“Oh, okay. Sorry, just stressed as usual when it comes to tests. Really hate these things.”
“Yeah, I know and understand. Believe it or not, I sometimes stress over them too.”
“Really? You, stress over a test! Give me a break, Miss Genius.”
“Come on, Greg, I’m not always on top of my game, especially with all this company stuff going on. I really have to concentrate when it comes to the tests, now that I’ve got all this other stuff running around my head. Oh, by the way, we’ll need to hire a company manager, accountant, and lawyer to help us keep this company from going under before we even get started. Believe it or not, that kind of stuff isn’t my forte.”
“Really? You mean all those brains you’ve got, and you can’t figure out how to run a company and keep track of the money too?”
“Seriously, Greg, I wonder sometimes if you’re out to get me. Yes, even with all my smarts, I just don’t have that knack. Give me math or physics, and I can solve all the problems in the world. Throw business stuff at me, and I’d rather run a marathon than tackle it. I’m the inventor, remember, not the practical sit-in-an-office-and-push-paper kind of gal.”
Greg burst out laughing. “Okay you got me there. Guess I was wrong; you aren’t as smart as you pretend to be.”
“Hey that’s not nice. Stop laughing at me and get back to studying. I’m going to make a few phone calls and check on the best accounting and law firms to scout out. Later, you can help me do some interviews for them, as well as personnel for the company.”
“Sure, so long as it’s after I’m done taking all these darned tests.”
“Yep, it will be. I still have to do some research. Heck, by the time I’m done with all this, I should be a master at Google,” she said with a chuckle.
“All right, I’ll catch you later after these tests are behind me.”
“Sounds good. Bye for now.” She hung up the phone and pondered where to start looking for a law firm and accounting firm. Ergg, all this work just to get started.
Paulette decided it was time for a break so, she drove to the local Starbucks near the University Campus. She liked the quiet atmosphere, despite its being so close to the university. She wasn’t even much of a coffee drinker, so she’d order a caramel mocha frappe, her favorite drink. She parked her car, dug out a few quarters and slid them into the slot of the parking meter, and then walked in the front door. She was pleased to see that Brad Harding was working today. He was a polite young blond-haired man, about the same height as Paulette, and he had these piercing blues eyes and a wonderful smile.
“Ah, I see my favorite bistro person is working today.”
“Hey, Paulette, how’s it going? The usual?”
“Yeah, Brad, I’ll take the usual. Can you bring it over to the corner table, along with one of your blueberry muffins?”
“Sure, no problem.”
Even though she didn’t particularly like the taste of coffee, the smell of it brewing was intoxicating. She waited patiently for her drink and blueberry muffin. She could hardly wait to sink her teeth into one of their fresh-made blueberry muffins. Sometimes, if she arrived at the right time, there would be this wonderful blueberry and coffee aroma that was heavenly.
Brad walked over to the table in the corner, which gave a great view of all the activity on the street, and set her muffin and frappe down. “Hope you enjoy the frappe and muffin. If you need anything else just give me a holler. Oh, by the way, how is the company stuff going? Get any funding yet?” he asked.
“Yeah, we got some partial funding. They want us to present a prototype before they’ll consider giving us full funding. I’ve been busy securing a building, and now I’ve got to get contractors in to do some renovations, not to mention hiring people, and so many other things that it’s mind-boggling. A lot of work, but hey, that’s why I’m here. Just needed to take a break from it all.”
“Understood. Like I said, if you need anything else, let me know. And congrats on the funding, even if it’s only part of it.”
“Thanks, Brad. I appreciate it.”
Paulette sat there munching her blueberry muffin and sipping her caramel frappe, deep in thought. She liked sitting there thinking about how her life was going. She liked the idea of helping people, while also getting to work on her other project. At twenty, almost twenty-one years old, she was doing pretty well in life. Her thoughts began to wander back a bit.
Sometimes, I do wonder if I’d have been further along had my parents not held me back from exploring the world more when I was younger. I kind of understand their not wanting me to be in college at eleven or twelve; but still, I may have been able to do so much more, earlier in life. Oh well, I’ve got to remember not to live in the past. I can’t change what happened. Hhmm, or could I? Okay, no sense going there. Paradox theory and all. I just need to live with things the way they are and do my best to move forward with my life.
She was still deep in thought when she heard a shrill alarm. Startled, she looked up to see people pouring out of the building next to the Starbucks. Hmm, wonder what’s going on there?
A few seconds later, Brad announced “Can I get everyone’s attention please. There is a fire in the building next to us, and the fire department has asked that everyone leave our building quickly and safely
Paulette picked up her trash and threw it in the trashcan as she made her way out the door. She headed back to her car, got in, and went back to the dorm so she could start researching law firms and accountants.
A few days later she had narrowed her search for construction companies and accountants down to three each. She set up appointments with each construction company to have them come out and access the building so they could give her quotes. She also set up appointments that worked around Greg’s schedule so he could help with the interviews.
“You know this is daunting work, Greg mumbled. I don’t have the first clue how to interview someone, let alone a lawyer and accountant.”
“No worries, we are just trying to see what each can offer us and what they’ll charge for their services. Once we’ve got that information in hand, we can figure out which one will work. If something goes wrong, we can always fire them and get new ones, but let’s hope we get it right the first time.”
They spent several hours interviewing the various firms. The last one was, as it turned out, the most interesting; and they decided that they’d probably hire them. They really liked what the Muller Law firm had to offer and at a reasonable price. Mrs. Sally Muller was very helpful, polite, and courteous and was able to answer all of their questions, plus some they didn’t even ask. Her firm was not too far away from the company or the college, so that was even better. For the accountant, they both decided that XD Zander Group would do a great job, since they provided outsourced accounting at a reasonable cost, and they, too, were close to both locations.
“Phew!” Greg wiped the built-up sweat off his face. That was a lot of work, and I’m glad we’re done. Have you gotten quotes back from the construction companies yet?”
“Yeah, I have and was going to look them over tonight. I’m leaning toward this one company that has a great record and tries to keep things green.”
“Oh, which company is that?”
“It’s the Newman Construction Company. Their quote, at a glance, looked reasonable; and they can keep costs down by setting us up with solar power and building the rooms we want.”
“Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind. Why spend time hassling over the quotes if you already are leaning toward a specific company.”
“Because I want to make sure I haven’t left anything out; that’s all.”
“Okay, sounds good to me. See you tomorrow, right?”
“Yep, you will.”
The next day Paulette called Brian Newman to congratulate him and his company for being chosen to do the construction and asked if they’d be able to start immediately. Mr. Newman was very excited and told her they’d be on-s
ite by the end of the week to get started.
It didn’t take long for Mr. Newman to set up a team of construction workers and get them to their new building.
“Hey boss, how do you want us to start?” asked a worker.
“Okay, I’d like to split everyone up into teams. One team will work on constructing the research and development area while another team renovates the two manufacturing spaces. The next team will design the offices. The last team will install the solar panels. An electrician still needs to be called to install the electrical wires and outlets. Last, we need an individual who can place all the fiber optics for the computers and telephone lines,” Mr. Newman replied.
Mr. Newman’s goal in assigning several teams was to be able to complete the work more economically and safely. The research and development team would construct an area that would cover 3,000 square feet of the building, while the two manufacturing areas would cover 9,000 square feet for the primary area, and 6,000 for the secondary area. The remaining 6,000 square feet would be left for subsequent expansion.
Paulette checked in on the project at least once a week to see how things were progressing. “Good morning Mr. Newman. I thought I’d check in and see how things are going.”
“Things are going good and we are on schedule. We just want to make certain we get everything the way you need it, including all the cabinets, counters, and heavy-duty manufacturing surfaces,” he said
“I’m delighted with your progress. I apologize for being so impatient; it’s just that I need to get working on the prototype soon. They want to see something besides a drawing,” she replied.
“I understand your concerns. Be assured we’ll get everything completed on time and exactly the way you want it.”
“Phew, I’m relieved. Thank you,” she replied.
Mr. Newman and his crew were proficient and could finish the task as promised, including being under budget without cutting corners. They took two-and-a-half months to finish each area, as requested. Research and development had enough workbench space, cabinets, refrigerators, and other things to allow a creative flow for the employees they’d soon hire. The primary manufacturing floor looked amazing. There were conveyor machines placed with plenty of space so workers could do their part in building the limbs; and, with the bay doors nearby, they’d be able store new supplies in the small rooms attached to the bays. This would help keep the cold, wet Seattle weather from reaching the workers, too. The second manufacturing area had more floor space and also had access to the bays. They designed special benches which would help the workers in developing the synthetic skin, nerves, and muscles. Special equipment and printers would be required in order to make the product as specified by the patient.
There was one main office and then a cluster of smaller offices near the front of the building, with hallways connected to each of the areas, which would help keep all the manufacturing dust to a minimum. They built a nice little break area for the employees. The only area not renovated was the other 6,000 square feet. That development, and Paulette’s time travel project, would have to wait until later when they had made enough money to have the room built the way she wanted.
Greg and Paulette worked for weeks to hire the minimum personnel they’d need to, at least, complete the prototype bionic limb. Their favorite selection to lead a team of R&D personnel was a woman named Susan Ross, who was quite feisty. She stood five foot four inches, weighed about a hundred and twenty-five pounds; and with her red hair and green eyes, it was apparent she wouldn’t let anyone run her over. She commanded a great leadership quality they felt wouldn’t only keep the R&D team on its toes but also provide a good working environment.
The manufacturing team was a little harder to figure out, but they settled on two managers, one for each section. One man, Sam Posh, a recent college graduate from a prestigious engineering school, had a keen interest in bionics. The other gentleman, Earl Jones, being in his mid-thirties, had what it took to develop the materials needed for the inside of the bionic limb. He had been on the leading edge for developing similar materials for robots and other bionics at an earlier job. The materials he would now need differed from what he had done before, but they both realized he could do it.
With their managers hired and a few key people for each of the manufacturing areas, Paulette and Greg were confident they could get a prototype out in a few months.
Chapter 6
Spring 2027
With the building completed and ready to go and the supplies delivered, it was time to get the team into action and develop the prototype leg. Susan secured all the components needed to make the artificial muscle and tendons and the material to make realistic-looking and feeling skin. Many hours were invested in getting the exact combination of chemicals and other materials that would produce a viable and long-lasting product.
Sam worked diligently with Greg and Paulette to design and manufacture the mechanical components that would go into building the prototype leg. Once the internal parts were assembled, they could interweave the muscles, tendons, and nerves to the titanium rods, making the leg function like that of a human leg. Then, after the artificial nerves and muscles were connected to the human counterpart, the brain would sense the nerves; and the leg would begin to function normally. The whole thing was an intricate process that required hours of intense concentration to get everything placed in the right order and to test each individual component to make sure it would work with the other components. Sam figured it would take a few months to get everything right, and he had to wait on Earl to develop the segments that would help to operate the bionic leg.
The process of finding someone in need of their product was the next step. They consulted with the Veterans Administration to locate a person who would meet their requirements for the prototype. The VA sent several names as candidates and provided a specialist to assist in the interviewing process. With the VA’s help, and the consent of the patients, the prototype team was able to obtain the best medical information about each person. It was imperative to know the exact condition of the remaining portion of the limb, how long it had been since the loss, how much muscle atrophy had taken place, and so many other medical details. Without being able to obtain that information from the VA, the project wouldn’t have been successful.
It took several weeks to determine the best candidate for the prototype, but there was a young lady who seemed to meet all the requirements. Karen Shaffey was a former Army Ranger who had lost her leg to an IED while in Afghanistan. It had been only a year since the accident, which gave her the best chances of having her leg integrate to the simulated muscle and nerves. Also, the top end of the titanium rod could be matched to the exact measurements of the remaining femur bone, and the muscles and nerves of the bionic leg would have a better chance of matching her current human muscle and nerve endings.
Once Karen was recruited, Earl was able to make the skin shell that went over the limb and match it to her skin color. There were so many moving parts, and it would take a lot of time to get everything set up. Earl notified the team about midway through the assembly of the leg that he had the muscle, nerve, and tendons ready to integrate with the leg, and that in another week, he would have the skin ready to go.
Speaking specifically to Sam, Earl said, “Sam I need to have the leg completed and sent over to fit the skin to the frame of the leg as soon as possible.”
“Yes, I’m aware you need the leg to complete your part of the project, and I’ll have it to you by next week,” Sam huffed in frustration.
“Well, I guess that should work,” Earl grumbled.
Sam had worked long hours to integrate all the synthesized parts to the leg structure so it would match that of a real leg. It had taken a lot of trial and error to get things right, but he was certain he had it. This meant tests with the specialized walking machine would be done soon to see if everything functioned.
A week later with the help of the other manufacturing team, they hooked the
leg up to the specialized walking machine and turned it on to see how well the leg would work once attached to a human. The computer, acting as the brain, would send signals through the artificial nerves, causing the leg to move. It took a few minutes of tweaking the machine before they were ready to begin the test. Once it seemed to be ready, Sam took a deep breath and hit the enter key, while everyone held their breath hoping it would work. The computer began sending the signals. A few seconds later, the bionic leg began to walk across the small testing area. Everyone was amazed at how smooth the gait was. Everything seemed to be working as expected. It was time to let Paulette and Greg know it was ready to be installed.
“Greg, Paulette, I’ve got good news. We finished a complete test of the bionic leg, and it works! We’ll do a twenty-four-hour endurance test; and, if everything holds up, we can have Karen prepped for surgery,” Sam stated enthusiastically, as Earl leaned in to express his okay, also.
“Wow! This is great,” they exclaimed.
“We’ll inform Karen when we are ready to have the leg integrated to her stump. You guys did a great job on this, and it will make this company soar.” exclaimed Greg
Greg looked at Paulette with a huge smile on his face. “We did it!”
“Yes we did, with the help of everyone else,” she replied.
“We need to call Karen and the VA so they can begin preparations for the operation. You think you can handle being in the operating room with all that blood? If I remember correctly, you’re a little squeamish,” Paulette stated with a teasing grin.
“Yeah, I think I’ll be okay. If not, I can just look away,” Greg choked out.
“Keep in mind that we both have to be watching to make sure they are stitching everything together correctly,” she said in a serious voice.
Beginnings (Book 1): Future Apocalypse Page 4
