Nano Surveillance (Dave Henson Series Book 1) (3 page)

Chapter 6 (Feb 28, 2:00pm Mountain Time)

              As Dave walked into the Redfish Lake conference room Ron was already in the room setting up his laptop computer and connecting the overhead projector cable to it. Sitting beside him was his field engineer, Dan Edmond.

              Ron stood nearly 6’ 4” tall and weighed 250 pounds. Like Dave, he had attended Stanford University. He had majored in Computer Systems Engineering and had also played as a tight end on the Stanford football team while he was an undergraduate there. He was now the Director of Engineering for NSurv’s Nanotechnology Electronics division and had worked for Dave at his previous internet/software company. The Nanotechnology Electronics division was responsible for developing NSurv’s nano surveillance technology. Since NSurv had opened its doors three years ago, Ron had led the successful development on a number of new surveillance nano-bugs, or more specifically winged flying insects.

              Ron greeted Dave as he walked into the conference room in his typical jovial manner. Similarly, Dan said hello to Dave but in a much more subdued tone. Dan had just gotten back from Argentina and was worn out and exhausted. He had only landed at McCall Municipal Airport a few hours earlier, and since then he had been sequestered in Ron’s office providing him with a full debriefing of his mission.

              Though Ron was in his typical upbeat mood, it was obvious from his anxiousness that Dan and he had some important information to share with Dave. Dave had already known what Dan’s purpose had been down in Buenos Aires, as he had ordered the mission. NSurv’s corporate objectives were for not only developing new surveillance technology, but for also deploying it in the field to provide the ultimate in political transparency and intelligence gathering. And, due to the fact that all of their research and development was privately funded through Dave and his partners, rather than through the federal government’s DARPA program, no government oversight could taint their objectives.

              As Dave sat down at the conference room table, Dan shut the door and turned down the lights.

              “So what did you learn Dan while down in Argentina?” asked Dave.

              “That our Vice President had more than global warming on his agenda while in South America,” responded Dan in disgust.

              Ron made a couple of key strokes on the computer keyboard and instantly the video that the nano-fly recorded began displaying on the projector screen. They all watched silently as the sordid activity with the Vice President and the young woman’s limp body unfolded.

              When the video stopped, Dan explained that the young woman’s lifeless body was found washed up on a local beach the following morning. There was no identification found on her, and her name was still an uninterested mystery with the Buenos Aires police.

              “Two hours after having his way with the woman, the Vice President was at the Global Climate Change Conference dinner giving a speech on how we all need to do our part to make the world a better place. After his speech he was glad-handing and back-slapping the fawning attendees while grinning ear to ear.”  

              “We need to get this to the papers and television news outlets now,” Ron said in disgust. “This creep needs to be exposed for what he truly is, regardless of our timetable and future plans with the administration.”

              “Agreed,” responded Dave coldly as he looked at the frozen image of the Vice President on the screen. “I’ll talk with my contact at the American Broadcast Organization to see if she can get them to put at least a portion of this filth onto the air. Dan, I’m sure this was a tough assignment to watch unfold. Just keep in mind that this is why we are here doing what we are doing. With a little luck in the weeks ahead, we’ll expose this monster, his boss, and the whole entire administration for what they are. Not even the most politically disinterested Americans will be able to ignore this type of incendiary stuff. Again, thank you for your efforts and take a few days off. We’ll need you again the end of next week for another assignment.” 

              Dave left the meeting in deep thought as he returned to his office to call Dr. Zempke in Boston. He would update the professor on what had transpired down in Buenos Aires a couple of nights ago and ask him about finding him a new recruit that could help them out in their nanotechnology lab.             

Chapter 7 (Feb 28, 4:30pm Mountain Time)

              An hour after his phone conversations with Dr. Zempke and an old friend of his at the American Broadcast Organization, Dave drove up and parked his car next to NSurv’s private hanger at McCall’s municipal airport. Based on the two conversations, he needed to be on the east coast the following morning. It was going to be a very long night.

              Though NSurv had access to a shared lease corporate jet service he still enjoyed flying himself whenever possible in his personal Cessna Citation M2 jet. He fell in love with flying back in high school after taking a discovery flight in a Cessna 172. He was so bitten by the flying bug that he had obtained his private pilot certificate by the time he entered his freshman year of college. As he worked his way through college he continued to get additional certificates, including his IFR, commercial and multi engine ratings. With the sale of his first startup, he purchased his first single pilot jet aircraft and obtained his jet license. Currently he owned three aircraft. Besides the Citation M2, he also owned a Cessna 182 Skylane and an A1-C Aviat Husky.  He used the Skylane for taking short business trips to Spokane, Washington and Boise, Idaho, and used the Husky for flying solo out in the backcountry of Idaho and Wyoming. To Dave, flying the Husky out over the backcountry of Idaho was the ultimate in therapeutic medicine for escaping the headaches of running his business and formulating his future plans.

Though it was nearly 4:30pm local time he knew he’d not make it into Boston until after midnight, Eastern Standard Time. The flight was 1,976 nautical miles, and he’d need to refuel outside of Detroit, Michigan. However, he was well rested and wanted the privacy and flexibility that his M2 offered him.

After completing his pre-flight check, and filing and activating his IFR flight plan, he was wheels up out of McCall at 5:30pm and heading east over the lonely skies of Montana. He was on his way to interview a potential new college hire in Boston and pay a visit to a reporter named Dana Cogswell in New York City.

Chapter 8 (Feb 28, 9:45am Eastern Standard Time)

              As Joe Stevens was walking to his Electromagnetics and Application Engineering class on a cold and crisp midwinter morning in Boston, he was deep in thought pondering his future. He would be graduating this spring with a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and was unsure what he wanted to do next. With nearly a 4.0 GPA, his academic advisor had been urging him to continue on and pursue his doctorates degree. But he was itching to leave the academic world behind him and start making a living. He had already put himself $125K in debt over the past six years of college, and he was getting more anxious and concerned about how he would ever pay off the loans. Also, the adventurer in him just wanted to get out and see some of the world.

              Unfortunately, ever since the collapse of the U.S. economy several years earlier, the job market, even for top engineering students like himself, had become difficult at best. Like him, many of his fellow undergraduate classmates had chosen to stay in college and pursue their own Master’s degrees in hopes that the U.S. job market would improve in a couple of years. Sadly it had not. And the economists and politicians were still indicating it would be at least several more years before the economy could possibly start to improve. Some were even going so far as to say that this was the new normal for the U.S. economy, suggesting the country’s twenty-five percent unemployment rate would never get any lower than this level.

              Like many of the still-wanting-to-work population, Joe’s hopes for an economic recovery and finding a job were fading fast and desperation was setting in. However, he couldn’t stand the thought of staying in school any longer. He needed to get out and start putting his ambition and knowledge to good use. But for whom and for what was still an enigma to him.

              As the months had passed by and the winter’s snow had piled up around the college campus, Joe had only had a couple of job interviews and neither had left him very excited. Both interviews were for government positions within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Each involved sensor technology surveillance work associated with the monitoring of groups within the country’s borders that posed national threats. Neither position offered any real opportunity for meaningful research work or for achieving significant personal economic wealth. Like the past technology pioneers of Silicon Valley, Joe had dreams and aspirations of founding his own company someday. Or at least being part of a young growing company that could change the world in a positive way, as well as provide him with economic wealth and freedom. Alas, as the weeks and months had passed by, he had stewed more and more on his future.

              And so it was as he walked to class this morning, thinking about the phone call he had received late last night. It had been a brief phone call from a man he had not met, but who he had heard of. The man had been cryptic with him, but suggested that the two of them should meet to discuss a job opportunity that he had for him. All he said about the position is that it would be life changing for him and could help economically turn the country around. Joe had no idea how the man had gotten ahold of his resume or knew anything about him. However, Joe had taken the bait and agreed to meet with the man the following morning at a Starbucks.

Chapter 9 (March 1, 8:00am Eastern Standard Time)

              It was eight o’clock in the morning when Joe walked into the Starbucks. Because it was a Saturday morning the coffee shop was fairly empty of patrons. In the back of the restaurant, Joe saw a tall man seated reading a newspaper and wearing a dark green sweater and jeans, a perfect match to the description given to him in the email confirming their meeting.  As Joe approached the man, he looked up at him and rose to greet him. He stood just over 6 feet 3 inches and his hair was dark brown, with just a touch of graying on the sides. Based upon the slight crows-feet around the eyes Joe quickly guessed the man was in his early forties.

              “Hi Joe, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Dave as they shook hands. “My name is Dave Henson. Would you like something to drink or eat?” As he spoke he signaled for one of the coffee shop’s waitresses to come over. When the waitress arrived at their table Joe asked for a Café Grande and Dave ordered another small black coffee.

              As the waitress walked away, Dave thanked Joe for meeting with him on such short notice. “Joe, I’m glad you accepted my invitation. I’m sure you’re wondering how I got ahold of your resume and I know my email was a bit cryptic on the job opportunity. I’ll try to explain.”

              “In regards to getting a copy of your resume, your engineering professor and graduate advisor, Dr. Zempke, and I are longtime friends and colleagues. In a conversation with him Thursday afternoon I indicated that I was looking for a bright and talented young engineer to bring into my organization.  Dr. Zempke mentioned that you were one of his prize students and that you were in the market for a job. He took the liberty of forwarding your resume on to me. I hope you don’t mind Dr. Zempke’s moxie in forwarding on your resume without telling you first, however it was short notice and I can assure you he has your best interests in mind.

              “No, I’m anxiously looking for a job and I’m glad Dr. Zempke thought of me,” said Joe, as the waitress returned with their coffees. “I’ll need to personally thank him.”  

              As Joe took a sip of his coffee, Dave asked about how his job search was progressing.

              “To be honest it’s been disappointing. I’ve gotten a couple of job offers from the Department of Homeland security but neither really excites me. Like most government jobs these days, the salary offers were pretty good compared to the private sector. However, the jobs do not involve any real cutting edge technology or design work. Instead they’re more along the lines of maintenance support on existing surveillance and communications equipment.”

              “Yes, the United States is not what it used to be, even in the high tech space.” Dave lamented. “Gone are the glory days of the technology hot beds in Silicon Valley, Boston, and Austin. Unfortunately, our political leaders still haven’t figured it out yet, or fessed up to, the negative economic repercussions of continuously ratcheting up taxes on businesses and hardworking and successful people. They, along with their friends in the national press corps and media, have most certainly done a hell of a job in transforming the United States into the socialistic landscape that they so anxiously wanted to achieve. And with it, all of its related negative economic and social accoutrements.”

              “Have you noticed Joe that while the average citizens in this country have seen their standards of living cut by more than half in the past decade, that the federal politicians, media personalities, and wall street elites, who have been effectively in control of running our country and economy during this same period, have seen their personal wealth nearly double?” That as the country has declined in both economic and global strength, this group of people has become enormously more wealthy and powerful. Do you know why this has happened?”

              Dave looked at Joe questioningly.

              Though Joe agreed with the statements that Dave had just made, he was at a loss for answers to Dave’s questions. “To be honest I’m not quite sure why,” responded Joe. “I have my theories but in order to maintain my friendships and not hurt my job prospects, I’ve kept them to myself.”

              “Exactly! Just like most other smart and hardworking people do,” commented Dave. “You’ve kept your thoughts to yourself because you’re afraid of the repercussions of speaking your mind. You don’t want to be made out to look like a fool, or be economically or physically harmed in any way for speaking out. Your reasons are the same as the people in China, Russia and many other countries run by dictatorial governments. Don’t you find it amazing and frightening. The freedoms and differences our country for so long had and espoused, have effectively been stripped from us in just a few short years, and with most of the citizens either not knowing it was happening to them, or even worse, not caring if it did. Today, the United States has become no different than any other socialist country. And we as a society let it happen.

              Joe just looked at Dave speechless, and to some extent squirmed a bit in his seat. Even though Dave spoke quietly, Joe was nervous that someone might have heard them speaking.

              “And do you know why the United States has transformed itself into another socialist state, run by an ever increasing and controlling federal government?”

              Again, Joe didn’t really know the answer and said nothing.

              “Because we let it happen to ourselves,” whispered Dave. “Each of us became so focused on our individual micro-worlds, buried in our social networking toys, sporting events, and our own personal interests, that we didn’t really see or care what was happening around us as a society. Our freedoms were stripped from us by our own politicians while we smiled, staring endlessly into our computer and television screens.  When some citizens finally realized what was going on and began to raise their concerns, they were summarily silenced by first the politicians and media celebrities, and then eventually by many of their own neighbors and work colleagues. Neighbors and fellow employees, who either lacked the intelligence, or capacity to even care, for what was happening to them and their own country.” 

              When Dave finally went silent, Joe cautiously spoke.

              “Though I’m in agreement with your assessment with the state of our country, how does this relate to a job for me?”

              Dave smiled at Joe. “It relates to you because I want to hire you to help us with our nanotechnology sensor development. At my company NSurv, we’re working on the cutting edge in sensor technology associated with surveillance. Nanotechnology is no longer science fiction, nor simply growing chemical structures in a lab Petri dish. Nanotechnology is also much broader in scope and has more applications than most people could ever imagine. At NSurv, for example, we are already deploying some of our developed technology in the field to support a variety of applications, including medical, energy, and yes even covert surveillance. It is this latter application, where I believe NSurv can bring about the immediate and necessary change to our country that it so desperately needs to get its economic engine running again.

By accepting my offer, Joe, you’ll be working in a high tech field that is still in its infancy. Moreover, you’ll also help play a role in restoring our country to what it once was, a country that represented hope and opportunity for the entire world. A place that allowed people to realize their dreams obtained through their own hard work and intellectual capacity. A country that is free of political leeches that suck the hopes and dreams out of those who want to use their own mind and body to achieve personal success and fortune.”

              “Joe, I want you to come onboard with us, because not only do you have the education and skill set we need, but as Dr. Zempke has described to me, the ability to see and appreciate the bigger picture of what’s destroying our country today.  By joining us, not only will you gain invaluable knowledge and experience in a field with so many opportunities and applications, you will also ultimately help revolutionize political transparency within our nation and eventually around the world. NSurv’s nano surveillance technology will effectively transform how the political machinations within our country are monitored and reported to the public. If we are successful with our plans, which I have no doubt we will be, the need for traditional news agencies will be rendered useless, thus eliminating today’s advocacy journalists and media outlets.”

              “With this new forced transparency within our government and financial institutions, the politicians and Wall Street elitists will finally understand whose working for whom. And the repercussions of this public enlightenment will be cataclysmic for both the current political leadership and our country. Like the ant who knows to run from the focused beam of sunlight caused by a magnifying glass positioned over him, the American public too will realize it’s being similarly burned by the current federal administration. But instead of running from the heat and fire, even the most gullible and ignorant of our fellow citizens will turn their shock and rage on this current political machine. A machine that has stripped us of our financial resources, and more importantly, our freedom and spirit. And in the end, the country’s industrial engine will be able to start again. And for you, Joe, the opportunity to seek your fortune and fame as your predecessors once did in the technical epi-centers around this country.”

              Joe sat silent for a moment staring back at Dave. Everything Dave had just said was all true, the state of the country and himself economically, his personal goals and aspirations, the field of nanotechnology, it was all true. There was no denying it. But Dave’s goals and plans were also dangerous. They flew in the face of the political status quo. They threatened it. The job Dave was offering him would involve much more than being a lab rat or a bit head, and would be risky. The alternative, however, as his mind swirled, working for the Department of Homeland Security seemed even more deadly to him. Or more simply put, just dead. With that last thought, he looked at Dave and said, “I’m onboard, when do you need me to start.”

              Dave reached out and shook Joe’s hand and said, “Welcome to NSurv. You have a spring break coming up in a couple of weeks. Plan on coming out to our offices for that week so I can introduce you to the rest of the team and get you up to speed with some of our development projects and plans.” Dave stood up to leave. “After graduation, I expect to see you onboard fulltime within a week.”

              Joe stood up as well and the two shook hands. Dave immediately departed the coffee shop and Joe fell back into his seat after he left. He was simultaneously feeling a combination of elation and trepidation. He was familiar with the man Dave Henson, and his career success, and couldn’t believe that he had just spoken to him. And more importantly, just got a job offer from him. However, still not fully realized yet by Joe, he had just gotten a job offer that would prove to be magnificently life altering for him as well. He would have to pay Professor Zempke a visit and thank him.