A man was napping alone in his office, recharging after a long, exhausting night of preparation. Deep in his mind, a calm, soft voice echoed faintly,
"Pierre…"
The sound gradually faded. Then the voice returned, stronger this time, as if it were real, not an echo.
"Pierre!"
The call carried an urgency that jolted Pierre's drowsy brain. He woke, gently rubbing his eyes, and turned toward the source of the voice. His vision was blurry as he blinked awake. Slowly, the figure at the corner of his desk came into focus.
"Finally, you're awake. Your eyes are so red. Up late again?" the familiar voice continued.
"Anyway, it's time. Get yourself ready!"
It was the same soft voice Pierre had heard for three years—Elena's voice. He strained to focus his blurry vision, catching the outline of a figure with long blonde hair, one side braided over her shoulder, hands on her hips, leaning slightly toward him as he lay half-awake. Her face remained unclear in his groggy state. She reached forward, holding out his glasses. As Pierre put them on,
"Don't tell me you've only just finished your slides," Elena said boldly.
Today, the Reich's National Research and Engineering Centre (NRE) was set to announce a groundbreaking discovery—one that promised to further elevate the Reich's power. Pierre Therma, acting director of the NRE and a key collaborator, was responsible for the announcement. He had been preparing the presentation—slides, simulations, code, and other materials—since the previous night.
"I still need a script," Pierre said with a yawn, slipping on his glasses and searching for his smartwatch. It lay near the keyboard. He checked the time: 8:00 AM, two hours before his presentation.
"I'll work on the script now."
He turned his attention to the desktop screen. Elena, wearing a cardigan over a white shirt and jeans, stood at the corner of his desk, watching him silently with a steady gaze.
After logging in, a notification for a new email appeared. It had no subject line, only the sender's name: Elena. The email contained a single file. Pierre glanced at her. Though she said nothing, her expectant expression urged him to open it.
He opened the file and scanned it. It was a script—or rather, an outline—for the upcoming presentation.
"This is exactly what I needed!" he exclaimed.
His eyes remained fixed on the script as he read. Elena smiled and stepped closer to where he sat.
"One night's miracle won't work, Pierre," she said in her naturally soft voice. Now beside his chair, she leaned toward the screen, close enough for Pierre to catch the scent of her light citrus fragrance carried by thin cold air in his office.
"The script is just an outline. You'll need to add your own touches."
"That's more than enough. Thank you," Pierre replied.
"Don't improvise," Elena said, her voice firming as if she could read his thoughts.
"How could you know?" Pierre said, stunned.
"I've been working with you for three years, remember?" Elena replied. "Things always get worse when you go off-script." She shook her head, recalling past mishaps.
"Now I have you. Thank you again!" Pierre said, smiling as he began revising her script.
"It would be faster if you asked Freja for help," Elena suggested, mentioning his collaborator.
"Well, I don't want to owe anyone, especially Freja," Pierre replied.
"Now you owe me one," Elena teased, her voice bright with delight. Pierre gave her a gentle smile. She stayed by his side, helping him refine the script, her soothing fragrance keeping him alert.
The two worked on the script until twenty minutes before the presentation.
"I think this is it. Time to go," Pierre said, pausing his typing. He saved the file, uploaded it to the central server and his smartwatch, then stood, straightening his blue shirt. He packed items that might be useful into his bag and walked to a nearby sink to freshen up. Together, they headed to the central unit, where the conference room awaited.
—
Upon reaching the conference room in the central area between the left and right wings of the building, Pierre noticed a crowd gathering outside. NRE employees, staff, townsfolk, and numerous officers in dark green uniforms from the Granitz camp mingled in anticipation. Elena left him to join her colleagues near the entrance. Pierre wove through the crowd to enter the room.
Although called a conference room, its infrastructure resembled a lecture hall or auditorium. A plain, soundproof wall stood opposite a windowed wall concealed by a large black curtain. At the front, a spacious stage featured a blackboard—for a touch of classic charm—mounted on the wall behind. The audience seats were tiered, ensuring a clear view of the stage for all. Two small globe-like projector stood in the back row, ready to display 3D images or simulations, enhancing visualization and capturing attention.
Surveying the room, Pierre stepped onto the stage. His presentation was set to begin in about five minutes. He prepared the materials and activated three projectors at the front row. At the center of the stage stood a humanoid robot, wearing organic skin, motionless, awaiting commands—a key element of his demonstration. Initially, Pierre had planned a simple slide presentation with images, but Elena had urged him to include something more tangible and engaging. So, he enlisted Freja and other collaborators to prepare the robot used in testing for the show.
As he finished setting up, a beep from his smartwatch signaled 10:00 AM. A red blinking light indicated stress or hunger. The audience, now settling into their seats, filled the room with a low hum.
Elena sat near the front row with her team, smiling at him and saying something he couldn't hear. As he gazed at her, Pierre recalled the faint echo from his earlier dream, a sudden unease gripping his stomach, his chest tightening. His watch blinked red more insistently. With no time for panic, he silenced the device. The lights dimmed slowly, ensuring the projected slides would be clearly visible. The title slide appeared on the screen, displaying his name and the title in simple black font on a white background:
From 100 ms to 20 ms: Leveraging Human Perception Speed
Pierre took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and began, "Good morning, everyone."
The presentation began.