Chapter 43 – Journalists, Junk Punches, and a PR Catastrophe
Location: Dominion Ring – Southern Platform
Date: December 11, 2008
Time: 2:20 PM
A drone zipped past Adam's head, barely missing his temple.
"That's the third one this morning," he muttered, dodging another. "At this point, I'm pretty sure they're not surveillance—they're target practice."
Nyxara ducked under a spinning drone and kicked it midair. It exploded into glitter and a tiny hologram of a laughing face.
"Cute," she said dryly. "But what are these?"
Adam tapped a rune node. "They're—wait."
The hologram rebooted.
[VANITY STREAM NETWORK – LIVE – CHRISTINE EVERHART REPORTING]
Adam's eye twitched. "Oh no."
Meanwhile – Earth, Manhattan
Christine Everhart sat in a high-rise apartment turned conspiracy lab. Red string, glowing monitors, and coffee mugs with slogans like 'Journalism is Legalized Snoopery' surrounded her.
On-screen was an aerial clip of Adam floating over the mana sea like a smug anime protagonist.
Her assistant peered over her shoulder. "Are you sure this isn't CGI?"
Christine zoomed in. "That sarcasm posture is real. I've seen it in Stark before."
"...You're chasing another ego-drunk genius, aren't you?"
Christine grinned. "I never stopped."
Back – Dominion Ring
Jessica stomped into the hallway with mana-fruit juice dripping from her hair.
"I punched a mango and it teleported into my face."
Adam blinked. "Wait… how does that—?"
"Magic, apparently," she deadpanned. "And I think someone's spying on us."
Frank walked in holding a strange orb. "Found this in the orchard. It says 'Property of Vanity Fair.'"
Adam facepalmed. "I forgot Everhart's the nosiest journalist on Earth."
"She's already broadcasting," Nyxara said, floating a feed over the table.
Onscreen: "BREAKING: Floating Fortress Led by Mysterious Sarcasm-Mage"
"Okay," Adam muttered. "We need damage control."
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Emotional Spike Detected – Public Embarrassment / Conflicted Pride / Journalistic Trauma Anticipation]
[Skill Fragment Gained: Media Manipulation (2%) → Doubled to 4%]
[System Currency Gained: +2,000]
"Frank," Adam said, turning. "You wrote press releases for the military, right?"
Frank didn't look up from reloading his mana-blade shotgun. "Yup."
"You're hired."
"I didn't apply."
Adam handed him a crystal quill. "You did now."
Later – Tower War Room
Christine's drone hovered silently as Adam addressed it directly.
"Ms. Everhart, I understand you have questions. So do I. For example: how did you find a cloaked pocket dimension floating above a mana sea guarded by sarcastic fruit?"
A voice replied from the drone speaker. "You left your magical Wi-Fi open. Never underestimate journalism."
Adam blinked. "We have magic Wi-Fi?"
Nyxara nodded. "I named the network 'NotASuspiciousFortress.'"
"…Unhelpful."
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Emotional Spike Detected – Facepalm-Induced Despair / Organizational Breakdown / Existential PR Crisis]
[Skill Fragment Gained: Strategic Cover-Up (1%) → Doubled to 2%]
[System Currency Gained: +1,000]
"Fine," Adam said. "Let her in. Let's see what she wants."
Ten minutes later, a shimmering portal opened… and Christine stepped out in sleek black boots, a floating recorder orb beside her, and the attitude of someone already writing the exposé.
Jessica tilted her head. "You're braver than you look."
Christine smiled. "I've interviewed Stark while he was hungover. Nothing scares me anymore."
Conference Room – Later
"Let me get this straight," Christine said, holding a glowing notepad. "You have a soul-binding loyalty system, a magic tree that produces sarcastic fruit, and a floating reality-warping base guarded by veterans, ex-bouncers, and traumatized superwomen?"
Adam leaned back in his chair. "Don't forget the talking bananas."
A fruit nearby snorted.
"Okay," Christine said. "I'll admit—it's weirdly impressive."
"Just write the truth," Adam said. "We're building something new. Somewhere safe."
She stood, closed the notepad, and tapped her ring. "Then make sure it stays that way."
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Emotional Spike Detected – Unexpected Mutual Respect / Reputation Risk / Controlled Exposure]
[Skill Fragment Gained: Truth Framing (2%) → Doubled to 4%]
[System Currency Gained: +2,500]
As she walked toward the exit portal, Adam handed her a Dominion sub-ring.
"I'm not giving this to manipulate you," he said. "I'm giving it because if you ever need a safe place to stand, I'd rather it be here."
Christine took the ring, looked at it for a long moment… then pocketed it.
"No interviews off the record."
"Noted," Adam replied. "Except for banana warfare."
"Oh that's definitely going in the article."
End of Chapter 43