Ark by K.B. Kofoed

it.”
    “They never let go,” said Jim, nodding. “I guess that’s it. Game over.” He looked up at the ceiling and slumped back in his chair. “Balls.”
    Lou turned and picked up his pen. “I’m sorry it worked out this way, Jim, but you know what I always say?”
    “Screw ’em?”
    “No.” said Lou. “More like, ‘they’ll screw you whether you’re standing up or sitting down.’”
    That forced a laugh out of Jim. “I never heard that one.”
    “Brand new,” said Lou. “Not bad, huh?”
    “Needs work,” said Jim, offering an appreciative smile. As they both got back to work Jim began to realize that Lou might have be right. “Fine. Let the military deal with it,” he thought.
    The phone rang. To Jim’s surprise it was Gene, calling from a hotel in Albuquerque. Gene was laughing when Jim answered. “Hey, Jim, what’s up? John says you called him at his Dad’s office. Is there a problem?”
    “I don’t know, Gene,” replied Jim cautiously. “Was John angry?”
    “Well, I guess puzzled is more like it,” said Gene. “How did you get that number?”
    “Tell you what,” said Jim. “An answer for an answer. First me. What are you doing in New Mexico?”
    “That’s a bit of a story,” said Gene.
    “I’ll bet,” said Jim.
    “The skinny is that John’s Dad got involved when he heard about the plans,” Gene explained.
    “Involved? How involved?”
    “So how did you get the number?” asked Gene.
    “Well,” said Jim thoughtfully. “Sources.”
    “Sources that have his father’s private military number?” Gene was silent for a few seconds. “Okay, Jim, what do you want?”
    “I want to know what’s happening with the ark project, Gene,” said Jim, trying to maintain a friendly tone.
    “John is close to his Dad, Jim,” said Gene. “They talk all the time. It’s not a big deal. He told his Dad about the project and his Dad, who’s pretty big stuff around here, offered the services of his staff at Sandia to help John get some answers.”
    “Why not tell me?” asked Jim. He noticed Lou standing in the doorway between their studios, listening. He gave Lou the thumb’s up sign and Lou nodded.
    Gene seemed surprisingly forthcoming. “What’s the point in dragging you down here?” he asked. “John didn’t want a whole herd of people down there. The place is big on security.”
    “I know Sandia,” said Jim. “Applied for a job there a million years ago. Nukes all over the place.”
    “Yeah,” said Gene, “I guess. John didn’t involve you in this because there’s no need. We’re getting data. That’s all.” What Gene was saying seemed to add up, but Jim was still uneasy about the military being involved. He said as much to Gene. “We were planning on filling you in if we got any data, Jim,” continued Gene, “and as far as my being here, I’m on vacation and John invited me to fly down. I’m going to rent a car tomorrow and visit the Grand Canyon.”
    “Oh,” said Jim. “Have a good time. I wouldn’t mind seeing the canyon myself.”
    After exchanging a few more pleasantries Jim hung up. Lou was still in the doorway. “Pussy,” said Lou. “Sounded to me like he walked all over you.”
    “They’re not cutting me out. They’re just doing research.”
    “The military is looking into this for you?” said Lou, grinning cynically. “God, Jim, are you buying that?”
    “Well, what choice do I have?” said Jim, scratching his thinning brown hair.
    “Just bag the whole thing. It stinks! Buy it if you want to, Jim. It’s your funeral.”
    That afternoon John Wilcox called. His greeting was cordial and positive, but he seemed concerned that Jim had gotten the number at his father’s office. To protect Aaron’s job, Jim lied. “I had it written down somewhere. Maybe you gave it to me.”
    “Not important,” said John. “Anyway, glad I have you on the line. I could look this up, I guess, but you might have the information at hand. How much gold