Chapter 57: After-action Reporting

When they got to the conference room, everyone began speaking at once. Emma immediately took charge.

“We need to settle down, you lot,” she called out. When things quieted, she went on. “Our company first, we need your impressions. Publicity, PR, problem issues that need attending to, all that rot. By seniority, so Henry, you first.”

Stafford nodded, grinning. “Apart from that horrid affair earlier, I couldn’t have wished for a better outcome. Of course we might learn something different from the telly this evening, but I doubt it. Tamara, your stunt was corkin’ brilliant! There were lots of bored faces when I was speaking, but then, that’s what I usually see when I give a speech.”

Laughter.

“Seriously, after Tamara came out and did her act—and then that speech—everyone was hanging on all our words. Even on your demo, Nils, sorry.”

More laughter.

“Tamara, that was extemporaneous, I’m certain. It wasn’t anything like what we discussed you’d say, innit. Although I must say that you did hit all your planned talking points. I was gobsmacked by what you did there and gratified by the response,” Stafford finished.

Amelia raised her hand and Emma nodded to her.

“I must agree. I do acting and have absolutely never seen a better performance, Tamara. And you ad-libbed it all too. Your expressions and gestures were as good as a trained actor as well. All I can say is ‘brava,’ girlfriend.”

Tamara nodded as everyone in the room agreed with Amelia.

“Say, you pulled those quotes off so easily,” Denise commented. “Almost like you had them prepared. How...”

Tamara laughed. “Something Emma does too; she loves to quote famous physicists—others too. Well, I read a lot and have a very retentive memory. Some things I read just resonate with me and references to magic fall into that category. I’m sure you can see why—some of the things I do may seem like magic.”

Denise chuckled ruefully. “They sure do.”

“Very good, Amelia and Denise. Anything else, Henry?” Emma asked.

“Besides the fantastic publicity I think that we’ll get from Tamara’s magic act...”

Laughter.

“ ... I do believe we have the potential to create an incredible sales and publicity campaign, one based on the magic of science and engineering. I’m going to get our marketing people on that idea and see if we can license some rights from the Harry Potter people. Tamara, can we use quotations from your talk? You know that we videotaped it, right?”

“Oh! You did?” she exclaimed, whereupon everyone in the room began clamoring to get a copy.

“Sure we did. Is it okay?”

She nodded.

Stafford went on, “And the last item is the audience. The composition, that is. There were about 250 in attendance. I was checking in with our PR people to see who all we recognized. A quarter were employees and family. Another quarter were from Cambridge University, other local universities too, mainly science and engineering faculty. Another quarter appeared to be from the business and manufacturing community in the area. This was a typical mix for an event like this. The last group was likely composed of interested citizens and the press. As I mentioned, it went well, judging by the smiles on faces as people left.”

“Excellent summary, Henry; thanks,” Emma said. “Nils, anything to add?”

“First my congratulations to Tamara,” Thomassan said. “It made my dry presentation easier for the audience to tolerate.”

Laughter.

“Henry did an ace job in his summary, but the technical questions and some followup conversations after the formal program gave me some ideas. I want to check with the engineers and with Tamara after I put something concrete together.”

“Thanks, Nils,” Emma said. “Any thought about how the press will react? Some were frustrated when we sent them away from the ... erm... ‘invasion’ site. Beverly? You have something?”

“Actually I might,” Beverly Norris commented. “I took a seat near the rear where I could watch everyone and also because there was a group of physics faculty from Cambridge nearby and I wanted to get their impressions after the event. There were two telly reporters with their camera people close by and I heard them chatting. Before you began, they were talking about looking into why the bobbies were here, but at the end, all they were saying was only about what a tough editing job this event coverage was going to be because of all the great material. So I reckon that the press treatment will be favorable.”

“Good job, Beverly; thanks. What did the physics group think then?” Emma asked.

Beverly laughed. “They just adored what Tamara did. Several told me that they’re planning to adopt some magic references into their physics lectures; said it should liven up the classes.”

Laughter again.

“Ten points to Gryffindor, Tamara,” Emma joked and the laughing increased. “Actually that’s not a bad idea for me to do as well, in my own classes,” Emma mused and then chuckled. “Anything else? Kevin, Denise, if you have anything, please add it at this point.”

Denise raised her hand and Emma nodded to her.

“You know about my ability for sensing group attitudes,” Denise started and Emma nodded. “So what I noticed and Amelia backs me up—she’s empathic too—was that the entire group was with you almost immediately when you began talking, Emma. Your delivery was compelling and magnetic and the positive group feelings lasted even through Dr Thomassan’s part. So you didn’t do that badly, sir.”

Laughter.

“But when Tamara came on and pulled off that stunt, and then began to talk, the sense from the audience turned to, um, help me, Amelia...”

“It was almost like adulation, Denise, what I feel from audiences after I have a good performance. See, she got a standing ovation as well, right? It wasn’t just the words, either, it was the delivery too.”

Emma nodded. “I believe I felt that as well. Thanks, Denise and Amelia. So based on the reaction of the group that saw our presentation, it appears that we’ll have not only a commercial success but also a PR one as well. And Henry, your magic idea in our marketing plans is brilliant, so definitely get that department onto that idea next week. Anybody have anything else to share? If not, thanks, and I want to meet with my friends privately now.”

When they were alone, Emma said, “I didn’t have a chance to say this before, to all of you, Tamara especially, but my company and I are both in your debt for your gallant defense out there this morning. Andrew, you didn’t see what happened; you just saw the aftermath.”

“I saw six big berks lying on the ground and just four of you?” Andrew said wonderingly.

“Five. Amelia knocked off one first,” Jeremy said proudly.

“But what about those dropped weapons and burned hands ... Peter, you’re grinning,” Denise accused him. “Out with it!”

“Saw her do something like it before,” Peter grinned. “Tamara’s got a secret I can’t divulge unless she says okay.”

Tamara nodded to him. “They’re all okay, Well, maybe Andrew isn’t ... just kidding!” she said, grinning, as she saw his face fall. “Andrew, you weren’t part of the five musketeers, that’s all, but I know you all can keep a secret—actually it’s a deadly one, so I’m not kidding here, people.”

Tamara’s voice and face had turned dark and steely at her last phrase as she glared at them and again, those in the room cringed at her forceful intensity.

“Shit, Tamara, I wish you wouldn’t do that!” Kevin complained.

“Just being sure that you all know that I’m very serious, okay? Peter, go ahead.”

“Sure, honey. Tamara’s developed a not-weapon gadget that’s top secret; at least the part that the U.S. government knows about, but she’s gone even further with the idea. It’s a not-weapon because it doesn’t kill or wound but it can heat things. Particularly metals and dense plastics, they get very hot. That’s what happened to those Russians’ guns. She spoke about magic before; so you should know that the backpack she carries is a magic kit and somehow she always seems to have the right tools in it to deal with the current problem.”

“But Emma told us that guns, knives, pepper spray—all that—was illegal,” Amelia said.

Tamara chuckled. “Yep, when Emma mentioned that, suddenly my premonition of danger that I had all morning increased, and I got a vision of needing to use that device. So I got on my mobile and looked up the law here. Jeremy’s the legal beagle. Jeremy, are you familiar with the Firearms Act 1968? It actually regulates things besides firearms, things like air guns and pepper spray.”

“Huh. Not when I researched the laws that applied to school nudity. Never ran into a naked kid with a gun that ... erm ... shoots anything, unless, maybe...” he started, grinning, but Amelia slapped him on the arm.

“Nope! Don’t go there!” she admonished him and everyone laughed.

“Good one, Jeremy. Anyway, that firearms law mentions the terms ‘firearm,’ ‘weapon,’ ‘missile,’ ‘barrel,’ ‘rifle,’ ‘gun,’ ‘pistol,’ ... um, and ‘ammunition,’ My device is or has none of those things. It’s like a flashlight but it makes metals and other dense, solid things very hot. The closest provision in that law that could apply is the part that bans stuff like pepper spray. Wait a sec, I’ve got it bookmarked ... Ah. Here. Prohibited things are, I quote, ‘any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing.’ Okay, the device isn’t a weapon by definition; I looked that word up. A weapon’s a thing used to inflict bodily harm or physical damage. There’s no harm in a body getting warm and heating things up isn’t physical damage. Otherwise things like heating pads and electric heaters would be illegal.

“And electromagnetic waves aren’t noxious ‘other things,’ or else flashlights and cell phones would be illegal, since they discharge electromagnetic energy. No lawbreaking then, right, Amelia?”

“Damn, Tamara, you’re using legal logic just like Kevin taught us, you know,” Jeremy told her. “Take apart a law by using its defined terms.”

“Sure; that’s just logical, right?” Tamara smiled at him. “And Emma? Yes, like I promised, I did turn over my previous device to Dr Tarmson and DARPA, but in my agreement with them, I reserved the right to do further development work using the maser idea and they agreed, provided that I keep them informed. And I do keep them in the loop. This device is related to the maser; it’s a new research direction and one that’s connected to my ideas for wireless power transmission; it’s one of my designs to try to collimate an RF beam. But the beam this produces heats stuff, metals and dense plastics. So, everyone ... the device’s small size, its focusing circuitry and antenna, and the masing gas mixture, are secret. I got the idea to use the thing on those Russians from what I did to those thugs from that gas-station incident last year, remember, Peter?”

“Sure,” he answered and then had to relate that story. The others looked at Tamara in awe.

Emma broke in, “I told Andrew right after the affair this morning that Tamara was deadly. She is, in her special way. You all see that? We all probably owe her our lives, actually.”

Amelia excitedly said, “She gave the alert that the guard was a fake too! That wrecked their plan of surprise.”

“Okay, then, I see everyone wants to talk about that horrid mess. So why don’t we take this in order and discuss what we did as individuals,” Emma suggested. “That should allow us to decompress and talk it over.”

“I can start,” Peter said. “I felt Tamara tense when that guard called; I realized he was an imposter too, and suddenly got a shove toward where that van was pulling in, like I had to get there quickly. Then...”

Tamara interrupted. “Sorry, dear, that was Ogorin, the warrior spirit. That’s how he works. He protected my dad for years before Dad knew about that. Go ahead.”

“Wow, really? Crazy. Then I felt Kevin and Jeremy following me, but before that, I saw Amelia make that awesome move,” he finished.

“Yeah, sweetie, I was gonna help you but you moved so fast, even before it registered on me that he was gonna grab you,” Jeremy said.

“You showed me how to turn a grab into a shoulder throw, honey,” Amelia said. “But that thug felt so evil that I kept hold of his arm when he went over and twisted it as he went down. Ugh, I felt it snap too.”

“The police told me it was a compound fracture,” Emma told her and Amelia shivered.

“Ugh again,” Amelia said. “But Tamara had called for us to run for the building and my feet just went like I couldn’t stop them from running there, but I really wanted to be with Jeremy.”

“You know, I felt that compulsion too—to run for the building,” Emma said. “That was you, right, Tamara? Did you ‘push’ us somehow?”

“I did; sorry, but I was trying to protect you. I didn’t realize that Amelia was so good at hand-to-hand combat,” she laughed. “Peter, what happened near the van?”

“It got messy real fast,” Peter said. “First, the side door slid open and two thugs jumped out but got distracted by the screams from the jerk that Amelia took down, so I thought I could incapacitate one or two before they realized what was happening. I could feel the same thoughts coming from Kevin and Jeremy—but from Denise too! That’s when I saw the guns they had pulled out and backed off a ways.”

Jeremy took over. “Yeah, the berks had pulled out some AK47s from the van and they wanted us as a shield to walk to the building door; they were after Emma but they needed the guard to ID her. Apparently that imposter guard had told them that she was here. I had learned a little Russian from a friend and heard what they said.”

Emma gasped.

“Yeah, I assumed they wanted you as a hostage to get the device plans or something. But they were arguing among themselves about how to find you since you had gone into the building.”

“You speak Russian?” Kevin asked. “When did you learn that?”

“Can’t speak it so well, but a friend in my school orchestra, a co-principal trumpet, is Russian and he’s been teaching me a little. I understand a lot of it, though. I’m good with languages.”

“Damn, that’s cool,” Kevin replied. “When I saw them arguing, I figured that they really had no plan for what they were doing. So I stalled them, using Japanese to make believe that we didn’t understand. That confused them a lot. I was hoping to delay them till help arrived. I think that these jerks were just the muscle; the brains of the operation must have died in that explosion Emma heard about.”

“That was brilliant, your doing that,” Emma complimented him. “Quick thinking.”

Jeremy picked up the story again. “That’s when I noticed that the berk nearest me had begun to juggle his gun and look down at it instead of at us, He put his hand on the top—the receiver? Yeah. And jerked it away. Then he grabbed the grip part and trigger area and gasped, then dropped it.”