Published at 28th of October 2025 4:24 pm

Chapter 32 Brainstorming Businesses

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Today is going to be a good day. When I woke up, I saw a text from Vivienne with a thumbs-up emoji. At least one of my problems has been solved. If I secure Rorschach to our cause, then the only people who even know I exist will be my inner circle. Ill have to find out what happened through Vivienne. She had Isaiah to help her, but shes new to leadership. I have to give the two of them new orders if were going to be ready to move to Quinstin in time for me to start college. Kai has had four days to get the warehouse ready for what I have planned. I need to find a buyer for the drugs and move the database out of my house. Maria has been here 24/7, and I havent been able to use it. There are so many things that I need to get done in a little under six weeks.

Eryk, are you listening? Maria asked.

Were sitting in my living room, relaxing. The house is empty; Daniel is gone.

Oh, sorry, babe, I was just thinking about all the things I have to do before I move. And then I started thinking about how Im going to miss seeing you every day. But NHU is only a four-hour Quickrail ride away. I can buy you a pass so you can visit whenever. You can come down and spend the weekend at my apartment, I said.

Yeah, thats not a bad plan, she said, twirling her hair around her finger.

Thats her tell. Shes hiding something from me. I pull her over onto my lap and kiss her neck. The physical connection, combined with the closeness, will make it harder to lie.

You said total honesty, but youre hiding something from me. Maria, I said.

Did she tell someone about Marcus and Davis? I close my arms around her, keeping her close. I can strangle her here and now, and all of the bullshit ends. Maria will die if shes betrayed me.

Its nothing bad, okay? Just promise you wont be upset, Maria said.

I push my fingers through her hair and feel the softness of it. I could yank her head back and then break her face.

You can tell me anything; I could never be mad at you, I said.

Okay, I lied about UNH. I actually applied to QUTD, and I got in. Isnt that amazing? We can stay together forever, Maria said.

No. Nononononononononononono. NO! I can feel my blood boiling as Punchs aggression whispers to strike at her. I feel the urge rising inside me to beat her within an inch of her life, to forcibly remove the thorn in my life permanently. I cant break up with her because shell either snap and kill me or tell the cops about the murders. I clench my teeth so tightly theyre grinding together. Its only due to the fact my face is buried in her hair that she cant see my expression. All these years of discipline are barely helping me control myself. How does she manage to make everything worse? I will never be free of her, not until she is six feet under.

Im so glad. Ill get to go to sleep next to the woman of my dreams and then wake up next to the love of my life every morning. Now, my loft wont feel so empty. Maria, this is a wonderful surprise, I said.

Yay, I knew I was overthinking it, she squeaked, kissing me lightly.

Speaking of Quinstin. I do have some errands I have to run today, so I should get going, I said, getting up off the couch.

Ill miss you, but I have had you to myself nonstop for almost three days. I guess I can be away from you for a little bit. I have to grab some stuff from my house today, anyway, Maria said.

I might get home late, but Ill text you tomorrow. I love you, and I cant wait for Quinstin.

Love ya too, Maria said on her way out the door.

I need to maximize the next twenty-four hours. The first thing I do is text Vivienne to meet me here in two hours. The next thing to do is exercise. Ive been steadily putting weight back on, but I need to work out to maintain my physique. Ive been in too many situations where being in shape has kept me alive to slack now. Rep after rep, followed by cardio on the bike until Im dripping buckets. I push myself to the brink physically for a reprieve from my thoughts.

Maria cannot be allowed to go to Quinstin with me, but I cant be the one to do it. I would need an intermediary to contract a third party to kill her. Possibly even need more obfuscation or another level of seperation. The boyfriend is always the immediate suspect when a woman goes missing. I need an alibi so airtight they wouldnt even think to question me. I cant ask Vivienne to do it; she isnt a killer. She might do it if I ask, but that would change our relationship forever. And I cant ask Isaiah because it leads back to my civilian identity. He would question why Nobody is having him assassinate a random girl from some tiny town. Im stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I cannot seem to think of a clear way out. There arent enough pieces on the board to facilitate her death. All of that will wait until Im at the warehouse. I have twenty minutes until Vivienne arrives, and I need to shower and change.

Vivienne texts me just as I get out of the shower. I text her to come inside, and I hear her walking up the stairs. Today will be a good day. I throw on some clothes just as she knocks on my door.

Come on in. Im decent.

Immediately I notice something about her is different. Its the incline of her head, the correction of her posture, and the swagger of her walk. Vivienne is confident and happy. No, not happy, but something similar. Shes giddy about something. I take a seat on my bed and offer her the chair.

Hey, Nobody, how ya been? Vivienne asked.

Ive been fine, and please refer to me as Eryk if I dont have the helmet on.

Sorry, bossman. Ill work on it, but in my head, I only think of you as Nobody, she said.

I can understand what you mean, but you never know who could be listening. Im not trying to scare you with paranoid words. Being careful is what will allow us to succeed where others fail, I said.

You havent steered me wrong, so Ill trust you know what youre talking about, Vivienne replied.

Trust but verify. You are clever and resourceful. I have to say, the emoji was smart; if anyone saw my texts, nothing was incriminating about it. It does bring up a glaring problem. I need a burner phone so I can fully separate my civilian and Cowl lives. Communicating with the others through you isnt a long-term solution. You arent my secretary or assistant, Vivienne; youre my right hand. How did everything go last night?

Thanks, Eryk. My name still sounds stilted, coming out of her mouth. At least shes trying. Ill talk to Isaiah, but Im sure hes already thought of it. That guy is always one step ahead. Hes dangerous and an incredible guy to have to watch your back.

Its good that you two work well together. The thumbs-up was a little vague. Tell me about how the mission went, I said.

We compliment each other. If I were to sum up last nights mission in one word, it would be: fucking amazing. Which I know is two words, but like fuck man, we kicked so much ass. Santiago is dead, with only two other casualties. Not only that, but I did something I think youll appreciate, she said.

Who killed Santiago? I asked. She isnt Maria, prone to ruining everything she gets involved with. She knows me and my goals well enough not to cause problems purposely.

Rorschach killed him, and it was fucked up. Isaiah said something to him, and he willingly confessed to Murmurs murder. Then she did something just awful. She made this giant snake with her power and then had it crawl down his throat. He drowned in ink, and it wasnt quick. He suffred the entire time. Im not afraid of a little bloodshed, but that was a terrible way to go, she said softly.

He made his bed, V. There was no enmity between us until he shared something he shouldnt have. Making a person suffer should serve a purpose, either for information or as an example. Enemies should be dealt with swiftly and without mercy. Now, what was that other thing you wanted to tell me about? I asked.

Oh, yeah. Weve been trying to figure out what to do with all the drugs, so after we wrecked their shit, I gave the gang an offer. I thought about what youd do in my shoes, and I told them to join or disband, Vivienne said.

Excellent work. This is exactly the type of good news I needed. But has she thought it through?

V, you know Im not interested in entering the drug game. Im trying to leave it. The plan was never to become a drug dealer, I said.

I know. Thats why I didnt mention you at all. Me and Isaiah will be the ones running itabsolutely zero connection to you. The gang will never know that there is someone else at the top. When I made my offer, only two of them had the balls to look at me. Those two will be the new co-leaders of that gang. Theyre going to take my offer because theres no other choice for them. They arent up to the standard that I know youd have, so Im gonna need to change how they operate, Vivienne said.

I guess I had nothing to worry about. If youre sure about this, then Ill trust you. Youve more than earned it. I said dont want to be involved, but Im here if you have ideas you want to bounce off me, I said.

I appreciate your support and I do want to pick your brain about it. They have thirty-nine members; ten are shooters, and I picked two of the ten to be the new leaders. I figured that having two of them would help with settling disputes, and if one dies, theres still another. They deal with small quantities of heavily cut drugs: heroin, coke, molly, and weed. They party a lot with their own shit. When we hit them, they had nobody on the perimeter. It was frustratingly easy. The way they run their operation is sloppy. I can point out every flaw they have, but Im having trouble visualizing how to fix it, Vivienne said.

I have a few ideas. This is all hypothetical until they agree. But the first thing is to stop them from getting high on their own supply. You cant be a drug dealer and a drug addict. Enforcing sobriety on a gang is nearly impossible, but it is doable over a long-term period. The second thing Id do is create even more structure. You have you and Isaiah at the top, followed by the two new leaders, but then what? Create tiers within the gang that people can move up through. Stop dealing with the impure and cut stuff; its bad business that only hurts in the long term. Stick to the pure cocaine we have and sell it at a premium to a wealthier group of clientele. Im sure Isaiah can find another supplier if the business proves lucrative. Pretty up all the gang members who dont have the fucked up faces, and keep them healthy and clean. Those are the ones who will interact with the upper-crust customers. You and Isaiah might have to make house calls until members of the gang prove themselves. Everyone starts at street level, moving weed and molly. Take the skulls who have killed and have them run protection and intimidation. Keep them happy but controlled. They are the ones who will eventually go the way of the dodo. But those are just my initial thoughts without knowing hard numbers and personnel, I said.

Jesus Christ. Thanks for the advice, youre good at this shit, Nobody. Whats the plan for today? Vivienne asked.

I want to move the database to the warehouse. Speaking of, hows it looking? Has Kai completed the lab yet?

It looks incredible, and hes done so much in just a few days. We can go now if youre ready, Vivienne said.

Im all set, I said, sliding my mask into my bag.

When we pull into the docks, I activate the mask, becoming Nobody. The warehouse doesnt look any different, except the metal welded over the windows is gone. Kai or someone replaced the metal with cardboard and wood. It makes it look more abandoned. Smart. Welded metal implies something more than just squatters or junkies. It implies machinery, tools, and someone with something to hide. Maybe Im being too paranoid, but its worked for me so far.

Before we go in, heres that gun you asked Isaiah for, Vivienne said.

She passes me a black briefcase. I pull it onto my lap and pop it open. Inside the case is a foam mold holding a pistol, silencer attachment, and ten magazines of ammunition. I dont know enough about weapons to guess what type it is. The gun is just a gun. As long as it shoots where I point and kills what it hits, Im good. Ill need to practice with it later to make sure Im comfortable. I leave my backpack in the car and bring the briefcase with me. Shes carrying the database by herself like its nothing.

I follow Vivienne up to a side door thats been changed. Its solid, bulletproof steel and stands out from the rest of the buildings worn-down look. Theres a security camera aimed down at the entrance, tracking us as we walk up. Vivienne waves up at the camera, and a second later, I hear hissing from pistons as the door opens inward.

As soon as we enter, I can see all the changes Kai has made. Vivienne is excited as she gives me the tour, going over everything Kai built. The front of the house is for lesser members and staff. All the pieces essential to our operation are in the second half of the building. That second-floor mirror is one way, allowing us to see down, but no one can see up at us. Shes proud of all of this. She has every right to be; she helped build it. But this is just a stepping stone. If Kai accomplished all of this in less than a week, then the possibilities are endless. This will open up new streams of revenue. I could buy underdeveloped land and build houses to rent in Quinstinlegal money from a legal business. She stops right before we go through the double doors.

We all have offices upstairs. Im assuming you want this thing in yours. Kai should be around here somewhere, and Isaiah is on his way. Do you want to hold a meeting once Isaiahs here? We gave Rorschach the offer and told her to drop by here if she wanted to join. For what its worth, I think she will, Vivienne said.

Your judgment has proven pretty spot on. The meeting will just be me, you, and Isaiah. As soon as were finished, Im going to start on the work I brought Kai on for. Finalize your gang plan today. Those two leaders you picked are allowed inside, but keep them in the front, not back here. And only those two are allowed on the property, I responded.

Vivienne transforms, lifting the database with one hand. I follow her through the doors and up the staircase. Kai built everything to accommodate her Shifter form. Thats good, she deserves it. Seeing all of this should make me feel something, but its like Im back to square one. Diminishs power cannot stay with me. The upstairs is perfect. A conference room on my left, big enough for twenty people, and on the right side there are six offices. At the end of the hall, I see a lone room that must be mine. Inside is a Herman Miller office chair, a mahogany oak desk, and a computer setup. Its devoid of any personality. Fitting. He didnt build these things, which means he purposefully went out and got them.

Set it down by the desk. I have some research to do for new targets. Well have our meeting in thirty, I said.

Got it, she said, closing the door behind her.

It's time to pick the next powers to take.

Before we begin, Id like to say that you both did well. Vivienne has already ommunicated what happened last night, but Id like to ask if you want to tell your side as well, I said.

Whatever V told you is exactly what happened. She isnt the type to embellish, Isaiah smiled.

Youre a sweet talker, Hotpants. Youre gonna make me blush.

Then on to my next question. Do you believe that Rorschach will join us? I asked.

I believe so. She no longer has any reason to hate or suspect you, plus the three of us worked incredibly well together. Rorschach isnt the kind of Cowl who would try to pull off a job solo. That means shed need partners, and most Cowls arent as violence-averse as she is. By virtue of our old group being dead, she will eventually come around, Isaiah said.

In that case, going forward, Ill be planning with her joining us in mind. While I could still just take her power and kill her, that isnt how I want to handle things. There are already plenty of bodies, and more will come. Im going to be sending the two of you out separately for your next assignments. Vivienne, get your gang project up and running today. Ill text you the details on the next Neuvohumans I need, I said.

Got it. Im gonna go ask Kai to borrow one of his drones. Ill be back once Ive grabbed a target and spoke to the skullfucks, Vivienne said before taking her leave.

Once the two of us are alone, I speak. Isaiah, you and I have a lot in common. We both see problems in the same light. Thats why I feel I can trust you with some of my more unsavory missions. With that being said, youre going to have a similar assignment as V, but with a slight difference.

Whatever you need, Nobody.

I have a lot of ideas occupying my brain concurrently, mostly with how to acquire more abilities and gain political power. There is something I have started that will help accomplish both, and I need your assistance with it. I aim to create a human vigilante who kills Neuvohumans who abuse their powers. Im not talking about Cowls who rob banks or sell drugs. Im talking about the real scum of the earth types, including some Capes. Im going to need you to help me fabricate a Neuvohuman serial killer who takes revenge against the ones who slipped through the justice system. Ive already killed one of them, but no one will know its a serial killer until more bodies appear. Well take their powers and then their lives, I said.

I wont let you down. And you know what, itll be fun, Isaiah said.

Excellent. Your first target is a man by the name of Curtis Drax. Hes a wealthy cretin who can generate an incredibly potent and addictive high in people via physical contact. He uses this to gain blackmail on people through their spouses, family members, and affair partners. Then, he uses that information to extort politicians and upper-class citizens. No conviction has been able to stick, thanks to the nearly infinite number of favors he can call in. I want him brought to me, along with all the blackmail hes collected, I said.

Guy like that's going to have bodyguards. How do you want them handled? I can make it look however you want. Isaiah said.

Youre exactly the kind of soldier Ive needed. Isaiah Jules, you are such an asset.

Make it look like it was personala vendetta from a group of people fed up with the law failing them. Again, make it look like an entire group did it. On an unrelated note, thank you for the gun. Are you able to get us some burner phones? It will make it easier for me to contact you all directly rather than through V.

Its no issue. Ill bring them next time. Is there anything else you need?

No, thatll be all for now. But after Curtis, Im going to need you to pick up some test subjects for me, I said.

He smiles and then leaves me alone in the conference room. I hope youve finished building it, Kai. We have so much work to do.

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