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〃Five flights are enough for what we want to find out； if we do it right。 This little evolution is just a new car test drive with us doing the driving。 Five flights are enough for what we want to find out if we do it right； which is precisely what we're going to do。 Henry and Ludlow and Caplinger want a fast remendation and a fast decision；〃
〃Don't they always？ Then the paper pushers in SECDEPs office will spend a couple years mulling it over； sending it from in basket to in basket。〃
〃Ours is not to reason why。。。〃
The pace accelerated relentlessly in the office。 Working days lasted twelve hours now； and Jake ran everyone out and turned off the lights himself at 7 P。M。 He insisted that no one work on Saturday and Sunday； believing that the break would make people more productive during the week。
The weeks slid by； one by one。
Jake spent less than half his time in the office and the rest in an endless series of meetings with people from everywhere in government： SECNAV； SECDEF； OPNAV； NAVAIR； NAVSEA； the FAA； the EPA； the air force； the marines； and a host of others。 Most of the time he attended these conferences with Admiral Dunedin or mander Rob Knight。
The meetings went on and on； the paper piled higher and higher。 The same subjects kept cropping up in different meetings； where they had to be rehashed again and again。 Government by mittee is government by consensus； and key players from every office high and low had to be listened to and pacified。
Jake felt like the sorcerer's apprentice as he tried to pin people down and arrive at final resolutions of issues。 Meetings bred more meetings： the final item on every agenda was to set the times and places for follow…up meetings。
He discovered to his horror that no one person had a plete grasp of the tens of thousands of regulations and directives that covered every aspect of procurement。 At every meeting； it seemed； someone had another requirement that needed to be at least given lip service。 He finally found where all this stuff was stored； a library that at last measurement contained over 1；152 linear feet of statutes； regulations； directives； and case law concerning defense procurement。 Jake Grafton looked at this collection in awe and disgust； and never visited the place again。
The silent army of faceless gnomes who spent their working lives writing； interpreting； clarifying； and applying these millions of paragraphs of 〃thou shafts〃 and 〃thou shall note〃 took on flesh and substance。 They came in all sexes； shapes； and colors； each with his or her own coffee cup and a tiny circle of responsibility； which； no matter how small； of course overlapped with that of three or four others。
The key players were all known to Jake's staff： 〃Witch out for the Arachnid〃； someone would say before a meeting。 Or 〃Beware of the Sewer Rat。 He'll be there this morning〃。 〃The Gatekeeper will grill you on this〃。 The staff named these key players in the procurement process because of their resemblance to the characters in the game Dungeons and Dragons。 When he returned from battle Jake had to contribute to the office lore by recounting the latest exploits of the evil ones。
〃It's a miracle that the navy even owns a rowboat；〃 Grafton remarked one day to Admiral Dunedin。
〃True； but the Russians are more screwed up than we are。 They manage every single sector of their economy like this； not just the military。 You can't even buy toilet paper in a store over there。〃
〃The bureaucrat factor is a multiplier；〃 Jake decided。 〃The more people there are to do paperwork； the more paper there is to be worked and the slower everything goes； until finally the wheels stop dead and only the paper moves。〃
〃The crat factor： it's a law of physics；〃 Dunedin agreed。
Jake took a briefcase full of unclassified material borne every night； and after Callie and Amy were in bed he stayed awake until midnight scribbling notes； answering queries； and reading replies and reports prepared by his staff。
He spent countless hours on the budget； trying to justify every dollar he needed for the next fiscal year。 He had to make assumptions about where the ATA program would be then； and then he had to justify the assumptions。 Athena was still buried deep； outside the normal budgetary process。 Still he would need staff and travel money and all the rest of it He involved everyone be could lay hands on and cajoled Admiral Dunedin into finding him two more officers and another yeoman。 He didn't have desks for them。 They had to share。
But things were being acplished。 A Request for Proposal （RFP） on the Athena project was drafted； chopped by everyone up and down the line； mitteed and lawyered and redrafted twice and finally approved。 Numbered copies went by courier to a half dozen major defense contractors who were believed to have the technical facilities and staff to handle development of a small superconducting puter for aviation use。 The office staff had to be informed； and this had been done by the admiral。
Inevitably the number of people who knew about Athena and what it could do was expanding exponentially。 Access was still strictly need…to…know； but the system ensured that a great many people had the need； or could claim they did； citing chapter and verse of some regulation or directive no one else had ever read or even seen。
Callie was understanding about the time demands Jake faced。 She had spent enough years as a navy wife to know how the service worked。 Amy was less so。 She and Callie were still going round and round； and she found Jake a pleasant change。 He made rules and he enforced them； and he tucked her into bed every night。 She wanted more of his time and he had precious little to give。 The weekends became their special time together。
〃Why do you spend so much time at work； Jake？〃
〃It's my job。 I have to。〃
〃I'm not going to have a job like yours。 I'm going to get a job that gives me plenty of time to spend with my little girl。〃
〃Are you my little girl？〃
〃No。 I'm Amy。 I'm not anybody's little girl。 But I'm going to have a little girl of my own someday。〃
〃Do you ever think much about those somedays？ What they'll be like？〃
〃Sure。 I'll have lots of money and lots of time and a very nice little girl to buy stuff for and spend time with。〃
〃How are you going to get lots of money if you don't spend much time earning it？〃
〃I'm going to inherit it。 From you and Callie。〃
〃Guess we'd better work hard then。〃
One day in early May； Special Agent Lloyd Dreyfus made an appointment to see Luis Camacho's boss； P。 R。 Bigelow； without telling Camacho。 He had thought about it for a week before he made the appointment with the secretary； and then he had two more days to wait。 Jumping the chain of mand was as grievous a sin in the FBI as it was in the military； yet he had decided to do it anyway and to hell with what Camacho or anyone else thought。 As the day and hour approached； however； the enormity of his transgression increased with each passing hour。 Surely Bigelow would understand。 Even if he didn't； he must realize Dreyfus had a right and duty to voice his concerns。
Dreyfus rehearsed his speech carefully。 It wasn't technically a speech： perhaps a better description would be 〃short； panicky monologue。〃 He had to justify himself as soon as he opened his mouth； get Bigelow's sympathetic attention before he had a chance to start quoting the regulations； before he lost his cool and went ballistic。 Was Bigelow a ballistic kind of guy？ Dreyfus couldn't recall Camacho ever saying。
He tried to recall everything he had ever heard about P。 R。 Bigelow； and that wasn't much。 Strange； when you stopped to think about it Camacho never mentioned his superior officer； never said； 〃Bigelow wants this；〃 or 〃Bigelow is pleased；〃 or 〃Bigelow says blah…blah。〃 e to think of it； Camacho never talked about anyone。 If the Director himself told Luis Camacho to do thus and so； Camacho would just tell Dreyfus； 〃Do this〃 or 〃Do that。〃 He sometimes said what he hoped to find or achieve； but he never even hinted who had told him to cause something to happen； or why it was to happen。 He never expressed a personal opinion。 Curious as hell。 Camacho was one weird duck； beyond a reasonable doubt
Sitting in Bigelow's reception area with the secretary checking him out surreptitiously as she did her nails； Dreyfus went over his list one more time。 He wanted everything right on the tip of his tongue。 It would be worse than disastrous to think of the clincher on the way to the surgery in the dungeon。 Once again he assured himself he was doing the right thing。 The right thing。 Doing the right thing。 He fondled his pipe in his pocket as if it were a set of worry beads。
The ten…button phone on the nail polisher's desk buzzed to attract its owner's attention。 After listening a moment and grunting into the instrument in a pleasant； respectful way； she hung up and said to Dreyfus； 〃He'll see you now。〃 Her painted eyebrows arched knowingly； condescendingly。
P。 R。 Bigelow was eating a large jelly doughnut at his desk。 He mumbled his greeting with his mouth full； a glob of red goo in the corner of his mouth。
Dreyfus took a chair and launched into his prepared remarks。 〃I've asked for this time；