At least Todd saw the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing his Oilstar contract would end soon. That was the nice thing about being a consultant. You came in, did the job, raked in the bucks, and got the heck out of Dodge. There might be a lot of crap to put up with in the meantime, but he could always go back to Wyoming to clear his head.
In the crisp morning air, the crunching sound of wheels on gravel made him turn to see an old mid-sized sedan toiling up the narrow patchwork road along the water’s edge. He saw with relief the poop-brown color of all State cars, then spotted a round, intricate seal on the side door. Environmental Policy and Inspection. Shock absorbers creaked as the sedan jounced in potholes, pulled up to the open gate in the chain-link fence, then edged slowly over the bump onto the Oilstar pier. The driver seemed overly cautious. Todd strode out to meet the car.
The passenger door popped open, and a petite young woman stepped out. With long jet-black hair and soft, strikingly attractive Asian features, the inspector was not at all what Todd had expected. He had been prepared for a dumpy business-suited bureaucrat; instead, the woman wore white tennis shoes, jeans, and a comfortable sweatshirt. At least she hadn’t arrived in a dress-for-success dark skirt and blouse.
He had the state inspector pegged before she even noticed him: recent liberal arts graduate from some eastern college—Mary Washington, Amherst, Bryn Mawr…. She probably wanted to make her mark by uncovering some toxic waste scandal, then she’d move to Washington, D.C. Being Asian, and a woman, this one would keep the Equal Opportunity clowns in ecstasy for years.
She probably hated country & western music, too.
But Todd forced a neutral expression onto his face, ready to do the necessary duty dance, and determined to get the helicopter off the ground. He tipped his cowboy hat. “Excuse me, Ma’am. I’m Todd Severyn, test director for Dr. Kramer. We’ve got everything prepped here, and we’ve been waiting for you. As soon as the State inspects the equipment, we can get going.” He tried to sound gruff, no nonsense.
Her back to him, the young woman pulled a briefcase out of the car. She straightened and took one long appraising look at his cotton shirt, down vest, his cowboy boots and hat. She seemed to form an assessment of Todd as quickly as he had made up his mind about her. “You’ve got the wrong person, Tex.”
Tex? Todd frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You’re looking for Mr. Plerry.”
The driver emerged, straightened his suit, and stepped forward. “Ah, Mr. Severyn?” he said with a faint lisp, extending his hand. The man was paper-thin, mustached, and had immaculately slicked-back hair. “Glad to meet you. I’m Francis Plerry, director for environmental policy. Emma Branson asked me to come here personally—she’s an old acquaintance of mine.” Plerry cleared his throat and turned to the helicopter for the first time. Todd wanted to wring his neck—this wasn’t a tea party.
“Sorry we’re late, but I had to swing by Stanford to pick up Dr. Shikozu. She has graciously volunteered to accompany you when the microbes are released. Iris, have you introduced yourself?”
Shikozu cut off more conversation with a quick, impatient gesture. “We don’t have time, Mr. Plerry. Judge Steinberg already signed a restraining order, and we need to get up in the air before somebody can get here to deliver it. Let’s go, Tex.”
Todd narrowed his eyes at the sharp-tongued woman. It wasn’t his fault they were still sitting on the ground. “Well, we’ve been waiting for you, Ma’am.” He drew out the “ma’am,” knowing it would annoy her.
“Pleased to meet you, too, Tex,” she said, taking him aback. The glint in her eye made him wonder if she was intentionally jerking his chain… and enjoying it.
Plerry smiled thinly and continued. “Dr. Shikozu is an assistant professor at Stanford, specializing in microbiology and polymer chemistry. Her expertise will be invaluable in reassuring the public that this is a safe and well-considered action.” Shikozu and Todd both looked at him, wondering who Plerry thought he was kidding.
“But getting down to business—?” Shikozu said, crossing her arms over her sweatshirt. Plerry looked flustered at being rushed.
Todd had a difficult time hiding his reflexive grin. “My feelings exactly,” he said. “The microbes are in a canister under the cockpit. We’ll start spraying once you give the word. We estimate it’ll take a few hours to cover the entire spill.” He directed them to the helicopter. The pilot sat up and climbed back into her cockpit.
Shikozu looked Todd in the eye as they stood by the helicopter. “I’ve tested a frozen sample of Alex Kramer’s original microbes as a control back at Stanford. Not having second thoughts, are you?”
Todd felt suddenly warm. “No second thoughts, Ma’am. I just work here, and it’s my job to get the spraying done.”
“All right.” Shikozu bent under the helicopter. “Let’s check out the dispersion equipment. Then we can start our work.” They squatted under the helicopter’s belly as Shikozu studied the apparatus. Todd had no idea what she was looking for.
He glanced up quickly when he heard a pandemonium of cars approaching. A convoy of vehicles honked their horns, winding along the narrow shoreline road. A gravel truck from the nearby quarry rumbled to a halt, momentarily blocking the stream of cars.
“Start the rotors!” Todd yelled to the copter pilot. She scrambled with the controls, but he saw nothing happening. Todd threw a glance behind him. The gravel truck ground its gears, but the cars wouldn’t stay stopped for long. “What’s the problem?”
The pilot kept her head down, running through a checklist. “Give me two minutes and I’ll have you in the air.”
“Can’t you get us up any quicker?”
She reached up and to her left, flicking a switch. “I’ll burn out the units if I go faster.” A low whine came from the engines.
Todd turned back to Iris. “You’ll have to make a decision mighty quick, Ma’am.”
“I think all the dispersal systems look adequate.” Shikozu straightened. Todd grudgingly gave her credit for sensing the emergency. “Don’t you agree, Mr. Plerry?” Her almond eyes widened, and she looked back to the road as the cars drove across the loose gravel outside the chain-link gate. Car doors slammed.
“Uh, yes,” Plerry said, stepping back from the helicopter. “It looks fine.” He nodded again as if to reassure himself. The helicopter blades began to rotate slowly.
The vehicles in the convoy were old and battered, Volkswagen beetles, Chevy Novas, Ford vans, many covered with bumper stickers: EARTH FIRST! and SPLIT WOOD, NOT ATOMS!
Iris pulled herself into the helicopter from the passenger side, scrambling to the back seat. The rotors made a whirring sound like the world’s loudest fan. She stuck her head out of the cockpit. “Hey, Tex! They’re not here to sell you Avon products! Get your butt inside—you can gawk all you want from the air.”
Todd’s cheeks burned that someone else was telling him to hurry! He clambered in.
On the pier, Alex Kramer stepped out of the corrugated metal control shack, looking with blank, astonished eyes at the approaching group of people. He seemed startled at the interruption, then raised his hands as if to surrender.
“Go!” Todd shouted at the helicopter pilot. His pulse raced, as if this were as big a threat as the last time he had leaped into a chopper to escape the sinking Zoroaster.