On the Hunt - Page 46

Harlan grinned as he approached them. “Hannah is being too generous. When I came up with these ideas, I knew there was only one person on earth who could make them work, and that’s Dr. Hannah Bryson. Though even I was surprised at how beautiful she made them.”

Kira turned toward one of the dark blue sleds. “Me too. They’re breathtaking. I have to reach out and touch them.” She turned to Hannah. “May I?”

Hannah gestured to Harlan. “Ask the owner.”

“Of course,” he said. “From what I hear, every visitor to Hannah’s shop at the factory has wanted to touch these things.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Kira said. “They’re stunning.” She ran her hand over the sled’s smooth curves.

“I’m flattered you think so,” Hannah said. “I’ve always thought that my designs should be more than just utilitarian. They should invite people to engage with them.”

Kira stepped back and admired the sled from a few feet away. “I’m definitely getting the invitation.”

Harlan was also obviously thrilled. “Hannah, you’ve outdone yourself,” he murmured.

She laughed. “You haven’t seen them do anything yet.”

“I have faith.”

Hannah turned back to Kira. “See? If you design something that looks nice, you’ve won half the battle.”

Harlan shook his head. “It’s your reputation I have faith in. If these things can do half of what’s in the design specs, we’re all going to be blown away.”

“No pressure or anything,” Kira said.

“I think you’re going to be very happy.” Hannah motioned toward a seating area in front of the sleds. “Shall we begin? I’ve brought a few divers as well as my engineering team here for the demonstration.” She held up her hand as she saw Harlan start to protest. “Don’t worry. All of them are sworn to secrecy regarding the details of the sleds. Naturally, the technical innovations won’t be revealed. But they’ve worked hard, and they deserve to see what we’ve created.” She grinned. “And I thought you’d enjoy having an audience to applaud your new toy, Harlan.”

“By all means,” Harlan said as he watched the stream of people pouring out of the barge. “And you deserve to have your co-workers appreciate what an amazing job you’ve done, Hannah.”

She chuckled. “You’re damn right. So hold on for the show!”

A couple of minutes later, Hannah stepped in front of two large video screens that had been wheeled behind the sleds. “Welcome, and thank you for the hospitality you’ve shown me and my team since we arrived here. When Mr. Harlan approached me to build a new generation of underwater sleds, he had some ideas that had never been implemented before. Which is exactly why I wanted to be a part of it. As most of you know, I usually design submarines, but I was inspired by Jack Harlan’s desire to create a craft that puts us into the water in a way unlike anything else ever designed.”

Hannah walked toward her devices. “Most of the underwater sleds with anything close to these capabilities require days or even weeks of training. Not these. Most divers can be up and running in less than an hour.”

This elicited a round of surprised and skeptical comments from the crowd. Hannah smiled. “I’m serious. And I have confidence that each one of you will prove me right.” She bent down and picked up what appeared to be a small scuba mask. “And it’s mostly because of this.”

“A mask?” Kira said.

“Yes, but it’s also the nerve center of this entire project. It wirelessly interfaces with the sleds. The diver won’t have to master a steering mechanism. All you do is look at your destination, and the sled will take you there, navigating itself over, under, or around any obstacle to get there. Once the sled locks on to the target, the diver just hangs on.”

As she spoke, the two screens displayed an animation illustrating the concept. There were several “oohs” from the crowd, even from some who had expressed doubts only moments before.

“You can grip the sled on side handles, or—” Hannah slipped her hands into slender fissures in the sled’s rear side. “—place your hands in these silicone-lined areas that wrap around your fingers like gloves.” She leaned forward until she was in the device up to her elbows. “When I flex my fingers, you’ll notice something happening in front.”

The crowd reacted in surprise as a pair of mechanical arms suddenly protruded from the front of the sled. Each arm was outfitted with a mechanical hand that moved with the dexterity of a human appendage. Hannah smiled and turned to face the crowd as the device’s steel fingers flexed and rolled as if playing an invisible piano.

“Cute,” one of the divers said. “But if we’re down there anyway, we can just use our own hands.”

“You can,” Hannah said. “But can your hands do this?” She leaned forward, and the mechanical fingers picked up a large rock on the ground in front of the sled. The hand squeezed the rock until it shattered into hundreds of pieces.

The diver stepped back. “Whoa.”

Hannah turned back toward the crowd. “These appendages can be used to clear debris, move wreckage, or move heavy objects to the surface.”

Kira turned to Harlan. “Nice. Is that one of your contributions?”

Harlan nodded. “You never know when you might need an extra pair of hands.”