They'll get back to her on that.

Hey industry contacts and research tools. How much of a reputation does one Rhonda Vue have for playing nice and abiding by terms and conditions?

Netlink's agent isn't even going to mention it to him, per standing instructions, depending on the results.

Rhonda is a metaphorical gardener.  She's big about getting in-depth interview with espers, and she sets them up over time.  She typically will re-interview espers, perhaps once or twice a year.  She's been on the esper beat for about fourteen years, and the last time she was even slightly pushy during an interview was in the wake of the Middlesex Incident seven years ago.

Okay.

They include it in a packet of updates for Netlink. As a Task on his Taskboard, his preferred method of interacting with the agency. (A bit odd, but she's seen odder. She sort of understands where he's coming from- It's familiar, it's job-like, it's an impersonal internet portal of things which is not alarming, to a certain kind of person. One of the recurring tasks on the board is 'rest break' and another is 'backlash check-in'.)

Interview offer with a reporter, Rhonda Vue, who has a good reputation, at his convenience. Recommended only if he has a particular story he wants to tell or things he wants to highlight to the public, or to fill in a gap in his schedule when he would otherwise be waiting to deploy to a dungeon. Lowest priority.

...Okay, sure. He's a little annoyed at everyone freaking out over the big names and not the constant grind of little ones. So if there's a good time after going "on-shift" tomorrow, when Meghan is busy and he isn't backlashed yet, they may as well do that.

Hello Rhonda, we are reaching back to you regarding Netlink......

......Likely between 10AM-12PM tomorrow at the following address, depending on Confluence related scheduling needs......

......No cameras, if Netlink says 'no comment' to a question please strike the question entirely and don't print 'no comment', Netlink is under considerable stress due to the confluence and his relatively young career...

......Netlink would prefer to focus on the issue of smaller, non-named dungeons in the interview. We will keep you updated if anything changes.

Well, shit.  Do they not know how interviewing for TV works?  Ugh.  Well, this is an investment in the future.  If she does a good job, maybe she'll get something useful next year.  She can work with this, and maybe they can source video from the dungeons they discuss to use as visual backdrop for the interview. 

Rhonda would like to clarify whether or not audio is permissible and would also like to note for the record that she is willing to delete sections of tape deemed unacceptable to the esper in question at any point before airtime.  In one case, her IT guy had to take down their website for forty minutes, as the esper making the requesthad gotten cold feet twenty minutes before the go-live date.

Oh. There seems to have been an internal communication. Netlink apparently believed it was a print interview. He's not willing to go on video or have his voice recorded for public release without a voice obscurer at this time. Sorry for the misunderstanding, we completely understand if you want to cancel entirely, but we do hold our clients' wishes and best interests first.

Are they serious argh.  No, this is salvageable.  He's psychic 5, psychic sensor 4, she doesn't have anything scheduled that day anyway, it's better than the default action which is interview someone about how much they hate different flavors of sand.

No, that's entirely doable!  We're entirely willing to conduct a print-only interview if that's what Netlink prefers.

She'll figure out how to turn this into something usable later.

(His agent agrees that this is frustrating! But they are doing their damndest to avoid displaying any kind of social awkwardness or politics at Netlink, or to set burdensome expectations that he might just blithely go along with and never think to object to. These emails, texts, and task descriptions each have serious thought put into them, to strip them of most personality and render them into bland, neutral corporate speak. Which is apparently what he wants.)

Okay, see you tomorrow.

(He realizes, later, after looking up 'Rhonda Vue', that she's a video creator, and worries for at least an hour that he's wasting her time with his conditions. But, well, she could just cancel!! So. Yeah.)

(Meghan's already gone home, and he's supposed to be relaxing. He buys a new video game and tries to forget about the interview.)

At 10:07 AM the following morning, Netlink enters the conference room, wearing business casual and a big nametag that says 'ESPER - NETLINK'. There are snack trays and drinks laid out, even though it's just him, a Maple intern sent in with some generic excuse about procedure who will be a neutral background fact unless he needs to nudge Netlink out, and Rhonda and anyone she brings.

No, this is fine.  Rhonda will in fact be bringing a transcriptionist who works in shorthand.  She'd thought the profession had died out, but apparently there are a few diehards out there for sensitive meetings.  She smiles at Netlink.  "Good afternoon, Netlink.  I'm Rhonda, Rhonda Vue.  It's good to meet you!"  If he looks like he'll go for a shake, she'll shake right back.  But he's a baby new esper and she'd really rather not spook the poor boy young man.

He'll - hesitate, half suspecting that she's secretly an esper and bracing for it - and shake.

"Hello. Um, yes. I know it's strange but I want to stay... Er, I mean, I want to reserve the possibility of becoming invisible. Metaphorically. Anonymous in public. I could never handle being as recognizable as, um, Skybreaker."

"Most of us aren't!  Being a public figure isn't all that bad, but it's definitely a change.  And at this point in your career, it makes sense to be careful about disclosure.  It's hard to put the toothpaste back in the bottle, after all."

"Well, what people consider bad depends on the person, right? ...Can you not record the, uh, next thing I say? It's, um. Partial explanation?"

The transcriptionist sets down their pen and lays both hands flat on the table.

"You don't owe me any explanations, Netlink.  If you want to explain of your own recognizance, I'll happily accept it.  And we don't have any active recording devices today, aside from Aubrey."  She gives Aubrey a little grin.

Technically she has an old-fashioned tape recorder in her pocket, but the batteries are in a separate pocket.  Just in case Netlink would like to have the only copy for his records.  But it's not active, so.

Also phones don't count, since they're not actively recording.

"So. The main reason I am being so - fastidious - is that my,"

With a look of sudden panic, the 'intern' sent in with Netlink interrupts, "-Excuse me! Netlink, I would- Recommend you not discuss anything with a member of the media that you're not willing to potentially have made public, as a general policy, absent other considerations. What is said cannot be unsaid. Nothing against you, miss Vue. Sorry for interrupting."

"-Ah. Fu-udge. You're right. Um. Okay, disregard that whole thing? I guess?"

God, should he just run away now? This was a mistake. He's going to lose sleep over it and that's... Such a waste of potential sensing time.

"No, you're absolutely correct.  I'd like to think of myself as trustworthy, of course, but in general, telling someone in the media is telling the public, but with more steps."  She smiles reassuringly at him and maybe wants to pat his hand, poor kid.  "Nothing's ruined, you don't have to worry."  But I bet he will anyway.

"-I'm betting I'm going to have to deal with publicity sooner or later, so I do need to learn how. Even if I don't really like it right now. And- Um. I was kind of annoyed that everything is about Infested Wasteland and Volcanic Range right now."

"Between you and me, that's a lot of the reason I wanted to interview you.  My last three interviews had a 'complaining about sand' section, and that's really not news.  It's true!  It's just not news."

"Just like dungeon 10-23-2036-5543 isn't news? It had acid bombs."

"Well, that sounds terrible.  But before we get into the specifics, are you okay if we start the interview proper?  I'd hate to have a fascinating conversation with you and be unable to relay it to the public."

"Um, yes, I suppose so? If you have to make it official."

Gently, gently.  "It's for your protection.  I want to be very sure that you don't say anything intended to be off-the record, and the best way to do that is to make sure that we have a clear policy about not recording anything you haven't explicitly consented to being on the record."

It would be way too awkward to cancel now, now that he's right in front of her and everything.

"Right."

He's definitely spooked.  Her voice becomes even gentler.  "Are you okay with the interview?  It's okay if not."  She really wants to make this poor boy a cup of hot cocoa.

"-When I get like this, simmering in indecision is the worst part. I'm going to use a coin flip app on my phone. Heads, I'd like to go through with the interview. Tails, I'd like to cancel it. Sorry to make it - like this."

Heads.

"I'd like to go through with the interview! I'll cut it short if there's a dungeon that needs me or I start to feel overwhelmed again."

He does seem markedly more present, now.

"It's okay, Netlink.  Alright, ready, Aubrey?"

Thumbs-up!

"Alright.  First question.  Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Netlink.  How did you pick that codename?  It certainly is an evocative one."

"Before I became an esper, I worked in tech support. I know computer systems and have been - a bit of a nerd for a while. And the - metaphor, I suppose, I use for my power, is just a little bit like making API requests over the internet. I mean- Not really, but close enough to be evocative."

"That makes sense.  And on the subject, do you mind giving us a brief overview of your power does?  I understand it's a sensor power?"  Rhonda glances over at Aubrey, who's either caught up on the conversation already or isn't actually taking notes and is actually a scam.  Well, too late to worry about it now.

He has a tiny face-journey, considering this question.

"Essentially I can extend a - field of sorts, that can detect human minds and communicate with them once I've detected them. I have mostly been practicing backlash efficient sweeps with the detection aspect. I can't detect animals or dungeon monsters, but I can get very accurate distances and angles. Mostly, I confirm the absence of victims, or their locations if the dungeon is not cleared yet."

Rhonda thinks about that for a moment, then her eyes widen.  "That's an incredibly useful power for dungeon rescue!"  That's not a question, Rhonda.  "I presume this is where your double-digit daily dungeon stats comes into play?"

"Yes. I, um, decided that I don't want or need to be in any particular dungeon for long. If I'm sort of a - specialized instrument, brought in for, uh, a single check, and then shuffled on - so, really I'm not putting in more work. It's just that I do it in more places. Rideshare esper, h-heh."

"That makes a lot of sense.  Specialization can be a major asset to an esper, and it sounds like you can make a rescue team's job much easier after thirty seconds of work.  Or, I should ask - how long does a typical check take you?"

"Yes, exactly, I don't want to - sit around or get in the way. I want to do what I can and get out of the way. It depends on the size of the dungeon of course, but um... Anywhere from two minutes to fifteen, so far? I'm getting faster with practice."

"Makes sense.  Those times are a little faster than average for a sensor.  Of course, there is no 'average sensor', because powers are so bespoke.  What makes a dungeon easier or harder for you?"

"I haven't done any that were really awful yet? They were talking about having me poke my head in non-euclidian and 4D dungeons when, uh. I'm a bit less new and it's not a confluence."

"I see.  Was there a dungeon you'd call your favorite, or that interested you most?  Maybe something you feel like was undercovered?"  There we go, gentle lob to the baby esper.  Maybe help him find his confidence.

"I think my favorite was ones where nobody was hurt and everything was very straightforward. Or- Oh. I figured out the gimmick of this other one, actually, that was a fun moment. It was just unbearably foggy, and the fog muffled sound so people couldn't hear each other, and the dungeon floor was, like, a moving walkway? It was sliding itself under people, keeping them away from the portal and each other. The monsters were barely even a threat, they looked really scary but even when try tried cutting the ropes the DRT squad was laying down, they couldn't. Uh... Eight nine nine zero yesterday, I think it was. If you want to find pictures."

"Eight nine nine zero, I'll have to take a look, though with the fog, I'm not sure how the photos turned out!  What's your favorite part of sensoring in general?"

"...Is it bad if I say 'the money'? I mean. Obviously it's nice to help people, but, um. There's a lot of things I just don't have to worry about now."

"Well, I don't think any of us would turn down being independently arbitrarily wealthy on top of an esper glowup."  Maybe don't publish that one, though.  I won't judge him, but the public can be fickle.  "Anything in particular you're thinking about doing once the Confluence comes to a close?  Or even before?"

"I'm commissioning- Or, well, Maple Agency is arranging- Custom software tools to help me map and plot people better. That's cool. In terms of more personal things, er, I do like museums a lot, I'm looking forward to spending all day stress free at the Royal Ontario Museum at some point. Famous museums of other countries too, the Louvre, Tokyo National Museum, the British Museum, there are some good ones in Washington DC... I could probably pick one museum a weekend and not run out for a long time."

"Unfortunately, I think they're still reviewing damage to the Royal Ontario Museum.  Infested Wasteland took a toll on it.  But while the Toronto Tragedy was a tragedy Canadians will be mourning for a long time, the little dungeons are capable just as much loss of human life, when you add them up.  Some espers like keeping score, counting victims saved or sensored.  Do you have an opinion on that practice?"

"Oh, no- There must be irreplaceable stuff lost there- I hadn't heard."

He headshakes, and sighs.

"...Um. So, I'll answer that in a bit but I want to say this before I lose my train of thought. I want to highlight that there are a lot more dungeons than the big names! I haven't looked up the exact numbers and correct me if I'm wrong but most dungeon victims are not victims of a named dungeon, in the sense of an A or S rank- I think a lot of dungeons get names but when I say named dungeon I mean the really scary ones. People love talking about Arrakis, and Volcanic Range, and Nightmare, and so on... And two out of those three are gone for good, never to menace people again, and that's amazing! It's great. But. Um. It's... It seems wrong to me, to focus only on the threat that seems newsworthy and alarming, instead of the more statistically likely but boring one. Like being afraid of shark attacks, instead of heart attacks. Most dungeons don't get away. Most victims get rescued. DRT people, and espers all over, and coordinators... Um, even the ones who aren't famous, are all putting in the work."

Rhonda does look a little sad.  Genuinely, even.  But the show must go on.  "I happen to agree.  Of course, dungeons that are unusually scary are more striking, more salient.  But a victim who's vanished by a no-name dungeon is just as gone as one who's taken by Infested Wasteland.  And there are many more no-name dungeons than famous ones."  Let him talk, this is the most he's had to say this whole conversation.  You got this, Netlink!

"And about keeping score... If that motivates you, go right ahead! People who are stressed out and miserable about their jobs tend to be less good at them. It can be- I know how acting silly in a dungeon can look to people, but, uh... Whatever gets the job done. I'm not going to keep score myself, but, hey. If that's what motivates you to help people, I don't care. In fact I'll cheer you on! I'd rather, um, I'm not going to name anyone specific... And I'm kind of a coward, being a sensor with a nice safe spot by the portal... Uh. But I'm getting off track. Go ahead and count victims saved and sensed. Keep track of it or not, it's still people saved. I don't think the average victim cares if their rescuer is watching a leader board or not."

Rhonda straightens, and looks Netlink dead in the eye.  Her voice is pleasant, yet firm.  "I don't make a habit of contradicting my interviewees, but I don't believe that any esper who goes through Hell Week and then goes through that same kind of experience over and over again can ever rightly be called be a coward."  Her voice softens, going back to the initial gentle tone she used in the pre-interview negotiation.  "You may not fight dungeon monsters directly, but I don't believe you're a coward.  You go through the portal, same as any other esper."  Don't think I'll be able to use this response, doubt he'd like it going public.  Maybe.  I'll make a point of offering to strike it later.

"...Let's not talk about that, please."

He's thinking very vividly of his official profile. Backlash: Undisclosed.

She smiles at him.  Tries to project reassuring vibes.  Definitely offer to strike parts of that, it got a little personal.  Worth it, though.  "Okay.  Is there something about becoming a an esper that surprised you?  Or that you wouldn't have expected before awakening?"

"-Oh, hmm. There's a bunch of little things about how I feel day to day - my walk is a bit different, it feels a bit different to sit in a chair, I don't get caffeine headaches as easy anymore. The so called esper glow-up is wild, not even how I look- I don't really care about that, but how I feel. I wonder how medical research on it is going- I think everyone should get to feel like this. It's just... Comfy and healthy. I think I appreciate health more than wealth, thinking about it again... Uh, not to talk about how privileged I am, I... Hmm. I stuck my foot in it."

"Most espers wind up mentioning that!"  Also, you look perfectly fine.  Tons of 'nice young man' energy.  She has her suspicions about his backlash, but it could just be his personality.  And she'll never breathe a word about those suspicions to a soul.  "Is there anything in particular you'd tell a newly-manifested esper?  Advice, encouragement?"

"...Hmm, I'd say... Don't worry too much. Don't try to get everything done yesterday. Slow work is smooth work, smooth work is faster than having to do it over because you rushed. And past a certain minimum, worry doesn't actually help. Of course, all that's easier said than done. And I'm still pretty new myself."

“Well, I do like to ask espers that question at different points in their career.  Maybe I’ll get to see how your answer changes in a few years.”

"It's advice I've been trying to tell myself for a while, with limited success." Shrug.

"Maybe in a few years I'll have found out that you've taken it.  Is there any particular place you see yourself being, a few years down the line?"

"If possible I'd like to get really really good at sensing- Push the backlash efficiency, the speed, maybe find other useful things to do with it- Maybe, um, get used to the psychic aspect, see if it can help dungeoneers react better. It's pretty much just... Telepathy. Like- Here is a thing only I will ever be able to do. What are the limits? How can we use this? Is there another way? A new trick? Nobody can find out but me!"

"Do you mind describing your power, for our audience at home?"  She's a little concerned that'll be too much for him, but.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"I already talked about the finding portion of it. I think of it as an extendable people-finding field. Uh, I haven't done much with the psychic portion because uh- Yikes potential." He glances at the Maple Agency person. "...It's communicative. Which also inspired the name 'netlink'. Really hard to put into words and I'm not going to demonstrate without need, so... I don't know what else to say."

Yeah that answer is not going to be used if she can help it.  Way too close to being scary for the uninformed public.  "I'm very curious, but I'm most definitely not going to ask you to rack up backlash for it."  She signals Aubrey, who sets down their fountain pen again.  "Going off the record for a moment, how are you doing?  Do you feel like you need a break, or that you want to end the interview soon?  A snack, maybe?"  She'll take a little proscuitto cheese roll herself, and crack open a bottled water.

"I think I am feeling a little aimless? Like I lost track or forgot about what my goal was going in here. Um, oh right, I wanted to talk about numbered rather than named dungeons. To highlight all the DRT people and paramedics and... And I did that. So maybe we should be done? I don't want to keep you two if there's nothing more... Uh, substantial to say."

...Little mini sandwiches are a good idea, he'll have two himself.

"Okay.  I think you did a good job for your first interview.  We'll take a minute, let me have a little bite to eat and drink some water.  Then we can finish the interview."  He's so earnest!  There were a few lines he maybe shouldn't have given her, and he almost disclosed his undisclosed backlash for some reason.  He should be thanking his lucky stars for Rhonda Vue being his first interview, and for her not being one of those esper-baiter shock jocks that give journalism a bad name.  And that intern deserves a promotion.

But, you know.  Aside from that it was a perfectly fine interview.