I stopped rubbing my eyes. “Whu … what!”

A new image appeared on Joker’s screen: an animated image of Sentinel in orbit above Earth, rotating on its axis until it was pointed straight at a stylized representation of North America. A thin red beam erupted from its long barrel; the animation followed the beam as it raced across space and lanced through Earth’s atmosphere.

›The classified objective of Sentinel 1 is to prevent or contain domestic civil uprisings. Its fluorine-deuterium laser is capable of penetrating Earth’s atmosphere and inflicting severe damage upon either airborne or mobile ground units. It can track and target objects within two meters in size. Its low-orbit trajectory will place it above the United States eight times each day, or approximately once every three‹

“Whoa, shut up,” I snapped, hitting the PAUSE key again. “Wait a minute.” I forgot all about catching a few winks on the couch; I sat up a little straighter and held Joker closer to my face. “This thing … I mean, you said … I mean, this sucker’s supposed to be pointed at us?”

The animation was frozen as a window opened on the screen; it expanded to show typewritten pages that scrolled upward faster than my eyes could follow.

›The objective of Sentinel 1 was discovered by the Ruby Fulcrum team after they established contact with me and accessed my primary batch-processing subsystem. This information was contained in classified [i.e. Top Secret] memos and documents between Cale McLaughlin, Chief Executive Officer of the Tiptree Corporation, and key civilian and/or military officials of the U.S. Department of Defense and/or various civilian agencies, including the chairman of the federal Emergency Relief Agency.‹

The documents vanished from the screen, to be replaced by a flowchart. Dozens of names were connected to one other by dotted lines.

›These documents indicate the existence of a military-industrial conspiracy operating on the fringes of the American government. The conspirators intend to subvert the elected government of the United States, with the final objective being the installation of a nonelected shadow governments‹

“Who’s behind this?” I asked.

A square was formed around a large block of names, then the square zoomed to the forefront of the diagram. ›The principal force behind this planned coup d’etat is the Emergency Relief Agency.‹

“Goddamn,” I whispered. “But why ERA?”

›At this point, it is unknown exactly how the conspirators intend to overthrow the present government. However, classified memoranda between ERA officials indicate a strong probability [86.7 %] that the first step in the coup d’etat will be the incitement of armed hostilities between the United States and the new government of Cascadia.‹

The diagrams disappeared; they were replaced by a map of the Pacific Northwest, with the new borders of Cascadia traced in blue above the Washington and Oregon state lines. Tiny red markers were placed just within the borders.

›When this occurs, Sentinel 1 will be used to neutralize strategic forces belonging to the Cascadian militia. At this time, ERA forces will be deployed to major American cities. The stated intent will be to prevent uprisings from civilians sympathetic to the Cascadian cause. Various state and municipal officials who are aligned with the conspiracy will demand that martial law be imposed in their localities to preserve public order.‹

“Like here in St. Louis …” I began.

A map of the city appeared on the screen. ›Affirmative. Because of the New Madrid earthquake, St. Louis was the first city to be placed under paramilitary control by ERA. The conspirators consider St. Louis to have been a successful test of their ability to control a large civil population. Two principal members of the conspiracy have already taken measures to assert political control of the local government.‹

The pictures of two men appeared on the screen. I stared at them, realizing that it all made sense, yet still not quite believing what I was seeing.

“I’ll be goddamned,” I whispered.

The photos were of Steve Estes and George Barris.

As much as I needed a breather, Ruby didn’t give me time to contemplate all that it had already divulged to me. The photos of Estes and Barris were promptly replaced by photos of the Ruby Fulcrum team.

›Dr. Payson-Smith, Dr. Hinckley, Dr. Morgan, and Dr. Kim became aware of these facts when they accessed my memory. They decided to denounce the conspiracy, with the first step to be their public disclosure of the secret agenda behind Sentinel 1. This would have necessitated publicly acknowledging my own existence, which they considered to be as important as the facts behind Sentinel 1 itself.‹

“And this was why my paper was contacted,” I said.

John’s face was added to the screen. ›As the first step, affirmative. Because they believed it was important that the local press be made aware of ERA’s true mission in St. Louis, they contacted John Tiernan, senior reporter for the Big Muddy Inquirer. However, they were unaware that their workplace was under electronic surveillance by their employer. This, in turn, led to counterintelligence operations by federal operatives.‹

“You mean ERA,” I said.

›There is a strong probability [79.2 %] that ERA was involved in the covert operation.‹

“So Barris decided to rub ’em out.”

›Yes. Kim Po and Beryl Hinckley were liquidated by a government-trained assassin employed by ERA. A portable laser rifle was chosen as the instrument of assassination in order to frame Dr. Payson-Smith with the murders.‹

Po’s and Hinckley’s pictures disappeared from the screen. ›As part of the coverup, John Tiernan was also killed in order to prevent him from disclosing this information.‹

John’s face vanished, to be replaced by my own. I had joined Payson-Smith and Jeff Morgan on this unholy shit list.

›You are now wanted by federal authorities on formal charges of treason with intent to cause civil insurrection. ERA forces have been told that you and the others are considered to be armed and dangerous. They have been instructed to use lethal force if you do not surrender yourselves on first warning.‹

I took a long, deep breath as I stared at the screen. All at once the scattered pieces of the puzzle were beginning to come together. The subtle relationship between the Tiptree Corporation and Steve Estes, the alliance of Barris and McLaughlin, the continued presence of ERA troopers in St. Louis eleven months after the New Madrid earthquake, the murders of three people-all were part of a deadly mosaic that only a freak accident, the release of the a-life-form called Ruby Fulcrum, had exposed.

“I don’t understand,” I said. “You said you wanted me to help you. What do I have to do with all this?”

›You do not understand this? Do you wish me to reiterate?‹

I rubbed at my eyelids. “No, no, don’t do that,” I said. “I just … I dunno. I’m just a bystander, y’know? I’m stuck in the middle, that’s all.”

›Dr. Payson-Smith and Dr. Morgan will explain this further when you meet them.‹

A city map appeared on the screen; a small red circle was traced over a tiny green spot on the map, then the circle expanded as the computer zoomed in.

›Do you recognize this location?‹

I peered closer at the screen. The red circle surrounded the Compton Hill Reservoir, a small municipal park not far from downtown. It was located a couple of miles from my hideout. “Sure, I know it. Are they holed up there?”

›Yes. You will proceed to the reservoir water tower immediately. Dr. Payson-Smith and Dr. Morgan are expecting your arrival within the next thirty minutes.‹