“I’ll do what I can. How much do I get to see today?”
“Everything,” said Neal, “including the little niche we’ve made for you in a red-rock wall. I thought you’d like to see the plane first.”
“You were right on that,” said Eric.
They spent the rest of the day touring the complex of offices, laboratories and shops stretching a hundred yards in three directions from the hangers. There were a few civilians, but mostly uniformed military. An Omega 3000 housed in a lead-shielded room woven with copper cable to shield against EMP was the brain of both analytical and machining facilities. The materials testing laboratory in particular was state-of-the-art. Eric’s office was literally a hole in the wall, a niche in red-rock with desk and computer terminal, and a soft green light for ambience. A central cafeteria was housed in a cavern chiseled out of solid rock, and the usual grated floor. People complained that red dust kept getting in their food, and everyone went around sniffling and snorting from breathing the stuff. “Apparently our management hasn’t heard of a thing called silicosis,” said Neal.
They ate lunch in the cafeteria anyway, Eric choosing a wrapped, cold sandwich and a can of pop. People stared at the new guy on the block. Neal laughed and said scuttlebutt was already circulating about Eric being a special agent for the CIA.
Neal didn’t know how close that was to the truth.
When lunch was over, they toured the library, mostly a nicely assembled computer-based journal collection on everything from materials to mathematics, and an excellent collection of science and engineering abstracts.
The living quarters for military personal were deplorable: bunks stacked like cordwood in two, long rooms, and a common bathroom with showers for everyone. Neal tried to make Eric feel guilty about living in town, and failed.
When the tour was over, Alan had filled most of the tablet on his clipboard. Neal said his goodbyes, then, “You get back here quick. I like your questions, and I think you’ll make a difference here.” As he said it he tapped Eric on the chest, aiming a finger so that it struck the card in Eric’s pocket. Eric nodded.
Yes, message received. I’ll read the card.
“See you Monday,” said Neal, and left them.
Alan took him back to the van. Davis was in a meeting, couldn’t see him, but said he’d call. Alan said he’d try to answer any questions, but Eric had none for him. They’d meet again at oh-six-hundred Monday, and Alan would again be his constant companion. The van took Eric back to his home the usual way. Before he’d reached ground level he’d taken the card Neal had slipped him out of his pocket and read it.
Corruption and espionage. People being murdered here. Call me at (212) 293-6752 twenty-four-hundred. Danger for both of us.
Oh, that’s just swell, thought Eric. He memorized the number, then tore the card to pieces and later flushed them down the toilet at his house.
That night, exactly at midnight, he used his cell phone and dialed the number Neal had given him. He let the phone ring twenty-four times.
Nobody answered.
CHAPTER TEN
WARNINGS
“We’re honored to have a special guest today,” said Chairman Brown. “He arrived early this morning, and will join us in a moment.”
“This was not on the agenda,” said Mister Smith, his faceless figure cloaked in a brown robe on the television monitor. “We were going to discuss the manual for the Americans.”
“We are going to discuss it. Our guest requested time to explain certain changes he insists we make in the document.”
“Insists? If we have no autonomy here, and the Green Party is truly in charge of everything, then I fail to see why the rest of us are even involved with the project unless it’s only for information purposes.”
The translator failed to pick up the hard edge in Smith’s voice, but all could sense it in the original speech coming from the monitor.
“The technology is ours to share as we see fit, Mister Smith, but we’re aware of the political impact of giving it all at once to the Americans. The advice of our friends and neighbors is desired by us, and considered necessary. That’s why you’re here.”
“Acceptable, if true,” said Smith, but then all heads of the men at the table turned when there was a soft knock, twice, on the door.
“Ah, he’s here,” said Chairman Brown. He arose, went to the door and opened it. The man standing there had to duck his head slightly when he came through the doorway. He was dressed in sports coat, slacks and turtleneck, all in black, and followed Brown back to the table, sitting down at his right hand.
“Good evening, gentlemen. Good to see you all together again,” he said, and smiled unpleasantly with thin lips in a long, bony face.
“Our pleasure, Minister Watt,” said Mister Smith. “We have missed your presence at our meetings. Your new duties have kept you far too busy, it seems.”
“There are times when I yearn to be an ambassador again,” said Dario Watt. It was the name they always called him, and although they knew his true name they respected his desire for a small disguise.
“The manual has been prepared, and will be delivered to the Americans in the morning. There are certain omissions in it, and I wanted to personally explain my logic in making those omissions.”
There were gasps around the table. “Please do,” said Chairman Brown. “I thought we were ready to move ahead with full disclosure. Has something new happened to discourage our trust?”
Watt steepled long fingers in front of his face and looked directly at the television monitor, the cloaked and hooded figures there now silent. “It’s not so much a lack of trust as it is a new reason for caution. A new player has arrived on the scene; his agenda is undetermined, as is his agency. We already have corruption among the agencies involved, and now sabotage. Until these problems are resolved, there will be no full disclosure. This does not come from me, gentlemen. It comes from my president.”
“Excuse me, Minister Watt,” said Mister White, “but our president signed off on this project before it began. The continuing delays in full disclosure have slowed progress to a crawl, and eroded our credibility with the Americans. Does he know this?”
“I send him regular reports,” said Watt.
“I think it’s appropriate that we receive copies of those reports.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I think he means that as field members of this project we should have direct input to the reporting process,” said Chairman Brown.
“That, and to check the validity of the reports our president is seeing. This is a government-sanctioned technology transfer intended to establish good relations with a world power, and I do not believe our head of state would do anything to disrupt it. I suggest we file our own report as quickly as possible.”
Watt’s eyes narrowed. He leaned over the table, and hissed, “You’ve just suggested the right hand of our president is a liar, Mister White. I fear you’ve been away from home too long. You’ve also forgotten your station in this project. I am minister; you are not.”
There was a sudden screech from the translator box, and then the metallic voice saying, “You can intimidate your own people, Minister Watt, but not us. We share the concerns of Mister White. There have been too many delays, and for no valid reason. That and recent events involving sabotage have encouraged suspicions among all of us in the Blue party. If we decide to withdraw from this project, our reasons will be made known to your president without going through you.”
Mister Jones broke in instantly. “This is all so unfair. We all understood the Greens were in charge; it is, after all, their technology. The Reds and Blues are here only for consultation. We advise. We do not interfere, or make threats in order to get our opinions accepted. I do hear dissention among the Greens, however. Minister Watt must deal with that as befits his office. I personally support the logic of a cautious approach. It was not our intent to put this technology into commercial hands. We already have two players involved in such connections, and possibly a third. Until we get rid of them, we should proceed with caution. I speak for the Red Party when I say I support the views of Minister Watt.”