Zion felt a bit helpless that Nick wasn't buying it. However, he maintained his smile and said, "Nicholas, look, don't worry—we're definitely gonna look out for your rights and interests here."
"As for those restrictions you're worried about, sure, there's a little bit of that, but as long as you play it smart, it's basically a non-issue."
"So there are some, after all," Nick asked, catching the keyword.
Seeing that he couldn't just smooth-talk his way out of it, Zion had no choice but to nod. "Your tech involves sensitive military stuff, so for security reasons, we've gotta put some guardrails in place. Think of it as a form of protection."
"This is how it works all over the world; sensitive tech is kept under a tight lid. So, you gotta work with us here and look at the big picture."
Nick wasn't exactly thrilled with Zion's vague answer, so he got straight to the point. "In that case, I want to know what's in it for me if I hand over this tech."
"The folks at Amazon are ready to offer us 100 million bucks, maybe even more, to buy this technology. And DJI already gave us a ballpark of 200 million. What about you guys?"
With Nick being so blunt, both Zion and Bill looked pretty awkward. If they actually had that kind of cash, would they even be having this conversation?
"Ahem, Nicholas, you know our research budget is pretty tight, so we can't really back up a truck for you in cash. But we can set you up with support and subsidies that'll add up to a pretty sweet deal."
"You gotta understand where we're coming from, we..." Before Zion could finish, Nick waved him off and cut him in, "Plenty of people understand your problems, but nobody seems to understand ours."
"We've sunk every penny we have into this tech. You're not seriously thinking of just handing us fifty bucks and a 'good job' sticker, are you?"
Ahem.
Zion coughed a few times, then sharpened his tone. "Nicholas, watch the attitude. Aren't we here specifically to get your take on this?"
"Besides, we've already put in for a pretty decent chunk of change for you. For this, Dr. Bill Dye—at his age—spent days running around, and he only got it greenlit with a lot of heavy lifting."
"Pretty decent? How much are we talking?" At the mention of money, not just Nick, but Tyler and the other two leaned in, eyes glued to Zion, waiting for the number.
Seeing the four of them so keyed up, Zion was speechless, but he finally said, "It's fifteen million. Of course, since this is cutting-edge stuff, we can also apply for some special grants for you. All in, it'll be a substantial amount."
Nick's face couldn't help but twitch. He was at a loss for words. After a long beat, he looked at the guys across the table and sighed. "First off, I've got a ton of respect for you all, but fifteen million is just peanuts."
"I won't even bring up Amazon; even DJI offered 200 million. You've been talking our ears off and you only come up with fifteen? That's some real 'sincerity' right there."
"How about this: I'll sell the tech to DJI, and you can take it up with them. Since they're a domestic company anyway, I'm sure you guys can work something out."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Nicholas. Everything is on the table," Zion said quickly.
If Nick actually sold this tech to DJI, it wouldn't be a matter of just tens of millions anymore. This was exactly why they were so anxious to lock Nick and his team down before any other company could make a move.
Nick shook his head and then looked the two of them in the eye. "Since we're laying it all out, here are my terms. As long as they're met, I don't mind giving you a bit of a discount."
"First, you've gotta show some real skin in the game. Don't try to brush us off with pocket change like we're kids."
"Second, this tech is only for the drone swarm research in Dr. Bill Dye's project team. It's not for any other commercial use."
"Third, you can't block or mess with our partnerships with other companies regarding this technology for civillan uses."
Hearing Nick's three demands, Zion, Bill, and the others looked at each other and shared a bitter smile. It seemed this kid was a real tough customer; they weren't getting that tech without giving up some ground.
Before Zion could say a word, Bill spoke up. "We'll do our level best to meet that first requirement, but it's gonna take time. We have to take your data and the reports and push them up the chain. As for the final funding, I can't give you a hard number yet."
"As for the second one, that's no problem at all. This tech was always meant for our specific research and won't be used for anything else."
"As for the third one, per federal regulations, all cutting-edge tech needs oversight. That's just the way it is."
"However, those rules are mainly there to keep it from leaking to foreign countries. If you stay on top of your security and keep your business deals domestic, you shouldn't run into any trouble."
"Okay, then I'm good. As long as you can meet my terms, I'm down for the rest." Nick nodded and gave a small smile.
"Great, then it's a deal." Bill, Zion, and the others finally let out a breath they'd been holding.
Bill smiled at Nick and said, "Now it's time for us to see what this tech can really do. We've been dying to know how you pulled off such a complex swarm array."
Nick nodded, pulled out his phone and said, "You guys brought a laptop, right? Fire it up."
"You've been keeping everything on your phone? That's incredibly risky!" Zion said, looking shocked.
Nick just smiled, used a pin to pop the SIM tray, pulled out a memory card, carefully peeled off a thin bit of tape, and slid it back in.
Then Nick tapped away at his phone for a minute before taking the laptop they'd opened. He pulled up a folder, and a massive list of files popped up.
Bill, Zion, and the rest widened their eyes, trying to get a good look at what was on the screen.
But Nick didn't give them the chance. He quickly dragged a few files to the desktop and closed the window.
"Out of these files, one has the detailed tech info; the rest are set to self-destruct in thirty minutes. Better move fast." Nick handed over the computer with a grin.
Upon hearing that, Bill and the others scrambled around the screen to get a close look.
Seeing a guy in his thirties with glasses fiddling with the keys, Nick leaned back and smirked. "Oh, I forgot to mention—copying, screenshots, or recording this data is a no-go. If the system catches you, the files go poof automatically."
The guy at the keyboard paused for a second when he heard that, then quickly got back to work.