her diamond-encrusted watch. “I have a nail appointment in fifteen minutes.”
“This is…a delicate situation,” said Tim. “It’s not exactly”—he lowered his voice—“legal.”
“This is the science fair ,” said Daniel e, raising her voice. “Do you care about your daughter’s education at all ?”
“Of course I do.”
“Wel , I hope so.” Daniel e checked her watch. “Thirteen minutes.” She drummed her flawless nails on her husband’s desk. Tim wondered why nails that perfect needed a manicure, but he was way too smart to ask.
He looked at the phone, its light blinking to indicate that the fifty-three-mil ion-dol ar customers were waiting. He cleared his throat and said, “I’l meet you at the loading dock in ten minutes. Have the trunk open.”
Daniel e smiled a flawless smile. “You’re such a good father, Timmy,” she said. “Have I told you that?”
* * *
Carl Niles lugged the heavy aluminum case into the spacious, spotless, and fabulously ultramodern Niles kitchen, where his wife, Jeanette, and son Jason were eating food from Burger King. Jason was watching his video iPod. Carl set the case down gently on the floor. He tapped Jason’s shoulder to indicate that he wanted to talk. Reluctantly, Jason removed one of his earbuds.
“What?” he said.
Carl pointed at the case. “Be very, very careful with this,” he said.
“Yeah, whatever,” said Jason, starting to put the earbud back in.
Carl gripped his son’s shoulder. “I’m serious ,” he said.
“Ouch,” said Jason.
“Carl, you’re hurting him!” said Jeanette.
Carl let go, took a calming breath. “Okay,” he said. “But he needs to understand that this”—he gestured toward the case—“is an extremely sophisticated piece of technology. If anybody found out it was in civilian hands…”
“I’m sure Jason wil be very careful,” said Jeanette, scraping the breading off a chicken nugget. “Won’t you, dear?”
“Sure,” said Jason.
“And above al ,” said Carl, “tel the…tel your guy to fol ow the power-supply specifications. This is very important, al right? If he exceeds them, this thing could…It would be very bad.
You understand, Jason?”
“Yeah,” said Jason.
“Then tel me what I just said,” said Carl.
“You said he shouldn’t exceed…something.”
“The power-supply specifications!” said Carl, gripping Jason’s shoulder again. “This is very important .”
“Ouch,” said Jason.
“Carl, stop hurting him!” said Jeanette. “I’m sure it wil be fine. Jason wil tel the science coach what you said. Won’t you, Jason?”
“Yeah,” said Jason, reinserting the earbud, his eyes on the iPod screen.
Carl looked at his son for a moment, then at the metal case, then at his wife.
“I need a drink,” he said.
D RMTSI AND VRSK STARED OUT through the taxi windows at America, their mouths wide open like groupers. Everything they saw astonished them, starting with the sheer number of cars—
more cars on just this street than there were in al of Krpshtskan. And these were new cars, cars that actual y worked, driving at amazing speeds on smooth roads as wide as the Krpshtskani presidential palace.
The taxi whizzed past forests of fantastic buildings, new and clean and spectacularly high, some of them looking as though they were made entirely of glass. And then there were fields of houses, big houses; Drmtsi and Vrsk assumed that houses this grand must be occupied by the rulers of America. But there were so many of them, and every one had a car out front. Sometimes two cars. Just sitting there. The houses were surrounded by grass, big swaths of it, green and lush. Drmtsi and Vrsk saw no livestock; they assumed that the cows and goats were kept inside the houses, let out to eat the grass at night. Much different than the Krpsht system.
Drmtsi turned to Vrsk, and, speaking Krpsht, said, “Is large country.”
“Yes,” replied Vrsk, also in Krpsht. He was thinking,
“This is…a delicate situation,” said Tim. “It’s not exactly”—he lowered his voice—“legal.”
“This is the science fair ,” said Daniel e, raising her voice. “Do you care about your daughter’s education at all ?”
“Of course I do.”
“Wel , I hope so.” Daniel e checked her watch. “Thirteen minutes.” She drummed her flawless nails on her husband’s desk. Tim wondered why nails that perfect needed a manicure, but he was way too smart to ask.
He looked at the phone, its light blinking to indicate that the fifty-three-mil ion-dol ar customers were waiting. He cleared his throat and said, “I’l meet you at the loading dock in ten minutes. Have the trunk open.”
Daniel e smiled a flawless smile. “You’re such a good father, Timmy,” she said. “Have I told you that?”
* * *
Carl Niles lugged the heavy aluminum case into the spacious, spotless, and fabulously ultramodern Niles kitchen, where his wife, Jeanette, and son Jason were eating food from Burger King. Jason was watching his video iPod. Carl set the case down gently on the floor. He tapped Jason’s shoulder to indicate that he wanted to talk. Reluctantly, Jason removed one of his earbuds.
“What?” he said.
Carl pointed at the case. “Be very, very careful with this,” he said.
“Yeah, whatever,” said Jason, starting to put the earbud back in.
Carl gripped his son’s shoulder. “I’m serious ,” he said.
“Ouch,” said Jason.
“Carl, you’re hurting him!” said Jeanette.
Carl let go, took a calming breath. “Okay,” he said. “But he needs to understand that this”—he gestured toward the case—“is an extremely sophisticated piece of technology. If anybody found out it was in civilian hands…”
“I’m sure Jason wil be very careful,” said Jeanette, scraping the breading off a chicken nugget. “Won’t you, dear?”
“Sure,” said Jason.
“And above al ,” said Carl, “tel the…tel your guy to fol ow the power-supply specifications. This is very important, al right? If he exceeds them, this thing could…It would be very bad.
You understand, Jason?”
“Yeah,” said Jason.
“Then tel me what I just said,” said Carl.
“You said he shouldn’t exceed…something.”
“The power-supply specifications!” said Carl, gripping Jason’s shoulder again. “This is very important .”
“Ouch,” said Jason.
“Carl, stop hurting him!” said Jeanette. “I’m sure it wil be fine. Jason wil tel the science coach what you said. Won’t you, Jason?”
“Yeah,” said Jason, reinserting the earbud, his eyes on the iPod screen.
Carl looked at his son for a moment, then at the metal case, then at his wife.
“I need a drink,” he said.
D RMTSI AND VRSK STARED OUT through the taxi windows at America, their mouths wide open like groupers. Everything they saw astonished them, starting with the sheer number of cars—
more cars on just this street than there were in al of Krpshtskan. And these were new cars, cars that actual y worked, driving at amazing speeds on smooth roads as wide as the Krpshtskani presidential palace.
The taxi whizzed past forests of fantastic buildings, new and clean and spectacularly high, some of them looking as though they were made entirely of glass. And then there were fields of houses, big houses; Drmtsi and Vrsk assumed that houses this grand must be occupied by the rulers of America. But there were so many of them, and every one had a car out front. Sometimes two cars. Just sitting there. The houses were surrounded by grass, big swaths of it, green and lush. Drmtsi and Vrsk saw no livestock; they assumed that the cows and goats were kept inside the houses, let out to eat the grass at night. Much different than the Krpsht system.
Drmtsi turned to Vrsk, and, speaking Krpsht, said, “Is large country.”
“Yes,” replied Vrsk, also in Krpsht. He was thinking,
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