Flygirl shows up

As Fran watched the growing chaos in the newsroom with one crowd of spectators jeering at the scientist being interviewed and another crowd jeering at the station manager, a mysterious figure wearing dark glasses and a leather jacket entered the room and quietly maneuvered her way to Fran's side.

"Meet me on the roof around nine o'clock," she said to Fran.

"What?" asked Fran.

"Meet me on the roof around nine o'clock," said the figure.

Fran turned and saw that the figure was Stephanie, a very close "friend" of hers who had worked for the station as a helicopter pilot long enough to earn the nickname "Flygirl" from some of their mutual acquaintances.

"I don't understand," said Fran.

"I don't blame you," said Stephanie. "I look at this mess and I don't see a lot to understand either."

"No, that's not what I mean," said Fran. "What I mean is --"

"It doesn't matter what you mean, Fran," said Stephanie. "Someone's gotta survive. Someone's gotta wear clothes. Someone's gotta get away and make it possible for the next generation to grow up wearing clothes. And besides, it's way too cold out there to make a good ENF story."

"But, Stephanie..." Fran started to say.

"No excuses, Fran," said Stephanie. "I want you to meet me on the roof at nine o'clock and that's it. And don't make me come looking for you. There'll be too many naked women out there for me to notice you right away."

"But what about the station?" asked Fran.

"Oh, don't mind that," said a thin young man standing a few feet away from Fran and Flygirl. "The emergency networks will be taking over around midnight anyway. As far as they're concerned, our job is done."

Fran just looked at him while Stephanie in turn shrugged and wandered off on another mission. Then Fran thought about having to go outside where the ENF zombies were and suddenly she was glad that her "friend" Stephanie had a great big helicopter. She would have hated to travel by land at a time like this.

Though Fran was not yet sure where she thought Stephanie would think to go. Canada? Mexico? How far could they travel by helicopter anyway? Usually when Fran got stressed out, she would go in for what she mockingly called "retail therapy". But for some reason, she did not quite see her and Stephanie taking the time to visit a shopping mall in this type of situation...