“It’ll be ok. Besides, this’ll be good for us. You’ll probably get to be on TV at some point. You’re my personal secretary after all, right?”
“Yeah?” she asked, her voice muffled in his clothes.
“Yeah.”
“Felix,” Kit said, getting his attention. “That all makes sense. None of it should be an issue. The real problem is going to be conflicts of interest. They’re going to have a field day with us. We’re opening a college after all.”
“That’s why we have our lovely and talented Lily over there,” Felix said, indicating the lawyer. She pulled her hand from her eyes and met his gaze. “Use Miu, hire more people, do whatever you need to do. Just make sure we don’t have a problem.”
Lily paused for a second to reflect on that, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll take care of it.”
Turning her head to the side she addressed Kit. “I might need a Fixer. I’d be willing to pay the head-count to your department to have one on loan for a few months.”
“Alright. I think we can manage that. Send me a meeting invite when you’re ready, and we’ll go through the candidate pool,” Kit said agreeably.
“Oh, and Felix?” Kit asked. Felix had let his eyes fall back to the report. “You have a meeting scheduled in an hour. It wasn’t originally on the books, but they wanted an interview with you. You just so happened to be listed as touring the campus since construction and refit is complete. So now you have an inspection, and an interview to give at the same time.”
“Ah. Well, that’s to be expected I suppose. Might be a good opportunity to announce my candidacy for the gubernatorial race,” Felix said, thinking on it. “Probably. It’d set the precedent that interviewing reporters have a chance to get information that isn’t released yet. Is it a female reporter they’re sending?”
“They are indeed sending a girl. I think she’s barely old enough to drink. Quite pretty, too,” Kit said. She couldn’t quite hide the annoyance in her voice.
Felix wasn’t sure why she’d be annoyed, except maybe that she took issue that the news team thought Legion could be so easily manipulated.
Then again, if I actually release the information about my run for governor, that’d only feed into that belief.
“Well, I hate to encourage their assumptions, but this’ll work out in our benefit. If they think sending reporters our way is to their benefit, all the better. We can scour their minds for information and find out what stories they’re working on and which way they’ll go with it,” Felix said.
Kit snorted and then sighed. “Alright. I’ll make sure one of my people is with you whenever I can.”
“I could always take Eva with me,” Felix said.
“She’s technically not old enough to work and doesn’t fall under any department. She’s still in Legion school,” Lily said.
Oh yeah. Still need to have that talk with her.
“Got it. Schedule a meeting with her for me later tonight as well. Probably should start talking to her about what she wants to do in the future. School won’t last forever. How’s her brother doing?” Felix asked suddenly. He hadn’t checked on Evan in a while.
He and Eva had bonded through their shared experiences. Evan and he really didn’t have much contact at all.
“Fine. He’ll never be a master magician, but he’s certainly above average. He doesn’t have the killing nature that one needs. To gain power, one must make sacrifices,” Lily said dryly. “He’ll be good for Legion and you. He’s lucky you can increase his power whenever you want, rather than being tempted down the road I went.”
Felix shrugged at that and then opened up his terminal.
“The road you walked led you straight to me. Forgive me if I don’t share your regret,” Felix said. He opened up the most recent sales report from the used car dealerships that Legion owned.
Between the pawnshop and the car lots, they were making money hand over fist. The number of super powers Felix had given out to simply fix or repair things was higher than both Telemedics and Fixers combined.
The business of fixing and selling was great.
We should start buying junkyards and clearing them out. I bet we could make a killing on it.
Looking across the school grounds, Felix had a sense of déjà vu. He’d actually visited the Legion school previously, the day after the Andreas had finished construction.
The Tilen campus was a near mirror of the Legion campus. There was more visible security here on the Tilen campus, especially since it wasn’t behind the same defenses the Legion campus was.
It was a sprawling complex. There were a number of multiple-story buildings littered throughout. The huge stadium in the far corner was gigantic.
“We can compare with any state college, at any level,” came a voice.
Felix glanced over to find an older man in his late forties walking up to him. He’d walked past Felix’s bodyguards as if he belonged, which meant this person wasn’t a threat. Even the Fixer who’d been assigned to Felix’s security unit only gave him a single cursory look
“My name is Sean. Dr. Sean Rithe. I’m the president of the Tilen university. I was hired by Kit,” said the man, holding out his hand to Felix.
“Ah. Good to meet you. I’m F—”
“I think everyone employed by Legion knows who you are, sir,” said Sean with a smile.
Felix snickered at that, shaking the man’s hand. “So I continue to find out.”
“I’m glad you were able to accept my invitation for a tour,” said Sean, releasing Felix’s hand.
“Of course. Though I must confess, we’re expecting a news reporter any minute. I’m afraid that, as limited as my time is, I have to combine meetings whenever I can,” Felix apologized.
“Not a problem, not a problem. I understand completely. Honestly though, I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be a chance to advertise the school. I have a fully staffed faculty, empty classrooms, and a budget one could only wish for. I’ll take any opportunity to bring in more students,” said Sean.
Felix could definitely understand that sentiment. The rule of thumb in Legion was to put everything at maximum capacity, and then fill it. If you needed more after that, you doubled the whole thing, and repeated the process.
“Ah, and here she comes. I can’t help but notice she looks young enough to be a student,” Sean said, looking over Felix’s shoulder.
Taking a steadying breath, Felix turned his head with a smile.
It was a young woman, a young man, and a cameraman.
Surprisingly to Felix, she was a Beastkin. A Fox breed. Or so he judged based on the brown coloring, the bushy tail, and the triangular ears. She was on the taller side of the scale for a small breed Beastkin, hitting right around five foot eight if he had to judge.
“Ah,” Felix said.
They’re trying to match Andrea? I didn’t realize it was public knowledge.
The reporter’s ears twitched at Felix’s voice, her sharp hazel colored eyes locking onto him.
And apparently her hearing is phenomenal.
She was pretty, with certainly more than a handful for chest and a waistline that gave her an hourglass frame.
He’d peg her at somewhere in her twenties.
Kit hadn’t been kidding. They really had picked something they thought would hit him in the strike zone.
She was dressed in the same type of women’s jacket and dress that you saw on most news reporters, which gave her a mature look as well.
Good thing Felix already had two women he was handling. That was already more than he wanted. Only a fool tried to take on more than one woman.
Even if she was amazing looking.
Truth be told, he still wasn’t sure what Andrea and Lily saw in him. He couldn’t even identify if it was infatuation simply due to the fact that he saved them.
“—ame’s Jessica! Jessica Perreira,” said the Beastkin. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”
Felix kept the smile on his face a
s he shook her hand. He’d missed whatever she’d said at the start but he didn’t think it mattered.
“Felix, Felix Campbell. The dignified presence next to me is Dr. Sean Rithe, president of the Tilen Legion college,” Felix said, releasing the reporter’s hand and then gesturing to Mr. Rithe.
“Dr. Rithe,” said Jessica, shaking his head. “I’ll be honest, the station wasn’t expecting you to agree to the interview. Let alone to give us a tour of the Legion campus at the same time. How did you gentlemen wish to proceed?”
“Yes, yes. I thought perhaps I could give you the tour as if you were a prospective student. It would give you a good amount of footage, I imagine,” Dr. Rithe said. “Unless you have a different idea, sir?”
“No. No, I’m only here to provide an interview while getting my own tour. You’re the man with the plan, Doc,” Felix said, clasping his hands behind his back.
Sean smiled at that and then turned and held a hand out to gesture to the campus. “Then let me show you our campus,” he said.
The cameraman, who Felix had failed to catch the introduction for, fell in next to Sean and immediately began asking questions.
Jessica slid up next to Felix and looked at him. “That leaves you with me. I don’t even see any of your minders nearby,” she said, looking around at the bodyguards. “Only your security.”
They’d discussed previously that it’d probably be better if none of his inner circle were here. It’d create a better opportunity for the reporter to think she got information out of Felix directly.
“Ah, yes. They had other duties they couldn’t get out of. That’s the problem with an ever-expanding corporation. Always more work, never enough hands,” Felix said with a grin for the Beastkin.
She smiled back, revealing her canines. They were a bit longer than average, he thought, but then again, Beastkin weren’t humans.
Thankfully he didn’t have to deal with the problems behind the issue of race in Legion. Legion was a complete meritocracy. Species didn’t matter.
“I’ll take that as me getting lucky with you. So, Felix—can I call you Felix?” she asked.
Sean, the cameraman, and the other reporter were moving forward now on the tour.
“You can at that. Honestly, I’d prefer it, Jessica,” Felix said, deciding to help perpetuate whatever false assumptions she and her station would make from all of this.
“With the campus complete, and the approvals now in your favor, what’s your next step?” Jessica asked. She moved her hand to hover beneath his chin, a hand-held recorder in her grasp and recording.
“Our next step? With the college? We’ll be working to increase our student body size. We’ve already hired an entire faculty. From president to groundskeepers,” Felix said. Sean was leading them across an open area. It had a number of tables, benches, and seating areas.
“Yes, we’ve heard about that. There’s been a lot of complaining lately from other colleges,” Jessica said.
Felix chuckled at that. “I imagine. We went around and offered some of their best professors a job. So long as their demands were within reason, they were met. This institution will strive to have the best of the best in all departments,” Felix admitted.
“That isn’t limited to just education though, is it?”
“No. No it isn’t. We made sure to hire leading collegiate coaches.”
“My understanding is that you hired a number of them.”
“Football, soccer, baseball, basketball. We did hire the appropriate coaches and support staff for each.”
“And you made the same offer to them that you did the professors?”
“We did. Though the coaches asked for more facility and resource type of things.”
“That’s all rather interesting, but I can’t imagine it being very profitable. In fact, from everything we gather, tuition will be almost nothing. That it’ll actually be affordable, provided a student is granted a seat.”
“You’re right about tuition. And no, this whole thing is not profitable, and likely won’t be. At all,” Felix said while laughing. “At least, not for a long while. Thankfully Legion is a private company, and I own all of it. Every loss is my loss. This year is going to be brutal for the bottom line. But worth it.”
Jessica didn’t say anything to that, but instead shifted her hand, re-angling the microphone.
He got what she wanted, and decided to give her it.
“I believe in the youth of our country. Tilen will be the first to go through this campus, but not the last. There is no expense so great that it would make the education of the next generation not worth it. Have you seen how much debt these kids are being saddled with as they head into the real world? It’s unimaginable. They won’t be paying that off any time soon. If ever.”
“Why put so much effort into educating them, if their first three years in the real world must be spent in Legion? Isn’t that part of their tuition agreement?”
“It is. And those three years will be paid at market parity. They’ll earn a healthy living, gain real world experience, and be given a job immediately after they graduate. Name any other college that can do that.”
“That’s a fair point. I can’t. Between you and me though, Felix,” Jessica said, her arm brushing up against his as she lifted her hand to his chin again. “What’s next for you?”
There it is, and here we go.
Felix wrapped a hand around Jessica’s hand and stared into her eyes.
“Let’s talk off the record for a minute. A little quid pro quo conversation, and a contract between you and me.”
Chapter 14 - Discrimination -
“—Campbell is indeed running for governor,” said Jessica. On the screen, footage of the campus was rolling as Jessica gave her report.
“In fact, when I questioned him about that decision, he admitted that it was all due to the prison breakout. He told me the story of how his Legion security forces spent the better part of an entire day and night bringing order to the situation.
“I did some fact checking after my interview with him. Everything he said was exactly as was reported by the National Guard. I took some time to speak with residents in the area as well, and they had nothing but praise for Felix and his Legion.
“By all reports, both official and unofficial, Legion held the line and protected the citizens. Brought order to the situation. And ended what looked like it could destroy a good portion of the city.”
The television switched to Jessica sitting behind a desk, smiling into the camera.
“As a Beastkin, and knowing how Legion works, I can’t deny I’m curious to see how Felix will do in his bid for governor. Back to y—”
Felix turned off the screen on his phone and looked back to the crowd of students all flooding into the campus.
“And she got a promotion out of it,” Kit said into his earpiece.
“Good for her. And good for us. That story was everything we wanted and more. That’s some extreme level exposure for our college, and my run for governor,” Felix said.
“Speaking of your bid for governor. The racists are already lining up to crucify you. Your relationship with Andrea, and endorsement from Jessica, has put them on the other side of us. Of course, they don’t call it racism. Amounts to the same thing in the end,” Kit said. “And then there’s the fact that you own slaves.”
Felix could only nod at that. With so many races running around of every different flavor under the sun, there was no question about intermingling.
The larger issue was that people couldn’t escape mentalities of inferiority or superiority.
It all went back to the simple fact that some races were better at things than others. Like an all-Beastkin baseball team.
As a rule, humans were fairly average at all things. Elves, Beastkin, Trolls, Ogres, Dwarves, everything else, all had a niche they could own for themselves.
Many humans took that with a heavy helping of fear.
Felix just thought of it as b
eing the baseline. Everyone needed baseline employees. Never a five, never a one, always a three or a four. If you were lucky, they made up the majority of your workforce.
“Nothing we can do about either situation,” Felix said nodding his head at a young woman who passed nearby him.
She must have recognized him as she quickly looked away and ducked into the entry hall for the administration building.
Everyone who recognized him shied away immediately. Those who didn’t sometimes stopped and talked to him, or asked for directions.
He was happy to help. It was enjoyable.
His security detail wasn’t far off either, and they didn’t seem to mind the people at all. Andrea was on his left, watching everything with an ear to ear grin.
“Besides, they were already after me before when they realized Legion University accepts all races. If anything, this’ll just draw all those in favor of equality into my camp,” Felix said. “It’s doing me a favor. Less backers I have to worry about soothing. They can be part of the pool of essentials and need little in the way of effort.”
“Ok, I’m tired of you talking about this. I don’t understand what you mean by essentials, and the pools, and backers and—”
“Sorry. It’s how I think of everything when it comes to having power. An essential is someone I need and/or must secure to get into power. In this case, I need certain people in the community to back me and press for votes,” Felix said. He paused to smile and nod to a young Beastkin man who looked up from a pamphlet.
“In this case, I was never going to secure the votes for Humanity First. There was no point in ever trying to get their votes. Now, for the non-human communities, the opposite is now true. I can use them to drum votes in my direction with little or no effort on my part.”
“So… why aren’t they essential?”
“Because with or without my attention, they’ll push for my governorship. This isn’t true for those who respect the police chief. Or those who follow the business leaders of the community. Those are essential for my election, as are their backers. I’ll need their support. So I have to figure out what they need or want from me, and either make that promise, or figure out who I can use otherwise.”
Super Sales on Super Heroes: Book 2 Page 15