The Middle Aged Adventures of Sprocket Man
The Staged Adventures of Captain Courageous
“I’m sorry, what?” Stephen asked, unsure he heard Captain Courageous correctly.
“Well, yeah, this is all staged. None of this hero stuff is actually real. I actually assumed that your hero work wasn’t real either, it is a little convenient that you saved a tv reporter after all.”
Stephen was shocked, but he tried his best not to show it. None of this sat well with him.
“So, how exactly does this work?” he asked.
Captain Courageous smiled, “Here, I’ll show you.”
Captain Courageous pushed an intercom button on his desk and said, “Kevin, get in here, in full costume.
A few moments later the door opened and The Rat Doctor walked through the door.
Stephen stood up quickly, ready to fight if the need arose.
“Oh, sit down!” said Captain Courageous with a mischievous grin, “This is Kevin. He is on my payroll. We figure out a busy time and a heavily populated place to have our ‘battles’, we fight until we know that enough pictures have been taken by the onlookers. We also have a photographer of our own who anonymously drops footage to the new station, just in case the audience did not get enough or good pictures.”
“So what do you need me for?” Stephen asked.
“Well,” Captain Courageous said, leaning back in his office chair, “Ratings are down right now. Over the last few weeks we have seen a decline in interest in the media. Adding a member to the team will be thrilling to watch and it would give us a ratings boost. Maybe even having a side-kick your age will attract an older demographic! So, do you want to join me on my crusade to make a bunch of money and fame?”
Stephen’s mind was whirling. This was a horrible idea, it might even be illegal.
“I um,”Stephen stammered, “I need to talk to my daughter, Stephanie. I never make any decisions without her.”
“Sure, sure!” Captain Courageous said, “Discuss this with her, and then get back to me. I’ll need an answer soon though, the offer won’t last forever!”
Stephen quickly stood up to leave, “Well, you certainly have given me a lot to think about. I’ll be in touch.”
Stephen rushed out of the room. Once Stephen had left, Captain Courageous’ face changed from grinning and jovial to grim.
“Kevin, I think we made a mistake. Keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”