Duality;Solaris Vol. 1

Chapter 3-5: An Anniversary, a Phone, and a Fool.

The deafening blare erupts from the freshly-powered cathode ray tube television. It's controller in one hand and a thumbs-up from another, Theo and Siv's search had bore fruit of some kind. As fuzz cluttered the screen, each person couldn't help but to acknowledge the tv as Theo fumbled with the controls' volume settings. Thus, ultimately, evacuating any and all loose talks within the entertainment's scattered vacuum.

As Theo flips through the channels for something that is visible, the volume mellowing with every channeled passed. Arturo abandons his topic in a belated sigh before strolling over to the pathetic antenna sprouting from the tv's top. Just as the people that enjoyed the celebrations in the streets, the four coworkers move onto other pastures— be it greener or greyer. From the dysfunctional advice from the sidelines or the lack of input from the aging device's owner, Arturo finagles his way through the rapidly rudimentary method of antenna bending towards the meekly offerings it seems to bring. The cackling static dissipates line by line to those sitting in the untethered other side; the confident and warm speech burns away at the fluctuating fuzz gurgling once so prominently minutes before. The station Theo had landed on clears to a rerun from a newscast program shown far earlier into the night. The CRT tv enlightening those with it's blurry glow, the evening news being the antidote to it's summer cold.

There sits the city's well-known anchors sitting comfortably in their chairs. Elevated behind the iconic broadcaster's news desk on the television screen, they can be heard finishing a report through the festive racket breaking in. "—and, fortunately, no one was hurt in the rear-end collision.", the brunette female anchor reads out from the teleprompter off camera.

"Except for, maybe, their cars. And, wallets.", the white-haired, male anchor sat beside uppishly quips. 

Flashing a hollow, professional smile his way, the female anchor continues, "You got that right, Dan. But, for everyone else out there facing this crazy traffic, we have been told that they have been towed and cleared off 4th. So, keep an eye out and start this night off right."

Both picking up their papers off the news desk as they stack them neat and tightly, the program draws near to its' conclusion with some final thoughts. All the updates and reports necessary for this thirty-minute evening news showing have all wrapped up and conveyed adequately as always, yet there still remains five minutes left before the evening dramas begin. As for any show, dead air is bad showbiz— and this, even more so, for anchors of this caliber. Bringing the program to a finer end, Dan effortlessly fills in the unintended gap, "Sounds like the fun is starting to break on through into the studio. With low 80's and no rain, they all have more than one thing to cheer for this weekend. Can't believe it has already been two years since. Well, Marilyn, how do you plan on enjoying this Anniversary?"

Being put on the spot, Marilyn fills the air with understood facts as her mind puts together something engaging to say in the meantime. "A... as you know, Dan, this is the first anniversary of the cure for that mysterious disease three years ago.", flustered on the fritz as she pulls herself together well enough to sound professional in the meantime, "Although, ultimately, understood as a new bacteria species, it would affect those at random— without any symptoms being the same as another."

"You are correct there, Marilyn.", Dan following Marilyn's review over the past as the perfect filler for their leftover time, "While it might have been a small percentage— of two percent of the world's population in the end—it's affects were wide reaching, and horrifying. As our viewers would know all too well. Still, the indomitable human spirit persevered. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Topal and many others, some of the smartest out there buckled down and solved this problem."

"Solved it well enough they did, Dan.", Marilyn concluding the history lesson, "Nevertheless, not every solution is ironclad. So, Dan, I'm going to be spending this weekend festivals with a few, fun house parties instead this year. I'll be leaving the partying to you."