POV: DR. ELENA VASQUEZ - MATERIALS LAB - 3:15 PM
Elena stood in front of the molecular beam epitaxy chamber with her team of six materials scientists.
"We're skipping the virtual simulation," she said. "The boss already ran this through that software. The theoretical foundation is solid. We're here to verify it works in physical reality."
She loaded the thermoelectric material procedures into their manufacturing system.
David pulled up the AI assistant. "Dr. Vasquez, the procedures are incredibly detailed. Every parameter is specified down to atomic precision."
"Good. That means less room for error. Let's follow it exactly."
The MBE chamber hummed to life. Source materials loaded into crucibles—bismuth, tellurium, antimony, cobalt, nickel. All precisely measured.
"Chamber at 10^-9 torr," David reported. "Temperature stabilizing at 450°C."
"Beginning deposition," Elena said.
She watched the monitors. Atomic flux rates. Layer thickness. Crystal alignment. The superlattice building atom by atom.
Three hours later, they had a sample. A small wafer, maybe five centimeters across, with the complex layered structure embedded in its crystal lattice.
"Electrical testing," Elena said.
They connected the sample to their measurement equipment. Applied temperature differential—one side heated to 2000°C, one side cooled to 50°C.
Voltage appeared immediately.
"Current flow confirmed," David said. "Running calculations... conductivity is 10,300 S/m. Thermal conductivity 0.51 W/mK. Seebeck coefficient 468 microvolts per Kelvin."
Elena did the math. "Total conversion efficiency?"
"90.4%."
The lab went silent.
"The data was correct," Elena whispered. "He actually did it. Room temperature thermoelectric material with 90% efficiency."
"But how?" one of the junior researchers asked. "How did he figure out this exact composition? This layering structure? There are millions of possible combinations."
"The simulation software," David said quietly. "He must be some kind of genius. The software provides the tools, but you still need to know what questions to ask. What parameters to test. What combinations might work. He directed the AI to find this specific solution."
Elena nodded. The software was powerful, but it needed direction. Orion had given it the right direction.
"Run the superconductor fabrication," Elena said. "Let's see if lightning strikes twice."
POV: DR. JAMES KOWALSKI - LASER SYSTEMS LAB - 4:30 PM
James held the synthesized gain crystal carefully. It was beautiful—a perfectly clear crystal with subtle rainbow refractions indicating the rare-earth doping layers within.
"According to the specifications, this crystal should amplify a kilowatt input laser to 200 megajoules output," James said to his assistant, Dr. Nina Patel.
"That's a 200,000 times amplification factor," Nina said. "If this works, it'll revolutionize laser technology across every field."
They set up the experiment. Standard kilowatt laser aimed at the crystal. The crystal had been pumped with electrical energy—population inversion created in the rare-earth ions.
"Firing in three... two... one..."
The laser pulsed. A kilowatt of input power hit the crystal.
Stimulated emission cascaded through the crystal structure. Each photon triggering more photons. Energy multiplying exponentially as the light beam passed through centimeter after centimeter of gain medium.
The output was blinding even through safety filters.
"Power output?" James asked, not daring to believe what the instruments were showing.
Nina checked three times. "198 megajoules. The amplification is real. A few kilowatts in, hundreds of megajoules out."
James sat down heavily. "This changes everything. Fusion ignition, industrial cutting, materials processing, defense applications... this one crystal design opens up entire industries."
"Who thinks of this?" Nina asked. "How does someone our age have this level of insight?"
"Genius," James said simply. "Pure genius directed by incredible computational tools. The software gave him the ability to test millions of crystal configurations. His genius told him which ones to test."
POV: DR. AMARA OKAFOR - FUSION LAB - 5:45 PM
Amara watched the superconductor test with tears in her eyes.
The magnetic field strength was climbing. 50 Tesla. 100 Tesla. 150 Tesla.
"Still superconductive," her assistant announced. "No quenching. Temperature holding at 22°C."
170 Tesla. The field strength peaked.
The superconductor held. Room temperature. No cooling needed. Stable.
"It works," Amara whispered. "It actually works."
Her team was assembled around her—fusion physicists, engineers, plasma specialists. They'd dedicated their careers to achieving practical fusion. They'd watched project after project fail. Watched budgets dry up. Watched timelines extend from years to decades.
And now, a twenty-one-year-old had handed them the missing pieces.
"The thermoelectric material is verified," Amara said, reading the reports from Elena's team. "90% efficiency. The superconductors work—170 Tesla at room temperature. The laser ignition system produces the necessary energy with minimal input."
She pulled up the preliminary fusion reactor design Orion had mentioned.
Eight meters in diameter. Compact. Efficient. Achievable.
"We're going to do it," she said to her team. "We're actually going to achieve commercial fusion. In our lifetimes. In our lab."
One of the engineers, Marcus Webb, was crying openly. "I've worked on fusion for thirty years. Thirty years of 'ten more years and we'll have it.' And now..."
"Now we have it," Amara finished. "Because someone gave us the right tools and the right direction."
CONFERENCE ROOM A - 6:30 PM
Orion sat at the conference table while team leads presented their results.
Dr. Elena Vasquez went first. "Thermoelectric material verified. 90.4% efficiency, exactly as predicted. Room-temperature superconductor also verified—170 Tesla field strength, stable at 22°C. Both materials are reproducible and can be manufactured with our existing equipment."
Dr. James Kowalski next. "Laser gain crystal verified. 200,000x amplification factor. Input of 3.2 kilowatts produces 198 megajoule output. System is ready for fusion ignition applications."
Dr. Michael Torres from battery research. "Solid-state batteries verified. 2,430 watt-hours per kilogram, 100,000+ charge cycles with minimal degradation. Non-flammable, thermally stable. Ready for scaling."
Dr. Amara Okafor, barely containing her excitement. "All fusion-related components verified. Magnetic containment achievable with the new superconductors. Plasma heating achievable with the laser system. Power conversion achievable with the thermoelectric materials. Mr. Starr... we can build this reactor. We can achieve commercial fusion."
Her voice broke on the last word.
Orion smiled. "Then let's build it."
He stood and connected his tablet to the main display.
"I'm sending the complete reactor design to your terminals now. Modular construction blueprints, assembly procedures, manufacturing specifications, safety protocols, testing procedures—everything you need."
Files began transferring. The researchers pulled up the data on their tablets.
The design was comprehensive. Six modular sections that could be built separately and assembled on-site. Detailed CAD models showing every component. Manufacturing procedures optimized for their existing equipment. Assembly sequences with tolerance specifications. Quality control checkpoints. Safety systems. Monitoring equipment.
"The reactor sections are divided by specialty," Orion continued. "Materials team handles the thermoelectric blanket and superconductor components. Laser team builds the ignition systems. Battery team constructs the energy storage arrays. Fusion team manages the plasma chamber and magnetic containment. Manufacturing team coordinates production and assembly."
He pulled up a timeline.
"We start production immediately. Component manufacturing runs parallel across all teams. Assembly begins in four months. Testing and optimization in month five. Full power operation in month six."
"Six months?" Amara said. "We can have a working fusion reactor in six months?"
"Yes. We have the technology. We have the expertise. We have the facility. No more waiting. No more delays. We build it now."
The room was silent for a moment.
Then Amara started clapping.
Others joined. Soon the entire room was applauding.
Orion waited for it to die down. "One more thing. This reactor will produce 3,000 megawatts continuous. Enough to power two major cities. Fuel requirement is 50 grams of deuterium per day. One kilogram lasts twenty days. For smaller reactors, we can scale down to pot-sized units requiring less than a gram per year."
"Pot-sized?" Elena said. "You mean—"
"I mean distributed fusion power. Every neighborhood gets its own reactor. Remote locations don't need power grids. Developing regions leapfrog traditional infrastructure. Clean, unlimited energy everywhere."
He looked around the room.
"This is the beginning. In six months, we prove it works. In a year, we're manufacturing commercial units. In five years, fossil fuels are obsolete. You're all part of the team that changes everything."
Orion disconnected his tablet. "Review the designs tonight. Coordinate with your teams. We start manufacturing tomorrow morning. Welcome to Innovatia Advanced Research Division. Let's build the future."
He walked out, leaving the researchers staring at blueprints for a technology that would reshape civilization.
Elena looked at David. "We're really doing this."
"We're really doing this," he confirmed.
Amara was already on her phone, calling her team members who weren't at the meeting. "Get back to the lab. Now. We're building a fusion reactor. A real one. Yes, I'm serious. No, I haven't lost my mind. Just get here."
Across the room, researchers were pulling up different sections of the design. Examining details. Running preliminary calculations. Planning manufacturing workflows.
The future had arrived.
And it was being built in their lab.