Episode 54 - Front Desk, Fully Operational

Olivia was precisely where she’d always been.

Calm. Poised. First aid kit open. Clipboards neatly stacked. Mug warm. Tail wrapped comfortably around one boot.

The monitor flickered once. The cartoon dog gave her a thumbs up.

She nodded back.

The door opened.

The FCC agent stepped through, a little too fast to be casual, a little too slow to be fleeing.

She adjusted her tie. Her jacket. Her expectations.

Olivia offered a polite, professional smile.

“Welcome back. I trust the tour was enlightening?”

The agent paused.

She did not answer that.

Instead: “Is this station... registered?”

“By whom?” Olivia asked.

Silence.

Then, “Where is your broadcast tower?”

Olivia gestured upward.

The ceiling above the lobby held a quiet, pulsing stillness.

“We transmit from the roof. We’ve found that’s high enough for our signal.”

“Your signal is—”

Olivia handed her a printout. Signal maps. Viewer reports. Ratings from towns that don’t exist on most maps anymore.

None of it made sense.

All of it was real.

The agent exhaled.

She glanced toward the front door.

Then the breakroom.

Then the hallway behind her that she knew hadn’t been curved before.

Then—

“Your mug is glowing.”

Olivia looked down.

It was.

Faintly.

The words now read: “You Can’t Regulate Wonder.”

She didn’t comment.

The FCC agent pulled out a form.

“This is a provisional inquiry request. I’m filing it formally. I’ll be back.”

Olivia accepted the paper.

It turned into a paper crane.

The agent blinked.

Olivia placed it gently on the desk.

“I’ll add it to the stack.”

The agent stood for a moment.

Longer than necessary.

Then she left.

The doors hissed closed.

The air settled.

And Olivia, once again, was alone.

The paper crane blinked.

Once.

Olivia blinked back.