#8 - "The Corporate Life"

I regarded myself in the full-length mirror with a critical eye. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not the vain type who enjoys staring at themselves in the mirror. Far from it. Still, what I saw in the mirror wasn't all that bad looking. I was most definitely fit and trim. My arms and legs were well toned and my stomach perfectly flat. Long hours of exercise, training, and my adventures as the Scarlet Sabre had given me an athletic and graceful body.

I would consider myself to be an attractive woman. Definitely not the most beautiful woman in the world, but I was certainly above average. Definitely not attractive enough to be a model or an actress or any of those other fields where beauty was king. Not that I would want to do that sort of thing in the first place.

It was early Friday morning and here I was standing in front of the mirror looking at myself. Wasting time on my reflection while I was putting off the task at hand. Wondering just what the woman in the mirror was thinking when she agreed to accept the new job that Sheryl Campbell had offered. Thinking about how complicated this was all going to be and if she could even do this job. Sheryl and Jaime both had faith in me, but did I have enough faith in myself?

So far the morning could have been just like any other morning. I rose, went through my daily exercise routine, showered and ate breakfast. That's when everything came crashing to a halt and I starting staring at myself in the mirror standing there in only my underwear.

"I have nothing to wear," I thought to Jaime as I turned my attention to my closet full of clothes. "Not a blessed thing."

"I would advise that you find something, as your current attire would certainly send the wrong kind of message," Jaime playfully sent back to me. "Unless of course you're looking to get attention. We'd certainly be getting a lot of attention dressed like that."

"Smart-aleck," I grumbled out loud.

"Seriously, Jess, you've got more than your fair share of clothes. There has to be something you can wear in there."

Easy for Jaime to say since she doesn't need to wear clothes or assemble a wardrobe. It was times like these where being an intelligent computer program had its advantages. Jaime never had to worry about her appearance or the kind of impression she was making.

"Sure, there's a lot of clothes here, but nothing that really fits my current needs. I'm an executive now and need to dress appropriately. It's not like I can wear jeans and a top for this kind of job."

I've never been what you would call a fashionable dresser. I tended towards comfort and practicality over style and substance. Blue jeans and sweatshirts were the norm. Even as a little girl growing up on the farm I tended to favor boys clothing over girls. Wearing a dress while doing chores on the farm was a very bad idea and for some reason just never caught on with me.

That's not to say that I didn't have any dresses. I've had to attend many parties and business functions during the course of my computer work. I've certainly gone on my fair share of dates and had the appropriate attire for those social occasions. Unfortunately, that was also the wrong kind of thing to wear for what lay ahead of me. I needed to look professional, confident and in charge. Even if I didn't feel like any of those things inside, my clothes at least should.

"Everything I have is either too fancy or too plain. No middle ground for this new job of mine."

"We'll have to go shopping for the appropriate attire later on, Jess," Jaime told me. "Right now you're due in Sheryl's office in twenty minutes. Get a move on."

"I'm moving, I'm moving," I sent back. I can tell you one thing; I'm never late for any function as I have my own personal, built in appointment reminder. Although at times the term 'nag' has been used to label this function of Jaime.

Reaching into the closet, I started to sort through my belongings. Eventually, I settled on a brown pair of slacks and blouse combination. Not quite the look I was hoping for, but it would have to do on such short notice.

Sheryl had been easing me into this new position thus far. Several projects had been given to me to oversee. The biggest among them was Tyler Labs and the joint venture with LawTech out in Los Angeles. Between these and other projects I was certainly going to be wracking up the frequent flyer miles!

The last two days I had spent reviewing files, corporate procedures, and project notes. Bringing myself up to speed on what I would be in charge of. I can tell you one thing; this was certainly a daunting prospect! In just a few short days I had gone from worrying about my own endeavors to now being responsible for literally tens of millions of dollars of CII capitol. It made my stomach do flips just thinking about it.

Today I was going to get my first taste of real corporate life. I was going to accompany Sheryl around and sit in on various meetings and project reviews. Hence my comments on having nothing to wear. Sheryl always looked great while at work. I wish I had her sense of style and fashion. Of course, being wealthy certainly makes dressing well easier too.

I was shown in immediately once I reached Sheryl's office. I was expected after all. "'Morning," I said in greeting as I entered the office. Sheryl had a big office, complete with chairs and couches for more sedate conversation. She even had her own wet bar, not that Sheryl was all that big on alcohol.

"Hello, Jessica. All ready for your big day?" Sheryl was standing beside her desk looking through the contents of a folder. She had yet to look up.

"No," I responded honestly. "But I'm not going to let a little thing like that hold me back. I knew what I was getting myself into when I took this little plunge. I heard that you had a little excitement last night of your own."

I was referring to the Grand Opening of the Ming Dynasty exhibit at the Met last night. The team of superthieves known as PLUNDER tried to steal some of the pieces but was thwarted by the Wild Cards. Ms. Henrietta Von Drotte had invited Sheryl to the opening. Ms. Von Drotte was in line to inherit control of Duchess Industries from her grandmother in the near future. Since the elder Von Drotte was the richest woman in the world and Duchess Industries was the largest corporation in the world anything they did attracted attention. The wealthy and the powerful were out in full force. Sheryl Campbell fit both of those descriptions. (Editor's Note: Covered in greater detail in Troubleshooters #19)

"A little," Sheryl admitted, "but nothing overly dangerous. The Wild Cards took care of things quite professionally." Sheryl finally looked up and noticed my less than impressive attire.

"I really hadn't given much thought about clothes when taking this position," I admitted. "Guess I'll have to do some shopping."

"At this level of business, clothes do indeed make the person. Not to worry, Jess. I have just the thing in mind." Sheryl circled around her desk and went to make a phone call. "I trust that you've gone over the information I sent you?"

"Yes. We've studied it forwards, backwards, even sideways."

"I knew you would. If you'll excuse me for a moment, we'll begin our day shortly. There is much to be accomplished." Sheryl turned away to speak on the phone and I wandered to the far end of the office out of courtesy.

The next few hours passed dreadfully slow. It depends on your perspective I suppose. The purpose of these meetings was to review projects, finalize budgets, and iron out strategies. The only problem with that was that Jaime and I could review data, run probability studies, and deduce the most expedient course of action in a matter of minutes. It took these folks hours to accomplish that.

So, I spent most of my time trying to appear like I was listening and following what was going on. Thankfully, I did have a release valve in Jaime and could do other things while stuck in these meetings. For instance, we ran background checks on the others in the meeting. Primarily not because I was being nosy, but to simply know who I was dealing with. I hadn't encountered many of these people before today.

We also kept track with what was going on in the world. One thing of interest was that a third mysterious vortex had appeared over Manhattan. According to reports, actress Raquel Hamilton was pulled inside the vortex. Ms. Hamilton was famous for portraying the title character in the Guardian Angel television series. (Editor's Note: Fully covered in Avengers #24)

Even more ominous news was coming out of Los Angeles. Apparently, most of the Guardians had disappeared! Details were sketchy at best, but from what we could determine, the only Guardian that could be accounted for was Spinnerette. Perhaps they were away on some mission. (Editor's Note: Check out X-Factor #10 for more details.)

Sheryl must have noticed my lack of interest as she started to ask my opinion on things. It caught me off guard at first, but was not a problem as I already had figured out my own position on the issues hours earlier. So, I simply spoke right up and gave my view on things. For the most part, Sheryl was in agreement with my assessments.

I suppose that might have annoyed some of the others in the meeting. One of the things I try to avoid is coming across like a know it all. Sometimes that is a difficult proposition as I can literally learn everything there is about a subject.

Finally, the first series of meetings were over and Sheryl and I were off. A chauffeured limousine ride was next as we were driven into Manhattan. Our destination was unknown to me.

"You handled yourself quite well in there," Sheryl complimented. "You analyzed the situation and offered the best possible solution. That's all that's really required for this job. Although, you did seemed bored by the whole thing."

"Did it show that much? You have to realize that I digested all the pertinent data, analyzed it, and reached my conclusions in a matter of minutes. I work too fast for the collective brainstorming sessions that many of these meetings take the form of. Honestly, I was bored. There was nothing that came up in the conversation that changed my earlier conclusions. In a sense, it was a waste of my time."

"Given your unique abilities, I can understand your feelings. However, for the rest of us mere mortals these meetings are a forum to analyze problems and iron out issues. It also gives everyone the feeling that they have a voice in the process. You could have walked into the meeting, presented what was going to be done, and been out of there in five minutes. However, that type of behavior could severely undercut the self value of the other staffers."

"I see what you mean," I admitted. "I guess I'll try to be more accommodating at these meetings."

"Once you start holding your own meetings, you can change the format to suit your tastes. That is your prerogative after all. But don't discount the experience that everyone brings to these meetings. It isn't always X's and O's. What might seem logical in theory may not be practical in the real world. The others may not have your grasp of the facts, but you don't have their experience when it comes to making use of those facts. I myself prefer to have the proposals presented to me at meetings because I don't have to time to review everything beforehand like you do."

"Those are things I had not considered."

"I suspected as much," Sheryl continued. "Just something that you're going to learn over time. Analyzing raw data like you can is extremely helpful, but there are times when you have to go with a gut feeling as opposed to a logical decision. My point is to not simply dismiss other notions just because they might seem illogical."

"So what's next?", I asked after a long pause.

"We have an appointment with Ms. Henrietta Von Drotte," Sheryl casually explained.

"Oh great," was my immediate thought on the matter.

I do have to admit that the afternoon passed much quicker than the morning had. I also began to regret my lack of proper attire even more. I must have made a wonderful first impression on all these wealthy and famous people I was about to meet.

We met with Ms. Henrietta Von Drotte at the St. Regis motel. She had rented out the top two floors and was occupying the penthouse suite. This was the first time I had actually met the woman. She reminded me of a femme fatale from a sixties spy movie. You know the type, dressed to kill and literally covered in expensive jewelry. I guess she was an example of 'if you've got it, flaunt it'.

The conversation was brief and I didn't say a whole lot. To my surprise, Ms. Von Drotte knew who I was. I guess that shouldn't have been that much of a surprise as there had been attempts to recruit me away from CII in the past by Duchess Industries. Their offers were most flattering, but I really didn't want to have to move out of the States to work for them.

There was also the rumor factor that came into play when you dealt with Duchess Industries. Rumors of inappropriate behavior abounded, none of which had ever been proven. Things like Duchess Industries being the public face of RAVEN and so on. To be honest, I just didn't trust them enough to actually want to work for them. No matter how much money they were offering.

The primary reason for this meeting was for Sheryl and Henrietta to meet each other. While their two corporations were competitors, they sometimes did business with each other also. Such was the nature of the corporate world. There were things that Duchess Industries could do better than CII, and the opposite also held true.

Sheryl was more interested in taking gauge of Ms. Von Drotte than actually talking about business. I guess that made sense. The old 'know your enemy' thing. Sheryl was here primarily to gauge the strengths and weakness of her future competitor.

For her part, Ms. Von Drotte had done her homework about CII operations. Several possible business opportunities were discussed, but nothing was finalized. Such things had to be examined by the corporate process before being approved. Still, the way these gals talked so casually about multi-million dollar deals was mind-blowing to this Indiana farm girl.

My afternoon of surprises did not end after we had parted company with the ultra-wealthy Ms. Henrietta Von Drotte. Sheryl had two more stops in mind before we returned to CII. For the most part I rode along in silence. Sheryl was consistently on the phone with someone. Some of the conversations I could follow, but much of it was beyond my current knowledge.

We did chat when Sheryl was not on the phone. Business was the primary focus of our conversation. Not that big of a surprise. Still, I did pay complete attention. After all Sheryl was an accomplished businesswoman in her own right. She had taken over CII from her father and not only managed to keep the company at the same level as it was left to her, but actually made it even more successful. Taking notes from her could only help me out.

The limo pulled up next at Adrienne in Mid-Town Manhattan. I had heard of this place, but it was way too extravagant for my tastes. The maitre d' fawned over Sheryl before escorting us to a private reserved table. Turns out that we had a guest for lunch on this day; Mr. Donald Henderson was already seated at the table.

Donald Henderson was the founder of a company that everyone has heard of: Henderson Electronics. I even worked for them in quality control when I first moved to the Big Apple. CII and HE had a good partnership in the past. In fact, they had purchased the exclusive rights to use my Lore processing chips in their computers.

We were going to be holding a joint press conference on Monday afternoon to announce the forthcoming HE-4000 computer series with the Lore 3000 processing chip. My day to be famous in my private identity.

I was much more comfortable at this lunch than during my meeting with Ms. Von Drotte. I had been introduced to Mr. Henderson in the past, but those had been primarily quick meetings. This time we had time to simply chat and eat an expensive lunch. I participated in this conversation much more than I had the earlier one.

My third and final surprise of the day came after lunch. Instead of heading back to CII, we stopped off at the studio of Georgio. Now you know someone is famous when they only go by one name and don't wear skintights. Georgio, of course, was the famous fashion designer. The rich and powerful frequently wore Georgio originals. It was a sign of class and prestige. That and the fact that they probably just had more money than they knew what to do with!

"You're kidding, right?" was my initial response to all of this.

"Not at all, Jessica. You said that you needed to do some shopping for the proper clothes and I'm just helping out. Come on and meet Georgio. He's really a dear. I'll even cover the cost of an outfit to get the process started. At least give you a template for the kind of look that you should be shooting for. My gift to you."

And that pretty much took care of that. I already felt very indebted to Sheryl as it was and then she had to go and do this. Oh well. It wasn't every day that I got to meet a famous Italian fashion designer. This certainly was my day for many a first.

I was introduced to Georgio and his numerous assistants. They took every conceivable measurement from my body and a few that I didn't even know existed. As I stood there being measured, numerous people were passing by displaying different styles and fabrics to see how they looked.

All throughout out this process, Sheryl and Georgio were seated sipping wine. They would comment on the fabrics as they passed on by. Sheryl would point out the ones she liked and Georgio would analyze whether it would go with my look or not.

On the one hand this was sort of fun. Reminded me of the first time mom took me clothes shopping when I was old enough to actually have some say in what she bought. Or like the time we took my little sister on her first clothes-shopping trip. On the other hand, I felt like a glorified manikin.

Once my measurements had been taken, I got to join in on the selection process. Like I said earlier, fashion had never really been one of my strong points. Sheryl had narrowed it down to three designs that she liked. One of the outfits I just couldn't see myself in so, I dropped that one. That left two possibilities.

"I really can't decide," I stated. "How about I close my eyes and pick one?"

"No need for that, Jessica." Sheryl concluded. "We'll take both of them. I can't decide either."

It was also around this time when the idea of what it must be like to be very wealthy must feel like. Throughout the entire visit to Georgio money was not even mentioned. I guess it was one of those situations where if you have to ask for a price, then you can't afford it. Georgio and his staff would begin working on the clothes right away. I was told to expect the first of them to be delivered on Sunday afternoon. Just in time for my Monday news conference.

It was mid-afternoon by the time we returned to the offices of CII. I sat in on two more meetings, but these were mercifully short. It was getting late in the afternoon and everyone was more than ready to start the weekend. Sheryl retired to her office to relax and have a drink. We chatted some more, this time more about life in general.

I had worked for Sheryl for years, but this was really the first time that we just sat and talked. It was kind of nice to not talk about business or computers or superheroing. Just two women talking. Sheryl always made a point to try and get to know her high level employees better. Guess this was her way of breaking the ice.

It was around six when we called it a day. Sheryl took off in her private helicopter back to her estate. Me, I walked through the plant back to my suite of rooms. I closed the door and sighed heavily in relief. Day one as an executive was in the book. Only the rest of my working life to go.

I spent the evening at home working. Jaime made dinner while I tried to formulate a strategy on how to go about my new position. Obviously, my first priority was going to be dealing with the situation at Tyler Labs. The so-called 'Fuergeson the Great' had damaged the main office in an attack by his 'Terrible Tank'. The Lab director had been killed as well.

However, I was of the opinion that Director Shuttleworth had been murdered, and not by Fuergeson. I now had to fill that position and at the same time be aware that the person I put there could be a new target. Promoting the Assistant Director, Roma Asheland, was a logical choice for the position. But I was not going to intentionally put her into danger. I knew that Roma was not going to be happy about being passed over like this, but I couldn't tell her my true reasoning in doing it. After all she might be the killer.

I had already decided on whom I was going to hire for the position. I needed someone with superpowers so that they would have a chance to survive an assassination attempt should one occur. I also needed someone with the personality that would draw out the assassin. The man I needed was Muskateer.

I could have tried to call him tonight, assuming that he was at the Avengers Mansion. But I decided not to. I was going to be seeing him tomorrow at Helena's party anyway, so it could wait. It was going to be nice to relax at a social gathering for a change. At least I wouldn't have to worry about corporate responsibilities until Monday.

It was just a bit after noon when I left to go out to the Kirby Estate. I was casually dressed for the occasion. A shirt and shorts combination was the attire of choice with sneakers. I had a travel bag with me holding my red swimsuit and a towel. Helena had a full-sized indoor pool and I intended to take advantage of it. I used to love to swim and it was also great exercise. Pity that we don't have a pool at CII.

The actual party didn't start until later in the afternoon, but Helena had no problem with guests showing up early. Probably because she'd put them to work! Not that I really minded. Everyone helped out at home when I was growing up, so it was normal for me. It was going to be nice to be out and having fun with friends and associates.

And so I hopped into my sports car and headed out towards Westchester. The car was my one extravagance. Otherwise my money was out working for me in stocks and retirement funds. My dad always did stress in saving for a rainy day. I could have probably retired and live a comfortable lifestyle right now, but where's the fun in that?

There was only one other car in the driveway when I pulled in. It was Helena's black Mercedes. That sort of car, while fine, was a little too sedate for my tastes. I needed something a little flashier. Black wasn't my favorite color either.

Helena and her mother Felina were prepping for the party. The lawn furniture had been pulled out and was situated across the patio. A large grill was in place and warming up. Lydia Jansen was here as well, helping to move the larger pieces of furniture. She was better known as Night Owl and we had met before. In fact, I met her on the same night as I did the Huntress. (Editor's Note: Way back in Huntress #2-3)

"Hi, gals," I said in greeting as I approached. "Lovely day for a party."

"Any day is good for a party," Lydia corrected. Lydia was tall and muscular. The skimpy black two-piece she wore did little to hide her figure, which was probably her intent. "How have ya been, Scarlet?"

"Busy. But looking to relax and have fun."

"Then you've come to the right place," Helena said with a smile. That was a bit unusual to see. You see Helena is a bit on the grim side when it comes to fighting crime. Usually she likes to plow through the bad guys, while I tend to play with them a bit more and liberally toss in some one-liners. But ever since avenging the death of her father and with the return of her mother, Helena has lightened up a bit. She was wearing a dark blue one-piece suit for the party with sandals.

"Thank you for coming," Felina stated. Felina's choice of costume was also a one-piece, but in black. "And remember no shop talk today. This is all about being with friends."

"Yes, ma'am. Anything I can help out with?"

"Not at the moment," Helena reported. "Why don't you sit back and relax for a while. Kor and Megan are taking a swim."

"A swim sounds great but who are Kor and Megan?", I responded. Those were names that I was not familiar with.

"Come on, change into your suit and I'll introduce you," Lydia told me.

"Sounds like a plan. Where can I change?"

The next few hours passed by quickly. I spent some time in the pool and was introduced to Kor and Megan. Turns out that Kor was Lydia's boyfriend that I had heard about and Megan was better known as Willow Witch. Both were members of the Circle, a secretive organization that trained young mages. Both also seemed like pleasant enough people, although Kor made some of the most unusual statements that I had ever heard. It wouldn't be until later in the evening I found out about his background. (Editor's Note: See Huntress #23)

By now the rest of the guests were due to show up, so I helped get things set up. Helena had gone all out for this gathering. There was an incredible amount of food available. Enough in my estimate for almost four such parties. There were numerous salads and snacks. There were steaks, chicken, and burgers for the grill. It was enough to feed a small army. Yet when it was all said and done, it was barely enough.

Muskateer and the Enchantress finally arrived, hand in hand. Steven was wearing dark blue trunks with a white tank top and mirrored sunglasses. Gwen was very fashionably dressed in a white one-piece swimsuit with a pastel blue wrap. That was no big surprise. Gwen always had been a very fashionable dresser. The two were an official item and had started dating. They did look very much in love.

Muskateer I had only known for the past few months since he joined the Avengers. I liked the big lug. Sadly we wouldn't be anything more than friends, but those are the breaks. My friendship with the Enchantress dated back to our days in the Crusaders. Since she quit that team, I had only seen Gwen sporadically in the passing years. Now that she was on the Avengers, I got to see her more often.

We sat and chatted for a time, bringing each other up on our latest happenings. I told them about my new job and my encounters with Ms. Von Drotte, Mr. Henderson, and Georgio.

"Looks like you're moving up in the world, Red," Muskateer noted. "I never imagined you for the corporate executive type."

"Me either."

"Jessica, you should have called me," Gwen gently chastised. "I would have been happy to help you pick out some new outfits. It has been ages since my last shopping excursion."

"I wish I would have thought of that a few days ago," I answered. "We still can as I am going to need more than two outfits. Provided you're interested."

"Always. Call me when you wish to go. Regardless, I am sure that you will be most pleased with your new outfits. Georgio is one of my favorite designers. He has manufactured several of my favorite dresses. I am looking forward to having something made soon."

"Just a minute, Gwennie, I thought you and Tanya went shopping out in LA?"

Gwen turned to face Steven and answered his question. "But, dearest, that was almost two weeks ago."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. Unfortunately, our conversation was interrupted before I could mention the job offer. The rest of the Avengers had arrived in a team van. There were several faces among them that I was unfamiliar with. Black Diamond, Supreme, Nightingale, Firestar, and the Thing were unmistakable.

The identity of one of the men came to me a moment later. It was the Texas Ranger, one of the newest of the Avengers whom I had briefly met during our time out in Los Angeles while we were taking on the Crimson Claw. Didn't recognize him out of uniform at first. Of course the cowboy boots and hat he wore should have been a dead giveaway.

The other was a young man that was being guided towards us by Firestar. He wasn't bad looking either, although he was just a teenager. Probably around the same age as Firestar would have been my guess. He was introduced as Terra Fire, one of the current students in the Young Champions program. Seems that he and Firestar were sweet on each other and this was his first time in meeting 'Star's teammates.

From that point, I was content to listen in as Muskateer started to question the young man. Seems that much of the team looked out for Firestar as a younger sister. So, this was just Musky's way of making sure that this guy was good enough for her. The poor boy didn't know what hit him. (Editor's Note: See Muskateer #22 for the full details.)

Finally, Firestar and Terra Fire managed to get away from Muskateer. They headed off to join the others in the pool. Seems like just about everyone here had a date. I mean, Lydia was with Kor, Steven with Gwen, and Linda with Supreme. That just hammered home even further Jaime telling me to go out socially more often.

Anyway, I turned the conversation back to my newest job and the situation at Tyler Labs. "Unfortunately, nothing new has turned up on Fuergeson or at Tyler Labs."

"Too bad," Muskateer lamented. "I wanted to get a another crack at that clown."

"Well, that might be possible," I coyly admitted. "After all, I am now in charge of Tyler Lab's and I am looking for a new Director of Operations..."

I let the statement hang in the air. Steven and Gwen exchanged puzzled glances. "Is there something you're trying to tell me, Red?"

"How would you like a job?"

From there, I outlined everything I knew about the situation. Since Gwen was right here I didn't pull any punches. I wanted to let them know exactly what the situation was and why I was looking for a superpowered replacement director. It was only fair to both of them to be forthcoming.

"Take some time and think it over," I said in conclusion. "I don't need an immediate answer. This is a potentially dangerous situation and not one to be taken lightly."

"I'll think about it," was Steven's response. He stood after a moment. "I'll go get us some more drinks. Be right back."

Steven stepped away, giving Gwen and me a moment to speak in private. "Do you think it could be that dangerous?", she asked. The concern on her face was evident.

"I really don't know, Gwen. Until the exact reason for Harold Shuttleworth's death is found, I can't be sure. It might have simply been a personal grudge. But I think the threat is real enough to hire someone who can take care of himself. Steven fits the bill nicely."

However, that didn't seem to convince Gwen all that much. That was understandable given the fact that she was in love with Steven. "Believe me Gwen, I've given this a great deal of thought. I think he is perfect for this job. I do know that if something should happen to him, I don't think I could live with myself."

"Dinner is served!", Helena called out to her guests. "Come and get it!"

Gwen rose from her seat and I from mine. "Given the circumstances, then we shall have to make sure that nothing does happen to him."

Together we made our way to the food that had been laid out. "Count on it," I promised. "Now lets see how good Helena is at a barbecue."