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It was going to be a while before Manhattan was fully repaired, considering the amount of damage the Dweller inflicted in its fight with me. The Silver had cleaned up as best they could, but there were a lot of repairs to be done. And that was to say nothing of those displaced by all the damage. Relief efforts were well underway, but I felt the urge to help out what I still considered my home city.

Which led to me carefully directing a small hoard of drones as they offloaded pallets of supplies from the back of a truck. I had a number of civil workers around me that were helping to cart them off to the appropriate tents. From there, the supplies would get distributed to the various shelters that had been set up for those displaced by all the flooding. This was the last of many trucks I had arranged to carry supplies into the city, and hopefully would be enough for the next few weeks.

"Alright, that's the last of it." I said, glancing around the repurposed Bryant park. The makeshift relief center was a bit crude, but it was situated near where most of the damage had been done, and it wasn't like the library was opening up anytime soon. I turned to the last person still near me. "You need anything else from me, Gloria?"

The Hispanic woman gave me a small smile. "No, we've got it from here. I mean, if you really want to, you can ride with me to one of the shelters to hand out blankets and food."

I made a gesture. "I've been hoping to meet with the city engineers about the utilities. Tell you what, if that falls through, I'll meet you there." She nodded and took her leave, and I checked my messages again. And unfortunately I still only had the last message from my municipal contact, telling me they would have to get permission from their superiors if I wanted to help rebuild the power and communication grid.

I knew it was never a guarantee, as letting a superhero mess with infrastructure was something that had a lot of legal complications. But, if I did get the chance to show off the technology I could offer, it would be a big boon for my future plans. Well, the Silver's plans. The first step in building our Kingdom was to spread our tech to as much as the populous as possible, and it was my job to help move that along. The others were up to their own tasks, though I wasn't clear on what all of them were.

I really need to get together with all the other machine elementals at some point, I mulled. Aside from Calculus, I had only ever met them in passing after our first parliament, and only had a general idea what they were like. My position as Avatar wasn't exactly one of authority over the others, but I probably should still be aware of what they were doing. Maybe I could-

"Machina!"

The unfamiliar voice caused me to turn, and I saw two people walking towards me. The one in the lead was a slender woman, dressed in a crisp suit jacket and skirt combo with her dark hair done in a low ponytail. I didn't recognize her immediately, but I took one look at the man following behind her and…

He really does wear a powder blue suit, I thought to myself. Clark Kent was a large man, though you wouldn't get that impression by the way he carried himself. Slightly hunched, head turned downward, and his eyes just a little hard to see behind his glasses. Looking at him, I was reminded of the anecdote of how Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest and came in third. Anyone could tell that Clark Kent was a guy that looked like Superman, but there were probably dozens of those living in Metropolis, and he was just one of them.

They came to a stop in front of me, and the woman extended her hand. "Lois Lane, Daily Planet."

I took her hand in my own. "Machina, the Titans. What brings you to New York, Ms. Lane?"

"You do, after a fashion." She said candidly, pulling her hand back. "You managed to set up a very impressive supply chain very quickly. 2 textile companies, 3 food suppliers, 1 construction firm, and 2 transport companies. All of which were contracted and organized within the span of 16 hours to help deliver disaster relief to New York. Of course, letting everyone involved know it was you setting it up probably greased some gears."

I leaned back against the truck. "Well, you're certainly on the ball." I remarked, though I supposed it wasn't that surprising. I had done some cursory research into various people I knew from the comics, and Lois Lane was one of them. While I hadn't read all of her articles, I had gone over enough of her early work to get the general idea of what she was about. Almost all of Ms. Lane's work was centered around business magnates, politicians and generals. Professionally speaking, she was a woman focused on people of power, and what they did with that power. And naturally, she had a very cynical view of the subjects of her focus.

With that in mind, it made sense that she had immediately hommed in on Superman the moment he hit Metropolis. A near god-like man that answered to no one, and was (from her perspective at least) assuming moral authority over the common man? She couldn't resist. Of course, she had softened to him considerably over the years. I wonder if the two of them are dating by now. I'd certainly hope so.

"Not as much as I'd like," She replied, giving me an irked expression. "I wasn't happy to find out that most major news outlets aside from the Daily Planet were told about the Titan's debut."

I laughed apologetically. "Sorry about that. We were on a tight schedule, and without anyone from the Planet in the city we didn't think anyone would make it in time." Which was kind of true, but the real reason was that I hadn't wanted to give Clark warning about what we were going to do.

Ms. Lane continued "Nevertheless, we're here now, and I still think there's a story here with you. Better late than never."

I made a gesture. "Well, if you're interested in the Titans, I can put you in contact with our intrepid leader-"

Ms. Lane held up a hand. "Everyone has interviewed Starfire by now, and there's not much else to be done on that front. No, I'm not interested in her. I'm interested in you, Machina."

That drew me up short. "Oh. Why?"

"Because in spite of how you let the other Titans take center stage, you're more than just another member of the team. A little digging shows that you have financial ties to Kord Industries, and your organization of all this shows you have some serious logistics to call on. I'm willing to bet that you're the Titan's financial backer, and likely function in a managerial role." She looked me up and down. "You're probably older than you look, too."

I stared at Ms. Lane for a long moment before my eyes flicked over to Clark. "Is she always this sharp?"

"After she has her morning coffee." He said, and I could see him hide the hint of a smirk.

" 'She' is standing right here." Ms. Lane interjected.

"And you didn't introduce us," I pointed out, pushing off the truck so I could extend my hand to her fellow reporter. "Machina, pleasure to meet you."

"Clark Kent, same." He replied as he took my hand and gave it a firm shake. My sensors had been steadily improving, so I was able to feel the well of power the man contained in his photo-nucleic field on contact.

We broke apart and I turned to face Ms. Lane. "Alright Ms. Lane, I think I have some time for you. Ask away."

The reporter pulled a recorder out from her bag, and as she turned it on she focused on me. "So, Machina." She said in a professional tone. "Or should I call you Jacob Morgan? You are one of the handful of superheroes that has their name public, after all."

"That depends, are you interviewing me as a person or a superhero?"

She only hesitated for a moment at my response, but she replied "The fact that you don't conceal your identity seems to imply that you're both at any given moment."

I gave a small laugh. "Fair enough. Let's stick with Machina for now."

"Machina," She nodded. "You started making public appearances as a superhero a few months ago, and unlike most of your contemporaries you haven't picked a specific city or area to call your own. Given the timing and how you've frequently been seen with Starfire, there's a lot of speculation of where exactly you came from. Care to shed some light on that?"

That was an odd question to start on… then again, the information that had been initially released about me had been intentionally vague. "I would like to keep those details to myself, if possible." I said. "However, I will say that I'm not an extraterrestrial, I'm human. Or at least I was."

Before I could continue, Ms. Lane interjected "You don't consider yourself human anymore?"

"I'm going with the term post-human," I clarified. "I used to be a normal human, but now my body is completely synthetic. I still consider myself a human being, but I feel the term better describes my current existence."

"As opposed to the term 'metahuman'?"

"I don't like how it's frequently used to refer to anyone superpowered, rather just people with the metagene. I think it can remove a bit of important nuance. Atlantians, aliens, AI, and metahumans, I don't want them all to be lumped into the same category which people can just label as 'other'."

"I suppose that makes sense, especially given recent developments," She continued. "A short time ago you joined the Titans, who have a very… let's say 'varied' membership. Several of which also happen to be sidekicks."

"Not anymore, they're not." I pointed out.

"Former sidekicks." She corrected herself. "But even so, half of your team doesn't appear to be legally adults. Do you not see a problem with this?"

Ah, this question. "Generally speaking, I believe kids shouldn't be sent into combat, superpowers or not. However, the younger members of the Titans have, let's say, special circumstances." To run down that list, Robin probably would have ended up a vigilante regardless of guidance, Wally would get into all sorts of trouble without an outlet, same for Artemis, M'gann is an odd girl, and Connor really didn't know anything else. "And I have full confidence in their ability to keep themselves alive in dangerous situations. Trust me when I say that the Titans are the best place for them."

Ms. Lane didn't seem wholly convinced, but she didn't press the point. "And how exactly did you come to know the various members of the team?"

"Mostly through circumstance, and in several cases through our shared connection to the Justice League. We had the opportunity to work together several times before the Deep Night Invasion, and once that happened, well… you know the rest."

I briefly wondered if she would ask more about that particular event, but instead the reporter kept the focus on me. "So, now that the team is officially formed, what would you say is your role on it?"

I hesitated for a moment. "I don't have an official job or anything like that, but I do create and maintain the team's equipment. I also have at least some hand in dealing with more material matters."

Ms. Lane's brow shifted just a little, those I couldn't tell why. She then said "Starfire is the official leader of the Titans, but would you consider yourself to have a high position in the team's organization?"

"I… well no." I replied, not sure how to respond to that. "It's something I can do for the team, so I do it."

"Speaking of things you can do, let's talk about this," She gestured to the assembled trucks around us. "Superheroes are no strangers to charity work, but your efforts here are… let's say 'more thorough' than usual."

"Well, that's what was needed." I replied. "At this stage of disaster relief, the biggest bottleneck is having enough supplies and getting them where they need to go. Just donating money would help, of course, but I also have the means to apply it more directly to logistical issues too. So I did."

"So, this is how you prefer to do charitable acts?" The reporter asked. "Being in charge of them?"

I paused in thought for a moment. "Not necessarily. More just that I can just do more by handling bigger picture stuff. Gloria Rodriguez is actually the one in charge of this relief effort," I pointed to where I last saw her walk off to. "I contacted her first to help set all of this up."

Ms. Lane digested this for a moment before she asked "Do you have anything else like this planned? What about the rest of the Titans? Are they going to get involved as well?"

"The other Titans are free to join me, though I think some of them have their own things to pursue. As for future projects… It's too early to give specifics, but I am working with Kord Industries on projects aimed towards low income populations."

"In broad strokes then, what exactly are these projects about?"

"Infrastructure." I replied. "A surprisingly large number of socio-economic problems exist due to poorly designed or implemented infrastructure. Or unfortunately, maliciously implemented in some cases. We're still paying for the Interstate Highway Act," I said, referring to how highways had often been built straight though parts of minority neighborhoods to destroy and segregate them. All in the name of 'urban renewal'. I shook my head. "We're looking to improve both transportation and communication, and making them freely accessible to as many people as possible."

It was then I finally got the message I was waiting for and nodded to myself. "And on that note, I just got a message that the city electrical engineers are ready to see me. So I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short."

"Last question," she said without missing a beat. "During the Deep Night Invasion, the Titans were on the front line in New York. And according to the police reports, you were the one responsible for the largest number of enemy kills by a fair margin." She looked at me with a firm stare. "Was it difficult for you?"

...Well that's a mood shift, I thought. I didn't answer for several long seconds, but eventually I said "When you have an army of monsters heading towards a city full of innocent people, you find that certain things suddenly become a lot easier."

"And now? How do you feel about it after the fact?"

Again I was silent, but not for the reason she likely thought. I knew she was trying to evoke some kind of reaction for my use of lethal force, but I really couldn't bring myself to feel anything for killing all those Deep Ones. Those things were monsters, plain and simple. And yet… she reminded me of another time I had used lethal force, that time against human beings. I had to force myself to not look at Clark as I thought about Bialya, a pang of melancholy filling me.

But, I had neither the means or desire to explain myself to her, so I simply responded "I did what I had to do in order to save as many lives as I could. And I hope that I'll never have to do it again." Not that I believed I would ever be so lucky. "Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you for your time." Ms. Lane said before turning the recorder off. She put the device away, but for several seconds looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes, as if trying to come to some sort of conclusion. Eventually she said "You're going to be a tough one to write up."

I blinked. "...Thanks?"

She snorted, but didn't bother to elaborate. Instead she simply turned and started walking away, Clark giving me an apologetic shrug before following after her. "You know," She called over her shoulder. "You remind me of a certain business man who tried to sponsor superheroes back in the 90's. Well, before he got arrested for conspiracy, anyway."

"Uh huh," I said. "For curiosity's sake, who?"

"Maxwell Lord." She called back as the two of them rounded a corner and went out of sight.

I stared after her for a minute before I moved on to my next appointment. "...I'm just going to ignore that."

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A/N: Not perfectly happy with how this how this one turned out, but I've been working on it for too long as it is, you here you go.