Once the Guardians were gone, the Dukes began discussing amongst themselves.
"Damn! So annoying having to look at their smug faces all the time," Jack complained
"I agree. Boss, why don't we just get rid of them?" Peter asked
"Don't be stupid. Not only would be making enemies of the entire world but we would also cause the villains to act up," Richard said to Peter
"He's right. We don't have the manpower to replace them. We would have to promote a large number of people that haven't earned it or our trust yet if we do that," Nicolette said
"It not only has to do with that but also the enemies we would make. We currently take on so many clients not because this is the limit of our numbers but the limit of the animosity we can endure. We can only have so many businesses under our protection before we start to step on other people's toes," Anna chimed in
"That is actually what this latest meeting will be about," Red King interrupted the others. All of their attention immediately went to him.
"I was going to wait for the other 4 to arrive but I can tell the 5 of you first. The latest of our contracts last till is the New Years. That is when they will all renew. We will be cutting out over 80% of our clients."
Everyone was shocked. They had gotten into this market for the security business so to cut off over 80% of their clients all at once was a major change. The amount of money their company would make would crash. They might not even be able to sustain themselves.
"How are going to make money then, Boss? Even if we just keep our highest paying clients, that should be only around 40% of our income," Richard asked
"43%," Anna corrected
"Slightly better. While we can afford such a loss and still make profits, I'm sure that you won't do this without a reason or plan."
"The reasoning is simple. Big changes are coming soon. If we stay as high profile as we are, we won't be able to withstand the storm that is coming our way. I can't tell you all exactly what will happen but know this: Omni-Man can't be trusted," Red King told them all
The others just looked at him and nodded. Their faith in Red King was unquestionable. Even if they did not have the answers they wanted, they knew that by following him, everything would turn out alright.
After talking about a few other matters, the Dukes and Red King each went their separate ways. They each had jobs to do and must perform them well.
After speaking with the Dukes, Red King had a meeting with the king of Ushter. The man wanted the protection of one of the best security agencies in the world. After going over the various plans and options for an hour, both of the kings left the room on good terms and with a contract.
Red King went to his office and saw the time. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Caitlin asking her if she wanted to get some dinner together. Red King then sat at his desk before working on his laptop
A few minutes later, the special ringtone he set up for her went off. Red King looked down at his phone to see the reply.
[Would love to but I gotta go on patrol. Sneak by my place around 1? Can have a late-night date ;) ]
[Sounds good.] Red King replied.
He then worked for a few more hours before changing out of his Red King persona and back into his Conner Grayson self. He then walked out of the office where Anna greeted him.
"Getting off early tonight?" she asked
"Yep. Judging by what happened earlier today, it's about time," he told her.
Anna looked confused but just nodded at what Conner said and watched him enter the elevator. When the elevator doors closed, she was still confused.
'How much charisma can one person have? He can say the weirdest things yet still have all of us follow him blindly.'
Conner reached the parking lot and started heading home. Even though he arrived back at 7, he was still the second one to return after his mother. When Conner walked in, he saw his mother was still preparing dinner.
Conner walked over and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek.
"Chicken for dinner?" he asked
"Hmm. With fresh bratwurst from that little place in Berlin," Debbie replied as she started setting the table.
Conner took the items from her hands and set the table himself. This earned him a kiss on the cheek from his mom.
"Thanks, hun," she said
"Best Wurst?" Conner asked.
"Yep. Your Father and I had breakfast there but decided to bring some back for you two since Mark loves that place so much."
Conner felt a sense of déjà vu but he couldn't point to where it was from. Ignoring it, he continued to set up the table. He not only placed the plates and cutlery but also got the food on the table and even filled his parents' cups with wine. When he was done, Mark and Nolan had just walked into the house.
The family of 4 sat down at the table before putting their food on their plates.
"How was everyone's day today?" Debbie asked.
"Same old, same old. Had to deal with a dragon in Hong Kong. So cliche," Nolan said as he dug into his chicken.
"Not much. Mark almost got beat up this morning. I stopped the other guy. Bully's car got blown up. The rest of the day was pretty normal," said Conner before drinking some water.
"Guess who got his powers today?!?!" Mark asked with visible excitement.
"Are you sure?" "Are you sure?" Nolan and Conner asked at the same time.
"Uh, pretty sure. I sent a bag of trash into space when I was at work today," Mark responded
Many thoughts went through both Conner's and Nolan's minds but they could pretty much be summed up in the same sentence.
'So it begins...'
Nolan then turned to Conner, "How about you? You get your powers today too?"
Conner put another piece of chicken on his plate and cut it up before replying.
"Nope. I got mine at the beginning of summer break."
The rest of the table paused when they heard that and all eyes turned to Conner. He pretended like he did not notice them and continued to eat his chicken and potatoes.
"You've had yours for 4 months? That is so unfair!" Mark exclaimed
"I'm the older brother. I obviously get all the cooler stuff first," Conner countered
"Why didn't you tell anyone? We could have started your training already?" Nolan questioned
"Well, that's nice dear. Now I have 3 people to send on chores around the country," Debbie said calmly as she continued to eat.
She secretly felt the most relieved. She was always worried that when her children got their powers, their relationship would no longer be the same.
But seeing as Conner had been acting the same towards her for the past 4 months as he did before, she knew that she no longer had to worry. No matter what, they were still her sons.
"Well... that's good then. We can start training for both of you tomorrow. Make sure you guys get a good night's sleep," Nolan said after he recovered
The two sons nodded, one very enthusiastic and the other indifferent. The rest of the dinner was business as usual as the family of 4 talked about the weather, how school and work were going, supervillains to look out for. The usual family stuff.