Leap - 02(4)

“Pretty good. We’ve got most of it uploaded and tested. I think we should be ready by Thursday morning.” He looked up from his screen. “I take it Dirk and Sally are back?”

“How can you tell?”

“Sounds like a zoo out there.”

The ‘zoo’ was approximately forty screaming, very excited children. During their big move to Puerto Rico, Alison and her team somehow managed to become local celebrities with all of the press. Earlier in the year, her team had officially revealed the amazing breakthrough of their IMIS translation system in a demonstration for several news crews. Not surprisingly, the news went global and people from everywhere quickly descended upon the aquarium to see for themselves. Their communications with the dolphins was deemed the ‘Achievement of a Lifetime’ by several magazines, and for the next two months, she and her staff were invited on hundreds of television and radio interviews. It was overwhelming, but it initially provided a welcome change of pace after what they’d been through. However, in the end, the attention and visits never seemed to let up, so their move off the mainland wasn’t just for their research; it was also for their sanity.

Of course, no matter where they went, they were going to garner a lot of attention, and Puerto Rico was no different. In fact, the entire island went wild when they found out that one of their old buildings on the south side of the island, just outside of Ponce, would be converted into a new research center for the famous ‘Dirk and Sally.' What was a surprise was the reaction of the kids in Puerto Rico.

In the States, during their early stages of research, Alison and her team played host to countless children on field trips, coming to visit the dolphins. Many of the kids were genuinely excited, but many others were not. Instead, they sat off to the side, glued to their cell phone screens. Alison had thought it odd at first, but after seeing the same thing class after class, it became downright depressing.

However, she did remember a very special fifth grade class from Hedrick Elementary in Lewisville, Texas, and the Puerto Rican children reminded her of them a lot. In Puerto Rico, all the children were absolutely thrilled to come. Every face remained pressed against the thick glass the entire time. They couldn’t get enough, and, as a result, it couldn’t help but bring back some of that early excitement for Alison and her team. So, in exchange, they decided to do something special for the kids.

Alison had an idea one day and talked to Lee and Juan about it. It took a while, but they managed to set up a smaller translation server for visitors. It had a much shorter vocabulary than the giant IMIS system and couldn’t translate new words, but it allowed the children to do something astounding: actually stand in front of the tank and talk with a real-life dolphin.

Alison remembered watching the children type on the keyboard for the first time, thinking some of the kids might actually pop from the excitement. It was contagious. She had never seen Dirk and Sally so excited either. They would stay and talk to the children for hours until the very last one had left.

Of course, Dirk and Sally were free now and they came and went as they pleased. So, when they did arrive, Alison and her team would promptly call the nearby schools to arrange some visits. And neither the children, nor Dirk and Sally, ever showed any signs of tiring. It was indeed a ‘zoo’ and she loved it.

“By the way,” Lee interrupted, standing behind her. “Did DeeAnn find you? She was looking for you earlier. Something about helping with her research this afternoon.”

“No. I’ll head over.”

Lee nodded and turned back to Juan, who was showing him something on his monitor. As Alison turned to leave, her phone rang. She looked at the screen and answered immediately.

“Hey there,” she said, smiling sheepishly.

“Hi,” replied a deep voice on the other end.

“How are you?”

She instinctively turned away from Lee and Juan, who both chuckled at her. Lee playfully cupped his hands over his mouth. “Tell him we said, ‘hi.’”

She made a shushing gesture with her hand and turned further around. “Sorry.”

John Clay chuckled himself. “I’m fine. How are you?”

“Oh, pretty good. I was just standing here giving Lee and Juan some tips on computers.”

Clay laughed. “I bet that’s some advice.”

“Hey,” she said, half pretending to be hurt. “I have a toaster. I know how this stuff works! So, where are you?”

“Um, I’m on a plane.”

Alison glanced at her watch. “Already? I thought your flight wasn’t until this evening.”

“Yeah, about that…unfortunately, something’s come up and I’m not going to be able to make it.”