Chapter 32

The phone call was not unexpected.

“Mister Fuqua? I represent the Department of Transportation. Will you be available later today? I can meet you at your business in New Mexico, but it will take time for me to get there. The Learjet is off on another errand, won’t be back until later this morning. The pilot anticipates arrival in Roswell sometime around three this afternoon. I’ll rent a car, so shall we say 4:30pm?”

“First, let’s discuss your business with me,” Frenchy said. “I haven’t contacted the DOT.”

“I understand that, but I’m afraid we’re contacting you this time. If you’re busy, then perhaps a subpoena would help? I’m sure one can be arranged, either judicial or perhaps Congressional. There are serious questions regarding the role you played in the death of your employee.”

“Before you waste your time,” Frenchy said, “I won’t meet with you unless my own attorneys are present, and they won’t be available today.”

“I see. Then perhaps a subpoena will be necessary.”

“You must do what you must do,” Frenchy said. “‘Serious questions’, your term, is meaningless! What questions? Why would you think I had something to do with the unfortunate accident that took the life of my friend and employee? This sounds very much like a fishing expedition, so any answers to your ‘serious questions’ will come only after my legal team approves.”

“I hoped we could do this more informally, but if you insist, we can do it the hard way,” The DOT agent said. “You should expect to hear from us shortly.”

Frenchy broke the connection. The call from DOT was a complication, although he’d expected something to happen. The phone rang again. This time, the call came from the Federal Aviation Administration. The gist was much the same as the first and Frenchy responded as he had before. A third call, from Colonel Ponder, the Army representative who’d visited with the DARPA group, was different. “Mister Fuqua, it looks from here like the buzzards are circling. Are you going to be able to build the prototypes we talked about?”

“Colonel, I just don’t know. They’re not looking for information, they intend to shut us down. We only have one factory and I’ve already been threatened with a subpoena, maybe Congressional.”

“That might be a problem,” Ponder admitted, “but it will take them time to get one. Who’s going to issue the subpoena? Which subcommittee? That can be important, but regardless, we’ve got friends on Capitol Hill. The defense budget is huge and there are a lot of benefits for elected officials. While we can’t directly oppose Congress, we do have influence. Even among committee members, some have more influence than others.”

“Pork, you mean.”

“I didn’t say that, Mister Fuqua. Benefits, that’s how I see it. Factories have to go somewhere, and the labor climate and other things can influence the choice. End-user tests can be viewed favorably or perhaps less favorably, with considerably more scrutiny of the product before acceptance. It’s a kind of dance on the Hill, and we understand the system. We have friends, and I’ll see that they understand that we need your project completed.”

“I’ll do my best, Colonel. But if they shut down the factory, I’m not sure what I can do.”

“They’ll have a much harder time if they have difficulty serving that subpoena. I can’t advise you of what to do, of course, but...”

“I understand,” said Frenchy. “My legal team will be arriving later today, so I’ll put the matter in their hands.”

“Of course. And about the cargo unit and the personnel transporter, I’m authorized to say that we would really like an opportunity to test those.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Colonel. There may be other options, even if the New Mexico plant is shut down temporarily.”

“You have my personal phone number,” Ponder said, “and I can contact the rest of the team. The crash was very unfortunate; it may be that flying cargo or people over walls and buildings won’t work.”

“I don’t anticipate a problem, Colonel. The crash may have been caused by the design of the craft, maybe because the Bedstead uses only four impellers. The King uses eight and has dual systems, so controlling it is more flexible. It’s temporarily unavailable, but I hope to have it ready within a few days and we’ll repeat the series of tests Mel was working on. We expect considerable disruption in our operations, a memorial service, things like that to deal with. Mel was a personal friend as well as a valued employee.”

“I understand,” Ponder said, “so I won’t keep you longer. I’ll keep you advised of happenings in Washington, and I’d appreciate you notifying us here if there’s going to be a significant holdup in production of the test units. Are you the only one authorized to contract with us?”

“No. I’ll make sure that others are included on the list, Chuck Sneyd from the operations side, Panit Jindae from management, and my daughter Lina as my personal representative.”

“That should be sufficient. Admiral Sessions asked me to inquire about the ship you’re using, the cargo ship? He has a few ideas he’d like to talk about after you get through the next few days.”

“Let’s talk about it then, okay? That comes under swamp drainage, but first I’ve got to chase off the alligators.”

Colonel Ponder chuckled. “I’ll talk to you later, then.”

General Stroganoff called Colonel Kotcheff into his office.

“What does this mean, Kotcheff? Why are we interested in what American agencies are doing?”

“They’re going after the company that makes the device, General! I don’t know why, but it’s a complication. One good thing, we now know where they’re located. It’s a considerable distance from here in a place called New Mexico.”

“Ah. I’ve read of this place, a wild west place with outlaws and gunfighters. Even kids carry guns out there, worse even than the Cossacks! Do we have anyone out there we can call on?”

“No, General. We have two people, deep cover, in Texas. I don’t know the names or their assignments, just that they watch the operations at the Pantex plant. That’s where the Americans build their nuclear weapons.”

“Hm. I don’t think our headquarters would look favorably on disrupting such an important assignment. How long will it take to establish others in this New Mexico place?”

“Not long, General. I can have a better answer later today, if that’s acceptable. I’ll need to make a few phone calls.”

“If that’s the best you can do, then go ahead. But I want to know what you find out, just as soon as possible. This might be the opportunity we’re waiting for! Just think of it, Kotcheff, actual antigravity!”

“Uh, antigravity, General Stroganoff?”

“It’s obvious to the trained eye, Kotcheff! You must pay closer attention! That’s very disappointing, Colonel, but you have work to do so get to it.”

“Yes, General. Right away!”

“Sorry to disturb your weekend, gentlemen, but something has come up,” said General Fuller. He had called a meeting of the committee charged with investigating the impeller-powered craft. The others had departed, but Fuller had recalled them. Admiral Sessions glowered at him; the others accepted the recall with equanimity. Unlike flag officers, colonels and majors could expect recalls from time to time. “What’s up, Fuller?” asked Admiral Sessions.

“I’ve become aware of a development that may affect our project. I can’t say anything about the source of my information, Admiral, but it appears we’re not the only ones interested in the impeller system. Our eastern friends are also stirring about, and they’re interested in New Mexico.”

“Goddamn it, Fuller, just say Russians! I don’t have time for cuteness, I’ve got a sailing date. My boy is home from the academy and he’s got a girl with him, first time that’s happened. Might be serious, and settling down would do him good. I don’t want to be tied up this weekend, so let’s cut to the chase!”

“I hadn’t realized I was being cute, Admiral.” General Fuller’s tone was frosty. “But according to my source, this same group was behind that attempt to hijack the barge they used for testing the marine system. I would think you’d be interested in that.”