Wait.
Felix had been well trained, but he wasn’t an idiot.
“Erica, get out of sight and behind cover!” Felix yelled
He could hear the sound of gunfire, shouts, and the pounding of feet as every member of Legion acted.
Deafening booms and the crackle of power punctuated the annoyance and fear in Felix’s mind.
The explosions and sound of gunfire fell off sharply.
It only took a few seconds after that before Felix could hear verbal commands being issued. Then the PA system that’d been setup came to life with a crackle.
“Security check, gather the sheep and begin shearing,” Kit said over the loudspeakers. The sheep would be the reporters, and the shearing would be their memories of the attack.
No one would be the wiser as to Legion suffering an ambush. That’d been the plan when they invited the media in case something happened.
“Code Black, Eagle is missing. Repeat, Eagle is missing,” said Kit over the PA.
“Damnit. I need to get up and flag down a security officer so they don’t start ripping everything apart,” Felix said to himself.
Getting up to his feet, Felix went back over to the gate he’d come in from. When he’d taken only a few steps in that direction, the female security officer broke into the alcove and immediately locked eyes with him.
“My charm broke, but I’m fine. The attack was directly on me,” Felix said quickly, trying to reassure the officer.
Apparently it worked, because she stopped dead in her tracks. Her left hand shot up to the microphone on her shoulder and she began speaking into it.
Looking around, Felix needed to find Erica. He’d have to take her over to the Fixers to have—
She was laid out on the ground, blood pooling around her rapidly.
“Code Black canceled, Eagle has been sighted. Need a TM and a SB to section forty-two, south gate. Fro—”
Felix tuned Kit’s voice out and ran over to Erica’s prone form.
She was breathing hard, her hands pressed to her stomach. Her large eyes darted to him.
They were large, dilated. Full of fear.
“I’ve been shot,” she said, as he came to her side. “I’m shot.”
“Yes. You have. You’re also in shock,” Felix said. Looking over his shoulder he saw the security guard. “Hey! Tell the Telemedic to bring a number three contract with them. And to hurry, that’s an order.”
The guard immediately began talking into her mic, moving to exit the alcove quickly.
Grumbling, Felix knelt over Erica and pressed his hands to hers.
“Hey there. A little bit more truth for you than most people get before they sign a contract with me. I have a super power. I can modify or change anything I own,” Felix said, trying to hold her eyes with his own.
The sheer amount of blood seeping into the ground beneath her was unnerving. He couldn’t imagine she had much blood left in her at this point.
“You’re a powered,” she said. “That explains so much.”
“Yeah. So, with that said, I have a modified contract system that gives me temporary ownership of you, as my employee. Which lets me modify or edit you as a person,” Felix said slowly. He was trying to keep her with him. An explanation of why she needed to sign her contract immediately seemed like a great place to start.
“I? I need to sign?” Erica asked, her voice getting softer. “What do I sign?”
“A contract. I need you to sign a contract,” Felix repeated. She wasn’t anything to him, but he didn’t want to see her die. She’d only been trying to get a story on him.
A victim by being in his vicinity, only.
“Oh. I already signed a contract. I got a job! I didn’t think I’d… I’d get one so quickly. Beastkin have to try harder,” Erica said.
“Yes, but you have to sign another. As soon as it gets here.” Felix looked around as soon as he finished talking.
If they don’t get here soon it won’t matter a damn bit. I thought we pla—
A young male Telemedic popped into being a few feet away from Felix. In a heartbeat, the man had crouched down beside Erica and handed the contract to Felix.
“Erica, I need you to sign this, ok?” Felix said, pulling the contract open.
It was the right one.
Thank goodness for small miracles.
“I don’t have my pen,” Erica muttered. “It’s with my… my notes. In the car. It’s cold here. Can I have a blanket?”
Felix looked to the Telemedic, who stared back at Felix.
There’s no pen.
“That’s ok,” Felix said, taking Erica’s right hand away from her stomach. “Pretend your finger is a pen, and sign right here, ok? Sign your agreement. I can’t do it for you.”
Erica’s hand lifted up and pressed into the page. She grabbed it with her thumb and forefinger and lifted her left hand instead.
“Left han…ded,” Erica whispered, then her hands dropped down to the ground at her sides.
Her eyes fluttered, and she let out a slow rattling breath.
And died.
Felix blinked, staring at the bloody contract in his hand.
Her bloody fingers had left a smeared trail along the signature line.
Blood counts, right? People used to sign with blood. That’s right.
People signed in blood back in the day. Before the populace could sign, right
“That’s fine, Erica. Signing in blood is fine. That’s fine,” Felix said to the corpse. “This’ll work. I’m sure.”
Felix looked at the contract and then tried to call up her character window.
“Get back to HQ and get the appropriate resources for however many people we need to raise, plus one,” Felix said to the Telemedic.
He didn’t want to see him right now. The lack of a pen was an oversight on both their parts. Felix didn’t ask for one, and the Telemedic didn’t think to bring one.
Resurrect Erica. Bring her back to life because she signed her contract. She’s an employee. Bring her back.
The Telemedic got up and immediately vanished, flitting away through the space between places that they zipped through.
No screen popped up.
Felix wasn’t looking for a hypothetical, he was looking for an actual screen. Which meant it’d only come up if it was a binding contract.
“Come on, Erica. You signed in blood. You even used a fingerprint. That’s a valid signature, right?” Felix said, trying to pull up the screen again.
Nothing.
“Oh, come on!” Felix shouted at Erica’s cooling body. “Look, I know… I know my power isn’t normal and it changes by my wishes at times. The only way that’s possible is if someone is watching up there.”
Felix waited for a few seconds and tried to pull up the window again.
Nothing.
“Come on… she was willing to sign. She wanted to sign. She put her bloody thumb on it. That’s a signature,” Felix muttered, sinking down into a sitting position.
“Consider it a favor owed,” Felix said.
Erica wasn’t anyone to him other than a resource. But she died because of him, and had done him no wrong.
For the first time in a long time, Felix felt some guilt.
Regret.
“I’d owe you two favors?” Felix asked, a bitter smile crossing his face as he realized no one was listening.
Name:
Erica Newberg
Power: --
Alias:
Secondary Power: --
Physical Status:
Decaying
Mental Status:
Dead
Positive Statuses:
None
Negative Statuses:
Dead
Strength:
35
Upgrade?(350)
Dexterity:
41
Upgrade?(410)