Chapter 249 Prime.

Chapter 249: 249 Prime.

"Of course," Lacey purred, moving in for the kill.

It was honestly like watching a great white shark circle a bleeding seal.

"And with the cost of living climbing every single quarter, who can even find a civilian job capable of paying the bills while maintaining the scheduling flexibility required for active heroism?" Lacey asked.

Her voice moved just fast enough to bulldoze any protests, yet smooth enough to sound incredibly reasonable. Soothing, almost. "Don’t even get me started on the administrative overhead. The documentation required for unsanctioned vigilantism is an absolute burden.

"Who has the time to fill out federal incident forms, retain legal counsel for property damage lawsuits, or even do something as simple as pick up groceries when the Magma Men are tearing up midtown?"

Vanessa stared at the executive in total wonderment. She was braced for a physical brawl or a magical duel. She was utterly unprepared for a corporate boardroom blitz. "I... uh..."

"But there is a solution!" Lacey said brightly.

"There is?" Vanessa blinked.

"Of course," Lacey smiled.

I stood off to the side, watching in muted awe. So this was the exact face so many young, idealistic heroes saw right before they signed away their souls to become heavily branded corporate shills. It was practically a masterclass in predatory manipulation.

"You see," Lacey continued, pressing her advantage without skipping a beat, "Firefly Industries knows exactly how difficult it can be for independent heroes. That is precisely why we offer a highly generous, comprehensive benefits package for those who sign an exclusivity contract with us.

"We provide secure penthouse suites, meal delivery services, and fully vetted cleaning staff, because we know how vital civilian privacy is to a super.

"A dedicated team of our experienced public relations officers ensures you never have to bother giving statements to the press.

"Our healthcare package is second to none—including full dental, trauma surgery, and unlimited access to specialized mental health services. Because carrying the weight of the city can feel so heavy at times."

"Um..."

"And, naturally, a very generous monthly stipend," Lacey added seamlessly, completely ignoring Vanessa’s attempt to speak. "A substantial hiring bonus, as well. Plus, it would truly infuriate the great underworld bosses to know that such a skillful, legacy heroine is out there doing such incredible good on our dime."

Vanessa actually perked up at that. "It would?"

"Oh, yes," Lacey purred, her mirrored glasses flashing. "In fact, we have ample corporate experience working directly with the rebellious children of former villains. We specialize in helping them become the absolute best, most untouchable heroes they can be."

Vanessa shifted nervously, her heavy silver bangles clinking against her wrists. "Well, I don’t know. It’s... um..."

"Just think about it," Lacey said soothingly. "You don’t need to sign a single document today, of course. But we would be absolutely thrilled if you considered letting Firefly represent you for all your heroic needs."

Like a street magician, a thick, embossed business card suddenly materialized between Lacey’s manicured fingers. She passed it across the desk to Vanessa, who took it looking completely dazed.

Goddamn, that was smooth. But it was time for me to step in and throw a wrench in the pitch before Vanessa accidentally sold her likeness rights in perpetuity.

I cleared my throat loudly. "You mentioned you had some concrete ideas for my current contract?"

Lacey swiveled her attention back to me. The warm, maternal recruiter vanished, instantly replaced by the ruthless logistics broker, as if she’d never even looked away. "That we do, Miles. I assume you are running a tiered, multi-stage operation with this wonderful heroine?"

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised she knew the exact playbook I was using. Lacey was an apex predator in this specific field.

"That’s right," I said, keeping my posture relaxed. "You mentioned over the phone that you might have a lab facility or something similar we could trash?"

"So I did," Lacey said, casually leaning back to sit on the polished edge of her desk. "Have you ever heard of Intergate Arms?"

I crossed my arms, digging back through my memory of local corporate scandals. A bell chimed in the back of my head. "Aren’t they the defense contractors who built that sprawling underground mansion? The one that was secretly hiding a subterranean bio-lab filled to the brim with weaponized zombies?"

"All in the past," Lacey said, waving a hand dismissively as if reanimated corpses were a minor accounting error. "The important detail is that Intergate has expressed an intense interest in advertising their new, clean-burning electrical generator. They are currently looking for a high-profile opportunity to show off the device on live television. Ethical technology for an ethical future!"

"Is that right?" I said dryly. "And what exactly are they offering me?"

"Exclusive use of their primary testing facilities for your staged heist," Lacey said. "And full coverage of any structural damages incurred therein. Within reason, naturally."

"Any problems with that setup?" I asked, looking over at Vanessa. "It’s a remarkably good deal. Truly. You don’t get free reign to break things in a corporate lab very often."

"I... suppose so," she muttered. I almost felt bad for the kid. She was so clearly out of her depth in this corporate shark tank.

Lacey clapped her hands together, beaming. "Excellent! I am so glad we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. Miles? If you’d like to fill out the preliminary liability waivers, we can get right on it. We will organize a guided tour of the facilities for both of you in the next few days. Would that timeline work?"

"I don’t see why not," I agreed.

"Wonderful. It is always so incredibly refreshing to have things move along so agreeably. I look forward to working closely with you soon, Hex," Lacey said, stepping forward to warmly shake the stunned heroine’s hand one more time.

"Yeah. Me too, I guess," Vanessa mumbled.

"Fantastic! And before you go, I would consider it a personal favor if you took some of our introductory documentation to look over. Just a few brochures that properly outline the sorts of wonderful, life-changing benefits you can expect while working under the Firefly umbrella. Brick?" Lacey called out, tapping the intercom button on her desk. "Would you mind stepping in here for a moment?"

The heavy men opened the door and said in unison. "Ma’am?"

"Could you please provide Hex with a folder containing our flyers regarding the Super Acceleration Program?"

"Of course, ma’am. Right this way."

Still visibly confused and deeply uncertain, Vanessa allowed herself to be politely herded out of the executive office by the bodyguard/secretaries.

The heavy doors clicked shut, leaving me completely alone with Lacey.

I blew out a long, heavy exhale and looked directly at the smirking corporate executive.

"Was this whole Intergate Arms contract just a convenient excuse to get Vanessa in a room so you could pitch Firefly to her?" I demanded.

Lacey drew back, pressing a hand to her chest in a flawless mask of mock horror. "Miles! Frankly, I am deeply insulted you would even suggest such a thing. You should know by now exactly how much I value our professional working relationship."

"Uh-huh."

"And besides," Lacey said. She planted both hands firmly on the edge of the desk behind her, leaning back to push her chest out as she offered me a slow, incredibly sly smile. "I am certainly more than happy to lend a helping hand, Miles. Because I want you to succeed very, very much."

She tilted her head, the mirrored lenses of her sunglasses catching the overhead lights.

"And if The Jester ends up killing you because you failed to execute his job perfectly... well, what a terrible waste of prime talent that would be."