Afterward, the advisors seemed to forget they were even running a defense and shifted all their focus to the tech.
Nick finally loosened up, too, and started talking shop with the panel.
Both sides got so sucked into the conversation that they completely lost track of time, only snapping out of it when someone finally cleared their throat to move things along.
As things were wrapping up, Professor Minh—who was clearly a fan of Nick's work—gave him a warm look and said, "By the way, Nick, have you ever thought about sticking around for grad school under me?"
The other advisors cracked up at that. A few of them started jokingly giving him a hard time. "Whoa, good ol' Minh, making a move already? What happened to a level playing field?"
"Hey, you gotta strike while the iron's hot. I like this kid's style, so I'm calling dibs," Professor Minh shot back. He turned back to Nick with a grin. "What do you say? Being my grad student is a breeze.
You wouldn't have to worry about a heavy course load; you'd basically have total freedom. Just check in when we really need you.No strings attached. It's a sweet deal."
...Despite the "no-strings-attached" offer, Nick ultimately turned him down. His sights were set much higher than another degree.
If this were a year ago, he would've jumped at the chance, but now he had real-world opportunities and much bigger moves to make.
Once the defense was over, the rest of the class was busy hitting the bar scene and soaking up their last few days of college before the big graduation ceremony.
But Nick's crew didn't have that luxury. Aside from showing up for the final class photo and dinner, they were drowning in paperwork.
First on the list was getting all their documents in order to apply for state and local grants and tech-sector subsidies.
Tyler was spearheading that mission, but Nick still had to show face for the important meetings.
On top of that, they had to keep the lines of communication open with other companies, explain the situation from the Miami trip, and try to get some contracts signed as soon as possible.
However, the thing they were really sweating was news from Bill Dye. Until he gave the green light, other companies were going to be too twitchy to sign anything.
Up in Atlanta, Bill was also on pins and needles. The second he got back, he'd filed the application. But because the funding request was so massive, it had to be scrutinized at every level of the chain.
Plus, with tech this advanced, the review board was being incredibly careful. They needed proof after proof that the tech was the real deal and had practical applications before they'd cut a check.
Over the last few days, Bill and his team had sat through at least a dozen meetings, all of them centered on this specific technology.
Whether it was the demo video or the technical specs, Nick's tech clearly proved it was miles ahead of the competition.
Finally, the top brass issued a directive: secure this technology at all costs and fast-track the country's research into drone swarm arrays.
When he got the official thumbs-up, an ecstatic Bill called Nick immediately, telling him to get his tail up to Atlanta to sign the paperwork.
Nick was actually pretty floored by how fast the bureaucracy moved when it wanted to. He grabbed a pumped-up Zack, skipped out on the rest of the graduation festivities, and caught the first thing to Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Tyler stayed behind to walk the stage for them at graduation while continuing to hound the local offices for those policy and financial support packages.
Truth be told, the tech parks in Miami had reached out more than once, trying to get them to set up shop there with some pretty fat incentives.
But they didn't really know Miami that well, and they still had unfinished business in Atlanta. They wanted to see what their home turf would offer first—after all, they'd spent four years there and had some roots.
If Atlanta couldn't step up and match Miami's offer, though, they'd have to make the smart business move.
For a brand-new startup, these support policies are make-or-break; they're often the difference between staying afloat and going under.
When they landed in Atlanta, they were met by one of the young guys who'd been with Bill before. A Chinese-American called David Yang. He was one of Bill's Ph.D. students who'd recently graduated and stayed on as a postdoc in the lab.
David was a talker, pointing out all the local landmarks, the best food spots, and the nightlife as they drove through the city.
But Nick and Zack weren't really listening; their heads were entirely on the contract waiting for them.
They were both a little on edge, wondering if Bill would actually stick to the original terms or if they were about to get hit with a bunch of new fine print.
David dropped them at a hotel to check in, telling them to catch a nap and that he'd be back to get them in the afternoon.
Since they'd been up since five in the morning to catch the early train, the travel fatigue was starting to set in.
They grabbed a quick bite at the hotel cafe, showered, and changed. Since they were heading into a high-level signing, they figured they should probably look the part.
But for two guys in their early twenties, looking "professional" is a tall order. Zack went full shirt-and-tie, but Nick decided to skip the suit and just went with something clean and business-casual.
At three o'clock sharp, David pulled up to the hotel and headed toward the tech corridor. This area was the heart of the city, home to big universities, tech giants, and top-secret labs.
Eventually, they pulled into a massive, gated compound with armed guards at the entrance and a sign for a government research institute. Inside, the grounds were covered in huge trees and old, historic brick buildings.
Under the shade, they saw staff in uniform walking in small groups—mostly researchers by the look of them.
David led them into an office building that was a total contrast to the outside; it was ultra-modern and high-tech.
He sat them down in a lounge with some coffee and disappeared. The two sat there, nerves ramping up, wondering how long this was going to take.
Even though they'd dealt with Bill before, the atmosphere of this place was definitely getting to them.
Finally, after about ten minutes, David walked back in with a big grin and led them into a conference room.
Stepping inside, Nick spotted Bill right away. Standing next to him was a stout, white-haired old-timer and several middle-aged guys in military fatigues.
The second they walked in, every eye in the room was on them, sizing them up.
When Bill saw Nick and Zack, he let out a huge laugh. "Haha, Nicholas! Good to see you again!