The room's intensely bright and spotless white walls almost make me squint.

It's been cleaned recently.

I can tell by the hint of lemon and bleach in the air.

It's a little cool, but I'm used to it for my lab work.

It's better for the machines and samples to be handled at slightly lower than room temperature.

Anyways, I've been waiting for 20 minutes.

With a sigh, I pick up the small recording device I'd placed on the shiny stainless steel table

and punch a few buttons. It whores to life.

Is this thing a recording? I say. Suppose it must be the red lights on. Hello, this is Dr. Peter Knight.

I am here at the behest of Mr. John Sheldrake, the well-known tech billionaire. He has acquired an item of

great value that he wants me to assess, but he hasn't told me much more than that.

Mr. Sheldrake made me an offer I really couldn't turn down.

I pause, considering whether or not to say the next part out loud, but these are my private notes, so...

He's paying me a lot of money, insane amount, really.

It was so much that the first thing I said to him is that I wouldn't do anything illegal.

He assured me everything was above board and that I would be free to leave or quit at any time,

though I'd be subject to a pretty severe non-disclosure agreement.

Anyway, I'm waiting for Mr. Sheldrake and his men to deliver the object.

I'm in a lab. It's state of the art.

I didn't have access to technology this advanced when I was studying at college, that's for sure.

I won't bore anyone listening by listing everything they have here.

But let's just say the equipment is so advanced and varied that I've

...