Super Sales on Super Heroes

by William D. Arand

  “But yeah, I get your meaning. I suppose I could try that.”

  Ioana leaned towards him and held an open hand.

  “Andrea wouldn’t say no.”

  “She’s also a Beastkin. A wolf, if I don’t miss my guess. That’d turn into something permanent for her quicker than I could get her to make me a pancake.”

  “That’s pretty quick. They’re pretty great pancakes, though.”

  “Yeah, it is. And yeah, they are. We’ll see. I’m not averse to the idea, I just don’t see it happening any time soon and being more than a one-night stand.”

  “Could you imagine if you talked her into using her Others, though? I mean, I bet they could—”

  Felix started to laugh again as Ioana was getting into her own thoughts. “Stop. We have to talk to an audience in a bit. Getting me all bothered about Andrea isn’t going to help me at all.”

  “What about me?” asked an Andrea, easing up from behind his chair.

  “Nothing. Nothing at all. I take it the new recruits are here?” Felix said, standing up.

  “Coming now. They’ll be filing in momentarily. The food is on the way as well.”

  “Great,” Felix said, shaking his hands.

  He hated public speaking.

  “What are you going to say?” Andrea asked.

  “Same as ever. Don’t talk about the organization. Don’t disobey your superiors. Don’t hurt each other directly or indirectly. Don’t try to escape. Normal stuff. Then I’ll let them know the same thing I told you all.”

  Felix leaned his head to one side and felt the pop he’d wanted so desperately. “Ah, that was a good one. But yeah, same thing I told you all. Live, prosper, be happy. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Good. You’re not going to hire a secretary, are you? I still might want the position.”

  Felix shook his head and stepped up to the podium that had been set up at the front of the hall.

  Flicking the mic twice, he leaned in to it. “Test, one, two.”

  Leaning back, he looked to Ioana, who gave him a thumbs-up.

  Trolleys laden with food, both hot and cold, were wheeled in from the sides. Almost as soon as they were set up, the front door to the hall opened and two Andreas strode in confidently.

  They turned to each side and held open the conference hall doors as his new purchases began entering.

  They looked more like a disorganized mob than anything. Which nearly turned into chaos when they realized there was food.

  Felix leaned into the mic again. “Be calm. Make an orderly line, and get your fill of food, a drink, then take a seat. Once everyone is seated, we’ll begin.”

  Instantly, there was order.

  Can’t give them directions like that without expecting it to happen exactly as I state it.

  Felix blew out a sigh after he flipped the switch on the mic that muted it.

  “Good, I’m glad to see you have them in hand,” came the cool voice of Lily.

  “I told you he would,” responded Kit.

  Both ladies seated themselves on either side of the podium.

  “They looked like they were about to mob the buffet tables. Can’t have that. That’d just devolve into a Mad Max breakfast.

  “We don’t really need them killing each other.”

  Lily shrugged her delicate shoulders and crossed her legs. “You’re right, of course.”

  “A group of Andreas and Miu are running the store,” Kit said before he could ask.

  “Thanks. And what about Eva?”

  “She’s with Miu as well.”

  Felix grunted and looked back out to the throng of people.

  Most were seated, and only ten or so remained at the tables, filling their plates.

  All eyes were on him. He could read almost every emotion in the entire range of human capacity on their faces and in their eyes.

  From hope all the way to suicidal despair.

  Have to make sure I order them not to hurt themselves. Directly or indirectly.

  Once the last person seated themselves, and the Andreas closed the doors, Felix flipped the mic into the live position.

  “Good morning, everyone. My name is Felix Campbell. I’m your new owner.

  “First, all of the following orders apply to you directly, and indirectly.

  “Rule one, you will not discuss anything about our organization with anyone outside of it, for any reason. This is for everyone’s safety.

  “Rule two, you will not harm each other, or yourselves, for any reason if you can avoid it.

  “That’s it for the rules,” Felix said.

  He swept his eyes over everyone. Now was the part where he gave them hope and a chance.

  The carrot.

  “I expect you’re all wondering what is to become of you. Honestly, that’s a fairly simple answer. You’ll live together and share a purpose to build an organization that puts us in a place to live comfortably. You were purchased for your powers and how they help my own.

  “My promises to you as your owner are thus. I will feed you. I will clothe you. I will not spend your lives wastefully. I will not sexually assault any of you. You will be given healthcare on a level that you are not accustomed to. Dental included.”

  Felix paused for a moment. “I’m still considering if I should pay you a salary, but I’m leaning in that direction.

  “Of course you’re all wondering what’s coming next, right?

  “Either tonight, or tomorrow, you’ll be given a room that you’ll live in. This is your room and yours alone. You will not enter someone else’s room without their permission, nor will you steal from anyone in the organization. It all belongs to me anyways.”

  Felix cleared his throat. He hated talking in front of people.

  “After that, you’ll begin training in whatever department you are best suited for. Lilian Lux and Kit Carrington,” Felix said, gesturing to the women on either side of him, “will be placing you accordingly. Please cooperate with them to the best of your abilities. If I’m your CEO, they would be my board members.

  “Serving as my chief of security is Ioana Iliescu.” Felix pointed to the big warrior. “If any of these women tell you what to do, you’ll treat it as if it were an order from me.”

  That should do it. Good speech.

  Andrea slammed into his side and snatched the mic. “I’m his personal assistant and secretary! I may or may not be sleeping with him. I’m not sure yet. Actually, I am sleeping with him, but we’re not having sex.”

  Andrea pushed his hand away as he tried to get her off the mic.

  “He’s my type, after all, and he smells awesome. Especially when he’s sweaty or angry.”

  Andrea turned and smiled at him warmly, her mismatched eyes twinkling. Then she looked back to the crowd.

  “I think I want some pancakes, then a nap. I can’t wait to sleep in the clothes I collected this morning. They smell great. All that adrenaline from the gunfight really got his blood going, so they reek fantastically.”

  Felix couldn’t help himself, and he face-palmed.

  Chapter 15 - Building Bridges -

  “It looks like a shithole,” Felix grumbled, looking at the public school they’d stopped in front of.

  Andrea turned around in the driver’s seat and smiled at him. “It really does.”

  Lily sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “This is the school she’ll be sent to, according to the system.”

  Eva ran a hand through her hair, peering out the window. “I’ve been to worse. Really. It’s okay.”

  Felix snorted and then opened the door and got out of the car.

  “No, no! That’s my job. Stop, get back in the car,” Andrea whined.

  She hurried around to the rear of the car and pushed him back inside, slamming the door on him.

  “You spoil her,” Lily said, smiling at him in the rearview mirror.

  “Shut up,” Felix grumbled. Looking up out the window at the enthusiastic Beastkin, he waited.


  Andrea opened the door and doffed her cap, holding it to her breast. “Sir.”

  Felix sighed and got out of the car, giving Andrea a small smile. “Thank you.”

  Eva exited behind him while Lily opened her own door and stepped out.

  Andrea shut the door behind him and then folded her hands atop each other in front of her. “I’ll wait with the car, sir.”

  Then she split into two people, another Andrea forming from the thin air beside her in the same outfit.

  “And I’ll go with you!” she chirped, bouncing on her heels.

  The new Andrea saluted the other, who returned the salute.

  Lily was already walking ahead, snapping open her messenger bag and pulling out several papers. Felix took a few long steps to catch up to her.

  “We should be able to take care of this quickly,” Lily said. Then she pushed open the front door and locked eyes with a woman behind a desk.

  “Felix, guardian for Eva, here for Principal Meier,” Lily said in a clipped voice. She handed one of her papers over to the woman.

  “Ah? Oh! Yes, he’ll see you immediately, he’s right through that door—”

  Lily thanked the woman curtly and took the paper back. Then, without another word, she walked towards the door the woman had indicated.

  Opening the very same door, listed simply with “Principal” on the outside, Lily entered.

  “Principal Meier, Felix Campbell to see you in regards to Eva Adelpha.”

  “Oh! Yes. I’m glad to see you, Mr. Campbell,” said a mundane-looking man in his forties.

  “Yeah. So, can you tell me about your school?” Felix asked, shaking the man’s hand.

  “Yes, yes. We’re actually a growing district right now. We’ve recently put in plans to expand the school with a new grant provided.”

  Is that a clever way to say they’re overcrowded?

  “How many students per class?” Felix asked, getting to the point.”

  “I, uh, we’re happily at thirty-five per classroom. We’ve had great success with it—”

  “Uh-huh. Can I see your PTA calendar?” Felix asked, holding out his hand.

  “Oh, of course.”

  The principal opened a drawer and then set a small flyer in Felix’s hand.

  Felix read over it quickly. All the events were simple social things aimed at fundraising and little else. “What’s your current attendance count for the PTA?”

  “Twenty-four.”

  “And how many students?”

  “One thousand two hundred, give or take.”

  Felix grunted and then set the flyer down on the man’s desk.

  “I’m going to go walk your hall real quick and take a peek in a classroom.”

  “Now see here, this is unheard of. Our school is perfectly fine to accept your ward and—”

  Felix growled and pressed a hand to his forehead, ignoring the man.

  Damn Kit. Damn Lily. Damn Eva. I’m no parent.

  He’d once had to help a young mother find a public school for her son. He’d done it because she’d been a good worker. So he knew a few things, but not everything.

  “Sir, there’s a fight in the east hall again. They think they need the police,” said the woman from the front desk.

  Oh, fuck this.

  Felix left then, exiting the school and walking straight back to the car without a word for anyone.

  Andrea saw him coming and popped open the door for him.

  Felix waited for a moment, ushering Eva into the seat behind him.

  The second Andrea slipped in close to the first one and she vanished into her.

  Never going to get over that. Still freaky.

  Getting into the car, he waited for Lily to get seated.

  “Lily, solve this for me. Find a private school that’ll actually get her an education that she can attend without fear.

  “I don’t care about cost. And if you get this taken care of quickly, and I don’t have to do much, I’ll get you that third power you wanted.”

  Lily’s eyes lit up at that.

  “You really can give people extra powers?” Eva asked, eyeing him again.

  Felix ignored her. She asked the same questions over and over.

  “Swear it?” Lily asked him.

  “I do. I want it done soon. Like, two days soon.”

  “I already did it,” Lily said, flipping open her bag and pulling out a paper. “I figured this might happen, so I took care of it. I just need your signature.”

  Felix smiled and took the paper. Reading it over, he realized it was a school charter. Taking the pen, he signed it and handed it back.

  “You’re beautiful, Lily. A beautiful genius. Hit me up tonight and we’ll get that power squared away.”

  Andrea clambered into the car and turned the key in the ignition. Then she turned back to look at him, smiling and adjusting the cap on her wolf ears. “Where to?”

  “I’m hungry. Weren’t we going to get pizza last night? I still want pizza.”

  “I want pancakes.”

  “You always want pancakes.”

  Lily cleared her throat and held up a finger.

  “I would suggest we call Dimitry. We just dismantled a large portion of his organization. It might be wise to provide him with information, as well as perhaps a peace offering.”

  Felix nodded his head slowly. Some type of blood money wouldn’t be uncalled for. Might even be the best response in this situation.

  “Worst case, we go back and finish the job,” Lily concluded.

  Good point. It would be good to have him as a friend, if only to have a friend.

  Can always use more sausage if not.

  An hour later and Felix was still hesitating. He knew that this call wouldn’t go well.

  Tapping a thumb on his desk, he shifted in his seat.

  Lily stepped past two Andreas who were keeping him company, and dropped a brick of lead on his desk.

  “Make this gold. I’m going to go buy those shops across the street,” she demanded. She put her left hand on her hip and shifted her weight to one side. Her eyes watched him, a small smile quirking her lips. “You can give me that power tomorrow. You have nothing else on your point calendar today or tomorrow.”

  Another Lily invention. The point calendar.

  A day planner that listed out all of his points and what he was scheduled to spend them on. It helped them plan out what the needs of the company were.

  Things were changing, and Lily was at the forefront of most of it.

  “I also have all the departments arranged for an appropriate corporation. I’ve submitted all the appropriate documentation for the company as well. Your first department head meeting will be next week, after the HR department gets everyone in the right spot.”

  Felix gave her a lopsided smile and spread his hands out in front of him. “Thank you, Lily. You’ve definitely been pushing us in the right direction. I appreciate it. Without you, this would have taken considerably longer.”

  Tapping the brick of lead, he converted it to gold and then looked back to her. “How are we doing finance-wise? All this gold and purchases have to come from somewhere and go back out.”

  “Loophole. You’re now paying all your employees, who happen to be all your slaves. Effectively paying yourself for their work. They keep a percentage of it, but most of it comes back to you. This won’t work forever, as I imagine they’ll eventually close the loop. For now, it’s perfect.”

  “And our people get some play money. What would I do without you, Lily?” Felix said, shaking his head.

  Lily’s face shifted at that; she looked uncomfortable. Just as quickly, she smiled even wider at him.

  The left Andrea crossed her arms and glared at him over the piece of paper they were using for tic-tac-toe.

  Right Andrea got up and moved over to his side, pressing her head into his shoulder.

  “No need to be jealous, Andie. No one can ever take your place as his personal assista
nt and possible secretary. I’m only acting as his operations officer and legal officer,” Lily assured the wolf girl.

  Andrea harrumphed and rubbed her face back and forth on Felix’s shoulder before returning to her game.

  “I’ll update your point calendar accordingly and forward it to your inbox. You did install the software I laid out for you, right?” Lily tilted her head to the side, her dark hair fanning out.

  “Uh, yeah. I did. I also sent over all the information you needed,” Felix said, glancing away. “Alright, thanks, Lily. I’m going to stop stalling and call Dimitry. Unless there was something else?”

  “No. I took care of the police for today. We paid a hefty amount for our line and Dimitry’s lines to be free of eavesdropping or recording. You’ll be fine being blunt with him, and letting him know would help him make some moves today if he felt so inclined.

  “I’ll update your calendar as well. We’ll speak tomorrow morning. Purchases, finance, and where we are on the company paperwork.” Lily tossed her head, giving her hair a flip, and then exited his office.

  Left Andrea continued to pout at him. “I don’t like this.”

  “I don’t either,” Right Andrea said.

  “Why? She’s doing her job. And speaking of jobs, did you get a chance to get a hold of No-Name and buy the weapons you wanted?”

  Both of them nodded in unison. “They arrive tomorrow. He got us a good deal. We should have enough equipment to arm one hundred Others.”

  Felix nodded his head. Then he picked up the phone suddenly and dialed Dimitry’s number without a further thought.

  Now or never.

  The line rang twice and then flipped over. “Good afternoon. I’m afraid we’re under reno—”

  “Please put me in touch with Dimitry. Let him know it’s Felix.”

  The man didn’t respond to Felix’s interruption. Instead, the phone went silent.

  Seconds ticked by.

  “A moment,” came the response eventually.

  Felix let out a slow breath.

  One of the Andreas closed the door to the office and then sat down in front of it. The second Andrea came over behind him and laid her hands on his shoulders.

  “This is Dimitry.” The suddenness of his voice startled Felix.