The Twin Cities buzzed with activity as winter's chill began to set in, residents of Minneapolis city, and over across the Mississippi river in St. Paul city bracing for what Anya believed would be a solid pounding of snow,ice,and of course, the general grumpiness that she'd realized always came with it. The sky was a foreboding dark grey,like a manifestation of the unease that had settled over both cities. Snowflakes fell gently, like a lover's caress;casting a serene silence over the bustling city streets,a stark contrast to the chaos they would soon unleash. But amidst all that tranquillity,a sense of anticipation hung in the air. A storm was brewing,one that would bring the cities to a standstill.
Anya Quinn stood at the window of the local weather station in Minneapolis, arms crossed over her chest and her ocean blue eyes fixed on the horizon,at the gathering storm clouds. But despite the ominous feeling floating in the air,her heart pounded with excitement and anticipation as she watched the snowflakes dance in the wind,their delicate forms swirling and twisting in a mesmerizing pattern.
She loved the way the impending storm made her feel,the way it made her heart pound and her senses come alive. She felt like she was a part of something bigger than herself, something that connected her to the very heart of nature.
She dearly treasured moments like this,when the world was muffled and still;as if holding it's breath in anticipation of what was to come. What was coming, she thought, would be a monster. A snowstorm of epic proportions that would probably wreck everything in it's wake.
She took a deep breath, feeling the familiar thrill of the unknown,the rush of adrenaline that came with predicting the unpredictable.
Anya was a meteorologist, a scientist who lived and breathed the weather. She did and loved what she did in life. Her passion involved understanding the intricacies of the atmosphere and warning people of impending disasters. She spent long hours studying weather patterns, poring over satellite images and analyzing data to ensure her forecasting was perfect.
Tonight was no exception.
Although, tonight, the storm brewing over the Twin Cities was quickly shaping up to be a beast,with sustained winds of over fifty knots and gusts reaching up to seventy.
Her office was a shrine of all things weather-related. Maps and charts peppered the walls,and a giant screen on the far wall displayed the latest satellite imagery.
As she gazed out the window,marvelling at the beauty of the winter wonderland outside, Anya's mind was focused on the looming storm. She had been tracking it's progress for days now, carefully studying the satellite images and running complex models to predict it's trajectory. She had no doubt in her mind that it was going to be one for the books,and that this occasion was going to be a momentous one. She was only glad that she was in it up to her neck:right in the middle of it all as it unfolded.
Her colleagues began to filter in,their faces set with determination. They were a team,like a well-oiled machine that worked seamlessly to track the storms progress and issue timely warnings.
Anya was the lead forecaster,and always took her job very seriously,no doubt knowing that her prediction could mean the difference between life and death for the people caught in it's path.
"Good morning, everyone," Anya said when she was sure everyone had settled in,her voice crisp and professional. "Let's get started, looks like we're gonna have a very long day ahead."
The team nodded in unison,their faces serious. They knew that this storm was undauntedly going to be a serious challenge.
A moment later, as Anya sat at her desk,getting to work, her enthusiasm for meteorology was apparent. She was in her element as usual,her eyes sparkling with glee as she meticulously tracked the storm's rapid intensification. She loved every single minute of it,loved the feeling of being in the front lines;being the first to know when such a storm was brewing. To her,this was a rush like no other. A rush she craved like a junkie in need of a fix.
As the day wore on, the storm seemed to intensify,and so did Anya's enthusiasm. The snow fell heavily, blanketing the city in a thick layer of white. Anya and his team remained holed up inside the weather station, working tirelessly to track it's progress and warn the public.
Meanwhile, across the Mississippi river in a luxurious office high above the city of St. Paul,Sebastian Wolfe was having a typical Monday. His last meeting had run late, too late,and even worse, the lengthy meeting had ended up in a spectacular fail on his side. A pure waste of his precious time.
He was fuming. Who rejects a multi-million-dollar proposal? He wondered,shaking his head in disbelieve. He'd done his best,but those people in his last meeting were dumb as fuck. It was no such a big deal,anyway, because at least, he had another meeting scheduled with a major investor in Chicago before the day came to a close. That helped to alleviate his situation a little. But then, the mayor had called his office just moments ago asking if he could make it to an emergency meeting.
Again,that put him in a dilemma.
Was he going to attend the mayor's meeting or fly to Chicago?
The goddamn pilot wasn't reaching out to him fast enough,and he was squirming in his well padded chair, growing increasingly impatient with each passing minute;feeling like he'd been waiting for the pilots call forever.
If the storm got any worse than this...He ran an exasperated hand through his short,dark hair. He couldn't afford not to fly to Chicago, not after what had happened in the last meeting.
He was a titan of industry,a man who had built his empire from the ground up. He was ruthless, driven,and successful. But beneath that polished exterior, Sebastian was a complex man,haunted by a past he'd managed to keep hidden from the world for so long.
Tired of staring at his computer screen trying to coordinate his companies response to the disaster, Sebastian pushed back his chair,heaved himself up,thrust his hands in his pants pockets, and wondered over to the huge office window.
He gazed out at the snow-covered cityscape:the view was unbelievably spectacular. Damn, in the flickering yellow light of the metro-dome,countless snowflakes looked like a billion beautiful diamonds swirling around the skyscrapers.
But shit, now wasn't exactly the best time to appreciate beauty. Hell,he wasn't even in the mood for beauty at the moment. His eyes narrowed,his jaw clenching as frustration and anger brewed deep in the pit of his gut before searing through his veins like a welding torch.
He was a man who prided himself on control,a man who was accustomed to getting his way through sheer force of will;but this storm was making him feel restless...powerless. It was proving to be a challenge, a force of nature that he could not control even if he wanted. Like an unpleasant and unwelcome reminder that some things were beyond his control whether he liked it or not.
Sebastian found that really hard to appreciate.
As the snow danced outside his floor-to- ceiling window, Sebastian ran another exasperated hand through his uncombed hair, and tried to focus. To think it all over in his mind and carefully weigh the options.
The mayor's emergency meeting demanded attention, but so did the potential Chicago investor who could seal a deal worth millions of dollars. He thought of the city's fragile infrastructure,and the mayor's appeal for support.
And he came to a final conclusion: as far as he was concerned, business came first.
As to whether he was gonna head to Chicago or to the mayor's meeting? That was a no-brainer.
He could instruct his assistant to send a representative over to the mayor, while he entertained the Chicago investor.
Besides, he kept forgetting he was a multi-billionaire,which meant he got to do whatever he wanted,whenever he wanted; and what he wanted more than anything right now was to make more and more money.
Of course, Sebastian knew the storm brewing outside was certainly going to be a major one. A monster, if the weather forecasters were anything to go by. But he was confident in his ability to weather it. He was a man who thrived on challenge,and this storm was no exception. After all,he was Sebastian Wolfe.
His mind set, he turned away from the window,his eyes scanning the room with a sense of discontent. The luxurious office,with it's sleek lines and expensive artwork,seemed sterile and impersonal compared to the wild beauty of the storm outside. He quickly glanced down at his Rolex watch before frowning and drifting back to his massive dark-wood desk.
He'd barely settled back in his chair when his assistant knocked softly on the door.
"Sir,the pilot has called off the flight. The storm is intensifying faster than expected, and they won't risk taking off."
Sebastian bit his lip as his face darkened with anger. He didn't like being told what he could and what he couldn't do,especially by something as unpredictable and inconsiderate as the weather. "Get me a car," he barked. "I will drive to Chicago."
His assistant hesitated. "Sir,i don't think that's a good idea. The roads are already getting treacherous out there."
Sebastian's expression was unyielding. "I don't pay you to think ,Rachael," he snapped. "I pay you to get things done. Get me a car,now."
"What about the mayor..."
"Send someone over..."
Rachael blinked, but she knew better than to argue with him.
"And make sure everything is well taken care of here," Sebastian added. "I don't want any disruptions to my schedule."
"I can do that,sir," Rachael said with a quick nod before exiting the room,no doubt to find a good representative as instructed, and probably conjure some explanation why Sebastian wasn't going to appear in person at the mayor's meeting.
Damn her, Sebastian thought as he watched her retreating back. She didn't really expect him to just sit around and watch the storm derail his carefully controlled schedule. Nope. He just wasn't the type. He was going to face it head-on. If only he could manage to stay one step ahead of the goddamn storm,he would be sure to get to Chicago. He would be sure to meet the investor.
Collecting his billfold and his phone, Sebastian shrugged on his coat, and with a new sense of determination, stormed out of the office.
When Sebastian left his office, Anya Quinn was still glued to the radar screen, her eyes flashing with excitement, her mind racing with predictions and possibilities. She was a woman on a mission:to predict the perfect storm. The radar screen glowed in the dim light,a mesmerizing dance of colors and patterns.
As she pored over the data,the phone rang,shattering the silence. "Anya Quinn,Weather center," she answered, her voice crisp and professional.
"Anya,it's Mark from 97.5 FM. We need an update on the storm. What's the latest?" Marks voice was a little too cheerful for the topic,but Anya detected a hint of concern beneath the surface.
"Mark,we've got a doozy brewing out there," Anya replied, her eyes scanning the screens. "Snowfall rates are increasing, with reports of 2-4 inches per hour in some areas. Winds are gusting up to 40 miles per hour, making it feel like -20 wind chill. We're expecting significant power outages and travel disruptions."
Mark whistled low. "Sounds like we're in for a wild ride. Can you give us something for the morning show?"
Anya nodded, though Mark couldn't see her.
"Tell them to batten down, Mark. This one's gonna be a messy one. We're expecting over a foot of snow in the metro area,with isolated power outages and road closures. We think that it's gonna get real bad pretty soon;give it an hour and half or so, and the snow will start falling in buckets... or rather in blizzard proportions," Anya said as she wrapped up the interview.
And just as she'd predicted, a little more than an hour later,the snow fell like there was no tomorrow, the wind howled even worse, causing the old building to creak. A shiver ran down Anya's spine despite the warmth of the office, and she wrapped her arms around herself, not really afraid, just feeling lonely.
All her colleagues having left for the night, Anya had been left at the station on her lonesome. She didn't mind. No, she was used to being alone with her thoughts,and she knew she had a long night ahead of her.
Her mind wandered momentarily to her family at home. Her parents were probably worried sick about her,and her little brother, Josh,was most likely glued to his gaming console, completely oblivious to the storm raging outside. Anya hoped they'd be safe and sound until the storm passed.
Even though she'd often worked late before, Anya had never worked as late as tonight. Should she call them? She wondered idly. Perhaps she should. To give them an update on the storm and assure them she was safe and really busy. She needed to tell them that she'd be home soon. That they needed not worry so much bout her. Hell, they needed to know that she was a grown woman now and could perfectly take care of herself even in such menacing moments.
Well,she should call, but her father would,without a doubt,tell her to wrap things up fast enough and head home, and he'd be serious about it. Her mother would probably freak out...
Anya thought about making the call for a while, then decided against it.
She would come to all that later, she decided. But right about now, her focus went back to the screen, and once again, she got completely engrossed in her work.
And then,just as she was starting to feel like she was getting a handle on the storm, the lights flickered and died, plunging the weather station into darkness, the only sound the howling of the wind outside, and the ticking of the clock on the wall.
"No,no,no."