Starting from Scratch (6 page)

Mary commed him.
General, Dr. Fulwiler has been
selected as the spokes person for the scientists. I think her harsh
exchange with you helped the others to recognize her as the alpha
dog in the pack. She has requested a private meeting with General
Hurst. She seems contrite to me, sir. I think it would be helpful
to the situation, if you’d meet with her.

He sighed. He didn’t want to see the woman again.
But, he had to respect the judgment of his officer, especially when
she was family.

OK. Bring her to the conference room. I’ll have
coffee and some food waiting for her. Be sure to see that the
others receive food and drink as well.

Yes sir and thank you.

Ten minutes later, Mary walked into the conference
room, with Dr. Fulwiler on her heels. Mike stood up and offered her
his hand saying, “Doctor, I apologize for being so abrupt with you
earlier. I was wrong to be so rude.”

She smiled and shook his hand. “General, no one
enjoys being spoken to in that manner, but I suppose you had to say
something to get me to pay attention.”

Mike had deliberately chosen the conference room,
instead of his office, so that they could converse in an atmosphere
of equality. Sitting behind his desk might have seemed as though he
was flaunting his alleged superiority.

He offered her a chair next to him and said, “Ma’am,
I’m afraid I’ve had a habit of shooting my mouth off, without
considering other people’s feelings. It’s a flaw I don’t seem to be
able to correct. I regret it, but that’s just how I am.”

As she sat down, she looked him straight in the eye
and said, “I, too, have that flaw. So we were both in the wrong. If
we’re going to be working together, we’d better learn how to
communicate without screaming, or one of us is going to be
injured.”

He chuckled as he nodded and asked, “Dr. Fulwiler,
would you like some coffee. We’ve finally been able to have the
food replicator get it right, and we have cream and sugar, if you’d
like.”

With a hesitant smile, she told him, “Cream and
sugar, please, although I really shouldn’t because I’m a diabetic.
But I really feel a need for the coffee and I want to enjoy it, not
just use it as a salve for my fatigue.”

A hole opened in the table and a tray with a pitcher
of coffee appeared, along with the additions she had requested. She
seemed impressed by that, but kept her thoughts to herself. He
poured a cup for them both, cream and sugar for her, black for
him.

Then he explained a lovely new reality to her.

“Well then, Doctor, you’ll be glad to know that you
no longer have diabetes. The med units have cleared that sort of
ailment out of everyone’s systems, along with a variety of other
infirmities, such as cancer and a host of neurological diseases.
I’m not a medical doctor, so I don’t know the details, but I can
have them sent to you later, if you wish.”

He added, “Oh, and in case you’re wondering, we
aren’t going to rescind any of the medical improvements we’ve made
for any of you. If you decide to remain with us and to help us find
a way to defend the Earth, you will be upgraded to necessary
standards for survival out here; otherwise, we’ll transport you and
your new body back to Earth.

“However, we will insist that you keep quiet about
our existence. The Earth will learn about what’s going on out here
too soon as it is. But, if we can hold off on that for a while, we
might be able to build a core organization, which would point us
toward an adequate defense of our solar system.”

She raised an eyebrow and said half jokingly, “I
suppose we would have that portion of our minds erased?”

He knew that Mary would not have even hinted at that.
So, how in the hell had this woman come to this conclusion?

She’d been watching him and suddenly, she looked
surprised. “Oh my God, you would do that. I can tell by the look on
your face. That med unit thing can alter our brains.”

She became angry. “If that damn med unit can change
our minds then why ask for our help. Why not just make us believe
that we want to work for you. We’d be like automatons, or more like
slaves, really.”

“Doctor, you just answered your own question. You
would be like slaves and we won’t do that to anyone. The people
selected to work with us out here must know the truth of the danger
that the human race is facing. It is our hope that most of you will
see the bigger picture and realize that we’re all in the same
sinking boat. We desperately need people, such as yourself, to
pitch in and help us remain afloat, as we prepare for a calamity
that could mean the end of human existence.”

She was quite taken back by his blunt honesty. Dr.
Fulwiler hung her head, in thought, as she pondered the enormity of
what he had said. It was a lot to take in, even more so for a
physicist, because she had a greater understanding of what must be
involved.

Finally, she raised her head, gazed deeply into his
eyes and said, “Well shit. If we’re going to be working together,
then you might as well call me Bet. I’ll be damned if I’m going to
kiss your ass and call you General every time I raise my hand and
ask for permission to take a piss.”

Mike roared with laughter. Once it subsided, he told
her, “Please, Bet, by all means call me Mike. Have you always had
such a foul mouth?”

“Unfortunately, yes. It comes from a lifetime of
working in a man’s world. As I rose up the ladder of academic
success, I faced a lot of male egos. So, when they pushed, I pushed
back harder.

“A lot of women achieve success by playing nice and
slowly worming their way up the winding stairway of the university
system, or within the halls of government. They waste half of their
lives waiting for a door to open, giving them the chance to show
what they can do. The problem with that approach is men who are
intimidated by the thought of a woman’s creativity are the very
people who evaluate those ideas.

“I discovered at an early age that a strong
aggressive offense is the best defense against arrogant, empire
building egomaniacs. I care about success. I definitely have an ego
and it’s a big one. But I think it’s foolish to stomp on an idea
that works, just because it wasn’t mine. I embrace achievers and
abhor those who build roadblocks to achievement.”

Mike smiled warmly. “Bet, I wasn’t just wrong about
you…I was completely dead wrong. You are exactly what we need out
here.”

Bambi, breakfast please.

On it.

The table opened up again and there were two plates
with scrambled eggs and sort of bacon, with toast and jam.

Bet let out a breath and mumbled, “Oh this is
wonderful. I’m really hungry.”

“Doctor, do you think the others will come in with
us?”

“Oh hell yes. Look at it this way. You have a bunch
of old scientists, each with one foot in the grave. It’s been
several years since they had any relevance in the scientific
community and they’ve more or less given up on life. Then you come
along, give them a healthier body and vitality and tell them they
can help to save the world. You have offered them a sense of
importance. They can use their years of experience for the good of
mankind. They matter again.”

Mike nodded, grinned and asked her, “Bet, how old do
you think I am?”

She displayed her intelligence by answering, “I have
no idea, because I assume you’ve been through some youth process.
You look like you’re in your mid-twenties. If I must guess, I’d say
you’re around fifty or sixty.”

“I’m seventy one years old. Now, let me ask how old
you are?”

She looked sheepish and told him, “You don’t just ask
a lady that sort of question. However, I’m eighty six.”

“Bet, I don’t believe you’ve looked in a mirror yet,
but you look more like fifty, and if I may say so, a damn fine
looking fifty. That’s a partial benefit of our med unit repairs.
After you’ve been upgraded, you’ll have the youthful body of a
twenty five year old woman. And, you’ll live to be more than two
hundred, maybe even much older, we’re not sure yet.”

She couldn’t hide her huge, wide, toothy smile.
“Damn, Mike, you sure know how to make a sales pitch.” Then she
frowned. “So, what’s the down side…there’s always a down side to
good news.”

“Smart girl. Yes there is a down side. To be upgraded
is a very painful process. We’ve learned a lot, since I was
upgraded and it’s a lot better now. But it’s still a rough go for
anyone who wants to join us. Also, there’s a good chance we’ll all
be killed by aliens, within the next two years.”

She became dead serious, when she declared, “If I get
a shot at a new life, in a young body, I’ll be damned if I’m going
to let a bunch of aliens fuck it up for me. I’ll deal with the pain
and do everything I can to stop those bastards.”

Mike held out his hand and she shook it, as he asked,
“So you really do think the others will want to join up?”

“Mike, I think they’ll all want to join you. However,
most of us have family on Earth and we’re going to want to let them
know we’re OK. I suppose we can do that without letting the bird
out of the cage. We’ll concoct some sort of story about
volunteering for some secret government project. That should be
believable to our families, because most of us have worked on top
secret projects, at one time or another.”

She pushed a fork full of scrambled eggs in her mouth
and her eyes shot open, as she said, “Oh my God. This IS a secret
government project, isn’t it?”

Mike grimaced and admitted, “It is and it isn’t. Bet,
we are an independent group of people who don’t really trust any
one government on Earth, not even the American government. I
suppose, in a way, we are our own government out here. We are
completely autonomous and answer only to the need to defend
Earth.”

She looked skeptical. “I’m not sure I like that,
Mike. You have already frightened me once. Why should I trust you
and not the government of my own country?”

He leaned forward and challenged her, “Bet, I’m not
Napoleon and I have no desire to rule over anyone.”

He changed his tone and offered, “Haven’t you ever
been afraid of something the government was doing, in spite of
warnings from the scientific community? Look at how many times some
scientific endeavor was sidelined or altered, because some
congressman wanted the project performed in his state, or some
crony company was going to donate to his campaign.

“And what about the enormous organized corrupt body
that congress has become. None of them are working with criminals
per se, but they work closely with industrial giants who are out
for the almighty dollar. So, a project that should only warrant a
fifty thousand dollar grant, gets bumped up to two million and has
to be conducted through some company that’s charging a fortune to
manage the research.

“What I’m saying is that if we let people like that
take over the defense of Earth, the last thing that will happen,
before we’re destroyed, is that several large companies will have
made more profit.

“I’m pretty sure the first thing a lot of the
politicians would want us to do is to figure out a way for them to
be carried to a safer world so they could be safely hidden and
protected there.”

His voice had grown louder and his anger at the
adulteration of everything he held dear, caused him to rise half
way out of his chair.

Better calm down a little, boss. She’s not handling
your anger very well.

Yeah. Thanks, Bambi.

He sank back into his chair. “Bet, I’m sorry…again. I
think my problem is that I’m scared. I’m very concerned for the
survival of the planet. I feel that regardless of anything we can
come up with, it’s going to be inadequate. It’s very tempting to
put it all on the backs of the Americans, but I’ve had too many
looks into that nest of vipers on Capital Hill to believe that the
bureaucracy can pull things together fast enough to save us.”

She surprised him, by reaching out and taking his
hand in hers, saying, “You’ve been burned by that bureaucracy
before, haven’t you? I have too, Mike. I wish you were wrong, I
really do. But I see your point and it is sadly true. If we can
pull in the right people and do it without the interruption of the
government, we can get things done with a speed they never could
achieve. We’ll do it, Mike. We must do it.”

He was strangely comforted by her touch and her
words. He liked this woman and he knew she would be a tremendous
addition to the team. He wouldn’t tell her until after she was
upgraded, but he definitely wanted her on the senior staff.

They talked for another two hours. He pulled no
punches, as he described the agony of being upgraded. She was
intimidated by that prospect, but assured him that she knew it was
worth the aguish. However, she suggested that the others be made
aware of the reality of it, in a kinder fashion.

“Bet, I’ll have Mary handle it. I know I can be a
bull in a china shop. But, we absolutely will not soft peddle it to
them. They have a right to know it will be difficult. Mary has a
nice way of dealing with bad news and she already had the
assignment of explaining it to the scientists.”

She grinned at him and patted his hand, as she
sarcastically told him, “You’re a kind man.”

Before he could rein in his response, he replied,
“Screw you.”

She laughed. “Oh, so that’s why you brought me here,
to screw me. I might like that. I haven’t been laid in nearly
thirty years. This could work.”

“Oh good grief, Bet. I’m sorry. I was just shooting
out the first response that hit me and it was crude and uncalled
for. Forgive me, please.”

“Mike, this is going to be a very odd relationship,
if you have to apologize every ten minutes. I forgive you. Just
never stop calling it like you see it. I respond best to the
unvarnished truth. That was something I rarely got from oversight
committees, in the government, or academia.”