When All Else Fails (A Push of a Button Novella)

Chapter One

FANS WHIRRED OVERHEAD in the shadowed rafters and blew cold air over Vivian McGayen. She strode to the nearest computer terminal and plugged her holo into it. With a glance at the door, she turned her attention to the task at hand. Downloading the information she was supposed to be grabbing and finding the answers to her questions. Twenty minutes down here with only a single guard to keep an eye on her. That's what the McGayen name bought from the government. It was more than most got. Most never got a chance to see what really went on behind the scenes.

What she already knew? Well, that was more than enough to make her angry. What she was looking for had a good chance of making her even angrier. No, actually, she was already very, very angry. The walk in the park three days ago had accomplished that. All her life, this government had told her, told everyone, that God didn't exist. But they had lied. They had lied! She'd never fully trusted any of the thin faced weasels that made all the decisions for commoners like her. Still, they controlled everything. Didn't that give them a responsibility?

She glanced back at the guard, who smiled at her and turned his attention back to his personal holo. Naturally, he didn't care. He liked her. Most of them did. She was the heir to the McGayen legacy, after all, and she would be the one who took up her father's mantel to help install the buttons that gave people the abilities the government wanted them to have.

With a tap of her finger, she downloaded the information she was supposed to be looking for—retrieval orders for buttons whose owners were deceased and the coroner's reports for each—and moved on to what she wasn't supposed to look for. Where would it be? Her access allowed her into just about anything, and her father's access did allow everything. He'd given her his access card because he was too busy to get the reports himself and she couldn't download the button retrieval orders. Thanks to him, she'd find what she needed if it was in here.

Fifteen minutes later, she had it. She skimmed over the files, but her twenty minutes were almost up, so she hastily downloaded it all onto the holo to read and absorb later. The guard sauntered up to her with a smile. "Time's up, sweetheart. You have what you need?"

She plastered a smile onto her lips, her heart fluttering wildly. He knew. He knew. No, no. He couldn't know. He wasn't paying any attention to her while she was working. Thank goodness for government employees and union workers who didn't want to do anything. She pressed her holo to her chest with a more genuine smile. "I got everything, Mills. Thank you."

"Then let's get out of this place. Gives me the creeps."

"Yes, I suppose it does." She shivered and walked out ahead of the guard.

She'd done it. Finally, she had answers, and she'd see whether or not what she'd read in that little book in the park was true. If it was, she'd make sure she destroyed them for what they'd done. Anyone who did such heinous things to gain complete control over others should fall and fall hard. Whatever she found, she had to make sure to share it with Seb. Her best friend had all the same questions she did, and she had to make sure he had answers too. Otherwise, neither of them would ever put this behind them.

SEBASTIAN STEPPED OFF the lift with a weary groan. The faces around him all held placid smiles, perfect images of the poise and tolerance society loved so much these days. Not that he had anything against it, per se, but the lengths some people went to... Well, there just ought to be a limit. He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes to make it to his mother's. Ten minutes for something to go abominably wrong, knowing his luck. But, if he just avoided any situations that might require the use of his button, all would be well. As long as the button didn't have to get involved, life was generally not too bad. Good, even, on occasion.