Including myself, Sarah and Mikey looked blankly at his love interest. Her questions were important, but also uncomfortable to comprehend. Nevertheless, I'd dug deep and whispered a response. "Michelle, for all our sakes, let's just hope not.

    "Come on guys," I continued. "Let's also move before Dieng inevitably links us."

    As Mikey hailed the serving drone to quickly settle up, one thing played over in my mind.

    What on earth would the outcome of The Result be now?

    Hastily, we'd managed to navigate the cold cobbles of Běijīng Curie City again, lunge into an A.I.D.E taxi, and then speed back across the metropolis to downtown. Despite not being far from the office, as predicted, Dieng made contact. And typically, it wasn't long before he demanded our presence; Gail's too; so that he could issue our next assignment.

    Before arriving, we'd dropped Michelle home and bid her farewell. Then once we were all stood in front of him, he started. "Okay, okay, break time's over! Now, following recent updates from the World Conservation Monitoring Center, Seymour hasn't done what they thought he would! Instead of remaining on course with our mainland, the big bastard's moved over Old Japan, and begun back-tracking," Dieng revealed. "There are no proper figures yet either, but it looks as though Seymour's giving Sadie a run for her category ranking! And apparently, the precipitation is so heavy, it's like a moving cataclysm of horizontal waterfalls."

    Gaia was rebelling and upping the ante.

    "So what's the angle? What do you need?" I asked, as Gail's eyes flitted between Dieng and I, ready to jot down short-handed holonotes.

    "Chon, I'm thinking that we keep our focus on the wider politics surrounding Seymour, rather than Seymour itself," he suggested. Then out of happy habit, Pae fired a lobe of phlegm into his spit bin. "You know, report on Xen and Lee's reactions to the new Super Storm, and how it'll affect The Solution!"

    "I agree," I said. Dieng was onto something. "If I know my brother and our president, I'm sure they'll want to capitalize on Mother Nature's 'natural expression' to emphasize their cause."

    "It's agreed then," Dieng confirmed. "And Chon, I'm not even sure when or where it'll go down, but it will!

    "So, Gail, get these three booked on open VG flights again, a-sap!"

    "On it," she whispered, as the rest of us moved out of his office.

    "Chon, where do you think Xen 'n' Lee will make their destabilization stand?" Mikey probed, as the three of us power-walked across the technology plain.

    But before I could answer, Sarah offered interjecting thoughts. "Big guy, my guess is they'll protest from Lokshu1 or Astana," she said, nodding as she spoke.

    "No way, that's far too obvious," I countered with a crinkled brow. "My bet is they'll be daring, and head straight for UN Headquarters. Guys, it might not be a bad idea to prepare for New York and pull out those fur-lined rain macs of yours."

    My instinct was right. A few hours later, we were in Manhattan, and frustration had set in. Despite our supersonic journey to the states, we were currently cramped in an A.I.D.E taxi, crawling through yellow traffic and headed southbound towards the UN Secretariat Building.

    The prolonged journey did allow for one thing, though. Observation. Since being here only a few months prior, permanent flood defenses had graced the city streets due to the recent spike in sea level rise. Furthermore, the defenses were almost lost among the mass of gathered snow which had encompassed every inch of the scenery - snow which had also allowed for the iconic area to resemble a Winter Wonderland, with Central Park bearing the likeness to the frozen forest in Narnia.

    "Wow," Sarah cooed out of the taxi's holo-window. "Blizzard snow makes this place look so peaceful, so angelic."

    "It sure does," Mikey agreed, probably mesmerized by its powdered glow. "It's just like, The Day After Tomorrow."

    As we reached our destination - which was hostile to say the least - the New York Police Department continued to keep the protesting crowds back from the UN building entrance. Specifically, they'd achieved this with the threat of horses, firearms, and holo-shields.

    It was obvious that Xen's Tripod Coalition was already inside.

    Back outside, Mikey paid the fare. "Thanks, 'Iron Man'," he said to the A.I.D.E driver, having scanned his iDot against the internal holoconsole.

    "Ay-yo, you're welcome, anytime," the designated escort responded, who was programed with a Harlem accent.

    Jumping a foot from the hovermobile into crunching snow, we trudged forwards, until immersed among the protesting masses.