Free The Ties That Bind by T. Starnes Page B

death, but I have felt a little out of touch ever since Peter died. But then we met Cas and all of you beautiful girls, and my life feels really full again."
    We all took a drink and she wiped her eyes before saying, "Okay, let's eat."
    It was a nice relaxing meal, we avoided any talk of human evolution, and everyone seemed to have a really good time. Even Alex managed to seem like a regular person, at least for a little while.
    That night, Ted called me to tell me we had a meeting Wednesday afternoon, with his friend in the Air Force. Ted was paying to bring him down from D.C. to talk to us. I wasn't as excited as when we were signing all the company documents, but this was another big step in moving our company forward.
    Since Marcus was going to pick me up from school, Zoe made sure I was dressed nicely, so I didn't have to go back home. I got strange looks from kids all day and a few asked why I was wearing a suit, but I blew it off saying I had a thing I had to go to after school, and that I 'had to wear it' for that. Although I was excited, being different in high school makes you a target. I didn't really care what other people had to say about me, but sometimes it is better just to avoid stuff ahead of time rather than having to deal with it afterward.
    When we arrived, I walked into Ted's office behind Marcus. There was a guy in a military uniform sitting across from Ted's desk. He stood as we walked in.
    "Marcus, Caspian, this is Colonel Ron Perry, the guy I was telling you about," Ted said.
    He shook Marcus's hand and then mine saying, "Ted warned me his business partner was unconventional, but I have to say I am still surprised. How old are you, kid."
    "Almost sixteen."
    "Okay. Ted vouches for you, so I guess you bring something to the table."
    He turned back to Ted and said, "Okay, now that your guys are here, talk to me about this project of yours."
    I looked at Marcus, since this was usually his cue, but he didn't say anything. Looking over at Ted, he gave a head nod, indicating I was to go over everything. I wasn't expecting that, but I knew all the material. We needed this to be as smooth as possible so I jumped to it.
    "In a nutshell, we are working on drones. More specifically, we are working to create a better drone than what you are currently using, since we see this as the next frontier for the Air Force. I know you guys are still doing a lot of development on stealth fighters and bombers, and that has its place, but everyone knows that the future of the Air Force is drones."
    He didn't refute what I was saying, but gave me a questioning look, "Why do you say that?"
    I knew this wasn't a challenge, more of a test or at least an exploration of where our thinking was.
    "Several reasons. First and foremost is, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, we are no longer fighting the Soviet Union ... or, really, any other major power. Every analysis we have seen, and I am pretty sure any of the honest ones coming out of your war college, suggests that most of the conflicts we will face in the future will be smaller and regional. It will be Bosnia and Desert Storm, not World War II."
    "Second is that the American public has a decreasing tolerance for casualties. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles allow you to do large portions of the work that fighters did twenty years ago, without the danger to American lives."
    "Third, is the cost. Not just in material, but where you can compare a drone worth say four or five million, to a fighter that costs anywhere from fifty to a hundred million."
    I raised both hands palms up in a 'balancing scales' motion.
    "Even during peace time we lose a couple ever year to training accidents and equipment malfunction. You can't get rid of the traditional Air Force, but there are a lot of missions a drone can do just as easily as a fighter, and do it safer and cheaper."
    He just nodded and said, "Okay. We already have drones. What are you doing that is different than what we already have."
    "General