Ron Hughes Interviews Briare Thorne
Ron turns on the tape recorder in his had briefly to record some notes before joining Briare in the cafe.
"Assignment: Interview Briare Thorne, young hero working for Tony Kord field testing new devices
Deadline: June 9, 2004"
He walks in and sits at his normal table in the corner of the cafe, orders two coffee's and waits for Briare to arrive.
"Well, she's punctual, I'll give her that much," he thinks, glancing down at his watch. The exchange a few pleasantries before settling down to the business of the interview. His reporter trained eye notes that while she doesn't seem nervous, especially for one who has probably never been in the spotlight like this before, she does seem guarded.
They talk for a time about the developments Tony has made recently, though not in such detail that when the papers fall into the wrong hands anything will be revealed. When Ron feels he has enough to write his column, he works around to finding out the real reason he wanted this interview.
“So how did you get to be a super-hero, Briare? If you don’t mind sharing your story, that is.”
He watches as her look turns inward.
Briare hesitated for a moment, unsure of both herself and her answer. She was sitting in a small café sipping a coffee and being interviewed by Ron Hughes for the Paragon Science Journal, both things that just a few weeks ago she never even dreamed she would ever do. Pausing for a moment, she considered his question.
It wasn’t so much that she minded sharing how she got to where she was now. Its just that most people didn’t want to think about the sort of person Briare was before she was Briare. Most people didn’t really want to know someone who came from where Briare did, much less actually think of them as a super hero now. But she had to answer Ron’s question. She owed both he and Tony that much.
She’d been working with Tony Kord for about two weeks now, field testing new devices that he and the other researchers came up with. The things she had learned about computers and other mechanical devices in those two weeks often made her head feel like it would burst, and yet it was only the “tip of the iceberg,” as her father used to say.
“I suppose to answer that question, I have to go back to before I was even born. You see, I was born in one of the most poverty stricken areas of Paragon City in 1978. My mother was heavily addicted to cocaine and my father was a member of a gang, one that I believe now calls themselves the “Skulls”. My father was rarely around, though, and as a young girl I idolized him more than saw him for what he really was. It was my mother who I hated, despised from the day I was born. I was a tool for her, nothing more. I learned since coming into my powers just how much a tool I really was.”
“To pay for her drug addiction, my mother sold herself to scientists who were studying and developing superadine and other new technologies. They never told her what it was, of course. They just gave her money in exchange for her participation in experiments. I was the result of one of those experiments. I still have not found the whole story of what my mother did to me before I was born. I just found records she’d kept when I returned home after escaping from the Rikti controlled neighborhood I’d lived in after running away.”
“You lived in a Rikti neighborhood,” his question startled Briare out of the semi-tranced state that she had been in.
“Yes, I did. For almost 8 months, actually. See, as soon as I was able, I ran away from my mother. I figured living on the streets was better than living with a woman who daily would call me a “freak of nature”, or worse. I was a disappointment to her, you see. She was to be paid large sums of money for me. Well, would have anyway, if I had developed the powers I have now earlier in life. The scientists thought that my mother hadn’t fulfilled her promise when I was born seemingly without special powers. And as I grew up, they only became more and more sure of that. To prove her loyalty to them, my mother participated in more and more dangerous and potentially lethal experiments. I went back to the house we’d lived together in about a year ago. She was gone, but everything else was the same. I found a box filled with notes from the scientists she’d worked for. That is how I pieced together as much as I did.”
“So you are a mutant, I suppose you’d have to say. I guess they all were wrong about you after all. But why did your powers show up now when they didn’t for so many years?”
Briare’s eyes unfocused for a moment, her mind traveling back through memories she wished daily she could erase. With a shudder, she suppressed the images that played through her mind. This was the part of her story that she was better off keeping to herself. Locking down the emotions which poured to the surface of her heart, she met Ron’s eyes and hoped that he would forgive her the lie she was about to tell.
“I suppose it I just needed longer to grow up than most. Or perhaps something she gave me suppressed them without her realizing it. I’m not really sure. I just see the energy lines now, can tap into it in a way I never could before. And I have to use that to stop the crimes that go on daily in our streets. I lived there for too long, I know too much about how it is to try to hide from the gangs and not become a part of their evil, to not try and help as much as I am able. That’s why I agreed to help Tony when Antonio suggested I talk to him.”
Ron nods his head in understanding. “Thank you, Briare. Very much. You’ll of course be able to see and approve the article before it is printed, as per our agreement. I want you to be able to continue to do what you do. We’ll be careful of your identity, I promise. I’ll be in touch.”
As they shook hands, Briare felt a small piece of paper press into her palm. Another tip, she knew without even reading it. Ron was proving to be a very reliable contact indeed. Tucking the paper into a hidden pocket of her costume, Briare rose and headed off to face whatever danger was in store for her that day.
A bit of OOC follow-up for those I haven't met yet in game...
Briare Thorne is a blaster specializing in energy and devices. She's currently lvl 12, looking forward to lvl 14 so she can fly.
I am very much a "newbie" to CoH, though I am trying to learn more and more each day. I'm not great at tactics, but I try to follow the advice of others as best I can. I've learned much about gaming in general, and CoH from Code Fenris and Queen Bee. I met them and some others I know who are in Project Rebirth while playing DAoC.
I haven't been in a true roleplaying guild since my EQ days, but when I did I loved every moment of it. I have gotten lazy with staying in character while in game, but I would enjoy the challenge, both of building the character, and interacting with others in character. More of a follower than a leader, I often take stories that start in game and build them for my own character, as I've done with the story above. Its my "creative weakness".
I have followed the boards here for a while now, and look forward to meeting people who's names I have seen here in Paragon. Thank you for considering me as a member of Project Rebirth.
The applicant's interview, part one
Briare tried to hide her nervousness, holding her trembling hands close to her side, forcing herself to relax her shoulders. Her mental “pep talk” ran through her mind once again while she waited at the Steel Canyon tram station.
“Everything went just fine with Lolly,” the speech began. “She seemed to like you. You are a super-hero now, not only worth while, but important. Your powers do good for the world, and you can control them. They’ll see that. They’ll know that.” She wiped her sweaty palms and took a deep breath just as North Wind came down the ramp in front of her.
A part of her was grateful for the surprise attack from the 5th Column soldiers she’d just finished fighting off. It gave her something to talk about until Thundergirl arrived. The two heroines shook hands and chatted about recent events until North Wind’s partner arrived.
Thundergirl was everything Briare remembered her to be. Fun-loving, self-assured, pretty but not super-model beautiful, she was everything a super-hero-in training like Briare hoped people would someday say she was. Her costume was perfect, and there was an air about her that said she could handle anything anyone threw at her. Over the next few hours, Briare would learn just how true that was.
When Thundergirl asked if Briare would mind having another applicant join them, her heart flip flopped in her chest. The other applicant was Meiyen, and Briare couldn’t be happier. She knew that together the two of them were a powerful team. That Meiyen would only help to make Briare look better, covering Briare’s mistakes without even letting anyone else notice. “This isn’t going to be as stressful as I thought,” she mentally told herself. With Meiyen on the team, Briare could relax more than just a bit.
While they waited for Meiyen to join them, Briare told Thundergirl and North Wind about some of the recent suspects she’d gotten from her contacts. They discussed the possibility of Hellions having moved into Outcast territory in Steel Canyon, but as no one else had heard any such rumors, and some of Briare’s other friends had been out scouting most of the afternoon, the three decided that the rumors were false, meant to put them off the trail of true Hellion activity.
Meiyen arrived just as Briare was telling Thundergirl about the artifact that the pair had retrieved from a Hellion warehouse the previous evening. As soon as Thundergirl and North Wind heard that Atsegine had been taken captive that morning, the team knew what the priority was. All agreed that rescuing Atsegine had to come first.
The team made their way to the warehouse and Briare took point. The Hellions hid around the corner showing much more restraint than usual, so that when Meiyen and the others came in, all were caught off guard by the surprise attack. They were quickly arrested, however, and the heroes began making their way into the warehouse looking for clues. About 30 Hellions in all were arrested, and Atsegine was rescued without injury. She felt she could use her own powers to fly back to MAGI now that she could get out of the warehouse, but before leaving did tell Briare and the others that the Hellions were working with the Outcasts, who had mentioned another group who called themselves Warriors. The Robe of Cold Comfort that Atsegine had crafted was just one of many minor magical artifacts that the Warriors were responsible for transporting into Paragon City in recent weeks. The Hellion leader had a list of a few other items that he and his gang were guarding in warehouses around Paragon City. Briare took this note, along with what she’d discovered from Atsegine, back to Willy Starbuck.
Thundergirl then told them of a message she’d received about the hijacking of a chemical truck by Vahzilok in King’s Row. Though none of the heroes were happy with the prospect of searching the sewer they holed up in, or with the general smell of Vahzilok, but all agreed that heroes can’t pick and choose where they are needed, and a few less Vahzilok in the world would be a good thing.
So with noses held, they traveled deep into the sewer system of King’s Row and recovered the stolen chemicals. Defeating the Vahzilok proved easy for the four women, and soon they were off for showers and a change of clothing. They all agreed that North Wind was the true hero of the evening, however, because though she was as exhausted as the rest, she was off to work for the night in the local clinic. Briare felt almost guilty as she made her way home for a shower, but on the way she found herself confronted by a large group from the 5th Column bent on taking her hostage. After subduing them all and waiting for the local law enforcement to arrive and cart them off to prison, she hauled her very bruised body home for a long soak and a good night’s sleep.
Tomorrow would be another day and finding out more about what the various gangs which called Paragon City “home” would just have to wait.
Black Atom Project Captain
Posts: 133
(6/12/04 9:49 am) Reply
Interview
Just wanted to drop a line and say how much I enjoyed reading your story! Great job!
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