Calling All Supers! Characters: Richard Hastings, Edward Shaw, Open Setting: Axis City Research Trust Conference Hall Content: Worksafe Summary: A Press Release on the ACRT's latest project.
Richard lived for this sort of thing. Unlike Edward, who had written the proposal and presented it, had got the board to approve it, for christsakes, and had written this press release too, for that matter, but didn't want to speak to the assembled press, Richard revealed in the thought. He looked every inch the scientist today, lab-coat on, his ID bag clipped to a pocket, but underneath and certainly not hidden from view, was a crisp expensive suit.
He was watching now, from the side door that lead out onto the raised platform he would make the announcement from, spying on the photographers and reporters and anchor men that filled the room, all of them waiting, waiting to see him. It was a feeling of power he liked, he liked a lot, but it was not the same sort of power that Supering allowed. This was different, less detached more... acceptable in society. This was the power of intelligence and money which was a more... sophisticated form of power than physical strength or ability.
"Well," He said, turning to the other man and offering him a small smile, and then glancing back to the board members, also dressed in their best for the cameras, "Shall we get this show on the road?"
He didn't wait for an answer, but opened the door and stepped out, heading straight to the podium as the others moved to take their seats at the long table behind, all facing the crowd. Richard loved crowds. He loved the attention, all of it focused on him. If anything, he could almost feel the electrons, all of them in the room, suddenly moving towards him, feeding him. He could use that.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the press. The Axis City Research Trust welcomes you, and thanks you for attending. As you all well know, we have moved into an age where the complexities of humanity are being slowly revealed. Advances in medicine, psychology, spirituality and evolution have come thick and fast over the last century, and over the last few years, humanity has seen another complex part of our natures develop, that nature of course being the so-called Supers we hear about on the news and read about in the papers."
He paused for a moment, knowing that there would have been a muttering at that. Not everyone wanted to accept Supers as being humans, as being people with different genes or different abilities. That suggested that anyone could be a super, anyone at all, and that there was no difference between good honest normal people and Supers who gallivanted around at the speed of light or set fire to things by thinking about it or could drain a whole city zone of power just be leaning against a lamp post. But that had been an accident.
"At ACRT we are keen to understand all the workings of the human body, a wonderful machine that as yet we only know the very basics about. As yet, no one in this country has taken it upon themselves to study the powers of the Supers, or for that matter, the aspects of their physical being, their biology, that makes them as they are. Axis City Research, as the pioneer public-sector science centre, is going to be the first to do a comprehensive study of Supers, with a range of abilities from the physical and psychological to the elemental. As such we are appealing for volunteers, Supers, to join our study..."
The room erupted then, as he had expected, and he held up his hands, "Please, please. Questions one at a time."