The Solution

The Solution

Reports from the
Municipal Union for the Restoration and Distribution of Energy and Resources

Commencing Biomass Trial 1: The Solution (alpha 1.0)
Procedure:
1. Collect dead organic material (i.e. logs, expired animals) from areas of forest in Northeastern United States
2. Transfer materials to Base 1, NYC
3. Convert materials to bio-energy through thermal conversion (other methods may be used if method is unsuccessful)
4. Test Bio-fuel in prototype vehicles

Trials begin in New York City on November 18th


Trial 1: Failure due to lessening supplies of organic material
Commencing Biomass Trial 2: The Solution (Alpha 1.1)
Procedure:
1. Increase deforestation rate so as to acquire wood from living trees in larger amounts
2. Transfer materials to Base 1, NYC
3. Separate materials into two groups for trials
4. Convert one group to bio-energy through combustion and on through thermal conversion
5. Test Bio-fuel in prototype vehicles

Trials begin in New York City on December 1st




I cleared my throat and looked over the report one last time before stepping into the council room.
“Thank you for joining us tonight, John. I assume you’ve been preparing to argue your side for quite a while?” wheezed the very, very old chairman of the board, Mr. Clark, at the head of the long table. I nodded sharply and took my seat.
“Well, John,” said the man next to me, Mr. Miller, “What do you have to say? We are prepared to carry out the operation. Unless, of course, you plan to convince us otherwise.”
I took a deep breath and began to state my thesis, “My opinion is that the biomass trial is not the best solution to the issue of our constant loss of fossil fuels.”
“And why is that, John? Do you have an actual reason for this opinion, or are you just stating without supporting?” asked Mr. Reed.
“Well, to start off, dying trees and animals are abundant now, but if we begin using this system all over the country, we will use up the organic material before nature creates more. Then we’d have to start using living trees, and we don’t need to be cutting down more forests than we have already.” I tried to speak as slowly as I could so as to not give off the impression of being as nervous as I really felt. “To add to that—“ I was interrupted by Mr. Graham.
“Trees are a renewable resource, you know. They will grow back.”
“Yes, yes, I know that,” I said, “but at the rate we are destroying the forests, they won’t have time to grow back before we get rid of them.” Mr. Graham shook his head, but he didn’t say anything to prove me wrong. I had done my research. “A tree takes five to ten years to grow to what you would call an ‘average sized tree’. Would you like to know how long it takes to cut a tree of that size down?” I didn’t wait for them to answer. “With the type of machines people are using for deforestation these days, it can take under a minute. Now imagine that full scale.” I paused for a second. “We run out of trees, we run out of air to breath. We die.” Dramatic, I thought to myself, good.
“There are always other options,” said Mr. Clark, shakily removing his glasses. “Besides, this is clearly our best bet, as it’s the only energy source that we can guarantee will renew itself. We’ve tried wind and water to power electricity, but we still have nothing to use for fuel. This is our only real option.” I sighed. I thought that argument was convincing enough.
“All right,” I said, “What about the fact that by burning organic matter, we are still creating carbon, polluting the atmosphere?”
It was Mr. Ferguson the consulting scientists turn to speak up. “I’ve recently developed a technology to filter the products of combustion, such as carbon, out of the atmosphere. Instead of filling our skies, it is stored in liquid form. Besides, it causes very little carbon emission into the atmosphere compared to most energy sources, and all that it does is removed when more trees and plants are grown. So far, it’s one of the most efficient energy sources.” I looked down at my notes, trying to hide my exasperation. I’d worked so hard on what seemed like a sound argument, and they just weren’t budging.
“Are you all right, John?” asked Mr. Clark, noticing the look of frustration on my face, “I’m sorry, but it seems like we’ve made our decision. Biomass Trail 1: The Solution commences next week.”
“But… but you can’t… you don’t have any permission from—“ I sputtered.
“Enough, John,” Mr. Miller interrupted, “our decision is final. Stop it with this childish protesting.”
I left the council room in a rage, furious that they hadn’t listened, furious that their argument was completely unreasonable… I knew what their plans were if Alpha 1.2 didn’t succeed, and I didn’t want to think about what could happen if the Beta failed.


Trial 2: Failure due to protests against deforestation by public and government
Commencing Biomass Trial 3: The Solution (Beta 1.0)
Procedure:
1. Capture rodents (i.e. Squirrels, rats, mice) within the city
2. Transport rodents to Base 1, NYC
3. Terminate rodent life (see Vial 1)
4. Separate into two groups for trials
5. Convert one group into bio-energy through thermal conversion and one through gasification
6. Test Bio-fuel in prototype vehicles

Trials begin in New York city on December 24th


Trial 3: Failure due to public recognition and disapproval
Commencing Biomass Trial 4: The Solution (Beta 1.1)
Procedure:
1. Capture wildlife from areas of forest in Northeastern United States (i.e. deer, opossum, mountain lions—farther north)
2. Transport (tranquilized if necessary) wildlife to Base 1, NYC
3. Terminate animal life (see Vials 3 and 4)
4. Separate into two groups for trials
5. Convert one group into bio-energy through thermal conversion, and one through pyrolysis.
6. Test Bio-fuel in prototype vehicles

Trials begin in New York city on January 10th


“I can’t believe you’re going through with this. It’s illegal. I can’t believe I haven’t reported you. You could all go to prison for this.” I paced back and forth in Mr. Clark’s office. “You know it’s wrong, Simon, why aren’t you stopping them?” I demanded, turning to Mr. Clark. “You’re the chairman—don’t you get any say in what goes on around here?”
“Listen, John. They’ve told me their plans, and while it seems immoral, I have to say that they’re right about many things. We’ve tried, believe me, to find another source of energy, but all of our plans have failed so far.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We’ve taken measures before this one to change the situation. We’ve tried wind energy, hydro-energy, solar energy, John, it’s all failed. This is our last resort.”
“Why hadn’t I known about this before?”
“We had these meetings and discussed the other options in the days before you worked here. Not many people know about us. We try to keep everything under the radar until we confirm any plans.”
“Things get out, Simon. You know that just from the latest trial 3 failure. If that was disapproved by the public, then Trial 4 definitely will be. Not only are you killing vermin, now you’re killing wild, almost endangered animals? This can’t continue...”
“John, I’ve already explained, there’s no other way.”
“This doesn’t work any better than the other methods you’ve tried before.”
“There are things you don’t know, John, things I can’t tell you. But this needs to go through. There are more advantages to it than you realize.”
This left me speechless. If they weren’t going to tell me all of the information, I had no way of backing up an argument.
“I can’t do this, Simon. I can’t work for someone who kills innocent creatures.”
“Then you are dismissed, if you wish to be. John, that is your decision, but I beg you to stay. You are an important aspect to our plans.”
“What is that supposed to mean? If you won’t tell me anything, how am I supposed to agree to stay here?!”
He sighed. “Well then, John, I suppose I will have to share our plans with you. But you mustn’t tell anyone about this outside of the organization. It is highly classified.”



Trial 4: Failure due to government shut-down of association and loss of employees. Continue as planned, under high security and in new location.
Commencing Biomass Trial 5: The Solution (Beta 1.2)
Procedure:
1. Collect deceased human remains from crematorium
2. Transport material to Base 1, new location, NYC
3. Convert material into bio-energy through thermal conversion
4. Test bio-fuel in prototype vehicles

Trials begin in New York City on January 28th


I couldn’t believe my ears when he told me their newest plan. Human bodies! They were going to be using human bodies! I didn’t even want to ask how they were going to acquire them. While they weren’t technically doing anyone harm, there was something very off about it. I now knew what these people were capable of, and I knew I had to do something about it. But what could I do? I was just one person, and they were a huge, country-wide organization. I couldn’t take down the one in NYC, let alone every branch in the United States. These people were dangerous. If I tried to spread the word, they could do terrible things to me, I’m sure. They’re probably even monitoring everything I say. In a frenzy, I went through my bag, looking for some sort of recording device. I found nothing. Feeling a bit more relieved, I headed home for the night. Maybe I could come up with a plan to stop this from going through if I slept on it.


Subject 1, aka Jonathan Daniel Luther, has ascertained the truth.
Intentions to corrupt plans of the Municipal Union for the Restoration and Distribution of Energy and Resources have been reported.
Public knowledge of the Final Solution is unacceptable.
Please deal with the situation in the manners previously formulated.


I found myself in Mr. Clark’s office once again, but this time another man was sitting at Clark’s desk. I had been called from my usual position as the manager of the front desk, and was told to report to the chairman immediately. I did as told, not wanting to face the consequences of disobeying this possibly deadly company. The man had greasy, dark slicked back hair and a large, misshapen nose. He looked to be in his late fourties. He was the first to speak.
“Well, Mr. Luther. It has been reported that you know of our plans for the future?”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Clark told me about them.”
“Mr. Clark has been dealt with. Now there’s only you who knows about it, aside from the individuals who have been working on the project. I hear you have very strong opinions on this subject?”
“Yes, I do, sir. I feel that—“
“I did not ask for you to share them. I was only confirming the rumors I’d heard.” I noticed that two other men in white suits had entered the room. I couldn’t see their faces—they were obscured by surgical masks.
Suddenly, they both lunged towards me and held my arms behind my back so that I couldn’t move. I struggled to escape their grasps, but they were too strong for me. “This is ridiculous!” I shouted, “What are you trying to get away with?”
“The population is getting out of hand, Mr. Luther, did you realize that?” I felt the blood drain out of my face. I couldn’t speak, they were covering my mouth, but I knew what he was going to say next. “It looks like it’s down to us to control it now.” A sick smile spread across his face. “It’s a win-win deal, really. We get our energy, and it helps to solve the overpopulation issue that is threatening to impend on us in the near future.” I wanted to throw up. “Of course, we haven’t tested the Final Solution quite yet. I was thinking that… well, maybe you could be our first volunteer, Mr. Luther. How would you like that?” I tried to scream for help, but I couldn’t open my mouth. “Take him downstairs,” he said, addressing the men. He thought for a second. “Oh, and don’t use Vial 5. Be creative, have some fun with it.” He smiled again. “Bye, John. I’ll see you later! Well, in some form, anyway.”


Trial 5: Failure due to difficulties in acquiring materials
Commencing Biomass Trial 6: The Final Solution
Procedure:
1. Capture (previously determined) subjects 2-25
2. Transport (tranquilized if necessary) subjects to Base 1, NYC
3. Terminate subject life (see Vial 5)
4. Convert materials into bio-energy through thermal conversion.
5. Test bio-fuel on prototype vehicles
Note: This is the final trial. If successful, telegraphs will be send to all 50 bases globally, allowing the solution to go underway worldwide.

Trials begin in New York City on February 12th