Project J Read Online Free Page B

visitor’s badge that would give her access to the entire facility, and showing her around.   The latter task was delegated to a secretary, or something much lower than Dr. Crane, who then made his excuses and left Tamara, his promise to personally show her to her apartment apparently forgotten.   The young woman who was now in charge of the auditor was of Latin descent, witnessed by her brown skin, dark eyes and shiny black hair.
     
    “My name is Carla.   I’ll be happy to show you around.”
     
    “That will be acceptable.   Tell me, Carla, are you normally a tour guide?”
     
    “Oh, no.   I’m a programmer.   Spend most of my time cutting C Sharp code.   We don’t really have any tour guides.   Top secret place and all that.”
     
    The woman seemed to be honestly friendly and not at all put off by Tamara’s strict and aloof attitude.   That made Tamara soften a bit.   “My dad used to be programmer,” she told the young woman.   It was always good to make friends.   Might learn something from them.   “He even goes back to the days of COBOL.”
     
    “Gosh, he must be old!”
     
    “As the mountains,” Tamara said with a smile.   “He used to tell me stories about the early days of computing.   He even knew how to use a keypunch.   Nowadays no one even knows what a punched card looks like.   Used to be called IBM cards.”
     
    “I think I heard of them.   From one of the older scientists.”
     
    “Well, you picked up that phrase from someone.   Only the old programmers like my dad used the term ‘cutting code’.   Everyone else would say ‘writing’ code, or programming.”
     
    “Yes, we had an old guy in our department.   Died two years ago.   Very nice guy.   Used to complain about programmers being called software engineers instead of programmers.   Maybe your dad knew him, both being programmers.”
     
    “I doubt it.   Well, let’s begin that tour.   Got a map?”
     
    By the time she had been given a tour of the place it was lunchtime, so they adjourned to the cafeteria.   The tour had been superficial; they entered few of the buildings, but it did give her a sense of the layout.   The cafeteria itself was small but the food was very good, and they had outside tables so Tamara could enjoy the fresh mountain air and view.
     
    “Have you worked here for a long time?” she asked of Carla.
     
    “Since the project moved here from California.   ’Bout five years now.”
     
    “You like the work?”
     
    “Yes.   I like working for Chronodyne and I like this area.   Big change from smoggy LA.   Only thing bad is that it’s such a long ways from Disneyland.   I used to drive down there a couple times a month.   I like the place.”
     
    “Happiest place on Earth, Walt used to say.”
     
    “Yeah.   I think so.   I love watching the children looking around with wide eyes and not believing what they’re seeing.   You ever see a little girl run up to Mickey Mouse and give him a big hug?   Priceless!”
     
    “Is the staff here good?”   Tamara was just making talk, but she was also paying attention.   You never knew when casual chats would reveal hidden secrets.
     
    “Yeah.   I like most of the people.   ’Course, some of the scientists look down on those of us with only a B.S.   You know, PhD snobbery.   But others are fine.”
     
    Finishing the chicken cordon bleu, Tamara began attacking the apple pie.   “I find Project Dry Wells pretty amazing.   What do you think of it?”   She was probing to see if this low level programmer knew about the time machine.
     
    “Amazing isn’t the word for it.   Incredible!   Impossible!   To actually recreate a...”   Suddenly she cut off.   “Well, you know,” she finished lamely.
     
    Tamara laughed.   “Don’t worry!   I have the highest security clearance, and a definite need to know.”   She pointed to her badge, which gave her clearance for the whole project.   “I’ve