Earthshatter charged over $1,000,000 for a day's work, but he was worth it; in fact, he likely would have charged even more, if it weren't for who he was working for; apparently the former supervillain had once been an associate of the family, long ago.

When he walked forward along the island It was as if the land rippled and shaped itself in front of him. Massive ridges of rock and earth smoothly shaped themselves and to a long flat stone pathway. The area that would, in the months to come, become the city of Famiglia, was turned from a barren wasteland into a series of smooth stone trenches, the future homes of basements, sewers, and underground bunkers.

The same power that had governments around the world hunting him for his wildly successful career as a bank robber had made him an even more successful billionaire over the years when he'd swapped to construction work; and helped some lunatic oil tycoons realize their dreams in Dubai by crafting them enormous sandstone islands.

He couldn't do much to living things, or to metal. But to stone and dirt, he was a master craftsman, able to do simple, large-scale projects with ease, or much more precise smaller-scale work; a pyramid or a vividly detailed statue would each take him an hour or so. He might walk around in a fine suit, and look the image of the perfect businessman; despite walking barefoot across the smooth stone; but he was as dangerous and powerful as any other grad A meta.

Eyeball walked behind him as the man worked, shaking his head. "Good lord. Do you have any idea how long this would take if we were doing this with bulldozers and cranes? Not to mention how much concrete we'd need instead of stone."

Earthshatter shrugged. "Some people think I ask too much for what I do, because it comes so easily. Those things I did in Dubai? Would have cost hundreds of billions of dollars without me. If they could even be done. Honestly, the day the cartel offered me ten million to make that tunnel under the border for them? Life-changing. Do you know how many banks you have to rob to get ten million?"

Eyeball laughed. "If its the right one, just one, and some change."

Earthshatter stopped in his tracks, glancing back... and then nodded. "Ahh, yes. The reward for killing Lightning." He turned back to his work, a steady, walking advance, an enormous mound of earth and stone shifting as what he wanted was left behind. "I've heard a thousand stories about it. Officially, it was luck, if I remember the reports from the news. You dropped a grenade at just the right moment. But it wasn't luck, was it?"

Off to the left, the small fishing village and the canyon that protected it were being passed by; Earthshatter absently waving his hand, forming a few similar protective coves; the final touch for the job would be using the leftover material from carving out all of these trenches and flattening the land to make a windbreak, but who knew; fishing might still be a thing.

"Ehh. A little bit was luck. But the reality is, I was a soldier for years. I never killed a Speedster before that, but I didn't have ESP before that, either... and I knew how they worked. What it would take to kill one. Gaining the ESP? Let me take what I knew and apply it at just the right moment as he was slowing down before coming into the building. I only had a fraction of a second of warning to get it done... but it worked because I'd prepared for it. All I had to do was pull a pin, drop a grenade... and it was over."

Earthshatter moved his hands with a more delicate touch as they came across a mass of trees; shifting the earth and grass on a slab of rock out of the way... as the sound of a helicopter was heard overhead.

It wasn't a new sound; until the docks were finished, there weren't many good ways to get onto the island. But when Eyeball looked up, he could tell this wasn't another group of construction workers or prospective buyers. No... the DMA logo was obvious from far off, and Emerald was tailing it at a respectful distance.

He tapped his helmet, and turned to Earthshatter. "Keep up the good work. Anything else I can do for you?"

The man glanced back. "I'll be taking a break in a half hour or so. Have some lobster sent up. And... a nice white wine. Don't worry about a table or seating, I'll make it myself on the spot."

Eyeball nodded... and turned, heading towards the helipad at a relaxed walk; issuing a few commands to the work crews. "Alright, Cobalt, could you please get Shatter a plate of lobster and a bottle of white wine? I don't know a damn thing about wines."

Nodding at the positive response; Cobalt himself was dealing with work crews and deciding where his own future house would be; Eyeball stepped up to the helicopter as it spun down... and four men in suits stepped out. Classic big, bulky sorts. Probably class C or B metas of a mostly physical variety, every one of them a dangerous threat in his own right... and they stepped to the sides to reveal a familiar figure.

It was a bit incongruous to see them here, in the battered old remnants of a Mexican military base; one currently filled with, for the most part, dozens of Mexican refugees walking by, carrying tools, supplies... what was needed to get the job done on one of the most ambitious construction projects this region had seen in decades.

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Not as physically imposing as the men beside him, or even many of the construction workers; but still a tall, fit, healthy dark-haired specimen; Agent Hiller looked much the same as he had the year before, when he'd been there to test Eyeball in the hospital... and he looked much more upset this time.

"Mister Bennet." He removed his sunglasses, folded them, and set them in his pocket. "Quite the project you've got going on here. Millions of dollars and quite a bit of construction equipment that would be much better served helping the people of Mexico. Still. I'm not here to judge your absurd choices. I'm here because you have something that belongs to us."

Eyeball tilted his head, and turned back towards the small village. Emerald was still overhead, slowly circling with the occaisional wingbeat to keep herself in the air, ready to step in if need be.

"I suppose we might." He turned back to Hiller. "We've got a criminal against La Famiglia's budding new state. The very first one, actually. And what a crime! Pre-meditated attempted murder. The very first crime we'll be trying when we get our courts together, and its already a death-penalty case. Don't worry. I witnessed the whole thing personally, even have it on video... so when the courthouse finishes building next month, we'll get him cycled through, and have his body delivered to you the next day."

He smiled. "And if we were to have tried him under Mexican law, it'd be decades in prison. What is it the US would do for him? Are you here to try to put him in prison? Charge him?"

Hiller glowered at him. "Thats not exactly what I would call it. He's a law enforcement agent of the United States Department of Metahuman Affairs who was a bit... overzealous in the performance of his duties. We would appreciate it you would release him to us."

Eyeball nodded, studying the men. All of them mostly bulletproof. None of them could survive a grenade to the eye. Two of them couldn't survive one to the throat or any soft tissue, even. And Hiller... Hiller wasn't any more durable than an ordinary man.

"And if I declined to release him? Are you going to march in and try to take him from me? To be clear, while some of my friends are watching us, I don't actually need them. If this turns into a fight, all of you will be dead or crippled before any of them get close enough to be involved."

One of the guards; one who it'd take a grenade to the eye to take out, was visibly upset, starting to take a step forward at the comment; before Hiller put an arm in front of his chest. "He's telling the truth, Jim. Or at least, thinks he is. And... he might be right."

Hiller sighed. "Look. I'm authorized to pay... not a ransom, but we'll call it a bond payment, make it a few million dollars, and you can keep the money after we extradite him. Even have the cash in the chopper."

Eyeball nodded. "That's an interesting concept. I give you a man who, legally, should either be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison, so you can put him back in the field, and you give me a pile of cash. I have an alternative offer."

"I'm listening."

"Prisoner exchange. We pick five members of the Family you have in prison. You deliver them here. You leave with your criminal. No need for pardons, nothing of the sort. He'll still be arrested and executed if he comes back here, and if our people screw around in the US you can toss them right back in jail."

Hiller blinked. "Thats... ridiculous. Releasing five murderous thugs justifiably sent to prison who've done a lifetime of harm to this country and others? I've seen your plans here. Some of the best plastic surgeons in the world are going to have offices near where we're standing. They'll have new names and be back to work as soon as this place is up and running."

Eyeball nodded. "Yes... releasing a murderous metahuman thug that should justifiably be executed does seem ridiculous for only five ordinary men. It's ten, now. If your bosses agree, call me and we'll set it up. If not... I'll let you know after the trial where we'll dump the body."

He turned, walking away... the same man Hiller had held back almost started after him; but Hiller watched Eyeball's hand starting to lift the revolver. "No. Back on the chopper. We may have already lost Green. We don't need to lose anyone else today."

***

Over the next few days, the rugged island became a smooth plateau; the skeletons of skyscrapers to come rising up above the ground, thousands of men and women from the mainland riding boats out to perform a few days work; and return home with money and supplies to help ride out the terrible events continuing to unfold in Mexico.

The practice was cost-effective, to say the least, and of course when questioned about it they framed it in the form of charity; that they were giving these poor refugees a chance to make some money in these trying times, and even giving them a gift bag when they left to make things easier.

It didn't really slow down until a few weeks later; when the US government began employing similar practices in paying the locals to help rebuild their own lands, as they worked at getting basic power, water, and utilities online first, alongside desperate efforts to distribute enough food to prevent mass starvation with every vehicle in Mexico rendered inert.

Eyeball, of course, had his own home finished first. The island had two long-dormant volcanoes, each was going to be the center of a geothermal power plant; and thanks to Earthshatter, one of them was already operational.

His own, personal, cliffside home overlooked the ocean; he'd seen something similar in a movie once, and thought it looked perfect. Several underground floors only mostly finished; apparently Emerald wanted to do some of the painting and decorating herself; and his own personal sub-basement, with a direct link to that geothermal tap... and most of his equipment, imported from Colorado.

He'd even sprung for one of those ridiculous holographic projector setups Nicky had in his own bunker.... speaking of which..

Eyeball tapped the button on the side of the console set in the center of the room. A display appeared; showing an overhead view of the city-in-progress. A beautiful, 3-D image being produced by dozens of security drones flying slow circles of the island. His own personal fiefdom, not far from the coast of california.

He'd let Nicky run the place. After all, he was good at that sort of large-scale organizational stuff. But when it came right down to it... it was his. It might be small, and there was every chance that if they fucked it up they'd be at war with the US sometime soon. But this was going to be Eyeball's country. His rules.

So what would that mean for the future?