February 2146

1 February 2146
STINGER: Nautilus update.

ANCHOR: Another mysterious transmission has been intercepted by the Nautilus. Mission Director Winston Rylo explains.

RYLO: It happened again. Another blast that nearly fried the ship's comm processors.

ANCHOR: Was it similar to the transmission received at lift-off?

RYLO: Not similar – identical. And this time we caught more of it. It's another piece of the hologram.

ANCHOR: Does that clear up the mystery?

RYLO: Take a look. Does that make any sense to you? Does it make any sense to anybody?

2 February 2146
ANCHOR: Disturbing news from the Kevorkian Medical Center. All over the globe, people by the hundreds are dropping into unexplained comas. Dr. Grienechs explains.

GRIENECHS: I wish I could explain. The first victims began lapsing into unconsciousness on January first. No level of stimulation rouses them. Because their condition is so similar to that of Maria Gonzales, many of them have been brought here to KMC. Too many, I'm afraid. We can't admit any more!

ANCHOR: Dr. Grienechs, can you explain what might be causing this coma plague?

GRIENECHS: No more than I can explain Ms. Gonzales' coma.

ANCHOR: Elsewhere at the medical center we learned that the widow Mondaine's baby is definitely carrying alien DNA.

5 February 2146
ANCHOR: Children from around the world have been sending drawings of what they think M'ti's offspring will look like. Kevorkian Medical Center's computers have been inundated. But now this distressing news from Dr. Grienechs.

GRIENECHS: We sent the widow Mondaine home just last week, but she was rushed back last night in terrible pain. She's experiencing unexplained contractions. I fear she is threatening to... (whispers) miscarry.

BIMBETTA (weepy, in pain): They can't let me lose my baby! Please! Please save my baby!

ANCHOR: What are the odds, Dr. Grienechs?

GRIENECHS: Of salvaging the pregnancy? I wish I knew. This is the first alien-human foetus in medical history. It's terra incognita.

6 February 2146
ANCHOR: The latest news on the widow Mondaine and the threatened miscarriage of her baby is not good. FTL caught Perry Epp right after a visit with the mother-to-be.

EPP (emotional): She's in isolation now but she's hanging on. The contractions are closer together and the pain is much worse, yet she's refusing all painkillers on the chance that they may hurt the baby. She's so brave! I'll ask all of you watching, especially those who had doubts about the widow Mondaine's character, to say a prayer to whatever god you believe in, and ask him or her to save this baby!

ANCHOR: Meanwhile, the children of the world continue to send their renderings of the baby to its valiant mother. Let's hope the baby survives to see them.

7 February 2146
ANCHOR: Help from far away! Kristeen Ballard of Habitat Mars offers a possible solution as the threat of a miscarriage worsens for the widow Mondaine.

BALLARD: If you remember, when M'ti fell ill, I isolated the active ingredients in the dandefox and beamed the formula to Earth. Dr. Hamm might want to try infusing some of those into the baby's amnion.

HAMM: An intriguing suggestion. We'll look into it. Right now we're ready to try anything.

ANCHOR: And on the VR Net, this strange symbol has begun to appear. Look familiar? It was first seen on the wall of the Europa Icebreaker... written in Dr. Pablo Blaine's blood. Then we saw it on Elaina Koblatz's palm. And now it's the latest fad in netphiti.

8 February 2146
ANCHOR: Another massive transmission blast has rocked the comm processors of the Nautilus, but this time, the crew was ready for it. Mission Director Winston Rylo comments.

RYLO: We were waiting for a third transmission, and this time we captured the final fragment without damaging any more comm processors.

ANCHOR: And so now we know who was transmitting and why?

RYLO: No... not even close. We still cannot determine the origin of the transmission, and as you can see from the three holographic fragments, the message itself remains a mystery. But now that we've got all the pieces, I'm sure we'll figure it out in no time.

9 February 2146
ANCHOR: Rejoicing at Kevorkian Medical Center, across the globe, and throughout near space: The plant that nearly killed the Earth has saved an unborn baby. Dr. Rod Hamm explains.

HAMM: It was almost miraculous. We reconstituted the dandefox chemicals from Dr. Ballard's formula, and as soon we began infusing them, the contractions stopped.

BIMBETTA (almost giddy): The pains are gone and I feel wonderful! It's going to happen! I'm going to have a baby! Thank you, Dr. Ballard. You saved my baby's life.

BALLARD: I'm honoured I could help. I just wish we could have got some of those ingredients to your husband before... well, before it was too late.

BIMBETTA (sobering): Yes... don't we all.

12 February 2146
ANCHOR: Sheena Epp, Perry Epp's daughter, collapsed and fell into a coma last night while working at the Jerry Garcia Reality Farm. Ms. Epp, a recovering BioMerge addict, was a rehab counsellor at the farm. The mysterious coma has affected over a thousand people world-wide. We go live to the Kevorkian Medical Center, where Perry Epp stands by his daughter's bedside.

EPP: Look at her! She l-looks like she's sleeping. So peaceful... Sheena had turned her life around and now this sickness takes her away...

ANCHOR: What do the doctors say?

EPP: They know nothing. She's simply another one of the sleeping thousand. But I'm going to stay beside her... until she awakes.

ANCHOR: Our thoughts are with you, Perry.

13 February 2146
ANCHOR: The crisis of Bimbetta Mondaine's pregnancy ended last week, thanks to the synthesized dandefox formula. And now the mother-to-be has startling news.

BIMBETTA: I had a dream! Last night I dreamt about M'ti. And he spoke to me. He said, "Bimbetta... I have a name for my son." And then he told me the name.

ANCHOR: Can you share it with us?

BIMBETTA (nods): Oh, yes. M'ti told me to name the baby... Ti'm. And that's exactly what I will do.

ANCHOR: And a new taste sensation is sweeping the world. Jones & Fletcher's Meat Pies are all the rage these days. What's the secret to their unique flavour? A new type of textured fungal protein? The successful proprietors are mum.

13 February 2146
ANCHOR: Kyle Swann has announced that, with World Congress approval, the Artificial Intelligence is ready to reveal its 'image' to the world. And the AI has selected an odd place for the debut of its new 'self'.

SWANN: Yes, the AI's new self is finally ready... and it will make its first appearance on the Jay Cypherman LateNet show.

ANCHOR: Is that an appropriate place, Mr. Swann? After all, the AI is still an important–

SWANN: Hey, it wasn't my idea. This is what the AI wanted to reveal its newly cloned body in a setting where all the world could see. Besides, I don't see anything terribly wrong with it.

ANCHOR: Everyone will be able to catch the AI's first appearance, live tomorrow night.

15 February 2146
ANCHOR: The world finally got to see the AI's human form... and artificial intelligence may never be the same. Here's the momentous debut from last night's LateNet with Jay Cypherman.

JAY (in mid joke): ... Wild... wacky stuff. Now, the moment we've all been waiting for. The first appearance of the AI... in the flesh.


 * (A stunning young woman walks onto the set to tumultuous applause. Jay appears flustered, and gestures at the couch. The AI takes a seat.)

JAY: I don't know, but speaking for myself there doesn't appear to be anything artificial about your intelligence. (laughter) But what should we call you?

AY-EYE: Thanks Jay. You can call me what I've always been called... except it's my name now... Ay-eye. I just want to be accepted as a thinking, caring creation.

JAY (to the audience): Don't we all? (laughter)

16 February 2146
ANCHOR: More startling news from Oceanis and the charismatic leader of the Sea Floor Communities. Jefferson Kirwan spoke to the world from SFC Atlantis, near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

KIRWAN: The request of Oceanis, for recognition as a separate Combine, has been ignored. And that has left us no choice. Managers and Directors from all the SFCs have met and drafted this... (holds up a datasphere) our Declaration of Underwater Independence. At twelve noon today, this unilateral declaration was sent to the leaders of all the Combines. The new Combine of Oceanis exists, free and independent.

ANCHOR: There has been no reaction yet from the world's Combines to this stunning development.

19 February 2146
ANCHOR: The world reacts to a new Declaration of Independence from the Sea Floor Communities... but what do world leaders think about the idea?

FAVREAU: A new undersea Combine? That is absurd. The ocean floor is a resource, not a new combine. Jefferson Kirwan and his people are deluded.

CLARKE: I've read this document and it... stirred me. Our own NAU grew from the United States of America and its Declaration of Independence. The Oceanis Declaration deserves careful consideration.

KIRWAN: We thank President Clarke for her willingness to consider our position... and I invite her to visit Sea Floor Community Atlantis to discuss diplomatic ties.

20 February 2146
ANCHOR: The world wants to know: Who's behind those best-selling Jones & Fletcher Meat Pies? The London bakers spoke to FTL. Mr. Jones, is it true you were a barber before becoming a baker?

JONES (looking shocked): 'Oo told you that? (glares at Fletcher)

FLETCHER: Not me, dearie.

JONES (laughing): Well, yes I was. But I've always fancied being a baker, a merchant, a–

FLETCHER: Bloody entrepreneur!

JONES: Exactly.

ANCHOR: And the secret ingredients that make your pies so good?

JONES: Hexcuse me, but do I look daft?

FLETCHER: We will tell you this, luv. There's no TFP in our pies!

JONES (shudders): 'Orrible stuff, that TFP.

21 February 2146
ANCHOR: This mystery symbol from a mystery moon, first seen scrawled on the wall of the Europa Icebreaker, and on of Elaina Koblatz's palm... began appearing in the VR Net last week. And now a strange word – "Tau-plamt" – is being found scrawled under the symbol wherever it appears on the net. The NetPolice have launched an investigation into where this netphiti comes from... and what it could possibly mean. And while most world leaders remain hostile to the independence of Oceanis, President Clarke has decided to visit Sea Floor Community Atlantis.

CLARKE: I have accepted Jefferson Kirwan's offer to meet... and my office is making plans for a voyage to the underwater colony Atlantis.

ANCHOR: Clarke is expected to make the historic trip early next week.

22 February 2146
ANCHOR: The holographic transmissions received by the Nautilus have been puzzling experts for over a month – and still no one knows what they mean. Today, CommLink's Board of Directors announced that they will offer a reward for the solution to the Europa puzzle. In a text-only statement, CommLink says that it established this contest to help crack what is one of the great mysteries of our time... what does the Europa puzzle mean? Winston Rylo responded enthusiastically to CommLink's offer.

RYLO: It's a great idea... we believe that the graphics may have come from Jupiter's moon, and they seem to be some kind of message. But what does it mean? We've had no luck deciphering it... now maybe someone in CommLink's audience can help us... and win the prize!

23 February 2146
ANCHOR: Winston Rylo and his experts are stumped by the Europa puzzle. Even Ay-eye has had no luck deciphering the curious images.

AY-EYE: I'm sorry. The holographic images are very interesting but I've been unable to find any pattern to them. They look like random squiggles and dots. I doubt anyone in CommLink's audience will be able to crack the puzzle if I cannot.

ANCHOR: And this just in... victims of the coma plague have been sighted in the VR Net. Sheena Epp was seen standing hand-in-hand with Maria Gonzales – who appears to be growing younger – surrounded by images of hundreds of other sleeping victims.

26 February 2146
ANCHOR: Stunning news from the head Realist in the NAU. Perry Epp will, for the first time in his life, enter the VR Net. His mission: to find his daughter, one of thousands of coma victims that have been sighted in the Net.

EPP: I'll do anything... and I'll go anywhere to see Sheena. Damn it, I'd even do BioMerge if it would let me see my daughter again.

ANCHOR: Perry has also told FTL that he will allow us to accompany him when he enters the VR Net in his quest for his daughter. And President Clarke's office revealed that she'll leave early Wednesday morning for her historic mission to Atlantis... and her meeting with Oceanis President Jefferson Kirwan.

27 February 2146
ANCHOR: We take you live to the VR Net for an amazing sight... Perry Epp inside the virtual world he has so long disdained.

EPP (looking around): This is amazing, I never knew it could look so beaut–


 * (a line of figures appears... Gonzales first, then Sheena, holding her hand. Epp moves toward her.)

EPP: Sheena, you're here, you're awake and–

SHEENA (looks at Perry): We are here... because of what we are... because of what we are becoming.

EPP: Wake up, Sheena! Please! (Epp tries to 'grab' the ghostly Sheena.)

SHEENA: We are the Noomans... and we await The One.

EPP: The one? Who is the one?

SHEENA: We will know him... or her... or it... when it is time. And the time is coming soon!


 * (The 'Noomans' fade, leaving a distraught Perry.)

28 February 2146
ANCHOR: A historic day in the undersea community that now calls itself Oceanis. President Madeleine Clarke arrived at the Atlantis Sea Floor Community for a meeting with Oceanis President Jefferson Kirwan. Kirwan was on hand to greet the President Clarke as she arrived from the surface via high-speed submersible. Though many of Atlantis's residents are DNA Adaptees with gills, much of the far-flung community is pressurised with breathable air.


 * Clarke and Kirwan looking through a viewport at a distant underwater mining operation.

ANCHOR: Clarke and Kirwan have important business to discuss, namely the Oceanis Declaration of Underwater Independence. But first Kirwan escorted Clarke on a tour of Atlantis, including a look at a nearby ocean floor mining operation. The two leaders were all smiles during the tour. Looks like they're getting along swimmingly.

29 February 2146
ANCHOR: What is the mysterious symbol found on the Icebreaker and on team member Elaina Koblatz's palm? Dr. Winston Rylo decided to ask a still recovering Dr. Koblatz directly.

RYLO: Dr. Koblatz, do you have any idea what the symbol might mean... did you see anything before Dr. Blaine died that might tell us something?

ELAINA: There's so much I can't remember... from the moment I found Dr. Blaine dead. I must have seen something... something important. But – it must be shock – I can't remember.

ANCHOR: And still no solution to that other puzzle from Europa, the holographic transmission. CommLink has offered a prize to anyone who can decode the message. But so far, the odd images remain yet another mystery from the icy moon of Jupiter.