22:59

06:55

"Mister Stone!"

"Hi, Patrick. Good morning everyone! Well, how are we doing? We start in..." Roger once again looked at his left wrist, "... five minutes?"

"Yes, Mr. Stone, everything is ready."

"Well. Display the array on the screen.

Roger stood behind the head coordinator, Patrick, and looked at the wall ahead of him. The main checkpoint was a room of about fifty square meters, the walls of which were hung with monitors. In the center of the room was the Chief Coordinator's desk, while others sat along the walls near the screens. There was a monitor on Patrick's desk that showed the configuration for the day—a list of the department's employees and the numbers of the sections where they were supposed to work today; from 7:00 to 11:00, from 13:00 to 14:00 and then from 16:00 to 20:00. From the screens on the walls light from the streets shone in real time. It was here that the work of the "Offenders" was monitored.

The Offenders in Roger's department were the main people doing the bulk of the work. From the very morning, while people were just getting ready to go to work, at lunchtime and in the evening when everyone was returning home, the Offenders got into their company cars and drove around the city. Their task was to create dangerous situations on the roads, traffic jams and minor accidents, without, of course, danger to human life. Before being placed in the department, they underwent special training, then became trainees for three months and eventually took an exam after which a commission decided whether they could be released into the streets of the city. Usually Offenders were those who had already worked for some time in the corporation and had been tested for their loyalty to the ideals of Medicol. Like any employee of the corporation, violators signed a non-disclosure agreement. They were forbidden to talk about their work, mention the names of colleagues, and even to simply talk about Medicol.

Roger, like no one else, understood his Offenders, because until only recently he had been one of them. For almost ten years, he had gotten up early in the morning, had come to work, gotten into a car and opened his configuration display. He loved his job, understood its meaning and shared the corporate ideals of Medicol. That is why now, being in a leadership position he went to the control point every day and personally watched what was happening on the roads. Thus he, who had been on the other side, could see both the mistakes of the Offenders and dangerous situations that threatened to develop into disasters. Roger couldn't let such things happen. Not in his department.

"Patrick, zoom in camera 5690. Great," Roger raised his voice so that all coordinators could hear it. "You see, the Offender is focused on the black Toyota and is not looking to the left at all. And there, a little further up, a hole has formed in the traffic jam, through which cars entering the traffic flow from the left side are being let in. If he does not slow down and does not notice a car emerging from this very hole, the ensuing accident will have at least three victims. Sandy, tell him."

"Mm, tell him to stop?"

"Tell him to slow down until he sees yet another car trying to get into the stream through this hole."

"Do you want there to be an accident, Mister Stone? I think..."

"Sandy, you shouldn't THINK, you should KNOW. If speed is reduced to 20 kilometers an hour and the left rear fender is placed in the path of the Offender who will appear in the hole after three cars, the ensuing accident will collect at least three cars, but none of the drivers will be hurt. The speed is not enough. In that case, they will create a traffic jam twice as long as it is now. And if he does not slow down and someone flies out at him from the left, he will be flipped over and a tragedy may occur.

"Got it, sir," Sandy plugged in her earpiece and quickly began giving instructions to the Offenders.

Roger watched as the Offender who was driving straight forward slowed down, following the coordinator's words and waiting for his colleague who was about to show up to his left. Everyone held their breath. Three minutes later, an accident occurred, involving three more cars, in addition to the two belonging to Medicol Corporation. Patrick smiled tightly, making it clear that he admired Roger Stone's thoughtful actions, and the others turned to look at the one who had just created a traffic jam more than five kilometers long.

"Mister Stone, you are the brain." Patrick, although he had been the main coordinator for over five years, had never seen such a thing. Although to be honest, no one from among the leadership had ever come to visit him before.

"Nothing special Patrick. You will soon be seeing more of me." Roger put his hand on the Head Coordinator's shoulder and smiled with the left corner of his mouth.

Roger spent about an hour at the checkpoint, watching the team work. Even Christian, who this morning had clearly been out of form, proved to be a fine fellow, deftly slipping out just in time between a bus and a blue pickup truck, which were left standing waiting for the police.