9
When the exam components were distributed, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, clearing my mind of all distractions.
The feed had told me what was supposed to happen: I would tamper with Seraphina’s materials. After the exam, I would demand an immediate
data test. But Seraphina, having already discovered the sabotage, would use her ingenuity to devise a brilliant workaround, completing the asse-
mbly anyway.
I, on the other hand, would be so focused on her that I’d make a critical error, ruining my own component. I wouldn’t just lose first place; I wouldn’t even make the top fifty.
Heh. As if I’d do something so self–destructive.
I focused completely, first sorting the materials, then studying the schematics. The component was a full mech arm, including the hand. The requ- irement for joint flexibility made it one of the most complex parts of a mech body. For first–year students, it was a brutal test.
I didn’t rush to assemble it. I took a stylus and began making notes and sketches on the digital schematic. According to the original plot, the existi
ng assembly methods were not optimal. The person who would discover the true optimal solution was Seraphina.
If she could find it, why couldn’t I?
