by Alex Schuler
“Does that mean Sam would be working on it, too?”
“I assume so. She runs the entire Athena project now. Why?”
“Does Vin know you are trying to bring me on board?”
“Look, Ted, I know about your history with Sam. You are both going to put on your grown-up pants and get over it. The stakes are too high.”
“Does Vin know I’m coming?” Ted’s excitement of working on the pizza delivery challenge was replaced by a mix of fear and joy over possibly working with Sam again. “Does Sam?”
“Why?”
“She hasn’t spoken to me or responded to any of my calls since she left Detroit last year.”
“Did you rip her a new asshole the way you laid into me when you left DSU?” Rusty’s temples were throbbing, and the volume of his voice had risen. “It may surprise you to hear that neither me nor Vin give a rat’s ass about your relationship with Sam. In fact, it never even came up during the discussions Vin and I had when we were talking through using Athena. You two will need to be strictly professional. We have to work as a team to get this done. Am I clear?”
“Crystal. I have no problem seeing her again.”
“I will tell Vin you’re on board. He can relay it to Sam however he sees fit. That, of course, assumes you’re joining me. Are you? I’m not asking again.”
“I am.” Ted surprised himself at his quick response. He breathed out long and slow, glanced again at the lidar, and shoved his hands into his pockets. He felt his entire body relax. He fumbled around in his right pocket to retrieve his GM ID badge and tossed it onto the desk. “My future lies elsewhere, Rusty. It always has.”
Rusty grabbed the crinkled paper bag he’d brought with him and handed it to Ted. Reaching in and pulling it out, Ted smiled at the sight of the Chivas Regal whisky.
“You know me so well, Rusty.”
“I know you better than you know yourself, Ted. We’ll win this thing. And this time, I guarantee you we will change the world.”
25
Sam stared blankly at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her cheeks were pale, despite the extra rouge she was wearing. Strands of blond hair dangled from the silver tiara perched atop her head. She sighed as she frantically tried to tuck the strays back into her bun. As head of this year’s Halloween committee at Ashton’s robotics building, Sam had gone all out on her Cinderella costume. Her gown was silver, as in the original release of the movie, not the bright blue used in the marketing of the toys. It had taken her months to find the perfect replica. Her daughter Dani would wear an Ariel outfit when they both went out trick-or-treating that evening. Dressing up at work had seemed like such a good idea—before she had known Ted and Rusty had moved up their planned visit for next week and would arrive any minute. Vin had opted to drop that bomb on her only an hour before they were due to arrive.
Relatively small at just over 200 acres, Ashton’s campus was carved into the hillsides of San Carlos, California, not far from Redwood City. Founded in 1925 by Charles Ashton and his wife Jean, it was much younger than its storied and prestigious sister institutions. Its engineering and mathematical sciences programs ranked among the top, not only in the United States but in the world, contributing to Ashton’s excellent reputation.
Sam emerged from the bathroom adjacent to Ashton’s main robotics lab to find her lab partner and good friend Ralph Lorenski patiently waiting for her. Ralph was decked out as the Joker from the hit film, The Dark Knight. Like Sam, Ralph was wearing an authentic costume. Luckily for him, the local costume shop had had a perfect Joker outfit. The purple and white flecked shirt covered in hexagons was matched with a forest-green vest and coordinating checkered tie. Bright purple pants completed the look. Ralph had spent an hour trying to get his makeup just right. The final result was fairly accurate to the movie, despite Ralph being quite a bit shorter and wider than the movie character.
“Why so serious?” Ralph asked her, his grin made all the more exaggerated by his makeup.
“You know why,” she replied, not bothering to acknowledge his attempt at humor.
The main hallway was surprisingly busy for ten in the morning. Most people were dressed in costumes, laughing and chatting loudly as they walked by. Ralph maneuvered Sam off to a quiet corner away from the noise.
“You knew he was coming, Sam.”
“The original plan was next week. I wouldn’t have put on a costume had I known he was coming today.” She clutched the sides of her silver gown and rippled the chiffon back and forth in frustration. “I look ridiculous.”
She felt her eyes begin to well up. She glanced at the stout clown trying to console her, and then looked away, forcing herself to focus on the parade of people marching past them.
“Nonsense.” He took her chin in his purple gloved hand and tilted her face until she looked him in the eye. “You look beautiful, Sam. Trust me, I know pretty when I see it. Ted is going to take one look at you and melt.”
She managed a brief smile. As authentic as Ralph’s clothing was, his green and white wig ended up being ill-fitting and too small for his bulbous head. Strands of the fake hair dangled across half of Ralph’s face. Sam brushed them away.
“That’s the problem, Ralph. You know how I left things with Ted. You and my mother are the only two I’ve told.”
“Given your past, Sam, it’s completely understandable why you didn’t feel ready. I know you’ve worried that you ran away from something special, but more importantly, you ran home to your daughter. She’s your world. You’re right to put yourself and your daughter first.”
“I never gave Ted an explanation.”
“Well, now’s your chance to give him one, if that’s what you think needs to happen.”
“I suppose.”
“Or not. Look, Sam, this pizza challenge is a fantastic opportunity. Not just for the half million the school will get. Think of the publicity! Athena will make history. If you don’t know how to deal with Ted, then just tell him you want to keep things professional. Limit your interaction with him. We both know you’re good at shutting people out when you need to.”
“Was that supposed to be a compliment? Or are you saying I’m . . . I’m a clam?” She looked down at her gloved hands and furrowed her brow. “Or is it a turtle?”
“A bit of both.” He tossed his head back and laughed. “I just meant you’re very good at taking care of you. And doing what’s best for Dani.”
“True.” She wiped her moist eyes and took a deep breath. “I guess I can focus just on the challenge. And make this all about the work.”
“It’s important we accomplish this, Sam. Did you forget we’ll also get free pizza for life?” He patted his protruding stomach. “And not just any pizza. Uncle Danny’s Deep Dish!”
Sam laughed and draped one arm around his shoulder as they walked. The hallway had quieted down, and the pair turned and made their way past the laboratory entrance where they kept Athena. A few doors later, they found themselves at Vin’s office. His door was wide open. Sam stopped abruptly as soon as she heard the voices coming from inside. Each voice was distinct. Vin’s faint Indian accent was overshadowed by Rusty’s brassy boom. In between the chatter, she could hear Ted’s nasally tone. Without realizing it, she instinctively reached up to touch the heart on the gold chain that lay beneath the black choker of her Cinderella costume.
“Are you coming in?” she asked Ralph. “I’m not sure what to say to Ted.”
“Allow me to break the ice.”
Ralph stepped in front of Sam and burst through the doorway. Vin’s office was quite large, room enough for a circular conference table with four chairs. Ted and Rusty were sitting with their backs to the entrance. Vin was on the opposite side of the table. Before Vin could say a word, Ralph threw himself onto the tabletop directly between Ted and Rusty and spun around so that he landed facing them.
&nbs
p; “Gentlemen!” Ralph proclaimed as he pointed at his mouth. “Can I tell you how I got these scars?”
“Shit!” Ted leaped from his chair, sending it rolling backward.
Rusty momentarily jumped, but after inspecting the costume, gave Ralph a nod and a smile of approval. Vin chuckled, while at the same time shaking his head in disapproval. Ted turned around to retrieve his chair, just as Sam entered the room.
“Wow,” Ted said, looking stunned. “Sam?”
“That’s Cinderella to you,” Ralph said, sliding off the table. “Sorry to startle you like that, Ted.”
Ted looked back and forth between Sam and Ralph, completely confused by what he was seeing.
“Ralph?” Ted asked as he leaned forward and inspected Ralph’s makeup. “Is that you?”
“What?” Ralph responded. “This is how I normally look when I’m not in the desert.”
“Okay, Ralph, that’s enough.” Vin stood up and pointed at the door. “Go find someone else to scare.”
Ralph took a theatrical bow. As he did, his wig started to slide off. He quickly caught it and chuckled as he tried to reattach it to his head. Sam stepped aside as he walked past her.
“My lady,” Ralph said, gently kissing Sam’s silver-gloved hand.
She watched him leave before turning to face the three men in the room. Ted was, unfortunately, closest to her. She cleared her throat and walked over to greet him.
“Ted,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse. She coughed again. “It’s been a long time.”
“Too long.” Ted blushed as he looked her up and down. “You look, um, amazing.”
“Halloween.” She managed a nervous laugh as she ran her hands across her grown, attempting to smooth out the wrinkles. She glanced over at Vin and scowled. “Had I known you were coming today, I would have dressed appropriately.”
“That’s my fault,” Rusty said. “We were originally coming next week. But we have some big shot donors arriving at DSU on Monday, so I had to make some last-minute changes to our plans. I wrote Vin an email giving him a heads up, but he never got it. It turns out I forgot to send the damn thing.”
“Nice to see you again, Rusty.” Sam stepped closer and shook Rusty’s hand. “It’s been a while.”
“Indeed, it has.” Rusty stood up, grabbed his mug of coffee from the table, and took a long sip. “I hear you’ve made some amazing progress with Athena. We’re looking forward to seeing your lab.”
“Then let’s start the tour,” she said.
She turned and quickly left the office, ignoring Ted as she walked by him. Her gown was long, requiring her to lift the front edge slightly as she walked. The costume had come with white heeled shoes covered in reflective fabric but Sam found them incredibly uncomfortable. She opted, instead, for her most supportive pair of white sneakers. Once at the lab entrance, Sam took off a glove to place her hand on the biometric sensor beside the door, illuminating a red strip of light just above her fingers. After a few moments, the light changed from red to green, and a buzzer rang out. She swung the door open and motioned everyone inside as she pulled the glove back on.
Ashton’s robotics lab was nothing like the one at DSU. The space was half the size of the vast workshop in Pittsburgh. What it lacked in size, it made up for in technology. Stepping into the lab felt like entering a sterile room. The walls, floor, and low hanging ceiling were white. Rows of cool white LED lights hung from above. One entire wall was dedicated to banks of computer servers. The opposite wall had a dozen workstations, each occupied by a student.
Sitting in the middle of the room was Athena. The Prius looked different from when it had competed in the Mojave Desert over a year ago, with a completely new sensor array bolted to the roof. The rear hatch was open, and a dozen black cables spilled onto the floor. Some of the cables connected to plugs in the ground. Others ran from the back of the vehicle to a standalone workstation several feet away. The small white desk had a single monitor and keyboard, with very little else covering it. Once everyone was inside, Sam led them to the Toyota and took a seat at the terminal.
“Athena has a new lidar configuration up top.” She paused to log into the system. “We were inspired by your rotating setup on Cyclops. Ours works differently. We took the concept of our digital gimbal and expanded its integration with the revised lidar. With six arrays installed, we get a full 360-degree view with twice the detail we had a year ago.”
“What’s with the cameras?” Ted asked, pointing to the optical gear mounted to the roof. “That seems kind of low-tech.”
“That’s our latest project,” Vin said.
“We use the cameras to provide a visual map of the streets.” She used her mouse to open a folder on her screen. “So far, we’ve only done the campus.”
“A visual map?” Ted stepped closer and stood directly behind her. “I don’t understand.”
“We call it EyeSpy. We visually record everything around Athena as we drive her around.” Sam typed in a few commands, and the map on the screen zoomed in to an overhead view of the parking lot. The map was a rudimentary representation, with the roads depicted in gray and everything else in green. “We think that long term, there’s a lot of potential with this technology.”
She double-clicked her cursor on the street beside the robotics building. After a brief pause, the image changed to a static picture of the side of the building, including the parking lot filled with cars. Sam pressed the arrow keys on her keyboard. The screen began to pan, showing the road ahead, then the opposite side. Back and forth, it twirled. Ted and Rusty looked on in quiet astonishment. She tapped the enter key a few times, and the screen blurred as the image jumped ahead a dozen feet. She rotated the image to show them, now looking back toward where they used to be.
“You did this for the entire campus?” Ted asked.
“Most of it. It’s all a bit tedious to do right now.”
“Can we take Athena out so you can show us?”
“Not right now.” She cleared her screen and launched another program. “She’s still dreaming.”
“Dreaming?” Ted squatted beside Sam so he could get a better look at the screen. “What are you talking about?”
“We drive Athena around during the day. She takes in a lot of information. I don’t mean just the visual images we use for EyeSpy. We collect all the lidar and radar data, too. At night we plug her in and run this system we built—Data Recall and Mapping.” Sam pointed at the top of the screen. The application banner read “DReaM” across the top. “It can take up to twelve or more hours for the computers to process the data. When finished, our self-driving and mapping software are updated based on the latest information. Right now, we’re limited by the hardware we have.”
She tried to keep her eyes focused on the screen, but she was acutely aware of how close Ted was to her, his chin only a few inches from her shoulder. She could smell his familiar, sweet musky scent. She briefly allowed herself to glance his way, all while keeping her head facing the screen. Ted’s chin and jawline were covered in stubble. She wondered in the back of her mind when he had arrived and where he was staying.
“This is all very impressive,” Rusty said. “Can we use any of it for the pizza challenge?”
“I’m . . . I’m not sure,” she replied.
“Should I first ask if we’re even doing the challenge?” Rusty became impatient, his tone one of frustration. “Forgive me, Sam, but Vin told me you were having doubts. He won’t commit without your approval. Ted and I came a long way to hammer this out. What questions do you have? What can we do to get you to sign on with us?”
She suddenly felt everyone staring at her, including Ted. She turned to face Rusty, rolling her chair sideways, leaving Ted crouched behind her. Vin was staring at her, a look of concern on his face.
“We haven’t taken Athena outside the university grounds yet. The
campus streets are simple compared to the congestion of downtown San Francisco. I’m not sure we can use our new systems out there.”
“Put that aside, Sam,” Vin said, his voice calm and reassuring as always. “Those are easy issues to solve. You told me you wanted to know more about how the partnership with DSU would work. Ask away.”
She stood up, clutched the lower part of her gown, and strode over to be near Athena and away from everyone else. The computers in the rear hatch hummed and whirred, their cooling fans bringing Sam a bit of comfort. She spent so much time in the lab, it pretty much felt like a second home to her.
“Well, I have a few concerns,” she said cautiously. “The city may not allow us to take Athena out on public roads.”
“With the radio show’s help, we’re getting that covered,” Rusty replied. “We will have to do the delivery very early in the morning and on a weekend when traffic would be the lightest. The city plans to close off the roads to other traffic. Athena won’t have to contend with other vehicles. Next?”
“How will we split the work?” Sam asked. Rusty’s dismissive tone was beginning to annoy her. “What will DSU be doing versus Ashton?”
“That will be your call.” Rusty let out a long sigh. “Look, Sam, Athena is your baby, okay? But this was my contest to enter. You will be the lead on this. DSU resources are completely at your disposal.”
“Will . . . will I have to fly to Pittsburgh? Because I don’t like flying.”
“Not at all,” Vin said. “This won’t be like DARPA, Sam. Zero travel commitments.”
“What about my other projects?” She suddenly became very excited, thinking she figured out a way to avoid working with DSU. “Vin, my plate is already full. I can’t commit to something like this. Maybe we can get Ralph to be the lead?”
“That’s why you have Ted,” Rusty said.
“Excuse me?” she asked, her smile fading.