attention to the woman. She was visibly cowering now, and Pettis had not yet said a word.
“Oh, no, ma’am,” Pettis said at last, his voice oozing calm menace. “Nothing so mundane as that. The target was a five-story building. The MDA dusted it.”
“ Dusted? ” she asked haughtily.
“Vaporized,” Pettis coldly clarified.
“With only ten percent of the available power?” Mitchell’s eyes widened. “How could you do that with such a low setting? And what do you mean, vaporized?”
“Yes,” Representative Wise snorted, trying to recover. “Vaporized? Come now, Major. I… I might accept demolished, or even destroyed—but vaporized? I hardly think a five-story building could actually be vaporized in any accurate sense of the word. Surely you exaggerate.”
Pettis’s eyes narrowed further. “I never exaggerate. General Holt was present at the test and witnessed the results. Ask him what he saw.” Holt saw—and felt—everyone turn to face him. Everyone except Pettis, who continued to stare at Marjorie Wise.
“Well, General?” Cardinale prompted. “Since you saw this supposedly amazing test, we’d appreciate your opinion. How would you characterize the condition of the target building after being struck by the MDA?”
Holt looked away for a moment, considering how best to answer, looked at Pettis for only an instant, then back at Cardinale. He took a breath. “Dusted,” he said flatly, “about covers it.”
The silence that followed became uncomfortably long. Cardinale and Mitchell nervously shifted in their seats. Wise and Pettis moved not a muscle, as if frozen in time, like a museum diorama of sabre-tooth and sloth, predator and prey, hunter and hunted.
“Very well, then,” Cardinale finally said, “let’s wrap this up. Allow me to summarize.” He put on his glasses and consulted his notes.
“We have heard from Major Pettis and General Holt that Project Molly Day has achieved considerable success since our last reports. However, there is still general disagreement among Committee members about the overall worth of the project. I believe it’s fair to say that, Major Pettis’s assurances notwithstanding, we still lack empirical evidence of sufficient progress.” He laid the notebook down, removed his glasses.
“Gentlemen, as things stand now, it looks like a committee vote would not go in your favor. I must tell you that, although I’m impressed with what you’ve told us, we cannot advocate continuation of the project unless you can present hard facts to support your statements. I will, of course, entertain any suggestions you may have in that respect.”
“When do you return to Washington?” Pettis asked.
“We fly out Saturday morning, Major.”
“Then you needn’t make a final decision until then, correct?”
“I suppose not. What are you suggesting?”
“That you attend a test of the MDA, which I will schedule for this Friday morning. I’m confident that if you witness a demonstration, you’ll have no doubts about the project’s worth.”
“I don’t know,” Representative Wise hedged. “It would be irregular, at best. Committee members generally avoid direct examination of projects of this type. Besides, we probably don’t have the necessary security clearance.” Her eyes avoided Pettis’s. “I vote against such an excursion.”
Intrigued, Mitchell spoke up. “Ms. Wise, I’m sure Major Pettis could arrange temporary clearance for us.”
Again, Pettis addressed Mitchell directly. “Of course, and I’ll arrange transportation to the test site as well.”
The young man seemed pleased with himself. “There. I think if we’re going to give the project a fair shake, we should at least make an effort to see what they have. Mr. Cardinale?”
Cardinale considered for only a moment. “Yes, yes, I think so. We’re here already, so I see no reason to refuse. In fact, a test will tell the tale one way or the other. If the MDA performs as well as you
“Oh, no, ma’am,” Pettis said at last, his voice oozing calm menace. “Nothing so mundane as that. The target was a five-story building. The MDA dusted it.”
“ Dusted? ” she asked haughtily.
“Vaporized,” Pettis coldly clarified.
“With only ten percent of the available power?” Mitchell’s eyes widened. “How could you do that with such a low setting? And what do you mean, vaporized?”
“Yes,” Representative Wise snorted, trying to recover. “Vaporized? Come now, Major. I… I might accept demolished, or even destroyed—but vaporized? I hardly think a five-story building could actually be vaporized in any accurate sense of the word. Surely you exaggerate.”
Pettis’s eyes narrowed further. “I never exaggerate. General Holt was present at the test and witnessed the results. Ask him what he saw.” Holt saw—and felt—everyone turn to face him. Everyone except Pettis, who continued to stare at Marjorie Wise.
“Well, General?” Cardinale prompted. “Since you saw this supposedly amazing test, we’d appreciate your opinion. How would you characterize the condition of the target building after being struck by the MDA?”
Holt looked away for a moment, considering how best to answer, looked at Pettis for only an instant, then back at Cardinale. He took a breath. “Dusted,” he said flatly, “about covers it.”
The silence that followed became uncomfortably long. Cardinale and Mitchell nervously shifted in their seats. Wise and Pettis moved not a muscle, as if frozen in time, like a museum diorama of sabre-tooth and sloth, predator and prey, hunter and hunted.
“Very well, then,” Cardinale finally said, “let’s wrap this up. Allow me to summarize.” He put on his glasses and consulted his notes.
“We have heard from Major Pettis and General Holt that Project Molly Day has achieved considerable success since our last reports. However, there is still general disagreement among Committee members about the overall worth of the project. I believe it’s fair to say that, Major Pettis’s assurances notwithstanding, we still lack empirical evidence of sufficient progress.” He laid the notebook down, removed his glasses.
“Gentlemen, as things stand now, it looks like a committee vote would not go in your favor. I must tell you that, although I’m impressed with what you’ve told us, we cannot advocate continuation of the project unless you can present hard facts to support your statements. I will, of course, entertain any suggestions you may have in that respect.”
“When do you return to Washington?” Pettis asked.
“We fly out Saturday morning, Major.”
“Then you needn’t make a final decision until then, correct?”
“I suppose not. What are you suggesting?”
“That you attend a test of the MDA, which I will schedule for this Friday morning. I’m confident that if you witness a demonstration, you’ll have no doubts about the project’s worth.”
“I don’t know,” Representative Wise hedged. “It would be irregular, at best. Committee members generally avoid direct examination of projects of this type. Besides, we probably don’t have the necessary security clearance.” Her eyes avoided Pettis’s. “I vote against such an excursion.”
Intrigued, Mitchell spoke up. “Ms. Wise, I’m sure Major Pettis could arrange temporary clearance for us.”
Again, Pettis addressed Mitchell directly. “Of course, and I’ll arrange transportation to the test site as well.”
The young man seemed pleased with himself. “There. I think if we’re going to give the project a fair shake, we should at least make an effort to see what they have. Mr. Cardinale?”
Cardinale considered for only a moment. “Yes, yes, I think so. We’re here already, so I see no reason to refuse. In fact, a test will tell the tale one way or the other. If the MDA performs as well as you
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