12 December 1941, Price Industries Airfield, Widen, West Virginia
"Colonel Hendricks thank you for coming." I shook hands with the head of the delegation representing the army.
"Ah, it's nice to be back in Virginia. How is old Richard doing nowadays?" The Colonel asked as I led him to the pavilion. His staff closely followed us in a disciplined manner.
"He is not in a happy mood. My brothers are in Britain and he won't let me join the war." I answered a little freely as Colonel Hendricks was a family friend.
"A good decision by Richie to keep you here. We will be needing your brains son. This war will not be won by guns alone. We need ships, aircraft and tanks. It's not just the Japanese we need to worry about." The Colonel said as he patted me on the shoulder.
"Dad said something along the same lines."
"I will not sugar-coat the situation son. We are at the moment weak in the pacific. Washington is scrambling around picking up the pieces and everything is in disarray. The President has been preparing for this war even if half the country wanted to bury their head in the sand. Now that the war is here we need every advantage we can get."
"I understand Colonel. With our fleet gutted, we need air and land superiority to counter an invasion. On land, we have our soldiers but it will be costly to fight a war on our lands. So air superiority is needed to push the Japanese out of the playing field."
"We are not just focusing on the Japanese. We will be up against the nazis soon enough and we need better planes. The one's we have are horribly out of date. Our military observers in France and Britain reports the Germans and the British have some of the best planes in the air. We need air superiority before we can invade Germany or Japan."
"Then you have come to the right place Colonel. The army and the navy use Douglas SBD Dauntless as the main attack force which is a good plane but compared to the planes Luftwaffe and RAF field in the air we need an edge. The Blitzkrieg has proven the effectiveness of air superiority and our Phantom Diver-Ace-01 (PDA-01) will provide you with the edge you need." I said and halfway through our walk we came across the delegation from the navy led by Colonel James Hoffman who was being briefed by my assistant Jack.
"Colonel Hoffman, welcome to Price Industries." I greeted the bald old guy. After exchanging some pleasantries we were on the way to the airstrip where the planes were preparing for take-off.
I skipped over to the first aircraft in line that was the PDA-01.
"Phantom Diver-Ace-01 or PDA-01 for short is a twin-engined, two manned aircraft powered by two-piston engines of our own design. The wingspan amounts to 41ft 7in with a fuel capacity of 300gal. From our consistent testing, this beauty can punch through 310mph in a good day. Cruise speed amounts to 200mph with an engine power of 1023hp."
I led them to the wings.
"As you can see she is equipped with most modern air brakes instead of the dive brakes employed in fighter aircraft currently in service. Through our repeated tests we have learned that the air brakes we employ give a significant advantage to the pilots for scoring the target on a dive compared to the regular flaps that are currently in use. Their design allows them to increase drag without making any changes to the lift."
"So Phantom requires only a lower angle of attack?" asked an aide from the navy delegation.
"Yes indeed…."
"Lieutenant Paul Harris."
"As lieutenant Harris observed Phantom do not require a higher angle of attack which means the stall speed is much lower than any aircraft currently employed by the navy or the army. Now we know that the pilots employed by our country are the best but they need the best controllable planes under their command. Keeping that in mind we have installed vortex generators on her wings to increase the efficiency of the stall. When our brave men go for the attack I assure you they will have perfect control and manoeuvrability in Phantom."
I smiled at the naval delegation and noticed some of their technical experts were pouring over the detailed technical brochure that my assistant provided them.
"The brochure also includes the tests we conducted and the minute by minute performance of Phantom." I supplied helpfully.
"What about weapons?" asked Colonel Hendricks
"Phantom is designed to mount the standard weapons used by the army and navy. Of course, if you need any adjustments we can always accommodate."
"I see. I gather the other one is a medium bomber?" asked Colonel Hendricks as he moved to the aircraft behind PDA-01.
"Yes, indeed Colonel. Phantom Bomber-Ace-04 is designed to be a medium bomber. Standard five crew aircraft with a 1900hp twin radial piston engine. Maximum speed stands to 300mph in any condition with a cruise speed of 260mph. Standard turret, waist and tail gunnery included as per standards. The detailed technical packet is of course included in the brochure."
My assistant handed over the info packet to the technical experts.
"What about the other project?" Colonel Hendricks asked as the technical team began to take over querying the pilots and staff on the field.
"Please follow me, Colonel." I said as I led the Colonel to one of the closed hangars in a car as it was farther away from the regular hangars.
"The Hangar Alpha hosts our confidential projects. With what we are working on an added layer of secrecy is needed in these times." I explained as I led the Colonel inside the hangar.
"So this is Storm." Asked the Colonel giving an assessing look to the prototype helicopter.
"Well, it is just a prototype. We are working on several design flaws with the help of Mr Igor Sikorski. He is, of course, concentrating on building his own version the R4 but he does cooperate with us and vice-versa."
"Some of my best officers tells me that the concept of helicopters will be revolutionary in warfare. They believe the helicopters can be an asset in scouting and rescue missions." said the Colonel as he assessed the helicopter.
"I think they can be a versatile and formidable tool for the army. But the design has to be specific and adjusted to maximise its potential. For example, a rescue operation can only be successful if the helicopter can carry multiple numbers of people. A recon mission does not demand that capacity from the helicopters. Mr Sikorski is concentrating on a two-man vessel while we are more ambitious. The storm is built to take a maximum of five people along with two mounted machine guns."
"That is ambitious and frankly quite a leap." said the Colonel
"We have to take some leaps of faith for achieving victory Colonel. So far our work has been steadily moving forward and I am confident Storm will take first flight before the end of next year."
"I am more interested in the other project Richard mentioned. He was very vague about the progress but I know the importance of this project."
I hesitated for a little bit before pushing up a lever by the wall. A section of the floor slid away and another platform slowly lifted up and on that platform was an all-metal aircraft.
"It is completed?" Colonel Hendricks asked in amazement.
"Unfortunately no. Meet Phoenix the first jet engine mounted aircraft of Price Industries. While work on this beauty is every bit as difficult as it can be we have stumbled into some interesting developments." I said and watched in amusement as the Colonel paid unhealthy attention to the aircraft.
"Your father was right. You do have a mind for advanced technology. He tells me that you designed Phoenix and Storm all on your own."
"Well, I did but trust me when I say that I am reconsidering that decision. I thought I could develop them on my own but I do need some help."
"Then you are lucky that you met me, son. I do have someone in mind that could help you speed things along."
"Who?" I asked in interest.
"Howard Stark."
"So, how did the meeting go?" Richard asked his son who was nursing a glass of whisky in his hand.
"It went well. Of course, this was just a preliminary analysis. The navy and army will have to discuss this matter in detail among their experts and then the treasury will get involved."
"Hmm…it won't." he said as he took a swig from his own glass and poured another drink just as fast.
"I'm sorry. Isn't the treasury responsible for all financial deals even military contracts?"
"Of course they are but President Roosevelt has been preparing for this war for a long time. He has got all of this planned out the moment he imposed sanctions on Japan. Soon a new agency will form overseeing all war production in the country. We will most likely have to cut down on our civilian production units to accommodate military contracts." said Richard shaking his whisky in mock salute at President Roosevelt's portrait in the room.
"I don't know whether you were complimenting the President or accusing him as a warmonger." said Nathan with a shake of his head.
"Then you should stay out of politics." said Richard
"I can agree to that but just out of curiosity why do you think I will do worse in politics." Nathan asked curiously.
Richard leaned back and sighed but internally he was happy that he got to speak with his son like this in the open. It felt like he was speaking with his wife's brother who was also his best friend. He had named his youngest son after his friend and Nathan liked exactly like his friend and brother in law. The blonde hair and angular jaws were a spot-on copy of his friend and the only difference would be the black eyes that his son inherited from him.
"You are too idealistic and do not have the cold hard will to play the game of politics. In politics, there are no friends only disposable allies. You on the other hand operate on trust, efficiency, and unflinching loyalty to whom you consider your friends. You look like your uncle but let me tell you that you behave like him too. You don't have it in you to harm another human being and even if you did you will hate yourself for it." said Richard feeling some pride in how Nathan turned out. It was one of the many reasons why he put his foot down and prevented his son from joining in the war.
"I don't know whether to feel flattered or offended." said Nathan
"And that's why you should stay out of politics. A true politician would have used my comment for his benefit. You on the other hand judge and try to see whether it is good or bad. There is no good or bad in politics."
"If you know all of that then why don't you enter politics? You have repeatedly insisted that politics is not your cup of coffee but you seem to have everything figured out."
Richard let out a laugh at the silly question. Sometimes he often felt that his son behaved like a rebelling teenager that complained the world was unfair. For all his son's brilliance when it comes to business his world view is dangerously unbalanced.
"Just because I am good at something doesn't mean I enjoy it or prefer it. Let me teach you an important lesson son. Those who are interested and do well in politics do so for one thing only—power. The reasons, ideals and beliefs may differ but the ultimate goal of a politician is the seat of highest power and influence."
"You are speaking of the oval office."
"Not just the oval office but since we are in America lets take that as the example. For all politicians, the seat of President of USA is the peak that they all try to conquer. Now, politics especially in a democracy is a one-way street. There is only one direction to go and that is up the ladders of power. The higher they go the higher the power they accumulate. Of course, you need others that support you but the problem is they also covet positions of power. In the end, no one gets the ultimate power and sitting in that chair in Washington they will realise just how powerless they are. The journey to that office will give you a sense of power but once in that seat, there is no other place to go up. The hike has essentially ended."
He took a sip of the whisky to smoothen his dry throat.
"That is a point that is hard to acknowledge or grasp." said Nathan with some reluctance. To Richard, his son looked like he swallowed a sour lemon.
"To some, it may sound cold but this is the harsh truth. Now there is another major denomination to politicians. This group do not seek out offices of power but are satisfied by influencing those who occupy it. The medium through which this influence is acquired is money. These are the people that realize that the journey or process to power is more important than the final destination of that chair in the oval office. The pursuit of money is everlasting. Money can be pursued endlessly and there is no limit to that journey. This makes it the most enjoyable variant of power and perhaps the most effective."
Richard was amused that his son was looking at him with a shocked expression like he was seeing his dad for the first time.
"You are a cold person." Richard heard his son say and he couldn't help but laugh at the way his son said that. It was exactly like his friend and for a moment he felt like he was in the past.
Christina observed her husband and son with a smile from the small opening of the door. She shook her head and went back to fetch some peaches before joining the duo. She only wished that her two elder sons would also be here.
AN:
An opening to meet Howard Stark has opened up. Now, will Nathan decide to meet Howard and ask for help? Or will he be reluctant to do so. Find out in the next chapter.
rzetyagi: Yeah. While I find the idea of Vex very interesting it is difficult to write. Because of Kryptonian level power I have to actively suppress the MC for the story to flow freely. But here I can develop the story without worrying about that.