Becoming (Core Series Book 1) Read online

  “I want to discuss with you the option of coming to work for us,” she persisted. “I don’t need to interview you, as we already know all that we need to know about your research. This is an opportunity for you to get to know us, to ask questions and, should you feel comfortable, to see if we can finalize your remuneration. We would like you to start at your earliest convenience.”

  Jason fiddled with his hands. His nostrils filled with the scent of her sweet perfume. He felt a million miles away from her voice. He couldn’t believe it still—he was waiting to wake up. Then, he shrugged. Why not go with it?

  “What do you offer?” he asked raising one brow.

  “We will give you all the required resources, scientists and developers to complete your research and bring it to a working version.” She stood and walked around the room stopping in front of the white board. “This is beautiful technology, but it is only wallpaper.” Her lip curled with disgust. “You can’t interact with it. You are still limited by the confines of the room. This technology is old and dated; we must press forward.” Her eyes widened, her eyebrow went up slightly “Imagine the endless possibilities if you finish your designs with us. We could create a whole new process for prototyping projects!” She laughed—her eyes gleamed. Jason didn’t see the joke, however. “This alone would pay our salaries several times over, by reducing design and build time.” Her voice was soft, soothing. “Video conferencing will become something altogether different. Travelling costs to visit other teams will be eliminated...the list goes on and on.”

  It was difficult not to be caught up in the moment. He sat on the end of the sofa cushion, looking around at the room, imagining what it would be like to have his project built and run inside a room as big as this one. He could create whole scenes at a realistic scale. If they built it inside a ballroom, total immersion would be possible....

  “I know what you mean, the options are endless. That is what got me started. I would love to work for you, but...I don’t know. How much control will I have over the project? Would I have to join the military?” he said, looking down not willing to face her, a skew smile on his face as he fidgets with the sleeve collar. She walked graciously back to the sofa and sat down next to him.

  “You will have total autonomy and will make all decisions concerning the project; you report to me and I approve all funding,” she explained. “As long as our projects are heading in the same direction, there would not be any issues. I believe in freedom of creativity. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that.”

  “What about intellectual property rights and all the legal stuff? Would I still own the technology?”

  “You will forever be the author of the technology, but the property developed here will belong to the company. You will be credited for the invention and handsomely rewarded for it, too.”

  His eyes widened slightly and he breathed a sigh of relieve, almost. “Okay! So what is the catch?” Everyone always wants something.

  “Oh don’t get me wrong!” she exclaimed, touching his hand briefly, this sent a thrill through him as he remembered touching the model the night before “We only want to advance our own project and we lack the intractability to take it to the next level” she looked at him sideways.

  “What is your project, exactly…?” he looked around the room and finally settled back on her “How would a holographic room take it to the next level?”

  Her expression changed, eyes narrowed and her head held back slightly and tilted to one side “I first need you to agree to work for us and sign a standard non-disclosure agreement before I can reveal to you anything about the project. And, no—you would not have to join the military. We are not a military organization, we are merely a civilian company that develops...technologies...for the military,” she said, without saying anything at all.

  “What is in this non-disclosure agreement?”

  “It’s a standard agreement that you will not talk about anything you see or work on to any outsider or anyone not from the project. This facility has many projects and some are more classified than others. Yours would be top secret. You will work with some of the world’s best, but we have to protect the integrity of all projects—both as trade secrets and as a matter of national security.”

  “That sounds fair. Okay I am intrigued. But I have one last question.”

  The smell of fresh-brewed coffee filled the room as a robotic trolley entered through a panel in the wall.

  “Only one question? That was easier than I expected. You will have many more in future,” she promised as the trolley pulled up beside her. “Tea? Coffee? Please help yourself.”

  Jason stood and poured a cup of coffee, with milk no sugar.

  “Thank you. Yes—only one for now.” He smiled, taking a mouthful of coffee. The taste sent relaxation throughout his body. “Nothing as good as a cup of coffee,” he noted. While she made herself a cup of tea and sat down, they engaged in light conversation.

  When finished they return the cups to the tray “…you had a question didn’t you?” She’s always to the point, he thought. Doesn’t miss anything and won’t leave a question unanswered.

  “To be honest, I can’t remember what I was going to ask,” he admitted, setting the cup back on the tray. She placed her cup back on the tray as well, and the trolley moved out of sight without so much as a sound.

  “Well, I am sure there will be enough time to talk about it, and answer your que—”

  “Oh yes! Now I remember,” he interrupted. “What if I want to leave the project? What restrictions will there be?”

  “There are no special cases. The technology will remain behind as we discussed and there is a standard six-month clause to stop you from working for a competitor, and normal governmental notice periods would apply. This is a regular job with one difference.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “The difference is that we get to do what we always wanted to do.” She abruptly sat up and took a clipboard from the table.

  He wondered where it came from and how long it had been there.

  “I did not see that clipboard on the table before,” he said with a question on his face.

  “Clever disguise techniques—no magic. The coffee trolley brought it in and I set it there when I made tea,” she said, handing the clipboard over to him. There was a single sheet of white paper attached to the board, and a pen hanging from a string.

  The non-disclosure agreement was short and sweet, and stated exactly what Susan had described. He read through the short paragraphs, and then hesitantly signed the dotted line. A feeling of expectation filled him. What was he getting himself into?

  Nothing serious, he decided. It was just another job, and this time he would get to do what he always wanted.

  “Welcome to the team, I will make sure you get your employment contract and other material before your leave tonight” she said, with a huge grin on her face.

  “Thank you for the opportunity,” he said at last. “Are you going to tell me about the project now?”

  Her eyes gleamed and she started standing up “Now I introduce you to the rest of the team, and take you around the lower levels, show you where you will work.... Sorry! Where are my manners? Do you have time to look around now?” she asked, sitting down again.

  “Sure! The sooner the better.” He laughed, then stood up and followed her down to the end of the room. When he glanced back, he saw that the conference room table was exactly where it was when he’d entered. It truly was an amazing room, beautiful and mysterious. But he knew that his new program would kick its butt! After all, his was no cheap trick—it was creation. They entered a short corridor. She led him to a large hallway that stretched a couple hundred meters in each direction.

  They turned left and started walking down the hall “These offices house most of the administration part of the company…” gesturing to the doors they passed “the boring stuff…” she giggled with one hand over her mouth.

  “I have not told you yet,” he began
“I finished the holographic projector last night. That is one of the reasons why this is all so surreal. The interview, you knowing about me, the timing...,” he said. She stopped and turned to look at him, genuine surprise on her face. “The lack of sleep,” he joked, but then looked at his shoes.

  “You finished it?” she exclaimed. “Where?” she asked, her eyes big and she bit her lips, all that is missing is for her to jump up and down like a small child he thought seeing her reaction to the news.

  “At home in my garage. I converted it to an office a couple of months ago, and created a small scale prototype. Everything works perfectly, except that I can’t build full scale… Limited space and funding, you know! But the quality is superb.”

  A middle aged woman emerged from a door to their left, dressed in elegant office attire. The door just melted from the wall as she stepped through, and dissolved back in place when she was in the hall. They both watched in silence as the woman walked past them and disappeared into another door twenty meters down the hall. A whiff of perfume swirled behind her, and it mixed with the sweet, sterile, hospital-like quality smell of the air in this part of the building. They must be using scented filters. Even in the hallways there were no observable light sources. This intrigued him endlessly.

  “Well, not a moment too soon, then,” she said, ushering him towards the end of the corridor where she stopped in front of the wall. “How does it look?” she asked as he noticed her taking short breaths.

  “The detail is incredible! Well, of course, the detail is dependent on the model you feed into the software, but when you use a high poly count model, it is superb. Water is realistic—it feels cold and wet. Trees feel like trees. Rock is hard—you can actually pick it up. And sand...gets between your toes!” he said excitedly.

  “That must have felt like nothing before, to see it?”

  “It was surreal.”

  “That means we are closer to a solution than I first suspected. I was under the impression that we were a couple of years off. But now! My goodness, we are close.” She was almost out of breath. She turned around to face him. “Floor twenty-six please, Core.”

  The soft sound of metal sliding on metal quickly swished behind him. He jumped around just in time to see a wall form. A feeling of vertigo washed over him as they descended to floor twenty-six.

  “These walls that appear and disappear...no doors...how do you know where to go?” he asked.

  “You learn where you can go, and you are not tempted to go where you are not allowed. In essence, this facility is one big projected environment, with cleverly hidden panels. The doors are just a projection, to hide the real frame. We love technology, what can I say!” she smiled while fiddling with her hair looking at the floor numbers counting up.

  Jason nodded. For the first time in his life, he was actually starting to feel at home.

  “There is no magic, just animations generated by a computer,” the woman explained. “She named herself Core—the computer, that is. You will work very closely with her.” Jason started, then frowned.

  “Don’t look so sceptical.” She smiled. “My project is artificial intelligence, and I designed her. Instead of following the usual patterns of AI development, I followed a more inquisitive model. We humans always question everything we see and hear, until we find an answer that sounds credible based on our experience. I fashioned Core to work in this way as well. She questioned everything to the point where it became tedious to answer all of her questions…” The woman laughed, the deep, guttural laugh of someone enjoying a joke. “We finally got fed up and let her loose on the internal servers. We have a vast array of servers, hosting all military information, encyclopaedias, and backups of most of the information available in the free world.”

  “Core…? Artificial Intelligence?” Jason was sceptical.

  “Yes the most advanced. She will take you by surprise, I will introduce you a bit later.” She said a small smile on her face as she looked away.

  “So this is not just an office building?” he said leaning against the wall.

  She looked up, her eyebrows lifted, showing a couple of creases on her forehead and a skew smile around her mouth “No. We found the most common place to house the country’s information. Don’t worry—it is well protected, and Core is looking after it. We are only on the upper levels of the facility, after all. It is rumoured that there are scientists down at the bottom laboratories who have never seen the light of day!” She laughed again. “But of course that is absurd. We are totally self-contained in all areas and can remain in lockdown indefinitely, but we are not inhuman.”

  The lift counter slowed as they reached level twenty-six. The wall disappeared in another quick motion accompanied by that sound—that grating, metallic swishing that Jason now realised was simply another projection—revealing a long, white corridor with a series of windowed doors. He sighed with relief at the sight of a normal office environment.

  “You can see everything because this is our level—your laboratory will be down here as well. That is why everything is revealed,” Susan explained. “Only personnel with access to this level can see anything and open all its doors.” She led him past several rooms filled with computers and monitors. Wires and technicians filled most remaining spaces.

  Susan quietly opened the door to the first laboratory. As they entered everyone looked up. Their questioning eyes all focused on Jason.

  “Everyone, this is Mister Jason Bancroft, he is joining us as of tonight,” she said excitedly, with a look of pent-up joy. One by one, they stepped up to introduce themselves.

  There was no chance that he would ever remember most of their names! In time, perhaps, but tonight there was too much else to remember. He shook hands and exchanged quick introductions. “Later tonight we will get together in our conference room for an exciting announcement,” Susan said, giggling like a girl who has just been kissed for the first time.

  “Tell us now!” said one of the other women. Jason guessed her name to be Becky, although it could have easily been Barbara....

  “Wait until we have everyone in the conference hall.” She paused. “You guys can go in the meantime, we will be along shortly.” Then Susan turned and walked out the door. Jason followed her to the next office, where he experienced the same introductions and excited babbling.

  The last door opened into a large conference facility. A small podium formed the centrepiece at the front of the hall, and the whole room was brightly lit. Abstract drawings, schematics for four legged beasts, and depictions of vehicles adorned the walls. The floor was carpeted from wall to wall, and lined with rows of theatre-style chairs. An electric vibe was in the air as they entered; every one of his co-workers had gathered and all were talking in groups near the seats. Some sat, while others stood next to the rows or kneeled in the seats, facing backwards to talk to those seated behind them.

  The air was filled with the scent of many warm bodies, intermixed with the scented air filter. Taints of perfume and deodorant wafted past Jason’s nostrils as he and Susan walked towards the podium. As they walked past the rows, everyone hushed, sat still in their seats and watched him.

  He wished he could just disappear into the back of the room. His breathing grew swift at the thought of talking before so many people at once. He shuffled his feet and hung his head, looking for escape. Susan stopped at the podium and looked around the room, waiting for absolute silence.

  “Thanks for coming here on such short notice,” she said at last. “I felt that I could not keep this information from you any longer. You have all met Jason.” She gestured to him. “He’s the scientist that has been working silently on his own—not for us—on holographic environmental control systems.” An excited buzz echoed through the room as the men and women whispered their suspicions. “I am glad that Jason accepted my offer to come and work for us, but this is not the reason why I brought you all together. I will let him explain.” Susan looked at him, then.

  Jason had g
one white, his eyes wide and terrified. Susan seemed to wheeze, hiding a smile. “If he does not faint first,” she joked. “Come on, Jason, just tell them what you told me in the hallway.”

  Susan stepped aside and encouraged him to take centre stage. This is it, Jason, he thought to himself. No time like the present to get over that pesky fear of public speaking. He slowly approached the microphone.

  “H-hi,” he began hesitantly. “I...I met most of you. Um. As you can see...umm...I am not used to this, ah, this public speaking.” He looked from one side of the room to the other, breathing fast. He wiped the perspiration from his brow with his left hand, took a deep breath, and focused his mind on his work. “I told Misses Mathews...umm...that I finished my research last night.”

  You could hear a needle drop on the carpet. Everyone looked at him in disbelief. The disbelief turned into joy as the whispering began, and then excited conversations bloomed as realization dawned. The possibilities! Jason knew exactly how they felt.

  “You see, I have been working on it for the last seven years and, um, I got breakthrough after breakthrough the last couple of weeks, and so, uhhh.... last night, around midnight, it started working. It was, uh...it was really super exciting.” He started feeling better, relaxing as he received the recognition he’d been looking for. Susan stepped in and waved the excited crowd to silence.

  “Do you see why I could not wait to tell you this? Tomorrow we will start, with Jason’s help, to build our own holographic equipment. Then, for the first time, we can model and interact with our creations and our prototypes!”

  Someone in the crowd gave a whoop, and everyone joined in a cheer. Susan smiled and held her hands out to quiet them.

  “This new technology will help us get the breakthroughs we have been looking for. For my team, you know what that means.” She looked pointedly at a group in the front row, who had been excitedly talking amongst themselves. They continued to chat in groups, some standing up again. Susan turned to Jason as she realized that she had lost them. They would be too busy planning and scheming now to pay any attention to anything that she might say.