He sits at at a desk cluttered with wrappers, layered with discs, books and pieces of electronic gear. Over looking it all is a computer terminal attached to (in the distance) a 3D scanner. He is around 40, dark, good-looking and a touch charismatic. He wears a sweater that's been around over a tee shirt. The sweater bunches up around his elbows and waist where it hangs down on one side over dark gray jeans. The chair is on the verge of collapse. He swivels around to look over his back while his shoulders and arms stay engaged with a conglomeration of parts. Beside this is a very artistically burned red candle in an ornate brass holder. The red wax drips cling to the brass in the best vampire horror tradition. He turns around and says quickly and warmly, "Run back and get me a couple of kitchen matches and the box." A scrambling noise lets us know that someone has moved out. He turns around and says, to himself, "That should make her happy."
Nathan, an electrical engineer, is part of the task force to create the virtual world where the electrical signatures of 1 million humans will be stored. While candles and matches are technically unnecessary in this world, Nathan has a fine eye and feel for what makes a human feel comfortable and safe. (2009, to be continued ...)
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| I Remember the Fifties (1-27-1998) |
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