Huh?
Felix had to concentrate for a second to realize Mr. Smith was suggesting he use Lily and Kit as payment in lieu of taxes.
“She’s a wolf. And no thanks, I’ll pass. Unless there’s something else, I believe that we can conclude this meeting.”
Standing up from his side of the table, Felix gestured to the two devices.
Mr. Smith smirked at Felix and then got up. He pocketed the devices and then paused.
“See you real soon, Mr. Campbell. My offer remains open. You know, in case something changes and you need help.”
Turning his back to him, Mr. Smith left the conference room.
Immediately, Kit, Lily, Andrea, Miu, and the Others came back inside.
“Well! Now that we know about it, we can set aside taxes for it. Sounds like we need to have yet another finance meeting.”
Lily watched him curiously.
No doubt she wants to know what happened after they left.
“Yes. We probably should. We’re in some trouble, but nothing we can’t work ourselves out of with proper budgeting of both our finances and your points.”
“Great. Let’s just… do it here. We should probably get lunch sent up.” Felix sat back down with a sigh.
Almost as if they had been waiting for that statement, a crew of Others came in and began serving pancakes and fruit juice.
Andrea immediately sat herself down on his left side and pulled his plate in front of herself.
Several of the cook Others crowded around him, watching.
Felix knew where this was going. He closed his eyes with a groan, pressing his face to his hands.
“Say ahhhhhhh,” Andrea Prime said from his left.
Chapter 21 - Point of View -
Felicia slapped a hand against the dark black metal. A solid thud came back, which was surprising.
“It looks like… medieval armor,” Felix said, tapping a finger against the chestplate.
“Oh, aye. It is, really. It’s what we could whip up on the fly. It’ll stop everything up to a fifty-caliber sniper rifle.” The dwarf seemed proud as she hooked her thumbs into the clasps of her overalls.
“This’ll keep you safe from most things. We’re working on other things, of course. Better things. This’ll do for today, though.”
To be fair, metal armor that looked this thin stopping a high-powered rifle round was impressive.
“Better than even full body armor. No loss of movement, and the weight is minimal. Certainly ain’t fashionable, but that’s not the point.” Felicia reached up and pinged the helmet.
Fashionable, no. Not at all.
“Alright. And you’ve tested this?” Felix asked. Picking up the helmet, he set it to one side and then drew out the chestpiece.
“Andrea shot the material up quite a bit. No penetration,” Felicia explained.
“Great. Good work, Felicia. You and your team are phenomenal.”
“Thanks. It’s nice to work without limits.”
She picked up the gauntlets and handed them to Kit.
“He’s your boy, you dress him. I’m leaving before I have to see anything I don’t want to.” Felicia trundled out of the room, Ioana following her with her eyes.
“Go, Ioana. I already have enough people watching me.”
Ioana nodded at Felix’s statement and followed the Dwarf out.
“They’re interested in each other, they just haven’t taken that first step yet,” Kit said, running a finger over one of the armguards. “It’s cute.”
Felix grunted and inspected the armor.
Smooth, sleek, and made with elegant lines, it had the appearance of modern tech. It clearly couldn’t be anything else but a suit of armor, though.
Made of interlocking plates, it was bound and secured against the black padding that it was mounted on.
“Guess I should put it on. We’re supposed to meet Dimitry in an hour.”
Andrea clapped her hands together and Others started to leap out of her.
When six Others were standing behind Andrea Prime, she lifted one hand above her head.
“Get ‘im!”
Felix was brought down under a flurry of hands trying to undress him so they could stuff him into his new armor.
Kit stood on his right. Spread out in a semi-circle behind him were many, many, Others.
Ioana, Miu, and Lily had to remain to keep the whole business running, but also defend it.
To that end, those three, plus Kit and Andrea, were all boosted at three hundred percent of their power.
“Remind me to go through the upgrades when we’re done here. I keep putting it off.”
“Sure thing, dear!” Andrea Prime said happily from beside him. She was dressed in a jacket, blouse, and pencil skirt that she’d taken as her uniform.
Tapping something into her tablet, she shifted her weight back and forth.
In sharp contrast to that, every Andrea around in the area was on sharp-eyed vigilance. They were all decked out in pantsuits, ballistic vests, and SMGs under their jackets.
He’d managed to convince her to buy a mass of the vests and hand them out to her Others.
At long last, the door to the restaurant opened. Dimitry stood there, staring at Felix in his suit of armor.
“Felix?” Dimitry asked slowly.
“Yup. Sorry. Going out in public has been a problem as of late. Can we come in?”
Dimitry nodded his head and then stepped aside, holding the door open for them.
He’d kept them waiting for twenty-some odd minutes.
“I apologize for the delay. There was some… dispute about people being excused from this test.”
Felix waved a gauntleted hand at him. “No worries, no worries. Andrea, spread out and cordon off the building. Only bring a few in with you. We should be safe here,” Felix said, turning his head to Andrea Prime as he passed Dimitry.
“Yes, dear.”
Andrea stopped and looked towards her Others, who all looked to her. In an instant, they split up without any form of communication.
Once again, Felix had to wonder how they managed that. Was it a psychic link, or something else?
Two Others, Andrea, Kit, and himself were led into the basement. The last time they’d stepped foot here, they’d been on a mission of death and destruction.
This time it was a favor.
Hopefully there isn’t a body count this time.
Dimitry opened a door that hadn’t been there the last time they had come through. Inside was a large number of men and women sitting in chairs, standing around, and generally just waiting.
There was even a number of people hogtied and laid out along one wall.
“It’s like that horror movie we watched the other day.
“You’re not going to wear one of their faces like a mask, are you?” Andrea asked, looking at Dimitry.
“Ah, no.
“You can start with whoever.” Dimitry flipped a hand at the people in the room.
Felix had expected it, to a degree. This wouldn’t do at all. It’d reveal far too much about Kit’s abilities.
“Do you have a room we can work out of? One-on-one interviews will get us the best results,” Felix asked, turning his head to the crime boss.
“Hmph. Yeah, we can do that. Over there, it’s an office that isn’t being used.”
Andrea pointed at one of the Others, who took off at a jog to inspect the room. After half a minute, she waved them on.
Felix took a chair in the corner and pulled off his helmet. Then he gestured to the chair behind the desk. “All yours, madam interrogator.”
“Thank you. Thank you for both getting us out of that room, and the seat. I didn’t really want to interview them in that room, with everyone watching.” Kit sat down, adjusting her dress and blouse with a few gentle tugs.
“Stop, you look great.”
“Really?” Kit asked, looking up at Felix.
“Course. Now get ready, Dimitry will probably start sending people in.”
“The room is clean, no one listening or watching,” one of the Others said.