Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 459

team, I want to assure you that your silence will be rewarded.”
“But this is screwed up. You sent people up there with a broken ship?”
“I was unaware,” Enzen quickly replied. Too quickly.
“You’re the head of the company,” he growled. “Of course you were aware.”
“Okay, I was aware,” he admitted. “But the risk was so small. It was just bad luck. There was only a five
percent chance of it happening.”
“That’s a huge percentage!” Zach yelled. “I wouldn’t go unless it was under 1, and even then, I would
still be debating in my head!”
“Well, if I don’t get there first, this company’s Space Program was for nothing!” Enzen calmed down. I’ll
give you quadruple the pay, and you’ll stay quiet. Deal?”
“I wouldn’t shake on it,” he replied. Enzen looked furious.
“A million bucks on the spot!” He said. “What about that?” Zach hesitated. His family needed money.
But he knew that future possible deaths weren't worth even that.
“No deal,” he said simply. With that, he walked swiftly out of the room.
“You are fired, Zachary Chen! You will never get another job in the GBA, ever!”
Zach ignored him. He was done with this company anyhow.
Immediately upon arriving home, he told his parents what had happened.
“Henry Enzen nearly murdered forty-two scientists,” he announced.
“Henry who?” His mom asked. “Did what?”
Then the phone rang.
*****
“Good afternoon,” a man said. “I am from the GBA Space Agency. We would like to ask you a few
questions to understand the situation that caused the rescue mission.” Without hesitation, Zach told them the
truth.
He explained how he’d gone to Enzentime, the Marscraft, the issue that was apparently there, and about
Henry Enzen, ignoring the safety risk, had rushed the launch of the Marscraft so it would happen one day before
another company, ‘Mars Explorer,’ did. Mars Explorer had cancelled the trip, but the Marscraft had still gone
ahead, ending up a disaster. That was all they needed to know.
“We would like to offer you a job,” the man said. “We would like you to be Chief of a new branch,
which we are labeling the ‘Spacewatch Program.’ There are thirty two large companies that are aiming on being
the first ones to go to Mars. We need someone who knows engineering that can check their projects for safety. “