Even a high-level admiral can move fast when the need arises. I called IC, got Overton, and in two hours, we had a meeting scheduled for early afternoon. To celebrate and discuss the situation, Bobby and I had an early lunch at Billie Lou’s.
Alex stood behind the counter as usual, but every seat was taken when we got there, so we took one of the two available tables. Although its food is a lot better than your typical greasy spoon diner, it resembles one from the previous century, just bigger and fancier after the overhaul Alex had given the place shortly after the second Bug war. The main dining room is wider, with a full thirty tables at center and left in three staggered rows, and five frantic wait staff take orders and deliver food. To the far right a line of fifteen stools marches down the long counter, the in/out window about halfway down where orders are transformed into food.
The colors are garish, but I love them. The counter is a bright red, with matching stools covered in vinyl, right out of the 1950’s, a full hundred years ago. The tables are red-and-chrome as well, the floor tile now a checkerboard of yellow-and-blue. The right and back walls are a creamy yellow, although the kitchen-side wall is still plain white. All in all, a colorful and fun place, and at present packed with customers who loved the food as much as we did.
Nobody on the wait staff came near us. They knew if Alex was on the premises, we belonged to him. He meandered over.
“Bobby, didn’t think you loved us anymore. Only seen your pal lately.” Meaning me.
“Been off-world a lot,” Bobby said. “Today, I gotta have the poppers.”
We ordered, Bobby’s usual chiliburger for him, a cheeseburger for me. I ordered poppers as well while Bobby got a double order. My taste buds loved them, my stomach not so much, so I didn’t order them often, but tonight I felt adventurous. Of course, we both got Coors in cans.
When Alex returned to the counter, I asked, “Best guess, how long you think until you could use the single-ended portal and find the Bug home world?”
“With that picture as my map? I’ll bet not three hours.”
I didn’t feel quite so optimistic, but I knew Overton or McKissack, if he had time to attend, would try to pin us down.
“Tell them a couple of weeks,” I told Bobby.
He laughed. “I know how the game is played.”
Alex sidled back over near the end of our meal. He addressed me, “You’re sure that wife of yours is really dead?”
When he said “wife,” my first thought was Kaley. As I realized what he meant, I choked on a popper, my stomach turning over. I decided I’d hunt up a bottle of antiacids back at the office.
“Why,” I asked, as steadily as I could, “do you ask?”
He cleared his throat, looked just the slightest bit embarrassed, which Alex never did. “Uh, the look-alike I mentioned, she showed up again last week.”
Bobby gave me the eye, as I tried to formulate a reply. “What’s this?” he asked.
Alex shrugged. “Some time back,” he said. “A lady showed up at one of the tables. Looked like the double of your Buddy’s ex. I mentioned it when Scotty was in here by himself one day, but he assured me the ex was deceased.” He glanced at me again. “Anyway, she was in here again. You say your wife’s passed on, I believe it, but the resemblance was unique.”
I made a split-second command decision. If ever anyone could keep his eyes open and his mouth shut, it was Alex. I explained, as Bobby looked on.
“Some months ago, a woman showed up on our front porch,” I said. “She was a double of Glynnis. I almost fainted when I saw her, but I asked her in. She said she’s Glynnis’s twin. Her name is Glenna, and she lives in Florida.
“She said Glynnis meant for her to inherit but hadn’t changed her will before she died. She asked if I could help her so she inherited, not me, as she needed the money, and clearly, I do not. I promised to do so, and we’ve been in communication, on and off, for months. I sent her a partial inheritance from my own accounts to tide her over. She has never mentioned coming back here in any of her communications, and I haven’t seen her either of the times you’ve mentioned. So, it’s a bit strange she’s been in town without letting me know.”
Alex looked my summary over. “No guarantee she’s the twin,” he muttered, “On the other hand, it’s hard to believe anyone else in the world could look so much like your ex.”
“Listen,” I told him. “I’ve got a meeting soon, and we gotta go. Do me a favor. If you see her again, drop everything and call me ASAP.” I took a business card out of my billfold and scrawled my personal number on the back. “You can always get me on this number. I don’t know why she’d come to town without calling me, but I want to know if she does it again.”
Alex looked a little embarrassed. “She won’t be back.”
Bobby asked first. “Why not?”
Alex shrugged again. “In retrospect, I messed up. I served her, and when I brought her food, I made an off-hand comment, something like, “You know, you look exactly like someone I used to know.” It seemed to make her uncomfortable. She finished her sandwich and hurried out. Left the payment for the check on the table, plus a reasonable tip. I think she wanted to get out of here fast, before I came back over.”
Yeah. She wouldn’t be back. “Still,” I told him, “if you do see her again, even if it’s just out on the street, let me know.”
“I’ll do it. Sorry I wasn’t more careful,” he said. Not like Alex at all—he liked Bobby and me pretty well, especially Bobby, and he felt he’d let us down.
We left soon, as the IC meeting loomed. Bobby started to leave his usual tip, but Alex put his foot down. “Meal is on me,” he said with a look that said it wasn’t up for debate, so we thanked him and headed out.
In my SUV, Bobby said, “Jesus, do you think this Glenna is as bat-shit crazy as her sister?”
“Not a clue,” I said, my reply no doubt sounding mournful.
We took the portal over to IC headquarters at the Fort Worth joint reserve base, were greeted by the same bored-looking naval officer as before, badged, and led to McKissack’s old conference room, which now belonged to Overton. As usual, we were among the first attendees to show up, the others being Commanders, both of whom brought portable computers and busied themselves at work, ignoring us except for a brief greeting.
Who should show up next but McKissack, tired and harassed as any CNO, but with clear interest in our find. Both Bobby and I shook hands with him, as did the commanders. As various other naval officers drifted in, he said, “I hear you boys have been doing your usual miracles and have good news.”
I let Bobby answer. He’s quiet around the top-level officers, but he liked McKissack. “A lot of luck,” he said. “Admiral Overton sent over the video frame that was captured on our missile launch, and I used my scanner routines to take a hard look at it.”
Overton showed up with the rest of his staff, including Commander Callen, and Admiral Wellington, who to the best of my knowledge, was still McKissack’s XO. Overton, tall, thin, and all business, made a two-minute intro and turned the meeting over to me. I invited Bobby to stand.
He covered the details succinctly, how he received the video frame, used his proprietary scan software to examine it, isolated a tiny patch of the star field that seemed familiar, and then did a visual analysis until he identified the faint form of the Andromeda Galaxy. He made it sound a great deal easier than it had been, but the good news was his explanation came across as simple enough for everybody to understand.
“So here we are,” he summarized. “With the identification of Andromeda in the frame, and looking at the perspective as shown in the star field, we have a good sense of the position of the Bug home world from Earth. I’m pretty sure with a minimum effort, say a couple of weeks, we can pinpoint the exact direction and distance to the Bug’s home.
“It would give us a huge advantage in any future war. Using a single ended portal, we could deliver a nuclear warhead to any position on the surface of their planet, meaning they mess with us again and they are dead. The question is, do you want us to immediately proceed with the expense and manpower it’ll take to locate the Bug home world ?”
He sat. Overton looked around the table, his gaze coming to a halt on his boss.
“Unless you say no,” Overton said, “I say that S-cubed needs to proceed with all available speed.”
McKissack laughed. “I don’t expect you think I’ll disagree.” He turned to Bobby. “Dr. Taylor, find them. I agree with Admiral Overton; this will give us an enormous strategic advantage. Put this ahead of your analysis of those Asia satellite scans. Those damn critters mess with us again, and we can squash them like the beetles they are.”
He glanced around the table, his gaze a challenge. “Any disagreements or other comments?”
Quiet reigned. Who’s going to disagree with the CNO?
McKissack stood. “Got another meeting.” To Overton, “Bill, if they need anything, they got it, as far as I’m concerned.”
He addressed me. “Admiral Hays, I know you have another assignment right now related to E-Two. This is so big that I would ask you to provide anything Dr. Taylor needs.” Back to Overton. “Bill, you and Commander Callen support him as needed on the colony project.”
Overton nodded. The meeting broke up, and Bobby and I went back to the office to figure out how the hell to fold in a scan of the galaxy for Bug World with all the other responsibilities we had.