Rinus couldn’t find the chance to get an interview with the army. When he tried to approach, he was brutally pushed away by the guards because he wasn’t carrying an ID card from a news station. “I am also a reporter. How can you deny my entry!” He shouted back to the tough-looking guy standing in front of him.

“Beat it! If you don’t have permission, you can’t enter.” A soldier pushed him back.

He sulkily returned home and sat on his computer. He watched the video he captured and realized he didn’t comment while he was shooting.

“I will just dub it.” He said to himself and started to work on it.

This was his ticket to return to his glorious days. He wasn’t going to waste it. He was going to earn his reporter card and throw it at that soldier’s face.

He worked on the video and used his ability to best show off the teen fighting against the attackers. But then he thought, “If I want to climb the stairs fast, I need sensational news. Who would watch news showing usual things? All the channels will show the interview anyways. I should do something different. ” Then he started to dub again and used the lights to prove his points. When it was done, he nodded to his successful work.

He opened the most famous video site on the UniNet, UniTube, and uploaded his video. He titled it “Hospital Attack! Why you shouldn’t play the hero! Our new hero #The Marooner!”

At first, he wanted to showcase the teen’s courage and how he saved the hospital from attackers but realized it wouldn’t be the most effective way. He decided to take the opposite action. He played the video once again.

On it, his voice sounded. “As you can see the flying shuttle is speeding towards the entrance of the hospital. But all the government facilities are protected by barriers. Even in case of a crash, barriers would prevent the shuttle from entering, but the teen playing hero tries to stop the shuttle from speeding towards him. Look at the poor guy, he is bleeding, and from the sound, you can guess he must have broken most of his bones. Serves him right.

Look how he threw the shuttle to the parking lot. Look at the blast. He caused many cars at the parking lot to explode. If he didn’t intervene at all, none of these would happen.

Look at him still standing up and fighting with his puny power. Look how he is dancing with death. Why so stupid? Why risk your puny life if you are weak?

Why wait so long to use your superpower if you have one? Hit from the shuttle melted your brain, or it shook so hard it fell to your ass?”

Rinus liked the way he pictured the hero as a stupid child, to be in control of the public. He liked the feeling of ruining someone.

“Now you pushed them to the edge, and they are creating something bigger. If you were to stand away, the security would stop them anyway. Why be a busybody?

And now you are running away? You caused all this ruckus, and now you turn tail and run? The Marooner, a pirate hero, runs away after causing trouble, becoming a fugitive.”

When the army arrived, Rinus showed them incompetent as well. He still had reservations against them, but he wouldn’t forgive their rude rejection of his interview. He would pay them back with this video. He was going to use them as his steppingstone.

“This is the army we are feeding with our taxes. Look how late they are. Look at the person at the forefront. Traitor Cross!

He jumps out of the flying car as if he is so cool. And detonates the bomb the attackers charged. Is this the way of the army? No questioning but only executing? Where are the human rights? Can't the army apprehend them without blowing them up?”

The video ended with three more loops where Malcolm Cross jumped on the attackers and blew them up with his name on display in a giant font.

Rinus patted himself on his back and went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee for himself. He returned ten minutes later, and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The video he uploaded was clicked millions of times... Hundreds of comments flooded the comment section.

“Maroon Teen, you are my lucky star. Hehe.” He started to answer comments.

“You are an asshole! The kid saved the hospital and fought with his blood and sweat! How could you!”

“He only made it more complicated. The hospital would be safer without his intervention. He caused a ruckus and blew up the parking lot.” Rinus answered.

“How can you defame the military?! Without their efforts we would be monster food or walking dead poop. You f#cking degenerate sh#tt!”

“Let me guess, a military person? I know the military is the reason we live in peace, but it doesn’t mean all of them are worth our respect!” Rinus answered one after another.

“Malcolm Cross is the hero of Unity! He stopped the RIOT! THE F#CKING RIOT!”

“You cannot dish on the military. You should publicly apologize!”

“OP has some points though. You shouldn’t play a hero if you don’t have power and risk more people with your actions.”

“Yes. Also humanity’s sacred right of living cannot be broken. Malcolm Cross shouldn’t have killed them to save some.”

“What happened to the laws? How can people act on a whim?”

Comments were raining on the video. Rinus knew that the public was against him, but still, his video was getting more and more viewers. Few comments were supporting him, but he didn’t care. He was getting more and more views every second. Before an hour ended, his video got more than 10,000,000 clicks.

“Who needs a stupid news channel anyway? I will have my own channel here at UniTube.”