Defiant (an Ell Donsaii story #9) (16 page)

Ell picked it up. “Do they really think that people will want to have their Coke delivered separately?”

“No, but, imagine if, instead of a big vending machine in our break room, we had one of these attached to the wall. You tell the puck you want a diet coke. Your AI gives it your payment info and once the puck senses your hand under it, bang, an ice cold Coke drops into your hand.”

“Oh,” Ell put her fingers to her lips in mild consternation, “these going to kill local stores aren’t they?”

Fred gave a sad little shrug, “Unless they can find a different way to compete, yeah. You might figure that they’d compete on products you’d want to hold in your hand and look at before you buy, but Amazon is setting up to be able to send you sample products to look at and return, then send you the ‘new in package’ version if you decide you do want it.” He made a little grimace, “That won’t work very well for grocery products like produce, but even there they plan to let you look at the actual product you want to buy on video before it goes out to you.”

“Oh man, that’ll be
hard
on the Mom and Pop stores!”

Fred shrugged, “Or, it’ll be an opportunity. Remember, Mom and Pop stores are already in trouble, but they
can
sell
through
Amazon already. Also, FedEx and UPS plan to offer puck type delivery services so if you find a unique product offered by a Mom and Pop store that doesn’t want to work with Amazon, you can order it delivered by UPS.”

“That’s assuming you have a UPS puck. But you’re right, soon your local Mom and Pop could soon be selling to someone in Turkey!”

Rob laughed, “And everyone’s going to be making their products so they’ll fit through a 4” port!”

Vivian grinned, “And
we’re
going to be selling a
lot
more ports.”

When it came time for a report from ET Resources, the only really new item was that Hilton hotels had begun bidding to use one of the living modules at the Habitat as a space tourism facility. At least initially it would be quite expensive, but Hilton had sent up an exploratory team who’d decided that enough wealthy people would be willing to pay for a vacation up there to make it worthwhile. Hilton would want a stationary hub module with windows so people could look out at the view. They intended to eventually purchase a large weightless module as well so guests could enjoy some zero-G sports and games. “They also claim to have a billionaire with heart failure who wants to live up there more or less permanently. There’ll be less stress on his heart.”

Roger lifted a hand. “He might want to check into some of our new medical tech then. One of the heart surgeons at UNC wants to install a ventricular booster around peoples’ hearts. One of the big problems with artificial hearts has been that there was no way to get power into the pump without the danger of infection traveling in along the power wires. Well, that’s solved by the ports and people are back to frantically working on port enabled artificial hearts. However, having your blood go through a mechanical device damages red blood cells and risks clots. It would be much better to just provide a booster squeeze to a weak heart, letting the blood circulate through the patient’s own natural tissue and valves. This doc has a design using a synthetic bag around the heart that contains a bladder. Fluid goes through several ports to expand the bladder. When the bladder expands inside the bag, it pushes against the heart, squeezing it to provide a boost. Maybe your billionaire could live down here after all?”

***

Allan, Ell’s AI, said, “You have a call from Presidential Science Advisor Elton Costella.”

Ell closed her eyes and sighed. Pressing her fingers over her eyes where a headache had suddenly appeared, she said, “Put him through… Dr. Costella?

“Yes Ms. Donsaii. My predecessor, Kant Fladwami said I should talk to you every so often so as to be apprised of any new wrenches you may be throwing into the economic workings of our country?”

Ell forced a chuckle. “That’s probably reasonable. For right now though, we don’t have any revolutionary new technology in the works. You may be aware though that some major e-tailers and shippers are planning to use ports to distribute products?”

“Yes, I’d heard that, but shipping a few small items through ports isn’t going to have much effect on the economy.”

Ell pondered explaining just how many things could be packaged to fit through a 4” port if they needed to be and how such shipments might affect retailing in the country. However, her read of Costella said that he would have already made up his mind and would be angered by any attempt to explain his error. After a moment she only said, “Perhaps.”

Costella said, “I’d like to invite you up to the White House for a briefing with myself and the President regarding the future of your technology. When would you be able to come up?”

“I’ll be available at the President’s convenience.”

“Next Friday at 4 PM then.”

“OK,” Ell said and sank back in her chair with a morbid sense of impending doom.

***

Arriving at the White House, Ell presented her ID. The guard leaned down and looked at her, then looked up at his HUD. “Uh, Ms. Donsaii, it’s an honor… uh, but we don’t have you on the list for admission today?”

Somehow, Ell didn’t feel surprised. “Would you be able to check with the Presidential Science Advisor, Elton Costella? He’s the one that issued me the invitation.”

“Um, I’ll try to reach his assistant. Sorry, but he already has a pretty strong reputation for not liking to be bothered directly.” The earnest young man stepped back into his station and began speaking to the screen there. Twenty minutes passed. The guard had Ell park off to one side so other visitors could pass. Several times, when there were breaks in his duties, he stepped over and apologized for the delay.

Eventually he responded to a chime at his screen and stepped back to his shack. Moments later he stepped back out, jaw working in anger. Nonetheless he spoke politely to Ell, “Um, Yes Ma’am, they say to send you on up.” He motioned her onward.

When Ell walked up to the actual entrance, a dark haired woman in her late thirties stormed up, “I don’t know what’s wrong with those idiots at the gate. Come on. We’re gonna be late.” She turned and walked rapidly away without waiting for Ell’s acknowledgement.

Ell sighed and followed. It soon became evident that they weren’t heading for the Oval Office where Ell had met with presidents in the past. Ell wondered where they might be going but simply followed. Eventually they arrived at an office labeled “Presidential Science Advisor.”

As soon as the woman crossed the threshold Ell heard Costella’s voice bark at her, “Jesus, Nancy! Where the hell have you been?”

“Those morons they have at the gate just
can’t
think for themselves. They want permission before they’ll let
anyone
in.”

“Did you find Donsaii or
not
?”

The woman turned exasperatedly to see Ell just to one side and out of view of the door. She reached out for Ell’s elbow, evidently intending to pull Ell into the doorway and make her visible. Ell subtly shifted her arm to dodge the woman’s hand.

“Come here!” the woman hissed.

Ell tilted her head skeptically, “Do you
ever
speak politely to anyone?”

The woman rolled her eyes and turned back to Costella, “She’s right here.”

“Christ! Well let’s go.” Costella stormed out of the office, glaring at Ell, “You’re late and Stockton’s gonna be pissed!” The little man stalked rapidly off down the hall.

Ell didn’t move.

Costella’s assistant hissed, “Go! You’re gonna make it worse!”

Costella turned angrily and stormed back their way, “What’s your
problem
?”

Ell smiled sweetly and said, “I was on time. Your office failed to notify the gate that I was coming.”

“Those Nazis at the gate…” he began,

He stopped when Ell tilted her head, “Are just doing the job assigned to them. To the letter… correctly. They’re supposed to keep you and the President safe.”

Costella glared at her a moment, then turned and motioned down the hall, “Right this way Ms. Donsaii, preferably
before
the President has a stroke?”

Ell was amused to see that they walked most of the way
back
through the White House to finish up fairly close to where she’d entered. When they arrived, Costella tersely announced himself. Despite being late, they were made to wait. As opposed to Ell’s previous visits, no one offered any refreshments. In fact, no one even offered her a chair. She’d expected the outcome of an encounter with this president to be unpleasant, but she hadn’t expected it to be so unpleasant before they even met.

Ell assumed that the President’s previous appointment had run over but when the door to the Oval Office opened no one exited. Instead a young man appeared, anxiously and urgently waving them in.

As they walked in Stockton didn’t rise. Instead she leaned back in her chair, drumming angrily on the Oval Office’s Resolute desk with her pen. “So, Ms. Donsaii. Too good to arrive on time for an appointment with your president?”

“No Ma’am.” Ell said quietly, standing at attention even though in civilian clothing. As she’d been trained back in her Academy days, she fixed her eyes on a point above and behind the head of the woman she considered to be her Commander in Chief.

“No?” Stockton asked dangerously.

Without moving her eyes Ell said emotionlessly, “No Ma’am. I arrived thirty minutes early, but the guards at the gate didn’t have me on their list.”

“And you’re claiming it took them thirty five minutes to figure that out?”

“Twenty.”

“Twenty what?”

“It took twenty minutes for the guard to get permission to allow me to enter.”

Somewhat triumphantly Stockton said, “Well, with ten minutes, you should still have been here in plenty of time.”

Still without inflection Ell said, “Instead I was guided across the White House to the office of your Science Advisor, then walked
back
across the White House to your office in his company.”

In her peripheral vision, Ell saw Stockton’s eyes flash angrily over to Costella, but they quickly tracked back to Ell. Stockton said, “All that aside, what’s this crap I hear about your refusal to turn over the equipment for the ET missions?”

“You’ve heard correctly, Ma’am.”

“So, you’re in flagrant disregard of the law?”

“I would not characterize it in that manner.”

Stockton snorted, “How would you characterize it? That you’re better than all of our other citizens who
do
have to obey our country’s laws?”

“No Ma’am. I would characterize it as a moral refusal to obey an ill-considered law that I have concluded would place the people of our country and our world in an unreasonable amount of danger.”

“I understand that you are still on reserve status and subject to being called up to active duty?”

“That is correct Ma’am.”

“Then I hereby call you back to duty.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Well, aren’t you supposed to salute or something? I am your Commander in Chief.”

“No Ma’am, I am in civilian dress and inside a building. A salute is not normally rendered in this situation. I will, however, render one if you so desire.”

Stockton snorted, “A barracks lawyer? Never mind, I don’t need a goddamn salute… I do need you to follow military orders and turn that stuff over to Ementhal’s committee.”

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. I believe that to be an unlawful order.”

“Unlawful!”

“Yes Ma’am. It needlessly endangers the lives of civilians.”

“Leaving
you
in control of our contacts with the little green men is what endangers our people! That’s why I’m
ordering
you to turn those contact gadgets over.”

“I’m sorry, Ma’am, I respectfully disagree. Leaving aside the question of whether
any
committee could be trusted to keep a secret like this, there would remain the problem of the people who have been assigned to the Ementhal committee. Many of them are individuals who should not be trusted with such a sensitive task.”

“And just what are you basing
this
bullshit on?!”

“I have carefully reviewed the public records of the members of the committee. Many of them can be demonstrated to be dishonest people of little achievement.”

“What?! Those individuals were appointed by the Congress of the United States!”

“Yes Ma’am. That, however, does not alter the facts regarding the nature of those people.”

“You little
twit
!” Stockton raised her voice as she heaved her rather large frame to its feet and turned to the Secret Service men in the room. “You,” she said, pointing at one of them.

“Ma’am?” the more senior appearing of the young men said. Ell was not at all surprised that Stockton didn’t know the names of the people on her security detail, even after being under their protection for some time. After a moment’s consideration, she realized that they likely had been with her ever since she’d become a candidate for the office of President.

“Arrest this woman.” Stockton said, pointing at Ell.

Seeming taken aback, the man asked, “On what grounds?” Nonetheless he stepped toward Ell.

“Breaking the law, for Christ sake! Haven’t you been listening? Call the Attorney General, he’ll think of something.”

Ell said, “Madame President, I urge you to reconsider. Arresting me will not change my mind regarding the danger of this technology falling into the hands of others, but it could become a significant black mark on your record.”

The secret serviceman took Ell’s hand and pulled it behind her back where he clicked a handcuff on it. Stockton stepped around the desk and pulled off Ell’s headband. She made a show of removing the PGR chip while Ell’s other wrist was being cuffed. Then Stockton leaned in close to Ell’s face, curled her lip and hissed, “I’ll just
bet
you change your mind after some time in solitary…”