Chapter 14 – Smoke Break
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The long week of interviews was over, and Miss Planner was taking a smoke break before she headed back to the Tower of the Chosen to finish her day. She took a drag from the cigarette, exhaled a cloud of gray, and sighed.

"Thanks for helping me out today, Black Wolf. I know it's not what you normally do, but I appreciate the help."
"I barely did anything. Milly's the one who had to cart all those losers back and forth. I was just along for the ride."

Black Wolf was in a worse mood than normal. He was pacing around restlessly while Miss Planner relaxed her legs on a bench. She was on the last of her experimental Rampage cigarettes, and the smell was truly something foul.

"I can tell you aren't excited about Maxwell joining us."
"What? Yeah. What does a corporate criminal have to do to earn a little respect?" said Black Wolf with a scowl. He shook his head and went back to pacing.

"He's a test case. I want to see how a relatively normal person from the business world handles the culture clash. If this guy doesn't fit in, we're going to have problems. I want to run the Chosen Ones more like a business and less like a cult. We need people who are capable of thinking rationally, not just idiots who blindly follow orders. The Chosen Ones need to adapt to modern times if they're going to survive. That's why you're here, too. You're an outsider, a veteran of the Pit, someone who understands how this place works."

"Yeah, I get it. I hope you don't try to put me in charge of some stupid charity. I'm not into that kind of thing."

The tiny Miss Planner stretched out on the bench and sucked in another lungful of repulsive Rampage smoke. She held it in for a moment, then slowly released it.

"I wouldn't dream of it. You're my right hand man. I just want you to be aware that I have a lot of big plans for you."
"Hmph. I'm glad you like me so much."

Miss Planner sat up on the bench and crossed one leg over the other. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Let me ask you a question, Black Wolf."
"Sure."
"When you were charge of the Brotherhood, what was your biggest problem?"

"We had so many problems that it drove me to a state of psychosis. Let's see. For one thing, the guys were constantly going behind my back and starting problems. I could never find out what the hell they were doing. I tried everything I could think of to keep them in check, but nothing worked. They'd try to take over the gang and make themselves look good, and I couldn't do anything about it. I tried to compromise and set up a power-sharing arrangement, and that was when they stabbed me in the back. You know what? I think I'd rather be a follower than a leader. I'm getting mad just thinking about it."

"I have the exact same feeling sometimes. It's hard to control a bunch of moochers who don't listen to you."

"All of those morons started to turn on me at the same time, but they were never willing to work together to fight our actual enemies. We could have destroyed the Wild Cards a hundred times over when they were still small, and now they're big enough to fight the Chosen Ones head-to-head."

"If I was in your shoes, I would have cleaned house and gotten rid of all the troublemakers as soon as possible. You can't expect to get anywhere with a group of selfish idiots who don't share information or cooperate with each other. As soon as the fighting starts, that's the time to do it."

"I know. But I didn't. I was too attached to those creeps. If you're not careful, you'll end up like me someday."

Miss Planner laughed at Black Wolf's pathetic display of self-pity.

"Don't worry about me. My employees are more loyal than ants. This is a people-first organization. Do you know what that means? The well-being of our employees comes before the bottom line. We're always looking out for our people."

"I can't believe you expect me to believe that. You've got no respect for human life whatsoever."

"That's because I'm not a normal person. A psychic like me has a different perspective on things. Don't get the wrong idea. I have compassion. I want to help everyone, especially my employees. I love this job. I really do. I want to see the world become a better place."

"You're sick in the head. If I wasn't such a nice guy, I'd put you down like a dog."

Miss Planner smiled. Black Wolf was right. She did have a bit of a twisted mind.

"I guess you're not the type of guy who likes short women, huh?"
"Nope."

Black Wolf knew he was being a jerk, but it felt good to vent his anger. Miss Planner extended her Rampage cigarette to him, but he waved it away.

"This stuff doesn't taste that bad, really. It'll help you relax."
"You're lying. It smells like rotting garbage. I can only imagine how it tastes. The fact that you smoke this in public shows me what a lowlife you really are."

Miss Planner puffed out another cloud of gray and blew it toward Black Wolf's face. He coughed, and she started laughing.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. There must be something wrong with me."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it, just don't do it again. Can we go back to the Tower now, please?"
"I guess we can get going."

Miss Planner crushed her cigarette in her hand and hopped off the bench. It was time to get back to work. Black Wolf followed her to the Tower with a scowl on his face.

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