Chapter 20: Apartment Upgrade
The bed was so soft it felt like a cloud.
For the last year of my life, I slept on a lumpy mattress on the floor. Now, I was sleeping on a king-sized bed with silk sheets.
It felt like being a kid all over again.
I rolled over and grabbed the remote on the nightstand. I pressed a button. The curtains automatically slid open, letting the bright morning sun shine into the room.
Through the windows, I could see the entire downtown skyline.
This was my new corporate apartment. Aegis Defense gave it to me for free during my week off. It had a giant TV, a huge bathtub, and best of all, room service.
I picked up the phone next to the bed and pressed zero.
"Good morning, Mr. Fawn," a polite voice answered. "What can we get for you today?"
"A stack of pancakes, extra syrup, and a side of bacon," I said. "Bring it up to the room, please."
"Right away, sir."
I hung up and smiled. This was the life. It was exactly why I took the Hero Licensing Exam. I didn't want to save the world. I just wanted to eat bacon in a soft bed without ever having to work a minimum-wage job again.
I closed my eyes and opened my Status Screen.
Name: Shay Fawn
Age: 19
Level: 6
Title: [Opportunist]
HP: 220/220
BP: 145/145
When the food arrived, I ate in a fluffy white bathrobe. Then, I took a hot shower and got dressed. I put on a clean black hoodie, dark jeans, and a pair of comfortable sneakers.
It was time to go to work.
I left my apartment building and walked a few blocks to the Aegis Defense Tower.
I walked into the lobby of the Aegis Tower.
The woman at the front desk smiled when she saw me. "Good morning, Mr. Fawn. Captain May is waiting for you in Briefing Room A on the fifteenth floor."
"Thanks," I said.
I took the elevator up, feeling relaxed.
I walked down the hallway and opened the door to Briefing Room A.
Captain May was standing at the head of the table, wearing a suit and tapping on a tablet.
"Good morning, Shay," she said. "Take a seat."
I sat down in one of the leather chairs, leaned back and put my feet up on the edge of the table.
"So, what's the job today?" I asked. "Any more Zone looters? I could use some more free Cores."
May stopped tapping on her tablet and sighed.
"Put your feet down, Shay."
I slowly took my feet off the table. "You seem stressed, Captain."
"I am stressed," May said, walking around the table. "You are Level 6, have an S-Tier Blessing, took down a Level 15 Villain and a Black Hole anarchist in the same week. Statistically, you are one of the most efficient rookies Aegis has ever hired."
"Thank you," I smiled.
"Don't thank me yet," May said. "Because right now, you are completely useless to this company."
I frowned. "Useless? I made the company thousands of dollars last week."
"Aegis Defense is a multi-billion dollar corporation, Shay. A few thousand dollars from a bounty is pocket change," May explained. "We make our real money from corporate sponsors. We sell energy drinks, tactical gear, and reality TV rights. To do that, our Heroes need to be famous and loved by the public."
She pointed a finger at me.
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"You don't look like a Hero. You look like a teenager who just rolled out of bed. You wear hoodies, you don't smile or have a catchphrase. You are a PR nightmare."
I crossed my arms. "I don't care about PR. I just want to catch bounties and get paid."
"That is not how downtown works," May said. "If you want to keep that luxury apartment, you have to play the game. You have to be marketable and look good on camera."
"I'm not wearing spandex," I warned her.
"You aren't wearing anything yet," May replied. "Because you don't know how to act in front of a news drone. You are lazy, Shay. You fight smart, but you hide in the shadows. The cameras can't film you if you're hiding."
She pressed a button on the table. The holographic screen lit up, showing a picture of a young woman in a bright blue Hero suit. The suit was covered in logos for sports cars and expensive watches. The woman had blonde hair and a bright smile.
"Aegis is assigning you a partner," May said. "A babysitter, to be exact."
I stared at the picture of the woman who looked like a plastic doll. "Who is that?"
"That is Genevieve," May said. "She is Level 15, a B-Tier Emitter with an Ice Blast Blessing. She is also our most profitable Rookie Hero. She knows exactly how to work the cameras and she is going to teach you how to be a corporate asset."
I groaned and rubbed my eyes.
I hated working with people. People expected you to try hard and care.
"Do I really have to do this?" I asked.
The door to the briefing room suddenly slid open.
"Yes, you do," a sharp voice said.
I turned around in my chair.
Standing in the doorway was the woman from the picture. Genevieve. She was wearing her blue suit in real life. It was so clean it practically sparkled.
A realization washed over me at that moment. This was the same girl from the licensing exam.
She looked at my hoodie and sneered.
"So," Genevieve said, crossing her arms. "This is the lazy rookie I have to drag around?"
I sighed. My comfortable morning was officially over.
Genevieve walked into the room like she owned it. She stopped next to the table and looked down at me.
Up close, her blue suit looked even more ridiculous. It had a giant logo for Apex Energy Drinks right across her chest and smaller logos for expensive car brands on her shoulders.
"Captain May," Genevieve said, not taking her eyes off me. "Are you sure this is the guy? He looks like a vagrant."
"He is highly capable, Genevieve," May said. "He has an S-Tier Blessing."
Genevieve rolled her eyes. "S-Tier doesn't matter if he's Level 6. I'm Level 15. I've been grinding Private Zones since I was twelve and have three major sponsors. Why do I have to babysit him?"
"Because Aegis management told you to," May replied. "Mr. Graves wants Shay in front of the cameras so the public can see our new S-Tier asset. Your job is to make sure he doesn't look like an idiot on the news."
Genevieve sighed dramatically, turned to me and held out a hand with perfectly painted fingernails.
"Listen closely," Genevieve said. "My Hero name is Frostbite. When we are outside, you stay behind me. You do not talk to the press or ruin my camera angles. If a Villain attacks, you let me handle it. I need the XP to hit Level 20, and I need the footage to keep my sponsors happy. Understand?"
"I don't care about the cameras," I said. "And I don't care about your sponsors. Just don't get in my way when I'm trying to work."
Genevieve scoffed, dropping her hand. "Work? I read your file. You hid in an alley and dropped a baton on a guy's head. That's not hero work. It’s a coward’s trick."
Arguing took too much energy so I just leaned back in my chair and looked at Captain May.
"So, what are we actually doing today?" I asked.
May tapped her tablet and the holographic screen changed. The picture of Genevieve disappeared, replaced by a map of the city.
"You are going on a standard C-Rank patrol in District 3," May explained. "It is a commercial district. Lots of banks, high-end tech stores. It is a prime target for organized Villains."
"A C-Rank patrol?" Genevieve complained. "I usually do B-Rank. C-Rank is boring. There won't be any good fights."
"It is a training patrol for Shay," May said. "Show him the ropes and how to interact with the HRC police. And most importantly, show him how to secure a scene for the media drones."
May looked at me. "Shay, I want you to watch Genevieve. Learn how she operates. Aegis is investing a lot of money in you. We expect a return on that investment."
"Sure," I said.
"Good. Go to the armory on floor two and get your earpieces. Then hit the streets," May ordered.
Genevieve turned around and marched out of the room without waiting for me.
I stood up slowly, stretched my arms, and followed her out.
We took the elevator down to the second floor. Genevieve didn't say a word to me the entire ride. She just looked at her reflection in the glass doors, adjusting her hair to make sure it looked perfect.
We got our earpieces from the armory and walked out the front doors of the Aegis Tower.
The moment we stepped outside, Genevieve's entire personality changed.
She stood up straighter. A friendly smile spread across her face. She waved at a group of people walking by.
"Good morning, citizens!" she called out cheerfully. "Stay safe out there!"
The people smiled back and waved. A teenager even took a picture of her with his phone.
I walked a few steps behind her, keeping my hands in my hoodie pockets.
"You're very fake," I muttered so only she could hear.
Genevieve kept smiling at the crowd, but she spoke to me through the side of her mouth. "It's called public relations. If the public likes you, the sponsors like you. If the sponsors like you, you get paid. Try smiling. It won't kill you."
"Smiling takes effort," I said.
Genevieve rolled her eyes again. "Just stay behind me and try not to look so miserable. You're ruining my brand."
We started walking toward District 3.
I sighed. I was making more money, but dealing with Genevieve was already exhausting. She was going to make this job a lot harder than it needed to be.