Office Rumors
“There were a lot of questions as to why we were spending the money, using the resources to build Guardian Atoll. Okay, to be fair there were arguments about calling it an Atoll when it patently wasn’t, but I digress.”
“The truth is, we built it for long term public relations reasons. In any organization you will have bouts of office politics rearing their ugly head. Even the first team had bouts of head butting, between Breakneck and Tankman’s random and often unplanned building projects, Solaris’s social calendar, their junior members running amok as only teen Enhanced can. That’s ignoring having a literal squadron of diabetic Japanese schoolgirls turned POW’s, all on a bloody golf course turned into a military base.”
“Frankly, we got an island for when two or more members decided to beat each other around the head and shoulders with powers and weapons capable of destroying buildings due to someone eating someone else’s sandwich.”
Carl Huber, aka Onyx Demon, former leader of the Guardians (Member 1970 to 1987, Leader 1982 to 1987)
“I am curious, was that cocksbonnet planning on parading me around the juniors and trainees, that have to be around here, after being insulting?”
"Yes, most likely." He admitted. "You have to understand... to play devil’s advocate for a moment, He''s an excellent field commander, and a talented administrator. He''s aware of politics but his grasp of the great game is, well he would look at me funny for using the phrase ‘great game’ for politics."
“So, he doesn’t realize pissing me off is not the most politic thing he could have done. When I am calmer, I might accept that. But I am not feeling overly charitable right now. He reads as having the empathy of a rock who needs to puppet what PR says.”
"And that''s the improved him. A few years ago there was a fairly major scandal." The other hero said.
"Yeah, I remember that.” Penny, who had joined them at the mainland dock, said. “I was still in the academy, but it was all over the place. One of the Guardians almost killed another hero in a friendly fire incident, and the Guardians basically victim blamed."
“Unfortunately, I can see that happening.”
"Yeah, that''s the guy’s rep. UNLOC loves him in the field, but we actively try to keep our own media assets near him when we have to talk. If we can keep him from giving a statement, it''s a good day."
"I''d have warned you, but I didn''t want to sabotage your meeting, and warning you wouldn''t have helped but he might have been in a good mood. Or replaced by an alien pod, that would have been an interesting early warning."
“Why let someone who can’t walk for putting a foot in his mouth be the face of a team. Ugg. We are going to Little Eddies. I need a proper drink after that.”
“The car is right there.” she assured her.
"The reason he''s in charge, is on paper he sounds like a good choice. he''s from several generations of that most American tradition, Irish immigrant coppers. His courage is not something you can debate, even I can say that. He also understands the need to work with his public relations and marketing people, even if he hates it. His predecessor thought ''commercialization'' of the team was wrong, and nearly bankrupted the organization."
“So, what can you tell me about the rest of your team.”
"The Guardians current team, actively, consists of Pinnacle and Myself. He''s a Tank, projective energy and tough but no flight or other movement ability, where I use Armor and tech." He explained. "The Investigative expert of the team is named Valentina, code name Azabache. Telepath, Telekinetic, and psychometric. She''s Puerto Rican and joined shortly after the US dropped the ball on hurricane relief on the island. Starfighter is an energy projecting, flying speedster who is our fast response and fire support expert. She is also fairly weak but extremely competent, as Speedsters who actually hit twenty-five tend to be."
“I’ll take a competent speedster over a powerful one any day. The competent ones tend to have depths and strike like a riptide.”
"Your mouth to gods ears. Speedsters can be a dime a dozen, but once you have one with some seasoning, and I''ll show you a teammate who I will not doubt." He nodded. "Our leader in the Watch is currently Lord Marvin Tidewater, who in his youth went by "Chop Chop". A fact none of us will let him forget in spite of him not using the name since the late nineties. Speedster and martial arts master."
"Back to the Guardians, Anchor is the literal heavy of the team. Density manipulator, both himself and his environment. Enemies will find themselves fighting a one ton man in an environment where they''re under several gravities of pressure. I''ve trained against him, it is decidedly unpleasant."
“I wish I had met him, that might have been educational.”
"Last is Sphynx, who anyone with any sense would be pushing to be the team leader. At twenty-eight she''s not a callow youth, has been in the team since she graduated college, at eighteen with a handful of degrees, and she can duplicate up to two powers of people in her vicinity. Basically, she could have your strength and one of the villains abilities to support you in a fight. Plus she has innate regeneration, the theory is she’s ‘borrowing’ everyone’s ability to heal around her."
“My goodness that is impressive, is it her age, gender, or a personality defect that keeps her from being the face” She chuckled. “I sure as sunrise wasn’t the first choice to lead.”
"None of the above, for all her sins." He sighed. "The Media got it in their heads that she is the daughter of Chimera."
“Oh lord. I could tell you that’s a lie. He had impotence issues before he literally nuked his seed to hell and back.”The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Yes, due to a treatment for syphilis, apparently." He sighed. "In 1939 Nathanial Greene, later Corporal Green, then Chimera, abandoned his Common Law wife in South Carolina. A wife who did give birth to a daughter as it is told to me. Sphynx is not, however, that daughter."
“Yeah. Wasn’t his baby.” Solaris said awkwardly. “His wife was sleeping with a neighbor. We found out about it when we moved her into protective custody.”
"Yes, that''s what the record shows. Unfortunately, that girl is our girl’s grandmother. thus, in spite of all proof to the counter, the connection is enough that politics nearly cost her the position she already has. In spite of nearly a decade of standing the line. The Watch offered her a home for a year, and honestly would have kept her had she asked."
“I forget, how’d that come out, the Chimera thing?” Penny asked
“Her cousin wrote a family ‘tell all book’ after doing a family tree. They chose to make their true ancestry more mysterious than the official record knows it.”
“Throwing my support to her is a possibility, especially if Pinnacle can’t handle the duties of a face. Problems for another day.” She said as they arrived at the bar. “I badly need a drink. When are we set to head back to New York?” She asked as they got into the car.
"Day after tomorrow. You have a morning tee time followed by an afternoon tea at Congressional Country Club." Penny replied.
“I’m glad we didn’t plan for a longer stay. She looked at Silver Paladin. I should have refused this invitation. I knew I wasn’t ready to deal with it yet. Seeing my team without me…”
"I understand. Truly." He nodded. "But then, it would never be easy. Hopefully, the wound will heal, and at least everyone else you meet will be a somewhat new experience, well, except perhaps St. Nicks, but its history has always been change. I actually had a chance to go out there, recently. We had something to put in their Vault. This charming, almost primitive looking mining community on the outside, technology that makes NASA look like a Best Buy under the surface."
"So, we are still holding things there that are a bit too dangerous. Hopefully my meeting with them goes better than the one with the Guardians.”
They walked past a nice bar, confusing her companions. Solaris went to the employee entrance and knocked. "Grey Lady." she said softly, and the door opened. “Come on, she stepped into the door and took a small elevator to a lower floor, a lushly appointed room with a small number of sidekicks for hire, and more liberal grey heroes and other underground members of the community were drinking and nibbling light meals. She walked to the bar. "Hello E2.” she said to an old silver haired man. “Can I please have a whiskey neat. she asked"
The older man paused, considering her, then nodded. "Burbon or Irish. If memory serves, you were fond of both." He asked, pulling out a set of shot glasses, setting them in front of him.
"Burbon please." She said as Penny and Paladin came up. "I am glad to see you kept your Pa''s place up and running."
“He’d have haunted me if I didn’t, or if I forgot a regular’s favorites.” An unopened bottle of 18 year old Knob Creek came off the shelf, a swift twist of a strong wrist cracking it open easily. Three glasses were poured and pushed to her and the two with her. "In Jim Bean we can trust, all others we verify. 18 year old, small batch offering from that venerable distiller."
"Thank you." She took the shot savoring the burn. closing her eyes and letting her spine relax as she sat on a barstool. little motes of light drifted around her. "I needed that."
Both her companions took their own shots, setting the glasses down as well. Penny stepped away to the restroom while Tate sat next to her. "At this point, I''m not sure she would want the job. She''s, honestly, I think she''s fed up but she still believes in fighting the good fight.
The bartender left the bottle with a nod, moving down to see to another customer, leaving them to their chat and musing.
“I don’t blame her, it’s a hard job, and you never get a day off.” She chuckled pouring another shot. “The real irony, you said she’s 28 I was, am, 28 now. And I had been running my team for eight years. She looked up as she took the second shot.
"Which is why we''re all waiting to see what kind of team you end up putting together." He chuckled. "And if Pinnacle had sense, he''d realize that was the more likely event. But I suppose I know your background a bit better than he does, Sister Summers."
She smiled, “Been a while since I heard that one. Was fading out of favor for nurses even in my time. As much as I would love to say that I’m not going to form a team we both know that’s a lie.” She poured another shot, not worried about getting drunk, unless it was brewed by a brain, the most she’d get is a bit buzzed. “I build them almost by accident.”
"Well, while the media didn''t really pick up on it, those who read reports might have noticed your back up during that dust up in Vegas, and Dreadful is actually fairly well known from UNLOC''s fast response teams and no one thinks her medical retirement is going to keep her out of a suit. Especially since she''s a tech herself."
“She’s working on it now, I took her to a tailor, who got her the contacts she needed. The rest are students I hired from an academy.”
"Academies which tend to train even the least aggressive members of their student bodies what might be referred to as "How to hero’ classes." He chuckled. "That you wouldn''t know, though, but ask what martial arts the kids know. They will know something."
“I just consider that sensible. Kidnapping is a real risk. If they want to hero, I’ll support them, and teach them what I know.”
"And learn from them, at the same time. Because you''re clever." He nodded. "So, take a break before going to St. Nicks, since you are suffering culture shock right now. Hell, just take a break, even you have to still have an ache here or there after the Chimera fight."
“Lord, my ribs.” She admitted “I am apparently getting a hot tub and ice bath set up per my housekeeper to help with them. He still hits like a drunk horse.
"Oh, I know. he knocked me through a building once. Pinnacle ripped his head off in that fight, so at least he knows his business in a fight."
“You said he was a good tactician and combat leader.” She poured him another shot.
"He is, with excellent instincts for how to use his team’s skills. The man is a born fighter. He was the second in command of the team for years, and no one said a thing against him. It''s only since he took the big chair that he''s had issue. Though to be fair to him, I''ve seen substantially worse. He''s at least basically competent, just not great."
“He just needs a minder before talking to someone, so he doesn’t come off as an insensitive baboon.”
"Yeah, I saw a PR intern run off when he realized you were in there alone with him. Right now, I''m sure they''re trying to figure out damage control. When they call you, be moody, see if they''ll give you presents."
“Darling, I plan on being a very upset dame. I do not like my time wasted, especially when I could have been entertaining myself watching the kids put together their shop.”
Penny had come back quietly and chuckled. "OH, you might enjoy the surprise to come. I just talked to Evelyn, her and Amzy are painting the offices."
“Oh? They decided to do it themselves. I thought they’d get a contractor for that’” the buzz in her veins was lovely. “Do you think we could find a handyman at one of the schools? To do all the little fixes and contractor work?”
"Might not be a bad idea, especially if you start purchasing other real estate." She mused.
"Can''t underestimate the value of a good tinker on hand, that''s for certain." Tate agreed. "So, when you considering hopping the pond to the old sod?"
“I’m not sure. Apparently they are going to need to do major work to remove asbestos before I can start renovations on the manor. I’m taking bids for that project now. Once that’s done, I’ll come out to assess the project and make major decisions.
"That might please the King a bit. He''s not had the throne long, and ANOTHER powerful and intelligent woman in the British Zeitgeist could be disheartening for him, even if he''d never say a thing against a family friend.”
“I heard that Bess had passed. To the Queen!” she toasted.
“To the Queen.” Tate joined in, Penny saluting quietly.