ArchivedLogs:Alison! Episode 428
| Alison! Episode 428 | |
|---|---|
| Dramatis Personae | |
| In Absentia
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2013-09-17 Cage gets his interview. It goes about as expected. |
| Location
<NYC> Alison! Studios | |
The credits roll; a montage of clips of Alison Blaire hosting her show, laughing with guests, doing remotes around the city. All to the familiar, peppy instrumentation of Alison's only top hit 'Dazzled By Your Love'. The camera cuts to a live shot, then, of the Alison! Studio, with its audience cheering wildly as the music swells. The camera pans down, to the center of the modernly furnished set – a square-edged couch in white suede and a blue velvet arm chair sit catty-cornered in the middle, with a low glass coffee table directly in front of them. Behind, the sets are a series of video screens, currently displaying the Alison! Logo. The music shifts, then, as a DJ booth swings in on a wagon, the female DJ spinning her own unique brand of club-style music. Those familiar with the local scene will recognize DJ Spinster as she cranks up the hit that got her noticed. Riding the wagon, hanging onto the side of the booth and smiling widely at her audience is Alison Blaire. Dressed in camel slacks and a blue cowl-necked blouse, the host of the morning show steps forward, light catching on her jewelry and flashing as she waves to the crowd. She murmurs inaudible hellos to those VIPs on the front row before she allows herself to succumb to the rhythms Spinster is pumping out and busts out some dance moves, to the delight of the audience. After a few minutes of dancing, the music fades back, and Alison laughs as she takes her place in the center of the stage, panting lightly and fanning herself. “Whew! I am getting too old to dance that hard!” she chirps, grinning at the audience as they laugh at the idea. “Or maybe I just need to do it more often.” This is a sentiment that the audience can get behind, and they cheer as Alison obliges, doing a couple more moves before waving her hands. “No, enough!” she calls to the crowd, laughing. “We have a really big show to get to, so I can't stay up here dancing all day.” She smiles, running her fingers through her hair, and tugging her blouse back into place. “Hey, have you guys been keeping up on the latest news out of Harlem?” she asks, leading into a ten-minute 'discussion' with the audience about current news topics, and overall reaction to them. “Now, it's no secret that things are tense in the city,” she says as the discussion winds down. “And mutants aren't really getting a fair shake. When we come back, we're going to talk to a...fairly well-known figure around the city, if you keep up with the news. He wants to change that. We're going to hear his story, and find out a little more about his plan to make this city - and maybe the country - a safer place for everyone.” She smiles directly into the camera. “Luke Cage, when we return!”
Luke makes an easy jog out onto stage, surprisingly light on his feet, waving to the crowd, and even shaking some hands on his way. He's dressed in a very expensive, light gray suit, shiny black shoes, and a crisp white shirt with no tie, just undone at the top. Yes, /white/. Yellow looks terrible on TV. After the brief bit of glad handing, Luke joins Alison on stage, offering to shake her hand too. "Thanks so much for having me on the show, Alison. It's good to be here." Alison beams as Luke jogs out, watching his glad-handing with a warm and indulgent smile, hands folded against her chest. When he finally approaches her, she waves off his handshake, offering a warm hug in its stead before she releases him, and indicates the couch. “Thank you for coming, Mister Cage. Or may I call you Luke?” She settles in the armchair, easing back comfortably. “I’ve been meaning to get you on the show since my assistant Anton made me aware of your story.” She smiles. “He’s been a fan of yours since the day you foiled that bank robbery.” She leans forward. “So, let’s talk about your story. We all saw the video piece my producers put together, but tell us in your own words what happened to you.” Cage laughs and walks over to the couch. He eases down into it, crosses ankle over knee, and drapes an arm across the back of the couch, looking very relaxed indeed. “Please call me Luke,” he says, smiling brightly. He holds up his hands at mention of the bank robbery and grins. “Now lemme just say, as the police report stated, the robbers ran into /me/. With their car. ‘Assault with a deadly weapon’ meant I was entitled to defend myself, per New York’s criminal code.” Luke is speaking much more fluidly than he seems to most of the time, and he sends a silent <<thanks>> to Parley, tucked away in the audience somewhere. “But it’s not like I’m out there, chasing down crooks. New Yorkers don’t like vigilantism. Nor should they.” Luke continues to smile affably, and shifts slightly in his seat. “Well sure. And if anyone’s curious, the records of my court case are all a matter of public record. We have links to the documents and court proceedings on the Heroes for Hire website. But the short version, Alison, is this: Luke takes a sip from the glass of water left out for him on the coffee table, and turns to face Alison more in her chair. “Like a lotta young people in this city, I wound up running with the wrong group of kids. We got up to a bunch of stupid stuff, which only got worse as we got older. One day, someone got the bright idea to rob a bank. Dumb as we were, we went for it.” Luke offers a ‘what can you do’ shrug, and continues. “Well, as you’d expect, doing somethin that dumb - it all went wrong. The tragic part of the story is in the midst of our stupidity, the security guard on duty caught a bullet that paralyzed him from the waist down. To make a long story short, bein as big and slow as I am, I was the one got caught. They pinned the whole thing on me, and being the dumb kid that I was, decided to keep the secret of who fired the gun, and who planned the whole thing.” He leans forward and nods at the camera, “And the justice system wasn’t interested in digging any deeper once they had someone nice and neat to put it on.” Luke clears his throat and takes another sip of water. “We can fast-forward thirteen years or so behind bars, and skip to the pivotal point for me. At about the same time the nature of my mutation started to become clear to me, I also learned that my old buddies had played me like the fool I was, and had /planned/ to pin the whole thing on me all along.” Luke sighs and adds, “See, I didn’t plan it, and I didn’t hurt nobody, and that makes a difference in the legal system. You can see all that disclosed in the documents from my trial, when I convinced my old ‘buddies’ to turn themselves in. When it was all said and done though, the courts overturned my sentence, I was exonerated because the original should have been a mistrial with the way they handled me, and they awarded me a cash settlement.” Luke smiles, sips water once more, and sets the glance back down on the table. “I used that money to start up my business. There are a lotta people from my home town - what’s up /HARLEM/ -” Luke pauses for the scattered ‘whooping’ and pumps a fist in the air. “Yeah. And people from all over the N.Y.C. too, who don’t feel like the law treats them fair. That’s where I’ve been able to step in. I follow up on abandoned police investigations, look for new evidence, and interview folks others didn’t want to, or couldn’t talk to. If someone had done that for me, I mighta been able to take part in the last thirteen years. Seriously, ya’ll should see me try to send a text message.” Luke laughs, and just prays the audience laughs with him. None of this works if things turn sour. Alison listens to Cage’s story, her head tilted sympathetically to one side. Her expression is thoughtful as she watches the man, slender fingers twitching on the arm of her chair. “Wow,” she breathes when the man finishes, her eyes widening just a bit. “So, you’ve become the guy you needed. Like, your own hero. That’s very commendable.” This is confirmed by the audience, who applaud heartily, if a bit politely. When the applause dies down, Alison furrows her brow, and taps a finger against the arm of the chair. “I’m curious about something, though. You said your ‘buddies’,” she holds up her fingers to hook them in the air around the word, “set you up. How, then, were you able to convince them to turn themselves in, confined to prison as you were?” Luke offers a slightly embarrassed smile, and looks to the audience for a moment. “Well, that’s another youtube video that went viral when the case was being retried. Someone at the prison leaked the footage. The one of me breaking out of the prison. I’m happy to say I did so without seriously injuring anyone. Ultimately, it was the wrong thing to do of course, and I was only able to do what I did because of my mutation, but I couldn’t see any other way to bring the real criminals to justice. I’m hoping Heroes for Hire will be able to help others from winding up in the position I was in, so they don’t feel stuck, and forced to resort to drastic measures.” “And you know, Alison, that’s really what’s at the root of all the tension surrounding mutants in New York right now. We all have way more in common than we do differences, but when mutants are being accused of things, just because of how they look, and people feel like they can’t trust law enforcement to make the right call, no one feels safe anywhere. New Yorkers wanna know that we apply the law equally for everyone. And, actually Alison, this is part of the reason I agreed to come on the show today.” Luke pauses, just letting that hang out there, while he leans forward to take another sip of water. “That’s really great,” Alison says with a small smile, ruffling her fingers along the edges of her note cards. “I mean, not that you broke out of prison -- I heartily encourage everyone watching to obey the law at all times. Even the ones you don’t agree with.” She looks directly at the camera as she says this, nodding solemnly. “But that sort of takes us back to your point, doesn’t it? That mutants are getting abused by the law, rather than supported and protected by it. And the resulting backlash from that spills over into the rest of the city, and to some extent, the country itself. The real trick is getting the law to work for everyone equally, and breaking down these walls of fear and mistrust.” She leans forward, setting the cards in her lap and resting her chin on the back of her fingers. “What steps would you suggest we take, in that direction?” Luke nods emphatically at the reminder for obeying the law. “I encourage anyone in prison who feels like their case deserves a closer look to get in touch with my office. I did the wrong thing, for a good reason, but it’s always best hold up the rule of law.” Luke smiles that million-watt smile of his. “But like you said, Alison, this city needs to know it can trust the rule of law. Which is why I come to your show tonight with a very exciting announcement. My good friend, Council Member from District 9, Ms. Dickens, has given me permission to talk about her decision to retire after thirty years of civil service. She’s done amazing things for Harlem and Morningside Heights, but she’s ready to spend more time with her grandkids.” Luke smiles and gives some time for the audience to applaud the absent Dickens. “On top of that, if you can believe it, Alison, she’s given me her blessing to run for the position in her place.” Luke grins into the confused silence and nods. “That’s right. To better make sure New York City’s laws are applied equally and fairly, I’m running for the office of Council Member, for District 9. I hope you’ll help me get there, New York. It’s all for you.” Luke’s announcement earns a slow blink of surprise from Alison, despite the bright smile she has affixed firmly to her face. The audience is mixed on the news, with some cheering loudly while others grumble noticeably. It takes a moment for Alison to realize this, and she holds up her hand to still the crowd. “That. Is a very big announcement,” she says, bobbing her head slowly. “I’m not sure that New York has /had/ an open mutant on the city council. Are you finding support for your objective, beyond Ms. Dickens’ approval?” Then she holds up a well-manicured nail, curtailing any answer Luke might have. “Hold on to that thought while we go to break. We’ll be right back, with Luke Cage!”
Turning her attention back to Luke, her expression turns a bit serious. “So, Luke. City Council.” Her eyebrows lift. “There’s a fair number of people who will claim that this is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Yet /another/ way to get your name in the news, and on shows like mine. In fact, there’s a whole section of the internet devoted to this idea.” Her head tips. “I know you’ve explained your reasons for running...a bit. But how do you respond to those people who doubt your motivations and say ‘oh, no, it’s just Luke Cage searching for attention again’?” Luke’s own smile looks a bit strained when the show first returns from commercial. He is not nearly as talented as Alison at putting his media-mask back on, especially considering what was probably whispered during the break. Surprising one’s intended significant other with something of this magnitude, on national television is generally unadvised. Luke does finally manage a recovery, all smiles again by the time Alison tosses him the question. “Well, Alison, that’s a fair question. But my answer is this. New York knows me. /Harlem/ knows me. I don’t have any secrets from this city. Do I love being in the limelight?” Cage offers a broad, sincere grin panning across the audience. “/Sure/ I do. But for all that, I love this city even more. Trust me, I have no illusions about the glamorous position of City Council. Councilwoman Dickens and I had a long conversation about all the long meetings, and ceremonies and everything else that isn’t directly related to policy-making. I don’t want to be your Council Member. I want to make this city a safe place for every New Yorker. /Every/ New Yorker.” “But would it be?” Alison shoots back, her eyebrows hiking even as she levels the question with a smile. “I mean, I commend you for your desire to make this city a safer place -- Lord knows it needs to change for the better. But does it follow that having a lightning rod of controversy on the City Council would result in a safer city? There’s no denying that the things that you and people like the man who saved the mayor’s life do are incredibly important, but they draw amazing amounts of attention to you, as well.” She spreads her hands. “But who’s to say that your being on the City Council /won’t/ lead to /more/ giant bugs attacking government offices? Another Brotherhood attack?” Alison holds up her hands as the audience begins to murmur uncomfortably. “Just to be clear, folks. I don’t necessarily think that these things /will/ happen. I’m just using past events as examples. We have to look at everything from all sides, to make intelligent decisions.” That’s followed by a bright, comforting smile for her audience that fades into something more serious as she turns back to Cage, the question still in her eyes. “Again, another great question.” Luke takes a deep breath and seems almost sad for a moment. “But it’s my understanding, Alison, that New Yorkers don’t stand for getting pushed around by a few radicals, of any persuasion. They don’t stand for getting bullied, and they don’t back away from something just because the terrorists might flare up. If we do that, then really, the crazies have already won. When the rule of law applies equally and fairly to everyone in this city, things will get easier all around. People are retaliating against real injustices. That doesn’t make it right, but their pain is real. A government needs people from every walk of life. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us that. Harvey Milk taught us that.” Luke holds up his hands, forestalling the questions of presumption. “I /know/ I’m not even close to being either of these great men. But I /am/ the outed mutant here today, ready to stand up for justice in New York.” Alison nods along with Cage as he speaks, her brow knitting slightly as she considers his response. “It’s a nice thought that New Yorkers are above getting manipulated by the radicals, but the reality is something else entirely, isn’t it?” She spreads her hands, gesturing with the note cards. “The current atmosphere in the city is sort of indicative of that. You never know when or where things will go south in a hurry.” Her lips curl in a small, sad smile. “Even with the lessons of Msrs King and Milk, you’ve got a tough row to hoe.” “<BLEEP>! <BLEEP>in’ <BLEEP>!” The raised voice from the audience belongs to a red-faced man, on his feet since Cage started his response. It seems like he’s determined to give the censor’s fingers a cramp. “<BLEEP>in’ mutie <BLEEP>s! Usin’ the words of a <BLEEP> and a <BLEEP>ot to make folks think that <BLEEP>in’ mutants are <BLEEP>in’ people!” He turns, then, and JERKS the fancy folding chair he was seated on up, whirling to focus anger-filled eyes on the stage. “<BLEEP>in’ mutie-lovin’ <BLEEP>!” Then the chair is airborne as the audience erupts into chaos. The camera catches an image of Alison being sandwiched between Cage and the massive, annoyed-looking form of Mel before the image snaps to an Alison title card with a cartoon of Alison tangled in electrical cables that reads “TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES -- SO SORRY!” | |
