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Kids. Steve McGovern saw them on the news every day. Setting fires, shooting people, terrorising neighbourhoods. They were trouble, all of them. And it wasn’t just a problem for America either, it was getting worse across the world.
But he knew the secret, the reason why it was happening. It wasn’t the media, their ‘x-boxes’ or rap stars. It was war, or rather lack of it. For centuries men and women had fought in wars, in the front lines getting their hands dirty, but since the advent of long range weapons and cut-backs and the lack of conscription, they’ve just not been fighting, and all that aggression has to go somewhere, right?
It made no difference that there were young guys out in Iraq. As far as he could tell they just rode around on jeeps keeping the public happy. Their hands were tied from actually engaging the enemy en-mass by their yellow bellied generals and the politicians worried about their votes. Well, there was only one way to solve this.
Luckily for him, Steve was in a position to do something about the situation. He wasn’t one of those fat generals, sat behind a desk chewing on a cigar, or a politician, the thought of being one of those just made him feel sick. No, Steve was an engineer.
The time had come to put his plan in to action. He tapped the side of the toolbox and carefully lifted it up, walking steadily to the bank of flashing lights. It was the late shift and only a skeleton staff were on duty. He showed his security pass at the door and entered the room that would hold the key to his destiny. Finally, he bent down and removed a heavy metal panel from under one of the bank of flashing lights. Cutting the power, he watched those lights blink out before getting to work. Once done, Steve retreated to his little office down the corridor and waited. He sat watching the television, waiting for news. Nothing happened and he drifted off in his chair.
The security alarm woke him. Checking his watch he could just make out the time under the red flashing lights. 5am. He must have slept for a good 3 hours. Walking out in to the corridor he watched the panicked officials running about. So, it had started. He went back to his room and flicked through the TV channels. News, that was what he was after and, sure enough, every channel had it.
The picture showed missiles, heading for several major countries. ‘Pretty soon,’ the reporter said, ‘they would hit their targets.’ No-one knew exactly how they’d been launched but officials were getting to the bottom of it. More importantly, the US government were trying to hold emergency talks with the countries responsible, helping them to try to deflect the missiles or prepare for the worst. It was a pretty desperate affair and there were already signs of retaliation.
What came next shocked even Steve. He was expecting war. He’d targeted countries that had minimal missile stocks and no nuclear weapons, but it seems they had friends in high places. The Iranians and Russians had nuclear warheads aimed at the US at this very moment and were on the brink of pressing their little red buttons.
Minutes ticked by and Steve began to wonder if he’d made the wrong decision, re-wiring the missile command unit like that. What if the US got nuked? It would be all his fault. He shook his head. Don’t be fooled, Stevey-boy, he said to himself, people were dying every day due to those young thugs. They need to be taught a lesson. Turning back to the news report, he saw the headline. Emergency Status, Government warns public of imminent Nuclear attack from the East.
And so he sat and watched as the missile made its way towards central US states. He half listened to high level politicians giving out orders to the public and the news reports of what we could expect if the missiles hit. It was all a bit boring, war would come later. Those who survived would be incensed enough to launch a full scale assault.
But the US government had other plans, they weren’t singing to Steve’s songbook. More news reports flashed up on the screen. America was launching a counter attack, they weren’t backing down. More Nuclear missiles had be launched and the outlook looked grim. Seeing his plans going up in smoke, he put his head in his hands.
It was 5am. Steve awoke. No flashing red lights greeted his bleary eyes, no news reports scrolling across the TV, just some documentary on bears. He checked his watch again. So, he’d been dreaming. He thought about the events of his dream and stood up, resolving to correct them. Maybe a lesser man would re-wire the console to stop the missiles ever launching. Not Steve, he knew he had a mission, he was just launching them at the wrong countries.
Striding back towards the control room, he showed his pass to the guard and entered the room. Stood in front of him were several important looking officials, generals. Another technician was holding up several wires attached to the panel he’d removed. Steve turned to run, but found his way blocked by the guards from the door. “I’ve failed the kids.” Was all that he could say as he was led away.
Gary Unwin was glued to the TV. The news reported Steve’s attempted sabotage of the missile base and interviewed him about his reasons for risking the safety of America. Gary knew Steve had a point and now he knew what he had to do...
But he knew the secret, the reason why it was happening. It wasn’t the media, their ‘x-boxes’ or rap stars. It was war, or rather lack of it. For centuries men and women had fought in wars, in the front lines getting their hands dirty, but since the advent of long range weapons and cut-backs and the lack of conscription, they’ve just not been fighting, and all that aggression has to go somewhere, right?
It made no difference that there were young guys out in Iraq. As far as he could tell they just rode around on jeeps keeping the public happy. Their hands were tied from actually engaging the enemy en-mass by their yellow bellied generals and the politicians worried about their votes. Well, there was only one way to solve this.
Luckily for him, Steve was in a position to do something about the situation. He wasn’t one of those fat generals, sat behind a desk chewing on a cigar, or a politician, the thought of being one of those just made him feel sick. No, Steve was an engineer.
The time had come to put his plan in to action. He tapped the side of the toolbox and carefully lifted it up, walking steadily to the bank of flashing lights. It was the late shift and only a skeleton staff were on duty. He showed his security pass at the door and entered the room that would hold the key to his destiny. Finally, he bent down and removed a heavy metal panel from under one of the bank of flashing lights. Cutting the power, he watched those lights blink out before getting to work. Once done, Steve retreated to his little office down the corridor and waited. He sat watching the television, waiting for news. Nothing happened and he drifted off in his chair.
The security alarm woke him. Checking his watch he could just make out the time under the red flashing lights. 5am. He must have slept for a good 3 hours. Walking out in to the corridor he watched the panicked officials running about. So, it had started. He went back to his room and flicked through the TV channels. News, that was what he was after and, sure enough, every channel had it.
The picture showed missiles, heading for several major countries. ‘Pretty soon,’ the reporter said, ‘they would hit their targets.’ No-one knew exactly how they’d been launched but officials were getting to the bottom of it. More importantly, the US government were trying to hold emergency talks with the countries responsible, helping them to try to deflect the missiles or prepare for the worst. It was a pretty desperate affair and there were already signs of retaliation.
What came next shocked even Steve. He was expecting war. He’d targeted countries that had minimal missile stocks and no nuclear weapons, but it seems they had friends in high places. The Iranians and Russians had nuclear warheads aimed at the US at this very moment and were on the brink of pressing their little red buttons.
Minutes ticked by and Steve began to wonder if he’d made the wrong decision, re-wiring the missile command unit like that. What if the US got nuked? It would be all his fault. He shook his head. Don’t be fooled, Stevey-boy, he said to himself, people were dying every day due to those young thugs. They need to be taught a lesson. Turning back to the news report, he saw the headline. Emergency Status, Government warns public of imminent Nuclear attack from the East.
And so he sat and watched as the missile made its way towards central US states. He half listened to high level politicians giving out orders to the public and the news reports of what we could expect if the missiles hit. It was all a bit boring, war would come later. Those who survived would be incensed enough to launch a full scale assault.
But the US government had other plans, they weren’t singing to Steve’s songbook. More news reports flashed up on the screen. America was launching a counter attack, they weren’t backing down. More Nuclear missiles had be launched and the outlook looked grim. Seeing his plans going up in smoke, he put his head in his hands.
It was 5am. Steve awoke. No flashing red lights greeted his bleary eyes, no news reports scrolling across the TV, just some documentary on bears. He checked his watch again. So, he’d been dreaming. He thought about the events of his dream and stood up, resolving to correct them. Maybe a lesser man would re-wire the console to stop the missiles ever launching. Not Steve, he knew he had a mission, he was just launching them at the wrong countries.
Striding back towards the control room, he showed his pass to the guard and entered the room. Stood in front of him were several important looking officials, generals. Another technician was holding up several wires attached to the panel he’d removed. Steve turned to run, but found his way blocked by the guards from the door. “I’ve failed the kids.” Was all that he could say as he was led away.
Gary Unwin was glued to the TV. The news reported Steve’s attempted sabotage of the missile base and interviewed him about his reasons for risking the safety of America. Gary knew Steve had a point and now he knew what he had to do...
That's pretty extreme, wanting to start wars to occupy the kids - but you got inside the characters head, and made it all seem perfectly reasonable.
Like the way the news reporting on the event could well kick it all off, when if it was kept out of the news, no one would be any the wiser...
Like the way the news reporting on the event could well kick it all off, when if it was kept out of the news, no one would be any the wiser...
Kids. Steve McGovern saw them on the news every day. Setting fires, shooting people, terrorising neighbourhoods. They were trouble, all of them. And it wasn’t just a problem for America either, it was getting worse across the world.
But he knew the secret, the reason why it was happening. It wasn’t the media, their ‘x-boxes’ or rap stars. It was war, or rather lack of it. For centuries men and women had fought in wars, in the front lines getting their hands dirty, but since the advent of long range weapons and cut-backs and the lack of conscription, they’ve just not been fighting, and all that aggression has to go somewhere, right?
It made no difference that there were young guys out in Iraq. As far as he could tell they just rode around on jeeps keeping the public happy. Their hands were tied from actually engaging the enemy en-mass by their yellow bellied generals and the politicians worried about their votes. Well, there was only one way to solve this.
Luckily for him, Steve was in a position to do something about the situation. He wasn’t one of those fat generals, sat behind a desk chewing on a cigar, or a politician, the thought of being one of those just made him feel sick. No, Steve was an engineer.
The time had come to put his plan in to action. He tapped the side of the toolbox and carefully lifted it up, walking steadily to the bank of flashing lights. It was the late shift and only a skeleton staff were on duty. He showed his security pass at the door and entered the room that would hold the key to his destiny. Finally, he bent down and removed a heavy metal panel from under one of the bank of flashing lights. Cutting the power, he watched those lights blink out before getting to work. Once done, Steve retreated to his little office down the corridor and waited. He sat watching the television, waiting for news. Nothing happened and he drifted off in his chair.
The security alarm woke him. Checking his watch he could just make out the time under the red flashing lights. 5am. He must have slept for a good 3 hours. Walking out in to the corridor he watched the panicked officials running about. So, it had started. He went back to his room and flicked through the TV channels. News, that was what he was after and, sure enough, every channel had it.
The picture showed missiles, heading for several major countries. ‘Pretty soon,’ the reporter said, ‘they would hit their targets.’ No-one knew exactly how they’d been launched but officials were getting to the bottom of it. More importantly, the US government were trying to hold emergency talks with the countries responsible, helping them to try to deflect the missiles or prepare for the worst. It was a pretty desperate affair and there were already signs of retaliation.
What came next shocked even Steve. He was expecting war. He’d targeted countries that had minimal missile stocks and no nuclear weapons, but it seems they had friends in high places. The Iranians and Russians had nuclear warheads aimed at the US at this very moment and were on the brink of pressing their little red buttons.
Minutes ticked by and Steve began to wonder if he’d made the wrong decision, re-wiring the missile command unit like that. What if the US got nuked? It would be all his fault. He shook his head. Don’t be fooled, Stevey-boy, he said to himself, people were dying every day due to those young thugs. They need to be taught a lesson. Turning back to the news report, he saw the headline. Emergency Status, Government warns public of imminent Nuclear attack from the East.
And so he sat and watched as the missile made its way towards central US states. He half listened to high level politicians giving out orders to the public and the news reports of what we could expect if the missiles hit. It was all a bit boring, war would come later. Those who survived would be incensed enough to launch a full scale assault.
But the US government had other plans, they weren’t singing to Steve’s songbook. More news reports flashed up on the screen. America was launching a counter attack, they weren’t backing down. More Nuclear missiles had be launched and the outlook looked grim. Seeing his plans going up in smoke, he put his head in his hands.
It was 5am. Steve awoke. No flashing red lights greeted his bleary eyes, no news reports scrolling across the TV, just some documentary on bears. He checked his watch again. So, he’d been dreaming. He thought about the events of his dream and stood up, resolving to correct them. Maybe a lesser man would re-wire the console to stop the missiles ever launching. Not Steve, he knew he had a mission, he was just launching them at the wrong countries.
Striding back towards the control room, he showed his pass to the guard and entered the room. Stood in front of him were several important looking officials, generals. Another technician was holding up several wires attached to the panel he’d removed. Steve turned to run, but found his way blocked by the guards from the door. “I’ve failed the kids.” Was all that he could say as he was led away.
Gary Unwin was glued to the TV. The news reported Steve’s attempted sabotage of the missile base and interviewed him about his reasons for risking the safety of America. Gary knew Steve had a point and now he knew what he had to do...
But he knew the secret, the reason why it was happening. It wasn’t the media, their ‘x-boxes’ or rap stars. It was war, or rather lack of it. For centuries men and women had fought in wars, in the front lines getting their hands dirty, but since the advent of long range weapons and cut-backs and the lack of conscription, they’ve just not been fighting, and all that aggression has to go somewhere, right?
It made no difference that there were young guys out in Iraq. As far as he could tell they just rode around on jeeps keeping the public happy. Their hands were tied from actually engaging the enemy en-mass by their yellow bellied generals and the politicians worried about their votes. Well, there was only one way to solve this.
Luckily for him, Steve was in a position to do something about the situation. He wasn’t one of those fat generals, sat behind a desk chewing on a cigar, or a politician, the thought of being one of those just made him feel sick. No, Steve was an engineer.
The time had come to put his plan in to action. He tapped the side of the toolbox and carefully lifted it up, walking steadily to the bank of flashing lights. It was the late shift and only a skeleton staff were on duty. He showed his security pass at the door and entered the room that would hold the key to his destiny. Finally, he bent down and removed a heavy metal panel from under one of the bank of flashing lights. Cutting the power, he watched those lights blink out before getting to work. Once done, Steve retreated to his little office down the corridor and waited. He sat watching the television, waiting for news. Nothing happened and he drifted off in his chair.
The security alarm woke him. Checking his watch he could just make out the time under the red flashing lights. 5am. He must have slept for a good 3 hours. Walking out in to the corridor he watched the panicked officials running about. So, it had started. He went back to his room and flicked through the TV channels. News, that was what he was after and, sure enough, every channel had it.
The picture showed missiles, heading for several major countries. ‘Pretty soon,’ the reporter said, ‘they would hit their targets.’ No-one knew exactly how they’d been launched but officials were getting to the bottom of it. More importantly, the US government were trying to hold emergency talks with the countries responsible, helping them to try to deflect the missiles or prepare for the worst. It was a pretty desperate affair and there were already signs of retaliation.
What came next shocked even Steve. He was expecting war. He’d targeted countries that had minimal missile stocks and no nuclear weapons, but it seems they had friends in high places. The Iranians and Russians had nuclear warheads aimed at the US at this very moment and were on the brink of pressing their little red buttons.
Minutes ticked by and Steve began to wonder if he’d made the wrong decision, re-wiring the missile command unit like that. What if the US got nuked? It would be all his fault. He shook his head. Don’t be fooled, Stevey-boy, he said to himself, people were dying every day due to those young thugs. They need to be taught a lesson. Turning back to the news report, he saw the headline. Emergency Status, Government warns public of imminent Nuclear attack from the East.
And so he sat and watched as the missile made its way towards central US states. He half listened to high level politicians giving out orders to the public and the news reports of what we could expect if the missiles hit. It was all a bit boring, war would come later. Those who survived would be incensed enough to launch a full scale assault.
But the US government had other plans, they weren’t singing to Steve’s songbook. More news reports flashed up on the screen. America was launching a counter attack, they weren’t backing down. More Nuclear missiles had be launched and the outlook looked grim. Seeing his plans going up in smoke, he put his head in his hands.
It was 5am. Steve awoke. No flashing red lights greeted his bleary eyes, no news reports scrolling across the TV, just some documentary on bears. He checked his watch again. So, he’d been dreaming. He thought about the events of his dream and stood up, resolving to correct them. Maybe a lesser man would re-wire the console to stop the missiles ever launching. Not Steve, he knew he had a mission, he was just launching them at the wrong countries.
Striding back towards the control room, he showed his pass to the guard and entered the room. Stood in front of him were several important looking officials, generals. Another technician was holding up several wires attached to the panel he’d removed. Steve turned to run, but found his way blocked by the guards from the door. “I’ve failed the kids.” Was all that he could say as he was led away.
Gary Unwin was glued to the TV. The news reported Steve’s attempted sabotage of the missile base and interviewed him about his reasons for risking the safety of America. Gary knew Steve had a point and now he knew what he had to do...