When he had added Fraleigh’s name to the list, he had to rush to the toilet to vomit. The second name gave him a sleepless night.
Now, nine months after Fraleigh, his thirty-ninth name on the list, he felt nothing at all.
“THIS IS THE news at six. The fuel shortage that has hit most of the centres in the country is about to get worse. We have two reports. Bill Ashley is in Edmonton and Susan Frank is standing by in Ottawa. First, we go to Edmonton. Bill?”
“Joanne, I’m here at a service station in Edmonton. As you can see, the line of cars stretches for at least half a kilometre. There are three other service stations in the area, but they are all out of fuel. There have been no deliveries in over a week. This station is the only one with gasoline, and it’s not clear how much more is left.”
“Bill, we have reports of violence at some stations in the country. Have you seen that where you are?”
“No. The lineup has been orderly. There was a confrontation about an hour ago when someone with a pickup truck tried to fill a large tank. Some of the people in the line got upset, but when the station manager refused to let him fill the tank, things settled down.”
“You mentioned there were three other stations in that neighbourhood. How about elsewhere in the city?”
“My guess is that four out of every five stations are out of fuel, and I expect they’ll all be out by the end of the day.”
“Are any more fuel deliveries scheduled?”
“Nobody could, or would, answer that question. Every service station has ordered fuel, but I haven’t found one that expects a delivery.”
“Does this shortage affect just gasoline, or does it include diesel?”
“Both. In fact, this station ran out of diesel two days ago.”
“Thank you, Bill. That was Bill Ashley reporting from Edmonton where supplies of gasoline and diesel are about to run out. We go now to Ottawa where Susan Frank has a report on fuel supplies. Susan?”
“Joanne, the Ministry of Insurrection Control has just announced a restriction on the use of gasoline and diesel. They made the announcement in a written statement instead of a press conference, which would be normal. We have been trying to get comments from the minister responsible, but nobody has answered our calls or emails except to reference the announcement. I’ll read the relevant parts from it.
“The government of Canada is imposing restrictions on the use of vehicular fuels. This restriction is the result of the failure of oil companies to provide sufficient fuel to its stations to meet normal demand. It is imperative that government agencies responsible for keeping the peace have sufficient fuel to fulfill their duties. Therefore, until further notice, all service stations are ordered closed. Existing stocks of fuel will be reserved for use by public transit, first responders, and agents of the National Peacekeeping Force. We expect to introduce a fuel rationing system within a month. Until that time, citizens are urged to cycle or use public transport.”
“Susan, have you spoken to the service station operators? Were they aware this restriction was coming?”
“No. This announcement caught everyone I’ve spoken to completely by surprise.”
“Do they have any insight as to why they’re not getting fuel?”
“Nobody would agree to appear on camera, but several operators said the refineries that supplied them had to shut down because of a lack of crude. I asked about transport from the States, but we have reports that tanker trucks are being stopped at the border. This shortage appears to be sanctioned by the government, if not caused by it.”
“Are there penalties for anyone who disobeys the restriction?”
“The announcement didn’t mention any, but we have learned from sources within the department that they are working on it.”
“There is the suggestion that people use public transit. That may be feasible in a city, but what about smaller or rural communities? Do these restrictions apply to them?”
“We don’t know if there are contingency plans in place, but the government’s statement makes no exception for smaller towns.”
“The announcement places blame for the shortage on the oil companies. Has there been any response from the industry?”
“We tried to get a statement from several different oil companies, but nobody would appear on camera. The written statements we did receive said they were monitoring the situation.”
“There is mention of a rationing system. But even that requires fuel. Has the government said how it intends to provide that?”
“No. And we haven’t been able to get any information about their plans.”
“Thank you, Susan. That was Susan Frank in Ottawa reporting on a government restriction on gasoline and diesel fuels. We have Norman Reimer on the line. He is a spokesperson for the transportation fuel consortium. Mr. Reimer, I understand that your organization is an industry association of companies that provide gasoline and diesel to service stations. What is your reaction to what we’ve just heard? The fuel shortages and the government’s restrictions on fuel?”
“The shortages aren’t a surprise. For months now, our member companies have been struggling to get oil to the refineries. We estimate that over the last year, they’ve been operating at less than one-third capacity. That’s not enough to meet the demand.”
“So your organization has known of these shortages?”
“Known? We’ve been yelling about them for months. We have issued forecasts of demand versus supply. We have tried to warn the public and the politicians of what’s coming, but we’ve been ignored. We predicted these shortages over a year ago. Nobody bothered to pay attention.”
“What’s your reaction to the fuel restrictions?”
“Whenever you have a shortage of anything, there has to be some way to allocate what you do have. Rationing is one way, but we don’t believe it’s the best. If the government would just allow the oil to flow to the refineries, we could eliminate the shortages in under a month.”
“Do you see that happening?”
“Given the tenor of the times and the government’s unwillingness to take any but authoritarian actions, no, I don’t.”
“What do you foresee?”
“That’s not hard. The only powered vehicles left on the road will be Peak, sorry, National Peacekeeping Force rovers.”
“And of course, first responders and public transit.”
“I’m afraid not. We know how much fuel first responders and public transit use. Compared to private and commercial vehicles, it’s minuscule, but so are our supplies. Within a month, there won’t be enough for any but the most limited use. My guess is that those will go to the NPF. If you need an ambulance, better call one now because in a month, there won’t be any on the road.”
TODD BAXTER STARED at the screen in disbelief. After the turmoil of the past few months, the riots, the imposition of martial law, the suspension of civil liberties, he hadn’t thought anything could shock him.
He was browsing through some new applications, ones he hadn’t been called upon to fix, when he opened a file with the innocent name, “Interview Centres.pdf.” It was a proposal, complete with floor plans, for facilities to interrogate potential subversives. The author was Commander Dimster himself. The file was labelled ultra-secret, which meant Baxter didn’t have the clearance to read it. But whoever created it hadn’t bothered to apply the security the file called for.
The report began with a preamble that said in part, “National security and the safety of our citizens require that we be able to interrogate suspected subversives to the fullest extent. While we recognize the value of civil liberties and protection of the innocent, we also know that there are elements in our society that intend to disrupt the peace that all citizens have the right to expect. Unfortunately, our police forces have been hamstrung by misguided concepts of individual rights and freedoms. They have been unable to properly interrogate suspects for fear of being criticized or even criminally charged. This document outlines the establishment of a national network of interview centres in which interrogations can be carried out without fear of civilian oversight or disciplinary consequences.”