playground for every crank and nutcase in the known world. All the people who specialized in U.F.O. and Bigfoot sightings would be burning up the Web.
That's not even counting the conspiracy mongers , Steve thought. Jax at the bowling alley came immediately to mind. These were the type of people who would take a small bit of real information and speculate on its deeper meaning to the point of psycho-sickness.
Deciding to use his usual method of mentally filtering the mainstream media and the Internet, he went into the second bedroom and turned on the computer. While it was booting up, he went into the living room and turned on the TV. His eyes were immediately glued to what was being aired.
A shot showing a deserted stretch of freeway cutting through a city Steve didn't recognize was on the screen. A reporter for CNN stood in the fast lane, waving expansively to his right as the camera panned to take in columns of dark, oily smoke lifting into the air from a score of burning buildings. One stood out in particular, a twenty-story structure that was completely shrouded in smoke and flames. Military, police and news helicopters buzzed in and out of view.
Turning up the volume, he only caught the tail end of what the reporter said.
"-reporting live from Birmingham, this is Carey Thorson. We now switch to Biff Grant, live on the roof of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota."
The screen changed to a view of a distant skyline as Biff did his voiceover. "Thanks , Carey. We're here on the roof of the Mall of America looking toward the city of Minneapolis which, as of early this morning, has been quarantined from the surrounding area. Although it's not quarantined in the usual sense of keeping people in but rather, in keeping them out."
The shot changed to a view of a perfectly coifed reporter standing in front of a huge, roof mounted air conditioner.
"After conferring with the Governor, the Mayor of Minneapolis, Tonya Harding, ordered the local police and the Hennepin County Sheriffs to institute a blockade of the city to insure the safety of its citizens from outside carriers of the HWNW virus. Utilizing natural barriers such as the Mississippi River and the freeway system that surrounds Minneapolis, the police stopped traffic on the streets and bridges, which crossed these barriers, and then set up barricades and command posts along the entire perimeter of the city. These are now manned by various law enforcement officers with orders to use deadly force to prevent anyone from crossing into the city.”
Holy shit , this is unreal , Steve's mind kept repeating as he watched the unfolding drama.
A map showing the quarantine zone flashed on the screen while Biff outlined the blockade. "On the southern end of the zone we have Interstate 494. This not only encompasses Minneapolis but also the southern lying suburb of Richfield. On the north is Interstate 694, while to the east and west lay the Mississippi River and Highway 100 respectively. Although this doesn't delineate the exact border of Minneapolis, it closes off a majority of it.”
The anchor in Atlanta broke in to ask a question. “Biff, did I hear you correctly when you said that Tonya Harding is the Mayor of Minneapolis? Is that the same Tonya Harding who was convicted of a plot to have her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, hurt so that she couldn't compete in a figure skating competition?”
Who gives a shit? Get back to the story and tell me what in the he ll’s going on .
The shot switched from a view of the map back to Biff, showing him looking intently at the camera as he cupped a hand to the side of his head, so he could hear the question on his ear bud. After a second, he nodded thoughtfully before showing off his pearly whites and replied, "The one and the same. As you know, Minnesotans have a history of electing former pro-wrestlers and failed comedians to public office as opposed to politicians."
" But how did she get elected?" Atlanta asked."Isn't she a
That's not even counting the conspiracy mongers , Steve thought. Jax at the bowling alley came immediately to mind. These were the type of people who would take a small bit of real information and speculate on its deeper meaning to the point of psycho-sickness.
Deciding to use his usual method of mentally filtering the mainstream media and the Internet, he went into the second bedroom and turned on the computer. While it was booting up, he went into the living room and turned on the TV. His eyes were immediately glued to what was being aired.
A shot showing a deserted stretch of freeway cutting through a city Steve didn't recognize was on the screen. A reporter for CNN stood in the fast lane, waving expansively to his right as the camera panned to take in columns of dark, oily smoke lifting into the air from a score of burning buildings. One stood out in particular, a twenty-story structure that was completely shrouded in smoke and flames. Military, police and news helicopters buzzed in and out of view.
Turning up the volume, he only caught the tail end of what the reporter said.
"-reporting live from Birmingham, this is Carey Thorson. We now switch to Biff Grant, live on the roof of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota."
The screen changed to a view of a distant skyline as Biff did his voiceover. "Thanks , Carey. We're here on the roof of the Mall of America looking toward the city of Minneapolis which, as of early this morning, has been quarantined from the surrounding area. Although it's not quarantined in the usual sense of keeping people in but rather, in keeping them out."
The shot changed to a view of a perfectly coifed reporter standing in front of a huge, roof mounted air conditioner.
"After conferring with the Governor, the Mayor of Minneapolis, Tonya Harding, ordered the local police and the Hennepin County Sheriffs to institute a blockade of the city to insure the safety of its citizens from outside carriers of the HWNW virus. Utilizing natural barriers such as the Mississippi River and the freeway system that surrounds Minneapolis, the police stopped traffic on the streets and bridges, which crossed these barriers, and then set up barricades and command posts along the entire perimeter of the city. These are now manned by various law enforcement officers with orders to use deadly force to prevent anyone from crossing into the city.”
Holy shit , this is unreal , Steve's mind kept repeating as he watched the unfolding drama.
A map showing the quarantine zone flashed on the screen while Biff outlined the blockade. "On the southern end of the zone we have Interstate 494. This not only encompasses Minneapolis but also the southern lying suburb of Richfield. On the north is Interstate 694, while to the east and west lay the Mississippi River and Highway 100 respectively. Although this doesn't delineate the exact border of Minneapolis, it closes off a majority of it.”
The anchor in Atlanta broke in to ask a question. “Biff, did I hear you correctly when you said that Tonya Harding is the Mayor of Minneapolis? Is that the same Tonya Harding who was convicted of a plot to have her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, hurt so that she couldn't compete in a figure skating competition?”
Who gives a shit? Get back to the story and tell me what in the he ll’s going on .
The shot switched from a view of the map back to Biff, showing him looking intently at the camera as he cupped a hand to the side of his head, so he could hear the question on his ear bud. After a second, he nodded thoughtfully before showing off his pearly whites and replied, "The one and the same. As you know, Minnesotans have a history of electing former pro-wrestlers and failed comedians to public office as opposed to politicians."
" But how did she get elected?" Atlanta asked."Isn't she a
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