Resurface [Invite]

Tentatively approaching a grave, Hugh looked about skittishly before placing down the flowers he carried at its foot. He wasn't in meta-human form today. Just a normal teen dressed for the bitter winter. Frost had gathered over the tombstone, a metaphor for Death's icy grasp.

"About the flowers. They're not big nor pretty. But cut me some slack here. I know you'd rather I stole them instead of paying some florist. And all the plants are dead right now. As dead as you are. Quinn..." Hugh paused, alone in the graveyard. His gaze wandered across the stone mosaic until he could retain his string of thought, "Hey, it's not gushy. You want to hear what the other guys are doing on your behalf. Nina shut up shop and took a vacation. A long vacation. Now that I mention it, I'm concerned. But anyway. Gilda went around beating up random thugs and derailing trains. Telling everyone it was about the girl with the hula hoop. 'Cus you always knew she was a big softy at heart. And then I, of course, took ownership of your disc blade. Not sure it'll see much combat use. But its being well looked after. I researched polishing metal online. Think I got the gist. The new HIVE members are fitting in well. I mean, they're not as good as us. There was a reason us four were first. We're the best damn villains out there! Things have gotten more difficult without your brand of 'problem solving'. But it just means I've got to think harder. Keep everyone alive."

Now huddled with his back to the tombstone, Hugh stared distantly into his lap. A disagreeable expression was on his face, "Almost lost someone again the other day. Zydons slit Livewire's throat. From ear to ear. Thank goodness the layabout is hard to kill. But I didn't expect him to be there, so I hadn't planned for his safety. It's... it's getting out of hand. I can't account for everything. I mean. I never even found out what happened to you. TIBERIUS wouldn't give us your body to bury. We never got to hold a funeral." Hugh scraped away frost from the stone. Its engraved name did not match that of his friend's. "I'm sorry I didn't anticipate what happened."

[FLASHBACK END]

An electronic ping broke Pix from out of his daze. He was seated in the Operations Room making use of its computer facilities. He had a big gathering coming up and a lot of people to keep appraised of. As ever, HIVE had a lot of raw data, but few analysts to make sense of it all. To see the patterns and summarise what was relevant. A police report pertaining to the Cult of Laughter dominated his screen, and Pix minimised it to check the activity alert which had awoken him.

Lift activity. Authorised personnel entering the base. Pix wondered wryly whether it was Kris come to bug him about it being a beautiful day outside. The sprite tapped into the camera feeds, stifling a yawn as the command took a couple seconds to process. What he saw made him pay greater heed. Pix zoomed in immediately and scrutinised the lift occupant's face. Then he doubled checked the timers to check he wasn't being fed some recording. Unable to process the reality, Pix next tapped into the comm channels linking the base and spoke directly to the main lift pod.

"You must think I'm naïve, Kitsune. It's obviously you. Cmon. You think I would forget that Quinn was dead?"

"What just happened?" Pix would ask the static which now framed his surveillance monitor. It wasn't often his comprehension of a situation failed utterly. Either this joke was more elaborate than was advisable by the unwritten laws of pranking, or Quinn had risen from purgatory as an evil spirit hell-bent on vengeance. This possibility reminded him of the entity known as Solomon Grundy. A textbook definition zombie. Such things were not impossible. Hugh drew breathe sharply; there was one more example of reincarnation. The Blackest Night. A rabble of Lantern ring powered deceased. However unlikely, these examples roosted in Hugh's mind like dark precursors.

Regardless of reality, action was required. The sprite logged in a new command. Lift shut down. It would give him time to think. The transport pod was build like a miniature prison cell. Pix sighed with relief when he reasoned that the real Quinn would have known this. She would never have been so careless. It couldn't be her. Just to reassure himself, Pix next brought up the entry log. What security clearance had been utilised to grant this poser access? The answer threw him for a loop. The codes were registered to Quinn. But she had been dead for months now. Her details would have been removed from the system. Should have been removed. This was uncharacteristically sloppy for TIBERIUS. It did not make sense.

His communicator raised, Pix stalled in making a connection. If he contacted TIBERIUS... And it was Quinn... Then there was evident animosity between them. And he would be the middle man. Asking Pix to deal with dissention was straining his maturity. He was not equipped to accept betrayal. The sprite felt he would break down if made to pick sides. Coming to terms with anything contrasting his rosy view of HIVE, comrades to end all comrades, was perhaps beyond his ability.

On the other hand. TIBERIUS would belt him one if he failed to report an intruder. Cowardliness was simple.

Opening a comm channel to TIBERIUS, whom he knew to be in the base, Pix explained the situation. His summary was as brief as humanly possibly, "...everyone else is away from base. Assuming this actually is Quinn, I think you will agree that our best course of action is to engage in dialogue. She is a friend. Whatever the situation. She will listen."

Tiberius smirked and listened to Pix. "Ah good, let her in I was wondering when this day was coming." Tiberius rose from his position in the lab and headed out going to the conference room stretching as he did. "Oh and Pix. Don't get in the way. I can't guarantee your safety on this one." He laughed as he strode through the hall running a claw down the wall making the metal scream. He walked into the conference room to wait his talons rolling on the table before him.

At first Pix ignored Quinn's replies. He was unnerved, determined not to speak until his boss had instructed him on how to proceed. A thought in the back of his mind was reluctantly assessing the speaker's manner. The conclusion it drew deepened his inner anguish; the arrival certainly sounded like his friend. Confident sounding, abrasive in her intimidation, coupled with a mocking underlay. Either someone had done their research or life was about to get complicated.

Suddenly furious at the reality, Pix could hold his tongue no longer, "Ah. But if I knew Quinn, as you claim I do, then I would know that she bluffs shamelessly. In which case opening this lift pod would be suicidal. Not to mention, I think I'd be aware if there was a way out of the prison cell in my own base. In case you didn't hear - I'm clever." Yeah! He was good with security. And he had turned his attentive eye to the headquarters once or twice. Pix assured himself that he would know if a vulnerability existed. Quinn or not, she wouldn't fool him.

Just as he'd made his mind up to fight, TIBERIUS responded. As ever HIVE's boss was cool under pressure. His first order deflated Hugh. The second one caused an ambiguous mix of arrogant offense and guilty relief. Maybe he really shouldn't involve himself. It was the shame of being told to sit in the corner between his yearning to dodge this issue entirely. He decided he was intelligent enough to do both.

The comms reopened, he coughed awkwardly, "On second thought. Maybe I was a bit hasty. Go meet with TIBERIUS." On command the lift pod returned to life. In the lobby three Guild assassins had appeared. Pix sent word that they were to restrain the intruder until such a time TIBERIUS deemed it appropriate to let them loose. He imagined Quinn's satisfaction at being allowed access would lower her guard long enough for the assassins to strike fast and grab her. They would lunge into the lift as soon as its doors parted, overwhelming Quinn before she could say 'damn, that Pix sure is clever'.