"Holy sh*t."
Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he looks down at a holo-copy of today's Hoshi Orbit. At first he was pissed that H-Chip Aphrodite woke him up with an alert, but now he's glad she did. Because he has to keep his jaw from hitting the floor as he read.
BLACK MAGIC'S TWISTED TALE
The superfamous Hoshi City hero and Hero Project Finalist draws her Power from the lifeforce of the disabled!
Travis mind immediately flashes to that room, the one with those people and that golden vat and the smell. He has to bring his hand up to his mouth, just thinking about it.
He scans the holo-article and has no idea where to even begin.
How did this secret come out now, of all times?
Flipping through the rest of the holo-paper, he looks for reports about yesterday's botched Mission and Phobus's escape, but it doesn't seem to be featured anywhere. Could the producers really have been that successful at keeping wraps on the high profile Mission until it airs on Wednesday? Travis suppose he were on a deserted island in the Big Sur wasteland, but still, it was a pretty major operation….
Emotions pour over him as he consider the magnitude of this article. He tries to sort through the thoughts clanging around in his head long enough to settle on one, he already miss Black Magic. And he want to be there for her, now more than ever.
Travis thought-commanded his H-Chip Aphrodite to call Black Magic—he want to see how she is doing, even if she broke up with him. Maybe all of this will help Black Magic put the important things in perspective and realize how important he is to—
Black Magic answers on the first ring, her holographic image not even looking at the screen.
"I can't believe it took—"
But Black Magic freezes the second she turns to see it's Travis and not whoever else she was expecting to call. Without skipping a beat, she hangs up in his face.
Black Magic clearly intends to make this breakup stick—though that doesn't necessarily mean he have to stop trying.
Still, despite his best efforts, he can't help someone who doesn't want it in the first place.
Just as this thought settles, the door to his room swings open and GG rolls in.
"Up and at 'em, George McAdams! You've been asleep for ages! Look, Null has already been awake and mingling for hours. There's much to be done!"
"But I thought we were supposed to have today off?" Travis groan, pulling up his covers.
"You do—which is why you need to use it to get in some quality Finalist bonding time! After yesterday's egregious misfire, Rexford wants us to focus Wednesday's episode on all the juicy Finalist drama."
"Where is Black Magic?" Travis asks, reaching for his hoodie.
"At a meeting with her team, prepping for a press conference. I really was a big fan of Blackie, but this…well it's quite the scandal, no? Anyway, you'll have plenty of time for all that later—Rexford has mandated that you get some time with your little showmance partners later tonight, given this week's vote."
"Come again?" Travis ask, not quite sure what that means.
"Silly goose! Black Magic, Asrid, Lucky, and Bearcat are eligible for the vote this week," GG says. "Which means that you'll probably have to vote to send either Black Magic or Lucky packing."
Sh*t.
He was so exhausted last night, he didn't even think of the vote.
"Anyway, you have all week until Thursday's live vote show to make up your mind," GG says. "But right now The Crush has requested a brunch with you. And you're going. So get dressed. See you downstairs in forty-five minutes!"
With that, GG rolls back out the door, not even giving Travis a chance to weigh in on this brunch. And forty-five minutes? He's not sure he could process everything that has happened this morning if he had all day, let alone forty-five minutes. Not to mention prepare for a meal with one of the world's most terrifying Powered individuals ever….
But the show must go on, he suppose.
One hour later....
Travis is sitting in an outdoor garden, a pleasant breeze against his face. This seems like the first minute he had to sit and enjoy himself since the competition started. It feels so good just to breathe for a moment, to soak in this much-needed break.
He's the only one on the patio, since the production staff cleared out this restaurant so he could film his brunch here. He has been waiting for The Crush for a few minutes, but he doesn't mind—the quiet feels lovely.
Especially after the ride over here—as he gazed out of the Transport window, Hoshi City seemed to take on a different quality. The streets looked the same, but everything just felt different—like it was all somehow crisper.
And then when he arrived at the restaurant, he was rushed by screaming fans and camera flashes. He has no idea if the producers planted them there or not, but he do know that it felt so good.
He also caught a glimpse of a holo-billboard while he was crossing downtown, which featured all of The Hero Project Finalists with a tagline underneath their heroic poses.
Inherit: The Icon
For better or worse, that label is certainly true. As the public face of The Meek, Inherit is revered as an inspirational figure by some. Others are quick to call him the spokesperson for one of the scariest political movements in recent history, or even worse, the mascot for a cult.
However Inherit is viewed, there's no denying that he was one of the biggest stars already going into The Hero Project. His Legend status almost rivals that of Rebellion's, so having him on the show has obviously contributed to the venture's legitimacy.
And Inherit has been living up to the hype—he's been the clear frontrunner, with consistently high Leaderboard scores and an undefeated winning streak, so far.
He didn't have time to go through every Finalist, so he saved the billboard taglines to his H-Chip to review whenever you want.
Looking through all of these, The Hero Project certainly has a good variety of story-lines and hero types, plus a healthy mix of existing supercelebrities and rising stars. It seems The Hero Project doesn't just want to find stars—they want to make them, too.
Taking all that into consideration, his own tagline seems rather fitting.
Gravitate: The Fighter
"Thanks for making me a fighter!" H-Chip Aphrodite says, punching the air with rhinestone-covered boxing gloves.
Travis smiled at Aphrodite's enthusiasm, knowing that wasn't the only label he were assigned. After all of the strategy decisions he has been making, he were also pegged as an undefined character.
He has been acting as a kind of chameleon in the competition, adapting his strategy to the needs of the moment by employing a few different strategy types.
Although he may have lost out on a potential Legend boost, having an undefined strategy gives him the freedom to maneuver in the competition however he think is best.
And for better or worse, this Strategy Type has been locked in for the rest of the competition—it's too late to turn back now.
Additionally, he was featured prominently in last week's episodes—between the Team divide over how to act during the Phobus Mission and his swing vote status between the warring alliances, he was at the center of the competition's biggest story-lines.
He knows all the Finalists have become instant national superstars—but he also knows how quickly star power like that can fade, so he try not to let himself take it for granted. Still, he thinks back to those general auditions all those months ago and he isn't't quite sure how he outlasted thousands of heroes to be here today.
So for the first time since he entered The Hero Project, he allowed himself to think about what it will be like if he actually wins—all of his dreams would really be coming true.
"Sorry for the wait, there were some unexpected delays," The Crush says, his voice smooth and calm. But Travis notice the remnants of some eggshells on the shoulder of his costume and the smell of stain-remover. It's no secret that The Crush isn't a fan favorite, but still…
"It's fine, I was enjoying having a few minutes to myself, actually."
"Yes, that does seem to be a rather foreign concept these days," The Crush says, folding his napkin neatly in his lap. "Though to be truthful, I've had enough quiet moments to last a lifetime."
Travis look at The Crush and his amber eyes are blazing. He has such an intense presence, such a graceful way about him, it's…unsettling. Especially knowing what he has done.
"I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now." Travis say.
"There's much to say," The Crush starts. "But let us start with something to eat. I'm starving."
With the wave of The Crush's hand, a young waitress approaches to take the order. But before Travis even says anything, he can see that her hand is shaking so badly, she won't be able to write anything down.
"Perhaps you could have someone else take our order?" The Crush says, giving the girl the excuse she needs to get away as fast as possible.
"Do you ever get used to that?" Travis ask, almost feeling bad. Besides, he knows what it's like to be vilified after everything that happened with Veta, Tarana Rain, Karla, and the Death Wave.
"This is the bed I made for myself," The Crush sighs. "But the answer is no."