Mod Superhero (Book 6 STUBBING on Oct 27th)

Chapter 7.9 - News Break

[Camera view from the Hall of the House inside the Capitol Building. Camera pans to show government officials and DSA officials in the front rows. Others mingle while they wait for the address to start.

[Speaker Rivera steps up to the podium. His hair is combed neatly, his expression firm but calm. He wears a suit of conservative blue, his tie pressed to perfection. Behind his reading glasses, his eyes move slowly over the assembled crowd and press cameras.]

"Citizens of the Allied States. Members of the House. Honored guests.

"This past week, our networks were assaulted by a malicious and unauthorized broadcast. Many of you saw it. Many of you had questions. Who sent it? What did it mean? Was it real?

"Let me be clear: what you witnessed was not a message of hope. It was a weapon. A digital intrusion designed to sow fear, mistrust, and chaos in the heart of our nation. Crafted using an illegal AI reconstruction of a known dissident, the broadcast you saw was a fiction masquerading as truth.

"This entity—known to some as 'Mod'—is not a martyr. He is not a hero. He is a mask twisted into propaganda."

[Camera pans the chamber. Most faces are still. A few furrowed brows. A few nods.]

"In response, I am proud to announce the launch of the Civic Reassurance Initiative. Effective immediately, Brotherhood and Summit members will be deployed in greater numbers to our most vulnerable regions. These aren't invasions of privacy—they are invitations to unity. To resilience. To trust."

[Camera cuts to a prerecorded highlight reel: Summit capes helping civilians evacuate a flooded borough, lifting debris, directing traffic. There are a few clips of biomech patrols sprinkled in. The crowd watching the speech claps. The applause is polite, precise.]

"Further, we are implementing advanced protections against future digital incursions. Public networks will be safeguarded by a joint system developed by Brotherhood team members and the Office of Public Security. Unauthorized messages will be flagged, delayed, and analyzed for manipulation. This is not censorship. This is vigilance."

[Camera returns to Rivera. He lifts a new sheet of notes, his voice warming just slightly.]

"But we are not just reacting. We are building. Today, I also announce the upcoming Unity Summit—a historic gathering of Summit leaders, Brotherhood tacticians, and civilian oversight councils. We will meet to define the future of superhuman responsibility. No more silos. No more shadows. One unified voice for justice."

[He gestures toward the back of the room. A handful of capes in pristine uniforms step forward. Among them, an older hero with a metal jaw, a young flier with glowing wings, and a tall woman in DSA tactical gear.]

"These are your guardians. These are your defenders. For their service during the recent attempted insurrection, I present them with the Order of Civic Fortitude."

[One by one, the capes file to the front. Speaker Rivera presents them each with a medal. Applause. A camera flash. A brief handshake. Each hero salutes, their expressions unreadable. Afterward, the heroes stand to the side of the platform.

[Camera view returns to Rivera. He sets his final page down. His voice is calm. His tone is reasonable.]

"My fellow citizens, in these trying days, remember: Compliance is not surrender. It is courage. Now is not the time for fear. It is the time for unity. The time for action. Together, we will not just survive this moment—we will transcend it.

[Camera lingers on his eyes. He doesn't blink. Then fades to black. Broadcast ends.]

~ ~

Several Resistance members and family members had packed into Emmett's parent's room to watch the news and subsequent broadcast. Emmett had to extend the nanite couch so that he, Clara, Mom, Dad, and Antony could all fit comfortably.