Chapter 24: Pity the Flu

[Ariel Tal Shachar]

(To Max)

Usually the Speaker would handle media relations, but in her absence, The Moderator decides he had better give M TV a call to make sure the situation is handled properly. As a general rule, the Manalists and their supporters don't give out much information about emergency situations...unless there is a clear plan and clear understanding of how to handle it. Ariel is still waiting for more facts to come in. He hopes that Genetech will figure something out.

In any event, he gives Max Alexander a call in his office. He waits for the secretary to send the call through.

"Hello Mr. Alexander. This is the Moderator. I normally wouldn't contact you, but, the Speaker is busy at the moment and there are things to discuss..." He begins in a calm voice.

[Max Alexander]

Max had just finished sifting threw 150 emails when his desk phone range alerting him of a call. He wheeled over to his desk, waited for it to ring once, then picked it up. He was surprised that the moderator had called him.

"Well hello there, Mr Moderator. There is quite a stack of issues laying on my desk in front of me. What more things could there be to discuss?" He chuckled. "Let me know what you know."

[Ariel Tal Shachar]

"There is some sort of disease going around. It seems to be some kind of flu." The Moderator states, although Max is probably aware of these basic facts. "Is anyone at M TV ill?" The Moderator asks. He looks at the time and it is already nearly 7pm. Usually he tries to get out of the office by 6, but it won't be one of those days.
"Anyway, I think that talking about it on the news might make matters worse. I've contacted Genetech with the hope that maybe we can find out more facts."

[Max Alexander]

Max groaned. "Funny you should ask. I was just looking at a few emails. Around 83 employees have not been accounted for due to illness. That is a big problem when you are trying to run the biggest and only TV company." He shook his head. Not because the guy could see, but because he was just plain frustrated.

"Do you know if there have been any advances in discovering what has been going on? I am very out of the loop right now, which is weird because i am usually the first to know about anything that may be going on."

[Peter "Levitas" Barak]

The fights had not been interesting enough to keep Peter's short attention occupied and he'd lost track of Bambi after sometime searching through the tunnels of the arena. Once he'd lost her scent the hunt had grown dull. She was an elusive one sometimes. It was a curious situation.

Now he was back in Florida, in DInari's office, flipping through the man's papers. The boss often didn't go through the paperwork "correctly" and Peter had gotten into the habit of scanning the papers to ensure nothing embrassing happened to Mr. Dollar. The man wasn't just his employer and owner, he was Peter's personal project.

Dinari was, in simple words, the perfect America. As long as Dollar was around America would continue to live. When the time came, Dollar would assend to the proper position of ideal before a renewed capitalist force. But times like that may still be far off. These "Eyes" being placed above... they made his job more difficult.

Peter applied the rubber stamp with Dollar's signature to one of the missed pages, an order with an engineering firm to build a dozen counter weighted capaults to fire waste materials over the walls into Mexico and the Gulf. It wasn't a good method of disposal but Dinari would like it, he might even go to the site to see it in action. Perter smiled at the thought.

The current concern was the barges traveling south along the American coast. Pirates had learned they didn't carry anything worth taking, of course, but the Eye might soon pick up exactly what was being moved in such bulk into the southern tip of the land mass. Delays where needed.

The last of the papers in order Peter rose from his boss's chair, pulled on his white coat, and headed out the door. As he did he caught sight of himself in the window reflection and frowned. He looked too... Genetech. He'd cultivated the image for a long time to blend in but now... he wanted to look different. Well, he could do that. He was more or less in charge around here after all...

[Ariel Tal Shachar]

"I am trying to find more out at the moment, as we speak. However, in the meantime, the news shouldn't make much off it. Perhaps do some reminders that it is flu season and that people should wash their hands often and avoid those who are sick. It is just common sense. As for your own workers, I think the sick ones should be quarantined and not allowed back to work....until this is figured out. All offices and buildings should be disinfected ...putting some workers on staff as janitors even if that is not their typical job." Ariel suggests. As he tells this to Max, he sends an email to important business contacts telling them the same advice.
Because of the Manalists, there aren't the hospitals that there once were...and doctors are looked down upon. Disease afterall is a sign of weakness. Helping the ill only assists the weak. However, Ariel is more practical than that.

"Between the two of us....there is also another small problem. The Speaker, has gone missing. I hope that it has nothing to do with this flu." The Moderator says with concern.

[Tristan Tuzanic]

Tristan helped fight the Ice Elemental by opening up his dark vortex, a black and blue colored vacuum into a vague netherworld of his imagination. It was by no means powerful enough to suck the creature inside, but, the constant tugging of the void was enough to at least limit the mobility of the creature while more powerful Manalists fought the thing.

After its defeat, Tristan felt worn out...and oddly disappointed. Holy Week was now over and life would resume as normal.

He took a teleportation booth back to Helsinki so he could report to duty at the High Temple there. However, he is distracted along the way by a run down, pizza place...that also serves alcohol, in secret. He slips inside with the hope of some socializing, pizza, and drinks...

[Bonifaz Artz-Lehrer]

Bonifaz begins to wonder about the safety of having so many people at this one location, and so close to Allwhere. He watches Armin snooze and waits for someone to put Attis in his place. He has a bad feeling. Right about now, if everything went according to plan, people should be becoming sick with the Cat Flu. He thinks that they should lay...lower.

"Maybe we should move our little meeting to somewhere more remote. I feel uneasy." Bonifaz admits. He stands up and walks to the window. He glances back at Amelia. She might be able to protect them...to some degree...but, can she even be counted upon?

[Linnea Korpela]

Slowly everything was becoming more clear, and she started to remember and focus.
"Kith...." she murmured as she too began to feel the warmth. "we made it."
An expression of relief appeared on her face and a sigh followed.
"Finally, a vacation and your father doesn't know where I am. I can relax."
Linnea got very few time away from work and even less time away from Keito.
"let's drop off our things and head for the beach."

[Kith Keitoleinen]

"Good idea." Kith states, doing his best to be cheerful. It is a vacation afterall. He looks around and sees that things are much more developed since the last time he was in Cuba. There are many hotels and casinos, as well as bars and clubs. He is a little amazed that so much development sprung up seemingly over night.

Despite the towering buildings and flashing lights, there is still a beautiful coastline lined with palm trees. "Maybe we can just head to the beach right now and figure out accommodations later. I would hate to waste the daylight." He suggests. He can see people in sandals walking along the boardwalk and although he's never taken time to go to the beach, he feels excited to check it out.

[Max Alexander]

Max leaned back in his chain and groaned. More workers out sick meant more work for the rest of his staff. Just what he needed right now. "That is not what i want to hear, Mr Moderator, but we need to do what will keep people calm and keep other people from getting sick."

He got up and walked over to his minibar, mixing a quick drink before returning to his chair. "You say the speaker has gone missing? Nobody knows where he went? When was the last time somebody saw him?" Max returned to his computer and shot out a quick email to his advisor, letting him know what had happen. "This is not good Mr Moderator. Shit is hitting the fan faster than i expected."

[Calithin Crest]

"You're probably right..."

I excuse myself for a moment to call into the office and check up on how things are going. Unfortunately, it seems as though Crest Mining has also been hit with the Flu epidemic. I am extremely displeased to hear this news and immediately give orders to quarantine and re-organize operations.

I walk back to where Dinari is standing and let out a heavy sigh.

"Well, luckily we have some androids to supplement the lost labor... But for now operations will have to be seriously reduced. If this goes on for too long the world may experience an energy shortage. Lets hope it doesn't come to that."

[Archer Aylmer]

"Although... Doing something and doing nothing are equal... Doing something is usually more fun... And more expedient. Although we could, technically, wait for society to crumble... Which, of course, it will... This would take a very long time. So I think we should do something. Perhaps go somewhere. Thing of a name. Whatever."

This is not a very good group of people for productive action, as I see it. But I don't really care. I feel a vague lull of fatigue and mild apprehension. The success of the flu pleases me, but only on a remote level. Mainly I feel listless and a little uncomfortable; my expression remains blank.

[Linnea Korpela]

"that's a better idea," Linnea be, she is as excited as Kith.
Never leaving Helsinki,Linnea was looking forward to seeing life outside of her country. It seemed that she had a good tour guide. It made her less nervous, even if anxiety was second nature to her.



(Sorry I'm having trouble remembering what Linnea has and hasn't done yet. I promise my posts will get better)

[Bambi Engel]

With a sigh of relief, Bambi entered the first teleportation booth she reached. She was sort of used to them now disregarding the lurking thought of what could go wrong in the process. She knew she should be feeling aches all over (from sleeping in such a place) or at least something, but her body still felt better than she could remember for a long time.

She punched in the code for Switzerland. There was little point in worrying over such a thing. Honestly, she should just be glad she wasn't feeling ill anymore and that she was heading back to a familiar place. She made a quick decision to head home first before heading to Global Bank. The main reason was the fact she couldn't really show up to work looking so haggard.

Her body may feel great, but it didn't change the fact her clothes were wrinkled and smudged with dirt. She had no idea when the last time she'd taken a shower was. Quickly taking care of these problems back at her (thankfully not broken into) apartment, she begun figuring out the facts as she gathered bag. She'd only missed a day, Holy Week had just ended as the TV informed her.

Wonderful! Lifted of that worrisome burden, Bambi made her way to work in a more aware state. Odd, it appeared as if quite a few people were displaying the same signs of illness she remembered suffering from. She shrugged it off with a guess that it'd pass if she'd gotten over it so easily. Alright, so she woke up in a strange place with a broken television set that was still plugged in- but that didn't change the fact she didn't feel ill anymore!

The looming of the fence surrounding Global Bank was more than a welcome sight. Familiar was good. Unfortunately for her, she entered the head quarters only to be greeted by an unsettling number of empty work spaces. Had her co-workers caught whatever sickness was on the streets? Missing work, even when ill, was not something one did lightly in this Manalist world.

With a frown, she headed toward Annette's office. It seemed like the right thing to do even if discussion with Annette wasn't something she particularly looked forward to. She was greeted by... snoring as she approached Annette's office door. Straining her ears in disbelief, she notes the snore sounds rather unhealthy. Concerned for even someone like her boss, Bambi knocks on the door timidly. "Miss Rosenthal...? It's Bambi Engel."

((Post to Annette.))