Alvin motioned Will to sit in the driver’s seat, and he sat in the passenger seat next to him, separated by a large console.
Alvin turned to look at Will. “Slim is the name of the technology. When interacting, always address the technology as Slim, and Slim will always address you as Will Parnell.”
“Is Slim a computer?” Will asked.
“Slim is much more than a computer. Slim is an artificial intelligence with many nanoparticle applications that I developed to design and produce nanoparticles.”
“Production?” Will asked with confusion in his voice.
“Basically, Slim is a nanoparticle factory with development and application functions that, before long, will be able to be used to accomplish almost anything. For example, we are invisible to the outside world right now, and we can fully insulate ourselves from outside noise or let sound flow in or in and out. Let’s get you started.”
“Do you turn Slim on with a key?”
Alvin laughed. “Heavens no.”
Alvin showed Will how to power Slim up and down. “You will probably keep Slim on all the time.”
“What about fuel or battery life?” Will asked.
“Great question. Let’s back up just a bit. Slim is mobile. The core of Slim is comprised of the boxes on the racks behind us. It can be located almost anywhere. When you travel like we can in the Jeep, you simply use this small unit, which is an extension of Slim or Slim Mobile.” Alvin pointed to a miniature black box on the console between them. It had a power cord that plugged into the twelve-volt receptacle in the dash.
“Slim runs off a car battery,” Will concluded.
“No. I hooked Slim Mobile into the RV’s electrical system to make the connection a little more efficient. Slim is powered by hydrogen, and shortly there will be no benefit from plugging it in to the car battery. A very abundant source is water. To refuel, which is necessary periodically, you simply place the vehicle in a large body of water and Slim will extract the hydrogen in one of its many factories and feed it into its power plant.”
“Do I do anything?” Will asked.
“Slim, provide Will Parnell with your dashboard to control the RV.” A hologram of Slim’s dashboard appeared over the center console, tilted towards Will. “Once Slim takes control of a vehicle, which is a matter of a seconds once the command is issued, you can access this dashboard by voice.”
Will examined what looked like several joysticks that Alvin explained were for vertical and horizontal movements allowing forward and backward motion and altitude changes. There were many controls and gauges that Will would learn about in time, but a rectangular button switch caught his attention and illuminated in green, marked ‘Stealth’.
“You can verbally command Slim to take you to a specific destination or a general area. For now, let’s try some manual movement. See if you can turn the RV to head out to the ocean.”
Carefully and slowly, Will took the controls and turned the RV perpendicular to the beach and went forward over the ocean. He adjusted the elevation to three hundred feet and did some slow turning maneuvers.
“This is like playing one of my nephew’s video games … better, actually.”
Alvin chuckled. “It’s the same eye-hand coordination, but you also have Slim to safeguard you. Consider this as the ultimate self-driving vehicle.”
Alvin showed him the fuel gage. “Let’s get some fuel. Issue a command to Slim to get fuel and set the RV on the bottom of the ocean wherever it is safe.”
Will looked at Alvin, tentatively. “Do I just say it?”
“Yes. You have the control.”
Will spoke each word distinctly. “Slim, get fuel. Put the RV safely on the bottom of the ocean below us.”
The RV descended slowly into the ocean and came to rest on the bottom. The fuel gauge glowed in green and the word fueling appeared above it.
Alvin watched as Will stared into the dark ocean. “Slim’s nanoparticles have covered the RV and sealed the structure giving it great strength. The RV can descend safely to any depth.
They rested on the bottom as Slim filled the power cells with hydrogen extracted from the water.
Alvin watched Will’s reaction as the fueling process took place. “Slim’s factories constructed fuel cells that I designed that use hydrogen. A tank of fuel should last you for a month or more depending on your activities. You just need a body of water–fresh, brackish or salt. You’ll need about thirty minutes to fill up when you are low. To be safe, Slim will remind you whenever your capacity is one half or less. The fuel is to power your vehicle. As time goes on, Slim will become more and more efficient and will require less and less fueling because it will be able to manufacture its own fuel.”
“Self-sustaining?”
“Pretty much. We should also talk about Slim Mobile.”
“Isn’t this mobile?”
“Yes and no. Slim is in the RV so that is the base or mother ship. When I met you on the pier and demonstrated the stealth mode in your apartment, I was using Slim Mobile. The box that I use in the Jeep or any other vehicle that leverages Slim is also a version of Slim Mobile.” He showed Will a small titanium case the size of a stack of ten credit cards. “When you are authenticated all you need to do is have it on your person. I am the only person that is authenticated for now.”
“How long does authentication take?”
“Not long, and only an authenticated person can grant another authentication. So, if the mobile unit is lost or stolen it’s useless to anyone else. Now, you will have the basic capabilities of Level One–invisibility, flight and a protective shield. You also have Level Two, which is more complicated. Here is a short primer on the scheduled development and a description of Slim’s capabilities.” He handed Will a bound report that he had prepared. “Study that later.”
A soft alarm sounded indicating that the fueling was finished.
“That was quick,” Will said.
“We just topped it off, so I could demonstrate fueling. Let’s take a trip to show you the travel function. Where shall we go?” Alvin smiled.
“Since it’s late, let’s just cruise up to Atlantic City,” Will said.
“Slim has a unique ability to transport us quickly since the development of Level Two has been completed. Why don’t you pick any destination anywhere in the US, and I’ll demonstrate. You can read about this function in your manual.”
Will thought for a moment. “How about Niagara Falls?”
“Okay. That’s an interesting choice. We can be there in minutes. Let’s buckle our seat belts, just to be safe.”
Will opened the manual to Level Two and read about transportation functionality. Slim’s technology could separate the atmosphere before it like layers of sheets and slip between them eliminating the force of friction, allowing great speed to be achieved by its host vehicle. Slim’s radar functionality guides it safely through its chosen route between points A and B.
“It’s hard to fathom. Does this work for Slim Mobile, too?” Will asked.
“That’s a good question. Level Two gives the host vehicle the benefit of rapid transport. Soon, Slim Mobile will provide the same. Go ahead and issue the command to Slim.”
Will tightened his seat belt and took a deep breath. “Slim, transport the RV to Niagara Falls using the maximum speed allowed with Level Two.”
The dashboard glowed as a three-dimensional map formed before his eyes and a red line showed the path to their destination. Will felt the RV move and slowly accelerate until they were enveloped in a gray fog.
Alvin watched Will as he studied the scene as it unfolded. “This is what it looks like when you slip between the sheets,” Alvin said.
Will looked at him. “Are we safe from other objects?”
“Yes. Slim’s radar function is very advanced. We won’t be close to any airborne object like a plane or helicopter. If an object is thrust upon us like a missile and Slim couldn’t get around it, the force fields would deflect it away.”
Will tried to comprehend such capability.
In less than ten minutes the RV began to slow and Niagara Falls came into view. They came to a stop and hovered about one thousand feet over the Falls.
“Let’s get some sleep, so we can get an early start,” Alvin said.
“That’s a good idea. I’m suddenly exhausted.”
They perched above the Falls in stealth mirror mode with exterior noise eliminated, wrapped safely in Slim’s force field. Will fell asleep watching one of Mother Nature’s wonders in majestic silence.
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