CSI: Jump City (Titans/HIVE)

Onyekachi had been treading water by the time Bow was ready to let rip with her attack. By then the very ceiling was dripping with runoff, streams of seawater sprayed like rain. A section of which evaporated into steam as the flamethrower sped passed. When the first breach was made the rest of the wall collapsed in on itself, giving the exit strategy they required. Kishi went with the flow and found themselves surfing a small wave on their back.

Told ya she'd wear the skin.

Yeah. Didn't think it would f'wording work though.

The ceiling torrents had not stopped and were still feeding water into the tunnel. But their danger had now dissipated. Onyekachi was wringing out his shirt with four hands when Bow spoke again, "Always swore by it." The Kishi never went anywhere without at least two others backing him up. Fortunately for Bow he mistook her tears for damp and so wasn't distracted by commenting on her timidity, "I thought that were obvious. Get your breath back and burn your way through this next wall. Might not be a dead end after all. I would dearly like to get my hands on whoever set these contraptions up." Onyekachi grinned, ripping the cloth in two just thinking about retribution.

"Not so fast! If either of you tries to continue this investigation, I will collapse the tunnel and drown you both alive." The booming voice came from a hidden Tannoy system. Kishi grit his teeth and darted glances around the area. A light would suddenly be switched on, and the holes in the ceiling would close. "Mind you I could always do that anyway and wipe two Titans off the game board. Three of you in one day. You heroes have to admit - when HIVE make a move, we go in big."

The girl had lost the skin cowl in the torrent of water that pushed them out of the small area they had been. Can't say she wasn't happy about that fact either.

When he said that it might not be a dead end, and that she should try blasting it again, she grinned. Never in a million years did she think she would hear him say something like that! She didn't care what the real reason was. She nodded and took a step back and her eyes began to glow crimson. Just as she was about to release, a voice was heard overhead. It sounded... familiar.

Then he spoke the name of who was behind this. HIVE. After hearing that, she kind of wished it had been Russia. The girl was still trying to figure out how she really felt about HIVE. If anyone took the time to actually do their research, HIVE wasn't as evil as they tried to act. Sure, they were plenty evil and had done lots of bad stuff. But, at the same time, had it not been for them, the world would probably have died to Zydons. And now they were fighting against the Russians just like the Titans.

Bow spoke up into the ceiling, figuring that was probably the best way to talk to the voice. Pix. "Where are you and where is Toji!? If you've hurt him then I will not hesitate to k-...umm... hurt you!" She bit her lip. Was she really just about to say that word?? Must be Kishi rubbing off on her.

...Speaking of Kishi on her... His skin cowl was gone. Her clothes were no where to be found... She blushed brightly and squeaked, covering herself as best she could. "A-and bring us towels!"

It was plain as day the water from before had been sea-water. Kishi well imagined if the tunnel roof collapsed, such as from explosives, that the siblings might not survive. It all depended how deep offshore they were. How long had they been walking? 30 minutes? An hour? Longer? If they were too deep the pressure alone might kill them. Onyekachi could rely on four lung-fulls of air, but even that might not be sufficient. Especially when he considered that he would have to make sure Rain was all right as well. Abandoning her could give him too severe a headache.

They needed to stall until they could get out of this death-trap. The Kishi listened to Bow's attempt to threaten their captive and groaned, "She means kill. Violently." Kishi was keen to let this HIVE know that he meant business. Even if Ms Waterworks did not.

Pix answered Bow's concerns, "I expected this. Rest assured we've treated Lightning Wolf very well. He's just recovering from the hallucinogenic we used in capture. After all, we need him in one piece for the trade off. That's right. It's no mere coincidence you Titans made it this far. Being the most open-minded I wish to negotiate with you, Bow, for your teammate's release. There are better prizes available to HIVE than your deaths." The Kishi found it hard to imagine what, "I'll be there eventually with our proposals in writ."

Onyekachi smiled. Sounded like the chump was coming down here. Then he wouldn't be able to blow the tunnel without taking himself out at the same time. Plus he would be within punching distance. Perfect. The only thing better would be if they had already slain Toji. But alas it was starting to look like that Halfling would be rescued and return to them unharmed.

In his peripheral vision he noticed Bow squirm as she requested towels. Onyekachi hadn't considered her sense of shame before now. And he revelled in her discomfort. Laughing out loud, "Heh. You're hilarious. I don't even go for humans. The only thing showing off a bit of skin makes me is hungry." Speaking of which the brothers did now feel half-starved. Hopefully they could be done with this mission soon.

Pix coughed awkwardly, "I was going to question your costume choices... Guh, never-mind. Don't carry on. Don't turn back. We're watching you. And no that doesn't mean we have to record. But we're evil - go figure." A quick burst of static seemed to symbolise the microphone had been switched off.

The innocent girl listened to the voice overhead intently while trying to keep herself covered to the best of her ability. When he said that Toji was safe, she sighed in relief. Then he said something about negotiating a tradeoff and wanted to speak with her. Her eyes grew a little wide, but she didn't honestly have any room to reject his request. "Th-thank you, Pix... Please do not keep us waiting too long... It's cold down here."

When Kishi spoke, her eyes glared at him and she sighed, sitting down. It wasn't until after Pix shut the mic off that she spoke again, softly, her cheeks pink with blushing. "I-it's not you I care about, jerk. I-I have prior acquiantance with Pix, leader of HIVE. We were in a tournament together some time ago..." She then blinked, and looked up at Kishi as if knowing he would give a sarcastic comment and tried to cut him off before he did so. "A tournament in which I won, mind you. A fighting tournament." She didn't like feeling weak, and that's all Kishi did.

A sigh escaped her lips once more as a shiver ran down her spine. "I just want Toji back so we can all go home..." She brought her knees up to her chest and laid her head down to wait for Pix to arrive.

"You? A fighting tournament? Bullpoop." Now she was just making stuff up. It was kind of embarrassing really. She may have saved them both back there but that was because she was gifted with phenomenal power. Not because she had the drive or intelligence to use it. Exactly the kind of thing a fighter needed. The girl had pluck, or more accurately 'heart', but the potential of that was lost on a demon.

Onyekachi slid his back down the wall a distance from Bow and began to bide his time. Whenever this Pix arrived he was going to put an end to this nonsense. And then the little cheeseball would owe him one for saving his wretched no-good life.

-------

Almost an hour passed. Bow's request for a speedy reception had not been upheld. Not out of spite but from calculation. Despite appearances, Pix was unable to make good on his threats. The apparent sway he held over her life had been a subject of exaggeration. In short, he had bluffed. Very successfully but a bluff non-the-less.

His first and most glaring limitation was that Pix knew Bow to be TIBERIUS' daughter. TIBERIUS was the undisputed ruler of California. And designer of HIVE Base, which included the handy access tunnel the Titans now found themselves in. Pix was under no illusions that TIBERIUS was not still watching HIVE. And so it would be foolhardy to slay his family in an area which must still be regarded as that lizard's own territory. Harming Bow was tantamount to suicide. TIBERIUS would find out and come down on Pix like a ton of bricks. He was even weary of imprisoning the girl. Crossing swords with the reigning government was a crime HIVE wasn't ready to commit.

Secondly, there were no explosives. Or more accurately, no explosives Pix had access to. The sprite suspected that these tunnels were wired to blow. Only he could not prove that, and without access codes, he could not activate them. It was always his way to present a more competent air than was the reality. The truth was that once TIBERIUS had abandoned them, HIVE were hilariously technologically inept.

And so killing Bow was not an option. Kidnapping her was not an option. Which meant by proxy HIVE could not attack this other Titan, for fear TIBERIUS would see it as reckless endangerment of his daughter. Oh the intricacies of back-alley politics. No, if Pix was going to make a gain on this he needed to bargain with his enemy. For the better, he felt.

Unfortunately this presented another danger. It made witnesses. Pix was respectful of the Titan's investigative capabilities. Hotwire and Yang were formidable sleuths. Any information they may garner from this encounter about HIVE's whereabouts might lead to the discovery of their secret oil rig base. Had Pix arrived walking after ten minutes, as was possible, then that would present the Titans with a very small sphere of possible residences the HIVE Base could be located. Meanwhile, if he appeared after an hour driving one of Kris' cars, that increased speculation significantly. Too much to be of any help.

After all. How far could a car drive in one hour?

Bow and Kishi would hear the engine first. It sounded the length of the tunnel, a deafening roar. They would hear that noise die down to a soft purr that emanated from the other side of the dead end. After a few moments the wall ahead of them would begin to move. It rotated. The sheet of iron turned exactly ninety degrees revealing that it was still a piece of the tunnel, only shifted on a turntable to give the wrong impression.

"Hello, old friend! Sorry for the wait. I left as soon as I could."

"What the f'word are you?"

Demon stared at sprite. It was obvious Pix had not been what Onyekachi had expected. Then again, who did expect a lifesize Minecraft avatar? Hugh smiled (^_^) "Immune. That's what I am. Immune to someone collapsing an ocean on my head. What about you?" Pix didn't know much about this new Titan recruit. But he knew a bruiser when he saw one. The type who thought violence could solve everything. The type who needed it spelled out for them that such a move wouldn't work.

Kishi turned to Bow, "Now I know ya full of c'word. Any tournament you and this weed were in were not a fighting tournament."

(o__o) "I put clothes in the back seat if you want to get changed, Bow. I'll just wait here with Mr...?"

"Bite me."

"Mr Bite Me."

"It was a fighti-...you know what. It doesn't even matter. Not like it's gonna change the way you think of me anyway..." The girl sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest, just waiting for Pix to get down here.

The pink haired girl fell asleep within ten minutes. She had no idea how long it had been since she had fallen asleep when she heard the sound of an engine.

Bow woke with a start and stood up quickly, yawning gently and stretching. She slapped her cheeks softly to wake herself up better and looked over at Kishi, wondering how long she had been out. Luckily it didn't seem the demon had pulled any pranks on her. Maybe he was incapable of even that.

Then the wall rotated and the car came into view. As soon as it did, she blushed brightly and tried to cover herself again. "N-nice to see you again, Mr Pix... Umm..." She kind of just squirmed, hoping he would understand the message she was trying to convey.

Obviously he did as he told her to get changed. The girl nodded gratefully and ran off to the car, getting in without a second's hesitation. She changed as quick as she could, hoping an all out war didn't break out between the two boys while she was away.

The clothes fit a bit snug, but they would work for now. She came back out and looked around, surveying the situation. "So Pix, tell me, what's the sitch?" She couldn't help but giggle. It wasn't hard to tell she had a small soft spot for the sprite.

While Bow was out of the way the two tunnel occupants confronted each other. Pix held his chin as he studied this demon, "I don't know of many Titans who would threaten to kill."

Onyekachi frowned, it was an odd observation to make after an hour. He saw no harm in criticising his team, "They're afraid to."

The sprite corrected him, "No. They're against it. But you're not. You might have been bluffing. But only an idiot would seriously think a Titan would kill them." Not to mention Mr Bite Me hadn't called Pix's bluff. It was unlikely he was familiar with the art. Thus his bluster was for different reason, "Which tells me a lot about you. You had to make concessions in order to join the Titans. It doesn't pay well and so I have to wonder what you got in return. There's no love lost between you and Bow - so it's not companionship."

"I get an excuse to wail on flippers like you."

"You don't need the Titans for that. It's almost as if you're here against your will. A malcontent." Pix smiled, smelling metaphorical blood in the waters, (>_>) "How shaky is your allegiance? What can they offer that HIVE can't match?"

The Kishi threw a punch. It stopped short of Pix's face by an inch. The sprite had flinched in anticipation of the blow and scrunched up his eyes. Onyekachi gave a smug smile before he answered, "Backbone." It was then that Bow returned.

Pix's careful observations had allowed him to detect trouble in paradise but it was evident that trouble was far more complex than mere guesswork could unveil. If Mr Bite Me was unhappy with his lot in life, then his reasons for not changing it must be strong. It was important Pix find those reasons out if he was to pursue the issue any further. Now wasn't the time.

Pix turned his back on Kishi, "I was just about to offer your teammate the option to start making his way back. I'm not interested in speaking with him. And I guarantee your safety. He should leave."

"Hah! The only guarantee I see is your complete inability to threaten anything."

Bow considered the options in her mind while tugging down on her shirt a little more. Finally, she opened her mouth and nodded, looking to Kishi. "It would be best if you went home ahead of me. I know you don't want to be here, and knowing that I'll be talking with Pix about negotiations actually makes me feel a lot better about the whole situation. Pix is a reasonable sprite once you get to know him. If it weren't for the fact that were playing for different sides, I would love to be on a diplomatic team with him." She giggled lightly and turned to Pix, with a soft smile but serious eyes.

"However, I do recognize the danger of negotiating with HIVE and the problems that may arise due to this endeavor. So I will ask that Kishi is guaranteed safety as well. Also, that he may inform our team of what I am about to do and I am able to keep my communicator on me at all times. Are my requests verified?" The girl knew her way around words when she really wanted to. But how much fun would life really be if you were a boring stiff all the time?

At last, someone speaking his language. Pix was delighted the plan was progressing smoothly and the Titans were actually cooperating. (*≧▽≦) Heroes were usually a pretty stubborn and belligerent bunch. They assumed all villains were untrustworthy and that was their folly. Pix had felt that about heroes at one time, but Bow had shown him that there were exceptions. He was glad the Titan leaders weren't present. Kale would probably power passed him screaming like an idiot, Yang would try to take him down, and Hotwire... Hotwire might actually out-think him.

"We can do that." Pix readily agreed. It was the least HIVE could provide in response as reassurance without jeopardising any of their assets. "But it comes with a warning. If our surveillance picks up any indication that Manic is in the area we won't hesitate to blow the tunnel. Your speedster might find that not even he is fast enough to get to you in time. We agree~" With a running head start Amag might be able to get to the far end of the tunnel before HIVE could do anything. It was best if they were too scared to attempt it.

"Ugh. Anything's better than watching you two... I'll tell Kale you're on a play date." Onyekachi turned on his heel and started walking back. Pix congratulated himself on correctly predicting his enemy. Many a more noble Titan would have put up more of an argument before abandoning their teammate.

He took his mind off Kishi and thought of Bow. Pix had had to steal clothing off of Blake for her. That would be a fun conversation later. And the two girls didn't exactly have the same... style, yeah. But they could at least have a serious conversation now. Toji was too hot a hostage to hold on to for long. What if TIBERIUS got involved, "I'll outline a number of requests we're making in return for the safe delivery of Titans caught in the field. Current and future. And I don't know about you, but I'm going to sit in the car." Pix went to take a seat.

Bow was happy that Kishi left without causing any more harm to the situation. With him gone, she finally felt at peace. It was odd. Even though she knew she was with an enemy, the girl just felt relaxed around him. She knew it was completely possible that it was all a ploy and that he wanted her to take her guard down so that he could attack, but something told her that that wasn't the case. And she decided to listen to that voice instead.

When Pix began to speak again, Bow listened and nodded, following him and getting in the passenger side. "Of course, we'll need to negotiate the terms of requests. Just because you have one of our own in captivity doesn't mean we'll completely break. Toji's one of the best in our team. I'm sure he's just toying with you until he's ready to escape." She was completely bluffing, but had the best poker face in the business. Her eyes rimmed with red passion and they actually looked fierced.

Bow. Looked intimidating. For once in her life.

The girl then completely melted that act and smiled gently, though her eyes still held that same level of intensity, showing that even though she was going to switch the mood, the bottom line was still the same. "So... Do I get to see the infamous HIVE base or do I have to wait in the car?" The pink haired titan winked and stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Oh you don't want an hour long drive to see that old dump. I'm sure you have other things you'd rather be doing. Like sleeping." Nice try Titan but no cigar. Pix wasn't about to be sweet on Bow just because she had asked nicely. He had some self respect. The sprite leaned over the seating in order to grab a brace of documents sat on the back seat. He then placed the papers in Bow's lap.

"Here it is all written up. Yes I can amend the odd word here and there but I doubt you'll contest a lot of what I'm selling. Note that your signature here I'm taking as a sign of good faith. I'll need Kale's to make it official. But I'm sure with you in his ear and Toji at your side he'll find it hard to refute what you already signed. Yang and Hotwire will do the same if they have any sense of responsibility for their respective teams. These are people's lives were are discussing. I trust you will be a suitable intermediary.

"First what we are offering you. HIVE pledges to release all current and future captives officially recognised as Titans preceding their capture. We reserve the right to hold these prisoners for 24 hours before release but affirm those in question will not be harmed. The burden of proof in a case of claim will be on you, the Titans. I'm not having this fall apart just because of a false accusation. We will also endeavour to take all reasonable steps to incarcerate rather than kill a Titan. If you can prove a Titan was killed by a current HIVE operative without sufficient reason to do so we will hand over the perpetrator immediately for incarceration. This agreement can also be used as a bases to negotiate with HIVE the safe return of all Titan affiliates or third party interests. It will depend on a case by case basis whether the HIVE Leader allows it.

"Now for what you will gladly give in return. No doubt Manic will have told you of HIVE's recent tete-a-tete with various small time persons of influence in the Jump City community. They officially recognise HIVE 'territory' - patches of turf where HIVE members and foot-soldiers are free to operate without fear of the local wealth being excessively drained by our affiliates. This is to ensure the council's selfish activities don't collectively destroy Jump City's economy. We are, after all, in a fragile state considering the ongoing Russian war. An economic collapse would devastate California.

"I would now like the Titans to similarly recognise the negotiated HIVE territory but for different reasons.

"The Titans will pledge to relinquish all vigilante privileges in areas of HIVE influence. What this means is that it will be unlawful to arrest or otherwise harass HIVE operatives or foot-soldiers within established HIVE borders even if there is a warrant for their arrest. The territory in question will be treated as a Liberty and will henceforth be known as the Liberties of HIVE. Should any Titan be caught engaging in what is above specified 'unlawful' they will be banished from the Titans within one day or else risk this entire contract's termination.

"When visiting the Liberties, Titans will be required to contact a specified office before entry. Representatives will then be sent to escort the Titan in question wherever they may choose to go. Failure to adhere to either of these two conditions will not result in a termination of contract but will be taken as an intent to transgress. This will grant HIVE operatives and foot-soldiers the right to 'defend themselves' as they seem fit so long as the measures taken harm no other than the respective Titan in breech of treaty.

"Should it transpire that a third party vigilante attempted or succeeded in engaging HIVE within the Liberties at the Titan's behest, then the Titans will have one week to turn over said vigilante to HIVE before talk of contract termination. Burden of proof in this instance is on HIVE.

"Overriding impediments. The Titans are able to forego all of the above if either of the following occurs:
1) The Titan witnesses a HIVE operative or foot-soldier currently in the process of a criminal act or has reasonable suspicion they are about to commit one inside the Liberties. The exception will be if a Titan has entered the Liberties unlawfully or is in the process of committing vigilantism. In which case the HIVE operative or foot-soldier is in their right to use whatever force necessary which will be considered 'self defence' and not a criminal act.
2) An exception has been previously agreed upon by current HIVE head.
3) The Titans attain written permission by the TIBERIUS government administration.

"That's the gist of it. Here is an outline of what HIVE own. You're gonna have to be pretty convincing to make me see an inadequacy with all that."

Bow read the paper over and over again. It seemed like a well thought out, fair proposition. But there had to be loop holes. There had to be things that weren't as pleasant as they seemed. The girl sighed and rubbed her temples. She had never even tried to read over a negotiation letter before. This was her first time doing anything like this, but, she enjoyed it.

The one thing that struck her though... "The HIVE territories... Basically what you're saying is that you'll be a mafia? Keeping things in order while the police force is drained from the war... That actually sounds good, but I'm sure there are unforeseen catches that I wouldn't be able to predict. So, I need a counterbalance to that.

"I would like there to be an exception that if one of the Titan leaders see that a Liberty is going into economic turmoil, that we have permission to seize the culprit at hand. That would benefit both of us.

"Also, I would like that after the war has ended, we come together again to discuss the territories. These should not and will not be a form of permanence. They will have their use at the moment, yes, but I will not stand to see our city run by HIVE forever. It's just not your place. If you wish to run the city, become mayor."