March 19, 2023
CASCADE
Colvin observed a door at the back of the ballroom. He hoped it led to a utility room with access to the rafters. The door required badge access. He opened it, walked up the stairs, and opened the door at the top. It opened to a large room. Two monitors and a soundboard were located at the front of the room. Two employees faced the ballroom.
One employee turned and asked, “Are you here for the trash?”
Colvin replied in Spanish, “Si.”
He went to the nearest trash container, grabbed and removed the bag, and emptied the contents of other small containers at the front of the room. He looked at the stage area. Four men in dark suits walked in from the right side of the stage. At the same time, one put his left hand to his ear and talked. All four immediately separated and began walking up the aisles. Colvin walked to the back of the room, set the bag down, and opened the door.
Someone from the room asked, “Can you bring up some hand towels?”
Colvin replied, “Si.”
As he rushed down the stairs, the door leading to the balloon opened. He immediately slowed down. An FBI agent was holding the door open for him. Colvin walked past, smiled, and said, “Gracias.” He exited the ballroom, walked toward the parking garage walkway entrance, and stopped when he saw a familiar face at the walkway entrance. He remembered that face from a news conference. It was Liam Doyle.
Liam turned into the walkway. Colvin walked to the walkway entrance and accessed a service door to the right. His badge allowed him to enter. A metal ladder was attached to the wall, leading to an access panel above. He climbed and opened the panel door. A rush of cool air entered. He pulled himself up and stood on top of the walkway. The air was crisp with a slight breeze. He was two stories above the road. He could see far down the street in both directions. He had to get to the other side before Liam, so he ran.
Once on the other side, he opened the roof access door and descended the ladder. He opened the door and exited on the side of the walkway. Groups of people were walking to and from the parking garage. He inserted himself into a group and walked. Once in the parking garage, he stepped to the side and behind a vehicle as the group moved forward. He looked at the walkway entrance and saw Liam entering the parking garage. He observed him looking in all directions and proceeding to the stairwell on the right.
Colvin walked to his car and grabbed a black baseball cap and black jacket from the back seat. He got into the car and then drove to the garage rooftop parking. Once there, he opened the trunk, spread the backpack’s contents, and assembled the rifle. He shouldered the rifle and walked to the corner of the parking deck opposite the convention center entrance. There was no sign of Liam.
He observed cars lined up for the valet. He used the butt of the rifle to break the bulb above him. Resting the rifle on the waist-high wall, he looked through the scope and framed a woman's head wearing a pearl necklace. With a whisper, he concluded, “Perfect.” It was now just a matter of sitting and waiting. He looked at his watch, which read 6:15 PM.
***
Working for the Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO), David Haskin stared at his computer monitor. He watched for power surges and line failures. His monitor mirrored the twelve-foot by fifteen-foot monitor at the front of the room. The MRO was one of six Regional Reliability Councils that, when grouped, were known as the Eastern Interconnection. The primary task assigned to the MRO was identifying, ranking, and ensuring effective and efficient mitigation of risks to the dependability and security of the North American power grid.
An area on the map north of Chicago began to blink. David spoke into his headset, “The system has detected a power demand overload north of Chicago.”
Through his earpiece, the controller on duty directed, “Isolate that line.”
David responded, “The line has been isolated.” Before he could confirm, a second area in Michigan began to blink. “The system has detected a power demand overload in Grand Rapids. The automated system is attempting to redistribute power to other lines.”
The phone rang, and David answered, “Hello, David Haskin at MRO. How can I assist you?”
“Hello, David. This is Steve Guise from Portland, Maine. We see unanticipated power demands at a number of our substations. Are you experiencing the same?”
David replied, “Yes. We are not sure what is going on.”
David ended the call as power distribution was disrupted almost simultaneously in Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia, and West Virginia.
David called the controller and warned, “This is a cascade, and we will soon have a total blackout. There are reports that substations cannot redirect nor isolate line disturbances.”
The controller replied, “We have received similar reports from the northeast and southern states. This is affecting the entire Eastern Interconnection.”
***
Liam was on the roof of the parking garage. With a handgun drawn, he walked behind the row of vehicles parked near the street opposite the convention center. He held both hands on the handgun as he walked, crouched below the tops of the vehicles. He saw the dark area on the rooftop ahead of him. When he passed behind the last vehicle, he quickly turned toward the street, expecting to see Colvin. Nothing. As he walked, his shoes stepped on broken glass. He looked up to see that the light had been shattered. Moving closer to the edge to see the convention center, Liam could see the valet parking area. Liam thought to himself, “This is the perfect spot.” He leaned over the edge and saw that the three decks below also had no light in the corners. Liam ran to the exit and sprinted down the stairs.
***
Colvin was four cars down from the corner, where he broke the light as he listened to the sound of broken glass underneath Liam’s feet. He could imagine Liam looking over the side of the parking deck and seeing other dark corner areas. He waited after hearing footsteps running away and the exit door closing. He stood from his crouched position and walked back to the corner. Kneeling, he raised his rifle, sighting the valet area. He suspected that because of the NMC Hydroelectric Dam failure, Wingate would not stay after his opening speech, and he was right.
Through his rifle scope, he saw Wingate and his two companions. By the looks of it, one of them was a bodyguard and the other a friend or company executive. Under his breath whispered, “There you are, Mr. Wingate.” He watched as Mr. Wingate approached the door.
Colvin took a deep breath and let it out very slowly to lower his heart rate. Wingate and his companions stepped outside. A valet walked past the trio to the next person in line. Wingate raised his hand. Colvin followed his line of sight to a limousine driver leaning against the vehicle. Seeing Mr. Wingate, the driver entered the limousine and moved the car where the three stood. The driver opened his door and began to go around the limousine to open the rear passenger door. Colvin looked through his scope. Accounting for distance and wind, he placed the cross-hair slightly right of the center of Wingate’s head and gently pulled the trigger.
Everything went black as if someone had flipped a light switch. The emergency lights came on in the valet area. People were running, and screams pierced the air. Colvin watched through his sight and saw a man lying on the pavement near the valet booth. The bodyguard had opened the door and pushed Wingate into the back of the limousine. The man on the ground had been hit in the shoulder, and another man crouched over him. Colvin lowered his head in disappointment but tried to remain calm as he sorted out his next move. The limousine attempted to move quickly, but cars were at a standstill because of the chaos. Flashing police lights and sirens bored down toward the convention center.
Liam ran to the next level down, to the darkened corner area, only to see glass on the pavement. He thought, “He’s still on the upper level.” He ran to the exit door and backtracked up the stairs. He slowly opened the garage door to the parking area. As he slowly walked, crouched below the tops of the vehicles, he heard a shot fired. Almost immediately after the gunshot, all the lights went out. Liam stopped. His heart was racing in the unexpected darkness. Suddenly, a stream of light was coming from the convention center. He heard screams, and then police sirens sounded. After his eyes adjusted to the available light, he continued until he was behind the last vehicle in the row.
Liam quickly stepped out from behind the last car. Colvin stood six feet away in front of him with his rifle pointed skyward. The emergency lights at the convention center backlit his silhouette. Colvin knew he was in a bad spot because he only had one bullet in the chamber when he fired at Wingate. Liam pointed his handgun at Colvin and sternly said, “Colvin, it is all over. Drop the rifle.” Car horns and police sirens filled the night sky.
Colvin did not drop his rifle but held it skyward with one hand. He sarcastically replied, “We finally meet Liam. Isn’t this a sight? Two veterans are standing face to face on different sides for the same reason. Oh, you’re surprised that I know about your service history. You’re not the only one that can do research.”
Liam questioned, “What reason is that exactly?”
“Justice.”
“You and I see things very differently.”
Still pointing his rifle into the sky, Colvin said, “You know there was only one bullet in this rifle, so I am unarmed.”
Liam could see there wasn’t a magazine in the rifle. He lowered his handgun but kept his finger close to the trigger. Liam queried, “My question to you is why?”
Colvin angrily, “Why! You’ve done extensive research on me and ask me why.” He slowly lowered his rifle and pointed it at the pavement. “The Wingate family has caused the people of West Virginia and my family great pain. Floods, mining accidents, polluted rivers and streams, the pillage of our land that they call surface mining, is just the beginning of their culpability.” Colvin asked, " And what did they say after Buffalo Creek?”
“I’m listening.”
Colvin shouted, “An act of God! Inspectors cited and recommended an emergency spillway two years before that disaster on five occasions. Five!” He scoffed, “An act of God. Hundreds of people lost their lives. Thousands were homeless when that impoundment dam failed - An act of God. My brother Asher trusted them. Even after successive violations, he trusted them. Where did that get him? A spot and a stone at Naoma cemetery.” He confirmed, “But you know Liam, and yet you ask me why.”
Liam inched closer, planning his next step.
Colvin continued, “Coal mine owners, lawyers, commissioners, and politicians are all making excuses. In 2010, another avoidable disaster struck the Necro Metallum coal mine, and miners lost their lives. They ended up closing the mine, but the death toll still mounted. My brother Asher died because of that. My grandfather died in the Buffalo Creek disaster. My father left for Detroit, wanting no part of that mine. My brother and I grew up in poverty, and my mother struggled to support us.” Colvin moved closer and screamed, “And you ask me why!”
Liam reached out and caught him off guard. In one continuous movement, Colvin swung his rifle, striking Liam on the side of the head. Liam fired his handgun. Colvin grabbed at his side and felt the warm blood on his hand. Both lay on the pavement. Colvin bleeding. Liam unconscious. Colvin, holding his side, struggled to his feet and walked away.