Foundation

by M J Kendrick

  Milton was frowning, deep in thought as he listened to Leon.

  “I’ll see that he’s kept away as much as I can.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well, Slater doesn’t fall under my jurisdiction anymore, hasn’t for a while. He was passed over to work under some special unit that’s part of Vince Long’s outfit. I was just the transitional head.”

  Leon had worked on Vincent Long’s projects in the past. It was mainly black ops stuff. “Hmm, that will make it difficult to keep tabs on him.”

  “Oh well.” Milton leaned forward with a resigned smile. “Let that be his problem. In the meantime, you know if you ever change your mind about living the good life, there’s always a place for you here.”

  Leon smiled and shook his friend’s hand before leaving, knowing he hadn’t heard the last of Slater.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Carlton needed to work out a plan.

  Everything was falling into place, but Carlton felt momentarily overwhelmed at the size of the task that lay ahead.

  He decided that things would be easier to cope with if he could map out all the things that needed to be covered in order to get Quantum up and running, so after breakfast the following day he and Lucy sat at the kitchen table and drew up a list to prioritize what needed to be done.

  Lucy was far more practically minded and instantly calmed Carlton’s increasing apprehension. “Look, before we are even able to make a start on Quantum, we need to get the Smarties here to help, so that has to be our first job. With them here, we can allocate sections. In particular, we need Miles to get a handle on all that machinery. If he can organize that it will mean that Per can design the layout. Once we have that in hand, we can organize everyone so that they each take control of a particular area.”

  Carlton was writing a list of the tasks as Lucy was speaking. “That would be ideal. Miles is definitely right for that, and Per will work fast. What about accommodation? We really need to be there. We can’t be traveling back and forth all the time.”

  “That is definitely a priority,” said Lucy. “No one wants to be camping, but for a few days or maybe a week, I think that’s what we’ll have to do. I have been thinking about those two outbuildings.

  “If we looked at a way of bridging them together, it would give us one very large area to convert to temporary living accommodation. It has all the services in place so we could easily have a kitchen and central dining area, and there’s more than enough room to make six bedrooms, if you don’t mind us sharing.”

  Carlton caught her smile. “Yes, that would be perfect, at least in the short term. We’ll have to look at a more permanent solution, though, once we’re up and running. Let’s see what William can come up with on that.”

  Lucy agreed, “Didn’t William arrange the nerdlab builders?”

  Carlton nodded, “Yep, it was some of his father’s contacts. Luckily for us, they were quick.”

  “William’s father does seem to have his fingers in a lot of pies,” mused Lucy. “It would be good if we could use them on Quantum. What do you think?”

  Carlton was nodding but showed some doubt. “They would be ideal, but I’m concerned about us using outside help. I know we are going to have to bring in contractors at some point, we just couldn’t manage it on our own, but I’m worried about too many people knowing about Quantum.”

  Lucy was thinking. For a moment she sat quietly and then said, “Look, Carlton as far as anyone is concerned, this is just a straightforward refurb job. There isn’t going to be anything that can even hint at what we’ll be doing. Let’s face it. We only need them to build the infrastructure, so we have a blank canvass. We can bring in and install our lab equipment ourselves after they’ve gone. All we need is a reasonable cover story, should anyone ask.”

  Carlton felt easier. Lucy was right. There was only so much they could do themselves, and he felt he could trust William’s father to figure something out.

  Lucy asked, “Have you thought about the costs involved here?”

  Carlton raised his eyebrows. “Sort of,” he said. “To be truthful I don’t have much of an idea about what the refurbishment costs will be. I know it won’t be cheap, because physically it’s a big area and I know we need to get the labs built. I also know I have to factor in the accommodation costs, but labor and materials are unknown.

  “I have roughly estimated what the running costs might be and I’ve factored in the initial purchase price and a contingency. What I’m left with is what I have to count as the budget to get everything done. My parents left me $750,000, and there’s an insurance policy that will give me another $1,000,000 plus the house in Gainesville. With the money I have left, it gives me just over $2,000,000. It sounds crazy, but we know how much our lab equipment costs, so when you take that into account, it doesn’t leave very much at all. I think it’s going to be tight.”

  Lucy said, “It’s enough, I’m sure. We already have enough basic lab equipment to make a start. All we have to do is concentrate on getting the first project working and bringing in some income. We only need to think that far at this stage, I’m sure the rest will follow after that.”

  Carlton was nodding in agreement all the time Lucy was speaking. “Okay,” he said, “let’s call the Smarties.”

  ***

  William had shown up days earlier with a large eight-seater van and tents, already anticipating Carlton’s lack of planning on that front. His dad had come through and secured the same Polish contractors that had completed the nerdlab renovations, and, even though they wouldn’t know the final cost until they arrived, they knew the team was quick, efficient, and, more importantly, wouldn’t ask questions.

  Over the next few days, Miles, Per, Anton, and Haru all arrived with what looked like all of their possessions. William ended up buying a large second-hand trailer that he had seen on eBay. It was a good price and practically new, having only been used for a house move, and, two days later, after a great deal of packing and re-packing to get everything in, the Smarties finally began their mammoth road trip.

  Despite the weight, the van and trailer performed well and, as the miles ticked by, the Smarties were in high spirits planning the tasks, joking and talking about Quantum and generally about how excited they all were.

  It was late afternoon the following day when they arrived at the airfield. Lucy took immediate control by having the boys sort out the tents and sleeping arrangements before they even so much as set foot in the hangar. She knew that once they were in there, then any chance of getting the sleeping arrangements sorted would be gone.

  The boys all rallied round, and soon a decent camp was established. Before she could say thanks, the boys were off, racing each other towards the hangar.

  Lucy smiled and left them to it.

  That night, the excited chatter and ideas kept them up late, but they all turned in with a very clear plan as to what they would be doing over the next few days. Miles would be making a comprehensive list of the machinery and tools, evaluating their condition, and work out how and where they needed to be placed. Per would start drawing up the ideal layout for the labs and best use of the hangar floor. Anton and Haru would run a full check of the electrical systems and, working with the others, would draw up what power was needed and in which areas.

  Lucy would help Per in the lab design and then she would go to the two outbuildings to roughly measure and sketch out what would be needed to adapt them to accommodation. Per would then draw up a plan, and between them they would estimate what materials would be needed to cover everything. Carlton and William would make a survey of the entire property, walking the perimeter and marking all of the features and surroundings.

  William’s father was on the case and, after several days of going back and forth with details over the phone, Carlton was furnished with a full quote and had everything he needed. As executor for Carlton’s parents, William’s father already knew how much capital Carlton had to work with, so he
was pleased to tell Carlton that the materials would only cost around $400k, which, given the size of the task, was pretty good.

  Carlton was pleased. He had been dreading how much it might run to.

  William’s father had asked him to think on it overnight, just to be 100 percent sure, but Carlton had already made his decision to forge ahead.

  Early the next day Carlton had phoned him back to inform him that he very much wanted to proceed. It had occurred to him during the night that he had no idea where or how to get the materials that were needed and he had asked William’s father about it. Fortunately, William’s father knew there was no way they could take care of that, so he told Carlton that it was in hand and four very large trucks would be with them in five days. All he had to do was make sure they could get in, and help with the unloading.

  Sure enough, five days later, the trucks arrived, not only carrying the tons of materials but also ten burly Polish builders.

  The Smarties all chipped in with the unloading. Completely emptying each truck in turn after it had backed up into the hangar and under Marek’s instructions, they neatly organized the contents into stacks and piles so they could be used in a specific order.

  By the end of the day, the Smarties were exhausted. Manual labor wasn’t something they normally did, but, despite the late hour, when they were sitting around their campfire snacking and complaining to each other about their aches and pains, they could hear plenty of activity coming from the hangar. Marek and his team of builders were banging around, shouting and laughing. They had already started work!

  ***

  For the next five weeks, the Smarties worked closely with Marek and his building team, ensuring that the build specifications were interpreted correctly. Marek was an old hand at this and saved a few minor errors, completed everything on time, even making a host of improvements that the Smarties hadn’t considered. The end result was far better than any of them could have hoped for.

  After William had returned from a long day of driving the builders to the airport, they all had to just stand back and admire what had been achieved.

  Everything was ready. The new pristine white labs were in place and brightly lit. The floors had all been leveled, the fabrication areas had even been improved on, the shiny white hangar wall cladding and storage areas were clean and bright, and the entire internal space had been painted, fixed or altered, making the whole place look as though it was a state-of-the-art testament to science—all it needed was the last of the equipment, and they would be ready to start.

  Tonight would be their last night of camping, as tomorrow morning they would move into their new, equally lavish accommodation before planning the next stage for Quantum.

  ***

  Carlton knew the time had come for him to return to Gainesville to prepare the family house for sale. He had been putting off the task because of his fond memories, and he knew he would find being back there difficult, to say the least, but he also felt enough time had passed for him to be able to cope. Quantum was going to be his life from now on, and he knew he wouldn’t be going back to Gainesville. He had decided to collect the personal memories of his dear parents and arrange for a realtor to place the house and furniture on the market.

  His plan was to first go back to the house in Wakefield and then drive to Gainesville in Comet and then on to Quantum.

  While he was away, the Smarties would be organizing the lab equipment, with Haru and Miles tasked with the long trip back to Wakefield with the van and trailer. They were to strip the nerdlab and gather all of the equipment, making sure to only return the rented items to the supplier and bring everything else back to Quantum.

  For Carlton, the entire trip seemed to be a little surreal. He felt as though he was outside of his body, looking in at someone else. He had detached himself as much as he could, almost as a subconscious way of coping with the sadness and emotion that dealing with his parents’ things brought.

  Carlton had timed his trip so that he would arrive at the family home early in the morning and could complete everything he needed to do in one day without having to talk to neighbors. Interacting with them would just make it harder. The sooner he could finish, the sooner he could leave for Quantum.

  As he pulled up in the driveway, he could almost see his mother run out to greet him. He swallowed hard and fought back the tears and just sat for a moment. He wasn’t ready for this. He didn’t think he ever would be. He knew that as soon as he stepped through that front door, he would be overwhelmed with grief, but it had to be done. He thought of Lucy and took strength from her faith in him. He knew she had been pushing him to face his demons, and he knew she was right. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the car.

  He felt the familiar click of the latch under his key as the front door opened with its usual sound that had always alerted him of his parents’ return from work in his childhood. His memories flooded back as he smelled their lives in the house’s atmosphere. Their ghosts were everywhere. Everything was eerily silent as he gingerly walked around, just looking through his tear-laden eyes. Dad’s briefcase, still up against the kitchen dresser. Mom’s lipstick on the table. That fateful morning’s newspaper with Dad’s usual coffee drips from his cup. The breakfast things still lying unwashed in the sink.

  It was too much.

  He dropped to his knees and sobbed.

  Eventually, with nothing left in him, he went up to his room and showered. Feeling a little stronger, he started gathering the few things he wanted to keep. His science project which held so much meaning for him and some special gifts his parents had given to him as a child.

  His parents’ room was the hardest and a place he almost dreaded going in to. He left it until last, gathering photos and keepsakes from elsewhere in the house. Eventually, he felt strong enough to go in. Again, he could smell their presence. He held their duvet up to his nose; they were there. Again, he sat on their bed and wept before he was ready to go through their things.

  As the day’s light began to fade, he had taken down the three boxes that represented his past life. He looked at them stacked in the hallway. All his memories, everything about his beloved parents sat in those three small boxes.

  He was exhausted. The emotional strain had been far greater than he thought, but he couldn’t sleep in the house again, not after having made his decision to deal with everything in the shortest possible time. He packed his things in Comet and, without looking back, reversed off the drive and slowly headed away from his house and Gainesville forever.

  ***

  Five days after leaving the Smarties, Carlton returned in Comet.

  The only thing that was said was, “Welcome back, we all missed you,” and everyone purposely, and out of respect for Carlton, put the matter out of their minds.

  Miles and Haru weren’t expected back for four days. The stripping of the nerdlab had taken them longer than they thought, mostly because the two of them were struggling with Miles’s things. But they were just about done and only had a few things left to take care of, so all being well they would set out and take a slow run back to Quantum in the early hours of the morning.

  Everyone was asleep, enjoying the comfort of their new accommodation, when Miles and Haru finally made it back. They had left the unpacking and went straight to their rooms, utterly exhausted from the trip.

  The next morning they all helped in unloading and taking the equipment to the new labs. By lunchtime everything was in place, just leaving some of the electronic equipment to be connected up and calibrated.

  The Smarties were all in the old office up on the mezzanine level, which had been converted into a large, bright monitoring station that would be connected to all of the labs’ individual monitoring equipment. Carlton was looking through the glass walls that divided all of the labs and said, “It looks like we hardly have anything.”

  Anton jumped in. “It didn’t feel like that when we were loading it.”

  They all chuckled, and Haru said
, “We have all the basics, which is all we need for now, and actually I have pretty much all I need.”

  Miles had joined them. He had gone back to the van for something. As he joined the others, he handed Carlton a small FedEx package and said, “I almost forgot, this came for you while we were at the house.”

  Carlton took the small heavy box and looked at the sender’s information. It was from Mrs. Rosemary Maddon, C/O the Sheraton Hotel, New York.

  Rose had sent it. Carlton was eager to open the package but was worried that it might cause him to get upset. The Smarties, seeing his reaction, tactfully left him alone and went to get started on connecting Lucy’s equipment, which was the last lab on the mezzanine and furthest away from Carlton.

  When they had gone, he sat down and carefully opened the package. Inside were two letters and two twenty-terabyte hard drives. One of the letters was from Rose and the other from his father. Carlton was shaken and sat for a moment to calm himself. He opened Rose’s letter first and read it. The letter was short, but Carlton could see tear stains on the paper. Rose had obviously been crying when she had written it. The letter was full of sadness and regret about what had happened, but it also portrayed a sense that he knew she’d always felt for him. Rose was like an aunt to Carlton. She had always been a part of his life. At the end of the letter, Rose said that the other items in the package were from his parents and she had held them for safekeeping and that his father’s letter would explain.

  Carlton opened his father’s letter and read it, hearing his father’s voice in his mind

  Our dearest son,

  If you are reading this, then it is because something has happened to us.

  Your mother and I have feared the worst for some time, but we want to assure you that we have been prepared for it. We cannot even begin to imagine the pain you would have gone through but believe us when we say that, knowing our situation, we feel that pain too.