The Test

Prompt

Year 2021 6:30 AM

Professor Johnson flipped the switch on the lab and his machine came into full view. Today was the last day, tomorrow his machine will be taken out and there would be room for a brad new robotics centre in this lab. His machine had failed despite his repeated tries. People had called it overambitious and impossible, maybe they had been right.

He switched on the console and looked at the parameters it would not work 5 years of research and it could not work.

He felt a wave of exhaustion mixed with helplessness then anger took over when he recalled the directors words spoken to him last night. The taunts of his colleges, the mockery they had made of him in the College magazine. Enough was enough, he began fiddling with the controls without even realising what settings he was choosing. He knew his machine would be dismantled tomorrow so why the hell not burn it himself.

He overloaded the parameters and fired the relay controls. A massive spark took place at the relay box and the lights of the entire campus went out as a massive surge of power ran through the machine a bright glow of light and then everything went blank.

Year 100 AD

6:35 AM

Kiar had been soldering in the electronics lab early morning. He had to finish his project as the deadline for submission was fast approaching. He was about the solder a capacitor on the board when the massive power surge took place. His lab went dark and the entire building shook like an earthquake had occurred. The hot soldering iron dropped on his hand and burned it.

He yelped out in pain and jumped to make his way to the first aid box. The campus had shifted to backup power. As he approached the window where the first aid box was he saw the sight outside his window and gasped. It was as if someone knocked the air out of his lungs, the burning feeling in his hand was gone his whole body went numb he could not believe that the view that he saw. He had stared outside this window for the last 3 years and had seen the busy Massachusetts city. But today it was all gone and before him stood the wild jungle expanse. His brain could not process what he was seeing.

But he was not alone, students and teachers were waking up to the same scene before them. Little did they know that their troubles had just began. Recognised and respected as the most intelligent of the human race ,the overseer had a very worthy test for them.