It was the second week of Ramzan in LUMS, and all the hustle and bustle all around the campus. Students were running to their classes, some chatting about an upcoming event. Some take pictures of the new innovation of Dr. Mark, the machine learning professor.
I noticed it through posters on campus and social media announcements from the LUMS student council.
Zuree and her friends noticed a poster and a scanner on a table, covered with a glass box with the label Biometric Data Scanner. And on the poster was written the upcoming charity event with the new innovation.
The buzz really began when people started talking about the handprint scanner. A totally unique idea that grabbed everyone's attention.
Zuree woke up early that day, feeling unusually excited for the event. The sunlight was streaming through through her hostel room curtains, she could hear the morning chatter outside of her window. After quickly getting ready, She grabbed her sleek black backpack and met Alisha and Eshaal in the hostel common room.
"I am excited for the event," Elisha said.
"Yaa. It seems amazing to be the part of a good cause." Zuree said, staring at the student walking out of the hostel for the event.
"Guys. We are getting late. The event had started." Alisha said, standing in front of them.
They walked to the event together, laughing and talking about how everyone was hyped for the handprint scanner.
"Why are people so crazy for a scanner... Stupid people." Alisha whispered.
The energy on campus was electric, and the decorations, fairy lights, and banners... made it feel festive despite the heat.
At the event, Zuree's eyes were all over the place. Initially, she felt proud and excited to be part of something so innovative. The idea of contributing to charity with this cool tech made her feel like she was part of something futuristic. But deep down, there was this faint unease that she couldn't shake... like a shadow lurking just out of sight.
The students were buzzing with curiosity and excitement.
"Did you see how it scans your hand? It's like something out of a sci-fi movie!" one guy exclaimed to his friends.
"Do you think our data is really safe, though?" Alisha whispered to her Eshaal, glancing toward the scanners.
"Tahir Khadim's behind this tech, right? He's supposed to be a genius." another student remarked, clearly impressed, and got replied by his friend, "No. The main idea for this was Dr. Mark's.". Their debate goes on for a moment.
Eshaal leaned over to Zuree at one point and teased, "Zuree, this is so your thing... next-level glamour for charity!" She laughed it off, but inside, Zuree couldn't help wondering if she was as confident as she appeared.
It was now Zuree's turn to scan the hand, she stepped forward, feeling a mix of anticipation and curiosity. The scanner was sleek, a shiny black device with soft blue lights glowing around its edges.
She placed her hand on the scanner. The surface was cool to the touch, and as soon as her palm made contact, the device emitted a faint hum. A soft light passed over my hand, and she noticed tiny details on the screen lines forming a map of her palm.
Zureenab Nasir... Age 23 her details were mentioned below the map of her palm.
For a split second, she hesitated. It felt... too precise, almost intrusive. But she brushed the thought aside and smiled, thinking about how this was just part of the process.
As the scan was completed, Tahir Khadim, who was nearby, gave her an approving nod. "All set," he said with a slight smile, but there was something about his expression, calm, almost too calm that stuck with her.
Zuree stepped away, feeling a strange mix of pride for contributing and a faint ripple of unease she couldn't quite name.
---
The charity event was the perfect cover. On the surface, it appeared to be a noble cause. A way to bring the campus together during Ramzan while showcasing groundbreaking technology. But for Tahir Khadim and Dr. Mark, it was much more than that.
The biometric data scanner wasn't just about tracking donations; it was a critical phase of a larger plan. Every handprint, every bio-signature collected, was a piece of data, valuable, unique, and deeply personal. While the students marveled at the innovation and felt pride in their contributions, they unknowingly handed over the very essence of their identity.
Thair oversaw the process carefully, ensuring the data was seamlessly logged into their secure database. His partner, Dr. Mark, designed the core algorithms, but it was his meticulous handling of the event logistics that made this operation flawless.
Tahir watched the students with a calm demeanor, offering polite smiles and reassuring words. Inside, he felt a quiet satisfaction. Each scan brought them closer to achieving what they had envisioned. A system that no one could escape.
A young black-haired girl caught Tahir's attention that day. Her hesitation during the scan, the way she glanced at the screen. Something about her made him curious. He nodded at her when her scan was completed, masking his thoughts behind a neutral expression. She had no idea what she had just given away. None of them did.
---
There was a moment when a strange error briefly appeared on the screen during the scanning process. It was a flicker of red text... a string of numbers and symbols that shouldn't have been there. Most people wouldn't have noticed, but Tahir did. It was unexpected, and for a moment, he felt a flicker of unease.
The hurried conversation with Dr. Mark happened right after. Tahir pulled him aside, away from the students, and whispered, "There's an anomaly in the system. Some of the scans are returning inconsistent data... something with the algorithms."
Dr. Mark frowned but remained composed. "It's nothing critical," he said, his voice low but firm. "We'll clean it up in post-processing. The data we need is intact. Don't draw attention to it."
Tahir nodded, but Dr. Mark's tone didn't sit well with him. It wasn't reassurance... it was a command. Even Tahir wasn't aware of every layer of Dr. Mark's plan, and that realization made him wonder just how deep this project really went.