There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 16

"I may be as free as they are," she thought.

As she entered the main house Sabrina embraced her. "Welcome Miss Junie; Mister Stephano wants you to feel like a member of the family. Anything you wish ask for it, and it is yours. Any horse you choose to ride is yours. The pool is heated and is there for your pleasure. There are bathing suits, with tags still on them, in the girls' closets. I have your room all set up. There are computers you can use. Are you hungry? I can make you anything you want within 30 minutes. Why don't you take a bath and soak your weary bones while I cook."

"Poached eggs on toast with a little jam would be wonderful. I will take you up on that bath. I want to get the grime of those men off my body. Is 30 minutes okay with you?"

"30 minutes will not do anything for your body. Make it an hour, and I will have everything ready for you. What type of tea would you like?"

"How did you know it would be tea?"

"Call it an educated guess."

"My favorite is a very rare type called 'Zen My Cha." Very few people have even heard of it."

"Miss Junie, you and Anna are going to be fast friends. That is her favorite tea. She called from school to make sure we had it in the house. I will start brewing some as soon as you get out of the bath."

"I think I'm going to love being here. I think I would love being anywhere my father isn't."

"Stop thinking about him; he is your past. Mister Stephano wants you to think about your future. Take your bath, I'll show you where the towels are, and get you a nightgown."

*****************

69. The Interview

Dan was not happy about the advanced advertising that aired on Saturday. The news that Gordon had patented the first commercially usable Nuclear Fusion Power System had caused quite a stir. It was a breakthrough of such enormous importance not only were stations from around the country waiting for this interview, there was a worldwide hook up waiting to hear what he had to say.

He sent us to Austin in force. Eight SUV's with four men in each car. Every agent was heavily armed and wearing bulletproof equipment from head to toe.

Our cars shifted positions every few miles so no one from the air could track any particular car, or know which one Gordon or I were in. He would not allow anyone else to accompany us. It was much too dangerous, and we were out on an open highway for much too long.

Gordon was dressed in his best, and he was very unhappy with the makeup woman when she started applying this stuff on him. I had to tell him to sit still, or he would look like a ghost on television.

"Would you sit out there with me, dad? I am really nervous."

"What is there to be nervous about? You are going to be sitting out there with a physicist, and a moderator. You know what you did to break the code. Don't tell him what you did, because that is patented information. Tell him how you went about doing it. Tell them how you were restricted to your room, because of your bad behavior. You had no paper or computer. You wrote most of your formula on your walls. You took pictures of it, and completed it at the office in front of the entire staff the first day you were allowed to go back to work. You had to paint your room the following day, so your mother wouldn't kill you if she saw what you had written on her clean walls. You will get a nice laugh out of that story, and the interview will go on from there. This will not be anything like you encountered at the NRC.

The professor from the University of Texas will ask you probing questions to make sure you know what you did and how you went about doing it. The moderator will be more interested in how you became so knowledgeable, at such an early age.

You will do just fine, and remember if you need me just look up. I will be on the side of the stage looking at you. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes dad, you always make me feel stronger than I really am."

A young woman popped her head into the room and said, "It's time to head to the stage."

"Come on Gordon, I'll go with you."

The young woman led us through the corridors and onto the brightly lit stage. I saw the physicist being shown the remote controlled cameras. We made eye contact, and we both laughed.

Gordon asked, "What's the matter dad?"

"You are about to meet one of my professors Gordon."

"Really, was he nice?"

"He still owes me five dollars."

"Please don't remind him of that now."

"I won't, I promise."

We walked out on the stage, and I extended my hand.

"Hello Doctor Wakefield, how are you?"

"I should have known there could not be two people with that same last name and could not be father and son. How are you Even; how is your spacecraft coming?"

"Are you busy after this interview today?"

"I have nothing pressing to do if that's what you're asking me."

"Would you like to join us in Temple for a few hours? I will show you some things that will advance science one hundred years."

"Your son has already done that with Fusion, but I'd love to see your spacecraft."

"Consider yourself invited Professor, and you can stay as long as you'd like."

"I will never turn down an invitation as gracious as yours Even."

"Professor, you don't have to go easy on Gordon; he knows his stuff as well as I did in class. He knows math better than 95 percent of the people on this planet, probably 99 percent. Sometimes he is faster than IBM's Big Blue in doing calculations. He will make this interview very interesting for the world and for you."

"I'm glad to hear that Even. What do you have to say Gordon? Are you going to be okay out here?"

"Doctor Wakefield, after listening to you and my father, I am very comfortable. I will be fine with anything you wish to ask me."

"Places everybody, places please."

"I will see you after the show Even; otherwise I'll hold your son hostage, until I see your incredible flying machine."

"It's not my flying machine professor, it's our flying machine. Gordon has as much to do with it as I do."

"Come on Gordon, let's go talk science."

For the next uninterrupted 60 minutes, that's what they did. The station was inundated with calls from the networks to keep the interview going, because overseas networks wanted to hear more about it. The station extended the program to two hours. They talked about the fear factor of Nuclear Fusion; its safety issues, and nuclear waste. Finally, they talked about how this new energy source would change the world.

When Doctor Wakefield was finished asking questions, he and the moderator stood up, applauded Gordon for his depth of knowledge, not only of Nuclear Fusion, but of every technical matter they had discussed.

When the program was over, the producer ran out on the stage as happy as anyone in television had ever been. He screamed, "We topped the Super Bowl; we topped the Super Bowl ratings. My little station is on the map. We have to throw a party."

Dan said, "We are leaving. My team is ready, and we are getting on the road now. It has been our pleasure to be here, but we were supposed to be out of here an hour ago. My timing is all fucked up and someone could have set a trap by now. Let's get going Even."

"We are taking Doctor Wakefield with us. Don't bother arguing with me Dan, he's coming."

"Welcome aboard Doctor; Even will instruct you on the rules as we go. You will follow them."

"I think I will follow the rules Even."

Gordon said, "Doctor Wakefield, I'll take one hand, my dad will take the other, and we will pull you along with us. You will be just fine."

"Thank you Gordon, I believe I will be."

Eight SUVs left the grounds of the television station in Austin, and sped on to Interstate 35 North at 80 miles per hour. We changed positions regularly for the next 68 miles until we reached Temple. We left the highway and went by an alternate route to the NEST.

Dan never lets us use the same route to the site two days in a row. It wasn't that he was superstitious, he was cautious in the extreme.

No one was working today, except the guards on duty, and there were plenty of them.

When we stopped in front of the hanger doors and Gordon didn't reach for the door handle, Doctor Wakefield asked him if he needed help.

"Doctor, we never touch the doors. It's part of our protocol. We don't move until the all clear is given. Then the agents open the doors for us. We get out of the car and move quickly into the hanger, or whatever building we are going into. We are never exposed for more than eight seconds."

"It's that dangerous Even?"

"There have been two attempts to capture or kill members of my family or my team. I won't let that happen. They attempted to kidnap or kill Gordon, my daughter Delicious, and her new husband Grayson.

Then they attempted to kill Stephano Valentino, who is both a major benefactor, and in charge of all the purchasing for this project. These people believe cutting off the head, will kill the snake. They may be right, so I am not going to let that happen.

Let me take you behind the wall and show you what this is all about."

***************

"Holy shit, it's done, the outside is completed Even?"

"Except for the mouse ears, it's done."

"Give me a break Even, mouse ears?"

"That's what we call them. All our scientific equipment is going to fold out on gantries, which will lie against the surface of our Beach Ball. Our problem was most of those items are metal, and could not withstand the heat of penetrating our atmosphere as we increase our speed. Doctor Thyme came up with a brilliant idea, which Gordon improved upon; Mouse Ears.

Covering the instrumentation with the same composite materials we are using for the main body of the spacecraft, all the instruments will fold up against the sides and lock in place. Gordon came up with the idea of using millimeter wavelength radar, instead of a rotating radar dish. It eliminated an addition form of radiation from trying to penetrate our ship. We will have one on both sides of the spacecraft looking for friends, and problems."

"You're expecting to find friends?"

"You expect us to be alone in this universe?"

"Where are you going?"

"Where are we going? Ask Gordon, he is our navigator."

"Professor, the most promising planet is Kepler 298D. If, as we get closer, it turns out not to be as good or as promising as it looks from here, we can change course and go to Tau Ceti or Kepler 62E. They are all in the same general area and 11 light-years away."

"That's still a very long way to travel. You're going to be sleeping a long time."

"Do you want to tell him dad, or do you want me to do it?"

"You do it Gordon. Your science is all worked up now."

"Doctor Wakefield, we believe with the use of the Fusion engines still engaged, we will be able to go beyond light-speed by at least a factor of four, and possibly more.

According to our research, the ship will form a warp bubble around it, where time and space will bend around us. Einstein didn't have the computers we have now to do these advance computations. However, everything we've done, so far, points to the conclusion we are correct. If it is, we won't have to sleep very long."

"If you two are right, send me an email."

"It will take a very long time to get to you."

"What the hell do I care? You send me the message and I will disseminate it to the world. One of my students will have broken one of the basic laws of science, and proved that Albert Einstein was wrong. You can go faster than the speed of light. E= MC2 is wrong! Can we go inside?"

"No, not yet; they haven't finished putting in the sub-flooring for the first floor. We are three years ahead of schedule, and the way Dycke Schneider's engineers and architects have designed everything, it is going together faster than anyone could ever imagine. He and his team have done fabulous work for us."

"You can't see one seam anywhere on the exterior of the craft. It is perfectly round. How will you know if the legs go up properly?"

"There will be a lot of praying going on, plus we have a very large net that will hold up our 'Ball' as we do it the first time."

"It is a very sensible precaution."

********************

70. Another Day

Mike this street is too narrow to do it the way we were asked. It would have to be a ground level shot as they are accelerating. It's too easy to miss, too many innocent bystanders and too easy to get caught. If we don't get him the first time, he will hole up in his mansion, and let his hound dogs find her. Do you know anyone who has a 50 caliber machine gun?"

"Sorry PJ, I sold my last one two weeks ago to Mickey Mouse. It seems Goofy kept stepping on his tail."

"You've developed a sense of humor; when did that happen. Don't tell me; I don't want to become depressed. We have to get him before he gets home, otherwise its game over."

They kept studying the Google map around the courthouse trying to find an angle they could shoot from, and escape with impunity.

"Mike look at this. It would be a hell of a shot, but it would be real cute if we could pull it off."

"You're out of your fucking mind."

"It's only 522 yards, with very little wind, because it's blocked by the buildings. The best part is its two kill shots. Yours will get disfigured because it will go through him and hit the concrete column directly behind him. They'll be nothing left of your bullet for them to examine. Mine will take out his heart, because the General said he never had one. From where we are on top of this building, our shots go through the church belfry on either side of the bell. No one is going to be able to see us, and that bell hasn't moved in 40 years."

"I think it's time for us to go zero in our rifles at 530 yards."

"So you think it'll work?"

"I don't have a better idea at this minute. If it fails they'll pull him back inside the courthouse, while we get out of town and think of something else. I'd like to go to Alaska and do some moose hunting this year. Ten grand would just about pay for it."

"Okay, but don't forget to change the batteries in the laser range finders."

***************

"I'm sorry Your Honor; the two men who were supposed to testify against Mister Penick in the rape of his daughter have disappeared and are presumed to be dead. You have read the transcripts of their depositions and if anyone deserves to be in jail Mister Penick does. Unfortunately, there are no other witnesses alive to testify against him, except his daughter.

Yesterday, there was another attempt by employees of Mister Penick to kidnap her. They were heavily armed and carried hypodermic needles and other narcotics to keep her under control while they held her captivity. They have agreed to testify against Mister Penick for an offer of leniency from my office. If you will give us a continuance of 60 days we will be able to bring Mister Penick to justice."

"Your honor the defense protests vehemently. We have not been served with any paperwork on these two supposedly witnesses. The law requires you to vacate this case and free Mister Penick of all charges. If the district attorney wants to refile these false charges against my client he can do so at another time. He has wasted the courts money and the city's valuable resources against one of its most influential citizens. The supposed victim isn't here today to watch these proceedings. What was she so afraid of that she would not come to a place where justice is handed out equally? We demand that the court find Mister Penick not guilty of all charges against him."

"Mister Swansea, you should be very thankful we are in a court of law. Otherwise I would tell you exactly where to go, what to do, and how far up to shove it. I have tried over 8700 cases of rape in my time on the bench. I have never seen one so simple to adjudicate in my entire life. I will not continue speaking simply because I do not want to prejudice the next judge, who will hear the case against Mr. Penick. Get that sonofabitch out of my courtroom before I explode. This case is dismissed, without prejudice."

The press covering the Penick rape trial stormed outside the building in an attempt to get an interview. The police cordoned off an area between the courts doors and the limousine waiting to whisk him away. Microphones were set up for him to make a statement, but he walked right by them. He waved his hands, and smiled.

Mike fired the armor-piercing bullet that crashed through the wall of Cyrus Penick's chest, tore out his spine, and lodged in the column behind him. PJ fired the gallium bullet a millisecond later. It went through Penick's sternum, burst the left ventricle of his heart, and dissolved into a gelatinous mass.

Cyrus Penick was dead before he hit the floor

The police looked towards the bell tower for the shooters. They charged towards the church and surrounded it.

210 yards further away, on the top of an office building, Mike and PJ broke down their rifles, and put them into their suitcases. They picked up the brass casings, and looked for any disturbing marks they might have left on the roof. They walked down one flight of stairs to the eight floor of the building, and took the elevator to the garage level. They got into Mike's car and drove away from the area in their suits, just as any executive would do, during an ordinary business day.

Their money was delivered, by courier, four days later.

************

Sabrina heard the news of Penick's death at 12:30 PM, while she was watching television. She decided not awaken Junie; it was more important that she rest. She called Stephano to let him know what happened.

"Don't leave her alone Sabrina. This could go one of two ways for her. She could be extremely happy, or she could become extremely depressed. Call Paul and Rita and have them come over to the ranch. She is going to need company for a while. Are you okay with that?"

"Of course Mister Stephano, I'll do whatever I can to help her."

"Help me with what Sabrina?"

"Good afternoon Miss Junie, would you like your tea now?"

"Yes please Sabrina, what were you going to help me with?"

"Why don't you sit down, while I begin making your tea, then I'll tell you everything that happened this morning."

As she placed the tea on the table Sabrina held Junie's hands.

"The judge dismissed the case against your father, as you predicted. He left the courthouse smiling and waving to the crowd. There were two shots, and he was killed instantly. Miss Junie, I thought telling you this way was in your best interest."

Junie sat for a moment not saying a word or moving a muscle. Sabrina did not let her go. She was unsure how Junie was going to react.

Junie looked up towards the heavens. "Thank you God, thank you mom, thank you for answering my prayers." She put her hands on the table, rested her head on them, and cried.

Sabrina let her cry; she had earned every tear.

A hearty lunch was in order. A tossed salad, a steak, and homemade French fries would be just what the doctor ordered. She began working on it as the phone rang.

Without answering it Sabrina said, "It's for you Miss Junie."

"Hello."

"Junie, it's Delicious, are you okay?"

"Delicious I have not felt this good since the last time I played with my mother. I'm not going back there. They can burn the place down for all I care. I will never step foot in that house again. Can you ask your lawyer to take care of everything for me again? Rod was so nice to me and so very helpful. I'll pay him whatever he wants to get rid of it for me."

"I am sure Rod will do it. He is the best lawyer ever. All you have to do now is rest, relax, and recover. You're going to have a lot of company soon. You are going to have a lot of fun too, because they're all our age.