Chapter 21

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Homeland Security asked.

"Absolutely nothing," replied E'veen. "We don't work for you."

HS huffed ... if she were six, it would be a pout, but she was nearly sixty ... it was a huff. "But I need you."

"No ... you want someone to blame." Bill had a handle on this ... for sure. "You pull everyone out of there ... and I do mean everyone ... and your spy devices ... give us a totally free hand ... guarantee in writing with the President's signature that we won't be prosecuted ... and free us from all tax obligations for city, county, state and country ... and we'll give it a think."

Bill threw in the tax deal for no good reason ... just to see how far he could push.

HS was on her cellphone in a flash.

"You're so smart!" exclaimed E'veen. "How did you know the President would go for the no tax thing?" They were in the air again, heading for the Johnson Ranch in the Big Bend of the Rio Grande River. This time they had the Lysander. The Lysander had a much longer range than the Pioneer.

The plane had been lovingly restored to its 1943 configuration by the best aviation technicians in the world ... the Smithsonian crew at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility (nicknamed "Silver Hill"), of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The Lysander had its "Off button" for the Identification Friend or Foe gear back ... and it worked. Bill had pushed it while on the ground and E'veen was in the tower looking at the radar when the blip went away. The FAA wasn't very happy about the Sutherlands.

"I had no idea they would fall for it, but they think the disk is going to make an invincible weapon. Think back ... how many invincible weapons have there been?"

"Lessee, the first guy to pick up a rock ... he bashed in his enemy's head ... INVINCIBLE ... until the dead guys best buddy broke the killers arm with a thick branch and managed to kill two more before another guy threw the rock that killed him ... one of them stuck the thrower with a sharp stick.

"Later, someone discovered fire hardening a sharp stick. The other side tied a sharp rock to a stick ... then someone figured out throwing the rockstick.

"After that there was the stick that was held and threw another stick ... then the bow, the firelock, flintlock, percussion lock, cartridge, lever action, bolt action, semi auto, full auto, select fire ... and those are individual arms.

"I couldn't even begin with knowing where the other guy is." She lied right there, because she grinned and said, "Climb a tree, a hill, send up a balloon, airplane, satellite.

"Then there is ... well," she laughed, "Listen to me, preaching to the choir. Doesn't anybody pay attention to history?"

"We do. Nobody else does. Who advises the President? ... politicians!"

The Lysander made it all the way to Del Rio. They spent some time with the helicopter crew that blew up the fuel and caused the fire that wiped out the disk pilots. Then they refueled at the Army base using the government's dime. A decent meal and they were off again.

The flight to Johnson's is over some beautiful country ... if you like sand, rocks and sagebrush. E'veen grew up there ... she loved it. All the way down she pointed to this feature and that one. She knew where every abandoned car and old mineshaft was.

Bill thought lovingly of the Great Lakes and Ohio farm and forest.

"What are we going to do when we get there?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yup ... we can't move it." E'veen referred to the disk.

"Why are we going then?"

"We said we'd look ... we'll look. I want to make a run through the tunnels."

"I thought you said there were hundreds of miles of them."