That was interesting news about the helicopter pilot who went missing. As a pilot, I know how easy it could be to get lost or have an accident. In some of those mountains he could be missing for decades. I’m sorry he was a friend of your father.
How is the job going? I hope it is all you wanted. I understand you have already left your mark at the facility. Dad said you were helping them try and find asteroids. I think that’s great. I always knew I had a smart girl.
I’m also sorry I haven’t been able to get back there more. After graduation, Dad put me to work and it just hasn’t let up. But they want me to come back in October to see the place after the final touches. I told them I was coming anyway, just to see you. I miss you so much! I sit up and re-read your letters each night. It makes me feel we are at least together for a short while.
When I do get back, could we do some traveling together? I would like to take the trains and tour around Europe some. Even if it’s on the weekends I would be happy. I just want to have time with you alone. Just the two of us. You know my feelings haven’t changed and by your letters, yours haven’t either.
I am talking to Dad about being there during the Olympics. Dad is getting tickets to the venues and we could both go and enjoy it. By then I think we need to discuss our future together and maybe make some plans. You know what I mean.
It’s 11:30 here and time for me to get to bed. But I had to dash off another letter to you. You know you are always on my mind and in my heart. I can’t wait till we are back together.
All my love,
Eric
Anna re-read the letter just before going to sleep. This one had arrived after only two weeks. With each letter Eric had grown deeper into her heart. The first one he had handed to her just before getting on the plane and returning home. It had promised at least one letter a week. He had doubled that. In the letters he shared his days and his feelings for her. If he continued that kind of communication after they were married, she would be very happy. Anna was thinking about marriage more and more often now. Though he had not formally asked her they both knew it was a matter of time.
Eric was also full of surprises. The first one was on the day she graduated from the university. Like all the graduates, she looked for her parents in the crowd. She was more than shocked when she saw Eric seated with them. It was almost all she could do to keep from breaking out of the line and rushing to him. After the ceremony when everyone met outside he was with them holding a large bouquet of roses. Unfortunately, he could only stay the weekend and then had to return home. She remembered how tired he looked when she saw him. But he brushed off her concerns and they spent as much time together as possible.
The second surprise was a simple phone call on her birthday. Overseas calls were terribly expensive, but he had done it just to hear the sound of her voice. Although it was only for about six minutes, she would never forget how good he sounded.
Anna folded the letter and put it in her bedside drawer along with the others. She had to get some sleep. Her job demanded concentration and she always gave 100 percent. She drifted off to sleep thinking abut how it felt with Eric’s arms around her and the kiss that always thrilled.
Dr. Ingles looked over the shoulder of the young technician as he put the finishing touches on the electronics. Things were so much more advanced than they had been during the war. Transistors were making things so much lighter and more efficient. The Americans had designed this package and despite all his tests, it had maintained its reliability. There had been six of the units on the truck they had stolen — just enough for their needs. The technician unplugged the test equipment and looked at the doctor. “It is working perfectly Herr Doctor,” he said.
“Very good. Have it installed immediately. When the others are checked get them installed as well. This is working out quite well,” the doctor said.
The electronics package was actually mounted on a ring so that it would better fit the machinery. It had taken some time to modify the package, but as long as it worked, it would not matter that they had made the changes. The use of the new unit had also meant that the power needs were changed. The voltages were much lower now and as a result, the battery life was greatly extended. Again, it hadn’t made that much difference since the unit would only be working for a short period of time, but it was one less headache in the process.
Doctor Ingles walked down the hall and knocked at a door. When he entered, General Hans Kammler looked up from the papers on his desk. His face was wrinkled and lined. There appeared to be little color in it, mostly because he had spent the past several years virtually underground. The doctor’s appearance brought a smile. “Herr Doctor, come in. How are the tests going?”
“Quite well Herr General. The first package has checked out and we are making the modifications and installing the new packages over the next few days. Within a week, everything will be ready,” said Ingles confidently.
Kammler smiled. “That is very good. Now if we can get our fuel, we should be ready for anything. My sources in the Soviet Union tell me the Cuban installations are nearly complete. I would say within a month, we will see some reaction.” The general came from behind his desk and placed his hand on the doctor’s shoulders. “After all these years our patience will pay off, my friend. Soon there will be a new world order, and we shall be at the top,” he said cordially. The two men had been working together since before the war ended and they both savored the coming victory for the New Reich.
The young accountant checked the figures for the tenth time and sat back and rubbed his chin. For some reason the plant had used twice the nitric acid they normally used to produce fertilizer in August. Then in September the usage rate had returned to normal. There was no indication in the records for the additional use and since it returned to normal it probably wasn’t a leak. There was probably some explanation but it was his job to make sure.
The Prost Chemical Plant had been making fertilizer and a few other agricultural products sine 1898. It was a family business and the Prost family had a reputation for being what the English would call the Ebenezer Scrooge of fertilizer. If there was a penny to be saved, they would do it. This didn’t mean the products were shoddy. On the contrary, the company’s agricultural products were the best around and the penny pinching was passed to the customers instead of into the owner’s pockets. To save on some costs it was found they could rely on suppliers to make sure the raw materials were on hand in sufficient quantities to maintain production. When levels went down, deliveries were increased or decreased to maintain those levels.
It didn’t take long before the accountant’s discovery was on the desk of Wilhelm Prost, the great grandson of the founder and president of the company. “Did you check with the supplier to verify the figures?” he asked quietly.
“Yes, Herr Prost. We also inspected the system to make sure there hadn’t been any leaks. We could find no explanation at all,” said Fredrick Papen, his vice president for logistics. “That’s why I came to you. I don’t know who would need it, but it appears we have had a theft.”
Prost sat back in his chair for a moment. “But what else can you use nitric acid for?” he pondered.