red-haired Amy, the youngest of the team members as she finally arrived.
"I think I saw Javier and Nick coming over here. They're shutting the place down." Amy laughed. "Guess we get out of work early today."
"I know," Samantha said. "I need to make sure we have everyone so we can go back to our hotel rooms. Phones signals are down, but we can call our families through the hotel landline."
"What happened? Why do we need to call our families?" Amy asked, perplexed.
Samantha was entirely confused. How could Amy be so out-of-the-loop?
"Sorry, I was in the restroom when the lights went out. Scared the crap out of me," Amy added.
"Amy, honey, they reported a terrorist attack in New York City. They're calling it the Wall Street Bombing," Samantha said.
Amy covered her mouth in shock.
"Oh my God. How did it happen?"
"Do you have any family in the city?" Samantha asked.
"No. My family lives here in Denver."
"Okay, great. Well we all need to call our families at the hotel room. They've raised the terror alert to its highest level."
"Which is?" Amy asked.
"Bat shit crazy," Derrick added, walking up with Javier and Nick.
Commotion surrounded them on all sides as other vendors flocked to their booth and attempted to get everything packed up and secure under the low-visibility of artificial lights from phones and tablets. A few men ran past Samantha, almost knocking her over. She regained her composure and moved to address her group.
"We're two people short. Where're Brooke and Tony?"
The team looked around to the black sea of uncertainty that was before them. There was no telling.
"If anyone has their numbers, please call them," Samantha added.
"No signal on mine," Derrick said, holding his phone in the air.
"Me neither," Amy said. "This really fucking blows."
"In the meantime, help me pack up so we can go," Samantha said.
Her team complied and tried their best to close the booth and secure the Motorola products while not succumbing to the growing sense of unease brewing within the center.
Samantha finally made it outside with her Motorola team tagging along behind her. The city streets outside the convention center were typically chaotic.
"Must be rush hour," Samantha thought while looking at the stagnant flow of traffic in both directions.
The crowds from the convention center littered out onto the streets, aimless in their pursuit back to safety. For Samantha and her team, the Marriott Hotel was within walking distance. They were fortunate to have booked the rooms when they did, only a few blocks away. She turned around, and tried to find a spot outside where they weren't blocking anyone else. She waved the group over to the side, under a small planted redwood.
"We're going to head back to the Marriott. I want everyone to call their families, okay?"
They acknowledged her request with head nods and assurances. "Then we meet at the lobby at about," Samantha stopped looked at the time on her phone, then looked back up, "three." It felt like they were on a field trip, and she the teacher, though, at twenty-eight, she only aged them by four or six years.
"Okay, Sam," Derrick said. Brooke and Tony arrived last. They glanced at each other with guilty looks then back to Samantha. They had been making out in a backroom for the past thirty minutes and had no idea what was going on. They were shook up by all the pandemonium happening outside.
"Hey," Samantha said, trying to get their full attention, "everything is going to be okay."
The hotel lobby was a welcomed sight even in its own chaotic condition. Swarms of expo attendees flooded its doors, trying to get back to their rooms. Apparently Samantha wasn't the only one who had considered the hotel's landline phones. The most significant aspect of the hotel was that it still had power. To see the lampshades, registers, air conditioning, and other amenities functioning normally was a hugely relieving sight.
The Motorola group dispersed and made their way
"I think I saw Javier and Nick coming over here. They're shutting the place down." Amy laughed. "Guess we get out of work early today."
"I know," Samantha said. "I need to make sure we have everyone so we can go back to our hotel rooms. Phones signals are down, but we can call our families through the hotel landline."
"What happened? Why do we need to call our families?" Amy asked, perplexed.
Samantha was entirely confused. How could Amy be so out-of-the-loop?
"Sorry, I was in the restroom when the lights went out. Scared the crap out of me," Amy added.
"Amy, honey, they reported a terrorist attack in New York City. They're calling it the Wall Street Bombing," Samantha said.
Amy covered her mouth in shock.
"Oh my God. How did it happen?"
"Do you have any family in the city?" Samantha asked.
"No. My family lives here in Denver."
"Okay, great. Well we all need to call our families at the hotel room. They've raised the terror alert to its highest level."
"Which is?" Amy asked.
"Bat shit crazy," Derrick added, walking up with Javier and Nick.
Commotion surrounded them on all sides as other vendors flocked to their booth and attempted to get everything packed up and secure under the low-visibility of artificial lights from phones and tablets. A few men ran past Samantha, almost knocking her over. She regained her composure and moved to address her group.
"We're two people short. Where're Brooke and Tony?"
The team looked around to the black sea of uncertainty that was before them. There was no telling.
"If anyone has their numbers, please call them," Samantha added.
"No signal on mine," Derrick said, holding his phone in the air.
"Me neither," Amy said. "This really fucking blows."
"In the meantime, help me pack up so we can go," Samantha said.
Her team complied and tried their best to close the booth and secure the Motorola products while not succumbing to the growing sense of unease brewing within the center.
Samantha finally made it outside with her Motorola team tagging along behind her. The city streets outside the convention center were typically chaotic.
"Must be rush hour," Samantha thought while looking at the stagnant flow of traffic in both directions.
The crowds from the convention center littered out onto the streets, aimless in their pursuit back to safety. For Samantha and her team, the Marriott Hotel was within walking distance. They were fortunate to have booked the rooms when they did, only a few blocks away. She turned around, and tried to find a spot outside where they weren't blocking anyone else. She waved the group over to the side, under a small planted redwood.
"We're going to head back to the Marriott. I want everyone to call their families, okay?"
They acknowledged her request with head nods and assurances. "Then we meet at the lobby at about," Samantha stopped looked at the time on her phone, then looked back up, "three." It felt like they were on a field trip, and she the teacher, though, at twenty-eight, she only aged them by four or six years.
"Okay, Sam," Derrick said. Brooke and Tony arrived last. They glanced at each other with guilty looks then back to Samantha. They had been making out in a backroom for the past thirty minutes and had no idea what was going on. They were shook up by all the pandemonium happening outside.
"Hey," Samantha said, trying to get their full attention, "everything is going to be okay."
The hotel lobby was a welcomed sight even in its own chaotic condition. Swarms of expo attendees flooded its doors, trying to get back to their rooms. Apparently Samantha wasn't the only one who had considered the hotel's landline phones. The most significant aspect of the hotel was that it still had power. To see the lampshades, registers, air conditioning, and other amenities functioning normally was a hugely relieving sight.
The Motorola group dispersed and made their way
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