THE MOMENT
"Phoenix!" Captain Glacier was only surprised the red-haired man had arrived so soon. Despite his leadership position, he wasn't sure how Sharp Development received their information. He knew they'd hear about the strike at some point; but, Phoenix arrived less than 20 minutes after the Hero's Strike was announced.
Captain Glacier was only the leader of the League; but, as a whole, they were owned by Sharp Development. The company talked about big change; but, he'd yet to see any major evidence for it. He didn't know what to expect; but, part of him hoped they would be on his side. Phoenix emerged from a black portal in the Captain's office. He wasn't alone. He was discussing their next steps with two of his senior members; but, no one there was surprised.
"This strike wasn't approved by Sharp Development," Phoenix shook his head as he met Captain Glacier's cold blue eyes.
"We had to do something," Captain Glacier replied. "The normals aren't even trying to keep their own streets safe. Any criminal we catch is out in a few months and not only that, there's been more than a couple of government-approved assassination attempts on our members."
"Captain, you've always been decently reasonable...," Phoenix nodded. "I'll give you an explanation at least. The simplest reason is that change takes time," he said. "The 'normals' need to determine what does and doesn't work for them. The change you're asking for is coming; but it can't be overnight the way you're wanting. Trust me, Sharp Development has seen it countless times. The 'something' you 'have to do' is your jobs that Sharp Development pays you very well for. Your presence as heroes is important inspiration for fixing the system; but, that only works if you're present as heroes. This isn't a union team, and you're only the leader by appointment. I need the strike called off so things can go back to normal," he said.
"My team and I don't nee-," Captain Glacier finished his rebuttal somewhere else. With a quick gesture by Phoenix, a black hole appeared above the Captain's head and sank down to swallow him, leaving the chair empty.
"I need this strike canceled," Phoenix said as he turned to the two remaining Supers in the office. One of them, MightKnight, hopped to his feet at the Captain's disappearance.
"Where did you send him?" he raised his voice for the question.
"I'll show you," Phoenix nodded and made the gesture again to banish MightKnight. Then, he set his gaze on the last member. "I need this strike canceled," he said.
"I'll do what I can," Smallfry, the only one left, nodded at Phoenix. "Great," Phoenix smiled. "You're in charge of the league now, I'll send you an intern to help you get caught up and support your promotion."
"And, what about when they ask about Captain Glacier and MightKnight?" he asked. "Are they... okay?" he was concerned; but, did not want to risk the same fate.
"They are alive, and they'll be fine," Phoenix nodded with a chuckle. "I'm in too much of a hurry to spend time convincing them; so I sent them to someone who can better explain the situation and their role in it. They'll back," he said. "And I have other matters to get to," he nodded at the short hero. "I expect the Strike canceled within a couple of hours," he added. A tall black portal opened in the air next to him.
"I'm on it," Smallfry nodded as Phoenix stepped into the portal and disappeared.