A Judge’s Verdict : Melissa Blackwood aka Topper

Read :	Week Twelve Recap	Digger Verdict
	Harlem Hammer Verdict	Topper Verdict
Coming up :	Peregrine Verdict

A Judge’s Verdict: Melissa Blackwood aka Topper

I’m not exactly sure why I even agreed to be a judge on American Hero. I’d never even seen a reality television show when the producers approached me. But I knew Peregrine and respected her. She’s had to balance the triple threat of being a victim of the Wild Card, being a great beauty, and being a woman. It makes it very hard to be taken seriously. Knowing Peregrine helped me make the decision, but really what decided it for me was the kids.

When my card turned I was nineteen years old. It was the trauma of a car wreck while I was at college  that triggered the virus, and ended my dreams of a brilliant career in ballet. So, now I was an ex-ballarina and an ace, and the world doesn’t offer you a lot of guidance. In fact, no guidance.

 

I bounced from career to career — SCARE agent, private detective after I got sick of government work. I finally opened my own firm working for one of Jokertown’s foremost defense attorneys. And now American Hero.

There is a point to all this personal history. Here it is. Aces have enormous power and no support system. There are no schools for precocious demi-gods, no guidance counselors. No heroes to look up to — they either die like Fortunato, or worse, just disappear like Dr.Tachyon. We don’t teach them how to use their powers, or how to be heroes, whatever that means.

Do I know what it means to be a hero? Not really, no. We’ve never had the discussion. We all just kept on being the people we were before we got infected with the wild card.

So, when Peregrine approached me and told me the title of the show I was intrigued. I thought we had a real chance here.

Of course it turned out to be fool’s gold. because beneath all the tinsel of Hollywood we found — more tinsel. Yet despite our best efforts to trivialize this process some of the kids didn’t let it happen. They began the conversation.

What do I mean by that? Well, think about it. We brought together a large group of aces and joker/aces. They got to know each other, and some of them went beyond who was sleeping with who, and who played the metagame better, and who was a prick. They began to have those discussions about heroism. They considered that maybe they were supposed to do more with these powers then just get a date or make money. That the universe might demand that they use these powers responsibly.

And some of them went over to Egypt and defended people who were powerless and despised. It started with a game show that was the very definition of fake. It ended with lives saved and lives lost, and it doesn’t get any more real than that.

This isn’t what you want? You want me to talk about how Digger Downs is a prick, and the Harlem Hammer is clueless? Sorry, not going to play that game.

Okay, I’ll give you this much. Because this is Hollywood I think a lot of woman got picked because they were pretty, and not because they had a kick ass power. Curveball, Earth Witch and Bubbles had potent abilities, and Gardener could have her uses in select circumstances... but a girl who turns into a diamond? A girl who can float like dandelion fluff? A girl who can go really fast on roller skates? Please. These aren’t powers, they’re conversation starters.

Digger accuses me of playing gender politics. Maybe I did go easier on them, because I felt sorry for many of them. They shouldn’t have been invited to the dance. Many of them were no more than deuces. After what those kids did in Egypt I think we’ve got to think a lot more seriously about the kind of people we recruit. They can make a difference, so we ought to pick the best and train them to the best of our abilities.

I know I keep coming back to Egypt, but that’s what matters. Why should anybody care if I think the right person “won."

But okay, I’ll answer the question. I’ll tell you who “won.” Curveball, Earth Witch, Bubbles, Rustbelt, Drummer Boy, Holy Roller, Simoon, King Cobalt, John Fortune, Bugsy, Hardhat, and all the Egyptian jokers who fought alongside the aces, they were the winners. They won a chance to make their lives meaningful.

That’s a prize worth having.

Comments

[QueenOfSpades]

Do you think you could start a school for people? I mean I may end up just a deuce who can pick exactly the correct color for your bedroom.. but I could still use some training and knowing to use my power to better others.

Anyway. Thanks for that.. it makes up for all the crap going on.

[BookWyrm]

I have to agree with you, Topper, the ones that went over to Egypt to make a difference ARE the real winners. Does that make me a 'loser', staying behind & looking after my own community? I don't know.

From what I understand, Dr. Tachyon went back to his homeworld to fix some mess that was happeneing there. He did have that living spaceship, from when he landed here back in the 1940's, so I don't know if he'll be back in my lifetime. All I know about him is news films.

As far as educating wildcarders in their abilities, are you thinking 'specialty' schools, where they get a standard education plus learning how to use their abilities, no matter what they are? The problem with that is, nobody wants to fund it. Not the public education system, not private schools, not anyone. Which is a sad state of affairs, IMHO. I grew up without the wild card virus in my system, and when I went to school, there wern't any in the system who had it. They were usually either shuttled off to a private tutor or home-schooled. It was only in the early 1980's that some of the schools out here did a joint pilot program that included those with 'emotional difficulties' (i.e, retarded or problem kids), but that didn't last. Somehow a few that I did know actually got an equal or slightly better education, thanks to endless hours of watching PBS & educational specials.

Sorry, got on a rant there.

[Radio Free Alicia]

This is Radio Free Alicia. It's over; the Divine Horseman is dead. Repeat, the Divine Horseman is dead. We are currently restoring order in Al Junaynah. Three of our number are dead, ten are wounded, and Catalhoyuk... we don't know what's with Cat right now.

We'd sent a handful of scouts out earlier to trigger the Divine Horseman's "raid" state -- send in a hundred horsemen so that we'd guarantee he'd be limited to as few as possible when we attacked. Most of them made it back, and eventually the horsemen faded. Then we took to the streets and positioned ourselves on rooftops and started firing on as many horsemen as we could find. But none of them were the real one -- and then the hordes came again. He'd managed to rest up and restore himself in FIVE MINUTES.

That's when Cat did... I still don't know what the hell he did. He told me his powers worked by "psychic footprint", that he drew strength from the heavy psychic traffic through cities, and that maybe that power could go the other way. He did... something to the city. The lights in all the buildings started flickering on and off, the ground started to shake, and his voice came over the loudspeakers used to call people to prayers.

And then... the horsemen started vanishing. Just fading out of existence. Like something else was canceling them out. Cat was using the whole city as a weapon. Soon, all the horsemen were gone, and then all the lights in the city went out... except for the ones on one floor of a civic office. We barged in, and there was the Divine Horseman. He'd killed himself rather than face us.

We've done what we can to try to restore facilities to the city, but we've also sent out a call to the local UN representative to send in some Peacekeepers. We've also sent a call for an evac. Cat... after what he did last night, he went into a coma. We can't figure out whether or not he's brain dead -- none of us have enough telepathy to go that deep, nor the medical equipment to figure it out here. He's still breathing unaided, though, so that might be a good sign. Right now, though, we want to get him to the Jokertown Clinic. Hopefully someone there will be able to tell us what the hell happened to him.

We never made it to Egypt, but we've done a lot here. It's not enough, of course; it's probably going to be a while until this whole thing quiets down, even with the Caliph dead and Aziz in the Hague. Some of us will be going home with Cat. I'm not one of 'em. I'm going to see what I can do in the next few months. If anyone wants to join me... I'll be here.

[BookWyrm]

All I can wish you is good fortune in your efforts, Alicia.

[QueenOfSpades]

Thanks for getting that dealt with RFA! I know its a lot to ask but any word on my uncle? He's a 7 foot tall Lizard with a tail...

[Radio Free Alicia]

Eddie, right? Eddie's fine, Queen. He got a few scratches on the offensive against the Horseman, but he's good otherwise. He's gonna catch the next helicopter back to the states.

[BookWyrm]

Thanks, RFA. I haven't met Eddie or his family yet, but I'm glad he's OK.

[QueenOfSpades]

WOW!!!! That's fantastic news! We are so happy! WOW!!! I don't know what else to say.