“Coming.”
Seconds later, he descended the stairs to see Amadeus, curled up in a corner of the room, happily munching a fortune cookie. Not far away, Jen and Amy sat together on the sofa, discussing the Goldwyn School, staring up at the big screen TV waiting for the Powerball drawing to start. It was still minutes away.
“I made these copies of the numbers so each of us can follow along,” he said, standing over the couch, handing them out. “The original ticket is in the wall safe upstairs, just so you know.”
“So you’re that confident that these numbers will win? How are you so sure?”
“Nissy foresaw them a few days ago just like it predicted that I would be caught in that landslide. I told you, it’s very smart.”
Sitting up, reading the numbers, Amy commented, “They say I’m very smart, too, but I can’t see the future. That’s just scary. Impossible, too.”
Jason chuckled and sat on the end of the sofa by the Warhol sculpture. “Not only did it pick these numbers: 2, 3, 36, 52, 68, and a Powerball of 6,” he added, glancing at the ticket copy in his hand, “but it also knew the jackpot at drawing time will be $417 million, a number which is not known until the final ticket sales are tallied. We shall see.”
“Shh. Here’s the drawing,” said Jen, sitting anxiously erect, glancing between the TV and her ticket copy.
The 30-second scene opened to a darkened studio, but lighted enough to see the two roller cages with the announcer standing between them begin his pitch.
“Welcome to tonight’s Powerball drawing for a whopping $417 million and please excuse our lighting problem. Just as we went on the air, a studio light exploded and went dark. But as they say, the show must go on.”
As he spoke, the dimly lit white-ball cage began to spew balls into the chute.
“And folks the first number’s down, 68, followed by the next number, 2, then 36, 52 and 3.”
Watching with time-stopping anticipation, Jen stared open-mouthed, gasping louder as each numbered ball dropped into the chute, matching a number on her ticket. Amy had already begun to scream as she also realized her copy matched up with all five numbers. Now standing on the edge of the sofa, she awaited the Powerball. They had already won a guaranteed million and needed a 6 to win the jackpot.
“And tonight’s Powerball, folks, it’s a little hard to see in this light, is the number 9.”
Instantly Jason bounced off the couch, hefted the Warhol into his arms, and threw it against the wall, smashing it into hundreds of unrecognizable pieces.
“That damn Nissy,” he roared, grinding his teeth, veins showing in his neck, “is a charlatan. Never again will I trust it.”
Jen, cowering from his fury, held up her hand to stop his tirade. “Shh. There’s something going on with the drawing. Sit. Let’s watch.”
The few seconds of dead air after the Powerball announcement seemed like hours until the announcer finally reappeared on the screen amid offstage cursing, shouts, and overtalking.
“I am so sorry, folks. My stage manager just told me I’m a shoe-in to be a legend with Steve Harvey’s notoriety for that horrendous on-air gaffe. The Powerball number is a six. Again, the Powerball is the number 6. My mistake was in not checking for that small underline on the number 9 ball in this weak light. After closer inspection, the line was at the other end of the number, making it a 6. And tonight’s multiplier is…”
Switching off the TV, Jason sat with Jen and Amy in silent confusion for moments, wondering if they had really won. Then out of nowhere, Jason slammed his hands on the sofa. “Damn, I really liked that Warhol. Where’s the champagne… and the broom and vacuum?”
His comment had broken the tension in the air and made them realize they really had won the jackpot. Soon the champagne and sparkling grape juice flowed freely.
Several flutes later, Jen, trying not to be premature in her joy, worrying about realities that seem too good to be true, usually are, questioned him on the possibility of multiple winners who would split the pot with them.
“No,” he said, smiling, shaking his head, “Nissy foresaw that this would be the only winning ticket. No worries there.”
While they talked, Amy, sitting nearby, occasionally listening, was wrapped up in thought. A frown preceded her question.
“Daddy, this scares me, seeing into the future and all. What else did Nissy tell you about the future?”
“Nothing at all, honey. And it won’t. It feels that if the human species knows of upcoming events or problems, they will try to modify the present in order to change the future to fit their needs and whims. And that can cause what it calls closed timelike curves to occur, trapping all existence for eternity in a runaway time loop.”
She perked up, breaking from her frown. “I know. The grandfather paradox. It’s a nuisance for quantum theorists. But I don’t think one can exist, if you ask me.”
Nodding agreement, chuckling, he sipped from his champagne and reflected back. “Oh, there was one more thing Nissy did say about the future it foresaw.”
“Was it about me, Daddy? Was it?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact it was, young lady.” He delayed the rest of his answer for suspense, and then, with a straight face, whispered, “Nissy said that someday you will make an excellent astronaut.”
Watching her reaction, he could see her dreams coming to life, doubts being swept away, and, most of all, a young woman leaving behind the life of a child.
“Well, I’d better get busy. Have to get back to reading my book. I’ll be in my room if you need me. Goodnight.”
A few steps away, she turned back. “Daddy? Congratulations on your winning ticket and tell Nissy thanks. Oh, and Mommy, can you check on that book about DNA sequencing? If I’m going to be on Mars with that DNA telesequencer you’re launching next month, I’ll have to know how it works.”
Together, they watched her climb the stairs with Amadeus following closely behind and proudly smiled.
“Did it really say that, Jace.”
“It did. I swear on a stack of Bibles, it did.”
Suddenly realizing what he had said, she turned toward him with a curious stare.
“Jason, do you know what you just said? I thought you weren’t into all that.”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t until all the recent events. Living and experiencing what I’ve been through lately, I will have to say I’m having second thoughts, but the jury’s still out.”
“Oh honey, I love you for that,” she said snuggling under his arm. “Nissy is seeing things in the future that are preordained, destined to happen according to a higher power. Don’t ever let go of those second thoughts.” She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips.
Moaning quietly, he looked into her eyes. “What beautiful big blue eyes you have, Jen. But I’m sure I can see them better in the bedroom light. Shall we move there and you can tell me about Amy’s school meeting? I’d love to hear more.”
She stood, took hold of his hand, and led him up the stairs. Life was good… for now.
PART THREE - NISSY VN.1
Chapter 14
NDA
H is existence had become a circus after the Lotto win, even though no money had changed hands and wouldn’t for another six weeks, the typical payout delay. And that was the problem. Within days, Noah Sherman would expect the transfer payment of $190 million, as contracted, to save the Quaid Lab, or he would shut it down, seal it off, and ban Jason from the premises. Or worse, he could keep the lab, put it under the control of Bill Crane and let him have a go at Nissy, a thought which also turned his stomach.
If that weren’t bad enough, he had another worry about keeping the win a secret since Jen and Amy had experienced the drawing first hand and excitedly watched the chute miraculously fill with the ticket’s numbers, a memory not easy to forget.
In a family meeting the next morning sitting with them and the winning ticket at the breakfast table, he related his fears.
He sipped from his cup and
began. “What you saw and participated in last night is to be kept under wraps, mentioned to no one. We did not win. Understand? If you slip up and the reality of Nissy’s future-vision capability leaks out, surely making world headlines, it will be catastrophic for my company, the entire project, and us. And, if that were to happen, and there’s no going back, I expect activities from private industry that attempt to steal upcoming market-futures data, creating speculative and nonproductive gluts, turning the world’s economy on its head. There may also be personal attacks on us with kidnappings and ransom threats from individuals wanting future information on anything involving money, including lottery drawings. Even our government will pose the threat of eminent domain capture of the technology from secretive governmental agencies fearing exposure of their clandestine plans and operations.”
Sitting wide-eyed, Jen and Amy, realizing the gravity of his warning, looked at each other.
“Wow, Daddy. I wouldn’t think of telling anyone else. I expect that someday I’ll be told important secrets at NASA and I’ll clam up on them, too.” Emphasizing her claim, she pulled her little fingers across her lips, zippering them together, then pitched the imaginary key over her shoulder.
Smiling, Jen did the same then high-fived Amy’s waiting hand.
“Okay, good. Now that that’s settled, I’m going into work and try to bargain with the ticket. It hasn’t been signed yet and as a bearer instrument, I can use it like cash to buy my company back with several million dollars change. Also puts Qubital as the Powerball winner. Wish me luck.”
“Only several?” Jen asked, frowning. “But the jackpot was $417 million. What happened to the rest?”
“After the lump-sum discount and taxes, it comes to about $235 million with write-offs and I’m using the rest to buy my lab, Nissy and all the equipment that comes with it. Calling it Godwin Omni Developments, Inc. Someday it’ll be worth billions, trust me.”
Jen laughed and glanced out the window. “Well, with a company name like GOD, Inc., it should be priceless, you crazy egotistical nut.”
“There’s my bus. Gotta go,” said Amy, standing from the table, pulling her backpack over her arms, “See you later. Oh, and thanks, I love my new school, Mom and Dad. Bye now.”
Amadeus, lying under her feet busily pulling the cotton out of a stuffed toy, raised his head as she stood, dropped his toy, and chased her to the front door. Then, as it closed behind her, he sat whining, pawing the door.
“Stop that, Amadeus,” Jen yelled, “You’ll scratch it.”
“It’s only paint, honey, let him go. He misses her.”
Saddened with Amy gone and the excitement of winning the lottery over, he sighed and spun the ticket in thought.
“So what are your plans today, Jen? You know I’m heading off to work.”
“Me too. I’m meeting with some of the payload selectees to check their plans against our launch schedule. I think Blake Lipinski will be there.”
“Great! Can you ask him to contact me? I need his memory technology to take Nissy to VN.1.”
“VN.1, what’s that?”
“The next generation of Nissy’s existence. VN.1 should bring it near my goal of sentience… then omniscience as it further educates itself at the speed of thought.”
“Aren’t you scared, Jace? It can already see into the future. Isn’t that enough? What’s next, reading our minds? Controlling our lives?”
Throwing down his last bite of toast with a gulp of lukewarm coffee, he swiped the ticket from the table and slipped it into his shirt pocket. Then he kissed her on the forehead and pulled on his jacket.
“Don’t you dare lose that,” she said, pointing to his shirt pocket.
“Yeah,” he chuckled, “life might be a lot simpler if I did.”
* * *
“What do you mean you want me to sign an NDA?” Noah Sherman asked, glaring at Jason in the doorway of his office. “You know I’m trustworthy. Non-disclosure agreements are for my employees. I have one on you, as a matter of fact.”
“Dr. Sherman, I have some news to report to you that’s too big for me to handle… really too big for the world to handle. But I need more than your promise of secrecy before I can reveal it to you. I need an NDA that I can legally hold you to.”
Sherman motioned him into his office and shut the door.
“Now you have my interest, Dr. Godwin. Sit.”
Walking around his desk, Sherman sat and reclined in his chair, put his feet up, and lit a cigar.
“It’s not often that I do this but considering what you just told me,” he said, pulling a fifth of rare scotch, two glasses and a blank NDA from a lower desk drawer, “I have a feeling we’ll need to celebrate. Now don’t let me down, son.”
While Sherman filled the glasses with two-fingers of single malt scotch, he read through the NDA. Satisfied with the terms, he signed it as the information owner, leaving blank the recipient line for Sherman’s signature, then offered it to him. Nodding, knowing the document by heart, Sherman took it, signed on the line, and made a copy for himself.
“Your original,” Sherman said, holding it out. “Now that the legalities are done, let’s proceed.”
He took the NDA then casually pulled the Powerball ticket from his pocket and dropped it face up on the desk in front of him.
Sherman glanced down at the ticket and scoffed, “So you won something. Good for you. Now what’s this all about?”
“I didn’t just win something, sir, I won it all. That’s the winning Powerball ticket from last night’s drawing. It’s worth 417 million dollars.”
He could hear a gasp while Sherman punched the intercom, “Julie? Please get me the results from last night’s Powerball drawing.”
“Yes, sir, coming. Hope you won.”
Seconds later, she entered the room with a sheet of paper, handed it to him, and then left.
With trembling hands, he held the ticket next to the drawing results then stared at Jason in disbelief.
“You lucky bastard. What are the odds of you winning a ticket like this? And the results say there was only one winning ticket so you won it all. But why am I under an NDA to know this.”
Jason shifted in his seat trying to cover his shaking. “Well, first of all, will you accept that unsigned bearer instrument you’re holding worth 417 million dollars as payment for my contract for purchase of the Quaid Lab with a few million back in change?”
He thought briefly, mumbling numbers, then moved to his desk calculator. After a few moments punching keys, he looked up. “If the ticket’s real then I’d be a fool not to accept this, Dr. Godwin. This return on my investment in your lab is phenomenal especially when I believe it’s sure to fail. You’ll never achieve your goal of omniscience. You really want to do this?” he said, reaching for the contract.
“Yes, sir. Unlike you and Dr. Crane I believe in myself and my work.”
“Well, then here’s a toast to my new subsidiary, Godwin Omni Developments, Incorporated and congratulations to you as its owner.”
After the toast, with his gold pen, he signed the back of the ticket, making it legally his win, then took the contract, mumbled “and five million in change,” while signing it and handed it to Jason.
“But that’s too much in change, sir,” he said, reading the appended contract, “I only asked for a few million.”
“Go on, sign it and initial my changes. I’ll get it back in the long run. Use a million of it to buy me the first hundred-thousand shares in your company.”
“That I will do, sir. Thank you.”
Shortly, after another two-fingers of scotch, after all the documents had been signed, copied, and finalized, after Sherman had written a 5-million dollar check for the change, Julie brought in a leather satchel with a handcuff lock for Jason to carry his papers. Now, with more confidence, he stopped trembling as his ingenious plan fell into place but there was one detail he had yet to disclose: the reason for the NDA.
“Okay, Jason, now tha
t our transfer is final and you’re operating under Qubital’s umbrella, will you explain to me about those venture capitalists you had on the line? What happened to them?”
He smiled and bowed his head briefly. “Sir, there were no VCs. I had a plan that not one of you believed in.”
“Well, Jason, I noticed that that ticket was not a quick pick, someone hand picked those numbers. Was it you? And how did you know?”
“No, not someone, sir… something. It was Nissy. I knew that the chance of that particular ticket winning the jackpot was certain after Nissy saw and picked the numbers. Nissy can now see into the future.”
He gasped, grabbing at the edges of his desk, a victim of an apparent heart attack, then fell face down on his desk.
“Noah? Noah, are you all right?”
No response but he’s still breathing, he thought.
“Noah, want me to call 911?”
He twitched and slowly raised his head. “No, I think I’m okay, just fainted, but I swear to God I heard you say Nissy could see into the future before everything went dark.”
“I did and it can.”
“But-but how do you know that win wasn’t just a fluke of fate?” he asked, more alert, expectantly awaiting his answer.
“Because, on the previous Powerball drawing for $198 million, it also gave me six numbers, right before the drawing. But I didn’t buy a ticket because I didn’t trust the numbers. And then by the time I realized I would waste only two dollars, the sales for the drawing were closed. The next day I found out those six numbers would have won.”
He rose from the desk and stared for moments out his office window at the traffic below. “So that ticket I own was a test. A test for validation of its clairvoyance. Is that true?”
“Yes sir, it was. I staked my imaginary VCs’ reputations on it. And they paid up. With Nissy’s help, I just bought my company for two dollars.”
He turned away from the window and pulled the check ledger from his desk again, then held out his hand. “Please return that check to me, Jason.”
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