Foolish Phantoms: A Post-Apocalyptic Epic (The Book of Tribulation: Volume 1)

by Sam Clark

  “The light, for starters,” Mueller grumbled.

  James rubbed his hand over his mouth. The gesture was a calculated one. He wanted Mueller to believe he actually had to think about what he was going to say next, but he also had to cover a smile. He had gotten Mueller to bring up the light even more quickly than he’d thought. After a few more seconds, James took his hand away, ready to start tightening the noose. He slowly shook his head. “Ronald, I think you are trying to take advantage of an old man. I still remember some things. The light…” James leaned forward slightly as if he were going to share a secret with Mueller; of course, they both already knew this secret. “The light is broken. The day after you, Peters, and Erickson removed Brian, the radiation indicators went dark.” A problem you could have avoided, Ronald, if you had just killed the asshole like I wanted you to. I should have just done it myself. Well, I will not repeat my mistake.

  “Nothing but a last-ditch effort by Brian to get us to come up after we preempted his coup,” Mueller responded.

  “No doubt,” James concurred, “so do not think you can put me off with some nonsense about the light acting strange taking up all of your valuable time.”

  “The light is still a problem, James.”

  James was well aware of this, but he wanted to force Mueller to say why out loud. James had always found that vocalizing problems was a great way to overcome the innate ability of human beings to live their lives in complete denial. So James gave his best impression of the vapid look he had seen staring back at him so often during his days as a lecturer and said, “How so?”

  The colonel sighed, then proceeded as if he were talking to a ten-year-old. “James, the all-clear signal light keeps going out quicker than it should. Maybe the bulbs have gone bad, or the wiring, or who knows what. Diagnostics aren’t helpful when no data is being received in the first place. And people are starting to get scared. They want to know what it means, and what we’re going to do about it, and they expect me to be able to tell them. What am I supposed to say? That their guess is as good as mine? I can’t very well tell them the indicators are broken, can I?”

  James rubbed a hand over his chin as if he were considering what Mueller had said for the first time. “No, I don’t suppose you can. They might have forgiven the crime. Brian was not well-liked, and his ideas had few supporters. The coverup, however? No, I think you’re right, Ronald. Even if Brian’s name never comes up, you have kept the community in the dark for basically the entire time you have been colonel. I do not think you would be forgiven for that. Do not feel too bad about it, though. It’s not as if you could have said anything about the indicators breaking at the time. You would have had no choice but to send up a repair team, and wouldn’t they have been surprised at what they found. Even now, who knows what evidence or message Brian may have left behind.”

  Mueller gave James a sour look, then forcefully blew air out of his nose before continuing. “So I’m sitting here blind, James. Our last readings put background radiation levels at somewhere around two hundred fifty millisieverts annually, which I don’t have to tell you is a lot. Before the war the International Atomic Energy Agency recommended a maximum of one hundred and thirty millisieverts per year for long-term public safety after a radiological event, which is still above the one hundred per year associated with a demonstrable increase in cancer risks.”

  James endured the colonel’s patronizing tone as best he could, waiting patiently to make his next move. He was not overly concerned with the surface radiation levels. While he was no physicist, he had studied nuclear proliferation in some detail, which gave him a limited understanding of background radiation. He knew that before the war there had been inhabited places with background radiation levels similar to those last captured by the indicators. For instance, inhabitants of Ramsar, Iran, were routinely exposed to two hundred sixty millisieverts of background radiation per year with no discernable ill effects. Granted, the sources of the radiation were different, and if he recalled correctly the population of Ramsar had come to develop a unique genetic profile after so long in such an environment, which hinted at some sort of evolutionary component, but a heightened risk of cancer in a decade or two versus the clear and present danger his granddaughter faced‌—‌from Steve and from herself‌—‌if she stayed made for an easy choice.

  However, the last thing James wanted was Mueller deciding to send up a formal scouting detail. It would be nearly impossible to get Czarina included in such a party since she was not officially in the militia and was currently being punished, so James did not share any of this information with Mueller. James thought it extremely unlikely the colonel would ever advocate sending up a scouting party until radiation levels dipped below one hundred and thirty millisieverts in any event. Ronald, despite his many flaws, took his responsibility as the custodian of the community’s wellbeing very seriously, and he would not risk members of that community unduly, especially when he could justify his actions by pointing to some formal guideline like the IAEA recommendations. However, James saw little to no advantage to be gained from disclosing the information, so he wouldn’t risk it.

  When Mueller did not immediately continue, James gave him a prod. “So just tell people the radiation levels are too high and be finished with it.”

  Mueller sighed. “I’ve tried that, but people still want to know what’s wrong with the light and whether it might mean that the indicators are acting up too. One or two have even suggested investigating the matter at the surface. For now, nobody’s taking it seriously, but…”

  “It does not matter,” James supplied. “It is a problem for being talked about at all.”

  “Exactly. What makes this community work is its unity of purpose, and that’s under threat. If the light keeps malfunctioning, more people will want to investigate it at the surface. I don’t think it’ll ever be a large number, but it will make it harder to hide the fact that the radiation indicators are not actually giving new data and haven’t been for over twelve years now. Even if by some miracle I can keep the malfunctioning indicators a secret, there will be conflict between those who want to investigate and those who never want to leave.”

  James saw an opening and seized it. “The light is not the only threat to our community’s unity of purpose, Ronald. We need to talk about Czarina and Steve.” James dropped any pretense of being a feeble old man. He needed Ronald to take him very seriously now. To see James as someone who could make his life infinitely easier‌—‌or harder‌—‌depending upon the choices the colonel made.

  “Let us look at the facts,” James continued. “An inquest into the incidents in the supply closet and cafeteria is now inevitable. You might have been able to sweep one incident with only a handful of witnesses under the rug, Ronald, but not two, especially when one was so public. Do not get me wrong, it will provide a nice, albeit temporary, distraction from the indicator light, but a rather malignant one for you, both personally and professionally. Particularly after this most recent incident. There are dozens of witnesses to what happened in the cafeteria today, including multiple officers, yet I have no doubt that Steve will lie during the inquest. Even if there weren’t all those witnesses, the bruise on Isabella’s wrist speaks for itself. And I will make sure that everyone in this bunker has seen his handprint around my darling granddaughter’s wrist before the day is out. So Steve will be a liar who laid hands on a thirteen-year-old child. Czarina will be viewed as a courageous young woman who came to her sister’s defense, confronting the very man who, with the aid of three others, so viciously assaulted her a few days earlier. Oh, and let us not forget the unwanted sexual advances he has made toward Czarina, which include him exposing himself to her. I wonder how difficult it would be to find other women he has made similar advances toward?”

  The way the colonel’s cheeks flushed suggested to James that it would not be the least bit difficult to find several such women. However, James was far from finished, so he did not belabor the point. �
��And do not delude yourself, Ronald: Everyone will think Steve was to blame for what happened in the supply room as well as the cafeteria. After all, in this likely scenario he will have already proven himself a liar who has no issue grabbing a child in public. Who wouldn’t believe him capable of attacking Czarina when he found her with his sister? Especially after being rejected by Czarina. Sure, Steve has Tim, Tom, and Vin to testify about what happened in the supply closet. And maybe they will even manage to get and keep their stories straight by the time of the inquest. Or maybe one of them sees the writing on the wall and decides to come clean for leniency. I would put my money on Vin‌—‌he always struck me as an opportunist. Then there is what Marisa might say on the stand. A real wildcard, I admit, but I suspect she will say whatever she thinks is most likely to make your life difficult, which in this case is very likely the truth of what happened in that room.”

  James continued with his unrelenting verbal assault. He wanted Mueller’s mind racing to keep up. Another straw on the camel’s back. “Now, maybe you are thinking to yourself, what if Steve surprises us and does not lie about what happened in the cafeteria? Perhaps. Stranger things have happened, but it will not help. Telling the truth will just make him an admitted child abuser. And it would not be hard to imagine him laying hands on a sixteen-year-old when he’s already admitted to doing it to a thirteen-year-old. So whether your son lies or tells the truth will be irrelevant. In either case, the pattern of Steve not liking it when women say no to him will be self-evident. First with Czarina, whom he beat violently after she said no to him, and now with Isabella, after she said no to him in the cafeteria. His very pursuit of Isabella looks suspect given the circumstances‌—‌part of his attack on Czarina for daring to deny him. Then add in any other women I can find with a similar story‌—‌and your expression has already given away that I will find some, Ronald.

  “You could try to use your position to get Steve out of trouble, as you have so many times before. However, that poses its own risks, especially when some have started to openly question your leadership over how you have handled the malfunctioning lightbulb. And we both know that some of the most important members of this community do not consider Steve officer material. They have let some of the minor incidents go because none of them would have guaranteed Steve was stuck in the ranks. Better to let him think he can get away with things so he gets sloppy and makes a major error, like assaulting two woman in front of witnesses. That way they can ensure he never has any authority.”

  James spread his hands out before him and said, “How am I doing so far, Ronald? Sound about right to you?”

  “Hold on a second here, James,” Mueller said, clearly off-balance. His eyes had gotten wide and wild-looking, like those of a cornered animal. “I didn’t say anybody was questioning my leadership over the light.”

  James shook his head. His turn to talk to Mueller like he was a child. “Ronald, if your first response to everything I have just said about your son is to bring up the light, then on some level you know just how fucked you and Steve are. Czarina will win the inquest. You also probably know that Steve will not take that well, which will likely lead to yet another incident, which will mean more trouble for you and me, as well as the community. And maybe no one is questioning your leadership over the light right now, and maybe you still have enough influence to sway the outcome of the inquest, but how about after I tell everyone the sentence you passed on the last abuser you encountered? Or how that extrajudicial decision led to the destruction of the indicators, which you neglected to share with the community? Maybe you and Steve can share the brig after you are court-martialed.”

  Mueller leaned forward in his chair, his eyes and voice hard. “Your threats don’t scare me, James.”

  James looked down his glasses at the colonel and said matter-of-factly, “Ronald, these are not threats. These are facts. It is a fact that if there is an inquest, the problem between Czarina and Steve will become every bit as divisive as the light. More so, even, if you force me to bring Brian into it by attempting to influence the outcome. And these issues will feed off one another, compounding the number of cleavage points: up versus down, Steve versus Czarina, those who back your continued leadership versus those who do not. It is also a fact that if there is an inquest it will destroy both of our families, because Czarina and Steve have one thing in common: They do not let things go. That is, if there is an inquest, Ronald.”

  Mueller threw up his hands. “Didn’t you just say an inquest is inevitable? Now you’re going on and on about if there’s an inquest. What are you getting at already? You’d better not be wasting my time.”

  “What I have been trying to demonstrate to you, Ronald, is that there is an ever-tightening noose around your neck, whether you choose to see it or not.” I should know, I helped to put it there “And if you do not do something soon, it will end your life as you know it.”

  “Don’t you think I know this? Don’t you think I’m trying to figure a way out? If you don’t have a solution to one of my many, many problems, then get the hell out so I can think.”

  A wide grin spread across James’s face. “Ronald, I don’t have a solution to one of your problems. I have a solution to all of your problems.”

  Mueller sat forward again and jabbed an index finger toward James. “Do you think I’ll go along with another one of your schemes? After the mess you got me into last time? Are still getting me into?” The colonel’s voice rose in volume with each question. When the last one was out of his mouth Mueller dropped his finger, took a deep breath, and then went on in a more somber tone. “Everything started going wrong in my life the day I decided to follow your plan.”

  “Ronald, we both know everything started to go wrong with your life the day you first cheated on Victoria. And we both know you felt‌—‌feel‌—‌responsible for everything that Brian did to her. Every cutting comment, every bruise. You would have acted against Brian regardless of the coup. The evidence I brought you, the plan I devised for you, gave you a way to do it without destroying your career, your family, or your beloved community. The evidence convinced Peters and Erickson to help you. The plan would have made it look like an accident. When you altered the plan, without consulting me, I had to create a new plan to explain why there was no body.”

  It hadn’t been too difficult a fix. Doc Jones’s predecessor had been Ronald’s uncle. It had been easy enough to convince him to say the body had been immediately incinerated because it was too mangled for a viewing. “It has been twelve years, and no one has ever found out. The only reason Brian is still a potential problem for you at all is because you altered the plan. I saved you then. I can save you now.”

  Mueller opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound escaped his lips. After a few more futile seconds Mueller abruptly shut his mouth and collapsed back against his chair. He looked exactly as James had wanted him to: completely and utterly defeated.

  Finally, Mueller said the words James had been waiting to hear. “I’m listening, James.”

  “Good. What I was getting at before your outburst was that there would be no need for an inquest if Czarina admits to assaulting Marisa in the supply room and Steve in the cafeteria.”

  Mueller ran a hand over the top of his head. “True, or I could build a time machine and stop any of this stuff from happening. That seems about as likely as your granddaughter admitting fault, especially considering her likely vindication at the inquest.”

  “You are correct; Czarina would never confess. However, if she were not here, then you and I could say whatever we like. Think about it. If I corroborate your story, who wouldn’t believe it? Do not worry‌—‌while validating your account, I will insult your authoritarian tendencies enough to make it believable.”

  Mueller leaned forward, licked his lips, then said, “What exactly are you suggesting, James?”

  “Simple. You let Czarina leave the bunker. As soon as she is gone, we tell everyone that Czarina confess
ed to assaulting Marisa and Steve. Having seen the error of her evil, sinful ways, Czarina begged you for a way to atone. Being as good a leader as you are a Christian, you took decisive action, offering her the choice of one year in the brig or one year of exile‌—‌an exile that would allow her to make amends to her community by scouting the surrounding area and investigating the indicators. She chose the exile.

  “Just like that, all your problems go away. No need for an inquest, so Steve gets yet another last chance. Who knows, if sense can be beaten into a person he might get his act together this time. No need to worry about what Marisa might say on the stand to hurt you. No more talk regarding what to do about the light, because something has already been done. Depending on what Brian did to the indicators, Czarina might very well be able to get them up and running again before she moves on, so you will no longer have any exposure on that front‌—‌which, with the inquest no longer being required, means Brian can stay dead and gone. And after a year, when Czarina does not come back, everyone will assume it is too dangerous above to venture up. Besides, a lot can happen in a year. Perhaps whatever is causing the issue with the light can be found and resolved. Regardless of the outcome with the indicator light, the community’s unity of purpose will be maintained.”

  “Do you think Czarina would agree to go up?” Mueller asked, voice barely above a whisper.

  James glanced down, paused for a moment, then said, “Yes. I think it is the only thing she has ever wanted.”

  When James looked back up, he was surprised to see tears in the colonel’s eyes.

  “She’s very much her mother’s daughter, isn’t she?” Mueller said.

  James sighed softly. “She certainly is.”