Old Dorok stared at the workbench, his hands frozen mid-motion. On his side of the table, the gadget lay partially reassembled, a few stubborn screws and a tangled ribbon cable still awaiting his attention.
But, on Neo's side, the device sat perfectly pristine, humming with a rhythmic, healthy vibration that it hadn't possessed even before it was dismantled.
"Impossible..." Dorok whispered in disbelief as he looked at the timer.
Neo hadn't just beaten him. He had operated with a terrifying speed and fluidity. While the old man had been reaching for his specialized screwdrivers and prying tools,
Neo's fingers had moved like a blur of practiced instinct. He had stripped the machine down to its core components in seconds and snapped it back together as if the metal were magnetically drawn to its rightful place.
"How?" Dorok finally managed to choke out, looking from the flawless gadget to the young man standing before him.
