Maxwell Riggs swept his gaze over the room, reading the reactions on the faces of the assembled NovaTech elite. There were mixed emotions, but two stood out starkly: arrogance and fear. Some were dismissive, radiating an air of superiority bordering on arrogance. They seemed unable to acknowledge that a discovery of this magnitude could have emerged outside their prestigious circles. Others were gripped by a fear of the unknown. The innovative concept the hacking website and Cryptoglare represented was far beyond their comfort zones and their traditional views on programming and hacking.
Riggs stifled a sigh, lamenting the shortsightedness of his team. He redirected his attention to the employee at the front of the room, energetically explaining his discovery. The young man spoke about how he'd stumbled upon the revolutionary website through Chirp. He was initially drawn to it because of the buzz it was creating online. But as he delved deeper, he realized this was more than another viral trend.
The gravity of his finding hadn't taken long to sink in. He promptly informed his superiors about the disruptive technology, who then reported it to Riggs. Once the CEO had gotten a grasp of the situation, he'd called for this emergency meeting. Now, the top brass of NovaTech was gathered around the conference table, digesting the same information.
When the employee finished his presentation, a heavy silence filled the room. You could practically hear the gears turning in the heads of the assembled executives as they processed the information. It was as if the entire room was holding its breath, the quiet only disrupted by the soft hum of the air conditioning and the faint clatter of the city outside the glass walls.
"Why are you all silent?" the voice of a senior executive from the business side finally cut through the silence, sounding more agitated than necessary. His eyes darted from face to face, trying to discern thoughts from the unreadable expressions. He was used to meetings filled with chatter and rapid-fire brainstorming. This stunned silence was unsettling, a testament to the profound impact of the news they'd just heard.
"This is going to hit us hard," a tech expert echoed the sentiment hanging in the room, his face grave. The room filled with murmurs of agreement and uneasy shifting. "We're still reeling from what just happened. If what he's shown us is really out there, then what we've been doing is. . . worthless." His stark and brutally honest words hung in the air like a guillotine blade. His face was tense, his eyes revealing a deep concern. The reality, even for a tech giant like NovaTech, was harsh.
Maxwell Riggs broke the tense silence, "Alright, stop with the long faces. I want solutions. Anyone?" His steady and firm voice cut through the despair like a beacon, a stark reminder of who was in charge.
"What about this employee? Do we need him here?" Someone suggested, nodding towards the presenter.
"He will stay here," Riggs snapped, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "Without him, you would still be blissfully unaware, living in self-denial." The room fell silent at his words. Nobody dared to refute him; they all knew he was right.
The silence hung heavily in the room, a stark reminder of their ignorance. Riggs glared at his team, his frustration palpable. No one dared to oppose an irate boss, especially when he was right. Instead, they looked down at the table or focused intently on the windows, avoiding his heated gaze.
Riggs looked around the room, his gaze searing into each executive. When it broke the silence, his voice was laced with bitter frustration, "If none of you have any solutions, then what are you all doing here? Does this company pay you just to fill your pockets?"
His words were harsh but necessary. He needed them to understand the gravity of the situation, to shake them out of their complacency. The hacking website and Cryptoglare were not just another competition; they represented a potential paradigm shift that NovaTech needed to be a part of or risk being left behind.
Just as the tension in the room seemed to hit a breaking point, a timid voice piped up. It was the employee who had revealed the discovery. His face was pale, but his voice steady; the air of resolve around him was almost palpable.
"Sir," he began, avoiding the eyes of everyone else in the room and focusing solely on Riggs, "Maybe we could try to approach and collaborate with the creators of Cryptoglare. We can't directly collaborate with the people behind the hacking website for ethical reasons. Still, there might be a chance with Cryptoglare."
Riggs' gaze was heavy on the employee, scrutinizing and calculative. Surprisingly, the young man did not waver, despite the intense pressure. His determination, despite the palpable fear for his job, was admirable.
Riggs was silent for a moment, mulling over the idea. Finally, he exhaled, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly. "Alright," he said, a note of decision in his voice. "You will be in charge of this. Contact the founders of Cryptoglare and report to me directly by the end of tomorrow. You don't need to report to anyone else."
The employee nodded, a spark of relief in his eyes. "Yes, sir," he affirmed. There was a pause as if he was contemplating something, and then, "I also wanted to mention, even though I don't have any conclusive evidence, I suspect that the creators of Cryptoglare might be the same people behind the hacking website."
His words rippled through the room, but Riggs simply nodded, his expression unreadable. He was already beginning to strategize, his mind churning with the possibilities this development could bring for NovaTech.
Riggs studied the employee with newfound interest, his lips curling into a rare smile. "Finally, someone with an eye for detail," he commented appreciatively. "So, why do you think these might be the same creators?"
The young employee, who Riggs now noticed looked quite out of place in the room filled with seasoned executives, swallowed hard but held his gaze steady. "Well, sir, it's because both these websites popped up around the same time, and the common link between them is Cryptoglare. And also, their goal doesn't seem to be money-focused. Otherwise, they'd be a new tech giant by now."
"Interesting," mused Riggs, stroking his chin, "And what do you propose their goal might be?"
The employee paused as if weighing his words carefully before finally speaking. "Sir, I think it's one of two things. Either they're aiming for the advancement of humanity, or they're collecting advanced algorithms for their future use. An ulterior motive."
"Hmm. . ." Riggs nodded, his gaze far away, lost in thought. "We'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, you focus on your task. Also, what's your name?"
This sudden question took everyone by surprise. It was well known that Riggs hardly knew the names of half the people in the room.
"Paras," the young man answered, undeterred by the sudden change of topic. "Okay, sir. I'll work on this and have a report ready by the end of tomorrow."
"Good, Paras. Also, come to my office later today. Meeting dismissed." Riggs stood and left the room without another word, leaving behind a trail of astonished faces.
As the door closed behind him, the room exhaled collectively. Relief washed over the room, and everyone started chattering, breaking the silence. The meeting may have been over, but the real work was just beginning.
The moment Paras stepped out of the conference room, he was transformed. The mild-mannered employee in the meeting room was replaced by a determined problem solver. He knew he had a task to complete and would not back down.
He sat at his desk, fingers flying across the keyboard as he navigated through the Cryptoglare and the hacking website. An hour passed, then another. His eyes burned from staring at the screen, but he didn't give up. Eventually, his perseverance paid off. He found a way to contact the elusive founders.
The contact option was cleverly hidden within a query page related to Cryptoglare. There was no 'Contact Us' or 'About Us' page. No identifiable information. No names, no addresses. Nothing that gave any hint about who the creators could be.
Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the skills Paras had picked up from the hacking website helped him uncover the hidden contact option.
He took a deep breath as his fingers hovered over the 'send' button. The note was professional but pleading, requesting the founders for a possible collaboration with NovaTech. The tension in his chest eased as he finally clicked the button. His part was done, at least for now.
Paras leaned back, letting out a sigh of relief. He found himself mulling over the motivation behind the founders' anonymity. Why would they shy away from fame or recognition when they could easily be the talk of the tech world?
But his musings were cut short as he glanced at the clock. The sun was already setting, painting the sky with hues of orange and purple. He didn't have time to think further. He still had to meet the CEO, Maxwell Riggs. With one final glance at his computer screen, Paras pushed away from his desk, mentally preparing for the meeting with the big boss. He had a feeling it was going to be a long evening.