Ben reviewed piece with the tech. Seeing one of his creation in three dimensions for the first time was always the best part of the design process for Ben. While his practical side was satisfied to resolve a technical issue there was also an artistic side that delighted in the process of bringing a concept to physical existence. Each new piece was a sculpture for him even if they were often not that pleasing to the eye.
Ben took measurements to ensure the milling and polishing process produced a result that exactly matched the design specs. The smallest variance would have a significant impact in the performance of the piece so he had to make sure now, in the shop, that the prototype met his specs. It took him an hour of painstaking work to capture every dimension but finally he was satisfied. He shook the tech’s hand and settled up his bill. This piece was much more expensive than his previous creations but it was also the largest one he’d made. Delighted with the end result he sent a text to his contact at STURN Enterprises.
“Prototype ready for test bench. Can travel to Austin tomorrow.”
A response came back before he left the shop.
“Corporate jet already at your airport if you are available today.”
Ben’s eyebrows rose. He hadn’t considered they’d be this desperate. He wondered how much it cost to park a jet at the airport and how much they were losing every day because of the issue. He decided that he could go today. He sent a reply.
“Will be at the airport in three hours.”
Seconds later the details for the jet came in and a big thanks. Ben looked forward to meeting these fellas.
He drove home and wrapped the prototype in bubble wrap and put it into a large duffle bag. He quickly packed his suitcase with a change of clothes for four days. Then he got his briefcase ready with his laptop in case he needed to make some design changes onsite.
Seeing Ben’s truck in the driveway Tina came back at lunch from visiting Daphne. She saw the suitcase and duffle by the door.
“I thought you weren’t leaving until tomorrow at the earliest.” she said.
“They actually had their corporate jet parked at the airport in case the prototype worked out. They must be losing a lot of money while they’re waiting for this solution. The sooner I go the sooner I will be back.” Ben replied.
Tina gave him a big hug. Ben squeezed her in return and kissed her forehead. “I have the keys to your old place. I’m going to make some calls to get the utilities back on then I’m going to go over and do an inspection. Would you like to join me? We can bring back anything you’d like. It’s all our now.”
“Sure! Would you like lunch first?” she asked.
“Just a sandwich maybe? I’m not very hungry.” he admitted.
Tina gave him a look for his lack of appetite then walked into the kitchen to make lunch while Ben made the calls.
They ate and she asked him what he intended to do with the house. He admitted he had an idea but he wasn’t ready to disclose the details yet. Tina said that she didn’t really have much use for most of the contents of the house as it was all in James’ taste which didn’t care for at all.
Ben and Tina then made their way over to the house and let themselves inside. It would take a little while for all of the services to restart. Some required a technician to come to the house and Ben made appointments for those next week when he’d be available.
Ben inspected the furnace, water heater, water shut off valve, and electrical panel in the basement and everything looked fine. He found no split water pipes (they’d drained them earlier). He made his way upstairs and found Tina in the master bedroom standing at the foot of the bed with a sad look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked gently.
“This is not a good place for me. So many unhappy memories.” she said with a sniff.
Ben scooped her up in his arms and kissed her. When he was done her frown was gone and her eyes were twinkling. She had a silly grin on her face.
“What’s with the grin?” Ben smiled back.
“I was imagining the look on James’ face if you had done that in front of him!” she giggled.
Ben laughed. “I would LOVE to have done that in front of that son of a bitch! Come on, let’s go home.” He set Tina back on her feet.
They locked up and Ben glanced in the garage door window. Sure enough, there was the BMW. He sighed then they went home.
He gave Tina another kiss then he grabbed his bags and sent a quick text indicating he was on his way to the airport.
The drive wasn’t too long as the airport was on this side of the city so he avoided most of the traffic travelling around the core. He parked in long term parking and made his way into the terminal. He met the pilot who had been informed of his arrival and they made their way to the jet. It was shiny, sleek and fast looking. The pilot promised him the jet was very fast and they would reach their destination in only a couple of hours so he boarded and got comfortable.
Soon they were in the air and Ben tilted back in his seat. He expected it might be a long evening running tests in the test bench so catching a few winks now would help.
Ben woke up when the pilot shook his shoulder. Ben looked up at him blinking the sleep from his eyes. The pilot said they’d arrived. He followed the man out of the plan and realized they were at a private strip next to a large factory. He saw the corporate name STURN printed in huge letters across the side of the building.
A tall thin man with a huge grin on a weary face rushed over from an electric cart. He wearing a rumpled sports jacket and well worn jeans. He thrust a big paw out at Ben who shook it. “I’m Bill Freeny, chief engineer here at Sturn. You must be Ben Shepherd! So pleased to meet you at last.” the scarecrow of a man boomed with a thick Texan drawl. He obviously hadn’t shaved in days and his straw yellow hair was wildly pointing in all directions.
“Great meeting you. I get there is a big time crunch so let’s get started!” Ben smiled.
“That’s what I was hoping you’d say! Come on!” he grabbed Ben’s suitcase and strapped it into the cart with the briefcase. He eyed the duffle between Ben’s feet as they both settled into their seats. He grinned and got the electric vehicle up to speed quickly and racing back towards a low rise white building next to the main factory.
“Do you have an onsite milling system or will you be outsourcing the construction of the production pieces?” Ben asked over the wind noise. He was a little surprised at how fast they were going in an electric cart.
“We can make them in-house. We have state of the art equipment. We just lacked the know how to use that equipment to resolve the issue. I gotta tell you there are a lot of people in this building holding their breath.”
Ben smiled. “Well, tell them to take a breath. Nobody gets any work done without breathing.”
“Our yearly bonuses are locked up in this project and some of the damn fools have already spent theirs!” the man cackled.