Chapter 14

Asandro asked the first question, without even looking at the full drawing. “What the devil do you do with all the heat?”

I read the answer from my memory that Red provided. “The first iteration of the design will have to be a very large processor. That will keep it from melting the substrate. You have proof of concept at that point. Then you’re going to have to use refrigerant for the next few versions. Next you’re going to have to use an arsenic-indium-silicon compound instead of pure silicon to actually make the final mesh substrate for the sub-component chips. That will take years to develop, but you’ll need to have years to work on chip design.” Then I stopped, because that was the end of Red’s answer.

Asandro looked at the engineers. They were immersed in the drawings. He pitched his voice low. “And you don’t understand the meaning of what you said.” I just shook my head ‘no.’ “Amazing. Just amazing.”

Hoskins was bending over page 3. He asked, “What is this? I don’t recognize this symbol.” I went over and looked where his finger was pointing. Stone put his page down and joined us on page 3. I gave them Red’s answer, the explanation of Red’s answer, and the explanation of that.

This was going to be a long session. There were several different group meetings that afternoon, some raised voices between the Doctors, and a couple of “Why didn’t I think of that?” comments. Nick Asandro came and joined them at some point.

“Nick, can we really do this?” asked Stone.

“How the devil do I know? This is generations beyond what we were thinking.”

...

I went over to the powwow that Wolf and Clearwater were having. “I told him that we’d provide the design for this chip. But we have to come up with half the money for the factory for the second chip.”

Clearwater gave me his best Navajo stare. “How much money?”

“I’m not exactly sure. $10 or $15 million maybe.” I was guessing. What did I know about construction costs in 1977, and I knew even less about equipping a chip factory.

“I don’t think we can come up with that much.”

“Red says not to worry about that.”

“It’s my job to worry about that, but okay, I’ll put my worry beads away ... for now,” Clearwater continued. He wasn’t entirely comfortable. I couldn’t do anything about that. “What can we do here? I won’t be of much use to you.”

I had to go answer some questions from the Intel folks, “Hold that thought,” I said to Clearwater. Eventually, I returned to Clearwater. “We can pick out a site for the factory. Can’t be too early. Do you have a map of the Nation?”

“Yes. I don’t know what made me pick it up, but I brought a detailed map. It’s down in the car.” He put down his paperback and went out to get it.

I commented to Wolf, “Gee. Who could have put that thought in his mind?”

I had been thinking of all the information that Red put in my mind, and then thought of all the things that happened that was out of Red’s control. The snowy white owl who seemed to watch over me was prominent in my thinking. Now, the map Clearwater happened to grab. How everything seemed to work out so smoothly. I knew I was going to point to a spot on a map, and I knew it would be the spot the owl in my dream had dropped the drawings.

And Red had nothing to do with that. Probably.

Red?

[Yes, Lexi. I didn’t make the owl of your dreams drop anything, anywhere.]

I haven’t said it before, but thanks for making all this work. The information ... you know.

[I’m providing information, but you’re doing the sales job.]

You’re sure about the buildings in Washington tomorrow? I’m putting a lot of reputation on that prediction.

[All I can say, Lexi, is that it was reported that way in the Washington Post, in the next few days.]

Okay. I guess I’m just nervous.

[You’re not nervous about the Las Vegas wager?]

Well, I guess it’s the same thing. But, I dunno ... it’s different.

...

The afternoon meeting went on and on, with me answering lots of questions I didn’t understand. Clearwater came in with a big map of the Navajo lands. When he spread it out at the unoccupied end of the conference table, the Intel crew broke off and came to have a look. The Doctors took one look, saw it was a ‘just’ a map, and went back to the drawings.

Asandro stayed. “What are you doing now?”

“Do you have any special requirements for a new factory, Nick?” I asked.

“Aside from the usual facilities, no. Electricity aplenty, sanitation and water, it should be convenient to public transportation, and I guess security has to be accounted for,” was his answer.

Clearwater said, “There is almost no public transportation in the Naabeehó Bináhásdzo. Why is that a requirement?”

“The what?”

I interrupted with an explanation, “The Naabeehó Bináhásdzo is the name for the lands of the Diné – the current lands of the Navajo people. The term ‘Navajo’ refers roughly to the future of the people, whereas ‘Diné’ refers to the present or the past.”

“Oh, I see. So, this is in Arizona and New Mexico,” Asandro said.