Newsworld

Prominent Symbols
The symbols I saw was the element of the young, ignorant, and naive. The Twin Towers
 striking the Towers and the young believing that it was a movie. The reality that we are all vulnerable scares these kids.
The shutdown of the facility soon after the terrorist attack calls to these young kids now full of piss and vinegar.
The kids crossing into the unknown and dangerous world by breaching the fence and searching for themselves in a way. Fear of the unknown.


Connection.
I was dangling off a cliff in New Hampshire when the Towers were hit. One of the Combat Lead Climb instructors got a call. We were confused thinking. "How is this part of the training exercise?"
Reality struck and we all knew we were getting deployed soon but really didn't know what was down that path.

Adapting Story to medium.
Film. You could adapt this story into a complication of Point of Views from this group and others across the US. This can show the different ways people reacted shortly after the incident.