BXBX NOVEL Chapter 78 - Armored Suits
After discussing the first-week sales with Ralph, Vince decided to visit Morgan to learn about his concerns at the Micro Device offices a few floors below.
A British man in his lab coat was conversing with four researchers next to the laboratory.
"Morgan, is this a wrong time to speak with you?" Vince asked.
Director Morgan dismissed his underlings and walked with Vince to his magnificent office, featuring a clear view of the Tech Campus across the Colorado River in the South.
"The view doesn\'t seem real sometimes. But, after two years of continuous construction, Future Tech built a sprawling community with more than 50,000 residents featuring the latest innovations in smart city design. Billions well spent. " Morgan stated while Vince was peering out the glass window.
"The Tech Campus is a testament to you and all our collective achievements in advancing technology. Austin is lucky to have such talented and skilled residents. I\'m lucky." Vince replied honestly.
"I haven\'t been here since day one, but based on what Director Dollar and the Future Studios staff, you\'ve always been the one to lead Future Tech, and every step we take, we rise higher and higher. I\'m glad you bought ARM and shared the opportunity to change the world." Morgan replied genuinely.
"Thanks for the reassurance, Morgan. I feared incompetence in myself, in failing Future Tech and my staff. But the recent trip cheered me up a bit, at least." Vince replied honestly.
"You pay us directors and the staff well for results, and that is what we\'ll give you. I\'ve been meaning to ask you regarding expanding the material science sub-division. For example, our graphene composites research project is going well. Still, I require all my experienced researchers to be involved, which would divert resources from material projects for the fusion reactor and rocket fuel." Morgan explained.
"I understand why you wanted to talk to me directly. Which company are we buying now?" Vince asked plainly.
"A semiconductor materials company based in Boston called Entegris. They also manufacture equipment to produce vital components for electronics that we could integrate with the Hive Mind. The market cap is currently $1.6 billion and would take around $2 billion to buy outright." Morgan replied.
"Lucky for you, Ralph approved a few billion for free-spending after the accounting department processed the first-week sales. I accept your proposition. Designate Entegris\' current headquarters as our Boston Future Tech branch. You know the drill." Vince declared.
"Thanks. The additional professional workforce will keep our project deadlines in check. Have you spoken to Heidi? She mentioned needing to talk to you during our last director\'s meeting." Morgan added.
"Last time we spoke was before she left The Longhorn in Austin. Ralph already reminded me. Thanks." Vince stated before leaving.
A few floors down, a woman with red hair and glasses read reports from her researchers when Vince knocked on her door.
"Come in," Heidi instructed.
"Hey, I just arrived earlier this afternoon from LA and spoke with Morgan before heading here. What did you want to talk about?" Vince asked while sitting down on the sofa.
"Welcome back. I assume Morgan spoke to you about our progress with manufacturing graphene composites. We\'ll soon integrate the new fabrication process into the Tech Campus\'s Hive Mind production lines. We\'re currently limited to fabricating microscopic portions of graphene for our processors and system on nanite test products. But after the upgrade, we\'ll be able to produce larger volumes of metal matrix composites using alloys and layers of graphene." Heidi explained.
"That\'s good news. Elon has been bugging me about his new spacesuits." Vince replied with a bit of banter.
"He got wasted after the E3 announcement and talked my ears off about his desperate need for the spacesuits. I had to make him smoke and drink more to shut him up." Heidi bantered back.
"When can I expect our astronauts able to be trained in their new drip?" Vince inquired.
"That\'s what I wanted to show you. Follow me." Heidi instructed before leading Vince to a testing facility on the same floor.
"Though we can\'t mass produce metal matrix composites economically yet, Future Tech Robotics and Material Science division were able to produce enough for these three suits," Heidi explained as they were entering the storage room.
The first suit was small and similar to the size of a soldier and mainly was skin-tight; the second was larger and entirely enclosed in foreign-looking metals and fabric, while the third was ten feet tall and humongous, featuring more armor than the second.
[The least-armored type is giving me Crysis vibes, while the medium-armored one looks like the Mjolnir from Halo. The heavy-armor type is a fucking mini-Gundam.] Vince thought in astonishment.
"How could a regular-sized human control the medium and heavy armor variants without the need for increasing the frame\'s power usage?" Vince asked curiously.
"Dr. Taylor Miller from FT VR has adapted the prototype deep-dive VR control system for use with the armor. The pilot hibernates inside the armor using life support systems for food, oxygen, etc., while his consciousness controls the armor similar to his own body." Heidi explained.
"See, I told you my teacher could help with the R&D. She\'s quite brilliant," Vince stated as a matter of fact.
"I agree. Alexis and I go out Downtown or at Sixth Street with her sometimes after working together for months on this project, but she\'s a busy woman raising a young boy." Heidi stated honestly.
"That\'s good to hear. How expensive will these prototypes be when we complete the Hive Mind update?" Vince asked inquisitively.
"The infantry-variant will cost $1 million, the medium-armor variant for $10 million, and the heavy-armor variant will cost $25 million, primarily due to more surface area where the graphene needs to be applied. In addition, the batteries we developed with Tesla specifically for the power suits are enough for their current features but would have to be replaced often, especially for the heavy-armor variant." Heidi explained.
"The heavy-armor variant is too large to fit in our current dragon modules, so I assume the medium-armor variant is the one we\'ll provide to SpaceX," Vince stated in confidence.
"Bingo. Only the medium and heavy variants can operate in a vacuum, while the infantry variant is for terrestrial use. Some components are modular, and we can install more weapons and batteries by sacrificing maneuverability." Heidi stated.
"Focus on producing enough suits for our astronauts as the priority. Then, we can manufacture more of the other variants when we\'ve fulfilled our current SpaceX orders. Future Tech Robotics has been doing magical work this past year." Vince said as a compliment.
"I\'d be ashamed not to deliver results with the billions of funding Future Tech provided us this year. We\'ll continue refining the design before mass-production starts. I require a test pilot as a benchmark for the performance trials. " Heidi stated.
[Marco is a good choice, but he was already a guinea pig for the cybernetic replacement program. Unfortunately, Director Price is too busy with running operations at Kandahar. Oh, I know the perfect candidate!] Vince thought.
"I\'ll call Felix and assign him to test the prototypes. I suggest a more intense type of performance trial. He\'ll appreciate it, I assure you." Vince said with a chuckle.
"Alright. I\'ll be in touch if my division requires anything else." Heidi stated before bidding farewell.
While walking towards the elevator, Vince opened a private channel on his smartwatch comlink app.
A few seconds later, Felix accepted the comlink request from his boss.
"Good morning from Dehdadi, Vince. What\'s up?" Felix asked.
"Will your battalion be fine if I assign you to perform some tests here in Austin for a month or so?" Vince replied.
"I\'ve been training one of my company officers to lead a battalion eventually. I\'m sure he can handle the FOB for a month without me. Director Price is always on call in case any emergencies happen, anyways." Felix replied confidently.
"Excellent. The trials will be challenging and rigorous, so be ready for anything." Vince explained.
"I\'m up for anything. You know this, Vince. Will you tell me what I\'ll be testing?" Felix asked.
"It\'s a surprise, Felix. But I can give you a slight hint. Think M1 Abrams Tank but in the form of a human." Vince said mysteriously.
"I can already imagine. My blood is already pumping! I heard about a few bits and pieces from Director Price when we drink during my off days. He mentioned how he laughed the idea off at first after hearing about it from Heidi." Felix replied excitedly.
"I know you\'d be thrilled for the test, so I asked Heidi to make them more difficult. It would be best if you hoped she isn\'t a sadist. Good luck." Vince said jokingly.
"No, no, no. You\'ve done me a great favor, Vince. I\'m pumped up even more now. When can I leave for Austin?" Felix asked.
"You can start gathering your things after our call. Price will handle your expedited reassignment stateside." Vince instructed.
"Alright, I\'ll be there as fast as I can," Felix said before closing the comlink channel.
[Heidi isn\'t a sadist, but Felix is indeed a masochist. I believe he should be fine, I think...] Vince pondered in hesitation.
Stats last time checked:
Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion
15 million BTC (currently trades at $25,000)
$16 Billion cash in Future Tech
105,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics, Future Education, SpaceX)
20,000+ operators under Future Security
Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner, The Longhorn
Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E)
Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram)