Chase walked over to his table. “Still thinking about your choices?”
David nodded. “Yeah, it’s a lot to take in.”
She sat down. “We understand. It isn’t a simple choice. Choosing either ATLAS or League will change your life.”
“I don’t have much of a family, but I have friends and a job back home.”
“And we take that into consideration. Working for ATLAS is an on-call situation. You will have weekends of training to keep you in shape for the various tasks you might have to take on. But only when an emergency arises will you be called to duty. Working as a hero is far more of a career. You can go solo, which is called a Ranger position. But you’ll still report to BADGE and to your local government. If you join a League, then you will work with them as a job. BADGE will send assignments to your league for local and possibly international problems. Your league will also work with the local governments to help in situations.”
David sat back and put his hands on his face. “I know. It sounds cool. I mean, being a genuine hero seems so… glamorous. But, up here, with you people, I see it from this side. It is work, it is a sacrifice of your life, and I don’t know if I have that in me.”
Chase said, “I know. Fame isn’t want it’s cracked up to be. Heroes get all the glory and are on the news for their triumphs. But, the news doesn’t show the hard work that goes into training and working, it doesn’t show the bloody noses and sleepless nights.”
David asked, “Would it be okay if I tried some of the training? Go through a class or two, test the waters.”
“Sure. Nova encourages new recruits to take their time and sample everything before deciding. BADGE knows what this can mean. I can set you up for a few training sessions in the simulator. You can work with a league that has booked the simulator for a battle challenge.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“And safe. You’ll experience a hard battle, but you won’t face the threat of death. The simulator has failsafe systems to protect the heroes from true serious harm. But you’ll get a good taste of an actual fight, get to work with experienced heroes, and learn something about yourself.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Agent Justin walked over at that moment. “Chase, I need you to get the under grads ready for deployment.”
“Is something happening?” She slowly stood up.
“Nothing has happened. But Nova is concerned about the situation with the spheres. So, I’m activating all people on the station. Besides, getting the trainees to do some duty time will be a good experience.”
“I’ll talk to Red Fury. He’ll get them in place.’’
“Thanks.” Justin walked away.
David asked, “Are we in danger?”
“I doubt it. It isn’t uncommon to go to an alert status when there is the potential for danger. Often it passes by and nothing happens. Don’t worry, as soon as there is any real action, we will ensure that all recruits are placed in a safe location. If necessary, we can move you down to the planet. For now, be ready for a message from Red Fury about when you will be in the simulator with a visiting league. Put those muscles to work and see what you can do in an actual fight.” She gave him a friendly punch in the muscular arm and then walked away.
David looked down at the information again, a little more concerned than before. The longer he was up here, the more real all this became.
“Why bring me along?” Krystal asked while Nova piloted the smaller shuttle through the atmosphere.
“For several reasons. I like to travel with at least one hero. It’s procedure and makes sense. You have a keen eye and mind for detail, which makes you an excellent journalist. When I talk to Dr. Chorad, I hope you use some of that keen journalist insight. Also, you’re one of the few heroes who can actually see morphons.”
“Just the arcane part of the spectrum. There are many others I can’t see.”
“That will be sufficient.”
They flew fast over the land and passed several tall mountain chains. The ground was green, and the skies were vividly blue right now. Orchards were in full bloom outside a sprawling metropolis.
“Seattle, home of coffee, hipsters, and Ren Tech,” Nova muttered.
“Sounds like you aren’t too keen on this company.”
Nova altered their direction slightly. “Like so many companies before them, they’re a fad. Richer than god and popular among many generations, these companies strike a big noise and act like they own the world. Big egos with self-righteous intentions. But, in a short matter of time, someone else rises above them and they fade. Their trendiness falls on its face and their ego is not enough to cushion the blow.”
“Wow, that was almost poetic, if not a little cynical.”
“Truth is often cynical.”
Krystal smiled. “But, tell me this, oh cynical one, how many of those trendy companies turned out to be evil or did wicked things?”
Nova guided them past the Space Needle as he pondered this. “Okay, you got me. They aren’t all good and sweet, but normally they stay within the law and none have turned out to be truly villainous.”
“Then let’s not walk into this meeting with you being a grump. They have done nothing wrong, but accidentally scared the world.”
“If you believe it was just an accident.”
Krystal sat back with a robust laugh. “And, still cynical.”
“Nothing wrong with logic. It was a fantastic publicity stunt. Everyone is talking about it and the social medias are all buzzing. It’s gone completely infected.”
Krystal frowned. “Social Medias? ...infected? You mean Social Media...no s....and viral?”
“Whatever.”
They approached a complex of buildings that seemed to bear the signature of Picasso’s design. All the buildings were square, but they stacked the squares against each other in odd ways. Windows on the side revealed that the floors were flat, and only the facade was twisted. A giant sign on the top read, “Renaissance Communication Technologies.”
“Nice building, if you don’t mind a modern look.” Krystal said, “Say, why didn’t we just portal down? I could have zapped us here in a second.”
“We’re paying them a friendly visit...” Krystal coughed at that, but Nova ignored it and went on, “I don’t want to alarm them by just showing up. People appearing out of thin air might worry some. When we land, we will decloak and then let them know we are...”
For a moment, a flash of light surrounded them and the computer announced, “Cloaking system interrupted. Visibility has been restored.”
“How?” Nova asked.
The computer answered, “A counter field surrounds the landing zone. It deactivated the cloaking system. Would you like a full report?”
“Send it to the station.”
“Sending.”
Krystal said, “Wow, they have the tech to counter our cloak. I didn’t think anyone could do that.”
Nova maneuvered the shuttle to a landing pad meant for helicopters. “These kids are smart. I’m impressed, and slightly annoyed.”
With the shuttle at a full stop, Nova and Krystal disembarked and walked toward a pair of people waiting for them. The giant Ren Tech company loomed in the distance.
Krystal leaned over and said, “You will never find a greater hive of....coffee and hipsters. We must be cautious.”
“Oh, be quiet and pay attention.”
A man and woman in expensive apparel met them, both with glowing Ren Watches on their wrists and nametags on their shirts.
“Welcome to Ren Tech, Director Nova. It is an honor to have you pay us a visit. I’m Arnold and this is Stacy.” The young man said.
“Thank you.” Nova was holding onto his surly attitude. “This is…”
“Krystal Fae, with the Sentinel.”
“Very nice to meet both of you.” Stacy tapped her smartwatch and said, “We have a nice tour of our headquarters arranged, if you will follow me.”
“No, thank you. We need to meet with Dr. Chorad now.”
“Right this way.” They both gave a gallant hand swing toward the building.
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