Machinery of Man

By:

Dennis Moulton

“We didn’t know. How could we? We didn’t have a better way,” laments blonde-haired Angela, as she stares morosely toward the floor.

“Of course you didn’t know. You were only aware of what we allowed you to know – nothing more, nothing less,” replies a cold, detached voice. The figure formlessly speaks from the cloak of shadows bathing the desk at the far corner.

“We did our best,” says the girl meekly. “What happens next?”

The shadowy figure leans back in his almost throne-like chair and says, “Unfortunately, your best was a lackluster job. As for what happens next, we may very well do as we have always done - start over, yet again.”

SEVERAL WEEKS EARLIER

After paying for gas, Douglas Vasiter walks to his car with a coffee and snack in hand. His cell phone rings just as he settles into the driver’s seat.

RING! RING!

“Vasiter here.”

“Where are you? The investors are beginning to show up.”

“Relax, Pete. I’m coming back to the office now. Everyone has been working hard on doing final preparations for this presentation. It will be fine.”

“You aren’t even in the office? What am I supposed to tell everyone?”

“You don’t need to tell them anything. Offer them tea, coffee, and maybe a few donuts from the cafe downstairs. They all want to hear this. They’ll wait a few seconds longer for it.”

In a disgruntled tone, Pete asserts, “Just hurry the hell up, please!”

Before long, Doug is showing his identification card at the security gate while entering the confined grounds of a large office building. It is surrounded by thick concrete walls that are topped with electrified barbed wire. Besides for the two guards on the main gate, several other people pepper the interior. This facility maintains very high security measures because of the delicate nature of the research undertaken on-site – highly profitable alternative energy methods and processes.

Doug has been employed by the company for three years. He landed his job after approaching senior management with a concept which is, in essence, a unique chemical reaction using negligible amounts of oil in order to create a fuel and energy supply known as Denathynol. He spent the following few years perfecting the technique and testing its viability. The time has arrived to approach serious investors, especially government officials and oil consortiums, in order to bring the concept to mass market production.

Doug has always exuded confidence. His self-assuredness has served him well, motivating several people to trust him and follow his lead. Yet, as he pulls into a parking spot, he feels uncharacteristically nervous about the impending presentation. He pauses to calm himself while collecting his thoughts. He knows that his scientific and professional future is dependent upon a successful overview of Denathynol.

Upon leaving the car, he completely misses a subtle but important occurrence because of his singularly focused mindset. The display on the vehicle’s radio flashes to life for a few brief seconds. However, it doesn’t play music nor show song titles, artists’ names, station call letters or frequency numbers. Instead, it shows one word which blinks three times in red – “abort”.

Oblivious to the message from the car’s radio, Doug enters the office building breezing by security personnel and other office staff with barely so much as a nod of greeting. He immediately proceeds to a conference room two floors up. With one last breath and while thinking, “Here goes nothing,” he bursts through the large double doors full of vigour. He confidently struts to the head of the table while saying, “Please pardon my slight delay, ladies and gentleman. I wanted everything to be perfect for you. I trust that Pete has kept you comfortable?”

In the meantime, Pete takes a seat and wipes the sweat from his brow. It is obvious that his chest has unclenched from the excessive stress. Pete tends to always be high-strung. Of course, it has also caused him to work very productively throughout his career.

Doug claps his hands thunderously and continues, “Without any further delay, please allow me to introduce you to the future of our planet, the future of mass energy production and, for you, most importantly, the future of high profits. I give you Denathynol!”

Mixing his charismatic enthusiasm with an elegantly constructed slide show, Doug successfully wows his audience. He explains how the process works by increasing potency by 250 percent while reducing environmental impact and emissions by 200 percent.  He further boosts the product by touting it as an effective means through which to extend the warranty on earth while continuing to explore other alternative energies and/ or other ways to ensure the survival of the human species. He further acclaims Denathynol as cost effective, safe and environmentally responsible because of its unique chemical make-up, consisting of rare metals, specific electrical impulses and particular chemical compositions found within the surrounding soil at small meteor impact craters.

Doug explains that his research team is vigorously working to replicate the process in a sustainable manner within the confines of their lab, but that such breakthroughs still have a long way to go. However, he is quick to interject that now is the time to invest in the first processing plant. He goes on to explain that such a project can commence immediately using the established method of production employing natural materials found within suitably identified soils. He even goes so far as to make a pitch for a particular site for the initial installation.

The community of Bandigan Bay knows hardship.  It has been hit twice by floods which have only exasperated unemployment issues. The sole reason the community has survived in any capacity is because those who live there love it and don’t mind investing time and energy to keep it interesting. Most commute to work.  As luck would have it, the closest major city is only about an hour away.  It also helps that the small hamlet has a thriving tourism industry in the summer. People travel far and wide to see the fossil pits and the strata of a large meteor impact which occurred eons ago.

A geological survey has determined that the soils in the strata hold rich deposits of the necessary chemical compositions for production of Denathynol. In conjunction with municipal government officials, and through town meetings, the site has been deemed as a highly viable location for the construction of a Denathynol plant.  The local government has embraced the development of new business, the townsfolk have shown interest in the nearby employment opportunities and assurances have been made that the integrity of the strata will be maintained so as to not affect summer...Continue Reading