Today is my first day at the Gotham News. I arrive 15 minutes early, but to my surprise, Mr. Weekes is already waiting for me at the door.

"You're on time," he points out, a cigar in hand. "Follow me."

I follow Mr. Weekes close while he walks to his office.

"There are four departments : redaction, sale, printing and administration," Mr. Weekes tells me. "We are a small team and most of us multitask."

They have to multitask? Boy, That's a really small journal...

"Same goes for you. We don't hire editors so you will have to take care of the redaction of articles! Please take care of the quality of your information."

"Yes, Mr. Weekes."

My new boss accompanies me to his office and tell me to sit down before his desk. He doesn't sit down though, no. That man never sits down.

"We intend to change a few things to extend our influence. I have a few tasks to give you. For now, let's focus on the interview with Hayley Williams next week," Mr. Weekes decides.

"Hayley Williams? The aviator woman who flew across the whole Gulf of Mexico?"

A familiar face pops up in my mind. I admire her so much. She is two years older than me and she was a legend withing the mechanic engineering department of Harvard.

"Precisely," Mr. Weekes confirms.

"I'll be more than happy to get to interview her, but are you sure that you want to give me such an important mission?"

"Of course, Mr. Way. That will be an interesting experience for the both of you that you interview her. You're young, and from my understanding, you both went to the same college. You seem to have some common points and this will be a nice conversation starter."

"I know, but..." I trail off. I'm even hesitant in my hesitation.

"Come on, please try to trust yourself," Mr. Weekes says gently. And I nod with more assurance.

"Yes, Mr. Weekes." I smile.

"You still have some time before the interview. I suggest you spent it on doing some research. Today, I will ask you to interview the person in charge of the Welkin Tower. Once its construction is finished, it will be the highest building of the district."

"Do you want me to write an article about its height? Isn't it... a bit old to write about?" I tilt my head a little.

Mr. Weekes nods. "I know, it's not really the kind of things I like to see in my journal, but we have to gain some readers one way or another. Don't write anything too exaggeratedly complex, a small article will do. Here is your camera."

Mr. Weekes hands me a large box, a brown and black camera of the Twenties. Holding it, I realize that a new chapter of my life has begun. I've started a new job, but I can't move of after the whole case related to the Metropolitan Hospital.

I should focus on my job and not let myself get distracted until I get a more stable position here.

I leave Mr. Weekes' office and sigh softly. Then, a cheerful, slightly familiar voice makes me look up ahead.

"Hello, Mr. Way. Nice to meet you, again!"

...Why is he here?

"I've heard you were going to the Welkin tower for an interview?" Brendon Urie comments trivially. "Are you really going there with this outfit?"

"W-What's wrong about my outfit?" I blush embarrassedly. I can't really afford anything more than decent.

"The tower is still under construction. I'd wear clothes I don't care about to go on the site."

"Oh. Thank you for the advice. I'll get changed before I go." I give Urie a smile. Thank God, I can finally have nice coworkers.

"Alright, good luck for your first mission." He salutes me and we part ways. I'm going to take a taxi to go to the site.

______

The Wilkin Tower is high and majestic. Its top is covered by cotton-like clouds. I'm told to walk across the site to reach the entry of the building.

"Hey, you there, stop! Who let you in?" A tall, strong man calls me.

I take a deep breath and answer, "I'm a journalist working for the Gotham News. I have an interview planned with the responsible of the Welkin Tower."

Another man, much thinner, snickers. "You're too pretty to be a journalist. Don't you wanna write your article on me instead, sweetheart?"

I glare at him and walk past the two of them toward the tower. I've had to go through these kinds of continuous remarks about my feminine features for the whole time I was at school and a part of me hoped that it wouldn't keep going during my adult life, but I suppose that idiots will stay idiots.

"Good morning, Mr. Wentz. Gerard Way, for the Gotham News." I shake the hand of a swarthy-skinned, short man with short hair and tattoos on his arms. He is wearing the trendy three piece suit, a tie and a fedora. I notice that he is also wearing leather gloves. He nods and we sit down.

"What can you tell me about the Welkin Tower?"

"I would like you to focus on the building's remarkable height. 178 meters high, to be precise. It will be the highest tower of the whole district once it is built."

I write that down. "Understood, I will-"

"Deal with your workers, Pete! They are causing too much trouble!" I hear someone yell.

"Knock before you come in, Virgilio!" Mr. Wentz snaps back.

"Sorry, I will make sure to make a nicer entrance next time."

"I must finish this interview. We can talk about the workers later on," Mr. Wentz states. The other man finally notices me and scans me quickly, until his eyes land on my camera. His wince disappears from his face, replaced by a grin.

"Are you a journalist? Sorry for interrupting. Why are you here? Did Pete invite you?" 'Virgilio' asks.

I nod. "Yes, I am here to collect some information for my article about the Welkin Tower."

"What makes it so special?"

"It's 178 meters high and it's going to be the new highest building in the district," I say, glancing at my notes.

"What? 178 meters high?" He turns to Mr. Wentz. "You lied to him, Pete? I'm mostly certain that the Welkin Tower is only 166 meters high, and the biggest I know if the one I'm building, the Voss Tower!"

What's going on...?

"Well, you are right, the Welkin Tower is only 166 meters tall. For now. Once the rooftop is installed which will be done next week, it will be the highest building and it will be 178 meters high," Mr. Wentz stated.

Virgilio huffs. "We are going to install a big clock tower on top of the Voss Tower, and it will be 180 meters high!" he retorted. "Mister the journalist, I am sure that only the highest building deserves to be mentioned in your article, correct?"

Oh my god, why does my first interview have to turn into a contest of who's got the bigger tower...

"Oh please, Virgilio, the rooftop was a part of our plan. Might as well say that you will add ten clockworks to your building or whatever." Mr. Wentz scoffed then turned to me with a big smile. "I can guarantee that the Welkin Tower will be 178 meters high, not more not less than that. I can bring you on the site, if you want, Mr. Way."

"I would love to see that," I accept. I walk to the dusty site, Virgilio and Mr. Wentz by my side. The materials used for the construction, specifically for the rooftop, are exposed for everyone to see.

A quick chat with a couple of workers confirm that what Mr. Wentz told me was true. As to the Voss tower that would stand right in front of the Welkin Tower, no one could give me a clear answer about the project of a clock tower. It appears quite obvious that Virgilio is lying.

"Can we resume our interview, Mr. Wentz?" I ask the man.

"Of course, Mr. Way." He smiled at me, putting on display all his teeth. As I walk with him, I hear Virgilio snicker.

"Tell me, how much did Pete pay you?" I hear him say. "I'll pay you the double if you present the Voss Tower as the biggest of the district."

My jaw clenches at this. Does he really think that journalists can be bought. "I will ask you not to question my professional integrity, Mr. Virgilio," I answer dryly. But his scorn doesn't disappear.

"Ha! Journalists are attracted to money just like flies to rotting flesh. Why talk about ethics now?"

"Well, this fly..." I point at myself. "...will not be attracted to the rotting flesh that you call a building."

Virgilio stays agape from my comeback, this time. He stares at me; he is visibly seething in anger. "This will not end well for you, boy!"

"Do not threaten me!" I raise my voice and point at him accusingly, truly angry too.

"Enough, Virgilio!" Mr. Wentz snaps too. "You fucking-"

Before he can keep going any further, somebody else walks to us, interrupting the argument.

"Pete, I can forgive you for the conflict with the workers, but aren't you even capable enough to handle such a simple situation?"

The voice makes me shudder when it shouldn't have. It was calm, poised. It would have sounded soothing if only the words it articulated didn't convey such annoyance and threat.

Wentz's eyes widen slightly; there is a glint of respect and admiration in them. "Boss! You're here..."

Virgilio's reaction is a bit different. I can feel a more radical change of attitude. "Mr.- Mr. Iero?" He babbles.

"I am sorry that you got caught in the middle of this, Mr. Way," Mr. Iero apologizes to me. It's the man who helped me, the other night!

Once I realize that, my eyes can't let him out of my sight. He is wearing his usual long, black trench coat with his leather gloves, accompanied by a dark blue, striped suit and a blood red tie, this time. His jet black hair perfectly combed as always.

Mr. Iero remains distant and polite, like he didn't know me. His face doesn't betray any emotion at all. Did he forget about me?

"The rooftop of the Welkin Tower doesn't need to be this high, Pete. We can let the Voss Tower be the highest if they want to," Mr. Iero states.

"But, boss!" Mr. Wentz protests. Iero ignores him. His eyes are piercing and his face uncompromising.

"Watch your workers, Virgilio," Mr. Iero orders. "Or I will have to do it for you, in the name of Mr. Solazzo," he adds with an amused smile.

Mr. Iero's threat is very effective. Virgilio immediately loses his threatening aura. Who is Solazzo? Why did Virgilio give up as soon as he heard his name?

"Pete, can you accompany Mr. Way out of the site?" Mr. Iero asks, adjusting his tie.

"Yes, boss!" Mr. Wentz and I walk away. I throw one last glance at the somber man behind me. He isn't looking.

Although Mr. Iero decided that the Voss Tower was going to be the highest building of the district, Mr. Wentz isn't satisfied with this outcome. In the next days, a clock tower is added to the Voss building, making it the highest of the district.

But instead of focusing on the sole tower for my article, I report the competition to build the higher building. I hope Mr. Weekes will like it. As I draft my article in my room, I remember all the reproaches that Abernathy used to make. Maybe I should add a bit of sensationalism so this article sells? Or was Mr. Weekes sincere when he said that he wanted me to be authentic?

I chew on the tip of my pencil and pace in the little space my room gives me. I sit down on the bed and feel a sheet of paper under myself. I stand up and open the letter that somehow landed on my bed. Who could be writing me? Mikey? My parents?

Gerard,

Hello, Mr. Journalist! It's Brendon Urie. Don't forget about me, alright? We are colleagues now, after all! I can't wait to work with you, and I hope you can't either. Now, let's talk about the Gotham News. It's our journal and it's different from all the others on the market. The Gotham News tells the truth and the truth only. We are skeptical towards the gutter press that only seeks people's attention by entertaining them. Though our journal isn't well-known in New York yet, I believe that it will be acknowledged, one day.

Ah, yes, I wanted to tell you a bit about myself so you get to know me... But I let myself get carried away talking about the Gotham News! But do not worry, we will see each other more, so if you have any questions, let me know, okay? Don't be shy!

– Your best partner, Brendon

His writing style is kind of sweet. Now that's authenticity. I fold the sheet, smiling at the thought of a babbling Brendon, talking about his passion for the journal.

His letter encouraged me to carry on with my draft and comforted me in my decision. Thank you, Mr. Urie.

______