CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
SIMON ARRANGED FOR SECURITY to come up to his office, and Derrick agreed to remain there while he met with the DARPA men waiting in Conference Room One. Gary had been called and asked to come into work earlier than normal this afternoon. He would have to corroborate a few aspects of his source’s assertions, Simon explained. The Police would undoubtedly want to know the identity of his security firm contact as well. Simon checked the time on his cell phone as he walked toward his unscheduled meeting. It wouldn’t be long before Gary arrived, so as Simon acknowledged Sara and Haley in passing, he felt confident that any outstanding issues related to his daughter’s traumatic experience would soon be laid to rest.
Simon opened the door of Conference Room One and walked in. “Good afternoon, Gentlemen. My name is Simon Taylor.”
All three men stood up. Colonel Dynes was the first to shake Simon’s hand. “Pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Taylor.” Dynes’s short haircut, age, and sense of formality suggested a lengthy military background. “My name is Colonel Dynes and these are my colleagues, Cathcart and Samuels.”
All four men sat down after exchanging pleasantries. From the head of the boardroom table, Simon spoke first: “So what is it that I can do for you?”
Dynes seemed in a good mood; his smile suggested the encounter was off to a pleasant start. “We’ll only need a few moments of your time this afternoon, Mr. Taylor …”
“Please call me, Simon,” the PurIntel CEO interjected.
“Of course, Simon,” Dynes agreed. His hands were clasped and his elbows were supported by his chair’s armrests. “Let me just say that I’d like this initial meeting to be as much about what we can do for you as it is about what you can do for us.”
“You have my full attention, Colonel,” Simon agreed, cautiously.
“I prefer Gerry, if you don’t mind.” Dynes glanced toward his two associates, who were in the process of pulling laptops out of their briefcases. As their hardware came alive so did their official demeanour transition into one of an eagerness to be part of a project coming to life. They seemed genuinely excited and looked more geekish now, Simon reflected.
Gerald began to reacquaint Simon with the broad strokes of what DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency represented; that it was responsible for the development of emerging technologies, whose applications often exceeded the country’s military requirements. Since its creation in 1958, its primary directive had been to pursue the boundaries of science and technology with the goal of preventing earth-shattering surprise events, the likes of which took place the year previous to the program’s inception. With the launch of Sputnik 1, the Soviets beat America into space.
“My job is to make sure that never happens again,” Dynes stated.
Simon could tell that the Colonel meant what he said, but he was also aware of the organization’s history, and that its achievements could easily be interpreted as a fulfillment of its mandate. The Internet as well as the Global Positioning System, were originally designed with their military applications in mind, but these and many other DARPA inventions went on to have significant socio-economic implications for the entire world. Other projects included everything from underwater submersibles to satellites, from smart drones to sophisticated robots. The ability to ‘track everything that moves’ in a city, or combat zone, through the linking up of a massive surveillance network had non-military applications as well.
In 2011, DARPA hosted a ‘100 Year Starship Symposium,’ which was intended to stimulate public debate on the subject of interstellar travel. When Dynes mentioned that one, Simon couldn’t help thinking, these guys should definitely talk to Michio Mori.
The breadth of technological achievement was nothing short of stunning. Simon knew many projects were sourced for their military applications, however, others involved the integration of biology, engineering and computer science for things like national security. Some pursued breakthroughs in the life sciences, emerging technologies associated with social trends, even manufacturing and commerce.
It was a relatively short tutorial though, and Simon knew the crux of the matter would soon emerge. Touching briefly on his agency’s more secretive endeavours seemed to correspond with a lowering of the Colonel’s voice. Simon waited for the three letters he presumed would eventually be spoken. And when the trio, XNA, emerged, his understanding of why they were talking couldn’t have been more clear; he was about to become involved with one of DARPA’s most ambitious undertakings. It was a profound realization, and he was relieved, for the moment, that he didn’t have to say anything. In fact, Simon barely spoke at all. Dynes seemed all too aware of what PurIntel brought to the table. He didn’t take note, though, of when Simon swallowed and crossed his legs in an attempt to disguise his inner enthusiasm. DARPA’s support would have the dramatic effect of compressing any previously conceived timelines.
“I don’t think I have to tell you that the combined resources of the United States Government will be behind this endeavour. I suggest we will become a silent partner, so to speak, in your consortium. I would expect to be kept abreast of any and all progress. You understand, of course.”
Simon couldn’t believe Dynes had used that same damn word. He struggled not to laugh and fortunately compressed the emotion into a smile. “Of course,” he replied, with a nod.
“Well,” Dynes stated, looking at his associates. “Do we have a name for this file?”
“I believe we do, Sir,” said Cathcart. He turned and refocused the room on Simon.
“A name?” Simon repeated, regaining his mental dexterity. “We’ve called the corporation, Xavior.”
“Xavior Inc.,” Dynes repeated, reflecting for a moment. “I like that. We’ll call it ‘The Xavior Consortium’ on our end. The first prototype will be Xavior 1, how’s that?”
Simon was stunned. He could hardly believe what had just transpired. The Colonel wielded his authority in such simple ways. Government involvement had its drawbacks, of course, but their relationship could just as easily be interpreted as a win win for PurIntel shareholders. DARPA’s resources would backstop prototype development, bring his XNA research to fruition.
“Xavior 1 it is,” Samuels repeated, typing it out on his laptop.
Simon’s blank stare moved from Cathcart to Samuels to Dynes. In the Colonel’s smile, he sensed the life that had just been breathed into his XNA molecule. Simon’s heart beat strongly for its soon to be conceived synthetic counterpart. His mind was alive with the prospect of its immortality. Sentiment swirled until something emerged.
This is where it begins, Simon thought.