Super Sales on Super Heroes

Chapter 17 - Catching Up -

The world was a groggy haze. Filled with snatches of conversation and alternating bright lights and deep darkness.

Occasional words would slip through, but none of them stuck.

In time, Felix began to feel as if he could keep a thought for longer than a few moments. Longer than a single breath.

His eyelids felt heavy. So heavy he couldn’t open them.

That’s good. Heavy eyelids means I’m alive. Right?

Swallowing, he concluded he must have eaten a desert, considering how dry his mouth was.

“Oh! Felix? Are you awake?” asked a soft voice.

“Mmnnuugh… wwaaaa…” Felix explained patiently.

“Water?”

“Yuuuuuuu,” he energetically agreed.

A straw slipped between his lips. Felix set to the task and drank quickly. The cool, very wet, very delicious water brought life and happiness back to the wasteland that was his mouth.

Releasing the straw, he sighed, licking his lips.

“Thank you. I feel groggy,” Felix said. His head felt heavy. Trying to open his eyes again, he only managed to get them open a crack.

Which immediately blinded him.

“It’s been two days since you were shot,” came a patient voice.

He couldn’t quite place it. He knew it, but his brain refused to tell him a name.

“What happened?” he asked. Somehow, he managed to move his hand an inch, and suddenly found someone else’s hand. Latching on to it, he laced his fingers into theirs.

At this moment, any human contact was preferable, even if he didn’t know who it was.

“You were shot. The first bullet grazed your skull. The second nicked a lung, perforated your bowels, and exited your hip,” said the definitely feminine voice that he knew. That he swore he knew. “We’ve kept you drugged up until a little bit ago. There were concerns about waking you early before everything could be finished.”

“Finished with what? It sounds like I should be dead.”

Felix struggled with his eyes again, finally managing to get them open. Everything was blurry and bright, but he wasn’t blind.

“Felicia built a machine that would help anything mend. To heal. In such a way that it would defy science and modern medicine. It’s more like a bed than a machine. You were in it up until this morning. I carried you to your bed so you could rest more comfortably.”

The world began to come into focus, though aggravatingly slowly. As the kaleidoscope of colors and blurs became something recognizable, he realized it was Miu at his side.

The aloof beauty Miu, who seemed to always flee rather than speak with him.

Smiling at her, he squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Miu.”

“Of course. I’ve been watching over you since they brought you home. I shall not be leaving your side going forward. I’m going to be your personal bodyguard should you leave for anywhere until we can find someone more permanent for the job.”

“I see. I assume this is something Ioana, Kit, and Lily agreed with?”

“They did not get the chance to disagree. I will be training at an increased speed to make sure I can handle any problems that come up as well.”

Miu didn’t elaborate on the fact that the others didn’t agree.

“I won’t even argue. Being shot sucks. Was anyone else hurt?”

“No, only you were. It was an impromptu attack. I believe they followed you, waited, and then planned the assassination from there.”

“Assassination?”

“Someone tried to shoot you pointblank in the head. It’s a miracle they missed. It’s an assassination attempt. There can be no question of that. All that remains is to determine who.”

Felix took a slow, deep breath and then nodded his head.

It made sense. There really wasn’t any other possibility when you looked at it from that point of view. There had been no other targets, only him.

“Lily is the only reason you’re alive. She was able to react quickly enough that the rest of the gunshots impacted a shield, rather than you,” Miu admitted with a glum look on her face.

Apparently Felicia isn’t the only one who doesn’t like Lily.

“I’ll be sure to thank her when I get a chance. So, what’s the prognosis, Doctor Miu, will I live?” he asked, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Oh, ah, yes. Everything is as good as new, but you are very weak. Felicia’s machine pulls the energy from you to make the repairs, as if you were to heal naturally. You will feel tired for many days.”

“Delightful. Paperwork, antiques, and office work for me, then.”

“Yes. Though, I fear we are about to have a visitor. She has—”

The door burst open, slamming into the wall. The clang of the doorstop heralded the fact that she hadn’t put a hole in the wall.

“Felix!” Andrea shouted. Closing the distance in a single hop, she was suddenly up in his bed, rubbing her face all over his chest. Her arms were locked around his neck and she squeezed him tightly.

“You’re awake. Kit said you’d be awake quickly. That you were stronger than people gave you credit for. I’m so glad,” Andrea gushed. “It was so hard to not climb into the machine with you and hold you. Felicia said she’d cut off my tail if I did it. Then Ioana promised to turn it into a broom. Mean. Mean, mean.”

Felix chuckled and released Miu’s hand. He gently set his arms around Andrea and patted her on the back. “They were right to keep you away so I could recover, Andrea. Sorry, but they were being mean for the right reasons.”

“I know. I still don’t like it, though. You don’t smell good. You smell like medicine. You need a shower. Come on, I’ll wash your back.”

“What? No, I don’t—”

“Yes, yes now. Yes now, or else,” Andrea threatened.

“I would agree with her. You smell of medicine and sweat,” Miu said, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips.

“I don’t—”

“No more talking. More showering and scrubbing.” Andrea hopped off the bed and split into ten different Andreas rapidly.

In unison, they all clapped their hands together, then held up one arm. “To the shower! Strip him!”

“Hey now, let’s taaaaoouuu—”

Felix had only a moment’s notice before the Andreas descended on him and carried him off to the shower, Miu trailing along behind.

They were merciful. They stripped him, dumped him in the shower alone, and left him there sitting under the hot, steamy water.

He’d have to remember how invigorating a hot shower could be. He went from feeling sorry to himself, to being hungry, thirsty, and clean.

Hot water was glorious.

By the time he stumbled out of the shower, he found a set of clothes waiting for him to change into. Only Miu and a single Andrea remained when he finally left the bathroom.

“A pancake brigade has been assembled,” Andrea said with a bright smile.

“I… that sounds great, actually. Thank you,” Felix said sincerely.

“Lily and Kit are assembling a department head meeting for you.”

Felix nodded his head and gestured at the two women. “Lead on.”

Andrea happily bounced off, opening the door and stepping out.

Miu merely ducked her head to him and waited.

Keeping his tongue behind his teeth, and his wit, he realized he couldn’t fight what they wanted to do to him. They depended on him being alive and healthy. After this incident, he didn’t think he’d be wandering around alone anymore.

Giving her a tight smile, he followed the sound of Andrea skipping towards the dining room.

A handful of pancakes, a glass of orange juice, and a soda perked him right up.

Everyone gave him a chance to finish before starting in. The moment he admitted he was indeed done, they cleared the table, and all looked to him expectantly.

“Ah, thanks, everyone. I understand that I owe my life to Felicia?” Felix asked, looking to the builder.

The Dwarven woman crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked to the side, though eventually nodded her head.

“Thank you. Your work is fantastic, as always.”

Felix then turned his gaze on Lily.

“And Lily, I understand you saved me from dying right then and there. Then managed a running offense to get us back to the car. I’m not sure how to thank you for that.”

The woman in question arched an eyebrow at him. She looked as if she were hesitating, then gave him a shrug. “We can figure out something later. So far, you’ve done nothing but build up my power. Even as a slave, this isn’t something I can easily write off.”

“Fair enough. Andrea—”

“I want to sleep in your bed. I don’t like only watching over you, I want to sleep, too.”

“I, uh… what?”

“For my reward, I want an Other to sleep in your bed. She’ll sleep at the foot. Your feet are warm. Thanks!”

Felix opened and closed his mouth twice and then nodded his head. It sounded annoying, but he didn’t want to push her away.

She’d carried him bodily the entire way, and one of her Others had been mortally wounded for him.

“How’s Eva, and where is she?” he asked, realizing that sitting around him were only those who had been part of the original group.

“In school, and she’s fine. She got your credit card on the way out for you, by the way. We’ve taken her shopping several times since then, and she has more clothes than any teenager could want.” Kit pulled out a single sheet of paper from her binder and slid it across the table to him.

Glancing at it, he realized it was a balance sheet.

He didn’t care. He pressed a finger to it and passed it back without looking at it a moment more.

“Thank you. I’m glad she’s in school. She like it?”

“So far. Everyone wants to know who her sponsor is. Apparently, getting into that school isn’t easy.” Kit didn’t say anything more.

It left the entire thing open to a question. One he’d have to ask Lily.

Felix had to wonder how Lily had managed to get her in, but didn’t feel like wasting his breath. If she wanted to be coy about it, she could. He didn’t need to press them on every secret.

“So… I suppose that brings us to the department head meeting we should have had. Felicia, how about you start us up?” Felix asked. He spread his hands to the dwarf and waited.

“Hah. Ass. Why do I always have to start?”

“Because you’re building our home. To me, that sounds like one of the single biggest, and most important, tasks to get updates on. First you go.”

“Hmph. It’s fine. Common spaces will need you to smooth them out, and the training areas are only about half done. I put them on hold since you were injured and haven’t gotten back to them. Been working on the medical ward and its machines. You’ll need to smooth that one out too.

“I’ve got everyone working with whatever best suits them. We got quite a few talented people out of that last purchase. We’re fabricating all sorts of great toys and things.”

Felix couldn’t help but admire her progress, all things considered. “Great work, Felicia. You’re a credit to your race.

“Ioana, let’s go with you since you’re next to her. We’ll go clockwise from there.”

“Security forces are being trained up. Miu is assisting me with the hand-to-hand combat. Andrea has taken up firearms. Everything else is under me.

“We’ll have our first security team ready for deployment in about a month. Class rollouts should be every couple of weeks after that as we stagger the classes. We’ll be drilling them one against the other for experience.”

“That’s far better than I’d been expecting. Good job, Ioana. I’d like to get some time in your classes once I get my energy back.”

“You’re already enrolled,” Lily said with a smirk.

“Good. Kit?”

“HR, which includes counterintelligence, since we’re all telepaths, is up and running. We’ve sorted everyone out by their abilities, tendencies, and desires. It’ll take time for everything to actually get off the ground, but with everyone ideally placed, it should be easier.

“We did mark a few people who seem like they’ll be problems. Only three seem intent to cause a problem.”

“Alright. Give them to Lily first and then put them in the sausa—”

“No. Not yet,” Kit interrupted hurriedly. “We’ll give them time to adjust, counsel them, and only failing all of that will I… give them to Lily and the machine. There are many opportunities to get them on board.”

“Whatever, attrition is your concern. And speaking of attrition, always looking for new hires. Did that auction happen?” he asked, looking between Kit and Lily.

Kit nodded her head and held up a hand towards him.

“It did. We picked up around two hundred unpowered normals. They didn’t even cost a fraction of what you paid for the supers. We now have: marketing, finance, legal, IT, facilities, kitchen, janitorial, motor pool, medical, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. We’ll need to headhunt some key positions but by and large we did well.”

Two hundred more people? I won’t get as many points for them as I do a super, but points are points.

“We already expanded the housing project to accommodate them, and then doubled that for growth.

“Princess over there managed to get us a permit to dig as far down as we like,” Felicia said, gesturing at Lily.

“I see. So… we’re well beyond what a pawn shop could support. Did we pick up a few buildings in other areas to put in more shops?”

“That’s been taken care of. It’ll take a week or two to get them outfitted and staffed, but they’ll be up and running soon,” Kit said. “Our bottom line is alright, but it would be good if you could convert some bricks in the next couple days. We’ve had our newly created finance department running the numbers to figure out our taxes.”

Felix shook his head with a smile. “Good show. I assume that means you handled all the paperwork, Lily?”

“Sure did. Everything is settled. I felt fun when I drew up the company name,” she held up a hand. “Ahem, we are Legion. All of us in one. The new legal team is actually rather good, so we moved quickly.”

We are Legion.

“Right. Anything else from the HR department, then?”

“People are asking about bringing their families on board. I admit I expected it to eventually happen. We can either allow visitation, and risk all that entails, or simply deny it.”

“Can we buy their families?” Felix asked.

“What?” asked the telepath incredulously.

“Their families. Can we buy them? So far we’ve been picking up people based on if they went to auction. What if we made it an employee perk program?” Felix leaned back in his chair, feeling more at ease.

Solving problems of this nature always felt right to him. Corporate life never felt terribly difficult.

“If they put in good work and service, we can offer to purchase their family at a fair price. As they’re selling themselves willingly, we would amend the contract to indentured rather than slave. They’d get a few more rights, like the promise of never having to face combat duty, the sausage machine, or anything like that.”

Felix looked up to the ceiling as he thought.

“Heck, at that point we may want to consider buying the buildings around us and expanding our subsurface expansion to include family homes, schools, and stores.”

Felicia sat upright in her chair, her fingers pressed to the table. Apparently, the idea of expanding the fortress to an underground kingdom tickled her fancy.

Kit sighed and trailed her fingernails down the inside of her forearm.

“I mean, I’m all for being self-sufficient, and it would help encourage people to work hard. Though I wonder at what eventuality that leads to.

“Can people begin purchasing themselves out of slavery and into indentured servitude? Do children born of such a relationship get born into indentured service?

“Or do we purchase a semi-limited contract on them that expires at eighteen, and all services remaining that weren’t paid for become debt and they have to leave?

“In the end, it sounds a lot like building an empire,” Kit said slowly.

He could practically hear Felicia demanding he start this action now.

“Mmm. We’d be a target. Well, let’s start testing out this ‘family package’ plan with those who asked for now. See what happens. Maybe we’ll get some serious work out of them. No one wants to work endlessly without a carrot, right?

“Anything else?”

“No. That’s everything for me. I’ll take the family plan idea back to the team and see what we can do.”

“Great. Lily?”

“Legal, marketing, and planning are all fine. We’re drawing up plans for commercials and some branding for the new stores. Get people in the door.”

Lily paused to thumb a piece of paper out of her folio and spin it across the desk to him.

“I took the liberty of purchasing a parking garage. It used to have an attached office. We’ve already started to convert it to a mechanic shop and housing location. It’s only a street away from here, so it’s nice and close.

“Most of our fabricators who can’t help out here are already holed up there. Everything is now closed to the public, and cars purchased at the shops are taken there.

“If you plan on expanding our purchases, do it in that direction so we can link everything up.”

Felix nodded his head. The return on cars would be rather large since he didn’t have to technically pay his people the normal amounts you would for a mechanic. “Nice. That sounds fun. We should use it as a way to start purchasing company cars as well.”

“On it. On the second page there in front of you, I’ve assembled a list of cars to be purchased at market value if they’re presented so we can convert them. Apparently, word spread quickly and people have been bringing cars in here. All purchased vehicles that fit the criteria are being stored in the parking garage.”

“Huh. Lily, you’re amazing.” Felix gave her a grin, leaning forward.

The immaculately put-together woman blushed and looked to the side, her hands folding into her lap. “Thank you. I admit I’m enjoying corporate life. It’s… straightforward.”

Letting her off the hook with that, he looked to Andrea.

“Armory and arsenal are being stocked. Most of the weapons we’re purchasing from No-Name and Dimitry.

“We’re focusing on SMGs and pistols to get everyone trained quickly and have a common talent pool. Though we have set aside a budget for rifles once we have everyone equipped. Rifles cost more and require a bit more training.

“Uhm, for gear, we’re looking into defense contractors. Vests, helmets, everything, all needs to be above military grade. Investing in the gear will keep your living investments safe.”

Makes sense.

“Good show, Andrea. Your skills as Myriad are definitely showing through.”

Andrea gave him a bright grin and leaned forward in her chair towards him, her tail sliding up from behind her to wag slowly.

“Miu?”

“Facilities and internal security are up and running. We have requisition orders for everything we need, but all should be well in a matter of weeks. Ioana has created an extensive training program, and we’ll be fielding our agents from her security teams.”

Ioana nodded her head approvingly at that.

“I’d like to put that indentured service program in place for security. We can purchase mercenary contracts with limiting factors dictated by our HR department. They can sign deals with our resident magician that would bind their soul to ensure cooperation and secrecy.”

“Huh. That’s a great idea. I approve of that. Let’s get that one rolling. That’d be a good way to shore up our manpower and maybe get you a few more trainers, Ioana.”

The big woman slowly nodded her head. “It would help.”

“Great. That seems like everything. What’s next on the agenda?”

Kit picked up a box of something from beside her and dropped it into the center of the table.

In the box were two crowns, and several bracelets. They all looked very similar to the one Dimitry’s boss had been wearing.

“We were able to collect these from your attackers.”

Ah. They haven’t given up.