The Scarab by Scott Rhine Read Free Book Online

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section would crawl at up to 75 km/h—about right for traffic in the city. As
individuals, the sleds were grossly over-powered and could do over 330 km/h if
they jettisoned their deadweight and no turning was required.
    The twins would be joined to the
hull with a modified version of mini-sub docking waldoes. I played with the
external lines a bit to hide the obvious points of joining, but that only made
the main compartment look uglier. With two gaping holes in its sides, and the
segmented armor, it looked like a fat lobster. Before someone else could name
my invention and spoil what little appeal it possessed, I decided to call it
something with a little panache.
    Mere hours before my deadline to
call in with the design, I came up with the name “Ghedra” after the
jet-propelled giant turtle of Japanese monster movie fame. I’d name the sleds
for the two little kids who rode on the monster’s back.
    To add to the air of mystery
surrounding the craft, I put a polarized gray tint in the cockpit bubble and
gave the frame a black-and-white turtle paint job. Finally, with the last few
dollars, I added a pair of external speakers where the eyes would be, just in
case I felt like blasting “Ride of the Valkyries.”
    While I was still struggling with
the final revision near the end of November, Foxworthy called me. “Hayes, how’s
the weather out there?”
    I looked out my window. It was
pitch black outside. “Fine.”
    “Good, good. Meet any of your
neighbors?”
    I shrugged, not in the mood for
small-talk. I wouldn’t live like a human being again until after I met the
deadline. “Just at the grocery store, but I haven’t been there since I found
out they deliver. Something I can do for you, Nigel?”
    “We just sold all but 15 percent of
the preferred stock in DeClerk Enterprises using that prospectus you approved.”
I barely remembered the high-gloss advertising pamphlet, but grunted to keep
him talking.
    “That’s nice.”
    “More than nice, you’re going to be
a rich man if we sell all of it. If we hadn’t sold any of it, you wouldn’t be
in the convention next month. What do you want done with the money while we’re
waiting for ground-breaking on the factory?”
    Creditors appeased and record wiped
clean, I finally had my own money, but I was already living comfortably. “Just send
me a check for my allowance, and put the reset in stock somewhere. LAS is a
good company. Use your discretion.”
    He seemed disappointed, but I was
busy. “I’ll send you an itemized account of all income every month, along with
a distribution list.”
    “Nigel, I appreciate what you’re
doing for me, but I don’t want to know how much money I have. Maybe some day.
Right now, it’s like Monopoly money, it’s not real to me. If anything, it would
only make me want more, and I’d never be satisfied. Now I’m happy, happier than
I’ve ever been in my life. I like being free from banking. From time to time, I
might want something extra like a gift for a friend, but knowing how much I
have would change me.”
    After a brief silence, he said “I
want people to know I’m honest, so we’ll compromise. I’ll still send you the
accounting, but I won’t put any numbers on the cover page. Know something
Hayes? I envy you. You probably sleep better at night than anyone else on that
island.”
    “When I’m not working,” I replied,
smiling. “Any word on the Congressional probe into Exotech?”
    “They’re scheduled to launch it the
second day of the convention. What a coincidence!” he said, impishly.
    “You are lethal, Nigel. I can
hardly wait to see their faces. Listen, you want to visit me at the convention?
You’ve helped me this far, I’d think you’d want a front-row seat at the finish
line.”
    “We’ll see. I’ll watch periodically
on ESPN to keep tabs. I don’t know if I’ll have time to fly there,” said
Foxworthy.
    “Do you have any kids, Foxworthy?”
    “Three.”
    “You went to see