The Fair & Foul (Project Gene Assist Book 1)

by Potts, Allie

  “As well as could be expected. Brace yourself, we’re about to have some company.” Juliane took the cup from his outstretched hand, grimacing as she realized that the liquid was only lukewarm. On cue, the door opened again as Louis entered, sending Chad back to his desk in a scurry. Juliane rolled her eyes. She often wondered why Chad had even bothered to apply to the AL program. She would have thought that a person with his level of social anxiety would have looked for a position that required less interaction with other people.

  “Chad, I’d like to introduce you to Louis Evans, here to....” Juliane trailed off as she realized that Louis had never mentioned the reason for his visit. Louis spoke up before the pause became uncomfortable.

  “Ah yes, Chad, it’s good to meet you.” Chad could have been a piece of office furniture as automatic as the pleasantry was delivered. Louis’s attention never left Juliane.

  Had Juliane been in Chad's position, her back would have straightened in offense, but Juliane could see Chad's muscles respond in the complete opposite fashion. Juliane wondered if she would ever understand her assistant.

  "Please accept my apologies, Dr. Faris, for not giving you advance notice of my visit, but I’ve recently become more active in the company and prefer to take a more hands-on approach than some of my predecessors, especially with some of the more promising work. I’m just trying to get my finger on the pulse, not decide whether or not to pull the plug. I found that all the pomp of a planned visit tends to get in the way.”

  Juliane’s forehead knit as he spoke. His vague answer left her wondering what his role in the company truly was. Whatever it was, Alan and their audience earlier had been obviously more familiar with it than she was. It also didn't explain why Louis was meeting with her and not with Alan. Juliane frowned. She hated unknowns.

  "I'd heard about your father. I am sure he'll be back behind his desk in no time."

  Juliane nearly jumped when Chad spoke. Her frown intensified. She had no time for office gossip, but somehow, she had missed some momentous news. For Chad to speak up, something unfortunate must have happened. How could I have missed it? Juliane wondered. Whatever it was, there must have been some scandal involved. That would explain why the news didn't get past her online filters.

  Juliane contemplated changing her filter settings. If she relaxed them, she might be better prepared in the future, but then she would also be bombarded by all the garbage news that wasn't worth her notice. The frown deepened into a scowl. No. She would leave her settings as is. What was the chance that she would ever be blindsided again to this extent?

  Chad must have seen her frown and misinterpreted its cause because he quickly bowed his head and returned to his work.

  Louis shrugged. "In any case, I am here now as acting CEO."

  Juliane felt as if the floor was dropping out from under her feet. She had expected Louis to say that he was in some training program, or come up with some bogus title designed to keep him from causing too much trouble, like Assistant Coordinator of Cool Research. She definitely did not expect her career to be in his inexperienced hands, even if his comment that her work was 'promising' was a point in his favor. Whatever had happened to his father must have been truly awful for the board to favor this decision.

  "So how do you intend to do that?" Juliane asked. She bit her tongue. "I mean what do you know about my work?" She once again fought against the rush of blood threatening to color her face. Questioning the big boss's competence so openly probably wasn't the best strategy for distinguishing herself within the new hierarchy.

  “Well, I know that our financial statements show a recent signed purchase of three, large, top-of-the-line three-dimensional scanners to a J. Faris with only the barest description of their intended use. Additionally, I saw requisition paperwork for several holographic projectors. Based on your association with a Dr. A. Dronighn, I might have thought the scanners were being used to grow synthetic body parts, but that can’t be it for three reasons." Louis held up his hand, counting off each point on a finger. "His reports are much more complete, there is no tie-in at all with the projectors, and finally because I know of at least three other groups who are decades ahead on that front.”

  Louis toyed with his mustache. "I would hate to think I paid for a poor copy of someone else's work. So, I am wondering, Dr., what did the requisitions buy?”

  Juliane's hands froze by her side. As much as he claimed to only be attempting to get a feel for current projects, he sounded much like an ax man verifying his target before closing in on the kill. She had nothing at all to be ashamed about. She had followed standard operating procedures. She had gone through the entire approval process. Was it really her fault that the chain of authority didn't recognize her side project as being different from the project she shared with Alan?

  Before she could say anything at all, Chad spoke up. “Oh no, it’s not like that at all. Dr. Faris is brilliant in her own right. She doesn’t need to copy anyone else's work.”

  Juliane beamed in pleasure at her assistant. He might not have any noticeable ambition and was as unreliable as the rain, but at least he was loyal. She told herself that she would try to be more forgiving the next time Nadia’s demands caused him to come in late or leave early. At least, she would try. You can’t allow that sort of behavior to go on indefinitely; otherwise nothing would get done.

  Louis’s lips turned up in a grin. “Brilliant, eh? Well then, feel free to elaborate.”

  He had known who she was downstairs and had willfully led her to believe he was just another lost visitor. As a result, he had made her look like a fool. She may have implied that he wasn't qualified to be CEO by her words, but that had been an accident. His entire behavior had been deliberate. She grit her teeth as her temper got the better of her senses. "Do you think you would be able to keep up?"

  She cringed internally as she waited for the reprimand. Louis's smile only broadened as he tilted his head in acknowledgement.

  "Maybe it would be best to start out with a demonstration?” she suggested. Could this day get any worse? There was something about him that set her emotions on edge.

  “By all means. Demonstrate away.”

  “If you would, please follow me.” Juliane led Louis to the center of the room where a large tower made up of a trio of metallic arches took up most of the floor space. “You enter it here,” said Juliane, gesturing at the blackout fabric hanging from the interior of each arch. “But put these on first,” she said, handing him a small wireless earpiece and a clip-on microphone.

  “Should I be worried? Do I need to sign a release or anything?” asked Louis with a twinkle in his eye as he immediately placed the fob in his ear. He affixed the microphone as he entered the tower. Juliane shook her head at his jest. There were several other projects on the campus that played with strange radiations or otherwise unstable force. His pampered existence to date must not have given him a healthy sense of his mortality.

  Juliane clipped a small microphone onto her collar. “It’s perfectly safe. I wouldn’t dream of suggesting you do anything that could harm you. You have better lawyers than I do.” Sound did not carry well from inside the tower by design, but she heard a hearty chuckle in response even before she attached her own earpiece.

  She nodded at Chad to begin the power-up sequence, while she turned on a series of display screens. A series of lights illuminated the center of each column, pulsing up the length of each pillar.

  Her screens lit up in an exact match to what was displayed on the inside of each archway wall for Louis. Without having to be told, Chad brought her digital notebook before returning to his post by the desk. He leaned into another small microphone. “Test Beta 152. Subject Louis Evans, male, Caucasian, systems scan complete. Initiating simulation.”

  Juliane took a brief sip of her coffee. It was still dismally cold. “Chad, would you please get me a fresh cup? This is awful.”

  Chad pulled out his phone and checked
the display. "Uh, sure. Uh, it’s Nadia. Can I take a quick break and bring it immediately afterward?"

  Juliane looked at her display and was met with the sight of the Italian coastline. It was a gorgeous day, fit for the movies. She sighed remembering her promise to be more patient. "Sure. I can manage this from here. We've run this program over a hundred times. Just please make sure it is hot this time." Juliane waved, but Chad never looked away from his phone's screen as he hurried off.

  Louis's voice spoke up in her ear, bringing her attention back to her demonstration. “This is incredible! It’s like I'm there. Wait. I know that beach. I used to come here every summer. My father’s cell phone reception couldn’t reach this far, so we’d come here to escape for a little bit. It’s so off the beaten path, it shouldn’t be on anyone else’s radar. My dad would be annoyed to see that it made it onto a computer’s stock footage.”

  “It’s not stock footage. My system has tapped into your neural processors and projects what my algorithm believes you most want to see. Based on a series of readings, it continuously takes on what neurons fire as well as changes in your body’s chemistry.” It was hard to keep the pride from entering into her voice.

  "So, you are basically reading my mind."

  "Well, yes, to an extent, if you want to simplify it like that.”

  "Should I be worried?"

  "That is up to you. There are several layers of consciousness, and the system can only display so much before the images would get lost in mental noise. We just see what is in that topmost layer of your thoughts."

  Juliane watched as the brilliant blue sky within the seascape display faded to an equally gorgeous sunset. A ring of rocks appeared on the beach surrounding a small fire. A tin filled with ice cold beers materialized aside the fire.

  Juliane had grand visions for her 'side project.' Seeing thoughts on a display was seeing your imagination take life, but there was so much more her algorithm would be capable of doing once she had proven the concept. As a stand-alone system, she saw applications beyond augmented reality. It could be used as a means of easier diagnosis and treatment of those with mental illness or those who otherwise lacked a voice. As a networked system, it had even more potential.

  "You are getting the hang of it. But I need to warn you, the system does not differentiate between intended thoughts versus unintended tangents."

  Silence. First rule of effective communication, Juliane, know your audience.

  “Sorry, I’ll try to explain it more simply. Right now you are thinking about a gorgeous day at the beach, but maybe while you are looking at that beer cooler, you allow a stray thought to bubble up about an incident in which you, I don’t know, cut your hand on a broken piece of glass or step on a broken bottle. Suddenly, you might find yourself surrounded by distinctly less pleasant images and unable to regain control."

  Louis made no comment to indicate he understood.

  Juliane sighed. “You could go on a very bad trip.”

  While Juliane watched the screen, a woman draped in semi-sheer cloth leaving little to the imagination began approaching the fire ring, her black hair dancing in the virtual sea breeze.

  “Careful, Louis. I was just telling you about how important it is to control your thoughts while in there.” The features of the woman’s face, which had been somewhat blurred, sharpened until Juliane realized that she was viewing a scantily clad version of herself.

  She hung her head. It wasn't even out of beta testing and already her work was being perverted for the adult entertainment industry.

  Juliane clenched her fists. This entire demonstration was a mistake. She hadn’t expected him to completely master his thoughts while in the simulation, but she hadn’t anticipated that his tangent thoughts would take the same route as a sixteen-year-old male.

  Juliane grimaced as the virtual woman wearing her face on the screen slowly lowered onto her knees, one hand reaching around to clasp her hair in a loose ponytail hanging over her shoulder, while the other stroked the length of her body seductively.

  Louis’s thoughts would have to be fairly strong thoughts too, for the display to show that level of detail. Juliane realized that she was disappointed; she had hoped that a man in his position, in command of one of the most prestigious global enterprises, would have demonstrated more restraint.

  Grateful that her assistant was not present to witness this current mortification, Juliane began the shutdown sequence. “I believe that’s enough."

  When Louis did not respond, she continued. "I have to say I am sorely disappointed, and now, my entire official test records are sullied.” She waited with arms crossed. Louis did not immediately emerge. “I am sorry, but there is no cold shower. You’ll just have to come out as you are.”

  The curtain lifted and out stepped Louis with the same confidence and comfort, the microphone no longer attached to his shirt, laughing with his whole body. Not even the faintest hint of shame colored his skin. He looked into her stormy expression, and she could see that tears were streaking the sides of his face.

  At that moment, Juliane realized that he had never lost control of his thoughts at all. He had intentionally crafted that entire display for her benefit and her embarrassment. She wasn’t sure if she should slap him or shake his hand. She should have been enraged at his presumption. Other than herself, no one previously had been able to gain that degree of skill and control in her interface, especially not on the first time.

  It felt as if her entire world had just been turned on its head. The taste of disappointment fled her mouth, leaving her lips dry by its sudden absence. She bit them quickly to return their moisture. She still had not seen evidence to suggest that he might be her intellectual equal hidden behind a crude exterior, but if a person could display mental strength like a body builder displayed muscles, the man standing before her might just be Mr. Universe.

  Five

  “Nice toy.”

  Juliane shook herself back into awareness. Now seated at Chad's desk, he appeared to scan some of their notes from previous recordings. His cheeks were no longer wet from tears of laughter, although he still maintained a glow.

  “I beg your pardon. My Total Immersion Reality Emulator is not a toy,” replied Juliane, like the mother of the school’s overachieving valedictorian being told that she had a ‘good’ student.

  “Well, that’s a pity. Add in a little haptic feedback and you’d be able to print money from red light districts to the gaming industry.”

  “Haptic feedback? Oh, no. I will not cheapen my work by putting my software in little video booths with air jets.”

  Louis looked up. Juliane thought to herself that he must have been born with an amused expression on his face; there was just nothing that could spoil his mood. “I do so hate to remind you that it’s not just ‘your’ technology or ‘your’ software.” He rested his head on a propped-up arm. “But just for the sake of argument, what would you do? I will give you that you have probably developed one of the most realistic virtual reality programs I have ever seen, and the mind control without use of one of those ill-fitting sensor caps is a nice touch, but beyond that, there isn’t really all that much difference from what has been out there for the last fifty, sixty years.” He raised his eyebrows as if challenging her to contradict his last statement.

  Juliane straightened her back and shoulders, pushing out her chest with the same gesture. She noted that Louis’s head tilted ever so slightly, a gesture she begun to interpret as one of appreciation. “Perhaps, had you arrived earlier and seen the presentation about the other project I've been working on, you might have realized the bigger implications too.”

  Louis’s eyes twinkled. Juliane couldn’t decide if she wanted to slap the grin off his face or if she wanted him to do something else with those lips. “Yes, that was terribly rude of me, wasn’t it? Please feel free to school me.”

  Juliane felt her body begin to tingle in a flush fueled by pride in her vis
ion. “Had you been there, you would have heard that Alan and I have found a way to turn the human body into an Internet server.”

  Louis's body language didn't indicate that he grasped the synergies between that news and the demonstration he had just experienced. But his performance in the emulator proved that his mind was vastly more capable than he let on. Had she misread his ability? Or maybe he just plays a lot of video games.

  “Just as the Internet is made up of a series of electrical connections, so is the human brain—both are simply processing data. Thanks to my mind-mapping algorithm, information, like the images you saw in the emulator, can not only be read onto a screen, but could be potentially transmitted directly to a person's brain by mimicking pulses sent by optic and nerve endings. At least, in theory."

  "How is that different from what can be done with augmented reality contact lenses?" Louis asked.

  Juliane's shoulders loosened. Louis wasn't unimpressed due to not understanding the technology. He was just making sure that there wasn't something already on the market.

  "Those lenses are limited to what information can be processed by sight. But thanks to my algorithm, we will now be able to transmit things like taste, smell, and even touch. My virtual reality would look and, more importantly, feel real to anyone accessing it at any time. It wouldn’t just be a virtual reality; it would, in fact, be a synthetic reality.”

  Juliane felt more than a surge of satisfaction as she watched the amusement finally leave Louis’s face. “So what if two people logged in to your system at the same time? Might they think they are . . . I don’t know . . . sitting by a fire drinking wine together, even though they are physically thousands of miles apart?”

  He certainly has a one-track mind. “Yes, to them it would feel as real as if they were in the room together.” Fine. If this is what it takes to keep my project alive. Juliane stepped closer. “They both would feel the heat of the fire, the taste of wine on their lips.” She caressed her throat. “The carpet they were sitting on would feel just as soft or scratchy as they believed it should feel like.” Wait, that came off too naturally. Was she flirting?