Kate leaned forward in her desk. The virtual conference room faded along with the digital screen. Startled by a commotion at the far end of her study, her eyes strained to adjust. Her cat, last seen playing by the short staircase with a slipper, bolted in a flash of orange in a mad, rabid dash. The cerulean blue slipper followed in the chase along with a small stack of books. Each book tumbled with a loud thud. The last book sliding down each step like a skier hitting moguls.

"Gleason?" Kate called, hoping to reassure the cat. There was no response. "Silly cat," she said, wondering how long Gleason's study of slipper dynamics would be deterred.

Kate dampened her concerned smile and sat back. The conference room immediately surrounded her again. She sat at a large, wooden, oval table. The edges of the room faded into dark shadows. At the front of the table were two conference directors, one with the moderator badge. The rest of the table sat twelve, including Kate. When she rejoined, Dr. Thomas Killigrew was speaking. He spoke on the topic of trajectory avoidance and automatic targeting systems. In the central display, an aerial drone was shown in the early days of delivery. A second video showed airports defeating a drone using communication jammers. The latest video showed a drone detecting and dodging laser fire. He was summarizing 40 years of drone technology. Kate flipped forward to read Killigrew's pitch and his recent grants for avoidance algorithms.

Kate recognized Dr. Killigrew. His avatar was a young man in his thirties, long brown hair, a whispery blonde mustache, and a T-Shirt. Today's shirt read, "Freedom is Not Free." Kate's InView assistant detected her eye motion and neural feedback. In the lower right area of her visor displayed a small video information window. Below it, the caption: a quote inscribed on a wall in the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.

Nineteen statues, their reflection doubled in the wall, march forward. 'Okay, Kate, stay focused,' she thought to herself, resisting the immersive experience. She rotated her upright hand and brought her index finger towards her. An article on the memorial on the 38-month war and the 38th parallel came forward. For a war ended a little over a hundred years ago, she wondered if Killigrew was making a statement. Kate's great grandparents immigrated from Korea. Her parents taught her to be ethical and the premiere importance of family. 'Is this slogan meant for me,' she thought before dismissing as over-thinking.

Dr. Killigrew continued speaking about his work and advances in drone preservation systems. His tone was confident; his manner proud. "Our team has saved over 73% more drones in trials, and recent breakthroughs will raise that rate. New countervailing systems will be required in targeting systems to defeat these improvements." She thought he looked right at her with this closing statement. Targeting systems was her research, and her heart raced as she felt the challenge. She had to wait for her turn.

Kate presented her avatar as herself. She dressed in conservative attire, usually a gray suit for board meetings. Working meetings in a virtual lab called for white lab coats like the ones in the real lab. She ran her hands on her charcoal cashmere pajamas, her everyday house attire. After Thomas Killigrew completed his presentation, other attendees requested the floor. These requests for a topic change resulted in a faint number appearing over their avatar. Kate gestured at the moderator to preserve her place. It was going to be awhile.

She signaled InView for a report on Dr. Killigrew. His bio showed in a small information window. She had never met Thomas in person and wondered if his bio might show anything different from his avatar. It didn't. In the bio, he was wearing a different T-Shirt. That shirt read, "I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." She read through some of his connections, papers, and a little about his lab. He seemed overconfident or very capable, and she wasn't sure which.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Gleason, the cat, crawled out of his downstairs isolation. Without a sound, he crept up the stairs and across the floor to the side of Kate's desk. A small and faint "meow" provided the only warning as he jumped onto the desktop. Parading in front of Kate, she disengaged gestures and pulled Gleason into her lap. Careful to keep claws from her pajamas, her hand glided through his soft fur down his back. He tucked in, turning his head over as her fingers stroked his chin, progressing into a gentle scratch. Upside down and paws up, his purring unfazed by recent events.

Several other conference members spoke. Gleason stretched, curled into a ball, and fell asleep. Kate straightened and began breathing exercises as the speaker ended her presentation. It was her turn.

Supporting Gleason's neck with her left hand, her right hand rose to present. "My name is Dr. Catherine McDermott of Omnichrom Laboratories. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss our findings on targeting systems. Our general focus is on building security applications. It is my pleasure to work with some of you on these technologies and compete with others," she said. She looked at others and then Killigrew before continuing. "I look forward to these exciting times of exploration, and I am honored to be able to discuss our research today. A recommendation by this committee would help solidify this work and would be a great honor for me. Today, I will discuss our recent findings for on-grid targeting."

Gleason stretched out his arms before relaxing. He began gentle purring as if approving of her presentation. Kate discussed detailed results for overcoming trajectory avoidance. A video played showing a grid of laser's raising to cover a doorway and then protecting a larger opening in a wall. She saved the most aggressive claims of building security to the end. As if on queue, Killigrew signaled the floor for a question. Kate granted the request.

"Dr. McDermott, is the application limited to fixed installations? If so, your results appear to only relate to small areas such as doorways and walls?" Dr. Killigrew was not pulling punches.

"Thank you for the question. Yes, the current technology is best suited for framed enclosures. We have results on other fixed installations that we are preparing for an upcoming paper." She did not grant further questions and completed her presentation. The technology was novel and spoke for itself. She was careful to conceal her lab had already surpassed current limitations. It was essential to show promise without becoming a target for acquisition. Partners, fellow researchers, and customers were even excluded from the latest research.

Finally, she closed her presentation. "Please accept my application. I am excited to take part in panels, question and answer sessions, and discuss insights. Thank you all for the opportunity to share with you today, and I hope you see you all at the conference."

"I look forward to watching your continued contributions in the field." She signed out and felt her neck and shoulder muscles relax.

Kate adjusted in her seat as she yielded the floor, relaxing to listen to the last few candidates. Gleason jumped down from her lap, stretched, and began licking his shoulder.

When the meeting ended, Kate walked to the stairs. She collected the books from the steps and restacked them on the landing. A friend who also enjoyed reading physical books asked and these were set aside. She also fetched the missing cerulean slipper that somehow had fallen to the bottom of the stair. Gleason watched, bored by the activity, and resumed his grooming.