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Alternate 2006 2
24 March 2006

Armidale, New England, Australia

5:00 pm
Someone arrived back at their room at one of the Colleges at the University of Armidale.

Illia Faran turned on her radio as she put her lecture notes on the desk. It was on the UoA General Student Radio'caster. A song came on. Illia was then frustrated, it wasn't the sort of song she wanted to hear after a long day of lectures, she wanted to relax, dance a bit and wind down before going to dinner.
She then turned the radio off and turned on the Stored-Audio Player and called up one of her playlists of classical music. Immediately some Mozart came on. 'That is more like it' Illia thought, she then danced slowly around the room, all thoughts of study difficulties temporarily removed from her mind.

10 minutes later she heard rapping on the door. It sounded urgent, she turned down the Beethoven music that was now playing. "You can come in" she said. One of her friends came in. She was visibly upset. "What is wrong?" Illia asked.
"Turn on the news" Illia's friend Christina Roberts said. Illia turned off the SAP and turned the radio on. She then keyed in the main Armidale News 'Caster.
"More reports are now coming in, despite the Government blocking codes. It now appears that it is true, that there has been a terrorist attack of an enormous magnitude in Brisbane..."
Illia turned it down, partly in shock. "What have you heard?" she asked.
"A nuclear weapon has been used on Brisbane, and I have also heard that the Commonwealth government is blaming it on Polynesian nationalist groups" Christina said.
"Ok, that is disturbing" Illia said, she considered. She didn't really know anyone from Queensland, besides some residents at the College who were from the Darling Downs. Christina, however ,she was sure, knew people from the area.
She and Christina talked about it for a little while before going to dinner.

As Illia and Christina entered the Dining Hall at 5:45, they could see that many of the residents there were conversing in subdued tones, though many were arguing about what may have had happened. They went up to the servery.
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