Magnetic Attraction 24 (Patreon)

Magnetic Attraction
Chapter 24

-VB-

Nominally, I found myself as the head of a new parahuman cape organization in Brockton Bay that included four former Empire Eighty-Eight capes as well as all of the Undersiders, bringing the total to a whopping eleven members, the most out of any organization currently operating in the city.

Nominally.

In actuality, the Undersiders were my allies because I was lover/employer/trans-universal-sibling of their current boss, Jessica Feranda aka …

“... What is your cape name?” I asked Jessica.

Today, we met not for any cape business or Brockton Bay-centric issue but for actual work.

You know, the one that had me owning servers and being the actually rich Anders? Actually, considering that Max only had a bodiless grave to his name, there were only seven Anders left: Aster, Theo, me, and all of the babies growing inside my four women.

She looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. “Are you seriously asking me that right now?” she asked me.

Her question made sense, considering that the two of us were at a public five-star restaurant, eating a small steak worth four hundred dollars each. As small as it was, it was a wonderfully cooked dish and worth all eight hundred dollars in total.

“Yes. I mean, it’s not like there’s any listening devices or people who are right next to us capable of listening in on us.”

My ferrokinesis had “evolved” as of late, and I gained a far more acute sense of electromagnetic waves in all forms. Everything from the sunlight to the normal magnetic fields now fell within my purview, but my manipulation remained firmly with only ferrokinesis. It was with this newfound sense that I knew that there wasn’t anything around us.

“Hmm,” she hummed. “I have introduced myself to my boys and girls as ‘Nimue.’”

“You mean the name of the Lady of the Lake?”

“The one and the same.”

“The name that people actually use as names?”

“Yeah? And?”

“You might get someone else killed.” I gave very little attention to what other people did, but I made it a point in both my actions and actions of my company to not cause undue damage.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Would ‘Lady Nimue’ work better for your taste?” she asked me.

“Yes.”

We went back to eating silently and in comfort.

“Has anything interesting happen on your end?” I asked her as our forks and knives settled down after the last pieces of the steak disappeared from our plates.

She smirked while dabbing her lips. “Well, Bri-”

“Aside from whatever kinky you found out about them.”

She huffed. “You ask for interesting things, but don’t let me actually say them~.”

I gave her a flat stare. “As much as exploring their sexual desires arouses you, I am happy right now with you and my four girls back home.”

“If you say so. Well, if you want the boring and business rumors, then I will have to point out to you that you have been gone from managing the company for months now.”

“Not true. I have been meeting the board of directors as well as directly managing my company. I’ve done most of that over the phone, admittedly.”

“Hmm. Explains why the board of directors were more focused on ogling me than demanding that I tell them where you were right now.”

I smirked. “Even Mrs. Retti?”

“Even the Iron Wall Retti.”

I shook my head in amusement. “And here in Brockton Bay?”

“Nothing too interesting. Leviathan’s attack has spawned some minor parahumans, but considering how most of their powers are related to water…” she didn’t finish because she didn’t need to.

In a city like Brockton Bay that’s been hit by Leviathan, there was a significant chance of the water power-related capes getting randomly shot by civvies.

Yes, civilians would attack these capes. It was irrational hate, associating their fellow victims with the emotionless perpetrator who wrecked the city and the livelihood.

“... I’m interested in seeing if any of them are amenable to our groups,” I told her.

“I have already contacted them.”

“And?”

“Of the five I found-”

“That’s not some capes, Jessica.”

She continued on, ignoring my comment. “- two had been wise enough to get out of the city once they realized exactly what kind of powers they had.”

“Either wise or well-informed.”

“Of the remaining three, two are women, which I’m sure you’re interested in.”

“Am I?”

“Oh yes. You have a … let’s say a healthy desire to seduce ‘misunderstood’ women. Why else would you surround yourself with

“Because I knew them and they needed help getting out of their situation?”

“If you really wanted to help them, then you would have gotten them therapists and moved them out of the city. The longer they remain here, the higher the chances of their discovery. People think that your four women - all capes from the Empire - are dead or have retired, you know?”

I chewed on that for a moment. It was true that there was only drama to be had here if I remained.

I’m sure Kayden would appreciate not having to worry about raising Aster and our new baby in Brockton Bay of all places. Claire, Jessy, and Nessa wouldn’t care either way. However, I was acutely aware of the conflict need that all parahumans had. Not fulfilling that need would result in some … nasty surprise later down the line.

Did Jessica know?

“You know about the conflict need that all capes have, right?”

She sighed as she leaned on one arm. “I am. My own power has been doing that.”

I blinked. “I … haven’t realized you have been having issues with your power.”

“Because you’ve been too busy making waves and fucking girls.”

“That is true,” I chuckled, leaning back into my seat. “But nothing frivolous.”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t mind having a lot of nieces and nephews. It’ll certainly give my own kid someone their age in the family to play with.”

I blinked.

And then blinked again.

Then I smiled. “Congratulations!” I laughed.

She beamed.

I leaned forward. “Okay, whose is it?”

She crinkled her eyes into eye-smiles. “That would be telling. Besides, I don’t intend to stop at one, you know.”

I chuckled. “Greedy as always.”

“No, no. You’re the greedy one. I’m just the family-oriented woman!”

I thought about it. “Wait, does that mean the other two girls in your team are…?”

She nodded.

“You are living one-half of a hippie life.”

“And you are living all degenerate’s wet dream.”

“Oi! I worked hard for this!”

“I did too!”

Then we both broke out laughing.

But a thought crept up from the back of my mind.

I was happy.

Earth Bet never allowed someone to be happy.