Chapter 49 Chapter Forty-eight

In the BBC car parked east of St. Peter's Square, reporter Gunther Glick sat sweating, cursing the editor who assigned him a job.Although Glick's first month's review was full of praise - quick-witted, sharp-eyed, reliable - now he is "on Pope's duty" in Vatican City.Reporting for the BBC, he reminded himself, required far more credibility than writing for The British Chatter, but that wasn't his view of reporting. Glick's task is very simple, simple as hell.All he had to do was sit here and wait for a bunch of dumb old men to choose their next boss, then go out of the car and record a fifteen-second live broadcast with the Vatican in the background and everything would be fine.

Absolutely. Glick couldn't believe that the BBC had sent reporters to the scene to report such worthless news.You kneel here today, but you can’t see the American broadcasting and television companies, really can’t see it!That's because those big shots have their own tricks.They watch CNN, do synopsis, and then film their "live" coverage in front of a blue screen, with backup footage as a realistic backdrop. ABC even used indoor blowers and rain machines to increase the authenticity of the live coverage.Audiences don't want factual reporting anymore, they want entertainment.

Glick stared out the windshield, feeling increasingly frustrated.The majestic, mountainous edifice of the Vatican City looming before him reminded him vaguely of what human beings can achieve when they devote all their ingenuity. "What have I accomplished in my life?" he said to himself. "Nothing." "Give it up then," said a woman's voice behind him. Glick was taken aback, he almost forgot that he was not alone.He turned to look in the backseat, where his fellow photographer, Chinet McLee, was sitting quietly polishing her lens.She is always wiping her lens.Chinet is black, but she prefers to say she's African-American, and she's big and smart, and she won't let you forget that.She is an odd girl.Glick liked her, though, and he could certainly use her as a companion.

"What's the matter, Gunther?" Chinet asked. "What are we doing here?" She stopped wiping the camera and said: "We are going to witness an exciting event." "The old man locked in the black house is also exciting?" "You feel like things are getting worse, don't you?" "That's the problem." "Let's hear it." She spoke in the same tone as his mother. "I just wish I had a little influence." "You wrote for The British Chatter." "Yeah, but none of them sparked a reaction."

"Oh come on, I heard you wrote a very creative article about the queen having an affair with a foreigner." "Thank you." "Hey, things are looking up. You're going to have your first fifteen seconds of TV tonight." Glick grunted and complained.He seemed to have heard the voice of the news anchor. "Thank you Gunther for the important report." Then the host rolled his eyes a few more times, and then reported to the sky. weather forecast. "I should really try broadcasting the news." McCree smiled. "Going to broadcast news without any experience? Still have such a beard? Forget it."

Glick combed a clump of light red hair on his chin with his hands. "I think that makes me seem smarter." Suddenly the phone in the car rang, which thankfully put another Glick's failure to rest. "Maybe it's from the editorial department." He suddenly said hopefully, "Do you think they'll be reporting live?" "This news?" McCree laughed, "Just dream." Glick replied in his purest live reporter voice: "This is the BBC. Reporter Gunther Glick is reporting live from the Vatican for you." The person on the other end of the phone spoke with a strong Arabic accent. "Listen carefully," he said, "I am about to change your fate."