Dark as Daylight Ch. 07

"Rod, our 3 boys are amazing; they are just amazing. Holden is staying at the building site from now on. The Colonel will be responsible for his well-being. He said, and I quote, 'I don't want to join my dad so soon.' He was frightened by today's events, as was I. I can't blame him. He wants to be able to finish the spacecraft before anything happens to him. That is his goal in life, and he sounds exactly as determined as his father to complete the 'Good Luck 2.'

I know Rosalynn may put up an argument against this, and she is his legal guardian. Tell her to visit him at the site, instead of making him come home. If he leaves the building site, he may crack under the strain."

"Should we have him see a psychiatrist?"

"I think that would be the worst thing to do to him. He's not crazy, he's worried about another attack on his person. The best place for him to be is at the building site. He helped design the barrier defenses. He knows what it would take to get through them. Let him stay where he feels the safest, and let him work. As long as his mind is busy, he will be fine."

"Okay William, I'll tell my Rosalynn about it, while we are in bed. It will make her more amenable to the situation, and she won't kill me, at least until we have finished."

"You sound like my father and mother."

"It's not a terrible way to live, as long as you survive, and have a smile on your face when you die."

"You are a throwback to the 1970's Rod. You would have fit right in, with all the sex and free love back then."

"I didn't need all those women. I married Rosalynn, and she was better than all of them combined."

"I have to finish briefing the Colonel. I'll call you while I'm on my way to New York. If Rosalynn answers the phone, instead of you, I'll send flowers."

"It's a very nice thought on your part William, but I've never lost a case yet. I don't intend to lose one to my wife."

"How many female judges did you say you went up against?"

"Thank you William; that's one more thing I had to start thinking about now."

"Don't tell me you know who your trial judge is going to be?"

"We received a certified letter yesterday informing us that the Supreme Court of Texas has decided our case needs one of the most experienced judges in Texas on the bench for this trial. Therefore, the most honorable justice Maureen C. Culpepper has been assigned to our case. Do you know what the letter 'C' stands for in her middle name?"

"I don't even know who the lady is."

"The letter 'C' stands for Cunt! Vincent and I have been reading every one of her cases, since we got the news that she is our judge. Out of almost 11,000 cases she has ruled on, she has only found for the plaintiff 722 times.

Vincent believes they want us to try to get her off the bench for our case. They want us to start a legal war against her, which ultimately we will lose. We will go into court with egg on our faces, and a judge that will be super angry with us.

He wants us to play it the other way. When the media hears about her appointment to our trial, they're going to be all over us.

Instead of blasting her record, we will say how honored we are to have such an experienced jurist hearing such a complex case. This is not a simple case of an employee being terminated illegally, but what she found during her days of employment that led Multitronix Corporation to fire her, instead of the 4 white men who were junior to her.

Elizabeth Luxor was the Senior Budget Analyst for Multitronix Corporation, and we will show, during the trial, what she found while she was working there. We can't speak to it now, but we will during the trial. Thank you."

"You don't have to convince me Vincent, you have to convince the press, the jury, and the judge. Good luck."

"I don't want to talk anymore over the phone, but we have a very good shot at winning."

"I know you do. You and Vincent have never lost a case, and my dad bet me $1 dollar you wouldn't lose this one. I wanted to bet him $1 dollar you wouldn't lose, but he beat me to the punch."

"It's good to know Vincent and I have friends in high places. Goodbye William."

"You two have to stay safe Rod, that's not a request, that's an order."

"We shall obey."

*****************************

"Who was that Rod?"

"It was William Zabo, ordering us to stay safe. Richard and Holden Luck have been declared National Treasures by the President. Do you realize what that means for us?"

"You bet your ass I do. The opposition has no idea we are going to turn the boys loose on their books. Once we call them to the stand, their lawyers are going to laugh through both sides of their mouths, looking at two rocket geeks, 10 and 13 years old, testifying at a complex, multi-billion-dollar civil trial, where a lot of high powered people are going to eventually find themselves behind bars, or deceased.

We don't have to inform Multitronix or any of the other corporations, who are drawn into this trial, until 3 days before it they testify. They will laugh at us for bringing in 2 scientists, into a trial concerning fraud, legal misconduct, illegal termination, and 38 other charges that we've already uncovered.

The fact that they are laughing at us for seeking $600 million in reparations, and triple damages, will stop immediately, as the boys' start reeling off numbers from memory. They will be looking up pages of notes, and the boys will tell them what page the numbers are on. The jury will be laughing at them, and the judge will have a hard time keeping them under control. The boys will be our final witnesses, as well as our rebuttal witnesses. Multitronix will not have a chance, as long as we can keep those boys' safe."

"Vincent, you are absolutely brilliant. I just thought of a way to keep the boys safer than in their mother's womb."

"Are you going to tell me how we are going to do it?"

"Absolutely..."

"You evil bastard you. I love it."

30. You Forgot!

"Okay dad, as I promised I've set up the board on your side of the new lounger. I placed a light in an area so there is no shadow over the board, and I have placed white on your side, so you may begin the game. I hope you last longer than the President did."

"Patrick, you are now the administrator of NASA. I am going to break a precedent. Go to your wallet and bring me a $1 bill. I am going to add it to the $1 bills I have received from every President since Johnson."

"William, you know what to do."

"Dad, I've been looking forward to this match for more than a month. Please take him apart; he is too smug for his own good."

"Thank you William, it's been a long while since I've played. I still have the talent to beat him."

"No you don't dad. I'm going to prove it to you during the next hour."

"Good luck Patrick."

"Get your crying towel out dad."

"I see what you mean about him being too smug. I think I'll give him an attitude adjustment."

"It will be a pleasure to see dad."

"In your dreams dad. Brian Jones is a three-time master. I'm going to be using his defense against your opening. It's called, 'Full Metal Jacket.' What's the name of your offensive game dad?"

"I Forgot."

"You forgot? Open dad, you are in trouble already. If you can't remember the name of your game, how can you possibly play it?"

Junior sat down, out of harm's way. Gwen leaned on his back, with her arms around his neck, nibbling on his ear, and watching the match.

Then it started:

William: Queen's pawn Queen 4. Patrick: King's pawn to King 4.

"You've already lost dad. I am just toying with you."

William: Queen pawn x Kg pawn. Patrick: Kings knight to rook 3.

"You are walking straight into my trap dad; be careful."

William: Qn. Bishop's pawn Queen Bishop 3. Patrick: King's knight King's night 5.

"Oh dad, a wasted move. Can't you try a little harder, please?"

William: Queen to Queen 4 Patrick: Queen to Kings Rook 4

"I've got you dad, and there's no way you can get out of it. I'm getting my $1 dollar back in 7 moves."

"Yes Patrick, it looks like the game is going to be over soon."

William: Queen to King Bishop 3. Patrick: Queen to King 2.

William: King's pawn Kings pawn 3. Patrick: Kings Rook pawn to Kings Rook 4.

William: Queen takes Queen's Knight. Patrick: You bastard, how did you do

"Are you conceding my son?" that? You are about to wipe out the right side of my board, and there's nothing I can do about it."

William Jr. was trying his best not to laugh, but it was impossible. Even though Gwen was smacking him on his back, he couldn't stop. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her.

"My dad beat him in 6 moves. Isn't that the greatest thing you've ever heard of in your entire life?"

"No, I think your proposal was. Your dad beating him in 6 moves comes in 2^nd. Why can't you beat him?"

"He's better than I am. It's as simple as that. Where did you learn to play that way dad?"

"If my youngest son bothered to look at chess masters in the 60s and 70s, he would have found an Italian Chess Master 4 times with my name attached to it."

Patrick yelled at the top of his lungs. "You cheated me. You never told me you were master."

"Did he ever ask me that question William?"

"No dad, he never did. All I heard from him was how good he was, and how badly he was going to beat you. I think you put him in this place today."

Patrick asked, "What was the name of the game you played?"

"I told you the name of the game I played when you asked me."

"No you didn't, all you said was 'I forgot."

"That's the name of the game Patrick. Circa 1700, the name of the game is, 'I Forgot.' Look it up on your computer, you will find it. If you look up my name, you will see I played that game extensively, and beat several players during tournaments using it. They didn't know how to defend against it, just as you didn't know how to do it. You fell into every trap everyone else did. You had no idea what I was doing, so you had to retreat with your Queen. You just lost your first night. Now you are about to lose your 2^nd knight, then your Rook, and finally your Bishop. Then I will take 5 of your pawns, before you can stop me. During that time, I will lose a Bishop. 5 moves later, I will have two Queens. You would lose your Queen, and I would lose one of mine, but the game is over. Most players conceded when you did."

"Were you living here at the time?"

"No, I was still very young, and I was living in Italy at home with my parents. I stopped playing, when it stopped being fun. I put my math skills to other uses. Everything in this world now is math, technology, engineering, and science. If you're not in those areas, or invested in those areas, you are way behind the times. If you're only invested in land, or precious metals, you're going to lose. They keep saying there is only a certain amount of land, and I agree. You should have some in your portfolio, but the question is where. Russia is out of the question, so is China. They won't turn around for 200 or 300 years. Poland is a good bet, so is Romania. Stable governments, good natural resources, and stable low prices. Precious metals are a problem because of the countries they come from. Sooner or later the western countries are going to embargo gold, platinum, titanium, and the rest of the precious, or semi-precious metals that are mined under these autocratic governments, under slave like conditions, just as they did blood diamonds. Ten people die for every ounce of gold from the ground. The men work in temperatures of over one-hundred degrees, and are given water to drink that we would not give our animals. It's all in the name of profit, and I got out of those area twenty-seven years ago, when a friend took me on a tour of one of his facilities, in the Ivory Coast. After that trip we were no longer friends.

As far as land goes, the Nordic areas and Switzerland are too expensive, because of their governments. Birth to death insurance is a wonderful idea. 3 months off every year is also wonderful. However, productivity goes down, your prices have to go up, and you're priced out of the market. Why do you think Swiss watches cost so much? They're no better than a Seiko, or a Timex watch, but there 10 times more expensive. It's the advertising that lures the big buyer's in. You'll notice I wear a Timex, and it's 15 years old. I will wear it until it dies, or I do."

Jemma said, "I could always help you if you want."

"I thought you wanted me to live forever, and die in bed with me."

"I'm waiting for you to name our girls. It's nearly a month now, and I'm tired of calling them my loves. If you don't do it by tomorrow morning, I'm going to do it, and you're not going to like the names I give them."

"My dearest wife, what would you like to name our babies?"

"If you made me wait all this time, and then make me name our babies, the next time we make love, I'm going to bite that thing of yours off."

"You would miss it."

"Yes I would, but they make fake ones that look like and feel like real ones now. They even move like a human male."

Gwen said, "Will hold your brothers' ears please."

Junior gripped Patrick around his neck, and wrestled him to the floor, while covering his ears.

He screamed, "No, I have to hear this. It sounds like something dirty is about to come out of Gwen's mouth."

"You're right, but you're not going to hear it."

"Go ahead babe, I've got him."

"Mom, I watched the video. There is no dildo out there that could replace dad in your bed. He has some moves I've never seen before, and until I met William, no man that ever made it to my bed did anything like that to me."

"You can let your brother go now William."

"I heard every word and there was nothing dirty there. I just want to know where that disc is?"

"Do you see that fireplace? I put 2 logs in it, and plus a little fire starter. I used dad's long matches and started a roaring fire. I waited 5 minutes until the logs were intensely hot, and the flames were a foot high. I used the tongs, and placed the disc on the top log. I watched that disc as it melted, shrunk, and turned to ash. If you know how to reassemble the atoms it turned into, that's where it is."

"Gwen, you are really mean."

"How old do you have to be to get into an R-rated movie, by yourself?"

"I don't know; I don't go to the movies."

"You have to be 18 years old."

"You have to be 21 years old to see an X-rated movie. I know you watch porn on your computer. The producers of that smut say you have to be 18 years old or older, because it's okay in that state. They can't be sued if you watch it in another state. They have a federal warning telling you that you have to be 18 years or older, unless you live in certain states. Certain states say you can't watch it at all, because it's illegal. They can't stop you, because they're not allowed in your home. They can't look into your computer, because that's is an illegal search and seizure. That is illegal according to our Constitution.

What your mother and father did was specifically for your brother and me. It was not for general release. After we watched it, we wanted to keep it for the future, until you found out about it. There is no place in this house, or this world, you would've not searched to find it. The best place for it was in that fire. Maybe when you're old enough William and I will make one for you."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise. You may be 60, but I promise."

"I know you better than that, you won't keep me waiting that long."

"Have you started reading up on NASA yet, Patrick?"

"Yes I have. I have never seen an agency so fucked up in paperwork. It's no wonder they can't get anything done on time. It takes nearly 2 months to buy a screwdriver, and that screwdriver winds up costing more than $60 because of the paperwork. Let me give you a real life example:

A screwdriver broke. The technician had to write up a work order for new screwdriver. He has to bring the paperwork to his boss with the broken screwdriver. His boss has to write up another piece of paper to justify what the technician wrote down. The 2 pieces of paper and the screwdriver goes into a manila envelope and bumped up one level to the senior supervisor in the same department. A secretary gets it, timestamps it, and puts it on the bottom of the heap of papers on her desk. It works its way up to the top of those papers, until it gets the supervisors desk. He reads both pieces of paper, and he looks at the screwdriver. He agrees the screwdriver is truly broken. He writes up another piece of paper, and sends it to accounting. The lady in accounting reads the 3 pieces of paper. She looks at the screwdriver and agrees that the screwdriver is indeed broken. She fills out another piece of paper, and stamps that they need a screwdriver for this technician. The paper is puts it back into the manila envelope and it goes to the purchasing department. Purchasing reads all the paperwork, and checks the computer to see if they have the screwdriver in stock. If they don't they go to the manual to see if it's worth buying one screwdriver locally, or putting out a bid for 100 screwdrivers. If they decide it's worth putting it out to bid, they have to get at least 3 bids for 100 screwdrivers.

Meanwhile, the technician who is working on the satellite, and needs this screwdriver to complete his portion of the work, is sitting on his ass, because he can't move forward without it. His productivity goes down, as well as his performance review, and none of this is his fault.

3 weeks later, the 3 bids on this screwdriver come in from 3 highly qualified suppliers. The purchasing agent believes the bids are too high, and voids them.

He puts it out to bid again stating a maximum price for the screwdriver. Instead of getting a premium screwdriver that will last 5 years or more. The purchasing agent receives bids for the screwdriver, at a much lower price than the maximum he announced on the bid. He didn't care that it was made of substandard aluminum, instead of chrome plated nickel/steel. He did know that it was made in a backwater country, and that fit in perfectly with the balance of trade between our 2 countries.

The screwdrivers arrived 5 weeks after the technician put in his request. He can finally put together the important pieces of the satellite that was supposed to go into orbit in 4 months. He is nearly finished when his new screwdriver breaks. Oh well!!

Since he was delayed for a 5½ weeks, due to the screwdriver incident, the launch has to be put back by a 5 1/2 weeks. However, this time it only took 2 weeks for the technician to get a new screwdriver, because there were 99 remaining in stock. The launch is now delayed 2 months, because of one screw driver."

*3 blocks away from the Space Complex, there is a True Hardware Store selling the premium screwdrivers for $13.89 each. The purchasing agent/nee/the United States government/nee/We The People/ paid $67.23 each, for 100 substandard screwdrivers, after going through the procurement process.

I am going to put a stop to that nonsense immediately."

Dad, I hope that committee tries to tear me a new asshole, because they are the ones who force NASA to go through this bullshit."

"Son, how soon are you going to be prepared to go before them?"

"With everything I have to read, I would say 3 to 4 weeks."

"I will make sure they don't try to get you there before that time. I will try to give you a little more time than that just in case you need it. They will grill you on the new rocket. Make sure you tell them it's a waste of money."

"Dad when I sit before them I will know every nut, bolt, and engineering spec on that thing. I will turn it back on the person who asks me a question and after I'm finished answering it, I will ask him a simple question on the rocket, and watch him stutter his way through a non-answer. When he's finished, I'll answer it for him."