Story code: ST-001264
Part 3: The Registry Search
The progress bar on Principal Vance’s monitor crawled to eighty percent. Brenda Hastings shifted her weight, the gold buckles on her leather boots clicking against the linoleum floor. She reached for the strap of the hand-embroidered teal classroom backpack, her fingers tightening around the canvas fabric.
“There is no reason to waste school hours searching through a database for a commercial component,” Brenda said, her voice tightening at the edges. “If there is an issue with the registration, I will have my husband retrieve the store receipt tonight and email it to the main office.”
Principal Vance did not release his grip on the backpack. He turned it over on the desk, exposing the underside of the main compartment. “The STEM showcase rules are clear, Brenda. Every micro-controller funded or facilitated through school programs is logged at the warehouse before distribution. If this is a private purchase, the serial number will simply return a null result.”
Clara Miller sat in her corner chair, her pen hovered over her notebook. She watched Brenda’s gaze dart from the monitor to the closed office door. Clara did not speak, but her eyes remained fixed on the corner of the backpack where a small section of green thread was visible near the seam of the internal lining.
“The kids swap parts constantly during the afternoon lab sessions,” Brenda said, gesturing toward the hallway. “Even if this board has a school stamp, it is because Tyler swapped a faulty capacitor with one of the classroom spares. It’s a common practice. The project itself-the design, the execution-is entirely Tyler’s.”
“We do not swap micro-controllers, Brenda,” Principal Vance said. He adjusted his glasses and leaned closer to the device, reading the laser-etched serial code near the USB port. “The serial number is OM-STEM-9942.”
Clara’s hand moved across her notepad, recording the serial number. She knew the sequence by heart; she had watched Maya copy it into her library workspace log just three days ago.
Principal Vance typed the code into the database interface. “The system will show the original allocation of the board. If it was purchased as part of the classroom set, it will be tied to a specific student account.”
Brenda adjusted her designer coat over her arm, pulling it closer to her chest. “I have a meeting with the district fundraising committee in ten minutes. I will take the project now and have Tyler present it to you directly before school tomorrow.”
She reached out to pick up the solar tracker, but Vance placed his hand flat on the desk beside the unit. “The inspection is currently in progress, Brenda. The unit remains here until the log is verified.”
The monitor emitted a soft double beep, indicating the database search had completed. A single record expanded on the screen, reflecting the blue light onto Vance’s face. He stared at the name displayed in the primary field, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as the office went completely silent.