Victor was in the Mayor's office going over the fortification plans of Springfield. [Victor Cromwell, Lieutenant Mayor] was embossed on his glass door.
The civilian town was set on the path of transformation into a military-industrial city. In the near future, it would produce its own arms and armaments and train its own soldiers.
However, the first step was to build defenses around and within its borders. It was Victor's priority right now.
"Border patrol won't be enough to stop sudden military incursions," he said, tapping on a detailed map of Springfield. "We need more drastic measures in place."
"What do you suggest?" General Lance Baker asked, seated opposite the newly appointed Interim Mayor. "We have to build over a hundred secret bunkers at strategic places," Victor replied, sliding the edited map across the table.
Lance pored over the markings and whistled. Numerous locations were cross-marked around and within the city. "You appear to be an expert at military strategy for a young royal," he observed, to which there was no direct reply.
"We will also need at least a dozen choppers with attack capabilities, among other things," Victor continued, ignoring the General's snide remark. He slid across an official note with an exhaustive list.
Lance nodded and furrowed his brows at the note. "Everything looks wonderful on paper, Mr. Mayor. However, a big budget is required to accomplish something of this scale. Especially to replace the city police with the military. At the moment, Springfield coffers are barely enough to run the city. Where do we get the money?"
"My family is willing to donate a few billion dollars to get things started," Victor replied sharply, leaning back in his chair. "Later, we will rein in the top billionaires and tax the citizens for services."
The General smirked, both impressed and curious. "The Cromwell family is quite generous to Springfield all of a sudden. I wonder why they stepped in to save a city under terrorist threat."
This time, there was a direct response: "We see what we want to see, General. To you, it is a vulnerable, dangerous city. To the Cromwells, it is a business opportunity."
Lance scowled at the veiled insult. Victor tried to change the topic. "I heard you are an uncle now. Your sister, Sophia, returned with a boy from a dead man. Congratulations."
Lance appeared to be offended, clenching his jaw. "HE was not just any dead man, Mr. Mayor. Victor Damone was a hero of the city and much more. I wouldn't expect you to understand, but please be respectful."
Even though Lance appointed Victor as the Interim Mayor of Springfield, he was unaware of his real identity. To him, the young, handsome man was an obnoxious scion of the royal Cromwell family—a complete stranger—a black horse. In contrast, Victor Damone was a martyr, six feet under the earth.
After the Monolith invasion, the Cromwell family suddenly came into the picture. While many questioned this intrusion, any further details were classified. The orders directly came from the President's office.
"My apologies," Victor replied in a smug tone. The General could tell he didn't really mean it. "Let's get back to the tasks on hand."
Lance grimaced, rolled up the documents, and rose from his seat. "I can make your list happen as long as the finances keep flowing. I hope we don't have to work together for long."
As the General sharply turned and left the room, Victor leaned back in his chair and stared at the freshly painted roof. His new personality had to act like his character—Victor Cromwell, the obnoxious scion from a royal family.
Victor went into reflection. The Puppetmaster's naval army was utterly wiped out. His operation must have cost over thirty billion dollars. The villain would take time to recover from such a massive financial and resource loss. Therefore, Springfield didn't expect any other military invasions anytime soon. However, it was prudent to be ready for any.
Victor Damone's reincarnation as Victor Cromwell was top secret. Even the New World Order's senior-most members were unaware of his return. Atticus Mars left Victor with a few instructions.
"Emperor Caesar is dead, never to be heard of again!" the mysterious man proclaimed. "The royal Cromwell family, subservient to the NWO, has kindly agreed to adopt you as their legal heir. Get acquainted with your new identity."
The Cromwell family was highly affluent European royalty and had a distinct presence in all major global industries. They were considerable shareholders in real estate and energy throughout the business world.
The Cromwell family members were also overachievers in various fields, including art, science, engineering, medicine, and even in the military. Victor was a fresh addition—another feather in their cap.
"Not even the five-star generals of the NWO need to know about your return from the dead," Atticus had decreed. "I have made preparations for the organization to function without your supervision. We cannot trust anybody."
"And do you remember the specific instruction that you absolutely cannot violate?" the Tribunal had asked sternly.
"I can use my thousand gifts, but breaking my limiters is forbidden under any circumstances," Victor had replied.
"That is correct. I purified your body of Thanatos, but that doesn't mean you are out of danger. If you break the Heraclite limiters, your body will die again."
Victor sighed and rifled through the strategic maps. If there were no recurrence of large-scale invasions, he would never need to revert to his mutant self. Such an unnatural transformation had no utility in daily life.
There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Victor said, turning his attention to his schedule diary.
The Interim Mayor was supposed to interview candidates to fill two secretary positions. The paperwork was mounting up, and he needed fresh blood on his team to pick up the slack.
The door opened, and two beautiful young women entered. Both wore heavy makeup and fashionable low-cut dresses that exposed their deep cleavage. Their revealing clothes were tight around the waist and hips. Almost nothing was left to the imagination about the shapes of their toned lower bodies.
Victor furrowed his brows. What kind of women dress like sluts for an interview, especially at the Mayoral Office? As the two beauties drew close, he immediately recognized their faces.
One was Chloe, Josh's ex-girlfriend. The other was Daphne, the villainess who pimped out the Atelier girls in Damien Blackwell's sex party.