CHAPTER THREE

GETTING IN THE DOOR

The receptionist's portrait perfect smile was a credit to her profession. Her voice was a perfect beige neutral, only a few degrees colder than her initial greeting as she stated, "I'm so sorry, Fortress, I don't think I heard you correctly." Yes, Ms. Brenna, according to the brass nameplate on her desk, was the perfect professional...except her traitor eyes.

Her gaze was not on Fortress as she addressed him. It moved back and forth between the leash in Carter's hand and the collar around LIE's neck. The cold marble gaze was framed with slitted eyelids. She might as well have stated outright that she would never allow such an obvious pervert through the door.

But, no, she was a professional. So, the sneer in her eyes never reached her lips. She was also human so her smile never reached her eyes. Her expression remained in a tense stand-off as Fortress repeated himself, word for word. "I want a new recruit file opened on Mr. Carter and LIE, an assessment room readied and, please, send a note to Professor Fix-It that we're here. Don't worry, he has already agreed to see us."

Personally, Carter hoped that Ms. Brenna would finally give voice to the objections obviously overflowing her disapproving gaze. Maybe that would shake the hero out of fantasy land and into reality where unrepentant thieves don't join hero training programs.

Unfortunately, respect and professionalism won over common sense.

"Yes, sir. I'll notify admissions and Kingsmythe immediately." She focused on built-in display on her desk, tapping various icons with the ease of long familiarity. "Assessment room three is unoccupied and is now reserved in your name for the rest of the day just in case your...appointment runs longer than expected."

Fortress thanked the receptionist and led a silent Carter deeper into the mansion turned 'hero school'. LIE padded by his side on her toes and fingertips, shoulder bumping against his thigh as she pressed close. Her blue eyes were wide, taking in the unfamiliar environment.

Carter's own chocolate brown gaze roamed the halls as well. He mentally cataloged 'landmarks' that would help him escape this ornate maze if necessary. Outside, the windows had been too darkly tinted to see inside but, this side of that same glass gave a clear bright view on the neighboring streets. No bars but the complete change of tint hinted that these were not simple glass so jumping out of one was probably not an option. It would be stupid to use plain breakable glass in a building housing a bunch of heroes just learning to control their powers who would also be a perfect target for any villain wanting to do a preemptive strike. Which meant these lovely walls with the light oak wainscoting and complementary ivory paint must house more than just wood and plaster.

It would take some time for Carter to learn the secrets of his temporary home but learn them he would. Once he and LIE were in a position to take care of themselves again, they were out of this factory for attention seeking hypocrites with a fetish for dressing in bright colors.

Two future Key to the City winners leaning on a window ledge gaped at Fortress as he passed. However, hero worship transformed into curiosity then solidified into dark suspicious glares as they noticed Carter and LIE following the legend. Anger mixed into the suspicion as their gaze bounced down to LIE then back up to Carter's face.

Glad for the dark mask and goggles that hid his own features, Carter pretended not to notice them, keeping his face forward and stride even. However, his gaze behind the mask focussed on one then the other, memorizing distinctive marks and costume colors for later investigation even as he subtly pulled LIE's leash tighter, willing her not to pause, not to stare, not to do anything that might begin an interaction with the baby heroes.

Either the sedative was still strong in her system or the new environment was overwhelming, she did not hesitate in following him or attempt to investigate the new people.

More suspicious glares and confused curiosity followed them down the hallways but no one, it seemed, had enough will to try to waylay the Captain as he strode with purpose, obviously having a destination in mind.

They finally reached a bare hallway with doors spaced about 100 feet apart. Three people stood near the second door on the left. One looked like a secretary dressed in the knee length straight skirt and colorful blazer so stereotypical of the position. The impression was enhanced by the thin folder, notebook and computer tablet in her arms. The other woman wore a grey karate gi with a column of irregular slash marks on the left arm. The last person, a man, was tapping on a tablet, leaning against the wall, relaxed in tailored black trousers and a green silk shirt. Carter had to give the guy's tailor credit. If Carter hadn't already been studying his environment with suspicion, the man's body armor and gun would have gone unnoticed.

Fortress smiled as he stopped at the door. "Good afternoon, thank you for being available on such short notice."

The three murmured the appropriate polite words such a situation required.

Fortress gestured back to where Carter had positioned himself, off to the side, back against a wall, LIE crouched beside him. "This is a new member of the Paragon Program. I would like a full assessment done so we can get him started on the curriculum as quickly as possible."

The warmth in their gazes as they had stared up at the older hero disappeared as they looked over the new project.

Carter remained leaning against the wall, refusing to remove his mask or make his pose anything less than careless. He didn't want to be here. He wasn't hero material. Everyone would know those two facts soon enough so he saw no reason to give them false hope.

The secretary, who had introduced herself as Tina Nevee, nodded. "Then let us begin." She expertly flipped open the tablet. "Name?"

"Carter."

Tina's smile stiffened as she waited for him to continue until she finally asked, "Is that your first or last name?"

"It's the only name I use."

Her brow rose a bit but she nodded, "It is understandable to want to protect relatives by not giving your name or revealing your face but quite unnecessary here. The privacy and security of our students is our top priority and we have taken every step to make this a safe place to learn." She gave him a smile that would have been reassuring if her gaze did not keep flicking down to the leash. "Now, please, your name?"

"It's just Carter." He had given up his other name long ago. They could assure him all they wanted that the information would be safe but he knew better than anyone, there was no such thing as a breach proof system. He had always made sure to erase any way to trace him to his mother and it had to stay that way. She had suffered more than enough for one lifetime and he would never allow any part of the powered community to reach her again, especially not heroes. Taking a deep breath, he offered, "If that is unacceptable then I guess I'll have to drop out of your program." Maybe this was the loophole he needed to get LIE's serums without having to go through Fortress' dog and pony show.

Unfortunately, such an easy path was barred by her next words. "No. It makes things a bit more difficult but it is not a necessity. Now, your...companion's name?"

Companion, such a nice word. It was neutral enough to hide any judgements while subtly asking for clarification, which he was not going to give them. They would see soon enough. "LIE."

"Excuse me?"

"She answers to LIE." He sighed and volunteered, "It stands for Lifeform Integration Experiment. L. I. E." He wasn't volunteering anything they wouldn't know shortly since he would have to rely on them to get more of her sedative.

Tina nodded, eyes focussed on the tablet. Carter wondered if there was a way to get ahold of that tablet later, find out exactly what she was thinking as she took her notes. Probably nothing good, but better the evil you know…

"As you did not provide a full name, I can assume you would rather not discuss your area of operations and experience?" Neutral tone with the tang of question inserted at the end. Paragon trained their staff well.

"Correct."

Tina looked over at the woman in the martial arts gi and the man in the body armor. "That was all I needed until after the assessment."

They nodded and the man placed a hand on a black glass panel next to the door. Carter could hear the audible click of multiple locks before the visibly normal wood door slid sideways into the hall.

The woman in the gi stepped forward, "I am Master Yin. Claddagh and I will oversee your assessment and placement."

Carter could not quite swallow the snicker or the question, "Claddagh, like the ring?"

Master Yin nodded without embarrassment or apology, "Love, loyalty and friendship. What better traits for a teacher of heros?"

"Honesty and integrity would be better." The words escaped faster than the question did. He usually was better at silence than this. Carter decided to blame his distraction on Master Yin's short blue edged bright pink hair. Definitely a way to get attention. No surprise there.

Still, the hair combined with Master Yin's maybe five foot height made her look more like an anime character than a trainer even with the conservative gi. Still, appearances were deceiving. Carter's eyes were drawn to LIE as a reminder, never assume someone is harmless just because they look it.

The man, Claddagh stepped out of the room, "It's ready."

Master Yin gestured toward the open door. "Alright, show us why Fortress-Sama brought you."