The Hard Way by Duncan Brockwell (electronic book reader .txt) 📗

When he emerged from the office and stood at the top of the wrought-iron stairs, they cheered and clapped him. He had to steady himself as he descended the twenty steps, adrenaline pumping. “How’s she looking?” The question aimed at them all.

His second-in-command, Vanu, a highly intelligent Indian engineer with two doctorates to his name confirmed with excitement, “We’re ready for test fifteen, Richard.”

He regarded his team for a moment, taking stock of this momentous occasion. They were the best team of employees he could have put together. Two women and two men, each leaders in their respective fields. He hired Vanu Parekh for this project three years earlier, and paid him handsomely for his expertise.

At the blue Ford Fiesta, he walked around her, stroking the chassis as he circled her. When he peered through the passenger window, he thought how ordinary she seemed, yet everyone here knew she was anything but. This little car would change the world like nothing else had, more so than the last great invention: the internet.

“Are the cameras set up and ready to go?” He stared through the window and up at the ceiling, where Germany-born Paula Lang had mounted the tiny audio and visual recorder. When she replied in the affirmative, he nodded. “I guess it’s time to go.”

Paula opened the driver door for him. Richard had hired her for her technical wizardry. She was the fastest techie he’d ever met, an asset to his crew. “I think we should mark this occasion. She’ll work today, I can feel it.”

Having marked fourteen previous tests, Richard went along with the group photo opportunity in front of his record-breaking Fiesta. He put his arms around his top two teammates and smiled at the camera. “Is that it? Are we done yet?”

Going around each team member, he shook their hands and thanked them for their tireless efforts over the years. They had put themselves out there for him, working through weekends and into evenings sometimes.

Stood by the open door, he stared at the camera Paula held. “As you know, my name’s Richard Fisher. This is test fifteen, and today’s the day. Come join us as we make history in this ‘ordinary’ little Ford Fiesta.”

When he sat in the driver’s seat, Vanu was already in the passenger’s seat, strapped in, raring to go. After closing the door, Richard did all his checks, including a dashboard monitor. “Everything looks ready. The ceiling camera’s running. Can everyone hear me?” The rest of his team confirmed they could, through Vanu’s mobile phone.

Richard gave the green light to open the workshop garage door. Paula obliged by pressing the button on the remote control. And when he started the engine, he accelerated out onto the courtyard. From there, he turned right onto the main road.

He had to admit to feeling better about himself now he was on talking terms with Colin, thanks to Charlotte’s intervention before his brother’s wedding. He’d almost cried at witnessing his brother marry Henry, because his parents never had the chance to see their youngest happy.

For years, he blamed Colin and his drug habit for the family’s misfortunes, never forgiving him for breaking them apart. Charlotte told him on a couple of occasions, it was their parents’ fault for not accepting Colin’s sexuality, and favouring Richard over her and Colin that pushed their younger brother into the arms of recreational drugs, but he didn’t believe her. Their younger brother was a selfish bastard.

It took Richard years to finally forgive Colin and shake his hand. He missed his stupid little brother, not that he admitted it back then. Despite Colin’s behaviour, he still loved him. This love was partly the reason he’d confided in Colin and Henry about what they were trying to achieve at the workshop, and once they knew, Henry had offered to invest.

At a time when funding was tight, the extra investment helped. With Henry and Colin as ghost investors, he didn’t need to worry about them; they were happy to help, and didn’t involve themselves. All Henry asked for was to be kept in the loop and informed when they achieved their goal. Richard looked forward to phoning Henry later, fingers crossed their test worked.

On the A23, he checked the dashboard. “Won’t be long now. I’ll take her out to the M25 and give her a good run.”

Once on the M25, he ramped up the speed to a little over seventy, sticking to the fast lane, only pulling into the first inside lane to let faster cars pass. “It won’t be long now. Are you all still with me?”

The rest of the team replied in the positive, although their voices were almost drowned out by the sound of travelling at high speed along a motorway. “The gauge says empty. Any time now.” He took the car up to seventy-eight.

Bombing along, Richard heard a clunk. He glanced over at Vanu. “Was that it? Was that the changeover?”

“What does it say?” His passenger leaned in. “That was it! We bloody well did it, everyone. Test fifteen was a success.” His voice held the excitement of a five-year-old boy on Christmas Day, waiting to open his presents.

The team back at the workshop cheered. Richard was beyond words. The gauge went from empty to full, and the car ran still. Adrenaline peaking, he searched for an exit, not wanting to drive along the M25 anymore. His hands and feet shook with excitement. “You know what this means, don’t you! This is so fucking huge, I can’t get my head around it.”

“You’ve had three years to digest it, Richard.” His usual frown gone, it was replaced with elation. “I can’t believe we’ve done it. It works; it bloody works. It only took three years and fifteen tests.”

After turning off the M25, and managing to traverse the complex road system, Richard sped along the A24 towards the workshop. At a convenient place, he pulled over at the side of the road and got