ref: fd9be2e172be4ae02a18d721a10f6f96ca1c924f
dir: /troff/0116.ms/
.LP .ce .ps 16 .CW DASH 1 .R .ps 10 .br .ce .ps 10 .B 1 .P .PP .ps 10 .DC B right, write the DASH 1." .PP .ps 10 Piotr stares at me blankly as the Chief tosses an empty notebook onto my desk. Noticing this, his eyes seem to draw into focus. His face changes subtly as he glances down at the notebook. Sensing at last the onset of meaning, he reflects upon the ramifications of what he's just heard. Some communication that I fail to comprehend passes between us and then he begins to speak. In French. .PP .ps 10 "Fais ce que tu voudras," says Piotr, turning to face the Chief. .PP .ps 10 So, then, this line drawn is a key. .PP .ps 10 Nod as if I understand what any of this means. .ce .ps 10 .B 2 .P .PP .ps 10 The big trucks are easy to drive. Larger tires, greater purchase on the road. Testing on this model has lagged for months. Somehow, we've run out of test pilots. .PP .ps 10 They're asking me to write the owner's manual. .PP .ps 10 I've yet to sit behind the wheel. .PP .ps 10 For some, this might be a problem. I figure, a job is a job. And I'm ready to work. .PP .ps 10 Tomorrow I'm outfitted for stresspants. .bp .ce .ps 10 .B 3 .P .PP .ps 10 The test site has cleared out on account of a pending series of test shots hosted from several addresses down the road. There is some fear that the radiation will drift into our facility. .PP .ps 10 Thin atmosphere has never seemed to bother anyone, before. .PP .ps 10 Volunteer to stay. Piotr can always be found, with minimal difficulty, somewhere near my person. The Chief stays for his own reasons. .PP .ps 10 I've never written a manual. For some time, in fact, have been working quite far away from the equipment. Stationed atop the west ridge, keeping a lookout for any specialists from other sites who might wander into our vicinity. Cover my beat twice per hour, then park the vehicle upstairs (as we call it) and lean against the hood, surveying the expanse. Grounds are cold, flat. There is a lot of sand. .PP .ps 10 Last week, started drinking coffee. .PP .ps 10 Piotr has taken over my shifts. We maintain radio contact and sometimes trade sarcastic remarks about birds who have taken up residence down on the flight line. Sometimes, I'm sent down to chase them away. Piotr simply fires his weapon into the flock from wherever he happens to be standing. No shortage of targets. .PP .ps 10 Occasionally, some stray piece of paperwork is discovered blowing across the runway. This sets off a minor stir as interns are dispatched to retrieve the classified pulp. .PP .ps 10 Pieces of quartz turn up literally everywhere. .PP .ps 10 Eschewing a leaf, begin to write the manual with a pencil I found lying on the ground. .bp .ce .ps 10 .B 4 .P .PP .ps 10 Well, they've butchered my work. Printed it how I never wrote it. As a counterbalance they've left my name on the byline. Does this soften the blow or only make matters worse? Difficult to tell. .PP .ps 10 These big trucks will be death traps. In spite of the RC lights, huge tires, commercially branded bed liners\(emfrankly, nothing seems to help. No surprise that we've run out of test pilots. They altered my verbiage, re: known defective equipment. Suppressing liability. But even here, word gets out. Back on Earth, rumors of deaths in the test program have been circulating for months. Of course, no one outside the test site knows the details, but everyone is curious. .PP .ps 10 At the same time, nobody listens. .PP .ps 10 There's a chance I'll be pinned with the blame for the poor performance of these vehicles. Which would be fairly ridiculous since I had nothing to do with the design and manufacture of the test articles. .PP .ps 10 That's when I'll share the unredacted DASH 1. .ce .ps 10 .B 5 .P .PP .ps 10 Finished writing. Now once again posted near the equipment. Motivation obvious and the timing is hardly coincident. .PP .ps 10 New model year on the runway. .PP .ps 10 Was allowed to contribute to a recent internal publication. .PP .ps 8 .CW Our paper is the first to show that automated tools may detect the distinct speech patterns of psychopaths. .R .PP .ps 10 Management seemed pleased, but the work was immediately confiscated. .PP .ps 10 Naturally, this time, my name was left off the byline. .PP .ps 10 Lucky? .PP .ps 10 What do .I you .R think. .ce .ps 10 .B 6 .P .PP .ps 10 Son (can I call you that?), these men are only interested in results. Workers who can't hack the pace of operations are quickly sent packing, their home lives wrecked and their resumes in tatters. .PP .ps 10 I've observed the man they brought in to replace me. In fact, I conducted his first evaluation. (Frankly, I'm the only one left at the site with a solid handle on the material.) He won't last long. Too focused on the rumors surrounding our location. It's a shame, he's an excellent driver. .PP .ps 10 Which brings me back to myself. .PP .ps 10 I guess I kind of miss writing the manuals. Standing on the ridge, scrawling longhand in my notebook while glancing occasionally at the birds flocking on the runway. Sad. That sort of life is no longer an option for me. .PP .ps 10 You don't just .I understand .R your assignment. Not if you want to live above ground. .PP .ps 10 On the other hand, I may still get out of here. .PP .ps 10 Someday, you may even be born.