HEROES SQUARE OFF AGAINST HEATHER, THE GOV, AND EACH OTHER

From the Miami Herald:

Karl Manchester, City Beat Correspondent

As Heather crashes on Miami Beach, her 180 mile per hour winds are not the only forces swirling around our emperiled city. Governor Bush and his PTA have drawn a line in the swiftly swirling sand, daring AlertForce and its Iron Knight to come forward to take accountability for their actions, and stand shoulder to shoulder with non-parahuman (read as PTA) rescue and relief workers in efforts to prevent or remedy storm damage and loss of life.

Two very different heroes have responded to this call in very different ways.

In a press statement released this afternoon, Iron Knight responded to Governor Bush's recent call by stating that he will appear and sign on with the PTA, casting his "secret identity" aside in favor of saving lives. He went on to chide the Governor for attempting to make a political statement in the face of impending disaster, promising to put helping people as his highest goal. It remains to be seen what will happen tomorrow morning when Iron Knight faces the Governor's appointed PTA bulldog, Southeast Regional Chairman Gerald "Crash" Rutherford, at the PTA command Center, set up at Southwest 262'd street at Bauer Drive, miles inland from endangered areas.

As public opinion swirls over the desirability of superpowered guardians (and the government's reaction to them), this reporter was able to obtain an exclusive interview with Miami's own Snow Angel, to get her reaction to the situation.

Snow Angel, speaking on condition that her own location and identity be preserved, implied that she will not be registering with the PTA, but noted that she will indeed be at the forefront of storm resistance activities, seeking to use her powers to protect Miami's citizens and infrastructure. She scoffed at peoples' reactions to the controversy, noting that "if there's trouble and a superhero knows it, he's obliged to help. Let's face it, the days of the bat signal are gone, and I dare say Batman wouldn't wait for an invitation to help." Although reference to the Batman might not endear Miami's resident snowflake with city officials, she showed equal disdain for Government's reaction to the offers of help from her colleagues in the parahuman community. "We all know how the government feels about those of us with special powers and I doubt that the threat of a hurricane is going to change their minds." When asked what she thought she could do to help Miami in the face of nature's force, she simply said "I'll do my best and I won't abandon the city."

However the next few days turn out, for good or ill, Miami is not only the scene of impending hurricane winds/ It is also, for now, the epicenter of our ongoing national debate over the proper place of parahumans in our society.