Chapter 24: Pity the Flu

[Kith Keitoleinen]

Kith noticed when Linnea emerged from the changing room and that she appeared embarrassed to be on the beach as well. They were pretty different from most everyone else on the beach. It made Kith feel as though they were from another planet.

"I think I am going to get into the water...since everyone is looking at my skin and its making me uncomfortable." Kith admits.

He leaves his towel on the shore and quickly enters the water, which was warmer and deeper than he expected.

"Oh, and be careful for jelly fish." He suggests to Linnea.

[Peter "Levitas" Barak]

Peter looked up from the files as someone entered the office. He wasn't deeply worried because this was a prefectly reasonable place for him to be but he felt the ping of concern that people who are doing things they know they aren't really supposed to feel when they may get caught in the act. Luckily, Mr. Dollar walked into the office. Peter smiled and relaxed.

"Of course, Mr. Dollar," Peter replied, closing the files he had been reading. When he first started working for Dollar Peter had often been annoyed that the man often seemed willfully ignorant of much of what went on around him. But after a few years it had become one of Dinari's most appealing traits. He was unsullied by the vast majority of the seriousness which filled the offices of Allmart. A refreshingly carefree individual.

And it meant Peter could get away with practically anything since Dollar didn't really know what he hired Peter to do, which was, in fact, to protect Allmart interests at home and abroad. Which he was certainly doing with this whole Eyes affair.

"The contract on the proposal for the Waste Relocation Project came down. The lowest bidder for the contract plans to construct a series of counterweight trebuchets to launch several hundred pounds of waste at a time either over the walls into Mexico or just straight into the Gulf. Since the machines are counterweighted they don't need crystals, just manpower to reset them."

As he spoke Peter looked over the man who was with Dollar. He looked familiar but a name didn't spring into Peter's mind.

[Bambi Engel]

Bambi takes a step toward her boss, but her paranoia quickly chains her to the spot. Annette was a proud woman. Pitying her and trying to comfort her would not end well. "A sick day sounds like it could do some good. It seems as if some sort of sickness is going around, probably with an accelerated speed because of the events in Rome." She says instead, agreeing with Annette's guess that whatever she got was caught in Rome.

"Yes, I don't remember getting into any real danger so..." She clears her throat, deciding to keep the mysterious events sounding the past day to herself. Rome had certainly been a lot of commotion. Still, she couldn't say that she disliked or enjoyed it. It was... interesting. "Anyway, I was just curious about the empty desks. It appears as if the reason for them are obvious though. Is there anything you require of me before I get to work?"

[Calithin Crest]

"Well now it's a party..."

I am pleased that everyone, even my father, is so concerned and being so proactive about this flu situation.

"So what are our thoughts on this? It seems a little unlikely to me that this flu came about all on it's own. Are we thinking... Terrorists? Perhaps corporate saboteurs in the form of our business rivals? Personally, I think it's terrorists. Epidemics are too hard to control for it to be another corporation. There would be no way for them to make sure they weren't affected themselves."

[Archer Aylmer]

As we drive along I look out the window and think about many things... Like how different Bonifaz and Armin are, how much I hate car games, how strangely color coordinated Florida is, how interestingly modern art has developed, ect.

"Eh hem... I like Black Bloc more than Anarchist Collective. But I really don't. Care. Why not call it 'Nothing'? That way when people asking what you're affiliated with, you can say 'Nothing.'"

[Linnea Korpela]

Linnea didn't the way that people were looking at Kith, she was so used to the color of his skin it didn't really seem that different to her.
"Jellyfish?" she gulped. Now she was super nervous, she heard about a sea creature that once killed someone, their tail had stabbed them in the heart. Little did she know that the creature was actually a stingray and not a jellyfish.
"I....ah....I might....I think I'll just stay up here in the sand." she said nervously.

[Horacio Hatfield]

"Perhaps the most democratic thing we can do is have a vote. How about everyone writes the name they want on a slip of paper and we will call the anarchist group whatever got the most votes. The choices are Black Bloc, Anarchist Collective, Nothing...or your write in vote." Horacio suggests.
The car ride has already been going on for a while and the roads are getting progressively worse. They are still passable, but it has been a while since they have seen a town. The landscape is swampy and wild.

[Dinari Dollar]

"Throwing the waste over the wall is the best bet...since I think that the garbage might come back to American beaches if we throw it in the gulf. I might want to develop those beaches someday." Dinari replies to Peter. He is happy that this waste problem is being taken care of. He had been dumping it in the Everglades, but, this will be a better long term solution.

"I have this other really good idea! I want to expand my development in to Georgia. I want to work on repairing some roads! And, I want to set up a second major city.....in Atlanta. I want to try to convince Countess Cola to invest in this project...and in exchange, she can like.....grow some trees in Georgia or...having some sort of bottling factory there." Dinari suggests happily, forgetting for a moment that the flu pandemic is sweeping across various companies. He goes to his mini fridge and pulls out a Countess Cola, the only soda brand available in the world. "Want one?" He asks the others.

"As for the flu...I don't know...." Dinari says, scratching his head. "Hey Peter, did you know there is some nasty flu going around. A lot of Allmart workers are sick. I guess..a lot of people are sick...."

[Annette Rosenthal]

"Could you drop this report off to the Moderator." Annette says and slides Bambi a slender file. "I was going to do it myself, but I am going home." She states as she puts on her jacket. It is a gray trench coat that doesn't look attractive, but, appears to be water proof. Annette coughs a little and reaches her hand in her jacket pocket. She pulls out a pack of cigarettes but decides to put them back.

At this time, Annette isn't aware that there is a flu epidemic spreading around the world. She just thinks that she has an isolated case of the flu. She coughs again. There are some messages in her voice mail and a memo that was slipped under her door about the flu, but, she is too tired to notice them.

"That's all I need..."

And with that, Annette leaves her office for home.

[Jumala Keitoleinen]

"You think terrorists are behind this?" Keitoleinen questions Calithin. He takes a soda from Dinari and takes a sip. "You would think that terrorists would try to spread something more dramatic and deadly. Not that flu can't be deadly, but people get the flu each year...and most survive without any complications. " Keitoleinen suggests. He thinks of what he would do if he were a terrorist. "Flu just seems a little weak and lame." He adds.
He sits on top of Dinari's desk and drinks the soda while contemplating this.

[Archer Aylmer]

"I vote for Anarchist Collective."

This is my least favorite of the ideas presented, but, ultimately it doesn't matter. Ultimately nothing matters. So I may as well act towards what I want as act against it. I tap my fingers on the glass of the window and notice the scraggly landscape.

"What a... Um... Wasteland... Hahaha."

I have sort of a strange sense of humor, and for whatever reason I find this whole situation very amusing and it makes me laugh for a long time.

[Salome Weil]

"I don't agree that this is the most democratic method. Anarchists should always strive to come to a consensus. So, maybe we should just adopt all three names and people can use the name they like the most. There is no rule that the group must have only one name." I add. My fever is getting worse. "I'm not feeling so well. Turn down the heat." I order those in the front seat. I crack open the window nearest to me so that some cool air can cool me off.

"So, I say, we pick all three names." I propose. "Since that is the most democratic."

[Calithin Crest]

"That sounds like a good idea, Dinari... Atlanta is where the players play, after all. But maybe you should focus on the situation at hand."

I don't understand how someone can be so easily distracted. It's really frustrating.

"Well, I think maybe terrorists wouldn't have access to more dangerous pathogens. You can't just get... Small pox... Anywhere. Or whatever. Where as a corporation would easily do something much more drastic and directed, with it's resources and connections. Regardless this sucks and someone should get on finding a cure so at least we can inoculate our workers... Or... Something. I don't look good in white masks."

[Lucio De Saldanha]

Lucio wanders around Allwhere until he finds some docks. He manages to find a boat headed to Cuba. He sneaks on board by hiding by some boxes with canvass over them. Now, he only has to wait until he makes it home. He is incredibly excited but plans to not travel for a long time. He's had too much adventure. On the other hand, he is very excited to be on a boat.

"I'm on a boat. Look at me, I'm on a boat...." He sings to himself from under the canvass. However, he decides that he had better be quiet since other people could hear him and that might cause him to go someplace he doesn't want to be...

[Archer Aylmer]

"Oh, you're not feeling well?"

I reach over and turn the heat up as high as it will go in the van. This immediately causes hot air to begin pouring from the vents. I then push a button to make the hot hair circulate throughout the entire van and sit back.

"Now isn't that better? I think that's much much better."

There's no real rhyme or reason behind this behavior, but I continue to laugh. The entire thing is very amusing. It is... However... Extremely hot now. I take off the thin jacket that I am wearing and roll my shirt sleeves up to my elbows.

"Mmm. What letter are we up to in the game? D? I see... Dirt."