The live broadcast started at 7:00 PM EST sharp. The same anonymous stream link, with validated security marks, was sent to every major network. It came straight from inside Lancaster Tower. "Statement from Leonata Helena Lancaster" was the title.
Worldwide, producers in newsrooms rushed to confirm the source. Both the timestamp and the security markers were real. Like a Christmas tree, CNN's breaking news desk was lit up. The evening programming on BBC World Service was suspended. Before anybody had a chance to understand what they were witnessing, social media algorithms identified the spike in activity and quickly made the stream trend.
It reached one million views in under 90 seconds. Thirteen nations had it trending by the five-minute point. Before a financial earthquake, stock mark
