Leo pulled his Corvette through the gate and watched it close behind him. The rural area once again provided a few critters that scattered about as he pulled into the empty parking lot. Leo parked right in the front like last time. It’s game time.
He exited the car to a light morning fog that hung about the grounds. The glass structure gave a peak from afar into its vast emptiness until Leo approached to a certain distance, then it only reflected his surroundings like a mirror. He straightened his hair and combed through his goatee with his fingers.
“Time to meet the boss,” said Leo to himself as he slid his security pass into the slot.
The door popped open slightly, a click from the latch echoed in the empty space inside. Expecting to see ‘the man,’ his employer for the first time, Leo was disappointed but also relieved.
He’d have a bit of time to organize his thoughts perhaps, Bartholemeau was sure to be inside somewhere. Leo entered the building, lights popped on in the large space and he shut the door quietly behind him. Leo noticed a set of prototypes set on the long desk-like counter that stretched across the travertine floor. The porotypes ranged from ones so small he couldn’t make out their outline from across the room, all the way to a unit standing five feet tall that met him at his shoulder. Despite it being Leo’s design, he stared in amazement as he walked across the open space to inspect the units.
“Wow, niiiice!” said Leo as he ran his finger along the largest E-frond, tracing its exterior fanned out to show the intricate porous blades. He studied it and moved down the line until finally he came to a unit that fit easily on one finger. He wondered what uses there might be for a unit so small. Where was Bartholemeau? This was Bartholemeau’s company and this was Leo’s new, potentially very prosperous prototype and he was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he was just late.
Leo’s last thought was followed by a voice, seeming to answer him. “You’re here already? Bartholemeau wasn’t expecting you to be so prompt after your sudden departure and vague time frame of return.”
Cronos’s metallic, human-like voice echoed in the space. “Cronos, so nice to be back. I believe in being early.” Leo glanced down at his watch which now read twelve PM. “I do believe I am right on time though. Will Bartholemeau be running late?” said Leo with a smile, as if his sarcastic cleverness would even register with the computer.
“Bartholemeau is never late, he is here. He’ll arrive at the time of his choosing. One is never early to his meetings, and he is never late. He is very excited to meet you and hopes you’re as excited about E-frond coming to life as he is. Well enough of my telling you, I’ll let him do the honor. You’ve had a long journey I’m sure. Why don’t you relax in your lab? Any notes on anything you’ve changed on this prototype or others would be appreciated. He does like to maximize every meeting he has. He is a very busy man, and while this whole lab is for you, he can quickly bore with an unprepared designer, even one as important as you. Please authenticate before entering your lab like before, we don’t want an incident.”
Leo shot a puzzled look, thinking about what Cronos had just said. He painted Bartholemeau with a sense of mysteriousness to an already intrigued Leo. And what was that about a long journey? More than likely it was just small talk that seemed purposeful. Cronos did tend to be chatty.
Leo walked forward toward the verification equipment that was tucked out of sight behind the curling hallway surrounding his lab. As he walked Leo glanced upward, viewing the glass dome above, giving him a clear view of the sky and surroundings reminding him of his other idea that he had yet put to paper. Sensors in the floor woke the scanning wall and Leo verified his identity by placing his face against the padded viewfinder, and his hand on the black scanning squares.
It quickly processed the scans and greeted him with his company profile, name, picture, clearances, and title. Leo glanced over them quickly trying to see what his profile contained. Pretty much everything was checked off, giving him nearly free reign, with the exception of a few down at the bottom.
He saw them only momentarily before they disappeared, replaced with a graphic of arrows moving down the walls encouraging him to move on. One of the no access items Leo believed was product implementation, something like product research, and a third he swore said product time tables/risk vs. success. He couldn’t imagine why those would be a no access item since all of those seemed to be directly related to his creations.
As Leo walked, he eyed the company’s success wall, littered with their triumphs and ending in the creepy sci-fi eyeball prototype. Leo laughed and turned the corner into the lab, anxious to meet Bartholemeau in person but instead found it unlit and empty.
Lights popped on as he approached his work station and he noticed the screen was on, the computer already running. He sat quickly onto the stool in front of it. Leo had a streak of confusion cross his mind, followed by some anger, this was the station he had asked Cronos to lock down and isolate from the mainframe before he had left for Croatia more than a week ago.
Not only could this be harmful if it opened into their main frame system. It felt like an invasion of privacy. This was his lab, this work was outside the scope of New Wave. Leo certainly didn’t want them making any kind of connection to the Sullivan’s. His life already had enough drama and he didn’t need them knowing he was entangled with their competitors.
Leo spoke in a loud stern tone. “Cronos, I thought I had asked this unit to be isolated and locked down after my use?”
“And your request was followed as ordered sir.”
“This workstation was open before I arrived!” Leo entered its activity log and discovered more. “Information I was dealing with was accessed just hours ago. Information of a private nature, a potentially harmful nature, it was to be left locked down for a reason. Why did you access this information Cronos?”
“I haven’t detected any harmful anomalies within our system yet. I do apologize, but it was out of my control.”
Leo checked the network activity log as well to see if this information was isolated on the network. “Damn it! The information was passed onto the network also! What were you thinking? This data needs to be removed and re-isolated if it’s not too late already.”
“I am just software Leo. Thinking isn’t within my programming, but I do appreciate your believing in the best of me. As I said, this was out of my control.”
“How was it out of your control? You’re the only one here.”
“You said yourself that this information was of a private nature. The system you put the data on is company property. He wasn’t very happy that I let you isolate this workstation and place it off the network. He commanded I place it back onto the network and scrub any unrelated work data. This workstation is part of a whole that runs this whole facility, any part removed weakens it. He did, however, have me separate this computer terminal on the far wall for your personal use from now on.”
“This workstation helps run this facility. What facility? There’s only my lab here. How could this terminal weaken anything?”
“That is all I may answer for you. He wishes to address you himself. He will be along in a bit. Make sure you have anything else you have been working on ready to discuss.”
Leo swallowed as he knew there was much more he had been working on that they didn’t know about. “Is Bartholemeau displeased with me? Is that why I was called upon for this meeting so early in the design phase?”
“Displeased? No he isn’t. He can’t wait to meet you. Is there a reason he should be displeased, something you wish to confess, other information you have withheld that would be displeasing?”
“No, of course not, I just thought… never mind I will just busy myself until he arrives.”
“I will pay no attention to your last comment then. And by the way, E-frond isn’t in an early design phase. He’s here to show you it in action.”
“It isn’t? Show it in action, but how? It’s only weeks since I gave you a rough model?”
Leo went over to the terminal that had been now designated for him to work on personal items. It was on the far side on the countertop. As he sat, lights illuminated slowly to brighten the dark space. Leo set down the company tablet and logged in, going straight to the programming software. He felt more comfortable knowing this unit was set aside just for him and purposes of his own.
He needed a computer that would allow him to do some programming, and he wasn’t confident any of the systems at school were secure enough to handle the work he was about to do for Mrs. Sullivan. He already knew Mimetite’s potential for her. She wished to strengthen her already impressive creation.
Leo also knew from the direction Mimetite would take her Butcher; she clearly wished it to be used for protection purposes. He only wondered from whom. None of that was his concern at this time, he believed her to be a trustworthy business partner. He didn’t want fortune or glory with her, he just wanted the truth about his father, information as to what happened or even where he may be.
Leo didn’t intend on fully giving Mrs. Sullivan this formidable design information in whole. He would tell her of his designs and ideas but not how he would accomplish them or that he owned complete control of the Mimetite deposit in Croatia.
This presentation was to be a carrot to dangle in front of her for information; he would have the designs to back them up but only if they were demanded, only if he truly felt this would help stop anything harmful Mr. Sullivan may be cooking up, and only if it led to answers about his father.
Leo worked for the better part of an hour and he was able to develop several defensive and offensive uses for Mimetite. He assumed it would be used by her Butcher as any human in contact with these creations wouldn’t fare well. As he had learned, Mimetite had many arsenic properties, especially when heated. With the ideas that he had just detailed, the Butcher would be a very dangerous robot, a very effective deterrent to Mr. Sullivan.
When Leo sat back, he realized he had created defenses for a robot that had little weakness, and ways for it to inflict damage. He had created a weapon. If used for deterrence and defense only, it might be the next soldier. Leo wasn’t here to create death. He was here to better humankind. His stomach felt like it was in knots, making him queasy, and sweat ran down his temples despite the cool temperature in the lab.
He would only tell her what he had created, if and when he knew it would stop Mr. Sullivan. Until then he would give her nothing. He let out a deep breath and logged out of the workstation, then checked his watch and groaned as he looked upward to the dome above.
A kaleidoscope of butterflies drifted overhead, and Leo watched them fly by dispersing quickly around the only section of glass that was opaque. He wondered if it was a malfunction but thought it odd. Keeping an eye on the pane, he made his way across the lab to the computer terminal that was on when he arrived.
As he moved, so did the opaque sections of glass. The dome seemed to blot out panes directly over his position, it seemed to be keeping anyone from seeing in overhead via satellite. Trying to confuse the system that controlled the panels, Leo tilted a desk lamp upward, further illuminating the dome; the opaque panel began moving all over trying to avoid the beam of light Leo was shining.
Just when Leo had thought he saw a vague shadow above the darkened pane, the computer screen in front of him made a loud chime and displayed a message. Would you like more time or log out?
Leo quickly clicked on more time and returned his attention to the dome ceiling and his beam of light, but the darkened panel was gone. He shook his head and began working on his idea for camouflage. How fitting, for it was the dome and glass that gave him the idea in the first place. As he worked on the brilliant idea, a small shadow covered the light from above but once more disappeared before Leo could catch a glimpse of what it was.
Leo’s new idea would allow any stationary object one wished secret to remain unseen, invisible. Although unsure of how it would help the common man, Leo was so excited about the idea and failed to see any potential negative impact. A thin sheet of wafer-like material would be placed on any surface and would contain on it millions of tiny mirrors able to deflect or project light in a staggering number of trajectories. This would give a rainbow-like effect, allowing it to adapt to any and every viewing angle, making it impossible to see. All that remained was that instead of a rainbow, the wafer material would project onto its exterior surface the image it wished the viewer to see.
A building becomes a clump of trees, or a patch of grass. A lab could become a body of water or a patch of sand, without betraying it even existed. Leo was so excited about this one. Bartholemeau would be very pleased with this creation.
“Brilliant Leo, I knew I didn’t make a mistake in you. You were worth every penny. This does please me so,” came a deep voice directly behind him.
A startled Leo swiveled his stool so aggressively that he fell off the chair and onto the floor. He hopped up and stood facing hooded figure ten feet away.
“Mr….” realizing he didn’t know the man’s last name, Leo stuttered.
“Please call me Bartholemeau. So nice to finally meet you.”
The man didn’t step forward to shake hands as is traditional in most business environments. Then again, he didn’t seem traditional. For one, he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt to their meeting. The hood blocked nearly all light from his face, only the faintest trace of cavernous features was able to be detected.
“Bartholeameau, nice to meet you as well. I apologize, I didn’t realize this was a causal affair. I could have brought my beanie, then we would have matched.” Leo cringed as he finished his statement. His attempt at humor was chumpish and they had yet to become friends.
Laughter came from the man. “They were right, you are quite the smartass. No offence taken. I have quite the migraine and light is not my friend at the current time.”
“Who’s they!”
“Your instructors, of course. I did my research, you didn’t think I would invest so much in a question mark. I had to make sure you were something, not a no one with zero applicable talent. Please let us move forward. This business with Cronos allowing you an offline terminal has been addressed. This wasn’t your fault. I hope you enjoy the new offline terminal we gave you. Your creation here is brilliant, I shall move forward immediately with this design as well. Does it have a name yet?”
“I hadn’t considered that yet…. Let’s call it Ghost Cover.”
“Very well, please name it in the system accordingly. What about moving objects? This design doesn’t allow for them.”
“I had considered movable or moving objects, but you would need coordinated optics on the opposite side of the structure to translate its movement throughout its surroundings, live. The optics and computing power would have to be staggering to accomplish this. It’s simply not doable at this time. Such computational powers and optics don’t exist.”
“Don’t live in the now Leo, be visionary. Never consider what’s not possible or what we don’t have. You leave all that to me. Put into your designs, the working designs, to make this operational for an immovable object as well as a moving one.”
“Immovable is in the realm of possible but moving is…. a bit farfetched.”
“Nothing’s impossible. Where there’s a will there’s a way.”
“What kind of speed are we talking here?”
“As fast as the eye can see, maybe even faster. Once again, you’re a visionary, don’t be held back. I’ll get you what you need. That brings us to your main reason for being here, E-frond. Let me show you what you have created, come to life. Cronos, if you will please.”
Th
e spiral hallway that acted as security and a barrier from the lobby sunk into the floor, revealing a large open space and the E-fronds that he had seen upon entering. Let me show you a few examples of what it can do.
They descended the stairs behind the low wall that the E-frond samples sat upon. Leo stood behind Bartholemeau as he entered a set of codes into the panel in the wall and pulled back his hood just enough to let the system scan his eyes. Cronos’s voice spoke. “Welcome Bartholemeau, the testing lab is now open. The thick metal door slid into the wall, and they were now below ground with the same spiral hallway.
They circled the hallway, the stark white corridors led off in every direction with rows upon rows of shelving bins. Finally, they reached the production lab with apparatuses for testing designs. Three E-fronds in various sizes were already within a glass-like tube, allowing a view of them in action.
“Firstly, purification and filtration.”
Bartholemeau poured a disgusting sample of brackish water into a tube that led up to a E-fond device. He then hit a button, and the blades fanned out, purged all the liquid to one side of the blades, and sealed the tube. They then slowly began glowing red hot and spinning at alternating speeds to circulate all the water within the tube. Finally, a click was heard, and water began filling the empty side of the tube. Bartholemeau, grabbed a glass nearby and depressed a spigot, pouring water from the tube.
“Drink.” Bartholemeau presented Leo with a glass of crystal-clear water.
“I believe you, I don’t want to be a beta tester for this thing.”
“This isn’t beta, drink. This is all possible because of you. Drink to your creation.”
Leo’s skepticism still existed, but he quickly filled with a sense of pride. He took the glass from Bartholemeau and downed two large chugs of water, then held it up to his eye.
“Well, are you dying yet?”
The Second Rising Page 19
