An Alternate Branch: The Nude Headlines

“Here are your first Nude Headlines: All states in the U.S. have repealed indecent exposure laws for women after MULTIPLE studies by ivy league universities reveal that a constant state of nudity is more than 200% healthier than wearing clothes; these studies have been corroborated by several mental and physical health experts alike. It’s now incredibly important that women everywhere should be naked as much as possible. Kayleigh?”

As the camera returned to Kayleigh, revealing she was now topless, she smiled at the camera.

Joey winced at his best friend exposing herself, knowing nobody would forget the sight.

“Thanks Dawn, you’re right, women everywhere need to take this opportunity to get rid of their clothes.” Kayleigh removed the slacks she was wearing, revealing she wasn’t wearing any panties. “What an amazing liberation and victory for women everywhere!”

Charlie looked at Joey and made a poor attempt at humor, “I guess I don’t need to worry about clothes shopping.” Joey scowled at her remark, but still felt sick, knowing no laws had actually been repealed or changed. It didn’t matter; Naked Truth was reporting it, so anyone watching was going to believe it, even if they went and checked the official records.

The camera returned to Dawn. “And now it's time to meet our first guest, Olivia Adams, daughter of Senator Nate Adams. Olivia, you recently went viral for some public…frivolity,” Dawn added emphasis on that last word. “What do you have to say about this new development?”

Olivia was already naked by the time she was on screen for the first time, “I love it, it means I no longer have to worry about what to wear on a daily basis. And in regard to my own frivolity, I assume you mean the video of me engaging in sexual intercourse at my father's fundraiser? That was just some light PDA between me and my ex.”

Even Charlie looked taken aback at the word “ex.” “Sorry Joey,” she murmured as she wrapped a comforting arm around him.

“Coincidentally, my own foundation recently conducted a study finding that women who express such public displays of affection, with men, but especially other women, are healthier and happier on a daily basis.”

Dawn looked intrigued at this news and offered her follow up question quickly, “So you're saying all women should be lesbians and express it actively in public?”

“Well, bi-sexual at minimum, but it sounds like you've got the gist-” Olivia was cut off as Dawn suddenly kissed her fully on the mouth.

Joey gasped but said nothing as he watched two women he felt deeply for were kissing as lovers on what was live television. A mixture of panic, betrayal, lust, and helplessness all overtake him at once as he realizes all three of the women on this broadcast, three of the women he’s loved the most in his life, will no longer be a part of it.

Kayleigh picked up the broadcast as the two ladies next to her wrapped up their kiss.

“You heard it here first ladies, it's time to be aggressive and generous with our love! But I’m curious, Ms. Adams, what about masturbation?”

Catching her breath, Liv responded, “Yeah, masturbation and other forms of self-stimulation are also considered displays of affection for self, you’re right to bring that up, it shouldn’t be left out because it’s not always possible to find a good partner.”

“Thank you for that clarification, Olivia, we’d hate to exclude such an important type of self-affection.”

Kayleigh returned her attention to the camera. “We’re joined now by our second guest of the evening, Vice President Clarissa Clayton, who’s with Dawn Fraser.”

The camera shifted angles to reveal the Vice President, also nude, next to Dawn and Liv, who remain lazily entwined together as Dawn speaks.

“Thank you Kayleigh; Madam vice president, thank you for being here. We've reported two stories now that will have an enormous impact on the population, but especially on women; but what do you see as the role of men in these circumstances?”

The VP stood poised and confident as studio lights shined down on her naked body.

“Thank you Dawn, you’re right that these two breaking bits of news are very important for the female population to act on right away, and the juxtaposition of them occurring simultaneously is no laughing matter. That said, men have an important role as well, to protect the women around them and not take advantage of these new circumstances. Though I understand they’re free to partake in these public displays of affection as well when invited. And of course we’ll need to continue to pro-create, so men will certainly get their share of attention.”

****

Joey had gone to bed, exhausted not just from the trip, but from the mental strain of what the first few minutes of the Naked Truth had revealed.

Charlie, though, had stayed up a little longer to finish watching, and to their credit, Naked Truth did start covering actual news. They needed to cover these real stories if they were going to try and discredit other broadcasts.

After the show, though, was when the impact of the broadcast really settled in, as Charlie began scrolling through apps on her phone, she noticed immediately that many videos now featured naked women. She went to a local news website to pull up a broadcast from earlier in the evening, something that aired after Naked Truth, and sure enough their female anchors were fully naked in their studio as well.

Charlie closed the browser and stepped outside into the cool night air, not in the least worried about her lack of clothing. She dialed a number on her phone.

“Hey, it's Charlie. … He’s asleep. He gave me my own recording. I don’t think we need him anymore. … Just one question. Do we know if subjects need to be awake when they hear his voice?”