Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder Page B

My sneakers squeaked on the floor as I walked down the hall. I smiled at a video camera in the corner, then rang the doorbell at the end of the hallway.
    A kid with greasy long hair, large glasses, more than a few pimples, and a dirty light green lab jacket poked his head out from behind the metal door. “You need something?” he asked.
    “I’m here to see Val.”
    He pulled the door open. “Come on in.”
    I followed him down a hallway. He paused in front of a small office. “Some dude’s here to see you, Val,” he said.
    “Thanks, Forty,” she said without looking up.
    Forty left, and I stepped into the office. “Your guys go by numbers here in the dungeon?” I asked.
    “He once won the Nintendo championship in a record forty seconds.” Val had a slight Eastern European accent, and she spoke as she typed on her laptop. “The name stuck, I guess.” She looked up and smiled at me for the very first time.

    I don’t remember much about what Val and I discussed that first hour. Later she reminded me that she gave me an overview of the system and showed me its architecture and implementation plan. She said that I even asked some questions. But all I saw were her locks of auburn hair and her big blue eyes that grabbed my gaze and held it until I felt dizzy. All I heard was her soft accent and her magical laugh. And all I thought was how lucky I was to spend a few minutes in her presence.
    Usually I’m fine talking with pretty girls. But usually these girls aren’t geeks like me. Just thinking about the possibility of having meaningful conversations with somebody so attractive turned my mind to mush.
    I stood up, right in the middle of her explanation of some item on her Gantt chart. I had to clear my head and start focusing, because for the last few minutes I had daydreamed about how nice it would be to spend a summer weekend with Val on the bay. I had no clue what she was talking about, and I desperately wanted to impress her. “I’m sorry,” I said, “I need to take a quick break.”
    “Come back soon,” she said as she swiveled her chair around to face her laptop.
    Damn, the lady was all business. I found the bathroom, and I brushed my hair with my fingers and made sure my teeth were clean. I exhaled into my cupped palms and sniffed it to check my breath. I even made some faces in the mirror: eyebrows up in a questioning look, bedroom eyes while smiling. Why did I feel like a high school student out to impress the new girl?
    I stopped in the pantry. Forty was sitting with some other guys at a table. He smirked and walked over. “Is this your first meeting with our goddess manager?”
    I nodded.
    “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll survive the experience. The first time Val visited the dungeon, I fell off that chair. Spilled my Coke all over my lab coat.” He nodded at my black shirt and jeans. “We don’t get many contractors in the dungeon—what are you here for?”
    “Mr. Morgan wants me to audit the security controls on your new system. Val’s been explaining it to me, but honestly, I’m having a hard time paying attention.”
    He nodded. “Here’s my trick. Look at the papers, the wall, the white board, the clock. Anywhere but into those big blue eyes. Once you fall in there, you can’t climb out. Think Medusa, man. You’ll turn to stone if she catches your eye.”
    “Good advice.” I walked into the hallway.
    “Remember, avoid the eyes or it’s game over,” he called.
    I stood at the door of Val’s office and peeked inside.
    She looked up. “Ready to continue?”
    “Um, Val, would you mind if we rewind fifteen minutes or so?”
    She frowned. “What’s wrong?”
    I took a deep breath. “I’ve never met anybody like you,” I said. “And I can’t concentrate on what you’re showing me. You’re so gorgeous, and yet you’re speaking geek language.” I slumped against the door. “I can’t believe I just said that.”
    Val walked over and stood in front of me. She