- Oct 16, 2011
- 814
The studio was a hive of activity as the time to the broadcast ticked down, stagehands and makeup artists fighting their way past each other while the wired-in host paced up and down, breathing heavily and occasionally demanding water. In just a few minutes, the superheroes of Triarii would officially be revealed to TV screens all across America, the audience even now waiting with baited breath. Cameras tracked across the stage, their operators checking and rechecking them. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong today.
Just out of shot, the main attraction were being roused from their soporific boredom by a cloud of stylists and costumiers, who fussed over them like mothers on their child's first day at school, fixing a crease in an outfit here, a bit of smudged eyeliner there. Finally, after an aggressively whispered argument, they were driven away by a woman with flame-dyed hair beneath her headset and a clipboard, who ushered the heroes into a queue, ready to reveal themselves.
'Alright guys, how you feeling?' She had the forced, brittle cheeriness of one trying to hide nervousness, which did not seem to be dampened by the non-committal grunts she got in reply.
'Now remember, when you go on is the first time the public are gonna see you, so make sure you impress them! Just do something flashy with your powers, we don't care what so long as you don't break the studio. Or kill anyone!' She laughed, a high, false giggle that stopped at once when the director glared at her. 'Just something flashy.' she repeated, a little quieter this time.
'T minus one minute, places, people!' shouted a young man with a cartilage piercing and a vaguely effeminate manner. The chaos suddenly intensified as everyone scrambled to get away from the stage, while the woman with the clipboard prodded the heroes forward to the taped-off border of the shot.
'Thirty seconds!' The stage was suddenly barren, the host in the very centre with his eyes downcast, his face tranquil.
'Live in ten!' The host's head snapped up, a winning smile forming on his face, scanning the autocue to avoid being caught out.
'Live in three, two,' the man mouthed the 'one' before bringing his hand sharply down. The cameras were rolling.
'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight is what you've all been waiting for. The moment that Triarii reveals the heroes it recruited to fight superpowered crime here in New Alburg. They are powerful. They are just. They are the last, best hope, not just for New Alburg, but for the whole of America, the only way to truly ensure we can walk the streets in safety again...'
'You're up. You ready?' The flame-haired woman put a reassuring hand on the hero's arm.
'So, without further ado, let us welcome...' The man squinted for a moment at the name of the first superhero. It wouldn't do to mispronounce it.
Just out of shot, the main attraction were being roused from their soporific boredom by a cloud of stylists and costumiers, who fussed over them like mothers on their child's first day at school, fixing a crease in an outfit here, a bit of smudged eyeliner there. Finally, after an aggressively whispered argument, they were driven away by a woman with flame-dyed hair beneath her headset and a clipboard, who ushered the heroes into a queue, ready to reveal themselves.
'Alright guys, how you feeling?' She had the forced, brittle cheeriness of one trying to hide nervousness, which did not seem to be dampened by the non-committal grunts she got in reply.
'Now remember, when you go on is the first time the public are gonna see you, so make sure you impress them! Just do something flashy with your powers, we don't care what so long as you don't break the studio. Or kill anyone!' She laughed, a high, false giggle that stopped at once when the director glared at her. 'Just something flashy.' she repeated, a little quieter this time.
'T minus one minute, places, people!' shouted a young man with a cartilage piercing and a vaguely effeminate manner. The chaos suddenly intensified as everyone scrambled to get away from the stage, while the woman with the clipboard prodded the heroes forward to the taped-off border of the shot.
'Thirty seconds!' The stage was suddenly barren, the host in the very centre with his eyes downcast, his face tranquil.
'Live in ten!' The host's head snapped up, a winning smile forming on his face, scanning the autocue to avoid being caught out.
'Live in three, two,' the man mouthed the 'one' before bringing his hand sharply down. The cameras were rolling.
'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight is what you've all been waiting for. The moment that Triarii reveals the heroes it recruited to fight superpowered crime here in New Alburg. They are powerful. They are just. They are the last, best hope, not just for New Alburg, but for the whole of America, the only way to truly ensure we can walk the streets in safety again...'
'You're up. You ready?' The flame-haired woman put a reassuring hand on the hero's arm.
'So, without further ado, let us welcome...' The man squinted for a moment at the name of the first superhero. It wouldn't do to mispronounce it.