"Right, Francesca. Always a pleasure."
The executive then strides out the door—no doubt on her way to a more important meeting. So you walk toward the front desk alone, thinking that you'd much rather be out there saving real helicopter crashes than testing fake ones. But hey, at least it pays the bills.
Though not very well, you think as you accept a deposit for $100 at the front desk.
Adding this amount to your bank account brings you to a grand total of $2100. Not exactly rolling in dough, are you?
Next
You push all thoughts of money from your mind as you exit into the bustling streets of Millennia City. Nestled on America's west coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Millennia City is the shining beacon of twenty-second-century progress—not to mention the city you've called home for your entire life.
You step into the crowd next to a woman whose skin is covered in fishy scales, each one reflecting a different color. You suppose this might surprise some people, but not you. NYC has finance, LA has entertainment, and DC has politics, but MC has heroes—it's the Powered capitol of the country.
A fact you're reminded of as a sonic boom pulses through the air. You look up to see twin blondes rocketing across the sky, a cloud of smoke left in their wake. You sigh, knowing that you belong up there with the Legends instead of down here with the masses.
These days, one out of every three people is born with Powered abilities and pretty much every one of them wants to be a hero. Especially now that Powered Heroes have eclipsed movie stars and music icons to set the standard for A-list celebrity.
You'd also love to be flying home right now, considering that you have the Power to fly. However, after one too many gruesome midair collisions, the Department for the Regulation of Powered Resources (DRPR) designated the skies for government-licensed travelers only.
So flying is definitely off-limits for you…but do you let that stop you?
Why on earth would you take the Metro-Way when you could be careening through the air, cutting your trip to a fraction of the time? Sure, the cost of transportation has grown insanely cheap since the Bigsur Fusion Plant was constructed and the economist Maria Prisco calculated the cure for inflation. But that doesn't stop the Metro-Way from taking forever during rush hour.
Even though it would be very bad to get caught flying illegally, you've been soaring around MC ever since you could crawl-fly, so you know all the best routes to keep yourself hidden from view. Stepping into a deserted alley, you leap into the air and tense your muscles to kick-start your flight Powers.
Most people think flying feels like floating, but you know it really feels more like swimming—it takes a lot of muscle control and endurance. Luckily, you've been training for years, the way a runner trains for a marathon, so you can fly today without much trouble. You pull upward, feeling gravity work with you instead of against you.
Keeping close to the cover of the rooftops, you begin to weave your way home, cruising in and out of clearings with missile precision.
And when a helicopter buzzes its way through the sky above you, you can't help but smile.
Five Minutes Later