EOTU by D. R. SMITH (summer books .txt) 📕

the rocks will be fine.” Trey responded, concealing his complete contempt for the age remark and adding in a lowered tone in his voice. The sound of the cap being spun back onto the bottle signaled the last procedure at the bar and Kurt pivoted, holding two identical glasses containing a couple of ice cubes and approximately two fingers of the precious golden liquid in each. As the beautiful Asian rug covering the center of the floor muffled Lehman’s steps, the only sound was the ice tinkling against the sides of the crystal tumblers. Lehman extended the selected drink in Trey’s direction and then took a seat across the coffee table opposite the younger man. He raised his glass in a toast-like manner which was mirrored by Trey. Lehman swooped his drink from toast directly to his lips, took a respectful silent sip, and then spoke immediately following the swallow.

“So here you are all prepared to skewer your uncle, Trey!” His tone was somewhat celebratory. Trey could tell exactly what this statement was meant to do. It pierced the very center of his soul and made him instantly feel like the back stabbing nephew he was aspiring to be. The hand holding his libation slowly dropped to his lap while his captured gaze into Lehman’s eyes became steely. ‘He’s trying to see if I’ll retreat in the face of such an accusation’, Trey thought. ‘I’ll show him what I’m made of’. He shifted his mood suddenly, raised his brow, and smiled.

“Maybe ‘skewer’ is a bit harsh, Mr Lehman,” Trey said light heartedly. “I believe ‘take advantage of’ might better apply.” He punctuated the statement by swigging down the last of the fine whiskey, setting his glass smoothly down onto a coaster on the coffee table, and then sleazing back into the corner of the couch in a somewhat ‘cool and collected’ manner.

“Whatever makes you feel less guilty my friend.” Lehman almost murmured. “But none of this is what you’re here for. Let us not digress.” He stood and scooped up Trey’s empty and stepped over to the bar once again. Without asking permission this time, he added a cube or two to both receptacles and refilled them with his beloved Glengoyne. After placing Trey’s drink back on its coaster, Kurt stepped over to a massive desk set perfectly against the rounded corner of the shelving and lit only by a gold stemmed green canopied Banker’s lamp. He picked up a remote and pointed it across the room. Trey was watching all of this and quickly turned to see what Lehman was aiming at.

A large section of the bookshelf sunk backwards into the wall, slid to the side, and an LED TV measuring at least 80” moved quietly forward. The surface flicked to life with the words ‘KleinTek Inc’ spanning it and then they faded away. Trey began trying to predict what he was about to see. Something to do with the EHM? The history of KleinTek? Kurt’s baby pictures? He couldn’t have been more off base.

Once the picture brightened to its fullest, young Walker was staring at an array of video camera shots from various locations throughout the MARCH facility! He rose slightly from his slouched position as his eyes widened and his head pivoted to look back towards Lehman.

Chapter Ten

 

                “The older I get the less I listen to what people say and the more I watch what they do”

 

Andrew Carnegie

 

 

 

September 27…present time

 

 

The comfortable night breeze blew over Dr Nicholas Walker’s face as he strolled slowly beneath the EHM. The sound of several crickets chirping caused him to pause and consider the sharp contrast between the marvels of nature that surrounded the MARCH facility and the marvel of man’s achievement that stretched before him. With his arm extended above him, his hand was dragging over its sleek, smooth surface and a giddy feeling overcame him as he thought of how long this had been in the making. His mind drifted back to when the very first idea of this ship had popped into his head. He felt a certain pride in regard to his accomplishments within this sphere. Years of dreams, studying, research… all of his own volition, in addition to all those whom he could thank for having encouraged him to never quit forging ahead. His parents. Many of his colleagues. Even his ex, who left him because of his obsession with the project told him as she walked out the door… “Nick, things between us may not have worked out, but I’m positive you are going to reach the stars”. Slam! It would’ve been difficult to associate with him and not realize his conviction to his vision.

Now, Nick Walker was in the presence of his dream. Slipping beneath the skin of his fingers was the shiny slick surface of the culmination of years of determination and his persistence and that vision. Its size alone was awe inspiring. But more impressive was the overall appearance of the vessel. True, its coated exterior gave it a futuristic appearance as it had an almost metal flake glimmer to it. But the downward turned adjustable ‘Concorde Jet’ style nose cone made the EHM take on a pseudo futuristic look.

The Event Horizon Module was a carefully planned multi-enviro spacecraft and had been designed with ‘probabilities’ in mind. Without knowing what lied ahead, the EHM engineers had taken into consideration the possibility that somewhere out there, the crew just might need to do an atmospherically restricted landing. This would require aerodynamic wings consistent with that of an earthly airplane. Better to have and not need, than to need and not have, was the thinking.

As with the nose cone, the wings and vertical tail stabilizer had a certain amount of adjustability, that of extension and retraction. This too was a feature that had been ‘inspired’ by a number of other aircraft including the F-111, the F-14 Tomcat, and several other international military planes. A design that was now nearly obsolete in fighter jets, had gained a very purposeful application in regard to the EHM. It allowed for as little drag as possible upon liftoff through atmospheric restriction, insured less structural stress on the wing and tail skeleton that otherwise would not endure liftoff speeds, and it eliminated the need for heat plating on the wings and tail’s skin as they could be retracted during initial high heat atmospheric re-entry. All this while still providing stable flight capabilities within dense air conditions when the wings and tail were extended. It was very feasible that NONE of these features would be used or needed. But once again… better to have and not need.

The overall shape of the craft was a flattened tubular fuselage with window portals along the side and the cockpit windshield facing forward. It was futuristic looking while still oddly resembling those string suspended ‘spaceships’ in the cheesy sci-fi movies of the 50’s and 60’s. The EHM was already mounted atop a 25 story tall booster rocket assembly that would propel it out of earth’s atmosphere and into history. All of this was significantly larger than the previous space shot modules of the past.

The completed assembly of rocket stages and manned module now lay on its side on a rail system beneath an impossibly huge hangar-like structure designed to allow for weather free construction and fabrication.

Nick stepped back looking it over with stylus and tablet in hand taking notes regarding those items he had spotted that would later transform into questions for the engineers and workers. In an almost “cowboy slipping his gun into his holster” fashion, the scientist flipped the tablet up under his arm and turned to head back to his office and then home. As he spun around, he was startled as he came face to face with Trey, his nephew.

“Whoa! I didn’t hear you walk up AT ALL!” Nick said slapping his hand onto Trey’s shoulder. Leaving his hand where it had landed, he turned to face the EHM once more to share the admiration with the young man. “It never fails to blow me away every time I see it” he said towards the massive craft.

“No doubt Uncle Nick. It is incredible.” Trey replied in a solemn voice, now gazing upward at the EHM’s horizontal stabilizer above them. Trey broke from his ‘spacecraft’ admiration ahead of Dr Walker and then slowly and unnoticeably looked at the side of his uncle’s face, taking note of the pride beaming from the elder man. It was Trey who pierced the silence.

“Um… Uncle Nick? I need to ask you about something” Nick slightly shook his head to snap out of the daydream he had drifted into.

“Certainly Trey… I’m sorry I distracted you… what can I do you for?” he mumbled apologetically. Trey was now gazing down at his shoes appearing reluctant to address whatever it was he had approached Nick about. Nick’s head was now tilted sideways in an attempt to dip under Trey’s downturned stare.

“Well…” Trey took a big breath and then exhaled loudly. “I guess I want you to know I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble or anything like that…” Nick turned facing Trey with a slightly furrowed brow and nodded a bit as if to say ‘Go on’.

“… but I’m sure you know the guy I work with in sanitation… Eric” Trey continued. His uncle, who was now caught in an interested stare at the youth, gave a few tiny quick assuring nods which additionally said ‘Keep going’. With the recent events surrounding Eric including his own and Angie’s decision to elevate him to a member of the design and launch team, Nick’s interest was peaked. Exactly what Trey was hoping for.

“So… I overheard Dr Patel and Habib talking about something like ‘all the project related material that was confiscated from Eric’s house’ and I was like… WHAT!?! Wait a damn second?!?” Trey lied convincingly. He chuckled a bit with his hands palm up in front of him. Nick folded his arms defensively across his chest, pursed his lips and swallowed trying to think how far he wanted to let this go. He was on the understanding that Trey had no knowledge of any details regarding Eric’s illegal and unauthorized meddling in the project. Not knowing exactly what point Trey was trying to make with all this, he interrupted him.

“Trey, are you simply wanting to know what all of that is about? Because if that’s where you’re headed…” Trey began shaking his head emphatically.

“No Uncle Nick, that’s not it at all. It’s just that their conversation might have made me think a little differently about something I’ve seen a few times now.” The younger man shifted his weight from one leg to the other and now crossed his arms over his chest as well. He made sure to recount his well-rehearsed script he himself had concocted.

“Three times in three different places I’ve seen Eric talking to Kurt Lehman. It just seemed weird that a janitor would be holding a lengthy and I guess, what appeared to be, a very deep conversation with a world-renowned billionaire.”

The expression wiped from Dr Walker’s face like a sandcastle washed away in a wave. His mind began recollecting all the events of the past few days