Their intentions could be more sinister than described, so I have to rely on my instincts to determine if they are trustworthy. What are the risks if they are not? What will be the impact of Mike finding out that I gave away the reactor without his knowledge?
“Seamus.” Sofie’s call alerts me. She’s walking along the path toward me.
“Hey, I was coming to find you,” I say, and it’s the truth.
She thinks I’m lying. “From Luke and Sonjia’s cabin?”
“It’s a long story, but I was wondering what you have been up to today.”
I realize, suddenly, that I almost never ask her open-ended questions like that.
She hesitates before speaking. I have to be careful not to tune out. It wasn’t asking the question that will help us restore our bond; listening to the answer is the source of strength.
“More like a pulse,” Jane says as I approach the table.
“But how would it impact the target?” David replies.
“It’s a wave of energy. It would impact the target similarly to a shockwave. If you ever studied history, the blast and shockwaves were the principle destructive powers of a nuclear bomb,” Jane explains.
“And you’re sure it’s possible?” he asks.
“Possibly, yes. It may require Seamus’ knowledge of the device to make it real though,” Jane answers.
“What exactly are we talking about?” I ask.
“I think we should try and turn your reactor into a weapon. Hiding in a hole is not a good strategy for defending ourselves against the native creatures,” David says, quickly brings me up on the conversation.
“Not going to happen,” I say, and turn and walk away.
My reactor is not going to be turned into a weapon. I’ve destroyed enough things accidently to know just how powerful the energy can be. Jane is correct that it is possible, but I would rather destroy the reactor than see it used to cause harm.
Dad and I had a conversation about this once. I was so disturbed at his ambivalence toward my decision that I stopped arguing. He accepted as fact the probability of my reactor being weaponized with no interest in preventing the occurrence.
That was when I started focusing on security. I studied encryption and intrusion detection. I implemented physical security at the device level. I tried to put a lock on the door to my basement lab, but dad wouldn’t let me.
For years I thought that I was completely secret with my work. I was a name in the dark energy research circles, but I didn’t think any of them knew exactly what I as working on.
From what I know now, I was just a naïve little kid. The government was not only monitoring everything I did, but they had me vaccinated against a broad spectrum of biological weapons. I guess it was only a matter of time before the most powerful reactor ever invented was turned into a weapon.
I’m walking down to the water so I can clear my head. If I see Sofie now, I’ll just unload on her, and I’m still working on being less selfish in her presence. Up ahead I see Henry staring out at the water, likely clearing his head as well.
I don’t greet him formally. “Do you know why David is talking about hiding in a hole?”
“Mike is moving all of our strategic resources to the cave. He believes it is more secure and will be easier to defend,” Henry says. He doesn’t take his eyes off the water.
“He wants to turn my reactor into a weapon.” It feels like I’m talking to my dad.
“Are you surprised? Weak leaders always look to weapons for strength. The question we face is how to respond.” Henry doesn’t treat me like a kid, but his words are those of a teacher.
“I may have responded without even knowing it,” I say, thinking of the plans I’ve made with Luke and Sonjia.
“If you’re not sure, you didn’t respond. If you know how you want to respond, you had better do it now. Mike is going to surprise everyone and make them move tonight,” he says.
“Why surprise us?” I don’t understand the
“Seamus.” Sofie’s call alerts me. She’s walking along the path toward me.
“Hey, I was coming to find you,” I say, and it’s the truth.
She thinks I’m lying. “From Luke and Sonjia’s cabin?”
“It’s a long story, but I was wondering what you have been up to today.”
I realize, suddenly, that I almost never ask her open-ended questions like that.
She hesitates before speaking. I have to be careful not to tune out. It wasn’t asking the question that will help us restore our bond; listening to the answer is the source of strength.
“More like a pulse,” Jane says as I approach the table.
“But how would it impact the target?” David replies.
“It’s a wave of energy. It would impact the target similarly to a shockwave. If you ever studied history, the blast and shockwaves were the principle destructive powers of a nuclear bomb,” Jane explains.
“And you’re sure it’s possible?” he asks.
“Possibly, yes. It may require Seamus’ knowledge of the device to make it real though,” Jane answers.
“What exactly are we talking about?” I ask.
“I think we should try and turn your reactor into a weapon. Hiding in a hole is not a good strategy for defending ourselves against the native creatures,” David says, quickly brings me up on the conversation.
“Not going to happen,” I say, and turn and walk away.
My reactor is not going to be turned into a weapon. I’ve destroyed enough things accidently to know just how powerful the energy can be. Jane is correct that it is possible, but I would rather destroy the reactor than see it used to cause harm.
Dad and I had a conversation about this once. I was so disturbed at his ambivalence toward my decision that I stopped arguing. He accepted as fact the probability of my reactor being weaponized with no interest in preventing the occurrence.
That was when I started focusing on security. I studied encryption and intrusion detection. I implemented physical security at the device level. I tried to put a lock on the door to my basement lab, but dad wouldn’t let me.
For years I thought that I was completely secret with my work. I was a name in the dark energy research circles, but I didn’t think any of them knew exactly what I as working on.
From what I know now, I was just a naïve little kid. The government was not only monitoring everything I did, but they had me vaccinated against a broad spectrum of biological weapons. I guess it was only a matter of time before the most powerful reactor ever invented was turned into a weapon.
I’m walking down to the water so I can clear my head. If I see Sofie now, I’ll just unload on her, and I’m still working on being less selfish in her presence. Up ahead I see Henry staring out at the water, likely clearing his head as well.
I don’t greet him formally. “Do you know why David is talking about hiding in a hole?”
“Mike is moving all of our strategic resources to the cave. He believes it is more secure and will be easier to defend,” Henry says. He doesn’t take his eyes off the water.
“He wants to turn my reactor into a weapon.” It feels like I’m talking to my dad.
“Are you surprised? Weak leaders always look to weapons for strength. The question we face is how to respond.” Henry doesn’t treat me like a kid, but his words are those of a teacher.
“I may have responded without even knowing it,” I say, thinking of the plans I’ve made with Luke and Sonjia.
“If you’re not sure, you didn’t respond. If you know how you want to respond, you had better do it now. Mike is going to surprise everyone and make them move tonight,” he says.
“Why surprise us?” I don’t understand the
Similar Books
