Fuller demanded a minute.
They compromised on forty seconds.
“We have another problem,” Fuller said. “If we let you film the flight test, we don’t want you to use the tape you obtained today, showing the actual incident.”
No way, Malone said. The tape was going to be aired.
“You characterized the tape as having been obtained from a Norton employee,” Fuller said. “That’s incorrect. We want the provenance accurately stated.”
“Well, we certainly got it from someone who works for Norton.”
“No,” Fuller said, “you didn’t”
“It’s one of your subcontractors.”
“No, it’s not I can provide you with the IRS definition of a subcontractor, if you like.”
“This is a fine point…”
“We have already obtained a sworn statement from the receptionist, Christine Barron. She is not an employee of Norton Aircraft. She is not, in fact, an employee of Video Imaging. She is a temp from an agency.”
“What’s the point here?”
“We want you to state the facts accurately: that you obtained the tape from sources outside the company.”
Malone shrugged. “As I said, this is a fine point.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Malone thought for a minute. “Okay,” she said.
Fuller slid a piece of paper across the table. “This brief document conveys that understanding. Sign it.”
Malone looked at Reardon. Reardon shrugged.
Malone signed it. “I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.” She started to push it back to Fuller, and paused.
‘Two crews, on the aircraft, during the flight test. Is that our agreement?”
“No,” Fuller said. “That was never the agreement. Your crews will watch the test on the ground.”
“That won’t work for us.”
Casey said that the Newsline crews could come to the test area; they could film the preparations, the takeoff and landing. But they couldn’t actually come on the plane during the flight.
“Sorry,” Malone said.
Teddy Rawley cleared his throat. “I don’t think you understand the situation, Ms. Malone,” he said. “You can’t be walking around filming inside the airplane, during a flight test. Everybody on board has to be strapped in in a four-point harness. You can’t even get up to pee. And you can’t have lights or batteries, because they generate magnetic fields that might disrupt our readings.”
“We don’t need lights,” she said. “We can shoot available light.”
“You don’t understand,” Rawley said. “It can get pretty hairy up there.”
“That’s why we have to be mere,” Malone said.
Ed Fuller cleared his throat. “Let me be entirely clear, Ms. Malone,” he said. “Under no circumstances is this company going to allow your film crew on board that aircraft. It is absolutely out of the question.”
Malone’s face was rigid, set.
“Ma’am,” Rawley said, “you’ve got to realize, there’s a reason we test over the desert. Over large uninhabited spaces?”
“You mean it might crash.”
“I mean we don’t know what might happen. Trust me on this: you want to be on the ground.”
Malone shook her head. “No. We must have our crews on board.”
“Ma’am, there’s going to be big G-forces—”
Casey said, “There’ll be thirty cameras all over the plane. They’ll cover every possible angle—cockpit, wings, passenger cabin, everywhere. You’re getting exclusive use of the film. No one will know your cameras aren’t getting the footage.”
Malone glowered, but Casey knew that she had made the point. The woman only cared about the visuals.
“I want to place the cameras,” she said.
“Uh-uh,” Rawley said.
“I have to be able to say our cameras are on board,” Malone said. “I have to be able to say that.”
In the end, Casey hammered out a compromise. Newsline would be allowed to position two locked-down cameras, anywhere in the plane, to cover the test flight They would take the feed directly from these cameras. In addition, they would be allowed to use footage from other cameras mounted in the interior. Finally, Newsline would be allowed to shoot a stand-up with Reardon outside Building 64, where the assembly line was located.
Norton would provide transportation for the Newsline crews to the Arizona test facility later in the day; would put them up in a local motel; would transport them to the test facility in the morning; and back to LA in the afternoon.
Malone pushed the paper back to Fuller. “Deal,” she said.
Reardon was looking fretfully at his watch as he left with Malone to shoot the stand-up. Casey was alone with Rawley and Fuller in the War Room.
Fuller sighed. “I hope we’ve made the right decision.” He turned to Casey. “I did what you asked, when you called me earlier from the video company.”
“Yes, Ed,” she said. “You were perfect.”
“But I saw the tape,” he said. “It’s dreadful. I’m afraid that whatever the flight test shows, that tape will be the only thing anybody remembers.”
Casey said, “If anybody ever sees that tape.”
“My concern,” Fuller said, “is that Newsline will run that tape no matter what.”
“I think they won’t,” Casey said. “Not when we get through with them.”
Fuller sighed. “I hope you’re right. High stakes.”
“Yes,” she said. “High stakes.”
Teddy said, “You better tell them to bring warm clothing. You, too, babe. And another thing: I watched that woman. She thinks she’s going to get on the plane tomorrow.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“And you, too, right?” Teddy said.
“Maybe,” Casey said.
“You better think about this real good,” Teddy said. “Because you saw the QAR video, Casey. That airplane exceeded its design G-loads by a hundred and sixty percent. That guy subjected the airframe to forces it was never built to withstand. And tomorrow I’m going to go up and do it again.”
She shrugged. “Doherty checked the fuse,” she said, “they’ve X-rayed and—”
“Yeah, he checked,” Teddy said. “But not thoroughly. Ordinarily, we’d go over that fuselage for a month, before we put it back in active service. We’d X-ray every join on the plane. That hasn’t been done.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” Teddy said, “that when I put that aircraft through those same G-force loads, there’s a chance that the airframe will fail.”
“You trying to scare me?” Casey said.
“No, I’m just telling you. This is serious, Casey. Real world. It could happen.”
OUTSIDE BLDG 64
4:55 p.m.
“No aircraft company in history,” Reardon said, “has ever permitted a television crew on a flight test. But so important is this test to the future of Norton Aircraft, so confident are they of the outcome, that they have agreed to allow our crews to film. So today, for the first time, we will be seeing footage of the actual plane involved in Flight 545, the controversial Norton N-22 aircraft. Critics say it’s a deathtrap. The company says it’s safe. The flight test will prove who’s right”
Reardon paused.
“Done,” Jennifer said.
“You need something for the cut?’
“Yeah.”
“Where do they do the test, anyway?”
“Yuma.”
“Okay,” Reardon said.
Standing in afternoon sun, before Building 64, he looked down at his feet and said, in a low, confidential voice, “We are here, at the Norton test facility in Yuma, Arizona. It’s five o’clock in the morning, and the Norton team is making final preparations to take Flight 545 into the air.” He looked up. “What time’s dawn?”
“Damned if I know,” Jennifer said. “Cover it.”
“All right,” Reardon said. He looked down at his feet again, and intoned. “In the early predawn, tension mounts. In the predawn darkness, tension mounts. As dawn breaks, tension mounts.”
“That should do it,” Jennifer said.
“How do you want to handle the wrap?” he said.
“You’ve got to cover it both ways, Marty.”
“I mean do we win, or what?”
“Cover it both ways to be sure.”
Reardon looked down at his feet again. “As the aircraft lands, the team is jubilant. Happy faces all around. The flight is successful. Norton has made its point. At least for now.” He took a breath. “As the aircraft lands, the team is muted. Norton is devastated. The deadly controversy over the N-22 continues to rage.” He looked up. “Enough?”
She said, “You better give me an on-camera about the controversy continues to rage. We can close with that.”
“Good idea.”
Marty always thought it was a good idea for him to appear on camera. He stood erect, set his jaw, and faced the camera.
“Here, in this building where the N-22 is built, no … Behind me is the building where … no. Hold on.” He shook his head, faced the camera again.
“And yet, the bitter controversy over the N-22 will not die. Here, in this building where the aircraft is made, workers are confident that it is a safe, reliable aircraft. But critics of the N-22 remain unconvinced. Will there be another harvest of death in the skies? Only time will tell. This is Martin Reardon, for Newsline, Burbank, California.”
He blinked.
‘Too corny? Too much on the money?”
“Great, Marty.”
He was already unclipping his mike, removing the radio pack from his belt. He pecked Jennifer on the cheek. “I’m out of here,” he said, and sprinted to the waiting car.