MATT: Sure. Well then it all makes—WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING.

The image of the Chief had gray eyebrows, an ample gut, and a mane of gray hair brushed back from his high forehead. He looked like the love child of a Viking, Sasquatch, and a hairdresser, an impression that was enhanced by the fact that his white cambric shirt was slashed up the front giving his audience brief glimpses of a hairy chest with a tacky gold medallion.

He flashed a bright movie-star grin and thrust his arms out wide like he’d just finished a magic trick—ta-daa.

“ATN! So glad to be here!” he boomed. His voice was the deep baritone of a radio announcer. “Hope you don’t mind I’m making a special entrance!”

People began to clap. Soon the whole auditorium was on its feet. Natalie, too, though she wasn’t sure why.

MATT: We are applauding a 3D image created by wave diffraction. Are we sure this boss even exists?

“ATN, first, I’d like to say I’m so glad to be joining you!” the Chief declared. “I hope you enjoy this new hologram technology. We’re giving it a test run, see if it’s up to standards for air.” He grinned. “If we like it, soon you will be using it, too!” A pocket-size dragon crawled up from the Chief’s back to perch on his shoulder. He made no notice of it but there were a few oohs from the audience.

Natalie had to admit the Chief projected a confidence that made him almost attractive. The kind of man Natalie always felt both repelled by and drawn to, the charming manipulators, men who were the opposite of her father. “Men who resemble Mom,” Sarah had often pointed out, causing Natalie to give up on dating altogether for a few months.

“All right, let’s get down to business,” the shimmering image declared. “Perhaps you’ve noticed that we’ve made some changes to programming, and already viewers are responding. I’m pleased to say our 10 a.m. hour is number three among cable news channels!” The number three appeared over his shoulder as he spoke and the tiny dragon now stood up, stretched, and blew fire across the word MSNBC, incinerating it. People laughed and applauded. “Also the first half of the bottom half hour of our 9 p.m. show is number two, up twenty-five percent in total viewers year-to-year.” The dragon sat on his shoulder and stared out at the room with rainbow eyes. “We are gaining on the digital front as well—with ATN.com up forty percent in the last few days on the strength of the Rigo Lystra story.”

MATT: You do know those are not impressive numbers.

NATALIE: All news execs make bad numbers sound good. Did you see his dragon?