Work in Progress

Chapter 3

         "You realize that I thought covering wars and earthquakes was pretty exciting before I met you," Lana said as she and Mike entered his office.  "Now that we're married, it's been one major disaster after another."
         "I told you your life wouldn't be boring," Mike said as he turned and took her into his arms and kissed her before she could say anything.
         "Ahem," Admiral Teramore was standing in the open door. "Why don't the two of you take it outside?"
         Mike turned his head to the Admiral.  "When you've got it, flaunt it!  I've got the most beautiful wife in the world," Mike kissed her again and gave her a squeeze before breaking apart, "so I flaunt it!"
         "Yeah, and you make all the rest of us poor slobs jealous."
         Mike gave him a broad grin, showing his teeth.  "What's up?"
         "When I got to my office I had a memo.  You're two MiGs are approved."
         "Finally!  I'll have them shipped here tomorrow."
         "I thought it took some time to build these things."
         Mike grinned again.  "I placed the order when you and Misha went on your recruiting trip.  Worst case, I'd buy the damn things myself.  The electronics and weapons are already here, and I can have my installers here in a day."
         "You're still using your own people?  I thought you don't do secrets."
         "Only when the fate of mankind is concerned.  I use people I trust and that trust me.  The U.N. agreed that the technology is to remain with me in perpetuity, so I intend to be the only organization in anyone's government to have it and use it."
         "You're paranoid, you know that?"
         "Hey, it kept us alive in Afghanistan.  Besides, you're not paranoid if you have real potential enemies."
         "I know, and back then I never dreamed I'd be working for you."
         "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," Mike wagged his finger at the Admiral.  "Nobody works for me; you work with me.  I figured all the years we were Seals would have taught you that."
         "Yeah, it did.  But you've always been my problem child.  My only reward has been watching you become a bureaucrat and part of the system."
         "Don't fool yourself.  I'll never be part of the system."
         "I'm beginning to realize that," the admiral said as he turned and left, closing the door behind him.
         As the latch clicked, Lana turned and punched Mike gently on the shoulder.  "You did that deliberately, didn't you?"
         Mike again gave a toothy false grin.  "Of course, but I am proud that you married me."
         "It is I that am proud that the most brilliant and richest man on the planet asked me, a poor reporter at a failing network, to marry."
         Mike smiled, genuine this time.  "Hold that thought."
         Lana's eyes flashed briefly and she tapped him on the shoulder again, this time not so gently.
         Mike chuckled.  "When are you going to alert the network?"
         Lana looked at her watch.  "It's too late for the eleven o'clock.  I'll write something up and FAX it in so they'll have it for the morning.  I assume we'll be live with this."
         "Of course.  I want the world to watch their tax dollars at work."
         "Sometimes I just think you're a show-off!"
         "You love me anyway," Mike smiled, thankful Lana didn't have anything in her hands to throw.
         The intercom on his desk buzzed and Mike pressed a button. "Yes."
         "Can you come out to Vesna for a minute," Carol asked.  "there are a couple of things I need to show you."
         "We'll be right out."
         Mike pressed a button on the intercom and he and Lana walked out into the corridor.  Mikhail and Sharon were having a discussion down by the turn in the hallway and Mike invited them to join in.
         Mike stopped at the guard desk by the door and told the airman, "When John Belisar arrives, please send him straight out to Vesna."
         "Yes, sir!" The airman wrote something on a clipboard as the four turned and exited the building.
         
         "What's up?" Mike asked as the four entered the command deck.
         Carol turned away from her console.  "We can do this, but it's going to be tricky.  We're going to have to pulse the singularity about 20,000 kilometers to the side of this beast." Carol pointed to one of the video monitors, which was displaying an image of the asteroid broadcast from one of Mike's satellites.
         "It's going to take some fancy flying on your part," she nodded at her husband.  "It will also take some fancy aiming on Oksana's part.  We don't want to be too close or we'll risk tearing that thing apart.  We've got to pull that thing far enough out of it's trajectory that its gravity won't perturb the moon's orbit when it passes."
         "OK," Mike responded.  "Anybody see a problem with that?"
         "Piece of cake," was Mikhail's response.
         Lana turned to Mike and frowned.  "You know, you're becoming a really bad influence on my son."
         "I always knew he could do it," Mike grinned.  "Now he does too."
         "Male egos!  I'm going to make myself a snack."
         "Oh!" Oksana blurted.  "My mother's expecting all of us for breakfast after John gets here."
         Olga's culinary skills were as legendary as Mike's and everyone's eyes lit up.  All had experienced one of Olga's "small" family meals that would rival an American Thanksgiving dinner.
         "Great!" Mike said.  "With the time difference, if we leave here at eight tonight, we can be in St. Pete by eight in the morning."
         "I'm going to get some rest, then," Lana said as she headed for the elevator.  "I'm still on Moscow time."
         "Want some company?" Mike asked innocently.
         "I said I want some rest."  The door slid open and Lana entered the lift.
         
         "How's the most beautiful woman on the planet?" The three women turned in unison, but Oksana jumped up and ran to John as he entered the command deck.
         Mike grinned as Oksana and John kissed and then pressed a button on his communicator.  "Admiral, if you want one hell of a dinner, get yourself out here now.  We're heading over to Olga and Pavel's in a couple of minutes."
         "You better believe that I'm on my way out!"




Ben W. Gardner
Sedona, Arizona

"I do not fear computers. I fear lack of them." --Isaac Asimov

http://ca.geocities.com/vladilyich/

In The Beginning - ISBN:  1-4116-3848-4
Just In Time - ISBN 1-4116-3851-4
Ad Astra - ISBN: 978-1-84728-518-8
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