The Last Generation

The Puzzle

On the screen were many pages that appeared to have each of their own intricacies. On each page were chunks of jargon that started on the top and continued into infinity, leaving barely any blank space for the eye to breathe. Yet, that was the mistake most pairs of eyes would make, for the need to rest would only distract from truly understanding. Instead, it was through focus that the eye is able to distinguish the slabs of mess into individual lines that worked not against each other, but towards the creation of a product. Each distinct line consisted of a range of alphabets and symbols, and should one lean back to look for the bigger picture the beauty in its detail would be lost. A simple squint of the eye rearranges jargon into a flow of commands that when put together is supposed to create and as the mind follows the seemingly unintelligible babble, it becomes remarkably obvious when there is a problem. In fact, the bottleneck tends to present itself when the flow of language collects and gets trapped along the way. It is then just as easy to fix the clog to ensure that the trickle becomes a gush, and this step is repeated again and again until the intended product is brought to life.

Ding. A bright light went up just overhead the CompuSurface.

It drew great attention not just because it made a high pitch noise in an otherwise deadly silent hall, so quiet that should one pass outside it would naturally be assumed to have been empty. It commanded a turning of heads not just because it was the first lights out of over a hundred to flash, but it brought gasps and disgruntled mumbles because of the speed at which it had lit up. What had seemed like a brief moment to the majority felt like a long time to her.

"It must be a system error, no cause for alarm." Said the head proctor dressed in a flat boring grey from head to toe who was all the way at the front of the hall, so far away from the girl that she could barely make out his features.

This skepticism was a norm, especially to outside proctors that came to her institute of education. Sitting back in her shiny metal chair, the girl brought her fingers together into a simple weave before bending her knuckles towards herself. Her joints let out little moans under the pressure and she closed her eyes briefly while the footsteps of other proctors approached. Just as she opened her eyes, the two men dressed in exactly the same fashion as the head proctor had reached her small glass table.

The girl did not have to look around to know that she was being watched. Right in front of her was Rodney, twisted at an uncomfortable angle to get a better look at the unfolding situation. Even though his stare was obvious, the proctors would never accuse him of cheating because the examination problem set was stored in her Eyes and projected before her onto a wall only she could see. To Rodney, all he saw was the girl in her seat with her arms folded atop an empty table. There could be no cheating.

The only problem that could occur was a system error that would have caused the light above the girl's head to light up. There had to be a technical error involved because the only way the light would get triggered is if the examination had been solved, yet that possibility was virtually impossible because the examination had just started over fifteen minutes ago and it took a testee at least an hour to solve the set. Even at the best schools, and the best individuals the proctors had witnessed themselves, forty minutes was the record. Fifteen minutes was not just unthinkable, it was insane.

She was every bit patient as the proctors downloaded her finished copy of the examination, her heart beat as steady as when she had started the problem set. Perhaps patience had nothing to do with her serenity, instead, a distraction occupied her instead. While the proctors were consumed with checking her work through their vision, she entertained herself by watching the twists and turns of their faces.

Anybody could see that one of the proctors was a male and the other was a female, but her intense studying brought their distinctiveness right to center stage. Her eyes were almond shaped while his were narrow slits, his lips were full and thick while hers were thin. Even their noses were different, although, she decided that the two noses bore the greatest resemblance between their features. It intrigued the girl even more to see the same emotions alter each proctor's face differently, making his eyebrows furrow while making hers rise. People were special she thought to herself, so similar yet so dissimilar. Unlike code, which was simple.