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"Her code is simpler," she finally said. "She didn't write the same commands over and over like we did. She used something called loops to make it repeat automatically."

"What else?"

"The construction is cleaner. No visible hot glue. All the wires are organized with those little plastic ties." She frowned. "Mom wouldn't let me use the soldering iron. We had to twist wires together and use caps instead."

"Smart mom."

Amber shot me a look that said she disagreed.

We moved to the first-place winner. A sixth-grade boy named Brian had built something I hadn't expected from a kid his age. A mechanical hand made from fishing line, drinking straws, and some 3D-printed pieces. Pull one string, the index finger curled. Pull another, the thumb moved. Simple but clever.

"How old is this kid?" I asked.

Amber checked the placard. "Twelve."

"He made this?"

"His dad probably helped." Bitterness crept into her voice. "That's cheating."

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, okay. You helped, so it’s stupid for me to say it would be cheating if he had help.”

“There you go. Now evaluate it.”

She spent even longer on this one. Tested each finger's range of motion. Examined how the fishing line threaded through the straw segments. Read the detailed explanation about helping people who'd lost hands.

"It's good," she finally admitted. The words came out like pulled teeth.

"Why?"

"Because it actually helps people. Our robot sorts recycling, which is useful, but this could change someone's life. Plus, it's all mechanical. No batteries, no computer, nothing that can break or need programming."

"So, it deserved to win?"

Amber kicked at the floor. "Yeah. I guess."

"You know why I had you look at these?"

"To make me feel bad about losing?"

I almost smiled. "No. You need to know your competition. Understand what you're up against. Learn from what beat you."

"Like knowing your enemy in the Army?"

The question caught me off guard. Most kids didn't make that connection so fast.

"Yeah. Exactly like that."

We stood there, both staring at the mechanical hand. Some kid across the gym knocked over his project and started crying. The sound echoed off the walls.

"Jase was really good at that, wasn't he? Knowing his enemies?" Amber didn't look at me when she asked.

"One of the best."

"I know what SEALs do." Her voice dropped low. "I looked it up. They go after terrorists and bad guys in other countries. Really dangerous stuff."

"Amber..."