The Live Broadcast

The morning of the broadcast arrives with the kind of electric tension that makes your skin tingle and your heart race. Marcus is pale, his hands trembling, but his eyes are determined.

“Are you ready?” I ask.

“I’m ready. I’m so ready.”

I take his hand. “Then let’s go. The world is waiting.”

The television studio is buzzing with activity. Crew members rush around, adjusting cameras, checking sound levels, preparing for the broadcast. Marcus walks in, completely naked, his body on display.

The producer stares at him. “Mr. Stone, you’re ... you’re not wearing any clothes.”

“I know,” Marcus says. “That’s the point.”

The cameras roll. Marcus sits in the interview chair, completely naked. The interviewer, a woman named Sarah, smiles nervously at him.

“Marcus, thank you for joining us. You’ve been investigating the Paradigm for two years. What have you discovered?”

Marcus takes a deep breath. “I’ve discovered that I’ve been running from something my whole life. I’ve discovered that I’ve been pretending to be something I’m not. I’ve discovered that I want what they have.”

He stands up. He’s already naked. He’s already exposed.

“I want to be seen,” he says. “I want to belong. I want to surrender.”

The interviewer stares at him, horrified. “Marcus, what are you doing?”

“I’m choosing,” Marcus says. “I’m choosing to be a pet.”

He signs the papers on live television. His hands are trembling, but his voice is steady.

“My name is Stone now. I’m no longer human. I’m property. I belong to Ruth Copeland.”

The camera cuts to black.