by AJ Newman
“Sorry, I was deep in thought. I guess this is as good as any to make my big announcement.” I drummed my fingers on the table in a feeble attempt at a drum roll.
“What announcement, Dad?”
“I’m leaving the university and heading up a large part of the expansion of our business at J&M. We’ve already told both of you that we want you to work for J&M. I’ll be making formal offers to both of you and Jeff in a couple of weeks. Until then, you work for me and continue on salary. Remember, you both will receive a substantial cash bonus, less taxes, of course. Now, to the main event.
You two were going to work for Mike. Now, Jane will report to me. Cindy, you need to decide if you want to report to Mike or me. Either is okay with me. I know working for your father could cause friction between us. I can be intense when the crap hits the fan. You don’t have to decide now.”
Both of my ladies were smiling and then turned to look at each other. Jane asked, “Will I earn enough to take care of school and Jere?”
“Jane, Mike already said we’d cover your education, and I guarantee you’ll make enough to live comfortably with Jere. You’ll even be able to replace your truck and go in with me on a couple of business ventures. I need a week to sort things out with Mike and our HR to see where your jobs and titles will fit into the company. Jane, until then, you will continue to be my assistant.”
Jane waved at the waiter, “Bring us your best bottle of ginger ale.”
We toasted with the Ginger Ale, and I felt good for the first time that day. The good feeling wouldn’t last.
“Ladies and fellow slackers, let’s get our butts back to the lab and make the next batch.”
We checked the cleanup job and made the next batch of the FXA2 explosive. By four PM, we had enough of the explosives to level the building even if we couldn’t find the stored explosive. I had Jane fake a report indicating that we made the non-explosive FXA1 and had increased the output by another eight percent.
I slipped Brunner a note to go with us to Joe’s to celebrate our success. We would take Mike’s SUV and be able to discuss our plans. I wanted to make sure Brunner was away from the building when New Wave was destroyed.
Brunner joined us and was very informative. “Bates and most of his nefarious staff will be visiting tomorrow to see the operation and make final plans for the implementation of their final solution and new country.”
Brunner then tried to pump Mike for info on our plan. “I need to know what you’re doing so I can get my HR lady out of the building.”
I didn’t fully trust Brunner. “I’ll handle that and check the building for any innocents before the operation proceeds.”
Mike was now impatient. “Brunner, you’re supposed to leave after we meet with Gorski and his henchmen. Don’t worry about the building or the others, just unass this place as soon as our presentation is over.”
“Mike, I’m a bit worried about the mercenaries. We covered the plan with Bill, but not with the mercenaries personally. I don’t like it. You wired over a hundred and fifty thousand bucks to an account that could have been Bill’s, and the mercenaries may not even exist. We’d be screwed. How long have you known Bill?”
“Oh, maybe two years, He’s great. Don’t worry.”
That’s when I started making a backup plan. I had a strange thought that put a smile across my face. Why not?
Obviously, our mercenaries needed to set the timers for the bombs that night to be ready for tomorrow. I still felt good, but my wild thought kept plaguing me. What if the mercenaries got cold feet at the last minute? We’d be high and dry, paddling a boat in the sand. We’d be rotating thumbs, waiting on an explosion.
The girls and I left Joe’s in my SUV and drove south while discussing my concerns. I stopped in a Home Depot parking lot. “What do you think? Perhaps I’m paranoid.”
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. Dad, I like having a backup plan.”
Jane was quiet for a few minutes. “Let’s run the demo batch in the morning while the jerks are gathered around the machinery. We can recalibrate the temperature gauges and produce the FXA2 explosive. They won’t stay until we finish the process, and both pellets look alike in the boxes. We know when the other timers will be set. I can slip a small receiver with a blasting cap in several of the one-kilo boxes. Then I can send a signal, and the bombs will explode a few minutes to an hour later. That’s our failsafe.”
“That sounds like a plan,” I said.
Cindy was pleased and slapped Jane on the back. I said, “Set the timed delay for ten minutes. You have solved most of our problems. All that’s left is how you will empty out the other buildings without getting caught.” I was still worried.
“Dad, the closest building is empty an hour before five PM. The explosion will surely rain some debris down around it, but the next closest building is eight hundred feet away. Our greatest risk is possible damage to a few old jets waiting to be refurbished and some parked cars.”
“I worry and make better plans. That’s what I do besides grading papers. Jane, could you buy some drones this evening and help me make some extra bombs?”
“Yes, I just need FXA2, blasting caps, and a bit of time to modify the drones. How big a boom do you want?”
I didn’t have a clue but thought six bombs with a quarter kilo of explosives sent to the right places would do the job. “Six drones carrying two-hundred-fifty grams each should make a good bang. Here’s the building diagram. I’ll mark Xs where I want them to end up.”
“The three for the other end of the building should be able to fly above the forklift doors. Those vents have a grill but large spaces between the bars.”
“Damn, how will we get the drones to fly to their locations without being seen?”
“Cindy and I could set them free while Mike and you cover the first half of the normal BS about how great J&M is.”
We smuggled the explosive out of the building and made the explosive drones as soon as we arrived at Mike’s home. The explosives made Mike a bit jittery. I loaded them up into my new truck and took the ladies to my house.
My house was calm and quiet to anyone who didn’t know us. People who knew us would think WTF is wrong with these people; it’s too quiet. Friends would know we talk too much, joke around too much, and sometimes drink to excess. Jane had sent Jere to stay with her mom for a long weekend, so we didn’t have him to brighten the atmosphere. Jere insisted that Punk went with him, and Jane’s mom was okay with Punk coming to her home.
We were all a bit nervous and worried, but no one admitted to being scared. I gave each one a chance to back out, but Cindy and Jane agreed the evil had to be stopped before it started.
Perhaps I was the only one thinking that I was just a simple professor who mainly grades papers for a living. I’m not a hero, and I know I bleed.
There wasn’t much sleeping that night.
Chapter 33
“The best laid plans of mice and men can easily go down the shitter, quickly.” John Logan
Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley
Mike invited us to his home the next morning for an early meeting to run over our plan again. I’d asked everyone the night before to give me their orders for breakfast, and Talley and her daughter brought the supplies down to Mike’s place. They cooked breakfast while we started our meeting in Mike’s bug-proof room.
“Have you heard from Bill this morning?” Yes, I was still worried.
“John, I’m beginning to think you don’t trust me.”
“I trust you with my life. I don’t trust Bill until he gains my trust by delivering.”
“Bill told me everything was on schedule, and the mercenaries have surveilled the place several times. They snuck into the building last night and placed the bombs we provided. They’re ready to help if anything goes wrong. They’ll also keep people out of the area before and after the explosion.”
Mike and I tried to crack some corny jokes while
we ate, but there were only halfhearted laughs. I stood up. “This is your last chance. Anyone have cold feet? We won’t hold it against you if you back out.”
Jane reached out for Cindy’s hand and mine, and then Cindy and I grabbed Mike’s hand. Jane said a short prayer for our safety and success. She also asked in advance for forgiveness for killing the evil people.
I squeezed her hand. “We needed that.”
Mike eloquently ended the meeting. “Let’s make like a horse turd and hit the road.”
“Gross, Uncle Mike.”
We arrived a little after six AM and wanted to get the first batch cooking in time to match up with Mike’s and my presentation. I’d been at the building many times over the past month but never paid much attention to the other buildings and runways. I took some time to drive around the building and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Ladies, we may not go down in history as heroes, but there will be thousands of people living in a month who would have died.”
Jane and Cindy loaded the raw materials into the reaction vessels because Brunner and I had sent the team home. Brunner balked, but I convinced him that we had millions hanging in the balance, and I wanted to make sure everything went per our process. Mike and I would start our presentation about eight-thirty and join Jane and Cindy on the floor about nine for their part of the dog and pony show.
Bates was an aloof asshole but appeared to be genuinely interested in our product and improvements to the process. The FXA2 explosive was never mentioned by anyone. Bates and his team had dozens of questions, and frankly, I was surprised that he’d brought two separate groups, who didn’t appear to agree on something they’d seen on the other side of the building. I did see him giving my daughter and Jane some unwanted attention but didn’t say anything. I stepped between him and Jane once and redirect his attention back to the process.
Cindy and Jane dazzled them with the presentation of the production line. Jane didn’t know as much nanotechnology as Cindy, but still fielded several technical questions about the proposed new machinery.
Alarm bells went off in my head when the group from Bates’ headquarters left. Mike chanced to upset the billionaire. “I hope we didn’t do anything to upset the ones who left.”
Bates laughed and slapped Mike on the back. “No! Not at all! They’re not part of this project but are pushing me to get more into a broad range of nanotechnology instead of just medical bots.”
“Thanks, I was a bit worried.”
Bates rubbed his jaw. “Actually, several of the ones who left are familiar with your operation and wonder if your company would be interested in leading our effort to stick our foot into nanotechnology. I’m sure you’re familiar with my philosophy of using third parties to do the actual work and take all the risk. You succeed, and we succeed. You fail, and I look for someone who can succeed.”
Mike motioned for me to join them. “James, we won’t let you down if you give us a shot at the project. You met Professor John Logan earlier. He has agreed to become the president of our nanotechnology division.”
I told Bates about our plan. “James, we planned to start by hiring the best in the field and buy our way into the business. I want to hire the best talent the world has to offer and start a farm team of students getting their master’s degrees. I have a vast network of scientists and professors of nanotechnology and plan to put many of them on retainer. They’ll scout for the best of the best for us and supplement their salaries. The Chinese jumped ahead of us by using this tactic. Thankfully the government stopped them from poaching our technology and best scientists.”
“Mike, you have a good plan and a good man to run the division. The leader of the group who left has plans to contact you. Give them your best view of our future in nanotechnology. I’m going to concentrate on my pet project for the next few years. Great job today. Now I have to go to the other side and have a difficult meeting. I wish they were as organized as your team.”
Mike shook Bates’ hand. “Our job is to deliver the product you need and make it look easy. If you’re worried, I’m out of a job.”
At lunchtime, Brunner packed his bags and left the building for the last time. We were too nervous to eat but needed to get away from the building to meet and regroup. We took Mike’s car as usual, and Mike drove slowly over to Joe’s for lunch.
Mike was beaming. “We have a great chance of getting Bates’ nanotechnology business. The best news is that we don’t need him to get the business.”
Jane surprised us. “Great! I was tired of the letch fixating on Cindy’s ass and boob grazing me. I would have slapped the crap out of him anywhere else. John, thanks for moving him away from me. You were a darlin’.”
“I was pissed at the bastard, but sorry, we couldn’t blow the operation. I did the best I could. Changing the subject, were y’all able to send the drones out without being noticed?”
Jane smiled and raised her hand for a high five. “Yes, of course. We’re very accomplished spies.”
Mike was all business. “Settle down, guys. Seriously, we need to take a few days off and then put a business plan together to gain the Bates’ nanotechnology business. Cindy, I want you to put a list together of the top people in the field. Jane, I want you to collaborate with my head of engineering and put a list of the senior chemical engineers together. Then John and I’ll spread some cash around to the top professors who are willing to become secret recruiters for our team. I want a killer plan in two weeks. I’ll tell my office manager to put you on expense accounts and give you company credit cards. She’ll cover the rules on credit cards and expense accounts.”
I said, “Draft, maybe in two weeks. Mike, we fooled these men, but we have to have a couple of the top men in the field to join the team now. That will be the only way we can get past the due diligence of the Bates’ folks.”
“Okay, I’m a bit excited. John, it’s your baby. Do the best you can. Spend what you have to get two of the best in the field now. Then pay competitive wages and benefits for the rest of your team. You also need to think of some kind of titles for Cindy and Jane.”
I was getting a bit peeved at the extra micromanaging. “Mike, I got it. I’m not Beth. I can actually manage this operation.”
“Okay, I’m done saying it’s yours to run and will now let you run it.”
Everyone except Mike picked at their food. He ate like a horse. Mike always got hungry when he was on the verge of making a new product or landing a new customer. I only ate because I knew it would be a long day.
Mike left us alone in the building to go send the HR manager to our main office building at the lab to get her and her assistant out of the building. He told her that he’d set up an interview for both of them with our group at completive wages. As requested, Brunner had hinted to the lady that the building would be closing operation within the next sixty days. Both left immediately.
Now, it was two PM and time dragged on like one of those Salvador Dali paintings, yet still no sign of those so-called mercenaries. Cindy and Jane started calling their contacts to find the people we needed for the new business. I called a couple of recruiters who specialized in chemistry professionals and started them searching while I wasted time waiting to leave at four-thirty.
I was now bored and nervous. “Come on. We’re done here. Let’s end the day at Joe’s with some drinks and then come back.”
Mike balked at first but came anyway. During the ride over, I reminded Mike that Jane had drones surrounding the building with cameras and microphones. She monitored the entire outside of the building from her tablet while we drank a few brews.
Chapter 34
Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley
The minutes passed slower than a turtle trying to cross a highway on a cold morning, according to Mike. We hid in plain sight between a couple of large trucks. Our vehicles were only a few feet apart, and we could talk when Mike lowered his windows. The tarmac was like an oven, and the sun was blistering hot, causing the air t
o shimmer when we looked across the hot asphalt. The truck’s trailers gave us some welcomed shade; however, the air was still humid and oppressive. Mike had to run the air conditioner in his SUV, but Jane and I had the windows rolled down with the air conditioner running in my new Raptor, so we could hear what was going on around the building.
My mind was full of thoughts about what Bates had planned for the explosives and rogue Nanobots. Genocide came to the front of my thoughts. I’d started having second thoughts about blowing up the building with people inside even if they were evil. As though Jane read my mind, she said, “Will we be able to live with ourselves after these people are incinerated?”
“I guess the question is – can we live with ourselves if we read next month that thousands died, and we could have prevented it? At least, that’s how I’m rationalizing it.”
“That actually makes me feel better. It’s kinda like knocking out a drowning man so you can tow him to shore.”
Jane raised her hand and pointed when she noticed a silver BMW SUV and then motioned for Mike to lower his window. “That’s Bill in the SUV.”
The silver SUV parked in an adjoining building’s parking lot, and the two people slunk down in the seats, trying to hide. Jane whispered, “John, the woman kinda looks like Beth, and I swear the man is Bill.”
“This ain’t good. Mike, look! That’s Bill!”
To say the minutes passed at a snail’s pace was a disservice to speedy snails. Jane looked at her phone for the nine hundred and eighty-fourth time and then at me. “Do you have any camping equipment? Jere and I have some.”
I crossed my fingers. “I have everything we’ll need. Are you a tent or an RV camper?”
She thought for a minute. “I’m a tent camper in cool weather and an RV or cabin camper in hot or cold weather.”
