Reboot

“I thought I’d get to meet the President,” said Eric.

“You’re lucky you got to see this building,” answered Anderson.

“Excuse me? What’s going on?” Eric was anxious. This was not going well.

“Your brother escaped.”

“That’s impossible. I left him in a cell.”

“He escaped!” Anderson was mad; shaking. Barely holding it together. Because of this man’s incompetence, he’d had to put up with another of Mooney’s tantrums, and that was seriously unpleasant.

“And you think I had something to do with it? That’s ridiculous. Come on. Why would I come here.”

“Because you’re an idiot. Because your play was badly thought out, because he’s your brother and you had second thoughts, because you’re incompetent… Should I go on?

“No Sir. I get the picture.”

“My suggestion to President Mooney was to have you shot. But he’s right, you’re not worth a bullet. So we’ll just cut you loose. You can go out there and make a little life for yourself. I don’t care.”

“Sir. I did what you asked me to do.” Anderson put up his hand. He didn’t want to hear another word. He snapped his fingers and the two men who were standing at the door came to get Eric and took him outside. He was driven a hundred miles west and dropped unceremoniously on a dirt road with three days’ worth of food and water.

“Come back and you die,” were the last words spoken to him. Eric stared at the car until it became a distant dust cloud. Then he turned around and faced west. He stood there a long time. Then a clenched, dry smile slowly appeared on his face, a smile that never touched his eyes. Like the dangerous smile of a lizard. Cold determined eyes. Before he’d felt disdain for his brother, but now he truly hated him. That hate warmed him and drove him onward. It put that smile on his face. He started walking.

Anderson went back to Mooney and said: “It’s done, he’s out there. Let’s hope you’re right and we’ve fanned something there.”