Two Weeks Ago...

[Clip from FoxNet Tulsa's Rise and Shine]

Sandra Sharon: And welcome back to Rise and Shine. I know all of you are going to be really excited to see our next guest. He's a local boy who's made quite the name for himself serving his country. We all first saw him like this...

A shaky video clip of a smoky battlefield plays. It follows a soldier as he rushes some children into what looks like a mine shaft. The camera jerks to the left, losing focus for a moment, and zooms in on a glowing, hovering man shooting scarlet beams from his hands. Again, the camera swings, this time following the path of one of those beams as it crashes into mountainside where the soldier is standing, firing his weapon at the attacker. The mountainside collapses in a spectacular cascade of rocks, dirt and dust. For a moment, all is quiet. The camera zooms back to take in more of the scene and is just starting to pan away when the pile of rubble begins to move. It rises, revealing a statue-like figure in a tattered U.S. army uniform. He's holding the tons of rock above his head. Then, without so much effort as someone tossing a crumpled piece of paper, the hurls the remains of the mountain at the hovering figure. Quickly, he looks around and then dips back into the cave, only to emerge carrying a half-dozen children. The clip ends...

SS: I'd like you all to welcome Sgt. Simon Quarry, hometown hero and all-American nova!

Simon Quarry walks out from the side of the stage, dressed in a crisp, custom-tailored army uniform. He stands more than six feet tall and where skin would normally be visible there is a motled gray and brown rock. He smiles and waves to the crowd as he takes the seat next to the host.

SQ: Thanks for having me Ms. Sharon. I'm very excited to be here. I used to watch this show all the time when I was getting ready for school.

SS: hahah... Oh, Sgt. Quarry stop it. You're going to make me feel old. And, please, call me Sandy.

SQ: Yes, ma'am.

SS: Now Sergant, we've all seen that clip--and anyone who's been paying any attention at all has seen it a lot in the past few weeks--can you tell us what was going through your mind during that ordeal?

SQ: Well, ma--uh, Sandy--I was just concerned with the safety of those kids. That particular attack came out of nowhere and we hadn't had a chance to finish evacuating the civilians from the area.

SS: Yes, but what made you risk your life for them?

SQ: Gee, Sandy, people keep asking me that question and I just don't get it. I mean, if you saw someone in trouble, wouldn't you try to help them? That's why I joined the Army in the first place. I saw how dangerous the world was getting...

SS: You mean because of all the nova eruptions?

SQ: That was part of it. But just in general. The 20th Century was one of the most violent in history. Most of it wasn't big, showy violence like the World Wars, but little things that most people didn't pay much attention to. I remember hearing about Kosovo when I was in school and wondering how we could let that go on for so long without doing anything...

SS: But the nova eruptions were the deciding factor?

SQ: No. I had already made up my mind before they really kicked in. I'm glad I did, too. Novas can be very dangerous, but so can regular old humans. If you go back and watch the history vids on the OpNet, you'll see things that regular people did to one another that make the worst nova attack look kind.

SS: How do have you come to terms with your eruption?

SQ: I don't know... I figure I'm still the same person. I still love my family and I still talk to my friends whenever I can. I just look a little different than I did a year ago.

SS: And you can lift mountains.

SQ: hehe.. yeah, and I can lift mountains. But that's really not important. It's not who I am, it's just what I can do. Everyone has some sort of talent they can use to make the world a better place. I've just gotten lucky in that mine let me live long enough to save those kids.

The crowd erupts in applause.

SS: Sgt. Simon Quarry, everyone. We'll be back with more after this message...

[End Clip]