by Doug Farren
“This is a Mercedes Jay. You get what you pay for and this is not a cheap model. I have sort of added to it a bit though. And, of course, there are some special features that corporate security insisted on adding which are, thankfully, more or less hidden.”
“Such as?”
“Well ... The car is armored with a layer of the same stuff used on the latest tanks—some sort of amorphous metal. It has an active defense system and other such features I would prefer to forget about except I can’t or some poor parking valet is going to get a nasty surprise some day.”
Kauffman shook his head and let out a low whistle. “This thing must have cost a small fortune. What did you mean with that bit about the valet?”
“If I forget to tell the car it is being parked by a valet it will assume I have parked it and when I exit the security system arm itself. I have to tell the car via Proteus that a valet is parking it and the security system will monitor the valet’s actions and then arm itself once parked. I have to remotely disarm the system before the valet can return it to me. It's just one of those things I’ve learned to live with.”
“And the consequences of failing to disarm the security system?”
“Well, first off, because the system is voice activated, the valet would not be able to get into the car even with the key. If he did somehow manage to get in, he would not be getting out. The car is equipped with sleeper gas and is programmed to call the local police if it detects an unauthorized entry.”
They arrived at their destination a few minutes later. As they were exiting the car, a tremendous bolt of lightning struck a nearby light pole. The concussion was deafening and both Kauffman and Anita were momentarily stunned. The parking valet, who had been facing in the direction of the light pole, had flung himself to the ground and was slowly picking himself up as Jay and Anita began to recover. As the valet brushed himself off he asked, “Are you two okay?”
Jay, ears still ringing, nodded his head, glanced at Anita who quickly nodded, and replied, “Yeah, I think so. Thanks.”
The valet moved toward the car still obviously shaken and said, “You would think with all our technological advances these days we should be able to develop a better lightning rod. Something that could prevent lightning from hitting things near people.”
Still feeling the heart-pounding rush of adrenaline, Jay followed Anita into the restaurant. They were immediately shown to a private table near the back of the dining area. “Let me guess,” Jay said as they took their seats. “The car called ahead and made reservations.”
“Of course. What’s the use of having an advanced voice operated computer system in your car if it doesn’t do some of the more mundane tasks for you.”
A short time later, while they were waiting for their food to arrive, Anita asked, “You know, the valet had a good point. Why can’t we design a better lightning rod?”
“Better? In what way?”
“Take that near hit we experienced. Given the proper equipment, I’m sure we could have determined that an electrical charge was building up in the area and perhaps either directed the bolt to a different location or prevented it altogether say, by draining away the charge instead of allowing it to discharge all at once.”
Kauffman finished chewing on a mouthful of bread, chased it down with a swig of black coffee, then replied, “It is impossible to prevent a lightning discharge. The power and distances involved are too great. However, redirecting a bolt before it randomly discharges is not an impossibility. But it would require a detector network capable of sensing the building charge and some sort of apparatus for simulating the positive leader that precedes a lightning strike. The bolt could be redirected but not too far from its intended target. It would be a very sophisticated setup and far too expensive to be of any commercial value.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the salads. After a few bites Anita asked, “What’s a positive leader? I’ve never heard the term before.”
“Positive leaders are the plasma filaments,” Jay answered through a mouthful of crunchy lettuce, “that reach up from the ground near where a lightning bolt is about to strike. Several of them occur a few milliseconds before the main bolt. They reach up trying to connect to the main charge above. When the two find each other, a low resistance path is formed and the main lightning current then flows between the earth and the sky.”
“So if we could create an artificial leader, we could direct a bolt of lightning to any destination we ... Jay? Are you okay?”
Kauffman’s face had become blank, his fork frozen midway between the bowl of salad and his mouth. After a moment a smile formed on his face as he slowly put the fork, along with the forgotten salad it contained, back into his half-finished bowl. He stared intently at Anita and in a slow measured voice said, “That’s the answer to the peak initialization power problem. Instead of trying to tweak the field equations, something I’m beginning to believe can’t be done, all we have to do is create a low power field which will guide the main field into the proper structure as it powers up—a matrix field. I’ve got to get back to the office and get CAIN working on this as soon as possible.”
“Wrong!” Anita said sternly, causing Jay to stop halfway through the act of standing up. “We came here to eat and by God we’re going to. Sit down.”
“But… But…” Jay stammered still undecided.
“No buts. Besides, you can call in your calculations from here if you’re so insistent on doing so.”
“Not possible,” he replied reluctantly taking his seat again. “CAIN is isolated from all outside links. You know that.”
“Was.” Reaching into her purse, Anita pulled out a slim plastic case and handed it to him.
The object was about a centimeter thick and fifteen by ten centimeters square. Kauffman looked at it for a moment, then a gleam formed in his eyes. He pressed a small button on its side and the case split lengthwise. Jay pulled the lid back until it locked in place. A flexible sheet of material had unfolded with the lid and now formed a smooth flat white surface. He extracted a small pen-like object from a storage slot and touched the surface. Nothing happened. “This is an omni-pad right?” he asked.
Smiling through a bite of her salad Anita replied between chews, “It’s a prototype version of the new and improved omni-pad. This one is about four times more powerful than anything currently available plus it has been enhanced for your particular needs. It’s voice and thumb print activated and keyed to your voice and thumb print only. Place your right thumb anywhere on the pad and speak your name.”
Fascinated, Jay did as instructed. The screen lit up and a modified omni-pad menu appeared. One of the menu items caught his eye. “CAIN interface?” he asked, a worried look forming on his face. “CAIN is isolated from all outside systems because of security concerns. He links to the internet through a shadow system. What makes this communications link different?”
Before Anita could answer, their main meal arrived and the two put their conversation on hold while the waiter set the table. When they were once again alone, Anita replied, “CAIN itself assisted in the development of the encryption codes used for this link. The code is changeable by CAIN and only it knows the algorithm. The communications link uses an encrypted multi-channel satellite link capable of delivering a continuous data stream on the order of over a tera-bit per second. You are holding the only remote unit capable of establishing a direct link with CAIN. Go ahead, give it a try.”
Jay touched the menu item labeled ‘CAIN interface’ and after a brief delay the screen cleared and the words ‘Interface established’ appeared in the upper left corner. Jay almost jumped when a quiet but clear, familiar voice said, “Good evening Jay. I see Anita has given you your omni-pad.”
Shaking his head Jay replied, “Unbelievable!” Then, suddenly remembering why he needed to talk to the computer Jay said, “CAIN, access all information concerning the propagation of lightning, specifically the physics behind the positive le
aders that occur just prior to a discharge.”
While the computer processed his request, Jay ate a couple bites of lasagna. Less than a minute later, a chime announced that the computer was ready. After swallowing his food Jay said, “Do you understand the phenomenon?”
“Yes.”
“Apply the same principles to the formation of the main field in regards to the reduction of peak initiation power demand. Query: Is it theoretically possible to construct a matrix field similar to a third-order harmonic as indicated in equations 32 through 48 modified to have the characteristics of a plasma leader such that the main field can be established by following the flux lines of the matrix field therefore reducing peak initiation power demand? I would start by assuming the matrix field would be created using a separate generator applying the field dynamics as indicated by the first order quint of the main field equations.”
“Query understood—an intriguing possibility. This will take some time to analyze.”
Jay closed the omni-pad with a snap and turned his full attention to his meal. Now it was Anita’s turn to stare at Jay with a blank look on her face. Looking up between bites Kauffman said, “What?”
“First off,” she replied. “I didn’t understand a single word you said to CAIN. Secondly, how do you manage to keep all those equations separated in your mind? You rattled off those equation numbers without any hesitation whatsoever. Third, why did you close the pad? Aren’t you anxious to know what the results will be?”
Kauffman took a swallow of wine before replying. “Let me answer those in reverse order. It’s going to take CAIN at least a couple of hours to work through all the equations necessary to answer this question.
“Next—I don’t know how I keep all the equations straight. It’s as if I can see them all in my mind grouped and flowing in complex patterns. I can focus my attention on any particular equation, make a mental change to a value, then back off and watch the pattern shift as my subconscious works out the math. I don’t actually get exact results using this technique but I understand what the shifting patterns mean and can generally come close to what the actual answer is.
“Of course, I have to rely on CAIN to work out the exact results and to find any errors I might overlook. I’m not perfect and the math is very complex. My guess is with a properly configured matrix field the overall peak initiation power demand will be around 1.8 giga-watts. That’s still over the rated capacity of the fusion plant but it’s a lot better than what we had before.”
“If you’re right,” Anita replied, a smile brightening up her face. “Then we may have this problem licked. Tomorrow we are going on a field trip to one of our more remote development labs. I want to show you something that just might work. Now, we are done talking shop. Have you been keeping up on the news lately or have you been locked up in your office without any external information to bother you?”
The conversation then turned to other matters. By the time their meal was finished the rain had turned to a steady drizzle and most of the lightning had subsided. As they waited for the valet to retrieve the car Anita asked, “Do you ever regret not marrying?”
Jay took a full fifteen seconds to reflect on his answer then said, “There are times when I wish I had a wife or even a girlfriend but, all things considered, it would be terribly unfair to her.”
“Unfair? How's that?”
“I used to own a cat. It was several years ago and if it hadn’t been for my neighbor, with the assistance of the apartment manager, it probably would have starved to death. That was back when I was working on the specs for the magnetic confinement field for the advanced fusion reactor. I did not come home for over two weeks. My neighbor heard the cat meowing and after a couple of days called the apartment manager who let her into my apartment so she could feed the poor thing. I ended up giving it to her. If I can neglect a cat, which is totally dependent upon me for food, then I would probably do the same for a woman although it is difficult to compare a woman to a cat. I’ve just never found the time to foster any sort of a relationship and my work has always taken priority.”
Anita’s Mercedes arrived. She generously tipped the valet and thanked him while Jay got into the passenger seat. Once on the road, Anita continued, “Believe it or not Jay I can relate to what you said. Look at me, I may not be the most desirable person on the face of the Earth but I don't think I'm that bad either. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve had my share of men before my father left me the company. A couple of them wanted the money. One was even hired by a competitor to marry me so he could gain access to company secrets. But only one was truly sincere. He left me when I started spending all of my time running the company.”
Jay turned to the side as far as he could and faced Anita. “You’re off your rocker if you think you’re not a total knockout. You are quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever met and I'm not just saying that because you're my boss. Now I’m curious—why did you bring up the subject?”
She did not answer for a long time and Jay was about to let it drop when Anita said, “Because I’m lonely Jay. Our meal together reminded me of the fact that I have not been on a date in years. Ever since my father passed away and Jerry left I have devoted myself to making AST one of the largest and most profitable companies on Earth. Granted, we did not have what could be even loosely classified as a romantic dinner, but it triggered a train of thought. I’m sorry I brought it up, it’s really not your concern.”
“Anita. You and I have been friends for quite awhile. I may have my faults but I do know how to listen. Everyone needs a friend to talk to every once and awhile.”
“I really appreciate that Jay. Thanks.”
They rode in silence for a few minutes then Anita said, “We’re almost back to the office. Hey car! Have someone bring Jay’s car to the front.” Seeing that Kauffman was about to object Anita continued, “You are going to go home and take a night away from the office. If I have to I will have security lock out your badge.”
Jay hesitated, visibly contemplating whether or not he should try to convince her to change her mind. Finally, admitting defeat, he said, “Once the Starfire project is complete I think you should take a nice long vacation. Go somewhere far away from the company. Take a couple of weeks and relax. Maybe even find yourself a good deserving man.” As he finished the last sentence Jay reached over and squeezed Anita’s shoulder.
Kauffman’s car was waiting at the front of the building as they pulled up. Unlike Anita’s powerful Mercedes, his was an efficient electric-powered tri-wheeler used for inner-city commutes. Ever since the development of the commercial fusion reactor eight years ago, electricity had been getting cheaper as more power plants began adopting the new technology. The petroleum industry had already started adjusting to the decline in oil use caused by most of the world’s nations mandating the use of near zero emission automobiles. The loss of revenue from oil sales had created an economic crisis in the Middle-East resulting in several border skirmishes. The United States military currently had a very strong presence in the area in order to maintain peace.
As they rolled to a stop, Jay unfastened his safety belt then abruptly leaned over and planted a light kiss on Anita’s right cheek. As she turned toward him in surprise he said, “I’m not as cold-hearted as you might think. Besides, I think you needed that.” Without waiting for a reply, he got out of the car.
Anita waited until Jay drove off before continuing on home herself. Her mind was a confused jumble of conflicting emotions and thoughts and before she realized it she was approaching her home. As she passed through the security gate she started to smile and a warm feeling filled her.
She sat in her car for a moment after parking it, then said aloud to herself, “You’re right Jay, I needed that—more than I would have thought.”
3
Security Breach
The next morning, Anita found an encrypted message from Jay in her corporate e-mail inbox. The decrypted message read:
CAIN
did not finish his calculations until late last night. The effects of using a matrix field were a bit more difficult to calculate than I had thought. Take a look at the attached power curve. As you can see, the power ramps up to the peak demand differently than before. If this curve is accurate, then we will reach a peak power demand of 1.73 gigawatts and we’ll be over the limit of the fusion reactor for 8.64 seconds. The best news is that the total supplemental energy needed is much less than before because of the change in the power curve. I also noticed that you have changed the project completion date which pretty much means we’re going to have to live with this power curve because at some point we are going to have to stop designing and start building this thing.
Anita clicked on the attachments button and a simple line graph appeared on her screen. She looked at the display for a few seconds then smiled. This energy demand was much better than any she had seen before. The amount of power needed beyond what the fusion reactor was capable of supplying could very well be within the capabilities of the solution she had in mind.
After quickly checking her schedule, Anita discovered that, with a little juggling, she could make some time available a bit later in the day following a meeting which simply could not be canceled. After informing her secretary of the changes to her schedule she set out to finish her morning business.
Anita walked into Jay’s office shortly after one o’clock and was surprised to find him sitting in a chair leafing through a technical magazine. “I take it your design is finished?” she asked.
Without looking up from the magazine, Jay replied, “I wouldn’t consider it a polished product but, considering the circumstances, it will have to do.” He neatly folded the magazine in half so as to mark his place and set it on the table. “Why was the test date moved up by four months?”