8.K Wheel
11th of April, 2015
"Hush everyone! It's starting!" Kenzie snaps over the Baltimore Wards' chatter while barely restraining herself from bouncing off the couch of the common room in restlessness.
She couldn't help it! This was the first interview Nictimène had given in, like, ages! And she was giving it live on the Darren Colridge Show even which was… well, honestly Kenzie doesn't know why that matters, not really, but she knows the host is super popular or something!
Not like it really mattered to her anyway. She's not watching the show because of some crusty old guy! She's monopolizing the TV because the coolest, baddest girl on the entire planet is making her first public appearance since the Parade of a Hundred Demons a month back! And even better, it's going to be live!
…Kenzie thinks that name is super dumb. There hadn't been a hundred of those totally not Endbringers, but she supposes that if you add the rest of the Birdcage escapees on top of it, it kinda-sorta makes sense, if you squint.
Still, stupid name! It should've been something cool and grandiose like, uh, the Titanomachy or something!
"What's this squirt?" Allen asks as he wanders nearby to plop himself on the couch.
"Shh!" she shushes him with a glare and a finger on her lips, before bringing her attention back toward the screen–
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh5XoRmcky8&list=RDRh5XoRmcky8&start_radio=1
"–and without further ado, let me give you the myth, the legend herself, Nictimène!" the host flashes a dazzling smile to the camera, right before it pans to the side to show the girl of the day – although night would be more appropriate – gliding into the frame with a little wave and a polite smile on her face, her entry accompanied by a thunderous applause.
"Hey guys! The Endslayer is giving an interview on Colridge's show in case you're interested!" Allen calls out to the others, which, Kenzie already told them that, except nobody ever-ever listened to her!
Squashing her irritation like a big, dumb bug, her attention focuses fully on, well, her idol since she was seven.
A vivid mane of red hair swallowing nearly half of her face and artfully tumbling down her back.
Pale grey skin, almost corpselike.
Elongated ears tapering into sharp points, minutely bouncing up and down with every steps.
Blackened lips and nails.
A tall, narrow figure, with a particularly impressive amount of cleavage for a girl of sixteen, easily filling a cute little white blouse tucked into leather pants which look almost painted on, crisscrossed by a pair of belts with big, shiny silver buckles, and a pair of big, stompy boots stopping right under the knee!
And a confidence that seems to fill every room she walks in.
Just for a moment, Kenzie forgets to breathe.
Then the spell breaks as the girl on the screen takes a seat on a plush chair after greeting the Colridge guy.
Kenzie isn't going to lie, she's a bit disappointed. She wanted to see Nictimène's cool tattoo! She can barely make some of the golden lines on her right hand from here, what with her blouse getting all in the way!
"Dayum, would," Allen lets out a low whistle from right next to her.
"Shh!" she glares his way a second time, which goes completely over the brunette's head as he leans a little closer to the screen.
Stupid dumb Brute!
"–a month since the Parade, so my first question would be: how are you doing?" the host asks, affecting concern.
"I'm fine, Darren, thank you for asking," the teenager answers in her lightly accented voice while crossing her legs and lacing her fingers together on top of her knee, her easy smile not flickering in the slightest.
"And your loved ones?" the man says while leaning closer with his arms crossed over his chest, "It got pretty obvious that the opening move of this whole thing was an attack against someone you're pretty close to."
Nictimène lets out a peal of laughter at that, before answering.
"If by that you mean my girlfriend, then I suppose you'd be right," the smile still doesn't flicker, but the girl inside the screen tilts her head slightly to the side, her hair parting just enough for Kenzie to get a peek at the black gem adorning her brow, "But Louise, my family, and everyone else I know made it alright, so I can't exactly complain."
"I'm glad to hear that," the man replies with a quick smile that Kenzie is pretty sure is even genuine, "Tell me… how did you feel when all of this–" he makes an all-encompassing gesture for emphasis, "–started?"
"Angry," the answer is short, honest, and slightly clipped, Nictimène's lone visible eyebrow dipping down a little even as her head straightens back up, "This is not the first time someone goes after one of mine for a stupid reason, though generally it is out of the misguided belief that I'm going to bend to their demands if they have a hostage, not just to piss me off. I take those kinds of things a little badly as a rule, but this time it took the cake."
"And you took down the freshly escaped Fairy Queen for it," the host notes, before asking, "Do you regret it?"
"Honestly? I'd be lying if I pretended I was," Nictimène answers with a little shrug, and Kenzie hears Allen muttering 'cold as fuck', "She was a S class threat who'd been playing possum in the Birdcage all along while she demonstratedly could have left at any time, so I treated her like one. This isn't the first time I take down something other parahumans are ill-equipped to handle, and it likely won't be the last. I made my peace with it a long time ago."
"Understandable, even if I can't help finding it a little sad that someone as young as you are can say that," the Colridge guy looks a little chagrined, before straightening in his chair, "How has Brockton Bay handled the aftermath of the Parade? I've been told that the damage was less severe than in other cities…?"
"Thanks to Vista's quick thinking, it was," Nictimène nods, her expression smoothing out, "New Order and her stepped up big time while I was otherwise busy dealing with the Fairy Queen, and to be fair, they probably could've handled the second Demon without my intervention, if not as quickly. But handling the known cape serial killer before she could take more heroes off the board had been my priority. We still lost many good souls in the span of mere minutes that day."
The girl in the screen recrosses her legs, pausing for a beat, Kenzie becoming distantly aware that the rest of her team has shuffled closer to the couch in the meantime.
"As for the damages themselves, I've been in talks with Mayor Christner about a sweeping renovation project of the Bay for the past month. My hometown should start seeing results as soon as we come to an agreement," Nictimène's lips sharply curl up at that, and Kenzie wonders what she's finding funny.
"I'm sure they're all going to be… very enthusiastic to see you get started," the host nods affably, his own smile mirroring his guest's, before his expression turns a little wistful, "A city designed by the world's best Tinker… Now, this is something I want to see."
"This isn't just about Brockton Bay," the girl corrects mildly, "It is for everyone. Over the last three years, I've released two thousand four hundred seventy-nine patents in collaboration with Dragon. This is public knowledge, freely accessible to all. The technologies to build the cities of the future are already here," she pauses, then adds conspiratorially, "To certain lobbies' dismay, if I may add."
The Colridge guy chuckles a little.
"Let's shelve that particular line of discussion for a moment," he flashes a quick smile, before turning serious once again, "You were present at Eidolon's wake. You refused to comment then, but now that you're here, I can't help but wonder…" he trails off, seemingly hesitating.
"How did I feel then?" the heroine finishes the sentence for him with a headtilt, "Like we were burying a legend. Most of us present at the time did, I think. The man left both a void and a legacy behind him, one of dedicated heroism."
"Damn right," Allen grumbles under his breath, "New Order isn't quite ready to fill his shoes yet."
As a rumble of agreement echoes around her, Kenzie watches as Nictimène straightens, then gestures in front of her as she speaks further.
"At the same time, this was also a moment to honor the deaths of those who courageously stepped forward all over the globe, even if it was just to buy a handful of seconds, against the Demons. We lost Eidolon, yes, but we shouldn't forget all the other heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on that day," Nictimène says, her tone impassioned.
"Both Alexandria and Legend said some similar things during their own speech, I recall," the host nods consideringly, "Alexandria in particular said that 'neither the power or the individual matters, only their intention'. Do you happen to share that sentiment?"
"No one should be shamed or belittled if they're genuine in their attempt to build a better world, yes," she replies smoothly, her fingers once again laced over her crossed knees, "Though I would add that if someone's power is dangerous, good intentions won't save them from making a mistake at some point, and that they should contact the people who can help them, like the PRT here in the US."
"Even if they have a power with some rather unfortunate connotations?" the Colridge guy asks leadingly.
"Especially if they have a power with a bad press," she replies with a curt nod, "Today's laws in particular are extremely stringent regarding Master powers, and for good reasons. But look at Nightingale, the medical Tinker who got introduced during the aftermath of the Parade. A power with a lot of unfortunate connotations, yet, she ended up saving the lives of dozens of critical cases when Dragon's Panacea wasn't enough."
"Are you saying that this isn't something she could've done without her ties to the PRT?" the host frowns, "Pardon me for saying so, but isn't that a bit hypocritical?"
Kenzie frowns at that, because, how dare he?!
"Bit rich from her to say that, yeah," Cassandra comments.
How dare she?!
"I exchanged a few words with her in passing while helping with the cleanup. She told me herself that the only reason she's able to do what she does today is because someone looked at her, and didn't just see the next Bonesaw," the heroine answers back, "As for my own case… It is a particular one."
The girl on the screen pauses consideringly for a short beat.
"I didn't have the luxury of doing things properly at the time. Very simply put, getting my power made me acutely aware of the doomsday clock ticking away for all of us. The choices I made were to avoid getting swallowed in red tape and peer reviews for my tinkering, and to ramp up as quickly as I could. If the circumstances had been different, if the Endbringers hadn't been an issue? I may have chosen differently, and gone down a different path."
"Ah, yes, do as I say, not as I did, classic," Cassandra huffs.
"I see," he replies with an understanding hum, before shifting gears once again, "Nictimène, do you mind if I ask another potentially controversial question?"
The heroine blinks, before tentatively nodding.
"As long as you understand that you're liable to get a politician's answer, feel free," she replies, the edges of her lips curling up a little.
The host laughs, before turning serious.
"You've been the subject of a rather persistent controversy since the death of Behemoth," the man says, hands clasped on his desk as he leans forward, "Your detractors seem to agree that you could do more–"
All of a sudden, a very sharp crack breaks the solemnity of the moment, and Nictimène's hand blurs.
"Holy shit!" Allen swears, and Kenzie's own eyes widen in realization.
A wordless yell, shrill and desperate, echoed by the panicked screaming of the crowd.
More cracks follow, the heroine's hand a continuous blur even as she looks to the side with an aggravated frown, which seems to finally be the clue the cameraman needs to pan the view away from the host and guest duo, right on time to see a trenchcoat-wearing man with a wild look gets tackled down by the show's security, the gun held in his hand sliding away from him in the tumble.
"Rude," Nictimène says, opening her hand to reveal the bullets she effortlessly caught in flight.
"Assassin!" the would-be assassin screams at the top of his lungs as he squirms on the ground while two burly security guys try to immobilize him, "Thief! She told me everything! I see her in my dreams, ever since that day you've all tried to bury! You stole the sixth from God, and he hates you for it, Warrior-Witch!"
A fist to the jaw, punctuated by another gasp of the crowd, stuns the man long enough for the two security guys to snap a pair of handcuffs around his wrist and haul him back to his feet.
Yet they have barely taken three steps with their prisoner that the man shakes off the daze.
"T-The brand on our flesh may have scarred, but it shines on our soul still! Glory to–" his yelling turns incoherent in the distance as he gets forcefully marched away.
Following the stunning turn of events, a pregnant pause falls over the studio.
"...The fuck that loon was talking about?" Allen says.
"Not sure," Jerome answers, "...Somerset, maybe?"
Slowly, the cameraman brings back the view toward Nictimène and the Colridge guy, the latter looking shocked and pale, while the former's frown has deepened even further.
Showing that he is indeed a professional, the host manages to get his bearing after letting out a shaky breath.
"Nictimène, I'm so, so sorry for that. I don't know how he managed to get past security, but–" he babbles.
"Hush," the heroine cuts him off with a finger pointed skyward in a halting gesture, "I'm thinking."
The man's jaw clicks shut, and for a moment Kenzie doesn't know if he is looking outraged or simply stunned.
Next to her, Allen laughs.
"...Before this colorful interruption, I believe you asked me about my detractors earlier, yes?" the heroine's warm brown eye locks with the host, who nods a little jerkily at that, "Well, no time like the present then.
"Yes, I'm aware of the criticism people field against me. Of how they relentlessly compare the 'indolent Endslayer' with the Triumvirate, Dragon, or even Scion in some cases after he went missing. 'All this power, and she doesn't want to do her part? Even Alexandria regularly patrols her city.' I've heard it all, I've seen it all. So tell me, Darren," the girl on the screen leans forward in her seat, "Do you think I'm not entitled to live my life the way I choose?"
"O-Of course, you are," the host answers after a very short beat, straightening in his seat under the weight of the attention directed at him.
"So I'm perfectly in my right not to spend said life saving kittens from trees ad nauseum. I may be the strongest Tinker alive, but I've chosen a different path to help our world. A path–" for a split second, Kenzie thinks she sees something dark flicker above her head, "–of my own making, one of uplift instead of turning myself into another glorified beatcop in tight spandex. I have a lot of respect for every parahuman who chooses to use their powers for the good of society, but in truth? Fighting crime has never been my call.
"I'm Earth Bet's most overpowered janitor, Darren. I take out the trash no one else is able to, and that's it," her expression tightens, "And when I'm trying to help in ways that benefits everyone instead of focusing only on one city like those armchair analysts want me to, what do I get? Lobbyists filing nonsense NEPEA5 lawsuits against fully reproducible tech. Generals breathing down my neck over overseas saber-rattling. The rich and powerful flooding my inbox with requests I don't even read. You know why I became an open cape in the first place, Darren? I took that decision to appear less threatening in the public eye, because I was aware of the power I wield, and how people would react to it. Yet, as the years go by, I've become more and more convinced that this wasn't the right decision. People keep pushing me, over and over again, and I'm honestly getting fucking sick of it."
The crowd had steadily gone more and more quiet with each word tumbling out of Nictimène's lips, and by now, Kenzie figures you could hear a pin drop in the studio.
"My life, my path, my choices," Nictimène says while looking straight at the camera, "I'm already dealing with the issues you lot can't handle, stop trying to put even more responsibilities on my shoulders."
Both the crowd and Kenzie's teammates are stuck silent.
Finally, the girl on the screen lets out a sigh as she stands up.
"I apologize for the way things went, Darren. But I believe that we're done here." She clips, letting the bullets fall from her hand on top of the host's desk, before vanishing from the studio in a flash of black lightning.
Kenzie's attention remains transfixed on the screen even as the display switches to the 'technical difficulty' one and the rest of her Ward teammates erupt into a heated talk.
Yet, all she can think of is–
Okay, that was SO COOL!!