by Rick Lakin
“But not the passion thing?”
“Yeah.”
“I'll write two versions of the screenplay. One for Tayla and one for David.”
“I'll offer you five for the rights and the script to go into production in Calendar 2069.”
“I want six, with options for the second and third books. And I want an EP credit,” Jennifer said.
“Nineteen-year-old Executive Producer. You are a fast learner. Tell Sara I'll go as high as 6.5.”
“Done.”
“How much do you make as an intern?”
“Sir, I make five-hundred dollars a week.”
“You know, for most of your colleagues, that’s a gift. When you entered the Writers' Room, to good reviews I might say, I raised your pay to a junior writer, twenty-five hundred dollars.”
“A month?”
“A week. You are worth every penny.”
The steaks arrived, Navvy’s almost raw and bloody, Jennifer’s with a light patina.
“This looks tasty. The food is wonderful. Thanks again,” Jennifer said. “And Tayla and I thank you for your kind gift at The Vintage.”
“You're welcome,” Navvy said. “Tell me about your education.”
“Sir, as you know, I have my secret identity, Jenna Seldon, so there are two stories. As Jennifer, I'm attending my senior year at Harry Ford Academy. I completed my high school academics when I was ten, but Mom and I decided that I needed the social interactions, the lifelong friends, and the physical activity. The academy supports this, so I attend three days a week on a flexible schedule.”
“That's a good plan. Would you be able to give the studio fifteen hours a week in the writing room? I'll be glad to continue your current salary.”
“I can handle that.”
“What about as Jenna Seldon? What has she studied?”
“In second grade, my future stepfather, Dr. Allen Goldstein, tested my IQ and it was a very high number. When I was eight, he got me into a psychological study I call Lab Rat One.” Navvy smiled. “In exchange, I got access to the UVN course catalog through steveLearn. Since then, I completed coursework in four undergrad degrees, three masters, and a doctorate. My friends at Warner and Harry Ford have known that I take college courses but my I try not to blow up the curve. The Jenna thing is my way of not getting teased at school.”
“So, you have never accepted any degrees?”
“UVN wants me to. They got pushy when I was doing my dissertation. They wanted to market me as Doctor TeenyBopperKid. But my mom held firm. And it’s helpful when my granddad has funded three academic chairs. So, the plan is to graduate from Han Solo High, that’s our nickname for the school, and then I'll spend a year at UVN to get a feel for the college experience, then I'll collect all my degrees and move on. I plan to maintain my online status and eventually pay for all my courses.”
“Tell me the subject areas.”
“My undergrad degrees are in math, English and creative writing, astrophysics, and computer science. My master's work is in Twentieth-Century English Literature, AI Engineering, and Applied and Computational Math. My doctorate work was a co-op program between UVN, Cal Berkeley, UCLA, and me. I studied Artificial Intelligence as Applied to SpaceBorne Vehicles.”
“Brilliant?”
“I'm a brillian. My study and my dissertation focused on codifying the science and math of the Brilliant Tech Manual. My Dissertation was dedicated to you, Navvy.”
“Your book?”
“Correct. The Mathematics of Brilliant by Jenna Seldon. Not a best seller. I heard that even brillians read the first three pages and drop it like a hot piece of charcoal. Not to brag, but I heard of three Ph.D. Dissertations that explored questions that I raised.”
“I picked it up last night. Not to brag, but I read it all last night.”
“Touché.”
“You covered it all very well, but you seem to have hit a wall on the StarDrive.”
“You’re right. I cobbled together some new mathematics and adapted existing concepts, but yes, the StarDrive stumped me.”
“Jennifer, let’s start with the Manual. You say you’ve read the Manual and you understand it?”
“I understand it, but I haven't yet seen the mathematics that allows me to understand the StarDrive. I read all twelve volumes, and because of my eidetic memory I'm able to recall and understand pretty much anything in the manual.”
“Let’s talk about the gravity drive then. Tell me what you know about that.”
“Do you want me to read back the whole volume? I can recall any section or any page that you would like.”
“No, Jennifer, I'd like to present you a much greater challenge. You told Kathy that you have a two-thirty appointment. I'd like you to wrap the concept up in a little package.”
“I could try, but I'd probably oversimplify to the point where it was ridiculous and meaningless,” Jennifer said.
Navvy laughed. “Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds ever, explained it this way: keep everything as simple as possible but no simpler. Jen, give it to me as simple as possible but no simpler.”
“Okay, here goes.” She thought for a moment and then began. “The gravity drive theory is based upon two heavy bodies being in close proximity. Newtonian physics teaches that the force that they exert upon each other is inversely proportional to the square of their distance and directly proportional to their combined mass. The gravity drive theory is presented with only sparse mathematics in the manual. The mathematics haven’t been discovered yet. Very simply, each heavy body generates a three-dimensional vector. The amplitude of each vector is proportional to the mass of the heavy body.
"But in gravity wave theory the force is also directly proportional to the phase distortion which both has a vector component and a distance component. In theory, if two bodies were an infinite distance apart, their gravity waves would be perfectly in sync. Similarly, if the two bodies occupied the same space, their gravity waves would be effectively 180° out of phase. Since two bodies cannot occupy the same space, they would then form a single gravitational wave which would exert a force on other heavy bodies proportional to the mass. How am I doing?”
“Very good.”
“The gravity drive creates and offsets two heavy bodies; one is the Brilliant and one is a clone body. The gravity drive can control the phase and direction of the heavy body clone and impart acceleration on Brilliant to near light speed.”
“Correct. You generated the correct equations for the gravity drive on page 347 of your book. Now, what about the StarDrive?”
“This is where I hit the wall. I believe that it's based upon the gravity drive but that it multiplies the effects of a single gravity clone. It effectively clones the gravity clone multiple times to provide massive acceleration to facilitate faster than light travel. To engage the StarDrive, the clones require a planetary radius almost as big as Jupiter. Meaning that you get unpredictable, chaotic space-time distortions if you are relatively close to another heavy body.”
“That’s correct. What about the mathematics?”
“Assuming that Brilliant is a fictional entity, the math doesn't exist. Assuming the opposite, the math doesn't yet exist. It hasn’t been invented.”
“Maybe it has.”
“Sir?”
“Have you heard of a young German mathematician named Joachim Finsler?”
“Yes. I was asked to peer-review a pre-publication paper by Dr. Finsler. I read it, but I haven't had time to process it.” Jennifer’s eyes focused on an undefined point a considerable distance away. Navvy smiled and sipped his coffee.
Jennifer was absent from the conversation for about forty-seven seconds, and then her eyes got huge.
“Omigod. The Instantaneous Finsler Transform. If you apply it to the gravity drive equations, it multiplies the gravity clones. How did you know about this paper? It's been circulated by only a small handful of mathematicians.”
Navvy returned her query with only a
knowing look.
“Brilliant…it’s real!” Jennifer said.
It was at that exact moment that Sami spoke in her ear. “Sis, your appointment!”
Jennifer was out of breath. “Navvy, I have to go. Thank you…for everything.”
Navvy said, “Go, Jennifer… be impatient… be happy… my dear granddaughter.” The last words were unheard by the quickly receding almost-seventeen-year-old wearing the funky sneaker boots.
Jennifer almost collided with Maiara. “Thank you so much for the wonderful time.”
“You are welcome anytime,” Maiara said as Jennifer ran out. I haven’t seen Navvy this happy for many years. Seventeen, to be exact, she thought, I wonder.
Twelve
The Virtual Copa
Jennifer arrived in the chair at The Old Style next to Tayla, fifteen minutes late.
“How did the lunch with Navvy go?” Tayla asked.
Jennifer had a far-off look. “I'm still processing.” The girls settled into their hair, makeup, and mani-pedis.
The Virtual Copa opened in New York City a year earlier using HTVR Special Effects. The club started a nostalgia wave that took America’s teenagers back to a century ago when the celebrities were much more colorful, and the motion pictures were mostly black and white.
Aubrey, the stylist, and her virtual assistants went to work. “Jennifer, you'll make a perfect impression as Maureen O’Hara and Tayla, you're an exquisite Rita Moreno.”
“My favorite movie was The Quiet Man with Maureen and the Duke,” Jennifer said.
“It's my dream tonight to dance with Gene Kelly and make Cyd Charisse jealous,” Tayla swayed in her chair.
“You did a pretty good job of that at the Burbank Rep last month in Singin’ in the Rain,” Jennifer said.
“I spent six months on the floor with a virtual Gene before I went into rehearsal with a live partner, who was a total disappointment, by the way.”
“Trust me, you got noticed.”
“I heard rumors backstage that there were scouts from the talent agencies.” Tayla wrinkled her forehead and looked up at Jennifer.
“You might be right about that,” Jennifer said with a straight face.
“You know something. Spill!” Tayla shouted.
“Keep your head still, Miss Mendoza.” The stylist tapped Tayla on the top of the head with her comb.
“Moi? I'm just a lowly intern at the studio. What could I know?” Jennifer smiled.
Tayla settled down and enjoyed her beautification.
“Do you think the paparazzi outside of the club will pay attention to us?” Tayla asked.
“The paps only care about movie stars. We are just ornaments on their arms.”
“A girl can dream.”
The girls got to Jennifer’s house with an hour to spare before David and Riley arrived to take them to dinner. Ana and Sheila were already there with their dresses ready to go.
“Hi, Mom,” Tayla said.
“Hi, Tay. Dad will be here before you go to take pictures,” Ana said.
Sheila took Jennifer aside. “How did the lunch with Navvy go?”
Jennifer looked at her mom with her most serious face, “The studio is now paying me twenty-five hundred a week as a junior writer. He offered me five-hundred thousand for the Attack rewrite and 6.5 for Galaxy Warrior, plus options.” Jennifer’s face broke, and the tears started forming. “Omigod, Mom, it was wonderful. Navvy's amazing. He has read Jenna’s mathematics book.”
“Don’t cry. You'll streak your makeup. Are you ready for all this?”
Sheila applied a tissue around Jennifer’s eyes.
“I think so,” Jennifer said. “I'm going to be the Executive Producer and writer of the Logan Jones series. Can you help me with that?”
“Of course, I'm always here for you.”
Just then, they saw a very large white automobile pull into their loop.
“Gotta go, Mom. Thanks for everything.”
A very proud mother of a very grownup daughter shed enough tears for the both of them.
David and Riley arrived in a 1956 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and stepped out in black tie. David greeted Jennifer, “The studio sprung the limo from their fleet for the night, so we're going in style.”
Introductions were made, and Steven was already taking pictures of the four.
Sheila recovered enough for a photo with David and Jennifer. Sheila hugged Jennifer. “Did they put extra padding in the back?”
Jennifer tilted her head, “My butt looks fine.”
“I'm talking about when you fall on it.”
“Eww, Mom.”
The four stepped into the massive limo with the assistance of the chauffeur dressed in Tovar livery, and they departed for their big evening.
They had dinner at Here’s Looking at You in Korea town. Jennifer had the Pork chop with Adobo Bolognese, Radish Tops, and Kumquat, while Tayla had the Prawns with Sauce Diabla, Avocado, and Cilantro. David and Riley each had the twenty-four-ounce dry-aged Holstein New York Steak with Radish Butter and Honey Onion.
The limos lined up a half a block from the front of The Virtual Copa. The club was surrounded by a massive crowd of fans hoping to see their favorite stars. Across the street a gigantic World War II searchlight on a trailer bed spotlighted the clouds. Emerging from their car, David's group walked a red-carpet gauntlet of photographers and fans. David and Riley were stopped for media interviews, and Jennifer and Tayla were asked for their names by curious reporters.
They entered the club, and David presented his credential to the Maître d’. “Right this way, Mr. Masing.”
The four passed through a portal and were immersed in a scene right out of a fifties black and white film noir movie. The twenty-piece orchestra filled the front of the club on a small stage. Their party was escorted to a four-top in the second ring of tables.
Curiously, the inner ring of tables was empty. “It looks like everyone's already here. I wonder who could be more important and sit floor-side?” David said.
“My New York friend told me that this is the best part," Tayla said. "The inner ring is for the virtual celebrities. They start arriving soon, table hop for about an hour and greet and dance with the customers. When they're seated, the floor show starts.” Tayla studied the history of the period and knew most of the stars. For the next twenty minutes, the four stargazed at the celebrities from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
“Is that…?” Jennifer asked.
“Bogie and Bacall,” Tayla said.
“Lauren Bacall looks like she's our age. How old is he?” Riley said.
“Humphrey Bogart died in 1957. He was twenty-five years older than she was.”
“Is that Clark Gable? Omigod, he’s coming to our table.” Jennifer said.
“Welcome to the Copa,” the virtual star said. Introductions were made around the table. “David, I look forward to your upcoming StarCruiser Brilliant picture.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gable.” David beamed.
“Miss Gallagher, I remember working on a couple of pictures with your great-great grandfather. He became an accomplished craftsman after a few trips and falls. I knew he had a bright future.”
Jennifer’s jaw dropped and then she composed herself. “Thank you, Mr. Gable.”
The four friends continued stargazing, both virtual and those from the present, “There are Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner,” Tayla said. Frank and Ava visited the other side of the room.
“Do they know something about each guest?” David asked.
“Yes, that’s the best part. Wait, is that…?” Tayla gasped. “Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.…They are coming over here.” She spoke no more and was starstruck. The two greatest film dancers ever came directly to their table and introduced themselves.
Gene Kelly looked at Tayla. “Miss Mendoza, I hear you did very well playing my dance partner at the Burbank theater last month.”
Nothing.
Jennifer raised her glass to her lips and
said, “Close your mouth and say thank you, Tay.”
“Thank you, Tay, …Mr. Kelly.”
“Maybe I'll see you on the dance floor later,” the virtual Gene Kelly said.
Tayla sat there agape and just nodded.
Fred looked at Riley, “I hear that you are quite the hoofer as well, Mr. McMaster.”
“I know a few dance steps. Thanks, Mr. Astaire.”
Gene and Fred went to their floor-side seats.
Tayla looked at Riley. “You dance?”
“I studied for eight years. Tap, ballroom, and I taught Salsa. You?”
“Eleven years. I started with gymnastics and went from there…including Salsa.”
The Virtual emcee took the stage. “It is my pleasure to introduce directly from Steubenville, Ohio to sing for your pleasure, Mr. Dean Martin.”
David asked Tayla, “Is this Martin and Lewis?”
“Yes, they were headliners at the Copacabana in New York until they broke up.”
Dean sang a song and then Jerry dressed as a teenager stumbled in, interrupting Dean. “What do you mean coming in at this time? Everyone's already here,” Dean said.
“The prom broke up late,” Jerry said. “There were lots of girls there.”
“What would you do if a girl kissed you?”
“I’d kiss her back.”
“What if it was a tall girl?” Dean said, and Jerry gave a deadpan look to the audience.
The famous comedy duo did fifteen hilarious minutes and closed with a song to great appreciation from the audience.
The emcee returned, “For our younger dancers, we'll have a Salsa contest. When a judge taps your shoulder, please return to your table.” The Caribbean music started.
“You up for this, partner?” Tayla said to Riley.
“I won’t hold you back.”
“David, Jen?”
“We'll wait for something slower,” David said.
Riley and Tayla took the floor with twenty other couples. The music played at a moderate beat. Several couples were tapped out until ten couples remained including Riley and Tayla.