Waking up in Vegas
“Dean Simmons, with all do respect to your position, do you really think your actions were warranted?”
“What actions are you talking about. I had a herd of kids needing work, and I managed to find them high paying jobs! Better than telling them they can’t stay in student housing any longer, and good luck.”
“It’s not what you got them, it’s who you found them work with!”
“Tailors need employees too.”
ESEA disciplinary meeting transcript.
"I was thinking. I''m going to go look for some sort of small storefront, or maybe a closed mechanics shop, so we can set the kids up with a ''work'' place, if for no other reason than to keep the neighbors happy.”
“That is a good thought. I don''t really want a car lift in the garage, at least not a permanent one.”
"You want me to look for little, or plan for growth?" She asked. "Just so I know what I''m hunting for."
“Meh, plan for growth. That way when things are slow for me they can take clients, or we can purchase cars to refurbish and donate to poor families, Louise said I need more tax credits and a business property is good for the real estate portfolio."
Turning to the Dean, Solaris smiled. “Well I think I’ve taken off some of your housing strains.”
"That''s certainly true. I admit, I can''t help but sigh a breath of relief. These kids have it hard, since their first inclination isn’t the cape life. We bring them into the schools for their safety, and the safety of others, but it makes it hard for them to integrate sometimes. There''s too few in our community that might be willing to mentor these kids. I admit, I hope that''s part of what you''re going to do, all three of you."
"Mentor, no. Granny them, yes." Mrs. Pham nodded.
“I’ve been mentoring young heroes since the Kamikaze girls, it’s practically instinct now. Eventually I’ll probably set the couple up in their own house and shop. Anzy may eventually want to move on or she may just settle in. Elenore, oh I will have fun with her, Mercedes is a wildcard, not too sure what she will do.”
"Mercedes is the one I''ve been most worried about. She''s not aggressive by nature, so is the least likely kid to do the cape thing. She also has trouble making friends, but she''s possibly one of the most powerful students I''ve ever taught."
“I can understand your fear, she’s a prime target for a power farmer, and with few friends and a solitary profession it increases her risk,”
"Near you she''s a bit less of a target." He shrugged. "I won''t lie, I might have begged you to give her a chance, for the selfish reason that I want her somewhere safe to find her legs."
“I’m willing to give her a chance, whether she uses it or not is up to her. I like that she opened up and let her passion show. Hopefully she opens up more as she gets comfortable.”
"That''s usually how it works." He nodded. They were walking towards the house, coming across a sheepish looking Anzy walking in the same direction.
"Hello again! Talking to more of us crazy kids?" She asked cheerfully, blushing slightly.
“Just finished talking to Mercedes, she decided she wanted the gardener job I had open.”
"Oh good! I was a bit worried about leaving her, but you''re offering exactly what I need to get started. I want to open my own restaurant at some point, but need time to develop my skills, you know? By the way, when were you actually planning on leaving?"
“Depends on when we get the plane, but probably in about 4 days, I have a tee time on Saturday that I’m really looking forward to…and you''re already done packing, aren’t you?
"Um, well, a couple of me stayed to work on food, and the other three kind of went off to see how much do I have to pack, it wasn’t so much, and started packing and, yeah.”
“How many boxes do you have? Will it fit in the car?” Solaris paused “Well it will give me a chance to get to know you. Penny, do you think you can arrange some short term storage? Then any of them that want to come into the city with us can and we can put them up in the hotel with us.”
"That shouldn''t be a problem. Let me check some things. I mean, we have a van and I went ahead and rented it for the rest of our stay."
"I have two suitcases, one knife case, my laptop case and my tool box." She replied. "My knick-knacks fit in the suit cases, and I really only have electronic books. Well, one box of cook books, but I was debating having that shipped later."
“We’ll just get it to the van, no reason to hold back, why don’t you send your others to let them know, Mercedes, Elenore, Levi and Erica.”
"Oh, okay..."
She split into three more, all of them running off. "The last of me is still working on dinner. She, um, doesn''t know yet." She laughed, knowing that sounded a little weird.
"If the others need more time to pack, I could bring them into the city tomorrow, with the other students going to college in town." The headmaster said. "They can just catch the bus we use to go back and forth."
“That''s fine, just let me know when to expect them, so we can get the right number of rooms. And If the mechanics have a car or something we will figure out how to ship them.”
"They have their shop truck, and a couple of motorcycles. Considering everything, I''ll arrange to get them shipped to New York. Send me the address to send them to and I''ll get them out. We were shipping something to the New York school anyhow." He suggested.
Solaris pulled a small pad out of her purse and wrote down the home address. “I’m unlisted and my mail goes to the PO box.”
"Considering you, that just makes common sense." He admitted. "I have some favors I can call in, so it will likely be about a week or so after you leave that they''ll get there."
“Thank you. I wonder how long till all of them are in the hotel with me.”
"I suspect tomorrow." He admitted. "They are all chaffing a bit, wanting to get out but they had limited options. There''s going to be a certain level of ''jump at the chance before it escapes.''."
"I''ll do my best to give them a safe place to land." Solaris said, shaking his hand.
"That''s all I can hope for. And if things work out, and you start expanding your business interests, more students from other schools might be considered, if things work out."
"Definitely," Solaris said. "If nothing I suspect I''ll be looking for an assistant for Elenore before too long."
"I''ll contact the New York School, have them reach out. That way you can look at a new body of students to hire from." He said. "They might also ask you to give a talk, history is one of those subjects that is hard to find really good speakers for."
"I''d be delighted to." She said with a smile.
"Glad to hear it, and here comes Anzy.”If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
She smiled at the girl. "All good?"
‘Yup!”
"Lets get your things in the Van. What did the others say?”
“They will come down tomorrow in the bus."Anzy "Which hotel do they need to be dropped off at?"
We are staying at caesars palace
"I''ll have Penny make arrangements at the front desk for your friends. Make sure they pack a swimsuit. There is an amazing pool there."
"Several." Penny chuckled.
"Ohh, that''s a nice one. Great!" She said. "I''ll text them."
Solaris moved the young woman''s things into the back of the van, while Anzy texted. "Seems I''ve filled my new nest with a bunch of fledgelings." Solaris said with a soft laugh.
"Well, to be fair, you started with Marcus and Nahoa."
“True.” She laughed. She got into the car. “Looking forward to New York?” She asked Anzy as they started down the road.
"Actually, I really am. I mean, I know from what I gather you aren''t in the city itself, but I can still go in, try the best places, learn by trying.''
“Is there anything you need that you don’t have?”
"I won''t really know till I see your kitchen, and what''s in it. I am getting the impression it’s got nice appliances, but you don''t have a lot of anything else."
“Yes. If you need better let me know, boss here wants you to have best… and none of us want her in kitchen again, ever. Penny chuckled
The Ukrainian girl’s eyebrow arched. "Right, that sounds like a story. I mean, once I see what you have, I''ll know what we might want to get. I''m assuming you have, like, plates and flatware at least." She joked.
“We do, I just wanted to wait to do too much in there till I had a cook, it’s your canvas.”
"Fair enough, when I see it I could write a wish list, then you can decide what gets bought when. Don''t want to be demanding.
“Anything I should know about your friends, anything they need?”
"Honestly, I don''t know. We''ve all kind of learned to work with what we have. I mean, the school is great and did everything they could for our education and basic comfort, but unless your family was staying in touch and sending you stuff, there weren''t a lot of extras."
Solaris frowned a little, she picked up her phone and sent a text to Granny. The old woman seemed to understand her, {Dear granny once the kids get settled check and see what they have so we can properly kit them out. I have a feeling their personal belongings may be lacking. Many thanks S.}
From Granny {Grandma will stick her nose in where it belongs, you don''t worry.}
Solaris smiled, leaning back. Penny we will need to get the new staff in to see the Tailor and get a few party pieces from Bergdorf’s.
"I figured. Honestly, we’ll also need to kit them out for New York State in winter."
“Indeed, the weather is going to go cold soon, everyone will need proper weather protection.” She blinked. It occurs to me this will be my first American Christmas with my own house. I always stayed in flats in most places, this will be the first year to decorate with an American tasteless abandon!
"Oh, honey, you''re going to have fun with that. And the sunroom just screams stupid big tree. It''s got that open loft area that''s like two stories high."
"That sounds fun. Trust me, I can make a Christmas dinner that will leave even the most powerful of bellies straining."
“You know we could get a big lovely pine for outside the front. Behind the gazebo Mercedes wants to put in, have our own Rockefeller Plaza!”
"Oh, Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas! Never thought I''d have a chance to see that." Anzy said.
“It is beautiful, I always try to go skating at least once when I’m in New York for Christmas. I tried to go home to England for the holidays when I could but that didn’t always work out.”
"There''s something special about having your own place to have Christmas at though." Penny said. "My family spread to the four winds once everyone hit adulthood so it''s hit or miss if we get together. We call each other though."
Solaris looked out over the desert. Her parents were gone, her brother was probably spying on Russia, sometimes it struck her how alone she was. “Hopefully some of you will be able to stick around for Christmas, though obviously I’ll fly people back where they need to go.”
"Well, my parents are dead." Anzy admitted. "Father stayed behind in Crimea and we found out he died about a year after we left. Mother passed shortly after I started at school, illness. Bad as that is, it could be worse. I wouldn''t bring up Erica''s mother at all, and I don''t think Mercedes yeah that’s a hell to the no."
“Poor little fledglings.” Solaris said softly. “Well, we will have to make it an especially happy holiday for all of us! Penny, do you think we should give the new hires some pin money to enjoy the city? Call it a signing bonus maybe?”
"I am assuming pin money means walking around cash, and I think they''d appreciate that." She nodded. "Not to mention, they''re going to hit the city eventually anyhow, so better they have the money to get back out!”
“Do you need any, Grandmother?”
"Bah, I am well up. I''ll be a high roller by the time we leave."
“I am sure, soon all will fear you.” Solaris said with a chuckle.
"Fear? No. Comps! Free stuff. That''s the ticket." The older woman laughed. “I haven’t paid for lunch since we got here.”
Anzy giggled. "You''re gonna be a fun boss."
“You have no idea.” Penny said.
“Shush, you love my shopping trips.” Solaris said
"Well yeah, I''m not stupid."
"Solaris doesn''t operate well without a team. We''ve seen that." Grandma said. "She is more comfortable now than she was when we left, because she''s got more people. She''s a creature of community."
Elizabeth blushed bright red. "You already know me too well, Granny. You are not wrong."
"Just about anyone who knows you at all can see it."
The blonde hero patted her cheeks trying to force the blush down. Her light glimmering around her in response to her emotions. She didn''t think she was quite so easy to read.
"Well, either way, I''ve arranged three rooms for the younger members." Penny said. "Two double queens for the ladies, one single king for Levi. Or however it ends up getting split. We''ll show you where our suite is, as it''s going to be our main gathering spot for the next little bit. Speaking of, what else do you want to do while we are in town? I know golf of course."
“I would like to go see the circus, and the Sinatra show, and it would be a shame not to spend some time down by the pool. I thought I''d do that while you and the Fledglings played with the bonuses.”
"Oh you totally need to go down the strip at night. See the Fountains and Bellagio, or the battle at Treasure Island. It''s wild."
Why don''t you pick the restaurant you most want to eat at and we will make a night of it.”
"Well, we''re going to Caesar''s. I mean, we''ll all likely be hungry by the time we go to eat, we could try the buffet. It''s like, one of the most expensive on the strip, and supposedly delicious. I think I read they have multiple chef monitored stations." Anzy offered.
"Okay so the buffet tonight, but i doubt that is your Vegas dream dinner. Figure out that, and we will all go there together." Solaris said with a chuckle
"Yeah, I admit, that was also me realizing it was going to take hours to decide." she admitted. "There''s so many fantastic places."
"Yes, there are, I''ve been really enjoying all my meals so far. Especially yours."
The car was very comfortable, for all it was an older design, with plenty of legroom for Nahoa. Marcus, behind the wheel, had resisted the urge to push some of the more unusually marked buttons on the console for fear of what they might do. The big guy was reading the car''s manual, and had already muttered something about “But why would you need that?” a couple of times.
The stereo had kept them company for the four hours drive to Providence, the GPS guiding them towards the drop off point. “I mean, it’s a long ass drive, but all things being equal, I’m not sure why he gave us a car for something like this. I mean, we’re basically UPS in a weirder truck.”
“Well he did say this lady, I think he said Mantis? She was in some sort of a conflict with a villain.”
“Venombite I think he called them. Let’s not write this off as a done job until we drop off the package and get back out of town.”
“You are such a worrier.”
They were guided to a quiet, weirdly abandoned part of the small city, pulling up to a building that could be a dentist''s office for all they could tell. They both looked at it through the windshield for a moment, noting no signs or markings. “So, you think this is it?”
“Only one way to find out.” Nahoa grabbed the box they were here to deliver and climbed out of the car, Marcus joining him. They had barely shut the doors, and taken two steps before gunshots rang out.
“Ouch, dammit that hurts!” Nahoa yelled as he got hammered by a half dozen nine-millimeter rounds, Marcus’s aura flaring and absorbing even more. Both boys ducked behind the car, hesitantly peeking over the hood as the tinking of bullets hitting it’s side filled the air.
Eight guys, being led by someone dressed in a violently purple and green costume, had come out of the alleys across the street, and started shooting without warning. “Give us the Mantises Vacuum pistol and you can live!” The man yelled.
“Yeah, this is easy.” Nahoa muttered.
“Oh shut up.” Marcus muttered, pulling and snapping out a pair of collapsing batons he’d taken to carrying, on Penny’s insistence. “I’ll go right, you go left.”
“To do what?”
Marcus didn’t answer, going around the front of the car and charging the gun-weilding thugs. He ignored the gunfire, his field absorbing it so far, though he was beginning to feel the slight sense of drain he noticed when his shield started taking a beating. Not wanting to push his luck he snapped out with a pair of swings, sending two goons into a wall.
Nahoa cursed under his breath, and gestured, a segment of concrete easily three yards round all but jumping off the ground. He grabbed it in his hands as he stood, spinning around and throwing it at another group of mooks, the concrete shattering as it impacted the men, sending them to the ground in a moaning pile.
Venombite, enraged, charged at Nahoa, his fists growing a venomous green. “Before I kill you boy, what’s your name so I can put it on your tombstone.”
“They call me Thud.” He said, just before asphalt rose up to wrap around the criminal. He picked up the ball, hearing the man cursing inside, and threw it at a condemned building. “Now fuck off.”
“Well, I was going to help, but you seemed to handle that well.” He spun to find a woman in green armored spandex, and that was a concept that was still new to him on many levels, with a whip and pistol on her hips. “Is that my delivery? The Tailor told me it had been delayed.
With a cry of pain, and a thump, Marcus turned and returned to them. “Oh crap. Where’d I put the clipboard? We need your signature.”