SHAZAM!: The Word of Power #14

A glass of whiskey shatters against a wall, "@#$%ING PRICK!"

"You alright, Sterling?"

"That bastard thinks he can make a buffoon of me?! I built the media! I own City Hall! I am Fawcett City, damnit! If he thinks for one second I'm some kind of mooncalf, he's got a surprise on the way! This won't stand!"

His pearly hair doesn't quite match his scarlet complexion. He glistens and sputters and gasps for air.

"Damnit David, what should I do?"

"Sterling, I'm a military man to my core. Now, you see this guy as an opportunity. I see a threat. A damn big threat, we don't know what he can do. He could be the next Superman for all we know."

"-And we could be the next Metropolis! Whiz News could be the new Daily Planet! I could have statues of gold, both me and this lightning kid! My son could be President off the back of my legacy! That's what I see!"

"What if he isn't? What if he's the next Hal Jordan? What if we're the next Coast City? If you survived you'd be the guy that sponsored him. What kind of legacy would that leave?"

"If I turn on him now, I lose the next election, it's that simple."

"He's a reckless vigilante! Powers or no, he won't speak with the police, he won't meet in public, and he won't even stick around after killing a guy!"

"After killing a scumbag! He's either shy, conceited, or worried about people like you. Do you seriously expect me to issue a manhunt? The public loves the guy! This morning my secretary showed me one of those mee-mees comparing him to Christ!"

"The right move is rarely the popular one-"

"In politics, the only move is the popular one! You'd have me ruin my image, throw away my livelihood"

He drags a cigar and has a thought.

"Find him. Make him work with us. If he says no, we work on a defamation campaign and I flip my stance."

"No. This is stupid. I'm not doing it."

"You're a war hero, sure. But you got one arm and a bad attitude, how far you think you'll get without my good graces? Find him. Make him cooperate, or you're fired."

He stands, "That a threat, Morris?"

"A promise."

Reid draws his sidearm.

"You know what they say about a politician's promises."