gasps. “Forcing him out? But that’s not…Did he not retire?”
“I don’t know.” I gulp, stomach churning at the sight of Charles, my friend, seething with an animosity I didn’t think possible.
“Now, Charles…” the woman objects, trying to pacify him. Her voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.
“Now nothing!” Blue Streak slams his fist, nearly breaking the table. “You are forcing me to turn my back on the only life I’ve ever known, not to mention all the other would-be heroes you’ve tossed aside. With all the superpowers in this world, you could have a hero on every street corner, protecting citizens at every step. But no, only a few meet your impossible standards, turning heroism into a marketing scheme to get people to buy cereal and soft drinks. We do the work, and you get the profit! It’s a travesty, something I’ve never understood and never will. Especially now, now that I’ve fallen out of your precious demographic, turning me into a relic when I’m still in my prime. You just don’t want to market an old man.”
I feel like I’m going to throw up. A part of me suspected something was odd with Blue Streak’s retirement, knowing the man behind the cape would struggle if he couldn’t be out there, saving the day. But knowing is different than questioning, and hearing his angry story turns my insides upside down. While I’ve always struggled with my relationship with Warrior Nation, I just thought I was biased, frustrated by the organization that stole my boyfriend from me. I never thought they would sink so slow, to cast aside their most powerful member just because of a few gray hairs. The public never cared about how old he was when he came to their aid; they only cared that he was there, risking his life for theirs. They loved him. They still do.
Claire. I turn to my friend, her face already wet with tears. “How could they do this to him?” she asks, barely audible. “They fired him? After all he’s done, all the lives he’s saved…?”
“Charles,” the interviewer continues, mildly annoyed with her subject’s intense reactions. “We understand you’re upset—”
“Do you, now? Do you really? And tell me: Why are you the one doing this, anyway?” Charles asks with venom to the woman off camera. “Is Roy such a coward that he can’t fire me to my face?”
There’s a pause, the sound of shuffling papers off screen. “Roy agrees this chapter is long overdue for a much-needed face-lift, and you said it yourself: It’s incredibly difficult to market a past-his-prime hero to the eighteen-to-forty-five demo.”
Charles chuckles to himself, shaking his head. “And Roy—a fellow Warrior—said that? Those exact words?”
“Not exactly,” the woman responds, calm against his storm. “But it’s for the best. I’m the only one who thinks about the future of this organization.”
“Is that so?” Charles snarls, slowly coming to a stand, nearly cutting his face out of frame. “So this is your decision, then? You’re making a big mistake here. You think dropping me is the answer? You’ll only give me power. Having fought beside this chapter, it would be easy for me to bring them to their knees. An afterthought really, considering I’ve watched them fumble with my own two eyes.”
There’s a hesitation on the other side. “You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t I? I’m not afraid of you, or any of the others. Matt’s only strength is the power to evade, but one punch to the gut and he’s down for the count. Ryan’s earth-shaking abilities are rendered useless once he’s standing on man-made materials, and Ashleigh is a joke on dry land. While I don’t know Joy, isolating a rookie should be enough to bring her to her knees.”
Claire gasps, clasping her hands over her mouth. These words—these threats—are coming from such a hateful place. They burn inside me, cutting off my air supply. I can only imagine what she’s feeling.
“You’re bluffing,” the woman says dryly. “You wouldn’t risk your legacy.”
Charles places his knuckles on the table, strong shoulders looming to intimidate his interrogator. “Try me. This can all be avoided, of course, if you reinstitute my hero status. The choice is yours, Millie.”
Millie! I knew I recognized that voice! She fired Charles? She set off this entire string of events? Oh my god, oh my god…
“Goodbye, Charles,” Millie says, and though I cannot see her face, the smile in her tone is clear. “I’ll inform Roy of your retirement plans immediately.”