Sun of the Sleepless (65 page)

February 10th, 2010

Washington DC was assailed by a blizzard of epic proportions, stifling attempts to dig the city out from a blanket of over two feet of snow that had been deposited over the previous weekend. Another ten inches or more of snow was predicted for the end of the week and the federal government had effectively been brought to a standstill with road transport incapacitated, airports closed and thousands of travellers stranded. Even the mail service had been suspended.

Almost a quarter of a million federal employees alone were forced to stay at home and the stoppage was estimated as costing over one hundred million dollars per day in lost labour. The storms of February succeeded in shattering the record for seasonal snowfall that had stood for over one hundred years and the world's largest superpower had effectively been closed due to bad weather.

February 26th, 2010

What was to be termed as 'Hurricane Xynthia' swept through Western Europe and caused natural devastation beyond anything that had been seen in living memory. Over fifty people lost their lives in storm related incidents and over half a million homes were left without the basic utilities of electricity and fresh water.

The whirling vortex of hurricane force winds smashed its way through the northern coast of Spain and continued its trail of destruction right up the west coast of France and even into Germany, causing floods, property damage and necessitating the labours of hundreds of rescue workers to facilitate the evacuation of families everywhere along its wake. The loss estimate for the effects of Hurricane Xynthia were approximated at over one billlion Euros.

March 1st, 2010

A group of individuals allegedly detained by the British security services during an anti-terrorist operation were all released without charge. Rebecca Gregory, Adrian Tizard, Sonny Parker and Patrick Weber immediately announced their intention to engage a solicitor to pursue a claim of wrongful arrest and imprisonment. The British government has repeatedly declined to comment on the case or even to acknowledge that the individuals were held in custody at any time on suspicion of terrorist offences.

March 17th, 2010

After Open-EZ Inc. discovered anonymous web-postings on a well-known conspiracy theory message board claiming a connection between the company and an ongoing investigation into a terrorist organisation, top executives at the firm were rumoured to have considered a subpoena ordering the web site to release any records that might identify the poster. It has been suggested that they may even have contemplated going after the US government itself, citing a defamation charge for the failure to clarify any suggestions that the company had any connection with illegal activities.

Despite the obvious animosity between the company and the government, Open-EZ stock remained buoyant and was notably bolstered by the unexpected announcement of a new contract to provide supply chain services to a major component supplier of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

April 14th 2010

CIA Deputy Director Stefan Kappel announced his retirement. Although widely regarded as somewhat premature in terms of his length of service, his departure was by no means unexpected and intelligence insiders closed ranks when questioned about the reasons for his decision. Although his tenure had only recently endorsed by The White House, the President declined to comment on the sudden developments.

August 20th 2010

Dutch police officer Inspector Pieter van Riel announced his early retirement from the service. Just prior to his departure, unconfirmed sources indicated that he had been awarded the Cross of Merit during a private ceremony attended only by his family and senior officers. The decoration was created in 1941 and is usually conferred on citizens and foreign nationals who have distinguished themselves through actions characterised by bravery and leadership in the interest of the Dutch State. Both the police and former Inspector van Riel have declined to comment on the rumour and there is no evidence in state archives to confirm the claim.

Gertrude Verker continues to sell antiquarian books and manuscripts via her eBay shop, however, she also runs a well-established antiquarian book shop in her home city of The Hague. She was able commit herself full-time to her beloved profession after it was announced that a well respected colleague in the book trade - Mr. Johann Janssens - was missing and presumed dead after a short but thoroughly conclusive police investigation. In his will, Mr. Janssens had bequeathed his property and entire stock to his young associate and is fondly remembered by all who knew him.

An apparently regular cycle of cataclysmic natural events continues to rock the finances of both the public and private sectors, notwithstanding the unequivocally tragic impact on the lives of thousands of ordinary men, women and children the world over. Volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis and other extreme natural disasters continue to cause not only disruption, but misery and despair for many people. Whether or not these events mark a notable increase in such activity over the last couple of years is debatable.

In contrast to the turmoil of the natural world, at the time of writing, there is no evidence that the suggested widespread political turmoil envisaged and predicted by some government insiders has occurred. For better or for worse, the power structures of the world ostensibly remain intact.