Morning all. I hope you are having a fantastic morning. I have the coffee pot brewing and am ready to start this Friday. So let’s kick it off with our morning prompt. Timers at the ready and off we go.
I think the volcano is about to explode. Or become no longer dormant. I need to check my terminology before diving into this story. But I have been meaning to add a book on volcanology to my shelves.
Friday, December 5th: For the moment it is dormant.
“For the moment, it is dormant,” The councilor said. He said the words with utter conviction. Ian frowned. He studied many volcanoes and while it was true that Mt. Garos as at the moment dormant, it showed signs of waking up. It was, in fact, why he was here.
The councilor gestured to the mountain in question through the window. They were located in a small research center at the edge of town. Close enough to see the volcano in the distance, but not near enough for actual readings to be taken.
‘And calling this a research center is stretching the term.’ There was machinery and gadgetry in the room. It looked quite impressive if you didn’t know what you were looking at. There were blinking lights that looked like they were rotating through a specific sequence. There was the whirr of a fan to keep mechanized bits from overheating.
It sounded quite professional and regulated, until you looked at the details. Most of the machines had been gutted. They had the fans and a strip of lights in the control panel but the interior of the systems were removed in the more modern machines, stripped for parts to use elsewhere. The machinery that remained was older and presumably either for show or of no use elsewhere.
‘Possibly both.’
Ian edged close to the graph. Paper rolled through and the needle moved causing a small barely moving line to be drawn across the page. It looked as though it was recording the activity of the area. However, the connectors were removed and it was just sketching out a preprogramed series of movements. It was for display only and conveyed no real data.
‘The readings we took last week have more information,’ Ian realized. He stepped back and darted a look to the councilor giving the tour. He seemed pleased that Ian noticed the device.
“As you can see,” the counselor told him. “Steady and even, no cause for concern.”
The others in the group, all politicians nodded and smiled at the words, reassured things were in hand. Ian knew they wanted this to be something they didn’t have to deal with. They wanted to be reassured that everything was functioning.
Ian frowned. The readings they took from the Haversham station were what sent him here. Here was where the closest recent reading would be stored.
‘Or should be stored.’
They needed to be checked or he needed access to the volcano to take readings and bring them back. He needed to confirm the findings or find proof that they were off and the government announcements were accurate. The councilor was the only one who could grant him access. Ian would have to figure out the best way to approach him.
He followed along with the tour and they visited other buildings in the research site. The councilor bragged about the automation and how they eliminated the need for personnel to manage the site. Everyone was impressed with the cost cutting measures.
“I bet you would like that at your station,” the councilor said to him. His smile was jovial. “No more late nights monitoring. I’m sure we could all use a good night’s sleep.”
There were chuckles all around but Ian couldn’t bring himself to smile. Slowly the councilor’s humor faded.
“Who looks over the data?” he asked instead.
“Oh well if there is a problem then the alarm system alerts us all,” the councilor said. He pointed to the system, the machinery in the corner. Ian looked over. There were no lights on it. It too was dormant. He looked at the councilor.
“You know that isn’t plugged in?” he asked before he could stop himself, pointing at the cord, the plug on the floor instead of inserted into the socket.
Ten til Midnight 