and her soft white cleavage overflowed whatever she wore. It wasn’t a stretch to tell her a designer could be so inspired.
There was a knock on the office door, the door opened slightly. Tip was calling in through the opening, “Jack, may I have a word?”
“Sure Tip, come on in.” Tip walked into the office, came around the corner and took a seat in the chair nearest the couch where I was sitting. Sandy adjusted herself, quickly moving her head to my shoulder.
“I didn’t realize you were busy, I apologize, this subject matter may not be something…”
I said, “Tip, anything you need to say can be said in front of Sandy.”
“He’s right, Tip,” Sandy said, “Jack could pull his gun from the wall safe and blow your brains out right in front of me. I’d stuff your dead corpse in a sack and clean up the mess. He’s my life and I’m alone in this world without him.”
Tip said, “I like that about you. But really, what I’m going to say is sensitive.”
“You can say it, Tip,” I said, insisting.
Tip asked, “Alright, would you like me to bug the plane, the hotel, the palace - when we go over to Dubai. It would give us valuable Intel in case any other candidate tries to use Oil money against you.”
I asked, “Don’t they sweep for bugs every day like we do here?”
“I’m sure they do, for the garden variety listening devices. What I’m suggesting is using chewing gum.”
Tip knew he had caught our attention. “What, Tip?” I said.
“I would use a random pulse device hidden inside chewed gum. I would leave chewing gum with the listening device stuck into corners, under tables, seats, the car, the plane, anywhere they might take us. The bug listens, but only downloads data after receiving our signal; it’s undetectable. After a few days or weeks, if we’re lucky, a cleaning person will find the gum scrape it off and throw it away. A month or so after we’re gone, we send for the data one time. We get our download, and the evidence is in the trash without any way to trace it back to us. It’s super high-tech; the signal and download only take a few seconds. The kicker is, once the bug sends its data, it releases a drop of acid that destroys the inside. If anyone was able to pick up and trace the two-second transmission, all they’d find is some crunchy rotten tasting gum - in a dump somewhere.
“Tip, you’re going to be in charge of security when I’m president! Use the bugs, but it stays between the three of us. Handle it yourself.”
“Tip,” I asked, changing the subject, “Why didn’t Barker go after the drone that fell into Iranian hands? Does he know something that caused him to make that decision? Because he’s not an idiot.”
Tip said, “The drones have no computer on board, at least not the kind you’re used to; there’s a transmitter-receiver that processes commands. All the software is back at Yucca Mountain. If the drone loses contact, it’s flown around by an autopilot, only a little more advanced than an expensive model plane. It turns for friendly territory until either it runs out of fuel or gains signal back. If the module loses contact with base for too long, or if it is tampered with, it burns itself up.”
“So, Barker was never worried at all, Tip?”
“He really had no need to be, the stealth skin is already available to the Chinese and the Russians. It really isn’t all that hard to come by if you’re a country that wants it bad enough. Barker asked for it back, but he embarrassed America.”
I said, “He should’ve shown strength with a surgical strike to blow the thing up. That’s the type of decisive action Americans respect. Instead, I think he showed weakness in dealing with the Iranians.”
“You’re right, Jack, perception is nine-tenths of the law.”
Sandy added, “People don’t know what’s really going on and we’re not able to tell them.”
“Speaking of perception,” moving my finger back and
There was a knock on the office door, the door opened slightly. Tip was calling in through the opening, “Jack, may I have a word?”
“Sure Tip, come on in.” Tip walked into the office, came around the corner and took a seat in the chair nearest the couch where I was sitting. Sandy adjusted herself, quickly moving her head to my shoulder.
“I didn’t realize you were busy, I apologize, this subject matter may not be something…”
I said, “Tip, anything you need to say can be said in front of Sandy.”
“He’s right, Tip,” Sandy said, “Jack could pull his gun from the wall safe and blow your brains out right in front of me. I’d stuff your dead corpse in a sack and clean up the mess. He’s my life and I’m alone in this world without him.”
Tip said, “I like that about you. But really, what I’m going to say is sensitive.”
“You can say it, Tip,” I said, insisting.
Tip asked, “Alright, would you like me to bug the plane, the hotel, the palace - when we go over to Dubai. It would give us valuable Intel in case any other candidate tries to use Oil money against you.”
I asked, “Don’t they sweep for bugs every day like we do here?”
“I’m sure they do, for the garden variety listening devices. What I’m suggesting is using chewing gum.”
Tip knew he had caught our attention. “What, Tip?” I said.
“I would use a random pulse device hidden inside chewed gum. I would leave chewing gum with the listening device stuck into corners, under tables, seats, the car, the plane, anywhere they might take us. The bug listens, but only downloads data after receiving our signal; it’s undetectable. After a few days or weeks, if we’re lucky, a cleaning person will find the gum scrape it off and throw it away. A month or so after we’re gone, we send for the data one time. We get our download, and the evidence is in the trash without any way to trace it back to us. It’s super high-tech; the signal and download only take a few seconds. The kicker is, once the bug sends its data, it releases a drop of acid that destroys the inside. If anyone was able to pick up and trace the two-second transmission, all they’d find is some crunchy rotten tasting gum - in a dump somewhere.
“Tip, you’re going to be in charge of security when I’m president! Use the bugs, but it stays between the three of us. Handle it yourself.”
“Tip,” I asked, changing the subject, “Why didn’t Barker go after the drone that fell into Iranian hands? Does he know something that caused him to make that decision? Because he’s not an idiot.”
Tip said, “The drones have no computer on board, at least not the kind you’re used to; there’s a transmitter-receiver that processes commands. All the software is back at Yucca Mountain. If the drone loses contact, it’s flown around by an autopilot, only a little more advanced than an expensive model plane. It turns for friendly territory until either it runs out of fuel or gains signal back. If the module loses contact with base for too long, or if it is tampered with, it burns itself up.”
“So, Barker was never worried at all, Tip?”
“He really had no need to be, the stealth skin is already available to the Chinese and the Russians. It really isn’t all that hard to come by if you’re a country that wants it bad enough. Barker asked for it back, but he embarrassed America.”
I said, “He should’ve shown strength with a surgical strike to blow the thing up. That’s the type of decisive action Americans respect. Instead, I think he showed weakness in dealing with the Iranians.”
“You’re right, Jack, perception is nine-tenths of the law.”
Sandy added, “People don’t know what’s really going on and we’re not able to tell them.”
“Speaking of perception,” moving my finger back and
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