Echoes of Another (Emmz)

Bark's diligence had sparked something of a fire in Pix. His school chum had taken the revival of H.I.V.E. seriously, often having far too much of an input. He knew the black marketers better than Pix after all. He could negotiate with them more readily. And he didn't have to set aside any time for lecture halls or coursework. It motivated Hugh out of his initial lethargy. He wasn't going to leave anybody in any doubt that his inclusion to this operation was key. He just had to work smarter, not harder.

So it was, while an unseasonal - nay - an ungeographical snowfall sprinkled the cityscape, Pix found himself stood outside a penthouse bordering one of those gated communities. Every house on this block could boast someone of wealth and influence. They were not unfamiliar to Hugh, having lived in a similar community back in Humboldt in his youth.

He was here to visit an old friend- well, and he sucked his teeth as he revised this; friend might have been too strong. Pix knew her back when he was still with HIVE. She was a more active thief around then and he had found her localised resources a good work around for when his tutors were demanding he beat information out of someone.

The sprite only hesitated to call her friend because, despite her magnanimity and unworried manner around him, he didn't know her all that well. The times he'd made her acquaintance could be counted on one hand. Just because she was accommodating to him, it didn't follow that was because they 'clicked'. She was likely just a giving and generous person.

Didn't fit with the whole - THIEF - thing, but weirder things happened.

He was in his human form right now with a thick winter coat (from some ski hobby shop) and gloves he'd had to replace yesterday. Having lost his last pair to the Steves. The gate didn't creak as it opened. Stalking down the path to the front door, Pix could see a well tended garden blighted by the climate. Next to the front porch there was a pile of fresh dirt on top of the snow. It had a shovel sticking out of it which, upon inspection, read as property of a local cemetery.

Must be one of those magic fairy things that mortals just don't get...

Pix would use the doorbell and then very quickly the knocker after.

Nina would be in her penthouse as usual, waiting through the daylight as usual, she had to admit that she missed the boredom of the comic shop, at least there was usually someone around, up here, she only had herself, and her clones, but that was herself too, she'd occasionally check her laptop at how sales were going, and from time to time she'd visit the original shop, since she had lived there for so long, but otherwise, the franchise was basically running itself.

A Nina would answer the door, a clone, the clone smiling "hello, are you here to see Nina?" she asked, other Ninas behind her would be seen cleaning and doing chores.

The fox ears were unmistakeable. Nina Vulpes. Practically threw the vulpine theme in your face. Small business magnate and professional acquisitionist. He forgot the term, but she was a magical fox person. Which meant on social media she had plenty of followers just wanting to bask in that cultural residue. Exotic was interesting. Exotic was hip. Unless you were Mitch Masters.

Pix frowned at her initial greeting, "But you're-" He caught himself just in time, having spied one of the other clones behind her. Pix had forgotten she could do that. Would have looked a complete fool if he needed it explaining to him, "Yeah. I'm Hugh Exley. She, you, hmm - we've met before. I understand, from reading such exemplary publications as 'Wowsers Magazine' that she's - you've - gone up in the world. But I didn't take you for someone afraid to rock the boat. So I have a business proposition."

He was pretty sure Nina would at least hear him out. She'd always taken an interest in his criminal activities before. And if Hugh started framing an argument, he knew only an idiot could deny his logic. He always had a point.

When Pix was invited to step inside his gaze would wander over the clones as they set about their tasks. Must have been nice, built in servants. He could get an infinite amount more done if there was just one more person who thought like him, "You ever check yourself out? I mean. You are a clone. You seem to believe there is a prime. Thus you're capable of differentiation of self. Don't you think your fellow clones have a fluffy butt?" No he'd hate himself.

The clone would invite him inside, listening to what Pix had to say and nodded "I'm sure Nina would love to hear your business proposition" she said before chuckling when he asked about checking herself out "how else do you think we keep ourselves looking so good? It's very easy when you have someone honest around who isn't afraid to say you have a stray hair sticking out or spinach in your teeth" she said "follow me up to the suite, its just through this elevator here" the clone would lead him over to an elevator at the back of the entrance hall and pushed the button to open the doors and stepped in.

Pix would unzip his winter coat and place it on a convenient coat rack as they wandered passed. He similarly removed his gloves and tethered them together with a cord, hanging them around his neck. He was glad the penthouse was well warmed. It wasn't as cold as he'd been the other day, but it was still far too nippy for a Californian.

"Honest maybe. Biased definitely. You're lucky you have fashion sense. Else you'd be doubling down an a fedora jog-pants combination."

Any room they passed, if the door was open, Pix would glance inside. No more grave dirt yet. But if he walked into a human sacrifice chamber he'd remember to only be mildly surprised. As the lift arrived he backed into it. The doors sealed shut and the slow monotonous ride began.

Hugh started whistling the Spanish Flea, springing absent-mindedly onto the balls of his feet and back again. When the lift arrived he'd naturally exit.

As the elevator doors opened, the original Nina would be there to greet them, Pix stepped out and the clone would head back down in the elevator "Pix! It's nice to-I mean...hello Mr Exley, I hear you have a business proposition for me" she said "we should come talk in the living room" she said a she lead him out to the living room which had comfy sofas and a large window that overlooked the city "you want a drink? Or a slice of cake?" she offered.

That she remembered his codename was gratifying. This might go smoother than he'd planned. Hugh couldn't help but smile at the warm greeting. Almost familiar. He was able to offer a ribald response, "You heard that? From up here? I knew your ears were sensitive. But wow." There would be a reason. Maybe the clones shared a telepathy. Maybe she had a camera trained on the front door.

Pix let himself be led to the new room and gratefully dropped into a one of the sofas, "Yes and yes. A coffee. I need something warm to hold. I could heat it up again to go." His dad never drank coffee, nor approved of his family doing so. Called it an addiction as potent as smoking. But his dad wasn't here. So he was going to snatch that pick-me-up where able.

While that was sorted Pix pulled himself into something of a proper posture and tried to begin his pitch, "Am I to take it, by my prompt invitation, that you still dabble in the less than legitimate sides of business?" If she was, then that removed one potential obstacle. People hated to backtrack in life.

Nina would nod happily and would go into the kitchen, visible from the living room, it was all a very open plan sort of layout, Nina remembered how Pix liked his coffee, on the odd few occasions that he mentioned how he liked it, she would also cut him a slice of the carrot cake she had made just the other day, bringing the cake on a plate and the mug of coffee over and putting it on the coffee table "if you're asking do I still try steal shit? Yeah, it's the only enjoyment I really allow myself nowadays, I really can't afford to get rusty, but the higher you are, the more eyes lay on you too, its getting risky for me to be doing solo stuff with no one to provide an alibi" she said, getting some coffee and cake for herself too and sitting on the sofa opposite Pix.

Hugh warmed his fingers over the steaming cup, and then picked up the cake slice in one hand and crammed a portion into his mouth. He spoke next with his mouth full.

"Aren't you your own alibi?" Pix asked, referencing the clones. Nina could literally be in six places at the same time. Add a silly suit, like she owned, and suddenly problems of culpability slipped away. Maybe there were complications with her ability that he was overlooking. He knew his own powers were anything but simple. But the clones at least formed the basis for a good 'get out of jail free' card.

"I ask because I might be able to do business with you once more. As you know HIVE went under. Shortly after I left. Shocker! But I recently got together with some... interested parties, and we agreed it was worth reviving the brand on a more local footing. And where better to base than Jump City? But until operations can start crawling, we need to lean on existing felonius structures for a few particulars." Honestly it was just Pix and a buddy in a garage trying to breathe life into something they used to understudy for. But that didn't bode confidence, "You have the means to launder money. Our agents might find use for that."

"Well yeah technically but as soon as someone knows that they're clones, then my alibi falls through, because I can't be my own alibi" said Nina, Pix would talk about how he wanted her help to start up HIVE again and launder money and she shrugged "seems like less action than I'm used to but sure, just as long as it doesn't get back to me, if I go under, I won't be happy" she said.

The fox had a point about her clones. It wasn't like the police would just discount cloning as a possibility. Not in this day and age of wonders. Any sign there were two Kitsune thieves had to bring danger to her alibi. And if a clone got caught, its face exposed, that was as good as her being there.

Nina was, as ever, very agreeable. He hoped she'd just done the mental maths quickly and it wasn't a symptom of the highly suggestible type. But then someone had told him recently he was a pessimist. Nina had a track record of staying under the radar. Making wise decisions. She was a business woman as much as she was a thief of petty antiquities.

"Neither will your fans. I fear their wroth more than yours quite frankly. The internet can be harsh and unforgiving back alley. But anyway. I'll take all safeguards. Here's how I envision it would go;" Pix gingerly picked up his coffee cup and gave it a testing sip. He blew on it and kept speaking, "You hire me to your company. Initially entry level, I'll put in some hours. Then you upgrade me to some vague job descriptor that keeps me off the shop floor. Specialist. Auditor. Advisor. Marketing. Whatever you find fits best. I show my face every now and then. Meanwhile you launder me my criminal earnings through the pay cheque. It provides me with an excuse for my time. And a legitimate paper trial for my money. Cus I'm not stuffing wads of cash in a sofa again. Hurts your back." He put a knuckle into his back and kept drinking.

Nina chuckled and nodded along "sounds like a plan, you just let me know which shop you want to put the hours into, like, if one is more convenient than the other" she said, taking a sip of her coffee and some of the cake "I trust you've put the needed thought into this, you certainly seem to know what you're doing".

Hugh took the compliment as given, crossing one foot over the other, "Of course I do. I'm majoring in Politics at JCU right now. It's going to be a packed schedule for the first few months. But with any luck, we'll be able to hire a bunch of second stringers or support staff to cover the more gruelling work." Like the actual tussles with authority. He was not looking forward to those. He would always be one for minimising encounters. But you didn't build a revered organisation by hiding underground all day.

"I'll vet any newcomers myself for inclusion in the scheme. If I think they're incapable of keeping their laser cannon in their pants for a day's honest work, I'll 'politely' suggest a new couch for them. What's your policy on metahuman employees? Some can't hide it. And they're not covered in the Discrimination At Work Act. Most employers avoid them. Though I'm going to assume you have somewhat of a different opinion on the matter." This was one of those questions he told himself he knew before he asked. But he still touched on it. If for nothing else than to congratulate himself when confirmed.

"Obviously I hire anyone looking for a job, I'll take in any downtrodden soul and help build them up to become great, at least, that's what I used to do when I was more hands on at the store, now I just get sent applications, do interviews, all that formal crap, running a franchise is a lot different than having your own little cosy corner shop, so yeah, as long as they don't steal from me, and as long as they don't mess with the merchandise or destroy the store or hurt customers, they're fine, my regulars would often ask when am I going to hire a lizard man or a vampire or an alien" she chuckled.

"Good. Then you have a prior record. It's holds up to reason." Businesses hiring metas were seldom enough. If Nina had been doing so all this time, and never had signs of criminal hires before, then it wasn't a pattern, it was a coincidence. "If they should ever capture one of us, and find out that they work for you, you have only to deny knowledge of criminal activities. I will move other people off your books if the scrutiny is that close. But they shouldn't have grounds for a warrant to stand on."

Hugh finished his cake and looked for a place to wipe his hand. He almost used the couch covering before remembering where he was. Instead he closed his fist and ground the crumbs down against each other, "Do you have questions about hat we'll be doing? Where the money is coming from" He wasn't necessarily going to answer. But it would be interesting to see if she asked.