They fell to the floor, either unconscious or dead, Owen couldn’t be sure.
Owen couldn’t help shaking his head watching Mehta in action. He was truly a beast.
For today, he was grateful he was their beast.
Owen paused to examine the assemblies in the room. There were some oscilloscopes, power monitors, and other gauges he couldn’t quite place. There was also some form of command console. He would have loved to have just ten minutes to examine what they were building more closely.
“Owen,” Flora said behind him, with some urgency.
“Sorry, yes.” Of course there was no time for that. They moved through the second door, which led to a corridor. At one end were two other doors.
“I think it’s here. Or at least, I think we’re close enough.” Owen stuck the explosives to the wall and began unrolling another lengthy fuse.
“Good, let’s go,” Mehta said.
They cautiously retreated the way they had come. Once outside, Owen wove the ends of the two fuses together, and lit the end of the combined fuse. “We have two minutes, maybe three,” he said as the sparks cackled energetically down the line.
Owen then took out the flare gun and aimed it over the northeast section of the compound.
“Wait,” Mehta said, holding his hand up. Mehta lifted his rifle, took aim, and deftly shot the guard in the south tower who had his back to them. The guard’s form slumped down, deeper into the basket at the top of the tower.
“Okay, do it now,” Mehta said.
Without further hesitation, Owen shot up the flare to signal to Alastair and his men. Then he began running back to the gate, followed by Flora and the others. Mehta hung back a few more seconds, watching the fuse burn and split along the two lines. Once satisfied, he jogged after them.
They made it out of the compound without impediment and slid down the steep side of the hill they had come up. They pulled a large piece of particleboard they had left at the site over their heads and waited.
Two explosions rocked the hillside. They heard a loud wrenching sound, the tearing of metal, and then a crash. Later they would see that the dish had been split asunder, half of it fractured to pieces on the ground below.
A SWEATY MEETING
Madison arrived by horse and carriage to the next council meeting. Thankfully the carriage was draped in fabric to shield the sun. She also had a fan with her, but the air was so heavy it wasn’t even worth her exertion to use it. She couldn’t complain. Most of the city continued to travel by bicycle under the oppressive heat. A carriage was much more comfortable.
The railroad-sponsored construction projects never stopped multiplying and progressing, no matter the weather. Today she noticed a new solar panel installation being built into an old brick building near Court Square. A cylindrical tube with a blue bulb struck out to the sky from the matrix of black glossy tiles—yet another Lamp of Liberty that would be welcomed with adulation. In front of this building, a series of warped metal bike wheel frames painted in various colors lay in a heap. It was an award-winning decorative installation from the Spoke festival that had previously adorned the slanted roof.
The sight of it revolted her. Not so much the destruction of the artwork, or even the application of the solar panels. It seemed a rational way to generate energy. It was the Lamp of Liberty that disgusted her. Its name, and its use on the building, were symbolic of a growing number of ardent followers of Bartz’s cause and, by connection, anything the railroad did. As the vanquisher of the retchers, Bartz could do no wrong. Before he was a respected businessman and Seeville lord, but now he was something more. His star continued to rise.
“No time to sit down on the bench today, Benjamin. We’ll head right in,” Madison said as they pulled up to a stop in front of the courtroom building. The Meriwether Lewis statue would have to wait until after the meeting.
The four of them stepped out of the carriage. She thought it best to bring two new “clerics” with her, in addition to Benjamin. These weren’t book-wormy intellects, but rather strong physical specimens from Yorktown whose keen senses had been tuned over many years of hunting and foraging. After the destruction of the observatory dish, she couldn’t be sure what to expect at this meeting. As tensions rose, civility tended to decline.
When she arrived, all the other lords were present except Alastair. The others watched her carefully as she made her way to sit down. Their temples were beaded with sweat and patches of wetness darkened their armpits and chests. A battery-powered fan oscillated back and forth behind Bartz.
“Well, that is something,” Madison said, sitting down. “How nice of you to bring it along.” Of course the fan was on the opposite side, behind the table, hitting the backs of Bartz and Meeker first. She could barely feel the breeze.
“We have many other appliances that are interesting and useful,” Bartz said.
“I’m sure there are, and more to come,” Madison said, smiling. “We have much work to do to regulate all this progress, to make sure we are proceeding with the right measure of caution.”
The Spoke attorney general Anthony Zarnik entered the room, but he didn’t take his usual spot next to the clerics. Instead he stepped through the gate to approach the lord’s table. His face glistened and a great arch of sweat covered his shirt from his neckline down, made prominent by his ample frame stretching the shirt fabric.
Meeker said, “Honorable lords, Attorney General Zarnik has an important matter to discuss with us today. It involves the unfortunate incident at the observatory. Go ahead Mr. Zarnik.”
Madison raised her hand. “Yes, such a terrible tragedy. I’m sure this is important. Shouldn’t we wait for Lord Henneson?”
Zarnik said, “Lord Banks, this concerns Lord Henneson personally.”
“Oh, I see,” Madison said, smiling. Her pulse elevated in tempo ever so slightly.
Zarnik brought out what looked like a laptop computer, at least based on what she’d seen in old picture books. He opened the screen, and it illuminated, showing them a dark, nighttime scene. He said, “With the elimination of the retcher problem, S&R Railroad has begun installing hidden cameras in various parts of the city. One of the first installations was being tested in the observatory area.”
Zarnik then pressed on a triangle on the screen and a scene unfolded. In the bottom right-hand corner they could see several dark shapes infiltrating the compound and firing their weapons at the guard towers.
“So it was some form of sabotage,” said Kline. There had been speculation of an attack, but it hadn’t been confirmed. Most thought the explosions were an accident. It had actually allowed those concerned with new developments underway in the city to have a stronger voice, an unexpected benefit. The Adherents had even been marching in protest, despite the oppressive heat.
But she had a queasy feeling what Zarnik was about to show could silence those voices.
“Yes, it was sabotage,” confirmed Zarnik. “Not only that, but if we zoom in we can see the perpetrators with better resolution.” Zarnik used the mouse pad to tap on another portion of the screen, pulling up a different window. In this window Alastair’s team was magnified. In one frame, in which Zarnik froze the screen, Alastair’s face was clearly discernable.