Free The God Wave by Patrick Hemstreet Page A

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 he’d 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 . . .
    â€œHello? Earth to Dr. Streegman.”
    Matt looked up from his booth doodles to find Dice staring at him pointedly.
    â€œSorry?”
    â€œChuck just asked if you have anything to bring to the table.”
    Matt hesitated. He was actually quite full of news, but now, glancing around at the others, he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to share. Well, it can’t hurt to float a trial balloon.
    â€œActually I’ve spent the morning putting some plans into action. I’ve 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.”
    Chuck gaped at him. “You did what ?”
    â€œHoly mother of pearl,” murmured Eugene. “D’you think we’ll be ready for that?”
    â€œWhy not?” Dice challenged him.
    â€œExactly,” Matt agreed. “Why 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, we’ll just need to make sure we’re ready. But there’s no reason to think we won’t be.” He shrugged. “Of course all of this may be academic, since acceptance isn’t guaranteed.”
    A little white lie—it was true they might not have been accepted. They didn’t 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
    â€œThis gamma burst is almost a minute in length!” 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 Dice’s new Wi-Fi system. Chuck was adjusting the neural net over the engineer’s head but stopped and looked up, the focused expression on his face clearing like a morning fog.
    â€œThat the data from Mike’s last session?” Chuck asked. “Interesting, isn’t it?”
    â€œThank you, Mr. Spock. Yes, it is interesting. It’s more than interesting. But what does it mean?”
    â€œYou know what it means. It means they’re—”
    â€œYeah, yeah. They’re double- and triple-tasking. I get that. But the bursts are growing longer. Hell, they’re not even bursts anymore, Chuck. They’re full-blown states.”
    â€œYes. They are,” 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. “I think what we’re seeing is like muscle memory. I think their brains are becoming more effective and efficient at working this way.”
    Matt stared at him, aware suddenly of the beating of his own heart. “You mean they’re building mental muscles?”
    â€œThat’s what I’m thinking, yes. It’s 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 you’re doing, you get better. You develop the muscles appropriate to the activity, and you learn how to use them most effectively.”
    â€œSo what we’re seeing here is . . . evolution on a micro scale.”
    Chuck flashed a winsome smile. “Yes! Exciting, isn’t it?