February 2144

1 February 2144
ANCHOR: The NAU Science Council today approved a procedure which would permit people living in undersea communities to be outfitted with gills. These habitats have long been popular, but those favouring full-time aquatic existence have waited years for this decision. Here's Perry Epp with a commentary:

EPP: As Secretary of Reality, I opposed this measure – and I still do. It's not only unnatural; it encourages the growth yet another new breed of people – merfolk – apart from the rest of humanity. As a species, we need to get back to our common roots – and our roots are on dry land!

2 February 2144
ANCHOR: No sooner had the Pope completed her tour of Lower Manhattan this morning than the Hordes began rioting. The four-mile square security forcefield around the ghetto was immediately re-activated and heavily armed police were sent into the Unpatrolled Zone to quell the uprising. Several dozen Horde members were killed and hundreds more injured. The Hordes are comprised mainly of violent gangs of VR addicts, black-marketeers and other non-political criminals. Mayor Bill Kennedy took the opportunity to ask President Clarke for double-Y police clones. Meanwhile the Pope still plans to meet with Clarke next week.

3 February 2144
ANCHOR: We're talking to Kai Densmore, the engineer who represented his fellow DNA adaptees in their strike at Moonbase Wilson. Mr. Densmore, you recently testified at hearings on post-adaptation stress syndrome – which afflicts many off-world workers. Has President Clarke kept her promise to provide free treatment?

DENSMORE: No, she hasn't. But frankly with the progress of terraforming Mars and the new solar power station in space, most of us are just happy to be working again.

ANCHOR: Perry Epp accused Clarke of governing by bread and circuses. Any comment?

DENSMORE: Well, I'm not much for circuses – but I could sure use the bread.

4 February 2144
ANCHOR: The ID Chip factory visited by the Pope last week has been bombed! The letter "R" was found laser-blasted into the front gate. Kyle Swann, through his lawyer, denies any involvement.

DENT: It's either the work of former "R" members acting on their own – or someone else is using "R" as cover!

ANCHOR: Attorney General Nagle went out of her way to highlight the benefits of the controversial Chips.

NAGLE: They not only make shopping and banking fingertip-easy, they also save lives. And if you're in trouble the police can find you. If you're a crime victim they help the police track down the criminal. A little less privacy's a small price to pay!

8 February 2144
ANCHOR: President Clarke made an unexpected appearance at the Capitol Pavilion press conference earlier today. She rarely has been seen in public since she was released by her kidnappers last November 2143.

CLARKE: I'm banning any further activities by the Clone Rights movement, pending a closer look into its affiliation with "R". I've also asked Attorney General Nagle to press for investigation of rebel infiltration into CommLink and FTL News. Free speech is one thing – but treason is another!

ANCHOR: President Clarke, why do you think–

CLARKE: I'm not taking any questions. [She exits]

ANCHOR: [to camera] But President Clarke, don't you think the people have a right to know the truth?

9 February 2144
ANCHOR: Clone leader, Pamela Corvino, responds to President Clarke's decision to ban the Clone Rights movement, pending an investigation into alleged ties with "R".

CORVINO: Clarke is doing more to drive free will clones to "R" than Kyle Swann ever did! I shudder for our future...

ANCHOR: In other news, MacroWeather's chief meteorologist, Jack B. Nimbus, announces that the rains triggered by El Niñocito – the government's latest experiment in climate control – have raised California's drought-stricken reservoirs to near capacity levels.

NIMBUS: Our success means that water rationing will soon become a thing of the past.

10 February 2144
ANCHOR: Celebrations today mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Hispanic Commonwealth's Amazon Restoration Project. Founded on drug money, the HC put its resources into the rainforest. Today it's the breadbasket of the world. Here's Perry Epp with a commentary:

EPP: Recently the NAU's economy has been looking up. But don't be fooled! Madeleine Clarke's pumping your tax money into wasteful ventures like Habitat Mars and the Mercury power station. She's also put 100,000 new police on the streets – while pushing Virtual Reality as an opiate for the masses. The trains may be running on time... but the tracks lead to disaster!

11 February 2144
ANCHOR: California's reservoirs are full – but the rains brought on by El Niñocito, MacroWeather's climate control programme, continue – and threaten to cause widespread flooding.

MOSS: We have enough water, thank you! You can turn it off now!

ANCHOR: In other news, Attorney General Nagle blasts FTL News for hiring former Reality Secretary Perry Epp as a commentator.

NAGLE: Giving this man's subversive views a forum on FTL only goes to show how riddled with "R" sympathisers CommLink really is.

ANCHOR: CommLink's news chief, Jessica LeGuin, responds:

LEGUIN: We won't be intimidated. Epp has a right to be heard!

15 February 2144
ANCHOR: The NAU Science Council has announced a breakthrough in the development of cybernetic engines which could vastly increase human mental powers. For more on this story, be sure to watch "Nanotechnology: the key to tomorrow's super brains" this week on the Edumerge Channel. In other news, the Justice Department has released documents from the Hollywood Island Madam case. They allege that while in California last year on business CommLink's news chief, Jessica LeGuin, paid for a night of passion with a Richard Gere clone. So far, there has been no comment from LeGuin's office.

16 February 2144
ANCHOR: Dr. Winston Rylo announces that preparations for the first manned landing on Rylo-7 are complete.

RYLO: Our science and engineering team will attempt to touch down on the new moon within 24 hours.

ANCHOR: In other news, El Niñocito, MacroWeather's man-made rain machine, continues to dump tons of water on the already-flooded southern California region. But chief meteorologist, Jack B. Nimbus, says there is no cause for alarm.

NIMBUS: It's just a minor glitch. We're working on the problem.

ANCHOR: Meanwhile, there was a foot of snow in Palm Springs this morning, and the heavy rains have spread to Texas and the upper Mississippi valley.

17 February 2144
ANCHOR: We're moments away from the first manned landing on Rylo-7. Dr. Winston Rylo joins us live from the Intercombine Space Agency headquarters in Tierra del Fuego.

RYLO: As you can see, the shuttle is hovering and looking for a suitable landing site. Neutrino levels are within operational parameters. There they go... Touchdown! We made it!

ANCHOR: Dr. Rylo, what happens now?

RYLO: First, the team will explore the surface, analysing geological samples and searching for signs of a propulsion system. Of course, they'll also be looking for a way down into the moon's hollow core.

18 February 2144
ANCHOR: General Antonio Rodriguez, leader of the Hispanic Commonwealth, has been assassinated. Though no-one has yet claimed responsibility, it is well-known that Rodriguez's economic policies – which created a wealthy elite and a huge lower class – made him extremely unpopular. There were celebrations in the poorer districts as news of his death spread. Opposition leader, Jorge Diaz, proclaimed himself the HC's first democratic president.

DIAZ: It's time we had a government which shared the wealth with all our people.

ANCHOR: Diaz's organisation, the Blinding Light Guerrillas, has been linked to "R".

21 February 2144
ANCHOR: The Hispanic Commonwealth's self-appointed democratic president, Jorge Diaz, declines aid from the Intercombine Police in the hunt for the assassins who killed his predecessor, General Rodriguez.

DIAZ: We will handle the investigation ourselves! It is regrettable that Rodriguez had to be removed from power, but the important thing is, he's gone.

ANCHOR: In other news, DNA Wonders announces that they've successfully regressed the human genotype to create a living clone which pre-dates Australopithecus. This new creature could be the missing link between apes and man.

22 February 2144
ANCHOR: The Society for the Ethical Treatment of Animal Clones is protesting DNA Wonders' creation of a regressive human genotype for zoos and laboratory experimentation. SETAC claims that the creature, which might be the missing evolutionary link between apes and man, has rights.

MINX: If it's a living animal, then it shouldn't be killed and dissected for research. And if it's human then it certainly shouldn't be displayed in zoos!

ANCHOR: In a related story, three hunters were killed today at Orlando's Jurassic Big Game Park. Apparently the T. rex's violence inhibitors failed. The park remains closed while police conduct an investigation.

23 February 2144
ANCHOR: After a full week of exploration, the Rylo-7 expedition has found no signs of a propulsion system – or an entrance down into the moon's hollow core. But geological samples show traces of the same unknown metal which surrounds the chambers at the centre of the asteroid and shields it from sensors.

RYLO: We're certain that Rylo-7 came from outside our solar system. Could it have come from another galaxy? The only way to unlock the mystery is to bring in heavy equipment from Moonbase Wilson and drill down to the moon's core – that's 30 kilometres. It might take five weeks, but we'll have our answer!

25 February 2144
ANCHOR: El Niñocito continues to wreak havoc. Heavy rain has swollen the Mississippi River to near-record levels. If it overruns the graviton field levees, the Midwest could face its worst disaster since the Great Flood of 1993. MacroWeather's chief meteorologist, Jack B. Nimbus, urges calm.

NIMBUS: We're re-calibrating our orbiting solar panels and we expect to see positive results in a matter of days.

ANCHOR: Meanwhile, drought conditions in Seattle prompted this response from Mayor Izzy Dryer:

DRYER: If they need a place to dump all that rain, they can move El Niñocito up here. We sure could use it.