A YJA Moment - An Interview with Director Gyrich

[Excerpts from the Edge Network’s prime-time show Jetstream, where host Jezebel Jet interviews head of the government agency Checkmate, Director Henry Peter Gyrich]

Jet:  The latest Galaxy Broadcasting Poll, well over half of Americans don't trust Checkmate.  Does this bother you?

Gyrich:   Not at all.  I think if you polled the public, you would find that they mistrust most government agencies…

Jet:  Yet, the numbers are particularly high for Checkmate.

Gyrich:   I admit, our introduction to the public could have been a  bit better timed…

Jet:  Timed?

Gyrich:   With the nation’s security at stake we felt it necessary to take extraordinary steps…

Jet:  Mr. Gyrich, your agency appeared out of practically nowhere and staged what was effectively a hostile takeover of another government agency…

Gyrich:  ...which had betrayed the people’s trust and risked their safety.  Need I remind you that Director Hill left control of The Shield in the hands of foreign nationals?  Teenagers no less!

Jet:  You are speaking, of course, about the new Avengers team that formed in the wake of the Watchtower Massacre?

Gyrich:  The incident with the Watchtower was tragic, Ms. Jet. Yet, our defense lay in the individuals who largely owed no allegiance to the United States.  A mythical beast, two individuals who claimed to be deities, Captain Marvel’s former sidekick and an underage vigilante are not appropriate national defenders…

Jet:  But your Thunderbolts are?

Gyrich: The Avengers, Ms. Jet.  As our team is now sanctioned super-team on American soil, they are now to be called the Avengers.  And yes, they are very much appropriate national defenders.

Jet:  I want to get back to the poll numbers, Mr. Gyrich.  These were taken last week before the leaked footage…

Gyrich:  ...you mean the stolen classified information…

Jet:   …the leaked footage of your altercation with Secretary-General Lex Luthor and his Squadron Supreme.  Footage that, among other things, alludes to an alliance with Luthor as a part of the crime syndicate known as The Light.

Gyrich:  That incomplete footage was released entirely without context as part of an attempt to discredit Checkmate

Jet: Then you don’t dispute its authenticity.

Gyrich:   I do not.

Jet:  Are you a member of The Light, as indicated in the video?

Gyrich:  The footage is part of an on-going and extremely classified investigation.  I cannot comment on it any further.

Jet:  I don’t think the public is going to be happy with that answer.

Gyrich:  They are well within their right, especially in light of the thoughtless actions of the Office of National Emergency in the last few months.

Jet:  You are not bothered by this?

Gyrich:  On the contrary, I am very disturbed by the idea that Checkmate is treated with suspicion.  However, I made a vow to protect American citizens from all threats visible and invisible.  I wish I could explain the contents of that video, but as I said it is part of an on-going investigation.  As the Director of Checkmate, I can only assure the public that once we have completed the investigation, we will release as much information as we are allowed under our nation’s security regulations.

Jet: Thank you very much for your time, Director Gyrich

Gyrich:  It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Jet.

Announcer:   For the full interview, check out Jetstream, tonight at 9 pm Eastern.  Or join Silver St. Cloud and Booster Gold himself, Michael Jon Carter, as they are joined by the Checkmate Director tomorrow morning on the Silver and Gold Morning Show.  See local listings.