trade show. After the meeting he would contact a design house that specialized in fabricating eye-catching booths for such events. He already had a series of sketches heâd made for a two-story megabooth; it would sit in a corner and incorporate three separate stage areas on the ground floor, with two small conference rooms upstairs . . .
âHello? Earth to Dr. Streegman.â
Matt looked up from his booth doodles to find Dice staring at him pointedly.
âSorry?â
âChuck just asked if you have anything to bring to the table.â
Matt hesitated. He was actually quite full of news, but now, glancing around at the others, he wasnât sure how much he wanted to share. Well, it canât hurt to float a trial balloon.
âActually Iâve spent the morning putting some plans into action. Iâve scheduled several presentations of our technology with regional business organizations, submitted a proposal for a TED Talk, and registered us for the Applied Robotics conference in April.â
Chuck gaped at him. âYou did what ?â
âHoly mother of pearl,â murmured Eugene. âDâyou think weâll be ready for that?â
âWhy not?â Dice challenged him.
âExactly,â Matt agreed. âWhy not? The presentations are easy. The TED Talk, too. We can use video for some of that. Although for the TED conference, if we can present a live demonstration, maybe using Sara or Troll, that would be best. By the time the AR conference rolls around . . . well, weâll just need to make sure weâre ready. But thereâs no reason to think we wonât be.â He shrugged. âOf course all of this may be academic, since acceptance isnât guaranteed.â
A little white lieâit was true they might not have been accepted. They didnât need to know that they were already accepted for both because Matt had clout in some quarters and knew how to exercise it. As the group continued to voice their concerns, Matt took up his pen and continued his doodle.
Chapter 8
LIGHTNING
âThis gamma burst is almost a minute in length!â Matt stood in the doorway of the main lab, his iPad in one hand and a cup of orange juice in the other.
Chuck, Dice, and Mike were in bay three, setting Mike up for a session with Diceâs new Wi-Fi system. Chuck was adjusting the neural net over the engineerâs head but stopped and looked up, the focused expression on his face clearing like a morning fog.
âThat the data from Mikeâs last session?â Chuck asked. âInteresting, isnât it?â
âThank you, Mr. Spock. Yes, it is interesting. Itâs more than interesting. But what does it mean?â
âYou know what it means. It means theyâreââ
âYeah, yeah. Theyâre double- and triple-tasking. I get that. But the bursts are growing longer. Hell, theyâre not even bursts anymore, Chuck. Theyâre full-blown states.â
âYes. They are,â Mike said, awe mixing with pride.
Chuck made a final adjustment and turned to face his partner,jamming his hands deep into the pockets of the white lab coat he insisted on wearing. âI think what weâre seeing is like muscle memory. I think their brains are becoming more effective and efficient at working this way.â
Matt stared at him, aware suddenly of the beating of his own heart. âYou mean theyâre building mental muscles?â
âThatâs what Iâm thinking, yes. Itâs like any other skill. Take skiing or playing tennis, for example. You may be awkward and slow when you start out, you may tire easily, but if you keep doing what youâre doing, you get better. You develop the muscles appropriate to the activity, and you learn how to use them most effectively.â
âSo what weâre seeing here is . . . evolution on a micro scale.â
Chuck flashed a winsome smile. âYes! Exciting, isnât it?