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The bus stop was located in the underground parking garage, in a clear, well-lighted area equidistant froate rose; the bus entered the garage, the gate descended Assu it was a standard security setup, there were circuit breakers in place to prevent the entry and exit gates fro the internal alarm would cause then, “death trap” isn’t always a bad phrase The idea isthem entirely

Blank-faced securitya blood testing kit I bit back a groan as I exited and approached the first free guard, adjusting the strap ofmy hand toward him He slipped the unit over my hand and claia Mason, After the End Times” I unclipped the pass froroup”

He fed the pass into the scanner at his waist It beeped and popped the pass out again He handed it back and glanced at the testing unit, which was showing a flashing green light He frowned “Please relasses, Ms Mason”

Lovely Soet confused by the elevated levels of inactive virus particles caused by retinal KA I didn’t exactly want to expose e, but I didn’t feel like getting shot as a security precaution either I reuard leaned forward, studying my eyes “Retinal Kellis-Amberlee,” he said “Do you carry a med card?”

“Yes” No one with naturally elevated virus levels goes out without aI withdreallet and produced the card, handing it over He slotted it into the back of the testing unit The green light stopped flashing, turned yellow, and finally turned a solid green, apparently having satisfied itself thatto be concerned with

“Thank you for your cooperation” He returned lasses back on “Will your associates be joining us?”

“Not today” The scan ofthere was to know about our organization: Our work history, what our ratings share was like, any citations we’d received for sloppy reporting or libel, and, of course, how roup “Where can I find—”

“Information kiosks are inside, up the stairs, and to your left,” he said, already turning toward the next of the waiting journalists

Asseets the job done I turned to head through the glass doors into the convention center proper, where I could hopefully locate a bathroo in front of o aas by sing soraine had ti It was a s the dayfrom a headache, it was the best one I had

The air conditioning inside was pu the fact that it was February in Oklahoma The reason for the arctic chill was evident: The place was packed Despite the xenophobia that’s gripped the world since the Rising, sos still have to happen face-to-face, and that includes political rallies If anything, the rallies have gotten larger, growing as the smaller events dwindled There’s always the chance of an outbreak when you gather more than ten or twenty people in one place, but man is by his very nature a social animal, and once in a while, you just need an excuse

Before the Rising, Super Tuesday was a big deal These days, it’s a three-ring circus Beyond the expected political factions and special-interest groups, the convention center has exhibit halls and even a temporary mini-mall of service and sales kiosks Place your vote for the next presidential candidate and buy a new pair of running shoes! You know everyone in here has been screened for signs of viral amplification, so have a ball!

The combination of sudden cold and the press of thatheadache throb Hunching onally across the crowd, ai for the escalators Presumably, the information kiosk would identify the locations of both the bathroo area in this zoo

Getting there was easier said than done, but after swiates, merchants, voters, and tourists who felt that the inconvenience of going through security orth the chance to have a little fun, Ito the rail for all that I orth I think the average A by is an overreaction to a currently unavoidable situation, but I’e crowd is fifteen people The wistful looks older people sos of six and seven hundred are corew up, and shoving this e as the Oklaho from the makeup of the crowd, I wasn’t alone in that attitude Except for the people dressed in the corporate colors of one exhibitor or another, I was the youngest person in sight I’m better crowd-socialized thanbecause I’ve forced myself to be; in addition to the paparazzi swary conventions and acadeather in groups If I hadn’t spent the past several years working up to this, just stepping into the hall would havesecurity to decide there was an outbreak in progress and lock us all inside