Chapter 117 - Armor Demonstration

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Announcement: Please check the glossary/characters auxiliary chapter for updated concept art! 

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The General inquired about the warheads the young man mentioned, and Vince said, "Sorry, I assumed General Dolan debriefed you about the situation already. I've only recently been told by my FSC Director. Come with me, and I'll show you the reports in my home office."

Vince leaned over to Hailee, gave her a quick kiss on the lips, and whispered, "We'll speak in private for a bit, Haiz. But it won't take long."

Hailee understood the situation and softly replied, "Take your time with the General, Vince. I'll stay here and wait for the others to arrive."

General Douglas and his two officers followed Vince as they walked upstairs and entered his technologically sophisticated and secure office, similar to the penthouse office.

Vince manipulated the displays using his Infinity Watch and pulled up an encrypted report stored in a dedicated NetServ databank satellite, high above the western hemisphere, in geosynchronous orbit.

Initial investigations regarding the warheads and the sole copy of Hammer 1's camera footage played for the guests to see.

While General Douglas and his officers watched the video, Vince reassuringly said, "The operation only ended 8 hours ago, so it makes sense you haven't been debriefed yet."

Douglas wasn't paying attention to Vince as he concentrated on observing the power armor in the video's background, one much bigger than the Infantry-variant he visited Austin to trial.

Douglas noted this new information and pondered, [Dolan, pulling a fast one on me, are ya? I'll have to reassess my negotiation strategy with this new tech popping up.]

General Douglas was a sharp man politically and considered the possibility of General Dolan keeping the report under wraps to increase his odds of a successful US Air Force bid, without the US Army knowing.

Vince noticed the General's silence as he read the report and explained, "Just so we're on the same page, whatever is in that video never happened."

General Douglas could've arrested Vince for explicit war crimes by allowing his private military to enter a sovereign nation and kill soldiers. But he wasn't mad at all and instead imagined the many ways the Heavy-variant could help Army operations.

The General amicably replied, "Of course. If General Dolan signed off on the mission, that's good enough for me. Thank you for enlightening us about the warhead situation. I'll take my leave, but I hope we can meet each other again while I'm in Austin for the armor demonstrations."

Their meeting took half an hour before the officers walked downstairs as his friends hanging out in the living room noticed them leaving.

Vince didn't mind them and proceeded to accompany General Douglas and his men to the AV pad outside the manor as a courtesy.

Kyle and the others weren't acquainted with the General. Still, they knew of the corporation's partnership with the Department of Defense because they worked on different aspects of Future Security's military products.

The USAF FAV-1 was ready to depart, and Vince respectfully said, "You're always welcome at my home, General. Don't hesitate to contact my butler, Aiya, if you need anything during your stay in the city. Until next time."

The General and the officers shook his hand before boarding the AV and heading towards Camp Mabry.

Vince returned to the living room and reconnected with Hailee and his friends, and Kyle asked in concern, "What was that about?"

Vince gave him a simple answer and replied, "The General and I discussed the armor demonstrations at the FS barracks this coming week. Nothing too important. So what do guys wanna do tonight?"

Hailee thought about it for a moment and suggested, "Let's clear the God's Temple raid wing on challenge mode. I bet Fortis would be a good help in farming some top-tier loot."

As gamers themselves, Kyle and the others readily agreed before relocating to the manor's entertainment center.

Before another busy work week, Vince and his friends took advantage of their Sunday off and spent time with Jaden, Alice, and Fortis.

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The following day, Pdogg and the Bangtan boys arrived at a private hangar in LAX after spending the weekend exploring LA, like Universal Studios and Malibu Beach.

They boarded a Future Tech 787 and noticed a familiar African-American man in his late 30s, listening to music using in-ear monitors while reading documents on an Infinity Tablet.

Pdogg instantly recognized the most successful western musical artist in 2013, Pharrell Williams, and took the opportunity to introduce himself and the Bangtan Boys.

Pharrell had seen and heard of BTS' work and was open to socializing with the young Korean artists on the flight back to Austin.

Pdogg was interested in why the acclaimed Pharrell was on a Future Tech jet and asked, "Will you be working on the Everlife expansion soundtrack?"

Pharrell replied, "We recorded the entire soundtrack half a year ago, but Vince Dalton hired me to lead Future Records as an executive director."

Pharrell understood how significant an upper management position at Future Tech would be for his career and family, considering how the corporation bred triumph and plenty of money, and decided to move his family to Austin eventually.

Pdogg carefully replied, "Then I guess you're our superior now. Will you still produce music? BTS would love to have you feature on one of our tracks."

Pharrell appreciated the sentiment and explained, "Of course, I'll always write and produce music, but the main focus is building the record label roster with talented and marketable artists. I spent the weekend negotiating with a few of my contacts in the industry and poached Bruno Mars from Atlantic Records and Ariana Grande from Republic Records."

Pharrell didn't mention the less notable names he also contracted under the label, like the rising social media artists such as Post Malone, Yung Lean from Sweden, and Aryana Sayeed from Afghanistan, among many others.

Pharrell pondered, [I spent the $2 billion pretty quickly, but we're going in the right direction based on Future Tech's vision for the Infinity Channel.]

The BTS members were excited to hear about famous artists joining their ranks in the same label and imagined the various collaborations that could be possible.

Pharrell agreed to feature on one of their studio albums while casually discussing Future Records.

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During the same Monday morning, General Douglas and his officers attended their official visit to the Future Security Barracks located near the Tech Campus.

The soldier dormitories and recreational buildings looked completely different from typical US military bases, as he noticed units of FS operators cleaning their custom FS-416 rifles after morning training.

They observed a few Austin police officers receiving free training from Future Security, as one of the ways the corporation assisted the local government.

The area itself shared the neo-modern industrial aesthetic with the Tech Campus and Future Tech Headquarters, which made sense considering most architectural decisions were based on input from artificial intelligence, maximizing the Barrack's material and functional efficiency.

An Italian-American in his late 20s wearing the new Infantry Power Armor welcomed the General and gave him a quick tour of the grounds before starting the demonstrations.

Marco had recently finished physical therapy and training the first batch of cybernetically-treated veterans and was reassigned to govern the primary Future Security Barracks in Austin, based on his flawless results.

General Douglas amicably stated, "Marco, I've heard so much about you from my troops and a few friends. Of course, I hope soldiers as courageous as you would stay in the US Army, but I understand the benefits of working for Future Security. You even get to play with all the advanced weaponry your corporation is developing."

Marco accepted the compliment humbly and replied, "I'm proud of my service in the military, and I've learned plenty from my time in your army. Future Security fights for a similar cause, just not under the red, white, and blue."

The General nodded in agreement and said, "True. But, back to the matter at hand, I do have a question regarding your Power Armor program. Vince Dalton shared information regarding a more capable variant currently in development. Unfortunately, I didn't want to discuss business with him on a casual Sunday, so I'll ask you instead. Are the Heavy Power Armors on the table?"

Marco took a moment of thought before explaining, "The Hammers are operational, but barely. It may take at least a year before a complete version becomes available, unlike the Infantry and Medium variants Future Tech is ready to produce for the Department of Defense."

General Douglas was disappointed but accepted reality and replied, "Alright, at least I tried. Now I want to see if your fancy armor isn't just for show."

Marco complied with the General's request and ordered a unit of FS operators to demonstrate the many capabilities of the Infantry variant.

The main issue with competing exoskeleton solutions like the TALOS system developed by DARPA and the Army Research Laboratory was the unequal stress distribution throughout the soldier's body.

Sure, TALOS would keep the weight away from your back, but then your knees would bear the brunt of the muscular stress.

The Future Tech Infantry Power Armor featured a graphene-matrix weave layer that utilizes battery energy to fully enhance the soldier inside.

An FS operator picked up a typical army rucksack weighing 100 pounds on average. It appeared heavy at first, but the armor quickly adjusted energy distribution based on the operator's actions. The rucksack seemed to be so weightless in a split second as the operator threw it up and down.

Marco instructed the unit to perform different practical tests showcasing the armor's capabilities, such as assisted jumping and the Hypervisor military interface.

General Douglas was quite impressed as the armor fit almost all his criteria and pondered, [The Future Soldier Program won't be a pipe dream, after all.]