Denver, do you read me? Paging Denver!" Static blares from the radio. No response. We are within 25 miles of the school and Denver's house, but still nothing. The Denver communication plan is a bust for now.
I creep into the roller-skating rink, scanning the crowd for President Allison and Vera. They aren't here, of course, but it can't hurt to check. The next item on the agenda is to practice skating. I take a few laps, studying the layout of the building and committing potential hiding places to memory. Later, I'll save the coordinates in Google Earth for future reconnaissance.
At school the next week, I approach Denver. "Denver! I didn't hear anything from you!"
"The walkie-talkies didn’t work," Denver admits. "And... I forgot to turn them on. All I heard was static."
"Oh, okay," I reply, trying not to sound too disappointed.
We head up the stairs to watch the Christmas movie chosen for us: Klaus. As predicted, our GNN episode doesn’t air, and the school day ends uneventfully.
"Bye, Ethan."
"Bye, Allison!" I call out, waving as we part ways.
Back at SSA HQ, I sit down to type up a report on our latest operations and start drafting plans for the campaign. The GCAM-jVN war shows no sign of abating, and rumors of general elections loom large. If Allison steps down, Geneva might lose to Molly—an outcome disastrous for the school. Alternatively, I could step up and take the lead myself. I pore over the intelligence we’ve gathered about GCAM and jVN, formulating arguments for why general elections would be the best course of action.
Christmas comes and goes in a blur, but I can’t shake the anticipation of the upcoming party. Unfortunately, I’m too far from the location to attend in person and have to settle for sending a message instead.
When I return to school the next week, still riding high from the Texans’ victory over the Colts—a win that secured them a playoff spot (Clarissa was thrilled when I sent her a picture of the game’s final score)—I’m shocked. Project 2024 and the GCAM-jVN war has taken a turn I never expected…
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