Jump City Summit (Invite)

Months of hard work led to this moment.

The Conference Suite at Star Labs was an allotment entirely separate from their main laboratories in California. It was here that they engaged in the day-to-day corporate dealings that made this megalithic research conglomerate the nation-wide titan that it was today. This division of facilities was believed to be a security precaution to safeguard their invaluable scientific breakthroughs. It allowed them to invite associates, even competitors, to their holdings without fear of corporate espionage. And never was a guest-list so nefarious as to warrant these measures than that of the Summit arranged by HIVE.

Unfashionably early, Pix was busy fussing over his appearance. Cuff buttons were difficult to fiddle with when you were pixelised. He had wanted to present an imposing figure. This, he soon discovered, was an impossibility. Instead Hugh settled for professional. Again a quality rarely attributed to a Minecraft sprite. But appearances aside he knew he could command attention. The bunch of misfits at HIVE attested to that. They were the greatest congregation of villains this side of the Pacific and Pix was their leader. HIVE had the distinction of saving Earth from alien invaders as well as a reputation for successful mercenary ventures. Good or evil, they could relate to any of the representative groups invited here today. That was their advantage.

But who was attending? In essence, everyone you forgot about. The low-rollers. The no-names. The up and comers. Entities in the Jump City underworld that wielded their influence subtly. People not so consumed by their successes that they would spurn the notion of negotiation. For that was what this summit set out to achieve. To see if relative strangers could cooperate for the good of the economic stability of Jump City. Regardless of their moral standing.

Ever cautious of TIBERIUS' government, Pix was eager not to step on any of his massive toes. But he considered the various legitimate hero groups in the city free game. Domain would have to be hashed out and unofficial territories respected. For those not looking towards personal gain, then conventions could be made to lessen the atrocities caused by selfish ventures and the sanctity of life respected. Assuming those too noble of heart didn't just leave.

Assuming nobody left. Getting these groups to 'play nice' wouldn't be easy. Pix was merely of the opinion it was possible. He wondered if his S.T.A.R. Labs sponsors held the same opinion, or were solely leading him on for the prospect of promised Zydon technology. (¬_¬)

Pix was not alone flying the colors of HIVE. If what HIVE required here today was an imposing figure, one to be feared. Then perhaps Pix wasn't the most suitable contender to fill this role from the HIVE ranks. Much to the reason of why Quinn was attending such an event, that and... Pix had a knack for talking his way into trouble, but not always out. Protection. Not a job role that Quinn was ever fond of, now was she fondof attending such spirited events. But alas, if this is what HIVE required of her then so be it.

The Assassin was present due to Pix's early attendance. She wore her usual Assassin get-up, but kept her weapons sheathed - there was no need to start any trouble yet. Quinn remained in a corner of the room, leaning back against the wall with one foot pushed up against it; arms folded across her chest. Quinn was there to watch more than talk, keeping a close eye on everyone as they enter.

The clanging of metal. The whirring of a steam powered machine would fill the air as a man clad in old victorian garb entered the room, arrogance in his stride. He no longer wore his old copper mask. He had melted it down, and now wore it as part of his chestpiece. He was building up his new outfit for some reason. Without a word, he took his seat.

Steampunk. That was the word that described this man.

Gluttony had spent hours to figure out what she was going to wear tonight. This was the first time she had ever been invited to something like this and she didn't know what she should do. The girl had even stopped eating sugar for two weeks so that she would be "sober" for the meeting. Then just a couple days before the big Summit, she had lunch with her big brother Greed and he found out about the event and practically invited himself, but now that she thought about it, she was glad he did.

When Tianna entered the streets, she had an air of maturity around her as she made her way to the spot her and Greed had said to meet at. As she walked up, a smile stretched across her face softly and she giggled, teleporting the last ten feet to him. "How do I look, Greed?" She gave a light twirl and smiled up at him, taking his hand and walking the way to the summit.



The girl and her brother got to the Summit and entered together, hand in hand if he let her. As soon as they got in though, she let go and started to look around, introducing herself to everyone that was there. She went up to Steampunk and complimented him on his armor stuff. When she went to Ace she made sure to mention his amazing suit! Quinn seemed to want space so she just waved. Then she got to Pix and smiled gently, extending her hand out to him. "You must be our lovely host for the evening. So nice to finally meet you, sir. My name is Gluttony, or Tianna, as some know it."

Pix missed the mocking inflection behind Ace's words. While the sprite held an extensive knowledge of the activities of the people who would be gathered here today, it did not follow that his intel was correct. A good deal of it was, in fact, assumptive. For example, he was unfamiliar with the face and name given by the party claiming the title of Mastermind. Pix had invited a Rhett. A man he saw as possessing little in the way of means but continuously obtaining big pay offs. You had to be a genius of some sort to instigate the operations Rhett had done. It was a brand of villainy unknown since the likes of Joker.

"You assume right. Call me Pix. Leader of the HIVE. Her name meanwhile really isn't very important. I just point at her mostly." As he was now. Quinn had made it clear that she wasn't keen to speak. Pix fully intended to play up that attribute until it became too absurd for her to maintain.

Not to be outdone in machinations, Pix set about establishing his own acuity. "Rhett. Ace. Whatever. I'm a big fan of the way you instigated that prison escape months back. It took two ex-Titans and an entire division of the Russian Spetsnaz to do the same. You may be the only person in town, besides TIBERIUS, who can give me food for thought." Hugh wasn't as close to TIBERIUS as he implied. But he wasn't above placing himself on a pedestal next to such a man... alien... bug...

As they had been talking another man deserving of accolades arrived. Although Pix did not get the gimmick, nor the obsession with obsolete technology, Steampunk was fully acknowledged a master inventor. Far above the technical capabilities of HIVE as it stood now. Pix hoped at the very least he'd make this man's alliance today. In contrast to Grennan's reserved demeanour, their next guest was in no way withdraw. Pix was taken aback by Gluttony's energy. Almost made him forget he was addressing a genuine Deadly Sin.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Pix." (≧▾≦) Hugh shook the proffered hand. Something about her made him stand, he hoped he wasn't being too obvious. Her plus one guest came as a complete surprise to the well informed sprite. "Greed? I had no idea two of you Deadly Sins were in Jump City. This will be worth your time, I promise. Please take a seat." (ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ That one had shown was great. That two had thought to grace him with their presence was astonishing.

At that moment the lobby doors would crash apart. A blank frown would sweep across the guests as the sound of some artificial heart pump echoed deep within the recesses of the cyborg's surgically scarred body. It cracked its neck audibly.

Spoiler:

Pix thought this ill presence would hover about the doorway all day but at long last the cyborg warrior would motor its way to one side. A diminutive creature stood in its wake, arms clasped neatly behind its back, a smart bow-tie around its neck.

Spoiler:

"If you could please, withhold from comments as to my personal countenance, I would be much obliged." The Golden Lion Tamarin leaped onto its bodyguard's shoulder. Caesar the simian surgeon had arrived.

((OOC: Last chance to take an NPC.

Current Posting Order: Amag, Moon, Hotwire, Bow, Bloo, Me))

Party in the big city! It was quite the gathering of oddballs that Pix had assembled here. Pix hadn’t shared what he knew of each with the remainder of HIVE, which left Quinn to assume based only on appearance. If she was going to be called upon, to put an end to any of those assembled then she fancied her chances; none were that physically imposing – good news. Quinn remained out of the way where she had been, not wishing to jump in with any comments, but instead just overhear discussions. Pix may not share all the outcomes with HIVE, but Quinn would happily provide them with some gossip.

It seemed as though everyone had arrived, that it was time to get down to discussions. And arriving just in time was the speedster; Manic – a speedster who’s arriving late, lovely. A blue-green blur had entered the room, quickly dissolving to reveal the speedster sat back in one of the chairs with his feet propped up on the table. What’s a hero doing here you ask? Ask Pix. Perhaps Manic is here to apprehend them all – imagine that. “sup?”. Manic would say as he surveyed the room, looking to each of those who were there. He nodded towards Quinn as though he was saying that classic ‘Friends’ phrase; how you doin’? But the snake-girl looked away. Oh well!

Mr. Quackers entered the room. He didn't speak a quack. At times like this, it was better to keep your bill shut until you were asked a question. He had brought a notebook with him for the extreme scenario in which his normal form of dialogue was less than ideal. Placing his Tommy Gun on the table, the gangster duck jumped up on a chair, his feet swinging with six inches between them and the floor.




"What am I doing here?" Smith asked himself as he entered the room. The Jump City Police Department had received an invitation to this event, and Smith had been selected to attend for a variety of reasons. That didn't mean that he liked it. Seeing so many known criminals (most of them meta-humans) in one place made him uneasy. He wished that the Force had simply possessed enough strength to arrest everyone here.

But they hadn't considered that. Not even for a second. The Police Department had been left severely weakened by recent events, most prominently a situation involving giant mutated preying mantises. The Police were just trying to stay on their feet at the moment, and had little power left to pick fights.

Of course, that was the second reason why Smith was here. This meeting was supposed to discuss the future of Jump City. If there was any way this unlikely collection of undesirables could lead to safer streets, then it was worth any risk to accomplish that.

...Maybe even coming to this meeting.

Wearing Kevlar armor and a helmet that hid his face behind a visor, Smith kept his hand near his pistol...not that it would do him much good if a fight broke out. He sat down at the table, respectfully as far away from everyone else as possible. Removing his helmet, he studied the room with his own eyes.

Everyone was looking at him, weren't they? Whether they were or not, that was how he felt. It didn't matter. He had to remain calm and in control. He leaned forward and folded his arms on the table. "Well then, let's begin."

A loud bang was heard in the distance, glass was heard shattered in some room in the building "You got the wrong room it seems." a voice said, crackling with a high pitched laugh. "I thought i had gotten the party room right." another voice said "Oh here it is!" it said, glass once again was heard in the distance. 

A few seconds later glass was heard much closer, breaking and falling from the sky "WE'RE HERE!" the two creatures from the sky yelled. Cloth could be heard getting caught by air, if one would look up it would appear that Batman had fallen from the sky, but the cackling laughter seemed to have completely decimated that response. As they landed on the table the duo removed their cowls and out popped some googly eyes from glasses as they continued to laugh, from the googly eyes confetti and some liquid substance flew out. The liquid substance melted some of the fabric on the table, and they smiled laughing at how funny everyone looked "Boy, it seems we got the wrong costumes." they squealed. The creatures took their seats and smiled as they whispered to one another, cackling at their own comments.

If he had no idea that two Deadly Sins were in Jump City, that meant that this man didn't know about her big brother Wrath. Or, maybe he just knew him as Kyte. That would make sense. Most people around here hadn't made the connection and that was totally understandable. Wrath had calmed down and matured dramatically since last she saw her.

When he told them that this would definitely be worth their time, the small girl smiled sweetly. Her voice was soft as cotton candy and smooth as caramel. "Trust me, it's an honor to be here Mr. Pix... I've never been invited to anything like this in all my years." It was true. Every time there was a meeting to be held where the Seven Deadly Sins were invited, she never was. It came along as part of being the weakest link. Her siblings always stopped her at the door.

This time was different though! She was the only one to actually get an invite! And her brother was the one tagging along. And he didn't think she was useless!! This was a good month for Gluttony. So much was going her way. She curtsied to Pix and then grabbed Greed's hand and skipped to a good seat in the very front and middle, not caring what Greed thought. The little girl was bouncing in her seat with anticipation of what was to be said.

((OOC: I suppose I should have mentioned the seating is circular. There is no front and centre. Thus the table.))

One pair of eyes were especially fixed to the police officer. Unyielding, seemingly unblinking. Upon the shoulder of his bodyguard, Caesar crossed to the far end of the table specifically to sit next to Smith. The simian hopped into a seat ten sizes too big for him and spun around twice before taking satisfaction in its comfort and sitting down back-on like a human. If Smith looked at him then he would find the golden-ringed oculars boring into his head and a sudden smile, that instead of being disarming, would have had the opposite effect.

The arrival of the skydiving nut-jobs interrupted Caesar's observations and he cursed them, "Confounded animals!" That was going to need cleaning up before they started. Most in the room assumed that Star Labs would naturally get on it. Monkey C addressed his remarks to his neighbour, assuming natural peerage, "My, my. And here I thought it peculiar to find a member of the constabulary on site. But the Cult of Laughter is most singular indeed! I think you must agree. No sound notions will come from that corner, I dare say."

Meanwhile a computer monitor set upon a stand and wheeled up to the table came to life. At first glance it appeared to be a screensaver, all shapes and patterns moving at regular intervals, but the otherwise meaningless display bore the faint outline of a face. Being on Pix's left hand, the sprite was quick to interact, "Thank you for joining us Black John."

The entrepreneur at the other end of the video conference smiled gold, despite knowing that the computer was distorting his features beyond recognition. Andrew Lawrence did not give his identity away willy nilly. "Call me Cap'in. The pleasure is mine. It be a shame business has kept me away else I would doubtless have attended ye commission meself. Begging yer pardon, of course." A lie. Both Black John and Pix knew. The admortal buccaneer turned businessman could not refuse HIVEs invitation without angering a people who knew of his illegal practices. And he could not accept without putting himself in harms way. That he kept them at arm's length was a neat solution which Pix found fitting to the career criminal who had fence sat for decades.

The sprite looked down the oblong-table which doubled as a plinth, having a small indent beneath the rim for leg room, and decided the summons had been a rousing success. There were some names missing from the list. Most worryingly Dravocn whom he had taken into his confidence. There was also a distinct absence of anyone holding position in Star Labs, which foretold they needed to curry no favour from him. And that the mobsters had sent Mr Quackers felt more like an insult. But besides those small hiccups he could begin.

"I think we can safely say all who are coming are here. Our hosts will be popping their heads in and out as they please - apparently - please, if you see them, guilt them into staying put- HEY!" As he had been speaking a last minute arrival had entered the room. Smart in her dress, but eyes hidden by shades, she surveyed the room. The woman held up her phone to send a text before closing the door behind her. A moment later the door opened to file through a half dozen suited stiffs. None held an expression greater than impassive. "The invite was for two only. Send them back AMO."

Spoiler:

The woman tipped her shades to the end of her nose and glanced at Pix, "Or what?" Her companions hadn't even broke step. The sprite hadn't expected them to call his bluff. When the attendees knew each other better he could propose such rule violations be sanctioned. Until then he was powerless. And now the whole room knew it.

"...well we're not giving you any more chairs." Quinn was probably already planning on ridiculing him for this later. Pix was aware HIVE had just lost gravitas and felt he needed to regain what was lost sooner rather than later. He played an ace, "Alright. I gift you that one. For HIVE ourselves intend to break a rule this evening. Someone in this room has been led here under false pretences. Without knowing it you have angered us. And you won't be leaving here of your own accord."

Caesar the surgeon was quite to take up an affronted air, "And yet you expect goodwill from us?"

"Not really. I expect goodwill from the police. Even the hero there must be straining at his leash at the sight of so many criminals. Eh, Manic? But I can assure the room he too is a fugitive from the law, acting as a representative from the group of unregistered heroes. Feel free to make a note of that, Officer." Openly stating what was obvious might convince the ex-Titan to sit still long enough to hear HIVE out. The last thing he needed was some hotshot hero jumping the gun and punching people's lights out.

"Quick as able, could you each tell me what you expect HIVE to propose tonight?"

((OOC: Current Posting Order - Amag, Dar, Hotwire, Drav, Bow, Bloo, DD. (Moon in limbo due to a LOA, she can post anywhere in the order when first able)))

"You... you don't need to write that down...". Manic said, a reassuring tone as he took his feet down off the table. Perhaps that is what caused Pix to unveil such information to a man of the law - though he could have just politely asked Manic not to do that. Manic remained quiet for a little longer, surveying the most recent additions to the party. He wasn't as clued in or up to date on all of the guests as others may be, but there was much to be told by appearance - lets leave it at that for now.

Someone was in need of talking, and so. Manic stepped up to the role, whilst remaining sat down. "I don't know about Quacks, or Monkey-Brain over there. But I'd like to think this is HIVE surrendering, admitting to their various crimes and allowing me to take the glory for bringing them in...". A Far-fetched dream? Perhaps. But even meta-humans can dream of the impossible or implausible.