5:45 PM, April 2nd; 2020
Jefferson Heights, Mackenzie Rd, Hub CityIt wasn't his debut as a fighter of crime, but Preston believed that his debut in the news was just as good. He had been fighting here and there before the rise of Metahumans, left for a while as they boomed, and now came back to a world where people needed someone with his kind of power, authority, and set of morals.
But he wasn't Preston now, he was the Emerald Knight, the Green Lantern to this sector of known space, and he had to act like it.
Preston flew down from the smokey building in a hurry. Everyone had been evacuated from the crumbling tower of concrete, and the villain who was responsible for trying to kill all of the people inside was apprehended. Now all was left was to take care of collateral damage. He spun around and faced the building. With his right fist pointed forward, he concentrated hard to create a construct. Using the power of hard light, Preston created a large tube, much taller than the building it was being built around, and left more than enough space for the building to fall apart safely with no worries of debris flying out and hurting bystanders.
It was more work than he expected to hold the massive construct together to keep the building debris from spreading out. He almost didn't make it. The rubble fell down and out, pushing aganst the green walls. Preston used all of the will he could muster to keep it together, and once the remnants of the building seemed to be completely motionless, he let go of the construct and curled forward. His breath was deep and heavy. He needed to go back to OA some time and train some more to work on weight and keeping larger constructs together. For now, he needed to show the people of Hub City that the Emerald Knight was a force for good.
Another breath was forced out as he stretched back upright, looking around at the crowds that had been forming slowly after the rubble had stopped and the dust had settled. His shoulders were brought out as far as he could move them, his chest puffed out just a little. Surely his skintight bodysuit made of energy made everyone see his true proportions, but maybe he could alter his costume to make himself a little bigger? There was no time for that.
He looked around for a news truck. Surely a falling building and a villain attacking was more than enough to warrant someone from some news crew to step in and report on what was going on. Hopefully his little tip to channel 52 before things started was enough to get some people in on all of this super action.
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10:48 PM, April 2nd; 2020
43rd Jefferson Condos, Hub City"So,"
Cassandra Mckenzie crossed one leg over the other, a practiced smile on her face. "You were the one responsible for stopping the Russian terrorist earlier today, is that correct?"
"Yes," Preston nodded, his face hidden by a green mask. "Though his origins don't really matter to me. He came out here today to hurt people, and I put a stop to him and did what I could to keep things from getting worse." He was doing his best to sound confident, but internally, he was so excited to be on the news.
Though her flawlessly sculpted crimson nails tapped against the screen of her phone, her azure eyes never once left the man garbed in green. "Were you also the 'anonymous caller' that tipped off Channel 52 just beforehand?"
Preston chuckled, his head swaying from one side to the other. "I can't say. However, I'm glad that you're here to report on all this. People need to know what's going on, and you're doing a job just as good as mine by giving them that info." He tried hard to warm up to her and the people possibly watching. He needed to make sure that he was on good terms with the law here on earth, even if being a vigilante like himself was illegal.
"I see," she chuckled, choosing to drop the matter of his identity for the time being. "And what name shall we affix to you? Do you have something you would prefer to be called, like our resident Wizardess does?"
"Wizardess?" He asked in an amused tone. In truth, he had no idea who this woman was talking about, but he had to play it like knew who she was. "I'm a servant among the stars, miss, I wander where I'm needed. If there was a name for me, I suppose you could call me the Emerald Knight." He was careful in his tone. He wasn't sure if she or the people watching would believe if he said he was from the stars, so he continued the same haughty and jovial tone to suggest that it was just a part of his gimmick.
He couldn't have the world go into a craze about the definate existance of extraterrestrial life, not just yet. He needed to prove to the world that he and others could save them all in a pinch, and that they really were ready to leave this little planet and see other ones. That was a long time from now, though.
Cassandra smirked when he revealed his chosen moniker, tapping the name down into her Galaxy S11. She then paused, seeming to consider his words for a moment. "A servant among the stars? Do you mean to say you've come from outer space? Are you an alien, then? And if so, then why have you come to Earth?"
He smirked just the right amount, he hoped. He had spent so much time practicing all of this that he really did hope he came off as calming and charming as he wanted to be. "I'm definately human. I'm here on Earth because this is where I'm supposed to be, and I'll show up when and where I'm needed."
"So you're a servant, and the Earth is where you're supposed to be, meaning that you have a boss. Very interesting," Cassandra replied, entering the information down into her phone. "And what is it that you aim to accomplish here? What is your ultimate goal and intention towards America? Towards the Earth?"
"Peace, of course. I work for peace and safety." He nodded. His unseen eyes shifted over to the woman's phone, hoping to take a peek at whatever she was typing. "I want to make a world where I'm not needed, and with my powers of creation, I firmly believe that it can happen." He looked around the penthouse he was in. Nice, classy. The Interview was nice, but he needed to keep himself interested in the conversation and the area around him.
Cassandra's phone was held at a horizontal angle, the screen entirely facing her. "I see. It is an undeniable truth that in the past four months the world has become a far more dangerous place."
"People possessing otherwordly, even outright
impossible abilities have appeared, causing fear and panic among government officials and civilians alike. While some seem intend on using their 'powers' for good, their mere presence has forever changed how we look at the world we live in," she explained leaning slightly back in her patio chair. Reaching down to pad out a wrinkle in her dress, she quickly resumed the interview.
"That being said, is there a message you would like to send to these people? To the governments of the world, to the men and women on the street who might look upon you in fear?"
"You're not alone." His smile almost issued a challenge to the reporter before him. "The men, women and children next to you share your worries about the current state of the world, and that's okay. It's okay to be worried. Being strong means being strong together, trusting in one another and having the will to push to a better future. I want that future too, and you don't need super powers to make that happen."
He had been working on that quote for at least a month. After so many short quotes and monolouges of medium lengths, Preson finally decided on that one. She made it seem like that was it, asking if he had any words directly to any viewers at home, or readers of articles. He sat back and rested in silence, wondering what she was going to say to him next.
Cassandra smiled at this, a smile that almost said she had heard something similar before. "Very well then. In that case, how about you tell us a little bit about what you can do? What your powers are, things of that nature. I'm certain, after all, that people will be quicker to trust someone they can understand."
"Gladly." He smiled and shifted in his seat, bringing his left hand forward. He presented his ring on his closed hand to her, allowing her to get a great look at the piece of magical jewelery. "I harness willpower and use it to create objects out of solid light. Using will, I can also fly and travel into the unknown. A side effect of my powers is being incredibly strong, even I'm not using constructs to lift things." After a brief pause, he used his ring to create a one-to-one scale statue of the reporter who had invited him in, and rotated the statue around for her to see every side of it.
"I can create anything I can imagine, Miss. Anything at all." He wasn't going to mention his weakness to yellow, or the fact that he was useless without the ring. He wanted to make it seem like he had the power within himself, and the ring was simply a conduit for his internal energies. Even if he was trying to talk himself up, he needed to make sure no other villains could find this interview and learn everything about him.
Cassandra's eyes widened slightly when a statue of herself appeared in the middle of the penthouse roof. She observed it for a long moment as it rotated, unable to completely mask how impressed she was by the display. Finally easing back in her chair, she smiled. "Well, at least you have good taste."
"How did you gain these abilities?" She quickly continued the interview. "And is there a limit to them? How strong are you? How fast?"
"I can't exactly tell you how I got these abilities." He cracked a smile and let out a chuckle. "I don't want people seeing this and doing the incredibly dangerous things I did to get this power. As for how strong I am? About... five? Ten? Ten times stronger than a human? And Fast." He began to relax a little, and laughed a little as he tried to think of a way to explain the true limits of his speed. "You couldn't wrap your head around my speed when I'm on a beeline, sorry."
Closing her eyes, Cassandra chuckled, accepting that she wasn't going to get a clear answer from him. "Then how about your costume? Did you design it yourself, or was it given to you by someone? It's most certainly...distinct. And you wear a mask, too. I can only assume you have a civilian life outside of your work as a 'hero'."
"You also seem to be in your mid-twenties. College educated, perhaps?"
"I designed my suit." He clarified with a nod. "Well, not consciously, I suppose. I didn't talk to a tailor and tell them exactly what I wanted, it just came together and felt right."
He nodded once more as she continued to probe him, not focusing on his appearance and what could be derived from that. "Of course. I was a bit of a fan of space when I was younger, so I worked to make a careeer of that. With powers like this, I can get closer to our star than we ever thought possible." He was trying to give off simple answers, but he couldn't help but remember the time of his youth when he spent hours looking at the stars, inspiring his path and bringing him to where he was now.
Like every time before, the information he provided her quickly found its way to her phone "And, for those who will inevitably be curious...what is your height, weight,
measurements? Just how much did your subconscious decide to squeeze into those delightfully tight pants?"
She leaned forward in her seat, a broad smirk now etched across her slender face.
The sweet smile he gave her was so obviously fake, but he meant no harm in it. He was, on some level, expecting a question like that.
"I'd say I'm about..." The statue of the reporter faded away as he brought his hand to his face, his finger tapping on his chin while he sat there in thought, mulling over facts he knew well. "About five feet, five inches, a hundred and twenty-some pounds. I wear thirty-thirty two pants, small or medium in most shirts, and I wear a size nine sneaker. I wasn't aware that your viewers were interested in making me a new suit. I'd ask for some adjustments on the pants, just a tad larger if possible."
Cassandra released a hearty chuckle at his last comment, all the while continuing to enter his response. Standing from her table, she rested a finger on the screen of her phone. "Oh, the public is always interested in getting to know their would-be heroes on a more...intimate level. But I digress. Do you have any closing statements for the public? Any words you would like to leave them with?"
"I've already given out my award-winning quote, but yes." He couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her reply. Of course people would want to know what his practices and preferences were, superheroes were the new celeberties. "The world is teeming with powered people, but you don't need powers to be a hero. Just go out there and do the right thing. If I'm not there, then the hero in you will be."
That should be it, Preston told himself. She asked for his closing statements, which meant the interview was now over. He closed the interview with a statement. Done. It. Over. With a sigh, he got comfortable in his seat once more. He waited a moment before looking over to the reporter who had been asking him all these questions about himself.
"I was worried for a moment that the call wasn't going to go through, I'll admit.But news or no news, lives were saved. Couldn't ask for more." He forced himself out of his seat with only minimal effort. He shot the reporter a small smile. With a small salute and a wave of a hand, he willed his body to be coated in a soft shade of green before he flew up into the air. He needed to go back home to Coast City, back to his friends and his for now secret life as an astronomer.
He had to admit, as much as some of her questions were a little too much for him, he enjoyed the interview. It was definately a conquered step of getting famous enough to unmask himself publicly and not have to worry about a secret identity.
He hoped that nothing too jarring would come of that.
Simple Unicycle