Free Breakthrough by Michael Grumley Page A

submersibles in the Caribbean Sea.” 
    Alison looked at him , then back to Clay.  She was having none of it. “You can’t do that yourself?”
    “Well we could,” Clay said ignoring the sarcasm.  “But we thought it might provide an opportunity for you and your team; a real world interaction that might further your translation efforts, and perhaps even-”
    “The dolphins haven’t been out in the open ocean for years.  They’re not accustomed and we can’t exactly put a leash on them.  Besides transporting them would be a major production.”
    “We’re prepared to accommodate any requirements you have.”
    “I don’t think so,“ Alison replied.  “Besides our translation capabilities are still much too-”
    “Gentlemen, ” Frank interrupted with a raised, yet professional tone.  “Could you give us a moment please?”
    Clay and Caesare nodded and turned toward the door.  They stepped politely around Alison and closed it quietly behind them.
    Outside they crossed the hall and leaned against the white wall with hands in their pockets.
    “I don’t think she likes you,” Caesare said.
    Clay laughed.  “She certainly seems to have some strong feelings about the military.”
    “Kinda cute though,” said Caesare.  He took a few steps and studied a framed picture.  It was an old black and white photograph of the aquarium’s groundbreaking ceremony.  He guessed the number of people in the small crowd to be about eighty, dressed in suits and gowns forming a half arc around a few people in the middle; one of them holding a shiny shovel.  The tiny plaque below the picture read 1925 .  “This place has been around a long time.”
    Clay nodded coming over to see the p icture.  “I’ve been here before,” he said.  “I was a boy, maybe seven or eight.  My dad brought me when I was visiting him in Miami.”  He leaned in for a closer look at the picture.  “It was a lot smaller then.”  Clay stared silently at the picture.  He still remembered that trip clearly.  It was the same weekend that his father told him of his parent’s pending divorce.
    Caesare looked back at the door.  A small plate in the middle read Dr. Frank Dubois, Director .  “So what do we do if they say no?”
    Clay shrugged.  “Break out our snorkel and fins, I guess.”
     
    Frank stepped forward and sat on the edge of his large oak desk.  His face appeared tired.  He hunched his shoulders for a moment and then dropped them with a sigh and looked up at Alison.
    “I think we should do this.”
    “What?” she scoffed.  “You’re not buying this are you?  This is the Navy Frank!  They’re not here to help us, they’re here to find out how they can leverage the technology!”
    “Look, Ali.  I know how you feel about these guys and I know what happened before-”
    “And you think it’s different now?  I guarantee you they’re outside right now talking about how they can turn this into a military advantage.  All they want-”
    “Who do you think is funding this Alison,” Frank suddenly blurted with a wave around the room.  “Santa Claus?!  It doesn’t matter whether it’s NASA, the Navy, or the goddam IRS, government money is the only reason we’re here!  Do you have any idea how hard it is to raise this money?”  He took a deep breath and dropped his tone.  “Look, we’re losing money, you know that, and the ticket sales are still declining, even with the surge we got after that press release.  The plain fact is that we need more time.  We have so much more to do but without our grants we’ll be lucky to keep the aquarium open until the end of the year.”
    Alison unfolded her arms and frowned.  He was right.  Without the money all of this would come to an abrupt end sooner or later. 
    “Listen,” Frank went on.  “I know how you feel about these guys, I do.  I know what happened.”  He watched Alison tense up, knew he touched a soft spot, but he had to.  He had always