"Pardon the delay,” Billings says as he draws near. “I hope that I have not inconvenienced you. Do you need to get somewhere?"
"No, no,” Catherine says, suddenly feeling foolish for starting her retreat so soon. “Have you received any word on whether the President will see me?"
"Yes, Ms. Jauquesjourstd, I have spoken with the President directly and he has expressed his explicit interest in—and support of—your research."
"What? I mean, thanks, I am very grateful for this opportunity."
"There is a drawback, however, in that certain unpredictables have converged in such a way that he will be indisposed for the duration of the day, most likely. We do have an alternate plan that you may find more than suitable.” Already he's fingering a name tag with “Hawkshurst/SC Clearance” written on it.
