“It’s three thirty in the morning. You barely just got to sleep.”

  “I know.” Nora applied her makeup and selected a dress Mary had picked out for her at a department store in Knoxville last week.

  “You’re getting awfully dolled up for a meeting.”

  “I don’t have time to explain. Please, let me finish getting ready.”

  “Is it your family? Is something wrong?”

  “No.”

  “Then, what? I could go with you and help you with whatever it is.”

  “Absolutely not. Mary, please, go back to bed. There’s no need for both of us to be awake.” She kissed her briefly, scooped up her attaché case, and hustled out the door.

  There were several men on the bus with her. She didn’t recognize any of them, but she felt a kinship to them. They all looked as sleep-deprived as she was.

  When she exited the bus, she was surprised to see that they got off too. And when they headed in the direction of the administration building at Y-12 along with her, she became downright curious. What was going on? Had they all been summoned for this meeting?

  She announced herself to the secretary in the reception area.

  “Have a seat, Dr. Lindstrom. They’ll be ready for you shortly.”

  As she sat, the others from the bus piled in. No one said a word to anyone else beyond a nod or a polite greeting. No one introduced themselves. She noted that all of their badges indicated high clearances, which made sense given who they were meeting with.

  “If you all would come with me, please.” The secretary led the way to the makeshift conference room. General Groves, Dr. Lawrence, and the District Engineer, Colonel Kenneth Nichols, were standing over what appeared to be a map of Oak Ridge.

  “Come in, come in,” General Groves said. “Take a seat and we’ll get started.”

  Nora selected a chair from which she could see the map. The size and scope of the installments surprised her. What didn’t surprise her was that she was the only woman in the room.

  “First, thank you all for coming in the middle of the night. We recognize how hard you are working on behalf of the war effort, and we thank you for all you are doing.

  “Each of you is here for your unique skill set and your scientific knowledge. Together, we have one goal in mind—to win the war. As you’ve no doubt heard on the news, the tide is turning in our favor, but we are a long way from victory. Time is of the essence, which is why we’ve taken the extraordinary step of bringing you all together at once, rather than addressing you individually. I don’t have to tell you, what we say here, what you see here, what you know here, what we do here, stays here. Now more than ever, your commitment to maintaining secrecy is vital to our success.

  “In your own specific areas, you may have been frustrated that we haven’t yet been able to achieve our goals. Yes, there have been setbacks and delays. Yes, our process is not perfect. Frankly, we are learning as we go along. What we thought might work in theory, may or may not prove to be true in reality. That is why we have been simultaneously working on several approaches here at Oak Ridge.

  “We have the greatest minds of our time on our side. We will succeed.”

  General Groves continued. “I was reviewing the data with some of our best scientific minds, and it occurred to us that we had been looking at this all wrong. We were thinking that what we needed was for a single process to succeed. The truth is, each process has succeeded but not to any appreciable extent. What if we took the slightly enriched Tubealloy you each have been able to produce using different techniques, and cycled it through a second time with what has so far proven to be the most-successful technique, thus further enriching it?”

  Murmurs of agreement buzzed throughout the room. It could work. Dr. Lawrence made direct eye contact with Nora as he took over the meeting. “We propose to take the slightly enriched Tubealloy from each of your plants and feed that into the calutrons in the Beta racetracks here at Y-12. We have modified the designs of those racetracks based on our earlier experiences with the Alpha units, and we are confident that we now have in place the design we need to achieve the desired level of enrichment.”

  Nora nodded at him. She understood. It would be up to her girls to finish the job everyone else started. She would need her best operators manning the D units in the Beta buildings. Already, she was calculating the adjustments she would have to make.

  General Groves moved forward again. “What we need from each of you, and from your people, is everything you’ve got, and everything they’ve got. Now is the time to bear down and squeeze out every ounce of enriched product you can. We’re counting on you. Your country is counting on you.”

  The meeting broke up, and Dr. Lawrence hailed Nora over. “The Beta units are ideal for this purpose, Nora.”

  General Groves joined them, along with Colonel Nichols, whose job it was to oversee all of the Reservation.

  “Beta-4 is getting up to capacity,” the general said. “Whatever resources you need, you tell Colonel Nichols directly. Anything, do you understand?”

  Nora straightened to her full height. “Sir, I’ve already been going through the rosters in my head. My plan will be to move my very best, most capable and consistent operators, over to the Beta buildings. Many of them already are there. I won’t have to do much shuffling.”

  “Excellent. We’re going to need your girls to put in a lot of overtime. Do you think they can handle that?”

  “Respectfully, sir, from the outset, the dedication and abilities of my girls have been called into question. They’ve been doubted, denigrated, and under-appreciated. And yet, they’ve gotten the job done without complaint. I’m here to tell you, sir, yes, indeed, I know my girls are up for the task.”

  She blinked. She hadn’t meant to say that much, and yet, she thought she saw a ghost of a smile from Dr. Lawrence.

  “Good,” was all the general said.

  Nora checked her watch—6:00 p.m. In another hour, Mary should be home from her shift. If she could finish the latest operator schedule for next week, maybe they could have time to do something fun together.

  Fun. Nora wondered if she remembered what that was. With the new edict, it seemed that she’d been spending all her time arranging and rearranging shifts, accommodating those girls who had families and couldn’t work overtime, those who were pregnant and needed their rest, and those very few who flat-out refused to stay late. When she removed them from the mix, that meant she had to overlap shifts and juggle personnel to ensure maximum production and minimum disruption. It’s like the most challenging game of chess I’ve ever played.

  She closed her eyes. When was the last time she’d played a game of chess? She and her father used to love to sit down to a good game on a Sunday afternoon. Afterward, the loser would buy the winner an ice cream cone. Now on Sundays, she called home solely to share a perfunctory and politely neutral exchange with her parents, who seemed more like strangers to her every day.

  “Sentimental Journey” came on the radio and Nora smiled. That song always lifted her spirits. Since the night of their anniversary, it had become their song. In her mind’s eye, she pictured them in the middle of the living room, sharing their anniversary dance. You’re getting mushy in your old age.

  She spied Mary’s ring on the window sill where she left it every time she had to go to work. The magnets made it impossible to wear jewelry of any kind on the job, unless, of course, you wanted to spend your shift pinned to a giant magnet. The ring sparkled in the early April sunshine slashing through the window curtain. She’d chosen it as an enduring token of their relationship, and because she’d chosen it with such care, she knew that the ring would always remind both of them how deeply in love with each other they were.

  She owed Mary an apology. Lately, she’d been irritable and inattentive. Mary didn’t deserve that. It wasn’t her fault they were like ships passing in the night. No, that’s your doing. It wasn’t as though she could give Mary preferential treatment and the best shifts so that they could spend more time together. As it was, she heard the backstabbing comments of girls who believed Nora favored Mary because they were roommates.

  Since when are your thoughts so manic and scattered? You really do need some sleep.

  “We interrupt this broadcast with a breaking news bulletin.”

  Nora put down her pen and set aside the schedule.

  “The White House has announced that today, April 12, 1945, at 3:35 p.m., President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, age sixty-three, passed away in Hot Springs, Georgia, where he had retreated to recover from exhaustion. The cause of death was a massive cerebral stroke.”

  Oh, my God. The president is dead. Nora’s hands trembled. FDR was her hero.

  “We are told that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was given the news while in the White House. She received Vice President Harry S. Truman at the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance to the White House and informed him of the president’s death. Shortly thereafter, Vice President Truman was sworn in as the thirty-third president of the United States.”

  The president was dead. God help them all. What would happen now? Time slowed to a crawl as Nora sat glued to the radio, listening to the reactions of people just like her.

  “Nora?” Mary burst through the door. “Is it true?” Her eyes were misty and glazed over in shock.

  Nora nodded, stood, and opened her arms to receive her. “It’s terrible.”

  “What are we going to do?” The reaction had been much the same from mourners everywhere.

  “We have a statement from the White House, from President Truman,” CBS newsman Bob Trout broke in to the coverage.

  “Here is what the statement says. ‘The world may be sure that we will prosecute this war on both fronts, east and west, with all the vigor we possess, to a successful conclusion.’”

  Tears streamed down both of their faces. “We go on,” Nora said. “We go on, and we finish what the president started.”

  Mary burrowed more deeply into her embrace. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself, right?”

  “That’s what the greatest president ever said, and they’re words to live by.”

  Nora kissed the top of Mary’s head. She wondered idly if this horrific turn of events would change their mission in any way. She supposed she would find out soon enough. But for now, all she wanted was to shut out the rest of the world and hold Mary close.

  Ever since the news of the president’s death, Mary and Nora tuned in religiously to the news. The first order of business when one or the other of them arrived home was to turn on the radio. Today, Mary was listening to a description of the Battle of Berlin. According to the commentator, Soviet troops were closing in on the city from two fronts, and Berlin, the heart of Adolf Hitler’s empire, was sure to fall.

  Nora breezed in breathlessly and dropped her ever-present attaché case on the floor next to the coat rack. “Hi. I’ve only got a few minutes before I need to get back. I thought we’d grab a quick bite of dinner together.” She skidded to a halt in front of Mary and kissed her.

  “I figured you were going to say that, so I heated up a can of soup and some beans. They’re on the stove.”

  “You’re the best.” This time Nora kissed her on the cheek. “How was your day? Anything big happen in the news?” She grabbed the dishes out of the cupboard and set the table.

  “Looks like Berlin is about to fall to the Russians.”

  “Wouldn’t that be something?” Nora finished setting the table and turned up the volume on the radio.

  “But there have been so many civilian deaths. Those innocent people are just going about their day, and then poof, their lives are over. Why? Because they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time? It seems so unfair.”

  “It’s war. War isn’t fair.”

  “Well, I wish it didn’t have to be that way.” Mary hesitated before addressing the other thing on her mind. They’d all been told that what they were doing, they were doing for the war effort. If the war ended, where would that leave them? She knew she was wading into dangerous territory, but Nora didn’t have to explain anything off-limits in order to answer the question. “Does that impact what we’re doing here?”

  Nora paused with the serving spoon in mid-air. “Not as far as I can tell. Even if Berlin falls, that doesn’t mean the war is over. If the Germans surrender, we still have to deal with the Japanese.”

  Mary bit her lip. Nora had been so remote of late. She hated to ask the next question, but it had been on her heart and mind for weeks, so… “Nora?”

  “Mm-hmm?” Nora continued to ladle out the soup.

  “The war will end, right?”

  “At some point, yes.”

  Mary took the bowls of soup from her and placed them on the table. Then she stilled Nora’s hands. “When it ends, what happens to us?”

  Nora stiffened. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I assume that when the war ends, whatever it is we’re building or making here won’t be necessary anymore. We’ll have finished what we came here to do. When that happens, what about us?”

  They sat at the table and Nora blew on her soup. “Honestly, I’ve been so focused on the work, I hadn’t really thought about what’s next.”

  Mary struggled to ward off the impending sense of doom that had been hanging over her for weeks. “The war’s almost over. We’re winning. I should be rejoicing. Instead, all I’ve been doing is crying about us.”

  Nora’s eyes opened wide. “Why would you be crying about us? We love each other. We’ll find a way to stay together. We’ll figure it out.”

  Mary shook her head. Those felt like empty promises. “I learned a new word today.”

  “Oh? That’s great. You know, I love that you’ve been working so hard on your reading and vocabulary. I’m really proud of you.” Nora shoveled in another spoonful of beans and swallowed. “What’s the word?”

  “Placate. It means to say something you don’t necessarily mean in order to keep someone happy.” She smirked.

  Nora dropped the spoon into her bowl with a clang. “What are you saying, Mary? That you think I don’t mean it? I do. You think I don’t love you? I do. You think I don’t care as much about us as you do? You’re wrong. Dead wrong. I don’t know what else I can say to convince you, but I do know that I don’t have time right now to debate it with you. I’ve got to go.” She shoved her chair back and rose. “You can leave the dishes. I’ll do them when I get home.”

  When she’d gone, Mary threw herself on the bed and sobbed. What had become of them? Where was the passion? What happened to the days when they couldn’t get enough of each other, when it was all they could do to get through the day until the next time they could be together?

  She stared at her ring. Had that been an empty gesture? It hadn’t felt like that at the time, but now… You’re being overly dramatic. She said she loved you. She said you’d stay together after the war. Why isn’t that enough for you? She blew her nose and sat up. As long as she was being miserable, maybe she should call home and see how her father was doing.

  “Mother?”

  “Mary, is that you?”

  “Is there anyone else that calls you Mother?”

  “Don’t be smart.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her mother was right—that was uncalled for. “Can I talk to Daddy?”

  She could hear her mother put down the phone. “Henry? Your daughter would like to talk to you.”

  A minute later, he picked up the line. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Daddy. I miss you.”

  “I miss you too, Pumpkin.”

  She gasped. It was the first time he’d used that term of endearment since he’d returned from the war. “Daddy? How are you feeling? How is work going?”

  “I’m doing okay. Doc says I was really lucky that the bullets and the shrapnel missed everything major. Except for my leg, I’m good as new. The railroad is still treating me like I’m some kind of hero, and they even upped my pay.”

  “That’s great. You sound good, Daddy.”

  “And you sound like you’re down in the dumps; I know my little girl. What’s wrong, Pumpkin?”

  Mary closed her eyes tightly as a tear leaked out. “Nothing. I’m just tired, I guess. I’m working a lot of hours.”

  “My hero-daughter is winning the war for us.”

  “Oh, Daddy. Don’t exaggerate.”

  “I know that what you’re doing must be important, or you would’ve stayed here with us. I want you to know, Pumpkin, you can always come home. We love you and miss you.”

  Mary’s smile was bittersweet. This was her father—the man she’d seen off to war. Thank you for coming back to me, Daddy. “I love and miss you too.”

  “Well, you’d better get going. This is costing you a fortune.”

  “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

  “You come home anytime. I know you and your mother don’t see eye-to-eye, but deep down she loves you and misses you too.”

  “Okay, Daddy. I’ll call again soon. ’Bye.”

  “’Bye, Pumpkin.”

  July – August, 1945

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Nora let herself in as quietly as she could. The only light illuminating her way was a side lamp in the living room. She kicked off her shoes at the door and tiptoed to the door of the bedroom. There was her Mary, snoring lightly, her arms wrapped around a pillow that should’ve been her.

  She slid her night table drawer open and fished below several books for her journal and pen and then returned with them to the living room.

  It was so hard, not being able to talk to anyone about what was going on. Although she couldn’t say much that was specific in her diary, at least she could pour out her heart.

  July 22, 1945

  Dearest Diary,

  It’s been almost three months since the Russians marched into Berlin, a firing squad exacted justice on the Fascist Mussolini, and that most awful of monsters, Hitler, killed himself. It’s been almost that long since the Germans surrendered unconditionally in Reims, France.