"Mr. Soldier Boy, your drink."
The interview was still underway, cara flashes crackling nonstop.
A staff mber carefully worked his way around the cables scattered across the floor, tray in hand, and placed a drink on the table beside Benjamin.
Benjamin was being bombarded by one reporter after another. These reporters had way too much fucking to say, and he was already starting to get irritated.
His face was as dark as iron.
Then he casually picked up the cup. The mont his fingertips touched the glass, his expression changed.
Hot?
He brought the cup under his nose and sniffed. Sweet, with a warm caral sll.
Coke. Hot Coke. Soone had brought him a cup of hot Coke.
"This is fucking hot?"
Benjamin shot to his feet, the chair scraping behind him with a sharp, ear-piercing screech.
He hurled the cup to the floor. Glass shattered, and warm dark-brown liquid splashed everywhere.
Several reporters in the front row flinched back in fright. The flashes stopped for an instant, then exploded even more frantically.
After all, other superheroes were gentle and refined, at least in front of the caras. But Soldier Boy...
So younger reporters who did not know much about Soldier Boy started shooting even more wildly.
"Fuck! That’s so fucking amateur! I want it iced. Ice, ice!"
The staff mber’s face went white. He backed away again and again, nearly stepping on the broken glass.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, sir! I’ll get you another one right now."
"And get my son an ice Coke too."
Benjamin pointed to the side, where Holander was sitting perfectly upright in his chair.
"If you bring another hot one, you’re fired."
The staff mber practically ran off.
Holander looked at the shattered glass on the floor. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he did not dare laugh out loud.
A few reporters covered their mouths, though their shoulders were shaking.
The live director groaned through his headset, and the PR departnt had already begun frantically editing an apology statent.
"PR, don’t apologize. Is hot Coke even sothing people drink? Tell . Fuck you."
After adding that, Benjamin had already sat back down.
He adjusted the wrist guards of his Supersuit as if nothing had happened and lifted his chin at the stunned reporters below.
"Next question. Hurry up, hurry up. Don’t waste my ti."
...
After the press conference ended, Benjamin went straight back to Vought Tower.
The elevator doors closed, shutting out the noise of the reporters and the bursts of cara flashes.
He leaned against the elevator wall, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Dealing with the dia was more tiring than fighting a war.
Especially that damn hot Coke.
Not even a dog would drink that shit.
Holander did not return with him, mainly because Translucent had been missing for two days.
He wanted to investigate. Translucent was no good person, and Holander did not exactly care about him, but a living person had vanished into thin air inside Vought Tower, and a mber of The Seven at that. The fact itself made him uncomfortable.
Because he had previously shot the staff mbers who blocked him from accessing the files, Holander had a very smooth ti checking surveillance and gathering information. No one dared stop him.
...
The next morning,
Benjamin stepped out of the elevator, holding his first Coke of the day, iced.
He turned the corner of the hallway, and his steps suddenly slowed.
Starlight stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the hall, her back to him.
Today, she was not wearing her usual proper Supersuit. Instead, she had on an outfit he had never seen before. A deep V neckline plunged almost to her navel, the skirt was so short it barely covered the tops of her thighs, and her entire back, from shoulder blades to waist, was exposed.
Her long blond hair had been curled into big waves and spilled over her bare shoulders.
One of her hands rested on the window fra, and her shoulders were trembling slightly.
Benjamin walked over. Before he even spoke, he saw that her eyes were red. Her mascara had been smudged by tears, leaving a faint black mark beneath one eye.
"What the fuck are you wearing?"
Benjamin’s voice was not loud, but his tone was cold. He looked her up and down, his brows twisting together.
"You’re dressed like a slut. You’re a superhero. What the hell is this supposed to be?"
Starlight’s lips trembled.
She wiped hard at the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, trying to keep her voice from shaking, but she failed.
"It was Madelyn. She said my Supersuit wasn’t marketable enough. She said audiences don’t want to see a female hero all covered up."
"PR gave the new Supersuit. She said if I didn’t wear it, I’d be hurting Vought’s interests and disappointing the fans who support ."
Soon, she took a deep breath, her voice growing smaller and smaller.
"I refused. But she said Vought’s contract states that Supersuit design falls under company decision-making, and I don’t have the right to refuse."
"She also said... Deep is gone, and The Seven is short a mber now. If I don’t cooperate, there are plenty of people willing to replace ."
Benjamin said nothing.
He set the iced Coke on the windowsill, then turned and walked toward the other end of the hallway.
Two interns who were moving equipnt saw him coming and imdiately pressed themselves against the wall to clear a path. One of them nearly dropped the cardboard box in his hands.
Ashley’s office was around the corner.
She was sitting behind her desk, checking a dia release on her computer. Hearing the door open, she looked up and t Benjamin’s expressionless face, a face so oppressive it could stop a heart.
The pen in her hand fell.
"Mr. Soldier Boy, is there sothing you need?"
"Did you fucking approve Starlight’s Supersuit?"
Ashley swallowed.
"It... it was Madelyn’s direct order. I only carried it out. I don’t have decision-making authority."
"You’re the PR Director, and you don’t have decision-making authority? Then what the hell are you good for? Useless piece of trash."
Benjamin stood in front of her desk and said every word clearly.
Ashley’s face turned pale.
Because it really had not been her decision.
Benjamin said,
"I’m giving you ten minutes. Get Madelyn to my office."
Ashley nodded desperately.
When Benjamin turned and walked out of her office, her fingers were still shaking. It took her three tries to dial Madelyn’s number.
When Madelyn arrived, Benjamin was standing in his office waiting for her, and Starlight had been called over too.
Starlight had already changed back into her original Supersuit. The revealing, slutty one had been thrown onto the floor.
Madelyn pushed open the door, saw the new Supersuit on the floor, then saw Starlight standing behind Benjamin. The standard smile hung on her lips.
"Mr. Soldier Boy, regarding Starlight’s Supersuit, I can explain."
"Explain what?"
Benjamin turned around. His voice was not loud, but it cut her off directly.
"Explain how you dressed a superhero like a prostitute, like a stripper?
"She’s in her early twenties. She fought her way from Des Moines to New York, passed every layer of your selection process, beat out God knows how many competitors to stand here."
"She has powers. She has courage. The night before last, she beat the shit out of two harassers with her bare hands."
"And then you tell her, no, your powers don’t matter, your courage doesn’t matter. First, you’ve got to show your tits to the audience?
"Why don’t you co to work naked?"
Madelyn’s smile stiffened.
"This is the result of market research. The rchandise sales for female superheroes."
"Don’t give that market research bullshit."
Benjamin stared at her. "If you’ve got the guts, design a deep-V Supersuit for A-Train. Make Translucent wear a thong on cara. Or have Holander save people naked. Film that."
"Why does Starlight have to dress like this? Because she’s a woman? Because you think a woman’s body is worth more than her powers?
"Fuck you!"
Madelyn forced down her anger.
Benjamin shouted, "Ashley."
Ashley, who had been shrinking by the door, practically sprang inside. "Here!"
"Make Starlight’s Supersuit according to her original design. She wears whatever the hell she wants. If anyone dares make an issue of her body again, I’ll throw their desk out from the fifty-sixth floor."
"Yes, yes, sir."
Ashley nodded like a woodpecker.
"I’ll handle it imdiately. Right away."
Madelyn still wanted to say sothing. Her mouth opened, but under Benjamin’s stare, she finally shut it.
When she turned and walked out of the office, her face was livid, and the sound of her high heels against the floor was twice as loud as usual. Benjamin did not spare her another glance.
Starlight stood in the corner, watching Soldier Boy use the roughest language imaginable to say exactly what she had been feeling.
He said her powers mattered. Her courage mattered. She herself mattered. Not her chest, and not the publicity.
Every word that ca out of his mouth was as coarse as sandpaper, yet it burned in her ears so fiercely that she almost wanted to cry.
Her eyes were still red, but no longer because she felt wronged.
"Thank you, Mr. Soldier Boy."
"Go be a real superhero. If anyone dares threaten you, co to . As long as what you’re doing is right."
Starlight nodded. She was very glad Vought had Soldier Boy.
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