Chapter 236

Alexander allowed himself to be ushered down the palace hallway.

Talia and Jasmine flanked him on either side, while Carmen and Gabriel brought up the rear, cutting off his escape.

He scowled. “What do you mean I have to give an interview?”

Gabriel chuckled.

“This opportunity is too good to pass up, Alex,” Talia said. “The Global Truth News Network’s viewership is escalating exponentially. They covered the files and recordings we released, front to back, no censorship.” She gripped his arm and guided him into turning right, down another hallway. “They were recording when Dubai returned, and right now the people want to hear from the Machine God and the Dragon Lord.”

Alexander huffed. “So? You can’t just roll me out on stage. I’m a supervillain! And I’m about to go kill some people!”

Up and down the hallway, heads turned. But when the palace staff got a good look at him, they went back to their business.

That stung. Somehow they’d become numb to his presence.

“The interview goes live in seven minutes, Mr. Rooke,” Jasmine said. “It will take ten minutes, tops. And then you can be on your way to do… something I didn’t hear.”

Alexander glared over his shoulder. “So why are you two here?”

Gabriel met his gaze with a smile. “I thought it would be fun.”

“I thought we were meant to be friends,” Alexander growled.

Gabriel nodded. “Best friends.”

“And I’m here to make sure the news correspondent’s intentions are above board,” Carmen said. “Talia assured me they’ve been nothing but supportive of Grimnir and Throne, but Gabe thought it best we double-checked.”

“Because you would be extra annoyed if it turned out the lady set you up,” Gabriel added. “For anything serious, at least.”

“I’m going to be extra annoyed if Santiago gets away!”

“Ryan is already aboard with the rest of the crew,” Carmen said. “The ship was shut down when we all traveled to Dubai for the injections, so it’s being cold-started anyway. That takes time, and then the Chief needs to run diagnostics and make sure everything is in the green. You’re not losing any time.”

Alexander frowned. “Oh. Well, good then.” He glanced at Talia. “Do you at least have a list of questions or something so I can prepare myself?”

“No. It will go better if you just be yourself.”

“But I’m someone who improvs. I’m going to say something stupid, even I know that.”

Talia made a face. “Since when do you care about that?”

Alexander shrugged. “Since now, I guess.”

Jasmine guided him down another hallway, and through a pair of open double-doors.

The room was small by palace standards, which meant it was still bigger than his old apartment. A sofa and an armchair had been arranged at one end, angled toward each other beneath an array of lights, reflectors, and cameras. Small tables with bottled water flanked both seats. The rest of the room’s furniture had been shoved against the walls to make space for the small army of people rushing between equipment cases, monitors, and cable runs.

Alexander snorted.

Maximilian sat in a chair near the far wall, positioned in front of a makeup mirror ringed with lights. One woman was running a comb through his hair with the focused intensity of a surgeon. Another was applying something to his jawline with a small brush, tilting his chin with two fingers while he sat there looking like he’d done this a thousand times.

Because he probably had.

Before Alexander could open his mouth, a young woman appeared in front of him. She looked him up and down in under a second, clicked her tongue, and shook her head.

“No, no. This won’t do.” She reached up and turned his head to the side with her fingertips, examining him. “When was the last time you conditioned this? And what is this supposed to be?” She gestured at his jaw. “Is it a beard? Stubble? A cry for help?”

Alexander blinked. “I—”

She was already inspecting his suit.

The black one, with a white shirt, casually worn. He was ready for battle. With Santiago, not a news reporter!

Her eyes narrowed. She ran a thumb along the lapel, checked the shoulder seam, then leaned back and pursed her lips.

“The clothes are acceptable.” She grabbed his arm and started pulling. “Come with me. Quickly. We don’t have much time to make you look less like you and more like a real supervillain.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“I am a real supervillain!”

***

Alexander sat on the sofa beside Maximilian and silently acknowledged that he’d been expertly played.

The interview had started exactly when Jasmine said it would. Except the first ten minutes had been dedicated to the Sheikha eloquently answering questions, reassuring the world that Dubai was home again, and that efforts were already underway to return the people left behind under the domes of Mars.

An interlude had followed. Footage of the attack at the conference, followed by short clips of attacks around the world, while a voiceover recapped events.

Only now was it their turn.

Across from them, a woman sat in the armchair, legs crossed, swiping through a tablet. She hadn’t looked at them once since they’d sat down. Her attention was entirely on whatever she was reading, one finger scrolling with rapid flicks.

Alexander leaned closer to Maximilian. “This is all your fault.”

The Dragon Lord raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“You ambushed me with the whole Compact thing, and then I got trapped into signing it. I want a refund.”

“That’s unfortunate, Rooke. There’s no clause in the contract for that.”

“We’re live in ten!” someone called from behind the cameras.

A production assistant rushed over and plucked the tablet from Priya’s hands. She let it go without protest, straightening in her seat and adjusting the collar of her blazer.

Alexander glanced past the cameras. Cash, Raelene, and Julia had joined Talia, Carmen, and Gabriel near the back wall. They were chatting quietly among themselves. Julia caught him looking and offered a small smile. He winked. She rolled her eyes.

The cameraman held up a hand. Five fingers. Four. Then he started mouthing the count. Three. Two. One. His hand made a sharp chopping motion.

The lights shifted. Priya’s face transformed, intense focus replaced by a warm, confident smile.

“Welcome back to GTNN’s continuing coverage. I’m Priya Sharma. If you’re just joining us, we just finished a wonderful conversation with Sheikha Khalida Al-Hashara about Dubai’s remarkable return and the road ahead for the Emirates.” A beat. Her smile widened. “But I know what you’re really here for.”

She turned to face them.

“I am thrilled to introduce two very special guests. Two men who need absolutely no introduction, but I’m going to give them one anyway.” She gestured with an open hand. “The Dragon Lord and the Machine God themselves. Maximilian de Castillo and Alexander Rooke.”

A clap track played.

Alexander’s eye twitched.

Beside him, Maximilian offered the camera a composed nod, as if pre-recorded applause was a perfectly normal part of his day.

It probably was.

Priya leaned forward slightly. “Thank you both so much for taking the time to sit down with us. I know the past few days have been, well, extraordinary doesn’t quite cover it.”

Maximilian inclined his head. “Thank you for having us, Miss Sharma. We appreciate GTNN’s commitment to covering these events with integrity.”

Alexander nodded. “Happy to be here.”

Priya’s smile flickered with amusement. “I have to be honest with you both. I was watching the press conference live, along with most of the world. And when you revealed the truth about AEGIS, about the Prophecy of Eight, about what’s coming…” She shook her head. “I don’t think shocked quite covers it.”

“People deserve to know the truth,” Alexander said. “They deserve to have time to prepare, to look out for their loved ones, and fight for their right to live.”

“We can all agree on that. And we’re going to circle back to the press conference during the next segment.” Priya paused. “But right now I think I speak for everyone watching when I say there’s one particular truth that matters more than anything else right now.” She looked between them. “The man known to the world as Executor Jacobs, revealed to be the Vampire of Panama. The being some have called the Lost Prophet.” She paused. “Is he truly dead?”

Silence. Even the production crew were holding their breath.

Maximilian took a breath. “Yes. Together, Alexander and I were able to defeat the Lost Prophet on Mars. He is no longer a threat to anyone.”

Priya exhaled. She pressed a hand to her chest and looked into the camera. “For everyone watching at home, you heard it here. The Lost Prophet is dead.” She held the moment, then turned back to them. “I won’t pretend that doesn’t mean a great deal to me personally. Like many others, I experienced the vampire attacks firsthand. I’m only here today because I was lucky enough to have a superhero come to my aid.”

She straightened. “Which brings me to what I think is the most important question going forward. The Compact. Can you tell us what it is in practical terms? What is the Compact actually doing to protect people?”

Maximilian crossed his legs and interlocked his fingers. “The Compact is a formal alliance between six of the largest guilds on Earth. Our primary focus is preparation. Each member guild is contributing in the ways best suited to their strengths. Some of our members are actively defending against gateway invasions. Others are working with local communities to organize response networks and stockpile resources. And as the world just witnessed, we’ve been developing habitable infrastructure on Mars for emergency evacuations.”

“That’s an enormous undertaking,” Priya said. “How long has this been in the works?”

Maximilian glanced at Alexander. “I’ll be honest, Miss Sharma. When the framework was originally presented, it was a bit more wishful thinking than operational planning. However, during the arbitration negotiations with Grimnir, we were able to refine the details into something much more practical.” He smiled. “The full scope of our efforts will be available on the Compact’s website when it launches in the coming days. I’d also be happy to discuss it in greater detail after the break.” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“I’ll hold you to that,” Priya said. She turned to Alexander. “And seeing as we only have the enigmatic Machine God for another minute or two…” A grin spread across her face. “I think it’s time we get a little personal.”

Alexander grinned. “Uh oh. I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

Priya tapped something on the arm of her chair. A photo appeared on the monitor behind her. “Both of your guilds were in Dubai a couple of weeks ago for the arbitration. And while you were there, a fan happened to catch this beautiful moment.”

Alexander looked up at the screen. A photo of him and Julia walking arm in arm into one of Dubai’s entertainment venues.

He remembered that night.

Priya’s eyebrows rose. “So, are you and Julia Delvane, the Ice Queen of the Throne of Scales, an item?”

“We are.”

A gasp drew his attention to the back of the room. Julia had both hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide.

Oops.

Alexander’s grin faded. He turned back to Priya. “I don’t suppose we can cut that?”

Priya shook her head. “I’m afraid not, Mr. Rooke. We’re live.” She leaned in. “Why?”

Alexander laughed. “Because I’m going to be in so much trouble. We hadn’t told Julia’s mother we were back together yet.”

Priya’s eyes lit up. “Oh no. That’s not good.”

He’d realized far too late. The woman seated across from them was also a villain.

“No. It really isn’t.”