Barbara Walker appears on-camera in front of a cordoned-off area of smoking rubble. She’s wearing a blue jacket over a yellow sweater and is carrying a microphone. In a professional TV news voice, she reports, “I’m standing here in Farmington Hills, Michigan, in the suburbs of Detroit. Farmington Hills is known as one of the safest cities in the US, but last night that safety was shattered by the ongoing armed conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons, causing the deaths of at least five people.”
Walker turns slightly. “This scene of devastation was once a research and development lab for the Van Mark Products Corporation. Wednesday night, however, it became a battleground for the alien robots who call Earth their home. After the building was forcefully evacuated by what witnesses call a ‘robot dinosaur,’ the structure was bombed by what some allege to be a US Air Force fighter jet.”
Walker turns to face the camera once more. “Van Mark Products spokesperson Susan Silo said she understood no reason for the attack on this facility, which she said researched advancements in bending and cutting tools for roofing, siding, and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning. The US Air Force has refrained from comment, pending an ongoing investigation into the incident. What is known is that while the structure was evacuated before the attack, not everyone got out alive.”
Walker turns to a tired-looking young man in a disheveled shirt and tie. A bar on the screen under him identifies him as “Mohamed Mahdi, Office Worker.” Mahdi says nervously into the microphone, “I saw five bloodied people lying outside the research and development wing, which is located in the back of the company’s headquarters. They didn’t look like they were killed in the blast – it looked like someone had cut or stabbed them to death, although I can’t imagine with what. The police took them away in bags.” The man looks devastated.
The camera turns back to Walker. “The attack happened in the evening, after most of the workers had gone home. We can only imagine how much worse it would have been had the building been bombed during the height of the workday. Even so, five lives lost is too many. Back to you, Yusuf.” With the usual glaring shift in tone, the news turns to the latest restaurant reviews.