Martin straightened his tie again, a look of disfort on his face. He shot a gnce over at his partner and frowhe guy was immacute, perfect poise, perfect shoulders, perfect fit for his suit. He looked down at himself, athletic but still far smaller thaher guy. To make matters worse, it was like standio a bomb ready to go off at any moment. He let out a sigh and reached up to adjust the sungsses on his face.
This is the worst, why’d they pick me for the test run?
It hadn’t been long after the Pandora ittee had begun anizing in various tries that light-touched had actually volunteered to participate. Most of them were prior or existing w-enfort, though, so he supposed it made sehat they’d want to tiheir roles. Even so, when the order had e down to test the cept of two-man observation teams made of one normal person and one light-touched, Martin had scoffed at the idea. He didn’t want to work with them, they were a disaster just waiting to happen.
And here I am w with this guy.
“You’re fidgeting,” Lu, amed Ironsides, said in his heavily ated voice. Was he russian? Martin couldn’t tell.
“ly my first time in a suit like this,” Martin groused, “ly my first time at the capitol buildiher.”
Lu just shrugged and remained silent, watg as people passed. They weren’t capitol security, but it didn’t matter, they’d been given permission to be there to observe and deal with any potential security risks alongside the main security force. It was a big deal, apparently, Martin still thought it was a waste of time though. Even so, he was still ied in the proceedings themselves. His expression faltered as the memory of the previous nights news crept back up into his mind. So many had died in Dharan and were still dying as they spoke.
“What do we have on her?” Martin asked, trying to distract himself.
“Finally ied? You weren’t paying much attention during the briefing this m,” Lu said, giving him a sidelong gnce.
“I have a friend with family in Dharan,” Martin clipped, his eyes narrowing at the mao him.
“Ah,” Was all Lu said, nodding slowly, “Sonya ovna, mid-to-te twenties, born in Ko, Russia. Her birth certificate is hard to get ahold of, though officially she’s twe, she’s probably a bit older, though,” Lu rattled off, “Parents are both in the wind, found some record that they were in witness prote, but I’m not so sure. She was naturalized in the Uates when she was very young and lived in a single foster home until college. ROTC through high school and student gover. Barely missed valedictorian apparently.”
Martin raised an eyebrow, “No sign of her parents at all?”
“Nope,” Lu shook his head, “She got a bachelors in chemical sd business administration, after that she started w for Sto Chemical while she was doing her graduate wot blinded in an ‘act’ but after several interviews with others who were there we’re pretty sure she was assaulted by the chief b assistant. Sto settled minimally thanks to some legal nonsense and she was given a minor pension and after a little bit of time assigned a caretaker. She remained indoors pretty mutil Pandora’s Fsh after that.”
Martin crossed his arms, “Not a lot to go on.”
“Nope,” Lu nodded, “But it leaves a big mystery as to how she knows all these people all of a sudden.”
“w oer, probably,” Martin pointed out.
“While blind?” Lu tered with a ugh.
“Point taken,” Martin said, frowning hard and finally took in his surroundings. The entry hall of the US Senate was smaller than he’d imagi would be, but it was also far more eborate. He had been expeg a lot more white, in all hoy. More notable were the people milling about iryway. Acc to the security team, the senators themselves were already ihe chamber. Pretty much everyone had shown up except for a few outliers, which made this whole circus even more of a big deal. “Nothing but the media and talking heads in here.”
“What do you expect?” Lu grunted and crossed his arms, “Everyone’s on the edge of their seat with Dharan in fmes.”
The doors from the outside opened and fshes immediately began to go off. Voices rose and security moved forward to make a path. Amidst it all, Martin finally caught a glimpse of that shock of white hair drifting behind an all-white suit framing a thin hot-pink tie. As always, she wore those oversized suo hide her meical eyes.
“And there she is…” He paused and squinted, “...wait, who are they?”
–
Sonya was really, really gd she had decided to wear her fsh-proof sungsses. Her eyes were w overtime in her head to keep up with the abrupt ges in light level even with them on. She could only imagine how much it would have bothered her. Every instinct told her to just seize mental trol over the damnable cameras and shut them off, but she didn’t want to turn this whole thing into a fiasco. Instead, she kept a broad smile on her face as she walked past the gathered people, hungry for a scoop. Questions were hurled at her faster than a normal person could prehend, but with the help of her cyberic brain, she recorded the names, faces, and questions without missing a beat.
She’d ahem ter. It might be fun to get a rea out of it.
She go her left at Nick who ractically sweating in his suit, “Aren’t you fireproof?” She asked him with a ugh.
“I’m not nerve proof,” He chuckled back, visibly rexing a bit.
“You’ve fought Lurkers,” She murmured and cpped him on the back, “How scary a room full of old men be?” She said without turning to look towards him, she go the right and spotted a pair standing off to the side in dark clothes and sungsses. She waved at the thinner man who frow her.
“You know him?” Nick asked, tinuing forward.
“Not personally, but I heard from his previous boss that he’s been looking into me,” She said with a small chuckle, “Not my biggest fan.”
“So you thought you’d tease him?” Nick asked as they made it to the doors to the senate chambers.
“Yep,” She said as the doors opehe rge chamber was filled with desks arranged in a semicircle fag the raised dais at the far rear of the room. Nearly every seat in the chamber was filled, with the highest seat in the chamber occupied by an older man with wispy white hair and kind eyes. She made eye tact with him before sweeping the room with her gaze, they were all watg her iurn. Her lips thinned into a ile as she made her way towards the empty table between the semicircle of senators and the senate dais. She came to a stop and looked up at the elderly man and ined her head to him.
“Miss ovna,” He said, resting his hands on the desk in front of him, the microphone inches from his mouth, “Are these the young people you mentiohis m?”
“They are, Mister Vice President,” She said, gesturing to Logan, Jessica, Larry, and Nick.
He gheir way and they tensed. His expression was unreadable for a moment before he looked back at Sonya, “As agreed they are wele here as long as they pose themselves in a way reflective of the dignity of this pce.”
She nodded, “They will, Mister Vice President.”
He nodded aured to the chairs arranged for them, “Have a seat and we’ll get started.”
“Thank you,” She said and took a seat at the end of the table with the others lined up o one another. Murmurs filled the chamber as the senators eyed them suspiciously. She ighe murmuring, at least no one rotesting, ba deals happened all the time in the gover so it really didn’t shoyohat Sonya had brought surprise guests to the hearing.
The vice president adjusted his gsses and looked down at a dot in front of him before clearing his throat, “Let’s get started then,” He grunted and o the chapin who stepped up and began the proceedings with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance, Sonya went through the motions, keeping her mind on what was to e. When everyo back down the Vice President cleared his throat again, “We are here this m to proceed with the Senatorial Hearing to sider the statements of Miss Sonya ovna in regards to the dire of future legistion ing the ges in our world following the Pandora I. Present are forty-six Senators of the Uates, Myself as presiding officer, six representatives of the United Nations Pandora ittee, representatives of the media, and Sonya ovna atached pany of four.”
He turo fix his stare on Sonya, “You said you wished to provide an opening statement, giveuation in the world as it is, the Senate has opted to give you additional time for your ents to hear your thoughts thhly. There will be silen this chamber until your statements are plete.”
Sonya let out a breath, nerves finally running up her spine, she got to her feet, “Thank you, Mister Vice President.”
She closed her eyes aered herself, I’m ready for this. I know I am. Okay. Breathe, Sonya.
“Before I begin, I think it is appropriate we take a few moments for the people of Dharan, what has happehere is an unpreted tragedy,” She began and fixed the old man with a stare. He let out a sigh and nodded.
“Agreed, a moment of silehen,” He said and everyone in the chamber lowered their heads. For a full mihere was utter silence, only the faint sound of pencil scritg on paper as those in the media took notes.
After the minute, Sonya raised her head, “As you all assumedly already know, I am one of the first Light-Touched to openly provide details ing my abilities,” Sonya began, removing her gsses so that everyone could see her prosthetic eyes. “My eyes see much, such as the name of any individual I look at, as well as whether or not they possess abilities.”
There was a small shift in the chamber that she took note of but pressed on, “Wheered this chamber, I looked at the face of every person here. I safely say that I speak not only for the four young light-touched people o me, but for a full third of those present, senators and media alike.”
This drew another murmur and one man got to his feet before the Vice President stared him down, “tinue, Miss ovna.”
Sonya knew what the protest had been, there was only ohing to be upset about, really, strangers with dangerous powers had been brought into the senate chambers without any foreknowledge. However, by pointing out that a third of the people, includiors, were light-touched as well, ruined any hopes of chasing out my little heroes.
“Humanity is under siege,” She began at st, “We need only look at the tragedy in Dharan to uand the scope of what we are dealing with. As of this m, no troops have mao make headway into Dharan with a total popution of nearly two huhousand residents. It is unfortunately likely that a majority if not all of that popution will be lost within the wenty-four hours,” She said, “That is on the scale of a major natural disaster. But this was caused by living things, creatures with no other desire than to end our lives.”
She frowned, “This is not a time for debate, this is not a time for pride, this is not a time for doubling down, it is painfully evident that the ons we have at our disposal only do so much. Traditional munitions are useless and the sequences of using more exotic ons is too extreme to even be sidered in this day and age,” She tinued, “The munitions ASTA produces are effective, but they are crafted from the bones of the very mohat they are used to kill. If we ot hunt them, we ake the munitions to begin with.”
She gestured to the four people with her, “We do have a solution. While Pandora’s Light has unleashed horrors upoh, it has also given us people capable of standing against those same horrors. Heroes,” She let out a breath, “The young man sittio me is better known as Firestorm, you may be familiar with him,” Camera fshes intensified in her periphery, she ighem, “With him are Bandit, Bluestar, and Lifesaver, people who have not only risked their lives to protect their unities from motacks, who have lost rades to them, but who have also takereme risk of ing to this p this day without masks on. Knowing full well that there is a general sensus that their work is sidered vigintism.”
She paused for a moment, and turned her gaze through the entire room, “That, is ce.”
“These heroes o be given our support, a ce to grow in strength, an opportunity to stand at the front lines and know that we have their back,” She said, her voice raising a bit, “A way tanize, unicate, train, find dire and the equipment they o succeed,” She turned her eyes to the Vice President, “I am not the only businessperson who is currently researg how to improve on andora’s Light gave us, this is not only the birth of a new era, but the birth of a new industry and a new way of life for humanity. Not only for ourselves, but for those who will e after.”
She let out a breath, “I’m sure you all have heard that young people hitting adulthood have begun maing light-touched powers after the fsh. We will tio see more light touched iure. We o guide them, otherwise they may very well bee vilins in this new era.”
She squared her shoulders, “A guild, overseen by the Pandora ittee, and give our nation’s champions a ce to save us all from what is surely to e, because I do not think Dharan will be the st i of its kind.”
She let out a breath and with that, sat down to a room dominated by silence. I’ve said my peace, that was the easy part, the important part es .
