“She’s still listening at the door,” Miu whispered from behind him.
Felix snickered at that. “Go, Lily!” Turning to Kit, he then gestured to her. “What’s up?”
Kit’s eyes flicked up to Miu and then started to move to Felix but stopped. She stared at Miu, her eyes focusing in on the self-proclaimed bodyguard.
As quickly as it happened, Kit broke eye contact with Miu and looked to Felix.
“Right, uhm. I… I’m not sure how to say this.”
“With words. Direct words that leave no room for misinformation,” Felix prompted.
“Ah, yeah. It’s hard since I can’t read your mind. I can’t get a fix on—”
“Welcome to what the rest of us do on a daily basis. Kit?”
“Yeah. Yeah, right, okay. I’m not a superhero anymore.”
“Nope. You’re not.”
“I’m practically a villain. I’ve taken the lives of other heroes.”
“Not a villain, per se, but definitely the life thing. Probably more down the road as well. Sorry, the price of living in this city now.”
“I can handle being neutral, I guess, but I don’t… I feel dirty. Ruined.”
“Why? Turn the situation sideways. We have something like half a thousand people in our employ. They would have all been bound for more than likely worse conditions.”
“Except for the ones you’re going to send to the sausage machine,” grumped Kit.
“Fine, no sausage machine. But you really need to figure out what to do with those who simply can’t work with the team. Does that appease your sense of guilt?”
“A little. Can we use the medical facilities as part of a health plan to get everyone to perfect health?”
“So long as I don’t have to arrange it, sure. Get the medical team on board and start conducting routine examinations on a semi-annual basis.
“You tell me what works. You’re HR, after all, and benefits fall squarely in your purview.”
Felix didn’t think that was a problem, and if anything, it’d help. People loved benefits.
“Really?” Kit asked suspiciously. “Not just saying that to placate me?”
“Really. Not saying it to placate you. Put together a benefits package for me and we’ll go over it later.
“And back to the villain/hero thing. Does it matter? The Guild of Heroes was more of a faction than anything. The city is well patrolled and has a fairly strict sense of justice right now.
“Last I saw, crime was on the decline.”
“It is, it is, I just… I don’t know. I was always a hero. Even when I was dangerous to teammates, I was a hero. And now I’m… now I’m the single strongest telepath in the world with probably the greatest sense of control.
“And, oh yeah, I’m suddenly telekinetic as well.”
The pen in front of her lifted up off the table and spun wildly through the room. Dancing, twirling, the pen defied gravity as it flew.
Only for Miu to snatch it out of the air, click the pen top to withdraw the tip, and set it down in front of Felix.
“I could do so much. I could help—”
“Nope. Sorry. Not a hero anymore. If you really want to help, get to HR and put that benefits package together.
“Then link up with our marketing group, finance group, and see what we can do on a charitable level. Donations go a long way to help build a company’s face value and lower taxes.
“We deal in antiques and equipment. Schools and museums seem like the obvious place to start to me.” Felix never did like dealing with the passionate ones.
The ones who had to feel like they were making a difference.
It’s a job. Work the job, do what you want in your personal time.
Or nothing.
“Ah! Really? I can do that?” Kit asked eagerly.
“Sure. Put it all together and get back to me. Was that it?”
“Yes, thank you. Yes. Thank you,” Kit said, standing up.
Just then, her phone went off.
Turning her wrist over, she looked at the display on her wrist.
“Huh. It’s Eva.” Kit tapped the display. “Eva? What’s wrong?”
“Kit! I’m at school and I need you to come get me,” said his ward into her phone.
Then the line went dead.
“Huh?” Felix looked to Kit, waiting for an explanation.
Kit blinked and then tapped her wrist display again. “Ah, well. Eva is having troubles adjusting to her new school.”
“I see. Go pick her up, then, I’ll just—”
Kit’s wrist display lit up again as another call came through. The telepath couldn’t hide her unease as she viewed the caller window.
Felix gave her a grim smile and waited.
Kit sighed and tapped the display. “Good afternoon, Principal.”
“Good afternoon, Miss Carrington. Is Eva’s guardian recovered enough to come deal with his hooligan of a ward?” came back the starched tones of what sounded like an elderly gentleman.
Hooligan?
“He has indeed. He’ll be—”
“Good, he can come pick up his ward and a piece of my mind.”
The line went dead once again.
Felix let out a slow breath and closed his eyes.
“That sounds like a lot more than adjusting.”
“Yes… well. Yes,” Kit said lamely.
Several Andreas came marching in before Felix could ask anything further.
They moved in a small group, armed with SMGs yet no body armor or gear to speak of.
When your life is expendable to the point that gear costs more, I guess I can understand.
The one in front took a spot directly to his side and then drew to attention.
“Reporting in, as per procedure. We’ve successfully repelled a group of supers who were attempting to gain entry. We killed one, wounded two, and only lost fifteen of my Others. All reabsorbed without incident,” Andrea said, looking at the space above his head.
“What…? We’re under attack?” Felix tried to confirm.
“Were under attack. We’ve repelled them. The body has been sent to the sausage machine after having Lily check for a soul.
“Request permission to return to post and split the Others back off.”
“Yeah. Do that, Andrea. And could you send Andrea Prime over to see me later? Sounds like I need a few more Others,” Felix said, pausing to look at Kit. “That and more information about the situation at hand. What say you take a seat, Miss Carrington? I think we have more to talk about.”
The three-car-long dark sedan convoy moved sedately through traffic. Andrea wasn’t taking anything for granted.
She drove each vehicle, as she could coordinate with herself without speaking, since it was herself. They’d think the same thing and come up with the same answers.
She also refused to run yellows or reds, and would simply stop early.
Kit and Miu were with him, along with two Andreas. Riding in the other vehicles were all Andreas. Every one of them dressed in a black pantsuit and armed.
Even Kit and Miu were dressed in a similar fashion. Not identical, but similar.
Miu wore something a bit more sporty that she could probably move better in.
Kit, on the other hand, had clearly picked her outfit from a fashion standpoint. She certainly caught the eye with it.
Felix didn’t get what they were aiming for, and honestly, he didn’t want to. He was sure it was some odd type of intimidation that Ioana, Miu, or Lily had cooked up.
Probably will work, too.
Didn’t hurt that they’d stuffed him into one of the nicest suits he’d ever had the pleasure of owning.
The suit had been a custom job. Felicia had tailored and made it for him specifically from her R&D department.
Turning his wrist over, he checked the time.
“We’ll be there in three minutes, dear,” Andrea Prime said from beside him. She was the only one of the Andreas dressed differently. Where the others wore pantsuits, she wore a gray pencil skirt and dark jacket.