Chapter 4
Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC, the Consolidated Americas
Earth
Natalie Morgan paused outside the meeting room, a step back from the automated door.
This wasn’t the first time she’d appeared before members of Congress, and it was unlikely that it would be the last. This group of senators, however, was known to be arrogant and argumentative, and the situation she needed to explain was complicated.
She took a deep breath, smoothed back her long brown hair, and straightened her jacket.
Taking a purposeful step forward, she triggered the door.
The senators, twelve in all, were already seated on their C-shaped dais. Natalie looked at each in turn as she took her place behind the presenter’s table. The room wasn’t large, but the stately paneling on the walls and elegantly coffered ceiling created the necessary gravitas.
Natalie sat down, opened her attaché, and pulled out a datasheet. She unfolded the paper-thin computer, activated the holographic controls, and looked at Hector Sanderson. He was the chairperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee, so he would bring the meeting to order.
“Welcome, Ms. Morgan,” Senator Sanderson greeted. “Your presentation is the only item on our agenda today, so please begin.”
“Thank you, Senator.” She pushed her fingers into the holo-grid and launched the first image.
“This is an aerial view of Rydaria. The three villages are all located within a twenty-mile area. Each village has its own leader or group of leaders, but all three have similar power structures. Unsurprisingly, they are all dictatorships.”
“Sorry to interrupt.” A female on Natalie’s left drew her attention.
“Could you please summarize the project up to this point? I don’t even know your name.
I was not given a meeting brief, though I requested one repeatedly.
I apologize for the distraction caused by the oversight.
I’m sure it was unintentional.” She glared at Sanderson, indicating that he was the cause of her frustration.
Natalie tensed, but the chairperson triggered her annoyance, not the newly elected senator.
Natalie knew what it was like to be sabotaged at every turn.
People with power were notoriously stingy and years of interaction with Sanderson made the newbie’s complaint easily believable.
Her short blonde hair had been highlighted with streaks of pale pink.
With delicate features and dramatic dark eyes, the young woman would draw attention wherever she went.
And that was without anyone knowing she was a member of Congress. No wonder Sanderson resented her.
A rebellious impulse made Natalie demonstrate solidarity with the young senator. Natalie stood and walked over to her. She shook the other woman’s hand as she said, “I’m Natalie Morgan, director of the Rydaria Project. I also manage Research and Development for F-BOP.”
“Federal Bureau of Prisons?” When Natalie nodded, the senator added, “Then you’re part of the Department of Justice.”
“Correct. F-BOP provides government oversight for the companies running the prisons. The entire prison system was privatized back in twenty eighty-four, but we keep a close eye on all the vendors.” When the young senator simply nodded, Natalie prompted, “And you are?”
“Senator Avery Collins of the South-Central Coalition.”
Natalie was impressed. The South-Central Coalition had been formed sixty-some years ago when Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma merged into the first mega-state.
By consolidating their resources, the four-state union was able to protect their citizens and further their ideals as never before.
The merger worked so well that other states followed.
There were now six mega-states and eleven dual state partnerships.
All the alliances had been inspired by a much larger merger, of course.
North, Central, and South America became the Consolidated Americas back in twenty seventy-two, and the undisputed power of the entire continent acting as one had reshaped the entire world.
“It’s nice to meet you, Senator Collins,” Natalie concluded as she returned to her seat.
Avery’s features relaxed, but her dark eyes remained wary. Clearly, she was used to being attacked.
“Did you follow any of the Nuevo Biotech coverage?” Natalie asked.
“I did,” Avery assured. “The hybrids were sent to another planet to protect the public from their aggression. They were provided with essentials, but there has been no interference in how the settlements progress.”
“There has been no interference,” Natalie agreed.
“However, there has been continual surveillance.” Using the holo-grid, she opened a projected image of her spy bots.
“We call these hummingbirds and crickets. The hummingbird drones are motion activated and blend perfectly with the indigenous avians. We deployed several hundred of each so very little transpires in any of the villages without us knowing about it. The cricket drones have light-refracting shields and can record sounds that are over a mile away.”
“If no one intends to interfere with events on the planet, why bother with all the tech?” Avery motioned toward the images.
“The hybrid settlements are being used as proof of concept for a series of proposed prisons on and around Rydaria.”
Surprise registered on Avery’s face, but she simply nodded.
“Judge Cleveland’s decision to exile the Nuevo Biotech employees to the planet as well was an unexpected complication,” Sanderson added, his tone sharp and intrusive. “We weren’t consulted before the decision, but it provided us with valuable data.”
Valuable data? Anger sparked within Natalie at the crass simplification. “The judge’s sudden decision to be creative led to the slaughter of hundreds of human males,” Natalie reminded. “The only reason the wolves didn’t wipe out the women as well was because they need mates.”
Avery’s watchful gaze shifted between Natalie and Sanderson. “You said that the data was valuable. What were you able to learn?”
“The hybrids’ predatory nature is not dissimilar to the mindset of violent criminals,” Sanderson insisted. “By watching how the hybrids react to various stimuli, we are able to predict potential problems.”
Natalie wasn’t nearly as confident in the correlation as Sanderson, but she didn’t argue.
“All three settlements were established within a twenty-mile radius. The various hybrids don’t get along, so my team expected them to spread out a lot more.
” She reactivated the aerial view of the settlements.
“This is the feline village.” The location brightened and enlarged, allowing the senators to see details.
“Eagle Village is up in the mountains, and the lupine village is barely visible in the trees.” She indicated each settlement in turn.
“All three villages have similar defenses and comparable features. The feline village is largest, and Eagle Village has the most technology.”
“All of this was accomplished in three years?” the senator from the Virginias asked.
“Just over four years,” Natalie corrected. “Their progress is impressive, but their treatment of the humans proves that they’re savage. Relocating them was the only option.”
“With no assistance from us, they have not only survived for four years, but they’re thriving,” Sanderson insisted. “I consider this program an undeniable success and strongly advise that we move on to phase two.”
“Before you vote on that proposal,” Natalie cut in. “I have a couple of complications that need to be addressed.”
Sanderson scowled. “None of your updates indicated a problem.”
“This meeting was already on the books, so I decided to update you in person.” Before he could argue or derail the meeting, she rushed on. “One of the eagles is attempting to send a signal off world. His efforts have been unsuccessful thus far, but I’m concerned that it is just a matter of time.”
“Can you intercept the signal, disrupt it or whatever?” an elderly gentleman asked. Natalie couldn’t remember which state he represented. They had been introduced a few months back, but he tended to sit quietly and listen during these meetings.
“I have a ship departing in the morning,” she assured him. “They’ll launch a series of communication satellites capable of dampening any signals sent from the planet.”
“Why wasn’t this done when the hybrids were released?” Sanderson wanted to know.
“All the comm systems on the ships were destroyed. Someone had to fabricate each component and then build the transmitter without a schematic. We had no idea they possessed these skills. It’s an astonishing feat.”
Sanderson crossed his arms on the table in front of him and leaned forward as he asked, “What are the other ‘complications’?”
“There is only one, but it is significant. The wolves continue to attack the other villages in an attempt to capture females.” She paused for a calming breath.
The chances of anyone on this committee giving a damn about the bloodshed were unlikely.
Still, she had to try. “Hostilities continue to escalate and violence erupts because the ratio of males to females is so grossly disproportionate.”
Sanderson waved away the concern. “Not my problem.”
“Respectfully, Senator, I disagree. When Judge Cleveland sent the Nuevo employees to Rydaria, it compromised the integrity of the experiment. Prison populations are either male or female. This should have been a male-only trial.”
“One of the proposed facilities means to change that,” Lilian Greenwood, the senator from the Westcoast Consortium reminded.
She was a sharp-featured woman in her late forties.
Natalie didn’t know her well, but they had butted heads a time or two.
“I say we allow the chaos on Rydaria to continue. Let’s see how bad it gets. ”