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University of Washington, Seattle
Paulette woke up and sauntered into the small college dorm bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and wondered what she was doing there. She wasn’t like everyone else, even in looks. She stared at herself, a six-foot-tall, skinny, muscular woman, with blue eyes, brown hair, and skin so white she almost looked like a ghost. Her hair was ruffled up and sticking out in all directions. What a look, she thought. Here I am in a college dormitory studying physics, and it’s so frustrating to find that the professors don’t know as much as I do. Hmm, maybe I’m just being “holier than thou” again, but, jeez, couldn’t they at least attempt to answer my questions? Frustrated, she turned on the shower and jumped in to get ready for yet another round of classes, most of which were boring. There were only a few that she liked and sometimes challenged her.
Shower done, she put on her skinny jeans and a University of Washington T-shirt. Sitting on her bed, she put her ankle socks on and then slipped her favorite worn-out Nikes on. Getting up from the bed with a slight groan, she wandered over to her drab, college-issue writing desk, grabbed her books, and rushed out the door. Darn it! I’m going to be late again if I don’t hurry, she thought. While running toward the Einstein building where her first class was taking place, she thought about her best friend, Greg. I wonder what he’s up to now, since he doesn’t start his first class for another hour.
Despite being friends for over four years, she had to wonder if he thought of her as more than a friend. Of course, neither of them ever broached the subject, comfortable to be close friends who could share everything with each other. But she had to admit that she thought he was quite handsome. That smooth, olive skin, green eyes, and black hair were enough to make any woman swoon. To say he had the looks of a body builder in his six-two frame was an understatement. Well, I guess I’ll never know for sure.
Later, after she had completed several classes, she headed over to the cafeteria, hoping to run into Greg. Not long after getting her food and trying to find a place to sit in the over-crowed lunchroom, she spotted him. She turned and headed over to the table where he was sitting and plopped down in the seat next to him.
“Hey, what’s up?” she inquired.
Greg, having a mouth full of food, just mumbled for a second till he could swallow. “Not much, how about you?”
“Oh, you know the same old thing. The professors won’t listen to me, and they have quit calling on me as well. I’m getting really frustrated with this whole college thing. It’s just like every other school I’ve been to.”
“Well,” he said, “you should at least give it a try for a bit longer. I mean, I know you’re smart and all, but there must be something new you can learn, right?”
Her eyebrows arched upward as she said, “Really? Something new? I doubt it, but I guess you’re right. I can stick it out a bit longer. So, how is the engineering stuff going?”
“Well,” he drew out, “it’s going. Unlike you, I’ve got to constantly study and pay attention. However, I’m getting it. As I go along, I think I’ll get a good grasp on it.”
“That’s a good thing. I’m formulating a new idea and would love your help with it, if you’re interested.”
“Depends on what it is.”
A large smile spread across her face as she launched into the new idea. “Well, I think you’ll like this one. I’ve been watching the news lately, and they have been highlighting our veterans who are coming home from the wars in the Middle East. It’s really sad to see them coming home missing a leg, arm, or worse, both, or all their limbs. The military and VA just don’t have the sophistication to help them get back to normal. The idea I’ve got would benefit them. Plus, we could help others too.” Her voice rose in excitement.
“What are you thinking about doing to solve their plight?” he inquired.
“Funny you should ask. I’ve been doing some research on prosthetics, which has come a long way over the years. A prosthetic limb can now be placed on a person with electrodes attached to the stump which provides some control over the prosthetic limb. However, I don’t think that’s enough, and the limbs still look bulky and hard to deal with. So ... I came up with an idea that would stretch my own engineering, physics, and math, and I need you and others to help me design it.”
“Go on. Exactly, what are we talking about?” he asked.
“I propose that we develop a bionic limb that will attach to the person as if it were his or her own limb. It will take a lot of work to develop the nerve conduits, as well as being able to stitch artificial muscle to the real muscle. Plus, we’d use synthetic skin to make the limb look real. If we’re successful, then the bionic limbs will function exactly like the human limb — so much so, that people who have them will barely realize that they ever lost a limb in the first place. They wouldn’t have to worry about people staring at them, making faces or asking awkward questions anymore. These people would have their lives back. And, yes, before you even ask, the whole idea is to help these people. However, the overall goal is to make enough money to be able to work on my time-travel project.”
“You do know that no one will fund you for the time-travel stuff, right? Besides are you sure you want to do this after what happened at the Abernathy Lab?”
“To answer your last question first. Yes, I’m sure. I should never have worked on my theories in the private sector. That was a mistake I won’t make again. As for the funding, I know no one will fund my project, which is why this other idea will be perfect. We can start looking for people to help fund our company. Once we get funded, we can search for people for the research and development department. The more important question is would you want to be my partner in this little adventure?”
Greg thought for a moment before looking at her and answering. “I’ll need to think about it, but it does sound appealing,” he murmured. “You know that it’ll have to wait till we graduate, right?” he inquired.
“That’s the thing. I’m considering dropping out after my sophomore year to start the company. I’ll be twenty then, and things need to get moving. I’m tired of being held back, and this company will allow both of us to explore things we can’t do here or anywhere else. So, what do you think?”
“I think it could be a great success, but I need to finish school first. I’m not like you. I’ve got to learn things I don’t know yet. However, I’d be glad to be your business partner. I’ll have to work part time till I get done with college. If you’re okay with that, then we can start working on finding some funding. Hopefully, you can get it up and running by the end of next year.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. We need to come up with a name for the company. I was thinking we could use our first initials, something like P&G Bionics. What do you think?”
Thinking on if for a moment, Greg replied, “I like it. Simple, yet unique.”
Paulette was so excited that she leaned over and gave Greg a huge hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she blurted out.
“You’re welcome. Now how about we finish eating our lunch so we don’t miss our next class?”
“Fine.” She looked down at her fork and thought, I’m much too excited to eat. She rose from the table, picked up her tray, dumped her food in the trash, and placed the tray on the counter.
“Goodbye,” Greg hollered across the dining room.
Paulette turned and waved. “See ya later.”
