Free A Sword Into Darkness by Thomas A. Mays

of his evidence.  But you do need to believe that Lee believes it.”
    “So you’re honestly proposing that Lee is trying to acquire nuclear materials in order to hold off an alien invasion?”
    Nathan folded his arms and nodded.  “Yes, or at least that’s what he believes is happening.  I know this isn’t the first time you’ve heard this.  It’s been an internet rumor for years.”
    “Yes, I’ve heard it before—the Deltan invasion, but I put it in the same category as Walt Disney’s head being frozen.  NASA debunked this whole thing almost ten years ago.  It’s some sort of comet or something, right?”
    “A rogue stellar fragment that coincidentally happens to be between us and Delta Pavonis, but yes, that’s what they say.”
    “Very well, but this also raises the very likely possibility you’re telling me this in order to shield your real activities behind some innocuous absurdity.”
    Nathan leaned forward.  He felt his two guards tense up in response, but he ignored them.  “I’m not lying to you, and I’m not a terrorist.  You have nothing on me, because I haven’t done anything.  All that you have on Mr. Lee is that he’s some harmless kook with too much money and not enough sense.  No one is ever going to give him nuclear materials, and if he did actually manage to buy some, you’d be there to snatch us both up.  We wouldn’t be having a pleasant conversation in the back of your über-truck.”
    She nodded slightly, though to what part of Nathan’s comment, he could not tell.  “And what is your part in all of this, Kelley?”
    “I’m building his spaceship, but we don’t have our magic space drive yet.”
    Stanton sneered.  “I’m going to enjoy interrogating you away from prying eyes.”
    “It’s a date, then.  I’ll try to bring some flowers.”
    The convoy pulled off the highway and into a bank parking lot just outside Virginia Beach.  The truck opened and Nathan was unceremoniously shoved out.  Stanton leaned toward him from her seat.  “It would be ill advised for Lee to continue with his proscribed activities, ludicrous reasoning or not.  As a valued and trusted employee, and someone with a noose around his own neck as well, I would recommend you persuade him to cease and desist.  This argument is no doubt being made to Mr. Lee himself by my California counterpart at this very moment, but it would not hurt to have you backing up our injunction.  I do so hope that we will not be seeing each other again, Mr. Kelley.”  The door slammed shut and the five Homeland Security vehicles sped off, leaving him alone in the parking lot with his beat-up BMW.
    “Bye.”  He walked over to his car and climbed in, one side of his mouth turned down in thought.  His suite lay on the passenger seat, none the worse for wear.  Nathan extended the screen and scrolled through files.  Nothing seemed to be missing, but the access log did show a download of all contents, in spite of the heavy encryption he had bought for it.   He grinned a bit, thinking of how confused Stanton would be when the files only confirmed everything Nathan had been saying.
    Even if she believed he and Lee were not terrorists, they still would not be allowed access to nuclear materials.  Windward as a company had already been denied any legitimate business in atomic energy or weapons development circles, so they could not get what they needed through the established channels.  And now they were under surveillance, so they would not be able to get any through extra-legal means either.  Lee’s plans now had two insurmountable obstacles:  power and propulsion.  And even if they somehow acquired a reactor and were able to remain out of jail, there would still be the impossibility of getting into space and out of the solar system.
    Nathan was forced to acknowledge that what he had said to Stanton was indeed true:  even after spending three years on this project, he was still unsure who to