They pulled up to the building and Bill snapped the power off on the cart before they’d even stopped. He grabbed the suitcase and led the way into the building, Ben carrying the duffle and his briefcase. They entered the first door on the right and six men in different states of exhaustion looked up. They perked up immediately when they saw the stranger with a large duffle smiling back at them.
“It’s here?” a short plump man with a dark bushy beard blurted.
Bill grinned. “Time to get to work fellas!”
The energy levels instantly increased and they fell into step behind Bill who led Ben further into the building. Soon they entered a lab which housed a full scale model of one section of a raw petroleum processor. Near the left side of the assembly was a gap in the extensive pipework. A folding table was set up next to the spot. Bill showed Ben he was putting the suitcase in the control room where they’d be sitting when they ran the tests. He put his briefcase down with the suitcase and carried the duffle out to the table where five men stood eagerly awaiting the unveiling. Two others were prepping the test bench.
Ben set the duffle on the table and opened it up. He pulled the prototype out and removed the bubble wrap exposing it to their sight for the first time.
You could have heard a pin drop as the men stared at the shiny new component. Then they were all talking at once. “What the fuck?” “How?” “Well damn!” “It looks- interesting!” “That’s it?” “Geez I hope this works!”
Ben barely heard their exclamation as he ran a critical eye over the connections he’d need to make in the test bench. There weren’t any surprises. The specs he’s received from Bill were good. That man was grinning from ear to ear as he saw the simplicity and elegance of Ben’s design and he just knew it would work. Ben carried it over to the test bench and the two men proceeded to integrate the prototype into its place on the tester. Once they were both satisfied that the coupling was sound everyone retreated to the control room. They’d carried the folding table into the control room as well so the test chamber was empty aside from the test bench equipment.
This part was all foreign to Ben and he watched with interest as the team spent considerable time bringing their machines up to operating levels. Measurements were constantly being read out and recorded and baselines were set. The prototype handled standard operating conditions like a charm. Then they began the real testing. A couple more hours of introducing the real life scenarios they’d been experiencing with substantial levels of pressure and back pressure, and one of the most critical issues they were faced with, hydraulic shock.
Some of the men were confused by the results of the new tests and asked to have the test bench inspected for leaks and to have it calibrated once again as they weren’t seeing the results they expected.
Bill just smiled back at Ben who nodded. They powered down the test bench and Bill’s crew went in to inspect the tester.
“I think you saved our bacon Ben. We’ll set up a 48 hour stress test at maximum load with spontaneous load shocks but I’m optimistic based on what I’ve seen so far.” Bill said once they were alone. “The old man told me he wants to talk with you once we’ve confirmed we have success. I assume you’ve filed for a patent.” Ben nodded. “I’m ready to send you his way tonight or we could set up something after breakfast if you’d like to wait for the result of the stress test.”
“I’m confident of the design as well but I’m actually a little tired so I think I’d prefer to wait at least until the morning.” Ben said rubbing his stiff neck.
“Sure! I’ve set you up in the hotel just down the road. The penthouse suite with all the amenities. I’ll take you there myself once we’ve got the test running.” Bill smiled.
“Sounds perfect!” Ben smiled.
Twenty minutes later the men were all back in the control room. No leaks had been found and the integrity of the previous tests was confirmed. They started up the test bench once more and locked it into a stress test at maximum load. Once it ran for fifteen minutes the men were all grins and they came by to shake Ben’s hand and slap him on the shoulder in their enthusiasm. Six of them would be taking turns watching the machine in groups of two for two hours shifts while the others slept.
Bill led Ben from the building into the main parking lot. They loaded into Bill’s Suburban and drove to the hotel. Bill said he’d be by in the morning to have breakfast with Ben in the hotel restaurant at 8AM then he’d take him back to the lab. Ben got his room key then headed up to his room.
It was a nice room but what Ben was looking forward to most was a nice hot shower spray to soak his stiff neck muscles under. Before he did that he dropped off his bags and went back downstairs to check out the hotel gym. It was pretty well equipped so be made plans to revisit in the morning. He ordered dinner from room service and was told it would be up in 30 minutes so he hopped in the shower and stood there while the heat worked its way into his muscles. Twenty five minutes later he stepped out and dried himself in a big fluffy towel. The hotel gown was actually large enough for him which was a pleasant surprise.
Ben heard a knock on the door and opened it to see his dinner had arrived; the biggest, juiciest steak they had with a baked potato and steamed vegetables. He signed for it and set it up before the big screen TV. Before he tucked into his meal he made a quick call home.
“Hello?”
“Hi Tina, it’s Ben.”
“Ben! How are you?” she said excitedly.
“Doing good! The prototype is working as expected so I’m going back to the factory tomorrow to talk with the CIO who’s probably going to try to buy the patent from me. There are too many applications for this new design so he’s not going to get it but he can certainly license it from me for a decent price. How is everything at home? Any sign of Ashley’s husband?”
“We are good here. He has not arrived yet. Gabriella is having Ashley and her family over for dinner. Catherine is taking her over now. I can see them walking by.” Tina said waving to her neighbor who waved back.
“OK, well I was just checking in. I’m going to have my dinner, watch a little TV then hit the sack early. I have an early start tomorrow. I love you! Sleep well!” Ben said.
“I love you too, Ben. Sleep well!” Tina said sweetly.