There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 22

"It's been a wonderful run Anna. I'm sure we could have been happy together. Is your marriage for love or for money?"

"You know I'm already worth more than $1 billion, why would I marry for money. When my sister leaves to go into space, she's leaving me all her assets. It will make me worth more than $2 billion in liquid assets. Then, of course, there are all those pesky patents, which bring in millions of dollars per month, after taxes. I'm not sure if I want to buy half of Sony, or Toshiba. I let my lawyers figure that out after I get Laura's money."

Anna turned her head and yelled into the flight deck, "Jim, you can start number two now, I'm about done with him."

"You are lying and you know it Anna. You love me to death."

"Walk down those steps Cloudy, and back into the terminal. Continue using your number system, and your multitude of women. I thought you loved me, but it seems I was wrong."

"You will come crawling back to me Anna."

"Lay down in front of the wheels of the aircraft as we begin to move, I won't be hurt, but I'm sure you will be. Enjoy your women, and your life Cloudy."

"You always played this game better than I did. I practiced against so many psychology students they got tired of me beating them. I still can't beat you. Why do you think that is?"

"You've never heard the stories about my mother and father trying to get together. It's a tale of murder and mayhem that took years to complete. It included the FBI, Justice Department, the NSA, and several other government agencies that pissed my mother off. Come on in, I'll introduce you to her."

"Is it imperative that I do it now? I'm not carrying a gun."

"Don't worry about it, she is."

"What do you mean she is?"

"She has a license to carry a gun; it would be of no use to her to leave it at home."

"Oh fuck, I'm in trouble."

"Yes, and you're such a nice big target."

They walked hand-in-hand to the center of the aircraft, where Patti was waiting for them. She did not get up to greet him. She looked at him with death in her eyes.

"Mister Day, if you ever talk to my daughter in that manner again the authorities won't find the strands of your DNA anywhere on this planet. Do you understand me?"

"Mom, it was just a game we play."

"Be quiet Anna."

"Answer me Mister Day; do you know who my husband's father was?"

"Yes Mrs. Valentino, I do. He was a member of the Mafia."

"Very good Mister Day, but thankfully Stephano did not follow in his father's footsteps; I did. Anyone who tries to hurt a member of my family gets crushed. If you don't believe me, call the former director of the FBI, Michael Free. He will tell you I caused him at least three of his ulcers, when I took down the other three heads of the five families, including Bruno Valentino. The fourth and fifth members were murdered by Colombian drug families, who wanted to take over New York, from the Italians.

I don't take prisoners Mister Day, and I don't get angry. I do everything in my power to keep my family safe from harm. I do what I have to do, and I don't look back. I am doing it now to keep my father safe. There are still elements in this world that want him dead. I won't let that happen, not if it costs me every penny I have. You will treat my daughter properly at all times, or you will never see her again. No more of these games Mister Day, none of them."

Shocked by her attitude towards him, Cloudy had no recourse but to say, "Yes ma'am."

"Anna, the same goes for you. You are richer than 99.99% of the people on this planet, but that does not give you the right to rule over your husband. If you two have an argument, you are still equals, and each of you is entitled to your own opinion. I took you into our argument room, and that's only reason you are here today. We discussed what was necessary, and the truth came out; but it was not only your truth, but mine also. If you want Cloudy in your life, you have to treat him as a partner, nothing less/nothing more. That's what a marriage is, it's a partnership, and partners fight for the things they want or believe they want. Work it out while you're talking, not while you are in bed. Bed is the worst place to come to an agreement, especially for you Cloudy.

My husband believes he is God's gift to women in bed. However, after a few hours of lovemaking, he would give me everything in the world he loves, including his liver on a silver platter."

"Mom, that's not nice."

"I'm not being nice, I'm being truthful. I want you two to understand where I'm coming from.

There is one final thing I'm going to say. If both of you wish to live long and happy lives together, don't ever entertain the thought of naming my grandchildren 'Sunny', 'Winters', 'Rainy', 'Snowy', or anything along those lines. If you do, please have your Will's, Powers of Attorney, and all other necessary medical documents filled out in advance, because I will find you, and kill you both with my bare hands."

Anna laughed, sat in her mother's lap, and kissed her.

Cloudy had the same reaction, and he laughed louder.

"Mrs. Valentino, now that you know about our relationship does that mean Anna can start screwing now?"

With a shocked look on her face Patti asked, "Anna, what were you doing with all those boys sleeping overnight at our house?"

"Mom, Cloudy is not supposed to know about all of them."

"Excuse me; I thought those games were not supposed to be played anymore."

"You see mom, he is brighter than a lightbulb."

"He better be, because when he gets to Schneider Industries they are going to stretch him to the limit."

"What's going on at Schneider Industries?"

Anna replied, "Didn't I tell you that Dycke is my godfather, and, after a little incestual sex, he has offered you an internship, while I live at his home."

"Mrs. Valentino is spanking allowed, because a person sitting close to you has crossed over the line, with that incest remark."

"Yes Mister Day spanking is allowed. However, you're not allowed to enjoy it."

"I'll do my very best ma'am."

All five foot nothing of Patti Valentino stood up, and craned her neck to look at her future son-in-law.

"God, you are tall Cloudy. My husband is going to love you. You're the only one close to his height. Give me a kiss and get my daughter out of here."

Cloudy moved back 4 feet and bent down to kiss his future mother-in-law. "I think this is the best way to handle this. I'll keep this distance from you all the time. You won't have to crane your neck to see me, and I won't have to bend my knees to kiss you."

"Do you see what I mean mom; it only took him a few seconds to figure out a complex engineering problem."

"The only engineering problem this young man is interested in now is how long it's going to take him to get his lips from your lips to your pussy. What happens after he gets there is completely up to you young lady.

I have sex on my mind also, and you are keeping me from it. My husband is 900 miles away, and you're keeping me from my only source of satisfaction by natural means. Get off my airplane now, or you're coming with me."

Anna kissed her mother goodbye, and said she would be home "WHENEVER."

15 minutes later, the Boeing aircraft was on its way to Austin Texas. Vice President Silver was informed that the aircraft was en route to Bismarck North Dakota.

30 minutes after they left the airport, Cloudy put Anna's bags down in his dorm room.

Anna looked around, and said, "We are moving off campus tomorrow night. I'll take care of it, while you are in class."

In his first action as an equal partner, Cloudy said, "Okay."

Having come to their first mutual agreement, their second one was easier. They stripped, got into his single bed, and began to wrestle. The question of 'Would She, or Wouldn't She' had not been answered, YET."

***************

Laura watched the computer display the amount of heat the 'Beauty Box' Control Unit built up during the one year time period Junie was in stasis. It did not reach the critical point by 1.5°, and more than likely never would have, but it was too close for comfort. They could not find a reason for the delayed opening of the box.

Now she was able to sit back and watch, as the chief engineer listened to six of his senior associates tell him how to reinvent her 'primitive' machine. She sat there for nearly 2 hours, without saying a word, as each engineer proceeded to redesign the major working portion of the stasis unit. As with everything else happening with the 'Beach Ball', they were racing against time. After the engineers decided, which unit was the best, it could take a few weeks to hand build the first working model, and then test it for 90 days. This would bring us to the beginning of May.

Praying everything goes perfectly with the tests, Dycke would then have to produce eighty of these units, then test, ship, install, and test them again, once they are in the spacecraft. It would be approximately October 1, when the testing phase was completed on them. We would be severely short on time, with lift off no later than December 25, just 86 days away.

Getting ready to go into space is very hard."

**************

Laura said, "Sam, I have a question."

"Ask away Laura."

"We were 1.5° away from critical in my unit. All we needed to be completely safe was another 1.5° or 2°. Am I correct?"

"You are 100% correct."

"Why are these men and women trying to reinvent the wheel, instead of putting in a fan, or a turbine to move the air around and cool the complete unit itself naturally?"

"There is a very simple answer to that Laura, that's what they get paid for."

"Oh okay, it was just a thought."

Sam smiled, and called Laura over to his position. He showed her the computer aided design's (CAD) which were being displayed at his station. His computer showed each design his six senior engineers were in the process of completing. Every one of them had a fan as part of the assembly. The engineers were working with aluminum vessels, which would contain the liquids, and gases, used in the stasis process. Instead of being globular, as hers were, these were either square, or rectangular, with spaces for air to move between each vessel. These designs were not only meant to keep the computer area cool, they were meant to keep the entire compartment cooler by moving air constantly through it, and over the cryogenic unit, which would constantly be cold.

Laura continued looking at the new designs; then she shook her head. "They are not going to work Sam."

"You're very funny Laura. I have a doctorate in engineering, and everyone at this table has advanced degrees in engineering. Why don't you think these designs will work?"

"I know I'm a poor little rich girl from the backwoods of New York, with a high school education. However, I've seen the wind move through trees. You have a stack of six 4'Long x 3'Deep x 4"High vessels each separated by 1 inch spacers. These are your main and backup supplies of the helium/oxygen/nitrogen recirculation units, cryogenic circulating units, and the vaporization units for the anesthesia. Next to them, you have the wiring harnesses, piping, flow control gauges, and all the other instrumentation needed to connect to the computer. All of this takes up three feet eight and three quarter inches according to your display. Then you geniuses put in one two-inch fan behind the center of a vertically integrated computer, measuring 2.5" deep x 32" long x 22' high and expect that fan to cool the entire four feet long compartment filled with all this electronic gear. I wouldn't bet my life on that unit working, and I'm going to be in one of those units."

Sam said, "Anthony set up your prototype in the computer, and run it at high speed for one year."

"It will be up and running in about four minutes."

"You foresee all of this, because you looked at wind moving through trees?"

"It helps if you're naked, and feel the breeze move across your skin."

"Can I take pictures next time you do this experiment?"

"If you get my mother's approval, go right ahead."

"I'd rather shoot myself in both feet then ask your mother that question. There is also the possibility my boss would cut off my nuts for doing it."

"Dycke isn't that bad, is he?"

The hand on her shoulder said, "Yes he is."

"Hello Dycke, I'm about to blow your engineers minds."

"As long as that's all you're going to blow, go ahead Laura?"

"I'm going to show them they are wrong, because I ran naked in the trees."

"You are bad girl. How the hell are you still a virgin?"

The engineers tried not to break their necks as they said, "WHAT!"

Dycke jumped in front of her and said, "Down boys and girls, she's family."

One woman said, "Boss, there are certain things worth getting fired over, and being 'First' with a beauty like her, is one of them."

"I'm going to tell your husband Katie."

"Go ahead, as long as he gets laid every night of the week; he couldn't care less what I do on the weekends."

Everyone around her went 'Oooooooooooo.'

"The program is ready to run Sam."

"Dycke, this is the case of your engineers against the naked tree hugger. We'll see who wins. Run it Anthony."

Each day took five seconds. The computer showed the readings in blue for the day on top of the screen, and the cumulative readings in red at the bottom. During the first four months, there was no discernible increase in heat within the compartment. The fifth month there was an increase of one-half of 1°. During the six-month it went up three quarters of 1°, and remained steady from the seventh through tenth month. In the 11th month, there was a quantum jump of 1.5°, and the alarms sounded. They had passed the safety protocol for the internal computer, and it shut down automatically. If this Beauty Case was in space, it would opened automatically, and the person inside would awaken.

Anthony was crestfallen, because his design failed.

On the other hand, Laura was jumping up and down, like a cheerleader.

Dycke said, "Anthony, the next time you try it, maybe you should be naked."

"I don't think that would be a good idea boss. Everyone else would run out of the room horrified at what I have done to the human body."

"We do have an employee gym, free of charge. Why don't you make use of it?"

"It may make me into a good-looking man, and some woman might want to marry me. It could ruin my entire life."

"In that case, I'll set up your appointments myself. Be there Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 9 AM. I have the perfect personal trainer in mind for you. You will learn to love her, in 5 to 10 years, if you survive, that is."

"Please don't do it boss, I like being ugly."

"Ugly I don't mind, but you are risk to our health insurance plan premiums. Lose the weight Anthony; you will thank yourself for it."

"This has been a perfect day so far boss. My design gets shut down by a naked tree hugger, and you want me to become handsome. What else could go wrong?"

"I could fire you."

"That would take my perfect day, and ruin it. I wouldn't have the chance to go to the gym and meet your personal trainer. You wouldn't get to see how handsome I am when I am 70 pounds lighter, and you would be losing your best engineer."

"Didn't your design just lose?"

"Yes sir, but when the United States tried to enter the space race, during the Eisenhower administration, three Vanguard rockets, designed by Warner von Braun, exploded before the fourth one finally attained orbit. It cost the government several hundred million dollars to get a grapefruit size satellite into orbit. My program cost one hour of computer time, and my daily salary. I think you got a bargain."

Laura said, "Dycke, I like him. He just told you to fuck off nicely. That man has balls."

"Anthony, if you want to, after you lose thirty-five pounds, you can take me to dinner."

"Do you see what I mean boss, it's happening already."

"Laura is leaving on an extremely long journey in a year or two Anthony. You don't have to worry about asking her to marry you, or the reverse happening, because she will no longer be on this planet."

"Okay boss, I feel much better now."

Laura said, "Be very careful Anthony, you just insulted me. I've been studying self-defense since I was six years old. Beating up pudgy people like you is like taking candy from an infant."

"Sir, my day is going downhill in a hurry. Before it gets any worse, can I get into my car, and while I'm on my way home have a traffic accident."

"Absolutely Anthony, I won't keep you here one second after 6 PM. I know you won't need any longer than that to fix the problem with your program, and have a functioning, comfortable stasis box. Come with me people, we are going to lunch."

"What about me boss?"

"You have work to do. I wouldn't want to keep you from it. I'll bring you back a veggie sandwich."

"Can I have a cookie with it?"

"Yes and a bottle of water."

"I am not going to like this, not even a little bit."

************

Lucius answered his cell phone saying, "Is it over Margaret?"

"You better have a detail at the back door ready to bring him to the hospital, I broke his arm."

"I'll be right there."

He said to the men in the ready room, "I need four cars at the back door now. The general is going to the hospital. Margaret broke his arm."

There was laughter and applause throughout the room, as the men and women teams were assigned to their vehicles.

Steve saw him walking down the corridor.

"There's still screaming and yelling going on in there sir, but I didn't hear a thing."

"She broke his arm Steve. I can't wait to find out how."

"One of them should write a book about today; it could turn out to be a bestseller."

"Don't mention it to either one of them. They would put us in front of a firing squad. Stick around you may have to help me get him to the car."

Lucius unlocked the outside door, but knocked before he walked in. There was blood on Margaret's desk, and the room was in shambles. He proceeded towards the second door, and knocked.

Margaret opened the door, and Lucius said, "Oh my God, are you alright Margaret?"

"I've never felt better in my life Lucius. I've released all the fury I've had stored up inside me since I met him. I feel reborn. He's going to need help getting up. My heels did a great job on his legs, and when he tried to molest me, I slammed the door on his arm, and I broke it. I've never seen him cry before, but he did today. I smiled from ear to ear when I saw that."

Lucius took Margaret into his arms, and hugged her.

"You know the old saying Maggie, 'Never get angry, get even.' I believe you did today. You will have to come to the hospital with us. You have some scratches close to your eye that need to be looked at. I'll take him downstairs. Steve will help you down, when you're ready."

"Thanks Lucius, you are a prince."

"Don't tell that to my three wives; they won't believe you."

"Are you two finished chatting, I could use some help over here."

"I'm on my way sir; I was just clearing the battlefield."

*********

"I thought Margaret looked bad general, but it looks like you got run over by a brigade."

"I did Lucius, and that brigade's name was Margaret Post. I've never seen a woman attack with a fury like the one she did today. I didn't have a chance. I let her hit me first, because I deserved it. After that, I was on the defensive every second. She never ran out of energy, and what a mouth she has on her. In all the years I've known her, she has always been a lady. She has never used foul language. She saved it all up for me today.

I hurt her Lucius, and I was young and dumb enough not to notice. I came out of the Academy three years before you did. I was so focused on my career she was just an accessory. I took her along because she could read my thoughts and put them down on paper, better than any English professor. I looked at her as being safe, as if she was my sister. I was looking after her, because she was so young, and innocent; at least that's what I thought I was doing.