This is a story I completed a little while ago so I'll be posting all of the chapters in one go. Saoirse is an Irish name pronounced as Sersha. Enjoy!
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Saoirse peered around the amphitheatre, trying to understand why so many people were attending her Applied Science lecture. Her suspicions were raised when she identified students studying medicine, medieval history and psychology y sitting around her. Two excited first years sat in front of her and judging by the folders on their desk, they were majoring in philosophy. What (or more likely who) was causing philosophy students to sit in on her lecture?! They were talking enthusiastically to one another and Saoirse leaned closer to hopefully have her question answered.
'I can't believe he's going to be on that stage talking to us in a few minutes!' One squeaked.
'I know; I'm skipping an obligatory tutorial to see him! Do you think he'll be as handsome in person?' The other gushed.
'Oh gosh, I hope so! Did you see him on the cover of that magazine with the slight facial hair?'
'He's just beautiful.'
Saoirse was about to ask who exactly looked good with facial hair when the doors behind the pedestal opened. Silence chased around the theatre as students craned their necks to catch a glimpse of their lecturer. The usual Professor James Andrew stepped forward, his bow tie and jovial lilac shirt always making him easy to spot from a distance. Who he was followed by explained the packed theatre. It was none other than Bruce Wayne; the Prince of Gotham; and as he stepped forward he was greeted by tumultuous applause. Unlike the rest of the audience, Saoirse did not applaud the billionaire playboy and remained baffled by his presence in her Applied Science lecture. Her confusion vanished when she saw a familiar man following Mr Wayne. He was elderly and went unnoticed by the crowd except for Saoirse. His name was Lucius Fox and he was one of the most brilliant engineers of the past decade.
He was the reason Saoirse studied Applied Sciences.
Bruce Wayne raised his hands and the crowd fell silent. 'Thank you, I wish I received such a warm welcome from my boardroom.' He said with half a smile. The girls in front dissolved into giggles. 'Now, most of you are curious about this visit as I've never taken time from my busy schedule of driving sports cars and courting models to lecture students. So unlike when I was in Princeton, bored out of my tree by lecturers – no offence Professor Andrew – let me get straight to the point. This man here –'he gestured towards Lucius '– used to work in Applied Sciences at Wayne Enterprises before being promoted to the top job, C.E.O!' Mr Wayne punched each letter into the crowd. 'Now I know what you're thinking, how on earth does an engineer in Applied Sciences suddenly become the head of a serious corporation? It's simple: He has the Midas touch. Every business Mr Fox is given control over manages to balance out its financial instabilities to once again become profitable. Unfortunately, his presence has been missed in Applied Sciences so he wisely suggested we hire someone to fill the hole; a bright new engineer. As this was where he graduated he thought it a suitable place to sniff out a successor.' At the word "successor" everyone began whispering intensely.
'Listen closely; this is the information which could change your life forever.' Bruce Wayne said while lowering his voice, causing the crowd to lean in.
'Here is how the process will begin: You'll be given a puzzle to solve and those competent enough to solve it will be allowed to submit their resume. If the curriculum vitae stands up to scrupulous inspection, you'll be called to an interview and undergo a substantial grilling. After all candidates have been heard, Lucius and I will decide which candidate would best fit into Wayne Enterprises, receiving an amiable salary along with crucial life experience. Now, if you all check beneath your seats, you will find your puzzle.' There was a cacophony of noise as everyone scrambled beneath their seats. Saoirse's hand grasped a silk bag which she carefully deposited on the desk. Opening the bag, she pulled out a smooth, silver sphere.
'This is a test set by Lucius Fox himself to gauge your creative problem solving skills. The aim: to open the sphere. Once achieved, it will reveal instructions on how to submit your resume. This test must be undertaken on your own, you must not give the puzzle to a professor or friend; it must be done by your hand only.'
'How will you know if we solve it on our own?' A voice in the front row asked.
'Here, let me demonstrate.' Bruce Wayne strode over towards the student and picked up his metal puzzle. 'Right now; this puzzle has not been activated so I can pick it up and toss it around without anything happening. Now, place your thumb here.' Bruce said to the student. He placed his thumb on the centre of the circular object while everyone craned to see. 'As you may or may not be able to see, the device has now been activated. How you ask? It's fingerprint sensitive and has a tiny database of all the Applied Science students from this college in a tiny little hard drive. Now, the device has recognized you to be Daniel Woods, is that right?' The student nodded. 'This device is now assigned to Daniel and will only respond to his touch. If any other student tries to solve this puzzle, they will find themselves unable to.' Bruce Wayne picked up the device with the silk bag so none of it was touching his skin. 'You with the green hair! Think fast!' Bruce Wayne carelessly lobbed the device a few rows up which luckily the boy with green hair caught. As soon as his fingers clasped the object, the sphere emitted a series of sparks and with a quick yelp; the puzzle was dropped on the desk. 'As was kindly demonstrated; you will receive an electric shock from the device if you try to solve a puzzle which isn't yours.' Bruce explained to an awed audience. Saoirse wasted no time pressing her thumb to the sphere at the centre while trying to figure out how much a device such as this might cost. 'If you successfully manage to submit your resume, you will once more be asked to demonstrate how to solve the puzzle in your interview. And if someone manages to solve the puzzle, they are forbidden to show anyone else their solution. A word of advice, don't cheat; we will know if anyone has been sharing information.' An excited buzz broke around the room while Saoirse pondered the proposal the young billionaire had put forward.
'Now… any questions?' A flurry of hands shot up as if Bruce Wayne had pulled a gun on the crowd. 'You, turtle neck guy.'
'Do you have to be studying Applied Sciences to enter?'
'Yes. Oh and swapping that turtle neck for a shirt will most definitely help with the ladies.' He added with a wink much to the audience's humour. 'You with the dreadlocks.'
'Is there an age restriction Mr Wayne?'
'Above 20 is preferred unless you're a genius teenager. And please don't call me Mr Wayne, I'm not your boss yet.' The crowd laughed. 'You with the hangover.' He said, pointing towards a bloodshot student.
'What is Applied Sciences at Wayne Enterprise?'
'Applied Sciences is an important sector of Wayne Enterprises, it's where great ideas are allowed to come to life and is the birthplace of new weapons and armour for the army. If you're up for the task, you would be presented with a lot of creative freedom and a generous budget.'
The questions continued for another ten minutes with the young billionaire providing witty answers, keeping the room hypnotized. Saoirse would have fallen prey to his charms if not for the presence of Lucius Fox. Her own idol was in this room and she may have a chance to work in the same company as him, doing the same job he used to do. She began inspecting the sphere on her lap, it was a test she was determined to pass, yet how was it supposed to open? She could see no grooves on the smooth surface…
A round of applause drew Saoirse's attention back to the pedestal, it seemed Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox were leaving. As the doors closed behind them, James Andrew tried to begin his own lecture but the crowd was too restless and soon he gave up, dismissing the class.
