Interlude I: The Two Phones
The mansion was shrouded in darkness, except in the man's study. He sat inside, alone, at his small, nondescript wooden desk. He'd spent many a sleepless night here, in this room, seated before this desk, and many more in other, less opulent residences, ever since They had approached him during his State senate bid, back in the early 80's. Without Their help, the young politician would never have upset the firmly entrenched incumbent senator, and he never would've been placed in this mansion, with this power.
Sometimes he wondered if the trade-off had been worth it. Ever since the incident in the Arklay Forest, he'd wondered even more.
Two phones sat on his desk.
One, a cheap, standard-issue government model, was his official line, and had carried over from his predecessor. Anyone from the Capitol, plus various reporters and constituents, used that line to speak to their elected executive. The first time it had rang, he'd felt a thrill run through his body. All his life he'd longed to serve, and now he was in the position to do the most good for his State.
The other phone was more advanced, more modern, and it (or one like it), had followed him all along his journey to Boulder. Even though he probably never could've gotten here without the people who'd provided this phone, he hated it, and all it represented.
He sighed in resignation when the unofficial line buzzed. Hands feeling leaden, he removed the receiver and held it to his ear.
"There's been another spill" said the harsh voice at the other end, without preamble.
"Where?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Where do you think?" the other voice demanded sarcastically. He'd made it abundantly clear the first time they'd met that They didn't need him in particular; he was disposable. Any other man (or woman) would be just as useful. As such, he didn't have to bother with respect when talking to the most powerful man in the State.
"What do you need?"
"Call up the National Guard. Blockade the City. No one must be allowed to leave until our experts have looked them over."
The man let out an explosive breath. "That bad, is it? What happened, exactly?"
The voice at the other end of the line chuckled. "Never you mind that. Just see that the Guard is in place. Also, you'll give our choppers special access to the City. We'll deploy forces inside, no questions asked."
"To what end?" the man asked, growing uneasy. How am I supposed to do all this?
"Why, to evacuate the civilians, of course" replied the other man, his voice thick with sarcasm once again. "You'll receive a phone call on your other line just as soon as I hang up. Make the necessary arrangements."
"How will you know?"
Pause. "We'll know." CLICK.
The man sat there, staring at the dead receiver for a moment. Then, just as the other man had said, the other phone on his desk began to ring.
Suddenly feeling eighty years old, he reached for the other receiver. "Governor Burkholder."
And so it began.
