The woman stiffened under Dr. Hennigan’s grip, but the fake tear-works stopped immediately.
“Go ahead, kill me,” she said. “You can’t stop the files from being made public. I already saw to that.”
Dr. Hennigan grabbed the actress by the chin and forehead and violently twisted. A clear cracking sound was heard as the subject’s body went limp.
“Denzili,” Dr. Hennigan said into her earpiece, “check her office.”
Dr. Hennigan heard the operative head upstairs to the subject’s office. While Denzili was upstairs, Dr. Hennigan walked around downstairs, trying to determine how this plan had gone so completely wrong. In the kitchen, she turned off the stove. The spaghetti was still hard on one end as it leaned out of the boiling water’s side. She looked around and picked up a stack of mail. She glanced at the return labels. On the third piece of mail, the mistake in the operation hit her. The address wasn’t for the subject. The mail was for a Mr. Daniel Hawthorne. Either the subject had a live-in boy toy, or her operatives upstairs had totally fucked up her operation.
Chapter One
Ethan
Five…Four…Three…Two…Action! Ethan and the other members of his band, ZERO, watched a monitor from backstage as a clear view of the New Orleans skyline came into view. The camera closed in on Bourbon Street and started flying down the street before shooting back into the sky, swiveling and heading right toward Jackson Square. The familiar statue of Andrew Jackson on his horse with the St. Louis Cathedral in the background was quickly framed before the camera turned in one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, focusing on the downtown building where theReal Time Newsoffices are located. The shot angled downward, and, in the distance, the infamous logo of the Real Time News Network could be seen by viewers as the logo raced toward them. Finally, an extreme close-up on the logo filled the screen, and the station announcer’s voice was heard over the RTN theme music, “You are watchingReal Time News, the only station bringing you groundbreaking news twenty-four hours a day with no pre-taped programming. You can also keep in contact with the world online by watching RTN at www.rtn.media.”
As soon as the announcer finished, the shot went right through the wall of the RTN building, giving the viewing audience an overhead shot of the RTN media studios. After a second pause, the camera swooped down. Images of reporters hunched over computers, editors viewing segment footage and anchors standing around having coffee or getting their makeup ready filled the screen as the camera arched down toward the main broadcasting desk.
The main desk came into view, displaying a cheerful-looking blonde sitting behind it. She was clearly the woman of the moment in the RTN offices. She wore a smart navy-blue business suit with a cream-colored silk blouse under her jacket. Her naturally long blonde hair was pulled up into a clip on the backside of her head. Although other women constantly tried to emulate Tika Downs, no one could perfect the look of a woman who looked like she jogged in and was now ready to walk down the catwalk in a Paris fashion show. Her makeup lacked the same finesse. Tika insisted on doing her own makeup for the camera. When she didn’t look like an orange pumpkin on top of her snow-colored neck, her fire-engine red lips jumped off the screen at the viewing audience. Industry insiders joked that her lips were the most memorable part of her entire career.
Tika shuffled a small stack of papers before glancing at the camera and flashing her award-winning smile. Once the viewing audience saw this smile, no one wondered why she was ‘America’s Most Trusted Newsperson’.
“Good evening, America. This is Tika Downs, live from theReal Time NewsNetwork’s Main Studio in New Orleans. This evening has several brilliant shows being brought to you from around the world via the RTN Network. A complete listing of all shows can be found on our website at www.rtn.media. Next hour, Jeremy Price’sBusiness Hourwill be brought to you live from within the Japanese Stock Exchange. But first, Tom Dulce has chart-topping ZERO sitting with him on his couch today.”
“Places,” a voice said into Ethan’s headset, causing him to look up from the monitor.It’s go time.He climbed onto the small platform and took his position on stage. Another monitor on the ground allowed the band to see the RNN telecast. He watched as the shot went over the back of Tika’s head, showing more people busy at work in the newsroom. The camera zipped out of the studio and down the hall before taking a sharp left into another sound stage. This time, as it entered the sound stage, the live audience erupted into applause as the image narrowed in on an older newscaster. Tom Dulce’s face looked like any sixty-year-old man with a little Botox injected here and there. The only part of Dulce’s appearance that gave away his actual age was his eyes. Although Dulce was not the oldest person in the news industry, his eyes had that aged look that came from a lifetime of memories.
Dulce had started his career as a war correspondent at another network. Even Ethan had heard the rumors floating around the news industry that Dulce had seen more live combat action than most single-star generals. Although the Pentagon had never confirmed anything, Ethan surmised that there was probably more truth in the rumor than not.
The camera zoomed in on Dulce, who sat behind an enormous mahogany desk set against a clear window overlooking a busy Camp Street. On the monitor, Ethan could see the barricade set up by the NOLA Police Department, where fans of all ages stood outside screaming. The fans held various poster board signs, hoping to glimpse Dulce or his guests. Although the glass was soundproof, Ethan saw the frantic jumping up and down and imagined the screaming in his head.
“Welcome toIn Touch with America. I’m Tom Dulce.” The studio audience erupted into another round of applause. “This afternoon, I am dedicating the entire hour to the number one music group in the nation. You know them as Zach, Ethan, Ric and Orr—better known as ZERO.”
Ethan heard the distinct sound of four clicks of drumsticks as the studio camera faded off Dulce and onto a side platform erected on the sound stage. In the dark, Ethan got into his first position, keeping his eyes on the telemonitor to see what it looked like to the audience.
A white screen was suspended between the ceiling and the front of the stage. A bright light shone behind the platform, causing the white screen to glow. The lights dimmed, and the camera framed the dais as the introduction to ZERO’s number one hitBaby, I’m Backboomed through the speakers with the backdrop of screaming fans inside the studio. The song started slowly. As the introduction picked up momentum, green lasers shot at the white screen, forming various shapes. The notes built into a crescendo, the lasers spelled out the ‘Z’ ‘E’ ‘R’ ‘O’ logo across the white screen. The sound from the frenzied audience grew. Ethan had worried the introduction was drawn out too much, but from how the audience reacted, the choice was the right one.
A voice cut into his headset, “Curtain drop in five, four, three, two…”
The screen quickly dropped to the ground as fire burst from each side of the stage, revealing the ZERO members, who stood in a straight line across the front. For the first time, Ethan saw the live studio audience.
Ethan and the other members of ZERO executed their prearranged choreography, skillfully crafted by their choreographer, Sally Higgins. Sally may have had a background in ballet, but no one would have guessed that when ZERO performed her high-energy, hard-hitting steps.
Before coming onIn Touch with America, no one had seen ZERO perform the new song live. The band’s single had shot up the charts before the full album had been released. Today marked the launch of the full album and the start of their North American tour. After the performance, the group planned an autograph party at the Hard Rock Café, a couple of blocks from the RTN studio. Dan Rawlins, the group’s producer, had planned on getting as much press and hype as possible to skyrocket the album to number one and break records, which would help ZERO sell out their one-hundred-city tour.
As the song ended, the pace shifted back to the melodic introduction, hushing the crowd with anticipation. Ric, the group’s tenor, finished the song with a solo unaccompanied. As Ric sang, Ethan and the rest of the band made the same forward and downward hand motion as they tilted their heads and the lights dimmed. The last note hung in the air before the audience erupted into applause. Ethan let out an inner sigh of relief.That went better than I thought it would. The audience didn’t readily see the repeated line Orr made during his solo or how Zach had botched a piece of choreography. Ethan realized that one of the nice things about an audience not completely familiar with a song was that they weren’t as critical because they didn’t know the material yet.
Ethan walked over to Tom Dulce’s interview area with the rest of the band. Dulce, in his usual stoic, professional newscaster manner, had remained seated during the applause. As the band approached, Dulce stood to greet each of the young men with a solid handshake as they sat down beside him.
“Wow, what can I say after a performance like—?”
“I love you, Ric!” a teenage girl on the fourth aisle yelled, cutting Tom off.
Ric smiled before saying, “Thanks. We love you too.”
Ethan smiled to himself. They’d all been coached to respond to these outbursts with the universal “we” to make it clear that the entire band loved their fans.
Four years ago, when the band’s first album,Dog Days, had first come out, no one in the US had known who they were. The group had been steadily touring Europe for a couple of years before the album’s release. Most boy bands got tested overseas to see if they were worth spending money on making the group a US hit. If a boy band became wildly successful across the pond, they might make it in the US. Within weeks of the band’s first release, their title cut,Dog Days, had skyrocketed to the top of all the music charts globally. What had seemed like overnight, the four best friends from New Orleans became the biggest pop sensation in over a decade. Their first album had gone triple-platinum and continued to break records with each new country it was released in.
Zach, Ethan, Ric and Orr had not been ready for the media storm that ensued because of their success. Zach’s parents’ divorce had been dragged through a tabloid, and Orr had been accused of abusing a wide range of substances. Overall, the group had moved forward and defied all the odds. Most of the group’s success could be attributed to two talented music industry insiders—Ron Hightower, the group’s manager, and Dan Rawlins, the producer. While both Ron and Dan had believed in the group’s musical talent, both men were music insiders who knew how to deal with the press. Despite all the problems during that first year on tour, the group had stuck together and thrived.
