IMMOLATION: CHAPTER 53

“I do not see why you are so upset,” Dr. Muto stated in his terse, blunt way. “We have proven the Heat Machine, we are building more, and—

“They won't be enough!” Matt shouted over his colleague. “I keep telling you we need to share this technology with the rest of the world, get their input, maybe make a few more discoveries. At the very least we could make use of the countless geothermal sites around the world.”

Dr. Muto waved a dismissive hand. “They would abuse the power.”

“How?” Matt demanded. “This isn't like nuclear power or missile technology. This is simply the knowledge of how to convert heat into electricity, nothing more.”

“They would find a way.”

“To do what? Make a profit without you?”

Dr. Muto turned a steely gaze onto Matt and neither of them seemed ready to yield to the other. At last Dr. Muto spoke, this time in a more calm, controlled tone.

“We are already building as many Heat Machines as we can,” he said. “They will be sufficient to stabilize this country. After that we can worry about the rest of the world.”

Matt disagreed but knew it would be pointless to argue the point any further that day. Besides, he had his own plan about how to best help the world and it wouldn't do to continue provoking Dr. Muto.

“Fine,” Matt said and Dr. Muto nodded appreciably and then left the control room.

Matt waited a few minutes to make sure Dr. Muto wasn't coming back and then sat down at the control panel. It asked for his login. He typed his name. It asked for his password. He typed in Joan's name. The screen flickered a couple times and then resolved into the usual desktop. Matt looked over his shoulder at the room's occupants. He wasn't sure anymore how many of them were still loyal to him and he couldn't risk any of them knowing what he was doing, but at the same time he couldn't just send them out of the room.

As quick and subtle as he could manage, Matt searched for the folder that contained the plans for the Heat Machine. They'd long since been converted into their digital format, all hard copies destroyed at Dr. Muto's request. Only now did Matt regret his decision to yield all of his notes to Dr. Muto. With hindsight it was clear to him what Dr. Muto was really doing.

The folder wasn't on the desktop. Matt frowned. He didn't remember moving it anywhere. No matter, he had a backup copy hidden in another section of the computer and he quickly clicked through the menus and windows to get to his second copy. It wasn't there. Panic began to set in and he opened the trash folder. Empty. Matt never emptied his trash folder.

He glanced around the room again and this time he noticed a couple of the new guards, the ones Dr. Muto had hired, were watching him. Sweat gathered on the back of his neck and Matt quickly turned back to the computer, closed all the windows and logged back out of the control panel.

“I'm going for some lunch,” he said in what he hoped to be an offhanded tone. “Does anybody want something?”

A few of the techs made requests for fries and burgers. The guards remained silent, or just shook their heads.

“Alright,” Matt said and he clapped his hands nervously, backing away towards the exit. “I'll be back in an hour or so.”

The hallway was empty except for the occasional guard, though none of them paid him any mind. Matt swiped his key card at the final checkpoint before the exit, absently smiling at the guard who didn't seem like the smiling type. A discordant buzz announced that Matt's key card didn't work. Matt swiped it again. Same response. A look of puzzled concern crossed the guard's face. Matt knew the guard should at least recognize him. Sure they'd never really spoken but this guard had been assigned to this post for as long as Matt could remember.

“Must be dirty or something,” Matt said. “Could you just let me through?”

The guard looked as though he were about to, his hand reaching for the manual override switch, when the intercom crackled and a voice Matt did not recognize spoke.

“Would Matt Wellis please report to Dr. Muto's office,” it was not a request, regardless of how it was worded.

A weight seemed to have formed in his stomach as Matt watched the guard remove his hand from the console. For a moment, Matt considered begging the guard to let him go.

“Better be on your way, sir,” the guard said with a helpful nod back up the way Matt had come.

“I was just hoping to get some lunch first,” Matt muttered in defeat as he stepped away from the guard station. “Oh well, I guess I can eat later.”

It seemed to Matt that the walk back had many more guards along the way than when he was leaving. Perhaps it was just his paranoid imagination inventing things. Still, he couldn't help but think about Judge Dervin as he made his way back up to the offices.

Two guards stood flanking Dr. Muto's office.

“In you go, sir,” one of them said and opened the door for Matt, revealing Dr. Muto and a tall, dark man Matt had never seen before.

“Thank you,” Matt said slowly as he stepped cautiously into the room. He stiffened when the door shut loudly behind him.

“Sit down,” Dr. Muto pointed to a chair.

“I'll stand,” Matt said, noticing that there were no other set out for Dr. Muto and the other man.

“Earlier today you tried to access the plans to the Heat Machine,” Dr. Muto went on, regardless of Matt's refusal to sit.

“Yes,” Matt said, and then, gathering his courage, added, “and last I checked I was allowed to.”

Dr. Muto nodded. “Of course you are.”

“Then why has it been deleted from my account?” Matt asked.

“A precaution,” the dark man said in a deep, rumbling voice.

“And one, it seems, we were right to take,” Dr. Muto added.

“And who is he?” Matt asked, pointing to the other man.

“He is called Early Bird,” Dr. Muto said dismissively.

What exactly Dr. Muto meant by that, Matt wasn't sure but he doubted he'd get any answers if he questioned them about the strange name.

“And why is he here?” Matt was hoping to stall for time while he thought of a way out that didn't involve him getting knocked unconscious and kidnapped.

“I am a guard, of sorts” Early Bird said.

“And what is it that you are suppose to be guarding?”

“He is guarding you,” Dr. Muto said.

“I didn't know I was in danger,” Matt lied.

“You will be,” Early Bird said, “if you begin sharing the plans for the Heat Machine.”

Matt shivered involuntary under the stern looks from both Dr. Muto and Early Bird.

“The government does not want us sharing this information,” Dr. Muto said. “And they have threatened us with severe punishments if we do not comply.”

Matt scoffed. “First of all,” he said, “they can't do that, it's illegal. Second, why would they care if we shared this information?”

“When it comes to matters of national security,” Dr. Muto said, sounding like he was reading from a prepared statement, “this government has demonstrated its willingness to ignore the laws previously established.”

“This is not about national security,” Matt struggled to keep his voice controlled. “This is about gaining an advantage over the rest of the world.”

“And where the rest of the world is falling into war and destruction,” Early Bird said, laying a hand on Matt's shoulder, “is it not imperative that this country gains every advantage it can?”

Matt couldn't remember when Early Bird came close enough to touch him and he shied back from the large man.

“If we shared this with the rest of the world, the fighting would stop,” Matt said.

“Would it?” Dr. Muto asked. “Can you be sure?”

“And what if the fighting continues?” Early Bird added.

“Why would it?” Matt asked them, feeling more and more like he was missing something.

“This world has become so unstable,” Dr. Muto said, “that even if the energy crisis were solved, many countries would fail to see any reason to stop fighting. They would want to right the wrongs that they perceive to have taken place.”

“Too many people are fighting for blood and vengeance now, than for oil and electricity,” Early Bird agreed solemnly.

“So what would have happened to me, had I given away the plans for the Heat Machine?” Matt asked.

“You would have been arrested, tried for treason, and executed,” Early Bird stated. “I have the documents from your government here to prove it.”

Early Bird handed Matt an envelope. Inside, Matt found numerous pages baring the national seal and, in some cases, the president's signature, all of them supporting Dr. Muto's and Early Bird's words.

“But why wait until now to tell me?” Matt demanded. “Wouldn't it have made more sense to tell me this sooner rather than later?”

“You are a dreamer and an idealist,” Dr. Muto said, “and it was our belief that if we'd told you sooner you would have found a way to work around us. By forestalling this moment, it gave us time to destroy all physical copies and sequester the digital ones, ensuring the safety of the plans, as well as your life.”

They were right, Matt knew, and he was still determined to find a way around them. It was one thing to try to save the world and then fail. It was a completely different thing to lie down and let the world destroy itself.

“So you're content to stand by and let the world tear itself apart?” Matt asked.

“We have no choice,” Dr. Muto said.

Matt bit his tongue to prevent him from saying more. If he was going to get his chance at saving the world, he'd have to regain Dr. Muto's trust.

“If we can't save the world,” Matt began at last, “can we at least not destroy Joan?”

Dr. Muto and Early Bird looked at Matt with questioning eyes.

“She's claustrophobic,” Matt said. “Haven't you noticed how she's gone a little crazy lately?”

“And how would you recommend we help her?” Dr. Muto asked.

“Well, we could let her out every once in a while. Give her some fresh air, maybe install a bathroom,” Matt's anger was rising. He'd not been able to forgive himself for putting Joan into this situation. “She hasn't done anything wrong and she's not a prisoner. The least we could do is treat her with basic decency.”

“We'll...see what we can do,” Dr. Muto said and Matt knew nothing would be done.

“Can I go to lunch now?” Matt asked.

The two men nodded and Matt left, expecting to be stopped at every checkpoint. He wasn't. On his way back in he was expecting to have his permissions revoked, but everything worked just fine. When he got back to the control room, Dr. Muto was there, acting as though nothing had happened and Joan was strolling about in her enclosure.