00077

Security Agent Osmo Martin met the two dirty trouble-making miners at the entrance to the Incarceration Chamber after their shift. They had been escorted there by other guards who, once leaving their prisoners in Agent Martin’s care, promptly left.

After the excitement earlier, things had returned to normal, and these No. 317 and No. 248 had resumed their normal schedules.

Now, as a matter of course, the regular miners obviously practiced poor hygiene, but these two didn't even have that kind of hygiene available to them. They truly were filthy.

Two robot guards accompanied young Agent Martin, in case of trouble, while he made the miners get in their own cages. But Nos. 248 and 317 behaved. Each entered his cage peacefully, and Osmo Martin locked the cage door. The robots left, Agent Martin put down his blaster, and the miners silently ate their waiting meals.

The young Security Agent on guard duty watched them intently, in order to fulfill what was required of him. He kept an eye on them, scanning back and forth, from the one cage to the other, staring, making certain neither made another escape attempt, at least not on his watch. He maintained his alert vigilance for a good ten minutes before he began yawning. This watching them every moment got worse each minute he had to do it!

Boredom and monotony tempted him to bang his head on the wall, fiercely, for some excitement. He hadn't experienced this much dullness since his days in Mr. Franken's political classes. Oh, how to pass time on this slow, mind-deadening duty!

"So, No. 317," began Osmo Martin, desperate to relieve the boredom, "what do you remember, if I may ask, about your life before you became a miner?" Not only did he ask it to try to keep back the monotony, but, in truth, the young man had been itching to inquire about this ever since he saw 317 about to be fed to the Eaters- and now was as good a time to discuss it with him as any.

“What?" A guard speaking to a miner, and especially to him, and not merely giving orders- and speaking civilly, too- It completely caught No. 317 off-guard.

Osmo Martin repeated his query. "I mean, can you remember anything at all? Anything?" He took, off his headset, to better hear while conversing.

317 paused. He seemed to be thinking. "No, Sir. It's all a blank."

"You don't recall how you got here, um, who brought you here, or-”

“No."

"What about a cave-in? Do you have any flashbacks to anything like that, then?"

"Why do you ask? Do you really think you knew me from before I became this miner?"

248 sat in the corner of his cage, listening, also curious and wanting to ask the guard the same thing, but staying quiet.

"Maybe I did,” said Agent Martin. “Gov. Bright, however, finds it highly unlikely. He thinks it is just my imagination, although he is looking into it.”

“There you go ,then," replied 317, as if that explained everything.

After that answer, Osmo Martin didn't know what to say. He fidgeted with brushing mine dust off his uniform. Finally, he asked another question. "No. 317, aren't you curious, in case you really are Mr. McCleer?"

248 spoke up from his quarters. "Curiosity's not such a good thing in this place. We must be careful what we talk about- among the other miners, and certainly with a guard. No offense meant. A good way to end up as a snack for the Eaters. Either that, or it's being forced to take a pill to set your brain right, and it'll either work, or it will kill you just as easily."

Osmo Martin nodded, understandingly. "Hm. If that's the case, I can see why you two are so quiet when I am here. I noticed that. The other miners, however, are always hooting it up, 'For the Governor! For the Governor!' You guys don't ever do that. Why is that?"

No. 248 dared to ask, "Why do they act so devoted to somebody they don't even know?”

“I can't figure it out, either. I think Gov. Bright is a good man, a very wise leader, and all, but c'mon, he puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like me."

317 tried to look disinterested in all this talking. He looked to see if he had missed any crumbs from his dinner, examining his dinner tray thoroughly. What if this was some kind of trap? Still, this guard did rescue him from the Eaters...

248, on the other hand, talked more freely with Agent Martin. He said, "When a miner awakes for the first time as a miner, it is explained to him how wonderful and kind and great is the benevolent Governor. For most miners, whose minds are confused and befuddled, it seems the minds immediately take to this information, believing it whole-heartedly, accepting it as a truth that explains everything. For others, like me, we think it is best to reserve judgement, until we see for ourselves if the Governor is as wonderful as we are told. Like you say, he is, after all, still only a man..."

Now No. 317 decided to talk."If you think I might be this Mr. McCleer, perhaps you can tell me something about him? Was he a good man? Was he happy? Did he deserve to become a miner?”

“I doubt that he deserved such a fate," Osmo Martin replied. "I didn't know him well, you understand. You see, Mr. and Mrs. McCleer were on the same rocket I was when I came to this world. From what I gather, the Earth Leaders had sent Mr. McCleer here to assess the conditions of the World of Hope, to see how well Gov. Bright ran it, or something like that. I heard a bit about George McCleer’s assignment while I visited with the Governor's cute niece. Mr. and Mrs. McCleer stayed at the Governor's House, and they seemed friendly and familiar with him; they were on a first name basis." He decided not to say anything of Mrs. McCleer being lost in a blast. Why give this poor miner unneeded sorrow, whether he was really Mr. McCleer or not. If he was, he would find out soon enough, after Gov. Bright checked out the situation and fixed it.

In all his talking, Osmo Martin failed to notice Agent Samm entering the Incarceration Chamber, along with Security Leader Clyden.

Sec. Ldr. Clyden demanded, "Agent Martin, what are you doing?!"

"Nothing. I was just-"

Sec. Ldr. Clyden cut him off. "That's enough, Agent Martin!”

“But-"

Agent Samm snapped, "Security Leader Clyden said Enough, Agent Martin!"

317 and 248 fell silent, in their respective cages.

Agent Samm, flustered, apologized to the Security Leader. "Sorry, Sir. I had no idea he was trying to form a friendship club with these two miners!"

"Have you no sense, Agent Martin, no sense of what is appropriate? They are miners, for crying out loud!"  Sec. Ldr. Clyden growled. To Agent Samm, the Security Leader said, "I am glad I came today for a surprise inspection. I expected you to be able to handle the simple job I gave you. And look what I find. Hmmph. Guards fraternizing with the miners. I see how well you did, taking over for me."

"Yes, Sir." Agent Samm dropped his head.

Sec. Ldr. Clyden returned his focus on Osmo Martin. "What is this you are doing? First, you make a ruckus, claiming that No. 317 is some poor guy who got buried in a cave-in, and now here you are, chatting with him like you're old pals! Are you deliberately trying to make things bad? Perhaps you just aren't cut out to be a Security Agent!"

To Sec. Ldr. Clyden's surprise, Agent Osmo Martin admitted the possibility. "Maybe not. Nevertheless, I still maintain that No. 317 might be Mr. McCleer. Gov. Bright thinks it should be checked out. Now, the question is, if I am correct, how did he end up here? Who made him into a miner, and why?"

Sec. Ldr. Clyden sneered, listening to Osmo Martin’s accusatory tone. "What does that mean, Punk? If you have something to say, spit it out.”

Osmo Martin instead said. “If you think I am not suitable for my job, take that up with Gov. Bright. He personally asked me to this position, remember?"

Clyden nodded, disgusted. "I remember it very well. It wasn't one of Gov. Xavier's better decisions. Agent Samm, I want you to replace the Punk with someone else to keep an eye on these two troublesome miners. Find something different for Agent Martin to do here."

"Yes, Sir.”

Sec. Ldr. Clyden glared at Agent Samm as Samm remained standing there in place. "I mean, like right now, Me. Samm!”

"Oh! Oh, yes, Sir, Security Leader Clyden!" Samm hustled from the room of cages.

Sec. Ldr. Clyden instructed Osmo Martin, "Put your headset back on, Punk. While Agent Samm finds your replacement here, I will look about the mines, see what else Mr. Samm has managed to screw up. I hope you can act professionally while on your own here, until he comes back with someone to take your place."

"I think I can.”

“And, Punk..."

"Yes?"

"If you do like your job at all, try to enjoy it as much as you can, because, I assure you, you will not be in your position for very long. Carry on." Sec. Ldr. Clyden strode out the door.

Osmo Martin muttered under his breath, "Jerk."

No. 317 agreed. "Yes, he is." He gasped, and covered his mouth. A miner does not talk that way about a guard, especially Security Leader Clyden!

248 and Osmo Martin both looked at him, amazed to hear No. 317 let something like that slip out of his mouth. Then the two of them began to laugh at 317's gaffe.

Meanwhile, Sec. Ldr. Clyden made no actual attempt at inspection. Rather, he headed toward a certain tunnel on a lower level. No miner crew worked this tunnel. Maybe when more fruitful shafts were depleted of their ore, some day miners might return to digging in here. In the meantime, Sec. Ldr. Clyden found a low hanging light and stood on a boulder directly under the light. He reached up toward the ceiling from where the light hung, and he stuffed a tiny bottle into a minor crevice in the ceiling. "Just in case...

(c) drk 2012