"So in part two, they're setting up the kitchen around this mystery
box -- one part Easy-Bake lightbulb oven, one part Tardis. You know
what that is?"
Sammy grinned. "Why yes, I believe I do." Their eyes met in a fierce
look of mutual recognition. "It's a breakfast printer, isn't it?" The
other supplicants in the room sucked in a collective breath. Some
chuckled nervously.
"It's about moving the apparatus to the edge. Bridging the last
mile. Why not? This one will do waffles, breakfast cereals, bagels and
baked goods, small cakes. New designs every day -- something for mom
and dad, something for the kids, something for the sullen teens. We're
already doing this at the regional plants and distributorships, on
much larger scales. But getting our stuff into consumers' homes,
getting them *subscribed* to our food --"
Sammy held up a hand. "I see," he said. "And our people are already
primed for home-printing experiences. They're right in your sweet
spot."
"Part three, Junior and little sis are going cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs,
but these things are shaped *like them*, with their portraits on each
sugar-lump. Mom and dad are eating tres sophistique croissants and
delicate cakes. Look at Rover here, with his own cat-shaped
dog-biscuit. See how happy they all are?"
Sammy nodded. "Shouldn't this all be under nondisclosure?" he said.
"Probably, but what are you gonna do? You guys are pretty good at
keeping secrets, and if you decide to shaft us by selling out to one
of our competitors, we're probably dead, anyway. I'll be able to ship
out half a million units in the first week, then we can ramp
production if need be -- lots of little parts-and-assembly
subcontractors will take the work if we offer."
Sammy liked the way she talked. Like someone who didn't need to spend
a lot of time screwing around, planning, like someone who could just
make it happen.
"You're launching when?"
"Three days after you start running this campaign," she said, without
batting an eyelash.
"My name's Sammy," he said. "How's Thursday?"
"Launch on Sunday?" She shook her head. "It's tricky, Sunday
launches. Gotta pay everyone scale-and-a-half." She gave him a
wink. "What the hell, it's not my money." She stuck out her hand. She
was wearing a couple of nice chunky obsidian rings in abstract curvy
shapes, looking a little porny in their suggestion of breasts and
thighs. He shook her hand and it was warm and dry and strong.
"Well, that's this week taken care of," Sammy said, and pointedly
cleared the white-board surface running the length of the table. The
others groaned and got up and filed out. The woman stayed behind.
"Dinah," she said. She handed him a card and he noted the
agency. Dallas-based, not New York, but he could tell she was a
transplant.
"You got any breakfast plans?" It was hardly gone 9AM -- Sammy liked
to get these meetings started early. "I normally get something sent
in, but your little prototypes there..."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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