“Damn, that’s good,” said Quoag. “It’s almost like making it analog, but without the wires. It needs a specific signal; otherwise, it just shuts down—that’s the fail-safe. I like it. I can work with it. What do you guys think?”
Murmurs of interest rose in the room as the group divided up by task to write the program and develop the software. For a place that had seemed on the verge of a riot, it was amusing to see everyone quiet and calm.
Ula hugged Melo. “Damn, that was good. I was considering having Sally flood the room with happy gas so I could take a break. This could work, but, uh, what type of biological element should we use?”
Melo slapped his arm. “Take as much as you need, and the Navy has more of me too.”
“Done! Your blood will be the DNA element in the brain chip of the array and in the screwdriver used to turn it on and off. Thanks, Melo.” Then Ula laughed. “I’m not sure I’d let these geniuses take a needle to my arm, mainly because they’re geniuses and not IV techs—they have no bedside manner. Well, only a few of them do.” A blush rose in her cheeks as she waved him away. “Go to the med lab and get me a half a pint.”
He nodded. “Will do.”
His eyes scanned the men and women who filled the room. These minds were some of the greatest of the century. He’d read many of their theories and most of their books and papers on design and engineering. Wouldn’t he love to spend a day with them just shooting the shit? Another time, he thought as he made his way to the med lab.
Nearly stepping on a floor sweeper as he rounded a corner in the hallway, he stumbled. “Damn things.”
He found his feet again just in time to turn right into the medical area. The front desk was empty. Voices drifted to him from the back.
Huh, guess everyone’s busy. No matter.
Melo did what he did best and helped himself. He went into an empty room, found IV tubing, a butterfly needle—a reminder that small is still powerful—and an unused blood bag.
SEALs had more options these days. Like many in his Team, he went through an advanced medical training so he could do more in the field, even operate, if necessary. Not that he’d be doing a triple bypass, but he could suture the crap out of almost any wound.
Thus, he didn’t think it strange to perform a simple procedure like drawing his own blood. Step one: wrap a piece of latex around the bicep and then tie it off. Step two: pump the fist a few times. Step three: push the needle into a prominent vein, preferably the one just inside the bend of the elbow. And step four: watch the red stuff go.
Blood flowed just the way it was supposed to. When he had enough to suit his purpose, he pulled the needle out. He stuck a cotton ball over the hole with adhesive tape, untied the latex, and sealed the bag of blood. Being a stickler for such things, he disposed of the needle and tubing in the appropriate containers and walked out of the cubical, feeling pleased with himself.
“Hey, where did you come from?” A nurse dressed in a midthigh blue dress with white tights and shoes—and a definite swing to her hips—stopped Melo. “And where are you going with that?”
Damn, now I’m running into people. Where’s my stealth mode when I need it?
He decided to go with the lighter approach. Pasting his “homeboy” smile on his lips, he lifted the bag of blood. “Just making a withdrawal.”
“Wait! You can’t just leave!” She looked torn between wanting to physically stop him somehow and running to the back for reinforcements. Frozen with indecision, she stood there.
Waving at her with his free hand, he left. He double-timed it down the hallway and back the way he came.
Melo smiled. He couldn’t imagine there were too many people who walked in and treated a medical area like a self-serve pump, but he wasn’t an ordinary soul. He’d been taking care of himself for many years, even before he married his lovely Alisha, and he was proud of being effective and efficient.
He stopped off in the room where the group was working on the biochip for the laser array and dropped off the bag with Ula. “That was fast,” she said.
He nodded his head and left. Afterward, he stopped at the cafeteria for an orange juice and an apple, and then he went back to work in the R & D Center. While he walked around, his brain created, thinking up a new design approach for a different kind of biochip. Most engineers would call it a unicorn—a design so ambitious, it was unobtainable. Chuckling to himself, he decided that if this worked, he was calling it the Melo, or if that didn’t work, the FrOgMEn.
Opening a fresh black notebook, he picked up a pencil and sketched out a design. It was crude, but good enough. Then he started in on the math. Whoever had told kids that math wasn’t going to get them far had never learned the art of a great equation! Math could be as delicate and beautiful as a paintbrush’s stroke on canvas, and it could do the most amazing things: unlocking possibilities and probabilities that might never have been examined if someone had not been brave enough to tackle them.
Munching down on his apple, he finished it in no time and tossed the core into a wastebasket across from his cubicle. As he did, he had a “lightbulb” moment. Eureka! That was it. He knew how to fix the biochip and have an unhackable element. If he created a chip that had to be used with another chip to modify it, then they had an easy-to-use key too.
He’d got all of that from making the basket with his apple core: a key in a lock. Picking up his phone, he dialed Bennett. His Teammate needed to weigh in on this action. “It’s Melo. Head to the R & D Center. I might have solved one part of our problem—or actually, both parts.”
Grabbing another cup of coffee from the constantly filling pot, Melo went back to his cubicle and sketched out several sample scenarios in which to use the chip. He could hardly wait to go over them with Bennett and then hustle all of his notes down to Ula. Would she like the key-in-a-lock concept—a biochip that had to accept another biochip to complete a circuit and make it alterable? Hell, he did!
Less than five minutes passed before Bennett strode into the room. He stepped inside the glass-walled room, his bulk filling the small enclosure, and asked, “What have you got?”
“Something good, my brother. Just you wait.” Melo filled him in on his plan and the manner and means to implement it.
Bennett scratched his chin, and he looked impressed. “Not my area, man, but it sounds good. How long until you have a prototype and we can beta test it?”
“Approximately two hours, max. I’ll make two chips, and then we’ll test them out on the simulator. If it works, we’re changing history. Rather, I’m changing it.” Melo tapped his temple. “Ingenuity.”
“Yeah, it certainly is,” said Bennett, raising an eyebrow. “And with such great humility too.”
* * *
The two-biochip concept was a go. Ula not only liked the concept, but she invited Melo to join their group for additional construction, implementation, and testing. Melo, who had been itching to spend time with these brilliant folks, jumped at the chance. With all hands on deck, the chips were completed in less than an hour and the key-in-a-lock concept was banged out shortly thereafter.
The whole group headed to the R & D hangar where the simulator for the laser array and the shuttle systems were housed. It was a home-base laser array—the structure that was practically identical to the one going into space—and the best place to beta test the two-biochip concept.
Ula geared up the appropriate computer simulation. “We’re ready, ladies and gentlemen. Melo, if you’ll do the honors.”
Melo took the two biochips, inserted them in the board, and stepped back. He was going to see his babies in action.
Ula pushed the Engage button, and lines of data scrolled across the screen. There wasn’t room for all of them to see it, so she gave a blow-by-blow account. “The first biochip has been tapped. Engaging. Working. Yes, it’s effective. Now it’s running the second part of the pr
otocol, assuming the array has been turned and it’s…it’s engaging. Working. Locked. The chip can be removed and the laser will not move. If it gets pushed out of orbit for some reason, it will resume the position or disarm—completely disabling all functionality for the entire array.”
Smiling at the group, Ula said, “Adding that last element was a nice touch, everyone.”
A small cheer went up from the group. Success was a contagious and elating emotion.
Melo couldn’t stop smiling. He had done it. They had done it. This was one of the most important pieces of technology to date, and he was a part of it. Hooyah!
Building on their momentum, they loaded into a small tram and took it all the way to the hangar deck where the shuttle was being stored. Along the way, they all agreed that the part should be called the Melo, after its creator. He couldn’t have been more thrilled. A part of him was going into space.
They entered the hangar and piled out of the vehicle. There were so many people and so much equipment, they had to squeeze through it all to locate the shuttle itself and then climb into the bay where the laser array was stored.
Melo was given the honor of installing the biochips. He patted the machinery, and then the group hustled out, closing the shuttle bay door behind them.
With Melo in tow, the group left the hangar on foot and headed for the cafeteria. This was essentially the break room for the entire Lester Facility. They were going to raise a toast for all the great work done today. After so much turmoil to complete this essential work, they were all ready to celebrate.
* * *
Melo was elated about the success of the biochips. He sat down with a group of his peers, feeling he’d earned a seat among those geniuses who surrounded him. The cafeteria was packed with facility employees. His eyes scanned them briefly, and he paused on Kess, who was walking toward a large table. Thank God that jerk wasn’t joining his group.
When Ula placed platters of burgers and fries in front of them, it could have been mushed bananas and he’d have been thrilled with it. As he lifted a burger heaped with toppings to his mouth, the sound of a chair getting dragged backward on the floor—that high, squeaky sound—had him abandoning his food and taking to his feet to investigate.
Finding Kess at the center of the drama was a plus, as it gave him more Intel on the man. This guy had been on their radar for a while. They were just waiting for him to overtly mess up so they would have a reason to question him. Could this be the opportunity they’d been waiting for?
Conversations were hushed around the two individuals who were standing and arguing. One of them was being yelled at, and he was denying he was at fault. Melo found an empty wall close by and leaned against it to watch.
Kess’s face was mottled with red. He looked as if he were going to blow a gasket or a heart valve any minute now. “You need to complete all tasks before you even think of heading to the cafeteria, Browner. What do you think, a pilot just says, ‘I know we’re taking off, but it doesn’t matter if I’m actually doing my job to get us safely into the air’? No! The entire flight would be dead. Burned to cinders, and that poor jerk who didn’t do his job would be responsible. So get your butt in gear!”
“I did! The tasks were completed. Look at the checklist.” The tall man with receding red hair and tons of freckles shrank back. His name tag said Browner and his frame was thin and slightly hunched. His skin was pasty too; it was easy to see he was not the sporting, outdoors type. Reaching toward the table, he picked up his checklist and presented it to Kess. “See…I did as I was told. Saul even signed off on it.”
“Saul isn’t your boss. I’m your boss’s boss, so I’m your boss. Get back down to the hangar and go over that list. On launch day, do the entire list exactly as it is written, not how you remember it, and don’t ask other people for their input on your job.” Kess hissed out the last line so softly it was hard to hear the words. “Proprietary things are a part of every job; those tasks are kept secret for national security.”
Huh, thought Melo. Now that’s interesting. What national secret is Kess referring to? Wouldn’t two SEALs working for the U.S. Government know about it?
As Kess turned to leave, a woman who was in conversation with someone else bumped into Kess, spilling her drink on him. “Sorry, sir.” She ran her hands—which were holding napkins—over the front of his shirt, attempting to blot the liquid away.
His jaw was open, and he looked too shocked to reply. He closed his mouth, took a step back, and walked around her and the spreading mess on the floor. He walked out of the cafeteria without uttering a sound.
Melo withdrew his phone and sent a text to Bennett with notes on the scene he’d just witnessed. It might have been nothing, but his gut was telling him there was something significant about the confrontation.
Chapter 10
After a long day, having time off was not only necessary for sanity’s sake, but also a welcome reward for work well accomplished. Kimberly filled a cooler with beer, wine, and water and packed a hamper full of food. With a blanket in hand, she reserved several hours on her, Bennett’s, and Melo’s schedules. As the three of them walked through the parking lot, it was hard not to appreciate the beautiful sky. The moon waned and the stars were bright.
“This is going to be the perfect night for stargazing,” said Kimberly with a small hop in her step. Both she and Bennett were aware that Melo missed his significant other, and they had a surprise for him.
Melo grumbled.
“What was that?” asked Bennett, baiting him. “Sorry, I didn’t quite hear you.”
“Nothing,” replied Melo sullenly. Not that Bennett blamed his friend. Nothing was less romantic than being a third wheel on a night like this one—clear sky and starlit.
“What vehicle are we taking, or are we walking to our destination?”
Kimberly looked at Bennett, and he smiled innocently and said, “Let’s take yours, buddy. We can stretch out in the back and look at the stars.” She rolled her eyes at Bennett and shook her head. He was being a wicked soul.
The crickets and frogs were already serenading them, and a cool wind blew in from the west. It was refreshing.
They deposited the hamper and cooler into the back of the truck, and the three of them piled into the cab. They buckled their seat belts and drove off the grounds of the Lester Facility. After about twenty-five minutes of driving, Kimberly pointed.
“Take the next road on the right. It’s a dirt road going straight up.” Kimberly gave directions as Bennett sat quietly, holding her hand. His thumb traced over hers, and she glanced at him now and then and smiled. “Go slow over this part. Sometimes there are cars in the road.”
Sure enough, a small car was tucked off to the side and a woman waved at them. As the dirt cleared, it was easy to see Alisha waiting.
Without even stopping the truck, Melo hopped out, ran around the back, and took her into his arms. “Alisha…” The kiss was one of the most romantic and grandiose in the history of kisses and belonged in an old MGM black-and-white, silver-screen movie.
Bennett grabbed the steering wheel as Kimberly released her seat belt and scooted into the driver’s seat. She found a safe place to park, pulled the car into the turnoff spot, set the brake, and turned off the engine. “I’m glad we could arrange this surprise for Melo. He needed the break, and she was thrilled to have an opportunity to see him. Boy, she’s a talker. I could hardly get off the phone with her.”
Bennett laughed. “Yeah, she’s pretty perfect for Melo that way. He says very little and she chats on.”
She turned her body toward Bennett. “I’m glad…we have some time together.”
“Me too.” He reached out and pulled her toward him, kissing her with a tender touch that resonated in his soul. He released her and said abruptly, “What’s for dinner?”
She smacked his chest playfully. “Really? You hav
e me in your arms and you’re asking about food? Fine! I raided the cafeteria and picked out chicken, raw veggies, potato salad, Julian apple pie—the one with the crumb top—and…me.”
“I’ll start with you.” He made a motion with his mouth as if he was going to bite her. “Seriously, I am starved for food too.”
“Men!” she said as she leaped out of the truck.
It felt normal and fun to be bantering with each other, as if this is what their normal life would be like. Easy. Companionable.
They left Melo and Alisha to their own devices, knowing they would come find them when they were hungry or needed to leave, and set off on the trail to the top of the mountain.
“Kids come here a lot to neck,” Kimberly said. “You know, make out.”
“Good Lord, I’m not that old, Kimberly.” Bennett swatted at her behind and only partly connected.
The smell of fresh air, the sense of space… It spoke to the spirit in a way that rejuvenated him. He was not one of those individuals who could spend endless hours inside. He needed the sounds, the openness that being outdoors gave him. He took a deep breath. “It’s beautiful out here.”
“Yes, it is.” She laughed and pushed her fanny out again. “One more try…”
Coming up behind her, he leaned down and kissed her neck. “Let’s get up the mountain before I do something on this path that isn’t appropriate for kids. Besides, we don’t know who or what is up there.”
Her breath quickened. “Race ya!” She took off like a shot.
With the hamper and cooler in his hands, he was at only a minor disadvantage. He passed her at a full run that had her shouting at him to wait up.
Reaching the top before her, he placed the items on the ground and looked around. No one was in sight. The view was incredible, and they had the place to themselves. There was no way to see the Lester Facility, as it was set in its own valley and surrounded by a sheer-cliff rock face on both sides of the mountains, but they had a great view of the lights from San Diego. Down to the south, he could even see Tijuana.
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