The Door

1 The Door Team

Two goals had come alive when she began to take the challenge of her life seriously. The first was to make a social difference in the standing of women.

The second was to pursue her passion for space.

She had more or less stumbled into her current level of social involvement. She had not originally planned for or even dreamed of attaining the role she had just been elected to.

She had originally only been interested in getting the inner city kids a chance to grow into productive, happy, working adults and in that process to give young women a positive view of themselves.

Her work in Chicago’s inner city put her face to face with the white political bosses. She learned to manipulate them and win many of them to her cause. Not because they were altruistic but because she got the young voters to the ballot box.

Then one of those political bosses urged her to run for a state senate seat. He assured her she would win. She had no clue how he knew this or could promise it, but it fit her desire to have a bigger impact than she was having saving one kid at a time. She wanted the system to change for the better and saw it as an opportunity to do so.

It surprised her when she won as promised.

She served only one term and then on the death of the senior senator from Illinois to the US senate, she was drafted to run.

She had never imagined that she could win, and she barely cleared the hurdle. She did so by only a few hundred votes and suffered through a recount challenge but and the win margin went up slightly.

She was a solid performer and won the next two senatorial elections. She became nationally recognized for her work on changing the policing practices and for pushing a national unified police practices bill.

The bill was the MacAdam Bill and was passed and signed into law by the President. It was the first time all police organizations had a common set of practices on how to deal with the public across the entire country.

Then her old curmudgeon supporter urged her to run for the Presidency.

Once again, he told her she would win.

She figured he had something to do with her winning a seat in the state senate but how could he possibly believe she had a chance to become a candidate for the presidency!

But here she was, looking out from the oval office at the White House lawn.

It was a brutal primary race. Then it got nasty as she ran against a Republican candidate that hated her for being a woman as well as a Democrat.

The Presidential Race was of a street fight level. Policy and what each candidate could do for the country was of little consequence or of seeming interest to the public.

It was all about personality and sticking it to the insiders. The ugliness just below the veneer of civility, still residing between the races, the gender bigotry and the rancor religious differences raised, all surfaced as the campaigns stirred the public while trying to create a winning coalition of voters.

Her support from the black, Hispanic, Muslim communities and her solid support from women repulsed by her adversaries view of women was just enough to get her elected.

So here she was, her third week in office, looking out at the perfectly manicured White House lawn cut to just the right height and mowed to show a crisscross pattern. The lawn keeper of her personal home would envy the care and attention given this lawn.

The lawn held her attention only because the interviewing for the leader for her pet project was not going well. She needed a person who in her gut she knew would successfully deliver her pet project.

She had interviewed two very qualified candidates that seemed to look great on paper but on a one to one basis they fell flat. Each had fallen into one of two areas, too condescending or promising too much.

It left her cold.

She had asked the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff if he had any candidates.

Jorge had been surprised to be called to a meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. He had been appraised that he was being considered to lead a project of personal interest to the new President and would be interviewed by her right after their meeting. Not much about the role was shared other than it would entail leading a team focused on exploring the solar system.

This pleased Jorge.

His longtime friend and stiff competitor, Jerry Delaney, had landed the assignment he had been seeking. He had not been aware of this opportunity and wasn’t even sure he knew what it entailed.

“I wonder what my chances are at getting this assignment,” he continued his musing.

He hoped his knowledge about the solar system and space would help in getting through the interview.

He left the meeting with the Chairman and proceeded to the White House as instructed. The sun was getting close to the horizon when he entered the White House.

He hoped the President would still hold the interview as scheduled.

Jorge looked up as the meeting room door opened. He stood up and gave the President a salute.

“I have never been greeted so formally. I am not sure how I should respond,” Lacy commented.

“You should hire me to lead your team, and I will salute you every time,” Jorge replied with a slight smile.

“I believe I will. Just answer one question; Can you do this in the next four years,” Lacy inquired?

“I don’t make promises unless I can keep them. However, if it can possibly be done, I will do it. What is it that you want done,” Jorge replied?

“I want a team to open up our solar system to exploration,” Stacy replied.

She watched as Jorge took in the request. He seemed to be evaluating his options. Finally, he replied.

“I will put the US out in front of any progress of getting out and exploring the solar system. This is a race, and I will keep our team in the lead. I cannot promise the opening of the solar system, but I can promise we will be in the lead,” Jorge replied.

He was not sure that his answer would be sufficient, but he would not over promise.

“Too hot, too cold, just right went through Lacy’s mind before she declared,

“You’re hired.”

I want this to be your team, and I want it to deliver results. The details of the assignment are in this folder. All resources are at your disposal. At our next meeting please brief me on team member selection and the reason for your picks,” President MacAdam said as the meeting came to a close.

As promised, Jorge called his wife, Jimena, to share the good news about his new job which he had yet to figure out.

This assignment will be the most challenging and perhaps the most important one in my career,” Jorge thought to himself.

The program was named the Door.

The briefing on the program was an eye opener.

“Are we really that close to achieving living matter transmission,” was Jorge’s question during the subsequent briefing.

“That General, is what you are to determine and to accelerate to success,” the President’s science advisor replied.

“You will lead a small team made up of a few scientists, analysts, and mathematical wizards. We have done a preliminary screening of potential team members.”

We have lined up interviews with the top thinkers in the field. Your job is to select from among the candidates on the list and create the team you feel will lead to quick success.

Jorge left the meeting with the list and had meetings set up with the candidates.

The choices had been tough to make but, in each case,, Jorge got a gut and mental signal, “this one is for the team, or no not this one.”

The first series of interviews had been with the scientists directly involved with matter transmission. The early interviews had not gone well.

Jorge was disappointed by the initial interviews.

“These scientists are all still thinking theoretically and talking about what will happen in the future. I need one that is thinking about being successful tomorrow,” Jorge had thought to himself.

He had conducted all the interviews that had been lined up in the US and Canada, his final interview took Jorge to England.

Jorge was zero for five going into this final interview. He had saved the husband-and-wife team of Tom and Linda to last.

“I don’t know what I am going do if this last interview falls through,” Jorge thought to himself as he stepped out of the Heathrow terminal and got into his cab.

Tom had grown up on the poor side of London. Both of his parents worked to make ends meet. He had been bored for most of his high school years but knew how to pass tests and get top grades. Those top grades got him into the University.

He was the first in his family to attend University. There he pursued a science curriculum but was bored with most of the topics. There just seemed to be nothing to provide the challenge he was looking for.

It was at the moment he was contemplating dropping out of the University when he met Linda. He was sitting at the end of the bar moping about and feeling sorry for himself when she offered to buy him a drink!

He almost fell off the stool.

Linda had seen Tom several times. His red hair was like a magnet to her. When she walked into the pub and saw him sitting at the end of the bar, she summoned all her courage and made the pass of her life by offering to buy him a drink.

His silence and stunned look made her think she had made a mistake.

She turned in embarrassment to leave.

“Wait, Wait, yes, yes of course you can buy me a drink,” Tom stammered as he recovered from his amazement.

“I can’t let this beautiful creature escape from my presence,” flashed through his mind.

To have someone, anyone offer him a drink was unfathomable in his mind.

To have this beauty make a pass at him threw him off his chair.

What followed was a romance that was to last a lifetime. Tom could not remember one word of their conversation on that first evening. For the rest of his life, he would sit and remember getting lost in Linda’s eyes and wondering why she would want to have a drink with him!

Together they made a complete scientific team. Tom had new purpose when Linda described her theory of living matter transmission.

The theory, mathematics, and physics associated with the topic were the ingredients needed to provide him a challenge.

The work he and Linda were doing limited their job market appeal. They landed several University based stipends and continued pursuing their matter transmission work. Several of their scientific papers on the topic of matter transmission were published and provided some meager additional income.

They spent almost ten years in their common pursuit. Ten years but it seemed like just yesterday to him.

Tom knew it was her eyes, for him, they stopped time.

“I feel like I am at the end of the bar again,” Tom had commented to Linda.

“Are you looking for another offer of a free drink,” Linda replied.

“I think we both need an offer for a free drink,” Tom said as he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

The call from the General came that afternoon and Tom had eagerly invited him over.

“We are on the verge. We have developed not only the theory but have defined the equipment needed to deliver our theory. If you build what we have designed, we will indeed be successful in transmitting living matter,” he said excitedly during their interview with the General.

“It will be so much more personal, and our joint office is here at home and has all our analysis and information,” Tom had replied when asked where they should meet.

Jorge was sitting in the kitchen of the Hughes’s home in London. Tom had insisted he come to dinner to do the interview. This was unusual for Jorge, but he accepted the invitation.

“These are the ones,” had flashed through Jorge’s mind as he listened to the energized manner in which Tom described the process and the quiet confidence Linda exuded as she provided the additional details.

“Who else do we need on the team,” Jorge asked Tom and Linda?

“We need someone that can design and build the scanner that will disassemble the living matter at a molecular level at the transmission end and then recombine it at the receiving end.

We have the specifications for both pieces of equipment. We are sure it will work if we can get it built,” Tom had replied.

Jorge looked down his list. There seemed to be only one person that fit that description.

“I would like to offer both of you a role on the Door program.

Is there a chance one of you can participate in the interview of an Aaron Alton? He is the only one on my list that fits the profile you just described,” was Jorge’s next statement.

“Yes of course, let us know the time and date and we will both participate,” Linda spoke up.

“I hope you are going to cover the expenses. We are excited about the opportunity but have no travel budget,” she continued.

“Don’t worry, the project will cover all expenses as well as your salaries. I will send you the details on the salary and send you the time and date of Aaron’s interview. We will also need to discuss the timing of your move to the Lakland airbase in San Antonio,” Jorge replied.

“What by the way is the salary range offer you are making,” Linda asked?

Both she and Tom looked at each other with beaming smiles when the General mentioned the salary each of them would receive. He had followed with the fact that the final offer would be what he had shared or higher.

They danced a jig together after the general got into the cab.

Together they would earn almost eight times their current combined income.

Jorge contacted Aaron Alton and arranged for an interview.

Jorge departed London the next day. He adjusted his return to San Antonio to go via Cincinnati, Ohio.

“Aaron is the opposite of Tom,” flashed through Jorge’s mind as he listened to Aaron’s quiet, professional, and subdued responses.

“Yes, given the design and the money, I can build an analyzer that will scan and capture the structure of every cell in the body. You say that you have the specifications for what the scanner must do. When can I have access to them,” was Aaron’s reply to Jorge’s pointed question?

“I would like to invite you to come to San Antonio to meet with several of the Door team members for a discussion on this topic,” Jorge offered.

“Sure, that would be welcomed. I am currently at the end of a project and was looking for the next challenge.” Aaron replied in a thoughtful manner.

He was as excited as he could possibly be. He had been bored to death with his current work at the University. He left the meeting and rushed home to tell his wife and kids about this new opportunity.

A few weeks later, Jorge, Tom, Linda, and Aaron got into the technology and the detailed specifications Linda and Tom had documented.

It was clear to Jorge that the three were technically and scientifically linked.

He listened politely but understood little. He was more focused on the dynamics of the three than trying to understand the technical aspects.

The conversation amongst the three was beyond Jorge’s understanding.

He quickly positioned the three.

Aaron was a clear counterbalance to Tom’s constant high energy.

Linda was the pivot point and fulcrum.

Tom would be the fuel that would keep things hot.

“I have the core of my team. Now to round it out,” Jorge thought to himself.

He was now looking to fill only two other roles. One was the role of planner and project manager. The other was the role of psychologist/psychiatrist.

Jacqueline Hazely, a petite, five foot, almost frail woman, turned out to have huge mental capacity. Her style was non-threatening but direct and firm. It was somewhat of a surprise to Jorge to find out her home was also in Cincinnati.

Jacque still had children in junior high and high school. She was very interested in the opportunity but made it clear it would need to be on a travel basis.

Jorge had immediately been drawn to her professional, direct, and effective communication style. She was the first on his list. He offered her a role on the spot, and she accepted.

Ryan McComber, the number one project manager on a long list lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He would be the youngest member of the team. He had made the list because of his work on a website that had been delivered on time and had been a commercial success.

Their meeting took place in The Green Oyster Bar.

Ryan was visually the opposite of the impression Jorge had gotten from his resume and their phone conversation. He sported a trim goatee and gave the visual impression of a rough and tumble type of person. His smooth conversational manners communicated a person who got along with everyone.

“You come highly recommended. Are you available for the job of a lifetime,” Jorge opened their conversation?

“I am always looking for the job of a lifetime. What part of my body do I have to give up,” Ryan had replied?

Jorge figured that this sense of humor would later play well when managing a team of high energy people.

Ryan’s children were young enough that he was willing to move the family to Texas to be part of the team.

A few weeks later the entire team was together for a barbeque in Jorge’s back yard.

“Well, they seem to be getting along well,” his wife commented to Jorge as they stood by the grill and looked to the table on the back patio and the people talking in an animated way.

“Yes, I am pleased with how they get along. They will need to make a major technical breakthrough. My job is to provide the resources to make it happen.

If they fail, I fail,” Jorge replied.

2 The weak link

Elena had been hired to infiltrate the Door program. She had been in the spy business since her early years. Her northern European, blond hair, blue eyes and her mother’s beauty were the attributes that made it easy to attract the opposite gender.

Many a man had stared down her low-cut dress at her cleavage and eyed her well-shaped slender legs. Most had gone on to make fools of themselves and provided Elena the information she cunningly extracted from them.

Elena had leveraged this natural magnetism into a very lucrative business. This current assignment was by far the riskiest she had ever undertaken.

It was also the most lucrative engagement.

She had crossed over into the big league of spying.

She had been given the backgrounds of all the known leaders of the US Door program. There had seemed to be no obvious weak link.

Her only hope and target was Phil. Of all the targets he was the one that should have been inaccessible. He was the chief security officer for the program!

However, three years ago he had separated from his wife and was out as a newbie in the dating field.

It was a daring move on Elena’s part to pick him as her entry point.

It was also a brilliant one.

Her cover as a self-employed real-estate agent in San Jose, Texas provided her with a rather good income but more importantly it provided the flexible hours she needed.

She had carefully followed the Colonel to learn of his social patterns.

It was clear that some other people were following him as well.

This sent up a warning light in her mind.

She had competition but she did not know who it might be.

Nevertheless, she proceeded to make contact. She met the Colonel at one of the night spots he periodically frequented.

Elena had made it as easy as possible for Phil to have her background checked. She knew she had cleared the background check prior to her first date with him. Phil had proceeded slowly and carefully in establishing their relationship.

Elena woke up and contemplated the coming day.

“This has been one of my hardest assignments,” she thought to herself as she looked across the bed at her bed at Phil.

This was her house, but Phil often slept over. He had his own home on base.

Phil was sleeping peacefully. Periodic small snorts were his only sleep peculiarities.

Colonel Sylvester Sloan, know to his friends as Phil, was the security officer for the Door program. It was his job to ensure every participant in the program qualified for and maintained a Top Secrete Security Clearance.

He was just an average looking guy but fancied himself a ladies man. He was divorced and was currently romancing Elena.

Elena got out of bed and went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. She knew that Phil would soon follow her to the kitchen for his morning cup of coffee.

This past year she had pushed the relationship to a new level. Her employers wanted to know the progress of the US Door program. From what she could tell there were other similar programs in several countries besides her employer. From the tone of the inquiry coming from her employer, it seemed apparent that things were not going too well in the program he represented.

“Something positive has happened in the US program,” Elena thought to herself as she took her first sip of coffee.

“Phil has been much more ebullient than previous,” she continued her musing.

She had learned about the countless mice that had lost their lives. She had not learned how but that the mice were dying due to the program. Phil was very good at not divulging the details of the program.

However, she had learned that recently the mice were surviving.

The information about the survival of the mice had been sent into her employers.

She felt Phil’s arm go around her waist and then slide slowly up to her breasts.

She suppressed a shutter and leaned back into his arms.

“Good, morning beautiful,” Phil said into her left ear.

“He at least brushed his teeth,” Elena thought as she smelled his breath.

“Good Morning. Would you like a soft-boiled egg for breakfast,” she replied.

“Yes, a couple of eggs and some coffee would be great. I am going out to get the paper,” Phil said as he planted a kiss on her neck and let her go.

Elena walked into the living room to watch Phil.

Two men sat in a light blue Toyota. It was clear they were on assignment to watch Phil. There were two other men in a black Chevy that would be watching her.

“What are you doing today,” Phil asked a few minutes later as he sipped his coffee and scanned the paper.

“I have two houses to show,” Elena was able to say truthfully.

She sold several homes a month and earned a significant income.

“I wonder why I stay in the spy business,” Elena thought to herself as she gave Phil a radiant smile.

“What are you up to today,” Elena asked casually?

“I am going to see if the goat survives,” Phil replied.

He did not see the surprised look on Elena’s face.

“When did they move up to goats,” Elena wondered to herself.

This was a significant increase in capability. She needed to get that information to her employers.

“I am sure my benefactors will be very interested to hear that the program has moved from mice to goats,” Elena thought.

She was not sure what it meant but it seemed that it must be success. She would send in another report today.

“That reminds me. I am going by the bank today. Do you need anything at the bank,” Elena inquired?

She shared a safety deposit box with her handler. She would put her message into the safety deposit box. A few days later the message would be picked up after she put out her personal crest flag on the front door of her house. It seemed an archaic way to communicate but it was a way that stayed off the internet and the electronic media.

“No, I’m good. There is an ATM on base,” Phil answered.

He was already thinking about his upcoming meeting with the General. He was getting a list of program participants that needed vetting.

He knew that they could not afford a leak about this program.

“I will be staying at the base for the next couple of days. It’s going to get busy. How about planning a night out on Friday and then maybe we can go to the coast for the weekend,” Phil suggested.

He would have loved to have Elena stay at his on base residence, but she had made it clear early on that she preferred the comfort of her own home. He had to agree her home was more modernly designed and furnished.

“Friday and the weekend sounds great. This week I have several showings. I will make arrangements for a place on the beach,” Elena replied.

“This situation is perfect,” she thought.

She watched Phil drive off. The light blue Toyota followed shortly after.

She looked up and down the street to see if there was the familiar looking car with the two who were observing her. She was aware that they tailed her. This attention only heightened her awareness of the importance of the project. She now knew why she had been offered top dollar for her services.

She would need to make sure she survived so she could enjoy spending those dollars.

“This has to be my last job. I must get out before they move in and take me,” Elena thought to herself.

She turned and walked back into the house to get ready for the day.

Next door the blinds moved slightly as the person inside stepped away from the window. His job was to keep track of the situation and at the right time erase any trail leading to his benefactors. The trail started in the house next door.

He went back and replayed the tape he had recorded of the conversations during the weekend and this morning. He would send this to the post office box address in Houston.

He also reviewed the video taken of the vicinity around the house. The licenses of the observation vehicles made it clear that the Colonel and his lover were being observed by people in the FBI.

This was getting sticky and complicated. He was surprised that the situation had not unraveled.