Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

B2: Chapter 24 - Two Interviews - I

  "Beware the silver-tongued, for they strike with a smile. I knew a man once who could talk for ten minutes to a complete stranger and be invited in for supper. He spoke for hours about any topic that arose, even if he knew nothing, and beguiled experts of their own craft. He ingratiated himself into the house as if he belonged, as if he were in control. Take heed, for one slip of resolve, and he had you in his vice, and trapped you in a corner of twisted words. But this was no true devil, just a man. His voice meant nothing once I cut out his tongue."

  ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries

  "Well Janet, everyone here's waiting for the arrival of the guest of honor. Honestly, I can't say I've seen a more heavily anticipated red-carpet for a Monday night talk show."

  "Tell me, Ted, since you're the expert—what should we expect?"

  "I've met her mother a few times, but no, I can't say I've ever actually spoken to her myself."

  "Her mom had no idea, right?"

  "None at all. She assumed her daughter was dead this whole time."

  "Wow. Just wow."

  "I gotta ask, Ted. Any idea why the Evening Show, of all things? I mean, Russ Wallace doesn't exactly have the widest audience, and he's a softie when it comes to interviews. And who watches talk shows live anymore?"

  "He's gonna have 'em tonight. The whole show is just one interview, with the most famous person on the planet right now."

  "Wait, I thought there were two."

  "Look!"

  "Up there!"

  "Hang on, Janet, I think something's happening."

  The cameras whipped upward. A cloud of lenses winked at her, light reflected off the neon signs everywhere. They'd spotted her.

  Hailey grinned.

  She curled her wings back, beginning a slow drop off. As she peeled them back further, the glide turned into a dive. Faster and faster. The huge red carpet—and the area she'd requested at the end—was lit up by spotlights. The sun was already going down, so no one had seen her gliding overhead for a full ten minutes.

  Hailey didn't mind. She'd been working through pre-show jitters that whole time, trying to think of the perfect thing to say.

  The cameras followed her in, and the sound of a thousand flash clicks went off as she hurtled in. Hailey swooped her wings wide, as wide as they could go so that the burst of wind wouldn't be so strong, but still hit the whole crowd and everyone beyond.

  A few hats blew off as she touched down. She only took two steps to land, compared to the usual five or six. She was in her usual flight suit—faux-leather jacket, breezy shirt underneath, aviator cap, tight-fit jeans. She'd taken extra care to make it look clean and polished, and added a multicolor scarf for the occasion. Originally, she'd considered some kind of dress, and spent hours agonizing through options with Jess watching over her shoulder, until she realized that none of them really said 'Hailey'. Jess was right; she should just be herself.

  Voices shouted from every direction, so much that she couldn't understand a single word. Cameras kept clicking and flashing. Hailey waved, basking in the glow. She knew she was live around the world, in every major city on the globe. She wondered how many translators were anxiously awaiting her first word. How are they gonna translate 'awakened', anyway? And what's the word for magic in German?