Cameron picked up the phone and said, “Hello.”
He recognized President Fitzhugh's voice immediately, “Your phone may be bugged.”
“It wouldn't surprise me. What do you recommend?”
“There's a cell phone in your mailbox.”
“Okay...” was Cameron's surprised and confused response. He heard Fitzhugh hang up and then headed for the mailbox.
Chloe asked, “Who was that?” Cameron signed that it was the president. The mailbox started to ring.
When Cameron picked up the phone he said, “They probably monitor cell traffic.”
“Which is why this is encrypted and I'm going to be very vauge,” Fitzhugh said. “I just called to say that if you're going to make a stand do it now. If you wait it will be too late.”
“I...” He wanted to say so much, but he'd already said it all. He already told the president that this was destined to fail. He already tried to convince him the resources would be better saved for the future and the lives would all be wasted. He'd tried to stop it. Nothing came of it. Cameron finished his sentence, “understand.”
“Good luck.”
“To you as well,” Cameron said, knowing it wouldn't be enough. The call ended. Cameron signed to Chloe that World War III had come and that he was going to the office.
-
He'd called ahead and asked Alice to contact everyone and tell them to come in. Most people arrived ahead of him. There was a chance that the offices were also being monitored, but he didn't have much choice, all of the resources were there. He hoped that the Chicago offices had escaped scrutiny since he moved to New York.
He opened up with, “The third world war is about to start and we have to figure out what we're going to do about it. Anyone who likes our employer can leave now.” No one did, there was a possibility that some were staying around so they could report back to the government, but Cameron preferred to think that it was simply the case that none of them liked to bury stories and after 18 months of being told to do that they were ready for a little rebellion.
He explained that what was happening had been foretold, that the rebellion was prophesied to fail. That if they convinced people to take up arms the might be sending them to certain, and meaningless death. He also shared Fitzhugh's argument, that if things couldn't be changed then they couldn't make it worse, but if change was possible perhaps victory was as well.
Everyone leaned in the same direction. When Cameron said the rebellion was destined to fail, someone from the literary desk offered, “We defy augury.”
When he pointed out that Nicolae's forces had an overwhelming advantage Verna said, “ὑπὸ σκιῇ ἔσοιτο πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἡ μάχη” and then had to explain that it meant, “then we will have our battle in the shade,” and was originally said by Dienekes at the battle of Thermopylae after it was discovered that the Persians had enough bowmen that their arrows would blot out the sun.
When he said that they might be defying the divine plan, Alice said, “Then we'll go to Hell.”
In the end someone said, “I don't have a neat line prepared, but I say we fight the bastards.” Everyone else agreed with the sentiment except for one intern who proved that there were still references left to make, he said, “I'm all out of bubblegum.”
Cameron looked at the group, prayed that he wasn't going to get them all killed, and said, “Then it's decided. Send the word out to everyone, this is the moment they've been waiting for. Every story you've been forced to bury, dig it up. By the end of the day I want the whole world to know that siding with Nicolae is selling your soul. I want them to know that if they're going to take a stand they should stand against him.”
Realistically there was no way they could avoid detection in this effort. But if those in power in the government were too busy preparing for war than paying attention to the media machine they had created, perhaps some word would get out somewhere.
Cameron hoped to get at least one newspaper printed before goosesteeping thugs shut him down. Though he knew that the real hope was in television, radio, and the internet. The message could go out immediately there.
The message was simple: The revolution starts now.
He recognized President Fitzhugh's voice immediately, “Your phone may be bugged.”
“It wouldn't surprise me. What do you recommend?”
“There's a cell phone in your mailbox.”
“Okay...” was Cameron's surprised and confused response. He heard Fitzhugh hang up and then headed for the mailbox.
Chloe asked, “Who was that?” Cameron signed that it was the president. The mailbox started to ring.
When Cameron picked up the phone he said, “They probably monitor cell traffic.”
“Which is why this is encrypted and I'm going to be very vauge,” Fitzhugh said. “I just called to say that if you're going to make a stand do it now. If you wait it will be too late.”
“I...” He wanted to say so much, but he'd already said it all. He already told the president that this was destined to fail. He already tried to convince him the resources would be better saved for the future and the lives would all be wasted. He'd tried to stop it. Nothing came of it. Cameron finished his sentence, “understand.”
“Good luck.”
“To you as well,” Cameron said, knowing it wouldn't be enough. The call ended. Cameron signed to Chloe that World War III had come and that he was going to the office.
-
He'd called ahead and asked Alice to contact everyone and tell them to come in. Most people arrived ahead of him. There was a chance that the offices were also being monitored, but he didn't have much choice, all of the resources were there. He hoped that the Chicago offices had escaped scrutiny since he moved to New York.
He opened up with, “The third world war is about to start and we have to figure out what we're going to do about it. Anyone who likes our employer can leave now.” No one did, there was a possibility that some were staying around so they could report back to the government, but Cameron preferred to think that it was simply the case that none of them liked to bury stories and after 18 months of being told to do that they were ready for a little rebellion.
He explained that what was happening had been foretold, that the rebellion was prophesied to fail. That if they convinced people to take up arms the might be sending them to certain, and meaningless death. He also shared Fitzhugh's argument, that if things couldn't be changed then they couldn't make it worse, but if change was possible perhaps victory was as well.
Everyone leaned in the same direction. When Cameron said the rebellion was destined to fail, someone from the literary desk offered, “We defy augury.”
When he pointed out that Nicolae's forces had an overwhelming advantage Verna said, “ὑπὸ σκιῇ ἔσοιτο πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἡ μάχη” and then had to explain that it meant, “then we will have our battle in the shade,” and was originally said by Dienekes at the battle of Thermopylae after it was discovered that the Persians had enough bowmen that their arrows would blot out the sun.
When he said that they might be defying the divine plan, Alice said, “Then we'll go to Hell.”
In the end someone said, “I don't have a neat line prepared, but I say we fight the bastards.” Everyone else agreed with the sentiment except for one intern who proved that there were still references left to make, he said, “I'm all out of bubblegum.”
Cameron looked at the group, prayed that he wasn't going to get them all killed, and said, “Then it's decided. Send the word out to everyone, this is the moment they've been waiting for. Every story you've been forced to bury, dig it up. By the end of the day I want the whole world to know that siding with Nicolae is selling your soul. I want them to know that if they're going to take a stand they should stand against him.”
Realistically there was no way they could avoid detection in this effort. But if those in power in the government were too busy preparing for war than paying attention to the media machine they had created, perhaps some word would get out somewhere.
Cameron hoped to get at least one newspaper printed before goosesteeping thugs shut him down. Though he knew that the real hope was in television, radio, and the internet. The message could go out immediately there.
The message was simple: The revolution starts now.
-
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