Chapter 257 Red.

Chapter 257: 257 Red.

"You’ve been tracking my portfolio," I said.

"Doctor Lindquist draws heavy inspiration from the theatricality of the villain world," Lacey interjected smoothly.

"Absolutely!" Lindquist gushed, adjusting his glasses. "And I would be entirely thrilled to see my prototype featured in your production! And the demons, of course! Are we going to see actual hellspawn? I have environmental sensors that can track localized dimensional decay!"

"Highly unlikely," I said. "I’m not a summoner."

"Oh, right, right. Not really your demographic. You strike me as more of an evil robotics guy! I can always spot a hardware purist. Actually, I’ve been drafting some highly classified schematics for autonomous hunter-killer units that—"

"I am completely confident Polaris has his aggressive engineering needs met," Lacey cut in, her voice suddenly smooth as glass. "Which is fantastic, as Firefly Industries obviously maintains zero involvement in the distribution of unsanctioned, autonomous weaponry. That would be highly illegal."

Right. Sure. Everyone in the industry knew defense conglomerates poured billions into black-market robotics.

Even the most patriotic government auditor knew that any country with a standing military was heavily invested in weaponized AI development.

"Of course," I said, playing along seamlessly. "I would never accuse Firefly of dabbling in illegal death machines."

"I am so glad we are on the same page," Lacey smiled warmly. "Now, Doctor Lindquist is our lead mechanical director here. He will be hosting a VIP walkthrough in exactly three days to formally unveil the Atoma Cell.

"We have a delegation of high-net-worth investors flying in. They have been firmly assured, on the record, that there is absolutely no possible way a rogue element could ever penetrate this facility and steal the device."

I couldn’t suppress a grin. That was a textbook narrative red flag. Anyone with a passing knowledge of tropes could spot the setup from a mile away.

It meant the entire tour group would consist of bored billionaires explicitly paying for front-row tickets to watch capes smash up a laboratory. It was exactly my target demographic.

When the ultra-rich got bored, they usually dumped their capital into failing tech startups, vanity charities, or custom power armor.

They couldn’t risk their own fragile spines in an actual street fight, but a lot of them craved the adrenaline of battling a bad guy.

Taking a staged punch from a registered villain was a fantastic way to scrub a reputation after a messy corporate scandal. Most importantly, they paid upfront, and they paid incredibly well.

"Perfect," I said, scanning the upper level of the lab. I pointed to a reinforced glass enclosure hovering above the main floor. "Is that an observation deck?"

"It is!" Lindquist beamed. "We use it to monitor high-yield thermal tests. Four-inch ballistic glass. Absolute safety first here at Intergate!"

"Then that is exactly where we herd the VIPs," I told Lacey. "It gives them a perfect panoramic view of the action. I need a clear lane to funnel my crew inside, so we’ll have my heavies push the civilians up those stairs for their own ’protection’ before the real fighting starts."

"I will ensure the routing is clear," Lacey nodded.

"Good. And on the subject of security," I said, reaching into an inner pocket of my suit. I pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to the executive. "I need you to run a strict background check on the facility staff. Make sure absolutely no one in this building has this specific symbol tattooed on them."

Lacey unfolded the paper, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the crude drawing of a snake tightly coiled around a wooden staff. "Interesting. Is this a competing corporate logo I should be aware of?"

"Nothing corporate," I assured her. "I am currently dealing with a highly aggressive demonic cult. They possess host bodies. I really do not want to deal with a localized infestation while I’m trying to hit my marks."

"Well," Lacey said smoothly, neatly folding the paper and tucking it into her blazer. "Firefly Industries is an equal-opportunity employer. We take great pride in embracing the diverse spiritual beliefs of our workforce. We take meticulous care to ensure no contractor feels religiously discriminated against."

"They are actively trying to murder me," I pointed out flatly.

"But we will, of course, take the physical safety of all parties into deep consideration," Lacey finished without missing a single beat.

"Fantastic. Then we have a workable blueprint," I said, looking back up at the massive skylight. "I will drop in through the glass right there. My ground crew breaches those loading doors simultaneously.

"We lock down the floor, secure the generator, and prep it for extraction. Right at the climax, Hex crashes through the remaining glass, thwarts the final tether, and we execute a tactical retreat without the cargo."

"A truly devious production," Lacey praised, turning to the engineer. "Do you approve of the staging, Doctor?"

"Oh, absolutely! It is a genuine privilege to facilitate such a nefarious operation!" Lindquist sighed wistfully, adjusting his thick glasses. "You know, I actually gave some serious thought to entering the villain sector myself back in the day."

"Is that right?" I asked.

"Oh, yes! I had a perfectly tragic origin story lined up and everything. I was violently rejected by the academic establishment, my foundational research was stolen by a ruthless board of directors... it was incredibly compelling material. Utterly tear-jerking. You would have wept if I read you the manifesto."

"Sounds riveting," I said carefully. It was never a good sign when the civilian extras started reminiscing about their abandoned super-villain aspirations right before a gig. Frustrated academics had a nasty habit of throwing massive, explosive variables into a carefully choreographed script.

Lindquist nodded vigorously. "It was brilliant! The profound tragedy of the academic betrayal almost pushed me over the edge. I was actively finalizing the schematics for my mechanized battle-suit. I was entirely prepared to bring the heavy hammer of my own personal justice down on the fools who spurned me!"

"What stopped you?"

"Ah, well," Lindquist said, giving a sheepish shrug that fluttered his white coat. "Intergate offered me the lead director role to develop a new thermal insulation alloy. The signing bonus was astronomical, and the matching 401k was just too good to pass up.

"I rethought the whole revenge crusade. Especially after I closed escrow on my lake house. It is incredibly hard to commit to underground lair life when you have a private dock."

I relaxed my shoulders. "Makes perfect sense."

It was the ultimate kryptonite to comic-book villainy: comprehensive medical benefits and a solid real estate portfolio.

"But I do deeply envy the theatricality of your profession! I am so looking forward to the event! Oh, what fun!"

The guy was practically vibrating like a teenager with backstage passes, but I couldn’t really blame him. Guys working the backend of the super-science industry rarely got to see their tech utilized in the field.

"They built the anti-gravity drives but never got to fly the ship. Deep down, anyone smart enough to splice genetic codes or weld titanium exoskeletons harbored a secret yearning to deliver an evil monologue. It was the exact reason why global megalomaniacs never struggled to recruit laboratory staff.

"Great," I said, turning back to Lacey. "And Intergate will have their contracted corporate capes handling the perimeter security, correct?"

"Of course. Have no fear on that front, Miles," Lacey assured me confidently. "No outside variables will intrude upon your set. The Red Herring will be actively patrolling the facility."

I paused. "The Red Herring?" I asked dubiously. "The aquatic guy?"

"Naturally. He is highly qualified. I assure you."

"I suppose he has to be," I muttered, but a familiar, cold knot of unease tightened in my gut.

I sincerely hoped Legion wouldn’t be able to track a private corporate gig, but I definitely wasn’t willing to bet my life on it.

A hive-mind demon had already proven infuriatingly resourceful at finding disposable meat-suits.

And something told me a guy in a scaly fish suit wasn’t going to be much of a deterrent against an entity literally forged in the fires of hell.

Before this contract was wrapped, I had a sinking feeling things were going to get very messy.