by M J Kendrick
Lucy showed concern. “Even the thought hammers home the risks and dangers. It worries me.”
Carlton gave her a reassuring smile, “Look, Lucy, my parents were all too aware of the implications of my discovery and every step of the way they made sure that I would take as many precautions as possible. Don’t forget, we have the benefit of protecting everything before we begin, so we gain from their experience and hindsight. I suspect that’s another reason why they had William’s father put all the safeguards in place for us, as he’s been through similar situations.”
Lucy gave a half-smile. “Yes, I think you’re right. In some ways, it makes me more determined for us to succeed, but we still have to be so careful about everything we do.”
Carlton stood up, “We will, so don’t worry. By the time the dust settles, we’ll be well on our way. I owe it to my parents to make Quantum a success and believe you me I’ll make sure we are impregnable and safe, both now and in the years to come. Now, I need you to take me shopping. I have to get a black suit.”
***
David and Jean were very popular, so it was no surprise that over two hundred people attended the funeral service. All of the Smarties had flown in along with their parents, much to Carlton’s surprise. He was so pleased that they had come. It eased the stress of the painful day.
Carlton found time to speak to every one of his family’s closest friends and colleagues. Even old Joe from the gas station had turned up. Lucy had stayed by his side giving support, especially at first, when Carlton’s emotions had gotten the better of him. He was grateful and eventually settled, able to talk briefly and offer thanks. But, all the time, his eyes were everywhere.
He’d often heard that those responsible for atrocities would often turn up to funerals to gloat. He felt his anger return. Lucy was angry at him when he spoke curtly to the Omni representative and took him to one side to remind him that this was not the place or time.
She was right, of course, but it didn’t stop him from looking accusingly at everyone. It was only when they passed his street that the overwhelming sadness returned, as he was reminded of their happy house. Carlton hadn’t returned to the family home. He wasn’t ready to face that. Instead, he had joined the Smarties and their families in Gainesville’s only hotel.
Lucy’s parents had invited Carlton to come and stay with them and Lucy for a few weeks. Carlton happily agreed. He desperately wanted to get away from Gainesville, Omni, and the government influence that was everywhere. Seeing them in town had raised his fears for the safety of Lucy and the Smarties. He knew a change of scenery would help him, and he wanted to stay close to Lucy—if nothing else, he owed her an apology for the way he’d behaved at the funeral.
***
Leon was happy to attend the funeral on behalf of Omni as a last task before retiring from the board and winding down his last few weeks back at the Pentagon. He only planned to stay a short while to offer condolences and didn’t think too much of the young man’s obvious resentment. He knew he would be hurting and was looking for someone to blame.
He thought about the accident and what had gone wrong. He thanked his lucky stars that he had had the foresight to stay well clear. He still wasn’t sure what the plan had been, but he did know that whatever really happened, it hadn’t been planned.
Their people had still needed the Reeses.
Someone had messed up, and heads were going to roll. He smiled as he walked back to his car. There was only one person to point the finger at—that jumped up an excuse for an operative, Slater.
It couldn’t have happened to a better person.
***
The Rondstat home was huge. Carlton had been agog as they drove along the two-mile long, tree-lined driveway. Lucy had giggled at Carlton’s reaction.
“Welcome to ‘Double Horseshoe’ ranch,” she’d said.
All Carlton had managed was, “Wow, I guess the pen business really pays.”
Everyone laughed.
Carlton was given a guest suite in the main house. He was overwhelmed at the splendor. He knew Lucy’s parents were wealthy, but he had never really put any thought behind what being wealthy actually meant.
Despite feeling a little out of place, Carlton had soon relaxed, and, after a couple of days of awkwardness, he found himself settling down and unwinding enough to start enjoying his visit. Most mornings, while Lucy took her horse out for an early ride, he would sleep in. No one minded; they all felt he needed the time to heal. In the afternoons, they would relax by the pool, swimming and sunbathing and, of course, joking around whilst putting the world to rights. He couldn’t get over the fact that the Rondstats actually had a maid, who would keep them supplied with snacks and cold drinks.
The daytimes were fine, packed with conversation that allowed him respite from his constant anger and sadness but in the quiet of the night, alone in his room, he would fret, as his worries kept him from sleep.
But, as the days passed, his nighttime demons slowly faded and he began to unwind. Even though his time at the ranch was what he needed, the way of life there was just so different.
***
As the end of the second week approached, Lucy could see how well Carlton was looking. The break had worked, and he was getting back to his old self. When they were alone, his conversations had become more and more focused, but whenever Quantum was mentioned, he tried to change the subject, clearly not willing to encourage her any further. It was obvious he didn’t want to think about it. She could see the fear rise in him as he became cold and dismissive, but she didn’t want to let it drop. It was the only shadow over his pleasant days with her, so she planned to push on. She wanted her old Carlton back.
She arranged for them to meet up with William in three days and the trio would undertake their road trip to check out the potential airfields that William had identified as the best options for Quantum. Her careful persistence paid off. Carlton’s interest had slowly returned as she told him of William’s progress in locating four airfields that could be reached within a five or six-hour drive of a place called Honey Grove in Texas. Although the airfields were in different directions, it meant they could use Honey Grove as a hub and should be able to check one airfield per day.
Lucy was on form. She had realized that for the sake of keeping their affairs private it would be better for them to not stay in a hotel. She managed to track a down a nearby farm owner who had a couple of large shacks that the ranch hands would occasionally use. They were clean and had good amenities, and the owner was more than happy to let them rent one for the five days they would be there for the princely sum of $100.
They could fly into Dallas Love Field and rent a car, then stock up and drive the 100 miles or so to the shack. William would make his own way to Dallas Love Field and wait for them there.
Three days later, the reunited Smarties were pulling up outside the shack. It was perfect. It had a well-equipped small kitchen area, a central table, and two small bedrooms. It even had a fireplace and a porch, complete with rocking chairs.
Lucy wasted no time in putting away the food and supplies, and began brewing up some coffee.
William and Carlton were at the table going over a map of their intended route. When Lucy had poured the coffee and joined them, William handed them the four options.
He had gathered as much information as he could from public records, and with the help of Google Earth had managed to piece together a fairly accurate inventory of what each property had in the way of outbuildings and its area. One by one, they studied and discussed each option and worked out which was the most promising. They had decided to visit them in reverse order, saving the best until last. William had tracked down the owners and had gained their permission to visit the disused airfields. Each of the owners had keenly indicated to him what it would take to buy their airfields, lock stock and barrel.
They headed out just after dawn the next day to visit the first prospect. Lucy was driving, and William was going over
the file. “This first one is just known as Creek Airfield,” he said. “It’s the smallest of the four and the oldest.”
Carlton was studying the aerial image. “Looks pretty overgrown, like it hasn’t been used in a long while.”
Five and a half long hours later, they were on site and disappointed. The off-road experience of finding the workshop and the overgrown cracked concreted area explained why it was so cheap. They quickly dismissed it and set off back to the shack.
The next day’s drive was just three and a half hours. HK Dusting Services sat on twelve acres and had a small hangar, but again it was in a very poor state of repair, and the main building was slowly subsiding into a fly-infested bog that had formed directly behind it.
Two down, two to go.
Day three saw them drive four hours to John Doyle Dusting. The small airfield sat on ten acres, but it became clear that it was in the middle of a dispute with a neighboring farm.
They agreed unanimously that any kind of dispute or outside involvement with other people categorically eliminated this as an option.
Their last choice held the most promise. It was the biggest site at sixty-two acres, but it was also the furthest away. Once again it was an airfield setup, one that had been passed down to a Miss Winifred Steele, who was the only child and heir following the death of her father, who had finally succumbed to a long illness two years ago. When William had tracked her down and spoken to the older-sounding woman, she had informed him that as far as she knew the airfield was supposed to be in good order, as it had remained partially operational up until about three years ago. It was of no interest to her. She had little love for her father or his business and had moved away long ago. She would happily sell the airfield and contents if they came up with $50,000.
When they arrived at the location of the airfield along an unused dirt road, it took the Smarties over an hour to find the small overgrown sign that said “Steeles Aircraft Servicing” and an arrow pointing to the right towards an equally overgrown access gate. Underneath the arrow was a faded, hand-painted sign reading “1 mile.”
Carlton and William struggled to free the gate from the weeds but eventually managed to swing it open wide enough to drive through.
Fifteen minutes later, they were parked up on the concrete apron staring at a large hangar with two smaller buildings to the right.
They all leaped out and headed for the hangar. When they entered, they could see that it was clean and in top order. It had clearly been a well-equipped operation.
The far wall still had several heavy machines, including a lathe, pillar drills, presses, milling machines, and other metalworking and fabrication equipment. The offices had been built on a mezzanine level above the hangar floor on the left-hand side. There were two offices and a parts room that had racks of components and fittings gathering dust. What interested Carlton the most was the fact that there was still ample room on the mezzanine level to tack on five or six additional rooms that would be more than large enough to serve as laboratories. William estimated that there would have been enough space on the hangar floor to accommodate four light aircraft with room to spare.
The two outbuildings were of a decent size. The closest one to the hangar had been used for oily, messy servicing work and was dirtier than the hangar, although that too had several machines and racks of fittings and tools. The second outbuilding had been unused and was completely empty.
When they returned to the hangar, Lucy noticed that underneath the far end of the mezzanine overhang was a door. When they opened it and went in, they were faced with racks and racks of tools of every description.
They spent the next four hours drawing up a rough inventory of what there was, measuring and going through the office. When they had everything they needed, Carlton said, “I think the machinery alone is worth more far more than $50k.”
William agreed. “This seems to have everything we need and some.”
Lucy added, “And it’s really well-tucked away, I’m sure the location would have meant that there wasn’t much business to be had. Maybe that’s why it’s so clean.”
William nodded. “Miss Steele did say that one of the reasons she couldn’t wait to leave was because it was always so quiet and she hated living in the trailer that used to be here.”
Lucy said, “I don’t blame her, what a life that must have been.”
Carlton stood up. He had been sitting behind the old office desk quietly thinking.
“Okay,” he said, “this is the one. William, how quickly do you think we can we move on this?”
William beamed. “My father can get the ball rolling immediately. His lawyers can draft the papers up in a matter of hours. He knows we’re looking for premises and he is prepared. Once Miss Steele signs the transfer docs and has the funds, the deal is done. If we use the lawyer’s own couriers, we can get her the money and have the docs signed and processed probably within forty-eight hours.”
Carlton had a deadpan face.
This was it. Everything was right. He felt his heartrate quicken, and he became hesitant. He’d been looking forward to finding somewhere suitable, but now that they had, everything suddenly became real. It was crunch time. His next actions would commit him to a destiny of opposites. Success or complete failure, not just for him but for the Smarties as well. This was going to be the biggest decision of his life, one that would commit everything he had and cradle him with the responsibility of his beloved Smarties’ welfare.
Was he up to it?
As he quietly wrestled with himself, he began shaking. He needed time to think.
Seeing his internal struggle, Lucy suggested they take a little time to get their heads around things and think about it a little
William was confused by her comment. “What’s there to think about?”
Lucy just shot him a glare that stopped him in his tracks, hammering home Carlton’s unseen predicament that her instinct knew he was struggling with.
He heard William quietly say, “Well, okay then, but let’s not forget the looming deadline.”
They walked back to the car, where Lucy pulled out a thermos flask and poured them all coffee. Carlton sat quietly, contemplating and weighing everything up, watching Lucy laugh and make fun of William’s shirt.
In the background stood the hangar.
He thought about what would happen if he just walked away. They would all eventually morph into well-paid jobs. He knew that. They’d all received plenty of interest from companies in their last days at MIT.
Above all, they would be safe.
He thought about himself and the discovery. Without Quantum, his dreams would vanish, and he would probably lose contact with the Smarties. What would he do for a job? Work in a nano lab somewhere? The idea of giving away all his years of study along with the experience and knowledge he’d gained from his parents to someone else made him angry. They had died for what they believed in.
Thinking it through, he felt disgusted with himself—disgusted that he would even contemplate that as an option. As he looked over to Lucy and William, the two people that were his life, his doubts faded and, in an instant, he felt an overwhelming inner push, an unexplainable assertiveness which washed over him as William and Lucy approached.
He’d sat down uncertain, questioning, and racked with fear of the unknown. But now, as he stood up to face them, he felt different, driven by an unknown feeling from deep within his very soul, clarifying his thoughts. He knew what he must do.
He looked directly at William and said, “Make the call.”
***
Four days later Carlton and Lucy had returned to the house in Wakefield. They had stayed overnight at Lucy’s ranch to collect their things and say their goodbyes. They would use Wakefield as a base until they knew if they had secured the airfield.
Carlton was rifling through the masses of mail that had accumulated in the weeks he was away, eventually coming across his results notification. He showed little emotion when he
opened the letter and saw his near perfect scores and confirmation of his four PhDs. He could now join Lucy and the others in being addressed as Dr. They did, however, both celebrate that evening, with one of Calisto’s excellent South African wines.
The following morning, Carlton received a call from William with the news that the purchase of the airfield had gone through successfully and he was now officially the legal title holder.
Quantum had its base.
***
Leon sat in Milton Grey’s office. He felt happy; he’d just filed his last report and, in his mind, was already sitting in his summer house enjoying his retirement.
“I envy you, Leon. I wish it was me that only had three days left in the firm.”
Leon chuckled. “You’ve a ways to go yet, old friend.”
“Your report on ACR and the farm was outstanding, but I noticed you left out visiting the Reese funeral.”
Leon nodded. “There’s nothing to be gained by including the details. The town was devastated. I did what was needed on behalf of Omni and left them to grieve.”
“You know there’s some serious shit flying around over the accident.”
Leon grinned. “Thought there might be. Who’s in the frame?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
“I guess not. What will happen to him?
Milton leaned back and let out a sigh. “Oh, we’ll think of something, but that slippery bastard has made some friends in high places, god knows how. Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. We’re just waiting for things over in Gainesville to settle a little more. They’re still trying to pick up the research from the Reeses. We’re having to rely on the cooperation of the scientists, and they don’t trust us yet.”
“Can’t say I blame them, but I will give you a word of advice. Watch Slater. I don’t trust him, never have, and you’re right—he is a slippery bastard. Whatever happened to cause that accident is anyone’s guess, but something tells me he’s not going to let it drop, especially as the buck stops with him.”