Knocking back a long swig of soda, PowerGainz clacked the aluminum can against his desk and burped with his mouth closed, wiping the back of his hand on his mouth.

  “What is going on, guys? If you’re just tuning in, we’re at the commercial break in the middle of the Hammerton City Mayoral debate. This is actually the first time the city of Hammerton has had a debate for mayor, not to mention broadcasting one. But, as you can tell by the fact that we have commercials, the Hammerton News Network offered to run it to get that sweet ad revenue and all the candidates agreed to represent.”

  Holding back another belch, PowerGainz leaned toward his second monitor, scanning the stream of comments coming in through chat.

  “‘Your lighting is weird?’ Yeah, I’m still getting used to streaming, I’m still more of a ViewCuber. But after watching a few of Dawson’s HUE streams, I thought it would be pretty cool to test out myself. If you have any tips, I’m open to them, chat.”

  Popping a pretzel in his mouth, he scanned some more.

  “‘Timaria Burr is cooking these geezers?’ Yeah, she’s definitely got the strongest answers from what we’re seeing. Like, she has all her policies laid out for any of the answers, where the other two are more for attacking. And let’s not ignore that it can be an effective strategy to attack others. Especially when it’s a contentious time, sometimes people are looking for the strong man to back up. But I don’t think any of them look particularly weak, even if they’re sniping at one another.”

  Another comment he squinted at.

  “I don’t wanna keep going over this, but since we’re on a commercial break. ‘What makes you qualified to run political analysis?’ Nothing, dude! Any of you can run ‘political analysis.’ It’s more just a feel of how you think their claims are gonna play out in the public. I’m not making a career of watching politicians, I’m just watching this debate with all of you ‘cause it’s way better than watching alone.

  “And I admit I don’t have a great read on the public, but I’m locked in on the Awakening. I’m Hammerton born and bred, and I even figured out how to Awaken myself. Link to that trick on my website. So anything to do with the Awakened city feels like it’s in my experience set. And you obviously don’t have to agree with me, I’m just one voice.”

  Tapping fingers lightly on his keyboard to drum some sound, he read another comment aloud.

  “‘What makes you qualified to…’ Chat, I literally just answered that. Mods, ban that guy, I think he’s messing with me. Yeah, shut up chat, I know he might have joined in the last few seconds, but I also don’t wanna see the same stupid questions all night.”

  As his moderators handled the few trolls posting the same question to incite a reaction, the monitor displaying the debate finally stopped running ads and returned to a camera panning down on Timaria Burr, Don Crede, and Weldon Steel behind their respective podiums.

  Each podium was bare except for the HNN logo emblazoned at the top, and each candidate wore their expected outfits. Steele and Crede in perfect suits, and Burr in denim. At this point, her clothes were growing on Powergainz, weird as they still appeared to him. Each of them had a lapel pin, barely visible in the wide shots, but clear when the individual was answering a question.

  Don Crede had a dove. Steele had a ‘Lightcrown Lives’ icon. And Timaria Burr wore one of her own “We Will Rebuild” pins.

  The moderator, an old man with a full head of gray hair, looked seriously at the camera as it panned to him. Waiting for a cue from the director, he cleared his throat and spoke professionally into the camera.

  “Welcome back. You’re tuned in to Hammerton News Network’s coverage of the mayoral debate with Timaria Burr, Don Crede, and Weldon Steele, the frontrunners to replace the outgoing Mayor Sugar. Our next question is a hotly contested subject. Miss Burr, this next question is for you. After the We Will Rebuild campaign, you’ve suggested that you’ll run an ‘Empowered Citizen Licensing Act.’ A voluntary register to get a strong sense of Awakened demographics in exchange for legal protections. Many critics call this na?ve to trust the Awakened to follow the honor system when we’ve already seen them burning down blocks. How would you respond to that?”

  Miss Burr folded her hands on the podium, looking poised and natural in the camera view.

  “We can never expect to have any stability without trust. Right now, my critics want to act on fear, but we can’t police people’s potential, only action. If someone has committed a crime, then I think we should take every legal action to apprehend and confine them, but someone manifesting the Awakening is not a threat to our society at large, and should receive the same respect as any of our other residents.”

  “You’re gambling with safety,” Weldon Steele cut in. “Powers are not just potential, they’ve proven themselves to be weapons.”

  “Weapons are always tied to the wielder, and I don’t see the people of Hammerton as threats.” Timaria Burr said calmly.

  “Let’s not pretend that we haven’t witnessed atrocities across this city, Silent Scream included,” Don Crede knocked on his podium lightly as he made the point.

  “The Silent Scream has nothing to do with the current Awakening!” Burr insisted.

  “Oh please,” Don Crede rolled his eyes. “Everyone in Hammerton knows Lightcrown…”

  “Excuse me, but we should be moving on.” The moderator said, reading the next question from his prompter. “Mr. Steele, while still a nebulous plan, you’ve suggested something almost the opposite of Burr’s proposal with a ‘Containment Initiative’ that would grant special authority to detain powered individuals even before they’ve committed a crime. Many would call that a trampling of rights.”

  “I would claim the spontaneous combustion of a schoolyard is a much more egregious shredding of our rights to safety.”

  “You gonna arrest the kids too? That schoolyard accident was caused by a ten year old,” Don Crede mentioned, leaning over his podium to smile smugly.

  “Every situation will of course be case-by-case, as we need to measure the nature of an Awakening before taking action.”

  “Why the nature of the ‘Awakening’ and not the nature of the person? You’re suggesting that just because someone has power then they should be guilty until proven innocent.” Timaria Burr said.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  Steele looked unfazed. “I’m suggesting that we’ve seen buildings crumble and innocents maimed at the onset of powers that people don’t know how to control. Even the most well-meaning man is at a loss when his arms become unwieldy superweapons.”

  The audience murmured in several overlapping opinions. Powergainz leaned back in his seat, tapping his soda can thoughtfully.

  “I kinda see it both ways, to be honest, chat. I don’t want my neighbor to suddenly start sweating bleach and for him to be left alone. That’ll get to everyone in my complex eventually.”

  He leaned into the screen. “That’s a good point, chat. ‘You’re only talking this way because you have the privilege of having powers that you can control.’ I mean, yeah. If someone was like me, I don’t think they’d be a danger to anyone. Oh shut up, chat, I know what the slippery slope fallacy is.”

  “Mr. Crede, I want to pass the next question to you,” the moderator continued. “In recent polls, over sixty five percent of the people of Hammerton fear living near Awakened individuals. What would you do to rebuild trust?”

  “Bigger homes. Thicker walls,” Don Crede said. “Wooden homes are a thing of the past, we gotta put up a buncha concrete bunkers. All over. Even in parks, with the gazebo things.”

  “I think the We Will Rebuild Campaign addresses this question very clearly,” Timaria Burr said. “We need education and integration after we—”

  “And shelters too. We should put up some underground shelters. Made of concrete,” Don Crede said, speaking as soon as the point came to mind.

  “Mr. Crede, allow Miss Burr to finish.”

  “Right, right.”

  “We don’t need curfews and fear campaigns.” Timaria Burr said firmly.

  “We don’t have fear campaigns and people are already scared. Over 65 percent is more significant than brushing it under the rug and pretending it’s not a problem.” Steele said coldly.

  “I’m tackling it head on!”

  “Maybe we can also get some kevlar for citizens,” Don Crede added, speaking to the air above him.

  Powergainz laughed. “I don’t know what Crede’s on, but I honestly like him.”

  Several laughing emojis passed in chat, with a few questions added.

  “Nah, I wouldn’t vote for him, but he doesn’t seem like he’s out to kill me like Steele and feels a lot easier to get along with than Burr. Just something about him. I mean, he wouldn’t be my first pick, but I could be convinced to vote for him.”

  “The next question comes from our live audience feed, presented by Hammerton News Network. ‘Will the city subsidize anti-teleportation locks for private bathrooms?’ Miss Burr, go ahead.”

  “I’m… not sure I understand the nature of the question. But whatever means are necessary to maintain privacy will be planned and considered.” Miss Burr answered.

  “I wouldn’t waste city resources on anything that isn’t provably an issue,” Steele replied curtly.

  “Eh. Pass,” Don Crede waved his hand in front of him as though swatting away the question.

  “Pass?” the moderator repeated.

  “Yeah. Next question.”

  The moderator cleared his throat uncertainly. “In that case, my next question then will be for you Mr. Crede. All three of you have significant investments in industries tied to what can be described as ‘powered labor.’ How do you separate policy from profit?”

  Don Crede polished his bird pin on his chest confidently. “I don’t run Crede Construction anymore for that reason. Not going to put anyone on the line, and I told the next CEO to do everything above board. My opponents are going to give you prebaked answers like they have ‘ethics committees’ or how ‘humans are more than their powers.’ But they’re like me, but worse. If their place blows up, it’s a tax write-off first, then a tragedy second. I, at least, put someone in charge so I’m completely separated from operations and won’t have policies that are conflicts of interest.”

  “Miss Burr?” the moderator ventured.

  “We have an extensive ethics committee and transparency prepared for the outcome of my being mayor.”

  “Mister Steele?”

  “The employees at the Steele Mill have every right afforded to them as people of this great city. They’re people first, with powers tacked on.”

  Don Crede laughed loudly, knocking on his podium.

  “He clocked them,” Powergainz said, chuckling along with him. “I don’t even think Steele answered the question.”

  “And our last question tonight. If an uncontrolled, unprecedented Awakened event broke out in Excava, what would be your first action as mayor? Think in terms of the blackout we’re still recovering from, and how you might have acted in the same situation. Mister Steele?”

  “Lockdown,” Steele said, his body as hard and stonelike as the word. “Anyone out of place gets cuffed and anyone outside gets rushed to safety. Our hospitals were already overflowing that night, and we’re not risking emergency services taking more pressure in dire times. I can promise the people of Hammerton that unlike my opponents, I won’t be soft on supercrime.”

  “Mister Crede?”

  “Depends on who’s looking funny,” Crede said, scratching his chin. “Lots of weird stuff happening these days, I don’t think it’s fair to shoot first and ask questions later. In fact, my first act would be to get on the scene to act with as much information as possible.”

  “In person? Even if there was danger present?” the moderator prodded.

  “Of course.”

  “And Miss Burr?”

  “Evacuation, containment, and communication. People were desperate to know what was happening during the blackout, and I would do everything in my power to keep the people secure in their homes and their minds while I got the situation under control. It’s not a lot different than what we would expect to happen if an unAwakened violent crime occurred. We don’t hunt down everyone ‘out of place’ or ‘funny,’” she leaned into the phrase, throwing a sidelong glance at the other two. “We assess and act accordingly, informing the public the best way to stay safe.”

  The camera put full focus on the moderator. “Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes tonight’s debate. Three visions for a city reshaped by power. One future… still uncertain. Polls will open soon, but tonight it’s clear that no matter how divided we may feel, we share one city, one home, and one future worth fighting for. Good night.”

  The camera panned over the three candidates. Don Crede winked as it passed over him. Steele and Burr didn’t react to it at all.

  “Bro, these guys look like they’re in a warzone!” Powergainz said, pointing to his monitor. “That was a good debate. I was all over the place between answers, but I’m seriously considering voting for Burr. She just talks in a way that feels like there’s at least some hint of compassion behind it all. Crede isn’t heartless, but I seriously can’t tell if he’s trolling or totally off his rocker. And Steele will just send a bunch of government goons to beat up anyone glowing.”

  His chat was flooding, and he glanced through them with what little capacity he could offer when it streamed by so quickly. Nodding along with a few sentiments, Powergainz leaned forward in his chair.

  “Yeah, it’s still anyone’s game. Timaria Burr is the frontrunner, and I think she’s running the clearest campaign, but that doesn’t really mean she’s a definite winner. Plus, polling ahead of votes get things wrong all the time, we can’t take them as truth.”

  Powergainz squinted at the screen, frowning.

  “Why are you all calling me a fencesitter? I said I’ll probably vote for Burr! Just because I say something is up in the air doesn’t mean I…”

  More comments brought him pause.

  “Okay, yeah, I said that one policy from Steele made sense to me, that doesn’t mean I’m a fencesitter. I can respectfully disagree with him on other points.”

  His frown curled deeper.

  “All right, ‘nat-intelligence-system,’ you can’t just no one should vote for any of them, that’s really unproductive. In fact, I’m gonna ban you just for trying to get people uninvolved in the political race when it’s this important.”

  Clicking around, Powergainz furled from disappointment to confusion.

  “Why can’t I ban you? What the heck is a NIS Protocol?”