scoonts.theminotaur-第55部分

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　〃Five　flights　are　enough　for　what　we　want　to　find　out；　if　we　do　it　right。　This　little　evolution　is　just　a　new　car　test　drive　with　us　doing　the　driving。　Five　flights　are　enough　for　what　we　want　to　find　out　if　we　do　it　right；　which　is　precisely　what　we're　going　to　do。　Henry　and　Ludlow　and　Caplinger　want　a　fast　remendation　and　a　fast　decision；〃
　〃Don't　they　always？　Then　the　paper　pushers　in　SECDEPs　office　will　spend　a　couple　years　mulling　it　over；　sending　it　from　in　basket　to　in　basket。〃
　〃Ours　is　not　to　reason　why。。。〃
　The　pace　accelerated　relentlessly　in　the　office。　Working　days　lasted　twelve　hours　now；　and　Jake　ran　everyone　out　and　turned　off　the　lights　himself　at　7　P。M。　He　insisted　that　no　one　work　on　Saturday　and　Sunday；　believing　that　the　break　would　make　people　more　productive　during　the　week。
　The　weeks　slid　by；　one　by　one。
　Jake　spent　less　than　half　his　time　in　the　office　and　the　rest　in　an　endless　series　of　meetings　with　people　from　everywhere　in　government：　SECNAV；　SECDEF；　OPNAV；　NAVAIR；　NAVSEA；　the　FAA；　the　EPA；　the　air　force；　the　marines；　and　a　host　of　others。　Most　of　the　time　he　attended　these　conferences　with　Admiral　Dunedin　or　mander　Rob　Knight。
　The　meetings　went　on　and　on；　the　paper　piled　higher　and　higher。　The　same　subjects　kept　cropping　up　in　different　meetings；　where　they　had　to　be　rehashed　again　and　again。　Government　by　mittee　is　government　by　consensus；　and　key　players　from　every　office　high　and　low　had　to　be　listened　to　and　pacified。
　Jake　felt　like　the　sorcerer's　apprentice　as　he　tried　to　pin　people　down　and　arrive　at　final　resolutions　of　issues。　Meetings　bred　more　meetings：　the　final　item　on　every　agenda　was　to　set　the　times　and　places　for　follow…up　meetings。
　He　discovered　to　his　horror　that　no　one　person　had　a　plete　grasp　of　the　tens　of　thousands　of　regulations　and　directives　that　covered　every　aspect　of　procurement。　At　every　meeting；　it　seemed；　someone　had　another　requirement　that　needed　to　be　at　least　given　lip　service。　He　finally　found　where　all　this　stuff　was　stored；　a　library　that　at　last　measurement　contained　over　1；152　linear　feet　of　statutes；　regulations；　directives；　and　case　law　concerning　defense　procurement。　Jake　Grafton　looked　at　this　collection　in　awe　and　disgust；　and　never　visited　the　place　again。
　The　silent　army　of　faceless　gnomes　who　spent　their　working　lives　writing；　interpreting；　clarifying；　and　applying　these　millions　of　paragraphs　of　〃thou　shafts〃　and　〃thou　shall　note〃　took　on　flesh　and　substance。　They　came　in　all　sexes；　shapes；　and　colors；　each　with　his　or　her　own　coffee　cup　and　a　tiny　circle　of　responsibility；　which；　no　matter　how　small；　of　course　overlapped　with　that　of　three　or　four　others。
　The　key　players　were　all　known　to　Jake's　staff：　〃Witch　out　for　the　Arachnid〃；　someone　would　say　before　a　meeting。　Or　〃Beware　of　the　Sewer　Rat。　He'll　be　there　this　morning〃。　〃The　Gatekeeper　will　grill　you　on　this〃。　The　staff　named　these　key　players　in　the　procurement　process　because　of　their　resemblance　to　the　characters　in　the　game　Dungeons　and　Dragons。　When　he　returned　from　battle　Jake　had　to　contribute　to　the　office　lore　by　recounting　the　latest　exploits　of　the　evil　ones。
　〃It's　a　miracle　that　the　navy　even　owns　a　rowboat；〃　Grafton　remarked　one　day　to　Admiral　Dunedin。
　〃True；　but　the　Russians　are　more　screwed　up　than　we　are。　They　manage　every　single　sector　of　their　economy　like　this；　not　just　the　military。　You　can't　even　buy　toilet　paper　in　a　store　over　there。〃
　〃The　bureaucrat　factor　is　a　multiplier；〃　Jake　decided。　〃The　more　people　there　are　to　do　paperwork；　the　more　paper　there　is　to　be　worked　and　the　slower　everything　goes；　until　finally　the　wheels　stop　dead　and　only　the　paper　moves。〃
　〃The　crat　factor：　it's　a　law　of　physics；〃　Dunedin　agreed。
　Jake　took　a　briefcase　full　of　unclassified　material　borne　every　night；　and　after　Callie　and　Amy　were　in　bed　he　stayed　awake　until　midnight　scribbling　notes；　answering　queries；　and　reading　replies　and　reports　prepared　by　his　staff。
　He　spent　countless　hours　on　the　budget；　trying　to　justify　every　dollar　he　needed　for　the　next　fiscal　year。　He　had　to　make　assumptions　about　where　the　ATA　program　would　be　then；　and　then　he　had　to　justify　the　assumptions。　Athena　was　still　buried　deep；　outside　the　normal　budgetary　process。　Still　he　would　need　staff　and　travel　money　and　all　the　rest　of　it　He　involved　everyone　be　could　lay　hands　on　and　cajoled　Admiral　Dunedin　into　finding　him　two　more　officers　and　another　yeoman。　He　didn't　have　desks　for　them。　They　had　to　share。
　But　things　were　being　acplished。　A　Request　for　Proposal　（RFP）　on　the　Athena　project　was　drafted；　chopped　by　everyone　up　and　down　the　line；　mitteed　and　lawyered　and　redrafted　twice　and　finally　approved。　Numbered　copies　went　by　courier　to　a　half　dozen　major　defense　contractors　who　were　believed　to　have　the　technical　facilities　and　staff　to　handle　development　of　a　small　superconducting　puter　for　aviation　use。　The　office　staff　had　to　be　informed；　and　this　had　been　done　by　the　admiral。
　Inevitably　the　number　of　people　who　knew　about　Athena　and　what　it　could　do　was　expanding　exponentially。　Access　was　still　strictly　need…to…know；　but　the　system　ensured　that　a　great　many　people　had　the　need；　or　could　claim　they　did；　citing　chapter　and　verse　of　some　regulation　or　directive　no　one　else　had　ever　read　or　even　seen。
　Callie　was　understanding　about　the　time　demands　Jake　faced。　She　had　spent　enough　years　as　a　navy　wife　to　know　how　the　service　worked。　Amy　was　less　so。　She　and　Callie　were　still　going　round　and　round；　and　she　found　Jake　a　pleasant　change。　He　made　rules　and　he　enforced　them；　and　he　tucked　her　into　bed　every　night。　She　wanted　more　of　his　time　and　he　had　precious　little　to　give。　The　weekends　became　their　special　time　together。
　〃Why　do　you　spend　so　much　time　at　work；　Jake？〃
　〃It's　my　job。　I　have　to。〃
　〃I'm　not　going　to　have　a　job　like　yours。　I'm　going　to　get　a　job　that　gives　me　plenty　of　time　to　spend　with　my　little　girl。〃
　〃Are　you　my　little　girl？〃
　〃No。　I'm　Amy。　I'm　not　anybody's　little　girl。　But　I'm　going　to　have　a　little　girl　of　my　own　someday。〃
　〃Do　you　ever　think　much　about　those　somedays？　What　they'll　be　like？〃
　〃Sure。　I'll　have　lots　of　money　and　lots　of　time　and　a　very　nice　little　girl　to　buy　stuff　for　and　spend　time　with。〃
　〃How　are　you　going　to　get　lots　of　money　if　you　don't　spend　much　time　earning　it？〃
　〃I'm　going　to　inherit　it。　From　you　and　Callie。〃
　〃Guess　we'd　better　work　hard　then。〃
　
　One　day　in　early　May；　Special　Agent　Lloyd　Dreyfus　made　an　appointment　to　see　Luis　Camacho's　boss；　P。　R。　Bigelow；　without　telling　Camacho。　He　had　thought　about　it　for　a　week　before　he　made　the　appointment　with　the　secretary；　and　then　he　had　two　more　days　to　wait。　Jumping　the　chain　of　mand　was　as　grievous　a　sin　in　the　FBI　as　it　was　in　the　military；　yet　he　had　decided　to　do　it　anyway　and　to　hell　with　what　Camacho　or　anyone　else　thought。　As　the　day　and　hour　approached；　however；　the　enormity　of　his　transgression　increased　with　each　passing　hour。　Surely　Bigelow　would　understand。　Even　if　he　didn't；　he　must　realize　Dreyfus　had　a　right　and　duty　to　voice　his　concerns。
　Dreyfus　rehearsed　his　speech　carefully。　It　wasn't　technically　a　speech：　perhaps　a　better　description　would　be　〃short；　panicky　monologue。〃　He　had　to　justify　himself　as　soon　as　he　opened　his　mouth；　get　Bigelow's　sympathetic　attention　before　he　had　a　chance　to　start　quoting　the　regulations；　before　he　lost　his　cool　and　went　ballistic。　Was　Bigelow　a　ballistic　kind　of　guy？　Dreyfus　couldn't　recall　Camacho　ever　saying。
　He　tried　to　recall　everything　he　had　ever　heard　about　P。　R。　Bigelow；　and　that　wasn't　much。　Strange；　when　you　stopped　to　think　about　it　Camacho　never　mentioned　his　superior　officer；　never　said；　〃Bigelow　wants　this；〃　or　〃Bigelow　is　pleased；〃　or　〃Bigelow　says　blah…blah。〃　e　to　think　of　it；　Camacho　never　talked　about　anyone。　If　the　Director　himself　told　Luis　Camacho　to　do　thus　and　so；　Camacho　would　just　tell　Dreyfus；　〃Do　this〃　or　〃Do　that。〃　He　sometimes　said　what　he　hoped　to　find　or　achieve；　but　he　never　even　hinted　who　had　told　him　to　cause　something　to　happen；　or　why　it　was　to　happen。　He　never　expressed　a　personal　opinion。　Curious　as　hell。　Camacho　was　one　weird　duck；　beyond　a　reasonable　doubt
　Sitting　in　Bigelow's　reception　area　with　the　secretary　checking　him　out　surreptitiously　as　she　did　her　nails；　Dreyfus　went　over　his　list　one　more　time。　He　wanted　everything　right　on　the　tip　of　his　tongue。　It　would　be　worse　than　disastrous　to　think　of　the　clincher　on　the　way　to　the　surgery　in　the　dungeon。　Once　again　he　assured　himself　he　was　doing　the　right　thing。　The　right　thing。　Doing　the　right　thing。　He　fondled　his　pipe　in　his　pocket　as　if　it　were　a　set　of　worry　beads。
　The　ten…button　phone　on　the　nail　polisher's　desk　buzzed　to　attract　its　owner's　attention。　After　listening　a　moment　and　grunting　into　the　instrument　in　a　pleasant；　respectful　way；　she　hung　up　and　said　to　Dreyfus；　〃He'll　see　you　now。〃　Her　painted　eyebrows　arched　knowingly；　condescendingly。
　P。　R。　Bigelow　was　eating　a　large　jelly　doughnut　at　his　desk。　He　mumbled　his　greeting　with　his　mouth　full；　a　glob　of　red　goo　in　the　corner　of　his　mouth。
　Dreyfus　took　a　chair　and　launched　into　his　prepared　remarks。　〃I've　asked　for　this　time；　sir；　to　ensure　you　know　what　is　going　on　with　the　Minotaur　investigation。　The　answer　is　almost　nothing。　For　months　now　we've　been　spinning　our　wheels；　begging　puter　time　to　try　and　crack　the　Minotaur's　letters　to　the　Soviet　ambassador；　following　a　few　people　hither　and　yon　all　over　Washington；　monitoring　some　phone　lines；　wasting　an　army　of　manpower　and　bushels　of　money；　and　we　are　going　essentially　nowhere。　I　thought　you　should　know　that。〃
　Bigelow　wiped　the　jam　from　his　lips　with　a　napkin；　sipped　coffee　from　a　white　mug　labeled　〃World's　Best　Dad〃　and　took　another　bite　of　doughnut。
　His　attitude　rattled　Dreyfus；　who　got　out　his　pipe　and　rubbed　the　bowl　carefully。　〃Our　best　lead　was　a　navy　enlisted　puter　technician　in　the　Pentagon；　a　guy　we　thought　was　tapping　the　puter　for　some　of　this　stuff。　Name　of　Terry　Franklin。　Yet　Camacho　never　let　us　pick　the　guy　up。　So　we　sat　and　watched　him　do　his　little　thing；　and　we　were　diligently　following　him；　right　on　his　tail；　in　March　when　his　car　blew　up　with　him　in　it。