“Besides, we like to have the best,” Jon responded testily. “Is this interrogation going somewhere? Let’s get to the bottom line, shall we?”

Duffield sat back in her seat, folding her hands on her lap. “Maybe we got off on the wrong foot here, Doctors.”

“Maybe you have.”

“Sierra Vistas Partners are not corporate raiders,” she said.

“My butt tells me otherwise.”

“Jon, please,” Helen quietly admonished her husband. She turned to Duffield. “What is it you wish, Mrs. Duffield?”

“My company is looking to invest in a small but solid high-tech research-and-development firm like yours, to help launch the absolute newest innovations in aerospace, electronics, communications, materials science, and advanced weapon design,” Duffield said. “We’re not interested in improving current technologies—we want to develop the next-generation technologies. We know Sky Masters Inc. is on the cutting edge. We want to tap into that. We’re prepared to offer a sizable capital investment as well as contributions in personnel and abstracts to be a part of it.”

“Abstracts? You mean, buy into my company with a bunch of ideas?” Jon retorted. “Why would I need that? I’ve got plenty of ideas of my own, thank you very much.”

“Lately, you seem to be stuck on improving existing designs rather than breaking out new ones,” Duffield said. “We can help. We have some of the finest new engineers waiting to start.”

“In this current economic and budgetary climate,” Hudson said, “we find it easier and better to merge with an existing firm that might be ... how should we say it... ?”

“You already said ‘peaked,’ ” Jon said accusingly.

“ ‘Peaked,’ ” the little girl parroted. “That’s what Mommy said.” Jon gave her a sideways smile.

“It’s a win-win situation for all of us,” Duffield went on. “We contribute to Sky Masters’s continued success and sustained future growth, positioning you as the company of the future while all the other contractors are struggling to hold their heads above water.”

“We’re not struggling,” Helen said. “Read our prospectus—we feel we’re more than adequately capitalized to hold us for—”

“Two months? Maybe another quarter? Two quarters at the most?” Hudson interjected. “That’s all we foresee.”

“Is that right?” Jon retorted. “Well, the company is not for sale, and we don’t need investors or outside hacks.”

“You’re a publicly traded corporation, about to be delisted from the NASDAQ exchange because of low trading volume and frequency-of-trading restrictions, including halted trades and non-openings,” Duffield said. “We’ve researched your personal holdings as well. You have tried to buy back your company stock and failed every time. Your personal net worth is good, but you’ve leveraged many of your assets to help try to acquire your company stock. The stock has been on a slide for months, and it’s hurting your own personal holdings. You’re piloting a sinking ship, Doctors.”

“Thanks for the financial advice, but we don’t need it.”