A new hospital has opened in New York. If you asked anyone, they would tell you that there was something peculiar about the hospital. It had appeared rather quickly, and no one understood fully how that had happened. The city of New York tried to get to the bottom of things and found out... that nothing was amiss at all. It had been paid for properly by a Mr. Reynolds; a certain Reynolds Construction did the construction, and the hospital's owner was also a Mr. Reynolds. And that was as strange as it got. Everything was perfectly legal, despite the building being fully paid for by Mr. Reynolds and it seemingly having limitless funds. It was a private hospital, but it accepted everyone who had problems, as long as no one tried to take advantage of them.
The CEO and senior physician, who was also Mr. Reynolds, had done a marvellous job. The location where the building now stands used to be one with the highest crime rates in New York, and now it is the one most people want to live in. But that was a bit hard to do since most of the buildings that had been torn down and rebuilt all belonged to... You guessed it, Mr. Reynold. In effect, the area turned into a pseudo-suburb despite being in the middle of New York, with a functioning hospital and clean and peaceful surroundings.
In this hospital, which was named Solace General, Robert was in the operating room, doing surgery on a middle-aged woman who had been in a traffic accident. She had been hit by a lorry, whose driver was drunk after coming from the grocery store. She was hurt badly, but Dr. med. Reynold was a well-known physician and surgeon who could fix anything. How he did it was anyone's guess, but he was good, too good. The World Health Organisation has launched investigations, and other institutions have done so as well, to see whether everything was truthful because the numbers they received couldn't possibly be correct.
The numbers weren't correct—they were even better. Most people believed that Dr. Med. Reynolds possessed some kind of power that allowed him to do that. But it was never confirmed, and it wouldn't matter anyway. Possessing powers wasn't illegal, after all.
Robert had been at it for hours now, and while others grew tired, he didn't. He used what made him famous worldwide: The Star Gel, a substance that prevents bleeding and infection of everything it cuts. The surgery he is performing now is possible thanks to this Star Gel, and it has made him very rich, but Robert refuses to reveal how it was made. It is only sold to hospitals, and so far, no one has been able to reverse engineer it, and that would not happen. The untold broken bones of the woman are placed back together correctly, and the large damage to the organs is mended and would later have to be treated. To deal with damaged organs, Robert created special stem cell therapy that could increase cell division and allow for tissue to be regrown, as long as some of it was still left. This means that an arm can't be regrown, but if you had a badly damaged arm, it would work.
With his medical inventions and construction company, Robert was doing very well for himself. He creates all the material used in construction himself, which means he doesn't need to use money for it.
"There we go. Patch that up for me, will you?" Robert says to the second surgeon.
"Yes, Dr."
"Very well, I'll leave then. I have something to do." Robert says, moving out of the operating room.
"A hot date?" someone jokes, and Robert nods.
"The hottest of dates."
Robert changes his clothes and then makes his way out of the hospital. He doesn't have to walk long until he reaches the entrance to the school slash home he created. The exterior is a neo-Gothic complex made of brownstone that rises several stories high. The interior is elegant and modern. Technology is used and taught in school, and it is ensured that all children know how to use it.
Apart from the regular curriculum, which was one of the best ones available in the US, other courses helped those with superpowers learn about them and how to use them or get them under control. There was a large kitchen where the students had to learn how to cook and would serve their cooking to the other students during lunch. This way, they learned how to cook and take responsibility for others. Professional cooks were there to teach and to help those who didn't know anything.
The dorms were also very large and fitted to the children's needs. Those between 6 and 10 shared a 2 to 4-person room. Children at that age benefited from learning and spending time with kids their age, and putting them together was the best way to go about it. Between the ages of 11 and 17, a maximum of two shared a room, and after reaching your 18th birthday, you could leave or have a room for yourself.
No money was spared in the effort to make the campus as well-equipped and diverse as possible. There were many different courts for all kinds of sports: a swimming area, tennis fields, and a football field. Robert had a lot of money to spend, and he spent it. As he enters the building for staff, he is met by his secretary, Ms. Rose Soffard.
"It's good to see you, Mr. Reynolds. It has already started," she says, walking with him at the same pace as him.
"Good. I'll get the pres-"
"I already have it for you here, sir. Don't worry about it." Rose says and hands him his present.
"You're the best, Rose. Well, wish me luck." Robert says and opens the door.
"You don't need it, sir," she says and stays at the door.
Robert enters a large hall that was created for such occasions. One of the children, Lisa, is celebrating her birthday, and as the Headmaster and owner of the complex, he is well known and liked and makes an effort to be there for them whenever possible. Inside the hall, there is chaos. Children of different ages run around, shouting and laughing, playing different games simultaneously. Some are eating food and talking to one another, while others are jumping around in the areas explicitly made for today.
"Haha." Robert shakes his head and chuckles, seeing all of it.
But everything gets worse as the kids notice his arrival.
"Mr. Reynolds!! Hey! Mr. Reynolds is here! Lisa! Lisa!!"
The children suddenly flock to Robert like birds looking for breadcrumbs and swarm around him. He laughs and tries to calm them down since he has the entire day for them.
"Alright, alright. Calm down, everyone, this is a special day. But where is the birthday girl?" he asks.
"Here, here, Mr. Reynolds. I'm here!"
Hearing the meek voice from the far back, Robert walks through the large crowd and makes his way to the 7-year-old Lisa.
"Well, if it isn't the lovely Ms. Lisa. How are you today?"
"Good! I'm glad you came to my birthday, Mr. Reynolds."
"And I'm glad as well. Here, dear, this is for you. Happy birthday." Robert says and hands Lisa her present.
"Ohhh, that's nice. Thank you. Thank you!" Lisa was excited and ran to the table, followed by other children who were eager to see what she had been given.
Lisa was one of the latest additions to his home. During an accident where both of her parents died, she suffered terrible burns to her face and body. Since then, she has been shy and introverted, fearing what others say about her looks. She has always wished to fly high into the sky and be free, where she can forget how she looks. Under the watchful eyes of the other children, Lisa opens up her present and finds a nice, comfortable hoodie in her favourite colour, blue like the sky.
"Ohh, it's a pullover."
"No, it's a hoodie. So that Lisa can hide her-"
*Bam*
"Ow!"
"Shut up, you idiot."
"Why don't you try it on, Lisa?" an older girl tells her.
"Okay," she says and wears the hoodie, pulling it down to hide her face, as she always does.
But that's what Robert was waiting for. The moment Lisa put the hoodie over her head, two things happened. And the first one was noticed right away.
"H-how does it look?" she asks.
"Ohhhhhhh"
"...What?"
"WOW! Look at Lisa!"
"It's gone! Lisa, it's gone!"
"What's gone?" she asks, confused.
"The burn marks! They're gone!"
The other children were all excited to see that the burns on her face had disappeared. After making sure they weren't lying to her, Lisa started to cry. After finding out that the hoodie does more than just heal her face and actually allows Lisa to fly with it, she breaks down completely and embraces Robert's leg. Eventually, after hours of spending time at the birthday, Robert is approached by Rose.
"You did well, sir. I don't think Lisa will ever forget this day," she tells him.
"Good. So what can I do for you, Rose?"
"There is something you should have a look at. The Pentagon was attacked."
"Really? Alright, tell me all about it."
The two leave the hall and make their way to Robert's office.
"I got a call from Mr. Radcliffe an hour ago. The Lizard League attacked the Pentagon, and much was destroyed in the process. Reynolds Constructions was asked to do the repairs once again. I told him that I would ask you." Rose tells Robert.
"Of course. Confirm the request and tell him we'll start as soon as our people have assessed the damage." Robert says he is calculating what he would need for such a project.
"There is one more thing."
"And what's that?"
"It would appear that Mr. Stedman was arrested."
"What? And why is that?" Robert asks.
"I am uninformed about that, sir. But the charges are murder and revealing state secrets, apparently." Rose told him.
"I see. I'll go there myself. If you would take care of everything in the meantime, Rose."
"But what about the meeting with the school board this evening? Will you be back till 5 PM?"
"Of course not. That would be in 20 minutes. You are more than qualified to do it on my behalf." Robert says.
"But, sir. I couldn't-"
"Stop selling yourself short, Rose. I only hire the best for the specific jobs I need. And you are the best at what you do, so trust yourself more."
"As you say, sir."
"Good. So, I'll see you later."
.
*Beeep*
The door opens to the meeting room, and Cecil walks in with handcuffs. He sits down in front of Robert and looks at him with his usual grim expression.
"What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd come visit after hearing you were incarcerated and ask you how it came to this," Robert says.
"There was an attack on the Pentagon," Cecil says.
"I heard. What else?"
"We were overrun... because a certain hero was missing and couldn't offer his support," Cecil tells Robert.
"I doubt you're here because of my absence. So stop wasting time and tell me."
"Director Radcliffe was hit pretty badly. I made it to him in time and tried to get him out. Then Komodo Dragon appeared in front of us, about to kill us when we were saved... by none other than Forcefist and Knucklebuster."
"I see."
"They are working for the GDA now!" Cecil shouts.
"You mean they were."
"What do you mean?" Cecil asks.
"Don't sass me, Cecil. You killed them, and Director Radcliffe told you not to, so now you're here."
"And how the fuck do you know that?"
"This is a farce, Cecil. Radcliffe is giving you a lesson in what it means to lead in the future. He wants to tell you that the end justifies the means." Robert explains.
"That's horseshit. I don't work with criminals."
"I agree that's horseshit. But you're view is too narrow, Cecil. One good action doesn't wash out the bad, or the bad the good. But think about it this way. If a criminal does something good, is that thing he did worse, just because he's a criminal? Do you think a civilian cares if the one who saved him from falling debris is a former criminal? "Or will he feel content just to be alive?" Robert asks.
"Urgh, you make too much fucking sense. Why are you here?" Cecil asks.
"I was wondering if you would like to leave, or if I should have a word with some of your fellow inmates."
"No. I'll take care of myself. I don't need a nanny to hold my hand." Cecil says.
"Very well, Cecil. Tell me if you want anything. I'll get it for you."
"Thank you."
"I'll see you soon, Cecil."