Video killed the radio star (All involved)

[snowind]

OOC: Alright guys this is how it's gonna be. Since you each picked your celebrity host/ or TV show, I'm assuming you guys are more familiar with it than me. Because tbh I don't watch any of those shows (except Jackass), so this is how it's gonna work out. Much like the last thread last volume, each of us will do a one shot post with the interview. Chloe and Dakari will need to do a collaborative post. I'll be first. Since there is no order, anyone can post here in any order. If you wish to sign up, there are still some spots left.

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Zoey was nervous, if someone had told her that accepting the offer from Ark Industries meant also interviews and TV time she would have probably declined the offer, but now she was in the studio, and about to do an interview, first of several she had now planned apparently, fortunately for her, she loved The Daily Show and Ark Industries had let her choose which show to go on.

This was apparently the way to get the approval of the people of America little by little and help Ark like they were helping them. The new building they had for them was going to be many times better than the old one, and with all the information from Ark that they could use it was going to be definitely interesting to work now. She still wasn't over Andy, though it did hurt less each day, even more now that she was trying to keep herself busy.

She could hear the entrance of the show, the characteristic jingle followed by the presentation. "From Comedy Central's news headquarters in New York, this is the Daily Show with Jon Stewart". The claps and the music started, and Zoey could feel the sweat forming in her hands, she wasn't made for public appearances.

"Hello, Welcome to the Daily Show my name is Jon Stewart, thanks for joining us" said the host as the clapping slowed down. "My guest tonight is Zoey Lindstrom, pioneer in the superhero business, something I previously thought Samuel L. Jackson had credit for. And of course our continuing coverage of the April 4th aftermath"

Zoey got back to the dressers, she had spent about an hour there as people from the show did her make up. She hadn't wore this much make up even to her prom. She looked completely unrealistic, specially from what she had looked like this past weeks, she had been a complete mess.

She had about 15 minutes before she was up, she would be getting to the set, sitting down, and she had no clue what the hell she was going to say next. Her mind was blank and she couldn't believe she was doing it, she could imagine everyone naked, but it was a bit risky.

Then from behind her, someone from the production crew tapped her shoulder and told her it was her time to go on air. And she could feel the nervousness rising up, she had been listening to the show this whole time but she hadn't been paying attention. "Welcome back, my guest tonight, Zoey Lindstrom, I hope she's wearing spandex tonight or I'll be throughly disappointed" said the host apparently coming back from a break as Zoey walked along the set. The lights of the set hypnotizing her and pretty soon the clapping had started, Jon got up from his seat and went to greet her.

Zoey took a seat and smiled nervously as everyone looked at her, she tried to look away and focus her attention on Jon. Her emotions were already taking a toll on her power and the tele prompter and the luminous signs started flickering. Jon amused looked at the ceiling.

"For our viewers that don't know her, Zoey is part of a super human team called the Watchers, they have been operating for over a year now and have stopped a couple of Super powered serial killers" said Jon as he looked at Zoey. "I gotta tell you Zoey, I've had Mace Windu and Obi Wan Kenobi sitting in that chair, you've got some pretty huge superhero boots to fill"

"I don't really consider myself a superhero" said Zoey. Still smiling nervously, she was gonna kill whoever came up with the grand idea of putting her through this.

"It says here that barely two months ago you helped stop a criminal mastermind called the Nursery Rhyme Killer, who killed about a dozen people and would have still been at large if it weren't for your group" said Jon. "That sounds pretty super heroic to me. I think it's time you start considering wearing your panties on the outside"

Zoey laughed at this, seriously she wouldn't ever wear a costume it was really cheesy, not to mention she didn't feel like a superhero at all. The mention of the Nursery Rhyme Killer brought some memories back but she chose to ignore them.

"About April 4th, well, everyone knows what happened that day, and to be perfectly honest, for the duration of those four minutes, I felt like I was going to kill somebody, what I think people doesn't understand when talking about specials is that we had this abilities for 4 minutes and look the damage that we caused, but there are people out there, like you that have had this power for a long time and manage to lead a somewhat normal life, that alone makes you a hero to my eyes and to the eyes of America"

"Yeah well, April 4th was a rough day for the world, I knew people would know about us eventually with all the social networking and how fast we can share information" said Zoey. "I just would never imagine this would be the way people would find out"

"I understand you have some electronics related power, did you keep people from knowing too much about your kind?" asked Jon. "Maybe a little hacking?"

"Oh absolutely" said Zoey infinitely more relaxed now that she was speaking. "Almost every day, some teenager would upload one or two videos about someone with abilities, I don't think I'm the only one getting rid of them, some others did too, I'm sure"

"People with abilities all over the world are getting extensive coverage, how do you feel about becoming the new phenomena? Soon there will be tiny Zoey figures or even a movie, how do you feel about that" asked Jon.

"Well to be honest I haven't had any fame at all so far, so I don't know" said Zoey who started thinking this was the next step, people were going to recognize her now, the old quite life she had would be left behind.

"I understand that Ark Industries, who have been globally held accountable for what happened on April 4th is financing your group of heroes now" said Jon. "Does that mean that you don't think Ark Industries are at blame or you just needed the money and went all, fuck this, I'll cash in"

Zoey knew this questions would come in eventually. "Well, there's currently a trial against Ark Industries, I don't really know what is happening there, but I do know that from what I know, they couldn't have caused the energy needed to make it a global event, the technology for that is not even available to us right now. About a dozen scientists from all over the world have already stated that Ark Industries couldn't have caused April the 4th, but we'll see what happens after the trial"

"Fair enough" said Jon. "You've turned into Ark's public face though, all the hate and indignation towards them will bounce at you somehow, are you ready to face that or is it something that hasn't sunk in yet?"

"I think I'm ready for it, I've had it worse before, and as time passes less and less people blame Ark for what happened, and to be honest they have been helping with all their power to help out in whatever way it's necessary" said Zoey. "I think America knows they are not the villains"

"Talking about your arrangement with Ark, they have signed a deal with NBC Universal to have a reality show for you and your group, which will begin shortly. What is this TV show about and why did you agree to this, because well if you are in the business of saving people, this is the sort of thing you don't need your enemies watching if you know what I mean?" said Jon.

"Yeah, no, the TV show came to a surprise to all of us to be honest" said Zoey. "I don't think we ever meant to start one, but Ark backed us up financially basically for two purposes, to keep on stopping criminals but also to give some hope to the people out there that think that just because someone has abilities they can do whatever the hell they want. Me, Travis, Mike, Gwen and Conall are in this business because we care about the people not to make ourselves famous, in fact I don't think we'll answer too well to this sudden fame"

"Changing the subject a little bit" said Jon laying back from the Ark related questions. "I read here that you are Jewish, does that mean that you are the first Jewish superheroine? Because I gotta tell you, I think you would make an awesome Jewish heroine, you know, except on Saturdays... because that day you wouldn't be able to use your ability"

Zoey laughed when he said about the Saturdays, she didn't know how he had got all this information to be honest. But she was impressed. "First of all, from an expert on getting information, kudos on getting that information, I thought I had it pretty secure" she said joking and then went on to answer the question. "Uhm, my mother was Jewish, my dad is atheist, so I was born Jewish, but I was never that orthodox, and after my mom died I converted to Buddhism, so I guess you'll have to wait for your Jewish Superhero"

"Damn, I was already going to buy a poster of you and put it on my dinning room's wall for Hanukkah" said Jon doing one of his characteristic gestures.

"You'll have to wait a little bit more for that, I don't doubt there are Jewish superheroes out there somewhere, so you'll be alright" said Zoey to him still smiling.

"Well unfortunately that's all the time we have for today, Zoey Lindstrom, it was a pleasure having you in the show tonight. Don't miss on her new show on NBC, starting next week, all Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 pm central" said Jon as the sound started and he stood up to greet Zoey good bye and shake her hand.

Zoey's legs weren't really responding so after going to commercials, a couple of people from the set helped her up and backstage. Damn television, and she was going to be doing that two times a week? They were insane, she was going to cut someone's head off before that happened.

Still shaking from the nerves, but less stressed now that she had actually done it, she ran to the bathroom and puked her breakfast out. Hopefully she wouldn't be about to have an anxiety attack or she wouldn't be getting home tonight.

[Conall Saint Albans]

Somewhere in the Sonoran Desert . . .

[dropcap]Of all the dumbfuck shows he could have auditioned for, he’d decided to audition for Jackass. It was one of many shows that he and his brother could actually sit down and watch together. Hell, he’d even imitated some of the stunts. It was fun to go down to San Francisco and ride in a shopping cart down a really steep road. He’d broken his arm more times than he cared to remember, but it had all been in good fun.

Now he was just being an idiot. He’d drank nearly a liter of rum; fuck, he was surprised he was still standing. But he was Irish; they were known for their superhuman livers. He was not, however, known for his intelligence. That was probably why he was now standing in the middle of a pen full of ostriches on an ostrich farm buck ass naked at two o’clock in the morning. Because riding an ostrich while naked and drunk in the middle of the night was always a good idea.

He turned to face one of the night vision cameras currently filming the bizarre spectacle and swatted an ostrich’s head away from his rear. He didn’t need one of them taking his balls off. Fucking birds.

“This . . . Conall . . . an’ I’mma . . . “ He punched one of the large birds in the head when it started nibbling on his shoulder. “I’m . . . fuggin’ ostrich, dammit, get th’ feckoff.”

Unfortunately, he’d missed all of the nature shows that would have warned him about the ills of punching much larger species than he was. The punch to its skull only pissed off the large flightless bird and sent it scurrying into a feathery wall of its comrades. He half-staggered, half-ran towards the herd—flock, whatever the fuck—and flung himself into their midst. But since he was staggering much more than he was walking, he tripped over his feet and landed face first into a small pile of pellet-sized bird shit.

The presence of a naked human in their protected enclave was enough to drive all of the large animals of the avian variety into a tizzy. Ruffling their feathers and raising their wings, they charged at him with the power of a squawking horde. Conall rolled onto his back and put his hands over the ample prized possessions between his legs, though no amount of padding would have protected him from the several pounds of pressure that were exerted on his balls as one of the ostrich’s massive clawed feet nailed him between the legs.

Oh, it fucking hurt like hell, but he was too drunk to notice and he was having too much fun scaring the shit out of dumb birds. He rolled around on his back, both howling and laughing in pain as the gaggle of stampeded around him. Still grasping himself between the legs, he got to his feet, only to be knocked on his ass once again as a taloned foot found its mark on his chest. The hit knocked the wind out of him, but at least it took his mind off of the pain radiating from between his legs. Fuck that was really going to hurt in the morning. Fuck vasectomies; getting stomped in the plonker was a much more efficient way to get sterilised. How many people could say they’d had their nuts cracked by an ostrich foot? He could. Not that it was anything to be proud of, but fucking whatever. He didn’t give a shit what other people thought. He just did stupid things for fun, and fuck what everyone else thought.

Drunkenly somersaulting backwards in the dirt and ostrich piss and other muck covering the ground of the small, penned enclosure, he got back to his feet and promptly collapsed against the nearest metal bar barrier. Who knew that shit could be so drunk and that he could be so slippery? He waved his hands drunkenly at the flock of incoming birds as they renewed their assault and charged at him, pecking at whatever bit of his exposed skin their long necks could reach.

“C’mere . . . fuggin’ chickenses . . . “ He started to run towards the birds as they mounted their attacks and managed (haphazardly) to grab one of them around the broad front of its body. Had he been sober, he probably would have been able to throw his legs over its back and ride it like a horse (or however the fuck people rode these things. Could ostriches even be ridden?) But since he was well past three sheets to the wind, his chosen ostrich had no trouble kicking him aside.

All he wanted to do was ride a fucking bird, but having his balls trampled was quite enough. He curled up into a ball on the filth-covered ground and tried (and failed) to cover all of the important parts of his body to save them from being nibbled on or bitten off by the birds’ beaks. Something snapped at his balls several times, and he was fairly certain that he was going to have to wear an ice pack for the next several days, not to mention that the birds were biting him on parts of his body that he didn’t even know existed. But that was all part of being on Jackass, wasn’t it?

His whole reason for going on the show—something that he’d probably agreed to while drunk—was to showcase what he could do. He just doubted that he’d be able to shift in his inebriated state.

Oh, how wrong he was.

The flurry of ostriches called off their attack on him rather abruptly, and he couldn’t figure out why. He also couldn’t figure out why his feet looked so scaly and foreign, or why he suddenly only had two toes on each foot instead of five. And why the hell were his knees bending backwards? Had he accidentally dropped acid with the rum he’d been drinking and not realised it?

He managed to find his footing and unsteadily rose to his full height . . . which was much taller than he remembered being two minutes prior . . .

Oh, fuck!

Shifting while inebriated was never a good thing, but eh, he knew he’d only live once. Zigzagging his way towards the camera crew on his new legs, he careened sideways and fell over, then rapidly began clawing at the air as if he were furiously pedalling a bicycle. It was only when he started flapping the flightless wings of the gigantic bird when he realised that something was really wrong. During his struggle, he’d kicked up a great deal of feathers.

Yellow feathers.

Ostriches didn’t have yellow feathers . . . but they could if Davin had tattooed him that way. To be honest, he hadn’t been paying much attention to the inking job his brother had done on his arse those several weeks ago when he’d last been in Redding, trashed out of his mind.

Yellow.

He may have looked like an ostrich, but seriously? Yellow?

Oh, fuggin’ ‘ell. I’mma goddamn chocobo.

[/dropcap]

♪ Word count: 1222
♪ Mood: lolconall
♪ Outfit: Feathers.
♪ Quote: None.
♪ Comment: Bleh.

[suitedupbloke09]

To most people, July 2010 has got to be one of the most bizarre and shocking moment of their lives. People suddenly having powers out of nowhere. It was something like Flashpoint, wherein the whole world got a glimpse of their own futures. But in this case, everybody got powers to much things up. Weirdly enough for a certain suited up, yet charming individual, Chris Monaghan didn't manifest any abilities at the time. He didn't have any awesome ability to become invisible or see through women's clothes. In short, Chris thought that he got the short end of the stick.

Then came the media and their lovely talk shows. Big names like Jonathan Ross, Jon Stewart, David Letterman and a bunch of other celebrities jumped in to the 'special' bandwagon, wherein these celebrities interview these truly gifted specials. Seeing that this was an opportunity to get himself famous and get a lot of customers in the P.I. business, Chris called the CBS and asked for him to be a guest in The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Why choose Craig Ferguson? Chris had two answers for that. One is that because he's a big fan of the Scottish-born American talk show host and two, Craig is one of the very few talk show hosts that Chris believes to be quite awesome.

Obviously with all the special humans craze Chris' request to be a guest of the show got accepted and the charming Private Investigator currently waited backstage for his name to be called by Craig Ferguson himself.

"Welcome back my frisky badgers!" said the host as the show just came back from its commercial break. As usual, Craig Ferguson was standing in front of the studio camera to deliver one of his rants before he calls in his guest for the night. "Now shut up! I'm trying to see through that woman's blouse!

This earned the host some Ooohs from the crowd and Craig simply laughed at their reaction, "You don't believe that I have the power to see through women's clothes? Unfaithful bastards."

The audience burst into laughing and applause at hearing another one of Craig's hilarious side comments, but the noise died down as soon as Craig cleared his throat.

"Speaking of powers, my special guest for tonight is a private investigator whose ability is best described as enhanced brain power," this earned a couple of 'Oooohs' from the audience. "He can easily solve any case you've got with that head of his. Please welcome the modern day Sherlock Holmes: Christopher Monaghan!"

Fixing his newly bought black necktie, wherein his lapel was attached to, Chris Monaghan entered the studio with much enthusiasm. He raised his hands into the air with a peace sign on both of them and he shouted, "WHADDUP PEOPLE!"

The applauding crowd laughed at Chris' apparent enthusiasm and continued to applaud as Chris and Craig Ferguson shook hands in front of millions of viewers across the country.

"Chris Monaghan everybody!" Craig Ferguson gestured towards Chris as both host and guest for the show went to their respective places.

"So how're you doing Chris?" asked Craig as he began tearing his cue cards.

"I'm doing quite fine thank you. Can I just say that I love your suit Craig. Where d'you get it?" replied Chris.

"My suit? From the dressers of course! That's here in CBS. C stands for Classy and the BS...you know what I mean by that," Craig replied and directed his side comment at the audience, who laughed upon seeing Craig wink at him. "You don't look bad with your suit yourself."

"That's me! Suits everyday, okay!" Chris said with a grin on his face.

"So how does your ability work?" Craig asked Chris as he took a sip from his rather 'gigantic' snake mug. After drinking, Craig pointed out to the small table beside Chris. "There's a mug for you there by the way. You could drink if you want."

"Really? That's awesome!" Chris said in a rather 'unknowing' way. This earned him a couple of laughs from the audience and Chris sipped happily from the mug. "I'm a big fan of the show and one of my dreams was to share a drink with you on the show."

"Really?" Craig asked with raised eyebrows.

"Really really. Kristin Bell drunk from this cup too right?" asked Chris as he set down the mug back to the table. A couple of people from the audience whistled at the mention of Kristin Bell and this made Craig smirk.

"Oh. She did drink using that part," Craig affirmed, but then he grinned at the audience and continued. "That and in other different places too."

"Maybe in your airplane too?" Chris suggested with a grin of his own.

Craig laughed alongside the audience and the host slammed his right hand on the table, "Finally! A true fan! He knows the in-and-outs of my little show, wherein the infomercials are the true star! Not unlike those unfaithful bastards there."

Chris and the audience laughed once more at Craig's rant, but then Craig cleared his throat.

"So going back to your ability, how does it work?"

"Well my head is like a highway. Thousands of information going in and going out at the same time. I can kind of piece in information together from that highway and make the most accurate information out of them," Chris simply explained. "So if you give me a case, I connect one plus one and voila! There's the answer."

"So that helps out with your career right? Craig asked of Chris as he took another sip from his mug.

Chris takes a sip from his mug before answering a simple yes.

"Well that must be awesome! I mean it makes life easy for you," Craig enthusiastically points out.

"It does help with the girls," said Chris.

"Oh really?" Craig asked with great interest.

"Well every year men's magazines releases the top 100 women around the globe and what I do is that I make up a bingo card. Then, I'll use my investigative abilities to the test," Chris explained.

"And what's the point of doing all this?" asked Craig with puzzlement.

"To nail five girls in a row!" Chris then stood up enthusiastically and raised his right fist into the air, "BINGO!"

The whole audience burst into laughing and when the laughted died down a minute later, Craig smiled at Chris, "Chris, I love your attitude! Are all people of your kind this awesome?"

"I don't know. I haven't met someone else like me," Chris answered nonchalantly.

"Well, looks like you're gonna meet one sooner than you think. You do know w'ere running out of time right?" asked the host as he looked at the disappointed audience. "Hey don't blame me! I'm just a vulgar lounge entertainer. I don't get to call the cheap shots."

Everyone laughed at this and when the laughter died down, Craig offered a hand to Chris, who took it earnestly, "It was nice meeting you Mr. Monaghan. Would you like to be a guest here in the future? We can have like a 'detect the hooker' in the audience."

Chris laughed and he shook Craig's hand, "Definitely."

"Well Chris Monaghan everybody! We'll be back after a short break," Craig Ferguson addressed the millions of viewers of the show and a minute later, Chris headed straight to the dressers to change from his 'black formal suit' into his 'white party suit' with a red necktie.

(OOC: To see what happens next after the show, please head straight to an upcoming thread between Chris and Grace Harper)

[Micah Walker]

Publicity. It was nothing that Mike really cared about, he didn’t care to become rich or famous, it just didn’t matter to him like everyone else around him. Ever since April fourth, the world knew about specials, and it was kind of like they were all becoming celebrities or something, it was like being born famous, it’s not like all specials did great things like actors did, but some of them did. Specials were being interviewed on all these different talk shows on tv, it seemed pretty cool and made them all look so important, and then Mike got a call to be on Lopez tonight, and took it. Why? So he could be known to the world that he was special, and everyone could hear his story. So, after getting the call Mike decided to just go for it, just to make his family proud, and maybe even give them a laugh since he was going to be on Lopez tonight.

It was already the night to go on, and Mike waited backstage, feeling all tense and nervous, he had never been interviewed before or anything like that, and it was all very exciting as he was backstage waiting George Lopez introducing him out onto the stage, his words lingering in Mike’s mind even after he spoke, “Now put your hands together for one of the kickass teen specials the world has ever seen, Mister Mike Lane!” and there was the cue, the manger of the show nearly pushed him right out to the stage overlooking the crowd of people cheering, yelling, and clapping. He walked out and looked around at the crowd, he couldn’t help but grin and waved back to everyone who for some reason seemed excited to see Mike, but he didn’t see why everyone was so excited, just because he could walk through walls?

Mike took a seat nearby the famous George Lopez, he couldn’t help but smile at all the people cheering for him, and only him. “So mister Lane, why don’t you tell the folk a little about yourself, like your name, your age, your powers, the last time you got laid?” George asked him with his enthusiastic grin. Mike smirked and nodded “Sure George,” Mike said, he cleared his throat and looked around, God there was a lot of people out there, all eyes on him. He took a breath and looked back at George Lopez. “Well, my name is Mike Lane and I just turned eighteen years old back in June.” Mike started and then George had to say something about that “Yeah, and ironically that’s the age limit to be on the show, otherwise your ass wouldn’t be let through the doors.” He said clapping his leg, laughing in his usual sarcastic way, and Mike couldn’t help but laugh too, after all, it was George Lopez in the flesh. There was something funnier about him live in person.

After he was done laughing at the host, he looked back to the crowd and patted is alp with his hands. “Yeah, well, anyways, as far as my powers go.. I uhm- I can walk through walls and like.. Hover in the air. I mean, it’s not flying, It’s not all that fast, but I do move around the air pretty fast.” Mike then explained, and everyone listened as if they were oh so very interested “Wow, pretty sneaky power, and how many times have you used those powers of your to sneak out of the house?" George asked him, bringing a finger to his chin. Mike thought hard about that one and looked back to him “Uhm… only once actually, I never need to use my powers to sneak out, usually I just go through the front door and nobody seems to care.” Mike said with a snicker.

George laughed at his comment and shook his head as he over looked the crowd, once he calmed down he pointed at Mike as if he was disappointed “You still haven’t answered my last one, when was the last time you got laid, or are you one of those Edward Cullen, won’t have marriage till your marries, blah blah blah!” George asked him, throwing a Twilight insult out there in conversation witch always tickled Mike’s funny bone a bit. “Well, I’m no Edward Cullen, I don’t sparkle or anything like that, but I’m kind a straightedge kid… I don’t do drugs or anything like that! Only got drunk once and I never got laid.” Mike said with a rather disappointed face, he himself had almost forgot about the time a while back when he pretty drunk with another special friend of his named Adam Angsten who was getting marries and everything. It was all so long ago, and he couldn’t help but wonder where Adam is now.

George sighed and looked out to the crowd, shaking his head in disappointment “Well, that just won’t due! You seem like a pretty fine young guy, tell me ladies and gentlemen, not sure which one you like mister lane, but how many of you would get in bed with young special man!? Can I get some hands up!” George said, raising his own hand, either to get other people to do it too, or maybe he wanted too, but probably just as a joke. At least he hoped so. All of a sudden Mike was looking out to see all these hands go up, mostly from younger women, and even a few guys put there hands up as well. Mike covered his face and laughed, “See, see, you should be getting laid every hour on the hour with all these hands in this very room, what’s stopping you!?” Lopez asked him, he was basically on the edge of his seat. Mike shrugged “I don’t even know, I guess I’m just waiting for the right someone to come along?” He said making that confused position by shrugging his shoulders up along with his hands that were facing upward.

“Wow, hold it!” George said waving his hands “Are you telling me a fine fellow like yourself is single!?” He said obviously shocked, his mouth even hanging open slightly. Mike sighed, this was a topic he was clearly hoping to avoid. He shook his head “Yeah, I have been, not for that long, you know how relationships can be.” He said shaking his head quickly, most relationships didn’t work out, even when you really think they will. Ricky and him seemed so perfect for each other, but ever since he was kissed by somebody else, Ricky had lost it and stopped talking to him all together, Mike took that as them being broken up.

George tisked to himself, and Mike could swear he heard some booing from the audience which for some reason Mike snickered at. George took a deep breath and looked back over to him “So Mike, what is the most intense thing that has ever happened to you as a special?” He asked, in a kind of serious tone for once. Mike took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair he seriously gave this question a lot of thought, just like it deserved. “I would have to say… getting a sickness for like three months that almost killed me and made it so I couldn’t use my powers.” He said simply. George’s mouth dropped slightly and then he turned with the same expression and went from the crowd and back to Mike “How the hell did you manage getting yourself into that!?” He asked, astonished. Mike shook his head slowly “I’m not even sure, I guess I just caught it or something? It all happened so fast, first with the blackouts and then bloody noses, ya know? But I was cured, and so weren’t a bunch of other specials that had it, so it’s all good now, I hope.” He said with a slight snicker.

Mike rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what the host could possibly ask him next, and then his mouth opened again “So tell us, Mister Lane, what is it you do for a living now?” He asked, surprisingly it wasn’t another embarrassing one. “Well, George, I am a student at Tottenville High in Staten Island, and I’m also working part time most of the summer at the Manhattan Aquarium, which is like my dream job come to life.” he explained with a proud and excited smile. “Manhattan Aquarium, wasn’t that damaged during April fourth?” Lopez then asked, and a sigh escaped his mouth and he nodded slowly. “Yeah, it was a horrible mess, and I should know, I was already working by that time.” Mike said, nibbling on his bottom lip slightly and George seemed to become even more intrigued.

April fourth was probably the hugest topic ever since September eleventh when the terrorists tried to kill people, which they did kill a lot of. But at least America didn’t go into some kind of war. “Wow, you were working their, how the hell did you get out of their alive!? Oh wait, you can walk through walls, you must have been running like OH MY GOD RUN, right?” George asked, trying to be funny by imitating what he thought mike was doing during the insistent at April fourth, Mike shook his head, “No, actually I was technically dying when I got out of there, the tanks all shattered and I got all cut up and one sharp got my throat and everything, it all happened so fast… I just didn’t have time to react and phase through it.” Mike explained, and everything suddenly become much more quiet, Lopez had a surprised look on his face like he was dumbfounded.

He simply shook his head, and Mike tried not to smirk at George’s shock, “What the…” that’s all Lopez had to say, he rubbed his eyes with his hands and shook his head “How the hell are you here now!?” He asked, he was really itching to know, and Mike took in a deep breath “Actually, my… ex was at the hospital already and saw me brought in and I had died after getting there, but he was the one who brought me back and healed me completely.” Mike explained, smiling a bit. Lopex blinked “And you broke up because…?” he then said and Mike took a deep breath “It’s complicated I guess.” he said, biting his bottom lip. “Well, I don’t want to pry, but I’m guessing it was pretty bad.” he said. Mike smirked for some strange reason “You have no idea.” and tat was the truth, nobody really had much of an idea. Mike was in love with Ricky, but ever since Trent kissed Mike and when he told Ricky about it he freaked out and that was it. No second chances, no nothing.

George pointed a finger up in the air and then directed it toward Mike as he sat their comfortably on the couch “Is there anyone else in your family that is like you? Or are you like one of those mud blood like people on Harry Potter of some messed up shit like that?” Lopez asked him chuckling to himself. Mike sighed and shook his head “Oh no, I am more like a halfblood actually,” he started, not like half the people in the audience were going to know what that meant. “My father was a special, along with like most of my cousins from that side of the family, but in fact my uncle on mother’s side is a special and so isn’t his daughter, which another one of my cousins.” Mike explained, it was funny how his uncle and his dad met through the company and that’s the only reason his parents met.

George smiled and shook his head “Wow, that must be a big special family, but hey, it looks like where running out of time for Mike Lane here, but maybe we’ll see him again, right!?” he said, standing up over looking the crowd they cheered again, and Mike got up and shook George Lopez’s hand, but he obviously wanted more affection because he practically pulled Mike in and hugged him, patting him on the back, so naturally he did the same. Mike then let go and waved out to the crowd as they finally went off air, and the crowd quieted down. Mike said he good byes to George Lopez and walked off stage.

[Tyler Shea Michaels]

“Would you back the hell up!” Tyler barked at the makeup team. Tyler thought this was the most ridiculous idea; men having to wear makeup. Tyler’s hands waved in front of his face, trying to get the girls dabbing his face with whatever the hell it was away from him. Tyler’s annoyance level was reaching staggering levels. Tyler wasn’t the kind of guy to parade himself on television as the poster boy for Specials in Law Enforcement. But ever since April 4th, the Bureau had other ideas. Tyler was the only known Special working for either the FBI, the U.S. Marshals or any other kind of Federal Law Enforcement agency. Tyler knew better, however. He knew that there were more than just one Special Federal Agent; but he was the only one that didn’t keep his ability hidden...

....which was his mistake. But Tyler wasn’t about to hide who he was or what he could do. Well, he was hiding the Rogue Society thing, but he was hardly a member at all. Tyler only joined to piss off Director Kingston and Stewart, but from the rumblings that Tyler has heard... neither one of them has been seen in months. So Tyler just generally assumed that his plan might have worked, but he would never know. There was no going back to the Company; that bridge went down in a fury of flames with no hope of ever being rebuilt. Tyler regretted his choice, but out of the ashes came something incredible; the FBI.

Tyler wasn’t exactly the textbook FBI agent. Tyler did things the only way he knew how and the only way he wanted to do things; his way. A day never went by were Tyler wasn’t breaking some kind of rule or policy or something. Even thought Tyler has been suspended twice since becoming a Federal Agent, he was getting a reputation of being one of the top agents. He and his partner Jonah were becoming know for getting things done. Tyler and Jonah have successfully tracked down every single prominent gangbanger they’ve chased, bringing some of the to justice or Tyler just happened to kill them whilst trying to bring to justice. Either which way, they got their shit done, despite Tyler’s two suspensions.

“I can’t believe I agreed to this horseshit," Tyler said, using a white cotton towel to wipe away the makeup that was forcefully put upon his face. The only reason Tyler even said yes to Oprah was because he could FINALLY get back to his job. While spending some quality time with Eden was always an event; Tyler’s itch to get back on the job was overwhelming. When the director approached him with the idea of putting on a show for Oprah, Tyler had initially rejected them. But it didn’t take long for the Director to put down an offer Tyler couldn’t refuse.... fully reinstated after his appearance on the Oprah show. They knew exactly what Tyler wanted and were more than happy to give it to him if they got to parade Tyler about as they wished.

“Why are you so pissy? You get to be on national television... eye candy for all the middle aged housewives that depend on Oprah to tell them how to take a shit,” Jonah said, biting into a apple. Tyler’s annoyed look shot daggers through Jonah, as Tyler took the apple from Jonah’s hand and tossed in onto the ground.

“I’m not being pissy... I’m just scared of those nine thousand penises...” Tyler said mockingly, but somewhat serious at the same time. Tyler and Jonah’s attention was quickly grabbed by a on-scene producer, giving them a run down of exactly what to and what not to say. Jonah listened, but Tyler thought of what Eden would look like if she wore a schoolgirl’s uniform. Tyler felt a slight nudge to his ribs; Jonah knew that Tyler’s mind was off in some other land instead of being present and accounted for. Tyler nudge back, putting a little more force into his. Off in the distance, Tyler heard Oprah babbling on about the April 4th disaster and how those that were born with the abilities helped saved millions of people; all the usual melodramatic shit that she spewed on a constant basis.

“So, when Oprah is ready for you, I’ll give you the signal,” The producer said. He introduced himself, but Tyler didn’t remember what his name was nor did he really even care. The vibe that Tyler was giving off was one that certainly showed he didn’t want to be where he currently was. Tyler would much rather be working on a case instead of doing this dog and pony show; but to get back to working, he had to be on the dog and pony show. So even though Tyler didn’t want to be their, he really had no choice.

The Vegas weather was warm; just the way Tyler likes it. Although many of Oprah’s crew weren’t used to the climate of a desert, being from the Second City and all. Tyler just annoyingly rolled his eyes as he heard the endless complaining, although they really had no choice to really do this in studio. They said it was for the “safety” of others, but when a weapon in the hands of Tyler, you only got hurt if Tyler wanted to see you get hurt. But like before, there is really no need for Tyler to complain; he was going to get what he wanted, so he did as he was told.

At this point, Tyler had turned everything around him out. Even his own partner was being forgotten about. The only thing Tyler could really do about not wanting to be on the Oprah Show was for Tyler to not mentally be there. The only thing playing in Tyler’s head was random Metallica songs as Eden dance along to them in a scantily clad school girl’s outfit.

Jonah gave Tyler a rather hard nudge this time; apparently Tyler had missed his initial cue from the producer. “You go talk to ‘em. I'm just here to look like a badass,” Tyler whispered as he picked up a butterfly knife. The history of the weapon flooded Tyler’s mind, knocking a stripteasing Eden right out of his head. If it was up to Tyler, Eden would still be the only thing on his mind, but Tyler couldn’t stop the memories of the weapon from invading his brain.

It wasn’t very long when Jonah gave Tyler the go ahead. Aside from the own words that Tyler spoke, Tyler really hadn’t the slightest clue as to what was being said. Tyler would promptly kick Jonah directly in his testicles if anything bad was said about Tyler. Tyler first decided to put on a little show for the lonely housewives at home as he spun and twirled the butterfly knife. The look on Tyler face was one of boredom, clearly showing that this was all too easy for him. Once Tyler grew overly bored with all the flash and flair that a butterfly knife brings, Tyler quickly launched it out of his hand as it pierced the right eye of a mannequin that was set up.

Even though Tyler was completely tuning out this entire experience, he was able to catch what Jonah was saying; explaining to Oprah what Tyler’s ability was and how it worked. Tyler’s next demo was with one of his favorites: GoGo Yubari. A stainless steel katana that Tyler picked up in a pawn shop of all places. The sword had one previous owner; someone who had a basic understanding of how to use a katana. The katana was always dangerous, no matter who held it; but in the hands of Tyler, it was more than dangerous. It was almost a weapon of mass destruction.

The skill that Tyler displayed when he held this sword was virtually unmatched. Unless one was either a ninja or named Bruce Lee, fighting Tyler when he held one of his most prized weapons was signing off on your own death warrant. The fact that this sword was once covered in the blood of Edward Killian was a fact that would be kept only in the confines of Tyler’s head. Tyler had killed a man without a solid reason, other than Kiros commanding him to do it. Tyler had officially vowed that the next time this sword was going to be stained with blood would be the blood of Kiros Monroe. But until then, GoGo was only used to slice up the dummy that was placed before.

Tyler sliced the poor mannequin directly in half, starting with the groin and traveling upwards. Tyler’s motion leaned a little towards the left as GoGo cleanly sliced the mannequin like that hot knife that likes to cut butter all the damn time. Tyler’s motions were so fluid and so lighting quick that before the mannequin had time to hit the ground, Tyler had plenty of time to spin himself in a full rotation that cut the mannequins head clean off...

...causing the mannequin head to hit Oprah in her head. Everyone’s mouths quickly dropped, including Tyler’s. Oprah didn’t move, but it was easy to see that she was now fairly agitated.

“At least she’s only got to worry about all the other eight thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine penises,” Tyler mumbled before quickly walking off before any sort of consequence could be placed on him.

[Dakari Johessman]

Cowritten by Chloe Murry and Dakari Johessman. Originally posted here.

[dropcap]It would be an understatement to say that Chloe's heart was exploding with anxiety as she sat backstage in the Ed Sullivan Theater. She was there as a safeguard, a veritable firewall, except without the ferocity that the mental image of fire would usually bring. Dakari Johessman was an outspoken individual and most definitely against the Company and what it stood for. She didn't know all the information, but Chloe knew that Dakari had been on the wrong side of a bag n' tag. She hadn't been the one who had been taken, but the fact of the matter remained.

Unfortunately for Chloe, she could see why some people hated the Company. She had talked with her father about some of the things he had done while working as an agent; a lot of it had been hard to stomach, but she needed to hear it anyways. Her father, despite lying to her and her brother for years about what he did, was a good man... a good man who had done terrible things. She couldn't blame him though. How could she? He was a top agent and had captured plenty of violent and dangerous specials. The world was safer because of him.

Ultimately though, his stories simply painted a picture of an organization that was becoming more rough around the edges by the day. The true goal behind it had been eroding slowly until the Company almost became an unsalvageable mess.

Things changed though. Director Harper was there now. She wanted things to be done differently and that's why Chloe was here now. She wanted to talk to Dakari or at least watch over her so she didn't say something too bad over national television. Perhaps she could still save things before they became far worse than they already were.

Chloe still couldn't stop her heart from pounding. The anxiety of her situation was almost too much to bear, but she knew she had to learn to handle it all. If putting away a bear and talking to David Letterman for a little while would give her the chance to talk to Dakari, then at least it would be worth it.

"You're up in five minutes, Ms. Murry." One of the producers called to Chloe from outside her open waiting room door.

"Oh, uh, thank you..." She breathed in deeply, preparing to get up and push a stupid, fake bear behind a door. Though that wasn't fair to the bear; the gag was a good one. Chloe just couldn't bring herself to laugh at the moment.

And then the time came. Chloe got to her feet and waited in the hallway where she would be putting the bear away.

"And one of our special guests is helping us fight crime in her own special way tonight, even if it is crime of the bear persuasion!" David Letterman's voice rang out over the speakers in the hallway. "It seems that bear's got out again and I think one of our own special superheroes is using her super-strength to get rid of him for good. No? She doesn't have super-strength?"

'No, I can see through walls...' She sighed to herself as the producer motioned for her to begin putting the bear away.

Putting her hands on her hips, Chloe wagged a finger at the bear as it slowly took a few steps towards her. Standing as though dumbfounded, the bear dropped its hands and cocked its head at the girl. She simply pointed at the door and watched as the bear put itself away.

"Oh, it seems like she has the ability of stern finger wagging!" Letterman could be heard saying over the laughs of the crowd.

"And... we're clear." The producer grabbed Chloe's arm and took her to sit in a different waiting room. "You'll wait here until the other guest, uh..." The producer looked down at her clipboard. "Dakari comes back from doing the Top Ten. A little after that, we'll be doing the interview, so be ready."

"Yeah, you got it..." Chloe said quietly, breathing in rather deeply while closing her eyes.

Her heart was still pounding beyond belief.

---

Dakari rubbed her hands together and watched the television in the green room. The young attorney was not nervous at all, just annoyed. She had been in the public eye often, thanks to the fame of her parents. She had performed on TV and at live concerts, which made sitting and chatting with a persona such as David Letterman really pale in comparison.

The appearance had not been Dakari's idea. It had been planned for months, but originally, the scheduled guest had been her father, Shawn Johessman. In the aftermath of April Fourth, as an externality of speaking out against Ark Industries for their epic mistake and lack of transparency, Shawn had revealed himself as a special, and expressed his opinions regarding special abilities, which were views that all of the Johessman nine generally held. This willingness to be something of a spokesman for specials in such an uncertain time had probably attracted the Late Show to him, once they had decided to air a program highlighting specials.

Of course, Shawn could no longer go through with the interview, unless he and the Late Show producers arranged for him to appear via satellite from his Las Vegas hospital bed. Everyone had agreed that sending someone to speak in his place would be the better, easier, more cost-efficient option. Fortunately, Shawn still had a wife and seven children to choose a representative from.

There was no way Rayleigh Johessman would leave her husband's side while he was recovering, so the responsibility fell to the children. Dakari would be in Washington, D.C. around the time of the interview for the Ark Industries hearing- an event Shawn had very much wanted to witness- so she had agreed to do the show, which would be filmed in New York. Though Dakari was reluctant to make a public appearance at the moment, she would be more than happy to help her father, and the producers had been excited about having her, after hearing about her particular April Fourth experiences. Besides, she was a huge fan of the Late Show.

She watched as the blonde woman put away the bear by simply wagging her finger. That was a great variation on the old gag, which was one of her favorites. This earned the woman a point in her favor, a point she very much needed.

After learning that Shawn (and now Dakari) would be interviewed alongside someone named Chloe Murry, the Johessmans had dutifully done their research via the War Room. They had not dug up much on her, just a birth certificate, Social Security number, school records including some from a nursing college in Odessa, and other random things. Then, on a hunch, someone had checked the Company database, and found her listed as an agent.

The Johessmans could access pretty much any information, though admittedly, the Company's records were much harder to access lately. They could not find much more on Chloe than her name and position. Dakari simply guessed that, since she was an agent, Chloe's views would be quite different from her own.

No one had yet been able to prove that the Company really had been behind Rayne Campbell's temporary disappearance just ahead of April Fourth, but no one had been able to disprove it either. Still, Dakari would try to be civil. She was a lawyer, and a talented one at that; she never let her opponents get the best of her.

Dakari waited until she was called forth to read the Top Ten list for the night. She was cued just as Dave began to introduce the list.

"As I mentioned earlier, two of our guests tonight are representatives of the 'special' community-"

"Er, Dave, that term isn't really considered politically correct," Paul Schaffer cut in. "I believe they prefer 'mentally incapacitated.'"

Dave rolled his eyes for a moment as he leaned back into his chair. "I'm referring to people with superhuman abilities."

A dry laugh emanated from the audience. "Oh, then pardon me," Schaffer said, returning his attention to his keyboard.

"Right. So, anyway, the category tonight is the "Top Ten Best Superhuman Abilities- the best ten abilities to have. And the list will be presented by one of our guests, Las Vegas attorney and hotel proprietor Dakari Johessman."

The audience applauded, and Dakari stepped out from stage right, giving the cameras a light smile. Her script was visible on a teleprompter not too far away, but she was used enough to using them that she did not stare at it dumbfounded.

"Good evening, Dave," Dakari said pleasantly as she took her place between the band and the desk. It was actually closer to late afternoon, but the show would be aired at night, so whatever.

"Good evening, Ms. Johessman," Dave answered with a smile. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir," Dakari answered, rolling her shoulders back and bestowing her winning smile upon the live studio audience.

"All right. Number ten...."

The band's drummer launched into a drumroll, and Dakari read, "Psychikinesis- the ability to charge ridiculous fees and ask about people's mothers."

The audience laughed heartily, as did Dave. "Sounds like a very useful power! Number nine...."

Dakari continued, "Leaptokinesis- the ability to kick ass at leap-frog."

There was a bit more laughter, and Dave remarked, "That's useful, too. You'd be king of the playground. Number eight...."

At the next one, Dakari deliberately looked confused and mildly annoyed. "Animal Communication- the ability to talk to animals...."

She rolled her eyes, causing more laughter. Dave frowned. "That's not very useful. How'd that one get on there?"

"I don't know, but one of my sisters does have that ability. It's such a waste of genetics," Dakari commented.

"I'd imagine," Dave concurred, while Dakari briefly stuck her tongue out at the cameras. Andrea was so going to kill her for that.

Dave shrugged, still befuddled, and went on, "Number seven...."

"Lettermankinesis- the ability to make really funny self-deprecating jokes." Dakari flashed a bright smile toward the host.

The audience giggled, and Dave blushed a little. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, the staff writes all my jokes. I don't actually find them all that funny, but it seems to work."

He grinned, leading to another outburst of laughter. It was Dakari's turn to shrug nonchalantly. "For what it's worth, I think you're very funny."

Dave acknowledged the compliment with a slight nod. "Well, let's move along. Top Ten abilities to have, number six...."

Dakari read matter-of-factly, "Healing Punch- the ability to heal someone by decking them."

"Wow!" Dave commented over the laughter. "That'd be an interesting one to have. Just haul off and knock someone out. Number five..."

Dakari continued, "Tactilokinesis- the ability to manipulate someone through touch."

"Hmm," Dave mused, a bit suggestively. "I could think of a number of uses for that.... Number four...."

"False Cognition- the ability to know things that aren't actually true."

Dave looked confused again. "Well... if you know everything that's false, maybe that leaves everything that's true? I don't know about that one."

"I think you have a good point there," Dakari offered.

"Maybe. Number three...."

"Memekinesis- the ability to come up with hilarious Internet memes."

Dave looked thoughtful. "Useful power is useful. Number two...."

"Remotokinesis- the ability to change the channel without needing the remote."

The audience burst into uproarious laughter. "Now, that's one I'd want," Dave said. "And the number one superhuman ability...."

Dakari grinned. "Metallokinesis- the ability to keep hotels from falling on your ass."

The audience laughed and applauded as the band launched into the "Superman" theme. Dave got up and shook Dakari's hand. "Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, Dakari Johessman."

Dakari smiled and gave a little wave to the audience before heading offstage. The band finished the brief theme by the time Dave sat back down at his desk. "You know, that's a wonderful young lady," Dave commented.

"Very," Paul agreed from his seat at the keyboards.

"She'll be back out to talk to us shortly," Dave said. "It's just hard to imagine that that lovely young woman could probably do this building some serious damage."

"That's true," Paul concurred. "Very true."

---

"Ladies and gentlemen, our first guest tonight in our special edition of late night is a young woman who, through her incredible abilities and heroic actions, managed to save quite a few people from the catastrophic event that hit the entire world on April the fourth."

Chloe could feel her heart pounding once more as Letterman prepared her entrance. Breathing in deeply, she smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress nervously. She told herself that the sooner it all got started, the sooner it would end. Why couldn't he just stop introducing her and let her walk out already?

"Please welcome Miss Chloe Murry, everyone!" Letterman said finally.

Breathing in once more, she stepped out onto the stage and waved at the crowd before her while the Foo Fighters' song My Hero played in the background. Reaching Letterman's desk, Chloe shook the man's hand and took a tentative seat next to him in the chair set for her. Looking out at the crowd, Chloe gave an inaudible sound of just sheer awe. The fact that someone could handle being in front of these people every day as a job was just incredible to her.

"It seems someone's seeing stars, am I right?" Letterman laughed aloud.

"What's that?" Chloe asked as she came out of her stupor and stared at the host of the show.

"You seem to be a bit overwhelmed, hm?" He asked with a smile. The look on his face was a kind one, though Chloe was unsure if he was just wearing it as part of his job or if he was being genuinely thoughtful towards her.

"Yeah, I'm very overwhelmed." She stated flatly. "I'm sort of out of my element here."

"Well don't worry about it too much, stage fright isn't anything you can't get over. It just takes some work and a strong will and, from what I've heard of you, you are indeed a rather strong-willed young woman, is that right?"

So he wanted to get right into it. Fair enough.

"I'm not sure if you'd call me extremely strong-willed, but... well, you know, there comes times in our lives when we're tested and you either are up to it or... you're not." The sound of her voice rang a bit hollow, but still with a sense of truth to it. She believed what she was saying, she just didn't have the strength to truly make her words heard by all.

"And you mean to say that you were prepared for what you faced on April the fourth?"

"Well, prepared may not be... it doesn't seem the right word for what I'm saying. No one was prepared for what happened that day except perhaps, I dunno... Ark Industries themselves. Like everyone else in the world, I simply had to persevere, try to stay alive." She was getting into the flow of things, allowing the words to overcome her usual timidness, though it helped that Letterman was asking all of the questions.

"Now, if you don't mind me asking, do you think you could go into detail about what happened to you the day of the catastrophe?" He was quick to get into the meat of the topic; the stories of Letterman's ability to interview someone were spot on. He was indeed good at his job.

"No, not at all... everyone's got a story about that day after all." She thought for a moment before starting her story. "Well, it was a normal day for everyone in the beginning. I was actually going into work when it happened. I had two big cups of coffee and, next thing I know... well, it was weird. The building I was in seemed to crack and, while it's still standing now, bits and pieces of it came flying out of nowhere. Next thing I know, I was on the ground-"

"You were hit on the head?" Letterman asked suddenly, a look of concern on his face.

"Oh yeah. I had blacked out for a good five or six minutes. You can see the scar right here..." She felt the left side of her forehead for the small lump where her scar was and lifted her hair off of it. The scar was small, so looking at it didn't reveal how dangerous the wound had been at the time.

"So that was the first hit you took, correct?"

"Yeah, I had blacked out almost immediately as the event started and, thankfully, I didn't witness anyone going crazy with their abilities." Though her mouth was dry, Chloe still swallowed what little saliva she had in her mouth quickly. She had seemed to get over the nervousness and anxiety she had been feeling and was now doing much better.

"So... what happened next?" The man asked eagerly. Letterman seemed to be enthralled with her story as did the crowd as well.

"Well, I first went and looked for my partner, the man I worked with at my job. I couldn't find him in the building and, even though I didn't know I was wrong at the time, I felt like the building might collapse at any moment. I was lucky I knew he wasn't in the building though."

"Now, this is something that I've wanted to ask you since we first talked backstage and I read about you in the paper. How is it that you knew he wasn't there? It was your ability, wasn't it?"

"Yes that's right." Chloe nodded her head agreeably. Letterman had done his homework.

"Now, what is your ability exactly?"

"I can see through stuff, kinda like, uh, Superman's X-Ray Vision."

"Oh my, well that seems pretty handy, especially on a day like April fourth."

"Yep, it sure was."

"Now, with your ability, how exactly does it work. Do you just turn it on and see through things that you look at or can you... I suppose zoom in on something?"

"No, I can't zoom in on anything, but I do have to turn it on." She smiled thankfully. She didn't want her entire interview to be filled with doom and gloom.

"Now, are you able to see through people's clothes?" Paul Schafer asked with a laugh as he gave a funny musical sting to the conversation.

"Yes, actually I can." Chloe shook her head with a sense of embarrassment as she put a hand over her face.

Paul made a quick sort of comical movement and seemed to cover himself so that Chloe couldn't see through his clothes.

"Oh don't worry!" She laughed. "I wouldn't look through your clothes!" She attempted to assure him, though Paul simply slumped over his keyboard.

"What does that mean, you don't think you'd want to take a peek?" Paul laughed as he played a funny bit on the piano.

"Ho ho, stop it Paul or you'll make the girl blush!" Letterman laughed as Chloe's face turned beet red and she too slumped forward in her chair and stared at the ground, laughing.

She shook her head and brushed her hair back behind her. It was just like the two men to try and get a rise out of their guest.

"So..." Letterman said after a moment. "You can see through clothes and walls."

"Yes, that's correct." Chloe said with a slight smile as the interview shifted back to her story.

"What else can you do? Can you fly or shoot lasers out of your eyes?"

"Oh, as far as I know, no one can have multiple abilities. It's a genetic thing as far as I know. I do have some other skills though."

"Yes, I heard you have some skill in medicine?"

"I do, I was living in Texas, working as an intern at a hospital in Odessa before I came up to work in New York."

"You mostly worked in the emergency room, correct?"

"Oh, you did your homework!" Chloe laughed. "Yes, I worked in the emergency room. Being in that sort of environment, you really learn to handle certain situations. While I wasn't exactly looking forward to stitching people up as the whole world was on fire, I still was more capable than your average person, though... I'm not anything special really, I just did what anyone would do in my situation."

"It was a rough day for everyone." Letterman nodded to himself.

"Yeah, sure was..." Chloe agreed.

"Why don't we take a break and we'll be back with our next guest." Letterman said quickly. "Don't go away, Miss Dakari Johessman will be joining us after the break."

---

Back in the green room, Dakari watched the interview unfold. Chloe's story was interesting, especially when Dakari considered it in the context of her unnamed position as a Company agent. Too bad this did not appear to be a spontaneous coming-out for the Company. Dakari had not decided whether she would mention them yet, but she would not out Chloe as an agent for the antagonized organization unless she suddenly decided that it would be in her favor to do so; she had nothing against Chloe personally aside from her general dislike for mankind, unless of course it turned out that Chloe had been the one to kidnap and detain her Aunt Rayne. If that were the case... given what had happened to the other recent enemies of her family, Dakari could hardly imagine what would happen if that were the case.

She was called to the stage once the commercial break was announced, and waited in the wings until filming began again and Dave introduced her.

"Welcome back, if you're just joining us, tonight's show is a 'special' edition featuring two women with extraordinary abilities. Joining the lovely Miss Murry now, please welcome back Miss Dakari Johessman."

Dakari walked out and took her seat, smiling at Chloe and Dave and the audience as she did. She greeted Letterman with a confident air which contrasted sharply with the nerves Chloe had shown upon first arriving onstage.

"Looks like you're a bit more used to the spotlight," Letterman remarked as the applause died down. "You're from a fairly famous family, am I right?"

"That's right," Dakari answered, all charm and politeness. "My parents, Shawn and Rayleigh, are pretty well-known in the music industry. They used to perform, and now they own one of the largest entertainment conglomerates in the country."

"Acacia Heights Records, which is doing pretty well right now," Letterman supplied, and Dakari nodded in confirmation. "But I heard that Shawn is in the hospital right now."

"He is." Her expression darkened for a moment. "But he's recovering, thankfully."

"That's good to hear. Please pass along my best wishes."

"Will do." Dakari sighed a bit.

Letterman gently changed the subject. "So, tell us about your April Fourth experiences."

Dakari nodded. "I was in Las Vegas at the time, and was just getting ready for work. I'm a lawyer and I also manage my parents' hotel, the Angelis. I hadn't gotten too far into my work when the whole building started shaking. I ran outside and saw absolute pandemonium. There must have been hundreds of people in the street with every ability imaginable. Force fields, fire, ice, you name it. There was shooting and screaming, and a block away, you could see all the buildings on the Strip crumbling to the ground."

"Sounds terrifying." Letterman looked appalled.

"It was. But my main concern was keeping my hotel, and the people in it, safe, so I used my ability to hold the hotel steady for the next four or so minutes."

"That's incredible! How does your ability work?"

"I can control metal- shape it, change it, move it, keep it from moving. Which, you know, really came in handy when I needed to stop a skyscraper from falling over."

Letterman nodded, and the audience chuckled a bit. "I find it amazing that you can control a whole building like that. It's what, fifty stories?"

Dakari shrugged a bit. "Fifty-two. And my power does have limits, like having to be within a certain range of the metal. I wish I could say I was all-powerful, but, alas."

This earned a few more laughs, as most of the audience missed that Dakari was dead serious. "Interesting. Would you mind demonstrating a bit?"

"Not at all." There was a teaspoon in Dave's blue mug; Dakari levitated it out of the cup and twirled it a bit, eliciting a few "oohs" from the audience. After she'd had enough showing off, she placed the spoon back in the mug.

"That's something," Letterman said appreciatively. "And your entire family has abilities?"

"Almost," Dakari answered. "One of my sisters hasn't manifested. But most of the abilities in our family are communication-based. Like the animal-talking."

"Ah, that's right!" The audience laughed a bit.

"You know, Dave," Paul said from the keyboards, "she could probably cheat at 'Will if Float?'"

"She could!" Letterman exclaimed, and the audience laughed again.

Dakari smiled sweetly. "But what would be the fun in that?"

"Riiight." Letterman looked at Dakari with mock suspicion for a moment to create a few more laughs before moving on. "So, what's it like to have abilities? How do you feel about them?"

Dakari shrugged. "It's a pain to manifest them, which I guess everyone knows now. And getting used to them, getting a real grasp on them, takes time and effort. And there's always the fear that someone will judge you or something if they find you out. But, in all, I like it. I consider them a gift."

"Sounds worthwhile." Letterman nodded and turned to Chloe. "How about you, Miss Murry? What are your thoughts on them?"

---

"My thoughts on abilities?" Chloe asked, turning to Letterman with a surprised look on her face. She hadn't expected to be asked anymore questions again once Dakari had come out on stage. "Well..." She started slowly. "I suppose I think they're all well and good." She thought for a moment, wondering if actually speaking her own view would be a good thing. "I mean, they did help me on April fourth, but... I can't say that abilities are something that should really be focused heavily on." She simply shrugged.

"Now, what exactly do you mean when you say they shouldn't be focused heavily on? People have superpowers! Think of how significant comic books are in our world and then think about what this means. This is a pretty big deal, wouldn't you agree?" Letterman was thorough and tenacious. Good for him... not good for Chloe.

"I would agree, this is an unprecedented, uh... event, but ultimately this isn't a huge change. People have lived with abilities for hundreds if not thousands of years. The only thing that has changed is that people now know about abilities." She gave the older man a sort of look that said, 'this really isn't that big of a deal', but he clearly wasn't going to let up.

"Most people would say that this is definitely a big change. As you said, it's unprecedented. Why is this not a big deal, in your opinion?"

"Well, nothing changed. The initial shock of knowing that people with abilities exist is going to pass eventually, one would hope. Whether it takes months, years, decades or whatever the case may be, having an ability will eventually be not that big of a problem. It simply isn't a problem."

"So you're saying that people simply have inflated views on what abilities are, is that right?"

"Well... kinda." She shrugged once more. People did seem to think far too highly of abilities. After all, just because someone had an ability, it didn't mean that they were automatically a superhero like Spider-Man or Superman. "Abilities have been around for far longer than we know and the world has survived without knowing about them. Simply knowing they exist won't change much, I don't believe."

"Sure, you could say that. It's certainly a nice thought. I do believe that things are definitely different than they were before April though."

"Okay, they're different, I'll give you that, but that's just the initial shock, like I said."

"Indeed, indeed." Letterman said to himself.

---

As Letterman and Chloe went back and forth on the subject of abilities and their importance, Dakari sighed to herself. At least it was not the doomsday talk she had been expecting from a Company agent. Maybe this particular agent could actually think for herself on occasion. If so, that would be a shame. She would not last among the ranks of the robots much longer.

The moment she sensed a lull in the conversation, Dakari jumped in with her opinion. The viewers deserved to hear the real story, after all. Besides, if she could send at least one new person away from the theater or from their TVs or computers with this tiniest of ideas implanted in their minds, her purpose for appearing on the show would be fulfilled. Her father would be proud.

"I have to disagree there," she said with a mostly fake smile toward Chloe. "I think Miss Murry is being modest. Abilities are worth talking about, just as much as good music or art would be. Everyone has some form of ability, after all, whether it's genetically influenced or a learned talent. Some people manipulate sounds to compose brilliant symphonies; some use their minds to invent clever machines. Miss Murry is able to see through materials, and I have an affinity for working with metal. They aren't as different as you might think."

"That's true," Letterman mused before making another joke, "but, in that case, what would my ability be?"

Dakari chuckled. "You'd be an empath, Dave, with the added ability to make people laugh."

"Aww. That's very kind of you to say."

"It's true." Dakari smiled. "Also, while we're on the subject, we should keep in mind that while abilities may have existed for thousands of years, the majority of mankind has only been aware of them for the past few months. Even many of use who are specials were not aware of them until we manifested. So it's reasonable to expect that people are surprised right now. I've had to show off what I can do far more than once, and I've even mentored a few new manifests. People are curious about us, which is completely natural."

She relaxed into the cushy chair, feeling entirely at home. It was almost like arguing a case, except with better accommodations, and with a better payoff.

"So, you believe that the excitement over specials is justified, while Miss Murry thinks it's a bit of an overreaction. Is it safe to say that all specials are divided on this issue?"

"Everyone has their own opinions, so in that sense, we are divided." Dakari nodded.

"That's true," Letterman said. "And do you think the madness will last?"

Dakari was sure that it would not. Or, if it did, the furor over specials would develop into just that: anger. It was human nature. No one was tolerant for long, especially when that tolerance required accepting that a group of people was inherently better than one's own. As her father had said more than once, the honeymoon would soon be over.

She kept those negative thoughts to herself for the moment. "No, I think everyone will get used to the idea soon, once the hearing and everything is over. Miss Murry and I are somewhat in agreement there." She glanced over at Chloe again as if acknowledging a point well made.

---

Chloe returned the nod to Dakari. Despite their differences, it was clear that the two women could at least agree on one thing. That was good to know. People with abilities, "specials" as they were becoming known as, weren't any different from your average person. Everyone was able to do something fantastic after all, whether that be seeing through walls or writing a beautiful symphony. They were both gifts after all.

"That's my main point really." Chloe said. "I agree with Miss Johessman that abilities are something that can definitely and, most likely, will be talked about now until... well, for a long time. At the same time though, I don't feel that having an ability should be viewed as something that is wrong or bad or even different. People can't help being born who they are, so it's best that we all continue to keep open minds when it comes to the special community."

"Now..." Letterman was leaning back in his chair now. It was clear he was enjoying the conversation. "I've heard about some dangerous people with abilities. People who can make you pass out just by thinking it or people who can throw fire from the palms of their hands."

"Yes, people with abilities like those do indeed exist." There was no use in denying it, after all.

"Well, my question is... how do you expect people to react to specials like that? What happens if one of those people loses control of their ability? You can't simply say, 'Don't worry about it, just ignore the problem'."

"Absolutely, I agree with you there, we can't just ignore the problem. At the same time though, I feel you may have taken my words out of context. My wish isn't for people to ignore that specials exist."

"What is it that you wish for then?" Letterman asked.

"I want people to simply keep an open mind and not demonize specials before we're even given a chance. We shouldn't rush anything nor should we make up our minds so quickly. Specials can definitely be dangerous, but so can someone with a gun or someone speeding down the highway."

"Sure, but that's why we have strict gun control laws and speed limits along with the police to uphold those laws. We don't have something making sure that specials are kept from being dangerous, no sort of 'special' police force."

Going somewhat silent along with a delicate shade of white, Chloe almost froze when Letterman mentioned a 'special police force'. Someone to police specials and contain dangerous people before they became a real threat. Something like that did exist... Chloe was an agent for it.

"While we don't currently have some sort policing force for dangerous specials, it seems only logical to me that the government will implement... I dunno, something to cover that problem. Someone somewhere will definitely do something to help. It would be the right thing to do after all. Not doing something would be criminal."

"How do you mean?"

"It should be obvious. We can't let innocent people suffer... that would just be inhuman." Chloe sighed, her shoulders slumping. She stole a quick glance at Dakari before training her eyes back down towards the ground. She hadn't been the one to kidnap the woman named Rayne, but it was clear that Dakari wouldn't make any sort of distinction between Chloe and some other agent. She was a representative of the Company after all and if Dakari knew about Chloe, then the direction the interview was going was most certainly going to be bad for her...

---

The interview went on, and Dakari smiled again when Chloe more or less agreed with her on her earlier points. Dakari's logic was undeniable, after all. She nodded as Chloe added her piece, about how specials could not help who they were. It was true enough, and the woman articulated her thoughts well.

Then, quite expectedly, the topic changed to the more dangerous sorts of specials. Dakari sat back and listened as Letterman and Chloe went back and forth, intrigued by the points that were being made, especially in the context of Letterman being, to all appearances, unfamiliar with the subject, and Chloe being somewhat knowledgeable in it, given her occupation. The young attorney managed to observe quietly as Chloe handled the line of questioning- until Letterman mentioned the concept of a "'special' police force."

Dakari's lips twitched perceptibly. Chloe had stopped for a moment, apparently a bit thrown by the comment, though Dakari figured the pause and the slight flush in her face would go unnoticed by a large portion of the show's viewers, since Dakari had seen it mainly because she had been waiting for it. The irony was just too perfect. She almost felt sorry for the woman, but then she thought about her aunt for a moment and the fury her parents had felt over her brief disappearance, and went right back into battle mode.

As Chloe went on to talk around the issue- something that Dakari, as a lawyer, could, admittedly, appreciate- Dakari smiled, a bit of a Cheshire grin, considering her options. She would not out the Company just yet- that would be far too easy. She would play with the issue for a while, with the express intent of making Chloe and every other Company agent who would later view the show shudder in anticipation and fear. They could consider the favor just a small part of the price they would find themselves paying for what they had done.

Dakari did not know whether Chloe knew about Rayne, or whether the woman had been involved in the kidnapping at all, or if Chloe even had any idea who Dakari was. Whatever the case, Dakari would have fun messing with some minds for the next few minutes.

"Almost as long as mankind has existed, there has been a force to police it." Dakari leaned forward a bit, getting comfortable in the seat, with her elbows propped on her legs. "The development of surveillance and patrol groups is practically a human reflex. Kings and armies were formed to manage their rulers' people, and as civilization became more sophisticated, so did its watchdogs, which is where we got our FBIs and CIAs. Take a look through history and see if I'm wrong.

"Wouldn't you think, then," she continued, sounding and feeling as if she were arguing before a judge, "that, since we've already established that specials have existed for a very long time, a police force for them has existed for just as long? It's only natural to want to control others, as we've seen."

Letterman somehow managed to look both confused and intrigued. "Are you suggesting that there is some sort of secret force, some Illuminati-like group, that has existed since before the world even knew about specials?"

"I'm not suggesting that. Not exactly." Dakari leaned back again, with an oddly feline sort of laziness. "I'm just stating what the natural order of things is. As Miss Murry said, allowing others to suffer is inhuman, and we have a natural inclination to prevent that." She gave Chloe a sweet smile before returning her attention to Letterman.

"There has to be someone to watch out for specials. We wouldn't want specials to be abused, right? Taken against their will and studied for science? That would be a nightmare for everyone involved." Her tone was simple and inquiring, but she was making a very pointed statement that anyone familiar with the Company would catch on to.

"That's true. I'd even venture to state that that's exactly what we are trying to avoid," Letterman said with a nod.

"Exactly.[/i] What we need is understanding, not force. I think of abilities as being sort of like any other weapon, such as a gun. We can't persecute someone for owning a gun, and what that person chooses to do with the gun is their business. Once they break the law, then and only then is it time for policing." [/color]She sat up and clasped her hands together. "And that's exactly where I stand on the issue. How about you, Miss Murry?" She gave Chloe another smile, almost dripping with falseness and perhaps, to the savvy observer, a touch of contempt.

---

"Well..." Chloe said as she made a strange 'gulping' sound in her dry throat. Dakari had pretty much described the Company to a tee. How she was going to salvage the mess she had created was beyond her, but she knew she would have to do it soon and quickly. "I agree... people shouldn't be, uh... persecuted. They... they shouldn't be hurt or, or anything like... like that." Her nervousness was getting to her now. 'Get your shit together, Chloe! This is no time to panic!' She had to calm down and get on with the interview.

"The sad thing is..." Chloe spoke a little more calmly than before, deciding to take the conversation somewhere different. "Everyone knows that good and bad people exist. There are some people who are just bad and prone to behavior... just like how they are." She nodded solemnly. "People like that also have abilities and, I assume, have been using their abilities for bad things. Those people are flying under the radar, really. We hear so much about the 'good' specials that people don't even stop to think about the bad ones."

"True, but you said we should give specials a chance before demonizing them." Letterman said. "If you tell people to keep a lookout for 'bad' specials, people will jump to conclusions when they meet someone with an ability and automatically assume they're bad."

"Not true, actually." Chloe told Letterman. "If we act properly and get to know people before judging them," Chloe turned to look at Dakari. "We'd find out just what it is they can do and what they might have done in the past." Turning back to Letterman, Chloe forced a smile. "I don't know how things were in the past, but I do know that things have become much, much different." She nodded at Dakari once more. "I'd suggest that with the reveal of specials, people are going to take a little more care with their fellow man than they have in the past. That's my solemn hope at least."

---

The poor woman had been caught completely off guard by Dakari's comments. Dakari had to fight back laughter as she flailed. She reminded herself that, at the moment, she had nothing against Chloe herself, just the organization she represented. Their reign of terror would soon come to an end; and, if Dakari did not play a direct role in bringing about that end, she would at least be there to laugh in their faces as they lay dying.

At that point, she made a conscious decision not to reveal the Company's existence. There were too many innocent people who would be implicated in such a rash move; but, more importantly, a reveal would probably have an adverse effect on the plans she and others had begun to craft. Besides, destroying a secret organization would be much easier, and less potentially damaging, than dissolving a public one.

She nodded as Chloe very obviously changed the subject. It was time to move on, anyway. Dakari had not agreed to this interview to talk up the Company. She had agreed to this interview so she could talk up herself, and make a few nice comments about the future of specials.

There was a bit of banter about good and bad people, which Dakari refrained from getting involved in. That would have led to her usual never-ending spiel about how attaching simple labels to people was a serious mistake. It would have been a valid point, but not the sort Dakari particularly wanted to be known for making.

Chloe looked at Dakari for a moment as she spoke about the past and specials. She took it as a hint. Perhaps the woman felt as though she had been personally attacked. If so, that was a shame, and the Company had gotten a much tighter grip on her than even Dakari had thought.

"I agree, but from a more practical standpoint," Dakari offered, looking at Letterman and smiling. "I mean, when you know the guy sitting behind you could possibly set you on fire, you'll probably think twice about reclining too far."

Letterman chuckled, and the audience laughed, mostly because Dakari had made the comment lightly, but she was aware that she had most likely struck a nerve with them. Which was exactly what she had wanted.

"And yes, things will be different," she added with a brief courtesy glance at Chloe. "Whether that's a positive or negative change will be up to all of us and how we choose to perceive each other."

---

"Exactly." Chloe shook her head simply. "We need to make the conscious decision to treat one another positively."

Chloe was drained; she was drained and she was tired and just plain exhausted. The day had started only a few hours ago and filming was just about over, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do after she got out of the studio. She'd go to Roland's loft, talk to him if he was there and then pass out on his couch. It would barely be after twelve in the afternoon, but there was little else Chloe felt like doing today. She had stopped Dakari from speaking out too obviously, but still... she could have done a better job; Dakari had the power the entire time and she could have crushed them easily, but she didn't. Whatever her reasons were, Chloe was grateful.

"I think that's a very fair thing to say." Letterman smiled once again at his two guests. "And it looks like we're out of time." He said suddenly after seeing one of the cameramen give him a signal that told him to wrap things up. "I wanna thank our two guests, Chloe Murry and Dakari Johessman. Thank you for being on the show." He smiled once again.

And as Letterman continued to list off the guests that would be on the show in the coming days, Chloe sank in her chair and closed her eyes. Soon, she was able to get out of her seat and finally leave. She was dumb to think she was the best person for the job, but then again, most other people in the Company would probably haven't even gone. They probably would have been content to let Dakari say whatever she was going to say and be done with it. Chloe hadn't wanted to do it, but she knew someone had to... there was no need to dwell on it now though.

"I'm never doing television again." She said with a sigh as she finally left the studio. Roland's couch seemed very welcoming now.[/dropcap]

[Fin]