Gemotions

The smell of freshly brewed coffee did nothing to calm Leo's nerves as he waited for the results. He paced the small waiting room, the linoleum floor cold beneath his feet. He picked at a loose thread on his jacket. Then, the announcement came.

"Leo and Mark, please come forward."

He found Mark, a wiry man with intense eyes, already standing before the judges. Their faces, he saw with a sinking heart, were neutral. Then, the screen flickered to life. The same data, the same conclusions, the same innovative approach. He felt the blood drain from his face.

“Our findings,” the lead judge began, his voice flat, “are…remarkably consistent.” Leo felt like he was shrinking, the room closing in around him.