Jian pops the trunk, pulls out the Pelican case with Inferthermic's first custom hardware. "How the fuck is it this cold, we're still like a thousand miles from the arctic circle?" He laughs, but the sound is more teeth than humor. Maddy's already jogging ahead, hands jammed into the sleeves of a Cabela's parka that's at least three sizes too big for her. Last night she'd offered to email the datacenter manager again, but I said no, it would make us look desperate. Now we're standing outside the locked gate, shivering, while a guy in a yellow vest and a camo beanie decides if we look like terrorists.
Maddy shouts, "We're here for the integration test-Inferthermic, Inc.?" The guy squints at his clipboard, then at us, then back at the clipboard. Jian and I exchange a look: this is our life now. This, not the TED stage, not the exit press conference, but three nerds in a parking lot in Nowhere, PA, freezing to death while a retired prison guard does a background check.
Eventually the gate ratchets open, and we're waved through. The guard's name is Curtis. He gives us each a visitor badge and a packet with "Safety Protocols" and a map of the facility. My hands are shaking so bad I can barely hold the paper.