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Once Callen returned to his workshop it took him a moment to refocus. He really didn't want his time with Sadie to end. However, he had to focus. His mother needed him. He plugged his ear buds in and to the tune of electric guitars hours rolled by. With each passing song, the designs for his computer and disruptor began to form in virtual space.
He turned when Mavis arrived with a spread of all the individual parts for his goggles. He pulled one of his earbuds out.
"This is everything that you requested for the eyewear construction." The robot said. "Everything is ready of assembly, sir."
Callen took the parts. "Thanks, Mavis. Reactor seven needs a change over before you start making the semiconductors for the motherboard. I changed some of the dopants in the process. So, the chemicals will have to be changed out."
"I will have the next pieces prepared for you shortly, sir." The robot buzzed away.
Callen picked up one of the lenses and held it up to the light. For a moment, he felt impressed with himself, but he was far from done. So, he didn't delay. He pulled what he needed from his toolbox and went to work. The room flashed with sparks and the scent of melting electronics as he carefully placed each electrical inlay and contact. The hours evaporated.
"They're done?" Felix said as he walked into the room. When Callen didn't respond, Felix tapped him on the back. When Callen had removed his ear buds again, Felix repeated the question.
"Yeah," Callen said. "Almost. There are only a few things left, and then I'll be able to see the world in a whole new way." He grinned with pride.
"I like the sound of that, but..." Felix glanced at the parts that were laid out on Callen's workbench. "You don't have all the parts here. How can you possibly be almost done?" Felix asked skeptically.
"I had the vision processors and a lot of the other materials grown inside the carbon nanotubes that make up the frames, remember? I didn't design insertion spots for vision modules." Callen said. He placed both lenses beneath an imaging machine that included a variety of tools, including an electron microscope and specialized parts for x-ray diffraction. "I just programmed the necessary sensors for infrared and night vision to function without the companion computer. The other materials I put in there that would adapt to perform functions I want via programming them with my computer."
"What made you do that?" Felix said. "That wasn't in the designs I looked at the other day."
"My gut," Callen said with a cocky grin. "I just wanted to see if I could do it." He snapped the lenses into the frames and began testing each electrical connection to the frame and did a material scan to check the integrity of the assembled device. He glanced at the computer screen. "It checks out. Now, one last step." He grabbed the goggles and the straps.
"You realize the sacrifices you made will result in a delay when switching functions outside of the two you built into the frames without the additional processing capacity from the companion computer."
"Yup," Callen hopped up from his chair. "I figured the versatility is better. I already have the flexibility needed once the new sensor and software package is prepared." Callen grinned. "Besides, I doubt I'll...or maybe anyone...could ever notice...this stuff is, well, fast to say the least."
"And where did you put the battery?" Felix asked.
"Nowhere," Callen said. "Well, maybe that's not exactly true. The battery is the strap."
“You mean, the straps that hold them on your head?" Felix asked.
"Yup." Callen smiled. "The fibers I used to make the straps are durable, stretchy, and gather ambient energy to power the goggles. The problem with electronics has always been defects in the materials causing decreased battery efficiency. With molecular engineering and a whole lot of intuition...the whole defect thing disappears. Then add these nanotransistors and fusion cells inside the tubes that make up the straps..."
"Nice idea. Reduces the weight and allows for more power for the device." Felix said as he gazed at the computer screen. "Pretty outside the box, kid."
"Well, what do you expect? Having me do this is outside the box and don't even get me started on the whole demon thing..." Callen grinned. He leaped up to the bench and walked out onto the manufacturing floor, Felix followed. "Just one more reaction and they're done." He placed the goggles in a small canister with all kinds of piping, coils, gadgets, and gadgets attached to it and hit the button. The jar hissed as a pump began churning beneath the reactor.
"I like that you're thinking about the power source," Felix admitted as he watched the buzzing reactor. "It's so crucial. Battery life is one of the major problems with conventional technology. You can have the best apps and processor possible, but if you don't have the energy...you might as well have a paper weight."
Callen nodded. "And if you have too much energy..." He grinned with explosive excitement.
"Vulnerability." Felix pointed out. "Something that can be exploited..."
"You mean over-clocking the temperature thresholds?" Callen asked. "Like what some gamers do to enhance computer performance?"
"Yup." Felix nodded. "Overclocking without the water or nitrogen cooling systems that gamers install. My EMP device uses some of that concept to destroy those damn bugs. The bug's power source is where the pulse comes from."
"I thought it was the nanoparticles..." Callen said.
"Nope," Felix said. "No room in the material for any more than the semiconductors that control the shielding." He sighed. "I've recently improved it a bit after knocking off another five bugs over the last few weeks. I've improved the goggle's scanning, particle movement, and pulse speed. It's good that I've improved it, but their constant reappearance is still quite frustrating...I've sent you the improvement specs."
"Wicked cool," Callen said. "I'll incorporate them into my computer design then. But still, why don't we try to figure out what they are searching for and maybe we can rig the system to tell them what they’re looking for isn’t here?"
"Well, the problem is the bugs aren't broadcasting, remember?" Felix explained. "It's like they are waiting to broadcast. I haven't been able to recover any data from them after removal."
"I just thought that if we could find a signal, we could set up a trap computer...maybe with a digital maze to get them lost in or something..."
"Maybe, but they're dealt with for now," Felix said. "We can come up with a more advanced solution when things calm down. Besides, your stuff is done." He pointed to the reactor.
Callen opened a valve and gas hissed into the canister. He counted to five and closed the valve. "Step one, done, step two and three in the process." He popped open the reactor and pulled out the finished goggles. He headed back to his workbench.
"You better have that in the design specs," Felix said. "I'd love to see what you did exactly."
"My base designs are in the system. But, I changed a lot of stuff on the fly." Callen said. "But, let's see if it worked." He turned and headed back to the bench and wired the goggles to the computer.
He pulled the goggles over his head and began running diagnostic programs. He grinned when none popped up and loaded up the infrared protocols. The lenses rippled with color and the world washed over with the heat signatures of his surroundings. A blue line appeared around the edge of each object in the room noting the separation line between objects. He smiled again. "Even better." Callen brought what he saw upon the bench's computer screen and set the programming queue for viewing other pieces of the electromagnetic spectrum.
"You tweaked the inferred program," Felix said. Your lenses are only one-way. Impressive."
The world on the monitor and in the goggles was painted with shades that represented heat. But, each object didn't blur completely together because of temperature equivalencies. Thin green lines defined object edges so things of the same temperature wouldn't blur
together.
"Yup." He then switched to night vision making the world turn shades of green. "I feel like the Predator. But, better...you know...once I get all the vision apps going." He laughed. "Guess I'm not the burden you thought I was?"
"Maybe a little." Felix joked. "You do realize that your modifications place reliance on the wrist computer for whenever you need it to help shoot a gun?"
"Yeah." Callen shrugged. "I'm a lab rat, tech nerd, like you. Besides, I hyped up the targeting computer designs to help with the disruptor. I also got the manufacturing specs for the computer and disruptor parts are all queued up. So, it shouldn't be long until I'm ready for testing. I'll be building the rest simultaneously...I even had the EMP device you made built in...just in case."
Felix smiled. "You really do well alone in the dark!"