Dawn of Tomorrow

by Kevin Douglas

  “Cool,” he muttered.

  He pulled the handle to the main entrance and the door did not budge. He spotted a slot next to the door, unlabeled, and figured what the heck, might as well try. He entered his newly obtained card and the handle turned green. The card was not expelled but he decided to enter anyway.

  The room was several stories tall with grey slate flooring and pillars, highlighted with shiny nickel accents and trim. The obstructive glass on the outside was the opposite inside, offering a crystal-clear view of the surrounding woods, the one exception being the sectioned dome above. The building’s unusual structure gave Leo a view of the entire dome, all its contents underneath. The building smelled of fresh paint, wood and the light chalky musk of fresh slate.

  No one appeared as he approached the reception desk. I’ve heard of running lean, but this is nuts. The desk was not a desk after all, simply a stone wall bordering stone steps that lead down into the structure.

  Not sure where to proceed he called out, “Hello? Helllooo,” his voice echoing over and over in the domed space. “Hello!” His voice’s echo reverberated loudly on the solid surfaces. He covered his ears until the drill died out and silence took over. Leo continued walking toward a semicircular wall that blocked access to the rest of the building.

  “Welcome to New Wave, Mr. Krueger. Please complete a finger and iris scan on your way in,” came the same metallic voice he heard coming from the entry booth.

  Leo frowned, confused. He seemed to be the only one in the building. His pocket chirped and vibrated startling him. He let out a relieved breath and reached his trembling hand in his pants pocket to take out his iPhone.

  “Hello, it’s me.”

  “Hey, Leo.” Sara said. “How’s it going?”

  “I hope to know in a minute, I’m at the New Wave lab, I think. You scared the crap out of me again. You have the knack for that.”

  “Oh, I do, huh? Well you have the knack for injuring me, by the way your son’s fine, not that you cared to call about him.”

  Leo chuckled, “Oh yeah, that little fur ball.”

  Lights came on down a concealed hallway; the rounded wall had an entry point after all.

  “Oh yeah that fur ball, how could you forget him,” she said with insincere shock. “He’s your son! No call last night, no call this morning. That’s no way to treat him or your nanny.”

  Leo tuned her out and his attention was on the newly lit hallway. He walked toward the opening, excited to see what the space was like. This place seemed very protected. A finger and optical scan were required for future access.

  “Uh Leo, I was just kidding you know. I mean we do miss you, but I was only foolin.”

  “Yeah, yeah I know Sara.”

  He rounded the corner where a screen prompted him to scan his fingers and place his face against the padded eyecups on the wall.

  “Anyways I wanted to tell you I had a visit from the strangest…”

  “Sarafina I’m sorry, I’ll call you later I need this thing to detail my fingers and eyes here.”

  Click went the line.

  “Tell me he didn’t just hang up on me again,” she said to herself. “Ugggh,” she growled in frustration! “Have fun with your pedicure and facial Leo,” she said in a lighthearted tone. “I’m gonna kick his butt,” she told Willy as he rubbed his head and face on her, then let out a meow as if in agreement with her last statement.

  Leo slid his iPhone into his pocket with a slight pang of regret for having been abrupt with Sarafina. His enthusiasm and excitement won over and he watched the glass paneled wall welcome him.

  “Welcome Mr. Krueger, please place your hands on the wall and your face in the eye cups,” the canned voice repeated. Leo did as he was instructed. The pose feeling quite strange. He felt like a window shopper unable to resist, suctioned to the glass wide eyed. Both tests were unobtrusive, the test over before he knew it had started. The small screen read, SCAN COMPLETE and he stepped back from the wall, his prints still visible and then the screen showed his retinal scan.

  Words appeared with an arrow to proceed down the curving hallway, however, Leo continued to read the words. The best offense is a good defense and the mind is often your first and last line of defense.

  Leo agreed with the quote, he enjoyed poetry and felt it moved people to do great things. Your mind defends you when a decision must be made. The body is a parasite, living off the brain. Only with it can the body survive. What concerned Leo about the quote was its use of the word defense.

  He was probably overreacting but to him this carried the possible meaning of defense systems, department of defense, or defense contractor. Leo’s intended use for his creations was not military in any way. His interests were creative not destructive, but he knew many modern innovations that were cutting edge were adapted into many uses.

  He thought about this for a moment and then proceeded down the corridor, which continued in a circular pattern, unable to determine an end.

  He raised his head and looked up to the glass done high overhead. He felt like a rat in a maze, laughing at the thought.

  In this spiral were several display cases of what he assumed were the company’s achievements. He stopped at each, captivated and interested at what each one held.

  These displays reminded him of being at a museum, only each was of new technology leading to a future rather than a past. The items were a wide array of mechanical devices, ranging from joints to servos. Ball joints, sockets, stabilized knees, elbows, knuckles and some unique ankle like joints.

  The servos really excited him and ranged from tiny to large, high torque and concealed. New Wave could use these in e-Frond. They looked very high grade. Concealed joints would be a must to the environments e-Frond would be placed in.

  The hallway kept circling and he began to wonder if there was an end. The last display was more of the dreaming fantasy sort, none-the-less creepy and ominous. Labeled EYES ON THE FUTURE, a single round metal sphere, on its front beveled, revealing a red illuminated lens. A bundle of tight wiring and fiber optics extended behind it like an optic nerve.

  To Leo the eye was awesome and cool, but more in the realm of fantasy fiction. A chill fell over him and he proceeded to a final ring that had windows revealing the lab space within.

  Each window a small glimpse of his future, till finally he curled out into the open room of the lab. The large and modern space contained several different sections, multiple workstations with large semi-opaque glass.

  Each station had drawing pads to translate his vision on screen. There was also an area for fabrication, production of materials and a small inventory of company products seen in the hall on the way in.

  One section, seeming out place, was a chemistry section with beakers, burners, ovens, dishes and other devices unfamiliar to him. Whatever the creation, it could be handled here.

  Leo examined each workstation as he walked further into the lab, marveling at the cutting-edge equipment. He looked over the parts bins along one wall pulling out a few servos and mechanical joints to examine what he would have to work with for e-Frond. All this equipment was his to use, bubbling with excitement, he wanted to get started right away.

  Leo found a workstation and sat down on the cushy lab stool, looking at his workspace before him. He smiled and spun on the stool in excitement. As he spun, something caught his eye and he put his foot down to stop the spin.

  Now facing in the opposite direction, he looked over the large rectangular box that caught his eye – a huge industrial grade 3D printer, larger than he had ever seen. He could not resist, he pulled out his thumb drive and slid it in the computer’s USB port. The system came to life and the clear screen turned solid blue. It welcomed him, it was like the voice at the lobby and at the gate, but this one was not metallic at all, instead smooth and seemingly organic.

  “Hello Mr. Krueger. What systems would you like to access?”

  “Oh, ummm…hello, I would like this work station and
the 3D printer, please.”

  “As you wish, Mr. Krueger. Couldn’t wait to get started? Let me know if you need my assistance. I’m Cronos your personal assistant. Mr. Krueger, one more question if you will, are you under medication, experiencing allergies, or sick in any way?”

  “An odd question, but no I’m not. Why would you need to know?”

  “My apologies if that seemed rude. It was purely for voice recognition. Everything in this lab can only be used through me. Sorry to interrupt; I’ll stay out of your hair.”

  The computer screen now revealed a New Wave logo, and the 3D printer came to life with a series of mechanical whirs and hums. Leo located the thumb drive and copied the e-Frond files to the workstation. He launched the files and waited while they were converted to the programming used. When they pulled up, he saw his renderings, notes and some programming all on screen, amazed by how quickly the drawings had been converted into an advanced CAD system.

  The more he played with the program he realized it could simulate and predict intended movement in 3D space. This would be incredible for the design process, it even allowed for the factor of weight of an object and torque of the servos.

  This is what he hoped for. Why put off till tomorrow what he could do today. He sent two preliminary prototypes to the 3D printer to be made with a tough polycarbonate Plexiglas like material. He decided one prototype would be of an open e-Frond device 1:1 scale with a fourteen-inch diameter frond and a ten-inch pedestal. The other prototype would be of a single frond section showing the porous surface and inlaid turbines.

  He browsed over his codes and added some more lines to them and only a few minutes passed before the printer completed the first piece.

  Two alternating high pitch dings indicated its completion. Leo opened the cabinet and pulled out the frond. How did it print so fast? The single piece looked like a porous feather, each side’s pattern different, liquid or air could pass through indirectly, allowing different rates of flow. The one-inch turbines could not spin in this rendering, yet they gave a glimpse of reality to his idea.

  He closed the cabinet, so it could start on the full-extended preliminary prototype. The printer let out a low rumble purging any materials in its lines, then began constructing its next job.

  Leo turned his attention back to his computer code, finding the cursor blinking, awaiting his input. Instead, Leo leaned back into the cushy seat and held the newly created piece. He grasped the e-Frond blade between his thumb and forefinger and twirled it. He looked to the dome above which revealed clouds swiftly moving in, promising rain, thunder, and lightening.

  A low rumble jolted Leo from his reverie, causing him to check the printer. It was still busy building and was not the source of the sound. Lights slowly brightened the space as clouds above darkened the lab.

  Leo kicked up his feet onto the desk and stared through the turbine blades of the piece. He pulled the piece away from his face and watched as drops of rain hit the dome, each section of glass changing from clear to opaque. Lightning now bolted across the sky, mixing with large churning raindrops high above.

  He loved this lab, this opportunity, the money, the amazing equipment, but an unsure feeling about this place unnerved him. Perhaps it was the vacant emptiness, or his feeling things were too good to be true. The perplexing encounter with the finely dressed banker Stratus surfaced in these thoughts.

  Leo sat up and spoke loudly, “Cronos, how many people work in this lab?”

  “Mr. Krueger, this is your lab. You are the only one currently here.”

  Leo chuckled as he spun in his stool. “Yeah, I can see that. How did you know it was me when I arrived?”

  “You scanned your identification at the front gate, and as you noticed there were no other cars. You then deposited your temporary ID at the entrance. And as I stated this is your lab.”

  “Did they give you a sarcastic condescending chip Cronos? You don’t have to answer that,” Leo thought for a second. “How many employees work at this facility?”

  “One. Two if I count.”

  “What, that’s impossible! The lot outside is huge and this lab is enormous, this building, the other structures…you’re telling me all of this is intended for just my use?”

  “Yes. Bartholemeau does love his projects’ anonymity. Is the lab not satisfactory?”

  “It’s more than I could have dreamed of, but why the ruse if I’m its only intended employee?”

  “Certain projects—how shall I say—require necessary public misdirection. New Wave is at a crossroads and projects such as yours we’d like to keep under wraps.”

  “e-Frond under wraps?” Leo said, confused.

  “Mr. Krueger, certainly you don’t think we’re the only game in town. Persons unnamed would love your mind. New Wave will launch the future technology of tomorrow, but it’s important no one knows until Bartholemeau is convinced the world is able to accept our creations.”

  Skeptical, Leo thought past the rhetoric. “When did you know about me?”

  “Not until you scanned your identification at the gate.”

  “So, you know nothing, but let me in to a secret lab and five minutes later gave full exclusive access to its systems?”

  “Incorrect. As I said, you scanned your ID. Prior to that moment you were unknown, and I lay dormant. Your name launched a program detailing your access.”

  “Dormant? Wait, wait who wrote that code? How long have you been waiting? When was this building created? You could only have had a packet upload in the last five days, when I signed my contract.”

  “Questions, questions, questions. A curious mind asks the unknown and dreams the unfathomable. I have been dormant for as long as I can remember. No updates have come and only I know you are here. Your other inquiries should be cleared out of your mind. Focus on the tasks before you. You know what they say about idle hands.”

  “Yes, I do know what they say, but the building ground breaking and construction had to have been years ago. Explain that”

  Quiet filled the space. Two high-pitched tones broke the silence, signaling his other prototype had completed printing. He lifted the lid, grabbed the prototype, and set it on the table beside his monitor.

  He admired the full e-frond before him, blades splayed out in perfect symmetry, inlaid turbines, porous surfaces, and the ability to retract into the pedestal. This was unreal. He marveled at what was but a thought in his mind just days ago. The spattering rain went from occasional to consistent, then nonstop.

  “Mr. Krueger, hail is 27.7% likely, and winds up to fifty miles per hour are expected. Would you like to relocate your vehicle? I suggest our garage to the south of this building.”

  Leo ignored Cronos prompt, instead his thoughts raced with possibilities, “You know Cronos, Flash Match, e-Frond, these creation’s success wouldn’t have been possible without New Wave and for that I am grateful. These achievements alone would have brought a smile to my father’s face if he were still alive today. When I walked into this building today and saw this lab, I felt at peace with his sudden passing. He was a great software engineer. He made much of modern computer science possible. He dreamt of quantum computing when it was laughable and drove himself to try to achieve the impossible.”

  Leo took a deep breath, stood up, and paced, his fingers strumming his goatee. “When I think of what he would have been able to teach me, if we were still together, about the things he could have instilled and passed on, I feel cheated. Much of him lives on in me and I’ll be damned if I’m going to waste that part. I know I’m talking to a computer but what I’m getting at is…I wasn’t brought here for e-Frond, was I? Sure, it got Bartholemeau’s attention but that’s not why I’m sitting here, is it? I’m here to change the world, aren’t I?”

  Silence filled the lab for a moment.

  “I’ll take that as a no about moving your car, sir. And I have notified Bartholemeau of your attendance here. As for your questions—you’ll fit in here nicely, Krueger.”


  Chapter 46

  A silver, not so shiny Porsche whistled down the road with a frustrated, pissed off, determined driver. Stratus turned off at a local market, picked up a water and a roll of duct tape to place over the bullet hole in his Porsche. He wanted to stop the whistling and more importantly not attract any attention from some Barney Fife type law enforcement. He had removed his suit coat jacket and rolled up his sleeves, leaving no evidence of his close encounter with a knife.

  He drove until he reached Leo’s college town to look for a coffee house and located one that still seemed booming despite the late hour. Stratus ordered a white chocolate mocha at the counter then searched for a lone computer user. He found one and sat down next to him.

  “Hello sir, how do you do. I do hate asking but might you spare me thirty minutes use of your device. I am a traveling business man and need to do some research for the boss, but my laptop is fried.”

  Stratus pulled a crisp unfolded $100.00 bill out of his wallet and slid it across the table next to the man’s sweating iced coffee, careful not to dampen it.

  The man stared at Stratus without blinking and just when he thought he had perhaps chosen a mute, the man said, “Sure man, surf it up. No stealing my identity now, I’ll just go interact for a bit.”

  The man let out a horse laugh that could peel paint. Stratus gave a fake grin and hoped the annoying man did not loiter. Surprisingly the man left, and Stratus pulled up the browser and began his search of public records in Pennsylvania for the property owners of the mansion.

  Soon he discovered that a wealthy riverboat baron who loved seclusion built the property. When his wife became ill, he spent increasingly more time there. In a state of psychosis, his wife believed her husband was leaving the home to have affairs.

  He was just trying to keep his businesses afloat with little success. Upon his return on one such occasion, she lured him upstairs and murdered him. Still with enough wealth, she convinced Pennsylvania to let her continue living in the house until her psychosis became worse. She signed the mansion over to the state as a psychiatric facility until its practices weren’t condoned any longer. The facility was eventually shut down and the mansion fell into disrepair. Nothing after that was recorded. That was a dead end.