Bright Star

The Colonel through the file down on to the table top in front of himself, “Don’t give me this scientific mumbo-jumbo, just tell why I should give you two point five billion. Whats in it for our country?” He looked as if he could rip someones head off, and not think twice about it, thought Dr. Susie Surefoot. She regretting having to come to the military for funding, but she had no choice, none of the big energy corporation wanted to lose there hold on oil and coal.

“For the last two years, I have jumped through every hoop that your board of scientists and researchers have put in my way just to come to ‘Whats in it for our country?’ How about almost free cheap unlimited energy just to start with.” She was getting angry, “You would know that if you had read the file.” She point at it. She was really tired of all the hoops they were making her jump through.

“Who do you think they reported too?” She thought she seen a slight smile on his face. ’Either way you look at it, in the end the President gave me control of the bank account. From what I’m told by my team that in the interest of national security I should give you walking papers, and deny any involvement with you.” He paused, looking at her to see her reaction.

She never blinked so he continued, “But both the President and I believe that you can do what you say.” This made her smile, she had thought it would have taken her at lest two more years to get any kind of approval. “There’s one thing that you must do first, Doctor.

“What would that be?” She asked.

“Well, you must die, first.” He smiled.

What she thought, die. Then she would not get the credit for the project. No one would know that it was her. She would have to think about this. It was not really the notoriety she was after anyways, but the fact she could help the world. For her this was what it was about, but it would be nice to get the credit for the it, if it worked, on the other hand if it failed no one would know it was her project. She wondered if anyone would know that it even happened if it failed. She didn’t think so.

Two weeks after the meeting Susie was as far as the World was concerned a victim of a car accident. She did feel bad that there were a few people that would be hurt, and she would miss them too, but what her work could mean to the Human race it was worth it, she thought. She was waiting in a hanger to board a Navel airplane, to go to a place that she had no idea where it was.

The Colonel had told her that the less she knew about where she was going the better it was. He told her to pack as if going to the beach. She didn’t like all the secrecy, and didn’t think that her life was in any kind of danger. She had given the Colonel a list of personnel that she had thought would be needed, and he told her not to worry, she would have the World’s best to work with. This didn’t make her feel any better, she had never trusted the military, but they were the only way to get the funding she needed.

A Corporal came up to her and told her it was time to board, and to fallow him. For the next 18 hours she had changed planes four time, and each time she had no idea of where she was. At the last stop she had been told she was to spend the night and her last flight would depart at 0900 the next day. She didn’t mind the soldiers so much but all the politeness was getting on her nerves. No one ever used her name now, it was always yes ma’am this, or no ma’am that.

She was taken to a room, and told that someone would come to take her to dinner at 1800, and to please be ready. The first thing she did was take a shower. There was no television, and her phone was no longer connected. She was still feeling as if she was on a plane so decided to laid down. She wished that she had thought to bring a book with her, but she had never thought she would be the only passenger on the planes.

She didn’t sleep long, but she did dream of being up on stage, given a lecture on how her prototype generator could save the world. The crowd was heckling her, calling her a fraud and saying things that she would never say to anyone. They didn’t want to hear what she was trying to tell them, say she did nothing but give the military a powerful new weapon.