pull guard duty or carry a basket of fruit to the market, but he had to sit and learn about history instead. History, and how the danger of mutants had lead to the Measurement Act.
As a one month old, Jonathan could read, write, do decently hard mathematics and lift a 60 point weight over his head. His Measurement gave him such abilities.
Gladiolas said, "I think you'll be very close to a 20 indeed. Old Master Tom could lift a 65 pounder at birth, and he's the only one who could. He was measured at 19.98."
"Can they figure out my caste today too? I really want to know!" Jonathan said. He was only a foot shorter than his mother now.
"Think about it, Jon. All they will know now, is your constant factor. You can rule out something each year after that. It takes 7 years to find out subtle mutants. The loud mutants go beyond the bounds of any caste earlier than that."
"How do you rule out Subtle Mutants?" Jonathan asked. "And what do you mean by that?"
"Loud Mutants measure bigger than the Katrin Bounds each Caste member is limited by. A Constant will never measure stronger than 20. A Linear can grow by at most a half point per year. Et cetera. Even a Quintic can't measure any greater than 120 by age 40, but they can measure as much as 1260 by age 80, and so on."
"Subtle Mutants are following some other unknown, and heretical caste. They were born into a mutant caste, where the Loud Mutants were just born into a mutant size. Some of them grow in ways that go in between what a Constant should be and what a Linear should be. Some decelerate, or dejerk. All of our components are 0 or positive. For example, I have a 0 quintic component. If I had a negative quintic component I would be a Subtle mutant. Subtle mutants are hard for the Altar Chiefs to spot, so they have the Bureau of Intelligence to track them down.
You can prove someone is a Subtle Mutant by showing that they stay in the bounds but can't be any of the casts, and it takes seven years to prove someone is not a Quintic."
"How many bureau people are on this pilgrimage road with us?" Jonathan asked his mother.
"Probably lots. Let's get in line."
The line of people headed to the Altar of Measurement as required by the Measurement Act was very long. There were parents with their one month olds, parents with 1 year olds, 2 year olds, and so on, and then some 10 and 20 year olds going in for their checks. Even Constants had to come back in at 5. Usually they were cleared and verified as Constant by 2 but came back at 5, 10 and 20 anyway.
There were no known Quintics here. They had stayed away, fearing a purge. The authorities gave a questioning glance at Jonathan's mother before confirming she was a Quartic.
"Jonathan Everett, of unknown Caste, son of Gladiolas Everett Quartic. Everett Quartic, you are to stay here while your son is Measured at the altar.
Two guards stood a foot on each side of Jonathan. He feared that he would bump into them and cause a catastrophe. Or they would touch him.
"Come on," said the Quadratic. Jonathan followed her, trying to reclaim his free space from the guards.
The altar was actually a machine placed on a raised pedestal inside the building with the colored glass and elaborate artwork.
Two Quartics stood in front of them Altar of Measurement.
"Climb on up those stairs, and we will analyze what the machine tells us.
The machine was pressure sensitive, and so when Jonathan climbed up onto the podium and stepped on the machine, it sunk, reacting to his presence. The machine unfolded and surrounded him, and then electric current flowed through his body, forcing his muscles to react violently. He was pushing the machine back with everything he had because the electricity was coming and going so as to force his muscles to full exertion.
The machine fell away.
"Congratulations. 19.5," said the first Quartic.
"This measurement is the easy one. We only have one data point, so we don't have to, and even can't tell what sort of person you are yet," the second one said.
"See you in 11 months," they both said and waved.
His mother was happy with the number, but it was expected, largely. Months passed. Months of boredom, and then acceptance for Jonathan. Then the pilgrimage began again.
Even Quintics didn't change a whole lot from 1 month old to 1 year old. It was hard to detect a small change in measurement, or the lack of one.
Gladiolas had a small note of concern, maybe slightly suspicious that Jonathan hadn't improved in his mind or body over the 11 months. She knew that her son could have a small Linear factor, but still grow up to be a great Quartic visionary. There was a limit to just how small a Linear factor could be however, which was important for distinguishing between Linear caste and Constant caste.
For the second time, Jonathan was asked to climb up to the machine. The voltages shocked his body again, and he involuntarily fought the machine again.
The same Quartic, this time had a grim expression.
"We have a reassignment," the Quartic announced to the guards.
Jonathan's mother was still outside. Jonathan was shocked.
"19.5," the technician said.
"As there is no Linear factor smaller than 1 part in 80, the Measurement should have differed by at least 0.01 if you were not a Constant. Please return for review at 2 years of age," the first Quartic technician said.
The other continued, "You are hereby given the name Jonathan Everett Constant. You may have no more contact with Gladiolas Everett Quartic and are considered to belong to a different Everett family, as far as the government shall be concerned. You will be taken to the Constant Career Center prior to starting work in the acceptable field of your choice. Guards, take him away."
The social mobility charts showed a 0% chance of the child of a Quartic becoming a constant. Jonathan suspected he would be forced to come back to the Altar time and time again, to prove that he really was unchanging.
His mother must be shocked, he surmised, as he followed the guards to the railway, and on to the Career Center in the middle of the vast industrial region.
Jonathan looked out the window, and realized he knew he was constant very early on. He was steady and comfortable with that fact. Or so he thought.
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