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Chapter 3: March

Georgia looked up at the sky and sighed. It had been two months since she had last had a job interview and that last one she didn't even manage to get to. She was on her way there but her car had suddenly stalled in the middle of the road and then got totaled when it got into a major pile-up with several other cars that had the same trouble. And now, with no car she had problems being able get any interview with anyone in range and couldn't get the old place to give her another appointment. She sighs as she leans back on the stairs to her apartment complex, her shoulder length blond hair partly resting on the step as she tries to figure out what she's going to do about her particular situation. After a moment or two of sitting in such a manner Georgia's thoughts are interrupted by someone kicking at her boots. She looks up and sees her long time friend Chris.

Georgia sits up a little bit and scoots over to the side as she allows her slightly taller friend to move over and sit next to her. Chris promptly sits down in her dark green sweater heaves a sigh as she does so.

"Still bummed out over not having a job?" She asks.

"I guess so."

"Look on the bright side, at least you aren't one of those people who have been constantly complaining about cramps and other pains and illnesses since the Incident."

"I'm not that desperate to fake an illness to get some attention. After all they've shown that whatever condition those people have are claiming to have is not only not contagious but also do not have any real source or reason for it."

"Can you imagine how neat it'd be if the Incident was the cause as some people are saying?" Chris asks as a single drop of water falls onto Georgia's head.

Georgia looks up to try and see what would be the cause of the drop but finds the sky completely clear and there not being a single thing above her that could produce that drop or any amount of water or other liquid. Shrugging she wipes the drop from her face and continues humoring her friend.

"Neat has nothing to do with it. People are always getting some problem or other and are always quick to try and blame it on whatever cause seems to be the most convenient at the time. Though I suppose while we're on the subject what do you think happened at the incident beyond the obvious loss in power that caused me to lose control over my car?"

"Well do I believe in the stories that some dude turned into a dog or something? Not really. But I was talking about the subject the other day with one of my other friends on whether or not it was a terrorist attack or something else."

"What do you mean?"

"Mainly the fact that if it was a terrorist then they would have done it to cause terror and fear among the populace. But since any attack would cause people to panic the best way to tell what it was and who it was doing that is to look at where they are targeting."

"You really talked with other people in depth about these things?"

"Why not? It passes the time when I'm waiting for the bus to arrive. Certainly beats just sittin and waitin."

"I don't think you could manage to stay quiet for a prolonged period of time even if you wanted to. I wouldn't be surprised if you have random conversations with yourself when you're sleeping."

"Ha ha. Anyway I think it partly deals with what someone was trying to accomplish with that act. If they wanted revenge the only ones targeted would be those who I felt did them wrong. I'm sure you'd want to get that old boss of yours a nice little talking to, would you agree?"

Georgia looks to the side and notices a rather strange car drive by. It isn't so much the model of the car that catches her eye; that is fairly generic. It's more that the color of the car that seemed out of place, primarily from how green it was. It seemed to vastly out-green everything in sight, including what grass there was in the area. Georgia watches it drive down the road and take the turn at the end of the block. Once gone she half looks to see if her friend noticed as well before commenting on the question.

"I suppose," Georgia comments as she notes her friend seems too far gone in thought to have likely noticed the strange little car.

"Well I don't just suppose. But as I was saying if you are out for revenge you target the ones that you feel slighted by. If you wanted to instill panic then you would target random places. They'd all have to be very public and densely populated places, mind you but pick spots that are expected and also pick dates that seem completely random as well. If it was done by a military they would target those locations that have some tactical advantage or deals with military equipment of an enemy. If you were trying to make a statement then what you do will be very deliberate. You'd go and selectively target what you wanted to make that statement."

"Like what, if you wanted to take down the government you'd attack a police station, a hospital, the capital building and whatnot?"

"Something like that, yes."

"Well the problem with that line of thinking is that I have no one that I really hate. Being passed over on interviews sucks but I don't really hate the guy for it. And I don't really think setting off all kinds of chaos would really do me any favors for sending the word out that I need a job."

"Don't sweat it, okay? I'm just saying that speculation on things you can't know for certain can be healthy. On one site I go to there was a person who talked about how trying to send imaginary threats and attacks against everything that is causing you to stress out can be a good and healthy thing to do. I think they called it casarsis or something."

"That's just all sorts of messed up. You need to go see a shrink or something. Is this honestly what you tend to do with your free time?"

"Heh, knowing me seeing a head doctor would only make things worse, give me even more ideas. Nah, my ideas aren't nearly as bad as those basket cases who think that somehow and for some reason that this is all the government's fault; that it is the product of some secret military program to turn people into animals that the government doesn't want you to know about."

The two of them sit quietly for a few moments as Georgia takes the opportunity to look ahead again and stare at the view. Somehow the view in front of her doesn't really look right. She can see perfectly fine and she recognizes everything but she can't help but almost feel that she's not really looking through her own eyes but rather through something else. She notes that she had frequently had such episodes ever since the Incident. On top of that she's frequently felt like there was someone in particular watching her but could never find anyone and had just chalked it up to notions of stress and shock caused by her car crash.

"So what is it you really came here for? I know you better than to think you were here just to chat," Georgia states after getting tired of waiting for Chris to come out and say what it is that she came over here for.

"You wound me!" Chris states in a mock shocked voice as she gestures in a large fashion to further her statement. "Can't I come and see how my unemployed friend is doing?"

"Spit it out."

"Well, I did meet this guy the other day."

"Chris, no. I'm not doing that again."

"But come on, he's such a cute guy."

"Then why don't you date him if you like him so much?"

"Because that's what I'm trying to do. He said the only way he would go out on a date with me is if I could find someone to date his friend..."

"Chris..."

"Please, Georgia! This would mean a lot for me. Look I'll pay for everything you have that night and I'll even let you borrow my car when you get your next interview."

"Why should I? If he needs his friend to hook him up then he's gottta be rather pathetic, right? So what is he, bald? Fat? Come on, spit it out."

"Well I wasn't exactly told what he looks like. His name's Lewis."

"Stop," Georgia raises her hand to gesture a stop as well.

"What?"

"He sounds like some sort of geek already."

"It's nothing like that, I swear. Or at least I don't think he is. He's a cab driver. But it's mainly that he had a bad break up a couple of months back and his friend really thinks that he should get back into the market as it were."

"So I'm his pity date. Great."

"Don't think of it like that. If it doesn't work out it's only dinner and then I'll take you home and that'll be the end of that. Come on, gee, it would mean a lot to me."

Georgia stares forward again, this time focusing her attention on a particular advertisement on the side of a building off in the distance. She doesn't really bother to read it or even register what the ad is about. Instead she takes the time to just focus on the shape and imagery that is displayed on the ad. She waits for a moment while she considers whether or not to take Chris up on the offer.

"Oh, all right, but you really owe me for this."