The cassette recorder purred round and round as the hushed voice spoke of the last of everything he knew. A large calloused finger clicked the machine to a stop. Placing the last recorded tape in the bag he sealed it shut. 

The cool breeze stung the landscape. It was a gloomy day, just as always in the god forsaken place. Gus looked out the window of his apartment noting the little black flakes that floated downwards gently from the sky.  Silently he watched the car parked on the opposite side of the street. Apart from the lone car the street was deserted. Just distinguishable in the car was the outline of a man. Although his face was not visible Gus knew that this man’s eyes were constantly scanning his apartment building.Since becoming head nuclear scientist 20 years before Gus had been watched everyday and every night. It had irritated him in the beginning but now he had learnt to endure it. After one last long look at the street below Gus stepped away from the window, stepping silently over to the plain white table. 

From the clutter of papers and complex mathematical equations, Gus fished out a recent newspaper. Grabbing his square rimmed glasses he scanned the front page. As always it provided similar information: the high radiation levels of up to 3000 rems in the danger zones spread around the area outside the city. It warned citizens not to go anywhere without their radiation meters and their radioactive protective suits in case of emergency. Headlined in big bold letters were the words Your Government Protects You.  

Dropping the newspaper Gus slumped back into his chair. His bald head was slicked with sweat. He became aware of the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and realised that he had been manically chewing the inside of his bottom lip. Closing is eyes Gus retraced the events of the day in his mind. It had started like any other normal day. That morning the rumbling silver Rolls Royce had arrived to pick him up. The luxury of having an important position within the city. His usual feeling of dislike for the driver, Donny, had remained the same .His drooping black moustache and darting shark-like eyes were enough to show Gus that Donny was not someone he could trust.  They had rumbled through the pristine streets, meeting armed soldiers stationed at every checkpoint exactly one kilometre apart from each other. Just as always the buildings on the outskirts of the city seemed frozen in time with most still being the originals from the 1950’s. As they made their way toward the city centre the types of buildings started to evolve. Modern and flashy replaced old and depreciated. People began to appear, with each individual carrying a briefcase or a backpack which held mandatory radioactive protective suits issued by the government. They at last arrived at Gus’s place of work. A square shaped building of four storeys. Lines of tinted windows were fitted around the building. Designed so that you could look out but not in. Inside the layout was similar to a hospital with multiple different wards on each floor. People in white lab coats marched around holding clipboards.

After being escorted by a security guard up to his lab on the fourth storey Gus quickly  immersed himself into his work. At exactly midday he had done his daily measurements on samples from radioactive areas around the city. Expecting high radiation levels as always he waited patiently for the results. At last the numbers appeared on the screen. After analyzing the numbers Gus felt the colour drain from his face. Swiftly he reloaded the results again scrutinizing every last detail.  Voices screamed in his head what the hell am I going to do? Oh my god they’ll kill me if they find out!