“Video data? Really?” I asked.
“Really? Did you say you do security tech?” 10 said.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Maureen said, looking at her phone. “I can track packets of data being transferred in and out, and there is a fair bit going out that’s not through your main router. There’s probably a camera somewhere with a wireless chip.”
Everyone started looking around on the walls. In the top corner, just near the door, there were two boxes, one of which looked like a smoke detector, the second of which was shiny and black.
“Wait. Everyone stop and look at me,” I said loudly and suddenly. “Don’t look around. Maureen, is it video and audio or just video?”
“Looks like just video,” Maureen said.
“AZ, what’s going on?” Li asked.
“I’m not 100 percent sure, but my guess is that Dalk has been watching us. It’s why he wasn’t surprised by Ada at the pre-competition test. He’d already seen it all. But if it’s not audio, then I’ve got an idea. Everyone follow me.”
We walked outside and sat on the grass in a nearby park.
“I think Dalk is using video to spy on us and it probably also helped him hack into Ada. I don’t have proof yet, but I think I know how to get it. In the meantime, I say we mess with Dalk’s head.”
“10, if we use a professional lab, is that allowed?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s fine, as long as students do the work,” 10 said.
“Great. Dasan, could we use your lab?” I asked.
“Yes, I don’t see why not,” Dasan said.
“Ok, great. So we move out of our lab, Dalk can’t watch us anymore and maybe thinks we’ve given up. Then he won’t try to sabotage us again and we’ve got the element of surprise. Yeah?” I asked.
“I like it. I’m in,” Li said.
“Ok, let’s do it. If Dalk did this, then I want Ada back to full health and in that competition,” 10 said.
“Everyone else up for this?” I asked and received a collective “yeah” and head nods from the group.
“Ok, game on.”
So, with some pretty bad acting, the group pointed to the board, waved their arms about, pretended to have an argument, walked out, and then let fly with some held-in laughter as soon as they were off-camera. 10 was left alone to pack up Ada and key parts into tubs and move them out.
An hour later, 10 arrived at Dasan’s lab, where everyone else was working. Balanda had taken a photo of the whiteboard and copied every single task over. She’d also broken them down into those things that needed to get done before the rerun of the pre-test.
“Well, we’ve found our super-organized person,” I said, looking through all the tasks in the project management tool.
Kora had set up a development environment and Jerel, Maureen, and Dasan were talking about hardware issues and what they’d work on first.
“Whoa!” 10 said, much louder than I think she had intended, looking around the lab for the first time. “This is awesome. Impressive tools, Dasan. Look at this stuff. You’ve got four Roland ARM-1,000 Desktop 3D printers, two Sherline 8TX Series TTP-Ready lathes and two Roland JX-3Z milling machines. All you need is a wind tunnel for aerodynamics.”
Definition: Wind tunnels—Large tube-like spaces where air blows through. They are used by organizations like NASA to test how air and space craft models fly.
“Well, we can’t expect everything,” I said, smiling. “Why don’t you put some of those tubs in the storage room through that door?”
10 opened the door, looked in, and fell to her knees. The room erupted in laughter. “Are you kidding me? A wind tunnel? Technically, this is the happiest moment of my life. How come you never showed us this before?”
“You never asked,” Lucia said, slightly smirking.
10 stood up and walked to the new whiteboard and looked at the work to do. Li and I joined her. Several of the sticky notes had been put in the “in progress” area in the middle of the board. 10 adjusted a few of the tasks from pre-test to final competition. The new team members were working away alone, or with Lucia and Dasan showing them how to use the equipment.
Backlog
In progress
Done
Pre-test phase:
4 days
38 tasks
4 tasks
0 tasks
Final competition phase:
10 days
54 tasks
0 tasks
0 tasks
“What do you think, 10? Can we do it?” I asked.
“We can do it, oh, yes we can, we can do it, come on, 10,” Li softly chanted.
“With this equipment…if this team is good…if we do little else other than school, work, eat, and some sleep. Technically…it’s still unlikely, but just fractionally possible,” 10 said, picking up her toolbox. “Let’s get to work.”
Li and I both sandwich-hugged 10 from either side.
“Ok, ok, enough, let’s not get carried away. We’re a long way from a happy place,” 10 said, eventually smiling.
“As you said, let’s get to work. Don’t forget to constantly be testing,” I said to everyone. “Li, I need your help to get me un-expelled. Adewale is tracing the data to find the source, but he says it’s probably obfuscated.”
Definition: Obfuscate—To render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.
“At least it will suggest that we were sabotaged, but we will need more evidence to clear me,” I said. “I’m going to try to do what Lucia suggested, play to Dalk’s arrogance.”
Li: Hey Dalk, it’s Li, with Ada out of action, I am looking to join a new team for the robot competition. Can we please meet at La Dolce Vita Cafe today at three thirty to talk more about it?
Dalk: LOL. Ok.
Li was sitting in a booth waiting for Dalk when he walked in at 3:45.
“So what is this really about?” Dalk asked. “You don’t strike me as someone who is so madly into robots that you really want a new team and I don’t need anyone, certainly not someone like you, so…”
“I’ve quite enjoyed this new journey of roboticismness. Your robot is wonderful, and I would like to learn more,” Li said. “You’re clearly much smarter than AZ and 10, given how you were able to hack Ada without them even knowing.”
Dalk reached over and grabbed Li’s bag and pulled out Li’s phone. Li grabbed for it, but Dalk pulled it further away.
“Trying to record a confession?” Dalk laughed aloud. “Come on. Really? That was your attempt to ‘get me’? You’re pathetic.”
Li’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“And, if I’m not mistaken…” Dalk said, standing up and walking to the booth behind Li and looking straight at me. I was sitting under the next booth table with my phone recording.
“Ohh, a double-trick. So clever. You nearly got me.” Dalk laughed even louder. “Come and join us, AZ.”
I crawled out from under the table and sat next to Li, a look of abject dejection on my face.
“Look at you two. So sad. Was that your big plan? I find Li’s phone, then I give you a full confession, with AZ recording it in the booth behind. I’m actually surprised you came up with something at least a little interesting. But, unsurprisingly, I’m smarter and you failed. And now, the recording devices are off and it’s your low-grade word against my first-class word, and I’m not the tiniest bit scared. So, I’ll tell you; I did it, I hacked your robot.”
I used every ounce of will to keep a straight face.
“Now, I didn’t expect it to crash into people and do so much damage. That’s your fault for somehow
making it fast. I merely wanted to take it out of action and another robot along with it. The two humans…collateral damage,” Dalk said. “But your robot, your blight on the world of robotics, with its gimmicky marble-middle, built by a team of losers… You don’t deserve to line up next to me and my glorious warrior.”
“Warrior? It’s just a friendly competition, Dalk,” I said.
“And that’s why you’ll always lose,” Dalk said. “It’s so much more than that. If you could only see the vision. But I can’t stay here with you lowlifes. I’ve got a competition to win. I hope you come along to watch me hold the trophy up.”
“We’ll be there,” I said. Li grabbed my hand, which I squeezed and moved it away gently. “We will be there and so will Ada, in the competition, beating you.”
Li’s head shook from side to side.
“Really? You’re going to try and fix that freak? Found another lab, have you? Interesting. You’ll never learn, will you?” He stood up and walked off.
“Why did you tell him?” Li asked. “We’ve lost some of our advantage.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I changed my mind and trusted my gut. Hearing him bragging made me realize that with us out that takes the pressure off him. He will find it much harder to put a camera in the new lab and much harder to hack us with our stronger team. I want him wasting his time fretting over us. Plus, he’d find out at the retest anyway, so the advantage would be short lived,” I replied.
“Oh AZ, you are getting craftier, but don’t we need every advantage we can get? Especially since he is prepared to fight dirty, and we are not,” Li said.
“I don’t think so. We are just hitting our stride while he is worried. Did you see how he mentioned how fast Ada was? He’s actually worried. He said he’s not scared, but I think he’s bluffing. Otherwise why bother hacking us? And what he doesn’t know is that by taking out both Ada and Huffleclaw, he’s made our team bigger and stronger. And we may not be playing dirty, but we are certainly getting tougher. I mean, look at your face. You’ve got your game face on.”
Li’s face launched into a series of contortions and twitches, finally settling back into its usual smile.
Marveling at my new friend, I picked up the rectangular box that the salt and pepper shakers were sitting on. It looked like fairly plain silver metal, with a few lines on the largest flat side.
“Now Dalk. A double bluff, you say. How about a triple? Did your big brain see the triple coming? No? Apparently not,” I said with a serious look on my face, then cracked up in laughter with Li.
I slid the top off the device, exposing some buttons and a small red light. I pressed a few buttons, a green light came on, and Dalk’s voice rang out: “…and I’m not the tiniest bit scared. So, I’ll tell you—I did it, I hacked your robot…”
The next morning, I’d played the recording for the principal. An hour later, after some frantic phone calls, too many people crammed into Principal Tajek’s office. Li, 10, Dalk, and I sat in chairs in front of the desk. On the right side was my mom on her phone and my dad looking very uncomfortable.
Next to them was Li’s mother, in active wear like she’d just come from the gym, and Li’s dad, in an expensive suit. I’d only met them a few times, but they were lovely and adored Li.
On the other side of my parents was 10’s mother in a pair of overalls covered in paint. She was a single mother with an amazing work ethic.
Jax, Dalk’s father, stood on the left side and had brought one of his lawyers, “Mister Stone,” along with him.
I played the recording again.
“That could be fake. It could have been coerced. It is not an admission of guilt,” Mr. Stone rattled off.
“Enough, Stone,” Jax interrupted. “This is a waste of my time. It doesn’t matter. Tajek isn’t going to do anything to Dalk. If he so much as thinks about suspending him for these nothings, I’ll have Dalk in another school, along with all my funding, in an hour. We’re done here.”
Jax walked out, Stone followed, and Dalk, giving us a satisfied look, trailed behind them.
“Are you really going to let them get away with that? They sabotaged us and hurt people. Why isn’t he expelled or at least suspended?” 10 asked, a look of disbelief on her face.
“Well, ok, you see, as the man in the suit said, this evidence is interesting, but really, um, does it really prove anything?” Principal Tajek started.
“It proves a lot,” my mother said, with a conviction that I’d never seen before. “What about the video data, too? It was premeditated. At the very least, these three are innocent and we should un-suspend them, un-expel AZ, and let them back into the competition.”
“Well, there probably isn’t much harm in it. Ok, ok, so, that is done, no suspension, no expulsion, back in the competition. But, please, no more drama? Ok? Please?” said Principal Tajek.
“I promise. No drama,” I said, hand on my heart.
The next day we’re back at the lab working. There was a knock at the door and Li opened it to find Katrin standing there, her plaster cast in a sling, a large graze on her forehead, and a few stitches on her chin. The activity in the room instantly stopped. Li stepped forward to hug her.
“Hey, careful with my arm please,” Katrin said, pulling back and allowing a gentle, half-hug from Li. “I’m still a bit tender.”
“Hi Katrin, are you ok? How is Matias doing?” I asked.
“Um, he’s better and the doctors say he’ll probably be ok,” Katrin said. “Wow, you have some amazing equipment here.”
I noticed everyone still looking at Katrin. “Hey everyone, let’s get back to it. We still have a lot to do.” I stepped through the door and closed it behind her as the activity ramped up again.
“I’m so sorry about what happened. It was just awful,” I said.
“Yeah, it was all awful, but I heard about how Dalk hacked Ada. I was wondering if I could join the team.”
I’m literally going to cry. Ok, I am crying.
“Wow, of course. That would be great. We need all the help we can get. Are you sure you’re ok to do that?
“I want to keep busy. I sit still too long…and I don’t want to give up. Because of Matias being injured too. I don’t want that to be the end. I’m not sure what I can do. Do you think I can help you rebuild Ada?”
“Of course, we’d love to have you. And don’t worry about the arm, I’m sure we can work something out.”
Four days later, the whole team, along with Lucia and Dasan, stood in a circle holding hands. Ada had just passed the second chance pre-competition test and I was doing my favorite “pinky fingers in the air” dance.
The whiteboard looked like this:
Backlog
In progress
Done
Pre-test:
0 days to go
0 tasks
0 tasks
42 tasks
Final competition:
10 days to go
31 tasks
11 tasks
16 tasks
“Let’s get to work,” said my voice, which was a bit odd since I hadn’t said it. Everyone looked around. Ada had played a recording of my voice. The whole room erupted in laughter.
Ten days of hard work, long hours, not much sleep, a number of small bugs, and a few big ones, later, and the team was finally happy that Ada was ready. All tasks had been completed and Ada had done dozens of tests.
It was ten o’clock the night before the first day of competition. Lucia had bought pizza and ice cream to celebrate. I stood in front of the team, my arm around Ada.
This is getting easier,
but why does my stomach start ‘pretzeling’ every time I stand in front of them?
“What we have done, in the last few weeks, is nothing short of incredible. To see a team with a lot of new members be able to focus, collaborate, and execute was a thrill. Thank you for letting me be a part of it. I’m very proud of what you have done and regardless of the outcome in the next three days, you should know that we have achieved something special. Ada, I want to make sure you know how much you are a part of this team,” I gave Ada a hug as some LED lights discoed across the ceiling. “I also want to thank Mrs. D’Silva, Mr. Jabari, Lucia, and Dasan; you’ve been amazing supporting us and we couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Or the wind tunnel,” 10 added, bringing a few laughs from the group.
“We should all get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day,” I said.
That night, I dreamt I was stuck in a box, operating on Ada with one arm tied behind my back.
T-Minus Four
School Robot Competition
Day One, Part One: Creative
9:45 a.m.
Fifteen minutes to start of competition
I looked around the hall full of activity and felt the energy. Teams were making final touches to their robots. The big crowd waved signs to support their electronic champions.
A small stage sat at one end. There were no special stage lights. No microphones. No instruments. The robots need to bring it all, in more ways than one.
The creative section judges sat at a big table with three chairs in front of the stage. They were Mrs. Tanaka, the local university’s design professor, Kajal Qadir, who ran the local dance company, and Ashan Tengku, a famous singer.
Ada was surrounded by the team, generally fussing and carrying laptops, diagnostics equipment, and phones with apps.
“Good morning everyone, we’re done, we’re good, we’re ready. Ada is ready,” I said, arms waving to get the team’s attention. “Only 10, Li, and I are allowed down here on the floor for the performances, everyone else, big hugs and get up into the grandstands to support us.”
She's Building a Robot Page 9
