SUPERWORLD

François XI

François had no clue what was going on, the debate had been going for an hour and he only managed to puzzle out a bit of what the two men were saying. Regardless, he was enjoying himself. The ride over had been his favorite part, an armored limousine had picked up himself, Senator Cartwright, and Remy behind the senator's building. It was a lavish affair in which François indulged in chocolate and real Champagne that the senator had in the refrigerator of his car.

Then, a very busy-looking woman separated the two Frenchmen from the senator, accompanying them in the limousine around the building after Daniel exited. She took them to a green room, where many women fussed over Daniel's hair and makeup. François asked Remy why the makeup of many of the women was running.

"Assassination attempts upset people." Remy shrugged.

Later, after Senator Cartwright left the room, giving the Frenchmen a big thumbs up, the same busy woman escorted François and Remy to a TV studio with a grand stage and set them in seats as close as possible to the stage. François watched with eager excitement and clapped whenever everyone else clapped after Daniel spoke.

Then there was a lot of talking from the man with the prosthetic arm, and a group of well-dressed people came out into the crowd with microphones. François looked around and saw a few people standing with the microphone people, then one spoke and everyone clapped after both men on stage replied to her.

Then a young man spoke, he had short, dark hair, skin that was a tree bark brown, and his whole body was a knot of lean muscle. He stumbled a bit as he began, his voice reminding François of the men in grand-père's favorite American Western films. But then the young lad found his footing and spoke strongly, holding out his hand palm up in some gesture François didn't understand.

Then the lights went out.

A voice spoke over the loudspeakers, and all hell broke loose.

Shouting, gunfire, and a swarm of humanity that nearly swallowed François. Had it not been for the strong arm of Remy plucking François from the crowd, the willowy artist felt he would have been trampled for sure.

"What the fuck do we do!?" François shouted after they had made it safely to the steps up to the stage, ducking low to avoid gunfire.

"We need to get back to the guards! Cartwright owes us his life, the least he can do is save ours!" François nodded in agreement and the men began running in a crouch across the stage towards the backstage area, where the frenzy had already reached. François pushed past a horde of technicians and workers, all speeding in different directions, at the end of it all, he saw big men carrying a smaller man towards the green room.

François hurried after them, and wouldn't have made it if it weren't for Remy teaching the closing door first and jamming his steel toe boot into the frame. There was arguing in English, and François took the opportunity to sneak under both men's legs into the room. He then hit the guard blocking Remy's entrance with a firm low blow. Remy got in and locked the door behind him.

"Bien joué, François!" Remy smiled his approval.

"I do what I can." François shrugged.

"Jesus Christ, Alex! Two assassination attempts in one day?! What the hell am I paying security for!" Cartwright shouted at a burly white man in a suit.

"This is why we advised you to go to the police station and call off the debate! Assassins usually have accomplices in place to complete the job if they fail." François saw the burly man say, not that he knew what most of the words meant.

"Ask Monsieur Cartwright if he needs our help." François told Remy.

"I'll try," the former detective responded with a look of doubt before saying in English "Senator Cartwright, my friend wants to know what we can do to help."