“Carl Stewart, he’s an old friend.”
“Well, you tell Carl good job and we’ve already checked it out.”
Peter nodded. He would call Carl, but only to inform him of this conversation to be prepared if Walter spoke to him. He was still going to have his friend inspect the backup unit, if only for his own peace of mind.
EXHAUSTED FROM THE long day, Peter sat with Jesse at the dinner table in EarthOrbit’s cafeteria. It was well after 8:00 p.m. and he finally got his first opportunity to sit and relax. Not only did Peter go through every exercise with the two astronauts, he also had to get up a few hours earlier to take care of his other responsibilities as their boss. During all this activity, worrying about what Carl was going to find festered in the back of his mind.
Peter took another bite of his lasagna then looked over to see Jesse in the same stupor. The two hadn’t said two words since sitting. The silence was broken when Blake walked up from behind, dropping his tray hard on the table. Peter turned to see a mischievous grin on the energetic young man’s face.
“Damn! You two look beat.”
Peter gave a tired answer. “I am beat. It’s been a long day.”
Blake sat in the seat next to Peter. “Well you’re an old man. We expect that.” Blake swung his head like a bobblehead doll toward Jesse. “How about you commander? Us young guns need to show up the old timer.”
Jesse broke out of his trance. “Let’s just say I’ll sleep well tonight.”
Blake took a big bite of his burger as he surveyed their surroundings. “Damn, where is everyone?” Not getting any response from Jesse or Peter, he started his own conversation. “Well, I just got off the phone with Suzy, and she told me a funny story about Matthew.”
Having met the cute boy, Peter was curious. “What happened?”
“Well, Matthew is your typical four-year-old who hates vegetables. Tonight Suzy made green peas. He finished all his food but the peas. She signed he had to eat those before he could leave the table. He sat there with a pissed off look for the longest time, just staring at his plate. Basically it was a standoff between the two.”
Peter chimed in. “My money is on Matthew.”
Blake smiled. “Well, after Suzy had cleaned the dishes she went to do the laundry. When she came back, she saw Matthew putting the last bite of peas in his mouth. She was so impressed that his plate was clean that she rewarded him with ice cream before putting him to bed. Later when she started to clean up his area of the table, she was shocked when she lifted his placemat and saw most of the peas smashed on the table. But what tickled her was seeing the peas arranged to spell out the word, no.”
Both men laughed. Peter was impressed the deaf boy knew how to spell no. “That’s funny. What a smart boy.”
Jesse seemed to be coming back to life as he smiled. “I remember hiding my peas in my milk.”
“That wouldn’t work. Suzy has the kids finish everything.”
Peter cut another piece of lasagna with his fork and brought it to his mouth before stopping. “Matthew sounds like a good kid. I have to say when I met him I was surprised he was deaf.”
Blake wiped his mouth with his napkin. “We do everything we can to treat him like a normal boy. We try not to make a big deal about it away from home.”
Peter finished his bite. “Well maybe he’ll be a pilot. He was real good at flying his toy plane.”
“He loves that plane. I promised Suzy I would teach him how to fly someday. With the new interface technology available in the cockpit, he should be able to get a pilot’s license. Of course our number one goal is for both kids to get a college degree.”
Peter remembered the wonderful times when his dad taught him to fly. The buzz of his phone caught everyone’s attention. Peter smiled at Blake before taking a look at the caller ID, Carl Stewart. He needed to take the call. He politely excused himself as he quickly walked through the empty cafeteria, punching the answer button as he walked. “Hello.”
“Hey, Peter, it’s Carl.”
As Peter exited into the hallway he confirmed it was empty before answering in a soft tone. “Hey Carl, so were you able to inspect the parts?”
Carl’s tone was apologetic. “I did; sorry I am getting back so late. I had to wait until the factory cleared out before getting to it.”
Peter anxiously rocked back and forth on his feet, impatient. “I understand. So what did you find?”
“Everything checked out fine, nothing suspicious.”
Peter stopped rocking. “Are you sure?”
Carl responded instantly. “Absolutely.”
Peter’s whole body relaxed as he leaned against the wall. “Great, I appreciate you doing this for me.”
“No problem.”
Peter heard brisk footsteps increasing in intensity within the hallway. He looked up to see Chris advancing toward him. He spoke in a whisper as he quickly wrapped up the call.
Chris stopped short and pointed to the phone as he spoke in a directive tone. “Who was that?”
Peter’s analytical mind told him to respond with a coy and logical answer. “My girlfriend, wondering if I am flying.”
Chris casually put both hands in his pockets. “Probably not, but we should know for sure within the next few days. By the way, Walter told me about your concern with the Parachute Deployment Device. You know, you could have asked me about that?”
Peter’s whole body went rigid as his hand tightened around his cell phone. He’d taken a risk telling Walter, knowing Chris was his right-hand man. Fortunately, Carl just confirmed there was no reason to be concerned. “I guess I should have. Sorry about that. Walter was next to me when I first heard about it, so I questioned him on his thoughts.”
Chris’s dark eyes challenged him. “Well, please make certain you go through me on any other concerns.”
Peter swallowed his pride as he accepted the order. “Will do, Boss.”
KUANG WAS IN a foul mood due to a disagreement earlier that morning with his wife. Ever since his father had moved in with them, his dad’s constant bickering had been putting a strain on his marriage. After his mother died, his father had become a defeated and angry man. Yet still, Kuang strived for the man’s approval. He invited his father to live at his home with the hopes their relationship would improve. Sometimes he felt like that little boy who just wanted his dad’s acceptance and love.
He cleared his head of the challenges at home. He leaned back in his chair as he took a sip of hot tea, hoping to calm his mind. He surveyed his desk, reviewing what he needed to get accomplished. The quiet was interrupted by the loud ringing of his phone. He practically ripped the receiver off its cradle. His voice was short and direct. “Hello.”
“Kuang, it’s Lin.”
Kuang growled. “Yes?”
“We might have a problem with Tianlong.”
Kuang snapped his head up. “What? What kind of problem?”
“I have just been informed someone may suspect there is a bomb. They have been asking questions.”
Kuang’s voice rose in aggravation. “Who?”
“I don’t know who, but I was told their questions were answered without giving any insight. Apparently this seemed to have appeased the individual.”
With his fist now clenched in frustration, Kuang spoke harshly. “I want to know who this person is. I want to know why he is asking these questions. Is he associated with the United States government? Find this out now!”
“Yes, sir. I will check on it immediately.”
“If he is a serious threat to the operation, I want him eliminated.”
“Understood.”
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