There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 26

"Rory, if I had my gun I would shove it up your ass and pull the trigger."

"Lucy, in my thirty-five years of practice I can't tell you how many times I've heard that question. In that same period of time I have never said yes."

"You're no fun Doctor."

"Rory, I'm not here to have fun. I'm here to cure my patients. I'll see you tomorrow Lucy. If he gets frisky strangle him with the light cord."

"Thank you Doctor Colson."

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

"Have you ever seen so many stars in your life Gordon?"

"Yes I have, almost every day at work."

"Gordon I'm going to pick up one of these cow pies and shove it in your face."

"Get your terminology straight Zoie, that is a buffa-pie."

"Buffa-pie, cow pie, either way, you are going to be on the receiving end of it."

"So you have finally found a way to run faster than I can, is that your story little miss?"

"No she has found a person who can hold you still, so she can hit you with it."

"Hello Monty, what's up?"

"Do you two know what time it is?"

Zoie replied, "No, we've just been walking, talking and looking at the stars. Of course, he had to ruin it when I asked him if he had ever seen so many in his life."

"He always has a smart answer to questions like that Zoie. You better get used to them. I am getting rid of him in December; you are planning a lifetime with him."

"Every time I try to find a way to punish him, I wind up being hurt more than he does."

"As you get older that equation will change, and he will be very sorry."

"You never said what time it is."

"It's nearly 2:30 AM."

"Is this how the settlers did it? They worked from sunup to sundown and went to sleep early. However, not everyone could sleep all those hours away. Did they just lay down and look up at all these stars, like I'm looking at them now?"

"I can't say for sure Zoie, but it's not the worst way to while away the hours. Come on you two it's almost time for breakfast. In a week, it's back to the real world, and you better be ready for it."

"We will be, or at least I will be Monty. I can't speak for the little woman."

"Gordon I am going to beat you into a pulp if you're not nicer to me."

"I have a better idea Zoie. The next time he goes into training, he will go up against me, instead of Jayden or Logan. When we are finished, I will hand you his balls. You will have the choice of sewing them back in, or hang them up on a mantle to remind him that he was once a man, but now he is a eunuch."

"Monty, I told you I would never fight you. I would fall down on the floor and play dead."

"Little turd, you can play dead all you want. I am still going to be beating the hell out of your body. I will start at the arches of your feet and break every bone there. I will move up to your ankles to make sure you never walk properly again. Your lower leg is the easiest. The tibia and fibula are strong vertically, but break easily when they are hit from the side. Your thighs are better developed and it will make breaking the femur harder. I will enjoy this immensely as I hang on to your patella with my left hand and use my right hand as a hammer to break through it. When that happens, it makes a horrible sound. Your kneecaps will just wiggle in the wind, because there will be no muscle mass, or bone holding them in place.

I won't start be able to on your hips yet. I have to stop for a drink of water. Then I have to start on your other leg, and work my way up. Can you imagine how much joy I am going to have taking apart the body I helped build?"

"Monty, I swear I will hide from you until the day we take off."

"There will only be one entrance into the spacecraft Christmas Day. I will personally verify the identity of everyone before they enter. Do you think you can get by me?"

"They need me for the engines."

As Doctor Luck said, "He can train two monkeys to control the engines."

"He did not. He said he had to train two people to train two people to work my engine."

"I'm sure he said monkeys."

"Is there any way I can get out of this?"

"Zoie would you like to answer that question for him?"

"Of course there is Gordon; Monty always gives you an option. This one is, 'When hell freezes over.' Don't you think that was nice of her?"

"I'm beginning not to like either of you."

"Maybe you're beginning to understand that your attitude around people has to change. You are very smart Gordon, possibly the smartest person going on this adventure, except your father. However, you cannot act that way. You will create fiction, and among sixty or so people that will be on-board, and that is a very bad thing. As your father said at the very beginning, "Rape is a crime punishable by death. There are no if's, and's, or butts, for that crime. The man will be put in one of the elevator shafts. It will be lowered, and he will be freeze-dried. He will never know what happened to him. He will float around in space endlessly, unless he runs into a comet, or the gravitational pull of the planet, or a black hole. Your crime will not be as severe as rape, but the friction it will cause will make people avoid you like the plague. That means they will avoid Zoie also, and all you will have left is family. When your family associates outside the circle, you will not be invited. It will not be fun. I know you're only sixteen years old, but you have to grow up in a hurry, both of you do. I don't know how many teenagers there will be on this flight, but I don't believe there will be many of them. You are going to have to associate with adults, and adults are going to expect you to act like adults."

"I hope our internal atmosphere works, because I will be doing a lot of training during my off time."

"What do you expect Zoie to do during that time, twiddle her thumbs?"

"No, I will train with her. I will help her become as good as I am, maybe even better."

"Monty, he's just saying that so you can beat the crap out of me."

"No dear, he's not. The way he said it, he was being honest with himself, and with me. He will train you properly. You will have your bumps and bruises, but you will learn to protect yourself from any new species you meet."

"Gee Monty, what a wonderful thought. If I run into any eight-foot tall Klingons, I'm sure I'll be a threat to them."

"You might not be, but the both of you can be."

"I spoke to my mom last night. When we get back to Temple, she is going to pick me up and take me home. She wants to get started on my wedding dress, and things. If one smart word comes out of your mouth Mister Luck, I give you permission to go on this trip without me."

Gordon didn't even breathe. They had done a lot of talking over the past two weeks. There were a lot of places they could go with each other, and a lot of places they could not go. He knew this was not one of Zoie's empty threats.

"Did your mom say how long she was going to keep you away?"

"I think only until December."

"Okay, I can handle that."

"Bastard."

"You were the one that said it, not me."

"What did you want him to say Zoie? Your mother has taken you away to Charleston. She has every right to keep you there until December. Did you want him to jump up and down and scream that it wasn't fair? That's the kind of attitude we're trying to change him from exhibiting. He reacted exactly as we hoped he would every time, like an adult.

"Okay, I can handle that." He's going to miss you, but he can handle it. Don't you understand what you just did?"

"Yes, it was like the same thing I did at home. I laid a trap for him, and he walked right into it."

"At least the results weren't so catastrophic this time."

"I'm sorry Gordon."

"Go soak your head."

Zoie attacked and started calling him names.

Gordon repeated, "Zoie, go soak your head. Bugs are making a nest in there."

So we stopped hitting him and said, "What?"

Monty said, "Gordon has been trying to tell you that bugs are taking up residence in your hair. Go soak your head and wash them out."

Zoie screamed ran for the large oak bucket of fresh water that stood by the side of the house, and dove in up to her shoulders.

As Monty walked over towards her, Gordon said, "I think married life with Zoie is going to be interesting."

Monty replied, "All life is interesting."

"I think I better get Zoie a towel."

"Who do you think is going to see her? All the ranch hands are in town. My parents are sleeping over at friends. So that leaves you and me and the buffa-pies."

"You explain that to her, while I get her a towel."

"Good man."

"Don't tell her she is going to miss my birthday. She won't stop crying until she gets back in December."

"Hell, I forgot about that little item. You are going to be seventeen. We have been together for fourteen years, and look what you've done to me. I am going to enjoy beating the shit out of you."

"Monty, how old are you?"

When he woke up, he was alone, and the lights in the house we out.

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

128. Getting Your Pipes Cleaned

Stephano said, "Mister Schiff, I'll be quite honest with you. The only reason I'm even entertaining the thought of hiring you is because no one else has applied for this position, and Laura Valentino, my daughter is sitting outside that door ready to kill me if I say no. If her mother was here, instead of me, you would have six bullets in your chest and you would be charged with attempted murder. Believe me; my wife is that good at making up great stories. I don't want your life story I want to know what you know about plumbing."

"Mister Valentino, I want you to know that Laura and I have not slept together. That is part of our arrangement. This job interview is just that, a job interview. I would love to get hired, simply because I want to know what's out there. I've always wanted to know what's out there. I was never smart enough in schoolwork to get one of those classy degrees that would let you look through one of those telescopes that see back into time. This is more than a dream come true for me. If you show me a plumbing schematic I'll take it apart for you and put it back together."

Stephano pushed a button on his desk and said, "Carly send Laura in here please."

"Yes dad?"

"Take Adam to the NEST and introduce him to Ron Howard. Wait, you don't know Ron. Have one of the security agents take you both out there and introduce you to Ron. Have Ron take Adam into engineering, to see if he can sort out any of the plumbing diagrams. If he can, we are going to have to start training him eighteen hours a day to bring him up to speed.

Mister Schiff, while you are training, you will be paid $100 an hour, plus your room and board. Don't expect to see your bed very often, so when you are in it, sleep, and don't think about my daughter. I don't know what your arrangement is, and quite frankly, I don't care. I leave that up to my wife. Get going and good luck."

Laura said, "Thanks dad."

Adam stuck out his hand. "Thank you Mister Valentino, I will not let your program down."

They left his office and went towards the elevators.

Stephano's phone rang. "Yes Carly."

"Patti just entered the building."

"Oh shit."

He ran into the hallway, and screamed, "Laura, this way; your mother is coming."

Laura grabbed Adam, and pulled him in the opposite direction at top speed. When they passed him, he started walking towards the elevators to block Patti's view. He met her as she exited.

Hello babe, I was on my way up to get a snack, would you like to join me?"

"As long as Laura joins us, absolutely."

"Why would Laura join us?"

"The agents at the desk said she was here."

"They must be mistaken."

"When was the last time you lied to me, and got away with it?"

"It hasn't happened yet."

"Is it going to happen this time?"

"It's not looking good."

"Why don't you tell me where my daughter is, so I can kill her, instead of you?"

I'm attempting to give them enough time to get back to Fort Worth, and then Dallas, to get out of the state, before you can get to them."

"Where might they be going?"

"Nevada."

"Is there a particular city in Nevada they are going to?"

"It all depends on the airlines."

"Why would it depend on them?"

"The first plane going to the first city wins."

"Stephano, you know how I hate playing twenty questions. What two cities has my daughter chosen to go to?"

"Patti I promised her I wouldn't tell you until after the fact."

"Okay, if that's the way she wants to treat me after all these years I'm never going to speak to her again."

"Well that won't be too hard. She leaves in 3 months. The way you two fight all the time, one of you is not talking to the other most of the time anyhow. So it's no great loss for either of you, is it? That only leaves one and one half months for each of you not to talk to the other."

"Where is my daughter?"

"The one you care about is in Virginia."

"Do you really want to do this Stephano? I will pull your fingernails out from the root."

"Why you just said..."

"I will beg if you make me, otherwise I'll just grab your balls. Where is my daughter?

"Making a NEST for herself."

"Where is my daughter?"

"You mean to say I slipped one by you? Think back one sentence."

"You bastard, I will get you for that. She better be there, when I get there."

"Would I call to warn her you're coming?"

"No you wouldn't, not if you want legs to walk on ever again."

"Patti if you fuck this up, you will never see her again. Look up when you get outside. On Christmas Day, she is going to be up there, and she's not coming back. Forever is a very long time."

"I do not want her to go. I am dying inside at the thought of it."

"It is not your choice, it's hers. Make the most of the time you have with her, and stop this fighting."

"When did you get so smart?"

"I graduated first in my class at Penn, remember?"

"Don Bruno made sure you did."

"My father had nothing to do with it. I worked my ass off to get those grades."

"I know you worked your ass off, but it wasn't for grades, it was for girls. Our son is proof of that pudding."

"Did you see the latest polls?"

"She's ahead by one point. Robert must be putting in overtime."

"Poor boy is going to be exhausted when this election is over."

"Did you see him holding hands with Debbie and Danni, while Sandy was giving a speech?"

"He's doing the doctor's too?"

"It's probably how he's keeping his energy up. He's getting free medical care."

"That boy better think about moving to Utah. He has a harem."

"I'm afraid not Steph, I believe Clark has it all worked out. Cindy wins the governorship of Maryland three times. During her second term, she gives the keynote speech at the Democratic convention, and it brings the house down, because Fred writes it for her. During her third term, she announces she's running for president, and with her pedigree of a former president, and a sitting Chief Justice she wins the nomination. She will be elected. The first woman president of the United States. Clark has this all planned out. It has been his plan, since he set foot in the White House. It was his way to pay Fred back for all his years of faithful service to him."

"Making him Chief Justice of the Supreme Court wasn't enough?"

"Putting Fred into a robe was like putting him in prison stripes. He liked being in the action, and now he is sitting on a bench."

"If you want to catch your daughter, you better move your ass."

"You never complain when I move my ass."

"Listen tiny, I will be here until 6 o'clock, I can't say the same for Laura."

"You haven't called me tiny in years."

"Maybe it's because you're getting older, and shorter as time goes by."

"Steph, you're getting yourself in trouble."

"Hold on one minute Patti."

He took out his radio and called the security desk.

"This is Mister Valentino. Mrs. Valentino is going to the NEST. She needs an SUV to take her there fast, very fast to see her daughter. If she is not upstairs in 90 seconds bar her from that facility."

"We will have everything ready Mister Valentino."

"What are you going to do Patti?"

"You son of a bitch."

"I'm going for a snack you can always come with me."

"You better not come to bed tonight. I'll kill that thing you call a dick."

"You've been trying for more than 25 years, and you haven't even come close. You have less than a minute; your time is running out."

"I hate you Stephano."

"I know I hate you too. Should I let the elevator door close without you, or do you want to get into it, first? You have 35 seconds remaining, and this is a very slow elevator."

"Fuck. I will get even with you for this; I guarantee it."

She jumped into the elevator, and Stephano moved his foot away to allow the door to close.

He yelled, "I look forward to your retribution."

"Go fuck yourself."

He spoke into his radio, "Clear the way, she is on the move."

"Roger that."

Patti exited the elevator, turned and headed for the security exit. The agent had her gun in one hand and her bullets in a plastic bag in the other. She grabbed them both without breaking stride. The building door was being held open for her as was the rear door of the SUV. She slid in, buckled her seatbelt, and held on, as the beast of a vehicle headed towards the NEST.

Normally, when a known security vehicle is approaching, the gate is lifted so it may proceed without slowing down. This time the gate stayed down and when the SUV stopped, they opened Patti's door.

She screamed, "What?"

"Your gun and bullets please."

"Why, I am not in the scientific building."

"Mrs. Valentino, Mister Valentino will not allow you one step farther than you are, without surrendering your sidearm."

Grudgingly, she handed over her reloaded gun. "Call my husband; tell him to eat out tonight. He may not like home cooking."

"Yes ma'am, I'll relay your message."

As the SUV approached the spacecraft, it stopped and let Patti out. She was only 150 feet from it, and it looked like an appetizing target for anyone with a truck or car to try to destroy.

However, thanks to the expertise of Colonel Jack Daniels, you couldn't get closer than this point without walking side-by-side or in single file without falling into an eight-foot deep sand trap. His designs were elegant and only with the use of steel ramps could the workers bring new parts to the spacecraft.

The mouse ears were extended, and the millimeter band radars, long, and short-range telescopes and scientific devices of every kind that fit on them were being tested. When everything was completed, they would be lifted, by a crane, into position, and have the locks engaged.

The exterior ears would be lowered to cover the instrument packages during takeoff, and the trip through Earth's atmosphere. Then, in a miracle of design, science, and the engineering prowess of Schneider industries, plates of the original skin material of the spacecraft would move from each side of the ear assembly, locking it into place, and leaving no trace of a seam or cut anywhere on the spacecraft.

The motors on the ear assemblies were not strong enough to lift or lower the arms or ears in a 1G atmosphere. They were only strong enough to be used in space, without any gravitational forces pulling on them. They were loaded down with scientific equipment, and every available millimeter of the arms was accounted for.

Scientists were even arguing over removing some equipment and replacing it with more advanced, but controversial scientific equipment to study the Cosmos. There wasn't much time left to debate these issues, so I put a deadline of November 1 for it.

As Patti crossed the path, she heard Laura laugh. She stopped, looked up, and saw Laura talking to a security agent.