Warp Drive Patent Pending Read online

  Drath would occasionally leave a flower and a card for Linda when they missed each other. He didn’t like to admit it, but he was a romantic at heart. No one would have guessed it because he was a workaholic, but Linda was always in the back of his mind. Sometimes in the middle of complex calculations, thoughts of her would collide with his work. When she was away he occasionally even smelled her perfume in the air. In some cosmic way, he felt they were magically connected.

  At least that’s what he thought for a long time. They were over ten years into their relationship when things changed. Drath was still as happy as a lark, blindly leading the life they had been, happily bouncing from work to home life, completely involved in whatever place he found himself. Linda however, became discontent.

  He was not anything like anyone Drath would have thought Linda would be interested in. His hair was mid back in length and usually tied in a ponytail. On the occasions that Drath saw him, it looked as if it hadn’t been washed in a while. He wore a scruffy beard that hid most of his face, and he always wore sunglasses with mirrors that reflected back whoever faced him. Charlie was his name. Drath wasn’t sure if he even finished high school. He was a banjo player in a bluegrass band that traveled around the California mountains doing shows at small bars and barn dances. He traveled with a ragtag bunch of musicians in a renovated school bus.

  What happened, Drath asked himself a hundred times. She doesn’t even like bluegrass, much less the banjo. How could she just leave and go with him?

  Drath tried to survive without Linda in his life. He tried to pour himself into his work. He was productive there, but his life felt empty. Those moments when her perfume interrupted his work often tormented him. And it seemed like all the radio stations were playing more bluegrass than usual. That was torture. It wasn’t long before he knew he needed a complete change.

  Tampa was like a breath of fresh air. Drath didn’t once regret moving. He was as far from the memories of Linda as he could get. The change was good, and the cost of living was much lower. That allowed him to get the great condo. He loved the humidity but disliked the storms that came through the city every afternoon. He could almost set his watch by them.

  The University of Tampa offered him a job as the director of the math department and he told himself he was going to slow down and be less of a workaholic. He really tried for a while but found that was impossible. Before the end of the first year in Tampa, he was working long hours again. He had several projects going on at the same time, and before he knew it, he was back in the same old grind. He came to realized couldn't change, but he was happy.

  “Nothing from the office for you tonight,” Sue said as she swayed into his sunset view. She tipped over and gave him a quick kissed. The scent of her sweet perfume filled the room. It was nothing like Linda’s perfumes, but still nice. She dropped into the matching chair next to his that overlooked the distant cityscape. “What ya’ looking at?” she asked as she picked up the folder from his lap. Sue held no boundaries and somehow always got away with being meddlesome. She took the folder and started leafing through it.

  “It’s nothing, a job offer,” Drath answered.

  “Nice place. Are you gonna take the job?” she asked.

  “I doubt it. I’m happy here,” he said

  “The laboratory building has a gym with a pool! How cool is that?”

  “The university has a better pool, and I never use it.”

  “It tells me the company cares about its employees,” she added.

  Very insightful, Drath thought.

  She looked through almost every page, commenting on the photos and pointing out details as if she were the one given the job offer. As she turned the last page, she found a tri-folded page in the pocket of the folder. She pulled it out and started reading it.

  “Wow! You’re gonna’ turn this offer down? You must be making more here than I thought.”

  Drath hadn’t seen the letter tucked in the folder pocket when he looked earlier. He reached over and got the page from her and gave it an eager read.

  “You might want to reconsider that offer,” Sue suggested.

  The Research Center

  Days later it was a done deal, but Drath was having second thoughts about taking the job. All through the last nights he spent with Sue, he wondered if he were making the right decision. He would surely miss Sue, and he would miss the perfect job that he had at the University. There were moments when he came close to changing his mind. Drath didn’t know what he was jumping into. All he knew was that it was an offer too good to be true and that always brought up a red flag. But, even more than the high six digit salary, he was eager to tackle the real challenge of proving his theories true. The last few days in Tampa were a real mix of ups and downs. Sue seemed to be taking the separation fine, though. She even seemed excited for him. She had been staying most nights at the condo and would move there to keep an eye on it. She was happy about that too. Her sugar daddy always took good care of her.

  When the day came to leave, Sue drove him to the airport. Tampa’s International Airport didn’t have a flight to Australia. He would first stop at Los Angeles International Airport, then a leg to Hawaii. After that, he’d take a leg to Japan and finally the jump to the great continent of Australia. He had his international working papers, his passport and all the documents he thought he’d need. He had two suitcases of clothes and a box of files and notes about his research. He checked everything. After a long kiss goodbye with wishes of good luck, Drath turned his back on Sue and took his first step toward what he hoped was the right decision. Excitement was in the air, there were no tears shed by either of them.

  He hadn’t been back to California since he left it years ago running from the memory of Linda. All the way back she was on his mind, overshadowing the thoughts of his upcoming job. He hated to admit it. He still loved her. If she would have him back, he would be at her side in a minute. He hadn’t seen her in so many years he wondered what she looked like now. He wondered what she was doing. Was she still with Charlie?

  When he stepped off the plane, heading for the next flight, he stepped from the cool climate controlled atmosphere of the plane to the California heat. It was different from Florida. It was still hot, but the humidity felt worlds apart. Breathing was easier, even with the LA smog, and his forehead was free of the ever present glisten of Florida moisture. California girls were everywhere. Short pants and stringed shoulder tops showed lots of tanned skin. Blond hair colored the crowns of the crowd, many wearing beach bum, and surfer’s attire. As he walked through the terminal, he imagined hearing Linda’s voice. Almost every woman he looked at reminded him of her, and he even smelled her perfume again. When he finally got to his next plane, he was happy to take refuge in it, away from the emotional strain of his memories.

  It was a long trip to Hawaii, and the plane traveled high. There was nothing to see but clouds. Even if the plane was lower, he knew there would be nothing to see but the ocean, but he wanted something to keep his mind busy. His mind jumped from Sue to his guilt of wanting to see Linda again, to the excitement of the new job. He tried to sleep, but couldn’t find any rest for his active mind.

  Once they landed he had an hour to walk around the airport before his plane left for Japan. He wished he had a little more time to visit the islands because he had never been there before, but had to satisfy himself with the standard airport tourist traps. He bought a couple postcards, jotted a note to Sue and dropped it in the mail.

  Once in Japan, he was quickly ushered to a waiting corporate jet with the Glass logo on its tail. It was really happening, he thought to himself. I’m almost there. Australia was a mystery to him. Images of kangaroos, Outback Aborigines, and the Sydney Opera Hall overshadowed whatever facts he actually once knew about the country.

  The small jets had about thirty seats, but only about a quarter of them were taken. Drath took a seat near a window. The seat beside him remained vacant. The people seemed evenly spaced, separ
ated by a seat or two. Some of them carried carry-on bags, others had laptops. None of them seemed to talk to each other. They were all strangers, he assumed, drafted to work on the same project he was headed for.

  He was sleepy, excited and nervous at the same time. He realized had been racing west for so many hours now that he was a day ahead of when he started. The jet was quiet and the ride was smooth. Even with the excitement of the flight he finally found himself falling asleep. He released himself and let himself rest. Quickly he was asleep and slept for the last six hours of his trip half way around the world.

  He woke when the jet angled sharply for the landing. He was dreaming about Sue. It was an erotic reliving of their last night together. It was intense. Drath was still feeling the strains of the farewell sex in the depths of his body when the wheels of the Glass private jet touched down in Australia. He was there. It was too late to change his mind and run back to her comfortable arms.

  The airport at the Glass Research Complex was the size of a small city airport. Several aircraft of various sizes lined the runway with a number of closed hangers. There were also several types of helicopters. In the distance, he could see multi-floor office buildings and even mid-rise apartment buildings. As Drath walked down the short stairway to the tarmac with the other passengers, a white sedan pulled up to the jet. The back door opened. A lanky man dressed in black jeans and a light blue shirt got out. He slipped a black cowboy hat on his head that matched the four-inch belt buckle and boots he wore. After scanning the small crowd, and glancing at a piece of paper he held in his hand he walked up to Drath.

  "Hi’ya Mr. Drath, my name is George Hanlon. Do you have a first name?” he asked. “We are all kinda friendly round here.”

  “My first name is Albert, but I never liked the name. Everyone calls me Drath.”

  He folded the paper and slipped it into his shirt breast pocket. “Ok Drath it is then, we'll be workin’ together here at the lab. I was asked to pick ya’ up and show ya’round a little. Would you like to start with your apartment?"

  "Sure, I could drop off my bags."

  Three men had emptied the jet’s belly, and there was a row of mismatched luggage that the passengers were picking through. Drath stepped over and picked up his bags.

  The tall man opened the trunk, and Drath set the bags inside. “I Have one more and a box of files.”

  "Right," he said. “They may come in handy.”

  There was something in his voice that sounded sarcastic, but serious too. Drath didn’t know how to take the remark. But he didn’t dwell on it and dropped the box into the trunk.

  "First stop, your apartment," he said as he held the door for Drath to enter the passenger side of the car. He walked around the front at took the driver’s seat. George had a strong southern accent and a voice with a twang.

  “You’re from the states?” Drath asked.

  “Geez yes, born n’ raised in Alabama.” He said with a smile. “How’d ya know?”

  “You sound like you’re from the south. I’m from California, but I live in Tampa now.”

  “Ya’ live at Glass Research,” he corrected. He had a cheerful grin that wouldn’t stop.

  “I guess so. I’m a long way from home.”

  “Me too, you can take the boy out of ‘Bama, but you can’t take the ‘Bama out of the boy!” he laughed.

  The sedan was cool and comfortable, plush leather seats wrapped around them. The roads were smooth, and the car was nearly silent as they started on their way.

  George Hanlon pointed out that most of the research center was built within the last fifteen years following a restructuring and a push for more research and development. Mr. Glass had used a fair portion of his personal wealth to build a whole new wing of the company. It was actually a separate personally owned company called Glass Research. The land was part of his cattle ranch, which still operated outside the 30 square mile research center.

  "He has a lot of land," Drath said.

  "Glass is the largest supplier of beef in the southern hemisphere, even surpass’en Argentina."

  "He is quite a businessman."

  "The cattle ranch was his family business. He inherited it years ago," George added.

  Drath looked at the buildings in the complex as the neared, "Are all the researchers American?"

  "Geeze no, Glass handpicked us from across the globe. I worked at the strategies wing for NASA."

  "Really! Talk about a brain drain. Did you get a better offer too?" Drath asked.

  "I couldn't refuse it," he added.

  "Glass seems to be able to get the people he wants."

  George paused before commenting, "Yea’, but the chance to work on this project is life changing’."

  "How so?"

  "You'll see. Just look around," he said.

  They dropped the luggage at the apartment. It was on the second floor of a seven-floor building. The suite was very nice, clean with modern appliances and a new mattress. It was completely furnished. A fruit basket on the table had a card inviting the use of room and laundry service for free. The back balcony looked out over the pool. Several young women were sunbathing there. It could have been much worse, Drath thought.

  “You got a nice view of the pool. Mine’s on the fourth floor. It looks out the other way.” George seemed to be a nice guy. He said he was single and loved the opportunity to travel around the world and work. He said he enjoyed working at Glass research and had nothing bad to say about the place. Even though Drath had just met him, he had the feeling that George was the kind of person he could trust. He didn't seem to have any secrets and shared what he knew freely.

  Back on the tour, he drove around commenting on the buildings. "This is the center’s medical facility. If ya’ ever need a doctor you can come here," he said. It was a wide single story building of chrome and teal brick. It wasn’t too far from the apartment, but Drath was starting to become lost in the maze of buildings.

  "The complex seems very self-contained. Can we leave the grounds? I was thinking of doing a little sight-seeing on my time off," Drath asked

  "Glass Research is about a thousand miles from the nearest tourist center. There's nothing but grazing land and scrub around here," he answered. “Ya’ can sign out a car and ya’re free to leave the complex, but there is nothing to see. There’s a bus that goes out to Birdsville every Friday."

  Drath sat quietly as the tour proceeded to the next building. "This is one of the engineering buildings," George said. It was three stories, with smooth mirrored glass sides. On three sides of the building, there were round topped hangers connected to it. A small brass dolphin sprayed water from its blowhole into a brick basin at the front entrance. The car circled the fountain and drove past to the next building.

  "This is where we’ll be working together. It’s the Navigations Center."

  "Navigations?" Drath asked. "I thought I’d be working on warp."

  "Warp is ‘bout tied up, but you'll be involved in that too. They are kind’a tied together."

  "Tied up?" Drath asked.

  "We've got a few more problems to solve, but we are getting there."

  His heart skipped a beat then Drath asked, "Are you telling me that you have already created warp?"

  "No, but we’re close we think."

  "So you have a craft?" Drath asked dumbfounded.

  "Several," he answered.

  "You’re pulling my leg. How long has Glass been working on this?"

  "Almost fifteen years," George answered. "Would you like to see’em?"

  Drath was speechless but nodded.

  "This was gonna to be the last stop on the tour, but we can jump a little," he said with a smile.

  They pulled up to a hanger with the number 3 stenciled in red on the large hanger door and entered through the side of the building into an office. Cold air conditioning chilled the air in the room, and harsh fluorescent lights tinted their faces a yellowish green. Glass was sitting at one of the desks. He looked
up with a smile. "You're a bit early," he said.

  George brought him up to speed. "We skipped a few things," he said with a smile.

  "That's fine. I'm glad you’re here." Glass held out his hand to shake. Drath took it. "Welcome to Glass Research mate, I hope you’re impressed, so far."

  "Well, yes it's quite a place. You seem to take good care of your people."

  "It's the only way to keep them," he said. "Mr. Drath, when you accepted this position you signed a confidentiality clause that makes everything we do here at Glass a top secret project, so to speak. No one can know what we are doing. We must protect our corporate advantage on this technology."

  Drath understood the need for security if what George alluded to was true. "I have signed confidentiality clauses before. I understand, and I agree to your terms."

  "I pay substantially for my employee’s loyalty," Glass said

  "And I appreciate that," Drath said with a smile.

  "What we have in this hanger and what I can show you on the rest of the tour is the top end of our need-to-know secrets. The projects that you will be working on demands you need to know. Revealing what you learn, without permission by the company, will result in legal charges," Glass warned.

  "I understand that."

  "Good. I'm really thrilled to have you on our team."

  Glass walked over to the door and turned the knob. Before opening it, he looked back at Drath. “Your level one security access begins now,” and he opened the door.

  Hanger Three

  It took only a second for his eyes to adjust to the hanger’s subdued lighting. It was dim, but you could see well enough to recognize a craft not far from the door. As the group walked toward it, a rack of lights aside the craft increased in intensity. The dark oval craft, about thirty feet in length began to reflect with a highly polished surface. It was the shape of an almond on its side, about ten feet thick. The object was almost jet black, but very reflective.