CHAPTER 31: The Interview
“Who was that young man?” the reporter demanded of Officer Cooper and Detective Baker.
After Adam had walked away the cleanup had begun. The reporter wasted no time as the only one on scene and with camera footage. Policemen were radioing other units that had blocked off the street, directing emergency vehicles to manage the civilians and previously wounded police, while trying to get a large tow truck to help move the damaged vehicles.
The street would be shut down for quite a while, and only now were the firemen able to work on suppressing the buildings that were on fire. Technically there were no injured, because Abbey had already taken care of everyone, but magical healing was still unknown and there were a lot of people to get to the hospital.
Officer Cooper took one look at the camera, then patted Det. Baker on the shoulder. “You brought him. This is all you,” he said as he walked off to give orders to others.
Everyone who had witnessed what happened pretended the teenage group was not still there while being overly conscious of wherever they walked. Not to be deterred, they happily looted the elves before delivering their bodies to the police who would autopsy them. They gathered and cleaned their gear, and casually chatted about how the fight had gone.
Ed had retrieved his cameras and was directing his drones to take different angle shots of the scene and record conversations from a distance that various people were having. Post battle footage for their website. He made sure that he got shots of his group’s efforts in cleaning up, as the strength users were, to everyone’s astonishment, physically carrying or pushing damaged cars and trucks out of the way so more emergency vehicles could get in. The scouts were assisting the police in searching through the shops and pointing out buildings where people were still hiding or trapped.
A group of people had practically laughed when small Brittney had walked up to Lucas’s pickup and rubbed her hands together. Their jaws dropped as she lifted the front of it off the ground and pushed it like a shopping cart to the side. Once finished she smiled proudly at the onlookers and then flexed a bicep for affect.
Everyone pretended not to see Randall and Joseph salvaging through damaged shops, especially the sporting and hobby stores, to find more equipment or tools for their group. Even the newly arrived police were waved off by police who had been around, pointedly ignoring the looting.
“He is the leader of a group who specialize in situations like this,” said Det. Baker, trying not to reveal anything. Then he was interrupted as an arm was placed over his shoulders. He turned to see Tom, smiling like a fox in a henhouse.
“Oh, the boss?” Tom acted as if he had to think for a moment, very relaxed and casual. Then he said with much aplomb, “he is called The General.”
“No, he isn’t,” said Brandon, not acknowledging the camera as he walked behind them carrying bags.
“He's the best of the best. No one is above The General. He leads the Sentinel Army, here to protect the planet from the invaders that came with the [System]. We’ve already fought off one group of invaders and we're now working on the second,” Tom crowed proudly.
“Sentinel Army? How did you join with this group?” asked the report, happy that someone was engaged with her and playing up to Tom’s bravado. Det. Baker tried to remove Tom’s arm from him and slink away but the boy’s strength was more than he could handle. The police vest and helmet, which Tom was making sure were facing the camera, was going to get Det. Baker in a lot of trouble. It also solidly put his group as lawful, alongside the police.
“Well, that would be quite a story, but it boils down to The General seeing something special in each of us and recruiting us. He has trained us personally and now there is no group better at fighting these invaders than us.” Then Tom pointed to the group of girls walking behind him.
“These lovely ladies are called The General’s Wives,” Tom said without turning from the camera.
“No, we aren’t,” said Alissa as they continued on their way.
Tom ignored that they had spoken. “No matter how amazing they are, just remember, don’t screw with the general’s wives!” Tom pointed at the camera for emphasis, and then laughed as if his joke had been funny.
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“Miss! Miss! How did you become the general’s wife?” The reporter asked to Emily who was trailing the other girls.
Emily stopped and looked at the camera. “Wife? Ew! He’s my brother, and I’m rather pissed at him right now,” she scowled and then stomped away. Over her head now read “Mage [4]”.
Gracie, next to her, tried to get as small as possible and hid behind Emily. “I’m only here by accident. I’m not a part of them,” she muttered and let Emily lead them off.
“Nothing is more important to The General than his family and friends,” Tom resumed, and the camera snapped right back to him. “This whole thing is about protect the people and places that The General loves most. Don’t worry if he is gruff or surly, that guy cares more than anyone and will do his utmost to protect us all.”
“How did you happen to be involved in this particular event?” the reporter asked.
“Through The General’s foresight,” said Tom grandly, gesturing to the scene with the arm that was not holding the detective. “He knew that a new series of invaders was coming, so he approached the police. While at the station he heard the call of elves and approached Detective Baker here, a truly intelligent and thoughtful man in our city’s wonderful police force,” Tom praised as Det. Baker tried to make himself small. “He immediately saw the value in our force and brought us here personally, even equipping us as we had to make do with the police’s riot gear.” Det. Baker mouthed “make do” as his brain had trouble keeping up with Tom’s mouth.
“We saw quite a lot of superhuman feats out of The General and the members of your army. Protecting the people, helping the evacuation, and finally confronting the assailants in the most amazing fight we have ever seen. How have you become able to do all this?” The reporter was getting into this, and her confidence was rising.
“No one has figured out more about the [System] than The General! The rest of us are still trying to catch up. However, we do know that killing invaders gains us a form of energy that allows us to level up. Those level ups enhance our abilities and allow us to learn skills, such as [Heal], [Bolster], and [Sturdy Weapon]. Essentially the more invaders we do away with the stronger we’ll become. Of course, compared to The General we are all still weaklings in the middle of our training.”
“Then how did The General get so strong?” she asked.
“Dedication and training. That guy has spent his whole life preparing for this.”
“For invasions?” she asked confused.
“Well, not for invasions. Who could have predicted otherworldly invasions? No, just the ability to protect his family and the region he loves.”
“You’re making him sound like a prepper now,” Det. Baker whispered to Tom.
“Anyway, it’s safe to say that The General is the strongest human in the world, able to reach strength and speeds that even professional athletes long for. More skilled than any martial arts fighter, and willing to prove it. We should all be thankful that he was born here and is protecting us. I know I am. We all owe quite a debt to The General and that will be shown more and more as he continues to work with the local authorities to stop the invaders from harming his people. The results speak for themselves as no one was harmed after he arrived, and the enemy’s attack was vanquished. Who knows how many would have died had he not come. That man is a miracle!”
“You mentioned the [System], but I didn’t see a tag above him like the rest of you.”
“That’s right. The General has no [System] class. He doesn’t even need one. You saw how easily he handled those elven assassins, come to kill and enslave humans. He fought them himself, but he shared the experience energy gained from them with us, even willing to share it with our dedicated Detective Baker here. The General doesn’t need the experience energy. No class can equal what he has.”
“When will we see The General or your Army next?”
“Well, The General already left to try and track the elves back to their base. His determination to keep us safe knows no bounds. Once we find their base, we’ll form a strategy to take on the rest of the elves and any other threat that shows up. The General’s wrath with be fast and overwhelming.”
“Is there a way for the public to contact you if there are tips?”
“I’m glad you asked,” said Tom as he finally pulled his arm back from Det. Baker and casually pushed him to the side, out of view of the camera. “All tips should still go to the police, since we’re working with them, and they’ll be needed to help manage and protect the civilians.
“However, you can learn more about the Sentinel Army and our accomplishments by going to our website at sentinelarmy.com. There we have videos posted of our fights, regular updates from us about our efforts and achievements, as well as places where you can upload your own videos of invaders to notify the people in your areas or to request help from other human heroes who might be fighting near you. Remember, sentinelarmy.com for updates, support, or amazing videos about what we accomplished. You can also find more information on donating to our cause, either through money or equipment. Remember, this is a fight that we’re all in together, and even if you aren’t combat ready there are ways for you to help. We will count on you, and you can count on us. sentinelarmy.com.” Tom smiled widely and held up a fist in front of his shoulder.
The reporter was staring at Tom in open amazement at his plug. He held his pose for a few more seconds until the cameraman turned off the recording. Then Tom turned and wandered off while muttering, “Damn, got to get Ed to step up with the website.”
Turning to Det. Baker, who was shaking his head, the reporter asked, “Off the record, how much of that was bullshit?”
The detective put his face in his hands. “No comment.” Then walked off.
Looking around, the reporter saw several people she wanted to interview, but a thought occurred to her. “I need to give that kid my card. He is too good an interview. This could very well make my career.”