Time: 08:00
Location: Celestine Ward
Date: June 10th, XXXX
Getting into the office was a swift process.
The moment I stepped into the glass building, the receptionist at the front desk took a quick look at my government-issued ID and put it through a scanner. Of course, there wouldn’t be any issues since my ID had just been renewed.
“Okay, please step through the gate.”
I nod, walking through the rectangular-shaped metal gate adjacent to the desk. A light lining the gate glows green, indicating there are no problems.
“You’re all set,” the receptionist said, giving me a thumbs-up and handing me my badge, a white key card enveloped in plastic film and attached to a retractable cord spool. You can now use the regular gates from tomorrow onwards. Have a great day!”
I smile back, waving my badge card between my fingers.
“Thank you!"
>>>>
Due to the existence of Powers, additional security measures have been taken in Ordinary workplaces to prevent Villains from breaking in. The first one is the ID scanner. In the past, you only needed to show your ID to the front desk, but a scanner was put in place since fake IDs could easily make it past those checks. Real government-issued IDs could not be fabricated easily in Loran. Even the best forgers would have a difficult time doing so due to the many levels of security and encryption in each ID.
Now, suppose someone was able to pass the first check. That’s where the whole body scanner comes into play.
Sure, it looks like a metal detector you’d find at airports, but it’s much more than that. These scanners detect individuals with Powers. They detect a person’s heart rate, breathing patterns, and other things I need two pages to list.
The most important of those things is Particles.
Particles are a unique component all individuals emit from their bodies through their breath. The more Particles emitted, the higher the likelihood that a person possesses Powers and the more powerful the Powers possessed are. The threshold is undisclosed to the public, but with some educated guesses, it’s been determined to be around 1,000 Particles/breath. Unlike the ID situation, a person can’t hide their breath even if they try to hold it in, as the Particles will find their way out one way or another.
By detecting and measuring these Particles, Ordinary casualties in the city have decreased exponentially while deterring Villains from breaking into civilian buildings and workspaces as quickly as before. Of course, the ones who do so these days are complete lunatics, but aside from them, who in their right mind would break into the one place aside from the Heroic Coalition where a bunch of Heroes works? If anything, HNN was one of the safest places to be.
This also begs another question. How are Heroes verified to enter these buildings? That procedure is more complicated, and I couldn’t tell you the intermediate steps. All I know is that the Heroic Coalition issues unique IDs for Heroes, and those particular IDs fool the scanners, allowing Heroes to enter buildings like Ordinaries but also keeping their identities secret. The technology used in those IDs is a well-kept secret in order to reduce casualties further.
Well, it's not like it matters to me anyway.
>>>
As I make my way to the elevator, I see the receptionist at the desk mutter something just loud enough that I can barely make out the words. After hearing the first three, I did not need to listen further.
Go figure. I roll my eyes as I press the up arrow, waiting for an elevator to descend to the first floor.
I tap my foot against the ground, counting the number of seconds before I hear a bell chime. The doors to an elevator behind me open. It is empty, without a soul to be seen. I waltz in and press the button up to the fifteenth floor to the instructions provided last week during onboarding.
The elevator ascends rapidly, carrying me to my destination in seconds.
The doors part, a scene completely different from the ground floor's tranquility, plays before my eyes.
First, a bold red sign with a white outline spelling “HNN” mounted on a wall welcomed me to the space. Individuals dressed in professional attire, casual clothes, and elaborate costumes ranging from mechanical suits to popstar outfits bustle around the floor. Racks of clothing and equipment are wheeled from one end to another while individuals maneuver around one another without collisions. It was pretty impressive, considering how crowded the floor was, but disorienting nonetheless.
I popped my body out of the elevator, scanning the hyper-modern interior of the office for any signs that could guide me. However, it didn’t take long before someone tapped my shoulder. As they lifted their finger away, I whipped my head around to find a young woman about ten centimeters shorter than me with fiery, curly red hair, freckles, and deep blue eyes. She was smiling at me and wearing a white blouse, black dress pants, and leather dress sneakers.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Are you the new intern for the Production Department?”
“Yes, I am,” I reply politely, amazed at how quickly she deduced that. “How did you know?”
“You’re the only one on this floor who looked lost, turning your head left and right like a doe.”
“Oh,” I chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed by her explanation.
She took a step back and held her hand out.
“There's no need to feel like that. I was once in your shoes when I interned here four years ago. Name’s Saoirse Bryne, but you can call me Sao, Senior Associate in the Production Department, part of the Editing Group.”
I take her hand, responding, “Owen Parkis, Intern Cameraman. Nice to meet you, Sao.”
“So you’re the intern I’ve heard much about!”
Stunned, I pointed to myself as we walked towards the orientation group.
“Me?”
“Mmh,” Sao nodded. “Arvin, the guy who interviewed you, is my friend in your group. I have to say, he couldn’t stop blabbering to me after seeing your portfolio.”
“The drone pics?”
“Ugh, don’t even get me started. Those shots you got of the fight between Quantum Sage and Karmegon on the training drone were to die for~!”
“Thanks for the kind words.” I nod, brushing a piece of hair out of my face.
“There's no need to be modest,” Sao replied, folding her arms behind her back. Take pride in the fact that your fantastic work brought you here!”
We walked a bit further, fighting through the crowds of people bustling around the floor. Phones ringing, switches clicking, and heavy footsteps thumping against the ground hit my eardrums. I lost track of how many people I might’ve accidentally bumped shoulders with. Well, if they do go lame, then I know how.
“If I may ask, do you know what Intern Cameramen do?”
“From what I recall, you’ll be deployed to one of our many Hero Reporter teams. Typically, interns are sent to work with some of our newer Reporters, and you’ll mostly be tasked with taking photos at the different sites you visit and others for social media. You might have the opportunity to do some filming, but that rarely happens, given that new Reporters only focus on gathering information for the station for smaller headlines on the website. On top of these duties, you are also employed as a member of the Casualty Control. I’m sure you knew it when you signed the employment contract.”
>>>
In a city where fights between superpowered individuals break out 24/7, another crucial group separate from the Heroic Coalition protects the public.
This group is known as Casualty Control.
Casualty Control is a government-sponsored entity that aims to minimize the damage caused by Hero and Villain conflicts and protect citizens who get swept up in them. Unlike the Heroic Coalition, a private group that manages most of the Heroes to date, Casualty Control has fewer Heroes under its belt. This was because Casualty Control came with fewer benefits than working under the Heroic Coalition. However, just because there weren’t as many Heroes affiliated with Casualty Control doesn’t mean there aren’t some well-known ones amongst them.
Then why would anyone want to join Casualty Control?
The simple answer is that it’s not as risky.
For individuals registered with Powers, giving another entity their information was more than they needed to concern themselves with. It was better to keep their Alter Egos, their personas behind their public face, known to fewer people. Since Casualty Control is part of the government, everything is kept within the same database. Additionally, because the Heroes part of Casualty Control doesn’t directly confront Villains, there’s a lower chance they’ll be harmed by one, too. On top of this, compensation is stable.
The Heroic Coalition pays their Heroes through a commission-based system. Depending on their contribution during specific incidents or jobs, their pay will fluctuate accordingly. While it may initially sound enticing compared to the meager government salary, the Heroic Coalition has become increasingly saturated, meaning Heroes are getting paid less for their work. Well, that’s the story that the news has been feeding. In reality, it’s just that the top 0.01% of Heroes are getting paid more, but we won’t talk about that.
However, unlike the Heroic Coalition, Casualty Control pays their Heroes a stable salary with bonuses based on contributions. Sure, it was way smaller than the Heroic Coalition offered, but at least it wasn’t volatile. One more thing made Casualty Control different: they also employed Ordinaries to head on to the frontlines. Paramedics, police officers, news reporters, and individuals employed at firms connected with Casualty Control all fall under this group. Their main task is to assist in civilian rescue alongside the heroes and all the logistics.
As for me, my role is to get photos of these incidents and get the information out to the public as quickly as possible to help with the evacuation process. Furthermore, since I knew how to operate a camera drone, I assumed I would be tasked with using it in an emergency to aid Heroes in finding hidden civilians in the rubble.
>>>
“Ah yes, I did read that.” My response was a bit flustered as we finally came to a stop.
“Well, considering that Villain activity has skyrocketed in the past month, thanks to gosh darn Comet disappearing into thin air, you will most likely get deployed.” Sao grits her teeth, veins popping out of her forehead. “I don’t think many realized this, but Comet kept all those Villains in check. And now that he’s gone, more of us Ordinaries have to step in to help.”
Comet was infamous in Loran. He was one of the four 10-Star Villains who terrorized the city for years and the head of the disbanded organization, Cardinal. Every single crime committed in his career has made significant headlines, and his name has spread far and wide. I even had to do a project on him for my Modern History class.
“Huh, I always just saw him as a ticking time bomb who could blow up the city in a heartbeat if he wanted to.”
“Can’t deny that either.” Sao sighed, placing a hand underneath her chin. “He is the crazy top-ranked Villain we're talking about. But there’s also the fact that his actions had left other Villains scrambling for table scraps. His actions weren't good for our business either, but at least things weren’t as hectic as they are now.”
“At least you know you won’t be out of a job soon.”
Sao snapped her fingers and pointed to the ceiling, “Fair enough. Thanks to that, we need fresh talents.” She then spun on her heel to face me. “Here’s your stop. Orientation will begin soon. Ping me on Collab if you need anything!”
“For sure!” I smile as she disappears into the sea of people.
This was going to be one heck of a busy day.
There was no denying that.