Jeff finds himself in Silicon Valley where he is asked to investigate claims by a gregarious Frenchman that his neural network electronic technology actually works. He meets up again with the enchanting Nancy, the FBI agent he had worked with in Atlanta where they fell in love while he was still married, and again in Washington DC Kathy puts romance back into Jeff’s life as he finds himself hounded by financially-desperate Europeans so determined to push their questionable technology―men so desperate that they will stop at nothing, even Jeff’s murder. The excitement will make the reader gasp, tragedy will make the reader cry, romance will make the reader sigh.
Chapter 1 of Silicon Gulch ... Jeff meets the Frenchman!
Monday, 3:23PM: Please Kill Me Now!
Jeff finds himself trapped in a long and droning presentation, then meets the French Man who Jeff suspects has rigged his neural network technology demo tapes.
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- Chris Lamela
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Author contact: chris@chrislamela.com, 707-566-8790 PST
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Silicon Gulch
"You do understand me, yes? That you will take the money and we will
have your endorsement!" The Frenchman's caustic snarl made his intent
clear.
Jeff couldn't believe the words he was hearing, repeating his
understanding of what was being said here, "We already said we'd take the
money. Isn't that enough? Now you are demanding
that I give my endorsement? That you demand
I tell the world that your technology works when I doubt it does? Tell the
world that your tests aren't faked when I think they are? And are you
threatening me? You are threatening me, aren't you."
"Good, then you do understand me." The Frenchman's cold eyes
bored into Jeff. "And make sure you are, yes, I will stop at nothing to
get what I want. Nothing." With a stern twisted sly smile, "So this
is good, you understand me perfectly." His cold face turned away from
Jeff, turning to leave the room.
Jeff called after the Frenchman, "So what if I don't. Are you going
to murder me?" Turning to the man who came in with the Frenchman, he saw
the man's terrified expression.
Jeff peered at the man, "Well, will he?"
The man nodded his head speaking softly, "Yes."
Monday,
3:23PM: Please Kill Me Now!
It was hard to believe this mystery all started with a boring presentation where Jeff's only thought was Dear God, please kill me now!
"As
slide number seventy-eight shows, this system has the most advanced technology
in the world," the voice droned on in the darkened meeting room brimming
with tired blank stares illuminated by the screen.
PowerPoint, Jeff mused
silently, a wonderful little software
tool for making the most boring slide shows on earth! The greatest invention
since razor blades as a way to commit suicide.
The greatest invention to make you want to
commit suicide!
Jeff leaned over with a yawn in the dark, angling his watch toward the
screen trying to see the time. "Oh god," he whispered to himself with
a frown, "almost two hours!" shaking his head
"We have three patents on the technology as you can see in this
slide showing one of the patent cover sheets with the initials G. Pallot in the applicant's name. Here
are the next," showing two more slides.
He droned on for another twenty minutes.
"That concludes our slide presentation," the man with the
laser pointer standing by the screen signaled to have the lights on, a second
later all eyes in the room were blinking in the sudden brightness. The man
turned looking around the room squinting along with everyone else. "Are
there any questions?"
When's dinner? the only
question popping into Jeff's mind.
A man near the front raised his hand speaking in a nasally British
accent, "And what about the funding of Neurotek? Are you in a stable way
financially?"
The man smiled reassuringly, "Yes, we are fortunate to have strong
investor backing, we have already won eight million dollars in DOD advanced
projects funding, actually with Defense Advanced Research Projects, DARPA, with
another thirty-nine million in new grants coming. We are expecting our first
product deliveries," he glanced at his watch as though he was about to say
two hours, "in ten months," a few small laughs arose.
Another man motioned with his hand speaking up, "There have been
rumors about problems with your technology in some applications."
The speaker gave a dismissive wave with his right hand, "This
business is full of sore losers, competitors that know that they don't have this
kind of capability. If you were them, what kind of rumors would you plant?"
the room rose with agreeable chuckles.
The rest of the question and answer period was mercifully short. Papers shuffled,
packed away; soon the door started spilling out bodies with tired faces tinged
with thanks at being released.
"Thank god that is over, wouldn't you say?"
Jeff turned to the man speaking to him, "I'm sorry? Do I know you?"
"Oh silly of me, my name is Gerard Pallot."
Jeff stood back regarding this thickly-shaped man with a French accent
just as thick, he held out his hand, "Name's Jeff, nice to meet you."
Jeff pondered this man, dark hair and eyes, a certain reserved openness to his
manner dressed in Oscar De La Renta. Nodding
toward the screen being taken down by the man who had just completed the very
long-winded presentation, Jeff wondered, "You didn't like the
presentation?"
"Oh no, much too long on time and much too short on information."
With a quizzical expression Jeff stood watching this man, "And I should
know, I am the CEO!" followed by a robust laugh.
Jeff smiled putting the last of the handout papers into his folio, "Yeah,
I have to agree with you in those departments." Girard looked uncertain at
Jeff's words, "I meant that I agree with you on too long and too short,"
smiling Girard laughed again. "Your name, Gerard Pallot, the G. Pallot on the patent applications?"
The man nodded, "Yes, I am the inventor of the technology."
"Well, it was nice to meet you," Jeff smiled turning toward
the door.
"Wait, actually I wanted to talk to you."
Jeff stopped, turning around, "Me?"
"Yes, actually, I know who you are, I have been hoping to meet you
today. You are the general manager of Versatec, correct? You make the avionics
and gimbal system for the General Avatonics aircraft, correct?" Jeff
nodded. "Would you care to join me for a glass of wine? I can meet you in
the bar in…" looking to his watch, "in fifteen minutes. I will need
time to help clean up here first, will that work?"
Jeff glanced at his watch seeing that it wasn't even four o'clock yet,
he had until seven when he was planning to go to the dinner reception later. "Sure,
I have time."
Gerard threw up his hands, "Wonderful, I have so much to ask you! We
will see you in the bar shortly."
Jeff nodded turning toward the door, a few later minutes he was sitting
at a table in a corner of the hotel bar with a nice tall Sierra Nevada Pale
Ale, his new favorite beer. When he could find it. The bar had only a couple
men sitting at the bar talking quietly, the hotel lobby visible through the
door. Jeff liked staying at this Merdian, across the street from the Great
America theme park, the wild rides visible from the hotel lobby. It was
convenient that this event was held here.
Twenty five minutes passed. Jeff finished his second Sierra Nevada Ale,
deciding that the Frenchman must have gotten held up. He stood gathering up his
folio, nodding to the bartender who had been bringing out his drinks, heading
for the door.
When he reached the door the Frenchman came through with the presenter
at his elbow, "Ah, Jeff, you are leaving?"
"I didn't think you were coming," Jeff scowled, "you said
fifteen minutes and I waited a half-hour."
"Ah, I live on French time."
"Still, you said fifteen minutes."
Gerard beamed a big smile, "Yes, well fifteen minutes in France could be an hour in America
"Yeah, well this is America
"Ah yes, but wait," Jeff turned back, "you are right of
course, please accept my apology and sit down with us."
Jeff paused uncertain looking at this character before him with the
concerned grin, finally motioning to the bartender who came around the bar to
meet them at the same table. Gerard ordered, "Bring us a nice bottle of
red wine for everybody!" Jeff shook his head at the bartender who nodded
back.
"And so, Jeff, you will remember Thomas Gilbert from the
presentation."
Thomas reached his hand across to Jeff, they shook, "Yes, Thomas, I'm
Jeff―"
"I know who you are! I have been a big admirer of your company for
some time, a big admirer of you!"
Jeff smiled timidly, "Uh, thanks."
The bartender walked up to the table with a tray holding a bottle of
wine, two glasses, and a tall glass of Sierra Nevada .
Gerard bent back in mock astonishment as Jeff's beer glass was set down
in front of him, "What is this? You do not drink wine?"
Jeff smiled drinking foam off the top of his glass, "I like wine,
just not when I have already been drinking beer while waiting a French fifteen
minutes," smiling sarcastically.
"Ha-ha!" Gerard laughed, "yes, anyone can drink quite a
lot in French fifteen minutes," he laughed a loud gregarious laugh, his
sidekick grinning knowing that he was supposed to laugh whenever his boss
laughed but Jeff could tell he was too tired to play Gerard's trick monkey at that
moment.
"So, mister Jeff, tell me, what do you think of Neurotek's
technology?"
"Honestly, I don't know enough about it yet to be a good judge. I
mean the use of silicon neural networks for image recognition and video
tracking is a natural fit from what I know about your technology. I attended a
one-day seminar in San Jose
"And we didn't meet, how was that?"
"It was a day trip for me, down from Seattle
"Ah, yes," taking a sip of wine, "it is probably for the
best, our technology has come so much farther. It is so much better today than
only a year ago, we have made marvelous progress!"
"So why did you want to meet me?"
"Your equipment needs our technology. I wanted to find a way that
we can set up some kind of demonstration together so that you will endorse our
product for aerial surveillance applications."
"What did you have in mind?"
"Maybe something where we could integrate one of our systems with
your equipment on a General Avatonics unmanned aircraft and get some good demonstration
video to show how well our equipment works together."
"That's possible. You'd need to come up to Seattle
"Well that is a problem. The president of General Avatonics says that
we need to talk to you, that he will not give us any information about mounting
or anything for that matter without going through you, that you are in charge
of all electronics on the aircraft."
Jeff took a long sip of his beer, signaling the bartender for another. "He's
right, my engineers have total control over that aircraft's electronics. Your
electronics integration will be with my gear, not the airplane, the plane is
just for the mechanical mounting. I guess I would have to be convinced enough
so that Frank Pacfil will feel comfortable to give you the specs you need to
mount your gear on his plane."
"Exactly! Frank is the CEO of General Avatonics, your endorsement
would mean a lot to him, I am sure. So what will that take?"
"Probably the best thing
would be to bring your gear up to Seattle
The Frenchman shot a worried glance to his side-kick, scanned the
ceiling, back to Jeff. "But why do we need to be so elaborate? You don't
need tapes. You saw the test tapes during Thomas' presentation today!"
Jeff was really in no mood to discuss the rumors he had heard that Neurotek's
technology wasn't as represented, that he'd even heard rumors that the videos
were complete fakes. Now he had just given an easy solution to get around
integration, this resistance only increasing his suspicion.
"Let's just say that I'm from Missouri
"What is this Missouri
Jeff smiled at this foreigner not knowing this little American idiom, "It
means show me."
Gerard flashed a glance at Thomas who showed the slightest tinge of worry,
turning back to Jeff, "Of course, of course! We would expect you to see our systems in action." Gerard glanced at
his watch, "But I am sorry, I am late to meet someone else, I will leave
you two to discuss the details," with a flourish he stood, ceremoniously
making his exit.
Jeff shook his head, taking a long drink of his beer, pulling it back to
look at the glass, drinking it to the bottom. He pulled out a card laying it in
front of Thomas, getting up from the table.
"Call me."
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NOW READ THE NEXT EXCITING CHAPTER OF
SILICON GULCH!
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