Corpies (Super Powereds Spinoff Book 1) by Drew Hayes

with his new team, else he’d have been talking to them.
    “They’re not great.” Owen cracked open a beer and took a lengthy sip. His body had long ago lost the ability to be affected by alcohol; that didn’t mean he didn’t find enjoyment in the flavor, though. “Looks like I’ve alienated my team by acting like I’m better than them, one member seems to have hated me before I walked in the door, and I managed to catch the eye of Elemental Fury’s leader, Gale. She seems to think I’m here to cause waves and might just make it her goal to be a pain in my ass.”
    “That is pretty damned not great,” Lenny agreed. He reached over and pulled a beer free from the case. If the man was going to barge into his home at almost midnight, the least he could do was share his drinks. “Not great, but not unmanageable either. Gale is a righteous bitch if she suspects someone of making trouble; however, she’s one of the best people to have in your corner if she trusts you.”
    “One of your clients?”
    “No, though I manage Birdsman and Granite, two people on her team. I’m involved enough to get a sense of her. Lady’s got a lot of pressure on her to perform, and Brewster has been growing more active with criminal Supers over the last few years. Once she sees you’re genuinely trying to help, she’ll back off. Until then, just keep your temper in check and try to keep the dick-measuring to a minimum.”
    “Might be tough; she invited me over to do an ability assessment.”
    Lenny held in the exasperated sigh that might have escaped from an individual less tenured in his role. Ability assessments were officially used by Heroes when they were looking to work with someone and needed to know exactly what that person was capable of. Unofficially, they were a great way to put rookies in their place or settle grudges of which Super was more powerful. Heroes were good folk, but that much power and training definitely resulted in equally superhuman egos.
    “Did you agree?”
    “Sort of. I said I would do it when schedules aligned, so I bought some time at least.” Owen gave a wide-shouldered shrug.
    “It’ll have to be enough. Let me try and finagle a few things. Until you hear from me, focus on your real problem: the team.”
    “That’s the one I’m most clueless about,” Owen admitted. “I know I’m pissing them off by acting like I’m better than them, but the thing is, that I am better. I’ve got more power, more training, and more experience, even with my time away from the life. They’re good kids, and I respect Galvanize’s attitude, but at the end of the day we exist on totally different levels. I have no idea how to make that gap disappear, and if I try to fake it, I’m pretty certain they’ll hate me even more.”
    “No, don’t fake it,” Lenny advised. “These folks already get shit on by Heroes who see them as sell-out wannabes. If you start acting fake they’ll think it means you’ve decided to placate them like children.”
    “Then what’s my other option?”
    “Tell them the truth,” Lenny replied. “Meet it head-on like you would any other challenge. Let them know you’re having trouble fitting in like you told me, except maybe don’t be quite such a dick about it. Then, and this is key, realize what a fucking schmuck you’re being.”
    “Schmuck?”
    “Titan, you’re a great Hero and an all-around unstoppable guy. No one could do your job like you,” Lenny said. He ran his hand through the wisps of hair that remained on his bald head; this part would require careful wording.
    “Thank-”
    “But do you think you could do my job?”
    “Be an agent?”
    “Yes, be an agent. Handle PR disasters, coach rookies how to deal with the spotlight, wake up to console grown men who show up with beer in the middle of the night. Do you think you could do my job better than I do?” Lenny was wide awake now, locking eyes with the man who could kill him in a single motion and refusing