Chapter Two
Oslo
Meagan Fletcher recorded her story on the spectacular introduction of IHT v1.0 late Saturday morning, as soon as the Academy orientation-turned-masked-ball had ended. The five reporters who were invited to represent the world press at the event were supplied with an animated 3D rendering of the ballroom, which they could use in their stories. As soon as the report was recorded, Meagan asked her producer if they could talk privately. The two women retreated to the producer's office, where Meagan broke the news. The only thing the reporter told her producer was that she had to go away and she would return in a few days with the scoop of the century. She said nothing more. She didn't tell the producer what the scoop would be, where she was going, or exactly how long she would be gone.
"That's all you can tell me?" asked the producer, giving Meagan a skeptical look. When Meagan remained silent, the producer prodded, "It has to do with GundTech, doesn't it? You found something out at the orientation session, didn't you?"
Meagan simply turned on her heel and walked from the room. "I'll see ya when I see ya," she said over her shoulder as she left.
As Meagan entered her office, Jason greeted her with the news that X-Boy had sent a travel schedule to the reporter's Pvt03 channel.
"Print it, please, Jason." Meagan retrieved the paper from the printScan as soon as it appeared and examined it. It told her that a GundTech employee would pick her up early Sunday morning to take her to the airport. She would then board a GundTech jet and be flown to Oslo. While in Oslo, she would stay at the Grand Hotel for the duration of her visit — all expenses paid, of course. On Monday morning, Oslo time, she would be taken to GundTech headquarters for her meeting.
"I am worried about you, Meagan," said Jason. "I wish I could be there with you."
Meagan was genuinely touched. "I wish you could come too, Jason, I really do. I'd love to have your input." Meagan double-checked her briefcase. Yes, she had packed everything she needed. "Would you like the curtains open or closed?"
"Closed, please," said Jason somberly.
Meagan touched the display in her desktop, and the curtains glided shut. "Goodbye, Jason. See you in a few days."
Jason's analysis of Meagan's voice indicated she was quite happy and at ease. "Goodbye, Meagan." His partner left the room, shutting the office door behind her. Then, very softly, he said to the empty room, "I'll miss you."
Meagan lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling of her hotel room. It was Monday morning. A soft sunlight streamed through the tall windows of her room. She could only think of one word to describe her trip so far: luxurious! She rolled on her side so she could see the face of the clock that sat on the stand beside the bed. When her eyes focused on the clock's display, she sat bolt upright. You're going to be late! She swung her feet over the edge of the bed.
A frantic half-hour later, she was showered and dressed in her charcoal gray suit. It was at times like this that she was happy her hair was cut in an easy-to-maintain style. A few minutes with a brush and a blow dryer, and she'd be ready to go. As it turned out, it was a few minutes she didn't have, for there was a loud knock at the door.
Meagan cracked the door open without removing the chain lock and peeked through the opening. Gwen Johanssen stood in the hall. "Oh! Hello," said Meagan in surprise. "Pardon me. Just a second, please." She closed the door, removed the chain, then opened it wide. The reporter ran a hand through her damp, limp hair and beckoned the GundTech executive into her room.
"I'm sorry," said the GundTech executive coolly. "Am I early?"
Meagan closed the door and followed Ms. Johanssen into the hotel suite's sitting room. "No, quite the opposite. I'm running late." The two women exchanged small talk as Meagan Fletcher finished drying her hair and applied the little makeup she normally wore.
When Meagan was finished, Gwen escorted the reporter to a small, private dining room in the hotel. A single table, set for three, stood in the middle of the room. It was laid out with fresh fruit, pastries, and three crystal pitchers of different juices. In the corner of the room was a chef, prepared to cook eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, or crepes to order. Sitting at the far side of the table, with the window to his back, was the boy wonder — X-Boy — Gus. "Good morning," he said as he rose from his chair. "Let me properly introduce myself. I'm Gus Villfarelse, President of GundTech."
Meagan extended her hand, which he took in his. She didn't have to mention she knew it wasn't his real name.
Gus gestured towards Gwen. "You know Gwen from our press conferences." Meagan nodded politely. "Good! Please, have a seat." Gus pulled a chair out for his guest. When she was seated, he did the same for Gwen. "And how was your trip?"
"Fine, thank you."
They chatted casually as they enjoyed their breakfast. Maybe it was just Meagan's overactive reporter's imagination, but she had the feeling Gwen Johanssen was not at ease. Was she just uncomfortable with strangers? Was she uncomfortable with the knowledge that a member of the press had identified her boss? Or was she uncomfortable with the boy wonder being with another woman?
The reporter decided to test the waters. "How long have you been with GundTech, Gwen?" She observed the quick glance in Gus' direction before Gwen answered.
"Since the beginning." Her reply was short and curt.
"And what brought you to the company?"
Another reflexive eye movement towards Gus. "I've known Gus for a long time."
"A long time?"
"Since we were children," said Gus. He looked at his watch then motioned for the chef to retire from the room. "Now down to business, Meagan. Let me lay this on you all at once. We'll worry about the details later. As I've told you, I need you for one, single reason."
Meagan found this statement to be somewhat peculiar. Why did he use the redundant phrase "for one, single reason?"
"And that reason is this. The concepts, which lie underneath the IHT technology, are so basic and so revolutionary that they will change the world scientifically, economically, and socially. If this knowledge is managed poorly, chaos could ensue and the financial systems of many smaller countries could collapse. I want you to help us figure out how to manage this information — how to distribute it. With your connections to all the major technology companies around the world…"
"Wait a minute," Meagan held up a hand. "Slow down. Isn't how you sell the information to other companies a marketing question? Isn't that part of what you do, Gwen?" Maybe that's it, Meagan thought, I've been brought in to replace Gwen. That's why she's uncomfortable. "I'm not a marketing person."
"You misunderstand me, Meagan," said Gus. "Think about it. I'm sure you had your WBN research people checking for patents we have filed recently. What did you find?"
"Nothing."
"And, if we needed to protect our discovery, we would have filed patents and copyrights on everything we could think of. Isn't that so?"
Meagan nodded. "So why haven't you protected yourself — your business interests?"
"Remember when private companies tried to copyright maps of the human genes at the end of the last century?"
"Sure. It was ruled that this knowledge was so basic to the understanding of ourselves that it should be public property," she explained.
"Could anyone copyright 2 + 2 = 4? Did Albert Einstein copyright E=MC2? The science we have developed is revolutionary, but it belongs to the basic knowledge of mankind. We need to find a way to give this knowledge to the public without upsetting the apple cart."
Meagan began to appreciate the enormity of the job she was about to undertake. Its weight was already beginning to settle onto her shoulders.
– End Chapter Two –
