Simon Gray met me to show me the way to the bus on Day One. It was about five-minute walk from the apartment and the bus ran into Brant's campus. It was a vast, newly built campus and reminded me of an airport complex. There were even runways and planes parked alongside. I was vetted by the security people - although why they waited until I was in Switzerland - they said it was to do with Swiss regulations.
Then I got my magic passes - one for the lab and another as a kind of spending card around the campus or even in Geneva. I had to install the App, which I assumed also provided tracking of me.
Then a slim smart-looking woman arrived wearing a lab coat. She introduced herself as Amy van der Leiden and after greeting me with a kiss to the cheeks (three actually), she escorted me to another area.
"I'll be introducing you to the head man in a few minutes; you know you are joining the Cyclone headgear development team? It's part of the RightMind Programme."
I'd just met my new team leader and now I was to meet the boss. The route to the Research Department was along a vast internal glass-domed room. There were tall trees growing and what appeared to be a woodland stream. Off to either side were glass partitioned offices and halfway up the wall was another floor which seemed to mirror the layout of the ground.
They had given me a small handbook when I arrived in the reception, as well the App for my phone. As far as I could make out, the building was cut into three sections, each with an overarching glass canopy and a pleasantly themed walkway. Between each of the three sections was a cafe area and inside the taller end of the glass dome was a building that stretched up to four stories.
This was also just one of five large buildings on the campus and all along one side of it was access to the airstrip. I could see mainly helicopters coming and going, and hear the occasional drawn-out rumble of a turboprop taking off.
"This is one of the more impressive buildings, explained Amy, "They bring visitors here and upstairs are a few of the executive offices like the one we are meeting Kjeld in. They get a good view of the flight movements from upstairs. There's also some attractive dining rooms on a whole floor and the facility here is based upon hot-desking, even of the most senior people."
We stopped at the next gap between the glass-domed buildings, and Amy looked towards an elevator.
"We could use the stairs, but I think we'll get lost if we don't follow the correct visitor route," she explained.
"Hello," said Amy, in English, "We are here to see Kjeld Nikolajsen." She pronounced Kjeld's name emphasising the 'J's in a strong Dutch manner.
"Certainly, said the receptionist. "My scanners tell me you are Amy van der Leiden and Oliver Wells, You are both expected."
She walked out from behind her desk and led the two of us to an office. EL6, it said on the door. Amy walked in first and I followed," Hello Kjeld," she said, beaming towards him, "I've brought Oliver Wells, to see you."
"Well, Hello Mr Wells, and Welcome to Brant! - I try to meet all of the new people joining our Research department."
Like Amy, I could see he was not one for idle chatter.
"You'll have Amy as your team leader as we try to develop improvements to HCCI headgear. Cyclone was not an accidental choice of name. We are creating a hive mind system, using cloned AI augmentation. We want to step beyond a single organism making decisions by itself. Will a cyber-operated robo-cockroach run from flames when commanded to walk into them? Does it make the decision alone, or could it be augmented by the hive mind?
Our project name is RightMind and we are 'pushing the envelope' on what is possible with cloned memory and AI boosting."
"The RightMind creates a new way of thinking about battlefield dynamics. It can be a complete game changer. Think of the 400 years of the Trebuchet catapult, used to smash down city walls - famously Thessalonica. It was improved upon as a design, making a lower range but fast firing alternative to the original traction Trebuchet."
I nodded, it was clearly a test. I remembered my childhood comic books.
"Those ancient warriors, in their pursuit of siege warfare, used battering rams, wooden towers, scaling ladders and all kinds of other things which our generation can hardly imagine. But didn't they find the most effective way was to undermine a fortress's foundations, by tunnelling or by fire?"
"Very good," answered Kjeld, "I hope you will enjoy working for us."
Amy signalled it was time to leave. As we walked back, she said, "Good, he likes you. He was testing you with that last thing about the city walls."
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