While Dunn was reading the project files and organizing his information at the hotel, Warwick began making arrangements for that night's try. He decided against telling Dr. Boreskovich about Dunn's warning. It would only get him wound up and that would just detract from Warwick's preparation time. Besides, the ball was in Warwick's court. They needed more juice and that was his department.

He'd been up all night looking for ways to squeeze something more out of the supercomputer. The problem was he'd already done this twice before. He had eeked out two or three percent a month earlier. There just wasn't more power to find in the two-year-old computer and optimizing software any further would take at least a month. How could he get a faster supercomputer in the lab by that night? It would be easier to take the lab to the faster computer. Or maybe he could meet it halfway. He went over to his lead engineer's desk with a scheme in mind.

Warwick: Hey Tony, I've got an idea.

Tony: Now why did you have to go and say that, Pete? You know what happens to my stomach every time you say that. You haven't been reading those computer magazines again, have you?

Warwick: No, nothing like that. I don't want to change our whole architecture or anything. I just want to add to it.

Tony: Add what, boss man?

Warwick: One more supercomputer.

Tony: Hey, I'm for that. I like big thumpers. If we had some spare capacity around here we wouldn't have to ride everything to the brink of meltdown. I thought we were going Chernobyl last night for sure. You want me to start working up the purchase request for Washington?

Warwick: Not good enough, I need it on-line tonight.

Tony: Tonight? Like today, but later? No way that's gonna happen. It takes a week just to run the factory diagnostic and set-up routines. Then we do the program loading and testing, remember that part? You always do that yourself. You don't have something on the loading dock you need to tell me about do you?

Warwick: Listen, what I want you to do is call around and find somebody who will loan us some time on their machine tonight. We'll network it in to our core and let it boost the carrier's communication routine. That one has the smallest booster output footprint so it's the one best suited to ride in on a network link.

Tony: Oh yeah, sure, instant super-cluster. Why shouldn't we get six months worth of work done today? I'd have to calibrate the core network delay into the boosted mix. We've never done that before. It's gonna make the matrix even harder to position for the boost. Does the old man realize that?

Warwick: He doesn't know about this and I don't want him to find out.

Tony: We're going to tie in another thumper and he doesn't even know it? Are you trying to drive him over the edge? He'll lose it when he sees that matrix tonight.

Warwick: Not if we calibrate the matrix display to mask the artifact.

Tony: You don't want much do you? I hope you're willing to take the heat for whatever little problem crops up tonight because I'll tell you right now, this is not going to be as smooth as you think. And the only reason it's worth talking about is because I already know somebody to loan us the thumper time.

Warwick: You do? That's great! Who is it?

Tony: Sorry Pete, I'd have to shoot you if I told you.

Warwick: Okay, Okay. I'm trusting you with the open network link. Make sure nobody skates in from this mystery site. And remember, nobody knows about this but you and you're off everything else for the rest of the day. Got it?

Tony: I love it when you get all serious.



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