Achilles opened the door to their new base and couldn't keep from grinning as he walked in. He flipped on the lights and looked at the bare room, holding himself back from hopping in excitement. The room was large, most likely a former warehouse of some kind. Another exterior door was about halfway down the left wall, and a couple more doors dotted the other two walls. Some were on a second floor, with old metal stairs leading up to them.
Overall, it was almost completely bare. The floor would need a good sweeping and mopping, but this would be a perfect training area. Achilles bounded to one of the doors on the opposite wall and peeked in. The room had some expired food in it, and from the looks of it it used to be refridgerated. The next one over had equipment to act as a freezer. Now for the upper doors.
The first one was surprisingly small - a cleaning closet in fact. At least there was a broom and mop up here. But where to find water? Achilles pushed the issue aside for the moment and continued his tour. The second upper door led to a large room that was even emptier than the main room. Nothing of use at all.
Next!
The rooms on the right side were a public washroom and two offices. The upper ones didn't offer any more interesting space either. Maybe some could be used as bedrooms?
Achilles hopped back to the main room and sighed heavily. As he did, he heard the door open. He looked up, startled into freezing.
A boy wearing a backpack looked back at him, probably in middle school. He was frozen halfway in the door. An awkward silence fell as they just stared at each other. Finally the boy stepped in and closed the door behind him. A beep indicated that it had locked.
"Achilles?" he asked tentatively.
Right. Light Master was coming as well. Crap. Crap crap crap.
Get your act together, Achilles!
"Yes. You must be Light Master?"
"Yeah." Light Master looked around. "I had high hopes when I heard we had a secret base, but this is pretty underwhelming, huh? Anything beyond those doors?" Achilles fidgeted nervously, but forced himself to project confidence.
You're a leader for crying out loud! Stop quivering.
"Nothing special for now. You can look around if you want. I'll contact our benefactor to get some renovations lined up I think."
Light Master nodded, putting his backpack down and jogging to the interior doors.
Achilles sat down and sighed. Seriously, this was such a mess. How were they supposed to live here? No shower, no bath, no kitchen. Renovations could only do so much!
He didn't know how long he sat there, trying to come up with a solution. All he knew was that he'd been too lost in thought.
"Achilles! I found a secret door." Light Master exclaimed, bouncing up and down right next to Achilles.
When did he get there?
Resisting the urge to jump out of his skin, Achilles quickly processed what Light Master had just said.
"A secret door?" he asked. Light Master nodded, bouncing like it was Christmas Eve.
"Yeah! This way." He ran across the room and up one of the staircases, to the second upper room Achilles had checked. He tried to keep up, but...
How were kids so fast? Their legs were shorter!
"I took a quick look around all the rooms and then figured there had to be more to this place, right? Why give us a secret base if we can't use it? So I looked closer at the rooms and found this." Light Master opened the door and led the way to the opposite wall, where he tugged at a panel that slid open.
"Whoa." Achilles looked beyond the door. It led to a narrow hallway with multiple doors leading to various areas.
"This. Is. Amazing." Light Master ran down the hall to start checking the doors. "Let's explore!"
Achilles followed at a bit of a distance as Light Master ran through each door, exploring every nook and cranny of their new base. Turned out the hallway connected all the buildings on the block - six in all. The warehouse, what looked like had been a gym, two abandoned stores with rooms on their upper levels, something like a massage parlor or spa and what might have been a restaurant.
The gym had a large, open room with three sets of changing/shower rooms and three sets of public washrooms. The stalls weren't ideal, but they'd make it work. The former spa area could probably be converted into bedrooms and the restaurant had a kitchen, with a spacious fridge, freezer and pantry. The warehouse could be their main gathering place, and they'd find a use for the other two buildings.
All in all, Achilles was getting excited again. Finally they had a base worthy of the Legion! With their benefactor's help, they'd garner more and more respect - until Achilles' Legion was as much a fixture in Arx as the military. They'd be mentioned in the same breath as protectors of the peace.
Achilles checked one of the upper floors on the store again. He'd seen a couple computers here, and now he was ready to check them out in more detail. Light Master bounced behind him as he examined them. One computer had a light blinking, indicating it was in sleep mode, so he pressed the button to wake it up.
There were two windows open on the computer. One was an email, the other was some kind of complicated settings page. He checked the email first.
The address he was signed in as was achilleslegionhq. This would probably be their main email for contact with others. Amazing.
There was one message in the inbox, from legionbenefactor. He opened it up while Light Master watched over his shoulder.
To: achilleslegionhq
From: legionbenefactor
Subject: Your New Headquarters
Message Body:
Hello, Legion!
I suppose it's just Achilles and Light Master here at the moment, but I am glad to have the two of you nonetheless. As I surmise you've discovered by finding this computer, the headquarters I've given you spans the entire block. The multiple buildings should help you better disguise your activities. If you wish, you could even remodel the other storefront as a front to make some extra money. Or use it for whatever you desire. The buildings are yours, after all.
There should be adequate places for you to live. This will be especially important for members like Light Master who have no home to return to, but can also be a convenience for anyone who wants it. If you need more space, feel free to send me a message. I'll be sure to prepare whatever you need.
On that note, if you could send me an initial list of furniture and other essentials you think you'll need, I'll have them prepared as quickly as possible. I would also ask that you send me a roster of Legion members and update it regularly so I can better assist you. I can also send you a salary. The silver computer should have a banking program on it. Simply open the new account with the Legion member's name (their super name is fine), have them download the app on their phone and the money will be deposited monthly.
It may also be beneficial for you to speak to me about any new Legion recruits. I might be able to look into them and prevent a repeat of the Weaver incident. I may also refer new members to you, in which case I will contact you beforehand.
I have also enclosed instructions for maintaining the security system and changing the access code. Be sure to read them over and keep your headquarters secure. The system can randomly generate a six-digit code for you if you like as well.
If you have any questions, please email me back. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Sincerely,
A Friend
Achilles glanced back at Light Master, a massive grin spreading across his face. This was real. They suddenly had far more resources.
"This is so cool. It's like in the movies," Light Master said.
"I know, right?" Achilles spun around in the chair. "Okay, first off we have to change the access code. Let's see here..."
He read the documentation for several minutes before opening the other window and fiddling with the security system. One section of it showed screens from about ten security cameras, one in the main area of each building, plus extras in the warehouse and gym areas since the rooms were so big. A couple also pointed outside.
"This is so cool. Can we make the code 826637? It's my name," Light Master giggled.
"Sure, why not?" Achilles put in the numbers as the new code. "What's your name, then?"
"Tanner. Though I guess we're our superhero names now."
"We don't have to be all the time. I'm James." Achilles put out a hand and Light Master shook it excitedly.
"This is going to be great. A secret HQ and everything."
"Our next meeting is on Monday," Achilles replied. "We'll get to see the rest of the Legion then, and we can introduce them to the headquarters."
"I can't wait!" Light Master said, pumping a fist in the air. "Go Legion!"
