Martha Crockford took off her coat, hung it on a hook in her office, and put on a long white robe that almost reached the floor. Adjusting her glasses, she walked through the office, circled her desk, and sat in her chair. Ahead lay the most challenging week. Seven days remained until the launch of the Fracture Machine. Many years had been devoted to achieving this goal. Unfortunately, many lives had also been lost. The incident in the Third District made it clear that a mistake was unacceptable. Martha found this quite ironic. Fate plays by its own rules, which are beyond Martha's understanding. The mistake during the experiment of the late Professor Simon Williams led to the creation of her Project, and the error with the Rift Gates claimed the lives of millions. Martha sacrificed her life and family for the Machine to be launched, and now the future of their world was approaching with every minute. Martha had never been afraid to participate in the games of Fate. But now the scales had tipped in the other direction.
"Activate the system!" Martha shouted across the office. Soft blue lights lit up in the panels on the sides of the room. The tech-covering shut down, and sunlight hit her back, casting a shadow on the floor in front of her. The lights also illuminated the edges of her desk, and symbols emerged on the surface. The same symbols were projected on the holographic screen at the opposite end of the same desk. "Good morning, Professor Crockford!" a male voice echoed in the room. The central control system was activated.
That day, the action plan included a thorough check of the Wanderers' implants and three system checks of the Fracture Machine and Energy Reservoirs. They were to be launched today, as calculations showed that the optimal charging time for the Reservoirs was five days.
"The launch of the Fracture Machine is completely safe," the results stated, and project colleagues, along with Martha herself, had said this during one of the interviews with the news channel. But the risk still existed. Therefore, the charging time had been extended by two days. The energy reserves were to be enough to accumulate energy for the protective protocol, to launch the Machine several times, and to power special batteries for testing the integration of Primordial Space energy into the network of the Consolidated Nation. But on the other hand, a grain of fear lingered. It seemed that the madness Martha had starved in the depths of her mind was beginning to slip out of her control, causing paranoia. Was there an end to all this? Yes, there was. They just had to wait a few days.
For the next hour, Martha reviewed reports, trying not to miss a single mistake or deviation from the indicators when the phone rang. Waving her hand, a screen opened in the middle of the office, and a face appeared before her. An old, wrinkled face stared back; it looked like it could crumble into dust at any moment. It was Marcus Gray, Chairman of the Seventh District, whose office was located in the District Council Hall in Revel, the capital of the Seventh District.
"Hello, Martha!" came the voice from the speakers embedded in the walls. It created the effect of Chairman Gray being fully present in Martha's office.
"Good morning," replied the Mother of the Machine, running her hand across the surface of the desk, thus closing the reports.
"Well? Are you ready for a challenging week?" His ever-optimistic mood disrupted Martha's thoughts. She could never understand why he was so cheerful. Or what made him that way.
"Too much is at stake, Mr. Gray. I can't say I'm ready. But I will do everything in my power to ensure a successful launch."
"That's good, Martha. Because if we mess this up again, then..."
"We won't mess up, Marcus," Martha interrupted him.
"Yes, yes, but I'm calling for another reason. Today, the Archon will announce the activation of the Reservoirs, and the Chairmen of the districts are heading to the Capitol to oversee the launch... You know, this is all too official..."
"I know. You will eat, drink, and relax in the Capitol while we will be working ourselves to the bone this week." Marcus Gray didn't respond. "We will rest after the launch when the Wanderers set off on their journey. Our job is to send them off."
"Of course." After a pause, he continued, "The news channel sent one of their reporters to cover the live broadcast... They're having some issues over there. In any case, we need a representative from the Project for the public. You, as the Mother of the Fracture Machine, would be a wonderful representative. Given that the protests from the followers of the 'Last Ones' are getting stronger, we need someone to calm them down and just show the world that everything is under control. Which is true. Since you are leading this project, we're inviting you just for tonight; you can return to the complex tomorrow morning."
"Marcus, my presence here is necessary. I also have no intention of playing your public games. Instead of wasting time in the Capitol, I will be checking the Machine."
"It's just for the evening. You go out, smile, say a few phrases that no one will understand, and come back. You've checked the Machine's operability for so long that one check won't hurt."
"Marcus, do you understand what could happen if a mistake is made?" Martha stood up from the desk and walked to the center of the room, standing directly in front of his massive face. "Then, during the incident, my husband sacrificed himself to relieve pressure on the last working reactor of the power plant, which left the Rift Gates with insufficient energy to close the breach, but enough to prevent the collapse from destroying the entire district. Now he is dead. And the slightest mistake will lead to..." Martha took a deep breath.
"I understand, but the Machine was built precisely to prevent a second Collapse. And... This shouldn't happen, but the energy shields of the Compound are capable of containing an explosion inside, thereby... You know that."
"Yes, Marcus. Everyone will die within the Compound, but the others will survive. This is a last resort, and I hope we won't have to use it."
"And I hope so." He paused for a few seconds and continued, "In any case, we need someone from the project."
At that moment, there was a knock on the office door, and Richard Robinson walked in. He was holding a cup of coffee, and a pack of cigarettes was sticking out of the pocket of his robe.
"Good morning," Richard nodded towards Martha and Marcus Gray.
"Perfect," Martha replied.
"Well, then it's decided. I'll be waiting for you, Richard, at the District Council Hall in my office in six hours." And the screen went dark.
"What?" Professor Robinson asked in confusion. He was responsible for creating the Reservoirs and the Prime Reservoir, which was waiting to be launched directly above the Machine. "What happened?" he extended the cup of coffee towards Martha.
"As you know, today there will be a launch of the Reservoirs, and all the Chairmen are heading to the Capitol to participate in the launch," Martha smiled slightly. "And they want to see one of us there."
"What's the point?"
"I was thinking the same," Martha took a sip of her hot latte. "Will you have a cigarette?"
"Yes," Richard reached into his pocket and pulled out a new pack of "Sparks." After the health law was passed almost five hundred years ago, tobacco companies had to find a compromise. One of the solutions was genetically modifying tobacco leaves, which did not harm the human body. Thus, tobacco production was preserved.
Lighting a cigarette, Martha continued:
"Because of the 'Last Ones' and their protests, they want a representative from the project to explain for the hundredth time how the Machine works and what will happen after the launch. To calm their discontent."
"And what do you need from me?"
"Go to the Capitol. Tell them everything. And come back. The main thing is that you are here during the launch."
"Will my help not be needed?"
"Nothing that I can't handle. But if they really need one of us, let them have you. Besides, I'm not too fond of all this publicity." Martha took another drag and exhaled smoke into the air. "In any case, we'll stay in touch, and I'll send daily reports for verification."
"Okay." Richard looked at his watch. There were thirty minutes left until the train departing for Revel from the Gardens of Eternity station.
"There isn't much time. I'll go pack and be on my way."
"Great," Martha took another drag. "I'll be waiting for you before the launch."
"An unexpected visit to the Capitol. It's been a while since I was there," Richard smirked. "Must be fate."
"Indeed," Martha replied, watching Richard leave her office. "See you later."
Richard nodded in farewell, and the door closed. Martha was once again alone in the office. The cigarette was almost finished, and the latte cup was empty. A certain semblance of silence appeared out of nowhere in her office and immediately disappeared:
"Reminder. The scheduled implant check begins in fifteen minutes," a voice echoed in the office.
Martha extinguished her cigarette, tossed the cup into the trash, and left the office as well. As soon as the door closed behind her, the Tech-Covering darkened the windows, the blue lights went out, and the office was plunged into darkness once again.
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