Key West, Florida.
Dr. Alan Hughes was sitting on his small yacht.
He had a rusty fishing rod propped on the gunwale, the salty sea breeze blowing through his graying hair.
He was sixty-five years old.
Three years ago, he was a senior researcher at the United States Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy.
He had once led the design of a new modular reactor.
But after seven long years of environmental assessments, four congressional hearings, and a string of lawsuits from countless environmental organizations, the project was shelved indefinitely.
He was tired of it all.
He was fed up with politicians who didn't even understand the principles of nuclear fission sitting on high, telling him what to do.
So he retired early and moved to Florida, deciding to waste the rest of his life fishing and drinking beer.
Until three days ago.
A black envelope was delivered to his mailbox.
The sender was the Saint Claude Family Trust Fund.
