Thin Air by George Simpson & Neal Burger

Thin Air by George Simpson & Neal Burger

Author:George Simpson & Neal Burger [Simpson, George & Burger, Neal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Thrillers
ISBN: 9781617566646
Google: 92Rf-MGmhskC
Publisher: E-reads/E-rights
Published: 2012-05-21T06:00:00+00:00


Rinehart went to the kitchen to heat up a can of soup. Hammond envied him his appetite but realized he was used to this story. Hammond looked down at the Siamese cat sleeping on his feet. He wanted desperately to stretch. He eased one foot out first, then the other. He left the cat, in peace and rose on stiff limbs. He walked around the house a while, inspecting Rinehart's magazine collection, then he went into the kitchen.

Rinehart resumed talking as if on cue. "Traben quite suddenly acquired a case of guilt fever. He became very outspoken, urging the Navy to halt all experimentation in this field. He spoke to Pentagon officials, the chiefs of staff, Department of Defense— He went on a one-man crusade to show the error of his ways—"

"Quite a turnabout," said Hammond.

"Yes, wasn't it? But he was still working on his own, in secret, trying to duplicate what had happened with Norfolk. His concern for the men was a front."

"A front—are you sure?"

"You had to know the man. He was at his peak, in his mid-thirties. He had ten years of experience behind him, learning how to be shrewd and devious. And he had acquired a powerful friend with money."

"Who?"

"Ever heard the name Francis P. Bloch?"

"Maybe." Hammond's brain raced.

"Industrialist. Founded a small company in the early 1950s that has since grown to immense influence—Research Technology Industries."

Hammond recalled the company from articles in the Navy Times. They were a big private contractor for Naval weapons and electronic guidance systems.

"Bloch and Traben were very close even before RTI was formed," said Rinehart. "When Project Thin Air was finally closed down in 1955, Traben was appointed to RTI's Board of Directors and made head of Research and Development."

"Are you suggesting that Traben took his work on Thin Air over to RTI?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Rinehart smiled. "Ifs the only thing the man had worked on since 1942."

Rinehart brought his soup to the living room and Hammond made him repeat his last statements for the tape, then he asked, "You're saying that Bloch and RTI were capable of taking risks that the government had already written off?"

"You find that so hard to believe?" Rinehart asked almost casually.

Hammond regarded him with suspicion, realizing it was possible the old man's bitterness was making him fantasize plots and invent ulterior motives. What grounds had he presented to back up his accusations against Traben that couldn't be interpreted by a Board of Inquiry as plain old sour grapes?

"If you suspected he was acting purely in his own interest, why didn't you say something at the time?"

Rinehart waved a hand at his houseful of UFO literature and said, "Who would have listened to me? I told you before—I had literally cut my own throat in Washington."

"So? You had nothing to lose by exposing Traben." His calm eyes locked onto Rinehart's. The old man seemed to tremble, then threw up his arms in. exasperation.

"All right!" he said. "They worked on me! Do you understand that? They tried



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