UN Transcript of Dr. Richard Granger’s [Asst. Green Project Leader] Pod-Cast:

      “To whom it may concern: The project was first conceptualized by the former project leader [Dr. Chartreuse Blitz] and myself a decade ago. We couldn’t start the process until materials had been acquired and the funds available weren’t enough, so initially we had to take short cuts. In the end it all worked out, but we had odd findings until we raised enough money for the internal processors. The entire team had high hopes of success and complete faith that [Dr. Blitz] was steering us in the right direction.

      [Background Noise: distant gun shots and sirens.]

      Then we found out what he’d really been up to.

      On December 16th, 2006 at 9:30 am, our secondary geo-thermic reactor was shut down for an overhaul. The main reactor shut down twenty minutes later, and the back-ups failed completely. It was later discovered that they hadn’t been fueled. A series of brown and black-outs occurred, and amidst the ensuing chaos we noticed people running out of one of the project leader’s restricted labs tearing out all sorts of IVs, EKG readers, and other unrecognizable equipment protruding from various appendages. Apparently, he’d been conducting medical experiments on homeless and/or runaway people since the projects inception.

      I was also unaware of the ransoms he’d been collecting out of cities and small countries after issuing threats to their top officials. I was told of his unique fundraising ideas, but hadn’t been involved in any of those planning sessions.

      [BN: crackling and garbled radio transmission.]

      Once our new uniforms arrived [see exhibit G- solid green singlet with lightning bolt insignia] we began to suspect the true nature of our esteemed leader: A sociopath bent on world domination.

      Days before UN forces stormed the dormant volcano which housed our laboratories and Geo-Thermal reactor facilities, our project leader led a British investor on a guided tour. This struck me as odd since there had been no such tours given to anyone in the nine years since we had secured the facility.

      The investor was well dressed and accompanied by a very attractive Russian woman he said was his personal assistant. He was always cordial and calm and exuded a sense of quiet control. His accent made all the female technicians purr, but he had a tendency to turn up in restricted areas and gave vague excuses as to why he was there.

      I knew he was a spy and that it was a matter of time before we were invaded, which is why I began recording this MP3 and compiling evidence of the project leader’s crimes against humanity.

      [BN: (female voice) Self-destruct sequence initiated, T-minus one minute and counting.]

      Shit!

      ‘The Green Flash’, as the media dubbed him, had nearly destroyed the world with the technological advances my fellow scientists and I had developed while working for this madman over the past decade. Speaking on my colleagues’ behalf, I can assure you that we had no intention nor desire toward world domination, and had we been aware of The Green Flash’s designs from the start we would have found other avenues for us to progress with our research on an individual basis.

      [BN: (female voice) Self-destruct sequence initiated, T-minus 30 seconds and counting.]

      It seems the Green Flash has activated the facility’s self-destruct sequence. I am too deep inside to escape, and this pod-cast must be sent before it’s too late.

      The Green Flash has abused all of our advances in the various fields we had researched, and in the days leading up to the UN invasion of the volcanic island [now known as La Isla del Muerto Verde.] we did all we could to get out and save our varying research for their intended purposes.

      With my few remaining moments I wish to assure you, the people of Earth, that the only person responsible for these outrageous and dastardly schemes is the Green Flash himself. If we had any inkling of his designs on world domination we would have informed the proper authorities at the outset.

      [BN: (female voice) T-minus Ten seconds]

      I hope that these [9] words have convinced you of my own [8] and my colleagues’ innocence. [7]

      To my loving wife [6] Daisy and my sons, Reginald and [5] Jerome, I can only hope [4] you remember me for the [3] human being I was. [2] I love you all. [1]

      [0. Distant explosions begin.] Dr. Richard Granger, signing out.’

      Pod-cast ends.

About the author:

Damian M. Fazio is a Chicago native trapped in the ether, sending out his observations from time-to-time. He works on a wide variety of projects, including an independent comic book called ‘The Citadel’ (hitting the net soon), an array of paintings, a comic strip, and writing and editing for this prestigious publication, all in the hope that one of them will be his ticket out of mundane paycheck-to-paycheck work. To get in touch with Damian you may use a series of tubes (aka the internet). Please address all questions and concerns to damianfazio@yahoo.com.