Caffrey Conversation's Travis Miller

Travis Miller, White Collar's tech expert, was first welcomed into the Caffrey Conversation family in Complications. My purpose in creating Travis was not just to add a resident geek but also to increase the team's diversity by including someone who isn't a by-the-book Bureau agent. His role has gradually expanded until now he's like one of those nifty USB hubs which can connect to a multitude of devices.

Both Travis and Neal have a strong sense of ethics that may not always match with the official Bureau line. Travis first demonstrated his independent streak in The Queen's Jewels. When Neal was falsely accused of a theft, Travis volunteered his services to Neal sub rosa. During that same story, Travis became friends with Neal's Columbia friends Richard and Aidan. Both Travis and Aidan had played lighthearted hacking pranks in college. They put their skills to good use in helping Neal beat the frame. Later, Travis and Aidan worked closely together to develop anti-malware designed to thwart Rolf Mansfeld's cyber attacks.

Travis's technical expertise wasn't the only trait that has helped him forge connections. When I decided to introduce a science-fiction thread into my stories, Travis was the natural spokesman. From the beginning, he'd been vocal in his admiration of Star Trek and Mr. Spock. That was the primary reason I'd picked Zachary Quinto to play him in my dream cast. I enlarged Travis's interest to include astronomy and made him a member of the SETI working group on the Columbia campus. Travis's passion for astronomy and science fiction has allowed him to build bridges to Mozzie. Neal's paranoid friend was at first wary of Travis but was won over when he discovered Travis was on the SETI committee. Now, both Mozzie and Peter volunteer with Travis at telescope workshops for kids at Columbia University.

Travis's link to art is the least developed, but since Neal's art niche in the lab is next to Travis's workstation, a little must be rubbing off. The two personalities complement each other. Travis is an introvert who prefers to work in the background. Thanks to Neal's influence, Travis is no longer as reserved. His partner Richard who is a gifted sculptor is also helping to expand Travis's horizons. Richard plays jazz guitar and has coaxed Travis to sit in on the jam sessions with his digital drums.

The Vulcan maxim of "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations" applies well to Travis as his connections in our series continue to multiply.

The Musicians on Archive of Our Own
The Musicians on FanFiction