Chapter 6 - The New Workshop
Three weeks later, the basement machine shop of the Harrison Global Tower looked less like an industrial workspace and more like an inventors' paradise.
The hum of a high-precision 3D printer filled the background as layers of aerospace-grade carbon fiber were fused into a sleek, matte-black footrest for Leo’s new chair. Sparks flew from a small workbench in the corner where Ethan, wearing protective safety goggles, was carefully soldering a lithium-ion battery management circuit onto a custom circuit board.
Leo sat in the prototype of his new wheelchair, spinning the wheels with effortless grace across the polished epoxy floor. The rattle of the old bicycle-part caster was entirely gone, replaced by the whisper-quiet glide of precision ceramic bearings.
“It doesn't vibrate,” Leo marveled, turning a tight circle around a pillar without touching the brakes. “Ethan, man, this thing handles like a sports car. I can actually go fast down the sidewalk without feeling like my teeth are going to rattle out of my skull.”
“Wait until you test the suspension upgrade we’re installing tomorrow,” Ethan grinned from his workbench, adjusting his position with his joystick. “My dad got us a hookup with a supplier who makes shock absorbers for Formula One race cars. We’re putting them on the rear swing-arm.”
Maya sat perched on a high stool near the window, her purple backpack—now freshly mended with neat purple thread instead of duct tape—resting on the floor beside her. She was reading a thick, leather-bound volume on advanced robotics that Richard had had shipped in from a university library in Zurich.
The door to the workshop opened with a soft hiss, and Richard stepped inside, rolling up the sleeves of his crisp white dress shirt. He carried a tray with four tall glasses of fresh lemonade and a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies from the executive commissary.
“How’s engineering department coming along?” Richard asked, setting the tray down on the central work table.
“We’re ahead of schedule, Mr. Harrison,” Leo beamed, rolling over to grab a cookie. “Ethan’s a genius. He already mapped out a wireless joystick module that I can control with my thumb while holding my school books.”
“Call me Richard, son,” the billionaire said warmly, handing a glass of lemonade to Maya.
Maya took the glass, her brown eyes studying him over the rim. “You’ve been spending a lot of time down here for a guy who owns half of Boston.”
Richard laughed, pulling up a metal folding chair and sitting down opposite her. “Well, Maya, out there in the boardroom, everybody just tells me what I want to hear. But down here? Your brother tells me my wiring schematic is messy, and you tell me my security guards are too loud. I think I prefer the basement.”
Maya’s serious expression melted into a small, rare smile. She took a sip of the lemonade, letting the cold, sweet citrus wash over her tongue.
“My mom likes the new kitchen,” Maya admitted quietly. “She hasn't had to work the night shift at the laundry all week. She cried when she saw the garden in the back.”
“Your mother is a hard-working woman,” Richard said softly. “She deserves to rest.”
Suddenly, the intercom on the workshop wall chimed. Colin Dray’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Mr. Harrison? You have an urgent call on line one from the London office regarding the European fiber-optic expansion.”
Richard sighed, running a hand through his silver-streaked hair. He looked at the kids—Ethan and Leo laughing over a blueprint, Maya quietly turning the page of her heavy book—and then looked back at the control panel of the intercom.
“Tell London the fiber expansion can wait twenty minutes, Colin,” Richard said smoothly. “I’m currently in the middle of an important board meeting.”
He clicked off the speaker, turned back to the kids, and reached for a cookie.
“Now, Ethan,” Richard said, pointing a finger at the carbon-fiber prototype. “Explain to me again how you integrated the regenerative braking system. Because if we’re going to put this into production, I want to make sure your sister’s design is patented properly.”
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Maya looked up from her book, her eyes bright with a sharp, fierce intelligence that matched Richard’s own. “It’s not just his design,” she corrected him calmly. “I helped calculate the gear ratio.”
Richard grinned, raising his glass of lemonade in a silent toast to the girl who had brought his son back from the edge of the world. “Then I suppose we need to add a co-inventor to the patent filing.”
