Interlude: The Law Of Averages

“Luck is often a fickle mistress. Let the story of my life be the sole proof of it.”

-Anonymous User

-Circa 2030 AD

-Ancient Blog Post

Sofia Rowan Sylvus

Frustration surges through me as I struggle to focus on the physics textbook. My willpower wanes, resisting the urge to glance at the Holoscreen again, hoping for a message from my brother or any distraction from the relentless ticking clock.

After about 10 minutes of wrestling with a stubborn physics problem, I concede defeat. It's the thing I despise the most about myself: I try to project a cold, in-control aura, all while internally I'm a jumble of emotions. I can't help but panic whenever someone close to my heart leaves the house to do anything.

Sighing, I push myself up from the chair and head to a nearby crate, retrieving an MRE packet. Judging from the packet I have pulled out, I will be eating pasta for dinner. After pouring some water into the kettle from a pipe, I'm stuck with nothing to do after setting the water to a boil. So, I allow myself a glance at the Holoscreen.

I glimpse the time on the Holoscreen–7:13 and panic at the amount of time I have wasted today. Immediately, I pour the hot water into the MRE pouch. Holding my textbook and the packet in hand while using the other to fish around for a fork, I head towards the lamp and begin tackling my homework between bites of food.

I finish both my homework and dinner in a matter of a few minutes. As I stand up to throw the packet, I notice a message from my brother on the Holoscreen out of the corner of my eye. I quickly toss my empty packet into a cracked metal trash can that barely stops dust from leaking out of the cracks running along its surface before I glance at the message.

There is the sound of a small bell going as [P3b9] appears on the Holoscreen, and I smile at my brother's devious approach to credit saving. As I mentally decode the message as "Passed, will return before 9 with Corvus and Mara," a wave of excitement washes over me. I am so excited that I completely miss the fact that it would take them an extra hour to get home. It's odd because the trip from the nearest pay-to-message booth usually takes only 30 minutes.

Deciding to celebrate, I opt for a sheet cake, planning on using a spare pan. With about an hour and a half to spare, I immerse myself in the joy of baking something I rarely get to enjoy. The kitchen is soon filled with a sweet aroma as I hum a tune under my breath. Time whisks away, and before I know it, the cake is ready. I set it aside, allowing its warmth to dissipate as it cools.

With no other plans, I settle down on the couch to watch the highlights of recent tournaments. Fortunately, the symphony of footsteps and lively conversation doesn't take long to reach my ears. Quickly rising, I grab the cake and turn towards the entrance, where my brother, Corvus, and Mara are jumping down to land in the clearing.

"Hey! I baked a cake for you all," I announce. Naturally, being the foodie she is, Mara rushes over, snagging a piece of cake and diving right in. Her eyes lit up with delight after the first bite. "This is amazing! You're like a culinary wizard, seriously."

Mara's compliment makes me smile, but before I can thank her, my attention is drawn to the sleeping bags my brother had brought in.

"Where did you get those?" I am curious.

“These are Corvus and Mara’s sleeping bags; they will crash here.” He replies, and looking at my expression of confusion, continues to explain, “as they do not want to pay the rent for a whole month just to stay a single night.”

Corvus chimes in, "Well, it's either Enhanced tomorrow or an early meeting with the creator."

I grimace at this reminder; their success in the exam had not guaranteed their survival, and given the good luck of the last few days, the law of averages dictates that a lengthy period of misfortune is due.

“Cheer up; tonight is meant to be a celebration, and, on that note, I should probably tell you that you will receive a military pension from all three of us due to our amazing performance,” Elian consoles me.

"Military pension," I say, attempting to process the information. "That's unexpected. I appreciate the thought, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Considering the circumstances, it's best not to count our blessings before they hatch."

Corvus, holding a slice of cake, smiles. "Come on, stop being such a downer. We aced the exam, and we will probably become Enhanced by this time tomorrow! Plus, the military pension is guaranteed regardless of what happens.”

Mara, still savoring her cake, nods in agreement. "Exactly! Also, shouldn’t Corvus deliver the other piece of good news?”

Elian laughs, “I guess he probably wanted to surprise Sofia with it.”

Corvus replies while heading to the Holoscreen, “I did, but you two had to let the cat out of the box. You never let me have fun.”

“Hold up. What surprise?" I ask.

Elian replies, “Just watch.”

I obey and watch as Corvus transfers over 170,000 credits to my account. Disbelief washes over me as a sum greater than most middle-class families' life savings lands in my account.

“We got that money from selling all our stuff, though most of it is due to Corvus selling his hacking scripts." Mara answers the question I can’t even start to put into words.

I gaze at the Holoscreen as the revelation develops, my mind straining to accept the enormous number of credits deposited in my account. That much money, along with my military pension, allows me to live a comfortable life without lifting a finger. However, I would most likely use the money to gain admission to a top institution to prepare for the EAT.

"170,000 credits? Are you serious?" I finally utter; my eyes are still fixed on the Holoscreen.

“Well, honestly speaking, we got lucky that someone needed those scripts desperately, and we became Enhanced Candidate; otherwise, I would have been forced to sell those scripts for 30k credits at the maximum in the black market.” Corvus tries to explain, but it does nothing to help me process.

I absorb the information slowly, my mind processing the unexpected turn of events. The enormity of the credits transferred to my account starts sinking in, along with the realization that Corvus's hacking scripts played a significant role in this windfall.

“Well, that's definitely a surprise!"I finally exclaim, turning around to look at my brother and Mara, both of whom are busy stuffing their faces full of cake.

"So, do you like it?” Corvus asks me, knowing darn well that he sent me for a loop. Before I can reply to him, he sees the half-eaten plate of cake and rushes over to it, mumbling under his breath that those two never let him have anything good.

Smiling at Corvus’s antics, I join them.

─── °:. *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☾ .* :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───

Dr Emily Gent, 8:36 pm, in AutoCab

        I whoop in excitement as my script finally works and gives me the statistics I have been working on for the last year or so. I immediately turn on my Holowatch and dial Adam. The call is picked up on the third ring, and a familiar masculine voice greets me.

“Hey Emi, long time.”

“Hey Adam, guess what? I finally got the data for the research paper I am working on. I should be able to publish it in 6-7 days."

“That's amazing; also, is this the secret project you are working on and won’t tell me?"

“Yup, the same.” I continue in a daydreamy voice, “I can already imagine how it will be. Each year, around ten million students participate in the EAT, with over one million qualifying for physical testing. Ultimately, nearly ten thousand people become Enhanced. However, only around eight thousand of them successfully complete the process; the fate of the remaining individuals remains unknown or unaccounted for. This raises a few red flags for me.”

“Emily, stop what you are saying right now.” Adam roughly interrupts me. “This is a very dangerous line of thinking. You know those in charge are quite sensitive about this topic. There’s probably a reason why there has been no research done on this subject.”

“I know, Adam, but I have the fact that I am very important to them and quite popular among the masses in my favor. Trust me, nothing will happen. The worst that can happen is that I lose my job, but people deserve to know the truth.”

With a sigh, Adam says, "I just worry about you. Your curiosity sometimes leads you down paths you shouldn't tread."

I chuckle, "You sound like a concerned parent."

"Well, someone has to look out for you. Anyway, let's change the topic. How about a virtual dinner tomorrow night? My treat."

"Sounds good. I could use a distraction from all this research."

As I end the call with Adam, my AutoCab glides through the city, the neon lights painting streaks of color across the darkened sky.

As I delve into my research, analyzing the data and drawing connections, I can't shake the feeling that I'm on the brink of something significant.