The Prometheus Effect by Jonathan Davison Page A

second day of the red sky, those that had not left the building began to put into place contingencies for the immediate future, namely stocktaking the food that was present in the canteen and the vending machines and securing the building. Fleet Street was mercifully quiet during non business hours anyway, it was not near a residential area and thus their surrounding area was fortunately spared the worst of the looting and rioting which ensued. Some of the more courageous of the twenty or thirty that remained took turns to scout the area and gather information. Makeshift beds were put together and the solidarity between the remaining staff kept spirits up despite the frustration of being completely in the dark as to their prospects.
     
    Joshua wondered as did others if the unrest witnessed was similarly going on in other cities across the world. Joshua longed to return to his Oxford home but like others, did not feel that it was worth the risk to attempt to travel in the circumstances. For now, the warning message was the one thing that they could all grasp on to and share. The events of the past couple of days had suddenly brought out a feeling of isolation amongst them all and the fact that they could share their fears was the only small comfort they had.
     
    In the afternoon of the second day, the maddening lack of information provided by the television drew raised voices.
     
    “ This is ridiculous, why are we all sitting here on our hands waiting?” A young reporter raged. Joshua did not know him but he empathised with his statement. However, he had already tasted the atmosphere on the streets and was not inclined to opt for immediate action. The office had been swiftly rearranged into a living environment. Some more comfortable sofa like chairs were hauled in and the staff sat around in a large circle.
     
    “ The army must know something. We need to find someone whose willing to let us know what's going on!”
     
    Another young reporter continued the argument until Joshua interjected.
     
    “ The army aren't talking, they're shooting, we've seen that.” Joshua exclaimed forcefully. Sarah sat beside him biting her beautifully manicured nails.
     
    “ I think the most worrying fact is that the authorities seem to be wilfully keeping us in the dark. They must know that this lack of information is causing widespread unrest. Whatever has happened, they seem unwilling to share.” Sarah said running her fingers through her long straight brown hair.
     
    “ Or incapable of sharing.” Joshua added. That was the most terrifying hypothesis of all. If there was literally no one at the helm of the country, then without the communication networks that the population had come to rely on so heavily, England would turn into a tribal free-for-all culture until power would be attained by the ones with the means to do so.
     
    “ Are we talking about a total meltdown here, this is crazy, like some post apocalyptic video game!” The young angry reporter continued. The silence that followed neither indicated agreement or rejection of the young man’s statement however, it was not inconceivable that at the current rate, the capital would soon begin to look rather like the images conjured in someone’s dark imagination.
     
    The silence was suddenly shattered by a noise from outside, a noise that perked everyone’s ear's up and brought people to their feet. A Tannoy system, it's message indecipherable, it was distant and feint. Joshua moved to the window and opened it as wide as it would go as his colleagues crowded around him to thrust their heads as close to the sounds as possible. The sound was getting closer and the tension became more unbearable as they all waited patiently for the message to come closer. The tinny voice reverberated off the high walled buildings and the ensuing echoes did little to aid clarity. Finally, a small convoy of army vehicles rounded the corner and came into view. Joshua was being pinned against