Rocket! An Ell Donsaii story #4) (7 page)

Someone thumped down in the seat next to her. “Whew, got here before the ‘bell.’”

Ell looked over, “Hey Gordon. You know, the way you keep arriving to class barely before it rings, you make it
very
difficult to avoid sitting next to you and hearing these awful name puns?”

He grinned at her, “My plan exactly.”

Ell rolled her eyes and checked her HUD.

“Hey my roomies and I are having a pre finals party Saturday night, you wanna come? You could be the ‘belle of the ball.’”

Ell glared balefully at him for a moment but then a grin broke out. “OK. Where and when?”

***

Ell arrived back at D5R after her class and headed immediately into the research area for the team’s Wednesday morning update meeting. No one looked happy. In fact their dejected expressions matched her own feelings. They’d been at this for weeks now with little success. For a moment she wondered if they had taken on an impossible task. Or had she assembled the wrong team? Maybe she was the wrong person to lead them? She turned to Stavos, “Ben, let’s start with you. Can you tell us something positive?”

Stavos twisted his lips a moment, then shook his head. “The good news is that we’ve got the micro assembler set up so that it
can
build a pair of rings made from entangled buckyballs.”

Ell’s eyebrows shot up in excitement. “That sounds great!” She frowned, “Why are you so down?”

“You know the entanglement isn’t terribly stable until we get them placed in your stabilization field. We actually have the entangled buckyballs moving into the assembler stabilized by such a field. But when we take them from the stabilization field that they’re in and move them to the field for the port’s ring, they are out of the stabilization field and the action of moving them un-entangles them if we move them very fast. When we try to ‘up the speed’ of placement of the buckyballs into the ring, they start losing their entanglement in transit.”

“Ouch, that
is
a problem. How fast
can
you place them reliably without breaking their entanglement?”

“About two per second. Since the buckyballs have a diameter of about one nanometer, that means about 5.5 days per millimeter of ring. To make a pair of one centimeter diameter rings like you want will take somewhere around half a year!” He paused and shrugged, “We’re still working on it though.”

Everyone at the table could see that he didn’t have any ideas for a solution at present.

“Dang! I’ll come look at your set up after the meeting. Maybe I’ll have some ideas on how to stabilize the entanglement sooner.” She looked up at the ceiling, “Or maybe during the placement?” After a moment she turned to Fred Marsden, “Is your team having any luck entangling tori?”

Marsden rolled his eyes, “Oh yeah, we can entangle them alright. But we have a problem similar to Ben’s. Once we’ve entangled them, we can’t
separate
them to put the tori into your stabilization field without breaking the entanglement. Molecules this big will only stay entangled for microseconds unless they’re stabilized.”

“Any ideas on how to solve it?”

He shrugged, “We’re going to try to position each torus on a stabilization field plate, then bring the two tori into contact while they’re
on
the plates and see if we can get them to entangle with the field all ready to turn on.” With a sigh he said, “The entanglement field and the stabilization field are pretty different though.”

“Vivian?” Ell turned to Vivian Varka the electrical engineer. “Let’s look at their setup together and see whether we can help them work on the transition from one field to the other, maybe a gradual transition.” She looked up at the ceiling again, “Or would an abrupt transition be better?” She brought her eyes back down and shrugged, “I guess we can try both.”

Ell looked around the table, “Any other news or ideas?”

They all looked back without response, as if hopeless or depressed or something. Ell despondently wondered what she could do to buck them up. Maybe she should just give up and disband D5R?

Roger felt nervous speaking up in this group because he was the most junior. Well except for Ell! Nonetheless, he cleared his throat, “Uh.”

Everyone turned to look at him. “I’m wondering if an intermediate approach might work?”

The group looked at him with puzzled expressions. “For instance if we entangled nanotubes say a hundred microns long instead of the much larger nanotori. Then used Ben’s micromanipulators to move them into a ring shape at a relatively slow pace…”

Ell’s eyebrows went up and she looked around at the group. They all looked somewhat dubious but no one was saying it couldn’t be done. “It’s an idea. Roger why don’t you do some tests and calculations. How fast can Fred entangle them and how fast can Ben move them without breaking entanglement? Then determine whether it will actually be faster than ‘one at a time’ buckyballs?”

Roger nodded.

Ben put a hand up and Ell nodded. “I’m just wondering,” he said, “exactly how long the investors will put up with our lack of progress? Should we be taking offers we may be getting for other jobs?”

For a moment Ell considered telling them that she was the only investor. Then she thought about telling them they
did
have a deadline after which they would be disbanded. That would be the way it would work in the real world. Mentally she shrugged, after all, there wasn’t really any reason to stop working on it until Ell herself was ready to give up. With PGR Comm paying her a minimum royalty of 2.1 billion dollars a year, minus the 230 million a year she was funding NCSU and UNC with and about 800 million in taxes she had about a billion dollars a year in disposable income. Financing D5R hardly put a dent in that kind of cash flow. She didn’t want to tell them that because she really didn’t want people to know how wealthy she was. She looked at Ben a moment, then around at the others. “Our investors,” she said, “have personally guaranteed me six months of salary for each of you should they abandon our efforts here at D5R. I hope that that’s enough cushion that all of you will be able continue to focus all your energies on achieving success, rather than on backup plans?”

There were surprised nods all around the table and the meeting broke up shortly thereafter.

***

It turned out that Gordon and his roommates lived south of campus in a small rented house. Ell’s car dropped her off and headed out to find a place to park as she walked down a gravel driveway. She could already hear the heavy thump of music. She had arrived very late to her first ever “college party” so she wouldn’t feel too awkward arriving where she didn’t know anyone. It looked like she’d been successful; the front porch was crowded with people swaying to the music. People spilled out into the yard most of them holding a cup in one hand. Ell slowly worked her way into the crowd.

A young Asian man staggered into her. For a moment the multiple attempted kidnappings she had suffered at the hands of Chinese nationals leapt to the forefront of her mind. Then the red faced young man smiled widely at her and held up his beer, “Heeyy! You’re pretty! I’m Joe Chan. Can I be your boyfriend?” He swung his hands to point at himself with both thumbs, spilling some of his beer.

Ell grinned at him, “You can be my friend.”

“Heeyy!” he raised his arms. “And I’m a boy! Tha’ makes me a boyfrien’, right?”

Ell laughed at his cheerfully good natured drunkenness, “A ‘friendly boy’ at least. A friendly boy who’s had too much to drink, I think.”

“You’re a poet! But you’re right. You should help me maintain my balance.” He put an arm over Ell’s shoulders, “If you help me walk without falling I’ll introduce you to the band.” He waggled his eyebrows proudly, “I know ‘em
all
.”

Ell rolled her eyes, “OK, I’ll hold you up.” She looked toward the window, surprised that people staying in a little house like this could afford a live band for their party. “Take me in and introduce me.”

“All righ’!” Joe said enthusiastically, starting toward the porch steps, “Gangway, pretty lady comin’ through!” He began crowding his way through the people on the stairs shouting all the while.

Ell worried that someone would object but they all grinned good naturedly at Joe, many shouting good natured taunts, “Oh no, Joe’s fooled another one.”

“Give it up Joe, she’s too good lookin’ for you!”

“Look out little lady, he’s a devil in disguise.”

Joe drew himself up, “Ignore those small minded people, remember—I know the band!” He clumsily maneuvered her in the door.

The house had a surprisingly large front room, crowded with even more people. The band was set up at one end. The people were swaying to the loud music, or perhaps you could call it dancing, though packed so tightly, it was a little hard to tell. Joe said, “Let’s dance!” Or at least that’s what Ell thought he said. He took his arm off her shoulders and turned toward Ell. Assuming a wide stance he began moving jerkily to the music.

Ell turned toward Joe and began swaying and shuffling her feet in a minimized version of the line dance she’d learned in Las Vegas. Joe smiled happily at her then bumped into the woman behind him. He turned to apologize to her and Ell stole a glance at the band. They were mostly hidden by the crowd since they weren’t up on a stage, but a small gap in the crowd revealed Gordon. He was actually part of the band and behind a microphone! He saw her too and grinned widely then leaned to the mike and began the next verse. Ell realized he was the lead singer!
He’s really
good
!

Joe leaned close to her, Ell put up a hand to steady him. The song was winding down he shouted, “What’s your name?”

Ell said, “Belle. Belle Donovan.”

Joe’s eyebrows shot up. “Gordon’s friend?”

Ell shrugged. “Gordon invited me.”

Joe turned vaguely toward the band and bellowed, “Gordo, Belle’s here!”

Gordon’s voice came over the PA system, “OK folks, last song before we take a break! I give you ‘Belle…’ Bottom Blues!”

Ell rolled her eyes. She should have known!

A rough distorted bluesy guitar lick began. Joe resumed swaying so Ell did too. A commotion from her left proved to be Gordon pushing through the crowd while still playing the guitar. Behind him a guy was carrying the microphone on its stand. Ell raised her eyebrows at him as he stopped in front of her and waited for the guy to put the mike down. He leaned to the mike and began singing, “Belle bottom blues…” while raising his eyebrows at her.

Like the rough mildly distorted guitar he sang with a gravelly voice. Ell thought it sounded great. When the song was over he pushed his guitar around behind his back on its sling, grinned at her and said, “I see you’ve met my buddy Joe Chan?” Gordon gestured at Joe who staggered a little. Gordon put a hand out to steady him.

Joe said, “Oh yeah!”

Ell grabbed Joe’s other shoulder to help keep him upright, “Yep. I think Joe’s had enough to drink for a while.” She turned back to Gordon raising her eyebrows, “Are you ever gonna ease up on my name?”

“Oh no!” he said, mock seriously. “You challenged me with that, ‘I’m sure I’ve already heard all the ‘Belle’ jokes you can possibly think of’ line. It was just for you I spent hours learning that ‘Bell Bottom Blues’ song you know.”

“I liked it. Even if you
were
hassling me with it.”

He raised his eyebrows, “What’s not to like? A blues standard, played by an awesome guitarist, sung by an amazing singer!” He frowned, “Of course you liked it!”

“Astounding modesty too!” Ell laughed.

“Hey Joe,” Gordon said, “We need to get this girl a beer. She’s too sharp for us when she’s sober!”

“Yeah! But don’ gi’ me another one, or, I’ll be, too drunk, to im-impress her with my sc-scin-tillating wit.”

Without the band playing, the crowded room was emptying out. People filtered out into the yard and the keg set up out there. Ell and the guys went out into the crisp spring evening. Someone had started a small fire in what appeared to have been a brick planter in the middle of the patio. Ell said, “I’d like a Coke, not beer.”

Gordon looked at her and said, “A rum and Coke?” He winked, “Remember, we’re trying to dull your resistance to our sharp wit.” He waved to a table, “It’s over there.”

Ell made her way to the table and got herself a plastic cup full of ice. She poured Coke into it.

Gordon shouted from over at the keg, “Don’t forget the rum! I’m watching you.”

Ell picked up the rum bottle and pretended to pour some into her Coke, then headed back toward the fire. Part way there she was stopped by a large guy with a beer in one hand. “Hey pretty girl! What’s your name?”

“I’m Belle.” Ell glanced past him, looking for Gordon and saw Joe unsteadily coming her way. She was beginning to regret this Belle disguise. The platinum blonde wig seemed to attract too much attention. To become “Belle” she put on a heavy makeup with a slightly lumpy texture to make it seem like it was trying to cover a case of acne. She also tucked prosthetic lumps between her gums and cheeks to give herself slightly puffy chipmunk cheeks. As opposed to her “Ellen” and “Raquel” disguises she wasn’t wearing a nasal prosthesis.

The “Ellen” disguise with the large nose and “fat pants” made from silicone had rendered her pretty unattractive. In that disguise men had
never
accosted her. In fact they seldom even gave her a second look. As “Belle” she looked different enough to not be recognized as Ell but she was getting hassled a lot. She was thinking she must have unwittingly made herself look better than her natural state. No judge of her own looks, she didn’t believe people who told her how stunning she was naturally. In fact when they said things about her looks she worried that they were enamored of her gymnastic fame or that they might have found out about her money.

In actual fact the “Belle” disguise changed her so she wasn’t as gorgeous as in her natural state but she was still pretty cute. It did nothing to change her slender shape nor to alter the fluid grace of her actions. She had no idea how much the simple elegance and economy of motion of her actions attracted people’s eyes. She wondered if she should have used “fat pants” for “Belle?” She had wanted to avoid the extra time the pants required in changing into her disguise because she changed in and out of this disguise three mornings a week for her Astronomy class. But really, she could have done it in the car during transit without that much trouble.