Finding Time 03

"I've got it all here on the memory stick," I replied as he pulled his mobile out.

He dialled as I brought out the stick.

"John, can you spare me a minute. I'm in Gerry's office, join me here," he said when the person answered.

He turned to me as he hung up. "Now let's see this list of yours."

I plugged my stick into Gerry's laptop and copied the files across. John, when he turned up, was introduced as the Sys Admin. I gave him a demonstration and then spent the next half hour working through the details with him.

John had contacts everywhere and knew where he could get twelve more cards manufactured and where to get his hands on a 3D printer to make more globes. I agreed to send him the name of the company I ordered the magnets from and their precise specs.

He also knew a dealer whom he could source the robotic arm and trolley from. He had all the motivation he needed to build a tunnel, he was eager to view Napoleon's side of his great battles and watch him order his troops.

Ron took us to lunch and regaled us with tales of his 'revolutionary' youth, protesting the Vietnam War and sit-ins at University. He went on to castigate today's youth for their indifference and addiction to electronic 'gewgaws'.

Though he was a delightful raconteur, I was glad when we finished lunch and returned to the office. John was still there with Gerry. They had two more guys with them and were exploring a dimly lit building.

I gave them a few minutes to finish up and then unplugged the core and gave it into John's safekeeping. With the rest of it loaded back into my car and a hearty send off from Ron, we navigated back to the A3 and home.

I couldn't have wished for a better reception, Ron would be able to parcel out the machines to offices in various countries. Even though they weren't built yet, I was reassured they soon would be.

Sally wanted to stop at the bedsit first to get changed. I followed her up for the strip show, taking the computer up with me for safekeeping.

"Do you think we could have another look at Europa? Now that we have the new set up I'd like to take a look at the surface of the ice, see if there's any way of dating the leads," she asked as she shed her coat.

I put the computer down. "Yes, no problem. How's it going with that anyway?"

"I'm still waiting on a reply from the University, they have a triple headed search and rescue model with a five kilometre range," she replied, unzipping her skirt and letting it fall to her feet.

As I walked over to the bed, she stepped out of the skirt then bent to pick it up. My cock twitched at the sight of her nylon clad backside and taut thighs as I sat on the bed to watch.

She rehung the suit while I fantasised about our bedroom gymnastics that night. She kept the blouse she had on and chose a denim skirt to wear, pulling it on with a sexy wiggle of her hips.

My mobile rang as I stood; it was the number for the Patent guy. "Mark, Hello?"

"Steve, I need your signature on one more piece of paper," he said.

"Is it urgent?" I replied. "I'm on my way to campus now."

"If you've got time, tomorrow will do if you're pressed."

"No, I can swing past the Admin building just as easy. It won't take five minutes to scribble my name," I answered.

"Okay, come right up when you get here, I'm in room G7."

"Okay," I replied, as I started again for the door. "I'll see you in twenty."

"Ciao," he answered, as he hung up.

"What did he want?" Sally asked, linking to my arm as I put the phone away.

"Sign some more papers," I replied walking with her. "I'll have to stop at the Admin block for a few minutes."

"Boring," she remarked.

"I know," I answered, pulling the door closed behind me.

We drove over and I left her waiting in the car while I nipped in. Finding his room, I gave a courtesy knock on the door before walking in.

"Ah, Steve," he said looking up. "One moment, have a seat."

He glanced back down at the folders in the tray as I walked across, pulling out one and opening it as he laid it flat on the desk. As I sat down, he asked. "Have you thought any more about the launch yet?"

"Not really, I'm still busy getting Tunnels into independent hands."

"How's that going?" he asked, as he passed me a sheet of paper.

"I've got the Red Cross on board and a contact in the International Court in The Hague," I replied as I signed.

"Good, so things are moving on."

"Yes," I agreed, passing him the paper back.

"Well, if I can help at all...," he replied, as he took the sheet from me.

"Yes, thanks. I've got Sally waiting in the car so excuse me, I have to run."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for popping in."

"No problem." I answered standing.

I gave him a brief smile and turned for the door. Sally gave me a grin as she saw me approaching.

"That was quick," she said, sounding pleased.

"Just signed and ran. Told him I had you waiting," I replied, as I climbed into the car.

"We've left the computer at home," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the empty place on the back seat.

"Oh damn, I'll go back for it when we've unloaded these," I answered wearily.

"We can call it a day if you want; I've got a few things to catch up on with the girls. We can drop this off and you can drop me at the dorm while you go back for the computer," she suggested.

"Yes, that's okay. I can get it set up and collect you when you're ready."

After lugging the arm and trolley up, I dropped her and set off home. On the journey, I wondered if I'd done enough to risk going public yet, what my audience would tell me if they could.

By the time I got home, I'd resolved to talk to the PR people tomorrow. It would probably take a day or two to organize, time enough to talk to The Hague court contact that Ron said he'd talk to.

Driving back, I stopped off at the Admin block to pop in and set up an appointment for the morning. The sign on the door took me to the third floor and their own receptionist.

"Hi," I greeted her. "I'm Professor Lutner from the Physics Department. I'd like to talk to someone about launching a new discovery I've just made."

"Ah, you'll want to talk to Carol, I'll get her for you," she replied brightly.

"No, I'd like to set up an appointment for tomorrow morning. I only called in on my way to the lab, I have an experiment to set up," I explained.

"One moment then while I check her diary," she said, tapping on the keyboard. "She's free all morning, what time suits you?"

"First thing would be fine," I replied, planning on dropping in early to leave the rest of the day free.

"Okay, I'll book you in at nine then. Will half an hour be enough?" she asked while typing.

"Yes probably, it's only an exploratory meeting."

"Okay, it's booked for you, we'll see you then."

"Thanks," I said returning her smile.

"You're welcome," she replied turning her attention back to the screen.

I walked back out to my car and drove on to my lab. There I set up the tunnel, ran the astronomical program to check everything was working and then shut it down to spend the next hour or so dealing with my email.

Sally texted me to pick her up. On the way out I took one of the spare cores with me to show Carol in the morning. I was feeling satisfied with the way the day had gone with one of my major goals achieved.

I pulled into the car park and walked over to Sally's dorm thinking about what to eat, I felt like a celebratory meal and a bottle of wine and was debating myself whether to eat in or out.

I found Sally in Emily's room along with two other girls.

"Steve," Sally said, as I walked in. "Can you show Debbie the ancient Greek Olympics and prove that men competed naked."

"Yes, if you want, we can set it up for tomorrow afternoon if that's ok," I replied.

"Can you make it late afternoon?" Debbie asked.

"Yes, no problem," I replied, as I walked over to join Sally.

She got up from the seat to let me sit and then sat on my lap with her arm hung loosely around my neck. As she snuggled in, I slipped my arm around her waist and let my hand rest on her thigh.

"Have you met Debbie and Karen before?" asked Emily.

"No," I answered, with a little shake of my head.

"Sally was telling us your discovery would abolish crime. The police will be able to record the whole event," Debbie said enquiringly.

"Anybody with access to a Tunnel could. That's the beauty of it, not only will it stop rapists and muggers but it will catch the white-collar cheats as well. We'll finally have honest politicians and bureaucrats," I replied.

"It's also going to put an end to printed exam papers if you can see them being printed," put in Karen.

"There's going to be changes we can't imagine," Sally chipped in. "This is going to reshape society by giving us a level playing field."

"Sport is going to take a big hit I think, so will films and live productions," I added.

"How much will they cost then?" asked Karen.

"Ah, I haven't worked that out. You can get the magnets for about twenty pounds, but I think we get an educational discount. The printed parts are a couple of pounds each," I said out loud, working things out in my head. "Two, two fifty with manufacturing costs. Add on fifty for other costs and profit and you're probably looking at around three hundred."

"Oh, that's not so bad, most people could afford that," she replied.

"Then," I went on. "There's the cost of the computer, robot arm and trolley, the control board and the camera."

I paused a second. "A wild estimate would be around a thousand for a quality system. The trolley and arm could be combined into one and loose a lot of the sophistication, it only needs one axis of movement. That could be mass manufactured along with the core."

"That's still not so bad, people will pay that for a large screen TV," she replied.

"I'd like to see them in places like libraries, internet cafes, so the public at large had access, if we could keep the price to a thousand or so it wouldn't be that costly to do." I added.

"Museums, if they had them in museums that would be fabulous," Debbie said excitedly.

"And your homework tonight is to study the Battle of Hastings," said Karen with a chuckle.

I smiled at the thought, turned, and dipped my head. "Are you hungry?" I whispered into her ear.

"You want to go?" she questioned back.

"I'm in no hurry, but I was thinking of a meal out," I replied quietly. "We might need to book a table."

Sally straightened up. "Okay. We're off to eat. I'll see you all later."

She slipped from my lap and stooped to pick up her bag. I followed her as the girls gave us their goodbyes, taking her hand as she paused to open the door.

"What do you fancy eating?" I asked as we walked out.

"I don't know, you choose," she replied.

"How about that fancy Texan restaurant, they're supposed to have the best steak and ribs around," I suggested.

"Mm, that'll do."

I opened the door for her when we got to the car and then walked around and got in myself. I pulled out my phone and looked up the restaurant on the net, reading out the number for Sally to dial.

"What time shall I say?" she asked as it rang.

"Seven, eight, I'm easy," I replied.

"Hello," she answered. "Could I make a reservation for this evening?"

...

"Six 'o' clock please," she said, her eyes seeking mine.

.... I widened my eyes as I looked back.

"Yes, Professor Lutner."

...

"Thanks," she replied, smiling at me as she hung up. "I'm too hungry to wait till seven," she exclaimed.

"It's alright but it doesn't leave us much time to get changed and get there," I replied.

"Shall I ring and change it?"

"No, we'll just have to hurry. We can ring them if it looks like we're going to run late."

I started the car and felt Sally slip her hand onto my thigh as I drove off. The homeward bound traffic was slow and I turned the news on as a distraction as I trundled along the clogged road.

I carried the globe up with me, letting Sally go first as we got inside.

"What shall I wear?" she asked, crossing to the wardrobe.

"Oh I don't know, something smart, casual," I replied, as I walked over to the chest of drawers.

"Not jeans then," she replied with a chuckle.

"Designer jeans would be okay," I joked as I pulled out a clean shirt. "Something pretty that'll turn heads," I added in a more serious voice.

"A short skirt and tight top would turn heads if I had the boobs," she said, still amused.

"They're big enough for me and just the right size for your figure," I replied, walking across to her.

"Mm," she said as she folded her outstretched arms around me.

I kissed the top of her head as I wrapped my arms around her. "Come on, we haven't got time for cuddles now."

As if on cue, her tummy rumbled. We both burst out laughing as we untangled ourselves.

"Oh well," she said stepping back and starting to undo her blouse.

I turned back to the bed and started unbuttoning my shirt. Sitting to strip my shirt off, I watched as Sally unzipped her skirt and pushed it down off her hips. My cock twitched at the sight of her tight round nylon clad bum as she bent and picked it up.

I tore my eyes away and finished putting on the fresh shirt then bent and took my trainers off before looking up at her again. She was stepping into a pencil skirt that proved to be figure hugging as she pulled it up.

"Zip me up?" she asked, as she looked up to see me gazing at her.

She turned her back to me as I stood and walked across. "This is definitely sexy," I said leaning in to kiss her ear as I zipped and then clipped the tab.

She twisted around as my hands slipped to her waist; her smile broadened as she ran her hands up my chest and hooked them around my neck. The touch of her bare skin under my fingers excited me, bringing my cock to life as she pressed herself against me.

I slipped my hands up her back, my fingers sliding under her bra strap, for a second I was tempted to unsnap it.

"Yes, but it's a little impractical for normal wear," she commented as she arched back.

"Mm," I replied.

"I haven't got a sweater so will a polo neck do?" she asked with an innocent girlish voice.

I chuckled and released her. "I don't know, you'll have to model it."

With a smile on her face, she turned back to the wardrobe and brought out a dark green top. Slipping her hands into the sleeves, she pulled it on. It highlighted her slim waist, the gentle rise of her breasts and contrasted nicely with her chestnut hair.

"Mm," I said appreciatively.

She gave a chuckle and stepped closer. "I'm glad you approve," she replied, her hands taking the hem of my shirt and starting to tuck it in.

I slipped my arms over her shoulders as she pressed her chest against me to reach around my back. When she finished she kissed my cheek before backing off and looking me up and down.

"What shoes are you wearing?" she asked.

"The black loafers," I answered.

"I'll go with my three inch wedges then," she said turning and stooping to extract the shoes.

I took mine from her as she straightened and turned back to me.

"Have you been there before?" she asked as she put her shoes on.

"No. I've been past, you can't miss it with all that signage," I replied, as I shuffled my feet in.

"One moment," she asked as I turned to the door.

She moved over to the dressing table, gave her hair a brush through, and then applied a touch of lipstick.

"Ready," she said turning to me.

I nodded and held out my hand to her as she walked across to me. We talked of food, then shopping as we drove there, making an imaginary list of things we needed to buy.

Both Sally and I had the eight ounce with mushroom sauce, chips and a side salad. We ate mostly in silence, only commenting on the quality meal of the as we chomped our way through the steak.

On the way home, we talked about getting the laundry done and looking for somewhere larger to live. We also stopped off and bought a bottle of wine to help us relax later.

"What's the globe for?" she asked, as we got in.

"Oh, that's to show Carol from PR, I'm seeing her first thing in the morning," I replied. "That's the bit we're patenting."

"Oh, you didn't mention it," she queried.

"No. I stopped on the way back with the computer and arranged it." I replied.

"This is going to be the exciting part, meeting people and getting your message out there," she said, sounding a little excited.

"I'm not looking forwards to the notoriety it's going to earn me," I replied wryly.

"Oh the irony, the man who destroys privacy dislikes publicity," she said chuckling again.

"It's not that, dealing with reporters is like wading into a rugby scrum. I've seen the way they can hound people," I replied, as we sat on the bed.

"Oh, you'll manage," she said still smiling.

"I'll have to, if I'm to get the message out," I answered, toeing my shoes off before twisting to lean back on the headboard.

"Have you thought what you're going to say yet?" she asked.

"Not really, I was going to lay out the pros and cons to her and see what she thought was the best approach," I answered pensively.

"Yes, I suppose we should listen to her ideas first," she remarked.

She bent and undid her shoes then crawled over to sit beside me.

"You going to open the wine?" she asked turning her head.

"Mm," I nodded.

I twisted my legs off the bed and sat up. The bottle was next to the bed but the cups were over on the draining board, making me get up and walk over. I passed the cups over and climbed back on to join her clutching the bottle.

Unscrewing the top, I poured us half a cup each before replacing the top and parking it between my legs. "Well, here's to the unknown," I said, raising my cup.

She chuckled as she clinked my cup.

"What?" I asked.

"I was just thinking of our invisible watchers, they'd know if we could ask them," she explained.

"Ah," I acknowledged, before taking a sip.

She took a drink of hers before snuggling up next to me. "Shall we look at estate agent ads, see what's available?"

"If you want. The laptop's on the desk."

"Mm, in a minute then," she replied softly as she rested her hand on my thigh.

I was content with her closeness and my thoughts drifted to the points I'd make to Carol in the morning. As far as the public was going to be concerned, there was one big no-no, the loss of privacy.

Balanced against that was the good it would bring, policing and gaols reduced to a minimum, governments that will govern in our best interests and tame the capitalists excesses.

"More?" she asked, removing the bottle.

"Mm, yes," I answered, turning to look at her.

She handed me her cup and unscrewed the top. "Say when," she said, filling mine first.

"Enough," I exclaimed, as it reached half way.

She filled hers the same then capped the bottle and replaced it. Sitting back, she took her drink back and sipped it. "I wonder how long it'll be till things are settled again?" she mused.

"That could take years; it depends on how much anarchy there is. What will people do when they find out how corrupt and dishonest the ruling class really is? How easy will they go? The more resignations there are the quicker normalcy will be restored."

I stretched my arm around her shoulder, letting my hand slip to her waist.

"I think you're being a bit optimistic, you're going to be shaking the foundations of society, Businesses as well as governments are going to fall." she replied.

"I know, but the politicians are the soft targets, imagine ten percent of the population emailing them to resign, hundreds of thousands of people out protesting in the streets, how long could they resist the pressure?"

"Ah, the plans of mice and men. I can't see it running that smoothly," she replied.