Felix didn’t respond to that. It wasn’t something he hadn’t already considered.
The sudden acceleration of the vehicle as Lily gunned it pressed him into his seat.
Closing his eyes, he did his best to tune out the world.
Kit and Lily could get them there safely.
Felix wasn’t sure if his breakfast would make it there with them, though.
Lily got them there with time to spare. This auction was certainly more secretive than the previous one. Cars were being routed into a parking complex. Each car was privately directed into sectioned-off parking spaces.
They were asked to wait in their private parking space for their pickup.
In their case, it was No-Name. No words were exchanged, though a handshake was.
They were escorted quickly and quietly to a private room that thankfully wasn’t an office this time. It was a large conference room. On one side of the wall was a series of buffet tables that were laden with appetizers, small meals, snacks, and drinks.
A table with a number of chairs around it sat in the middle of the room. Several monitors were set up around the room, all presenting the same feed. Everyone would see the same thing without having to strain.
“This is great, No-Name,” Felix said, looking around.
No-Name shrugged his shoulders with a casual, smooth smile. “My pleasure. Auction should start in—” He paused to glance at his watch. “—twenty minutes or so. They managed to get some info from a few people, but not much.
“The ones with information will be later in the auction, so I’d save your money till then if you’re feeling unsure.”
Felix only nodded his head, Kit, Lily, and Andrea going straight to the buffet table.
No-Name glanced to them and then back to Felix.
“If you hand me your Pit, I’ll make sure they all get registered with you as we go. Oh, and here,” No-Name said, holding out a tablet to him and taking the cube Felix offered. “This will act as your bidding tool, and confirmation of payment. Take a few minutes and get all your information in so it’ll go quick.”
No-Name stopped talking, and looked like he was mulling over his next thought.
“You sure you’re alright with those three? Augur, Mab, and Myriad, of all people. More blood spilled than most from any one of those, let alone combined.”
“Huh? Myriad?” Felix asked, looking back to No-Name.
“Myriad? The Beastkin solitary PMC? Takes more or less any contract that suits them and drowns the opponent in bodies all of her?” No-Name asked.
“Uh… nope. Did she live somewhere else?” Felix asked. His eyes slowly went back to Andrea. “Never really paid attention to whole thing.”
He’d known about Kit and Lily. They were rather well documented, and he’d seen or heard of their exploits.
Never heard of Myriad.
“Huh. Guess that could be why you don’t know. Yeah, she was. She killed a number of people for whatever reason she came up with. Almost as coldblooded as they come.”
No-Name followed Felix’s gaze.
“Whatever, your problem. Catch ya later, Felix.” No-Name turned on his heel and left right after that.
Felix frowned and scratched at his chest. “Hey, Myriad,” he said finally.
Andrea’s head whipped around. Her eyes unfocused for a second, then she realized he’d been the one who called her.
A smile bloomed across her face. “What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing. Anything good over there?” Felix asked, walking over. He didn’t particularly care who she’d been before she had become his.
Her smile grew even wider. Without responding, she picked up a second plate she’d been filling that he hadn’t noticed.
“Here! As your personal assistant, I was filling you one.”
Kit laughed and shook her head, dropping into a chair. “He didn’t realize you were Myriad, Andie.”
Andrea’s smile fell, the plate in her hand outstretched and forgotten. “Oh.”
“And I don’t care. To me, you’re Andrea. Now, as my personal assistant, can you guarantee I’ll like this plate?” Felix asked, taking the plate from her. He leaned over it and poked at a few things with a finger.
Andrea’s face nearly split into two with the grin that came over her. “Yes! I can’t find any candy, though. Always need candy. Do you think there’s a vending machine nearby? That’d have candy.”
Lily sat down next to Kit and said something under her breath to the telepath.
Kit snorted and turned to her to reply.
Felix smiled and looked to Andrea. “I dunno. But I don’t think we’re supposed to leave. We’ll get some on the way home.
“Now, how about you tell me how you and Felicia did yesterday? I haven’t had a chance to look.”
Andrea nodded excitedly, moving over to the table and seating herself by dropping into the chair.
“We finished up the second basement floor. We need you to smooth it all out and make it pretty, but they’re mostly there,” Andrea said.
Then she frowned and stuck her hands on her hips. “‘That daft fool we call a master can make this a place we can all live.’ I don’t think you’re daft. You’re really nice.”
“Felicia is welcome to her opinion of me. She’s done all she promised and more, so far. She’s done her job,” Felix said. The monitor on the wall came to life, catching his attention.
A timer flashed up on it and started to tick down.
“Speaking of job, when do I get my first paycheck?” Andrea asked, stuffing a French toast triangle into her mouth.
“Huh? Paycheck?” Felix said confusedly, his eyes flicking back to Andrea.
“Well, I’m your personal assistant. I was wondering when I’ll get my first paycheck. Actually, I don’t even know how much I’m being paid.” Andrea lifted up a chicken leg and began devouring it, her elongated canines making an appearance.
“Huh. Honestly, I hadn’t even considered it. What would you need money for?” Felix asked.
“Clothes. Things. You’re not really providing us with much so far.”
Felix couldn’t argue that. Giving them a salary would probably cost less than trying to provide them with everything.
“Lily, let’s set up a payroll function and get salaries for everyone,” Felix said, looking toward the woman who he was quickly thinking of as his chief operations officer.
Lily blinked and raised her delicate eyebrows. “Of course. I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”
Everyone fell silent after that. They ate, drank, and more or less waited, watching the clock wind down.
At some point, Andrea got bored and laid down in a corner, falling immediately asleep.
As the timer hit zero, Kit took the chair on his right, and Lily the one on his left.
“Felicia had her up late. It’ll be easier to be quiet if we’re closer together,” Lily explained, taking the electronic pad from Felix. “Ah, good. You set it up.”
Lily set it back down in front of Felix.
There were no introductions, explanations, nothing on the monitor.
It was a black screen with a clock, and then it was a live stream of what looked like a lobby.
“What’s our goal here?” Lily asked.
“Kit reads their mind, while I pull up a hypothetical on them, and we figure out their power. Then we determine if we want them and could be useful.” Felix drummed his fingers on the table.
“Okay, but what are we looking for?” Lily pressed. “Powers are as unique as people.”
“Errr, well…” Felix drew out his answer. He hadn’t consulted them, but his thoughts had been running down corporate lines. Felicia, Ioana, Kit, and Lily all becoming supervisors for relevant or similar powers that they could work with. “I was thinking that we’d discuss them as they came up. As far as what kind… Any? I’m not that picky.”
Saved from further questions, a group of four men were pushed out in front of the camera.
Looking to the pad, he saw the opening bid was set for four thousand dollars. No information on them whatsoever.