Chapter 76: Chapter 69

“Nice,” Sonya rasped through the voice mixer in her helmet, her hands slipped into her pockets as she ascended the stairs with Kingshark. Around them, security cameras fizzled out, their passing scrubbed from memory. The windows of the apartments around them fogged over as a mist poured from Kingshark’s mouth. “Looks like you enjoyed the reading material I suggested,” She said as she allowed herself to slip further into character. She felt a bit of herself shift, like a lever in the back of her mind flipping over. Her shoulders straightened a bit more and she held her head higher.

“Yeah, I’ve got more surprises ready now too,” Kingshark said, “Those books were freaky though.”

“They are called horror for a reason, Kingshark,” Ishtar said with a cold smile beneath her helmet.

They stopped in front of the door, just like the rest of the building it was painfully nondescript. She nodded at Kingshark who knocked twice before stepping aside. She stood in front of the door and stared at the little hole at eye level, her senses picking up on someone creeping towards the door. When the person stopped and didn’t say anything she frowned a little, Rude, she thought before tilting her head a little and speaking up, “Open the door, Charon.”

The door flew open and a man with pale skin and a mess of hair on his head poked his head out with a panicked look in his dead eyes. “A-are you crazy?” He rasped, “What are you doing here? Why would you say that?”

Ishtar snorted, “Blame yourself for picking a garbage hideout,” She said and nodded towards the humble interior, “Well?”

The zombie man let out a sigh and nodded, gesturing towards the interior, “Mi casa and all that shit, I guess,” He mumbled.

“Thank you, we won’t be long I don’t think,” She said pleasantly and walked past him, glancing around the interior as Kingshark positioned himself outside the door, crossing his arms and watching for anyone who might come snooping around. Ishtar took it all in, the simple cloth covered couch, the boxy flatscreen television, the scattered remnants of various old meals, the air of exhaustion and struggle. She couldn’t help herself, “It reminds me of simpler times,” Ishtar said softly, though her voice still came out with that creepy rasp.

“You uh… you used to live in an apartment?” The zombie said, ambling in and throwing himself down into his couch.

Ishtar shrugged, “It was another life.”

“I hear that,” He said and crossed his arms, “You found me.”

“Yes I did,” Ishtar said with a nod, “You piqued my interest, I came to do business.”

The zombie rubbed his neck and scratched his hair, he let out a grumbling sigh and rest his arms on his knees. “I dunno lady, last time someone came in saying they wanted to do business with me they tried to blackmail me. They ended up as one of my drivers,” He said with a frown, looking up to meet her gaze. “Why don’t you tell me who you are, first, yeah? That’s Kingshark out there, right? The big boss of the villains in New York? And you’ve got him standing guard.”

“You have the right of it,” Ishtar said.

He frowned harder, “So what the fuck does that make you?”

“You’re surprisingly casual despite your situation,” Ishtar commented.

“Is that a threat?” He laughed, “Look lady, I literally cannot die. I could probably be atomized and still come back,” He said. “I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but the fear of death don’t bother me and pain is pretty muted so don’t bother.”

“Not a threat, simply an observation. I appreciate you divulging that detail about your power, I was very curious,” Ishtar said and gestured to a spot on the opposite side of the couch, “May I?”

“As soon as you introduce yourself,” He repeated.

She smiled, “I like you,” She rasped and nodded, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Charon. I am Ishtar, the first supervillain. You could say that I am Kingshark’s boss.”

Charon raised his eyebrows, “Huh! So the head bitch in charge shows her face, the conspiracy theories are true,” He nodded and pursed his lips in approval, “Cool stuff lady, yeah, have a seat on my shitty sofa.”

Ishtar slipped into the spot and crossed her legs, “So your last would-be investor tried to blackmail you?” She asked.

“Yeah, he covered for me a little when we met and let me hide my zombies in his storage room,” Charon mumbled, scratching his neck, “He was the only person in the complex who realized I’m the one controlling them. He came in here and told me he’d report me to the police if I didn’t give him a stake in what I’m aiming to do. So I had my dog bite him.”

“Dog?” Ishtar asked, glancing around.

“Well, hound,” He said tentatively, “My zombie virus power thing works on monsters as well.”

She raised her eyebrows. It has to be a mythic tier ability, no doubt in my mind.

“Very interesting, well I can assure you I have no interest in controlling your business,” She said, “Though I would like to invest a little and help it grow if you’re interested. I also have a few suggestions for you that you can take or leave at your discretion.”

“Awfully nice, you got a reason?” Charon asked.

“My goal is to see the villains grow for my own personal purposes and plans. Someone like you, another avenue of support for the villains out there, is very valuable to me. I want to see you flourish just like any other villain, more so actually. Because you have the potential to do something that I cannot,” She explained.

He furrowed his brows, nodding a little before leaning forward a bit, suddenly a bit more interested, “Aight, I’ll bite, what can’t the Queen of the Bad Guys do?”

“Sell product. I am preparing to design and produce weapons and gear for villains out there but I need someone to let them know that the service is available. More importantly, I need someone to handle the transactions as a neutral third party. They can place the order with you and you can direct it to me. You have the potential to start a thriving black market and even an information brokerage with a little bit of work.” She elaborated, gesturing dismissively.

He pursed his lips together and looked down at his hands for a moment, furrowing his brows. “Y-yeah, with my zombies I don’t even have to be present. I could have shops all over the place, not only driving people around, but… all sorts of things. Holy shit, that’s a great idea!” He rubbed his neck, “Not gonna lie, I’ve been kind of winging it. I took a few payments with a debit card and I’m just now realizing that’s probably not a good idea.”

Ishtar stared at him, With a debit card? Is he insane? No, he’s just… a normal guy. She glanced around the room and looked him over a second time. Just an ordinary guy with an extraordinary ability, his demeanor is so disarming that even I feel comfortable enough to speak freely. Is it a talent or a detriment?

She shook her head and he grimaced, “Yeah, I know, feds can track that stuff. But even cash is trackable and it's hard to deposit since, you know, I’m dead.”

Ishtar nodded, “Quite right, which is why I have something that might work on my person. It was made by a friend and I intend to make more,” She said and slipped her hand into her pocket. She plucked out the tiny object and held it out to him.

He blinked and looked it over, “Is that a coin? What’s it made out of?”

“Mana crystal, from a dungeon, charged with a particular frequency to make it impossible to counterfeit,” She said and placed it in his hand.

He held it and tilted his head, his expression contemplative for a moment. He looked up at her for a moment and then down at the coin, rubbing it between his fingers. “It feels like it’s buzzing.”

“You can feel the frequency?” She asked.

He shrugged, “I guess,” He said, “It’s uh… weird. So you want to make an internal currency?”

“You’re familiar with the idea?” She asked.

“Lady, my first job before working taxis was at a lumber mill,” He said with a frown, “It wasn’t long but I’m pretty familiar with internal currencies. They’re exploitative as fuck, but…” He rubbed his chin and squinted down at the coin, “...but it’s a good idea for this. How are you going to get it to villains?”

“Mass produce them and distribute them initially through Kingshark’s gangs across the country. Then I’m hoping that at the shops I help you set up, you’ll post jobs I have in mind as well as offerings for loans of the currency,” Ishtar explained, “My ability allows me to receive payments discretely and set the terms fairly. A villain will take a loan out with an appropriate return payment offered and pay you initially for my services. They’ll receive goods and use them to complete the jobs on offer or pay you for your business. You do well, and I will support you as well with your efforts being the payment.”

“Still feels like I’m working for you,” He said.

“You’re providing me a service,” Ishtar countered, “If you want to feel like we are equals in the business deal, grow powerful enough so you don’t feel uncomfortable sitting next to me.”

He blinked, taken aback by her statement. Not a surprise, it was a direct challenge after all. His ability isn’t just mythic tier, it’s peak mythic tier, it’s monstrous and most certainly on a similar level to the Herald’s powers and Broker. It’d be the highest insult to not treat him as such.

He mulled it over, “There’s more to this whole coin thing, isn’t there?” He asked.

She nodded, “I’m working on it, the currency will evolve if everything works out.”

“I see,” He nodded and scratched his neck, “You got a deal, Ishtar. Let’s see how this goes, if I feel like I’m getting screwed over I’m out, no questions asked.”

She held out her hand, “No questions asked,” She said with a broad smile.

Analyze.

Welp, nobody won the bet. Blackrazer will be disappointed, he was so confident.

Proceed.

It was the most complicated deal she had made with a shake of her hand rather than a paper contract and the feeling from Broker reflected that. She would have suggested writing something up, but she knew that the moment she left this place without a deal, Charon would be in the wind. It was either settle up now or lose the opportunity until she found him again and the reception the second time around would be a lot less friendly.

She nodded to him as he looked in confusion at his fingers, “The deal has been struck.”

He looked up at her, “What was that? I felt a tingle for a second.”

He is very sensitive to mana.

“My ability allows me to make deals,” She said, “I made our agreement binding, temporarily, for both sides. It will hold me to the agreement just as it will hold you. I’m not sure what the consequences of failure will be beyond the other party suddenly knowing that the deal has been broken either through negligence or conscious action.”

He nodded slowly, staring at his fingers, “You said it holds you to it as well?” He pressed.

“Yes,” Ishtar said with a nod.

“Then I got no problems,” He said with a grin, “What do we do first?”

She got to her feet, “Get you into a proper fucking lair,” She said with a chuckle, “And into some clothes that fit your new role, Charon, Ferryman of the Villains.”

He smirked, “You got it, huh?”

“Of course I did, I’m pretty familiar with mythology,” She said and turned away, “Are you coming?”

He hesitated, “Let me just grab a few things real quick!” He called after her and she walked outside without another word.

When she stepped into the thick mist that Kingshark was creating she glanced up at the Supervillain who raised an eyebrow at her, “Why didn’t you just force him to join up? Sounds like he’d be good for the gang.”

“You’d think, but a Queen does not own every business in her domain, no matter what she fools herself into thinking. It is much better to build a friendly working relationship with these neutral businesses and support them rather than work against them,” Ishtar explained, “There needs to be neutral actors or there will be a perception of dictatorship.”

“Isn’t it a dictatorship?” Kingshark asked.

She chuckled, “Yes, but they don’t have to know that.”

He grinned, “So what’s next?”

“Get Charon set up,” She said with a breath, “Supply him with what he needs and we’ll need to figure out a way to increase the numbers of his zombies without pressing too hard against his morals. I have a feeling he does not actually enjoy the act of killing,” Ishtar said, “So we’ll have to play that carefully.”

“After that, I want you to inform your men in Vegas that I will be coming soon and they will need to be ready for what I have planned,” She said, “You need to remain here as I said before, secure the home front and continue expanding.”

“You’re gonna deal with that lightning guy?” Kingshark asked.

“Yes, and I don’t want you anywhere near him,” She said.

He nodded, “I’ve played enough games to know it's a bad match up,” He said gruffly.

“How are things overseas?” She asked.

“I’ve got a foothold in London and Venice thanks to that lady you introduced me to,” He grunted, “Tokyo, Cape Town, Mexico City, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and a few other places. It’s just a start though, I gotta be careful or my boys will be pushed out before we’re set up.”

Ishtar nodded, “Excellent work as always, you’re a natural, Kingshark. You make me feel like a proud mother.”

He grinned even more broadly than before, rubbing the back of his neck, “Thanks boss.”

The door opened behind them, the two turned to look at Charon who was lugging a heavy looking backpack and duffle bag. “Just gotta get my zombies and I’ll be good to go.”

“How many do you have?” Ishtar asked.

He grinned, “A few.”