18) Meet the Press

For the first time, I was heading out with the team in person rather than in a person. Alright, the former Talon Troopers were never actually people, more like biological robots, but I thought it was a great line.

So, to appear as the same type of person people had gotten used to seeing with the team, I had to put on the black and lyred version of the standard Trooper gear I wore on a corpse in the field.

I think I mentioned once it was the cheapest stuff Dr Talon could find, part of that was also being the most uncomfortable stuff around. Normally the corpse I wore who was wearing the stuff was so numb I didn’t notice.

But since I wanted to keep up the illusion that putting a large hole in Orpheus was only an inconvenience for me, I had to wear the same stuff I normally did.

It smelled pretty bad too, another thing I didn’t notice from inside a corpse.

T-Rex gave me an offended look. “Stop twitching, this is our big debut.”

We were waiting in a lobby area for Core to arrive, there was also a news team from the local channel KORE and a few national ones.

Shimmer of course was up front talking to them while they waited for the big guy. With Manifest and Fable standing side by side with her.

I pointed at them, "Is that deliberate?"

T-Rex raised an eyebrow at me. “Is what?”

I counted off the three of them in front of the camera "Latina, Asian, Black." Then at him and me, standing off by ourselves. “White, and white”

He seemed confused, as he counted them off as well. “Ambitious, Wannabe, Flamboyant.” Then he pointed at himself, “Don’t care.” then at me, “Grumpy.”

After thinking that over, I nodded.

The young redhead shrugged, "We talked about that once when we were younger, but it was not like it was planned. The Circle was mostly formed because Core wanted to project an image of people being welcomed here only based on them having powers, so he never tried to play up what race people were. He also told the few gay people who showed up that it was up to them to make their nature public or not.”

“I think he wanted to make a show of being welcoming, but not pandering. But Shim doesn't think that way. She wants to be inclusive, without pushing anyone out of the way to do so.”

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I turned my head awkwardly to give the young man a long look, "That's pretty insightful for your age."

He didn’t bother to look back at me. “That’s because I know when to shut up and listen.”

Well, message received.

Core came out of the door to his public office wearing a similar western style suit he had been wearing at the lunch I had attended, this time in a darker more somber color.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. I have just now secured permission from the Syrian government to cross their borders by means of Transposition in order to conduct a humanitarian mission. So we do need to get a move on. One question each, then you can catch up with me when we get back.”

He grinned. “You all know I love any opportunity to talk about how amazing I am.”

The local station, which Core owned but was notable about staying hands-off as far as how they ran things, got the cue to speak up first. "Core, why the junior team? Why not bring members of the Circle?"

He stepped over and behind Manifest in order to lay one of his hands on Shimmer's shoulders. "I'm going to let Shimmer answer this one since this is the kind of mission she suggested her team might be best at."

For a moment Shimmer's eyes went wide as her Godfather put her on the spot, but what must have been years of preparation kicked in. "Thank you sir. Core's powers allow him to locate the presence of bodies in the wreckage, but not the difference between anyone who is trapped and unable to move around and someone who didn't survive."

She swept her hand over at me. "Orpheus can make that determination which will allow Core, the rest of my team, and other disaster relief volunteers as well as the professionals focus on recovering those who can be saved first. It’s the sort of thankfully rare occasions that Orpheus’s powers were made for.”

Core gave Shimmer an affectionate smile and nod to me, before waving a hand at one of the national reporters.

The woman raised her microphone and asked. "So Orpheus won't be creating any new supers today?”

One of the other reporters winced as Core held up one hand. "That's one. You got invited up here today to get a chance to report on the international mission we’re off to deal with today. Not to bother a young man who happened to be helping a little girl when she Triggered.”

He made a dismissive gesture at her. “You can go now, and won’t be invited back here for a week. If you pull something like this again it’s a year before anyone from your station will be invited again and gets any of their questions answered, not just you.”

A few people in dark blue suits escorted her out, but with a nod from Core, her camerawoman was allowed to stay and record.

Core looked at his watch, “Sorry folks, but that made us run late, one last question.” He pointed at a taller man who blinked in surprise. “Everyone shouts over you most of the time. So you.”

The tall man hesitated, then asked. “At the risk of getting kicked out, do you think Orpheus will be able to resurrect anyone today?”

Core pursed his lips, then looked over at me. “You want to take that?”

I sighed, I had hoped to be the strong silent type by making the Talon's Troopers' lack of vocal cords work for me. But my work around would get out sooner or later.

I reached up and pressed against the front of my throat. “The chances of jumping into someone who had died recently enough for me to help them are unlikely, but I will try with anyone that it has the slightest chance of working on.”

Core clapped his hands. "That's it for the moment, folks. Manifest?" He looked at the young Asian man who was focusing on a live feed from Syria on his tablet showing people working at massive piles of rubble. After a moment the air in front of him began to swirl and opened up to show the same viewpoint in the hole he had created.

Manifest seemed to slump a little, “I got it open, and it should stay that way for a while, but I can’t hold it open forever.”

Shimmer led the way. “Everyone on me, please wait until I say the area is secure Uncle Core.”

The Rank 5 nodded indulgently as we passed him by, with a swarm of tiny drones following us through before scattering.

After Shimmer took a quick look around, and we received a notice from Swarm, the AI running the drone fleet that it hadn't detected any abnormalities, Core stepped through followed up by his four person security detail, and another swarm of people pushing cartloads of medical supplies, bottled water, and emergency shelters.

Meanwhile… There were so many dead.

All around me laid out on tarps with sheets pulled over their heads. And beyond them, hundreds more underneath piles of wreckage.

Core laid a hand on my shoulder. "I know. I can feel them too, if not as much, or the same way as you. But we can make sure no one else joins them. Today we save lives, that's what heroes do."