– 49 –

 

Norman Stravinsky was preparing to exit his Seattle apartment for a late breakfast. As the inventor of Mekhos he was in demand for enterprise consulting and speaking engagements, and as usual had spent the first part of his morning on the phone. Though he still liked to think of himself as a hardware engineer, in truth he had become more of a spokesperson for government, educational institutions, and various companies. He was a board member of several organizations and spent many of his days on conference calls in his apartment office or shuttling between various meetings in the greater Seattle area.

He valued his downtime. Designing the first fully-operational quantum computer was considered one of the supreme accomplishments of the post-industrial age. Mekhos was two generations removed from that first working prototype, and had effectively designed itself. Nevertheless, without Stravinsky’s genius Mekhos wouldn’t exist and Norman was quite proud of that fact.

He maintained his privileged status with Mekhos. The machine seemed to have an affinity towards him, or it recognized the need to have a few select human beings with whom to consult and convey information. Unlike most of the others who interacted with Mekhos, Stravinsky viewed himself as an equal to the quantum computer. As the creator of the most powerful entity in the world Stravinsky occasionally allowed his ego some much-deserved breathing room.

With the discovery of the twin Earth, Stravinsky was often asked by the media if quantum computer technology would be given to humankind’s celestial cousins, who were apparently decades behind technologically and still suffered through wars and poverty. Stravinsky replied that it wasn’t up to him, and that he would be happy to assist in the task should he be called upon.

He was regularly approached on the street by autograph seekers, though some were turned back by his bodyguard. As a high profile person with the most intimate ties to Mekhos, the government knew he was a target for extremist groups. He lived alone, but by executive order he always had an escort while out. The building was under constant surveillance as well. Stravinsky put on his jacket and exited the apartment.

He waited on the street outside the lobby. He looked at his Raim ‒ he was a few minutes early. The assigned drivers were always punctual so he knew he wouldn’t be waiting long. A few meters away at the end of the curved driveway he saw a police officer talking to a tall, well-dressed man. The man glanced at Stravinsky and gave a curt nod. Stravinsky nodded back. A new bodyguard, he thought.

The car pulled up, and Stravinsky got in. As the car exited the driveway he noticed that the police officer and the agent had vanished. He thought nothing of it.