by Trudi Jaye
She needed to tone it down, to pull back from this craziness, or something bad was going to happen. She could feel it.
***
Henry stood in the reception area at Callaghan Technologies trying to calm his racing pulse. He was showered and clean, and had put on new clothes. He was ready for the day. He just hoped this burning desire to see Fee again didn’t ruin his ability to come up with some new ideas for Violet.
He smiled at Wanda as he walked past on the way to elevators, noticing again her glasses slipping down her nose. She didn’t give him as much of a glare as she had done on his first day, but she didn’t exactly look approving either. Perhaps if he fixed her glasses she’d be nicer to him. He shook his head. He needed to be focused on the research team, not on fixing glasses for grumpy receptionists.
The only problem was that instead of focusing on the research, his mind went straight to Fee. It was a massive distraction they didn’t need, either of them. How was he going to get anything done when his libido kept getting in the way?
Just the thought of last night was sending his imagination into a spiral, and hardening up his body in places that he didn’t need. He literally had to make himself think of ice-cold water, baseball, and other unsexy things to get himself to calm down.
What was happening? He felt like his body had been invaded by some hormonal teenager, complete with a horrendous sex-obsession. With an effort, he pushed down his body’s urges and focused on the task. Today they needed to buckle down and work on Violet’s main problems, see if they could take anything they’d learned from the previous day and bring it into her design.
The doors opened and his heart leaped into his throat before he firmly swallowed it down again. He was going to be all business. If he was going to save their jobs and the project, he couldn’t afford to be anything else.
He glanced toward Fee’s desk first; he couldn’t help himself. But he made sure his expression was blank, and he didn’t give away what he was feeling. She looked up at him, her expressive grey eyes like liquid pools. He looked away, unable to handle the instant connection created just by gazing into her eyes.
“Hey, Henry! How are you?” Nolan came up to him, a concerned expression on his face. David and Eugene followed closely behind. “Fee said you’d slept the night through?”
Henry grinned. He hadn’t slept the entire night. “I feel great now. It was just a reaction to what happened on the Ferris wheel. Too much exertion all in one go. I’m a researcher, not a climber.”
Nolan gave him a pat on the shoulder and a relieved smile. “We were worried you might not be able to finish the contract. That something might be wrong with you.”
“Oh, no, it’d take more than that to keep me down,” he said with a smile.
“It seemed almost magical, what you did,” said David, watching Henry closely.
Henry let out a bark of laughter. “It was terrifying, that’s for sure. Thanks for being so concerned about me, but I’m fine now. Let’s get to it. We’re at the conference table first and then we’ll go hang out with Violet for a while.” He turned to where Fee was still hiding behind her desk. “Fee, come on, we need you as well.”
Once he had them all gathered around the table, he pulled out a large whiteboard on an easel and some whiteboard pens. “So first, Eugene, I want you to list Violet’s best points down on one side of this board. What’s great about her? What is working well?” He handed a blue pen to Eugene when he came to his side.
Eugene glanced around at the others, and then shrugged and went to work.
“Tell us what you’re writing, as you write it,” encouraged Henry.
“Well, she has a lovely voice,” he said quietly.
Nolan sniggered. “That’s because you made it the same as that singer,” he said. “What’s her name? Taylor something?”
“What else?” said Henry, giving Nolan a quelling look.
“She actually works rather well when it comes to taking body temperature, blood pressure, and her other diagnostic features.”
Henry nodded encouragingly.
“Her organizational capabilities are rather clever. She hooks into Google and can ask it anything the wearer wants to know.”
“Okay, great, those are three big aspects of the project, well done.” He looked around at the others. “Now, David, can you please write down where she isn’t doing so well?”
David stood awkwardly, and went to the front of the room. Despite the fact it was just the five of them, he blushed. “Her skin is all wrong,” he said quickly. “Too thick and bulky. Too rubbery. She also overheats easily and we lose all her best features. And her wiring system isn’t working, probably something to do with the overheating, although we haven’t been able to figure that out yet.” He wrote all three problems down in an illegible script.
“Fantastic, David. Anything else?” Henry looked around at the others.
Nolan shrugged. “Pelgrim’s work on the nanorobotics is all wrapped up in this as well. There will be issues with figuring that out now that he’s gone.”
Henry nodded. “Perfect. That gives us some specifics to work with.” He stood up and started pacing around the table. “Does Violet currently do anything that the current crop of wearable products doesn’t? That their watch couldn’t tell them?”
They looked at each other again and deflated. “Probably not,” said Eugene.
Henry stopped. “Then that’s where we start. What can we add into Violet’s schematics that no one else will have? And how do we make her useful to a particular niche of people?”
To one side, Henry saw Fee nod her head. “We were going to make her skin impervious to outside forces, maybe bullet proof,” she said. “That would be different.”
Nolan paused and glanced at Fee. “And we had that idea to have her monitor vitamin levels and then be able to help the user absorb them through the skin.”
“What about making the skin give the person information they didn’t even know they needed?” said Eugene. “Like the ability to learn their habits and make educated guesses about what they might want? Make her more like a friend who knows you rather than a machine.”
Henry paused at that concept, a part of him creeped out. But it was all fodder for the mill, and he wasn’t going to stop them at this point. “Keep going,” he encouraged. “All ideas are good ideas at this point.”
“She could fly,” said Eugene.
“She could do diagnostics while you’re asleep,” said Nolan.
“She could make you invisible,” added Fee, grinning.
“The skin could be strong enough to help people with amputated limbs walk,” said David.
“Her skin could provide fingers and hands for people who don’t have them,” added Nolan thoughtfully.
Henry looked around at the group. Their excitement was palpable: eyes were sparkling, they were all shouting over each other, and good-naturedly trying to be heard. It was as if they were a different team.
He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Now let’s go back and look at these ideas and see how we might incorporate them into what we’re doing.” Henry stood up and walked to the front again. He stood looking at the two lists, trying to see where things matched up and where they didn’t. “The connecting point for all of this is the skin. I think once we get the skin right, everything else will fall into place. The overheating and the technology problems.”
The others nodded. There was an air of expectancy in the room.
Henry tapped the whiteboard again. “When we were at the theme park yesterday, did you see anyone who might be interested in purchasing something like Violet? Anyone who would think that being covered entirely in a second skin would be a good idea?”
The researchers glanced at each other, and almost as one, frowned. No one spoke up.
“Who are you aiming this product at? Who would buy it?”
“We don’t... that is, we thought it would be useful in the medical field,” said Nolan. “People who were
sick.”
“So again, the kind of ordinary people we saw yesterday. What would make them wear the suits?” he asked. Henry looked around, willing them to get what he was trying to say.
“Being honest, I don’t think anything would make them want to wear a full skin suit, unless they had to,” said Nolan. “Unless the suit could save them from dying.”
Fee cringed. “So we have people with no other option as a potential audience for Violet? That’s awful.”
“So what might make those people from the theme park use it if they weren’t sick?”
Nolan was tapping his finger on the table. “What if it’s just a section of the suit? Couldn’t it be parts of a whole? An arm for a person who needs a new one, a leg or two for someone who has none? A chest for someone who needs protection or heart monitoring? And then maybe the whole suit for someone who really needs it?”
Fee looked up at him, her eyes wide. “All made with the same uber-tough skin that has the ability to be a computer, a bullet proof vest and medical diagnostic all in one.”
“Not one whole Violet, but parts of the whole,” whispered Eugene. “Different body parts for different people, but with the same processor working through each product, able to do the same things, but with adjustments on particular units, like the hand for an amputee.”
The team looked around at each other, their eyes wide with the possibilities.
Henry nodded. They were getting the idea. “So we go down this list and find the specific talents that we wish Violet to possess; the non-negotiables we have to configure into her system, based on this new idea of smaller parts of the whole. That will then lead us to the next step.” He reached down into his bag and pulled out a sample of the skin he’d created for Kara that he’d had Frankie courier down to him. “I may have something that will help once it comes to figuring out the skin.”
He passed it around to the others. It was thin, lifelike and could be changed to conduct electricity if they wanted it to.
They each touched the soft fake skin, passing it around the table.
“It looks like you’ve cut it off a person,” said Eugene with a shiver.
“It’s warm,” exclaimed Nolan as he touched it.
Henry nodded. He’d worked hard on that aspect of the fake skin.
Fee took it last, and Henry watched her reaction closely. She softly touched the skin with her hand. She looked up at him, awe in her eyes. “You designed this?” she said.
Henry shrugged. “We needed it for a friend at the Carnival. It was part of an artificial leg. I wanted it to look real.”
“It’s amazing. Like nothing else I’ve ever seen.”
Something inside Henry clicked into place. “If you want it, I’m going to let you use it for Violet. It’s still my product, and it will probably need some work to ensure it’s right for this environment, but I think it will help.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I think it’s time to call it a day,” said Henry.
Fee let out a relieved breath. They’d been working hard all day, getting the formula for Henry’s fake skin sorted, and deciding how they could make it better, and work in with their other ideas for what Violet would be able to provide. It was the most progress they’d made in a long time on the project. It felt good.
“How about we all go to that bar just down the road? Have a bit of a celebration?” Henry’s suggestion was met with silence. They weren’t used to having a social life, to people inviting them to do things.
“Sure,” she said tentatively. “Sounds good.” They should get out more. Yesterday’s field trip proved that, if nothing else.
“I don’t know,” said Nolan.
“I should really get home,” added Eugene.
“I don’t like crowds,” said David, scowling.
Henry sighed. “Remember the theme park yesterday? It was fun. We had a good time. I think you should all trust me. Come on, guys, I won’t take no for an answer.” He stood up and gestured at the others to do the same.
They looked at each other and nodded. If it were for the team and the project, they would do it. They would do anything.
It was as if Henry was asking them to go stand in front of a firing line, instead of having a beer and fries with some friends. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” She glanced at Henry. She hoped.
Henry managed to gather them all together and get them out into the early evening Tampa warmth. Fee ended up walking beside Henry and they walked in silence, occasionally hurrying up the others who were inclined to dawdle.
They pushed open the doors to the bar, which turned out to be a rather stylish wine bar. It transpired that Nolan and Eugene were both wine buffs, telling the others what to order from the menu. Henry obediently ordered the merlot Nolan suggested, and Fee quietly let Eugene pick a Pinot Gris he insisted was the best she would find anywhere. David sniffed and ordered a beer. “Just to annoy them,” he said to Fee.
“Pity there isn’t a jukebox,” said Henry, his eyes laughing.
Fee laughed outright at Nolan and Eugene’s expressions. “He’s only saying that to wind you up.”
Their drinks were delivered by a bored waitress, and for a moment, they all stood looking at their drinks.
Henry broke the moment by lifting his glass high in the middle of their table. “To the best research team I’ve ever worked with,” he said.
They all lifted their glasses. “To the best research team in the world,” added Nolan.
The others nodded and smiled, and Fee grinned. It was great to feel part of the team, to know that they all wanted to be there, and that for the first time in months, they were heading in the right direction. She leaned over to Henry and whispered, “We’re the only research team you’ve ever worked with, right?”
He laughed, a deep throaty sound that made Fee shiver. “Maybe. I’ll never tell,” he said with a smile. His golden eyes twinkled, and Fee physically had to resist the pull of attraction she felt toward him.
“So what other research have you done, then?” she asked, loud enough that the whole group could hear.
Henry leaned back in his seat, the very picture of a relaxed cowboy. He took a breath. “Well, I’ve done whatever was needed. I know a bit about engines, cars, motors, and such. I can fix a carnival ride at a thousand paces.”
“But what else? What other things like the skin have you worked on?” Fee pushed, unsure why it was so important to her to know.
“I invent what’s needed. You tell me you need something, and I find a way to make it happen. I’m a fixer, a creator. It’s just me.”
It was vague, and Fee wanted to know more. “What’s the most fun project you’ve ever worked on? Something you’re really proud of?”
Henry frowned at Fee for a moment. “I enjoy everything I do. It’s the problem solving that I love, more than the specifics of what I’m doing. It doesn’t matter what I’m fixing, as long as I make it work. You should know about that, with your robotic creations.”
Fee froze. She’d forgotten to tell him not to say anything about that. She shook her head at him, glaring at him to make him realize she wanted him to stop, but he ignored her.
“Have you guys seen Fee’s inventions? I’m surprised she’s not using more of them on the Violet project,” he said.
Nolan, Eugene, and David all looked at her with questioning eyes.
She shot a panicked glance at Henry, and then looked back at the others. “It’s nothing really. Henry’s exaggerating. None of them work properly.”
“None of them work properly? I was playing poker with the biggest, baddest cheat of a robot this morning, and I don’t know anyone else around here who could say they’d made a robot that backchats and cheats.”
Fee’s face was now flushed with heat, and she kicked Henry under the table to get him to shut up. She didn’t like anyone knowing about the robots. The Witch Hunters knew about her little creatures and she didn’t need anyone making the connection. The fact that he was so casu
ally telling the team, who she’d managed to keep clueless for five years, was making her angry and panicky at the same time.
“Fee? Have you been holding out on us?” said Nolan jokingly.
She shook her head violently. “They’re just a bunch of silly robots, which do silly things. Nothing we could use.”
“I beg to differ,” said Henry.
Fee looked at him, feeling like she was about to cry. Why did he have to go and spoil everything by being a big mouth? This was exactly why she didn’t let people into her life. They thought they had a right to tell her secrets, to let people know things she didn’t want them to know. For the first time all day, she was able to harden her heart toward Henry. She wasn’t going to let him any closer. They’d kissed a couple of times, and it had been nice, but it wasn’t going to happen again.
“I think the way you’ve designed Max’s legs could be something extremely useful to the Violet project. And that little robot that swims must have special electronics that allow it to stay under water so long. You should bring them in and show them to the others.”
“You’re wrong,” said Fee softly. “They’re prototypes that aren’t ready to be seen. I resent you mentioning them in front of everyone.” She gave him a hard look.
“You’re holding out on the team,” said Henry, his face equally grim. “We can’t get this done without everyone pulling their weight, and currently you’re not telling the others everything.”
Fee felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. He was accusing her of being a cheat, of letting the others down? Who did he think he was?
She stood up, and lifted her drink. She took one last sip of the deliciously fruity wine, and then deliberately threw the rest of the liquid in his face. “Go to hell,” she said, and walked away.
***
Henry wiped the wine from his face and admitted he deserved it. He shouldn’t have brought up her creatures in front of the others without talking to her about it first. He’d known she was hiding them. But some perverse part of him was doing it deliberately. This inexplicable connection between them was too much; it was all happening too fast and his sense of self-preservation was attempting to back up a bit. He’d been trying to take their growing attraction down a notch by pissing her off.
