“Before we officially begin the second board meeting, I want to call attention to something. I set a list of goals that were only achievable if you all were willing to go at a breakneck pace. We aren't finished quite yet, but you have all exceeded my expectations. Each of you has been out working to help lay the groundwork for our future. In less than ten days, we will be leaving this base behind. I won't say that none of this would be possible without all of you specifically, but it has made things much smoother,” I said. A somewhat lighthearted opening to the meeting will help Miles feel more comfortable and make me seem more relaxed.

“This feels a lot less like a thank you and a lot more like all of us are replaceable,” Tuesday chimed in.

“I’d like to introduce our new Director of Marketing,” I said, ignoring her.

“OH. Hi, I’m Miles Martinez, and I’m thankful and excited to be working with everyone. Like Nobody said, I’ll be the Director of Marketing and all that that entails,” Miles said, knocking his chair over as he stands up. “Fudge. I think we’ll do great things together—just a ton of good crime and business.”

“Is this a goddamn joke? Where the fuck did you find this clown?” Rorschach asked.

“I can assure you that this isn’t a joke. Mr. Martinez is a lot of things, but a clown is not one of them,” I countered.

“Rorschach, I vouched for him,” Isaiah said.

Rorschach doesn’t have eyebrows, but her facial tattoos move, showing her surprise at his declaration. I haven’t seen Miles since I recruited him to the company. In fact, the only ones I’ve seen as of late are Kai and Vivienne when she is chauffeuring me back and forth to the base. I cannot wait until Quinstin. It will be much easier to get around once I’m there. Am I putting too much stock into keeping my identity a secret from the rest of them? I cannot deny that it has been an inconvenience and prevented me from being able to be here as often as I need to be.

“I think he’s adorable, and I vote to keep him!” Tuesday announced in a child’s voice.

“Can we please get on with this meeting?” Kai asked.

“Boo! You are no fun at all,” Tuesday replied.

“Continuing on, each of you has been hard at work accomplishing various tasks. Who would like to go first?” I asked the group.

“Tuesday and I took a road trip up to Vermont to see what the White Knight Militia Group’s compound is like. They are seriously tapped. They have all sorts of weapons, and they take security very seriously. These nutjobs are dangerous,” Vivienne said.

“The place is like an army base, with round-the-clock security checking the woodlands area at all times. They always move in groups. I managed to sneak in and it’s actually quite impressive what they’ve accomplished. They’ve created a self-sufficient homestead across the twenty acres of land they own. Water wells on the river that go through the property power the generators that fuel everything. The property line is denoted by the thirty-foot-tall concrete wall that surrounds the entire compound. The projected headcount is about three hundred people in total,” Tuesday added, her voice back to normal.

“Of the three hundred, only fiftyish are combatants. But each one is trained. They are less of a militia and more like a squad of marines. We didn’t manage to get eyes on the Neuvohumans. This is certainly a challenge you’ve given me, bossman. I can’t wait to get started,” V said.

“I know you need the four Neuvohumans, but what about the rest of them?” Tuesday asked.

“I don’t care as long as I get what I want.”

“Wonderful,” Tuesday said.

“The plan is to leave in three days if that’s okay,” V said.

“That’s acceptable. Tuesday, did you take care of Mr. Swaim?”

“Of course,” she purred. “Isaiah showed me how you like it handled. We chose a park this time.”

Isaiah nods his head in agreement.

“And I made sure that several news stations happened to find it before the police,” Miles said. Everyone turns to look at him. “I’m the Director of Marketing; it’s in the job description.”

“I’ll go next, then. Besides handling Jeremy with Tuesday, I also went out monster hunting. I successfully captured all three of them.”

Interesting that he doesn’t tell everyone that Miles was one of them. Are they friends?

“Excellent, that leaves Kai and Rorschach. Doctor, we will save you for last,” I said, motioning toward Rorschach.

“While the rest of you have been out there fighting monsters and killing people. I have been taking care of everything else. My fence was ecstatic about the gold, and I ended up getting us 510,000 dollars for it,” she said.

“Holy shit, that’s a lot of money,” V said.

“Attagirl,” Tuesday screamed.

Miles claps, Isaiah whistles, and Kai looks annoyed by all the noise.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Yes, shower me in praise and gestures of admiration. I am, in fact, that bitch. But that isn’t all I’ve accomplished. I met with Nicholas to get the LLC filed and squared away. All of us, minus Nobody, are now board members of Momentus Inc. I have also put a considerable amount of our total funds into the investment account attached to the card Vivienne acquired. After this meeting, I will add Mr. Martinez to it as well,” Rorschach said.

“Excellent work Rorschach. You have done remarkably well. Was Mr. Holmes amicable?” I asked.

“You and the bunny girl put the fear of god in him. He bent over backward to be helpful,” she answered.

“Good, I don’t want to have to pay him a visit. Vivienne, make sure that your pet project takes good care of Nicholas. A good lawyer is hard to find.”

“You got it,” V said.

“It’s rude to interrupt a girl before she finishes. I found and purchased two properties that met your criteria: a low-income apartment complex that’s in very bad shape and an old manufacturing plant. They are located within the abandoned district. They are cheap, considered not worth it to fix them, and both are located in gang territory—two shitholes, just like you asked. They are both now under the Momentus Inc. umbrella.”

“Damn, you’ve been busy, girl. Makes me feel like I haven’t been pulling my weight,” Vivienne said.

“Oh, and all of you need to sign this employment contract,” Rorschach said, pulling out several large packets from a binder. “I set it up like you asked, Nobody.”

Everyone spends a few minutes reviewing the admittedly verbose and specific language governing their employment. Nicholas did a great job making sure everything checked out and was legitimate. Operating within the law requires pages and pages of nonsense. Bureaucracy just isn’t as sexy as crime.

“YOU’RE PAYING US TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS?” Tuesday shouted.

“With healthcare, insurance, 401k, and PTO? This doesn’t feel real,” Isaiah said.

“You did it, Nobody. You kept your promise,” Vivienne said, smiling.

“We did it. All of you helped make this a reality. The salary is a preliminary estimation of what I think we can feasibly accomplish before the end of the year. Next year, during each financial quarter, we can talk about raises, but the lowest any of you will make in a calendar year will be a quarter of a million dollars. All of you have an ownership stake in the company, so the company's success translates directly to your personal success. Is that all that you have to share, Rorschach?”

“Yeah, I’m done.”

“Then all that leaves is you, Kai. Now, before he starts, I’d like to remind you all about my need for anonymity. What the doctor is about to share can never leave this group. Kai and I have been running an experiment to map out the parameters of my ability fully,” I said.

“Yes, and it has been absolutely fascinating. We used twenty-two subjects to figure out three facts about Nobody’s ability. The first is that absolutely every person is capable of having two powers. That includes whether someone was originally a Neuvohuman or not. The second is that abilities given by Nobody will combine, creating an additional ability, if not more. These new powers run the gamut between dull and extraordinary. The caveat is that Nobody cannot remove these fused powers, they can only exist within someone who has the two original powers. The third and final thing we learned is less of a fact, but there exist certain people who can accept more than two powers. Out of the twenty-two volunteers, only two were capable of accepting more than two abilities. There is a consecutive mental block after the second gift that must be overcome. We have not managed to lock down the exact reason some people are able to accept more powers. We do know it’s unrelated to age, sex, or race,” Kai said.

He is giving quite an informative and scholarly presentation.

“So second abilities are safe. That means I can have the one I asked for, Nobody?” Isaiah said with a grin.

“Yes. I have a few powers on hand that would benefit a few of you, but that’s for later,” I answered.

“You said two of twenty-two. What happened to the rest of them?” Tuesday asked.

“They unfortunately passed. But it was all for the amazing cause of scientific progress,” Kai chuckled.

“Disgusting,” Rorschach spat.

“My happiness isn’t that people are dead; it’s at discovering the unknown. You wouldn’t understand. You couldn’t possibly understand,” Kai retorted.

An open argument ensues as the two of them go back and forth on the morality of our experiment. Nestled within my chest are all the powers I have collected so far. There are so many powers and so many personality pieces all mingling inside me. Miles and Carapace gave me playfulness and irritability, respectively. There’s just so much feeling everywhere and at all times. It is overwhelming trying to come to grips with all the new emotions I’m experiencing. How do people deal with all these feelings at all times? I am being pulled in different directions subconsciously. Every action and thought I have is being slightly altered by the people I have absorbed.

“Enough,” I said, silencing everyone. “The meeting is adjourned. Kai will be renovating both of the buildings, but until he has finished, you will all need temporary lodgings.”

“I will have bank accounts and cards ready by the end of the week. Everyone will get paid on a biweekly schedule, so everyone will have money to get a hotel for now,” Rorschach added as everyone got up.

“Isaiah, I’d like you to stay behind,” I said.

He sits back down as everyone else files out of the conference room. I wait until they’ve all left before addressing him. He’s happy, knowing what’s coming. How to broach the subject? I should just be forward and blunt with him.

“I know you are excited about the smoke power I promised you, but I have an idea I want to run by you first. Throughout the testing, there was an ability that worked extremely well with every other power, always resulting in interesting secondary powers and effects. I believe that you could be among those who can handle three powers, and I think that is the best course of action to make you a true powerhouse threat. Even more so than you already are. Do you trust me, Isaiah?”

It is unfair to ask when I already know the answer, but he should at least vocalize it. His loyalty to me is unshakeable, and I have no doubt he will say yes. The personality piece makes the question nothing more than a formality. The real question is whether I can save Isaiah using my failsafe and whether it is worth revealing that.

“What are the odds I die?”

“I will be completely honest with you; the odds are fifty-fifty. Personally, I believe you will pull through.”

“Will this help you achieve your goals?”

“It will. If my theory is correct, there will be nowhere you cannot access, and no one will be able to stop you. Everything we want, everything I want to accomplish will be easier,” I answered.

“Then I’ll do it. I just hope I don’t disappoint you,” he grinned.

I walk over and sit down next to him. It would be a great loss if he does not survive. I chose him, and there is no chance I chose someone ordinary. Luck favors the bold, and at the end of the day, every person is measured by their worth to me. I place two fingers against his wrist and focus on the two powers I want to send to him. Erisate and Ciggs' powers flow between us. I’m watching him intently, checking for any sign that he is struggling. The seconds stretch out to infinity while I count in my head. I am waiting for the other shoe to drop and for my pride to get him killed, but nothing happens. The five minutes pass, and Isaiah is still conscious, alive, and cognizant. It was a success. Of course, the man I chose would succeed. He holds his hand in front of his face, and the edges start to smoke before his arm dissipates into a smokey tendril.

“It might take a bit for you to fully understand the powers, so you should practice all of them. I don’t want to influence you in any way, so just keep me briefed on any changes or discoveries.”

“Thank you, Nobody. I won’t let you down, and I’ll live up to the faith you’ve placed in me,” Isaiah declared.

“There was never any doubt that you would.”

My real phone vibrates in my pocket.

“I’ll leave you to that,” Isaiah said, transforming into a smoke cloud and spiraling out the door.

(Maria): Eryk, you can’t just ignore me. I’ve apologized a hundred times and you still won’t even answer my texts? I’m willing to do anything to make it up to you. Please, please, please stop declining my calls and leaving me on read. I love you more than life itself, and I can’t survive without you. I’m sorry, why won’t you give me a second chance? Don’t throw away two years over a stupid mistake I made. I love you forever and always.

A throbbing pulse of irritation goes through me. She is so fucking annoying. Why can’t she take a fucking hint? I feel my face getting hot inside the helmet as all the negative personality pieces play off one another. I cannot deal with her anymore. I have to break up with her.

I can’t do this anymore. Stop contacting me. :(Eryk)

(Maria): What are you saying? You don’t mean that.

It means I’m breaking up with you. We’re done. :(Eryk)

I shut my phone off as soon as she starts calling me.