Mission 51 by Fernando Crôtte

Author:Fernando Crôtte
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkshares
Published: 2021-12-09T17:11:39+00:00

In late 1957, Morgan brought several other people to meet with Deltare and Zeemat. A group of engineers had recently left the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory and were recruited by Mr. Sherman Fairchild, a visionary entrepreneur, to continue working on semiconductor technologies. With some difficulty, Zeemat recalled enough from his studies at the Academy and from his solitary year with the Trangula to help this group develop the design to manufacture functional silicon chips with microscopic integrated circuits. This success resulted in another barrage of military contracts and eventually led to the formation of dozens of companies, including Intel and AMD. Executives from each of these companies constantly pressed Deltare for more access to Zeemat’s knowledge.

Deltare began to meet with these company executives in secret at the Dunes, knowing full well that this could land her in a heap of trouble with the government. But the risk felt worthwhile—she could provide herself with an insurance policy in case things didn’t work out with her current employer. She believed their need for utmost secrecy placed her at unusual risk. So, she devised a way of meeting with these executives while playing the slot machines at the hotel’s casino. They sat at adjacent machines and made a minimum of eye contact, passing information back and forth in packs of cigarettes. Deltare sold special access to Zeemat’s knowledge, and in return they funded a secret bank account for her in the Caymans.

In 1958, Zeemat received his next reward. Morgan and Dooley lugged it one on each end, and delivered it to Zeemat in his cell. The dour look on Dooley’s face was an unwelcome reminder that this abusive man was still under Morgan’s employ.

But Deltare was overjoyed. She held her hands with interlocked fingers, as if in prayer, and jumped up and down. She didn’t allow Dooley’s presence to dampen her excitement.

“Zeemat, these are two gifts in one!” she said.

She directed the men to position the console against the only remaining free wall. Dooley shoved the heavy piece of furniture into position, its legs grating loudly along the cement floor. Then he hurried out of the room, not waiting around for any more unwelcome orders from Deltare. Morgan followed behind him, leaving Zeemat and Deltare to themselves.

Deltare closed the door behind the men and turned her attention back to Zeemat. He slid his hands along the smooth, shiny top of the cherrywood cabinet. She reached behind it, plugged in the power cord, and attached a long antenna wire to the antenna screws on the back of the TV. The wire extended along the baseboards and out his window. Deltare told him the other end of the wire was attached to a tall TV antenna he couldn’t see.

Zeemat stood off to the side with a knowing smile on his face. He instantly recognized the television console. He’d seen newspaper ads for TVs, and he’d read articles about popular programs. Now he could watch them himself.

“Zeemat,” Deltare began. “There’s a TV on one side, but look!”

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