Countdown - Part 5

Yellow Alert

The NORAD launch control center goes on Yellow Alert. Charlie and Jenna hope that it will turn out to be a false alarm (in reality, such false alarms are often triggered by meteor showers or bird migrations).
VOICE
(as if, or actually, through a loudspeaker)
Yellow alert !
Yellow alert !
(Charlie immediately takes his place. Jenna reluctantly moves to her monitor)
JENNA
I'm tired of this!
VOICE
Take your positions, please.
CHARLIE
This is what we are paid for.
VOICE
Take your positions, please.
Yellow alert.
(Their attention is fully focused on their monitors as they scan incoming information)
JENNA
It's another electronic hallucination.
A false alarm.

CHARLIE
Bird migration.
A meteor shower at the North Pole.
VOICE
Orange alert !
Orange alert !
JENNA
I hate this.
It makes me nervous.
VOICE
Stand by.
CHARLIE
Relax. No one has verified the sighting.
VOICE
Stand by.
JENNA
We're staying on orange much too long.
CHARLIE
Relax.
VOICE
All clear.
At ease.
All clear.
JENNA
I told you it would never happen.
We should have laid bets.
I would clean up.
CHARLIE
Twenty years ago, I could have taken it so lightly too.
JENNA
Look, Charlie, it's not going to happen.
Kissinger said so.

Playback Tips: The sound files are in mono format. I am using Sound Machine as a "Helper Application" to play these au format files back on the Macintosh. I have noticed on my system (which is optimized for stereo playback) that unless the volume of the empty channel is disabled or turned all the way down, the empty channel will add hiss to the channel with the sound. If you experience hiss during playback, you should try to disable playback of the empty channel. If you are listening through external amplification as I am, this may merely require panning your balance control all the way to one side.

Graphics, text, sounds, etc.  Copyright  © Christopher Yavelow  1987 and 1994