Stryker #5, At the End of Eternity – Chapter 16

“Tikal’s subway system is proving to be very difficult to repair. It is extensive, of course, but most of it has collapsed and its wiring has been utterly ruined. We’ve also been unable to find any subway cars and we have no idea how to build our own. There are still vast areas we haven’t explored, but if the trains really are gone we may have to gut the system and build our own. We certainly need to find some solution to the city’s growing congestion. The streets are becoming more crowded every day.”
–Noel Lawson
July 12, 7243
 

“You have a great deal to answer for, Evan Maldonado,” Conrad Forbes said icily.

The general was seated in a chair in the debate hall. In the opposition section he could see Monroe Araiza and his allies. Maldonado himself was seated in the center ring, and the council had just called the session to order.

The destruction of the nuclear lab had occurred the previous day. Maldonado had been hoping that few people would attend a meeting that was called on such short notice, but that had not happened. The hall was completely packed.

Maldonado had been forced to sit down because his left leg was broken in two places. A doctor had set it in a cast but it would take weeks to heal. He felt sore and weak. Mostly, though, he felt angry – intensely angry. He was convinced that Monroe Araiza was the source of all his problems, and he was determined to make him pay.

The general spoke up. “I see no need for this outrageous treatment. There was a minor accident in one of our labs and my men are working on repairing it. This matter does not merit the council’s attention.”

“Do not try my patience,” Forbes said in steely tones. “The entire incident was caught on camera, and the footage was stored in a secure location and survived the blast. Let us play back the incident and see exactly what you did.”

Forbes pressed a button on the stone table in front of him and a giant holographic screen appeared in the air. He pressed another button and the screen began replaying the video footage of the lab incident, starting from the moment the general first noticed the warning on the screen. When it was over the crowd booed.

The head of the council silenced them and turned his attention to Maldonado. “According to your own men, the control board in the nuclear lab malfunctioned. They recommended shutting down the lab and performing a repair. Had they done that, the lab would have been saved, the lithium would have been saved, and no harm would have been done. That was the official technical recommendation of the top nuclear scientist in Adrasta.

“Instead of listening, however, you demanded that he take an action that was physically impossible for him to take. You then compounded the problem by shooting not just the kill switch, but the tank behind it. That was the action that led to the destruction of the lab. You, general, are personally responsible for the worst nuclear accident in the history of Adrasta. Nor is it a ‘minor’ one, as you claim. The radiation in that lab has reached lethal levels and will not cool down for at least two weeks. It will be months before that lab will be operational again, and the explosion has weakened that entire sector. Major foundational repair work will be required before it will even be safe to reenter that section of the city. You have single-handedly destroyed this city’s nuclear capability.”

The general tried to speak up but Forbes silenced him. “And let’s not overlook the fact that when your men tried to evacuate the laboratory, you stopped them. In fact, you physically stopped them from trying to leave the scene. If they had not attacked you all of them would be dead right now – and you would be dead as well. You acted in a grossly irresponsible manner and you came very close to killing a great many people. Frankly, you ought to be shot.”

At that the general lost it. He started screaming. “This is all Monroe’s fault! He did this! He sent an operative of his to sabotage the laboratory. He’s the one you should be prosecuting!”

“Oh, do you mean this little girl?” Forbes asked. He tapped some commands onto the stone table and the holographic image changed. The video showed a black-haired girl walking into the lab, talking to the general for a few seconds, and then getting escorted out.

In the opposition section, the video caught the attention of Monroe. He instantly realized that the girl in the video was Amy. He said nothing, however.

Forbes continued to speak. “As you can see, the girl did nothing. She touched no equipment and did not get near any of the controls. She simply talked to you and was then escorted out by your men. Frankly, the mere presence of the girl in your lab is a sign that your security forces are completely incompetent. Why are you allowing civilians into a nuclear work zone? Have you taken leave of your senses?”

“We didn’t allow her in,” the general began saying.

Forbes raised an eyebrow. “Do you mean to tell me that that little girl was able to bypass your entire security operation? She walked in the front door of your laboratory, Evan. Don’t you have guards outside? For that matter, don’t you even bother to keep that door locked?”

The general sputtered. He tried to say something but Forbes silenced him. “The council finds you to be criminally incompetent. We have placed a great trust in you and, frankly, you’re doing a terrible job. At every turn your project has been a disaster, and yet somehow you always find a way to make things very much worse.

“Since we believe in the neutron bomb project, and since the project has wide public support, we are not going to cancel it. However, starting at this moment we are going to post observers that will watch everything you do. Every decision you make will be relayed back to us. We will also be posting our own guards in the hallways, since yours are apparently incapable of securing anything.

“Be warned that we have come very close to not only firing you, but imprisoning you as well. If anyone had died today you would find yourself facing a minimum of life imprisonment. If you make any more mistakes like this they will be your last. Have you anything to say?”

The general looked through the crowd. He found Monroe and started at him, glaring at him with all the hatred he could muster. “No, sir,” he muttered.

“Then this session is adjourned.”