“Ah, good show, good show. Congratulations and welcome! You’ll be our first job applicants. Though I’m afraid, it’ll be for today only, and the skillset you learn won’t be of much use. Well, maybe,” Felix said, grinning.
Several of his assistants had left and now came back carrying boxes of varying sizes. Some so large it took two people to move them.
“Alright, you, Mr. Letterman jacket. Pick a box,” Felix said waving a hand at the parcels being set down.
“Uh… sure,” said the kid.
Walking over to a medium sized one, he picked it up and looked to Felix.
“Go ahead, open it,” Felix encouraged. Moving over to stand beside the young man, he tilted the mic towards him.
“Kay. Uh…” Pausing, he opened the box and peered inside. “It’s a… Rubik’s cube?”
“Great. Ever solve one of those before?”
“No. They uh… they don’t make sense to me.”
“Perfect. First, I have to ask you to sign this waiver. It’s very simple. This is your agreement that you’re allowing us to train you in… how to solve a Rubik’s cube. To do that, we have to go into your head, put the training and experience there, and then get back out.
“It also says that this training will only last for a year. And everyone here just heard me say this, and that’s the legally binding contract. I’ve had your faculty read over this beforehand of course, and they felt it was acceptable.
“Of course, it does say that you won’t be sharing any of what you see in that teaching booth with anyone else.”
Almost on cue, the principal nodded his head and gave a thumbs up.
Thanks, Chief. Remind me to actually use this school as a recruiting grounds instead of just on paper.
“Uh. Ok. I just… sign?”
“Yep, right there,” Felix said, pointing to the specific line. He took the Rubik’s cube from the boy and began mixing it up.
Lauren held out a pen to Mr. Letterman, who took it and signed his name. Which was apparently Jeff.
“Go ahead and open that door there, Jeff, step behind the curtain, and follow the instructions.”
“Kay.”
Real conversationalist there. Destined for a job in a back room.
Jeff opened the door and stepped in. One of Miu’s people shut the door.
“Now, folks, this’ll really only take a minute. So while he’s doing that, how about you two go pick a box?”
The girl immediately went to the largest box and set about opening it.
The other boy picked up a small sized one.
He managed to get his open first and held out his prize.
“How to speak Japanese,” he said curiously.
“Oh, that’ll be fun,” Felix said.
The girl yanked the side off the box and stared at what looked like a desk with tools on it.
“Woodworking. I wonder what you’ll build for us. Maybe you’ll be an undiscovered artist,” Felix said with a laugh.
The door to the training cell opened, and Jeff stepped out. He looked a touch dazed, but fine.
Hm. Need to check on the skill books and see if converting them into a video format changed a few things. The books worked for the Telemedics after all.
“Ah, good. Here ya go, Jeff. Solve this as fast as you can,” Felix said, tossing him the mixed up Rubik’s cube.
Jeff looked down at it, confused.
In the next moment, his eyes focused on the cube and his hands started moving. Rotating and shifting the cube faster and faster.
In under a minute, he solved the cube and held it up.
“I did that? I did that… I can solve a Rubik’s cube,” Jeff said with a laugh.
“Here, try again. Each one you solve in under a minute I’ll give you a fifty for,” Felix said. Pivoting on his heel, he took an open box from one of the assistants. Inside were ten Rubik’s cubes.
Setting it down in front of Jeff, he turned back to Kit as the second boy was being escorted into the cell. Thumbing the mute button he gave her a critical look.
“It’s working. I can read everything in their heads. Without them even knowing. Check your point values?” Kit asked.
Nodding his head, Felix turned back to the Rubik’s cube master.
Focusing in on Jeff, Felix wanted to know what it would cost to change Jeff’s hair color.
But only if he owned Jeff. Not a hypothetical option.
Physical change: Blue Hair
Required Ownership: (Met)
Required Permission: (Met)
Change?(400)
Below that was the accept button.
The contract worked, and the training worked when changed to a video format instead of a book.
Which meant they could probably train an entire class at the same time.
“We’re golden,” Felix said, dismissing the window.
Kit gave him a relieved smile and then nodded her head.
Holding up an arm, Felix pointed to the two doors his people had come in from.
“Those who want to see the other two lessons may of course remain,” Felix said into the mic. “Those who want to find out what departments are hiring in Legion, all of them, and speak to someone about that, step right on outside.”
Two of the movers had anticipated his statement and were waiting at the doors. As soon as he invited everyone outside, they opened the doors. Light from outside flooded into the gym.
“Thank you, everyone, for your attention, we’re going to move to the Q and A session now. All questions regarding certain departments should be taken to their respective booths. Generalized questions to HR.” Felix stopped next to one of his people. “Or you can speak directly to me if you like. Enjoy the career fair. I hear the corndogs are awesome.”
Handing over the mic to the black suited man, Felix walked outside.
All around him were booths and tables. Decorated and labeled by their respective departments. From janitorial to HR. Motorpool to security. Everything was here.
Victoria was beside him, matching him pace for pace. His destination was obvious. There was a booth at the center of everything that had one empty chair behind it.
The placard on the top of the booth read “applications.” Beyond that was an area with arranged tables, chairs, pens, and men and women waiting on hand for questions.
Felix could smell the sweet siren call of the food stands off to both sides. Everything was free to anyone who could provide their school ID.
We really did go all out on this.
“I think we’re going to be drowning in applicants,” Victoria said from his side.
“That’s a good thing. If we can catch them out of high school, and do it right, they’ll never want to leave,” Felix said, nodding his head.
Moving around to the back of the booth, Felix sat down in the chair. He didn’t bother to offer the other one to Victoria, she wouldn’t take it.
She’d be too busy staring everyone down who came close.
Instead, he picked up a stack of applications and a pen. Giving the top of it a click he checked to make sure the ink could write.
Sighing, he retracted the pen tip and set it down next to his right hand, arranged the stack of applications, then folded his hands one over the other.
High schoolers were spilling out of the doors in droves. They were looking around as they went, and then heading immediately to whatever booth they were interested in.
“Hm. How are things?” Felix asked to Victoria.
“Same as ever. I did catch a few Powereds trying to get in close. I made sure that they understood there was a limit to my patience,” Victoria said. “The change in my secondary power helped,” Victoria amended softly.
“Wasn’t that big a deal. We just moved your observations to heightened reflexes. Didn’t even cost much. Though… do you find yourself fighting it at times? Is it an always on kind of thing? I know you said it’s almost as if time slows down when you’re pushing it.”
“It’s controllable for the most part. I find myself knowing things I don’t want to. Smells, changes in body posture, pupils constricting, increase in heart rate. All signs of people lying or… or other things. Overall though, very beneficial. Definitely makes it much easier to babysit you,” Victoria said with a smile in her voice.