Lilith's Shadow Omnibus: Volume 2, page 41
When Lilith finally opened her eyes, nearly ten minutes had passed, and Marge was typing at her oversized keyboard, scowling slightly as she glared at the screen. Lilith wondered if the woman had an expression that wasn’t either annoyed or unhappy. She wasn’t going to ask, though. She’d learned that Marge didn’t like people much, which made her wonder why the minotaur had taken a secretarial position to begin with.
A minute passed, then two. At that point Marge looked up and grunted. “Go upstairs, the Director will be waiting for you.”
“Thank you, Marge,” Lilith replied, feeling a little more at peace, at least for the moment, and she stood. Marge just snorted in response. Unsurprisingly, she could make a very respectable snort.
Lilith went to the elevator and hit the call button. An instant later the bell pinged, and the elevator doors opened, which made Lilith wonder if the elevator automatically returned to the ground floor after being used. Abandoning the question after a moment’s thought, she stepped inside and used the badge to unlock the elevator before hitting the button for the floor she needed.
The elevator silently ascended, giving Lilith a few more seconds to think, especially without the sense of movement she normally got from elevators. She did admire how much work SuperNet put into making their buildings comfortable. She also wondered why Osmar had requested the meeting. He’d mentioned something about helping her, but as per normal, he hadn’t specified how he’d help, which had her suspicious.
The doors slid open a few seconds later, letting Lilith out onto the relatively familiar floor she’d visited a few times over the last couple of months, most recently to approve the model of her in her armor. She wasn’t sure if that was the best idea anymore, since she didn’t have the armor, but she supposed Osmar would know best. Maybe it’d be discontinued and replaced with a different one, and the manufactured models would become collector’s items.
The hall was a little louder than it usually was, and as Lilith stepped out, a pair of workers emerged from the insurance adjudication department, chatting intensely about something, but they grew quiet once they saw her, and the woman nodded politely, giving a wry smile.
“Hello, Miss Carpenter. Here to speak with the director again?” the blonde asked, tilting her head slightly.
“That’s right. He didn’t warn me about the chaos downstairs, though,” Lilith said, gesturing downward as she slowed, smiling at both of the workers. The man had black hair and a complexion that she was pretty sure was Korean. Lilith was getting a little better at reading nationalities, but she wasn’t quite there yet. The two laughed, looking at each other as they grinned.
“Well, no, he wouldn’t. He thinks everyone will be as excited about these sort of events as he is, so he just gets them put together as fast as he can without warning anyone,” the man told her in amusement. “It certainly can make coming to work interesting, but we do have our own elevator and parking lot, which helps.”
“I believe it. Good luck with your work,” Lilith replied, then she was past them.
“Thanks, we’ll need it,” the woman said fervently.
Lilith smiled a little, happy that she was able to interact with someone who was, for lack of a better term, ‘normal’. Or at least mostly normal. When she thought about it, it’d been months since she’d really interacted with anyone who wasn’t part of the superhero community, and that was… disconcerting, really.
“Was it when the inspector came to look the house over? I think so,” Lilith murmured to herself, then paused and shook her head. “No, it’s when I met James. That… is so odd to think about.”
She was approaching Osmar’s office, though, so Lilith composed herself, focusing on the here and now. He had to have a reason for asking her to come in, after all.
It was just as she was getting closer to the door that Lilith realized she could see a silhouette through the frosted glass of Osmar’s office, and she slowed down, realizing that there were not one, but two people on the other side of the door. That surprised her a little for a moment, but then Lilith chastised herself internally. Of course Osmar met with other people sometimes. If he didn’t, why would he have an office with multiple chairs?
That being the case, Lilith slowed down still more, lingering far enough from the door that she couldn’t hear more than the faintest hint of their voices. The building definitely had good soundproofing. After a minute, the door opened, and Osmar’s voice carried down the hall.
“…see what I can do, but I can’t make any guarantees. It isn’t like I’ve ever spoken with Dracula,” Osmar said, his voice unusually serious.
“Still, if you can help, I’d deeply appreciate it,” another man replied, and Lilith’s eyebrows rose a tiny amount as the speaker stepped out into the hallway. The man was about as tall as she was, and he had a suit on that was primarily white, with some silver accents to it. His face was obscured by a breathing mask and he wore silvered lenses over his eyes. The entire suit was streamlined, but she could see a muscular physique beneath it… that or it was contoured to give that sort of impression. She wasn’t certain who the man was, but she didn’t think she’d seen him before.
The man paused on seeing her, and Osmar peered out from behind him, then smiled. He didn’t look much different than he usually did, with his short black hair, thin mustache, and brown eyes, while he wore a casual business suit.
“Lilith, you’re here! I must have let time get away from me, I’m sorry about that!” Osmar said, and added, “This is Lilith Carpenter, Soundblade. Lilith, this is Soundblade, a hero from the Phoenix area.”
“Hello,” Lilith said, nodding politely to the man. She was briefly tempted to offer a hand, but since the man seemed to have no inclination to raise his own, she resisted the impulse.
“I’ve heard of her, yes. Thank you again, Osmar. I hope to hear from you soon,” Soundblade replied shortly, then headed down the hallway, ignoring Lilith. She watched him go, resisting the urge to sigh. She wished she knew how to make people like her, but… there was little she could do about it. And even if she had powers like Amber did, she’d never be tempted to use them, especially not after what she’d seen done to Gina and Rachel.
“Drat. I’d hoped… ah, well. It isn’t like we can get along with everyone,” Osmar said, sounding a little disappointed, then he forced a smile onto his face as he continued. “Come in, though! We’ve got a bit of a conversation to have, and you’ve had a very eventful week, from everything I’ve heard.”
“You have an incredible gift for understatement, Osmar,” Lilith replied, smiling back at him as she stepped into the office, and he laughed.
She just had to wonder what all of this was about.
Chapter 55
Sunday, August 24th, 2031
SuperNet HQ, Paragon City
Osmar’s office was much the same as it had been the last time Lilith had visited, except that it looked like he’d swapped out a few of the posters on the walls, and the display of hero merchandise looked like it’d expanded to Lilith. That was unsurprising, as he was a collector, and not the type that left items in their boxes. No, he now had turned a fish tank into a diorama of part of the fight against the alien at Hill Air Force Base, including figures of Spark and Lilith, though Lilith was in armor. She’d have wondered where he’d gotten the figure, if he hadn’t asked for permission to 3D print one based on the action figure she’d approved.
“Why don’t you take a seat? This might take a little while to get through,” Osmar said, circling his gleaming desk to sit, and Lilith nodded.
“Of course. It isn’t like I have any pressing engagements, I’m afraid,” Lilith said, a whisper of grief rippling over her, but she did her best to ignore it. It wasn’t easy, but it was easier than it had been at any point since Gina and Rachel had told her they were leaving.
“I was afraid of that,” Osmar said, his smile fading, and he looked down at his desk. “I don’t have any details, of course, but I’ve heard a few… rumors about Morgan and Warden. That they’ve left you.”
“That…” Lilith began, but let her voice trail off as she considered, then shook her head slowly, thinking better of what she’d been about to say. “I don’t think that it’s something I should discuss without their permission. Suffice to say, things have become… strained. I suspect they will not be returning to my home when they’re done in England.”
For several seconds Osmar was quiet, as he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. When he spoke, he sounded almost pained. “I’m sorry, Lilith. I wish that I’d never passed that invitation along to you. I may not have had any idea of what would come of it, but even so, it’s had terrible results.”
“What?” Lilith asked, blinking at him a couple of times, then realization dawned on her, and she shook her head, hastily trying to correct him. “Oh no, this had nothing to do with the invitation. I think there were good odds of it coming to light even if we hadn’t gone to the convention, so it isn’t your fault either way. It’s an unpleasant situation that isn’t even their fault, in my opinion.”
Osmar let go of his nose and examined her skeptically for a couple of seconds, looking like he was debating on what to say, then asked suspiciously, “You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better, are you?”
Lilith couldn’t help a smile due to the way he was looking at her, and she shook her head slowly as she let out a sigh. “No, of course not. I think that what happened in Las Vegas made it more obvious, but it appears to have been inevitable. I’m… afraid that Shadowmind was involved.”
“Ah.” Osmar paused, tilting his head as he considered her words, and Lilith could practically see him putting the pieces together as his jaw clenched, then he nodded sharply, sitting up straight. “I think I understand, and I will keep my suspicions to myself, you have my word on that.”
“Thank you,” Lilith said, relaxing ever so slightly, relieved that he seemed to have figured out some of what was going on, so she didn’t have to say it outright. Besides which, she didn’t want to invade their privacy, but with some of the heroes spreading word that Lilith had met Shadowmind, she thought people could draw conclusions both reasonable and unreasonable.
“Either way, let’s get on to the primary subject of the meeting, shall we?” Osmar said briskly, sitting up straight as he looked at her. “First of all, my superiors have directed me to give you an official apology on behalf of all of SuperNet that you were drawn into Destruction Corps’ trap in Las Vegas due to our actions. We had no way of knowing that they were behind the convention, but even so, we put you in unnecessary danger.”
Lilith’s eyebrows rose a little, and she nodded after a moment, smiling at him as she replied slowly. “That… is something of a surprise, if I’m being honest. I didn’t think you were responsible at all, they just asked you to pass along the email. I made the decision to attend myself. But thank you.”
“Ah, but I’m not finished,” Osmar replied, smiling wryly as he continued. “Considering the mistake on our part, they’ve asked me to do a few things to help you. I’ve been talking to different groups over the past week, and I think I have several attractive sponsorship offers that you might be willing to take. Nothing exceptional, mind you, because that sort of offer always comes with strings attached, like appearing in advertisements or something of the sort. I didn’t think that you’d want anything like that, so I didn’t look into those types of offers much. If you change your mind, I have a few prospects, though.
“On a slightly different front, we’ve been getting a lot of interview requests from different news organizations, since they know you’ve been in regular contact with us,” Osmar continued, even as Lilith’s curiosity grew a little more. She wasn’t enormously interested in the sponsorships, but it was something that might not be a bad idea. Being cut off from Circe’s manufactories wasn’t something that made her happy, and she wasn’t sure what the best approach to keep her income up would be, considering how many people were watching her financial moves. But she set that aside as Osmar spoke. “I’m willing to help weed out the groups that will twist whatever you say into the messages they want to send, if you want me to, and I know a few excellent media advisors that I could put you in touch with. If you’re going to be in the public eye as much as you seem to be, you’re going to need to manage your image so you convey what you’re wanting to convey.”
Osmar paused to catch his breath, studying Lilith’s face, then continued. “Finally, and this may be more useful than I thought it would be before this meeting, I’ve also put together a list of therapists certified to work with heroes, who’re suitably discreet. You’ve been through a lot of conflict in the last two years, and that can have negative effects on anyone. Having someone who can help you work through your issues can be very, very important. A lot of people forget that being a hero doesn’t mean that you don’t have to deal with stress and other emotional problems, so it’s rather important. Oh, and if you’d like an introduction to Leisure, I’d be happy to not only make it happen, but also would take care of a single session with her if you’d like.”
Lilith paused with her mouth halfway open, thinking for a few seconds. A part of her shied away from the idea of a therapist, yet at the same time, she knew enough about them that it might be a good idea. Having someone to talk to about everything she’d been through… that might be a good thing, so she decided to mull it over. Instead, she focused on the last option, frowning as she asked. “All of that is appreciated, but… Leisure? I’m not sure who that is.”
Osmar blinked, looking incredulous for a moment, his mouth opening, then he shut it as he sat up.
“You don’t… oh, of course. I suppose I shouldn’t expect everyone to know about her,” Osmar said, looking chagrined. “Sorry, sometimes I think everyone knows what I do, and Leisure is so popular among heroines that I thought you’d know about her already.”
“I’m afraid not.” Lilith told him, a hint of amusement welling up inside her again as she explained. “I’ve had enough things to study that I don’t keep track of all the heroes in the city, let alone other businesses. I’m guessing she’s the owner of a business that caters to heroines, then?”
“Not quite, but somewhat,” Osmar said, tapping a finger on his desk as he thought, then continued. “Leisure is an independent superhuman, not a hero or villain, and she owns her own spa, located in the southern section of Paragon City. Her power allows her to encourage healing in those she touches, and she also can bypass most superhuman durability with her biokinesis, allowing her to properly relax muscles in virtually any super. That’s her primary business, which is for both men and women, but she also has specialists who help heroes and heroines figure out the best approach to managing their appearance when they could be going into battle. I think she just started another spin-off to help design suits that are both attractive and distinctive at the same time. Really, she has a lot of aspects to her businesses, which makes it hard to get personal time with her, but that’s why I’m offering to introduce you. That’ll allow you to get in easily, and as I said, she can help almost anyone relax, which might do you good.”
“Hm… that might not be a bad idea,” Lilith admitted, a little amazed and startled by the breadth of businesses that the woman seemed to be running. It made her intrigued to meet her even if the idea of the woman’s powers weren’t interesting, which they were. “I’ll have to consider that for a little while before making a decision, along with the offer of therapists. You may have a point, but I don’t want to commit to anything without careful consideration.”
“Entirely agreed,” Osmar replied instantly, nodding at her. “I mostly recommend the therapists because you have been through so much, but if you aren’t comfortable talking with them, I’ll drop the subject. In the meantime, would you like to look at more details on the other two offers? As I said, I got several sponsorships that you might like the look of.”
“Why not?” Lilith asked, and she smiled, adding, “And maybe you could even introduce me to some more heroes in the area. I’ve realized that I’m a little… lacking, in that regard. I know a handful of the members of Ocean Shield, or used to, since they might have recruited more since I was there, Blooming Orchid, the Sentinels, and a handful of heroes I met in Vegas before everything went wrong. I find it a little concerning that I know barely more heroes than four times the number of deities I’ve met.”
“Oh, that I can most certainly do!” Osmar said, his face lighting up with enthusiasm. “I know plenty who’d like to meet you! Now, let’s get to the sponsorships, shall we?”
He clicked a button on his keyboard, waiting a few seconds, then used the mouse to select something else and turned the monitor to face Lilith, revealing a screen with a dozen logos and business names. Lilith settled in for a rather long explanation.
Chapter 56
Sunday, August 24th, 2031
SuperNet HQ, Paragon City
“And… I think we’ve wrapped everything up that we needed to,” Osmar said, taking the last of the documents and scanning it quickly, his movements practiced and easy. “Assuming that none of the businesses have changed their minds since Friday, which I sincerely doubt happened, I’ll have confirmation for you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Osmar,” Lilith said, pausing and stretching. “When do you think Edna will get in contact with me?”
“Tuesday at the latest,” he replied instantly, lowering the document to look at her and smiling with what she thought was a hint of regret. “I’d say Monday, but since Ivanova is arriving tomorrow, I’m expecting a lot of disruptions, and it’s going to be an all-hands thing. That’s why I’m in today, honestly… most of the time I don’t work on Sundays.”
