Parallelogram : Day Two : Chapter 83
Five Days, Six Hours, Nine Minutes
Shoving a stack of classified documents out of his way, Frank Parker set the blueprints on the long conference table. He took one end and unrolled the parcel, Michelson quickly setting a small pile of manila folders on the corners to keep it from retracting. Together, they spread the massive sheet out, letting complete bundled of gathered intelligence fall to the floor. Shrugging, Talmadge rose, walked around the table, and began collecting the sheets of paper haphazardly thrown across the marble floor. The President stepped between the two chrononauts and glanced down at the crisscrossing blue lines and asked, "What is it you believe we are looking for, Frank?"
Parker crouched down on his knees to get closer to the document. He wrapped his fingers around the table's edge. "To tell you the truth … I'm not entirely certain myself." Tracing the long blue ink shaft, he announced, "This is clearly the elevator shaft, and if we follow it up to the rooftop, there's a mass of pulleys to operate the cars. This is one old building, as we all know, and it doesn't appear as if the technology has been updated much."
"I don't imagine the design of elevators has changed much of the last forty years, Frank," Michelson explained.
"Yes, but that isn't my point." Tapping the structure, he explained, "The only definitive piece of information the engineers were able to agree upon – in my timeline, that is – was that it appeared as if the explosion began from the elevator shaft."
"What are we talking about?" Talmadge tried. "Someone left a briefcase bomb in the elevator?"
"Well, that would suggest terrorism," Parker said. "Let's rule that out for now."
"How do you rule it out when it appears to be the only evidence we have?"
Glancing up at him, the chrononaut snapped, "Cut me some slack, rookie. I'm doing the best I can!"
Slowly, Michelson dropped down onto one knee next to Parker. "All right. If we rule out the obvious, then all we're left with is that an explosion began there." With his finger, he pointed to a mess of conduits. "It would appear that there are electrical and gas junctions running all around this primary elevator shaft. Considering that's where the blast began, what's the likelihood that some kind of electrical charge ignited a natural gas main? Is that even possible?"
"It's possible," the President agreed, "but it's not very likely. As Frank pointed out and we can all agree, Heston Tower is an old building. I don't know much about construction from that era, but I do know that structures like this were built to last. Back in my days in the Senate, I can remember attending some of these ribbon-cutting ceremonies. You know the type? The local planners were demolishing an old bank building in order to make way for a new shopping mall."
"So much for progress," Parker quipped.
"You'll get no argument from me," Campbell said. "Anyway, at these events, it wasn't uncommon for me to share a photo-op with the engineers assigned to the project. I don't recall very much, but I do remember many a'times hearing story after story about how difficult it was to take the old building down. It may've been only a few levels high, but those places were designed to last. I would imagine that, as technology advanced, engineers were able to do more with less."
"That makes us rule out structural flaws?" Talmadge asked. "Is it really that simple?"
"Well, none of us are experts here, Bradley," Parker offered, tilting his head to get a closer look at the rooftop schematic. "Maybe once we have a theory, we'd better have the experts look it over."
"How about bringing in an expert now?" the director asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense to have the expert's opinion of what may have happened?"
"I'm with you, boss," he said, "but I know what we're gonna here. 'I wasn't there. I can't tell you what brought a building down in a timeframe that doesn't exist.' That we don't need."
Michelson wiped his hand over the lower level as he followed the basement with his eyes. "Frank has a point there, Bradley. Besides, what are we talking about, really? We know there was an explosion. We know it appeared to begin somewhere near the main elevator shaft. That's all we know."
"We know a bit more," the President joined in, finally dipping to his knees to join the two. "We know that, in order to have an explosion, you must have two principle ingredients. You must have combustible materials, and you must have a detonation."
Raising an eyebrow, Parker asked, "Army man?"
"Aren't the best of us?"
"That's a debate for another time and place."
"Granted," he continued, "there are any number of materials that could serve as combustibles, many of which are available to the average consumer."
"Again," Parker interjected, "that would be if this was an intentional act of terrorism. Let's stay on track here, people."
"Frank, my point is that there really would be a limited number of ignition sources," Campbell countered. "A building like this – one this size – is loaded with opportunities to burn. Inorder to start the reaction, there are a relatively small number of options."
"Which still implies that this was intentional," Talmadge offered.
"Like a broken record," Parker snapped.
"Just pointing out the obvious."
Again, Parker craned his neck, visually following the lines of both elevator shafts from the rooftop down to the basement.
"This tower has an awfully large subterranean structure," he commented.
"It does," the President agreed. "I don't believe that was part of its original design, though. You're looking at the latest version of the blueprints, Frank. The Heston underwent some renovation in the late 1950's to serve as one of Washington's first public bomb shelters."
"But this seems unusually large."
"It was intended to accommodate the citizens in the office district," Campbell continued. "Granted, that was a number of years ago. The building management has probably made use of that sub-structure in a variety of other ways. In keeping up with other hotel services, they've probably put in extra kitchen areas, cleaning, storage … any number of options. Real estate is always available at a premium. I'm quite sure they would've taken advantage of it."
"Mr. President," Talmadge began slowly, "isn't there … isn't there an old piece of legislation that deals with leaving the bomb shelter available … something to house people in the event of an emergency?"
Slowly, he nodded. "I believe there is. Most cities have something similar on record. Washington would be no different." Gesturing at the blueprint, he asked, "Should I have a team of Secret Service agents go over there?"
"It wouldn't hurt," Parker answered. "I wouldn't send a team, though. Send one. Have him speak with the Heston's head of security, assuming they have one."
"They probably do."
"Have him take a look at whatever space remains underground," the chrononaut advised. "If it was a working bomb shelter, maybe it had some kind of heating system independent of the building. If that's that case, maybe we are looking at a ruptured gas-line or gas fire of some sort causing the explosion."
"What will any of this prove, Frank?" Michelson asked. If we determine that the tower was destroyed not in an act of terrorism, then haven't we just ruled Luga's death an accident?"
Turning, Parker met the other man's stare. "It may, or it may not. Like I said, Channing, I don't know. All I can tell you is that this building's destruction was what caused me to take the Backstep in the first place. If there's a connection between my timeline and yours, it may very well be the Heston."
Smirking, he added, "How ironic would that be?"
END of Chapter 83
