Hemostasis 3.3
Returning home, I waved my hand to the driver so he could head back to his own home. I knew him personally and he was a good man with a family, so I didn't want to hold him up too much. Turning around, I didn't see the car drive away, as I was focused on something else. Right now, my head was overflowing with various thoughts about Neuman and other work, however, I tried to throw them out the moment I crossed the threshold. I was finally home.
"Hi everyone, I'm back. I'll tell you about the shoot later, right now I'd kill for a shower," I said, already moving towards my room.
I didn't get to hear an answer, because I quickly went up to my room, did all the basic routines to freshen up, and only after that went down to Indira and Paul. At least, I thought they would be there.
As I was walking down the stairs, I used my power to find them, but there was no one within my radius. This was unusual, which is why I started looking for them through the rooms with my own eyes. My power doesn't make mistakes, but I was at least trying to figure out where everyone went. Instead of the expected dinner and a pleasant evening, I was met with empty rooms, and the only thing that stood out was a small note attached to the fridge.
"We won't be here today, sorry, urgent matters came up unexpectedly, we had to go somewhere. Dinner is in the fridge." Brilliant.
Sighing heavily, I took out the cold chicken puree and put it in to warm up. To keep from getting bored, I turned on the TV and started watching some show about marine life starring The Deep. Nothing interesting or even particularly informative, just killing time. Except even this little rest was interrupted by a call. And the moment I realized who had interrupted me, my mood got even worse. Although it seemed like it couldn't get any worse...
"Margo, we talked an hour ago, what's the point..."
"I know perfectly well when we talked, and believe me, I want to work at eight in the evening no more than you do. But if *someone*," she heavily emphasized this word with her voice, clearly making it understood who she meant, "doesn't respect me and my time, then I'm not going to act like an obedient girl either. I found out about Neuman, it wasn't difficult, considering a figure of her level," the annoyed woman spoke with undisguised aggression.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," I began to apologize, trying to soften my tone. "That was rude of me, I admit. I promise that tomorrow I will perform in front of those stupid advertisers you've been talking about all these days, and there will be no complaints."
"Yeah, right, I totally believe you," Margo snorted. "Anyway, you're right, since you cleared your whole day to talk to her, I would have done the same. Long story short, I got the information, however, you will also need to explain very well how you could have interested one of the youngest female senators in history..."
Here I actually whistled. A senator of a whole state—that's serious. After all, one of a hundred members of the Senate, each representing one of the states. There are two senators from each state, but even one of them wields enormous power and influence. Honestly, meeting and working with politicians of this level was a bit further down in my plans, which makes it even more interesting how I could have caught her attention...
"...Besides being the adopted daughter of Stan Edgar himself. Yes, yes, that one. And if the guys from the very top are interested in you, I advise you to figure out why as quickly as possible. They don't do anything just for the sake of it. It's not in their status."
And here, I must admit, my heart accelerated slightly. I brought it back to normal with an effort of will, however, it was a sign. Did I say a senator has power? A joke; the CEO of Vought International—he's the one who holds true power. Operating through complex connections, contracts, and personal agreements, but an incredible power that any government in the world had to reckon with. For in his hands lies control over the vast majority of supes.
Power is a rather complex word. But no matter how you spin it, the main man in the company I technically work for had power of all sorts. Vought was the most valuable company in the world, holding a share in practically all spheres of life, but specifically the title of the largest pharmaceutical company on the planet, along with control over the most popular brand on the planet that eclipsed even religion, were the main sources of income. Whatever else, Vought, and consequently their top brass, definitely had no problems with money and resources.
Power also rested on the strength of connections. The more people you know and, especially importantly, the more influential people owe you, the wider your capabilities. And Stan Edgar had worked with so many people over his career that it makes your head spin. Of course, I had looked into the biography of the now-elderly businessman. Just remembering the fact that in the eighties he personally supervised Soldier Boy, right up to his death during the neutralization of a nuclear reactor. And after that, he supervised the projects of The Seven and, partially, Homelander himself.
I'm sure that over decades he has earned connections that are hard to even imagine. Vought's grip has covered practically the entire planet, and there was no place where they hadn't heard of The Seven or at least one of the supes. Not to mention the fact that tens, if not hundreds of millions depend on the supply of their medicines. All of this alone gives access to so many things, but one must also pay attention to the elephant in the room.
Purely hypothetically, he can order, or rather convince, Homelander to "remove" a corrupt government. I don't know how things stand in heaven, but if I were in the Vought CEO's place, I would try with all my might to gain maximum influence over the flying and practically invincible demigod. After all, who can basically stop him? He can't be captured, and no weapon is capable of wounding him. And I'm not even sure if a nuclear weapon is capable of hurting him—Homelander is the pinnacle of supes, and I wouldn't be surprised if he simply flew out of a mushroom cloud.
Sometimes I wondered what I would do if I met Homelander in a less than friendly setting. In an open battle with him, to be realistic, I have absolutely no chance. He's too fast and can snap my neck in less than a second. Or he'd make extra holes in my head with his lasers. But if I strike on the sly, while he doesn't see me or consider me a threat, then there is a chance. Homelander, despite all his strength, is a human with a working circulatory system. And even if he has some resistance to my power, gaining control over one milliliter is enough for me to arrange a "mind-blowing" experience.
"Honestly, I have no idea how I could have interested her. Is there anything else about her? Any special interests or unusual behavior?" I asked, looking thoughtfully to the side.
While pondering the question of Neuman, a very interesting thought came to my mind. The head of Vought adopted a girl with superpowers? Not particularly strange; after all, he has the necessary level of influence to do it with the snap of his fingers. But I was curious about something else—she was from the rare category of supes who hide their powers. Why? To get into politics? Another Vought undercover telepath agent who pushes their interests in the Senate? I admit, if that's the case, it's a very good move...
"She's only known for openly supporting one rather curious agenda—the superhuman control act. An active opponent of supes and Vought's desire to use them as weapons. And yes, you don't have to ask the next question, I don't know myself."
Alright, now I understand that I understand nothing. A supe hiding her powers to get into big politics is pushing anti-supe laws? What is the point at all? A spy in the enemy camp who won't let them pass laws that truly hinder Vought? To lead both sides of supe control? Maybe, but it's a far too strange and overly complex plan. I'd sooner believe that the Vought CEO simply dislikes superhumans and is preparing a plan to contain them.
"Alright, keep digging into her... if it's not too much trouble for you. But don't take risks and just find out general information. That will be enough for me. And yes, thank you for everything," I thanked my agent sincerely.
"Don't mention it, dear, my job is to make sure you don't screw up too badly. But this is not the end and only the beginning of our conversation, as I cannot let you miss such an opportunity. Do you have any idea what you can do with the support of a whole senator? Now I'll explain everything to you step by step, after which we will discuss the plan for the conversation..."
Even though I liked working with Margaret, who was an excellent professional, I couldn't completely trust her. Especially in a situation like this—I'm a profitable brand, but not on the level of The Seven's members, of course. And if Mr. Edgar wants to, she could lose their support, which means her main source of income. This means he has a direct way to influence her, capable of forcing her to act and speak the way he wants. For example, giving up information about me. An unpleasant thought, but far too plausible. However, before I decide anything regarding her, I need to talk to the senator and hear what she offers.
After talking with Margaret for a short while longer, I said goodbye and immediately dialed a new number. I had already managed to memorize it.
"Hello, Victoria. I think I'm ready to meet with you..."
. . .
"Glad to welcome you in a more pleasant setting, Mr. Shetty," Victoria Neuman's melodic voice sounded especially lively today. "Or should I address you by your hero moniker?"
"Mark is fine. I'm not one of those supes who never takes off their suit and literally lives in it. I'm a man of flesh and blood, not some comic book character."
The senator chuckled, taking a sip from her coffee cup. I must admit, it was really good here, top grade. But I was slightly distracted from it, as it was inside a white porcelain cup decorated with gold engraving depicting flying birds.
Such luxury perfectly matched this place where we met. One of the most elite and expensive restaurants in New York—it's a fitting place for a meeting between a Congresswoman and a rather famous supe and actor. Although I was quite well-off financially, I wasn't used to going to such places and spending my wealth.
Normally, I'm not against a beautiful and elegant place, but a restaurant at the top of one of the largest buildings in the city? Seriously? Although I must admit, the view of Central Park from the fiftieth floor made up for everything.
Neuman sat across from me, examining a humble superhuman with a smile. Right now, she was dressed in a red blouse with a matching red skirt, which interestingly contrasted with her black hair and brown eyes. Also, with my enhanced perception, it was impossible not to notice her perfume—some interesting combination of nutmeg, flowers, and herbs. Unusual. Compared to her, I looked like some vagabond, as I was dressed in a regular black business suit with a red shirt.
"I'll say right away, I'm very grateful that a figure of your level noticed a simple guy like me. I admit, I didn't think people of your level would be interested in me... For quite some time yet. According to my plans, I was supposed to meet you in a couple of years at least," I said, chuckling at the end.
I was also sitting with a slight, barely noticeable smile, conversing with the woman. Not a shadow of doubt or anxiety could be seen on my face. The practice of more than a decade of long acting in front of the whole world takes its toll. Well, and also the fact that I actually took acting lessons when preparing to shoot the series. Very useful skills. Especially when talking to a politician. I'm not even sure which of us pretends and changes masks more often. In terms of plausibility, I didn't even doubt it—in this regard, I'll hardly ever catch up to her.
"Please, it's not that unusual. You are such an interesting personality, and I'm sure I'll be far from the last one who wants to talk to you. You know, I know many 'people with special abilities', but your behavior stands out from everyone else's, honestly," she answered in a slightly cheerful voice.
I raised an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing the last sentence.
"And how so, if I may ask?" I asked casually. "It seems to me that I'm quite ordinary. Yes, my brand was built on some mystery and many omissions, but that's just unusual marketing. Show business is ruled by creativity, and only something new can attract the public these days. Well, or something old and familiar to people that can be sold for the umpteenth time, but that's not me. The series is just a loose interpretation..."
I had already started my monologue when Victoria abruptly interrupted me. It's worth noting that an unremovable smile constantly remained on her face, and her body didn't reveal anything interesting. That's why her reaction was so unexpected to me.
"You were at Red River, weren't you?" she asked the question, tilting her head slightly to the side.
After these words, I frowned. Finding out this information isn't particularly difficult; no one hid it, and Vought, on the contrary, built my image on this mystery where no one knew who my real parents were. However, the question was still strange. There was no lead-up to it, which made it seem too abrupt and even tactless.
"Yes, I spent a few months there eleven years ago, but that was a long time ago and I was a different person. A child. Not the best place, really, and I try not to recall it too often," I answered with some wariness. Such questions aren't asked just for the sake of it.
"Then you must be familiar with Mr. Sebastian Stevens, aren't you? Did you meet him personally?"
I had to really strain my head to remember that this was exactly the name of the Red River director. I honestly wasn't interested in his fate or the fate of the orphanage in general. I considered using telepathy for brainwashing to be one of the most wrong things there is, but what can I do about it now? Go and beat everyone up there until they become good? Truly serious problems cannot be solved with a superpower alone, unfortunately. A subtle approach is needed here to convince those in power of the pointlessness and unprofitability of brutal methods.
"Saw him once, chatted a bit about various things, and never met him again since I was adopted. Excuse me, but what are these questions for? They seem too pointed to not have a meaning," I asked for the umpteenth time.
Neuman took a sip from her cup, placed it on the table, and looked me right in the eyes.
"Mr. Stevens passed away three days ago. A tragic incident. A blood clot in his leg," Neuman answered calmly, as if nothing had happened.
The atmosphere sharply became dark and tense. I examined the senator both with my normal eyes and with much deeper perception, but she seemingly didn't care at all about what happened. Well, this was clearly not the reaction I expected, but thanks to this, a very interesting thought came to my mind. If Neuman is an orphan with superpowers, then...
"You were there too, weren't you?"
The widening smile on the senator's face spoke better than any words.
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