arc 01 | the clothes make the man

Office workers ducked for cover as Rudy shouted and punched Nico with all his might. Nico went flying. His body sailed over two desks before slamming into the opposite wall. He gasped in pain. Papers fluttered around the office like a rustling blizzard. Nico collapsed to the floor.

It wasn’t supposed to go like this, he thought.

And, to be fair, it wasn’t. Nico had thought his plan was flawless. He’d studied Rudy’s every move for weeks. He’d intensified his training regimen to prepare for his first real fight. He’d even skipped breakfast this morning to avoid puking if he took a blow to the stomach.

But, in the end, Rudy was the one wearing the tie. The blue tie with white speckles. The tie that gave Rudy the strength of a man much larger than he was. Not that Rudy was small - he was built like a bull. But the clothes make the man. Especially in a world stitched together by The Clothiers.

“Had enough, huh?” Rudy growled. He was bobbing and weaving, a mocking smile twisting his mouth. “Bring it on, new kid! You want my job or not? Only way to get that promotion is to go through me!”

Nico couldn’t move. It felt like something was broken somewhere. Everything hurt. He gritted his teeth, straining, willing himself to stand up, but he couldn’t summon the strength.

“Nico!” Piper whispered. “Get up!”

Nico’s eyes turned toward her. He thought that she was worried about him, but her face was furious.

“Come on!” She demanded. “Beat him!”

Rudy guffawed. “Yeah, right! He can’t beat a drum, Piper! That new kid’s done. Now watch your mouth, or you’ll be next.”

Piper marched over to Rudy, absolutely livid. “Oh yeah, Rudy? Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, punch m-”

Rudy’s massive fist slammed into her stomach. For an instant she looked dazed, then she smashed into the wall herself.

Piper!

Nico growled with effort. It took everything he had, but he got to his feet. The people around the office were murmuring. He heard a couple of them laugh. Rudy was starting to stomp away.

“I’m not done!” Nico cried.

Rudy paused. The voices hushed.

“Yeah. You are. Quit while you’re ahead, new kid. Better yet, quit before I fire you.”

“No way!”

Rudy turned back and faced Nico. He straightened the tie.

“You got no chance against me. You wanna die, new kid? Is this really how you want to go out? Look, I’m a reasonable guy. Just do your job. Long as you don’t cause me trouble, I won’t beat you up.” He glanced at Piper. Nico followed his gaze.

Piper was already standing up. She looked a little winded, but otherwise she seemed to be fine. Her blazer had saved her from getting messed up. That was the magic of wearing attire made by The Clothiers.

Nico looked from Piper’s blazer to Rudy’s tie, and then down to his own clothes, which he’d found in a thrift store. No special powers in these. Just a normal white button-down and brown trousers.

In that moment, something about the sight of his second-hand clothes solidified Nico’s resolve. His adrenaline was pumping. He barely felt his injuries now.

“I’m going to kick your ass, Rudy! Then I’m going to take your job!”

“Yeah, Nico! Kick his ass!” Piper cheered.

Rudy laughed. “Alright kid, you’re fired!”

Nico charged forward with a scream. Rudy swung out with a beefy fist, easily deflecting Nico’s punch and sending him sprawling. Nico lay crumpled on the ground, panting for breath, a trickle of blood running down his chin.

“Clean out your desk. You’re done,” Rudy grunted. “Back to work, all of you!” He walked into his private office and slammed the door behind him.

Nico struggled to get up. Piper walked to his side, offering him her hand. He took it.

“Thanks, Pi- AGH!” Nico yelled in surprise as Piper let go of him partway up. His back hit the floor painfully. “What the hell?” He demanded.

Piper shrugged. “Changed my mind. You gotta stop relying on me so much, Nico. Stand up on your own strength.”

“You’re really annoying, you know that?”

“I know,” she smiled.

***

It didn’t take Nico long to clean out his desk. He’d only worked here for a couple of months, and he didn’t have the money to buy much stuff anyway. He packed his belongings into his small suitcase: a couple of notebooks, a few pens he’d stolen, an anime bobblehead, two protein bars, and a few drawings he’d done of a man wearing a fancy suit - the sort of suit he planned to own one day. A suit that would give him the power to-

“Nico,” Piper said. He quickly stashed the last drawing into his briefcase and snapped it closed before looking up at her.

“Subtle,” she remarked.

“Yeah, well, don’t sneak up on me like that.”

She nodded, looking pensive. “Look, Nico, I’m sorry about everything. I’m going to miss you, you know?”

Nico felt himself turning very red. “Y-yeah, I’m going to miss you too, Piper.”

It was true. He’d tried to be sleuthy about it, but his crush on Piper had been obvious to just about anybody who bothered to pay attention. Fortunately for Nico, very few people in the office cared enough to do so.

“Hey, kid! Get out!” Rudy bellowed. He rolled his eyes and returned to his office, slamming the door once more.

“Alright,” Nico said. Everything in him was burning with anger and shame. He snatched his briefcase and nodded to Piper. “See you.”

“Yeah,” she murmured. “See you.”

***

Nico trudged down the street. His injuries didn’t hurt so badly now, so he guessed nothing was actually broken. So that was going for him, at least. It was the only bright spot he could see. He felt utterly defeated.

All those months wasted, he thought. So much training, and for what? To get my ass kicked by the first supervisor I try to fight?

He sat down with his back against a building. The city sprawled all around him, but there weren’t many people out around here at the moment. That suited him just fine. At the moment, he just wanted to disappear.

A tattered newspaper page rattled against the pavement a few inches from his shoes. He poked at it absently with his toe. Most of the page was too worn and filthy to read, but he could see one advertisement peeking out of the grime. It was an ad for a new line of high heels from The Clothiers.

The Clothiers had risen to prominence about ten years ago. Since then, the world had changed forever. The very nature of power had completely shifted.

It started small. The Clothiers made ties that helped you stay alert during the 3pm slump. Cufflinks that helped you write faster. Suit jackets that made you more charismatic in meetings. Clothes, in short, that made you better at navigating the business world.

Soon, The Clothiers’ attire had spread worldwide. Anyone who was seriously career-minded bought at least one article of Clothiers business wear, or scrimped and saved until they could afford to. Top executives owned numerous full outfits, while the lowest employees might scrape up enough wages to buy a pocket square.

But as time passed, the world’s executives demanded greater and greater performance from their business wear. It wasn’t enough to be more charismatic in a meeting - they demanded the power to sway the weak-minded masses. Crushing their business rivals economically wouldn’t suffice - they paid for shoes that gave them impossible agility, blazers that gave them herculean strength, slacks that gave them blazing speed.

Business had always been a dog-eat-dog world. Now, it was a warzone. Not only were the rich getting richer, they were also getting stronger. All the while, the mysterious manufacturing processes that The Clothiers used to create the attire got more sophisticated. The business wear became more and more powerful. And as the clothes grew in power, so did their wearers.

Soon, the world’s nations had come under the control of five megacorporations, ruled by five of the strongest business people on earth. The megacorporations owned everything: all business, all governments, all trade. Bosses fought their subordinates to maintain their positions at the top of the ladder. Anyone who wanted to advance in the New Corporate World had to prove their worth by defeating their superiors and taking their jobs by force.

And at the head of it all, above all five megacorporations, stood the CEO - the Business King. The top executive of the world, the man who held the power to make dreams come true.

The CEO. The Business King.

“No! Give it back!” A shaky voice said.

Nico snapped out of his reverie. He had been staring into the sliver of sky that perforated the city skyline, but now he looked around, searching for the owner of the voice.

“Nobody needs to get hurt, old man,” a sinister voice replied. “Just hand it over and I’ll be on my way.”

“Come on, I don’t have anything! There’s nothing in my wallet, I swear! Just give it back!”

There. Across the street to his right, Nico spotted two figures just inside an alley. He stood. He still hurt, but he ignored the pain. He moved closer, straining to see better.

An old man was backed against the wall, his hands raised above his head. He was trembling with fear. His mugger brandished a bat in one hand, which he was smacking against the palm of his other hand.

“Shut up,” the mugger growled. Suddenly, he swung the bat, thwacking it against the brick just above the old man’s head. “Next time I won’t miss. Now hand it over.”

Nico didn’t even know he was going to say it, but he heard his own voice calling out. “Back off! Leave him alone!”

The mugger paused. Turned. Frowned. He said, “Leave. Now.”

“I said, leave him alone,” Nico replied. He was surprised by the sound of his own voice - so calm, so brave. What was happening? Was it because he had nothing left to lose? Whatever the reason, he was not going to back down now.

The mugger stalked toward Nico. The old man watched, amazed.

Nico settled into a fighting stance. His failure to bring down Rudy melted into the past. All that mattered was this moment, right now. He would put his skills to the test. He would defend this old man, and take back what the mugger had stolen. And somehow - how, exactly, he had no idea - somehow, he would be one step closer to his dream.

The mugger advanced slowly, tapping the bat against the pavement. It made little tink sounds with each tap. Only now did Nico notice that the bat was metal. A good shot to the head with that thing would put him out of his misery for certain.

“Don’t do it, kid!” The old man yelled. “Let me handle this!”

The mugger smiled. “Last chance to leave.”

Nico smiled back, all fear completely gone. “Nah,” he said, and stepped forward.

The mugger roared, whipping the bat upwards. It came at Nico fast, whistling through the air with lethal speed. Nico ducked, feeling the tips of his hair get blown by the force of the swing. He stayed low, running straight at the mugger’s stomach. He connected, but the mugger turned just before impact. Nico had hoped to knock the dude’s breath out, but it was only a glancing blow. He staggered forward with momentum, stopping himself from running into the wall with his outstretched hands.

He heard the whistle of the bat again, and dodged just in time. The bat slammed into the wall where his neck had just been. A chip of brick skittered to the ground. Nico spun around, facing the mugger again, placing himself between the mugger and the entrance to the alleyway where the old man still stood.

The mugger grimaced. “Enough. You’re dead. I’m going to finish you both right now.”

He raised the bat with one hand, and reached into his pocket with the other. He pulled something out, holding it in his clenched fist, and took a deep breath.

“No!” The old man cried.

Nico barely had time to react. The mugger charged, swinging the bat back and forth with all his strength. It bounced against the alley walls with deadly rings. Nico danced back, looking for an opening. Then he saw it.

The mugger swung the bat left, and in the same moment Nico dashed to the right. He jumped as high as he could, planted his foot against the wall, and shoved off, arm extended to punch the mugger. He missed the punch, but his elbow hooked around the mugger’s neck, and they both went down in a heap. Their heads bounced against the pavement. Nico saw stars.

The mugger’s hand opened as he passed out, and Nico had just enough time to register that the mugger had been holding a small white button before everything went black.

***

“Kid, you okay? Wake up, kid.”

Nico’s head was pounding terribly. His eyes fluttered open.

He was lying on a couch in a large, dimly-lit room. Oddly-shaped objects filled the spaces around the couch, but it was too dark to tell what they were. The old man was watching him with a wary smile.

“Hey! You alright?” The old man asked.

“Ugh… I think so. I don’t know,” said Nico.

“Here, drink this.” The old man handed Nico a mug of something warm and spicy. He took a hesitant sip. It was good. Really good. As he drank it, the throbbing in his head melted away, and he felt more awake.

“Apple cider?” Nico asked.

“That’s right. It’s my favorite. Just the thing for when you’re feeling low, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I mean, wow - I feel so much better. Thanks.”

The old man’s smile warmed. “It’s me that should be thanking you, kid. You might have saved my life there. And you got me my treasure back, too.”

“Treasure?”

The old man nodded. He reached into his shirt pocket and produced the small white button. He beamed at Nico.

“A button? What does it do?” Asked Nico.

The old man looked a bit puzzled. “Do?”

“Yeah, like, what power does it have?”

“Power? Kid, don’t be stupid. It’s a button. They hold shirts closed.”

“...What? How is that treasure?”

With a chuckle, the old man said, “Well, people treasure weird stuff, kid. You’ll figure that out someday.”

Nico nodded, completely nonplussed. “Okay, I guess so. Kind of annoying I risked my ass for a button though.” He handed the empty mug back to the old man. “What’s your name?”

“You can call me Mr. Wyatt,” the old man replied. “What’s yours?”

“Nico.”

“I owe you, Nico. Maybe you risked your ass for a button, but it was my button, and you also saved my ass, and that’s worth a lot to me.”

“Wait - if the button doesn’t have any power, why were you so upset when that guy tried to use it?” asked Nico.

“I didn’t want him to lose it! Like I said, it’s a treasure of mine. Can you imagine if he’d dropped it into the gutter and it went into the sewer? I’d never find it again!”

Nico’s eyes were adjusting to the dim light of the room. He thought he recognized the large objects, but he still couldn’t make sense of them.

“Where are we?” He asked.

“My place,” Mr. Wyatt replied. “It’s not very far from where you helped me. I… Well, let me show you something.”

He walked toward the wall, and flipped a switch. The lights flickered to life, illuminating the room in a fluorescent glow. Nico looked around. The room was filled with sewing machines, cloth, materials, and racks of clothing in various states of completion.

“So, you make clothes, huh?” said Nico.

Mr. Wyatt smiled. “Not just any clothes, Nico. Business attire. This here is my black market operation. Ordinarily I wouldn’t show it to anybody, but, well, given the circumstances…”

“Wait, black market?” said Nico. He stood up and started walking around, taking it all in. “What’s wrong with making business attire?”

“Ah, I guess you wouldn’t know. You don’t make attire; you’re not a man of the cloth, as we used to be called. But for the last three years, it’s been very illegal - like, you’ll get executed, illegal - to make business wear independently. The Clothiers have a total monopoly.”

“Gotcha,” Nico said. He was taking it all in. Button-downs, vests, ties, socks, suspenders, blazers, slacks… the room was full of most every kind of business attire he could think of. An idea was forming in his mind.

“Listen, Mr. Wyatt... “

“I’m sorry, but no.”

“What?”

“You were going to ask if I could give you business wear, and the answer is no.”

Nico was baffled. “But you said you owe me, I saved your life, right?”

Mr. Wyatt’s expression was pained. “You did, and truly, I appreciate it. But I can’t take the risk. None of these clothes are ready for street wear yet.”

Nico took a pair of slacks from one of the racks, looking them over. “They look fine to me,” he said. “What do they do?”

“Sadly, nothing.”

Nico’s shoulders fell. “Nothing?”

“Nothing,” Mr. Wyatt confirmed. “Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve tried for a very long time. I’ve only had one successful attempt at making a power-filled fashion statement, and… anyway. I’ve been trying to figure out the answer for years, Nico. How do The Clothiers bend the fabric of reality with the power of their business attire? They guard their secrets well.”

“Right.” Nico placed the slacks back on their rack. He sighed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for business wear by The Clothiers. Thrift stores, dumpsters, everywhere. They’re so expensive. I can’t even afford a pair of socks.”

Mr. Wyatt nodded. “That’s why they’re a monopoly. But you have to be careful about second-hand business wear, kid. You can get in a lot of trouble if you’re caught wearing it. They license each piece to one person, you know. Unauthorized wearers can end up facing a legal suit. That’s if they’re not locked away for life.”

“I know,” Nico said, a hard note in his voice. “But I… need it. I have to be stronger. I need business attire, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.”

The old man crossed his arms thoughtfully, studying Nico with his wise eyes for a long moment. “Tell me, Nico,” he said at last, “why do you need business attire so badly?” He gestured to the clothing racks. “My dream is to create better business attire than The Clothiers, it’s what I’m risking my life for. What about you? What makes second-hand business wear worth the risk?”

Nico looked Mr. Wyatt in the eyes.

“I’m going to become the CEO. The Business King.”

Mr. Wyatt’s jaw dropped. “The CEO.”

“Yeah,” Nico said. He was smiling, but there was a determination in that smile that told Mr. Wyatt the kid wasn’t joking. He was serious. Deadly serious.

“You know what that means, right, kid?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“And you’re willing to do what it takes. You’re going to take down every supervisor, every boss, every executive…” his voice dropped to a whisper. “...The Board of Directors?”

Nico’s smile widened. “That’s right.”

As Mr. Wyatt searched Nico’s eyes, he felt something. He had felt it before. It felt like destiny. Like a tug on the strings of the future.

He stood. “Wait here.”

Nico watched the old man walk out of the room. His heart was pounding. Why had he said something so crazy to a stranger? But it was true, wasn’t it? Yes, it was true. He had made up his mind, once and for all. His faith had been shaken this morning, but it was back now, and it had been tried by the fire of his fights with Rudy and the mugger. He had a feeling that his faith was here to stay now.

A few minutes later, Mr. Wyatt returned. He was carrying a small box. He gave Nico a long look.

“Nico… tell me something. Why do you want to become the CEO?”

“It’s what I’ve wanted since I was a kid. My mom told me… she told me that the CEO can do anything. That he can make dreams come true.”

“Anything, huh? Well, what would you do? What dream do you want to make come true?” Mr. Wyatt asked.

Nico laughed. “I haven’t decided yet! But I’ll know when I get there.”

Mr. Wyatt’s jaw dropped again. He doesn’t even know what he wants to do?!

And then Mr. Wyatt was laughing too. This kid. This kid reminded him of… well. That was why he’d done this, after all, wasn’t it? That was why he’d brought out the box.

“Look Nico, I don’t know if you’re a visionary or just damn insane,” he said. “But... you remind me of somebody. My son. He’s dead now, been dead a little while. But, like I said, I only had one successful attempt at weaving power into business attire. Only one.”

He held the box out to Nico.

“Take it,” he said. “It belongs to you now.”

Nico took the box. It was a simple white cardboard shirt box. He glanced at Mr. Wyatt, who nodded affirmation. He opened the box.

Inside the box was a folded button-down. It had a single pinstripe running down its left sleeve, but was otherwise completely plain. Nico pulled the shirt out, letting it unfold in his hands. His fingers tingled.

“Wow,” Nico whispered. “You made this?”

Mr. Wyatt nodded. “It’s a very special piece of business attire, Nico. It’s the only one like it in the world. It was made with the passion of a father’s love. I wanted more than anything for my son to have the strength to chase his dreams, and to have the hunger for knowledge that makes men truly wise. I still don’t know what I did right when I made this shirt that I did wrong when I made all the others, but this shirt alone is woven with true power.”

Nico took his shirt off, and put on the button-down. As it touched his skin, he could feel an energy coursing through its fibers.

“What does it do?” he asked.

“Its power is what makes it unique, Nico,” Mr. Wyatt said. “The Clothiers make business attire that holds power, but their power does not grow. They want the world to buy more and more powerful pieces, so in time, each piece loses its relevance. But even if they wanted to, I don’t believe that The Clothiers could make business wear that grows in power. This shirt will grow stronger as you do. The hunger for knowledge that has been sewn into it will allow the shirt to gain strength and abilities over time.”

“No way! That’s amazing!” said Nico.

Mr. Wyatt gestured to a mirror in a corner of the room. Nico looked at himself. The shirt fit perfectly. He turned, admiring every angle. The single pinstripe on the left sleeve caught his attention.

“Why does it only have one stripe?” he asked.

“I believe that it will gain new stripes as it gains power,” Mr. Wyatt replied. “That shirt has only been worn once before you put it on just now, and it gained that stripe on that first day.”

“I’ve gotta give it a test run,” said Nico.

***

As Nico left Mr. Wyatt’s place, promising to return soon, he noticed a picture hanging on the wall. It showed two people, Mr. Wyatt and a young man, smiling to the camera. A caption below the picture read:

Bruce Coller and his father, Wyatt. 2055.

“Thanks, Bruce,” Nico whispered.

***

Piper yawned and stretched. It was nearly time to go home. She was one of the last office workers still in the office. Rudy’s temper had worsened over the day. He’d come close to beating up the receptionist for sending through too many calls to his office. Piper had managed to steer clear. She kept thinking about Nico. She had liked him a lot, even if he needed a kick in the ass sometimes. It was a shame. She had really believed in him, but in the end, no amount of spunk alone could beat upper management. You needed the power to back it up.

She stood, grabbing her backpack. Rudy lumbered out of his office. “Alright everyone, go home,” he grunted. “Piper, get here early tomorrow. You gotta interview the replacements for that dumbass new kid.”

Suddenly, Piper saw that dumbass new kid out of the corner of her eye. He had walked into the office. Rudy’s back was turned to him. He was wearing those same brown trousers, but his shirt - his shirt looked brand new. Crisp. And there was something in his eyes: a fire. The kind of fire she’d been trying to get burning in him since the day he arrived here. The kind of fire she’d seen smoldering inside him all this time.

“Hi, Rudy,” said Nico.

Rudy’s look darkened into a furious scowl. He spoke slowly as he turned to face Nico. “What… the hell… are you doing… back here… kid?”

Nico smiled. There was something ferocious about that smile, Piper thought.

Okay Nico, show him who’s boss.

“I’m taking your job, Rudy,” Nico said brightly.

“Like hell you are! I already fired you once today, so if you want to live, you get the-” Rudy’s threat was cut off as Nico’s fist slammed into his stomach.

Piper’s eyes widened in amazement. How had he moved that fast? He had run at Rudy full speed this morning, and that hadn’t been half the speed he was moving now. Her eyes locked onto the button-down. Where did he get that shirt?

Rudy staggered back, knocking over a chair. He recovered his balance before he fell, but he was furious now. Too angry for words, he lowered his head and let out a bull-like bellow as he charged at Nico. His beefy fist rose, preparing to deal Nico the same knock-out blow he’d given him this morning. Nico threw his own punch at the same time. Their fists collided.

A blast of air sent papers flying through the office. Piper felt her hair get blown back by the force of the impact. For a split second, Nico and Rudy stood like statues, joined by their touching fists, Nico’s smile wide and triumphant, Rudy’s face twisted in a grimace.

Then the moment was over, and Rudy was sent flying. He sailed through two thin walls and out the window with a shattering CRASH. There was a loud thud as he hit the ground outside, one story below. Lucky for him, Piper remembered, their office was only on the second floor of the building.

There was a long silence. Everyone slowly looked from Nico, to the shattered window, and back at Nico. He was still smiling triumphantly. He stood up straight, stretched, and walked to the window without saying a word. He looked down at Rudy, who was staggering to his feet.

“You’re fired,” he said.

The office burst into cheers. Piper smiled. Things were getting interesting.

[PROMOTION! - Supervisor Rank Acquired!]