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53 Dead Air and Deadlines

"I found that terrorist- Scott's family. Where? A homeless encampment, near the new shoreline." The channel switches with much resistance from my whole being. Mama shouts, "Nope!" After a spin in the office chair, I shout back, "I know!" I lean on my palm and turn the dial from the static, "Thank you for coming, miss..." "Barbara." "Barbara here lives in the shelters the government seized. Barbara, can you tell us the conditions of where you stay?" "They divided the rooms into even smaller rooms, also-" "I'm sorry to derail you Barbara, I just got word that your building had a scare last week?" There's a sudden silence from Barbara, "Barbara?" "Sorry. I-" "It's alright, dear. We have all the time you need." "I-I woke up to my bathroom engulfed in tentacles. Tendrils wrenching onto the doorframe." She sobs, "I-I just ran and screamed out my little apartment, they c-called and soldiers burned the demon away. If it weren't for the soldiers, I'd be dead." "Barbara, thank you for coming in today, We'll be back later for the latest developments in Kinelt's darkest of times."

Countless channels with so much information. Lies, useless truths. My mind instantly clicks, back to the pages O'Malley gave me. I start writing down everything from memory. Also useless information and lies. Unless it was all code. My brain grinds against itself, against conflicting scrawlings of a losing mad scientist. "Markus!?"

Markus comes downstairs, "Why did you set up the radio in the basement?" "Devil goes down to Georgia. The bright radio technician goes for a taste of home, with biblical values buried underneath." I turn in the chair and his brow's raised, "What's that?" "Among everything O'Malley gave me, this is the only thing that sticks out. I get the first two lines, but what does the third mean?" Markus' face scrunches up and he clenches his fists, then takes a deep breath, "I got nothing." Now I'm raising a brow as he looks up at the ceiling, "Biblical values underneath, are there any bunkers on Kinelt?" With a sigh, I turn back to the radio, "Kaylin would know."

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"And we're back with a surprise guest, Commander Kaylin has started an effort to fight our famine problem by building greenhouses. Kaylin, we thank you for your efforts so far, but what about the countless shipments that you haven't dropped from Lady Liberty?" "These greenhouses are a gesture of good faith from the UGA Leadership. Our economy is shattered and people are killing to survive. I say we do one thing at a time, Rodney." "Another question, how is Ferron, the other colonies? On behalf of everyone on Kinelt, I want us to be the only ones suffering." Kaylin falls silent. "Commander, Please. Tell us the truth." "You can rest easy, you all have it the worst." "That is SO wonderful to hear. When will we be able to buy a ticket?" They both laugh lightly, "I'm afraid we must check on the other colonies first. Not even the president will be leaving with us. We will drop the shipments on departure." "When is the departure?" "Sixteen days." A silence takes over for a brief moment, "Kaylin, you are by far the most honest public servant I've ever interviewed." "It's because you can't ask what you don't know. It's my job to keep people safe so they never have to ask the tougher questions, like they are now in this crisis." Rodney takes an even longer pause and comes back with the calming voice, "This will conclude the Rodney Wheelhouse Hour, stay safe everyone."

"Damn it." Markus scratches his head, "What is it?" I lean back and rub my face, "They're bouncing it off several towers. I can't trace it." He sighs, "We'll find him." With a yawn, I pick myself up, "Sixteen days to stop a demon from enslaving everything. It's not enough time."

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