《The Original》


 Chapter 1. The Sun Rises.

    The Sun Rises


    Those we call heroes appeared before the 1940¡¯s of course, but the population wasn¡¯t in general aware of them. Only with the projects being run by the Allies, Nazi¡¯s, and Imperial Japan bearing fruit in the form of the first recognized super-humans did the idea truly become something more than a comic book fantasy.


    When the Germans revealed Kriegsmarine, the living battleship, many felt terror at the idea of a man who could fling artillery barrages from his hands, and rumors of Japanese shapeshifters were the stuff of nightmares. Everyone felt fear.


    Then a tiny nurse, barely five foot two and petite enough to be called elfin decided to pick up an aircraft carrier, and everyone felt a certain sense of perspective return to the war effort.


    -Doctor James Ortega, ¡°Super-Humans and the Greatest Generation¡±


    Her awareness started with the itching. Not a casual itch like from a bug bite, she barely remembered what those felt like. No this was a full body, burning itch, the kind that made you want to take your skin off with sandpaper.  She couldn¡¯t move to scratch though, her muscles wouldn¡¯t respond, or only slowly.


    Then there was light, a familiar soft golden glow, her light. It was fuzzy at first, but her eyes began to clear, the haze blinking away as she began to see a dust shrouded lab. Cobwebs covered much of it, and hers was the only light. She sat slowly up as her body started responding again.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Her voice was thin as she spoke to herself. Just moments ago, she remembered, the lab had been lit with hundreds of tiny lights, meticulously clean with the sound of machines whirring, the scent of heated oil keeping parts moving smoothly.


    She looked down at herself, sitting in a small puddle of greenish water surrounded by a tube of stainless steel and brass. Thin ice still clung to some of the pipes running along it. ¡°A frost trap?¡± she said, lifting herself out of the wreckage, gliding. ¡°Bloody McCarthy. If I¡¯ve missed the World Series, there won¡¯t be enough of you left to re-elect.¡±


    Her feet settled on the floor, her small practical heels clicking on the dust coated flooring.  She checked the small pouch on her hip, finding her camera still there along with her locking document bag. Nodding as she saw both were still intact, though much worser for wear than they should be. She wasn¡¯t sure if the film was still going to be good. ¡°Nothing to do about it now. Looks like they have cleared this place out properly.¡± Her voice was strengthening, her oxford accent filling the echoing space.


    She checked around for any intel, she was a professional after all, though it turned out to be fruitless. Then turned to the big heavy door and pulled it open onto the old tunnels she remembered, heading through the storm sewers, dust falling from time to time from the roof, hear ears catching loud thumps from time to time, though it was as though they were filled with water. Finally, she found a manhole cover.


    ¡°I should be down near the docks, the lower west side, right?¡± She thought as she climbed up and up, it was getting louder and louder. ¡°Whatever is going on?¡± She wondered as she pushed the manhole open, a delicate hand casually moving over 100 pounds of steel and climbed out into the daylight.


    Her eyes went wide. The crowds were thick and strangely dressed, with strange sleek cars choking the streets.  She turned, gasping as she saw huge white ships that looked bigger than an aircraft carrier nestled against large buildings with gangways bridging the space between them. ¡°My word.¡± She whispered. Several people stopped, holding up what looked like all the world to her like tiny walkie talkies at her, before continuing by.


    Then there was a roar from the harbor. Some people screamed and ran, others just turned towards the sound holding up the strange little devices like it would shield them from harm.


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    The woman known so long ago as Solaris flew up above the crowd to get a better look.  Out in the harbor was a huge, mechanical monster, an uncanny mix of a dinosaur or dragon with some mechanical nightmare, but with four long squid-like tentacles adding to the insanity of it.


    The monster was heading for the huge white boats, and before her foggy mind could act beams of light burst from its eyes, searing the paint off the ship¡¯s hull, La23r5AUrU2.


    She shook her head, trying to shake out the cobwebs, as she watched a young woman fly, with a trail of flame, from the other side of the bay towards the bizarre war machine, firing disks of crimson fire at the mech, who used it¡¯s squid like appendages to smack the fire disk down before firing a water cannon at the red clad heroine blasting her back.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, or what that code is, but I know how to deal with a robot!¡± With a golden trail of light, she flew towards the enormous thing.


    Apparently, her appearance was noticed as the robot turned, revealing a cockpit in the chest of the monster, the pilot a shockingly gangly and acne covered teenaged boy.  ¡°You! Who are you! How dare you challenge Lasersaurus!¡±


    ¡°Seriously young man, you are going to injure someone with these antics. Shut that robot down before¡­¡±


    Solaris didn¡¯t get to complete whatever she was going to say when the fifteen-year-old pulled a trigger, and the beast¡¯s mouth opened. A torrent of superheated seawater poured out, striking with a shattering force, causing the flying target to slam back into a concrete wall, several seconds of torrential steam and superheated water cutting off moments later.


    With a flex of her shoulders Solaris freed herself from the five foot nothing crater she¡¯d made, glad she¡¯d used extra pins to keep her hair up. She frowned as she watched the tattered mess of her suit jacket fell away, leaving her only in a white silk blouse and barely intact skirt. ¡°That was silk, you little heathen.¡± She muttered, moments before zooming towards the mechanical terror, grabbing the lizard-like nose and twisting it a full circle around, metal and wires shattering with sparks and smoke.


    ¡°No!¡± The boy yelled as the robot he had been piloting started jerking spasmodically, the tentacles falling limp, before the torso began plummeting towards the water and the cruise ships.  The blonde woman who¡¯d just ripped off his monsters, reached out and plucked him out of the robot, giving it a soft kick so it wouldn¡¯t fall on the ships, instead tumbling sidewise with a large splash.


    ¡°Really. All that, and no plan for ejection? I bet you think you¡¯re smart, too.¡± she muttered.


    Penelope Ward was already pulling the light blue uniform blouse off as she burst into the muster station. She was the first there, which made sense since she was still riding a desk and was closer than the other UNLOC agents on the shift. Either way, she stripped her skirt off, tossing it aside as she climbed into the open shell of her assigned RESOLUTE armor, starting the emergency, abbreviated start up sequence, managing to not shiver in the bathing suit like undersuit she wore which allowed uninterrupted connections between her and the contact sensors that read her bodies commands for the mecha.


    ¡°Ward! You¡¯re still not cleared for field duty!¡± The stern voice came from the woman who¡¯d entered moments after the taller Penny. Her hair was a faded shade between grey and the red of her youth.


    ¡°Director! We have an all-hands signal. I can¡¯t¡­¡± the alarms which had been going off cut out as she was speaking. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Someone showed up and managed the snot nosed brat. Remind me to chase down what idiot let him out of juvie this time. We¡¯re not going to have to send out an action team, assuming NYPD ever bothered to ask for the help.¡± The last part was spoken with long suffering irritation.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll¡­ get back to my desk.¡± She said disapointedly


    ¡°No, you¡¯re going out.¡± The director countered.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Helen, kid. This isn¡¯t the Coast Guard.¡± Her boss pointed out.


    ¡°Um¡­ Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± The older woman rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to take the mech, and you¡¯re authorized to use a Chariot. Get to the scene quickly, because we¡¯re seeing social media posts claiming Solaris is the one who finished the fight.¡±


    ¡°Are they sure it¡¯s not just Luna Fuego again?¡±


    ¡°She showed and got fucking clobbered, what the hell is a fire type doing attacking a water monster, idiot. No, the woman who stopped it reportedly glowed with ¡®golden light¡¯, and schooled laser brain like he had built a half functional tinker toy, instead of a city threatening mecha. Pictures we are seeing are compelling but not certain. Go, make contact if you can, and if it¡¯s Major Elizabeth Summers you get her ass back here so we can find out where she¡¯s been for the last seventy years.¡±

 Chapter 2, Turning Up

    Chapter 2, Turning Up


    ¡°This resolution, which I put before the United Nations General Assembly is in response to three months of fear inflicted upon the world by the organization called The Black Hand! Never has a group of individuals been a threat to nation states, but now this criminal cabal seek to create horrors to inflict on the world.


    Villains seeking power, beasts turned into living weapons, and constructs like something from the mind of Mary Shelley have begun to swarm the world and despite the threat our member nations content themselves with battling in their so called ¡°Cold War¡±.


    And now those foes, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Mao¡¯s China sit currently crippled as they struggle to repair damage from a dozen or more man-made disasters held at bay only by those men and woman gifted with powers who acted in good faith and with no guidance or support.


    Thus, I put forward this resolution, that the United Nations found an expansion upon the United Nations Police services to be named the United Nations Logistical and Organizational Command, to coordinate with national and regional super-teams, both in alliance with our nation state members, and perhaps in spite of them! And that is why I call for a vote before this council, even as those worthies cannot attend, because we cannot wait!!¡±


    -Excerpt of Hiro Sakomoto¡¯s speech before the UN, August 5<sup>th</sup>, 1974


    Elizabeth Summers, formerly known as Solaris, was still confused by all the people pointing their little devices at her, or the smoking wreck of a robot in the water. She took a deep breath, then made her way to a cop who had tried to approach her twice already and was a little wide eyed.


    ¡°Pardon me, officer. I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you take this young man into your custody? And, perhaps, give me directions to the UN building? I thought I was in Hell¡¯s Kitchen, but I seem to have gotten somewhere¡­ else.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right¡­¡± He said, another officer came over to help cuff the boy and drag him off.


    ¡°You broke my mech you bitch! I can¡¯t believe you did that! it is going to take forever to rebuild him!¡±


    ¡°My, your parents should wash your mouth out with soap, being able to build a giant robot, does not give you the right to use it to damage other people¡¯s property.¡± Solaris gave a long sigh. she¡¯d had to give that speech to so many people.


    The policeman coughed. ¡°Can I get your name, Ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Officer, ¡°I am Elizabeth Summers, I work with the United Nations Trusteeship Council, a bit of a trouble shooter as I¡¯m sure you can imagine.¡± She reached into her bag and pulled out her ID, giving a little gasp as the ancient bit of plastic disintegrated in her hand, leaving a pile of yellowed fragments. ¡°Oh¡­um. well. That is inconvenient. I apologize sir. I will have to get a new ID made. I¡­may be later than I thought I was.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Um, I imagine so.¡± He said wryly. ¡°It¡¯s Okay Ma¡¯am. Let me get your statement. What were you doing in Hell''s Kitchen when the incident started?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I cannot say. That information is, unfortunately classified.¡± She said her tone was apologetic. ¡°I was over in that direction when I heard the roar. I flew up to see what was going on. After I saw the machine commit violence, I moved to neutralize it. It used a water cannon on me.¡± She fought sighing, hating to think what that had to do to her hair even with the pins, and what it had done to her already abused clothing. ¡°After which I removed the robot''s head and collected the pilot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I saw most of that. Why did you come out of that sewer cover though?¡±


    She opened her mouth to answer but a high-pitched whine caused both to look up, seeing a strange rotary vehicle coming in for a landing amongst the emergency vehicles. ¡°Oh joy. UNLOC decided to visit.¡± The officer she had been speaking to muttered, then looked at her ¡°Guess I know why though. ¡°


    The odd vehicle landed on four wheels, the arms mounting quadcopter style blades folding up and stowing along the main body. It was as if a wheeled tank had been built with an oversized cockpit on top, when that cockpit swung up allowing a nine-foot tall black and pale blue mech suit to climb out, UN markings identifying who it belonged to. It seemed to look around before walking with surprising grace towards the pair.


    ¡°Unlock?¡± she asked, thinking the suit looked very sleek, nothing like the large, smelly, oil fuming, aeronautical kit bash that Tankman wore. Whoever this was, they were some sort of official.


    ¡°United Nations Loose Overpowered Cannons.¡± The cop replied. ¡°Guaranteed to turn any situation into international news.¡±


    ¡°We prefer Logistical and Organizational command, and technically we tend to be international news ¡°the suit commented, the helmet and top of the chest swinging open to reveal a surprisingly petite woman with brown hair in a pixie cut.


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    When she¡¯d stepped out of the Chariot, she¡¯d scanned the crowd, both for threats and for the woman she was looking for. It didn¡¯t take long for the suits AI to spot the largest threat in the area, nor did it take the database image search any time to confirm the woman¡¯s appearance as matching Major Elizabeth Summers, Royal Nursing Corps and one of the Original Guardians known as Solaris.


    She had swallowed as she started to approach, the scanning systems continuing to confirm that the energy field coming off her body was ¡®consistent¡¯ with previous analysis, though it did also note the previous records were lacking details. Still, a shapeshifter would have to work pretty hard to duplicate not only the woman¡¯s known powers, but also her general energy readings.


    ¡°United Nations Loose Overpowered Cannons.¡± She heard the cop gripe, despite speaking under his breath to Solaris. ¡°Guaranteed to turn any situation into international news.¡±


    ¡°We prefer Logistical and Organizational command,¡± She commented, rolling her eyes at the local police griping. ¡°And technically we tend to be international news regardless of whatever else we¡¯re doing.¡± She keyed the faceplate release, the air cooler than what was in the suit. She considered the woman she had come to find with her own eyes.


    For one of the legends of World War II she was kind of tiny.


    ¡°Major Summers, I am Lieutenant Penelope Ward. I was dispatched to investigate when we received reports of your appearance.¡±


    Solaris smiled seeing the neatly put together woman, surprised to see a female in a battle suit, ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Ward. I found a spot of bother, but I was going to head to the office as soon as this was managed.¡±


    ¡°Um. Yes. That is good.¡± A giant dinosaur-Cthulhu cross was a ¡®spot of bother¡¯. Granted, Lasersaurus was a dweeb at best but still, how very British. ¡°I was sent to bring you in. I mean into the office of course.¡±


    Solaris frowned, ¡°Is there a problem Lieutenant.¡± Her back tightened, she wasn¡¯t a fool, she could see time had passed, she just had no idea how much time, only that it was significant.


    ¡°Well. There are a few questions ma¡¯am. About where you have been for the last seventy years. ¡°


    Elizabeths heart dropped into her stomach. ¡°Seventy years.¡± She looked at the water, letting that number settle in her mind. ¡°Well let¡¯s head to the office, I don¡¯t think I should give my report in the street.¡±


    ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am.¡± There wasn¡¯t really much Penny could say to make things better, so she led the tiny but powerful woman to the Chariot, the armored door to the rear section opening to reveal a bench seat. ¡°My apologies for it being a tactical vehicle. Considering the traffic between here and the UN though, we thought something that could hop snarls to be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are a lot of cars, more than I remember. She took a seat, folding her hands in her lap, years of British boarding school kept her face properly stoic. ¡°So, who are we reporting too?¡±


    A monitor flickered on as the vehicle rocked, assumedly as the other woman settled her mech in its own seat. It showed her face in the mecha, as well as another showing outside the vehicle. Other data flowed over the screens, but the time-displaced woman had no idea what it all meant. ¡°My boss, at the very least. That¡¯s Deputy Director Helen Kincaid, director of UNLOC¡¯s special response teams and second in command of UNLOC overall.¡±


    ¡°And pray tell, what is UNLOC?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. We weren¡¯t around back then.¡± The Lieutenant mused. ¡°UNLOC is an expansion out of the United Nations Police Service, or UNPOL which was around back in your time. We are the international organization who coordinates superhuman contact and civil rights concerns, villain containment, and super-hero management. Most countries manage the day to day, but we oversee the big lifts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m shocked the major powers let you develop what is obviously a tactical wing.¡± Solaris nodded, looking out the window as the four blades swung back out and extended, their spinning lifting the vehicle into the air. ¡°Seventy years did pass, I suppose¡­ Well at least the park is still here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, lots of things are. No one¡¯s torn down the Chrysler building or Empire State. Oh, The Whisper is a museum ship now. It¡¯s at the USCG academy. I got a chance to serve a bridge watch on her during training. ¡°


    ¡°She is a good ship, we put her through a lot. So, what is your duty? Are you something like a cop? Your armor is quite refined.¡±


    ¡°I. Was. Am. ¡°Penny sighed. ¡°I am detached Coast Guard working for the UN Headquarter offices of UNLOC, Second Lieutenant USCG serving as part of UNLOC¡¯s fast response team. Callsign Dreadful¡­ This armor is a pretty standard Resolute frame, but my last suit was destroyed a few months back¡­ I haven¡¯t been back on duty long enough to start tuning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard coming back after a bad turn, it shows character that you are back in the saddle. That name, Dreadful, that is an interesting call sign.¡±


    ¡°Call sign tends to be attached to pilot and armor both in the case of suit troops. With a first name like Penny in the academy it was likely best I could hope for.¡±


    ¡°Penny dreadful, well it could be worse.¡± The chariot began to descend. ¡°Could be Penny


    Pincher, or Two cents.¡±


    ¡°Bad Penny got debated.¡±


    The chariot landed in a marked spot outside the United Nations building, then pulled into an underground garage, going deep until reaching a subterranean level with nearly a dozen of the mech transport vehicles siblings as well as four similar vehicles that looked to be purely for non-armored troops.


    The armor rose, opening and allowing Penny to step down, a tech taking over the mech. Elizabeth noticed and turned to face an older red headed woman as she approach. ¡°Good afternoon, Major. I¡¯m sorry, but authentication code: Evergreen.¡±


    ¡°Greenland¡¯s hot springs.¡± Solaris answered, as she gave a sharp little salute.


    ¡°And safe code was verified. We thought we knew it was you, but that confirms it.¡± She turned to look at Penny, eye going down to her leg, then back to the Lieutenants eyes. ¡°Take her up to the RRT lockers. I had some clothes sent over for the Major. Then bring her to my office.¡± She turned, pausing. ¡°Major Summers, Dreadful is going to pretend she isn¡¯t favoring her leg. Please do not feel the need to hurry. I need to brief some people on events. ¡°


    ¡°Of course,¡± Solaris looked down at her pack and pulled out her camera and sealed files.


    ¡°I doubt these are of much use anymore, but here are the documents from my last mission.


    ¡°Yes well. If it helps, McCarthy destroyed himself not long after you vanished. Drank himself to death.¡± With that she walked away.

 Chapter 3, Changing

    Chapter Three: Changing


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know that I have not always been a perfect man, but I swear to my constituents that I will be the man they need in Washington DC, just as I was for so long in the streets of New York City! If I can wrestle a Kaiju outside of Madison Square Garden, I sure as hell can wrestle the budget as your congressman!¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, yes, Marilyn and I have chosen to be wed in the summer, now that she¡¯s, um¡­ completed her master¡¯s degree and time as an intern on Capitol Hill, yes.¡±-Richard Garibaldi, the Empire Statesman, announcing his run for reelection.


    ¡°How prosaic.¡± Elizabeth took a breath, hating that the mission that had stolen her from time was in the end meaningless. ¡°Well lieutenant, shall you show me to the lockers and maybe a shower? I am feeling rather grubby after my dousing.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± Trying to conceal a limp, Penny led the smaller woman to a bank of elevators, punching a code into a pad to summon a car. The lift didn''t have any buttons on the inside and seemed fast enough it was likely a direct express route between two locations.


    A stack of clothing sat on what looked to be a normal bench with a small note with Elizabeth¡¯s name on it. In fact, the whole room was strangely familiar, like a dozen other rooms of the same kind she¡¯d seen over the years, if perhaps cleaner and more colorfully painted. A stack of clothing, including the undress uniform she recognized as similar to what others in the garage had been wearing as well as what seemed to be gym clothes, underthings, and a set of flight coveralls. ¡°Looks like she grabbed you a full set of the basics. Not fashionable, but at least it¡¯s more than a blanket.¡±


    Elizabeth glanced over at the young woman, who was putting her own uniform on over the rather skimpy suit she¡¯d been wearing, Solaris remembered other armored heroes wearing something similar if slightly heavier for piloting robots. ¡°Shower?¡±


    ¡°Through there. The body wash is in a dispenser on the wall and works as a shampoo too. It¡¯s not great stuff, but it¡¯ll get you clean.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Now sit down and rest. There is no reason to strain yourself.¡± The blonde told her. ¡°I can tell your leg is bothering you.¡± She continued as she selected a locker, her small and sensible heels making a louder clang than expected as they were put inside.


    Sitting as she was told, Penny watched as the blonde pulled a dozen or more pins to let the long hair free. Penny sighed and started massaging her thigh. She watched as the heroine removed a golden necklace and hung it in the locker with care, then winced as she took off her watch. ¡°Killed another one, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Might get a Divers watch. Mine¡¯s rated for something like 400 meters. Not that I plan on going that deep, ever.¡±


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    ¡°Something to think about. If you don¡¯t mind my asking what happened? I assume you were injured in your last combat.¡± She removed her blouse ¡°This is a total loss.¡± She tossed it in a nearby garbage can. ¡°And I was a nurse long before I was a ¡°hero¡±, so you don¡¯t have to pretend it¡¯s not bothering you. If I could see Breakneck through malaria, I think I can assure you anyone can be laid low, from time to time.¡±


    Penny sighed. ¡°You had the Black Hand back in your time, so you know what kind of bastards they are.¡± The smaller woman¡¯s wince was all the confirmation she needed. ¡°Terrorists fear them, and my dumb ass got between one of their enhanced assassins and a target. Good news, I won. Bad news, I did it by activating the escape function on the armor while the bastard was squeezing the life out of me. One leg didn¡¯t escape with the rest of me. I would have died, but a super with healing abilities was there but even then¡­ the fact the surgeons and super could reattach the leg alone was a miracle, but it¡¯s not¡­ all right. Nerves aren¡¯t all connected right, it gets chilly faster than the rest of me, and ghost pains hit sometimes.¡± She glared at an armor rack. ¡°And for some reason the feedback from the neural interface causes a nasty ache. I think it just needs to be tuned or adjusted more for me, but the techs don¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to hear that. I¡¯d say I¡¯d ask around but I¡¯m afraid my contacts are a bit out of date. She pulled her skirt off, tossing it to the trash. Then began undoing her garter belt, the nylons almost literally disintegrating as she did. ¡°Considering everything, you move well in your mech. I knew a few armored types, and few walked so naturally.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I love piloting the suits. I qualified on the old Privateer suits before the Surfmen came online and even took extra tech classes in the academy about them, but the neurofeedback can be a beast. ¡°


    ¡°Tankman always complained about his shoulders after he wore his suit for a while.¡± She walked into the shower and turned on the water, washing her hair and getting the salt and port gunk off her skin. ¡°But he always found one thing to be cheerful about and one thing to complain about.¡±


    ¡°Australians. Comes with everything on the continent trying to kill you. ¡°.


    ¡°It could be worse. It was only one shark.¡± Chuckling, Solaris came out drying her hair. ¡°It is an interesting place. Very good steak. She began dressing, taking a Moment to look over the sports bra before shrugging and putting it on, using her hair pins to assemble her long golden hair into a tight bun.


    Penny had pulled herself together at that time, her pixie cut hair less demanding. She put the other clothes into a sports bag for the other woman and gestured towards the door. ¡°This way, ma¡¯am. It¡¯s mostly going to be what happened and debrief. I think the current most popular theory is an alternate universe, but I am thinking of a mystical time trap?¡±


    Solaris slid her shoes back on, ¡°Nothing so fancy, I think it was some sort of freeze trap. I¡¯m not sure what caused me to thaw.¡±


    ¡°My bet is Lasersaurus knocked something over. That kids his own worst enemy. And why did he add tentacles? Creepy little bastard. ¡°


    ¡°He was a rude young man, and his robot¡¯s head was far too easy to remove, not nearly enough reinforcement on the neck.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s going to get himself killed one day¡­ hopefully before he kills someone else. ¡°


    They entered an area with several people working at desks, screens displaying news channels and vid feeds from operational areas. The directors office was glass walled and raised to see all of her domain. She stood and gestured to the chairs. ¡°Sit ladies. Let¡¯s chat. First off, welcome back Ms. Summers. Are you feeling healthy and whole? And do you prefer your name or Solaris?¡±


    Either is fine with me, when I¡¯m not in uniform I prefer my name, but I¡¯m a public hero, so I¡¯m used to my call sign being used.


    ¡°Fair enough. So¡­ for the record what happened? Why did you disappear?¡±


    With a deep breath, Elizabeth began to give her report.


    ¡°With help from a snitch I managed to find Senator McCarthy¡¯s bunker in Hell''s Kitchen. I went to find the evidence confirming that he was working with the Black Hand. Using their intel to find communist sympathizers in exchange for helping to remove or inconvenience their opponents. I found the bunker and managed to find all the intel we¡¯d need. but I hit some sort of trap when I was leaving. My next aware moment, the bunker was dusty and shut down. I made my way back up to the surface and I believe you know what happens from there.¡±

 Chapter 4 Settling In

    Settling In


    ¡°So, analysts are saying that she looks like Solaris, and that her powers are consistent with Solaris, but how sure are we of her identity?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Pat. We¡¯ve had heroines appear for decades who could just about be Solaris. Blond bombshells who turned out to only have a fraction of The Original Girl¡¯s power. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t do us the favor of hitting anyone with a small ship.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Norwegian Cruise Line appreciates that, since they¡¯re lagging behind their competitors in regard to mega-ships already.¡±


    -Michael Walace and Patricia Kent, Super-Watch, Fox News.


    . ¡°I will send people down to collect the tech. Now for you¡­ both of you¡­¡± she leaned back. ¡°Solaris, the UN no longer uses true super assets, above a class D. I could give you the political run around, but you know why no government or collective of nations can use empowered people as weapons. It quickly turns into existential threats.¡±


    ¡°We are also going to be assigning Penny here as your liaison¡­ and don¡¯t argue Lieutenant. You know you can¡¯t clear medical yet, as much as you try to fake it, and the Coast Guard has already warned they¡¯re considering med-boarding you out. This buys you some healing time to try to keep your commission. Try actually not pushing your leg for a bit.¡±


    Solaris nodded, ignoring the dark look on the younger woman¡¯s face. ¡°So, she is going to help me reintegrate? I appreciate that since my commission has certainly expired. I admit I am a bit out of sorts, I¡¯m still digesting so much right now. I still can¡¯t quite grasp how much time has passed, I don¡¯t know if any of my homes or accounts exist anymore.¡±


    ¡°We contacted your accounting firm. That was the only number we had, and why your emergency contact number was accountants I am sure I don¡¯t want to know. They are supposedly going to contact you as soon as tomorrow to discuss details. They sent a packet for you as well, including an already booked and paid for suite at One UN Millennium Hilton. At least it¡¯s close.¡±


    ¡°Because my twin is about as reliable as overcooked pasta when it comes to family matters,¡± Solaris said, her eyes sad. If it really has been seventy years¡­My parents would have passed.¡± She swallowed. It was hard to say that and keep her composure. ¡°Hugh probably set that up because he is impossible to get a hold of, and he wouldn¡¯t want to be responsible for me. Need someone to infiltrate the KGB, he¡¯s your man, need someone to remember your birthday, forget it. Which is even sadder since we have the SAME birthday.¡± She took a breath to resettle herself. Hugh had enjoyed being vexatious.


    She turned to Penny, and gave her a friendly smile, ¡°Well, looks like we''ll be together a bit. I thank you for your time, I am sure you are in for odd questions as I settle in.¡±


    ¡°Oh no. I am waiting for the storm.¡± The young officer said with a touch of sarcasm. ¡°You aren¡¯t the first hero to reappear after vanishing for years.¡±


    The deputy director nodded in agreement. ¡°And whenever one of you comes back, shoes no one else remembers seeming to start dropping. I¡¯m probably being superstitious but I''m still canceling some people¡¯s leave. You check out a side arm and stay with her Lieutenant Ward. I expect you¡¯re going to need it. ¡°


    " Ma''am, I''m not usually a liaison officer. I''ve not been trained as an, um."


    "She''s trying to tactically not say babysitter." The director said candidly. "And in this case, you''re not. Your job is to keep idiots from bashing their head against her trying to make a name, not keep her from throwing her toys out of the crib. One, you couldn¡¯t stop her if you wanted to. Secondly, you''re a twenty something young woman, and tech nerd like all suit jocks. That means you can explain the things she needs to know better than any of the more well trained and "appropriate" choices would. Good lord, could you see Ken Watanabe trying to explain Wi-Fi to her? She''ll think Pok¨¦mon Go means monsters are going to attack at any moment!"


    "That only happened once, and it was because of The Tripper. There¡¯s no evidence any pocket monster attacks actually occurred. God only knows what the hell he thought was going on." At the confused look on Elizabeth''s face, she chuckled. ¡°Super-villain, technically. When he gets stoned, everyone near him gets stoned, and he takes some weird shit.¡±


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s certainly interesting.¡± The woman out of time mused. ¡°I do understand your position, lieutenant. No one likes escort duty, and the Lord knows I¡¯ve done enough of it myself.¡± She smiled in shared pain. ¡°I promise I will not act like a sailor on leave., though if you could tell me what these Poke-man creatures are and why they aren¡¯t a concern I would appreciate it. And of course, help me get caught up as quickly as I can. Perhaps I will need to find some back issues of the papers.¡±


    "What papers? Did I miss something?" Penny asked, looking around for documents she hadn''t noticed other than the room reservation and debit card.


    "She means newspapers, Penny." The older woman said. "You know, those things millennials ignore?"


    ¡°What¡¯s a millennial? And why do they ignore the news?¡±


    "Millennials are people who were adolescents around the turn of the millennium." Penny said. "I''m Gen Z, actually."


    "And I''m a boomer. Baby boom kid." The director explained.


    ¡°Interesting way to delineate the generations? What would I be?¡± the young woman in her nineties asked.


    "Most commonly... You fall into the, um... greatest generation." Penny said with a blush. "To be fair, you guys kind of set the bar with the whole World War II while recovering from the Great Depression thing."


    Solaris blushed. ¡°Well, that is flattering. It¡¯s nice to know we are appreciated¡±.


    "History certainly does." Penny admitted as she squirmed a bit.


    "Well, I''m going to send you on your way, but Penny, I''m going to send a few more detailed questionnaires over, the intake ones and the after-action sheets we give new supes. I know she¡¯s not one, but we have none of the standard paperwork for her. Get the information from the Major here, here and send it back. I''m expecting you to be traveling with her for a while, so at least the fact you''ve been staying in the on-call quarters means your kits are handy.¡± She looked at Elizabeth ¡°As if losing a leg, temporarily, wasn''t bad enough, her apartment building was condemned due to bed bugs and wiring issues while she recovered."


    "Got more than the furniture was worth in the settlement though."


    ¡°That sounds vile, don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t suffer¡­I just hope you enjoy shopping as I¡¯m going to need a new wardrobe for a new millennium.¡±


    "I mean, I don''t hate shopping." She shrugged.


    ¡°My dear, you have never been shopping with me.¡± Solaris said and Penny felt strangely intimidated.


    Half an hour later they were shown into the room at the hotel. Penny was blown away. She''d heard of multi-floor hotel rooms, but this is the first time she''d seen one. Two bedrooms up a short flight of stairs, with a dining room, living room. It was basically a small house pretending to be a hotel accommodation. And all of it was nicer than anything she''d ever owned.


    "Is there anything you ladies will need?" The bell hop asked, after setting their limited luggage on the dining table, not wanting to assume shared or individual bedrooms. At check in they''d been told the room was attached to a "corporate account'' to cover services.


    ¡°Is there a room service menu? I think I¡¯d prefer to settle in tonight rather than eat in the main dining room.¡± She looked around the room, finding it to be plush and sleek. And blessedly quiet. She was tired after everything. which she thought was ironic, she¡¯d been asleep for decades.


    "Oh, of course." The Attendant picked up the remote for the large screen opposite the couch, and turned it on, quickly turning to the room service menu. "You can see the menu and order from here. Just note if you want it asap or at a specific time." he said, offering Solaris the remote control.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She let the bellhop leave, considering the remote, then the TV. Then back to the complicated object covered in buttons she held. Handing the detonator looking thing to Penny with an annoyed look. ¡°On the bright side you get to order whatever you want to eat?¡±


    "Yeah... my dad had that exact expression when we took a cruise as a family trip a few years ago." Penny chuckled. "I''ll scroll through slowly, tell me if you see what you want. For myself, this vodka sauce pasta sounds great, maybe with a chopped salad."


    The large steak, with veggies, and a bottle of red wine, and pick out a couple of appetizers. I have no idea what most of those are, no oysters though, never liked them. And get a couple of slices of cake¡­maybe 2 bottles of wine. What do you think?


    Pennelope blinked in surprise, considering the still young, but much older woman. "I''m thinking I''m not so upset about this assignment as I maybe was a bit before." She chuckled, punching in the order. Lemongrass chicken dumplings, BBQ Chicken wings, New York strip with all the fixings. Two of both desserts, a good table wine, red, and a dessert wine, white. There we go.¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°I think this assignment may have me concerned about fitting into a mech suit!" She joked.


    Solaris chuckled, "Don¡¯t worry, busy as we are likely to be you¡¯ll work it off. And you deserve some pampering since I¡¯m going to probably be asking questions that would make a toddler laugh. And on that note, I am going to ask the first of many awkward questions, why was everyone holding up those odd little devices? The ones that looked like small walkie talkies? I figured they are some sort of communication device, but are they also protective in some way?"


    The younger officer frowned, then pulled out her smartphone. "You mean like this?" she asked, holding it out to Solaris.


    "Yes. Everyone seemed to have one and when that robot started attacking the ships many people just stood there holding them up. I was very confused that people were not evacuating or panicking.¡±


    "It takes a lot to make New Yorkers run away from anything. They were taking pictures." She flipped it around and snapped a pic, showing Solaris her own photo, standing in front of the window. "This is a smart phone, so it does a lot of different things. Pictures, emails, text messaging, phone calls, and watching videos. Kind of does everything, really."


    ¡°My goodness! That is a powerful bit of technology," she rolled that in her head thinking how many more lives she could have saved with a phone she could carry wirelessly in the field?¡± She wasn''t sure what email was or text messaging, but they sounded useful. " It''s really beautiful that everyone can have such a powerful thing, but that doesn''t explain why they were taking pictures instead of getting away?¡±


    "I mean, I''m sure someone''s done a research project on it, but honestly. It''s mostly because people can be idiots at the weirdest times. However, everyone taking pictures and putting it on social media is how we found out you had appeared so fast. "


    Social media? They mailed pictures to the papers that fast? How strange. I guess one thing we will want to do tomorrow is to get a phone for me as they seem to be a necessity for the new modern times. Is your phone of sufficient quality?"


    "Um... I guess. It¡¯s a couple of generations old but does alright." She used the TV again, and accessed YouTube, calling up some of the videos of the fight, hitting play. "Here¡¯s some of the video shot. This one has. over a million views already."


    The blonde hero¡¯s eyes went wide. "Such clarity. And instantaneous?" She looked at Penny. "A million people have seen this already?" She was torn between being amazed and appalled as she looked like a mess.


    "This one, yeah. There''s others from different angles, and most aren''t really this nice. The guy has a channel specializing in Super events, and travels around the city to catch them. Rumor has it he¡¯s got an unlocked police scanner and might be a low level speedster."


    ¡°Other channels are debating who you might actually be and are doing really well to get it right. There¡¯s been other potential Solaris reappearances but obviously, they weren¡¯t you."


    "I guess it would be a little odd for me to reappear out of nowhere, though your boss said that it isn''t the first time it''s happened.¡±


    "No, not at all. I mean, ignoring the Speedster war, it¡¯s happened a few times. Dimensional rifts, jaunts into micritization, random dimensional hops, all things that have happened." She shrugged. "There''s a reason known heroes aren''t declared deceased unless a body is found. Even ordinary citizens find it difficult to declare dead quickly, even with reasonable cause to believe, because of some of the precedents."


    ¡°Well, that means I should still have an adequate nest egg. I put my funds in the hands of good people. Well, people that were good with money in any case.¡±


    The door rang. "Ahh, our dinner is here. Solaris stood then paused. "What is the standard tip these days? I have a feeling it''s more than the dollar I used to give?"


    ¡°Let me. I¡¯ll charge it to the room. Twenty percent is the norm though, but I personally only do that much if I¡¯m pleased with the service. ¡°. Penny signed for the meal, and set out the dinner at the table, a meal Penny was surprised to find on proper plates and with real silverware. Most places just used plastic and foam.


    This looks lovely. Solaris poured two glasses of wine and set her cloth napkin on her lap. "Please dig in, if we need more we can always order again. I haven¡¯t eaten for almost eight decades after all.¡± She selected a couple of dumplings and a pair of the wings to set on her plate. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like barbecue. And what are the little puffs?¡± and took a delicate bite. ¡°Other than delicious of course. She took a sip of wine savoring it for a moment. ¡°Now since we will be together for a while, please feel free to call me Elizabeth, or Solaris, whichever you prefer.¡±


    ¡°And I am Penny, obviously. Dreadful doesn¡¯t really work when I¡¯m not in a suit.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°So why don''t we start getting you caught up, hit me with all the questions. ¡°


    "Yes, I''ll be honest I don''t really know where to start. Seventy years! Did anything end up being done about McCarthy?¡±


    ¡°He got cocky and targeted the US military and its interests in his and his allies'' little purge. The pentagon didn¡¯t like that, and they slapped him down so hard he left office and became an alcoholic. Honestly, I''m not sure that the whole thing worked out well for any of its biggest proponents in the end, but I don''t know much about the broader history. Most of what I really know I remember from watching ¡°Chaplin¡±, and in spite of it all he still got a lifetime achievement Oscar."


    Solaris nodded, "I dislike communism as much as the next person, but I hate witch hunts more. It escapes me why humanity seems so fond of them.¡± She sighed" "So what is going to be the best way to get caught up on current affairs? This social media you were talking about earlier?"


    "That¡¯s a very good question, and I¡¯m not sure there really is a good way. No one really creates content targeted to the ¡®out of contact for a few decades¡¯ crowd." She mused. "And that''s ignoring the fact that some of it isn''t even that useful anymore. I mean, the entire Korean and Vietnam wars are historically significant events, but not really day to day useful to you or me. The USSR doesn''t exist anymore, though the Russians are periodically a pain in someone''s rear. The cold war pretty much ended in the Nineties when Germany decided it was going to be one country again, wall or no wall.¡±


    "Well, that is good, and Russia has been going through periods of being problematic since before the Tzars. though I did get along well with most of their heroes." She chose not to ask about the wall reference.


    "They don''t have a lot of those right now for lots of reasons, starting with Stalin and the cold war. I won''t worry about the details right now. Now North Korea that''s still as stupid as you likely remember, but no active conflict going on." She rolled her thoughts around.


    "The director mentioned there aren''t Supers in the UN anymore, for the most part. This is because some of the rules you all started playing by in World War II became more and more supported by treaty. No one above a Tier D Enhanced human can serve in a military unit. Government, corporate, and other agencies can finance and support super heroes or teams, though to operate legally as the classic idea of a hero does require registering with an appropriate government agency, ultimately UNLOC and the UCGS in the United States. That doesn''t require full Identity revelation but requires registering your so called ¡®heroic Persona¡¯.¡±


    She paused, trying to remember the major rules. ¡°Secret ID types have a few other hoops to jump through, but nothing challenging. Their biggest issue is that the Federal Government won¡¯t fund their teams at all. The US Coast Guard, by tradition, manages the US registration as well as helping with cape law enforcement as a support element, while Britain handed that over to MI5. Both give the information to UNLOC who are the ultimate managers of the information since heroes find themselves all over the place by really stupid coincidences."


    "Now that is the truth, one minute you¡¯re crossing the pond, the next on an island full of dinosaurs. How do you think that would affect me, as I was contracted to a joint Government project team? Are the Guardians even still a thing?"


    "The Guardians are still a thing, yes. based out of Washington DC, they''re the United States primary Super Team. The sort of people who deal with invading alien despots, plummeting comets, that sort of stuff. The British equivalent is the Watch, though the two groups have traditionally been good about sharing resources. Canadian heroes have been in both teams."


    "As for your personal status, you¡¯re listed as inactive. Having been gone a long time, who the hell knows what rules who might want to grandfather a rule to justify borrowing your services for a mission or two.¡±." She shrugged. "It''s kind of up to you. Get back in the field, retire and raise those little dogs the royal family likes so much, or buy a California winery. Or go back into medicine. No one really EXPECTS anything at this point, or maybe they expect everything and are waiting to see which actually comes true."


    Solaris took a bite of steak looking out the large windows over the city. "Well, there is time to figure that out, it¡¯s not like I can do much useful until getting settled. Do you know, or can you find out what happened to my family''s holdings? I assume my brother inherited the Summers title and lands? I think maybe that would be a good place to start, it''s where I was born after all."


    "Let me see. Where are those lands?" She used her phone and called up the information about the lands and location. "Wow, you¡¯re from actual English nobility, that¡¯s neat. From what I''m seeing here, it was kind of split in half. You had a southern, London area home that your brother took over when you disappeared, but the ancestral lands are held by a holding company which is noted as being part of your own estate. The London property was sold, the land there was worth too much in comparison to updating the house, I imagine. Your brother, who looks surprisingly young in this picture from the seventies, passed without issue under suspicious circumstances. Your brother was a spook and disappeared in a boating accident. about thirty years ago."


    Solaris laughed,¡± Well, at least one of her family was still around, "Hugh will probably pop up some time in the next few weeks. My father was an Admiral, we grew up on boats so there is no way my brother died on a boat especially if the wreck was found! He just got fed up with whatever malarky he was into and decided to make a dramatic exit."


    "He was apparently in parliament, and I get the impression he was talked into it by someone else." She wasn''t going to argue the man turning up, it kind of sounded James Bond-ish to her. "That seat is occupied by another family now, but I''d judge you''re the heir to the title and properties in total at this point. However, google earth photos suggest the property is in need of renovation."


    She leaned across the table, and showed a photo of an overgrown, but not completely unmaintained property with a few derelict buildings on the edges. "Someone''s keeping it up, but it¡¯s been nearly a century without a major overhaul."


    ¡°The old girl is still there. Renovations are easy enough to do and old houses always need renovations. It''s like churches always needing new roofs, I think that will be our first stop once we finish up here in New York. We can take an ocean liner to London then drive or fly north to the property. Do you have your passport?


    "Yeah. Frankly it''s yours we''re going to have to get." She explained. "But I can look into cruise ships going to England. She was going to ask about flying, but in thinking figured her new boss just wanted to take it easy. Plus, who would fly commercial if they didn''t have to? Bookings tend to be online, and we haven''t even started getting you comfortable with that."


    "Don''t put yourself out Penny. You just need to find me a good travel agent, it''s their job to deal with the minutiae of travel. How is the pasta?"


    "I can do that too." she shrugged. It wasn''t that much effort but whatever the boss wants.


    "It''s delicious. No regrets here. I..." her phone began playing a pop song. "One moment. hello?" She listened for a few minutes. "Um. Someone from Credit Suisse wants to know if tomorrow morning is a good time for their representative to come and speak to you? Apparently, it''s about your accounts?"


    "That would be excellent, I''ll need to get that set up so I can get a new Cheque book! A woman cannot properly go shopping without that. What time is good for them? We can use the menu to order a nice morning or afternoon tea for everyone."


    "Check book? Um, right. I''ll let the bank guy explain that." Penny muttered. "Can you come in around eleven. I would bet this place could do a tea service, then I know you''re going to want to do some shopping."


    Solaris nodded, pouring a fresh glass of wine. "Sounds wonderful.¡±

 Chapter 5 Horsing Around

    Horsing Around


    ¡°Nike has announced that they will be terminating their relationship with Snapshot, the speedster vigilante from LA. Snapshot has been in the news lately due to an accidental fatality caused during a car chase. A fourteen year old girl died when the speedster threw a metal sphere into the cabin of the stolen Hyundai Elantra she was driving, causing a fiery crash injuring 3 others.¡±


    ¡°Nike Representatives state that, while they understand that heroes are in a dangerous business, that a fourteen-year-old girl was not enough of a danger to herself or others to justify lethal force, which motivated their decision to end their contract. LAPD representatives have sanctioned Snapshot, removing his privilege to operate as a hero within the State of California for a year due to the event.


    ¡°Representatives of the hero state that, while Snapshot regrets the death of a misguided young woman, that she was driving at over one hundred miles per hour and at any moment could have come upon another car and crashed, killing innocent bystanders. To that end, he denies any wrongdoing in the case. The family has filed suit against the hero, demanding over one million dollars in damages.


    Solaris had gone to bed shortly after the end of their conversation, allowing Penny to write her after action and principal activity reports for the day as well as file a passport request for the other woman online, and make an appointment with both the Apple Store and, at Elizabeth¡¯s request, Burgdorf Goodman. Just making that last appointment had almost scared the woman.


    She¡¯d also arranged for a car service to send a car and driver for them, to get around the next day and thought that should set them up nicely for the next couple of days. The next day she learned again, never to make assumptions.


    ¡°Yes, I can see that it¡¯s a problem, but I don¡¯t know what to do about it.¡± She said into her phone, as she looked out the window, as close to straight down to the front of the building as she could.


    Solaris tipped her head, wondering what was wrong as she walked down the stairs, checking just outside the door and cheering silently at the presence of a New York Times, then wincing at her own photo being on the front page.


    "Yes, I am aware, thank you." Sighing, she hung up.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Jesus!¡± Penny yelled, jumping in shock having not heard the other woman come down. ¡°Scare the hell out of a person, why don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t want to bother you while you were on the phone, i was just grabbing the paper.¡±


    ¡°It seems the famous heroine Solaris has returned from a long disappearance, who knew? People found out where you were staying, somehow.¡± She said, turning on the TV to a live stream, the streamers voice muted but the crowd around them was clearly large, and dominating the space in front of the hotel. ¡°The cape chasers came out in droves, and the car service I arranged our ride with for the day decided to cancel due to ¡®safety concerns¡¯.¡±


    ¡°My word, is that crowd just outside?¡± Solaris asked, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to claim it¡¯s not gratifying, but I¡¯m not precisely Hetti Lamar. And I had assumed you would tell the service who I was to start with.¡±


    ¡°I did, and you¡¯re hardly the most at-risk person they¡¯ve driven. They just don¡¯t want to deal with the crowd and traffic, the wimps.¡± Penny shook off the issue. ¡°On the positive side, I got us a one o¡¯clock appointment to get you a phone and other tech, but Berghoff didn¡¯t have an opening until tomorrow at eleven. I think they might have fudged their schedule a bit to even do that.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve always treated me well there.¡±


    ¡°Right. So, anyway, that¡¯s the next two days. I figure we can hit more¡­ basic¡­ stores to get you a few minor sundries after the phone appointment, depending on what is going on with your bankers.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully we¡¯ll have some liquid resources to play with.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Right.¡± Penny said absently, her attention having been pulled back to the television screen. She lifted the remote and rolled back the scene several frames. The drone whatever youtuber was using, was excellent, and got a great shot of one man in particular, milling around the crowd. ¡°Well fuck me sideways with a chainsaw.¡±


    ¡°Penny Ward! Such language.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re adorable¡­ but we have a larger problem.¡± She tapped the screen, the latino man dominating the frame she¡¯d paused on, sunglasses covering his eyes. He had a nose that must have been broken numerous times and the rich, dark skin of his face was ruined by pale scars suggesting knives, bottles and fists had come in contact with his face on more than one occasion. ¡°This guy.¡±


    ¡°Well he looks like a long stretch of bad road. Who is he?¡±


    ¡° Dionisio Gonz¨¢lez. He''s on our priority watch list. Wanted for a whole host of crimes back in his home country, including enemy of the state. Unfortunately, that state is Cuba and thanks to that little island and the US not being over cold war insults, there¡¯s absolutely no way to extradite him for anything he¡¯s alleged to have done.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s a real threat?¡±


    ¡°Class B Speedster and Tank combo. No projective abilities, but tough as hell on his own. You could pretty much take him with your arm behind your back, except you don¡¯t have a reason to start anything and he¡¯s in the thickest part of the crowd, and I¡¯ll give you three guesses as to why he¡¯s in that crowd.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s looking to make a name for himself. Still, getting him out from amid the crowd shouldn¡¯t be too hard, though having to wait for him to act could be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s trying to make a name for himself with the local talent, particularly the Cuban gangs. Calls himself Semental, means Stallion in Cuban.¡±


    ¡°Lovely. Someone¡¯s a narcissist, or compensating.¡±


    Penny nodded, but frowned, looking closer at the screen. ¡®Definitely. He was something of a big deal on the island, but that¡¯s not the same as being big in the US.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming that him assaulting me would give an excuse for his arrest. And I¡¯ve had larger opponents with less space. Just need to get him out of the crowd. With calling himself Stallion I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s a melee type.¡±


    "Oh yeah, total tank." she nodded. "Low grade speedster as well. call him a top speed on par with a sports car? General athletics at Olympic level. He¡¯s about a class B, from our estimates so not really a threat to you. I would give me even money in my old armor. But yeah, the crowd. And NYPD would love to arrest him for something,"


    Solaris walked to the window and looked down. ¡°Mmm. How polite are crowds these days. I do not mind going down and showing the flag, if we can open a working area and if he pulls an assault I can get him away from the crowd if I have space.¡±


    "Problem is, he''s not stupid. He won''t come direct. He''ll mask up, and attack out of the blue." She mused. "And to be frank, he''d be an idiot to not think in terms of trying to limit you. He might want the crowd around to make you pull punches."


    " If I don''t want to make a paste out of him I will have to hold back anyway. What style of combat does he use, and can he fly?¡±


    "No flight, though he jumps well. A couple of stories." She mused the report she''d read on him. "He''s a straight brawler, so no particular skill, but stubborn and experienced. He grew up rough and hungry, which made him mean... and we might not be getting a choice. Shit." She turned to the door, snatching her bag off the desk as she burst out.


    Solaris followed, pulling her robe off and dropping it on the floor. Glad she''d put on the comfortable stretchy pants and shirt. "Do you think he will attack the crowd?"


    "No, someone in the crowd is about to attack him." She growled, pushing through the stairs door, pulling a device out of her bag as she jumped over the railing, plummeting down the narrow tunnel between banisters.


    Solaris followed, flying after her. letting some of her light spill from her skin, ¡°I am with you, what is your plan?¡±


    With a snap and hiss a grapple grabbed a rail and slowed Penny for the last dozen feet, allowing her to land easily. "You keep the idiot kid alive." She yelled, bursting out of the stairwell, pulling a huge revolver from her bag as she ran for the hotel''s front doors, ignoring the cries of shock and people ducking away from her.


    As they burst out of the glass doors, the fight had already started without them and gone badly. A small man, or teenaged boy based on the ganglynes of the struggling figure who fought for breath in the Stallions grip, swinging a glowing crowbar at the criminal¡¯s head.


    The Stallion, now wearing a helmet shaped like a horse¡¯s skull, shrugged off the blows, in spite of the cracks forming, and seemed dedicated to squeezing the life out of the kid.


    Solaris flew, a golden streak of light towards the man, bringing an arm up to block a roundhouse kick the man threw at her head. In return she delivered a punch, strength pulled to not send the man flying, receiving a grunt and hop back, the criminal dropping the masked kid in the process.


    ¡°This is not the way to impress a lady, she growled


    "Fuck, bitch! They said you¡¯re strong, but that hurt!" the man yelled, shaking off the hit faster than Solaris expected. He took a step forward, only to stagger back several steps, grunting in pain as the revolver in Penny''s hand barked twice, shockingly loud, the shots both hitting the man in the chest but failing to penetrate the skin.


    Solaris stepped in front of the boy, using her light to keep his eyes on her. ¡°Such language. There are children present sir!¡±


    "Damnit." He grunted.

 Chapter 6 The New Kid

    New Kid


    ¡°The concept of a super-hero was pop culture, until it wasn¡¯t. When World War II came around, something like a dozen new sciences were born and some of those created men and women of power right out of Greek myth, or the funny pages.¡±


    ¡°Everyone expected to see them on the front lines, especially since the Germans and Japanese had them in play, but for some reason that never developed. Rumor has it that the Supers themselves had met, in secret, and made agreements to not operate as weapons of mass destruction. I hesitate to think of what Kreigsmarine could have done to London if no one was there to stop him, or what Ronin could do to San Francisco. It was the stuff of existential terror.¡±


    ¡°It seems to be one of the traditions to have lasted, as the three occasions where a patriotic super decided to try, such as Saladin the Slayer¡¯s assault on Tel Aviv and the resulting response by three villains, criminals by any reasonable measure, who showed up and stopped him.¡±


    ¡°Rumor even has it, there are meeting houses for elder heroes in certain very private, very neutral places in the world, managed by someone or something called ¡°The Manager¡±


    The Stalion turned, and took off running, jumping over a section of the crowd he grabbed a cop who had been trying to control the mob and threw the man as high and far away from him as he could before taking off around a corner at reckless speed.


    Solaris, who had started to pursue, was forced to shift her flight to intercept the screaming policeman, catching him a few meters above the ground and setting him down, unfortunately giving the criminal time to get away.


    "God damnit. coward fucking runs?" Penny gasped, catching her breath, Then glaring at the boy. "And you... Seriously? We''ve talked about this Ma... Moron.."


    Solaris looked at Penny "Should I give chase?"


    "Not worth the possible crossfire, especially with the head start he got with the bystander toss." She grabbed the teen¡¯s shoulder, and pulled him after her, tucking the huge revolver in her pants, pulling out her UN ID for another uniform that was approaching with his own gun out. "UNLOC. Sorry. Saw what was happening, stepped in."


    "Got it... We''re going to make these idiots clear out, but I''d suggest you and your charges get inside and out of the way while we do. Otherwise, they''ll just keep being stupid."


    Solaris nodded, ¡°Have a good day officer.¡± She glided back into the hotel, trailing Penny and the young hero wannabe. ¡°Do you want to take the lad upstairs, or are you calling his parents down here?¡±


    "Upstairs. his grandmother doesn¡¯t have a car, and is not really close." She said softly, leading to the elevator, then the room. Once there, she pulled off the stupid knit mask he was wearing, revealing a handsome if young man with indistinct ethnic features. Almond eyes suggested asian ancestry, while darker skin suggested at least near eastern heritage. "Marcus Ruan, what the hell do you think you''re doing? We''ve talked about this; you have nowhere near enough training to be sticking your toe into the super shark-tank. Not yet!"


    Solaris listened as she answered a knock at the door, giving a pleased sound to find a tea service being delivered. She looked the young man up and down as she poured a cup.


    ¡°I heard he was going to rough some old lady up! I had to do something!¡±


    ¡°Old lady?¡± Solaris muttered, grimacing.


    ¡°Right. Okay. You made several critical mistakes in that encounter, young man, and I¡¯m just starting with this outfit. Knit mask and hoodie? You don¡¯t look like a hero, you look like you¡¯re planning to rob a bodega!" She said, "Two, did it occur to you that you picked the worst place to start a fight?"


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    Solaris nodded. ¡°Penny is correct, and if she doesn¡¯t mind the old lady you were trying to protect to steping in you made many fundamental errors.¡± Marcus gaped at the stunning blonde who looked in her twenties.


    ¡°Your intelligence was either incomplete or wrong, as you had no idea who or why he was targeting the ¡°Old Lady¡± Further you were going to start a fight among a crowd with an opponent who is known for violence and super strength. He could have used a member of the crowd against you easily, leading to unneeded injuries or death. Were you aware of his capabilities?¡±


    "I mean, he''s fast, he''s tough, and I heard he was coming here to show off. He doesn''t have a lot of close ride or dies, so I figured he''d be alone. I didn''t know that dumb looking helmet thing was actually that tough, though. was like hitting an anvil."


    ¡°Never assume a villain is alone. What if he had another friend taking pictures and did you also account for him being a low end speedster?


    "I mean, I knew he was fast, yeah. Didn''t know he was quick. That''s not always the same thing." he pointed out. "But yeah, I get what you mean. I didn''t know enough about him, but heroes don''t always get to know everything about the guys they fight."


    ¡°No we don¡¯t, but there are assumptions you have to make, which leads to another error. Always assume your opponent does not care about collateral damage. You initiated a conflict with a super strong villain in a crowd, what would you have done if he took a hostage, or threw you into the crowd and hurt or killed multiple people including children.


    "Okay, yeah... I..." He sighed. "I''m just sick of waiting, man. I mean, I got these powers..."


    "Two months ago. We don''t know everything you can do yet, and you didn''t exactly get a black belt when you took martial arts classes at the Y."


    Solaris held a hand up to stop Penny, the hero¡¯s eyes hard as a drill sergeants ¡°Did you think to bring your own backup? And since you want to be a masked hero what was your exit strategy for getting out of a potentially panicked crowd unmolested?¡±


    "Run? I mean, I don''t know any other powered people. Not really. I mean, there''s the class d speeder kid who does Uber Eats but he''s kinda happy racking up the tips, ya know?" he said. "And Dreadful here. Metal ass name, but she refuses to just build her own suit, never mind I know she''s sketched designs."


    "I''m not a super brain kid. Not the kind you¡¯re thinking, anyway.¡±


    "No, but you have a Masters in Robotics, I saw the ticket. And I know most coasties only go for a bachelor¡¯s at the academy. You did extra cause you like it, you told me as much."


    So you knew someone who could do something,¡± Solaris said, interrupting him. ¡°someone with more resources, and you didn¡¯t think to contact them? Marcus, I¡¯ve done this job for a long time. I know there are solo heroes, but believe it or not most solos have teams supporting them from the rear, providing intel, preparing extractions, and gathering materials. Being a hero is not about powers, they just make it easier, this job is about taking the right action, whether that is laying your life on the line or calling the cops.¡±


    "Calling the cops? Yeah, you can tell she''s been out of circulation." He muttered. "Half of them can''t be bothered to do their job most of the time, another half are on the take, and the last few who actually want to do their job and do care get crippled or killed in the line because of the first two."


    Penny winced. "His dad was a cop. His parents were, well officially it was a drive by they were just caught in, but no one with sense bought that story."


    ¡°That is rough, and you have my condolences. but we cannot let emotions govern our actions. Penny was still an option, and you chose not to call her.¡± The golden haired woman looked out at the city with eyes full of pain. ¡°It is our duty as heroes to be better. A hero does not look for fame or glory, they do not throw their lives away recklessly because there is always more to do tomorrow, and if you are gone someone still has to do the work. If we fight it is because there is no other course of action, and we do our best to damage as little as possible. It is not easy, you will make mistakes and people will get hurt,killed, maybe even someone you care for. But we soldier on, because we must be better if we are to inspire others to be better with us


    "Oh, wow, she''s hard core." The young man said softly, to Penny, not really aware that Solaris could hear him.


    "She''s an Original. World War II. You remember Mr. Jacoby?"


    "Oh yeah, that man was like a monument or something till the cancer got him."


    "Same place. Same time. Just Mr. Jacoby was a Paratrooper, not a super."


    Solaris smiled. ¡°We fought so others wouldn¡¯t have to. I am Elizabeth Summers, known by most as Solaris, former leader of the Guardians.Pleasure to meet you Marcus Ruan.

 Chapter 7 Banked On It

    Banked On It


    ¡°The birth of the Superhuman Era has led to discoveries that weren¡¯t even science fiction at the time of their appearance. Alternate dimensions, time travel, weird abilities that teleported people across the world, all of these were events that even today occur with more and more disturbing regularity.¡±


    ¡°The law had to adapt to this. Getting a known superhuman declared dead without a body, for example, has become nearly impossible and even ordinary humans occasionally turned up well after they¡¯d been declared dead due to some mishap. The laws had to change.¡±


    ¡°Now, for the common citizen, being declared dead takes a multi-year long process that has made the creation of so-called Ghost Wills, not only bread and butter for young lawyers, but necessary for anyone with serious resources at their command. In the case of a Super this is even more true, because their resources can become locked for their own protection in the case of a disappearance if they haven¡¯t made legal preparations for their estates maintenance.¡±


    ¡°Remember, ladies and gentlemen, while writing wills of any sort isn¡¯t precisely exciting case law, it is definitely going to help you all buy your first BMW.¡±


    Dr. Roger Morris, in a Freshman class on estate law at Harvard Law School


    "Um, yeah... You know you''re in history books, right?"


    ¡°From the crowd outside I rather imagined.¡± She said with a small smile.


    ¡°Did you get a chance to order breakfast before deciding to play masked vigilante outside?¡± Solaris asked "Oh and thank you for making the tea."


    A knock was the answer, a porter soon bringing in a large cart of sausage, eggs, toast, pancakes, and bacon. "Yeah, I basically the buffett but in private. And yes, Marcus, eat some." Penny said with a roll of her eyes at the drool she could almost see forming.


    Solaris got another cup of tea as the porter set the table, Sitting down and setting her own plate up. "So Penny, what is our itinerary for today?¡±


    "Bergdorf is on hold till tomorrow, but we have the Apple store at one o¡¯clock. Your bank guy is supposed to be here in an hour and a half. I was thinking we''d go to someplace simple to get some day to day stuff for you, but I think we want to avoid the subways. I don''t have a car currently, and the driving service canceled when that mess hit the news. Marcus, do you still have the Zipcar app set up?"


    "Um, yeah...."


    "Fine. So you get to be the driver today. I''ll put some money into the account, but I want you to go get the closest car to here. You''re going to be driving us around a bit."


    "What is a Zipcar?¡± Solaris asked as she put extra meat on the boy''s plate.


    "A car share service. Mostly based around universities and dense cities like New York. Essentially quick car rentals." She explained "The cars are usually not really great but they are transportation and will do until I can look into a more reliable service, or just arrange a car to drive myself. Or just put that dummy to work as our driver for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°Look, you made your point. I shouldn¡¯t have tried to fight the horse''s ass.¡±


    Penny looked doubtful, then turned back to Solaris. ¡°You know that kid forgot to sign up for college because of his powers? Smart as anything, tried to get him to join the coast guard, but he''s afraid of boats."


    Solaris shook her head. "I believe it, I saw many, many privates like that. She turned to the young man ¡°Other than a hero what do you want to do with yourself Marcus?.¡± She took a second serving of eggs glad for the big meal.


    "I mean. I have power, right? I''m supposed to use it for something." He shrugged, frowning. This was the conversation that always confused him with Penny too. He felt he had a responsibility, and she admitted there was a moral responsibility but then argued against being a superhero.


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    "Yes, you have power, however you are not defined by your powers, and doing so limits you greatly. You said you read about me in history class. I am sure they covered all the big flashy battles like the destruction of the submarine base in France, or rescuing the royals in Sweden. Do you know what accomplishment I am most proud of?¡±


    "I''m betting on the Sweden thing."


    "And I''m betting it was feeding Soviet soldiers when their own damn country couldn''t during Stalingrad." Penny said, having been a bit more familiar with the history of Dr. Elizabeth Summers thanks to reading her file.


    "I am proud of that, but no.¡± The blond smiled. ¡°You see, My teammates were all super-brains, while I simply am not. I''m intelligent and well educated, but I lacked Tankman or Nerid¡¯s raw intelligence or Breakneck¡¯s diligence to his chosen field. Compared to them, I could have been described as a bit dim, so instead of looking for big and elaborate things to occupy myself between battles, I looked for the small ones. For example, did you know that foot injuries and fungus took a lot of soldiers out of the field during both World Wars? I decided that was the first issue I wanted to tackle, so I worked hard between missions and got my PHD in Podiatry. I used that, and a bit of common sense, to design better boots to protect soldiers feet from frostbite and fungus, to keep airborne troops from breaking ankles when they landed. I will never know how many injuries I prevented or how many lives I saved with something so small as sending foot powder and antifungal sock wash, but it warmed my heart as I found such avoidable injuries becoming less and less common¡±


    "Plus her company, Sunrise Shoes, is still partnered with several other companies for super-person wear. Nike Enhanced Trainers are in partnership with them." She pointed at his shoes, which she''d bought him a month ago as a joint birthday gift and way to keep him from literally walking out of them as his strength developed. "So say thank you. And don''t call her an old lady again."


    " Man, these are the best shoes I''ve ever owned too! Sweet!" He said, then blushed. ¡°Um, sorry for calling you an old lady.¡±


    Solaris laughed, ¡°Well it¡¯s good to know my shoe line survives to this day. But that¡¯s why you cannot let your power define you. You are so so much more.¡±


    Moving on from the topic, the boy obviously thinking about what they said, she asked ¡°Penny, would it be better to just buy a car and have it delivered? I thought it would be excessive but it sounds like it might be necessary?¡±


    "I mean... that would save some issues?" She blinked. "That... um... I''m guessing you mean after talking to your bank guy."


    ¡°Yes, they should be here soon. And assuming my accounts are in order it should be no issue, especially with the services the Swiss and my personal accountant in the States both provided. Why don¡¯t you use your phone and find us something nice with plenty of room for our shopping?¡±


    "Uh, sure... Anything specific you''d prefer? New, older but in good shape you''d be familiar with... Terrifyingly advanced so it scares me too?" She asked.


    "Google doesn''t have cars in New York, so I think we''re safe there." Marcus joked.


    Solaris decided not to ask. ¡°Get something you are comfortable with that can be delivered quickly, something new. I¡¯ll find a charity to donate it to when we leave. I don¡¯t really want to bother until I figure more stuff out and keeping a car in New York is ridiculous¡±


    "Right. I¡¯ll look into it now."


    Solaris nodded. I¡¯m going to finish putting myself together and get my shoes. She headed back up to the master room.


    Kilian Bloomberg Von Volkhard frowned as he considered the large computer screen on his desk. His eyes, the color of the sky immediately following a storm, watched as a small woman in tattered clothing destroyed a robotic monstrosity, then another video of possibly the same if less disheveled woman snatching a youthful fool from a villain wearing a skull for a helm.


    ¡°These are the best videos you have found?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kaiser Kilian. Unfortunately no one was very close to her while also taking imagery that we consider of quality.¡± The man across his desk said, his military uniform crisp. While the man''s stance was relaxed it wasn¡¯t lackadaisical.


    Kilian considered him, and internally nodded. It was good for his men to know they need not fear his anger when their work was well done. Perfection was a foolish pursuit. It was also good that the man wasn¡¯t too confident, however.


    ¡°Irritating that these fools can get fantastically detailed imagery of almost anyone¡¯s sexual improprieties but two separate public events seem to slip by them.¡± He leaned back, tapping the hard stone surface of his desk, carved out of volcanic stone by a group of loyal citizens of Ask-Embla for his birthday decades ago. The spot was often tapped as he thought, which had lead to noticeable bowl in the smooth stone over the years.


    ¡°Inform the United States that I wish to make a state visit to the United Nations. I believe there¡¯s something or other going on I might pretend interest in. Likely the Ukraine situation.¡± He didn¡¯t honestly care. ¡°And have our assets in New York pursue this directly. No contact, but I want to know if it is her.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Kaiser Kilian. I will order it personally.¡±


    ¡°Dismissed, Oberst Klein. Get to it immediately.¡±


    He returned to the screen. Caution made him double check, but years of looking across the lines of battle, and then the lines of politics at the woman made him certain in his core. ¡°Greetings once again Fr?ulein Solaris. I had wondered when you would finally return.¡±

 Chapter 8 Cashing In

    Cashing In


    ¡°Welcome to Cowl Watchers, your podcast for all things super-heroic and villain, and oh man is it a big year for money on both sides.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty darn right, Patty. The Trio Terrible have had three major heists go without a hitch this year, and its only September! Their raid on Caesars Palace will likely go down in legend, having cleaned out the cash room and disappeared before the Golden Guards could react to the attack, and people still don¡¯t know how they stole an entire Super Yacht in the middle of a major trade show. They even managed to evade the guardians after the bank hit in Baltimore early last month.


    ¡°Impressive as that is, Mike, I¡¯m still not sure they¡¯ve made, or stolen in their case, as much bank as some of our Heroes. The new kid on the Guardian block, Vanguard Red, is rumored to have scored a multi-million-dollar contract with Virgin, with his recent appearance in Virgin Cruise Line¡¯s advertising backing that up. I¡¯m pretty sure that puts him close to their success rate, and he doesn¡¯t have to hide from the police!¡±


    A half hour later, the front desk called up then sent up the bank representative, who turned out to be a man in a tailored suit, himself accompanied by two assistants who carried paperwork and briefcases. He spoke with a distinct Swiss accent. "Guten Morgen Lady Summers. I am Noah Oblisk, and I am your account manager for UBS. These are my assistants William St Caer, and Michelle Donavan. " He said, offering a hand to shake.


    A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Oblisk.¡± Solaris said, shaking his hand. ¡°Thank you for taking time to see me today. I hope it was not too much trouble, I had tea and coffee prepared for your comfort.¡±


    "That''s very much appreciated. We contracted a teleporter to bring me in from Switzerland, as your account is a bit complicated. Normally, Michelle and William will be your primary contacts, but we wanted to have someone senior here for our first meeting with you, Michelle was setting up a laptop and secondary screen for Solaris to see, and William was arranging various packets. The two Americans watching noted that the envelopes did not seem to be made of anything as simple as paper.


    ¡°Please let me know if there is anything I can get for you. I know this is after hours for you. After seventy years I¡¯m sure things have been at least somewhat tangled.¡±


    "Oh, I made sure to have a light dinner before leaving. Teleportation makes me a bit queasy." He chuckled. "And fortunately, by the time you had disappeared we''d started developing some processes due to, well, ironically certain German disappearances." His tone was ironic.


    "Starting with your business interests. Those are going to take a bit longer to untangle, but not to any detriment to you. We entered into contracts, regarding your preferred stocks, allowing others to leverage your votes for specific periods of time, choosing those we thought would be responsible with the vote, and contractual requirement that no vote be used that would cause you to lose stock percentages. Those contracts are renewed currently on a bi-yearly basis, so most will end in fifteen months. For the most part, this has worked well though a few investments have failed in the spanning time.


    ¡°That is fine with me, I would prefer to have factors that know what they are doing instead of simply leaving the stock fallow, though I will want to audit them and make sure our priorities align so I know which contracts to certainly end. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m not sure what companies I¡¯m involved in at this point save for my shoes, I heard they¡¯ve withstood the test of time.


    "Of course, though that is a privately owned company attached to your estate. If you look on the screen this will list your current portfolio of both preferred and simple stocks, and these are the voting records for all the concerned individuals involved.¡± The stock information appeared on the computer screen, while he slid one of the parchment envelopes to her to peruse later. Seeing her nod, the screen changed. ¡°These are the outlines of certain sales. We did take the initiative, with your American accounting firm''s joint approval, to dispose of assets we felt were either doing you a disservice or were likely to become economically harmful to you. We feel our track record was very good."


    ¡°That makes sense and looking over the bottom lines you''re displaying I can¡¯t realistically complain. I¡¯m sure there were errors here and there but over so many years there would be, and I know Louie would be cautious. He was never a man to let money not work to earn itself.¡±


    "While Mr. Lou Carenza and his son have both passed, I believe the third generation of Louie has taken over A grand-daughter Louise. I rarely speak to them directly, instead of one of their staff who are usually subject matter experts on the topic at hand. I know they have your personal finances reasonably well in line with our input of course. Approximately fifty percent of your personal wealth is currently invested in conservative, but guaranteed for growth, investment instruments outlined in this packet. Those are mutual funds or stable government or corporate bond investments. Twenty five percent is in a more aggressive portfolio in the investment market, managed directly by Scottish American in a more aggressive stance. You did occasionally get hit, everyone did in the seventies, tech bubble, and so-called Great Recession, but mostly they have done very well by you.¡±


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    ¡°A shame Louie has passed. He was brilliant back in the day, he had to be with the crowd he ran with. I can only imagine how terrifying his organization must be now. I¡¯ll have to visit his granddaughter when things are settled.¡± She looked over at Penny. ¡°Louie was referred to me by a respectable, made man after we did some work against the Black Hand. The Mafia did so dislike them.¡±


    "Made man? You have a mob accountant? Okay, see, now that''s old school cool." Marcus commented. Penny just shook her head and chuckled.


    "As for your liquid assets, you currently have," He opened a leather folder. "One account is with Bank Suisse; this is the largest obviously. That account, or rather those accounts for insurance reasons, have thirty-four million, American, in available funds. Your second block of accounts with the bank of England, are a fairly modest 753,000, but this is the maintained amount, with monies coming out to pay taxes, as well as the maintenance staff for your family¡¯s land estate." he explained.


    "Your third block is with the First Bank of Alaska, and stands at one million, and your most active account is with Axos Financial, out of Las Vegas, with fifteen million active. The Axos account is your primary American investment bank as well, with UBS handling auditing the account as well as your overseas investments, which are in turn audited by your personal firm."


    "Total, liquid, you currently have around Fifty-two million dollars, with another one hundred and seventy-five million in investment assets. This ignores properties you own."


    ¡°That is excellent news, if I understand correctly that would have been around five million and change in my time. Inflation is scary. But at least I know I will not be standing in breadlines!¡±


    ¡°I believe the US uses food banks now.¡± The banker commented. "This does ignore your various safe deposit boxes which I have been advised are most likely filled with war bonds, jewelry, and possibly other liquid or easily mobile assets, though you could argue those might be more interesting as what they are, compared to possible intrinsic value." He chuckled. "Now, property. I am afraid in this case you have not weathered the years quite as well in this regard."


    Solaris laughed. I''ll go through them eventually. How odd land is usually one of the most stable investments.¡±


    "And financially that has been the case. However, maintaining properties was determined to be counter to your financial health. Your home in Nevada was donated as a charitable contribution to the university and now is the home of a Sorority. The building your New York residence resided in was demolished in the seventies, as part of a larger investment building project. We negotiated your ownership in the building itself, which has added to your personal wealth, but you don¡¯t currently have an apartment or office in the structure. You still own land in the Hamptons, but the house there was destroyed in a severe weather event and your accountant had it demolished. A complete rebuild would be necessary there. Your family estate in the United Kingdom is the most significant real estate you currently posses. I think I will let William speak to that."


    "Yes. It''s an honor to meet you, Lady Summers." The younger Englishman spoke for the first time. "I recently did a property assessment of your family home, or should I say homes. It is not in bad shape and a maintenance firm keeps up things such as roofing, plumbing, and the like. It is very outdated, doesn''t currently have a functional kitchen, the windows are nearly a century old, and that''s ignoring the electrical systems. We would estimate just doing minimal updates would take six months to a year."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Is the village still solvent?¡±


    "There''s still a small but stable fishing industry, and a bit of a recreational boating industry. However, it is very much a sleepy English village. Parts of it are right out of Harry Potter." He joked absently. "I can present an initial renovation plan that won''t require you to deal with cosmetic choices initially. "


    ¡°Yes, that would be helpful.¡±


    "I will start working on that immediately." he agreed, making a note on his phone.


    "Well, while William is distracted." Michelle said with an American accent, she opened another leather folder. "Here we have a UBS debit card, Credit Card, and check book for your immediate use.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, I was just speaking of purchasing a car while I was in New York.¡± She looked at the card. ¡°So did these actually catch on? They were only just coming out when I was inconvenienced? I used cash or checks when I shopped.¡±


    Penny spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s harder to find someplace that takes checks over cards these days.¡±


    ¡°We also have a packet from Axos that is tied to a ¡°Sunlight Investment Corp.¡± which appears to be a Camien Islands based shell corporation which is how this room is being paid for. This packet has a card for you and a couple for assistants as bearer cards.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, of course. The off the book money. Louie was always so good to me. Seems to be flush as well. Penny, you are acting as my assistant right now so why don¡¯t you take this one. It¡¯ll save us time, I¡¯m sure.¡± She held the card out to the lieutenant. ¡°Thankfully he knew to pay the damned taxes for such things.¡±


    "Um... what... hey... this is... a lot..." she held the card like it was made from radioactive waste "I''ll go... order that... car... like a pizza."


    ¡°Oh pizza! We need to get pizza. Is Lombardi¡¯s still around? We could do that for dinner!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Rei-Chan.¡± The woman formerly known as Kitsune said, as she accepted the tablet computer, considering the pictures on the screen. After nearly a century of stalking foes in shadows, not to mention shifting into their forms to confuse or defeat their allies, she could pick details from all but the most unclear of photographs.


    ¡°It would seem Elizabeth-Sensei has appeared once more. I had wondered if I would live to see it.¡±


    ¡°The woman known as Solaris? She has been thought dead for some time.¡±


    ¡°If there is no body, never assume an ally nor an enemy dead. Especially a powerful one. I would think you¡¯d remember that after your misfortune in Okinawa last year.¡± She raised an eyebrow, reaching out to trace a pale scar on the younger woman¡¯s neck.


    The woman pulled away, but didn¡¯t scowl, bowing. ¡°As you say, Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on this situation, and see if we can hire anyone in the area to get us more information on Solaris and her activities. I¡¯m sure it will be of value to us that we know.¡±

 Chapter 9 Baby Driver

    ¡°Very few people ever tried to emulate Batman in real life, with so-called ¡®sidekicks¡¯ being young teens. Empire Girl was an exception, being sixteen when she started working with her father.¡±


    ¡°In most cases, heroes formed teams of friends and allies. The few cases of true Sidekicks were almost always also employees of the lead hero in question, such as a bodyguard, driver, or in one notable occasion a nurse. Even then, the relationship either slowly became a team up of friends or eventually fell apart when the professional relationship outside of hero work fell apart. Oddly, it was more often the former than the later.


    ¡°Strange how fighting lunatics bent on blowing up the Statue of Liberty or some other bone headed plot can lead people into lifelong friendships.¡±


    The woman smiled ¡°It was not in the larger account outlays, but your family vacation house in Gibraltar is not only intact but recently updated. It was remodeled by your brother, who then used it as an investment property, and when it came to your ownership we continued this. The last update was in 2019 and it is now operating as an Airbnb along with a few other properties he purchased in the area. It¡¯s not currently inhabited, and we have put a hold on rentals in case you decide you wish to visit it.¡±


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Go ahead and resume renting. It may take me a while to tour those properties. Now regarding physical property I had several storage units under long term rental. Please tell me those were secured, I had my scrapbooks and baseball memorabilia in them.¡±


    "It was made certain that those units were either maintained, or the items were moved to new facilities if needed. To my knowledge all your storage units should still contain what you anticipate, baring of course unknown events, damage, or theft. Sadly we don¡¯t really have complete information on what should be where. We also know you have multiple vehicles in storage as well."


    ¡°Thank the lord. I should go through those before I head to England. I should take the scrapbooks to the manor. But where to go with my baseball things? I don¡¯t have a US home right now. I know it¡¯s silly to spend money keeping all that stuff, but I loved going to the games and meeting the players.¡±


    "Wait, you have world war and after world war era memorabilia?" Michelle said, leaning forward. "I mean, Yankees stuff?¡±


    "I''ll find someone to do an assessment so we can arrange the proper insurance. We didn''t know what was in the lockers." William said his fingers racing over his keyboard.


    Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at the reactions ¡°Mostly Yankees, they were my team but over the course of the war, and often after, I did my best to see a home game for each of the teams, when they weren¡¯t playing the Yankees. I was such a fool for the game I also hit the Negro league games. Lords they could hit a ball. The Guardians teased me for my very American taste in sports. You really think we need to have my collection assessed?


    "Do you have a Mickey Mantel?¡± Michelle asked, her eyes wide.


    ¡°Yes several, and I had several boxes of cards I purchased that I put in storage till I could go through them. That was the year I was trapped; I was still filling my sets for 52. I want to say I have at least a 43, that was when I first got into the game, and that cheeky bugger pinched my bum.¡±


    "Ignoring the providence, a fifty-two Mantel card recently, in mint and signed condition mind you, for over fifty million dollars."


    Solaris¡¯s jaw dropped, the time tossed heroine looking out of sorts as she turned to her assistant. ¡±Penny¡­ we may be in New York a little longer than planned¡±


    "Passports take weeks anyway. If it helps, most of the cards aren''t going to be like that... but for the legends of the game, yeah, memorabilia from that early can get big."


    Solaris nodded. Thinking of the bats, balls, cards, programs and hats in the storage unit. ¡°That makes me feel a bit better, for a moment I was worried my weird little hobby was a secret Fort Knox!¡±


    ¡°Not quite Fort Knox but valued heavily by a certain subset of the population. You might consider letting museums display some of the pieces, depending on what you have. Or the stadiums, which have small museums themselves."


    ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to let others enjoy the collection. If you want to have some of their curators come look at it, we apparently will need them to assess it.¡±


    "Actually, a question for you, Ms. Summers." The American woman asked. "Are you planning to move entirely to the United Kingdom, or to have a more transitory lifestyle as you had before your disappearance?"


    ¡°Probably I¡¯ll stay mobile, with a semi-permanent home somewhere here in the USA and the Manor in England. I want to see how the world has changed and see if I can find people I used to know, and figure out how I fit in this new era.¡±


    The older gentleman spoke. "You might consider finding something here in New York, then. It can take several months to get a passport, even if you pay for expedited delivery. It would also be a good place to go through your memorabilia."


    ¡°Maybe,¡± She laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll probably end up buying a lot of little homes here and there while I find the right place to settle.¡±


    "And New York is a good central point to start.¡±


    "Well for now, We just have a few things to sign, essentially reactivating your accounts." He let her read and sign. "And at this point, we can let you have your day. This packet has my own, as well as my associates, contact numbers if you have any questions or issues."


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    "I live on this side of the pond, William is London based. We thought that would be the optimum for your financial team." Michelle added. ¡°I¡¯m your day to day banking expert, he¡¯s more investment and property.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Michelle is based out of Boston, actually, so is East Coast time."


    ¡°Excellent, I look forward to working with you both. Are you going to stay in New York for a bit?¡±


    ¡°I will be.¡± The woman replied. ¡°If you would like to meet tomorrow, I might look into living spaces in the area with your approval."


    ¡°I have a shopping appointment at Bergdorfs tomorrow morning but I am free after that. Today I¡¯m going to the phone store and getting pizza. You are welcome to join me for dinner.¡±


    "Oh, Lombardies, I haven¡¯t been in years. I will have to meet you there." She turned to Penny, handing her a card. "Text me, so I can save your number. Then let me know when you are heading over. I''m sure you''ll have a few stops before dinner."


    She shook hands and saw the bankers out, well now I have my cards and checks. ¡°Were you able to get a car?¡±


    "Yep.¡±


    Not long after the bankers left, two men in Polo shirts for their dealership showed up, looking half like they expected a joke, or to get jumped, then happily accepted the check after a quick call to the bank to confirm the value. Soon they were in the parking garage looking at the new car. "Hyundai Santa Fae hybrid. I sprang for the Calligraphy trim level because I kind of felt like I should to be honest." Penny admitted.


    ¡°Wonderful! Shall we go? Solairs asked, tossing Marcus the keys. "And you are driving so we don''t have to worry about parking. You come back for us when Penny calls you."


    "Sure thing! Man this is sweet... Wow, wireless charging! nice..." He settled in the driver''s seat, while Penny opened the rear passenger door out of habit, looking at Solaris to get in.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She slid in. This is spacious! She said pleased, enjoying plush seats. ¡°Well, the new car smell is the same.¡± Solaris said, then looked at the front. ¡°My. There are a lot of lights and dials.¡±


    "Just about everything seems to have touch screens these days." Penny admitted. "And links to your phone." She accessed the system, and started NPR, the news discussing random news items. "We''re going to the Apple Store, so I''ll put it on nav for you, kid."


    "Thanks. I''ve never dared try to go there."


    Solaris leaned back and looked at Penny. ¡°So is Marcus out of school? You mentioned he missed the deadline for college?¡±


    "He graduated, near the top of his high school class this year and turned eighteen a month ago." She explained. "We used to live in the same building before the infestation happened.¡±


    "Yeah. By the way, Grandmother wants you to come visit. She says she''ll make Pho."


    Solaris remembered Penny saying her building had gotten condemned., ¡°Do you have a job?¡± she asked Marcus.¡±


    "I did, I was working at a bodega for over a year, but some asshat with a shotgun decided to rob the owner and shot him a couple of months back. I was there, he shot me too. Guess when I found out I had powers." He muttered. "The dude ran, and I managed to try and stop Mr Suvichi¡¯s bleeding. Lucky for me Penny Dreadful back there wandered in, found my glowing ass trying to save the old man."


    "He made it, but he closed up the shop and moved in with his daughter. He was pushing seventy and she''d been asking him to for years. Hell of a way to decide it was time."


    ¡°That is terrible, I¡¯m glad to hear your boss made it. Penny, what do you think of hiring Marcus to drive while we are in the city? That way we won¡¯t need to worry about the car.¡±


    "Means you have someone handy to run errands and such even if I''m not around." She mused.


    "So basically, I get to be your own personal Uber. I could roll with that. And she''s right, I''m good at errands, and maybe you can help me with the whole hero and future thing." His tone of voice grew progressively softer, a young man admitting he wanted help from an older, wiser person.


    ¡°Of course, that is why I was making the offer, that and you are Penny¡¯s friend. As I said hero¡¯s work with a team and for now you are part of mine.¡±


    "I can roll with that."


    "And we''ll sign you up for online college, too!" Penny said.


    "You hate me, don''t you?"


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with Trade School as well, mechanics never have to look hard for work.¡± Solaris said practically.


    "Right, right... we''ll talk about that later... weren''t we going somewhere?" He pulled out of the garage, and into New York traffic, surprisingly calm for a driver in the city. Once again, the amount of glass and cars and people became apparent, though here and there signs of older things, parts from the past, could still be seen.


    Solaris watched the city fascinated by the variety of styles. ¡°Looks like hats and gloves have fallen out of vogue.¡±


    "They come and go, but yeah, nothing like you saw back in the day." Penny agreed. "And you might be noticing people are a bit more casually dressed."


    ¡°Yes and scantly.¡± she said, watching a woman whose butt was almost hanging out of her too small shorts with a top that had less fabric than seemed wise.


    "Okay, so, that''s a skank, and you cannot judge the rest of humanity by them." Penny observed. "I mean, nothing wrong with showing off a bit, but good lord!"


    ¡°Indeed!¡± She agreed. ¡°But in general, the clothing seems more abbreviated.¡±


    "Yeah... you''re not wrong."


    ¡°Sign of a good economy.¡± Marcus commented. ¡°Hemlines rise the better it is, and drop the worst. And I learned that from a documentary, before you ask.¡± The car pulled up in front of an almost painfully white store. "How very austere.¡± Solaris said after getting out of the car. ¡°It looks almost more like a jewelry store with all the lights.¡±


    "That''s not entirely wrong, considering Apple watches." Penny chuckled. "We''ll call when we''re done. We''re going to be getting her set up for a while."


    Marcus saluted, and said something about a hamburger before pulling out back into the madness of New York traffic. Figuring they¡¯d be at it for a while he considered how to spend the time. Well, after he turned up the surprisingly kick ass sound system.


    Spotting a deli with actual street parking in front of it he cheered and pulled into the spot, or more accurately let the truck pack itself just shaking his head and enjoying not having to do it himself. Climbing out he set the alarm and started walking into the shop.


    He frowned, pausing and looking around. Something seemed off to him. Then his eyes caught the movement of a slim girl, a young woman his age moving through the crowd on the street, towards the outdoor seating for a bar and grill a half a block away. Recognizing her, he started to follow, struggling to keep his eyes on her in the crowded sidewalk.


    To be fair, he knew he¡¯d have trouble if they were the only two people around.


    He got close just as her hand snaked out, reaching for an old ladies purse as the woman was showing her friend a picture on a cell phone. Before she could touch the designer leather, Marcus¡¯s hand snatched out and caught her wrist, pulling her back and away.


    ¡°Who the fuck!¡±


    ¡°Hi there Z, your mom was wondering when you were going to get home. Something about not seeing you for a month or two.¡± Marcus snapped, pulling her further away from the table. ¡°Do you want to get popped again?¡±


    Smirking, she leaned forward, opening her mouth as if to answer, moments before driving her knee into his groin, causing him to gasp in pain and let her go.


    ¡°Back off, Marc.¡± She snapped, dashing off, grabbing a handful of cash from a waitress who had just settled a bill as she passed, almost knocking her down.


    ¡°God damn it.¡± He muttered, taking off after her.


    Running, she was a lot easier to keep track off, though she wormed her way through the crowd easily. Unlike her eel like movements, he had to stagger, and dodge through the crowd, apologizing to people as he bumped into them, before turning to follow her down an alley.


    Cursing, he looked around, trying to find her. ¡°Zoya, come out, damn it. This is stupid!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s stupid is why everyone else in the world ignores me, but you just can¡¯t help but notice.¡± The girl said, stepping from behind a dumpster where she¡¯d been hiding. ¡°What the hell is with you.¡±


    ¡°Z, I¡¯m not sure what you think you¡¯re doing. Stealing from people? In public? Didn¡¯t you learn anything in Juvie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, picking locks and how to kick the shit out of some bitch who stole my ramen.¡± She picked up a bottle and hurled it at his head, stepping back in surprise when he started to glow blue, the bottle shattering against his forcefield.


    ¡°I learned some new stuff too.¡± Marcus said. ¡°Now calm down, and come on. Your mom would love to see you, and I can help you out too. This stealing and running, you don¡¯t have to do this anymore. He¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and so am I. Leave me alone, Marcus.¡± She stepped back, and it was as though the shadows swallowed the girl, and then she was gone.


    ¡°Well fuck. That¡¯s new.¡±

 Chapter 10: Pizza Party

    Pizza Party


    ¡°One argument that broke out amongst the various governments, communities, and citizen groups was, eventually, who was responsible for all the damage caused by super powered maniacs destroying segments of a community. Lawsuits were filed against villains and heroes alike, driving some heroes out of the business early on and leaving the villains very free to murder anyone who tried to hold them responsible for anything.¡±


    ¡°Eventually, the US came up with a voluntary inclusion to put on an empowered persons personal tax that caused a small, additional amount to be taken out of their returns in order to build an emergency fund for the repair of damages. It was supported by both the hero community and congress and passed popularly in the late sixties.¡±


    ¡°Of course, then it got treated like social security, a slush fund for every bad decision made by the government and led to FEMA still being the underfunded shell of an organization which failed in mitigating so many disasters in the early part of the century.¡±


    Andrew Fitzgerald, Analysis of Public Service and the Heroic Age


    After a lengthy trip to the Apple store, leaving one Very happy sales girl Solaris was finishing up her first text to Marcus asking him to come get them. ¡°Sincerely, Elizibeth Summers.¡±


    ¡°Did you really just write all that out as a message to Marcus?¡± Penny asked, raising an eyebrow. She¡¯d watched as the blonde woman had tapped out a lengthy message, muttering softly to herself till ending it there.


    ¡°Well you hadn¡¯t gotten into etiquette yet. Oh, he replied. What. What are all these images? Hand making an okay sign. Then I don¡¯t know what these are.¡±


    ¡°They''re called emojis.¡± Penny said. ¡°Probobly just means he¡¯s on his way.¡± She led her out the door, and onto the street, pulling out her own new phone, tapping a message to the boy. ¡°There¡¯s a small bar just a little down the way, we can wait for him there, and I can get some of those questions out of the way.¡±


    They walked quickly through the late afternoon crowd. ¡°You did mention having a survey for me.¡± She mentioned as they sat at a table near the front door, absently watching the traffic drive past.


    "Not so much a survey, but that''s not inaccurate either. It¡¯s a general questionnaire we give to registering heroes, kind of a mix of psych profiling as well as giving us a feel for their mindset and goals. In your case it''s more a formality but it''s something we require to ''authorize'' someone to be active in the ¡®community¡¯. Authorization means you are covered from certain drawbacks of a super powered fight."


    ¡°Ahh. It should be no issue. Heaven knows I¡¯ve been through plenty of evaluations before.¡± Looking at her wrist then the clock on her new phone. ¡°My, that took more than a little while. It¡¯s about time for dinner.¡±


    "I''ll text Michelle about dinner, since I''m betting your banker will already have some suggestions for you, or at least questions." She chuckled, turning to the waitress and ordering a glass of white wine for both. "And I know the answer to some of these just by being around you. Hobbies, that¡¯s a good question. I know you were big into baseball back in the day, but I also know you had a license to drive and pilot airplanes back then too. Are you wanting to renew those? We can arrange that easily enough."


    ¡°I might as well. I enjoy driving for fun, though I admit I prefer a driver for most city driving. And flying is just enjoyable in a plane or on my own. Do you have a license? If not, I don¡¯t mind sponsoring it for you.¡±


    "Obviously I know how to drive, yes, but I haven''t gotten a pilot license. I''ve kind of wanted one, but I focused on suits and those required enough training during the academy." She admitted. "And I imagine ground school is easier with a partner to work with. Maybe we include Marcus in this, and he can play copilot when you want to go somewhere long-distance."


    ¡°Piloting lessons?¡± Solaris considered it, taking a sip. ¡°Not a bad idea, and a good trade to learn as well.¡±


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    ¡°He needs the job, and it¡¯d let me keep my eye on him.¡± She looked up. ¡°Speak of the devil. You made good time, but you better not get a ticket, kid. She is thinking of making your job a long term thing.¡±


    ¡°Right, no tickets. Got you. Wait, Like a real job? Does that mean I¡¯ll get paid?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll get paid. Now take us to Lombardies. I¡¯m starving.¡± Solaris said cheerfully.


    .


    ¡°Man, it''s too bad I have to stay in the car. Mind bringing me a slice? I never got my lunch. I got, um, distracted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough young privates eat to know you need more than a slice.¡± Solaris teased


    "Well, okay, bring me a small pie, and I''ll eat it at the hotel before going home. I''m guessing you aren''t planning on being out super late."


    ¡°No, not tonight after dinner I¡¯ll head back to the hotel and practice using all the new tech the lieutenant insisted I get. Things are likely to get busier for a bit after today.¡±


    "Busy and not busy, to be fair. You have no serious demands on your time, technically. "


    Solaris nodded ¡°No but I have a lot to learn and set up. I¡¯m a little annoyed that none of my American properties are left.¡±


    "It sounds like a lot of it was bad luck, and seventy years of being empty." Penny pointed out. " But to be fair, considering the era in question, you''d have to do a major remodel on all of them at this point if they had."


    I intellectually know that it just rankles a bit that instead of my lovely flat with a patio garden that I left three days ago I must bunk up in a hotel. It¡¯s a nice hotel, but not home.


    "Right, priority one. Find a home for you." The kid said from the front. "Stability is kind of a big deal, so getting you some is the best thing we can do." Seeing Penny¡¯s expression he sighed. "Look, when mom and dad passed, they had me in therapy with Grandma cause I was angry. But she was there, she''d always been there, and I needed it. Just cause you can storm the beaches of Normandy doesn''t mean you don''t have the human need for a place to call your own."


    ¡°That is very wise, Marcus. I think that is one of the things Michelle is going to be working on. I¡¯ll probably get a flat somewhere in or near the city. I need somewhere for Hugh to show up unexpectedly¡±


    "Hugh is your brother, yes? Are you sure you want that in the city proper? I mean, the suburbs are great, and less crowded.¡±


    ¡°He went the spook route, then they gave him the same serum that worked on me though its effects were different for him. He¡¯s never come in a door if he could use a window.¡± She smiled as she saw the pizza place. ¡°American pizza, like baseball, I never get tired of it.¡±


    "I''m from down south a bit more, so I''m not quite the worshiper that my New Yorker friends are, but I am willing to attend the church. "


    Michelle the banker, in more casual attire than earlier, raised a hand to summon them to the table she''d claimed, the restaurant already quite busy. She''d taken the chance to order some smaller sides for everyone to enjoy as well. ¡°Good evening. Make sure I mention something work related, then the appetizers are a business expense." She said with a wink.


    Solaris laughed, ¡°Well Penny and Marcus have convinced me to buy some sort of new home.¡±


    "That would be a good place to start. Any idea what you''d want in a home? With as much business as you are likely to be involved in, New York is likely to be a frequently used residence.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps something just outside of the city proper, with space for some sort of garden. I like having a green space. It will need a good sized space to entertain, and a nice kitchen for a cook.¡±


    "Any requirements for the size of the house, other than a good kitchen and entertainment space?


    ¡°Hmm, I think at least four bedrooms. That way there is space for Penny and any guests. two master¡¯s. Someplace for the housekeeper I will need to hire to stay..¡±


    "So you want to keep staff on property? It''s not unusual now to have housekeepers come in from outside, with insured and bonded services."


    ¡°I prefer to have at least one member of staff staying at the house. If the manager I hire wants to contract out the cleaning and such that is fine, As you said I am likely to be fairly mobile, and empty houses are often filled with trouble, it''s better to have someone watching.


    "It''s something I can consider. I will contact a realtor I know, and bring you the best options that are move-in ready. We should get you somewhere more Comfortable quickly."


    ¡°That sounds delightful, thank you.¡± She chuckled. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted this potential house. ¡°I am getting more excited about this. I do enjoy hosting a good party.¡±


    "Then I have criteria to give the realtor. And while they hunt for the perfect house you can shop till you drop tomorrow, and make some happy salespeople at Bergdorfs day."


    Solaris laughed. ¡°I plan on it! I asked Penny to find me a car with plenty of room for shopping.¡±


    ¡°I am now a little intimidated.¡± Penny said dryly.

 Chapter 11: Glow Up.

    Glow up


    ¡°Curiously, as wild as the world went about superheroes in the very beginning, not many became fashion icons. While many heroes would wear flamboyant uniforms or costumes, depending on the reader''s preference, these didn¡¯t become popular on the civilian clothing front.¡±


    ¡°Partially this could be due to the practical elements that such costumes had, such as utility belts or helmets which caused people to shy away. Hairstyles were a bit more common to see picked up by fans, but even then, hero practicality kept them away from even the most basic of updos.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t to say there wasn¡¯t a closet community of stylists who focused on the hero set. This is likely where the war on the cape started.¡±


    The next day found Solaris smiling, almost dancing, through the hotel room. ¡°I am so glad we are going shopping today. While these sweatpants and t-shirts are comfortable, I feel like I am running around in my night clothes, and the laundress here is going to wear them out with how often she¡¯d have to wash them otherwise.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯ll hold up a little longer.¡± Penny teased, ¡°but based on the reputation of Bergdorf Goodman I am sure they will get you set up properly. Whatever that means for terrifyingly rich people.¡± Penny mentioned. ¡°They apparently still had your file from previous visits in their archive!¡±


    ¡°Truly, you can¡¯t beat the service there on this side of the pond. In London we would go to Selfridges or Harrods. There are perhaps some specialty stores in Paris that are worth hitting but then we¡¯d have to go to France. And most stores certainly can¡¯t get one set up with everything they might need in one stop, barring the technology everyone seems to think is essential now.¡±


    Solaris paused, realizing she was rambling and considered Penny. ¡°Mmm, maybe I¡¯ll have them do a wardrobe for you as well.¡± Her eyes were slightly mischievous. ¡°After all, if you do decide to be my assistant, and companion you will want to look the part.¡±


    Penny panicked, and pointed at Marcus ¡°Then do him too! Look at the boy, driving dressed like a hoodlum.¡±


    ¡°I am wearing a Yankees t-shirt. ¡°


    ¡°We can do that, he should look a bit sharper when he¡¯s driving, especially for special occasions. I was thinking of siccing the butler on him if he made it to England with me, But no reason not to start polishing him up now.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I get to come into this place? I was getting used to living in the car.¡±


    ¡°Yes I think that would be good.¡± Solaris said, ¡°We will have to get a before and after photograph.¡±


    ¡°Oh lord. You¡¯re as bad as Grandma. Oh, we are going to need to take a small detour. Apparently, some c list villain tried to rob a bank. I mean, what is this, LA?¡±


    ¡°From your statement, it sounds like they were promptly stopped.¡±


    ¡°Idiot didn¡¯t notice the Empire Girl in the line next to him. He barely got ¡°this is a stickup¡± out before she fried him.


    ¡°Empire Girl? Tell me a bit about her. I¡¯ll admit I am so happy I didn¡¯t end up with ¡®girl¡¯ as part of my main nom de guerre.¡±


    ¡°Daughter of The Empire Statesman. Technically she is semi-retired as a public face. Flight and lightning, with remarkably fast reflexes, where her father was a growth size-shifter. She got stuck with the name as a kid sidekick.¡° Penny said knowing all the local capes was part of her job.


    ¡°Ahh, her face went soft, remembering the junior hero¡¯s she¡¯d worked with. I take it papa was a big enough name she couldn¡¯t choose a new one?¡±


    ¡°Literally.¡± Marcus said. ¡°Then he went to congress. And then, he slept with his secretary or intern or something. It was a whole thing, and all over the media for like six months last year. ¡°


    ¡°To be fair he was divorced. By then. ¡°


    Solaris made a slightly disgusted face ¡°It¡¯s never a good look, it''s just so¡­cheap.¡± How hard do you think it will be to find parking in the area?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d let their valet deal with it. That''s Fifth avenue. I wouldn¡¯t expect to find parking for multiple blocks.¡±


    Penny¡¯s gaze went to one of the famous display windows of Berghman "Okay, even I know this is an Icon in the city, and I''m not exactly high fashion." Penny admitted.


    ¡°Oh you¡¯ll love it.¡± Solaris promised. ¡°And treating oneself can make you feel unstoppable.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, you kind of are unstoppable.¡± Penny muttered.


    The Bergdhoff Goodman windows in view were, as usual, artwork dedicated to the height of fashion and consumerism, and stepping into the store was different. Displays were almost museum quality, in spite of being dedicated to consumer goods to buy, and even the building itself was styled, not the plain white of most department stores.


    A quick trip to the third floor saw them signing in at the personal shoppers¡¯ desk, quickly being led to a private room where the consultants were already awaiting them. "Lady Summers, a pleasure to have such a legendary client return after so long. I am your personal shopper and Stylist Pooja." The middle-aged woman greeted a pair of younger assistants setting out items on tables. A champagne flute was offered to her immediately, with one of the assistants offering drinks, not alcoholic but bubbly and sweet, to Penny and Marcus. "And we were warned you needed the full service."


    "Yes, it seems I am almost a century out of mode, so please do your worst. Also my companions will need some new things as well, day to day and event clothing for my assistant. Then I will also want some daily wear and special event clothing for my driver. and of course a couple of proper suits¡± Solaris took the Champaign with a smile, gesturing with it at Marcus and Penny. This she knew how to do, the slight fear on their faces amusing her.


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    "I''m assuming we should do the classic set for the driver. A good looking young gentleman is such a pleasure to dress. Wallace, You can handle him, take him over to menswear and start pulling together a collection . I''ll send a list in a bit, but he''ll need a few good suits. Sari, you can summon one of the juniors to assist you and handle this young lady. May I have your name?"


    "Um, Penny."


    "Ohhh, named after money. Excellent. Let''s get your sizes. I already have you scheduled for the Salon for a time while we pick, and I''m sure they can fit you in as well, Penny." With the amount the consultant estimated Solaris was going to spend, they damn well better be able to, or someone was getting stabbed with scissors.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Solaris said with a smile. ¡°Now where do you want to start? These clothes are comfortable around the house, but I do not like being out in public in them. It almost feels like wandering around in my night things. While still feeling overly masculine.¡±


    "First, of course, measurements. While getting those I''d like to find out what sort of styles you might like and events you''re planning for in the near future." The Pooja explained, gesturing at several magazines showing recent fashion trends. "For example, considering who you are, you''ll begin to get invitations to events, so I''d suggest some gowns. Business wear is a must, based on what we know of your reputation. And, of course, the more casual day to day wear for yourself, if not for your Penny or young Marcus.¡±


    ¡°That all sounds lovely.¡± Solaris said, climbing on top of a small podium, allowing her measurements to be taken, though as far as she knew her measurements hadn''t changed since 1944. ¡°I am a bit nervous about the day to day clothing. It''s much less formal than I remember and more revealing.¡±


    "Ahh, yes, you''re not quite ready for some of the more aggressive styles. We will definitely take that into account." The stylist agreed. "We¡¯ll keep things a bit more conservative for you. In fact, I''m going to aim for more fall, winter set for you for now, just to get you a head start."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°It was spring when I was last around.¡± Not that she noticed temperatures anymore, she was pretty much comfortable anywhere. She took another bracing sip of champagne ¡°Alright where do we start?¡±


    "Well, I thought we''d start with the side pieces that I wager you haven¡¯t even thought about yet. I''ve taken the opportunity to select a basic beauty kit for you here, assorted hair brushes, combs, makeup brushes, and other tools and accessories for primping. The hardware, if you will." She said, gesturing at one of the rolling tables, covered with brushes, combs, trimmers. "These are all going to be things you''re familiar with, at least similar tools, and I thought would be a good place to start."


    Solaris smiled, ¡°Bless you, I didn''t even think about all that.¡± she admitted. ¡°I got a little overfocused on clothing¡± She picked up some odd stretchy circles. ¡°What are these?¡±


    "¡°Hair bands, essentially rubber bands, but designed to not damage your hair when putting it up.¡± She gestured to her younger assistant, who did her long hair up quickly into a ponytail. They are a must for when one is on the go, and just needs to throw her hair up... much as I would deny ever doing such myself."


    ¡°That would be wonderful for working out, ribbons never did very well for holding my hair back without a lot of pins. She eagerly followed the assistant''s example and did her golden hair into a ponytail.


    Pooja, the stylist, nodded. "You''ll find them in there too, don''t worry. And I''ll have more brought in to add to the sundries." she chuckled. "Now, handbags... while I have obviously not started selecting for specific outfits quite yet, and I would never deny a woman the joy of hunting the perfect bag for herself, I thought some stand byes for the time being would be good." She pulled another cart over.


    "Of course, we also selected a small travel case, as well as a larger luggage case for your items, as we were told you are in the market for a new residence." She explained, gesturing to a larger, and smaller, make up bag.¡±


    "Now for the fun part. ¡°First, an evening bag. The clutch is falling more to the wayside due to cell phones, and I thought this might fill that role better for you." The bag was a muted gold tone, smallish but more than a clutch, with a gold chain. "It¡¯s chain is designed so you can wear it more as a wristlet, or a cross-body bag depending on how you orient it. As for the color, I thought it would go well with your own hair and skin tones."


    Solaris nodded, ¡°This is nice. I like the chain detail. I was in the apple store yesterday and I just felt naked without some sort of handbag. I like this. It can go in the approved pile. She caressed purses enjoying the feeling of leather and Luxury fabric. I will say this for the new times, the purses are divine, so many styles and materials. It''s going to be hard not to be horribly naughty and buy them all."


    "Speaking of which, in a style that might be a bit of a surprise, backpacks." She chuckled. "In this case, designed by Akris, these are designed cleverly." She lifted a black, vaguely diamond shaped backpack, and by redoing a few snaps turned it into more of a ''shopping'' bag arrangement. "Good for when you''re going to be running about all day or carrying a large amount with you. This is big enough to suit even a laptop or tablet in need. I fetched both the black and this lovely blue version."


    ¡°What interesting detailing.¡± she tried it on feeling how it would hang. "It''s quite sleek, and black is a good neutral, go with anything sort of color.¡± She set it next to the gold purse. ¡°It looks like an excellent day to day bag.¡±


    "Exactly my thought, and the blue would go well with brighter outfits, though a basic black is never out of style." Pooja said, lifting the same purse in a bright royal blue.


    ¡°Oh, you devil! I was eyeing that one. The color is so bright and cheerful. And blue is still my favorite color. Depending on what I''m wearing when I leave, that very well may be the one on my shoulder!¡±


    "Excellent! Then I chose well for these." She gestured and three hard-cased suitcases were brought over. ranging from a larger to smaller size, each was a blue tone, but sturdy looking case. "Porsche may be known mostly for automobiles, but these are their line of travel cases which we carry. They are extremely durable, something I thought you would appreciate, while remaining stylish if austere, and very secure. And again, something I thought you''d need."


    Solaris nodded, tapping a finger on the case pleased with how sturdy it felt. ¡°Interesting. It looks a bit like a jerry can with wheels. she laughed. "But this would keep one''s shoes safe. I do like the little handle and I can see how the wheels would be helpful." To other people, since she could carry a 500 pound barbell one handed like a purse but Marcus or Penny may have to deal with it so the wheels were still useful.


    "There is also a larger garment bag, not as sturdy but not as rough on delicates, and this clever little wallet. Your cards go in this aluminum sleeve to pop up for you," She displayed the feature" and you can open it to reveal other documents or IDs and it''s protected from pesky electronic pickpockets who might try to scan and steal your information. And of course, a passport carrier of the same design. I fetched out three sizes to give you options when traveling. With all three, let''s just say you should be able to carry whatever you need to the field of beauty and battle, with the garment bag for delicates. If you like I could have one or two pulled for your assistant or driver, if you think they might need them."


    ¡°Oh yes, I doubt Marcus has a set, and Penny¡¯s likely to be a left over from college. Do one set of each. I''m planning on taking a ship over to England once I have things settled here. Do you have anything like my Louis Vuitton steamer trunk?¡± I need to find that¡­ Maybe it''s wherever they stored my clothing and apartment goods¡­


    "Of course, and I''ll note cruise wear as something they''ll need a bit of." The stylist noted. "Let me look into the trunk. I admit, I''m not an expert at our luggage collection."


    "For now, I think we have the basics together, and I see we are close to the salon appointment. Off you go, I shall have marvelous things collected for you.¡±

 Chapter 12 Spa Day

    Spa Day


    The influence of super-heroes and, though we pretend otherwise, super-villains on fashion is not something that can be properly ignored. While the War in Afghanistan seems to have caused a surge in the ¡®tactical look¡¯ among some segments of American style, so to does the battle of titans in city streets on a weekly basis.


    While yoga pants might have become popular anyway, especially considering how the third decade of the century started, one piece body suits made out of advanced materials have surged into dominance in sports.


    Then there¡¯s the developments in fashion specifically to suit the Enhanced. Sunrise Shoes, who provides specialized heel and soles to the shoe industry at large, has been the leader in super-strength and speed surviving footwear since the 1940¡¯s. Norelco¡¯s obsidian shaver line allows clean shaven looks for even the most durable of super men without them going through a dozen razors to scrape off that five o¡¯clock shadow.


    Still, the hassles of day to day grooming might be why so many supers wear long leggings and full face masks.


    Rachel Omuru, Fashion and Style in the 2020¡¯s


    ¡°Hello Penny, how are you enjoying Bergdorfs,¡± Solaris asked as she met her assistant at the in store spa


    "I''m slightly overwhelmed. Did you really order me luggage? I mean, I appreciate it, but I think you can buy an actual porsche for the price of those things. I''m tempted to check!¡± then she giggled. ¡°Then you¡¯d order the Porsche I found.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, Depends on what it looks like, some of the italian cars just don''t quite speak to me.¡±


    A tall thin man, clean shaven in a white shirt and black slacks came over and introduced himself as Andre. Solaris blinked at the way he moved and spoke, He was the most homophyllic man she¡¯d ever seen, and she¡¯d never seen one out so¡­brazenly.


    Penny greeted Andre easily, Elizabeth noticing that she didn¡¯t react to his obvious nature, settling into a chair next to Elizabeth as a parade of cosmetics and care products were presented to them as the stylists considered their hair and nails and what suggestions they would make. Penny, in this case, was more comfortable having her personal makeup kit and picking a few things hesitantly to add to it.


    ¡°Well, you are coming to England with me right? You¡¯re going to need proper bags, I didn¡¯t want you to worry about your new things. I selected a set for Marcus as well.¡± She glanced at Andre ¡°Be careful my hair is very, very tough. Fortunately it still styles mostly the same but scissors are not going to work and may be damaged.¡±


    "Oh, of course. We''ve been warned." The stylist pulled out a case, a light glowing on the front to signify charging what was inside. "My master weapon. Synthetic sapphire bladed shears with precision response actuators. I could shave anything short of diamond down with these, my dear. So, what shall we do? A simple trim and style, or something dramatic?"


    ¡°Well, my last trim was done with wire snips in the 1950s.¡± Solaris said with a laugh. ¡°Your super sheers will be a magnificent treat! Assuming they work as you advertise.¡±


    "Well dear, watch this.." He lifted a lock of hair, showed her a split end tuft, and trimmed it with a soft hum and snip, snip, snip. "You just sit back, relax, and we''ll get everything neat, smooth, and maybe even shiny without needing to glow."


    Solaris almost teared up, she¡¯d not had a proper cut in years. She relaxed and let his soothing hands tend her. ¡°You have no idea what a miracle you are to me right now.¡± She said softly.


    "You''re not the first Super to sit in my chair, my dear. Think of all those poor girls stuck going to strip mall haircut shops. There''s a reason a lot of you ladies have long hair." he chuckled as he worked, while a nail tech using a dremel with a diamond tip to start a manicure and pedicure for the relaxing woman.


    ¡°Darling, I may just set up a fund so you can cut their hair, I missed this so much. I have spent hours in chairs getting put together for events, and it¡¯s always a chore, not a pleasure. This is pure heaven.¡±


    "I''ll arrange for someone to get you the company name. It''s professional spa equipment, so not on the sales floor, even here." He chuckled. "Fortunately, your hair is otherwise rich and healthy, so once this trimming is done it''ll be a dream to work with a stylist before an event."


    ¡°I¡¯ll use that information, I promise.¡± she sat silently for a while just savoring getting to feel like every other woman. ¡°Well that¡¯s enough being maudlin. How do you think Marcus is faring?¡±


    "Didn''t you notice he''s four chairs over? And asleep?¡± Penny actually giggled. ¡°I have no idea what they''re doing to his skin and hair, but I am slightly afraid his grandmother won''t recognize him."


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see him come in. I wonder what he thinks of this, and you to be fair. I rather swept you along. I hope you don¡¯t mind getting caught in my momentum, though it does tend to happen.¡±


    "Yeah, I''m trying not to think about how my paycheck wouldn''t cover any of this reasonably. You are just set. Why did you do the hero thing? You sure as hell didn''t need the money."


    ¡°I was raised to serve. My father was a career navy man, an admiral and my mother filled her time with charity work. Neither had any use for the idly wealthy, both my brother and I were encouraged to find our own way to serve. I chose nursing, I loved being able to directly help people. When the war started I signed up with my brother. Because of our family¡¯s reputation we were both put in special services, me working at a lab trying to improve upon our soldiers, Hugh as a man of many faces in the intelligence service.


    ¡°When I became enhanced, quite by accident, it was a natural path. Father raised me to believe that it is the duty of the strong and the privileged to be better, not to act entitled. To inspire by our actions the best in others. And those boys I worked with, well they were brave but incautious men, they would have gotten themselves killed and I couldn¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    ¡°War always changes, but the warfighter is always young and brash.¡±


    Solaris nodded at the simple truth. ¡°Did they get you through all the clothing? That¡¯s next for me. I got a couple of purses, and sundries already chosen.¡±


    "They walked me through a few designs, and I think I''m going to be trying things back on after alterations. Some suits, some cruise things apparently, but nothing compared to what you have coming, obviously."


    ¡°Well, I assume that you at least have day to day wear, though I don¡¯t mind if you want to pick a few purses or casual clothing.¡±


    "I''ll consider that. I''m a bit over-awed as it is. Is this how you recruited this fabled Wendy? I heard you also paid for her whole wedding?"


    Solaris laughed. ¡°Yes, Wendy was assigned to me by the US government because I needed someone to keep track of my shows and commitments. She was delightfully unimpressed by all the superhero malarkey. And like you I hired her out to be my personal assistant and companion. And yes, we got her wedding dress at this establishment''s own boutique.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°It was beautiful.¡±


    An hour later, they were back to the try on room, the walls covered with dresses, gowns, outfits, and separates. "Welcome back. Feeling pampered?" Pooja asked as they returned.


    ¡°Yes, that was divine, Solaris said looking at her nails now covered in a pearly blue and gold paint. It is an experience I will be having again!¡±


    "We''re glad to hear it. Now, I don''t want to overwhelm, so I picked a kind of starter set. I selected Three formal gowns and five party dresses of a less formal nature for you to select from. I don''t know if you''d have anything on the line already, but thought you might like an option or three already in the closet for if something comes up."


    Solaris nodded, starting to look at the clothing, touching the fabrics and holding some in front of her to judge the fit. ¡°I have no idea if anything I have in storage would be at all relevant, So I am going to want a full kit. But no reason to do it all in one go..¡± She looked at a pale pink dress with some clever rushing under the breasts. ¡°I like this one, but I¡¯ll want a dickie with it. The neckline is a bit too daring. But it will look stunning with my chocolate mink capelet.¡±


    Pooja gave a soft purr thinking of it. "Oh, furs never go out of fashion, as long as you avoid the PETA people and yours are vintage, so no one will sniff at them really." She nodded. "We can find a shell to put under it, something silk." Solaris nodded as an assistant moved the dress to the accepted rack.


    "Here is a suggestion I have for more business wear. Being a Super, you get a buy on being a bit flamboyant, and it speaks to me..." It was a dark blue pantsuit, with a small galaxy of tiny crystals in the jacket and slacks, to which the Englishwoman quickly agreed. Liking the charm and the cut. "Now, with your background, I thought something for tennis clubs or polo might be wise, so I was going to suggest these, a day party dress if you will."


    Solaris selected and rejected items decisively. Preferring bold colors,and fabrics that where rich but not too shiny. ¡°Yes to the white tennis dress, no to the purple. I love the color and the sleeves but I think it will just make me look shorter than I am, as billowing as it is.¡±


    "Hmmm, a point I did not think of. But then, you are authoritative so it''s easy to miss your height." She sent the purple dress away. "Now... perhaps some casual options?"


    A couple of hours later the stylist nodded at the approved rack. "I think that this gets you the basics all together. You''ll of course need another appointment soon to fill out your closet once you have more of a sense of the times, and of course your own shopping adventures at other locales, but I am sure what you have will suit for a short time at least." She chuckled.


    Solaris nodded, ¡°You are not wrong. It¡¯s better to stop before getting too tired to make good decisions, and I am starting to get a bit peckish. I think it¡¯s time to gather my companions and get some dinner.¡±


    "Absolutely." She agreed." I''ve got the dress you wanted to wear out, ready for you here, and the items ready to go home will be bagged up. The things requiring tailoring will be delivered by tomorrow morning to your hotel.¡±


    Solaris changed into a rose gold sweater dress with a cute pair of gold tone heels, putting her phone and wallet into the new backpack purse. She smiled at Penny who had opted to wear what she came in wearing. ¡°I feel so much better now.¡±


    ¡°I imagine it must be better wearing your own skin, so to speak.¡±


    ¡°Did you have fun?¡±


    "It was a wild experience, and enjoyable. I also managed to find a place for dinner and I''m paying. This is a lot.¡± She glanced out the door. ¡°Yes you can come to Marcus, and get in here. You¡¯re looking good!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to Fogo de Chao, it¡¯s within walking distance so we can come back for the car. Brazilian food and eat till you can''t. You both will love it."


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had Brazilian, that sounds perfect, I¡¯ll handle the tip though. Did you enjoy yourself Marcus?¡±


    "I was a bit blown away. How do I look, by the way? They, um, the old lady said something about burning my outfit from before." He frowned and shrugged. He wore a gray designer t-shirt under a charcoal sports coat, with black slacks, and sturdy walking boots. "It was the only wear out option that she''d allow me?" He was confused by that too. "I think that the lady must know my Granny. She had the same glare."


    ¡°Years of practice with trust fund princesses.¡± Solaris suggested.


    Penny glanced up from her phone. "By the way, Michelle sent me a potential house. I''ll go over it with you later, but it certainly seems to check all your boxes and then some.


    ¡°Oh, that is good to hear! I can¡¯t wait to see it! Her blue eyes sparkled. She was feeling much more comfortable.¡±

 Chapter 13 Take Me Out to the Ball Game

    Take Me Out to the Ball Game


    ¡°During the war, the United States did some things for what looked like counter intuitive reasons. Ace Pilots were tracked and brought home when their number of kills got high, and Medal of Honor winners were brought home almost immediately, and the original Guardian team of Supers was based out of Baltimore, far from the front.¡±


    ¡°This was done for two reasons. One, morale. The stress of rationing along with loss of favored forms of entertainment in favor of the war effort. It was better to use them to stir up purchases of war bonds than to fight on the front lines, though all managed to get back to the fight eventually.¡±


    ¡°Even as strong as someone like Solaris was, the bombproof bombshell drew alot more attention when she was dressed pretty and visiting baseball games to stir up the public.¡±


    Elizabeth had fallen in love with the house at first sight, it had plenty of bedrooms and space for offices. It had a pool house that would work for her house manager, a spot for a boat, and space to put in plenty of gardens and a greenhouse. With throwing a bit of money at the problem she¡¯d managed to secure the house quickly. A few more calls had movers bringing in all her packed furnishings and the contents of her New York storage locker to her new home.


    The blonde woman sat on the couch that had been her favorite perch in her apartment all those years ago, though the volume of the living room made it clear it was not going to be able to do the job here. She watched workmen carefully bringing more delicate items into the house, while appraisers examined things.


    ¡°Is everyone here yet?¡± She asked Penny, thinking it felt a bit like Christmas, opening and reclaiming her past. It was also strange that it¡¯d been two weeks for her, but seventy years for the rest of the world.


    "Except the art guys. They¡¯re stuck in traffic. The people looking at your furs took them for cleaning and reconditioning, though they said they were fantastic otherwise." The lieutenant replied. ¡°The baseball guys are downstairs in the bar, to be out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s be naughty and visit the baseball people first. It will be nice to talk to other people who love the game.¡±


    The team of appraisers, including one person from the Yankee¡¯s own museum staff, greeted the two women as they entered. The oldest gentleman offered his hand, after removing a latex glove. "Good morning, I¡¯m Jake Rizzo. Thank you for letting us look at your collection here." He said, waving his hand at the three other people, who were carefully shuffling through stacks of cards, slipping cards into binder pages they¡¯d brought along. Several cards had already entombed in plastic cases that looked very secure to the time-lost hero. "Even as old as these are, most aren''t going to be very valuable, but we''ve already seen some that are quite valuable, and we''ve just started." He said. "That¡¯s ignoring the most significant cards, which we looked for first.¡±


    Solaris smiled. ¡°Looks like you haven¡¯t gotten far in the collection yet. Somewhere in here are my framed sets.¡± She went over to a box, opening a small one at random ¡°Penny this one is my photos! Myself with the St. Louis Browns!¡±


    "Is it weird that pictures from St. Louis without a big arch in them confuse me? But what are the St. Louis Browns?¡±


    ¡°They moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles.¡± One of the experts said.


    One of the movers slipped down. ¡°You want the big walnut four poster and the matching set in the Master bedroom, right?¡± He asked. ¡°They¡¯ve finished examining it and said it¡¯s in good shape to be used like you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, thank you.¡± Solaris was peeking in other boxes ¡°Ahh! Look my baseball uniform.¡± What she pulled out reminded the contemporary folk around her of the outfits from A League of Her Own, though in Yankee¡¯s colors. It was in a box, well packed and displayed like a wedding dress. ¡°I wore this when I went to the games. I had others for different teams during the war, but don¡¯t know where all of them may have gotten too.¡±


    "Oh lord, that was fortunate to be packed well." The collectables expert said, looking it over. "It looks like it''s still in shape to be worn, even."


    "They had the storage containers in climate-controlled conditions. There''s been very little damage that we''ve seen, beyond just time." Penny said.


    ¡°I was worried about things getting wet and damaged. Nereid teased me about my very British need to catalog and store everything. Are the cards what you¡¯re most interested in?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily, but it¡¯s a good starting point as we can look things up online easily.¡± The older man said. ¡°Though considering your appearances during World War II, this dress would be appraised highly, I¡¯m sure. That I¡¯d have to research to estimate though.¡±


    "That and the signed balls, of course." One of the others said, looking at one of the balls in question. "Though sadly, the cards and balls are both going to be below mint quality, but that isn''t anything you did. You wouldn''t have known how things would change."


    ¡°Somewhere there¡¯s a couple of cases of cards I never got around to opening.¡±


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "We found the sealed boxes. Topps 1952 series. I¡¯d have called them crates more than cases. " The group chuckled. "We weren¡¯t sure if we should suggest opening them, or leaving them sealed as a representation of fans'' dreams."


    "Schrodingers Baseball Card." Penny joked.


    ¡°You could find the most common of cards, or the more dear but no way to know which.¡± Elizabeth nodded. Then she giggled. ¡°Penny, should I be very good and very naughty at the same time?¡±


    "Well now I¡¯m curious. Shoot."


    ¡°What do you think of taking a few of these cases and donating them to the Yankees so they can auction them for charity?¡±


    "You could damn near give some to every team. That''d be a wild event in the off season."


    Solaris looked thoughtfully, the tactician in her waking up, here was a way to do a lot of good AND get hours of entertainment. ¡°Penny, can you make a note? I need a person to handle publicity.¡± ¡°she began pacing, talking to herself. ¡° Don¡¯t want to devalue the cards by releasing too many.¡± she muttered. ¡° Yes, there are sixteen teams.¡±


    ¡°Thirty teams. There have been some expansions since you left.¡± The Yankee¡¯s representative said helpfully


    Solaris stopped pacing and blinked ¡°My it¡¯s almost doubled! That changes the math, but we have more than enough. What I am thinking is each team will get Three packs of cards to raise money for their preferred charity, one of those fundraisers must be a raffle with¡­ call it a one dollar per ticket fee so everyone can afford to participate. Then we will see which team and which league raises the most money and do some sort of extra benefit for them.¡±


    The winning team gets to host your personal collection for display first?¡± one of the card sorters said.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Solaris said. ¡°Getting excited to do something big with the sport she loved.


    "I''ll look into publicity firms. It''s more than a one-man thing, these days." Penny chuckled.


    "I think that''s fantastic, and doing something to kick the NFL in the balls during winter will be gladly grasped by MLB." the Yankee¡¯s rep laughed.


    Solaris waved that away. She didn¡¯t care about the bizarre American rugby. She opened one of the larger crates. ¡°Ah yes, this is my Yankees 51 complete set! It was hanging in the apartment.¡± She took it over to the evaluators. ¡°Here you go, where would you like me to put this?¡±


    "Yankees 51..."


    "Oh wow, yeah, that''s all of them. Including Bera, Mantle, and DiMaggio. Nice set. Very nice set. And that¡¯s not just monetarily speaking."


    ¡°Yes, I told you I had all my sets mounted. White frames for the American League, black for the National league. If I had an office in a city with a team, it was done in their theme. I believe those boxes should be the rest of the sets, from forty-two to Fifty-one.¡± She pulled out another frame. ¡°Ah, forty-five. This one was the Pirates.¡±


    "I see why you planned to do your offices in that manner." he chuckled. "I want to find you a nice New York office to set you up in, just to display some of these," he admitted.


    She laughed and nodded, I¡¯ll probably set up my home office with the Yankees¡­mmm I¡¯ll need to get a new frame with the current roster. she pulled out her phone and asked siri to make a note to go buy baseball cards. ¡°I should go check on the furniture people, please let me know if you need any help.¡±


    The Yankees rep laughed and looked at Penny. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to my boss, I am sure we can set her up with a Yankee¡¯s dream office.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll love that, we¡¯ll make it a surprise.¡±


    Solaris walked to the living room where more people were going over furniture, house wear and clothing. She frowned. ¡°You were right Penny most of this just needs to go, it looks all wrong for the space.¡±


    "It''s all lovely, obviously quality when purchased and fine vintage pieces." one of the assessors said "but few pieces are of truly heirloom quality, with the exceptions are your bedroom set, this wardrobe which we were going to put in the back of the walk-in closet for more prestige items, and this China hutch. I actually have a dining room table and chairs in my showroom that would go well with these and the attending sideboard. It¡¯s huge, but so is this dining room.¡±


    Looking at a picture the woman offered, Solaris nodded. ¡°Oh yes, those would look nice. I¡¯ll take them, though I think I¡¯ll be having you sell most of this as well.¡±


    "Can do."


    "I suggest getting a proper storage rack unit for your vinyl collection as well." She suggested, gesturing at the records, and the record player. ¡°The player works, and the wax is all okay so far, and some of that you will just not be able to replace, especially the jazz.¡±


    ¡°Please get me one, the best for my needs. I would hate to lose my collection, though this Amazon music has been a delightful discovery on my phone.¡±


    Solaris smiled as she noticed one of the clothing items being hung on a temporary rack ¡°I got that particular coat when I was in Canada. It is delightfully warm and sinfully soft.¡± Her eyes went sad at a fine chocolate wool men''s coat, neck edged in mink joined it. ¡°That one can go. I thought I got rid of it. That was a Christmas present I bought for Reginald, there should be a matching hat and boots. I never got to give it to him. The maid must have stored it.¡±


    "Um. Yes, of course." The woman said awkwardly, then at Penny''s gesture from behind Solaris, she moved away, carrying the coat.


    "Hey now, you okay?" Penny asked, slipping between her and the workmen "Funny how things like that can sneak out and bite you, no matter how many decades slip by, hmm?"


    "You¡¯re not wrong. It has been 6 years since I lost him by my personal timeline. Most of the time now I''m fine. I miss him, but I''m alright. I have even been on a few dates. But, well. nothing really came of them. Hard to match up to a man shot down a hero during the war. That¡­and other issues.¡± Solaris shook off the tears and looked at Penny. ¡°Enough woolgathering, have you chosen a room yet?¡±


    "I kind of figured you''d want me around, so yeah. Claiming the office in the basement, since you want to use the big one off the entry.¡±


    ¡°They obviously need furniture, but I imagine we are going to be dealing with that sometime soon. I went and got an air mattress, and it''s really not bad, so I''m good till we go."


    ¡°Well I won¡¯t let you suffer that too long- Ohh! My travel trunk! She darted over to a blue and rose gold patterned chest. ¡°This has been all over the world with me.¡± She pulled it open, and the top drawer still had her old grooming tools, the vintage sellers were all drooling at the rare Louis Vuitton trunk, as she went through it pulling out her back up pearls, and putting them on, finding their cool weight comforting.


    Penny chuckled and glanced at the vintage furniture seller. "Yeah, so... you aren''t getting that. We both know it. It''s likely going to get its own alarm system."


    ¡°I¡¯m still annoyed that my trunk is too valuable to travel with.¡± She said ¡°The new suitcases are nice but it¡¯s not the same.¡±


    Penny nodded absently, as a jumpy man came and whispered in her ear ¡°Guns? Oh hell, show me." She followed him over to a rather large crate with US military markings, and inside were packing materials and guns. "Oh my lord, she really couldn''t help it. Solaris, what do you want to do with the crate of german military weapons, which in this state starts with making sure you can own them.?"


    ¡°Oh, this is stuff I stole from the Nazis.¡± She said waving a hand carelessly before she poked around in the box a bit. ¡°Looks like these are the smaller guns. These were at my storage in the Hamptons I think.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really need them. Keep one of each type and sell the rest, unless you want something. The paperwork for them should be somewhere in the box.¡±


    "Um, right. Move these to my room for now, put them in the walk in, along with any other weapons you find. I''ll arrange for them to be sold." Penny said, needing to go through the box. She also made a note to order another safe, this time for guns, pre-ban WWII Machine guns were going to be worth as much as some of her baseball cards.


    ¡°There should be another crate with the big guns around here somewhere. We stole so much from the enemy; it was a game we all played.¡±


    ¡°Of course you did.¡± Penny said, shaking her head.

 Chapter 14 Capes and Flames

    Capes and Flames


    ¡°It''s not well documented, but evidence suggests that the first villains might predate the first heroes, while others suggest they appeared at the same time. I tend to lean towards the shared timeline.¡±


    ¡°The Blackhand, while they were active even as early as World War I, didn¡¯t start fielding their own super powered agents until sometime after the creation of the Guardians and the third Reich''s Ubertrooper program. Most likely they stole the technology.¡±


    ¡°So, of course, one of the worst came out of this era. Chimera, the living disaster, has been profiled as everything from a narcissist to a schizophrenic. Today, based on the attack on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the destruction of so much of Oak Ridge Tennessee suggests to me that, whatever else he is Chimera is a clear and present threat to humanity that I urge the United Nations to list him as a warlord, wanted by the world court, and all nations on the Earth hunt this monster, who is no longer anything like a man, before he manages to truly become an existential threat to the world!¡±


    Canadian representative to the UN, 2003.


    Solaris let out a happy gasp as the movers brought in a heavy medium sized safe. ¡°She quickly had it open and pulled out a cedar wood box, she opened it and relaxed. ¡°Ah wonderful it is safe and sound, " she reached in the box and revealed a dark red woolen capelet, covered in badges, medals and ribbons. She set it on top of the safe bending down again to look in it ahh that didn¡¯t hold as well. Penny, can you get a camera over here? I am worried that the instructions on what goes where for my capelet will disintegrate if I move it.¡±


    "Shit, yeah. I can get that." She said, hurrying to take pictures, then a short video of the list. "Nice use of a cape, but that doesn''t look like a hero-cape kind of thing."


    It¡¯s not, it¡¯s a nurse¡¯s cape. I got it when I graduated from school. I wore it at full formal events. The College of Heralds had a fit figuring out where all the awards and sashes from other countries would go.¡±


    "Okay, that''s kind of cool, in an old school sort of way." Penny admitted. "Do we need to get the cape in a display or is it in a safe for a reason."''


    Solaris tapped her chin, I wanted to keep it safe, I was worried someone would try to steal it. but I guess it would be nice to display it. I think I¡¯d need a manikin to do it right.


    "With the old uniform, maybe? Could put it in the corner of the home office, for now. I''ll look into finding a display case for it, and a manikin."


    ¡°That could work,¡± she said, her fingers running over the pins and medals. ¡°Nothing too ostentatious though.¡± She saw her huge oak desk being carried into the office. ¡°Have you settled in? After arguing you down from finding your own new apartment I would be disappointed if you were avoiding it.¡±


    Penny rolled her eyes and nodded. "Bedroom furniture is about all I need. Well, that, and I will finally have to break down and buy a car. At some point you, me and Marcus are going to go in different directions for some reason.¡±


    Solaris shrugged ¡°We can go pick one up for you. Then we can go furniture shopping, I told the vintage furniture woman to just take the lot of it away, excepting what we¡¯d already put in place, and she may put it up for consignment.¡±


    "We will need a lot of it. With a living room, family room, entertainment room, and four bedrooms to fill, I mean. And that¡¯s ignoring those random little rooms we aren¡¯t sure what they were for. And the sunroom. I¡¯m kind of glad they left everything in the guest house. It means Granny Ruan is comfortable already, and so can ride herd on the movers and delivery people.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad she was willing to manage the house. I¡¯m likely to be fairly mobile for a while, I gave her the basic staffing list but told her I¡¯d leave the hiring to her discretion. She is a proper whipsaw of a woman.¡± Solaris said approvingly


    ¡°I am not sure what whipsaw means but thank you I suppose.¡± The older woman said with a chuckle. ¡°I heard you talking and thought I would peek in. Going furniture shopping?¡±


    ¡°And a car for Penny.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find something on my own later.¡±


    ¡°Actually, would it be possible to get a car for the house? Something simple for when errands must be run and you¡¯ve already taken my grandson on some errand?¡± Granny Ruan asked.


    ¡°Tell you what, we¡¯ll drop you off at a dealership, you can select one or two for the house to use. I trust your wisdom and can always veto your choices if I dislike them.


    ¡°Oh, and Penny, remind me to order Michelle a cheesecake and a bottle of champagne. This is the perfect house, and she deserves to be treated.¡± I still can¡¯t believe she found this so quickly.¡±


    Penny, distracted, didn¡¯t see Solaris lean into whisper instructions to the older woman


    An hour later saw Elizabeth and Penny walking into Dreamland Furniture. "I''d toyed with going to a place I found on Fifth avenue, but the stuff just looked like crap online. I figured we¡¯d try here first." Penny said. They found a massive showroom filled with sectional couches, recliners, dining room and bedroom sets.


    ¡°Excellent. they have a lot to choose from.¡± Solaris¡¯s eyes were drawn to an enormous three-part navel blue sectional with silvery gray trim. ¡°Ohh, that looks lovely.¡±


    "Well let''s go look at it. If you like it, that''s another room started." Penny said, following her boss towards the couch, chuckling at the salespeople talking in a corner, deciding who would approach. The agent knew they looked young, so they weren''t expecting much of a sale, the poor dumb suckers.


    Solaris sat down. ¡°Oh yes, I rather like this. It will need a coffee table, otherwise there is nowhere to put drinks. And a nice fluffy rug.¡±


    "It''s nice, and big enough for the living room, which is a concern... and they are sending the youngest, most scared looking salesperson to us. Oh, this is going to be fun."


    ¡°Great fun!¡± the blonde agreed, picking up just as Penny had that the sales staff was underestimating them.


    ¡°Hi, welcome to Dreamland. I¡¯m Lisa, can I help you look for something?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, let¡¯s start with this. We¡¯re going to buy this couch, along with this table, I think. Now, what do you have in bedroom sets? Oh, and perhaps deck furniture?¡±


    Solaris took a deep breath as they left the store, carrying two bags of bedding. ¡°Lord, the other salespeople looked like they were going to swallow their tongues, they were so shocked, and Lisa¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of her head when I handed her my card!¡±


    "Yeah, I think we''ve disrupted the local economy enough. We can hit Best Buy for electronics later. Or send Marcus with a wad of cash and a dream." Penny said, walking back towards the car. The sound of motorcycles growling filled the air, then yelling. "I wonder what that''s about." Penny muttered, looking around.


    A man with dozens of visible prison tattoo''s came roaring up on a sketchy looking bike, yelling something with a ball of flame in his hand. Penny dove to the side instinctively, while Solaris, who had turned late, wondering what all the noise was about, took the fireball directly, instinct causing her to lift the bag between her and the flame.


    The bags melted and the sheets and linens caught fire. Solaris dropped them on the ground, not afraid of the flames but not wanting to catch her clothing on fire. "Alright. I am now a bit perturbed." She looked the flame wielder over, his face and arms were covered in crude language, swastikas and other unpleasantness.


    She took the heavy-duty silk pillow from Penny. ¡°Penny, go and make sure everyone stays in the store. And see if you can get my bag''s contents replaced.¡± She turned back to the bikers "Now, who are you? I''ll need your name for the paperwork I am sure I''m going to have to fill out."


    "I''m the Anarchist Knight! I am here to tear down the system, which you helped create!"


    "Lord, give me patience.¡± Solaris said, rolling her eyes. ¡°You are a long list of bad decisions and a disappointment to your parents. Now you are going to take those bikes, which are too good for you, and leave. Or you are going to try to learn to fly, your choice.


    "Stupid bitch." He snarled, charging her as his hand burst into flame as he threw a Saturday morning cartoon grade haymaker at the tiny woman, relying on bulk and strength over anything one could call skill.


    ¡°Add a potty mouth to your list of sins. Solaris said dodging with almost no effort, catching his fist with her own as if he was a small child to judge his strength ¡°Flying lessons it is.¡± She swung the silk pillow in a sorority house pillow fight uppercut.


    Anarchist Knight sneered at her ''catch'' and ignored the swinging pillow, until it hit with the force of a sledgehammer and sent him flying thirty feet into the air, crashing down on top of an abandoned cart, crushing it.


    Two of the other bikers charged Solaris, a third watching and shaking his head in apparent dismay. One tried to tackle her, diving for her waist while the other tried to clothesline her to bring her down.


    Solaris sighed ¡°Let me guess, Sir Bad Decisions over there held the sum of your brain cells. Well, nice to see Nazis haven¡¯t changed. She let them make their hits, she figured she could let them hurt themselves on her.


    The tackle slammed into her, the man knocking himself out hitting what amounted to a brick wall. The clothesline guy was luckier in that he remained awake, but less so in that he hit second, and managed to dislocate his shoulder, the loud and wet pop filling the air, followed by him screaming. The petite woman hadn¡¯t budged.


    She turned her head, to see the remaining biker was just shaking his head and had already dialed a phone. ¡°I¡¯m not part of his gang. I¡¯m his lawyer. He invited me to ride and talk about his current probation. That conversation just got a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°Thank you?¡± She half said and half asked as she knelt down to look at the men, it didn¡¯t look like the man concussed himself. Then she frowned at the man in the cart. My aim is off, need to spend more time on the golf course,¡±

 Chapter 15 Signing Bonus

    Signing Bonus


    ¡°Splicers is the nickname given to biological and genetic ¡®Techno-wonder¡¯ type enhanced. The methods of achieving this are numerous, but are always based on some formal type of research and development. Even those that claim to use magic or alchemy for repeatable results are using measurable and quantifiable, if not actually understandable, methodologies that boil down to technology.¡±


    ¡°The first documented splicer was, unfortunately, Josef Mengele. During World War II his experimentation on victims of the holocaust ranged from the merely horrific to the existentially terrifying. He was, undoubtedly, worse than any of the monsters he created during his lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Now there are more than a few Splicers in the world. The responsible members of that community work in medicine or traditional research, which has led to medical discoveries that have saved thousands. Some white hats see the genome as just another computer to hack, but do so to help others become heroes. Others create genetically modified creatures who are harmless, essentially custom pets.¡±


    ¡°Others do the same for the other side, the cartels and criminal organizations. Even independent criminals are willing to pay. Perhaps the darkest are those who create monsters to do battle in modern gladiatorial games. The least horrible of these use animals to make their creatures, and the least ethical of them¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason we do a genetic workup on any mutated monster that is destroyed. There¡¯s a lot of missing persons cases out there.¡±


    Recorded presentation to UNLOC Special Response Team trainees.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell you this, but your sleeve is still smoldering.¡±


    Fortunately, speaking to the police hadn¡¯t taken long, as there had been witnesses and security cameras in the area. This, and Anarchist Knight was something of a known issue. Soon, Elizabeth and Penny were walking back towards the truck.


    ¡°Bloody hell¡±. She said irritability, patting out the smoldering cloth. ¡°Well at least it¡¯s just a t-shirt. And now I am craving barbecue.¡±


    "We can pick some up on the way home." Penny assured the English woman as they got in the truck, and pulled out. "They¡¯ll deliver the replacement linens by the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is very good of them,¡± Solaris leaned back in her seat. "I wonder how long it will take the trash villains to figure out that attacking me like that is utterly pointless. Seriously Tankman could have taken that fool without the suit!"


    "Not all of them are that stupid, or weak. And trash tier villains are supervillians for a reason. No marketable skills and not creative enough for the Super Fighting circuit."


    "I don¡¯t want to know." They drove a bit down to the car dealership. Solaris smiling as she got out of the car looking for the Ruan''s, finding them chatting with a salesman, a shiny new and sporty sedan and a somehow older but well maintained looking used car.


    ¡°We found some good choices. The Toyota crown will do me very well for running about.¡± Mrs. Raun said. ¡°With your approval that is. I also thought this older Grand Marquis would be good for when we have guests who need to borrow a vehicle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very low mileage, frankly we¡¯d normally have shipped it to a discount lot but it was in too good a shape.¡± The salesperson said, offering his hand. ¡°Kent Keller.¡± Noticing Penny was distracted, talking to Marcus, he under his breath said ¡°We¡¯re throwing it in since the other vehicle is going to be taken for new paint, once you sign off on it. A very nicely loaded Chevy full size. She said it¡¯d be a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I assume we have some paperwork to fill out then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though¡­ may I ask why your shirt looks like it¡¯s been set on fire?¡±


    Elizabeth sighed.


    ¡°She got into a fight with some fire throwing moron. It¡¯s all over the media.¡± Mrs. Ruan answered for her, holding up her cell phone.


    ¡°Right. Well, sorry to hear that. Come with me and we¡¯ll get that paperwork signed.¡± Car salesmen let little stand in the way of a sale, even literally smoldering young women.


    "I am still not used to how quickly news spreads now.¡± Elizabeth said with a look of mild irritation on her face. "Also the resolution of your cameras hides nothing. My hair is a mess." she said with a blush.


    "Welcome to the era of 4k." Penny said as she caught up with Marcus. ¡°So guess we¡¯re going to caravan home.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I hope we beat the workmen there with the furniture.¡±


    "They said it''d be a couple of hours, but they''ll have a group of workmen to move and assemble a couple of the bedroom sets and the couch. The rest will have to come tomorrow or the next day due to the amount of overtime involved." Penny said.


    ¡°At this rate we¡¯re going to have too much for the garage. We might want to add a car port or two to keep things out of the rain when not being driven.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, you didn¡¯t need to get me a truck, I could have gotten it myself.¡± Penny said a couple of days later, looking at the Ram 1500 that had just been delivered, white with an orange ¡®racing stripe¡¯ like a coast guard cutter. She wanted to be more irritated. but¡­it was perfect and she couldn¡¯t wait to drive the beast.


    ¡°A signing bonus for you, my dear.¡± Elizabeth said with a smile. ¡°You were going to start building a suit, weren¡¯t you? This should help move equipment about when you get it.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ I might have done more than think about it. Or buy little bits here and there.¡± Penny admitted.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I might have a kind of off the books workshop. Well, it¡¯s a trailer I bought at a seizure auction that I turned into a workshop. And it might have the start of a suit in it.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Well we should go fetch it and bring it home!¡±


    "Um, no. It¡¯s not an attractive trailer. I wasn¡¯t worried about it being pretty." She admitted with a slight blush.


    "Nothing wrong with that, farm trucks aren''t pretty but they do their job well. We will make it work. It''s not like I care about what the neighbors say. Worst case we replace it with a workshop in the garage."


    Penny sighed. "Wanna take a road trip?"


    "I don''t see why not, Ms Ruan is more than capable of handling any deliveries..¡± She pulled out her phone and began awkwardly tapping on it to open the message feature. "Dear Ms. Ruan. I am running an errand with Penny. If you have any questions about anything please feel free to call. Sincerely Elizabeth Summers."


    ¡°God I love your texts.¡±


    ¡°The trailer is in a storage lot on Staten Island. I took it out from time to time when I had time off.¡± Penny explained as they pulled onto the highway, her new truck growling like a predator.


    "Makes sense to me. How far have you gotten?"


    "Well, I managed to get a pair of base frames cheap from a failed start up. The design was called Gumshoe, meant for police and heavy security. The company went out of business because the frame and control systems were first rate, but they cheaped out on armor and combat systems. I''ve basically stripped the suits down and have maybe another two suits in spare parts from the fire sale they had when their start-up folded."


    "I''ve removed the original armor linkage points, and installed my own, and have 3d printed test plates in place of actual armor to see how everything fits. I redid the software package completely and improved the HUD. Targeting I can''t test till I have weapons systems. I have a coil gun mostly assembled, but haven''t had a chance to test it. In simulations it works okay."


    ¡°Well sounds like you¡¯re moving well along, are there places to test weapon systems. and is your trailer enough workshop space for you?¡±


    "Testing is the tricky part. I technically have all the licensing, pretty much anyone who gets into building battle suits gets it just to avoid suspicion since everyone assumes we''re building a suit anyway." She admitted. "I keep toying with taking a trip out west, like to Nevada and just unleashing in the middle of the desert somewhere. I haven''t gotten past the basic idea there, though, since I haven¡¯t got anything to unleash."


    "As for workshop, It¡¯s a weird set up, you''ll see, but I got it cheap. It¡¯s pretty spacious for what it is. It got seized in the process of shutting a supervillain supplier specializing in custom animals."


    ¡°A splicer?¡± The blond shuddered. ¡°Splicers are some of the vilest of villains. Mengela was a manufacturer of nightmares.¡±


    "To be fair, splicers fall on both sides of the spectrum now. The better-behaved ones just don''t admit Mengela was the first on record." She chuckled. "I know one, she''s a licensed splicer who can make custom pets. It''s very regulated, and requires certain certifications, but when someone wants a miniature great white shark for their fish tank she can make a lot of money making them one."


    ¡°I¡¯ve only met one splicer I considered mostly sane. And she used it for limb replacements and such for wounded soldiers. Lady Frankenstein was a sweetheart but she was still a bit odd.¡±


    "Yeah, there''s more than a few in medicine now. Very minor splicing can help with several diseases. Of course, then there''s the idiot who gets spliced with a honey badger and starts attacking everyone who looks at them funny. Or, you know, looks at them."


    Solaris nodded, ¡°Most powers can be used for good or evil. Splicing is just one of the easier ones to abuse.¡±


    "True. There''s a few too many guys out there selling superpowers and leaving someone a very ugly corpse by the end of the mutations. The process must be so custom to the target and so carefully developed. And most power vendors victimize young, weak and desperate supers to fuel their therapies.¡± Her voice was sad, she¡¯d fought against power vendors, there always were tragic consequences around them.


    "Cyberneticists are a bit more reliable on that front." Penny moved to avoid the major traffic zones as best she could, guiding the SUV towards Staten Island. "Battle Suits are the cheap and cheerful option in a lot of ways, but the difference between a suit driver like me and an armored wonder like a Tank Man, or Armorstar is hard to really apply."


    ¡°I think it comes down to how replicable the tech is. Tank man could make a suit out of a fridge and a broken motorcycle engine and use it.


    "Yeah... I am rated D class as a Super tech "Catalyst type." I came in just under the limit to prevent military service.¡±


    ¡°What is a catalyst type?¡±


    "Oh, sorry. I forgot; we started really classifying after your time. You fall into what we call an "Original" type. Flight, strong, tough. In your case you''re a "Powerhouse", noted for extreme physical abilities but limited energy projection. Kriegsmarine is an "Original" type, but he''s a "Dreadnaught", more oriented towards energy projection." She explained.


    "In the case of Tech types, there''s the Kit bashers, which Tankman is the best example. Then there''s the Breakthroughs, like Nikola Tesla. Last you have the Catalysts, think Edison or Benjamin Franklin. We''re the ones who can take nearly, or totally, incomprehensible science and make it make sense and re-creatable. Wildly valuable to business and a reason to hide things for the other two types. I cause paranoia."


    ¡°Ahh. Poor Tesla he was never really appreciated. But that is a fascinating distinction. It¡¯s a real trick to make things accessible to everyone, sounds like I would have tried to recruit you to my Tank Girls. I know how hard it is to make technology explainable.¡±


    "Oh, St. Nicks is one of the best-known places for all three getting along. That, and Space X at this point. But it means I watch things on Youtube and go ¡°I can make that better¡± or "I can do that." Except the damn Elephant Toothpaste thing Mark Rober did. I have no idea how he made it go so high. I just don¡¯t want to do that math."


    ¡°What is elephant''s toothpaste?¡±


    "It''s just an experiment. Mix a little yeast, water, hydrogen peroxide and a little soap and you get a LOT of foam very fast. It''s a great lesson for reactivity in chemistry, but the substance it produces is basically just soap and water so can go right down the drain. Rober made it go something like thirty stories high, I think? It was ridiculous whatever the height was.¡±


    ¡°Encouraging children in science is quite noble. I love how the internet evens the field in education and liberation. Even though we got the right to vote just before I was born, when I was trapped I still had to have my father¡¯s permission to sign contracts, or even start a bank account.¡±


    "Women couldn''t have credit cards till the damn seventies if memory serves." The younger woman nodded. "And there''s still places with glass ceilings for women. But that''s true for everything and everybody somewhere, I guess. At least the playing field is more even. Especially for people with battle suits or the ability to lift ships."


    Solaris laughed. ¡°Most men didn¡¯t know what to do with me. I was a woman who was stronger than any man, and weirder still I was a military woman that was in command of a bunch of men. Men that they couldn¡¯t mock for being under a woman¡¯s command.¡±


    "Okay, I could see how that could be a problem, especially back then. Not as much of an issue now, women serve across the spectrum and have for a while, not just as nurses like back in the day."


    "It is a beautiful thing." Solaris said "Seeing women live so freely. So tell me Penny how is your suit coming together, what kind of build are you going for.¡±


    "Honestly, it was a hobby so I wasn¡¯t really focused until now.¡± She admitted. ¡°but considering it is likely I¡¯d be in support of you or Marcus, I was thinking of ranged fire support and battlefield monitoring.¡± She glanced at Solaris. ¡°I mean, I know you¡¯re not jumping right into fighting criminals or other adventures, but you¡¯re the type to get involved, even when you aren¡¯t looking to get involved.¡±


    "It is the nature of what and who I am, and means that I will always have to be ready to go into the field.¡± Solaris smiled. "I wonder if Phantastique is still around. She did my post war costume. I will need a new one."


    "Oh she''s a legend, and retired from what I heard. I think something about living full time on a worldwide cruise." Penny said. "But her apprentices are in a few places around the world, including here in New York. I can see if I can find out how to contact them. Tailors are secretive folk. Unless that''s who the lady at Bergdorf Goodmen gave you the address for."


    "Hmm...we will have to check that out. Marcus will also need something. He is a charming boy and he should not look like a goon."

 Chapter 16 Personal Project

    Personal Project


    ¡°The Armored Wonder is possibly the most confusing of the hero community. People don¡¯t fully understand why there are only a few suits that really compete with high grade enhanced. They think that if you build one, building lots should be easy. It¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°For one, many super-tech suits cannot be effectively piloted by someone other than their builder, or the person the builder made it for. The suits are so custom they can¡¯t be mass produced, or require a level of technopathic ability on top of creative genius. The Original armored hero, the first Tankman, was a prime example of this as only a very small handful of people ever managed to pilot that suit, at least two of them having their own.¡±


    ¡°Even the manufactured mecha-suits used by police and specialized military units require intensive training, with the drop-out rate for the training programs being almost prohibitively high, even for equipment that is not on par with a true, so called ¡®Armored Wonder¡¯. A bit like the Wish version of a power suit.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that most tech-oriented heroes are also really, really worried about people stealing their patents.¡±


    Penny pulled into the storage facility, tapping in a code and swiping a card at the gate, guiding the new truck they¡¯d picked up that morning into the back where RVs, cars, and trailers were parked. ¡°This is mine.¡± She said to Solaris as they pulled up to the trailer furthest back.


    The fifth wheel trailer was obviously fairly new, but in spite of that the paint was about half peeling off making it look far more decrepit than others around it. A mismatched door, painted a different color than the rest of the trailer, also suggested it had lived a short but rough life. It had several doors along the back half, suggesting that it was used to transport horses.


    She parked next to it. "Come on in. I put a solar power system on the roof so it''s pretty off grid." The interior was a surprisingly cozy, if tiny cabin with a small kitchenette, couch, and television. A bed was in the loft above the towing arm, and a door led into the back. "The rear half is basically the bathroom, a tack room, and what was meant to be a horse trailer, though it wasn''t horses they were moving. The paint outside is wrecked because of whatever the things spit during the raid in which the trailer was seized." she admitted. "Bought it at a police auction."


    ¡°This is more spacious than it looks.¡± Solaris said, ¡°and it has good bones, I bet you did get a good deal for it.¡± She tapped a finger on her chin, considering how to get it to the painter who had done the truck, so they would to match.


    Penny led Elizabeth through the bathroom to the back revealing she''d pulled the walls between the ''stalls'' out, with the tack room becoming a tool locker. In the middle of the large ''room'' she¡¯d created was a suit on a table, just enough room to move around it, a couple of work benches on either end. The suit was skeletal, with what looked like a long cannon with electronic parts on a shelf below the tabletop. "I need to start getting the armor together, but I''ve got an idea of how to work that. Just didn¡¯t have time or money."


    "The stall doors will let you get it out without disassembling the whole trailer. Very nice, a good choice." The Englishwoman said, tapping her finger on one of the plates, each tap a little firmer. "This is a very good metal, very strong, it looks like you have a good start on it, though it looks like there is a lot yet to do.¡±


    "Well, the frame and its actuators, hydraulic and electric, are in place. I have the batteries to assemble into a pack stored in the other part of the trailer, so the big thing is sensors, weapons, and armor systems, some of which can be off the shelf. Ballistic cloth sandwiched between carbon fiber with heavier metal inserts for larger segments is my thought."


    "Do you know good vendors for those things? I don¡¯t mind helping with getting you put together. The chances of us having to fight side by side are higher than I''d like. Especially with you not equipped properly.¡±


    "For some things, yeah. The thing here is the coil gun I built. It''ll hopefully be the heavy gun. I can buy 40 mm launchers. Actually, I own a couple already, but I''d want to get specific models to gut." she explained. "I already retrofitted a 12 gauge to install, to use variable rounds as well." gesturing at a locked safe against the back wall next to the tool room door. "The really high-tech stuff I don''t have access to, and not sure how to make the contacts, but the coil gun should be powerful enough to make even fairly tough opponents take notice. Then there''s the fifty cal rifle the original suit was designed to use, and it''ll still be able to handle. Even fairly sturdy heroes don''t like dealing with the BMG."


    ¡°Perhaps before that we will run up to Kennecott, there may be some fun toys we can pick up there for you, assuming I can convince St. Nicks to allow it. And I should check in with them anyway. Or the Christmas Park Facility in Utah we did more vehicle development there though."


    "Christmas Park does Research and Development on frames, though I don''t know that they do a lot of weapons testing." Penny said. "I''m familiar with the program, in passing at least."


    ¡°Might be fun to swing by either way. Lord, so many places to see and catch up! It may take a couple of years just to do that much!¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "You were a busy girl in the past, and no reason to hurry." Penny said, leaning against a wall. ¡± I admit, I''ve been meaning to say this. Don''t feel like you must get into the flow of things fast. You''re already doing a lot, and that can stress you out more than you''d think, and with people like you, virtually indestructible by normal standards, that is about the only way to hurt yourselves. It''s one of the reasons I supported the house buy so much, to get you some roots to build around, like Marcus said."


    Solaris closed her eyes and leaned against the opposite wall; it took all her British reserve to not let the tears fall "You are not wrong. Keeping busy prevents me from thinking about things. I lost Wendy to cancer, not long before I was frozen. And now, almost everyone I knew is gone. Most of my friends, my parents, and my home. Hell, the world I knew is gone. I don''t even know how to morn that. Inflation is a nightmare, but so much about this new world is better. Louder, and less intimate but better.¡±


    "Unfortunately, I can''t help with most of that." Penny admitted. "I can help you with what you want, or need, to do. Want to prepare for having a full-on super team? I can suggest other equipment and facilities you might need. Just want to be a world wandering adventure type? Again, I can make suggestions. But you don''t have to pick now, unless you just like collecting toys which granted is fine too. I can likely get you a deal on an MRAP."


    "I am British, collecting is a national hobby." Solaris said pushing her emotions down putting the pain in a neat little box and storing it for later. For now, I will just work on putting one foot in front of the other and see where that takes me. Adventure is bound to happen.


    "Fair. Now how hard was it to not ask what''s an MRAP is and where can we get one?"


    ¡°That was going to be my next question, Is it a tank? I rather like tanks.¡±


    "Oh lord, I could totally entertain you with GOVplanet for days." She chuckled. "And it stands for Mine Resistant Armored Transport¡±. A truck designed to survive mines and IEDs. Afghanistan was more a game of infantry wandering around waiting for someone to pick a fight, then destroying them, than a conventional war by normal definition."


    ¡°There was another war in the middle east?¡± Solaris said unsurprised. ¡°How involved in that mess was Toth? That was rather his stomping ground.¡±


    Penny laughed. "Another war? The Middle East has been unstable for as long as I can remember, and well before that. We, the US, just got out of Afghanistan, and the bastards fell apart again in less than six months."


    ¡°Sounds about right.¡± Solaris said, India was a special kind of mess after they got their independence for a time, though that was not entirely their own fault with some things my own government did. A complete disaster all in all.¡±


    ¡°So, on a happier note, shall we get this trailer hooked up and home? It can be put next to the boat house, leaving it available for you to work on.


    "Yeah, let''s just get it done.¡±


    A couple of days after the move to the big house, Marcus parked the old Grand Marquis on the street, checking his phone and messaging.


    Nahoa Kim texted back. A few minutes later a Tall broad man with burnished skin and black hair walked out. He''d chosen to wear his good black slacks and a dark blue shirt, the short sleeves showed off his thick arms covered in tribal tattoos. "Man, that is a nice car. And what''s with the suit?¡± His bud had been rather cagy on the phone, "Please tell me you aren''t falling to the dark side dude."


    "Only if the dark side means rich white women money." He laughed. "No, got hired by a white cape as a driver, Penny introduced me." He said, keeping details to a minimum. "The car is kind of a bonus, for running errands. I can borrow it sometimes, too. Figured I''d pick you up, get some dinner, and see if you wanted to make a couple of bucks for a few days¡¯ work. Maybe longer, if Grandma is right."


    "Cash is tight, always is, I''m happy to help her out, especially if Granny is making mung bean cake, or pho.¡± He grinned, it was stereotypical, but he loved food and had the metabolism to indulge.


    "Oh, she''s doing that and more. She got a job like mine, but the lady is getting lots of deliveries right now and Granny, you know she don''t trust workmen not to get sticky fingers, right?"


    He guided the car through the streets, heading for the midrange restaurant the two liked. Fortunately, the parking situation there wasn''t horrible, so he could park relatively near it, just a couple of blocks.


    Nahoa laughed. ¡°Your gran doesn''t trust anyone! It took what, a year for me to figure out she likes me?¡±


    "Yeah, well, it''s the glare. your mom probably does it too, ya know." He pulled into the parking garage, and set the alarm as they climbed out, walking out to the neighborhood street. "By the way, how''s pre-law. As heavy weight as you thought?"


    ¡°Yeah, they are already pouring the homework on, and two of my three roomies are asshole dudebros. The third is just a man-whore with a goal of collecting as many ladies¡¯ panties as he can. It is almost impossible to study there at all.¡±


    "Man, that bites... I have people pushing me to do trade school. mechanic or something. I''m thinking about it, since this driving thing is kind of cool so maybe." He shrugged. "Maybe Ms. Summers will need someone else, she seems to do a lot of stuff."


    The big Samoan man arched an eyebrow. "You are too smart to stay dumb. Trade school or college, you gotta do something to secure your future. Preferably something with good insurance with your hobbies."


    "I think I have that covered right now... and don''t start reading me the riot act. I''ve had enough crap over that for the last couple of days."


    The big man shrugged. ordering his meal and leaning back in the stall. "So, what does Granny need me to do, move furniture?"


    "A bit, but also keep eye on workmen along with me and her, assuming I''m not running some other errand. You''re big, so it¡¯s not likely someone''s going to risk you also being short tempered, even if we both know you''re not."


    ¡°No problem, though I doubt she needs a heavy. Your gran can be a scary lady. We going to head over after dinner?"


    "That was my thought, I can show you around the place. I came down to get you cause I figure. I''m likely to end up in the Long Island subs, so might not get a chance at some of my favorite joints as often as I''d like, ya know?" Marcus frowned. Something was bothering him, but he couldn''t put a finger on it. "So, other than crap roommates, is your class schedule okay? You able to rely on the subway or you still thinking about getting some sort of bike?"


    ¡°Yeah, keeping things with what my grants will cover, so got Three classes right now, plus one E-class, though they all believe in the power of homework. Did luck out and score nothing too early in the day.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s pretty much being a¡­¡± His blue aura surrounded him, senses he didn¡¯t understand reacting before he was aware of the threat. He was impacted from behind, slamming into a wall.

 Chapter 17 Wild Horses

    Wild Horses


    ¡°The path of a hero is hard. You never get to take time off, not really. One day, you take on a villain and drive him off, tail between his leg. Then the next, you¡¯re trying to do your Christmas shopping, and he hits you from behind with a rocket launcher.¡±


    ¡°I still get nervous looks when I visit that shopping center.:¡±


    Pinnacle, leader of the Guardians in reference to Marauder¡¯s assassination attempt on him


    "I think that''s pretty much being a..." His powers flared to life as senses he still didn¡¯t understand detected a threat before he was consciously aware, impacted from behind and flying across the street and into the wall, bouncing off but leaving a cracked shape in the concrete.


    ¡°Th-fuck!¡± Nahoa said running to his friend before spinning to look around curling his big hands into fists and preparing to use his abilities. ¡°Marcus, you okay man?¡±


    "What the hell hit me?" Marcus asked, shaking the shock out of his head. He wasn''t hurt, but he was glowing and looking around.


    ¡°That big, ugly looking mother right there, I think.¡± Nahoa said, pointing.


    Marcus recognized the guy. He¡¯d tried to confront him earlier. The cracked horse skull helmet was a clue "Oh shit. It''s the fucking Stallion. I might have pissed him off a few days ago. How''d he know it was me, though?"


    ¡°Your costume sucks.¡± The Cuban villain growled. ¡°And a punk thinking he¡¯s a hero goes in with Solaris, and your stupid ass comes out. That math wasn¡¯t hard.¡±


    Nahoa reached into his pocket turning on his phone¡¯s recorder. ¡°Listen Stallion, or whoever you are, we don¡¯t want trouble. Why don¡¯t you just leave and go get a sandwich or something. We are nothing to someone like you.¡±


    "You¡¯re right, you¡¯re not." He growled at the big man "Fuck off and you can live. You''re not what I''m here for. I''m going to stomp that punk into the ground for fucking with me."


    "God you''re an asshole." Marcus grumbled. "Run, Thud, call the cops. I''ll kick this idiot¡¯s ass."


    "Yeah, cause you did so well before." The speedy tank surged forward, driving a one two punch into Marcus, bouncing him into the wall again, Marcus too slow to block the punches, pain penetrating his shield, though he didn¡¯t take as much damage as the wall.


    ¡°Dude, not cool. Marc, Surfs Up.¡± The big man let out a deep guttural shout and stomped, the ground around him rippling out like water rushing towards the angry Cuban.


    The Stallion tried to avoid the wave, but it was too wide even for his speed, the stone reaching up to smack into him like a hammer, tossing him into the air like a North Shore wave would a surfer. He slammed into the same wall Marcus had, above the younger man¡¯s head.


    Marcus, not wanting to give The Stallion a chance to get even, threw an uppercut as the larger man fell from the wall . The lack of technique less important than the force of his force-field sheathed fist as it drove into the Latino gangsters ribs, the air filling with the cracking of bone.


    Marcus staggered back as the body slammed to the ground, catching his breath as the criminal pushed himself up, clutching his ribs. "You fucks." He snarled, his free hand ripping a golden Desert Eagle from behind him, aiming at the big Samoan. "Die you fat fuck!"


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I¡¯m not fat I¡¯m fluffy!¡± Thud turned, trying to minimize his profile, as well as get closer to the guy with the shields.


    The muscular man fired twice, but Marcus managed to get into the way, grunting with the impact of two .50 action express rounds slamming into his shield, watching them pancake only millimeters away from his eyes. He fell against his friend, ice running through his veins at the sight.


    Panicked, feeling Marcus stagger, Thud reached out and instinctively grabbed the closest thing he could reach. Ripping the no parking sign from the concrete, he swung it fast and hard, slamming the blow into Semental, the Cuban flew down the alley, allowing Nahoa to heft his smaller partner and take off in the other direction Running as quick as he could.


    ¡°Jesus Christ, this is not how I wanna figure out how bullet proof I am. Is he following us?¡± Thud growled


    Marcus looked up, from where he was bouncing on his big friend¡¯s shoulder, then started laughing. "I think you blew him through two dumpsters, buddy. Based on the shaking, he''s still trying to get out."


    Thud slid into a side alley, setting Marcus down. ¡°Okay, so you wanna call Penny? I turned on my recorder, so we have him threatening us and the gunshots. Fortunately, we are a one-party consent state.¡±


    "Um, I don''t think that matters when they''re trying to kill you, man." Marcus pulled out his phone and dialing. "Come on, we should keep moving. We get back to the car and we can get the hell out of here. Hey, Penny, I need a hand."


    ¡°Dude, I am studying to be a lawyer. I have to remember this shit. Oh fuck.¡± He picked the smaller man back up and began running as the Cuban Death Horse came around the corner. Does that asshole know what car you¡¯re driving?


    "I don''t know! Yeah, Penny, that guy found me. You know, horse head guy. Stallion. He''s chasing me and a friend. Duck!"


    Thud activated his gift again as he dropped into a slide surfing on the earth waves. Using them to give him a boost of speed. As two more rounds flew over his head.


    Despite the pavement surfing, the Cuban was catching up. Desperately Marcus stretched and snatched up a trashcan lid as they ran past, his blue aura spreading over it, allowing him to use it as a shield. Bullets impacted and fell away again and again, before the gun ran dry. Then the gaudy side arm flew by their heads. "Did that fucker throw his gun at us? The fuck good does that do?"


    "Try and remember where it is for the cops, if we live you can tell them where it is.¡± Thud knew he couldn¡¯t outrun the other man. He was big and strong, but he was no speedster. "Marcus. Do you think you can Blue my arms? We can¡¯t keep running.¡±


    "Do what, I¡¯ve never¡­¡± He shook his head, clearing it. ¡°Okay... hold on....." Closing his eyes, concentrating, he willed his azure aura to spread, the energy abandoning his adopted shield and flowing over not just the big guys arms, but his torso and head too. "I can''t hold long! Do what you''re going to do!"


    ¡°Oh. this is going to suuuuck!¡± The guy nicknamed Thud spun around, changing the direction of his surfing, spinning to face the villain. "Earth mother lend me your strength!¡±


    He pulled the rippling heartbeat of earth to his hands his arms, his momentum combining with Stallions as he slammed his powerful fist into the villains unarmored gut, the combined force of the boys powers lifting the Stallion into the air. Even with the shielding, pain sang up Thuds arm from the impact as he followed up the punch with a spinning kick, blasting the now airborne villain into an ally wall.


    "Oh hell... that..." Marcus scrambled off the big guy¡¯s shoulder and vomited, his shield flickering off. The gangster did nothing more than groan, slumping unconsciously. "That felt really, really weird."


    Fuck, that guys freaking granite. Thud rubbed his knuckles. "Penny still on the phone? Can you have her call the cops before this asshole wakes up? I''m going to try and find his gun before some kid picks it up cause it''s gold."


    "She hung up to call someone. It hit that dumpster back there." The smaller boy said, gasping for breath and to avoid another session of retching.


    Put your head between your knees and sit down, lemme know if he moves.¡± Thud walked back to the dumpster and found the scuffed golden gun. He sighed, realizing he didn''t have anything to pick it up with. ¡°Ah well, the pants are ruined anyway.¡± He ripped the lower half off his left pant leg off and used it to pick the gun up. A deep purple mark on his leg from where he kicked the villain. He limped back and leaned against the wall, ¡°Adrenalin is a hell of a drug.¡± Thuds heart was pounding. "How you doing man. Are you hurt?"


    "No, not hurt... just... haven''t spread the shield thing over another person before, and then you hit him and it all went plaid."


    "Plaid?" The question went unanswered as two different streaks of light came flying into the alley. One was a Latina woman with long hair and burning aura, while the other was Solaris in reasonable slacks carrying a white and orange truck with Penny sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.


    "Um. Hello Lieutenant Ward." The Samoan greeted, a bit shell shocked.


    ¡°Hi Nahoa. Having an interesting night?¡± Penny asked as Solaris set the truck down gently.

 Chapter 18, Talking Shop

    Talking Shop


    ¡°Modern policing is a mix of normal patrol and crime prevention, emergency response, and dealing with the walking nuclear wars people call supervillains. In the fifties and sixties they were stuck using drugs and extremely heavy restraints to lock down the strongest criminals in manners that would seem more in line with the Spanish inquisition than law enforcement.


    ¡°Now when a criminal is taken into custody, depending on their powers, there¡¯s entire suites of prefabricated cell set ups that can be employed. Only the most powerful or bizarre cases require bringing experts in to customize containment units.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more humane, more responsible, and has seriously cut down on the number of super-villains who add random acid flashbacks to their more mundane form of psychosis.¡±


    Police Commissioner Karl Larson, 2019 Midwest Security and Police Expo.


    ¡°It was lovely to get to punch it, even if it appears things have been handled.¡± Solaris commented, running fingers through her windblown hair. She looked over at the tall Latina heroine, in her red and gold swimming costume called a uniform. ¡°Ah Luna Fuego right? Pleasure to meet you.¡± She looked over at the villain who was moaning as he began to fight towards coming to.


    ¡°Yes, and you¡¯re Solaris, right? I mean the real one! It¡¯s good to meet you.¡± The other woman said. ¡°Though a dark ally over a groaning idiot isn¡¯t how I¡¯d prefer to do it.¡±


    ¡°Comes with this type of work.¡± Solaris said, pulling the helmet off the Stallions head. ¡°Lad, have you already developed your first nemesis?¡±


    "Apparently? Yay me?" Marcus replied with a weak shrug. Nahoa patted his back.


    Penny hopped out of the truck. "Luna Fuego, do you mind doing the heavy lifting here? Solaris isn''t quite back on active status and this idiot is likely to pick a fight." As she spoke, she pulled out her Unlock credentials and her Smith and Wesson 500 magnum revolver. ¡°And it could be awkward if Solaris knocks him into orbit.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, far more official and appropriate if I set him on fire.¡± She joked. "No I don¡¯t mind, I know the NYPD will be very pleased to finally have a reason to properly arrest pony boy here.¡± From the decorative seeming belt around her waist she pulled a pair of handcuffs with glowing bracelets, snapping them onto the crook.


    The Cuban man began struggling, but surprisingly clumsily and weakly. "Let me go, you bitch. ?Joder, siento que voy a vomitar!¡±


    "Um, here is his gun.¡± Nahoa said, handing the cloth wrapped bundle over to Penny. ¡°And I also have an audio file of everything that happened since he came at us."


    ¡°Can you please tell me about your handcuffs, and why do they glow?¡± Solaris asked absently.


    "Now those are a useful bit of tech." Luna said. ¡°They¡¯re called Neuro-cuffs. Since it¡¯s not possible to negate enhanced abilities without custom built devices or preparations; some tech geniuses created these, and managed to manufacture them. They use electro-magnetic fields and subharmonic sound in some obscure way to disrupt inner ear and voluntary neurological function. Basically instead of negating you, they make you so dizzy, nauseous and clumsy you can¡¯t really do much of anything. I once had a vil decide to try and fly off after I snapped them on, he did a loop-de-loop and crashed back into the street at three hundred miles per hour. Hurt himself more than I had managed to in a fifteen minute long fight.¡±


    ¡°Helpful, and clever.¡± Solaris observed Penny stepping away from the foul mouthed criminal to talk on the phone, apparently to the police dispatch.


    Luna laughed as Stallion stood, still cussing as he fell sideways. "Yes, it is. I must admit, it is wonderful to meet the Original Girl. When I first powered up I was mistaken for you because I had dyed my hair blonde.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Which was super embarrassing since I am a projector, not a powerhouse.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Projector, no, wait, you use fire so I¡¯m guessing that means you project energy.¡±


    Luna nodded "Did you know, statistically speaking, fewer super heroines actually dye their hair blonde than the average? I know of a couple of natural blondes who dyed their hair darker. Your return may allow new hairstyles for the world of super-ladies since we won¡¯t all be your second coming now."


    ¡°I do hope you''re joking. I hate to think that every heroine is mistaken for me just because they are blonde! I think I''m more distinctive than that!¡±


    "Not all, just the flying, glowing ones." Luna joked. "Get a golden aura and fly, and even guys have gotten ¡®it¡¯s Solaris¡¯ thrown at them before their gender was known."


    "To be fair, Elvis sightings are more common. I still don¡¯t know why since the dude would be dead again by now anyhow." Marcus pointed out.


    ¡°Elvis? Is he a hero.¡± Solaris asked


    ¡°No, just a King.¡± Luna Fuego chuckled.


    "Depends on a whole lot of opinions." Marcus countered.


    ¡°He was a singer and musician who got really popular a little after you disappeared.¡± Nahoa said, seeing her confusion. ¡°And it is nice to meet you both, Miss Solaris, Miss Luna.¡±


    ¡°Such a polite young man. And yes, he was a rock and roll star.¡± Luna Fuega said with a grin.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t really been exposed to that yet.¡± Penny said, coming back. ¡°Think Jazz but with vocals and you start to get an idea."


    Solaris shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll have to listen to it and see what I think. I do love the fidelity of the music now. It¡¯s so clean and clear. Do you need assistance getting him to a station?¡±


    "Station? What? Elvis has been dead for years." Marcus was confused, but then he was still catching his breath.


    Solaris chuckled, ¡°No I meant taking the ¡®Stallion'' to holding.¡±


    "The way he''s flopping, no." Luna shook her head, then nodded towards a police vehicle that was approaching, something between an armored bank truck and paddy wagon from the old days. "They can help me load him into the ECT. Then they¡¯ll take him to super-crook holding where the idiot would have to be a special kind of stupid to keep fighting. We have this down to an art, nowadays. I can''t imagine dealing with this sort of thing back in your day, before we had the tools and infrastructure."


    Solaris smiled ¡°Human sized foes like this weren¡¯t too bad. Between Toth and I we could manage most people. It was when you got to monsters like Chimera things got a bit dicey.¡±


    "Madre'' di dios, Chimeria is that old?" Fuego Luna said, unconsciously crossing herself. The pissed off looking Stallion shockingly doing the same. Penny even flinched slightly at the name.


    "Yeah, he''s one of the Originals, but that''s not common knowledge. But then the Chimera back then isn''t what it... he is now." Penny said.


    Solaris sighed ¡°Is he still a drug addicted, power mad, idiot with a penchant for turning into large monsters? I once had to fight him, at a Yankees game, and he¡¯d grown to eight, nine feet tall.¡±


    Penny shook her head. "Worse. He''s called the Living Catastrophe. Given a choice between a force three hurricane and him showing up, most cities would choose the hurricane."


    "There''d be less death and property damage. I believe Haiti is still recovering from him appearing there three years ago."


    "And the mutates." The large boy added.


    ¡°That sounds bad. Does he still revert to mostly human when his liver processes out all the chemicals?¡±


    Penny made a ''kind of'' motion. "If enough damage is done to him, when he''s driven off, he seems to come back weaker, but his abilities are so changeable and destructive it¡¯s hard to tell. He doesn''t reset to anything approaching zero, I can tell you that."


    "He also is... infectious?¡± Luna said, hesitating over the word. ¡°You know the flawed formulas the rumors said the Reich played with back in your day? Or the cartels have in play sometimes. Think that, only crossed with rabies."


    ¡°Of course he is, he¡¯s eaten enough zombies.¡± She sighed. ¡°Can you get me a file on him? I¡¯m sure at some point he¡¯s going to want a rematch.¡±


    Penny nodded. ¡°I can do that, I¡¯ll see if I can talk to Helen about getting you info on some of the bigger hitters in the field right now.¡±


    Solaris nodded ¡°It''s getting to rush hour and I am not don¡¯t feel like sitting forever in traffic. I¡¯ve already seen that circle of hell in the city. Were you bringing your friend home?¡± She asked Marcus. "If so, hop in the bed and I''ll bring you back for the car tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°¡°In the bed?¡± Are we allowed to do that?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Well one of you can take my seat, but someone has to go in the bed, you''re not all going to fit in the cab of the truck¡± Solaris said rolling her eyes.


    ¡°You can take the seat, I''ll ride in the bed, I used to do it on the beach all the time.¡± Thud said.


    ¡°Okay sounds good. Let''s get out of here." The boys climbed into the car, with Penny getting in behind the wheel. "Not sure why I sat here, she''s carrying us."


    ¡°Wait, what!¡± Marcus said, turning to Penny.¡±


    "Fly safe. I''ll see to Our Little Pony here." Luna waved.


    Solaris smiled. ¡°You, too.¡± She picked the truck up shifting to balance it over her head and took off in a stream of light. She loved flying and the early fall was perfect weather for it.


    ¡°Okay this is awesome.¡± Thud said, leaning his back against the cab, looking down at the ground, then up at the clouds.


    "Yeah... cool... " Marcus swallowed. He wasn''t quite ready to admit he was a little intimidated by heights and was now doubly glad he hadn¡¯t gotten in the truck bed.

 Chapter 19, Ordering in.

    Ordering in.


    ¡°Why am I flying around carrying a car? Because I hate fucking rush hour traffic.¡±


    The Crimson Crusader, Chicago, 2002 to a CGIS Response team leader after panicking citizens called him carrying his corvette past the Sears Tower.


    The truck shook as Solaris set it down, ¡°I need to keep gloves in my bag, or figure out where my super gear is. I need my Thwump. Penny, my hands are a mess. Do you mind getting the door?¡±


    "I have some stuff in the garage that''ll help." Penny said, opening the garage door and moving the truck in, then fetching a bottle of Simple Orange from the shelves and offering it to her. "It feels weird, but it gets grease off quickly."


    ¡°Thank you¡± Solaris said as she squirted the soap into her hands.


    Marcus''s grandmother came looking for them. "Ah, such a handsome boy. Look at my grandson, he is almost as tidy as you, now. Though look at his tie. So crooked."


    Nohoa laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, and your cooking Granny Ruan. Mama said she was going to send you some Macadamias soon.¡±


    "Your mother is a good woman. And you listen to her, like a good boy.¡±


    "I''m standing right here, Grandma. You make it sound like I¡¯m a goon."


    "Would you prefer I speak behind your back? Silly boy, but I do love you. And stand up straight, don¡¯t slouch." The older Vietnamese woman winked at Nahoa, where her grandson couldn¡¯t see her. "And welcome back, Miss Summers, Penny. I didn''t expect you all back so soon, or at the same time."


    ¡°The boys ran into a spot of bother, so I ended up flying everyone back so we didn¡¯t get stuck in traffic. Marcus can tell you about it later. Are the furniture people done yet?¡±


    "Lazy bums. They''re still struggling to get everything in, especially with the additional orders for the offices. Then the manager had to admit to staffing issues, probably to avoid overtime. We¡¯re going to be getting deliveries for days yet. I said fine, but there better not be a scratch on either furniture or floor, and I would be checking!"


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°That is irritating. I would think as much as I spent a bit of overtime would be nothing. I will have to write their management a scathing letter.¡± She smiled. ¡°That will also allow me to vent a bit of stress. Penny dropped her suit components in the garage for temporary storage then took the trailer back to the shop to get it repainted to match her new truck


    ¡°We can park it down by the boathouse once the trailer is painted¡­ and after the boat house is built. I might want to put a fishing shed down there, since the dock looks lovely to fish off.¡± At their surprised look she chuckled. ¡°I may be from a landed family, but I grew up in what was a small fishing village. Even My father helped at certain times of the year when I was a child, and he wasn¡¯t at sea.¡±


    ¡°I love fishing myself, but haven¡¯t had a lot of chances since coming to New York.¡± Nahoa said. ¡°Did a lot of deep sea fishing back in Hawaii.¡±


    "Right, so, I''ll also get life preservers for when the boys buy a boat on Craigslist and sink. Boys will be boys." Penny laughed. "And they always have."


    . ¡°To be fair we girls get into our own fair share of scrapes, though most of my worst childhood misadventures could be blamed on my twin.Solaris agreed


    "That is usually the way of twins. One gets away with everything." The Granny Ruan joked. ¡°And speaking of, I have arranged for the boathouse apartment for the cook you want to hire to be done. I found quite a deal online, so I ordered a second smaller version of the little hut to put at the front gate." She reported. ¡°The contractor team delivering it will also run the plumbing and power.¡±


    ¡°That is a quick, unexpected, but pleasant surprise. When will the contractors be out to build them and how long will it take?¡±


    "Men will put down footings in the next couple of days, and the houses will be here in three days, along with the appliances and furniture I ordered for it." Granny said, ¡°The Fence and gate will be next week, but fortunately we''re near the end of the year for such projects, so they had space. The time is more for them to get the materials and equipment lined up."


    Solaris looked confused, ¡°Did Sears start selling houses again?¡±


    "Amazon, actually. Sears just sells tools and jeans."


    "The house unfolds, apparently. Came with all the kitchen stuff for just a bit more. Ordered the furniture too. Was very convenient. Nothing too nice, but nothing to make them feel uncomfortable either. I was going to put this husky boy in a gate guard job. If he does good tomorrow watching deliveries, hopefully the rest of the furniture will be delivered."


    ¡°That would be cool,¡± he said, perking up. Begging meals from granny would decrease his food budget. ¡°I can do that, and iI can keep the yahoos who come out of the woodwork from knocking.¡±


    ¡°I have school, but the subway runs out here, and I don¡¯t have anything to early in the morning or late in the afternoon, this semester.¡±


    ¡°Granny Ruan, did you cook or are we ordering in tonight?¡±


    "I was unsure when people would get back. I can order delivery if we are hungry. Yes, II know you are Thud. Or I can try to whip something up."


    ¡°We can order in, I know the kitchen is still being set up. I do love how easy it is to get things delivered now. How many Chinese restaurants deliver here? We should order a sampling from all of them so we know which we like the best.¡±


    "Oh, that is a good idea. I''ll go check, and order from the best rated five."


    ¡°Sounds Delicious.¡±

 Chapter 20, Going Once, Twice…

    Going Once, Twice¡­


    ¡°Villain teams are surprisingly rare. A lot of enhanced who choose to become villains are too egomaniacal to actually work together. The exception to this is, almost universally, heist gangs. They hit high profile and high threat targets for top end loot and try to do it fast enough that neither police nor heroes can respond.¡±


    ¡°The best of them have started getting hired to perform jobs, often for more powerful villains. I am afraid this is a trend we will have to expect to continue.¡±


    Thoth, in a presentation to the other Guardians, 1949.


    It was comforting every time Solaris found something familiar, and shopping on Fifth avenue was still shopping on Fifth avenue, Nahoa was getting fitted for work clothing. And she decided to walk around instead of waiting. Her blond hair pulled into a tail dressed in jeans and a comfortable Tankman t-shirt, and white jacket


    The Diamond District was, strangely, fairly unchanged compared to the rest of the city, and gems were on heavy display. She''d recovered her personal collection of jewelry, but window shopping was relaxing, and if she saw something she wanted, she could get it.


    She looked in Tiffany¡¯s window wondering if it was too early to shop for Christmas. ¡°No better wait. You don¡¯t want to look pushy. And most of the designs are a bit austere.¡±


    Crossing the street, she found a store she wasn''t familiar with, but advertising absolutely fantastic looking strands of pearls. "Mikimodo...." she mused. "Sounds Japanese. You really can¡¯t go wrong with pearls¡±. She went into the store, thinking about a nice pearl ring for Granny Ruan, her eyes a bit dreamy, she loved Christmas.


    Just as she crossed the threshold, a sound like an explosion ripped through the normal sounds of the city, from down the block. ¡°What in God¡¯s name!¡± Solaris said spinning around and running outside. Flying up a bit to give herself a better view.


    Outside a man wearing a suit was wielding what appeared to be a sword against another man, who was obviously enhanced, his body seemingly made of rusted iron, with a shredded black and red shirt and loose pants.


    Solaris looked around one eye on the fight looking for the explosion wanting to make sure bystanders were out of the way as much as possible.


    The cause of the explosion appeared quickly, popping out the shattered door of Bonhams Auction house, the woman wearing an almost violent blue bodysuit, bringing up her hands and letting loose a burst of electricity which hit the man with the sword, sending him spinning through the air, twitching and screaming. A third man, carrying a leather case, followed the woman. "Fuck, Cape! Ferrous, move your ass!" he yelled, running towards a car just across the street from the door.


    ¡°Seriously! My first day in the city in a week and this happens¡± she landed in front of the car. ¡°Hey Siri, message Penny. Villains on fifth ave. Very irritated. Send.¡± She put her hand on the hood and pressing down. I really need to find my super gear. She thought to herself. ¡°I do believe it is time for you to stop and surrender.¡±


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    The car leaned forward as she pressed down, though the hood strangely didn''t crumple like she''d expected. The man carrying the case cursed and a glowing aura formed around him. "Fulmina, get rid of her!" he ordered as he dove into the car.


    The woman turned, and again threw lighting from her hand, a coruscating ball of plasma slamming into Solaris''s chest, causing the powerful woman¡¯s body to jerk, pain ripping through her nerves, completely out of line with the actual damage the unyielding heroine could take.


    Solaris staggered back from the car, clutching her chest, gasping for breath. She hadn¡¯t felt pain like that in years. ¡°Well now I¡¯m upset.¡± She stepped forward and dug her hand into the hood of the car, ripping it off with her other hand grabbing and ripping the bumper off, stabbing it into the engine and the concrete beneath it. ¡°Alright lightbug, let¡¯s play.¡±


    A small man burst out of the driver¡¯s seat as she turned towards the woman, just in time for the nitrous-aero gas mix he had been using in the engine to explode into flames, the car and Solaris quickly becoming consumed in flames.


    "Well shit... Do you know how much our tech is going to bitch about his car?" Fulmina groaned.


    ¡°Less than me about my damn wardrobe!¡± Solaris patted herself out, walking towards the woman.


    "Fine, but before you pick on me, you might want to look behind you.¡±


    Solaris frowned, and instead of looking back she leapt forward towards Fulmina, intending to swipe at her with the hood of the burning car


    The wind of a near miss to her head, and a slight tug on her hair Drew her attention even as she slammed the hood into the cocky woman, the AR-500 steel flexing around the woman who could only grunt as she was sent flying, leaving a cracked shape in the wall of Trump Tower.


    She spun, coming face to face with the one called Ferrous, who threw a roundhouse at her head.


    She threw an arm up to block the kick, while sending her own kick at the inside of his opposite leg. Her body moving with countless hours of training, under Camp X¡¯s most brutal trainer.


    Both blows hit at almost exactly the same time, and neither combatant moved, the shockwave of the impacts rippling out from them and shattering car windows, setting off car alarms for half a block. The man did stagger back, limping and gripping his leg. "Who the hell are you!" he growled.


    Solaris smiled, and it was not a nice smile, he was tough enough she didn¡¯t have to hold back as much. She swung for his head. ¡°Solaris.¡±


    "Damn, I''d heard you were back, but didn''t buy it. I''d ask for an autograph, but I''m a little busy." His hand shifted, growing spikes, and he threw a jab at her chest, once again achieving nothing but causing a shockwave. "Well crap."


    Her smile didn¡¯t change, as she spun with the strike her leg snap kicking into his side.


    He brought his arms up to take the hit, and while he succeeded in blocking it, the strange sound of metal rending and his cry of pain and falling to the ground, clutching his right arm suggested it didn''t work out well for him.


    "Damn it, Ferrous, run!" the glowing man, clutching a leather case and climbing out of the burning car yelled, showing no damage. Solaris watched as he slid more than stepped away. "Fulmina! Any minute now!"


    "Shut up Tef!" The electricity wielder brought both hands, glowing painfully bright, together and fired a focused beam of energy, her gaze and focus showing she was pushing every bit of power out of her system as she could.


    Solaris let out a scream as the electric feeling ran through her with the force of what felt like a dozen lightning bolts. Her eyes teared up, and she slumped to a knee. Gasping, she could feel her skin resisting the burning of the lighting, but something about it seemed to drive the arcs of electricity right into her nerves, a near perfect pain. She struggled to move, her limbs not obeying her.

 Chapter 21, Bombproof Bombshell

    Bombproof Bombshell


    ¡°On the war front, Allied Forces have begun landing on the African coast, building a beachhead in what the War Department is calling Operation Torch. Film from the fighting shows our new Super Soldiers among the fighting, dealing with moving large obstacles or disabling Nazi war machines.


    ¡°Even when the krauts get a clean shot, it doesn¡¯t do them any good as you can see here, as Solaris is shown in battlefield footage taking a direct hit from enemy artillery and shaking it off as though it were a spot of rain on a picnic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right folks, we have our own Bombproof Bombshell giving the boys some inspiration and the Nazi¡¯s something to worry about.¡±


    World War II News Reel, 1942.


    With a scream of effort, and a flare of golden light brighter than the afternoon sun, Solaris grabbed the fallen Ferrous and threw him at the energy projector.


    "FUCK!" The woman grabbed her boss, and pulled him in front of her, just in time to take the impact, both villains going flying along with the metal man, turning into a pile of groaning people just as police cars came around the turn. The leather case lay on the ground, where the man had dropped it, after getting grabbed by Fulmina.


    ¡°Rrrr. That hurt.¡± Solaris said rubbing the spot on her chest as she walked towards the villains, her heels clicking on the pavement, each step leaving a tiny half circle divot. As she went to secure the would-be robbers


    Teflon slid out from under his allies, staggering to his feet. he looked over at the case but shook his head, turning and started skating away, moving far faster than if he''d just run, for all the world like he was on ice. "To hell with this!''


    Solaris narrowed her eyes and pulled off her pretty bright blue purse, throwing it at the villain¡¯s legs as he fled. ¡°Coward.¡±


    The purse hit the man firmly in the back of his knees but slid off him instead of bunching up around his legs. He was thrown off his feet, sliding down the street like a toboggan only to get hit by one of the police cars, sending the man screaming to ping pong around the area, vomiting and collapsing when he finally stopped.


    "Signal Lost" came from her air pods a few moments later.


    Solaris winced. ¡°Oh, bloody hell, I forgot the phone was in the bag.¡± She went over to look at her purse, picking it up. She looked at the cops. ¡°Hello Officers, the other two ruffians are over there. She reached into the bag. Sighing as she pulled out half of her phone. Well, that didn¡¯t last long.¡±


    "Well, lucky the Apple store is just over that way." The responding sergeant commented dryly. "Let''s get a statement. We got a call about a robbery, and based on all of this I''m assuming you stepped in?"


    ¡°Yes sir. My assumption was they were trying to steal that case she said pointing to the briefcase. She pulled out her new identification card and offered it to the cop.


    Another officer ran over to the man with the sword, who was groaning and climbing back to his feet, though he accepted help.


    He took it and nodded. "Yeah, the departments been talking about you being back. I may have good news or bad news for you."


    ¡°Oh? What is that sir?¡± she asked, buttoning up her jacket to hide the damage to her shirt.


    "You had a high-profile fight on the most video recorded street in New York City. This one''s definitely hitting the national news channels."


    "Yes. Now can your people return the case to me?" The man, Japanese and carrying his sword, a Katana, asked, his tone firm but polite. "These people were attempting to steal it just as I had arrived to take claim. The items were not meant to be sent with the auction items inside."


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    ¡°I am glad to see you are not injured. I do hope nothing in the case was damaged.¡± Solaris said with a polite bow.


    "Thank you, Solaris-dono, I am injured but not so bad I will not heal with rest. It is unlikely that the items are damaged." He opened the case when a cop handed it to him, revealing an iron tsuba, with a gold and enamel inlay of a snake wrapped around where the sword would have been, with a boulder and shrine lantern as additional details. Its quality was obviously high, and its age apparent. A handle was shattered, with what looked like leather, unexpectedly, around it. "Well, the important item wasn''t damaged. The handle is replaceable."


    Solaris smiled at the man¡¯s musical accent, ¡°It is a beautiful tusba. A friend of mine had one made for me, it was a sun with a white jade wolf spiraling with a black jade raven.¡±


    ¡°I believe a photo of it is still on the smithy wall.¡± He said politely. ¡°I am Takihara Jiro. Chief Inspector, Security Bureau. I was here to recover these items for the embassy. I have the paperwork here.¡±


    The police took the paperwork and scanned it, beginning to verify Takihara''s information. Another set of cops worked on cuffing the three villains while others managed the crowd and allowed fire fighters in to deal with the flaming car.


    "Sir, why were you carrying a sword?" One of the officers asked as he was going through the paperwork. He looked around. "And where did the sword go."


    "It''s an athletic device, not quite a weapon, but as I lacked a side arm I did what I could." He said, ignoring the second question, the weapon having seemed to disappear. Solaris chuckled at the rather blatant lie.


    Solaris looked at him, his accent was so familiar. "Do you know why these ruffians were after the Tsuba? They didn''t seem the Foxiest of thieves."


    "The Tsuba isn''t Foxy, as you put it. It is a bit of a cultural treasure, however. Let us say those who follow Inarri prefer to keep it out of the wrong hands." he replied politely. "I happen to work at the consulate, so it was easier to dispatch me than send a specialist. We didn''t anticipate a theft, but a straw purchase."


    "Ahh someone clever hiring thugs. Some things never change.¡± She said her spine relaxed a bit. ¡°Whatever was going on probably didn''t have anything to do with her old frenemy Kitsune''s people, she really wasn''t in the mood to fight ninjas.


    "Well, the paperwork is sound, and we don''t need the items if we can photograph them." he gestured at the neurocuffed criminals being examined by EMTs. "I''d push on the sword, but you''re apparently embassy staff, so that''s pointless."


    "Thank you, and again, you as well Solaris-dono. I will take it to our embassy, so if you need anything more from me, I am at your service."


    Solaris nodded. Pleasure to meet you Mr. Jiro. She waved at Penny as she saw her and Nahoa pushing through the crowd. Ahh my assistant is here. Do you need any more information from me? she asked politely.


    "No, between existing calls, an officer witnessing on scene, if not equipped to assist, sorry for that, and the camera we pretty much can do for now. If we have more, your contact information is on record." He chuckled. "Once you replace your phone."


    Solaris winced. "Yes. We will need to run by the Apple store for another spare phone. A trio of villains were robbing the auction house. I stepped in, and in the tussle my shirt and phone were ruined." She pointed over to the flaming car and the cuffed bad guys being loaded into cars. ¡°I had Siri send you a message, did it not go through before the phone broke?¡±


    "It did, but I was trying to figure out what ''Wood and Vanilla on Fifth Avenue" meant. I think she''s still learning your accent."


    "Right...don''t trust the robot with important messages. Got it." she said with a sigh.


    "Oh, it''ll get better as it learns but yeah. Might have had her call me instead. Voice is usually better. It''d also tell me if you were panicked or just having fun." Penny considered the car, which was still burning and the spread out and injured villains. "I''m still not sure I would have rushed, seems you needed to stretch your legs." she teased.


    Penny''s phone rang. "It''s me," Marcus said. "I''m not going to be able to get right to where we were going to meet. There''s some car fire thing going on."


    Solaris couldn''t help but laugh a bit. ¡°Sorry officer.¡± she said politely. "The lady''s beam was quite painful, but I didn''t have to hold back as much on the metal fellow so that was nice."


    "Fulmina... yeah. She was a punk kid when she first got popped and started dating a tech-girl in lock up. Apparently, they figured out how to tune the beams to people¡¯s pain receptors. Guess she''ll join her girlfriend in the slammer again."


    Penny, speaking on the phone, said "Come to the Apple store. We had to replace a phone, Marcus."


    "Do you need me for anything else Officer? If not, I''m going to fly over to the Apple store. Penny could you or Nahoa go pick me up a shirt while I deal with getting a new phone between the stab and the energy there is a rather crispy hole in the front.¡±


    "Yeah... We''ll grab you something." Nahoa nodded. The cop waved her off, letting Solaris fly off. "So, tourist shirt?"


    "Tourist shirt." She nodded. ¡°I saw a pink I Heart New York one a block before this one with a street vendor.¡±

 Chapter 22, Emblems are Epic

    Emblems are Epic


    Superheroes and supervillains share one very important trait. They¡¯re all, almost universally, drama queens. If you look at any photo, even if they aren¡¯t aware it is happening, you¡¯ll find them posing as if it¡¯s a natural state. Solaris, the first so-called super human photographed publicly in the United States managed to not only lift an aircraft carrier, but did it with proper posture!¡±


    That is why we teach this course. At some point in your career, you are going to interact with the cape set, fortunately the hero side. They need our expertise less to make themselves look good, and more to make sure they get paid for it, occasionally.¡±


    Professor Sylvia Lang, Marketing 203-Supers in the Media.


    ¡°Good lord, what are you wearing.¡± Granny Ruan said, arching an eyebrow as she took in Solaris. The woman somehow looked almost childlike in an oversized and violently pink ¡°I Heart New York¡± t-shirt that screamed Made in China.


    ¡°My clothing to the brunt of some villains¡¯ misbehavior.¡± She explained her stiff posture as clearly a sign of embarrassment as a blush would have been. ¡°Do we have anything else going today?¡±


    Mrs. Ruan considered the snickering Penny and Nahoa, shook her head, and said ¡°If memory serves, we have the gentleman from EpicEmblem public relations coming out to meet with you.¡±


    ¡°This means we need to know what is in the media already. I bet he will." Penny said.


    Mrs. Ruan unmuted the TV, a news reporter recounting the events in the Diamond District.


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Ah, I forgot, I hope he fits well with our team. I know you went through quite a few agencies picking him out.¡± She said to Penny, as she headed up the stairs.


    "Yeah, first step was figuring out who did what." She admitted as the blonde disappeared going to change.


    ¡°You bought her a tourist shirt? Did you even try to find her size.¡± The elder woman said softly


    ¡°Avoided it outright.¡± Nahoa admitted sheepishly.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you aren¡¯t perfect. You better have gotten pictures because she will never wear that willingly again.¡± Mrs. Ruan chuckled softly.


    Solaris came back down, wearing a better fitting blouse a minute lated. ¡°We still need to find a cook, hopefully soon.¡±


    Penny nodded. "I have a few ideas for a cook and other staff. Granny already found a service for weekly housekeepers. I assuming you don''t mind people who aren''t technically experienced, though they''d qualify educationally. People getting started in their careers."


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about a degree, they are not that important, I care if they can cook! You saw what happened when I tried to make stew.¡±


    "When did you try to make stew?" Marcus asked.


    "You thought she was dying something." Granny said dryly.


    "Oh."


    ¡°I thought stew would be safe! It¡¯s stuff that is boiled. I know how to boil things.¡±


    ¡°I have banned her from all but the microwave.¡± The grandmother commented. ¡°I have also ordered Factor meals like that nice YouTube man suggested. The one who does the history food.¡± She paused. "I also threw the pot in the bay, to destroy the evidence."


    ¡°Rub it in.¡± Solaris grumbled. ¡°So, who do you know?¡±


    "As far as cooks, no one specifically, but I do know of a pool of applicants that you''re uniquely equipped to work with." Penny said, fidgeting.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Solaris asked, curious. ¡°I¡¯m fine with someone that isn¡¯t fussy.¡±


    "Well. Fussy isn''t the issue." Penny sighed. "Did you, in your time, know any younger kids who expressed abilities? And wasn''t really in control of them?"


    There were the kamikaze girls, but diabetes isn¡¯t really a superpower. Oh Hummingbird, Breakneck¡¯s little sister, she was 14 when she expressed. We''re talking about speedsters, so sometimes she talked extremely fast and zipped about when emotional. Is that what you mean?"


    "Imagine that, with someone who fires energy out of their eyes when they get excited, or who was young enough they didn''t realize their illusion powers had anything to do with them and just accepted it as the area around them became pretty existential in a hurry. There are academies, and in more extreme cases medical facilities, for the very young or people who have issues early on controlling their powers.¡±


    ¡°I could see the value in that, in some cases.¡±


    ¡°I''m thinking graduates who may not have found other options yet. The academies help them get through high school and into college or trade schools, and provides housing while they try to get on their feet, but it can be tricky sometimes for them to integrate after being in such a contained environment, especially if they still actively express unconsciously on some level."


    ¡°I certainly don¡¯t mind helping somebody get a start. It can be hard even as an adult, getting used to powers. For a child it¡¯s got to be miles worse. And they might have potential hirelings for other things, such as the gardening position.¡± Solaris tilted her head thoughtfully.


    "I''m sure someone interested in gardening would be somewhere, and there''s a lot of great culinary tech academies around. Hopefully we''ll find someone to interview. We might need to fly them out from whatever place they are at, though."


    The Alexa screen chimed, and Thud appeared on it. "Boss, there is a man from EpicEmblem here, and he says he has an appointment. I know you were expecting someone."


    ¡°Yes, let him on up, thank you Nahoa. Well, the media person is here. Let¡¯s meet him in the living room.


    Granny Ruan left them to get the door, leading a tall, slim man with skin the color of aged walnut and a sense of stability to match. His dancing eyes were an attention-grabbing caramel color, and a suit a color bordering on bronze hugged an athletic frame. His gaze took in the entire room in a moment, and his smile was just the right tone of happy to meet, and professionally detached.


    "Good evening, Lady Summers, and friends. I''m Zakai Hardy, but I beg you to call me Zakai." He said in a smooth baritone as he set his briefcase on the table and offered his hand.


    A pleasure to meet you Zakai. Please, call me Elizabeth or Solaris, both are like a common name to me.¡± She took his hand and shook it.


    "Most heroes in the business who are public, get like that." He chuckled, settling in a seat. "Now, your assistant, good to see you again Lieutenant, if for the first time in person, told me you need a publicist and PR specialist. I''m curious about a few things but thought you might want to ask me some questions first. After all, you''re trusting me to make you look good."


    Solaris nodded smiling as Granny served tea to everyone ¡°I¡¯ve always had a press agent arraigning my appearances and charity work. I am already talking to the Yankees about a baseball event, and they are wanting to tour my collection. Do you have experience with that kind of events?¡±


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    "Specifically with MLB or another professional sports team? No, but other major events involving heavy media presence and lots of money, yes. A couple of charity auctions, of a smaller scale from top to bottom and assisted on several major concert series."


    ¡°That is good, if things go to plan it will be a nation-wide event. I am still learning my way around modern media, it¡¯s absolutely terrifying how quickly something becomes news. There seems to be no time to explain or prepare, everything just happens. I am doing my best not to make mistakes but I know it¡¯s only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, you have enough of the basic skills to avoid the messes some create.¡±


    ¡°I do try.¡±


    He chuckled. "Let me tell you who and what I am, then. ¡°I was in the Air Force, Security Force, for two years I¡¯d likely have stayed SF, but someone in a Toyota Hylux decided to blow up the gate to the base I was at in Afghanistan and bought me an early trip home and a purple heart. It also means I¡¯m never pitching for the majors after the surgeries. After that I did some schooling and moved into being an Air force Public Relations Officer for eight years, and about four years ago I retired and joined my current agency EpicEmblem. My specialty being Crisis Communications and reputation management."


    ¡°A fellow soldier, I can respect that. Solaris said with a chuckle, And I have a bit of history with the Air Force. I assume they figured I''d click well with you, due to that shared background. They are probably right." she liked his straightforward way of speech. ¡°Now what is crisis communication? And what are your thoughts on what we need to do with my current presence.¡±


    "I suspect you know how to avoid most catastrophes, but supers tend towards being involved in crises, and I''m one of the lead agents for the super clients, though I also handle some entertainment and influencer personalities too. Zakai sipped his tea ¡°From what I''m hearing, your big concerns are reputation management, everyone worries about that, and event management. That, and publicist work along with media relations, the drudgery of talking to the media companies before reporters show up and interviews happen."


    "I''m personally planning to recruit a junior to be your personal social media maven. They''ll be young, right out of school, and in need of experience but they''ll know their stuff. I won''t allow anything else. That requires a special set of skills all its own."


    I know my previous agent, Wendy, had several little minions of her own, but it sounds like you¡¯re speaking of something a bit different, something more than an assistant to do your drudge work.¡±


    "I have an agent who works more or less as my partner, she''ll know what I know and be available if I''m not, but not collaborating with you directly as much. We have a team of writers, social media specialists, and other technical people we can call upon as well as a team of junior agents and interns that answer to us directly and specifically. If, for example, one of these young men turns out to be a super and get into the biz with you, I''d assign one of my juniors to them. No offense boys, but the Major here takes precedence. I only ever made captain, so I feel your pain as her junior."


    "And yes, there is an assumption that I will work with your staff as a team, especially since the rumor mill has it, you''re stealing code name "Dreadful" from UNLOC and the Coasties."


    Solaris smiled like a cat that got the cream ¡°Yes, I am. Penny has been a wonderful companion, and the extra hands I¡¯ve needed to get settled. So, I will primarily be working with you, and if you are busy your partner. How many accounts are you managing right now?


    "Between myself and my partner we have seven, counting you eight, accounts currently, and teams usually max at ten. Two have NDAs so I can''t tell you about them, except that they aren''t very busy accounts. Three are internet influencers, two other supers, and you¡¯ve met Luna Fuega who is only a little time consuming. The other is not someone you know about yet called Victor Dred, younger hero, trying to be a bit edgy. He doesn''t have the look of a true edgelord so he''ll either calm into a dark avenger type, get arrested, or get out in a few years. He''s my biggest time demand currently."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°I met Luna last week. Lovely girl. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m likely to take a bit more time, I like to keep busy, whether that is business charity, or super work. Though the latter just tends to follow me. The nice people at the iPhone store are likely to know me by name before too long.


    He chuckled. "Well, we can work that into a sponsorship." he teased. "In all seriousness, some of what I suspect you''ll do means I will assign juniors to it. I looked you up, you''re very much the type to do a charity appearance here, or a fund raiser there, and those are things I don''t need direct involvement in unless you''re organizing it all from the ground up and are planning it to be a capital E event, like the MLB project. However, even if I''m not hands on, I will always be eyes on, and ready to react or respond if you need me there. Unless you actively get into a fight with Luna or Victor, I doubt I''ll have my time too split."


    ¡°I do understand the importance of delegation. Will one of the junior agents be my primary contact? I¡¯d prefer to have one person who is first contact, even if it has to be brought to a senior, it reduces the chances of miscommunication.¡±


    "I think I will assign Tracy to that role. She doesn''t work in the field, for reasons that are up to her to talk about if she wishes, but she is an absolute master at behind the scenes organization. She''ll get me in touch with you quickly, if need be, and run my lesser minions ragged without worrying me about it if I don''t have to be told immediately. She''s a born E-4, if you know what I mean."


    ¡°Ahh that sounds perfect¡±. Solaris said relaxing back onto the couch. ¡°Now what do we need to do to move forward? Do you have any questions for me or my team?¡±


    "Oh, likely a lot. I want to start with asking what your short and midterm goals are. Not long term, I doubt you''ve had that long to get a real foot under you, but what are you wanting to do?"


    ¡°Right now, I¡¯m just acclimating. I¡¯m finding out what people and property I have and where it is. I still haven¡¯t found my super gear, my tanks are in a storage facility outside DC, there is a Pegasus somewhere, and I am sure I¡¯m forgetting things due to stress and ¡°thawing sickness¡±. Mid-term, travel, find friends who are still around and make new ones.¡±


    "I''m guessing the Heroic Lifestyle is part of your future plans?"


    ¡°I doubt the heroic lifestyle would let me leave. When I am needed, I will step up. That is just part of who I have chosen to be.


    "Alright, here''s what I''d suggest to start. We get a statement out outlining that in regard to the Fifth Avenue event , you just happened to be shopping at the time of the attack and acted. It''s the truth, which is always nice, and we can punch up the release to catch attention. The narrative in the media isn''t bad, so it''s more a statement of intent than real explanation."


    ¡°Makes sense. I was window shopping and had just found a Japanese store with the most beautiful pearls when I heard an explosion.¡± Solaris gave her friends a bashful smile. ¡°I have a weakness for pearls. They are a wonderfully practical bit of jewelry.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Anyway. I am sure your bosses phone must be inundated.¡± She said apologetically to Penny before turning back to Zakai. ¡°How much of an interview circuit do I need to do to feed the press enough to leave me alone?¡±


    "Mikimodo is world famous, definitely go back and really take a chance to shop. My wife does." He chuckled, quietly noting to mention the pearl thing in the release. It was wonderfully humanizing. "I''m going to release the statement, after your approval then let me feel it out. I''m betting on at least a couple of shows, I''m leaning towards the morning news shows but not right away. You might consider a Podcast for a long form interview at some point and can make a few suggestions for that."


    "Now, for the future, I have some homework for you. One, I want you to really develop some goals. The baseball project is a great one, and I''ll start preliminary work on our end, talk to MLB and what have you, get the ball rolling.¡± Zakai gestured at her with his cup ¡°I''m sure that''s not your only interest. Let me know where you might like to be seen, what impression you want to give. Also take you and your people and get new Union suits. And I''m including all of them, even if they aren''t the hero set, because it''s bad in both a practical and public relation sense if an innocent bystander dies because a bullet bounces off of you into them. And if someone is putting on their spurs, so to speak, let me know so I can pick a team member to handle it."


    ¡°I¡¯ll make an appointment for us to get fitted and try to think of goals, which will get easier as I settle.¡± She thought. ¡°OH! I forgot, one of my current goals is to restore my family home in England, get it fully updated and back to being self-sufficient.


    "There might be fun to be had there. Some media groups or even influencers online would love to get a piece of that, for public entertainment. Just something to think about.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It will bring visibility to the manor which I am going to be modernizing while keeping the history of the property. Make it an event location. I am also working on hiring people to empty out the attics, figure out what needs preserving, and what needs pitched.


    "I do like a client who thinks things through. Sounds like a wonderful project, and at least profitable enough to keep the property up for the future."


    ¡°Back in my parents day the village and manor were completely capable of supporting themselves. I want to get it back to that point, if we get to actual profit on the property, I¡¯ll probably put that into some sort of charity¡± she paused then shrugged apologetically. ¡°Also, what is a podcast?¡±


    "For your frame of reference, think a radio talk show. Just internet based, and usually filmed as well as spoken, but often offered in both video and audio only content." He explained. ¡°The more things change, the more they stay the same. We¡¯ll make sure to only put you on the shows that offer a friendly slant.¡±


    ¡°Excellent sounds like we have a good start to things. I think I am looking forward to meeting all the people you are going to be putting me in contact with, I love working with creative people.¡±


    "That is the influencer space, these days. The current trend is towards entrepreneurship among younger adults."


    ¡°Perfect! Let us move forward then. What is the opening statement going to look like?

 Chapter 23, Suited and Booted

    Suited and Booted


    ¡°The modern super-lair is something of an urban art form. The classic, comic book meta is a solitary fortress far from humanity or a lonely cave under a mansion just outside of town. In fact, most lairs are built within cities and have to be far more cleverly hidden. Even public groups maintain hidden safehouses and headquarters.


    Today, we¡¯re going to try to build our own super base completely under the radar in our home city, in an abandoned convenience store! But before we start, Like and Subscribe, and don¡¯t forget our Patreon members get their own perks!¡±


    Youtube Channel ¡°Super-culture Unlocked¡±


    The car slid though to a sketchy, small parking lot, parking near an inconspicuous door on the side of the building. A ¡®sleeping homeless¡¯ man acting as a guard a short way from them. Solaris stepped out, ¡°Excited for your fitting Marcus?¡±


    "Fitting, getting mugged, could go either way. What is up with this place?"


    "Super suit makers tend to double as arms dealers." Penny said. "Not officially, mind you, and the reputable ones avoid actually breaking laws, but breaking and bending are very different things to them."


    ¡°Not to mention a lot of them fit many shades of cape. Solaris said knocking on the door. Your tailor is like a priest, nothing you say will ever leave their lips because you were never there. And as long as they are not actively heroing or villaining they are persona non grata. You do NOT attack a tailor.¡±


    "Oh, it is good to know that people understand the rules." The voice came through a concealed box, the door opening to allow them into the building. "Please, go right to the freight elevator. We''ll bring you to us. Thank you for being prompt Ms. S."


    ¡°Of course.¡± She led everyone in. ¡°Penny have you ever been to a tailor?¡± She asked as a concealed elevator opened to let them in.¡±


    "No, unless you count UNLOC Armorers. I am familiar with them in theory, though." She said as they all stepped on, feeling as if they dropped far deeper than was anticipated. "Though I''m feeling like the rumors are true."


    ¡°Which rumors are those?¡± Solaris asked. ¡°Phantastique was a bit of an original herself, she was a a bit like you, making tech and wonders for other people to use.¡±


    "Phantastique is the one who set the bar. Rumor has it she suited all the greats, and some of the worst."


    The door opened, and a man, smiling in a custom suit that somehow gave hints of being soft and metallic at the same time welcomed them. "Greetings, and grandmother was amazing. She also introduced the idea of providing other, shall we say, ¡®accessories¡¯ to the right buyers." He tilted his head at Solaris. "You are one of those right buyers, if I remember her stories correctly."


    ¡°Indeed, and she knew all the best toy makers. It is good to see the family has stayed in the business.¡±


    "Oh, several of us have, in different areas. I took over New York, my sister is in Beverly Hills, because she''s a basic bitch, and my cousins are spread around Europe. Now please, come in. Tell me how many of you need something today, and if we''re talking Cape, Staff, Grunt, or minion. I don''t do goons. You can buy that at Bass Pro Shop."


    ¡°Hmm M. Dreadful and I will want the cape treatment. Granny will want staff, Thud, do you want cape, staff or both?¡±


    "I wasn''t planning on doing the cape thing, really. Don''t have much in mind for what I''d want to look like."


    "And you have the nick name Thud? Interesting, we''ll go staff, but I''ll sketch some ideas up in case he changes his mind. So, raise your hand if you are bullet proof?"


    Solaris raised her hand; Nahoa made an iffy gesture. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried it,¡± the big man said


    "We can test it. It stings a bit, but you''ll not be injured beyond a minor bruise."


    "I generate forcefields. I mean, they seem to kick on when I''m in danger but..." he shrugged.


    "Right, Assume you''re not. And from what you said in the email, personal assistant, house manager, driver, and security right?" he said, pointing at each in turn.


    ¡°That is correct. I didn¡¯t bother to bring any of my old kit since it was made here. And I think my super equipment is probably somewhere up in Kennicott.¡±


    "Oh, I''ve got the old records for you, and just about everything is improved. I already have sketched up an update of your ''dress'' uniform, as it has a certain elegance and old world charm, I suspect you''ll benefit from playing in to."


    ¡°Wonderful! Tailor do your worst, do you want to start with me or the others?¡±


    "Let''s start with most of you. If you go with my assistant Thud, he''ll do the test on your skin." he suggested.


    "Um, okay. I hate shots." He muttered the last as he followed the assistant.


    "Here''s what I''ll suggest for everyone who isn''t bulletproof as, shall we say day wear when they think it is necessary." He gestured at a table and a hologram appeared of a genderless form, wearing what looked like bicycle shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. "While I will make properly tailored versions, these are on the open market as concealed body armor. What''s commercially available is level IIIa at best. I''ll be giving you level IV equivalent, meaning it will stop up to rifle rounds. It will also involve a carbon-metallic mesh that will diffuse most types of energy hits to give roughly equivalent protection from energy projectors."


    Solaris walked around the hologram fascinated, ¡°This is incredible. What are the tiers of body armor? I¡¯m not familiar with it?¡±


    "Anything below three is pointless so we won''t worry about them. Class III body armor is pistols up to perhaps a nine-millimeter or forty-five. Class IIIa defeats up to heavier pistol rounds such as magnums." He explained. "IV will stop intermediate rifle rounds, such as is used in most military rifles."


    ¡°Ahh, so level IV will protect against most standard rounds that does sound good, most villains didn¡¯t really try to shoot me, but for the boys especially it makes sense.¡±


    "To be fair, the bulk of the cape and cowl club are throwing around similar damage levels, if in more dramatic ways. The weakness are they won''t really provide full protection, and the arms and head are exposed, but this is meant to keep you alive to escape, not make you battle ready."


    ¡°Well, you are starting fresh with M., he doesn¡¯t have a suit or a name yet, he¡¯s a blank canvas for you.¡±


    "Good, so what''s your power set my boy? You aren''t bulletproof, but you generate force fields? Do you project energy or are you more of a melee kind of kid."


    ¡°I can do force fields and force sheathing.¡± Marcus said activating his gift into a simple blue arc.


    "Does the sheathing enhance impact, or impart an energy effect as a rider on the attack?"


    "Enhances, I think it hits harder, and Dreadful has done some tests that seemed to confirm that."


    "Right, so you''ll need a weapon. Does sharp versus blunt matter?"


    Penny nodded. "Yes. Sharp seems to get sharper, and the items sturdiness is enhanced."


    "Right, and is he skilled?"


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Penny frowned, and glanced at the kid, then at Solaris. "Not sure how to describe his fighting style at this point."


    ¡°He is a beginner with some street fighting experience. Right now, he is very dependent on his powers.¡± Solaris said. ¡°I was going to ask if you knew any Trainers with openings, definitely for M and I, and possibly for the rest of the staff.¡±


    "I can send you a few names." The tailor nodded. "Someone to get the basics in for everyone, and with more advanced skills. I''ll get those to you; they know I will mention them if asked." He nodded. "So, we''re going to go with straight forward weapons, we can always change out as your style develops."


    "I''m thinking we start with weapons. A Kukuri style blade, a large one, for one hand, and a Tonfa for the other, a variation on sword and shield with options for purely non-lethal from the tonfa." He suggested. "We can also install a feature or two in the tonfa, such as a taser, gas dispenser, or grapnel line depending on what he might need."


    Solaris reached into her purse. ¡°We¡¯re on the same page with the tonfa, did you know you could hire people on a place called Fiver? It¡¯s an interesting site. I was thinking something like this, I had someone draw it up for me.¡± The image was of a tonfa where the long end could open into a small shield. ¡°I figured the edge would be sharp like a Japanese war fan. Give it some flexibility and extra shielding for his head, if needed.¡±


    "Oh yes, we could do that. Very nice." The tailor nodded. "I do like customers who think and challenge me." He picked up a tablet and scanned the image in " he undersuit might as well remain, can never have enough defending the trunk. Now, something like this."


    ¡°Considering yourself, I wasn''t sure if a helmet would be needed, or ideal. The armor will bring him up to a class V, essentially anything short of anti-vehicle or armor piercing, anti-material rounds. With his forcefield he should be terribly hard to stop. A mix of classic armor and modern tech.


    "Oh damn, that''s bad ass." The kid muttered.


    "A simple face mask would be my suggestion, as helmets can be a problem for melee fighters as much as a help in our circles. The loss of visibility can be hell in hand to hand against some of our sets opponents, in spite of the protection."


    ¡°I like it, very sleek and not too bulky. I do see your point with the visibility what about a coronet or a laurel, something he can imbue to give his head a bit more.¡±


    "Hmmm... yes, we can design something like that. Something akin to a boxers head protection, but slimmer, more decorative. I''ll work on a design.'' The tailor nodded. "We can include some tech, like a light or slide down night vision visor as well."


    A utility belt, the standard kit with communications, pouches with restraints, tracking tools. God bless apple for making that easier." he chuckled. "I would need to have more details on how he operates in suit before I can add anything to terribly custom, unfortunately. experience creates the questions I need to guide me."


    "Oh, high end body cam functions, as well. Helps with the police."


    Solaris nodded ¡°I understand, my own circlet was just a decorative bit until we figured out I needed some form of ranged attack. Then reinforcing it to survive being a weapon took a bit of time. Marcus. Ms Ruan any thoughts on the design?¡±


    "For him to start, it will do well. I am sure he will need to adjust it over time, until reaching it''s inevitable form, but I think he can work with it. do you agree Grandson?"


    "Yeah, it looks great. I like it. Though how hard will it be to put on in, like a hurry."


    "You''ll learn the knack, don''t worry." The tailor assured him. ¡°And I know how to design things for the man who needs to dress in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°Trust your Tailor, they know a suit is near useless if it takes forever to get on. There are all sorts of tricks to it. ¡°


    "Including some is basically just costume art, so flexible without looking it. Part of it is the show.¡± He chuckled. "Though get used to regular clothing getting destroyed. You just won''t always have a chance to change."


    Marcus chuckled, yeah I saw the boss had a big problem with her clothes not being as tough as her. Thank goodness newspapers had to be more discreet back in the day.¡±


    ¡°Lord I will never live that explosion down, it¡¯s been almost a century!¡±


    "Some girl in St. Louis apparently had all of her clothing blown off in a fight, and it turned into a whole issue because she was only sixteen at the time." Marcus said. "I mean, media blurred stuff, but just having filmed it was a bit problematic for them."


    "Please, young man, step into this booth, disrobe, and step onto the glowing disk and do the classic "T-Pose". Don''t move until the disk turns green after that."


    Marcus was bright red as he went in to the booth and stripped down to his underwear stepping following the instructions given to him.


    "So do you know a good vehicle Toy Maker? I think a motorcycle will complete his look." Solaris asked


    "I actually have some things on site, and can contact the builder for more custom work if nothing in stock appeals. You know techs, they can''t help but build stuff they don''t need."


    "Well to be fair we are rough on our toys so it''s not like they sit for long.¡±


    ¡°The scan should have stopped Marcus, you can dress and come back out."


    Solaris tapped her lips letting the Tailor know the bike was a surprise.


    "That was kinda wild. That thing takes all your measurements right? Marcus said stepping out of the booth.


    "Yep. Down to the micrometer. it lets me make suits with armored plates precise and comfortable as a jogging suit."


    "Now Solaris, as I said, I''ve worked on a version of your ''formal'' uniform." He called it up on the screen. "It''s much like the older version, but instead of teh knee length skirt I brought it up a bit to mid thigh. Bare arms but with gloves, modest but attractive, with petticoats to keep it filled out. The classic look, but modernized just a tad." (Essentially your drawings suit). I wouldn''t use this for adventuring but you''re going to want something for those occassions."


    Solaris nodded. I assume some sort of shorts to keep me decent in flight. She said thoughtfully, Will we be keeping the throwing circlet?


    "Leggings, white, down to your boots." he explained. "And speaking off.." He opened a drawer on the table, and pulled out a box. Opening it he revealed a gleaming silver circlet with three gems, one blue, one red, and the top of the circlet a white stone. "Crafted of super-hardened stainless steel, with artificial diamonds for the gems. The central stone can be lit as a flashlight, high powered, and is solid state enough to survive impacts."


    "This should work well pretty and useful but not to dear to replace when it gets lost or damaged. She remembered when they put the first circlet on her, she''d been slightly embarrassed, she was the daughter of a Baron, not a princess, but it had grown on her, a bit of whimsey that was needed on darker days. She ran a finger over the edges feeling the chill of the metal. She picked it up. "It''s lighter than the old one. I''ll have to practice with it."


    He turned the box. "I already made up six." he chuckled. "The last three are dull and have no gems and are meant for training purposes. Those are a high carbon steel, so more flexible ."


    "So less likely to break. I am glad for your forethought. I look forward to trying them out.¡± She placed the circlet on her head, fluffing her hair around it, "what do you think?¡±


    "Looks good. Though not sure it goes with everything." Penny chuckled.


    "That thing was nasty, and they hit me three times with it, yeah." Thud said, coming back from where he''d gone. "Oh, looks good on you there, boss." The assistant handed a sheet to the tailor while he spoke.


    "Ahhh, well, you''re already at level VI defense, so not a lot of reason to add body armor to your look. You shrug off anything not vehicle mounted pretty much. But you''re security, so I''ll give you a nice setup for a utility belt. I feel like you will need more eventually, so think about what you''d like going forward, eh?"


    Thud nodded rubbing his thigh. "Cool. I can be Hawaiian Batman." he said "I don''t know what all would be usefull. I am a rock shaper.¡± He pulled out a granite pebble from his pocket melting it in his hand and swishing it like water.


    "Not much. Might give you a handheld unit for bomb scanning, weapon scanning, and the like. A restraint pouch. A lot of it will look off the shelf since a belt is kind of a belt." he chuckled. "Earth shapers at least usually have plenty of cover."


    "That is true." the big man said with a smile putting his rock back in his pocket.


    "He is studying to be a Lawyer as well so I was thinking a classic Suit with basic features as well as the union clothing." Solaris added.


    "Ahhh, thinking the white linen island look? So lets see, Hawaiian shirt, might as well go with a hat, since Marcus wears one. Hmm, I''m thinking stone buttons, or possibly obsidian. Then you still have rock to wield if needed, if small amounts."


    ¡°I''d also go for cufflinks that are classy and give you another place to add rock without losing your cuffs.¡± Solaris said. ¡°A tie pin would be another nice bit of accessory with that.¡±


    "Oh cufflinks too. definitely. Something perhaps like this."


    She looked at the White single-breasted suite with the three quarter sleeves. ¡°Very nice, I''d go slightly off-white, and I''d go higher with the buttons.¡±


    "Easy enough to adjust. This could work as an erstaz field uniform too, since his ID may be functionally public from what I understand. Thump, will you go into there, disrobe,, and stand on the glowing disk."


    "I''ll do the cloth out of basic bullet proof fabric That''ll allow it to hold up to a lot of abuse. The hat also, so some head protection there. Does he need a weapon or anything like that?"


    "I think all he needs is a good stunner.¡± Penny said. ¡°He''s got some hand to hand so a good non-lethal ranged option is good.¡±


    "I''ve got a plasma stunner. Good range pistol, put a nice holster on under that, and it''s legal for self-defense since its non-lethal."


    "Lets also go with a sneaky stunner something he can conceal as a backup.¡± Penny added.


    "Honey, don¡¯t worry, the one I''m talking about can be sneaky. But we can do a shock collapsible baton, which can go in a pocket. Frankly, I''ll do both, because options are important."


    Solaris nodded as thud went into the scanner. How long do you think it will take to get this all put together?"


    "I can get one suit put together for everyone in say... two days? I usually do a full set of three, minimum, so that would take a week. Then you aren''t out of luck if they get destroyed."


    That is faster than I expected. That would be wonderful, thank you. Thud came out of the scanner. So Who''s next Granny or Penny?


    "Grandmother, if you wouldn''t mind stepping in. I don''t need you to disrobe, as these don''t require quite the same accuracy. However, I will have a surprise for you as well, so you aren''t left out." He winked. ¡°I might have had some warning of your measurements, thank you Dreadful.¡±


    "Ahhh, this Taylor is a devil. I like him." She laughed as she walked in."

 Chapter 24, Weapon fittings

    Weapon fittings


    Enhanced Heros and Villains alike tend to disregard small arms, at their own peril. Yes, a standard 9mm slug isn¡¯t going to do much to most of the community, and the old reliable hollow point may not either. However, there are far more interesting rounds available. Even normal handguns have armor piercing options now, even if many communities make them illegal for sale or use. That¡¯s ignoring speciality heavy rounds that may come into use.


    That¡¯s ignoring the fact that just because you can walk off a handgun hit with a ¡°little bruise¡± doesn¡¯t mean you are going to want a group of goons to empty clips of ammo into your body. No one fears the Six Foot Tall contusion.


    Heroing for dummies, where E-books are sold.


    Solaris laughed. "I am a bit excited to see what you do for her. Ms Ruan is quite the pistol, with a stare that can induce guilt in anyone it''s turned on.¡±


    "Much like my own and like my own. Did you know she''s armed?" He chuckled. "I approve."


    "I am not surprised. Penny and Solaris said at the same time, then laughed..


    The tailor tapped on his pad, and the table in front of him slid to the side, as another lowered from the roof. This one was a bit different, with monitors on the side. "Now for you, Lieutenant, or should I say Dreadful. The first thing is, according to rumor, I need to see any issues I will have to work around."


    ¡°I screwed up my leg, had it ripped off and reattached. It sometimes gives me pain, in bad weather or after using power armor that uses neural link technology.¡±


    "That was what my contacts said, in less detail. It''s not an unusual issue. Your control suit will have to be designed to take that into account. Lay on the table and I can scan for the damage, don''t ask how because I don''t know. A brain made it for me. but, once I see that, I can work around the issue."


    Okay, she hopped on the table shivering at the cool feel of the tech against her. They did the best they could, I¡¯m lucky to still have a leg.¡±


    "Oh, they did fine work. I can see the damage, and the healing. the simple fact is trauma always leaves a mark." The tailor said. "There we are, you have a few nerve clusters that moved a bit. What we''ll do is make your undersuit with longer legs, and a neuro-transmitter relay systems to shift communications to where it needs to be. I''m not going to say it''ll be perfect, but it shall reduce the pain dramatically. Likely no more than being a bit sore after a workout."


    ¡°That will be a blessing. I¡¯m working on building my suit, I should hopefully be able to mitigate it even more with the build. Damn government budgets, of course a sup-tailor has better tech than UNLOC.¡±


    "I am afraid I am not skilled enough to help you there, but I know it has something to do with the actual attenuation between the system and your nervous system. Hopefully this will help." He noted what he needed to. "So, it''ll be a standard suit but with longer legs." he called up the undersuit. "Same bullet proof material, so I''ll drop the other set for these."


    "Now, are you the armor wearer who looks at a wise armorer foolishly if someone suggests an outfit and gear to use OUT of the battle rattle?"


    ¡°I love my armor and I¡¯m more comfortable with it, but I am good with handguns, rifles and knives. ¡°


    "Then I''m going to suggest this..." What came up was a gothic punk look, pants instead of skirts and a leather coat with lace details, buckles, and belts galore. From the look, the outfit integrated her pilot¡¯s suit, but her hair was showing as longer and purple. "I already know what you''re about to ask. It''s a bit of a tech I''m playing with, think a wig that isn''t really a wig, giving you some anonymity. I am using it for those who don''t want masks."


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± she said ¡°I take it if I lose the coat I¡¯ll be able to suit up?¡± She hated how much those super girly lace and ruffles spoke to her. She was macho, damn it.


    "Yes, while the coat and straps will allow for concealed holsters for weapons and other tools, and of course the requisite utility belt integration."


    ¡°Okay, damn it. I¡¯m sold, I¡¯ve always wanted a coat and boots like that.¡± She looked at Solaris and I am buying them, not you. I want them.¡±


    Solaris held her hands up. ¡°As you like.¡±


    ¡°Now for kit, let us talk about your weapons load out. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re carrying the standard ERT side arm, .500 Smith and Wesson?¡± At her nod, he frowned. ¡°I think we can do better than that. While the .50 action express is a bit of a downgrade, you won¡¯t be limited by NATO regs, so you can load more specialized rounds, meaning more options.¡± He explained. ¡°I¡¯m thinking Desert Eagles, call it a pair, in the manufacturer''s so-called ¡°Black Cherry¡± finish. I will of course have my techs add what recoil compensation we can, as well as an upgraded barrel, sights, the whole shebang. For more generic combat situations, I¡¯m thinking a custom-made variation of the PP-90, chambered in standard 9mm, rated for plus P. That¡¯ll have to be custom built, since those folding bastards are a pain to get from Ukraine and are chambered for Tokarev. Fortunately, I know a guy who can manufacture what I want.¡±


    ¡°Okay, wow.¡± Penny said, blinking in surprise at the suggestions. ¡°That sounds very, cool actually.¡±


    ¡°I will also look into some folding shotgun options, you can load those with Taser shells or something else less than lethal for when that¡¯s needed. Again, something nice and concealable for when you don¡¯t need it. Let the fools think you only have a pistol.¡±


    ¡°Oh I am going to need to book so much range time.¡±


    "As you should, as you should." he chuckled. "Oh, and should I let you see some of the weapons, personal and, larger, that might be laying around for appropriately licensed purchasers?"


    ¡°Yes please. I¡¯d love to see what toys you have.¡±


    Zoya Bo-Hee was having a pretty good day. She¡¯d managed to earn enough cash to buy her own car, She''d found one she could afford and her mother was going to help with the licensing and insurance. She''d be able to have a real job, Z''d even already started to fill out the information to start Door Dashing so she wouldn''t have to fleece tourists anymore.


    ¡°Daughter, it is time to come home.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± She cursed, jumping up off the bench, spinning around. Standing a dozen feet behind where she¡¯d been sitting was her father, his Korean features stern, his dark eyes judgmental. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°For one thing, I am being disappointed in my daughter''s foul language. We did not raise you to speak like a dockside worker.¡± Kye Bo-Hee said as he walked around the bench, approaching her.


    ¡°You barely raised me at all.¡± She snarled. ¡°That¡¯s ignoring when you decided to turn me into the cops for shoplifting when I was twelve.¡±


    ¡°It was for your own good. I wish you had taken the lesson to heart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I took the lesson all right. You can¡¯t even trust your own parents in this world.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°I know it is hard to understand how my expectations for you are so harsh, and how my work pulls me away, but it is what is needed. The city¡­¡±


    ¡°The city is just as filthy today as it was yesterday, and you being here sure as hell ain¡¯t changing anything.¡± She snapped.


    ¡°Enough of this. You are a seventeen-year-old girl, and as your father I am taking you home.¡± He reached out and grabbed her arm, only to have her twist and free herself with a motion he¡¯d taught her himself.


    Before he could take another step towards her he was forced to fend off a series of rapid fire snap kicks aimed at his head and chest, catching the third kick and twisting it, sending his daughter flipping in the air.


    She landed with a roll, and didn¡¯t even look back as she took off, diving into a bush. He gave chase, but soon realized she had eluded him.


    He had no idea she was standing not three feet away, watching him, her power and shadows wrapped around her, watching him mutter in rather dockside Korean before walking away.


    Z was having a really, really bad day.

 Chapter 25, Gifts Galore

    Gifts Galore


    ¡°I am a servant of the city, and its people. My skills are at their service, and my heart beats with a desire to defend the innocent and helpless of this city.


    Qilin, the Warrior Sage, during an acceptance speech for a civic award for heroism.


    ¡°Why is it every martial arts master in the community has to make it sound like they¡¯re on a mystic quest for justice. If you like to fight, just admit it! No one is going to judge, you know?¡±


    Victor Dred, after the speech when talking to the press.


    "Solaris, if you will step into the scanner area, we''ll get your sizing while I have an assistant show her to the weapons locker." He smirked. "Is there an allowance I should know about?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I doubt she¡¯s going to go hog wild.¡± Solaris stepped in the scan room stripped down and posed for the scan. She came back out. ¡°That is a fascinating bit of tech. Any changes? ¡°She asked


    "Only very minor. Even you apparently will adjust if not eating for several decades." He called up an image. "You''ve always been doubly patriotic, so I''m sticking to the red, white and blue pallet. The top is blue, moving seamlessly into a lightly pleated skirt, with white daggs in the pleats, and along the curve of your hips to give a look of shape. I have a feminine bit of puff that quickly returns to tight a cloth along the arm, blue transitioning to red, with heavier outer gloves over inner gloves that will allow fine touch and tech use. Leggings of a dark blue down to red and white boots, with small chunky heels. The tiara, of course, is integrated, as are concealed utility pouches."


    ¡°Patriotic but not to garnish.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll probably bounce back in a few weeks. Still unchanging.¡± The last words almost muttered. ¡°I assume tear away sleeves and skirt so they can¡¯t be grappled?¡±


    "Yes, though you won''t be able to tell, of course. The body suit and leggings will be class III body armor, for pure durability. There''s no reason to go stronger, as it just won''t matter to you, and the cost to benefit ratio just isn''t there. Class III will be enough to keep the average nearby explosion or near miss from shredding anything."


    ¡°And durability is a key issue for me. I assume you have someone who does shoes? Go a higher durability on those. I actually need all the basics in day-to-day shoes as well. I killed another pair of pumps the other day.¡±


    "I get my shoes made by your company, who has a custom service." He chuckled. "They allow you to choose several aspects of the shoe. I just have it ''unfinished'' and do the skinning myself with appropriate materials."


    She laughed. Well, I might as well support my company. Can you order me a nice selection with grade three skinning. Shoes take a heck of a beating.


    "I''ll order you a set of basic footwear, and some running shoes. Do not ignore the Sneakers, dear."


    ¡°I won¡¯t they are lovely to run in, Penny got me a pair.


    "Good, glad to hear it. Now shall we go find her and look at the vehicles you were asking about?"


    ¡°Yes. Marcus, wait here, I know you want to see your Granny¡¯s, outfit.¡± Solaris turned to follow the Tailor.


    They took the elevator up a level, and stepped into a playground of handguns, rifles, and high-tech weapons that she wasn''t sure how they''d work. There were multiple tables, stacks of ammo, batteries, and fuel containers under the displayed weapons. Penny stood at a table, a small selection of weapons resting on it. "Okay, I get the Stun pistol, rifles, and cannons. Police Forces are slowly getting them to replace tasers, but where did you get the laser systems?" She held up a hand. "I know, I know, suppliers. Still, I''m impressed, and resisting any urge to check your licensing."


    ¡°Still wrapped up in Toyland? Find anything to play with? Or are you just running up one of everything.¡± Solaris said in a teasing voice


    "Oh, yeah¡± Penny said turning with a grin. ¡°A crate of ammo types for my forty mike-mike that I didn''t have, I¡¯m going to have to redesign the multiload system for it. "I also got a Stun cannon for the suit, pistol for my coat, and a flight system I thought I was going to have to build from half understood descriptions on the internet." She chuckled. "Nothing major."


    ¡°It¡¯s always fun to get toys. I was going to go look at vehicles if you want to join me. I was thinking of getting Marcus something nice to go with his new suit.¡±


    "He does lack a movement ability, so that''s not a bad idea." she admitted. "I suspect we''re still discovering things he can do, but flying isn''t one of them."


    "Now, you mentioned a motorcycle. Are you thinking something he might go on fairly long rides on, or a city pursuit kind of deal?"Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°If I have to choose a preference, I¡¯d go for city driving. Long range is nice, but not as important I tend to be in urban areas.¡±


    "So urban, we can do that, and we want something that looks sharp too. Here''s my first suggestion. This is a BMW R 1250 R cruising bike. It''s good city or long drive, and it''s the same base as the most popular police motorcycle worldwide.¡±


    ¡°That will work, BMW is making motorcycles? Do you think we can get some switch panels to flip between civilian and hero mode?¡±


    "Ahh, my dear, you got ahead of me." he chuckled. Walking over he switched the bike on and flipped a few switches. The gas tank shifted from black to grey, concealed LED lights lit up in decorative lines, and a few small decorative panels slid out of view, leaving the bike with a more ''naked'' design. "Hero mode, so to speak. This uses red lights, but we can have a bike with blue to go with his costume easily. Perhaps add chrome and leave it more naked in it¡¯s civilian mode just to change it up." The Tailor made some quick notes at Solaris¡¯s nod.


    "My tech also disassembles the entire machine, and replaces stock parts with upgraded performance parts, while we replace the lines, oil, fuel, what have you with stronger, essentially bulletproof versions. Where possible, we also remove the cosmetic body panels and remold them in armor quality ballistic plastics for durability. Also, I only offer the police types to the white cape side of the house, so he won''t bump into any gray capes with a similar bike. I don¡¯t deal with black capes, because I like not getting robbed. The paperwork with the Network is nearly lethal itself¡±


    Solaris chuckled. ¡°Paperwork is how we know we are civilized. Definitely go with the blue, and maybe include a spot on the front to put the shield tonfa, so he can duck under it for cover.¡±


    "Ooooh, kind of a bracket to turn it into a windshield. I can do that and have the civilian windshield slide away. Nice touch. We can also add hard saddlebags for cargo storage, which he can pull off when he doesn''t need them." The Tailor said, waving his pen. He could see why Solaris was in his grand aunts VIP book. Money was great. A polite and creative client was a gem. "Oh, and it goes without saying, they get upgraded security to prevent theft."


    ¡°Our set just can¡¯t resist the urge to steal each other¡±s stuff.¡± Solaris admitted. ¡°I remember one time a dumb teenager decided to steal Toth¡¯s car.¡±


    "It¡¯s how you all keep score. That''s why we put trackers in them. And admittedly keep a few spares if we have to replace one." He shrugged. "It is what it is. We collect. I can have this ready at the same time as the other items. Now, was there something else you were interested in? Command vehicle, armored recreational vehicle, submarine? No, wait, that isn''t ready for the field yet, and the buyer got himself creamed but I can¡¯t stand to leave a project undone. But, other than that, what else?"


    ¡°Penny, do you need anything vehicle wise for your suit? I don¡¯t know what kinds of mobility systems you have planned for it. You mentioned a flight system you were getting here.¡±


    "Yeah, but it''s going to be short range. I honestly will have to finish the suit before I can think about transport solutions. I won''t know what I need till I''ve got it running and know for sure what it is. I''m in the art more than science stage of things."


    ¡°We will explore that later then.¡± Solaris said, ¡°I don¡¯t need a car of my own yet, so that should do vehicle wise for now. Oh, please add on a bike trailer. I almost forgot that.¡±


    "Oh, I had assumed." He chuckled. "Although, thinking, I may have a suggestion for you. It''s a bit avant guard." He moved over towards an ATV. "A Polaris, with all the whistles. This model has a second seat that can be easily removed, and considering it''s carry weight, would be suitable for some power armor to use, depending on the agility of suit and pilot. And with the features included here, this is street legal. It might not suit Ms. Ward, but it might very well suit Dreadful."


    "It looks like a baby jeep. Solaris giggled. It''s adorable! What are they normally used for, cause the naughty part of me wants one myself."


    "Well I can certainly get one in your preferred color tones as well. They''re popular with people who own large, rugged properties, hunters, nature wanderers who aren''t hikers. This is a street legal version, even, so technically it can be driven on the streets as well. Now, if you want a comparison to a jeep, I can show you that too." he chuckled.


    ¡°Shall we go see how the others are doing? I want to see what Granny Ruan gets put in.¡±


    "Oh, I think she''ll like it." the Tailor chuckled. "Right this way. Oh, coincidentally, while I don''t keep aircraft around, I do have techs who can do similar upgrades to aircraft if desired."


    "You look fantastic Grandma." They heard Marcus before they saw her.


    "Of course I do. Where do you think you get your good looks from. Not your grandfather. Face like an ax, but hands like a sculptor."


    "I didn''t need to know that."


    Mrs. Ruan was wearing a red ao dai, though not as tight as a younger woman¡¯s might be. Red, with gold accents and embroidery with full sleeves. Slits allowed the loose pants underneath to be seen when she moved, a slightly darker red. "And I could hide my Berretta in so many places." She nodded. approvingly


    "Not to mention all your knives." Solaris said with a smirk, she had no doubt the old soldier that was Granny Ruan, was the best armed person in any room she entered. "That red is perfect on you."


    "Bah, only two. Easy to hide in anything but a bikini." she wove off. "He had a green one I liked too. Apparently, he thought buttering up Granny was a good idea." She waved a finger at the man. "You don''t fool me. Clever man."


    "Ah, but is it working? Oh, and I had this arranged for." An assistant brought him a case and he opened it. "I of course have my people look into customers before they come. Common sense. I understand you prefer an older 92 series. This is a new 92xi in the Vietnam Tiger Stripe camouflage pattern, as they are producing a series of guns in classic camo patterns as homage to American military tradition. As this was also your own, I thought you might appreciate it. With four ten round magazines, as New York is a silly place with magazine limits."


    Solaris smiled at the slightly poleaxed look on Ruan''s face as she took the gun, cleared it, then sighted down it. "You know good guns. Maybe I send you cookies."


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget the over robe, good for cool weather, and protecting you in the case of a firefight or actual fire! the assistant said holding the soft cream-colored garment for her.¡±


    "Of course not." She slid it on, patting it. "I like being warm and protected. And armed. He is tricky Ms. Solaris. Do not trust him, but definitely do business with him!"


    "She is so like my grandmother, truly." The Tailor sighed. ¡°She says the exact same things.¡±

 Chapter 26, Let’s Go to Vegas

    Let¡¯s Go to Vegas


    One of the areas where people expect super-tech to have influenced that it hasn¡¯t is the transportation industry, particularly flying. While certain Breakthroughs have developed advanced technologies for getting into space and Catalysts have made some of that incomprehensible technology at least semi-understandable, the fact is such technology is slow to work into mundane, day to day travel.


    It isn¡¯t that there is no effect on the airline industry. Certain technology used by the TSA originated in UNLOC super-labs while several safety and efficiency technologies have made flying even safer than it already was. However, there¡¯s no real profit for super-techs to figure out how to make airline seats more comfortable, nor motivation for the airlines to treat them like anything more than flying buses.


    At the end of the day, super-powers are still often trumped by the all mighty dollar.


    Russel McFarland, ¡°Technology and the Age of Supers or Why So Few Flying Cars?¡±


    Solaris was kicked back on the couch watching some of the YouTubers Zakai had recommended when her phone rang, she hit the answer button without paying much attention ¡°Hello?¡±


    "Yes, hello. Is this Elizabeth Summers? I want to make sure I used the right number. Penny gave me a few of them."


    ¡°Yes,this is Miss Summers, who may I ask is calling?¡±


    "This is Louise Carpazo. I''m Lou Carpazo''s granddaughter and your accountant. Well, owner of the firm that does your accounting." she explained. "We''ve exchanged some emails."


    ¡°Ahh. It¡¯s a pleasure to hear your voice.¡± She sat up and set her iPad down. ¡°My bankers spoke well on how you¡¯ve taken care of me.¡±


    "That''s kind of them, seeing as we''ve argued almost constantly over every major decision." She laughed. "Though I suppose it¡¯s telling they¡¯ve also suggested me to customers. Which is why I''m calling. I have all the hard copies, including the gray accounts and some more detailed business data. I was wondering if we could arrange for you to come out here, and my staff can go over it with you. I kept the originals here in Vegas."


    ¡°That should be doable, Zakai is still working on the media schedule, so I¡¯m in a rather delightful lull. When do you want us to come out?¡±


    "As soon as you like. I''ve been getting it all put together and it should only take a day to go over it all. You can check out Las Vegas and really enjoy that lull."


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Penny and Tracy, so we get all the details straight, and I¡¯ll have an Itinerary sent over.  We should be able to be out in the next few days.¡±


    "Excellent. There''s lots of things you can do out here besides gamble. Rent a supercar, shoot machine guns, take in some shows. Though I suppose the second one you''ve done."


    ¡°I have, but it is fun.¡± She remembered pulling a destroyers 20mm orlicon off and using it like a Tommy gun. She had kept it as a souvenir, and wondered if it was another item that may have ended up in Kinnecott. She really needed to go to Alaska at some point. ¡°I look forward to seeing it.¡± She gave her fair wells and made her way down to Penny¡¯s office. ¡°Busy?¡± She asked.


    "Just ordering some things from a certain Tailor. He wholesales kevlar and carbon fiber sheeting. What''s up?"


    ¡°Louise reached out, she wants us to come to Vegas to go over the books. Since we are waiting for the suits and such, I figured we could fly out for a bit.¡±


    "Easy to do. There''s direct flights multiple times a day." Penny commented. "Want me to arrange it? And when do you want to leave?"


    ¡°Yes please. We don¡¯t really have anything going on and the media haven¡¯t found the house yet.¡±


    "And I prefer not to be here when they do." Penny admitted. "Though the boys wouldn''t have much to do in Vegas. Mrs. Ruan might like to go. She strikes me as the type."


    "To break a casino? Not since I was young." The Asian woman''s voice came as she walked into the room, smirking. "I heard you talking. I agree, the boys shouldn''t go to Sin City, but I would enjoy it. I suspect you''ll find yourselves needing someone not absorbed by other business from time to time."


    ¡°Alright then Penny, do you mind setting reservations for three? And can you email Tracy and let her know where we will be?¡±


    "Oh, has to be Ceasars Palace." She chuckled. "I''ll give her a heads up. We should be able to get a suite big enough for a meeting. Just checking, you don''t want a private pool or poker table do you.'' She chuckled.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need anything crazy. I just want us all to be comfortable.¡±


    Penny glanced at the older woman. "Wait till she gets a hold of the shopping opportunities."


    ¡°Oh yes, lots of shopping, we will do crazy spa day too. Vegas has good, crazy spas.¡±


    "Oh, hell yeah they do. And shows. We''ll have to see what''s playing right now."


    Solaris smiled leaving them to the planning while she went to figure out what to wear for the flight.


    Solaris found Mrs. Ruan and Penny lounging in the living room next to the luggage. Mrs. Ruan was wearing a jogging suit, while Penny wore jeans and a Coast Guard T-shirt. Both looked up and were as shocked as her. "What are you wearing?" Penny asked.


    ¡°I was going to ask the same?¡± Solaris said. She has chosen a beautiful gold and cream knit dress with cap sleeves and a pretty set of cream kitten heels, ¡°Why are you dressed so¡­casually?¡±


    "We''re going to be on the plane for like, four to five hours I think. Don''t you want to be comfortable?"


    Nahoa, who had been collecting a couple more bags to take to the truck chuckled. "You''re both dressed exactly right for flying on an airplane. It''s just Ms. Summers dressed for her time, not now. Flying used to be an event, and people would wear suits and ties." He looked at Solaris. "Now it''s more like how taking a short train trip might have been for you?"


    "Yeah, if you''re traveling in the cattle car." Marcus commented, carrying another bag.


    Solaris looked at them confusion plain on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, it¡¯s flying, it is an event, a chance to relax and let the stewardesses take care of you with a fine meal and wine?¡±


    "Fine meal? I mean, wine, yeah, but meal? I mean, we¡¯re first class, so it¡¯ll be pretty decent, probably."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Aircraft were lower and slower then. They had actual galleys, and mouths weren''t as dry." The big man said. " I mean First Class is still good food, but it''s not quite the fancy event you remember, ma''am. Not unless you''re flying premium intercontinental. Even then, most carriers in the US are basically flying buses with meals, if you''re paying for that."


    "We are."


    "Oh lord, just promise not to throw anyone into orbit when we hit security." Mrs. Ruan said with a smile.


    ¡°Why would I do that to someone doing their job? I am not a, what was the word, a Karen.¡±


    "Go get into something a bit more comfortable. And wear slip on shoes. And socks." Penny instructed. "We''ll deal with the next step when it comes."


    Solaris wasn¡¯t happy, but you didn¡¯t hire people and ignore their advice. She changed into jeans with a blue and white t-shirt and a pair of ankle boots ¡°Is this better?¡±


    "Sure. Looks good." She let the boots slide. Her boss would learn. "The trucks all loaded, lets head out."


    One Hour Later:


    Penny stood, watching Solaris as the other woman eyed all the security, scanning equipment, dogs, and chaos that was JFK. They were just getting to the front of the security line.


    ¡°This is certainly more crowded than any airport I¡¯ve been in. I see why you wanted to leave so early. Why are there so many security checks? Are stowaways a problem?¡±


    "No. Oh man, we''ve not talked about recent history much." She sighed. "Let¡¯s just say people got stupid and everyone gets to pay for it."


    "Next! Please take off your shoes, and put any metal, electronics, and your shoes in these bins."


    ¡°My shoes? She looked around and saw the man wasn¡¯t joking. Looking at the floor she shuddered, then floated up a little and took off her shoes. She dreaded thinking about how dirty the floor must be. She opened her purse and set her iPad and phone in the bin.


    ¡°Do I take my jewelry off?¡± she asked Penny.


    "Yes. Put it back on when we get through the metal detector." She said, almost choking, when a teenaged girl a few stalls down said "Why didn''t I think of that!" And started hovering herself, to her mother¡¯s embarrassment.


    Solaris took off her watch, necklace and earrings, placing them in the bin. ¡°Penny I¡¯ve gone though less security visiting super villains and military laboratories.¡± she said appalled, as she followed them though the white gate.


    "Not anymore." Penny muttered, having already filled a couple of bins. "I''ll explain when we get to the lounge. We do have a first-class lounge at least."


    Mrs. Ruan had, strangely, gone through a different line, and was waiting for them on the other side, muttering in several languages. "Stupid metal detectors. Stupid Transit Authority."


    They packed back up ignoring a very pained TSA supervisor as they did. Reaching the first-class lounge near their flight, Penny sighed. "Where do I start."


    "Communism." Mrs. Ruan suggested.


    ¡°Oh hell, of course Communism finds a way to muck up the fun of flying.¡± Solaris growled.


    "Okay, not completely, but it kind of started that way. This didn''t all happen at once, though it kind of felt like it." Penny said. "See, back in the fifties and sixties, nut jobs would sneak weapons or a bomb, or just claim to, onto an airliner and demand they take them to Cuba, which by that point was Communist."


    "At the time, the airlines kind of just went with it, as the police and feds were concerned with trying to take a hijacker down with the bystanders around. The US usually just contacted Cuba, warned them the plane was coming, and they let it land and arrested the idiot. Then sent the plane back after maybe a day or two, giving the passengers a harrowing flight but lovely stay in Havannah."


    "Then fanatics got involved, particularly religious extremists. Middle Eastern groups mostly, claiming opposition to Israel or some other slight, started claiming God demanded action and started bombing airliners. Thus, security started to increase. Then came September Eleventh."


    ¡°I can hear the capitals when you say that. Solaris said as they sat down to wait for the plane.


    "On September Eleventh, 2001 four groups of terrorists working in unison seized control of four airliners. On that morning, Two crashed into the World Trade Center, what used to be the tallest buildings in New York. One crashed into the Pentagon and the last, the passengers found out what had happened with the other three and attacked the hijackers, causing the plane to crash in an empty field. Two months later the Global War on Terror, and the war in Afghanistan, started. I was an infant."


    "I was still running the family restaurant." Mrs. Ruan said. "I have seen horrors in my life, but never had I seen Americans so wounded. The fall of Saigon is the only day with as much terror for me, but the anger and rage that came after, that is something that seems very American. The comparison to Pearl Harbor was made, and you saw how that ended."


    ¡°Oh my. ¡°Solaris sat quietly letting that settle. She remembered the London bombings, and the kamikaze pilots of Japan, she remembered the American reaction to Pearl. One hundred and fifty million Americans unifying under one tragedy to march to war. ¡°So, all these security measures are a response to that. I can understand needing to protect your people, giving them security to heal from the wounds of war.¡±


    "New topic." Penny said. "Shows. I already booked a Cirque and Penn and Teller." she said, pulling out her tablet. "So, is there anything else we definitely want to see?"


    Solaris looked at her tablet. ¡°Mmm, there is a Sinatra show! We should do that one!¡±


    "Sinatra is good. And classic Vegas. I figured we''d skip Elvis this time, since I''m sure we''re going to be back out here from time to time so you might as well learn who that is first."


    ¡°BattleBots? That sounds fun, but we don¡¯t want to overbook, we will want time to relax and explore.¡±


    "And shop."


    "And to gamble."


    "Caesars Palace was damn near built for you, or at least the shops there were."


    ¡°I am eager to see it. The boys went to Vegas once but I was busy with the tank girls, I think the only casino was the Flamingo, though the pictures of it were amazing.¡±


    "The Flamingo is still here. It''s the only one safe from being replaced. We could go gamble there, walk the same terrain, since we all know a bunch of enlisted guys went and gambled." Penny said


    ¡°That could be fun, a bit of old Vegas and the new. I can¡¯t believe how quickly you were able to get flights. I didn¡¯t even have time to read up on Vegas.¡±


    "There''s like, a dozen or more flights to Vegas a day going out of New York. It''s dead easy to get a flight there. Also, you''re used to aircraft that carry thirty or forty people. The Airbus we''re taking seats over a hundred, I think. And to be fair, it''s only a midsized airliner. That 767 can fit well over four hundred, though those are usually long-haul flights like to Europe or Asia."


    ¡°That is pretty amazing, but that must be a lot of work for the stewardesses. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d like to be on a plane with that many people considering how much people drink while flying.¡±


    "Actually, those planes have crew berths on board, so the crew, including pilots, can sleep on the way while others take over. Also, their crews are pretty big."


    "And only a small amount of it is first class, meaning getting a lot of attention."


    ¡°I am getting more and more apprehensions about this flight.¡± She looked up as someone called their flight to board.


    "We''re in preliminary boarding. Off we go." Penny said, leading the way to the jetway, handing over the tickets and leading the other ladies on board.


    Six hours and a loss of faith in the future later they got off the plane. ¡°My lord, that was not the flying I knew. The only pleasant things were the stewardesses and the wine! I¡¯d have been better off in my F3F, and that¡¯s a one seat biplane!¡±


    "The Bloody Marys helped." Mrs. Ruan added, slightly tipsy.


    "Yeah, well, it''s what you do unless you''re going to charter a flight or own your own plane." Penny shrugged.


    ¡°Do we have to deal with all that¡­. madness if we own or charter a plane, because heaven¡¯s mercy that was not something I¡¯m doing again!¡±


    "No, other than customs we can do what we want with our own plane. Charters are somewhere between the two, but not as secured. Of course, charter would get more expensive than owning, especially if we follow through with getting people pilots licenses like we talked about."


    ¡°I will buy a plane, I probably will need one anyway once Zakai gets busy with the PR. Then I¡¯ll be spared dealing with pushy people and materials that are allegedly food.¡±


    "Right... I''ll look into that." Penny promised. "Though I admit, I liked the idea of sailing to England or Europe over flying."


    Solaris nodded ¡°I see no reason not to keep that plan.¡±  The blonde woman took a long centering breath and looked around. ¡°There are slot machines in the airport. You can lose your taxi money before you even get out of the airport!¡±


    "Yeah, and the clocks are made by Rolex. God, this is so Vegas already." Penny laughed, leading the way to claim their luggage, itself a struggle as Mrs. Ruans suitcase had been damaged in transit, something the airline took no responsibility for. "Well, guess I''m buying a suitcase here." The old woman muttered as they headed towards the door, and their shuttle to Ceasars Palace.


    ¡°I cannot believe I just got off a flight and I still need a drink.¡±  She watched as the luggage was loaded and climbed on the brightly decorated bus. ¡°Is there somewhere good to eat at the hotel? I¡¯m starving. Once we get settled in, I want to find a good meal.¡±


    Mrs. Ruan chirped "Ohh! Hell¡¯s Kitchen! We should eat there!"


    ¡°Aright. Well sounds like Granny has that sorted out. Solaris laughed. ¡°Dare I ask what kind of food it has?¡± With a name like Hell¡¯s Kitchen she had no idea what to expect.

 Chapter 27, Bugsy’s Town

    Bugsy¡¯s Town


    La Costa Nostra, the classic Italian mafia, is rather infamous for staying out of the super community as much as they can. Partially, this is possibly just due to the families more conservative nature and partially, this is due to watching what Enhanced types did to other groups.


    Unfortunately, the South American Cartels have not followed that pattern. In fact, they are one of the organizations pumping money into illegal research to create their own Enhanced super-criminals. This is in spite of the fact that they regularly have to fend off their own creations attempting to take over their markets and organizations.


    This is further complicated by the Cartels complete disregard for any traditions regarding cape culture, which has led to a rumored ¡°Special Relationship¡± between Supers and Cartels. Short meaning, Heros and ¡®respected¡¯ villains aren¡¯t held to the same standards when fighting against the Cartels as they would be in other places. The term Red Cape is reserved for complete psychopaths, like Chimera, and frequently Enhanced connected to the cartels.


    Andrew Fitzgerald, ¡°Analysis of Public Service and the Heroic Age.¡±


    After a rather fraught, if entertaining, ride through early evening in Las Vegas, and a fine dinner of beef wellington and smoked salmon, they were lounging in the hotel room when there was a knock on the door. Penny answered, and Louise Carpazo entered the room with a briefcase.


    Dressed business casual, she wore a sports jacket over a silk shirt and skinny jeans, all of which were obviously expensive, with high heeled boots. "I''d have tried to wait to eat with you, but I know what the strip is like at night. It''s good to meet you, Ms. Summers, Ms. Ward, and you Mrs. Ruan."


    Solaris stood and shook her hand, ¡°It is lovely to meet you as well, Mis Carpazo. Please take a seat, make yourself comfortable, it¡¯s not like this is still regular business hours¡±


    "No, I suppose not, but for the high rollers, or other types of big clients, you make time. Especially ones with your storied history with my family." She smiled as she sat. "I know you were given the short form explanations of your finances at this point, and have had a chance to look at them?"


    ¡°Yes, I was quite pleased with the state of the portfolio, though I admit I¡¯ve been dealing with my business concerns bit by bit. There are a lot of odds and ends after almost a century.


    "Yes, and I admit, I''d like to trim some of them." The accountant admitted. "If something became a problem for your portfolio or holdings both your bankers and I were draconian in cutting off the dregs, but you have a few investments that, while profitable and technically of value, just aren''t performing how I think they should and don''t quite fit in with the rest of your portfolio."


    "Then there''s your real estate holdings, sorry as they are. I didn''t include the accounts for the sale or lease of properties, those funds are sitting in long term, low risk investments. I almost sold the Hamptons property but wasn''t certain you''d want to give that up and even the empty ground is valuable.¡±


    ¡°With the lovey home I¡¯ve been setting up in Islip if we can turn a profit, I¡¯m fine with selling off the Hampton property. If I remember correctly, it was a decent plot of seafront land. I don¡¯t really need a permanent vacation home there now.


    "St. Nicks, which technically does business as Kennecott Science and Technology Center, or KSTC, is still very active and called St. Nicks by those who know it. They are heavily involved in several universities. Frankly, your biggest issue is you are losing massive amounts of money to taxes each year due to not having enough to claim counter to your income. A nice problem to have, but one that irritates your accountant."


    Solaris nodded, ¡°Well I can start increasing my charitable donations to help balance those out. I already am working on an event with the MLB. And I am sure I will find other causes to patron.¡±


    "We can also set you up a HSA and 401 K... and you have salaries going out from your personal corporation, the shell company I set up, which includes all of the staffs payroll, health coverage and 401k deposits. You''re very giving. And yes, I already set up the medical and dental, I''ll bring the paperwork for everyone after you know if you''re doing any new hires here."


    ¡°Thank you for handling that. I was rather getting lost. ¡°


    "I do this a lot. I''m not just an accountant. I''ve taken our services into assisting with both personal finance and business set up for small and midsized businesses.¡±


    "Your estate has a law firm on retainer, they have offices in New York, London, and Chicago with relationships with practices around the country. Just seemed a good idea to have."


    "Penny, can you forward that information to Tracy". She got her phone out, Penny and Granny did the same taking the number down. ¡°How much have they had to deal with, While I was away."


    "Fairly standard attempts by different corporate entities to get control of stock or other resources. Nothing that was even remotely successful. I don''t think any made it to court." She replied. "Some copyright claim stuff, when media sources attempted to use you without your estates permission."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Well, that is good, I rather shudder to think of some of the things people would want to do with my image. That was bad enough back in my time, now with as fast as everything is it would be so much worse."


    The accountant sighed. "That¡¯s the side show, though. For what is important we can talk about tomorrow in detail. I''ll send a car around to take you to my offices so we can go over the books in detail, then you''ll know everything. After that we can start making plans for where you want to move financially going forward. Right now, you could just enjoy your existing passive income, but I suspect that''s not what you want to do."


    "No. It isn''t. The truth is I have no idea how long I will live; I haven''t physically changed since my enhancement and I''d rather live comfortably than not. Also, my parents raised me to be productive. They would roll in their graves if I just became a wastrel."


    "While one would argue your record suggests you don''t really need to justify yourself any further if you don''t want to, I understand the goal. But no hurry, time can be taken to figure out the best plan for you and what you desire to achieve."


    "I am looking forward to working with you. Your grandfather was amazing, and it looks like you have the same spark he did. It makes me happy to know the same family has taken care of me all these years.


    "Well, I won''t pretend mistakes weren''t made, but all in all, your fortunes have been well cared for. Real estate aside." She chuckled.


    ¡°That sounds like a lot of flukes, usually land is the best of long-term investments. I don''t know if it helps but I¡¯m going to be investing quite a bit in restoring the Summer House in England. My PR person is looking at setting up a bunch of influencers to do the work.¡±


    "Yes, but are you planning on living there, or using it as an income property. It would be fantastic as a sight for filming, or for events."


    ¡°I plan to keep my room there private, but I am going to use the rest of the property as an income property, I''m also researching how to make the fields more profitable.¡±


    "Always good, but you''re more of an urban, world traveler sort from what I was always told."


    "I like my privacy every now and then, but for the most part you are right. I travel then I come back to one of my nests to relax until I get to fidgety then I travel again."


    "I would make a joke about buying a private island, but you might just do it." She said with a smile. "Well either way, here''s what I wanted to bring you here." She pulled a file case out of her shoulder bag. "Details on the grey account. It''s taxed honestly, handled directly by one of my staff under my supervision."


    Solaris took the file, interested in seeing what Louise and her family had done. "This is the account the personal monies come from, right?"


    "That is the account that is attached to your ''corporate'' account." She said. "The Super Account, as I tend to think of it."


    "Ahh all the odd little expenses heroing can create."


    "And ironically, it''s filled with real estate." She chuckled. "A couple of warehouses, investments in a few hotels, some small homes that are rented as Airbnbs." She explained. "That, and several offshore investments, essentially serve as passive income for these accounts, and separate from your other more well known business activities. It¡¯s also where the ''undisclosed settlements'' for certain uses of Solaris in media has ended up going. NDA''s are fantastic that way."


    Warehouses. Solaris closed her eyes trying to remember something. "Warehouses. I was going. Oh. What happened to the warehouse in Hong Kong? I have seen on the news China took it back from Brittan and I was curious what happened?


    "Oh... OH, that is a major bit of real estate you own, though it''s a bit strange." she admitted. "My father negotiated that deal right before I took over. The property was technically sold, but you retained a partial ownership in the building that went up as part of the deal, in the form of four floors, which is a significant amount. One floor is a museum of unusual artifacts, I''ve visited, and I don''t know why you had that many mummies, two floors are leased out to offices, and one floor is currently vacant, though until recently it was also offices. The business in question folded."


    ¡°My grandfather bought the land and had the warehouse built not long after Brittan leased Hong Kong. He was gambling on it being a major shipping hub and using it as a place to hide his artifacts from Grandma. She thought collecting dead people¡¯s things was creepy and refused to let it in the house.¡±


    "Oh really?¡± Louise said leaning forward.


    Solaris chuckled. "Father told me about the time Grandpa tried to hold a Mummy unwrapping party at the house, Grandma was so mad she had a maid bring her a broom so she could beat grandfather and his guests with it. She didn''t let up till he took the mummy out of the house, then hired a spiritualist to cleanse the property. Father said that Grandma refused for years to go into that parlor."


    "She says things like that, and it just blows my mind to realize she doesn''t know." Penny admitted. Meanwhile Grandmother Ruan was pulling up something on her iPad and showed it to Solaris. "This is Hong Kong today."


    She looked down at the phone. "Oh my... it''s like Manhattan!"


    "It might be bigger in a way. Its population is desperate for space and building up in a way that even Manahatan doesn''t match. And it was returned to China as treaty demanded, and turned into a special economic zone so the communist regime can pretend they aren''t as capitalist as everyone knows they are. Chinese Style Communism involves a surprising number of new millionaires over the last couple of decades."


    Solaris rolled her eyes. "Of course it does. Well, it''s good to know that even if the warehouse is gone some of Grandpa''s legacy is still around, along with whatever bits of antiquity he hid there.¡±


    "Lots of minor mummies, odd items from all over the world. Nothing earth shattering or really priceless but interesting. They charge enough to maintain the staff and items."


    "That is useful. Perhaps we will add to it when we go through the attic at home. I wonder how much of my stuff has ended or will end up in museums, you should have seen the MLB people when they saw my collection. "


    "Your plane from the war is in a museum, I know that." Louise said, thinking. "As is a couple of your earlier heroic uniforms. One each in the UK and the US."


    Solaris shook her head. "It¡¯s still so odd thinking about it," All those things are only a few years old to her, but antique to the rest of the world. "Anything else major or is the rest to be handled tomorrow."


    "We are good, this was just a quick face to face and some highlights. Tomorrow is going to be dull drudgery, but we should get through it in the morning and maybe bit of afternoon. Then you can enjoy Vegas. We can meet again later to talk over plans you want to start working on.¡±


    "I look forward to it. Once we are done sorting that out am going to purchase a plane whil. Either that or we are taking a train back to New York.


    "I''ll look into the plane purchase immediately." Penny said. "I don''t even know if trains do that anymore. Do they?"


    "Yeah, but it''s not real efficient." Louise said shaking her head.


    "I don''t care, the future has ruined the joy of flying. "


    "Lord, that must have been a bad flight."


    "Only if you¡¯re use to how flights where in the forties and fifties.

 Chapter 28, Economy of Scale

    Economy of Scale


    One of the most distinctive of ¡®Gray Cape¡± jobs is to work as a courier. This is distinct from being a normal delivery man, or even bicycle messenger, as well as not a flattering term for a drug mule.


    Couriers agree to deliver messages, items or goods, with limitations varying from courier to courier. The only universal trait is that the courier does not care what is in the package they deliver.


    They also will require that it be in a sealed container of some sort, and almost universally expect to have no access to the interior themselves. There is also an understanding that the courier will make damn certain your package gets to where its going, baring interference from legal agencies. Its also understood that setting a courier up to get burnt is a quick way to never hire a courier again, or a courier bringing you a bomb instead of the nifty toy you ordered from a Toymaker.


    Bite one courier, they all tend to bite you.


    Phantastic, in ¡°My life as a Tailor.¡±


    The next morning saw Penny and Solaris met by a Lincoln Navigator that drove them to the large, active offices of the accounting firm. Hours of drudgery, during which time Penny shopped online for an airplane, popping outside to make calls inquiring about them, finally ended around lunchtime.


    "If it¡¯s any consolation, that went faster than I thought it would." Louise said


    "It is what it is, there isn''t as much as I thought there would be considering 70 years. How often do you think we should meet face to face?¡±


    "Maybe quarterly, though it won''t need to be a deep dive like this. This will only happen maybe once a year? I can come to you for the quarterly meetings, you here for the annual."


    "That works and will give me a chance to try out more of these hotels. the buildings here are amazing, like dozens of world fairs lined up, side by side"


    "Yes, but the hustle and bustle needs the occasional escape." The accountant opened a door, pulling out a golf bag filled with clubs. "Calloway Ladies, right-handed as I hope I remembered correctly. I figure any kit you have left is likely a bit to old to play."


    "I Haven''t gotten to go golfing yet." Solaris said her eyes bright. She pulled one of the modern clubs out, "Oh, the balance in these is a bit different. These are like clubs for aliens! I can''t wait to try them out!"


    "I think you''ll like them, and Caeser¡¯s Palace can get you a Tee time at a local club. Just talk to the concierge." She suggested. "I''m not sure if Penny or Mrs. Ruan golfs."


    "I''m willing to give it a try." Penny shrugged. "Meaning I''ll suck, but I think someone told me once that was the point of Golf."Stolen novel; please report.


    "It¡¯s how I trained to control my strength early on. In the end it''s a nice day of walking in a park with friends.¡± Solaris said, pulling out the putter to try out. "Do you golf Louise?"


    "I do. Let me know when you set the time, and I''ll bring my sister along. She''s a real estate agent and has a pretty flexible schedule."


    "A foursome, Perfect. I''ll text you the Tee time when would be good for you?"


    "You''re here past Saturday, right? Let''s say then. There should still be times open this early, and it gives you time to take Penny to get clubs."


    "A good plan." Solaris said shaking her hand. "Thank you very much for the clubs."


    " Fair warning, those are only a step under what the pros use. The only way past is up."


    ¡°I wonder if we can get clubs at Cesare''s Palace.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, but I''m sure we can find somewhere if not there."


    They left, sitting back in the navigator as it drove them towards the hotel, though neither could truly relax as the driver kept having to steer around other drivers. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d live to see worse than New York drivers.¡± Penny muttered.


    ¡°Oh, London was bad even in my time. I doubt it¡¯s improved.¡± Solaris grumbled. ¡°Speaking of transportation, are you having any luck looking into a private aircraft?¡±


    ¡°Some. I did some research, and I have a general range of models in mind. I¡¯m avoiding new because, even though you can afford the best I am getting a real New Car depreciation vibe, along with reading about how often FAA has some major system update or repair they need within a couple of years. I¡¯m looking at older, established planes that have all the bugs worked out and the value drop gone but are still nice. There¡¯s a lot out there if you hunt. I just am not sure if they¡¯ll be in Vegas.¡±


    ¡°We can always offer to pay the owner to fly out to show it to us, I suppose.¡± Solaris mused.


    ¡°I was thinking of hiring an agent to go look at the plane, give me their opinion, then fly it in to have techs crawl over it for a couple of days. Then we know we¡¯ve got something steady. I already did research and found out you can set up an account with some crew hiring firms and they¡¯ll get you short- or long-term staff, based on need. I was figuring get someone short term and look into hiring after we go ahead and have the thing gone over tip to tail back home.¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea. The Toymaker can likely line us up with some very interesting techs.¡±


    ¡°Exactly what I was thinking. Anti-missile countermeasures sound like a great investment.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Marcus and Nahoa watched the delivery men, wearing the name of a delivery service so bland that Marcus strongly doubted it was real, as they removed several large crates from their delivery truck, as well as a couple of dozen boxes and pelican cases. ¡°Are either of you authorized to sign for deliveries?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± Nahoa said, looking at the invoice which listed the boxes by the numbers on their side. Shrugging, he signed, taking a copy of the receipt. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    He watched the truck leave, the engine roaring way louder than he expected, but then if the truck wasn¡¯t armored, he¡¯d eat his shoe. ¡°So, the Boss¡¯s Toymaker delivers.¡±


    ¡°I figured.¡± Marcus said, picking up a stack of the boxes, ignoring Nahoa as he lifted two, one stack under each arm. They carried them in, ignoring the crates since neither had any idea what would be in them, and set the boxes down.


    ¡°These are labeled with our names.¡± Nahoa said, handing one of the boxes to Marcus who opened it. Inside was a white t-shirt and shorts, though the cloth they were made out of sure as hell wasn¡¯t cotton. ¡°This is the under armor.¡±


    ¡°For you. This is one of my ¡®working¡¯ outfits.¡± Nahoa said, holding up a white sports jacket. ¡°The rest are likely the spiffy things.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave it alone till Penny and Elizabeth get back.¡± Marcus said, sighing. If we play with too much of it now, we¡¯ll get our asses kicked.¡±


    ¡°True. But what is this? It¡¯s labeled differently than the others, and I don¡¯t think it was on the invoice. I missed it because it was with the other boxes.¡±


    They opened it, to find a woman¡¯s corset and body suit, along with a gun with glowing gems on the side.


    ¡°Oh hell. This is going to be a problem, isn¡¯t it.¡±

 Chapter 29, Hiring fair

    Hiring Fair


    The Enhanced Student Educational Academies, or ESEA system was created due to several accidents in the sixties and seventies when younger persons expressed as Enhanced. In spite of fears of these being a first step in a containment plan on all enhanced, they were some one of the better run government programs for young people.


    This was fortunate, as families who needed their help were predominantly families that would have needed other help. Often, the imbalances in the students lives caused the emotional control issues that caused powers to flare. The academies have a nearly ninety-seven percent success rate, with only the worst cases needing long term housing in specialized facilities. This is despite how often families effectively abandoned their student to the system permanently.


    Unfortunately, due to the distance the academies were built from large communities, being rural for security and safety, this led to our students being unfamiliar with large groups of peers and anxious in large social groups. Far from a major difficulty to overcome, it does cause the students to have challenges finding employment right out of school. That is why we are scheduling this Job Fair.


    Headmistress Lillian Bradley, Director of the California ESEA facility.


    Getting back to the hotel Penny called the dean of the school in the area, leaving the room for a short conversation before coming back. "Do we want to go there, or they come here. I''m getting a certain ¡®She wants to hire students? I got lots of students!¡¯ Vibe going here."


    "We can go to them, it seems more polite, and I would like to see the school. I am curious about it. You said that these will be high school graduates or college graduates?"


    "All of them will be high school grads, and many will have completed some sort of college or trade school. I mentioned a cook or chef and it seems they have a girl who has finished culinary school, but has an issue with crowds, which he said was ironic?"


    ¡°I am glad to know they aren¡¯t going to try to saddle us with unskilled youngsters.¡±


    "No. The academies tend to be split between the pre-high school groups and the high school through college crowd. This is a teen school, which includes up to about 22 to 24 students. After that they kind of have to move on.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense eventually even if it is hard you have to leave the nest. We will meet there, when is the dean wanting to meet with us?¡±


    "He said tomorrow would be great. he gave me the directions so I''m going to get a rental car. It''s just a bit out of town, in the grand scheme of things."


    The next morning the three of them, Granny a bit hung over but snickering about blackjack dealers, piled into a mini-van and drove out of the city. Solaris looked out into the desert she¡¯d expected to be here when they landed as they drove to the west.


    The location wasn''t in any incorporated area, and took about an hour to drive to, but when they did arrive it looked a lot like coming up on a ranch, though no animals were in sight. It looked from the road like a large main house and several barns, though as they got closer it became obvious the barns were more than they seemed.


    The gate had a fairly advanced speaker box, camera and a very heavy gate between them and the interior. "Well this is pretty secure, though It fits the landscape well." Solaris said as Penny opened the window.


    "Hello, Elizabeth Summers to see the Dean." she said into the speaker.


    "They did put this a ways away from civilization didn''t they." the blonde added


    "Rather intentionally." Penny admitted.


    "She''s right about that." A young man¡¯s voice said, as he shimmered into view near the car, holding a device of some form. "Sorry, we have to be careful. There''s plenty who would love to kidnap a few powered kids for one reason or another."


    Solaris nodded. "I do understand, I dealt with more than enough of that a couple, um, of times a while ago.¡± She corrected herself.


    "You''re clean, go ahead in." The gate opened. "Just pull up to the front of the house, I think the Dean is planning to give you a tour."


    "Thank you."      Solaris said as they pulled through the gate.  "Well, this is already looking like an interesting place."  she said thoughtfully.


    "I''ve never been to one, but I know the staff is usually also mostly Enhanced, though usually retired or never active hero types." Penny said. "I also know they are almost all like this, rural and usually with an airstrip on site in case they need to move a kid quietly for some reason. The US has twenty of them, total."


    The van pulled up to the front, and a man came out to greet them. He was a handsome man, with weathered skin distinct of a man who spent a lot of time out in the field. "It''s not often we get visitors out here. Especially ones with such noted reputations." He offered his hand to shake.


    Solaris shook his hand. "Ms. Ward told me about your school, and I am intrigued, and more than happy to help someone get their start. I hope you will have time to show me around."


    "Absolutely. Please, come in." he led them into the house, which did appear to be a house. "I am sure that Lieutenant Ward has told you we have to be a bit covert." He said as he led them through the home, into a conventional dining room and kitchen, towards the back of the house.


    "Yes, I can understand why.¡±


    "I suppose you can. Less common these days, but just as ugly." he opened a closet door, to reveal an elevator, the door opening and him stepping in, "If you would."


    Solaris stepped in, Penny and Granny following her. "I was surprised you could see us so quickly. I expected to wait a day or two since I came to Vegas a bit unexpectedly."


    "I''ve been eager to meet you since she contacted me before you came out, though today just worked out well. The younger kids are on a couple of field trips. Rockhounding for some, nuclear museum for others though they got redirected to something else because of an unexpected closure. A burst pipe, I think they said."


    He let the door open, and led them into a rather complete, and pleasantly decorated, underground facility leading them through. "The kids live in these pods, well, bunkers really. The younger kids share a room with a roommate, while teachers live in bedrooms attached to their group of rooms, kind of a dorm set up."


    "They have a common area here, and each pod is set up the same. Through here is a garage, we use for teaching as well as for the busses. This is the older students, so they are putting together a Just Aircraft Highlander LSA as a project. We start the younger kids on small motors, then bikes, the next get to work on a hot rod to learn cars, and the next oldest group do a big project, a complete kit car, a kit aircraft, or a boat, though we always question wanting to do a boat in Nevada."


    ¡°I approve of a practical education. Theory is great but you don¡¯t really know anything until you have boots on the ground and a bit of dirt or blood on your hands. Nursing.¡± Solaris added when he looked confused.


    He nodded "Most of the kids are competent amature mechanics  by the time they leave. Just seems like a good way to teach them and good skills to have. We use the cars they build on a track in the back. Its how we teach them to drive."


    ¡°Though we tend to teach somewhat aggressive driving skills.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t judge. We had a group of Japanese teen girls flying mini-airplanes around a golfcourse in my day.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "That''s why we let them do this. Two of the girls you knew helped found the governing organization that sets up and runs these schools. That''s why we offer things like this to the kids, though one class in colorado built a tank, not sure how they got that through."


    ¡°Tanks are fun.¡± Solaris said lighting up to hear that some of her girls had done well. ¡°I have a small collection of my own, somewhere or other. Does your school have a speciality?¡±


    "You mean whats our focus? Aside from standard High School Diplomas, because we can spend so much time with individuals unlike other schools we offer the kids an additional educational track. By the time they graduate a lot of the kids are good with coding, mechanics obviously, and more than a few get their pilots license, private or light sport. Welders and art students galore, too."


    "Then there''s the college crew. This being vegas we have a lot of kids get Hospitality related degrees. We bus those kids to the city so they can go to several college options in Las Vegas, even if they are still living here.¡±


    "Then we have a few kids go for tech schools. We have a couple who are certified mechanics, and one idiot went and got a gaming management certificate. Three guesses who is a heightened intelligence with advanced math skills."


    ¡°Ahh brains, the bane of casinos.¡± She chuckled. ¡°What I am looking for, or curious about is a cook, a gardener and possibly a mechanic and pilot. Someone who might be able to wrangle so called ¡®influencers¡¯ for me too, though I don¡¯t know what that job would be called. It may morph into a management and marketing job for my family estate.¡±


    He blinked, then thought about it. "I actually do have one older student who just finished their BA in business admin focused on marketing. That would be Embrace Groves, and as for a chef I already knew about, Anzhela Morozov, we call her Anzy, with the Z."


    "I don''t have a Gardner, technically, but if you don''t mind someone a bit unusual, something a little better."


    ¡°I am willing to listen, my whole life has been unusual.¡±


    "She''s originally from malaysia. her powers expressed very young, plant manipulator. Mercedes binti Qais. She also sometimes expresses plant like traits."


    "As an odd note, Anzy is one of the better mechanics too, though only amature. Our pro students are Erica Jackson or Levi Henderson. They both got certifications, ADE and such."


    ¡°I am willing to talk to them. Most positions will require a certain amount of travel, and my primary residence right now is in New York. I do tend to travel, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s start with Anzy.¡± He said. "She''ll likely be in the kitchen in the central pod, so come this way." He led them through a tunnel, to another pod, with a different layout. They heard music playing in the background, the girls voice singing along in a slavic language. "Ansy is an expat from Ukraine, technically Crimea, though she''s been here since childhood and is fully naturalized as a citizen."


    They walked into the room, and five pretty, dark haired girls were dancing along with the music, one stirring a pot, one chopping veggies, another working on a dough, with the last two carefully breaking down chickens which were presumably for dinner later in the day.


    ¡°Hello Anzy,¡± Solaris said in a gentle voice not wanting to startle the girls working with knives. He didn¡¯t mention they had sisters, and she was curious which she was hiring.


    "Huh?" Two of the girls looked up, then said "Hello!" Causing the other three to look up. "Oh, Hello!" They then proceeded to start asking questions before realizing they were all talking at once. They stopped, stared at eachother, and with a "pop" they united into one person, holding the two knives from the chicken, which she set down before washing her hands. "Sorry, Are you the woman who was wanting to hire a personal chef? The Dean mentioned you to me. And you look very familiar for some reason."


    A duplicator, that did make more sense. ¡°I am. You probably saw me in a history book. My name is Elizabeth Summers, but most people know me as Solaris. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Anzy. That is a heck of an ability for a cook.¡±


    "Oh, the Multi-me thing? Yeah, it''s helpful. I at least we know we all remember the recipes. Well, maybe not four. She gets distracted. But I digress. Solaris? Yeah, I wrote a report on you in my junior year. Wow! And you need a Chef?"


    "She has five people¡¯s lungs, I think she did not breath through all of that." Grandma Ruan joked quietly.


    ¡°Yes I do, I cannot cook and I have been banned from my kitchen. Granny and takeout have kept us fed but I¡¯d much rather have someone to do the job.¡±


    "I won''t judge. The Dean can''t cook either."


    "My skills are limited to ramen and coffee." he admitted


    "I suppose you want to do an interview? Or would you like to taste something? both? Probably both."


    ¡°I would like to taste your food, and I do have some questions. Are you okay with relocating and traveling? I live in New York right now. And we are putting in a boat house for the chef we hire to occupy. Do you get seasick? And how do you see working as a private chef?¡±


    With a series of pops, the girl split into five, with one of her running off. Another stepped around the counter "Actually, let''s go sit in the dining room, and I''ll cook while we talk." She suggested with a smile, gesturing towards the tables in the other room. "And no, I don''t mind traveling, and I''ve kind of always wanted to go to New York City."


    That is good. I also will be bouncing around, England, Switzerland, Paris, Japan.


    "Oh, those all sound lovely!" She said. "Yeah, no, doesn''t bother me at all. I''d love to travel, and you''ve listed like, several very Foody places, so complaining would be silly. As for seasickness, I grew up as a little girl on a fishing boat in Crimea. If the Black Sea couldn''t make me sick, no body of water not rated as rapids can."


    ¡°I ask because we are going to cruise across the Atlantic at some point soon. And I would want you to go with me.¡± She was enjoying the girls bubbly personality. ¡°You¡¯ll be cooking for me and the rest of the on-site staff. Generally it will be family style. I¡¯ll let you know if I need to dine privately, I will also need snacks left in the fridge or counter. I only need a couple hours of sleep a night and I don¡¯t expect anyone to keep my hours.¡±


    "I''m certified in both cookery and as a patisserie , so that''s not a problem." She said. she mused. "I''m willing to try it, assuming the pay is reasonable. I mean, I''m a chef, I am a little narcissistic."


    "She literally once had two of her clones wear cheerleader outfits during a intermural tournament." The dean noted wryly.


    ¡°Oh,that is not an issue, like I said earlier one of the perks of the job is lodging at my boathouse and use of the house car. I also have health and retirement packets set up.¡±


    ¡°How many people are you expecting me to be feeding each day? And are we talking all three meals and snacks, breakfast dinner, and are any of them children?"


    ¡°No kids.¡± Solaris said simply. ¡°Right now there are 5 people living onsite, though we may be adding others, probably a maximum of 10 regularly.  Barring Chinese and movie night you¡¯ll be responsible for all the meals unless one of the others decides to cook. You¡¯ll also handle the shopping of course, and I don¡¯t expect you to cook if everyone is out and about.¡±


    Mrs. Ruan raised a hand. "I will help you with planning shops, as well."


    "Out and about basically means just have something ready that can be whipped up quickly. Trust me, that''s a lesson you learn in school." "However, speaking of something ready." Another her said, the other four coming out of the kitchen, settling trays in front of each of them, including herself. The extras vanished.


    "What I have made for you here is my take on the classic Fish and Chips." She said, gesturing at the beautifully fried fish and battered fries, laying upon a sheet of newspaper like in a traditional chip shop. "The Fish is talapia, which is nicely sustainable and actually local from a fish farm in the state. The fries are a battered fritte I keep par cooked and frozen on hand for when I want to make them. You''ll also find a small dish of malted vinegar, freshly made tartar sauce, garlic aioli and of course ketchup as well as pea fritters, which I understand is popular in northern England with fish and chips."


    "This is served with a pint of Papa''s Red Ale, a local microbrew Ale which was also used to make the batter for the fish."


    Solaris took a piece of fish and broke it enjoying the sound of the batter, she dipped a fry in the vinegar and used it to dribble the dressing on the fish. She took a bite, letting the flavors melt on her tongue. trying the tartar sauce next, she then took a fry and tried the aioli. ¡°That has a punch.¡±


    She took the pea fritter ¡°Your batter is lovely. And the frying isn¡¯t too oily. What do you think your best cuisines are?¡±


    "If you go to a culinary institute, one of those answers had better be French, and I am very good with the ''classical French school''." She said with finger quotes. "I love pastas, and Italian as well as general Mediterranean cuisines. And being in Nevada, the classic American favorites are a must. We all get time working a buffet at some point." She joked. "My weakest is Asian and African cuisine. I''m not bad at the basics, mind you, but I know Mrs. Ruan is going to have tricks I haven''t heard of yet."


    "I am also a baker and Pastry chef, though I don''t have a specialization. I''m more generally competent around baking."


    ¡°I do love a good pasta, and no one born dislikes fresh bread.¡±


    "I am glad to hear you enjoyed the fish. How''s the Fritter? I kind of tossed that together from half remembered reading. I added a touch of dill with the mint because I just thought it sounded good." She thought for a moment. ¡°I also took a course on being a competent Sommelier. It was kind of a summer program, but the teacher also mentioned how to pair beers and whiskeys as well as wines to foods."


    ¡°Well that is useful, I know granny Ruan has been working on loading up the house bar. How much time do you need to pack up?¡±


    "Honestly, not much. I mean, the place I have here is great but..."


    "They''re basically packed in tuna cans we call efficiency apartments. The kids learn to be organized, or to not use their own furniture."


    ¡°Wonderful!  Then you can make the trip back with us. I¡¯d like you to make a wish list of everything you want in and for the kitchen. I¡¯ve deliberately not kitted out the kitchen past some basics. I¡¯ll have Penny send you pictures of the indoor and outdoor kitchens, send her the list and we will see what we can do.¡±


    "Right, can do! Ohh, I''m so excited!"


    ¡°I am glad, Penny did you bring the contract? It will go over your pay and perks.¡±


    "Okay, let''s get to the nitty gritty." The girl said, diving into the contract, looking it over like someone who took more business courses than she really wanted to. She started signing things on the second read through.


    Solaris smiled. ¡°Looks like we will get one of your students settled. She said to the dean.¡± I will apologize for stealing your cook team.


    "Oh, it''s fine. Technically we take turns among the staff, but she better finish dinner tonight. I don''t have staff here to do it tonight!"


    "I will sir." She said, as two of her left to pack, and a pair went back into the kitchen.


    "She cheats, but damn if that isn''t useful."

 Chapter 30, Hiring Fair, Part 2

    Hiring Fair, Part 2


    ¡°When we hire, we¡¯re very careful to screen every applicant, not just for their skills but for any security concerns. It¡¯s a balancing act, because you can¡¯t ignore anything, but you have to disregard certain factors.¡±


    ¡°I mean, someone who can turn invisible is definitely a security risk, but refusing to hire them because of that is a lawsuit waiting to happen.¡±¡¯


    Unknown Human Resource manager overheard at a bar.


    ¡°I am happy we found a good fit for our chef. It kind of fills up our living quarters, though.¡±


    "There''s the option of others coming out later, to be fair. We don''t strictly need everyone right now. It''s late enough in the year we can hold off on a gardener, though I''m already seeing signs of wanting a mechanic on staff. I don''t think we''re stopping with the four cars you have already bought and that¡¯s ignoring the bike you ordered Marcus."


    ¡°True.¡± Solaris said pondering. ¡°Well let¡¯s meet people and see what we think. They may not click with us, if they do, we can figure it out then.¡±


    "Who would you like to meet next?"


    ¡°I guess the mechanics, we do have quite a few vehicles.¡±


    "I know where they are." He led the group up and out, over to a side by side. He drove it over a couple of hills to reveal a dirt race track and a few outbuildings with solar panels. They could hear an engine whining as it failed to start. "That would be Erica and Levi." In one garage were two younger adults working on the engine in a car that had definitely seen better days. "Okay, seriously. It''s got spark, it''s turning. It''s got to be the fuel system."


    "Yeah, but it''s not firing with fluid. Oh hey, Dean, who is your friends?"


    ¡°This is Miss Summers, she¡¯s here looking to hire a few good people, and is from our community.¡±


    "So, what are you looking for, or are you putting together a racing team?" Erica said, looking over the strangers, then stepping slightly away from Grandmother Ruan. "I mean, joking aside, what can we do for you? If it is a racing team, we¡¯re definitely your crew."


    "Well, I know something she can do." The elder woman muttered with a smirk.


    ¡°I am looking for mechanics to look after my various vehicles, ranging from cars to planes. If you want to build a race car, I would happily assist if I hired you. I have always enjoyed motor sports.¡±


    "Well, she knows how to sweeten a pot. What do you want to know? We''re both certified automotive mechanics. We''re familiar with piston aircraft motors and I am part way through the material for certifying as an aircraft mechanic." Levi said. ¡°She certified for diesel as well as gas, mostly because a teacher pissed her off.¡±


    ¡°He said I was too small and delicate for engine work. Jackass.¡± Erica muttered. "I''m also pretty good with computers, got a few minor IT certificates, and Levi''s a very, very good welder. Traditionally and otherwise."


    "Well, that is a useful skill especially in our set." Solaris said. "The job will require relocation and travel. Right now, I am in New York, though I''m likely to become pretty mobile, hence the need for mechanics. What are you looking in for in a job?


    "Well, we kind of want to work in the same area, though neither of us are opposed to moving. Las Vegas isn''t really a great market for non-hospitality jobs." Levi said. "And some flexibility because we do want to put together a drag car, more for fun than anything but we like working on stuff like that."


    "Well, I doubt maintaining my small fleet will keep you that busy, and Penny,¡± She gestured. "Is working on putting together her own power armor in her free time. So flexibility isn''t an issue. I will need you to get passports if you don''t have them.¡±


    "We have them. The older group, apartment crew, mostly has them. We decided to road trip to Mexico during spring break." The boy was embarrassed, and the Dean rolled his eyes.


    "They managed to irritate some cartel idiots. Fortunately, no one was hurt and what happened in Mexico stayed in Mexico."


    "They wouldn''t be in our set without such events, and I am happy they can handle themselves. I don''t know how many of my old foes are still around. Most of those are polite enough not to bother me at home, but the young turks wanting to make a name are always out there. I assume you are a couple. can you tell me a bit about yourselves."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I was born in Vegas," Erica said. "My origin in that regard isn''t something I really want to think too hard about but let¡¯s just say my mother wasn''t fit to be a mother before I started seeing things and was worse after. My power is a bit odd as I have a pan-spectrum vision. If it¡¯s an energy, or energetic particle, I can choose to see in that spectrum. And yes, that includes ye olde X-ray vision. Course, when it developed my vision would shift sometimes at random, everyone becoming walking skeletons... Halloween isn''t my favorite time of year."


    "I was born in Texas, my family one of those Christian fundie types who think they needed as many kids as possible. When I first developed my powers, well," He picked up two pieces of steel, and with a surge of heat, welded them together. "You can imagine I got to be hard on the house and clothes since my control was poor. I was only 12 after all."


    ¡°I didn''t get pegged as a demon or something by my family, but I wasn''t safe with my siblings. They got me into the school, even visit from time to time. I could have gone home but when I''ve visited it feels like there''s more people there than here! And I don''t fit in since my personal belief system has drifted pretty wide from theirs."


    "I can understand that. We are forged by our experiences as much as our families." Her eyes went a little distant then she shook her head. "I was born in England, but I''ve spent much of my adult life in the US. I was raised to treat staff like family so if things seem over the top that is why. I can have Penny send you contracts to go over, but I am willing to see how well we work. I will need to work out housing for you,¡±


    "Bah. I move into the house,¡± Granny said with an imperious wave. ¡°Marcus can bunk with Nahoa, then young couple can have pool house. Problem solved."


    "Or we can do that." Solaris said with dry humor and a roll of the eyes.


    "Ms. Summers owns the house. Madam Ruan runs the house." Penny said with a laugh


    The older woman snorted. "Damn right. Youngsters, all of you."


    Both were blushing, but didn''t complain. "Um, well okay, that doesn''t sound bad. Live in mechanic. I''m assuming you''d like us to do other stuff around the property too. Like I said, I''m pretty good at IT stuff, even some light coding." Erica said. "I do the electronic and," suddenly her arm shot out, a half second before the Deans elbow hit a container of solvent, catching it smoothly and putting it away. "And Levi actually is an artist and just qualified for his multi-engine private pilots rating."


    "Sounds impressive, but I just qualified on a little Piper Cherokee we have here. Not like I''m flying around an airbus or anything:"


    "We flew here on something called an Airbus, and I was not impressed. Piloting is a plus as we are purchasing a plane while we are here so perhaps you can qualify on that as well. Depending on cargo space we should be able to get you all moved in, and if that doesn''t work, I''ll hire a mover.¡±


    "Other than our tools, we don''t have a lot to pack. We''ll leave this beater for the mechanics class to work with. We''ve been buying junkers and getting them running again to sell. It''s made us a bit of cash."


    ¡°Do you have your ''special'' project yet, the white whale you may never finish?¡±


    "Our goal project right now is the drag car." Erica said. "Everyone wants to get ahold of that perfect muscle car or pasta rocket. I''d love to get ahold of a Ferrari to make my own."


    "I''m more American muscle. Pretty much all the old Detroit steel." Levi said.


    "We can do a bit of searching, I love Bentley myself and I''d like to get a nice fun convertible to add to the fleet, something red and reckless.


    "We talking modern, fifties muscle, or old school cool. I recognize who you are, so it could go all three. I could totally see you in a modern vette, or something European from the mid-century and everyone looks cool in something from the thirties. Either gangster or G-man chic."


    "Something soft feminine, with lots of curves. that makes the cops worry." Solaris said. "I missed the Fifties, so I¡¯d have to look at pictures to see what they look like


    "Oh, I can come up with a suggestion." Erica assured her.


    "I am eager to see what you find. I will let you know when we get the plane and are flying back. We are also hiring Anzy as the chef.¡±


    "Ohh, Iteration is going with us? Sweet."


    "Iteration. That is a wonderful name for her. She is charming."


    "She¡¯s adorable, just keep an eye on her and coffee. She''ll sometimes forget there are five of her, and all of them will make a cup of coffee. When she joins back up wow does she bounce off the walls." Levi chuckled.


    "Oh my, that would wire even me!" Solaris said with a laugh. "I have one or two more people to talk to. If you would lead the way dean.¡±


    Nahoa and Marcus had debated what to do for about a day, considering just letting the boss deal with it when she got back, but decided they didn¡¯t want to deal with the sort of person who might handle glowing guns and whips. The first problem, however, was they lacked any way to call the Tailor, since they didn¡¯t know his number.


    The simple solution, and the one they followed, was to drive over to the same place they¡¯d gone to get their fittings. Finding the door, they pulled the box out of the trunk and walked to the door, looking for a doorbell, Ring, or something to push.


    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose they¡¯re only here when there¡¯s appointments, do you?¡± Nahoa asked.


    Marcus shook his head, watching as a ¡®homeless man¡¯ hurried around a corner. ¡°No, but I don¡¯t think they watch the door camera. I think we¡¯ll hear from someone soon.¡±


    Two minutes later the speaker kicked on. ¡°Mr. M, Mr. N. I wasn¡¯t expecting you today. Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°I think you shipped something to us by mistake.¡± Marcus said, holding up the box.


    ¡°Really.¡± The door popped open. ¡°Come in. Let¡¯s see what you have.¡±


    One trip into the hidden depths of the building later, and the Tailor was frowning at the contents of the box. ¡°Oh, now this is a problem. She must be busy, or she¡¯d have noticed this hasn¡¯t been delivered yet.¡±


    ¡°I know enough not to ask who, but we figured you¡¯d love to get this to her. We¡¯ll get out of your hair, now. Oh, can we have a number to call, if we have something like this happen again?¡±


    ¡°Oh, after I¡¯m done with that courier, you¡¯ll never have an issue again.¡± He muttered. ¡°Actually, yes, I can give you my number, but I wonder, would you gents be interested in a little side work? I can make it much more than worth your while.¡±


    They looked at each other, then shrugged. ¡°I mean, sure. Why not?¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ let¡¯s see what vehicles I have in the lien lot. Don¡¯t want you taking something that can¡¯t take a hit, after all.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

 Chapter 31, Hiring Fair. Part 3

    Hiring Fair, Part 3


    ¡°Why is it that villains never have trouble finding people to hire? Is there a group called ¡®Thugs are Us¡¯ or something that hires out goons?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if we ever find them, I¡¯m hiring some myself. I¡¯m tired of being outnumbered.¡±


    Vanguard and Amazonian, after fighting two busloads of goons Major Pain brought intending to attack the Super Bowl.


    "I think she missed having a staff." Penny said with a chuckle.


    "As things get worked up it will get harder and harder to move around. Surrounding myself with good, loyal people is a great way to not get lonely, and to not have to worry about little day to day things.¡±


    "The two remaining I want to introduce you to are both in building A¡¯s apartments." The dean once more drove them back to the house, though this time parking at one of the "barns". "We put a semi-transparent film over the windows to make it look like the barn it¡¯s shaped like. Won''t fool you up close but keeps outsiders assuming we''re a ranch. Never mind we have only a handful of animals."


    He led them through the front door, into what was a sort of lobby. The apartments ran along each side of the barn structure, while there was a common, indoor patio area, with washing machines tucked away opposite the doors. The interior was filled with what could be a chaotic growth of plants, vines and flowers except no handrail was covered, and no front window had their view blocked. It was chaos worked around order.


    "This is an interesting cacophony of colors." Solaris said. "I am assuming this is the work of the prospect?"


    "Yes, she tends to decorate her environment but has learned to make it eye pleasing to everyone, not just her." He led them up the stairs, to one of the apartment doors and knocked.


    "Come In." They entered a tiny but tidy kitchen, a young woman with dark skin but shockingly blue eyes looking up at them from where she was sitting. "Hello." She said, her voice quiet but not soft, reaching like a bell to be heard while still being delicate. "How can I help you and your friends, sir?¡±


    ¡°Hello Mercades. This is Solaris, she is looking for a Gardener and groundskeeper for her home in New York and I thought you might be interested in the job.¡±


    "Groundskeeper? I suppose I''m technically qualified. But is it in the city itself? I''m not sure I''d do well in Manhattan."


    "No, we are on Islip is a quiet place a bit away from New York City with a couple of acers of land. We''re only maybe a mile from a state forest."


    "Hmmm, hiking in the north-east could be interesting."


    ¡°Marcus and Nahoa also enjoy hiking, my security guard and driver.¡±


    "Oh, good. I usually go with Anzy, when she''s free. Are you wanting just pretty, or also practical. I do herb gardens and veggie gardens here."


    "Both. I want a kitchen garden as well as lovely flowers and plants. I''ve ordered a greenhouse that will be put on property soon so plants can be wintered."


    "That''s lovely. Privacy hedges would be easy to do there too, good as a fence, especially if you add brambles."


    "A delightful idea. It will make it feel more like home.  Do you think you would enjoy planning out and maintaining the gardens? I know better than most we are not our powers, and I want to make sure you will be happy doing the work.¡±


    "My powers have been active since I was six. I kind of am my powers. They''re just part of who I am, as much as an arm or a leg." She shrugged. "I just don''t get the science of it. Why would I care about all that fiddly stuff when plants are an open book to me."


    The Dean nodded "To be fair, and honest, Mercedes was a bit of an indifferent student. Never failing or anything like that, but if the topic didn''t interest her, she didn''t excel. She''s a bit more of an artist at heart."


    She blushed. "He''s not wrong."


    ¡°Well, a well-tended garden is a work of art. What is it that you want to do? Do you want to be a gardener?¡±


    "I am a painter." She said, gesturing around the apartment. The paintings on the wall were landscapes and still life. "I don''t keep my portraits. I gave those to the others when I painted them. I am hoping to one day be good enough to show in a gallery. maybe even sell a painting or two. I don''t think I''m there yet, but I''m learning. But in spite of that, a painter can¡¯t just paint. I¡¯d hate to not spend time in the sun."


    ¡°Ahh, I understand. It is good to know what you love. If you are not interested that is fine.¡±


    "I am interested, though I wouldn''t be able to ask for a very large wage. I just wouldn''t be working that hard, since I am kind of a plant cheat code. I am sure I could help with other things too. As long as I can paint, and there are plants, I am happy."


    Solaris was less sure about this one, she was honest but didn¡¯t seem to have any motivation. ¡°Mrs. Ruan, I¡¯d like your opinion she¡¯d be working under you.¡±


    "I''m not sure. She has the talent, but I''m not sure she''s interested or focused. However, it could also be that she''s a bit distant by nature."


    "I can be." Mercedes, admitted. "I am interested in sculpting the plants of your acreage I don''t mind moving to the outskirts of New York and the idea of being able to go into the city to see the galleries and museums would be lovely for me and my development."


    Solaris nodded, ¡°Alright. Penny, can you give her pictures of the grounds? I would like you to view these, Mercedes, and put together a quick plan of what you would do. I want you to show me that you can and will do the job, this is your chance to sell yourself. While you do that I¡¯ll go speak to the business and marketing person, then come back to see what you¡¯ve come up with.¡±


    "I can do that." She said, pulling a sketch pad out of a drawer with colored pencils, accepting a picture sent from the assistant. She started working on it right away, sketching in the house and pool first thing. ¡°Have fun talking to Elenore. She will definitely come off as motivated.¡±


    Out and down the stairs, the other girl¡¯s apartment was on the opposite side. This time the tiny apartment they were let in was decorated by photographs everywhere. A laptop sat open on the counter. "Hello there. You must be the folks looking to hire people. I bumped into Anzy earlier."


    ¡°How many of her?¡± Solaris said with humor in her voice.


    "Two, and they actually ran into me." She chuckled. "I''m used to it. Can I offer you anything to drink, since I''m sure you''ve eaten."


    ¡°Thank you for asking, but I¡¯m alright. The dean tells me you studied marketing and business, what kind of work are you looking for?


    "I intend to pursue my own entrepreneurship, once I can build a nest egg, and settle upon an idea. I''m not interested in working in the normal corporate culture. I''ve thought about bullying Anzy into opening a restaurant, but she wants more experience before she does something like that."


    "Right now, I am working on Fivrr for extra cash helping streamers and youtubers work out basic marketing plans. In their case it¡¯s more important to figure out Merch that will appeal to their viewers than anything. A few small businesses have also had me assist with simple plans for their own small stores. Nothing terribly enriching financially but satisfying in their way."


    ¡°Well, that sounds perfect. Solaris smiled. ¡°I am getting everything set up to rehab, restore and renovate my family home in England. My PR Manager suggested having YouTuber and influencers to do the work. I need someone to manage the projects, make sure nothing walks off, that the influencers are not angering the village, and if someone isn¡¯t meeting their contracted expectations replace them. I also need someone to start marketing the property for events. And finding ways to make the property profitable.


    " And that''s small enough you don''t necessarily want a firm, but big enough you want a specialist." She snapped her fingers, and two puffs of smoke occurred above her. Two adorable looking kittens with wings appeared, and flew off, returning quickly with a folder. "This is a print up of a plan I did for a bed and breakfast. I just happened to have print outs because I wanted to make sure things looked good on paper. There''s a flyer they sent previous customers, sketches for some new signage, things like that there if you would like to take a look."


    Solaris took the paper. ¡°I don¡¯t normally ask but I have to. ¡°Flying Kittens?¡±


    "I create, well we call them imps for lack of a better term. They''re not truly sentient, and I doubt they''re really alive. When I summon small ones to do innocuous tasks they come out cute, I can kind of choose a theme and flying kittens are hard to find scary."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Her flying tigers are significantly less adorable.¡± The dean wryly commented.


    ¡°Interesting I could see that as useful. She looked over the packet ¡°This is very good. Do you think you can handle managing the renovation and business end of the manor? It is a very large job, and I am certain there will be issues.¡±


    "I can monitor the renovation, at a distance and with occasional visits, but managing it should be left to your general contractor. I don''t know a hammer from a hole in the wall." she admitted. "As for the business end, definitely. I''m getting a feel for weddings, film shoots, and other events."


    ¡°Yes, exactly, the lawyer and the contractor will monitor the actual work, I need you to make sure the people are behaving and not running off with the copper or something else strange. I still don¡¯t understand why people steal copper.¡± she admitted.


    "I''ll talk to the people I know and reach out to the ones I don''t know but think would be good. To manage the project, like I said, might mean frequent trips out there, or even spending extended time in England, depending on what stage we''re at. I don''t mind that, just musing over the logistics."


    ¡°My PR person is also reaching out to people you¡¯ll be working a lot with Zakai and his people, and I figured you¡¯d be staying in England for the project.¡±


    "Can do. I assume short term I''d come to New York to strategize?"


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯d be taking trips to England every now and then to keep my finger in the pie. I¡¯ll rent a flat for you in the village, in addition to your salary. Along with a car for you to get around.¡±


    "That would be good. A van or SUV would be better. Then I can pick up people coming in." she suggested.


    "It sounds like we both think this is a good fit. Do you have paperwork going over pay and benefits? I can look that over and get everything set in motion."


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t honestly thinking of this position when I came here, I can give you the basic contract and the Penny will send a complete copy with more details.¡±


    "I have a generalized sheet, just in case we were going to hire others." Penny pulled it out of her bag. "This is the benefits we''re offering, and an estimate on pay for given jobs. A marketing project head wasn''t on my list, but I''d say it''s going to be similar to a chef, would you agree?¡±


    ¡°I would think so. There is a bonus system in there and we can increase the pay if the workload demands it.¡±


    "This seems fine to start. I don''t have any formal experience from a normal hiring rate, plus you''re offering to get me a car, send me to England, and get me an apartment. I don''t think complaining makes a lot of sense."


    This should give you a lot of experience toward whatever you decide to do in your future. Impress me enough and I might be your first investor.¡±


    "Impress me enough, and I might prefer being you project coordinating maven." She said back with a smile.


    ¡°Oh, we are going to get along famously.¡± Solaris chuckled. ¡°When do you want to start? If you don¡¯t mind sharing with the mechanic duo, I have a place you can stay while we get you set up in England. That may not be for months, to be fair. Nothing major will start with winter coming in the North Sea.¡±


    "That''s absolutely fine. They, um, don''t both live next door but I see them both regularly. Erica is my neighbor.¡±


    "And sure, her boyfriend never hangs out past curfew. Pull the other one kid." The dean chuckled.


    ¡°Celebrate love as you can, it can vanish in a moment.¡± The blonde hero said with a smile. ¡°I spent enough time in the war around soldiers to lose some of the prudishness of my time.


    "Grim, but true."


    "Shall we go check on our artist friend, and see what she''s achieved?"


    "Yes. Let¡¯s see what she has done. Mercades is the only one I''ve been uncertain of."


    What they found was her with a laptop open, and quick sketches, multiple, of the property from both the overhead they had brought her, and from the front from the real estate listing and google street view. "I think at some point the neighbors were fighting because the current lay out is a bit weird." she said absently as she pushed a few sketches forward.


    "This is the front view. If you look at your street level view, the trees basically hide the house and I figure that''s not a bad thing, so I was thinking we move a few of the trees along the driveway, I can get them to move, not have to dig them up, and thicken the front and sides, maybe even adding a tree at the corner of the house here to give privacy from this neighbor."


    "You think the original trees where part of some neighborly dispute?" Solaris said,   looking over the drawings with a careful eye. She was pleased the girl took the assignment seriously and handed the picture over to Granny Ruan to look over.


    She paused "Oh yeah. Look at this layout. This is obviously a rich community, and the neighbors on both sides ran their driveways right against what is now your property line. And the trees along here are only on your property, at least that''s my guess, and are blocking your neighbor from seeing onto your property. In comparison, the back yard is arranged, again, to make it real hard for your neighbor on one side to see anything that''s going on.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, that does make the suggestion of some tall hedgerows between the properties even more desirable. The last thing I need is some nosy neighbor spying through the windows at me


    "My thought is put a gazebo on a raised dias in the middle of the front yard, which is not really set up to be used for much. The gazebo could be used to wait for visitors. Then around the gazebo plant a kind of faux hedge maze. I say faux because I''d put two full length stretches like a cross, then kind of mini-mazes in the quadrants. I sketched one using roses, one using just hedges, and one with a indistinct flowering bush because I don''t know yet what grows well in the area."


    I do love roses. Strong, thorny, and beautiful.  I like the concept of the faux maze, though I''m not sure there is enough space to do justice to the mini mazes. the gazebo is a good idea and will make a wonderful centerpiece. What are you thinking for the kitchen garden?¡±


    "The maze is more visual interest than really mazy like, I admit." She did say. "I have another idea but I''ll show you that in a minute. The herb garden I''d want to put here, on this kind of secondary walkway. You have a big entrance right here, so guests would come through there, to the pool and covered dining area so they would be unlikely to walk in it. This is also far enough from the salt water of the bay here to keep from being a problem. Instead of planting in rows I think it might look better to put raised planters, and fill the boxes with an herb or two here, a vegetable or three there, so it doesn''t look like you randomly have a tiny farm sitting here. That keeps things organized without needing straight rows for everything. A lot of herbs are happy to grow in more chaotic, um, I guess clumps?" she shrugged.


    "An alternative for the front would be a similar planters, with rose bushes and a kind of stone or brick walkway, I drew using cobblestones, to the same Gazebo. The Gazebo idea is you can wait for visitors there, and if you don''t want the visitor in your house, it can be a comfortable place to talk to them, without them feeling snubbed. It''s less ¡®You annoy me, talk here¡¯ and more ¡®See my lovely gazebo? You don''t need to worry about my back yard sanctuary or my living room, stupid reporter man.¡¯¡±


    "Herbs would also perfume the air nicely, walking to and from the pool. I didn''t think of trying to hide the vegetables.¡± Solaris said pleased.  I''ve always had a garden. I rather like the idea though, it would be more visually pleasing than a small organized plot. It is an idea that can be expanded on too. Maybe grape vines? Or some small fruit trees. I think that would work quite well. Beauty and practicality literally planted side by side.¡± She handed the drawing over to the other two. "I like where you are going with this. Do you think this is something you would like to make real?"


    "Oh yeah, these trees, I mean they were thrown in and then left to fend. I''d like to move them around and get them happier looking, while keeping the privacy and if the Gazebo is done right anyone coming to it knows they''re visiting at the person sitting there''s pleasure. I like the drama. I see your point about the small area for a maze, so the Planters aren''t a bad idea. Roses are kind of stuck up sometimes, so they''ll like having their own little world. As for fruit trees, I could see peppering the back yard with a few. I''d really be tempted to suggest cherry trees, for the blossoms at that time of year, put little benches around them as sitting areas that also smell pretty and make cherries that the birds will eat so maybe not a great idea."


    "Plum or apple might work well too, though both would be messy in the fall." Solaris said. "I am willing to give you a chance. I can see a bit of passion for the project in you now to see what you can create.¡±


    "Thank you. I mean, I''m sure I could do other things too. Anzy uses me as an errand runner a lot. She loves to take me to farmers markets, because I can find the best produce. That and I''m a more cautious driver than basically all my classmates."


    The Dean coughed. "We might teach a fairly offensive form of defensive driving course for the reasons this school exists." He admitted.


    "I''ll have to have Erica and Levi teach Marcus. Defensive driving would be a good skill for him to learn.¡±


    "That''s agreed." Penny said, considering. "I''ll track down something that we don''t mind getting wrecked back home for them to play with in that regard. No reason for them to wreck a nice car." She joked.


    ¡°I agree. You will probably be bunking with Anzy.¡±


    ¡°I don''t mind. I spend most of my time with Anzy. I''m not great with people, but Anzy kind of, well she surrounds you, sometimes literally."


    ¡°We will be leaving once we arrange for a plane. If you want to pack your things. With all of you I may just hire a mover to take all your stuff to New York. Depends on how much cargo space whatever I buy has.¡±


    "I can pack up. Mostly just clothes and my art stuff for me." She admitted.


    "That is fine,¡± Solaris said handing her the contract that Penny handed to her. "I look forward to seeing your work make our lawn a place of beauty.¡±


    "I will do my best." She said, with a soft smile. ¡°Though I suppose I¡¯ll be more of a mason since winters coming. That could be interesting though.¡±


    After they left the apartment Penny said "Seemed she was more energized by the idea than you had thought. She went a bit extra looking the place up online."


    "I am glad, I was worried about her motivation levels. But the work was solid, so I am willing to try. Anzy and Elenore have me excited. Seems we¡¯re getting a good team together."


    ¡°I promise, this is just a precaution, and you can consider it part of your pay. To be honest, I¡¯m never going to be able to sell the car I¡¯m thinking of, anyhow.¡± The Tailor muttered darkly as they rode the elevator up to a level they hadn¡¯t been to before. On this floor were vehicles with noticeable damage, under construction by various people, and a few just parked in the corner, some covered in dust. ¡°This is a bit of a behind the scenes peek most don¡¯t get. Where the toys get made.¡± He chuckled. ¡°And here¡¯s the car.¡±


    ¡°What is it.¡±


    The car was an older design, that much was obvious. The square body was not something you¡¯d see in a modern car, though its size seemed odd. Not as big as the two boys thought older cars should be.


    ¡°This is a 1968 Plymouth Valiant, with some modifications.¡± The Tailor replied, tsking as he ran a finger over the car, dust coming off visibly. ¡°A wanna be new hero calling himself Valiant wanted a car to match his name, and I found plenty of them so we worked out a deal. He paid partially in advance for me to build him a sleeper hot rod version, suitable for the super set, then just as I was half way done he got himself put into traction and a coma by some drug-enhanced maniac in Jersey. Needless to say, he never completed paying and eventually canceled when he regained consciousness. I finished it, just because I can¡¯t help myself.¡±


    ¡°Okay, neat, but it¡¯s a classic, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°A classic you can buy for less than a used Accord. A not very gently used one. It¡¯s probably the cheapest car I¡¯ve ever built, and no one is going to come here looking for it. It¡¯s turbocharged, with enhanced suspension and steering. I upgraded the interior and electronics, so it has a limited infotainment system, though nowhere near what a new car has.¡±


    ¡°I also included a smoke dispenser, oil trap, and we pulled every panel off and layered carbon fiber and Kevlar so the things bullet proof, including the glass. We also reinforced the frame.¡± The Tailor sighed. I hate to see a good machine just sit like this.¡±

 Chapter 32 Living Los Vegas

    Waking up in Vegas


    ¡°Dean Simmons, with all do respect to your position, do you really think your actions were warranted?¡±


    ¡°What actions are you talking about. I had a herd of kids needing work, and I managed to find them high paying jobs! Better than telling them they can¡¯t stay in student housing any longer, and good luck.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you got them, it¡¯s who you found them work with!¡±


    ¡°Tailors need employees too.¡±


    ESEA disciplinary meeting transcript.


    "I was thinking. I''m going to go look for some sort of small storefront, or maybe a closed mechanics shop, so we can set the kids up with a ''work'' place, if for no other reason than to keep the neighbors happy.¡±


    ¡°That is a good thought. I don''t really want a car lift in the garage, at least not a permanent one.¡±


    "You want me to look for little, or plan for growth?" She asked. "Just so I know what I''m hunting for."


    ¡°Meh, plan for growth. That way when things are slow for me they can take clients, or we can purchase cars to refurbish and donate to poor families, Louise said I need more tax credits and a business property is good for the real estate portfolio."


    Turning to the Dean, Solaris smiled. ¡°Well I think I¡¯ve taken off some of your housing strains.¡±


    "That''s certainly true. I admit, I can''t help but sigh a breath of relief. These kids have it hard, since their first inclination isn¡¯t the cape life. We bring them into the schools for their safety, and the safety of others, but it makes it hard for them to integrate sometimes. There''s too few in our community that might be willing to mentor these kids. I admit, I hope that''s part of what you''re going to do, all three of you."


    "Mentor, no. Granny them, yes." Mrs. Pham nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been mentoring young heroes since the Kamikaze girls, it¡¯s practically instinct now. Eventually I¡¯ll probably set the couple up in their own house and shop. Anzy may eventually want to move on or she may just settle in. Elenore, oh I will have fun with her, Mercedes is a wildcard, not too sure what she will do.¡±


    "Mercedes is the one I''ve been most worried about. She''s not aggressive by nature, so is the least likely kid to do the cape thing. She also has trouble making friends, but she''s possibly one of the most powerful students I''ve ever taught."


    ¡°I can understand your fear, she¡¯s a prime target for a power farmer, and with few friends and a solitary profession it increases her risk,¡±


    "Near you she''s a bit less of a target." He shrugged. "I won''t lie, I might have begged you to give her a chance, for the selfish reason that I want her somewhere safe to find her legs."


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to give her a chance, whether she uses it or not is up to her. I like that she opened up and let her passion show. Hopefully she opens up more as she gets comfortable.¡±


    "That''s usually how it works." He nodded. They were walking towards the house, coming across a sheepish looking Anzy walking in the same direction.


    "Hello again! Talking to more of us crazy kids?" She asked cheerfully, blushing slightly.


    ¡°Just finished talking to Mercedes, she decided she wanted the gardener job I had open.¡±


    "Oh good! I was a bit worried about leaving her, but you''re offering exactly what I need to get started. I want to open my own restaurant at some point, but need time to develop my skills, you know? By the way, when were you actually planning on leaving?"


    ¡°Depends on when we get the plane, but probably in about 4 days, I have a tee time on Saturday that I¡¯m really looking forward to¡­and you''re already done packing, aren¡¯t you?


    "Um, well, a couple of me stayed to work on food, and the other three kind of went off to see how much do I have to pack, it wasn¡¯t so much, and started packing and, yeah.¡±


    ¡°How many boxes do you have? Will it fit in the car?¡± Solaris paused ¡°Well it will give me a chance to get to know you. Penny, do you think you can arrange some short term storage? Then any of them that want to come into the city with us can and we can put them up in the hotel with us.¡±


    "That shouldn''t be a problem. Let me check some things. I mean, we have a van and I went ahead and rented it for the rest of our stay."


    "I have two suitcases, one knife case, my laptop case and my tool box." She replied. "My knick-knacks fit in the suit cases, and I really only have electronic books. Well, one box of cook books, but I was debating having that shipped later."


    ¡°We¡¯ll just get it to the van, no reason to hold back, why don¡¯t you send your others to let them know, Mercedes, Elenore, Levi and Erica.¡±


    "Oh, okay..."


    She split into three more, all of them running off. "The last of me is still working on dinner. She, um, doesn''t know yet." She laughed, knowing that sounded a little weird.


    "If the others need more time to pack, I could bring them into the city tomorrow, with the other students going to college in town." The headmaster said. "They can just catch the bus we use to go back and forth."


    ¡°That''s fine, just let me know when to expect them, so we can get the right number of rooms. And If the mechanics have a car or something we will figure out how to ship them.¡±


    "They have their shop truck, and a couple of motorcycles. Considering everything, I''ll arrange to get them shipped to New York. Send me the address to send them to and I''ll get them out. We were shipping something to the New York school anyhow." He suggested.


    Solaris pulled a small pad out of her purse and wrote down the home address. ¡°I¡¯m unlisted and my mail goes to the PO box.¡±


    "Considering you, that just makes common sense." He admitted. "I have some favors I can call in, so it will likely be about a week or so after you leave that they''ll get there."


    ¡°Thank you. I wonder how long till all of them are in the hotel with me.¡±


    "I suspect tomorrow." He admitted. "They are all chaffing a bit, wanting to get out but they had limited options. There''s going to be a certain level of ''jump at the chance before it escapes.''."


    "I''ll do my best to give them a safe place to land." Solaris said, shaking his hand.


    "That''s all I can hope for. And if things work out, and you start expanding your business interests, more students from other schools might be considered, if things work out."


    "Definitely," Solaris said. "If nothing I suspect I''ll be looking for an assistant for Elenore before too long."


    "I''ll contact the New York School, have them reach out. That way you can look at a new body of students to hire from." He said. "They might also ask you to give a talk, history is one of those subjects that is hard to find really good speakers for."


    "I''d be delighted to." She said with a smile.


    "Glad to hear it, and here comes Anzy.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She smiled at the girl. "All good?"


    ¡®Yup!¡±


    "Lets get your things in the Van. What did the others say?¡±


    ¡°They will come down tomorrow in the bus."Anzy "Which hotel do they need to be dropped off at?"


    We are staying at caesars palace


    "I''ll have Penny make arrangements at the front desk for your friends. Make sure they pack a swimsuit. There is an amazing pool there."


    "Several." Penny chuckled.


    "Ohh, that''s a nice one. Great!" She said. "I''ll text them."


    Solaris moved the young woman''s things into the back of the van, while Anzy texted. "Seems I''ve filled my new nest with a bunch of fledgelings." Solaris said with a soft laugh.


    "Well, to be fair, you started with Marcus and Nahoa."


    ¡°True.¡± She laughed. She got into the car. ¡°Looking forward to New York?¡± She asked Anzy as they started down the road.


    "Actually, I really am. I mean, I know from what I gather you aren''t in the city itself, but I can still go in, try the best places, learn by trying.''


    ¡°Is there anything you need that you don¡¯t have?¡±


    "I won''t really know till I see your kitchen, and what''s in it. I am getting the impression it¡¯s got nice appliances, but you don''t have a lot of anything else."


    ¡°Yes. If you need better let me know, boss here wants you to have best¡­ and none of us want her in kitchen again, ever. Penny chuckled


    The Ukrainian girl¡¯s eyebrow arched. "Right, that sounds like a story. I mean, once I see what you have, I''ll know what we might want to get. I''m assuming you have, like, plates and flatware at least." She joked.


    ¡°We do, I just wanted to wait to do too much in there till I had a cook, it¡¯s your canvas.¡±


    "Fair enough, when I see it I could write a wish list, then you can decide what gets bought when. Don''t want to be demanding.


    ¡°Anything I should know about your friends, anything they need?¡±


    "Honestly, I don''t know. We''ve all kind of learned to work with what we have. I mean, the school is great and did everything they could for our education and basic comfort, but unless your family was staying in touch and sending you stuff, there weren''t a lot of extras."


    Solaris frowned a little, she picked up her phone and sent a text to Granny. The old woman seemed to understand her, {Dear granny once the kids get settled check and see what they have so we can properly kit them out. I have a feeling their personal belongings may be lacking. Many thanks S.}


    From Granny {Grandma will stick her nose in where it belongs, you don''t worry.}


    Solaris smiled, leaning back. Penny we will need to get the new staff in to see the Tailor and get a few party pieces from Bergdorf¡¯s.


    "I figured. Honestly, we¡¯ll also need to kit them out for New York State in winter."


    ¡°Indeed, the weather is going to go cold soon, everyone will need proper weather protection.¡± She blinked. It occurs to me this will be my first American Christmas with my own house. I always stayed in flats in most places, this will be the first year to decorate with an American tasteless abandon!


    "Oh, honey, you''re going to have fun with that. And the sunroom just screams stupid big tree. It''s got that open loft area that''s like two stories high."


    "That sounds fun. Trust me, I can make a Christmas dinner that will leave even the most powerful of bellies straining."


    ¡°You know we could get a big lovely pine for outside the front. Behind the gazebo Mercedes wants to put in, have our own Rockefeller Plaza!¡±


    "Oh, Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas! Never thought I''d have a chance to see that." Anzy said.


    ¡°It is beautiful, I always try to go skating at least once when I¡¯m in New York for Christmas. I tried to go home to England for the holidays when I could but that didn¡¯t always work out.¡±


    "There''s something special about having your own place to have Christmas at though." Penny said. "My family spread to the four winds once everyone hit adulthood so it''s hit or miss if we get together. We call each other though."


    Solaris looked out over the desert. Her parents were gone, her brother was probably spying on Russia, sometimes it struck her how alone she was. ¡°Hopefully some of you will be able to stick around for Christmas, though obviously I¡¯ll fly people back where they need to go.¡±


    "Well, my parents are dead." Anzy admitted. "Father stayed behind in Crimea and we found out he died about a year after we left. Mother passed shortly after I started at school, illness. Bad as that is, it could be worse. I wouldn''t bring up Erica''s mother at all, and I don''t think Mercedes yeah that¡¯s a hell to the no."


    ¡°Poor little fledglings.¡± Solaris said softly. ¡°Well, we will have to make it an especially happy holiday for all of us! Penny, do you think we should give the new hires some pin money to enjoy the city? Call it a signing bonus maybe?¡±


    "I am assuming pin money means walking around cash, and I think they''d appreciate that." She nodded. "Not to mention, they''re going to hit the city eventually anyhow, so better they have the money to get back out!¡±


    ¡°Do you need any, Grandmother?¡±


    "Bah, I am well up. I''ll be a high roller by the time we leave."


    ¡°I am sure, soon all will fear you.¡± Solaris said with a chuckle.


    "Fear? No. Comps! Free stuff. That''s the ticket." The older woman laughed. ¡°I haven¡¯t paid for lunch since we got here.¡±


    Anzy giggled. "You''re gonna be a fun boss."


    ¡°You have no idea.¡± Penny said.


    ¡°Shush, you love my shopping trips.¡± Solaris said


    "Well yeah, I''m not stupid."


    "Solaris doesn''t operate well without a team. We''ve seen that." Grandma said. "She is more comfortable now than she was when we left, because she''s got more people. She''s a creature of community."


    Elizabeth blushed bright red. "You already know me too well, Granny. You are not wrong."


    "Just about anyone who knows you at all can see it."


    The blonde hero patted her cheeks trying to force the blush down. Her light glimmering around her in response to her emotions. She didn''t think she was quite so easy to read.


    "Well, either way, I''ve arranged three rooms for the younger members." Penny said. "Two double queens for the ladies, one single king for Levi. Or however it ends up getting split. We''ll show you where our suite is, as it''s going to be our main gathering spot for the next little bit. Speaking of, what else do you want to do while we are in town? I know golf of course."


    ¡°I would like to go see the circus, and the Sinatra show, and it would be a shame not to spend some time down by the pool. I thought I''d do that while you and the Fledglings played with the bonuses.¡±


    "Oh you totally need to go down the strip at night. See the Fountains and Bellagio, or the battle at Treasure Island. It''s wild."


    Why don''t you pick the restaurant you most want to eat at and we will make a night of it.¡±


    "Well, we''re going to Caesar''s. I mean, we''ll all likely be hungry by the time we go to eat, we could try the buffet. It''s like, one of the most expensive on the strip, and supposedly delicious. I think I read they have multiple chef monitored stations." Anzy offered.


    "Okay so the buffet tonight, but i doubt that is your Vegas dream dinner. Figure out that, and we will all go there together." Solaris said with a chuckle


    "Yeah, I admit, that was also me realizing it was going to take hours to decide." she admitted. "There''s so many fantastic places."


    "Yes, there are, I''ve been really enjoying all my meals so far. Especially yours."


    The car was very comfortable, for all it was an older design, with plenty of legroom for Nahoa. Marcus, behind the wheel, had resisted the urge to push some of the more unusually marked buttons on the console for fear of what they might do. The big guy was reading the car''s manual, and had already muttered something about ¡°But why would you need that?¡± a couple of times.


    The stereo had kept them company for the four hours drive to Providence, the GPS guiding them towards the drop off point. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a long ass drive, but all things being equal, I¡¯m not sure why he gave us a car for something like this. I mean, we¡¯re basically UPS in a weirder truck.¡±


    ¡°Well he did say this lady, I think he said Mantis? She was in some sort of a conflict with a villain.¡±


    ¡°Venombite I think he called them. Let¡¯s not write this off as a done job until we drop off the package and get back out of town.¡±


    ¡°You are such a worrier.¡±


    They were guided to a quiet, weirdly abandoned part of the small city, pulling up to a building that could be a dentist''s office for all they could tell. They both looked at it through the windshield for a moment, noting no signs or markings. ¡°So, you think this is it?¡±


    ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± Nahoa grabbed the box they were here to deliver and climbed out of the car, Marcus joining him. They had barely shut the doors, and taken two steps before gunshots rang out.


    ¡°Ouch, dammit that hurts!¡± Nahoa yelled as he got hammered by a half dozen nine-millimeter rounds, Marcus¡¯s aura flaring and absorbing even more. Both boys ducked behind the car, hesitantly peeking over the hood as the tinking of bullets hitting it¡¯s side filled the air.


    Eight guys, being led by someone dressed in a violently purple and green costume, had come out of the alleys across the street, and started shooting without warning. ¡°Give us the Mantises Vacuum pistol and you can live!¡± The man yelled.


    ¡°Yeah, this is easy.¡± Nahoa muttered.


    ¡°Oh shut up.¡± Marcus muttered, pulling and snapping out a pair of collapsing batons he¡¯d taken to carrying, on Penny¡¯s insistence. ¡°I¡¯ll go right, you go left.¡±


    ¡°To do what?¡±


    Marcus didn¡¯t answer, going around the front of the car and charging the gun-weilding thugs. He ignored the gunfire, his field absorbing it so far, though he was beginning to feel the slight sense of drain he noticed when his shield started taking a beating. Not wanting to push his luck he snapped out with a pair of swings, sending two goons into a wall.


    Nahoa cursed under his breath, and gestured, a segment of concrete easily three yards round all but jumping off the ground. He grabbed it in his hands as he stood, spinning around and throwing it at another group of mooks, the concrete shattering as it impacted the men, sending them to the ground in a moaning pile.


    Venombite, enraged, charged at Nahoa, his fists growing a venomous green. ¡°Before I kill you boy, what¡¯s your name so I can put it on your tombstone.¡±


    ¡°They call me Thud.¡± He said, just before asphalt rose up to wrap around the criminal. He picked up the ball, hearing the man cursing inside, and threw it at a condemned building. ¡°Now fuck off.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was going to help, but you seemed to handle that well.¡± He spun to find a woman in green armored spandex, and that was a concept that was still new to him on many levels, with a whip and pistol on her hips. ¡°Is that my delivery? The Tailor told me it had been delayed.


    With a cry of pain, and a thump, Marcus turned and returned to them. ¡°Oh crap. Where¡¯d I put the clipboard? We need your signature.¡±

 Chapter 33, Night Life

    Night Life


    ¡°For the experienced Cape Watcher, it is common knowledge that if you want to see a cape battle you don¡¯t hang out at banks, or financial districts. Sure, things happen there, but you are rarely in the position to see anything.¡±


    ¡°The real ticket for super fights is to make major monuments or large art displays a hang out place. Villains can¡¯t seem to resist picking fights at them, and heroes can¡¯t seem to stay away from them either. It¡¯s like they live for set piece battles! The Bean in Chicago seems to be especially popular, probably cause it doubles as a mirror?¡±


    CapeCatcher Podcast


    The lights of Vegas where all around them, all a bit magical. Elizabeth¡¯s new fledglings where having a blast, and the plan was to go see the fountains at the Bellagio, get dinner then head to the pirate show. ¡°So how many people are you going to be at dinner tonight? I know you want to try everything." She teased Anzy. The girl had been triplets at the buffet in Ceasars.


    "Just one. Amalfi is gonna be too crowded for more." She laughed, stepping around a man snapping cards she chose to ignore the topic of. "I''m just glad they all agreed. Helps that it''s a Bobby Flay restaurant. You might not know who he is, but most folks do."


    ¡°I am just enjoying all the food. This place is intense¡± she said. She had been shocked by all the flesh peddlers with their trading cards, Penny had to explain Nevada¡¯s prostitution laws to her. It was just so brazen and flagrant, by the end of the evening the sidewalks and roads would be covered in a pornographic snow that would somehow disappear with the sun. ¡°How are you doing Mercedes? Handling the crowd alright?¡±


    "I''m managing. It helps that they''re all completely out of their minds." she said wryly.


    "You mean drunk."


    "I think I mean both."


    ¡°I spotted another Elvis!¡± Levi said snapping a quick picture with his phone. Granny and Solaris had put out a challenge to see how many they could find, after explaining Elvis to the Brit when she asked why so many people were dressed as the sparkly man.


    "I still think my Tiny Elvis should get double points." Erica muttered as they pushed their way towards the rails to watch the upcoming fountain show. "I think it¡¯s supposed to start soon, so hurry up guys."


    Solaris, not wanting to accidentally launch people into the road, followed more slowly, ending up at the railing a few meters down from the group of kids. Penny was with the kids, listening to them with a smile, giving Solaris a salute, before her attention was drawn by a question from Mercedes.


    "The future sure is weird, isn''t it Major." A voice said from beside Solaris. She turned, finding a man with sandy hair, a somewhat unremarkable face, and wearing what looked like World War Two era fatigues, only without any markings. "But you have to admit, they know how to do flashy."


    A visceral terror went through her, this place was chock full of bystanders, though she let nothing show on her face. ¡°Hello Nathan. Indeed, they do. What brings you to Vegas?¡± She was trying to think of some way to alert Penny and the fledglings, already assessing where there was space which was pretty much nowhere except in the fountain.


    "What, I can''t gamble like any other fella?" He asked with an innocent expression, arms spread. "You can stop looking, there''s not enough room to swing a cat.


    ¡°Honestly, I was in town because I heard there were some interesting things to see, and eat, in the Atomic museum. Sadly, nothing I particularly cared about. But then I noticed an old friend was in town! How could I not say hi?" His tone was mocking, his disdain nearly dripping off the words.


    ¡°Have you changed your spots then?¡± She remembered this man all too well he¡¯d been drummed out of camp X for bad behavior. The longer she kept him talking the longer Penny had to notice and get people out of the way.


    "You know my spots are constantly changing." He said. "But I am curious what you''re up to. I Noticed you with your little group of ducklings. I wonder, forming a new team, or just feeling... motherly."


    She snarled ¡°Neither. You know better than most that the mother¡¯s path is not for me. They are employees I hired to cook and take care of my house for me. I didn¡¯t have the pleasure of going through time the long way.¡±


    "Well, you got to avoid the seventies, so that''s not entirely bad. But enough chit chat. You know what I really want."


    ¡°I suppose I do.¡± Her aura flared golden, as she prepared to take the first move, but she was already too late.


    The man she was talking to seemed to turn into semi-solid goo, even as it moved towards her with ferocious speed. Hitting, and grabbing, her. Solaris heard screams fill the air as what hit her was revealed to be the end of a camouflaged tentacle.


    From the water of the huge fountain lifted a massive form, vaguely humanoid in the most putrid of senses, like a month-old corpse had grown four stories tall, as well as three diseased looking appendages. The head had a face, that bore only the barest relations to the man she''d known.


    She was slammed into the concrete, fragments flying all around her as shrapnel causing nearby onlookers to cry out in pain from minor injuries. She rolled with the strike, letting her light shine full and bright, it wouldn¡¯t distract her eyes, but it would make it harder for Chimera to see through her.


    ¡°My goodness Nathan, you¡¯ve really let yourself go,¡± She said as she pushed off into the air from her crater. ¡°That¡¯s a face even a mother couldn¡¯t love.¡± She surged forward, driving a savage, double heeled kick into his chest, shoes shattering as she tried to force him towards the center of the fountains.


    The kick met flesh that was pliable as clay, absorbing the impact with shocking aplomb. "She was a bitch, anyhow." He roared, two pseudopods diving towards her, the tips turning from slimy meat to shining, hardened bone moments before striking her in the chest and back.


    She hissed in pain, her t-shirt ripping on the bone spurs as she pulled herself free, flying higher into the air as she considered her options. She couldn¡¯t flare her aura to blinding brightness, it could harm panicking bystanders. Instead, she whipped around in a tight orbit around him, trying to build as much speed as she could before flying towards his face, trying to get as much momentum as she could, flipping at the last moment to slam her locked legs around his throat.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Oh, such an improper lady you are." He choked out a laugh, his hands grabbing her, and his throat, as he dropped into the water, pulling her under with him. "Need to cool you down."


    She struggled not to gasp as the shockingly cold water of the fountain hit her skin. For all her power, she still needed to breathe. No fear found her, however. Rage, on the other hand, did.


    ¡°You want to swim arsehole.¡± She thought she grabbed one of his fingers and pulled, for the first time in a long time holding nothing she was back, her light a small sun under the water as she ripped his pointer finger off his body letting it fall deeper in the fountain.


    Chimera howled, releasing the glowing woman as he pushed away in the thirteen-foot-deep water, deeper into the wide curve of the pool. He burst back out of the surface, almost simultaneously with her doing the same.


    "That hurt!" he howled, only to pause as gunfire from behind him drew his notice. Three cops were shooting at his back. "Oh, you''re just adorable." He grumbled, flexing. Eight pods launched from what looked like boils on his back, landing with wet slaps on the concrete, before unfolding into smaller monsters, who pounced on the police. "Now where was I."


    Solaris, hovering high above him, glared at the monsters, but shook it off. She knew she couldn¡¯t help them, leaving that up to Penny. ¡°I have to keep on him.¡±


    She dove, skimming only inches above the sidewalk, grabbing and ripping out one of the globed street lamps ripping it out of the ground, barely avoiding another spike driving into the ground as she arced back, flying towards him using the dirt covered cement lump on the end to batter at Chimera like a pi?ata.


    He staggered back for several hits before gaining his footing, throwing a lazy looking but staggeringly fast haymaker, slamming into her with enough force to crack his own bones. Even as unmovable as Solaris usually was, she flew back several feet, knocking a tree over as she impacted it.


    On the ground, Erica and Anzy ran towards the struggling police, Anzy splitting into five parts, one staying with Erica, the other three running harder, one of her scooping up a dropped shotgun and firing it point blank into a monster¡¯s head.


    Another clone grabbed a pistol and vanished, the pistol appearing in the hands of the girl next to Erica. "Catch!" She said, tossing her the pistol. Smoothly the mechanic caught the gun and snapped off three shots seemingly without aiming, a round drilling through a different monster with each shot.


    Elenore threw her hands out, and two solid black winged sabretooths swirled into reality the two cats pounced on one of the Chimera¡¯s minions. ¡°Iteration get some clones on crowd control. Dryad, help Iteration, and get barriers up!¡±


    Several clones ran towards the crowd, helping people who had fallen, urging people to run who hadn''t started yet, particularly the idiots who were taking pictures from a cell phone.


    Erica cursed as another group of pods slammed into the ground, one gun going dry as she emptied rounds into them before they could get up. ¡°I¡¯m running out here!¡±


    Mercedes grumbled. "Yeah, I know." As she seemed to grow herself, tripling her original height as she sprouted wooden ''armor'' and huge bramble like spikes on her limbs. She flexed, and several decorative plants began to move, their limbs like hands grabbing people and pushing them away. She, herself, grabbed two of the new monsters and flung them back at their creator, their bodies bursting into slime as they hit.


    Levi ran slammed a glowing red fist into the face of one of minions gagging a bit at the smell of its cooking flesh as its head turned into a fine green mist. He turned to face another, but it¡¯s head vanished as Penny put a .500 round through its skull. ¡°Does this happen a lot?¡±


    ¡°Eh, you get used to it.¡±


    Solaris wheezed a little working on getting her breath back after Chimera slipped a hammer like pod behind her, driving the air out of her lungs. She spun the cast iron street light over and used gravity and her own flight to spear down at Chimera, using the height his own strike had granted her to her own advantage, only to have to throw herself to the side as a massive geiser of water shot into the air, the show having apparently began on its preprogrammed show.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Chimera said, stepping away from the artillery like bursts of water, having completely forgotten in the fight where they were fighting. Realizing his surprise, Solaris smashed her streetlamp  at the back of the monster''s legs sending him to his knees, and directly into the path of three of the most powerful spouts.


    Chimera staggered, struggling to his feet, unaware of what was beneath him till they kicked off, several dozen water cannons going off around him, three slamming into his body, sloughing flesh from diseased bones. He screamed in rage and pain, not having realized the danger of the fountain itself before the pain came.


    Solaris punched his kidney, trying to force him further into the spouts, letting out a shout of joy as he stumbled again, before taking a blast to her front that finished off her poor shirt, driving her back in need of air.


    The rippling blast of several cannons ripped into his falling form, leaving a floating mass of flesh in the center of the fountain, even as the program continued. After several minutes, it finally stopped, leaving the monster and its blood staining the water.


    Solaris floated above the monster making sure he didn¡¯t ''t get back up. Panting a bit and glad she¡¯d worn a sports bra. ¡°God Nathan you are such an ass. All these years and water is still a weakness.¡±


    Silence was all that answered, she drifted closer ¡°Well, that¡¯s a new trick.¡± Chimera¡¯s skull seemed hollow, as if something had burst from it. ¡°Till next time.¡± She said  softly looking for her friends then drifting over to them. ¡°Are you all okay?¡±


    Anzy was sitting with her head between her legs. Mercedes patting her back. "We''re fine. Anzy had one of her clones get popped so she''s a bit nauseous."


    "Luckily we were close to where the damn pods fell." Penny said. "I don''t think anyone not already enhanced got a scratch. Well, no one lived through it." She said, glancing at the original targets.


    Solaris closed her eyes. ¡°I am sorry I couldn¡¯t divert from Chimera himself; Nathan was focused on me he would have just chased me.¡±


    "And there''s no safe direction to kite him other than keeping him in the water." Levi nodded. "We understand. Sorry we couldn''t help you in some way.".


    You did good, you worked together well, you got bystanders out of the way and took out his sub-units before they could do catastrophic damage, be proud of yourselves


    "We did our best." Evelyn said. Then she frowned. "Wait, did you call him Nathan?"


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve fought him many times. Since he first expressed.¡±


    "But... I mean... The Chimera, Champion of Chaos, Devourer of Degradation..." Evelyn shook her head. "His name is freaking Nathan? That''s...so mundane."


    Penny shook her head, taking off her sweater and offering it to Solaris.


    "Thank you, Penny." she pulled it on. the sweater covering the bruises that where beginning to form on her torso. "He''s just a man Elenore. An insecure, greedy fool who happened to get powers. She looked around. At least there isn''t too much property damage. She took her phone out and dialed Zakai''s emergency number.


    "Hello Solaris. Enjoying Las Vegas?" He asked.


    "Yes, up until Chimera decided to use the Bellagio fountains as an arena. I took him down, but he split part of himself off to run away. There are a few cops down, but no civilian casualties I am aware of, and minimal property damage. My new employees, students from the Nevada super school took out his spawn. Should I head back to the hotel and take cover or continue to our dinner reservations as a show of strength."


    "Go to the hotel, order room service." He instructed. "I am already aware of the event, though details in the media are still sketchy. Can you send me a more detailed summary of what happened?" He asked.


    "Yes. I can do that." She hung up. "Okay once the police release us, we are heading back to the hotel, we are all going to my suite so we can write reports while the information is fresh. We''ll order room service. She looked at Penny. "What all do we still need to do here,¡± she looked around to make sure emergency services where in route.


    "You all go back; I can handle the cops. One last hurrah for the UNLOC ID." She joked. "Order me a steak and potato. See you back at the suite."

 Chapter 34 Leaving Las Vegas

    Leaving Las Vegas


    ¡°Welcome back to Conversation Hour, from Nimble House. We still have the lovely Solaris here. Now Solaris, my daughter has asked me a question, and I hope it¡¯s not to awkward to ask. Why, when you can fly, have you also learned to be a pilot, and fly so often in civilian transportation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not awkward at all, Richard. A lady must keep her hair neat, if given an option. While I don¡¯t mind being a bit mused if I¡¯ve had to put in a bit of work, against the Nazi¡¯s or some criminal, that is one thing, but flying across town and being windblown would be unforgivable.¡±


    Solaris and Richard Surrard, on the Nimble House Conversation Hour Radio Show, 1944.


    "Order a full spread." Elizabeth told Elenore as they got back to the suite. ¡°I need to shower and change.¡±


    She went into the bathroom and stripped. Now in private she allowed her pain to show. Her stomach and torso were red with bruises. They''d heal quickly but would hurt like hell until then. She was glad for the walk in shower, washing the fountain and bits of Chimera out of her hair and off her skin as quickly as she could, hunger catching up with her.


    She dried off and pulled on a soft, loose t-shirt dress, not wanting anything rough against her skin. "Anyone else need to sluice off?¡± She sniffed. ¡°Levi you go shower next door. Erica, can you get him some clean clothing. Just throw those away."


    ¡°I call dibs on this shower.¡± Mercedes said. ¡°Even when the wood flaked off, I still feel like my hands are slimy.¡±


    Solaris sat down on one of the chairs fighting a wince as her back hit the fabric. "I asked before but after a fight like that things can be hazy. Is everyone okay, no one was hurt? I am sorry I couldn¡¯t come help you.¡±


    ¡°Basic combat training kind of came with the academies. They¡¯re not nicknamed cape-school for nothing.¡± Anzy said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve never been sure about suiting up, but I know my way around a fight. Same is true for all of us.¡±


    "By the way, you''re trending on Twitter.¡± Elenore said as Levi and Mercedes disappeared to bathe. ¡°Bombproof Bombshell battles Chimera. The Media is asking for any details, or knowledge, about you, us, or what the fight was about. The theory is he was gunning for you."


    She blinked trying to remember what Twitter was. "They are mostly right. Apparently, he came to see if there was anything he could eat in the Atomic Museum. Then when there wasn''t he saw me and decided to have a rematch, he''s never forgiven himself or me for a ''girl'' taking him down.¡±


    "Villain types tend to have enormous egos, and misogyny isn¡¯t dead yet. Part of the reason they do what they do. And for the drama." Elenore observed.


    "Stll, they focused mostly on you, but glowing and fighting a massive mutant will draw the eye. There''s only a few mentions of us."


    ¡°That is not a bad thing, especially if you want to live more normal lives. Solaris said. "Any trouble with the police Penny?¡± Solaris asked, as her assistant and companion walked in.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Chimera, so things where pretty cut and dried as far as the cops where concerned.¡± Penny said.


    ¡°How bad was the fallout from the attack?¡±


    "Three cops, two bystanders." Penny said. "At that site. He''d apparently done some sort of raid on the Atomic Museum earlier in the day which was only limited by the place being closed at the time. Honestly, this is the least damaging attack he''s engaged in, confirmed, for decades."


    "And he really didn''t seem to like you." Erica said, then looked closer at Solaris. "And I mean that, your ribs are bruised, and I think he cracked your sternum, though it''s already healing."


    Solaris blinked then remembered the girl¡¯s super-vision abilities. "Oh, he loathes me, and he still hits like a train.¡± She closed her eyes. "I can¡¯t believe he was hiding in a fountain. The best way to beat him is to get him in water. He can¡¯t swim and water bogs him down, that''s how we beat him the first time. We froze him in a lake. Weirdly, he can actually breathe underwater, so he loves to hide in it in spite of that fact."


    ¡°To be fair, you can''t breathe under water so he might have been thinking of drowning you." Penny suggested. "Also, there''s just not many places something as big as him can hide and strike out in Vegas that I''m aware of."


    "Still an idiot." Solaris said simply. She could hold her breath a long time, enhanced stamina had all sorts of odd effects on the body. "I didn''t know he got any civilians. Damn. Where are we on getting the plane? Zakai is probably going to want us out of Vegas."


    "The plane is actually here, but I was having techs go over it with a fine-toothed comb just because we weren''t in a hurry. I doubt it¡¯ll be ready to fly tomorrow." Penny admitted. "Speaking of which, I just got an email, and he wants quite the opposite. He is asking if you are willing to do a Las Vegas morning show, and then a few interviews with the cable news channels."


    She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Yes, that is fine, most of the surface bruising and such should be camera healed by tomorrow. How is he wanting to handle the Fledglings? I personally would prefer to keep them as out of it as possible. Although, I guess I should ask, do any of you actually WANT media attention?"


    "Um, I think we should revisit that later." Elenore said, peeking over Penny''s shoulder. "He has notes about how we can be there if needed or wanted, but we don''t need to be. My guess, they''re asking about you, not us. I can come if they need to interview someone. I can be the proper balance of eloquent and boring."


    "You can just tell them that you had help from new friends who aren''t seeking media attention if worse comes to worse."


    "He''s also asking if we need him to find a camera crew, or if we have a camera and microphone worth using." Elenore glanced at Erica. "We can go get something, then you can limit the number of people you''re having to deal with in here."


    "I''m confused, why would we need camera people? Don''t the news shows provide those?" Solaris asked.


    "The news show is at a studio in town." Penny said. "And they''re the affiliate for Fox here, so they can interview there too, but the other channels aren''t aligned with the studio and thus don''t play nice. That''s going to be about six interviews on top of the morning show."


    "Alright purchase what you need. Anzy, Mercades, did either of you study photography, so you can act as a camera person?¡±


    ¡°Photography is actually my hobby, but my camera body recently gave up the ghost.¡± Elenore said. "All three of us have worked with cameras before, though. Anzy has a food insta, and Mercedes likes to take pictures of landscapes she wants to paint. We know what you need and we still have the cash you gave us. We can run and get the gear now."


    "Penny can give you a card to use. Get everything you think we need and a bag to put it in. This is not going to be the last time this happens."


    "Will do. We''ll pick up a go pro or two as well. Somehow I see those being useful in the future too."


    "Whatever you think we need. the door rang, "that''s probably room service. would one of you please go fetch it in?"


    A pair of slightly nervous looking hotel employees stood with the large food trolleys. "Room service."


    "Right to the table please. Thank you very much for bringing it so quickly."


    "No problem. The boss also sent up two bottles of wine, gratis.¡± The server said as they rolled the food to the table quickly rolling the carts back out. "Penny, can you grab some socks to pour that ice in. It would feel a treat on these bruises. " Solaris said with a bit of a blush, gesturing at the wine buckets.


    "Yeah, let me grab that."


    The girls had been talking, and two Anzy''s popped into existence next to the first and left setting everyone''s food out on the table while the third left to fetch the camera gear. "Well, other than the fight, the stay in Ceasars has been fantastic and I admit, while I''d rather NOT deal with giant monsters, keeping people from being hurt by it was nice. But god I hate when one of me gets popped." She shivered. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a day or two to get five back. I am achy for a while afterwards.¡±


    "I can¡¯t Imagine that it is a pleasant experience." Solaris said sympathetically. "And I agree this was a lot of fun, save for Chimera. It''s going to take ages to clean the fountains."


    "I suspect they''d rather that, than Chimera have gotten into a full on rampage. That would have been at least the Bellagio and Paris destroyed, and thousands of casualties. The Golden Knights had been responding to something on Fremont Street when the attack happened, so were distracted. Street Sheppard showed up while I was talking to the cops, and wanted to express his apologies that the team couldn''t break off what they were doing to help."


    "It''s dealt with. That''s what''s important.¡± She smiled at Penny as she slid one ice laden sock between her back and the chair, the other on her chest, the cool felt good. "Thank you. Never let them see you hurt. It''s why I used to order a chilled wine after a fight. Zakai have anything else he needs us to do or is he busy arranging the interviews now?"


    ¡°No, he said take it easy. And to go out if you wanted to.¡± Penny said


    ¡°I may have to take some measures to walk around after that.¡± Anzy handed her a steak, realizing Solaris was in enough pain she wasn¡¯t going to move if she didn¡¯t have to. ¡°Thank you Anzy. Penny can you pick up some Giants baseball kit to wear. If I wear a different team and change the hair up it might help with getting mobbed. I can take something more appropriate to the studio. Then I think it is time to relax, by the pool.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Penny nodded "That sounds good, I¡¯ll call down and get a private cabana, it will hopefully encourage people to give you some space. Did you all bring swimwear?"


    Anzy nodded. "We did. And considering the shops here, getting some wouldn''t be hard."


    "Good, we need a quiet day¡± Solairs said between bites of steak. ¡° If I''m being honest, I am going to be very sore tomorrow so not really want to move a lot. I almost never go full strength, and with Chimera you don''t hold back."


    "We''re probably lucky he didn''t realize how powerful the water cannons were. I mean, those things hit with the force of industrial hydraulics if I remember correctly. Stripping flesh was about the best result he could have hoped for."


    Solaris nodded. "It felt a lot like being hit with artillery. One day we will have to come back and see the show properly."


    "They are going to need a hazmat team to remove the husk and bits from the water. the tourists are going to love that show." Erica said wryly, rolling her eyes.


    "Well, either way, I''m tired and I''ve eaten my dinner." Mercedes, who had quietly reappeared in a very long shirt that she apparently stole from Penny, said. "I think I am ready to turn in. Going Ent always leaves me needing a rest anyway."


    The two taxi-vans paused at the entrance to the private plane terminal two days later. "It looks like someone leaked." Penny muttered, looking out. The gate was nearly blocked by people with signs, mostly positive or outright gushing for Solaris with security personnel trying to back them off.


    "Money talks." The impromptu media blitz she''d had to do was exhausting, especially injured, and they''d had to change her room because people found out where she was. The blonde woman was looking forward to getting back to her house, with its walls and gates. "How do we get through? I don''t want to encourage bad behavior by getting out."


    "Security is clearing them. Fortunately, I had the good sense to go with the taxi service instead of Uber." Penny muttered. They were in unmarked vans, with tinted windows, so even those trying to peer into the vans couldn''t see. "This is just wild."


    It took several minutes, but the security personnel finally pushed the crowd back and opened the gate, letting the two vans through. They followed a road to the FBO building, entering the passenger terminal for private jets, which bordered on luxurious, like a very nice hotel lobby. A concierge was there to meet them. "Good afternoon! Summers Party, I hope?"


    "Yes, I do apologize for the hassle." she said politely. ¡°Did all the baggage arrive?"


    "We have celebrities of all kinds go in and out of here. It''s nothing new. The baggage has arrived and has been loaded, though the plane is currently being fueled. That is slightly behind schedule due to other issues. The flight crew arrived yesterday, and I am assured they are fully conversant with the aircraft in question and the catering was delivered an hour ago."


    "Thank you. I truly appreciate your professionalism. Do you think we will have issues on the other end of the flight?¡± She was hoping New York was still delightfully cynical.


    "To my knowledge, no. Fortunately we have an FBO facility at your arrival airport so we were able to call and talk to them. They are aware of what''s happening here, and our concierge on the ground is ordering limo service to take you and your companion¡¯s home with minimal issue. Fortunately, Republic airport isn''t where people assume the famous folks are going to go."


    ¡°Thank you again. I look forward to using your services in the future. Let¡¯s get aboard.¡± She said, following the steward to a delightfully nondescript white plane. ¡°This is perfect Penny.¡±


    "I thought you''d like it. And it was honestly about the smallest that checked all the boxes." she admitted.


    They were led to the plane, where a woman in a business casual outfit with the branding of the crewing service Penny had hired greeted them. "The pilots are completely the pre-flight checks if you all wish to come aboard. I''ll bring out breakfast when we are in the air and settled at altitude." She explained.


    Thank you. The group headed up the stairs and onto the plane, finding plush seats and comfortable decor. ¡°Ahh this is what I remember¡± Solaris said, settling into a comfy chair. ¡°Seriously Penny you did a great job. This is comfort without being flashy. The plane is very unassuming among the private planes I had seen outside. I really like it.¡±


    "No reason it has to be flashy. It¡¯s good to be low key sometimes." She agreed, sitting across from her, Elenore also joining them in the quartet of facing seats, along with Granny Ruan. The other four kids went to the back of the plane, admiring the nice features. "Though we''ll be getting rotating crew until we figure something out for that."


    ¡°Well, we can just hire people we like from the agency. There is usually a fee. But it¡¯s worth it to slowly build a crew that will work for and with us. And I¡¯m not sure how much flying we¡¯ll do short term anyhow.¡±


    "And that''s ignoring training up some of this crew to fill in some of the jobs."


    ¡°True, some of them do have stick training. And we were going to take classes ourselves so maybe we can get a bulk discount.¡±


    "At this point, I''d bet we can. Especially if we make noises about buying something smaller. A lot of the training places double as maintenance and sales. And while this suits many of your needs, I could see you wanting to take short hops that might not be worth the cost of spinning up a jet with this kind of power and range."


    ¡°Something to think about. Any new news from Zakai?¡±


    ¡°He says the interviews are trending well, and there¡¯s interest in follow up. He also said there has been reach out by a few other, non-media agencies."


    ¡°Non media agencies?¡± Solaris asked curious. ¡°You mean like charities?


    "Yes, and advertisers. The more agency to you, I suspect, is some hero organizations have reached out."


    ¡°Oh? What organizations?¡±


    "He didn''t give me the full list, but the Guardians current leadership, St. Nicks, and The Guild for one."


    ¡°The first two do not surprise me, I was going to reach out to them soon anyways, who are the Guild?¡±


    "The guild is a little hard to explain. You''ve met Luna Fuego, who is independent though she sometimes works as a stringer with the local hero team in New York." Penny said. "That''s pretty common, but the guild is relatively new. They''re trying to form a more universal, if less officially organized association to provide non-field support as well as making it easier for indies to contact each other. They''ve had an uphill battle however, because they want their members to be more ''transparent'' with things like identity. At least internally. Since this becomes a bit of a security issue not everyone is excited by that." Penny trailed off.


    ¡°Not everyone wants to drag all the troubles to their homes and families. Look at Chimera, it¡¯s only a matter of time before he builds himself up and tries attacking me again. I¡¯m willing to talk to them but I¡¯m a public hero, I always have been. I believe in heroes supporting each other. That¡¯s part of why the Network with the Tailors and such exists¡±


    "For the record, I''m going to install some defenses at the house." Penny  said nonchalantly.


    "Me too!'' Called out Erica.


    "Her too."


    The jet began to taxi, approaching the runways, the cabin much better soundproofed than the ones on the jumbo jet they''d flown before. That, plus the engines being further back, meant easier to keep a conversation going. "Please buckle up, we¡¯ll hopefully be taking off shortly." The stewardess said, before disappearing to her own seat.


    The sound of clicking seatbelts filled the plane. ¡°Go wild expense what you need to keep our home safe. Just try to keep it subtle and don¡¯t accidentally blow-up Thud.¡± Solaris said.


    "He''ll likely have one of the controls for whatever I do. I promise, only a couple of railguns. Probably."


    ¡°Hide them in planters or something. We don¡¯t want to upset the neighbors


    "I''ll talk to Mercedes and figure out what we can do." she chuckled. "I suspect a few other groups, like the Manhattan Unmatched, that''s the local team though it''s somewhat informal, are looking to talk to you."


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk to the Guardians and St Nicks first. The Guardians because it¡¯s my team, and St Nicks because they probably have my super gear! I still haven¡¯t found it.¡±


    "The Guardians are not quite the team you remember, they are now the United States National Team, and receive the permitted funding from the US.¡± Penny informed her. ¡°They have currently ten members, though it rotates between six active, on site at a time. The four off will go ''home'' and be more local for a time or go completely to down time. I think it''s a six-month rotation. The only exception is the team leader, Pinnacle. I hear he takes vacations from time to time, but otherwise is twenty-four seven on site at their current headquarters, Guardian Island."


    ¡°We got an Island? Well, that is an upgrade, even if the Congressional golf course was lovely.¡± She smiled ¡°Tell me about Pinnacle? What kind of hero is he?


    " Pinnacle ''s reputation is he¡¯s a hard ass, but he tends to get into fights with things like Chimera, or worse, and deals with massive disasters on the monthly so it may just come with the job."


    ¡°I believe the saying is ¡®been there done that¡¯.¡± Solaris said wryly. The sense of gravity increased, and they lifted off, Solaris closed her eyes savoring the sensations of lift off.


    Before long the aircraft reached its cruising height, leveling out and settling into a relatively quiet cruise. At that point the stewardess rose and raised the folding tables from their wall sheaths, then pulled several platters out of where they were stored, laying a pair of trays on the folding tables. "We have a European breakfast display of pastries and croissants, sliced meats and assorted cheeses with fresh fruit and yogurt." She said, placing a plate in front of each person. "We have assorted juices and coffee or perhaps a bloody Mary to drink with brunch?"


    ¡°This is what flying was like for me a month ago.¡± Solaris said happily. Placing her napkin in her lap and taking a bite of a lovely, warmed croissant.


    "It is a bit more civilized. And I''ll take a coffee please."


    "Bloody Mary." Grandmother said, with a smile. "I hate flying. But this is better."


    ¡°Gin and tonic please.¡± Solaris said, smiling as the fledglings heard they could get booze with breakfast.


    "Well, we can pour them out when we get home." Penny chuckled. "But can you blame them. Big changes going on."


    ¡°They have reasons to celebrate.¡± She delicately ate some fruit, ¡°I love pineapple. When we get home, we need to get them in with the Tailor, get them fitted for formal wear, I think Elenore will need a bit more time at Bergdorfs, she¡¯s going to want a media polish, I have a feeling the Fox show won¡¯t be her last time speaking with me on screen. Do you think we should just spa day for all of the ladies?¡±


    "Oh yes. I''m not sure Levi would appreciate it, nor would it last." Penny mused. "He strikes me as a fidgeter."


    "He is, but that''s okay. He''s a man who works with his hands, he''s meant to move." Granny Ruan said with a nod.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to even try.¡± Solaris admitted. ¡°I have known many mechanics; he¡¯ll have one nice suit that we will have to remind him when to wear. And a spare jacket and tie for when he ¡°ruins¡± them.¡±


    "Maybe I''ll just take him to Men''s Warehouse for off the rack, and we can let him get some nice tools instead of nice clothes."


    ¡°Yes¡­ I don¡¯t t think he¡¯d enjoy the pomp. We need to find a shop for them to work out of, our garage is large but not that large. And I kind of want a race car.¡±


    "I think I found something. I want to go look at it to be sure, but there''s a place about fifteen minutes from the house, give or take, that used to be the headquarters for a Limo rental company. It''s got two bay doors, a big ''warehouse'' space, as well as a lobby, breakroom, and an upstairs set of offices, an open area for conference table or secretary area''s and three offices. I suspect we can come in well under what they are asking, assuming there isn''t junk in it we can probably put lifts and get tools in there and get right to doing something with it."


    ¡°Depending on the lobby we might be able to put more bays in, make sure we use all the building. Offices would be useful for Elenore. So, she has a place to work.


    "Room for repair bays is not going to be a problem, but I''ll let the kids figure out where they want to put things." Penny admitted. "I figure we do this the way the accountant wants, do a business loan for automotive restoration I suppose and then we can give the kids a monthly amount to spend on cars to repair for charity like you said, between big projects when they come up. Keep an eye out for a restorable supercar or classic in a junker auction."


    Solaris leaned back sipping her drink. ¡°We could treat it as a trial run for the manor. Save for, hopefully, all the remediations, it will have a lot of the same needs. Renovation, space and team management. What do you think?¡± she looked at Elenore


    "I don''t mind taking it on as a starter project." Elenore said. "I admit, I am nervous I won''t do as well as I hope. I pray I can rely on you to mentor me a bit."


    Solaris nodded. It also gives you something to do, though I¡¯m sure other little projects will raise their head. They usually do.¡±

 Chapter 35, Getting Home

    Getting Home


    The relationship between an Enhanced and their Tailor is rather unique. Even non-cape Enhanced tend to get to know one of the more publicly open Tailors as a client just due to special needs. When you can set fire to your panties if you get excited, you realize you need a special kind of lingerie for date night.


    But that relationship works both ways. As Tailors, we ironically often have very limited Enhanced gifts of our own, usually oriented towards being a Breakthrough or Catalyst, and not much else. You want to make sure your friends who can throw trucks or, as I mentioned, set someone¡¯s pants on fire, are on your side.


    Long story short, make your Tailor happy, and they¡¯ll give you the occasional gift. Just a bit of advice, my darlings.


    Phantastique, Fashion and Style in the Super Set


    Solaris tilted her head. ¡°Are there influencers that work on cars? Maybe ones that need space?¡±


    "There''s a huge number of them. If we improve the lighting in that shop as the first refurbishment project, we could likely draw a few. Especially if we get the tools and gear that they sometimes don''t have access to. Plus we have a pair of additional mechanics to help for the solo guys."


    Solaris nodded, I¡¯ll contact Louise and have her arrange to purchase the property. I want you to figure out what we need to¡­care for influencers, and get it set up properly, and find the contractors as needed. I¡¯ll give you Louise and Tracy¡¯s numbers since you will be working with them, Louise is my US accountant and Tracy, is our point of contact for my PR firm, they may be able to help you find talent


    "I''ll go look at the building after it¡¯s bought, along with Erica and Levi. They''ll know what is a need, a want, or a wish list item is."


    Solaris nodded, ¡°I figured you¡¯d want to include them. She looked back to where the other 4 were sitting. If you talk to them now you may get some more¡­. Unrestrained answers.


    "True... since they''re tipsy." The girl rose and slipped into the rear of the cabin, settling on the couch to chat with the group.


    A few hours into the flight, the stewardess, who had regularly checked on everyone''s need for drinks or anything else handed out small cards with the options for their lunch. A roasted tomato basil soup or potato leek soup as a hot starter, with a ceasar salad. The option of a roasted beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, potatoes and steamed asparagus or lemon pepper chicken breast with wild rice and roasted cauliflower for the main at the diners choice.


    Solaris almost purred as she ate the tenderloin, she was still offended by the way the quality of mass air transit had failed is customers. ¡°Thank you, Juli I sincerely hope, we get to fly with you again you have been wonderful.


    "Well feel free to ask for me the next set of flights you have. I am on a floating team currently, though I would love a more permanent slot. I just refuse to do a main line airline again. Those things are nuts."


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. I took one flight and bought this to keep from doing it again! Solaris said. The girls were still lovely but with so many to tend to and so few tools to do it I could understand the stress.


    "Add drunk, irritated and impatient passengers and it¡¯s just a headache. I much prefer the business jet set, and I feel a bit more self-respect in the product I serve, too. The caterers are so much better at this level.":


    ¡°I can identify this as food, not mysterious substances with gravy. If I wanted that I¡¯d have stayed in England!¡±


    The stewardess laughed. "I understand."


    The plane landed smoothly in New York. Solaris thanked the crew. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± she led them off the plane and walked them down to the limo. ¡°So how did you like the flight?¡±


    "That was pretty sweet." Levi, who was carrying a sleeping Mercedes, said. ¡°I want to learn to fly jets now. I mean, that just was sweet."


    "I loved the food." Mercedes murmured, barely aware.


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    Happily, there weren¡¯t any crowds waiting for them. And the drive to Islip was smooth, Nahoa meeting them at the front gate to let them in. "Welcome back, or just welcome." He said, raising an eyebrow at all the other younger people pouring out of the car. "Got a couple of deliveries while you were away."


    Solaris was arching an eyebrow as well. The big Hawaiian was wearing a muscle shirt, very loose fitting and she could see several small but dark bruises along one side of his body peeking out. Fairly familiar bruises.


    ¡°Oh? Has the outdoor furniture started to arrive?¡± she asked, stretching politely not mentioning the bruising.


    ¡°Hey, does that car have bullet holes?¡± Erica said, drawing Solaris¡¯s attention to an unfamiliar sedan parked in the corner of the drive.


    "That, and things from the Tailor." he said, pointedly ignoring the question. "The cabins are both set up, including the extra beds. Marcus has already moved into ours."


    Penny rolled her eyes. ¡°Right, we¡¯ll just ignore that.¡±


    ¡°Are you two comfortable?¡± Solaris said, smothering a chuckle. ¡°Sorry about shifting you all about. Let me introduce you to our new hires. She waved the others over. This is Anzy, she¡¯s our new cook, and this is Mercades, she¡¯s handling the gardens, they are taking over the boathouse. This is Levi and Erica, they are Mechanics and will be staying in the pool house. And lastly this is Elenore. She¡¯s going to be a program manager and marketer for several projects I will have running.¡± She smiled at the newcomers. ¡°This is Nahoa, my security guard. My driver, attempting to steer people away from the new somewhat perforated car is Marcus.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "We''re fine, it''s all good." He said. "It¡¯s good to meet all of you. If you need anything from me, just let me know. I got the keys for the houses here. I think you and Mercedes are getting these." He said, handing the boathouse keys to Anzy. "And the pool house is you and Erica." He gave Levi that key. "I got the cameras, and such all installed while you were gone." He informed Solaris.


    ¡°Thank you, Marcus. Why don¡¯t you all go get settled in. I think tonight we will order Chinese in. You can eat in your flats or join us in the main house. Anzy, I know you¡¯re going to want to look the kitchens over.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not a priority today but Levi I¡¯d like you and Erica to find a couple of cars for everyone to use, right now we have one house car, but we probably need more. Nice unassuming cars, things that will be ignored as they run errands.¡±


    "Can do. didn''t think you wanted us to make super sleepers. At least not yet." He chuckled.


    ¡°Sleepers? Are you wanting some sort of caravan?¡±


    "What, oh, no. Sorry, slang. A sleeper is a car that is chosen because it¡¯s unassuming, but you strip its powerplant and put some sort of a beast in it. Say, taking a Volkswagen Beetle but pull the stock engine and put something with double the horsepower in, with suspension improvements to work with it. You get a car that looks like it''ll putter along but can put most stock sports cars to shame."


    Solaris¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡±Oh! I love that idea. Yes, get cars you can do that to!¡±


    "Um, do you mean too, or instead?


    Erica laughed. "She meant too, we¡¯ll grab a couple of things begging to be tuned, and some practical daily drivers."


    ¡°Why not do that to all of them. Then if you need you can get up and go.¡±


    "Well a lot of cars, you can get performance out of them by changing out a few things, adding turbo chargers or what have you, so we definitely can."


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± She said with a smile that was a little dreamy, she loved powerful cars. ¡°Go settle in.¡± She laughed as Anzy split into three, one dragging Mercades towards the boat house, one heading for the outdoor kitchen, and one for the main kitchen. Marcus watched that with a stunned expression, while Nahoa kept watching her nervously.


    "We will get settled in and see you in an hour for dinner." Erica said, dragging the now muttering and planning Levi after her. Elenore chuckled and followed them.


    ¡°Speaking of sleepers?¡± Penny said. ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice the bullet holes seem to be shallower than they should in that car.¡±


    ¡°The Tailor¡¯s delivery guys screwed up and left something with us they shouldn¡¯t have. We took them back, he asked if we¡¯d do a delivery, and it became a whole thing.¡± Nahoa summarized.


    ¡°Right.¡± Granny Ruan said. ¡°I¡¯ll grill them later. For now, let them think they can hide, and get to know the other kids. Of you go, boys.¡±


    "Sounds good." Penny said, noting the packages stacked on the table. She sat in a chair nearby, stretching out. "Not that we weren''t in luxurious environments, but sometimes getting home is the best part of a vacation."


    ¡°Yes, nothing is the same as home. What all was delivered?¡±


    "Let me see. Okay, I''m betting these are costumes, as they have our code names on them. He put them in pretty nice cases.¡± She patted the pelican case her own was in. ¡°And looks like three each?" she said, thoughtfully. "Four for you."


    ¡°To be fair, I am most likely to ruin them.¡± Solaris walked over opening the box to reveal a uniform in muted reds and blues, with white the brightest tone. ¡°We will need to let Zakai know these are in. I know he wants a photo shoot.¡±


    "These would be the new circlets." she said. "And a note to look in the garage."


    ¡°Marcus¡¯s big toy must have come in.¡± They headed for the garage. ¡°I hope Marcus hasn¡¯t seen the bike yet. I want to see his face.¡±


    There were two crates, both completely sealed, with envelopes on the tops, taped down. Both were large, though one was obviously a motorcycle. A third, smaller crate was marked as components for Dreadful. "Looks like he didn''t." Penny said, pulling the envelope off the smaller box. "Oh yeah, this is the bike we ordered. But I didn''t think we ordered a second vehicle, did we?"


    ¡°I know I ordered some things for England. I don¡¯t think I got anything else.¡± She pulled the envelope off the larger package ¡°let¡¯s see what we have here, hopefully not another erroneous drop off. Then we can call Marcus over.¡±


    Out loud she read, "Solaris, since you made such a big order, and I got notified you''re going to be doing another soon, I thought a gift for a favorite customer might be in order. It''s not precisely your favorite type of vehicle, but I think you''ll enjoy it just the same."


    Penny was cutting the straps and tape on the box, while she read. "Hmmm, so it''s a surprise?"


    ¡°Apparently. Solaris said looking over the box the pulling the lid off the nails on the crate squeezing as they released. She tossed the lid to the side and looked Inside. A Polaris Xpedition, heavily customized with treads, a snowplow settled next to it on the shipping frame but obviously intended to attach to the vehicle.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is interesting, is it lawn equipment or a plaything?¡± She removed the rest of the crate so she could walk around it.


    "Yes." Penny chuckled. "You can put the plow on it, use the winch for work, what have you, but you can also take it into the wild and rip around like a maniac." She said.


    ¡°Oh. We will have to try it out, and show it to Mercades since she¡¯s doing the lawn work.¡±


    "It''ll be great whenever it snows. That driveway is no joke."


    ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t thought much about the snow. Shall we call Marcus over?¡± Solaris hit the garage door to open it then patted the box.


    She pulled the lid off and opened it while Penny texted him. ¡°Oh this came out sharp!


    "Oh yes, it looks mean." The BMW 1250 RT was a mean looking motorcycle, with a predatory edge appropriate to the civilian version of the most common police bike in the world. Its black-on-black styling was stealthy and sleek. Penny looked at a note, and flipped a hidden switch, and concealed lights came to life, a blue matching Marcus''s aura acting to bring a dramatic look to the bike, while also changing its appearance to an outside viewer, pipes rotating to reveal hidden chrome. "Oh, that is well done."


    I¡¯m almost jealous. Put it back in street, I see him coming!¡± Solaris clapped her hands; she loved giving presents.


    She hit the switch. A check revealed the light could be turned off but the chrome remaining out, making another subtle, but important change to the bikes look.


    ¡°Hey, if this is about the Valiant, I can explain. It wasn¡¯t really our fault, things just kind of snowballed.¡± Marcus said, pausing when he saw the bike. "Nice."


    ¡°I might have been a little naughty at the Tailors, I never thought to ask.¡± She smirked. ¡°Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?¡±


    "I have, dirt bikes and such, and a street bike a little. Why do you ask?"


    Solaris shook her head in amusement, patting the seat of the new bike. ¡°Because this beauty is your new hero bike, unless you prefer the odd car outside.¡±


    "Really? Holy crap! I might need to get a cheap bike to practice on, because that is just nice." He walked over and petted the bike, then swung a leg over it. "Oh. Oh yeah.¡±


    She smiled at Penny. ¡°Why don¡¯t you do the honors? You helped me pick it out.¡± Penny nodded and toggled the hero switch. The shift happing seamlessly u dear him the blue lights a halo on the ground.


    He looked down. "Oh god that''s hot. Shit, man, I don''t know why you got me this. I haven''t earned this."


    ¡°Because I wanted to, you want to be a hero even knowing the¡­unpleasant parts. And you are part of my team. I take care of my team.¡±


    ¡°Now we just have to find you a proper call sign.¡±


    "Yeah, I have some ideas, maybe you can help me pick." He admitted. "I glow blue, hit things kinda hard, and can take a beating. I mean, at least really big handgun bullets are completely stopped without me feeling it. What covers that?" He shook his head almost vibrating with the need to try the new bike "I''m going to need to get to earning my place, then, but first I''m taking this out for a ride." Switching off the light and starting the bike, he carefully slid out into the evening, laughing as he shot down the driveway.


    ¡°How long till he gets a ticket.¡± Solaris said fondly.

 Chapter 36, Talking shop

    Talking Shop


    ¡°Toymaker, Toymaker, I hate you¡­¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you singing?¡±


    ¡°Listen, I just had a god damn laser pop out of a fucking Ali Express grade motor scooter and melt my clothing off. I can be passive aggressive towards dumb ass super brains if I damn well want to be.


    Lady Bastion and Vindicate, shortly after the former had most of her costume ¡°artfully damaged¡± by a gigawatt grade laser.


    Evelyn was almost dancing as her friends and her got to their new business building. ¡° Oh man, look at all this space! How many bays do you think will fit in here?¡± She sang, more animated than her friends had seen her in some time, and completely ignoring the metric ton of garbage and car parts scattered around the warehouse-slash-auto shop.


    "To keep things from getting cluttered, I''d say four, with a few storage lifts as well. That''s ignoring setting up a couple of bike lifts." Levi said, considering the space, and the crap that got left behind that they were going to have to lug outside and sort through for anything worthwhile. Fortunately, with the boss out of town, Nahoa was able to come along so the heavy ass, broken compressor tank wasn''t going to be an issue. "And the lighting looks like we can unplug whats here and hang new, better stuff ourselves."


    "I am going to admit, that''s assuming we stick a paint bay in that corner over there."


    ¡°I think to save space you should get one of those inflatable bays for painting outside. Or put in a small building for it. That way also you don¡¯t stink up the shop and can have more control of the temperature.¡± Mercades said, looking around. Eleanore had offered to let her use one of the upstairs offices for a studio room, but she was already considering setting up on the roof. She suspected it would be quieter.


    "Fair, and we can take it down when we aren''t painting. We don''t want to paint outside, that''s just a quick way to have bugs and dirt in the finish.But the portable is a good idea, at least short term."


    Anzy, or at least one of her, was poking around in the junk, nodding along with the conversation while setting tools on a cart with a dodgy wheel she¡¯d found. "Either way, there''s not much you guys couldn''t do in here. Hell, you could lose a project in here and not find it for a month."


    ¡°There may be a project somewhere in here now. Possibly three.¡± Levi said. ¡°El, did you order a dumpster to throw shit in? If not, we are going to need one.¡±


    ¡°The front does need greenery. Maybe I can go get some of those big planter things from a home store. Some soil and flowering bushes? Oh, I know, Japanese maples. Mercedes muttered


    "Yeah, I assumed cleaning was going to be needed." She said, "And that sounds lovely for the offices, lobby and front." she agreed. "I''d say, let''s do the four lifts, like you said. Two motorcycle lifts. That''s plenty for our own projects, and for the Youtubers I''m hoping to draw in. It also means if we need a lift in an emergency we can likely clear one."


    "We can also get a portable lift or two, as emergency expansion. I see that being something that comes up." Levi admitted.


    Erica looked at the floor and walls. "It''s dingy in here though. You mind if we clean out, then paint, maybe seal the floors. Make it look nicer."


    ¡°Not at all. We are pretty unlimited in our budget. The boss wants to do this right and is getting tax breaks on the business loan she¡¯s taking out for it. ¡°


    ¡°How about we go for a clean white paint for most of the space with wood trim, the modern black and steel doesn¡¯t seem right with the boss.¡± Mercedes said. ¡°Oh by each bay let¡¯s put in a chalkboard paint section then people can draw and put project notes on the wall, that should look really neat!¡±


    ¡°We might want to get a temporary storage container while we do.¡± Anzy added. ¡°There¡¯s some actual parts and tools in among the junk, so we are going to have to sort it.¡± She nodded and gestured for Nahoa to lift a rusted out block he lifted to show her. It was a paperweight.


    "Oh, that''s actually a couple of good ideas. I always end up writing parts lists and project steps on a bit of cardboard like a maniac." Levi admitted.


    Anzy was googling what made the most durable shop floor. ¡°Looks like epoxy or something called U-creat are the recommended materials. I think a simple grey, keep the clean look. ¡°


    "Yeah, Epoxy floors also tend to resist stains from oil and fluid spills." Erica nodded.


    "It''s a shop, a few stains are fine." Levi chuckled. "But yeah, I think we''ll be pretty well set with the plan here. We can figure out where to put compressors and tool storage once we finish clearing and cleaning. So shall we go look in the offices?"


    They nodded giggling as they all pushed into the small elevator to the second floor before piling out. ¡°Ouch, now this looks dated.¡± Anzy said wincing. Those yellow walls have got to go!


    "Yeah, the flooring is fine, but we need to back that up. White or off white or something." Erica nodded.


    "And I think this is the color every room is. But that makes it easy, we just have to paint everywhere. That won''t take too long." Evelyn said. "A few gallons from Home Depot and we''re golden."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "The downstairs is just one big open office thing, so why don''t we take that for when we need to call for parts, or the tubers need to record audio." Erica mused. "Up here is three offices, then the open space so what, a table for meetings, an office for you, and the other two are when the boss expands into something?"


    Levi said ¡°I think we mirror downstairs, white walls, wood trim. Oh, I know let¡¯s put in a picture rail to show off projects we finish and teams that work here. Give it a bit of a retro look.¡± He wandered down the hall looking around.


    ¡°Just make sure everyone knows to wash their hands before using anything in the break room downstairs.¡± There was an area, almost an airlock, between the downstairs office and shop area, which included the downstairs bathroom and a small kitchen breakroom combo.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s turn the open space Into the conference room. I think use one of the spare offices as the sound recording room. We can put sound deadening material in there and better light . I am pretty sure it¡¯s going to be too noisy downstairs for recording.¡± Erica said. ¡°And offices in shops collect clutter. No one wants that on camera!¡±


    ¡°It might be worthwhile to build a small office space actually in the shop area, or even just get a shed and stick it in there to use for that. It can be soundproofed and means we¡¯ll get to use office space with nice floors as office space for nice floors.¡±


    "We could paint a wall Chroma Key for that sort of thing too?"


    ¡°That is a good idea.¡± Anzy said. ¡°Put a curtain rod up as well so if they don''t wanna deal with it they can just pop up some black curtains or something.¡±


    "Do you just want to purchase all the recording equipment for the room.¡± Mercades asked. "that might reduce the wear and tear on the room, and gives you another product to offer.If it really takes off, maybe hire a sound guy they can contract from us to really work their magic.¡±


    "The sound guy is a bit much. Everyone deals with editing in their own way, from what I gather." Evelyn mused. "However, getting a couple of half decent cameras, some go pros, that would mean people coming in might not need to heft something, if they''re coming from out of state. It also adds to what the boss has for when she needs it."


    ¡°Hey guys, I''ve been moving all the trash. I found¡­ most of a car. I think?¡± Nahoa called out from downstairs


    The group trooped down the stairs to find Nahoa, who had continued working on throwing junk out the back door staring at what was indeed a considerable portion of a car. Levi and Erica approached, the taller boy helping his girlfriend climb over some junk so she could get to the door. "Cadillac Commercial Chassis...1967... Hearse?" She looked over the frame. Most of the frame was, in fact, still there and had been extended from the looks of it. Someone had removed the bulk of the body after the driver''s seats, leaving only bare metal for the roof and an open back. The rest had been ripped out, leaving the undercarriage and drive train all visible. They¡¯d even installed the drive shaft, likely due to it being easier when the body was missing.


    ¡°I think they were stretching it?¡± Nahoa said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if this was trash or treasure. If you want I can throw it in the dumpster.¡±


    "Let''s clear out around it, see whats here." Erica suggested, the kids starting to heft junk and two cases of motor oil boxed six years ago out of the way. She climbed in from the back, and discovered keys, though there was obviously no power. However she could put it into neutral. "It''s got a transmission."


    After about twenty minutes of work they were able to push and pull it out into the middle of the floor, where they popped the hood. "Oh wow, the engines here. I mean, it needs cleaned up and love, but it''s here." Levi pushed on the fan. "And the engine is turning. If it can start, it''s a driving chassis, just lacks most of the body. I''d say someone got a deal on a used hearse and thought to expand their fleet and only got part way into the project."


    ¡°Then this place closed or they didn¡¯t pay a bill.¡± Anzy said. ¡°It sounds like a good project though. It¡¯s a pretty blank canvas.¡± Mercades and another Anzy moved a bent hood. ¡°Another engine over here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m beginning to see why this place failed.¡± Evelyn muttered.


    "That''s not a shock." Levi said, walking over and looking at it. "Stuffed all the holes with cloth, looks to be used but not in bad shape. My bet this was something they pulled from a damaged unit to use if they needed to replace a power plant. I mean, this is a good sized v8 so perfect for a limo. This is a keep. Set it on the back of the roller." he suggested to Nahoa. "Until we can get an engine stand for it."


    "Hey, you know what I have as an idea if this runs?" Erica said. "We put a flatbed on it, and have a Cadillac car carrier."


    ¡°Ooooh. Repaint it cherry red with flames?¡± Mercedes said her eyes going bright. No. Dark blue, with red Japanese maple leaves and cherry petals!¡±


    ¡°I like your sense of style. You¡¯ll have a show car if we aren¡¯t careful.¡± Erica laughed.


    Levi nodded. ¡°Fuck yeah I can see it, this will be the coolest shop truck ever! I think if we do a winch and sliding bed it will work, maybe go all out and lift kit it with some airbags.¡±


    "Oh god, we find the tail panels and runners for it, we do it up all nice, paint or epoxy the bed, make it look like a luxury car hauler. Stretch the hips so we can have those caddy wings but still fit a car."


    "Oh a lift kit might be a need, just to haul things. Airbags I''m thinking no, but raise her up, put truck springs and shocks on her. Hell, that and mounting panels isn''t even that long a job. My jump box is here, lets see if we can get her to start." Levi said, as he started rooting through shelves of abandoned crap, cheering as he found a partial can of ether. "Starter fluid. Lets go!"


    Mercedes had found a clear spot on the floor and was sketching ideas for the paint job Erica poured some starter in the engine. ¡°Okay Levi, fire her up!


    "Okay.¡± He had hotwired the car as they weren''t sure where the key was, and it turned over but it didn''t start. He fiddled with a few wires, checked the carburetor and tried again. This time it ticked over a couple of times and died. "Oh, it¡¯s trying."


    Erica put in a bit more fluid and jiggled a few things on her end. ¡°Try her again.¡±


    He twisted the wires and she kicked alive after some grind, running for about thirty seconds before stopping. "Okay, she runs-ish, though she''s going to need tuned up and maybe a new rod. Does she have fuel, or are we needing to look into a pump?"


    "I think I found the back." Nahoa said, pulling out a pair of quarter panels, the same color and pointed style as the front end.


    ¡°We will want a new pump.¡±Erica said she was making a parts list on her phone. ¡°Man¡­ kinda wish we had that chalkboard you were talking about Mercades.¡±


    Upstairs Elenore looked at another Anzy. ¡°We¡¯ve lost them. Shall we head to Home Depot?


    "Yeah. I can help you shop, and maybe paint. Should we tell them we''re going in case they want us to grab something?"


    ¡°They are too busy. If they need something they can call, let¡¯s go."


    ¡°Yeah and paint sprayers. I think we might wanna pay someone to do the epoxy, we want that to look clean,


    "There''s companies that do that, so we can look them up later. We''ll get them to push the car they''re doing out into the driveway to work on so we can get that done when it is time. Nahoa is still clearing junk, thankfully."


    ¡°He is a really reliable fellow.¡± Anzy said ¡°and a law student. He can herd the cats while we shop.¡±


    "Or pick them up and put them in a box so they can only meow."

 Chapter 37, Visiting Futures Past

    Visiting Futures Past


    ¡°No matter which way you go, time travel is a raw deal. You go into the past, and either events conspire to prevent you from achieving what you want to while you are there, or you get caught up in events you don¡¯t want to be caught up in, or you¡¯re part of some self-fulfilling prophecy¡±


    ¡°Should you really be having this conversation with your daughter from the future?¡±


    ¡°Shit. Then there¡¯s that. How does that work, when I know your mother¡¯s dead again?¡±


    ¡°I am so glad you improve as a parent.¡±


    Solaris had debated wearing her new union suit but decided against it feeling that might come off as aggressive.  Instead wearing a fitting pair of black slacks, with gold strapped heals, a deep blue silk top and a golden leather duster. Her blonde hair swept away from her face with pearled combs, as she stepped off the small boat onto the Guardians new island base. She looked at the tall modern sprawling building, done in the heavy brutalist style. ¡°Quite the modern castle.¡± she said.


    "Yeah, but it makes sense, seeing as you want to be able to fix the building when some idiot blows up a wall." Penny noted, looking around. The island was practical in design, but also had a lot of luxurious features. There was what looked like a small golf driving range, a couple of pools, and the docks they''d gotten off of had a pair of fishing boats, as well as three small, folded wing amphibious airplanes sitting at the dock or in lifts above the water. The grounds were well kept and landscaped as they walked towards the front. A man stood at the door, smiling as they approached.


    "Good afternoon, Lady Elizabeth." the man said, with a Londoner accent. "I can''t deny I''m pleased to get a chance to meet you. I am Tate Atkinson, codename Silver Paladin. I''m the current exchange member with the Guardians from the Watch."


    ¡°A pleasure to meet a countryman. ¡°she said shaking his hand. ¡°Sorry it took me so long to visit I¡¯ve been working on settling in and figuring out where everything thing is. This is a bit of an upgrade from the congressional golf club.¡±


    "Yes, well, they wanted their golf courses back." He chuckled. "Though I understand that the annual birthday celebration is held there, still." He opened the door for the ladies, and led them into a lobby, which had Solaris''s own portrait, along with over a dozen others, the apparent former leaders of the Guardians. The lobby had a secretary, who smiled and nodded, waving them through to the main offices. "As you can tell, we have support staff as well as the active hero types here. Aside from the Icon''s you saw at the dock we have a couple of business jets and a couple of retired trainers for quick response across country, and a few helicopters."


    ¡°Mobility and fast response have always been important, especially with national duties, and good support staff is invaluable.¡± She looked at the painting of herself not sure what she thought of it. She shook her head. ¡°Looks like you have a much larger team now than I did. I understand that there are something like 10 active members now?¡±


    "Six on site, four more in their home city but on call, then ten more affiliate members, those who haven''t been on the active team in the last couple of years but are still authorized to use our resources. The Affiliates tend to get ''called up'' when there''s injuries or illnesses interfering." He explained. "Technically there''s multiple teams that are supposedly subsidiary but, well, that''s got a somewhat checkered past."


    ¡°There were not a lot of independent teams in the 50s, I can imagine the vetting on some of them is more lackadaisical. I am curious what are the credentials required for the team now? She passed at another photo, an older picture of her team one with her missing. She paused and lowered her head giving a small prayer for her friends.


    "Yes, quite." His tone was that English ''Not what I meant, but I also shouldn''t speak out of school'' tone that said quite a bit. "And the team was nearly disbanded in the sixties, partially due to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which you may or may not be aware of. For good or ill, Alexander attacked Washington DC on the day the Guardians were to be shuttered, so it was reborn in a new form. Technically it''s a charitable non-governmental organization that works heavily with FEMA and law enforcement but you know how those technicalities are, especially in the community."


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to look it up. Penny has mentioned it, but only in regard to how it killed the comforts of commercial flight. Or perhaps during your next downtime you can come visit me up north. Wait.¡± her blood ran cold. ¡°Please tell me Alexander isn¡¯t a problem anymore. That he has gone far far away.¡±


    "He''s not turned up in the last few years. Rumor has it he''s currently at war with the Fifth Reich in another set of dimensions, making him not our problem. Neither of them our problem."


    ¡°Oh, thank god. I have enough to deal with without his courting.¡± She was debating, asking where Pinnacle was. He was the leader of the team, and she was not blind to the subtle insult of him not meeting her at the dock or at the door of the facility. ¡°Are there any Legacy members from my old team here? I understand Tankman¡¯s family is still in the business.¡±


    "Not at current. Ra, formerly Thoth, not that I fully understand that group of mystics, visits on occasion and Nerid has visited as well. The Current Tankman is a reserve member." He led them to a formal office area, a secretary position there but no one currently present. "This is Pinnacle¡¯s office, he asked me to show you up." He knocked on the door, and opened it for her. "Good luck, and hopefully I''ll see you again before you leave."


    She gave him a knowing look, that sounded foreboding. ¡°I¡¯d like that, you¡¯ll have to tell me where to go when I get back to England.¡± She tightened her spine and walked in her heels clicking confidently against the polished floor.Stolen novel; please report.


    The man called Pinnacle was just hanging up the phone as she entered, waiting for her to get to the desk before standing  He reached out a hand for her. "Ms. Summers, it''s a pleasure to meet you. I am sure I don''t have to tell you that you''re a bit of a legend around here." He greeted, his tone pleasant, his grip firm but not foolishly trying to show his strength.


    He was tall, with dark hair, getting just a hint of pepper in it. His face had the tan of a man who worked outside a lot, and his form was strong not just from his obvious Enhanced status, but from work. His uniform was tactical style pants, in black, with a Silver and blue tight, long-sleeved shirt, a utility vest hanging on a hook behind his desk. His eyes were whisky brown.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you as well, it¡¯s a treat to get to see how things have developed. Thank you for the invitation.¡±


    "Of course. I would have earlier, but was letting you settle in, since you hadn''t reached out." He gestured to a sitting area with a couch and chair near his desk Someone had set up tea, coffee, and some finger sandwiches already. "Please, have a seat. I obviously heard about your trip to Las Vegas. I don''t think finding out Changeling was still around would be the best news to hear after sleeping for so long. At that point, the PR people pushed me to contact you, and having fought the man I thought a¡­more relaxed setting would be advisable, that creature punches like a freight train. So I know you must be sore"


    She took off her coat and draped it over the arm of the couch. She let none of her rising irritation show on her face. He had sat back behind the desk trying to look important in his big office chair, Solaris mentally sighed, another blowhard wanting to make sure she knew her place. She poured a cup of tea then took a seat. ¡°I had heard he was still around. I figured it was only a matter of time before we came to blows again, he has hated me for a very long time.¡± She sipped her tea, then stood and added a touch of milk, the tea was a bit bitter.  She sat back down without offering him anything


    "I think he might hate everyone, but yes, it seems he particularly hates you. Those of us in that elite group need T-shirts." Pinnacle agreed. "I also heard you hired some kids from the Academy out in Vegas. Thinking of setting up a working team, or settling into a more civilian life?" He leaned forward to hear her answer.


    ¡°Right now, I am just setting in. My assistant said that kids from the super schools can have problems finding jobs, and apparently my instinct to mentor was not impacted by my long nap.¡±


    "We actually hire them here as well, but there''s not that many jobs, so from the community at large, thank you." He admitted. "And you''re well known for having a strong maternal instinct. I think there are something like three organizations you created that are built around mentorship or humanitarian acts. And I do hope you continue your work there, after all the Guardians themselves, are descended from what you helped create. I look forward to what you might do now a days, when the world could use some old-fashioned guidance."


    Solaris waved a free hand nonchalantly¡°I am still working that out, right now the only thing I¡¯m doing is a project with the MLB to raise money for team sponsored charities. It should be quite a bit of fun. Are the Guardians much involved in charity now? I¡¯ll admit I haven¡¯t read up much on the current team.¡±


    "We are, though I think it''s shifted to different goals than before. A lot of what we respond to is natural disasters, so we lend our name to a lot of causes for recovering from those, as well as children and educational programs. I think in your time, it was more technological innovation, but still worthwhile causes, both."


    ¡°That is good to hear.¡± She sipped tea, trying to remember if she¡¯d ever had such a strained conversation with another hero. The only thing she was coming up with was talking to Kreigsmarine back in the war, and he was at least delightfully sarcastic about the whole thing. She stood  and fetched a macaroon. Ignoring the second cup on the table meant for her host then returned to her seat and ate it, getting tired of filling the silence, as well as his subtle posturing and disrespect.


    He sighed, after waiting for her to say something ¡°Look, I''m going to be honest, I mostly reached out to you because our publicist said I should. I honestly don''t know what the current, modern Guardians and yourself have in common. Aside from the obvious, of course. Politically you are a hot potato I could live without and people are starting to notice that hadn¡¯t visited yet, and wonder why you haven¡¯t gotten involved with us again."


    Solaris leaned back finishing her cookie. ¡°Let me guess, you are worried that the ¡°Original Girl¡± is going to try and bully her way back onto the team she founded, leaving you to try and figure out how to work around a dinosaur, who understands nothing of the modern world.¡± Her tone was cool with polite British frost.


    "I had that concern and won''t deny it''s still there to some extent. Another concern is the weight of election years, and politicians, some who might think pushing the Guardians into a female leader, might look good for their numbers." He stated. "So, I suppose I''ll ask, do you have any interest in trying to come back?"


    ¡°No.¡± She answered simply and honestly. ¡°This is not my team, and I have more than given enough to the role of leader of the Guardians. I am still acclimating to seventy years of change. And when I do choose to hero, it will be on my own terms and with my own beliefs.¡± She set the teacup down. ¡°I had planned to visit, when I was ready. I am still mourning my time, my team, my Guardians. And I find the fact you called me down here for a cock measuring contest more than a little insulting. Your question could have been answered with a phone call. That would have wasted far less of my time and not dredged up as much pain.


    He nodded. "You''re right, I could have done just that, but PR told me that would be the wrong way to handle it, said it would have looked bad. So, to please the media, I invited you down here. For what it is worth, I apologize for any inconvenience. I tend to focus more on making the team look its best than making individual friends. No insult is intended."


    ¡°A pity. Those friends you don¡¯t have may have given you better advice. And if you truly meant no insult, you would have been on the docks to greet me properly, not pulling stupid power plays waiting in your office. I am a woman from the early twentieth century, males being dismissive isn¡¯t precisely unusual to me.¡± She stood, her eyes ice chips. ¡°Good day sir.¡± She turned and walked for the office door, pausing she didn¡¯t turn around before saying. ¡°If I should change my mind, I¡¯ll tell you when to move out of my office.¡±


    He stood, frowning but not stopping her. Outside the English gentleman was sitting, looking at his watch. "That actually took longer than I thought."


    "Damn it Atkinson." Pinnacle said, hearing him.


    "Stuff it, Patrick. I told you to just call her, but you had to be so bloody, I don¡¯t know, you about everything! I''ll give her the tour you should have offered long before starting a fight, and you go back to planning for the next disaster. You''re good at that, as much as causing them." The British hero reached out and shut the door. "My apologies, we argue frequently."


    ¡°Thank you, Silver Knight but I do not know that I am going to be good company after that level of insult. However, I happily will invite you to come drink with me. I did find my favorite underground bar is still here and still has a booth for me.¡±


    "Well then, as long as the important parts of a tour are performed." He looked around. "The door and dock is that way. Did you see our dock? It''s quite lovely."


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± She said walking towards the dock. ¡°Fall is one of the prettiest times of the year in Baltimore.¡±

 Chapter 38, Skuttlebucket

    Office Rumors


    ¡°There were a lot of questions as to why we were spending the money, using the resources to build Guardian Atoll. Okay, to be fair there were arguments about calling it an Atoll when it patently wasn¡¯t, but I digress.¡±


    ¡°The truth is, we built it for long term public relations reasons. In any organization you will have bouts of office politics rearing their ugly head. Even the first team had bouts of head butting, between Breakneck and Tankman¡¯s random and often unplanned building projects, Solaris¡¯s social calendar, their junior members running amok as only teen Enhanced can. That¡¯s ignoring having a literal squadron of diabetic Japanese schoolgirls turned POW¡¯s, all on a bloody golf course turned into a military base.¡±


    ¡°Frankly, we got an island for when two or more members decided to beat each other around the head and shoulders with powers and weapons capable of destroying buildings due to someone eating someone else¡¯s sandwich.¡±


    Carl Huber, aka Onyx Demon, former leader of the Guardians (Member 1970 to 1987, Leader 1982 to 1987)


    ¡°I am curious, was that cocksbonnet planning on parading me around the juniors and trainees, that have to be around here, after being insulting?¡±


    "Yes, most likely." He admitted. "You have to understand... to play devil¡¯s advocate for a moment, He''s an excellent field commander, and a talented administrator. He''s aware of politics but his grasp of the great game is, well he would look at me funny for using the phrase ¡®great game¡¯ for politics."


    ¡°So, he doesn¡¯t realize pissing me off is not the most politic thing he could have done. When I am calmer, I might accept that. But I am not feeling overly charitable right now. He reads as having the empathy of a rock who needs to puppet what PR says.¡±


    "And that''s the improved him. A few years ago there was a fairly major scandal." The other hero said.


    "Yeah, I remember that.¡± Penny, who had joined them at the mainland dock, said. ¡°I was still in the academy, but it was all over the place. One of the Guardians almost killed another hero in a friendly fire incident, and the Guardians basically victim blamed."


    ¡°Unfortunately, I can see that happening.¡±


    "Yeah, that''s the guy¡¯s rep. UNLOC loves him in the field, but we actively try to keep our own media assets near him when we have to talk. If we can keep him from giving a statement, it''s a good day."


    "I''d have warned you, but I didn''t want to sabotage your meeting, and warning you wouldn''t have helped but he might have been in a good mood. Or replaced by an alien pod, that would have been an interesting early warning."


    ¡°Why let someone who can¡¯t walk for putting a foot in his mouth be the face of a team. Ugg. We are going to Little Eddies. I need a proper drink after that.¡±


    ¡°The car is right there.¡± she assured her.


    "The reason he''s in charge, is on paper he sounds like a good choice. he''s from several generations of that most American tradition, Irish immigrant coppers. His courage is not something you can debate, even I can say that. He also understands the need to work with his public relations and marketing people, even if he hates it. His predecessor thought ''commercialization'' of the team was wrong, and nearly bankrupted the organization."


    ¡°So, what can you tell me about the rest of your team.¡±


    "The Guardians current team, actively, consists of Pinnacle and Myself. He''s a Tank, projective energy and tough but no flight or other movement ability, where I use Armor and tech." He explained. "The Investigative expert of the team is named Valentina, code name Azabache. Telepath, Telekinetic, and psychometric. She''s Puerto Rican and joined shortly after the US dropped the ball on hurricane relief on the island. Starfighter is an energy projecting, flying speedster who is our fast response and fire support expert. She is also fairly weak but extremely competent, as Speedsters who actually hit twenty-five tend to be."


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a competent speedster over a powerful one any day. The competent ones tend to have depths and strike like a riptide.¡±


    "Your mouth to gods ears. Speedsters can be a dime a dozen, but once you have one with some seasoning, and I''ll show you a teammate who I will not doubt." He nodded. "Our leader in the Watch is currently Lord Marvin Tidewater, who in his youth went by "Chop Chop". A fact none of us will let him forget in spite of him not using the name since the late nineties. Speedster and martial arts master."


    "Back to the Guardians, Anchor is the literal heavy of the team. Density manipulator, both himself and his environment. Enemies will find themselves fighting a one ton man in an environment where they''re under several gravities of pressure. I''ve trained against him, it is decidedly unpleasant."


    ¡°I wish I had met him, that might have been educational.¡±


    "Last is Sphynx, who anyone with any sense would be pushing to be the team leader. At twenty-eight she''s not a callow youth, has been in the team since she graduated college, at eighteen with a handful of degrees, and she can duplicate up to two powers of people in her vicinity. Basically, she could have your strength and one of the villains abilities to support you in a fight. Plus she has innate regeneration, the theory is she¡¯s ¡®borrowing¡¯ everyone¡¯s ability to heal around her."


    ¡°My goodness that is impressive, is it her age, gender, or a personality defect that keeps her from being the face¡± She chuckled. ¡°I sure as sunrise wasn¡¯t the first choice to lead.¡±


    "None of the above, for all her sins." He sighed. "The Media got it in their heads that she is the daughter of Chimera."


    ¡°Oh lord. I could tell you that¡¯s a lie. He had impotence issues before he literally nuked his seed to hell and back.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Yes, due to a treatment for syphilis, apparently." He sighed. "In 1939 Nathanial Greene, later Corporal Green, then Chimera, abandoned his Common Law wife in South Carolina. A wife who did give birth to a daughter as it is told to me. Sphynx is not, however, that daughter."


    ¡°Yeah. Wasn¡¯t his baby.¡± Solaris said awkwardly. ¡°His wife was sleeping with a neighbor. We found out about it when we moved her into protective custody.¡±


    "Yes, that''s what the record shows. Unfortunately, that girl is our girl¡¯s grandmother. thus, in spite of all proof to the counter, the connection is enough that politics nearly cost her the position she already has. In spite of nearly a decade of standing the line. The Watch offered her a home for a year, and honestly would have kept her had she asked."


    ¡°I forget, how¡¯d that come out, the Chimera thing?¡± Penny asked


    ¡°Her cousin wrote a family ¡®tell all book¡¯ after doing a family tree. They chose to make their true ancestry more mysterious than the official record knows it.¡±


    ¡°Throwing my support to her is a possibility, especially if Pinnacle can¡¯t handle the duties of a face. Problems for another day.¡± She said as they arrived at the bar. ¡°I badly need a drink. When are we set to head back to New York?¡± She asked as they got into the car.


    "Day after tomorrow. You have a morning tee time followed by an afternoon tea at Congressional Country Club." Penny replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t plan for a longer stay. She looked at Silver Paladin. I should have refused this invitation. I knew I wasn¡¯t ready to deal with it yet. Seeing my team without me¡­¡±


    "I understand. Truly." He nodded. "But then, it would never be easy. Hopefully, the wound will heal, and at least everyone else you meet will be a somewhat new experience, well, except perhaps St. Nicks, but its history has always been change. I actually had a chance to go out there, recently. We had something to put in their Vault. This charming, almost primitive looking mining community on the outside, technology that makes NASA look like a Best Buy under the surface."


    "So, we are still holding things there that are a bit too dangerous. Hopefully my meeting with them goes better than the one with the Guardians.¡±


    They walked past a nice bar, confusing her companions. Solaris went to the employee entrance and knocked. "Grey Lady." she said softly, and the door opened. ¡°Come on, she stepped into the door and took a small elevator to a lower floor, a lushly appointed room with a small number of sidekicks for hire, and more liberal grey heroes and other underground members of the community were drinking and nibbling light meals. She walked to the bar. "Hello E2.¡± she said to an old silver haired man. ¡°Can I please have a whiskey neat. she asked"


    The older man paused, considering her, then nodded. "Burbon or Irish. If memory serves, you were fond of both." He asked, pulling out a set of shot glasses, setting them in front of him.


    "Burbon please." She said as Penny and Paladin came up. "I am glad to see you kept your Pa''s place up and running."


    ¡°He¡¯d have haunted me if I didn¡¯t, or if I forgot a regular¡¯s favorites.¡± An unopened bottle of 18 year old Knob Creek came off the shelf, a swift twist of a strong wrist cracking it open easily. Three glasses were poured and pushed to her and the two with her. "In Jim Bean we can trust, all others we verify. 18 year old, small batch offering from that venerable distiller."


    "Thank you." She took the shot savoring the burn. closing her eyes and letting her spine relax as she sat on a barstool. little motes of light drifted around her. "I needed that."


    Both her companions took their own shots, setting the glasses down as well. Penny stepped away to the restroom while Tate sat next to her. "At this point, I''m not sure she would want the job. She''s, honestly, I think she''s fed up but she still believes in fighting the good fight.


    The bartender left the bottle with a nod, moving down to see to another customer, leaving them to their chat and musing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame her, it¡¯s a hard job, and you never get a day off.¡± She chuckled pouring another shot. ¡°The real irony, you said she¡¯s 28 I was, am, 28 now. And I had been running my team for eight years. She looked up as she took the second shot.


    "Which is why we''re all waiting to see what kind of team you end up putting together." He chuckled. "And if Pinnacle had sense, he''d realize that was the more likely event. But I suppose I know your background a bit better than he does, Sister Summers."


    She smiled, ¡°Been a while since I heard that one. Was fading out of favor for nurses even in my time. As much as I would love to say that I¡¯m not going to form a team we both know that¡¯s a lie.¡± She poured another shot, not worried about getting drunk, unless it was brewed by a brain, the most she¡¯d get is a bit buzzed. ¡°I build them almost by accident.¡±


    "Well, while the media didn''t really pick up on it, those who read reports might have noticed your back up during that dust up in Vegas, and Dreadful is actually fairly well known from UNLOC''s fast response teams and no one thinks her medical retirement is going to keep her out of a suit. Especially since she''s a tech herself."


    ¡°She¡¯s working on it now, I took her to a tailor, who got her the contacts she needed. The rest are students I hired from an academy.¡±


    "Academies which tend to train even the least aggressive members of their student bodies what might be referred to as "How to hero¡¯ classes." He chuckled. "That you wouldn''t know, though, but ask what martial arts the kids know. They will know something."


    ¡°I just consider that sensible. Kidnapping is a real risk. If they want to hero, I¡¯ll support them, and teach them what I know.¡±


    "And learn from them, at the same time. Because you''re clever." He nodded. "So, take a break before going to St. Nicks, since you are suffering culture shock right now. Hell, just take a break, even you have to still have an ache here or there after the Chimera fight."


    ¡°Lord, my ribs.¡± She admitted ¡°I am apparently getting a hot tub and ice bath set up per my housekeeper to help with them. He still hits like a drunk horse.


    "Oh, I know. he knocked me through a building once. Pinnacle ripped his head off in that fight, so at least he knows his business in a fight."


    ¡°You said he was a good tactician and combat leader.¡± She poured him another shot.


    "He is, with excellent instincts for how to use his team¡¯s skills. The man is a born fighter. He was the second in command of the team for years, and no one said a thing against him. It''s only since he took the big chair that he''s had issue. Though to be fair to him, I''ve seen substantially worse. He''s at least basically competent, just not great."


    ¡°He just needs a minder before talking to someone, so he doesn¡¯t come off as an insensitive baboon.¡±


    "Yeah, I saw a PR intern run off when he realized you were in there alone with him. Right now, I''m sure they''re trying to figure out damage control. When they call you, be moody, see if they''ll give you presents."


    ¡°Darling, I plan on being a very upset dame. I do not like my time wasted, especially when I could have been entertaining myself watching the kids put together their shop.¡±


    Penny had come back quietly and chuckled. "OH, you might enjoy the surprise to come. I just talked to Evelyn, her and Amzy are painting the offices."


    ¡°Oh? They decided to do it themselves. I thought they¡¯d get a contractor for that¡¯¡± the buzz in her veins was lovely. ¡°Do you think we could find a handyman at one of the schools? To do all the little fixes and contractor work?¡±


    "Might not be a bad idea, especially if you start purchasing other real estate." She mused.


    "Can''t underestimate the value of a good tinker on hand, that''s for certain." Tate agreed. "So, when you considering hopping the pond to the old sod?"


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Apparently they are going to need to do major work to remove asbestos before I can start renovations on the manor. I¡¯m taking bids for that project now. Once that¡¯s done, I¡¯ll come out to assess the project and make major decisions.


    "That might please the King a bit. He''s not had the throne long, and ANOTHER powerful and intelligent woman in the British Zeitgeist could be disheartening for him, even if he''d never say a thing against a family friend.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Bess had passed. To the Queen!¡± she toasted.


    ¡°To the Queen.¡± Tate joined in, Penny saluting quietly.

 Chapter 39, Flordiagirls

    Floridagirls


    ¡°How is it that people can hero, with all the gear they have, and no one just tracks that back to them? Easy! It¡¯s called incorporation!¡±


    ¡°A shell company, owned by a shell company, owned by an LLC with a bunch of shell companies owning it out of the Caymen Islands is pretty much enough to keep the police from knowing, for sure, who is driving that rocket powered nightmare that some maniac insists is their hero sedan.¡±


    Sylvia Lang, Marketing 203 Supers in the Media


    ¡°So, what are the fledglings up to?¡± Solaris asked, after the other Englishman had taken his leave.


    "Working at the building. Planning where to put bays, throwing out the trash left behind, and painting. Marcus apparently volunteered to stay and watch the gate because they wanted Nahoa''s help with heavy lifting.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, if I remember right there were some big piles of rubbish left behind. I was tempted to hide little automotive Easter eggs in there


    "According to Evelyn they''re up to three engine blocks, actually. They kept two of them. Plus, some other odds and ends. So, do you want to head right back tomorrow, or fuck off to the Virgin Islands on them." She joked.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re tempting me. Beach and Mint Julip or watching the kids try and adult.¡±


    "Oh, the kids can adult just fine. " She chuckled. "Though they apparently have made some decisions on the project for you so that''s likely to start soon."


    ¡°I look forward to the surprise. Now what to do with our selves. We could visit another school, go hang out on a beach, oh we could go tour the shoe factory!¡± She laughed ¡°I am perplexed by having such free time. Oh, I have an idea, what about flying down to Florida and getting a boat, then we could sail it home.¡±


    "That''s definitely an idea. You thinking a smallish boat, or are we hunting a ship?"


    ¡°Bah, I was figuring on being impulsive and buying what catches my eye. Be a bit of a dilettante and just have a bit of fun. It¡¯s Florida, maybe punch an alligator.¡±


    "Oh, that''s not even odd. Floridaman is an actual word, now." She chuckled. "But screw it. I''ll call the crew let company and extend the crew¡¯s time with us, and we''ll go to Florida. Miami, I think."


    ¡°Sounds like a plan she pulled out her I phone ¡°Hey Siri, what is the best hotel in Miami?¡± She looked at the screen ¡°Okay, the magic robot says we should go to the EB hotel. Can you make the reservations, I¡¯ll text granny and let her know.¡±


    "I''ll call them now. Let Granny know her entertainment isn''t going to disappear because they want to behave for the boss."


    Solaris laughed ¡°E2 can I get a Manhattan please.¡± she asked, letting booze and new friends wash away the bad taste Pinnacle left in her mouth.


    "But of course." He said, quickly mixing the drink with the sure hands of a professional. "So off to Miami to blow some money. That does tend to be good for what ails the soul." He said with a wink.


    ¡°It¡¯s silly, but I think I¡¯ve earned some time to be silly.¡± She sipped the pink drink. ¡°Just like your father, this is perfection. And I don¡¯t know that I¡¯ve ever done much there so it will be new and memory free.¡±


    "Not much in Miami back in the day, but now it''s pretty hopping. And the cruise lines go in and out of there all the time. I think I''ll take one of those cruises, one of these days."


    ¡°You should, go have fun.¡± She passed him her card for the drink bill. I think that is something I¡¯m going to be working on myself!¡±


    "Life is too short, not to have some fun. True even if you live a thousand years."


    ¡°God, I hope not.¡±


    "Not many do, so no reason to worry so young. Have a good trip!"


    Two days later, Elizabeth and Penny had settled into their Miami suites and gotten in a long day of relaxation by the pool. The next morning at breakfast, Penny asked. "So still thinking boats?"


    ¡°Why not? We know we want at least one, and Miami is a boat city. I don¡¯t know if there are any baseball games, I haven¡¯t seen the Marlins play before.¡±


    "To late in post season. They were bottom of their division, I think."


    ¡°Right, Poor Miami.¡± So, I¡¯d say boats, or maybe charter someone to take us out fishing


    "Hey, up to you. You''re the boss. Besides, I''m just kind of looking forward to being on the water. the UN was interesting, but I joined the Coast Guard originally. "


    ¡°Let¡¯s do a fishing charter today, we can look at boats on the water to see what we like and talk about what¡¯s available while we wait for a bite.¡±


    "Makes sense to me, and it¡¯s been years since I went fishing with my dad. The Concierge should be able to set that up for us." Penny said. "And then a trip to a sporting goods store for rods and such I suppose? Fishing would start tomorrow since that''s a head out in the morning kind of thing, not that I complain about taking it easy." She laughed. "We could go find that alligator to punch today. Or a big ass python. They got into the everglades due to pets released during hurricanes."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°The charter should have rods, but getting some for our own boat would be good. Taking a fan boat out and hunting snakes, interesting choice of entertainment but could be fun.¡±


    "Oh, these are huge snakes, and sometimes you''ll come across a gator and python that died trying to eat each other. It¡¯s what happens when two apex predators fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m game.¡± Solaris said ¡°Do we need guns, or is this a live capture thing?


    "Weirdly fishing licenses, which we can get online, and you throwing a rock at one would probably do more damage than any reasonable rifle."


    ¡°Well yes.¡± She admitted. ¡°Get the fishing licenses and I¡¯ll see if the concierge can set us up with a fan boat and driver.¡±


    "Bah, driver. Just get us a boat. I can get us into plenty of trouble on my own. Besides, it''s not like you can''t lift it out if I get stuck." she teased.


    ¡°True,¡± Solaris called down and 20 minutes later they had a fan boat rented. ¡°Okay, the boat is secured. We will want to get some waders and boots.¡±


    "Again, sporting goods store. I keep telling you we''ll end up there." Penny teased.


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s go!¡± she said cheerfully grabbing her purse and slipping on a set of strappy heals. One Uber ride later they were at dicks sporting goods. ¡°Thank you for the ride, Julio. Please wait here I¡¯ll try not to take too long.¡±


    "Sure thing. Happy shopping!" If some rich English lady was willing to pay for him to wait for her to get done shopping, Julio was more than happy to wait.


    Solaris walked in her eyes widening. ¡°This may be the most American thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    "No, that''s Bass Pro Shop. They don''t really sell a lot of firearms at Dicks." Penny said wryly. "Though apparently we could have gotten a small boat here." She said, pointing at the fishing section, and the small fishing boats on the wall. Hell, had I thought, I''d have tried to find a Bass Pro. You''d love the aquariums. I hear in Memphis they have a whole pyramid."


    ¡°Why are there so many pyramids getting built nowadays?¡± Solaris asked, then shrugged it off. ¡°Well, we will have to go see that.¡± She grabbed a cart, and they headed for fishing gear. My, my so many choices. Shall we start with a a couple of good tackle boxes?


    "Makes sense. Get the box then fill it." The younger woman selected two good sized tackle boxes, one blue and one green. "Salt and fresh water." She explained. Then she grabbed a few of the pre-built sets of lures and hooks for fresh and saltwater, figuring that''d give them basics and still allow them to hunt more specific tools.


    Solaris went to talk to an employee to get help getting poles and reels. Before going to pick out boots. ¡°Penny what do we do with the snakes we catch? Do you eat them make leather?¡±


    "Any of the above. The one thing you can''t do is put them back in the ecosystem." She replied. "Ironically, the same with several species of fish and even monkeys. All of them seem to have gotten a foothold in the everglades from the pet trade or science labs.


    "For all they care, take it home as a pet, it just can''t be released again."


    ¡°A pet snake? Now that would turn heads. I haven¡¯t had a pet since I was a little girl, and that was one of father¡¯s hunting dogs.¡±


    "Snakes are pretty common pets now. Even big ones like Reticulated Pythons. I mean, I''d go more for a ball python, but you could wrestle a thirty-foot snake alone, I would have trouble. I doubt there¡¯s anything that big, though."


    (Meanwhile, back in New York)


    Eleanore smiled at her freshly repainted office with a new desk, as she snuggled into her new super comfy office chair. ¡°This is nice.¡± She said, before reluctantly rising to go down to the shop. ¡°Hey Erica, how long till Levi gets here?¡±


    "He''s here." She said, pushing a load of dirt out with a broom. They''d cleared out the junk, moved out the abandoned shelves, and turned the place into an empty, echoing cavern. "He''s outside offloading the SC-400 we found for the bosses car under the awning we grabbed." she said. "Since you said we have to work outside till we get down here painted and the floor sealed."


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t need dust and what not getting in the fresh paint. I got a nibble on our first influencer, a wild vehicle maker called Super Badger. He does super conversions and up armors on cars; I think he will be a good fit.¡±


    "Ohhh, does he have a project, or should we find something for him? We were toying with getting those Chargers we saw, with the idea of one for Nahoa and maybe spares in case the boss feels like showing force."


    ¡°He said he was going to see what was in the local junkyard he could limp here. I told him if what he wants doesn¡¯t run, he can borrow our hauler. He does some nice work and is sitting at over a million viewers.¡±


    "I think we''re still getting the Chargers. But that means he has another project if he wants to jump in."


    ¡°I suspect there is going to be a lot of crossovers between our different influencers. Which should only be good. He also said he¡¯s happy to help out around the shop.¡±


    "That''s great. I think after I use the pressure washer, we''re ready to paint down here. Did you arrange a floor company yet?"


    ¡°Yeah, they are going to be out Tuesday. I picked out a semigloss grey with silver flecking. Should photograph really well.


    "Works for me." Erica said. "We debated for a bit, and we decided to go with a pair of two post lifts for cars, and one long four post lift for trucks and SUV''s. We want to round that out by keeping a couple of sets of mobile car lifts around if needed." She said. "We also already picked up two Motorcycle lifts. We want to order a tire balancing set up and an ac recovery machine, those would be the biggest ticket items, and mean once we''re fully set up we can do basically anything. If we decided to do a bus or something, beyond making it run kind of okay, we''ll need some column lifts but that is very much a ''buy it when we need it'' kind of thing."


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget all the paint stuff, Mercades would cry.¡± Eleanore said with a laugh. Oh, she found a nursery that sold the trees she wanted, so she¡¯s going to be putting those in next week. Along with a whole bunch of miniature potted evergreens she¡¯s going to put out for winter color.¡±


    "We''re ordering a motorcycle scale and an extended vehicle scale inflatable setup, so we can set things up when we need it, and pull it down to store it when we don''t. We''re also going to get a shed to keep them in, specifically to keep them away from pointies. Speaking of which, we''d like to get the parking lot resealed."


    ¡°We can do that, shouldn¡¯t be too too hard to find a contractor for it. So, sounds like another week or two and we will be fully up and running.¡±


    There was a series of loud bangs that made Elenore and the others jump followed by the sick sweet smell of burning antifreeze. She ran out to see a young man with his hair in a short brown ponytail, and a neat little beard and mustache climb out of a smoking thing she though used to be a car. ¡°Hi, sorry, this old girl needs work, but she should be perfect for what I want. I¡¯m Nick but everyone calls me Badger


    "Hello Badger. I wasn''t quite expecting you yet. Should we get a fire extinguisher for your car?"


    ¡°I thought it would take longer to find something that spoke to me,¡± he patted the smoking car. ¡°And she¡¯s only a little on fire, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s all stuff I¡¯m replacing.¡±


    Levi came over, opened the hood, and put out the fire. "Just so we don''t have the fire department show up. We''re getting a new floor put in, in a few days, but we have a few pop-up awnings were using for cover. To rip out the old engine and stuff, that''s a good place to start."


    ¡°Sweet. This is a pretty nice set up. My old garage got eminent domained, something about a chemical plant being safer for the community or something.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.¡± Erica chuckled.

 Chapter 40, At Play

    At Play


    ¡°If a Tailor isn¡¯t, him or herself a toymaker, she better have a few on the payroll. No matter what hero we¡¯re talking about, they all have a desire for little toys and trinkets to help them with their day. Even in the comic books, you had rings holding costumes, spiffy vehicles, and other little gadgets.¡±


    ¡°Or do you really think a reporter, surrounded by a bunch of other reporters, could hide his ID with normal, unenhanced eyeglasses?¡±


    Cassidy Maynard (AKA Duster), Idiots Guide to Being a Tailor


    ¡°Holy crap, is that your shop truck?¡± Badger asked, staring in admiration at the insane thing.


    "That it is." Erica laughed. The limo had been converted into a flat-bed hauler by adding truck shocks and springs, welding several sheets of metal to the frame, with spacers and a widening of the car¡¯s rear allowing them to put the rear quarter panels with the old school ''fins'' and taillights onto the back with it still wide enough to get vehicles on to. "We''re going to resurface the bed and paint the whole thing later... and rebuild its engine, but she works for it right now. Um, ignore the fact that we''re using a canvas and clear plastic mockup for the rear of the driving cabin." She joked ¡°We¡¯re going to call it the Flatbed Royale!¡±


    ¡°Man, I can see where you are going with this. She¡¯s going to be a Lady when you¡¯re done with her. Lemme know if I can help.¡±


    "Figure she''ll take show cars to events when we get that far. A bit of drama with the whole thing." Levi chuckled. "And we''ll hold off on her for a while. She works and that''s enough for now. Our current project is, we''re pulling apart this Lexus to do an LS swap, put a body kit on her so she looks more aggressive, and put performance brakes, suspension, and such on her. We''re also thinking of putting ballistic cloth into the doors and panels. This is our dry run car; we are getting to try out all the shop toys on her.


    ¡°Gimme the measurements and weight limitations I may have something better than cloth. Lemme get this girl on the backlot and I can help you pull this one apart. You need to set up cams first?¡± he asked, looking around.


    "Right now, we''re at the pulling the engine stage." He said, gesturing at the car, lifted on a mobile lift. "If you want to start yanking the current brakes and suspension, because both of those are going to need an upgrade."


    ¡°Can do, but where are your cameras, even if it¡¯s not exciting it makes good b roll?¡±


    "We set some go-pros up there and there and have another on a stand there." he said. "Evelyn insisted. We figured voice overs might happen, or we''d let you do anything like explain a step. I''ve never done the YouTube thing."


    ¡°Ahh. Okay I can help with that,¡± Badger said, seeing where the camera had been hiding behind the car. The others were on a wall and the pop-ups so he missed them. ¡°So, who¡¯s your face? The one that does the talking. I can work you up a bit.¡±


    Levi pointed at Erica before she could turn towards him. "Not it." he called out.


    ¡°Right, so do you even wanna run a channel? If not, we can record for mine. Believe me people can tell when you don¡¯t wanna do something?¡±


    "Record for yours. We honestly just want to work on fun stuff, and whatever the boss wants us to do. Oh, we''re getting a bunch of Chargers from the salvage, we''re thinking we can put four together out of them, for cheap. R/Ts seem to be a dime a dozen on long island. We want to turn them into epic, show quality, security themed vehicles. Here¡¯s a sketch of the paint idea.


    ¡°Nice. We can supercharge those and make ¡®em mean. Lemme grab the crew. He opened the back of the station wagon he limped in and pulled out a Roomba with a camera mounted to the top of it. ¡°This is my camera bot. I call him Chuck, wake up buddy. He shook it and the front opened and an eye on a long stalk came out. He set it on the ground, ¡°Action.¡± He said moving over to the Lexus.


    ¡°Today we have a treat we are working on this sexy girl here, and don¡¯t get too excited but boys she can even go topless!¡± He gave some simple stats on the car and a project overview. As he started pulling the tires off to start working on the breaks,The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Levi returned to working on disconnecting everything from the engine. Pretty much everything was coming out. Anzy had earlier pulled the stock stereo for him, because that was going to get a major upgrade. She''d since left to go make lunch for everyone. Another Anzy was painting the upstairs offices.


    Chuck rolled under the car filming the undercarriage then pulled up next to Levi to film the engine, it nudged his foot the camera turning to him, then nudged him again.


    ¡°Man, whoever had this never changed the pads before. Badger said with a bit of irritation.¡±


    "Idiot buys a luxury sports car and does nothing to maintain it. The oil I pulled out of this had the consistency of thick syrup. I mean, this engine runs, and I''m going to clean it up for something later, probably, but I''m glad we''re doing an LS swap on this baby. New engine, new trans, so it''ll be darn near zero. I''m toying with lifting it and sandblasting its underside just to get everything as close to zero miles as I can."


    The bot tried the camera around so Levi could see its screen and replayed the undercarriage footage.


    "Actually, not bad down there, likely garaged its entire life. Still, a few spots to blow the rust off of, but not as bad as I feared."


    ¡°Worth doing, then we can throw a protective coat down there, keep the street salts from wrecking it and make it a bit more fireproof. This lug is locked on, you got a power wrench?¡±


    "We have a hammer drill with the right socket. Here you go."


    ¡°Thanks, my tools should be on their way. I had everything in a storage unit. A buddy of mine is shipping them for me.¡± He grunted as he worked the tool, pulling out a bolt. I love the concept you have here for a communal garage.¡±


    "Well, when you think about it, how many folks are needing space to work on a big project? I mean hell, this thing is big enough to build small aircraft in it. And don''t think I haven''t been trying to figure out how to order a jet kit."


    ¡°What kind do you want. I know a grey cape that could get you one,¡±


    Levi blinked... "You know, me and you are talking off camera later. I''m now motivated and curious. I think you just found a place to do those big projects you never thought you could get off the ground."


    Badger laughed. ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t done a plane before. I did a jet pack, but not the same thing, some of my clients will really like that I could do bigger stuff now.¡±


    "Oh, planes are fun. I''m actually a qualified pilot." Levi said. "Shocking amounts of things are the same, until they aren''t."


    Badger nodded stripping the breaks down. Going into his happy place of making cars better. Erica looked at Levi. ¡°How the hell did El find a Baby Toymaker?¡±


    "Who the hell knows, but it''s kind of what she does. It''ll probably entertain Solaris though." he admitted. "And you know some of us are going to want a toymaker around."


    ¡°Do you think she knows he¡¯s a toymaker?¡± Erica said as the camera poked him as he began muttering about hover options.


    "I don''t know. You go ask her, we''ll just have to make sure we don''t leave him unmonitored with a project we don''t want to turn weird."


    ¡°Will do, she jogged back upstairs. Walls are looking great Anzy. El back in her office?


    "Yep." The cook said, A third Anzy was assembling one of the chairs they''d gotten, the conference table still in its box leaned against the wall.


    ¡°Thanks, she walked into Elenore¡¯s office, hey El how good is the shop¡¯s insurance?¡±


    Elenore raised an eyebrow. "I sense my answer should be ¡®Improving soon.¡¯ Why do you ask?"


    ¡°Did you know Badger is a Brain, I am like ninety percent sure he¡¯s a ToyMaker.¡±


    "A breakthrough type, not a kit-basher? I had suspected he was a basher."


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s possible he¡¯s a basher, but I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s also breakthrough. He has a camera robot. And he was muttering about how to make the Lexus fly and I could half follow what he was saying. Levi was nodding like he got more of it.¡±


    "Well distract him from thator don¡¯t¡­we should be able to sell a flying car to someone." She chuckled. "We''ll have to get Penny to come watch him, see if she can identify it. Didn''t they say she''s a Catalyst?"


    ¡°Yeah. I know she¡¯s working on a battle suit. If Badger is a breakthrough, he¡¯s going to either amuse her or piss her off.¡±


    "I''m more interested in Solaris''s reaction, but that is likely amusement. She''s complained about enough of her little gadgets being missing or stored in Alaska to like the idea of having her own little elf lying about."


    ¡°God, only a breakthrough would call something a Twump.¡±Erica said shaking her head


    "I get the impression he might also have been drunk when he built it." Erica noted.


    ¡°He was Australian of course he was drunk when he built it!¡±


    Out in the Everglades Solaris was wrestling a giant white serpent that started its genetic existence as a Burmese python. The huge snake thrashing around with her wrapped in its grip.


    ¡°Penny! I don¡¯t think they normally get this big, do they?¡±


    "No, they definitely do not get over sixty feet long!" Penny yelled, then ducked as it spit something that hissed when it hit the water. "And they don''t normally spit acid!" The rental boat was already a total loss, having been smashed in the initial attack, and Penny was covered in swamp slime. Luckily, nothing attacked her other than the snake, since it had probably eaten everything in the area.


    ¡°Right,¡± she punched the snake in the head, it released her violently, throwing her into the air. She gasped, wincing as her ribs ached. ¡°Do we need to catch this, or can we kill it?¡±


    "Kill it! If it¡¯s a monster that spits acid, the answer is always kill it!" She had finally gotten her revolver out, shooting only to watch the bullet bounce off the scales of the snake. "God damn it, I really, really need to get my fucking armor done!"

 Chapter 41, Must be a full moon.

    Must be a full Moon


    ¡°Bounties have become popular, once again. While they never really went away, with the emergence of splicer beasts, fast moving villains jumping boarders like they were playing checkers, and just general difficulty in dealing with certain grades of criminals in general most nations have started giving bounties for all sorts of issues they just want to go away. Hunting splicer beasts, wrangling the Kaiju back into the depths of Lake Superior, and catching super-villains is all a way to get paid bounties, small and large.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t forget to do your taxes properly. The IRS will come after you all on their own, and no one wants that.¡±


    Andrew Fitzgerald, Analysis of Public Service and the Heroic Age


    ¡°I¡¯ll mention him to Penny next time she checks in. No rush to discuss him right now. They''re relaxing and he¡¯s not an immediate issue. Other than him being a toymaker, he getting into flow?"


    ¡°Oh yeah, he is fitting in well enough. Solaris may accidentally think she hired him and start paying for his projects. Did the PR guy give you anyone else to talk to?


    "His team sent over a list, and I''ve been screening it and contacting the ones I agree with. There''s a few who are just a bit derivative in the list, but I can see how they don''t quite see it. It''s a developing media universe in a lot of ways."


    ¡°I can see that, there are only so many ways to replace an engine and dissect a car. It really comes down to personality.¡±


    "And knowing where you need to change up the format or do something different. We have the advantage here of being able to facilitate larger projects since we can help take the equipment cost load off people, and it justifies why we have some of the stuff we have."


    Erika nodded, ¡°anyone on your shortlist, or looking to sign on?¡±


    "Oh, we''ll have plenty of takers, no worries there. The wander the country doing restorations set alone will be in and out of here all the time. I''ll make sure to warn them I need to know what lift they''d need, if they need one."


    ¡°That¡¯s good, Badger said he¡¯s having his tools sent up, so he¡¯s planning on being long term, though I doubt anyone else will be able to use his tools if he is a breakthrough.¡±


    "Huh, I''ll have to ask him where he''s staying. And we''ll make sure he has his own tool cart, even if that means getting another tool cart." she chuckled. "One marked with warning signs."


    ¡°I¡¯ll head back down. we should have the Lexus stripped down in a couple of days, especially with the extra hands.¡± Erica went back down to see the boys deep in conversation over the engine.


    "Let me guess, it''s in worse shape than we thought." She said as she approached. "I mean, we did buy the cheapest of the model we could find, with a good body and interior."


    ¡°Oh yeah, a monkey would have maintained it better¡± Levi said, ¡°Whoever stored it didn¡¯t drain any of the fluids and thought oil change was a dirty word. And it smells like burned flowers, I think someone put essential oils in the coolant.¡±


    "Why... what? Okay, fine. That''s just stupid. I''ll get the Sawzall, we can just start cutting shit out." she grumbled.


    Levi smiled, ¡°I love seeing you in Demo mode.¡± He held the saws out to her.


    "Of course, you already got it. Well boys, stand back!" She called up her vision, taking a good look at what was where through the whole of the engine¡¯s mass, then began cutting with abandon. "Bow before me, you stupid engine!"


    ¡°Your girlfriend is hot.¡± Badger said giving Levi a pat on the back.


    "I know, right."


    Solaris sighed, ¡°Well that was exciting.¡± She rolled the enormous snakes hide into a huge roll. ¡°Pity about the boat. Looks like we still have the cooler of snakes.¡± She looked around ¡°Oh, what about snake eggs?¡±


    Penny¡¯s eyes followed where Solaris was pointing, at a pile of a dozen eggs half buried in the mud. "Oh god, we better take those too. If that was the momma, they¡¯re going to be some Kaiju things. We can find someone to hand them over to, and hopefully avoid the Snake that ate Miami. I''d smash them, but you never know what that''s going to do with weird, mutated splicer-monsters."


    Solaris packed the eggs carefully in their lunch cooler. She put the hide and coolers on the remains of the boat. ¡°Well hop on we will fly back to the city and drop these off.¡±


    Sighing, Penny climbed on board. "I''m telling you now, if we are looking at boats and a criminals submarine shows up, we''re turning around and leaving the area. I mean it."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Solaris said with a laugh taking off and heading for the city. ¡°Whoever oversees Miami is going to need to look for the slicer in the Everglades. That snake was not natural. Do you need to report it to an Unloc office?¡±


    "No, we''ll just tell Florida wildlife. It''s not going to be the strangest thing they delt with this week."


    ¡°Do you think the eggs will hatch? Their parent was lovely, if murderous.¡±


    "Oh lord... maybe? No idea. I have no idea where we''d keep them."


    ¡°Maybe the zoo can look at them? They might also be normal snakes, maybe the big one was looking for a snack. You suggested I get a pet. Though it may be awkward if I have it¡¯s parent turned into shoes and a handbag.


    "Reptiles aren''t sentimental, as a rule."


    ¡°True. But now you¡¯re curious what¡¯s in the eggs aren¡¯t you.¡± Solaris teased. As they got closer to the boat dock.


    "Yes, damn it." she muttered. "But I''m not feeding any Chthonic horrors."


    Solaris laughed. ¡°Push comes to shove we can donate them to zoos, they enjoy splicer beasts,


    "Yeah, they tend to draw the crowds."


    Solaris landed on the dock setting down the remains of the boat. ¡°Sorry, ran into a rather nasty slicer beast, where do I turn in the snakes we caught?¡±


    "There''s an office over there that handles it. I''m, I mean you''re going to have to pay for that boat. It¡¯s in pieces."


    "I''ll authorize the payment for it." Penny said. "Go turn in the snakes."


    Solaris picked up the box with a half dozen pythons in it and carried it to the office. ¡°Hello, I am here to turn in some snakes. I also have some eggs, but I think I¡¯d like to keep those if it¡¯s alright with you. They came from a slicer-beast nest.¡±


    "Um, if you want to keep them, that''s up to you but I''d really suggest not, unless you''re qualified to deal with, um, those."


    ¡°I¡¯m not too worried. If I can¡¯t handle it, I have contacts who can.¡± I am sure my Tailor has the contacts for a Wrangler who can help me hatch and home them. She thought to herself. ¡°I¡¯ll keep them toasty till I can get them to a proper expert.¡± Thinking on it I should call the Tailor anyway, he is going to want that white snake hide.


    "Right, well as long as they aren''t kept in the Florida ecosystem, it''s not our issue." The man said. "Sign here, and would you like the bounty as a check, or in Amazon Gift Cards."


    "I don''t need the bounty, put it towards conservation of the everglades.¡± She said with a smile. "Please have a lovely day." She went back down to Penny. "Is the boat all sorted out?"


    "Of course.¡±


    They headed back to the hotel to clean up, neither woman wanting to smell like swamp water. Once clean Solaris dialed up her Tailor. Hello, sorry to bother you. But I ended up in a bit of a tussle with a slicer beast. I ended up with a cooler full of eggs. Do you know any Wranglers in the area who could help me with them


    "Hmmm. A Reptile expert wrangler. I know a few who could help. Send me the information you have on the eggs and their parents, if you know what it was, and I''ll have them reach out."


    "I know one of the parents, which is the other thing I was going to ask, would you like an acid-resistant white serpent skin, it''s about 80 foot long and I¡¯d say about 2 yards wide?


    "Well, you do know how to give gifts. I''d rather love such a thing. I have a client who would die for things made from it."


    "I''ll admit I would like a purse and shoes, but that will not touch the yardage this thing has, and it is rather tough. I had to use the blade from my utility belt and quite a bit of strength to skin it. Do you have somewhere for me to ship it to from Florida or do you have someone you want to pick it up?"


    "Send me your hotel information. I''ll have a messenger come pick it up. I''ll forward you their name and photo, so you know who to expect."


    "I am at the EB hotel in Miami." Solaris said. "I didn''t want the hide sitting and spoiling so I called you as soon as i got out of the shower.


    "They''ll be there in an hour."


    "I mean, really? The damn bot drew a knife on me till you told him I was allowed to be there." Marcus said, popping open a coke as he sat on one of the chairs in his and Nahoa''s small house near the gate. Nahoa, Levi, and he were sitting in the living room, having gotten home from getting the older boy some extra clothes and such since Grandma Ruan hadn''t had a chance yet, focusing on the girls as she had.


    "Like he could have hurt you, Bluelight Man."


    ¡°Are you sure? I mean who knows what crazy shit Badgers put in it.¡± Marcus complained. ¡°And no, I am not using that as a hero name!¡±


    "What, Shit Badger? That would be unique." Levi teased.


    "I don''t know, it has a certain something."


    Marcus flipped both of the other boys off.


    "In all seriousness, I asked him about that. Just the knife and a taser. He apparently did more with another bot build and showed me the scar it gave him when he decided it wasn''t working right. He also said something about that thing, being why he needed a new workspace. And something about a Karen that is in some way related to all of that."


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, though Chuck seems to like me.¡± Nahoa said. He saw a bright yellow car coming up the road. ¡°Hey maybe that is our seafood. One good thing to come outta Covid, you can get anything delivered.¡±


    "That''s for sure. That is one roached paint job though." Levi said. Marcus frowned, and stepped outside, the other boys following to help carry the food in as the car stopped at the gates, the figure inside reaching for the button. "We''re right here, don''t worry about, wait, Z?"


    ¡°Fuck. Marcus? Thud? What the hell are you doing here?¡± An insulated delivery bag was sitting next to Zoya as her car almost growled, seemingly angry at being in park.


    "We kind of work here. This is Levi. Levi, this is Z. Zoya. We know her from Manhattan, though I have no idea why she¡¯s this far out on Long Island."


    "Or why she''s delivering food. That''s new, so''s the car."


    ¡°Hey d-dash is a good job, and the tips out here are better. I got the car from working my ass off, got it for Six hundred fifty off Craigslist.¡± She opened the bag holding out their food. ¡°And the asshole I call dad won¡¯t cost me a job out here.¡±


    "Okay, under a grand, that''s a deal, but open your hood for a second, would you." Levi said. "I think you have a problem. Did you hear a bang a little while ago, by chance? Did the steering get stiffer?"


    ¡°A bit, but Banana has always been a bit heavy in the wheel.¡± She reluctantly opened the hood as her car made another angry sound.


    Levi looked into the engine bay, sighed, and leaned back. "Shut it off. I know what''s wrong."


    "If I shut it off I''m going to have to jump her to get her going again. and it''s Friday night!¡± Zoya said, not paying attention to what he said. ¡°The Wine and Xanex moms are starting to forget their diets and order food.¡±

 Chapter 42 How to Train your Mechanic

    How to Train your Mechanic


    ¡°The issue with any type of tech, even those with the most minor of gift, is when they get lost in the project. Catalysts tend to be better about it than the others, and Kit Bashers tend to require a blow to the head to distract from their work, but all of them will fall into the task at hand, and usually start overdoing it.


    ¡°Lord help you if you have two working on something at the same time. Assuming they¡¯re working methods can blend, which by definition requires one to be a Catalyst, they will feed on each other''s gift if not focused on something very specific.¡±


    ¡°That, my dear readers, is how the Solar Knights ended up with a base on the moon before they had a reliable way of getting back and forth to it.¡±


    Hummingbird, aka Olivia St. Vincent in St. Nicks Journal of the Technical Sphere ¡°Managing a Team with Super-techs¡±


    ¡°If I shut her off, I¡¯ll never get her started again! I¡¯ve had to jump her twice already!¡±


    "That''s why I, oh never mind." He pulled off the battery cable and the car died. Then he pulled out the very broken and chewed serpentine belt. "This is what should have your alternator charging and a lot of other parts working. It broke, and the car was maybe going to go for another twenty minutes before leaving you stranded. Assuming it didn¡¯t overheat and blow the radiator."


    "No!¡± She hissed. her head resting on her steering wheel. ¡°Damn it. How much is that going to cost me to fix? I need this job.¡±


    "About twenty bucks." Levi said. "Marcus, take her on any other deliveries she has, and lend her the blue bug. It''s an ugly little car but it runs good. When you''re done working, come back and either I''ll have it running again or we can figure something else out."


    She wanted to argue. But if her Banana was broken so she didn''t have a lot of choice, not if she wanted to make enough cash for food and gas. "Fine, damn it." She got out of the car slamming the door twice to make sure it stayed closed. "I''ll take the ride."


    "I''ll go get the car, take her over to the shop." Marcus said. "The bugs kinda beat up but runs fine. Come on, let''s get you going, then you can come back and hopefully have your banana back."


    The other two boys watched them hurry down the driveway then drive off. "So, is it really just a belt?" Nahoa asked doubtfully.


    "Oh, no, this car needs help, but that was going to kill it in twenty minutes, not a few weeks. Let''s eat our food, then we can run to a parts store, get a belt and a few other things. Then we''ll talk her into bringing it to the shop so we can fix the real pressing issues. At least her breaks seemed to be working okay."


    Zoya was not thrilled that she was having to get help for work. She was proud of her independence. "How the heck did you manage to get a job out in Stepford Wife Land?¡± she asked


    "Got hired by a rich Super, someone Penny knows." he said, keeping it simple. "So, conned your mom into signing off on buying a car? Are you going home then?"


    "Fuck no, not while Captain asshole is there. she said dryly. "There is no point in living honest around him. He''s always going to assume the worst of me.


    "Right, figured. You know your mom isn''t to blame for your dad''s crap." he said, leading her to the Grand Marquis. "Get in, we¡¯ll get you set up for all the Xanex moms who have got to be getting ready to order Panda Express to go with their wine."


    "Yeah, but the living doormat, won¡¯t stop him either." she said, Pain in her voice. ¡°I mean he completely ignored me until the one time I fucked up. Now I''m nothing but another criminal to him.¡±


    "It doesn''t help that I know you''ve committed a fair share of petty crimes recently." Marcus said bluntly. "I am not going to give you crap about them now, and you''re working a job so good on you, but it does kind of make your annoyance at his accusations a bit less credible."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "What''s the point of being a good girl, if he''s never going to believe me anyway. I gotta take care of me. I got Banana now, and as long as she''s working, I can do more legit stuff. Mom helped me get her registered and insured. " She admitted grudgingly.


    "Fine, I won''t say anything more. I wasn''t happy when you got sent to juvie, I''m going to be really pissed if you get sent to prison."


    She gave a half despondent shrug. ¡°He¡¯s the one, that overreacted to me shoplifting one time. HE made me a thief. I just wanted his attention, now I''m just trying to survive. I''m hoping things will be easier next month. I''ll be eighteen and he legally will have no more right to boss me around.¡±


    "Juvie disappears when you turn eighteen. Vanishes from your record, for all intents and purposes. Keep that in mind too." He started the car and drove them off, "The bug isn''t much, but it''ll let you do your job while Levi fixes yours. He''s really good, so don''t worry. Boss hired him as a mechanic for lots of projects."


    "Kay, just let me know what I owe him. Hopefully it''s not too much, or he''ll take payments."


    "He''s offered to help; I don''t think he''s going to screw you. And Nahoa and I can help short term if you need it."


    She shook her head, running into Taco Bell to grab two huge bags, tucking them in her insulated bag and then grabbing the drinks.


    "Yeah, that''s the other issue." she slumped back in the car. "Dad heard me talking to mom after I got out of Juvie. I was telling her about my girlfriend breaking up with me after I got out and she didn''t. He didn''t take it well."


    "Ah. I see." Marcus shook his head. "Your dad''s always been kind of a dick, and I wasn''t one of the kids he snarled at. Probably because dad and him got along. Cop and Cape, natural friends if they aren''t pissed at each other."


    "Yeah, but your dad was cool, he wasn''t pushy, he''d even get my dad to take a day off every now and then so we could all do something together. I hate that the building got condemned.¡±


    "Yeah, well, that''s New York. Twice as nice, till you look under the floorboards."


    "No shit." she said dryly. "Congrats on the new job, must be paying pretty good to order seafood from a classy joint."


    "Doesn''t pay bad, no, and Grandma got the job of house manager. Which honestly, I think means more than I think it does, the boss is giving her free reign over the staff and maintenance. And not that it shows but she''s happy, and me and Thud are sharing that cabana thing at the gate. Nahoa got hired as security."


    "Shit you¡¯re a regular pimp, getting everyone hired out.¡± she teased.


    "Hell, I think she¡¯s planning on hiring a few more folks, too.¡± He laughed. ¡°She¡¯s got Elenore looking for some more people. The Boss, I get the impression she''s got plans she isn''t admitting to yet."


    ¡°Hell, sounds better than working fast food.¡± She said, ¡°Or, getting hooked up with a villain seeking world domination. In Juvie there were idiots who thought that sounded like a good idea! Though admittedly the better villains do offer good health insurance¡­


    "I did about as much the opposite as you can from hooking up with a black cape. The Boss is Solaris. I mean, the original World War II pick up aircraft carriers and hit that one German dude with a submarine, Solaris."


    ¡°Shit, I saw the videos of her taking on the Walking Catastrophe! She must be a hell of a hard ass.¡±


    "Not really, but I wouldn''t mess with her if she got serious. She''s not as Order and Law as some of the white capes sound. Apparently, she also has crates of stuff she stole from the Axis during World War II. Penny showed me the pile of freaking machine guns."


    ¡°That is kind of sick, but I mean, didn¡¯t everybody¡¯s great grand steal something Nazi if they were in the war?¡±


    "Yeah, I get the impression it¡¯s how they all kept score. Hell, she says she has tanks in some storage facility near DC.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± She hopped out of the car and ran the food to a door where an older half-drunk woman smiled taking the food. She headed back to the car ¡°Yeah, Taco Bell mom for the win, 20 buck tip.¡±


    "Gotta love those day drinkers." he laughed as he pulled out, guiding the car to the highway, and towards the shop. "The car we''re going to lend you isn''t great, it''s an older modern bug, with some sort of weird gash looking dent in the side, but it runs and drives fine. I think the plan is to supe it up at some point but right now the shop crew are using it to run errands."


    She sighed. "Okay. I¡¯ll borrow the car. I¡¯m trying to save enough so I can get my own place when I turn eighteen. I can''t do that without a car.


    "No problem, just top it back off when you''re done. Bring it back to the house, and hopefully your banana will be running better. Don''t be shocked if he tells you to bring it to the shop later, though. For what you paid, you are kind of lucky it''s not actively on fire."


    ¡°If it gets me from Point A to Point B I don¡¯t care too much, as long as the fire isn''t too hot. Here is the number for my phone so you can get a hold of me.¡¯


    "Will do. I''ll send you my info, and Levi''s if you need to ask him something." Marcus said, pulling up to the shop. He got the key from where it was locked up right inside the back door and tossed it to her. "Good luck, hope the tips are big. Enjoy the convertible."


    ¡°Convertible?" she said looking back at him.


    "It''s that powder blue convertible bug. It''d be pretty if it weren¡¯t for the gash on the passenger side. got it from the auto auction for really cheap."


    "It is really cute.¡± she said, rather liking the idea of a convertible. "I¡¯ll have to try the top down after work. Gotta book, Chipotle calls!¡±


    He shook his head. "Well, at least this time she isn''t stealing stuff."

 Chapter 43 Banana Republic

    Banana Republic


    ¡°We got your maintenance done?¡±


    ¡°How do you call this Maintenance?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? We changed your oil, replaced your brake pads, flushed your radiator and even winterized the thing.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, those are all great. But could you tell me why my daily driver minivan now has a Nitrous bottle and turbos?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I had to order the brake pads and was at the parts store anyway, so I figured what the hell, should make you popular after soccer practice right?¡±


    Frequent conversation between a Cape and her Tailor supplied Mechanic.


    By the time Z got back to the house, Nahoa was watching the gate and came out to greet her. "Yeah, just pull up to the house and park in front. Um, I think there were complications."


    Her face went pale. "What complications?" she said looking around for her Banana


    "Um... Yeah, Follow me." After guiding her to where she could park, he took her into the garage, where Marcus and Levi were arguing.


    "You said it was a belt!"


    "It was a belt! Until it wasn''t." Levi came back, failing to notice the newcomers. "The water pump is leaking, so I pulled it to rebuild. I mean, it''s just some seals, right? But I have to wait for the parts, and I figured what the hell, do her a solid and do the oil and fluid changes."


    "All of them?"


    Zoya wanted to rage, but instead she just collapsed in on herself, Of course the car she loved was crap, everything she touched turned into crap. "How long and how much is it going to cost to fix?¡± She winced a bit as she forced the next part out. ¡®And is there any way I can borrow or rent the beetle till you¡¯re done, so I can pay for it, I¡­can¡¯t really work without the car?"


    "Oh, shit. Hi!" Levi scratched his head, ignoring the oil. "Um, well, the oil I grabbed from our shop, it''s fine and unopened and we got it basically free so don''t worry about that. It''s a cheap oil filter, and I fortunately found out I needed a fuel filter early in the process, so I got that too, but again, not expensive. The gaskets for the pump weren''t cheap but not bank breaking. I mean... call it fifty bucks? It might take a couple of days though. You can use the beetle; we got it for a shop loner. This qualifies as needing a loaner."


    "God damn it, Levi. This is like when I caught you taking the door off the Valiant. I told you the Tailor''s people were going to deal with it. And what do you know, they came and got it two days later."


    "I didn''t want her car to break down! I feel like a jerk leaving those seats in there, as it is."


    ¡°I need those! I can''t drive without seats!" Panic was starting to set in. "Look I know Banana is junk, all I need is for it to get me through work. I don''t care if it''s pretty or comfortable. I just need function. Just, let me know how much and  I can Venmo you the money as soon as I can.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "What? It still has seats. I''m just saying they are busted up." Levi said, confused. "Don''t worry about the Venmo, hit me when you have some cash, no big hurry. Seriously though, I could do this thing up right as a sleeper. Ugly as Azteks are, they have solid engines and Pontiac''s always hid power."


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to do anything like that. Like I told Marcus, I¡¯m saving to get my own place when I turn eighteen. Everything is going towards that.¡±


    Levi nodded. "That makes sense." he agreed. "Sorry, I got enthusiastic. Don''t worry about the fifty bucks." He shrugged. "Still. I could probably find at least a comfier driver seat if you want. I can even go scrap hunting. The seats are usually the last thing to go at a pick a part place."


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m good with making do.¡± She went to the trunk and pulled out her backpack. ¡°Thanks for loaning me the Beatle. I¡¯ll take good care of it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, that¡¯s not a problem. Oh, I also asked my roommate and girlfriend. You can crash on our couch tonight. I know you''ve been sleeping in your car." Levi added. Marcus and Nahoa stopped and turned to look at her.


    She froze not looking at Marcus. ¡°Um. ¡°She didn¡¯t want to owe them anymore but sleeping somewhere with a hot shower sounded nice. ¡°I don¡¯t want to put anyone out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± The oblivious mechanic said, randomly pulling out a part that she was fairly sure had nothing to do with the repairs he¡¯d talked about.


    ¡°Take him up on it, or Nahoa picks you up and we carry you to Granny.¡±


    She winced, they¡¯d do it too. ¡°Okay, Thank you.¡±


    "Eh, I took your car apart. Erica slapped me on the head. God, I love her." He shrugged. "Anyway, I will be done with this probably not tomorrow. Next day, maybe as long as I don¡¯t find any other ticking time bombs? But then she''ll run like a much less old car. No, to hell with it, I¡¯ll do a tune up and timing adjustment too. No, you aren¡¯t paying, and yeah, then she¡¯ll run like a Lady."


    ¡°Okay thank you. Lemme just run a quick errand and I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She needed to hide her phone somewhere so if her dad got the number, he couldn¡¯t track her to where she was sleeping


    "That''s cool. See you when you get back."


    She dropped her shut off phone about a mile away in a waterproof case, in a weird little bush on a decorative island in the road. She wasn¡¯t quite paranoid to break the phone, even if she bought it from a sketchy hole in the wall in the Bronx for cheap.


    She drove back, finding her car no more disassembled than it had already been. ¡°Okay, so where I¡¯m I am bunking.¡±


    "Come on, I''ll show ya." Levi said, leading her into the house.


    Qilin was confused for a few moments, as his daughter seemed to be driving in two separate sections of Long Island, but one of the markers disappeared. He¡¯d only been looking for her location for a few moments, so assumed it was just lag in the system.


    ¡°You need to stop stalking her, Q.¡± Luna Fuego said. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re supposed to be tracking a ring of car thieves, not your somewhat rebellious daughter.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t understand what she¡¯s doing out in Long Island?¡±


    ¡°Avoiding parents who annoy the hell out of her sounds like part of it.¡± She held her hands up at his glare. ¡°Look, I get you¡¯re worried about what she is getting up to, but I¡¯ve met Z. She¡¯s not going to go black cape on us! Grey, sure, but she¡¯s not stupid enough to go out right black.¡±


    ¡°A father worries.¡±


    ¡°As they should.¡± Luna paused, listening to her earpiece, Qilin standing up and tilting his head as the voice of Urban Ranger came through the Manhattan Unmatched comms. ¡°We got them. They¡¯re doing a hit but it¡¯s further from the city than we thought. Luna, see if you can get there and get a tail on them. Q, get in that supped up tuner of yours and get on the highway, maybe we can intercept.


    ¡°Roger.¡± They both said, Luna disappearing in a cometary trail into the sky.


    The Martial Arts master dropped from the roof, bouncing between two buildings down the alley before landing next to his white and gold custom Genisis G90, with all the special extras his Tailor¡¯s people could put under the hood. It wasn¡¯t as flashy as some, but it was fast, and it was reliable.


    He glanced at his phone, to check where the Ranger had pinned the robbery. He froze, realizing his daughter¡¯s phone was at the same location.


    ¡°Zoya, what are you doing?¡±

 Chapter 44, A Tall Ship

    A Tall Ship, Part One


    ¡°Heroes and Villains tend to be highly mobile people. I don¡¯t mean the number who can fly, or speedsters who can cross continents in bare fractions of the time it¡¯d take any normal person. I mean vehicles.¡±


    ¡°The Original Girl herself stated that flying in a plane was better than on her own, simply to keep her hair from being mussed, and ignoring a particular group of decades where enough hairspray was used by heroines to turn their own hair into head protection this is true be it male or female.¡±


    ¡°Cars, planes, helicopters, all of these are popular with the cape set, and are probably why the Auto Workers of America have a small bullpen of heroes they actively support. Quid pro quo, and all that.¡±


    Phantastique, Truth and Tales of the Fashionable Capes


    "Okay, fishing was fun, and the only sharks were little and not attacking us, so yeah, that was a win." Penny admitted the morning after their fishing expedition, having gotten a great night¡¯s sleep. "So, what today?"


    "We were going to look for a boat, then I think sail it back home. The Wrangler sent me instructions for the eggs so they will be okay until we get them to him. If we can¡¯t find anything then we will fly back.¡±


    "Well, that sounds good. What sort of boat are we talking about here? Good sized fishing boat, with some berths, small yacht, stupid big yacht? hell, might be able to find small used cruise ships if you want. You can be pretty whimsical." Penny teased.


    "Well depending on how many Youtubers I get involved with I may need the ship for the care and feeding of influencers. I think a nice yacht, someplace we can relax and play. And give Mercades her own room.


    "Okay, so a yacht, and something with nice cabins. I''m sure we can find something around here."


    ¡°That is the reason I picked Florida.¡± She said with a smile. And face it, you¡¯re excited to drive the boat, Captain Penny.¡±


    "Hey, only chance to get to be a Skipper." She chuckled. "But basically, what we want is something that Mercedes can basically stake out as a permanent living situation, enough room for the others for when we travel while leaving guest space. Going to want something big."


    ¡°Sounds right. Hmm the family yacht should be docked, somewhere near the manor. I need to tell Eleanore about that, it¡¯s going to need restored too.


    "Yeah, you might want to let her know." she chuckled. "Okay, so... I guess get directions to where you buy yachts and get an uber."


    As it turned out, looking at yachts was more akin to looking at houses, so they had to track down a yacht broker.


    "So, what precisely is your biggest priority for your yacht? Extreme, expensive, luxury. Range. Comfort? You''ll be amazed at what the price ranges are, for what on paper seem like remarkably similar Yachts. Also, what price range are we looking at? A five-million-dollar yacht is a bit harder to track down than a twenty-five million, though there''s fine yachts in the lower ranges."


    ¡°I want comfort, a place I can just sail out and relax, I want plush furnishings I can sink in. A spot to entertain and a kitchen to put out delicious food.¡±


    Hm. Kitchen and plush. I have a yacht in mind, particularly for the plush. It''s an older hull, but recently refit, and has plenty of room for guests. It''s not the most fashionable, but it''s far from ugly and someone felt the furniture in the main lounge should boarder on qualifying as stuffed toys."


    ¡°That sounds fun. Can we go see her?¡± Solaris said curiously.


    "Absolutely. She currently is named Fortuitous, but the name does not come with the ship, so you will need to register her using a different name." The agent explained, driving the BMW SUV expertly through Miami traffic. "That being said, it has shockingly comfortable crew quarters as well as Six guest cabins. Well, five currently, one cabin was converted into a media room. The crew cabins include two with queen beds, the engine and captains, two private singles, and a pair of bunk bed staterooms."


    ¡°So, 6 crew berths and 5 guest cabins. How many crew does she need to sail, and if it¡¯s more than 2 can I hire temporary crew?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Hiring temp crew is usually not a major issue. Technically speaking, Yachts are boats, so there''s not a lot of requirements. That being said, I''d personally suggest getting at least a skeleton crew to man it for sheer safety."


    She nodded, ¡°Penny do you want to turn the fledglings into a proper ship¡¯s crew? We can hire a crew to take her north to get her home.¡±


    "We can teach them the basics. to be fair, it''s not terribly hard." She smiled at the raised eyebrow of the broker. "I''m retiring from the Coast Guard."


    "Ahh, then you would know a bit about it."


    ¡°She was a dab hand with the fan boat when we went snake hunting. And my father taught me my way around boats, though I¡¯ll need Penny to update my knowledge base.¡±


    "All midshipmen serve on a sailing ship, as well as the time we inevitably get on a cutter, though I transitioned to Shipmen suits, then went to UNLOC." She explained. "I''m not super experienced, but I can keep from crashing a boat."


    "Fair enough." The broker chuckled.


    They arrived at the marina and moved down to the long white vessel. It was an older ship, compared to some they passed, but looked in excellent shape. "The Fortitude had a refit only a year or so ago, so all her systems are in good order. As you can see the tender and toys like see doos are in a covered section at the aft of the ship, to cut down on noise when loading and offloading for those still in their quarters."


    ¡°What is a Sea doo?¡± Solaris asked looking at the boat, it had a settled feeling to it that she liked.


    "Sea doo... cross a motorcycle with a boat." Penny said, pointing to a few in the nearby waters.


    ¡°That looks like fun. We might have to try that. Have you ridden one before?¡±


    They were led on board, and began touring the decks, before going inside. "Oh yeah, they''re great fun. I''d considered suggesting you try one out when we were looking at the Polaris. One of the makers is the same as that tracked madness, Mercades uses for lawn care back home, but it''s a bit late in the year up north."


    "There''s a jacuzzi on the deck, along with seating for sunbathing and dining, as well as a small outdoor kitchen and bar area, set around the BBQ here." the broker said as they reached the main entertainment area of the deck.


    ¡°What¡¯s a Jacuzzi?¡± Solaris as she looked over the deck. ¡°There is plenty of room to socialize here, maybe even dance a bit?¡±


    "The little pool there is heated, and the water bubbles, think the best hot bath possible, with a massage from the water around you. And yes, there''s quite a bit of room for something like that." The broker nodded, having realized some explanations would be needed. "Stepping in, the bridge is compact but well appointed, and then we go down."


    "As I said the main lounge is very plush." She chuckled. The couches indeed looked more than overstuffed, with extremely soft-looking cloth covering and no wood or metal to be seen on either the sofas or the ottomans. The floor is carpeted. In the back of the area was a bar long enough to host three stools, with plenty of space for someone to mix drinks behind it.


    ¡°I like this, it looks like a proper retreat.¡± She settled into the couch and purred. ¡°Oh yes this was made for naps.¡±


    "There''s a small dining room, with an eight-place table, and a large, professional kitchen right through here." The broker said, once Solaris could be coaxed from the seating. "And through here is also the stairs going down to the crew area. The guest cabins are down those stairs, with the Master being this way."


    Solaris nodded, ¡°I think Anzy could work here. She gave the broker a rueful smile. I can¡¯t cook.¡± She followed him towards the master cabin. ¡°I like this, it¡¯s nice but not flashy. Well not as flashy as some of the other boats out here. It¡¯s much like the plane we got. Luxurious but understated from the exterior.¡±


    "Yeah, and like the plane it''s older, but been refit recently. All in all, it''s got a good feel to it. And the navigation gear was all top tier. Not fancy but good." Penny said.


    The crew quarters were less luxurious, but still consisted of several staterooms, a spacious common area and a small but full-service kitchen area. "And here we have Mercedes apartment, at the end of the day. Still more room than her old efficiency."


    ¡°Yes, and room for all her art things.¡± Solaris said. ¡°You are indeed an expert of your craft.  This girl is perfect for me.¡± Solaris said. ¡°I love the wood and nouveau details, I will probably reskin the deck cushions it¡¯s a bit stark after how warm the interior is, but that is nothing. So, did you bring the paperwork with you, so we can make my purchase offical?¡±


    "Well, I do like a decisive shopper. Come back to my office, and we can do that. Do you want to keep it flagged in the Caymen, we can contact them and register it, and I can have someone come in to change the name on the hull to what you like."


    ¡°Penny this is more your area of expertise, does that sound reasonable?¡±


    "Honestly, yeah. It''s something like the second most common registry outside of I think the Bahamas. Speaking from Coast Guard perspective, US registration comes with requirements that are perfectly wise and sensible and yeah, do the Caymans."


    ¡°Alright then, full steam ahead!¡± She said with a laugh. ¡°What do you think of Serenity as a name?¡±


    "It''s a good name." Penny agreed. Several pounds of paperwork later, and all they were waiting for was processing to take command of the yacht.


    "If you want to contact a chandler about stocking anything, or getting new sheets and towels marked Serenity go ahead and have them delivered to the ship.'' The broker said he had not been expecting such an easy sale.


    ¡°Do you have a number for one? I can get things started, Anzy will want to handle most of the stocking¡± Solaris asked.


    "I can give you a few numbers, certainly." She smiled. "I''ll call you once everything has cleared, and we''ll arrange the new name badging on the ship. Least we could do for such a quick purchase!"


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in dithering; this boat has all I need and more.¡±


    "Well, I''m glad we found what you needed. Happy sailing!''

 Chapter 45, Sail by Moonlight

    Sail by Moonlight


    ¡°We don¡¯t talk about it, but espionage has long been the dark secret of the Cape community. Almost any hero, from the whitest of white capes to the grimmest of city avengers, must wear the hat of detective from time to time.


    ¡°Those same skills serve well in the world of espionage. It doesn¡¯t help that black capes, and more than a few avaricious grey capes, are very easy to recruit for sabotage or theft missions funded by some flavor of intelligence service or corporate interest. This leaves even those who would ¡®never¡¯ work as spies operating as, at the very least, counter-intelligence operatives.¡±


    ¡°All that, and that¡¯s before we get to talking about those enhanced who enter the shadowy world of espionage on their own, and vanish into the darkness as though it were a warm quilt surrounding their shoulders. There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m paranoid.¡±


    Tom Clancy, at the release of ¡°The Cape and the Crow¡± 1999.


    Three days, and a few rounds of golf, and the paperwork had all gone through. Penny had contacted several companies and finally found one to arrange a temporary crew, so she could observe and learn about the ship from a more skilled skipper, and so Elizabeth could relax on her new boat.


    Elizabeth happily stepped on the newly christened Serenity; her hair pulled into a loose tail, and wearing a pretty white and yellow sundress. The luggage had been sent ahead so all she had to carry on was the cooler full of snake eggs. "I am so happy to get to sail a bit, I love the ocean. I bet you¡¯re excited to get behind the helm aren''t you, Penny."


    "I won''t lie, I kind of am. I''m glad she has such a shallow draft too, there shouldn''t be a problem nuzzling her up to the boat dock. Much deeper and that might not be true."


    ¡°Push comes to shove we could have dug the dock out more, but yeah I am glad don¡¯t as well.¡±


    "I checked early on, just in case. Fortunately, with the bulkhead it''s not flush with the shore, technically. And we''ve got all her kit stocked. Sadly, not going to be as luxurious as when we have Anzy on board. That girl is going to have damn near as many kitchens as she has of, well, her."


    ¡°Let me put the eggs in my cabin with their heater and we can go meet our crew."


    "Sounds good."


    Solaris plugged in the temporary incubator making sure the box was secure and wouldn¡¯t be knocked over if they hit any waves. Then went back to Penny, shall we head to the helm?


    "Definitely." They went up the art deco stairs, and through the top deck to the bridge, where several people were waiting.


    "Hello and thank you for coming to crew for us on such short notice." She looked over the new crew, her eyes sticking to her captain, as she failed to fight down a smirk. "I am sure we are going to get along like family."


    "Oh, I don''t doubt." The Captain said, with an identical smirk, setting off alarms in Penny''s head. He looked oddly familiar too.


    ¡°This is Don Dean, our engineer. He''s going to be staying on for a few weeks to teach your own mechanics how to treat this girl¡¯s motors." His accent was the same educated English as Solaris as well.


    "Hello Mr. Dean, the Mechanics at home are Levi and Erica, though our cook Anzi will probably want the go over as well."


    "Of Course, Miss. ¡° Dean replied


    ¡°Let me introduce Faye Jennings, she''ll be our steward and cook for this trip. Garrett Rowland here will be our deck hand. And Ella Chang will be serving as the evening officer of the watch and my xo. I''m sorry, first officer. Navy, don''t you know." The captain said with an ironic tone.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you all. I hope you find the Serenity a comfortable berth. And what should I call you Captain? I would like to invite you to dine with Penny and I.¡±


    "Oh, how silly of me. Howard Spring, and I appreciate the invitation."


    Penny raised an eyebrow, then made an "Oh" sound as the coin dropped on who she was looking at. Then she rolled her eyes. Only Solaris heard her mutter "Spooks" under her breath.


    ¡°Well Captain Spring. I think I''m going to go to the front deck and enjoy a glass of wine while you cast us off and get going.¡± Her blue eyes were sparkling with suppressed laughter.


    "I''ll get us underway, and then we can discuss if there''s any stops you want to make on the way to New York." He nodded. "Well crew, let''s be about it."


    Solaris stopped at the bar, grabbing a cold bottle of white wine and a pair of glasses then walked out and sat on the plush couch on the bow. She opened the bottle and poured a glass taking a deep breath of the ocean air then sipped the wine. "We are where you wanted us to be Father. Together at sea."


    The bow thrusters pushed the Yacht off the dock, and the main engines kicked in easily, pushing the Serenity forward, into the blue water of the Florida seas. Carefully the long yacht guided through other traffic until it was several miles offshore, only the barest hint of land visible as the sun began to reach the end of its daily trip.


    Solaris let any remaining stress slip into the ocean as the land fell away. She headed back in placing the glasses on the bar and headed back for the bridge. "How is it going, Is the Serenity running smooth as she feels above?"


    "Oh, she''s in good shape. I doubt she''s got more than a hundred hours on her since her overhaul. Plus, she''s old enough to have had the problems chased out of her." he said, "And with the computers and sensors employed on her now, we''ll know when something comes up."


    ¡°Good. Now to other business.¡± She hugged him tightly. "I knew you were not killed in a boating accident. Father would have raised himself from the grave."


    "Bah, anyone who assumed that was true deserved what they got. No, but for numerous reasons, not limited to but including boredom, I needed to go off the grid. I''d have come visit sooner, but the damned Russians are being Russian, so I''ve been busy monitoring some things in the black sea."


    "When are the Russians not being Russian." Solaris said with warm fondness in her tone. "I knew you would show up when you could. God, it feels good to see you."


    "And you, dear sister. Though this trip will be the only time for a while. I wanted to make sure to make contact and get you the dossiers on who you''d want or need to know about, but with everything in Ukraine I want to be there in case someone needs to subtly violate nearly a century of "supers don''t" when some idiot Rusike decides to do something stupider than usual."


    She smiled, "You were always the trouble twin, well we have a few days to get caught up before we get to Islip, just like before.¡± she said fondly. "How have you been?¡±


    "I won''t pretend it''s been constant glory for the last several decades. Coming along the long way has had severe ups and downs. I removed myself from the professional sphere, so to speak, when the cold war started getting particularly stupid. Everyone was so focused on if the Americans and Russians were going to pop off, they didn''t pay attention to the "smaller" issues. As if the different groups of villains and larger threats like the burgeoning cartels weren''t an issue of note. I mean, look up Pablo Escobar sometime."


    "I think I saw something on You Tube about him having hippos." Solaris said shaking her head. "I know things were going stupid, that''s why I was trying to expose McCarthy as working for the Black Hand. I was hoping it would help de-escalate things at least a little. I mean Russa was completely embarrassed by the German air lift. It wasn''t the worst time to try and calm things from our side."


    "Calming was not something either side was good at. Not until the eighties and then the USSR collapsed in the Nineties. you can imagine the flood of spooks who needed a new employer that found interested parties in both the conventional criminal and the motivated cape community."


    ¡°Meaning some of those assets are now in your pocket, since even if you gave up the Family titles, I know Mother and Father would have made sure you were taken care of, not to mention whatever you stole from the Nazi''s and their allies during the war. Apparently guns from that time period are very valuable."


    "I might do a bit of contract work, from time to time, and perhaps have assets to make that very profitable and widespread." he chuckled. "And I may have misused the occasional explosive charge to get into a Kraut safe, yes. I technically live on St. Kitts, under a different name of course."


    Solaris laughed. "I am glad you are well, and you haven''t changed. Still my naughty little brother."


    "One of us has to have a good time, though you''re doing well. I suppose you haven''t found the cause yet. Don''t hurry, cause are a dime a dozen now a days."


    "I''m still acclimating, But I''m finding things to keep myself busy, I am working on getting everything together to take care of the Manor and get it updated. And I¡¯m starting a garage for You Tubers and my staff mechanics.¡±


    "Oh dear, you''ve been back for only weeks and already know about YouTube. You always were a progressive." he chuckled. "And since you went through the Academies, you''re halfway to forming a team, as well. And yes, that''s not your plan, dear sister, but something will happen, and you''ll lead them. Just like with Chimera."


    She chuckled. "Probably. I think it''s more likely they will be their own team once they are used to being out in the world. They just need to learn to use their wings." You know me I can¡¯t help but mentor people."


    "You were always good at it." he nodded. "That being said, I better head back to the bridge and change things over. You did buy a good boat, hell this is a ship in all but name. You''re going to be hard to pin down once you have a full crew of your own for it." he chuckled.


    "Well, both of us have itchy feet. I''ll see you at supper?"


    "Of course, especially since I am sure Penny is going to want to grill me." he chuckled. "For the record, the whole crew are picked by me, and are people who work with me in other ways. The engineer is just that, though he does custom work for covert operations designs. Not quite a toymaker, but a few Tailors use his services."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Well, that is useful, it¡¯s always handy to know people I¡¯ll make sure to get their numbers. My Fledglings just adopted a baby Toymaker into their group.¡±


    "Oh, useful. Assuming they don''t burn your shop down."


    "My manager made sure the shop has the best insurance." she said with a laugh


    "Good!"


    A few hours later Solaris Penny, and ¡®Howard¡¯ joined at the dinner table. Faye dropping odd the first course, a light Asian inspired fish soup, and fluffy croissants dripping with butter. ¡°Thank you, Faye, this smells delicious.¡±


    "Thank you, please enjoy. The next course will be ready when you are." She slipped back into the galley quietly.


    "So, Penny. How''s working with my much older sister?" Hugh asked, eyes dancing.


    ¡°A bit like being employed by a hurricane. But a lot of fun.¡±


    ¡°I may have taken her shopping; you know the way Mother taught us too, and it is bizarre I am both older and younger than you at the same time.¡±


    "Yes, well, you were frozen, not time traveling so you''re still older. And I''ve not physically aged much. A little bit of crow¡¯s feet." He gestured to the grey at his temples. "I died my hair for this. No one takes a ship captain seriously without some pepper in their hair."


    ¡°It does make me you look more like Father¡­ did they live well? I was frightened to try and look anything up on them.¡±


    "Oh, they made it well into their dotage, though they pushed the house on me early so they could retire to the Virgin Islands. They got a nice condo and both passed in the seventies, about a month apart. Father first, Mother I think simply due to boredom after he was gone. Both in their sleep."


    ¡°That is good to hear,¡± Solaris said, relaxing a bit as a secret worry dropped away. ¡°I don¡¯t remember that in the real estate portfolio, sold that to yourself?¡± she asked, giving a small, delighted gasp at the soup. ¡°Oh, this is perfect for a day at sea!¡±


    "I admit, I did." he chuckled. "But to be fair, I waited till I was sure I''d need safe houses. And to be honest, it wouldn''t really suit your taste. It was very much Mother''s place, and your taste didn''t quite mesh with hers."


    ¡°No, she was a bit fussier than father, I just wanted to make sure it was with the family. Do you know if any of the old retainer families are still with the Manor? I haven¡¯t gotten in direct contact with the village yet.¡±


    "It''s being maintained by Morris''s grandson, Thomas. He''s aware I''m still around, as I check in, and he''s thrilled that people are going to be coming to do the old place up. He followed family tradition, a stint in the Para''s. He did a military stretch in very specialized teams and came home. He also owns the local tavern."


    ¡°I was hoping some of the old families were still around. I remember us filching tarts for Morris from the cook, so he¡¯d let us sneak out and play. Since he owns the Tavern, is he likely to come back on as the Butler?¡±


    "He might not, but his son may. He''s currently in the Army, did a stint in the SAS, did his time in Afghanistan. I know he''d have the talent. I hear you found a chef, and footmen aren''t quite as necessary as they used to be. Technology caught up with a few of the old jobs. The groundskeeper¡¯s family is still around, but they now do gardening all over the village, and even on the mainland thanks to the Ferry. They even still do the old home."


    That¡¯s good, at least it won¡¯t be a total tangled mess. And I would argue that a good cook is completely necessary.¡±


    ¡°She made stew and was banned from the kitchen.¡± Penny said dryly.


    "Our cook tried to teach her to bake. Twice. Fortunately, only father was a casualty, and he recovered a couple of days later."


    "Oh please, as if you never did something to put father to bed. I remember your sixth form report."


    "The teachers were out to get me! Smuggle beer into the dormitory one time, I swear."


    ¡°One time?¡± Solaris said dryly, ¡°more like every weekend and twice on Saturdays.¡±


    "It was not twice on Saturdays. Michelson did the second trip."


    "Right. Don''t trust him near the silver. Got it."


    ¡°Solaris laughed. He only made silver bullets with the good silver once. He had to work in the stables a month after that.¡±


    "Now, my dear Lady Dreadful, I''ve sent a few items to your Tailor, to redirect to you once you contact him. I know you haven''t finished your suit, and I''m aware of the harder it is to acquire items." He said, looking at her. "I understand you bought a pair of the Gumshoe Mecha-frames that came up for auction when Elitelligence folded?"


    ¡°How the hell did you know that?¡± She said sitting up, both annoyed and painfully curious what wonderful, horribly illegal thing he¡¯d sent to the Tailor.


    "It was a public auction, technically speaking." He said mildly, answering absolutely nothing. "And don''t panic. I didn''t have anything shipped that wasn''t legally transported by the means employed."


    ¡°Right, there are all the loopholes in that sentence.¡± She sighed. ¡°Lemme guess, my bosses Spook brother got a full work up on me?¡±


    "Well, I am sure I don''t know everything." he said, waving a hand airily. "It''s not as though your UNLOC or Coast Guard records list every birthmark or scar." he assured her.


    ¡°Right.¡± Penny rolled her eyes, ¡°well I haven¡¯t disappeared yet so I must have passed muster.¡± she said dryly. So, all these crew mates are yours, right?¡±


    ¡°Hugh, don¡¯t tease Penny, she¡¯s not used to your level of incorrigibility.¡± Solaris said as she summoned the next course. She was beginning to wonder if this was becoming a rather strange flirtation.


    "Yes, though not from the more shadowy parts of my stable of friends. They are more support than true provocateurs."


    "Elizabeth, is it okay that I don''t trust your brother?"


    The blonde hero giggled. ¡°Of course, dear! He is completely untrustworthy until he chooses to be,¡± her voice was full of affection.¡± once he chooses to be, neither Hell nor Heaven will stop him.¡±


    "Oh my, such glowing praise." He preened. "In truth, you seem a good match for my sister, so I have no desire to see you harmed, and every reason to see you armed. Oh my, that rhymed! Still, it''s quite true."


    ¡°He can get you the best toys. He got a lot of my gear, at the beginning of the Cold War.¡±


    ¡°Actually, you would know, do you know where my super gear ended up?¡±


    "Some of it, yes. I''ve arranged for what I can acquire to be delivered. Some of the more obscure or esoteric items went to the Kennecott Mine vault."


    ¡°Meaning I will still need to go to Alaska for my utility belt. Bother. Well, that¡¯s probably going to have to wait for spring.¡±


    "Well, I''m sure Alaska in Winter has its charms... Cruises to see glaciers for example. Going to the Interior next to a glacier does seem a bit ill advised."


    ¡°Yes. That is a bit too fortress of Solitude for my liking.¡± Solaris said.


    "Ironic, since you did it first." Hugh observed, as salad was brought out, a delicate champagne vinaigrette for a dressing on assorted greens. "Well, either way, the least I could do is send a few gifts, now that I''ve made contact. I''d hate for all those birthdays to have passed, and you get to hold it over my head." he winked.


    ¡°Dear lord¡­ she laughed. ¡°Are you still getting deliveries of whiskey and comic books. I remember I set those up for auto delivery to one of your drop boxes. Superman for your birthday and Batman for Christmas¡±


    "A drop box that wasn''t common knowledge, and that I still maintain. I get literal crates of the bloody things. Ask me about some of the odder features of my home, let me tell you." he laughed. "Because of her, I have a specialized library section in my home for comics!"


    ¡°Oh, you love them.¡± Solaris said with a laugh. And I never knew when you were going to get things, so it had to be nonperishable and not too big.¡±


    "If only everyone had such foresight."


    "So, you¡¯re a spy. I get that. But have you been working all this time? Your entire life, ¡°


    "Not as such. Oh, I worked for the Ministry, sorry MI5, for most of it but for a good part it was as a trainer and supervisory officer, nothing in the field or even all that interesting." He said. "It kept me in, but didn''t really satisfy, but left me able to go home at night, and up to the Manor from time to time."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Thank you for that. I know you never wanted it, but you protected it for me. I assume you faked your death after mother and father passed?¡±


    "Of course. Father would have tracked me down and boxed my ears! And find a way to make it hurt! I''m an idiot, not a fool."


    And as good as you are his contacts were probably better.¡± Solaris teased. ¡°Oh, thinking of odd hobbies, my baseball collection is apparently ¡®museum¡¯ quality. Isn¡¯t that funny.¡±


    "Not really, not knowing how Footie fans are, at any rate. Americans are particularly rabid about sport."


    ¡°The way some things have increased in value is just insane, I can¡¯t even use my old travel trunk because it¡¯s too valuable. And I must divide everything by ten to get an idea of what the cost and value of things means,


    "Except cars that doesn''t work because the spectrum of prices is far wider, and electronics got cheaper." He nodded "And then the addition of computers as a must have item. I am not certain you can order a bloody pizza without a screen now a days."


    ¡°I make Marcus or Penny do that. Though I almost have Siri trained to do it. They got the tv so I can control it with my voice, the remote is more complex than a bloody fighter jet!¡±


    "When did you, oh, yes, I remember now. You were involved in stealing a few of the German''s early jets weren''t you. I hadn''t known you''d flown one. Or did you get to play with a toy after the war?"


    I flew Breakneck¡¯s after he made his own after he flew one, we stole. It was rather fun to go that fast


    "Oh yes, his prototype. I understand you bought a business jet, but it does lack the visceral fun of a fighter. I''ll keep that in mind."


    ¡°I had to buy a plane, have you flown recently, between the invasive security and the cattle like treatment, the future has destroyed the social joy of flying!¡±


    "Dear, I''ve flown Ryanair and Southwest. I''ve ridden more comfortable bicycles."


    ¡°Exactly. I don¡¯t have to do that, and I won¡¯t. Though granny took out a full Bottle of tequila in less than 6 hours.¡±


    "Nervous flyer. I think we can allow her a foible. Lord knows Mother never adapted to the idea of flying."


    ¡°No, father had the yacht redone for her after the war so she wouldn¡¯t have to.¡±


    "Yes. I did have it put into dry dock, but it will need refit if it¡¯s to be used. She is definitely not seaworthy and lacks any of the modern tools that make life so easy on this dear here."


    ¡°I sent that to my project manager to put on the list of things to do. I might be able to use her to charter boat weddings or something once she¡¯s done.¡±


    "A good use, or summer day cruises. Let the old girl do some work, but don''t strain her." He agreed. "I''m sorry some of the outbuildings were let go, but I just had no time to maintain them, and didn''t need them either. I should have torn them down, but they weren''t all that bad when I decided to go off grid."


    "I''ll figure it out, I''ll restore what I can, rebuild what I can''t. I have people out there or that will be out there shortly doing asbestos remediation and laying in new plumbing. My plan right now is to turn most of the outbuildings into vacation rentals. I also am going to research how to use the fields more profitably. Right now I am thinking of heirloom varieties of vegetables and such."


    "Might not be highly profitable but could be enough to keep up the old place. That''s about enough." He smiled. "Oh, I had a question, as your captain. You hadn''t outlined an itinerary other than heading to New York. Far be it for me to argue whimsical stops, but I thought I''d make sure you didn''t have other places to visit.¡±


    "Honestly no, I thought a nice private boat ride sounded relaxing before I see what the kids have gotten up too while I was away and will make the handlers for Pinnacle nervous since they still haven¡¯t been able to reach me."


    ¡°I like it.¡±


    "Ohh, I''ll have to swing wide when we get near Baltimore. Make them work at it, if they''re feeling pushy. Too bad I didn''t bring the equipment to repel boarders."


    The stewardess, who was delivering the meat course of a lovely lemon chicken dish snorted. "You didn''t." she noted. "Enjoy the entree."


    "Thank you, that soup is one of the best I''ve ever had." Solaris said "Yes, He called me down from New York, to basically throw his cock on the desk to remind me I am 70 years out of date and not fit to lead the Guardians as they are now. I managed not to put him in the harbor though it was very tempting.¡±


    "Sounds about right. The Guardians have had a problem with leadership since the Nineties. It''s a prestigious post, so fought for, but it''s also hard as hell so there''s a lot of people getting promoted above their competency. You know how it is, that''s when they stop where they are at."


    "And that''s ignoring politicians making a muddle of everything." Solaris said. Which is probably how someone who can¡¯t talk his way out of a paper bag ended up the Face of the team." She made a face. "Feh. Let¡¯s go back to more pleasant topics.¡±


    "He was politically insignificant while still being powerful. He''s a good man in a storm, unfortunately he''s not very useful outside of one."


    Penny took a sip of wine ¡°What is your codename? I don¡¯t remember seeing it, but I know you must have one"


    Hugh chuckled and smiled at Elizabeth. ¡°My sister is the shining one, Solaris; I am the shadow reflecting her, I am Lune.


    Quilin was frustrated. His daughter vanished from his tracking, a fancy way to describe the parental monitoring app he¡¯s managed to sneak onto her phone when she was distracted by other things in the family apartment, the last time she¡¯d deigned to show up there.


    Likely it was to have her mother do her laundry.


    Either way, he¡¯d been watching for days, when he could spare the focus. The problem is she seemed to insist on coming active when he was patrolling in the evenings, and even then she was all over the middle of Long Island, far enough from his preferred domain of New York City proper to make things awkward. Especially as he rarely used his hero-car on patrol in the city.


    Still, he had noticed an area she seemed to keep returning to and seemed to be near when her phone went back offline. He was eager to go check it out, while dreading what he might find when he did.


    Unfortunately, a small street war had broken out between a few street gangs in the Bronx, and that took precedence over even the car thefts in the short term.


    ¡°Zoya, what foolishness are you caught up in, this time?¡±

 Chapter 46. Knock Knock

    Knock Knock


    ¡°So called superheroes can be extremely jumpy when they go into an unusual situation. To be fair, for experienced heroes the unexpected is their bread and butter but that¡¯s part of the problem.¡±


    ¡°When you work in a job where, at random intervals, you might end up with you and your teammates being tried for capital crimes they didn¡¯t commit, getting ambushed by splicer beast ambush predators, and occasionally sniped at by conventional foes, this leaves them with a bit if shoot first and ask questions later philosophy.


    ¡°Fortunately, they tend to not use lethal attacks that way. That¡¯s more of a grey cape routine.¡±


    Living Avatar, Leader of the St. Louis Sentinels during a television interview.


    Zoya smiled as she took the car keys from Levi, a week with the other young adults saw her happier than she¡¯d been in a while, her black hair was shiny and cut into a sharp bob, and she¡¯d gained two pounds eating Anzy¡¯s food. ¡°Anything special I should be watching for? She was shifting better last night, and I kid you not I think my tips have gone up like 20 percent in her!¡±


    "We did a wheel alignment, but I''m not totally familiar with the set of tools we used, so let me know if she''s pulling at all." Erica said. "Other than that, just let us know if she does anything odd." She said, leading her out to the Maserati they''d found at Copart for shockingly low. It was an older, but not classic, Maserati but still.


    ¡°Will do I¡¯ll find some straight ways to see how solid she is.¡± She tossed her insulated bag in the front and took off. Anzy who¡¯d ridden in with the younger girl. ¡°So, what are we working on tonight?


    "I got the door and panels for the bug. They''re not the same color, but she''s a good car to do the first paint on when we set up a booth, so I say we change those out and get rid of that gash.''


    Anzy nodded. "I was going to break away from the actual car fun for a bit, and do some calling about kitchen stuff. I''ve got the first batch of things delivered, but I wanted to talk to some vendors about some nice service I''ve been eying. I figure the boss is going to do a big dinner party at some point with that twenty person table she has, so I want to get all the stuff lined up to serve it that I can, instead of relying on delivery on a time limit."


    Makes sense to me. Levi said, has Mercades found the right evergreen for the front yet? I know she needs to get it in before she gets the Gazebo installed.


    "She found a Frazier Fur that she is coaxing into being its best self. It''s a little small at the moment but she has high hopes for it."


    ¡°Cool, I know boss is really looking forward to Christmas. Levi went over to the bug to help Erica pull the door off; this is going to be adorable once it¡¯s done. He said carrying the door to the recycling bin near the door.


    "Hell, yeah it is, and I''ve ordered all the parts to upgrade it too." Erica said happily.


    Did you See Mercades sketch, baby blue with sunflowers and hummingbirds. I think she kinda wants this one.¡± But that would ruin getting her a real Mercades. He tipped his head as a slick looking black and gold custom car roared into the lot.


    "I mean, if she really wants it, we could just not do it.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?" Levi asked, seeing a car pull in front of the shop.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s a little late for most drop offs but our lights are on, so he probably thinks we¡¯re open. Erica said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s someone who knows the boss?¡± Levi began walking out, wrench in hand to see what the potential customer needed Frowning as she saw the costume and mask. She began to follow her boyfriend.


    Qilin got out of car, a frown on his masked face, the chop shop was a rundown Lamborghini shop. He saw several grubby looking young adults tearing apart a car, he could see other high-end cars sitting in the lot waiting to be broken down. One of the young troublemakers was heading straight for him. He ran forward and punched the fellow in the face following it up with a kick to the boy¡¯s midsection.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Levi took the shot to the face completely flatfooted and went down gasping, clutching his face and gasping for breath. The kick had been powerful, blowing through his limited enhanced durability and knocking the wind from his lungs with savage efficiency.


    "The fuck!" Erica yelled, unimpressed with the bastard who just hit her boyfriend¡¯s attempt at an intimidating glare, throwing a screwdriver from her bibs pocket with laser accuracy, only for it to be caught in midair.


    Before the strange man could advance and press his attack, however, three Anzy''s came out of the garage and dove for him, one going high, one going low, and the third swinging a two by four like a bat right at his midsection.


    Qilin cursed to himself, of course his delinquent daughter actually had fallen in with super thieves with actual training. The trio of blondes were far more skilled than he¡¯d expect from someone their age, and they all had different styles. He was trying to push them back towards the building, while seeking holes in their defenses to disable them. He needed to see if Zoya was there.


    Two Iteration''s of Anzy fell back, leaving a well-timed opening for Erica who had grabbed a pair of ball pean hammers from Levi¡¯s tool chest. She came in swinging, thrusting with one heavy hammer, knowing it wouldn''t be expected by most people who think of hammers as something you swung.


    Unfortunately, the costumed man wasn¡¯t most people, and twisted out of the way of the hammer enhanced punch, bringing his fist around in a spinning backfist. Erica, using the other hammer like a short tonfa blocked the blow, but her slight form was light enough that she staggered back from the strength of his blow. Her technique was far from as polished as Anzy''s.


    However, Erica cheated. Tachyon''s were a very energetic particle, and gave her a few moments warning, and an tenth of a second meant a lot to someone with her reflexes. His next two blows were too fast for her to counter, but easy enough to dodge.


    The martial artist cursed as he took a punch to the ribs from one of the triplets, sending a short rabbit punch at the brunette with the odd eyes as he head butted one of the blonds. Another man, this one with longish brown hair peeked out of the garage.


    He was followed, bizarrely, but a Roomba that seemed to have extra arms.


    ¡°Chuck no! Stop!¡± He shouted as the tiny assistant bot popped a switchblade out of nowhere, and a small torch as it raced towards the intruder.


    Qilin snapped a kick into the bizarre charging killbot, sending it bouncing off of a double arm block another triplet threw up as he sent the robot flying at her, the white disk spinning into the wall with a crash of plastic and metal.


    The hero heard more voices, and what sounded like tigers roaring and realized he had come into a situation without enough information, and no backup. He swept both girl¡¯s still engaged directly with him feet and dove into a roll, managing to get into his car and spin around in a reversing turn, getting out of the parking lot with what looked like two winged sabertoothed tigers barely missing the tail end of his supercar.


    ¡°Chuck!¡± Badger yelled, running over to his bot, seeing if his programming core was alright. ¡°Who the fuck was that? ¡° He asked, cradling the bot¡¯s black box. ¡°Levi you okay man? He said as Erica ran to her boyfriend¡¯s side.


    Five minutes ago:


    Penny and Solaris were watching a small airplane fly around them. "Think they''re just taking a look at the boat?" Penny asked absently. It was a little plane, so not exactly threatening. Just kind of odd to see this far out.


    ¡°No idea. Maybe it¡¯s a media person?¡± Solaris sipped her drink, she was in a royal blue one piece bathing suit, with a wide brimmed hat and a robin¡¯s blue indigo dyed silk hip wrap. ¡°If they came all the way out here, I have to commend their dedication.¡±


    "Makes you wonder how they even found us. We''re even in international waters, so not like they saw us from shore."


    "Oh, they''re coming around for a landing?" Wearing a modest mono-kini, Penny had to pull a pair of pocket binoculars from her bag, looking up. "Oh, that''s an amphibious plane, I think it''s like the ones we saw at Guardian Atoll."


    Garret ran up to her with her. ¡°Lady Summers, we just got a call from your manager, Eleanore. Someone attacked your employees at the garage. They have retreated to the house.


    ¡°Penny I have to go, have the ship continue on to Islip. Someone attacked the fledglings.¡± She dropped her wrap and hat on the lounger and took off like a shot her golden light a dim star in the daylight.


    Penny watched as Solaris took off straight up, then turned a right angle and shot northward at maximum acceleration, disappearing quickly as she broke 400 miles per hour. Then she looked over the rail at the small plane, a man looking up in confusion and concern. "So, you came to talk to Solaris, right?" She called down.


    "Yes. Did she leave to avoid me? I''m from the Public Relations department with the Guardians, and was hoping to patch up relations after whatever Pinnacle did."


    "No, someone attacked her employees. Tell you what, I''ll come down and we can chase her." She hurried to the bridge. "Keep heading for Long Island. I''m going to go with the Guadian''s guy to chase your sister.


    "Of course. It''ll likely take us until tomorrow morning to get to the island, and then a bit longer to navigate the sound to the house. See you there."

 Chapter 47, Classic Conversation

    Classic Conversation


    ¡°Why is it that the capes never report other capes for jumping them? I mean, yeah, both groups were heroes but that one group just outright bum rushed the others without trying to figure out who they are. That¡¯s pretty clearly assault.¡±


    ¡°Naw, to the capes that¡¯s just how they say hello.¡±


    ¡°Are they idiots?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    LAPD Rookie and his training officer, after watching two groups of heroes fighting.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any concussions,¡± Erica said as Anzy set Levi¡¯s nose with a wet sounding crunch, and manly whimper.


    ¡°Seriously who the fuck was that?¡± Elenore was searching for pics of local villains trying to figure it out.


    Badger, along with Amzy''s clones were finishing up locking down the building, as well as loading important things like the beetle and some gear onto the "Flatbed Royale", setting the custom limo turned car hauler up to tow Z¡¯s Banana, the brain knew how much the girl loved her car, and it was on it¡¯s way to being a functional vehicle not just a heap of junk with pretentions.


    "He''s not coming up on anything. Did we get jumped by a new asshole? Fuck it, we''ll figure it out later. Lets get out of here." Erica


    Badger nodded ¡°Don¡¯t forget to call Z, so she doesn¡¯t come back here.¡±


    "I texted already. Sent one to Marcus and Nahoa too. Didn''t give details, just said there was trouble here so go to the house."


    Badger was in the hulk he said he was going to renovate, messing with a tablet for a few minutes before  nodding to himself and hopping up into the Royale ¡°My stuff is fine, they mess with it they get what they deserve, Kayr1n will mess them up. She can¡¯t leave her designated area or she would have destroyed that asshole.¡±


    "Right. Find out what or who that is later." Erica said, piling into the old Ford Econoline pickup that was her and Levi''s daily driver, Levi getting behind the wheel of the Royale. Anzy was driving the Lincoln that day. The other project cars were under tarps and not driving so they figured it was safe to leave them behind.


    Elenore sent a group text that they were heading to the boss¡¯s house for safety to everyone concerned, as the team hit the road.


    Nahoa opened the gate to let the convoy in twenty minutes later. ¡°Granny said you were attacked. Is everyone okay?¡±


    ¡°The bastard got a couple sucker punches in on Levi, and he trashed Chuck, but nothing irreparable.¡± Badger said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he made any serious connections with Anzy. And damn girl that was wild!¡±


    "Oh, he broke three''s rib, but it''s just achy on me now that I¡¯m all one person." Anzy shrugged. "Advantage of extra rib cages, I guess. That guy knew what he was doing. He completely outclassed me in hand to hand."


    "Considering you were the best in our year, that means something." Erica frowned. She''d only really done the Judo requirement, where Levi did Brazilian Jujitsu as an advanced lesson. Anzy, being her, took all four martial arts offered at the school. And a fencing course at her college.


    Nahoa pulled out his phone and checked his tracking app for the boss. ¡°Looks like the boss is about five minutes out, let¡¯s head to the media room to wait for her. We don¡¯t


    have all the house defenses on-line yet.¡± He locked up the gate making sure the no trespassing sign was good and visible. Before following the team back to the main house.


    "Man, I need to get some weapons or something." Erica muttered, Anzy nodding. While both had significant advantages in a fight, neither were exactly damage dealers. The other five kids all out classed them on that front.


    They piled into the home theater, Nahoa putting up the video of the fight on the screen as Marcus walked in. "We''re locked down and, wait, that''s the guy who jumped you?"


    ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯t even introduce himself, just walked up and started beating Levi.¡± Erica was putting a pack of peas over her boyfriend¡¯s black eyes. ¡°Any idea who he is? El checked the local supervillain wiki and didn¡¯t see him¡±


    "Yeah, I know who he is." Marcus muttered. "Qilin. He''s a hero type in the City. Not sure what he''s doing out here, though. I have a few guesses." His frown deepened. He had taken to following crime news in the area. "Someplace called Motorcar Traditionale got hit by a gang of car thieves last night. Stole something like one and a half million in high end cars."


    Elenore was pacing. Her territory had been attacked and she was pissed. ¡°So he just sees a bunch of young adults working on cars and decides to beat them up without looking for evidence? What kind of hero is that!¡±


    "Yeah. He''s kind of an asshole, or so the rumor goes in some circles." Marcus said, glaring at the screen. "I''ve got to run out for something. I''ll get back as quick as I can. But I have some thoughts on how to follow up on this." He turned and left the room, the group heard his bike revving and leaving the property.


    Elenore pulled up the Hero wiki and pulled up Qilin, wanting to see what they were up against.


    Above them, Solaris landed, her hair windblown. She saw the kid¡¯s cars, and headed inside, ¡°Nahoa? Elenore? Is everyone all right? She walked downstairs the heels of her sandals clicking


    "We''re fine, but Marcus just left, pissed as hell." Nahoa said. "Apparently Levi and the others  got jumped by some City hero. Marcus thought it might have been over some Exotic car thefts in the area."


    "I''m not fine. My eye hurts and he busted my nose. I''m going to fucking melt the hood of his fucking Hyundai into a god damned lawn ornament. Fucking sucker punching asshole."


    Solaris walked over to Levi, ¡°Damn. he did hit you good.¡± She went to a cabinet and pulled out a first aid kit, then pulled out a small flashlight. She checked his responses with a bit more detail than the quick check the kids had already done. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re concussed, and it looks like someone has already set your nose. Keep the cold pack on so your eyes don¡¯t swell. And I am fully behind you killing his car.¡± She checked her other fledglings. ¡°I¡¯m going to go change, then we will figure this out.¡± There was an iron resolve and a maternal protectiveness in her voice, her skin literally glittering with her rage.


    "Marcus said he had an idea, and said he''d be back shortly. We might want to wait for him, since he seems to know something about this guy." Elenore said, frowning. "He was very angry. And it wasn''t the same as us. It was almost personal" She hesitated.


    "My father would have said he intends to show someone where to find crayfish in winter." Anzy said.


    ¡°Uh. What does that mean?¡± Nahoa asked, confused.


    "You generally aren''t coming back from being shown the location, and there tend to be more crawfish come summer."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him that mad.¡± Nahoa said.


    Less than five minutes later Solaris was back downstairs geared up in her new union suit, her circlet in her head. And looking like the leader of the Guardians once again. ¡°How long till we hear back from Marcus?¡±


    Nahoa checked his phone. "Not long, he''s already heading back from wherever he went." For the world, it had looked like the other teen had driven to a random place and turned around. "Call it five more minutes?"


    "While he''s coming, we''ll show you the video of what happened. It¡¯s pretty egregious for literally just rolling up on us out of the blue." Elenore said, queuing the video and hitting play.


    Solaris watched the video, ¡°Thank goodness, you are enhanced Levi, that would have put anyone else in the hospital.¡± She looked over at Badger when the video was done, ¡°You must be the new Toymaker Elenore told me about, please make a list of what you need to fix your Chuck and we will get it for you.¡±


    "Yeah, hi. No problem. He wasn''t exactly expensive. And the Raspberry PI is probably fine, it was in a shockproof case in his core."


    Marcus roared back up to the house and came trooping back down. "Hey boss, welcome back." He said softly, his grandmother frowning at the tone. She looked at the paused video with a tilted head. "Marcus, when did you meet Qilin. You obviously know him."


    "In the old Neighborhood Grandma. He''s a dick."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Do you know where I can converse with this individual?¡±


    "Well, In the next hour or so I suspect he''ll turn up at a classic car dealer near us. At least if my hunch is correct."


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m going to go look at classic cars, irritating as it is to realize many will be younger than me. Can you please send Penny my way when she arrives, she is probably not far behind me.¡± The British woman grabbed a long trench coat, pulling it on over her costume, grabbing her purse.


    No one touched her people without a reckoning. No matter how much time passed that fact did not change.


    Solaris was glad the lot was open in the evenings instead of closing at five like she remembered and  was debating a lovely red Austin Healey when she saw Penny. ¡°Over here, dear.¡± She waved.


    "Hi." Penny had put on own costume for the first time, her hair now a luxurious length. She looked lovely and lethal and like she wanted to shoot someone, but also at the same time amused. "Seeing some things you like?"


    ¡°Yes, I am thinking of picking this one up. I think it would be a good car to take to the Mechanics to have it custom painted and upgraded ¡°


    "She''s a beauty, isn''t she. And completely restored by her previous owner. She''s here on Consignment." the dealership¡¯s  representative who had been talking with Solaris said, smiling. "If you want to look in, please open the door, but we ask you don''t sit unless you seriously might buy.¡±


    Look at the passenger side dear, she slid in the car, mmm. Yes. I can reach the pedals without the steering being in my lap.


    Penny laughed ¡°It is funny how easy it is to forget how short you are Elizabeth. Then i remember you trying to drive my truck.¡± The brunette looked over the Healy. ¡°It is a sexy little number, and trust me sir, she''s a serious buyer."


    ¡°Mm. Yes. I think I¡¯ll take her, fetch the paperwork.¡± Her blue eyes settled on a newly familiar form on the other side of the lot. ¡°Take your time, I''m still looking around.¡±


    "Well, tell you what. I am taking it you''re buying by sticker price, take your time while I get everything for you to sign. I''ll be in that office over there." He noticed the look. "And please keep in mind, our insurance is very forgiving on doors, not so much the cars." He saluted as he hurried away.


    Solaris got out of the car. Pulling her coat off and draping it over the seat. She pulled her circlet out of the purse. Placing it onto her brow, she walked towards the blue dressed man digging under a classic mustang. ¡°You have two minutes to explain why you assaulted my employee.¡± She said in a chilly voice, letting her light shine.


    He banged his head on the car, startled by the voice, then pulled his head out, looking up in confusion. His expression turned to recognition, but he didn''t seem sure what she meant. "I''m sorry, what employees would I have assaulted?" he asked, picking up a cheap smartphone he''d found under the car.


    Solaris held up her own phone, playing the security video of his attack. ¡°Does that spark your memory?¡±


    "Yes, but you are Solaris, a hero. Why would you be involved in an underground vehicle operation?"


    ¡°I am not involved in underground vehicle operations. That business is my private machine shop and YouTube studio for hire. What in God¡¯s good name made you think, walking up and punching my lead mechanic hard enough to cripple a person was a clever idea?¡± She stepped closer to him. Her light not a soft glow, but tight angry sparks around her,


    "Our information had communications tied to a criminal car theft ring being used in that shop." He said, frowning. "Is it possible someone is manipulating your young friends?"


    ¡°No.¡± Solaris said the cold of the north sea in her clipped voice. ¡° They only moved into the shop about two weeks ago, they are all graduates of the ESAS academy in Las Vegas and have only been in New York for three weeks.¡±


    "Hm. I apologize. I followed what I thought was a reliable lead to a rather sketchy looking auto shop and jumped to conclusions. I hope the young man I struck wasn''t too injured. He was approaching with a wrench, and with what I thought was happening I assumed a threat that may not have existed."


    ¡°You were parked in front of their business, of course they came out to see what you wanted! Wouldn¡¯t you? And what evidence did you have that was strong enough for an ENHANCED person to swing first without asking any questions.


    "I was chasing down a lead on exotic car thefts, there were multiple partially disassembled muscle cars in the lot, they were removing the door from a Volkswagen, and the communications of a known criminal ring led us to their location. Also, the boy was also enhanced, or are you planning to deny that? His strength was apparent for one who knows how to look."


    "Considering the phone, and why it¡¯s here, we both know you''re wrong about her involvement Kye." Penny said softly, stepping closer to the man.


    ¡°I don¡¯t deny it. As I said, they are EASA graduates, but did you know that before you broke his nose?¡± Her eyes shifted to Penny, then back to the man.


    "As stated, you could see his strength." He sighed. "However, I shouldn''t have jumped to conclusions. Realizing who you are, interesting new hairstyle by the way, lieutenant, I am a bit more emotionally... invested and admit to reacting hastily."


    "Damn it Kye, do you always have to be an asshole when your daughter is involved?"


    The English woman¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°Ahh that puts the rest of the puzzle pieces in place. When did this theft take place?¡±


    "There have been four, over the last month. The last was last night, around one AM. My daughter was rather pointedly not home, and her phone was detected at the location in question during the attack and was active along with several other phones identified in the chase. I, fortunately and unfortunately, can track one of those phones without needing more legal proof than we can provide so I followed the lead."


    ¡°Well, I know where your daughter was at one in the morning, yesterday and it wasn¡¯t out stealing cars. She was asleep, at a friend¡¯s house after a long day of delivering food. And if this is how you treat her, I don¡¯t blame her for wanting out.¡±


    "You saw her there with your own eyes?"


    "No, but we did communicate with people who did." Penny said. "Including Ruan Xuan Linh." Penny growled.


    "Well fuck."


    ¡°And the lightbulb turns on. ¡°Solaris said coldly. ¡°Or are you going to accuse Ms. Ruan of crimes and lying.¡±


    "I suspect if she were going to commit crimes, Madam Ruan would have made damn sure I never was going to find out about them." He muttered darkly. "And no, I wouldn''t dare suggest she''d lie. She''d be insulted I suggest she would, and that she would be so bad at it as I would catch her. No, I believe what you said to be true. Which means we are dealing with cloned cellular phones. That is irritating."


    ¡°Do you always assume the worst of your daughter with no real evidence? My understanding of the American legal system is ¡®Innocent until proven guilty.¡¯¡± Solaris growled. You assaulted my people on evidence a Chicago cop would have trouble selling to a judge. Now what are you going to do? All I have heard is lame excuses and apologies with the depth of a politician''s promises.¡±


    He sighed. "What is it you wish me to do to make it right? I acknowledge my error regarding your people and am willing to make amends. I am regretful that I have injured an innocent person in such a way."


    ¡°I think the people you need to apologize to are not here. And those people include your daughter for assuming the worst of her.¡±


    "I understand what you mean well, but my daughter and my own relationship is not your concern, though in this case I do seem to have erred. She has made more than a few mistakes previously which caused the suspicion so I can''t completely blame myself."


    ¡°It sounds like you don¡¯t blame yourself at all. Solaris said with a hint of rage in her voice. ¡°And she¡¯s not the one who assaulted an innocent person, and she became my concern when my fledglings adopted her into their team,


    He shook his head. "Regarding me and my daughter, I''ll thank you to understand that it is our relationship, good or ill." He spoke. "I will however happily apologize to your younglings, and as you insist, I am willing to acknowledge my error to my daughter and apologize for making assumptions against her in this case."


    Solaris looked at the man, shaking her head in disappointment and anger. She¡¯d met so many men like him. Positive that they knew the best, never willing to listen. More than one private in the war had cried on her shoulder, not all her Kamikaze girls¡¯ families had been happy to know their daughters survived, and then the red scare. She remembered the families that had been destroyed, the fractured trusts, the suicides. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow at the shop. I hope you understand what you lost before it¡¯s too late. I¡¯m going to sign the papers for the car I¡¯m buying.¡±


    He blinked, looking at Penny. "She bought a car while she waited for me to turn up?"


    "Yeah. You''re not that important, dumbass."

 Chapter 48, House Call

    House Call


    ¡°How the hell did you get a Pizza?¡±


    ¡°I ordered one.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on a desert island!¡±


    ¡°Meh, I know a guy.¡±


    Common joke meant to remind people to be nice to their Courier.


    She walked into the shop and handed the salesman her card, pulling out a beautiful fountain pen. ¡°Do you know a good out of the way dining spot? Somewhere teen friendly?¡±


    "Of course, there''s all sorts of places. I''ll write you a list while you sign." he said, pushing the paperwork over. "We usually do a full service and detail before the customer takes the car. You know, final wash, wax and vacuum, oil change... make sure you have the car in pristine condition. We also tend to keep them with limited fuel for a laundry list of reasons."


    "So, we fill them up. Would you like to pick it up tomorrow, or have us trailer it to your home?"


    ¡°Just fill her up, I have a shop I¡¯m going to take her to for some custom work.¡± She said signing the papers.


    "Fair enough." He nodded. Lots of people did similar things, though usually after they detailed the car. He filled things out, calling and asking a tech to fill the car with gas for her. Then he handed her the paperwork to hand over to the state for licensing and sent another tech out to put the temp tags on.


    "Now, another thing, here''s my card. My boss and myself would both kill me if I didn''t ask, are you watching for anything of interest? You have the reactions of a hard-core collector, and I don''t want to miss the chance to find what you want, and yes because I want that sweet bonus money." he said with a grin.


    Nothing off the top of my head. I need to see what¡¯s in the collection currently, but I¡¯ll pass the information on to my mechanics for if they are looking for something special


    "I appreciate it . Enjoy that old Austin, it''s a fun little drive."


    ¡°I plan on it.¡± She said, texting quickly. ¡°Dear Penny has the pillock left yet? I am going to see if Z would be willing to talk to me and I don¡¯t need that arse trying to tail me. More than miffed, Solaris.¡±


    "Pillock? Yeah, he''s gone. And Marcus messaged that Z has come back to the house, and Thud is sitting on her. I suspect not literally." Penny¡¯s return text came quickly.


    ¡°Dear Penny, please see if the Tailor can get Z and the fledglings in with a rush job I will pay for expedited work. Also let him know I will be dropping off a car for the toymakers to update. Much thanks, Solaris.¡± she sent her reply text, then messaged Marcus.


    ¡°Dear Marcus, please ask your friend Zoya to meet with me, I wish to listen to her side of things and help her properly get on her feet. I am not feeling overly charitable towards her father, who I found to be an ass. Sincerely Solaris.¡±


    Marcus¡¯s reply was ¡°God I love how you text, boss.


    "Might as well just drive back to the house, I''ll follow in the truck." Penny said as Solaris stepped out back out with her new keys. "Then we can talk to everyone there."


    ¡°Do you think Zoya will be more comfortable talking at the house or somewhere more neutral?¡±


    "At this moment? Probably the house.  You''re an unknown factor but "younger" than her parents. The kids have been peers and mostly non-judgmental, which she desperately needed. I think there was some argument with Anzy at some point, the classic tough girl challenging the ''sweet ditz'' but Anzy handled it by being, and I quote Nahoa, very Ukrainian. They apparently get along now."


    "Based on my memories from the war, that could mean a lot of things, but I understand that everyone¡¯s familiar with how Ukrainians deal with aggression these days. Alright. We will do this at home then, I''ll meet you there. " she got into the sporty little Asten and took off down the road. "Siri Call the Tailor.¡±


    A few rings later she smiled. "Hello dear. I hate to impose but can I get an expedited session in for my staff?¡±


    "Ironic. You''re the second person to call me about the same thing. Young Mr. M called me and asked the same. I happen to be driving to your home now, since I owed the young gent a favor after the debacle, I sent him and young Mr. N on."


    ¡°Well, that is fortuitous. I''ll have to complement his forethought. "I''ll meet you there. Also, on an unrelated note I have a car I want your Toymakers to work up.¡±


    "I will arrange transport for it. I''m assuming you want the full James Bond treatment. I assume you know who that is, as I believe you knew the writer?"


    "A misogynist, but clever man." Solaris answered. "See you soon." She hung up and let herself enjoy the car, the wind whipping her hair. She took long breaths, letting her anger go into the wind. She was much calmer by the time she got back to the house. Siri send a message. "Nahoa. can you please come open the gate for me."


    "Opening now." The gate started to swing open, on a remote, the boy having checked the camera to confirm who was there. "New car boss?" he asked as it was swinging open.


    "Yes, I fell in love with it when I saw her, and I felt I should buy something if i was confronting another hero on their lot. I''m going to have it custom painted and let the Toymakers look at it." she pulled up to the garage and parked fluffing her blonde hair as she got out of the car.


    Granny Ruan met her at the door, nodding at a Porsche parked near the front door. "The Tailor is here but thought to wait for you since you''re the ''patron'', as he put it. Did you punch the idiot in the face? I am embarrassed it took me so long to realize who Marcus wasn''t mentioning."


    "Not yet, though it may still happen. I didn''t want to damage any of the cars. I was really hoping men, no, that people had evolved more than that in the last 70 years. Is everyone down in the Media room or the sunroom?


    "Some put off such things more than others. You just have had a rash of bad luck lately." She observed. "They are in the sunroom. He liked the Loft to set his measurement gear on."


    The older woman led the way, to find the kids lounging in the aggressively casual way of young people under stress. The Tailor was speaking quietly with Erica while Anzy was all over the room giving out drinks and some snacks.


    "Thank you for coming out so quickly. The fit on my suit is lovely. Solaris said as she walked into the room. "Weld, how are your face and ribs doing?"


    "Meh. Hurt less, angry more." He grunted. He had gotten rid of the frozen peas, and was already in the dark bruised stage of black eyes.¡±


    ¡°Has the Tailor gone over the rules and properties of dealing with a member of his craft?¡± she asked.


    "He did give us a quick explanation; he apparently has a power point.¡± she said wryly. ¡°We are a bit familiar with the idea, as a few of our classmates work for Tailors. They''re close mouthed but some details still get out." Elenore said. "He''s already talked to and scanned Weld and talked to Nahoa about a Mask... something about ''going with his jacket'' whatever that means. He''s talking to one of Anzy right now."


    "Good if you have any questions ask me, I worked with the original Tailor, Phantastique, so I know how things work.¡±


    ¡°I was going to get you all fitted anyway because it is just a good idea, but with what happened today. I am moving forward with that a bit earlier than I had planned. Z I am getting you fitted as well. And Mystic, Code names or First Letter only, no names when with a Tailor."


    "Honey, you helped set how things worked." The Tailor called down from the loft as Anzy bounced down the stairs. "I''m assuming you want the civilized day wear as well as the Union required outerwear." he joked. Z, who was sitting next to Marcus looking pissed, blinked.


    "Me too?"


    "Yes dear, you are one of my fledglings now. And I take care of my teams. I would like to talk to you after your fitting, or before, whatever you are more comfortable with.¡±


    "Um maybe later, I''m a bit ¡®punch dad in the face¡¯ to talk about things sensibly right now." She had no idea what fitting the other woman was talking about, but didn¡¯t ask.


    "Dear, I rather want to punch your dad in the face as well." Solaris said, sitting down. "Sometimes being better isn''t easy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Focus." she said to Erica who handed her a glass oflemonade. "If you want there is a lovely little Aston sitting outside I''m planning on having the works done to, by the Tailors people. Something for you all to see as an example, for your own future projects." She turned back to Z.


    "I am going to meet with him at the shop tomorrow. I want to talk to you to see what you want and give you someone to vent to who will listen. If you want to do tomorrow that is fine, we can have Tea in my sitting room."


    "I''m open to that, but I wasn''t kidding about this morning. I am fighting ghosting my way out of here, taking that Maserati, and driving its wheels off in some random direction. I''m tired of this crap."


    "I understand. Like I said, we can have tea. I bet you''ve never had a proper Tea before and I know Anzy will get a charge out of preparing one.¡±


    "Okay... let''s go with young... " the Tailor was looking at a list. "Focus and come along with her Solaris. I''m sure you have some input to give here or there."


    "I won''t lie, I''ve had one planned for weeks." Anzy said with a smile.


    "Well then this is a good opportunity." Solaris said with a smile. She stood and walked up to the loft with Focus. "Remember what is told to a Tailor never leaves their lips, you can be honest with him about your powers." she said taking a seat so she wouldn''t get in the way.


    "Not much to tell. I''m a Class D Physical enhancement oriented towards Agility and reflex. I have high human physical abilities in general. I''ve tested at genius level intelligence with higher-than-average EQ. My power is I see in a wide spectrum of light, energy and energetic particles, including x-rays, gamma, and even Tachyon related energies."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Tachyon? Precognition?"


    "Most need more prompting. Not precognition in the traditional sense. I have maybe, max, a second lead time on events, in combat it''s more like a half second warning on what an opponent is going to do but with my reaction time that half second can be an eternity. I''m also good at shooting, and throwing things, catching too, but I lack some of my classmate¡¯s skill level in hand to hand. I''m smaller than just about everyone so not really my forte."


    Small and quick can regularly take out bigger opponents. Solaris said. "As a fellow Short Woman I understand.


    "Boss, when the words "USS Miami" come out in reference to the two of us, I''m fixing her engines, you''re carrying her to the dry dock. We ain''t the same." She chuckled.


    Solaris Laughed. "Yes, well, my enhancements are a bit of a cheat. I can fly up to the top cabinet shelf."


    "Stupid architects and their use of space." She muttered.


    "Any preference in a color palette?" The Tailor asked absently.


    "No. I also don''t care about a Mask. If I suit up, I''m already pissed so pretending it isn''t personal is probably pointless.¡±


    "There are advantages to being Public. There is a lot less to juggle." Solaris admitted. ¡°What do you think of Blue. Perhaps blue and gold?¡±


    "A little military school for me." She admitted. "And I''m not really fond of blue. I don''t toss fire around and am not a speedster so not sure Red is a good color. Plus, it washes me out." The pale blonde murmured.


    "She''s not wrong. Of all your fledglings, she''s the closest in general look to you. Don''t be surprised if people assume you''re related, to be honest."


    ¡°From what Dreadful has told me I would cry if I knew how many people were mistaken for me. Perhaps, how about a nice gray?¡±


    "Gray is doable, or an off white if it needs more color. Something that allows freedom of movement is a must. She''s going to rely on dodging over tanking damage." he mused. "A gun of some form is going to be needed. Since we''re in a time crunch, I''ll dig around in my Land of Misfit Toys, things my toymakers have crafted without a bespoke target."


    See what kind of multi tools you have as well, she is also our computer person.


    "Can do."


    "Go ahead and head back down. can you send, say Mystic up." he suggested. He considered Solaris as the girl headed down the stairs. "So, hero on hero violence. Always annoying but it is a bit traditional at this point. You got to miss that starting until now, though."


    "I am really hoping some of our men have evolved, or my dating pool is going to be shallower than a Hapsburg gene pool.


    "I know Qilin, he''s a bit old school Asian, so you''re dealing with some of that." he admitted. "And men have evolved. You''ll notice none of these boys are making the "girls shouldn''t fight" noises right now. In your time, I know you would have had to deal with that argument."


    "That is true,¡± she chuckled. "Is it bad hearing ''old school Asian makes me want to introduce him to Kitsune, there was a woman who took no grief." She smiled, ¡°Welcome up Mystic. Solaris said warmly.¡±


    "Hello there." She said with a smile and nod. "Here''s my record from the school. Easier than really explaining "I summon monsters but try to make them cute" and making it make real sense."


    "Not the strangest way to phrase such things." The Tailor admitted. "But it is esoteric. Any definite no no''s on your costume?"


    "I want a skirt. I do not need people staring at my ass when I stand somewhere all the time." She mused. "I don''t mind peeking, but staring is just a bit much, and I''m not much for spandex."


    She will also need weapons, she''s a dab hand with a firearm. and from what I¡¯ve seen she''s her team¡¯s field command. So, any coms upgrades are also good.


    Communications are easy enough." He made some notes, while his machine scanned her. "Alright, I think I have some good notes. The Badger lad said he''s a guy in a chair type and asked me for some gear he has had trouble finding so he''s happy. Said something about having his own thing anyway." The Tailor shrugged. "He seems a bit of an Individual if you know what I mean. Send up our plant girl when you go down."


    Solaris chuckled, "how much of your speedy answer was you found out I had a little toymaker under the roof."


    He chuckled. "Some. I may have asked him about a task I had pending and let him wander off pondering it." He admitted. "But no, a lot of it was I owed the boys. I sent them on a delivery, which they handled with aplomb, but it did lead to an ambush, and I regretted that. If I had known, I wouldn''t have sent them. I figured at worst they''d show up and get caught having to run from a Hero vs. Villain smackdown."


    "Ahh. Courier work. It¡¯s a good way for young enhanced to learn the ropes. Did that white snakeskin make it up okay?¡± she asked as Mercades came up. "This is Dryad."


    "Hello. I turn into an Ent when I smack people, so not sure what a costume is other than kind of a statement of intent when I''m not all ''grrr'' and stuff." she admitted.


    ¡°She is an artist at heart and my least aggressive fledgling.¡±


    "She''s not wrong." Dryad said with a shrug


    "Nothing wrong with lack of aggression, though obviously sometimes an idiot doesn''t give a choice. And the Union Suit is important as a statement of intent. It means people know what you are and what''s going on."


    Solaris nodded. I think maybe a stretchy undersuit with a long drapey overdress? Greens and browns? rather like a renaissance dress.


    Hmmm, that could be done." He nodded. "Something Grecian with the name. Step on the scanner. Any specific gear? And I take it the suit should be able to get out of the way of the "Tree parts."


    "I kind of grow bigger too."


    "Noted."


    I think defense gear, Maybe some sort of shield, to reflect a more pacifistic nature.


    "Hmm, something to consider, though if she grows that could be tricky." he admitted. "However, if she''s more passive, larger first aid kit element might be wise."


    "Dryad, outside of your alternate form do you have any enhancement? Solaris asked.


    "I heal fast, not quite combat regeneration but I''ve never been scared so there''s a theory I could heal more significant damage. I can communicate with plants, animate them." She thought. "I seem to have some limited resistance to plant based toxins and allergens."


    Because she is the least combative personality, could you please put together a tracker for her. something she can wear when she''s out that is...inconspicuous. "Sorry Dryad. Your combination of gifts is exactly what power hunters look for and if you go missing I want to be able to find you as quickly as possible. It will be your choice when to wear it but I want you to have one."


    "A civilian one? Sure. I usually include such things in super costumes by default." He admitted.


    "I am aware I am appealing. The cartels have already tried to grab me a couple of times. It''s why I have bothered to learn to fight, when I don''t really want to." she admitted.


    "It''s good to be aware and careful." Solaris said her tone was comforting. "I think you are going to look stunning in your new union suit.


    "Thank you." She said, awkwardly curtseying then jogging off.


    "She''s cute. Now..." He turned to her. "I''ll sketch up some ideas and send you a few to choose from for each. I can put a rush on the first suit, the rest will take a few days. I''m getting a expedite feel here. Do you need anything else for the troop? I heard Marcus mention something about car thieves."


    "Yes, apparently Qilin mistook my kids for car thieves. I¡¯m going to have a conversation about it with him tomorrow. Can you also do a suit for Z. the young Asian lady.¡±


    "Yes, Call her up for me, if you would. I was more meaning other kit than suits and U-belts"


    ¡°Mm. I am not sure. I am still learning about them. I will send you a message if I think of anything.


    "Z please come up it''s your turn to be fitted.¡±


    "Um, Okay?" The girl crept up carefully, as if expecting an ambush. "Um, hello."


    ¡°Hello Z. This is the Tailor; He is going to fit you for a suit. You are part of our team now. and we take care of our own. What you tell a tailor is as sacrosanct as confession.¡±


    ¡°Oh, more so. Priests don¡¯t know bra sizes.¡±


    "Yeah, okay. What do you need?"


    "An outline of your enhanced abilities." He said. "And preferences for equipment or look, if you have them."


    "Well... I kind of manipulate and control shadows. I can even ''shadow'' people¡¯s minds, kind of confuse them or make them not see me even in daylight." She said, thinking. "Oh, I''m kind of low level enhanced across the board, physically. I get... I mean I can lift way more than I should, but I''m not in the ton range. I never struggled in gymnastics classes or gym, and I ran a marathon on a bet, without being wiped out later. I think I''d be a low-class D in most categories?"


    Solaris gave the Tailor a wry look. "Well one of them was bound to have mental gifts."


    "I think rich colors for this one. What do you think of a deep purple, just short of black. A bit of a ninja look, but you¡¯re willowy enough to carry it well.


    "That sounds cool." Zoya said perking up realizing that she was getting fitted for a union suit. "Oh, I would like a place for small tools and to put things."


    "Utility belts are a standard." Solaris said. "Do you have any weapons training?" She wasn''t sure if the girl¡¯s father would go beyond basic self-defense.


    "Pfft, no. That would require trust." She grumbled. "But I''m pretty good at hand to hand. Honestly, the only kid down there who might be able to take me on fair is Anzy. Course she can all cheat... but then..." Shadow seemed to swirl on the wall, and she stepped through it, appearing next to Solaris. "So do I."


    "Otherwise, I''d never get away from stupid Marcus."


    "Remember Z. we do not use names with the tailor, initials or Code names only. Alright, we add you to the Trainer''s list. You¡¯re as tempting to Power hunters as Dryad is, and you¡¯re confirmed generational. I think Tonfa¡¯s like M. It will give him someone to practice with.¡±


    "I didn''t hear anything but an A, my dear, don''t worry. I work with newbies all the time." he assured her. "I don''t think the shield will work without his reinforcement, so perhaps with some sneaky close-range options. Perhaps CS Spray and, oh, taser? She won''t need a Grapple with that teleportation ability."


    "No, I was thinking traditional tonfas not like the modified ones M has, also is there such a thing as a thrown stun baton?"


    "Stun batons, disks, taser balls. On two occasions rubber chickens, the sky¡¯s the limit in hurled devastation."


    ¡°What do you think Z would you prefer disks or batons for a ranged attack?¡±


    "Disks. Someone I know uses batons." she said awkwardly.


    ¡°Okay,  Stun disks and tonfa. Any other requests?"


    "Not really... I wasn''t really expecting anything so... yeah."


    "The greys are always so adorable when they are confused." The Tailor chuckled. "Alright, off you go. I have a few questions for your Patron here." The girl looked argumentative, confused, and appreciative all at once, and wandered off.


    ¡°Throw in a collapsible bo stick as well, It''s almost traditional for teleporters.¡±


    "Good point, pretty standard so I should have some lying about. the Tailor said making a note "So, while you muse other requests, I need to bring a work crew in here. I believe you are aware I have a delivery."


    "Sorry it''s been a bit of an odd day. What was I having delivered?


    "A certain springtime fellow asked that I drop some things off, for you and for Dreadful. Dreadful''s is a bit bulky, though yours is a bit more personal, and I thought you might appreciate the storage for it. That one small shed out there is simply insufficient."


    "Ahh. My shadow decided to send presents. I am eager to see what he brought.¡± she said, running her hand over the skirt of her new uniform and following the Tailor back downstairs.


    "Oh, this and that." He said. "If you need anything added to the order, message me. I''ll get to work immediately and get the designs for you to choose. You might want to find a playhouse at some point, if you get my meaning." He chuckled.


    "Right, I''ll start looking for one, do you know a Trainer that needs a Dojo?


    "Three or four, to be honest. Especially depending on what type of trainer you''re wanting. I''m assuming combat, hand to hand and other?"


    ¡°Yes, preferably with weapons experience. With over a dozen people in need of training I might as well make the accountant happy and take out a business loan to set up a gym and dojo. Maybe just build to spec and get a good range in there as well?¡±


    "I could arrange a construction team to add a subterranean range to any freestanding building you should find to occupy," he said. "I''ll send you resumes, if you will, within the next couple of days."


    ¡°I appreciate it. Solaris walked outside. I¡¯ll let Louise know and reach out to our real estate person. ¡°Oh, he got me a new tank! She said with a delighted clap.¡±


    "Yes, I thought I''d bring that right over. Its engine needs work, but otherwise it''s in very good condition. I think someone restored everything but the motor." The tailor said. "A Type 95 Ha-G¨­, a light tank but that just makes it more drivable."


    "The rest we''ll deliver tomorrow, after my team puts in the storage for it."


    I love it¡¯s adorable! I¡¯ll put a bright red bow on it and park it next to the outdoor Christmas tree!


    "Oh, I know where I''m installing defensive gear." Penny purred. Badger nodded next to her. They''d been chatting.¡±


    "Can you LS swap a tank?" Erica mused.


    "We''re gonna."


    ¡°Yes! Make it fast! Solaris said laughing in delight.¡±


    ¡°Is it always so weird around here?¡± Zoya asked in a subdued voice.


    "You mean the LS Swapping a tank, the Tailor, or the fact that none of it seems all that weird to me?" Marcus said with a grin


    ¡°All of the above, she¡¯s also getting me a suit. Dad will flip his lid.¡±


    "Yeah, this is normal. She was always going to take the others, so you just kind of got to join in to some degree. That, and I think your dad pissed her off." He looked down at his phone and frowned. "And your dad is still in the general area, though not anywhere close. Looks like he''s still hunting the car thieves, but I think he''s following a bum trail now."


    ¡°You bugged my dad? That is awesome. Think I¡¯m still safe from him looking here for me? She asked, thinking it was strange to see someone like Solaris looking like a little kid at Christmas


    "I didn''t bug him... I put an alert on social media that tells me when someone notices him and records it. he''s a bit bad at stealth with the whole white and gold suit and car."


    "And I think he''ll end up in orbit if he comes to her house uninvited... and that''s if Thud catches him. She''d send him to Jupiter."


    Z nodded rubbing her arms, she looked over at Levi. ¡°Sorry about getting everyone in trouble with my dad.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°We all have family who sucks. Don¡¯t blame yourself, I don¡¯t.¡±

 Chapter 49 Best Served Cold

    Best Revenge


    ¡°Why is it that so many heroes and villains keep pulling quotes out of old movies and books?¡±


    ¡°Well, you tend to talk about the media you consume, and late night involves a lot of binging on old movies and documentaries.¡±


    ¡°So, wait, you¡¯re saying that¡¯s like¡­ watercooler conversations?¡±


    ¡°I mean, with more doomsday weapons and punching, but yeah.¡±


    Heard at, ironically, a police watercooler


    Around nine the next morning, Breakfast was being served at the long table. The bulk of the fledglings were already there, eating a heavy breakfast, most of them yawning, Elenore whispering with Amzy about what all had been done in the various places she''d been. "Good morning, Ms. Summers." She greeted as Solaris entered the dining room.


    ¡°Morning. Looks like you all had a busy night, hope it was productive.¡± She poured a cup of coffee and sat down. ¡°Breakfast looks wonderful Amzy. Are we still on for tea at Four Zoya?¡±


    "Oh, yeah. Sorry, was zoning out. Yes, I can be there." She nodded. "I think I''m helping with the cars this morning?"


    "Yeah, especially with Kar1n taking apart the donor cars, we should get a lot done today. For once I ordered the bulk of the parts I needed in advance. That may never happen again."


    Zoya shuddered. ¡°I know she¡¯s effective, but she is also creepy.¡±


    ¡°Who is Karen? Another YouTuber?


    "Um...."


    Nahoa answered. "Badger had another bot. She''s... not as friendly as Chuck. By the way, Chuck was still beeping when we found him, so he''s fixable."


    ¡°Well, there is never just one bot. I am glad to hear Chuck is fixable. Make sure to give your receipts to Elenore. I¡¯m going to fly down to the tailors to pick your things up. Saves the courier a trip and I can fly faster anyway. Need anything from the city?¡±


    The group all discussed their projects. Elenore finally shook her head. "Not at the moment, no. I do have some things to talk to you about when you get back, but nothing time critical just yet.¡±


    ¡°We can talk before tea if that works for you. Oh Levi Erica, here is the card for a local classic car dealership. I don''t know if you want to find something specific.¡±


    The two blinked. "Um... I mean, always, but right now we''re putting together like a fleet of Chargers, so we''re occupied for the next little while. Then there''s the Sleeper project you were excited about, and Badgers stuff... but we can definitely see what they got, if anything interesting hops out."


    ¡°It¡¯s more he¡¯s a contact for you. The heroine said with a shrug. ¡°I am looking forward to seeing your cars when they are done. Oh, Amzy, Mercedes, I will need you both for a short while this morning. The serenity is coming into port, and I want Amzy to look over the kitchen and such and I promised Mercedes she could have her own room on the boat since I ran out to rooms,¡±


    "Works for me." Amzy nodded, Mercedes making a "yay'' motion. Z raised an eyebrow, then looked out the window as they heard a horn, and her eyes widened as a small damn ship came into view in the middle of the sound.


    ¡°Is that it?"


    ¡°Yes, I picked her up while I was in Miami. I named her Serenity. It was lovely sailing back. Oh. Zoya why don¡¯t you come too, there is room enough on the boat to get you a bed of your own.


    "Um, okay." They went out to meet the Yacht, watching as its bow thrusters guided it to the bulkhead, one of the crew lowering the railing on the lowest deck which lined up nicely with the bulkheads height, sliding a thick gang plank out. Amzy popped into several of herself to help tie the boat up, quickly getting it fully secured and shut down. "It''s huge." Mercedes said, wide eyed.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted enough room to entertain.¡± She walked onto the ship. ¡°Sorry to have taken off in a hurry Captain Spring. To make up for it we can have dinner at your convenience cooked by my chef Amzy.¡±


    "I will have to take you up on that, though first I need to see most of my crew to the airport. I can be back in an hour or so. Of course, our mechanic is staying to train your own on the ships systems."


    "And hello to all of you... seems the house is full!"


    ¡°Yeah, I promised Mercedes a room on the boat, and Z is the newest little bird in the nest. I¡¯ll see you when you get back. She resisted the urge to kiss him on the cheek, ¡°Okay. Amzy the kitchen is through here.¡±


    "Right!" She followed Solaris, the rest of her heading back to the house or with the rest of the group heading to the shop.


    "Well, this definitely beats living in my car." Z muttered, looking at the crew area of the Serenity. It was like a nice apartment, even if the bed she''d chosen was kinda weird shaped, but less so than the Aztek. Mercedes nodded. "It''s more room than my efficiency, even with sharing space with you, which I don''t mind."


    I don¡¯t mind either, but I know you¡¯ll love having your own space. And this so super cool


    "Yeah. I''m glad down here it is more simply decorated though. I''d just worry about breaking stuff up above."


    ¡°Decorate how you will, Solaris said with a smile. And nothing is as expensive as it looks. Boats can be hard on furnishings.¡±


    "I suppose that makes sense."


    Amzy slipped in, looking over the small kitchenette absently, but looking to Solaris. "The upstairs galley is pretty well equipped. Just needing to get some more houseware, and know when you need this provisioned so I can get  perishables.


    "I''d keep a small amount of stuff fresh on board. That way we can just cruise out and have dinner." Solaris chuckled. "Like you, I grew up around boats. My father was always happiest on the water. We often were out with the fishing boats trying to catch lunch."


    "Time to break down and get that side of beef and pork for the freezers. Maybe two sides." She mused.


    "We do have big appetites in the house." Solaris said with a laugh. She walked back up on deck. "Do you like your rooms ladies? Do you need anything for them?"


    "Not at the moment." Z said. "Thanks for the space. I mean, you don''t even know me."


    "No, I don''t. But I know Marcus and Nahoa, and they vouch for you. So, I am willing to give you a chance. She reached out and gave Zoya a squeeze on one shoulder. "I want to help you, and to get the shadows out of your eyes...well Metaphorically anyway. you are a Shadow walker after all."


    "I doubt you can do anything about my father at this point. No one else can." She muttered.


    "Honestly I don''t know if I can or not. Block heads like him are hard to crack. What I can do is give you something else you need. A safe place, trust, and peers who will help you. One day he will figure out what he lost, and when that happens it will be your choice to forgive or not, and even if you do forgive him, it is your right to decide how much he can influence your life. But the one thing I ask, is the same thing I ask all my fledglings. Be Better. Be a person that can inspire others, who can see and act to do what''s right even when it isn''t easy.¡±


    "Yeah, I don''t think I understand what that means." She shrugged.


    Solaris smiled. "I will help teach you. Being willing is what matters most. Why don''t we have our talk now. Then all us girls can have Tea this afternoon. Amzy, why don''t you go help Mercades pack so she can move aboard. Would you prefer the bar or the deck? she asked Zoya with a smile.


    "Deck, I think. Fresh air, and all that." And easier to run for it.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Solaris pulled some juice from the bar fridge and led the girl to the top deck. She handed a juice to Zoya. "The view from up here is wonderful."


    "Yeah, good view of the water. Wonder what the neighbors are thinking of the boat. Other than "I want one."


    ¡°Heh. Maybe. Solaris said with a laugh. I hope my fledglings have made you feel comfortable.¡±


    "I''m pretty sure Levi doesn''t understand he''s weird. Erica just shakes her head at him. Marcus and Nahoa are Marcus and Nahoa, an older annoying brother I¡¯m not related to and his smarter friend." She shrugged. "The others are nice, though I''m weirdly afraid of Elenore. You and her both have that whole "Do what I say" thing where you do it then realize you aren''t sure why. I was at AutoZone when I was trying to figure that out."


    ¡°It¡¯s called command aura, it¡¯s not a power, and it¡¯s not easy, but it can be learned. Elenore is a treasure, and we are going to have so much fun together.¡± She sipped her juice. ¡°I¡¯m curious, how is Levi weird? Not arguing but interested in your perspective.¡±


    ¡°He can be kind of stream of consciousness. And he¡¯s smart. I mean not invent a teleporter smart, but he keeps up with what Badger says and even I can tell he¡¯s a toy boy.¡±


    ¡°Darling the term is a Toymaker. A toy boy is something completely different!¡± Solaris laughed. Most brain types are like that. Even the villains, maybe especially the villains, when dealing with a black cape Toymaker if you can get him talking, you''re eighty percent of the way there.


    "Yeah, well, I think they''re planning on making some flying thing later. Not sure if that''s a good or bad thing." She admitted. "And I''m pretty sure Badger would happily tell you how to disassemble anything if you asked him, but he''s not exactly on the dark side."


    ¡°No, he seems like a good young man who is doing what he loves. I know you are still in high school, have you been attending?


    "Um. I actually got a GED." She said. "I think something I read said the army introduced them during World War Two. It basically covers the same thing, and I wasn''t going to get into college with the crap going on around me with my dad. Go to a frat party, superheroes raid it. Yeah, campus life not for me."


    ¡°Are you interested in college or trade school? Do you have a career you are interested in?¡±


    She shrugged in the artless way of the teenager caught without any way to answer. "No idea what I''d want to do if I did. Haven''t had really good grades in years."


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to care sometimes.¡± Solaris said ¡°especially when no one seems to believe in you. I was lucky, my parents were very supportive of me¡­ though it did disappoint them that I haven¡¯t married. In a world made of sunshine and ponies, what would you want to do? I am curious.


    "Sunshine and ponies? Sounds kind of like hell, but I get your point." She sighed. "The only answer I have is not to get harassed by my dad. I mean, I don''t hate him... much... but I''m just kind of over him. Hell, if going white cape is what I have to do so he starts leaving me be, I''ll do it. Other than that, I don''t know that I''ve ever felt like I could think about it. I don''t even remember what I wanted to be when I was a little girl. Probably a ballerina or something stupid like that."


    ¡°Dance isn¡¯t stupid, Lord, I know rugby players with fewer injuries than the average ballerina. Alright so right now what we are going to work on is feeling safe, trusted, and secure. We will worry about the future later. Though if you are staying with us I will want you to work with the others, more than likely you¡¯ll be an assistant for Elenore and Amzy, maybe Mercedes. You will be paid, and I don¡¯t mind if you continue food deliveries. Are you alright with that?¡±


    "I guess. I''m not really a secretary but I didn''t mind running to get stuff yesterday. I thought I''d be doing that today, but I think everyone left and my Aztek is kind of comatose at the moment."


    One of Amzy and Mercedes are still here. Now to the touchy subject. Your parents. I want to hear your side of things, so I can figure out my approach to them.


    She sighed and slumped. "Dad''s a superhero, and one of those real strict law and order guys. Sent me to Juvie for stealing, admittedly a LOT of candy bars at once, but I was like twelve, and acting out cause he was never around which was stupid, yeah, but come on, right?"


    That does seem to be extreme. My brother stole a horse from the village, and he got a warm rump and a week cleaning the stables. I take it he works a lot? Is he a full time hero, or what job does he have?


    "Full Time Hero. He''s one of the Manhattan Unmatched, one of the full time members. He also has some like, licensing deals or whatever. I mean, we really weren''t hurting for money when I was growing up, but a lot of it went right back into stuff he used for heroing too."


    ¡°It can get pricey. I take it he was always on? Can¡¯t turn the hero off and just be¡­whoever he is. I¡¯ve seen heroes with that problem. Hell I was one of them, I don¡¯t think I really learned to relax and just enjoy myself until about a year after the war. But that isn¡¯t an excuse to ignore your family. What about your mom?


    Zoya nodded. ¡°You''re right, he never turns off hero mode. He taught Martial Arts for a while but I don''t know if he really does any more." She shrugged. "Truth is, I don''t really care.Mom... Mom''s okay, but she''s trying to be a peacemaker between me and father, and neither of us really want it. With him it''s my way or the highway and with me, frankly, I pick the highway."


    "Mom just gets stuck between us and hurt by it, another reason I bugged out. That way at least I wasn''t one of the things beating on her. And yeah, I know she''s worried, but that''s better than being driven crazy by both of us.


    Solaris nodded, ¡°I can see that, do you think your mother would be okay with you staying here if I talk to her? And are you comfortable with me reaching out to her?¡±


    "I don''t know, but I don''t mind you talking to her. I''ll give you the number. But I''m not going anywhere near that man."


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to ask you to, that would be called escalation. And as much as I¡¯d like to punt him into the bay, that would be¡­irresponsible, if satisfying¡­.very very satisfying.¡±


    "Lord knows I''ve tried kicking him enough times."


    I can completely empathize with that and I¡¯ve only had a ten minute conversation with the man. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. Here is your employment agreement; it outlines your pay, and benefits, including room and board. Your too young to sign a contract but this will stand in until you turn 18


    "Well, just another month to go. Trust me, I''m counting down."


    ¡°Take a look over it while I call your mother, oh what¡¯s her name?¡±


    "Anne."


    ¡°Last name?¡±


    "Bo-Hee. A lot of places spell it Bohee because she''s Caucasian. Not that that matters I guess."


    "Thank you. Solaris unlocked her phone and Dialed the number. "Hello Ms. Bo-Hee, My name is Elizabeth Summers. I am an acquaintance of your daughter, Zoya.


    "Oh dear. Is Zoya okay? Her father hasn''t said anything, other than... Well, is she okay?"


    "Yes, she is fine, She has been staying with some of my mentees. she could hear the strain in the other woman''s voice. "I am in the same business as your husband, my call sign is Solaris. I am sorry to have to ask this, but did you know your husband suspected Zoya of being in a car theft ring?"


    The mother sighed. "Yes, even though I doubt Z could DRIVE a McLaren. I mean, she''s got her license but a beat up, yellow Pontiac isn''t the same thing as a supercar! That''s before you get to evading the police."


    Solaris chuckled. "If she couldn''t before, she probably can now, she''s been hanging out with my mechanics. However she was with my people during one of the robberies, so I can confirm her innocence. Your husband however decided to assault one of those mechanics thinking for some reason that they were running an illegal chop shop. Fortunately Zoya was not at the shop, and other than a broken nose and one destroyed robot chassis there was no major damage.


    "Oh lord, I would love to say that doesn''t sound like him, but he''s... Let''s just say He and Zoya have a few things in common. One of them is an ability to jump to conclusions with a kangaroo''s eagerness."


    "I can''t speak too much for Zoya, she seems like a very sweet young lady, some rough edges, but we all had rough edges at her age. But I can very much agree with that description of your husband. I met him yesterday, and I have a meeting with him tonight so he can apologize to my staff. What I wanted to talk to you about is letting Zoya stay here, with my other Mentees they are close to her age so are a good peer group for her. In fact you know one of them Marcus Ruan. He and his grandmother are both working for me right now."


    "Oh, Marcus is there too? Well, that''s helpful. He''s about the only person she regularly listens to. Probably because she can''t hide from him. Really wish I knew how he did that." She admitted. "I don''t mind, her and her father having distance is a good thing right now. At least I know why he was so frustrated last night and why he told me not to worry about Zoya being involved. He was in a hurry so he didn''t really explain. Something I will make him pay for, later. Lactose intolerant bastard is going to be eating cream sauces for a week."


    Solaris chuckled, then grinned. "Sounds like it''s been rough for a while. Zoya said part of the reason she left the house is because she doesn''t want you to be stuck in the middle of her and her fathers conflicts." Solaris gave the girl a wicked smile. "It sounds like you could really use a vacation, spend some time replenishing yourself."


    "To be fair, I do try to get her to understand and talk to him too. They''re both stubborn as hell." The other woman admitted.


    "I can understand that, and it is hard to be the one between two stubborn people, for me it was my father and brother. My father was every bit the British lord, and my brother....well It wasn''t for him, he was happier being a saboteur, rather than a lord.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Sorry woolgathering. I think everyone needs a break and some space. Have you ever been to Hawaii?"


    "I have not. Furthest west I''ve ever gone is Chicago."


    "Perfect, it is lovely, Do you want to go for one week or two...I think at least two, after all this has been very stressful, Zoya can you check and see when there is a plane with a first class ticket to Hawaii wait...flying is horrible now, I want to remove stress not add to it. Stupid communists... Cancel that, can you have Penny get a flight crew together?"  When do you think you can be packed?"


    ¡°What?¡± Anne said feeling like she was caught in the world''s strangest tsunami.¡°I think you need some time to decompress and renew yourself. So I am offering to send you to Hawaii for a couple of weeks. I''ll fly you out there and get you a nice all inclusive hotel and you can relax for the first time in years.


    ¡°We can get her a really good first class, not what you had. ¡° Penny said from nearby.


    ¡°You know what¡­ I need a break. I will leave my husband a note. I am in. ¡°


    ¡°Wonderful I¡¯ll send a car to get you. And I will have Penny message you with the details. Have a wonderful time.¡± She hung up. Penny get her at least two weeks, preferably three.¡± She winked at Zoya. ¡°The longer she¡¯s there the longer your father has to do his own laundry and cooking.¡±


    Zoya¡¯s eyes went wide, trying to imaging her father doing more than make a sandwich, and she wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d ever done his own laundry. ¡°Boss. I like you, you can be mean with kindness.

 Chapter 50, Giving a Hand

    Giving a Hand


    ¡°Superhero¡¯s are strange creatures. They are often willing to try to talk down the worst of offenders and willing to accept a heel to face turn by a villain if not with trust, then at least tolerance.


    These same people will get into knock down, drag out grudges with other heroes, over something as simple as stealing a sandwich. ¡°


    ¡°Lord, I still get paperwork about that mess, sometimes.¡±


    Special Agent Lillian Grant, ¡°Grudge Matches, Heroes and their ¡®Arch enemies¡¯¡±


    "I mean, I know he''ll probably resist doing that for as long as he can, but eventually the mess will irritate him." Z admitted.


    ¡°I know, I hope your mom has enough fun for me to extend it to four weeks, absence makes the heart grow fonder. And what is the use of wealth if you can¡¯t find ways to be passive aggressive.


    "Honey, you''re from the Nineteen Forties. The primary weapon women deployed in that time was passive aggression." Penny said with a smirk.


    ¡°Well yes, but I do my best to rarely indulge in it. Mm¡­ Zoya, would you like to go to Hawaii . Two weeks to spend some alone bonding time with your mother, an early birthday gift.¡±


    "I''m kind of helping with the thing, though."


    ¡°Oh, you have two weeks to deal with that dear. I¡¯m not sending you until she¡¯s had some alone time.¡±


    "Oh, that''s fair... The others are thinking of getting the cape version of "Fast and the Furious." Thud and Mercedes have both started growling "Family" at random intervals."


    ¡°Well family is important, but I think it¡¯s a reference I¡¯m not getting.¡± Solaris said with a shrug. I wonder when Nahoa was home last¡­ his mom is there. I¡¯ll send him with you, so you don¡¯t fly alone.¡±


    "It''s a movie series. We''ll start watching it later. It''ll appeal to your gearhead nature."


    ¡°We¡¯ll queue it up for Friday movie night¡±. Solaris said as Mercedes and Amzy came with boxes of Mercedes¡¯s stuff.


    Qilin pulled around the building in his car, parking a bit more... conventionally than the last time. He climbed out of the car and came to the bay door. Inside he saw four identical cars, recent model chargers if he was recognizing them correctly, all in some state of reassembly. A robot of some sort was stripping every part off one of two partially stripped frames, cleaning them in a parts washer and shelving them in very clearly labeled bins. His daughter was one of them and working a wrench along with the rest. He was privately impressed; he hadn''t known she had any interest in mechanics.


    Solaris was sitting on one side looking over properties for her new gym. She looked up at him, and stood running a smoothing hand over her jeans, ¡°Hello Qilin.¡± She said walking towards him.


    "Solaris. It seems they are being quite industrious." He frowned, seeing a green lightbar being installed. "And perhaps presumptuous. I''m assuming the children are considering chasing the car thieves."


    ¡°They are rather motivated, to catch the people they were accused of being.¡±


    "Yes, I suppose that would be irritating. And motivating." he shook his head. "Still, the Unmatched are already pursuing the issue, if having tracked a false lead."


    ¡°We will see what happens, it never hurts to have more people looking.¡± She said.


    "Considering everything, I will certainly admit they have a right to try. And, if nothing else, I must give them sincere points for preparation. I take it that there are no speedsters in the group."


    ¡°No, not currently. But between their own skills and what they¡¯ve ordered from my Tailor, they should be good.¡±


    "Oh lord, my daughter has met a Tailor. At least seven of my nightmares have come true." He sighed. "At least it''s our side of the fence. Some of the dark tailors out there... its terrifying."


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk to the keeper; Tailors are supposed to be neutral. But yes, I had her fitted and explained the protocols of working with a Tailor.¡±


    "Yeah, supposed to be." He shook his head. "You know how it is; someone always has to eat the apple in the garden. There have been shadow conflicts between the bulk of the Tailor community and the darker members of their community due to the dark ones playing with the Red Capes."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°What is a red cape? I am not familiar with the term?¡±


    "It means a cape soaked in blood." Marcus answered for him, stepping out of the garage. "The real psychos. Even Chimera doesn''t rate that status, he''s more in the Kaiju category. The ''first'' red cape is what, Mengele?"


    "No." Qilin shook his head. "Unholy as he was, he had a reason. Red Capes are those who seek body count above even their stated goals. Serial killers, psychopaths. Jack The Ripper with super powers."


    ¡°Hmm.¡± She opened her note app. Talk to keeper about red cape issues, might want to hold switchboard. ¡°Thank you, I''ll have to investigate that. Marcus, can you Call Levi over?¡±


    "Sure" He stepped back in, tapping Levi on the shoulder to get his attention and gesturing him over towards the door. Levi frowned, nodded, and began wiping his hands off with a rag as he walked over. "Yeah?"


    Solaris gave Qilin a look that any schoolteacher would be proud of. ¡°This is Qilin.¡±


    "I recognize him." Levi said, the native Texan coming out in his voice.


    "Yes. I owe you an apology. As I told your Mentor, while I felt like I had a reason at the time, it turned out I was being... reckless... and you suffered the pain for my error. I sincerely apologize for the injury I did to you, and the assumption I jumped to."


    Levi nodded, listening. Then he looked at Qilin''s car. "The hood. your tech didn''t replace it with carbon fiber?" he asked, looking more closely at the supped-up luxury sedan.


    "No. Why do you ask?"


    "Oh, you can bleed off pounds of weight, get lots of acceleration out of some carbon fiber replacements, particularly the hood and trunk." Levi set his hand on the hood of the car, and the smell of burning paint and hot metal filled the air. When his hand lifted, a handprint was half melted into the hood of the car.


    He walked by the shocked looking Qilin, and said "Bring it by in a week or two. We''ll put some carbon fiber on there, get you some more weight savings. You''ll love the performance boost. For now, we''re busy but thanks for the apology. Consider it accepted."


    Solaris smirked, ¡°That was well said Levi. Can you ask Z if she wants to come out, let her know it¡¯s her choice.¡±


    "I''m here." she said, appearing to the two adults suddenly. Levi rolled his eyes as he continued in. "What can I do for you, Ms. Summers?"


    Solaris shook her head. ¡°I am so glad I¡¯m used to speedsters doing that.¡± She said fondly, patting the girl on the shoulder. ¡°Do be careful who you do that to love, or someone is going to accidentally punt you.¡± Her eyes went back to the girl¡¯s father.


    "Daughter, it seems you''ve found an interesting activity to occupy your time with." He spoke. "I had no idea you had any interest in automobiles to this degree."


    ¡°Levi and Erica have been showing me stuff so I can do maintenance on my Aztec. It broke down while I was doing a delivery out here. They brought me on as a shop gopher.¡±


    "I admit, I was surprised to find out you purchased a car... particularly an Aztek, but it is good you are learning to maintain it." He agreed. Then with a sigh. "And I owe you an apology. I allowed... old issues to make me jump to a false conclusion. While I will point out that you make it hard to communicate with you, I failed to try as hard as I could have, and that is firmly on me. You were innocent, and I should have given you the opportunity to defend yourself, verbally, before assuming you were in the wrong."


    She looked at Solaris, who nodded, keeping one hand on her shoulder letting her know she was safe. ¡°Father, all I wanted was your attention, I went about that the wrong way, but the right way did not work. Perfect grades, sports, piano. I tried them all to get your attention, only when I broke the rules did you really look at me. Then you betrayed me, sent me away. To a place where I was beaten, robbed and mocked and tortured. After that you only supposed the worst of me, and I had no reason to be more. I hope one day I will be able to forgive you. But today is not that day. Solaris has offered me a job, and a place to stay. Mother has given her permission for me to stay here, and I want to see who I want to be without striving for your approval.¡±


    "I have not been a perfect father, Zoya, but I am wise enough to realize your mother is smarter than I. I will not interfere with what you are doing now, While the GED was not a preferred choice, it was a responsible choice, and you will be a legal adult soon. Our relationship has not been easy, but I will not risk destroying it now." he sighed. "I can''t truly apologize for many of my decisions... you know what I do, and the lives that have been in the balance, but I could have chosen differently when you were younger and, perhaps I should have. Marcus''s father was willing to give you a scare, and I pushed the issue further than I even intended. For that, I am sorry."


    ¡°The problem with that apology is I don¡¯t believe it. You are sorry that I got hurt, you are sorry it hurt our relationship. You are not sorry about what you did, because you must be right. Nothing short of perfection is acceptable, the fact my boss had to shame you into apologizing says everything to me.¡± She took a deep breath, "I am not perfect, I hate piano, and for now I¡¯m going to work on accepting that, with peers who have shown me more affection than you have in years.¡±


    He watched her walk off, pissed. And sighed. "I actually did mean that." He said to Solaris. "Though I understand why she doesn''t believe I did." He managed not to mention his wife pushing the piano. He wanted her to learn violin.


    ¡°If you are ready to listen. Give her some time to be less angry, you both need space to heal, and figure out what kind of relationship you can have. I will keep her as safe as I can and help her figure out how to be an adult she can be proud of.¡±


    "That is fair advice. Now, I shall take my... formerly new car... and return to the task at hand. Wish the young one¡¯s luck for me, if they manage to catch the thieves first it will be quite a first feather in their cap. Are you intending to be directly involved as well?"


    ¡°No, not unless they need me. This is their hunt. I wouldn¡¯t insult them by sticking my nose in any more than I must. Fledglings can¡¯t learn to fly if they never use their wings.¡±


    "I was mostly just curious." He chuckled. "Meaning you''ll be floating above just in case, and that does bring me a bit of comfort. I may be a poor father in some ways, but I don''t want her hurt, or Marcus for that matter. Or the rest, but this is the world we live in."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°It is. But it is our job to make sure they have the tools they need to not only survive but thrive. And I have faith in them.¡±


    "Well, they certainly have tools." He acknowledged, "Have a good day." He climbed into the car, and pulled back out, wondering absently if he should come back to get that new hood, or not. He was tempted to come just to see if the boy would do it. The handprint was going to drive several of his teammates crazy when he refused to explain it."

 Chapter 51, Griffin Fledglings

    Griffin Fledglings


    ¡°Most Enhanced in the cape community rely almost wholly on their powers, and maybe a handful of useful gadgets from a tailor. Many are very good at what they do.¡±


    ¡°Be afraid of the hero, or worst yet team, who prepares for eventualities far in the future. There¡¯s a reason Batman is still popular, when the Guardian¡¯s can be seen in person.¡±


    Solaris came back into the garage, whereBadger and Nahoa were holding a closet closed, Kar1n¡¯s muffled voice coming out of it. ¡°He hurt my Chuck. Let me disassemble him just a little bit!¡±


    "We already fixed Chuck. We even upgraded him! Levi melted the dude''s car hood." Nahoa called out to the angry robot.


    "And he left." Badger added.


    A strange little tracked mechanical with a camera on a crane like attachment beeped from near their feet.


    She made a hissing sound and stopped struggling against the door. "Fine! But if he hurts my Chuck or any of you again, I am going to peel his face off and shove it in all his stinky flesh orifices."


    "That''s... descriptive." Nahoa said, hissing at Badger "Have you never heard of the three laws!"


    "They cause lockups in logic clusters more often than you''d think. We''re suicidal little monkeys and we really don''t like being told what to do."


    "They are more suggestions." Kar1n said. ¡°And no silly rule will keep me from protecting my children." She ran her cleaning tools over her legs as she was let out. She scuttled back towards the car she was taking apart then saw Solaris. Her purple eyes stared for a moment, and she nodded her approval before going back to taking apart the other car.


    "Well, she''s an intense little thing." Solaris said dryly.


    "And her threat assessment and person identification is working. That''s good." Badger muttered. "She was the first bot I built that wasn''t made out of Lego¡¯s. Bob doesn''t really have a lot of utility, but he makes a good cup of coffee."


    Nahoa frowned. "How does a Lego robot make... you know what, never mind. I''ll find out if I find out."


    "Boss, do you have a moment?" Elenore asked a couple of days later, stepping into Solaris''s office, where she''d been looking over information from the accountant.


    "Yes, just looking over some more properties, I think I may have found one big enough for what I want, and the stock divestment is progressing slowly but profitably. Who could have predicted how many times IBM would split! How can I help you?"


    "The crew finished the cars and wanted your approval before we started actually using them." She said. "They''re rather proud of what they''ve done, and to be fair I''ve already had Anzy moving around in the food truck we acquired to make planting monitoring equipment near what we think are likely targets easier. Badger''s been a god send on shockingly cheap cameras... something about breaking too many GoPros which I chose not to follow up on."


    "I''ll be happy to come down to the shop. It''s been a busy week, talking to the Guardian¡¯s PR person, Handing the snake eggs off to a Wrangler, interviewing Trainers for the Gym. It will be nice to take a break.


    "We give it fifty-fifty you''ll want to take one out." She chuckled.


    "Well how can I tell if it''s any good if I don¡¯t try it out?" Solaris asked as they headed down to the garage.


    "I said the same thing." Penny observed, already in the garage waiting for them next to the SUV. "I''m especially curious since a couple of days ago they asked me for dimension information on Dreadful. I''m not sure how you''d fit that into a Charger, though."


    "You''ll see." Elenore smirked.


    Solaris slid into the car; she loved the easy familiarity. She looked out at the leaves just starting to go into fall color. "How is Zoya settling in?"


    "She''s prickly but more consistently social than Mercedes can be, sometimes. Mercedes just gets caught up in her head, art or talking to the geraniums sometimes though." Elenore chuckled. "She''s also the second most borderline suicidal on the Racing Sim we''ve set up for people to practice on."


    "Sounds about right. Has Mercades finished painting the ''Banana'' Banana colors? I really want to see what she''s done with it."


    "Not yet... due to someone failing to monitor Kar1n... who was apparently offended by something about the engine... and now its halfway through an LS Swap. We ordered a new engine for it, since the Pontiac motor is in all the pieces and on the shelf and a crate engine is faster. Luckily she went after that, and not the tank or we''d probably have a live 30mm tank gun by now."


    "I''d complain, but Kar1n does keep a tidy shop. I am certain you could eat off the floors in there, Badger says that she''s settled down now that Chuck has gotten all the gremlins out of the new chassis.¡± Elenore had insisted Badger come to the house for occasional meals, as the young man seemed the type to forget to eat.


    "We''ve also let her strip a few other really cheap cars we managed to acquire from several sources. We''re not going to need to buy parts for the little bug like... ever... and it only cost us about a grand, that''s taking into account the sleeper upgrades we''re going to do to it."


    "I am starting to feel like we should be paying Badger instead of renting space to him." Solaris chuckled. "How is his channel doing after the move to our shop?"


    "Oh, quite well, since we''ve been showing the build of the cars with him. We haven''t explained the operational goal, nor explained the tank in the background in any way... pointedly... which has drawn viewers. We might have to get another tank after we finish your ''lawn ornament''. As for him paying rent, he¡¯s managed to get two more channels up to monetized levels, and we¡¯re getting a cut from both, so I stopped charging him.¡±


    They pulled into the shop where four cars and a previously unknown large truck were all covered with tarps, the kids coming out from what they''d been doing as they heard the cars pull up.


    "Let me get you the number of the shop that has some of my other tanks on display, they may have something in storage you can use...Maybe the lawn ornament from the Hamptons house. "Hello, My Fledglings, I was told you have your first rebuilds done?"


    "Well, the most aggressive ones so far." Erica admitted, as Anzy split into five and ran over to each vehicle. One by one she pulled the tarp off the vehicles.


    Each car was mostly identical, a late model Dodge Charger, obviously not stock with custom hoods and body kits including police style rams. The wheels were a bronze alloy, with the lower bodies all being satin black and a bronze griffin on the doors and in the center of the wheels. The top of the cars is where they changed. While still satin, the hoods, pillars and roofs were painted differently on each.


    One was a satin hunter green, another a deep maroon. A third was a brushed, almost antique metallic gold with the fourth being a satin arctic blue.


    The truck had started life as a large ambulance, but was now painted the same satin black, with a bronze ''racing stripe'', the bronze griffin painted on the door and sides. The antennae suggested enhanced communications built into the truck, and again the hood suggested modifications underneath.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°My goodness.¡± Solaris walked up to look at them. ¡°These are stunning. You matched Nahoa''s badge...that is a nice touch, and the satin paint looks sinfully rich.¡± She ran a hand over the hood of the blue car. "You''d never guess these are rebuilds. So where are the keys I''d like to see what these can do? Are they automatic or manual?"


    "Automatic, pretty much all of them were that we could get, and we didn''t see a reason to change out the gearbox for these." Levi admitted. "As for starting." He handed her a bracelet. "They''re keyless systems, which was an upgrade we had fun with. If you are wearing one of these bracelets you can start the car just by sitting in it. We added keyless entry via code to the doors. Punch 1942 into that one. we figured it''d be the one you''d be most interested in."


    ¡°Well, it will be an easy one for me to remember.¡± She said tapping it in. She slid into the driver¡¯s seat pulling the seatbelt on. ¡°How do I start it?¡± she asked curiously.


    "Push the griffin button on the dash there." Erica, who had climbed into the passenger seat answered. "The green switch here is the light bars, green and white. That marks them as "Super Vehicles" which is why Elenore had you sign paperwork to start a ''security firm''." She explained. "The yellow button hits a siren; we went with British police for humor''s sake. The red button activates the thumb triggers on the steering wheel. The thumb triggers kicks in the Nos. We took these up from the stock 375 horsepower to an operating horsepower of about five hundred. Add in the Nos and things get stupid fast stupid quickly."


    "Right, find a track we can play with things on, or the lawyers are going to be too busy fixing tickets to do anything else. " She hit the start button and grinned as the engine roared to life. ¡°So, I am sure you all have mapped where the speed patrols are likely not to be show me the way Erica." she said tapping on the gas and pulling out of the garage.


    ¡°Setting the map now.¡± A screen lit up with a route marked. "Oh, and the black switch turns on and off what we like to call "Intimidator mode."


    Erica flipped the black switch, and the already roaring engine went up to eleven as concealed ports opened on the exhaust.


    "Oh yeah... Take her out and head for the highway, then point her towards the Hamptons. The season''s over so the patrols are more city directed."


    "Tally ho." Solaris said with a laugh heading for the highway. ¡°So, what does intimidator mode do and what other extras are under the hood."


    "Intimidator opens up valves to increase engine sound." She said. "It also kicks in some of the highlight lighting... not the strobes but stuff that makes the car look... angrier I guess is how you''d phrase it." She explained. "Light halos and such."


    "The engine started as a stock 5.7 hemi, kind of the light weight for Chargers. We put in superchargers and cold air intake to boost the horsepower, along with upgraded pistons, lifters, and drive shafts to deal with the horsepower. We took her from the stock 375 to about 550 horses after dyno tuning. That puts them firmly into low end supercar power." She explained. "We also upgraded the suspension to improve handling, put carbon fiber hood and trunk as well as lighter replacement components where we could to cut weight."


    "Now, we added weight back by replacing the windshield and windows with firearm resistant replacements, basically only up to small arms fire but with the baffles we added to the front grill none of the cars are going to be soft-killed by a goons nine millimeter getting a lucky shot. The tires are run flats for the same reason."


    Solaris purred. She loved a well put together vehicle. And gleefully opened it up on the empty highway. ¡°My! She does have some get up and go! I wish we had a track so I could put her through her handling paces, she is lovely and responsive. You''ve done wonderful work!"


    "There''s a few tracks we can take her to, we''ll call and schedule it. I hesitate to kick the nitrous system on without need. That''ll boost her another, oh, one twenty horses? And heavy isn¡¯t'' always bad, as she¡¯ll grip the roadway more than a superlight McClaren. We won''t beat one off the line or in a straight away, but in an urban high-speed chase... well, there''s a reason police forces use Chargers themselves."


    "If it was too light it wouldn''t hold turns as well. Personally, I prefer a car that can dance. If I need to fly, I can do it myself if you know what I mean.


    Erica tapped a button on the passenger side, and a computer screen and keyboard unfolded from a concealed slot, A joystick with trigger also slid up from the center console. "This is the data center, above the infotainment center already installed. It also arms the ''weapons'' though all we put into these at this point is an air gun system. It can currently fire pepper-balls or kind of sticky balls with tracking devices in them. We thought of giving them something aggressive in case one of the less combatively enhanced or Grandma Ruan was driving one for some reason. Not sure why Marcus thought his grandma would but who am I to judge?"


    "Oh, don''t worry, Granny can be plenty aggressive." Solaris said fondly. ¡°Now, do you have to have a passenger, or can the weapons be used with voice activation?¡± She had concluded that everything in the future was voice operated. She was just glad she didn''t have to talk to the toilet yet.


    "We''re working on a voice activation, but we built these with the idea of pilot/copilot." she explained, shutting down the info-center and targeting. "Though the infotainment system is voice activated, and can connect to your cellphone, do navigation, and even play games. We kind of figured waiting was part of the deal so some form of entertainment would be useful, other than cellphones. Oh, it''s got a police style ram up front and double alternators to power everything."


    "I like it. Once we find a personal car for me, I am very interested to see what you make and how it compares to the one I sent to the toymakers." She turned around at an exit and began heading back.


    "So, when do you think you¡¯re going to go hunting? she asked, with pride in her voice.


    "We already are. We have set up cameras that are intended to alert us to odd activity... they react to movement, the computer they report to tells us if it¡¯s at strange times or in strange amounts. We''ve also been tracking Z''s old phone number. It''s popped up in a few places, near suspected targets, so we know they''re casing some joints."


    "As for having these beasts out... we were thinking of starting tonight, along with the command truck.''


    "Do keep me abreast of what is going on and where you are. I don''t want to interfere with your hunt, but I also want to be able to back you all up."


    "If you want you could ride in the command truck. That''s where Badger is going to do his guy in the chair routine. We kind of designed it with you and Penny in mind." She said as they pulled back into the shop¡¯s lot.


    "I would be happy to ride along. I just didn''t want to cling." she said pleasantly.


    "The truck can''t keep up with these. With the armor we put on it, even with turbos the thing can basically hit highway speed. It can monitor the cameras mounted on the cars, though, take anything short of anti-material rounds, and has a few other special extras." Erica got out, and led her to the truck, opening one of the side doors.


    Inside was a pair of compact computer stations with captain¡¯s chairs, a bench seat along a wall, and a rack that was designed for a set of power armor. The floor was even lowered in the back to make it easier to fit. "The roof swings open in the back half, allowing someone who can fly to go out the top, and the back door includes a ramp and elevator slide out to lower and lift heavy gear or fully armed mecha suits." she explained.


    Solaris smiled over at Penny ¡°Now all you need to do is get the armor completed and it can ride with us." she stepped in. ¡°This is quite nice. I think I''ll have to have someone teach me how to use all this, but I am ready to learn, all it seems to need is a kettle.¡±


    Smirking, Erica opened a small cabinet, revealing a slim kitchenette with an induction burner and small waterspout, with blue and red handle. Pouring hot water into a cup she offered Solaris a basket with several baggies of different teas. "We figured this was going to be used for surveillance. It''s got a little fridge too. You aren''t cooking dinner, but you can make ramen."


    Solaris laughed. "This is perfect, nothing like a hot tea and biscuits on a stake out."


    "Cold to, with the compact fridge. We got an ambulance because it had the power systems we wanted running through it already. We debated a motorhome, but it just seemed too hard to potentially move through the city proper."


    "We also of course installed pretty complete first aid gear, and some mobile tool kits into her too, but made sure she was comfortable. Not RV comfy, but pretty comfy."


    She then opened one of four cabinets near the roof over the computers. Inside were quadcopter drones. "We also can launch these. That''s Badger¡¯s real contribution to this vehicle. You can program them for orbits, or direct control from the computers. They land and charge and another can take over for it."


    Oh, the little flying robots, I''ve seen those on YouTube. They are remarkably stable. though it is funny to watch them get shot at." she admitted. "Which is probably proof I''ve been in America for too long."


    "Well, the English do seem to be afraid of knives now. Not sure how you went from ''the sun never sets'' to ''colorful sharp objects? Oh no, no!'' but there you are."


    "Our basic plan, for the record, is get close when they steal the next cars, hit them with a tracker or three, then let them ''get away'', then follow them to their storage site. Less chance of blowing up a half million in super car. Which gets confusing when you are comparing superhero cars to just ... normal? supercars?"


    I can see the confusion, and you can¡¯t just call them Toy cars because that has a completely different meaning. The plan seems solid. What time do you want me to be here for the sting, and did you all try your suits on?¡±


    "We haven''t tried them on yet, but we''re going to rest for the day once we finish a few things here, and tomorrow evening roll out. Our drivers are Z, Thud, me and Weld, with Dryad and Badger in the truck. She''s the safest driver so we gave her the car that can drive through buildings."


    Penny grinned, "As for me, I finally found out what that gift your brother sent was... and what the Tailor was replacing our old shed with... and it wasn''t just a bigger shed that doubled as a garage." the brunette woman paused, hesitantly asking ¡°Is he hitting on me, by the way¡­ I am not sure.¡±


    ¡°Neither am I, if that helps.¡± Solaris admitted.

 Chapter 52, Fashion show

    Fashion Show


    ¡°Putting on the uniform is possibly the second most important event in their lives. Maybe third after discovering they¡¯re enhanced. I think it¡¯s the second.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t kid yourselves, every Enhanced had that first uniform, even if they never wear it to do anything, no crime fighting or emergency saving stuff. It''s usually street clothes the first time one of us does something like that, because life doesn¡¯t always let you change clothing.¡±


    ¡°But we all try one on, try the idea of being a hero, with capes or spandex, or pads, or something.¡±


    ¡°The most important event for a lot of enhanced is whether they decide to get a second uniform or not. To update it, or to not play the hero game, ever or anymore. That second costume, that first time you maybe even have a Tailor to help because spandex is damn uncomfortable, that is each of our personal Rubicon. See that¡¯s the uniform where the decision is made.¡±


    ¡°But that first uniform¡­ it¡¯s the first time you FEEL like a cape, a Hero. Even if you never put it on again, you feel it that first time.¡±


    Frequency, St. Louis Sentinels, on the Capewatch podcast.


    Turning to the kids, Solaris said "I do want to put your full kit on and do a full workout or martial arts in it. You need to know how it fits, how it moves with you and how to access your utility belt without looking at it. She looked over at Penny and what did Captain Spring sent you? The tailor was very secretive about it.


    "You need to see. I Really want to track ole Captain Spring down and ask how he freaking got it all.''


    "He will never tell." Solaris said with a laugh.


    "Still... Let''s head home, you call should see." She chuckled, shaking her head.


    A half hour later they were home, and a two story ''garage'' had been built, detached from the house, though it shared the general style and color of the main house. Penny pressed a garage door opener, revealing a large interior, with marked parking spots, and a general workshop, wood shop mostly, in the back. "Someplace for the handyman you want to get." Penny said, then pressed another button and the three parking spots began lifting up into the air, revealing a second parking spot underneath them. "And then there''s this."


    ¡°Well, it''s a good thing I didn''t go for a city flat. that could have been awkward. This is so nice, and we can probably attach the bunker to it when I get around to putting one in.


    "Yeah. Step onto the parking spots everyone." Penny said with a sigh. Once they were on the elevator¡¯s she hit the button and it lowered into the ground, revealing a much larger area underneath a plexiglass wall and doors. Through the plexiglass they could see several mecha frames, the shape familiar to Solaris. "He found whoever bought the other pre-production frames, and a lot of the company tooling and computers, with data, on the damn Gumshoe project. I didn''t think any of this was likely to still exist, after it got bought up by holding companies. I figured it''d gone to tailors or just been scrapped."


    "Oh my. Now I understand why the Tailor said he needed his earth shaper to put this in. This IS a bunker. Dang it. This is going to be hard to top at Christmas." she looked around. "This looks like a full Toymaker set up for you here.¡±


    "There''s another floor down, and that one has the extra stuff stored." She added. "And the top floor is an attic with plenty of room for activities. There''s an elevator that goes up and down to the different levels. I won''t lie, I''m impressed. It''s not exactly the St. Louis Sentinel Island but it''s pretty damn good for anything we''re likely to do."


    "Also, he put smaller but similar lifts int he house garage too. Those just go to a small area and can¡¯t have a car on them when they lift, while these can have a car on top."


    ¡°I am very impressed. They got this all put in so quickly too. It¡¯s been what. four days?" She was turning in all different directions. Badger was almost drooling at the workbenches.


    "Earth manipulator, plus preformed concrete slabs, then they welded steel on the inside of that." Penny explained. "Yes badger, you can touch the tools."


    "They installed a sump system to get rid of the water, there''s batteries and an emergency generator, and they put solar on the roof like the house has. It is a damn bunker. The building is reinforced too."


    "Man, these are the best. look at that welder. I think only Levi can get a better weld that that thing.¡±


    Solaris smiled. "He believes every home should have a priest hole. Somewhere safe to hide from enemies, door to door salespeople and ex-girlfriends.


    "Why is it I feel like the priority is the ex-girlfriends." Penny muttered. "Still, this all includes the vacuum formers and presses to form armor. And I found what they WANTED to use for the armor in the details and that''s helped me make a few decisions. I will have a finished suit, minus the coil gun, in a couple more days."


    ¡°That is fantastic. The fledglings are planning on hitting the thieves tomorrow, do you think if Badger helped you could get it done?¡±


    "Still wouldn''t have the coil gun, but I doubt I''d need a Kaiju gun for car thieves. Probably."


    ¡°Sweet I can use these tools! I¡¯m in!¡± the young Toymaker said eagerly


    "Well, now I better work on it." Penny chuckled. "Go, rest the rest of you. We''ll see if you can have double the back up for your plan."


    Solaris smiled. ¡°Okay so can everyone write me a list of gifts for a comic book fan? He¡¯s never going to let me live this down.¡±


    "We can do that." Elenore chuckled, as they left the two techs behind.


    "So, fashion show time?" Amzy asked


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll head down to the media room.¡±


    Surprisingly, Mercedes, Dryad, was the first one to reach the media room. Her costume had a black and gold undersuit, covering the full length of her legs and over her hips, disappearing into the white open front dress that was the top, presumably running all the way up under the white portion of the costume. The top was a mix of Grecian and simplified renaissance dress with her arms completely bared, thin straps going over her shoulders, hugging her chest while flowing loosely down her hips and behind her dramatically. Her hair was in a bun, and she had apparently chosen not to bother with a mask.


    ¡°You look lovely and elegant Dryad. Very earth goddess. How do you like it.¡±


    "It''s comfortable, which is kind of surprising, considering how tight the undergarment is. but the underpart will let me grow, and the dress can be just pulled off and tossed when I do, and I like that, even if it''s a bit obi-wany."


    "Better you than me." Erica, Focus, said as she came in, wearing a full body suit, tight to her lithe, tiny form in yellow with white and grey trim. A pistol was holstered on both hips, appearing to be part of the costume, as did the heavy soled boots that were part of the outfit.


    ¡°Oh! Sporty, nice and tight and nothing to get in the way of you doing any work or anything dangling to distract your senses. You look a little like a speedster, but you do have super dexterity.¡±


    "Kinda the same idea, in a fight, though I like the ranged options." She pulled the guns, with surprisingly large bores. "Apparently these are less than lethal, so I can choose Pepper-cs balls, hard spheres, whatever I think is helpful. He did pack more lethal options, but I don''t think that''s a day-to-day choice."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Solaris nodded. ¡°I hope none of you have to make that choice. But a gun like that will also let you create your own custom rounds.¡±


    "I''ve already been working on it. Got a tracer designed already, and badger worked up something that goes boom with authority, which scares me a little."


    "We found out Marcus doesn''t like the pepper at all." Thud said, coming down in his white suit with its Hawaiian shirt. Then he pulled a mask out of his pocket and put it on, a simple grey domino mask. Pointing at the mask he said "costume." With a grin.


    Solaris laughed ¡°You look dashing, a regular Kato from the green hornet only bigger! I love it!¡±


    "Hey, I can live with being compared to Bruce Li."


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who?¡±


    Marcus laughed as he entered. "She hasn''t seen anything with Bruce Lee yet. Probably the comic book guy." Marcus walked in with his dark armor, blue trim catching the light. A vague mix of high tech and old world armor, with a hint of samurai, it had his Kukuri sheathed across the back and a tonfa hanging from his belt. He sat, having shown his off before, saluting the two girls. "Looking good, ladies."


    "Why thank you." Elenore, Mystic, said as she came down. Her costume was a black mini dress with an outer, open front pleated white skirt extending a little longer than the straight black underskirt. A longer black cloak, almost a cape, fell from shoulders down her thighs, her arms exposed but sheathed in long gloves. Lavender lined the cloak, and added detailed embroidery to the bodice of her dress. "And no, before you ask, I have no idea why it came with black and lavender kitten ears." She said, gesturing at the odd accessory. "Confusion to my enemies, perhaps?" She shrugged.


    ¡°A Tailor''s whimsy. But it is very distinctive, do they have any functions built in? Solaris said ¡°I know that cloak has the pic. Keys we all wish for


    "The notes said shotgun mic functions, for one I know." She said. "And yes, I have internal pockets, and a holster on my back for a smaller version of Focus''s pistols. Again, I went for the less than lethal option in my small armory."


    "Mine''s fun, though I like the fact there''s a pants version too." Amzy, Iteration, came down the stairs, her top was sleeveless and half red and half blue, separated diagonally from her right shoulder to left hip, a wide belt on her hips. long black shorts hugged her hips. Long gloves with subtle armoring protected her forearms and elbows, wile red athletic shoes covered her feet. A short capelet, not really firmly attached and more there for drama it seemed, hung from her shoulders in yellow and blue. "I got colorful." She observed.


    ¡°It suits your personality. And it looks like you will be able to do your martial arts in it, did you get any toys?¡±


    "Collapsable batons in the gloves, utility belt, throwing blades. The fun martial arts hero schtick." She nodded.


    Levi, Weld, came down the stairs and into the room, in his orange and grey sleeveless jumpsuit, the top tight and vaguely military but the lower section loose and practical for a man who climbs around cars. A white short sleeved shirt with a high collar peeked out from under it, the bulk of his slim but muscular arms bared. The material had an odd glint to it. "Apparently this is a weird material that can stand up to really high heat. I have tested it and can get pretty hot without it showing any effect." He explained the shine.


    "He just likes to claim he''s hot, I think." Z said as she stepped into the room, black and purple, with hints of modern tactical mixed with ninja antiquated. In some ways, it was the ninja version of Marcus''s outfit, the tonfa and staff for hers both crossed across her back, her utility belt thick, almost an armored obi. A hip pouch hinted at equipment or possibly the gathering of opponents things as part of her philosophy.


    ¡°Wow, Levi you look very handsome and Zoya, if it was still the forties I¡¯d have to fight Kitsune to keep you here. You look delightfully lethal. How do you feel.¡±


    "Pretty good. And it''s easy to move in."


    ¡°Good, now I know you are aware of this but you don¡¯t have the combat training of the others yet. We will fix that, but please stick close to Nahoa for now. You should have your stun throwers to use for now.¡±


    "You might be surprised." Z said, scratching her cheek. Marcus laughed a short bark of a laugh.


    "She only gets along with her father when they''re trying to kick each other¡¯s ass." Marcus said. "She kind of kicked my ass a few times in high school."


    "Oh? Well that''s good to know, From what your father had said I wasn''t sure he''d gotten you any hand to hand training. " Solaris gave her an approving smile.


    "Well, to be fair, getting away from the idiot would be hard if I couldn''t hold him off long enough to disappear." She pointed out.


    "My powers are kind of the opposite of his. He does this whole ''Chi as Light'' routine to enhance his attacks and defense. I''m all shadow and sneaky."


    "I know you are sneaky." Solaris said dryly. "But I am glad to know you have some defense skills. Once I find a trainer we will be able to hone that. Speaking of your father, has he said anything since your mother has been gone almost a week now?


    "He called Marcus to ask to talk to me, and asked if I knew where she''d gone, as he''d seen her note and wasn''t quite convinced she''d been kidnapped yet, but was worried since she hadn''t called him. I told him that I knew where she was, but was told not to tell because mom needed away from both of our crap. She knows I won''t follow her, and I won''t tell him." She frowned. "He accepted that shockingly easily. I have NO idea how to take that."


    ¡°Your mom must have left quite the note.¡± Solaris said with a smirk. ¡°Well since this is supposed to be a take it easy night Lets spare Amzy and order in. Erica said I need to watch the Fast and Furious movies, so I think that is what I''ll put on in the theater tonight.¡±


    "So does that make Solaris or Penny Jason Stamos?"


    "Definitely Penny. She''s more likely to use a knife."


    "The Boss is Mr. X with access to all the cool toys.¡± Erica said with a chuckle.


    "I''m pretty sure Mr. X would be a Tailor." Marcus mused.


    "Did you ever choose a code name, Marcus? Or you, Z?"


    "The Tailor picked one out for me, He decided on Azure Rong. the blue dragon."


    "Oh that has a lovely ring to it. Solaris said nodding.


    "Could be taken lots of ways the spoken way. Still, works." Z nodded. "The obvious choices for me are taken. There''s so many variants of "Shadow" out there, including the original radio play guy, that it''s a pointless endeavor there."


    ¡°True. the word shadow Is very used.¡± Solaris tapped her chin. ¡°What about Umbra? It''s the Latin word for shadow?¡±


    "Lord Umbra, Umbrana, and I think there was an Umbra at one point." She shrugged. "Shadows popular as a motif."


    ¡°Hmm. Ebon, Ebon step, Nightbird, yes I see your point, anything in theme gets confusing. Dark Unicorn is just silly. Sable Star? Not bad.¡± Solaris continued to muse.


    "Yeah, I know. Black holes suggest a whole gravity thing. Ghosts are almost as popular as shadow themes."


    Marcus shrugged. "You could just be a pain in your fathers ass."


    "What go the legacy name route?" Solaris asked


    "Well, he calls himself Qilin, basically an Asian unicorn right?" He said, shrugging. "Go Qianlima. It''s basically a Chinese Pegasus. Legendary flying horse to elegant and fast for any man to mount, and allegedly able to go 1000 li in a day. Kinda the same motif, but also kind of making fun of him due to not being in control."


    "I like it, it''s very pretty. Dang it. I forgot I still need to check on that Pegasus. Elenore, can you remind me to find out where the Pegasus ended up when we are done with this.¡±


    "Well, it kind of makes sense since if he comes across her he''s just going to yell "Daughter" all the time. It''s going to be out there either way." Marcus pointed out.


    "There''s a pair in the zoo. Didn''t you know?"


    She looked at the younger heroes. "Alexander gave me a Pegasus stallion as a courting gift, Thoth told me it would age slowly. I have no idea where it ended up. Maybe they sent it to England?"


    "Huh. If memory serves in the fifties whole like, herd, of Pegasus were caught after Alexander tried to invade Wisconsin or something like that." Z said. "I think they got taken in by some think tank that already had one from somewhere, that must be the one you had. I think they''re in Alaska? Anyway, your Stallion must have been VERY happy with life, and they bred. Slowly they''ve turned up at Zoos that could handle them. The Bronx Zoo only finally got a pair a couple of years ago."


    "I think that''s before Penny moved to New York, and she''s never been to the zoo. I think that stallion is still around, but they''ve actively separated the females out now to spread genetics around as much as possible. All the stallions come from him, but the mares are a mixed bag, so keeps a healthy population, or something."


    "Wait." Elenore raised her hand. "Alexander The Great gave you a stallion?"


    "As a courting gift?" Mercedes added.


    "Ah, they are with St Nicks. that makes sense they''d have taken good care of him. I''d bred my favorite riding mare to him. the little filly was adorable, I plan on going up to Kennecott next year." Solaris sighed "And Yes, Alexander the Significantly Overrated, that pushy so-and-so has a thing for me. I and my team were the ones who put him down the first time he came into our reality, he decided this meant I¡¯d be the perfect consort for him.¡±


    "Oh, wow. That''s cool and creepy all at once. Though he''s not been around for a while. Someone tricked him and some extra-dimensional Nazi''s into going to war with each other, I think. There was a whole thing about them both attacking at the same time and ending up fighting each other somehow. I think that was in New Mexico. I remember they locked the school down just in case, so it wasn''t as far away as the teachers would have liked." Erica mused.


    "May he stay far away for a long time. Solaris said simply. ¡°What do you think of the name Qianlima, Zoya?¡±


    "Azure Rong isn''t wrong... and that''s not going to get old anytime soon." She said with a smirk and wink at Marcus. "He is going to blow it for me at some point, so doing something in the same theme saves time, and will likely make him alternately happy and irritated. Confusion to my father is always fun for me." She chuckled. "Plus, I don''t like Men anyhow."


    Solaris tilted her head then laughed. "I forgot you were a Sapphic, that is funny. Well then, I will get your name registered with the Tailor. They will probably make some emblems to put on your costume, to finish personalizing it.¡±


    Z mouthed ¡®sapphic¡¯ at Marcus, who shrugged having not much more idea than she did what that was about. "Fun."


    "Well, let''s watch some movies. Get inspired for tomorrow. And maybe aim for crashing fewer cars ourselves." Erica said. "Even if we have the parts to fix them, I don''t want to deal with Kar1n."


    Everyone nodded emphatically at that. Soon the popcorn maker was popping, a huge order of Chinese food was placed and everyone was tucked in to watch movies.

 Chapter 53, Highway Knights

    Highway Knights


    ¡°So, the question is ¡°Why¡±. Why are so called superheroes and supervillains tolerated? The answer is what are called Enhanced Surge Events, and how they happened.¡±


    ¡°The first, original Enhanced were just a bare handful in 1942, the Soviets not even having Enhanced operatives till ¡¯43. Then, late that year, the Nazi¡¯s sent an experimental, high atmosphere Zeppelin called the Arische Sonne With a cargo of Enhancement research and treatment chemicals of unknown but suspected to be varied and in some cases completed compounds.¡±


    ¡°The airship was supposed to be too high for any aircraft to attack it. The Soviets sacrificed the only flier capable of getting up that high, Davydova Yulinka Victorovna who is better known as Zvezdnyy Vzryv, or Starburst. She died in the process, and the contents of the airship were released into the upper atmosphere, slowly spreading across the world.¡±


    ¡°Since the affected people were mostly teens and twenty-somethings, they fell into the concepts culture had already given them, and the governments of the world had no way to stop them. At this point, it¡¯s inertia.¡±


    Alexander Fitzgerald, Analysis of Public Service and the Heroic Age.


    "So, how long are we sitting and waiting, and are we sure they''re likely to act tonight?" Focus said over the comms, a secondary function of the starter bracelets, which had been explained to Solaris. Both Solaris and Dreadful were in the back of the converted ambulance, in another pair of captain¡¯s chairs, the Armor in its rack, charging and waiting to see if it was needed.


    "It''s hard to say, but I suspect not too long, they are not going to want to sit on the cars, the longer they store them the more likely they are to be caught. Solaris said.


    "Mystic, what are we looking for?


    "Based on what we could glean, the thieves likely get dropped off near the target, bust in and get the keys to their targets. It looks like they know what they''re after going in, and since dealers keep keys organized that lets them get in, get the keys, and get the cars quickly." She said, "At that point, they blow out a door, window, or what have you and take off with the cars. Any police response is reacting to two-by-two black tuners, model not noted, that appear and do whatever to run the police interceptors off the road."


    "Any Vehicular homicide? Solaris asked, ¡°and are we all following the stolen cars or are some hanging back for the goons.¡±


    "No, but that''s more luck than intent." Azure replied. "Reports are, they use firearms to take out wheels and engines, and have pulled pit maneuvers on the police cars, sending them into walls and ditches. Several cops are in the hospital due to it."


    "Right. So, what is the plan? They''d gone over all this before but now that they were in the field Solaris wanted it repeated, it was easy to forget things in the heat of the moment, it also gave everyone practice using their coms.


    "When they hit, we intercept, act like we''re trying to keep up. We made these cars to take small arms fire, so we can mostly ignore that." Elenore said.


    "When we intercept, our actual goal is to use the pneumatic guns under the hoods to launch tracers onto the cars. Once we get at least two cars tagged, confirmed by Badger and Iteration confirming they''re moving, then we ''let'' them lose us. We pursue at a distance, figure out where they''re taking the cars, and bust in there, while contacting the cops for back up."


    "And we don''t steal any of the cars for ourselves, even if they''re really cool." Qianlima added. "That''s for you, Rong. So, you know I remember."


    "Make one joke, and the horse girl holds it against you for hours." he grumbled.


    Solaris nodded, smiling at Penny. "All right. Now we w- never mind.¡± She said as a loud crash came in over her speaker.


    "We have contact at target one. Seems we called it right." Badger called out. "We have nine suspects entering, all wearing dark clothing and hoods. Two black cars are pulling away."


    "Mystic, Weld, your cars are closest. AR, I suggest you hold to see how to get ahead of them. Your back up pursuit."


    "Seems our thieves are impatient; they must be closer to the ship date than we thought. Solaris said as the truck leapt into action with the others.


    "I have eyes on them, they are going to turn right. Firing tracker now." Focus said her eyes gleaming in the dark.


    "Tracker. miss. not moving." Badger said, Iteration cursing in Ukrainian under her breath. A map in a central screen displayed the roads, and general location of the cars in matching colors. Penny stood, leaning forward with a hand on a Hail Mary bar as she watched closely.


    On the streets, Mystic fought to spin the wheel as she power slid into an intersection, slamming the gas and watching the RPMs slam towards the red line as she left rubber behind to cross over. Qianlima seemed unmoved by the g''s being pulled by the maneuver, snarling as a blue Ferrari entered the screen, the targeting for the air gun. She twitched her fingers "Tracker away!"


    "Tracker Hit, I have contact. Badger said jubilantly. The signal is coming in loud and clear.


    Thud cursed as one of the Black chaser cars started firing at Iteration and him. the bullets pinging off the armor on their blue charger. " I am going to try and take that thing out before they get a lucky shot. Iteration can you get me close enough to splash those bastards?


    "Hell yeah." The smaller woman said, Slamming the breaks for a quarter second, letting the gunfire pass over the hood, unfortunately into the window of a dollar general. She slammed the gas, supercharger howling as she shot forward, aiming for a corner of the black car, a pit maneuver if Thud couldn''t land his own hit. The Black car had instinctively braked, the gunman leaning out of the car to try and keep firing, only to visibly panic when they shot forward. "You get them or I will!" The chef yelled.


    Thud opened the door and drove his hand into the asphalt "Rahhhhh!" he shouted, sending a wave of material onto the black car. Gluing it in place. the driver jerking at the sudden stop. He swung back up into the car wincing. "Okay asphalt is worse than trying to work soil. I think I taste tar."


    Iteration spun the wheel, managing to lose only a mirror as they blew past the car he''d trapped. The driver was slumped over the wheel, the passenger still hanging out the window, where the side air bag had slammed into his back and knocked the air out of him.


    "We''re going to stop and intercept these guys." Iteration called out, pulling to a stop and climbing out of the car. "I don''t think they have any fight left in them.


    "Thud got out of the car and winced then puked. "Yeah...not playing with asphalt again. He said wiping his mouth and going to help Iteration cuff the first two goons. "You want to go join yourself. I can keep these guys safe till the cops get here?"


    "Yeah, then the rest will know what I was up to." She poofed as Thud picked up the submachine gun the goon had been firing, unloading it. "You a dumbass brah... don''t stick your ass out of a car unless you want it beat."


    In the truck Iteration jerked, then winced. "I''m going to need you to tell Kar1n that I did everything I could to not bust a mirror off a car."


    "She knows these are combat cars, she¡¯ll be more angry if any of us get hurt. Plus, Mirrors are replaceable, it''s not a maintenance issue." Badger said. I take it one of you...Joined up?This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Thuds got the goons we took out. The airbags deployed when the asphalt grabbed their wheels and caused the car to nose into the ground like a cartoon character hitting glue."


    "That''s why we painted them black, Iteration." Focus called out, as she struggled to keep up with a Bronze Lamborghini Countach. The driver was good, weaving through late night traffic, trying to get to the highway. Even as fast as the Chargers were, the V-12, electric hybrid super car was going to blow them away on anything resembling a straight away. "Come on, give us a shot..."


    "I''ll get you an opening." Azure Rong zipped in front of the car forcing the driver to break for a moment before darting back out, not wanting to risk the goon rear-ending his bike.


    The driver lost control of the Lambo for a few moments, not crashing but dumping a lot of speed. That allowed the Iteration sitting next to her to get a shot off moments before they ended up overtaking and passing the car. "Tracker fired!"


    "Tracker hit." She replied to herself, watching the Lamborghini tracker roar off at a right angle from the direction the Charger had gone. "That''s two."


    "I think we can get one more for three... FUCK!" Weld yelled, having to slam his breaks to avoid getting hit by the second black sedan. He watched the Aston Martin they''d been chasing disappear onto the highway, but disregarded it, turning instead to pursue the black tuner. "Never mind, I''m putting this guy into the rails."


    "We have two trackers we should be good to go." Badger said. "Dryad, Focus are you still on the trackers. I am behind but we knew the command van wasn''t keeping up.


    "We still see our car, but it''s getting away from us." Focus responded, listening to her boyfriend curse as he broke off chasing the tuner.


    "No problem, I''ve got them on the map, break off." Mystic said. Weld are you okay? I''m sending back up. She reached out and a black winged saber tooth materialized and flew towards The Maroon charger.


    "I can see the markers on my navigation system up here." Dryad replied from the cab. "They seem to both be heading away from the city. That''s unexpected, if they''re shipping them out. That''s where the big harbors are."


    "Wait for it. I''m betting they''ll turn back. They might even get loaded onto something else to hide them coming into the city." Weld suggested.


    The young mechanic and the other goon car were dancing, trying to run each other off the road, when a huge cat dropped onto the roof of the enemy car the claws going through the roof. In a panic the driver jerked his wheel causing him to spin out.


    Weld pulled to a stop and jumped out, grabbing a door with red hot hands, ripping it off and snatching the gun from a dizzy goon. Tossing it just before the ammo started cooking off, he slapped a hand down on the dashboard causing it to melt. "Get out. Now."


    Fuck the man jumped out of the car not wanting to have melted dashboard in his crotch. Amzy knocked him to the ground and cuffed him. the other goon was staring at them from the passenger side. holding his hands up. the door won¡¯t open. he said desperately.


    "That''s fair." Weld said. He walked around the car, keeping an eye on the guy, before pulling the door open forcefully, melting a grip for himself into existence. "Get out."


    The guy stepped out looking desperately for a place to run. Holding his hands up. ¡°Chill man chill.¡±


    "Sit down. Run and I''ll throw your door at you."


    Penny, listening, chuckled. "I''m going to go to where the kids have the racers stopped, walk them through dealing with the cops." She said, opening the gate on the mech and climbing in as it opened, letting it seal around her. She stepped out as the back doors opened, then launched into the air, flying towards the IDs for the two cars.


    ¡°I was actually about to ask if you minded handling the prisoners that way more of the kids can take part of the raid.¡±


    "Can do." Came over the radio. "Drop off an Amzy so one of them can watch when the truck goes by. I''ll tell the others to take off."


    "Dealing with the paperwork is part of the gig, too, after all."


    "I''ve got eyes on, they''re pulling up to a group of semis, and loading into the boxes. Looks like they''re going to ship them into the city, eighties TV style."Azure Rong said, his motorcycle''s lights were all off.


    ¡°Thud, Dreadful is coming to get your prisoners, Iteration after that she is coming to you and Weld after she gets there you can take Maroon to the fight.


    "Roger that." They all replied, Dreadful landing with a crunch of shattered asphalt. "Nice." she said, her voice digitized by her helmet. She stomped over to where Thud was eyeing the crooks from the car. "Off you go." She said, confirming they were cuffed. "Drive safe-ish."


    ¡°Yes Dreadful.¡± Thud hopped in the car and headed to meet up with the pack ¡°this is Artic back in route. Are we to the boat?¡±


    "We''re following the caravan." Amzy said, from the truck. "We''ll know where they are. If they''ve loaded a boat, I think we know someone who can handle that. Otherwise, we''ll figure out how to breach and call the cops in too."


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯m moving. Thud said. ¡°Maroon, Hunter, how are you?¡±


    "Just waiting for Dreadful to take over watching our friends here." Weld replied.


    "We''re on the road, lights off, and heading to join up with Azure to start following from a distance."


    "Does anyone else realize our cars seem to have codenames now too?" Focus asked.


    ¡°To be fair it¡¯s easier if multiple people are in a car.¡± Weld said, looking at the scrapes on the side of his car. ¡°Man, those are going to suck to buff out.¡±


    "Yeah, well, gun fire and near vehicle destroying hits are like that. Let''s go!"


    "Amzy''s fired up." Thud noted absently, before peeling out after the others.


    ¡°Later Dreadful,¡± he said hitting the gas¡¯s and going to caravan up with the rest of the pack. ¡°Hey, is anyone else sorry we couldn¡¯t get Rose ready in time.¡± He said playfully referring to the soon to be rose gold tank they were doing an engine swap on.


    "God, could you imagine their expressions if we drove through the door with that!" Badger laughed. "It''d be worse than Robocop coming knocking."


    ¡°Who?¡± Qianlima said confused.


    "Oh for... How the hell do you not know who Robocop is? Were you Frozen in a basement too? Dreadful, add that to movie night, and not the crap remake."


    "We''re going to need an eighties movie night."


    "Just save Die Hard for Christmas. It''s a holiday classic."


    ¡°Agreed! SaidFfocus, and if we are doing cop movies for Christmas, I want Lethal Weapon!¡±


    ¡°We should do James Bond!¡± Iteration said.


    ¡°They made a movie from Fleming books. Lord, God favors dicks,¡± Solaris said dryly.


    "I''ve read the books." Thud said. "They are NOT the same."


    "Well considering the original bond is a Scott, which does throw things a bit off."


    "Either way, we''re coming up on the warehouse, I think.¡± Azure said, shutting down his bike, and pulling his phone off its clamp, slipping towards a door to peek in. "Oh yeah, this is them, and there''s a small container ship getting boxes lifted onto it off the dock."


    ¡°Mystic what¡¯s the entry plan,¡± Solaris said glad her new costume had gloves she really didn¡¯t want to damage her nail polish.


    "Right," She looked at the camera view coming from the boy¡¯s phone. "Alright. Azure, you are already at the door. Honey team is going to come in the door you¡¯re at, and I''ll open with a full-on pepper ball barrage. Azure and Q can go with my pets to herd the crowd. Cherry and Arctic teams come around the buildings sides and give them the spice there as well. Hunter, team you''re on pursuit if one of them runs for it. Dryad, your batting clean-up if someone runs instead of drives off. Sound good?" She was glad the cars had gotten code names, it did make things easier even if the names were made up mid car chase.


    Z hit the button to switch ammo sources, going from the small well of tracers to the pepper balls the two pneumatic guns hidden in the hood could fire rapidly.


    ¡°Okay. I am ready. ¡°Oh shit, I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be the breach team. Let¡¯s go before I freak out. Knock-knock!¡±


    Mystic hit the button for "Intimidator mode" and the engine roared as they screamed into the bay door. The pneumatic guns, on small electric actuators, traversed as they fired a dozen balls a piece into the startled gang of thieves, leaving many of them grabbing their eyes or coughing at the powder exploding on and around them. Q dove out of the car, rolling and pulling her pair of tonfa, swinging one into a man with a wrench¡¯s stomach while blocking his downward sweep with the other.


    Azure Rong on the other side of the car burst in and drove a stomp kick into a big man¡¯s chest, the spartan kick bouncing him off a stack of dry rotted plywood. He looked up when two flying sabretooths roared, the thieves giving up and breaking for the opposite door.


    Weld pulled into the exit his own intimidator screaming as his Iteration laughed Maniacally as she pepper balled the thieves.


    ¡°Surrender now.¡± Thud said into a microphone. Lay down on your belly and you will not be hurt.¡± the eerie green glow of their light bars casting odd shadows in the garage.


    The ship''s crew started churning, a dozen out of forty boxes loaded, allowing the small ship to pull away quickly. The men left on the dock threw themselves to the ground, especially when the tigers came stalking out into the night, their eyes reflecting the green in a demonic way.


    "I knew that ship was going to try to rabbit." Focus muttered. "Need to add a rifle to my toy list."


    ¡°I assume this is where I step in, Solaris said politely, stepping out of Command, she flew over towards the boat. She dove under the water, giggling to herself as she lifted the boat out of the water balancing it above her head. Oh nice! She said looking at her uniform that shed water so easily, it was mostly dry.


    "Tell me we''re getting a picture of that. I mean, that''s hilarious." iteration said, laughing. Another of her said "Oh yeah, this truck has cameras everywhere."


    Police sirens started piercing the night air, and several officers pulled up, only to step out and stare at the ship that was in the air and being carried over the warehouse. "Thud, I think she needs you to make a divot somewhere to settle the boat in."


    ¡°Can do! Fortunately, a lot of concrete here.¡± He said, placing his hand down on the pad outside the warehouse and pushed letting the stone flow away like water. Solaris hovered over and as carefully as she could she set the boat down. It still made a long, angry bonging sound. She walked over to check her fledglings. ¡°Everyone good? That was very well executed.¡±

 Chapter 54, Port Call

    Port Call


    ¡°The part that confuses a lot of people not in the ¡®community¡¯ of the cape and cowl crowd is that they have very weird interpersonal relationships. There are heroes and villains who, in spite of at other times being opposed, may actually have very reasonable relationships outside of an active conflict.¡±


    ¡°This dates back to the very beginning, as we recognize it. It is not common knowledge, but not a secret either, that the leader of the German team, Kreigsmarine willingly arranged to meet not only with Kitsune from the Empire of Japan but also our own, dear Solaris early in the war years, in Switzerland. That¡¯s where the so-called Elysium rules came from, and rumor has it the three were all from wealthy families, and pooled funds to buy the chalet that is the unofficial but very recognized mecca of international cape relations.¡±


    ¡°Note, this happened after Solaris hit Kreigsmarine with a submarine, because he blew up the Guardians landing boat.¡±


    Commissioner Karl Larson, A Policeman¡¯s Field Guide to Cape Culture


    Elenore was waiting outside Solaris¡¯s newest acquired building, looking a bit cold in her long coat, when Solaris pulled up. "Good afternoon, boss. Thanks for coming out. I¡¯m eager to show you what we''ve done with everything."


    "It''s a pleasure." She said, stepping out of the car. "I do my best not to hover, because there is always something interesting going on out here or at the shop. I¡¯m very excited!"


    "We hadn¡¯t noticed." She said with a chuckle. "Come on in."


    She led Solaris into the building lobby, though it was more a wide, well-lit hall. Stairs led up in the back, with a door leading into the restaurant that was already in the building. Elenore turned towards the restaurant.


    "We didn''t do a major rehab since it was already pretty nice, but we did a deep clean and changed a few small things. Riley pretty much handled everything in here, that''s our new handywoman. I know you''ve not had a lot of time with her. The major change was pulling out decor from the old theming and moving in what we''re using."


    Solaris took the time to look around, the d¨¦cor having been changed from a vaguely western feel to a vintage late forties and early fifties. The kids had decided that if she was going to own a bar and grill, it might as well be comfortable and the warm wood that was already part of the d¨¦cor fit either motif. ¡°The broker said the place had good bones. Has Anzy decided what she wants to do with it?¡±


    "She''s settled on a Gastropub. Good burgers, solid sirloins, fish and chips. At my insistence, she isn¡¯t allowed to try and run the whole place on her own. I mean, she could, but we''d lose out on meals at the house. She is going to let me hire a few good cooks to help her around here, and a handful of wait staff. We put up a couple of screens in one section for sports lovers but we''re not aiming to cater to the sports bar crowd."


    ¡°Sounds good. She makes a wonderful burger and chips, though between here and the food truck you got her during the stake out a couple of weeks ago, she''s going to make another Anzy soon!¡±


    "Oh god, you might be right. It¡¯s been a little over a year since Five turned up. I''ll order the oversized butterfly nets. Maybe some electric bikes." Elenore said, eyes wide.


    "Butterfly nets? Bikes?¡± Solaris asked, confused.


    "You should ask Anzy. It¡¯s a bit rude to talk about people¡¯s issues.¡± Elenore sighed. ¡°Keep in mind she does have minor physical enhancements."


    Elizabeth arched her eyebrow. ¡°All right, I''ll do that when I see one of her. How are the Gym renovations going, and the little shopfront."


    "The shop front is basically as ready as it will be before a tenant moves in." Elenore said. "Meaning it''s a very blank as a space." They stepped back outside and around to the second building to enter the gym. ¡°This space already had vaulted ceilings, so we only had to rip out the walls and move some plumbing. Not anywhere near as minor as next door, but again pretty straightforward. simply removed a large number of walls, and moved a bit of plumbing, which was less complex than even our contractor anticipated, to get the locker rooms where they needed to go.¡±


    ¡°This is good.¡± Solaris took off and tried a few ariel maneuvers. "Good, I was a little worried about the headspace.¡± She landed next to Elenore. ¡°The main area is looking good. I like the soft grey you went with for the walls.¡±


    "Yes, and the normal work out equipment is spaced into work out stations, with the treadmills lined up with the largest TV we could reasonably find." Elenore explained. "Along the far wall, where we could reinforce the floors, we have one station for heavy lifting, the heaviest non-super tech on the market. It''s basically a multiple function resistance lifting machine so it can do a lot of different exercises. The lifting strain caps out at about ten tons with its low end being about five hundred, so basically low weight, high rep for you but anything bigger would have cost fifty times as much, minimum. It gives Nahoa and Levi something they can really work out with. The high-speed treadmills can hit 300 mph, again normal tech limit. We decided free weights were an insurance risk."


    "I would tend to agree. I like this.¡± Elizabeth went over to the weight machine, pushing the digital controls and trying it out. Electric Motors provided the resistance which was just enough for her to notice it. For her, something akin to picking up a grocery bag for the average woman. "Yes, this will be nice. Was the Tailor able to get you in touch with the earth shaper to expand the basement areas?¡±


    "Nahoa was thrilled, because the guy let him help. That''s finished, if you''d like to see?"


    "Yes! Seriously Roosevelt would be rolling in his grave to know what people have done to his city. She followed Elenore outside, to what looked like a service shed on the side of the street but actually turned out to be the access to the stairs going down. ¡°This building is a bit weird, the different basements were accessed from outside, but it worked in our favor. This is the original basement, where we put some of those dangerous free weights for if you really want to try a workout yourself.¡±


    The weights were more akin to thick manhole covers on I-beams turned into racks, with solid steel bars to clamp them to. ¡°We put conventional free weights and a couple of treadmills down here as well. It¡¯s kind of the work out club house.¡± she admitted.


    She opened a cabinet with towels in it and pushed a button which caused a concealed door to swing open. ¡°The newly expanded basement, with its Ranged Weapon workout area is through here. We also installed a secondary server for storing data from the house, the shop, and the business computer systems, with a tertiary air gap system to do monthly backups. If we¡¯re going to have a bunker, we might as well stack on the security.¡± She explained as they descended a short stairwell.


    "This section of the basement can only be accessed through the secret door now. It''s under the gym, accessed from next door under the shop. There are four shooting lanes, all equipped for even heavy weapons or energy projection. We''re also about two stories underground. That plus soundproofing means we¡¯re not going to be heard."


    ¡°Wonderful, is there a booth for thrown weapons as well? Z and I both have thrown weapons in our arsenals.¡±


    ¡°Marcus added some of the stun disks Z has, as well, and both Anzy and Erica are happy to throw the occasional knife. We have targets for that as well as for shooting. The lanes are wide for that reason." Elenore explained. ¡°We only have a handful of weapons that aren¡¯t a spare set of our chosen load out. A few retired police guns the Tailor picked up for us on the cheap to train with if someone wants to round out their skills without investing in a personal piece.¡±


    "Looks like you are getting a good handle on dealing with contractors and renovations, and you have definitely proven to know how to organize a project.¡± Solaris said proudly. ¡°I¡¯m almost hesitant to let you go across the pond! I am eager to see what else you''ve done with the building, certainly!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I might be too busy here to handle the manor project, but don¡¯t worry I¡¯m working on stuff for it. Down here, we have a couple of bedrooms and a small kitchen as emergency safe houses. We looked at the offices on the second level of the restaurant building, and determined they made no darn sense. We decided to rip out most of the offices and are adding three two-bedroom apartments to the five single bedroom efficiencies on the top floor. The last office is attached by stairs to the small apartment above it, so I''ve kept that space for business guests, and am having the appliances and interior upgraded for that purpose. Furnishing will be added once that''s done. Everything is getting upgraded for efficiency if not luxury."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Makes sense. So, we have a total of 7 units? Did Riley take one of those?¡±


    ¡°Eight, and she did, with Bailey taking the other. She''s the secretary I hired, and in spite of their names they aren¡¯t twins." Elenore replied.


    "Ahh I was going to ask if you found someone you like, did they also come from the academy?¡±


    "Yes, on both fronts. Bailey¡¯s a flier, technically, and sort of an energy projector, technically." She chuckled. ¡°Again, ask her if you¡¯re curious.¡±


    "I do rather enjoy flying." Solaris chuckled. "Is she another business major like you?"


    ¡°Yes, though she focused on business logistics, particularly geared towards the entertainment industry. It seemed to fit; she¡¯s got the eye for fine details and accounting that even I lack."


    "That was lucky, did she come out of the New York School? And have you been working her hard?" Solaris teased


    "Yeah, she''s from up north, and only as ragged as I have been running, with everything going on. Did you know that most groups of Supers who identify themselves to the cops don''t have an easy to reach phone number? She has spent a good portion of her time talking to the different local police agencies, who call her The Secretary for the record, and organizing the team for any request we decide to fill."


    "What do you mean? I would think with all the modern technology it would be relatively easy to have a non-traceable contact number?"


    "Yeah, but it spoils the mystique, or some bullshit." She shrugged. "I''ve made it clear we''re not going to respond to every little thing, but Erica didn''t mind watching over a political rally the other day, since they were willing to pay for lunch and her time, and Weld found walking through a burning building to be a hoot. Rescued a golden retriever. Long story."


    "Mostly the police were curious if we''d do ''show of force'' patrols. Considering the cars, it''s easy for us to do, and with the tinted windows no one can tell if it''s Thud or Iteration who is driving. We''ve made sure to only go in pairs or a trio with AR, which seems to be pleasing the local departments, even if they grumble about using their discretionary budget."


    "Well, it makes it less likely we get tickets. I certainly don''t mind you helping out." She shook her head. ¡°Do the police in general have a good or bad relationship with heroes? Outside of mob cities after the war a lot of places had small town heroes that helped the coppers.¡±


    "Depends on the department and the heroes. Luna has a similar patrol agreement as us with NYPD, she''s showy enough and it''s a small bit of pocket money for something she''d do anyhow. Other heroes are ''above'' such ''mercenary'' actions."


    "It''s only mercenary if they make it that way. A lot of times people are happier to pay in coin than to offer gratitude.¡± Solaris said, shaking her head. "And super toys are not cheap."


    "Thus, why we negotiated a contract for our show of force drives. We don''t officially do them in towns not willing to cover gas, wear and tear, and food. We might have charged Manhattan higher, but there was more work than any other area we would consider visiting."


    "To be fair, wear and tear in the city would be worse. Any other new hires I should know about? And what do you want to show me next?


    ¡°Follow me.¡± She led Solaris back out of the basements, and into the gym building. "I''m considering getting a few of the restaurant¡¯s and gym staff from the New York school. They have a shocking number of very low powered kids from what were really unhappy origins, east coast population density working against them I suppose. I¡¯m not so much looking to add to G.F. inc, but they need an out. Figured we could offer a low rent apartment on top of the job. Let them get their start."


    "I am fine with that. You might also add a cleaner and dogsbody for the shop, that way you can keep Kar1n focused on the car parts, Penny was telling me her reconditioned parts are almost like new.¡±


    "Why would we need a dog? Are you thinking about security?"


    "I think Kar1n has that covered." Solaris said dryly "No, a dogsbody is someone who does the non-skilled or tedious labor. Unpacking orders, cleaning, fetching. It¡¯s a bit like what Z was doing, although she is trying to figure out what she wants to do. She should be back from Hawaii soon, unless her father managed to irritate Granny or Penny into extending the Bo-Hee ladies¡¯ vacation."


    "Right, a goffer. We could definitely justify hiring one of those easily enough. And honestly, Z will get bored if we don''t give her interesting things to do. She''s a bit too active. I¡¯m thinking of pushing her and Marcus to follow Levi in the pilot¡¯s license track, since he¡¯s your driver anyway. Z would be a good back up, or lady¡¯s bodyguard for you, dumb as that sounds to anyone who doesn¡¯t realize how stupid the world is."


    "She is very energetic.¡± Solaris said fondly. "And you¡¯re not wrong, she would fill a niche similar to Marcus¡¯s very well.


    ¡°Oh, another thing you might look at is a childcare person.¡± The older woman suggested. ¡°Apparently people bring children to gyms now. That might be a good use for that little storefront. Secure it and use it as a nursery for the gym. What do you think?"


    "And that¡¯s where modern laws and stupidity kicks in. That would require licensing I don''t want to get. However, setting a space aside for kids, and someone to keep an eye on them we can do in the gym. If the parents are in the building, we don¡¯t have the same requirements. The government gets touchy about minors being in different buildings than their parents without caretakers. At least, if they claim to be caretakers. And this is why movie theaters and amusement parks have signs saying they aren¡¯t childcare."


    "I''ll take your word for it," Solaris said easily as they headed up the back stairs. "Now that the building is almost done, I can really start interviewing trainers. I''ve been messaging with a couple of them trying to get a feel for their skills and approach. We¡¯re marketing towards the more serious exercise crowd, not the mall pop-up gym dwellers."


    They reached the top, the scent of new paint and woodwork filling the air. "And this space is set up for classes, including martial arts training. There''s a couple of ''classrooms'' and a couple of offices, with two rooms and a bathroom for each office, though they are small. One would be the manager¡¯s office, the other would go to the trainer. We also put a small breakroom, with a simple kitchen set up, for staff up here, with an employee locker room, well, more locker stalls but comfortable enough and separate from the customers."


    ¡°Makes sense, that way when they are off work people are not bothering them.¡±


    "The third floor is a bit unfinished. There is plumbing up there, so that''s not a concern, and all the power junctions we''d need for several things. However, due to the entrance and exit, it''s not really suitable for apartments since you''d have to enter through the gym. We¡¯re leaving it a blank slate for now, to see what we need to do regarding expanding."


    ¡°How are things going at the Garage? I know Erica and Levi are keeping busy.¡±


    "Heck yeah, and Badger. We''ve sold a few high-end cars they rebuilt for pretty good flip amounts, and good video views. We started a channel, kind of a second channel for Badger since he''s the ''talent'' but we''re planning on splitting any revenue as it starts coming in."


    "I watched some of Badger¡¯s videos with Penny. He''s very personable, and Penny has vanished into her vault a few times after watching him. I don''t ask questions. Oh, speaking of Badger, any idea where he is staying? You all have basically adopted him so you might offer him one of the apartments too.¡±


    "Yeah, though I''m not totally sure where he currently sleeps myself. We kind of lose track of him late in the day and he vanishes. I''d think he was teleporting except he locked himself in the tool room by mistake once."


    ¡°Well, ask if he¡¯d like one.¡± Solaris said. ¡°Hmm. How many visual art students do you think are in the academy?¡±


    "It''s not an uncommon choice for a major, to be honest. Particularly for the more socially reserved of us. Mercedes is actually fairly well socialized compared to some of the kids I''ve met."


    ¡°A thought. What about turning the storefront into a gallery, Mercedes and other young artists, enhanced and non-enhanced can display there. We could even do small Galas in partnership with Anzy¡¯s restaurant. It will probably lose money, but that is tax write off and I suspect the gym will make more than enough profit to offset it.¡±


    "I like the gallery idea. It would be great for that space. I''ll contact the nearby schools and see if anyone has the right skills to run it. Art History or something."


    "And with a restaurant, parties for showing would be easy. Yes, excellent." Solaris nodded, ¡°Email the lawyer and they¡¯ll help you get the licenses you need. And maybe talk to Mercedes, she may have input on a gallery, I know we will need to upgrade the lights.¡±


    "I will do that. She''ll at least know what she''d like to see." the younger woman tapped notes into her phone. "Once Z gets back, I think everyone who wasn''t already some sort of pilot is signed up to start flight training.¡±


    ¡°So, what other projects have we got going?¡±


    "Right now? The manor project is in its organizational stages, considering winter off the North Sea that¡¯s all we can do." Elenore mused as they walked out of the gym, Elenore locking the door. "The LS Swap on your little tank is done and they¡¯re halfway through converting the weapons to so called ¡®less than lethal¡¯ options, and they started on that Hummer you fell... Jesus Christ, what''s going on?" She yelled as two F-35''s roared overhead, a boom sounding as they broke the sound barrier. "They don''t do that this close to a city."


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. How do I turn the radio on if I¡¯m not in the car?¡± Solaris asked looking down at her phone.


    "Here..." the younger woman took the phone and brought up a current news channel.


    "The Navy has stated they have not yet identified the large contact moving towards New York but are taking actions to intercept. It is suspected that it may be an Ask-Embla naval squadron. There is no clear explanation of why the Atlantean Island state would have ships in the region, however."


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Von Volkard¡¯s country? Ohhhhh.¡± She dialed the phone ¡°Anzy, I need you to go buy a large quantity of the best German beers you can find, J?germeister, and plan for at least two high dinners, one for two and one for the crew plus, oh, call it five. Yes dear, all within the next week, I¡¯ll trust you on the menu.¡± She hung up and called Granny. ¡°Sorry to bother dear, but we are going to have some rather prestigious guests sometime in the next few days. Can you make sure the house and garden are as ready as they can be.¡± She turned back to Elenore. ¡°It seems an old friend is coming to visit, and he still hasn¡¯t lost his love of making an entrance. I need to call Penny¡­she probably has already figured it out.¡± Solaris began walking quickly back towards the car.


    "Um... Who? That was a lot of German stuff... wait... who?" She frowned, tapping the name Von Volkard into her own smartphone. ¡°Wait, Kreigsmarine. The Living Dreadnaught? Why would a Nazi officer be coming to visit you?¡±

 Chapter 55, Putting on a Show

    Putting on a Show


    The three islands which are all that remain of what many consider the larger, lost nation of Atlantis are now called the Atlantean islands, and they are politically a mess.


    The largest, known as Atlatea, is essentially a constitutional monarchy ruled by Sylph, the former Guardian and hero of the Allies during World War II. A scholar as much as she was a hero in the past, she¡¯s become closed off to the rest of the world as her nation crawled its way out of a sustenance existence into being a technologically advanced nation at the start of the millennium.


    The second largest, Orichal, is essentially a barbarian nation, or rogue state. Technologically they¡¯re not much better off than many third world nations, but they have raw materials aplenty and enough industry to turn those into weapons that force Atlantea to keep a substantial defense force.


    The smallest island, and furthest from the other two, is Ask-Embla. Shortly after the division of Germany, and the Berlin Air Lift, Kreigsmarine led a large contingent of disaffected Germans, from both sides of the border the allies created in his home nation and took them to the relatively lightly populated Ask-Embla. This nearly caused a war with the then allies, much less the other two Islands, but fortunately the former German soldier managed a peaceful invasion.


    The less said about some of his acts against nations that challenged his nation¡¯s right to exist for the next several years is perhaps best unsaid.


    Professor Alvin Beard, The Decades After the World Changed.


    The basement bar television was on, several of the kids watching the news. "The ships have been confirmed to be four Ask-Embla navy corvettes, along with the Flagship of their navy, the Dietrich Von Volkard, a small aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship. Apparently, they have returned hails from the US navy, and have informed them that they are escorting Kreigsmarine, ruler of the small nation, to a visit at the United Nations."


    Somehow the news agencies had gotten cameras close enough to show the relatively small, but still intimidating, flat topped ship and her tiny companions, as a pair of US Navy cruisers joined their flotilla as ¡®escorts.¡¯


    Not long after that an aircraft, lifted off the deck vertically before turning towards the shore, quickly finding itself being escorted by the two F-35''s as they flew back the way they came, towards New York City, seeming to intentionally choose a lower than usual flight path as if to offer a clear view of the unusual aircraft.


    "Your old.., let''s go with friend, knows how to make an entrance." Penny confirmed as they watched the screen. "He''s freaking buzzing Long Island."


    Solaris chuckled, ¡°He must enforce his dominance, or his manhood will fall off. It¡¯s a German thing. He¡¯s always been good at the showmanship side of the job, I just wonder how long till he¡¯s on our doorstep. Oh dear, aren¡¯t the podcasters Zakai wanted us to work with coming in tomorrow?¡±


    "Yeah. They''re already at the hotel. I''d bet you dollars to donuts they''re planning to try and get to the airport in hopes of catching video of him." They had the news on, which was following the approach of a known, if ''former'' supervillain on a plane that, according to the news, little was known about approaching the city. The fact that the US couldn''t really refuse him entrance since his nation was both part of the UN and a NATO signatory just made a tense situation worse.


    ¡°Well Cape Watch will probably be getting more than they were expecting out of this interview. I should message Zakai¡­¡± Solaris pulled out her phone and texted him directly as well as her contact Tracy. She felt this was important enough, ¡°Dear Zakai and associates, your podcasters are here and are at the hotel. I am going to be getting an unexpected guest shortly, Kriegsmarine. I thought this might be significant information for your labors in my name. Thank you for your time, Solaris.¡±


    Her phone rang less than two minutes later. "What do you mean you''re going to be visited by Kriegsmarine." Zakai asked in lieu of a hello. "Are we talking a knock down drag out fight or are we talking something else?"''The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°We¡¯ve only ever gone full out against each other once.¡± Solaris said dryly. ¡°Well, maybe twice, he was very reluctant to let me take that experimental jet bomber at the end of the war. No, he just came into New York, and since the UN meetings are already past, he¡¯s here to see me. Irritating the US government is merely a side bonus. Once I know where he is staying, I¡¯ll have an invitation sent to him, if I don¡¯t get one from him first since I am sure he has my address.¡±


    ¡°If I were him, I¡¯d keep track of when old¡­ colleagues appeared from the past.¡± The public relations expert agreed.¡± His tone relaxing a little


    ¡°Quite,¡± she agreed. ¡°I just wanted to let you know because that man is not a subtle animal, and I am sure the press is going to go mad. Then some moron is going to jump us at least once.


    "Oh, he''s landing." Penny said, watching the TV as the flying wing, roughly the size of a very large business jet, touched down at JFK, its wings folding as it reached the taxiway. "Oh, now he''s just flexing."


    ¡°Yes.¡± Solaris smiled and rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s his way.¡±


    "Joy. You might get that little team of youngsters in costume for a while.¡± Zakai suggested ¡°They might be needing to fly the colors. Or the Kevlar."


    ¡°That¡¯s a point, this is going to stir the idiot stew. I¡¯ll let Elenor know. What hotel do you think he¡¯s staying at, Zakai? Give me the top five, I¡¯ll send welcome packets to them all.¡±


    "Don''t need to guess. The Carlyle, Empire suite." He answered. "I looked up some contacts when I heard he was at the border, I got a heads up a bit before the media did. Figuring you might need to know about him, I checked on who knew what about him. He apparently loves that particular hotel and room on the rare occasion he comes to the UN."


    "Well, that makes it easy. Penny? Please call for an order of five sausage pizzas, extra cheese, a half dozen cokes and a half dozen sprites. Offer the cooks and delivery men money to get it to the Carlyle in say forty-five minutes. I don''t care about cost. It''s for Mr. Von Volkard, A welcome from Lady Summers. Grease palms if necessary.¡±


    "I can do that." She was going to say "Solaris" was buying the pizzas for "Kreigsmarine¡±, but this was because it would get a much more serious response, but Elizabeth didn''t need to know that.


    ¡°Thank you dear. Out of curiosity are those podcasters you sent me good under pressure, because when Von Volkard finds out they are here to interview me he is not going to be able to resist coming to the interview, and crashing the party, so to speak.¡±


    "We''ll find out, but they do the cape circuit. That''d suggest they can keep their head under fire."


    ¡°Good. I am going to explain to my cook why I¡¯ve ordered a couple of feasts.¡±


    "Said cook might also need a rough idea of how many are being invited. Might you be having your first formal dinner?"


    Solaris paused, considering the question. ¡°Yes, I do believe I am going to have to... You already have a guest list prepared, don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Merely a list of suggestions, based on who you anticipate to be there that I don¡¯t know about.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I figured that would save you some time.¡±


    ¡°Send the list over, I would appreciate it.¡±


    On the television, the sandy haired man she remembered appeared at the stairs which had descended from the side of the plane. He stood, imperiously, considering the crowd of security, onlookers, and hurried VIP¡¯s who came to see him, nodding as if approving of troops he had inspected. He walked easily down the stairs, a ramp in the back offloading a high end sports car of a model Solaris didn¡¯t recognize almost in time with his own motions.


    Solaris watched as he shook hands with Gabriel Wright, the Empire Statesman and a Senator for New York State. His daughter stood next to him, and both had the taunt stance of someone who wasn¡¯t sure if they were going to be fighting or not in the next few minutes.


    ¡°Oh yes, he¡¯s being a peacock. I wonder what else he¡¯s planning for while he¡¯s here.¡± Solaris muttered to herself. Watching The German speak to the tense heroes.


    ¡°Oh, you know how it is. Someone has to keep you Americans on your toes, and I do enjoy a bit of drama. Besides, why have those fancy sixth generation fighters of yours, if not to respond to the unexpected?¡± Kilian Bloomberg Von Volkhard smiled, he would never lower himself to smirk, as he walked towards the offloaded car with the Senator at his side.


    ¡°Damn it, Kilian. NATO member or not, you¡¯re playing with fire pulling a stunt like this.¡±


    ¡°Now Gabriel, young man, you know this isn¡¯t really for you!¡± He mocked, though gently. There wasn¡¯t a real reason to antagonize the younger man, after all. ¡°I just wanted to make sure she cleared her schedule.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not a player. She¡¯s stayed out of anything big and hasn¡¯t even responded to most of the people reaching out to her.¡±


    ¡°Dear boy, Solaris is as the sun. She doesn¡¯t come to you, you will eventually go to her. She merely tends to forget her own¡­ gravity.¡± He opened the driver¡¯s side door of his Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK. ¡°Ms. Wright, would you like to ride along as I drive to my hotel? You can keep an eye on me, and experience one of the finest automobiles built on this Earth at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Um, no thank you, Chancelor Von Volkard.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you should change your mind, I won¡¯t mind a companion for a drive in the country. I do love the American North-East in the fall.¡±


    He climbed in, and started the super-cars engine, allowing himself a bark of a laugh. He could hear the Statesman¡¯s teeth grinding over the engine.


    ¡°Oh, this shall be fun.¡±

 Chapter 56, Nothing to Wear

    Nothing to Wear


    ¡°Fashion has been heavily influenced by the Enhanced subculture, especially Tailors and most especially public Tailors and Toymakers, and not just in the private sector. When Los Angeles forwent the tendency towards ¡®tactical¡¯ fashion in favor of enhanced designed, more style-oriented uniforms that just happened to be made of modern, bullet resistant polymers that provided superior protection people noticed.¡±


    ¡°This spread to other departments, and branches of the government with fire departments turning up with Toymaker constructed, high tech pumper trucks that while nowhere near the ¡®bleeding edge¡¯ of super-tech put anything else on the market to shame.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason Tailors get away with keeping arsenals of weapons and hypertech toys in unregistered locations. They know how to ¡®donate¡¯ to the best effect.¡±


    Andrew Fitzgerald, Analysis of Public Service and the Heroic Age.


    Elizabeth turned away from the television as it changed back to a commentator explaining the background about Killian Von Volkard and why he rated such a response. ¡°Ah, politics, make sure to include why I¡¯m inviting those you suggest, so I know how scathing I can be if they annoy me. I¡¯ll also need something special to wear. Maybe my Tailor can recommend someone who can do bespoke evening wear.¡±


    "I''m going to suggest keeping the scathing to the minimum here. You''ve already started a fight with one person I don''t want to deal with right now." He chuckled. "I have a suggestion I can throw out regarding clothing. Let me know if you want or need it."


    ¡°Oh? Who do you know? I don¡¯t mind networking with others.¡±


    "A Public Tailor. Wait, you might not be familiar with that concept in this sense. I don¡¯t mean a mundane tailor. Some Tailors came out of the shadowy cape world, and into the public starting in the Sixties and a subset of them are publicly accessible. They have fashion lines, and now a days even tactical fashion brands. The one I''m thinking of is one Cassie Maynard, out of Green Bay, though her brand is out of New York. She''s twenty-nine, and while Berghoff hasn''t taken a line from her yet, Macy''s, Abercrombie and Saks all have. A couple of our clients, not directly mine but other offices, have worn her at fashion week as well as the awards show circuit. She''s an up-and-comer whom also happens to be a speedster of the ''universal'' type, so can pound out custom orders in a fraction of even a sweatshop times."


    ¡°She sounds perfect. With Kriegsmarine in town this is going to be a bit of a rush job. Do you have her contact information? And what do you think the timeline will be for this party?¡±


    "Oh, the Chancelor is not going to get to set his own schedule for at least a week, much as he may want to. The UN has plenty that will demand his attention, and that ignores NATO and American interests. Power moves at the airport aside, he still has to play the so-called ''great game¡¯ and play mostly nice. I''ll see if I can get Luna to do an interview with our podcasters since you''ll likely want to postpone that to prepare for whatever¡¯s coming down the pipe. They would likely love the chance to hang about for a while longer with him here, I¡¯m sure."


    ¡°I was going to call them and see what they wanted to do, since if I try to talk to them now I know my old enemy would crash the interview, albeit in the politest way possible. I wanted to make sure they felt comfortable talking to him as well.¡±


    "I''ll run it by them when I offer a second interview. Luna needs a bit more national coverage anyhow." Zakai said. "That way you can focus on prep. I already know your duplicator friend has menus planned, since she requested some information for potential services from my team several weeks ago."


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll check with her if we want a party planner. I¡¯ll let you get to your machinations. I¡¯ll need to let the fledglings know what¡¯s going on if Elenore hasn¡¯t told them yet.¡±


    Solaris hung up and waited a few moments for Zakai to text her the Tailor''s number, sending a quick, for her, message off to her project manager to give the gang a heads up.


    She dialed the young Tailor¡¯s number, getting the woman¡¯s assistant, ¡°Hello, my name is Elizabeth Summers, I would like to talk to Ms. Maynard about doing some evening wear, and perhaps some other bespoke outfits. It is a bit of a rush, and unexpected, but it seems I will be needing to set up a party in a couple of weeks. I do apologize for the short notice, but I wasn¡¯t expecting Kreigsmarine to just drop by.¡±


    "Well, that''s certainly a lot to unpack." The assistant said hesitantly. "May I ask who gave you our contact information? We''re not publicly listed, for obvious reasons."


    ¡°Of course, my publicist Zakai, from EpicEmblem recommended her to me, I apparently am going to be hosting a white glove event in the next couple of weeks.¡±


    "Could I perhaps get your number to call back? It should only be perhaps twenty minutes, but I need to track Ms. Maynard down in the building."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Solaris gave her number, ¡°please let me know either way so if she can¡¯t do it, I can ask my Tailor for other recommendations.¡±


    "Of course, we wouldn''t want to leave anyone hanging." She agreed. After bidding farewell, she hung up. Fifteen minutes later Solaris''s phone was ringing from the same number.


    ¡°Hello?¡± She said with an ingrained friendly phone voice,


    The voice on the other side of the phone had the tone of someone who had just stopped laughing. "She''ll be here in just a moment. She may have unintentionally unseated her husband from their couch."


    A minute later, in a soft, but clear, voice Solaris heard "It''s not my fault he''s slower than usual." The handset changed owners. "Good evening, This is Cassie Maynard. I''m speaking to Solaris? Full disclosure, we called your press agency before returning the call, if they mention it."


    ¡°Yes, this is Solaris, I don¡¯t mind, I don''t have the history with your shop the way I do with Phantasique¡¯s. I¡¯m guessing Zakai was waiting for your call as quickly as you were able to get back to me.¡±


    "He was. Of course, considering what happened when I dressed that TV star for them, he would be." She sighed. "But we like the new bus better, anyhow. Now, my understanding is you need something for a white glove dinner party that will have the Living Dreadnaught present? Should I also assume other dignitaries are likely to show up?"


    ¡°Yes. Zakai hasn¡¯t sent me the guest list yet, but I¡¯d assume at least some bigwigs from the MLB. Probably someone from the Guardians and St Nicks.¡±


    "I''d expect more to be suggested. And perhaps offices contacting you when they find out. Kreigsmarine is notoriously prone to not leaving the islands, so expect to also get invitations to other parties while he''s in town. I''ll be shocked if you don''t have messengers by morning." What she didn¡¯t need to say is that some of the invitations would be an attempt at getting free security, as opposed to more social invitations.


    ¡°Good point¡­ Penny, can you ask Nahoa to do extended hours for a bit, someone is going to try and jump the fence. Sorry. Now do you think you have time to work me in. I know it is short notice.¡±


    "I''m working on my New York Fashion Week line for Febuary,and I''m also working on finding... Never mind, that''s not important. I am not in the weeds yet, so I can take the time to do a bespoke project. Or three, if they''re for one client." She chuckled. "I will book a flight and come out by tomorrow afternoon. I''m assuming you don''t need me to just Marathon myself over there."


    ¡°No reason to do that unless you want to avoid the hell of commercial flight. I¡¯d offer my plane, but I think my toymakers have stolen it for refits.¡±


    "Yeah, if you fly me out on a private plane, you better want more than just a few dresses honey. That''s too fancy for me to be lazy." A bit of urban California worked its way into her voice as she laughed. "That being said, I usually sketch the entire time I''m on a flight. Granted, it makes my carry on basically a stack of sketchbooks, but I tend to lose track of time during the flight."


    ¡°Better that than trying to eat the food. I¡¯ll put you up in one of the guest rooms. It¡¯s the least I can do. Do you have any dietary restrictions?


    "There''s nothing I''m allergic to, and I don''t have any religious convictions." she said. "That being said, I believe you''ve worked with speedsters in the past?" She chuckled.


    Solaris laughed, ¡°Yes, several, including Breakneck, and Hummingbird.¡±


    "Then I feel safe saying "Large portions" are an understatement. I also will need someplace to set up my workspace."


    There was a voice in the background. "And my husband is asking if he can accompany me. He''s recovering from a rather rough series of events, recently."


    ¡°Of course, you can set up in the guest office, and if you need more space, you can use the library off the media room. Your husband is welcome, I hope he is not too unwell.¡±


    "Apparently he was attacked by an alligator while helping a realtor examine a house in northern Wisconsin. I''m still trying to get him and the other two to admit to what they were actually doing."


    Solaris blinked. "Isn''t Wisconsin a bit chilly for Alligators? It sounds like it will be an interesting story


    "Yeah, especially since the three of them, and their new friend, came back with four vintage motorcycles, two splicer beasts, and no explanation for them. They did another urban exploration, villain edition, and didn''t tell me before and now don''t want to tell me what happened since he broke his foot. Ryan thinks I''ll drown him. I mean, he''s right but only since I know he can''t actually drown."


    "That, plus pretending we didn''t all see his new gecko pet throw its tail to blow up the Roomba and we are basically just on a ticking timer on them giving up and telling me."


    "So, are you more upset that they had an adventure without you, or that your husband managed to break himself in the process?"


    "That they think they can act nonchalant. It means they did something ridiculous and think I''ll be angry. They''re only right if they really screwed up." She laughed. "I know, the speedster doing the adulting isn''t the default assumption, but I actually control my adhd. Mostly."


    "You are old enough to be a grown up. That means a bit more with speedsters." Solaris said. " Why don''t you go get packed. Send me the flight details and I''ll have someone pick you up at the airport. I look forward to seeing you."


    "Will do. give me your email and I''ll forward all the details there."


    The man known as the Living Dreadnaught smirked at his chief of security. The young woman, his granddaughter as it happened, was glaring at a stack of pizza¡¯s and selection of two liter sodas on the dining table in his suite.


    ¡°Dear Belinda, do not fret so. It isn¡¯t hard for those whom know to predict where I will stay.¡±


    ¡°But how did they get pizza sent to a five star hotel?¡±


    ¡°One, my dear, this is New York. Pizza is a religion. Two, considering the soda and¡± he lifted the lid of one of the boxes, still hot he noted and loaded with meat and extra cheese just the way he liked them. ¡°the pizza in question, I know who sent this. She¡¯s not trying to poison me, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so certain?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s had chances to destroy me in the past, and didn¡¯t take them then.¡± He handed the top pizza over to the interns he had been forced to take into tow. ¡°Enjoy this and take a bottle for yourselves. These four are mine.¡±


    He chuckled as he walked into the bedroom with his pizza and soda. ¡°Only Solaris would send junk food to a world leader and bribe a concierge well enough to get it for me! She is more like her brother than she pretends.¡±

 Chapter 57, Guest Star

    Guest Stars


    ¡°I hate it when a cape shows up to a party. No one ever notices what I wear to an event when a cape is in attendance.¡±


    Comment made at Hollywood parties.


    Cassie had worked quickly, and they flew out on a red eye flight to New York. She simply requested someone to pick them up, with something that could carry a ''large object¡¯ so she didn''t have to drive in New York on little sleep.


    They took Penny''s truck and the Marquis to the airport to pick up the Tailor and her husband. Marcus laughed seeing Cassidy. "Oh god, she looks like the boss''s sister."


    "That''s so weird." Anzy agreed, nodding. "The guy in the wheelchair and walking cast is her husband." Anzy held up a sign and waved.


    "Hey! the boss wasn''t sure how much space you needed, so we brought the SUV and the truck." Marcus said moving to help with the luggage.


    "The truck for the crate... which is over there." She gestured at the luggage claim, a rather huge case, something that was likely on the very border of being checked as opposed to shipped as freight, sitting next to the claim office. "Thank you so much." She smiled as he fetched the smaller bags. Pulling a box out of her jacket pocket, she pushed a button, and the large case began to roll towards them. "I hate fighting with carrying this one."


    "Does it lift too? I would have brought Nahoa, he''s our strong guy, but he''s on guard duty right now." Marcus said curiously.


    "It''s got loading feet. I''ve done this a few times." she admitted. "It¡¯s just really slow. I used the smallest motors I could to save space for other things."


    "Don''t tell Badger that, he''ll set it up like a go cart drag racer." Anzy said, shaking her head as Marcus laughed.


    "I have the same problem with this one." She says, as the man snored in the wheelchair. "Carl sleeps on flights and he¡¯s still on pain meds, so I apologize for him. He''ll wake up for real in a little bit."


    When they got to the truck, she worked a few more buttons, and the case lifted itself up, and managed to settle on the tail gate of the pickup, though it did need some help pushing and settling into the depths. "So, are we riding in the sedan?"


    "What, are we there?" Carl blurted out, having awakened at the tailgate closing.


    ¡°Yes dear"


    "Yup, Penny¡¯s truck is a 2 seater,¡± Anzy said. ¡°I''ll drive it back and Marcus will drive you back. Do you need help getting Carl in the car?¡±


    "Yes, please, He''s a long drink of water." the small blonde smiled, patting the lanky inventor on the shoulder.


    Marcus helped the man stand and helped him shift into the SUVs back seat. While Anzy folded the wheelchair and put it in the back. "Talk to the boss, she probably wouldn''t mind letting your husband use the hot tub on the yacht, we''d just need to plastic wrap the cast."


    "He''d likely appreciate that. He''s also got weird bruises and nibbles from ''looking at a house''."


    Carl grumbled. "I ain''t saying nothing."


    "You are making me want to break into the good booze for this story." Marcus said as he held the door open for Cassidy to get in. "And I don¡¯t drink.¡±


    "It''s going to be a good one." Cassidy said. "I''m sure of it. He''ll break soon, without Emilia giving him looks to shut up all the time."


    "I will not!" He paused. "Okay, I probably will, but you could let me pretend."


    "Yes dear."


    They caravaned up to the house, Nahoa waving them in as he opened the gate. "Glad you got here early. The boss''s work phone''s been blowing up, and I already had to send three cars on their way. Suspect we are going to have a traffic jam up here round tenish.¡±


    "Gotta love the media." Marcus rolled his eyes, and drove into the grounds, following the long driveway to the house and garage. One bay door was open, so Marcus backed the truck in.


    "I am almost ready with breakfast." A second Anzy said, walking into the garage, confusing Carl and Cassie. ¡°I''m going to go help me out with the big case. Can you show them where to put their stuff? Hey Boss!¡± She waived to Solaris who came out in skinny jeans and a t-shirt.


    "Hope the flight wasn''t too terrible."


    "Not at all, not at all." Cassidy waived it off."


    "Wow, which is uncanny. They could be sisters." Marcus said quietly to Anzy, who''d mentioned it before. ¡°I mean, I saw it, but now it¡¯s just weird.¡±


    "Huh?" Carl asked, not completely awake, blinking at the two women. ¡°Oh, wow, yeah. Damn, you look a lot like Cassie.¡± He said to Solaris, still groggy enough to not really register who he was speaking to.


    Cassie rolled her eyes. ¡°Ignore them. They are right though.¡±


    The English woman nodded, with a smile. "Come on in, I wasn''t sure how much space you would need. Would you like to see your room, the office, or the library room first?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Our room. We can settle Carl in so he can go back to sleep. He''s not got his usual stamina, and the pain medication isn¡¯t kind." She said with a smile, blushing at the other people¡¯s continued attention. "Then the workspace. The library can wait until we know I need the extra space."


    They took the tiny elevator to the second floor and Solaris showed them to their room. ¡°Please make yourself comfortable. This has an on-suite bathroom. and the office is just down the hall.¡±


    "Excellent. Let me just get him settled." Only a few minutes later, she stepped back out, watching as the large boy easily carried her case along. "Impressive. Where is the workspace?"


    ¡°Right over here,¡± She led the second blonde over to a cheery office done up in with wood floors and a cheery yellow rug and curtains. There was an empty bookcase and bare desk in the room. ¡°It¡¯s technically another bedroom, we think, but it¡¯s in a weird spot of the house so we haven¡¯t done anything with it.¡±


    "This would be great. Set that in the middle of the floor and move the desk in the corner there, please." She watched as the big fellow did as she asked, then she pressed a code into the case. It opened, and she lifted out three toolboxes. Then she pressed another button and stepped back, the rig unfolding into several worksurfaces, with various apparatus unfolding and assembling. "We can step out; it''ll take an hour for it to completely set up and balance." she explained.


    "Well, that is just nifty." Solaris said with a smile. ¡°Do you work on location a lot?"


    "It comes up. This is nothing compared to my autoloom, well it''s got a small version... " She waved that off. "But for fashion shows, or field projects it''s come in useful. There are events, have you bumped into the ''Public Heel Villain'' concept yet?"


    "No, I can''t say that I have." Solaris said, waving to show Cassidy the way to the dining room. Where Anzy was putting out a full spread.


    "There''s, let¡¯s call them semi-retired villains, who do what you might call ''display for hire'' work. Heroes too. It has elements of performance art, as well as serves the heroes with sponsors who want them to do things to draw attention often enough to suit their needs. Heel Villains are basically working as a kind of entertainment, or maybe performance art, where superpowers and property destruction are on public display."


    "For example, if you are Nike, and want one of your contract heroes to put on a good show for cameras, you might find a restaurant that''s getting ready for a major remodel and a heel villain. Add a few stuntmen as ''bystanders'' and ''goons'', you''ve got a show. I''ve done more than a few of these events, where I find myself contracted last minute to put together unique yet easily recognized for hench outfits for the villain in question. It can be tawdry but I actually kind of enjoy designing corny outfits. It¡¯s a guilty pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Does the public know when it¡¯s a show as opposed to a real attack? I could see where that could get dangerous. I¡¯m still deciding what I think of corporate heroes. I understand people need to eat, and not everyone is independently wealthy. But I worry about conflicts of interest.¡±


    "The sites are pretty clearly protected and marked, and they''re covered differently in the media." Cassie said. "And this is directly related to the corporate teams, yeah. But for young Tailors and Toymakers you get a lot of work to build your portfolio, and war chest."


    "I get paid very well for those events, but they also tend to be rush jobs, and the places that lease out as the ''targets'' get a lot of the demo work done free for their remodel, as well as money to pay for the rebuild project. And they get shown on several cable shows with the whole "Live, on camera" element but without the actual commission of a crime."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Like I said I am very undecided about it.¡± She smiled as her fledglings came in to breakfast. ¡°I¡¯ll have a tray sent up for Carl when he wakes up.¡±


    "That''d be great. Now... was I right about the invitations coming?"


    ¡°Yes, I think poor Penny has been on the work phone since 8 and Nahoa has had to wave off a couple of cars. How is that going Penny?¡±


    "For this weekend, there¡¯s a handful of Veteren¡¯s Day events that would love to have you, but I think they were going to call either way. Also, you got invited to a Cybersecurity summit. Why the heck would they invite someone from the forties I just don¡¯t know?"


    "One, it¡¯s likely Kriegsmarine will find a way to show up there. Two, she was known to have captured a variant of the Enigma machine, which is somewhat topic related. Three, Organizers do things like that out of spinal response. SuperHero invite qualifies as free security." Cassidy chuckled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a venue for me, I¡¯m still learning how to do things with my computer, I know nothing about cyber security.¡±


    "Agreed." Penny nodded.


    "There''s a mixer occurring, between big wigs and the state and federal congressmen and senators. Supposedly it''s a charity mixer, but I get the "now that the election is over, let''s meet and talk" kind of deal feeling." Penny said, looking down at the list. "That is likely to draw Statesman who you haven''t met yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a maybe. Put a finger on the pulse of politics. Not my favorite type of gathering but a necessary one. We need to find more charities to chat up, though from what I can tell complaining about Russia hasn¡¯t gone out of vogue.¡±


    "No, that''ll be a big topic. I''ll RSVP to you. I''ll also send you the invites for the three art showings over the next two weeks. That does seem up your lane, and they all permit one assistant as well as a plus one, so Mercedes can go and play secretary and enjoy the art too."


    ¡°Well, this will get me out of the house while you do prep for various events plus thanksgiving.¡± She looked over at Mercedes, ¡°and I think our landscaper would pout if I turned down an art exhibition.¡±


    "One at least would be nice."


    "Zakai would like you to make an appearance at the Film Festival, since you''re going to be showing up places. That''s more just a fun thing to do, though. But to be fair, there''s always filmmakers looking for producers." Penny said.


    "From her mouth to god¡¯s ears." Cassidy agreed. "Don''t tell Carl though, he would want to go to the festival. Film student." The young Tailor turned to Penny. "Can you get me the dress code info for those events she accepts once she does? She''s going to need a look for each of them."


    ¡°Well, you and Carl could come with me, someone has to explain the modern nuisances I miss.¡± She gave a self-deprecating grin, taking a bite of eggs.


    ¡°I suppose I can let him go to what he wants and come with you to stuff that doesn''t involve sad clowns dying in the snow, or something."


    ¡°Good Lord. Please tell me something at the festival will be watchable.¡± Solaris said her blonde eyebrows shooting up in alarm.¡±


    "Lots of comedies, horror shorts, sci-fi shorts... truth is a lot of stuff is actually pretty approachable. It''ll be a lot of low budgets and artsy in its way, but people want jobs in Hollywood, not to starve while cranking out "Artiste" slop."


    ¡°Oh, thank God, I truly treasure the freedom of art and expression in the US. And defended many artists from prosecution, but save me from over-authored art.¡± She paused, something about that tickled her memory. ¡°Oh bugger,¡± Elizabeth muttered. ¡°I just realized, wasn¡¯t this weekend when Erica and Levi were going to be racing?¡±


    ¡°Yeh, but they already said it wasn¡¯t going to be a major event. Last drag races of the season, and they¡¯re not qualified for any major part of the event. Just a chance to test out their car.¡± Elenore said. ¡°I¡¯m going to be taking Bailey, and film from the bleachers for them.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, I might send Carl with you. He loves gear head stuff, I¡¯ve never been drawn to it in spite of being a techie. He¡¯d also love to play with his cameras on this trip.¡±


    ¡°Even better, he can explain stuff to me.¡± The assistant agreed.

 Chapter 58, Remembrance

    Remembrance


    ¡°The enhanced community has a very close relationship with veterans. While, due to international treaty, there are limitations on how highly enhanced someone can be and still serve in the military, it is very common for Enhanced to work together with the military for specific missions and goals, particularly regarding Counter-Terrorism and rescue operations.¡±


    ¡°This relationship dates back to the originals, who were all loyal soldiers to their nations, rather those nations deserved it or not. Something too many veterans can relate to, from far too many wars.¡±


    General Patrica Garanti, ¡®Warfare Most Asymmetrical¡±


    Solaris took a deep breath as Marcus drove her towards her first veterans day picnic. She had accepted invitations to appear at several picnics and VA events. She was dressed in a recreation of her original costume, wanting to give old and young both a treat. ¡°So, we are at this picnic for two hours then on to the next right?¡± She asked Penny.


    "Yes. But why did you accept? I can tell you''re upset."


    ¡°Because¡­¡± she looked up. ¡°I must stand for the men I lost, I represent something¡­ more. Even if it is unpleasant, and I spend the evening on the Serenity with whisky and ice cream, I can¡¯t forget the promise I made when I accepted being a hero, or a leader. I must be better, to inspire the best in others. So, I will smile, hug the children I will never have, and stand the field.¡±


    "Honey, this is beginning to reach the point of a legitimate psychological problem. I didn''t know you were this troubled by it. We can find you a therapist, it¡¯s normal now." Penny admitted.


    Solaris smoothed her skirt. ¡°I may be in the future, but I still am a woman of my time. I wanted children badly. I told you I tried dating after the war. Not one man was willing to stand by a woman who was both stronger than him and barren. Remembrance Day¡­ Veterans Day, is about remembering the sacrifices of war. That was mine.¡±


    "Have you thought about speaking to a fertility expert? I mean, you mentioned your time. We do all sorts of weird shit these days to make sure people have kids. That''s how Octomom happened." Marcus said.


    Penny, seeing the problem, spoke up. "Octomom is a nickname given to a woman who literally had eight kids at one time, at least I think that''s how it happened. Because of fertility treatments. She isn''t a mother with eight arms.


    Solaris laughed. ¡°Penny, I haven¡¯t had a period since 1942. I¡¯m the ¡®unchanging maiden.¡±


    "So, you may or may not have your eggs still. And no, Marcus, you may not dive out of the car because she said period. Freaking Toddler."


    "I wasn''t going to. But I did remember that one of the ladies in the building carried a child for her aunt, who couldn''t carry to term for some reason. I mean, I have no idea how they got to them, but they did do that."


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter right now.¡± She rolled her shoulders and checked her makeup. ¡°There is the park. Time for the show. Marcus, do you mind getting the candy from the trunk? Solaris closed her eyes summoning a soft golden glow around her. Ready Penny?¡±


    "I''m ready." Penny nodded, making a note to make a few calls later.


    Solaris stepped out of the car smiling brilliantly for photos, making her way to the meet and greet area, commanding the area around her with her light and charisma.


    Marcus looked at Penny, ¡°That got heavy. I guess I¡¯ll go get the weird old times candy she bought.¡±


    "Yeah, you do that." She nodded. "I''ll follow her, keep her spirits up." she agreed, following after the small blonde. It was easy to forget that the indestructible woman was still, at the end of the day, just a person like anyone else.


    For the next six hours, between three separate events, Solaris took photos, saluted vets, and handed candy to children with a serene smile. Leaving the third, she made her way back to the car, sliding in. ¡°One more to go then a break and then the party on the Intrepid. Let¡¯s swing through McDonald¡¯s on our way to the next stop. I need a cola and fries.¡±


    "Heck yeah, just the thing after a long hot day, get that salt and liquid back in the body." Marcus nodded, pulling out and away from the picnic. He was privately impressed with how many they managed to shove into one day.


    "Indeed, she chuckled, ¡°This reminds me a bit of being on the war bond tours, the team and I hitting so many places a day showing the flag and shaking hands. We always seemed to be busy with something."


    "Yeah, they kept you busy, I''m sure. Hasn''t been a total war kind of deal since then, knock on wood." Penny said.


    "There''s been lots of wars though." Marcus said, confused.


    "Wars, or ''conflicts'', yeah. But total war is different. The US, and NATO as a whole hasn''t engaged in anything approaching the World Wars, and the dedicating of the entire industrial capacity of nations to war. Hell, Iraq and Afghanistan were financial accounting errors in comparison."


    "Thank god for that. " Solaris said, her tone holding no sarcasm. "I don¡¯t want to watch another generation get sent into a meat grinder like that again. How are you two holding up and how is the candy supply?¡±


    "We''ve got one big bag left, so enough." Marcus replied, as he pulled into the fast food drive through. "The number of girls wearing a variation of your costume amazes me."


    ¡°There were plenty of mom''s making variants of my costumes for their daughters back in the day, and boys wearing box costumes before the boxes were recycled.¡± Solaris said as she ate her snack careful to keep the grease off her outfit.They headed to the last event before they headed to the hotel for a break.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    They pulled into the last park, and stepped out of the car, to watch two tiny planes fly overhead, in a small aerobatic display. "Those are some tiny planes, man. I didn''t know they made planes in go-cart sizes."


    "Oh!¡± Solaris''s stage smile warmed into a real one. "I know those! Those are the Japanese mini-planes! they used them to attack San Francisco, or tried to at least. The Guardians and I captured them. It''s where my Kamikaze girls came from, those where all flown by young girls, most of whom had Diabetes, cancer, or some other illness.¡±


    ¡°You''re kidding. They used those to attack America?"


    "To be fair, smaller drones are doing a lot of heavy lifting in Ukraine. For morale purposes, they''d be potentially devastating." The two planes came down for a landing in a marked stretch of the park, both coming to a stop. Two women, one middle aged, and the other an older teen or twenty climbing out were both small and ethnically Japanese and were waving at people applauding them.


    "Looks like someone kept up the tradition." Penny commented.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Solaris walked towards the Asian woman, too young to be one of the original women. ¡°I wonder which girl they are descended from?" She smiled at  the two women ¡°You look good up there."


    "Years of long practice." The older woman said, bowing, then offering a handshake. Her accent was almost purely American, but there was a slight hint of Japan still there. "It is an honor to meet Elizabeth Summers. I believe you knew my grandmother. Ishi Namiko, Granny Namiko. I am Mitsu Kita, Mitsu is my given name. This is my daughter Naomi." The teen girl waved, from where she was folding the wings on one of the planes.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you. I remember Ishi, she was quite the daredevil herself behind the stick." She shook the woman''s hand, ¡°Looks like her love of flying was handed down."


    "It was, by her and her husband. He was one of the few pilots who survived the war from the Japanese side. They met when she returned during reconstruction, though my father and mother returned to the United States working for Toyota shortly before having me. My mother was her daughter, and a pilot, which is what so thrilled my father, I think." She chuckled.


    "Grandmother would have been happy to find out you had returned. She passed in the nineties, complications from her diabetes. A family curse me and my daughter dodged."


    "I am glad to hear she lived a full life. I lost track of her after she went back to Japan. Though I think Hummingbird managed to keep more in contact with her.


    "She did. Pilot girls hung out together, it seemed." She agreed.


    "Are these the planes from back then?" Marcus asked, looking at the closer of the two."


    "No. Those were Mitsubishi type 77 ''Tanukis¡¯ and the only existing ones are in museums. These are Sorrel Hyper lights, a little bigger, if you can believe it, but with gas engines instead of alcohol and missing the eight-millimeter machine guns and wing tip bomb clamps."


    Solaris gave Marcus a wry look. "I''d say I have one somewhere. but it''s probably in a museum. ¡°These do look sharp though how do they compare to the Tanukis? Those were some spritely little planes.


    "Safer, with gas engines, a little slower but more maneuverable. They''re a scale down from a slightly larger aerobatic bi-plane, but like the Tanuki''s they''re a stagger wing bi-plane, and fit into American Ultralight rules, meaning you don''t even need a license for them, though we both have pilots licenses."


    "So, wait, these ARE airplane go karts?" Marcus asked.


    "More or less. They fall under ultralight rules, meaning not really considered a ¡®real plane"


    ¡°I remember being just, and I mean just, small enough to fly the Tanuki, Solaris laughed. ¡°Nerid was too tall and none of the boys really fit, though Breakneck did his best. If it had wings, he was going to fly it, even if he had to turn himself into a human pretzel to do it.


    "Yeah. We use these instead of trying to build Tanuki''s from plans because well fed young ladies don''t quite fit." She laughed. "My grandmother never got over four foot eleven."


    ¡°It takes small women to drop big balls." Solaris said with a japanese accent and a wicked smile. ¡°One of the other girls, Hikori, used to say that when she was pretending her English was bad in front of senators to make them blush.


    "Of course, the balls in this case were ten-pound bombs, incendiary, not testicles." The older Japanese woman laughed.


    ¡°Yes, Hikori was a very mischievous girl as I remember she ran around a lot with Ishi, because Ishi was quiet and easy to make blush."


    "Yes, I heard many stories that made my grandmother blush. Auntie Hikori moved to San Francisco and married a policeman." She smiled. "But we''re keeping you away from the crowd. The stories all said you were one to inspire. Picking up where you left off?"


    "Yes, for now at least. I''m still finding my footing, but this I know, she looked over her shoulder at the line. "I guess I should get to work. It has been a delight meeting you. I adore hearing that my girls have done well by themselves.¡±


    "They benefited from someone who didn''t see them as a burden on their families, or a weapon to be discharged. Too many of their generation didn''t get that chance."


    "You are not wrong. I am just glad we were able to give them a real chance. She moved to the meet and greet line, and it was easier knowing some of her girls had done well and lived good lives. She even managed to hold a few babies without a pain of soul deep regret for photos. Laughing at a mom, with her four daughters Sixteen, Twelve, Eight and Six months. all in matching Solaris costumes.


    "Oh my, that''s a Solar system of Solarises." Penny joked, winking at Marcus.


    "Isn''t that a constellation?"


    Solaris laughed and took pictures with the family and handed out candy. She pulled a spare non-combat grade circlet from her bag and put it on the mom¡¯s head, the woman going pale as her girls screamed in delight.


    "There we go. That''s a complete outfit." Penny laughed, applauding.


    The crowd loved it. And she was swamped to the very minute she had to leave. She had a hard time getting into the car.


    "You were popular, boss. Might need to make a more custom car for events if this keeps up." Marcus joked as they finally pulled out, heading for the hotel.


    ¡°I actually ordered one, it just didn¡¯t have enough space for everyone. I believe Zoya is dropping her off at the hotel so I can take it to the party tonight. The Healy only has two seats.¡±


    "Not the Austin Healey." Penny chuckled. "He was meaning something more show car like. Not that it''s not going to be show worthy. Maybe better to say big and attention grabbing. I''ll talk to the kids."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°They have done some beautiful work. And the next little while we are going to be all hands, on deck. So, letting the, do something fun and big budget is a nice reward,¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell them to build something grand. that could be parade worthy as well. Not a float, but something."


    They pulled up to the Waldorf, headed to her suite. She smiled at Zoya who was lounging in the room when they arrived. ¡°Hey there, how was the Healy?¡±


    ¡°Pretty lux. I accidentally pepper balled a wall though. Here¡¯s the manual. ¡°


    ¡°Pepper, always a fun option. I¡¯m glad the toymakers got her done in time.¡± Solaris all but purred. ¡°Marcus you want to order food for everyone, ¡®dinner¡¯ on the Intrepid is going to be canap¨¦s at best, and I am going to want more than that. We have about an hour and a half before Cassidy and the stylist are to get here to put Penny and I together ¡°


    ¡°I will call down to room service. It should be the fastest.¡±

 Chapter 59, To the Races

    To the Races


    ¡°It¡¯s commonly questioned as to why technically oriented villains, those called Breakthroughs and Kitbashes, always seem to be stealing high tech equipment and involving it in their crimes. It seems counter intuitive, since they invent weird things all the time.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s several reasons. One, tech villains are also consumers of tech-media. They see articles about new designs and developments and if you can steal a machine, why take weeks to invent and build it for yourself? Which brings us to the second reason, laziness.¡±


    ¡°Now, why mystic villains seem to steal high-tech crap every other week your guess is as good as mine.¡±


    Andrew Fitzgerald, speaking at a signing for his book ¡°Public Service in the Heroic Age¡±


    Erica kissed Levi as they worked on their drag car. It feels good to finally get back to the track. Not that I don¡¯t love the garage, but there isn¡¯t anything quite like a race.


    Elenore peeked under the hood of the heavily modified Chrysler 300, shaking her head. "Do I need to worry about why you two left the back seat in your drag car?" she teased.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Erica purred as Levi chuckled.


    ¡°We made sure it didn¡¯t add too much weight.¡± He said with a smile wrapping an arm around the shorter brunette. ¡°You and Carl find some good seats?¡±


    "He and Bailey already have. His leg let us claim some of the seating set aside for handicapped viewers, since he can''t get up and down the bleachers." she said. "I just figured I''d come down and check on you all, since the races haven''t quite started yet." The roar of an engine, and smoke from burning rubber not too far away silenced her for a few seconds. "Though it seems to be getting closer."


    ¡°Ahh the joy of handicap seating, maybe you can get enough beers in him to get the story about what happened to him.¡± Levi said with a smirk.


    Erica nodded, ¡°Yeah, I want to know too. But we have pretty good weather so everyone is pumped to get onto the track.¡±


    "Then I''m heading to the seats, by way of concessions. I wouldn''t ever try to force secrets from an ally, but he did express interest in a beer." She chuckled. "Good luck, have fun driving Erica." The smaller woman was already in her race suit, which was almost a looser version of her super-suit.


    ¡°I plan on it. She patted the Chrysler, looking over as some techs in another bay started shouting at each other about a misplaced tool. Have we got our card yet Levi?¡±


    "Right here. Go ahead and get in line. This is just for bragging rights, so take it easy the first few runs, then we can really push her. I''ll take a rip or two later, but you''re the better driver. I''m honest enough to admit it." He also outweighed her enough to be not completely unimportant in run times.


    Elenor disappeared, moving out of the pits and towards the concession stands. She''d been shocked at how many things were around, including the display of a new hypercar, something from a chinese manufacturer that was being shown off in the race series. She''d admitted, it looked sleek.


    Bailey smiled at her from the concession lane. ¡°Hey El, how are the lovebirds down in the pit? Carl is holding down the seats, I figured I¡¯d get drinks and nachos. I can smell the delicious fake cheese from here.¡±


    "Best kind of cheese at a sporting event." She frowned, glancing back at the pits. Several crew members seemed to be arguing with each other. "Seems like we''re seeing the competitive spirit kicking in. Might be some grudge races today."


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed that the Coords have been playing referee down there. I was going to ask if it was okay to hand the shop card out, but I didn¡¯t want to bother them.¡±


    "Let''s wait till later. I think parties and stuff start later on, probably once the race start tensions die off.''


    Bailey nodded. She was still getting into the flow of the griffons, but she already loved her little apartment, with the pretty fern she¡¯d been given as a housewarming gift. ¡°That makes sense. I was hoping to talk to people before adrenaline, and alcohol, but things are tense. She ordered a tray of nachos, hot dogs, and soda, letting El order Carl¡¯s beer since she was still underage.¡±


    "Yeah. I wonder if this... no, that''s not normal." El frowned, "Did you just see that toolbox vanish for a moment?"


    ¡°What? No. Where? Bailey asked, her head swiveling around.¡±


    "In that pit, where they''re now arguing with the neighboring pit. Is someone playing games?" She muttered, scanning the area.


    ¡°We could ask Carl to review his footage, he¡¯s been recording the pits getting dialed in for the races.¡±


    "Yeah... if there''s someone playing games, we can tell the race coordinator and they can calm the arguing down." She nodded. Invisibility was not a common power, but just about everyone who could do it was some sort of asshole, at least until they got their teeth kicked in a couple of times."


    Carl waived at the girls as they walked back to their seats. "Hey thanks again for inviting me. This is way more fun than playing video games while Cassie sews.¡±


    "Yeah, I can imagine." Eleanor smiled. "Could you do me a favor? Could you look through some of your pit footage? I think someone''s playing pranks using invisibility down there, and people are looking ready to run each other over."


    ¡°Yeah, can do.¡± he began replaying his recording. "hold on... look here.¡± He pointed to a tool bench. ¡°There. Look at that snap on tool set.¡±


    "Yeah, that''s not a cheap set either... just gone." She frowned. "Not pranks, theft. I''m going to go down and tell security. Hopefully this isn''t someone who¡¯s going to get really stupid." Even as she said it, she had an itch in the back of her spine. She was getting a bad feeling.


    "Bailey, if something does happen, stay with Carl."


    ¡°Yes Ma''am.¡± Baily said knowing she wasn''t a combat enhanced.


    "I''ll keep your assistant safe." Carl said, reaching into a cargo pocket and pulling out a small flying drone. "Man, I wish I''d packed these my last gig..."


    "Speaking of, here is your beer. Damned crook is ruining my plan to get you buzzed enough to tell us." Eleanor joked, before slipping away.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She wasn''t sure what possessed her to do it, but she slipped into private and changed to her uniform, the ''cute'' dress having armor to protect her, and the cat ears having hearing enhancements that might help finding an invisible crook. She did have to adjust the peak sound cut out to account for engines, though, muttering as she worked the small wrist computer, a double sized smart watch, to get that set up.


    "Sir, excuse me." Mystic said, waving over a security guard. She was dressed like a cape, so he hurried over. "Sir, we have a problem. Some one seems to be stealing things using invisibility to conceal themselves."


    ¡°Fuck. That would explain a lot. I''ve got a half dozen teams shouting that stuff is stolen, another seven teams bullying one of the newer groups saying they stole tools, and one god damn lovers quarrel because her phone ''magicaly'' unlocked to show him the texts she''s been sending his brother. I''ve had a whole season''s worth of drama in one day!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sounds like it. My worry¡­ is there anything a powered crook might really want to steal here? I almost feel like this is a distraction. ¡°


    ¡°I mean, a smart thief could make a good haul grabbing the right parts or tools, but the only other big ticket item is the display car.¡± He pointed at the violet-colored car rotating on its display base.


    ¡°Hmm. Ignoring some of the other stuff. Well. Either way I wanted to give you a heads up.¡± Eleanor said, before drifting towards the car, curious. Of course her cell chose then to ring. ¡°El Groves speaking. ¡°


    ¡°Hello Ms. Groves. This is Headmistress Jerica Smythe. I thought calling would be easier than messaging. I hope I caught you at a good time.¡±


    ¡°Oh I am free to talk. Let me switch to air pods.¡± A few moments later ¡°There we are. Thank you for calling this, um, afternoon for you I believe?¡±


    ¡°Evening, but education never sleeps¡­. And neither do some of our students.¡±


    ¡°I had that roommate my freshman year.¡± El chuckled. ¡°Now I sent you the sort of graduates I am looking for, skill wise. A personal secretary for Lady Elizabeth Summers and a project manager for UK projects, particularly the manor restoration and social media person wrangling. I may have other interests but those are my current priority. ¡°


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been talking to my students, and I believe I have the perfect person for the project manager, his name is Harold Patel, he is not a Super brain in the traditional sense, he is a double mind. He can think and process two things at the same time, he is also a fine control low weight telekinetic.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I take it he wasn¡¯t great in biology. Sounds like a fantastic surgeon, potentially. ¡°


    Jerica chuckled. ¡°Harry hated anything to do with medicine. His family runs a small eatery, but that is going to his older sister, his family felt as an enhanced he would have better opportunities. He did well in business class, and laughs about being destined for the hospitality industry with the name Patel.¡±


    ¡°Then I want to interview him. Any other candidates?¡± She asked as she looked around the area. The car was a Chinese built supercar, in the fast but civilian use sense, and was apparently pretty hot. She admitted to herself she would love to drive the sporty thing. ¡°


    ¡°Oh, I would listen to cybersecurity candidates too. ¡°


    For the project manager job I also have a French student Charles Adore. He also is a business student, with a focus on marketing. His power isn¡¯t the most useful, he can eat anything.


    ¡°Sounds like most of the males around me.¡± She joked. ¡°I assume you mean he doesn¡¯t suffer ill effects from toxins or indigestible materials.¡±


    ¡°Correct, he can also chew through almost anything. ¡°


    ¡°I also have Margot, she is a slicer victim, enhanced and modified by Dr Grimm. She is a dragon girl, tail, vestigial wings, fire breath. She also studied marketing, and is familiar with influencer culture, she has a fairly successful tic-toc channel modeling fashion for the sliced.¡±


    ¡°Does she have issues on public transport? She sounds much like someone I didn¡¯t know I needed. I deal with influencers daily, at what seems like an increasing rate¡­ what is this?¡± She frowned, noticing a man slipping behind the car, an odd device in his hand.


    ¡°She does have some issues because of the tail, it gets uncomfortable in regular seating, the wings are small enough to not cause issues, she does have to duck on some doors because of the horns. But she is very understanding about her sliced issues. She does need a week off for¡­personal reasons about once every six months.¡±


    ¡°I will arrange a private flight then¡­ wait one, I think someone is stealing a hypercar right in front of me. Always when I have a call. ¡° She summoned her two winged tigers, only having to jump aside as the car spun out, fishtailing and nearly hitting her. ¡°I am sorry, could you hold just a moment?¡±


    ¡°Of course dear,¡± the teacher said amicably.


    She tapped her wrist unit. ¡°Weld, Focus, we have a stolen hypercar tearing ass out of the track and an invisible associate causing chaos. I am pursuing on a cat. ¡° she had jumped onto one kitty¡¯s back, and taken off after the car. ¡°Can either of you assist?¡±


    "I have eyes on the invisible man, Was just getting ready to comm you.¡± Erica said back watching the distortions in the air, ¡°Levi, take the dragster. I''ll handle the invisible asshole, since I can track him.


    ¡°Sounds good. He is heading to the west exit. Whisp, please ask Carl to assist Focus with his drones.¡± Whisp was the name given to Bailey by her own school. Old habits drilled in caused her to use the code name.


    "Roger." Baily said. Turning to Carl. "Mystic is assisting Weld with chasing a car thief, she would like to have you support Focus with your drones against the invisible man." she said Blushing at being the least useful team member there, but she wasn¡¯t a combat super.


    ¡°Yeah, already on it. Note there¡¯s a weird pile up of tools and stuff behind some pop ups near the pit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go let security know.¡± Whisp said.


    Erica twirled a wrench as she headed for the shimmering disturbance as it looted an expensive wire harness.


    Invisible Mountain chuckled quietly to himself. People were arguing all over the place and now some tiny chick was swinging a wrench like she was owed money. He looked around, wondering who she was going to hit when a sudden impact into his gut knocked the air out of him.


    People stopped arguing when a tall fat guy appeared out of nowhere, gasping and clutching his belly.


    Why is it a person gets invisibility and then immediately becomes a dick. She stepped to the left to dodge his incoming blow.


    ¡°Fuck bitch, that hurt. ¡° his wild swing had missed, but he grabbed an open rolling tool box and, with a grunt, hurled it at her as he faded from view. ¡°


    She dropped down into a spin kick, dodging the box, as she tried to sweep his legs.


    Her sweep impacted but his legs didn¡¯t move. Smirking, he faded from view as he lifted his foot for a stomp. ¡°


    She rolled forward and swung her wrench again aiming for his knee.


    She hit something, and he screamed in pain but the foot still came down on her thigh, pain shooting up through her hip. He reappeared, collapsed next to her, allowing her to drive two more hard punches into his head.


    Of course an invisible asshole decides to crash the first drag we have in New York. She snarled, she stood to see if he was down or if she needed to stomp on him a bit. ¡°Levi, how¡¯s it going out there?¡±


    A cop and several site security ran up to find him unconscious with her cursing at him. "Sorry, my teammates are chasing the car. Hopefully they can get it back in one piece."


    She jogged out, instinctively looking for her friends ¡°El what¡¯s going on with the chase!


    ¡°I am following in the air, and Levi is keeping up on the ground but we are going to lose the guy if he gets to the highway. I blocked him from the closest exit but we are coming up on another.¡±


    ¡°I can grab our sleeper, but I¡¯m not sure I can catch up.¡±


    ¡°No, we might lose him, but I don¡¯t think you have time to change our odds. Not great but true. ¡° she sighed . ¡°Weld. Are we going to need to break off? I don¡¯t know what your car is doing or how it would do on the highway. ¡°


    ¡°The dragster isn¡¯t built for this kind of driving. If he gets on the highway, we will probably have to break off. It would be too dangerous to other drivers to maintain the chase.¡±


    ¡°Right. And wrecking the car seems counter to our goals too. Break off. We will give details to law enforcement.¡± she sighed and switched back. ¡°I am sorry for all that. Now where were we headmaster?¡±


    We were talking about managers, and you asked about a cybertech. I don''t have one, but there is one out of the Japanese school I¡¯m aware of, he is extremely agoraphobic, but he is an amazing technopath.


    ¡°Hmm. Agoraphobia. I mean, not insurmountable. Can you give me contact information?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send his resume. Principal Han sent his information over to me. His name is Ren Itsko.


    ¡°I will look at it and reach out. I might have more opening up soon, so if a good prospect appears please let me know. I will reach out with travel information soon as well.


    The headmistress chuckled. ¡°I may already have a stack, word of how well Baroness Summers set up her American ESEA students has spread about so when I posted the openings you gave me I got a bit of a response.¡±


    ¡°Tell you what, I will send positions I am anticipating coming up in the next six months, we ¡°

 Chapter 60, Intrepid Night

    Intrepid Night


    ¡°Exhibits appear in all sorts of collections, regarding heroes, but currently there isn¡¯t a well-respected museum dedicated just to Superheroes and Villains. Partially, this is because a lot of the earliest heroes worked closely with the militaries or government agencies very closely.


    ¡°There is a UNLOC museum at UN Headquarters, and the USCG Whisper has a large collection of artifacts from the guardians first team and items they captured, but peace time items are scattered about.¡±


    ¡°Eventually someone will get around to a fundraiser for it, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Phantastique, speaking at a 1979 convention on super-fashion.


    ¡°How are you holding up? You haven¡¯t done this much in public in a long while.¡±


    Solaris nodded, sitting down sliding her shoes off. ¡°I am going to need a day to decompress after this, though seeing Ishi¡¯s kids was wonderful.¡± She leaned back in her plush chair putting her feet up. ¡°Maybe I should host some sort of reunion for my girls. I know the original Kamikaze girls have all passed, but it might be nice to hear how they did from their descendants.¡± She pondered, then looked at Penny. ¡°After we get done tonight, I think I¡¯d like to take the Serenity out for a bit.¡±


    "We can sail out, with the kiddos as crew, we can even take her out of the sight of land, let you have some real space for a day or so. That''s definitely enough space to detox."


    ¡°That sounds perfect. The quiet of the sea.¡± She smiled at Cassidy as she came in.


    ¡°Room service should be up soon. I figured eat then change, the hairdresser isn¡¯t in yet.¡± She said standing to greet the Tailor


    "Absolutely fine, you know me, I''m always starving." she said, leading Solaris into the bedroom of the suite then unzipped one of the garment bags she was carrying. The speedster pulled out a pale blue blouse with pearl studded buttons and a mandarin collar, and hung it in the closet then added a darker blue skirt and a dark red long wool coat to the hanging garments . None were vibrant colors, rich but muted as befitted an event recognizing, among others, those who''d fallen.


    ¡°Oh this is lovely, it¡¯s perfect for the event.¡± Solaris said. running fingers over the brushed silk of the shirt, it was sinfully soft.


    ¡°The shoes are carbon fiber, so they''ll take a little bit of a beating, but if you get stompy they will break.¡± Cassidy said as she checked the garments for any pesky wrinkles. Then opened a box and pulled out a white belt, and blue shoes, setting them on the dresser. She set out the jewelry case with a simple pearl strand and golden bracelet style housing for her smart watch. An American slash United Kingdom flag pin was already on the coat. Understated was the goal in this case.


    ¡°The A-line skirt is a good choice, I¡¯m less likely to flash people if I have to fly for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Foods here!¡± Marcus yelled, calling the two blonds to the living room.


    ¡°We ordered a bit of everything, so feel free to dive in.¡± Solaris said. Grabbing a plate.


    ¡°I included an inner lining that¡¯s shorts under the skirt. Can¡¯t really flash anyone.¡± Cassidy explained, snatching up a fried wing. ¡°You''re not the first flyer I''ve dressed. I also put a few pouches of ball bearings in the belt. If me throwing them at low Mach is painful you should have real fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Solaris smiled. ¡°I used to keep some in my belt to use against vehicles. What they do to people is best not discussed.¡±


    ¡°I am less effective, but I am also a Tailor. We take threats seriously.¡± the speedster shrugged. "Also, I never quite figured out the death Frisbie thing you did with a tiara. God, I spent time trying as a teen. And I just said that out loud."


    Solaris chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it was a last resort weapon most of the time. I trained for hours to pull it off. Let¡¯s eat then you can put me in this lovely thing.¡±


    "I am eating. You need to catch up." The stylist joked, having devoured three wings, two burgers, and a salad. Speedsters did not refuse offers of free food.


    Solaris chucked, selecting a poached fish for herself. She didn¡¯t want to have anything too heavy but wanted to make sure she wasn¡¯t hungry at the event.


    "So, make sure to get a picture standing next to your old plane. You''re going to want that for the wall." Cassidy said. ¡°And I want a copy!¡±


    ¡°Will do, it will be nice seeing the old girl again.¡± She finished eating then went and washed up, changing into the shirt and skirt. She stepped out her damp hair wrapped in a towel. ¡°How does it look?¡±


    "Looks good, looks good." She walked around her, straightening things. "Excellent. Not exactly going to take the cover of Vogue but won''t be a disappointing picture outside of that."


    ¡°Well, the look isn¡¯t complete yet.¡± The English woman smiled as Andre was led in by Penny. ¡°Cassidy, this is Andre, he is the stylist I met at Bergdorf¡¯s. He kindly agreed to do makeup and hair for me tonight.¡±


    "Oh, now that''s a flex. I''ll step out of the way then." Cassidy chuckled, moving to the opposite side of the table, still in reach of snacks.


    Andre paused to take the older blond in. "Now that''s a nice outfit, bespoke. Your work I presume?" The hair stylist nodded to Cassidy. "So, something serious, but not too serious. I can work with that."


    Andre dried Solaris¡¯s hair using his oils and creams to make it shine like gold before curling the edges, he pinned her hair up in a partial updo using pearl combs in a not quite vintage look. What do you think, I¡¯m going to go a bit more modern with makeup, a nice pink lip and subtle eye and cheek tinting.


    "With the vintage style combs, it looks perfect. Just the effect we were going for. She''s a wonderful pallet for old vs. new, no offense to referring to you as a pallet, of course."


    ¡°For artists like yourselves that is what I am. I take no offense.¡± Solaris said as her face was done up and her nails done in a soft dusty blue with a white crystal on the pinkie.


    "I like how each button is a seed pearl in a tiny broach on the coat. Elegant but reasonably understated in spite of it. Though it still speaks of wealth, important with politicians and business types.¡± Andre said, he was enjoying a chance to work with other professionals


    "Thanks, I was trying something new, a bit of bling for the buttons."


    Solaris let the two fuss and perfect the look. "Your turn Penny." she said playfully as she pulled on the overcoat, fluffing her hair around it.


    "Yeah." Penny''s outfit was a straightforward sheath dress, also with a long coat. However her coat was heavier, as she was a bit more affected by the weather than Solaris.


    Andre grinned using gold beaded combs to pin Penny''s short hair up, using his magic to give her a classy almost deco look. Her short hair limited options but had the advantage of being quick to work with. "And Voila!"


    "Looks good. Alright... guess I''m riding shotgun."


    Solaris smiled, "Indeed." she said, grabbing her bag, "I figure I¡¯ll put the top down when we get to the docks, that way we don''t muss our hair. Feel free hang out. I''ll probably head back to the house after the party.¡± she said to Cassidy and the others before heading to the elevator then down to the Valet.


    Penny called ahead so the car could be brought around. They walked out to find Solaris''s new car waiting. The Austin Heeley 3000 had its black rag top up; the seams done with golden thread. The paint was the light ''Solaris blue'' that was a signature for the hero, with the lower segment from behind the front wheel back painted white, a red pen stripe separating the two areas. The wheels were custom, and glinted gold in the fading sunlight.


    Climbing into the compact little sports car they settled onto the leather seats, dyed white, the original gauges and the original minimalist dashboard having been replaced with a compact but high-tech infotainment center, the GPS already showing the route to the USS Intrepid Museum.


    The engine purred with an aggression that wouldn''t be expected from the 2.9-liter engine ordinarily, hinting to turbochargers added to the light but peppy engine that hid under the hood.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "She is beautiful." Solaris said pleased. I was thinking of flying home, but it would be a sin not to try this out on the highway don¡¯t you think?" She moved easily into the incessant stop and go of New York traffic, her feet and hands moving gracefully as she up and down shifted or braked. "The manual should be in the glove box, want to take a look and see what the toymakers did with the old girl.¡± She could feel recessed buttons in the gear selector, and was curious what they might do.


    ¡°Seems like he borrowed the kids pepper-ball shooters, which I kind of like, I admit.¡± She said. ¡°The buttons I can sense you fingering on the stick, and the top is the nitrous shot injector. You have two preset shots you can use, about half what the engine could have, but as light as she is I¡¯d worry about hitting altitude if you pushed it too far.¡±


    "Sure..." She dug out the small book and paged through. "We also have an oil slick, that¡¯s the lower button on the stick, and a smoke generator. That, and aiming the pepper ball system is done from the little info-screen here."


    Solari chuckled. ¡°Zoya mentioned she accidentally set off the pepper balls.¡±


    Penny rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "She and her mom seem to be doing better after Hawaii. And apparently Z has reported her father to be ''Surprisingly tolerable''. Her doing the white cape thing has likely earned her a bit of grace from him, and he''s not completely stupid, and realizes he pissed the women in his life off."


    ¡°I figured a month of washing his own socks and cooking would take a bit of the stuffing out of him. I know Granny took the maids over to their place to make sure his wife didn''t come home to a disaster."


    "Yeah, apparently the guy dyed one of his costumes pink. Granny forced him to sit and learn how to sort and wash clothing properly from a teenage housekeeper. Humility thy name is red socks. She tilted her head. "Enter joke about Boston baseball here."


    Solaris laughed. "Fortunately, I don''t think the team name comes from an angry wife." Solaris hit the canopy button a block before the docks tossing her hair as the car opened. "Ready for your first grand showing?" They entered the line for the Valet, watching the red carpet treatment of the various people getting out of the cars. "Well, we stand out a bit. Look at all the big black cars." she chuckled thinking how different, her small vintage car looked.


    "Yeah, but the beast three ahead sure as heck ain''t a limo." She said, pointing at the high end supercar that was waiting their turn just a few ahead of them. "I seem to recognize that from somewhere." She chuckled.


    "Ahh, yes, that is Killian''s car. I remember it from the news." She chuckled. "It suits him. Big, powerful, and loud."


    "Yeah, and very German, I looked it up. He''s managed to keep good relations with Germany, well West Germany then reunited Germany. Partially due to having the good sense to not try to come back." She chuckled.


    "It helped that he wasn''t a Nazi himself, and he did his best to help during reconstruction. Invading the Atlantean Isles was his best move; he wanted more power but taking it from the east or west Germans would have tipped over a very precarious applecart and everyone knew it."


    "Yeah, UNLOC uses him as an example of the both best and worst kind of warlord. One who is smart enough to know his limitations, and clever enough to know everyone else¡¯s."


    "That is a good description of him. Showtime." Solaris said, taking a breath and putting her serene media smile on as she pulled up t and stepped out of the car with a swish of red coat. Stepping forward then waiting for Penny before walking towards the ship, neither woman paused for the camera¡¯s that fired at them like silent machine guns.


    ¡°I am so glad flash technology has improved. the number of popping bulbs was always a bit¡­ I believe the modern word would be Triggering.¡± Solaris said with a grin.


    The Intrepid party was a charity gathering, not quite a ball but they could hear dance music, even down at the parking zone. They walked to the gangplank and came aboard the world war era carrier, turned into a museum ship.


    Solaris looked around, thinking how much and how little changed. There were obvious updates since the last time she stood on that type of carrier, but it was still a lethal, gray beast. "Well, I can see Why Zakai wanted this event." she said dryly. "Ahh there is at least one familiar face. "I see your old boss, Helen. Shall we go say hello?"


    "Oh yes, right near your old plane. Say hello, then hit the drink table. It''s going to get dry really quick." She agreed, following Solaris through the crowd, finding how easily she moved through it funny, since she likely couldn''t see over most of the people¡¯s heads."


    "Helen, it is good to see you. How are things in the UNLOC office." Solaris said her tone friendly. She shook hands, before laying one on the hull of the F3F biplane that had been given to her, much like the rest of her team, having been retired just before the war got going. In spite of being a ¡®surplus¡¯ craft that was given to them as disposable assets, the entire team had loved the little flying barrels.


    "Well, they were quiet here in DC until your contemporary decided to be dramatic with his entrance. We didn''t even know he''d developed a medium lift, carrier grade planes for his navy. That was a surprise."


    "Yes, well I''ll apologize for what measure of fault that is of mine." Solaris said, ¡°Did you get my apology gift for stealing Penny from you?¡±


    "Yes, and I do appreciate it. Small batch, aged scotch never hurts my feelings." She chuckled. "And she was going to have to muster out anyhow. This prevented her from being tempted to a desk job at Coast Guard she''d have hated. I personally pegged her for CGIS in a few years."


    ¡°She would have done well there, she is definitely an asset working with all the younger enhanced I hired to tend the household.¡±


    "Yeah, the Fledglings, and Griffin Security. I saw it come across my desk with the notices. I won''t lie, I might bring my own car out to your kids to do some work." Helen chuckled.


    "Has my old friend started more businesses already? You never could help yourself." The accent was thinner than it was in the fifties, but the mix of arrogance and humor in the rich baritone were impossible to forget. "How are you, Lady Elizabeth." Killian von Volkhard greeted as he stepped up to the three women. His lean but muscular form was sheathed in a light wool suit with a dark tie.


    "Money that isn''t working is wasted." Solaris said, turning to her old acquaintance and offering him her hand. "You entertain yourself as a ruler, I prefer business, I think it generates less paperwork." Her blue eyes danced as she teased her old villain. He had aged, there were crow¡¯s feet now, and silver in the blonde, But he certainly didn''t look a century old. "You are looking well Killian."


    "Ach, you see, the British know how to lie so politely. I am merely an old man next to your eternal beauty, my dear." He said with a wink. "As for rulership, to be fair we are both bred for it, in the traditional upbringing sense before a reporter overhears me and gets naughty ideas. The English just always used business in place of conventional government where it could."


    He looked around theatrically. "Which is where this country came from, if memory serves."


    She laughed. ¡°You are not wrong, though King George really bungled things. And dear for being a smidge over a century I would say you are looking amazing.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do try to eat healthy and eat well.¡± He joked. ¡°Still, I prefer crow¡¯s feet to freezing. That just must have been a special kind of unsettling to awaken from. ¡°


    Solaris nodded. ¡°When I entered the lair it was alive with machines and lights, when I woke it was in a dark dusty tomb. Then found out my flat had been demolished to make way for a new building!¡±


    "Well, it is New York." He nodded. "Have you had contact with any of the others from the old days? Kitsune? Winter? He''s getting on in years, but his granddaughter is pretty active in Europe. A superhero of some note, and part of the EU premier response team."


    ¡°Not yet, I met a kinsman of hers, but it was an incidental meeting. I did get a letter from Nereid. It said ¡®Hello, glad you¡¯re back. Tankman owes me 20 bucks.¡¯ She was never the most social of us.¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t changed. Trust me. I support peace with her by donating to her national library.¡±


    That sounds about right.¡± Solaris shook her head. If it isn¡¯t the Cubs in the World Series she wants to be left alone with her books.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You missed that.¡± Penny laughed. ¡°They were surfing for three weeks¡±


    ¡°Oh I remember that. You should have seen your little librarian. Nereid went on a bender that even I admit was impressive.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow. I cannot imagine! She was threatening to set every goat in Illinois on fire last time I got us series tickets. She never forgave Thoth for refusing to ¡®break the curse¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. That was a big win. Chicago went insane. It was as much a show as the series had been.¡± Killian said.


    ¡°Did you get the pizza and cola I sent you¡±


    ¡°Most of it. I have interns along. I have found teens must feed constantly and am not brave enough to protect it


    ¡°Interns? Are you taking a page from my book now? I thought I ordered enough, next time I will order extra pies, especially if you are traveling with teens.¡±


    "Not precisely. Not in the sense of your near addiction to mentorship. In my case, it''s the fact that in the last three decades, since the Soviets collapsed, we''ve had a rather booming economy, and fewer security concerns so everything¡¯s grown. Population, economy, manufacturing, and tragically, government. We''re needing to train people to run things. Which, I won''t lie, fascinates me. I thought bureaucrats grew up in a hole."


    Solaris shook her head. ¡°The world runs on middle management, that¡¯s why I do my best to take care of mine. How have the years treated you? How is Anna? And did you ever catch that bloody Italian?


    "Anna is doing well, she''s much like us, slow aging. And the Italian in question died during the so-called Speedster wars. One of the first casualties, for his sins, and we both know they were plentiful."


    ¡°What a crying shame, may hell keep him warm.¡± Solaris said with the sweetest of smiles. So how long till you are free to see my new place? Fair warning I didn¡¯t know you were coming so I have some podcasters running about.¡±


    "Oh, a week or so." He sighed. "Did you say Podcasters? Oh, do let me know when. I will make damn sure to slip on by then. I have to protect myself from your aspersions, after all." He said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Yes, Jessie and James from Capewatch. They seem like good people, My publicist, set them up with interviewing Luna Fuega, and I¡­. ¡®Convinced¡¯ Qilin to do an interview with them.


    "Oh, I''ve only heard of him in passing, but I understand that he''s a challenge to pin down for the media. He must have irritated you somehow."


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it when you come over. I figured we can take my boat out and have a nice meal and chat away from cameras. My chef has been working hard on a menu¡±


    "Excellent, oh dear, you''re going to have to have a formal party, as well, aren¡¯t you. You haven''t had one yet. I''ve kept my eyes on events, you know."


    ¡°Yes it¡¯s being planned. We are still working on the guest list, but right now the plan is for a garden fete, it should be very Christmasy.


    "I would say it''s a bit early, but Americans seem to celebrate the holidays for several months out of the year."


    ¡°Not that early we normally started decorating the Manor in November. And I am looking forward to the gardens being full of fairy lights. I am torn on finger food or a proper feast. Both have their advantages.¡±


    "Oh, go all out, do a proper multi-course meal. Really give your chef a workout. Make them feel like they need to be in four places at once." He urged, with a chuckle.


    Solaris looked at Penny and both women laughed. ¡°As you wish Killian. I¡¯ll even make sure there is at least one German course in your honor!¡±


    "Oh, you do me too much of a kindness. I will accept a decent German beer being on hand as more than enough. You, at least, have taste unlike these Americans and their ''light beers''."


    ¡°Lady or not, I was still a soldier, who enjoyed many of Europe¡¯s finest brews¡­she turned her head at a weird metallic sound from the harbor¡­¡± why does that sound¡­familiar?¡±

 Chapter 61, Return of Lazersauras

    Return of Lazersauras


    ¡°Some laws, regarding super-villain activity, get a little confusing. This is partially due to supervillains being viewed as different, in most cases, to more conventional criminals. While Red Capes tend to be shown no mercy by courts or the public and are considered somewhere between terrorists and serial killers, others don¡¯t have that problem.¡±


    ¡°Black Capes tend to try to keep collateral, human, damage to a minimum just to keep White capes from considering lethal options. Gray capes are even shown more traditional tolerance, in spite of the law not being written quite that way.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s kid capes, the juvenile offenders. So many punks end up crossing over to the white cape side as they age, there¡¯s a strong tendency towards leniency for them, at least in more liberal political environments.¡±


    ¡°Insurance companies rage against this, which just seems to earn the capes more support, even if some teen punk might car jack you by running up behind you and picking your car up, then running away, giggling.¡±


    Madeline Parker, UCLA Law School.


    "It''s coming from the water, is there a ship in distress?" Kreigsmarine used his power to create a small set of silvery stairs allowing him to float several feet in the air, looking into the distance. "Is there a reason someone would have a large robotic Tyrannosaur coming to the party?"


    ¡°Damn it! Penny, has that little idiot already been released?¡± She floated up a bit to see herself. ¡°It¡¯s a rather misguided teenaged boy who fancies himself a villain named Lazorsaurus or some such. Last time he had water cannons, the pilot was in the chest. I pulled the thing¡¯s head off the day I was thawed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, very well. Would you be a darling and keep him from damaging the ship or museum and I will pull him out of his cockpit and give him a slap for foolishness. ¡°


    ¡°I can do that. With all the political figures here I¡¯d hate to see the idiot charged with treason.¡± Solaris took Kriegsmarine¡¯s arm and the two flew towards the mechanical robot. Solaris pulled back, taking a defensive position, summoning a shield of light. It was a great defense, but she couldn¡¯t attack or move while using it.


    ¡°Ha. I forgot she could do that.¡± Kreigsmarine laughed. He continued flying towards the robot walking across his silvery energy disks as he slipped driving gloves on. ¡°Listen, boy, I have little patience for foolishness. Shut it down now, and I will permit you to leave.¡± He yelled, voice carrying from long years of command.


    ¡°Fuck you old man! I am Laz0rsaurus!¡± The tyrannosaurus bot opened its mouth, and six heavy streams of high pressure water blasted out, the robot leaning forward, preparing to swing its reinforced tail at the elder villain.


    The older enhanced didn¡¯t move, letting the water hit him, only to blast the tail out of existence with a casual flick of his wrist sending an iron colored orb of energy into it as it came swinging at him. The bot staggered unsteadily.


    Kriegsmarine surged forward, appearing to run through the air instead of fly, his fine control of his power absolute,driving his fist through the cockpit. He pulled the cover off with one hand as though it were wrapping paper over an unwelcome gift. ¡°Do you know how hard it is to dry wool, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°What the hell dickhead! Your suit is easier to dry than it will be to fix my robot!


    "Will it?" He formed a large energy sphere in his hand, floating them up higher, and dropped it on the robot, completely destroying the torso. "There, now you have nothing to fix!" He started ''walking'' towards the Intrepid, shaking his head and carrying the teen by the ankle, dangling over the Hudson bay. "Over a century, and I''m still stunned by how boneheaded you mechanicals are."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Solaris sighed, dancing like a firefly to keep shrapnel from the now exploding robot from hitting the aircraft carrier and her guests. ¡°Really Killian?¡± She drawled ¡°that is going to take forever to clean up.¡±


    "It''s New York, this is hardly the biggest mess someone''s put in their bay." Then he got punched in the nose by the flailing teen. "Did you sincerely just punch me in the face? I respect the courage, but are you on drugs of some form?"


    ¡°Fuck you! I¡¯m not broken! I didn¡¯t even get to use my Lazer, and you destroyed my bot!¡± He tried to kick Kreigsmarine in the balls howling as he hurt his leg.


    Solaris landed on the deck smoothing her skirt. ¡°Penny, why is this child acting out?¡±


    Penny opened her mouth, but winced as a wet slap, from the backhand, openhanded slap Kreigsmarine gave the boy shortly before landing filled the air. To be fair, the ''reformed'' villain had hit the kid just hard enough to daze him, dropping him to the deck as he landed.


    "Stupid high IQ, possibly narcissistic personality disorder, large family who are all high achievers, plus he''s still young enough to get the Juvie treatment, especially since he''s so bad at what he tries to do that he''s never managed to actually commit much more than high level vandalism. Terrorism charges don''t stick because he lacks political motivation."


    "So, the boy is engaging in self-destructive performance art. Strangely consistent in our set." The German man observed.


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Solaris said, looking over at Helen. ¡°Could you arrange for me to talk to his, DCFS agent. I know he has to have one. Kriegsmarine is right, he is really, really bad at this.¡±


    "His PO more like." Penny muttered, and glanced at Helen, who also nodded. "We can put you in touch. And on the down low, he''s got family issues that were redacted from public record. I''ll get you that file."


    "Then I''ll leave the boy to you." Killian said, though he crouched. "You are lucky. Lady Elizabeth considers you worth her time. Use that to improve yourself, before someone less gentle than I targets your cockpit first." He stood, straightening his jacket. "Solaris, call me when you know about the podcast. Director, Ms. Ward." He strode off, seeking dryer clothing.


    Solaris chuckled, ¡°He loathes wet socks.¡± She said to the other two women. I don¡¯t know if I want to take the child on, but I want to know more to see if I am the right person to help him, before someone less controlled than Killian turns him to paste


    "Versus slapping the fail out of the kid?" Penny muttered, watching two marines arrest the boy.


    "I''ll send you the info. I''m willing to give you a chance to scare him straight, especially with your ''fledglings'' to help keep him in line." Helen nodded. "And I think I can convince the locals of the same. He builds annoyingly understandable but advanced tech, so he could have a legitimate future if he''d get out of his own way."


    ¡°We will see. Though I am a bit of a sucker for a sob story.¡± Solaris rolled her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯d say that deserves a trip to the buffet and bar. Solar shield always leaves me hungry.¡±


    "Yeah, I think that sounds good." Penny agreed. "I mean, how do we top Kriegsmarine blowing up a giant robot for the evening?"


    ¡°It really shouldn¡¯t have exploded that easy.¡± Solaris said. Taking a plate and loading it up. ¡°We need to let the podcasters and Zakai know Killian wants in on the interview.¡±


    "Oh? I thought watching them twitch would be fun." The technician said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Oh, I am sure they are going to twitch. I can¡¯t imagine him doing a lot of low-key interviews.¡±


    "He''s actually known for shying away from the Media. He does the occasional press conference, but one-on-one interviews are fairly rare."


    Solaris felt her phone in her purse buzz and set down her plate. ¡°That is probably Zakai now.¡±


    "Hello Solaris, this is Tracy from EpicEmblem, Zakai asked me to reach out since there was a dino. He''d have called, but he''s at a thing with air force friends." She said, "I saw what went down. Let the German Juggernaut bat cleanup tonight? Might be a few appreciative about that. He rarely displays his current power level."


    ¡°He¡¯s not the best on defense and there are a lot of VIPs on the ship, so it made more sense, if we both went on the assault, we might have hurt the kid¡­we are both a bit competitive.¡±


    "And he''s not known for being a major threat, giant mecha notwithstanding." She agreed. "We wanted to know if you were going to need to drop a statement since this is the second run in with Mechasaurus or whatever he called it."


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m going to talk to his PO or DCFS counselor and get back to you. I am debating if I want to work with him before he gets himself killed. See if I can get him on a straighter track.¡±


    Solaris looked up at the UNLOC commander. ¡°Would it be okay to make the statement tomorrow?¡±


    "Do you notice how the only person he injured up and left? He barely managed disturbing the peace this time, so no real need for a statement. Unless you expect the Chancellor to return, I think it''s going to be pretty light paperwork for a giant mecha attack."


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± She turned back to her phone. ¡°I¡¯m going to go mingle a bit, I¡¯ll let you know what happens with Lazorsaurs tomorrow.¡± She hung up. Heading into the more dangerous world of politics to talk to the governor and DEA, she was going to have fun complaining about New York¡¯s ridiculous gun laws.

 Chapter 62, Beer Run

    Beer Run


    ¡°Why is it, anywhere else in the city we¡¯d have people asking for autographs, but here we get ignored?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen what other people wear to Walmart, late at night?¡±


    Luna Fuego and Qilin, while searching for an escaped crook in Walmart


    Chancellor Killian Von Volksburg was already stripping off his jacket and tie as he walked down the gangplank of the intrepid, revealing the tight undersuit he wore, a Kevlar weaved ''union suit'' in the black, white and red of his new nations flag, a flag based on the Northern German Confederation from before the first world war. It had seemed appropriate as he had left to form a ''new'' Germany in a way.


    He tossed the jacket and shirt at an aid as he approached his car, ignoring their questions about his well-being. "Get that to a dry cleaner." He kicked his pants off. "Those too. If they can''t save the suit, burn it. Then you may go back to the hotel."


    ¡°Yes sir. ¡°His aide said draping the wet clothing over her arm as her partner opened the door to the car for him. Would you like one of us to accompany you?¡±


    "No. I''m going to irritate the fools trailing me, then find decent beer assuming there is any in this god forsaken city." He said. "Have a good evening." He closed the door, started his car, and took off, smirking as he noticed the unmarked cars coming up behind him. Flicking a switch, he activated the green and white lights the American''s used, and goosed the throttle, losing his tail in fifteen minutes of what even he would admit was rather reckless driving. One of the best ways to vent one¡¯s frustration, drive fast and annoy lesser men.


    ¡°Now to find a liquor store.¡±


    In front of Franks booze and lotto, Greg sat watching he¡¯d been tootling around looking for a good car to boost when he saw the big shiny car he didn¡¯t recognize, but it screamed money. He watched the big man go into the store, then, in a blink, he was in the car and taking off. Calling the shop to let them know to get the torches hot.


    The Chancellor ignored the odd looks he was getting for his outfit, or general presence. Killian wanted decent beer. "Becks. Well, it''s not a micro-brew but it is more than acceptable." He nodded, picking up a twelve case of bottles. Carrying them to the front, he paid and walked out, to find his car gone. "Well, this is going to be irritating." He sighed.


    Pulling out his phone he glided up into the air, "Yes, have intelligence locate my car, and give me the location. Someone has decided to volunteer themselves to let me vent some frustrations."


    Yes sir, there was a brief pause. You should see the location on the GPS on your phone sir. Do you need me to contact local law enforcement for cleanup? Say in¡­twenty minutes?


    In the garage Metallica winced as the sexiest car she¡¯d ever seen rolled in, with a nasty subharmonic whine. The other men in the garage, half of which were tweaking, cheered. She winced, pulling on her headphones to try and block some of the noise.


    Their leader had a big smile. ¡°Hey Tweety get over here and get started breaking this down.¡±


    Metallica groaned. ¡°Boss, this is bad news. This kind of car is going to bring enough heat to weld with.¡±


    He stomped over and smacked her hard across the face, knocking her headphones off. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask your opinion bitch I told you to start chopping!¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Thank you for the location. No, no, Make it thirty. No reason to rush." He shifted to fly in the direction of the beacon, passing over the lower buildings as he hung up his phone, whipping around taller skyscrapers as he let the GPS link guide him in. Before long he was in a poorer neighborhood off Manhattan Island, a small warehouse with far too much activity around it. "My, someone''s industrious."


    The man known as Kreigsmarine landed just in time to watch the girl, who was sensibly objecting to stealing his car, get slapped by a fat man with food stains covering his chest. "Well now that is not gentlemanly." He stated, even as he began walking into the warehouse. "Especially when she''s giving you good advice."


    The fat man spun around pulling his gun and shooting with a clear lack of remorse for whoever was in the muzzle path. Metallica dropped to the floor not wanting to get hit half deaf from the shot so close to her she crawled on her belly towards the car, figuring under it was probably the safest place she could be as all the other idiots that worked for the shop also started shooting.


    Kreigsmarine didn''t even miss a step as the nine-millimeter round pancakes against his chest, reaching out to backhand a goon that was charging him with a crowbar, the act filled with almost casual indifference, sending the bulked up, prison tatted thug spinning across the warehouse and into a wall. Another foolish man charged him and Kreigsmarine simply picked him up by the throat and tossed him unceremoniously at a group of fleeing thieves.


    He finally reached the fat man, the third or fourth bullet having destroyed itself on his torso. He reached out and ripped the gun, and one of the man¡¯s fingers, from his hand and broke it in half. Reaching out, he lifted the corpulent criminal by his throat. "You are thinking ''I work for this man'' or ''I paid for protection from'' as though it matters. I am Kreigsmarine. I am the ruler of a nation. I am more powerful than you could dream to be. You have no protection."


    Sniffing, he looked down, rolled his eyes, and threw the man into a dumpster nearby. "And you also lack bladder control.


    The dumpster made a ringing sound and the tweekers he¡¯d knocked down scrambled to their feet, half running away and half shooting guns or throwing whatever was at hand at the villain. Hitting him the car and their friends with equal fervor


    "Ihr verdammten Arschl?cher, ihr schie?t auf mein Auto!" he yelled, slipping into his native tongue in frustration.


    Grabbing a nearby, half stripped Tesla, he hurled it at the men, the crash of steel, glass, and flesh driving the rest out the back and away from the chaos.


    He dropped to one knee and peeked under the car. "You may come out. The idiots are gone, and I have no hostility towards you." he said to the girl with the headphones.


    Metallica looked at the man. The firefight had left her over sensitive ears bleeding. And she was having trouble hearing him. She scooted out from under the car raising her hands. ¡°Dude, I want no beef. I can get that whine outta your engine if you let me go.¡±


    "Get in the car. We should leave." He sighed. "At least they only hit the roof¡­Wait, what whine?"


    It took her a moment to make sense of his words. ¡°Pretty sure your water pump is getting ready to go. It¡¯s quiet now, but it¡¯s going to fail if it isn¡¯t fixed.¡± She said hoping she wasn¡¯t shouting ¡°Fuck I hate guns.¡± She thought to herself


    He ignored her shouting. He figured her ears were ringing. He started the car. There wasn''t an error message, but he considered her. She seemed so sure. ¡°Get in. I know a place where you might be able to find a job... and take my car to get the holes fixed at the very least. Idiots with their guns." He grumbled. He set his Beck, still in its case, between the seats.


    She wasn¡¯t sure what he said but she understood his gesture and reluctantly slid into the passenger seat. Hoping none of the oil and grease from her clothes got on the leather. He pulled out and made several strategic turns before turning for Long Island. ¡°Are your ears over the ringing yet?¡±


    ¡°Starting to, sir.¡± she said, glancing over at him with bright green eyes. ¡°Sorry. I have enhanced hearing so gunshots¡­ mess me up.¡±


    ¡°Ahh. Thus, the headphones. I understand. Now how did you end up working in a crowd of fools? You appear to have actual sense. ¡°


    She shrugged. ¡°Fat gut was my mom¡¯s brother, she and my dad died of overdose, so he¡¯s raised me since I was around two.¡±


    ¡°Ahh. Well, he likely lived.¡± He shrugged. He tapped the assistant key on his wheel. ¡°Call Solaris.¡±


    ¡°Hello? Is there a problem Killian?¡±


    ¡°Can your little fledglings fix automotive bullet holes? Oh, and I hate New York.¡±


    ¡°Bullet holes? You only left the party a half hour ago¡­ Bloody hell, someone stole your car didn¡¯t they. Yes, they can handle bullet holes. I¡¯ll message Levi and let them know you¡¯re coming out. Do you need the address for the garage?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have it. I also have a potential employee for them. Poor girl got stuck at a chop shop when she obviously was smarter than the mouth breathers. ¡°


    Solaris arched a brow. ¡°I¡¯ll have Elenore there as well then, she¡¯s my project manager. How far out are you?¡±

 Chapter 63, Zen and the Art of Automotive Repair

    Zen and the Art of Automotive Repair


    ¡°It is an unfortunate assumption among the general population that enhanced equals unstoppable. This is far from the truth, even amongst those who throw on a cape and seek adventure, and this is far from the majority of enhanced.¡±


    ¡°Many enhanced abilities have no benefit in a fight or conflict but are still extremely valuable. Technologically gifted enhanced are among the most obvious of this group and are also the most at risk.¡±


    ¡°There are unsavory groups that seek to acquire enhanced without protection, preferably young and inexperienced, to make use of their abilities for nefarious profits, essentially an underground human trafficking trade seeking controllable power instead of simple chattel.¡±


    Jean-Marquis Beaton, Enhanced Security Symposium in Zurich, 2019.


    ¡°Oh, thirty minutes. I have also been told there may be an issue with the water pump.¡± Kreigsmarine said, as he turned to take himself and the girl out of the city.


    Solaris was unfazed, having long since gotten used to this sort of conversation. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good. I¡¯ll let them know.¡± She hung up and dialed Elenore. ¡°Darling, are the lovebird¡¯s home, or are they at the garage?¡±


    ¡°Garage. So is Badger and me. Why?¡±


    ¡°Someone stole Kriegsmarine¡¯s super car and apparently shot it up when he took it back, so he said he¡¯s bringing it and a mechanic he allegedly rescued or potentially stole from the chop shop along with him. He asked me to see if we could hire her.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will chalk that up to you old school guys being klepto. Souvenirs, people, several airplanes and tanks in your case. Apparently aggressive hiring practices for him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re wrong, but evidence proves the contrary. He¡¯s going to be there in about a half hour.¡±


    Hanging up, she turned back to the businessman she¡¯d been chatting with before the call. ¡°I apologize about that, can¡¯t seem to escape the unusual from time to time. Now please, continue. I am always looking for potential investments.¡±


    Elenore hung up and headed downstairs glad she hadn¡¯t left her office yet. ¡°Levi Erica! We got a client incoming.¡±


    ¡°Do we have clients?¡± Levi and Badger nodded, agreeing with Erica¡¯s question. Z listened from where she was going through her tips.


    ¡°Yeah, the boss just called. Kriegsmarine is bringing in a car with bullet damage.¡±


    ¡°Dude! That is so cool. Did you see the beast he was driving? I wonder if it¡¯s that car.¡± Anzy said, walking in from shutting down her food truck, her eyes wide.


    ¡°Oh yeah. I am all about looking at it. They only built like two hundred and twenty-five or something of those things. I looked it up.¡± Levi said, rubbing his hands.


    ¡°Do none of you care that it¡¯s being driven by like, the most well-known, retired super-vil on the planet?¡± Z asked.


    ¡°I mean, he is retired.¡± Levi shrugged. Badger nodded with him.


    A short while later Killian pulled up to Griffin Garage. Metallica blinked; she hadn¡¯t really expected him to take her to a garage. She was honestly shocked to still be alive. Still, she wouldn¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth.


    There was a small group of people waiting to watch them as they pulled through the building¡¯s garage door. Four young women and two guys, most of them wearing clothing that showed signs of working around grease and grime, though one more elegant girl was wearing a short skit with hose and a blouse, not really fitting the space.


    She hurried to climb out of the car when she realized the tall, terrifying man next to her had opened his door to exit already. ¡°Ahh, the infamous fledglings. I assume Lady Elizabeth has called ahead. I am Kreigsmarine, though I suspect you knew that. This is Metallica. I thought you should meet her, and since my car happily, or rather unhappily, needs service it seemed convenient to bring both to you. ¡°


    ¡°Yeah, the boss called.¡± Levi went over to look at the bullet holes. ¡°Hm. This is carbon fiber. That¡¯s a freaking nightmare to fix. We can do it though, just don¡¯t ask us to rush it, or it will never be sound again.¡±


    ¡°We can also fix that water pump. Sounds like it¡¯s getting ready to be problematic.¡± Erica added. ¡°Sounds like the bearings are going bad, I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t baby her when you drive.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Interesting. She said the same thing.¡± he said, glancing at the girl, consideringly.


    Metallica gave them a shy wave. ¡°Hi. Sorry to bother you. Mr. Kriegsmarine thought you might have a job for me. I¡¯m good with cars.¡±


    ¡°She also has common sense, a rare enough trait on its own. And was being forced to work in a chop shop.¡± The older man shook his head. ¡°Considering how this turned out for her co-workers, I thought she deserved another option, for a more positive work environment, with a better safety record. ¡°


    The skinny brunette smiled her face a bit green as she remembered the smell of crushed tweakers. ¡°I¡¯m an enhanced class D. Minor across the board and midrange enhancement to hearing. I¡¯m also sometimes a brain, but I don¡¯t know what class. It¡¯s kind of stupid and unpredictable.¡±


    Badger tilted his head. ¡°Sometimes?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I¡¯ll just black out and go super brain, or I can trigger it with meth. That''s probably how uncle expected me to pull that car apart in a hurry.¡± She was bright red admitting it. But she didn¡¯t want to piss off or lie to anyone the living dreadnaught was introducing her too.


    Eleanore frowned. ¡°No judgement, but are you a meth addict?¡±


    ¡°No, I hate the stuff honestly, even if it does work. I am not sure I can be. My parents were both tweakers. I figured one of them took something weird and made me what I am, but it seems to come with being able to process the stupid garbage.¡±


    ¡°Fair. We can try to sort out less toxic and illegal helpers.¡± Elenore said, while making a mental note to keep an eye on her, just in case. ¡°So do people call you Metallica?¡±


    ¡°Uncle called me Tweety. I usually tell people to call me Talia, it¡¯s easier.¡±


    ¡°We can work with either, Talia.¡±


    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am. Should I put it on that lift?¡± At Eleanor''s nod, she climbed into the driver¡¯s side, started the car and wheeled it across the bay to park.


    Elenore turned her attention to Kreigsmarine. ¡°Well, we can start on the car tomorrow. It¡¯s going to take more than a day or two, considering its carbon fiber, and the water pump issue. Parts are going to be interesting to order.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡±


    The younger girl listened from inside the car, nervous. Things had been hard at uncle¡¯s place, but they were a known variable. This was unknown, what kind of


    garage had one of the world¡¯s most famous villains brought her to. There was a pointy robot working on something in the corner, and two identical chargers, except for some paint job differences, getting what looked like armored panels replaced in two other bays.


    ¡°I will leave it to you. My aide will check in on the repairs in a few days, just for an update. Worst case, I¡¯ll have it held at my embassy until I can arrange for it to get shipped home.¡± The villain turned political leader walked out the door to a limo he¡¯d summoned and left without much further conversation.


    ¡°So, got kidnapped by Kreigsmarine, dragged to a random shop, but on the bright side, Hypercar to work on.¡± Levi said, stepping over to her while two of the girls closed the door. ¡°Weird night.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± she said, getting out of the car. ¡°What would you like me to do?¡± she asked her fingers nervously toying with the hem of her t-shirt. Her green eyes took in the shop quickly. Everything was top of the line, nothing worn or kit bashed. Well, except for the evil looking spider bot who was crooning to itself as it shelved parts. She looked a fool here with her stained shirt, torn jeans and holey sneakers and she knew it. The other grease monkeys were all wearing Carhart and new steel toes.


    ¡°Okay, first, I am at most only six years older than you, so please don¡¯t call me sir.¡± begged Levi. ¡°This is my girlfriend, Erica. That¡¯s Badger, Anzy... you¡¯ll see a lot of her.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Anzy winked.


    ¡°And that¡¯s Zoya being all mysterious in the shadowy corner, we all call her Z. She¡¯s probably closer to your age.¡±


    ¡°Yo.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not eighteen are you.¡± Erica added, and it wasn¡¯t a question.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fifteen. Well, fifteen-ish. Might be sixteen. Not entirely sure when my birthday is.¡±


    ¡°Right. So, we¡¯re taking you home, to our home, to figure out what to do. And stop looking embarrassed. Crazy old German guy probably did right by you here. Guess he must keep his Karma balanced somehow, even if he has to do it by kidnapping a minor.


    ¡°What¡¯s your favorite food?¡± Anzy asked. The chef was almost twitching at the visibly underfed form of the girl.


    ¡°Um, I love French fries.¡± she said softly. ¡°So, you don¡¯t work for the Dreadnaught?¡±


    ¡°Kind of the literal opposite. We work for Solaris. They are kind of Frenemies from back in World War two. Hit each other with cruel and unusual bits of geography from what I understand.¡±


    ¡°French fries? Never mind. You know what? We¡¯re going to explore that more later.¡± Anzy muttered.


    Talia scuffed her feet. ¡°Okay. Fairly sure I don¡¯t want to go back to the garage.¡± She shivered, rubbing her arms and remembering the sound of the Tesla hitting her coworkers, their screams resonating through the building. ¡°Okay, so where are we going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to head to the house, and we¡¯ll introduce you to the boss there.¡± Levi said, ruffling her hair.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to find Nahoa and we¡¯ll go track your uncle down, as we need him to... agree to your residency with us, but I don¡¯t see this being an issue.¡± Elenore said. ¡°And Honey, terrifying as your encounter with him might have been, I think Kreigsmarine might have saved your life. We can all see the handprint on your cheek, and Anzy isn¡¯t the only one who wants to give you a sandwich.¡±


    She flushed again. ¡°I told Uncle he was an idiot lifting something as hot as that car. He didn¡¯t like me arguing about chopping it.¡± She reached up and touched her cheek. ¡°Kriegsmarine saw him hit me. I think that¡¯s part of why he decided not to blame me for his car.¡±


    ¡°That and he said he heard you talking sense. Let me guess, you thought trying to sell parts from a Hypercar with less than three hundred world-wide examples was, as they say in the industry, stupid as shit.¡± Erica chuckled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was that rare, but I saw the light bars, which means cape, and cape means trackers, and not just LoJack. No way that wasn¡¯t getting found before I got rid of them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding. For the record, you¡¯re going to see a lot of cars with those lights around here.¡± Eleanor admitted.


    ¡°Hell kiddo, when you¡¯re ready to build yourself a car, we¡¯ll make sure to get them on that, too.¡± Levi joked.


    Anzy giggled and nodded. ¡°We have them on the food truck, just in case.¡± The Ukrainian girl admitted.


    Talia blinked. ¡°You have a super food truck?¡± she asked as the fledglings bundled her out the shop''s exit.

 Chapter 64, The New Girl

    The New Girl


    ¡°One thing that Batman comics got right is the habit of Enhanced to find themselves adopting other Enhanced. Even in the cape community, or maybe especially in the cape community.¡±


    ¡°See, what happens is, some idiot does something horrible to an Enhanced teen and draws a cape¡¯s attention. Said cape does something arguably justified to this person, and takes the kid in. The system is badly set up for Enhanced, and this tends to end up with responsible capes, hero, and villain, taking in a suddenly homeless, powered waif.¡±


    ¡°We just aren¡¯t putting them in bright colors to be our personal bullet distractors. I mean, come on. Bruce Wayne was a dick that way.¡±¡¯


    James Marsdale, ¡°Comics and Real Life, Where They Unite and Divide.¡±


    Madam Ruan answered her cellphone as it rang, turning away from the laptop she denied knowing how to use when her grandson was around. He felt good, helping her with it sometimes. ¡°Hello, Elenore. I was wondering if you were staying out all night. Calling to let me know?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re on our way back.¡± The younger woman said. ¡°But we¡¯ve had a wild evening. I have a new foundling; she¡¯s going to need the full granny treatment. Her Name is Talia. She''s fifteen; I¡¯d say about five three, maybe ninety pounds. Kriegsmarine, of all people, brought her in from a tweeker chop-shop.¡±


    The elderly woman turned to her computer, and switched tabs to Amazon, bringing up women¡¯s clothing, checking for selections that could be delivered by the next day. ¡°So, check her for obvious health issues, and watch her for drug issues while making sure she eats. I can do this. I have done it before.¡± Grandma Ruan replied. ¡°I¡¯ll put her next to my room for the first few days. Do we have her things, or do they need to be fetched?¡±


    ¡°I was going to take Thud and go get it. Can you have the lawyers get me any paperwork her previous guardian needs to sign?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call and have them forward it to you.¡± Granny said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them to make an electronic signature, then you can use your IPad. Oh, and make sure not to bring anything dirty or troublesome into the house. You make me worry about bedbugs.¡±


    ¡°Great, I needed that mental image.¡± Elenore groaned. ¡°We will drop her off and I¡¯ll pick Thud up. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to figure out where she''s from, by looking up the police reports. Oh, and change of course. This feels more like a night for Mystic than El.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Thud to put on his suit and mask. Remember, they must also sign the ¡®not under duress¡¯ portion. I¡¯ll get a special notary on the task.¡± She commented as she quickly selected a few t-shirts, hoodies, and easy to re-seam jeans and pants into her shopping cart.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to get that signed too, thanks Granny.¡±


    A short while later they pulled into the house and Anzy headed right for her kitchen splitting in three, which caused Talia to freeze in shock as she got out of the car.


    ¡°Yeah, Anzy can be five distinct versions of herself.¡± Erica explained. She was sticking close to the other girl. Elenore was climbing out of her own car and talking to their big Hawaiian friend already. ¡°Hey, want to go somewhere quiet?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to be doing. I¡¯ve never been in a place like this.¡±


    ¡°Yah, I know right.¡± She led her into the house and down the stairs, taking her into the home theater, closing the door. ¡°Go ahead and take off the headphones, it¡¯s sound proofed to a crazy level. I come here when it is too much, myself. So, are your auditory senses your only enhancement, or is it all of them? I got the full package, but my eyes are the star of the show.¡±


    ¡°All of my senses are a bit enhanced, but my hearing is the strongest, whispers are the same as regular speech, and I can hear dog whistles, but I¡¯m not like listening to quiet conversations a block away or anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank God. You¡¯re not stuck with hearing what¡¯s happening miles away crap. I knew a kid who got that. They installed what amounted to anti-hearing aids straight into his head.¡± She shook hers. ¡°Your headset, Beats by Dre?¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah. One of the porch pirates gave them to me for Christmas last year, they have noise canceling. Not that it helps much in a firefight.¡± She pulled the lime green headset off. ¡°It¡¯s weird being somewhere so quiet. Like a headache I didn¡¯t know I had going away.¡±


    ¡°I know. Me and Levi did the same to our bedroom here. I also wear a mask when I sleep, in case I randomly decide to peek through my eyelids.¡± she chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll get you some Raycon¡¯s too.¡± She showed her own ears. ¡°Almost as good as the beats, but a bit lower profile so people don¡¯t wonder why you¡¯re rude about headphones when they talk to you. Also, I just think they¡¯re a bit better sounding, by just a touch, but that¡¯s a personal opinion.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, not that I really got out much. Uncle kept me busy. If I wasn¡¯t doing cars, it was air conditioners or e-learning.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, you absorb YouTube tutorials like a sponge.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Anzy does that when she¡¯s bored. One of her is frequently bored.¡±


    ¡°I also read manuals. Uncle would usually dose me on Mondays so I could absorb more material quickly.¡± The girl looked around as she spoke. The furniture here all looked nice and expensive, so she dropped down and sat on the floor.


    Erica sat on the floor next to her. ¡°You know we are going to have to make sure you aren¡¯t going to tweak out on us. We cannot have you fighting with Kar1n over catalytic converters.¡± She joked.


    ¡°Eh, not an issue at all, blacking out isn¡¯t fun. I don¡¯t really crave it, not like the others at the flop house. Near as I can tell it doesn¡¯t work the same on me. It makes me brainier, and enhances my senses, or at least that¡¯s what uncle says.¡±


    ¡°Weird, but not unheard of. Likely a physical complication more than a magic feather issue. ¡°


    ¡°Magic feather? What¡¯s that?¡± She was relaxing a bit. The older girl understood her, since she was also enhanced sensory.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Ever see Dumbo? Some folks have psychological blocks regarding their powers. They come up with a thing or action needed to use their powers, like Dumbo¡¯s feather for flying. ¡°


    ¡°Never seen it, but that makes sense. So, what am I supposed to do? I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯ve brought me here.¡±


    ¡°You know, in your case I think we¡¯re all going to be figuring that out.¡± Erica admitted. ¡°But working at the shop is on the table, if you worked in a chop shop you at least have the basic skills. If you¡¯re big brain, you fit in well around here. Penny, Badger, and to a lesser extent Levi all have that going on, so you¡¯ll fit in. Anzy isn¡¯t a brain, but she collects skill sets like most people do baseball cards, so she can kind of be relatable to. I know what the sensory thing can be like. Right now, just catch your breath. The Boss ain¡¯t going to let you fall out into the cold or anything.¡±


    Talia nodded, her fingers twisting the edge of her T-shirt. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to help at the shop. I am used to working. It feels wrong to not be doing something.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fun. We mostly work on our own projects, either whatever weird crap Badger has going on, or some wrecks from Copart¡¯s we are rebuilding to sell most likely. Imagine a chop shop that reassembles the cars and has actual licenses.¡±


    ¡°You all seem happy here.¡± Talia said. ¡°But isn¡¯t your boss likely to be irritated that you brought me here? I mean, they obviously have money.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, she¡¯s rich.¡± Erica nodded. ¡°And she¡¯s the one Kreigsmarine contacted about dropping you off, so you¡¯re not going to be a major surprise to her. She¡¯s not going to be upset. Worst case, she¡¯d talk to the academy about finding you a place there, which wouldn¡¯t exactly be a bad thing either, but I don¡¯t see her doing it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Most people don¡¯t handle surprise guests well. Do you think your friends will get my stuff? It would be good to get a shower and change. I feel like I¡¯m getting everything around me dirty.¡±


    ¡°Nice thing about hardwood floors, and the theater seats end up with a bunch of mechanics crashing on them watching the Fast and the Furious after work all the time, so they wipe clean nicely.¡± She assured her. ¡°But they¡¯ll get your stuff, or we¡¯ll find something around here. Although we might be able to get you something more comfortable now.¡±


    She helped the other girl up, and they put their ear protection back before heading upstairs, finding Cassidy and Carl talking to Anzy.


    ¡°Oh, there you are! I made you something to eat!¡± the chef said, urging the girl into a chair and slipping a nice soup and sandwich in front of her, both hot. ¡°Tomato bisque, and an Italian Beef with some au jut. That¡¯ll put some warmth in your bones, on a chilly night.¡±


    ¡°She threw that together in the time I¡¯ve sat here. Speaking as a speedster, I have no idea how she did it.¡±


    Carl nodded, eating his own sandwich. He did not care how it was done. ¡°She should meet Lisa.¡± he murmured.


    ¡°I should meet Lisa.¡± Cassidy joked.


    Talia looked at the food. It was like something from a magazine. She took the sandwich double checking with a glance that it was okay and took a bite. the flavors danced over her tongue, like nothing she¡¯d ever eaten before. She closed her eyes and just sank into it. Eating with an almost mechanical dedication. Chewing and savoring every bite before turning to the two bowls. She drank the brown broth in the small bowl, which was beefy and oniony, then used the spoon in the red tomato soup which was clean and weirdly a bit smokey and cheesy. She didn¡¯t speak or make a noise till all the food was gone.


    She blushed, looking up at the others, who had watched her devour the meal. ¡°Thank you, that was really good.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome.¡± Anzy said. ¡°We¡¯ll get you a few favorites other than French fries by the time I¡¯m done.¡± She winked. ¡°Though I like a good fry myself, I admit.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Cassidy. This is going to sound weird, but do you have a pajama pattern in your magic sewing box thing?¡± Erica asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I have a couple, though I don¡¯t do a lot of nightwear. Need me to pop something out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she got dropped off here without anything, and I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take Thud and Mystic to finish their conversation with her uncle.¡±


    Cassidy and Carl could hear the air quotes around the word ¡®conversation¡¯. ¡°Right, she looked at Talia who blushed. I¡¯ll go run a few things off for her, why don¡¯t you take her to get cleaned up? I¡¯ll have a nightshirt done before she¡¯s out.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Come on, let¡¯s get you some towels and you can get a shower.¡±


    The grandmother approached Erica soon after the skinny young woman had closed the bathroom door. ¡°How does she seem?¡±


    ¡°Stressed, worried, not sure what¡¯s going on. You know, normal for around here.¡± Erica chuckled.


    ¡°The first two issues will be quickly fixed, the third¡­eh she¡¯s used to not knowing what¡¯s going on. I ordered some Amazon for her; Talia is not going to enjoy shopping at stores the way others do. To loud.¡± She¡¯d also been thinking in terms of if the girl got sick from detoxing, but didn¡¯t say it.


    ¡°Yeah, though the boss will still take her for some fancy, but those weird personal shopper rooms are kind of soothing.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Still, I can order her the stuff I use for sensory issues. That¡¯ll help. Though I¡¯m not sure what to think about her principal power needing amphetamines. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason that could happen, but if she¡¯s really processing it differently than normal humans that raises other issues about her metabolism.¡±


    ¡°She will need a doctor. I will talk to Penny; she will know who to contact to get the girl a physical.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s going to need someone conversant in Enhanced physiological weirdness. I¡¯m betting she¡¯s going to turn out to have an enhanced physical endurance of some flavor.¡±


    Granny nodded. ¡°It is common. And it only makes her skinnier, looks like Calvin Klein model. Fragile and unhealthy.¡±


    ¡°I think Amzy¡¯s Slavic grandmother instincts kicked in early, she¡¯s got that ¡®I will feed her¡¯ look going on.¡± Erica chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just glad she¡¯s not bigger than me. Yet. She¡¯s like


    fifteen.¡±


    ¡°She will grow a bit with food but stay shorter and slighter. Thank goodness she has a sensible nickname, would not want to yell Metallica every time I wanted her, it would confuse Alexa, and the music would then confuse Elizabeth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯d be having metal playing all the time, rather we wanted it or not. I wonder what music she actually likes. Oh, and the other nickname she has is Tweety.¡±


    ¡°Tweety? That is cute. Not sure it¡¯s a good cape name but it is cute, she is a little bird.¡±


    Cassidy came over with some soft blue clothing. ¡°I kept it simple. Blue night shirt and matching underthings. I am printing her a pair of jeans and a top for tomorrow. The coat will be done by then too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m not sure what condition what she owns is in, but based on what she had on her, I¡¯m guessing a lot of stuff that Solaris will consider... gardening clothes, is that how she put it? Could you maybe add an insulated shop coverall to that?¡±


    ¡°I''m guessing whatever clothing that kid has will need incinerated.¡± Cassidy said firmly. ¡°Yeah, I can get some overalls done. I will make it soft armor, like the jacket. Considering everything, she might need some defense against this uncle and his goons.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking her over to the garage tomorrow?¡± Carl asked


    ¡°It¡¯s her native environment. Figure she¡¯d calm more long term once she got to working with the garage team.¡±


    ¡°Yes, keep her busy. Make sure she is good, not craving poison.¡± Granny said approvingly. Put her in the small room downstairs. Granny will keep her close while we decide where to put her room.


    ¡°That works and ironically is also what she¡¯s probably familiar with. I wonder if that German freak even knew how young she was, or if it was just that old world ¡°Slap a woman? Astounding!¡± reaction.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, he probably didn¡¯t like seeing a girl hit, especially if she was telling the others they were being stupid.¡± Granny said. ¡°Erica take Talia¡¯s things in. She won¡¯t want to wear dirty clothes on clean skin.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±

 Chapter 65, Breakfast Greetings

    Breakfast Greetings


    ¡°Breakfast! The most important meal of the day!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a speedster! Every meal is the most important of the day! You¡¯re all Hobbits on crack.¡±


    Solaris found herself smiling as she sat at the table, loaded with breakfast and her Fledglings all about. She was feeling better after the fight and a few hours alone, to weep for the dead and the lost, alone with no one watching. ¡°How badly was Kreigsmarine¡¯s car damaged? she asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.


    ¡°Couple of bullets hit the roof, so Kar1n will need to weave new carbon fiber into that.¡± Levi replied, between bites of pancake. ¡°Course, we also discovered its water pump is going to go, so we have to pull that and either rebuild or replace it, depending on what¡¯s wrong with it. Either way, he¡¯s going to be without his wheels for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Killian can muddle through without his toy.¡± She turned to consider Erica who was sitting next to the nervous Talia, though the smaller girl was crushing the French toast in front of her despite her nerves.


    ¡°This must be the mechanic he mentioned, she is younger than I thought she¡¯d be. Solaris said, her voice kind as she passed Erica bacon for the girl. ¡°Looks like you are getting her settled in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Metallica, Talia for short. Thank you for the food and room.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome, Killian doesn¡¯t give recommendations lightly so you must have impressed him somehow.¡±


    ¡°I think he heard me tell my uncle he was being stupid by taking his car then um, saw him smack me. He said something about common sense is not something he sees regularly, or something?¡±


    ¡°It is a rare gift.¡± Solaris agreed. ¡°Now does anyone need anything from the city. I am going to the UNLOC offices to talk to LazorLad¡¯s parole officer.¡±


    ¡°Why? Did the dumbass do something else? Escape or something?¡±


    ¡°No. he was paroled, so decided to attack the Intrepid. He didn¡¯t even get an attack off before Kriegsmarine blew up the bot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we saw that on the TV.¡± Carl said. ¡°So why are you getting involved?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure yet if I am. I¡¯m going to get more information before I decide. I¡¯ve now encountered him twice, both times he could have been far more destructive than he was, I am going to see if I can help him, and if he¡¯s worth helping.¡±


    ¡°Well, that sounds fun.¡± Erica said non-committal.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get my beating stick.¡± Marcus commented.


    ¡°Yes, I recognize he¡¯s likely to be a complete toad, but I wouldn¡¯t be me I¡¯d I didn¡¯t at least try.¡±


    ¡°Fair, but if and when he causes a problem, don¡¯t get annoyed at us when we put him in his place, one way or the other. You bring him in, we¡¯ll try to keep him out of jail, but no promises about casts.¡± Z grumbled. She was not a morning person.


    Solaris chuckled, ¡°That is perfectly fair, none of you are bullies, if he earns a punch in the nose so be it, kindness goes so far, some people also need the stick not just the carrot.¡±


    ¡°Fair. If we can put him in his place if he needs it.¡± Levi nodded. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t, great. We have plenty of projects a bright kid like him could work on. Otherwise, he gets to work with Kar1n on part cleaning.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Sounds fair he¡¯ll maybe learn to build better robots.¡±


    ¡°Hey, who left this big thing in the media room. Nearly broke my foot on it.¡± Granny demanded, holding an enormous gun in her arms. ¡°Penny?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not one of mine.¡± Penny said, frowning. She glanced at Badger who shrugged.


    ¡°All my projects are at the shop.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ me¡­ I am pretty sure I built it last night. I had trouble sleeping, and I think I blacked out.¡± Talia said, raising a hand. ¡°It looks like my style.¡±


    ¡°Should I assume you tend to have your blackouts when you¡¯re feeling a bit stressed?¡±


    ¡°Um, unusually.¡± She blushed standing to look at it. ¡°Looks like I did projectile and sonic. I don¡¯t remember making things, but I usually can figure out what I made, and my brain loves sonic stuff for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Well, we should probably figure out what it does.¡± Penny chuckled. ¡°We can do that in my own workshop later. Then maybe take it apart and see if we can duplicate it. A sonic cannon sounds fun.¡± She even knew just the right place to put one on Dreadful, if she could figure out how to build one, and make it fit.


    ¡°Did you build it to fire game disks?¡± Marcus asked looking it over.


    She looked at the gun, spotting an X-box logo. ¡°Yeah, sorry. I tend to repurpose things around me. Looks like it shoots disks and pens¡­¡±


    ¡°I think those are Xbox parts.¡± Marcus said.


    ¡°Going to need to replace that. And hope the hard drive is somewhere. ¡°


    Solaris saw the young girl wince and smiled calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry dear, nothing we can¡¯t replace. Penny, do we need to take Talia in for registration, or shall we let her settle a bit first?¡±


    ¡°I need to take her to register, but I can get the offices there to handle the fosterage to. UNLOC understands unconventional paperwork streams.¡±


    ¡°I can come with, keep her company.¡± Erica offered.


    ¡°Alright then, that is five if we have Marcus drive¡­. She puffed ¡°I have no desire to squish in, Penny do you mind driving? Levi, can you and Erica look at getting some people movers? We might need something with larger seating arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Do you want the limo or the bus? Or just a big SUV or two? We just finished redoing the bus the other day. The limo is detailed and clean, but we haven¡¯t done any of the update work we want to do yet.¡±


    ¡°Bus? Limo? When did we get those? I was thinking of one of those three row SUVs¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve had the bus. We stumbled across it when looking for other things. It was super cheap to buy, but ugly pink and purple. We ripped out the seats to put more comfortable stuff in, and we painted it. The Limo was used but still in good shape, so we¡¯re doing updates, so we have one handy. But yeah, a big SUV would be easy enough to track down and set up for smaller groups. The bus was kind of ¡°When everyone goes on a plane together¡± kind of ride.¡±


    ¡°You want us to recondition one, or just buy something? I mean, a Lincoln Navigator with a nice package should be easy to track down in the tri-state area. Or an Escalade.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯d go Cadilac. They have like the biggest on the market right now, and I mean, you can¡¯t go wrong with a Caddy.¡± Carl suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to your discretion; I think maybe get two. One for here and one for the shop. It will also be good for hauling parts on rainy days.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll split the difference. Buy one, find something to rebuild and spiff out, then we can take the first offline and really do it right.¡±


    ¡°That works for me. Z would you and Marcus run to the store and get Talia kitted out, toothbrush, soap, brushes, makeup, those sorts of things.¡±


    ¡°Can do.¡± She nodded, tapping some notes on her phone, a habit she picked up from Elenore.


    ¡°I ordered her some basic clothes online last night.¡± Granny Ruan added.


    ¡°Badger and I will start working on Kreigsmarine¡¯s car.¡± Levi said.


    ¡°I can go looking at the cars we need.¡± Elenore said, though she was more accurately going to go to the highest rated Cadilac dealership and order what they needed. It had to be in inventory somewhere that it could be shipped in quickly.


    ¡°Excellent. Any other morning business before we head for the city?¡±


    ¡°Not really, before last night, it was going to be a lazy day, really.¡±


    ¡°Alright Talia go get your shoes, Erica grab what you need and meet us at the car. She paused. ¡°Do you have a cell phone, Talia?¡±


    ¡°Um. No. My uncle didn¡¯t think I needed one. ¡°


    Granny Ruan opened one of the drawers in the dining room hutch and pulled out a box and card. ¡°Here is one of the burners. We can get her something on the plan when it¡¯s calmer. ¡°


    ¡°That works for me, might just hit the Apple Store, they have all my information so it shouldn¡¯t take much to set up but that depends on how long other things take.¡±


    Erica nodded. ¡°That will do for now. I will help you set it up in the car, so we have it if we get separated. ¡°


    ¡°Thank you. Siri, and I are mostly getting along well, but I¡¯m working on mastering more complicated applications. Well, let¡¯s get going.¡± Solaris stood and went to get her favorite bright blue purse and matching heels then headed to the car.


    ¡°Why do you have a drawer of phones?¡± Tallia asked.


    ¡°In case we break one. It comes up. Especially for Z. ¡°


    Z waved that¡¯s me. My dad is a hero, as well as a judgy drone parent.


    ¡°Right. Okay. So, let¡¯s go, I guess. ¡°

 Chapter 66, Family Matters

    Family Matters


    ¡°There are numerous misconceptions about enhanced registration, some of which I hope to clear up. The first, most important, is that it is not mandatory! Yes, criminal enhanced are required to be registered, and a court may order someone to register if there¡¯s another reason to assume they could be a threat to themselves or others, such as mental illness, but for the average citizen, there¡¯s no requirement to register.¡±


    ¡°Second, the fact that you are registered does not pop-up on any general background check. Even police departments and federal law enforcement must specifically request if there are any records in the Enhanced Citizens Database which connect to a suspect, and requesting it does require a justification given, signed off on by either a District Attorney or a ranking member of the police force in question. Even then, there may be a follow up from the Register seeking more details.¡±


    ¡°Even then, they get a heavily redacted document, outlining powers and providing enough information to confirm it¡¯s about the requested target, such as a partial social security number. Even the subject''s name is replaced with a pseudonym, if chosen, and there will be no pictures. Anything more requires a subpoena.


    Willow Starling, St. Nicholas Think Tank.


    ¡± Penny, can you give me an overview of empowered registration?¡±


    ¡°Fairly straight forward. Some limited testing. In her case they can confirm things fairly easily, with hearing and vision testing. Well, ignoring the tech part. They¡¯ll issue a registration number pending confirmation by a physician qualified in, in her case, pediatrician enhanced medicine.¡±


    Solaris listened, nodding. ¡°Are those difficult to find? The only doctor I know in this time is Lady Frankenstein, and she could have odd ideas.¡±


    ¡°Very true. There are a few pediatricians qualified as enhanced specialists, and several agencies and services will direct people to qualified people.¡±


    Talia looked at Erica, ¡°I thought registration was bad? Uncle said it would just bring hunters to the door looking for powers to farm.¡±


    ¡°Just the opposite, for a minor. It makes the government aware of you in case hunters show up, and the info is strictly protected, like Apple took notes from them. The information is not permitted to be kept outside of specific secured databases, and it takes stacks of paperwork for anyone to access the information. We¡¯ll register you under Tweety as a pending cape name. Your name will be automatically redacted to that in the documents after entry, outside of specific circumstances.¡± She sighs. ¡°It¡¯s not a perfect system, but it¡¯s a lot harder to ask neighbors where Dreadful and Tweety live than Penny and Talia.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s well protected?¡±


    ¡°The data is up there with social security numbers. Possibly more so. I won¡¯t swear someone can¡¯t get the information but¡­¡± Penny chuckled. ¡°It¡¯d have to be a particularly stupid power-farmer to try getting through this house to get to someone.¡±


    ¡°Because there are so many enhanced there? The security did look really good.¡±


    ¡°I think she was referring to Grandmother Raun.¡± Solaris chuckled.


    ¡°True, although yeah, all of us are trained to some extent in security and combat. Academy system kids or military backgrounds.¡± Erica added


    ¡°Academy¡¯s? You got to go to school for your abilities? That is so cool, were they able to help with your senses?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and yes.¡± Erica said. ¡°Some meditation techniques, coping tools. And finding the most comfortable accessories. I don¡¯t own these Raybans just for looks. ¡°She chuckled. ¡°People spend so much time convinced that superpowers are just OP they don¡¯t realize they come with issues. You and I need sound dampening, Levi can¡¯t wear synthetic fibers for safety reasons. Even the boss here has to have specially made shoes, if she wants anything other than a pair of crocs.¡±


    ¡°I will go barefoot before I wear that fashion crime.¡± Solaris said firmly.


    Talia giggled at that. I had those squishy earplugs for sleeping. Last night was the first time I¡¯ve slept without them. It was amazing!¡±


    ¡°The house is surprisingly soundproofed.¡± Erica nods. ¡°Pool house too. And don¡¯t tell Anzy your opinion on crocs, boss. She swears by them for doing deep cleans on kitchens. Apparently, they¡¯re very non-slip.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an amazing cook. The eggs this morning were amazing, and that bacon I didn¡¯t know it could taste like that!¡± Talia said, closing her eyes remembering the taste.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°She¡¯s a trained chef, and very gifted. Trust me, you¡¯ll be eating good, kid.¡± Penny chuckled. ¡°Although bacon tends to take care of itself if you pay even half attention. Though where she buys it, I don¡¯t know. She goes to farmers markets and specialty places when we aren¡¯t looking.¡±


    Talia smiled. ¡°She seems really nice; everyone is much less scary than when Kriegsmarine dropped me off.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s kind of a lot, isn¡¯t he. We were half ready to fight for our lives.¡± Erica said chuckling.


    She nodded. ¡°I thought he was taking me to some new sweatshop or something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, at least that wasn¡¯t the case. Of course, we¡¯re likely the only place he knew of to take the car after it got a hole in it.¡±


    ¡°It is a beautiful car. I offered to fix the water pump if he didn¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Killian isn¡¯t always a good man, but even at his worst he wouldn¡¯t raise a hand to a child.¡± Solaris said her tone comforting. ¡°And he appreciates a skilled technician. I mean, he is German.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Erica agreed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve set up your phone, put all of our numbers into it with our names and code names.¡±


    Talia read over the names, memorizing which code names went with which person. They pulled up to UN buildings visitor parking. ¡°Okay so let¡¯s go start getting Talia¡¯s paperwork done, then I can meet the PO in a half hour.¡±


    ¡°I can hold down the fort here if you have to leave and come back.¡± Penny promised as they walked in, showing their ID and stating what they were there to do. They entered the UNLOC floor, to a relatively busy but calm hum. The registration office was far from the main operations area so quieter still. Penny, who had pulled the forms off the net and filled them out with Solaris at stop lights and other hold ups, handed over the paperwork they needed to get the ball rolling.


    Solaris smiled at the Receptionist. ¡°Hello, I am here with Talia... Metallica Smith. To get her registered and listed as my ward.¡± She handed all the paperwork to the woman


    ¡°Of course. Oh, and you have the family paperwork. Let me type this in. Oh. Um, give me one moment, I need to check something in the back.¡±


    Solaris nodded, then looked over at Penny. ¡°At least I was able to meet the parole officer here. Otherwise, we would have had to make two trips.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. And technically his title is ¡®High Risk Juvenile Offender Supervisory Officer. Or a JO. Because politicians are stupid.¡±


    The woman came back, and sat down, looking over the paperwork again. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re going to have to wait for a liaison with the FBI. There are irregularities here.¡±


    ¡°FBI?¡± Talia squeaked, backing up looking for an escape.


    ¡°May I enquire what kind of irregularities are there? Do I need to contact my lawyers?¡± Solaris asked, tipping her head.


    ¡°Well, possibly, but you don¡¯t need to panic, especially you young lady.¡± The office worker, her name plate read ¡°Warren¡± said. ¡°It¡¯s not due to anything you¡¯ve done. A girl by that name, with this birth information, was kidnapped in 2011. Her parents were located deceased, but she was not found. Obviously, you can¡¯t be a suspect, and Agent Ward here would have been a child at the time herself. However, the person who signed the paperwork you had is not listed as a relative but was a person of interest in the case.¡±


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Right. So, Uncle, may not have been Talia¡¯s uncle but her kidnapper. All we can do is continue.¡±


    Erica patted the younger girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Talia, you are going to be okay. We will make sure you are safe and cared for.¡±


    ¡°The FBI do have some questions for you, but that¡¯s simply as a person of interest... under certain Tailoring rules you aren¡¯t responsible for the use of but are also not covered by anonymity regarding knowledge of some items used by certain local gangs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to answer.¡± she said, shrinking into Erica. ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll be much help. I tend to be blacked out when I do the interesting stuff.¡± she said softly.


    ¡°Answer what you can.¡± Penny suggested. ¡°We¡¯ll be upfront about the issues, but we¡¯ll also make sure a lawyer is here so paperwork stating you aren¡¯t being prosecuted will be in place first.¡± Penny turned to Solaris. ¡°Elizabeth, I¡¯d suggest going to the JO and getting that handled, I can hold down the fort here. I¡¯ll also call so she has a lawyer present for any sewing questions.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Message if you need me. She walked out of the room.


    ¡°Is it really going to be okay?¡± Talia whispered to Erica.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll be fine. Worst case, we¡¯ll bust out of here, and head for Fiji.¡±


    Talia gave a nervous laugh, her heart pounding, not cops, or DFCS, it was worse it was FBI. Her heart was pounding, and her vision began to dim.


    Erica grabbed her hand. ¡°Take a deep breath. I¡¯m right here. I¡¯m not going anywhere. Just breathe.¡±


    She took a deep breath, shivering, Pushing down the panic, the black sliding pack, ¡°Sorry.¡± She said blushing. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to be sorry about.¡± Erica looked at the woman at the desk. ¡°Do you have a quiet room I can move her to? She¡¯s having a panic attack.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, in here.¡± She moved around the desk and opened a door to a conference room, it being quiet compared to the rest of the building, the chairs soft and comfortable. Erica helped Tallia move, settling next to her at the table, never letting her hand go. ¡°Here we are. Deep breaths.¡±


    The quieter room was helping her focus on her breathing, focusing on Erica''s hand. until color came back to her vision. ¡°It¡¯s going away...¡±


    ¡°Good, good. We¡¯ll just sit in here. And we won¡¯t let anyone hurt you or anything. Okay?¡± Talia nodded. ¡°Okay. How long do you think it will be before someone comes?¡±


    Penny shrugged. ¡°Hour? Two? Not very long, honestly. They¡¯ll likely check to see if any of the family who might have reported you missing are alive.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was only two when mom died. And I don¡¯t remember her talking about family. Mostly I remember her saying ¡®oh my god my baby¡¯s talking. Is my baby talking or am I that high?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Right. You got a contact high, and it triggered your super smarts, meaning you could talk younger than usual. ¡°


    ¡°Yeah, Mom stayed mostly clean while she was pregnant. Mostly.¡±


    ¡°God bless the placental barrier. It¡¯s not perfect, but it¡¯s likely why neither of us have spare fingers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gladder I have a fully functioning brain and heart. I watched a Youtube video about crack babies. and it scared the heck out of me.¡±

 Chapter 67, Dumb Little Smart Boy

    Dumb Little Smart Boy


    ¡°Juvenile offenders who are enhanced are almost a bigger issue for police and social services than either ordinary juvie¡¯s or adult criminals. These are young people who often have the same trauma in their past as their unenhanced companions, and then were given power at the point where wish fulfilment could be considered to happen at the worst possible time.¡±


    ¡°On top of that, the level of restraint and restriction that can and must be used on adult enhanced criminals can be considered severe with adults, it is down right draconian, even dystopian, when seen in use with a child.¡±


    ¡°Due to this, courts will often try to find any other solution to simple containment for the enhanced child offender, preferably wanting to find some sort of mentorship from an adult enhanced, even a fosterage with them if the home is broken.¡±


    ¡°It works very well, except when it fails completely. There¡¯s really no middle ground.¡±


    Lt. Ralph Beiri, manual ¡°Juvenile Enhanced, Challenges in Policing and Corrections.¡±


    In another room Solaris smiled at a much wearier looking set of agents. ¡°Thank you for making time for me. I wanted to get more information about Lazorsaurs.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, the smartest of my little idiots.¡± The man sighed, glancing at the woman next to him. ¡°He didn¡¯t settle into the house like you hoped.¡°


    The woman shrugged ¡°They had good luck before, but it was a long shot. We placed him with a family that had been good with high risk kids in the past but this young man is challenging.¡±


    ¡°Please, tell me what you can, my last two interactions with the boy felt more like cries for attention than actual attacks. I want to see if I can be of help before he actually goes full villain.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong. I am a psychologist with DCSF. Doctor Francine Lucini.¡± The older woman across the table said. ¡°He¡¯s by luck more than skill avoided doing any physical harm to a person in any of his little displays. He has reached a pretty substantial amount of property damage, but usually it is just a grandiose level of vandalism.¡±


    She opened the case folder in front of her. ¡°The poor  boy has never really had a chance at normal.  He is a dual citizen, US and Canada due to his parents. His mother is a problematic


    woman¡­¡±


    ¡°She is a cape chaser. ¡° The Juvenile Services officer scoffed.


    The woman ignored the officer. ¡°His father is a tech-oriented criminal from Quebec who is currently serving a long sentence for a violent bank robbery in Canada. We have denied him official contact with his son, but he has a gift for acquiring smuggled cell phones. ¡°


    ¡°So mum is no help, and dad is a bad influence who is probably trying to angle for the boy to break him out? How has he been with other homes, you mentioned problems. Also is mum involved at all in his life?¡±


    ¡°She gave up the second time he acted out, and my bet is that the breakout idea is exactly his father¡¯s goal. He is one of the tech types who can equip goons on his own, and likes to keep some super muscle handy. A wannabe mastermind. He totally reads like a Doctor Evil type from what I¡¯ve seen. ¡°


    ¡°Someone had the audacity to call themselves Doctor Evil?¡± Solaris asked, shocked at the pure ego that would require.


    ¡°Um, no. Doctor Evil is a character from a comedy series of movies. He has his son as a minion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, apologies.¡± Solaris returned to the topic at hand.  ¡°So, his mother is not in the picture at all, is he violent at his foster homes, a runner, or just a prig.¡±


    ¡°If prig means arrogant jerk, yes. He can be violent if he thinks he needs to be, but signs suggest that is reactionary. His attacks have all targeted property, not people, and have all the planning and target discipline of a toddler throwing a fit, to be honest it''s almost more destructive performance art if it wasn¡¯t so reckless. ¡°


    ¡°Does he have any friends? How is he with other teens?¡±


    ¡°He does have a younger half sister, who¡¯s four or five now, he is very affectionate and protective of her. She is with his mother and stepfather so he doesn¡¯t get to see her often. Unfortunately, no friends, and he tends to ignore other teenagers in his own age group, since they can¡¯t really keep up with him. He¡¯s a genius as well as tech enhanced. ¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°This is only made worse by the fact that he¡¯s been around a lot of high-risk kids, meaning a lot of scuffles, and while he¡¯s not a physically imposing enhanced, there¡¯s not a lot of enhanced who aren¡¯t at least able to throw a punch or two if they need to. He¡¯s really good at thinking he¡¯s the big man in the yard.¡±


    ¡°His father probably taught him to fight dirty, which is fine as I¡¯d do the same, but one has to know when it¡¯s appropriate.¡± Solaris nodded, ¡°Alright let¡¯s talk to the boy. And get his opinion. I think I am willing to take him on. But I want to hear from him first.¡±


    The two nodded, and the PO left the room to fetch Grayson, Shortly they returned with the sullen teen in tow. The brooding was replaced with confusion at the sight of Solaris.


    ¡°Hello, Grayson. I am thinking of fostering you.¡± She said bluntly. Teens, she knew from experience, didn¡¯t take bullshit well. ¡°I wanted to talk to you first so we started on even ground.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you blow up one of my mecha recently?¡± He said, frowning. ¡°You¡¯re the one who was wearing the really weird ripped up outfit.¡± He paused, thinking. ''Then you were there when that german guy bombed my mech.¡¯


    ¡°An excellent display of situational awareness. Yes, you were attacking a cruise ship right after I thawed, and I ran defense for Kriegsmarine when you came to attack the Intrepid. Sincere question, do you have something against boats?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just raising a little hell, and do you know how hard it is to hide moving a mecha around without going under water? I mean, the boats are right there, and generally in the way to get anywhere more interesting.¡±


    ¡°I will grant the stealth concern makes some sense, though the rest seems like poor planning. Do you have any goals? Something you¡¯d like to achieve once you are old enough to be on your own. Or even an actual target for these outbursts of yours?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never thought about it.¡±


    Solaris nodded. ¡°It¡¯s hard to think ahead at your age. I can see several paths you could take, but they all depend on you. Some lead to comfort and wealth, and some lead to a cold cell and an early grave. If you want, I will foster you. You will live in my home, and I will educate you, and support your growth as a super scientist, however, I won¡¯t tolerate black cape behavior.¡±


    He opened his mouth, but she held her hand to stop him. ¡°I will not block you from talking to your father, but I will insist that you choose a member of the house to be your confidant, and anything he talks to you about is discussed with them. This is not so that they will report to me, but so they can give you an outside perspective that I think you need. You will work at my shop with other enhanced, including others gifted with super intelligence. Don''t worry, they build weird stuff as well as regular cars. I think they are still upgrading my tank.¡± He looked interested at that.


    ¡°Anyway. I will give you boundaries to respect, and an opportunity to be better than you are now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you say other enhanced working on a tank? What type of tank?¡± Grayson said, leaning forward.


    ¡°Why do you have a tank?¡± The JO asked.


    The DCFS person had looked her up and was a bit more informed. ¡°She collects them, apparently.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little Japanese tank; it was a gift from a friend. My fledglings are working on upgrading it with more powerful engines and toys.¡± She smiled, boys never changed, and neither did toymakers. One armored vehicle and you had their attention.


    ¡°I am hoping working with the team will help you develop social skills you desperately need, and build better mecha as well as. I''m strong but even I shouldn¡¯t have been able to take down a mechanical kaiju that easily.¡± She shook her head, she had laid out the deal, now for the bait. ¡°I did some research on mechs and such in this modern day. Apparently, there is an event in the UAE called Slaughter in the Sands. I was thinking it would be a good opportunity to work with other kids your age from the EASA program, if I sponsored a team.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Slaughter in the Sands! Yeah, it¡¯s way more elite than any of the North American mecha competitions. They let you wreck the hell out of real, better than military spec stuff. Wait, better engines? What are they doing, LS swapping a tank? Wait, could that work?¡± He instantly got lost in his head.


    Solaris smiled at the officer and psychologist agent, letting him ponder options for a few moments. ¡°Techs, so easy to get lost in their own heads.¡±


    After a few minutes she tapped his shoulder, drawing his attention once more. ¡°Now, do you think you can live with my rules, or are you going to let this last opportunity to be more, slip through your fingers?¡±


    ¡°You sound more interesting than the other places they¡¯ve stuck me in, and Juvie is just dumb.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve dodged Juvie outside of short stays due to New York state being a disaster, kid. Keep that in mind.¡± The JO said dryly.


    ¡°I am willing to give him a chance.¡± She said looking at the other adults, then turned to him. ¡°How you use this last chance well is up to you. I¡¯ve already told the others that they don¡¯t have to tolerate your behavior if you decide to be a toad.¡±


    ¡°I should mention, the only reason we¡¯re considering this is she has a staff filled with Academy graduates, meaning they have the sort of training you completely lack.¡± The parole officer  stated. ¡°I¡¯m betting you get froggy, the first time or two Ms. Summers here won¡¯t even hear about it, except by the bruises you show up with.¡±


    ¡°I believe the modern phrase is ¡°play stupid games, win stupid prizes.¡±¡± Solaris said with a shrug.


    ¡°Does he have any things to pack or are they already here?¡±


    ¡°Here. Honestly, he was looking at a stint in Juvie till you contacted us, his current home is no longer interested in him corrupting a lot of kids who are finding a better footing for their lives. This is pretty much it before we urge the courts to go the penal route.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I rather figured that was the case. He was a bit too close to treasonous behaviors with as many politicians were on the Intrepid last night. She looked at Grayson. Get your things. I¡¯ll call my house-manger and have her prepare a room.¡±

 Chapter 68, Tweety and Dino

    Tweety and Dino-Boy


    ¡°The universe is a constant conflict between three equal and opposite forces. Those are Energy, Matter, and Irony.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about? That makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Then explain to me why, every time we go out dancing, we end up fighting supervillains?¡±


    A frighteningly common conversation between married heroes.


    About 20 minutes later they were still waiting, though it had given Talia time to calm down. Then Erica¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello, is this is Erica Jackson?¡± She answered, the number not being familiar.


    ¡°This is special Agent Susan Milovich. I am with the Las Vegas office of the FBI. Was your mother named Erin Mathis?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What did she do this time?¡± Erica rolled her eyes, just amazed by the coincidence.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a loaded question.¡± The agent chuckled. ¡°Actually, this doesn¡¯t directly concern her. Did you know she had a sister named Melinda?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah. I thought it was Linda, but it might have been Melinda. She was like in California or Florida or something, with a band bum last I heard.¡±


    ¡°She passed away in 2011, I am sorry if you were unaware. And your grandparents reported her daughter as missing when the child wasn¡¯t found with her or her common law spouse after their deaths. ¡°


    ¡°Okay.¡± Erica was beginning to think the universe was playing a prank on her. No fucking way, She thought to herself.


    ¡°You are currently the child¡¯s only living and not currently under, shall we say judicial concern and the girl has turned up in New York City. ¡°


    ¡°Her birth certificate lists her name as Metallica Oroborous Smith.¡±


    ¡°Yep, the universe is pranking me. I am at the New York UNLOC office with her now. An associate of my bosses brought her to us. You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m her cousin? That almost makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what did they say?¡± Talia asked, listening to both sides of the conversation, her face as shocked as Erica felt she was.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Weird.¡± The FBI agent said. ¡°And technically you are the next competent adult in line regarding family who could claim custody, as your parents are not considered appropriate. ¡°


    ¡°Since one of them is probably in prison for something and the other one should be?¡± Erica said dryly. ¡°I am happy to take custody, we were kind of here for that anyhow, kind of. What do we need to do?¡±


    ¡°I was going to ask you to meet the DCFS officer there as another person was going to take custody but didn¡¯t know she was already a victim of enhanced trafficking. She had a recognized ability before her disappearance at two.¡± Agent Milovich said not hiding the relief in her voice.


    ¡°Yeah, I am aware of both those facts, my boss was going to foster her, and I am aware of her sensory enhancements, I have different but similar abilities. If I take custody it¡¯s less of a problem for everyone involved if I take her, or so I assume.¡±


    ¡°You want to take custody?¡± Talia asked, Penny hearing only half the conversation, trying to keep up, stayed quiet.


    ¡°Yes it will be easier, I will let the DCFS rep explain what needs to be done.¡±the agent said


    ¡°Am I talking to them here in New York or to someone in Vegas?¡¯


    ¡°There in New York. They were going to take her into custody if needed. This should prevent that. We will have to confirm her ID first, but we have a handprint on the file with fingerprints. We can use that.¡°


    ¡°Yeah, she would not handle custody well. She freaked out enough when we found out that the FBI had to be called.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine why.¡± Agent Milovich said dryly. ¡°If you could provide our field office there with info on who she was with we have questions for them.¡±


    ¡°We can do that. Pretty sure he was probably a dealer or something for Aunt Melinda. He was running a chop shop up here. Is your officer going to be here soon?¡±


    ¡°Should be. We just wanted to reach out as soon as we could. We¡¯re just happy she was found at all.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that not too many missing persons are found after so long, and even fewer found in good shape.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a good day. Something you can''t deny the value of.¡±


    ¡°Definitely not.¡± The door opened as she ended the call. Erica looked over. ¡°FBI, Unloc or DCFS?¡± she asked, squeezing Talia¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry cuz, I got you.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I am Captain Oliver with UNLOC, this is Agent Wallace from FBI. We wanted to pop in, check on you. The DCFS rep isn¡¯t here yet. ¡°


    ¡°Okay, take a seat, Agent Milovich and I just got off the phone. It seems by some weird twist of fate I am Talia¡¯s cousin.¡±


    ¡°Strange. Fortunate for all involved I suppose, but very strange.¡± The agent said, surprised.


    ¡°Vegas said you¡¯d have questions for her? Is it okay if I FaceTime a lawyer for her?¡± Penny stepped up, handing Erica a laptop, with a lawyer already on the screen. ¡°Because I already have, and I really won¡¯t let her answer if you say no.¡±


    ¡°I am Robert Dawson, representing Ms. Smith.¡±


    ¡°That is completely fine. I more than understand wanting one, though as a victim of power trafficking and a minor we were not planning on any form of prosecution.¡±


    ¡°You will sign documents to that effect?¡±


    ¡°I can, with limits on what that proscribes, but you know how that goes I suspect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fax a boiler plate to the office there, and we can have them signed.¡±


    Erica leaned closer to her little cousin. ¡°First rule of dealing with law enforcement, let your lawyer earn their paycheck.¡±


    ¡°We still have to wait for DCFS anyway. She is a minor and we have to confirm your authority or have the rep sit in. For her safety. We can go over what we want to discuss with your council, however, and confirm with them we aren¡¯t seeking prosecution. ¡°


    Talia looked around. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t mean to cause such a mess.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is your fault, your fake uncle is to blame here.¡± Erica said.


    The federal agent nodded. ¡°And frankly kid, I will happily be troubled by returning a lost child to her family. Give me that kind of trouble every day on the job, and I would die a happy and content man. It¡¯s the thing I became a copper to do.¡±


    ¡°Weird we have such similar powers though.¡± Talia said.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t uncommon, though cousins can be a bit more varied than siblings. what is weird is that we both expressed really young.¡±


    A tall young woman with bright red orange hair walked in with a shiny briefcase. ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Libby Abrams. I was told Ms. Smith was in here?¡±


    ¡°Um, that is me.¡± Tallia said.


    ¡°And by strange luck, I am Erica Jackson. ¡°


    Libby blinked, setting her case down. Looking at her phone and the messages. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s super convenient. Since you are here, I assume you are wanting custody?¡±


    ¡°Considering everything, yes. I work for Ms. Summers so there¡¯s no issues there. We just didn¡¯t know everything at the time.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine. I will need to run financials and do a home inspection. Do you have a room for her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my employer provides a two-bedroom house, and I share it with my significant other.¡±


    ¡°Good, I can come do an inspection today, it¡¯s an enhanced juvenile so I have a bit of extra leeway in some places, less in others.¡± Libby said. She looked at the agents. ¡°I can listen while I sort paperwork if you want to start your questions.¡±


    For the most part the questions weren¡¯t that deep, as Talia remembered very little about who things were sold to, though when she was shown pictures she could identify items she¡¯d built, and what they most likely were going to be capable of.


    Once done, they were left with the social worker. ¡°Okay. Your lawyer got me most of what I need. I just need to do the inspection and get your signatures on some forms, and Metallica will be your ward.¡± She said cheerfully.


    ¡°So you are aware, we needed to take her shopping for, well, just everything. We took longer here than expected. ¡°


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that always the case? Well Ms. Summers has a foster care certification, so I can release her to Ms. Summers until we get the inspection done. Metallica wants to stay with you so it shouldn¡¯t be hard to get all the ducks in a row. When do you want me to come do the inspection?¡±


    ¡°Give us till friday? Get her properly settled in.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡± She made notes and got phone numbers. ¡°I look forward to working with you both. We will talk Friday about getting her assessed for school, and I would like to get a copy of the health report from the doctor as well. I have a list of pediatric doctors who work with enhanced.¡±


    The unlock and FBI officer looked amused at the younger redhead, who was so new and shiny they could almost smell the ink on her degree.


    ¡°I would appreciate that list. It was on our to do list as well. ¡°


    ¡°Not a problem at all. That''s why I am here!¡±


    Solaris smiled at Grayson ¡°While you get your things I¡¯m going to check on my other fosterling. Erica and Penny are doing paperwork with her.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Grayson shrugged.


    When Solaris got to the other office once more, it was to find an amused Penny shaking her head as she read paperwork.


    ¡°How are things going down here? I have things wrapped up with Grayson. He¡¯s getting his things together and Granny is getting him a room set up in the house.¡±


    ¡°Oh, her uncle wasn¡¯t her uncle, but her cousin was very conveniently available. The fucking Enhanced Stupid Drama Factor kicked in. Erica is Tallia¡¯s cousin, and neither girl knew. ¡°


    Solaris blinked. ¡°They are cousins. Really? Well, that is unexpected. Are you going to take custody of her then? As a family member there would be fewer hoops.¡±


    ¡°She already is. The DCFS agent is so shiny and new you could taste the hope leaking out of her. I give it two days before she is Dino-boys social worker too.¡±


    ¡°Well that would simplify matters, only having to deal with one person. Even if it means someone will think of me when some other enhanced child needs a caretaker.¡± the hero said with a chuckle, waving at Grayson to join them a bit surprised at how quick he¡¯d been


    ¡°Depends on how this progresses, but you are listed as willing to foster enhanced. It comes up annoyingly frequently.¡°


    Solaris looked at Grayson seeing him with one small rolling suitcase. ¡°Alright couple of quick questions, do you have a decent phone and computer, and is there anything you need other than some more clothes? Penny I know we are ordering most of Talia¡¯s things, but if we do a private shopping room at Bergdorf she and Grayson can pick a few things out themselves.¡±


    ¡°That should be easy enough for Talia¡¯s senses.¡± While Penny suspected Walmart would suit the two kids better than the fashion headquarters of New York City, the sensory overload would be hell.


    ¡°Yeah, like they¡¯d give me decent computer gear. What I could cobble together was in the cockpit of the mech that German guy blew up.¡± He admitted. ¡°And my prepaid got soaked in the process.¡±


    Penny nodded. ¡°We can take them to get the gear they need after a shopping trip. I admit, Tallia getting the Pretty Woman treatment, mechanic addition, has a certain appeal. Grayson here is also going to want his own tools, so we can kill two birds with one stone. I think a trip through Microcenter might be a need. for these two. A few Raspberry Pi¡¯s laying about might save our game consoles, along with other components. That, and they have the high-end computers I suspect these two are going to need in the long term.¡±


    Grayson gaped at the older women, ¡°Wait, you are taking me to Microcenter? You are actually going to let me have something more than a shitty Chromebook?¡±

 Chapter 69, New Kids on the Block

    New Kids on the Block


    ¡°The only way to keep your toaster intact, is to keep a supply of already available spare parts between your tech guy and the kitchen. There is no way to keep the Speedster from eating your leftovers, however.¡±


    Truism of Superhero life.


    ¡°Watch your language young man.¡± Solaris said firmly. ¡°And yes. You are a Brain. You need a computer to work, and not getting you the tools you need is stupid. All that does is force you to cobble something together that may be more dangerous than functional.¡± She looked at him with serious eyes. ¡°I am choosing to trust you to make better decisions than you have before.¡±


    ¡°I mean, we¡¯ll get a shitty Chromebook too, but that¡¯s because it¡¯s kind of the default for education stuff anymore.¡± Penny admitted.


    ¡°Penny!¡±


    The former UNLOC agent ignored Elizabeth. ¡°And it¡¯s good to work with someone who understands why you get proper gear, trust me. Do you know what a pain in the ass building a power core with lunch money is, well you do but I mean...¡± She looked around at the confused UNLOC Workers who knew her nearby. ¡°Oh, come on, you know how much of a pain suit maintenance could be.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t wrong, LT.¡± One of her old team members agreed as he walked by.


    Talia and Erica came out. ¡°Okay we are all good, the DCFS case manager is going to come do an inspection on Friday.¡±


    Talia looked at the boy tilting her head. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Talia, this is Grayson. Grayson, this is Talia. She is another foster who will be staying at the house, and she is also a Brain. Erica here is one of your supervisors at the shop, and Talia¡¯s cousins.¡±


    ¡°Hi. We all know your background, so we expect you to do interesting stuff. I¡¯m going to be Talia¡¯s guardian, did Penny tell you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it sounds like we may need to rearrange people so Talia can stay in the pool house with you. But that works since Granny is going to want to keep Grayson close.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s going to have to be in the main house, since you¡¯re taking care of him, officially. I mean, Z was so close to aging out it wasn¡¯t a big deal but he¡¯s younger.¡±


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Well let¡¯s get the shopping done, get some lunch, and get the kids settled in. Do you think we should have one of the fledglings bring out the truck?¡±


    ¡°Depends on how much we look to get. I¡¯d do the shopping first. Thinking about it, I¡¯d bet getting Talia sized properly would be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we are getting any tools for the kids today we may need the truck. Solaris said as they headed for Bergdorf¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call Levi, and have him meet us at Microcenter.¡± Erica said. ¡°


    ¡°Come on kids. Let¡¯s get some nice clothes and Granny can get your day-to-day stuff from Amazon.¡±


    Erica held her cousin¡¯s hand since the building was very fancy. She felt a little grungy and she was wearing a skirt suit since they¡¯d known where they were going. The suit was bought in that very store, somewhat against her will.


    They were led to the private shopping level, where there were already racks waiting, with various items, and younger assistants waiting, one taking Penny and the young man away to handle his shopping, one of the carts following them out.


    ¡°Lady Summers, Ms. Jackson, good to have your back.¡± The head shopper said, a server offering drinks to all three ladies. ¡°I assume this is the young Talia Smith.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you for working us in. She¡¯s going to need a full work up, though we are going to supplement her wardrobe with basics from a big box. She¡¯s probably going to hit a growth spurt here shortly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s in those years when even fashion must give in to the practicality of adolescent growth.¡±


    ¡°Do you know if there is space in the salon for her?¡± Solaris asked.


    ¡°I made sure we had space, and we are ready to get her properly measured. Get her some of the essentials as she grows.¡±


    Two of the younger women moved up, smiling, and gently coaxing her into letting them measure her. ¡°Meanwhile, I have a few items I pulled for yourself and Ms. Jackson to consider while we do so.¡±


    Solaris nodded, sitting down and accepting a glass of fizzy water. ¡°Erica, do you want to figure out where we are going for tools? I¡¯ll message the tailor and see if they can get us in sometime next week.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I went ahead and sent Levi to Home Depot for tools. He¡¯ll pick them up a master hand tool set, toolboxes, and power tool set there. We know what they need, and they can round it out as they go. Both used hobo freight stuff, so Dewalt will amaze them.¡±


    ¡°Ahh good. I like having a plan.¡± She smiled as the salespeople brought out some festive winter wear for her to look at.


    Erica rolled her eyes, sticking close to her cousin, though she did design to point at a few things, including insisting on a black backpack thing for both of them, saving the girl the stress of the ¡®bags¡¯ issue.


    Solaris smiled at her. ¡°I know this isn¡¯t your favorite place to shop, it is a quieter environment for Talia, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t hate it. It¡¯s just a bit much. And I would ignore what they were showing, but I know better with you in hearing distance.¡± Erica commented wryly.


    ¡°This is all so expensive though...¡± Talia said suffering sticker shock trying to math out how many cheeseburgers that purse would pay for.


    ¡°She¡¯s the kind of rich where we think she doesn¡¯t really understand money, hon.¡± Erica said to Talia. ¡°Also, I must admit, the stuff they sell here is surprisingly durable, even if it needs some care in other ways. We¡¯ll get you some good Carhart for the shop, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°It''s not that I don¡¯t understand money, it¡¯s that if you don¡¯t do anything with your wealth, what¡¯s the point? My new businesses are starting to turn profits, my investments are doing well, and after the bidding war on the Hampton property I see no reason not to pamper myself and my people.¡±


    ¡°And to be fair, we¡¯re already selling stuff from the shop, so it¡¯s not like we¡¯re not bringing in money. ¡° Erica admitted. ¡°We like to go to Copart, buy several of the same wrecked car, and see how many working cars we can build, strip down the last chassis for components to sell, and sell off the rebuilds.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elenore sends me an accounting at the end of the month. I am very pleased with how the shop is doing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still in the red, but we¡¯ll get out of it in time, even with our secondary projects, but that ignores the YouTube video income which is also picking up. Frankly, we¡¯ll be profitable soon.¡±


    ¡°Solaris nodded. I know your Christmas bonuses will be quite merry. Oh yes, that dark green coat. I want that one. She paused and sent a text to Cassidy to see if there were any pieces the tailor wanted her to pick up.


    The speedster responded a few minutes later, inquiring about a few pieces she knew had recently started being sold, while the measuring and questions from the sales staff ended. ¡°I¡¯m going to take her up to the salon, let her get primped and pampered. You might check on dorkzilla and see if he¡¯s found out he¡¯s going to get the girl treatment too.¡± Erica said with a smirk


    ¡°Well, his skin is teenaged.¡± Solaris said generously. ¡°Have fun in the salon. She went over to the menswear section finding Penny and Grayson. ¡°How is it going?¡± She looked him up and down. Those jeans look good on you.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°They seem kind of pricey for being jeans, though.¡± He was confused more than judgmental.


    ¡°They are pricey but they are also well made and will hold up to abuse well. Don¡¯t worry about costs. I want you to have clothes you like and feel comfortable in. Have you found anything else you like? I¡¯m hoping for at least a couple pairs of shoes.¡±


    ¡°He selected a pair of sneakers, and a couple of pairs of boots.¡± Interestingly the short boy had selected boots with low heels, still masculine but granting him a bit more height.


    She nodded. ¡°We will need to get you some steel toed boots, but we can order those from my shoe company. Have they measured you in a suit yet? I want a semi formal and formal suit.¡± She looked at the assistant. ¡°Can you help him with dress shoes?¡±


    ¡°We selected two simple suit styles for the semi-formal, and one formal suit for black tie affairs. Shoes were next, though we were going to gear him more towards suitable boots as he has a preference.


    ¡°That is fine. Can you bring a selection of watches that would go with his look? Something sturdy, but heirloom worthy.¡±


    ¡°We can bring up a set, may I suggest he visit the stylist first. get a trim, and some relaxation after the poking and prodding?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is fine with me. I¡¯m going to go look at the jewelry counter, see if I can pick up some staples for both children.¡±


    ¡°Well, you should take the young lady to Mikimoto. Rumor has it the store looks forward to a visit.¡± The salesperson chuckled.


    ¡°Hmm that is a point. It will take a while for the stylist to finish. And it¡¯s just down the way¡­ ¡°Penny, I¡¯m going to run to Mikimoto¡¯s, let me know when they are getting done with the stylist.¡± she had a gleeful smile and floated off.


    ¡°Um. Should someone warn wherever she¡¯s going cause that was a bit creepy.¡± Grayson said watching his new caregiver leave.


    ¡°She likes looking at pearls, and last time she tried to go she got into a super fight. That was just, let¡¯s call it girlish eagerness. Probably.¡±


    A while later Solaris came back with a paper tote full of small boxes. ¡°That was fun. How is it going.¡±


    ¡°They both fell asleep, after choosing their haircut. That boy is going to be shocked; they have some super tech treatment to fix some skin issues.¡±


    Solaris laughed. ¡°That should be a surprise for him. Shall we go collect them and head to the computer store?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I asked for things to be delivered since we¡¯re doing so much running around.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense to me. She and Penny walked up to the salon.¡± Solaris waived at Erica. ¡°How did Talia do with the shopping?¡±


    ¡°Shehalf zoned out. The salesgirls were good though, they talked more to me, and we made it work. She¡¯s got a couple of formal dresses, age appropriate, and weirdly jumped at some literal Jimmy Choos. Did you know he made tennis shoes?¡±


    ¡°No but I¡¯m glad she found something she liked. Let¡¯s wake them up. We are heading to get all the things their little toymaker heart¡¯s desire.¡± Solaris said, reaching out to gently wake Grayson. ¡°Gray dear, it is time to go.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± He jumped up swirling around, obviously confused as to where he was, and obviously used to being woken up suddenly in a bad way. ¡°Wait, what, huh?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to wake you, but your spa treatment is done, and your products are bagged up. Penny and I are going to take you to run amok in a place called Microcenter. She paid the bill and tipped the appropriate people then they drove through McDonalds for lunch and headed for Microcenter.


    Grayson smirked. ¡°When you say amok?¡±


    Penny jumped in. knowing how Solaris shopped and wanting to delay a shopocalypse. ¡°We are going to build your computers. We might also get upgrades for everyone else it depends on how it goes. ¡°


    Solaris winked at the kids and a bit of a drive later they were at the computer store. ¡°What interesting carts.¡± Solaris said, seeing the taller carts with the pallet load space under them.


    ¡°This is a place for consumers and pros. Hell, baby¡¯s first mecha suit could be built out of here.¡±


    ¡°Mine was. ¡°I got a bunch of gift cards.¡± Grayson said.


    ¡°Well then everyone grab a cart, and let¡¯s have some fun.¡± Solaris said walking in. She saw the TVs and Computers. and lots and lots of boxes. ¡°So, you have them build what you want? Like radios and televisions used to be?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°You can. Or buy parts and do it yourself. The consultants could build just about anything reasonable, or unreasonable depending on budget. ¡°


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know enough about computers yet to know what I¡¯d need, so I will leave that to you, and I¡¯ll explore a bit to see. What is that?¡± she walked up to the racing simulator. ¡°Oh, this looks fun. She looked around for a staff member to ask questions. Gray, can you tell me about this.¡± She pointed at a metal framework with a seat, control sticks, what looked like throttles, and three screens.


    ¡°It¡¯s a racing simulator. A display because they can put together as simple or serious a rig as you want. Flight sim setups too. The rig holds all the parts like you¡¯re sitting in a vehicle, so you can get a feeling like you''re really driving or flying. ¡°


    ¡°Oh, this would be wonderful for the party! And just fun. She saw an employee with her eye going to his name tag. ¡°Sam, do you know about these simulators? I would like to purchase some.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Wait, did you say some?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think four. Penny, does that sound good?


    ¡°Do six we can replace the gym equipment on Serenity and put these in. ¡°


    ¡°That is a good thought. I would like six of these simulators, as Gray, what is the computer way to say top of the line with all options?¡±


    ¡°Racing or flight. Or both, you can change out controls for your desired role. ¡°


    ¡°She wants it Gucci, and she wants both control rigs.¡±


    Penny spoke up. ¡°Um, two on a lighter frame though, for the yacht. ¡°


    Solaris nodded, ¡°what they said,¡± she said smiling at the salesperson. ¡°Just get me the receipts to take up front when I check out and arrange for the delivery. I do want to look around and see what other toys I can find.¡±


    ¡°Do you want computers for the rigs too? With games loaded I mean¡±


    ¡°Yes, again as top of the line as possible.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I will get the team working on it. And just to confirm delivery is okay for all of them? I mean, we could get one of them put together while you do other shopping, but as you might imagine assembling these things can take a bit of time.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I rather expect all of them to be delivered. She said pleasantly. ¡°Now while you get that order put in can you call another salesperson to show me around?¡±


    ¡°Sure, no problem. I¡¯ll be right back with something.¡± He slipped away, looking for one of the floor managers.


    ¡°Tom, we have someone here I think is going to spend some serious money. She already asked us to assemble six simulator rigs, and she wants them top of the line.


    ¡°Dude, that''s awesome. The assembly team will have fun with that, need me to help you get it entered?¡±


    ¡°No, she wants to buy more stuff. And another trio of women came with her and wandered off with carts straight for the computer parts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, it will be a nice bump before the Christmas rush starts.¡± He was confused why Sam had come to him. ¡°Is she asking for a bulk discount?¡±


    ¡°No. I just think she¡¯s going to buy a lot, so I thought you might want to help her, especially since I have to load something like twenty grand of sim-parts in and order things put together.¡±


    To set the point he added, ¡°Note, two of the simulators are for her ¡®yacht.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll go see what I can do.¡±


    Solaris meanwhile had found the 3d printers and was asking a younger female associate about them. ¡°These are so interesting, which ones would you recommend for a car shop or prototyping?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what you want to do. I would suggest higher end machines, FDM is great for prototyping and resin for clean prints. I mean, you might also want to investigate CNC machines, but we don¡¯t carry those. That being said¡­¡± she suggested a few machines, one for ease of use, one for flexibility, and one high end resin printer for ¡°clean and quick¡± prototyping.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do, say, six of each of those, if my team can¡¯t use it, we can donate them to a school.¡± She said she used her cellphone to google CNC machines. ¡°These look like interesting toys.¡±


    ¡°Toys?¡± The girl looked over Solaris¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Those are industrial models.¡± Then she could only stare in shock as Solaris bought one with a few flicks of her fingers, along with a table-sized plasma cutter. ¡°I really do love modern phones.¡±


    ¡°Apparently I. Um. I will go get those printers brought up. Then I can show you the filaments and extras you might want. ¡°


    ¡°I can do that Erin.¡± Tom said, sending the awestruck young woman to get the printers. Ten minutes later he felt exhausted, and really hoped he could restock before Thanksgiving. As a brunette woman and a teenage boy came up with a loaded cart.


    ¡°Penny, did you and Grayson find everything you wanted?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We are pretty much all set, though we had to buy a gaming laptop and three robotics kits. Talia now has a pet, on related notes. ¡°


    ¡°A pet? There are robotic pets I missed that.¡± She said looking around. ¡°I got a selection of 3d printers and accessories for the fledglings to use.¡±


    Talia blushed and looked down at the cybernetic creature next to her. ¡°I built a racoon. He has Wi-Fi.¡± The critter beeped and cheeped.


    ¡°And lasers.¡±


    ¡°We are going to have to talk to Badger and make sure Kar1n and your little pet don¡¯t fight.¡± Solaris said with a hint of worry. ¡°Let¡¯s go check out. Did Levi bring the truck?¡±


    ¡°I did. Hi boss.¡± Levi said, walking up. ¡°Though I am wondering if I should have grabbed a trailer too.¡± He added, eyeing the stack of boxed printers and what looked like a pallet of filament and resin.


    ¡°Well, the big items are all being delivered.¡± She said making her way to the front, waving her card over the check out. ¡°Were you able to get the tool sets for the kids? She asked as the staff began loading printers, podcaster equipment, and cameras into the truck. Since she was not sure what was needed, she asked what was best, and bought several of everything.


    A Dewalt power tool set, and a master mechanics hand tool set each. Should be a good start.¡±


    She nodded, smiling at the teens. ¡°Let¡¯s get home, I¡¯m sure Granny has your rooms ready. You can unpack and relax a little before dinner.¡±


    ¡°And go through all the loot.¡± Penny said, shaking her head. ¡°You know shopping isn¡¯t a combat sport right?¡±


    ¡°If it was, I would win.¡± Solaris said with a wink.

 Chapter, 70 New Job

    New Job


    An interesting aspect of Enhanced is sports. Particularly motorsports and robotics competitions. Most nations have fairly significant mecha-suit competitions at the collegiate level, with a few big events like Slaughter in the Sands in the UAE where large mecha are allowed to rip each other apart.


    Automotive Sports is also a major outlet for enhancement. While NASCAR limits make it less interesting, there are certain unrestricted racing classes that allow mundane and enhanced builders and drivers to push the very edge of sanity.


    And then there¡¯s golf. Something originally adopted by Solaris, allegedly as training for controlling her strength, golf has become a signature sport for Enhanced. Almost no physical enhancement can make you truly dominant at sport, and being able to drive a golf ball a thousand miles doesn¡¯t help at a five-yard chip. Strangely, no PGA champion has been enhanced, as of yet.


    Sports and Athletics in the Enhanced Economy


    After a night¡¯s rest, and a delicious breakfast, Grayson and Talia both had no idea what to expect, not after shopping the night before. The two kids were taken with the older ¡®fledglings¡¯ to the shop, where a project car of Badgers and the tank were the primary projects, the parts for Kreigsmarine¡¯s car were not in yet, though the damaged panels had been removed and were curing after overnight repair work.


    ¡°There really is a tank!¡± Grayson said, his eyes are going bright.


    ¡°Um, where is Kar1n. I was told we¡¯d have to make sure that she and Trash Panda get along okay.¡± Talia said, looking around.


    ¡°I am Kar1n.¡± The pointy, feminine robot came from around a half-stripped dodge charger. ¡°Hello again, Talia. You must be Grayson. Your profile is now in my tracking system in case of issues. The intimidating robot looked down at the Alienware laptop and turned cybernetic racoon in Talia¡¯s arms. ¡°The small one is your little baby? Trash Panda?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I built him yesterday.¡± She set the smaller robot down.


    The robot beeped twice, then said ¡°My name is Trash Panda, or


    T-Panda for short.¡± tilting its head and offering the bigger bot a paw.


    ¡°I approve of T-panda. I detect lasers and parts from a 3D printer. I may have use for those later. We will add a charger for you in the bot closet. ¡°


    ¡°I look forward to learning from you. I am still compiling.¡± He said in his chirpy voice.


    Elenore relaxed. ¡°Okay the shop floor isn¡¯t turning into an episode of Battlebots that¡¯s good. Especially since we don¡¯t have an arena wall protecting us.¡±


    ¡°So, what exactly do you want us to do here?¡± Grayson said his fingers itched to play with the tank. ¡°I know Ms. Summers said I would be working here but what am I doing?¡±


    ¡°You can help me with the tank. We are wiring it with some controllers so one pilot can run it, even remotely, but that means smaller folks only¡± Erica said.


    ¡°Talia, do you mind helping strip down that Charger? We want the parts for our own supply. We will show you guys the Griffin cars later. ¡°


    ¡°I can do that.¡± Talia said with a smile going to the battered looking car. The hood was stuck shut, and it had obviously been in a serious accident. ¡°TPanda, can you open the hood?¡±


    The little raccoon activated laser eyes and cut the hood free, and the slim brunette was soon happily stripping the car down, Kar1n talking to the new ¡®baby¡¯ and helping him learn how to help his mistress.


    Grayson walked over to the tank. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen one this small before. I don¡¯t think Levi or Badger would even fit in it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Japanese light tank from WW2. We are swapping its transmission with a LS swap, which is easier than you¡¯d think. We are replacing machine guns with pepper ball guns and are debating options to slide into the cannon, which has been demilled.¡± Erica said with a grin that said demilling the weapon meant nothing to her.


    ¡°How much weight are we pulling? If you are wanting a non-lethal to lethal option you could do a variable pressure water cannon, but the water tank is heavy.¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Horsepower ain¡¯t gonna be a problem, but there¡¯s not a lot of space. We have discussed a 30mm sandbag gun, well variable ammo really. It¡¯s a 32mm barrel so it''s easy to fit. ¡°


    ¡°True.¡± He climbed onto the tank and dropped in. ¡°I see what you mean about it being tight in here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And that¡¯s with some gear yanked. Go ahead and remove the radio. That needs to be upgraded anyhow, and anything we put in will be way smaller. Don¡¯t bust it though, vintage parts like that could have a market.¡± Erica said, passing tools down to him.


    ¡°Can do, how original are we trying to keep this? We might be able to get some space by redoing the dash.¡±


    ¡°Interior updated. External close to standard as possible. ¡°


    ¡°Hm. we could go LCD for a lot of this. Hell, an IPad could run this whole thing.¡±


    ¡°We were kind of thinking the same. Kind of World War tank meets the Expanse.¡±


    ¡°I can work with that.¡± He began detaching panels, marking wires with little tags as he went. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she really is letting me work on a tank.¡±


    ¡°Well, it currently doesn¡¯t run, and there are three people in this building who can throw it like a shot put, four depending on if we count Kar1n.¡± the Mechanic said dryly.


    ¡°Well, most homes won¡¯t let me near an electric can opener, so forgive me for being surprised.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Boss figures that¡¯s stupid and pointless. I figure you needed someone to knock sense in your head and Badger just wants to build robots with you. Figure this might be the only place you really fit in. ¡°The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Grayson wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that, it was weird being around so many enhanced, and so many brains. He was very unsure of his footing. ¡°Can you grab me a prybar, this panel is glued shut.¡± He grunted, speaking again after getting a satisfying sound of epoxy cracking. ¡°It was nice to be able to game on my laptop.¡± he admitted.


    ¡°I imagine so.¡± she watched him work with the crowbar. ¡°And wait till you see the real cars. ¡°


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he grunted, tugging at the panel again. ¡°Ouch.¡± he said as it finally popped free. He looked at the panel, then began disconnecting wires.


    ¡°We built five cape cars a few months ago. 600 horsepower, nitrous, weapons and kit. We are already working on the first upgrades too.¡±


    He stood out of the hatch with the panel. ¡°I¡¯ve not done much with cars. He offered the heavy steel panel down to Levi, who came over to take it. ¡°I mostly worked with walking mechs... I don¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license yet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t either.¡± Talia said looking up from the charger. ¡°Erica said she¡¯d help me get mine.¡±


    ¡°We will get both of you one. And pilot training, though you can¡¯t get your certificate till 17, you can start training hours earlier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never built a flying mech...¡± Grayson said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Me? Fly?¡± Talia squeaked.


    Anzy laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry planes will be involved. I have lunch!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Planes. We are starting next week. Ground school for most, flight for Levi. Those of us with sport certification will take a test and start working for private pilot qualifications shortly after. I think the goal is private pilot licenses for all and a couple of us getting helicopter certs.¡± Erica said, fighting a laugh at the younger enhanced faces.


    ¡°Dude, that sounds awesome!¡± Grayson said, climbing out of the tank, smelling the chicken, ¡°So, what has it been like living here with Ms. Summers?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good. I mean, there was the whole car theft ring, and we did kind of get caught up in that fight with Chimera, but we also pretty much have Carte Blanc on projects. We have our privacy, but she still keeps track. I would bet She will keep tighter tabs on you and Talia, but that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°She seems very people motivated.¡± Talia said. ¡°You all almost seem as much her fosters as me and Gray.¡±


    ¡°In some ways yeah. We think it''s a habit from back in the day. She was the leader and trainer for a lot of young troops back in the war, so old habits.¡± Erica replied taking a bit of fried chicken.


    Talia shook her head ¡°I mean we all lived together at the flop house, but this is so different. You all have your own places, and spaces, it¡¯s almost like a weird enhanced suburbia.


    ¡°And what¡¯s the deal with the old lady?¡± Grayson added, grabbing his own food.


    ¡°What. Granny Ruan? She is Malcolm¡¯s gran and runs the household. ¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you meant her. and not the Boss. Could technically go either way.¡±


    ¡°I was talking about Granny. Even Ms. Summers seems to almost fear her.¡±


    Levi, who was nearby, laughed. ¡°That¡¯s cause she¡¯s fucking terrifying. The damn Tailor gave her custom nine-mills to make her friendlier to him. We know at least one superhero in the city is afraid of her, actively. She also seems preternaturally able to prepare for things.¡±


    ¡°To be fair.¡± Z said from where she was lounging. ¡°My dad managed to piss both her and boss off. The Boss arraigned for my mom to have a month-long trip to Hawaii, without him. She¡¯d been a stay-at-home mom for so long he had no idea how to do anything .himself. Granny took housekeepers out to make sure mom didn¡¯t step into a warzone after her trip and gave him another dressing down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just cruel. I think I¡¯d prefer prison.¡± He admitted. ¡°I mean, respect for the sadism involved. Basically, what we¡¯re saying is don¡¯t piss off Granny.¡±


    All the adults nodded.


    ¡°I like her.¡± Kar1n added running a spidery leg lovingly over Chuck and TPanda.


    ¡°And that should be all you need to know.¡± Badger said.


    ¡°Okay, now I¡¯m terrified. Good to know.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the next big project we¡¯re going to work on?¡± Talia asked, it was a bit more comfortable in a shop. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re obviously putting way too big an engine in that four two. I mean, I love LS swaps as much as the next girl, but that might be a bit much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re SO going to drag race this thing. My bet, we completely destroy it in three runs.¡±


    ¡°You are going to drag race one of the weeniest cars ever built? That is awesome.¡± Grayson said with a snort. ¡°You¡¯re going to need a sled in the back to keep from driving into the road like a wiener dog in the snow!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, this thing is going to be stupid as hell. It¡¯s for my channel. I¡¯m calling it the stupidest hero-car ever built. We¡¯re mounting all the dumb spy tricks on it for giggles.¡±


    ¡°We could always try to find another tank.¡± The dinosaur kid suggested, just to see if that¡¯d fly.


    ¡°A tank would be more fun for a burn out.¡± Badger said. ¡°Then the weight will really help. Wonder if I could make an All-rubber tank tread? be expensive as hell...but that would be so sweet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what about a recon car?¡± Grayson said. ¡°There¡¯s these, I think there Ferret recon cars. They¡¯re wheeled, not treaded but in just about all other ways they¡¯re tanks. Make one of those stupid fast.¡±


    Talia looked it up on her phone. ¡°It¡¯s cute, it almost looks like a Lego tank! The weight distribution on it would work for making it fast.... but it will need a hell of a roll cage....¡±


    ¡°But she would be peppy, and if we had to bring it out to play Griffin side, someone would regret life.¡± Levi added.


    ¡°We need one.¡± Badger purred.


    ¡°It¡¯s a business expense for Badgers channel, which makes it a tax write off right?¡± Levi said, giving Elenore puppy dog eyes.


    ¡°Yes, if it appears on the channel, it¡¯s a business expense.¡±


    Badger cheered. ¡°I¡¯ve never done a tank on the channel before. This is going to kill for views.¡± He grinned at the teens. ¡°Rose Gold there, we¡¯ve kept off camera so far. since it¡¯s the Boss¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I think this bad boy is going to get bad ass black.¡± Badger said looking at the tank on his phone with a hungry expression


    ¡°A sexy, matte black. Levi purred. ¡°With pinstriping.¡±


    ¡°There we are talking. Yeah. Okay I am sold.¡± Erica said with a laugh


    El smiled. ¡°I will go find one to buy. We also need to get a foundation for the Boss¡¯s command vehicle thing for appearances. ¡°


    ¡°Huh? Talia said, blinking as she looked up from her chicken, that she had been eating with a single minded intensity. ¡°Command vehicle? What foundation?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. Basically, she wants something showy for if she does appearances or a parade or something, but we figured we¡¯d do it up right. I¡¯ve toyed with tracking down an electric bus, or something else big as a base, but I haven¡¯t really found something to settle on.¡± Levi admitted, Badger nodding next to him.


    ¡°So, a parade car.¡± Talia closed her eyes, what about a bit of a mashup. The Rolls Royce phantom is a land yacht. Take a modern one and retro it with a 1950s rolls I¡¯d go convertible since it¡¯s a parade thing. Kind of a retromod, or more a custom kit body with a resto feel.¡±


    ¡°That could be hot. We could make it a soft/hard alternate top, so it could work as a hard top convertible too.¡± Erica said.


    ¡°Yeah, and totally worth it, but was trying to think of something with a ¡®don¡¯t fuck with the damn queen¡¯ kind of feel.¡± Badger admitted. ¡°But it¡¯s the best idea I¡¯ve heard, so I think that might be the way to go. And people seem to love to wreck Rolls Royce¡¯s and dump them in Copart.


    Talia laid back on the shop floor closing her eyes, bad ass big, bus. ¡°This isn¡¯t meant to be an active hero car, right?¡±


    ¡°I mean, why not? If you are going to do something, might as well do it up right. Besides, the boss has gotten jumped by Chimera so something to soft is just going toa be shrapnel.¡±


    Mm. What about a British double decker¡­ lots of room for extras, iconic, very parade worthy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but also kind of unstable stance wise. The space is a plus. Levi said. ¡°We were half thinking about building from a base up but no idea what the end goal is.¡±


    ¡°What about something castle-like? Take the bus, but slim down to the top so there¡¯s a walkway around the second level, um, a parapet. You could mount t-shirt launchers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡± Levi mulled it over. ¡°It¡¯s one of those cases where she didn¡¯t give a lot of input. Maybe your car idea is a better starting place. ¡°


    ¡°If nothing, it''s a good video series while we look for other ideas. Anzy said, offering Talia another piece of chicken. The girl¡¯s eyes went wide and all her focus went to her food. The intensity of the girl''s attention on the food made Grayson just look at her. It was good chicken but damn. you¡¯d think the girl never saw food before.


    ¡°We can also keep brainstorming; it''s not like the project isn¡¯t going away.¡± Levi said


    ¡°And a sick ass limo is still a sick ass limo.¡±

 Chapter 71, Patent Violations

    Patent Violations


    ¡°Why are there so many Super Intelligent supervillains, when creating and selling patents could be so much more profitable than crime?¡±


    ¡°Because you may be able to turn a Ford Festiva into a rocket, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can fill out bureaucratic paperwork without holding the city hostage.¡±


    ¡°You mean WANTING to hold the city hostage right?¡±


    ¡°Keep thinking that kid, it¡¯s cute.¡±


    Silver Paladin talking at ESAS school


    ¡°True, and the Boss said she¡¯d look at letting me build a mech for Slaughter in the Sands once winter is over.¡± Everyone else called Ms. Summers Boss, and Grayson decided that sounded better than Ms. Summers.


    ¡°Oh, that will be a team project. And we¡¯ll decide on a pilot as we work. No offense, but your piloting record isn¡¯t as good as your build record.¡± Levi said


    ¡°I¡¯m not that bad; I¡¯ve just never gotten all the Systems properly warmed up!¡±


    The older mechanic chuckled,¡°Yeah. See, that¡¯s called spin up and pilots literally know not to take off till it¡¯s done. You¡¯ll learn about that in flight school.¡±


    Grayson puffed his cheeks at the insult to his driving,but he was looking forward to pilot school, so he let it go. ¡°Those simulators the boss bought yesterday should help with that.¡± he said, licking his lips as Anzy unpacked small apple tart hand pies for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Yep. But Erica is the best driver. She cheats. She sees the future.¡± Anzy said.


    ¡°A few moments! Maybe like 10 seconds.¡±


    ¡°She also has enhanced reflexes.¡± Anzy added with a grin


    ¡°Very limited.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, we¡¯ll want to do smaller projects and competitions between now and then. Anyhow it may take a year or two to get something really worthy of Slaughter, and those you can get cockpit time.¡± Elenore said. ¡°I am to remind you, none of them are for northern expeditions geared towards family reunions.¡±


    ¡°The Boss made it clear it was open season on my ass if I try to help dad.¡± Grayson said, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯d kick your ass quietly at least once first.¡± Levi shrugged, getting punched by Erica. ¡°What, we would! I mean, it is his dad. I mean, I¡¯d urge you to NOT to, cause that would end with him in one of the UN Hyper prisons. Canadian Medium Security is way better than that.¡±


    Grayson hunched over his apple pie. ¡°My dad isn¡¯t that bad. Boss said after she¡¯s done with Kriegsmarine¡¯s visit she¡¯s going to go up and see him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she will, she¡¯ll wanna make sure your dad knows the score. And I didn¡¯t say he¡¯s that bad. I¡¯m saying Supes who escape tend to get fast tracked to underwater prisons. Just a fact, dude. Not a judgement.¡±


    ¡°Things just got out of hand with his last heist. He¡¯s been good, He¡¯s supposed to be released in about 3 years.¡±


    ¡°Then no need to bust him out. He¡¯s a meta, he¡¯s got lots of years after that, and by then you¡¯ll be rolling in the dough cause come on dumbass, you have a brain to make bank, without breaking bad.¡± Badger said.


    Grayson Looked confused, ¡°what are you talking about? It costs every dollar I can find to put anything together.¡±


    ¡°Ah, first, we explain the joys of YouTube to this poor noob.¡± Badger says formally


    ¡°Then we teach him the joy of ¡®Filing Patents¡¯ and ¡®Toymaking 101¡¯.¡± Elenore added


    ¡°Huh?¡± he looked at all the others. ¡°Most stuff isn¡¯t patentable, cause you can¡¯t explain how it works unless you are like a super competent catalyst.¡±


    ¡°Unless you have catalysts lying around or, in your dumb ass case, have a high catalyst rating already. The fact you can duplicate the basic designs you use suggests you are a breakthrough catalyst, with just enough kitbash to make just about any stupid idea least sorta work. I¡¯m a mix of the three too.¡± Badger said.


    ¡°Then you got Levi here, who''s a baby catalyst, and Penny¡¯s a way more than baby catalyst, if not scary good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a catalyst, I¡¯m a breakthrough-kitbash, like my dad.¡± he brushed crumbs off his pants. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to submit patents before for some of my Hydro cannons. they always get denied.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Can I see your designs?¡± Badger asked. ¡°I had similar problems. It may be as simple as not looking up the ¡®official¡¯ words for components that already exist.¡±


    ¡°Badger has a habit of listing cables as ¡®lightning hoses¡¯ on drawings.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do that on ¡®official¡¯ documents.¡± Badger said, watching as Grayson worked on his new phone to get to his paperwork.


    ¡°Here is my variable water pressure valve. I was really proud of it. It was before mom got remarried so she helped me get it submitted.¡±


    ¡°Your formatting is off.¡± Badger pointed. ¡°Common mistakes, not even your mother¡¯s fault.


    ¡°That''s why there¡¯s lawyers to handle it.¡± Elenore said. ¡°I¡¯ve done four for this place already, after they designed a new front suspension system design. Remember, with bureaucracies they don¡¯t care if it''s right, they just care if it is in the right form, in the right font.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this seems clear. Let me see if I can build one.¡± Levi said, sending himself a copy. ¡°I think we have the parts we need.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s built right, you should be able to set the water pressure from ,water delicate orchids, to cut through steel. I thought it would be good for Firefighter work. I designed it when I was twelve.¡±


    ¡°Thus, the backpack. makes sense. Cool.¡± Levi and Badger started grabbing components and raw sheet metal to start working.


    ¡°Well, there goes working on the active project for a while.¡± Elenore chuckled.


    Talia looked curiously at the design. ¡°I think this makes sense. It¡¯s really quite clever, A water laser kind of thing is cool!¡±


    ¡°Actually, not an uncommon tech, but this level of compactness and power efficiency is pretty cutting edge, pun not intended.¡± Kar1n stated. ¡°Based on the schematics, I estimate it will take four hours for them to complete the project. Then a 97.2% chance they will destroy something by accident. I shall move the two cuties and the useful hulk out of the shop now.¡±


    Grayson blinked. ¡°No one has made any of my stuff before.¡± He watched with big eyes. ¡°You really think I could make money?¡±


    Elenore looked up from searching for information on his previously destroyed mechs. ¡°A super villain stole and rebuilt several of the weapons from your first mech. You don¡¯t fix bashed-tech.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Badger spoke up from where he was welding something. ¡°And you can definitely make money, though don¡¯t get me wrong it might not be a lot. It depends on the general utility of the thing. I¡¯ve sold a few patents, one I got fifty grand out of, another I made six digits. That let me build a sweet shop, man.¡±


    ¡°The one that burnt down?¡±


    ¡°Oh, insurance. Also, get insurance.¡±


    Grayson nodded and stood; He offered Talia a hand up. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to working on the tank, let me know if you have any questions.¡± he wanted to have something to keep his hands busy while he thought.


    Anzy looked at Elenore, ¡°What Brain his age doesn¡¯t have a couple of registered Patents by now? Yeah, the paperworks a bitch, but still?¡±


    Elenore nodded. ¡°Hey Erica, do you think you can use some of those comp skills to see how many patents he¡¯s been denied?¡±


    ¡°I can investigate it. I¡¯ll need you to translate the crap I¡¯m reading.¡±


    ¡°I figure Anzy and I can look over stuff. His dad¡¯s a supervillain, so it¡¯s possible he did something to the kid¡¯s patents.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be my guess. Or the kid¡¯s mother is a moron and he just sucks at paperwork. Not the newest issue in the world. Let me get a list of his attempts and we¡¯ll go look.¡±


    ¡°Just want to cover our bases.¡± Anzy said. ¡°And to celebrate our new younger members I am having a barbecue. I have some ribs and briskets going low and slow, as well as hamburgers. This me needs to pick up some Dr. Pepper since it¡¯s Talia¡¯s favorite and we don¡¯t have any at the house.¡±


    ¡°Sounds tasty. Get some more red bull, too. I have a feeling dino-boy is a fan.¡± El added.


    Erica looked over to Levi and Badger, ¡°All inventor types pound the energy drinks.¡±


    ¡°Can do.¡± Anzy said.


    ¡°This valve is pretty clever.¡± Levi said. as he continued working.


    ¡°We need to teach him to do hose and exhaust installs though. Some of this piping seems extraneous.¡± Badger noted.


    ¡°He said this was when he was 12 right? He probably would do it differently now.¡±


    ¡°Still, its good experience.¡±


    The kids worked quietly for a couple of hours while Levi and Badger worked on the water valve and Talia worked on taking apart another car.


    ¡°El, this is bad.¡± Erica said, leaning back, glaring at the screen. ¡°If the kid goes Godzilla over this, I¡¯m for telling the boss he¡¯s not overreacting.¡±


    ¡°What are you seeing?¡± Elenore said, walking over to look. ¡°Did the dad jack his stuff like Anzy was thinking?¡±


    ¡°Before the age of eight, yeah. Three patents, though I¡¯m only able to track the money on the earliest. The other two dump into the Caymen¡¯s. His Underhydrochopper and Tyranadon Tyre. The second of which we totally need to put on the chargers, by the way. I¡¯ll explain later, and a compact water pulse jet thing he called the rex screamer which I¡¯m thinking about replacing the bow thrusters on the yacht with if we can adjust the design.¡±


    Kids need to learn non embarrassing ways to name things. I get having a shtick but damn.¡± Elenore shook her head.


    ¡°The Hydrocutter is the only one that was sold on license, and it¡¯s a trickle, not a flood. The Real Egregious stuff is after he ended up in jail. Mom however has four things she¡¯s patented and just sold off whole hog. A joint actuator now used in several dozen mecha suit models, and some heavy construction equipment in the fully scaled up form. A shock absorber design he uses in the legs, a software pack which is a copywrite not a patent but I followed it, and his Tyrannosaur Tsunami weapon, which at full scale caused cat 2 hurricane level swells around it, and scaled down freaking Disney put into a water park attraction recently.¡±


    ¡°Shit. She stole DISNEY level money. I¡¯d be pissed.¡± Elenore said, shaking her head. ¡°So, we are going to need Patent Lawyers and a copyright lawyer. This is going to be fun. corporate cases are a pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°We are... and, I hate to say this, but she didn¡¯t steal Disney level money. She sold at bargain basement prices.¡±


    ¡°Wow...that is somehow worse, she robbed him and then didn¡¯t even get paid well, she dumped him on the system when he was what thirteen, Are any of the patents from after that? Cause if she was ¡®helping¡¯ him with patents after she dumped him in foster care that is a special kind of evil.¡±


    ¡°Two of them.¡± Erica confirmed. We are going to need a team in two countries cause Canada. Do you want to call the boss? I am not kidding about kaiju worthy rage here. ¡°


    Yeah, since Grayson is a minor, she¡¯s going to need to sign off on things, and inform his case worker. Wow¡­his parents are really trash.¡±


    ¡°I am betting His dad is seeing Summer early. ¡°


    Elenore chuckled as she dialed Solaris.


    ¡°Hello dear, how are the kids settling in?¡±


    ¡°Great. Talia¡¯s stripping a car, Gray is helping with tank electronics, we confirmed his designs are duplicatable. Annnd and we need two teams of patent lawyers for lawsuits in two countries, as a related note. ¡°


    ¡°Penny, can you get me the good whiskey.¡± Solaris called. ¡°Who am I sicking lawyers on, why, and how angry am I going to be


    ¡°Our kid kaiju is not good at paperwork. Particularly patent filing. His parents were better at it but neglected to put his name down. ¡°


    ¡°Right. So, both of them are bastards. I¡¯ll call the lawyers and the caseworkers. I really don¡¯t have a lot of time right now to fly up to Canada, to kick his dad¡¯s arse¡±. She looked at the stack of interviews and parties and party planning papers on her desk. ¡°Okay I¡¯ll talk to people, can you ask Gray to come see me when work is over I¡¯ll need to let him know what the lawyers say, and can you send me what data you have?¡±


    ¡°We will send that to your email. And bring paper copies home as well. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that the older woman couldn¡¯t use email, but it could frustrate her.


    ¡°Thank you dear. Oh¡­ I should also call Louise. Once we get this sorted out, he¡¯s going to need an accountant.¡±


    ¡°And a publicist once this breaks. I mean super genius delinquent robbed by villain father?¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll also message Zakai. Dang it¡­ I forgot I need to let him know about Grayson, everything happened so fast. I thought it would all take more time.¡±


    ¡°I should have considered it as well. But I can correct that for the future.¡±


    ¡°Talk to you later.¡± She looked at Erica. ¡°Forward all that to Solaris if you could. I need to email ESAS and get some balls rolling. ¡°


    There was a gleeful sound from downstairs. Elenore stiffened ¡°Oh, lord¡­what did they destroy.¡±


    ¡°I will go check. Make your calls. ¡°


    Erica walked down the stairs, and into the shop. Everything was wet, and the hulk Badger kept forgetting to work on new dents. ¡°What happened.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, we finished the valve! We put it on half strength, it hit like a police water cannon!


    ¡°Follow up question. ¡° Z, who had just arrivedasked. ¡°Why is there a hole under Badger¡¯s car?¡±


    Badger bit his lip. ¡°Uh.¡± Talia looked down the hole.


    ¡°I see a suitcase down there.¡±


    ¡°Badger, did you dig a den? You know you aren¡¯t actually a badger, right? Levi asked.


    ¡°Well yeah. But it¡¯s comfy. And I don¡¯t have to worry about neighbors. Or HOAs with pet policies.¡±


    Erica turned a bit red. ¡°We own an apartment building. We can give you one!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to impose, y¡¯all have been really great to me,¡±


    ¡°Badger, you Bugs Bunnied our floor. El is going to kill you!¡±Levi ran his hands through his hair


    ¡°I am not going to kill him but I am happy to know where he have been living however.¡± Elenore said, tapping her foot. having come down the stairs to assuage her own curiosity at what had been destroyed.


    Badger looked ready to drop into his hole and hide. ¡°¡± El, I swear my hole is sound, it¡¯s even really pretty, it¡¯s¡­. your favorite colors, blue and purple.¡±


    She stared at him. Tapped her foot. ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. You¡¯re going to find a way to move the entrance to NOT in the middle of a work bay. You¡¯re going to fix the floor there, ask Kar1n how, I¡¯m sure she knows, and I¡¯ll let it be, but Badger... you owe me. Got it?¡±


    ¡°He jumped in his whole then came back out with a blue violet crystal Lilly. So¡­ this is a bad time to ask you out?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow and considered him, before taking the flower, ¡°Someplace that requires a suit. Next Saturday, at eight o¡¯clock. Kar1n, make sure he remembers and is presentable.¡±


    ¡°Yes Elenore, I¡¯ll make sure my boy is ready.¡±


    Talia and Grayson were giggling, as a big dopey grin went over Badger''s face. I¡¯ll find a great place to take you too!¡±


    ¡°Good. I look forward to it.¡± she was blushing slightly but elegantly turned and returned to the offices part of the building.


    ¡°Congratulations. You didn¡¯t get fed to a cat and got a date! Impressive.¡± Levi nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get the nerve up to ask her for weeks.¡± He admitted. Sitting on the hook of this abandoned project hulk. ¡°Anzy, can you help me figure out a good place to take her?


    ¡°Sure, but you know you pretty much have a week to fix the hole, right?¡± The chef chuckled.


    ¡°And seriously man, do you always live in a subterranean den? is this a thing with you we didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just had a lot of bad luck with housing, A lot of places don¡¯t allow ¡®robotic pets¡¯ and HOAs are just Evil. I¡¯ve lost so much money to fines. I finally gave up, and bought my Momma a house of her own, and started living at my shop.¡±


    ¡°Right but going hibernating xenomorph is a bit dramatic.¡±Levi said patting his shoulder


    ¡°It works, and I know it¡¯s dumb, but I made this one extra pretty for El.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s unusual. Where did the crystals come from?¡±


    Z shook her head. ¡°That, and I want to know, is it just like a nest, or do you have furniture and stuff down there? I mean, I have so many questions.¡±


    ¡°I grew them, it¡¯s a modified salt crystal.¡± And there is some furniture, A little nest to sleep in, a table, minifridge, hotplate. It¡¯s like a small efficiency.¡±


    Zoya shook her head. ¡°Well, he¡¯s industrious. And it cuts down on a morning commute.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. commute.¡± Erica frowned at him, giving Badger a dark look, before shaking her head. She turned back to Talia and Gray. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to work, while these guys clean up their mess.¡±


    Badger looked at Levi, ¡°How¡¯d I piss Erica off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll assume she¡¯s just being suspicious and not talk about it further.¡± Levi said, shaking his head. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, you don¡¯t need to know.¡± What happened between two adults after everyone else went home was between them and the back seat of a Charger, after all.

 Chapter 72, Perils of Podcasting

    Perils of Podcasting


    ¡°Heroes and villains have always been big news. Back in the day of print media, they sold out newsstands worth of papers, and mulch piles worth of magazines. That¡¯s still true today.¡±


    ¡°However, with social media as pervasive as it is now, it¡¯s even more dramatic and sometimes the heroes add to that. I know of at least two heroes and one villain who wear internet abled bodycams that they run while they are out doing their cape thing.¡±


    ¡°And no, I have no idea why the Villain doesn¡¯t just get doxed by doing what he does.¡±


    Andrew Fitzgerald, Analysis of Public Service and the Heroic Age.


    Nahoa stepped out as the podcaster¡¯s rental van pulled up to the gate. He peeked in and nodded "Hello there. The Boss is expecting you. Sorry about all the delays."


    "I am not going to complain, your boss has taken good care of us, and we got to interview Luna Fuega and Qilin, so we aren''t behind on our filming schedule.¡±


    Their camera guy nodded. "I also got a lot of shots around the city for a history of heroes in the big apple piece."


    "Great, glad you could make use of the time. Go on in, park in front of the second garage, the one not attached to the house, right next to the car already parked there."


    ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    Jessie checked her makeup and hair before taking one more long calming breath. As they parked. "James, Bill, you ready for this? This is going to be amazing!" Her dyed scarlet hair was in a high tail, and she was almost vibrating with excitement."


    "The original Girl, Solaris. No one''s had a long interview with her yet." James replied checking his shirt for stains one more time.


    They paused as the gate opened again, and a limo pulled into the driveway. The driver let out the long, muscular form of Kreigsmarine, wearing grey slacks, a collared shirt and sweater. "Ah, you must be these podcasters I have heard so much about."


    James''s eyes almost popped out, he hadn''t believed it was real they were going to interview the Living Dreadnaught, in spite of what they¡¯d been told. "Yes Sir. I''m James Kim, this is Jessie Mills, and our Camera guy over by the van is Bill Carver."


    "It¡¯s an honor to meet you. Your last speech at the UN was amazing." Jessie said, Damn he¡¯s even more of a silver fox in person! She thought to herself.


    "Thank you, though it wasn''t taken as well by the floor. Seems my concerns about humanitarian issues in the middle east are just not hot topics with some nations." he shrugged. "Eventually, it will become messy enough someone will have to act. Again."


    James nodded as Solaris dressed in a soft blue sweater dress stepped out. "Hello. Thank you for putting up with the nightmare my schedule has become." she said shaking the podcaster¡¯s hands, smiling at Kriegsmarine. "I think you are going to appreciate the food. My chef has gone all out."


    "I am thankful to hear it! Interviews are dry and hungry work. Still, more fun than paperwork." He commented as they followed her into the house.


    The media room had been reorganized with a table between the comfortable chairs, now facing each other. A coffee and tea service had been set up in the corner, with both ready to be served next to a small buffet of finger foods.


    ¡°Make yourselves comfortable,¡± Solaris said, letting her guests get drinks and snacks before getting her own plate of snacks and a cup of hot tea. "Please let me know if you need any other lights or such. I have a lot of it lying around because of the garage."


    "We should have brought everything." Jessie said, while looking at Bill as he carried items in and set them down. Then a second Bill walked into the room, handing the first a case, causing him to stagger back in surprise.


    The new Bill shook his head. "Your security is enthusiastic, Elizabeth, but they are in need of some training. No one noticed there were six of the young chef girls running around for the last hour. Concerningly, including her."


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    "Kitsune! I was wondering if you''d show up." Solaris laughed, walking over to hug the second Bill. "And we aren''t at war anymore, I think I can forgive them.¡± she looked down at a bing on her phone. ¡°And one person did notice. She just didn''t want to disrupt your fun."


    "Who caught me?" The man shrunk, and their features became more delicate, feminine. Hair shifting from sandy brown to black with grey streaks in a tight bun, even her clothing changing to an informal, simple Kimono with Tabi hugging her feet. "When I found out that Killian intended to crash your party, how could I pass it up? Especially as I was already in New York."


    "My housekeeper Ms. Ruan. She is a wonderful lady. Do you want coffee or tea?¡± Solaris asked. The three podcasters were just staring, brains blue screened by what they were seeing.


    Anzy entered, handing another of herself a carafe of green tea to add to the selection, as well as a bottle of sake and plum wine both.


    When the chef offered The three podcasters shots to calm their nerves, they took them without hesitation. Solaris gave them an apologetic smile. ¡°Well assuming Kitsune wants to join in, as I think she does, mind having all three of us?¡±


    "No, no, not at all. I mean,have you all been interviewed at the same time before?" James asked his brain scrambling to think of Solaris¡¯s.


    Killian tilted his head. "Not that I recall. Ladies?"


    Solaris paused. "It was just you and I during the Berlin Airlift. No, I don''t think so. Kitsune is even more camera shy than you are, and between the German and Japanese reconstructions, then the cold war I don''t think we''ve ever been together outside of Elysium. I hadn''t even thought of that."


    "You were busy chasing crazies with military gear in allied territory post-war, we were all too busy to bother the press too much." Kitsune said with a shrug.


    "It was crazy right after the war, every black cape, and warlord want-to-be despot was trying to pull their own Project Paperclip." Solaris said. She shook her head. "James, if you and Jessie need a few minutes to plan your interviews. I can loan you the guest office."


    "We''re usually fairly free form. We just needed to catch our breath. I mean, this is kind of historic. Let us just set up our gear, and we should be good to go."


    Solaris smiled and sat back down with Kitsune and Kriegsmarine with their own plates of snacks. "I heard you are a grandmother now?"


    "And great grandmother." She nodded. "Many times, now. I have young ones scattered all over Japan, and even into San Francisco, though my Great Granddaughter there is a bit disaffected with the Clan."


    "Penny, my assistant, told me you had a daughter who was a white cape out there." Solaris explained. "I remember sending you a lovely blue and white tea set when you got married, as well as a custom set of traditional sandals."


    "Oh yes, I still have the tea set. The sandals are likely somewhere, but you know how shoes are." She chuckled. "It was a shame you couldn''t come to the wedding. Killian was invited as well, but with Berlin. bah. The Soviets, just a huge pain in everyone''s rear end."


    ¡°I planned on it, I had a gorgeous kimono ready, then I had to deal with Alexander, who was pissed I was taking Toth as my plus one instead of him and I didn''t want to drag that disaster to your doorstep."


    "Kami! I am happy that idiot is busy with another conflict right now." Kitsune sighed.


    "All of us are." Killian sighed. "Granted, fighting him likely solved a stunning number of international issues during the cold war, external threats are wonderful that way, but then he leaves a Hydratank or a man portable beam cannon and the fighting over scientific discoveries and technology start over again."


    "Lord, at least you didn''t also have him also dropping off gifts and terrible poetry.¡± Solaris said. ¡°I mean I loved the Pegasi, but slaves, handmaidens and anatomically ''correct'' statues of him were a bit disturbing. I have no interest in being his ''Queen of conquest'' to go along with the rest of his harem.¡±


    Kitsune winced, causing Killian to smirk. ¡°You tell her.¡± He said.


    "I refuse."


    "Is this about the masthead of his current assault ship?" Jessie asked. Both elder supers winced.


    Solaris''s eyes narrowed and she shot the other two national heroes a dark look, ¡°What about his Masthead." Bill the cameraman was near in tears at getting such raw footage of the original heroes bantering


    "He named his new ship The Goddess of Conquest. The masthead is a very well-done representation of you."


    Killian nodded. "We had suspected he had succeeded in kidnapping you for some time. However, it was never confirmed so we began to doubt that over time."


    Solaris let out a soft scream of frustration into her hands, and Kitsune patted her on the back. "Damn it. That twit will not take no for an answer! I''d go on a date with him if I thought it would break this damned obsession of his, but it will only spur him on."


    "Well, fortunately he''s busy, according to intel. And may he stay that way for a century or six."


    "Lord, I hope so, I''d like to actually have a date sometime this century without him sticking his foot in it." She huffed. "Sorry why don''t you two start your interview, it¡¯s been so long since we have talked, we could go on tangents forever if you don''t rein us in."


    ¡°Right. So, everything ready?¡± Jessie confirmed. Bill gave a thumbs up.

 Chapter 73, Streaming through History

    Streaming Through History


    ¡°While it is true that culture affected how the early heroes dressed, in their so called ¡®union suits¡¯, costumes, or uniforms, there is a far more practical element to why Heroes attempt to be friendly to the media, from a visual standpoint if nothing else. That reason is Marketing.¡±


    ¡°The income stream for heroes, as heroes, is limited. Governments can give grants but can not directly employ Enhanced in an official capacity for numerous legal reasons, and while there are bounties and standard rewards for capturing criminals or so called ¡®supervillains¡¯, a percentage of up to twenty five percent going to the heroes contribution to the International Super-Actions Insurance Fund, with another twenty or thirty percent that can be lost due to a ¡®default¡¯, or to pay for damage determined excessive by the awarding agencies, to be turned over to repair battle damage. Heroes rarely get away with more than forty percent of any award.¡±


    ¡°However, merchandise sales are a very rich potential revenue stream, with just about all local heroes having at least a website with a couple of t-shirts and those of any repute having a contract with some toy manufacturer or another.¡±


    Sylvia Lang, ¡°Marketing Realities for Independent Personalities¡±


    ¡°Hello Capers. Welcome to the Cape Watch Podcast. We promised you an interview with Elizabeth Summers, AKA Solaris, and we have managed to overdeliver, and I won¡¯t lie, we are still reeling from it ourselves!¡±


    James took over. ¡°But then, could you really invite the Original Girl and not end up with a, let¡¯s say opponent of hers turning up? Chancellor Killian von Volkard has crashed the party.¡± Killian smirked at the camera.


    The young woman spoke up once more. ¡°But the most infamous, and perhaps original, gray cape in history has also graced us with her presence. Michuru Hakamari. Known by the allied intelligence services as Kitsune!¡± The asian woman bowed her head slightly, a mischievous smile.


    ¡°So, obviously, welcome to the show.¡± James finished.


    ¡°It is a pleasure." Solaris said the other two nodded their assent. ¡°We were talking while getting everything set up, and as far as any of the three of us can remember this is the first time we''ve been interviewed, all together.¡±


    ¡°For the record, Solaris has permitted us to record in her own, lovely home.¡± Bill said behind the camera.


    ¡°That was something we were going to ask. All of you have had some significant interviews in the past. Kreigsmarine¡¯s testimony against the Nazi leadership at Nuremberg, Kitsune speaking at the memorial service for Ronin after the attempted bombing of Nagasaki, and of course numerous wartime appearances by Solaris. You are three of history¡¯s most significant Supers, on either side of the line.¡±


    ¡°We were the leaders of our respective teams, and together we did our best to keep the use of enhanced individuals in war as...civilized as possible. Kriegsmarine said.


    Michuru nodded. Many of the rules of war that we worked out in secret meetings back then are still honored now, even when governments are displeased by them, and believe me some argued with us about where we could and should be deployed.¡±


    "Or what we would allow our teams to do when deployed. I admit I didn¡¯t realize how nasty it was in the background." Kreigsmarine admitted. "But we realized how bad it could be almost immediately after the first time Enhanced forces met, shortly after the Allies Operation Torch. Thank god it was in the deserts of Africa and not a city, anyone''s city."


    ¡°We had orders to hit a submarine base and destroy the subs. It¡­ was eye opening how little regular soldiers could do against a team of enhanced.¡± Solaris said.


    "And then your Breakneck was dispatched... I believe to rescue some downed pilots." Kreigsmarine said, nodding. "I think it was the fifth day of fighting after the initial attack. He met Calvario, my team¡¯s speedster, and they spent the next several hours fighting. People forget how much damage speedsters can build up, it looked like something out of the First World war, a No-Man''s land after weeks of bombardment and it took them less than a day to do."


    ¡°It didn¡¯t help that Breakneck was almost obsessed with explosives.¡± Solaris said dryly. ¡°But the first of the secret conferences happened not long after that.¡±


    "Didn''t he invent three new forms of explosives during the war?" Kitsune asked. "Impressive for a man trained in aeronautical engineering."


    "Speedsters, you can''t keep up, you can only keep your head down." Kreigsmarine chuckled.


    "Oh god, that damn foam he developed." Kitsune moaned. "The Marines got a supply of that and were using it to demilitarize Japan after the surrender. They always used too much, and tanks flying into the air at random in the name of peace was unsettling for the recovering populace."


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    ¡°Yes, well Marines will be Marines.¡± Solaris said with a shake of her head. ¡°And his love of explosions also led to a better smokeless camp stove for the men. Which was stolen almost as often as the sock wash.¡±


    "I won''t lie. I snagged an air drop in midair once, just to get those." He smirked at the confused look on the podcaster¡¯s face. "The sock wash was this sachet of cleanser that just needed boiling and drying to make a soldier¡¯s socks softer and cleaner. Sounds like a silly thing, until you consider how many men ended up on the casualty list because of foot issues. And those stoves also meant those little dried soup packets. You can buy the St. Nick version in stores now; under I think it is the Northern Light brand? Not as compact as Campbells modern version, but better flavor."


    "Battles are won by soldiers and weapons. Wars are won by food and medicine." Kitsune added.


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Most units just boiled all their uniforms, it really cut down on foot rot, and jock itch. It was the first product I developed with St. Nicks; it came before the soup¡­and then the Canadians using the soup to bait Germans.


    Kriegsmarine huffed frowning "Fucking Canadians."


    "So, the rumors were true, you really all did get together and make a... I guess a kind of Geneva Convention for supers, or maybe Stockholm Convention based on where the original Elysium is."


    ¡°Yes, we felt it was necessary, before militaries decided to use us to forge new atrocities ¡°Kitsune said, sipping her tea. ¡°Our generals were as bad as the Canadians, if not worse, it was important for my team and I to have rules of honor set, even if the rest of the Army did not.


    Solaris nodded ¡°The first Elysium came later. I purchased a Chateau in Switzerland after the Black Hand tried to assassinate the royal family, it became the first club and is still the headquarters for the rest of the clubs.¡±


    "Right. Though, I mean, no offense but atrocities..." Jessie started


    "The Holocaust, and Nanking." Kreigsmarine growled. "I can''t speak to the Japanese side of that, and the actions the Allied took, such as the Japanese internment camps, are more Solaris''s point, but I will address the Holocaust." He sighed.


    "We didn''t understand what was happening, not most of the German people. I''m not going to lie, and claim we didn''t know something was happening, and that it was wrong, but the actual events. The death camps, and the purge, most of us had no idea. I wasn''t even a Nazi, politically, thus not trusted with many things."


    "Wait, but you were one of the first of their super soldiers?" James¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise and confusion. ¡°How were you not a Nazi?¡±


    "The subjects the Nazi party chose failed to express enhancements, or had other issues. The two that did develop any powers were shifted into the SS and they were at best C class by modern standards." He explained. "It was a political choice to try and Enhance me, to calm the commanders of the Navy, who weren''t the most trusted of the armed forces by Hitler¡¯s government. Germinatrix was also political, her family was supportive of the party, but she was barely sixteen when she was recruited. She parroted her father, unaware of the fact that he was playing the long game and cared nothing for Hitler¡¯s ideals."


    ¡°She was the youngest of all of us, she should never have been sent to the front.¡± Solaris said her voice was grim and regretful.


    Kriegsmarine nodded "By the time I knew how bad things were, the Soviets were in Germany on one side and the Allies on the other. At that point I sent Germinatrix to Switzerland to wait for me, sent the other team members into the meatgrinder of combat, and began reaching out to Allied commanders regarding assisting the end of the war, and to be fair partially hoping to avoid prosecution for the things I''d just discovered." He sneered. ¡°I am not proud of some craven fear seeping into my blood, but covering one¡¯s own ass has never been unwise.¡±


    "I was aware of how bad Nanking was, and it was horrible." Kitsune admitted. "But it was controlled by the Army, and I had no influence with them. I wasn''t as high ranking or influential outside of the emperor¡¯s court as I would have liked, and there was enough poison whispered into important ears that I couldn''t tell you what the emperor himself thought at the time."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°Kitsune was more of an intelligence asset than a front liner like us. And politically was in a weaker position than either of us because of the schism between the Imperial court and the military.¡± Solaris agreed, then nodded her head to the German.


    ¡°I had more connections to the intelligence community than Killian did, I knew more about the concentration camps than he did, though even my reports didn¡¯t give a full scope of what was going on. I thought Killian knew more than he did, andI found out later how the Nazi government kept him insulated from the darker sides of their policies.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t claim to be innocent, or lacking any culpability in what my nation did.¡± Killian nodded. "However, she''s right. The Party, and SS, loved to conceal things from me. It led to... at least, seven Guardian Team operations going completely unopposed, because they didn''t bother to share information."


    He sighed. "Lord above, do you remember that submarine base you were sent into, shortly before Normandy was invaded? I had that on a short list of sites to be informed on, and a fucking political appointed SS lieutenant overruled the request. A man who, if he was in my detachment, would have been getting sent to fetch my meals!"


    "Winter had it just as bad. General Winter that is." Kitsune added. "I don''t know what he said to Stalin in forty-eight, but I know it was because of Stalin''s government cleansings in the Soviet Union General Winter didn''t go to Moscow for the next several years, before leaving during the Enhanced Purge in the Soviet Union."


    Solaris shook her head ¡°I remember that, what a mess. He and his family spent a couple years in the Swiss chateau while we found him and other enhanced new homes. He helped get a lot of people out to safety from East Berlin as well.¡±


    "Bah." Killian snarled, never a fan of the German split, for obvious reasons.


    Solaris chuckled. ¡°I remember you directing the west German air crews with Germinatrix during the airlift.¡±

 Chapter, 74, Documenting Details.

    Documenting Details


    ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t we stop him from leaving? Marquis Marauder is a criminal, Dad!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, kiddo, but today we had a chance to lose thousands, maybe millions of people to that beast¡¯s attack, and he helped us drive it off. Trying to arrest him after that might mean he¡¯d hesitate to help in the future, or some other villain who still has their soul might.¡±


    ¡°Is this one of those rules you talk about, dad?¡±


    ¡°Rule five, honey. No man is my enemy, when he helps protect the innocent.¡±


    Empire Girl and Empire Statesman, after the Mutant Megalodon attack on New York City, 1998.


    "More like making sure she didn''t knock idiot Soviet pilots out of the air and start the war all over again." He grumbled. "But yes. I''ve felt shame at my nation, but I felt pride at what I saw American, British, and yes German people do in that year and more. It¡¯s also when I decided to leave. I knew that eventually I''d strike out at the Soviets and their so-called "East German" government if I didn''t distance myself, and I gladly took a large number of people who wanted out of Soviet hands in the process."


    Kitsune laughed. ¡°Between you, Germinatrix, and General Winter there wasn¡¯t much to stop you from leading people out of Germany to the Atlantean isles like a strange violent Moses.¡±


    "Yes, I sent Nereid several libraries worth of books to get one of the islands to populate."


    ¡°For our viewers who aren¡¯t familiar with the Atlantean islands, Ake Embla the smallest of the three main islands of the archipelago, about one thousand square miles total.


    Killian nodded. ¡°And had nothing meaningful on it, aside from a small human population struggling with the pygmy Tyrannosaur population. Fortunately, there were valuable resources to trade and use. Besides we left with quite a bit that the Soviets had thought to steal from Germany, but I will not be apologizing to Stalin¡¯s ghost about what I may or may not have liberated from my homelands stockpiles."


    "It did also give Nereid an ally against Orichal, the second largest of the three, and its warlords. Sadly, Ask Embla and Atlantea never managed to crush them sufficiently before they achieved a level of industrialization. But that''s my opinion.¡± He sighed. ¡°Still, it was hard to disagree with the idiots in the Nazi Party stance on German Nationalism in the broad strokes, considering the predatory nature of our neighbors after World War I, and World War II saw the Soviets planning to do the same."


    ¡°Ignoring blaming the Jewish people for everything.¡± Bill said from behind the camera.


    ¡°Ignoring that particular and spectacular stupidity, yes.¡±


    ¡°The treaty of Versailles was a joke.¡± Solaris mused. ¡°Fortunately, one the world seems to have learned from considering the resources put into the German and Japanese reconstructions.¡±


    "Yes, humanity might have learned a lesson or two for a change." The German rolled his eyes. ¡°Though it seems eternally able to forget others, as it sees fit.¡±


    "You are old and cynical, my friend." Kitsune said with a laugh. "But then, so am I. At least Elizabeth still has a bit of optimism. Still, you were there for Berlin and I stood witness at Nagasaki."


    "Ronin." He nodded. "Damned fool. Brave Damned Fool."


    "Some of our listeners might not remember Nagasaki was the target for the second Atomic Bomb strike at the end of World War Two, or that Ronin, one of the Enhanced warriors on the Japanese side, managed to intercept the bomb well above its intended detonation point, at the cost of his own life." James added.


    "Estimates for how many people he saved are varied, but only a few hundred people were killed by the Nagasaki bomb, but it cost us my good friend, a friend I took there in hopes of stopping a second tiny sun burning my homeland. I regret taking him and am glad the Emperor saw sense. Fools in the army seemed to think we had several spare Ronin lying about instead of only the one man who had died."


    Solaris bowed her head in respect for the dead. ¡°He was a hero. A hero in the truest sense and I am sad we never got to meet under better terms. I knew nothing about the nuclear program. The American government made sure to keep even a whisper of it from my team.¡± She reached out and squeezed Kitsune¡¯s hand.


    "The only people the American¡¯s screwed that up with were the damn Soviets. But then Stalin always had the best spies." Killian grumbled.


    "And in the US''s defense, they haven''t used them since then, ignoring the Kaiju Swarm crisis and even Japan accepted that it was deep enough in the pacific, and far from any land, to be worth the risk." Kitsune added.


    "The Kaiju Swarm, caused by a maniac splicer, was an occasion where three dozen Kaiju all turned up in a group." Jessie explained. "He was killed in a joint US and Soviet, as this occurred in 1985, air strike involving an undisclosed number of nuclear bombs.¡± James said.


    "Ironically, they didn''t kill many Kaiju, but the Splicer, who called himself Goliath Lord, was well and truly vaporized." Killian replied. ¡°A true crying shame.¡±


    ¡°Lord. I know there are splicers on the side of the angels, but black cape splicers are the worst. How long were we cleaning up after bloody Mengele?¡± Solaris groaned, rolling her eyes.


    "We''re still cleaning up after that idiot. And his clones. Not the one that runs a coffee shop, the rest of them." Kitsune muttered.


    ¡°And we aren¡¯t talking about the Monkey.¡± Kriegsmarine said his voice pained, Solaris and Kitsune nodding in agreement.


    "I admit, I suspect half the rogue splicers in the world spend at least some time training with one of his clones or using his research notes. They all start sounding the same after a while. Perfection through modification, godliness through genetic superiority." James added, now really wanting to ask about this monkey.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Jessie shared her partner''s pain but bit back the question. "At least the pro-social slicers do nice and lovely things like cure illnesses and help the injured. And occasionally create weird, theme creatures but then all splicers must be a little nuts."


    ¡°I can¡¯t really argue that.¡± Solaris said with a chuckle. ¡°I fought a splicer snake down in Florida recently, I found its nest and hired a Wrangler to set up an egg incubator for me. He is going to swing by every couple months to check on them.¡±


    "Of course you kept them. I noticed a tank with several eggs and heating lamps in your hall." Kitsune chuckled. "You always had a weakness for the truly odd."


    ¡°Well, the parent was beautiful. An almost pearlescent white snake, I have a purse and shoes being made from the hide.


    "And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the turn of the century Britania in a nutshell." Killian laughed.


    "At least her generation had gumption. Now their police are afraid of kitchen knives in the hands of goons." Kitsune snarked


    "Japan''s about as restrictive." Killion countered


    "Yeah, but our guns and police learn to fight. I have no idea what these modern ''bobbies'' are doing."


    ¡°I admit being a bit perplexed by some of the modern views on weapons.¡± Solaris said looked over at Killian ¡°You would have skinned it too, there is no sense in wasting a three-hundred square foot hide. Especially an acid resistant one.¡±


    "Well, I admit, you present a valid point. Sheer utility alone would demand its use." He chuckled. "And I would like a new coat. Have you confirmed they''re going to hatch similar leviathans?"


    ¡°No idea. They could be regular snakes, but odds are they are slicer beasts, the wrangler said they are developing very slowly, so it will probably be a year or more till they hatch.¡±


    ¡°So, one may hatch white we are here. I''ll need another beer to prepare, if you don''t mind young Anzy." Kreigsmarine joked.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± she pulled out another beer handing to the German.


    ¡°Do you want one Kitsune? When they hatch, I mean. I know Killian here hates snakes.¡±


    "Perhaps, at least once we know if it''s a threat to the entire community or not." The Asian woman chuckled. "Even then, it could be entertaining to send the young toughs amongst the younger students to deal with it, just to teach humility."


    Killian took a large swig of beer. "Meanwhile, I''ll agree with Doctor Jones on two issues, Nazi''s are a pain in the ass, and snakes suck."


    ¡°I got that reference!¡± Solaris laughed. "I''ll let you know when they hatch then,¡± she winked at Killian. ¡°And if you want a new coat, I took the hide to Phantastique¡¯s place, I''m sure you have the number.¡±


    "I will have to reach out. I do need a new coat." He nodded. "Though I was halfway through determining how to raid your house. Stealing my fun."


    Kitsune rolled her eyes. "I swear, it¡¯s always like this with these two. I think it''s because he reminds her of her brother."


    "It''s partially that, partially we were raised very similarly." Killian nodded. "Though Katja I think, always had a crush on her." He teased.


    "Katja?" one of the podcasters asked.


    "Katja Winkler Von Halidaye, otherwise known as Germinatrix." He explained. "Solaris was the only one she actually really feared, and Katja is an unusual woman on many levels."


    "My brother was far more destructive than Killian.: Solaris said a bit sad that Hugh was currently dead. ¡°And Katja, she always felt so young to me, she was just a baby thrown to the battlefield, parroting a madman¡¯s ideals.¡±


    "Oh yes and ironically was given the ''weakest'' serum. And we all know how that worked out. Seems the serum had less to do than native potential. We''re still trying to figure out how things worked, since attempts to duplicate these things are at best hit or miss, and usually miss ugly."


    ¡°My understanding is that the original formula, the one used to create you, me Katja and Hugh, was never really duplicated." Solaris said switching her tea out for wine.


    "Attempts were made in the intervening years. That''s ignoring people who tried processing one of our bloods, or the like. One group seemed to have succeeded but then couldn''t duplicate the results. Some other loon released an aerosolized formula, a corruption from what few notes he could find, that caused low powered enhancements and mutates. Rumor has it one of the Mengele¡¯s has an effective enhancement formula, possibly more than one, but tracking which one is challenging."


    Kitsune nodded. "That''s ignoring the enhancement techniques others have tried, and environmental results. There''s some theories that even suggest enhanced population density can increase the chances of spontaneous enhancement."


    ¡°And there¡¯s even a few botanical¡¯s and ¡®natural remedies¡¯ that are claimed to work, usually complete rubbish or worse.¡±


    ¡°It does seem that the more of us that are in an area the more of us gravitate to an area.¡± Solaris said, ¡°But it means that more services are available too. I got my first real haircut since my enhancement, and it was divine!¡±


    ¡°Artificial sapphire, right? Some powered females petitioned for a Nobel prize for that. Didn¡¯t win.¡± Jessie chuckled.


    "Fools, keeping a lady happy is part of the path to peace." Solaris laughed.


    "Perhaps they weren''t sure if it should be peace or a science prize." Killian chuckled. "On this front it was easier for men. For short hair we could use more energetic methods. It required a shower after and wasn''t the best smelling due to lasers and burning hair, but it got the job done if you didn¡¯t mind high and tight."


    "From my perspective the future has been lovely." She chuckled. ¡°Though I¡¯ve found myself purchasing aircraft to avoid commercial flights.¡±


    ¡°Multiple aircraft? I should have expected it.¡± Killian chuckled.


    ¡°Why would you expect it?¡± James asked.


    "Lady Summers here is constitutionally incapable of not building organizations. You obviously know about the Guardians, and St Nicks, but lesser known is the workgroup she led in the UN before disappearing. This group joined with another project into UNLOC when it became obvious a multinational organization was more than needed."


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a company of the Airborne that identify as the Sun¡¯s Foot Soldiers because of the work you did with them, developing those boots during the war?¡± Kitsune mused aloud.


    Solaris blushed. "Well, it''s more for business ventures and such right now. We are getting everything together to restore my family home in England. And I believe Elenore is looking at expanding our influencer support business. My first little garage has been getting terribly busy.


    "And I also heard you''re going to be opening a restaurant soon." Jessie asked. ¡°You didn''t take long knocking the last of the ice off, so to speak."


    Solaris shrugged. ¡°The property I purchased to turn into an Enhanced Gym came with a little restaurant, and one of my staff is a chef, so it only makes sense to let her use that space. Another small front that came with it is going to be a gallery run by another staff member."


    "Well, I run a country, so I still have a bigger office." Killian joked.


    Kitsune yawned dramatically. "I''ve been in your office. It''s not that big."


    "It¡¯s, wait, when were you in my office?"


    Solaris chuckled. looking at Jessie and James. "And that sums up the three of us right there."


    "Well, on that note of paranoia, that''s it for this week¡¯s Capewatch podcast. I hope it was as astounding for our listeners as it was for us! Thank you again Solaris, Kreigsmarine, and Kitsune. And also, thanks to our episode advertiser, Polar VPN."


    Solaris smiled at the podcasters. "I hope that was good for you, it was a bit of an odd interview."


    "Not really. Podcast formats are a little less predictable than interview shows you might have done in the past.¡±


    "Most of the podcasts I¡¯ve watched were more like documentaries. So, I wasn''t sure. She looked at the other two "That was fun. It''s been forever since we all got a chance to chat."


    "Indeed." Kitsune said. "And the evening is not over yet, but we can talk more once the young ones have left. I have another topic to discuss with you both."


    The podcasters smiled taking the hint. "We are going to head to the hotel and start reviewing the footage. Thank you all for this. It''s going to be amazing."

 Chapter 75, Sword of Ice

    Sword of Ice


    ¡°Magic has become a part of the world, as much as any other superpower, and evidence suggests it was around long ago, and perhaps was known to a select few even when there wasn¡¯t a lot of evidence or even rumors of such.¡±


    ¡°The important thing to remember is, Magic operates under rules, just like anything else. Physics is still physics, and Magic isn¡¯t defying it when a spellcaster lifts an object without touching it, they¡¯re substituting some form of naturally occurring energy in a scientifically undescribed way to cause movement. Newton and Einstein are still right, there¡¯s just more ways to cheat than we might like to admit. And even if it looks kind of stupid, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Now, who wants to be changed into a bunny? That¡¯s always good for the first day freshmen!¡±


    Olivia Hedges, Chair of the department of Metaphysics at Berkley, Magic Theory 101.


    Kitsune sipped her tea as the gear was collected, waiting till they left before reaching into a large handbag, pulling out a lacquered box. One that Solaris had seen before. "You helped prevent the theft of this box some weeks ago, from an auction house."


    ¡°The Tsuba? I remember. The gentleman had a similar accent to yours, I figured he was family.¡±


    "He''s a distant cousin... well, significantly younger... don''t worry about that." She chuckled. "He is unfortunately in hospital. The individual who caused this is no longer with us but was likely targeting this.¡±


    "I hope he is alright; he didn''t seem too badly injured after the fight?" Solaris said tipping her head in concern,


    "No, he was ambushed in his home. They were after this. Trouble is, they have superpowered assets in their employ."


    "They must have quite a few. I took down three at the auction house, and I haven''t heard of any of them getting out yet. May I ask why they are after the Tsuba? It can''t just be a valuable antique?"


    "It is that, yes, but... better to show you." She pulled a soft leather cloth, out of the bag, along with a new handle. She wrapped the handle in the leather, then slipped the Tsuba over the top, using a small plug, where the blade would usually go to hold the tsuba in.


    "And now." She held the weapon up in a ready position, and with a flash of blue light a crystal blade formed where a katana¡¯s steel would normally rest. It glowed subtly and the cold could be felt by everyone in the room."


    "Is that ice?" Killian asked, tilting his head.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "So,is a magic tool. That explains a bit, it is lovely."


    "It is called Tsumetai Ry¨± No Ken, roughly the Sword of the Cold Dragon. Myth has it that it is from the tooth of Kuraokami, a dragon of rain and cold. I''m not sure if that is true, but it¡¯s impossibly sharp, the ice is one molecule thick, and impossibly tough. Even if it was damaged, it will reform almost instantly." she explained.


    "This is the target, obviously. It was smuggled out, illegally, though the smuggler didn''t send it with what was needed to activate it."


    "Are you here to take it back to Japan?"


    "Yes and no, this will be more of a shell game." She admitted, canceling the blade. "Killian, if you are willing, I''d like you to visibly take the box with you to Ask Embla. While an antique, it''s not particularly valuable. However, that will lead people to think it went home to you."


    Killian nodded. I can do that, with me flying under a diplomatic flag it will make it hard for people to get at the box, and that gets it halfway to Japan from here. at least in theory.


    "I''m still trying to identify who are the ones after the weapon. The thieves from before were hirelings." Kitsune explained. "Since that means I will likely have to deal with an attack, I would appreciate it if you could courier this to Japan when you are able to travel." She said to Solaris. "I''d say Switzerland when we meet to open the vault, but that can''t happen till an equinox because magicians are universally pains in the ass. I was wondering if you could bring The tsuba to me after Christmas, as I know the holidays are going to be hectic."


    "I can do that, Japan was on my list of places to visit anyway. It could be fun to do New Years there.¡± Solaris tapped a finger on the table. "If I really do still have a warehouse of stuff from the internment camps there may be more stuff, I can bring to return to Japan to cover the tsuba as well."


    "It''s likely you have at least a few items." the Japanese woman agreed.


    Solaris chuckled. "I wonder how long I''ll be finding these little projects I left hanging about.


    Killian nodded and smirked at Solaris. "I just recently found a submarine I sent to hide with war supplies in 44 that I''d completely forgotten about. Milk Cow Submarine filled with the finest in second world wars selection of small arms. Not terribly valuable since I use NATO standard weapons at this point."


    Solaris nodded, ¡°The look on the insurance Adjusters¡¯ face when they opened one of my war souvenir boxes was fantastic.¡±


    "Oh, I imagine, with your sticky fingers. Of course, I did the same thing."


    "Me too. I still drive the Jeep I stole from the Americans around the family farms.¡±


    "It really was how we kept score; I still have a Nazi commanders¡¯ car in a storage facility down by DC.¡± She smiled at Kitsune. "I''ll put your treasure in the most secure part of the house, and have Penny arrange a flight to ring in the new year in Japan.¡±


    "Excellent. It''ll be good to stretch your legs more. Not that the US doesn''t have a lot of room to stretch."


    "True, but I have been nesting a bit, getting a new home base set up. It¡¯s about time to travel a bit.


    "I can understand that. And the house is lovely. And the yacht. Careful, your heritage is showing there." Kitsune teased.


    "I was born to a naval family, of course I am going to have a boat. ¡®Always a ¡®Summer at Sea¡¯" Solaris said with a chuckle, ¡°depending on how full your schedules are perhaps I''ll take you both out on the Serenity.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps during the next UN general meeting.¡± The German agreed. ¡°It¡¯d be nice to be on the sea for recreation for a change.¡±

 Chapter 76, Planning for planning

    Planning for Planning


    Please be aware during our Black Friday sales, no use of enhanced powers is allowed on property. Persons using enhanced powers or devices save for those allowed by the ADA and EOA will be asked to leave the store and not be allowed to make purchases.


    Warning posted on doors during holiday sales.


    ¡°So, Elenore, how Are things going with the hiring for the UK projects?¡± Solaris asked as they pulled up to Mikimoto for some Christmas shopping.


    "I''ve got a few good prospects who are going to be flying over this weekend." She explained. "A few who might fill the project manager roll, someone I''m liking the look of for an administrative secretary and another as your personal secretary." she said. "I also have someone coming out to interview for a stylist for you and the gang as a whole. I''ve arranged an online interview with a potential IT and Cybersecurity specialist but transporting him will be a challenge. Agoraphobia."


    "A stylist. I hadn''t thought about that, I did have one back in the day that Wendy managed. Good call on that, and a secretary will take some of the weight off of Penny." Solaris smiled at the store clerks, her eyes dancing at the beautiful pearls. "Things are likely to get more hectic than less." She began selecting items for her Fledglings. The store assistant had been called and warned so she had a small trolley ready to put the heroes¡¯ selections on. "We could get the Agoraphobic a private cabin, they do those on that one Arabian airline right?


    "The main Japanese carrier has similar setups for first class international, so I''ve considered it. I could argue about looking into a longer-range private jet, though for most purposes the 600 does the job. I don''t know how much we''re going to find ourselves ferrying people around and how we''ll go about it depends on what else spins up.¡±


    "I do see your point..." She selected a set of black pearls for Zoya. "Technically the plane we have is good for hopping in the pond. but getting something a bit more designed for intercontinental flights might not be the worst idea. Especially if we start hiring more people from abroad.


    "And start more projects abroad. I mean, I now have the small project in San Francisco with that warehouse of Interment goods you recovered but couldn''t return. We''re taking a trip to Japan, and I know there''s a Hong Kong interest we should visit out there. And that''s ignoring the fact that you have managed to fill three buildings to over-full of businesses. The damn shop is almost too small, and I was thrilled at how big it was two months ago."


    Elenore shook her head "Not really a complaint, but with Erica, Levi, Talia and Badger, with support from Kar1n and Anzy, I can barely justify keeping any lifts free for visiting tubers, and I think we''re going to need a specialist in cad design for the printer farm and CNC equipment you bought us. It''s capable of way more than we''re doing with it."


    ¡°I thought it looked useful. They finally delivered the big machine, that''s good to know. We can get another shop or building to convert. I remember Bailey sending us an email about a bunch of real estate offerings.


    .¡±Oh It is, Kar1n and the brains love it. RIght now we''re generally flipping one extremely high end, rebuilt sports car a week, and we also sold a weird, armored thing the boys got bored and built to the Tailor.."With the money from the shop I''ve bought four apartments on spec, that already had tenants but with open apartment space above for our potential future staff needs. So, you know your Real Estate Portfolio is growing rapidly."


    "


    "Land is almost always a good investment," Solaris said with an approving nod. Handing her card over to the shop assistant to ring. "I wonder if we can find something bigger to give more space to spread out, or if we should focus on getting smaller buildings as we have been."


    "I''m pondering an upgrade. We''ve had the Tailor approach us asking questions about Griffin cars. The idea of a fleet vehicle appeals to him to some clients... that would suggest needing a larger workshop just for that. And with the CNC gear, and the plasma cutter we can do pretty darn bespoke setups."


    "Do you think we should put a real estate agent on the payroll? Someone who can look for properties and land opportunities? Solaris said as she took her bags and walked out putting them in the trunk. "I think the Lego store next. That should have some interesting things for Talia, Grey and Badger."


    "Not necessarily. I think it¡¯s more fun for us to wander and look for what we like. Would a real estate agent have brought the limo place to us?" She shrugged. "We can recruit or even retain Cassie''s friend who did the reno on the gym, which makes sense from a contact building sense anyhow."


    "That is fine, I brought you on to manage project details. I am not going to tell you how to do your job." Solaris laughed. "Even, if now it looks more like you are going to be the manager of the project managers. I hope you don''t regret signing up with all the work." she teased.


    "No, not at all, but if I can be a little bold?¡± At Solaris¡¯s friendly nod she continued. ¡°A: You get the star destroyer for Thud, or he''ll never stop pouting and B: I think we need to start thinking about what you want to do long term, or at least, mid-term."


    Solaris lifted the huge box down. Setting it on a cart. "We can''t have Thud pouting now can we. What about Talia? some of those fancy car ones with the engines? And how do you mean mid and long term?¡±


    "For Talia and Dino-boy. She''ll love it, and he won''t admit it, but he''ll love it." She chuckled. "And I''ve been watching you. You''re a very type A personality, and very goal oriented. The problem is, I''m not sure what your goals are. You''re choosing to keep things mellow right now, and that''s fine, but I''m betting after the first of the year, you''re going to start getting fed up with not doing anything with a real goal."


    "Honestly. I don''t know." Solaris selected a couple of cars for the two teens, and a tankman set for Penny. " When I was about Talia''s age, I decided my goal was to be a nurse, to be useful like my mom. Then the war started, and my goal was to serve my nation. Then I became enhanced, and my goal was to win the war, and to keep the human cost as low as I could. then there was the reconstruction, then the Red Scare." The tiny woman sighed. grabbing a Yankee¡¯s stadium kit for her office.


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    ¡°I guess right now, I just want to live for myself, have fun, enjoy the peace I fought for.¡± She picked up a box of extra motors and parts almost randomly, putting things in the cart. ¡°I mean I am sure I will find causes and problems, but I like what I¡¯m doing now building a team¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s fine. I can just keep working on finding small income generators and building your assets to support it. I just ask you to think a bit about it so if something comes to you, I can get a heads up. ¡°


    ¡°I will.¡± She pushed her cart to the checkout, making some suggestions for Levi and Erica. I got Anzy three sets of handmade Japanese knives, and Marcus a side car for his bike. Luxury art supplies and orchid seeds for Mercedes, and a high-end gun cleaning kit for Granny Ruan.


    ¡°Levi is easy. He needs an upgrade to his flight headset. He kind of skimped. Erica is always hard to shop for. It doesn¡¯t help that she is so tiny, buying off the rack for her is a crapshoot. ¡°


    ¡°What about a certificate to go get custom clothing? I am sure I can work something out with Cassie.¡±


    ¡°Might be best. And Cassie is back in New York since her team went to England to do the manor visit, part one. ¡°


    ¡°You got them for the urban exploration on the Summer Manor?¡± Solaris said. She¡¯d also gotten the girl some lovely pearl earrings.


    ¡°Yeah. Carl got out of his cast, and they wanted to make the first visit. Since it¡¯s not a lair they want to do before, during, after. ¡°


    ¡°That makes sense, hopefully they had fun. Speaking of fun, how did things go with Badger?¡±


    ¡°He is so adorkable and awkward. And where he got a lime green tie I do not know. I am giving him another date to see how it goes. ¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, he seems sweet, where did he take you?¡±


    ¡°A little Italian place in the city, then an off-Broadway show. The show sucked so we ended up leaving early and getting donuts. ¡°


    ¡°Well, that sounds lovely. Did you manage to get him into an apartment? Zoya told me he was living in the shop.¡±


    "Yeah, she might have understated it. Oh, interesting note, he can burrow through concrete. Coincidentally he built a den under the shop. It''s surprisingly nice, purple crystals.¡± She sighed. ¡°I have very strange taste in men."


    ¡°He¡¯s smart, kind, well mannered, and has a job,¡± speaking for my day and age he is a winner.¡± Solaris teased.


    ¡°I am thinking you could set the bar a bit higher boss.¡±


    Solaris laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know, sounds pretty good to me, though I also have to add durable to my wish list.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, I can¡¯t have anyone allergic to cats.¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°Do your summons actually have dander?¡± Solaris said curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird¡­ I don¡¯t think they do, but I had two roommates who needed to change rooms because of allergies.¡±


    ¡°That is odd.¡± Solaris agreed as they loaded Legos into the car. Okay let¡¯s see I asked Badger and the other brains to make a non-lethal sidearm for Kriegsmarine. And Kitsune asked me to send her a case of Ranch dressing.


    "You''d think they''d start importing it. It''s a bit of a running internet joke on both sides of the ocean."


    ¡°Well, it made an easy Christmas gift. She¡¯s going to send me some soy sauces that aren¡¯t sold here.¡±


    "That will thrill Anzy." She nodded. "I think there''s discussion about going in as a group for you. Kinda hard to beat you to the things you want. Any hints from the woman who can lift anything?"


    Solaris smiled. ¡°I am still learning this time period. I am sure there are lots of little fascinating gadgets I haven''t seen yet. And handmade gifts are always welcome.¡±


    "We rebuilt a tank, hard to top that in a month." She chuckled. "Sharper Image here we come!"


    "Is that a hair salon?" Solaris asked curiously as Marcus drove them up towards Bergdorf¡¯s.


    "No. It''s a store that sells gadgets. Useful, useful, potentially useful, not at all useful. the whole gambit."


    Ahh, Sounds like fun. Solaris began selecting handbags for her girls, these were bags for a night out to go with more formal clothing. For the boys she selected fine leather wallets and money clips


    Elenore with a bit of a blush bought Badger a smart looking bowler hat. "So, what do you think of doing open call interviews for the Japanese ESEA students looking for work? Enhanced have way less issues in Japan than some places, but certain power sets or looks can cause major issues."


    I am fine with that; do you just want to have the English students meet us there? seems almost silly to fly them here right before we head to Japan.


    "We could look into bringing them all out to Japan, as well. A bit of a Senior class trip, along with the graduates acting as chaperones, with a couple of teachers. We''re already bringing the American schools out to the desert for your intramural bots in the sands."


    "That works for me. Silly to send a plane and not fill it."


    "I''ll have to check how big those classes might be. Maybe renting something hefty." She chuckled. "I don''t think THIS number will come in often enough to buy our own airliner."


    Solaris chuckled. "It will make a nice treat, a boxing day gift for the seniors and graduates."


    "I want to say they have three academies in the UK, so probably fifty at most. I''m sure we can find a good hotel that would support that many and allow us access to a conference room or two to interview."


    I can interview in my suite, but we will want to arrange a nice dinner meet and greet for the Japanese and English schools.


    "A banquet room, then. Still, it¡¯s not hard. I''ll have the legal people work up what we''ll need to give the hired on, to process for US work visas, for those who will need it. We''ve already set up a corporate entity to do payroll in Britain."


    "That is good. I forgot about the need for work visas. By the way I talked to Louise, since your job duties have changed a bit, you will be getting a raise as well as your quarterly bonus at the end of the year.


    "I wasn''t even thinking about anything like that. Thank you. I''ve just kind of been enjoying the job to be honest with you."


    "That is good, I want to make sure to pay you for the work you are doing so you stay in love with the job. It''s hard to find someone who understands both my enjoyment of business, and my sense of whimsy."


    "And who won''t go off and do something reckless with the resources they have. Fortunately, I''m not reckless."


    "If you were, we wouldn''t have as much fun." Solaris said cheekily, as she selected wallets for the boys. "Speaking of my whimsy. I think I have everything arraigned for boxing day. It won¡¯t be as big this year. Not enough time to plan, But I think everyone will be happy, and I can go all out next year."


    "Call it a trial run."


    "Yes, next year¡¯s Boxing Day will be one to remember." Solaris said with a smile.

 Chapter 77, Meanwhile… Hors D’oeuvres

    Meanwhile¡­Hours Devours


    ¡°Okay, I get why we needed to have special insurance for the event, and I totally understand why every potential site we¡¯ve contacted wanted double their usual damage deposit, but why the hell would there be a town ordinance against us holding a live signing event?¡±


    ¡°Have you been to our signing events? Super-folk get together for a social event, and you know at least one villain will show up!¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s what the damage deposit is for!¡±


    ¡°Apparently that deposit doesn¡¯t apply to damage done to the streets surrounding a venue.¡±


    Solaris took a final walk around the house making sure everything looked good. The enormous fir tree in the front was hung with white lights, gold garland and a rainbow of ornaments. Next to it was her rose gold tank with a big red bow on its barrel as well as some other ornamental packages surrounding the treads.


    The white gazebo was wrapped in red ''velvet'' ribbons and bows like an oversized dollhouse. She loved it and had taken a picture of her and her household standing in the gazebo. She''d printed and framed it, so it was hanging in her office.


    The path back to the pool had arches of Fir garlands and fairy lights with golden pots of poinsettias, looking like rubies. The pool had been turned into a fountain with ever shifting lights, and several large tables were covered in snow white linens, with bright red napkins and gold rimmed wine glasses.


    Solaris smiled as she walked around to where the outdoor dining table had been prepared with gold and silver chargers, as well as dancing votive candles in frosted glass domes, remembering the feasts her parents would hold for the village, thinking they would have loved this.


    Pausing to check the placement of a breadboard, with a Griffin head carved in it, she found the Fledgling¡¯s unconscious assignment of a crest amusing. Soon they would be covered in fresh hot bread, delicious cheese and fruit, both fresh and candied.


    "You and Mercades have done a magnificent job." She said to an Anzy who was doing her own final checks at the outdoor wet bar.


    "Thank you." She smiled. "Mercedes was a real help setting things up out here, that''s for sure. With the bar, and all the courses, even I am feeling a little stretched."


    "Her plants look amazing, Like a fairy castle. And from what I''ve been smelling your food is going to be just as magical. She looked down at her watch. It''s about time to get dressed, hopefully I won''t have to pin Grayson down to get him in his suit."


    "Talia might hide too. Good luck."


    Meanwhile


    At the dock, the team of three divers were carefully swimming under the keel of the huge yacht, each carrying some of the gear for their operation. They surfaced, all but silently, one man lifting hands to press suction cup clamps onto the metal bulkhead along the edge of Solaris''s property.


    The other two were busy assembling a camera and mic, both waterproof and tiny, when their colleague cried out in shock. Looking up they found some sort of monstrous tree-creature and an Asian girl in a formal suit, with charcoal shirt underneath. Their colleague was in the firm grip of the plant creature.


    "Hi, I''m afraid this is a no espionage party. Please surrender your equipment and we''ll escort you to the exit!" Qianlima said calmly. "Or don''t, we''ll kick your asses, and let you float down the canal with the tide. I''m good either way.¡±


    The two guys abandoned the gear, diving and swimming away, leaving their friend in the tree-woman''s arms. Mercedes sighed. "Well, that''s annoying."


    "Yeah, it would be a shame if someone dropped large firecrackers in the water." Zoya, in her heroic ID said, lighting a fuse.


    Their hearing should recover in a few days or weeks, it wasn¡¯t that big an explosion, even underwater.


    Meanwhile...


    Solaris walked into the house, "Gray, Talia, it''s time to get ready." She smiled at Cassidy, ¡°Tonight''s the big night. Thank you for coming all this way to get things done on such short notice."


    "Not a problem. I had fun doing it, and the food has been fantastic. Besides, you know you''re going to need me for more stuff." She winked. "And no speedster is passing up an eight-course meal."


    Solaris laughed. "Not one cooked by Anzy! Let me make sure the kids are getting ready then we can get me dressed, I think Andre is working with Penny and Granny now."


    "I think so. I''ll go pull your dress and accessories out."


    Meanwhile...


    This was his chance at one hell of a scoop. People had been respecting the privacy of The Original Girl, but now a chance at photos of her having a private party, rumored to include several heroes, villains, and politicians? No way was he going to pass up a chance to get pictures.


    Looking through his telephoto lens, he could see the table set for dinner, and the water spraying like a fountain in the swimming pool. "No one here yet. Well, better early than missing something good!"


    A large, winged sabretooth silently landed on the roof behind him. It made a low growl turning its head so the light hit it''s golden eyes as it looked down at the photographer. Giving the man two options. Leave or stay and see what happens.


    "Holy shit!" He cried out, rolling away from the tiger, momentarily forgetting he was on a very sloped roof. He slid down the shingles and fell three stories to land in the neighbors swimming pool. His camera and what few photos he''d taken did not survive the bath.


    Meanwhile...


    Solaris slipped into one of the most gorgeous dresses she''d ever seen, it was a simple column of old gold silk hugging her at the breast and hip before flowing like molten metal around her feet. A slit on one side gave her more freedom of movement and gave a modern edge to the simple, classical dress. Instead of sleeves, three strands of gold and pearl beads draped over her arms, a matching double strand of beads around her neck, with an amber and pearl pendant just under her collar bone.


    Simple gold bangles adorned her wrists and amber and pearl drops hung from her ears. Her shoes were high-heeled sandals made from carbon fiber in a color matching a gold and pearl colored scarf that was draped around her neck, flowing into long wings along her back. "Cassidy, you have outdone yourself this is stunning."


    "I am rather proud of it. But then, how do I get investors for my future fashion lines without impressing the hell out of rich folks, hmm?" she said with a wink. "Seriously though, you''re wearing it very well. If you weren''t so short I''d want, you to model it. The runway is cruel to short stacks like us."


    Solaris chuckled, "You''re not wrong, it amuses me though how many people forget that I''m only about five feet. They hear the hype and think I''m some sort of Amazon. Shall we head down and get some pictures for your folio, I also want pictures of Talia and Grayson all jazzed up."


    "I think that phrase means something other than what you think it means or at least has changed over the years.¡± Cassidy chuckled, assuming she didn¡¯t want hyper teens at the dinner. ¡°I sicked Carl on Grayson, and Erica got Talia to get dressed earlier. You can get a photo and greet the car that''s pulling in now." She pointed out the window, a black car pulled up to the gate.


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    "I wonder who is first to come?" Solaris headed down, smiling at the two teens. Grayson was in a classic long-tailed tux in dark blue, and Talia in a long-sleeved purple dress studded with diamond-like crystals that hugged her slim frame, with a white capelet to help her stay warm. "You both look amazing. Mercades is going to get some pictures of us out at the gazebo. Let''s get that done so I can greet the guests."


    "Sure."


    "Okay.


    They walked out, the car pulling up bearing UN plates, suggesting it was the UNLOC director who had arrived first. Mercedes was there, though she was straightening her hair, with a camera in hand. "You all are looking very sharp."


    ¡°You look lovely as well.¡± Solaris smiled, the girl wearing the skirt suit, echoing a footman¡¯s tux but for a woman and with a skirt, though her hair was strangely disheveled from what she¡¯d seen earlier. Solaris shrugged that off, as she posed alone and with the kids,


    "Why don''t you go check out the simulators? Things will be slow for a bit." She suggested after several flashes, then walked down to greet Helen. "Welcome, you are the first to arrive." she said in a warm voice.


    "I usually am. I don''t have time to do that ''fashionably late'' crap." the director admitted. They walked in, Granny Ruan waiting with a pair of drinks for them, already knowing the preferred drinks for both women. The director''s raised eyebrows caused the elder Vietnamese woman to smirk.


    "I could pretend to be mysterious, but Penny told me." she admitted.


    ¡°I love your dress.¡± Solaris said while drinking her drink. Granny was in an elegant black dress with a silvery shawl. How was the drive out?¡± She asked Helen.


    "Of course she did. And the drive is always better coming out to Long Island than back into the city. Also, I saw a dinosaur boy of some repute. I''ve seen him in a mecha, and this is the first time he''s looked dangerous in my presence. I may have to have you take my grandson shopping, if that''s the results you get." Helen joked.


    ¡°He does wear a suit well, and I think he likes it even though he complained about getting it fitted. He¡¯s been settling in well; it helps that Talia moved in the same day. She¡¯s Erica¡¯s cousin, so not officially my ward.¡± She didn¡¯t mention that some minor altercation had occurred, where the innocent-looking Tweety¡¯ kept a short knife on her at all times and had made an impression during the argument on both Grayson and Grayson¡¯s pillow.


    Solaris had focused on Grayson, while Penny and Erica spoke to Talia after that. The elder hero wondered what they¡¯d said to the girl, since she¡¯d not looked particularly chastised when apologizing later. Or when showing him her new taser.


    "It also helps you have kids smart enough to keep up with him, and who can throw him in the ocean. Is that big Hawaiian kid really studying law?"


    ¡°Yes, he is. He¡¯s been going to school part-time, so he doesn¡¯t have a lot of debt. She giggled while leaning in. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know I paid his next semester yet.¡±


    Meanwhile...


    Nahoa stepped out of the booth they''d set up and walked up the car. "Evening. Do you have your invitation?"


    ¡°Here you go, Xander Campbell, St Nick Northeast. He said, handing the handwritten invitation to the young man.


    "Ahh, yes, you''re on the list. One second if you would." He calmly walked around the back of the car and picked up the man trying to slip in by sneaking behind the car up by the scruff of his neck.


    "Why the hell are you wet?" Nahoa asked, then shrugged when the man just squeaked, and struggled. Pressing the control on his belt, he waved the man in as the gate opened. "Go on, Mr. Campbell. Marcus will move your car to another lot, as we don''t have the space here for everything."


    Absently, he tossed the struggling, and wet, man into a garbage can and closed the lid. "Have a great night." He said, walking back to his booth.


    ¡°Keep up the good work¡± The rep chuckled, pulling into the beautifully decorated house. As the reporter banged on the trash can lid.


    Marcus smiled, taking the keys when he parked, "Follow the lit path to the back, Lady Summers is already there."


    "Thank you very much." He said, watching Marcus carefully drive away, before going around the house, to where soft music could be heard.


    Solaris smiled as she listened to the quartet she¡¯d hired. She turned and smiled at the newcomer, ¡°hello!¡± She said walking back towards him "Welcome to my party.¡±


    "Thank you for the invitation. I am Xander Campbell, I am the director of the New York facility for St. Nicks. Specifically, the Regional Enhanced Technological Advancement Center just across the border in New Jersey."


    ¡°Sorry for not reaching out sooner, I figured I¡¯d be visiting Kennicott sometime in the spring or summer. I figured I''d get used to normal tech before seeing what my think tank has been up to.¡±


    "While the transport situation isn''t what you remember, I don''t blame you in the least. I had to go in January two years ago. On the plus side, I saw a Polar Bear, on the negative side the train wasn''t moving when I saw it and didn''t for several hours."


    "They still won''t let me visit." The voice of Killian Von Volkard caught their attention as the man himself came around the house. He accepted a beer from Levi with a nod, sipping it as he came closer. "Though I understand you''ve stopped increasing security levels when I''m in the vicinity."


    ¡°Ah hello Killian, to be fair we were enemies of old, and you going to forge your own nation didn¡¯t exactly make you more trustworthy to an American based company.¡± She said with a smile shaking his hand in welcome.


    "Ah, but you misunderstand me!" He said, holding a hand to his heart. "It makes a man feel old, when he''s taken off a special security list like that. I swear I found three new grey hairs that day!"


    Solaris laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll talk up your nefariousness when I go see them. Speaking of, did Kitsune come with you or is she sneaking in?¡±


    "She is coming on her own." He said. "Though knowing her, she''s testing your security. Coincidentally, I approve of the large lad you have at your gate. Knows what to do with intruders."


    The St. Nick''s rep laughed. "Right in a dumpster."


    ¡°Nahoa is a good man. He has thrown several people in the harbor for me.¡± Solaris agreed. And no one is going to bully past him without an invite.¡±


    "No, I definitely got that impression. Only a fool mouths off to a handsome building wearing a fine suit when approached by one." Helen chuckled


    Meanwhile...


    Marcus pulled the car into the small lot near the house, climbing out and locking the car. He frowned and turned to find himself facing himself. "What the heck..."


    The other Marcus snarled, having failed to sneak up on the young driver. He surged forward, straight into a brutal attack.


    The real Azure Rong dodged the first two strikes, before his shield flared, forced into absorbing a kick to his stomach that still had enough impact to send him staggering back a step. He pushed off and away from the car, wanting freedom of movement as he snapped out his collapsible baton. His other hand pressed to his ear. "AR compromised. Duplicator." he barked into the com.


    ¡°Roger AR. This is Focus I am on watch . I have TPanda with me. We will watch for dupes.


    "Roger." Marcus maintained his ready stance but said politely. "If you have your invitation, Madam Kitsune, I will be more than happy to take you back with me to the house on the side-by-side."


    The other Marcus spat on the ground in disgust with the name then threw a smoke ball and vanished. He had a party to go to and a tsunami to find.


    "AR to Team, The Fox did not meet the Dragon. Rogue Chameleon on site."


    "Taking over parking." Qianlima responded.


    "Leaving parking lot, I''m going to do perimeter patrols. Mystic, shift to inner patrol. Focus, if I cross the property line, trank me."


    Meanwhile...


    Anzy split a duplicate off as she walked towards the door to the patio dining area, tailing Riley, Bailey, and Mercedes who were helping with serving. "For our soup, we have a squash bisque, something appropriate to the season. bon Appetit."


    The secondary Anzy split again, leaving two working in the kitchen and the one doing the service and working the bar.


    One of the new copies moved towards Solaris''s office, where a safe rested, and the other walked to the upstairs patio where she could keep an eye on the dinner, and anything coming from the sides of the backyard.


    Meanwhile...


    Running from tree to tree the darkness did nothing to hinder T-Panda¡¯s multispectral vision. The bot saw the black clad ninja. In one of the trees. ¡°T-panda has authorization to kick ass?¡± He inquired through the coms.


    "Beat him like a drum, buddy." Marcus confirmed, checking his smart watch, and walking in the direction their custom app suggested the robot was moving in. As he moved, he pulled off his suit jacket, the blue lines of his costume revealed as he ripped off the outer shirt, his headpiece slipping on easily as he walked towards the robot.


    The little bot smiled as the safety came off his weapon systems, it really wanted to use its lasers, but Mercedes would be angry if he damaged the trees. Instead, he moved closer and pulled out the high powered taser pistol from his front pouch, one specially made by his foster mom with permission from Badger. It shouldn¡¯t be lethal, Kar1n had said.


    He fired the taser right into the trespasser''s shoulder and giggled as the human began twitching violently.


    Marcus, now as Azure Rong, came jogging up and winced at the jerking the guy''s body was doing. He took the taser from the Racoon mech. "That''s enough there, T." Marcus went and checked the man, now obviously Japanese and wearing a ninja outfit, pulse, finding it steady. He chose to ignore the smoke rising from where the probes had hit, settling for cuffing the man. "AR and TP have caught the Faux Fox. Continue with altered patrols. Thud, please contact the police to get the trespasser."


    "TPanda get head pats and taser back?" The racoon said, holding its paws out. "Foster mom made it for TPanda."


    Marcus chuckled, and patted the little guy¡¯s head, handing him back the taser. "Do me a favor, have Penny check that out to make sure it''s actually safe sometime after tonight¡¯s over, okay?"

 Chapter 78, Meanwhile...Soup and Conversation

    Soup and Conversation


    ¡°Three places to never eat, if you¡¯re a superhero. One, the fancy new restaurant that just opened that everyone is raving about. It will be robbed. Two, any restaurant with a lovely view of the city, something will explode in your line of sight. Three, your significant other''s favorite restaurant on an anniversary or birthday. I mean, you can try but you¡¯re never going to get there.¡±


    Truism of Cape Life


    "So, there I was, in a Japanese airport with destroyed luggage, and pink pants, and a reporter asked me if I was making a statement about gender politics!" The Empire Statesman, Gabriel Wright, laughed. "What else could I say, but ''of course a real man is comfortable in pink!"


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s good enough for Roosevelt, it should be manly enough.¡± Solaris said. Waiving a server over with more wine. ¡°Though from what I¡¯ve seen airports are a new circle of hell.¡±


    ¡°She flew first class commercial once and you think they had served her kool aid and animal crackers.¡± Penny teased.


    That would have been better than that ¡°pasta¡± they served. It was a sin against Italians.¡±


    "I''d offer to get you a nice flight on Japan Airlines, but even our first class doesn''t beat out private jets." Michiru Hakimari, aka Kitsune, chuckled. She''d enjoyed her own securities report on the fool whom Marcus and the robotic tanuki had apparently taken down. Almost as much as she¡¯d enjoyed listening to the prank meant to spoil Empire Statesman¡¯s attempt to represent GM automobiles positively in Japan.


    She''d defied expectations and arrived in her real identity, just to go against type, and it turned out to be a fantastic idea.


    "So, Lady Summers, I was curious about the rumor in the community that you''re putting together your own Cape team. They''ve even been running about a bit, the Griffins, or something to that effect?" Ariel Wright, the semi-retired Empire Girl, asked in honest curiosity.


    ¡°Nothing so official,¡± Solaris said, her smile going softer. ¡°They are choosing to do some light hero work, and I am mentoring them. They are all professionals I hired from the ESAS system. I can show you some of the work my mechanics have done, and Killian can attest to their skills.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have been thinking about getting some upgrades to my car.¡± She admitted. ¡°I am kind of in the same boat, and would love to meet them. ¡°


    ¡°I can introduce you. Grayson and Talia are both working part time in the garage, and helped with restoring the tank out front.¡± She said proudly


    "I saw that. Kind of an unusual lawn ornament." Tate Aktison, the Silver Paladin, commented.


    "Not really, not for her. She always collected tanks." Kreigsmarine laughed.


    "I am just glad she''s not only collecting European theater toys." Kitsune chuckled.


    Meanwhile¡­


    A man with bad facial tattoos was making his way through the backyard of the neighbors house with a knife in one hand, pipe bomb in the other. That bitch would pay for sending Anarchist Knight back to prison!


    "I''ve got a live one." Anzy said over her com, from on the upper deck. "Knife and something that makes me nervous."


    "I got him, Neighbors yard." Focus commented.


    "I can intercept from stealth." Z reported.


    "Get behind him, I''m going to trank him." Erica waited, counting down, giving it ten seconds before she fired anyway, debating switching to the 308 next to her. Then the dark portal Z formed appeared directly behind the man. She fired twice, in quick succession, two red darts hitting the man in his exposed bicep as Z kicked him in the back of the knees.


    He twisted and stumbled forward, ¡°Bitch!¡± He slurred as the drugs kicked in, swiping his knife at Zoya. She smacked the knife free then her eyes focused on the pipe realizing what it was. ¡°Shit! Focus he¡¯s got a bomb! The teen froze, not sure which was more dangerous, grabbing it or letting it fall with the tattooed goon.


    One of Mystic''s flying tigers pounced on the man, grabbing the bomb and jumping over the fence, diving into the water. A few moments later the cat crawled out of the water, seconds before a big bubble burst at the top of the water.


    Meanwhile¡­


    "What was that?"


    "Not sure, someone probably backed their boat into their dock." Helen suggested, with a shrug.


    ¡°The neighborhood tends to drink and boat, he almost hit the Serenity a couple weeks ago¡± Penny said. ¡°Ms. Ruan went and had words with them.¡± The old lady nodded with a smirk.


    Killian suppressed a chuckle, "Good to know."


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    "By the way, I hadn''t had a chance to thank you for inviting me." Sphynx said. "Considering the way your meeting with Pinnacle went, I didn''t know if you''d want to deal with the modern Guardians."


    ¡°I was wondering why Pinnacle wasn¡¯t here, this is the kind of dinner I expect to see him at, " Empire''s new much younger wife said.


    ¡°He¡­didn¡¯t make the best impression.¡± Solaris said diplomatically, turning back to Sphynx. ¡°Paladin spoke so well of you, and face it she smiled at Empire Girl, Kitsune and Sphinx, We super gals got to stick together.¡±


    "Oh lord, isn''t that the truth." The younger New York hero saluted with a wine glass. "I mean, It''s not that I want to change my ID to Empire Lady or anything. I just would kill for something other than Girl. I was Fourteen for crying out loud! All I did was rescue animals and help motorists. Empire Girl sounded cute back then!"


    "At least we don''t have the same level of harassment issues, like hollywood. Thank you, Elder Women of the Capes, for making it clear we would punt for distance if the men pulled that crap."Helen said joining the toast.


    ¡°Oh this sounds like a story I need to hear! Punting reminds me, though. Killian, do you suppose we can arrange somewhere to spar? I¡¯d like to see where you are these days, and there are not a lot of people I can go all out with while sparring.¡±


    "Not on this trip, but perhaps in the future. Perhaps during the next UN general assembly meeting, if we can find someplace safe. The desert or over the ocean perhaps?"


    ¡°I know we can¡¯t right now, there are far too many things going on. Besides that, I think I want to go with these ladies somewhere for some girl time. Maybe Monaco, or somewhere else with beaches and excellent mixed drinks.¡±


    "See, I think we need to be friends." Sphinx, or Natalie Smith outside of her work clothes, chuckled. "Though Pinnacle already accuses me of lacking dedication to the team."


    "Pinnacle is an idiot, and a boar." Killian said bluntly. "And I have known my share of boorish idiots."


    Solaris nodded. "Time off is essential to a healthy hero. If one never takes time to enjoy life, how will you care enough about it to protect it? Burnout is as much an enemy to heroes and any superpowered Maniac."


    "Yes, well, he''s pushing me to take my hiatus ''a little early''. Translation, I''m annoying him."


    "I admit, St. Nicks has been in conflict with him on several occasions. He keeps requesting access to things we do not grant access to, or things we don¡¯t actually have but are rumored to keep. I think he''s convinced we''re ''holding out'' resources." Xander said, shaking his head.


    Gabriel the Statesman leaned back, nodding. "To be fair to the man, and trust me I know working with difficult people, he came in after a series of bad leaders. Not tragically bad, but those who had let their resources lag in favor of other projects." He took a sip of wine. "It doesn''t justify some of his behavior, no, but keep in mind, they were down to one barely cleared business jet for transport, the training hall was out of date, and for some reason they owned a T-Shirt making company. This on top of going from a peak of 25 active members to only six active when he took over. The fact they¡¯re up to ten, and two functional field teams is really actually a dramatic improvement."


    "People usually get promoted to one paygrade above their competence.¡± Solaris said. ¡°From what I understand, he is an excellent second in command, and is best when acting as a combat leader. However, a team leader cannot just be a combat leader, combat is not not their most important job. A team leader, a good team leader should first be a diplomat, it''s our job to maintain team cohesion and good relationships with the public. Heavens know I bumped heads with the governments enough back in my day, And getting Nereid to play nice with anyone was nearly a full time job,¡±


    Killian snorted. ¡°Speaking as her closest physical and military ally, I can attest to that!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can.¡± Solaris nodded. ¡°Then Breakneck was blowing things up. Toth was new to his powers and still figuring things out on top of reeling from the Nazi¡¯s taking France, and dealing with the politicians that wanted a man to be the team leader.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°TankMan was my number two. He was my combat leader, and he was good at it, and happy to leave me the paperwork and public. He knew he''d be a terrible diplomat, and paperwork was against his religion.¡± Solaris chuckled, a sad fond laugh. ¡°Hell, Kitsune wanted to bring him up on charges for war crimes against the Japanese language.¡±


    "You didn''t speak Japanese at the time, and he dared speak it near me. It was an affront to civilized ears." The clan leader said. ¡°I admitted to speaking English just to not suffer his accent further.¡±


    "To be fair, delegation is another skill that can see a leader through, and he''s bad at that as well." Gabriel said. "I''ve had several meetings with the man, and I can acknowledge I see some of my flaws in him. I''m much better at politics, but not as good with training as he is. However, I had good sense, when I led a team, to appoint someone else to train, and someone to deal with administrative tasks. He tries to handle it all himself."


    Meanwhile¡­


    Azure Rong dropped down into what used to be a storm sewer, then looked over at Focus who was staring at a weird tunneling machine. The mechanic and part time superheroine reached out and pulled loose a hose, causing the loud engine to die.


    "Seriously? Someone was Mole Manning their way into the party?" The azure adventurer said wryly.


    ¡°Apparently! I should have sent someone else over, but I was just curious what the weird sound over here was." Focus said looking over the weird digging machine.


    The hatch on the rear of the machine irised opened, and steam rose from inside. The lighting from inside the machine outlined a crouched form, who suddenly jumped forward, landing a few feet away from them.


    They tossed a leather coat away, to reveal a pretty girl in a frilly maid costume, her hair done up in two little balls on top of either side of her head, thick goggles on her forehead, and two shovel shaped weapons, like someone crossed them with swords, clutched in her hands. "You dare stop me in my noble quest to destroy the Original Villain!¡± She shouted, swinging her swords at Erica.


    Erica rolled out of the way, and Marcus ducked a swing aimed at his head.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± The boy eloquently asked.


    ¡°I am Mole Maid, and I shall defend the holy land of Atlantea from the unclean invader from Germany! Killian Bloomberg Von Volkard shall fall to my hand!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shorter than me, and you want to take on the fucking Dreadnaught? Is the blue dye you use for your hair rotting your brain?¡±


    The girl began shaking, visibly, with rage. ¡°You would accuse me of dying my hair! My hair is the sacred blue of a traditional servant of Atlantean¡¯s royalty and gods! I am NOT a fake bluette! Die!¡±


    The Maid moved with grace as she swung her weapons. Erica ducking both strikes, only for Azure Rong to take a spin kick he didn¡¯t see coming, throwing him over fifteen feet down the tunnel, gasping for breath in spite of his shield flaring to life.


    "Oh crap, she''s really Atlantean." Erica cursed, just in time to barely dodge a kick that shattered a boulder in the wall.


    "I''m okay!" Azure Rong called out a moment later, with a groan. ¡°Thud, Weld, we¡¯re going to need backup.¡±

 Chapter 79, Meanwhile…Cheesecake and Cocktails

    Meanwhile¡­Cheesecake and Cocktails


    ¡°It¡¯s an Honor to get you on our show Qilin. We know you are a private hero and don¡¯t usually take interviews.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, it is good to support those who support the community.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! Is that why your uniform is pink and silver rather than white and silver, you''re showing your support for Breast Cancer awareness?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    Qilin during his Capewatch interview.


    Talia slipped away from the table, with awkward smiles, going inside. She found Anzy, one of Anzy. "Um... someone should go help Erica and Marcus. I heard them yelling about an Atlantean and a tunnel." She shrugged.


    "Oh, thanks for letting us know! Mystic, Q, could you support AR and Focus."


    "On it!" the girls said heading for the water main.


    Meanwhile¡­


    Solaris looked at Sphinx, "Pinnacle may be feeling a bit threatened. I may have told him I could take his chair anytime I wanted to, so that''s probably why he''s leaning on you to take a hiatus."


    Sphix rolled her eyes. "That sounds about right. He instinctively digs in when someone throws a gauntlet down. He''s done it to me a number of times. Hell, maybe I should! I''m getting sick of dealing with him."


    "I suddenly wish to get my staff gifts so they are less displeased with me." Killian commented wryly.


    "Chancellor, I know we haven''t agreed on much over the years, but on this I think we may be feeling precisely the same. Honey, remind me to buy the team a treat or two." Empire said with a chuff.


    ¡°Ohh! I saw a purse Luna would love!" the man¡¯s young wife giggled.


    ¡°I have a few suggestions for gentlemen if you¡¯d like to hear.¡± Cassidy chuckled.


    ¡°Might I suggest Season tickets?¡± Wes Moreland, from the Yankee¡¯s back office who was happily visiting one of the team''s longest standing fans for dinner, said with a wink.


    "Well dear, I suspect if I ever do decide to put together an official Team, you will be one of the first I call. If you do decide to go inactive with the Guardians let me know and we will go celebrate to make Pinnacle more paranoid." Solaris said with a wicked smile.


    Penny almost snorted her wine. "Damn it, your passive aggressiveness is hilarious. If you want him to really get a bug in his bonnet, send a resume to Elenore."


    Grayson smirked. "You know somewhere El heard you, and is already planning a headquarters and equipment purchases. I''ve not been here that long, and even I know that''s how she works." He looked at Sphinx. "Do you like a skyscraper lair, or a hidden lair?"


    "They''re called bases for heroes, kiddo." Empire Girl chuckled. "Lairs are villains."


    Solaris laughed. "As long as it''s not underground. I think I''ve spent enough time there."


    ¡°Vacation first, then landmark buildings we can get targeted by supervils.¡± Sphinx laughed. ¡°But where really is best for a vacation?¡±


    "I think it''s safe to say it''s going to be nowhere cold. Though I think your desire for warm weather and beaches is completely reasonable." Killian said half teasing. ¡°And think of the spies fighting paparazzi for good places to set up their telescopic lenses.¡±


    "She grew up off the North Sea. Of course she''s trying to escape the freaking cold." Sphinx laughed. "I say the Caribbean. Or the Virgin Islands. Or all of them."


    "True, you have that big, fuck off boat over there." Ariel agreed.


    "Honey, language."


    "I''m a bit old to pretend to be unaware of cursing, dad."


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Darling, our fathers never believe we are old enough to curse, date, or move out, i don''t think even a century would change that." Solaris said remembering her own dad. ¡°But speaking of fathers, Statesman, I am sure you know I am a bit of a philanthropist. I am curious where you see my efforts being put to their best effort with the ESAS schools and perhaps regular High schools."


    "The issue with the ESAS schools is they''re very cloistered, for valid reasons. Some activity to get them doing something with non-EASA schools, and non-enhanced students might be a good direction." He mused, sipping his coffee, pondering another slice of the cheesecake that had been served for dessert.


    "Ironically, forming a team with EASA students who WANT to do the hero thing wouldn''t be bad. There''s more applicants to existing teams than they have space, and newly formed teams are not really common lately. St. Louis is the last successful, their Sentinels team came out of nowhere and are mostly older teens and twenty somethings from there, so no EASA connections." Sphinx added


    ¡°I am already planning to sponsor at least one Mecha team with the goal of eventually competing in Slaughter in the Sands. It would be easy enough to involve regular EASA students as well as non-Enhanced. We are looking at properties where the kids can be pro-socially destructive.¡±


    "Other options might work too." Surprisingly his wife spoke up. She''d been mostly cheerful but understated all evening. "You have those YouTubers doing car things. Doing stuff like that with maybe teams built from EASA and non-EASA schools, like building racing go-karts or something from parts bins."


    ¡°That isn''t a bad thought.¡± Solaris said, tapping her chin. She reached for her phone to put down some notes then remembered she''d left it inside for the party. "I might put together a different series of channels, focusing on teenage interest, skills and entrepreneurship.... Penny would you remind me to talk to Elenore about that? it sounds like a worthy operation."


    "Will do. I''m surprised she hasn''t popped in, honestly."


    Meanwhile¡­


    Mystic was catching her breath, leaning over the back of one of her tigers, the other having been ''banished'' by the Atlantean destroying it. Azure Rong was still fighting her, but while he could take the hits she delivered, more or less, he had trouble delivering it. "Thud, are you on your way?"


    "Me and Weld are coming! Just hold on." Focus groaned nearby, shaking off being knocked out just as Mystic had arrived, due to a sneaky elbow to the head.


    Before she could respond, a massive screeching sound filled the tunnels, sending Rong and Mole Maid to the ground, clutching their ears. That was followed by several pepper balls being fired into the maid¡¯s torso. She was curled up, coughing and gagging as the sound died, giving Marcus a chance to taser her, and put restraints on Mole Maid¡¯s twitching body.


    "I got the little one to put something better than a spike launcher under the sound gun." Granny Ruan''s voice came from the sewer cover, just above where the two had been standing. "I''m going to go back to the house. We have finished dessert and will be going in for cocktails soon."


    The young man looked at both girls. "Right, don''t piss off Granny or Talia!" he handed the Atlantean woman to Thud, as he arrived, to add to his garbage pile collection. "Do you think the boss knew how much of a fuster cluck this was going to be?"


    ¡°I have no idea." Elenore admitted, dismissing her cat. "Focus, do you hear anything else incoming?"


    She leaned against the digging machine. ¡°What? I can¡¯t hear you over the ringing!¡±


    Meanwhile¡­


    So how many threats do you think the kids neutralized while we dined?¡± Solaris aksed with a playful grin. ¡°They¡¯ve done a great job keeping it quiet.¡±


    "My people counted Two, plus a reporter." Helen said, tapping her earbud.


    "Three. Though my people aren''t sure what it is, three of your ''fledglings'' went into a storm sewer, so obviously they had something to do down there." Kitsune added.


    "Then that makes five, counting the reporter who tried to get in twice. I was curious about her security and sent a team to plant monitors on the party. They took them out about thirty minutes before any of us got here." Killian added.


    "Damn. I had my money on three." The congressman chuckled. Seeing the confused look from his wife, as well as the two kids at the table, he shrugged. "This many capes and ex-capes at a table, at a formal party? I only guessed Three since most of us are relatively inactive."


    "I expected more reporters, though Nahoa probably managed to wave most of those off." Solaris said with a chuckle. ¡°I''ll get a final head count from him and message it to you. I am very proud of them."


    "We only counted the one who tried to be indiscreet. The professionals know better than to try sneaky crap." Helen said with a shrug.


    "Lord, wish I could tell you how many times reporters tried to get pictures inside hotel rooms I had over the years. Killian, I am curious, did you have that issue?" Solaris said. ¡°Kitsune you were too in the shadows to have a lot of the public hero issues.¡±


    "Good lord, yes. Especially after the war. It¡¯s less now, strangely. They seem to have more rules when it comes to political leaders. Who would have thought."


    ¡°Good to know the press are equal opportunity perverts. Solaris said. "I got the kids each a visa gift card loaded with Yen for our upcoming trip to Japan as a reward for their hard work, as well as their Christmas bonuses.¡±


    "Tokyo''s a great town to spend money, that''s for certain." Kitsune nodded.


    "Well, shall we go in and enjoy some drinks? This has been a delightful evening." Solaris asked.


    Everyone at the table rose, the two youngsters taking the chance to escape, while the adults moved down to the lounge and bar area in the house''s basement. There they found Madam Ruan standing behind the bar, already pouring a fresh glass of wine for Solaris, a huge gun like weapon leaning against the bar. ¡°So, how was dinner?¡±

 Chapter 80 Slow Is Smooth

    Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast


    ¡°Super-Powers aren¡¯t free. They come with problems, and over the decades we¡¯ve had to find solutions. Super Strong people play golf to help learn control, sensory enhanced heroes tend to love their sound cancelling ear wear, and it''s pretty universally accepted that technophiles will be carrying a notepad wherever they go.¡±


    ¡°Super speed is, almost universally, connected to ADHD, or at least something that functionally duplicates the effect. Speedsters are thus urged to get hobbies where they sit still and go slow for a while. That¡¯s why seventy percent of speedsters play the guitar. Because speedsters tend to think something different from everyone else when the words ¡®slow down¡¯ are used.


    Qianlima glanced over at Azure Rong, the two of them perched on a fire escape, watching shopping traffic passing underneath them. "Look, I know you are irritated..."


    "You just admitted you told the pickpocket team you used to run with when to be ''scarce'' cause we''d be around. Not that I really wanted to pick on some pick pockets but, really?"


    "I''m more grey than you, deal with it."


    They watched as a pretty asian woman had her purse strap cut by a thief who took off running leaving the bemused looking girl behind. "Yeah, oh look, an idiot." Azure dropped from the fire-escape, gripping a line he''d secured well before, slowing his drop to a comfortable speed as he hit the ground in front of the purse snatcher. "Hi there! Drop the bags and knife." He commanded, pointing a tonfa at the crook.


    The thief blinked. ¡°Eh! Fuck you. He turned to run down an alley and nearly fell on his ass, an asian chick with dumpling hair was standing there shopping bags over one arm. With her free hand she sent a disarming chop to his arm forcing him to drop the knife.


    "Oh hey, um..." Qianlima blinked, having stepped into the alley from one of her portals, behind the other asian girl who just took the knife away from the guy. "That was... Punch!"


    The thief threw a wild punch, which the smaller woman blocked with a graceful kung-fu style block, more guiding the hand away than gracefully lazily stepped out of the way of a clumsy stomp kick he threw. "Oh, hello. I didn''t know there were two of you." She said, cheerfully, as if she wasn''t fighting a man twice her size.


    Azure Rong laughed. ¡°Damn girl, your moves are slick. He could appreciate the skill it took to make a fight look effortless.


    "Fucking capes." The guy tried to backtrack, and run past Azure Rong, only to get the stick to his stomach, sending him to the ground. AR knelt and checked his pockets. "Girly wallet, girly wallet, manly wallet... No, I don''t think this is ours either. Cheap Velcro wallet?" he punched the man in the kidney when he tried to start struggling. "That''s the one. Well John, if that is your real name since you have two fake IDs. Time to call the cops. Assuming the lady doesn''t object, of course?"


    "Not at all." she said in a soft melodic voice. "I am in no rush today, just finishing some Christmas shopping and getting some things picked up for my new job."


    "New job? And I''m guessing it will be new to New York? Sorry about the Welcome Party here, but hey, you got the new resident mugging out of the way early, am I right?" Qianlima joked. "I remember mine... I kicked him in the groin."


    "Yes, I just came in from upstate, but I''ve not been to the city alone before. She frowned, ¡°He ruined my purse.¡± She shook her head. My Apologies. ¡°I like your suits. The colors suit you well."


    "Thanks, we have a good Tailor." Qianlima said, while Azure Rong finished calling the cops, and cuffing the idiot to a dumpster. "Let me see your purse. I got some chords to make a temporary strap for ya to carry it with."


    "I''m Azure Rong, this is Qianlima. Glad we could get your purse back. Sorry we didn''t spot him before he cut the strap."


    "There is no fault, save his, this place is so packed I am surprised he was able to run, otherwise I would have chased him sooner. It took me a moment to find a safe path. She handed the simple dark red purse to the other girl. "You need to open your stride a bit more with the Tonfa¡¯s it will give you better stability." she said to Azure. Then paused "Ah. My apologies, I am Mei Zhen Cai.


    "Yeah, I was kind of going to ask about that. How did you get here, you moved really fast." Q asked. The girl was too chill, and every move she made was almost dancelike.


    ¡°I am a speedster, currently a class C¡± she said taking her purse back and looping it over her shoulder checking her watch for the time.


    "Oh, well, okay... that''d work too." The two looked at each other. Even Cassie, the calmest speedster who had met till now, tended to speak quickly when excited. This girl just got robbed, and is maintaining a mellow, even musical tone.


    Qianlima looked up. "I hear the sirens. Cops should be here soon. Assuming that''s not something else. You keep looking at your watch, something you need to get to?"


    ¡°Yes. I am meeting my new boss for lunch. I interviewed with her this morning, and she hired me and invited me to lunch. It would be a bit ironic for me to be late.¡±


    "Yeah, fair point. But considering he tried to rob you the cops are going to want to get some info. Can you call them and let them know you''re held up due to this? I''m sure they''d understand."


    ¡°You are right.¡± she reached into her purse pulling out her phone and dialing. ¡°Eleanore, my apologies. I am going to be running a little behind, someone tried to steal my purse, I am waiting to talk to the police.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear. That¡¯s not good. I take it you kept your bag since you are saying ¡°tried.¡± Do you want me to come to you? We can call a car and get out of the crowd. I imagine that would take the shine off shopping. ¡°


    ¡°I was mostly done; I was working my way towards the restaurant. I did get my bag back. A pair of nice heroes helped me stop him.


    Said heroes were staring at her in shock, listening to her side of the conversation.


    ¡°Oh, which ones? There¡¯s a few who operate in the city. It¡¯s a busy time of year for them too.¡±


    Azure Rong and Quillian. They are waiting with me for the cops.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s where they were. Interesting. Where are you at?¡±


    She looked around, ¡°We are at forty-six and seventh.¡± Marcus said loud enough for Eleanore to hear. Should we Clark Kent and meet you here?¡±


    ¡°Might as well. She is on the know list or will be. ¡°


    ¡°Cool see you in a few.¡± Marcus said.


    ¡°So, you are part of the company as well?¡± Mei asked her tone delighted.


    ¡°More or less. Go ahead and change Q.. ¡°


    As the other girl slipped away, the police showed up. They made a brief statement but as the officer recognized the thief it didn¡¯t need a lot of work. By the time Elenore got there both had changed.


    A short while later the other two heroes were in civilization clothing. And Elenore was pulling up in the Grand Marquis.


    "Hey Elenore. Didn¡¯t you know you were coming into the city today." Marcus said, leaning down. "Glad we took the train instead of driving."


    ¡°I had an interview with Miss Cia today. We met at her hotel; she is a graduate of the northeastern ESAS school. Code name Heron.¡± Eleanore said as if everyone got in the car. ¡°She is going to be the on-staff stylist.¡±


    "Why do I sense some of our closets being torn asunder? Well, less so than before the boss took us all to get suits and stuff." Z joked, "Did you fly in, or drive here from upstate?"


    Mei laughed. ¡°I have a nice Porsche 944, my uncle bought me when I turned sixteen, that I drove down. And I am no tailor, I do hair and makeup, though I can help with dressing if someone wants it. El, I was able to get the sapphire scissors and other enhanced beauty tools ordered.¡± She said with a smile.


    "Good, those were the big things, to be honest." Elenore acknowledged.


    They climbed into the car, Marcus taking over, being more used to driving in the city, and allowing El to talk to the new girl. "Nice thing with us, car maintenance is pretty much handled."


    "Along with upgrades, improvements, bullet proofing..." Z said her tone amused as she thought of Banana.


    ¡°My pretty pony is well maintained, my uncle owns a used car shop. He makes sure we are all cared for, though it will be good not to drive several hours to get the work done. They live up north, closer to the school.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I might need to speak to him. The boys are talking about a four-way speed build battle and that¡¯s going to leave us with four cars we don¡¯t need.¡±


    ¡°I can give you his card.¡± Mei said. ¡°When are you wanting me to start, Uncle wants to know so he can trailer my stuff down.¡±


    "Well, we have the apartment we discussed already up and ready for you to move in, and you can do that when you like. Officially, I was thinking we''d have you start Monday though I¡¯ll take you to meet the boss before that, Elizabeth tends to prefer to be informal.


    ¡°Easy to do. I don¡¯t have much, I¡¯ve been boarding at the school since I was really little. So, the move should be easy.¡±


    "If you need furniture and such, let us know. We can order inexpensive basics for you and just move them to another apartment if and when you upgrade."


    ¡°I may take you up to that, I have my bedroom furniture but not much else. I suspect Auntie will set me up with some basic kitchen stuff but other than a tv I don''t think I have anything for a living room.


    "Not a problem. Worst case we hit a used furniture store. This can go under the ''moving costs'' tab." Elenore chuckled.


    "If you want to move in immediately, one of us can ride with you to give directions. The best time to meet the Boss Boss would be to come to breakfast or dinner when you have a chance. She loves seeing folks flowing in and out." Marcus offered


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°No reason to delay. I can celebrate with my family when they bring my things down. Then I can get started learning the lay of the land.¡±


    "Sounds good. I''ll come down on the train. Where are you staying." Z offered.


    ¡°The Edison hotel in Times Square, it¡¯s loud but it¡¯s very central.¡± Mei said. I am looking forward to this. My aunt wanted me to start my own shop, but I like the idea of doing more on-site and freelance work.


    "And there''s the advantage of not having the whole thing hanging around your neck if something goes wrong."


    ¡°Yes. As a speedster I dislike being too tied down, she said with a grin. Do we have any big events coming up?


    "Well, we''re going to be going to Japan, and yes you''re included since we don''t know what all might come up there. One thing that will be going is a bit of a job fair for the Asian and European academies, so Ms. Summers, Ms. Ward, my secretaries and I will need to be primped for the proper projection. That¡¯s at the first of the year. Ms. Summer''s is already being invited to various events for Fashion Week, which doesn''t cross with Chinese New Year, I checked that when we talked earlier, so those are the most immediate I know of."


    "However, there''s other events, parties and such things that some of us have been invited to, so while we''re not considering them major events, we are going to want you to do the hair and makeup for them, as they''re a bit of a show in many ways."


    ¡°It will be good to work. Do I have a workspace at the house for on-call work or where will I be working out of? We can work it either way, it lets me know how to set up my kit.¡±


    "We weren''t sure what you might want, so nothing is set up yet. You''ll assuredly want a mobile kit. If you have a specific preference for a chair to work with, we can have something made that can be transported easily as well. We can also look into setting up a workspace either at the house or at one of the other buildings. Possibly both, to be honest."


    ¡°I can get a mobile kit set up. It only gets problematic if I need a sink to do bleach or dye. I need someplace with a sink shower, but it doesn¡¯t matter where as long as people don''t mind coming to that spot.¡±


    "We''ll look into options, just in case, but that''s good to know. We''ll get you something set up as a static location, probably at the house. I''m sure there''s some bathroom everyone forgets is there to convert." Elenore was only partially joking. Solaris''s house was a weirdly put together place.


    ¡°We could challenge the toymakers¡± Zoya said. Or see if whoever made Cassidy¡¯s mobile sewing station can make one for hair stuff.¡±


    "I think Cassidy made her sewing station." El said, thinking. "I''ll reach out to her. Cassidy is a public Tailor and fashion designer, and a tech. Her husband is one too, a tech not a tailor.¡± she clarified. ¡°They have a neat mobile sewing manufacturing plant thing."


    ¡°Well, if nothing she may have input for making something for Mei.¡± Marcus said, and we will earn some cred with her for introducing her to a new stylist.¡±


    "Okay, she''s planning a line for fashion week, meaning a runway show. You might have an offer for some of that freelance work you were hoping for. Ha, I just realized, she''s a speedster too. Also class C if I recall."


    ¡°Oh nice. We can keep pace with each other, that could be a lot of fun!¡± She perked up. I¡¯ve never worked with another speedster before!¡±


    "Yes, and she''s a fairly calm one, as you are yourself. I''m sure you''ve met less laid-back members of your particular set." Elenore chuckled.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve only met one other speedster, true speedsters have been kind of rare since the speedster war.¡± Mei said.


    ¡°Seems like it, though I think the number is on the rise. Still, glad to have you here either way. So, let¡¯s have lunch and I can walk you through the paperwork and schedule your appointment with our Tailor.¡± El said


    Mei smiled at Nahoa as she pulled her red car to the gate. ¡°Hello, I am Mei Shen Cai. I should be expected?¡±


    "Yeah, they let me know you were coming. Just park in the front, that''ll keep you out of the way of anything leaving the garages."


    She nodded, pulling up to the house, taking a moment to admire the huge fir tree draped all over with garland lights and ornaments sitting next to it with a big red bow on it was a rose gold tank. She giggled, parking the car and heading for the front door.


    Her feet crunched frost hardened grass, the front door opening as she approached it, and an older Vietnamese woman waiting for her. "Are you Mei? You are a lovely little thing, aren''t you? Come in, out of this cold."


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She gave a small bow to the elder and stepped in. ¡°Thank you, Ma¡¯am. You must be Ms. Ruan. Elenore spoke fondly of you.¡±


    "Yes, I run the household, more or less. Less officially I make sure you all are getting settled. I understand you are needing some inexpensive living room furniture, but your bedroom is okay. You got something from home for that?"


    ¡°Yes, even though I mostly lived at the school. Uncle kept a bedroom for me at the family home, he is bringing my stuff down tomorrow, he wants to get it done before holiday travel starts.¡±


    "A good choice. If you need, I can take you shopping. I''ll bring Nahoa, he can lift anything we need him too." she said with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, I am sure I am going to need a few things. I also have a package being delivered here. As expensive as sapphire scissors are, I didn''t want to risk them getting porch pirated.¡±


    ¡°A very wise choice. Fortunately, one of the young men is always here for packages. ¡°


    Mei followed Ms. Ruan to the dining room where a table was loaded down with all manner of tastiness, the Chinese girl blushed as her stomach rumbled.


    ¡°Find a seat, and don¡¯t be shy. You aren¡¯t alone in having a healthy appetite. Are we missing Levi and Erica tonight?¡±


    ¡°Date night. ¡°


    ¡°Ahh, good for them.¡± Granny quickly introduced all the other employees. Mei gave them a smile, ¡°I am Mei; it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡± She winked at Anzy. ¡°Especially you if this is a sample of your skills.¡±


    ¡°You will have to let me know after you try. ¡°One of her said as another brought in the last player of food.


    Mei sat down and joined in on loading her plate. Smiling as she began plowing through more food than it looked like the small woman could hold, ¡°This is wonderful. If you ever need help let me know, my Auntie taught me how to cook. ¡°


    ¡°It could come up. Oh, and I make lunch over at the shop in my food truck. ¡°


    ¡°Good to know. I¡¯ll have to bring you some bao when I get my own kitchen set up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that sounds lovely. I might have to join in on that, if I wouldn¡¯t slow you down.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome to come. Or I can bring ingredients over here. I tend to make enough to freeze and cook later,¡±


    "Well, my kitchen has pretty much everything we''d want in it, so we could prepare a lot of stuff if you were feeling energetic on any given day." She didn''t bother mentioning the three reaches in freezers she had with one filled with meat, and another good frozen vegetable. The last she had earmarked as for things that could be prepped in advance but mostly had things like fries in it now.


    ¡°Sounds wonderful. Once I am done moving in, how about we pick a night, and I will cook all my Aunties food with you.¡±


    Three Anzy''s cheered at once, clapping and almost doing a little happy dance. "Well, you''re her new best friend." Elenore chuckled, Mercedes just rolled her eyes at her multiplied friends¡¯ enthusiasm.


    Mei laughed. ¡°I enjoy cooking, even if when I¡¯m home alone none of it makes it to a plate.¡±


    ¡°Now, she sounds like a speedster.¡± Zoya teased.


    "Yeah, but we''re talking about her vs. Anzy here. The girl sometimes literally eats for five."


    "Hey now! Well okay, maybe I have been eating a bit more than usual, but it''s not like you can tell! See, nice and trim." she said, wiggling. Marcus pointedly looked at the roof.


    ¡°So, Mei is a speedster?¡± Grayson said. ¡°I thought speedsters were all spazzes.¡±


    "Not universally." Penny said. "But that is something of a reputation. It''s not helped by the fact that they universally suffer from ADHD, because of their power. I mean, consider this, to speedsters who haven''t really learned to clock themselves it sounds like we''re speaking at half speed, and highway traffic looks like a school zone."


    ¡°I¡¯ve been taking martial arts, dance, and violin, since I was four, because my family knew I would express myself as enhanced. So, I¡¯ve had much more training in control than most speedsters.


    "Cassie is also a speedster and you can hardly call her spastic. Of course, she''s a well-practiced seamstress and knitter, also talents that require focus." El said


    ¡°Wait, Wait, your family knew You¡¯d be enhanced? How? Marcus asked, his eyes wide.


    ¡®My parents paid a fortune teller to read for me when I was a baby. When they heard about my enhancement and potential strength, they started planning on how to get me out of China. They bribed someone to use their daughter for my first official inspection at my 100-day celebration. Then my family fled to South Korea. My parents didn¡¯t make it, my uncle¡¯s family did, from there we immigrated to the United States.¡±


    "Okay, wow. But how would fortune tellers know?" Grayson asked


    "It''s unusual, but powers express differently, depending on your cultural backgrounds. Some cultures are prone to producing clairvoyants in higher numbers." Penny shrugged. "No one''s ever been sure why, other than the theory that Enhancements have both physical and mental aspects and develop in line with a person¡¯s base personality, at least if it''s anything related to ''natural.''"


    ¡°In China, ALL enhanced are supposed to work for the government. All children are inspected at three months, five years, Thirteen years and Eighteen years old. If your gifts are not desirable, or are too strong, you and possibly your whole family might disappear.¡± Mei shuttered thinking how terrified her family must have been.


    "And speedsters tend to be problems for governments who like to keep their population under control. Especially when they hit the ''run on water'' level, which C is at."


    Mei nodded. ¡°Uncle said Father was afraid as strong as I was supposed to be that our family and my uncles would be targeted, and my uncle had a baby only a year older than me.¡±


    "And so, they fled with you, as parents should." Mrs. Ruan nodded. "It is unfortunate your parents were lost. From what I understand, you lived at the school, but maintained a good relationship with your uncle¡¯s family?"


    ¡°Yes, I spent the holidays and most weekends with them. My cousins are like my sisters and brother. They just wanted me to be raised to respect my powers, my body has been slowly building speed since I was little, I was lucky I didn¡¯t have a burst awakening like most do. Which really helped me develop my ability to be slow. On a happier note I do have my scissors with me if anyone wants a trim.¡±


    ¡°I could use a bit of a polish. ¡°Riley said, her hair a bit shaggy after weeks of working on the apartments. ¡°I am your neighbor. ¡°


    ¡°Ahh, hopefully we will get along well. She gave the group a cheeky smile and moved, blurring as she grabbed her scissors. her Hands moved quicker than a hummingbird¡¯s wings as she gave the brunette handyman a quick clean up before returning to her chair.


    ¡°That was both satisfying and terrifying.¡± The freshly preened girl whispered.


    ¡°Sorry I could not resist showing off a bit.¡± Mei said with a giggle.


    "There''s the speedster whimsy." Penny chuckled. "Though it''s very nicely done. Just don''t do that to Erica. Between your speed and her weird vision, she''ll see alternate universes or something."


    ¡°I prefer to take my time. It''s more soothing for the client, and nothing says self-care like getting your hair and nails done.¡±


    "That is very true." Elenore agreed. "We''ll have to have girls glow up day so you can do your magic for all of us. Though we might need to investigate more equipment for that. I''ll explore our options."


    Mei nodded. ¡°The tools I ordered should be here in about five days. I gave you the receipts yesterday.¡±


    "Well, need, and want are two different things." Elenore chuckled. "I have a completely kitted out auto shop capable of doing just about everything. I''ve gotten used to thinking in those terms when equipping my professionals."


    ¡°I am glad you¡¯re getting settled into your job.¡± Solaris said with a laugh as she came into the dining room. ¡°Sorry I was finalizing hiring our new trainer. Sir Hercules will be starting after the new year. So, is this our new stylist? A pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Mei¡¯s eyes went wide as she gave a polite nod. ¡°The pleasure is mine; I will work hard to make sure you shine like the sun.¡±


    "She already does that. And look at what she did for Riley. Show off did it in like, seconds." Penny winked. "Though she prefers to be slower for the pampering aspects of the job."


    ¡°Well, I look forward to getting pampered. I assume you have a passport. We will be heading to Japan to visit friends and do a bit of this and that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. I can be ready to go to Japan with you, no problem.¡±


    "I''ve actually asked all applicants if they have one, since mobility is a plus for us." Elenore admitted.


    "She does have a big honking yacht, so that makes sense."


    ¡°Yes, I still need to take you all out on her. We can take a short rest after Christmas.¡±


    ¡°After Christmas before we head to Japan? What do you all think?¡±


    "That sounds good. Will let us all catch our breath for those few days between the holiday and traveling across the planet."


    "I''ll start getting her prepped, so we can sail out after your ''boxing day'' plans." Penny said, figuring that''d give them a couple of days out on the water.


    Solaris nodded. ¡°We could all use the break.¡±

 Chapter 81 Chasing the Sun

    Chasing the Sun


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t there a holiday celebrating when superheroes appeared?¡±


    ¡°Because Villains wouldn¡¯t take that holiday off either! I get sick enough of having to chase idiots over Christmas that I don¡¯t need it happening on what would literally be a ¡°Me¡± day.¡±


    Luna Fuego and Dark Ranger, bored on stakeout.


    The holidays passed quickly, and before they knew it the group were riding on the finished "shuttle bus" that the shop crew had modified with hardwood floors and captain chairs, with the news playing softly on a flat screen above Levi, who was driving¡¯s, head. "So, if you approve, boss, I''m going to do maintenance and repairs on all the cars in the household ''fleet''. I might look for another car like the Grand Marquis since none of us like taking our personal cars into the city, bearing your Santa Fe."


    ¡°That is fine with me. If you decide to join us later just let us know and I will get you a flight out. She smiled at him. Their Christmas had been lovely with many appreciated gifts. Solaris was sure she''d be spending months figuring out all the weird little gadgets. The surprise on everyone¡¯s face she''d handed out their Christmas bonuses on boxing day had been even better. Along with their bonus money was a check for one thousand dollars to be made out to their charity of choice.


    "I think flying to Texas and wrestling the cousins was enough travel for me. Besides, it gives me and Kar1n a chance to change all the oil and such. Oh, hey, Mei, I''ll call if I need to do anything more than just maintenance stuff to your Porsche. I''m sure your uncle made sure you were riding in a good car, but sometimes you stumble across problems waiting to happen."


    ¡°I trust you to take care of my pony, " the Chinese woman said with a smile¡± Just make sure the sticker on the gas panel doesn¡¯t get damaged. It was a gift from my youngest cousin.¡±


    ¡°Will do. I can even seal it under a clear coat to protect it if you like. ¡°


    ¡°That would be wonderful. I¡¯ve replaced it once already.¡± She gave him a friendly smile; Talia gave him a hug. I am going to miss you. I¡¯m going to get you a suitcase of pocky!


    "See, now that''s a worthwhile goal." He agreed. "I just am traveled out, after going to visit the family, and since Badger isn''t going to be here, I feel like at least one organic person should be about, if just to keep an eye on things."


    She nodded. Badger had left the day before Christmas to spend the holidays with his mom in South Carolina. Leaving Chuck and Kar1n in the shop. Talia had opted to take a T-panda. Feeling it was better than leaving him unsupervised with the scary if maternal bot.


    Erica smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll take tons of pictures. Cause I am totally going to get Talia a Loli girl outfit. The teen looked at her cousin with a look of exaggerated betrayal.


    ¡°Never!¡± She proclaimed running to hide behind Anzy, who as the provider of delicious food was her second favorite person.


    "I''m not sure why you''re hiding behind me. I kind of want one of those dresses too." Anzy laughed, winking at Erica.


    They pulled into the airport, and parked next to the private plane terminal, the new jet parked nearby. It was a long plane, painted white with a pale blue ''racing stripe¡¯, that widened to cover the entire tail. "Why the new plane?" Anzy asked


    "We still have the Canadair, for mid-range flights, but we''d have to make several stops to get to Japan, at best, and it was decided to get something longer ranged. This is a Global 7500, kind of the bigger brother of the 600 we have. It can go basically anywhere." Elenore explained. "If it looks like keeping both is excessive, we''ll likely sell the Canadair, but some signs suggest we''ll want both."


    Solaris nodded ¡°I¡¯m going to be traveling more, and so is Elenore, and who knows where you all will need to go to get cars to work on. Mercedes needs to be able to visit the different ESAS schools to find artists for her gallery, and a half dozen other scenarios, it just made sense to get a second plane.


    "That''s why we have the smaller jet; well, it was also part of the deal that got so many people flight training to the fully qualified flight instructor range. We still have vouchers for training." Elenore admitted. "And all that ignores business or other interests or concerns that come up."


    ¡°And it will come up. I like starting up businesses, it¡¯s fun. And my concerns are going to expand from New York and England.


    "Well, to be fair, we already have interests in the Cayman Islands."


    True. She said leading people onto the plane, she looked back at Levi. ¡°Try to keep granny out of trouble!


    "Like we''d ever find out if she did something." He laughed, waving.


    The group laughed as they got on the plane. Spreading out and taking seats. ¡°I am looking forward to this, the pictures of Tokyo look amazing, like something from a science fiction fairy tale.


    "It is kind of known as being ultra-modern, partially due to WWII and partially due to all the earthquakes."


    "Welcome aboard, once again." The Stewardess from before greeted Solaris and the others as they came on board, wearing the same shirt for the staffing company she worked for. "It sounds like everyone''s excited for the trip to Japan."


    Everyone cheered. Talia wincing but smiling, and Mei looking just amazed by the luxury around her.


    ¡°It''s lovely to see you again. Solaris said with a smile.


    ¡°And all of you. We will be getting everything started shortly, but could I get water or soft drinks for anyone pre takeoff?¡±


    ¡°Sprite and bubble gum. Erica said she wasn¡¯t sure how Talia would do flying with her hearing, so she also had painkillers and sleeping pills for her cousin if it was needed. Grayson grinned ¡°Can I get a Shirley temple with extra cherries.¡±


    "Of course. We also have sound cancelling headphones in the stateroom, if you need to use them or lay down." She said, "We were informed that a couple of you have trouble with constant noise, and you''re both the only ones I''ve seen wince."


    ¡°I have a set; they only deaden so much.¡± Talia admitted. I¡¯m going to be getting some hearing aids after the new year, they are being custom made in Germany


    ¡°If you want to lay down and try to rest just let me know. We have things to help with sleeping aboard. ¡°


    Talia nodded ¡°Thank you. Hopefully, I won¡¯t need it.¡± She looked a little nervous ¡°This is my first flight.¡±


    "Until we start your pilot training." Erica winked. "But to be honest with you, this is like a flying limo. You''ll be shocked when you get on a freaking jumbo jet how much it sucks in comparison. That''s why we want pilots¡¯ licenses!"


    ¡°And, why the Boss refuses to fly commercial.¡± Anzy said in a teasing voice.


    "Why all of us love her for not making us do it." Marcus chuckled.


    Solaris smiled, taking a cold glass of cola sipping it. ¡°One of the best investments I¡¯ve made.¡± She said in a teasing voice to Elenore. ¡°So, when is the banquet?¡±


    "We''ll have a couple of days to settle, we''ll be staying at the Imperial Hotel for the record. You''re on the Imperial Floor Royal Suite for the record, while I split us and the airport crew between three Imperial Suites. The school folks will be in lesser rooms but will also not be there for the entire stay." She said, "The Banquet will be at a venue with a view of Tokyo Bay, with a catered dinner, four course plus au d''oeuvres."


    "That will be on day four for us, day two for the schools. I Figured give everyone a day for light sightseeing and recovering."


    ¡°Sounds perfect. I am looking forward to sightseeing. After the banquet we will go visit Kitsune and her clan. I think she plans on going to Nagasaki with me.¡±


    "Not a problem, especially with the bullet trains."


    ¡°Another thing I¡¯m looking forward to, a chance to feel like a speedster!¡±


    "You will, from what I hear." Elenore chuckled.


    ¡°When are we doing interviews?¡±


    "Starting on day two, though, we can do some kind of initial meetings. I''ve got the applications and paperwork and will have the resumes to read by tomorrow. I was going to recruit a couple of people and skim them to mark early picks."


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Wonderful, we need a couple more mechanics, the British project manager, and I think you mentioned a social media expert?¡±


    "Yes, I''ve already seen her resume, and her YouTube and Insta. She''s a fashion tuber but wants something more steady to rely on. She''s also Welsh. And a dragon."


    Solaris blinked. ¡°A dragon¡­ like four legs and breath fire?¡± She tipped her head the image in her head of a red dragon in a pink ballerina costume.


    "No, more a human dragon hybrid?" Elenore frowned, then shrugged as she started looking for one of the pictures she had on her phone, having gotten some with the girl¡¯s application. "Let me find a picture."


    Solaris learned over and looked at Elenore¡¯s phone. ¡°Oh, she''s spliced. She is lovely.¡± Margot¡¯s picture showed her with a small smile, with mischief sparkling in her eyes and red hair done in elaborate braids that wrapped around the base of her horns. ¡°I understand her going into fashion, she is striking.¡±


    "Fashion and modeling. She''s also got a nice collection of draconic abilities, so... yeah, fire breathing is on the list."


    ¡°Well, she¡¯d be fun at a camp out.¡± Solaris chuckled. ¡°From the sound of it she¡¯s already got the job, her channels must be impressive.¡±


    "Solid production, with good structure. Her insta is actually a bit more successful but that makes sense with what she does. At the end of the day, her background skills include a bit of business, a bit of marketing, and a bit of art and fashion so she''s basically developed the skill set she, and we, need."


    ¡°Oh dear, what is Cassidy going to say when she sees Margot, I suspect we are going to be losing her during fashion week, especially if she¡¯s as tall as she looks.¡±


    "Six foot five." El nodded. "We''re losing her, I''m already sure. But I''ve taken that into account. It''s not like any of us have a fashion line starting. You do have invites, but they are in your invite box to look over whenever."


    ¡°Might be fun to have her with me at some shows. Fashion has changed so much.¡±


    "It''s constantly evolving, and orbiting. You''d be shocked how often old things come back into vogue." Elenore admitted. "Hell, the classic bomber jacket hasn''t gone out of style since the forties, and Jeans are jeans, they last forever."


    ¡°Penny told me that when we first went shopping.¡± She looked at her companion. So is Margot going to be staying in England or joining the main household?¡±


    "She''ll be coming to the US... And possibly staying in the household for a while. Some musical chairs may be going on soon, but I''ll explain that in private."


    Solaris arched an eyebrow and nodded. ¡°Wel I am sure between Granny and you we will work things out.


    "We will, and it''s not bad news."


    She chuckled. "Also, some of it is in the paperwork I have for you to look at during the flight. Even on vacation there''s work."


    "Of course there is." Solaris reached in her purse and pulled out a pretty fountain pen. Well soonest begun soonest done."


    The younger woman handed over a stack of paperwork. "These are some properties I picked up, in preparation for what we''re doing. Some one- or two-bedroom living arrangements. I found a large block of one- and two-bedroom condos at one location in Islip well below market rate. I figured what we don''t use for new staff, we can lease. I also picked up a small apartment building, with a studio, one and two bedrooms for a song, since it needs some work, but stuff that can be done with people moved in. Lastly, I found a lot to set up as a dealership for the cars we''re producing. Granted, we are doing exotics that usually don''t wait long for a buyer, but we¡¯re getting faster as we go, so I thought it wise."


    Solaris nodded Reading over the contracts. "This all looks in order. Are you going to hire property managers for the rentals? That is probably going to be a bit much for you to do with everything else." She began signing things, her signature was neat and elegant.


    "I was thinking of adding that to my list, yes. We''re running enough real estate that having someone dedicated to tracking what is going on with them makes some sense."


    "I would like you to consider hiring some non-enhanced people as well. It looks bad if all the staff in all positions are enhanced." She blew on the ink to help it dry then handed the documents to Elenore.


    "We do have several non-enhanced hires for the restaurant, and the gym. General staff and a couple of non-enhanced trainers.:" Elenore reported. "I also bought this office building. It''s a former dental office, but with some straightforward conversions it''ll be a good sight for the property manager, and some other new staff to operate out of."


    "It also comes with a basement for storage, useful for us, and an upstairs office area that can be set up as a floating office for you and me, if we want to visit for a day or three."


    The older hero smiled, pleased. ¡°Excellent, you are as thorough as ever, have you and Louise been working well together?"


    "Absolutely. I admit, We''ve been talking, and we''re likely to use Riley, with some hirelings and subcontractors, to do flips on homes and office buildings as she''s going to be underutilized by summer, and that''ll be income coming back in over the mid-term, kind of the building equivalent of what we are doing with cars." She explained. "And since I¡¯m not keeping up with the continuing process of adjusting and divesting excess from your portfolio, I don''t feel bad about a few bold moves at this point."


    "Coincidentally, she''s rented the Canadair a couple of times, as we could do a cheaper deal than a traditional leasing agency. She''s got other clients to keep happy, after all."


    "It doesn''t bother me to let her use it, as long as she pays for the fuel and crew. Are you looking at expanding outside New York or are you keeping things centralized here?


    "At this point I''ve stuck to keeping things in New York. However, that''s due to you not telling me where else we might want things. I''ve toyed with setting up satellite functions in Utah due to the project there, but I wanted to discuss that first. This is why the ''think about what you want to do'' conversation happened. I''m good at anticipating your needs, not a clairvoyant."


    "Are we to the point of needing more studio space for youtubers yet?


    "When the year starts in earnest, yes. I wasn''t sure if you wanted me to find a second property to turn into a more conventional studio or just manage the space we have and turn people away."


    "If things are profitable, I would say expand. Maybe set up studios in other places YouTubers gather. We can look internationally too if you want since we are heading to Japan.


    "We also have plans for setting up our centralized server system, assuming we hire an IT tech. If the gentleman we''ve already heard about looks good, I''ve already got plans to set him and the server farm up in the office space of our hangar in New York. Gives him the benefit of airport security, use of the offices there, and we can set up a simple studio apartment for him there, it''s pretty common at FBO''s, and a couple of others for pilots when we''re using the jets make some sense too."


    And that sounds reasonable, as long as we can make the space comfortable for them. I want the tech person to feel like he has a home, especially since I have no idea what he does.¡±


    Elenore laughed. ¡°Okay I only know what IT does in broad strokes!¡± Now if we expand in the states I would probably suggest Texas, and or Florida. As for the tech person, the gentleman in question suffers agoraphobia, so setting him up where he works is exactly what he''ll want."


    ¡°Poor thing. Well, we will have to make sure people visit him, maybe have Anzy take him food.¡±


    "Nice advantage to it being in our hangar. You haven''t been there but it''s freaking huge, and the office space is being built to our specifications." She said. "I''ve already had a nice kitchen, good entertainment spaces, and a few offices set up there. If and when we have permanent flight staff, we''ll base them there. And since all of us fly, and the airport does General Aviation, we''ll be in and out for our own trips or just pleasure flying, meaning excuses to visit."


    Solaris nodded. "That is good, I want to make sure we take care of our people. Texas would be nice, we can maybe get a ranch to put Pegasus, Is there anything in Utah?


    "Utah is a bit of a tossup on what we can find. Prices are also weird there. Nevada might be better for what we wanted to do, just due to prices being much lower outside of Vegas, I''m still working on it though."


    ¡°Look around, I am not married to Utah, we can always bus the college kids that want to help with the mech building competition.¡±


    "To be fair, the impression I got was you wanted to bring in students from all over, so transport was already part of the consideration."


    "True, Texas makes sense, it is expansive...Maybe there is a ghost town somewhere we could renovate."


    "I¡¯ll work on hunting that down. Abandoned resorts or things of that nature could work too."


    "I could see that; both would have lots of buildings we could renovate for student or influencer use and could be a rehab project for people who aren''t picked for the Manor."


    "Or projects to send Riley''s team to, or hire non-enhanced, as you mentioned, to perform."


    "That works, though first we have to find a place to build or restore. I am hoping a bit for Texas, I''m British enough to love cowboys.¡±


    ¡°I will prioritize looking there. Perhaps we can even find an airstrip. It might not cover this beast but for the smaller craft the academies sometimes use. ¡°


    "That isn''t a bad idea, it would make moving students around easier. She tapped her chin. "Yes, let¡¯s put an airstrip or the ability to put an airstrip in on the parameters."


    ¡°Will do. ¡°


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we will be starting the engines and moving to taxi. Now it would be a good time to buckle your seat belts. ¡°


    The group buckled up and settled in for the long flight.


    About twenty minutes later the aircraft reached cruising height. The flight plan was to land for a couple of hours in Seattle then make the cross Pacific jump.


    ¡°As a morning snack, we are setting out a cheese and fruit platter selection as well as some pastries. We have deli sandwiches for lunch as well as French Onion Soup or clam chowder. We also have Ceaser and garden salad to fill out anyone¡¯s luncheon if desired. ¡°The stewardess announced.


    There were cheers for the food. Grayson looked at Anzy. "Okay if this is what kind of flying the boss is used to, I understand her bashing of even first class.


    ¡°Yeah. The smaller jet is damn near as nice, but just seats. Juli was on both flights I have taken. ¡°


    ¡°And I love the layout of this lovely bird. She even has extra catering storage in the cargo area, and someone planned for decent meals even on a rushed trip. ¡°


    ¡°Guilty¡± Anzy admitted.


    Talia was looking a bit queasy from the changing pressures on her ears, making a little mewling sound at the thought of being too sick to eat anything Anzy had cooked.


    "The pressure change should ease soon." The stewardess said. "Especially on this plane, it has a pretty ''low altitude'' pressure cabin, compared to other planes. Still, here''s a small bag of ginger cookies, and a few over the counter meds if you need them. Trust me on the cookies." She said with a smile.


    Talia nibbled on the cookies. Hoping the stewardess was right. Zoya was plastered to a window watching the world grow small. Wow, this is so different from the plane mom, and I we¡¯re on to Hawaii.¡±


    "You were on a Jumbo Jet, though you got a real first class on yours." Penny said. "But yeah, this is about as lux as it gets. Next step up from this are Boeing BBJ''s and other ''personal airliners''. Unless one of us runs for president, I think we''re safe from needing those."


    Solaris shuttered. ¡°Don¡¯t even suggest it. I¡¯m already dodging having to join the House of Lords.¡±


    "It''s not like they can make you show up. You''re not IN the UK." Penny chuckled.


    ¡°Not now but I will be later in the year. Lord save me from a political position.¡±


    "Based on recent history, they''ll be busy choosing a new prime minister, or deciding they want back in the EU, or something."

 Chapter 82 Tokyo!

    Tokyo!


    ¡°It is inevitable that cultures interact with their heroes based heavily on their pop culture, and how that taught them to relate to the Enhanced, at least indirectly. Americans tend to respect the heroes, and forgive them the occasional mess easily, lawsuits notwithstanding. Europeans expect them to be a bit more reserved, in general, except for Germany who, oddly, expect a certain level of bombastic behavior.¡±


    ¡°China expects them to keep everything concealed and will berate their theoretically heroic community for any issue they cause, while in Japan a well-known cape may very well bump into three of themselves in Akihabara on the right, or wrong, day.¡±


    After a long flight, the plane landed in Tokyo. The group got their luggage, went through customs, and headed out to get a taxi. ¡°Wow. This place makes New York look vintage!¡± Solaris said watching the city.


    ¡°The shuttle to the hotel should be that way. ¡°Anzy said, reading the Japanese signs. A small bus and black limo were waiting for them to take them to the hotel. Soon they were driving through the city of Tokyo.


    Talia and Grayson were wide eyed. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see this place.¡± She said, clutching T-panda to her chest.


    ¡°I thought I would attack this city with a mecha Godzilla.¡± Grayson said with a laugh.


    "Then fight the copyright claims. Villain is one thing; Copyright thief is very much another." El teased.


    ¡°Oh, come on I¡¯d have given it my own spin. Who doesn¡¯t dream of attacking Tokyo tower!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just you, dude. We¡¯re more into not doing that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you! I have fantasized about both attacking and defending the tower.¡± Grayson said, crossing his arms huffing.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We know you have villain disease. We will help you.¡± Elenore said, faux sympathetically. He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, look at the Raman shops! I am going to divide and conquer the Raman shops!¡± Anzy said her eyes were gleaming.


    "Not to mention sushi, and a dozen other things." Erica purred.


    "Especially convenience stores." The Ukrainian girl admitted.


    ¡°Oh man, it¡¯s good boss has the gym, all of me is going to gain so much weight.¡± She looked over at Mei. ¡°I plan to eat like a speedster!¡± she teased.


    "Um, Anzy, the last time you gained weight you; you know." Elenore made a running motion with her fingers.


    ¡°We don¡¯t talk about that.¡±


    ¡°Just warn us if you feel, you know, funny again.¡±


    ¡°Uh, is there something we should know about?¡± Z asked, confused.


    ¡°Just talking about something that happened the last time my power expanded. It was annoying, and we won¡¯t be discussing it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, gotcha. Touchy subject.¡±


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    Elenore spoke up "And let¡¯s just try to have fun and try to pretend we''re not idiots when the other school¡¯s kids get here."


    Solaris chuckled at her business manager to her personal manager. ¡°Have you been to Japan before Penny?¡±


    "Once during a joint training operation. Search and Rescue exercise."


    ¡°Did you get a chance to look around? I spent some time here during reconstruction, but I was primarily on the western front during and after the war.¡± The blond woman asked.


    "It was Okinawa, so yes, but nothing here in Tokyo. I''m kind of looking forward to Akihabara. There''s rumors of parts there I might want to buy and ship home."


    "There''s always rumors about Akihabara in that regard." Gray nodded.


    ¡°Badger also said it was a place to visit. It was his one regret about not coming with us. He said he gave you a wish list of stuff to pick up for him?¡±


    "He did, as did Levi." Penny and Erica chuckled. "They''re not small, but we can arrange shipping, I suppose."


    Solaris laughed, ¡°I imagine our plane is going to be too full of souvenirs, to fly them home ourselves.¡± They pulled up to a tall shining building with a shorter red building in front of it. Even in the dark it gleamed with modernity. It¡¯s going to be good to crawl into bed after the flight.


    "I swear, I''m buying a freighter. We''re going to need it." Elenore joked.


    ¡°You may not be wrong, and you have several buildings to put stuff in!¡±


    "Something small, a nice tramp steamer, whatever the hell that means.¡±


    ¡°Come on, let''s get checked in. I figure we can all take a nap to reset ourselves then have dinner. ¡°


    "That sounds like a fantastic idea." Elenore said, the rest of the crowd cheering in agreement.


    They were shown to their rooms, suites with comfortable beds and couches aplenty, and none of the travelers needing to be pushed to rest, even the two teens collapsing quickly after the long flight.


    Solaris was enjoying her meal at a lovely Ramen shop, the group had split in two so they didn¡¯t overwhelm the smaller restaurants, so she was with Anzy, Elenore, Grayson, Mei Zoya and Marcus, the second group was Penny, Erica, Talia, Anzy and Mercedes , Solaris was pretty sure there where three more Anzy¡¯s going to other, places to eat.


    "Mm, this is so good." Anzy purred, after slurping another helping of noodles from her bowl. She''d ordered small bowls, but two different Ramens to try and was loving every moment of it.


    ¡°Yes, it is. Hopefully, you are taking notes for things to try at home. This would be lovely on a snowy day.¡±


    "Oh I am. I also found out I could get a Ramen Making class from a place in the city, so I got the concierge to set it up for me." She nodded. "I''m there now." She scratched her stomach as she spoke, smiling.


    That is good, I am definitely going to want more! I am glad you were able to make a food itinerary for us.


    "I''ve been working on it since you said we were coming to Japan." She admitted. as she sipped some green tea. "I won''t lie, this is a mecca for a foodie." She scratched her nose as she chuckled.


    Elenore nodded. "I admit, I''ve been looking forward to the Sushi. And Mercedes just regrets that we missed cherry tree season."


    ¡°We can come back to see them, though I believe we are also going to stop somewhere with views of Mount Fuji for her to paint.


    "And she''s excited by that. I think Mei intends to climb Mount Fuji that day. Something about you should do it once in your life, or something. She read up on it, I think."


    Anzy nodded, as she tasted her next bowl of Ramen, moaning in pleasure.


    Mei nodded. ¡°Yes, I look forward to the view from the top, perhaps you can come with me Anzy?¡±


    "I think I''d like that. It has to be one hell of a view." She said, wiggling a bit in her seat, reaching behind her to scratch her back.


    ¡°Are you okay? Are you having an allergic reaction to something?¡±


    "What? No, why would you think..." She paused. "Oh crap, I''m itchy. I need to go back to the hotel." She jumped up, looking left and right.


    "You were supposed to tell me." Elenore said as she Also jumped up."


    "Just, let''s head¡­ Oh god..." With a sound much like a champagne bottle popping, suddenly there were two Anzy''s where there had been one. While this wasn''t unusual, technically, this time they were half sized, cutesy, and looked around confused."


    "Oh fuck." Elenore groaned.

 Chapter 83 Dine and Dash

    Dine and Dash


    ¡°For operators of buffets, it is important to remember that you are often a lifesaver for speedsters, but this doesn¡¯t mean you are required to take a complete loss on the concept. It is suggested you keep premium items on offer, but at an additional cost, or that you have a strict time limit for eating before additional fees are applied. Another tool that has been used is to charge not by the seat for the meal, but by the plate used. Three dollars a plate sounds like a deal, and can still be profitable if offerings are managed right, and speedsters will end up paying a bit more, without feeling like they¡¯re bent over a barrel.¡±


    Restaurant Operations for Idiots


    ¡°Um¡­ what just happened?¡± Solaris asked as one of the tiny Anzys grabbed her bowl of noodles and downed it.


    "No, wait! Grab them!" Elenore dove across the table at the Anzy that wasn''t eating, only for the girl to blur and jump on Elenore¡¯s back, before leaping away towards the door. The other one giggled in a maniacal, even creepy way, before downing the second bowl of Ramen with the speed and grace of an anime character.


    "She''s budding! Catch them!" El shouted


    Solaris reached out to grab the eating Anzy, the little clone made a rude gesture and ran, "Mei, see if you can catch them!"


    The Chinese girl nodded and in a blink was gone chasing the little creature. Solaris grabbed her phone. And called Penny. "Penny, Anzy has split into two miniature speedsters. Is your Anzy okay and can she call the other Anzys?"


    "Anzy''s right next to me, she''s fine. Hold on." A quick, muffled conversation happened. "She is calling them now. I don''t know how they work out who carries the main phone in their group."


    ¡°I figured they just have five phones.¡± Solaris said. ¡°What is the best way to corral the half Anzi¡¯s.¡±


    "They do have five phones; they all get text messages but calls only go to one of them." Elenore said. "It''s to prevent all of her answering at once, I think. Last time she budded, we had to use butterfly nets. And the entire school chased them in a relatively sparse desert area. This is Tokyo. I don''t know how long the whole process will take, and her mini-me''s aren''t really completely sane, but my memory is she will go looking for food, eat till she gets sleepy, and eventually grow into a full Anzy. I


    ¡°That is not going to narrow it down. This place is as foodie a town as New York.¡± Solaris said. ¡°Penny, Mei went after one of them and isn¡¯t back, yet which is ominous. I¡¯m going to go try and check on her.¡± She hung up. ¡°Well let¡¯s go find Mei and then go fox hunting for Anzys.¡±


    ¡°They stepped out of the restaurant, finding Mei and a chibi Anzy engaged in very high-speed hand to hand combat. A crowd had formed to watch, since it didn''t look so much like a violent confrontation as a martial arts stunt show.


    ¡°And her mini clones still have her combat prowess.¡± Solaris said, looking reluctantly impressed. ¡°This is not going to be easy. Any suggestions on how to find and catch the second one?¡±


    "Hold on, I have an idea." She pulled out her phone and dialed Ren Arita, the applicant for their IT position."Hello, yeah, looking forward to meeting? Good. Thing is, I need a favor now. Let''s call this a test run on your skills. I''m going to send you the picture of someone I''m looking for. She is probably going to be somewhere with lots of food, and you might get more than one hit on this, but I bet she''ll turn up on social media from around Tokyo. Can you do that for me?"


    Solaris watched as Elenore nodded a few times, then checked her wrist, then she dialed again, this time calling Margot Saffold, their Welsh dragon applicant. A similar conversation happened, she hung up and returned to Solaris. "Okay, I asked our Welsh and Japanese applicants for computer and social tech stuff to see if they could find reports of her on social media. In a busy restaurant, someone¡¯s going to take her picture the way she looks and acts and eats."


    On different sides of the world Ren and Margot began filtering social media, one using her knowledge of the media and the other using a program searching for facial recognition.


    Margot texted a picture of a tiny Anzy standing on a table next to a conveyor belt of sushi. Scooping each plate of food into her mouth and dropping the plate into the rapidly growing pile next to her,


    "Have one, about three blocks away at a Sushi place. I think Hiroshi found her too.¡± Elenore said pleased, then frowned and paled. ¡°Hiroshi¡¯s picture¡­is at a fish market and is time stamped the same. Did Anzy confirm if her other selves answered?"


    ¡°Oh, dear.¡±Solaris called Penny back. ¡°Were you able to reach the other Three Anzy clones? We have located 3 of her mini¡¯s and there should only be two?¡±


    "I got two of them.¡± Anzy said, the phone apparently on speaker. ¡°I can''t get the me that was visiting the fish market."


    ¡°Well one of the mini Anzy was at the fish market, and another is close to us at a sushi restaurant. So, we just need to find one more.¡±


    ¡°I am texting Z and Erica. After Mei they have the best chance of keeping one busy if they can¡¯t pin her. We should go to the sushi place.¡± Elenore sighed. ¡°Where she is just looting tiny trains all over. ¡°


    ¡°Right, how long does the feasting section of her division take?¡± Solaris asked as her group made its way to the conveyor restaurant.


    ¡°It took two days before, but they tried to control her intake. With how some of them are eating she might hit napping time earlier. ¡°


    ¡°Of course, last time she was showing signs for days. ¡°


    She walked into the sushi restaurant where many of the patrons were recording the small Anzy as she continued to eat everything that made it to her several stacks of plates surrounding her. Solaris sighed and walked to the register. ¡°Hello, I apologize for my ravenous little friend. Please charge her meal and the other guest¡¯s meal on this card.¡± She said in lightly accented Japanese. ¡°Please, let everyone enjoy their fill.¡±


    "Um, of course. Are you removing her?" The hostess asked, nervously.


    "Yes, I''ll flank her with my cats, and try to push her into you, Marcus. She''ll struggle and kick, fair warning."


    ¡°Would it be easier to let her eat? Until she passes out?¡± Solaris asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I am freaked out. Sorry. ¡°


    ¡°Is that okay miss? If we let her eat till she falls asleep. Solaris asked. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it and everyone else¡¯s food.


    "Well, as you are paying for everyone''s meal, I don''t suppose it''s an issue." The woman was a bit nervous, seeing as the girl was obviously enhanced. "We''ll just move people from that section."


    Solaris stepped to the middle of the restaurant and bowed politely. ¡°I apologize for my companion, to make up for the inconvenience, everyone¡¯s food and drink will be on me.¡±


    Eleanor''s phone beeped, Ren texted her the location of an all you can eat hotpot restaurant, where one of the chibis was working her way through piles of meat and veggies.


    ¡°Marcus, can you go pay for her, and keep her there while we deal with the other two?¡±


    ¡°Can do¡± Marcus turned and ran out as Mei walked in carrying an Anzy under one arm. Bring her over here. You  get food from the top escalator the other You eats from the bottom. Solaris said firmly.


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    The two girls grumbled but obeyed, mostly stealing from each other whenever they thought they could get away with it."


    "If she budded twice, that means she''s upgrading to seven copies. I didn''t know she was using her abilities that much." Elenore admitted.


    "Well, she seems to be always running at least two copies, one at the house and one at the shop, most of the time I''d say she''s running three copies cause she also puts one at the food truck. Zoya said. How many copies was she running consistently before?


    "It varies so much it just is a challenge to keep track, though they were usually close to each other. I wonder if range has an effect. I''d bet she''s been running four or five fairly regularly."


    ¡°So, we have three pinned down so far.¡± She is called Penny. ¡°How are things going at the fish market, we have three Anzy corralled at restaurants.¡±


    "This is one of the largest open food and grocery markets on the planet, far as I know... we''ve almost had her cornered twice, but she keeps slipping away. Also, we need to call the hotel and tell them a sushi grade tuna is going to be delivered. Also somehow bid on one when sneaking up on her. I have no idea what we''re going to do with that, but I''ve bought cars for less."


    ¡°I will let them know maybe we can have it cut for the banquet. I¡¯ll send Mei and Zoya your way. Marcus is heading to clone 3 who is devouring a hotpot.¡±


    "Roger than that. She at least can''t punch him in the head. She''s small, and wimpy, but hit me twice in the damn kidney. Ouch."


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry dear, I can try and have our internet people track her. ¡°


    "I''m not sure how reliable that would be here, other than to confirm she''s still here, but let me know if she moves. Wait, there she is!" The phone went dead as Penny apparently rushed off.


    ¡°So, we now own a tuna that is being delivered. Mei, Zoya would you please head to the fish market and help Penny catch the last Anzy. We have it covered here.¡±


    "I''m on my way." Z said, running out, looking up what she was going to have to do to get to the place on her phone.


    Penny cursed as the small filthy Anzy ran though the market, Mercedes going behind them with a card paying the vendors for the havoc the chibi hero was causing.


    The tiny Anzy wasn''t running at top speed. She was laughing and having a fantastic time, with a chicken skewer in one hand, and a trio of octopus balls in the other. She gobbled the octopus¡¯ balls, before doing a baseball slide under a fish vendors display, hopping up on the crates behind him to jump over the next display, cutting a right angle, and heading for the next tasty scent she picked up, gnawing on her chicken as she ran.


    ¡°Damn it. Anzy break right your clone hopped lanes. Erica, Talia, see if you can cut her off. Mercedes pay the fish stall. Shit she¡¯s heading for the Cotton candy booth!


    "Ahh man, that''ll just make her faster." Anzy moaned, not at all equipped to keep up with her mini clone as it was.


    Erica was having better luck, easily weaving through the crowd in the market, and having already adjusted her direction to intercept. She reached the stall just as the micro-chef did and was instantly hard pressed from a flurry of kicks and punches as she prevented the girl from jumping at a huge bundle of cotton candy.


    ¡°Hisssss!¡± Anzy tried Arian for the candy, and after being blocked again then ran for a booth selling onigiri. Grabbing one in each hand and running.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she just hiss at me? What is wrong with you?¡± Erica yelled at the full-sized Anzy as she ran past.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Blame me for rage goblin me. I don¡¯t know why she is like this either. ¡°


    The little clone shoved the rice balls into her mouth devouring them looking for her next target as an older lady laughed at the chaos. ¡°SUMIMASEN,¡± she called out to the clone, when the mini looked over she tossed a fried piece of chicken to her.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the clone shouted in joy, jumping to eat the chicken, catching it out of the air. The next old lady joined her friend in laughing, took some mochi from her own store and tossed it at the clone.


    The third time the tiny girl jumped into the air, her larger duplicate tackled her while she was mid jumping, pinning her down with a hug involving both arms and legs. "I got her!"


    ¡°Eeeer, naaaaaaw, foooouuuuuuud.¡± The chibi hissed and fought, the old woman selling karagi filled a box and brought it over. Reminds me of grandson, eat everything.


    "Yay!" The mini clone took the chicken, and munched happily, a huffing Mercedes stumbling up and offering money to the woman. "Please bring more?" She said, having lost track of how much she was paying, and not really caring.


    The woman patted Mercedes, ¡°Little one needs food?¡± She went back to her stand and grabbed another container, the mochi lady bringing out a container of her own wares, a young mother with a stroller offered Penny a container of baby wipes.


    "Aragato." Penny thanked the woman, shaking her head, the sylvan girl giving money to all the friendly old ladies offering foods. She dialed Solaris. "We got ours, more or less. The Granny brigade responded."


    ¡°Wonderful, if they get tired of feeding them, I¡¯ll send you to Marcus. He''s at a hot pot restaurant with number three.¡±


    "Yeah, great. Do we have any idea how long this is going to be a thing?" The question was for Anzy. "Given enough food, they''ll kind of go into a food coma for a while to process, then go looking for more. We should have an hour to move them in their resting state."


    ¡°I think the bathtub in Solaris¡¯s bathroom should be good when we get to the growing part of the process.¡± Eleanore said.


    "Why would we need a bathtub?"


    "They will need to be soaking in water while they sleep." Anzy said. "When they''re at that stage, they go completely fall asleep and kind of glow a little? It''s not exactly the right description, but the best I can give. We''ll know when we''re to that point."


    ¡°What she¡¯s not mentioning is they get super-hot, bath water helps keep them cool enough not to damage the environment¡± Mercedes added as another vendor brought another sleeve of Takoyaki, and a kid brought over some fish shaped red bean cakes.


    "Right, bathtub, got it."


    "At that point they grow over about twenty-four hours to full size and wake up to poof. Then I should have more of me I can be."


    ¡°Be all you can be, be an Anzy!¡± Zoya sang as another vendor handed the ravenous little monster a fruit and milk bread sandwich full of sugary whipped cream.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will ever be more than a platoon. ¡°Anzy chuckled.


    The clone moaned in pleasure at the sugary treat, a little girl giggling handed her a fresh bubble tea. ¡°You must be getting thirsty.¡±


    She chirped something that sounded like ''thank you'' in a vague way and drank the sweet drink. Just as she finished, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she passed out. "There''s the first food coma. We should get her someplace we can secure, and bring more food to, when she wakes up, we''re going to be back to ravenous gremlin."


    A short while later the four napping chibi were on the couch in Solaris¡¯s suite. ¡°They are cute.now that they aren¡¯t trying to eat the walls. What food should I order for them?¡±


    "High in protein and carbs. Veggies don''t seem to matter but can''t hurt." Anzy said. "Milk for drinking. Basically, we''re looking to give them energy to burn more than materials to work with. Don''t ask me how it works, no one could ever explain it to me."


    So, meat pizza, Ramen, sushi, and sandwiches. Solaris said. Her suite came with staff, so she waved the woman over. ¡°Yuriko, could you and your coworkers please call for takeout? We will need about one-hundred kilos of food and 10 Gallons of milk.¡±


    "Hai, Solaris-Sama." she said, hurrying off to summon the items. She''d heard what was needed, and called down to the kitchen service room, figuring the focus was on quantity instead of gourmet. Standards would be met, but it would be expedited.


    ¡°Well, our first day in Japan has been exciting.¡± Marcus said rubbing Mercedes feet, the plant powered girl whimpering, she had not worn running shoes.


    "This is very true." Penny admitted. "And we spent an awesome amount on food. Anzy, I don''t mean to blame, but did you have no warning?"


    She blushed. "I usually start getting a little itchy, kind of like rashes without reddening, for days before this happens, with intensity increasing. This time, it seems like it all happened at once. I don''t know if I''ve just been too focused on other things to notice, or if I have just been pushing that hard in general."


    ¡°Well at least it was only a minor disaster, and it did prove the worth of Ren and Margot. They were able to find Anzy¡¯s surprisingly fast.¡± Solaris said approvingly.


    "I''ve already informed both of them that they''ll have contracts instead of interviews when they get here." Elenore chuckled.


    ¡°Well, Ren is here somewhere. He is Japanese if I remember correctly.¡± Solaris said teasingly and you wanted to hire Margot as soon as you saw her resume and Instagram.¡±


    ¡°My instincts were proven right. ¡°


    Solaris nodded, "Excellent. Well, we will get our new Anzy''s taken care of and see what tomorrow brings."


    The chibi girls awoke and fell on the offered feast half an hour later, consuming all but one rice ball, one plate of spaghetti Neapolitan, and a single bite of sashimi. At that point they began growing warm, even hot to touch.


    "Okay Let¡¯s get them in the bath." Anzy said, Solaris picked up two, Marcus grabbed one. And Anzy grabbed the last putting them in the large Japanese tub and running cold water over the clones.


    ¡°This stage takes twelve to twenty-four hours, at least in the past. My mother said my first split from two to three took a day, while my 13th birthday was a whirlwind done before midnight. Fortunately, no party was planned. ¡°


    "Well from what you said we just need to wait, I don''t think we had anything planned tomorrow, so it shouldn''t be a burden for some of us to stay and watch the clones evolve.


    "I''ll keep an eye on myself, and hey, more food for me on this trip!" Anzy sang.


    The group laughed. "Well, you expanded how many of you can work front of house now, didn''t you tell me five was perfect for the kitchen." Elenore said.


    "Depends on the kitchen, but at this point, running the restaurant as well as my duties at the house are easy-peasy. Leaves plenty to help myself out, or do other things like at the shop."


    "Overachiever." Penny teased.

 Chapter 84, Interview Day

    Interview Day


    ¡°Outside of fast food, almost no one interviews only once in the modern work environment. Most initial meetings are done over online meetings, with two or even three interviews before final hiring.¡±


    ¡°Partially this is an aspect of COVID, but ironically, during the pandemic, it was discovered that fewer enhanced who could influence interviewers managed to get jobs they weren¡¯t qualified for. The ability to review recorded interviews, as well as the tendency of digital communications to deaden or diminish such talents was a surprisingly obvious, in retrospect, security step.¡±


    Solaris rolled her shoulders and smiled at Elenore, ¡°I am looking forward to this. I enjoy meeting new people.¡±


    "I know... and over the next couple of days you''re going to meet quite a few." She chuckled. "and some of the students are probably going to talk to you at the party to see if they can present an opportunity we didn''t know about. And if you''re ready, we have the first applicant ready for you?"


    Solaris nodded, taking a sip of tea which was perfectly prepared by the hotel staff. "Let¡¯s begin!"


    "First we have Mr. Tam Song-Jin. He''s a North Korean refugee whose family managed to flee, though they ended up in Japan by mistake. However, his Enhanced nature was noticed when the shipping container they were in was identified, thus the family was allowed to immigrate as refugees." She said, reading the background. "He was transitioned into the NKKA, their version of the American ESEA schools, translates to Japanese Enhanced Training Academies." She explained. "He''s certified up to business jets, and while he''ll need to recertify in American licensing, which should be somewhat streamlined with his existing licenses and hours in flight."


    "A pleasure to Meet you Mr. Song-Jin. I hope your stay in Japan has been kind. She gave him a polite bow gesturing for him to take a seat. So you are applying for one of our pilot positions then?"


    "Yes ma''am." His accent was noticeable but thin, more Japanese than anything but with a strange tone here and there as he spoke English. "I was training for a job as an airline pilot, I''ve actually neglected to update my resume as I was just recently qualified on the Airbus A320 type, specifically. A small airliner."


    He paused, then sighed. "To be honest, however, I have had issues with my pending applications to airlines and other concerns. The Japanese government has been very kind to me and my family. My parents run a small restaurant in the town near the academy I trained in, but the Japanese business world is a bit complicated for non-Japanese."


    "They have always been insular." Solaris nodded. "Are you alright basing yourself out of the US? While I do travel extensively, right now that is my home, though between my projects and El¡¯s, we will keep you in the air quite a bit."


    "I absolutely do not mind. I accepted early on in my job hunt that I would likely end up looking outside of Japan."


    "Any hobbies, or are you a pure flyboy?"


    "I ride sport bikes, and hike. My power makes hiking particularly rewarding. I have an ability we''ve taken to calling Thoughtography. Basically, I can create images I think or remember into drawings on paper, though I have to use existing tools and pigment to do it. I have enhanced dexterity that helps, though I have no real artistic sense, so my imagined images are, I am told, poorly constructed."


    "My motorcycle and ultralight have very nicely done graphics, though. I looked them up online."


    ¡°That is a fascinating power, not one I have heard before, I bet it has some interesting applications. My driver Marcus also rides motorcycles, I think he would enjoy having someone to ride with, and several of my current staff enjoy hiking, we are near some very nice parks in New York.¡±


    "A longer road trip would also allow the Appalachian trail to be an option, a vacation I would not mind taking, after working an appropriate amount of time, of course."


    "A worthy trip, I''ve been to the area though it''s been a while. It is beautiful." She liked his manners. "I think we will be calling you shortly."


    ¡°Thank you. I hope you have a place for me. ¡°


    She stood and shook his hand. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡±


    ¡°I like him, I think he will be good.¡± Solaris said after he left.


    ¡°Yes, I agree. Next, we have, hm, two gentlemen asking to interview together. ¡°


    ¡°Interesting, to be fair we interviewed Levi and Erica together. I have no opposition to interviewing them together. A moment later a tall redhead with Asian features and a shorter Asian man with white streaks dyed in his hair walked in handing Elenore the folders with their resumes and a small thumb drive. ¡°Thank you for meeting with us. I am Shun Ako and this is Ken Thomas codenames Smoke and Amp.


    ¡°I see you are a cinematographer and editor, and you are a musician, specifically instrumental. ¡°


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    They nodded, sitting at Solaris¡¯s gesture. ¡°That is correct, we publish online under Smoke Waves and Amp. Ken said. We¡¯ve been watching the videos that wore coming out of Griffin garage and thought it would be a good place to expand our following and work with other creators.¡±


    "From what you list here, you also do music for other creators and are interested in continuing that." Elenore read. "Do you have a reel, and examples of your music?"


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s on that USB stick we put in with our resumes.¡±


    "Then give me just one moment." Elenore plugged the drive into a small Chromebook she''d brought, specifically to look at last minute electronic documents such as this and hit play.


    The first piece was a melodious semi classical semi synth piece, with beautiful shots of cherry trees in full bloom, the moon overhead, mist rising from the ground, then fading in the sun as the tree''s wept petals onto the wind.


    "Very nicely shot. You were the camera, as well as editing?"


    "Yes, Though Ken helped with lighting and shooing people out of the shots. We''ve been a team since we got to the schools.¡±


    The next video started, a pure instrumental piece set to images of people moving along a street in hyperlapse.


    "The first couple pieces are things we did together, after that is some colab and commission stuff we''ve done." Ken said.


    "Right, the production work is very well done." Elenore admitted, as she watched. "And the music is well composed. Is it all original?"


    "Yes, I do all my own composing, though I can also mix and edit music from open source and other vendors." Ken said with a smile.


    "And you don''t mind being out in house ''composer'', though I suppose that might sound a little grandiose for YouTube." El chuckled.


    "Hey, I like the sound of that! It''s a lot of steady work I can do and still do session work. Ken said, Shun nodding.


    "Exactly and you aren''t going to run your studios like a lot of the ones here in Japan. The entertainment industry is brutal here. And both Ken and I want to be able to love our work, not be ground to dust beneath it."


    "We''ll work out the details behind how we''ll work things like ownership rights and such on projects we assign as we go. I think we might have a place for you both. Let¡¯s go over this tonight and we''ll talk more tomorrow, including potential contracts."


    The two men nodded, standing and bowing. "Thank you. We appreciate the opportunity to work with you. We think you and Lady Summers are building something special."


    "We''re trying." After they left, Elenore mused. "We''re building something more complex than I think we anticipated at least."


    Solaris nodded. "I''m still learning, but what we are building is fun, I love seeing the passion the...Creators put into making their products."


    "Yes, well, if we take skills that others in the group have into account, this guy will give us a music department. Anzy plays at least a couple of instruments, probably more, and I know Talia plays guitar and base." Elenore explained.


    "Then there''s the other gentleman who has an actual cinematography degree. Arguably we have a small TV or Film production house at this point, more than a simple YouTube collective."


    "I actually don''t see the difference. Other than people having more choice of what and when they want to watch things. Fan films, shot on cell phones, can be almost as good as Hollywood." Solaris said. "It almost feels a bit like going back to the studio system where production houses kept stables of talent."


    "In a weird way. Technically we might fall into the category of "Content Farm" but we''re way more... better than the normal example of such a thing."


    ¡°We must be better to inspire others." Solaris said laughing as she quoted herself. "A good motto in business as well as heroing I suppose.¡±


    "Could certainly do worse. Better than ''Leave no Witnesses.¡±


    "Darling, depending on what you¡¯re doing that goes without saying!" The tiny blond teased. as the door opened, and a man with fair skin and freckles walked in, his brown hair in a neat cut. "Hello, my name is Alexi Gregorvich. I am here to apply for a pilot position. His English was perfect, with only a touch of accent. He handed his resume to Penny and bowed politely before taking a seat.


    "Refugee, again... Lots of that are going around today." Elenore observed. "But it is not uncommon in the schools in the US either. Pilot, certified in Europe for multi-Engine, jet, and as a teacher. We''ll need to get that all set up in the US of course. What sort of flying have you been doing, or is it just training so far?"


    "I did some crop dusting in Russia," he said, "and I''ve flown the schools¡¯ planes, I also am a standby pilot for a few places, but the work is infrequent.


    "But some practical experience." Elenore nodded, making a note. "I take it that the lack of positions with steady work is why you''re interested in this position?"


    "Yes. There are not going to be a lot of opportunities for me here, when there are native born men wanting the same opportunity." He shrugged. "And I get that, Russia likes to...anger everyone, and I am grateful that Japan was willing to take me in and give me a chance at a better life."


    "You aren''t your home nation, though our Chef is Ukrainian, so she''ll give you a little guff, but not much. She''s a sweetheart."


    "I''ll offer her my Grandmother''s Borscht recipe to go easy on me." he said with a grin.


    "Oh, I hear the debate starting now." Elenore chuckled. "That being said, I know we need another pilot, and your background is strong, so I think we can work with you."


    Alexi chuckled. "And I didn''t even have to offer the carrot I had."


    "Oh, do tell, what''s the carrot? We''ll still take it, after all!" Solaris laughed.


    "My enhancement. I am Panlingual, I speak all languages. A useful ability for Globetrotter."


    "Extremely useful. The best the rest of us can do is Anzy, she speaks... eight languages I think?"


    "I''m not sure but I know she sent multiples of herself to language classes, so it wouldn''t surprise me."


    Alexi smiled. "I look forward to the Banquet this evening."


    "We all are, trust me." Elenore said with a smile. "We have three restaurants catering, plus music. It''ll be a grand time."


    "And we will get a chance to meet the British students. Have you met with any of them yet?"


    "I talked to a couple as they got here." The Russian confirmed. "They were all planning on a nap then enjoying the banquet. Apparently, the British school reached out to other EU schools, they only wanted to bring students who were legitimately interested, and that spread the field out a bit."


    Solaris chuckled, ¡°And possibly gets more little birds out of the nest. I look forward to meeting them.¡±

 Chapter 85, Showing Colors

    Showing the Colors


    ¡°A lot of discussion is made on how to sub-categorize types of heroes. Mystics compared to tanks, and the like. One fairly significant subgroup are the people providing support of non-powered or lower powered levels. Villains commonly call these ¡®henchmen¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Heroes employ such people as well. While they frequently are called Agents, or simply referred to by job title, the traditional term for them is an Adjunct, a reference to the Adjunct Coast Guard Infantry Team that was the combat and non-combat support squad of the original Guardians during World War Two.¡±


    ¡°Both Henchs and Adjuncts can be reached out to by the organization known as the Guild. The Guild is basically where villains and heroes both can employ assistants or even arrange for administrative services through certain shell corporations the group will create. Ironically, they are also known to have stolen technology from dead villains and turned them into their own revenue streams, at least allegedly.


    ¡°Tailors are, as usual, the easiest way to track this down, though allegedly they deny the Guilds existence.¡±


    Solaris smiled as Alexi left. "So far I like everyone I''ve talked to, and that gives us the two pilots.¡±


    "Which weren''t priorities but are good to have. And a benefit to being open to interviewing for just about anything."


    ¡°You never know what you need.¡± the older woman said pragmatically. I expect I¡¯ll do some informal interviews at the dinner.¡±


    "Well, looking over the preliminary interviews... Erica has a guy who is a qualified mechanic, so JDM specialist like you mentioned wanting to find. She says he seems solid. A potential administrative specialist who is looking for something ''safe'' for a touch sensitive. She apparently is a touch clairvoyant, retrocognition."


    ¡°A useful, if socially¡­difficult gift.¡± Solaris said.


    "I was thinking  she would work well as a... let us say coordinating secretary between all the other assistants, at a central office, possibly in the same place as we set up our servers and IT department." She explained. "I have a few other admin types applying, but they haven''t been interviewed by Anzy yet."


    ¡°A coordinator. That makes sense, sounds like someone for your direct staff. I am sure more projects will present themselves.¡±


    "Agreed." She nodded. "We''ll look at the admin potentials from here and the Europe office, for your and Penny''s personal assistant. I claimed Bailey." She chuckled. "We have a few applicants who are... well... making assumptions. We have so far gotten six ''hero'' job applications."


    Solaris sighed, ¡°Makes sense, everyone expects me to build my own team to lead.¡± She rested her head in her hand. ¡°Do you think we should build a more¡­. hero focused version of your griffin team? I don¡¯t mind mentoring them. I¡¯m just not interested in going out looking for trouble right now.¡±


    "Honestly? Boss, I fought a freaking Mole Maid last month and then chased a super-criminal stealing a Hypercar. And I''m NOT a full-time hero." She raised an eyebrow. "My question is, do you think you''ll have a choice, given enough time?"


    ¡°No, not really, and I¡¯ll admit I assess the new hero¡¯s I meet almost by instinct to see if I¡¯d be willing to team them. I am pretty sure Sphinx and I are going to team up at some point.¡± She shook her head. What do you think El. Should I put together a¡­. Hero training team?¡±


    "We''re dealing with people past basic training. Perhaps more accurately a Hero Apprenticeship. Field qualified but not trying to save the world just yet."


    She nodded, thinking of the capes she had known and trained and chuckled. ¡°So I start the superhero trade school? Teaching young wannabes how to live as a cape. There are worse jobs. I guess I''m open to the idea.


    "Hero University. Home of the Griffins." El giggled. "Good you say that. I can stop hiding the prep I''ve been doing for the infrastructure it''d need."


    ¡°Darling you are worth everything I pay you! Alright, I will meet the hero candidates maybe the day after the party. The fledglings can parse out the ones that are obviously not good applicants.¡±


    "Great. I''ll bring you your jacket for dinner. They''re really quite sharp." Elenore smirked.


    Solaris stood and stretched. ¡°Well then let¡¯s go. Interviews are going to take a couple of days.¡±


    "Very true. I''ll read everyone''s report on initial conversations tonight after dinner, or in the morning.


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    "By the way, Cassidy hopes you like the ¡®henchman'' outfit she designed." Elenore smirked.


    ¡°Oh? Did she do an adjunct uniform for us?¡±


    "Yep, had one made for us too. The ''field'' version is synthetic spider silk/kevlar denim tactical pants, with a light utility belt, undershirt, and a jacket with a cut based on the G-1 military fighter jacket, but in a black synthetic leather, armored, with concealed plates. With other details of course."


    ¡°That sounds very sharp. I¡¯ll need to talk to Grayson and Talia¡­ brain types need manpower from time to time. Grayson probably knows the guild, but I don¡¯t know if he knows about white shoe versus black shoe members.¡±


    "To be fair, you yourself also have a strong history in research, and we have a substantial number of smarties."


    ¡°True. Hmm.¡± She pulled her phone out. ¡°Siri, remind me to call the Guild and make sure my account is still open.¡± She looked at Elenore. If you are setting up a super base you will need good Adjuncts, they handle janitorial work and such.¡±


    "Yeah, I know. By the way, since we''re relatively close to it, did you want to do anything about the Hong Kong property and what is in it? There''s any number of people we wouldn''t want to take over there, but we could visit."


    Solaris paused, ¡°I think Louise said I owned four floors and a private museum there. Is it wrong of me to think it¡¯s not worth going? If Hong Kong was still owned by England it might be worth my time, but I don¡¯t really want to support a communist country. It might be best to just sell it then invest in land that is more useful.¡±


    "Well... honestly, I''ve wondered what you wanted to do with it, it does generate a decent passive income, but it is a riskier real estate investment with China and how they treat Enhanced. Louise and I guessed you might want to get rid of it and did some math. Low ball estimate, the floors alone will sell for over two-hundred million dollars, assuming a bidding war doesn''t start." She admitted.


    ¡°That is considerable.¡± She was startled by the amount, she knew it had increased in value, her grandfather had only paid a few thousand pounds for the land in the 1800s, but the estimated value now was almost obscene. ¡°More than I thought by quite a bit. Let¡¯s sell it. I¡¯ll have to figure out what to do with the museum, cause I certainly don¡¯t want Grandfather''s mummies in my house.


    "I''ll reach out, and we can charter a plane to bring the contents to us. Alternatively, I suppose we could send the mummies to Egypt. They might like them."


    ¡°They can have anything Egyptian there. Honestly, I don¡¯t know what ended up there. It became a bit of a family attic. We can ship anything the Egyptians don¡¯t take to the Summer Manor to go through with everything else. Maybe there are other things we can pawn off on someone else.¡±


    "Fortunately, the staff for that is very small, only one older gentleman and some part timers. I''ll get the catalogue but have them start crating things and we''ll send things where you say. We can start the sale process too. I''ll call and find out who handles that on the financial side of things."


    ¡°If the staff wants to relocate, I am sure their curation skills would be useful at the Manor, I¡¯m sure some sort of family museum will happen, or to take care of the artifacts in the house.¡±


    "He''s in his fifties. With your permission, I think a severance package would work better in his case, let him retire early."


    ¡°Whichever he prefers, I''m fine with that. I just want to make sure my staff is cared for even if I don¡¯t know them, personally.¡±


    Solaris walked out of the interview room she¡¯d been using, ¡°I¡¯ll go change and we can head to the ballroom.¡±


    ¡°I will bring your jacket and meet you at your room."


    A few minutes after they separated Elenore showed up in a simple rose blouse, jeans with light boots, and a charcoal flight jacket, with a ruff of what looked like fur, and rose piping. A bronze griffin was on the left shoulder. She offered a wrapped box to Solaris. "Here''s yours." she winked.


    Solaris smiled, opening the box, ¡°Oh, she pulled out the jacket, a similar gray with blue piping. It¡¯s lovely! She darted back into her room and changed into a deep rose patterned sweater dress. She slid the jacket on and added a pair of grey ankle boots. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    "Very nice. I messaged the others. I can explain why there''s other colors later, but its kind of a future proofing effort. but they''re nice and warm, and lightly armored, which let¡¯s face facts, makes me feel better!" She chuckled.


    ¡°I do understand.¡± She took Elenore¡¯s arm and walked down to the lobby where the rest of her staff were waiting for the cars. How did your interviews go?¡±


    "I got slightly ill interviewing a speedster who couldn¡¯t sit still. I mean, she was trying hard, but she just... vibrated. Screws fell out of the chair." Anzy sighed. She was also wearing one of the jackets, hers bearing a very fetching bronze piping. "She''s in my b stack, interested in potentially being a hero, and secondary interest is a firm ''I don''t know''."


    "I got an arrogant twerp who just also happens to be a baby Kreigsmarine. I mean, flying, tough, moderate energy projector, also wanting the hero role. And he looks the part." Mercedes, her jacket identical to Anzy¡¯s, shook her head. "But man, did he strut."


    "I met a nice girl who was training as a secretary. She''s not a genius, by any stretch, but she was cheerful, spoke English and Mandarin fluently, and was solid in Korean and French from what she claimed." Mei said. "And she does traditional archery as a hobby. We had a lovely conversation."


    ¡°Well, we do need more secretaries, so she might be good to do another interview. I met a couple of pilots, and some production crew; a composer and editor, that I think are both likely to be offered contracts.¡±


    "I met what I thought was a nervous guy and his girlfriend. I mean, I still might be right, but she''s apparently a sentient AI Gynoid...not sure what that means... and he invented her." Zoya said, shaking her head. "Is it healthy that the creation seemed better with socialization than the creator?"


    ¡°From what I have seen it¡¯s not uncommon with brain types. What were they interviewing for?¡± Solaris asked


    "He didn''t know if you wanted researchers but due to St. Nicks and history thought you might. She is ''competent at many tasks, can learn new skills quickly, and has no particular goals due to not being sure how to develop them."


    ¡°I can forward his info to St. Nicks. I am not really doing research right now.¡± They got in the cars and headed for the party. I¡¯ll have to talk to the girl to see if she¡¯s a fit and where.

 Chapter 86 Dinner and a show

    Dinner and a Show


    The largest Super-themed fan convention is held in St Louis. It is called E-con. With yearly attendance of over one hundred thousand visitors, you might think it would be a magnate for attacks, but in the 45 year history of the convention it has only been attacked once during the 1980s.


    Bill the Bull, a western themed villain with enhanced dexterity attempted to rob the charity auction. He was quickly subdued by a combination of cosplaying heroes and villains.


    This included some true enhanced cosplaying as other Enhanced, Most notably the Hero Serif, cosplaying as Germanatrix and the Villian Ice Drake, who won the costume contest for his portrayal of Mr Lizard. The photo of the Con attendees standing with Bill hogtied while Ice Drake proposed is still prominently displayed in their schedule.The pair married at the following convention in front of thousands of attendees. Bill retired from villain work after that incident as even the holiday themed villains were now mocking him.


    Excerpt the Pro-Con the story of Enchanced Fan Conventions.


    Solaris and Elenore''s arrival was after many of the young hopefuls, the banquet hall set on Tokyo Bay giving a wonderful view of the early evening ocean. The food was coming out, being set up buffet style, with some music playing. It''d been set up more informally, a meet and greet party, though the head table was set aside for Solaris, Penny, and Elenore. "Seems people are already digging in. Course the Europeans had to be hungry."


    ¡°It was a long flight. Solaris agreed, smiling at the students, then blinking as she saw an old Japanese man. She walked over. ¡°Mako?¡±


    "I am impressed." The very, very old man said with a smile. "While I look good for my age, I am not the young fool you knew." He bowed, then offered his hand to shake, used to dealing with people from all around the world after this long. "When Kitsune told me you were going to be looking for potential employees, I had to come out and poke the headmasters. I helped create these schools, and wasn''t going to let them ignore the potential you represent. Ah, but they do not know you."


    ¡°Time has passed but your eyes are the same.¡± Solaris said, shaking his hand. I¡¯ve talked to some wonderful people already. So, you went into education?¡±


    "Not at first." He sighed. "I fled the main islands after the surrender. Engaged in some... misbehavior, if you will. Ended up in an Australian prison for a few years." He chuckled. "Shortly after you vanished, I managed to rip your Sergeant''s mechanical suit off him, finally won, then Breakneck stole my power-generator. Damn speedsters."


    "When I returned to Japan, I went into ship building for a time, fishing boats, then the government wanted to build a school to help technopaths, like myself, to develop for the Japanese Industry. I have been involved in our version of Enhanced Academies ever since. Semi-retired now but keep the youngsters in line." the century old, former mech-suit pilot smiled. "And now I am an old man, with no hair, and you stayed young. Did you not know I was the Asian?"


    She laughed. ¡°How can the Eternal Maiden dare to change? Any students I should keep an eye on?¡±


    "Every student does something surprising." He laughed. "Though the one with the android was a special kind of headache. Not a bad boy, but borderline NEET and then he builds that school¡¯s best student. I can only imagine what he talks to his therapist about." He shook his head. "Our best student is here but not looking for work. Telepath and telekinetic, he''s already getting offers from Japanese hero teams. But you want to know about a diamond in the ruff or two, don''t you."


    ¡°Those are the ones who need the opportunities I can offer. I know my fledglings are amused by my eccentricities. Though Kreigsmarine would tease me for dragging in more strays.¡±


    "Never mind he does it from time to time, as well. All three of you did." He shook his head, then gestured with his head at a girl, lovely in a fragile way, in a wheelchair talking to a couple of other students. Agano Irisa, or as westerners would say Irisa Agano. Very intelligent, and wise, young woman. Her back was broken during the same Tsunami that destroyed Fukishima. That also awakened her powers. She thinks we haven''t noticed she writes and draws manga, while working on her business management degree. She has been applying for sales positions, though a wheelchair in a face-to-face economy such as Japan is challenging."


    ¡°We need someone to handle sales. My crew is kind and competent, but they are techs and mechanics. I¡¯ll speak to her.¡± She bowed to the older man and walked towards the young lady.


    ¡°Hello, I am Ms. Summers, I was told you are looking for a more sales or managerial role?¡±


    "Um, oh, yes. I didn''t know you were interested in forming a sales department?


    ¡°I do probably need one.¡± Solaris said with a dry chuckle. ¡°I cannot seem to stop myself from dabbling in commerce.¡±


    Irisa laughed, ¡°There are worse hobbies. My focus is in managing sales-oriented businesses, so I have a broad base of skills a bit of marketing, public relations, and other related ideas. Even a few courses in hospitality management." She said, turning the chair to face Solaris. She wore an attractive, long sundress that hid her legs. Her hands bore a pair of gloves in a matching color, but sturdy looking, obviously to protect her from the wheels.


    ¡°I currently have a custom car shop, that doubles as a you tube studio, a gym, an art gallery, and I think one or two restaurants, though some of that is still being set up. Someone needs to sell the things my mechanics make so they can build new and interesting toys.¡±


    "Hah, ironic. I can''t drive." She laughed. "Though it sounds more like you need a sales team. Is it more you need someone to set up and maintain a team like that? Though I could sell cars, certainly. Someone would need to teach me to drive though. And I''d need a car I could drive."


    Elenore chuckled while walking over. "With our squad? The the car would be something ONLY you could drive." She glanced at Grayson. "Some are more Avant garde than others."


    You would probably start with working for the shop, with your duties expanding and evolving with the businesses. That¡¯s what happened to Elenore here, I hired her to be a project manager for a specific project and she¡¯s practically become my left hand.¡±


    "How sinister of me." Elenore chuckled.


    "I understand, and that is reasonable. Especially since my research showed you were just... how do you say it, getting your feet under you?"


    ¡°I believe the term I heard Zoya use was ¡®recently defrosted.¡¯¡± Solaris said dryly.


    "Burr. I do not like the cold, so it¡¯s better to be warm again." She chuckled. "Still, I did turn in my resume, so if you would consider me for that role, I would be honored. The job hunt has been challenging."


    ¡°We will. Solaris said with a smile. ¡°So, who would you recommend we talk to?¡± It was a wonderful question to see what kind of person she was talking to.


    "Well, is there anything you are particularly looking for, skill wise? Or power wise, I suppose, depending on what you''re working towards. I know just about everyone, since I help in the admin offices."


    "I mean, my roommate wants to find a job in childcare and education, particularly with Enhanced children. She''s got a really weird power, though. She negates other powers turned on her. Shoot lasers out of your eyes, she doesn''t react. Super strong? You punch her no harder than anyone else your size. It''s weird."


    Solaris¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°And she is needing a job, I¡¯d have thought there would be a lot of opportunities for that skill and power set. ¡°


    "You would think. The Japanese Academies, however, are slow to change staff. Also, we do not have as many openings, the need is less common among Japanese, for some reason, compared to Americans and Europeans. Though when one of us does awaken young." She shrugged and gestured to herself.


    ¡°Mako mentioned a tsunami. When he suggested talking to you. I am more than happy to talk to your roommate. A question: if you are both hired, would you want individual apartments, or would you still want to live together?¡±


    ¡°I admit, for my own wellbeing a roommate who knows how to help me is good for my piece of mind. I think she would find more options in America though.¡±


    ¡°Elenore, can you contact Riley and see if she can make one of the apartments wheelchairs accessible?¡± Solaris asked. ¡°Irisa, I should very much like to talk to your friend.¡±


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    "Actually, the building is ADA compliant, and I purchased some condos to future proof, also ADA compliant." she chuckled. "Not actually planned that way, but there''s tax breaks for it."


    ¡°What is ADA?¡± Solaris asked. As the handicapped woman blinked in surprise.


    "Right, Sorry. Americans with disabilities Act. It requires things like wide doors, ramps, and usable height counters. We might have to change out the bathing set up, but that might be it."


    ¡°That is brilliant, she smiled at Irisa. Please let us know if there is anything special you need. And make sure your friend talks to me or Elenore.¡±


    "I will, thank you." She smiled. "I''m looking forward to where things might go."


    Erica and Talia were looking out the window, at the water, and waved at the two ladies as they worked deeper into the room. "I think I''ll post ads for general sales associates back in New York. Give her some staff to work with, assuming her resume checks out." Elenore said. "We do have a few spots we need, and that''s likely to increase."


    ¡°I agree. And her friend will be a treasure with some of our other plans.¡± She paused to speak to a bubbly Swiss girl with dark blond hair and a charming accent. Hello, I am Glow. I am so so excited to meet you! My family lives near the Elyssim, she literally had little pops of gold light exploding around her,


    ¡°Tone it down Glow. Said a boy next to her with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m Keith. I¡¯m from ESAS Greece.¡±


    "Good to meet you both." Eleanore said, shaking both hands. ¡°I can guess why you are called glow, and since you''re here, you''re hoping to find a berth with us. What''s your specialities?"


    ¡°I am a carpenter, and I¡¯m working on my electrician certs, Glow here is Hoping to sign on with your production studio, she¡¯s a theater geek.¡± Keith said as the blond girl closed her eyes and began doing a breathing exercise to control her light orbs.


    "Production or talent side? Or both?" Elenore asked.


    Hopefully both, but well my specialty is lighting she concentrated, and a light blue orb filled her hand, it pulsed with the music, she shaped it into a spot light and She handed it to El. Depending on how much oomph I put in them they last different amounts of time.


    "That''s interesting. Just curious, do they do something other than light up? With our set, you want to check, just so you know if you drop it the floor won''t explode." She said with a grin.


    "That happened one time!" Erica called out.


    ¡°No, I just make light, I can shape, color them but they are just light.¡± She bit her lip nervously.


    Keith patted her shoulder. ¡°Show her your rave bubbles.¡±


    Glow nodded and turned where students were chatting, held up her hands and let out a stream of bubbles that pulsed with rainbow lights. The kids laughed batting the bubbled up into the air before they popped.


    "Oh, now see, that''s definitely got potential for live events. I''ll have you talk more with one of the crew, get a good feel for your skill sets. I won''t swear to a position at the second, but depending on factors, and perhaps a willingness from you to do some secondary job roles, we might have some possibilities."


    Looking at Keith she smiled. "In your case, if your resume is solid, we likely have some projects we''ll be needing you for. Again, you''ll do an initial interview, but I know we have needs for those skills."


    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that.¡± Glow nodded. More fireworks of excitement going on around her head Keith shook his head. ¡°Come on Glow¡±, he led her away and Solaris chuckled. ¡°I am a little worried about what will happen when she and Anzy hang out.¡±


    "Are you kidding, I''m already buying Talia and Erica sunglasses in my mind." Elenore joked.


    "Excuse me." A young woman said, her accent not quite Germanic, a hint of something more northern tinging the tone. She was smiling pleasantly and didn''t seem nervous, unlike the person with her. He seemed unsure, though not completely anxious. "I am Nikoline Kroghe, this is my husband Olaf. He''s nervous, so I wanted to make sure he introduced himself to you."


    "Hello." He said something to her in rapid Danish, and she chuckled. "He claims he wasn''t nervous, but that you weren''t really looking for his skill set."


    Solaris chucked, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, what are your skill sets?


    "I am a software engineer." He said. "I did the full course load I could, so games, phone applications, productivity, I kind of do all of it. I have my Masters and have developed a Class 3 Artificial Intelligence that kind of runs our personal data stuff." He explained. "I also, full disclosure, might have been arrested for a small hacking incident when I was fourteen." He admitted.


    ¡°Oh. I do have an opening for that skill set, how are you with teaching and teens?¡±


    "I tutor younger students, or was until I graduated, and with a master¡¯s I did some teaching. I was toying with going on to Doctorate level, probably will, but want to work practically too." He explained. "I''m not looking for a teaching position."


    ¡°It¡¯s not really a traditional teaching job. I need someone to help teens build and program battle machines for competition. I¡¯m wanting to build towards sponsorship of a Slaughter in the Sands team.¡±


    "Oh! my minor was in electrical engineering. I would likely be able to help with something like that quite well." he admitted. "I''m also good with security work, and I spoke to someone who said you were setting up a server farm."


    ¡°Yes, we are, though I know nothing about that, that is all El and Penny.¡±


    "A security expert, and hacker, is always valuable. Though are you also looking for something with us?" Elenore turned back to the wife.


    "Oh, not necessarily. I did turn in a resume, but God, and I suppose Ms. Summers, knows we do not need to look too hard for work with our profession."


    ¡°What is your profession?" Solaris asked her smile bright.


    "I am what the Americans would call a Nurse Practitioner. I hold a Doctorate of Nursing Practices."


    ¡°Well, if nothing, I''d love to chat about updates in Medicine with you, Solaris said. What is your thought El. I don''t know how hard it is to translate her certificates to the US, and we could use her for the camp. Kids are good at getting hurt, though you may be a bit overqualified for camp nurse.¡±


    "In the case of Denmark, she''ll jump through only a few more hoops than moving between states, I suspect." Elenore had looked up certain specialities already. "And frankly, having another health care professional around would be useful. Especially since we still need to get you recertified."


    Solaris nodded. ¡°I am happy to talk to both of you, or have one of my people talk to you. If you are interested


    "I''ll put you on the schedule for tomorrow morning. You have skill sets that definitely have appeal."


    "I am surprised you didn''t ask what we do, considering we''re from the schools." Keith admitted. "Though I am not terribly interesting I do levitation."


    ¡°Honestly, I consider it rude to ask unless it directly impacts the job, I¡¯m hiring you for. I am happy to know, but your powers are your business unless I¡¯m leading you to battle.¡±


    "Makes sense." Nikoline said with a nod. "Mine doesn''t really apply to my work, so I generally don''t worry about it."


    ¡°Not everyone has powers that enhance their professional skills. You have me curious, but I respect your privacy.¡±


    The Danish woman waved her off with a smile. "I generate exploding flower petals, complete with the scent." The nurse chuckled. "I am the most pleasantly scented way of destroying a small structure of any classmate we had."


    Solaris chuckled ¡°that is amusing, weirdly I suspect our video crew may ask you for special effects!¡±


    In another section of the building a small shy young man walked up to Anzy. ¡°Y.. you are Ms Summers cook right?¡±


    "Chef, yes. My name is Anzy." she said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"


    ¡°Hi. I¡¯m. Castor. I was wondering if you might be looking for an assistant. I am a desert specialist.¡±


    "Oh, deserts eh. Come, sit over here with me. What''s your favorite type to make? Cakes, pies, those fun and fussy little things that are as much sculpture as treat?"


    ¡°I love cake decorating.¡± He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of suckers, one red one yellow. The candy became liquid and began moving in his hand twisting and expanding till a small stag stood in his hand the red candy just thick enough to not break and the yellow candy a bit thicker making the horns hoof and small specked details on the deer¡¯s haunch. He offered it to Anzy. ¡°I can manipulate candy. Well sugar to be specific. Or most things with a lot of sugar in it.¡±


    ¡°I should also mention I¡¯m a registered GNC.¡±


    "Right, let me guess, you attack, or at least can, with molten sugar. Yeah, that''s nasty enough. Might as well hit someone with Napalm, might hurt less." She winced. ¡°Are you a class one Geneva Non-Combatant? That¡¯s the one that restricts you from anything outside of pure self-defense, right?¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah. I can¡¯t do hero stuff at all either.¡±


    "I admit, I''ve only met one other person who scored a Geneva Non-Combatant status." Due to the fifth Geneva Convention, which focused on supers, it was decided that some heroes and villains had powers that were so horribly damaging that, even outside of conventional armed combat it would be considered a violation of the articles of war. Ironically, attacking someone listed in such a way was also considered an international crime, since the right to self-defense was assumed in the law. ¡°She was only a class two, though. Could still do the cape thing, but her abilities involved biomanipulation and they were concerned what would happen if she played at the bacterial or viral level.¡±


    Castor nodded. ¡°It¡¯s rare, and why I was put in the ESAS school. My teachers tried to find a less viscous way to use my power, but after I put the gym teacher in the hospital with hyperglycemia they changed my training to control and defense.¡±


    "Right, sugar right into the bloodstream. Got it." She smiled. "That''s fine. We own a restaurant already, and a good menu of desserts isn''t bad. I know the boss will hold more events needing deserts, plus the food truck. And that''s assuming we don''t set some other thing up, with the hiring we''re doing. The boss tends towards taking care of her people kind of directly."


    The small man nodded. ¡°I am just happy for a good opportunity, I¡­ am shy¡­and tend to hide in the kitchen.


    "Oh, we have lots of kitchens." Anzy chuckled.


    Talia frowned, and pulled one of her earbuds out, allowing her to hear more clearly what was happening around her. She winced at the sound of the crowd, but then her frown deepened. "Erica, do you hear that? Kind of a wood on wood scraping sound? Or... lots of them?"


    Erica paused, her hearing wasn¡¯t as enhanced as her cousins, and it took a moment to filter out the sounds of the party, yeah, it¡¯s a really weird sound.¡± She gasped as her power kicked into overdrive, earmarked by a sharp migraine.


    She grabbed Talia, and threw them both out of the way of shattering glass.

 Chapter 87 All you can beat crab legs

    All You Can Defeat Crab Legs


    ¡°Help! The Kaiju has me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that counts as a kaiju? I mean there is a lot of debate over what constitutes a Kaiju. Is it size, general enhancement or does the creature need special powers to be considered a Kaiju?


    ¡°I don''t care! Get this gator off me!¡±


    ¡°I believe that is a crocodile not an alligator.¡±


    ¡°Aaaarg!¡±


    "It might be a caiman?"


    "I hate you all!"


    ¡°Alright, assholes, you are going to pay for putting that communist bitch above me.¡± A young man said as a horde of ten-foot-tall crabs climbed out of the sea and scuttled at the party breaking through the glass with ease.


    "Ahh hell." Erica said, seeing the crash moments before it happened. "Kaiju! Kaiju, Kaiju!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, grabbing Talia and hurling them both out of the way of the charging crabs and under a table to protect them from the shards of glass.


    Talia whimpered at the loud sounds. Curling into a ball, before blacking out and emptying her pockets to start making a weapon out of her phone. In the hall a young man grew seven feet tall with horns, ¡°Tanks to the front Ep take the middle, agility, and fliers get the non-combatants out of here. Shielders protect the structure. We don''t wanna take the building down.


    ¡°That¡¯s Oni, he was one of our hero applicants.¡± Eleanore said as she summoned two saber cats to join the fighters


    Marcus blinked at the orders being issued but shrugged. He moved to the Tank line while Z grabbed a freaked-out girl who had been talking about wanting to see Akihabara and about her various ideas about cybernetics before the windows shattered. ¡°I am tough but don¡¯t deal direct. Anyone see a handy club or something?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your primary?¡± A girl in a wheelchair said, rolling up behind him with the EPS who were already launching various types of attacks.


    ¡°Um, Tonfas?¡±


    The small girl summoned a tall shield before tossing him a set of tonfas, and another girl a pair of long thin swords, both seeming to be made of golden crystal. ¡°Who else needs weapons!¡± She shouted.


    ¡°Eps cover Buki-ko!¡± The very large, horned boy taking charge called out, gesturing towards the wheelchair girl. ¡°Tanks, line up and if you need weapons call out to her!¡± Oni shouted. ¡°Glad to see you came.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up Oni, you¡¯re too full of yourself for a freak who¡¯s too scared to really embrace your power!¡± A man in organic armor said as he rode in on an armored crab


    Marcus dodged a claw, dancing between pincers to deliver twin blows to eyestalks, "Whose the mouthy asshole?" He called out as he danced back.


    "He''s a fucking wanna-be super-villian, is what he is." Grayson yelled, a device on his wrist firing a laser pulse at the man, scorching one of his shoulder plates, and causing him to yelp and duck behind the crab he was riding. "Good armor though!"


    "Note to self, find out where Grayson got a laser gauntlet from." Penny commented, drinking her coffee, next to Solaris. Neither had bothered to move, as the youngsters had jumped up in response, though the smaller blond was leaning forward in case she had to take off. r


    ¡°I¡¯m more surprised he waited this long to reveal it.¡± Solaris admitted, Mako can you check on the building evacuation? I will guard the escape path for the non-combatants and wounded."


    "That is sensible." Mako said patting her hand. "You haven''t changed." the pair headed towards the door ready to act but trusting the training of the children.


    Zoya appeared next to the rolling armory. "A couple of Tonfa for me as well?" She asked, quickly vanishing, into another portal and smashing a crab in the head, then grabbing a whimpering boy trying to hide under a table, pulling him out through a third tunnel.


    Anzy took the boy from the appearing Z, then frowned. "Wait, weren''t you the guy who wanted to be a hero? The flying tank kid?"


    "Don''t let them eat me!"


    Anzy rolled her eyes as a crab screamed in agony as its attacking claw went through Castor¡¯s shield of molten sugar as he defended Anzy. ¡°I, uh, should note that GNC¡¯s don¡¯t apply to non-sentients.¡± He laughed nervously.


    Mako looked back from the door and shook his head in disappointment, he gestured at the armored man riding the largest crab. ¡°That is Akira. He was competing with Min. They were both working on food safe splicer beasts. Min won the research grant with her salmon. Very tasty roe, high quality. He did not take the news well.¡±


    In the fight Keith and Amp where teaming up, amp funneling the carpenters powerful sonic shout right int the a crab¡¯s side, shattering the beast, while Margot, the Welsh dragon girl breathed fire on another, her wings spread wide and holding her aloft.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    A Greek girl with cow horns bellowed, lowering her head as she charged into a crab. Knocking it back and giving another European student a chance to hit it with a ball of kinetic force.


    ¡°I will say, this is one of the most interesting smelling fights I¡¯ve witnessed.¡± Solaris said, as a hydrokinetic girl used a vat of hot butter as a kind of liquid whip.


    "The sugar kid is causing some interesting scents, himself." Penny agreed, ¡°A bit of garlic and some spice and we have a crab boil going.¡±


    The young programmer Solaris had met was hovering at the ceiling, with his wife, who having watched the fight to determine the crabs and students weren''t to intermingled, waved her arms. Dancing petals of flowers, Lavender, cilantro blossoms, and dill petals, fluttered almost gracefully and dance like down onto the crabs, then exploded with the force of small hand grenades against their exo-skeletons, sending several to the ground.


    ¡°There we go.¡± Elenore mused. ¡°Proper seasoning.¡±


    The armored villain was looking for someone ¡°There you are you Korean whore! He shouted At a small woman who a flyer was evacuating. He held up his wrist and fired the flyer fell out of the air screaming as a jellyfish left angry red ribbons of stung flesh across the girls bare back.


    Grayson dashed out from cover and lasered the jelly fish, kicking the corpse off the flyer, grabbing them to pull under cover. "Come on, it''s about to get really, really hot here!" he yelled at the frightened young woman.


    Fortunately she scrambled after him, as Talia rose up, kicking over a table and screaming, holding a very confusing looking device that began to spin, then sent a high powered, venturi tight stream of water right back at the villain, the water coming from the high pressure, and high heat system of the dishwasher she''d found in the mostly unused bar while scrambling for parts to assemble, the water scalding hot. her disassembled phone in pieces at her feet gutted for the power controls.


    The villain shrieked as his armor turned red from the water. He dropped down to take cover behind his lead armored crab. Leaning out to fire more jellyfish at Talia and the other defenders


    Erica, who had stayed with her cousin, smacked the jellyfish out of the air easily with a mop handle, and Mercedes, who had been helping people get out up till now turned and ran across the floor, growing in size, mass and limbs as she took her largest treant form, two smaller giant crabs being wrapped up in vines to use as hammers against the lead crab, as she grabbed its claws, jumping on its back and pulling them wide. "You, with the big damn club, kill this thing!"


    Oni grew a little taller, his skin going a bit red as tusks came out of his lower jaw. He ran into the combat swinging an iron club. Slamming it into the crabs¡¯ face with a visceral crunch and splorch sound dropping the crustacean. The villain let out a cry of disappointment as his armored crab went down.


    The two flying Sabretooth tigers were already finishing two other crabs, having allowed Elenore to note what she was seeing, and listening to Elizabeth and Penny. She had backed up to observe the fight, she was the Griffons team leader and this was a rare-ish opportunity to see how some of her super hero applicants handled the pressure of a true emergancy."Hmmm... he was the arrogant hero application." She mused, watching a boy being carried out, crying, by an Anzy. "Send ''I hope you have luck in your future endeavors'' email to him.


    Who¡¯s the minotaur girl? Solaris asked. "She is showing signs of being a good frontliner


    ¡°Oh! That is Minatauress, she¡¯s a business student, super tough and can sense gold. Her older brother is leader of the Greek national team, a bit of a legacy her family has been in the business since the mid fifties. Elenore said. ¡°I remember her resume, she put in two one for a hero team and for the business dept.¡± Elenore said pleased mentally putting the woman at the top of her lists.


    A brawny looking Asian man grabbed the villain from behind, squeezing him still his armor cracked like a crab shell, and he dropped the jellyfish gun. ¡°Keep your dirty mouth off my sister!¡±


    Mercedes dropped off the monster crab, grabbing it and throwing the huge corpse out into the bay, scanning the room. "I think everyone has things in hand." She said, shrinking back to her normal form. Grayson had walked up, scooping up the jellyfish gun curiously.


    "Dude, seriously, what the hell were you thinking?" He asked. It was unclear to Marcus if he was asking about the gun or the attack in general. With that kid, it was a toss-up.


    ¡°I am a better splicer than that bitch!¡±


    Grayson stared at the guy for ten whole seconds, before looking at Mercedes. "Okay, does he not realize I don''t know who ''she'' is, that I don''t care how good a splicer he is or isn''t, but am instead questioning his intelligence on attacking a room filled with Enhanced, at least a few of whom could throw his crustacean friends into orbit?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he cares.¡± Mercedes said, adjusting her dress.


    ¡°My little sister Min. She was evacuated with the other non-combatants.¡± The man restraining the villain said. ¡°He¡¯s pissed that she got approval and funding for her project and his was still marked not for human consumption.¡±


    "Right." The young, somewhat undecided cape shrugged. "Whatever. Can you rip him out of that armor. Who knows, he might have sea start launchers, or electric eel blasters or something, better if he''s naked."


    ¡°Can do. Hey Oni, want hold Akira while I pull him out of this shell?¡± The large hero grinned, dropping a crab leg he¡¯d been eating from one that had been electrocuted, walking over and grabbing the villain by the ankle and lifting him like a pi?ata.


    Solaris looked over at Penny, how long till local authorities get here to pick up?


    "Should only be a few more moments. I saw Mako use a panic button, but the local police tend to hold off for the Rapid Enhanced Response Team to form. UNLOC will show up shortly after that."


    The students cheered as the last crab went down. Oni held one leg up, ¡°Now We FEAST!" He bellowed. The kids cheered again as Arsenal called a huge shield up, and Minotauress cracking limbs off other crabs with Margo cooking them with her fire breath before tossing them in the impromptu pot.


    "Um. Those aren''t technically food safe, are they?" Elenore asked, watching in shock as a massive crab boil started.


    ¡°No,¡± Smoke said, grinning at her, a go pro on his forehead. ¡°But most of us have an Enhanced constitution though, and Japan¡¯s food safety laws are really strict.¡±


    "Yeah, fair." She sighed, sticking with the nibbles in front of her. She looked around absently, then cursed. "We aren''t getting our deposit back."


    Smoke laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, I did get some great vid of the fight if you wanna see.¡±


    "Yeah, we''ll look at that later. I''m going to go check on the wounded, thankfully I didn''t see many." Elenore, Solaris and the other nurse had already headed out to check the wounded. The worst fortunately being the flyer burned by the jellyfish.


    He nodded, a chemist brain was kneeling next to Talia, putting some solution on an angry red burn on the girl¡¯s wrist. ¡°Wanna shoot him with the jellyfish gun?¡±


    Talia looked at him, then at the super-villain. ¡°A little.¡±


    Erica took the gun away from the teens. ¡°No.¡±

 Chapter 88, Junkyard Dogs

    Junkyard Dogs x


    ¡°There are two things that Heroes and Villains share, and that¡¯s their sense of aesthetics. I¡¯m not referring to the skulls and spikes some villains go for, but a more general trend. They tend to like the super-advanced technical living quarters, or want retro-feel in ultra-modern function.


    It¡¯s like a bunch of steampunk and cyberpunk enthusiast¡¯s got together to have a public fight club, and damned if they don¡¯t insist on authenticity.¡±


    ¡°So yes, I need to find antique billiard balls to make a gearshifter for a supped up T-bucket.¡±


    Nahoa wandered into the shop, having landed late the night before and crashed immediately on getting to his little cabin near the gate. He found Levi under a little Porsche on a lift, apparently doing an oil change. Kar1n was doing the same thing to one of three grand marquis that were wearing new paint, new wheels, and tinted windows, making them essentially identical to one another.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been busy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey big guy. Welcome back!¡± Levi greeted, leaving the oil to drain from the car he was under. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t want to travel again after visiting the family in Texas, so I jumped on some projects here.¡±


    ¡°Why did you clone the Grand Marquis?¡±


    ¡°Everyone uses the one we have, to avoid driving a nicer car into the city. I figured save on potential arguments, and then the boss mentioned a shell game and I went all in on the idea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool. There have been times when a couple of us have needed the house car.¡± Nahoa nodded. ¡°Heard anything from everyone in Japan?¡±


    ¡°Talked to Erica, she said they were going to the party soon. Seems like an interesting batch over there.¡± Levi said, then glanced up as a rather nice Cadillac pulled up to their open, rear bay door. ¡°Whose that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go check, you¡¯ll get punched again.¡± Badger teased.


    ¡°That only happened once! And it¡¯s not like Kar1n can greet people.¡± He walked out, though he was a bit less carefree than the last time an unexpected guest showed up.


    ¡°A man two of the boys had met stepped out, smiling. Thud, Weld, it is a pleasure to see you both. And is this the infamous Mr. B I have heard so much about?¡± the Tailor asked, looking sharp in his custom three-piece linen suit


    ¡°Mr. Taylor, Good to see you. Did you get El¡¯s proposal for those fleet vehicles you were asking for?¡± Weld asked as Badger and the other two came out.


    ¡°Indeed, I did, and I¡¯ve sent her some additional notes. I do love it when customers decide to go green, but I always need to outsource for the big orders.¡± He sighed. ¡°That being said, I have an order that¡¯s become a bit of a hassle and I was wondering if you boys might be interested in a side job that might lead to you getting access to things you¡¯d be interested in yourself.¡±


    ¡°Another courier job?¡± Nahoa said, the first one had gone off the rails hard, but the Taylor had always played straight with him and Marcus


    ¡°Actually, a parts hunt.¡± He said in a luring tone. ¡°I know Griffon garage does good work, and I know Thud is reliable. And in fact, I believe you have an aircraft mechanics certification, Weld? I need parts for an aircraft, a cold war era warbird, but my sources have dried up. Thus, I need someone to go to a few boneyards and see if they can find the components.¡±


    ¡°Heck, that sounds like fun. And please Call me Badger, I pretty much live in my callsign.¡± Badger said with a grin. And if we can''t find it, we might be able to make it with the fancy gear the boss got us.¡±


    Weld nodded. ¡°I¡¯m always up for a boneyard.¡±


    ¡°Great. I have a truck you can use to drive down, and pick up what I need. I won¡¯t lie, I have a list, but it won¡¯t take up all the space, so if you guys stumble across something fun, feel free to pick yourself up a toy or two, and I¡¯m happy to pay you for your services, of course. This isn¡¯t something that should turn hot, unlike what Azure Rong and Thud had to deal with before.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to fight a trash kaiju, aren¡¯t I.¡± Nahoa muttered.


    ¡°That only happens very occasionally.¡± The tailor assured them.


    Badger snorted. ¡°Give us your list, we''ll see what we can find. I know Weld here wants to do some aircraft stuff so we can also look for those sorts of parts. Think we should take Kar1n? She¡¯s missing T-Panda.¡±


    ¡°Hell, build material might be cheaper if we buy it there, cut it down for what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°When are you dropping the truck off? and is there a timeframe for this part hunt.¡± Nahoa asked, less blinded by the idea of going to a mechanics playground.


    ¡°No major timeline. It¡¯s more that the parts are a pain in the ass to find. I need panels and doors from an old Samaritan, and they are not really common in civilian hands.¡±


    ¡°Then that should work. Boss and most of the house are in Japan right now, so we have time to run about.¡± Badger said .


    ¡°Great. The truck will be here in the morning, with a list of what I need. To be fair, if you can¡¯t find everything at the first location, I have another you can try but I am hoping Florida will have it all.¡±


    Nahoa shook his head, ¡°Guess I¡¯m not unpacking yet, not if we are road tripping down to Florida.¡±


    The Tailor smiled, ¡°You will love the truck. ¡°


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s got leg room. I just got back from Hawaii.¡± The big man said. ¡°What all do you need to finish before we go?¡±


    ¡°Just some oil changes.¡±


    ¡°So easy to knock out. I¡¯ll let you finish it up. I¡¯m going to head to the house. I have some stuff mom sent Granny to unpack.¡±


    ¡°See you there.¡±


    The next morning, they came to the shop to find a huge semi with the trailer already hooked up, the cab as long as a delivery van. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s intimidating.¡±


    ¡°So is Kar1n coming with us or is she staying at the shop?¡±


    ¡°Coming with. She is too helpful in the field for parts recovery. ¡°


    ¡°It has been a while since we last went to a scrapyard together. I have packed Chuck''s attachments, and charger, we are ready to go.¡± Chuck was held carefully in her front manipulator his eye bobbing on its antenna


    They climbed into the cab, discovering a small but complete RV set up in the back, including a kitchenette and small bathroom. Levi sat down in the climbed seat and opened an envelope taped there. ¡°Gas card, toll card, and the list of parts, including two engines. Got to admit, he provides everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of his job description.¡± Nahoa said settling in the living cabin.


    Badger buckled in looking excited. ¡°Let¡¯s get on the road again. Depending on time, maybe we can stop one way or the other and see my mom in South Carolina.¡±


    ¡°Should be doable. And the kitchenette is stocked with sandwich and breakfast fixings. We can take turns and break for dinner.¡± Nahoa paused. ¡°Should I worry that he knows I like pickle loaf?¡±


    Sounds reasonable, and I¡¯d almost be more surprised if he didn¡¯t, Nahoa. That guy doesn¡¯t miss much.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± The big man admitted. ¡°You¡¯ll have to teach me how to drive this thing, I¡¯ve never driven anything bigger than a minivan.¡± He settled in the back one eye on Kar1n as she folded into her preferred standby position under the table.


    ¡°No worries. This has automatic transmission, so that helps. Just remember, this much mass doesn¡¯t stop on a dime.¡±


    The drive down the coast was straightforward, thanks to the fact both Badger and Levi had their CDLs. Nahoa spelled them for short breaks, on clear highways, the automatic transmission of the truck a godsend for that, but he mostly served as meal prep and navigator for the drive.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been to Florida, have you?¡± Nahoa asked, ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s as crazy as the internet says it is?¡±


    ¡°The boss fought a giant snake that just happened to be there. I¡¯m feeling like yes. Badger laughed.


    ¡°Well at least there will still be beaches and cute girls in Bikinis.¡± The big Hawaiian said, ¡°at least for me, you too have girlfriends so you have to behave.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it is still winter, even in Florida, and were not going to the southern tip. What we want is a bit north of the main Everglades. The panhandle, I think its called.¡±


    ¡°Ah man! You think we will at least see an Alligator?


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s about certain. Junkyards tend to have all sorts of critters in them. And this is an old yard.


    ¡°So, is this just old plane stuff or cars and other junk too? Nahoa asked. He was mostly muscle in the shop as he wasn¡¯t really mechanically inclined and spent time at school when he wasn¡¯t on gate duty.


    Levi glanced back, ¡°Honestly, from what I saw when I looked it up, it¡¯s likely a grab bag. Kind of a dumping ground up to around the early sixties. I think it was originally a World War era airfield, before it became a parking lot, Then got bought by someone and started taking in all sorts of scrap. The Government was supposed to take anything useful out, but there¡¯s plenty of reason to assume they didn¡¯t really do that much to be sure. Nothing in there would have been that essential.¡±


    ¡°So, the government sold their trash and the ball rolled down hill. I could see where this could get weird.¡± The big Hawaiian said, passing the other men sodas


    ¡°Yeah, plus super-battle crap tended to end up in military junk piles. We¡¯re talking pre-EPA America, stuff got dumped willy nilly to some extent.¡±


    ¡°So possibly extra spicy junkyard critters or sentient trash.¡± Badger said sounding eager.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s possible.¡± Levi admitted. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of the extra-spicy quite so seriously but possible.¡±

 Chapter 89, Arm Race

    Arm Race


    ¡°People are always shocked when some half-destroyed robot bursts out of a junkyard and goes on a rampage. Then they blame the hero for not finishing off! And who''s really to blame? The scrap buyers.¡±


    ¡°Bastards should know those damn things might have self-repair by now, but who cares? Copper is going for a lot right now!¡±


    They pulled up to the junkyard, which was wild with weeds. ¡°Glad I brought my hero boots who knows what¡¯s living here.¡± Nahoa said with a half grin.


    No kidding. They climbed out, and were met by the owner, an older man. ¡°Your Tailor contacted me and offered me a good amount for whatever you decide to load up. I don¡¯t know how much in there is worth a darn. My dad bought it when the army left, and I haven¡¯t gone in there for a few years now. After Cash for Clunkers it was never much in demand.


    ¡°Well hopefully we can clear some stuff out for ya.¡± Badger said, his southern accent is thickening.


    ¡°Any idea what direction to go to find planes?¡± Levi asked.


    ¡°Yeah, the back. Unfortunately, you¡¯re going to have to work your way around the piles of eighties and nineties cars first. Don¡¯t even worry about them, they''re blocks are trashed. After that, you get into the seventies, that¡¯ll all be cars and such, and then you¡¯ll start seeing some military stuff, and that¡¯s where you want to start looking. If you climb up you¡¯ll probably see aircraft tails, but I wouldn¡¯t advise it.¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t we Climb? I mean we weren¡¯t planning to but why? asked Nahoa,


    ¡°Junk might fall on ya.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Ask a stupid question.¡± Nahoa said with a laugh. ¡°Well let¡¯s start hunting.¡±


    This junkyard was obviously not a place people were moving through often, with plants growing between the wheel¡¯s and the torn metal of wrecked cards. Dozens of thirty-year-old cars were stacked near the front, forming creaking metal hallways through which they passed. Before long, the cars started getting older, and rustier, though the damage wasn¡¯t as bad, rust wise, as Nahoa expected.


    ¡°Florida has a lot of rain, but doesn¡¯t generally salt the roads.¡± Levi said, when he asked. ¡°It¡¯s weird, but anywhere south is easier on cars. Were also far enough from the ocean that sea breezes aren¡¯t bringing salt in. If we were down the state, and not in the panhandle you''d see a bit more salt damage.¡±


    Nahoa nodded then stopped his eyes narrowing, then going a bit lustful. ¡°You all can do rebuilds right?¡± He walked over to a car that had been painted baby poop brown, and was dented to hell, the chrome long stolen, ¡°A 1958 Mercury. I¡¯ve wanted one of these since I was a kid. Just like on Hawaii 5-0. I mean the old school show, not the new one.¡±


    ¡°Well, let''s look.¡± The two mechanics, and the tailing robot, came over and started pulling other parts and wreckage off the car. ¡°Needs all the glass, but that¡¯s not a surprise. Took a hit over here, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too deep.¡± Badger said.


    ¡°Paint¡¯s trash, but that¡¯s expected. Chrome needs to be replaced or restored. Frame is solid, other than over there the body is pretty solid. And I can fix most of these dents bare handed. We can also basically make a new quarter panel for the rear passenger.¡±


    Badger nodded. ¡°I see the engine, though no idea what condition it¡¯s in, but a crate engine can be done if we have to. I mean, it¡¯s going to need serious welding work, body work, patch work, and a new interior, but some of the stuff we need is sitting in the shop. We could do something with this, yeah.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get her back to black and chrome and sexy.¡± Nahoa said, pulling down the larger trash, and pulling the car free of the grass and vines. ¡°Needs a new hardtop too, but she will be beautiful.¡±


    ¡°We can do that. I think I see another one over there. We¡¯ll grab it too. I think it has the top, but the front end is destroyed.¡±


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    After pulling the cars out, along with parts from a few other related looking cars, they continued deeper into the lot. ¡°Oh, I see a jeep. A very flat and burnt out jeep, but it¡¯s an army jeep. I think we''re getting close.¡±


    ¡°I see a wing over there.¡±


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s off a Cessna. Yeah, here¡¯s the front cowl.¡± Levi said, hopping on top of a dump truck flipped on its side, and looking around. ¡°I see some of those old half circle looking buildings you see in old movies, surrounded by stuff galore. I think we want to go that way.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Badger said as Kar1n giggled happily putting parts from lots of cars and putting it in a bag she was pulling with her.


    ¡°I swear, if we just crashed here overnight, Kar1n would fill half the dang truck. Nahoa chuckled.


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m planning to do when we¡¯re tired? I¡¯m just gonna let her go!¡± Badger laughed. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Oh, that¡¯s the nose of a P-51 Mustang. Nice!¡± Levi peeked inside. Just the cowling. Might grab this to do wall art or something. Mark the location Kar1n.¡±


    ¡°Need to find a truck with an intact bed so we can use it as a wagon, that way we don¡¯t have to make as many trips. Nahoa said looking around for something he could drag along.


    ¡°Not a bad idea.¡± Levi agreed.


    A few minutes later Kar1n called out. ¡°I found a Ford F series, it looks intact enough to use for carrying things.¡±


    The boys came over, finding a rollin chassis of a truck, without much else. ¡°Yeah, that works. Looks like it was rolled, cabs completely collapsed and engines gone. Shame.¡±


    Levi gave it a shove. ¡°No brakes, but that works for us. We found you a wagon, Thud.¡±


    Nahoa chuckled, then ripped off the crumpled hood, and tossed it, crumpling some of the frame into a good handle then began pushing it like a shopping cart.


    ¡°This is what grocery shopping with Anzy must be like.¡± He joked. ¡°Hey Look over there, Is that a plane tail?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes. And a big one at that.¡± They moved over and started climbing up, finding it was attached to a very damaged fuselage. Levi moved to the one remaining wing, and the engine mounted under it. ¡°Oh yeah, this is one of what we¡¯re looking for. The cowling and engine over here seem intact, though they¡¯ll need an overhaul.¡±


    ¡°I suspect the Tailor had assumed that.¡± Badger nodded. ¡°Anything out here is going to need to be overhauled, Should I have Kar1n get the torches ready or can we get to the engine without cutting?¡±


    Let''s torch the nacelle off. We need the cowling and the engine, but not that. We¡¯ll need to move some stuff from under it.¡±


    Nahoa slipped down, and pushed some junk, stopping when he uncovered a vehicle that looked more or less complete, ¡°What the hell is this? A boat jeep?¡±


    ¡°Oh! I wanna put guns and a flight system in it.¡± Badger said, looking the odd vehicle over, it had a boat shaped body with regular tires, with a jeep like cab, it looked purpose built and had faded military markings. ¡°Hey Kar1n can you check Google for what this is?¡±


    ¡°That is a Ford GPA, an amphibious version of the Willys style jeep. Over twelve thousands of them were made and served in multiple theaters of the war. They were generally released as surplus after the war. Considering this is Florida, this was likely kept due to local environmental conditions until they shut one of the airfields or bases down.¡±


    Nahoa laughed. ¡°We should take it, if it floats Marcus and I have been talking about getting a fishing boat. This would be super cool for that.¡±


    ¡°Hell, we could fix it even if it doesn¡¯t. It¡¯s steel, meaning easy to weld.¡± Pointed out the man of the same code name.


    They pulled the almost entirely intact vehicle out, followed by the canopy from a Sioux helicopter, and Kar1n started cutting the engine off with her plasma cutter.


    ¡°We need some things from the cockpit. Nahoa, you mind giving me a lift up?¡± Levi asked.


    ¡°No problem.¡± He reached out and lifted Levi up into the cockpit. ¡°Hopefully there is some good stuff still in there. Yes! The yokes are in here, so that¡¯s good.¡± He said, climbing through a window after prying it open. Seats are going to need to be redone but are intact. Must have crashed on landing.¡± He climbed through the transport plane''s cockpit and opened the back, then yelped as his flashlight came across a huge, sharpened claw on an arm.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong!¡± Nahoa said, looking for enough rock to boost himself up.


    ¡°Just gave me a scare. Looks like some mecha arm is in the bay. But old, like, all clunky hydraulics and iron.¡± He took a picture, sending it to Kar1n. ¡°You have any idea what this is?¡±


    ¡°That would be from the Devastator Warbot Mark five, destroyed in nineteen sixty-five after a joint operation to protect the city of Miami by that era''s Guardian team, and the USS Iowa.¡±


    ¡°Right. Damn it, that sounds like a name dino boy would come up with.¡± Levi said, getting his wind back.


    ¡°If you drop the warbot down, I can strip it. I am sure there are interesting weapon mounts.¡± Kar1n said pleasantly.


    ¡°Let me see. Yeah, here¡¯s a door. We need it too, anyway.¡± Levi rolled up his sleeves, and let his hands heat to white hot, stabbing them into the plane''s hull half a foot from the door, slowly cutting it out, grabbing the pressure door and setting it down on the ground next to the plane. ¡°I¡¯ll go strip the stuff from the cockpit, if you want to just climb in here and go after the arm.¡±

 Chapter 90, Junk Yard Rumble

    Junk Yard Rumble


    ¡°These are the new super weapon you wished to show me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Comrade General. We call them the Iron Wolves.¡±


    ¡°Why wolves. They look like boiled eggs on spider legs?¡±


    ¡°We thought it sounded good?¡±


    ¡°Bah, whatever. The Americans will just call them ¡®commie-bots¡¯ anyway.¡±


    General Winter, speaking to the KGB Special Technology Division head.


    Nahoa shivered at Kar1ns giggle as the spider like bot climbed the plane and started dismantling the huge robot arm inside. She was singing to herself, and he was never going to get used to that.


    Who knew Disney music could sound so threatening. He chose not to wonder why she only ever seemed to sing the villain themes.


    ¡°This engine is way to big for me to lift. Can you lug it into the wagon Nahoa?¡± Badger asked. ¡°Then we can poke around and see if we can find the other engine we need.¡±


    ¡°Can do.¡± He found enough rocks to use his powers to shape some stairs up to the wing and lift the engine as Badger cut the last support. He carried it down to the truck. ¡°We are going to need to make a couple of trips unless we make a trail for the hauler.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, want to take the first load back? Leave Weld and Kar1n to do the disassembles they''re working on?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± He moved the truck full of parts over to the boat jeep then with a bit of work put the boat on the truck across from where the cab used to be and pushed it all back to the front loading it on the hauler while the scrapyard owner watched his eyes wide.


    It took about fifteen minutes to push everything back to the truck, and offload it into the box, the jeep-boat getting covered by a tarp, and having parts loaded into it to save space.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Let''s go check on Levi and Kar1n, see if they have another load ready. If not, I¡¯ll go pull those Mercury¡¯s out. I¡¯m not going to be much help other than lifting so if you see anything else you want me to pull just mark it.¡± He pulled a chalk pen out and handed it to Badger.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan. I thought I saw something under some discarded roofing that I wanted to peek at.¡± Badger said. The enhanced mechanic whistled as he wandered along, pausing to look at some rather nice hubcaps, collecting a full set of cadillac caps that would look nice on a wall, though not likely to mount a car ever again.


    He reached the sheets of metal roofing, and pushed them off what he¡¯d seen, and whistled. ¡°Oh yeah, I want it.¡±


    Nahoa was humming to himself as he pushe¡¯d the car deeper into the junkyard when he heard a loud bang from the front of the truck turned wagon, and the whole thing shook. ¡°What the heck?¡±


    He pulled the truck to a stop and walked around. What did I hit? He saw a new ding in the front bumper. I thought I¡¯d cleared this path?¡±


    There was a hissing, then suddenly a gray ball was flying at his head from underneath a car.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± he shouted as the ball bounced off his head. He shook his head clear, catching sight as it unfolded and landed before jumping at him again, balling back up. ¡°Am I being attacked by a freaking Pok¨¦mon?¡± He yelled, swatting the ball out of the air, it bounced against an old fridge with a bang, falling to the ground and unrolling.


    He took a closer look. ¡°An armadillo? What the hell?¡±


    The armadillo in question shook off it¡¯s stun, and rolled into a ball, before rolling straight across the field right at the big boys feet.


    ¡°Hey! stop that!¡± He didn¡¯t want to kick the animal, so he quickly called rock and crafted a ramp in front of the animal so that it sailed over his head.


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    The critter flew over his head, and slammed down on the hood of a rusted out delivery truck, leaving a massive dent, filling the air with the sound of metal hitting metal. It uncurled and hissed at him again. ¡°It¡¯s a slicer beast? Who the hell enhanced an armadillo? He backed up trying to get the truck between him and the animal.


    ¡°Have a granola bar, it¡¯s an apology!¡±  he pulled the snack out of his pocket ant threw it at the angry animal. The animal stopped, and sniffed the granola bar. Than let out a weird cry. Three other similar animals came out and started dining on the bar with the first, chomping it up quickly. All of them made metal on metal sounds when they rubbed together.


    Nahoa pushed his truck towards Weld hoping the food would distract them for a bit. ¡°LEVI! I told you there would be spicy critters here!¡±


    ¡°Bump into something did you? Doesn¡¯t seem to have messed you up too much.¡± He said, sticking his head out the window of the plane. A pile of parts had formed near the opened door, where Kar1n had been stacking them.


    ¡°Dude, there are enhanced armadillos here, one attacked me after it ran in front of the truck. I threw food at it and a half dozen or more showed up.¡±


    ¡°Right. Don¡¯t mess with the armadillos. Got you.¡± Then he laughed. ¡°Armordillos.¡±


    ¡°No shit. The thing dented metal when I slapped it away. He looked behind him to make sure the armordillos hadn¡¯t followed him before starting to load the truck up with all the parts Levi had stripped down. ¡°How are we doing on the parts list?¡±


    I think we¡¯re going to get all the cockpit parts, but we''re only looking at about half the engine and wing components. Still, doing pretty good, and he did say there was another place to check out. Considering the boat jeep, we¡¯re having good luck ourselves. That and your car.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I have many parts to restore for the shop''s webstore.¡± Kar1n said.


    Badger ran at them with a weird leg like appendage over one shoulder. ¡°Kill bots!¡± He pointed back at  a half-dozen man tall spider-like bots chasing him. Each with sharp swords on their arms, ¡°Die capitalist scum!¡± The lead bot shouted.


    ¡°Seriously. Commie-bots?¡± Levi groaned, climbing out the window, and dropping to the ground, while Thud picked up an engine block, more accurately ripping it out of an old rust bucket and hurling it into one of the robots closest to Badger, crumpling it and causing a small explosion.


    ¡°You dare attack my human!¡± Kar1n raged. ¡°Please! Authorize me for violence!¡±


    ¡°Override safety code! ID Harrison, password Ragnarock6969.¡± Badger said trying to find a place to take cover.


    Karen¡¯s violet eyes went red and a laser cannon dropped out of her belly. A moment of charging whine filled the air before she fired a thin ruby beam, slicing through a bots legs before charging into the fray with her claws and cutters.


    ¡°She has a laser cannon? Why did I not know that?¡± Weld asked, absently, as he stripped off his shirt, his torso turning white hot quickly so he could block and punch off a swiping claw.


    Thud shrugged, having found a drive shaft, using it to batter two other bots, keeping them at bay but not quite managing to land decisive blows. ¡°I assumed she did.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need it most of the time.¡± Badger said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of restrictions programmed in her, you only need one robot to decide to try and kill you in your sleep to learn that lesson!¡± Badger yelled as he grabbed for his bag.


    Kar1n began grappling with another bot, trying to pull it down to the cannon''s fire arc while stabbing at the bot with back legs now tipped with wicked sharp spikes.


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± The Hawaiian man said, getting tired of fencing with the bots, letting one snatch the rod and pull, letting go and launching himself at its partner, kicking the unsuspecting bot savagely, as he brought a mass of rock up directly behind it. The bot impacting and smashing savagely against it.


    Badger pulled out a small, weird looking gun and fired it at the last bot nothing seemed to happen, but the bot stiffened and fell over.


    ¡°I will use your chassis as a pram for my babies!¡± Kar1n shouted as she fired her laser into the twitching bots.


    ¡°Right¡­ So, we done?¡± Nahoa groaned, limping a little. Kicking that thing had hurt.


    ¡°We can finish collecting stuff up here. I found a truck I want to grab, but yeah, we''re good.¡± Badger said.


    ¡°Are we going to ignore Kar1n talking about having children?¡± Levi asked.


    Badger and Nahoa spoke in unison. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Badger continued. ¡°I am grabbing the intact Commie bot too, if nothing the Boss will think it¡¯s funny, actually grab another for Gray to dissect.¡± They loaded stuff up and began heading for the front.


    ¡°See that dent?¡± Nahoa pointed at the front of the truck-wagon, and the deep dimple in the metal. ¡°that was done by the armadillo.¡±


    ¡°I saw one of the robots stumble over a bunch of them eating something.¡± Badger said.


    ¡°I threw a granola bar at them to get away. I didn¡¯t want to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Badger, it is not imminent, but I will need a new primary battery. It is very drained from the laser.¡± Kar1n said, curling up on the truck.


    ¡°I brought a spare, I figured this might be a heavy energy use trip. Just not that heavy.¡± Her creator said.


    Nahoa stopped pushing, sighing. ¡°Here¡¯s the truck.¡±


    ¡°Kinda neat. We¡¯ll drop this off, go back for the vehicles, and get fully loaded. Then we''ll call the Tailor and let him know we found most of what he needed.¡± Badger said

 Chapter 91, Tokyo Mecha Drift

    Tokyo Mecha Drift


    ¡°It is perhaps to be expected that humans, a tool using specie, would rapidly develop some method of keeping up with its enhanced, dare I use the phrase super human, members. The most notable of these are mecha and mecha suits.¡±


    ¡°Many tech heroes, Breakthroughs and Kitbashers both, wear supertech suits that are too complicated or expensive to duplicate without their power¡¯s assistance. I myself have watched components seem to just come together for them, in spite of rather I thought they should or not.¡±


    ¡°It was Alexander the Conquerer, an analog of Alexander the Great who has somehow achieved both immortality and extremely high tech himself, allowing him to conquer multiple worlds, that gave the answer. His Hoplights and their power armor gave us the steppingstone to modern mecha suits.¡±


    Zerg was happy to lead the American Enhanced through Akihabara. It was nice to have another mech head to talk to, he was trying to build a K-car that transformed into a rideable mech, but had hit a wall on some of the actuators. And also a literal wall.


    The headmaster had not been amused.


    ¡°Here it is, Neutral Ground, the best Toyshop in Tokyo. Well, that you can visit without a reference.¡± The boy said with a shrug. He opened a door in a tiny stall full of Gatcha machines, revealing stairs that lead down.


    ¡°Oh, Secret door! I approve.¡± The English girl, Robyn ¡®Chipper¡¯ St. Marcus said. ¡°Very classic.¡±


    ¡°Neutral means if you don¡¯t know, you don¡¯t need to know.¡± Grayson said with a chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s also an electric pun. And a warning, even if you see your worst enemy here, no fighting.¡± Zerg said, leading them down to a huge room full of shelves with all sorts of bit¡¯s of electronics on it. ¡°This used to be part of the train system, or at least that¡¯s what I heard. This place even has a lower area where people can work on projects since space is kind of at a premium here.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. Kind of a toymaker Maker Space.¡± Erica nodded. ¡°To be fair, that¡¯s kind of what our shop is, in a way. Back in New York, I mean.¡±


    They found themselves in a large, but clearly outdated underground train route, something that must have been built and abandoned before even the seventies. However there were parts everywhere, tools, and even a few people working on smaller projects. ¡°I can smell the solder.¡± Erica said approvingly


    Chipper giggled. ¡°It¡¯s a techies playground!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is cool. You could build almost anything.¡± Talia said, almost reverent as she looked through speaker parts.


    ¡°If there is anything specific you want and can¡¯t find it, ask Grandma Gears for help. She knows where everything is, and if she doesn¡¯t have it, she might be able to get it for you.¡± Zerg advised.


    ¡°Eventually, I likely can.¡± An old woman in a kimono with a non-traditional, gear pattern said as she approached. ¡°I see you have brought friends, young Zerg-san. Welcome to our little slice of technological heaven.¡±


    Talia gave a polite bow, like some of the kids had shown her, before going to look through the shelves, putting small bit¡¯s and bobs in a cart she found. ¡°Are you looking for anything specific Gray?¡± Talia asked, getting excited thinking about making a custom stereo for Erica, something that put quality of sound first for their enhanced hearing.


    ¡°Actually, yeah. I¡¯m looking for some actuators for a smaller, faster type of Mech than I¡¯ve built before. I figured I wouldn¡¯t push my luck, and try to build within the limit¡¯s Erica and Elenore threatened me with.¡±


    ¡°Probably wise, You¡¯ve seen how good my cousin moves at the gym. the ass kicking would be epic.¡± Talia said, then smiled brightly. ¡°Oh, Look!¡± She reached out for what looked like a kind of crystal, when her eyes went blank.


    Talia blinked, grabbing the crystals then moving from shelf to shelf, getting parts even with her hands already working to put something together as she shopped.


    ¡°Oh hell.¡± Erica sighed, looking at the old woman with them. ¡°Can I just hand you a credit card, and have you keep a tab?¡±


    ¡°Guys, she¡¯s gone into her creative fugue! Anyone know what she¡¯s building?¡± Grayson called out, watching.


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    Grandma Gears nodded. ¡°I can do a tab, is she going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Erica sighed, as Talia began slotting things together, T-panda coming out of her backpack to help with soldering and welding.


    ¡°It looks like a giant sword with, um, I think that is a synth board in the hilt?¡± Zerg said.


    ¡°And a speaker system?¡± added Clipper.


    ¡°Right, sonic powered sword. She¡¯s big on sonic things.¡± Grayson looked around. ¡°So, we could watch, ignore her and shop, or try to build a mech that can carry the damn thing, since I sure as heck can¡¯t carry all that.¡±


    All that was a pile of components getting assembled, Talia herself half dragging it along, with little grunts of exertion between bouts of assembly.


    Erica nodded. ¡°She¡¯s getting used to some medication. This is something that happens occasionally. She¡¯ll come out of it when she¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Poor thing. But she has skill! That looks like some good wiring, very efficient.¡± The old woman moved from behind her counter, pulling a few bits from various shelves, putting them near the girl, who immediately began integrating the parts, adding a wicked looking chainsaw-like edge around the sword..


    ¡°I kind of want to see Penny with it.¡± Grayson said, as he and the other two were piling parts on a pallet.


    ¡°Dreadful might be just big enough.¡± Erica nodded, grabbing tools, since she knew those, not the components the kids were grabbing.


    Chipper cheered from a section marked ¡®salavage¡¯. ¡°Oh that¡¯ll save some time. I found a mini-sub someone must have brought in.¡±


    ¡°Looks like some external manipulators and such were taken, but the interiors all here. Gives us a ready-made cockpit.¡±


    ¡°And a water-tight one!¡± Zerg said brightly, ¡°that¡¯s really important with mechs.¡±


    Grayson, who had poked around in the salvage pile, smiled as he came up with a pair of arms that looked like they¡¯d been ripped off another suit. ¡°Hey got limbs!¡±


    ¡°Let me see. Yeah, these are beefy hydraulics. We¡¯ll have to make a mount, but we can probably retrofit the junction the sub used for its waldos for these. Gonna be a tubby mech with skinny limbs, but it¡¯s a rush job.¡± Chipper said.


    ¡°Yeah, still probably pretty awesome though.¡± Zerg said. ¡°And I bet it would do better in a fight than my last mech. My ax broke after one hit and I was screwed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, her sonic stuff is wild and grade A. Plus she¡¯s a good tech in general. ¡°


    ¡°I usually work with micro-bots. It¡¯s generally less expensive than the big stuff and raw materials go farther. I¡¯ve just been having issues with scaling up.¡± Zerg admitted, looking at helmets. ¡°Soo who¡¯s piloting this beast?¡±


    ¡°Me. Then I can honestly say Grayson wasn¡¯t.¡± Erica said.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Grayson said irritated. ¡°I want a turn in it.¡±


    ¡°Make sure everything is waterproof.¡± Zerg said


    ¡°Why?¡± Chipper asked


    The Japanese boy grinned. ¡°Because the mech fighting ring is out under the sea.¡±


    ¡°There''s a mech fighting ring in Tokyo?¡± Erica asked, raising an eyebrow, while Chipper started checking, and reinforcing, seals.


    ¡°Not technically in Tokyo. In Tokyo Bay. It¡¯s run by gray capes and some of the more legitimized Yakuza families.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± Erica shrugged. ¡°Well, we can check it out, I suppose. If it¡¯s grey capes, it¡¯s likely not to total destruction, at least. Let¡¯s make sure the sub can separate as an escape capsule, just for safety''s sake.¡±


    Granny shook her head. ¡°It is a good idea, but the arena is down for repair. OverRide, over boosted and damaged the water seals. They are repairing it but will be closed for a week or so.¡±


    ¡°Right, well, maybe they¡¯ll get the arena back up before the end of the whole job fair thing.¡± Gray grumbled. ¡°Though can you Imagine the boss¡¯s face when we just park this next to the hotel!¡±


    ¡°Yes, park. No random destruction.¡± Erica pointed at him.


    ¡°Of course! Dude, I have class. And I¡¯ve been on YouTube. I am not going to act like Logan Paul!¡± Grayson said looking affronted


    ¡°I like that. Even Semi-reformed supervillains say Logan Paul has no class.¡± Chipper laughed.


    Talia blinked as she snapped out of her fugue. ¡°Logan Paul? the prime drink guy? I missed something. And I built a sword for a giant.¡± She looked at the Sonic Chainsaw with a bit of confusion and pride.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Grayson said. ¡°We¡¯re working on the giant.¡± He laughed as Zerg ran a test on the arms and got the gripping arm clutching. It was a spindly set of limbs they were making, skinny arms and legs, with a bulbous torso and no formal head, the sub being nestled in a closing chest with the ability of launching as an escape pod like they discussed.


    ¡°Oh, you built a suit to go with it. That makes sense.¡± She blushed, looking at Erica. ¡°I think I got too excited by all the cool parts. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re still adjusting to your meds. Come over and help us get this assembled, and we can try picking up the sword. Apparently, there¡¯s elevators all over the place to get the mech to the surface. No idea how well get it home, though.


    ¡°Elenore said she was getting a boat to transport all the souvenirs. She was expecting major shopping.¡± Grayson said with a grin.


    ¡°Yeah, well, okay. If nothing else, we got a submarine. Found it in the discard pile, someone stole external parts but nothing that makes it a boat. I think Gray had to replace its thruster propeller things.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯ll be way faster now.¡±


    Talia shook her head, getting out the last of the fog. Oh, that would be fun! Does Japan have any reefs? I always thought diving by a coral reef would be amazing!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s some good diving off the coast. Also, wartime wrecks to explore.¡± Zerg said. I¡¯ve used underwater drones to look at some of them, they¡¯re neat.


    That would be cool!¡± Talia said as she grabbed a wrench to help work on the main bot.