Free Spheria by Cody Leet Page B

about the food.”
    “Alcohol it is,” said the woman at the head of the table, “and maybe some curried lamb and a cheeseburger pizza!”
    This got a chuckle from a few people.
    “One last thing,” she said. “My goal for the next two months will be to get some public visibility for this project. So my focus is shifting from managing funding to marketing. I’ll be contacting different trade publications, websites, news sources, etc. The purpose is to spread the word that our technology is functional, and we are collecting interesting data. I may be inviting the press to take a tour of the project. We’d like to get some articles written about us if possible.”
    “May I ask a question?” asked the Indian.
    “Go ahead.”
    “Why do we care if the public sees this project?”
    “Good question. Graham isn't the sole funding source. We also have a couple of government grants helping us out. At some point, the money will run out, and we’ll be applying for extensions. The more publicity we can generate, and the more we can publish that adds value to the scientific community, the better our chances to keep going. Also, the grants we got require that the results be disclosed. I believe in doing that ‘with a splash’ in the media rather than just in specialized journals. We’ll do both, but I’m starting with the press to build hype. You each are going to be required to publish your analysis and conclusions in your respective fields, those of you who are scientists that is.”
    “Understood,” said the Indian.
    “Well, that’s all I have. Max, take it away.”
    Max cleared his throat. “Okay, so I have a bunch of boring statistics to go over, but first, let’s help Min get to know us all better. I thought we could go around the table. Talk about your role on this team, and then to make it interesting tell us something about yourself that’s not work related. Sound good?”
    “Sure,” a couple of people said. Others nodded. One shrugged.
    “I’ll go first. We’ve already met, but my full name is Maximilian Moreau. I was born in France, as you can probably tell by my accent. Actually, who here wasn't born in America?” He raised his hand.
    Three other hands went up. The Indian man, the African woman, and Min.
    “Four to six. So we’re outnumbered. Min, where were you born?”
    “Vietnam.”
    “Great. Well, that gets us closer to balancing things out. Anyway, I was one of the first two members of the team along with Dana.” He motioned toward the woman at the head of the table. “I designed the Qube technology as my master’s thesis in physics. But then I dropped out of college in order not to disclose how it works. Well worth it. So I should have a master’s degree, but I don’t. I don’t care. What we’re doing here is a blast, and better than any job I could get in the real world, no pun intended.”
    Groans, and nods of agreement.
    “Like I said, I was born in France, Lyons specifically. I grew up on a vineyard, but it wasn’t in my blood, and my older brother was taking it over anyway. I was more engaged by the hidden mysteries of the operation, like how particles of fertilizer managed to migrate up into a pouring watering can. So I discovered my love of physics at an early age. I came to the United States to attend undergraduate school at MIT and then I just stuck around because I liked it here. A little cold, but nothing I can’t live with. Actually, there is a theory, not sure if it’s true. All the great ideas come from colder regions because people are stuck indoors and need to invent stuff not to get bored or freeze to death. In warm areas, they just go hang out at the beach. Who wouldn’t?”
    The Indian man said, “India is very warm, and we are very progressive.”
    “Yeah, can you name one thing invented there?”
    “Of course. Radio was invented there.”
    “Radio?”
    “Yes. Jagadish Bose was the first person to demonstrate sound over radio waves in 1895 in Kolkata.