Free SFS1 - Science Fiction Short Stories by Krishna kumar Mani Page A

plan to capitalize on this
research, Mr. Ambrosone?”
I stood there in silence and thought to myself. I
had some vague notions but I didn't want to
get my hopes up before I had a patent. After a
little while he spoke again.
“Bill, is it alright if I call you Bill? I really want
to help you make money with your idea. Not
since Watson and Crick first took credit for
discovering DNA has
there been such an
advancement in the field of biology.”
I was
happy with his
compliment,
I
start
explained:
“I will offer a service in the five DNA labs that
I own.,” I said, beaming since he had
complimented me. “Those that are interested
in knowing their previous lives can submit
DNA samples and
get
reports
about
their
previous lives. It won't be too expensive, but if
I'm the only one who can do it, I'll have all the
business.”
He laughed for a while. I felt my face getting
flushed with anger.
After a while he noticed my bright red face and
stifled his laughter. “Sorry... very sorry...” he
said after he had taken a sip of water. “Let's
talk
for
real
here,
Bill.
You're an excellent
scientist,
I'll
give
you
that.
But
as
a
businessman,
I'm not
convinced.
Sure,
you
have your five labs, but this idea is so much
bigger
than
that.
I want
to
maximize your
earnings. How much did you say you expected
to make off this idea again?”
I told him again how much I had expected to
make.
He either
coughed
or
stifled
back
a
laugh again and continued. “If you agree to my
plan, in the first month the revenue will be ten
thousand
times
higher
than
your
annual
revenue from your five labs. And that's the
first month. With your plan, you'd be lucky if a
rival competitor across town didn't offer the
service for cheaper after two weeks.”
“My patent was rejected though. I don't
understand.”
“Who want patents? Patents are a joke. No one
even respects them any more. Nowadays the
patent office is so backed up you have to wait
years
to
get
a patent.
In the mean
time,
someone else has done the same thing, taken it
to market and you won't be able to get a patent
anyways. That's how business works now”
“Alright. So tell me. How do you plan
to
increase the revenue? What would
you do,
open more labs? Sell the service to other DNA
labs?” I asked.
“I'll tell you, but before I do you have to sign a
non-disclosure agreement.”
He
shocked
me
by
pulling
out
a
legal
document right there and then. I had no idea
about this meeting and he must have been
planning it for weeks. How had he even gotten
wind of my patent?
“Listen, I'll take care of everything. Every
month your share will be deposited into a bank
account that you specify. You retain the rights
to the technology and you can count that as
your investment. Like I said, I'm the investor.
There's
no
risk
here to
you.
We'd
split
it
seventy-thirty. I get seventy percent and you
get thirty. Believe me, the difference between
seventy percent and thirty at the numbers I'm
talking won't even matter to you once you see
the paycheck.”
I was listening intently, still a bit rattled by the
whole
situation.
He
simply
smiled
and
continued his monologue. “Bill, this isn't a one
time sale.
In this
contract,
there's
a three
million dollar advance. I expect that we'll make
that
and
more within the
first
couple of
months. The check's already made out to you.
All you have to do is sign the contract.”
“You know, I'd like to have a lawyer read over
this to make sure everything is on the up and
up,” I said. “Let me call the one I have on
retainer for my labs. I don't care if he's in the
middle of dinner or lounging in the hot tub,
he'll get here within twenty minutes. It won't
be long.”
After the lawyer checked the document over, I
signed and was now a multi-millionaire.
“Great, Bill. That's great. Alright, so tomorrow
we'll get to work.”
“I'm still not clear, how exactly do you plan on
making so much money with my idea?”
“We're going to take your idea