[From Max] There is no safe place here. The threat is underfoot. It’s in the ground. It’s in the walls. The body is thrown clear. Torso one way. Legs another. Both legs and the near-side arm. That’s the trifecta. Everyone else is knocked flat, or knocked out. Burned. Peppered with...

[From Max] The boss called me into his office. I strolled through the open door and stood casually at parade rest. The command environment here is not that formal, but small acts of professional courtesy reduce the ambient stress level. “Relax, sit down . . . “ He waved toward his couch....

[From Max] I have been asked, lately, what meaningful work is. I call most of what I do, from day to day, women’s work. Tedious, repetitive tasks. Ever more complicated reporting procedures. Ever-increasing amounts of bullshit. I look at some far-off date on the calendar knowing that this...

“May you live long,” the man said. I looked over my shoulder. Some old timer had followed me up the stairs. I wasn’t sure if he belonged in the building, or if he had just walked in off the street. “I think you’re the last man in America doin’ work like that.” “I might...