Matt sighed. “Yeah, that crossed my mind, too,” he said. “But it’s all I’ve got to go on right now.”
“Okay,” Ellie said. “So we’re agreed. We’re completely helpless, but at least we’re together. So we’ll work with them until we see an alternative.”
Eleven
The next time the solar energy group, a sub-committee that was still without a name, sat before The Committee was much like the first time. Once again, Ant, Vi and Dwayne were seated on folding chairs facing the panel. They’d done more experimentation and had firmed up some of their ideas on how to generate and distribute electrical power, and had alerted The Committee that they were ready to present their plan.
“What we’d like to do is set up an operation right there in the Solar Shack where we’re charging small batteries, either car or boat batteries,” Ant began. “Then we’ll ration them out to residents. The amounts can be worked out later. But everybody will get, say, one battery per week, to use as they see fit. We’ll set up their cabins to use whatever power is in the battery.”
“This is the coolest way to go,” Vi said, playing her role in a presentation that was planned and rehearsed right down to the syllable. “That gets us two things. First, it eliminates the bottleneck of rebuilding the large inverters we’d need to run a camp-wide power system. So far we’ve still only been able to get the one going. Also, it simplifies the hardware and equipment. Instead of wiring up the entire camp, something we just don’t have the materials to do, we can just do a simple, independent setup in each cabin.”
“Besides that,” added Dwayne, “this lets us ration out the power in a fair way. However much we manage to generate, we can dole it out evenly and control how much everybody gets.” He forced himself to look away from Grover, trying to reach the other members of The Committee. “We don’t have what we’d need to run an electric grid across the whole camp. We just don’t have it, even if we could rebuild enough inverters.”
“Which we can’t do anytime soon,” Ant said.
“Last time you told us that you had a battery explosion,” Sue Stocker said. “How did that happen? How do you know it won’t happen again?”
“We were running power from a solar panel directly into a car battery,” Ant explained. “It turns out you can’t just do that without constantly checking the voltage. Now we know that when it hits a certain point, you disconnect it and declare that battery full. Charging the batteries is something we have to watch closely. It’s a lot like the Water Plant. We’ll need a regular staff.”
“How do you keep track of how much power you’ve downloaded into a battery?” Carlo Moriarty asked. “It’s not like you can tell just by looking at it. I don’t think, anyway.”
“A simple meter that we attach to the battery terminals,” Vi said. “We already have enough of those. There’s gadgets out there that can do it automatically and cut the power off when it hits a certain level, but we don’t have any of those yet.”
“I’m confused,” Grover said. “Last time you said the panels generate a certain type of power, and the inverters converted that into power we could use. But now you’re saying we’re leaving out the inverters. So how can we use the power without converting it?”
“We’re getting to that,” Vi said. “The—"
“Please do,” interrupted Roethke.
“The problem is the large-scale inverters,” Vi said. “They’re too hard to rebuild. But we found that for small amounts of power, the amounts we’re talking about doling out to each cabin, we can use simpler, lower capacity inverters that are easier to work with. In fact, we found one for a boat that’s designed for exactly what we need to do. Convert power out of a single battery from DC to AC. And they’re easier to repair and bring online. A lot easier.”
“Their plan is to go to the nearest beach, or marina or whatever,” Dwayne said, “and go through as many boats as they can looking for these mini converter packs. Any boat with a solar panel on top will have them. Maybe every boat, period.”
“Then we bring them back here, refit them with new parts, and set them up in the cabins,” Ant finished. “We’ve already done that once in our lab. And that’s all we need.”
Grover was already nodding. “It seems like this could work,” he said. He looked at the other faces on his side of the table. “What do you all think?” Most heads nodded a silent consent.
“Sounds like your plan has been approved,” Grover said. “Well done. What’s next?”
“What I think we need to do is wire up an experimental cabin or two,” Dwayne said. “Or maybe this building. Any place where we can test it out.”
“And we’ll also set up production lines for battery charging in the Solar Shack,” Vi said. “The first thing we need to do is go through all the solar panels and find the ones that work. Then we’ll set them up in an array and run the cables inside the shack. Then we can start charging batteries.”
“We might need a bigger shack,” Ant warned. “It’s kind of tight in there.”
“Let’s hold off on that,” Grover said. “At least until the spring planting’s done. You won’t need to do too many batteries while we’re still testing. All agreed?”
~~~
”You in there, Nick?” Linda asked after knocking on the window of the purple pickup truck where it was parked in the Field. The clandestine meeting had been arranged a day earlier, after Linda had grown tired of fending off questions. “I’m not supposed to talk about this,” she’d whispered to him outside of the Armory, where he’d been waiting for her yet again. “I made a promise!” She’d finally given in and agreed to the late-night meeting at the end of her next guard shift at the lake.
Nick reached over to unlock the passenger side door and push it open. She climbed in and closed it behind her, blocking out an icy breeze. “Thanks for coming,” he said, by way of greeting.
“It’s not like I had a choice, did I?” she answered. “You were nagging me so much that The Committee probably thought I was already spilling my guts.”
Remembering how reticent she was to talk, he struggled for the right words until he finally just blurted it out. “What happened to Matt and his family? You know, don’t you? Why won’t you talk to me about it? I’ve known them for years!”
“They told us not to talk,” she answered. “They said if we did, there’d be trouble. Trouble as in getting kicked out of this place.”
“Who?” Nick asked. “The Committee? Roethke?” He paused. “Grover?”
“All of the above,” she told him.
“Maybe I don’t even know what I’m getting into,” Nick said. “If they don’t even want anybody knowing the first thing about it. How did this place turn so rotten so fast?”
“They’re spooked about it all,” Linda answered.
“This doesn’t sound like you,” Nick said. “Backing down to threats like this, and keeping your mouth shut and all.”
“I didn’t really back down,” Linda countered. “I just didn’t do anything about it, because there wasn’t anybody who wanted to talk about it, anyway. Until now,” she added. “And here I am, ready to talk. I’m an outlaw now. What do you want to know?”
“I don’t even know where to start,” Nick replied. “I’m involved in this because I’m the one who brought the defectors here in the first place. So I want to know everything.”
“Then I’ll tell you everything,” Linda said. “I wouldn’t do that for anybody else around here, but I’ll put my neck on the line for you. But Nick, this wasn’t your fault. None of it was. If management didn’t agree about Lockworth, they wouldn’t have—”
“It’s okay, Linda,” Nick said, interrupting. “No offense, but I’ve heard that speech before. I blame myself, no matter what anybody else thinks. And if anything happened to Matt and his family, it’s my fault.”
“But—” Linda said.
“So where are they?” Nick asked, cutting her off again. “I heard you followed some of them out of her
e.”
“Yeah,” Linda said. “Me and Dex saw a couple of them sneaking around the lake one morning after we got off guard duty.”
“Who were they?” Nick asked.
“We never could tell,” she replied. “Dex thought it was a guy named Conners, from Lockworth. I forgot his first name. And his son.“
“Conners, you said?” Nick asked.
“Yeah,” Linda confirmed. “Same guy. Anyway, they grabbed a van and took off, so we followed them. In this very truck, as a matter of fact.”
“To where?”
“Atlantic City,” Linda told him. “Can you believe it?”
“Atlantic City?” Nick asked, pausing to take that in. “That’s weird.”
“On the other hand,” Linda said, “who can say what’s weird these days? They probably think it’s weird that we’re out here in the middle of the Pine Barrens.”
“True,” Nick conceded. “Do you think that’s where Matt is?”
“I have no idea,” Linda said. “But it makes sense, doesn’t it? If he was taken by the same people, well, wherever they went, it’s probably the same place. Somebody from their settlement talked some of our people into splitting. And while they were at it, they stole a ton of our stuff and took it with them.”
“Is that what they think?” Nick asked. “That the family was kidnapped?”
“No idea,” Linda said. “That’s not something they’re gonna’ share with me.”
“It has to be. There’s no way Matt got talked into anything like that,” Nick said with certainty. “I know him. He wouldn’t do that. Life may not be easy in this camp, but he and his family are perfectly safe here. Why would he put them at risk? He wouldn’t, I guarantee it.”
“Well, he’s gone, isn’t he?” Linda asked.
“He sure is,” Nick agreed. “They’re the only non-Lockworth people gone, right?”
“As far as I know,” she answered.
“So what’s in Atlantic City?” Nick asked.
“It’s got to be a settlement like ours,” Linda offered. “They crossed a bridge that looked like it was guarded, with barriers that had to be moved to let them in. That’s when we turned around and came home.”
“Why?” Nick asked. “Why didn’t you go into the city?”
“I just told you,” Linda answered. “It didn’t exactly look welcoming. Plus, we didn’t know at the time how big this thing was. We thought it was just some random dudes stealing a van.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Nick agreed. “But—”
“Although just before they got to the city,” Linda said, “They met up with somebody else. And they had one of our vans, too. So we were starting to get some kind of idea about it.”
“Atlantic City,” Nick said softly. “I can’t make heads or tails of this. This isn’t what I was expecting to hear from you.”
“You’re planning something, aren’t you?” Linda asked. “I can tell.”
“Maybe,” he allowed.
“Going on a little road trip?”
“Maybe,” he repeated.
“I gotta’ tell you, this isn’t the time to go rogue,” she warned. “They’re really freaked out about this. We’re low on working vehicles as it is. They won’t look on it too kindly if you go off and do something on your own. Especially you.”
“Yeah, especially me,” Nick said. “Because no matter what anybody says, you included, they do blame me for this. Isn’t that what you meant?”
“No,” she answered. “It’s just that—” she stammered, as if looking for words. “Some of them might not trust you that much, I guess. Let me put it that way.”
“Well, I am planning something,” Nick told her. “And it’s not as risky as you think for Tabernacle, because if I don’t succeed, I’m not coming back here. So the truth is, I have nothing to lose. I have nothing to fear. My family left me a long time ago, so I have nobody I’m responsible for. It’s just me.”
“What about your new family?” Linda challenged. “Sarah and her daughters?”
Nick snorted. “They’ll be fine without me. They’ll be better off.”
“The Committee isn’t going to like this,” she warned again. “If nothing else, we’ll be down a vehicle if you don’t come back. I know that sounds cold, but I’m just—”
“The way I figure it, this truck we’re sitting in is mine,” Nick said. “I brought it here after they left it behind in Lockwood. I’ll have a clean conscience about that. Sort of.”
Neither spoke for a few minutes, until Linda broke the silence. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me exactly what you’re talking about doing, do you?”
“Not yet,” Nick answered. “I’m not completely sure about it, anyway.”
“Is there any sense in going alone?” she asked. “I mean, I get it after your Lone Ranger speech. But it’ll be hard to get anything done.” She paused. “Maybe I should go with you. But if I do, you have to promise to come back long enough to drop me off.” Nick was familiar enough with her to know she was smiling in the dark.
“You’d do that?” he asked.
“If I thought you had a decent plan, I might,” she replied. “Hey, I wonder what your new girlfriend would think about us taking off together like that?”
Nick chuckled. “She wouldn’t like it.”
“Good,” Nancy answered immediately. They both laughed. “Seriously, though, I’d have one condition. You stay off the sauce. Sorry to be so blunt, but that’s the only way I’d go.”
“Relax,” Nick said. “I’m off. I couldn’t take a drink if I wanted to. There’s not a drop of alcohol in the camp. Believe me, I’ve looked.”
“That’s what worries me,” she said. “You’ll find it out there if we’re on the road, if you go looking.”
“I won’t,” he told her. “Not that I want you to come. I don’t think you should get involved in this. Nobody should who isn’t already in the doghouse.”
“Anything else?” Linda asked. “Otherwise I better be getting back. But keep me posted, okay? Maybe I can help. If nothing else, I can let you know what The Committee is thinking.”
Twelve
Since Matt was gone, keeping the Water Plant in operation fell to the remaining members of the Water Supply subcommittee. Knowing that Crystal Monroe was uninterested in running it day to day, Sue Stocker took charge without waiting for anybody’s approval. Matt had been the one who turned theoretical knowledge into a practical plan, but much of that knowledge had come from Stocker, a trained chemist. Catching up to Matt would be a struggle, but she knew she could get it done.
When it came to the routine daily manual labor and know-how, she thought immediately of Robby Gruber, another former subcommittee member. Although he’d been re-assigned after the Plant was fully up and running, it was Robby who’d worked directly under Matt to get the system running smoothly with no extra steps. She’d insist that he be re-assigned full time back to the Plant. In fact, that was partly the subject of that very meeting of The Committee, to which she’d been summoned as a witness. The only unfamiliar part was sitting on the other side of the table, a formality that confused her.
“I don’t think we’ll have any problems,” Sue told the other panelists the morning after the defections from Tabernacle were announced. “I know you said a lot of supplies were stolen, but we still have all our chlorine.” She smiled. “And the lake’s still there, right where it was.”
“At least that’s one thing they couldn’t take with them,” grumbled Roethke.
“So you’re back at full production?” Grover asked.
“Not yet,” Sue admitted. “But it’s only been two days since Matt disappeared. I hadn’t been involved much lately. I have to learn all the procedures. Not only did we lose Matt, we lost his top assistant.”
“Are you referring to Merle Jenkowski?” Roethke asked. “The pride of Lockwood? We didn’t lose him. He left. The fault isn’t ours.”
“Please keep us posted,” Grover said as
he steepled his hands in front of his chin. Sue had been to enough meetings of The Committee that this meant her testimony was finished. She signaled Robby with her eyes to take his leave before switching to her customary seat next to Crystal Monroe before the next topic was introduced. The game of musical chairs was silly, but she managed to suppress a giggle.
~~~
“Are you as hungry as I am?” Sarah asked Nick. They were sitting on the edge of one of the beds – Ashley’s, Nick thought -- in Sarah’s cabin. They’d both just returned from work, Sarah in the Armory, Nick in the Blacksmith Shop. It wouldn’t be long before the afternoon shifts let out and the Village was swarmed with residents anxious for their meager dinners. At the moment, however, it was still barren and quiet. Nick reached for Sarah, who took his hand and held it in her lap.
“Hard to say,” Nick answered. “But I’m definitely not less hungry than you are. Half rations until spring planting is gonna’ be tough, tough, tough. On me, at least.”
“It’s tough on everybody,” Sarah said. “Jenny says they have more people than ever coming in every day at the Med Center. It always boils down to one thing. Well, two things. They aren’t getting enough to eat, and they eat too much of the same things. That leads to all kinds of problems. She says they’ll start losing even more patients soon, because there’s nothing they can do for them.”
Nick knew everything she’d said was surely true. Ever since her older daughter Jenny had gone to work in the Medical Center, Sarah had been privy to a lot of secrets, many of which The Committee would have preferred stayed secret. And whatever Sarah knew, Nick knew soon after.
He whistled softly. “So, anyway, I have this feeling that every day I’m getting added to more and more ‘bad’ lists. It’s getting harder to show my face around here, because I know what everybody’s thinking.” He turned to Sarah, with raised eyebrows and a half smile. “I wish I hadn’t handed over the last of my wine. Course, it’d be gone by now anyway.”
Super Pulse (Book 4): Defect Page 10