“My name is Amy Travis. I live in Johnson City with my daughter Brittney and son Jackson. I was sick. So were my children. A man came to my house. Said he was part of a group of researchers called the Citium. They were testing a potential cure. I agreed to try it. I’m making this video because I want others to know that it works. I’m proof. So are my children.”

The video changed again. This time a young black man spoke. A woman sat beside him, and in her lap was a boy only a few years old.

“My name is Roger Finney. This is my wife, Pamela, and our son, Brandon.”

A voice off screen said something Millen couldn’t make out.

“Oh, yeah, we live in upstate New York, just outside Rome. We were given the cure. We signed the forms. Didn’t have much to lose. It worked for us. Felt better that night. Headaches and fever were gone. Cough cleared up soon after that.”

The screen faded to black, then began showing still photos from across America. Scenes of the cordon zones. Barbed wire across city streets. Buses loading and unloading people at the Astrodome in Houston and AT&T Park in San Francisco, canvas-backed trucks unloading supplies, National Guard troop carriers rolling through cities.

“This is your country right now. But it doesn’t have to be.”

More still photos appeared, but now of Paris and Athens, of lines of people receiving the cure, celebrating. Photos of the two American families followed.

“Accept our request. Pass the laws that welcome the Looking Glass Commission. If you do not do so within the next two hours, we will take our plea directly to your people. They will overthrow your government. The result will be the same—but there will be more bloodshed. Think carefully. Make the right decision—the responsible decision. Just as France and Greece have.”

The video ended in a black screen.

The auditorium erupted in questions. Synchronized shouts swept through the crowd like a beach ball being tossed around at a ball game. On stage, Phil whistled loudly.

“Enough!”

“Is it true?” a voice in the back yelled.

“Shut up and listen!” Stevens shouted. “Yes. What you saw is true.”

The response was shock and whispers. A part of Millen thought maybe the video was faked.

Stevens continued. “Five hours ago, the French and Greek governments agreed to the Citium’s terms. The Citium, as the terrorists have styled themselves, have taken control of both countries’ military assets, power grids, and internet infrastructure. They have also distributed a cure that appears to be viable.”

Murmurs went through the auditorium.

“The French and Greek governments have provided us with samples of the cure. Military jets flew those samples here two hours ago. As we speak, researchers are studying it in this building.”