DINNER
To McClintock’s pleasant surprise, Halleck’s meeting with Uhlrich was mercifully brief. The professor sputtered a bit but finally admitted to Halleck that he was looking into the possibility of using nanotechnology to make the interferometer’s mirrors. Halleck nodded as if she’d known that all along, then got up from her chair.
Surprised, Uhlrich said, “But you haven’t told me how your own project is proceeding.”
“Oh, we’re on schedule,” she replied airily.
Uhlrich got to his feet, looking surprised, confused. “On schedule? What schedule? When do you expect—”
“The schedule was published when we began the project. You must have seen it. It’s available on our net site, if you need to refresh your memory.”
And with that, she turned toward the door. As McClintock stood up, Halleck said, “I suppose I should look in on your mirror laboratory while I’m here.” Before Uhlrich could reply, she added, “Although, if you’re going to turn to nanotechnology, I imagine your mirror lab will become superfluous.”
Uhlrich stood behind his desk, his mouth hanging open but no words coming out of it.
Going to Halleck’s side, McClintock said, “I’ll show you the mirror lab, if you like.”
“Fine,” she said.
They left the Ulcer standing there, speechless.
* * *
At the mirror lab, McClintock was surprised to see tall, lanky Nate Oberman waiting for them, a bitter little smile on his lean face.
“Professor Uhlrich phoned and told me to show you around the lab,” Oberman said, then added, “since I don’t have anything else to do.”
McClintock heard the acid in his tone; Halleck seemed not to notice.
Oberman showed them the slowly rotating turntable and explained how the spin casting method worked. Halleck took it all in within a few minutes.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Oberman,” she said, by way of dismissal.
“My first name’s Nate, Mrs. Halleck,” said Oberman. “I’ll be leaving Farside by the end of the month. I could sure use a recommendation from somebody as important as you are. It’d help me land a decent job.”
Halleck eyed him briefly. “Are you returning to Earth?”
“Yes’m. Selene’s already turned me down. They claim I don’t have enough experience for any of the job openings they’ve got available.”
She glanced at McClintock, then said to the young man, “I’m leaving tomorrow. But call me first thing in the morning, we can talk then.”
Oberman’s narrow face broke into a triumphant smile. “I’ll phone you at seven sharp!”
Smiling back at him, Halleck said, “Make it eight. I’ll talk to you then.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As they returned to the corridor, McClintock said, “That was very kind of you, Anita.”
She made a vague gesture with one hand. “I’m not the monster you seem to believe I am, Carter.”
“I never thought you were a monster.”
Halleck cocked an eyebrow at him and changed the subject. “I’m quite famished.”
“I’m afraid the eating facility here is rather primitive. Nothing but a cafeteria.”
“I suspected as much,” said Halleck. “That’s why I brought a couple of frozen dinners in my bag.”
“Clever lady,” McClintock said.
“Would you care to join me for dinner, Carter?”
In his mind’s eye, he saw how delightedly happy his father had been when Anita Halleck had been his rousing, laughing, adventurous mistress. It was more than showing off a trophy, McClintock thought. Father was genuinely mad about her. Until she started playing around behind his back.
Now she’s coming on to me? he asked himself. Could she be that blatant? What does she want from me?
“I have a dinner engagement,” he lied. “One of the astronomers. She’s new here.”
Halleck’s sensuous lips curved slightly. “And you’ve volunteered to show her the sights?”
Feeling slightly flustered, he answered, “Nothing like that, Anita. She’s just a kid.”
“So was I … once.”
McClintock realized that the astronomy office was a few doors down the next cross corridor. Hoping that Trudy was where she should be, he said, “Come on. I’ll introduce you to her.”
Smiling as enigmatically as the Sphinx, Halleck started along the corridor beside McClintock.
With a surge of relief McClintock saw that Trudy actually was in the astronomy office. It was one of the bigger spaces in the Farside complex, with four desks placed in the four corners of the chamber. Trudy was at the desk in the farthest corner, her eyes fixed on the wall screen to her right; it showed a complex chart of curves and alphanumerics that was incomprehensible to McClintock.
Trudy was staring at the screen so hard she didn’t notice McClintock and Halleck until they were halfway to her desk. She shot to her feet like a new recruit suddenly snapping to attention.
The contrast between the two women was extraordinary, he thought. Trudy was wearing a faded, shapeless blouse that had probably been violet when it was new, over a rumpled pair of beige slacks. Halleck was still in her metallic gold coverall, glowing like a goddess, almost a full head taller than Trudy.
“Trudy,” said McClintock, “I’d like you to meet Anita Halleck, head of the IAA’s space telescope project.”
“I know who Mrs. Halleck is,” said Trudy, her eyes on the woman. “I’m very happy to meet you.”
Halleck nodded graciously as McClintock finished the introduction. “And this is Dr. Trudy Yost, who has come here to work under Professor Uhlrich.”
Smoothly, McClintock continued, “Trudy and I are having dinner together this evening.”
Trudy’s eyes went wide for an instant, then she said, “If you’d like to join us, Mrs. Halleck…”
“Why, thank you, Trudy. I think that would be fine.”
McClintock kept his face impassive, but inwardly he wondered if Trudy would be shocked at the idea of a ménage à trois. He knew from his father’s boasting that Halleck wouldn’t be.
* * *
The cafeteria looked even dumpier than usual in McClintock’s eyes. They had to sit at one of the long tables, with the two women on either side of him. No decent chairs, he grumbled to himself, just these damned benches. The room was filling up, grubby-looking engineers and technicians lining up at the food and drink dispensers, crowding all the tables, talking and laughing with each other. McClintock imagined that none of them had ever seen the inside of a real restaurant.
And the food selection was pitiful. He had picked what purported to be a soysteak dinner platter. It looked like a pathetic mess on his tray. Trudy had helped herself to fish filets and a reasonably fresh-looking salad. Halleck had gone for the shellfish special. I wonder what she brought with her for dinner, McClintock asked himself. I’ll bet she brought champagne with her. Sadly, he concluded, I’ll never know.
As they sat shoulder to shoulder with the chatting, gobbling Farside employees, Halleck leaned slightly to speak past McClintock to Trudy. “So what are you actually doing for Jason?”
“Jason?” Trudy asked.
“Professor Uhlrich.”
“Oh! Well, we’re using the best imagery that the telescopes in Earth orbit can give us to refine the parameters of Sirius C’s density and oblateness. That can tell us a lot about the planet’s interior composition. We’re looking for indications that there might be a planetary magnetic field, a dipole field, you know, like Earth’s, and…”
On and on Trudy chattered. With some satisfaction, McClintock saw Halleck’s eyes begin to glaze over. She’s no more interested in this technobabble than I am, he realized.