Data Mining

Word count: 289

"This professor of yours," Max said from behind his helmet interface. "He's a bit of a geek."

Jared flashed a no shit face and studied the virtual pool at his feet.  Data mining at its finest.  He and Max had tracked, hacked, reproduced, and jacked every trace of Dr. Herron from the internet and electronic world.  They'd stolen his thoughts, dreams, philosophies, his love, vices, and logic.  Hidden in the maze of floating numbers, letters, and symbols were the man’s stripped-down brain.  Maybe even his soul.

And now he had the tools to pull the greatest stunt in university history:  he was going to pass Herron's unpassable exam by figuring out the questions before they were even written.

"Did you know Pluto's not a planet?  It's a comet.  A fucking comet, dude!  The stuff in this freak’s head!”

“He’s an astronomy professor, Max.”

“Yeah, but still…” 

The extrapolation and data-webbing continued and Jared let his mind wander to his father, who’d been in his shoes years earlier.  It was funny how one test could change a man’s destiny, morph him from Wall Street to mid-management, from greatness to everyday.  Could the weak spiral of a person’s life really be powered by the hatefulness of one vindictive man whose proudest achievement was the failure of others?

Maybe.  Maybe not.  But unlike his father, Jared wouldn't leave his future to chance.

Max finished and handed him a printout of questions.  “Here are the most probables.  Easy A, bro.  That professor of yours won’t even know what hit him.”

Wrong, Jared thought.  Jared would pass the exam no one had in 25 years and then he’d let Herron know he cheated.  It wouldn’t matter, of course.  Pride would keep Herron from reporting it but the feeling of failure--a weak,cold spiral-- would never leave.