“Well boss, what’s next?” Piper asked Nico.

They were standing just outside the office building’s entrance. The sun was going down, setting the street aglow with magic hour oranges and reds. The first neon signs were flickering to life. Their faint purples and blues were almost overwhelmed by the sunset, but they still gleamed a bit in the shine of Piper’s hair. Nico was doing his best not to think about how cute she looked in the golden light.

“Uh… Well…” he started.

“Where’d you get that shirt?” She interrupted, grabbing his collar and inspecting it up close. So close, in fact, that Nico could feel the warmth of her breath against his neck for a moment.

ALARM! GIRL! CUTE GIRL! ALARM! ALARM! GIRL! AHHH! His mind was screaming. The world was spinning.

He took a giant step back, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process.

“Uh, I found it! Just found it in the trash, you know? Heh!”

Piper’s look was a little too knowing. She nodded. “Riiiiight. You found it. A brand-new, freshly-pressed button-down. In the trash. Makes sense.”

“Y-yep. Uh huh.”

Piper nodded again. She was smiling, but something in that smile was dangerous. Suddenly Nico was scared. Even when Rudy had been kicking the shit out of him, Nico had never been afraid of him. Piper, though? Ugh… He felt like his stomach weighed a thousand pounds.

“Tell me something, Nico. Do you think I’m stupid?” she asked.

“No!” Nico gasped.

“So tell me the truth then! Where did you get that shirt? It’s way nicer than anything you could afford, and there’s no way in hell you found it in the trash.”

“I… Okay, fine. It… Somebody… Somebody gave it to me.”

One of Piper’s eyebrows cocked curiously. “Somebody?”

“Yeah. A friend.”

Piper whistled. “That’s a really nice gift. Think they’ll give me one too? Y’know, since you and I are such good friends too?”

ALARM! FRIENDS! CUTE GIRL! FRIEND! GIRL FRIEND! GIRLFRIEND? ALARM!!!

“I… I don’t think that’s-” Nico started, his face burning a brighter red than the sunset itself.

“Aw, come on, Nico! Live a little! At least let me meet your rich friend!” Piper demanded. There was something more in her voice than the friendly teasing she normally gave him. Nico sensed that she was serious about this. But why?

“I don’t think he can give you anything, this was the only shirt he had left,” Nico said, truthfully enough. “But, uh, I did tell him I’d come back and tell him how it went, so…”

Piper was beaming. “Can I come?!”

“Yeah, okay,” Nico replied. He winced as Piper clapped him on the back.

“Awesome!” She cheered. “Lead the way, boss!”

***

.//_ALEPH CORP COMMUNIQUE 1532.923.65

ATTN: Employee #LR6057_RUDY_BERKIN

RANK: SUPERVISOR

Greetings, [MR. BERKIN]. This is an automated communique from the Human Resources Department of your employer, Aleph Corporation.

We regret to inform you that you have been terminated due to your failure to maintain your position as [SUPERVISOR].

When challenged, we expect our employees to maintain their rankings by virtue of the qualities we value most as a company. Unfortunately, you have failed to demonstrate those qualities, as evidenced by [TERMINATION CAUSAL EVENT #844329_2].

Should you wish to return to Aleph Corporation in the future, you will be welcome to re-apply for an entry-level position after a probationary period of [230 DAYS]. We encourage you to pursue training and/or further education in the fields you may deem appropriate in order to reacquire and, more importantly, to maintain, your desired future position.

Please note that according to [COMPANY DIRECTORY PROVISION 238_3], you will be permanently disqualified from returning to Aleph Corporation in any capacity if you attain employment at any of the corporations which Aleph Corporation considers to be direct competitors.

We wish you the best in your endeavors, and hope to find you better qualified to represent the qualities we value at Aleph Corporation in the future.

We offer you a sincerely benevolent farewell, as well as the inspiring words of our founder and president Bob Moses: “Aleph Corporation is the first and the best. As we break away from the constraints of the past, we look to streamline the future. And that future is Aleph Corp.”

[END COMMUNIQUE]

***

Elizabeth Regal’s baby blue high heels clicked smartly against the tiles of Aleph Corporation’s regional office plaza. She was walking at a normal, even leisurely, pace, but she was overtaking and then passing everyone ahead of her as she made her way out of the building.

At the beginning of her career, her feet would have been aching right now. The moment she climbed into her car, she would have been kicking the heels off, putting her feet up on the dashboard, sighing with relief. But not anymore. These weren’t the stiff, uncomfortable high heels she’d worn at the beginning of her career. These heels were made by The Clothiers, and she felt like she was walking on a cloud.

Elizabeth chuckled lightly, remembering an old video game she’d played recently. In the game, there was a power up which gave you super speed for a brief time. You moved so fast that little flames trailed behind your character as you moved. But, being an old game, your character’s animation wasn’t modified by the power up, so it just looked like they were walking at a normal pace… just with speed-flames shooting from their feet.

She had felt like that for months now, ever since buying these baby blue high heels. She had scrimped and saved her Regional Manager salary, and had finally been able to afford them. She had defeated her Supervisor and the previous Regional Manager using her wits alone, with no help from The Clothiers at all, and she was still proud of that. But if she wanted to advance further, she’d needed these heels. She just hoped they would be enough to defeat Big Chuck, the Regional Director.

She climbed into the passenger seat of her car, and nodded to the android driver.

“Greetings, Miss Regal. Where to?” the android inquired. Its artificial voice was formal.

“Home, Jeeves,” she smiled.

“Very good, Miss,” the android replied, and its robotic arms moved. The car rumbled slightly, then lifted off. Soon they were cruising in the sky traffic just above the highest skyscrapers.

Elizabeth sighed with contentment. This was the life. For old time’s sake, she put her feet up on the dashboard, but she didn’t take the heels off. They were just too damn comfortable. Maybe she’d sleep in them tonight.

The windshield screen lit up with a bright red notification. NEW ASSIGNMENT ALERT ISSUED. RECEIVE?

“Sure,” Elizabeth shrugged. “Jeeves, read it to me. And leave out the numbers and stuff.”

The android made a soft beeping sound in confirmation, then read the alert.

“Good evening, [MISS REGAL]. Please be advised that one of your regional subordinates, [RUDY BERKIN], has been terminated due to [DEFEAT IN COMBAT]. As Regional Manager, it is your assignment to meet with their replacement, [NICO *ERROR*], at your earliest convenience. Please ensure that [NICO *ERROR*] is informed of the responsibilities and expectations of their new role. Additionally, please obtain the following missing data: [SUBJECT SURNAME], for our records. Please respond in a timely manner to confirm your receipt of this assignment.”

“Confirmed,” said Elizabeth. She sighed. This was the part of her position as Regional Manager that she hated the most - dealing with a new upstart. She’d had four subordinates, including Rudy himself, attempt to take her down in combat, and it was incredibly annoying. It wasn’t the obstacles ahead of her that she minded so much - it was having to watch her back for the small fries trying to climb the ladder.

The car settled into a soothing drone as they flew. Elizabeth felt her eyes getting heavier. For the millionth time, she admired the flawless color of the baby blue heels. She felt pride as she thought of all the work and effort that she had put in to obtain them. She smiled as she remembered the old video game again. She thought she’d play it tonight, imagining herself as the character with flames coming from his shoes.

She wiggled her toes inside the high heels. Maybe she really would wear them to bed tonight. They were just that comfy.

***

Mr. Wyatt was moving at a frenzied pace. Something about that kid - about Nico - had set a fire inside him that he hadn’t felt in a long while. He felt a burning determination to create. Materials flew through the air, landing in crumpled heaps all over the floor. He was searching for the perfect cloth for his next project. He was going to figure out how to replicate his success with the pinstripe button-down if it was the last thing he ever-

He stopped moving suddenly. His arms were still partly raised, frozen in a comical gesture halfway between a wave and a punch. A horrible thought had just occurred to him.

Suppose… Suppose the shirt hadn’t worked. Suppose he had been wrong about its power. Sure, Bruce had worn it that one time, and he had believed it worked. But had it, really? Bruce had been many things, but an expert tailor was not one of them. Could he have gotten it wrong?

“Oh no,” Mr. Wyatt whispered.

He started as a loud sound broke the silence. A knock at the door.

Mr. Wyatt stepped toward the door slowly, nervously, terribly afraid of the worst - what if Nico had gotten killed in his fight? What if The Clothiers had somehow discovered, already, that Nico’s shirt wasn’t one of their products? What if they had somehow traced it back… back here?

Mr. Wyatt grabbed a large knitting needle from a nearby shelf. Well, doggone it, if he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting.

There was another knock at the door, and this time someone spoke: “Mr. Wyatt? Hey, Mr. Wyatt! You home?”

Mr. Wyatt’s shoulders slumped with relief. It was Nico’s voice. So the kid was okay after all! Maybe he’d chickened out of the fight before he could get his ass kicked.

Or… Or maybe… he’s coming back to kick my ass for giving him a useless shirt! He thought wildly. He squared his shoulders and held the knitting needle behind his back. Just as a precaution.

“Okay, don’t get your knickers in a twist, I’m coming!” he yelled.

He stepped toward the door again and opened it a crack. Yep, it was Nico alright. He was still wearing the button-down, but he didn’t look any worse for wear.

“Decided against it, huh?” Mr. Wyatt said. “Good thinking, I guess.”

“Huh?” Nico said. “What do you mean? I won!”

“Yeah he did!” another voice chimed in. Mr. Wyatt’s heart panged with alarm.

“Who was that?” he hissed to Nico.

“I’m Piper!” the voice said, and a girl stepped into view in front of Nico. She stuck out a hand. “Nice to meet ya! Got any clothes I can borrow, by the way?”

Nico clapped a hand to his forehead. “Piper, I told you, he doesn’t-”

“Oh shut up, it’s worth a try,” Piper said, rolling her eyes. She winked at Mr. Wyatt conspiratorially, jerking a thumb back toward Nico. “This one’s a little edgy for some reason. But he did just give himself a big promotion, so…” She shrugged.

Mr. Wyatt felt like his brain was shorting out. He stepped back and opened the door wider to let them in, not fully understanding why he was doing so.

“Thanks!” said Piper brightly. She flounced past Mr. Wyatt and began ooh’ing and ahh’ing her way around the room, taking special interest in the racks of business attire. Nico walked in after her, looking a little thunderstruck.

“Kid!” Mr. Wyatt whispered, trying to keep his voice low enough to evade Piper’s hearing. He shut the door behind Nico and locked it. “What were you thinking bringing her here? I told you this is a black market operation, didn’t I? What if she’s a Clothiers stooge?”

There was a rattling crash. Nico and Mr. Wyatt looked over at Piper, whose hands were clamped over her mouth in surprise. An empty clothing rack bar was rolling away from her.

“Bumped it! Sorry!” she said, then turned back to searching through the clothes with redoubled enthusiasm.

Nico and Mr. Wyatt slowly turned to look at one another. Nico shrugged, and Mr. Wyatt nodded slowly. Whatever Piper was, she wasn’t a stooge, clearly. No Clothiers spy would be quite so… Piper-y.

“Look kid,” whispered Mr. Wyatt, “you can’t bring anybody else here, okay? My ass is on the line!”

“Right, I’m sorry,” said Nico, but he wasn’t looking at Wyatt anymore. His focus was entirely on Piper.

“No you’re not,” said Mr. Wyatt, chuckling a bit. He stepped closer to Nico, inspecting the button-down closely. “Doesn’t look damaged at all,” he mused.

Nico snapped out of it. “Yeah, no, it worked great! I kicked Rudy’s ass!”

“KICKED HIS ASS!” Piper cheered fiercely, still digging through the clothes. A pair of grey trousers rested on her shoulders like a scarf.

“So you’re saying it worked! What a relief!” Wyatt said.

“He was so much faster, and he punched Rudy through walls!” Piper said. “You gotta give me one of those shirts, Gramps!”

Wyatt ignored that last bit, but he looked at the shirt again. “Amazing. With just one stripe, too.”

Nico glanced down at the left sleeve. He frowned slightly. “Mr. Wyatt-”

“Gramps!” Piper corrected him.

“Gramps,” Nico agreed absently, his attention focused on the sleeve. Mr. Wyatt opened his mouth to protest, but then gave up. Sure, fine, he was Gramps now. Whatever.

Nico continued, “Gramps, why’s there still just one pinstripe? I beat Rudy, and you said that the shirt gets stronger, right? So… wouldn’t it have gotten stronger from that battle?”

“Hmm,” Mr. Wyatt murmured, considering. “Well, the first pinstripe… remember how I told you that it gained that first pinstripe on the day my son wore it? He wasn’t fighting anyone when that happened. I was trying to teach him about… well, anyway…” his voice faded away.

Suddenly his eyebrows shot up and he smiled widely. “Ah! I think I’ve got it!” he cried.

“What?” Nico asked.

“Teaching!” Mr. Wyatt said. “Take it from an old man, kid. You don’t learn much from your victories. You learn the most from your failures, and from training to be better. I think that in order for the shirt to gain power, it has to grow and learn with you.”

“So if I don’t learn much from victories…” Nico pondered.

“...You need to train!” Piper said.

They both looked at her. She was wearing a large red button-down tied around her shoulders like a cape, three belts slung at different angles around her waist, and a blue handkerchief tied around her head. She stood with her legs apart and her hands on her hips like a superhero. She looked both incredibly goofy and incredibly bored.

“Come on, Gramps, got any clothes for me?” she asked. “You’re kinda light on the women’s attire here, you sexist or something?”

Mr. Wyatt blushed deeply. “I… I don’t, uh… The measurements… I’m not… I…” he stammered.

Piper burst out laughing. “Your face!” she cried. “Ah, you’re a lot of fun, Gramps. I’m tired of this place though. Too dark.” She eyed the shuttered windows critically. “If you don’t have any clothes for me, I get it. I just thought, you know, friend of Nico’s, you might help me out.”

She sighed, removing her button-down cape. She turned, studying her blazer. “This,” she said to Nico, “was in the trash. I got lucky though - the license tracer’s busted, so I won’t get in trouble for wearing it.” She frowned. For the first time, Nico noticed the shabbiness of the blazer she wore. It was well-worn in a few places, and even had a small hole under one of the arms.

“Piper,” said Mr. Wyatt, “I may not have any clothes for you, but maybe I can fix that blazer up for you. It might add a couple of years to its lifespan.”

Piper smiled. It was a soft, genuine smile of gratitude. She nodded, removed the blazer, and handed it over to Mr. Wyatt. “Thanks, Gramps.”

Mr. Wyatt nodded. There was a long moment of silence. Feeling awkward, he turned to Nico and said, “So, one step closer to becoming the Business King, huh, kid?”

“What?!” Piper gasped. She was staring at Nico, dumbfounded. He looked embarrassed.

“You haven’t told her?” Mr. Wyatt realized. Nico shook his head.

“The Business King. The CEO,” Piper said. “You. Nico. The Business King.”

Nico nodded. He couldn’t think of anything to say. Hearing it come out of her mouth, he felt his confidence waver. She sounded incredulous. Totally stunned. Was it really that unbelievable? Sure, he wasn’t anything special, but…

“Hell yeah!” She said, an oddly fierce look on her face. Nico felt a chill run down his body.

“I thought you just wanted a promotion!” said Piper. “But hot holy hell! The CEO, huh? You don’t aim low, do ya?” She laughed.

“I’m going to do it,” Nico said determinedly.

“Of course you are!” Piper said cheerily. “And I’m going to help!”

“...What?”

“I,” Piper said slowly, pointing to herself, “am going to help you become the Business King!”

Nico’s jaw dropped. It was Mr. Wyatt’s turn to laugh. “You kids are nuts,” he roared. “I like you! What the hell, I’ll help too!”

Nico stammered for a moment, taking a long time to form a coherent thought. “Why?” was all he could seem to manage.

“Because I think you can do it,” Piper said simply. “And I want to help.”

Mr. Wyatt just shrugged and nodded. “You’ve got the fire in you, kid. I think you can do it too. You’re an idiot for trying, but maybe an idiot’s what the world needs right now.”

Nico felt waves of emotion cresting and crashing over him.

The CEO. The Business King. The one who can make dreams come true.

“It’s not gonna be easy, you know,” Piper said. “You’re probably going to get your ass kicked on the way. But like Gramps said, you learn the most from your failures.”

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Mr. Wyatt nodded.

“Yeah! Exactly!” Piper said, clapping Mr. Wyatt on the back. He stumbled forward with a grunt of pain. “Oops! Sorry,” Piper winced.

They both looked at Nico warmly. He felt their eyes on him. And somehow, he felt himself growing stronger. Like their belief in him was a physical force that was giving him fuel.

“Alright,” he said finally, feeling more hopeful and determined than he’d felt in a long, long time. “Let’s do this!”

He put out a hand. Piper put hers out too, placing it on top of his. Her touch sent a wave of goosebumps up his arm. Then Mr. Wyatt’s hand rested on hers as well.

They stood in their small, strange circle - Nico, burning with adrenaline, Piper, smiling feistily, and Mr. Wyatt - Gramps now - with a glint of nostalgia in his eyes.

“Business King on three, okay?” Piper said.

Nico smiled. Gramps chuckled.

“One,” Gramps said.

“Two,” Nico said.

“Three!” Piper cheered.

Their voices rang out together, bright, determined, powerful.

“BUSINESS KING!”

***

“Fascinating,” a cat said.

She was a small tabby cat, her long fur all dusty browns and greys. She was a cat like any other, unremarkable among the strays on the city streets, with a single exception: she was wearing a silky black bow tie.

Her tail flicked playfully back and forth. She was perched on top of a slightly cracked window shutter, watching the three humans through the sliver of opening with amusement.

She had stopped here for no particular reason. Her journey today had led her, as it often did, to the rooftops, and it was the muffled sound of a girl cheering that had drawn her to this window.

She licked one of her forepaws absently. She had been bored for so long. Ever since that drunk businesswoman had put the bow tie around her neck as a joke, her mental awakening had distanced her from the cats she used to socialize with. She could speak now, but that wasn’t much use when the other cats couldn’t.

She had thought about removing the bow tie on many occasions, but something always stayed her paw. Maybe the same something, she mused, that had drawn her to this strange trio of humans. She didn’t usually like humans much, but, well, she liked the look of these three. Especially the girl.

She sat there for a long time, tail twitching, intelligent eyes studying. She decided that while she liked the girl the best, she also liked the old man. About the young man she was still undecided, but the girl seemed to like him well enough, so he was probably okay.

At last, the girl and the boy appeared to be leaving. She could only make out little snatches of their conversation, as they were keeping their voices low for the most part, but she decided that they were planning to meet here again tomorrow. The old man let the girl and the boy out the door, locking it behind them.

“Time to make some friends,” the tabby cat said, and began to pounce her way down the building, her silky bow tie fluttering slightly in the evening breeze.

***

A door opened, spilling a sliver of light into the darkened room. A pair of golden cufflinks glinted in the light. They were lying on a small bedside table. The sliver of light revealed a small slice of the room. It was enormous, luxurious, a bedroom fit for a king. The sort of room that, when you went there, you might pompously announce that you were “retiring to your chambers”.

A man was sitting in the enormous four-poster bed, the stripe of light slashing across his bare and muscled chest. He leaned forward slightly, glancing toward the door. His visitor could only see his chin as he spoke.

“What?” the man said.

The visitor’s voice came in a low, frightened murmur. “N-News from ac-cross the eastern sea. Ganzhou C-Collective.”

The man smirked. The visitor felt a small squirm of fear.

“I see,” the man said, leaning back against the headboard.

The visitor waited, not daring to speak again. Suddenly, two small pinpricks of golden light gleamed out of the darkness. They grew slightly larger as the man leaned forward again. The sliver of light revealed that he was still smirking. Those golden lights - his eyes? the visitor thought - were cold and dangerous.

“So,” the man said at last. “It’s begun.”