“I will, and I’ve rescheduled you for the 10th at 9:30 a.m.”
Paulette thanked the secretary as she slammed the receiver back down on the telephone set. Dang it! I was so ready to show them that the prototype works and that they should continue to fund the project. However, now I must wait another week. Oh well, I’ll have to let Greg know about the delay. He won’t be happy, either, but there isn’t much we can do about it. Guess it gives me more time to practice my speech and groom Karen for her part of the demonstration, she thought.
Paulette headed out of her dorm room and to the Morgan building to see if Greg was in his room.
Greg was dozing in his bed when he heard a knocking at his door. He groaned at the thought of having to get up when he needed to rest for his test coming up in a few hours. The end-of-semester tests always stressed him out, and the only way he could stay somewhat calm was to rest after studying.
“What!” he yelled.
“Let me in, Greg, I need to talk to you about the meeting,” Paulette insisted.
“Fine, hang on while I put my pants on.”
A few minutes later, he opened the door and Paulette pushed her way into his room. “You won’t believe this, but the group has rescheduled, yet again. Now I won’t be meeting with them till next week.”
Greg just looked at her like she had two heads and wondered why in the world she was stressing over another rescheduled meeting. “So what? I think it will be okay; it’s just another week,” he mumbled.
“Well, sure, but if they keep this up, the second semester of my sophomore year will be over; and I won’t be any closer to fully launching the company than I was when we first talked about it. Jeez, Greg, don’t you even care?”
“Of course I care, but you forget that one of us has to study hard and finish college; and since that happens to be me, I’m not too concerned right at this moment,” he replied.
“Fine, I guess I’ll just get in touch with Karen and go over what we’ll do at the meeting next week. By the way, she is doing awesome. She told me the other day she doesn’t even think about the bionic leg anymore. It’s as if she never lost her leg in the first place, other than her nightmares, that is,” she informed him.
“That’s great! I can’t wait to produce other limb replacements, but we’ve got to wait and see if they’ll continue the funding,” he said with some hesitation. “If they don’t, I think we still can get bank loans, or something, since we’ve got the hottest new technological miracle on the planet!”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said smiling.
It seemed just like yesterday she was complaining about the meeting being rescheduled, and now it was knocking on her doorstep. She arrived at Karen’s place early to pick her up.
“So, how are you doing today?”
“Doing great! Can’t thank you enough for what you guys have done for me. It’s been great being able to walk normally again, not needing help from others, and most of all, not getting stared at by other people when I’m out and about.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad we could help you. Are you ready for the meeting?”
Karen was a little nervous but wanted to get the meeting over with. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Not sure what they want to see,” she said chuckling a bit.
“Yeah, they won’t see much, except you walking and being happy again, but that’s okay. We’ve got all of your x-rays and doctors’ notes to prove that you once were missing your leg, and now you’re using a bionic leg to get around.”
“I’m a little nervous, but I’ll get over it. So what time is the meeting again?” she asked.
“It begins at 9:30 a.m., so we need to get a move on, since we’ve got to drive across town,” replied Paulette.
An hour later they arrived at the Smith building and entered the lobby. Looking around, they noticed beautiful pictures on the wall of various scenes throughout the United States, giving a warm feeling about the place. They walked up to the receptionist’s desk and explained they were there for the funding meeting. The receptionist smiled and told them to have a seat in the waiting area outside the conference room. “They’ll be with you momentarily.”
“Thanks,” they both said simultaneously. A few minutes later, the secretary told them to step into the room. Paulette, still holding on to all of her notes and records, and Karen headed to the door. The secretary opened the door for them, and they both stepped into the conference room. The blinds were up, and the early morning sun was streaming in and lighting up the conference room table. It made the room look eerie, but that was okay. She had a successful story to tell. Both she and Karen found their chairs and took a seat.
Col. Leamon addressed the entire room. “Welcome back, Miss Brown, and a special welcome to you Miss Shaffey. We’ve heard a lot about you already and can’t wait to see what you can do.”
“Thank you, Col. Leamon; it’s great to walk again.”
“I’m sure it is. Miss Brown, you may proceed with your notes and demonstration.”
“Thank you.” Paulette arranged her notes and began her presentation. “Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, a year ago you helped fund our company, hoping we’d produce a viable product. Today, I’ll show you, not only a working product, but the notes, x-rays, and doctors’ statements to attest that we’ve done just that. We chose Karen as our candidate because of how recent her injury was and the chances of success. With the help of Dr. Bellows and his team at the VA, we were able to successfully attach a working bionic limb to Karen’s stump. She underwent weeks of physical therapy to help train her brain to use the new leg. After some trials and errors, Karen was able walk unassisted again. With her efforts and the research involved, we now know how to help new candidates become successful in their physical therapy. As you can see in your packets, she has been walking successfully now, with no limp or indication she ever lost her leg, for almost four weeks now. She has not had any residual effects or setbacks, and the typical phantom pain associated with a lost limb has also faded. We feel this is because of the nerves being reconnected and assisting the bionic leg in its motion. The brain no longer can tell that it was missing a limb.”
Paulette paused a minute then continued. “We’re pleased to offer more types of limb replacements as we continue to grow as a company. It’s my hope that seeing this successful prototype will convince you of its wonderful benefits to those who have lost a limb and that you’ll be willing and eager to continue to fund this project. Thank you very much for listening and taking this into consideration.” Paulette concluded her presentation and sat back down. She hoped that she did well enough to get funded.
Col. Leamon stood. “Well done, Miss Brown. Miss Shaffey, can you please stand so the committee can look at you.”
Nodding her head yes, Karen pushed back her chair and stood up.
“Thank you. Please take five steps backwards and stop. Then I’d like you to complete the following battery of tests. First, I’d like you to complete ten squats, then stand on the bionic leg with your other leg lifted. Next, I’d like you to walk around the room as you normally would. When you reach your seat again, you may sit down.”
“Yes, sir, no problem.” Karen pushed her chair to the side and stepped backwards five steps, completed the ten requested squats with ease, and then stood for one minute on her bionic leg, perfectly balanced. Once she completed this, she walked around the committee members till she reached her chair again, pulled it over, and had a seat.
Col. Leamon looked very pleased with the results. “Very good! I can’t see any difference. Other than your showing off how long you could balance on the bionic leg, we wouldn’t know that you even had a bionic leg. We’ve got one last request. We’ll conduct this in a private room with Jill Sikes. We’d like to see your legs and how well the integration went.”
Karen was hesitant about going into another room and removing her pants. “Umm, I wasn’t expecting to undress, but sure, I can see the need for you wanting to look.”
“Please follow her and she’ll examine your legs.”
Jill got up and said, “This way, please.” Both women walked to the women’s bathroom down the hall from the conference room. Once in the bathroom, Karen quickly shed her pants so Jill could look at her legs.
“Wow, this is amazing! I can’t even see any scaring.” “Which leg is the bionic one?” Jill asked.
Karen coyly played out the scene by asking, “Which one do you think it is?”
“Well, I don’t know; if I had to guess, I’d say the right one. But we all know it’s the left one, based on your demonstration in the other room. They did a remarkable job with the integration. There is no way to tell, just by looking, that you ever lost your leg, or that they replaced it with a bionic one. Amazing!”
“Thank you. If we’re done, can we head back now?"
“Sure,” she said.
Karen retrieved her pants and quickly put them back on then both women headed back to the conference room. Jill reported that there was no way to tell which leg the doctors had replaced.
Col. Leamon stood and addressed Miss Brown and Miss Shaffey. “Ladies, would you mind stepping out of the room and going back to the waiting area while we discuss the information presented to us today?”
“Yes, that would be fine,” Paulette said.
Karen and Paulette stood up and headed out the conference room doors and walked over and sat down in the same chairs they had been in before the meeting started.
“Do you think they were impressed?” Karen asked.
“Yes, I think they were, but I’m still concerned about what the committee will say now that they have seen how well it works,” Paulette replied.
Paulette wasn’t the type to get hopeful about anything until she knew for certain. They waited patiently, for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, the secretary called them and told them to go back into the conference room. They both stood up and headed back to their seats in the conference room to await the decision of the committee.
Col. Leamon looked at both women as he addressed them. “Miss Brown, Miss Shaffey, it was great having you both here today! The committee and I’ve looked over everything you’ve presented and discussed the remarkable capabilities of the bionic leg that Miss Shaffey now has. We’ve decided to continue funding your project and hope you can help thousands more with your wonderful technology. That being said, I’d like to see if you wouldn’t mind prioritizing our injured military so they can get back to action, if they so choose. Then our veterans should be next. If you’ll do this, we’d be willing to assist those individuals who could never afford such a blessing by paying for their limb replacements and aftercare. What do you think?”
Paulette sat there for a few minutes, pleasantly shocked, but also pondering the idea of allowing the military to dictate who got bionic limbs first and who got them last. However, the fact they were willing to assist those too poor to have this technology was a plus. She wanted to help as many people as possible. She wished Greg were there to help with the decision, but he wasn’t; and she had to decide today. “Well, Col. Leamon, I’ll have to admit I don’t like the military directing me on what and how I do things; but that being said, I like the idea of you helping the less fortunate.”
“Let me assure you, we won’t be dictating what and how you do things; we’d just like our troops and veterans to have priority. That’s all.”
“So, if we determine that a particular person is not a candidate for the limb replacement, you won’t insist that we do it, anyway?”
“Absolutely not. I don’t understand the whole process, but from what I can see here, there are some strict requirements to be followed to ensure the best success. Am I correct in my assessment?”
“Yes, you’re correct. We wouldn’t turn down an injured soldier unless there wasn’t enough remaining nerve, muscle, or tendons to make a good connection with the bionic limb. Hopefully, in the not-so-distant future, we’ll be able to help everyone who needs a new limb. But, for now, we need to keep it to the ones we know can have the best success. For one, they have been through enough already, and to give them false hope or to have it fail, would be catastrophic for them. I do have to admit that even we are not perfect and something like this could happen anyway, but we’d like to take every precaution to prevent that from happening.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, Miss Brown, and let me assure you again that you’ll be in full control of your company. All we ask is that you provide us with a yearly update on the progress being made so we can justify our continuing support. Will this be acceptable to you?”
She thought for just a moment before giving her answer. “Yes, your terms are acceptable, and I look forward to working with you and the rest of the committee members. Thank you so much for believing in me and our company.
“It’s our pleasure. This meeting is adjourned. Again, thank you for coming in and for fulfilling your promise to us,” he said.
“You’re welcome.”
Paulette and Karen packed up and headed back to the car — two very excited young women who couldn’t wait to go celebrate. “We need to go pick up Greg, so he can celebrate with us,” Paulette said with a giggle.
Karen smiled and asked “Can we swing by and see if Roger is available too? He was so supportive of me during my physical therapy I feel he deserves to celebrate with us. Besides, I kind of like him, and this would give me a chance to be with him, without being by myself.”
“Sure that sounds great. We can make it a double date if you would like!”
Paulette and Karen returned to Paulette’s vehicle and headed back to the University Campus to pick up Greg, and then they stopped by the VA Hospital to see if Roger was available.
Paulette, Karen, Greg and Roger went to a local pub in downtown Seattle to celebrate the success of the funding meeting. They ate dinner, had a few beers, and enjoyed the music.
Greg hollered over the music, “I can’t believe we’ll continue our work.”
Paulette barely heard him and yelled even louder, “Yeah, I was quite pleased with the outcome today, and Karen was great. Can you believe she stood balanced on the bionic leg for one minute? I think you were showing off a little, don’t you?”
Smiling, Karen said, “Well, yeah, why wouldn’t I? Besides, if there was any doubt in their minds that this wasn’t my leg, I think doing that kind of erased them.”
Roger piped up and said, “Man I wish I could have been there to see their faces when you did that.”
“I think you’re right on that account Karen” Paulette said then yelled at Greg again, “So Greg, now we can start working on other limb replacements, like hands, feet, and other important body parts. Oh, and they said they’d pay for anyone who couldn’t afford it, as long as we helped the military soldiers and veterans first.”
Greg sipped his beer and placed it back down on the counter before answering. “Awesome, can’t wait to get started.”
Paulette began to fall into deep thought when Greg interrupted her. “Hey, what are you thinking about?” he yelled over the music again.
“I’m thinking of getting a puppy once I quit school.”
“A puppy! You think you’ve got time to take care of one?”
“Yes and no, but it would be with me at the office so it should be a little easier.”
“Yeah, I can see it now. We all have to share taking it out to potty,” he sneered.
They spent the rest of the evening drinking, dancing, and enjoying the ambiance of the music. With the end of semester tests starting on Monday, they’d need to head out soon to get some rest. Being responsible, they called a cab to take them back to the dorms and one for Karen and Roger to get them home.
Chapter 9
Late Spring 2027
Final Exams Week
The next week was very stressful with the tests, especially for poor Greg, who always had anxiety attacks during testing. Paulette wasn’t too worried about them. She was more co
ncerned about ramping up production and finding and evaluating new candidates. She also needed to look for additional people for positions that needed to be filled in her new company. One thing she desperately needed was a marketing manager and promoter. She couldn’t think of anyone better than Karen to fill both of those jobs. She decided to call her and offer her the position.
“Hey, Paulette, what’s up?” Karen asked after answering her phone.
“I’m calling to see if you would like to work full time for us as our marketing manager and product promotion person. What do you think?”
“Wow! I’m honored. I’d love to. I should certainly be qualified to promote the product since I’m wearing it.”
“That’s awesome. When can you start?”
“Well, I need to give at least two weeks’ notice to my current employer, and then I can start. However, I can come by and do some part-time stuff after my shift at my current job.”
Paulette could hardly wait for Karen to start. “That would be great. See you tomorrow night?”
“Sure, I’ll be right over after work,” Karen replied.
Relieved to have that position filled, Paulette headed out to take her final college tests. She had decided to quit after the semester was over. She felt she had too much to offer the world and didn’t have time to waste it in college.
Tuesday night she met with Karen to go over what she expected her to do in her new job. “So, basically, you’ll be in charge of marketing our products to the military, VA, and the public. Keep in mind, pricing is based on what is needed and the extent of the required surgery. We only have to worry about the bionics, not the surgery; but I’m sure people will ask. Also, we’d like you to set up small conferences where you can demonstrate the product and show the different types of bionics limbs and member parts we have available. Do you have any questions?”
Karen was feeling a little overwhelmed. “Wow, that’s a lot to do, and I’ve never done marketing; but I think a little on-the-job training will get me up to speed. The rest should be easy as pie.”
Beginnings (Book 1): Future Apocalypse Page 6
