The Before Short Story Series. Part 1 - Иван Перепелятник

I literally mean on the second or third month of the baby’s life. At this age, the speed of building neural connections in the child’s brain is amazing. Our task is to make this process as productive as possible in terms of future potential. So that the child’s mind is not clogged with information trash, and intellectual efforts would aim at forming a basic experience with the focus on the upcoming activity. Correlate—if you’d like—with the mission of the person.’

The power potential of quantum computer networks. Interview for the Russian news agency VGTRK 2105 in the framework of the scientific symposium Quanttech-2105 in Omsk, Russia.

‘A little more than half a century ago, the supernova of computing technology exploded. The launch of a distributed system of quantum computers connected by an ultra high-speed network of the eighth generation is the moment of birth of the digital God of science. Does God have limitations? What do you think?’

The impact of the further development of a new system of underground trunk energy high-speed tunnels on the Russian economy. Interview for the Vedomosti newspaper on the basis of the annual International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg in 2107.

‘The Northern Sea Route, which infrastructure Russia actively started developing in the first half of the twenty-first century, had a significant and positive impact on the economic growth of our country and the Asian region. During the first 10 years of development and operation of the new logistics world artery, Russia’s GDP increased by 4%, just due to its potential only. And, note, we are talking about sea transportation with obvious inherent speed limits. What do you reckon is the potential of the transport infrastructure, which is two hundred times, I emphasize once again—two hundred times!—exceeding one of the key elements of the economy equation of any state— how long will it take to move cargo from point A to point B? The task for our team was to prepare a mathematical model based on which investors would be able to make reasonable assumptions about the payback period of the main tunnels connecting certain points on the map, i.e. industrial sectors and urban agglomerations. I am very glad that our contribution to this significant project helped to make, I hope, the right decisions; helped to avoid the deployment of unprofitable branches of the high-speed transport system.’

Having finished reading Dee’s notes, Thomas started preparing a list of questions and a script for the upcoming interview. The more he learned about the ambitious young scientist, the more appealing she seemed to him. ‘A pretty girl, a bit rough features, short haircut, stocky and dressed like a tomboy. She reminds more of a comic hero about crypto farmers who are fighting an invasion of energy poachers somewhere in Iowa,’ Thomas reflected. ‘Who knows, maybe I underestimate her capabilities. But her new development looks too much like magic and sorcery, but not a scientific approach,’ he glanced out the window. ‘What’s the time? It’s already quite dark.’

‘See you, Dee!’

‘Thomas, all the necessary information about the trip to Moscow is on your communicator. Have a good trip, Thomas.’

‘Thanks, Dee,’ Thomas replied, leaving the office.

Work in the Bild newsroom was in full swing at any time of the day, as one would expect in a world’s leading entertainment and news agency. Thomas loved this spirit and the energy of non-stop production. Endless political disagreements and compromises, which somehow parties happened to come to, new budding developments for business and economic forecasts, show business stars passions and celebrities news and, of course, science and technology—information from all over the world streamed to the editorial office in the incessant data flow. Thomas Bach has been in charge of the Science and Technology Department for seven years.

It was in his editorial office that he felt himself most confident. The work occupied his whole life, and, in fact, it was his life. But on that day he was feeling a little tired and devastated.

There was a capsule waiting for Thomas outside the Bild house, ready to finally take him home, where Peter was waiting. He was looking forward to a family dinner and a chat about nothing. Those thoughts calmed him down, he felt more comfortable.

‘Enough for today. Home, home, home!’ Thomas muttered wearily as he sat down in the capsule.

The noise of city streets muffled, the sounds of a mountain river and the roll call of forest birds, +22 °C—all settings automatically turned on for the convenience and comfort of the passenger. ‘It will take no more than 10 minutes to get home’—a route to Thomas’ house in the suburbs of Munich was displayed on the monitor. The capsule silently raced along multilevel city highways, moving away from the business centre of the city, leaving behind its energetic bustle and competitive ultimate fight for the opportunity to be the best.

Important Details

The main station of Munich was located under the business centre of the city. In a twenty-million megalopolis it wasn’t easy to allocate land on the surface for such large-scale public centres. But, it wasn’t at all necessary in that particular case. International high-speed highways ran underground—a transport tunnels network covered the whole of Europe, similar to a multibranch metro in some major city before. One could have worked in Brussels, and lived in Berlin—to get to work, when of course the requirement for a personal presence was implied, took no more time than a subway ride to a station in the opposite part of the city.

The station seemed to be absolutely stretched in size. Endless series of shops, restaurants and small cafes, service centres for tourists, capsule hotels where one could recuperate before a business meeting—without detailed communicator navigation instructions one could have easily got lost in huge multilevel halls connected by numerous passages, travelators and elevators.

Munich Train Station like a big modern city, hidden underground, never slept, was always on the