Free Perfect Flaw by Robin Blankenship

prison, but from hastily whispered exchanges from colleagues in the Bureau and rumours spread in the Pub, he could puzzle together how the Council must have solved this delicate problem.
    Apparently the Council had decided not to raise the total food supply allocated to the Prison. That meant that as the number of convicts swelled exponentially in a matter of days, the amount of food given to each prisoner diminished accordingly. Consequently, the overpopulation problem had ceased to exist as the majority of the convicts or perhaps even all of them had perished for lack of sufficient food and water. Among the higher levels, this was considered an “elegant solution” that had left the City “purified”.
    A week went by, without any disruptions of normal life in the City. A fair number of apartments in his district, and probably all over the City, were now uninhabited, which could only mean that those people had been unmasked as subversive elements and sentenced. In the mess-hall where he went to lunch too, there were fewer people than before. It was clear the revolutionary feelings had penetrated into the higher levels as well, an extremely ominous evolution that had fortunately been stopped short.
    One morning Ross got up and noticed that a light rainstorm had left its stamp on his district. It was nothing serious, just bits of sand and dirt swept by the wind into corners. Still, he decided to call the Cleaning Squad. After breakfast, he went out to greet the Squad Leader who had just arrived.
    “Good morning. I’m glad you came quickly.”
    “Good morning, Inspector. What exactly is the problem?”
    “Didn’t you take a look around?”
    “Yes, but all I saw is a bit of sand here and there. Honestly, Inspector, that doesn’t look like an emergency situation that requires instant action from an entire Cleaning Squad.”
    “Just a bit of sand here and there. It may look harmless at this stage, but if more sand and dirt are blown this way, vegetation may start to take root before we realise what’s happening. We cannot take any chances. You know what troubles we’ve recently been through. And you know the City Council’s stance.”
    “Yes, of course, Inspector. This City was built for man and for man only. There can be no other living creatures here. Each intrusion of other life-forms is an infection, a menace for man’s survival that should be stamped out. Man is the crown of creation, and the City is his, and his only. We’ve been taught all that, Inspector, as you well know. But this is just a handful of sand. It’s not as if there’s an immediate threat.”
    “You appear not completely convinced of the City Council’s views,” Ross said. “That’s not an attitude expected from a Squad Leader.”
    “Come on, Inspector. You know very well that I’m a dedicated City worker. We’ve known each other for how long now? How many frank and open-minded discussions did we have? And have I ever failed you?”
    Ross just shot the man a cold, hard look.
    “Do you remember the difficult times we had a few weeks ago?” the Squad Leader continued. “Do you remember how my men worked around the clock until the crisis situation had been completely taken care of? How then can you doubt our commitment?”
    “I will not doubt your commitment as soon as you’ve cleaned up the sand and dirt soiling my district,” Ross said. Then he turned away his gaze, making it clear the discussion was closed. The Squad Leader returned to his men and gave them their orders. Moments later his district had been cleared and the Squad left.
    When he was at the Bureau to file his report, he let his thoughts roam for a few minutes. Should he mention the Squad Leader had shown some reticence in doing his job, had appeared somewhat doubtful of the City Council’s views? It was true that he had known the man for a long time and that he had a flawless track record. At least, until now. Admittedly, the last few weeks had been harrowing and