|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Posts
 Recent Posts 
flashback to earlier in the morning "Hey Eastman! Are you up. There should be one or two new recruits waiting for you at the airport this morning. Trying to break in some new blood. We need some fresh talent. Poor Henry hasn't been heard from in days and then there's that Avery - jumps ship first opportunity he gets."
Headline: "Cannibalism Feeding on Cannibalism: An Asian Invasion from the East. "I don't know about that headline of yours. It has potential but could use a little reworking. We have lots of Japanese readers, don't want to lose them by being too openended with our accussations. How do you feel about "Flesh-eaters from the East" or "Cannibal Massacre: Buffet of Human Flesh!" I like that last one. We might even be able to get some pictures of a buffet line with arms and legs being served up. The inhouse artist might do that."
"Mr Eastman! Good to hear you made it out there alright. I have your checks ready to go. Actually I thought I would send you payment via pre-paid credit cards. Just one thing... I could send them to your home addresses but who knows when you'll be home to get them, right? So I need you to shack up at one hotel for a few days while I mail them down to you. That is, pick a hotel and keep it and let me know the address. Somewhere central to your inquiries I imagine would be best,... what with fuel rising the way it is. Sound good?"
"Well, Mr Eastman, I liked your angle of a war declared on us by the watery menace, if you will, though I think we may play it up as being more of a question than a statement of fact - 'Has Atlantis declared War?' sort of angle, but not bad for a first try. i just wish you had snapped some pictures of this beast you say you saw. Better luck next time." "As for when you have to leave, if you have urgent business needs taken care of now, take care of it, but if you can be on the stroy by tomorrow, I'll be happy. It's not going anywhere. Though the Europian Star [a rival paper] may also be on the case. Just ask Mary for the folder on your way out and she'll give you the clippings we've made." "Any questions?"
"Mary can give you the newspaper clippings on your way out. The question, I guess is whether you want to begin with the background of the people involved or the background of the area involved. If you want to head right out to Arizona, we can arrange for a rental car for you out there. Otherwise, cabs are probably in order. Either way, Carlotta can fly you out west."
"The stretch of highway over which the murders have occurred is roughly a hundred and twenty miles. If you would rather investigate the murderers themselves first, I can give you a list of their names and where they lived but I suspect that you are right and that the answer will be found somewhere on that highway."
"No, those pictures were taken by Katja. I just think that if we are chased by something that is menacing us, we should get a little bonus for risking our lives just to provide your paper with some content." "If you get a picture of it, you'll get a bonus. Otherwise, you're just a victim in the wrong place at the wrong time." "Now returning to the subject at hand, I'd like you to dig around and see what's causing these otherwise normal people to all go bonkers. The police are operating on the theory that its mostly copy-cat killings but I'm not buying it. The last guy was caught last week and the police had to use thirty bullets to put him down when he attacked them with an axe. He had two kids and had been married for twenty years with not even a speeding ticket on his record."
"There have been a series of murders along a stretch of Arizona highway. Eight of them. Almost without exception the murderers have been caught. But there are troubling similarities between the crimes. They all involved cannibilism and six of the eight were committed by truckers. The fourth murder was a family of three murdered and partially eaten by a traveling salesman. The third murder remains unsolved. But here is the thing. Each murder, though similar in nature, was committed by different individuals."
*Hugh Roger's calls Kenny sometime later. While he is extremely interested in the sinking of the ship and the fact he had two eyewitnesses there, he is actually calling to tell them about Harvey. "That Harvey guy I sent down with you sent me up a story. Decent. Not great. I got the feeling he didn't have the stomach for continued crime reporting, which is fine. Anyway, I can't wait to see what you write up."
"If you can get a second story about the arrest, that would be great,... dress it up some though. See what else you can find on this Sluce character. Sounds like he might have a history of sorts. Make sure to get some good pictures. Go ahead and stay one more night. I'll expect one story tonight. If you can do two great. Then come on back. I have an interesting lead in Arizona. Carlotta can fly you out there after you check in. Get the story done and I'll have your check waiting for you tomorrow."
"You boys have to stop ...hiss.... coming for you...with the police. ... you what, I'll be ... ... for you. Understand?" "Good work ... far... death...crackle...Need a story from you... Tomorrow night. There's a case... murders down in Arizona... I want to you guys to be... hisss...You Hear?" "Seems to be...hiss/crackle... a blue moon. Get writing...Coming...you have a deadline you know..."
"Who's Katja? You already picked up a girl down there have you? Well whatever works. If you can get aboard, great! Of course, we don't want no trouble with the law. That means lawyers! Anyway, don't forget your deadline. Let me know if there's anything you need. Talk to you later. Maybe tomorrow." There's a click and the line is empty.
The gruff, hearty voice of Hugh Rogers booms. "Glad I caught you. Just checking in. Didn't want my new reporters to think I had forgotten about them. So fill me in. What have you got so far? Have you taken pictures of the ship, inside and out yet. All the new's channels covered the story this afternoon - Captain and crew vanishes, sort of thing. don't know if you saw it. So we got to make sure to get a different spin on the whole thing..." "So tell me what you got. Lots of pictures I hope!"
*A laugh and a wave and suddenly Hugh Rogers looks completely normal again.* "Now, let's get you two on your way. Mary will give you directions to the airfield. It's north of the city about half an hour. I own it so you won't have to worry about preflight screenings and delays and such." "Don't forget your press passes and phones and remember, I need a story sent in in three days. I assume you have internet access. Mary will get you the e-mail address of the office, you can send the stories as attachments."
*Hugh laughs, genuinely amused and then a moment later stops as he looks at Harvey, almost as if he is trying to decide whether Harvey is the sort to bite off the nose of a Texas Ranger.* “We live in the United States of America and you can protect yourself any way the constitution allows…” “I’ll tell you a secret though, we don’t get many Nazi’s in this country. None I ever heard of. But they make a real good scapegoat. The Neptunians now…” *Rogers looks suddenly conspiratorial and he leans forward and his voice lowers.* “They’re everywhere. But we don’t want them to know that we know. So when we hear the stories about those green aliens sons of guns we aren’t letting on that we’re on to them. Its company policy to never mention Neptunians in any story. And unless you want to get taken to their planet I’d advise you not to try and get in a fight with any of them.” *Hugh Rogers has the air of a man who assumes everyone will agree with him on this particular subject. There is no hint of humor in his eyes or demeanor. But maybe, there in the back of those eyes, there is just a hint of madness when he mentions the Neptunians.*
Did Fred Retire? *Roger’s looks momentarily uncomfortable* “He didn’t exactly retire. He bit the nose off of a Texas Ranger in Galvaston. He’s going to be locked up for a few years.” *Then, changing expressions, he slides a couple of cell phones across the desk next to the press passes.* “Here. These are prepaid. 800 minutes each, should last you awhile. They have my number and Mary’s number already on file in their memories. Give a call if something comes up. Any last questions before I send you on your way then?”
"The ship appears to be some sort of cargo ship. It's called the Bouncing Skipper. And the ship is not missing. It is in the port right now. I can't tell you more than that about it. I don't know yet. That's your job to dig up the details." "It is the crew that has dissapeared. This looks to be a big time story. I imagine there will be network coverage and paper coverage. What I want from you is the angle. That side of the story maybe overlooked by everyone else. Pictures of the ship, inside and out, will help." *He slides two press passes across the table.* "You got big shoes to fill. Fred was good on local color, digging up dirt and seeing villains everywhere. Half our Nazi stories were his babies."
*sighs* "And people wonder why tabloid pictures always end up so out of focus." "We can get you a camera if neither of you have one. But bear in mind, if it breaks, its coming out of your paycheck. As stated in your letter... Pay is $250 a week, we'll cover hotel expenses and when necessary, transportation costs. All other expenses come out of your pocket. If I like your stories... If I like your headlines, you'll get a bonus. I'm tough but fair." "Other questions?"
“I like that bit about it's no longer safe to sleep with the dog, but... you're both thinking too small…” “Our headline was ‘Nazi Brain Control Causes Canine Cannibilism!’ That’s the thing our readers want and that’s why the Sunlight Scoop sells like hotcakes! Our other headlines last week – ‘Martians register as Republicans in Wisconsin!’ ‘Two Headed Cat saves Family.’ ‘Goldfish diet works miracles.’ If you have the right headline, the story writes itself. Now let me warn you – everything we print is based on real events. We can’t just go around making these things up. We might get sued. And lawsuits mean lawyers and lawyers steal profits. But… on the other hand, nobody minds a little creative license in a paper like ours. We take the news of the day and offer a different point of view. “ *Hugh pauses for a moment and rubs the back of his head, grimacing just a little.* "I was going to start you off easy, celebrity sightings and that sort of thing. We had a lead on Helen being seen in Manhattan. But the man I was going to put onto Fred Hampton’s old beat is tied up in Alaska, I’m not sure why. Fred , I’m going to miss that guy, great reporter,… He tended to do real crime and disappearances. As you're both new, I’m going to have you working together till I see if you have what it takes. There’s a story just breaking… down in Virginia, on the coast, the crew of a ship seems to have entirely disappeared over night. The paper has a little plane you can take, should be there in a few hours. I want you to dig around, see what you can come up with for a story. The whole thing might be the work of the Neptunians. We can’t discount the possibility.” *Rogers grimaces as he contemplates the import of his own words.* “Get me three things – Good Quotes, Good Pictures and a Great, Sensational Headline. Find out who saw what, what happened, who might be behind it. You can stay there as long as you need to, but I need a story from each of you within three days time. Be creative. But meet your deadline. Got it? Questions? Feel free to ask?. If there's one thing I want its workers who aren't afraid to ask questions.”
*Hugh Rogers shakes Harvey’s hand and then with a frown he impatiently waves the man to a seat.* “Welcome aboard gentlemen,” “I have a little speech I tend to give to those I just hired so bear with me.” “I own seven Newspapers, five in this country and two in south America. Four of those papers even manage to turn a profit. I don’t personally run them but I want to make it clear I know the Newspaper business." "Gentlemen the Sunlight Scoop is NOT a Newspaper!” *Rogers bangs his fist down on his desk and a mug of pencils and his laptop rattle from the impact.* “We are a tabloid! We do not print News. We print Sensation! The more sensational the better. Take a look at last week’s headlines. One of the newspapers printed a story about a dog that ate his owner’s hand while he was asleep. That paper ran with the headline, 'Biting the hand that Feeds.' That was their headline." "Now let me ask you – what headline would you have written for that story?" *Rogers stands and looks at each of you, waiting for an answer…*
That Rag! They just make things up. Not that you can't make up the odd story... I mean if it reads well thats one thing but at least I send out reporters. Paid Reporters even! And we hardly ever use Photoshop. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
