There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 24

As they approached our compound, the sentry trucks joined the blockade that closed the highway. Sergeant Bertolli made a wide turn into the road that would take the flatbed to the NEST and slowed down to watch it make the turn behind us.

Once that was accomplished, and we could look straight ahead, Sergeant Bertolli gasped.

"Is that it?"

Delicious laughed. "Tiny isn't it?"

"Tiny my ass, how the hell are you going to get that thing off the ground tomorrow?"

"Why don't you stop by tomorrow, and find out for yourself?"

"The United States government can't get something on 1/10^th that size off the ground, how are you going to do it?"

"Sergeant, The Good Luck is 25 times the size of the Space Shuttle System. The space shuttle system is designed for low Earth orbit. The Good Luck will be looking for Earth 2. It's designed to fly like the Starship Enterprise, and if our estimates are correct, we may even reach the same speeds. We have three revolutionary engines, one of them is behind us now. Two others already installed and ready to go. Tomorrow, we will take it for a short test flight. We may only go up 100 feet, and hover to test the control systems. Can you imagine the power needed to take something that size up 100 feet and controlling it at that altitude for a few minutes, before bringing it down for a soft landing?"

"No Mrs. Thyme, but I would pay the price of admission to see that."

"Unless you have very poor eyesight, you could be 10 miles away and see it. If you would let me off here and continue straight ahead, I will wait for the engine to arrive with my brothers. It's been a pleasure Sergeant."

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

The flatbed truck was guided to the exact position it was needed, and stopped. Everyone who was going to open, or go near the open casing the engine was in, was wearing radiation safety suits, which covered every part of the body from head to toe. Special gloves were worn, and taped around the wrist to the suit itself to prevent them from falling off. The headgear included a breathing filter, and an oxygen canister on the person's back.

Using tools specifically designed to open these nuclear containers, two men worked on both sides, at the same time, removing the top bolts. When they were finished, the Crane operator moved the cables into position, and the men placed the hooks into the collapsible eyebolts, and signaled the crane operator to lift it up and move it to the back of the flatbed.

After releasing two spring-loaded handles on the inside of the nuclear container, the front door eased down helped by the use of heavy springs. For the first time, Gordon, and Delicious were able to see the Fusion Engine. It was still in its wooden crate, and covered with plastic, but they could actually see the unit itself, and they were in awe of it.

"Okay people, you've seen it, we have work to do. Get out of the way please."

The Crane operator was much more careful this time. The only thing separating the engine from the floor was a few pieces of wood, and dropping the engine at this point would be very expensive. As he lifted it out of the container, he did not pick it up more than four inches above the ground, and he kept it there all the way to skids

Power bolt removers attacked all four sides of the crate starting from the bottom up. There were eight on each corner and on the top. When the sides were unbolted, they hooked the cables to each corner and had the crane operator lift the crate straight up off the Fusion Engine.

Delicious signaled everyone to step back, leaving Gordon standing by his engine. It took him a little while to realize that everyone was behind him, and waiting for him to unveil his engine.

He stood there embarrassed, but he attacked the plastic wrapping with a furor. A moment later, everyone joined in the fun. When it was completely exposed, there was still more work to be done. The engine was bolted to the wooden base, and those bolts had to be removed before the Crane operator could slide the engine further up the skids.

The massive electrical connections were very hard to figure out. Wes Purcell was taking no chances. Each male connection only fit one female receptacle. However that was not all he did to ensure proper installation. He did it by numbers and colors also. Number one, only fit number one, and they were both blue. There were a total of 16 connections to be made, and there was no chance of making a mistake. After each connection was made, they were twisted and locked into place. The connection points were sealed using a patented process invented by Doctor Grayson Thyme. They were hermetically, using a heat-treated, flexible, rubber compound that stayed flexible to temperatures of minus 100 degrees Kelvin. A process that should have taken eight hours to complete was completed in 100 minutes.

Gordon and Delicious went to the control room to begin testing the electrical connections, and the primary engine functions. The results were off the scale. With a little help from a Sledhandler, the engine was moved a few inches up, and to the left on the skids. When it was properly aligned, it was connected to the rails, and pushed up into its final position, inside the spacecraft. Once it hit the stops, the locking rings snapped into place automatically. The L shaped rear stops moved down, and the side blocks locked into place. The nuclear engine was not going anywhere, except into the spacecraft.

Gordon began the process of reeling in all 16 electrical cables excess on the floor. The computers did most of the work, but delicious and Gordon kept a wary eye on them, to be sure they did not foul on anything connected to the fusion engine. These were not tiny extension cords. Many of these cables were 10 inches in diameter, because they fed current to the Magnetic Drive Engines, the Ion/H2 Engines, and when it was extended outside the spaceship, it was the Primary Energy Producing Engine for the entire spaceship, plus its Main Propulsion Unit.

As soon as the computer indicated each cable was done, four technicians entered the nuclear chamber, and routed the cables through flexible expansion joints. This technique would help guide the cables safely, when the engine was being moved outside the spacecraft, and then returned inside to its current position.

When they left the compartment, other engineers came in, and began the process of connecting the cooling system. This system alone had 37 patents. It allowed for the use of Extending Flexible Non-Metal Reducing Tubing, when the engine had to be deployed.

The Nuclear Regulator Commission said it could not be done safely.

It took Gordon 20 minutes to prove them wrong.

The Commission voted never to see this young man again. They forgot to keep that vote out of the minutes of the meeting.

Somehow, that portion of the meeting was leaked to the press.

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

At 7:30 PM, the press started to arrive. They were taking down the side road, where they parked, and were led to rows of chairs that had been set out for them.

Lights were purposely focused towards them, keeping the reporters from seeing anything towards the hangar. Since they didn't know the immense size of the spacecraft, whatever they could see was actually beneath it.

Promptly at 8 o'clock, William walked up to the dais.

"Good evening. Those of you who know me, or of me know that I rarely if ever talk to the press. Tonight is one of those rare occasions that I am so proud of the accomplishments of the people who worked so hard over the past seven years, and the 20 investors who gave billions of dollars to this private enterprise, that I am making an exception to that rule.

What you are about to see is not a joke it is for real. It will take off from the spot it is in today on December 25, and proceed on a flight plan that astounds even me. It will be published well in advance to all scientific entities, the United States Government, and the press. I will tell you now that the ordinary layman will not understand one bit of it, because it took two days for me to understand the first part of the flight plan, and that only reached out to something called, 'The Heliopause.' You can look that up on your own time.

You will not understand the speeds they will attain. The discoveries they have made along the way that have led to 617 patents this project has already produced for its investors.

The men and women flying in this marvel of engineering and science will send information back to us, which may take generations to arrive here, because of the immense distances it will have to travel.

This spacecraft is the brainchild of Doctor Even Luck. There is not one piece of metal in it, because one of the engines is the brainchild of his daughter Mrs. Delicious Luck Thyme. You will probably laugh when you hear what it is, but she has proven it works to 29 of the most prominent scientists in the United States, including Doctor Michael Oyster, of Caltech, who is in charge of NASA's Orion Mars program.

Our spacecraft will be carrying 70 people, at a cost of just under $380 billion, supplied by 20 private investors. Our books are certified every six months, by different accounting firms, to verify where every penny goes. We are not going to Mars, we are going to pass Mars in 19 minutes, and continue on to deep space. One of our objectives is to see a planet being eaten by a black hole. If that doesn't scare you, nothing will.

The Orion project will cost a minimum of $1 trillion. It will carry four people to Mars for a few days, and will take months to travel each way. If it weren't for Doctor Luck, and his five-year-old son, Gordon, those astronauts would have died before they reached the moon outbound, because their computer was giving them incorrect information. It was only because Orion was having a problem with its thrusters that Doctor Oyster asked Doctor Luck for help. After Doctor Luck and Gordon fixed the thrusters, they decided to go through the remainder of the program to see if there was anything else wrong with it. That's when they found several other major malfunctions with the life-support system and other items in the program that would have killed those fine astronauts.

I have talked enough. We are going to light up the spacecraft so you can see it. You can come back tomorrow, when we are going to take our first test flight. We may only go up 100 feet to test our systems and come back down for a soft landing. You have never seen a government, or civilian rocket do that before, and I don't believe you will see it in the next 20 years.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the spaceship, "THE BEST LUCK."

The lights facing the press corps died, and spotlights from every angle lit up the spacecraft. There was a chorus of invectives from the press as the saw 'The Beach Ball' for the first time.

Then came the naysayers.

"That thing can't possibly fly, it's too big. It's the wrong shape. Where are the engines? This is a scam. You can't build a spaceship for $380 billion. Etc."

After all the comments died down, one reporter asked, "Can we see the inside of this spacecraft?"

William replied, "Not one of you said the positive thing about this spacecraft. Why would you want to see the inside of it?"

"I want to see if I am wrong."

"Are you print or television media?"

"Print, sir."

"You, and one television reporter plus a cameraman, can go on the spaceship tomorrow, when it takes off. If you don't want to go, you may choose someone else to take your place. You may choose among yourselves which television reporter should go. You may continue taking pictures for the next 30 minutes, and then our agents will escort you from the grounds. If you are the lucky three that are chosen report to one of our agents and he will accompany you to the hanger to give you the information you will need for tomorrow. Good night ladies and gentlemen."

Several reporters followed William as he walked towards the spacecraft. When he reached the base of one of the legs of the spacecraft, he turned right, and disappeared.

As the reporters reached the same spot, one of them said, "Where the hell did he go? He was right here, and now he's gone."

"If they've invented a transporter, I'm going with them."

Even watched, and listened to the entire episode on his console on the third level and laughed. He couldn't wait to tell William what happened.

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

Gray was in contact with Fort Worth Air Traffic Control Center to verify the Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) was in place for tomorrow between the hours of 10 AM and 6 PM at 10,000 feet and below at a 25 mile radius of Temple.

The Mr. Schiff checked his computer and verified that all the warnings had been issued, and the sector controller would be warned and a sign posted at his position tomorrow morning.

Gray thanked him and was about to hang up, when the watch supervisor asked him a question.

"Did someone build a private airport out there that we don't know about?"

"No, we are going to take our spacecraft up for a little ride, and then we're going to land it back at our facility."

"How much have you been drinking today son?"

"You haven't heard about the spacecraft being built in southeastern Texas?"

"Yes I have, but I have never heard of a spacecraft that can go up in the air, fly around, and soft land."

"How far do you live from Temple?"

"It's about a 95 mile drive."

"Do you want to go flying tomorrow?"

"In what?"

"In the only thing that's allowed to be flying within a 25 mile arc of Temple Texas between 10 AM and 6 PM at 10,000 feet and below."

"You want me to go along for a ride in the spacecraft?"

"Only if you want to; I'm not going to twist your arm."

"What time do you want me there?"

"Don't be here any earlier than 9 AM. I like to eat a leisurely breakfast before I go flying. You will be my guest."

"Can I bring my son?"

"What is his name, and how old is he?"

"His name is Adam, and he is 25 years old."

"Sure, bring him along. They will stop you at the gate. Give them your name and tell them your guest of Doctor Grayson Thyme."

"Okay Doctor, we will see you in the morning.

Gray made another call.

"Security."

"Hi this is Doctor Grayson Thyme."

"Hi Doc, this is Jamie Gilligan."

"Hi Jamie, would you put on the list for tomorrow that I have two guests coming from the Fort Worth Air Traffic Control Center. Barry Schiff and his son Adam Schiff. I know the son is 25, I don't know how old the father is."

"I'll bet you a dime he's older."

"Was that your complete checkbook Jamie?"

"Yes Doctor, I lost the rest in monopoly."

"You have to watch those games of chance Jamie, they can kill you."

"When we play Monopoly Doc, we play with real money."

"You guys are out of your fucking minds."

"So we've been told. Have a great night Doctor; we don't want to see you crash tomorrow."

"I will guarantee you that will not happen tomorrow."

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

"William's cell phone rang at 10 PM, and he wondered who it could possibly be. He only hoped it was not another accident.

"Yes?"

"Sir, this is Jaden. You have a visitor."

"I have a visitor at this time of night."

"That is correct sir."

"Whoever it is, tell them to come back tomorrow."

"No sir, you will kill me if I do that."

"Who is it Jaden."

"If I tell you that person will kill me."

"So you're caught between a rock and a hard place."

"Yes sir, I'm dead either way."

"I will make sure I hurt you more before you die."

"If you were looking at the face I'm looking at sir, I don't think so."

"Okay, I'll meet you at the front door."

William opened the door, and exclaimed, "Laura, how wonderful to see you."

"I'm sorry to bother you grandpa. My mother and father would not answer their cell phone or their home phone. I pounded on their front door, and on their bedroom window. I know their home because I could hear them in the bedroom. I would say they did not want to be disturbed, so you were my only hope. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind, I'm delighted, come in."

"Is Jenna still awake?"

"You mean my night owl? Absolutely, I will call her."

"Jemma, we have company. Laura is here."

"What happened, did Patti kick her out of the house?"

"No, it's better than that Jemma, she wouldn't let me in."

"That bitch, she was probably screwing Stephano, and couldn't be bothered with her own daughter."

"You're right on the money, that's exactly what she was doing."

William said, "Your father is a lucky man."

"Grandpa is my mother really like my grandmother?"

"In many ways yes she is. However, you have to remember, your grandmother and I were not together for a very long. I did not get a chance to watch her blossom into full womanhood. All I get is stories from her friends from Glen Falls, just like your mother does."

"Hello Laura, you look absolutely stunning. What possessed you to buy new clothes?"

"It was an edict from my mother. Neither my sister nor I were allowed to wear sweat suits or jogging clothes any longer. She said we walk around town looking like bag ladies, and she's tired of it. She gave us a choice; we could go shopping by ourselves at upscale close stores, or she would take us. You've never gone shopping with my mother; it is not a pleasant experience."

"I have gone shopping with your mother," William said. "I went with her to pick out her wedding dress. I was not going to stay; Stephano was not going to stay. No male was going to stay in that store. The owner is a friend of mine, and to make it easy on your mother she opened the store on a Sunday specifically for her. There was a little mix-up, so there was one other family there for the final fitting for the bride. Those people just happen to be Mrs. Julia Atwater, Dolores Free, and Sondra Hastings. Do you recognize any of those names Laura?"

"Yes I do grandpa. You have the wife of a president, the wife of the director of the FBI, and the wife of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Not a bad three of the kind."

"Would you like to know what your mother did in that prestigious company?"

"I guess I would be a fool to say no."

She walked into the showroom, saw that it was for wedding gowns, screamed, and ran out of the store. Your father had to run after her to stop her. I forgot to tell you one other thing, the store was run by some secondhand designer. Her name was Caralena Herrera."

"You know Caralena Herrera?"

"I gave her the money to start her first store."

"Grandpa you are too much."

"Don't tell him that Laura his head won't be able to fit outside the door."

"How long have you two been married now?"

"So help me God William, if you get this wrong, I'll kill you."

"Come here Jemma, I want you within striking distance."

He pulled her down on his lap and slapped her on her ass.

"I hope you enjoyed that my husband, but you have a question to answer, and I have a rolling pin with your name on it if you get this question wrong."

"Jemma and I will be married 29 years on 30 July. We were married by Supreme Court justice Sandra Day, with director of the FBI Michael Free, and the head of the New York field office of the Justice Department, whose name I don't recall, as witnesses."

"How did I do dear, or should I tell her where we consummated our marriage that morning?"

"Well we both know you didn't start Junior out on that evening. I think everyone on the third green knows where Junior was conceived. Hilton Head hasn't been the same since."

Laura said, "You two are adventurous."

"Laura you have no idea what your grandfather can get up to when it comes to sex."