Environment Bug's Arc

Chapter 4 of 7

Environment Bug walked the southern edge of the perimeter the next morning, checking the barrier posts he'd set the day before. A hiker stopped near the display board and studied the magnified soil samples for several minutes. Bug approached with a glass test tube containing soil and water. He shook it gently, and the liquid clouded with particles. The hiker squinted at it. "Is that from here?" Bug nodded and explained that the fragments came from the hillside just beyond the barriers. The hiker asked if it was dangerous. Bug said it depended on what you meant by dangerous—the pieces wouldn't kill you today, but they'd be here for decades, moving through soil and water. The hiker thanked him and walked away without another word. Bug returned to the small stone lodge he'd been using as a field station. Inside, he logged the morning's tests and updated his maps. A second hiker appeared at the open door and asked if she could see what he was working on. Bug showed her the microscope setup and explained how the contamination had two layers—the chemicals the crew would handle, and the fragments that required different methods. She asked if there was a plan for the second problem. Bug said he'd flagged it, but the crew coming tomorrow had tools for toxins, not plastics. She asked what happened if no one dealt with it. Bug said it would keep spreading. The woman pulled out a notebook and wrote down the site coordinates. She said she worked with a university research team studying soil contamination and asked if she could share his findings with them. Bug handed her a copy of his report. She read through it quickly, then asked if she could return with her team in a few days to collect samples. Bug said yes. She left with the report in hand. Bug sat back and looked at the barriers outside. The first problem had a crew. The second one had just found someone who wanted to solve it.