The wall where Bagman once stared at you is now blank.
You approach the Reality Situation flyer once more. Bagman is still saluting you.
What's this 'Reality Situation'?
A local television programme. The flyer suggests it's about uncovering great truths hidden from everyone.
Who's the guy with the bag on his head?
That is Subcomandante Bagman, host of The Reality Situation.
Subcomandante? Is he military or something?
No insignia, no medals. You can't think of an outfit that would don such a uniform on purpose.
Solid opacity. Maybe I should get a bag.
Tempting, isn't it? No face, no tells, no past.
Pointless theatrics only get you remembered. Real professionals wear faces.
Why the bag? What's he hiding?
His identity, for one. The truth is a dangerous thing to wield, the flyer suggests.
That bag looks oddly rigid -- probably lined with copper mesh to block radio frequencies.
So it's a show where some sweaty guy yells about how birds are cameras.
The man with the bag on his head stares at you through the paper, as if saying, sure, that's what they trained you to think.
Branch
It's about time. The people need to know what's really going on!
For a moment, you get the impression that the bag-headed man's outline is staring at you harder.
People find their own ways to cope, I suppose.
The outline of the man with the bag on his head does not waver, as if his convictions held strong.
Salute Bagman.
Branch
Pride radiates from behind the bag.
Pride radiates from behind the bag.
How can I watch the show?
Bright yellow letters highlight a time slot: 'Every day, from 13:00 to 22:00, Channel 117.'
Is that a phone number in the bottom?
Yes, and right below it, written in small letters: 'Callers get a 10% discount on all supplements!'
You make a note.
I've got a pretty good grasp on Reality already.
His stare seems to say: so you think.
He promises myriad truths: great, terrible, the undoing of all you know.
Yet another poster that would look awesome on the wall above your bed.
Check to make sure no one's watching... then grab it. (Take the poster.)
It's been adhered to the wall with blue re-useable adhesive -- sticky, easy for quick installation and removal. You're able to get it down and rolled up without any difficulty.
Bagman's been flooding the city with these. They're designed to be taken home.
A reality-check.
I'll take it just in case. (Take the poster.)
No, still not me. (Leave the poster.)
Bagman's stare seems to harden as he watches you walk away from his flyer.
Alright, hear this out: how about this poster for the wall next to your bed.
I don't need this in my life. (Leave the poster.)
Hold on, you know what could use a little more Reality?
What?
That big blank wall next to your bed.
Check to make sure no one's watching... then grab it. (Take the poster.)
I'll take it just in case. (Take the poster.)
I don't need this in my life. (Leave the poster.)
I should tune in sometime, just to see what it's about...
Alternative wording
We should see about getting the Reality Situation to air in the Superbloc.
The People's Bureau of Entertainment would never allow something this anarchic to make it to air.
A filthy flyer glued to the wall. A row of bespectacled men stare into the middle distance, while in their midst, a lone figure looks towards the viewer: a man with a brown-paper bag on his head. Above him, in bold letters -- 'THE REALITY SITUATION'.
Look closer.
Yellow text in black-and-white: 'Tune In!', 'Every day coverage', and, in all caps, 'THEY DID IT AGAIN!!!'
Right. Of course. The Bagman show.
The Subcommandante salutes you.
What's this nonsense? Some kind of ad?
It's the opposite of nonsense. This is 'The Reality Situation'.
Who did what again?
You know -- them. The ones who shift the tectonic plates. Fake the seasons. Pollinate the sky when no one's looking. They released yet another decoy moon, right under your nose.
That sounds abjectly insane.
The world is an abjectly insane place.
Yes, a fourth moon would explain many things... (Squint.)
And raise more questions! Like, what happened to the previous moons? Why do batteries leak towards the equator? Who gave birds the right to blink horizontally?