Fall of the Core: Netcast 01 (The Frontiers Saga) Read Online Free PDF Page A

going to have a lot of extra space in the near future.” Brent turned to his assistant, Jeff. “Same goes to all our regional offices. Everyone who wants to leave can go, everyone who wants to stay can bring their families. But it’s got to happen now, before the feds start locking down the skies. We might be able to get away with moving reporters around, but airlifting refugees, family or not, is bound to get noticed.”
    “I’ll coordinate with all the regional shuttle ops managers,” the director of shuttle operations for the New York office said.
    “What about communications?” someone asked.
    “What about getting our broadcasts out?” another staffer added. “If this thing is spread digitally, it’s only a matter of time before they shut down the internet.”
    “They can’t shutdown the internet!” someone protested. “Too many people depend on it for day to day…”
    “They can shutdown the public internet,” the previous staffer replied. “They can, and they will. And when they do, we’ll lose ninety percent of our audience.”
    “And all of our revenue.”
    “People!” Brent exclaimed. “You can’t think in those terms anymore!”
    “How are we going to pay people? How are we going to operate?”
    “We’ll operate with what we have on hand,” Brent explained. “I’m freezing all payroll and all assets as of this moment. If the only reason you’re here is for the pay, then the door is right there!” he said, pointing to the exit. “I’m talking about the biggest story in the history of humankind! I’m talking about keeping the public informed! I’m talking about doing the right thing. If you’re talking money, then get the fuck out!”
    “I’m just trying to be realistic, Brent. It takes money to operate this company. A fucking lot of it, I might add.”
    “Not anymore,” Brent insisted. “Now, it’s going to take commitment. Commitment and resources. That’s all we need. And we’ve got lots of the latter. Stockpiles of it, for Christ’s sake! I’m just asking for the commitment part, and I’m offering people an out if they’re not interested. If and when we make it through this, if there is anything resembling an economy left, I’ll be more than happy to see that those who remain get compensated as best we can. But I can’t promise anyone anything. We may die at our desks.”
    Again, the room got quiet.
    Brent took another deep breath. “How long will our reactors continue to operate?”
    “Years,” the head of utility operations replied. “I’d say a decade if their cores were changed recently.”
    “And our satellites?”
    “Decades,” his director of communications replied.
    “Then we can broadcast via satellites if they shutdown the public internet?”
    “NDIs aren’t designed to receive sat feeds,” a staffer reminded him.
    “Everyone’s getting their NDIs removed or downgraded,” Brent replied. “Most people will start using smart-comms, and those are capable of receiving satellite broadcasts.”
    “Those broadcasts are digital, Brent,” one of his IT directors pointed out. “If Klaria is spread by Twister…”
    “Has Timmy Twister managed to breach our firewalls in the past?” Brent asked.
    “No, not yet.”
    “Then until he does, sat broadcasts are the backup plan.”
    “And if the feds order us to shut the satellites down?”
    “We tell them to drop dead,” Brent replied. “No pun intended.”
    “They can shoot our satellites down, you know,” someone said. “Or us.”
    “They’re not going to come in guns blazing,” Brent argued. “Not when we’re the only ones left broadcasting. They’re going to need us to broadcast instructions to the general public on how to survive, where to get food and water, when it’s safe to move about, and where.”
    “Could we broadcast analog?” another tech staffer wondered.
    “We could,” Brent replied, “but I doubt very many people still have analog devices. Museums and