Henry Wood Perception by Brian D. Meeks

Nothing out of the ordinary there, nobody else waiting. What he couldn’t remember was anything after she walked in. It was amateurish.
    It had been a long night, and he was exhausted. Henry grabbed another beer and played the seventh song, "Always A Woman." It made him think of Luna, which was good. When it finished, he played it again. The stress left him, and he drifted off at the table.

 
     
    CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
     
     
    Martin Van Sythe stood up, and the quiet conversations around the table died out. The conference room door was closed, all the staff had gone home long ago, and, except for a few briefcases and two pitchers of water, the room was empty. Martin had prepared notes but didn’t need them.
    In attendance were Charles Wayne Hudson, William Darby, John Fleming, Sir Richard Besserman, and the new man at the helm of Kupton Manufacturing, Matthew Kerwin. They all were focused on Martin.
    “It has been over a year since Daniel Kupton approached William and me. His vision and plan was so complex that he only gave us the tip of the iceberg. His company was swimming in red ink, but he had a way out. He needed money and explained the risk. We both believed his discovery was worth the risk, and it was then we approached the rest of you. You each contributed generously, despite having only a cursory knowledge of his entire vision.”
    Sir Richard Besserman said, “I can’t speak for the others, but for me, it was the results he had in the material testing that won me over.”
    There was a general murmur of agreement from around the table. Martin continued, “Thank you, Richard, I appreciate your enthusiasm and trust. Daniel provided few updates to the group because he thought it was important to maintain absolute secrecy. He did keep me informed, and I passed along those details that I felt were necessary for you each to know. His recent death has caused considerable concern, and though I've tried to assure each of you that the plans are still moving forward, I wanted to put any remaining fears to rest. This is the first reason I called you here tonight. In addition to keeping me in the loop, Daniel had his number two, Matthew Kerwin, involved in every step of the project. This was his idea of an insurance policy. I'm glad he had the foresight to take this step.” He made a slight motion towards Matthew. “I would like Matthew to introduce himself. He has a few items to share with you.”
    Matthew stood up, took a drink of water, and said, “I'm pleased to be here this evening despite the unfortunate circumstances that made it a necessity. In order to put your minds at ease, we thought it was best to give this update. Without boring you with endless technical detail, I can say that the original plans are being exceeded. When you were first approached, it was because our material sciences R&D team had succeeded in creating pipes that could withstand pressure at three times the previous record. They then applied what they had learned to a set of gauges. This is important because, as you know, the building of submarines requires this technology if they are to improve. A submarine may only head down to a depth at which its weakest link can handle. Furthermore, when in battle, the pipes must remain working even when…”
    Charles Hudson said, “Not to interrupt, but we understand the importance and are aware that these advancements were key in gaining the Navy contracts. It’s awfully late. Why do these meetings always happen so late?”
    John Flemming said, “Past your bedtime, Charlie?”
    Matthew continued, “Yes, of course, I'm sorry. I do tend to go on a bit. I'll stick to the highlights. We are now producing parts daily, both the pipes and the gauges. Two dedicated teams, in a completely secure facility, are being put together from some of our top workers. In short, we will be able to deliver on the Navy contract, on time, and on budget. We are ready for Phase II.”
    Martin stood up and said, “Before we