Sixth Floor Metahuman Dampening Chamber (Iz)

It wasn't a wide storage room that he'd been given. When he made four pacing steps Hugh had to stop and turn around. His fingers clicked almost rhythmically as he tried to forget his anxieties and lose himself in thought. He'd already been through his concerns over Titan technology but if he was honest with himself that was the only advantage they ever held over his group. And technology could be stolen. No, that wasn't bothering him unduly.

What was grating was all this waiting. Pix had arguments fresh in his mind ready to go. He knew exactly how the upcoming conversations would transpire, all that was required was the re-enactment. So what was keeping them?

He knew they couldn't prioritise. They probably got distracted by the urgent distress of a kitten up a tree. Note to self: superglue an angry badger to a thorn bush next time I rob somewhere. They'll be held up for hours. Maybe they'd found what they were looking for and wanted Lightning Wolf to read it. Which meant teaching him to read. The inane possibilities were endless.

Forcing himself to stand still, Pix's foot now tapped a beat on the floor. He wasn't doing a very good job at hiding his nerves. But he had considered the detriment of this and had decided it wouldn't skew the outcome. If anything it put him in a stronger negotiating position.

...he'd figure out why later. Where were they?!

Yang walked to the sixth floor with a small folder, the kind you would put in a filing cabinet. She pressed a few buttons on the keypad outside of the room before walking in. To be honest, she despised these rooms. She felt her durability disappear, her reactions slowed, she couldn't help but sigh. At least her arm worked.

As she sat at the table inside, the hero hit a button or two on a keypad, opening Hugh's cell. "Have a seat Pix." She said with a smile that didnt give much away.

"So, apparently you've wanted to speak to me?" She calmly opened his file and whistled softly at his record. "I don't quite know what you expect me to do for you. I'm not THAT good."

She hadn't heard much from the others about what Pix wanted. She hadn't heard much about why he had turned himself in or how. Running an entire company, funding the Titans and actually being one tends to take up quite a bit of time.

Pix picked up on sounds of approach and stopped fidgeting, clasping his hands behind his back. He let out a calming breath, "Finally..." Then waited to see who had come to mince words. Not that they'd ever met inside this reality, but he recognised Yang immediately. He wasn't surprised by their choice but disagreed with it. There were more diplomatic Titans.

He stepped from his cell readily, just grateful to be treading new floor. Due to the nature of the power inhibitor he was trapped in his human form, which was probably for the best. Whereas Yang could hold a neutral expression Pix's emoticons would have given much away. It did, however, strip him of the confidence that no lasting harm could be inflicted upon him. Best to keep things civil.

He took the offered seat. And then narrowed his eyes deridingly at Yang's first inquiry, "I've said I'll settle for you." He wasn't about to surrender the impression that this chat was solely for his benefit. The Titans would have a staked interest too in the kidnap of innocents. Next, having observed his record Pix was very quick to interject, "I'm that good."

Forgetting for a moment how clandestinely HIVE operated for a time and in what capacity Pix was involved; he was well versed in criminal law and had already tested his skills in the American court. He was capable of acting as his own lawyer in all but credentials. Yet the real advantage came in his ties to the TIBERIUS government. HIVE hadn't retaliated when Mal double-crossed them. Pix had even gone out of his way to supplicate the regime. He considered himself a lobbyist of the government which at the very least should buy him some leniency.

He did not harbour any illusions that he could blackmail Mal over witness of his criminal activities. The big dinosaur would have no trouble censoring and then silencing Pix. He'd get further making pleas, not threats. So Pix had no great concern over the Californian legal system.

"Leave the plea bargaining and tales of redemption to me. I've got a sob story that will leave the jury dewy-eyed. No. All I want from the Titans is help freeing my father. I know where he is, we just have to pick him up. And is this news to you?" Hugh got the distinct impression that Yang was hearing some of this for the first time. Maybe he was mistaken. But if not, the Titans were hardly taking his problems seriously enough. And that annoyed him.

"Did they fill you in, like, at all? Please tell me Hotwire did his fact checking. I don't want to have to repeat myself." Were he a sprite, there would be a little frowny face right now.

Yang gave him a look that lacked amusement at the mention of settling for her. "You know Mr. Exley, it's very rare that people get an audience like this with me without paying a lot of money. I am very busy and have very little time throughout the day. Between running my company, working with officials, patrolling the streets, and fixing the messes that people like you create, I'm going to deal with you however I want to and at whatever speed. And you're going to smile at me and like it!" The Titan was now standing, her hands on the table. Her eyes flickered to red for just a second, dimming back to their violet shade soon after as the power dampening room did its job.

She exhaled and sat down again, clearly not very pleased to be working with Pix anymore. She cleared her throat and spoke in a bit more of an inside voice. "Actually, Hotwire has been able to uncover very little about the verification of your claims. Our connection to the rest of our former country is a bit...severed." She cut him a glare before going on. "Due to this, I feel it best that you start from the beginning, and I'll look into it myself or refer you to someone who can." The only thing being given away by Yang at this point was unyielding rage. Even in a depowered state, Yang was not someone you would want angry at you.

Pix smiled. Not for very long or convincingly, but he did as the Titan suggested. There. He had made an effort to get along. What he'd like to do was explain to her how they were virtually on an even keel. Titan leader to HIVE leader. Dam right they should reserve time for each other. But he didn't dare say that. If the Titan laid a hand on him - he was in the right.

When Yang outlined the difficulties they'd had penetrating the American information highway he shook his head. "Your usele-" ssness astounds me. Is what Pix was going to say. The glare cut him off mid-sentence. Not correcting people was hard. He swept a hand through his hair as he resigned himself to what she was requesting. He'd have to explain everything all over. Super.

"Alright. Pay attention. There'll be a quiz after." He felt like he should be asking for sock puppets but something told him it wouldn't be appreciated, "I, me, the person sat before you, was kidnapped by a new radical group working for the Americans. They operated like some kind of paramilitary. I've no doubt the Americans will renounce what they've been doing publicly, but privately it's ten to one odds that they're sponsoring them. Because these kidnappers didn't come at me with assault rifles. They had high tech battle armour. Which you can imagine not just every crackpot gets their hands on."

"Same tactics the Russians used in Ukraine. Give the militia everything they need to operate in the territory you want. Then sit back and deny everything. If they succeed - back their claim and begin work ceding the spoils into your country. We're seeing the first stages of that. The militia kidnap figures they think will destabilise our government. In this case - metahumans. Hey! Hear from Kale lately? Seraphim? Manic? The Kishi?"

Hugh's voice became hushed as he continued, "I can't be sure what they do with everyone. I only know I was given over to the legitimate American authorities. If I'm found on their territory, they don't have to extradite me to put me in court. The hype was I was on trial for my criminal acts. That wasn't true. They brought before me charges such as sedition. And oppression. They thought I was actively involved in the government. Like some sort of secret police. The greatest propaganda they ever got was the metahuman registration act. It 'proved' Tib was building an army. Now. Isn't that exactly the type of person you want abducting the metahuman youth of today?"

"So long story short." Too late, "Saw which way the wind blew. Cut a deal. Jail time off for working for the 'forces of liberty'. As insurance they took my father hostage. They seem to be under the odd impression I'd be too paralysed by fear to plot against them. I wonder who gave them that idea." He smiled for real this time, "So I figure. Who's a sucker for distress? And here we are." He hoped she would appreciate the candidness. Pix was sure enjoying it, "Can you blame me?"

Yang had been scribbling some notes down, keeping track of what he had said. At first she had written him off as a lunatic or trying to play the Titans. However when he mentioned the other Titans, her hand shook a bit. The fact of it was that she was concerned. Her friends had gone missing while she was away, and she wasn't overjoyed with it. "So...how's Quinn?" She asked suddenly, looking up at him over the papers she'd been writing on and looking at. "Seen her recently? Or that tall guy with the hat and cards?" She pursed her lips. "What about Blake?" She smiled, that should get his attention. At the very least she knew where Blake was, and the two had been talking a little. They had come to an understanding and she was a valuable contact to the Titans now, all thanks to Kyte and Bow. God bless the power couple, eh?

"Listen, Hugh. I see where you're coming from and I want to help you." She sighed, breaking news to people wasn't something she specialized in. Sitting on her *#& wasn't one of them either, shockingly enough. "And, as Yang or Ranger, I technically can't help you. For the sake of the Titans. Mainly because, how would it look if we dropped into America from the sky, fought their military, and made off with one of their prisoners?" Even Pix had to admit she was right. It'd look like a full scale war. There would be panic, there would be press conferences, and California would look like the bad guy here.

"But, here's the thing, I know a few people who are very good at handling stuff like this." She raised her hand from under the table, evidently she'd turned off the cameras, and all audio recordings for the room. "These are people who would be very interested in hearing what you have to say about this group. However, they're also government officials. Now it's your choice whether or not you want to accept my offer, I won't ask them to speak to you unless you want them to, but I'm hoping that you'll accept the help. And maybe consider putting the crazy world domination shtick behind you. Being a good guy pays well around here, after all." She doubted the last bit would resonate with him at all, but it was worth trying.

Hugh looked up when Yang asked about Quinn and TF. Funnily enough he hadn't really thought about it. He spoke defensively, "They're fine." What he wanted the Titans to believe was that, despite being absent for six months, he was still very much in control of HIVE. It didn't look very good if he didn't know where his players were. But as Yang pressed the point he surmised that she was under no such illusions. He dropped the pretence and threw out a hand.

"Twisted Fate's got nothing to worry about. He's uncatchable. But if the others are victims of this ring, then it presents me with an additional problem. As the old addage goes, two hostages are better than one." Yeah. That was a classic the Americans weren't above resorting to; Congrats on saving your dad. Let's try that again with your friends! Huh. He almost wished they did have Quinn. How funny would that be if they thought the potential of her death would caution him?

Perhaps all this wasn't the point Yang had intended to make. But his mind was now streaming, "My advantage is, if they do have one of my team, they never mentioned it. Can't blackmail a man unless he's there for you to make the threat. What are they gonna do? Kill them in absentia? That's a waste of a perfectly good hostage." Perhaps a cold calculation of his loved ones. But if not with good logic, how else would Pix protect them?

Then Yang threw a curveball. There was rumour in the criminal community that she'd gotten her new arm from TIBERIUS. When she suggested turning to the government, he knew it was true. The big dinosaur was manipulative. She actually thought he was dependable. Yikes. Hugh visibly blanched from the suggestion, "Let me get this straight. You refuse because the Titans will reflect badly on California. But a team of government officials won't? No, no, no. If I'd have wanted the government, I'd have gone to the government."

The main reason he hadn't gone to Mal was because he was scared of him. Pix couldn't pull any wool over that reptile's eyes, seeing as Mal was (almost) as clever as he was. He didn't know how the dinosaur would react, but he had convinced himself it would involve a swift summary execution. Two ways to solve a blackmail. Get rid of the blackmailer, or get rid of the blackmailee.

These fears he could not share with the Titans though. They probably still thought Tib's backside was where rainbows came from. And woe be to any man who defied Mal by breaking that illusion, "You wouldn't be fighting American military. You'd be fighting a rogue body of dangerous gun-totting radicals. Which the Americans have to deny association with. The worst you'll cause is a row over jurisdiction." Pix crossed his arms, "If it's government officials it's an invasion. You, meanwhile, are just vigilantes. You go where the trouble is."

Yang smiled, evidently she'd hit a bit of a nerve. She could see Pix was distressed, even at the very thought of Tiberius. To be frank, the Titans weren't a fan of him either. As far as they were concerned though, he just signed a check to protect the city. They were fine with that.

And then there was the matter of his team. He seemed very sure of one member's ability to escape. Truth be told, he might be right. He just appeared one day on their team, leading forces to silence the masses, and then the next second he was entirely gone. No one had seen him since. Maybe this Twisted Fate was uncatchable. But at the least, it meant he wasn't doing any harm to people, so Yang had no problem with him.

"No, these guys are...different, Hugh. They work like a special ops unit, and unlike my team they specialize in getting in undetected, and getting out without anyone living to tell the tale." She sat back, crossing her arms. "And I mean, come on, if they catch wind of us fighting them, your dad will get pulled to the front of it all. Do you really want his life hinging on Toji keeping his mouth shut?"

Yang was Toji's friend...but dear god, keeping his mouth shut wasn't his strong suit. "On our last mission, Hotwire was shot because I wasn't fast enough to get in the way. I'm not going to drop my team into a war zone. It's just not going to happen, Pix." She looked over her folder of files again. "So what do you say?"

Pix absorbed what he was being told with a degree of interest. A special ops unit designed to get the government what it wants. Exactly what the Americans feared, ironically enough. Of course he could point out that if they failed in their mission and were captured that it would make the political situation every bit as worse as an invasion by uniformed soldiers. The radicals wouldn't bat an eyelid before pronouncing the unmarked insurgents as Californian men. And then the American government would invent 'proof' to 'prove' those suspicions correct. However, Pix didn't care a jot for fallout. So nothing was said.

As Yang went on about her team's unsuitability for the job, Hugh became offended. He knew what the Titans were capable of. It was no use talking to him as if he hadn't done the research, “Yeah Toji. I hear muzzles are cheap. Weirdly enough, I have extensively considered the stealth necessary, thank you very much.” But she wasn't finished making her case. When she was her tone seemed to take on that of a summary. As if she considered matters settled. The Titan was thinking of backing out.

It was a time honed tactic of negotiations to show a willingness to walk away. It put pressure on your opponent to make concessions. Pix didn't think the heroes would give up on the victims if he refused to help them. But he thought they might be misguided enough to believe they could find them without his intel. This behaviour likely stemmed from a belief that he had more to lose by backing out. He was personally involved, they weren't. It seemed he had to acquiescence to the demand.

“Not good enough. I won't consent to anything unless I know what they can bring to the table.” Pix was not so blind. He had more options here than his jailors cared to admit. If Yang objected, he would be quick to reply, “What would you have me do? Entrust my father's life to a bunch of strangers? I'd rather deny you his location and let him rot. At least he'd be alive.” The personal connection was a weak bargaining position. Pix had instead turned it on its head and formed a strong one. He put his father more at risk by relenting to their will than sticking to his guns. Surely the Titan could see that now, after he had spelled it out for her.

“I need names. And if I don't recognise those names – I need one of your files. You're trying to sell me a mystery box. Twisted Fate taught me never to gamble.” He didn't know yet if he would continue to insist upon the Titans or not. This third team hadn't factored into his calculations and thus he must come to understand them before he could weigh outcomes. At least then the back and forth would fall more comfortably into retorts he had prepared beforehand.

Yang shrugged and gave him a look of irritation. "Listen, I'm really trying to help you out here, but you have to look at this from my perspective. Not only can we not prove what you're saying right now, but your solution is for me to drop my team, who might I remind you are all still teenagers and children, into the battlefield to save someone who may not actually be there in the end." She let that sit for a moment to sink in. Pix may think it was that simple, but it really wasn't. "If someone who has only caused trouble with you from day one came forward and told you that they desperately needed your help, would you even listen to them? And if you did hear them out, and all they could say about it was to trust them, would you really do that?"

Pix was an engine of logic, or so he liked to pretend. Yang wasn't sure he was reading the situation as he should be, from the side of the Titans. "Ill ask you one more time, do you want their help or not?" She liked Kyte and Blake, they were good people. Blake a bit misguided, but she was loyal, and had made for a good friend thus far. From what she had heard of the little computer sprite, he was a coward. As such, she would play to it.

"If not, then feel free to walk back into your cell. I'll call Tiberius' forces and let them know we've captured the supervillain known as Pix. Your choice." You didn't crush competition and buy out companies by being nice all the time. Yang was good at putting her foot down.

That didn't sound like a 'yes'. Hugh sighed and slouched back in his chair as Yang continued, pinching at his nose. She tried to make him see things from her perspective. His response was sardonic, “I would. If your hypothetical someone guaranteed trust by surrendering their own freedom. But that's my biggest flaw. I care too much. Take these chances on people.” He could have conducted this conversation over a phone. His being here was the sign of good faith Yang appeared to be missing.

The analogy wasn't even correct. A lot of evidence supported Pix's claims. It was the Titans' own useless fault they didn't know about the paramilitary operations. He wasn't asking them to 'just trust' him. On the contrary, in surrendering to the Titans he had put an enormity of trust in them to act morally.

Her last statement got his attention. Pix frowned. Was that a threat? Despite his aggression, Tib had shown no sign he would execute people for the crime of being inconvenient to him. Yang couldn't possibly have known he was that evil, otherwise she'd be fighting him. So she probably hadn't meant it like that. Would have been a clumsy threat anyway. The danger from TIBERIUS came from asking for help with the blackmail. In terms of sitting in jail, he was more of a blessing to Pix.

Regardless, they were back at an ultimatum. Pix didn't know how many more of these he could break. Being polite and considerate (couldn't you tell) had gotten him nowhere. It was time to stop being courteous, “Look at you, the gallant Titan playing a game of chicken with a man's life against his son. Why? Because these guys have guns? Mr Quackers has a gun. You gonna go crying to the government when he shows back up? I don't think it was Hotwire that got shot. I think it was your confidence.” Personal attacks. Not a diplomatic strategy for the ages, but gratifying.

“The Titans fought the Russians. You've fought Zydons. What were those if not war? A spat? Stop kidding yourself. You put your kids and teenagers into war-zones all the time. If you can't see passed my status as a villain – fine, but don't pretend I'm asking for something you don't do every day. Risking your life is risking your life. Go and ask for a volunteer; I bet they'd all step forward.” Heck, two Titans had basically already promised him he'd see his father again.

“And all of this is besides the point! You still haven't addressed my legitimate concerns. Why would I entrust my father's survival to a bunch of people I've never met? Is that really a concept too alien for you? Should I have chosen his liberators by lottery? You're giving up on valuable intel, intel you've stated that you can't get easily, because you don't want to tell me some names. Names, my gosh! That's like refusing to stop bartering until the vendor gives you his merchandise for free.”

The arguments Yang was flinging at him felt flawed. He could assume she was a moron. Or he could assume she knew something significant that he didn't. Maybe there was someone in this mystery group who was personally related to her. It would explain the abrupt loss of confidence in the Titans and gain of confidence in a team she had no ties with. It would also explain why she was being so overprotective of their identities.

“I've made all the concessions so far. Tell me who they are. And what they can do. Actually negotiate or put someone in here who can.” This was usually the point where the people who couldn't debate gave up on dialogue.

Yang rolled her eyes. She'd never met someone so dense. "Yeah, so? Maybe I am. Quackers is a f***ing duck, dude. His aim is about as good as a Storm Trooper's." To be fair, she wasn't exactly wrong. She'd been sitting and watching her teammates disappear over time, and she was trying to stop the bleeding. Diving into the heart of it wouldn't help anything.

When Pix mentioned the Zydons, she twitched slightly. Her biotech arm clenched and flexed, the palm glowing a bright cyan. She looked...livid, actually. Up until now she simply looked pleasant, then annoyed, then angry. Now? Now she looked positively livid, like any second she could stand up and blast Pix's head right off his shoulders without an ounce of regret. If she weren't a Titan, she might have done it.

She stood up and flipped the table with the enhanced arm, ripping the bolts right out of the ground and staring Pix down. Even in this room, her eyes flickered to red for a fraction of a second, to a point that you'd miss it if you blinked. "You have no right to speak to me about how my team is run, you have no right to remind me of my own values, and I suggest you step back into your cell and wait for someone who cares about what you have to say."

She turned and walked out of the holding cell, locking it tight and flipping up her phone. With her strength returning, she managed to punch a hole in one of the buttons, causing her to curse under her breath. She sent the text though. "Come to the tower tonight. I could use your help."

((I'm going to cut in front of DD for obvious reasons))

Blake followed Kyte wherever he went it seemed. She was like his shadow, or maybe just a lost kitten. Either way she followed him to the tower as well. "I've never been here, actually." She admitted, looking over the gigantic structure. "It's very large, doesn't quite fit the style I've grown accustomed to." Then again, she was used to underwater sub-bases on oil rigs, government complexes underground, and most recently, an apartment.

As she stepped into the elevator, Kyte hit the button and they started their descent. It almost made Blake sick to the stomach, this elevator was so...fast! When they finally hit their destination, she swayed slightly and stepped out, following Kyte.

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Yang was waiting outside Pix's cell. She didn't look overjoyed, but she hardly ever did these days. "Hey, I have Pix inside here. He's saying some crazy stuff about the Americans kidnapping metahumans to form an army against us, something about his dad being held captive." She shook her head lightly, sighing. "Honestly it sounds much more up your alley than mine, figured I should call you in and let you have a look, ya know?" She stepped aside and would follow the two in to listen. It was her Tower and she would be present for the meeting.

_______________________

Blake's eyes widened at the mention of her friend's name. "There's no way you actually got Pix. He has a plan for like...everything, ever. And even then he's not dangerous enough for us to go after him..." Then Yang explained the army bit, and she clicked her tongue. "That...does sound like our department, doesn't it?" She admitted rather softly.


((I suppose the posting order at this point should be Kyte, DD, Me))