Miss. Delaney

“Oooh, this is going to be so perfect,” Lauren Delaney cooed as she caressed the small box in her hand.  To the casual observer it would appear to be some kind of remote control device.  Outside of herself and her boss no one else had a clue about the real purpose of what she held in the palm of her hand.1

Barring some unexplained turned of events, this time nobody would know its value till she was sure they couldn’t steal her idea.  That was the problem when you worked for the government, they loved to take your brainchild and claim credit for it without giving you any benefit whatsoever.2

This time was going to be different.  She was taking extra precautions to protect herself.  Telling her boss the general idea of the project kept it vague enough.  That granted her a chance to do her research and testing, but without the risk somebody would snatch it away before it was finished.3

“So is your new little gizmo ready for testing yet?” Abner Chiles, Delaney’s boss, asks as he comes through the door to lab holding a cup of expensive gourmet coffee.4

“Almost,” Lauren replies while putting her little box in her laboratory coat pocket before Chiles can see it.5

“You’ve been a little too fuzzy about what this thing does exactly.”6

“Abner please don’t push it.  I’ll have it done soon enough and then I can demonstrate it for you.”7

“I’d feel better if you would give me the specifics.  You know budget time is coming up and the bean counters always get nervous when they can’t measure something exactly with numbers.”8

“I know, but let’s be honest don’t I have a good track record for getting good results?”9

“Yeah.”10

“When have I made a big deal about how they have rear ended me on some of my creations?  They give me some pittance of reward, no matter how successful it is in helping their cause.  I’m just feeling a need to be careful in this case.  I think it is time I get the respect I deserve.  To be, ‘Miss. Delaney,’ instead of that nerd gal, Lauren, in development.”11

“Sounds like you’re being a bit paranoid myself.  When has the agency not given you some kind of appreciation for your efforts?  I mean it isn’t like we are manufacturing the kinds of products that we can broadcast to the world you know?”12

“I realize that.  You do have to admit that their concept of gratitude falls short of being inspirational.”13

“I’ll grant you that much.”14

“Fine.  Then just trust me that in this situation what I’ve come up with is so special and unique I just feel a need to be a little secretive.”15

“Right.  Right.  So, ahem.  I see that, MISS. DELANEY, is getting into the bargaining business.”16

Lauren snorts.  “You could put it that way.”17

“I’ll do my best to keep the boys upstairs placated with some kind of baloney about you working on something really big.  I’ll toss in all the usual crap regarding you being a proven team player.  Only remember if I do this for you then don’t forget me in terms of your demands for special favors.”18

“No problem.  Just run me some interference and give me about a week to get the bugs worked out.  Then I can unveil this little gadget in a way that will definitely give you a reason to smile.”19

“Alright.  I guess you deserve that much.  Just remember that both our butts will be on the line if this things turns out to be a bust.  So I’d also be careful pushing the Miss Delaney bit.  The boys at the top admire talent, but not arrogance.”20

Lauren merely sneers before staring icicles at her boss.  Abner nods and takes a sip from his coffee.  It was a silly comment and insulting one too, considering Delaney’s record of success.  So he’ll talk up the future with his superiors and hope it is enough to buy both of them some time.21

“Hello?” Abner asks a few days later while sitting at his desk, which is buried under several stacks of files.22

“You ready for some good news?”23

“Delaney?  You picked a really crappy time to call me.  I’m swamp.  I can always use good news, but I doubt it will include how you are going to make all this paperwork disappear.”24

“No, I haven’t figured that one out.  However, I have finished my latest contribution.  Can you set up a meet with the suits for me to put it on display?”25

“I guess so.  How come you just can’t submit a report along with pictures like before?”26

“I can’t really explain over the phone.  Trust me Abner, when you sit in on the meeting you’ll definitely understand after you see how this thing works.”27

“I just hope you aren’t going to keep pushing that Miss. Delaney crap on others.  A few of the people are starting to complain.  They resent you claiming that before long you’ll be some management god.”28

“Come on Abner, I’m only human.  Just forget what those jerks have been saying.  I couldn’t help myself.  This one is really my ticket to a big promotion, I can feel it.”29

“Okay.  I’ll do it.  However, I’m telling you right now that if this thing doesn’t turn out to be incredible, it will be very costly to both our careers.  The boys upstairs are definitely not known for their sense of humor or compassion.”30

“Like I don’t know that.  Just call me once you got the time arranged?”31

“Sure.  Bye,” Abner replies before putting down the receiver.  He pauses for a moment and then picks it up again.  Chiles calls the one superior he figures won’t think this whole approach is a waste of time.  It is one of those strategic political decisions he has had to make in order to survive in the bureaucracy without ending up a victim.32

Lauren checks her watch and groans.  She is standing in the agency’s long hall outside of the double doors leading to the conference room.  Here she is with the most important creation of her life and these jerks have given her the run around for three days. 33

For her, the crowning moment will come when one of the suits comes over and shakes her hand.  Then will come that approving, “Well done, Miss. Delaney.”  The formality of the ‘Miss.’ for them is like a medal of respect they pass out when truly impressed.34

However, right now they are making her suffer by waiting.  All because she has refused to spill her guts prematurely about what she invented.  You would think they would cut her some slack considering her pass successes, but not these guys.  In the waiting game though, she stuck to her plan and with Abner’s help was able to get them to agree to a meeting with only the sparsest of details. 35

Now it was just a question of how long they would continue to keep her stuck out in the hall before they opened the door and let her inside?  Their meeting was for one thirty and it is nearly two o’clock. 36

Finally the doors open and Chiles pokes his head out.  He’s at least smiling, that is a good sign.  Motioning to Lauren, he goes back inside with Delaney quickly following.37

Taking a seat at the long table that can seat twelve, Lauren only recognizes a couple of the faces.  As usual they are all wearing black suits and expressions, which are equally dark.38

Lauren has no illusions that she works for saints.  These are the men who use a cell phone to kill like somebody else might order a pizza.  She sits quietly till she given the nod to start talking.  Protocol and respect were like idols to these people.39

“Lauren,” the man sitting at the end of the table spoke.  He was obviously the leader and Delaney suspected probably had a rank instead of a title, but in this setting he didn’t choose to reveal that part of his identity.  “I hope you appreciate that under normal circumstances we wouldn’t have approved of your attitude in this matter.  We are all busy men and time is at a premium.  Abner was kind enough to point out considering your past contributions.  So based upon that we are willing to listen before making any judgments.  Please enlighten us to this latest invention of yours.”40

“Thank you.  I do apologize for the secrecy,” Lauren says, knowing how the buzzword secrecy would strike a nerve.  She could tell by their eyes that she had achieved her desired effect.  “Normally I wouldn’t have resorted to this kind of approach.  However, the very nature of my project led me to feel it required special attention.  Therefore, I felt it necessary to avoid the risk of any kind of chance it might end up in the wrong hands.”  Delaney senses the paranoia rising, plus them becoming defensive by what they might construe as an insult.  “Not that I’m suggesting our security methods aren’t superior.  Just that I felt I couldn’t honestly share the true value of this device unless I could explain it in person.  So much can be lost by other methods.”41

“We can understand those precautions, Lauren,” the leader comments, which is his form of saying it was okay.  “Now please continue.”42

“Gentleman, what I have come up with is a device that will enable a person to relive a given moment in anyone’s life.”43

“Could you be a little more specific regarding the practical application?” the leader asks.  Lauren knows it is his way of basically saying he doesn’t get it.44

“Gladly,” Delaney says, placing her device on the table and then passing it around for the others to examine.  They each take a moment to study it before returning passing it back. “Basically, this is like a remote control for time.  You can freeze a moment in recent history, any moment, and relive it as long as you wish.  The device is tied to a monitor so you can see what the person was seeing and then there is another set of controls that let’s you actually know what the person was thinking and feeling.  Currently this is only applicable to living persons, but in time I think I can improve it so we could actually relive some moment in the distant pass.”45

“So in other words it is sort of a time machine?” one of the other men asks.46

“In a manner of speaking you might look at it that way.  Except you can actually go into the past of any living person without leaving this time.  Now as for the practical application, I think this has tremendous value in terms of surveillance.  With the right codes and settings one could be able to go back into a suspect’s past to see if he or she were really guilty.  Naturally, given the issue of civil rights, I understand how this device wouldn’t be able to be made public.  I’m sure you agree it would a definite aid in the effort to investigate.”47

There are a few subtle nods around the room.  Then the leader finally shows a hint of a curl of his lips.  Abner by now is practically beaming with pride.  The leader says, “I think we can appreciate how you would feel a need to be so secretive regarding this device now that you have explained it.  And we do thank you for your time.  I believe we’ve heard all we need to know.”  He gets up from his chair, walks over to Lauren, extends his hand and says,  “Good day, Miss. Delaney.”48

Lauren is numb from excitement as she gets up, as does Abner and they leave the room.49

“Oh my god Lauren, you just scored a home run.  Man that was a grand slam!” Chiles says while they walk down the hall.50

“I know.  guess perhaps from now on it will be Miss. Delaney a lot more often.”51

Chiles smiles. “It will take me a while to get used to the habit.”52

“So what happens now?”53

“You go back to you lab and it is business as usual.  You’ll get upgraded in every way imaginable soon enough, including a new nameplate with the word, ‘Miss.’” Abner winks, before they shake hands good-bye.54

Lauren goes back to her lab, feeling utterly consumed with euphoria.  She’ll take Abner’s word for things changing soon.55

A couple of days later Lauren is busy in his lab when two huge goons in black suits come into her lab.  “Miss Delaney would you come with us please?  We require your assistance regarding the device you presented in the meeting.”56

“Sure,” Lauren says, getting up from her stool, sensing by the use of Miss that she’s about to get some well-deserved, special reward.57

She follows the men down the hall to a room she hasn’t been in before.  They open the door and then she steps inside, suddenly feeling a wave of panic when she sees the only furniture in the room is a large metal armchair with restraints.  Lauren starts to step back when she feels a sharp pain in her neck from a needle.58

Waking a few minutes later, Lauren finds herself strapped in the chair and the leader of the meeting standing in front of her.  “I just wanted to thank you for the contribution Miss Delaney of your latest invention.  We definitely feel it is going to be a tremendous success.”59

“But why do you have me restrained?”60

The leader waves for the two goons to come forward.  “It is a matter of national security, you understand.  We have programmed your data into our computer, but we can afford any possibility of leaks.  So although we regret having to lose your services, we didn’t feel there was any option in order to insure you didn’t end up being kidnapped by our any foreign power.”61

The two goons attach several wires to Lauren’s body.  She is too terrified to do anything, but sit in disbelief.  Suddenly one of them pulls out her device and punches a couple of numbers.  Delaney’s mind fills with the horrifying images of a person being brutally murdered.  Even though Lauren somehow understands that she is seeing it from the murderer's mind, it is the victim's thoughts she senses.  Worse of all, she actually feel the victim’s pain like it was happening to her body.  Seconds later she finds herself screaming as the moment continually repeats and will until she has a heart attack.  In the haze and confusion, she is forced to accept the reality that the boys upstairs found a use for her device that she never imagined.  Ironically, the last words she hears are those of the leader, saying “Good bye, Miss. Delaney.”62