Project Alpha

Chapter 21

I blinked as my monitor flashed white and words scrolled across the screen.

Cognition Series 3.0 ... Instruction demo for module II.

The room around me fell silent while my brain vibrated with the stumbling drumbeat of my heart.

Working on separate monitors, partners will interact within a shared simulation until the module is complete.

Huh. Maybe the test would be like playing a two-person video game on different screens. That sounded easy enough on the surface, but I'd already learned that nothing about Meta was simple underneath.

Three columns will appear on each player's monitor. The left column will only respond to the partner on the left. The right column will only respond to the partner on the right. The middle sorting column will respond to both partners as a team.

Since I was seated on Archer's left, I'd work the left-handed column while he'd control the right from his screen. I snuck a quick look at him, wearing his translucent rubbery cap, and couldn't help but smirk.

When the module begins, puzzle pieces will fall into each partner's column. Using their touchscreens, players will manipulate the pieces until they create a picture. Once complete, pictures will disappear and the process will restart with added difficulty. Partners must clear as many puzzles as possible until the module is finished.

Suddenly the words dissolved and three columns appeared on my monitor. Multicolored puzzle pieces fell, one at a time, into the left and right columns. Turning and locking together, they created an image of Mendel's crest. Blinking on and off for a moment, the puzzle pieces broke apart again and disappeared.

As puzzles increase in difficulty, stray pieces will be added into play. These pieces do not match the puzzle at hand. If a player identifies a stray piece, they should swipe it into the middle sorting column. Working together, players can transform pieces in the sorting column into pictures for additional points.

Once again, the words disappeared and an image of three columns dominated the screen. This time, when the puzzle pieces turned and locked together, it became obvious some pieces didn't belong.

Stray pieces moved into the middle sorting column where they flipped and morphed into a picture of Dr. Kelly. His image was wearing a T-shirt that said, "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

Dork. Dr. Kelly definitely had a thing for corny science jokes. No wonder he'd gotten along with my dad so well, at least according to what mom said at orientation.

Demonstration complete. Test beginning in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

The screen turned black and a whoosh of air slowly escaped my lips. I tapped my nails on the table and my knee bounced up and down frenetically.

"Hey, Marin," Archer whispered beside me.

"What?" I flicked my eyes over to him, taking in the dichotomy of his translucent gel cap and dimpled smile.

"We've got this." Winking, he turned back to his monitor and I felt my lips curl into a tiny smile.

"Yeah," I whispered back. "We do."

At least, I hoped we did.

Flashing suddenly, my screen came back to life and I snapped to attention. Three columns appeared and, as the demonstration promised, an array of jigsaw pieces started tumbling down the display.