The night wasn’t as hard to get through as Steve had imagined. Even though what happened during the day had shaken his worldview, the wave of exhaustion eventually took over, and he fell asleep.
The next morning, when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Reid sitting by the bedside, deeply engrossed in reading The Daily Bugle.
"You’re the one who dug out, right?"
The information he had gotten from Adrian the day before was still fresh in his mind. So Steve quickly figured out the identity of the man before him.
"That’s right, Captain. I’m Reid Pennyworth, assistant to Lex Luthor. I’ll be arranging everything for your new life from now on."
As he spoke, Reid set down the newspaper, then stood up and walked to the door of the hospital room.
"Please follow , Captain."
Steve had many questions he wanted to ask, but there was no need to rush them. He straightened the clothes he had worn all night, then followed Reid out of the hospital and into a luxury sports car.
Once the two were seated, the driver didn’t wait for any instructions. He started the car and drove them straight toward the center of Manhattan.
That place was now etched in the mind of every New Yorker. It was the apartnt that the Fantastic Four used as both their ho and their headquarters.
Though Steve didn’t know that yet.
"Captain, I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I can answer them now."
Seeing the look of anticipation on Steve’s face, Reid smiled slightly. He didn’t leave the man hanging and got straight to the point.
Without hesitation, Steve asked, "I want to know what you people expect to do. From what I’ve seen, the world doesn’t seem to need Captain Arica anymore."
Half a century ago, he was the one who defeated Hydra and saved the world. But after everything he experienced yesterday, he realized that what once made him special was no longer that rare.
Those street heroes might be slightly weaker than him in terms of physical strength or powers, but with their specially designed suits, they were more than capable of doing the job.
Before falling asleep last night, Steve had tried to figure out why the LexCorp would bother waking him up. But he couldn’t co up with a good answer.
"In that regard, you’re right, Captain."
Not sugarcoating anything, Reid replied plainly, "The world doesn’t exactly need Captain Arica. But for LexCorp, we’re very eager to work with the first superhero."
"The first superhero? You an ?"
Reid noticed the confusion on Steve’s face. It was clear the man had no idea just how much of an impact the image of Captain Arica still had on Aricans today.
"Yes, Captain. You might not know this, but before finishing elentary and high school, every student goes through a special moral education class. The teachers for those classes dress like Captain Arica, teaching kids about kindness and justice. Even after fifty years, you’re still seen as the greatest hero of all."
"I see. That’s how I’m rembered in this era," Steve said with a faint smile.
He disliked his past of becoming a perforr, doing things that felt pointless. But if his image as Captain Arica could inspire children of this generation, then he was still genuinely happy about it.
"So, Captain, I think you now understand the value you hold. I’m not exaggerating. Every superhero you saw yesterday is actually an employee of Vought International, a subsidiary of LexCorp. Each of them has a contract with the company."
"So it was you guys."
Steve, who had just been in a good mood, imdiately frowned.
"Why would you turn heroes into celebrities? They should be pure, following their hearts to carry out justice, not driven by fa or profit."
"Does that really matter, Captain?"
Reid had expected that kind of reaction. He was confident he could convince Steve to stay for now, but he knew it was impossible to get him to fully support LexCorp.
"Even back in your ti, the soldiers who fought Hydra and saved the world still received a paycheck. We’ve just turned heroism into a career, a way of life. Is it really wrong to give people who risk their lives for others a better life?"
"I..."
Steve was at a loss for words. His moral code couldn’t accept this kind of logic, but his reason told him this was the way the world worked.
"Even you, Captain. After becoming a hero, even if you never wanted fa or reward, society still gave you a special status, didn’t it? There’s a saying: ’Those who carry firewood for the masses should not be left to freeze in the snow.’ These heroes fight with their lives to protect others. Giving them recognition and comfort in return, how can that be wrong?"
Just then, the luxury car pulled up in front of the Fantastic Four’s apartnt building. Steve was still shaken by what Reid had just said, and in a daze, he went with him inside toward the room LexCorp had prepared for him.
On the way, they happened to run into Dick, who had just returned from grocery shopping.
"Hey, Dick."
"Hello, Reid. Is this... Captain Arica?"
Hearing his title spoken again snapped Steve out of his thoughts. He looked at Dick, dressed in casual clothes, but clearly soone who had gone through intense physical training.
"Hi. Just call Steve."
Considering LexCorp brought him here, he understood this man must be a hero too.
"Captain, this man is currently one of the most famous superheroes in the world. He’s the leader of the Fantastic Four. Nightwing, Dick Grayson."
Steve nodded, but didn’t say much more to Dick. They soon parted ways as he followed Reid into the apartnt prepared for him.
Looking around at the clean, minimalist design, Steve gave an approving nod. He never liked overly flashy or luxurious styles. This place, in fact, suited him very well.
"This is the ho LexCorp has arranged for you, Captain. A ho in this era that belongs to you. And as for what we want from you... I think you already know. We hope you’ll join Vought, just like the other heroes. Beco one of our superheroes. In your day-to-day life, we won’t interfere in any way. But in case of ergencies, like a criminal showing up, we’ll send you information based on their threat level and your location. That way, you can step in and do what heroes do."
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