4.07

“Well, well, well. It seems my old buddy has been really active in the superhero scene again. Hmmm, retirement has been pretty boring.” A lithe rabbit covered in light brown fur, speckled with grey was sitting in a large armchair. He had a grey goatee that was braided and hung three inches below his chin.

“Grandad, you’ve been saying that for years. You need to let those days go. Retirement has been good for you.” A young rabbit woman had brought in an ornate looking tea set and poured her grandfather a cup. She then sat in another armchair that faced her grandfather.

The television set was silent but had large subtitles scroll on the screen. The journalist was running a peace on a new team known as Justice Punch.

“The life I had was exhilarating. I lived for the rush. Stealing art, money, getting into scraps with the heroes. Evading capture. I even helped save the world once.” He took a sip of the tea and his face contorted into one of disgust. “What is this filth?”

“Chillberry tea. It’s good for your heart and stomach.” His granddaughter gave a little smile.

“Putrid stuff. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with me.”

“Grandad…”

“I know, I know. You’re just looking out for me. I appreciate it, I really do.” The elderly rabbit forced himself to take another shallow sip of the tea and he willed himself to not spit it back out again.

His granddaughter watched the television in silence as she spoke to him. “How do you know that team has anything to do with Excelsior?” There was a quiet tension in her voice.

“I just know these things. I know his style in building a team. What the team does when they start and how they approach things. I fought against him for close to thirty years, that kind of intuition becomes second nature.” The elderly rabbit stood up and paced the room. A strong limp in his left leg suggested old injury.

“Grandad. You should be taking it easy.”

“I’m not going to let what that man did to me control me for the rest of my life.” He continued to pace the room, stretching out the injured leg.

“Grandad.” She stood up and approached him, but he shrugged her off and took a few more steps before almost falling over.

“Blast it all. I should be going out with a bang, not fading away into nothing.” The elderly rabbit pulled himself up and steadied himself against a piece of furniture.

“I get it, bu-”

“I don’t think that you do. I really appreciate you stepping up to the plate and helping look after me after your mother passed away, I really do. But I’m not going to sit idly by and become nothing when Excelsior gets to continue doing what he’s doing. He’s older than me you know, by seven years. I should still be out there, living my life to the fullest.”

“Grandad, I know he did this to you. Your leg, your health, but you can’t behave like this. You’re being irrational. You need to look after yourself.”

“Please, just leave me be for now. I want some time to myself.” His granddaughter shot him a look and walked out of the room.

The elderly rabbit reached for his walking stick. He hobbled over toward the dead fireplace and pushed on a hidden button on the mantlepiece. The fireplace slid aside and revealed a hallway. He hobbled down the secret passageway and into another room.

The house he lived in was filled with wooden opulence, this room was filled with modernity and sleek design. Two glass cylinders were in one corner. One was his old costume, on display on a mannequin of a rabbit. The other was his old steam pack and gun.

“I got you once.” The rabbit approached an elegant looking rapier that was embedded in a wooden pedestal. The rabbit looked around the room with teary nostalgia.

As he walked through the room, he was hit with a coughing fit. He doubled over in pain and looked at his hand. Small drops of blood painted his hand. He cleaned his hands and stood in front of his suit.

For a moment, it wasn’t a mannequin that wore the suit, it was him. Padded armour in places, blacks and yellow highlights, the suit had always looked flashy. It still looked brand new to this day, as he had taken great care in restoring it, always dreaming of coming out of retirement.

The rabbit hobbled over to a small box and opened it. Inside was a knee brace, one that he had made, to take the weight of his body. He planned to use it if he ever came out of retirement.

After a struggle, he managed to pull the brace on. The elderly rabbit took a few cautious steps and was immediately filled with a rush when he realised just how easy it was to move around.

The rabbit pushed a button and the glass that encased his suit and weapon slid away. He donned the suit and weapon and a sense of purpose filled Steamblast’s heart once again.

“I’m coming back, Michael.”

***

Michael sat on his couch with the television on. He hadn’t been in contact with anyone for a few days.

He had a few people tracking down the kid that held the spirit of the shark lord, and someone else was tracking down Hunter’s mother.

“I’m so tired.”

Something on a news channel caught his attention and he turned the volume all the way up.

“Amateur footage has been sent in by a viewer who claims that Steamblast has been sighted. If this is true, it would be the first sighting in close to thirty years. We’ll repeat the clip now for you.”

The clip that was clearly filmed from a phone was shaky. It was pointed at a rooftop and showed a rabbit standing at the top wearing Steamblast’s costume.

“I’m so tired.” Michael switched the television off.