I stood from my seat. It was another aggressive power move, like using the aura had been. It got attention, and it threatened. Swansong stood from her chair too, moving oddly as the projection failed to transition between two poses perfectly. From grace to glitch and back to grace.

Capricorn, meanwhile, leaned forward, not quite standing, his hands out, urging the hosts to stay seated. The look he gave me was worried. Only Gary stood, backing away, almost afraid.

In the background, some people were leaving their seats, filing out through the door. Only five or six, but a camera swiveled a hundred and eighty degrees, focusing on their departure. Footage for the show, no doubt.

I had the stage, for better or worse.

“You wanted to get real, Lynn?” I asked.

“That was our intention. It sounds threatening when you say it like that.”

“That was never my intention. It was always my goal to share information, to inform. I taught with the Patrol block, I joined this team to teach and counsel, and I wanted—want Breakthrough to be about sharing information and informing, among hero teams.”

“Among hero teams? I notice you don’t mention the civilian heroes, like police,” Gary said. He hadn’t sat down again or approached his chair. He looked like he could bolt at any moment. That nervousness communicated itself to the audience.

“They’ve got their hands full,” I said. “If they want information, I’ll gladly give it to them, but I’m not going to put more on their plate just yet. Give us a week or three to iron out the wrinkles and get organized. That way, any of the issues that come up with any new venture don’t become their issues.”

“How generous of you,” Gary said.

I didn’t dignify that with an answer. I looked at the hosts who were still seated. “Real?”

“It still sounds threatening,” Lynn said.

“Do you know where powers come from, Lynn?”

John answered, not Lynn. “We know where you say they come from. Scion. The story about what he is and where he comes from has come up here and there, but it been from people who sound like crackpots, it sounds even more crackpot on its own, and the credible people have been silent.”

“Are you saying I’m not one of the credible people?”

“We’ll definitely have to look into it and verify with outside sources, to make sure you aren’t giving us a tall tale as a distraction,” he replied, measuring out his response with a care that would ensure that anyone who could put one and one together would know he was saying ‘yes’.