Legacy of a Mad Scientist by John Carrick Page A

by death.
    Two minutes after ten, the first group of attendees
was informed. Composed of high-level government personnel, on the
inside, all well aware of the mole hunt in progress. Among this
group, no leaks were detected.
    At 10:04, the second docking appointments were
revealed to interested private banks and corporations.
    The volume of chatter instantly spiked. The first
moles had exposed themselves. Andrew listened as one group after
another leaked the information, and then denied it.
    Operation Rusty Bucket was in full swing. The
returning data streams were undeniable. Within minutes of a leak,
offices were stormed, suspects arrested and interrogated on the
spot. Several administrations would find themselves a few pounds
lighter by the end of the day.
    Andrew believed the explosion that destroyed Epsilon
was an accident. However, without supporting evidence, the
possibility of sabotage couldn't be ignored. A round of
whack-a-mole now and again was good training. The government had
always been a disgrace when it came to secrets, but Andrew knew his
department was secure.
    The briefing was a waste of time, but it had to be
done. Andrew needed to explain what had happened. The interface was
an egregiously expensive failure, and someone had to answer for all
that red ink. He smiled at the irony of it all, and realized he had
an ace up his sleeve. This time, he could just tell them the
truth.
     
    Ashley’s Journal, Thursday Morning. June 25,
2308
    Today starts our one real week of summer. Rivendell
is closed for renovations, and we still have a week before we leave
for camp.
    I can’t imagine having three whole months to do
whatever I want.
    I don’t know what I would do. I would just practice,
probably.
    I already did two hours this morning.
     
    Geoff was in the backyard, playing with Jack, whose
energy propelled him all over the yard. Geoffrey would try to catch
him, only to have Jack leap away, excited to for him to try
again.
    "Want to go down the canyon?" Geoffrey asked Jack,
who dashed around the yard, excited by any mention of the great
adventure beyond the property line.
    "Hey, Ash, want to go down the canyon with us?" Geoff
asked his sister, finishing her breakfast in at the dining room
table.
    "Geoff, you shouldn't go out there by yourself."
    "I never go by myself," he answered.
    "Jack doesn't count."
    "Then why did you make Bobby shake his hand?"
    "Because I'm a jerk," Ashley said. "It was mean, and
someday I'm going to hell."
    "Is that where bad people go when they die?" Geoff
asked.
    The children's parents hadn't raised them with any
sort of religious background. Geoff had no concept of a spiritual
afterlife. Ashley had only recently encountered the phrase at
school.
    Ash nodded. "Where'd you hear that?" she asked.
    "Vid streams," he replied.
    "What have you been watching?"
    "Wooden Stakes. You know you can make a wooden stake
from almost anything?"
    "Really?"
    "Yeah. Chair legs, broom sticks and stuff."
    "That so?"
    "Listen to this! One time, Simon Timex, that's the
hero... "
    "Simon Timex?"
    "Yeah! 'Time Waits for No Man!' He rolled up this
piece of paper all pointy like, and he stabbed the one vampire with
it, right in the chest!"
    Ashley laughed.
    "Don’t laugh! It could work. A piece of paper, it's
made of wood! Get it?" Geoff asked.
    "I get it," Ashley smiled. "But I doubt it would
work?"
    "If the vampires come, we just might have to find
out," he answered, dead serious.
    Ashley laughed again.
    "It could happen. If it was a plague, or a disease,
or a virus."
    "Those are all the same things," Ashley smiled.
    "Yeah, right, sure," it was Geoff's turn to laugh.
"Then why are they different words?"
    His supreme confidence pushed his sister into a fit
of hysterical laughter. "They're the same.”
    Geoff snorted. "Do you want to go down to the canyon
or not?"
    "Get the leash," Ashley replied.
    "All right!" Geoff dashed into the house. "Mom, we're
going to take Jack down the canyon!" he shouted.
    "Take your