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place, exactly?”
    “Now that’s a good question. You ever figure that one out and you’ll win the grand prize.” Another hacking laugh as Maz took a sip of his synthetic coffee. “Nobody knows for sure but we all have our theories. Underground, Antarctica, middle of the desert. One guy I know insists we’re on the bottom of the ocean. There isn’t a single window in the place, so your guess is as good as mine.”
    Hank took a big bite of his sandwich. It was a bit bland and soggy, but he ate it with enthusiasm. “You mentioned earlier I’d be working in a boiler room. Doing what exactly?”
    “You’ll find out when we meet with the lieutenant.” Maz checked his watch. “He wanted to see you in about twenty minutes.”
    “Lieutenant?”
    “That’s right. The Army Corps of Engineers runs this place and Lieutenant Hendricks is the head honcho.” Maz glanced at the table in the corner of the room and lowered his voice. “Just between you, me, and the wallpaper, he’s a real asshole. Rumor has it he was a captain before getting demoted. Used to be an infantry company commander, but every time his unit came under fire he panicked and made bad decisions. I guess he made one too many mistakes and was transferred here after getting bumped down a pay grade. And you can be sure he’s still pissed about it.”
    “What’s an infantry officer doing running a power plant?” Hank asked.
    Maz shrugged. “I guess they had to stick him someplace. It’s not much more than a babysitting job for him and his men.”
    Hank finished up his meal and Maz showed him around the rest of the complex. The area they were currently in was known as the commons. Besides the living quarters and cafeteria, the commons housed a recreation room with a lounge area and pool table. Maz explained poker night was every Friday and cribbage tournaments were starting to become popular lately. Down the hall, an exercise room with a few treadmills, elliptical machines, and free weights were available for any of the elderly men interested in getting some exercise. It was dark and empty.
    A movie played every Saturday night and each worker was issued a tablet, although it was only loaded with the plant’s library of books and outdated periodicals. No email or Internet access for obvious reasons.
    Like Hank’s room, the commons was clean and orderly but void of any decorations or artwork. And like Maz said, not a window in the place.
    After the grand tour, Maz took Hank to meet Lieutenant Hendricks. His office was in the administrative wing where the army staff lived and worked. Compared to the commons, it was an aesthetic step-up. The floors were carpeted and the doors wooden. Recessed lighting instead of harsh fluorescent fixtures. Along the way, they passed several soldiers. The young men were dressed in black fatigues free of any insignia except for an ID badge with their last name and rank.
    Maz stopped at Hendricks’s open office door. He cleared his throat and knocked twice on the door jamb. “Sir?”
    Hendricks sat at his desk, frowning at the tablet in front of him. “Yes?” He didn’t look up.
    “This is Hank Reed. You said you wanted to see him?”
    The lieutenant finally looked up. He looked like the typical career military man Hank was expecting. Probably around thirty years old with an athletic build. Clean shaven, short hair. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Stared at Hank with his bright blue eyes before looking back down at his tablet. “Reed. I looked over your file this morning. Have you toured the commons?”
    “Yep.”
    Hendricks clenched his jaw shut. “Mazanghetti, it’s my understanding you’re to inform all new recruits that officers in this facility are to be addressed as sir . Was I not clear about that?”
    “Yes, Sir,” Maz said. “Perfectly clear.
    “Then you either failed to do your job properly or Reed can’t follow simple instructions. Which is it?” He looked to Hank for