26. Science Without Doughnuts

They took Mateo over to the lab the next day. At least this time they told him where they were going, always nice. When he asked “Ok, why the lab?” they clammed up. Fine, he was no Tineye/Monocle Man. They could clam up all they wanted. Plus he was too busy going crazy with suspense. Had Armistice Day happed yet? If it was the same as Veterans’ Day it had, since today was the 14th. He was 99% sure he remembered the blizzard right, but that 1% was killing him. He couldn’t be sure sure.

Well, it was a lab, really old-school. Or heck, really modern for the 40s. It was in a cellar with the high little ground-level windows boarded up, lab benches and a ton of clunky old electrical equipment and guts of old radio sets like an elephant graveyard. And a dude, bounding over to meet them. Civilian science guy, in a lab coat over his suit. Captain Short was leaning against a lab bench, smoking.

“Oh, hey!” said Mateo, not sorry to see Science Guy.

“Dismissed,” Short said to the sneaker guys, who bailed and locked the door behind them.

If Mateo wasn’t sorry to see Science Guy, Science guy was thrilled out of his gourd to see Mateo. He grabbed his hand in both of his and started shaking it like he was working a pump.

“Mr. Smith! Or is it Smith-Ramirez? Or just Ramirez? Or Ramirez-Smith? Pardon me, I don’t know much about American names! Is it true? Is it really true? Are you—are you—?”

“Call me Mateo. And, uh...I...” He glanced at Short.

“You’re permitted to tell him your story,” Short said. “He, Commandant Stephens, Captain Goodacre, and myself. No one else. Not so much as a hint. The official story is that you are a secret advisor associated with your country’s air force. I hate in any way to threaten or make ill-at-ease a gallant ally such as yourself, especially after our unfortunate mistake led to you being treated as an enemy, but circumstances force us to take official secrets very seriously. Silent enim leges inter arma and all that.”

“Got it,” Mateo said seriously. He got the last part mostly from context and Spanish but he didn’t exactly need a map. “So the blizzard...?”

“Exactly as you described.”

Mateo swallowed. The world seemed to be moving again, like it had in the university basement, but this time maybe it was coming out right side up, at least compared to before.

He looked sidelong at Science Guy, who’d finally let go of his hand but was still starry-eyed. “Uh yeah, man. I’m from 2005.”

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