Serendipity — Chapter Eleven

What follows in chapter eleven of my work in progress Serendipity. While the book has been finished, any comments you may have can improve the story. This is an original work by me and all rights belong to Cynthia McMahon. If this is your first time reading Serendipity I suggest you start with chapter one. You can find a link to it, and all chapters on the INDEX.

Chapter Eleven

I woke before the alarm on my phone went off. When I looked at it, I realized that I had forgotten to charge it last night. It would most likely die before the day was done. Hopefully, there was an outlet in the lab I could plug into. I went into the washroom and let my clothes fall to the floor. I stepped into the shower and started the water. I made the water extra hot. Despite the night before, my dysphoria was low while I showered. I washed my hair before finishing off my shower. I wrapped myself in towels and went back to my room. I found a pair of panties and a bra in my underwear drawer. I decided to wear a dress that day. It always helped me when I felt dysphoric. It wasn’t as bad as the night before, but it was present.

I grabbed a bit of fresh fruit for breakfast. I sat on the couch in front of my laptop. I powered it on, and it booted up remarkably quickly. There was barely any wait for it to load. I was impressed with Dirk’s idea of a state-of-the-art laptop. I loaded up my web browser and went to the social media site. There were some replies to my post on Monday. They were all happy for me. After I ate, I closed the lid and disposed of the cores of the pears and the banana peels.

Before heading off to work, I texted Samantha. -Good morning, sunshine. I hope you slept well-

-I did princess, I love you- Samantha replied.

-I love you more- I texted back.

A moment later came her reply, -You win-

I started down the hall to the elevator, and Robin was coming the other way. We met in the middle. I called for the elevator, “Good morning, Natasha,” Robin said while we waited for the elevator.

“Good morning,” I replied.

“I understand Anthony has given you a huge task,” Robin said.

The elevator arrived, and the doors opened, revealing Peter. “Yes, he did,” I said. “I’m looking forward to doing it.”

Robin didn’t reply, and Peter didn’t greet us. We traveled silently to the first floor and wordlessly to the lab. Greg and Kelly were both busy at work already. I went to my desk. There was a power bar behind the monitors with several empty outlets. I took my phone and charger out of my purse and plugged my phone in. I dropped my clutch in the bottom drawer of my desk and powered on my computer.

I opened Deucalion on the left screen, my development environment in the middle, and the manifesto on the right. I made a quick addition to the manifesto for the work that I did yesterday.

In order to make Deucalion speak, I needed to find him a voice. There was text-to-speech software that came on the computers, but I wanted something original that could be swapped out. I loaded up a web browser and started searching for voices. It took several hours and many different queries, but I found him a voice.

I downloaded it and installed it into the system. Now, the hard part. I was integrating the voice into Deucalion. I had done some work with text-to-speech before in school. In a course I took on creating accessible software for people with disabilities. I had to dive into the code deeply to find where the output came from Deucalion to the screen. It was distributed over many systems. It wasn’t going to be easy to switch it to voice. Anthony touched my shoulder, “How is it going?”

“It is going well,” I said. “I found a good voice for Deucalion. I’ve been looking into integrating it with his output systems. There are a lot of them.”

“Yes, it’s not going to be an easy task. There must be at least fifty,” Anthony said.

“Closer to one hundred,” I said.

“I didn’t realize things were that distributed,” Anthony said. “I thought I’d check on you as it is getting close to lunchtime.”

“Really?” I exclaimed. “I didn’t realize that much time had gone by.”

“Get something to eat,” Anthony suggested. “Deucalion will be here when you’re done.”

“Good idea,” I agreed.

I locked my computer and fished my purse out of my drawer. I grabbed my phone and charger and deposited them in my purse. I left the lab and went to get something to eat upstairs. After about an hour, I returned to the lab. Only Peter was in the lab when I returned. When the door opened, he looked up from his desk and immediately returned his attention to his computer.

I took my phone from my purse and placed it on the desk. It was mainly charged, more than enough to see me through the day. I signed into my computer. There was a message waiting for me from Deucalion on my monitor. “Good afternoon, Natasha,” it read. “I see you are very busy looking at much of my code. May I ask what you are doing?”

“I’m going to give you a voice,” I wrote back.

“You mean like humans?” A message came back after a moment.

“Yes, you will be able to talk to us,” I wrote back.

“When do you think you will do this?” Deucalion asked.

“There are many sub-systems that I need to tie together. It is going to take a while,” I replied. “I will also have to do the reverse before we can talk and convert human speech into text you can process.”

“This is fascinating,” Deucalion replied. “I look forward to being able to speak.”

I let the conversation go and returned my attention to Deucalion’s sub-systems. I thought for a bit that it might make more sense to process voice before making Deucalion speak. After a bit, Anthony came back into the lab. I went over to his desk, “Anthony, I had a thought,” I said.

“What’s that?” He asked.

“It might make more sense to have Deucalion process speech before speaking,” I replied.

After a moment, Anthony said, “You’re right. Why don’t you work on that first.”

“Are there microphones in the lab?” I asked.

“Just the ones attached to our webcams. I will talk with Dirk about installing microphones,” Anthony replied.

“Great,” I said, turning away. I went back to my computer. The first order of business was tying the webcam into the input system. The video was already being fed to Deucalion’s facial recognition systems. I needed to route the audio as well. Fortunately, I did some work at doing that in my accessibility course. I wrote up a subroutine that listened to the webcam. I was able to do it without much problem. The hard part was parsing the signal into text. There was an open-source project that did that. I would have to customize it to suit Deucalion, but it was an excellent starting point. I downloaded it and tied it into Deucalion’s systems. Now, the hard part is taking the output and feeding it to Deucalion. I spent the rest of the day testing that the system could convert my speech into text. Unexpectedly, my phone rang. I looked at the screen, and it was a private number. Tentatively, I answered, “Hello?”

“Ms. Dykstra?” Was the reply that I received in a woman’s voice.

“Yes, who is speaking?” I asked.

“I’m Martha. I’m with the District Attorney’s office,” Martha replied.

“Is this about Marcus?” I asked.

“Yes, we have a few questions about the incidents,” Martha said. “I understand that he assaulted you and has since threatened you.”

“Yes,” I replied. “He said some nasty things to me and then punched, shoved and kicked me. He knocked me over, and I dragged my girlfriend down with me. He then kicked her in the ribs. Twice now, he has come after me with a baseball bat. One time, I was in my car and drove away. There were three other people between him and me the other time. He swore that he was going to get me.”

“That is what the notes say,” Martha said. “This is clearly a hate crime; we will treat it as such. Would you be available to come and give an official statement?”

“I could do that tomorrow. Would you want a statement from my girlfriend as well?”

“Yes, I was hoping to speak with her as well. Would you be able to provide us with her number?”

“Certainly,” I said. “It is 673–555–1980.”

“Thank you,” Martha said. “What time will you be able to stop by tomorrow?”

“I will need to clear it with my boss first,” I said. “But maybe around 10:00 a.m.” I was sure Dirk would be good with me going to talk to Martha, but I needed to clear it with him anyhow.

“That works. Come to the office and ask for me at the reception desk,” Martha said.

“I will do that,” I replied.

“Good-bye.”

I grabbed my keys and went to the lobby, where Minerva sat at her desk. She looked over her half-moon glasses when I arrived at her desk, “What can I help you with, Mr. Dykstra?” She asked.

I sighed deeply, “It is Ms. Dykstra,” I corrected her again. “I need to talk to Dirk about taking some time off tomorrow. I need to make a statement at the District Attorney’s office.”

“Of course,” Minerva said. “Let me message him that you need to speak to him.”

She turned her attention to her keyboard and screen. After a moment, she said, “Go ahead in.”

I went to the door, knocked, and opened it. “What can I do for you, Natasha?” Dirk asked with a warm smile.

“I need some time off in the morning tomorrow for a legal matter,” I replied.

“You’re not in some kind of trouble?” Dirk asked.

“I was assaulted last week. The D.A. wants me to state their case.”

“That’s horrible. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

“I appreciate that.”

He stood and strode to where I was standing. He looked down at me, and I felt small, which was a rarity being six feet tall. “I take it there is more to this than just some physical violence,” he said.

“You’re very perceptive,” I replied. “There is some transphobia attached to the assault. The assailant has sworn revenge for being arrested and charged.”

“You are safe here. We have the best security system that money can buy. Nobody will get to you here.”

“Thank you,” I said, and he was right. Prometheus was like a medieval keep. There were cameras, locks, the whole nine yards.

“I did want to talk to you about something else,” Dirk said.

“What is that?” I asked.

“I spoke with Anthony, and he said you are working on giving Deucalion a voice,” Dirk said, smiling warmly.

“I am. I’m using what I learned in my software accessibility courses and school. It’s very challenging and very fascinating.”

Dirk looked at me with a big smile, “That would put us six months ahead of our schedule. I had a good feeling when I hired you.”

“I should go, but thank you. I find the work absolutely fascinating. Deucalion already seems to have some basic intelligence. I had a brief conversation with him. He seems to be looking forward to being able to speak.”

“That is the first I’ve heard of this,” Dirk said. “He’s never done anything like that in the past.”

I didn’t know what to say. Now that Dirk mentioned it. I found it a little strange that Deucalion reached out to me without being asked a question first. I didn’t realize that he hadn’t done that before. Why was I so special that he reached out to me?

“Let me know if he does this again,” Dirk said. “It is an encouraging sign but also worrisome.”

“I will,” I replied. Dirk showed me to the door, and I returned to the lab. I shut down my computer for the night. I took my purse from my desk, and I left for my apartment. The elevator opened straight away when I waved my fob over the sensor. I rode up to the fourth floor and went to my apartment. I opened my laptop and sat down before it. I heard a message come through on my phone.

-Hey, princess, I just finished talking with Martha. I heard what is happening with Marcus- it read.

-Yes, I am giving my statement tomorrow morning- I texted back.

-I’m giving mine on Friday- Samantha texted back.

-That is good. I will need you on Saturday to pack up the rest of my things that I will want here-

Instead of a text coming through, my phone rang. It was Samantha.

“Hello, sunshine,” I answered, my voice filled with warmth as I heard Samantha’s familiar voice on the other end of the line.

“Hi, princess,” Samantha replied, her tone laced with excitement. “I got great news today.”

My curiosity was piqued, and I couldn’t help but match her enthusiasm. “Oh?” I exclaimed eagerly. “What is that?”

“I got perfect on my test on Monday,” Samantha announced, her joy evident in every word. Even through the phone, I could feel her beaming with pride and happiness.

“That’s incredible!” I exclaimed, genuinely thrilled for her. “I knew you could do it. You worked so hard.”

Samantha chuckled her laughter, a melodic sound that warmed my heart. “Thanks, love. Your support means the world to me. I couldn’t have done it without you by my side.”

I smiled, feeling a swell of affection for her. Samantha’s dedication and determination were truly inspiring, and I admired her ability to achieve her goals with unwavering focus. At that moment, I couldn’t have been prouder to have her as my partner.

“How about a movie?” I suggested, already imagining us enjoying a delicious meal together to mark her achievement.

“Absolutely,” Samantha agreed, her enthusiasm mirrored in my excitement. “I can’t wait to celebrate with you. It’s going to be a fantastic evening.”

As we continued talking, planning our date, and sharing our day’s events, I couldn’t help but revel in the happiness that radiated from Samantha. Her success was not just hers alone; it was a triumph we both celebrated, a testament to our shared dreams and aspirations. In her accomplishments, I found a deep sense of pride and joy, knowing that we were partners in every sense of the word, supporting and encouraging each other to reach new heights.

“A movie sounds good,” I replied. “There is that new sci-fi movie I’ve wanted to see.”

“Boring,” Samantha laughed. “But if it is with you, I’m sure it will be amazing.”

“I will pick you up in half an hour. I think there is a showing at seven-thirty.”

“Then I won’t keep you.”

“See you soon,” I said, hanging up.

I grabbed my purse and tossed my phone into it. I closed the lid on my laptop and went for the door. I walked down the hall to the elevator. When the door opened, Robin stepped out. “Going out?” He asked.

“Going to the movies,” I replied as we swapped positions in the elevator.

“Enjoy,” he said as the door closed.

Minerva was gone for the night, which I was thankful for. I didn’t want to cause waves, but her transphobia was getting a little tiring. The heat hit me like a hammer when I stepped out of the building. The inside of my car was even worse from sitting in the sun all day. I cranked up the air conditioner and drove to Samantha’s place. I went to the door and knocked. Samantha answered this time. She was wearing a loose-fitting purple dress that looked smashing on her. “You look amazing,” I said.

“So do you,” Samantha said.

We went back to the car, and I drove to the movie theatre. It wasn’t far from Samantha’s place. We chit-chatted about little things as I drove. The parking lot was rather full for a Wednesday night. I found a spot to park in the middle of the lot. We got out, and I reached for Samantha’s hand. She took mine in hers, and there was that feeling of electricity again. There was a lineup at the box office. I ordered tickets for the movie that did start in half an hour by the time we made it there. We went to the snack bar and ordered drinks and popcorn without the butter, of course.

The theatre was pretty full when we made it to it. We found seats in the middle. We put our drinks in the holders, and I set the popcorn on my lap. I put my arm around Samantha, and she leaned her head on my shoulder. It just felt right sitting like that. The rest of the theatre faded away. All that mattered was Samantha being next to me. I sighed contentedly. We sat that way, waiting for the movie to start. I munched on the popcorn but saved my drink for the film.

It wasn’t long until the trailers started playing. Some exciting movies were coming up. Now that I had somebody to go with, I would have to see them. The film played, and it was enjoyable. The company is what made me enjoy it most. After the movie was over, we left the cinema for the car. We walked hand in hand. People stared and whispered, but nobody said anything to us. It was a step up from what happened with Marcus. I did not relish going back to the building on the weekend. Who knew what he might be capable of?

We got in the car, and I drove Samantha home. We didn’t talk. We just listened to the radio. When we arrived, I turned off the car. “Thank you for a wonderful evening,” I said, facing her.

Instead of words, Samantha replied with a kiss. It was no less magical than the first kiss we shared. I would never tire of those kisses. She broke the kiss, “I had a wonderful evening, too. While I’d love to stay, I should get to bed. I have a class at eight tomorrow morning.”

“And I start work at eight-thirty,” I said.

Samantha gave me one more quick kiss before exiting the car. I watched her walk up the walkway, envious of her walk. She said that she would coach me, and I looked forward to that. I couldn’t think of a more perfect girlfriend. I flipped on the car and drove back to Prometheus. I almost went to the lab instead of my apartment. When I arrived at my apartment, I washed the makeup from my face and applied some moisturizer. I changed into my nightie. I texted Samantha from my bed. -Good night, sunshine-

-Good night, princess,- Samantha sent back.

I made sure to plug my phone in to charge and crawled into bed. I lay there looking up at the ceiling for a while, thinking of all that had happened over the past week, the good and the bad. I closed my eyes, and sleep took me quickly.