Chapter Fifteen

Part One

The aroma of freshly ground coffee penetrated her bliss, waking her just in time to see Rick walk in wearing only his jeans. When he saw her eyes open, he smiled. ‘Good morning, my beautiful lady. Coffee and a light breakfast will be ready in ten minutes.’

Kate walked into the bright sunlit kitchen, her hair wrapped in a towel and deliberately wearing only her bra and panties. Seeing Rick leaning on the counter and gazing out of the window, she felt her breath catch.

With as much innuendo as she could, Kate said, ‘I see the view is just as spectacular during the day.’ She was gratified when he immediately caught on to her compliment.

Openly drinking her in with his eyes from her toes up, he said, ‘It’s a view that’s very easy to get used to.’ Kate felt her legs weakening and her body warming in response to the intent behind his gaze…  >> MORE <<

Part Two

Harold drove them into the sunlight and traffic as Kate asked Rick, ‘So where are we going?’

‘My lab. I set up a temporary digital and physical lab just north of town. We had started the digital prototype mapping and the team was working backwards through the data packs Ashinkata and Rissi were trying to sell us when you caught wind of their scam. I feel like an old-time prospector when I hear myself say that there is something there, I just can’t see it yet.’

Rick picked a small satchel up from beside his seat and passed it to Kate. Opening it, she found a computer tablet and a spiral bound notebook, along with some pens and pencils. She also found an identity tag with her name on it tucked in an inside pocket, her ID photo lifted from the amiga’s business website.

‘The tablet is unlocked by your tag. We have some great programmers and physical modellers ready to test anything that looks like it might work. Our intent, if we can get it to work, is to license region-based production and installation on a charity and sponsorship model, and in such a way that third world and developing communities can afford them and have access to them…   >> MORE <<

Part Three

Looking like he wished it was a large red button; a young man had his finger hovering over his keyboard. The assembled men and women were silent and waiting with wide smiles. Many were officially off duty, but not one of them was prepared to leave. There were some things you just had to be there for, and this was one of them. Kate took Rick’s and Tyson’s hands in hers. Rick looked to her and squeezed her hand before nodding to the technician. On the large screens, everyone watched as the numbers started rolling, barely breathing. When the wide border of the main results window switched its display from red to white, excited whispers of ‘Break-even’ shot around the room. The computer simulation had passed failure already, and was only just past the two-thirds point of the run.

A restrained murmur revealed the tension in the room when the final numbers started rolling in and the display switched colours again, this time to…   >> MORE <<