Sam sat in the glass-walled conference room of Atlas Biotech Solutions. The city skyline stretched behind him, but his focus was on the people gathered at the table.
Five new recruits—scientists, engineers, and a project manager—all stared at the stack of documents he'd brought in.
"This," Sam said, sliding the folder toward them, "is the blueprint for a new type of energy storage. I call it the HyperCell battery. I want you to review it, tear it apart, and tell me what's possible."
Dr. Lee, a chemical engineer with twenty years in battery research, adjusted his glasses and flipped open the folder. His brow furrowed almost immediately.
"These structures…" he muttered. "This lattice design shouldn't even be stable. Yet if it works—this could multiply energy density by ten. Maybe more."
Sam leaned back in his chair, calm. "It's possible. You'll find the math checks out. I also uploaded a set of failed experiments from the last decade of battery research. Study them carefully; they'll save you time."
Another scientist, Dr. Patel, frowned as she scanned the data. "These reports… this isn't public. It looks like classified research."
"It's not classified," Sam replied smoothly. "Let's just say I had access to a few archives. The point is—you won't waste months repeating mistakes others already made."
Silence settled across the room. The scientists exchanged glances, caught between disbelief and excitement.
Dr. Lee finally closed the folder. "If this holds up, we're not just looking at a better battery. This could power entire cities without failure. Electric grids, vehicles, even military tech would shift overnight."
Sam nodded. "That's the idea. Atlas Biotech isn't going to start small—we're going to start with something the world can't ignore."
The project manager, a sharp woman named Clara, cleared her throat. "Then we'll need labs, equipment, and a manufacturing partner as soon as possible. Prototyping this will burn through millions."
Sam's lips curved slightly. "Money isn't the problem. I'll handle that. Your job is to make this work."
He tapped the blueprint with his finger.
"This is Atlas Biotech's first product. Begin the tests. You have everything you need."
The scientists sat straighter, the weight of the moment sinking in. For the first time since founding the company, Sam could see it clearly: Atlas Biotech was real now.
And the HyperCell project was underway.
—
Sam stayed behind after the meeting, the room now quiet except for the faint hum of the city outside. He picked up the blueprint and glanced over it one more time.
Two months. That's how long he figured it would take to get a working prototype—if everything went smoothly.
He wasn't naïve. Nothing in science ever went smoothly. But with AetherLink feeding him data, blueprints, and past failures, he could cut years into months.
"Two months," he muttered to himself, sliding the folder back into his bag.
That would be enough.
Two months passed in a blur.
Atlas Biotech Solutions had transformed from a paper shell into a buzzing research hub. The old office space he'd bought now carried the hum of servers, sterile labs, and the constant chatter of scientists working under tight deadlines.
Sam walked through the main lab, wearing a plain white coat over his usual clothes. He didn't need the coat, but it helped him blend in. On the central workbench, a dull-grey block the size of a lunchbox sat connected to wires and monitors. The first HyperCell prototype.
Dr. Reynolds looked up from the readings, his face a mix of exhaustion and excitement.
"Power density is… off the charts. We've never seen numbers like this."
Sam leaned in, keeping his tone casual. "How stable?"
"Surprisingly stable," Reynolds admitted, glancing at the monitors. "Normally, high-density energy storage risks thermal runaway, but… this thing barely gets warm. It's like it regulates itself."
Reynolds waved over another researcher, Dr. Patel, who rolled in a cart carrying a compact electric engine rigged to a generator.
"This thing eats through high-capacity lithium packs in under ten minutes," Patel explained, hooking up the wires to the HyperCell. "If your prototype lasts longer, we'll know it's real."
Sam folded his arms and watched. The scientists double-checked the connections, then gave a nod.
"Powering on… now."
The engine hummed to life instantly, smooth and strong. The monitors spiked with data streams, yet the HyperCell didn't flinch. No overheating, no drop in output.
"Impossible…" Reynolds muttered, tapping at the screen. "This is equivalent to… fifty times the density of our best cells. And the discharge is perfectly linear. No degradation."
Patel blinked. "Wait—fifty? Did you run the calibration twice?"
Reynolds ignored him, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Sam, where did you get this design? Nothing like this exists. Even failed experimental models don't come close."
Sam walked to the desk, pulled a folder from his bag, and slid it across. Inside were clean blueprints—detailed schematics, power distribution charts, and even references to failed energy storage attempts from the past decade. All courtesy of AetherLink.
"I do my homework," Sam said simply. "Everything in there should back up the foundation of this project. I don't hand you miracles without receipts."
The two scientists exchanged a long look. For once, they had nothing to argue.
The engine kept running. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Still smooth.
Reynolds let out a shaky laugh. "If this scales… the entire energy market will flip on its head."
Sam just nodded, already thinking three steps ahead.
Reynolds leaned over the monitor, his brow furrowed.
"This output is insane… fifty times denser than any commercial cell, and it's stable. Not even our top labs in Silicon Valley or Tokyo have gotten close to this."
Patel shook his head slowly. "Sam, this kind of tech doesn't just appear out of nowhere. You'll have every government and corporation breathing down your neck the second this leaks."
Sam stayed calm. "That's why we're doing this carefully. We control the narrative, the patents, the launch."
Reynolds rubbed his temples, glancing at the blueprint folder Sam had handed over. "You even have failed prototypes mapped out… this looks like ten years of research compressed into a neat package. No one's going to believe a startup pulled this off
legitimately."
Patel added, "Best case? You get lawsuits from half the energy sector. Worst case… someone tries to make this disappear."
Sam leaned back in his chair, meeting their eyes one at a time. "Then we move fast. File the patents under Atlas Biotech's name, lock the core data offline, and only share what's needed to manufacture. Let them doubt—it buys us time."
The two scientists exchanged a nervous glance. The data on the monitor was still rock-solid, no faults, no dips. The HyperCell just kept running.
Finally, Reynolds muttered, "If this scales, it'll change the world. But Sam… you'd better be ready for the storm that comes with it."
—