A TV glowed faintly in the night, showing a woman in a studio. Her name was Alyx Turner, and she had a show that aired every weeknight, titled Present Events with Alyx Turner, where she discussed recent news and social media fads.
Today there was text along the bottom of the screen saying "Achilles attacks! What does this mean for superheroism?"
Alyx herself was onscreen, laughing. Video from Achilles' recent upset played behind her.
"I mean, this is ridiculous! The guy wants us to see him as the new guardian of Arx or whatever, and he pulls a stunt like this! I don't care if he blames it on this Phantasma or whatever, this is seriously messed up. The only way I can see this not being totally screwed up and awful is as follows:
"Achilles hires this Phantasma woman and Mr. Popcorn Bag over there, and everyone coming out of that movie theater, and gets the military to help him out with his little play or whatever. That would make this a publicity stunt and nothing more. But, like, if he had those resources he could just make a movie starring himself.
"And yet, crazy as this sounds, this seems like it could be the case. If you look at this footage, the rayguns used by the military aren't even scratching him. It looks like they're using practice models, like the ones you use for laser tag. They certainly look real, but they're just a light show.
"So, I really hope this is a publicity stunt where everyone was involved and happy. If not, this guy has a lot of explaining to do. I mean, holding a kid hostage is pretty low. Look at him! Look at the little guy, with his face all upset like that. What kind of jerk would do something like that?
"The military says they don't have any leads on this Phantasma woman even though they have footage of her. So, that tells me they're either really incompetent or they're all in on it.
"I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories. But considering the fact that the rayguns didn't do anything, I think either everyone in this squad grabbed the wrong one on the way out. Everyone. Everyone grabbed the wrong one. Either that or they're in on it. Which one seems more likely to you?
"I dunno, I'm not here to make a judgement. Or maybe I am. I'm a pretty judgey person. But I won't tell you my conclusion's the right one. Let's see what you guys say.
"Korbin says 'This just proves that Achilles is a maniac who needs to be locked up. The guy's a public menace. I wish the military would do something more about this psychopath.'
"Strong words, Korbin. But I totally get it. If Achilles is a ticking time bomb, we need to disable him before someone gets seriously hurt. People got hurt this time, but at least all injuries were relatively minor. Anyway, another text.
"Sam says 'I can't believe nobody here sees the writing on the wall. Superpowers are real. Achilles is invincible. And Phantasma can mess up people's minds. You haven't shown footage of this, but Jumper (the guy in the bag) leaped up three levels after they were done with first aid. I was there. I saw the whole thing. This is not a conspiracy.'
"Sure thing, Sam. Thanks for the input. What about Shanna?
"Shanna says 'This is terrifying. Achilles was supposed to be our protector. He saved me from an assault a few weeks ago and I've looked up to him ever since. But if someone like Phantasma exists, who can make him do things like this, I might have to be terrified every time I leave the house. Or if this is Achilles' true nature, I can't believe he hid it so well for so long.'
"I feel you Shanna. You viewers might not know this, but I've actually been following Achilles for a while now. What can I say? I'm as much a sucker for his theatrics as anyone else. And I honestly believed that even if he's just a nerd in a costume, he would do some good for the world. Arx might need a guy who just wants to do the right thing. The military bureaucracy can stand in the way of the right thing sometimes. So having someone who isn't bound by that, I thought that could be a good thing.
"But this shattered all my hopes. And I hope they catch all three of them so they can be held accountable - Achilles, Jumper and Phantasma. I really don't - "
The TV went black and the man who'd been watching it put down the remote with a heavy sigh. He dropped his head in his hands.
"How did it end up like this...?" he muttered.
The room he was in was dark, and a half-eaten frozen dinner sat on the coffee table. A few empty beer and soda cans littered the tile floor.
"Right...I gotta get ahold of Jumper." James stood up and heaved a sigh.
This would only be temporary right? He wasn't the bad guy. He'd done nothing wrong.
Besides, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't think about just himself. Yesterday while he was patrolling, he'd been approached by another person with a Miracle. One who said he could fix Jumper's hands. Achilles had to take care of his own, so James had to run down to the public library to borrow a computer and post a message on one of those free forums where you didn't need an account.
It had all been the new guy's idea, probably born of paranoia. There was no way all that would be necessary, but Achilles had agreed to it anyway. The guy wouldn't drop the subject until he did, and Achilles had to keep his promises.
With a heavy sigh he tried to shake off the dread hanging over him and headed out to leave a message.
