Occasion ... for Disaster

At the heart of this near‑future tale lies a single wayward transistor, a minuscule component whose failure threatens to cripple a multi‑million‑dollar missile program. The narrative unfolds in the cramped offices of the FBI, where Director Andrew J. Burris wrestles with an ominous, undefined menace that defies conventional analysis. Through dry, witty dialogue, the story skewers the endless cycle of congressional inquiries, media spectacles, and bureaucratic posturing that have long masked true accountability. As the mystery deepens, the reader senses that the real disaster may stem not from the technology itself but from the very structures meant to control it.

Burris’s uneasy partnership with his subordinate, Kenneth J. Malone, becomes a study in institutional inertia. Their exchange—part philosophy, part procedural rehearsal—highlights a government more comfortable with hearings and headlines than decisive action. The stage is set for a looming crisis that promises to test whether the system can ever move beyond ritualized blame.