The NBN News AM intro was the first thing to air on the network since the end of Tonight! The "Technical Difficulties" banner that had been airing all night disappeared and the intro faded in, the sun rising over the Statue of Liberty while Ray Charles' version of "America the Beautiful" played. The images cycled through baseball games and farmers at work, jazz clubs and Texas BBQ. As the song came to a close, the current anchors of the broadcast were shown talking and laughing with each other as the logo faded in.
The intro faded and the camera high and stage right came on, showing Lana Jones in the closer seat with Henry Williams just beyond her. Lana was reading from a stack of papers and leaning in close to listen to Henry whisper in her ear. She nodded vigorously as they swapped to the center camera and their microphones went live.
"Good morning America, and we expect much of the world today. When the world Changed, we were there, and we intend to be there for everything to come. NBN is your only source for what has happened with Anastasia and the rest of the Tonight! crew since the conclusion of the broadcast. We'll be bringing you updates on their movements throughout the day, so be sure to stay tuned."
Henry nodded and took over. "Absolutely, Lana. Last night, live on the number one rated late-night talk show, NBN's Tonight!, our understanding of the world was upended. The Earth-shattering revelations are still under discussion, and some of the world's foremost scientific and theological thinkers will be visiting us throughout the day to discuss the implications of the show. Dr. Joseph Wainwright, The Coffee Table's Dr. Joe, and the rest of the cast will be joined by astrophysicist Dr. Nelson Capone and theologist Rev. Dr. Nowali Yonas for a spirited discussion."
Lana smoothly took over. "You won't want to miss that. But first, our morning roundup of the big stories of the night. We'll be focusing on the biggest for most of the broadcast, but some other important events have been occurring around the world. After the no-confidence vote for the previous government coalition succeeded, the Australian political parties have been campaigning furiously for the last three weeks. With less than two weeks until the election, no clear leader has emerged. Any governing coalition is likely to be made up of varied blocks of interests and unlikely to make significant progress in addressing their housing crisis.
"Elections are looming in much of the European Union as well, with Germany, France, and the UK all going to the polls sometime within the next six months. Campaigns have not officially started, but populist candidates have been holding rallies in all three, sometimes in violation of election laws. Traditional parties on the right and left have been considering unusual coalitions to stem the rising tide."
Henry stepped in smoothly, saying, "Coming over to North America, Canada and Mexico only have local elections this year, while the eternal election season continues in the United States. While the Democrats and Republicans continue to be the dominant political forces, the last two elections have seen third-party candidates give surprisingly strong showings. The Republican splinter group, For the People, took control of the American People's Party and with their nomination of New Jersey televangelist and former traveling Bible salesman Michael Valtin won the electoral college votes for Idaho and Wyoming in the last Presidential election. In last year's midterms, Arizona and Idaho both elected US Senators from the APP, and the Senator from Vermont officially joined the Socialist Workers for Freedom Party. A total of 21 House seats went to four of the increasingly misnamed third parties, the most since the conclusion of the American Civil War.
"This is a worrying trend to the political establishment, as a small number of electoral votes lost to third-party candidates has the potential to completely upend the presidential election. Some members have even suggested moving to alternate voting systems that would prevent such candidates from playing spoiler in a close election, although others warn this could have the perverse incentive of increasing the number willing to vote for minor parties."
Lana spoke next, adding, "The official Republican and Democratic primaries are still a year away, although candidates are already announcing exploratory committees, and Valtin has already been acclaimed as the APP nominee. At least four candidates will be expected to have a possibility of receiving electoral votes."
Lana turned away from the center camera, and they switched to a close-up camera. With her smooth golden brown skin and short black hair contrasted by a sleek burgundy suit, she was a perfect picture of fashion at 5 in the morning. She looked into the eyes of the viewers with confidence as she said, "The elections are further complicated by our top story, the woman known as Anastasia. Last night, NBN was proud to usher in what is properly known as the Change. While not everything about Her or the Change has been confirmed, what we can say is that after last night, nothing will ever be the same.
"If you are worried about what you saw last night, you are not alone. Many of last night's viewers cannot remember much of what they saw, and the lost time is difficult to accept. But we will fill in those blanks, revealing everything that Anastasia has said and done and helping you to understand it. With our unique connection to Her, NBN is your best source of information."
A picture of Johnny and Danny from Johnny's guest role on Oh Danny Boy! appeared over her shoulder. "Two of NBN's brightest stars, Johnny O'Reilly and Daniel Flynn, have joined Anastasia on a short trip to take care of what they described as critically important business. When they return, NBN will host a live special to get everyone up to date on the latest news direct from the source. Until then, Tonight! will be hosted by Weston Martell and some of the smartest comedians working today.
"Starting Thursday, NBN's Can't-Miss Comedy lineup will kick off Change month which will see your favorite shows address the existence of Anastasia and untangle exactly what that means. Tune in to find out how opinions on Anastasia affect the ring ceremony on the all-new Courtship, and how the agents on The Bureau deal with the unrest in Her wake."
The center camera took over again, and Henry cut in. "Sounds like good television, Lana, I can't wait. Coming up after the break, we'll have Carrie Jenkins, one of Tonight!'s producers who was an integral part of last night's production. She'll give us the behind-the-scenes info about what really went down - you won't want to miss it. See you in just a few minutes!"
"Good morning everyone, I'm Gabriel Ramone, and this is your UBC Morning News," the anchor this morning looked like a young and tan Clark Gable, and his smile had made him a thirst trap for a lot of early risers in his few months on the air. He spoke with perfect newscaster's voice diction except for his name, which he gave a Puerto Rican flare. He looked over to the next chair at his coanchor, a thirty-something white woman with pink and purple tips on her blonde hair, and introduced her. "Joining me this morning is Jaxana Smith, filling in for Andrea Wilson, who has been delayed in traffic."
"Thanks for having me, Gabriel," she said in a throaty voice, rolling the 'r' expertly. She turned to the screen and with a gleam in her eye said, "Our top story this morning comes from Las Vegas, where the casualties are still being tallied. Last night, during the Incident, tragedy befell visitors to the Stratosphere. Exclusive video of the collapse has been obtained by UBC News. Before we roll the video, I must warn you that it is not for sensitive viewers." As she turned to the central monitor, the screen shifted to the view of a camera on Las Vegas Boulevard that showed the marquis to the Strat Hotel, with a good part of the tower itself visible in the frame.
The only indication time was passing for the first three seconds was a timer counting in the corner - no pedestrians were moving around on the strip. Three seconds in, a man entered from the bottom of the screen. It was hard to tell how big he was without anything for scale, but the tight black t-shirt and jeans showed the man's bodybuilder physique. He paused beneath the double arch crossing the street, staring up at the high tower. He could barely be seen to be clenching his fists as he stalked forward, moving straight towards the closest pillar holding up the tower.
The image zoomed in, sacrificing picture quality for a closer focus on the image of interest. The now blocky figure approached the white pillar sloping up from the flower beds. The screen then split, showing the same scene from a different angle, the new one from directly across the street. A chyron running across the bottom of the screen estimated the man's height at over 7' and identified the jeans and shirt from Bottega Veneta along with a QR code that would take viewers to the brand's website.
The man reached the sloped pillar and rested his right hand on it. Nothing else could be seen happening in the video for several seconds, until a large chunk of concrete fell from above, gouging a four-foot gash in the sidewalk next to the man. He straightened and looked up, then put both hands on the pillar and pushed.
This time, the effect was immediately apparent. The pillar cracked between his hands, and the crack swiftly propagated up the tower. He stood again and looked up, this time nodding to himself and walking back the way he came. The second image was removed and the cropping stopped, showing the man walking calmly away from the building with the tower in the background. The closest pillar had cracked completely in half, and the stress was causing the other pillars to buckle as well. Before the man could walk a dozen steps, the tower came crashing down across the strip and into the parking lot off-screen to the right. A billowing cloud of dust consumed the man and then the camera, turning the screen grey before fading entirely to black.
The camera focused back on Ms. Smith, who was breathlessly awaiting her cue. "Rescue efforts were delayed for hours before they began to sort through the rubble, and it's unknown how many people were in the tower when it collapsed. No trace of the mystery man who brought the tower down was found when crews first arrived on sight - anyone with any information about this man is urged to contact UBC directly as well as their local authorities."
Ramone cleared his throat and the camera swung to him. "Thank you, Jaxana, for that enthusiastic report. We'll be going to our representative in Las Vegas shortly.
"But before that, we at UBC would like to address what my colleague here called the 'Incident'. While we make no secret that we attempt to draw in younger viewers here at UBC News by focusing on stories of more interest to them, we take pride in making sure that those stories are reported on with the utmost rigor. We clearly delineate what is fact and what is opinion, as well as whose opinion we are delivering. We intend to stick to this model now and in the future, including how it applies to the Incident."
He shifted to his right, facing into a different camera and taking up the full frame. "What we know then - the facts of the matter as we have been able to confirm - are few. We know that satellite communications that the networks rely on crashed at 11:40 pm Eastern Standard Time last night, cutting off all television broadcasts. At the same time, radio communications throughout the world were also disrupted, although the mechanism behind this is still unknown. Automated broadcasts were able to get through approximately 90 minutes later, although the networks have only had full control of their broadcasting since 4 am Eastern.
"Beyond that, we know what many people are claiming. I, personally, was in bed at the time, planning to sleep until 2:30 before coming in for the morning broadcast. But for some reason my TV came on, and it was tuned to the NBN late-night show. I watched the show, but it was late and I was tired so I don't remember much of it. When I came in to the studio, I mostly believed it to be a strange dream. But I have read the accounts online and heard the stories of some of my fellows here. Everyone I have spoken to personally, and the overwhelming majority of people online have claimed to have been watching the broadcast, whether they intended to or not. It came on at the bar they were at, or the TV changed to it and couldn't be changed back, or the approximately 19 thousand people who say they watched it on the Jumbotron at the Arena instead of anyone actually playing a game."
By the end, a hint of his accent had broken through, and he paused to smooth his jacket and turn to a different camera. He smiled broadly and continued, "And of course, most remember at least a name if nothing else - Anastasia. But beyond that, the stories are much less consistent. Wild claims about the end of the world, proof of God, or alien invasions are bouncing around every corner of social media. We promise you that those claims will each be investigated as our journalists look into every aspect of the Incident. Until then, please join the great group on Gabfest later this morning to discuss the impact on the culture of these and other claims.
"Friends, I promise you that we will honor our duty as journalists in this and everything. The world is constantly changing, and our goal is to make sure you can keep up. Stick with us here and online at UBC.com for the latest updates. We're going to take a quick break before getting out to Las Vegas to learn more about the collapse of the Strat Tower."
"My fellow Americans, I bring to you the gravest news I can bring - nuclear war."
The anchor desk on ABS was not filled by the regular morning hosts. Reminding the world of their storied history of breaking the most important news for the last half-century, the legendary journalist William Stone had come out of retirement to greet the nation. His full, thick hair was still mostly dark brown, with a hint of distinguished grey at the temples, and his skin was still as tight as a man in his fifties. His conservative navy suit and slate grey tie projected confidence and professionalism without distracting from the words he spoke.
"Details are currently hard to come by, due to the presumed nature of the exchange. Satellite imagery over Asia and most of the hemisphere is completely offline, both civilian and military. Expert analysts have determined that this is consistent with a massive nuclear exchange centered on the Kashmir region and spilling over into India, Pakistan, and parts of China.
"ABS is part of a worldwide network of news-gathering organizations, and we would normally be linking up with them to get the news on the ground out to you. We cannot do that this time, as we have lost all contact with our Asian partners, and communications to Europe, Africa, and Oceania are still difficult. We hold out hope that they are safe, although the likelihood diminishes by the hour.
"Before we go farther, we at ABS, and I, personally, want to reassure the American people that we remain strong and free, with no involvement in the current war. We are not allies with any of the involved nations, so we are not obliged to join this war. We do not yet know the extent of the fallout, but the worldwide prevailing wind patterns make it unlikely that a significant amount will make it to our shores. We have no reason to believe that further exchanges are likely, and projections suggest that only America and her allies have a fully functional nuclear arsenal at this time.
"Our news team is doing everything possible to get you clear information as quickly as possible. Our White House correspondents have been in the briefing room for the past two hours, and we will break in immediately when the administration makes a statement. Mark Davison, our veteran correspondent from the Gulf conflicts, is preparing to travel as close as possible to bring us scenes from the war zone. Until then, retired General Bradley Manning will be joining us to explain why a full-scale exchange like this has such an impact on our ability to communicate and know what is happening."
Stone straightened his ties and looked straight into the camera. "Today is a dark day, one of the darkest we've seen. The loss of life is unknown, but almost certainly the largest casualty event known to man. It is difficult to comprehend the enormity of what has happened, and it is easy to look away and treat it as a statistic. As more information comes in, and we come to know just how many of our fellow man have been wiped out in such a senseless manner, I hope that we can come together to ensure nothing like this can happen again.
"While often attributed to Stalin, it was German journalist Kurt Tucholski who said that one death is a tragedy while a million is a statistic. We could be looking at a billion deaths, and I implore you to treat it as the horrific tragedy it is rather than a statistic about people on the other side of the world. The worldwide communications outage late last night, likely caused by the initial impacts, may have saved us from total annihilation as the other nuclear powers were not drawn in. We must, as citizens of the United States and the Earth, ensure that it goes no further."
"Next Sunday SUNDAY SUNDAY!"
The volume nearly doubled from the level of the anchor sending them off to commercial, cutting through to anyone who had stopped paying attention during the show. The D.C. audience was shown a view of the NRF Bank Arena in Baltimore overlaid by red and yellow "SUNDAY!"s flashing in time with the announcer.
The image shifted to the arena's interior, a sold-out crowd cheering in the stock footage. The narrator continued, his stressed words flashing on the screen for emphasis. "This SUNDAY, for the FIRST time in the Capital Region, SMASHBALL!" As the last word echoed, the advertised sport exploded on the screen. As the fireball cleared, three bodies rode the shockwave into an earthen berm. A ball reminiscent of a rugby ball with four rows of studs bounced near them and was quickly scooped up by what looked like a man in a gorilla suit and a football jersey.
"Gates open at 11! TROLLS vs OGRES exhibition starts at 12!" The man with the ball ran down the trench into an open field where he was clotheslined by a seven-foot-tall behemoth with green skin and a broken nose. The runner flipped over backwards, rotating 540 degrees before landing on his head and losing the ball. The hit and flip were repeated in increasingly slower motion three times before a wipe cut showed the entire floor of the arena, dominated by a central maze made of small jets of flame surrounding a pedestal holding the ball. "Free For ALL! 3 PM!" Dozens of athletes, some small and swift, others large and powerful, charged towards the ball. As they crossed into the maze the flames roared up. The runners dodged while the narrator shouted about the action-packed day.
"The MAIN Event at 7 PM, featuring 'GOLIATH'," a star wipe cleared the screen with the head of a hairless man with skin painted white with red stripes under the eyes and jaw. The head shrank and flew to the upper left then was replaced by a tan woman with a short black braid and geometric patterns tattooed under her eyes. "'LAXANA'," the narrator said, drawing the name out for several seconds. As her picture shifted to the bottom right, it was replaced by a black metal bucket helm with bull horns sprouting from the temples and glowing eyes visible behind the eye slit. "And the 'MINOTAUR'!"
The screen went back to the arena view, along with the address, website, phone number, and QR code. "Tickets on SALE now! Coming next SUNDAY!"
The audio for the next commercial came in while the screen was still black, the strains of a 1980s one-hit wonder kicking it off. The screen faded in to a plump chicken wing, the skin crispy and dusted in red and black spices. The synthesized music went faster and louder as a quick series of cross cuts of different wings crossed the screen - drumettes and flats, breaded and naked, sauced and rubbed.
The song's lyrics kicked in as a drumette passed through a dark red sauce pouring in slow motion. "Feel the Heat, pushing you to decide," as the different styles circled on the screen. The rest of the chorus played, and the view cut to a typical "Some Like It Hot Wings" franchise with a group of friends in jerseys who were being welcomed in by a friendly hostess. The commercial ended with the final strains of the song repeating the store name.
The next commercial faded in on a forest at twilight, lit by the fading sun and a campfire on the bottom of the screen. A thin woman with sharply pointed ears mostly hidden by long red hair strummed a lute, cycling through four chords in a jaunty rhythm. A short, muscular man with fine green scales in place of skin and a crest of horns in place of hair listened while stirring the cookpot, and an even shorter man with dark umber skin and curly white hair read from a thick, leather-bound book on a nearby log.
The thin woman sang in a strange, lilting language, her voice a pleasant mezzo-soprano. A glow enveloped the pot, fading after a few seconds as the bard stopped singing. The scaled man grabbed a few bowls and filled them from the pot, handing them to the others as the bard stopped playing. As they ate in comfortable silence, a deep and pleasant voice said, "Do you yearn for a better life? A life of wonder and friendship? Find it, in Evermorn." A website and QR code appeared on the screen as the trio on the screen ate, fading to black after several seconds.
