THE MOMENT
“I'm sorry?” Richard wasn't sure he heard the question correctly. “Do I need one?” he asked. He thought he was there to discuss the possibility of putting his new superpower to use on the job, and the very first question came as a complete surprise. Luckily, his boss shook his head with a smile.
“It's not important,” Salazar replied. “It's more of an attention grabber to officially kick off the discussion. I didn't expect that you had a favorite number. And, now that we know you don't, we can move on. Tell me about your superpower,” he said.
“Oh, uh, right,” Richard was still somewhat doubtful, but it didn't seem important. It couldn't have been. He got an odd sense that Salazar might be glossing over something, but right now he was trying to earn his job. And, he couldn't conceive any other reason he was asked his favorite number to begin with, so he accepted the explanation. “It's kind of mundane as far as superpowers go. I can create fire from sunlight. So, it's useless at night and inside most of the building,“ he said.
“Oh really?” Salazar chuckled. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Sir,” Richard nodded and gestured at the manilla folder he brought in with him. It was sitting on Salazar's desk and he wanted to remind the man that he came prepared. “Superhuman Resources already certified my powerset.”
“Oh, you went already?” Salazar seemed surprised and collected the file he let sit since Richard walked in. He opened the folder and flipped through the forms identifying all the proper steps. “My goodness, forgive me!” Salazar laughed and grabbed a stamp from the desk.
“So many applicants come to this meeting ill-prepared. Without exception, they show up expecting me to do all the legwork for them, like I'm their mother. They anticipate I'll organize all their appointments for them a s walk them through the Chroma Corp. maze,” he stamped the first sheet and worked through the rest as he talked.
“Honestly, it's refreshing, and I see great, no, exceptional things in your future at the company. Now, with all this taken care of, I see no reason not to approve you for power usage at work, and of course, the hefty pay bump that comes with your new certification,” he stamped the final page and closed the folder to slide it toward Richard.
“Thank you for making this meeting simple,” he nodded again. “Now you're allowed to use your powers on the job without violating safety regulations, and I get an early lunch,” Salazar chuckled. “Any questions?”
Richard was only trying to make a joke, but he regretted it immediately. Salazar's warm smile vanished as soon as the question left Richard's lips. But, for an unknown reason, the fact that he got an answer left him with growing panic in his gut.
“What's your favorite number?” he had repeated the question for fun.
“Two,” Salazar answered instantly, confidently. Then, he shook his head with a somber look.
“I'm sorry to say, you're no longer eligible to be part of Chroma Corp,” he meant it. It wasn't any consolation, but Richard could see how sincere the man was. He reached forward and touched the folder that Richard hadn't collected yet and it burst into flames. It was gone in an instant like flash paper.
Superpowers weren't unusual, so he wasn't surprised at the fire, as much as he was confused by sudden change. Salazar stood and walked around the desk as if to escort Richard out.
“WAIT! WHAT HAPPENED?” he panicked even as he stood. “What did I do?!” he calmed his voice to ask for an explanation.
“I'm sorry, you know too much,” Salazar placed a firm hand on Richard's shoulder with the apology.
“What? What changed? Knowing your favorite number is too much?” he asked. At least Salazar hadn't forced him to move yet. He stood out of polite habit, but he was determined to stand his ground until he had a satisfactory answer.
“No, that's not it,” Salazar shook his head. “I'm sorry,” he repeated. This time, Richard became aware of an intense burning sensation on his shoulder. It was so distracting, that he almost missed Salazar's explanation. But, he managed to hear what his boss said, and he still had a moment to realize he was on fire before it consumed him in another bright flash. “Knowing I have a favorite number at all was the tipping point.”