CHAPTER 22: THE FINAL PRESENTATION
The auditorium was a sea of dark suits and nervous faces. The air, thick with the smell of old paper and anxiety, hummed with a low murmur of conversation. Aron, Leonard, and Sheldon sat together in the fourth row. Leonard was nervously adjusting his glasses, Sheldon was meticulously cataloging the number of times people coughed, and Aron was just… watching. He was watching Alex, who stood on the stage, her posture straight, her face a mask of calm confidence.
"Is it my imagination," Leonard whispered, "or does she seem... less stressed than she was?"
"Your perception is flawed, Leonard," Sheldon said, without taking his eyes off the stage. "Her cortisol levels are likely in the optimal range for public speaking, but her nervous tics—the subtle twitch of her right index finger, the slight tremor in her vocal cords—are at a controlled, but observable level. It's an illogical display of emotional control."
He thinks it's illogical. I think it's a miracle.
The lights dimmed, and the low chatter died down. Alex stepped up to the podium. The presentation began. She spoke with a clarity and confidence that had been absent just a few days ago. She broke down her research, her voice strong and articulate, explaining the intricacies of her quantum encryption model. The equations, projected on the giant screen behind her, looked like a foreign language to most people, but to Aron, they were a familiar, beautiful blueprint. He saw the logic he had helped her find. He felt a quiet sense of triumph, a different kind of victory than the ones the System had orchestrated.
[SYSTEM: NOTIFICATION. SOCIAL-CREDIT-GAIN. TARGET: ALEX DUNPHY. STATUS: SUCCESS. RATING: MAX. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. STATUS: COMPLETE. DATA PING: ALEX DUNPHY.]
The ping flashed in my mind, but it felt… flat. The data was a fact, a confirmation, but it couldn't capture the feeling of watching her up there.
Then, the final slide appeared. She paused for a moment, letting the applause wash over her, a radiant, triumphant look on her face.
"I'm sure you're all wondering," she said, her voice clear, "about the core breakthrough. The part of the code that allowed us to get a complete, working model." She looked out at the crowd, then her eyes found Aron's. A small, private nod. A silent thank you.
"It wasn't a solo effort," she said, a small, genuine smile on her face. "It was a collaboration."
Aron felt a quiet warmth spread through his chest. I knew what she was talking about. It wasn't just a code. It was a partnership.
"A collaboration?" Leonard whispered, leaning over to Aron. "Did you know she was going to thank you?"
Aron just shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about." He met Leonard's gaze with a practiced, neutral expression. And I'm not going to tell you.
[SYSTEM: MISDIRECTION PROTOCOL. COLLABORATION ALIBI. SOCIAL-CREDIT-GAIN: HIGH. TARGET: ALEX DUNPHY. STATUS: ASCENDING.]
The presentation ended to a round of enthusiastic applause. People swarmed the stage, eager to congratulate Alex. The group slowly made their way to her. Howard and Raj were gushing over the brilliance of the code.
"That was amazing, Alex!" Raj said, his voice a little too loud. "I mean, the way you just… solved the whole thing. It was like watching a movie."
"Yeah," Howard added, "but with less explosions. And a lot more semicolons."
Alex smiled, and when she finally made her way to Aron, she pulled him aside, away from the boisterous crowd.
"Thank you," she said, her voice soft. "I meant it. I couldn't have done it without you."
"I just pointed out a missing semicolon," Aron said, a small, genuine smile on his face.
"It wasn't just the semicolon," she said, her eyes meeting his. "It was... the coffee. The moral support. The fact that you stayed with me all night, even when I was at my worst."
The words hit me like a physical blow. She saw me. The real me. Not the System-optimized version.
"So," she said, a shy smile on her face. "I want to thank you properly. Dinner. My treat."
Aron's heart did a little flutter-step. "I… would like that very much."
Sheldon, who had been listening from a few feet away, finally walked up to them, his face a mask of logical suspicion. "It's highly illogical that you would aid her in a project outside of your professional expertise. You must have a secondary motive. Is it… love?"
Aron just stared at him, my mind completely blank. How do I even begin to respond to that?
Alex, to his utter surprise, just laughed. "Sheldon, for once, you might have to take a leap of faith." She gave Aron a conspiratorial look, then said, "It's my treat. Be ready at 7."
Aron, still in a daze, just nodded. He couldn't have spoken even if he had tried.
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