iMate
Prologue
Glasses pressed against his face, making his worried wrinkles look deeper than usual. Phillip J. Clark stood in front of the group of suit clad men in only jeans and a pullover. He looked out of place among the group and it caused the tension to already build up. The board never liked Phillip J. Clark, because Phillip J. Clark never did what the board wanted.
Adjusting his glasses loosely at the tip of his nose, Phillip cleared his throat. All eyes turned to the gray haired man, as they waited for him to unveil his latest prototype.
The last thing Phillip had entered the room with had been a flop – a device that was meant to replace earphones with a permanent implant – but Phillip was sure that this would be his second greatest invention next to the iPad.
From within his pocket, Phillip pulled out a small device, no bigger than a drop of honey. It was small and metal, with tiny hooks all around the edges. If it was held up to a microscope, you would be able to see all the tiny wires and blinking lights inside it, but from a distance, it looked like an ordinary microchip.
“We’re all older men,” Phillip said, looking around at the men sitting in front of him. “I’m sure more than one of us has been through a divorce. Baldy, you in the back, you have, haven’t you?” Phillip paused, but wasn’t expecting a response. “How would you like to spare your children the pain of living in a motel while their wife shags their best mate? Wouldn’t you like to die knowing your children won’t have to force down bottles of wine to get through their day?”
Phillip held up the small chip, which sat firmly at the tip of his finger, while each of the men stared at him with tight, angry eyes. He waited for them to stop him, as they had many times before, but he had gained their attention.
“With this device, I can make that happen. This device, which have I coined the iMate, calculates the soulmate of anyone who the device is implanted in.”
The men all looked at one another, their eyes twisted in confusion. Glances were thrown around the room, as if they were waiting for Ashton Kutcher to pop out and say they were on Punk’d.
“It’s a long process, something none of you have enough education to understand, but it has been verified by every scientist in the lab. All 30 of us.”
Each of the men had their attention on Phillip. The look in their eyes said he still had some convincing to do, and that he better do it with less sarcasm.
“What happens is that the iMate is installed through a small incision behind the ear, which then connects it to the brain. Blah, blah, blah. A bunch of science stuff none of you would understand. Blah, blah, blah.”
Phillip waved his hands as he spoke, taking on the most nonchalant manner he knew possible. They were glaring at him, sending holes through his body, but he didn’t care. He kept his arms circling while he continued to speak, as if he were doing a musical number.
“When the host comes into contact with the person the iMate has identified as their soulmate, it sends a wave through the host’s body, signaling that the host has found their perfect match.” Phillip paused again, before shrugging his shoulders. “It’s their soulmate.”
In the seat closest to Phillip, a hefty man cleared his throat. He stood from his place, and took a few slow steps towards the gray haired man in the awkward sweater. Phillip thought for a moment that the old man would punch him square in the jaw. That had happened once before, too.
Holding out his hand, the hefty man shook Phillip’s, with a large grin on his face.
“You sir,” the man said, his voice raspy from years of smoking. “You are going to make us millions.”
A smile fell to Phillip’s lips, the first one he’d had in years. The tired man rubbed the chip between his fingers, as he pictured the black sports car he’d be purchasing in the near future.
A lawyer came in to draw up a contract just a few moments later. It stated that Phillip was to implant the device in ten willing participants, between the ages of 18 and 22, who would be selected at random. These test subjects would be sworn to secrecy, and a failsafe was to be installed that would shut the device off if the host ever spoke of it. Apple was big on protecting its merchandise.
If the ten implants were successful, and the ten people found their soulmates, Phillip would be awarded a large amount of money and granted early retirement. The ten people would be lucky enough to find love.
Adjusting his glasses loosely at the tip of his nose, Phillip cleared his throat. All eyes turned to the gray haired man, as they waited for him to unveil his latest prototype.
The last thing Phillip had entered the room with had been a flop – a device that was meant to replace earphones with a permanent implant – but Phillip was sure that this would be his second greatest invention next to the iPad.
From within his pocket, Phillip pulled out a small device, no bigger than a drop of honey. It was small and metal, with tiny hooks all around the edges. If it was held up to a microscope, you would be able to see all the tiny wires and blinking lights inside it, but from a distance, it looked like an ordinary microchip.
“We’re all older men,” Phillip said, looking around at the men sitting in front of him. “I’m sure more than one of us has been through a divorce. Baldy, you in the back, you have, haven’t you?” Phillip paused, but wasn’t expecting a response. “How would you like to spare your children the pain of living in a motel while their wife shags their best mate? Wouldn’t you like to die knowing your children won’t have to force down bottles of wine to get through their day?”
Phillip held up the small chip, which sat firmly at the tip of his finger, while each of the men stared at him with tight, angry eyes. He waited for them to stop him, as they had many times before, but he had gained their attention.
“With this device, I can make that happen. This device, which have I coined the iMate, calculates the soulmate of anyone who the device is implanted in.”
The men all looked at one another, their eyes twisted in confusion. Glances were thrown around the room, as if they were waiting for Ashton Kutcher to pop out and say they were on Punk’d.
“It’s a long process, something none of you have enough education to understand, but it has been verified by every scientist in the lab. All 30 of us.”
Each of the men had their attention on Phillip. The look in their eyes said he still had some convincing to do, and that he better do it with less sarcasm.
“What happens is that the iMate is installed through a small incision behind the ear, which then connects it to the brain. Blah, blah, blah. A bunch of science stuff none of you would understand. Blah, blah, blah.”
Phillip waved his hands as he spoke, taking on the most nonchalant manner he knew possible. They were glaring at him, sending holes through his body, but he didn’t care. He kept his arms circling while he continued to speak, as if he were doing a musical number.
“When the host comes into contact with the person the iMate has identified as their soulmate, it sends a wave through the host’s body, signaling that the host has found their perfect match.” Phillip paused again, before shrugging his shoulders. “It’s their soulmate.”
In the seat closest to Phillip, a hefty man cleared his throat. He stood from his place, and took a few slow steps towards the gray haired man in the awkward sweater. Phillip thought for a moment that the old man would punch him square in the jaw. That had happened once before, too.
Holding out his hand, the hefty man shook Phillip’s, with a large grin on his face.
“You sir,” the man said, his voice raspy from years of smoking. “You are going to make us millions.”
A smile fell to Phillip’s lips, the first one he’d had in years. The tired man rubbed the chip between his fingers, as he pictured the black sports car he’d be purchasing in the near future.
A lawyer came in to draw up a contract just a few moments later. It stated that Phillip was to implant the device in ten willing participants, between the ages of 18 and 22, who would be selected at random. These test subjects would be sworn to secrecy, and a failsafe was to be installed that would shut the device off if the host ever spoke of it. Apple was big on protecting its merchandise.
If the ten implants were successful, and the ten people found their soulmates, Phillip would be awarded a large amount of money and granted early retirement. The ten people would be lucky enough to find love.
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Katie here, just wanting to let you guys know how much we appreciate the feedback we're getting!I hope you guys are as excited for this story as I am(: