Tcr 41

As a Regen 3 inside a corpse, I would gradually wear the thing down using up its biological resources to keep it functional. Even just walking around in one of the preserved talon trooper corpses would slowly wear it down with micro damage from even the simple movements of the joints.

Mass to fix things up had to come from somewhere which would make the corpse slowly shrivel up as it took more and more effort for me to move it until I would have to use muscle mass to keep it going.

But it turned out that not all the resources I needed had to come from the corpse. Compatible material could be injected into a corpse and then used by my Regeneration powers, at least on a small scale. I couldn’t replace a limb or anything, but I could keep a corpse from falling to pieces and keep it filled out and moist rather than shriveled up and flaking away.

Which was important for the undercover work I had never thought I might end up doing.

Coaltrain had been recruited as Muscle for a bank robber named Falco who was planning a heist, and Coaltrain as part of his plead bargain had passed on all the information he had about it.

Shimmer was our Brute, with T-Rex a full rank behind her now. The team leader however had a well known face, and T-Rex wasn’t strong enough to take over for Coaltrain on his job with Falco.

Me, in Samantha Gregor’s body was strong enough.

But I wouldn’t be able to dress her up in my Orpheus armor for this mission.

“I don’t want to look like a girl, what if someone hits on me?”

Shimmer crossed her arms and huffed. Fable shook her head at me. “Mort, she’s dead. Room temperature, dull red skin from the preservative, and you can barely move her face around. No one is going to think, “Yes, that’s who I want to go home with tonight.”

T-Rex coughed, while Manifest pursed his lips and looked at the floor.

Fable gave them a look of disbelief. “Seriously?”

Mani tried to speak, then just muttered something. T-Rex glanced at him, then began pointing at me in Samantha’s body. “She a Brute with enhanced strength so her muscles are all buff while still looking feminine since her Brute power left her agile. She looks like she was just out of her teens when she died and some guys like a girl that’s… reserved. She wouldn’t be my first choice but some guys like to start with a low bar. He will get hit on.”

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He turned to me. “Just knock anyone on their ass who tries right off the bat. Then announce you aren't interested.” He shrugged. “It should work, most guys don’t want to make that much effort. Worse that will happen is you end up in a fight.” He pointed at my ride. “Rank 4, not much of an issue.”

Shimmer uncrossed her arms. “It’s your choice Mort, but you’re the only one on the team who can even try this. And if you don’t we have to ask for help. I want up to be seen as standing on our own two feet.”

Which is how I ended up in a Miami Nightclub. With loud music blaring and people dancing around as I made my way through a crowd.

Pretty much hell for me, a guy who grew up on a ranch in the middle of nowhere and liked the quiet.

"Hey pretty lady…" I grabbed the guy by his belt, lifted him up, and shook him before dropping him to fall in place to the ground. "Not interested!"

Seriously, I was in black fatigue pants, combat boots, a buttoned up to the neck leather vest, and was wearing brass goggles with sold red lenses. How did I look like his Friday night pick up?

Plus the guy was nearly my real age, balding, and had a gut. I was a little offended by that being what I pulled. If Samantha was going to be hit on, she deserved better.

The back booth I was heading for had a nervous looking guy who had seen me lift Romeo up one handed, and another guy leering at me. Seriously?

"I'm here to talk to Falco.”

The nervous guy looked confused, then held his hand up to his ear. “What!”

I rubbed my forehead. Why, why, why do people try to get anything done in a nightclub? Was it because they saw people in movies do it? “Me! Talk to! Falco!”

The now calmer guy nodded and leaned into the booth where the man I recognized from his police files as the so called master thief. Spiky blonde hair, a white jacket, piercings, and tattoos that looked like he had them all done at the same time. A woman curled up next to him and another woman who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here sat. Falso seemed to be able to hear the guy speaking to him just fine.

Leaning over to speak to the arm candy, he sent her off and waved me into the booth.

As I slipped in, the music and noise dropped down to a soft background noise. What?

The bank robber gave me a curious look. "And you are?"

I took in a breath, “Applying for work. I heard you’re suddenly in need of some serious muscle.”

He looked over the little blue tinted glasses at me. “I don’t know you.”

Shrugging, I laid my hands out on the tables showing off the thick sharp nails that Samantha had even in the human form she had reverted to in death. “Triggered a few weeks ago. Parents kicked me out. No one wants to hire a freak. If I have to look like this, I want it to pay.”

Falco looked thoughtful. “I can confirm I need someone, but with no one to vouch for you, I’m going to need a little confirmation..” He glanced over at the disinterested looking woman.

The woman shrugged. “I can’t tell. She’s like a brick wall. I’m getting nothing from her. She’s at least a Mind 3 even if it’s just shielding.”

The man at the table frowned. “Hmm, maybe a test then.”

He had to get a pen from the Mind powered of some kind woman, then scribbled down an address. “Be there, tomorrow at six and be ready to show me something. If you can, then you’re hired.”

Then her shooed me off as his girl came back with some drinks.

Several blocks away I headed off into some abandoned building and into a small room where I got portals out. Back in my own body, I gave Shimmer a thumbs up.

“Aced the interview, now I just got to pass the job test. Probably just lifting something heavy.”