Interlude: Anne Drake (Patreon)

Anne wished she could get out of the makeup chair. The stylist had been fussing over her for hours.

At least it felt like hours. With two different makeup artists, the hair stylist and the wardrobe coordinator, there had been a lot of work done. 

None of which made her any more comfortable in her skin.

It didn’t help that most of the adults around her - including the perfectly coiffed not-a-hair-out-of-place Moira Sanghwan - looked like walking supermodels. Even the hairdresser could have modelled for Vogue. 

Being surrounded by so many pretty people did not help her confidence.

Neither, unfortunately, did the conversation going on in her head.

<Belessar>: Nervous?

<Nanocloud>: Maybe a bit.

<Belessar>: Let me know if you need advice.

<Nanocloud>: I’m not stopping mid-question to consult you. Besides, we all know how you handled your last interview.

<Belessar>: All I’m saying is, social quests require friends. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

<Nanocloud>: Andrew. At the moment I’m asking for privacy.

Wisely, her brother decided to stay quiet after that.

“Are you sure you don’t want something more …. elegant?” the lady who’d introduced herself as ‘Head of Wardrobe’ said. “We have a fantastic knee-length black formal that would look perfect on you. Or if you’d like to go more formal, we can stick with an Armani pantsuit.”

Anne shook here head. 

“We’ve been over this,” Moira repeated patiently. “The public expects Nanocloud to be in nanofibre weave, so she’s going to wear nanofibre weave.”

The Head of Wardrobe sniffed. “But’s its so… jarring. Matte black, and… and…” 

The word ‘unfeminine’ hung in the air, unspoken.

Moira shook her head firmly. “Please convey that the decision is final. Now, if we’re done with the makeup, I’d like a word with my client.”

The Head of Wardrobe looked miffed, but she departed, makeup ladies and stylists in tow. Moira leaned over with a smile. “Feeling ready for the big interview?”

“A little nervous, honestly. Why was she pushing to have me in a dress?”

“The producers think you’d come across better in normal clothes. I told them the public wanted to see you as Nanocloud, suit and all. There was something of a spirited difference of opinion.”

“That’s corporate-speak for one hell of a fight, right?”

Moira grinned. “You catch on quickly, as they say. We agreed that the final choice would be yours, and that they could try to convince you of the virtues of their approach.”

“You didn’t tell me that.”

“Anne, you’re the client. If you had decided to go onto Lisa Patil’s show with a pantsuit or a little black dress, we’d have done exactly that.”

Anne thought about that for a moment. “Ms. Sanghwan - can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What if I screw this up?”

Moira cocked her head. “Why do you think you might?”

“It’s an interview. With Lisa Patil. She’s, like, one of the UK’s top journalists.”

“And she lives in London, a city which you were instrumental in saving from death-by-Carnotaur.” Moira paused. “Anne, it’s normal to be nervous before an interview.”

“It could go really badly, right? Andrew screwed up the first time. Badly.”

Moira pursed her lips. “Your brother has a tendency to …. how to put it …. act first and assess later. I’m sure it’s handy on the battlefield, but public relations is not his strong suit.”

“But he’s a whiz with crowds. I mean, you’ve seen him speak at press conferences. And he put Caroline Thorn in her place.”

“I believe a Gucci handbag put Caroline Thorn in her place, but you do have a point. Though not the one you think.” Moira turned the chair gently, facing Anne. “Miss Drake. You are not your brother.”

Anne winced. “That’s obvious.”

“You are much, much nicer.”

“... Say what?”

“When people are asked what they think of Nanocloud, the words they use are ‘nice’. Or ‘safe’. You aren’t the warrior who charges into the teeth of the enemy, and that’s fine. You’re the one who watches over the people.

“I’ve talked to quite a few veterans of Tanisport. They speak of how you used your nanobots to keep messaging troops across the city. Warn them of ambushes, traps, enemy forces headed their way, and much more. While your brother leads from the front - and he certainly does that well - you do your part. A very important part. And one which makes you no less important than him.”

Anne swallowed. “What if they don’t like me?”

“They will, Anne. You are a very brave, very smart, and genuinely kind person.”

The words left her surprised. “Kind?”

“Kind. Clever. Brave. All things that we should aspire to be.” Moira smiled. “Your brother has his share of controversies, and there are those that dislike him for that. For making the hard decisions. But you?

“You’ve stood by your fellow ultras - and thousands of other people - in the face of danger. That makes you brave. You’ve also not let it go to your head - which makes you kind. 

“There is no sane person who wouldn’t like you, Anne. Let me say this - you are a very, very likeable person. Don’t ever doubt that about yourself.”

Anne felt her heart lighten.

Something deep within her, something that had been gnawing at her soul - was suddenly not. 

What was it, these few words from a woman who was barely an acquaintance, that made her feel good about herself? She’d have to unpack those feelings later.

“Thanks, Ms. Sanghwan.”

“Don’t worry about it. Even adults get anxious before an interview.”

“I’m not the only one?”

“You’d be surprised.” Moira chuckled. “Oh, the stories I could tell… if I wasn’t bound by non-disclosure agreements.”

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lisa Patil wore a bright and sunny smile. Along with a white pantsuit, heels to die for, and a golden Versace handbag.

The journalist looked like she’d stepped off the ramp in Milan. 

Which made Anne all the more glad to have stuck to nanofibre weave, minus helmet. Trying to dress up for the interview would have made her seem awkwardly out of place. Moira had been right about that.

Despite that, there was no denying that Lisa had a natural magnetism. 

“Welcome to the show, Anne,” the interviewer greeted her. “First interview, I understand?”

“Yes,” Anne squeaked out. “... Sorry. I mean, yes, it’s the first time I’m being interviewed.”

“Just think of it as a friendly conversation. If you don’t know what to say, don’t feel pressured - take a moment, think about it, and answer when you feel like it. Or you can ask me to skip a question.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Please call me Lisa - ‘ma’am’ sounds like what I’d call my teacher. And I was never a good student.”

Anne grinned. “I’m not that good at studies, either.”

“Can’t blame you, what with alien invasions and whatnot interrupting the academic year. Give us a moment while the studio audience takes their places. Also, if you feel thirsty at any time, there’s a glass of water by your side. If you need a sip, go ahead - we edit those parts out in post production.” Lisa’s eyes twinkled. “Some celebrities don't like their fans knowing they experience mundane things like thirst.”

Anne found herself liking Lisa’s style. She wondered what the woman’s Charisma stat was.

As the audience filled into their seats, she quietly placed nanobots on each person’s clothing. Not too many - the pockets in her Greaves didn’t allow her to carry a lot - but enough to monitor everyone in the room. 

In case one of them turned out to be a Gellatoid, they’d have a nasty surprise coming. 

The camera crew - a giant mechanical setup that almost gave the impression of floating in the air - switched on, and the studio lights washed over the set. Leaving Anne and her interviewer on a bright, well-lit stage, while the audience was mostly shrouded in shadow.

Calm down, she thought to herself, they’re not going to attack.

Lisa turned to her. “Ready?”

Anne nodded.

The other woman turned to face the camera. “Good morning, everyone! We’re here today with Anne Drake, better known as the teen superhero Nanocloud, one of the saviours of London and Belessar’s younger sister. As many of you know, Nanocloud has fought in some of the toughest alien defences of the last few years, at London, Singapore and Tanisport, and saved many lives. She has also recently had her true identity revealed, making her one of the youngest ultrahumans with a public identity. Anne, welcome to the show!”

“Thank you, Lisa,” Anne found herself saying. “Um… it’s a pleasure to be here.”

“So, Anne, we’re going to ask you a few questions from me, and after that a few questions from the audience. I hope that’s okay?”

“Sure.”

“I’m going to start with the one which everyone’s asking but never gets answered. What’s it like being a teen superhero?”

Teen superhero? 

Come to think of it, she technically was one.

“I’ve never really thought of myself as a superhero,” Anne said. “ ‘Superhero’ - well, it’s something of a label. I didn’t set out to be one - at least, not deliberately.”

“I see.” Lisa nodded. “What did you set out to do, if I may ask?”

“To watch Andrew’s back.”

“Ah. But surely you had an idea what to do once you got your powers?”

“Andrew got his powers first, actually. He already had them for several months before I, um, discovered mine.”

“So, superhero work became sort of a family thing?”

“In a sense.” Anne swallowed. “Look - it wasn’t something we really planned. After the first battle of Tanisport, things for us were pretty bad. Andrew’s power helped us hold it all together.”

“You said the First Battle of Tanisport - that would be the attack of 2080.”

“That’s correct.”

“That must have been terrifying.”

“It was. At the time, I didn’t know I had powers. So I just tried to hide - along with Andrew, of course.”

“You and your brother were stuck outside the shelters during the attack?”

Anne decided to skip over Andrew’s original manifestation. “Yes, we were. Andrew’s powers manifested during the attack - of course, he couldn’t do much with them at the time. They helped us get to the shelter, though. 

“After the attack, we went home. Dad was missing - we later found him at the hospital, in a coma. He’d been hit by an alien weapon.

“So for several months while Dad recovered, it was just me and Andrew trying to keep the house running.”

Lisa pursed her lips. “It must have been hard for you.”

“It was.”

“Did you not get any help from Social Services?”

“Social Services?” Anne laughed. “You don’t know what it’s like in a city after an attack. We’re lucky to have running water and electricity. Cops are busy trying to keep order. Social Services workers have their hands full with cases much worse than ours - children whose parents are actually dead. Kids as young as five or six without parents, toddlers and babies. Kids missing or dead. Houses destroyed, no water, no electricity, people sleeping in shelters for months.”

The reporter’s expression was sympathetic. “I’m sorry for what you went through. London didn’t have it that bad.”

“London’s a big city, Lisa. You have more people - which means more people to help you get through difficult times. Tanisport, well - we were a small city. A new city. 

“I guess Social Services checked the list of people needing help, found out I was in a house with a living parent and an almost-adult older brother, and decided to put us as a lower priority. I don’t blame them, though; in the months after an attack there’s way too much to do.”

“Like in Tanisport now.”

Anne nodded. “Tanisport - right now - needs a lot of help. More help than you can possibly imagine. There’s hardly a family in the city that hasn’t lost someone they know.”

Lisa gave a solemn nod. “What happened at Tanisport was a tragedy. The aliens should never have been allowed to get so close.”

Anne couldn’t help it. She snorted. 

It was a very unladylike snort. 

Lisa’s expression was surprised. “Anne?”

“I don’t think it’s a question of ‘allowing’ the aliens, Lisa.” She spoke softly. “They sent disguised commandos to shoot up a school. My school. And when that didn’t work, they put a four-kilometre-long battleship in the skies above Tanisport - to bomb us back to the Stone Age. And when we shot down the battleship, they threw two million alien soldiers at us. This wasn’t a question of ‘allowed’ - the Hierarchy will do whatever it wishes to the people of Earth, regardless of what we want for ourselves. Unless we stand up and stop them.”

A clap from the audience. Followed by another. And another. 

Within seconds, everyone in the studio was applauding. 

“Bravo!” Lisa exclaimed. “That’s true courage, right there. To stand up to something so monstrous - so devastating - and to keep going.” She waited for the applause to die down. “Your courage in the face of hardship - it’s an inspiration to so many out there.”

Anne shrugged. “I’m not trying to be inspiring. I’m just - me. A normal teenage girl.”

“Normal?” Lisa’s eyebrows twitched upwards.

“Mostly normal,” Anne grinned back. “I go to school, do my homework, watch streaming videos, like good food, and once in a while I put on battle armour and fight off alien invasions.”

“Just once in a while?”

“I’ve only fought four battles against aliens in one-and-a-half years. Liverpool, London, Singapore and Tanisport.” Anne counted on her fingers. “That’s four to six months between attacks.”

“When you put it that way, it sounds like you have a lot of time to spare.”

“Not just me, actually. One of the reasons it’s so easy for ultras to maintain a secret identity is because they don’t appear in public all that often.”

“That’s…. a rather unusual view. We generally see three or four ultras on the streets of London every day.”

“And London’s a city of nine million people. About one in ten thousand are ultras, so that means at least nine hundred ultras live in London. If each shows up in costume once a year, you’ll get about three ultras on the street every day.”

“So - if you’re only appearing in public once in a few months, what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“The same as everyone else. School, homework, TV, streaming, exercise, food.”

“And friends?”

Anne swallowed. “Friends are - difficult, for someone like me.”

“I see. You have to keep your powers a secret.”

“That’s not it.” She could feel the pain of the wounds that had never healed. “A couple of my friends didn’t survive Tanisport.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Lisa seemed hesitant. “Would you like to take a break?”

Did she need one?

She forced herself to speak. “We can go on.”

The journalist checked a cue card. “You moved to London recently. How do you find the city?”

That was an easy question. “It’s really nice. People are friendly, and I already know my way around town.”

“That’s quick?”

“I have been here before. And the first time, I was studying maps of the city a lot.”

“Maps of the city, huh?”

“During the Battle of London, we were holed up in the Tower, trying to coordinate our counterattack. I guess I got to stare at a lot of maps, figure out what was happening where. Plus, with my nanobots I ended up covering a lot of ground.”

“Ah yes, the nanobots.” Lisa nodded sagely. “A lot of our viewers are curious about those. How do they work, exactly?”

“I just will my power into a substrate - could be metal, or wood, or basically anything - and work it into nanobot-sized shapes. Once that’s done, I tell the shapes where to go.”

“How do you ‘tell’ them?”

“I just think where I want the nanobots to go, and they go there. Honestly, it’s like moving your toes. You always know your toes are at all times, right?”

“Of course.”

“In the same way, I always know where my nanobots are. I can give them limited commands - move this way or that, float in this direction.”

“And do you put cameras in the nanobots?”

“Not cameras. My power lets me ‘see’ through my nanobots, so if a nanobot is in the middle of an enemy position, I can see everything around it.”

“Is it true that they’re undetectable?”

Anne shook her head. “Nothing’s undetectable. I’m sure there are ultras out there whose powers let them trace out my nanobots. Plus, they can be fooled - I can only see around where the nanobot actually is, so if there’s a Gryzelloid hiding behind a dumpster I’ll only see the dumpster.”

“You talked about Gryzelloids. Have you faced any?”

“I marched through London with Phoenix Company, Lisa. We faced everything, even Carnotaurs.”

A small shudder went through the reporter. “I can’t imagine what that was like.”

“Terrifying. They have really big teeth and don’t floss.”

Lisa laughed. “No floss, huh? I’m almost afraid to ask how you know that.”

“I can see everything my nanobots see, Lisa.” Anne’s eyes twinkled. “Including the mouth of a Carnotaur, right up to the point they swallow the nanobots.”

“... You’ve had nanobots swallowed by a Carnotaur? And it didn’t affect you?”

Anne shrugged. “The bots don’t transmit sensations. A nanobot swallowed by a Carnotaur just goes dark when it stops operating. It’s like having a hair fall out - you barely notice it, and there’s plenty more where that one came from.”

“Except that hair doesn’t grow back. You can always make more nanobots, right?”

“Absolutely.” Anne nodded vigorously. “The bots are disposable, and I can make them out of virtually anything.”

“Anything? Don’t you need some special materials?”

In answer, Anne focused on the glass of water.

The top half-inch of the glass began to peel off, tiny sparkles of silica fragmenting into glass-based nanobots. In seconds, there was a thread of shimmering glass fragments suspended in mid-air between her and Lisa, gently rotating around its axis. 

“That’s the top two milimetres from the drinking water glass,” Anne explained. “Formed into silica-based nanobots.”

Lisa leaned forward. “They’re so pretty…. Can I touch them?”

“Please don’t. They’re also razor-sharp and a good way to lose fingers.”

“I’d best be careful, then.” The talk show host leaned back. “I’m not an expert, but shouldn’t nanobots be smaller?”

“They are small. What you’re seeing - the visible sparkles - aren’t individual nanobots. They’re actually nanobot arrays designed to bend and reflect visible light; each tiny sparkle represents dozens of nanobots in formation.”

“Dozens? How many nanobots are there in that glass?”

“Roughly twenty thousand.”

Lisa whistled. “That’s a lot of nanobots. Just in the air between us?”

“Quite. And they’re disposable.” With a flourish, Anne willed the nanobots to land and deactivate. They gently floated down to the table, pooling as a pile of fine white sand. 

“My power can make nanobots out of anything,” Anne explained. “Glass, sand, concrete, steel, paper, soap - anything that’s solid or semi-solid. I’ve even made them out of chocolate.”

“Chocolate nanobots? Dare I ask how they taste?”

“Like tiny bits of yummy.”

Lisa chuckled. “I can see that. Do you like chocolate?”

“I have a bit of a sweet tooth, actually. Chocolate, candy, jalebis, other types of sweets, dessert, cake - I’m not particular.”

“Really? How do you burn it off?”

“I have a fitness regimen. An hour every morning and another thirty minutes in the evening.”

Lisa’s eyebrows went up. “That’s quite a lot.”

“When we were preparing for London, I trained with Phoenix Company. We had to go through military-grade physical training - endurance marching, sprinting, climbing walls and all that. I guess I learnt to like it.”

“So you’re an athlete at heart?”

Anne thought for a moment. “I don’t know if I am. Athlete, superhero - these are labels. Maybe I’m not sure what label I want to wear yet.”

The talk show host inclined her head gently. “That’s a very thoughtful perspective, Anne. Are you thinking of exploring other ‘labels’?”

“Aren’t we all?” Anne shrugged. “I’m sixteen. That means I can try different things and figure out what works for me. Figure out what I want to do with my life.”

“Thank you, Anne. We have a few questions from our audience. Would you be okay to take them?”

“Sure.”

“The first question is from Leanna from Oxford. Leanna?”

A tall, thin teenage girl with raven-black hair stood up. “Nanocloud? Do you have a boyfriend?”

At first, Anne thought she’d heard wrong. A boyfriend? Her? She was too young! She was…. 

…. sixteen. 

The woman pressed on. “Or a girlfriend?”

Lisa held up a hand gently. “You don’t have to answer.”

“No, it’s fine,” Anne said. “Uh - no, I don’t have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend.”

“Next question,” Lisa hurriedly said. “David from Gloucester.” 

An elderly gentleman in a tweed jacket stood up. “Miss Nanocloud, have you ever dealt with Masters, and what do you think of them?”

“I’ve had to deal with a few,” Anne said carefully. “There are good ones and bad ones. Like any power, it depends on how you use it.”

“But the thought of being mind-controlled doesn’t worry you?”

“It does. The aliens have the Puppetmasters running mind control for them, so if I get mind-controlled it’ll probably be at their hands. At that point a human Master is probably needed to break the mind control.”

This seemed to throw David. “Human Masters can overcome alien mind control?”

“A more powerful mind-control effect can free you from a less powerful one. Mind control effects also get weaker over time. At least in theory. So yes, we need human Masters to deal with mind control attacks from alien Puppetmasters.” She paused. “Look - Masters aren’t responsible for the hand they were dealt. They have to make the best of the powers they have, and some do a very good job.” She thought of Mirantibus, who hated the idea of hurting a single living thing. “One of the sweetest people I know is a Master, actually.”

“That’s a very interesting perspective, Anne,” Lisa said. “Do you think Masters get a raw deal?”

“They certainly do. People are so terrified of mind control that they forget Masters are also living, breathing human beings. They deserve a fair chance, and not to be automatically suspected because of the nature of their power.”

“Next question,” Lisa went on. “Claudia from Southampton.”

A strapping young woman stood up. “Miss Nanocloud, there are many who say Belessar can be quite scary to normal people. How do you react to that?”

“He’s not scary, he’s my brother.” Anne was aware of Lisa trying to speak, but she waved the interviewer down. “Claudia, right? Belessar’s armour and equipment are supposed to be scare the aliens. Personally, I’m quite happy to have him on my side, and you should be too.”

“Amen to that,” Lisa said. “And now that we’re done with audience questions, I’d like to thank you for your candour. On a less serious note - between Belessar and you, who’s better at schoolwork?”

Anne snorted. “Definitely Belessar. He’s like a machine sometimes, especially when he’s studying.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, he goes through scientific texts so fast you’d think he was speed-reading. I’m not convinced he can’t.”

“Have you ever asked him to tutor you?”

“Not a chance.”

“I see. Is he not very good at tutoring?”

Anne gave her an exasperated look. “Do you have an older brother?”

“A younger one.”

“Figures.” She turned to the audience. “Any girls here with an older brother?”

A few hands up.

“Would you want him as your tutor? Or anywhere near your school stuff?”

As one, every hand went down.

Lisa looked mystified. “Well. That seems to be a secret worth exploring - maybe in another episode. Anyway, you’re moving to a new school in the UK?”

“At Sandhurst.”

“That’s lovely. I suppose you’re looking forward to making new friends.”

Anne grimaced. 

That old wound asserted itself, again. The pain that had never gone.

But…

Maybe she could talk about it.

“In a way,” she began, “I suppose I’m also looking back a bit. I told you about my friends who died during the First Battle of Tanisport.”

“You mentioned them, yes.”

“Their names were Avra Hirsch and Shyam Mishra. Is it okay if I say a bit about them?”

A note of caution crept into Lisa’s voice. “If you’re up to it.”

Anne took a deep breath. “Avra Hirsch. Shyam Mishra. And June Foyle and Bennie Grunberg. They were with me … the day they died.”

“... You saw them die?” 

“Yes.” The words came more easily now. “We were on the roof of the Stephen Hawking Museum. The alarms had just sounded. Mrs. Delft took us up to the roof… and a Hierarchy Strikefighter flew overhead. Strafing run, they just shot up the roofs of the buildings with their lasers. 

“I managed to hide behind a water tank. All of them - Avra, Shyam, June, Bennie, Mrs. Delft - they were hit directly. The water tank - it shielded me, a little. The hot water nearly swept me off the roof, though.

“I survived, they didn’t. People are talking about me, today, but nobody talks about them any more. So I just wanted to say a few words about each of them, a sort of memorial about who they were.”

“Anne. You are most welcome to talk about them.” 

“Thank you. Avra, well - Avra and I were best friends since first grade. We went to the park together as kids, shared our classes, our school notes and our lunches. She loved nature; more specifically, she loved oceans, water, and anything to do with the sea.” 

At an empathic nod from Lisa, Anne pressed on. “For her fifteenth birthday Avra was going to ask her parents for a pet turtle; and for her eighteenth, she wanted to study at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. 

“Shyam Mishra joined us in second grade, and kept up mostly by copying Avra’s and my notes. He was sweet, and kind, and funny, and hated fighting. Wanted to be an engineer because that’s what his parents thought would be a good idea. Secretly wrote half a dozen different love songs that he wanted to make into an album.”

For a moment, she felt her throat choke up. No. She’d decided to do this, to honour them today. All of them.

“I didn’t know June Foyle that well,” she continued, “but she was in some of my classes. She was a whiz at art. Some of her paintings - they were beautiful. Bennie Grunberg was in track and field and wanted to go to Ohio State on an athletic scholarship, because his dad had done the same thing. All of them deserved better than … to die on that museum top.” She swallowed, holding back the tears. “I wish I’d had my powers then. I wish I’d been able to do something - anything - to save them. I couldn’t.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Lisa’s voice was soft. “Have you spoken to anyone about this?”

“You mean like a therapist? No, not as such. The sad part is you can’t exactly go to a school counsellor and tell them ‘Hey I’m an ultrahuman’. I had enough problems getting lawyers to listen to me - there was even one who told us to clam up and not talk about it.”

“Are you saying you don’t have the option of therapy?”

“Not without compromising my secret identity. On the other hand, I currently don’t have one - so maybe I can find a counsellor now.”

“Considering what you’ve gone through, it may be a good idea. But in general, do ultrahumans not have the option of therapy at all?”

“Lisa. What therapist would be willing, and able, to keep an ultra’s secrets - even from a Master?”

“As chilling as that thought may be, mental health is a vital part of a person’s happiness.” Lisa paused for a second, deep in thought. “If therapists were to be available to help ultrahumans, would you be willing to take their services?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Then I promise you that I’ll do something about it.” Lisa’s eyes, earlier calm, now blazed with an inner fire. “Even if I have to break down the network director’s door.”

“That would be nice. I think for a lot of ultras - just being able to talk to someone, to have a safe space to be who we are, would help.” 

“Thank you, Anne, for sharing so much with us.” Lisa said gently. “And - on behalf of my fellow Londoners - thank you for fighting for us over the years.”

For a moment, Anne felt at a loss for words. Fortunately, her father’s lectures on manners reasserted themselves. “You’re welcome, Lisa. London’s going to be my home too, now.”

With a reassuring smile, Lisa turned to the audience. “To all of you watching this from the safety of your homes - let us remember that, soon enough, Anne and her family will be putting themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe. I ask you to remember them in your prayers, to wish them Godspeed and good luck. Good night.”