Einstein Must Die! (Fate of Nations Book 1) (32 page)

He stood, watching Bertram breath for several minutes, before deciding he was of no use to anyone mourning a still-living man. He turned and walked out into the hallway. As he came around a corner, he ran into Edison and Colonel Oliver in a heated discussion. As soon as they saw Tesla, the conversation went silent, waiting for him to leave.

He ignored them and fast-walked back to their new lab, where he could finally be productive. He passed Sophia, who has heading for the hospital.

“He’s still unconscious,” Tesla said.

“That’s OK. I’ll talk to him anyway.” She smiled.

Tesla nodded and continued back to the hanger. He strode inside, pleased to see Beowulf’s comforting, hulking presence.
At least she’s beyond catching her death from some infection
. He joined George at an ammo reloading station.

“How is he?” George asked.

Tesla shook his head. George let the matter drop.

“Well, I’ve got three magazines reloaded and back in place. She really tore through the ammo. Maybe she got lazy and just didn’t want to carry the weight anymore?”

“I can hear you,” intoned Madelaine.

George laughed. “Yeah, I know…just kidding, Maddy.”

Tesla appreciated George’s attempt to distract from Bertram’s condition, and decided to let him succeed.

“I believe she chose the ‘strength in numbers’ strategy of enemy suppression,” said Tesla.

“Hmmpf,” she said. “Saved your bacon.”

“That it did. But you had the advantage of surprise, bursting from the forest like that. In a pitched battle, the enemy will be steeled to your appearance. And your ammo isn’t unlimited.”

“I know, Nikola. I’ve been practicing in my mind. I can replay the fight in my head and see how wasteful I was. I’ll do better next time, promise.”

“I believe you, my dear. And so does George.”

“It’s true,” he called out as he pulled the final empty magazines out for reloading.

“Thanks. Hey!” Madelaine yelled. “I’ve got a new limerick!”

“Heaven help us,” whispered George.

“Heard that too,” she said. “But I’ll ignore it ‘cause I like you.”

“All right, let’s have it,” said Tesla.

“OK,” she said. “Here goes.

“There was a young man named Gene

Who had a lovemaking machine.

Concave and convex, it served either sex.

And it played with itself in between.”

She giggled uncontrollably. “Huh? Is that excellent?”

“Very nice,” he said, chuckling with her. “Quite a talent for verse you have.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” she said.

“Now, that business of you shooting wild…it brings up something I’ve been thinking on. A way to be more precise with your shots.”

“What’s that?” she asked, curious. From her perspective Tesla was no less than a wizard. And if he wanted to work his magic on her, she was all for it.

“It’s a new device I’ve been experimenting with.” He went to one of their supply crates and dug around for a moment. “Here it is,” he said, pulling out a three-foot panel of curved metal rods, woven together in a loose lattice.

She focused on the odd-looking thing. “What the hell can I do with that?”

Savannah had returned and caught her daughter’s last question. “Language, Madelaine Browning,” she admonished.

“Ah right. Sorry, Mom.”

Tesla held the metal grill up, clearly proud. “This…is long-range vision,” he proclaimed.

“Doesn’t look like it,” said Madelaine.

“Well, of a sort,” he said. “See, this acts like a broadcast antenna. It takes electricity in and converts it to radio waves. It then broadcasts those waves in a certain direction.” He swung the panel left and right.

“OK…”

“So then those waves hit something. A building, or a zeppelin. The waves bounce back, and are collected here again.”

“OK…”

“The trick is…What if we precisely measure the time it takes for those waves to return? We know their speed already. If we then know their travel time, simple math gives us—”

“A range to target,” said Savannah. “Nikola, that’s brilliant!”

“Why, thank you. In any event, it should prove very helpful for Madelaine. With a precise range, her mortars can land right on target the first time. And her main cannon should be able to hit targets much farther out. I’d like to get this installed on her and try it out.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Savannah. “I’d say that’s a great use of time while we wait.”

“We are waiting for something?” Tesla asked.

“Right, sorry. I talked to the general and caught him up about our escape from the base. He’s on the way to Boston right now. It’s going to be a major operation, Nikola. The British will be throwing everything they have to take the city and the port. He’s moving with twelve thousand men to garrison Boston now, and wants us to wait here as reinforcements until we know the layout of the attacking forces.”

“Like the cavalry from medieval times,” said Madelaine.

“Hmm?” Tesla asked.

“I’ve been reading more of the books Papa had in here. There’s a bunch on strategy and tactics. In the Middle Ages, the horsemen were often held in reserve. Once a general saw how the battle was going, he could send in his cavalry as shock troops where they were needed the most.”

She’s growing up fast in there
. Tesla looked to Savannah, not surprised to see a huge grin on her face.

“Mother’s pride.” He laughed.

“Cavalry. Armored cavalry,” Savannah agreed. “Goddamn right.”

“Language, Mother,” Madelaine teased.

***

Tesla stood under Beowulf, pointing to a swivel joint in Beowulf’s suspension. “Here, this is where some oil must be added. And here, and there,” he said, directing Nicholas’s attention down the length of the huge assembly.

Outside the hanger a plane taxied by on the runway, and he raised his voice.

“You will find similar points all the way down, about every seven feet.”

He nodded, and Tesla handed him an oil can.

“Thanks. I’ll have this done soon, and maybe we can go over the sensor array later?”

“Certainly,” said Tesla. “And thank you.”

He stepped out from under Beowulf and turned to look up. George had crawled to the high upper section to finalize the radar installation, thirty feet up. He was struggling to get a pair of thick cables in place before welding a protective barrier around the new radar panel.

Tesla yelled up to him. “I’d feel more secure if you had a safety harness roped off to the ceiling.”

George grinned, a bulky welder’s faceplate slung back over his head. “As would I! It’s OK, I’ve about got it.” He hauled on the cables to gain some slack, then draped them twice over Beowulf’s climate sensor. He let go and was satisfied when they held in place. “All set,” he called down.

“OK, on your say, I’ll switch on the current,” Tesla replied. He moved to a small generator they’d set up for arc welding and prepared to turn it on.

The new radar panel was currently deployed, extending on a small hydraulic arm Madelaine controlled.

“Madelaine, please retract the panel,” asked George.

“Sure thing.” The arm smoothly contracted, and the hinged panel sank down, flush with Beowulf’s hull.

“Thanks.”

George had brought up three strips of heavy steel to weld in place around the radar panel. While the new invention was ingenious, it was also rather fragile to bullets. By surrounding it with strips of armor, it should survive firefights, assuming Madelaine remembered to keep it retracted.

George pulled the welder’s electrode from his work belt and attached it to the cables. Like a handgun, it had a grip and a long extension. In this case the electrical currents flowing through the electrode were used to melt steel and make secure welds.

He shoved his hands into thickly padded leather gloves and brought the faceplate down.

“Hit it!” he called out.

Tesla turned the generator on, and George went to work adding the new armor around the panel. Heavy electrical sparks flared out, spilling down over Beowulf in a fiery waterfall. Tesla resisted the temptation to look at the welding light directly, knowing the intensity would damage human eyes.

As George applied the welds, Tesla poured himself a cup of coffee. A large bowl of fruit had been laid out, and he was tempted by a bright red apple. As he looked about for any cream, an unwelcome voice intruded.

“It has no practical benefit for wartime, you know,” said Edison.

Tesla sighed, finding the cream and pouring it into his cup, watching the swirling patterns with delight.

“Clearly, we differ in our estimations of the technology,” he said, looking up at Edison and taking a sip of the hot coffee.

“Oh, we played with it at Menlo Park, and it’s an entertaining toy. But useful on the battlefield? No.” Edison laughed.

Tesla grinned sourly. “It is fortunate then, that the costs aren’t coming from your budget.”

Edison’s smile faded. “Yes, I meant to ask you about that. What exactly
is
the budget for this Beowulf creation? It seems to me you’ve burned through capital at a prodigious rate.”

Tesla set down his coffee. “And it seems to me you’re an over-inquisitive busybody threatened by the new and the bold. See? It’s good that we have our own opinions.”

Edison’s face grew hard. “You’d be well advised to mind your place, Tesla.”

“My place?” He laughed. “What place is that? I’m not one of your lab monkeys. You don’t own me. Now get out.”

“Or you’ll hit me again?” Edison leaned closer, almost daring him.

“The thought has merit,” Tesla replied, squaring off with Edison. “Apparently once wasn’t sufficient.”

“Now, boys,” called out Savannah. They both turned toward the voice, surprised.

She had just entered the hangar, but even at a distance, their body language told her things were going ugly quickly. And they had enough drama already.

“Let’s save all that for the British, hmm?”

Edison desperately wanted to escalate the situation. His ego demanded it. He didn’t budge, glaring at Tesla.

For his part Tesla would be delighted to knock the busybody on his ass again. But he knew Savannah would be disappointed if he did. Instead, he met Edison’s glare and allowed himself a mocking smile. He cocked his head toward the hanger exit.

“Have a fine evening, Mr. Edison,” he said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

Edison practically shook with controlled anger. But he swallowed it and turned stiffly, striding for the exit. He slammed the door open and was gone. Everyone paused, taking in the display.

“And I thought
I
was the child around here,” said Madelaine.

“Be nice,” said Savannah. She joined Tesla. “You have many talents, but the most potent of them all has to be winding him up.”

“Yes, I daresay I’m getting quite accomplished at it,” he said, picking up his coffee. “But practice will do that.”

“Incorrigible, you are,” she said, shaking her head. “All right, besides twisting up Edison, what have you gotten done?”

Tesla turned to Beowulf and pointed up at George, now making his way back down. “The radar panel is in place, and is properly protected.”

“Outstanding! Maddy, how does it feel?”

“Like I can talk to things, and they tell me where they are.”

“Amazing.” Despite the obvious sacrifices, sometimes she envied her daughter’s situation. Her new abilities were redefining what it meant to be human. When the history of their species was written, Madelaine Browning would have a prominent entry.

“What do you say we shake things up a bit?” Savannah asked. “We’ve had a lot of heaviness lately. I feel like having fun with this test.”

“What exactly do you have in mind?” asked Tesla, now most curious. Savannah had often shown a playful side, but her focus was always on work.

With a sly smile, Savannah called to her daughter, “Maddy, please deploy radar.”

The panel extended smoothly up, then rotated, pointing out into the hanger.

“Ready, Mom.”

“For this test I want you to use only your forward-left shredder. And please confirm that it is loaded with gel rounds.”

“Got it. Yes, gel rounds only.”

“OK.” Savannah casually drummed her fingers on the table. “For the purposes of this test, you will fire a single round into any airborne target. Ready?”

“Um…sure,” said Madelaine, not seeing any targets nearby.

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Savannah grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.

“Target up!” she cried, tossing the apple high into the air.

“What?” said Madelaine, but her forward-left shredder twitched to life. Through the radar panel, she spoke to the tumbling apple. Milliseconds later her voice bounced back to her:
227.8 inches
.

At the apple’s apex, she put a single gel round into it. With a definitive
CRACK
, the impact vaporized the soft fruit, sending a rain of pulpy juice splattering down all over Savannah and Tesla.

“Hey!” Tesla yelled, raising his arms to shield himself from the sticky mess.

Savannah burst out laughing, pointing at the reserved scientist now covered in liquified apple. A small red patch of apple skin clung to his cheek. “Now that is a sight!” she yelled. Then she reached for a banana.

“Wait now!” cried Tesla.

“Target up!” She tossed the banana high above them.

CRACK
! Yellow and white pulp sprayed down over them. Tesla’s mouth hung open, not believing what has happening. Savannah caught his distressed look and doubled over, laughing.

“Very well, Mrs. Browning,” Tesla said in mock threat. With both hands he scooped up the remainder of the fruit bowl: another apple, three oranges, and a clump of grapes.

“Oh my,” Savannah said, her eyes wider in excitement.

Tesla swung the armful of fruit low, then cried, “Target up!” as he launched the whole batch into the air above them.

Madelaine had to hustle to speak with each target, but a series of gel rounds rang out in rapid succession.

BRRAPP
!

A flood of juice, pulp, and fruit skin poured down, drenching Tesla and Savannah equally. If she minded the deluge, she gave no sign of it. Clapping her hands together, eyes bright, her white teeth flashed in delight even as her hair was wet and matted against her face.