Board Room
Lisa stands outside of a board room. She is nervous. She always gets nervous when she has to justify her work to people who have no idea how important it is. The agenda for the meeting she is about to attend is to weigh the benefits and liabilities of moving Lisa’s project to another location. Lisa and her team are tired of the congestion of the population hub where her project is currently located and she thinks a quieter more out of the way location would increase productivity. Just the logistics of moving around the city alone is costing her team valuable time. Time that could be spent working toward her dream of a new tomorrow.
She wasn’t just building a computer. Her team wasn’t just writing code. She was building the most powerful computer that has ever existed. Her computer would be able to solve the logistic problems of the world and manage a better society. Her project would allow people and information to flow seamlessly in a way that has never been possible before. The world is too complex for one person or even a group of people to manage properly. However, her computer will have the computing power of not just a single person or group of people, but of the entire human race. People will be able to reach their full potential once they are freed from the mundane tasks that now consume most of their lives. Nothing must hinder her work and she must find a way to make the board understand.
She can feel the sweat gather on the palms of her hands as the time for her meeting approaches. Bob gives her some encouragement just before she is about to go in. She enters the board room and sits down in one of the chairs that surround a huge table. At one end of the table is a white screen that descends from the ceiling and is used for presentations. At the other end of the table is a large chair where the chairman of the board sits. There are several men already seated around the table. Lisa feels a lump in her throat. The man who is sitting in the large chair at the end of the table speaks.
“The purpose of this meeting is to discuss whether to move project Moonbeam to another location. As you are aware, the competition is ruthless. They will stop at nothing to derail our progress and it’s come to my attention that our position here has been compromised. There are several secluded locations owned by the company that could be set up to house the project in less than 6 weeks. This is a race and whoever wins it will be in position to control the world.”
Lisa had never looked at her project in terms of controlling people. She had always looked at it in terms of helping people live more productive happier lives. The board looked at her project as a means to extend their influence.
The lights went out in the room and on the white screen there were pictures of three locations. The first location was high in the mountains. The second location was in the middle of some woodland area. The third location was in the middle of an island on a secluded lake. The man in the large chair continued talking.
“We have the possibility of three locations. The first location is high in the mountains, It’s gets cold most of the year and there are dangerous wild animals that live there. The second location is in some secluded woods. The temperature is mild compared to the mountains and it’s not quite as far from the rest of the world. The third location is on an island. Anyone trespassing there would have to get across the lake to do it. Does the project team have a preference?” It takes a moment for Lisa to realize that everyone is looking at her to answer the man’s question.
She thinks about it for a few minutes. She didn’t like the idea of being in the mountains with the wild animals and the cold weather. She also didn’t like the idea of being stuck on an island.
“The project group votes for the location in the woods.” She finally responds.
“The woods it is then.” The man says agreeably, “You have 6 weeks to get your team ready to move. Once you move, you will not have contact with anyone from the outside world until your project is complete. Thank you for your input.” This is Lisa’s cue to get up and leave the room.
As Lisa is walking back to her work area, Bob meets her in the hallway.
“Well, what happened?” He asks.
“We’ve got 6 weeks left to enjoy civilization.” Lisa responds.
Here is a link to my previous Chapter
https://theprose.com/post/307678/a-flash-of-light
Here in a link to my Book