"Initiating Test Sequence..." prompted the computer terminal speakers, reverberating through the room which was already filled with tension..
The Chief Technician; Prof. Gary Lynx had labored so hard these past few months trying to move the current research project forward amidst several funding cuts & a large proportion of research staff reassigned to other divisions, he'd been diligent in his efforts to keep the project moving on & to schedule. Now, after several months of hard work things were finally looking to pay off as the first prototype had just entered the testing phase..
They'd been working on a new form of dynamic motor response technology to be used to control the next generation of exo-suit & servitor-frames. With the construction industry's increasing demand for the massive robotic solutions to large scale construction development, & the military initiatives to increase the number of armed powered suits in operation, they'd been tasked with researching this new technology in the hope that it would provide the company with a competitive edge on the market & help secure in a wide array of lucrative contracts. However the research (which was initially scheduled for a 2 year plan) overran significantly due to poor management & misspent funds & by the time Gary had been brought in, they'd been given only a 6 month extension to finish up.
His entire career & reputation was riding on the success of the project & without a marketable product at the end, the situation would have been bleak until only 2 months ago. With the foundations of the technology based on excavated relics the company had acquired, a breakthrough discovery in understanding core systems of the relics' architecture, aided in concluding the research & helped the team establish a base to build their systems upon.
The department director stood anxiously, arms folded starring at Gary who tried his best to focus & keep his eyes fixed on the console in front of him. The control room was filled with junior & senior technicians who all stood silent as if they understood the weight of the moment at hand & what this meant for Gary & the rest of their work at the company. Through a large glass window in front of the group they could see the test bed; a huge hall used for field testing, & in the center; stood the test unit & the prototype perched in his hands..
"All systems nominal professor.." blurted one of the control room junior technicians in the direction of Gary whose concentration was lodged firmly on the monitor, making sure no anomalies had been detected.. "Thank you Wade.. Are we ready to begin Race..?" Gary said leaning into the microphone in front of him..
"Ready to roll chief..!" shouted the test unit, Race McCloud whose voice could be heard through the test bed amp speakers in the control room..
Gary paused for a moment before adjusting a few final calibration settings in preparation for the 1st run. Scaling the atmospheric flow pressure & increasing the base suits' activation dampeners remotely, Gary set everything up ready to proceed to push the activation button which in turn would spring the prototype's activation lock & allow the unit to freely decompress & assimilate the test units base suit. It was a nervous time as all the development work done up to this point had been based on paper studies & this would be the first time they'd know for sure whether the technology worked & functioned in practice as they'd theorized. Gary was hesitant but upon lifting his hand to push the activation button a loud voice boomed from over his shoulder..
"This better work professor..!" called the department director whose fierce demeanor seemed to swell in anticipation of the inevitable.. "It will.." prompted Gary firmly as he took one last glance at the monitor which filled him with a little more confidence..
The test unit lifted the prototype into the air in his hands and just as it reached the correct height, Gary depressed the activation button to release the lock..
Tuesday 18 March 2008
Monday 10 March 2008
Short: Acquisition
"You may enter Mr. Reid.." sparked the ruffled, middle-aged man sat behind a large desk..
His name was Mr Aglar Black; an executive manager of the finance division of OrionBeck-Industries, one of the largest commercial entities in the field of semiconductors & advanced technologies. Aglar was responsible for managing corporate earnings & his biggest undertaking yet was coordinating the acquisition of PyramCorp by his company. OB-I were interested in some of the experimental work PyramCorp had been doing on intrinsic field weapons using sourced materials bought from an excavation company out in the Solace desert. The excavation site was wholly owned by PyramCorp & thus the company had exclusive access to the rare materials & relics recovered, of which all were kept secure in several guarded repositories at undisclosed locations. OB-I had been trying to get into the market of energy field weapons for quite sometime & it was only now with the prospect of a takeover bid that an opportunity had finally presented itself.
The door to Mr Black's office opened & a man dressed in similar attire entered with a handful of documents under his arm. He closed the door behind himself & moved in to take a seat in front of Aglar's desk.
"Good evening sir.." responded the man who at this point had already begun sorting through the documents in search of something specific.
"I've just heard back from our solicitors & they've informed us that the majority of PyramCorp shareholders have agreed to the proposed bid & are willing to settle on the figures offered in return for their family's safety. They seem to believe that we we're somehow connected to the numerous death threats & vandalism of property they'd received in recent weeks..."
Aglar smirked... "Hmph! Sounds like someone's been making one too many enemies if you ask me..." he remarked before taking off his glasses, folding them & placing them down on the desk.
"In any case I'm glad everything is going to plan. Soon we'll have control of the excavation site & we can move our men in to see what they can find. There must be at least one Unit down there. & I know Micheals has been hiding something. I can smell it..."
"I agree Mr Black" responded the man who pulled a white sheet of paper out of the stack he was carrying & placed it down onto the desk. "Also here's the report you requested on the missing Unit our partners lost four months ago. It's believed to be in the hands of an ex ID officer..."
With those words Aglar's attention snapped. A shiver crept down his spine as he lunged for the document & pulled it up against his face to get a closer look... "ID Officer you say!? Hmmm..."
He carefully scanned the report as Mr Reid waited anxiously for his response... "It looks like our fortunes are beginning to raise a little further..." he remarked.. "Why Mr Black..? Who is he..?" replied Mr Reid who seemed confused by Aglar's comment..
"This man is the key to our continued partnership with JUDGE.. & I have some personal business with him myself.."
"You sir?" replied Mr Reid.. "But how is that possible..?"
"Well Mr Reid that is because I believe this is the man who's responsible for the assassination of my brother..."
His name was Mr Aglar Black; an executive manager of the finance division of OrionBeck-Industries, one of the largest commercial entities in the field of semiconductors & advanced technologies. Aglar was responsible for managing corporate earnings & his biggest undertaking yet was coordinating the acquisition of PyramCorp by his company. OB-I were interested in some of the experimental work PyramCorp had been doing on intrinsic field weapons using sourced materials bought from an excavation company out in the Solace desert. The excavation site was wholly owned by PyramCorp & thus the company had exclusive access to the rare materials & relics recovered, of which all were kept secure in several guarded repositories at undisclosed locations. OB-I had been trying to get into the market of energy field weapons for quite sometime & it was only now with the prospect of a takeover bid that an opportunity had finally presented itself.
The door to Mr Black's office opened & a man dressed in similar attire entered with a handful of documents under his arm. He closed the door behind himself & moved in to take a seat in front of Aglar's desk.
"Good evening sir.." responded the man who at this point had already begun sorting through the documents in search of something specific.
"I've just heard back from our solicitors & they've informed us that the majority of PyramCorp shareholders have agreed to the proposed bid & are willing to settle on the figures offered in return for their family's safety. They seem to believe that we we're somehow connected to the numerous death threats & vandalism of property they'd received in recent weeks..."
Aglar smirked... "Hmph! Sounds like someone's been making one too many enemies if you ask me..." he remarked before taking off his glasses, folding them & placing them down on the desk.
"In any case I'm glad everything is going to plan. Soon we'll have control of the excavation site & we can move our men in to see what they can find. There must be at least one Unit down there. & I know Micheals has been hiding something. I can smell it..."
"I agree Mr Black" responded the man who pulled a white sheet of paper out of the stack he was carrying & placed it down onto the desk. "Also here's the report you requested on the missing Unit our partners lost four months ago. It's believed to be in the hands of an ex ID officer..."
With those words Aglar's attention snapped. A shiver crept down his spine as he lunged for the document & pulled it up against his face to get a closer look... "ID Officer you say!? Hmmm..."
He carefully scanned the report as Mr Reid waited anxiously for his response... "It looks like our fortunes are beginning to raise a little further..." he remarked.. "Why Mr Black..? Who is he..?" replied Mr Reid who seemed confused by Aglar's comment..
"This man is the key to our continued partnership with JUDGE.. & I have some personal business with him myself.."
"You sir?" replied Mr Reid.. "But how is that possible..?"
"Well Mr Reid that is because I believe this is the man who's responsible for the assassination of my brother..."
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