Stories From VO1.2

Ernie Bittle

"Parker? Parker!"

Ernie Bittle was angry. But he was always angry or disgruntled so really he was just being himself.

"This could be the biggest story of the year and you sent out Parker! Kennedy. Richards. McDonald, she's the best." Ernie counted down the names on his fingers each point a failure. "Lord, even Cartwright would do. But Parker! Parker was a favor. She couldn't make a cross-country high-speed car chase interesting!"

The boy, Bittle's assistant and for the life of him he couldn't remember the kid's name, flinched.

"Sorry, boss," And here came the excuses. Ernie was waiting on them. If he didn't have an excuse, if he had just sent Parker front and center, then it would be way worse. "I tried calling but no one would pick up. Not Charles, not Davon, not Keith. Heck, I even called Stacy cause she's pretty good when the weather map glitches but nothing. Samantha was the only one at the station when we got the call. We couldn't just let the story slip. The doctor might have tipped the other networks too. We had to be the first out there. I was already worried that we let too much time slip trying to contact the others."

Ernie's eyes narrowed and he turned back to the television screens. It was a good answer goddamnit, the completely correct one. He couldn't argue against it but that didn't mean it changed the fact that Samantha Parker was clearly ten times out of her league on this. Her forte was smiling real big and chatting up the rich and famous. She got her foot in the door through connections but her schmoozing skills were through the roof. She was one of those women that could remain distantly flirtatious, throw off scandalous comments with a laugh. Ernie had read one of her fan letters once and almost ended his life in an attempt to forget what it said.

But Parker was a shit reporter. She couldn't deliver news to save her life. Her nerves couldn't handle the pressure and now here it was all on full display. Ernie gave her props for getting up and out there but he could actually see her shaking and that was just bad for business. And it was her, not the camera, because the background stayed in place while her body warbled. At least the cameraman had it together. Ernie would have fired everyone involved, and maybe even himself for even allowing something like this within the realm of possibility, if they had sent two inexperienced dolts out on the field.

"Yes."

The girl on the screen, Samantha – Parker – whatever, went white as she removed her hand from the earpiece. Another mistake. The earpiece shouldn't exist. She was to be the sole source of information, all knowing to the public eye even if someone was whispering her speech word for word into her ear.

"We can now confirm that patients within The Adams facility are infected with VO1. As we know VO1..."

"Look at that," Ernie scoffed. "You could have done a better job I bet. Totally unprofessional."

"Sir, didn't you hear what she –"

"Listen, kid, in all my years on this job there's been more than enough VO1 scares. And probably even more before that. She shouldn't be out there confirming anything just from some statement. Local doctors are the least reliable sources, who do you think 'informed' the public the last few times, huh? Look, no one knows what VO1 looks like. Most of the studies on it were done independently after everything went to shit. They study it up in school but there's nothing they can do without samples. There's no vaccines, no treatments, no nothing. They shot up every last mad man and went back to life as usual."

"I shouldn't have sent her out there. This doesn't feel right."

The boy wasn't listening to a thing he was saying but Ernie let it slide. He was a rookie and this was his first outbreak scare. He'll get used to it in a minute.

"Don't worry about it, kid. It's probably just bird flu or something. That's what it was the last time. No one's used to getting sick anymore so it's just a big deal every damn time."

"Should I pull her out?"

"Don't bother," Ernie decided after looking at the television screens again. White, shaking, and listening to her earpiece. "She already ruined the station's credibility. Let her be. Fire her when she gets back but give her her moment right now."

"Fire? Um. Okay, yessir."

"You sent her out there and she messed up. Now both of you have to take responsibility for it. The cameraman is good. He's straight. What's the name?"

"Curry."

"Promote him. He's on this with McDonald."

"Okay."

Ernie clapped the boy on his shoulder. He'd take the lead on this outbreak with the boy at his side, show him the ropes, get him informed. By the time the next one comes around he'd have everything he'd need to handle it by himself. Ernie wanted to retire soon. Would have retired a while ago if he'd had someone he trusted to run the place in his absence. But there was something that you just needed in you and no one had shown him that they had it. The boy did good today. He took all the right steps. It wasn't his fault Parker didn't follow protocol with confirmations or that she couldn't tell the news worth shit but he had to be the one to handle it. That was the job. It led to a lot of hate, being a hardass, but if people hated him and they were the most trusted news station this side of the globe then it was all worth it.

"I really don't want to send anyone else out there, sir. Isn't VO1 airborne?"

The boy was too soft. Ernie would fix that.

"They report or they get fired. You do your job or you don't have one. And you can let them know I said it. I want everyone on this story from every angle. And I need the name of the doctor that gave the tip. When this blows back up in his face it'll be prime news."