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Genesis
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Jodi watched as the thin, crimson fibres snaked around the tennis ball, crossing over itself as it went along, slowly weaving a thin, opaque fabric that hovered a few millimetres from the surface of the ball. it was magical, she watched as the thinnest of threads danced around in thin air, moving with such purpose… She watched as the micro threads wove a fabric so perfect and smooth.
As the fabric sewed itself around the diameter of the ball, she watched as the parts that were done gently shrink to the surface of the ball. There were no sudden movements or violent jerks, the threads moved slowly and the woven fabric gradually pulled tight against the ball's surface. It was as if everything was in a hypnotic dance under water.
She watched, enthralled as the fabric crept around the ball, meeting and closing the sphere at the top. She watched as the remainder of the thread simply ceased to be connected to the fabric, leaving to signs of cut thread or loose ends. The last of the magical microweave shrunk against the ball and the extra thread fell slowly into a loose pile on the table.
Jodi picked up the ball and examined it in wonder. To say the fabric was smooth was an understatement. The material was completely opaque, and she could scarcely see the fabric's weave. She inspected the end of the fabric, where she knew the weave finished, but she could see no blemish, nothing to indicate that the fabric started or ended. It was just a snug, seamless material around the ball.
"Quantum Mechanics." Mike said. "Turns out Irrational Games was right, way back in 2013."
"What do you mean?"
"It's not that the threads are floating, they simply failed to fall. I just took the idea and played around with it."
"This is beautiful!"
"Here, look at this." Mike handed her a small square of the fabric.
Jodi took the square, this time in a smokey grey, and held it to the light. Barely any light passed through the microscopic holes between the threads. She tugged on it and it stretched easily. As it stretched, the material kept its opacity, still not letting much light through. As she lost traction on the impossibly smooth material, the fabric snapped almost instantly back into shape, showing no signs at all of being stretched previously.
"Try tearing it."
Jodi did so. She tried to find any loose ends to begin her task, but could find none. She grabbed the fabric and ripped it hard. But the fabric simply stretched.
"Try this." Mike said, handing her a pair of scissors.
She applied the scissors to the cloth, expecting it to work, but the ultra-thin fabric simply slipped between the blades, stretching as it did so.
"Its super-durable. I haven't even begun thinking of the applications… Maybe some kind of clothing…"
He lost her at clothing. Immediately Jodi's imagination began to run around. She subconsciously brought the fabric to her face and pulled it against her nose and breathed. The fabric smelled nice, like fabric softener. And… something else. Something about the smell of the fabric made her blush a little. Something in its scent made her… wet… a little.
"It smells nice too!" Mike said, noticing Jodi sniffing the cloth. "Its just regular thread with a Plebotinum coating applied. It causes the thread to shrink to that tiny thing. It just seems to naturally coat whatever it comes into contact with. Well, some things. Only some materials trigger it, it seems. I need to look into it more. I realised it draws the line at leather though. I dropped some near that arm chair the other day. Coated the leg but finished neatly when it reached the leather…"
Jodi was barely listening.
"So, can you help me out?" Mike started. "I really want to get this to the market but I need your help. Do your internet thingy and I'll… I'll pay you! After I get the sales though…"
Then Jodi thought of something.
"Sure, Mike. But… I'll need a sample. Quite a bit of it too. I need it for? Videos and stuff. How much can you give me?"
That fateful night, months ago, Jodi went home with two large buckets of Phlebotinum, and a mind full of ideas.