Page 2 of Breathless Recruiter

“You should pat yourself on the back.” I patted myself on the back. Arthur’s sigh meant it had been one of those figurative things humans said. They’re a weird and overly complicated species.

“We’re just shy of one hundred heroes registered for the launch. Which brings me to my big news.”

“You’re going to pay me rent for using my garage?”

Janet’s head popped out from the side of the break room entrance. She had a knack for showing up at the perfect moment to give her twin a hard time. They might have come from the same mother, but they couldn’t be any more different. Where Arthur had a reserved, serious personality, Janet… I think the right word was intense? I’d be scared if she didn’t like me.

“You said ‘rent free,’ Janet.”

“That’s one of those things people say to be nice,” she replied.

“Show me the contract.” He frowned. A frequent reaction when talking to his sister.

“Arthur! Your freeloading has been going on since the womb.”

“Technically, that’s a sublease,” Orion chimed in. Our technomancer had his tablet in front of him, lost somewhere inside the computer.

“Did you tell them about the launch party?” Janet switched subjects whenever Arthur got the upper hand in an argument.

Arthur leaned over the table, smacking his head against the surface. “Thanks for ruining the surprise.”

“Party?” I liked parties. “Is it a fancy party?” At fancy parties, they had cheese on little plates. I wasn’t supposed to eat themall, so I snuck them into my pockets.

Arthur didn’t stop banging his head as he talked. “We’re having a fancy party.”

“Yes!” I clapped. “Fancy parties are my favorite.”

“Ugh.” Orion looked up from his tablet. “Does this mean dressing up?” Orion had a closet full of black t-shirts with slogans about the government destroying the country. Between that and his black jeans, he never dressed up.

“If this is the official launch, we should invite the heroes.” Drew had a point.

Arthur came up from his head banging. “Wyatt, you’ve been in contact with the heroes. I’ll need you to invite them all. We want this to be a big deal. I want to impress the media.”

“Will Ricardo be there?” Janet’s eyebrows waggled. “RRRicardo.” She emphasized the rolled R every time she said his name.

We snickered at her question. We might have taken over the fourth floor, but Ricardo and Synergy Research occupied the rest of the building. When Arthur left the office, she’d ask if he was going out for a quickie in the broom closet. I didn’t understand this quickie, but it made Arthur’s face turn red every time.

“Will he be there for a quickie?” I asked.

Janet laughed as Arthur’s face turned bright red. Orion shook his head while Drew gave me a pat on the shoulder. After this meeting, I’d have to get my dictionary and see if I used the word wrong.

Janet continued laughing. “Wyatt, you’re my favorite.”

“We arewaytoo familiar with one another,” Arthur said.

“This is getting too people-y for my taste. Send me an email with the details. Connie will put it on my calendar.” Orion had named his computer. She had a tendency to send lewd emails of exposed motherboards. I couldn’t figure out how it was pornographic. Yet, somehow, I felt dirty after seeing them.

Orion walked out of the office without taking his eyes off his tablet. The rest of us waited for Arthur to say something. Drew and I always waited for him to declare the meeting over. Janet and Orion never waited for instructions. Maybe I should practice being impulsive like them?

“I’m done here!” I jumped to my feet.

Janet tried hiding her snicker. Drew took my hand, pulling me back to my chair. “Good buddy, don’t be like Orion.”

“Okay, I guess we’re wrapping up.” Arthur pointed at Drew. “You’re reaching out to our investors to let them know we’reready to go.” He turned to me. I loved getting assignments from the boss. “Wyatt, I need you to reach out to every hero in our database. I want the launch to look like a superhero union meeting.”

I nodded. “You got it, boss.”

Arthur frowned. “Don’t call me boss.”

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