Corpies (Super Powereds Spinoff Book 1) (66 page)

For his part, Owen’s interview was mercifully brief. Though he had brought in a Temporarily Authorized Hero Asset and destroyed a mech with only one other Hero as backup, he’d also been careful to run things through Dispatch every chance he had. No one knew better than he that what the DVA wanted the most out of this was a scapegoat, someone or thing to point to as having failed. Their other option was telling the public that even with every Hero doing their job well, incidents like this could still happen. Although it was true, that wasn’t the sort of truth that made for a happy populace. They needed their Heroes to be flawless, or to have the imperfect ones cast aside. But the DVA would have to search elsewhere for its sacrificial Super. Titan had played things careful and by the book, which Dispatch would back him up on.

Lenny was waiting for him as Owen left the meeting and immediately yanked off the blue tie that was too small for his thick, muscular neck. It looked all the more ridiculous atop his Titan costume, and Owen was glad to be rid of the idiotic formality. The short agent fell into line next to him as they walked over the polished stone floor of Brewster City Hall. The DVA had set up temporary offices during the research and recovery efforts, partially to be seen around town doing their duty, and partially because it wasn’t cost-effective to fly or teleport every Hero they wanted to interview off to D.C.

Neither said a word until they were clear of the building, at which point Lenny lifted his bushy eyebrows upward and cast a scrutinizing glance at his client.

“Well?”

“I’m clear,” Owen replied, what should have been cheer in his voice soured by the experience of telling his tale while a panel sifted through every detail, searching for fault. “Unless they find something way out of left field that I’m not even aware of, nothing will blow back on me.”

“That is quite the relief.” Lenny dug about in his pockets until he found a pair of sunglasses that were comfortable, if not terribly up-to-date with the newest fashions. Overhead, the afternoon Brewster sun beat down on them, warming the prominent bald spot on Lenny’s exposed head. “Let me tell you, with all the orders we’ve got coming in for Titan merchandise, the last thing I needed is you to be under investigation.”

“I can’t imagine that much is really moving,” Owen said.

“Are you kidding me? Between the classic Titan gear, the new stylized versions, and that little photo of you going on everything from shirts to mugs, we’ve got suppliers dealing with serious backorders, and that’s
after
I told them to stock up.”

Owen suppressed a groan at Lenny’s mention of the picture, but only barely. Evidently, amidst the brave reporters who’d ventured near the chaos of the battle was one especially intrepid photographer. That young woman was likely now a superstar at her paper, as she’d captured dozens of incredible images of the action in progress. One had especially caught on with the public, though. It was a picture of Titan as he’d lifted the mech overhead to save Hexcellent, though neither she nor Hopcules were easily visible in the shot. Instead, it just looked like he was hauling the thing up from the ground because he could, and while he wasn’t especially fond of the attention the picture was garnering, he did have to admit it was a pretty incredible image. If nothing else, the world seemed to have suddenly remembered that on top of every scandal and rumor surrounding him, Titan was one thing above all else: powerful.

“At least that will give me some spare cash while I get things up and running. Any word yet on Hexcellent’s negotiations?” Owen asked.

Lenny nodded, yanking out the keys to his car and pressing a button to unlock the doors. “Word came down while you were inside. She’s going to have to buy out Mordent’s contract with her for the name and advertising rights to the Hexcellent brand and her original summons.”

“Those mother fuckers.” Owen spat the words, although he’d known going in that she was facing a tough battle.

“Hey, let me finish, all right?” Lenny and Owen both slipped into Lenny’s car. The passenger seat was already moved all the way back to somewhat accommodate Owen’s mighty frame. “She has to buy out the contract on all that, but the good news is she should have plenty of cash to do it with. Mordent only locked down the summons she had when she signed on, since no one expected her to be pulling out any new ones. They tried to pull some crap about Hopcules being preexisting, but in this case the contract fucked ‘em, since it outlined exactly what summons she had and their characteristics. Probably thought they were being slick by pinning her property down. Anyway, I tore that to shreds, and the arbiter agreed. Hexcellent has complete ownership of the Hopcules property and merchandising rights associated with it. Which, let me tell you, just from pre-orders looks like it will be more than enough to handle the Mordent contract.”

“Good.” Owen watched as Brewster City Hall faded into the distance and they began their trek to the next destination. “And I know I’ve said it before, but thanks for handling that.”

“Consider it a personal pleasure,” Lenny replied. “That Greene prick was fun to beat. Plus, it seems like I built up a little goodwill in the PEERS community. Already had three of the bigger names approach me about representation after they heard I’d taken on Bubble Bubble as a client.”

“The legendary Lenny, working with someone other than Heroes? Turn the car around, we need to go find some reporters and alert them to the news,” Owen said.

“There is always room at my table for anyone who earns,” Lenny replied, not a trace of shame in his voice. “So, where can I drop you?”

“Mordent Holdings’ central office,” Owen replied. “While I was in there, I got some news of my own, and I shouldn’t wait to share it with my team.”

*             *             *

“Well well well, look who it is: the conquering Hero, come to pay us little people a visit?”

Despite the seemingly harsh words, Hexcellent barreled through the room and wrapped Owen in a giant hug as he entered the penthouse. In the chaos and fallout of the last week, he and the PEERS team had barely gotten to see one another. Except, of course, for when he stopped by to make the big announcement. They’d taken it well, all things considered. Deep down, he had a feeling they knew as much as he did that it was inevitable.

“I’ll have to speak to Greene about updating security. We can’t have any Tom, Dick, and Harry just wandering in here when they please.” Topsy hauled himself up from a chair in the kitchen and walked over, giving Owen’s hand a good shake. “It’s only been three days; did you need to check up on me already?”

“Maybe I came by to see if you needed advice,” Owen replied. “Hero Liaison isn’t the world’s easiest job.”

“Oh, I’m aware of that. We’ve been working nonstop with cleanup and rescue efforts. It’s enough to have an old Hero feel like he’s making a difference again.” Topsy released his grip as Galvanize, Zone, and Bubble Bubble all made their way over to greet and talk with their former Hero Liaison. There was no ill-will in the separation; they’d understood that he needed to be in a place where he could do the most with his abilities. Plus, Owen had left them in the most capable hands he knew of.

“What brings you by?” Galvanize asked, getting to the root of the visit as only a team leader could. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see you, but I assumed you’d be crazy busy getting everything up and running.”

“You’re not wrong,” Owen agreed. “But in the rush of handing things over to Topsy, there were a few items I left unfinished. Can’t very well go starting a new chapter in my life without wrapping up the old, now can I?”

“Uh oh, is this where you demand a match against all of us to see how much we’ve grown or something?” Bubble Bubble asked.

“No,” Owen replied. “This is where I give you each a proper goodbye. And I think you’re the best one to start with.” Owen scooped the pale, copper-haired woman up in a big bear hug, eliciting a squeal of surprised joy from the once-always-stoic Super. “I’m going to miss you, kid. Don’t go back into that shell of yours ’cause I’m not on the team anymore, either. I’ll be just down the road, and I can stop by anytime I want if needed. Also, try and keep away from dating directors.”

“See, now where was that advice when I needed it?” Bubble Bubble asked, still grinning as Owen set her on the floor. Her expression grew confused as he produced a white card from his pocket and held it out to her, however. “What’s this?”

“Parting gift, albeit a joint one. Lenny and I pulled some strings to set you up with a new image consultant. Given the ground work you laid during the director fiasco, and the eyes on the team after the attack, we thought it was time get you set up with someone who could help you sell the real you, not just whatever image some brand was pitching. Ludwig is among the best in the business.”

Tentatively, she reached forward and plucked the card from his hand. “You’re sure I can trust him?”

“Lenny says the guy is solid, and I trust Lenny with my life. More than that, I’d trust him with my family’s lives. Nothing is guaranteed, but if it goes south then just let him or me know and we’ll handle it,” Owen assured her.

That done, he turned to Zone, who was actually looking at him rather than glaring, which was a marked improvement from when he’d first arrived.

“You still don’t really like me, do you?”

“I’m not a fan of a lot of the choices you’ve made,” Zone replied, his tone honest yet lacking any venom. “But it seems like you’re trying to do your best to make amends. I can respect that much, at least. Just don’t slack off. People are looking at you again. I hope you show them something worth seeing.” Slowly, Zone extended his hand, and Owen accepted it. They were never going to be as close as he was with the others and both knew that. They’d reached a place of peace and mutual respect, though, and that counted for quite a bit in Owen’s book.

“Thank you, Zone. I genuinely appreciate that. And I have something for you, though it won’t arrive until later this week. I called in some old favors and there’s going to be a healer dropping by. I think you’ve got a few good years left in you, so I want to get those knees taken care of,” Owen said.

“That’s a nice gesture, but healers can’t fix the accumulated wear and tear I put on my body; they just treat immediate injuries. Trust me, I looked into it.”

“Actually, that’s only true of
most
healers,” Topsy interjected. “If Titan is talking about the man I’m guessing, then he’ll have no trouble patching you up. Your knees— all of you, really—will be good as new.”

“And I want to give you this,” Owen added, pulling another card from his pocket before Zone could really wrap his head around what Topsy had said. When the reality of what Owen had given him truly sank in, it would likely be an emotional moment. Zone deserved the right to have that in private, if he so chose. “It’s a phone number where I can be reached, set to route through the DVA to reach me wherever I am. But it isn’t actually for you. It’s for your brother. Anytime he wants to talk, get some perspective, or even ask questions about what it takes to get into the Hero game, he can call me. If I can jump in this late in life, maybe he can too.”

Wordlessly, still reeling from the implication that his knees would be fixed, Zone accepted the card and held it between his fingers like it was made of glass. Owen turned away, letting Zone have space to process everything, and moving on to the leader of a team Owen had grown to respect immeasurably over the last few months.

“I really hope you didn’t get me anything,” Galvanize said, speaking before Owen had a chance. “It was gift enough having you on my team. Titan, you being around brought us all closer together, not to mention put us in the national spotlight more than once. You made my team better, and that’s all any PEERS leader could ask for.”

“Shit, kid, you really know how to steal someone’s thunder,” Owen told him. “As it happens, I don’t have a parting gift for you, but the DVA does. After seeing how much you helped during the attack, they want to put you on retainer for work as a Temporarily Authorized Hero Asset when the occasion is needed. The pay rate is decent, but more importantly, it should make sure you and your team keep getting the media exposure, even after the shitshow known as Titan is gone.”

Owen paused, taking in the younger man who’d shown such cool, smart judgment every step of the way in their time working together. Had he come onto another team with a different leader, this journey could have taken some very different turns. In a lot of ways, Owen owed more to Galvanize than anyone else, perhaps even Lenny. It was a debt he’d never really be able to clear, not that he wouldn’t try. Working toward the impossible was becoming an oddly-familiar goal in his new life.

“I also want to say thanks. You made room for an out-of-practice Hero that was a media pariah and walked in thinking he was better than the job. In my years, I worked with a lot of folks who do incredible things. Still, you may be one of the most impressive people I’ve ever known, and being a Super has nothing to do with it.”

Owen and Galvanize shook hands one last time before Owen turned again. Though Hexcellent was next in line, he moved past her, meeting eyes with Topsy and pulling a folded set of pages from his back pocket.

“Parting gift for you, something to help round out the team,” Owen told his old friend.

Topsy accepted the pages and flipped through them, a look of cautious skepticism slowly appearing on his face. “You want me to recruit a criminal?”