“All right. And Frank?”
“Yes?”
“Just for the record.”
“I’m listening.”
“You remember who you assigned responsibility to for maintaining the Baumbachner?”
“Sure. You.”
“Right. And you can take my word for it that, if we need it, the Baumbachner will be ready to go.”
“I hope it doesn’t run up the bill.”
* * *
NEWSDESK
INVISIBILITY BAN GOES TO COURT
Do Potential Benefits Outweigh Risks?
Brockmoor Labs: Ban Unconstitutional
AFRICAN FAMINE INTENSIFIES
World Group Aid Insufficient
GLOBAL POPULATION PASSES ELEVEN BILLION
Churches, Religious Groups Break Tradition, Urge Use of Contraceptives
PRIEST TALKS WOULD-BE SUICIDE OFF CHICAGO EXCHANGE LEDGE
They Sit Together Forty Stories Over North Ave for Three Hours
ECONOMY: PRESIDENT NORMAN REASSURES NATION
“It’s Just a Burp.”
CUBS PUT BOOM-BOOM ON WAIVERS
Age, History of Injuries Factors
Fifth Straight Title Now a Long Shot
MTB OUTBREAK IN WESTERN INDIA
Crippling Disease Strikes Millions
SAUDI ARABIA ELIMINATES CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
FOUR DEAD AS GUNMAN ATTACKS EX-WIFE AT CHURCH SERVICE
She Survives; Pastor Among Victims
WATKINS OUT OF GOLD PARTY RACE
McGruder Continues as Likely Nominee
TERRAFORMING RESEARCH CENTER ATTACKED
BY SPRAY PAINTERS
Six Nuns Among 17 Arrested
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR OF NEVADA SCHOOLS CHARGED WITH FRAUD
Wrote School-System Checks to Cover Gambling Debts in Las Vegas
Nobody Noticed for Three Years
THUNDERBOLT OPENS TONIGHT
Captain Brandywine and the Valiant Back in Action
JAMAICAN TRAWLER SINKS
Search for Five Fishermen Called Off Until Dawn
HIPPOPOTAMUS GIVES BIRTH IN SEATTLE ZOO
Provides New Hope That Species Might Survive
TORNADOES HIT MIDWEST
Seven Dead, Thirty Hurt as Storms Rake Plains
SERIES OF SHARK ATTACKS ON SOUTH FLORIDA COAST
Beaches Closed; Warm-Water Currents Blamed
GUNMAN KILLS WESTRUM
Kosmik CEO Led Terraforming Effort
Life Guard Society Denies Link
Chapter 30
“MOM, EVERYTHING’S OKAY. I won’t be going back to Princeton after all.”
“All right, dear. I guess I’m glad to hear it. What happened?”
“Well, it was just a misunderstanding. The problem’s gone away.”
“Listen, love, it was the boss, wasn’t it?”
“What makes you think that?”
“It’s always the boss, Priscilla. I met him that night at the party. I don’t think you want to work for somebody like that. I’ll tell you, you’d be a lot better off if you were a lawyer. Then you’re your own boss.”
“It’s not that big a deal, Mom. I did something he didn’t want me to. It was my own fault.”
“What did you do?”
“Well, we had an incident. Some people needed help, and I tried to go after them without proper authority.”
“Priscilla,” she said, “always play by the rules. Isn’t that what we taught you?”
“Yes, Mom, it is.”
“All right. If you’re going to stay there, please be more careful.”
“Okay.”
“And you know you always have a place to land if you need it.”
“I know, Mom. Thanks.”
“By the way, I think Tawny misses you.”
* * *
HER FIRST ACT when she arrived back in her office was to order an inspection of the star drive on the Baumbachner. “And affiliated systems,” she added. “If anything’s broken or questionable, fix it.”
Then she went in to ask Frank how the rescue was going. “Ross 248 should have received our message by now,” he said. “Grosvenor will be getting there by midafternoon tomorrow. At Ross 248, that is. They’ll be informed of the problem when they do, and they’ll make their turn and get started for Teegarden.”
“Tomorrow,” she said. “They’ll need four days to reach the system, and probably two more to get to those people after they surface.”
“Are we going to start again, Priscilla?”
“Damn it, Frank, we need a better way to do this stuff.”
“The system that’s in place works pretty well.”
“It doesn’t work at all.”
“All right. Look, that’s enough. I understand how you feel. To be honest, I feel the same way. But there’s nothing I can do. So let’s just back off, okay?”
* * *
FRANK HAD BEEN right about the star drive. The Baumbachner needed a new one. And, unfortunately, they didn’t come cheap. Priscilla forwarded the request to his office for approval and was surprised when he signed on.
At the end of the day, she wandered over to the operations center. Yoshie Blakeslee was on duty again. She was an attractive young woman, Asian, with black hair, dark eyes, and a captivating smile. She looked up when Priscilla walked in. “Hi, Hutch,” she said. “I’m surprised they let you in here.”
“What do you mean, Yoshie?”
“Usually, when they let somebody go, they revoke her clearance.”
“Oh. Well, it’s all right. They were just kidding. I’m back.”
“You’re serious?”
“More or less.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I was rooting for you yesterday. Too bad you didn’t get out the door.”
“I think if that had happened, they would have let me go.”
A supervisor came into the space. He was an African-American, tall, bent, wrinkled, with a ridge of gray hair around a bald skull. “You’re Hutchins?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
He nodded. “I thought you were older.” His features softened, and he reached out to shake her hand. “I’m Morgan White.”
At that moment, she felt pretty good. “Pleasure to meet you, Morgan.”
“I owe you a drink.”
“Why’s that?”
He looked as if she’d asked a ridiculous question. “Talk to you later.” He passed a chip to Yoshie and left.
“That because of yesterday?” she asked.
“I think you made a few friends, Hutch. Is it okay if I call you that?”
She thought about it. Why not? “Hutch is good. I wanted to say thanks for the assist yesterday.”
“It was my pleasure.”
“You didn’t get into any trouble, did you?”
“No, I’m okay.”
“Yoshie, do we have any news on the Teegarden thing?”
“Nothing new. They have probably been trying to stretch their food supply, but we think they’ll have used the last of it by tomorrow.” She put the Teegarden ground module on the display. “This is about three days old. Taken from the Proxmire.” The shelter consisted of a double dome. Lights were on, but they were smeared in the murky twilight.