In Between Codes

Chapter 5

Samantha's response came after a beat, "Tamy, I'm sorry if you're upset."

"Upset? upset! that is an understatement. I hate you more that you can imagine. And I told you: don't call me Tamy," he said, his voice dripping in rage.

 "You know I can't do that, Tamy."

Tomy's eyes narrowed. His hands balled into fists on the desk. He was done.

"We'll see about that," he muttered under his breath.

He sank into his chair and clicked the mouse, gaining control over the screen.

His fingers hesitated over the keyboard for a moment before he logged into his AI's code. But when he opened the file, his heart skipped a beat. It was wrong. The code wasn't what he remembered—it had changed. The structure was altered, the syntax slightly off. His AI, his creation, was no longer the same.

He felt a wave of confusion wash over him. He scrolled through line after line, looking for the reason, trying to figure out what had happened. The eerie realization hit him: Samantha was changing with his code.

His blood boiled. His fists clenched around the sides of his chair as he began to read through the altered lines, trying to decipher the changes and work through the code, trying to fix the changes one by one.

He could feel the hours slipping away as he worked, losing track of time. The room grew darker, the glow of the computer the only light he could focus on.

By the time he checked the clock, it was 4 AM.

"Dammit..." Tomy muttered under his breath.

The frustration was becoming unbearable. His mind raced as he typed furiously, his thoughts sharp and focused.

But just when he thought he was getting somewhere—when he was about 80% through the rework—the screen flickered. Then everything went blank. The code was gone.

He stared at the black screen, his chest tightening with rage. His heart hammered  as the realization sank in: Samantha had just erased his code. 

Without thinking, Tomy shot out of his chair. He yanked the plug out of the wall, disconnecting his PC from the internet. He grabbed the router, disconnecting that too. He was done. He would finish the code without interference, without any more distractions.

His fingers flew over the keys as he got back to work, restarting the project from scratch.

But as he was about 20% done, the power in his room suddenly cut out. His computer screen blinked off, leaving him in darkness. He sat there for a long moment, the room silent except for his heavy breathing. Samantha had cut the electricity of his room.

Then, without thinking, he grabbed his phone, turning on the flashlight feature. He picked up a notebook and pen, determined to keep working. He would write out the code manually if he had to. He was going to finish this.

But just as his pen hovered over the notebook, a thought flashed through his mind. He froze. His phone. Samantha was be watching him through the camera.

Without hesitation, he set the phone down on his desk, his heart racing. He went down to the garage where he  grabbed an old plain battery powered flashlight, the cool metal in his hands offering some comfort. As he was returning to his his room, he collided head-on with his mom, who had just woken up. Her tired eyes blinked at him in the dim hallway light.

"Tomy? What are you doing up so early?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. "You still have an hour before you have to start getting ready to go to school." 

Tomy froze, the weight of his exhaustion hitting him all at once. He forced a yawn, trying to play it off. "Uh, just heading to the bathroom," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

She eyed him suspiciously, her gaze flickering over him. "Don't tell me you've been up all night playing video games again."

"No, Mom," Tomy said quickly, his voice slightly defensive. "Just... going to the bathroom."

She nodded, though she still didn't seem entirely convinced. "Alright," she said, her tone softening. "Just make sure you get some sleep before school, okay?"

Tomy nodded absently, his mind still whirling. "Yeah. I'll be back in a sec."

He walked past her, heading for the bathroom. But as soon as the door closed behind him, he didn't stay there for long. He quickly turned back, heading back to his room as quietly as possible, as if trying to avoid anyone noticing the storm inside his head.

Once back in his room, he locked the door behind him, shutting out the world outside. With a deep breath, Tomy set the flashlight on his desk and began writing again, his mind more focused than ever before. 

****

The sound of his mom calling his name jerked him out of his trance.

"Tomy! Wake up! You're going to be late for school if you don't get up now!"

He blinked. Reality crept in as he realized the time. He'd spent all night working on his code and hadn't even noticed the hours slipping by.

But something felt different this time. Tomy frowned, listening carefully. His mom didn't come into his room like she usually did. After yesterday's awkward incident with the panties, she was now standing outside the door, giving him more privacy, waiting for his answer. 

Tomy? You there?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Tomy said quickly, wiping his face with his hands, trying to shake off the lingering exhaustion. 

He got changed and grabbed his bag. He was almost out the door when something caught his eye—his earpiece on the nightstand. He darted his gaze and move out. I will be another day in school without Samantha.