In yesterday's episode we witnessed Adam join the first group of people in history to time travel. Adam was able to harvest some very impressive technology from the future but it didn't come without cost, most of the crew was lost...never to return. Today we will learn of an even more disturbing consequence of XenTek's first time-travel mission.
Also our antagonist, Johanna Pfizer, drank a little too much whisky and broke the news to Seth that he was considering retirement. He also told Seth that he had chosen him to be his replacement as Director of XenTek. After only a few minutes, the thought that he would one day inherit absolute power at XenTek had already began to fester in Seth's consciousness.
Pay very close attention to the plot from here on out. There are clues and many subtleties scattered throughout that will make much more sense later in the story. I hope you enjoy today's episode!
What is your favorite aspect of the plot so far and why? A random commenter who answers this question will receive 5 Steem dollars at the close of voting.
Busby leaned in close, transfixed as Johann's mood became noticeably somber. Johann straightened his pocket square and took a deep breath. “The most difficult lesson for me to learn was the need to graduate beyond the comfortable world of moral absolutes. As messy and confusing as it makes things at first, reality just isn't black and white.” Johann sat on the edge of his desk to steady himself.
“When you sit in this chair, you'll be measured by only one thing: the rate of return you provide to the shareholders. In the end, this is all that matters. The faster you come to terms with this, the easier it will be. If you want to be a success and sleep well at night, you must learn that in the world we operate in there are many shades of gray. The truth is so much more complex than you could even comprehend right now, but the time will come soon when you will find out.”
Johann pulled a document from his top desk drawer and slowly slid it across the desk towards Seth.
“For now, sign this letter of intent. It is merely a token of your commitment to the position and to XenTek.”
Seth paused, taking in the moment. He had imagined how this might feel thousands of times, and he was happy but not nearly as ecstatic as he thought he would be. In fact, he felt hints of trepidation at the weight of the responsibility. Nevertheless, he clicked the pen lying on the desk and in an elegant flourish signed his signature to the document.
“Now, what about this news you have?”
Seth was startled by the question. He found himself daydreaming about a gold plaque he would have made for door of this very office that read Director Seth Busby.
“Project Phoenix was a success,” he said as he began to survey the office, already taking note of what furnishings he would change. “We have harvested something truly remarkable.”
“Ahh, the Phoenix, it has arisen! And so should you. Now get out of my chair and tell me more.” Johann commanded.
As Seth rose from the chair and came around the corner of the desk, in his enthusiasm Johann slapped him squarely on the backside.
Seth paused for a moment, befuddled by what Johann had just done, and paced back and forth as the director took his seat.
“It was not without casualties. Four members of our security force were left behind. Nearly a million people are without power due to the enormous energy consumption needed to power the collider. Oh, and one other thing.” Busby fumbled to remove his Holo from his back pants pocket. As he turned it on, a holographic image of the planet rotated above the device. “Our analysts discovered that during the jump, the intense energy that was generated directly above the collider seems to have torn what we hope is a temporary hole in the ozone layer nearly twenty miles in diameter.”
“Hmm. This is a curious development, but inconsequential really,” Johann uttered under his breath as he nodded and continued to smile. “Now, tell me what you found.” He rubbed his hands together as though he was a child about to receive a gift.
“It seems technology in the next decade continued to evolve very rapidly in a direction that we didn't anticipate.” All of a sudden it struck Seth how odd it was to be referring to the future in past tense.
Seth held up a small plastic bag containing a small silver chip no larger than a pencil eraser and a gray tinted lens dangling from a thin titanium arm. “In this bag is a fully implantable computer. It weighs less than a feather. During the next twenty years, technology and biology have fully merged. Our best guess is practically every member of the Green range and even some of the Orange in our society, nearly one billion consumers in total, are interconnected to a kind of technological collective consciousness every waking hour. With this device and their own brains they are able to access all information on the internet instantly. As their eyes look through this lens, information can be displayed about whatever it is they're looking at if they wish. Chips are extremely miniaturized and implantable. The most amazing part is all functions of this device are controlled by thought alone.”
Seth held the unbelievably small metallic chip on the end of his finger stamped with an almost microscopic XenTek logo. “This chip was implanted directly under the skin behind the ear of the security guard we captured. People of the future see an enhanced version of the physical world through this lens. Information about anyone or anything is available instantly.”
“Busby, this is genius! Millions of consumers plugged into the Web during all of their waking hours. We will have their complete and total attention. This will allow us to absolutely craft their reality. Can you imagine the advertising revenue from a totally captive audience? This alone will bring us billions per year.”
“Oh, and I almost forgot. There's also this.” Seth smiled as he pulled a neatly folded black jumpsuit from a large plastic bag. As he held it up for the director to see, the XenTek logo on the upper left of the chest was revealed.
Johann squinted. “A uniform?”
“Oh, this is so much more, sir. We retrieved this piece of magnificence from the guard taken during the jump. This is extremely lightweight, form-fitting armour. When charged with electricity from this tiny battery in the waistband, it becomes a kind of semi-rigid exoskeleton. Not only does it protect the wearer from outside trauma but there are tiny wires woven into the arms and legs of the suit. When these become electro-statically charged, it allows the wearer to become many times stronger than humanly possible. This suit somehow works in conjunction with the implant. A brain scan of the guard should be a good first step in figuring out how this works. Once we do, it will have a myriad of applications from military to industrial to the handicapped and elderly.”
“Again, you have far exceeded my expectations, Seth,” Johann said. He got up and poured the remaining whisky equally in the two glasses and handed one to Seth. He walked toward Seth, rested a hand on his shoulder, raised his glass, and looked him in the eye as he said, “This, my boy, deserves a toast. To XenTek's continued success.”
Seth clinked his glass against Johann's. He put the heavy cut crystal glass to his lips, taking a small slurp as he coughed. The director walked back behind his massive desk. “Now, get it to R&D at once. This will be the first product you introduce at our annual meeting as XenTek's new CEO. This transfer of power will occur in less than two years from this very day.” Johann cleared his throat and his mood then became very serious so as not to send even the slightest of mixed messages. “Oh, and the guard that was brought back during the first jump—after all necessary tests are performed, we need to dispose of him. We can't afford to take chances. The clock is ticking Seth, remember—no excuses.”
Busby was still stunned from the oddness of not only this encounter with Johann but the entire day. He somehow managed to nod his head up and down, repeating with a forced enthusiasm, “Right, no excuses, sir.”
Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.
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