Part 8

...beep...beep...

I spun the dial to the left.

...beep...beep...beep...

I spun it a bit more.

...beep...

I switched the radio off in frustration. More and more radio stations were popping up every day, but they all were broadcasting the same strange beeping. And on every radio I tried, too. But that wasn't all anymore. With more and more stations the "signal," for lack of a better term, was getting stronger. The beeping was clearer, for whatever that was worth. But there were also more than just the beeping. I could make out at least one other sound besides the beeping and the buzz of radio static. A sort of hissing noise could be faintly heard. I could think of no other way to describe it.

Deryl did not join me on the subway ride to city hall. He was spending more and more time with the city council, going out on tours and staying late for meetings. I had yet to find a free moment to disclose to him my findings. I planned to make the time today. Quite frankly I was worried that we were being split up, separated by...something.

I rubbed my head. The headaches had started recently, but they were steadily getting worse. It was a dull, throbbing pain, that I initially attributed to stress. But in reality my job wasn't all that stressful. I woke up earlier than I normally would, but I would "normally" wake up at 11:00 or so, so there was nothing new there. And I rarely worked past four, barring any evening Council meetings. My work itself usually consisted of playing Solitaire on my computer, signing pieces of paper, and listening to people talk about urban development. That's what made the headaches more worrying. That and the fact that painkillers seemed to be having no effect.

I got into the office to find Deryl waiting for me.

: About time. I was starting to think you were lost.

: Lost? What do you mean?

: You know. Lost to the city. Where have you been these last few days? I've found something. With the radios.

I had brought a radio from the house and started working on unwrapping the cord to plug it in. Deryl, however, looked annoyed.

: Well great. Well, while you've been fiddling with radios, I've been working to keep this city alive. We've been getting a lot of complaints from residents about a lack of things to do in the city. So I took the initiative and presented it to the city council regarding the building of some public areas for entertainment purposes. Check it out.



: Well great, the citizens of this madhouse can now go and see some elephants and tool around our island house in boats. This is serious, proof that there is something very weird going on here.

: Oh, by the way, did you fill out the form for the new football team's name? I put it on your desk yesterday, along with a note saying what the council voted on for the team's name.

: I vaguely recall some sort of form regarding a football team, but I just signed it and sent it on its way.

: Yes, well, that would explain this.



: Just like when we re-named this city.

: Yeah, I remember. How long ago was that, Deryl?

: Hmmm, I don't really know.

: And don't you think that's strange?!

: What's strange is this report Jim gave me. We're seeing some pretty heavy traffic congestion. Check this out.



: For fuck's sake, man, forget traffic reports and stadium buildings and listen to this!

I switched on the radio. The beeping and hissing filled the room. I looked at Deryl and he looked back at me with his usual expression of mild bewilderment.

: Yeah, that's the new radio station. Talk and music. What of it?

: Are you joking? You don't hear the beeping, the hissing?

: All I hear is that announcer with the annoying voice talking about the new...hey, are you ok?

He looked concerned because I had sunk into my chair. My head throbbed. And Deryl was lost, lost to this...place.

I was on my own.

Ok, from here we've got a few separate choices on how to expand. I present to you four choices to vote on:

#1: More stadiums! We can build a few separate types of stadiums. They are: another football stadium, baseball, rugby, or cricket.

#2: Ports! Both air and sea.

#3: Mass transit! That traffic is getting pretty bad. This option would have us put in some bus stations and expand the subway tunnel system. Maybe some trains, too.

#4: More zones! We add in some more residential, commercial, and industrial zones, probably over in New City Name.

And keep in mind, what you select will have a pretty major impact on where the story goes from here. But I can't tell you how!