Discovery

by Douglas E Roff

  “And yet you have always told Rod and me that the problem with technology development, politics and big business isn’t whether we can do something but whether we ought to do something. The field of medical ethics is small, the field of legal ethics smaller and business ethics microscopic. Politicians will say or do anything to remain in power and make deals that affect millions adversely. Compromise is sometimes benign but sometimes genocidal. Where are we on the scale, Dad? And who makes the call?”

  “Someone has to make a call; that much I do know.”

  “Not an answer, Dad. I repeat, who makes the call?”

  “Simple. Each of us makes that call. Individually, through the choices we make, the experiences we’ve had and the political or moral judgements we adhere to. You can always ask and say no to any project you want. But for you, Adam, the fun isn’t what the solution is used for, it’s in solving the problem. It’s in the challenge of doing what other can’t do because they don’t have your genius.”

  Edward continued, “If you remain wilfully ignorant, or just don’t care, and cede the responsibilities to others – by design or inaction – it’s on you. You either take responsibility or give it away. Nature, and the real world, truly do abhor a vacuum.”

  “Someone must be responsible, in the end. Is that it?”

  “I cannot argue with the premise of accepting personal responsibility for all our actions. We don’t have the luxury of acting like children – we’re the adults.”

  Chapter 4

  “So, what did Mom and Pops wind up baking in their laboratory, anyway? Little robots? Tiny little teensy-weensy robots?” Adam chuckled at his own joke, but he was the only one laughing. When he noticed no one else was even smiling, he looked around sheepishly.

  Rod said, “Yeah, pretty much. Not ‘Robbie the Robot’ type robots but modern day, primordial ooze type robots. For sure.”

  “Funny. Very funny. No, seriously, what’s this really all about.”

  Misti, who was comfy on the overstuffed chair and listening quietly, craned her head around to Adam’s and said, in her calmest and most serious tone that Adam recognized immediately, “Listen up sweetie. Rod’s not kidding. Either are Edward and Cindy. Pay attention here, this is important.”

  Adam straightened up immediately, seemingly chastened by his new wife. The rest of the family took note of the dynamic, storing it in their mental computer memory for future reference in resolving future slow fuse conflicts with Adam.

  “Oh. I’m sorry. OK then, go on.”

  Edward continued his narrative, all eyes and brains now in rapt attention. “So, with an understanding of what might be achieved, there were several pieces still missing. One was wireless signalling, a second was wireless programmable software and third was electrical storage and generation. Of course, further research is still required into the software drivers and functionality themselves, but the basic stuff was designed by you, Adam.”

  “Was that the wireless backbone Mom was asking me to develop as part of the Drone Technology Initiative with NSA?”

  “Yes, indeed it was that very software. Plus a few other software projects, you started and finished ages ago. You might remember that Mom asked you to make all the related software integrateable, scalable and interfaceable.”

  “That Mom is so sneaky; I’m going to have to have a word with her.” Adam laughed. It wasn’t just teenage boys who could keep secrets from their moms – two could play at that game.

  Rod asked, “You aren’t annoyed at Mom, are you?”

  “Annoyed? Hell, no I’m not. I’m impressed. I just want to know how she does it. Sneaky Maria Alarcon. That’s why she’s the Mom, I guess.”

  Everyone laughed. It was hard to slip anything by the conspiracy theorizing, ultra-suspicious and deeply sceptical Adam St. James. Except when it came to his Mom. She was Lucy to his Charlie Brown – no matter how many times the football got pulled away, Adam just kept trying to kick it.

  “I need some tips. Apparently Misti thinks I’m a God-awful liar and won’t give me any training. Says it’s her only advantage. But I think she’s lying. Can’t tell though; documents suggest she’s good at her tradecraft.”

  Misti smiled her Mona Lisa smile and said not a word. Adam was fully aware of how quickly Misti had learned to read him, how deeply she understood him and how well she could manipulate him. He knew it, felt it and understood it on some gut level but all for naught. He felt as powerless as an alcoholic over the fine wine that was his wife. He was himself powerful, smart and physically imposing. But he was also no longer in control when it came to his wife.

  When he had previously contemplated this macho humiliation with his brother, Rod simply said, “Join the club, Adam. Now you know how the rest of us husbands with smart, ass kicking wives feel. Better to know our fate up front and be happy with it than to fight the inevitable and get crushed. We can’t win; we can only hope to marry well. Which we did.”

  There was a high five, followed quickly by a solemn brothers’ oath to never admit this to any other living male.

  “We’d be humiliated and the laughing stock of our gender.”

  “Yeah, but at least our wives could kick their asses for us!”

  ***

  Edward continued, “So, the prototype hardware became comprised of tiny, thinly sliced building blocks which electromagnetically combine into also tiny, but still larger squares. The squares are comprised of two outer and two inner slices, both basic types interchangeable depending on the chemistry of the materials employed and functionality. The precise combination of those materials, based on that function, is governed by the programmable software relayed wirelessly.

  “When fused through electromagnetic charge, they form perfect squares, with round perforations running north/south, east/west and front/back. When the walls of those perforations are likewise charged sufficiently, another electromagnetic field is created through which silver molecules are lined up and held in place, and through which electricity flows. This distributes the electricity evenly throughout the object fashioned at near the speed of light. So long as the electrical charge is held, the bonds are near unbreakable.” Edward paused.

  “Adam asked, “And if the charge doesn’t hold?”

  “Pixie dust. A ventilation fan in any building would cause these particles to be carried away and exhausted into the atmosphere. It’s like a destruct button, without the ‘boom’. Your Mom is both sneaky and smart. Deadly combination for a sweet kid from Cuernavaca.”

  “I have a new and greater appreciation for that tiny woman every day. And Pops?”

  “Pops has been the ‘materials man’, but you can never get him to say more than ‘Interesting problem. What do you think?’ The inner materials are uniform in design, but the outer materials are adaptable. The outer face of the object created is silica based with a metal substrate. This is designed solely for situations where electricity isn’t readily available from another easier source, such as wiring. The object must move, so it can’t be anchored down to an electrical source. Plus, the object itself has little electrical storage capacity, although enlarging it in some manner may solve that problem.

  “The outer skin of the materials is a silica composite material, and capable of converting light into electricity. Basically, solar power. So long as the lights are on, it can generate its own electrical power, albeit in teaspoons. The object created is eventually shaped like a thin layer of paint, matching exterior color to it the material to which it is adheres. The object can change colors to match backgrounds, making it look just like dried paint. Then the object detects and begins to slowly move in the direction of a power source.

  “The ultimate goal is to get the object near the target to be penetrated, infiltrate it into a building structure with a light source and move it slowly and carefully while it surveys its physical environment. It can seek out access to electrical power opportunistically and if successful, it then seeks out the
central computer server or a computer connected to the server. Once it has a power source and the connection, the object nears the final stage. Broadcasting the data in the server to … wherever. In this case, Cindy’s nearby laptop just outside the physical plant. Cindy’s physical presence wouldn’t normally be specifically required although this one time in New Jersey, it was.”

  “The object, as well as others if there are more than one present and available, then disassemble and seek the nearest point from which it can broadcast its downloaded information. This can be done if stored as memory if the broadcast point is relatively distant from the object, or as a continuous stream if more than one object combines and the combined objects can ‘stretch’ far enough to broadcast wirelessly. This assumes all sorts of internal countermeasures are present as they are in many top-secret government and industrial locations. That’s kinda it in a nutshell.”

  “Damn man,” he said turning to Rod and Cindy, “you guys went out for recess and didn’t tell me. That is completely bad-fucking-ass. I am massively jealous. How come I didn’t get to play?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” asked Edward. “You don’t believe in this project, remember? Silly waste of time. Don’t bother me. Is it coming back to you now?”

  “Still not convinced about any of that by a long shot. But this technology, well that’s an entirely different story. So, what has one got to do with the other?”

  Edward sighed for effect. “Because there was information these folks have that we need, and we had no other way to collect it. The lab facility in New Jersey, which we found by tracing Paulo Fortizi’s cell phone, is well air gapped behind multiple layers of protection. We couldn’t wait for a breakthrough any other way. We were looking for their research and the keys to their language and encryption codes. So, we acted.”

  “Ho-ly shit on a shingle. That’s what the trip to Jersey was all about? You burgled the BioGen facility in Princeton, didn’t you?”

  The connection between Paulo Fortizi and “Sal” had been made long ago using the trace Adam had initially placed on the call from “Sal” to Adam/Alan Sarmiento back in Tucson. After discovering Sal’s real name through his cell phone records, subsequent tracing of that phone number led Edward to the BioGen lab in Princeton, New Jersey and the role of Paulo Fortizi as President and CEO of BioGen International (America).

  Adam continued, “You broke in electronically, stole their shit - grand theft most likely – conspired to do so – conspiracy to commit a felony – then took their shit and brought it here. Also, a crime, I just don’t know which. I need to binge watch Law and Order to get caught up on all the crimes you’ve probably committed. Dad are you fucking out of your cotton pickin’ mind?”

  “I don’t think so. And what crime? They don’t even know we were there. Yet. When they do, if they ever do, there’s nothing to connect us to them. Easy peasy. Don’t get your knickers in a twist about a problem that needs no solution. Besides, look at it from our side. They’re never going to report this, never. No arrest, no trial and no publicity. We’re home free. Kinda.”

  “Kinda? Kinda what?”

  “We cannot be totally sure that they don’t have their own ‘police’ of sorts; think mafia enforcers. Seems like they do have some capability in that regard. And use it. Or may.”

  “Think? Maybe? Might? This is so typically Edwardian. Half ass, half-baked solution on an issue you haven’t fully thought through. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Dad, what have you done?”

  “And with that, we’re leaving,” said Rod, gathering his stuff and holding out his hand to Cindy. “You coming too, Misti?”

  “Nope,” she said, “I want to see the fist fight. I’ll record it on my cell if you want to see it later.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks.” Rod said. “Been there, done that and have the t-shirt. Laters.” With that, Rod and Cindy left.

  The silence, as they say, was deafening. Rod poked his head back in, “Adam, if you and Misti want the details of our New Jersey adventure, stop by. But the kids are with Mark and Julia, so if no one answers right away, just leave. We’ll call you, as the saying goes. Love you.”

  Adam turned to Misti, “You in on this too?”

  “Some,” she said. “Just my bits and pieces. Not the big picture until now.” There was silence between them, while Edward sat like so much unnecessary furniture, also silent and still. “But I also want to be clear, Adam. I have zero problem with any of this and, besides, it’s my job. I believe in the work we’re doing, so if you’re going to be mad at your Dad, you might as well be mad at me too.”

  There was a certain finality about her tone, one Edward had heard a million times over the years. Poor Adam had only come to begin to understand the stony resolve Misti could muster and the intensity of her resolve when confronted. Adam was no match for her. He was basically a geek and not very tough when it came to his wife.

  “You’re my wife and you take his side. That’s bullshit.” Adam was suddenly red hot molten angry.

  Misti turned to Edward and said, “We’re done here for now Papa. We can talk later. Right now, Adam and I have a couple things to iron out and that’s a chat between husband and wife. Besides, if it gets ugly, I don’t want you witnessing me kicking his stupid, fucking pig-headed ass from one side of campus to another. Love you.” She blew Edward a Hollywood kiss, picked up her purse and started for home.

  Adam followed close behind, the anger welling up inside, with only Edward’s presence and decorum standing between him and the shouting match that was surely about to start any second.

  When they exited the door and reached half way across the expansive lawn, Misti abruptly turned and got right up in Adam’s grill.

  “Don’t you ever fucking talk to me like that again. Ever! I am not your property and I do not need your fucking permission to do my fucking job, decide who to work with or what projects I’m going to work on. Take fucking notice of the fact that I have nothing, repeat nothing to say about what you do, now do I? No, I do not. Nor do you share one single solitary shred of info with me, your wife, now do you? No, you fucking do not. So, fuck you Mr. Bigshot ‘I’m a fucking genius’, here’s a newswire bulletin: I’ll pick and choose the work I do, with whom and when. Not you. Am I making myself clear?”

  “You gonna hit me?” Adam did not enjoy this Misti. Not one bit.

  “Thinking about it. I’d get away from me right fucking now if you have any sense at all. I’m going over to your brother’s house and try to sneak a peek at Cindy fucking her man. At least I’ll be distracted from your childish fucking behavior. Geez you’re an idiot!”

  Misti stomped off, furious and muttering to herself in Spanish, her default language of choice. Adam stood still a great long while, watching her as she tromped off, turning around to get a quick snapshot look at him every few seconds.

  “And don’t follow me either,” she shouted back at him. “I’ll kick your ass if you do.”

  There goes Plan B, he thought to himself. God I’m whipped. And screwed.

  Adam walked home alone after Misti disappeared. The journey took ten minutes but felt like five hours. He went up to his study and thought to practice some many and varied ways to apologize to his wife for an infraction he failed to completely comprehend. He thought he understood what had set her off but just couldn’t be certain.

  Eventually, when she came home and was calm, she would explain it to him in a way he could understand.

  Chapter 5

  Properly chastened, and now hidden away in his study, Adam was a little nervous when Misti stepped in the front door.

  “Adam, where are you honey?” She didn’t sound crazy. Or dangerous.

  Adam thought for a moment, then shouted down to her, “Is this a trick? You still mad?”

  “No trick, you bonehead. You can come out now. I’m calm. Reasonably calm, I mean.”

  Adam jumped to his feet, cautiously came out of his study and down the stairs to
the living room where Misti was laying down on the couch, bare feet up and staring into space. This was her ‘migraine’ position, though she did not suffer from migraines. It was usually reserved for ‘pensive rest’ as she called it and, sometimes, her ‘stress reduction protocol’. In either event, she was fetching as usual to Adam as she came into view, although Misti always looked ‘fetching’ to him no matter the reason, look, dress or time of day.

  “Any weapons?” Adam asked.

  “Don’t need any, you big lug. I can take you any time.”

  “OK, OK. You wanna talk?” Adam asked tentatively.

  “You wanna listen? Or you just going to lecture me.”

  “Still pissed, huh?”

  “Not happy.”

  “Sex outta the question, I suppose?”

  Misti laughed, “Only with other men. Not women, of course.”

  “I’m still on the approved list?”

  “You are but only because I’m crazy in love with you. You are one fortunate male in that regard. Otherwise I’d have both of those precious cajones mounted on my wall by now.”

  “How careful do I need to be? Don’t want you to slice and dice me. I’m very attached to this humble body of mine.”

  “You’re safe, you big baby. Now come here and make it up to me. I can think of a lotta ways you can prove you are well and truly sorry.”

  “Any pain?”

  “A little. But way more pleasure. I think you may enjoy the ride. E ticket, old school.”

  “I’m sorry, you know.”

  “For what? What do you think you are sorry for, exactly? I bet you don’t even know, do you?”

  “Misti, you know I’m not good at this. Don’t be cruel. If I knew exactly why I was acting like such a fool, do you really think I’d have done or said whatever upset you? I would never do that. I love you. And yes, I can be an insensitive, self-absorbed, boorish and arrogant know-it-all. I know. Been mentioned a few times by Mom, Dad, Rod and Cindy. But I’m just not all that self-aware. Sometimes I just don’t know when I’m being an idiot until someone points out that I am one. Hard to believe, I know, but I’m always surprised when I fuck up like this.”