"When it's landing, and perhaps when it's taking off."
"Absolutely, Mr. Wintergreen?"
"Positively, Captain Hook."
"Thank you, Mr. Minderbinder."
They were meeting one level belowground in the basement of MASSPOB, the new Military Affairs Special Secret Projects Office Building, in a circular chamber with Lucite walls of ocean blue illuminated with bowed lines of longitude over warped continents and vivid free-form sculptured panels of fighting fish at war with swooping birds of prey. On the wall behind the barbered heads of the curving row of questioners was a condor with colossal wings and rapacious golden talons. All present were male. No transcript was authorized. These were men of keen intellect and their collective memory was reference enough. Two were already stifling yawns. All took for granted that the room was bugged anyway. Proceedings of such a sort were too secret to remain confidential.
"Will it go faster than light?" inquired a colonel in the half circle of experts flanking the presiding figure in dead center, who sat on a chair higher than the rest.
"It will go almost as fast."
"We can rev it up to go even faster than light."
"There would be some increase in fuel consumption."
"Wait a minute, please wait just one minute, Mr. Minderbinder, let me ask something," slowly cut in a puzzled civilian with a professorial demeanor. "Why would your bomber be noiseless? We have supersonic planes now, and they surely make noise with their sonic booms, don't they?"
"It would be noiseless to the crew."
"Why should that be important to the enemy?"
"It could be important to the crew," emphasized Milo, "and no one is more concerned about those kids than we are. Some of them may be aloft for months."
"Maybe years, with the refueling planes we recommend."
"Will they be invisible too?'
"If you want them to be."
"And make no noise?"
"The crew won't hear them."
"Unless they slow down and allow the noise to catch up."
"I see, Mr. Wintergreen. It's all very clever."
"Thank you, Colonel Pickering."
"How large is your crew?"
"Just two. Two are cheaper to train than four."
"Absolutely, Mr. Minderbinder?"
"Positively, Colonel North."
The officer in the center was a general, and he cleared his throat now as a proclamation of intent. The room fell still. He treasured the suspense.
"Does light move?" he demanded finally.
A leaden silence ensued.
"Light moves, General Bingam," Milo Minderbinder sprang in finally, with relief that he could.
"Faster than anything," ex-PFC Wintergreen added helpfully. "Light is just about the fastest thing there is."