Broadcasts from District 12: Live from Planet Earth
“What am I looking at here Eli?” Terry looked over her glasses as she leaned in closer to the notebook. From a distance the notebook looked like an off brand tablet or any other Earth technology, but up close it was unmistakably alien. A semi-transparent case carved from crystal with a liquid looking screen that displayed messages in three dimensions. The notebook emitted a smell faintly akin to the dried crust at the top of an old milk carton and gave the distinct impression of containing organic matter. She wrinkled her nose and leaned back slightly.
“This is a dashboard of how our publications are trending… including the SNAP scandal.” Eli paused to judge how his message was being received. Terry was unreadable, as always. He continued. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but all of this is being broadcast live on Trol, even our interaction right now.” Eli turned to Terry, his voice got softer. “You were exactly right when you said I wasn’t the reporter, I was the story. And now that you know, I hope you’ll excuse me for one second.”
Abruptly, Eli turned to an empty space on the wall and declared, “We hope you’re enjoying this special Earth exposé. Now for a message from our sponsors.”
Terry maneuvered her body so she was facing Eli, directly in his line of sight. She looked behind her, then looked back towards Eli. No camera. No visible camera she mentally corrected herself. She took inventory of the office. Maya, still injured, Ben scared but determined, Eli maddeningly calm. No cameras. And Terry? Getting angry. No, she corrected herself again. Getting even.
“Do you expect me to believe you’re broadcasting on another planet?” Terry tried, unsuccessfully, to conceal her doubt.
Eli continued, “You don’t have to believe it, but it’s true. That chart I just showed you? It’s our viewer trends from the galaxy. I know you don’t have any context for this, but these views are phenomenal.”
“Show me.” Maya spoke up from her chair. Numbers and media were two things she had some experience in. Eli walked over and tipped the notebook towards her again.
Maya took a look but didn’t look long. It was unreadable. “Put it into context for us.” She stared hard at Eli, trying to decide if this was the reason she had been hospitalized, and whether it was worth it.
“Right now it’s saying we have about 60% of the planet Trol tuning in.” Eli might have looked a little smug.
“What are those?” Maya pointed at text scrolling on the screen.
“Those are comments.” Eli translated. “This one says ‘We love you Maya,’ this one says ‘I can’t believe they’re reading the comments out loud,’ and this one…” Eli trailed off, quieter now. “This one’s not for you.”
“Eli, are we famous on Trol?” Maya asked.
“Not just on Trol.” Eli pointed to the screen. “Look closer.”
They were all huddled around him now. Ben glanced over and shrugged. “Eli, we can’t read any of this. I don’t even recognize this language.”
“This chart is showing ratings by planet. Each squiggle represents viewer count from a different planet. Look closer Ben. Is there any word on here in a language you do recognize?”
Ben, Maya, and Terry leaned in. They all studied the notebook. Maya saw it first. “Earth” she breathed.
“Where?” Ben asked. Then, “why’s it so high?”
The question hung in the air. No one needed to answer it because everyone already knew. Their story, their entire story, was being broadcast on Earth. To a not insignificant audience slightly larger than the 60% of the population of Trol.
Terry was angry, properly angry. While the others were still processing what the charts meant, Terry had already jumped to assessing the political fallout. It was not good. “Eli, this constitutes a serious obstruction of an active investigation into SNAP benefits distribution. We could all be arrested for misappropriation and conspiracy. On top of all that, YOU SIGNED A CONTRACT.” She dropped her voice to a whisper, “Get out.”
Eli felt the situation slipping out of his control. “This is your chance to control the narrative,” Eli insisted. “If you don’t speak now, someone else will.”
From the way Terry was approaching with an angry swagger and an evil gleam in her eye, Eli could tell she was decidedly not happy. He backed up and for the second time that day, maneuvered himself towards the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Ben writing something on a piece of paper and slipping it to Maya.
“Wait!” He had something else to say, but there was no time to say it. Someone had opened the door without his realizing, but he had backed out through it of his own volition. “You don’t understand!” The door shut, Eli finished his thought aloud, to an audience of one,
“They can still film you even if I’m not in the room.”