The Button

          "Congratulations," Rob said to Jeb as he walked through the door, "Today's the day. You get to push the Button." Rob sat at his desk.
         "Yup," Jeb replied, setting his lunch box down. "I get to follow the mandate President Nixon set down. He was a wise man, even if I do not know why this button is so important. I am grateful for the job." He sat down putting his feet up and his hands behind his head.
         Rob was a historian that followed moments in history. He has a little knowledge of what the former President wanted. During the past administrations, there were many population studies, even before Nixon, there was a great baby boom. Scientists projected that the planet could not keep the population at the current growth rate. During the Clinton administration there was a conference in Egypt that tried to discuss the problem.
         Rob was the historian that read many declassified documents from the Nixon administration. He found that Nixon thought about the population problem before anybody thought there was going to be a problem. He was there to see if the Button was going to be pressed. He wanted it to be.
         "Well don't you think it is time?" Rob asked. He took a small digital video recorder out and started looking around the bunker. It was devoid of objects except for his desk and Jeb's. Against the wall was a glass covered button. It was big and blue with no distinctive markings.
         "No, I am supposed to push the button at noon eastern standard time. That gives us fifteen minutes. You said you would explain to me the importance of this today. You went through all of the trouble to get the security clearance just to be here in the middle of nowhere." Jeb wanted to know, Rob only got into the bunker six months ago. Jeb was grateful for the company. He had a great job, he sat around all day reading books. Some times he sat writing stories. He got paid a great deal of money just to sit and wait for today.
Rob looked at his watch, "What would it hurt to push it sooner?" He set down the camera.
         "Hey, this is my job. I have been waiting for this moment these past seventeen years." Jeb exclaimed. "I was lucky. It isn't easy to get a job. Too many people are competing for scraps. There isn't enough jobs and with the peace that had been agreed upon in 2035 the population exploded, with everybody getting along and a the technology developed, well you know."
Rob smiled, he did know. "Yea, we did talk about it extensively over the past few months. The technology keeps people alive longer." Rob sighed. The moment he had been waiting for was about to happen, he thought that it would not hurt to tell Jeb what he knew. "The button you are about to push will start a disease that has no cure. It might end the human population."
         Jeb's mouth hit the floor. "No way."
         "Yup," Rob sighed. "The military collected many deadly deceases over the years. Scientists engineered a bio-terror, that is resistant to most drugs. Your button starts a chain reaction all over the world. It will start controlling the earths population problem."
         Jeb sat and thought for a moment. He spent years in this room. He looked forward to his task. Today October 2, 2075, He was going to push the button. He would fulfill his contract. In the early years, he imagined he would be helping the human race. As the years rolled by, he decided it was just a job and he hoped nobody would forget about him. He had bills to pay and a family to support. Now, he was happy and sad about today. His job would be over. No money, no job and his first child was getting ready for her junior year in high school. Now he would possibly kill his own family. "I can't do it." Jeb whispered. "It's not right."
         Rob got up out of the chair. He had anticipated this. He grabbed one of Jeb's heavy books off of his desk. Jeb tried to counter the blow but his block did not work. Jeb laid face down on the concrete floor.
         All Rob needed was a sample of Jeb's blood to bypass security. He placed the blood on the read out tray next to the glass covered button. He pushed the tray in, the glass door opened.
Rob placed his hand over the button.