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30th December 2010 “Just say no†Slick looked the picture of health. Whilst Slick actually was superhumanly robust (at least normally), it was the look that was important today. He was filming a public service announcement warning the kids of drugs. A knock came on his dressing room door. “5 minutes to filming, errr… Mr…err… Slick†came the muffled voice of the crewman. For now, he was quite alone, having politely shown out the quite needless hair and makeup artists. He practiced for a moment in front of the mirror. With some effort, he could limit the oil when changing, at least on his face, and that was what they wanted. What little was left could be air-brushed out with fancy computer technology, so he was told. Nothing wrong with trying to do your best “naturally†was his view. Dressed in unnaturally smart “street†wear (the sociologists and educational experts had deemed this the best way to connect with the “youthâ€) Slick strode confidently towards the camera crew. This was the first time he had done public speaking on this scale, if one could indeed call it public speaking. He wasn’t short on confidence, and he had plenty of experience of life under his belt, so he greeted this new experience with more excitement than anxiety. He wasn’t particularly enamoured with the street wear. In his experience, the more one tried to connect with teenagers as teenagers, the more one made a fool of oneself. However, he hadn’t made much of an argument. After all, what was he going to wear? a suit? The best bet might have been to wear nothing at all. Sex sells, so he had heard from the numerous advertising agents he had to deal with over the years. They were probably right, too. He looked into the blazing studio lights as the countdown began, giving a smile and a thumbs up to the crew that he could hardly see. “Kids… Just say no!†came the booming intro. Cue Slick! Roll Autocue! “Hi kids, my name is Slick. You may know me from my crime-fighting escapades across Freedom City. I am here to tell you, honestly and frankly, about drugsâ€. “You may know people, or even have friends, that think drugs are cool and can make you cool too. Maybe somebody you know even takes drugs, and tells you how good it makes them feel, or how confident or how full of energy. “ “But I am here to tell you that to be healthy, happy, and cool, you don’t need drugs. I never took drugs and that’s why I am still in fighting form today. But what would happen if I did?†Slicks face started to turn more wan, hollow, and drawn as he spoke. His eyes became bloodshot and bags appeared under his eyes. His hair become thin and broken, and his face broke out in broken blood vessels and spots. “I wouldn’t be healthy or happy at all. I would start to get irritable, angry, and unwell. Definitely NOT cool. All I could think about would be the drugs, taking more and more. I would forget about my friends, my family, my life, everything but drugs. “ By the end of the talk his face looked more like a grinning skull with skin stretched over it than an actual human face. “I would probably turn to crime, and if lucky get arrested and put in prison. If I was unlucky, I wouldn’t be alive to tell the tale!†He paused, letting the impact of his horrible face seep in. “So kids, if somebody comes up to you, telling you that drugs are cool, and you think you want to try. Remember what even one taste can do to you. Remember… Drugs aren’t cool!†He gave a horrible skull-like grin to the zooming camera to emphasise the point. It seemed to be effective, some of the crew looked rather perturbed by his face. “Cut. Nice work Mr… Slick†said the director. “May have to edit the last shot to get it through the censors, but I should say that will go down nicely, get the message across that kind of thing. Gotta keep our kids off the drugs, keep our streets clean. No place for drugs in this society. “ He paused to light a cigarette. “That’s a wrap folk, back to the bar for a celebratory brew!†he proclaimed as the crew started to pack up.

Early December Gaian Knight sat in a chair in a black room, the only thing visible in what could have been a yawning cavern for all the viewer could tell. Though his face was hidden under hood, goggles, and cloth his posture was all business as he leaned forward and pulled something out of his coat pocket. “This,†he said, holding up something small and unidentifiable and speaking in an absurd voice, “is cra--“ The film crew cracked up and, when they could get the breath to do so, called cut. The hero leaned back, chuckling and holding up what was now clearly a small, average white rock. “Sorry, sorry,†he apologized, holding up one hand while the other put the stone back in his coat pocket. “We’ve been at it a while...I couldn’t resist!†Aside from some good-natured scowling no one really seemed that put out. The earthmover put his game face back on as the lights went down again (I really hope this is the last take.) and the crew gave him the signal to go. Gaian Knight sat in a chair in a black room, the only thing visible in what could have been a yawning cavern for all the viewer could tell. Though his face was hidden under hood, goggles, and cloth his posture was all business as he leaned forward, hands clasped in front of him. “Everyone,†he said, “has heroes. Most people wish they were heroes; they wish they had that kind of power, to fly, to fight crime, to....†He pulled a little crystal out of his coat, floating it above his hand. “....to make the earth move.†He frowned at the crystal for a moment before letting it drop, catching it in a closed hand as he stood up. “But this isn’t really power, is it?†Shaking his head, he slowly walked to the side, camera turning to follow him. “Anyone can get exposed to a meteor, or find some ancient artifact, or be a little too close to a science lab explosion. But you know what real power is?†He tapped the side of his head. “It’s up here.†The camera stopped following him now, and as he left the screen the background changed to an airport.... “Do you know who can fly? Pilots can.†....to some officers leading handcuffed villains away.... “Do you know who can stop crime? The police.†....to a construction site. “Do you know who can move the earth? A civil engineer.†As the image faded back to black the camera caught up with him again, as he’d apparently walked in a large circle and made it back to his chair. “As cheesy as it sounds, real power - honest to goodness true power - isn’t in a glowing rock or an Atlantean staff or a chemical explosion. Real power is in you, in your mind, and in the limitless potential that mind can give you. And the only way to exercise that power, the only way to make sure that you are the best, the most powerful you can be, is to stay in school. So go to class, pay attention...and be the most powerful thing of them all: your own hero.â€

3rd December, City Hall, Central Freedom City. Public Service Announcement: Radiation is safe! Supercape landed as elegantly as he can in the recording studio, and promptly changed his magnificent blue and white cape into a pristine lab coat. It had become a sort of second costume for him now, with all the work he was doing at the lab, and he was almost as well known for it as he was his traditional cape outfit. His mask remained, as did his blue and white shirt and trousers. His cape had gone, and a pure brilliant white classic lab coat had took its place. It was unnaturally white, as if a hundred washing up powder advertisers had all gone to work on it. He was greeted, rather stiffly, by a middle aged studio executive, a Rodney Riverwood, who gave Supercape a curt handshake and stuffed a script in his hand. "Right then" he started, in a no nonsense manner. "Thanks you all your work with the Lab, you have been volunteer... err... elected that is, by the departments of security, health, and energy, to give a public service announcement to the people of America. " "Don't know why we need a brit like yourself, but from what I understand, you are all radioactive or something, and the public would take it from you best. Can't say you would have been my first choice, but what do I know, I have only been doing this thirty years. " He coughed, not meeting Supercape's eyes. "Anyway, take a look at the script, we roll in 5. I'm sure a bright chap like you can memorise it all, or something. " And with that, Mr. Riverwood strode off. Supercape was rather shocked. He didn't quite know what to make of Mr. Riverwood, other than the obvious conclusion that the man didn't want to be here, and was in a foul mood. He gazed at the script he was given, scanning it quickly. It looked straightforward enough, in that the message was clear. The facts, well, they looked like they had been contorted, bent and distorted enough to only just hold on to the definition of fact - and only if one was feeling generous and wasn't looking too hard. "Just relax, and read of the Autocue" called out RIiverwood, from a megaphone. "And 3...2...1...Action!" Supercape looked around and coughed. Of course, he was fairly used to public speaking. Didn't like it much, but he could delivery an acceptable oratory. In a curious way, talking into a camera was somewhat easier, as he wasn't aware of the multitude of eyes on him, as he would be in a lecture hall. INTRO: RADIATION: WHY IT IS SAFE AND GOOD FOR AMERICA. "Hello. You may know me as the hero Supercape, from Freedom City. You may also know that I am one of the heroes who run the Lab, one of the finest scientific institutes in the world, and home to some of the finest heroes, who work tirelessly ensuring that our fine countries science continues to advance, in a safe, secure, and...err.... family-friendly..... way" "*Ahem*" "You have probably heard, and may be concerned about the nuclear reactors that supply this country with energy. Like the electricity that lights and warms your homes, or even powers the televisual sets you are watching this on friendly laugh.... oh...I mean hahahaha. " "*Ahem*" "I am hear to reassure that radiation is a perfectly...safe...and...harmless...method of producing energy. All the nuclear reactors are fully protected from any assault, with failsafes for every eventuality and round the clock security cut to stock footage...oh..." "But if the worst should happen, and there is a problem, what should you know? Well, radiation comes in all forms. Light, for instance is a radiation, in this case, from a particle called protons. In nuclear reactors, other types of radiation may be emitted. This type of radiation is something you can't see, so remember: even if you can't see it, if you alerted to a radiation hazard, you must emphasis take all precautions. " "If you can, evacuate from the area as soon as possible. Heavy metal lining, such as lead, can help shield you from hazardous radiation. Seek medical attention once it is safe to do so. Decontamination procedures can help. Once in a safe area, remove all clothing and items that may have been exposed to radiation, and if possible, scrub and bathe yourself thoroughly. " "Remember pause radiation is safe, but invisible and dangerous. Hold on, that's straight out of George Orwell's 1984..." "CUT!"