The two short-sighted men, Castle and the kid, were completely oblivious to the seriousness of the negotiations ahead. Instead of acting like businessmen managing high-stakes deals, they were scheming about how to get Lockheed Martin to willingly hand over a classified F-35 fighter flight simulator, along with its helmet-mounted display and anti-gravity flight suits. There wasn't even a hint of tension on their faces.
Meanwhile, the two women, Gianna and Beckett, were filled with determination. Gianna, now fully aware of the importance and broad applicability of the technology Castle held, realized the leverage they had. If this energy storage technology was so crucial to Lockheed Martin's high-speed, high-altitude drone development efforts, she needed to shift the focus of tomorrow's negotiations from satellite orbital technology to this storage innovation.
Taking the matter seriously, Gianna and her team took over the supercomputer lab's lower level, strategizing late into the night to gain an upper hand in the talks. Beckett, although not experienced in negotiations, had a deep understanding of human nature. Alongside them was Ramsey, a former hacker turned technician, who was there to support Jarvis. Though Jarvis had begun developing rudimentary emotions, he was still early in his evolution and lacked the creative and associative thinking of a human. Ramsey's technical expertise filled that gap.
Castle and the kid, banished from the lab, wandered off and met up with John, who was playfully chasing his now-fast-running toddler, Onora, around the estate. Her laughter rang out across the grounds as she tormented the four large Caucasian Shepherd dogs.
Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman finally caught wind of Lockheed Martin and Hughes collaborating with NASA to secure another critical technology from Castle. Details on the technology were still being gathered, but Northrop suspected Castle had once again developed something extraordinary.
Northrop Grumman wasn't to blame for their slow reaction. They had been overwhelmed with other projects. Despite being the first company to acquire technology from Castle, they were still struggling to fully understand and integrate it. The semi-autonomous flight control system, advanced drones, Jericho missiles, and anti-ship missiles Castle had provided were so different from current technology that Northrop's engineers were essentially learning from scratch.
While Northrop had managed to fulfill military contracts by adhering strictly to Castle's provided manufacturing specifications, their efforts to further develop the technology on their own met with significant challenges. Castle's innovations didn't follow conventional design principles, and the disconnect left their research and development teams floundering.
Additionally, Castle had later provided them with even more advanced concepts, such as modifications for the B-2 stealth bomber and visual stealth technology capable of near-invisibility. Northrop was effectively drowning in a sea of technological breakthroughs. With contracts to retrofit 20 B-2 bombers, and with many of their engineers tied up at Newport News Shipbuilding—building nuclear carriers and submarines—Northrop simply didn't have the capacity to compete with Lockheed and Boeing on additional defense contracts.
Their aerospace division had only just begun absorbing Castle's expertise, under the guidance of Mark, their director of aerospace systems, who was personally overseeing the training of Northrop's engineers. This left the company little bandwidth to monitor Castle's recent activities—until now.
Realizing Lockheed and Hughes were already making moves, Northrop's leadership convened an emergency meeting and decided to immediately dispatch a team to New York. They couldn't afford to let their rivals secure Castle's technology without a fight.
Gianna, still unaware that she was about to face a four-way battle rather than a three-way negotiation, spent the entire evening reworking her strategy. She was determined to extract more concessions from Lockheed Martin, knowing now that the energy storage technology was far more valuable than the satellite system.
Lockheed Martin had offered to build and launch the remaining satellites for Castle free of charge, saving him a significant sum. However, Gianna wasn't satisfied with letting Lockheed walk away with the energy storage technology so easily. Little did she know, Castle and the kid had already plotted to demand a classified F-35 simulator as part of the deal.
What Gianna also didn't know was that Northrop Grumman had sent their senior vice president—someone very familiar with Castle—to New York. This VP had previously helped Castle acquire military-grade surveillance equipment for his personal drones through secret channels. Northrop hoped that his close relationship with Castle would help sway negotiations in their favor.
Mark, Northrop's director of aerospace systems, would have been a strong candidate to lead the delegation. However, his current responsibilities in training Northrop's engineers made it impossible for him to leave. Instead, the company sent their senior VP, who knew Castle's estate and routines well.
Early the next morning, Gianna was informed of Northrop's unexpected arrival. Frustrated by the disruption, she had to adjust her plans once again. However, just as she was fuming over the complications, she received a phone call that made her smile.
The call was from Northrop's senior vice president, who had just arrived in New York and spoken with Castle. After learning about the satellite and energy storage technology under negotiation and being informed that Gianna was Castle's official representative, he quickly relayed the information to Northrop's board of directors.
Northrop, experienced in strategic alliances, wasted no time. The board instructed their VP to fully support Gianna in negotiations, with the aim of undercutting Lockheed Martin's ambitions. If Lockheed wanted Castle's technology so badly, Northrop would make sure they paid dearly for it.
For Gianna, having a powerful ally on the buyer's side was a significant advantage. Since the negotiations were structured to handle each company separately, Northrop's involvement meant they could apply pressure behind the scenes while Gianna handled Lockheed directly. With this new development, Gianna's confidence soared.
Lockheed Martin, unaware of the unfolding alliance against them, was about to face a much tougher negotiation than expected.
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