Chauncey’s lips formed a thin line. Nora was tempted to say she told him so, but there was too much at stake to gloat over a situation that could be catastrophic to the war effort.

“I’m hereby shutting down Alpha-1 until Allis-Chalmers gets this resolved and sends the coils back, fully cleaned and contamination-free,” Groves announced.

Starr opened his mouth to say something, but Dr. Lawrence put a hand on his arm to restrain him.

“I understand what a hardship this is,” General Groves continued. “It will be more important than ever to ensure that we account for the factors that are bedeviling Alpha-1 and make damn sure they aren’t repeated in the racetracks coming on line now. I don’t have to tell you, today is December 15, 1943. The Germans are hard at work trying to do the same thing we’re doing. For all we know, they’re ahead of us. Bringing those other buildings up to speed and operating smoothly is our top priority.”

He turned his piercing gaze on Nora and she struggled to maintain eye contact. This is no time to be a shrinking violet. You represent all those hard-working girls who’re being maligned on a daily basis by others who try to shift blame.

“You’re confident these young girls can handle what’s ahead? We don’t have time for histrionics; we need results.”

“Yes, sir. These girls are dedicated and determined. They’re learning to problem-solve as they go. We’re up to the task.”

“Good.” He turned to Chauncey. “The chemists, the engineers, and the rest of your boys, they’re capable?”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right, then. You’ve got your marching orders. Squeeze as much production as you can out of those racetracks that are on line or coming on line, keep downtime to a minimum whenever possible, and remember that we’re all on the same team. If one of us fails, we all fail. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Nora, Chauncey, and Del said in unison.

The general gathered his papers and he and Lawrence departed without saying another word. Nora slumped back in her chair as the tension of the moment dissipated.

“Listen,” Del said, “Groves is right. We have to find a way to optimize Alphas 2 and 3 and Beta-2. Nora, I know your girls are working around the clock, and you’re doing a great job with them.” He smiled kindly at her. “Chauncey, I know you’ve got your boys working overtime trying to adapt the equipment and implement the new designs to compensate for the failures. We’ve all got to keep communicating and problem-solving as a team. Dr. Lawrence and the general are counting on us. They’ve put a lot of faith in us and we need to prove we’ve earned that faith.”