258 Inner Circle

Claire Holt's Lamborghini cruised into the driveway of City Hall. It had to wade through a crowd of protesters behaving like hooligans. Outside the City Hall, a perimeter had been set with barbed wire, and armed soldiers stood close to the fence. Only essential personnel or authorized guests could enter.

As Claire's vehicle passed through the crowd, they booed at her and hurled obscenities.

"Mayor's bitch!"

"Crony capitalist!"

"Get lost from our city!"

"Army whore!"

Claire ignored the insults and asked the driver to speed up. Things had changed dramatically over the past few weeks. The Springfield Rapids Project had begun manufacturing weapons and defense systems on a large scale. This sudden decision created havoc in the populace because many housing projects were abandoned.

The Interim Mayor, Victor Cromwell, postponed elections indefinitely. People blamed him, the Triumvirate, and the billionaires involved in the project for everything.

Claire read the placards that the protesters