Free The Olympus Device: Book Three by Joe Nobody Page A

not having been part of previous conversations, was puzzled and concerned. “What? Why are you two talking about destroying the rail gun? You can’t do that… not when we’re so close… not after what we’ve been through.”
    “Relax, Mitch,” Dusty said. “It’s a sort of a running joke between Grace and me. We seem to take turns planning the demise of the rail gun. I wonder what the president would say if I showed up at the meeting and said, ‘Sorry guys, but the deal is off. I fed the pesky thing to a rather hungry looking alligator in the marsh off Galveston Bay.’”
    The thought caused Grace to smile while a frown donned Mitch’s face. “I still don’t get it. Why would anyone want to destroy such an important discovery? I know you’ve both been through a lot… hell, we all have. From a historical perspective, great inventions and inventors have often had a tough road to travel though. You should consider yourself in good company, brother.”
    “Oh yeah, I see what you mean,” Grace grunted, her voice saturated with an overtone of sarcasm. “You know, Madam Curie co-discovered radiation and then later died of prolonged exposure to her own invention. Now there is something to aspire to, right?”
    “Yeah,” Dusty added with a grimace, “Francis Stanley was killed while driving a Stanley Steamer automobile. So I guess I should be looking at the bright side. If the feds shoot me on sight, I’ll go down in history with other brilliant, but dead-before-their-time inventors.”
    Mitch waved them both off, “That’s not what I meant, and you both know it. History is rife with great inventions that weren’t accepted at first. A year from now, we’ll all look back at this and laugh… or at least smile… I hope.”
    “Can I just have my ranch back?” Dusty asked, not really expecting an answer. “There really is no place like home, ya know?”
    “At least you’re going to get to fly today again,” Grace interrupted, trying to intercede before a skirmish broke out between the brothers.
    “So it’s all set with the rent-a-place?” Dusty asked.
    “Yes,” replied Mitch, relieved the subject had been changed. “The airport is about an hour’s drive from here. I reserved one of the Cessnas from the list you provided. I had no idea you were so well schooled on all the nuances of so many different planes.”
    Dusty shrugged. “When I started the crop dusting business, I didn’t have a lot of customers at first. For a while, I was taking all the stick time I could get, thinking I might have to find work as a corporate pilot. It will be good to fly again. Seems like a lifetime ago.”
    “We’ll see if we can get the FBI to return your Thrush when this is all over,” Grace added. “I’m sure it’s still locked up in a hangar down in Houston.”
    Dusty shifted in the booth’s seat, folding his arms across his chest while exhaling a satisfied sigh, a far off twinkle in his eye and a slight smile on his lips. “Just picturing myself buzzing the jackalopes over my own ranch,” Dusty mused. “Now that would cheer me up to no end.”

    The string of black SUVs rolling across the tarmac made Dusty’s heart race, his mind battling the urge to turn and run. Grace’s presence at his side bolstered the Texan’s confidence somewhat, but he could tell she was on edge as well.
    The agreed upon meeting place was a small regional airport east of St. Louis on the Illinois side of the river. The government had negotiated for a location where they could provide security and keep the prying eyes of uninvited reporters away. Ease of air travel had been another critical requirement.
    The newly renovated executive airport met all of the criteria. It was close enough to a major metropolitan area to provide any ancillary services, including first-class lodging… should the proceedings extend into the late hours. With a state of the art conference room, high levels of private security, and a wealth of