CHAPTER 27

Alex let out a breath and squirmed around to try to make his suit jacket fit a little more comfortably. It had been a while since the last time he had worn it, and his pectoral muscles had filled out considerably after his months of hero work. It wasn't ideal, but after a few minutes of preening and adjusting, he figured he had made it as comfortable as possible. He had attracted a few odd stares in the process, but he tried not to let it get to him. Everyone was still on edge in the aftermath of the Purge Night just a few days previously. Alex still had a few healing bruises, and all things considered, he got off light.

He squared his shoulders and strode forward into the small plaza in front of the Harcourt Building. Unlike the hypermodern glass and steel spire of Sasaki Tower or the art deco marvel that was the Forbes Corporation headquarters in downtown Clarus, the Harcourt Building was a stolid brutalist block that dominated the Greenpoint skyline. It broadcast solidity and conservatism, befitting a corporation that had successfully steered Clarus City through several financial recessions and depressions. The sound of footsteps drew Alex's attention away from the building. "It's an eyesore, h-huh?" Ingrid said as she fell in beside Alex. She was chewing a wad of gum, and presently blew a bubble. "I told F-Fancypants he should t-tear the whole t-thing down and rebuild it, b-but he didn't go f-for it."

Alex smirked. "Anything but this would be an improvement." Ingrid blew another bubble and jammed her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The faded leather was almost completely covered in patches from obscure metal bands; Alex counted at least eight different stylized depictions of Giratina. Alex took in the patched jacket, distressed jeans and steel-toed boots while trying to discreetly smooth the wrinkles out of his shirt and straighten his tie. "I thought Edgar said we should dress up for this?"

"Since w-when have I ever listened to F-Fancypants?" She lifted a pair of sunglasses from the neck of her black t-shirt and slid them on. "If he w-wants m-me in his entourage, I'm going to l-look cool as h-hell doing it."

A car door behind them slammed. I'm glad you both could make it." When Alex and Ingrid turned, Edgar Harcourt nodded to them both in turn. "Alex saw him take in his ill-fitting suit and Ingrid's casual clothes, but aside from a quirk of his eyebrow, Edgar apparently decided to take it in stride. His own immaculately tailored suit was a dark charcoal-gray, and he had not deigned to wear a tie, leaving his collar unbuttoned with the kind of blasé disregard for business attire only the fabulously rich could pull off. Overall, it was a far cry from the black tie, tails, and diamond cufflinks Alex was used to seeing Edgar in. He passed an attaché briefcase to Ingrid and let his smirk stretch a bit wider. "You ready to have a little fun?"

"L-Lead the way, F-Fancypants."

They passed through the revolving glass doors into the marbled lobby of the Harcourt Building. Alex had by now grown used to the bustling atrium of Sasaki Tower, and so the subdued hush of the Harcourt Building's lobby came as a mild shock. A security guard glanced up as the three of them walked past the guard station to the front desk, where a pair of receptionists tapped away on their keyboards. Edgar cleared his throat rather imperiously, making one of the receptionists look up. "Yes, can I help you?" he asked, polite but sounding rather bored and put out.

"I need to get to the executive boardroom."

"Sir, I'm afraid I can't just let you—"

Edgar cut him off with a brusque wave of his hand. Ingrid popped her gum. "I sent word to Lorenz two days ago and told the board to expect me." Edgar heaved an exasperated sigh, and Alex had fight down a smirk. Edgar was really enjoying this too much. "Did they really not pass that along to you?"

"The board meeting's full agenda will become a matter of public record in a few—"

"As a majority shareholder, I believe I have the right to sit in on the meeting."

"A majority shareholder?" The man looked up for the first time. "And what is your name, sir?"

"It's on the building." Edgar drew a folio of documents from under his jacket and laid them out on the desk. Alex couldn't make sense of them, but they seemed to include a lot of references to shares and Harcourt Ltd.

Both receptionists blanched. "M-Mr. Harcourt? But it's been years since you…"

"I'm aware," Edgar said. "I've been away for too long. I think it's past time a Harcourt was back at the helm of the firm. Now, if you would allow my associates and I to pass?"

The receptionist gestured with a shaking hand to a small device on the desk. "Mr. Harcourt, before we do that, we need to confirm… it's for security purposes. I'm sure you understand?"

Edgar rolled his eyes and held out his hand. "Yes, yes." He lifted the retinal scanner to his face and pressed it against his eyes. A small light on the machine flashed, the receptionist swallowed.

"Y-You're free to go through, Mr. Harcourt. The boardroom is on—"

"I know where it is, thank you." Edgar snapped his fingers and started towards the elevators.

"Uh, your associates, they need to vetted and…"

"I personally vouch for them. Where I go, they go."

"Uh… yes. Of course. Okay."

The elevator doors slid open, and the three of them boarded. After Edgar had pressed the button for the forty eighth floor and the doors had swept shut, Ingrid doubled over with laughter. "Th-that was hilarious! D-Did you see the l-looks on their faces?" She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself before affecting an exaggerated imitation of Edgar. "'As a m-majority shareholder', I almost lost it."

Alex grinned. "It was a little over the top, Ed."

Edgar shrugged. "I thought it was a great performance."

"You n-need to get out more, F-Fancypants."

"Yeah, how long were you planning that little speech?"

Edgar rolled his eyes and brushed a nonexistent bit of dust from his pant leg. "We're here. Time for the real show." The elevator dinged and the doors opened on an elegantly decorated corridor lined with original oil paintings. Edgar appraised the décor with a haughty stare and motioned the other two on. They proceeded down the corridor to a glass-walled conference room with an elegant hardwood table surrounded by gray-haired men and woman attended by a small legion of aides.

Alex cut in front of Edgar to open the door for him, and every head in the room turned as the heir of the Harcourt corporation swept into the meeting. He inclined his head. "Esteemed colleagues of the board, for those of you who may not know me, my name is Edgar Harcourt." A ripple passed through the room as Edgar turned to a man with rather impressive sideburns sitting at the head of the table. "Lorenz, I think you're in my seat."

The man shook his head. "This is… you shouldn't…" He took a breath and gathered himself. "Eddie, I am the chairman of the board, and I am leading this meeting. Whatever you have to discuss, we can do so privately later."

"You are the chairman of the board in absentia. Effective immediately, I am assuming my place at the head of this company as stipulated in my parents' will. We can discuss the nuts and bolts of this transition later, Lorenz, but for the time being I will be leading this meeting, and you are in my seat." Edgar raised an eyebrow, Ingrid popped her gum again, and Alex tried desperately to keep a straight face. After a terse moment, Lorenz stood up and made to move to a spot down the table, but before he could, Edgar seized his arm. "And Lorenz… going forward you will address me as Mr. Harcourt."

Lorenz sucked in a breath and nodded. "Of course, Mr. Harcourt."

Edgar flashed a cold smile and slid into the seat at the head of the table, with Alex and Ingrid taking up positions just behind him. "Now then, might I have a copy of that agenda?" When the closest administrative assistant slid him the sheaf of paper, he idly scanned. "Where were we?"

"We had just finished a review on our third quarter investment performance and a brief on fourth quarter projections," a woman down the table said.

"Bring me up to speed later." Edgar snapped his fingers and held out a hand. Ingrid put the briefcase on the table, popped the clasps, and removed a sheaf of paperwork on top that she then dropped into Edgar's hand. Alex thought the whole thing looked a little rehearsed, but they were there to put on a show. Edgar laid the documents out on the table and looked out at the board. "I'm adding a new item to the agenda, for your immediate consideration. It is no exaggeration to say that this matter is why I have decided to end my, ah, extended leave of absence and return to the public sphere." He cleared his throat and handed a pile of documents to the board member sitting next to him. "Take one of those and pass it around, would you? Thank you. Now, we are all aware of what transpired in our city just a few nights prior. The city's criminal element has finally spiraled out of control, and in doing so they leveled a significant portion of Clarus City. I propose that the board creates a new Harcourt Foundation to invest in and preserve the infrastructure of our city and support the communities that have been ravaged by the Sins' actions."

By now, Edgar's proposal had circulated, and muttered conversations bubbled up as the board saw just how much money Edgar was proposing to move into the new foundation. "Clarus City has been home to Harcourt Ltd. for five generations," Edgar continued, ignoring the buzz. "And in that time, the firm has enjoyed favorable taxation rates, lax regulation, and little oversight. And what have we given the city in return?"

"We have created jobs!" Lorenz snapped. "We have generated wealth for the city! We have invested in… in…"

"In favorable ventures that insulate the firm from risk," Edgar shot back. "And in the meantime, the firm has lent money to the average rank and file citizens of Clarus City with predatory interest rates, knowing full well that they would never be able to pay us back. The company that bears my name has for years plunged families into a generational cycle of debt. You may say that the Sins are the ones destroying this city, but the foundation for that was laid long ago by the Harcourts. It ends now. It's time we started giving back to the city we ravaged."

"You think we can change that overnight?" one of the men down the table roared.

"Of course not. But I'm young, and I'm back in control of the company. I've got time to put this to rights."

Lorenz stood up and slammed his hand down on the table. "Your father would never have approved of this!"

"My father was a tight-fisted asshole who's just as much to blame as the rest of you," Edgar snapped. "But he's not here anymore, and I'm going to have to clean up the mess he left me with."

"What do you know?" Lorenz hissed. "You've been shut up in your mansion for years, you spoiled, up-jumped—"

"I know enough." Edgar waved his hand lazily, and an eerie hiss filled the room. A Haunter bubbled up from Lorenz's shadow and grabbed the chairman's collar, jerking him back into his seat. Edgar nodded to the ghost type as it vanished into a cloud of vapor and went on, "I know that by the end of the week, Forbes Corp and Sasaki Industries will be announcing similar efforts in addition to the charity work they already engage in. If Harcourt Ltd. acts quickly, we can look like we're leading the pack in post-Purge outreach and ride the tide of public goodwill."

"How can you know that?" a board member cried.

Edgar reached into his pocket, drew out his cellphone, and opened a text message. "I know because Isabelle Forbes told me herself. The company has been given an opportunity to get out ahead of this and completely change public perception of us." He sighed. "We lost a key opportunity to increase public goodwill after the Sins' attack on midtown a few months ago. The Purge was far worse than that, and affected far more innocent people. You may think I was a recluse for the past few years, but even shut-ins can read the newspaper. I can see that investors are panicking and pulling out of Clarus City, and that's bad for our bottom line. If we adopt my proposal, Harcourt Ltd. would be making a significant contribution to the city's infrastructure and future, which would inspire investor confidence. It may not be enough to singlehandedly re-stabilize the market, but between us, Forbes Corp and Sasaki Industries, it just might work."

A chorus of murmurs went up at this, and Edgar cleared his throat to re-center the attention of the room on him. "I'm glad to see at least a few of you are considering this, but whether all of you support this or none of you do, it's immaterial. My proposal needs just a simple majority approval to pass, which I have already secured. As the sole surviving member of the Harcourt family, I control all of my family's stock, a total of fifty-one percent, making me a majority shareholder. At this point, a vote is merely a formality. My presence here means the measure passes."

Lorenz started to say something, but Edgar forestalled him with a raised hand. "It's perfectly legal and within my rights, Lorenz. I've had plenty of time to read the corporate governance bylaws in my self-imposed exile." He snapped his fingers, and Ingrid dropped another sheaf of papers into his hand. Alex could tell she was trying not to crack up. Edgar slid the folio across the table to Lorenz. "Believe me, I've done my diligence. All relevant passages within the bylaws have been marked and highlighted, in case you don't believe me. But I think you would know plenty about how the majority shares rule works, since you've served as my proxy for the last five years. Now, as I've said, the vote is merely a formality, but for the sake of procedure and the meeting minutes, all in favor of the creation of the Harcourt Charitable Foundation?"

A few tentative hands went up, and Alex suspected it was mostly because the board saw the winds changing in Edgar's favor now that he had reemerged to take control of the company. Edgar grinned. "And the measure carries." He scanned the meeting agenda and idly flicked his hand. "The rest of this is all routine business and approvals. Lorenz, you know how I'll vote on those, so I leave it in your hands. I'll give you a call later on to set up a meeting about transferring my responsibilities back when I officially resume control of the company, but for now, I have other matters to attend to." He stood up and swept out of the room, Alex and Ingrid trailing in his wake.

When they boarded the elevator back to the lobby, Ingrid burst out laughing. "Did y-you see th-their faces? I th-thought Lorenz w-was going to b-bust an artery!"

"Is it really okay to just leave like that?" Alex asked.

Edgar snorted. "You think my father ever sat through one of those things? He just breezed in, told the board how he expected them to vote and left. I needed to let the board know I was back, and that I was done letting Lorenz push me aside. If I manage to do some good for this city along the way, that's even better. It's about time this company started pulling its weight."

"How are y-you going to s-swing bring the p-president of this p-place and keep up the n-night gig?"

"I'll work something out. I'll probably wind up delegating most of the day-to-day business to Lorenz and the other directors, but I meant what I said back there. It's time a Harcourt was back in charge, and Lorenz is never going to push me aside again." The elevator dinged, and they walked out into the lobby. Edgar glanced down at his designer watch. "What do you say we grab lunch?"

"Are you paying?" Alex asked.

"You're an i-intern, I w-work at a g-guitar store, and F-Fancypants is the p-president of th-third biggest company in the city. D-Damn right he's paying." Ingrid glanced sidelong at Edgar. "And we're n-not going to a n-noodle stand this time, either."

"Of course not," Edgar said. "We're celebrating! I've heard of a tapas place that opened a few weeks ago by the river that I've been wanting to try. What do you s—"

All three of their phones chimed in unison. Alex glanced down at the text and then at the other two heroes. "It's from Jiro."

"Ours too," Edgar said.

Alex was already reading the message. "There's going to be a meeting at Forbes Manor in two hours. Looks like he's calling everyone in again, just like when we went against Braun."

"About damn t-time," Ingrid said.

Edgar was scrolling through his speed dial. "Looks like we'll need a rain check on lunch. I'll call the car around."

Alex, Ingrid and Edgar arrived at Forbes Manor a short while later and were buzzed through the automated security system at the gate. Edgar told his driver they would likely be there for a while and would call when he was finished. A battered pickup truck with "Reeves Locksmith" emblazoned on the door was parked on the looping front drive, and as Alex crossed the front lawn, an old sedan pulled up. The car stopped, and a petite woman with spiked blonde hair swung out. She glanced at the truck and nodded before turning to the three young heroes.

"Haven't seen you kids in a while. Holding down the east side, right?"

"Who are you?" Edgar asked.

The woman blinked. "I'm the Cavalier." At Edgar's skeptical look, she sighed in exasperation. "What, you think I'm going to ride up here all suited up in broad daylight? You're not in costume either."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "I hear you had a busy Purge Night. How long did it take you to get all the blood off your armor?"

"You don't approve of how I work? I think we're well past trying to keep our methods nonlethal."

"From the sound of it, you never really concerned yourself with that to start with."

Edgar stepped between the two of them. "Hey, easy, we're all on the same side here." He extended his hand. "Edgar Harcourt. The Phantom." He gestured with a quick turn of his head. "That's Echo, and Hawlucha Man."

"I figured," the Cavalier said. "Name's Sonya Fabron." She turned back to Alex. "The Phantom's right, we can't afford to be fighting among ourselves. You may not agree with what I do, but I can promise you that the only people I'm hurting are the ones who deserve it." When Alex opened his mouth to respond, Sonya held up a hand. "Spare me the arguments. If you think that letting these fuckers live to fight another day gives you the moral high ground, then fine. But I'm putting my life on the line every time I go up against them, and I'm not letting anyone get away to get revenge on me if I can help it. The Sins never deserved mercy, and now more than ever we need a permanent solution to keep our city safe."

Alex's hands were balled into fists, and Ingrid put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "L-Let's go inside. Jiro w-wouldn't have c-called us here if it w-wasn't important."

"Right," Alex managed to say. "Let's go." He turned on his heel and stalked away from the Cavalier before his composure slipped any further. Edgar and Ingrid fell in behind him, with the Cavalier taking up the rear at a considerable distance. They walked through the lavish Forbes mansion to the secure meeting room at the center of the ground floor where months ago the heroes of Clarus City had laid out a desperate plan to save the Sins' hostages from Marcus Braun's clutches.

Isabelle looked up as they approached and forced a smile. "Good, you're here. Grab some seats, we'll start in a few."

Jiro, Lakshmi and Johannes sat around a low coffee table with their heads together in a murmured conversation. Joshua and Newton hung back in a corner of the room. The Kadabra had a hand on the esper's arm, and Joshua looked troubled. Captain Unova sat on the edge of one of the couches in full hero regalia, his expression grim. Next to him sat a bearded man with a Nuzleaf, who Alex took to be the Gunslinger. The bearded man stood up when Sonya walked in. "Reeves," she said. "I tried calling you for a ride."

"I was finishing up a job near the bridge, and it sounded important. I didn't think it was worth it to double back." Reeves shrugged, but Alex saw his eyes turn up at the corners as he slipped on the Gunslinger persona. "Sorry, partner."

"You know I hate it when you call me that."

"You guys c-carpool?" Ingrid asked.

"Yeah, sometimes." Sonya slumped down into a chair. "Saves us each a few bucks here and there."

Ingrid cast Edgar a significant glance. "M-Maybe we should st-start d-doing that. I w-wouldn't mind using that c-car service every once in a w-while."

Edgar rolled his eyes. "The car service isn't cheap."

"D-Didn't you j-just m-make a big show of t-taking b-back your company, F-Fancypants?"

Alex sat down next to Jonathan and nodded. "Made it through the Purge all right?"

"It was touch and go for a little while, but George and I pulled through. What about you?"

"Hierro and I were running ourselves ragged all over Avenbrooke. The Baron put some of his capos out to help keep the peace, and once I realized they were actually there to help, we managed to hold things down. All things considered, Avenbrooke got off easy." He grinned. "Y'know, there were a few times when Hierro and I showed up and the Sins cut their losses and ran. I guess someone's been putting out word in the underworld that a fight with Hawlucha Man is more trouble than it's worth."

"You let them get away?'

"Oh hell no. We chased them into the police's hands and let the cops take it from there."

Jiro stood up and cleared his throat. "All right, let's get started. You know I wouldn't call you here if it wasn't an emergency. Just being together like this presents a substantial risk for all of us, but for the time being we can assume that Forbes manor is secure."

"You're starting without me, huh?" The gathered heroes turned to see the Ronin standing at the door of the conference room, his hands shoved into the pockets of his battered leather jacket.

Johannes rose to his feet and grinned. "The savior of the Warren! Glad you could make it."

The Ronin rolled his eyes. "Don't start that crap with me."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "I heard that if you hadn't stepped in, half the east side would have gone up in smoke."

"It wasn't as bad as that," the Ronin grumbled. "I just did what anyone would've." He dropped into a chair next to Alex and gestured at Jiro. "You want to do something about this shit, right? Well, I'm listening."

Alex leaned over to whisper to the other Avenbrooke vigilante. "Decided to be a hero after all, huh?"

"Shut up, kid."

Jiro nodded. "As I was saying, the situation has gotten dire enough for me to call this assembly of Clarus's heroes. The Purge has made it clear that the Sins' war in the underworld has gone too far. Too many civilians are being injured, and with Dominion's power and influence growing, it's difficult to know who we can trust. But everyone in this room has been actively engaged in combatting the Sins, and I think it's safe to assume we're all on the same side. If you need confirmation of my own bona fides, or those of Johannes or Lakshmi, we're willing to submit to scrutiny. I don't want anyone to think they've been lured here under false pretenses."

"We believe you," Sonya said. "Cut the crap and tell us how we're going to kick the Sins' asses."

Lakshmi favored the Cavalier with a wan smile. "Dominion has proved difficult to pin down. In the early days of her takeover, she moved around her base of operations frequently, which made it difficult to track her, especially with her being so erratic. But our information network has recently identified a warehouse complex in Ridgewood that was purchased through what used to be one of Marcus Braun's more obscure shell companies. We have observed a lot of Sin traffic through that location, and have spotted Dominion herself there on multiple occasions. It appears that this complex has become the main base of the Sins' operation.

"Unfortunately, we can't pass this information along to the police. We have reason to believe that Dominion has successfully infiltrated the police force at all levels. If the police force were to plan a raid on the facility, Dominion would hear about it and have enough time to pack up her operation and escape to a secondary location. Jiro, Johannes and I will be launching a surprise attack on the facility in three days' time."

Edgar leaned forward. "That's insane."

"Not as insane as you might think," Johannes replied. "After the Purge, the Sins' forces have taken a considerable hit. The organization is as weak as it's ever been, even if the rumors about them joining forces with the Kuromori are true. Dominion shot herself in the foot trying to purge her ranks of dissent, and we're going to take advantage of that."

"But the Phantom has a point," Jiro said. "Even weakened as they are, attacking the center of the Sins' power poses considerable risks. It's… it's very likely that the three of us might not survive doing it alone. And that brings me back to why we've called you here today. I really can't ask you to sacrifice any more than you already have, but…"

"You want us to fight with you," Isabelle said. "Jiro, why didn't you tell me this ahead of time?"

"The fewer people who knew about this, the safer the operation—"

"Dude. I've fighting this war as long as you three, there's no way in hell I'm backing out now. I'm going."

"Same here," Alex said, rising to his feet.

Ingrid and Edgar stood as well. "We're in too," Edgar said.

"After what those b-bastards have done to G-Greenpoint, it'll b-be my p-pleasure."

"You couldn't keep me away if you tried!" Captain Unova said.

Sonya's lips curled up into a predatory smile. "I can hardly wait."

The Gunslinger took a deep breath. "You can count on me to have your backs, partner."

Alex glanced down at the Ronin, and the older man nodded slowly. "I'm no hero, but I swore to protect this city. I'm in."

Joshua stepped forward. "Dominion needs to be stopped. I'll do everything in my power to help." He grinned. "And my power's nothing to scoff at!"

Johannes grinned at the assembled heroes. "That's what I like to hear! Clarus City knows that it can always bet on us to keep it safe."

Jiro took a deep breath. "You all need to understand that this is going to be an incredibly dangerous operation. Bravado is all well and good, but it's very likely that none of us will survive."

"We've never lost yet!" Isabelle shot back. "Every time we got knocked down, we just came back up swinging harder. That's what heroes like us do! The city needs us now more than ever, and if you think I'm going to sit on my hands while the three of you go off to fight, you're insane!"

"I know, but—"

"No buts! You said the same crap when we all went off to fight Sloth, and none of us backed down then either." Isabelle slammed her hand down on the arm of her chair. "Every one of us has spent months fighting our own battles against the Sins, just trying to hold the line and keep our city safe. If you ask me, it's way past time we brought the fight to them. Enough with playing defense, right?"

Edgar nodded. "None of us would be sitting here if we couldn't handle ourselves in a fight. How is an operation like this any different than what we do every night? Sure, we're facing long odds, but we do that every day. Jiro, we all know the risks. We've known them for a long time. We're fighting anyway."

"This city is our home," Alex added. "We know what it might cost to protect it, and we're all comfortable paying that price. We knew the risks when we agreed to fight; you don't have to remind us again."

Jiro inclined his head to the three young heroes. "You're right. So, we're a united front. I'm making the full resources of my company available to all of you. If there are any equipment upgrades you need that can be made in the next three days, let me know. I want us going into this at full strength."

Johannes took the floor. "We've all been at this long enough to know that the second the action starts, any plan we make is going to go to hell in a hand basket. But we've outlined a general plan of attack, and formulated several broad strategies that we can tailor on the fly when the assault begins." He picked up a tablet and projected the map it showed onto the room's larger screen. "The three of us planned to stage our attack from here as soon as it was dark…"