Nicholas looked scared now.
Whatever he was expecting, this wasn’t it.
“Get on the train, or get the fuck out of the way. This thing has no brakes, and I’m going to run it right up your fat ass and across your back,” Felix said. He rested his ankle on his knee and leaned to one side in his chair. He propped his chin on his fist.
“So it’s your choice. You can get on board, and I’ll give you whatever it is you want from me for that cooperation, or I have your memory of this wiped clean. And have my Fixer here give you an aneurysm in a day or three. Then I ask the next governor the same question.
“You’re not the end all, be all, you know. You’re an elected official,” Felix said with a grim smile. “Eventually I’ll find one of you I can buy.”
Chapter 9 - Buying Pork -
Nicholas stared at Felix, much as a fish would when it’s been landed.
Felix waited quietly. Silence was always one of his best used tools. People couldn’t deal with being stared at silently very well.
Most would immediately babble or start to lose their cool.
Nicholas shifted his entire body around in his chair, first leaning forward, then backward.
Uncomfortable much?
And… is this worth all the trouble? What if I ran for governor myself. It isn’t a terrible idea and I could probably make a decent run of it.
What would it take?
“I… see. Ok. Yes. Ok,” Nicholas said.
Felix smiled, interrupting his own train of thought, and waited some more. He wasn’t about to offer anything up until the fat man croaked for it.
“That is, I mean, I understand your position. I can certainly promise you—”
“He’s lying,” said the Fixer. He watched the governor unblinkingly.
“Oh, did I mention, lying won’t work or save you? I brought with me one of my Fixers,” Felix said with a grin.
Nicholas stared at him. He looked a bit like a frog right now.
“He’s been under orders from the national government to stonewall you,” the Fixer said. “Some pressure from the Heroes Guild, but not that much.”
“Oh? That’s a little unexpected. I thought it would be the other way around,” Felix said.
“No. It’s mostly from the national government. I get the impression they want you to go to them, and then they try to turn you into an informant. His memories are a little jumbled but not bad. I think they’ve had similar people such as myself work on him. It’s a rare powerset, sure, but it’s not as if there aren’t millions of people to sort through. Just not as good as what your training puts out,” said the Fixer.
“Happy to know we’re the best in the business,” Felix said. “Any chance of him agreeing, or should we just wipe him now?”
“Hey, I’m right here! Don’t talk over me,” Nicholas said hotly.
“Maybe. He’s getting some flack from his voters for employment rate. That and the relocation is starting to go up for the area. People are leaving for education elsewhere. He was at first delighted when we started to move in and make our plans. He only got hesitant afterward when he found out who we were,” said the Fixer.
“Ah. Alright. Nicholas. What will it take to get you on board? A specific number of jobs created? Taking on more students? We’re fully accredited. What will it take for you to get off my ass?” Felix asked.
“Twenty minutes,” one of the Andreas said aloud.
“And the clock is ticking,” Felix said, acknowledging Andrea’s statement.
“I… wait. You’re… bribing me?” Nicholas said.
“Are you listening at all? Catch up already. I’m telling you that you need to get on board or I’m going to have you killed. What will it take for you to agree to the deal?” Felix said, his patience long since gone.
Nicholas spluttered at that, his face going from red to pale, and then red again.
Holy crap. I hate dealing with people. Elected officials should require an IQ test. Or maybe a comprehension test?
The Fixer audibly sighed and shook his head.
“I’m not sure he’s worth it. He still thinks this is all some political ploy. Maybe we should consider his replacement?” said the Fixer.
Felix groaned and closed his eyes.
He really just wanted to go home, slam several types of headache medication, and pass out.
Wait, no. Can’t do that either. Lily stole my calendar for the evening.
“Fine. Whatever. Wipe his memory. We’ll need to set up an appointment with his replacement,” Felix said.
Lauren cleared her throat and gave him a lopsided smile.
“Lily already arranged one for you. It’s right after this. She wasn’t sure if Nicholas here would be cooperative,” she said.
“Great, let’s clean this up then and get moving. Maybe he or she can see us early,” Felix said, standing up. “Uh. Just dump his memories all the way up to this point. We’ll go with the ‘hey are you alright, you don’t look good’ thing.”
Everyone stood up, including Nicholas.
“Now wait! I can make this work. We caaaaoouuuuuu…” He moaned, slumping into his chair.
“Damn, I can’t seem to get my control as good as Kit’s,” said the Fixer. “We’re good to go.”
Nicholas lifted his head up and looked at them, his eyes glazed. “I don’t feel good.”
“You don’t look so good, either,” Felix said. “We can continue our conversation later if you like. We were talking about supporting you in the upcoming election.”
“We were?” Nicholas asked. “Oh. Yes… that’d be… good.”
“Andrea, can one of you go get his assistant? I don’t want to leave him here like this.”
“Nn!” came an Andrea’s response.
The door opened and closed quickly. Only to open again and a middle-aged woman rushed up to the governor’s side.
“What happened?” she asked, looking around the room.
“We’re not sure. We were talking about supporting him in his upcoming election, and what he needed from us as a company. He said he felt weak, was dizzy, and then this,” Felix said. “We’ll get out of your way so he can recover.”
Without another word, or giving her the chance to stop them, Felix and crew exited the office.
“God, I hope this goes easier,” Felix grumbled. “I’m over today. Over everything. I hate being on top sometimes.”
“You weren’t on top last night, I was,” Andrea said happily from his side.
Felix adjusted his blazer, shifting it to one side, and then the other. He was dressed well, but not overly so. Andrea and Kit had made sure to help him pick out the right clothes.
“You’d think we could get this to fit right with how many people we have on staff,” he muttered.
“It isn’t a problem of staff, it’s that you’re putting on muscle, and losing weight,” Kit said from behind. “Besides, Lily doesn’t care. Now, is there anything else I need to know? Or is what’s in the report everything. You have a tendency to leave things out I’d rather know.”
“Uhm, nope? Besides, a Fixer was there. Go through his thoughts, or better yet, mine. Here, and while you’re in there, make this headache go away,” Felix said in annoyance.
He mentally flipped the switch on her being able to read his mind and went over to his desk.
“I… oh… ok. Yes. Ok,” Kit said, as if speaking to his memories.
“Uh huh, so while you’re talking to yourself, about that headache? Anything you can do?” Felix asked. Opening a desk drawer, he pulled out a bottle and popped open the top. Pulling out two of the pills he swallowed them dry. “Blegh. Remind me to bring a water cooler in here or something.”
“Huh? Oh, sure. You know… you often start thinking about your inner circle when your mind wanders. You called them shower thoughts, but I begin to think that’s all that’s on your mind,” Kit said.