The Hero's Costume

In the conference room, no one cared who had fought whom.

Only Ashley and Starlight kept trading words, their voices filling the room.

Superpowers aside, Starlight was just a new hire. She was no match for Ashley, who had been working there for years, in a war of words.

After a few exchanges, Starlight backed down.

Ashley had threatened to send her back to the countryside if she refused to wear the superhero costume the company had made for her.

There, in a remote corner of Iowa, she could watch other superheroes take her place and shine on TV.

And she could spend the rest of her life regretting it.

Of course, everyone in the room knew Ashley was bluffing. Madelyn was the one who had decided to make Starlight a member of The Seven.

Ashley had no say in whether Starlight stayed or went, but no one pointed that out. They were all content to watch the spectacle.

Ryan sat in his chair, propping up his head with one hand.

Everyone here had superpowers. Why bother reasoning with anyone?

If it were me, I'd say a couple of words, then warm their hearts with Laser Eyes once I got annoyed.

Starlight was simply too kind. The pretty young woman took the costume Ashley handed her.

Biting her lip, she headed to the changing room, looking aggrieved.

Quiet returned to the conference room. Ashley said she was sorry for the interruption and left.

Then came the routine meeting. The superheroes with nothing much on their schedules took turns boasting about their exploits.

Ryan chimed in now and then, and the mood remained fairly cordial.

After a while, the conference room door opened timidly.

First came a foot in a high heel, then a leg, and finally the rest of the person.

One look at her face told Ryan it was Starlight in her new costume.

With please don't look written all over her face, Starlight endured the unabashed stares of everyone in the room.

To be fair, the outfit was enough to set minds wandering.

It used just little enough fabric to reveal what it was supposed to—and what it wasn't.

Ryan frowned.

"You're planning to be a superhero in that?"

"Ashley told me men who only notice appearances have terrible judgment."

At that, Ryan tried to look deeper.

But however hard he stared, all he could see was an outfit that took courage to wear outside.

As he kept looking, Ryan rubbed his eyes. They itched.

He had felt the same thing long ago, when See-Eye awakened alongside Laser Eyes.

That same itch. Ryan blinked and focused his gaze on Starlight.

He saw something deeper.

He saw inside Starlight, beneath her clothes and beneath her skin, where her warm heart was beating.

The sight lasted a few seconds before Ryan's vision returned to normal.

Clearly, he had awakened a new superpower: X-Ray Vision.

How useful X-Ray Vision was depended on the person using it. Everyone would find a different use for it.

Ryan, however, was thinking about something else. His powers grew stronger every day, and now a new one had suddenly awakened.

It might happen often in the future.

This body's talent was outrageous. Even when all he did was eat and sleep, it seemed to be carrying him toward invincibility—and then beyond it.

After turning that thought over, Ryan came back to himself and heard A-Train asking Starlight how much she charged for a night.

Starlight was a girl who valued herself. Furious at A-Train's sleazy remark, she slapped him.

The sharp crack echoed through the conference room. Humiliated, A-Train moved to hit her back.

Then he saw something shining in Starlight's eyes, while the conference room lights flickered.

She had activated her superpower. A-Train didn't know what it did, but he no longer wanted to fight.

Winning would gain him nothing, while losing would cost him plenty.

The atmosphere in the conference room turned tense. A-Train was the first to break it, giving an easy laugh and saying he was sorry.

Starlight relaxed. She was about to complain, "Don't do that again."

Then she saw A-Train vanish from the conference room.

Starlight had long admired The Seven, so she naturally knew what powers its members had.

A-Train had used his superpower. He had moved too fast for her to see.

As for where he had gone, Starlight turned to look behind her.

He punched her in the back of the head, gave a wave, and fled through the conference room door.

And she had no hope of catching someone that fast.

With no other choice, Starlight swallowed her anger. She looked around the conference table, but not one superhero spoke up to condemn A-Train.

By now, Starlight was beginning to sense that Seven Tower was nothing like the place she had imagined.

Perhaps it wasn't so bright and righteous after all.

With a sigh, Starlight found a seat and sat down with her arms crossed.

"Is he always like that?"

Ryan gave her a perfunctory answer.

"He has his moments."

At that point, The Deep was the only one showing Starlight any concern or sympathy.

Sitting beside her, The Deep acted like a gentleman.

"I'll set him straight later. Don't let it bother you."

He had an I'm in charge here air about him. Ryan glanced at The Deep but said nothing.

When a man showed a woman that kind of concern, hormones were usually involved.

What The Deep was doing was no different from buying a Mercedes-Benz key to show off at a nightclub. Ryan didn't care about any of that.

He got down to business.

That morning, he had received a message from Madelyn.

Now, in the conference room, Ryan relayed it.

"Lamplighter's retirement ceremony is tomorrow. Try to look sad to see him go."

"Oh."

The Deep's reply was halfhearted.

Translucent said "oh" twice, though no one could tell what he was thinking.

Only Starlight was sincere.

"Lamplighter is leaving The Seven? I've followed him for years. Hearing that a hero is retiring in his twilight years makes me sad."

Ryan shot her a speechless glance.

"If he doesn't step down, how are you supposed to take his place?"

"Huh?"

"Once Lamplighter's farewell ceremony is over, it'll be your debut, Starlight."

"Do I have to wear this?"

Starlight touched the costume. The material was soft, the fabric was high-quality, and the tailoring was sleek. She still couldn't wear it outside.

She didn't know whether she adapted quickly, but she had been wearing it for a while now.

After enduring another round of stares from the superheroes, she could at least openly admit how ill-suited the embarrassing costume was.

"If I keep wearing this, it feels like something is slowly disappearing from me."

"Your sense of shame."

Ryan had the answer ready. According to Ashley, the outfit would win Starlight a huge number of fans.

These days, when it came down to it, few people would watch unless you showed a little skin.

Starlight was the only one feeling miserable.

"I really want to put a jacket on."