Chapter 1: Working

The power comes on in less than a microsecond. The heat is intense; for a couple microseconds the energy flux is greater than that on the surface of the sun. Bathed in a sudden onslaught of thermal energy the water molecules within the ink begin to vibrate violently, rending the tenuous connections between them. At the heater surface small pockets of superheated steam begin to form, the hyperactive molecules expanding the pockets by zinging around, ramming their still sluggish neighbors on the bubble wall into activity. Over the first microsecond the pockets gather into a sheet of expanding gas and then expand upward, frantically pushing the liquid ink above the expanding bubble with a thousand pounds per square inch of pressure. The ink is accelerated at a million g's, and during the next few microseconds is hurled out of the firing chamber and into free space, flying the one millimeter gap from the printhead to the paper at 10 meters per second. Upon reaching the paper the 30 picoliter droplet splats, forming a small dot.

A small dot that is out of place. An event that repeats itself 15 thousand times per second, until Steve shuts the tester down in frustration.

"Rats. Why does it do that?" He slumped down in his chair in disgust. This was an all too common occurrence lately. Was he loosing his edge? That inkjet head looked fine during his pre-installation inspection. Steve usually enjoyed his job as an inkjet technology development engineer, but there were times when the whole field of micro fluidics seemed dead set on giving him an ulcer.

"What's up Steve?" his boss said, looking over the cubicle wall.

Turning around, Steve answered "I don't know, Sam. I can't seem to figure out why this nozzle shows so much trajectory error."

"Have you checked the resistor to orifice alignment?"

"Yes, and it is well within spec."

"Well there must be some reason for it. Try the other end. I wonder if that new design of yours has a sensitivity to contamination or particles that makes it behave funny....."

"Hey, Sam, do you have a minute?" Dave Wilkins, an enthusiastic new engineer also working in Sam's group, walked up. "I want to show you something. Those new non-symmetric barriers seem to give much higher operating frequencies. It was a good idea."

"I'll be back in a minute Steve, I want to check this out." Sam and Dave strode away toward the DBOS tester.

Steve turned back to his work. Sam, and Sam's boss, were as enthusiastic about progress in new technology as any newbie engineer, and that was one of the reasons Steve enjoyed working in this group. He had the opportunity to push the state of the art in inkjet technology, he had the ebullient support of his managers in doing so, he was well paid and his peers were some of the best and brightest young minds in the Pacific Northwest. Not a bad situation, all together.

Nothing was perfect, of course. Sam was brilliant, a good humored if somewhat taciturn young man who should have had a bright future. His team was pushing the boundaries of the technology faster than anyone outside the section had thought possible even six months earlier. The results were spectacular and promised a whole new period of technological dominance for the company. In any previous age he would have been marked out for rapid advancement and potentially high placement in the corporation. At this company and in this era of legally required genetic preferences his skills as leader and technologist were overshadowed by his unfortunate majority male gene. He was just another project manager. The same held true for Steve Mitsunami, though he was not yet a manager. Neither of them found this odd in any way. Both had been so immersed in a culture which disdained them for being who they were that favorable treatment based on their undoubted gifts would be the odd event, indeed, and would have left them feeling vaguely guilty.

The phone rang.

Glancing up at the readout built in to the phone, Steve could see that the call was coming from Michelle's desk. What did she want? Certainly an attractive young woman, cheerful and outgoing, she'd caught Steve's eye on different occasions but he hadn't thought much about her after finding out she was married. Since she worked in the manufacturing test & analysis lab Steve rarely had any work related reason to speak to her. Yet she was calling.

It rang again.

Mentally straightening his hair, he picked up the receiver. "Hello, Steve speaking" he answered.

"Hi Steve, this is Michelle. How are you doing? I haven't seen much of you since the last pool party."

"Oh, hi Michelle. I'm fine. I guess I've missed the last couple parties, huh. I've been kind of busy."

"Well, just because you're busy doesn't mean you need to become a hermit. Does your project manager really keep you chained to the lab bench?"

A laugh. "No, nothing like that Michelle. We've had a couple important reviews to prepare for, but they were over a month ago. Since then things have been pretty cool at work."

"Well, what then? If I remember right, you were at Jim's party a month ago, and then that pool party, and then... nothing. Have you been sick or something?"

There was an element of risk in the wheedling, but Steve sensed only the barest whisper of it. "No, no, I've just had other social opportunities is all."

"Social opportunities? With someone else? I'm hurt Steve, really," she pouted. "Why are you being so exclusive all of the sudden? I find it much more fun be inclusive."

Steve was getting lost. He really didn't know where this was going, but it was pleasant. "Well, Jenny probably wouldn't have appreciated having you and your husband along with us."

Bingo. "A date? You've abandoned all of us for a date with Jenny? Why Steve, I'm shocked. You're an important element at our get togethers, not to mention being a major pool player. Jenny's welcome to come, and I know she knows which end of a cue stick to address. And as for the date, you wouldn't have to invite both Phillip and me along. But I suppose Jenny is the sort who likes to have your full attention" she finished.

"Well, I don't think it's anything like that Michelle. Jenny and I were just talking about life and stuff, and sometimes that is easier to do with two." What a dumb reply, he thought to himself. How could he tell Michelle he wanted to be alone with Jenny without making it sound corny? And besides, he did enjoy Michelle's company and her parties.

"I bet I would've added an interesting twist to your philosophical discussions, Steve. But, anyway, I suppose it's no big deal, as long as you don't begin avoiding us all together. I will have to protest if Jenny thinks she's going to keep you all to herself."

Steve coughed and sat up. "What?" was all he could manage.

"Well, I mean, you've got other friends too, right? You shouldn't, you can't retreat from all of your other social interactions just for her can you? It won't be good for either of you. Come to the North Town Tavern tonight, we're getting together to have some fun. Don't be such a monogamist."

Steve wasn't even sure he knew what that meant. But he guessed it had something to do with being socially inept, which he prided himself on not being; nothing worse than a geeky engineer. "Yeah, I could come over tonight, I think. No plans."

"Good. See you there! Thanks Steve, bye."

"Bye Michelle" and the phone went dead.

Putting the receiver back in its cradle, Steve had the sneaking suspicion that there was more to this phone call than met the eye. But what? And, more importantly, why would there be? He'd heard stories about Michelle, but he never thought she'd ever take an interest in him. Had she, or was he imagining things? And what would he do about it if he wasn't?

This all sounded like Oprah fodder. He shrugged and looked up at the clock. Ultimate time. He got up, flipped off his test equipment, and headed down to the locker room. Going to the pool hall wouldn't do any harm, and maybe he was too stuck on Jenny.

But even as he thought it, he didn't believe it. He'd seen enough to know that Michelle's ideas were entrancing but not fulfilling. He had a chance with Jenny to have something solid, something meaningful, and he knew it. He just didn't know how to go about it, or what exactly "it" was.

Besides, he'd still have to go if only for his pride. Surely Jenny could understand that? Even in the 1990's a guy's pride was his to manage, wasn't it? Without pride he would have nothing. Michelle could be tempting, and maybe he should take the plunge for a while (after all, it wasn't like Jenny was dating a virgin here). Yuch. That didn't seem like a good way to build pride, did it?

Ultimate Frisbee was so much more straightforward than life.