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STRIKE Director Alexander Anderson sat fuming behind his desk. He had returned to Lost Haven to deal with Angel Price, however, because of the events within the city over the last few days, he had decided to extend his stay. It wasn’t the recent attack on the city’s water supply that had drawn his ire, though it was a factor in his deciding to stay. Instead, it was a recent press conference held by a pair of the city’s superheroes, and the police commissioner no less. 

“After all these years of doing what we had to do to keep things like this under wraps, this local yahoo decides to blow the roof off the house by announcing that there’s an extra terrestrial serial killer in Lost Haven?” Anderson complains. “I mean for Christ’s sake Marcus, this idiot Valdez just gave every nutcase in the country an excuse to do whatever the hell they want.”

“I know Alex, but don’t worry about it. I’m already taking care of it.” Marcus Ryder said calmly. “It’s what I do.”

“I know Marcus, I’m not really worried about it. When it comes down to it, the American people will believe what we want them to believe.” Anderson said matter of factly.

“So, this Commissioner Valdez, do you want me to take her out?” Ryder asked.

“No, no need. Not yet anyhow. That cow is in way over her head, and now that she’s called out this Umbraxis fella, he’ll probably do us a favor and get rid of her for us.” Anderson said with a chuckle. “And if now, I’ll personally see to it that she can’t get a job as a mall cop.”

“And those two heroes, Boom and ‘whatshisface’?” Ryder asked.

“Keep an eye on them. I want to know everything about them. Where they work, what their hobbies are, and whether they prefer Cornflakes or Raisin Bran. Just don’t get too close, I don’t want them causing us any more trouble.” Anderson paused for a moment, taking several long puffs of a cigar. “Now, we just need to get out there and spin this the way we want it to be played.”

“I know exactly what you mean. Don’t worry about it Alex, I’ve got it covered.” Ryder said with a grin.

[center]***[/center]

Marcus Ryder sat on the plush couch on the set of “The Nightly Show with Stuart Walsh,” one of the nation’s most popular late night talk shows. As the bright stage lights beamed down on him with what felt like the force of two suns, Ryder was cool and calm. Though most would expect a man in his position to visit a more traditional avenue when refuting the claims of an alien predator in our midst, Ryder know that this was not the way to go. The majority of American’s don’t trust what they see on political shows like “Meet the Press,” or others of their ilk. In fact, it was much more effective to tell the masses what you want them to think on a show like this when their guard is down, than in some long drawn out statement in a press release or during a conference call.

Thus far, the interview has gone well. There were jokes and banter, and even a wise crack about Icon wearing tights, and the statement that Liberace still holds the distinction of wearing the best cape. There were even several lighthearted questions about STRIKE’s traditional secrecy, and the fact that up until recently, most people didn’t even know they existed, and a joke about how now they’re making the talk show rounds. But then the interview turned somewhat serious.

“So Mr. Ryder, recently in Lost Haven, a city that...let’s just face it…has some problems; the police commissioner held a press conference in which she said that this Umbraxis the Destroyer is an alien threat that is walking among us, and then one of the superheroes, I believe her name is Boom made a statement calling on other heroes to take this guy out. What was your reaction?” Stuart Walsh asked, adding an awkward chuckle at the end of the question.

“Well Stuart, let me just address this in two parts. First of all, I appreciate Commissioner Valdez’s…creativity when confronted by the tragedy at St. Peter’s. What happened there was absolutely horrifying, and I personally don’t want to have to see anything like what happened there happening anywhere else, ever. Now, let me go on record and say that STRIKE has been aware of Umbraxis’ activities for some time. By now you’ve heard of the incident in Augusta. That was really his…uh, his coming out party, so to speak. This guy, Umbraxis does appear to be a pretty bad dude, there’s no denying that. However, the fact is that he is just a metahuman, nothing more, nothing less. He isn’t some alien power that’s hell bent on taking out the human race. He’s nothing more than a metahuman with flashy powers and a superiority complex.” Ryder paused for a second as Walsh chuckled uncomfortably. “And as far as, what are their names…Thunderbolt and Boom? As far as their call to rally the supers, I sure as hell hope they do come together. I mean you can have guys like Icon and Iron Knight out there doing their thing, but then when you have a serious situation, where are they? Maybe if they organized and worked with us, they’d actually do some good instead of just adding to the collateral damage.”

“Well, that’s all the time we have, join us tomorrow when our guests include Hip Hop mogul Jace Swaggerr, comedian Kat Williams, and Mark Walburg! Have a good night!” Walsh said as the screen faded to black.

[center]***[/center]

Alexander Anderson sat back in his chair and lit a cigar. He was smiling from ear to ear, more than pleased with Marcus Ryder’s performance on the talk show. It was a good showing from his longtime friend. Ryder had been charismatic and charming, and more importantly than that, believable. Anderson had been skeptical when Ryder had told him his plan, but now he knew that this was the right play. Ryder had not only delivered the message that STRIKE wanted to get out there, but through Ryder’s performance on the show, he ensured that the message would linger with the masses long after the show had left the airwaves.