Chapter 15: The Physics Bowl Prep
Four hundred and ninety-seven dollars and eighty cents.
Kayel stared at his balance like a man examining the last drops of water in his canteen while crossing a desert. Two dollars and twenty cents. That's all that stood between him and the External Interface Protocol—the upgrade that would free him from the mental taxation that had defined his existence in this universe.
Three days had passed since the Dennis Kim incident, and Kayel was still recovering from the fifty-dollar neurological assault he'd endured to provide Sheldon with his sabotage strategy. The plan had worked flawlessly—Dennis was now spending more time thinking about Rebecca than quantum mechanics—but the cost had left Kayel feeling like his brain had been put through a blender.
"Two dollars and twenty cents. I could probably find that much in couch cushions."
[QUERY: $0.10]
Balance: $497.70.
"Or not."
That's when Leonard knocked on his door, wearing an expression that suggested he was about to ask for a favor that Kayel really couldn't afford to give.
"Hey," Leonard said when Kayel opened the door. "Got a minute? I need to ask you something."
"Sure," Kayel said, though every fiber of his being was screaming that this was a terrible idea.
Leonard stepped into the apartment, glancing around nervously. "So, you know how the university has that academic bowl competition every year? Physics Bowl?"
"Oh, no. I know where this is going."
[QUERY: $0.10]
Balance: $497.60.
"I've heard about it," Kayel said carefully.
"Right. Well, our team usually consists of me, Howard, Raj, and... Sheldon. But Sheldon got himself kicked off the team for arguing with the organizers about question formatting and suggesting they were 'intellectually unfit to judge scientific knowledge.'"
"That sounds like Sheldon."
"The thing is, we need a fourth person. Someone smart, reliable, who won't completely embarrass us." Leonard paused, looking hopeful. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining the team."
The words hung in the air like a toxic cloud. Kayel could feel his carefully constructed facades beginning to crumble just from the suggestion. A physics competition. In public. Where he'd be expected to demonstrate knowledge he didn't possess without spending money he didn't have.
"This is a disaster. A complete, unmitigated disaster."
[QUERY: $0.10]
Balance: $497.50.
"I don't know," Kayel said slowly. "I mean, I'm not really a physicist. My background is more... applied."
"That's perfect! Sometimes they ask practical questions about engineering applications, computer science, that kind of thing. Besides, you're clearly smart. The way you solved Sheldon's Dennis Kim problem, the websites you build—you think differently than we do. That could be exactly what we need."
"If he only knew that my 'different thinking' consists of paying an AI system to inject information into my brain while I writhe in agony."
[QUERY: $0.10]
Balance: $497.40.
Kayel's mind raced through the implications. Participating in a physics competition would require real-time access to information he didn't have. Even basic questions would trigger system queries, and complex problems could cost him dozens of dollars. A single round of competition could bankrupt him all over again.
But refusing would require explanations he couldn't give. How do you tell someone that you can't join their academic team because thinking about physics costs you money?
"Maybe I could get a quick commission before the competition. Just enough to push me over the five-hundred-dollar threshold. Then I could participate without worrying about query costs."
[TIMELINE OPTIMIZATION AVAILABLE: $5.00. STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY.]
"STOP," Kayel said aloud, then quickly covered. "Sorry. Just... thinking."
Leonard looked concerned. "You okay? You seem stressed."
"Stressed doesn't begin to cover it. I'm two dollars away from freedom and you're asking me to voluntarily enter a situation that could cost me everything."
"It's a big decision," Kayel said. "When is the competition?"
"Three days. This Saturday. I know it's short notice, but we're kind of desperate. Sheldon's ban is ironclad—apparently he called the head judge 'a failed academic clinging to administrative power to compensate for intellectual inadequacy.'"
Three days. Seventy-two hours to either find two dollars and twenty cents or figure out how to fake his way through a physics competition without revealing that his brain had been monetized by an AI system.
"What have I gotten myself into? What am I about to get myself into?"
[QUERY: $0.10]
Balance: $497.30.
"You know what?" Kayel said, making a decision that he immediately regretted. "Sure. I'll do it."
Leonard's face lit up with relief and gratitude. "Really? That's amazing! Thank you so much. We meet tomorrow night to go over strategy and practice questions. Nothing too intense, just getting familiar with the format."
After Leonard left, Kayel sat on his bed and contemplated the magnitude of his mistake. He'd just agreed to participate in an academic competition that would require extensive physics knowledge, real-time problem-solving, and the ability to perform under pressure—all while maintaining his cover as someone who definitely wasn't relying on an AI system for cognitive enhancement.
"What have I done? This is insane. I need to find a way out of this, or find two dollars and twenty cents, or figure out how to fake my way through without going bankrupt."
[PRE-EVENT ANXIETY DETECTED. THERAPY SESSION AVAILABLE: $15.00. STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES AND COPING STRATEGIES.]
"I hate you," Kayel said to the empty room.
[EMOTIONAL FEEDBACK NOTED. USER SATISFACTION SURVEY AVAILABLE FOR $1.00.]
"I hate you so much."
Three days to find two dollars and twenty cents, or face the most expensive academic performance of his life.
"This is going to be a nightmare."
[QUERY: $0.10]
Balance: $497.20.
The irony wasn't lost on him—even his anxiety about the cost of anxiety was costing him money.
"I need a plan. A real plan. Something that doesn't involve paying the system for the privilege of having a plan."
But as he sat there, trying to think his way out of his self-imposed predicament without triggering additional charges, Kayel couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just committed to the most expensive mistake of his life.
Two dollars and twenty cents had never seemed so far away.
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