Printed in The Rilao Times on October 25, 2014
With Rilao standing at a crossroads between its isolated past and a more globally driven future, tensions between protest groups and authorities have reached a boiling point.
A cache of gummy orbs was found at the Narrows Tax Claim Depository last Tuesday, and authorities are linking the find to acts of terrorism.
“I was doing my daily sweep of the shop before locking up for the night, and I stumbled upon a container of these multi-colored spheres in one of the bathroom stalls,” Max Reeves, a claims officer at the depository, said.
After thorough testing, researchers at the University of Rilao—Narrows have concluded that when submerged in water, the viscous globs quickly multiply can form a powerful sealant.
Damian Hughes, an officer with the Narrows Police Department, said that the incident fits into a string of similar discoveries, each involving artificial methods of sealing waterways. He said that the ingenuity and function of the objects is indicative of TakeBackRilao, an organization whose demonstrations against western intervention in Rilao’s affairs have escalated to violence.
“Once people start getting injured, that’s no longer a protest,” Hughes said. “Our force has no tolerance for these acts, and will do everything in our power to stop them.”
Collaborators
Will Groff, Shane Liesegang, and Brain Shapland