Read Online MIND FIELDS by Brad Aiken - Free Book Online

world’s leading researcher on nanotechnology.  He stayed on as project director for a couple of years, but when he saw the light at the end of the tunnel – the breakthrough that would make nanobots commercially successful – he abruptly left Hopkins to found the Baltimore Nanotechnology Institute.  His critical discovery, one that led to success in the fabrication of silicon-based nanobots, came just weeks after he had left Hopkins.  In fact, it came so quickly that it raised suspicions the discoveries had actually been made while he was employed by Hopkins, and therefore the nanobot technology was rightfully the intellectual and fiscal property of the university.  For a brief period, a prominent law firm even tried to file charges against BNI to regain ownership of the nanobot fabrication process, but if JT did steal the work from his lab at Hopkins, he had covered his tracks well.  Charges were dropped, clearing the way for BNI to retain sole ownership of the nanotechnology patents. Within two years, nanobots were a mainstay of vascular medicine, and BNI was on its way to becoming one of the wealthiest corporations in America.
      As BNI grew, JT Anderson moved the company from its original location in northwest Baltimore to Columbia.  He was finally back home, and in many ways Columbia was literally his town now.  The seventy-three acre campus nestled into the outskirts of the town housed the corporate offices, research headquarters and fabrication plant for BNI.  He was the largest employer in Columbia, and many of the corporate executives, including JT himself, lived in the suburbs of Columbia.
      Paul Hingston was a little different from most of the gang at BNI.  He was glad to be a part of the corporate culture, “one of the boys,” as JT liked to say, even though he actually employed more women than men, but Paul couldn’t give up the city life, especially not without Sandi by his side.  He bought a penthouse in the heart of downtown Baltimore by the harbor, the ultimate bachelor pad, at least in his mind.  He didn’t find it hard to spend his newfound money.
      In spite of his penchant for playing hard, he worked even harder.  As promised, JT had given him free reign in setting up the nanotech lab at BNI.  It was his dream lab and his dream job, but somehow he never felt satisfied.  He always felt like something was missing, and although he knew that something was Sandi, he would never admit it, not even to himself.  He threw himself into his social life on weekends, but it was his work at the lab that consumed him most of the time.  Nanotech research was his true passion now more than ever.  It wasn’t unusual for him to leave for work Monday morning and not make it home until Friday night.  JT got so tired of seeing Paul sleeping with his head on his desk that he even had a small apartment added next to the lab.
      He also realized that Paul would need some help to speed the project along, even though Paul made it clear he preferred to work alone.  When JT came in one morning and introduced Sean Lightbourne as his new lab assistant, Paul resented it at first.  After three months of working alone, Paul was sure that he had dissuaded JT from hiring anyone else for the project, but JT had other ideas.  Lightbourne was a brilliant researcher who JT had “stolen” from a rival company, and he thought he’d be a perfect fit for Paul.
    Sean Lightbourne was not only a good research scientist, but he was an easy person to have around.  Paul soon came to realize that he was glad for the camaraderie Sean could provide. It wasn’t long before the two became good friends and were talking about more than work.  It was Sean who finally helped Paul deal with his loss; Sean was the first person he could really talk to about Sandi.  Once the barrier was broken, Paul found it cathartic.  He talked about Sandi frequently, sometimes about their relationship, but often just about Sandi.  He