บท 6: Thoughts of a Subordinate and Plans
POV Change - Jenny
Boss...had always been a bit scary. But I never let that get in front of the gratitude I felt toward him.
My name's Jenny. I'm a Mutant. I was born to a pair of Indian parents who moved to America for my father's job. My life was, to put it simply, brilliant.
I never had to worry about food on the table or about the clothes I'd wear to school the next day. I had no worries. Until the day I awoke my mutant power. The day my boyfriend broke up with me I let out a scream of annoyance and anger, into a pillow. But instead of making a bit of noise, the entirety of my streets power went out as a wave of electricity burst out of me.
My father rushed into my room after hearing the scream followed by that wave of electricity but when he saw me, he stopped, frozen at the sight of me.
I remember wondering what he was looking at the time. But now I understand what he was looking at and how he figured out I was a Mutant.
My hair, which was once black, had changed to a light blue and my eyes changed to the same color while they lost the pupils in them. Both of them practically glowing in the dark with a light thrum of energy. Like each of my hairs were live wires.
After he saw that...long story short, he kicked me out of the family. Threw me to the streets and moved. Called me a freak. Called me a demon. Left me all alone in New York. I had a few run-ins with people who spotted my hair and eyes and threw rocks at me or called the police - so I ran to the most abandoned places in New York.
Until one day, months after being abandoned by my family, I found myself in an abandoned Warehouse in Harlem. It already had a sleeping bag in it and a few other items...but I figured if someone returned, I could scare them off with my powers. Sending arcs of electricity over my skin did wonders when it came to terrifying normal people. They thought the arcs would randomly jump out at them or something.
But just as I was getting settled in and unpacking a small backpack I'd stolen and filled with a few bottles of water...I heard Boss' voice from behind me.
"Well...ain't this a coincidence?" his deep voice echoed throughout the warehouse and I found myself frozen in fear. Even if I wasn't the most alert person in the world, months on the street had turned me into someone who was very vigilant of their surroundings.
But he'd managed to sneak up on me so easily. He got so close, so silently.
I remember turning my head to look over my shoulder, my joints feeling like they were frozen, just to get a look at the person behind me. My first thought was that he was scary. His eyes were an unnatural golden yellow that practically glowed in the dark. The easygoing smile on his face was both casual and scary, for some reason. I could feel that it was like that...but I couldn't tell why.
I remember flaring arcs of electricity all over my body, hoping to scare him. But he didn't even flinch. Instead, he took a step forward. He smiled wider and I flinched and took an instinctive step backward.
"You like living in abandoned warehouses, kid?" he asked and I was confused for a second.
Wasn't he going to call me a freak? Wasn't he going to try and abuse me for what I am? What's with this line of questioning?
"H-huh!?" I got out, still trying to keep up the act back then. The act of being strong.
But he saw right through it and laughed. When his laughter stopped, he waved his arm around and gestured to the warehouse, "I said, do you like living in abandoned warehouses, kid? Because I sure as hell didn't," he scoffed before pointing to the sleeping bag behind me, "I used to sleep right there. Not a nice, relaxing eight hours, I'll tell you now," he laughed before lowering his hand and looking me dead in the eye, "What if I could offer you whatever you wanted? A chance to not be forced into sleeping in abandoned warehouses? What would you say about that?" he asked.
I remember just looking up at him. He was tall and obviously muscled. Handsome as well. But all I could think about was the danger hidden behind the nice exterior of this man. His deal...sounded too good to be true.
Which is what I blurted out on accident.
I expected him to be angry. Or to take back the deal and just leave. But instead...he laughed. He threw his head up and laugh uproariously. It was...odd. But it wasn't the reaction I was expecting.
Then he looked back to me and asked what I had to lose, so why didn't I just take up his offer?
If I were at any other point in my life, if I even had a friend or someone who needed me that could make me second-guess taking up the offer of a very, frankly, suspicious man...I wouldn't take up this man on my offer. I'd have had something to lose...but as I was now, with what I had right now...I really had nothing to lose. Even if this ended in me losing my life, I can't exactly say I'd care all that much.
This meeting was a week and a half ago. Boss had fulfilled his promise and got me into a very expensive hotel and given me whatever I asked for. I also got to meet two other Mutants who enjoyed the same treatment as me and all they did was speak well about boss.
But even they were somewhat scared of him. He just inspired a small amount of fear with even his most subtle actions. It was like when a Lion is lying around and acting like a household cat, you still can't help but still fear them because at any moment, they could attack and kill you. That's what being around boss was like.
The only thing boss asked for in return was for me to use my powers to help his organization to grow. In a world of electronics and technology, my ability to act like a walking EMP allowed us to covertly get quite a lot done without lights or CCTV to stop us.
Boss even helped me train my power. Told me odd but useful practice games to improve my control. He even helped me expand what my power could do.
Helped me develop it into a more offensive power. I could practically throw bolts of lightning at people now. I could defend myself. All because of boss. I'd killed people for him and the organization...but I didn't care. If this was how I could pay him back, I'd do it.
Yet despite how I knew I could now defend myself, when...whatever that was that came out of boss, came out of him, I felt weak.
A sort of pressure. Like gravity suddenly increased a few times. All coming from boss - he was just exuding it. I was standing behind him, still feeling pissed at Cottonmouth had called us freaks, when it hit me and I fell to a knee almost instantly. Andre was the same, despite his skin going red, signaling that he'd activated his muscle enhancement power. It was like the pressure was never-ending and full of impossible weight.
But oddly...despite feeling some amount of fear for how whatever boss was doing and how it was making me feel so powerless, I also felt a growing sense of awe for boss and pride for being his subordinate.
I willingly lowered my head...and the pressure faded. I stood up, looking around at the others who were still struggling to resist the pressure. I instantly knew why they were still struggling - they hadn't realized the gap between us and boss. How utterly outmatched we all were when compared to him. Just the exposure of that aura...it'd opened my eyes.
Boss looked over his shoulder, surprised at my ability to stand, before he shrugged and looked back toward Cottonmouth.
Then the pressure stopped effecting everyone else. But this time it wasn't because they accepted it like I had. It only stopped because boss stopped putting it out. Once that was done, Cottonmouth looked...terrified, when he looked at boss.
But the deal went by without even a single peep from either side after that.
Andre took the cases of guns and loaded them into a van, while I picked up a few bags of money and walked them over toward Cottonmouth. He never even spared me a glance, too busy cautiously looking at boss.
And with that, it was over. We'd paid the necessary money and they'd delivered the product. Top-quality guns.
Then both sides parted ways.
. . .
POV Change - Tyler (MC)
Sparing Jenny one last look, I closed the door to my office before walking to my desk and sitting down. I'd already dismissed the twins - I didn't want to fuck anything tonight. I'd found out some information that was...interesting.
[Loyal subordinate gained: Jenny Anand.]
...Now, why did I have such a notification? I mean, it is useful. But at the same time, it makes me somewhat suspicious of my other subordinates. If they're not considered loyal, what are they?
Disloyal subordinates? No one has a need for such defunct things.
I have a pretty good idea for why she's suddenly considered loyal. Releasing my aura, the aura of a beast, was both an intimidation tactic and a way to dominate and crush someone's will. Once their will had been dominated, they'd become, in a way, lower than me. I'd have proven my superiority and they'd have admitted their inferiority.
Jenny, unlike my other subordinates and Cottonmouth's subordinates, wasn't intimidated. She was made loyal by a show of power. Kinda like when Gorillas fight to decide the top dog. The one who shows that they're stronger becomes the top dog and the other loyally follows it. Well, until the next chance for it to usurp the stronger one comes along at least.
I sat back into my chair, leaning into it, before after a few minutes I heard a knock, "Come in," I called and in walked Andre. He walked toward the desk and stood there, looking fearful of me, but I just smiled at him, "Say, Andre, are you loyal to me?" I asked before standing up and meeting his eyes with my own.
"Y-yeah, of course, boss. Why wouldn't I be?" he stuttered and my turned into a smirk as I shook my head.
"You shouldn't lie, Andre. Not to your boss," I chided him and before he could speak up again, I subjected him to my aura again. He instantly dropped to his knees, the pressure being too much for him to fight off.
I didn't particularly like doing this to him. But I needed to test a hypothesis I had.
After a few seconds, nothing happened other than Andre sweating a lot, so I turned up the amount of aura I was putting out by a small amount. Almost instantly, his body relaxed and he looked up at me and stood up with a simple smile on his face, "I'm not lying, boss," he said and I returned his smile before laughing as I saw another notification pop up in front of me.
[Loyal subordinate gained: Andre Holloway.]
"Good. You can leave now," I said before sitting back down and kicking up my feet onto the desk. Andre nodded and turned before leaving. This was a useful power to know I had - a sort of instinctive domination that made me the top dog in someone's mind.
...But I could also tell that this wasn't mind control and nor was it perfect.
If I lost or was beat by someone, the effect would wear off. Or if I did something so abhorrently wrong or against the person's moral code, they'd most likely snap out of it.
It's not like I've hypnotized them or I'm mind controlling or forcing them to be my subordinate. They're free to leave whenever they want and they can do what they want. Whatever my aura did to them is just keeping them loyal and in line. They could still most likely plot to betray me if my leadership wasn't to their liking or something but as long as I'm a good leader, they'll be good subordinates.
Not like I could order them to kill themselves and they'd do it or anything extreme like that. They still have free will.
But still, this is a pretty good find. Loyal subordinates. Should make doing this gang stuff much easier in the long run. I could even let someone take over being the head of the gang while I hide about in the shadows, pulling the strings. Should be able to keep my identity hidden.
The only thing keeping it hidden right now is that I'm only the leader of some small gang in Harlem.
I don't let my powered subordinates use their powers in broad daylight and whenever I do allow them to use their powers, I'm nearby, making sure their identities aren't found out.
But when we get bigger, it'd probably be for the best to slip away into the shadows or something. At least until I'm strong enough to walk the streets without having to worry about anything. I'm strong right now, but I'm nowhere near invincible. As much as that annoys me to admit, it's the truth. A tank shell to the chest could take me out or concentrated fire from a 50 cal. machine gun.
Point is, that I'm far from unkillable right now. So when the time comes, I need to disappear from this underworld and enter the land of legitimacy.
Which is why I brought those guns from Cottonmouth. Completely legal guns. He even gave me the papers for them. He has a contact I'm planning on stealing, inside Hammer Industries. Don't get me wrong, Justin Hammer? An idiot. But he does sell some decent guns. The trick is to go for the more normal guns and not the overpriced shit he tries to sell the military. Anyway, what did I need the guns for?
To make a business. A business of professional bodyguards.
I could use my power and skills as they were right now, to train up some pretty good and competent bodyguards.
I'd already picked out the candidates. With the training I was going to give them and their natural talents...well, I was going to make some pretty good fucking bodyguards! Bodyguards that, in a few years, will be in high demand. Why? Because I'm gonna teach these bodyguards how to take on powered individuals.
Useless in the current world climate, seeing as the Hulk is little more than a myth and Tony Stark hasn't become or revealed himself as Iron Man yet. Nor has the Chitauri Invasion of New York happened. Powered individuals hadn't really came about just yet either.
But when they do, my bodyguards will be ready. I'll have trained them to fight powered individuals and they'll show the world that they can get the job done.
By that point, it's just a matter of time before my business explodes in size.
Even before then, their training will be enough to make them superior and very capable bodyguards in the first place. So, to say I'm gonna make a killing off of this venture, would be an understatement.
Now all I have to do is cultivate, train those people and wait until I can enter the White Room again. I have a feeling that after I come out of it again, I'll be much stronger than before.
But at the same time...I feel like I'll have to deal with something annoying at that time as well.
...Ah shit, that was a flag, wasn't it?
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