The Tower of Mount Everest

Treinwood is sitting in the executive conference room alone, nervously twiddling his thumbs when his secretary walks by the entranceway. “Christine!”

“Yes, Mr. Treinwood?”

“Has he shown up yet?”

“I haven’t seen him, sir. He did say he would be here by 3:30 this evening. It’s only 3:25.” She senses Treinwood’s agitation. “Can I bring you some tea to drink, Mr. Treinwood?”

“Make it coffee this time, Christine, black!”

Treinwood continues to twiddle his thumbs, then, slaps his hands down on the table, gets up, and begins to pace back and forth.

“Damn that man and his bloody tardy behavior!”

“Good evening, Richard!”

Treinwood looks up at the entrance way and sees Lattimer. He feels awkward at having just cursed at him.

“Come in, come in Dr. Lattimer, it’s so good of you to drop by!” exclaims Treinwood, always the consummate English gentleman.

“Sorry if I’m late,” says Lattimer.

“Quite the contrary my good man, you are right on time...,” then whispers to himself “for a change.” “Sit down, sit down! Christine, make that two coffees, ok?”

“Coming right up, Mr. Treinwood,” she says from the other room.

After Lattimer is seated, Treinwood follows suit. He leans back in his chair in a relaxed position that Lattimer didn’t think was possible for an English gentleman. He crosses his legs and putting his hands in his lap begins to speak, as Christine brings in the coffee and sets it down. Treinwood raises the cup like a glass of wine and salutes Lattimer.

“To your good health, Dr. Lattimer!”

Lattimer raises his cup and salutes him back. “To yours too, Mr. Treinwood. May you have many more good years yet to come.”

Treinwood smiles and leans forward. “And you too as well, sir! Christine, will you please close the door on your way out?” Christine smiles, and quietly closes the door behind her. Treinwood puts his elbows on the table and places his hands together, as if praying. He smiles with the serious demeanor of a businessman, studying Lattimer for a few moments before speaking. “So, Dr. Lattimer. You’re phone call was... how should I say it?... intriguing to say the least. You certainly have my full attention right now. So tell me, how do you plan to undo all the damage Mr. Snyder has managed to inflict upon this project?”

This time, Lattimer studies Treinwood intently. Finally, he sighs and begins to speak.

“You know Richard, it’s taken me a long time to understand the importance of politics in everyday living. You insulated me from all of that because I demanded it from you. In retrospect, I’m not sure that was one of my wiser decisions. It almost cost us this entire project.” Treinwood’s hands are now folded with his thumbs under his chin. His brow is furrowed as he listens intently to Lattimer’s every word. “My plan is simply this, Richard. Fight fire with fire. Snyder’s smoozing with high-ranking officials in the Chinese and Nepalese governments got this project approved in the first place. Now he’s trying to destroy it in the same fashion.”

“And doing a very good job of it, I might add,” says Treinwood.

Lattimer leans closer to the Englishman. “Well, we can do the exact same thing, Richard!”

Treinwood looks puzzled. “What exactly do you mean?”

Lattimer spreads his hands apart. “All Snyder has is a lot of negative rhetoric to throw around. That’s all he’s got!”

“Seems to be working for him,” says Treinwood.

“Yes, for now,” says Lattimer, “because nobody is offering anything else in response.”

“You think you can out-smooze Snyder?” asks Treinwood incredulously. “No, I doubt anybody can do that,” says Lattimer. “But who needs to smooze when you’ve got the genuine article!”

Treinwood leans back in his chair, his hands together, index fingers next to his chin. “You mean, the tower?”

“Yes!” exclaims Lattimer. “The tower! All we have to do is get some of those officials on top of that thing, and the rest will take care of itself!”

Treinwood begins thinking intently about what Lattimer has just said. “Yeees, yes, it just might work! I think you might be on to something there, Jeff!”

“Thank you, Richard! It’s about time I earned my keep around here! Now, my final question is this. Are you a good enough smoozer to talk them into going up there?”

Treinwood looks at Lattimer, amused by his comment. “Well, I guess I’ll have to be, won’t I, Jeff?” With that, both men begin to chuckle.

It has been three days since Lattimer’s meeting with Treinwood. They decide that the contents of the meeting should remain confidential, knowing full well that Snyder has spies in Snyderville and on the mountain... probably right inside Space Station Everest! This lack of communication does not bode well for the esprit de corps of the men and women at Everest Heights. As the hours pass into days, they become increasingly restless, wondering who will be the first to go.

In the meantime, the tower continues rising rapidly. The project has taken on a life of its own now, transcending even the fear of sudden unemployment. Everyone seems to realize they are making history with each foot they add to its height. The tower has reached the incredible height of 150,000 feet, and the view is something that cannot be put adequately into words. No one, not even Snyder, with all his guile and destructive rhetoric would be able to diminish such a moment for anyone willing to take a ride up to the top.

“Phone call for you, Dr. Lattimer!” Yells Jose from the console in Tubicle One. “It’s Richard Treinwood!”

Lattimer, in his office about 50 feet away, yells back in response.

“Put him through, Jose!” When the phone buzzes, Lattimer picks it up and Jose forwards the phone call over. “Lattimer here!”

“Dr. Lattimer?” responds Treinwood; “I have a question for you. Just how good a smoozer do you think YOU can become in... say three days or less?”

Lattimer, still holding the phone, rises out of his seat in excitement. “You mean... you mean you got them to agree? I mean... to come UP here?”

“I did indeed, Jeff, which means, of course, that the proverbial ball is now squarely in your court, sir!”

Lattimer begins scratching his head, at a complete loss for words. He starts scanning his desk for a piece of paper and something to write with while still holding the phone to his ear.

“Just a minute, Richard. I need some information, ok?”

“You mean like names, personal quirks, local customs, that sort of thing?” responds Richard.

“Yes and more!” replies Lattimer. “I need a crash course on how to get along with people, Richard! Frankly, this thing scares me to death!”

“Come on, Jeff, don’t freak out on me now. If you can build all those bloody cities and tower without starting a major war of some kind you can certainly handle a little bit of hobnobbing with the local dignitaries.”

“They’re not Sherpa are they?” Lattimer asks nervously.

Treinwood responds with a hearty laugh. “No, Jeff, they’re not Sherpa, and no reporters will be allowed either!”

“Thank heaven for that!” sighs Lattimer.

“Listen Jeff. I don’t expect you to do this entire thing alone. I will be escorting the Chinese and Nepal officials up to you personally. All I want you to do is provide an exquisite demonstration of everything we’ve done up to now and why it will benefit China and Nepal.”

Lattimer is getting very hyper at this point and begins pacing back and forth in front of his desk. “Listen Richard. Let me call you back on this, ok? I need time to absorb all of this.”

“Take all the time you need, Jeff. Just make sure you’re ready for us when I call you back.”

“Give me at least three days, Richard, ok?”

“No problem, Jeff. Have a nice day, good bye.”

As the phone goes dead, Lattimer slowly lowers it, and without looking, places it awkwardly back into its holder. He has a look of complete shock and amazement on his face. A faint voice begins pulling him back to reality.

“What was that all about, boss?” yells Jose from the console, 50 feet away. “Has Treinwood done anything yet?”

The next three days can only be described as frenzied, organized chaos. Everybody’s job is on the line... quite literally, and everybody from Lattimer down to the custodians knows it all too well. The VIP’s will be given only the briefest of tours throughout the various cities on the mountain. As impressive as they are, the crème de la crème is the tower itself; and it will be quite important to strike a balance between showing off everything they had and not completely wearing out the patience and attention span of the VIP’s.

“Is the tower elevator shaft working ok, Jose?” asks Lattimer. Worriedly, he scurries back and forth between his office and the main viewing console. In one hand he has a telephone to his ear and in the other, a stack of papers. Jose is doing his best to keep up with him. Lattimer continues his conversation with one of the workmen on the phone as he checks his stack of papers, looking for any possible oversights that may detract from the tour.

“Yes boss, the elevators are fine,” Jose says.

Lattimer glances over at him as he continues toward the console, punching in some numbers to bring up some more workers he needs to speak with about final touch-up work.

“And the leak between Tubicle One and the tower column, has that been fixed?”

“They’re working on it now, even as we speak, boss.”

“Well, when are they gonna be done with it? That has to be fixed today!” demands Lattimer.

“I know boss, I know, it will be ok! Just calm down, it’ll all come out in the wash!”

Lattimer fixes his gaze on Jose, “I just want to be sure it doesn’t all go down the drain, Jose!”

Jose just shrugs his shoulders in silence.

Lattimer finishes punching in the workmen numbers whose still-photo icons begin to appear on the screen. As they begin to answer their pagers, the icons convert into real-time images via miniature video cams attached to wristbands, which the workers aim at their faces to display their images.

“Tim Bradshaw here, Dr. Lattimer, what can I do for you today?”

Tim is a 25 year-old construction worker who was hired early on by Craig Randolph. He is eager to learn, hardworking, honest, and fully committed to the project which he considers to be his dream come true. Lattimer was impressed with his demeanor early on and with Randolph’s blessing, made him the Foreman of the tower project.

“How’s it going up there, Tim?”

“We’re doing great, Dr. Lattimer. We could put another 100 feet on her today if you let us!”

“I know you could, Tim, and I wish I could let you, but we’ve got to wrap things up for the showing tomorrow.”

Tim nods his helmet in agreement. Suddenly, two more icons come alive on the console at the same time. One is Craig Randolph, who is down at Lower New Everest doing last minute inspections. The other is Cheryl Kramer who is busy inspecting Upper New Everest.

“How are things going down there, Craig and Dr. Kramer?” They both speak up at the same time. “Whoa, whoa, ladies first!” says Lattimer.

Dr. Kramer resents what she perceives as thinly disguised chauvinism, but composes herself and begins her report.

“As far as I can tell, things are proceeding very smoothly here. The electrical grid seems to be operating flawlessly. There were no leaks noted in the ventilation system...”

Lattimer interrupts. “What about any leakage from the walls or ceilings? Any watermarks on the drywall? Any funny smells?”

Both Craig and Cheryl shake their heads “no” in response. Craig looks a bit concerned.

“Is there something you need to be telling us, Dr. Lattimer? Something we need to be on the lookout for?”

Lattimer just shakes his head. “I just want to be sure everything is as right as possible, that’s all. Better we find the problems than they do.”

“I’ll let you know if I run into anything unusual,” Craig says.

“Same here,” says Cheryl.

“Do you need me for anything else, Dr. Lattimer?” asks Tim.

“No Tim. Thanks everybody. Call me if you need anything.”

With that, Lattimer clicks off the connections to the three people and turns to face Jose. “I tell you Jose, I’ve never been so wired in my entire life! I don’t know how much more of this I can take!”

“Me neither Señor!” Jose quips.

Lattimer begins perusing the papers he has in his hands. Suddenly, he realizes the phone is still in his hand. He checks it, only to find a dial tone.

“Who the hell was I talking to on the phone just now, Jose? Lord, I don’t even remember who it was!”

Jose just shakes in head in dismay, raises his hands and says a prayer out loud. “Sweet Jesus, please help us in our hour of need. We ask you now, Amen.”

Lattimer looks at him blankly, then, goes back to his papers.

The next day, Lattimer and Jose are dressed in their Sunday best. The visitors have already toured Lower and Upper New Everest and are on their way up the passenger elevators, taking them directly up to Everest Heights. Lattimer’s absence from the initial tour is deliberate. Treinwood believes it will add to the suspense and buildup. It will also minimize Lattimer’s exposure to “foot in mouth” disease.

“I feel like I’m shaking in my boots, Jose!”

“You look fine, Dr. Lattimer,” responds Jose. “In fact, you are a very handsome fellow! Did you know that? How come you don’t have a girlfriend by now?” Jose quips, trying his best to break the tension.

“I don’t have any time for girlfriends right now, much as I would like to.” “That’s your problem boss, right there. You need to take the time. Get away from here for a while. You know what I mean?”

“I wish I could,” sighs Lattimer. “I really wish I could!”

“You know, that girl that works in the admin office down in Upper New Everest is really cute. I think she likes you, Jeff! Why don’t you ask her out sometim...?” Jose’s voice trails off as the elevator begins its final ascent into Everest Heights.

As they wait for it to open, both men stiffen suddenly at the reality of it all, like entertainers preparing themselves for a critical audition. The elevator light comes on and a bell rings, indicating the door is about to open. The two men step back a few paces, holding their breath. Their hearts seem to be pounding in their chest. In a few seconds, the airlock opens up. Directly in front of the two men is Richard Treinwood, dressed to the teeth in full regalia. He smiles at Lattimer and Jose and steps out. With a slight bow and hand gesture he motions for the remaining occupants to step out as well. Lattimer and Jose are both stunned by what they see. An incredibly beautiful young Asian woman steps out in full Nepalese attire, followed by an older Nepalese man who is also well dressed, but in a more western style. The next two occupants are obviously Chinese men, dressed in modest clothes, reminiscent of the old cold war uniforms of the Chinese military. The contrast between the representatives of the two countries couldn’t be more striking. The young woman is incredibly charming and radiant. Her older companion is smiling and congenial. The two Chinese seem cold, harsh, and distant.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” begins Treinwood. “Please allow me to introduce the genius behind this project!” He motions for Lattimer to step forward. Treinwood is beaming as he places his hand on Lattimer’s shoulder.

Lattimer is spellbound by the woman’s beauty and grace. “Dr. Lattimer, I would like you to meet Shameena, the daughter of Rajarshi Rana, an emissary of King Gyanendra who is standing just behind her.” Lattimer takes her hand gently in his and without thinking, bows down and kisses it. Treinwood’s eyes open wide in amazement, and then, just as quickly he regains his composure. The woman smiles sweetly at Lattimer and moves to one side as her father steps up to shake Lattimer’s hand, patting him firmly on the opposite shoulder.

“Dr. Lattimer, it is wonderful to finally meet you! I hear only great reports about you! My daughter and I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us today!”

Treinwood notices the two Chinese as they look on impatiently. He clears his throat. “Uh, Dr. Lattimer, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you, Colonel Chen Hui and Colonel Wang Ming, representatives of the People’s Republic of China!”

The two men step forward stiffly and in turn, grunt a brief greeting as they shake Lattimer’s hand in robotic fashion. Treinwood pauses a moment to regroup, smiling awkwardly as he clasps his hands together.

“Oh, and this is Dr. Lattimer’s famous assistant, Jose Martin!”

Suddenly, the spotlight is on Jose who shrinks back, smiling meekly as everyone takes their turn making their introductions.

Once this is done, Lattimer begins giving the group the nickel tour of Everest Heights, keeping it as brief as possible. After showing off its elegance and spaciousness, Lattimer is reluctant to take them up to the construction hub. For one thing, the passenger elevator shafts are not ready and they will have to get to it via the utility elevator shaft, which means they will have to don spacesuits and go through airlocks to get there. He apologizes for this inconvenience and manages to get them into Tubicle One without scaring them to death about the fact that they had just exited a utility shaft that drops over 4,000 feet straight down! As the tour moves from Tubicle One to one of the living quarters, Jose notices Treinwood showing the group the main console. He uses this brief distraction to brush up against Lattimer, whispering to him.

“She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, boss!” Lattimer grins slightly, but retains his composure. “I think you should get to know her a lot better, if you know what I mean!”

“Down boy!” says Lattimer. “That kind of relationship can cut both ways!”

Jose looks frustrated. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, boss! You are a very attractive man; I’m telling you this could be our big break! Hey, the way you kissed her hand, sheer genius, man!”

Lattimer looks embarrassed. He didn’t intentionally mean to do that. It just sort of happened. Suddenly Lattimer looks up and whispers. “Quiet Jose! Here they come!”

“Sorry about the holdup, Dr. Lattimer!” says Treinwood. “I just had to show them the power of the main console! An incredible technological achievement in its own right!” Smiling, he clasps his hands together again. “Now where were we? Oh yes, the living quarters!”

The nickel tour of Space Station Everest (aka the construction hub) is quick and to the point. It is more of a military barracks than anything else. Perhaps a submarine would be a better description. It has none of the luxury and trappings one would associate with a conventional, modern-day city.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen!” says Treinwood, clasping his hands together again as he faces the tower elevator. “The final hour has arrived at last! Dr. Lattimer, will you do the honors?”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lattimer says. “Please follow me to the dressing room.” Lattimer and Jose help the visitors with their space suits. At this point, even the Chinese are beginning to lower their defenses, allowing a few rare moments of awe to seep through their thorny exteriors. As they sit on the bench dressing themselves, one of the Chinese asks a question.

“Dr. Lattimer! How high is the tower now?”

“We put another 500 feet on her last week,” says Lattimer. “As of now, she stands about 150,000 feet higher than sea level.”

The man looks up at Lattimer in awe. He could not be human and do otherwise.

“Incredible!” he whispers as he turns to his friend and begins speaking to him in Chinese.

Lattimer hears a distinctive female grunt and turns to notice Shameena fighting with a boot, trying to get it over her foot.

“Here, let me help you with that,” he says gently. Out of the corner of his eye he notices Jose smiling at him. He quickly helps Shameena put on her boots and helps her to stand up.

“Thank you very much, Dr. Lattimer!” she says to him, sweetly.

He smiles awkwardly at her. The moment lingers. There doesn’t seem to be a phony bone in her body, and in spite of himself, the combination of her inner and outer beauty is beginning to get the best of Jeff Lattimer. He blinks his eyes, raises his fist to his mouth, clears his throat and begins scanning the room.

“Is everybody dressed?” he asks.

“Everybody but you, Dr. Lattimer!” says Treinwood, who is beginning to take notice of the chemistry developing between Lattimer and Shameena.

“Oh yeah,” Lattimer laughs nervously. “I better get my buns covered too!”

Jose just lowers his head and shakes it slowly, trying hard not to laugh out loud into the helmet’s microphone.

In a few minutes everyone is completely dressed. Lattimer gives a brief tutorial on how to operate the spacesuits, including the controls for air pressure, internal heating, and moisture. To conserve on battery power and oxygen, each suit has a 10-foot umbilical cord that will plug into receptacles surrounding the interior of the cylindrical elevator car. This “car” is actually the original utility elevator car (aka the “can”) that travels up and down from Lower New Everest, Everest Heights, and the construction hub all the way to the top of the tower. The car provides external power to the space suits, conserving the batteries. It has a liquid oxygen tank attached underneath it that meters out pre-warmed oxygen on demand through the umbilical cords. When full, the oxygen in the tank is sufficient to supply 20 adults for at least three days before it needs to be refilled. Used air is recycled through a combination charcoal/C02 filter. A sensor determines when the air needs to be replenished with oxygen. As each member of the tour enters the car from one of the four airlocks, they plug their umbilical cords into the wall receptacles and seat themselves on the circular bench that completely surrounds the interior wall of the car.

“Can everybody hear me?” asks Lattimer, his voice crackling through his microphone. All nod their helmets in agreement. “Ok, what I’m going to do now is a roll call. When I call out your name, please respond so we can make sure your microphone is working.” Lattimer calls out each person’s name, one by one; and in turn they all respond as asked. He performs a last minute equipment check on everybody, then, pushes the button to close the last airlock door. After the door shuts, Lattimer sits down and plugs in his umbilical cord.

“Is everybody ok?” He asks. They all nod their heads in agreement. He pushes the start button; the car lurches a bit, then, begins to slowly move. The car quickly accelerates and is rapidly approaching its maximum speed of 60 mph. It is vented so the pressure inside drops with the altitude.

Someday, Lattimer and Treinwood will outfit this shaft with five heated, pressurized cars so the passengers will not even need to wear space suits. When that day arrives, so will the capacity for space travel from the tower to a space station!

“We’ve reached our top speed of 60 mph and will be at the top in about 25 minutes,” Lattimer says.

“It takes that long to reach the top?” asks one of the Chinese.

“Hey, we’re talking a 23 mile journey here, straight up,” responds Lattimer.

For the next 20 minutes, only the sound of the pinion gears and electric motor break the silence as the elevator races toward the top of the tower. About one mile from the top, the car begins to decelerate. It finally comes to a stop and the green light comes on, indicating they have finally reached their destination.

“Is everybody ready to go outside?” Lattimer asks. Everybody nods their head in agreement. “Ok, here we go!”

With that, Lattimer pushes a button and the door slides open, revealing the blackness of near-space above them and the incredible beauty of the sunset passing through the cirrus clouds below them. They disconnect their umbilical cords and begin stepping out of the car. Lattimer stops them and warns them to watch their step. Although the upper platform is vast, 428 feet on each of the three sides, only a small area of the central portion has been covered with protective gratings. A flimsy temporary fencing around this perimeter is all that stands between the visitors and certain death. Lattimer points to another kind of umbilical cord attached at regular intervals along the edge of the grated area and shows them where to connect the cords to their space suits. These simple vinyl-coated steel cables will prevent them from falling all the way to earth if they happen to trip over the edge of one of the 10-foot diameter tubular triangles just beyond the perimeter; a chilling prospect at best!

“Do the construction workers use these cables?” asks Treinwood, who is himself a first time visitor on the tower.

“All the time.” says Lattimer. “They’re not allowed on the platform unless they’re hooked up first.”

“Would a parachute do any good up here?” Treinwood ask, looking down through the grating he is standing on.

“It wouldn’t open up at all,” says Lattimer. “Not enough air to pop it open.”

“So if you fall off here, what would happen?” Treinwood asks, seemingly oblivious to just how frightening his questions are becoming to the visitors.

Lattimer walks over to Treinwood to get his attention, knocking on his helmet.

“As long as the cords are connected, nobody has anything to fear up here, Mr. Treinwood.” Lattimer frowns at Treinwood through his helmet, shaking his head slightly in disapproval.

Treinwood finally grasps what Lattimer is trying to tell him and promptly changes the subject. “This view is certainly spectacular, is it not Dr. Lattimer?” Treinwood says soothingly.

“It is indeed, Richard,” returns Lattimer. “I could stay up here all day.”

“I see what you mean, Jeff. I do indeed.”

The reactions of the visitors, first to the awesome display before them and then to Treinwood’s “off the cuff” comments are a mix, ranging from indifference to frightening alarm. Shameena seems spellbound by it all and Treinwood’s remarks roll off her like water on a duck’s back. Rajarshi was spellbound at first as well, but Treinwood’s comments seem to have generated in him a sense of the danger of the place. He becomes self-conscious, moving gingerly about with a look in his eyes like a man traversing an unmarked mine field. Chen Hui and Wang Ming are both Colonels in the Chinese military; the former is in the Air Force, the latter in the Army. Colonel Chen, an experienced former fighter pilot, is mildly impressed with the display and, like Shameena, ignores Treinwood’s comments. However, Colonel Wang became petrified the moment he walked out of the elevator. For him, Treinwood’s comments are like dousing a fire with gasoline.

After casually looking around the platform, Colonel Chen turns to discuss matters with his colleague and notices that something is not right. Wang’s eyes are wide and he is white with fear. Beads of sweat are forming on his brow.

Chen speaks to him in Chinese: “What is wrong my friend? Are you afraid? Don’t worry. These cables are secure. Everything is all right.”

The rest of the troupe, over-hearing what for most of them is an unintelligible Chinese conversation, turn to see what is going on. The context of the dialog becomes immediately evident once they see the expression on Wang’s face. He is hyperventilating and in danger of passing out.

“I think we better get him inside the elevator at once”! says Lattimer.

“Yes, yes, at once!” replies Chen in English.

“Jose, help Colonel Wang out, ok?” Jose nods his head and begins assisting Wang. As he reaches down to disengage the cable from Wang’s suit, the man panics, shaking his body and knocking the smaller man away from him. Jose stumbles along the platform, finally coming to rest at the edge of the fencing.

“No, no!” Wang says in frantic Chinese. “I don’t want to fall, please don’t let me fall!”

“You’re not going to fall!” says Chen soothingly.

“Don’t disconnect the cable!” Wang says in a panicky voice. “If you disconnect the cable, I will fall!” Chen backs away, hoping his companion will begin to calm down. Everyone looks around at each other, not knowing what to do next.

Jose picks himself off the platform, keeping a safe distance between himself and Wang.

Treinwood holds his hands up like a cop stopping traffic. “Colonel Wang... please... Let us help you! We must disconnect the cable in order to get you back into the elevator!”

Wang, shaking, tears in his eyes, turns to face Treinwood. “Ok, Ok, Mr. Treinwood!” He says breathlessly. “I know you are right. But please, let me disconnect the cable myself!” Treinwood nods in agreement. Wang bends down slowly, halting midway only to come back up again. He tries again, then again. Each time he seems unable to reach the cable, as if some magic force was preventing him from doing so. He begins to whimper. “I can’t do it. I can’t do it!”

Treinwood responds, “Here let me help you...”

Shameena suddenly intercedes, cutting Treinwood’s remarks off at midpoint. She walks over slowly to Wang, and begins speaking to him gently in Chinese, “Colonel Wang, Colonel Wang... can you hear me?”

Wang turns slowly to look at her, nodding his head. There are tears in his eyes and he is sobbing quietly to himself. “I have failed my country!” he says. “I have humiliated China! I will be executed for this!”

Chen looks at him with genuine concern in his eyes. “The old ways are over, my friend!” he says soothingly. “This incident will not be reported, certainly not by me!” He turns to look at the other people on the platform. “Or by anyone else here!” They all nod eagerly in agreement. He turns to look at Wang again. “Will you allow me to disengage the cable now, my friend?”

Wang regains some of his composure. He nods slowly in agreement. Chen scrutinizes his friend’s face for any signs of panic, then, bends down slowly and grasps the end of the cable. He looks up at Wang, nodding his head for his companion’s approval. Wang nods slightly and Chen begins slowly releasing the cable from Wang’s suit, dropping the end to the platform floor. He looks up at Wang again, looking for any new signs of panic. Seeing none, he rises slowly, and smiling, surveys the crowd.

“Will someone help me get Colonel Wang into the elevator now?” The group suddenly becomes animated, and begins to move en masse toward the two Chinese officers.

“Stop!” yells Wang. Everyone stops in their tracks.

Chen becomes alarmed. “What is the matter, Ming? They are only trying to help us! Let them help us, ok!?” Panic begins to envelope Wang again as he begins to step back from Chen and the crowd.

“What are you doing, Ming?” shouts Chen. “Get into the elevator, now!”

Wang begins shaking his head slowly as he continues stepping backward.

“No, no.” he says hoarsely. “I won’t go back! I have humiliated China! They will kill me if I go back now!”

Chen cannot believe what he is hearing. “No, no they won’t!” Chen says. He turns to look at Lattimer who is in a complete state of shock. “Why is he doing this, Dr. Lattimer?”

Lattimer, mouth agape, shaking his head, is at a complete loss for words. Chen turns to face Wang, who has stepped back even further.

“I will not be made into a public spectacle!” Wang hisses. “I will not let them humiliate and torment my family!”

Chen stares back at Wang, shaking his head in silent dismay and disbelief. “Please, Ming! Please let us take you back. Things will be all right, you’ll see. Just let us get you off this mountain first, ok? The mountain, it does funny things to your mind.”

Wang, sweating again, begins shaking his head. He has the look of a maniac. “No!” he hisses again. “You will not take me back!”

Everyone looks at each other in complete amazement. They cannot believe what is happening here. For Treinwood, Lattimer and Jose, it is their worst nightmare come true.

“Boss!” Jose whispers, forgetting that everyone is able to hear him. “The air supply is low. We are running out of time and figured we would only need enough for about two hours.” There is a collective gasp from the group.

Lattimer begins speaking to Wang. “Colonel Wang, you heard what Jose just said. We only have a few hours of air up here. Even less than that in the suits. I think everybody has seen enough up here, am I right?”

Everybody but Wang and Chen mutters yes, nodding their heads in agreement.

“Jose, please escort everyone to the elevator except for Colonel Chen, Colonel Wang and myself.”

Jose motions for everyone to disconnect their cables. Facing Wang, Lattimer and Chen stand silently as the remaining people file back into the elevator and re-establish their umbilical connections.

“Is everybody ok in the elevator, Jose?”

“We’re ready to go, boss.” Jose replies.

Lattimer is focusing his full attention on Wang now. “Ok, Colonel Wang. It’s time to go, right now!”

Wang looks back at Lattimer with a vacant stare on his face and begins shaking his head slowly. “No, Dr. Lattimer. It is only time for you and the others to go back. You may tell them an accident happened and you had to leave me here.”

Chen looks at Wang in horror, then, at Lattimer.

Lattimer begins to speak in slow deliberate tones, “We can’t do that, Colonel Wang. You must come with us, now! You are our guest, and your safety is our responsibility!”

As Lattimer and Chen begin moving toward him, Wang puts up his hand as a signal for them to stop and starts easing backwards.

“Gentlemen,” he says. “Do not make me harm you!” They ease forward ever so slightly.

“We’re not going without you, Colonel Wang,” Lattimer says. “Do you want all of us to die up here today?”

Wang begins to get anxious again. He keeps backing up. Lattimer looks at Chen and shakes his head toward Wang as a signal. Chen understands and both men run quickly at Wang in an effort to pin him down. Wang is caught off guard and falls backward as the two men tackle his legs. He begins kicking and scrambling in an effort to throw them off. Suddenly, one foot connects with Chen’s helmet, violently knocking him away. Lattimer, being a much bigger man, is harder to dislodge. The kick causes a leakage in Chen’s helmet, and as he gets up he notices the internal control panel blinking brightly, indicating a continuous loss in air pressure.

“I am losing air pressure, Dr. Lattimer!” he says.

Lattimer is still busy trying to pin Wang down.

“Jose!” Lattimer yells. “Help me! Treinwood, help get Colonel Chen back into the elevator and hook up his umbilical cord!”

Both men immediately stand up, disengage their umbilical cords, and rush out to help.

“How can this help if he’s losing air?!” asks Treinwood.

“It will buy us some time, that’s all!” grunts Lattimer, still struggling with Wang.

“It will get us all killed you mean!” retorts Treinwood. “Our air supply will leak out with his!”

“Just do it, damn it!” returns Lattimer.

Treinwood, flustered, shakes his head in dismay and resignation and helps Chen into the elevator. By the time he gets him hooked into the air supply, Chen is well on his way to losing consciousness. Meanwhile, Jose has rushed to Lattimer’s side, wondering what is the best way to re-engage Colonel Wang without getting himself killed in the process. Suddenly, Wang grabs Lattimer’s helmet and wrenches it violently, causing a sizeable air leak.

“Good grief, boss, now you have an air leak!” Jose says.

Wang laying on the platform raises himself up partway and breathing heavily, speaks to Jose. “Get Dr. Lattimer into the elevator and get out of here!”

The disbelief on Jose’s face turns to horror, then, sadness as he shakes his head at Lattimer. “I’m sorry boss, I have no choice! If we don’t leave now, we’ll all die!”

Lattimer, who is beginning to get dizzy, looks at Wang in complete amazement as Jose drags him back into the elevator.

“Why, Colonel Wang, why?” he asks.

Wang stands up and salutes the people in the elevator. When the door shuts, he finishes his crisp salute and watches the elevator begin its descent. He walks slowly and deliberately to the edge of the platform, calmly observing through the floor grating as the elevator car picks up speed. He watches for what seems like an eternity as it finally disappears into the gathering darkness below. Then, carefully, he lifts up the temporary fencing, slips under it, and allows himself to fall into the abyss.

If the mood at Space Station Everest had been somber before the fateful visit of the VIP’s, it was absolutely bleak now. Everybody was in shell shock over Colonel Wang’s suicide. Lattimer was a complete zombie and Jose wasn’t too far behind. No one had any idea what would happen next. A sizeable number of personnel were considering handing in their resignations, before the Chinese came back and imprisoned everybody.

“How’s it going, Dr. Lattimer?” Lattimer, bleary eyed and unshaven, has been staring blankly at the main console for hours. He looks up slowly to find a young, solemn Tim Bradshaw looking down at him. Lattimer attempts a tired sheepish grin, then, rolls his head back toward the console.

“I wish I knew what to tell you Tim,” he says. “I really do. But if you came over here for answers, I’m sorry. I’m fresh out.”

Tim gulps shyly, then, begins to speak. “Dr. Lattimer... may I call you Jeff?”

“Please do,” says Lattimer. “I think it’s safe to dispense with the formalities at this point.”

Tim hesitates, searching for the right words. “Jeff, I know you must want to... but you can’t just quit now! I know this is a tough time for you, hell, for all of us! But... if you quit, it means it really is the end!”

Lattimer, feeling some sense of obligation and responsibility, turns to look at Tim. He begins speaking to him like a father to his son.

“Tim, I know somebody has to be in charge here. And I know the buck stops with me. I asked for this, and whoa boy am I getting it!” Lattimer stands up and puts his hand on Tim’s shoulder. “We’ll get through this son, somehow we’ll find a way. I just need some time to sort things out, that’s all.”

Feeling awkward, Tim looks down at his feet, pacing nervously.

Lattimer nods his head slightly, a smile of reassurance forming on his face. “Don’t worry about it. Jose and I have been through some pretty tough times together. Somehow, we got through all of them. We’ll do it again this time.”

Tim looks up at Lattimer, smiling shyly. Without thinking, Lattimer roughs up Tim’s hair. “Now go on, get out of here. Get back to work before I have to fire you or something!” Tim backs away, smiling. Lattimer looks around at the men milling aimlessly about the complex and yells in their direction. “And get those guys back to work on that tower, ok? I want another hundred feet on that puppy before the week’s out!”

The men suddenly stop in their tracks, turning to listen to Lattimer. Tim notices them, hesitates for a moment, and suddenly begins barking orders. “You heard Dr. Lattimer! It’s time to get back to work!”

The men look at each other in amazement. They shrug their shoulders. Suddenly, they begin grinning and talking, as if a bad storm was over and the sun was shining once again. The change in attitude becomes infectious. Soon the whole complex begins to come alive with activity... productive activity!

Lattimer turns around and sees Jose standing in the doorway of his office. Jose motions with his finger for Lattimer to come over. As he walks toward Jose, Lattimer notices the serious look in his eyes. Jose waves his head, indicating for Lattimer to come inside while he shuts the door.

“What is it, Jose?” Lattimer asks in a low, concerned voice.

“That was quite a speech you gave out there just now, boss!”

“Well, what did you expect me to do?” Lattimer says, throwing his hands up and slapping them against his thighs in resignation. “Tell them all to go to hell?”

Jose, a slight frown on his face, just shakes his head. He looks up at Lattimer, breaking the grim silence. “Boss. You’ve got to tell them!”

Lattimer, pacing the floor, turns to face Jose and snaps. “Tell them what! That we’re through? Finished? Kaput?!” He looks at Jose incredulously and begins shaking his head, pleading. “What do you want me to tell them, Jose?”

At this point, Jose can’t bear to look at the man. “You have to tell them the truth, boss. You owe them that!”

Lattimer turns around to face the wall, raising his hands and slapping them back down again. Then he turns around, facing Jose, shoulders raised, hands out.

“I don’t know what the truth is anymore, Jose! How can I tell them anything? I don’t know what these people (meaning the Chinese) are gonna do, any more than you do!” He points his hand at the door. “Or they do!” Lattimer, desperately searching for words, holds his hands out to Jose. “Jose,” he says in a loud whisper, “Those people out there need hope right now!” His voice gets louder. “They need leadership! Not a kick in the kahunas! If it happens, they’ll get it soon enough, believe me! They don’t need it from me right now! And they’re not gonna get it from me either!”

Jose, arms crossed, is propped up against the corner of the door, one foot across the other. Lips pursed, he finally speaks. “So what are we gonna do now, boss?”

Lattimer, deep in thought, is pacing briskly, biting his lips, one fist pressed against his hand as he begins pumping his forearms up and down. Suddenly he turns to face Jose.

“I tell you what we’re gonna do, Jose! We’re gonna do a pre-emptive strike, that’s what!”

Jose’s face contorts. Lattimer’s bizarre comment has thrown him for a loop. He shakes his head, trying to grasp some semblance of meaning from what sounds on the surface to be the irrational ranting of a desperate man. Jose tries, but he is unable to respond. He can only shake his head in dismay and disbelief. Finally, the words come, “Wha... what do you mean, what are you talking about, boss? We have nothing, nothing!”

“Doesn’t matter, Jose. Doesn’t matter! Life is like a game of cards, a poker game! Sometimes, all you have left to play is bluff and bluster!”

Jose searches Lattimer’s eyes for meaning... anything! He wants to believe, has to believe that this genius, somehow, still has what it takes to get the job done. He knows Lattimer has pulled them out of more scrapes than he can even dare to remember. Somehow, there is this magical Teflon quality about this incredible man that defies human understanding. Jose decides that it’s best to leave a genius alone with his thoughts... especially at a time like this. He opens the door and walks out, shutting it quietly behind him.

Lattimer continues pacing the floor, rubbing his fist in his hand as he mutters to himself. “Oh, we have something, all right Jose! We have a tower, and we’re damned well gonna build it!”

The end?