Super Sales on Super Heroes 5 -Ch2-

Chapter 2 - Build Out -

Standing in the middle of the open field, Felix felt quite strange.

On either side of him was Alma and Carlotta, behind him was Faith. He’d hyper charged them to a point that they were brimming over with power and energy.

If they weren’t wearing Legionnaire armor that included helmets, their eyes would be akin to LEDs behind a magnifying glass. They were here to make sure nothing funny happened on the part of the government of the United States.

He’d been surprised that in the end, they’d been the first to reach out to him and it’d only taken several days. They weren’t sure of the details of his offer and had wanted to work through it all with him.

Miu had responded through the messenger system that she felt it was a trap and wanted to be there. She had yet to complete her task though, to which Felix ordered her to continue.

Goldie had felt the same, but was also still engaged with the dealers.

He’d decided to go with his Dryads to this meeting as they were all quite well versed in combat. On top of that, they could easily put out enough magic to shield them and then push them into an veil of invisibility.

“Probably a trap,” growled Carlotta, her voice transmitting through their helmets only. Their external speakers had been turned off.

“Even if it is. W-we’ll handle it,” answered Alma. “It’ll be fine. It always is, with Grove-husband there. He fixes everything.”

“Campbells are the best thing to ever happen to Dryads,” Faith responded earnestly. “In my homeland, Dryads were treats poorly more often than not. Felix’s younger brother has changed that for the better. A great deal better.”

Felix could only nod his head at that.

He wanted to do better by everyone in this world. Not just Dryads, though they’d certainly be included.

The problem was there wasn’t many of them in the whole world. Many were ailing and sick on top of that.

Of those that had come, Faith had kept to her original numbers. The number of added Dryads to his personal grove hadn’t grown beyond the other seven she’d mentioned.

They’d planted their seeds in his chest and quietly went to rest. They’d been resting ever since, regrowing their strength.

Faith had been adamant about not charging them up as he’d done to Alma and Carlotta. It would be better for the others to grow naturally back into their health.

Rather than having it slammed into place.

Faith had warned him that in about a year he’d actually have to perform the seeding ritual. It was much slower for them because Gaia had granted them a great deal of power just to make it here.

“They’re not late,” Alma muttered. “Y-yet. In another minute they will be.”

“We leave as soon the moment it hits eleven-oh-one,” ordered Felix. “We won’t be waiting around like a stood up date. They can come back to us when they’re ready to be serious. Until then, there’s no point in dealing with them.”

Even as he got confirmations from all three Dryads his armor picked something up. It was beyond normal human hearing but it was enough that the suit could catch it.

In seconds he got a small notification in his heads-up-display that it was a helicopter. Several helicopters, in fact.

“Seems like they decided to show up,” muttered Felix, his head turning to look in the direction the noise was identified from.

There, on the horizon, he could indeed see a great many helicopters coming toward him. Quite a few of them were very large.

Likely filled to the brim with the materials he stated he’d need to build the “Superhuman Association” building. Where Legion would “technically” work out of as far as anyone was concerned.

The government had demanded it be in a location of their choosing and with the ability for themselves to monitor everything that was going on. To screen, speak with, and look through, everything that happened there.

Felix agreed to all their demands, except when it came to data and information. They would have no rights or access to anything that went into a computer.

He’d been very strict to the point of nearly giving up on it all together with this one. There would be gathering of electronic information from the government in this building.

Legally.

He imagined they’d try to do so illegally, but that was fine.

He already knew that his programs were unbeatable. The points he’d spent to make them that way, were exactly that.

Even if someone got into the system by stealing an open laptop, PDA, or just sat down at an unlocked computer, it wouldn’t take long for it to lock them out. The information they’d have available in such a situation would be limited as well.

It’d been rather simple in the end.

Even if physical security was breached and someone did indeed get ahold of hardware, the software was more than capable of doing it’s job.

The only person will full access to the data was Felix. Even Jay had never seen the code, system, or how anything worked after Felix had modified it.

Not to mention he could see at a glance everyone that was logged into the system through his own power. One that was filterable by “those who don’t belong”.

Glancing to said list, and finding it quite empty, Felix smiled to himself.

This’ll be easy.

While lost in his thoughts, Felix had missed it when the helicopters began to land.

Disgorging their contents rapidly.

A great number of people were all heading towards Felix. Most of them were unarmed and wearing political “office wear”. Suits, dresses, blouses, and anything you’d see a politician wearing on camera.

There were a few with weapons but not many, nor did they seem bothered by Felix and his Dryads. Giving them a quick once over he figured it was the president of the country with his cabinet. Likely a number of advisers and probably a few generals.

The rather large group of people came to a stop in front of Felix.

He didn’t really care much for any of them, what they looked like, or even what their names were. They really didn’t matter to him.

After this first meeting it was very likely most things would be conducted by email or phone call. He’d have individuals he had to work with that he could learn and begin dealing with personally.

What he was looking at right now was more of a cluster fuck committee that probably wouldn’t get anything done.

“I take it you agree to the contract?” Felix asked as the group came to a stop.

“Well… we certainly don’t want to be behind any other country. Especially since you’re already clearly a citizen here,” said an older white man. He had white hair, dark brown eyes, and looked like he was probably the president.

“Great. Contract?” Felix asked, holding his hand out.

“First, we want a demonstration of your power. Both the construction and that you can identify powers,” said an anxious looking blond haired man. His blue eyes looked watery and a complexion that didn’t look healthy.

“Uh huh,” muttered Felix with a shake of his head. “Fine. I’m sure you have some sort of test arranged for both. Let’s get this over with. You’re wasting time.

“I have a meeting in two hours I still need to prepare for and travel to.”

“Is it a foreign nation? Who are you meeting with? I—”

Felix sighed loudly and looked to the president. Ignoring the man asking questions entirely.

“Well?” Felix asked, not bothering to listen to the other person anymore. Felix also decided to lie without lying. “Let’s get the tests over with. Out of respect to my home nation, I put all my other meetings after yours. You’re the first to speak with me so you’ll get to announce it to the news stations first.”

It was the truth of course, because no one else had set up a meeting with him yet. The one in two hours was just to check in with Goldie and he wanted to be home to chat with her.

Nodding his head the president made a beckoning gesture to to the people behind him. Felix had been right in guessing that they had the tests already prepared for him.

“I guess I’m not surprised,” complained Carlotta through their private helmet line. “I’d probably be suspicious as well. Supers didn’t exist for them only half a year ago.”

“Y-yes. I don’t really like the man next to him. I want to kill him now,” Alma growled.

Felix was once again reminded that the quiet Alma was actually very aggressive when it came down to action. Carlotta was bold and very direct up front but slowed down a bit when the time came.

“Hush, girls. It’ll be fine,” chided Faith. She let out a soft laugh and turned her head, looking toward one side. She cleared her throat. “Please advise your people that encircling us is a bad idea. It wouldn’t help anyone if we decided to leave if we had to do it going through your soldiers back there.”

Felix turned so that his helmet would be facing the president directly. He also squared himself up and tightened up his posture slightly.

“I promise you that isn’t something I ordered,” the president said quickly, holding his hands up. “I’m sure they’re just sweeping the area.”

“I’d believe that if they weren’t already in position, laying down with weapons trained on our backs,” Carlotta added, her own voice carrying beyond her helmet..

Felix had the impression she was now inhabiting the large army of plant based golems that were spread throughout the field. They were more like clumps of grass, bushes, or weeds when laying down.

“It seems that maybe this is over before it begins,” lamented Felix.

“No! No, I didn’t order any of that and I guarantee this is a mistake,” growled the president, turning to look at the closest person in a military uniform. “Fix this, now. Get everyone to back the hell off!”

The general looked rather upset but had already turned away and was talking into a hand held radio.

“Units Six through Eight, stand down, back out. Unit One remain in position and—” Alma said aloud, clearly being spoon fed information. The man had froze as he was speaking, clearly hearing Alma reading back his orders. “Even now they attempt to betray us. Unit One is to remain in position despite being ordered by the president. It would appear the government can’t even listen to itself?”

“It’s certainly impossible for us to become a neutral agency for them if this is how they behave,” remarked Faith. “It’s a pity. Maybe the Canadian government can be more trusthworthy.”

“Someone lock that man up for treason!” demanded the president pointing at the general. “Get him in cuffs, shipped to a federal prison, and whoever is in charge after him, get those soldiers to follow my damn orders!”

There was a pause as all the soldiers considered the order they’d just been given.

Oh? Oh.

Well.

That’s actually… alright.

Fast thinking, willing to act immediately, prioritizes the salient points. We can work with him. We’ll have to make sure we keep the carrot firmly in view though.

The stick is less likely to work since… well… he’s a politician.

They’ve already been through the ringer more often than they’d like to admit.

The general was wrestled to the ground and quickly subdued. Then he was gagged since he was yelling, then dragged off without another word.

Someone else had already been calling in orders for everyone to fall back immediately. That if there was anyone out there in two minutes they could just stay out there. Disobeying this order would be tantamount to treason and be treated with extreme prejudice.

At the same time, someone had brought over a large cardboard box and a man.

One that was in chains, their arms wrangled behind their back, and a bag over their head. The fact that his chest was bare was why Felix knew it was a man.

“What is it you expect me to do?” asked Felix, turning his head and looking away from the man. He suspected they believed he had a power and wanted him to confirm it or deny it.

Then tell them what that power was.

In the cardboard box was an unassembled doll house. There was no instructions and on closer inspection “unassembled” was a charitable way to say that it was trashed. Someone had busted it apart with a hammer.

“This is junk, right? No one owns this? If I screw it up, no one will care?” asked Felix, pointing at the box.

“I… no one owns it, no. No one will care,” agreed the president. He didn’t seem to think the question was completely valid but it was obvious he wasn’t quite sure how to answer it either.

Felix pushed out to the doll house and wanted to construct it. Put it back to it’s original state before it was smashed to bits.

A window popped up and the point cost was quite low. Only several hundred.

Felix accepted that and looked to the man.

He wanted to know exactly who this man was and what his stats were. His character sheet, as it were.

Faking this interaction was part of a setup they’d worked out. They needed this to be something that could be performed by others, not just Felix. Or at least, perceived to be performable by others.

Pulling out a small nonsense device that he’d prepared for this moment, Felix held it up in front of the man. He moved it across Rodney’s brow and then tucked it away again.

“Fire manipulation. Uses his hands to do it,” Felix answered and looked up to the president. He was staring at the now newly rebuilt doll-house that was sitting to the side.

It was exactly as it had been before whoever smashed it, smashed it. Even down to the fact that it’d clearly already been broken. The porch on the front of it looked like someone had fallen and put their hand through it.

“Oh, looks like whoever broke it, hadn’t broken it first. I can restore it to like new but this serves as a better example anyways,” muttered Felix and then flicked a hand at the doll house. “Does that answer your tests? Answer your questions? Provide you with a resolution that’ll help move this process forward?

“Because I’d really like to build the association building and get moving. Because let’s be honest, you’ve put this near a nice and busy city, that has a good airport, but there’s no real direct road here. Someone is going to have to spend some time, putting that in.

“And unless you want to pay me, give me the land it’s going on, and provide me with materials, you’ll need to hire contractors to get this done pretty quick.”

“Contractors. It’ll be done as fast as we can. Round the clock work crews,” the president said in a half-whisper, slowly shaking his head back and forth.

“Great. Anything else? Or can I get that contract with your signature on it so I can sign it myself,” Felix prompted.

“Yeah, no, that’s… fine,” answered the president. He seemed to wake from his thoughts and turned to one of his aides. They held out a clipboard with a paper and pen attached to it. The president signed it, flipped over a second copy of the contract, then signed that as well. Then handed it over to Felix.

Glancing at it, he confirmed that it was the same contract he’d given them. The listing of the item matched what he’d given them. This was the original he’d provided as well.

The second was a duplicate of the first and was listed as “duplicate”.

Felix signed both, took the duplicate, and handed them back the original. He didn’t mind letting them have the original.

“Great, now, all those materials… I need them a bit closer. So go ahead and unload them completely and bring them over here. I’ll have the association building up, lickety split,” Felix said with a nod of his head. “I hope you brought everything I asked for as well. If there’s anything missing, or wrong, I’ll know.

“Then it’ll be a matter of finding what’s wrong and correcting it. This’ll be a fine balancing act for my power set but I can definitely make it work. Then we—”

“Hold,” Faith said, interrupting him. Her head was tilted to one side and she was looking off into the distance. “Caught a spy. Surveillance equipment. Bringing him over.”

Everyone slowly turned to look the same way that Faith had been. Looking to the distant horizon and wondering just what they were about to see.

Slowly, several plant golems came marching into view. Between them they had a man tied up in vines and held aloft. Another golem was carrying a backpack that looked rather full.

“A spy. Huh, that’s a surprise,” Felix admitted. “Let’s question him right here and we can get his real name as well. See who he’s working for.”

The golems kept coming on as the man struggled and writhed in their grasp. There was no escaping as the only leverage he had was his body weight.

Felix knew first hand those golems were much stronger than you’d expect.

Reaching Felix they dropped the man down on the ground and left him there. Though they didn’t untie or unbind him.

“Right, so… let’s just do this the easy way,” Felix said and then called up a status screen for the man. He also belatedly pulled out the nonsense device, that was literally nothing more than a nose-hair trimmer he’d modified to look strange and stuck a few LEDs into it, and held it over the man.

Felix felt like the name was certainly different. It didn’t tell him enough though.

Next he wanted to know who he would need to speak with, to own this man’s contract. Such a man likely had a contract and could possibly have that contract purchased outright, or at least, hire the man indirectly.

There was a pause, followed by a window popping up.

Government of Zhongguo.

Clearing his throat Felix put the nonsense device away again.

“His name is Xhuehua Shan. He works for the Government of Zhongguo. Other than that, you’ll need to take him apart to figure out anything more. That should be more than enough to start digging though,” Felix offered and looked to the president. “Now… materials? If I’m going to put up the Association, I need to get cracking.”