Yes, Elaine had been there. Briefly. Sosnowski started to go into a rather ecstatic description of her undeniable charms but since he obviously had no datum to add I cut him off and rang Berkeley, California. The Bevatron had not been activated since the time of the accident at HOAGS; Berkeley had nothing to report.
I had George Herrmann bring me the secret files then, and was scanning the list of all synchrotrons in the world, known either through publicity or downright espionage (a few were operating without UN sanction), when the visifone buzzed.
It was General Schoener.
I briefed him and told him I was about to try visifoning all known AGS installations.
"Hold it up," he said. "I want to call the Pentagon. I think I can pull strings and get UNACMEA/WAGS fully activated."
"That would do it, General!" I cried. "I didn't think I'd stand a chance if I asked—"
"Look, Bob," he cut in. "Elaine's my daughter and I'm not having her flitting around fraternizing with every Tom, Dick and Harry even if they are Ph. D's. She made one mistake and I'm not having her make another."
"Mistake?" I asked.
"A pilot," he said. "Nice enough guy but it turned out he was already married and intended to remain so. Incidentally, Bob, you resemble him to a considerable degree."
"I do?"