The verbal stream of hate fueled speech seemed inexhaustible and oddly comforting as the crowd settled into the rhythm GL had established—absurd over the top statement followed by a knowing winkish comment—such as after saying—”I nearly nuked Iran but felt like it was too much of a mess to clean up. But this time if they bother me enough I will reconsider. They had better not finish that nuclear reactor or one way or another they might find that I had run out of patience. Patience is one of my strengths but its not inexhaustible. No one’s patience if you know what I mean is inexhaustible.”GL kept the one liners coming ending his torrid verbal stream as full of implied and explicit threats as any mafia boss. Winding down and beneath his orange pancake make up sweating profusely he ended with another warning. “Make no mistake—we are coming to get you. As the old saying goes--you can run but you can’t hide--we know who you are.” As if it was all one big commercial, stadium techies started playing “Don’t Stop Believing” followed by “Born in the USA” and the place was again in some kind of delirious uproar- some people were making for the exits, some ran onto the football ground, a few were tearing up stadium seats and throwing them down for what reason I could not work out. It was as if the whole place had taken one big gulp of some kind of drug that made them crazy. He was like a human oxytocin, the drug that had added a new layer of human suffering to the already devastated rust belt. Like that horrendous drug he gave its victims a short exquisite high but would over time for the true believers either land them in prison or unemployed and even homeless and penniless. But no matter what their and his transgressions always begging for more. It was hard to believe the hold he had on their brains, he had done what all con artists dream about, he had taken away any critical ability to think even to the extent of believing his lies over verifiable facts. They would buy any garbage he had to offer—from $400 gold plated sneakers to overpriced hats and tee shirts all made for pennies in his hated China. Ninety-one felony counts —two impeachments—most of his old cronies in jail, the insurrection on January 6 was still not enough. Not nearly enough—they could not wait for him to use his newly assumed power-his right to use Seal team six to assassinate any enemies who got in the way. No one had seen anything like it since Hitler and Mussolini hit the airwaves. But he was finishing up now. Going over his golden verbal hits that were the crowd pleasers from the past—the sound was cut.
“So are we all together tonight to make not just our voices heard but our democratic right to protest” Dead air followed. After 30 seconds had elapsed expectation turned to anxiety and then to restless complaint.
Dana threw down her headphones and and starred at David. Her face was flushed and she had loosened her pony tail so her long wavy blonde hair fell in appealing strands across her face making her look both angry and sexy at the same time.
“They just cut the fucking feed! Dave said
“Well for your information we have been off the air for the last two minutes” said Dana in an even tone as though it was no big deal.
“Off the air?” Dennis was incensed.
“Must have been vandals cutting some cables. I suggest we get Steve on the line.” I said trying to be helpful.
“Get Steve on the line Mark” shouted Dana
“OK I am speed dialing right now” I said
“We lost our feed Mark” I said again as if he had failed to register the news.
Mark picked up right away --his voice sounded shaken but he still kept a monotonal voice as if he were speaking into a tape recorder for the record.
“There is a concern that we might be contributing to a riot, there’s violence starting to break out in cities around the country --we cut your feed a few minutes back--the guy is determined to cause a violent upheaval and your boss although we love him is not the guy to calm this shit down. Tell him even though he won’t be pleased that we got Amanda Grey from our ride time programming to calm things down.”
“Thanks Mark I will tell David” I said
“Tell him we love him” he said
“I will” I said as if that fatuous remark would make any difference
“They say riots are breaking out all over David they need to cut off the feed and give it to Amanda Grey from drive time to calm things down.” I said
“What the fuck I mean the guys just expressing a view point-he’s being canceled. I am being canceled.. Let me talk to the SOB --I know my callers if they need to be calmed the fuck down I can do it” David yelled
“Mark does not agree --its a public safety issue- now. Its not personal. He says he loves you.” said Dana
“Well that is so nice of him” said David
Dana was watching this from her make shift control booth and lifting her head above the plexi glass yelled at a pitch above her normal soft spoken Mid West accent as if lecturing a child,
“The GL is causing a fucking riot Dave--riots--riots all over the fucking country. They don’t happen by themselves. We got to take responsibility for that.” said Dana calmly.
Dave had put his baseball cap back on and crunched up the notes that he had been readying for use and threw them theatrically into the large waste paper basket. He gave both of us a look of disgust.
‘This was going to be a good night--our ratings were about to go trough the roof. I had been talking about this evening nearly every night for the past month or two. This stuff does not happen every day” said David his voice more under control.
“You mean another January 6?” I asked Dana still using the same school marm voice. She looked angry and tired ready to crack. She was a diminutive lady who prided herself on her professional attitude reflected in her executive looks-precise make up and well chosen jewelry and usually calm demeanour.
David went into his familiar spasm whenever he felt wronged of shaking the grey curly locks on his head. He pursued his lips and looked at each one of us as if we had contributed to his downfall.
“You guys can go” he said in a clear angry and non negotiable tone as if he were kicking out some help that he had found out had stolen from him.
“Why?” I said lamely secretly excited that I might be free of Ross and could claim unemployment because I had been involuntarily fired
“Because you should have told me when it happened --if I had known a few minutes earlier I might have been able to intervene and said something. You guys get paid to be techies-you were not doing your job.
“ So I’m fucking incompetent. I was working to restore the feed how I could I also anticipate that the feed had also been cut by our station manager” said Dana using a softer voice to bury any harsh sarcastic tone trying now to restore things to have Dave take back the firing.
David paused and gave her a look to kill. Dana waited for a few more seconds after absorbing David’s furious look seemed to have made a final decision. With folded arms she stared at David and made eye contact.
“Any way thanks very much I have had enough of your fascist worship of GL. Makes me want to throw up.” said Dana her anger now coming straight to the surface like a submarine that had suffered a near miss.
“Me too” I said proud at last to have an ally who had more guts than me to tell Ross to his face what we both believed.
“If you can believe that this guy is some kind of savior for this country after the mouthful of vomit he just expelled then” Dana could not seem to stop herself
“You would fit right in to the fucking Third Reich—remember those days when they killed Jews and marched into countries that did not belong to them?” Dana was now unstoppable
“Both of you leave--now” said David finally shaking his head so that it looked like something had come loose in his neck
“How about the van?” I said
“ Pack the shit up now and take the van back to the rental place and get out of my fucking sight you losers.” said David gesturing around as if he was in a restaurant and the food was so substandard he was about to leave without paying the check
“It would be such a pleasure--has been such a pleasure working with you” I intoned as Dana began stripping down the booth as Dave now with his black leather jacket on and dark glassess that made him look like an aging Lou Reed headed for the exit a bottle of something that did not look like Red Bull in his hand.
“Thank goodness he’s gone” said Dana. He’s a fucking menace to society.
“Now we are all going to be much safer after GL appoints him Head of Homeland Security or something”
Dana let go a bitter painful laugh
“It would be funnier if it wasn’t so true.”
“He could cause us trouble down the road”
“Maybe I should not have said that stuff about fascist worship of GL”
“Maybe but its too late now.”
“But it must have felt good to say it” I said by way of consolation
She laughed
“It fucking well did--the guy was always a dickhead now he looks like dickheads of his sort can now get top jobs in government.”
The stadium was emptying out now but not without some drama. Some crowds had invaded the pitch and were engaged in some weirdly tribal looking dance waving GL posers and banners about as they ran around each other in circles trying out cries like USA USA and then a few of them looked like they wanted the sound system to be turned back on again and were climbing up one of the staircases to find the control room.
“Time to exit” I said
“Don’t want to take the equipment with us but they will try to fine us if we leave. Got to haul it to the van.” said Dana already packing the equipment into one of the wheeled trunks large enough to carry a few dead bodies.
We cursed Dave a few more times before managing to pack the stuff safely into the heavy duty boxes. Just as we were preparing to wheel them away Springsteen’s Born in the USA blared out --a protest song about how growing up in America fucks with your head now ironically adopted by a real American power hungry nutcase wants to fuck with every one’s head. Then a voice blissed out that they were now living a dream--’we took power tonight back--want you to all think about that for a second more--we took the fucking power back and guess what we are not returning it anytime soon to teh blacks and Jews and all the islamists who plot every day to destroy this nation.”
Then the power was cut. The lights went out and screams broke out all over the stadium. People stuck on staircases could not see the next step. Elevators were caught in midfloor.
“Someone cut the fucking power! How are we supposed to lug this equipment out of here?”
“Best thing is to stay put” said Dana,
“The hoodlums might come and get us.” I said
“Why?” she asked
“Because we are the fucking media --we represent everything they hate” I answered in a moment of clear headedness.
With the lights off they will have to search pretty hard.
We got to lie low and find a room we can lock until the police come and get rid of these hoodlums.
“A room next to a bathroom would be a good idea.” added Dana removing her heels and finding a pair of sneakers in a locker along with a bag she said she kept for emergencies. I had no such bag. Every thing was back at the cheapo Motel 6 we had to rent for the night (company policy).
“We can’t take this equipment and if they come after us for it we would have to say they can go claim it off insurance—act of God or GL or all that.
We then went on a long walk through dark corridors checking all the doors that might open to rooms that could be used as hiding places. All the time the noise of people screaming and yelling was distressing. Some people rushed passed us and I asked where they were going was there an exit somewhere.
“Got me—people are just pouring out as if there was a fire.”
“Running in circles it would seem” I said
We finally found a room door whose handle opened. Breathless at this point we crashed into what appeared to be a storage room full of used exercise equipment.
“Lets bed down here” I said
“No funny business though” said Dana with a low giggle that lasted maybe half a second
No I have had my fill of funny business tonight.” I said
“Hey what do we do for a bathroom—we need water and somewhere to piss”
“I can’t stay here-I’m calling 911—this is a fucking nightmare”
“I tried my cell -there’s no service. You can try yours I am sure its the same story.”
“You stay here I will look for a bathroom” Dana said
“No its not safe” for who. I got to find an escape said Dana desperately.I have a better sense of direction than you and if necessary can scream louder.” She attempted a laugh.
I had not bedded down more than 30 minutes using our coats and some old carpet material we found in the room when someone started banging on the door.
“Its me Dana”
I opened the door —she gestured to move. But just as I had finished locking the door—there were sounds of feet and angry voices.
“Where are they—we know you are there the fucking media hiding out somewhere
Thenthe knocking began and got louder and then there were voices.
“Media in there? we are looking for anyone from the media”
It was GL’s shock troops—they wanted to control any kind of information now coming out of rally and the aftermath. It all made sense —particularly if you were either a Stalinist or Nazi.
Dana opened up her phone for one second as she used the finger over her mouth to gesture silence.
“We know you are fucking in there—so you can either get out and give yourselves up or we break down the door.”
Despite Dana’s furious objections I decided to open the door—hoped the story I was about to tell them—would make some kind of sense.
“You fucking idiot—at least wait a moment” was all Dana could spit out as she covered herself in the roll of carpet she had been sleeping in and rapidly went to the darkest corner of the room to play dead.: