Hosein Kouros-Mehr - Extinction 6

She contemplates. “Let me see what I can do.”

She grabs her briefcase and takes out her smartglasses, connecting them wirelessly to the speakers in the room. Stepping onto a chair, she climbs a crate and looks down to her team.

“Everyone, please listen,” she declares, her voice amplified through the warehouse. “I want you to take a break and gather here for a few minutes.”

The workers stop welding and remove their faceplates. Fei and Diego approach the makeshift podium. The workspace grows quiet and a crowd of forty people convene around Beth.

“I appreciate your hard work and dedication to Project Titan. Our journey has been extremely challenging and we are now in the home stretch. Uncertainties remain and it’s not clear that we’ll succeed.”

Austin turns and walks back towards his boss.

Beth’s voice projects across the lab. “This isn’t our first rodeo and we’ve been tested many times before. Look what Google has accomplished—the world’s best search engine, artificial intelligence, smartglasses and augmented reality. We are the world’s most valuable technology company and that means high expectations to take risk and innovate.”

Sprinkles of applause drift from the crowd.

“Project Titan is the most important endeavor in our history . We are in the midst of a mass extinction. The human population has declined by one billion and every month twenty species of plants and animals go extinct. Clean energy is the only solution to save the world. Without it, the human race will disappear from the face of the Earth.”

Silence grips the warehouse.

She continues after a pause. “I know you’re trying your best, but the stress is taking its toll. We can’t succeed with this level of tension.” She sits on the box and crosses her legs. “I want us to do a group exercise. Please have a seat.”

Anil looks up and sees his boss. “Dr. Sanders, what is this about?”

Austin plops down next to his associate. “I’m not sure.”

Beth continues. “Shiv Patel, our former CEO, taught that innovation comes from deep within our brain. His book, ‘Awaken the Power of Insight,’ described how the subconscious mind solves our problems even while we focus on other tasks. By nurturing a connection with that deeper part of our intellect, we can unlock our intuition and solve any task in our way.”

Austin leans over to Anil. “I know where she’s going. We used to practice this during Project Bodi.”

“Practice what?” Anil asks.

“Mindfulness.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ll see.”

Beth closes her eyes and inhales deeply in front of her team, then slowly exhales. “You can tap into your subconscious mind by being present and freeing yourself from fears and anxieties that block your insights. Please take ten deep breaths and calm yourself.”

Austin shuts his eyes and tries to focus.

“Place your attention on your breathing and be here now in this moment. When a thought or emotion disturbs you, simply watch it and acknowledge that you’ve been interrupted, and then return to the present.”

Austin grimaces, appearing disturbed by something.

“By developing awareness of your thoughts, you will identify the mental blockages keeping you down. You will discover your core problems so you can liberate yourself and reach a state of peace. By reopening the connection to your subconscious mind, you will unlock the insights to your challenges. Mindfulness will improve your innovation.”

The team meditates for five minutes amidst the electric whir of the laboratory. Austin’s frown disappears and his demeanor relaxes.

Beth opens her eyes. “I want you to perform this exercise anytime you feel overwhelmed. Use it to relieve your inner resistance and access your deeper intellect. There you will find the solutions to your questions. Now let’s get back to work.”

People stand and return to their duties. Austin greets his boss. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Beth.”

She cocks her head. “No need to apologize. We’re all under a lot of stress.”

He collects his thoughts. “You know, I haven’t done mindfulness exercises in decades. I forgot how helpful they were for me.”

“You should start meditating again.”

“I will. It was a great idea to introduce it to the team.”

“Thank you,” she says. “I want us to succeed. What else can I do?”

Austin ponders. “We have to connect the gravity engine. We need a supply of titanium and a particle accelerator, and we have to assemble all of that in the next forty-eight hours.”

“Let’s get to work and build it.”

“Not only that, we need a design the output for our device. Assuming we’re successful, where will the energy go?”

Beth gleams. “It’s time to rise up, Austin. We’re up against the impossible and we have to tap into our collective intelligence for the answers. It’s time to execute and deliver for the future of our planet.”

A PRIVATE JETlands at San Francisco International, an airport in Millbrae constructed after floods destroyed the original site on the Peninsula. Dense fog hangs in the air as it barrels down the tarmac. Seconds later, it comes to a stop next to a helicopter.

The door opens and Felina emerges wearing a fur coat and knee-high boots. She looks back at her boss. “It’s my first time in California, Mr. Kharon. Thank you for bringing me along.”

Manos steps from the plane. “Of course, my dear. Looks like our next vehicle is ready.”

“This leg is a short one.”

“Good. I’m sick of traveling.”

They board the self-driving chopper before it takes off and flies south towards Mountain View. Felina peers through the window. “Where are the sandy beaches I heard about? I wanted to lay in the California sun.”

Abandoned buildings sit along the oceanfront. “The sand is all underwater, Felina. You must be watching old movies.”

Felina’s smartglasses vibrate and she accepts an incoming call. “Good morning… er afternoon to you, Mr. Allen.” She glances at her boss and he nods. “Yes, hold on while I get Mr. Kharon on the line.”

Manos smiles as Gareth’s face appears in his view. “Hello from San Francisco, friend!”

“I have an urgent matter to discus,” Gareth says tensely.

Manos chuckles. “If the price is right, I’m all ears.”

“Listen, the conflict with China is deteriorating. They’ve blockaded Mars and our colony there is under siege. The attacks won’t stop and we’re now preparing for Defcon 1.”

“Yikes!” Manos perks up. “It’s a good thing we unleashed the tariffs. That was my brilliant doing, by the way.”

Gareth appears upset. “We need more from you. The President wants cyber viruses in the arsenal. We need firepower for a major offensive.”

“That’s great, but what do you want me to do about it?”

Gareth pauses. “Aren’t you the CEO of the largest technology corporation on the planet?”

Manos’s eyes widen. “You want Google to design munitions?”

“Well, of course. No other company has sophisticated A.I. and machine learning tools. I can only imagine the weapons you could create there.”

“I hadn’t thought about that. So you’d like our A.I. to build viruses for you?”

“Precisely. They will be far deadlier than anything a human could design. Imagine next-generation strains that evolve on the battlefield and learn to penetrate the enemy’s defenses. We can finally destroy the Chinese firewall.”

Manos grins and looks into Felina’s eyes. “Google the military factory? That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard!”

Gareth nods. “Glad you’re on board. Silicon Valley has been a thorn in our side for decades. With you at the helm, it’s our chance for technology companies to join the War on our side.”