lunatic_laugh:

Well, things had moved a little faster than he'd expected, but here he was. Jet-setting across the Atlantic and into the heart of old-world Europe to interview the new face in charge of Latveria, Kristoff Vernard. Phil understood all too well that he wasn't getting this assignment because he'd earned it or because he was the best guy qualified for it.

He was getting this assignment because he was the only reporter at the Bugle still young and crazy enough to go into the capital city of the nation with the highest number of death rays per capita in the world and interview the possibly crazy guy that the probably crazier guy just put in almost-charge.

But hey, at least the flight attendants (or was he supposed to call them stewardesses now?) on the way over were cute, and friendly. Apparently being a journalist on foreign assignment ranked somewhere better than 'photography student', but was an expected far cry from the automatic appeal of 'fireman' or 'chocolate factory owner'.


A bus ride to JFK, the red-eye to Heathrow and then to Symkaria, a cab ride to the Latverian border, and he arrived at the checkpoint. Several vigorous searches of himself and his equipment that absolutely would not make it into print later, he stepped across. A carriage, an honest-to-goodness horse-drawn carriage, was waiting to take him to Doomstadt.

"Uh... hey there. Phil Urich, reporter for the Daily Bugle, out of New York City. Here to interview Regent Vernard."

wonder_wall:

"So, let me get this straight...the WWE Universe wants me to come and guest-host one of their shows? " he asks into his cellphone, as he sits at an outdoor San Francisco cafe, waiting for an old friend.

"Yes, Simon. They've even got theme music picked out for you. You'd be meeting up with your buddy, Dwayne Johnson. I hear he's back in the swing of things over there."  his agent, Stu, says.

"Stu, you gotta give me some time to think this over. Not sure how I feel about this one." Simon says.

"Hey, Simon...let me ask you: Are you goin' back into the hero business? Lots of people are askin' these days, now that all that mess is cleaned up and everything is kinda-sorta back to normal. The pictures of you and Miss Marvel havin' dinner are out there. What do I tell the reporters when they ask?" Stu queries.

"No comment. Later, Stu." Simon says, a bit annoyed now.

He sat and drank his mocha, the mocha that he didn't really need to drink, and watched the people pass-by.