TWENTY MINUTES INTO TERROR

Chapter Six: The Seventh Wave Anti-Television League

"We still don't know who's behind this," Edison pointed out as they arrived at ACS. "You didn't happen to recognize any of the faces in the image Max showed us?"

Reg shook his head.

Shelby walked in a moment later, Max Headroom appearing on the screen at the same time.

"Max," Edison said. "Give us a visual on the room. I want to see who's there. And see if you can match up the terrorists faces with anyone on the city databanks."

"Just two," Max said, a moment later. He brought up pictures of the faces in question. One was that of the terrorist leader. "Cairo Malik," Edison read. "Leader of the Seventh Wave Anti-television League."

"But why attack Bryce and his classmates?" Dominique inquired.

"Because they're both the backbone of the networks, and the youngest people working there, "Theora explained. "Not one of them is over seventeen. Losing Bryce would be not only like losing a good friend, but like watching your own baby brother get killed. It would be psychologically and emotionally crippling to Network 23."

She and the others watched as Max scanned the room. At this point, most of the fifteen or twenty teenagers present had suffered some wounds. Two appeared to be dead, or at least critically wounded. A girl was lying in a pool of blood, her face white with shock. Only the sweat running down her face indicated any life in her.

Then she saw Bryce. He was lying there like the others. His leg was bleeding from a bullet wound at the knee while his shoulder was mass of blood, mangled skin, and exposed muscle.

"Oh my god," she cried out.

"Keep it together, Theora," Murray told her, though his own stomach felt like it was tumbling down a waterfall in a barrel. "We've got to get them out of there and we'll need your help."

Theora took a deep breath, then looked up at Murray. "I'm ready," she told him. "Max, bring up any files you can on the Seventh Wave Anti-Television League."

A moment later, a video dossier appeared on screen. The heading read "Seventh Wave Anti-Television League".

There were pictures of Cairo Malik and another man from the terrorist group. Beneath it was a statement:

THIS VIDEO CONTAINS FOOTAGE OF EXTREME VIOLENCE AS WELL AS TERRORISTIC SENTIMENTS. DO YOU WISH TO VIEW THIS FOOTAGE?

Theora clicked "Yes".

The screen flared to life as she watched…

Cairo Malik was standing amidst the wreckage of a long-forgotten network.

"We members of the Seventh Wave have sworn a life-long mission to free the world from the tyranny of Television," he announced. "Today we have freed our children from the mind-slavery that was Edu-Vision. This is the first step toward the realization of a truly free society."

The image was replaced by the face of a middle-aged man in a flack jacket.

"This is James Ashton, " he introduced himself.

Theora wondered if he had been related to Paddy.

"This report is on the Seventh Wave Anti-Television League. Recently several local TV networks have been either knocked off the air or literally blown up by a terrorist organization calling itself the Seventh Wave Anti-Television League, This group's goal is to plunge the world into chaos by removing the comfort of TV from our homes. They are a dangerous organization who will stop at noth-..."

Theora turned away. She'd heard enough.

"Cairo Malik is our biggest threat," Shelby said "But that doesn't mean there aren't others. We'll probably catch them by surprise with the sleep gas. But just in case we don', I'll take Malik. Reg and Rik will take the other terrorists."

"I'm not going to just sit around and do nothing," Edison protested.

"No. You're going to get those kids to safety. Call the medical center. Tell them you'll need at least five ambulances at ACS. And tell them no sirens. We don't want to alert the terrorists that we're coming."

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