by Tim Blagge
Waterman looked down at a file he was holding and began to read it.
“First, we have devised a cover story to divert attention away from your project. Next week an administration official will announce to the public that the time shift was an aberration of nature and no future danger, or occurrences are expected. There will be conflicting opinions from every corner of the globe but those will die down within a week or two.”
“Second, we have agreed to approve your preliminary research here, which is what you wanted.”
“Third, the project will be moved to a more secure location after the preliminary research is done.”
“Fourth, we will be assigning some of our top government scientists to the project to assist Mr. Burton. Dr. Morton and Dr. Brooks, you will be assigned to another segment of the research that will be determined later.”
“Fifth, the government agrees to fund all the research, development and construction of all devices and in return will own the final products, patents and all proprietary intellectual property value.”
“Sixth, the government will supply all the security required to insure the work proceeds smoothly and quietly.”
“Seventh, the government will pay Mr. Burton a bonus of two million dollars, tax free and pay him a salary of $500,000.00 annually until the delivery of the first working unit is complete.”
“Eighth, the government will pay Dr. Brooks and Dr. Morton a bonus of $250,000.00 each; tax free, for their participation in the project and an annual salary of $250,000.00.”
“Here’s a copy of what I’ve just read. The government’s attorneys will draw up the final paperwork. Again, congratulations. If you have any questions, here’s my card, just call. I’ve got a flight out in an hour so I’ve got to run. I’ll be in touch next week.”
With that, Waterman and Burlingame left.
-18-
“We need to talk,” said Stella, “but not here.”
We went to Dr. Brook’s office. Stella motioned for us to remain quiet. She ran her hand around the underside of the desk and found a small listening device. Then behind one of Dr. Brook’s diplomas on the wall, she found another. She was using a small hand-held device to lead her to the bugs. When she found one she put it into a glass of water that was on the desk.
“That’s all of them in this office.” she said. “There is another in our office Bill.”
“How do you know all this, Stella?’ I asked.
“Remember my brother’s an investigator. He warned me to check for bugs before we said anything and he loaned me this device,” Stella answered. “He’s worked around the government before and knows their tactics. When Waterman said he was going to record our conversation; it was a ruse. As he was setting up the recorder, he was planting a bug under the front edge of our desk. That one is still there and I think we can use it to our advantage. Let’s go to the coffee shop around the corner. We can talk there.”
Dr. Brooks and I ordered black coffee, Stella ordered water. We sat down and she calmly asked “First let’s discuss the government’s offer.”
We all looked at each other. I spoke first, “I’m rich! You are looking at multi-millionaire, William Burton III”
Dr. Brooks spoke second. “I think it’s a reasonable offer.”
Stella spoke last. “Guys that offer was an insult; a pure, unadulterated insult! I’ll say it first. The government is run by crooks and thieves. Bill, if we took the device to a large corporation, they’d offer you ten to a hundred times what the government just offered. And they want all the rights now and in perpetuity?”
“Unless I miss my guess,” Stella continued, “there’s already some drunk politician divulging the details of the device to a lobbyist or some media idiot. If you haven’t noticed, I am furious and I believe were are in danger too. If the people at the top sent an egotistical moron like Waterman to head up this project, we’re in more trouble than I thought!”
Late Friday afternoon, the three of us returned from the coffee shop and sat in the debugged office of Dr. Brooks to discuss our options.
“Now Stella, you are the one most against the government’s proposal; what do you think we should do,” I asked.
“I want to start by saying that it’s not about the money for me. It’s about fairness and insuring the device is used for good and proper purposes. As I’ve said before, the device represents money and power, a dangerous combination. So let’s go over their offer,” she said.
“First, they are assuming the intellectual, patent and other rights. This means they are offering you no residual licensing payments and no future rights of any kind to your invention. Bill, if you like the millionaire title, how about billionaire.”
“I like that,” I said. “Bill goes with billionaire better than it goes with millionaire.”
“And you and I Dr. Brooks; they’re saying they can move us anywhere, even away from the project. Bill, no offense, but you are young and they feel they can manipulate you. They don’t want anyone standing in the way of them taking complete control.” Stella went on.
“The parts about providing funding and security are fine but any significant corporation would provide both cheaper and more effectively than the government.”
Stella’s face took on a devious grin and she said, “Let’s have a little fun with the Washington boys.”
She laid out a kind of script. The three of us rehearsed and when we got back we went into my and Stella’s office where we knew the bug was still operational.
“Good afternoon everyone,” Dr. Brooks said. “Now that we’ve all had a chance to digest the government’s offer how do we proceed?”
‘”I think the Government idiots think we’re pretty stupid” I said. “If the device actually worked, it would be worth billions, maybe trillions, so their offer is a joke. We’ve got to get them to pay as much as possible, up-front before they figure it all out. Let’s ask for two billion for me and a billion for each of you. We’ll have them wire the funds to secure banks all over the world. You know; the banks that don’t cooperate with the U.S. authorities. As soon as we confirm the transfers, we’ll all go our separate ways and spend the rest of our lives on some beach on some tropical island.”
Dr. Brooks and Stella were laughing hysterically but quietly. Then Stella composed herself and said, “Great plan, Bill. I am still laughing about the fact they never figured out how we got the device to actually fly before their very eyes.”
“And even their hot-shot tech’s inspection turned up nothing,” said Dr. Brooks.
“Monday we’ll request a meeting to respond to their original proposal.” I said. “Something tells me they’ll waste no time getting us the money.”
“It is the government we’re trying to con,” said Stella. “It’s easy; millions of people do it everyday.”
Stella reached under the desk and produced the bug. I made the sound from the back of my throat that sounds like static. I announced slowly and succinctly, “I hope you enjoyed our little production of ‘Fool the Feds’, Mister Waterman,” with emphasis on Mister. “My machine works but your clandestine tactics have heightened our distrust of you and the government. The proposal is a start but woefully inadequate in its current form; Bill Burton signing off.” I made that static sound a little longer and dropped the bug in a glass of water.
On Monday, when I arrived at work, Stella was already there.
“Bill, just what I was afraid would happen, did. Have you seen the news?” Stella asked.
“Yes,” I said, “but all I saw was some White House spokesman say something about the time shift being just a ‘bump in Mother Nature’s road’ or some such drivel.”
“That’s what the government said but have you seen the internet?” Stella asked. “All the independent blogs and minor political sites are reporting that the time shift was a result of some machine. They are short on specifics, but it is evidence of a leak. I knew we couldn’t trust the Feds.”
“Let’s go talk
to Dr, Brooks and see what he thinks about this development,” I said.
“He’s tied up for a while. He is releasing the men who were working on the time shift issue. Fortunately, all of them have jobs and will return to them. He got approval to give them two weeks bonus pay so his task should be fairly easy.” Stella informed me.
“What did you do this week-end?” I asked. “I kind of missed drinking in your brilliance these last two days.”
“I spent a quiet time with my brother.” Stella answered. “I want you to know I’ve told him everything, Bill. He’s smart and has expertise that we don’t. Without him the Feds would still be listening to our every spoken word. And there’s something else I want to show you. Let me bring it up on my laptop.”
“OK, this is the video of the Fed’s techs in your barn when we were in the house,” Stella said. “Remember, they were looking for parlor tricks? Well look closely, some of the guys look like they are in fact inspecting the device. But look at the others. They’re installing video surveillance equipment.”
“I am getting a little tired of being treated like a criminal. Don’t they need some kind of court order to do that?” I asked.
“They do, and for the Feds they are easy to get. Unless I miss my guess though, Waterman never bothered. We will ask him about the video and bugs when we see him next.” Stella said while shaking her head in disgust.
When Dr. Brooks walked in I asked. “How’d it go with the other scientists?”
“Fine,” he answered. “I sensed that most of them hadn’t discovered anything useful and were just as happy to move along,” “By the way, Mr. Waterman just called. He wants to meet Friday. He wants us to prepare a counter proposal. And he wanted me to tell you two that he didn’t appreciate the theatrics. It turns out he was out at the time and our little performance went all the way to the White House. I think we’ve embarrassed him.”
“Uh oh,” cautioned Stella. “Beware of a bureaucrat scorned.”
-19-
Friday morning, Waterman walked in with a new man who was his boss. Dr. Brooks, Stella and I had already assembled in the conference room.
“I’d like to introduce my superior Mr. Joshua Cushing. He is Deputy Director of the FBI and reports to the Director.”
Cushing was a handsome man in his early fifties and wore what appeared to be an expensive suit and carried himself confidently. We exchanged pleasantries and as had become a regular occurrence lately, Stella jumped in.
“Mr. Cushing, have you found the source of your leak?
“Leak, to what leak are you referring, Dr. Morton?” asked Cushing.
“The internet is rife with rumors that the time shift was caused by a device.” Stella answered. “Don’t tell me you aren’t aware of it. The information didn’t come from our side so it had to come from yours!”
“Dr. Morton, my briefing indicated that you are a very direct, no-nonsense woman. I am glad to see that at least some of the information I was told is correct.” Cushing commented. “I am aware of the ‘buzz’ out there in cyberspace. Our people are looking into it as we speak. If we do discover a leak, we will fix it and let you know immediately. My department is fully aware of the sensitivity of your anti-gravity device and the necessity to keep it confidential.”
With that answer, Stella seemed to relax, but just a little.
“I want to tell you something that I think you already know.” Cushing confessed. “We, the government, want to develop your device as soon as possible. But first, I want to apologize for some of my people because they grossly underestimated your intelligence, guile and understanding of the situation. Put simply, you made monkeys out of some of our best people. If it weren’t so serious, it would be laughable.”
“We are now coming to you with open palms. We understand it’s your science, your device and your success. We are putting you three in the driver’s seat because, as we all know, we need you more than you need us.” Cushing paused to let his comments sink in. “Now, do you have any questions of me?”
Again Stella jumped in. “Mr. Cushing, what does the government foresee as the primary use of our device?”
“The most obvious one is to reduce the cost of moving freight. We all know that moving heavy loads that become virtually weightless would require only enough power to overcome momentum – an energy savings of nearly 91%,” Cushing answered.
“Do you plan on making this technology available to everyone or restricting its use to the military?” Stella questioned”
“Our tentative plan is to perfect its use with the military. After we know that it’s safe for the public to use, we’ll open it up to everyone; with the proper licensing of course.” Cushing answered.
“Mr. Cushing, You sound like an honest guy, I hope we can trust you.” I said.
“You can trust me, Bill, you can. Unless someone objects, why don’t we hammer out an outline of an agreement that I can take back to Washington.”
“If you will give us an hour, Mr. Cushing, I’d like to discuss things with our triumvirate. It’s lunch time. Let’s meet back here at two?” Said Stella
“Fine, see you then,” said Cushing.
After we finished our lunch, Stella in her most direct way offered her opinion of Cushing. Neither Dr. Brooks nor I were surprised.
“I know you guys are sick of hearing it but I don’t trust Cushing. As I’ve discovered over the years, people who get to Cushing’s level have to be exemplary diplomats. And he certainly qualifies. I’ve got a feeling I can’t shake that this suave man is really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. All these guys are pushing for promotion and will say and do anything to accomplish their mission. Our challenge is to figure out what his mission really is.”
“And don’t forget, the Feds bugged our offices and Bill’s barn.” Stella added. “Cushing had to sign off on that. His contrite manner seems sincere. But remember, he failed to reveal to us that the barn is still filled with surveillance cameras. I guess he feels that what we don’t know won’t hurt us.”
“Stella’s right. “If Cushing doesn’t tell us about the cameras during our afternoon meeting than he can’t be trusted about anything.” I said.
Then I had a thought. I leaned over and whispered softly, directly into Stella’s ear. “Do you have Rolf’s bug catching device with you?” Yes she nodded and pointed at her purse. She took it out and scanned our area. A light started to flash and the closer she got the device to her purse, the faster the light pulsed. She lifted up the strap and, sure enough, another bug!
Stella wrote on a napkin and showed it to Dr. Brooks and me. It read ‘small talk.’ We began talking about the weather and the Dodgers. When we got to the car, Stella put her purse inside and we moved out of ear shot of the bug.
“Damn,” said Dr. Brooks. These assholes will stop at nothing to get the upper hand.”
I had never heard Dr. Brooks use any profanity at all and his words were almost refreshing. “It’s like they are at war with us.” I said. “What’s the old saying? They’re looking a gift horse in the mouth. All we have done is lay one of the greatest inventions of all time in their laps and they can’t resist the temptation to be devious.”
“Like I said, these people are upwardly mobile, self-serving, public servants,” Stella said. “They’ve all watched too many spy movies and are guilty of over-thinking their role. So let’s recap. They know we are suspicious. They know we are aware of the equipment in the barn. They now know we feel Cushing is full of crap. So what would you do if you were them?”
“The first thing I’d do is tell us that I’d forgotten to inform us of the spy stuff in the barn and that a crew would be right over to remove it. Then I’d blame it all on Waterman’s poor judgment. I’d explain that the other bugs were standard procedure for Waterman and his crew when they work on criminal cases but completely inappropriate for use in this type of momentous occasion,” I said.
“I’m proud of you Bill. Now you’re starting to get it,” said Stel
la. “OK we’ve got to go before they figure out what we are discussing. When we get back we’ll only say we want a fair salary while we work on the device and a small percentage of the licensing fees for the next thirty years or so. We will ask them to go back to D.C. and write up a fair program for us to sign. If Cushing does what Bill outlined and takes the bug off my purse, maybe there’s hope for him. Who wants to bet?”
We returned to the conference room. Cushing and Waterman were shuffling through papers trying to look busy. Cushing motions were a little more animated and his eyes darted between us and his paperwork where it looked like he’d scribbled some notes. He was obviously nervous.
“Sorry we are a little late gentleman. The service at the restaurant was really slow.” I commented.
Cushing immediately stood up and said. “Before we get started I have an apology to offer. Mr. Waterman here, in his extreme exuberance to do his job has done you folks an injustice. Even though his record is beyond reproach, he went a little beyond what I believe is appropriate in your situation. He treated you a little more like criminals than the brilliant scientists you are. He was the one who authorized the bugs in your office and there’s one more transgression I found out about while you were at lunch.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Clandestine security camera equipment was installed in the barn in which you did your demonstration. Waterman says it was to insure there was no chicanery involved. I think it’s the kind of thing he typically does in most of the criminal cases he handles. We will have a crew there at your convenience to remove it all”. Cushing said.
I could see Stella and Dr. Brooks fighting to maintain their composer when I stood up and gave my next performance. “My God, Mr. Cushing, I feel violated! I know I accidentally created the time shift but I am a good American. I don’t deserve treatment like this. Dr. Morton, Dr. Brooks, I think we should take the device to private industry. I’ll bet they’d treat us more like colleagues and less like felons.”