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BREAKING NEWS.
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President Trixon will issue a statement to the country shortly. This follows a joint meeting between world leaders to address the current crisis. The situation is growing out of control on many fronts. Markets continue to crash to record lows as the wealth of millionaires dwindles to scraps and businesses are filing for bankruptcy in increasing numbers.
In the streets the situation is no better. The fighting between state and rebel groups has intensified, with significant loss of life being reported on both sides. Making matters worse for the president is the refusal of some army personnel to execute orders to block the secure locations. Information has been obtained that some units are joining the rebellion forces to free access to secure locations.
The president is about to speak. We will be back after his national address.
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“Fellow citizens of the United States of America,” said the president. The national address played on every network in America. “We are privileged to live in a country where freedom and rights of all is the value that we cherish most. The world is currently undergoing a threat to this establishment. Challenging centuries of law and order that has been the backbone that has made our country the wonderful place that it is.
“As your president, it is my responsibility to protect this heritage for future generations. But I cannot do this alone. I need your full cooperation in putting an end to this nonsense.
“The Red Masks are offering false hope with their fake lives of abundance. Lives that lack meaning and that are reduced to mere simulations, because as you all know, that is all that The Virt really is. Do not let these empty promises confuse you, or push you to make a decision you may later regret. I ask you, fellow citizens, do not forget the value of your true lives. Do not forget the feeling of satisfaction after having given a good day of work. Do not forget the rewarding feeling of accomplishment one feels when serving your friends, family, and neighbors. We cannot risk losing these fundamental things in exchange for an illusion of infinite consumption.
“To protect the integrity of our nation, together with my fellow leaders across the world, we have decided to completely shut down these secure locations. Any future sites will be considered enemy territory and will no longer be safe.”
The camera provided a close-up of the president’s stern face.
“I will state this very clearly. The secure location that will be revealed by the Red Masks after this statement will not be safe to enter. Listen to my words very carefully. We are declaring war on these locations, even if they are on our own homeland. We will target these sites with the intent to fully destroy them. We will use whatever means needed, including bombarding them with missiles and any other suitable weapon to reach our intended objective. I repeat, citizens in these spaces will be considered enemies and will become casualties of war if they enter them.
“As president I do not want to see my fellow citizens injured, but I must—”
The broadcast glitched repeatedly. The glitch affected every single display across the nation, even the ones in the White House Oval Office.
“What is it?” asked the president, looking over to someone in charge of the broadcast.
“There is some sort of interference,” said someone off camera.
“Fix it,” said the president with irritation.
“We are tryi—”
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BREAKING NEWS appeared in red on the screens across the world with a beeping alarm. It wasn’t the typical typography used for official statements.
A man appeared on the screen. He was outdoors, somewhere in a desert.
“Citizens of the world. I am here to speak as the leader of the Red Masks. I’ve listened to your president’s declaration. He has stated very clearly that himself, and his billionaire buddies, want you to keep working to sustain their careless lifestyles. They want you to remain slaves of a system that offers you little in exchange for your hardship. They laugh in their yachts, drinking expensive cocktails while you sweat away trying to make enough to feed your family. This has gone on for far too long.
“These same billionaires, they never get along very long. They fight each other over frivolous matters, leaving you to suffer in the ruins of their own creation.
“The time has come to say enough! This world is illogical and wrong. The Red Masks are offering every citizen of this world a better future. A place where you may have everything the billionaires have always enjoyed...and more.
“New secure locations will be announced in the coming months. Anyone can join us, without prejudice. Equality and abundance for all, that is the world the Red Masks are creating.
“I can assure you that you mustn’t fear your president’s threats. The secure location will always be safe, I can guarantee it. Their weapons are no longer in their control. Watch as I demonstrate who is in control now.”
The screen split into six tiles, each providing a view from a different country. Fissures opened in the mountains of Alaska and in China, and in the prairies of Russia and of India, and in the deserts in Saudi Arabia and Australia. In the openings that grew larger, the tips of the world’s largest missiles emerged. The screens trembled as a cloud of smoke expanded around the missiles. They lifted out of their hidden chambers in synchronicity. Their burning engines left a trail of light behind them. The world held its breath, unsure what to expect. People left their displays to run outside and see if they could see the missiles with their own eyes. To make sure it wasn’t simply a trick of the camera. Where the weather permitted it, they could see that it was happening for real. The glowing lights trailed into the atmosphere. There was a unified gasp, and the world held its breath, waiting to see the missiles’ ultimate destination.
