Craft sounded calm. “He just didn't want details leaking out and I think your excuse sounds great and believable. Dave, how come you're so uptight?”
“I'm tired and I want to get this show on the road. This waiting for the damn limo is for the birds. Why can't we just get a rental car, drive out there ourselves, something like that.”
“Two reasons. First of all, we are being picked up by the chauffeur because that's policy and that's the way Jonathon wants it done. Second, there are no rental cars at this airport. If you want a rental, you notify the airline counter, they notify the agency, they come and pick you up, you go into town and then you may rent your car. The agencies do not open until eight-thirty a.m. We knew that when we planned this little adventure. It's now almost five-thirty a.m. Accept the fact that the people here roll up the sidewalks at ten p.m. and do not unroll them until eight o'clock in the morning. Accept that and relax. Trust me, you'll live longer.”
“What a crock! They knew when we would arrive. Don't they have clocks? Why do we have to sit and wait?”
“Because, because, because.”
They sat down on concrete benches in front of the terminal doors, just as a dark green, four wheel drive vehicle pulled up in front of them. The driver jumped out.
“Are you the gentlemen with SERPAC?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Good Morning and welcome to God's country. My name is Ron. I'm your chauffeur, your guide, your jack-of-all-trades during your stay. Officially, I'm an administrative assistant to Jonathon Brooks, but in reality I'm just his local gopher.” He laughed. “Like in go for this and go for that. Do you gentlemen have any luggage I might get?”
They shook their heads.
“Well, in that case, hop in and let's get going. We'll need to stop for gas before long. I suggest you make that your comfort stop, because once we're back on the road there will be nothing worth stopping at.”
They made it out of town well ahead of rush hour traffic. Ron slipped a CD of some classical music into the stereo and the three men sipped their coffee and munched on their donuts in without speaking.
Brushing crumbs off his shirt, Ken Messer turned to his travel companions.
“If you don't mind, I'd like to review a couple of things.”
“Come on, Ken! Get some rest, enjoy the scenery. I know you get off on all that nature stuff. Save the business for later.” David Smith had a whine in his voice. “I'm tired and I wanted to get some rest.”
“I have concerns. I just want to see if your data supports these concerns, because if it does, then we need to get hold of the SPC team ASAP.”
“Oh come on! What do you have? We've covered every possible scenario. SPC's been over it all, you've seen the reports.”
“Of course I've seen the reports, but I've done some refiguring on my own. And I am beginning to think that we are not allowing a wide enough range for the contaminant filters. And I've found inaccuracies in the calibration of the targeting program. I think that's enough for us to run a diagnostic program and rethink our strategies! Plus, I'm not satisfied with the environmental analyses. And for heaven's sake, let's make sure we're hitting the right area, at the right time.”
“Ken! We've done all that in the lab. What's your point?”
“We've done it in
“I'm tired and I want to get this show on the road. This waiting for the damn limo is for the birds. Why can't we just get a rental car, drive out there ourselves, something like that.”
“Two reasons. First of all, we are being picked up by the chauffeur because that's policy and that's the way Jonathon wants it done. Second, there are no rental cars at this airport. If you want a rental, you notify the airline counter, they notify the agency, they come and pick you up, you go into town and then you may rent your car. The agencies do not open until eight-thirty a.m. We knew that when we planned this little adventure. It's now almost five-thirty a.m. Accept the fact that the people here roll up the sidewalks at ten p.m. and do not unroll them until eight o'clock in the morning. Accept that and relax. Trust me, you'll live longer.”
“What a crock! They knew when we would arrive. Don't they have clocks? Why do we have to sit and wait?”
“Because, because, because.”
They sat down on concrete benches in front of the terminal doors, just as a dark green, four wheel drive vehicle pulled up in front of them. The driver jumped out.
“Are you the gentlemen with SERPAC?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Good Morning and welcome to God's country. My name is Ron. I'm your chauffeur, your guide, your jack-of-all-trades during your stay. Officially, I'm an administrative assistant to Jonathon Brooks, but in reality I'm just his local gopher.” He laughed. “Like in go for this and go for that. Do you gentlemen have any luggage I might get?”
They shook their heads.
“Well, in that case, hop in and let's get going. We'll need to stop for gas before long. I suggest you make that your comfort stop, because once we're back on the road there will be nothing worth stopping at.”
They made it out of town well ahead of rush hour traffic. Ron slipped a CD of some classical music into the stereo and the three men sipped their coffee and munched on their donuts in without speaking.
Brushing crumbs off his shirt, Ken Messer turned to his travel companions.
“If you don't mind, I'd like to review a couple of things.”
“Come on, Ken! Get some rest, enjoy the scenery. I know you get off on all that nature stuff. Save the business for later.” David Smith had a whine in his voice. “I'm tired and I wanted to get some rest.”
“I have concerns. I just want to see if your data supports these concerns, because if it does, then we need to get hold of the SPC team ASAP.”
“Oh come on! What do you have? We've covered every possible scenario. SPC's been over it all, you've seen the reports.”
“Of course I've seen the reports, but I've done some refiguring on my own. And I am beginning to think that we are not allowing a wide enough range for the contaminant filters. And I've found inaccuracies in the calibration of the targeting program. I think that's enough for us to run a diagnostic program and rethink our strategies! Plus, I'm not satisfied with the environmental analyses. And for heaven's sake, let's make sure we're hitting the right area, at the right time.”
“Ken! We've done all that in the lab. What's your point?”
“We've done it in
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