Smarter (an Ell Donsaii story #2) (20 page)

Fred, her “Ellen” AI spoke in her ear. “You have a call from Roger Emmerit.”

Ell broke away from Phil’s lips a moment to say, “Sorry, can’t take a call at present.” Then she leaned back to Phil.

Eventually, she broke free from Phil again, leaned back and said, “Hey! I didn’t kick you in the nuts this time!” she winked at him, and then leaned in for one more kiss.

For the flight to Boston, Ell snuck into a bathroom and changed back to her “Symonds” persona. She wanted to minimize her time as “Donsaii” while the Chinese might still be looking for her. While in that getup, she called the Tech Development Office at NCSU to find out what they had decided to do with her invention. When she reached the same man who had spoken to her before, he leaned back in his chair with a smirk on his face. “Ms. Symonds! I understand you quit your graduate program?”

Ell studied the man, thinking to herself that he was a trivial and mean natured person. “I resigned, yes. I found Dr. Johnson’s treatment of his subordinates, including me, to be unacceptable.”

“Well, I’m sorry you couldn’t get along.” His expression betrayed no concern and a slight emphasis on “you” made it obvious where he thought the fault lay. “In any case, I just spoke to Dr. Johnson again an hour ago. He has gone through your experimental setup thoroughly and assures us there is no scientific basis for your claim of quantum transmission. The committee met and concurred that the University should not expend any more resources on this idea of yours.”

Ell sighed, “So, then I must patent it by myself?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And the University renounces all rights to it?”

“Well the University will continue to claim five percent of any royalty stream, should you actually be able to commercialize.” Patronizingly he said, “However, I would advise you to speak to your parents or other advisers before attempting to patent. The patent process is exceedingly expensive, whether or not your device actually works or has any value.”

Barely able to restrain her expression Ell simply said, “Yes sir, I will. Goodbye.” then broke the connection.

Boarding the plane, Ell called Roger. “Sorry I couldn’t take your call earlier,” she said, using her “Ellen” accent, a spike of guilt going through her over the activity she had been engaged in while refusing Roger’s call.”

Roger sounded excited, “Hey, no problem. You are not going to believe who I hung out with this weekend!”

“Who?!” Ell hoped her bemusement sounded like excitement to him.

“Ell Donsaii! You remember she’s from my hometown?”

Ell murmured assent.

“Well she came into my family’s restaurant yesterday and my sister called me so I could go down and try to meet her. She was really nice! Not only did I get to talk to her a bit, she actually let me have dinner with her and her boyfriend from the Air Force Academy!”

“Wow! That’s really cool!” Ell said, while thinking,
Boyfriend?

“Then when we were leaving, some guys kidnapped her!”

“No!”

“Yes! Her boyfriend and I chased them to a house on the beach where they apparently intended to take her out to sea. He knocked the kidnappers into the water while they were carrying her rolled up in a carpet. One of the kidnappers shot her boyfriend!”

“Oh my God! How awful! Are they OK?”

“Yeah she’s fine and he didn’t get hurt very badly. She took us all out to brunch this morning and was very nice to everyone. Even one of the policemen. She’s just a really sweet person. Oh, and I told her about your research! She was very interested.”

“Really?”

“Yep, you
really
should call her and talk to her about what you found on
both
your studies. I told her just a little about my project and she immediately made some great suggestions that I can’t wait to try out. That woman is really, really smart!”

“Hey, what am I, chopped liver?”

“Oh no, you’re brilliant too, but I don’t think
anyone
is in Donsaii’s class. She’s really amazing.”

Simultaneously complimented, and mildly “put down,” Ell snickered at herself for the confusion percolating up through her brain. “Well OK. Hey, I’m going to be out of town for a few days but should be back by Friday. Maybe I can get by to hang out with you guys at West 87 Friday night?”

“Great! See you then.”

Chapter Eleven

She spent the flight musing about her romantic life. After spending most of her teenage years without a single amorous connection, first because of her shyness in high school and then because of the rules at the Academy, she now had two somewhat romantic relationships. Almost three, if you counted the relationships between Roger and Ellen and between Roger and Ell twice. She wondered if she should feel guilty that she seemed to have a borderline boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with both Phil
and
Roger? But, she thought, she loved the fun she had with both of them and neither had spoken to her about committed or monogamous relationships. The kissing had been pretty nice too!
Different with each but thrilling with both,
she mused, rubbing her lips gently. She decided she would just do her best to enjoy this part of life, a part of life that most kids had a
lot
more experience with by the time they reached her age.

Back in Boston, Ell met with Smythe and their two attorneys, Miller and Exeter. Miller had investigated the Air Force’s rights to any invention by Ell and determined that they would be able to claim royalty free use of the invention but none of the royalty stream since she had been detached when she’d made the invention. The patent had been submitted, both in the US and world wide. Though it would be months to years before patents would be approved, they had established priority and could define the invention as “patent pending.” Exeter had incorporated “PGR Tech” and had arranged a meeting the next day with seven large companies or venture capital groups, all of whom were bound by non-disclosure agreements. All the companies knew so far was that they were being offered an opportunity to examine and bid on a new communications technology that did not depend on wired, fiberoptic or radio connectivity. They didn’t know who the tech had been invented by, though Dr. Smythe’s name had been liberally used to entice them, so at present they probably assumed that he had invented it. The companies had been instructed to bring whatever test equipment they might need to be able to evaluate PGR Tech’s claims as well as their own data files to transmit in order to confirm transmission and accuracy.

Ell only had the six prototypes, one original and five of the newer smaller ones. One pair went to Australia and another to the lab computer at NCSU to provide an unbreakable connection to the net for Ell’s AI, so there were only four PGR pairs available for evaluation tomorrow. Therefore four of the groups would evaluate the technology in the morning and three in the afternoon, each of the groups closely watched by one of the four of them. They carefully discussed how the prototypes should never leave their sight.

Bidding would be the morning following the testing and would follow an auction format.

Ell said, “I’d like to go look at the rooms we’ll be using and retest the prototypes. Also, I want whatever information we have on the groups that are bidding. I assume that I have the right to reject groups at auction?”

Exeter said, “Well sure, but why would you reject a group? Surely we want to accept the best offer?”

Eyes flashing, Ell said, “A group of Asians, probably associated with the Chinese government, has kidnapped me two times in the past six months! If I sniff anything suggesting that
those
SOBs might be bidding, I do not want them to have access.”

Exeter swallowed at the transformation of the usually pleasant young woman’s demeanor from mild mannered to frightening. “Oh well, then you may want to cancel Lenovo’s invitation. They’re a Chinese corporation – though they do have very deep pockets.”

Ell’s eyes narrowed, “Lenovo!” she hissed, blatantly displaying her dislike. “What I’d like to do is show it to them, and then tell them that they can’t have it.”

“What reason would we give, if they’re the high bidder?”

“That the inventor doesn’t like them?” She sighed and leaned back. “Actually, I don’t know that Lenovo was actually involved, just that the kidnappers used the Lenovo name to entice me the first time. But, I
do not
want a Chinese corporation to have access, so please uninvite them.”

***

The next morning Ell appeared at the hotel with her hair moussed dark but, instead of her “Ellen” spiky do, it was plastered down to her head. She was wearing a tight sports bra, a man’s white shirt, loose around the waist and men’s Levi’s. No “fat pants.” Her hourglass figure was practically invisible and her look quite androgynous. She wore pale makeup and brown contacts. Smythe, Miller and Exeter didn’t recognize her when she walked in and Exeter, looking up, said, “Excuse me. This room is reserved for a confidential meeting?”

Ell said with her best English accent, “I believe I’m invited?”

“Oh, whom do you represent?”

“The inventor.”

“Huh, Oh! Ell?”

“Yup, I’ve decided I don’t want them to know who I am. I’d like to be here though. Can you guys call me ‘Terry’? It seems suitably androgynous.”

“But, I thought you were giving the initial introduction to the tech before they break up to eval it in the separate rooms?”

“I’m still up for that.”

When the potential buyers had all arrived and taken chairs, Exeter introduced Ell as “Terry,” an “expert” on the technology. Ell stepped to the front of the room and began to speak. “Good morning. We are presenting you the opportunity to purchase exclusive rights to a new communications technology. Today we will tell you about its capabilities and allow you to verify them. Tomorrow you will have the opportunity to bid for purchase in an auction format.”

She reached in her pocket and pulled out two of the PGR prototypes. Holding them up she said, “These are functional prototypes constructed in a fab lab. We estimate that commercially constructed devices could be reduced in size by a factor of at least ten and constructed in quantity for a cost below five dollars each. They will transmit data from one PGR to the other, and back, at rates similar to current fiber optic data channels but without the fiber or any other physical connection.”

A young blond man in the front row tsked, “So is this just some new way to multiplex a cell signal so that it provides high data rates? Because, if it is, I have to tell you we have something like that in development ourselves. We would not want to listen to any more of your presentation for fear that when we release our new system you may claim that we developed it from your presentation.”

“No, as the solicitation stated, and as you will be allowed to test, it does not use radio.”

“Laser then?”

“No.” Ell stared at him, clearly waiting for him to interrupt again.

“Inductance or something? What’s its range?”

“Thank you for asking, we have a small demonstration.” She had her AI open a window on the big screen at the front of the room. The screen was divided, one side showing an image of a redheaded man standing before a desk “Mr. Allison?”

“Yes?”

“Please state your location.”

“Uh, 410 West Hay Street.”

“Hay Street where?”

“Uh, Perth.”

“Country?” Ell felt like she was pulling teeth, perhaps she should have told him exactly what she wanted before the presentation.

“Australia.”

“You are an officer of Jones and Allison, patent Attorneys in Perth?”

“Yes.”

“And you are being captured by two video cameras, correct?”

“Uh, yes.”

“And the signal from one is being sent in the standard fashion over the net?”

“Yes.”

“And what is being done with the signal from the other camera?”

“Um, nothing, the output cord from it is in my hand.” He held his hand up with the end of a white cord in it.

“What’s on the desk in front of you?”

“One of the two devices you FedExed to us and had me open this evening.” He gestured at a small object isolated on the plain table in front of him.

“Thank you Mr. Allison. I realize that it is late there in Australia and we appreciate you coming in at night for this call. Do you know what the device is?”

“Uh, no.”

“And have you done any investigation of it?”

“No.”

“Is it connected to anything?”

“No.” he said, nudging it so that it slid across the table, thus demonstrating that it was un-connected.

“Please plug it in to the output of the second video camera, sir.”

He picked up the PGR, fumbled with it and the cable a moment. Another video image of him suddenly appeared on the left side of the video screen behind Ell as he took his hand away showing the PGR plugged into the jack. “There you go.” He said quizzically.

“And how much power is being supplied to the device?”

“Uh, whatever is usually delivered over a USB 5.0 cable? I think it’s 5 volts?”

Ell turned to the room, “Gentlemen and Ladies, the PGR device he has jacked into his camera is sending a video signal from Australia using only a 5 volt power source to this PGR here,” she pointed to the paired PGR device, plugged into a USB 5.0 cable on the table behind her.

I’m sure you can think of ways that it might instead be sending an RF signal to the net, then over the net to our screen here. So, though it will be difficult to prove to your satisfaction that that is not the case, we have asked Mr. Allison to have several cans of various sizes available. Mr. Allison, could you drop the PGR unit into one of your small cans and put the lid on it now.”

He did so but the video image wasn’t disturbed.

Ell said, “And now wrap, can and all, in the copper foil.”

The man turned and picked up a sheet of copper foil, then wrapped it around the can and wire. The video image remained completely stable.

The blond man in the front row had his arms crossed over his chest. He snorted, “That
cannot
be possible, but I can think of a lot of different ways to fake it.”