Ben felt he would split in two. His joy at Angela's accomplishment was intense, overwhelming; the joy that only pride in a loved one can create. Yet the heartache was equally powerful. She had tried to remain calm, but his cheer uncorked her emotions, and she hugged him. Ecstasy! Then "I have to go tell Paulo! Back later!"
Just that fast, she was gone. Well, almost. She called out as she flew through the lab's outer doors a moment later "Finish capturing the data, OK? I want to send a transcript first thing in the morning."
Stunned, he turned back to the workstation. He didn't know what to do next. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joan and Henri break open the celebratory wine and exchange knowing glances; pitying glances, he thought. My God. They had done it. Well, Angela had done it. And he had been there. And now, he was still here. And all he could think about was Angela running to Paulo.
Paulo would never understand. The device had attenuated perfectly. The wave appeared exactly as Angela had postulated. A sensation very like pent-up static electricity had filled the room, Angela had called for a slight adjustment in potential, Ben had complied, and then had practically felt the rush as air filled the vacuum where the probe had been.
That the probe would return in just over 31 hours was not in doubt. At least, not for Ben. Angela's calculations were perfect, and he had checked them, once he understood the theory. He'd never be able to do what she did, but at least he could follow her line of reasoning. At least he could help. But Paulo? That banker? Never.
Ben's resolve returned. His fingers flew across the keypad. He'd capture the data. And organize it. And have a first draft of the transcript ready before she returned.
Surely, she'd appreciate that.
No comments:
Post a Comment