Free Interface: A Techno Thriller by Tony Batton Page A

asking after him?"
    Tom shrugged. "I spoke to him at the launch party." He turned to his secretary. "Is he free to meet?"
    "He seems to be out of the office today. I left a message for him to call you. As for the press photos, they're not available without authorisation from the executive team." She nodded in Marron's direction and strode away.
    "Press photos?" asked Marron. "I thought this was the legal department?"
    Tom took a deep breath. "I'm trying to reconstruct my evening. After my fall I'm having some memory lapses. I thought the photos might spark something."
    "Well, I think we can do better than the press photos. I'll arrange for you to view the CCTV footage."
    Tom smiled. "That would be great."

TWENTY-ONE

    BERN STEPPED OUT OF THE lift on Level 64. Unlike the buzzing floors below and above, this one was quiet. Few CERUS ID cards even permitted access. In fact, as far as the system was concerned, Level 64 was not open for use. Temporary floor-to-ceiling screens divided the lobby from the rest of the level. Across the screens were notices reading RESTRICTED ACCESS: AREA AWAITING COMPLETION. And yet, in the middle of the screens, there was a high-specification security door. Bern approached it and placed his hand on the scanner. With a chime, the door swung inwards. Beyond was a self-contained research facility. Two labs, several small rooms, a tiny kitchen and a bathroom, all set up to allow its occupants to work undisturbed twenty-four hours a day. Bern walked into the largest lab, which was humming with the fans of a dozen high-powered servers and the steady suck of high-capacity air-filtration units. In one corner stood a gleaming black cylinder, twice the size of a dustbin: it was the most expensive piece of equipment in the room.  
    "Hey, Boss." Holm, clad in jeans and a navy t-shirt, walked over from one the workbenches. "Come to check on the geniuses?"
    "I was told you had something to show me."
    Heidn stood up from a desk at the far side of the room, his grey hair looking more than usually dishevelled. "Is Bradley coming? We don't want to do this twice."
    "He had a call. And I'm not waiting."
    Heidn glanced at Holm. "We're making good progress, thanks to how well-resourced we are here."
    "Whatever you need." Bern shrugged. "Any questions about what's keeping you so busy?"
    "No more than usual, but I'll let you know if anyone develops a particular interest." Heidn walked over to the shiny black cylinder and patted it. "Current yield on the nano vat is fifteen per cent, but we'll improve it."
    "How long per batch?"
    "Twelve to fourteen hours. We haven't managed to get them to coalesce any quicker, but it's acceptable in any case."
    "Given how much time and money we've spent on this over the years, I'd have thought we'd do better."
    "That's a reflection on not focusing on building intravenous nanotech. A significant portion of our research has been wasted on the synthesis of nanomaterials for the Resurface Project." He ran a hand through his grey hair. "We need to get back to work of real importance. We could be refining our understanding of how to use the nanites as a delivery mechanism to boost bodily functions or block undesired processes: we could be delivering controllable, tailorable treatments for cancer and heart disease."  
    "Personally, I want to get back to the truth nano," Holm said. "Chemical-free sodium pentothal: what's not to like!" He paused. "Well, other than the side effects, but--" Holm cut himself off, adjusting his glasses. "Anyway, back to our project. As intelligent nanites are inactive until they're coded that is where my magic comes in. I've parsed the helicopter operating system and I'm working on APIs with the nanites' base code. The bigger task is updating those clunky old Tantalus protocols, but I've been able to re-use a lot of code, even some of the interface systems used in this building." He turned to a desk and picked up a black box the size of a shoebox, with a small