Chasm Waxing: A Startup, Cyber-Thriller by BMichaelsAuthor

in
government.
    “ I’ve implemented monthly
demos for every member of the Accelerator. I know that the
four-week sprints are challenging, but they allow me to consistently monitor
progress . I intend to purchase technology
from all the Accelerator’s companies. I know you’ll move heaven and
earth to make the improvements.”
    Nobody ever went to a US
government job fearing that the government would run out of
money. Every day, employees of small startups were cognizant that today, could be their last day. This meant that successful
startups had to focus on things that mattered. Quickly.
    Slowly, the General’s demeanor had
returned to normal. “Maybe by looking at the problem from a
different angle, you’ll get a new perspective. Why don’t you meet
with Gamification and see if you can apply your AI to their
software use cases? I think there are a couple of scenarios where
you could help them.”
    “ Alright, ” said Josh. His heart was now
beating more like a marathon runner than a sprinter.
    “ You guys are not
head-to-head competitors. You go
about cybersecurity from
complimentary angles. Talk to Samantha Powers and set something up. They
have great stuff, but Gamification
doesn’t specialize in AI. However, I do
think they’re close to revenue. And, I believe I can push some
your way…if everything goes well.”
    “ Yes sir,” said Josh,
finally able to take in a deep breath. “I’ll schedule it as soon as
possible. I love revenue.”
    Josh left the room.
    Josh felt as though he’d
just been in the lion’s den He’d survived. Not only had he
survived, but he actually
felt re-energized, in spite of the one hour of sleep last night. He couldn’t explain it, but the General was inspiring. If only his father were like that.
    When Josh made the decision to drop
out of MIT, Jared Adler was filled with rage.
    The elder Adler was the
billionaire founder of the hedge fund, Adler Capital, located in
Greenwich, Connecticut. He warned Josh that he was no Mark
Zuckerberg. Why couldn’t he get his undergraduate degree from one of the most
prestigious universities in the country—especially for computer
science majors? Once Josh
graduated with his CS degree, he could do all the startups he
wanted.
    Josh was relieved to have a break from
dealing with his dad. But, even though Jared Adler had always been
a non-supportive, workaholic parent, Josh hated to disappoint him.
He surely didn’t want to let the General down.

Chapter 8 –
No Pain
    5:35 p.m. (EDT), Monday, July 27, 2020
- Columbia, MD
    Suite 601, General
Shields’ Office, Defense Innovations Accelerator
    Lin Liu trailed Shields
into his office. “That took a lot less time than I scheduled . You don’t have your
board meeting with Samantha until 6:30. Do you want me to
attend?”
    The General didn’t respond.
    “ Sir, are you
ok?”
    “ Yes, thanks for your conc ern. I’m just exhausted . You don’t need to
stay for the meeting. Go home and enjoy your night.” After Lin
had departed , General Shields locked the door to his office. He entered
his personal bathroom and again locked the door. Shields looked at
himself in the mirror and wept.
    The main reason that the
General chose CyberAI was that he
completely believed in Josh. He was also impressed by the experience of
Josh’s CTO, Vish Kumar. Kumar’s previous cybersecurity startup
had sold for north of $300M.
    But, there had also been
an intensely personal reason for his selection. Josh Adler reminded
him of his son. Though Charlie’s murder occurred over five years
ago, Shield’s had to admit that he was not over it. He splashed
water on his face, walked to his
bar, and poured a drink. Then another. His
pain slipped quietly into the shadows.
    Josh and Charlie’s personalities were
so much alike. Can do. Confident. Bold ideas. The General missed
Charlie in a way metaphors couldn’t even articulate.
    It was my fault he
died , thought the General. Why did I glorify the military ? Charlie