"Well, this thing blew up in our faces huh?"
"You definitely jinxed this, Carlson."
"No, I did not jinx this Neil. It's not supposed to happen!"
"Yeah yeah. And, this thing blew up in your face. I managed to dodge the bullet, hahaha."
"Aghhh, goddamit. You lucky--"
*BEEP *BEEP
"Oh wait, my Mac and Cheese is done. Wait a sec."
Carlson went back to work, slowly chipping away at the paperwork stacked up in front of him. Almost all the staff is now working on the Japanese diplomatic situation. What seems to be an out-of-season April Fools Joke has now turned into a delicate issue. Japan has closed its borders, cut off trade routes and diplomatic communications with the outside world, and there are also reports of foreign fishing boats and shipping lines being harassed by the Japanese Coast Guard. He thought that no nation will care if any country had a significant change or disaster, as long as it doesn't affect their own economy, internal affairs, or international standing, in which Japan has done all of them. Every nation is now looking at Japan with either hostility, suspicion, or interest.
"Ahhh, I'm back. What were you saying?" Neil chipped in while Carlson continued working. He could hear Neil munching away at his Mac and Cheese.
"You lucky bastard Neil." Unlike his Mac and Cheese, Carlson can only say a half-baked reply.
"Hey, I'm taking a very reasonable vacation I was entitled to. It's definitely not a ploy to take one right after a major problem appeared."
"What, in your house? Are you seriously gonna lie around for a whole week?
"What's wrong with that? You want me to go to Japan or something?"
"You're supposed to visit your family this week."
"Nah, they are fine with me staying here. You worry too much man. Besides, I-- Oh shit the Prime Minister is on TV!"
"Wait what? We weren't informed of this!"
"Get a TV or a live stream or something!"
"Fine, fine! Stop panicking already."
Carlson quickly opened up a browser in his workstation and searched up the live stream of the Prime Minister's speech. Thankfully the government officials are tech-savvy enough to figure this out, and he manages to find it minutes before starting. Finally, the speech is starting. The Prime Minister stands behind the podium with a weary look on his face.
"Good Afternoon
As of 5:00 PM yesterday, an unusual nationwide phenomenon occurred in Japan. All of its citizens seem to be transformed into females aged around 14 to 24 years old. Their mental state, memories, and personality are also changed to suit their physical changes. Unfortunately, this phenomenon doesn't seem to discriminate between nationalities, only them being in Japan at the time. As such, many British citizens, including our Embassy staff at the time, were transformed. If you have family relatives living in Japan, I apologize. We've only learnt of this phenomena through our Embassy in Japan. Other countries such as France and the US are reporting similar cases as well.
Moreover, we have reasons to believe that the phenomenon may be caused by some sort of biological or chemical agent present in the country. As such, we deem the phenomena to be contagious and thus cease all trade and travel to and from said country. We are also encouraging other countries to do the same, as well as convincing Malaysia and Indonesia to close the Malacca Strait. We are also advising countries near Japan to look out for potential signs of such phenomenon within their borders.
We implore you, the viewers watching this at home or at work, to postpone any travel plans outside the country, even if the destination isn't Japan. This phenomenon isn't anything we've ever seen or experienced before. If this phenomenon continues on for much longer, or worse shows signs of spreading to other countries, the government will be forced to enforce a nationwide travel ban outside the country.
On behalf of the British Parliamentary, I ask for your support in these trying times.
Thank you."
The speech has concluded, at long last.
"..."
"..."
"...Neil? We would really appreciate if you could get your ass back here and help."
"Carlson, I think you should be getting the hell out of there."
"Neil? Don't make me call our supervisor and request the postponement of your vacation."
"Ahh-- Ughh--- *pshhh *pshhh Fu-- You're break-- Carl--- I'm sorry I---"
"Neil get back here!!" Neil ended the call.
Carlson never rose up from his seat and put on his coat faster in his life. The adrenaline courses through his veins as he sprinted towards the entrance of the Foreign Affairs building and towards his car. However, he stopped just before reaching the main lobby, as he saw the pile of people waiting at the entrance, each holding either a microphone or a large camera.
"Fuck." Carlson muttered.
He slowly crept out of the lobby and went back to his workstation. As much as he wants to drag Neil out of his perfectly-timed vacation leave, he doesn't want to be swamped by the press on the way there. He can just curse the heavens for giving Neil such insane luck.
Carlson sighed as he sat back down his chair. "Maybe I did jinx it. Fuck me..."