Michael Crichton - Airframe

Newsline's closing credits were running when Casey's phone rang. An unfamiliar, gruff voice said, "Casey Singleton?"

"Speaking."

"Hal Edgarton here."

"How are you, sir?"

"I'm in Hong Kong, and I've just been told by one of my board members that Newsline did not run a Norton story tonight."

"That's right, sir."

"I'm very pleased," he said. "I wonder why they didn't run it?"

"I have no idea," Casey said.

"Well, whatever you did, it was obviously effective," Edgarton said. "I'm leaving for Beijing in a few hours, to sign the sales agreement. John Marder was supposed to meet me there, but I'm told that, for some reason, he hasn't left California."

"I don't know anything about that," she said.

"Good," Edgarton said. "Glad to hear it. We'll be making some changes at Norton in the next few days. Meanwhile I wanted to congratulate you, Casey. You've been under a lot of pressure. You've done an outstanding job."

"Thank you, sir."

"Hal."

"Thank you, Hal."

"My secretary will call to arrange lunch when I get back," he said. "Keep up the good work."

Edgarton hung up, and then there were other calls. From Mike Lee, congratulating her, in guarded tones. Asking how she managed to kill the story. She said she had nothing to do with it, that Newsline for some reason had decided not to run it.

Then there were more calls, from Doherty, and Burne, and Ron Smith. And Norma, who said, "Honey, I'm proud of you."

And finally Teddy Rawley, who said he happened to be in the neighborhood, and wondered what she was doing.

"I'm really tired," Casey said "Another time, okay?"

"Aw, babe. It was a great day. Your day."

"Yeah, Teddy. But I'm really tired."

She took her phone off the hook, and went to bed.

It was a clear evening. She was standing outside her bungalow, in the twilight, when Amos came up with his dog. The dog slobbered on her hand.

"So," Amos said. "You dodged a bullet."

"Yes," she said. "I guess so."

"Whole plant's talking. Everyone's saying you stood up to Marder. Wouldn't lie about 545. That true?"

"More or less."

"Then you were stupid," Amos said. "You should have lied. They lie. It's just a question of whose lie gets on the air."

"Amos…"

"Your father was a journalist; you think there's some kind of truth to be told. There isn't. Not for years, kid. I watched those scum on the Aloha incident. All they wanted was the gory details. Stewardess gets sucked out of the plane, did she die before she hit the water? Was she still alive? That's all they wanted to know."

"Amos," she said. She wanted him to stop.

"I know," he said. "That's entertainment. But I'm telling you, Casey. You were lucky this time. You might not be as lucky next time. So don't let this become a habit. Remember: they make the rules. And the game's got nothing to do with accuracy, or the facts, or reality. It's just a circus."

She wasn't going to argue with him. She petted the dog.

"Fact is," Amos said, "everything's changing. Used to be-in the old days-the media image roughly corresponded to reality. But now it's all reversed. The media image is the reality, and by comparison day-to-day life seems to lack excitement. So now day-to-day life is false, and the media image is true. Sometimes I look around my living room, and the most real thing in the room is the television. It's bright and vivid, and the rest of my life looks drab. So I turn the damn thing off. That does it every time. Get my life back."

Casey continued to pet the dog. She saw headlights in the darkening night swing around the corner, and come up the street toward them. She walked to the curb.

"Well, I'm rambling," Amos said.

"Good night, Amos," she said.

The car came to a stop. The door flung open.

"Mom!"

Her daughter jumped into her arms, wrapping her legs around her. "Oh, Mom, I missed you!"

"Me too, honey," she said. "Me too."

Jim got out of the car, handed Casey the backpack. In the near darkness, she couldn't really see his face.

"Good night," he said to her.

"Good night, Jim," she said.

Her daughter took her hand. They started back inside. It was growing dark, and the air was cool. When she looked up, she saw the straight contrail of a passenger jet. It was so high, it was still in daylight, a thin white streak across the darkening sky.

5TH STORY of Level 1 printed in

FULL format

COPYRIGHT TELEGRAPH-STAR, INC.

HEADLINE: NORTON SELLS 50 WIDEBODY

JETS TO CHINA

TAILS TO BE MANUFACTURED IN SHANGHAI

CASH FLOW AIDS DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE

JET. UNION LEADERS CRITICIZE LOSS OF JOBS.

BYLINE: JACK ROGERS

BODY:

Norton Aircraft today announced an eight-billion-dollar sale of fifty N-22 widebody jets to the People's Republic of China. Norton President Harold Edgarton said the agreement signed yesterday in Beijing calls for delivery of the jets over the next four years. The agreement also offsets fabrication work to China, requiring the N-22 tails to be constructed in Shanghai.

The sale represents a coup for the beleaguered Burbank manufacturer, and a bitter defeat for Airbus, which had lobbied heavily, both in Beijing and Washington, for the sale. Edgarton said the fifty Chinese jets, combined with the further sale of twelve N-22s to Transpacific Airlines, will give Norton the cash flow it needs to continue development of the N-XX widebody, its hope for the twenty-first century.

News of the offset agreement produced anger in some quarters of the Burbank company. UAW Local 1214 President Don Brull criticized the offset agreement, noting, "We're losing thousands of jobs every year. Norton is exporting the jobs of American workers in order to make foreign sales. I don't think that's good for our future."

When asked about the alleged job loss, Edgarton stated that "offsets are a fact of life in our industry, and have been for many years. The fact is, if we don't make the agreement, Boeing or Airbus will. I think it is important to look to the future, and the new jobs that will be created by the N-XX widebody line."

Edgarton also noted that China had signed an option for thirty additional jets. The Shanghai factory will begin its work in January of next year.

News of the sale ends industry speculation that much-publicized recent incidents involving the N-22 might terminate the Chinese purchase. Edgarton noted, "The N-22 is a proven aircraft with an excellent safety record. I think the Chinese sale is a tribute to that record."

DOCUMENT ID; C\LEX 40\DL\NORTON

TRANSPACIFIC BUYS NORTON JETS

Transpacific Airlines, the Hong Kong-based carrier, today ordered twelve Norton N-22 widebody jets, giving further proof that the Asian market is the growth segment for the aircraft industry.

EXPERT WITNESS BITES HAND THAT DIDN'T FEED HIM

Controversial aviation expert Frederick "Fred" Barker sued Bradley King for failing to pay promised "holding fees" for his anticipated courtroom appearances. King could not be reached for comment.

AIRBUS CONSIDERS KOREAN PARTNERSHIP Songking Industries, the industrial conglomerate based in Seoul, has announced they are negotiating with Airbus Industrie of Toulouse to manufacture major subassembly components of the new A-340B stretch derivative. Recent speculation has centered on Songking's continuing efforts to establish an aerospace presence in world markets, now that long-rumored secret negotiations with Norton Aircraft in Burbank have apparently broken down.

SHENK TO BE HONORED AT HUMANITARIAN FETE

Richard Shenk, producer of "Newsline, " has been named Humanitarian Producer of the Year by the American Interfaith Council. The Council promotes "humane understanding among the peoples of the world" in contemporary media. Shenk, cited for his "outstanding life-long commitment to tolerance, " will be honored at a banquet on June 10 at the Waldorf Astoria. A star-studded industry audience is expected to turn out.