Marc chuckled. “I also thought I had shed the accent. I grew up in Liverpool and went to school at Oxford. After I finished my masters, I got a scholarship to MIT where I completed my PhD in Physics. After graduation, I went to work for STL. My first assignment was as an engineer on a new type of starship propulsion system. Harry’s dad was my program manager. He was one of the best guys I ever worked for.”
A beautiful young Hispanic woman approached the table and walked up to Ronnie. Three buttons were open on her blouse showing a lot of cleavage. She spoke before he could say anything. “Hey bubba, how about we make the town tonight?”
Ronnie was so busy looking her over he almost spilled his drink. His face flushed red. He wanted to say something cool, but he was so flustered, the words eluded him. Ronnie glanced at Harry with a confused look on his face. It was obvious he didn’t remember her.
“Why don’t you just join us?” He rose and pulled a chair out for her. “Please sit down.”
“Why not? I don’t have anything better to do — right now anyway,” she said.
Ronnie was burning with curious about the beautiful woman who seemed to know him. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t place her. ”Hey, waiter, a frozen margarita for my friend … and bring some more chips and salsa, please. I hope you like margaritas,” he said to her.
“Thank you. I was going to buy you one.” She continued smiling at him with a cat-that-just-ate-the-canary look.
Ronnie frowned, trying hard to remember where they might have met. Finally, he surrendered. “I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sure I know you, but I just can’t quite pin down the time and place.”
He was embarrassed about his mental lapse and his face showed it. Who would forget such a gorgeous woman? I must look stupid, he thought.
She interrupted his thoughts. “I’ll help you. We shared a drink at Joe’s pub a few years back. My name is Michelle Duvey.” She placed her index finger on her cheek and cocked her head to show her amusement. Her eyes lit up as she stared at Ronnie.
Ronnie thought a moment, and then pointed his finger at her with a big grin. “I remember! You had just received your PhD and were going back to teach at the University of Mexico. What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Michelle, Harry Stevenson, remember me? Everyone, please meet Dr. Michelle Duvey.”
Michelle gave Harry a flirtatious look and replied in a way only she could. “Harry … mi novio, you may have shaved your beard off and shortened your hair, but how could I ever forget someone as sexy as you?”
Harry blushed, as he looked her over. This woman put the “s” in sexy. I can sure understand why Ronnie was so enamored with her. I don’t blame him, I wouldn’t mind having a little of that myself.
Michelle took another drink of her margarita. “To answer your question, I was teaching material science at the university. About four weeks ago, I received a call from STL asking me to join the project. They want me to oversee the implementation of active nanotechnology electromagnetic and nuclear particle shielding on the spacecraft. They fast tracked a green card for me, so I came out to the desert yesterday. Hey, the offer was good, so here I am.”
“I apologize for the mental vapor lock. Guess I’ve had too many margaritas. Welcome to the project. I’m delighted you’re here. That shielding issue has been a real problem for us. We can really use your help.” Ronnie was excited and the look on his face showed it.
“Thank you, Ronnie. I think I’m going to like being here.”
“You know, I really enjoyed meeting you back at Tech. I thought I’d never see you again. Maybe now we’ll have the time to become better acquainted. I sure hope we can become friends … if you’d like that. Maybe we could have dinner at the Restraunt on top of Sandia. It’s a lot of fun watching the paragliders jump off the top of the mountain. They’re a lot braver than I am. I wouldn’t jump off that peak for anything.”
Michelle sampled a chip with a touch of salsa, and then took a drink of her margarita. She paused for a moment then winked at him. “I’d like that. Sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve read articles about them, so yeah; I think that would be a blast.”
A little later Ronnie sat down by Harry. He leaned close and whispered, “Did you recruit her?”
Harry paused, and then responded, “Yes,” with a big grin.
“You know, I’ve dated a lot of ladies, but none excites me the way she does. I like her aggressive and flirtatious personality. I never thought I’d see her again. In fact, I liked her the first time I laid eyes on her. She’s gorgeous. I was always disappointed we met her on her last night at Tech. I would have liked the opportunity to get to know her better. I feel like a jerk for not recognizing Michelle.”
“I’ve always known how you felt about her, and I don’t blame you. She is quite a woman. I wanted her here earlier, but I had to wait until the Orion came to justify it. She’s one of the world’s leading experts in nanotechnology. We really need her expertise to make sure the spacecraft shielding protects our crew.”
“I agree with that. Thanks, you’re a real pal,” Ronnie said. “I’d like to drive back with her tonight if she’s amenable.”
“Thought you might,” Harry said, grinning broadly.
A few minutes later a gorgeous young brown-haired woman walked over to the table and sat next to Harry. She wore no bra and was busting out of her halter. Her hot pants didn’t hide much either. All of the men were sneaking looks at her. She had gorgeous boobs and made no attempt to hide them.
“Harry, remember me? Jamie Dunn. I was one of your grad students. How are you doing?”
He certainly did remember her. He had gone out with her many times, and thought she was one of the hottest women he had ever dated. The last time they partied, she almost tore his pants off trying to get at him. “I’m good. What are you doing here?”
“I got my PhD and I’m teaching Physics at the University of New Mexico. I thought it was you. Would you like to dance?”
“Sure,” Harry replied.
She put her arm around him and whispered in his ear. He shook his head affirmatively.
Pepper glared at Jamie as the two walked to the dance floor. If her eyes had been lasers, they would have burned holes through her back. She was almost livid watching Jamie crawl all over Harry as they danced. Until that moment, she didn’t realize just how much she liked Harry. Her jealousy was boiling over and she was trying hard to conceal her feelings. She sure didn’t want to make a scene and embarrass herself. Later when Jamie and Harry walked out of the restaurant, Pepper fumed as she thought about Harry and Jamie sleeping together. I don’t know why I’m so jealous, I have no claim on him but that bitch pisses me off. What a tramp! I’d like to pull her hair out. I think she would have screwed him on the dance floor if she could have figured out how to do it. She acts like she’s in heat! Bitch!
Everyone was having a good time on the drive back, except Pepper. True to form, Lars couldn’t help but start the jokes.
“Lars, spare me please!” Pepper said, as she rolled her eyes. “You can be so crude. Why don’t you can it?”
Lars just laughed then told an even raunchier one.
“Lars you’re really sick,” she said. “I don’t even think you’re funny!”
Everyone started laughing, obviously at her, infuriating her even more. “You know Lars, you flap your jaws so much it’s a wonder your gums don’t bleed.” Everyone really cracked up on that one — including Lars.
Her thinking switched back to Harry and Jamie. She was still fuming. Harry and she weren’t going together, but the thought of Harry being with that woman upset her. I can’t fault her taste. Harry is a very good-looking guy. I don’t know why it makes me so furious every time I think about her sleeping with him. She and I are not going to be friends.
Harry and Jamie were in the back seat of his STV, and he had been trying to get her hot pants off for twenty minutes. The back seat was so crowded he could hardly maneuver, and the pants
were so tight it was a real struggle trying to get them down. Just as he got her panties off, something diverted his attention. He stopped abruptly and looked out the window.
“Baby,” she cried out. “What’s wrong? I want it right now.”
“Jamie … wait. Look out the window, quick!”
A large circular UFO hovered over the STL facility. It had the familiar grey skin Harry had seen before and about was about the same size. “Jack! Stop the STV! I see a UFO. Look Jamie!”
“Are you serious?”
Jack, the STV computer, acknowledged and pulled the vehicle to the shoulder. The STV sat down on its wheels and the doors opened. Harry and Jamie ,with great effort, pulled their pants on, piled out and stood fascinated by the large portentous looking craft hovering silently no more than two hundred feet above the facility.
“Can you believe this?” Harry exclaimed. “I saw one over D.C. when I first got to NSTA. I wonder if STL has had any reports about UFO’s around the project. I hope they don’t attack the facility.”
“I thought UFO’s were a myth,” she exclaimed. “All my life I’ve wanted to see one and here it is!”
After a few minutes, the craft took off at an amazing speed and was quickly out of sight.
“Did you see that thing take off? I can’t believe what we just saw,” Jamie said. She wrapped her arms around him and French kissed him. As they stood there, Harry rubbed her buttocks and thought about the UFO as she nibbled on his neck. What do they want and why are they snooping around our facility? Where are they from? Wonder if they’re hostile? I had better talk to Hart about this. That’s all we need, an alien attack. There’s something suspicious going on, and I don’t like the looks of it. I wonder if they somehow were responsible for the failure on the first project.
“Harry, honey, we have some unfinished business. Let’s get home. I can’t wait to get in your pants. I’m hotter than a firecracker for your bod.”
He looked at her and laughed. “Guys are the ones to usually say that,” he said.
She just smiled and rubbed the crotch of his pants, squeezing it lovingly.”
“Time to go,” he said. When they got back into the car, Jamie unzipped his pants.
Chapter 13
NSTA
Washington, D.C.
Just a few days ago, I thought I’d be writing a post mortem for this project — instead I’m sending out the SCDR approval notice. This is one review I’ll never forget, Harry thought. Sure glad Jamie’s in Albuquerque. I’ve really missed her.
He shook his head in disbelief and let out a big sigh as Bill Hart rang in. “Harry, welcome back my boy. Please come down to my office. We need to talk about some things.”
“Be right there.” I bet this has to do with the Robinette meeting. Well, it’ll give me a chance to talk to him about those UFOs. I’m still worried about the one we saw hovering over the STL MCC building. I bet Bill knows something he hasn’t shared with me.
Hart was on the video link with the U.S. Secretary of Science and Technology when Harry walked into his office.
“Okay, Dr. Robinette, Harry and I will be there this afternoon.” Bill hung up then stood and extended his hand. “Harry, it’s good to see you. I’m anxious to hear about the review. Please sit down. I see you have coffee. I could use a cup before we get too involved. Feel a bit drowsy today. The wife and I stayed up late last night watching our daughter’s vacation videos.” Bill poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Where did she go?” Harry asked.
Bill sat down and took a sip. “I needed that. She and her family spent a week in an underwater habitat just off the California coast, scuba diving. The habitat was sixty feet below the surface and has special, transparent walls. They were able to watch the ocean life and photograph everything from within the habitat. The really exciting footage was a fight between a twenty-foot great white shark and a giant squid that went on for an hour and a half.”
“Who won?” Harry asked.
“Guess it was a draw. The shark finally bit one of the squid’s tentacles off and escaped before he was lunch.”
“Sounds like a great vacation. It’s always been on my short list of dive trips.” Harry took a drink of his coffee and made a mental note to schedule the place for his next dive vacation.
Bill fiddled with his papers, and then looked at Harry with an “oh-crap” look on his face. “Harry, we’re getting a lot of pushback from some of the guys on the hill. They’re questioning the efficacy of our project. They think the money might be better spent on domestic programs to help them get reelected.” Bill took a deep breath, stirred his coffee for the second time then continued. “This situation needs careful management, or we could lose our funding lines next year.”
“I understand. I assure you I’ll do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen. What’s the deal with Robinette?”
“I’m not completely sure. We’ll find out this afternoon. I think it has to do with project security and some disturbing government intelligence reports.”
“Intelligence and security? That sounds pretty serious.” Harry rubbed his chin and wondered what was going on.
“What about the SCDR? Your report indicated it went very well.”
“Uh … it turned out okay. I will say, I didn’t think we were going to get approval. Romanski and Cook kept the entire meeting off balance. I was sure they were going to shut us down right up to the final day. I didn’t sleep the last two nights. I don’t think anyone has ever wound me up that tight. I’m planning to give STL the approval and go ahead, if you agree. We still have some technical issues, but I think they can be easily resolved.”
“Why was Romanski so opposed to our project?”
“He finally came clean and told me several of his friends were killed by the wormhole on that first project. He thinks the technology is too dangerous and doesn’t want anyone else killed. He and Cook reluctantly signed off on it. Said they thought we had the issues under control.”
“The important thing is the review team approved it. You and Pepper did a great job. Your people obviously addressed all of their concerns. I understand Romanski even had a bit of a warm fuzzy when he left. I know Romanski, and he rarely has a bit of warm anything.”
“I sent you the detailed report, so let me know if there’s anything we need to discuss further.” Harry said. “I’m glad that’s behind us. I feel like a gorilla just crawled off my back.”
Bill smiled and nodded his understanding. “I want you and Pepper to relocate to the STL facility immediately. We need you there full time to oversee things. Besides, it’ll be safer. I do not want any more incidents like those that we had in Albuquerque. The STL facility is secure. I’ll sleep better knowing you guys are safe.”
“When do you want us to go?”
“As soon as you can make arrangements. Marc will house you and Pepper at the STL guest facilities. I’ve already set it up with him.”
“I can be ready in a few days. I’m going to relocate Wanda also. What about my apartment?”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll pick up the rent and other expenses until you finish up in the desert. Besides, it’ll give you a place to crash when you come in for meetings,” Bill said. “I’m glad we have Wanda. There’s going to be a lot of difficult problems to solve, and she has certainly proved her worth to us.”
Bill finished his coffee, dug into his desk drawer and found the prize he was looking for — a bag of potato chips. “Want some?” he asked.
“Thanks, they’re my favorite.” They were tasty and he was getting hungry. He enjoyed the salty flavor and the crispy crunch. Harry had a few other things he wanted to discuss. While munching, he placed his forearm on Bill’s desk and leaned towards him. “I told you about that UFO sighting at the STL facility. Well, I also saw one when I first moved to D.C. Please tell me what’s going on?” Harry planted a deliberate frown on his face. “Why do I keep seeing these things where they shouldn’t be? And why does
the Air Command allow them to fly right over the White House and not scramble the ASFs?” He leaned back in his chair and placed his chin on his palm with the index finger pointing across his mouth to emphasize he was listening.
Bill grinned and pulled out a bag of jellybeans. He gave some to Harry, and then threw a couple in his own mouth. “You know, I just love jellybeans, particularly the black ones,” he said. “You’re going to find out this afternoon, so I might as well tell you. We’ve been in contact with a race of highly advanced aliens for several years. Our first meeting with them was at Camp David about the time you came here to join us.”
Harry leaned towards Bill and blurted out, “I knew I wasn’t imagining things. I saw them lift off that morning. I was afraid to say anything. I thought people would think I was a nut case. What do we know about them? Why are they here?”
Bill popped a couple more jellybeans in his mouth, and took a deep breath, chomped on them, then leaned back in his chair. “They’re from a planet they call Kandar. It’s about twenty-five light-years from Earth. Imagine the probability of that.” Bill paused and took a drink of coffee to wash the sugar down.
Harry couldn’t help but think about the Air Force report his dad had told him about, that night, years ago. The author wrote that the probability of two civilizations living close enough to visit each other was almost zero. With the technology we had back then, his conclusions were probably correct. Bet these guys have wormhole technology.
Bill continued, “Their sun is about the same size as ours, and Kandar occupies about the same orbital position around theirs as we do ours. I can tell you they’re much more technologically advanced.”
Wanda Page 7
