Chapter 220 - The watch - II (1/2)
Balthazar shook the man's hand though he hadn't had slightest clue. The man also was shaking his hand enthusiastically without introducing himself and Elias was also smiling happily beside him. As none of them remembered to introduce the man, Balthazar had to ask himself.
”Glad to meet you, Mr?” he asked the portly man.
”Oh! Pardon me,” said the man taking of his hat as made a small bow. ”I am Dr. Nick Tataopolus. I have wanted to meet you for quite some time. Your victory against those apes and the valuable intelligence, it provided us as well as your capabilities. Dr. Hector Constantine told me that you are one of the best.”
”Oh! Glad to make your acquaintance Dr. Tataopolus. I am sure that it was an exaggeration on his part,” said Balthazar winking his eye surprised by the loose mouth on this fellow. It was important that no one knew of the experiment being done by the Scions of Minerva using the somnium headgear.
”Yes, it is very nice to meet you,” said Nick as he realized about the thing had just told. ”Your contribution had helped us a lot in determining the nature of our enemies. Your grandfather even more so. Hopefully, it would garner a positive response and humanity will take further steps in that direction,” he said changing the topic immediately.
”Yes. Nick here was at the party and we bumped into one another. Nick strongly agrees with the patriarch's words and was very persuasive in making quite a number of guests see his point of view. As an ex-member of the Scions of Minerva and an advisory executive of the Metis Technologies, he had his beliefs aligned with Winston's statement and would benefit from more support to that cause.
”Yes, of course. It was a bold move but necessary. There are signs of resurgence of the knights and we don't need them, the sc.u.m of humanity. They were even bold enough to co-operate with the apes to harm fellow humans. Just because, we managed to thwart their plans, most are not taking the threat seriously. The next attempts are only going to be much bolder. We should put a lot more focus on the issue. Glad that someone like Winston decided to do it for the greater good,” praised Nick.
”Hah, my grandfather would surely appreciate your words and be happy that there are other who share his concerns,” said Balthazar.
”Yes, but let us get inside. I don't want to stay too long in the parking, makes me a bit uncomfortable,” said D.i.c.k putting an arm over Elias's shoulder. ”You got that equipment ready for me, brother?”
”Yes, let us continue inside. These days it is best to be as prudent as possible,” said Balthazar. He also wanted to get done with examining the watch mailed to him by Ryan Rowley and was glad that D.i.c.k made the first move before he had to.
”Sure,” said Elias realizing the pair of them were in a hurry. He had no previous acquaintance with Nick but was informed of him by a mutual friend. Learning of his identity and his stance on various things related to the apes and somnium technologies uses and development, he decided to inform him about the new project that they are working on, the integration of somnium technology with security cameras in real world which was proposed by Balthazar.
Hearing the proposal, Nick was amazed by the fact that Balthazar had suggested something that useful to do with latest technology which was mostly being used as a virtual entertainment industry. Nick felt that the thought was very similar to the integration of somnium headgear with the warframes optical sensor and inquired about their progress and also requested to see Balthazar.
”Yes, let us do. I hear that Colonel Blyth enrolled initially as a member of the engineering corps. Do you have an interest in collecting such old electronic devices?” asked Nick who was already informed by Elias about the watch shown to him.
”Ah! Not that much of an enthusiast in antique electronics, but I do have a use with this specific device. Most of the time, I spent using present day devices and repairing them, but I have recently learned to appreciate them,” said Balthazar.
”Learning how the present-day things came into existence and the need and process of development from the previous ones, does provide us a unique perspective,” he continued. He felt that to be true, especially if he is going to participate in clandestine activities. He also realized that learning such things and the experience would be helpful if he managed to find any new technology of his enemies and the experience would be useful in getting them to work.
”Our ancestor's words guide our path to knowledge and glory,” said Nick. ”It is an ancient proverb roughly translated. Doesn't mean that they have already known more than us, but they have experience hardsh.i.p.s and solved problems similar to what we might face and that their experiences might sometimes provide is with insights or stimulate our thoughts to realize better ways and find glory.”
”Good proverb,” said D.i.c.k appreciating the meaning of it. ”Never heard of it though.”
”Some of the best ones fail to become popular as many don't understand them, my boy,” said Nick. ”Might I know of your good name,” he said taking initiative to shake D.i.c.k's hand.
”D.i.c.k Kane,” said D.i.c.k shaking his hand. ”I work in security services mostly as tech support.”
”Nice to meet you, Mr. D.i.c.k,” said Nick.
”So, how come you ended up with that old watch?” asked Elias as they got into an elevator.
”It is supposed to have a message. Young colonel here has an acquaintance who is requesting a meet. He is afraid for his safety and sent us the information using some puzzles. Two done. I hope that we will find the location once we connect it to a computer and examine it,” explained D.i.c.k.
”Your informant actually used this device to send you information?” asked Elias. ”How rich is he?” he exclaimed. ”Should I ask you for a higher salary for creating the training platform?”
”Calm down,” said Balthazar before Elias's thoughts went any further. ”He is an acquaintance who insists that he has vital information and he is in danger because of it. He managed to contact me through the somnium technology before he disappeared. He is on run for his life.”