A Dangerous Meeting

It wasn’t long for word of New York’s newest “villain” reached Chimara and Isaac Crowe. DANGER DAN! was a strange sort of person, a theatrical man obsessed with becoming a professional “villain”. At the very least, he seemed like he wanted the street credit which came from it. Even Isaac, as stoic as he was, found the actions and showy nature of DANGER DAN! to be entertaining at the very least. Though, more than entertaining, DANGER DAN! was interesting. Not so much for his deeds or his personality, but for his ability.

As far as the stories and rumors go DANGER DAN! was a resilient person, one who could take the abuse and a good beating. If Isaac could employ that sort of person into his company then he’d surely benefit. Of course, whether that meant he’d be used as a mercenary or as a test dummy would be up to him, but either way he would be a useful piece in the company. The only problem was tracking him down. Isaac would have a good dozen agents on the job, searching the city for clues as to where DANGER DAN! resided.

It would take a good few weeks, but finally news would turn up. The “villain” would be spotted leaving an abandoned factory and then quietly trailed by the agent. They would’ve followed him all the way home, granted that he didn’t spot them. If they did manage to trail DANGER DAN! successfully then word would’ve reached Isaac within the hour and the preparations would be made to have a meeting.

The question, though, who was to deliver the invitation? Isaac was much to cautious to deliver it himself, but he still wanted to send someone who could represent the company’s best. The choice was relatively obvious, it’d be one of his best agents, one that his company put a lot of work into. It would be Nine, his best assassin, not that she would try and kill him, but she did represent some of Chimara’s best staff. It would either be her or Seven, but Seven was never much of a talker.

It wasn’t her usual job, but a job was a job and she never declined one. It would be a Tuesday evening, around six o’clock, when she arrived at DANGER DAN!’s apartment, sources stated that he should still be there, though if not she would have to get a bit creative in her approach. But that all remained to be seen.

She wouldn’t be in her usual attire, her stealth suit, but instead something a bit more charming. She was representing the company after all. A dark blue skirt which ran down to her ankles, black heels, and a black sweater. She would be carrying a folder, some information about their front, as well as a purse which held a small pistol which fired tranquilizers. She’d raise her hand to the door, smiling sweetly, and knock politely against it.

With a very business-like tone she’d call, “Excuse me, is anyone home?” She’d fold her arms over each other, awaiting whatever was to come next.

Plopping a tan sack on his coffee table Dan took a moment and simply breathed. While his alter ego DANGER DAN! hasn't made any appearances in the last 3 weeks, Daniel Fulton had been exceedingly busy. Everyone knows the shock and horror filled villainy brings but far less actually know the leg work that goes into a successful career in being a villain. There are many complications before you can even began hatching your crime but to put it simply. Nefarious acts of villainy are expensive.

Secret lairs aren't just some random shack or house, they are elaborate fortresses of doom with lasers, sharks, and other deathtraps behind hidden walls and doors. A giant death robot doesn't grow on trees you know? Don't even get started on minions. Sure minions are a staple of any good villain but they require food, sleep, equipment, housing if your base is in a remote place, and money. There is the option of using robots but too many times has Dan seen villains overly invest in them and either they are too dumb to be a threat to the heroes or they are too smart and try to kill everyone.

Now, there are a few options to go around earning money as a villain. First, be a mercenary. Being a hireling in the villain community is a good way to earn cash but all that work isn't any credit towards your reputation. It's not your plan after all. 2nd is to already be a billionaire with a successful business. Last is to just make every plan about stealing. Dan didn't like any of these options. He wanted to get his reputation as high as possible and he wasn't just some thief naming himself after a cat. He was THE DANGER DAN! not Cat Dan. Obviously if he was already rich then he wouldn't be having these problems.

At first money wasn't an issue but at the rate he was going through his funds...things didn't look to great. Looking back at the sack he sighed. He's been breaking into other villains' lairs for  months now and he has tons of bags filled with random crap. If he was smarter he might be able to figure out what they do but he didn't sign up for Mad Science and Arcane Horror 101. He was just sitting on a pile of gold and he couldn't do anything with it! Life was so unfair.

That's all a problem for later, right now he was waiting for the landlord to come a knock'in. His roof had a leak and he'd be damned if HE had to pay for it.

A sharp knock drew him out of his ranting thoughts and he heard a woman's voice call out to him.

Opening the door just enough to talk to the girl he asked her. "You the landlord? 'Bout time. Come on in."

Opening the door he wandered off further into the room

"So the leak started about 5 or so days ago...I think its the elderly woman from room 7 not turning off the sink off again and if anyone is paying for this it's her, 87 years old or not."

Nine laughed a bit at his first comment, it was a quiet, subtle laugh. Was this really the boss’s next…well, she wasn’t sure what he was planning, but was this geek someone he really needed? For a moment she assumed she had the wrong person, but double checking the door number, nope, this was right. Whoever this person was…it was the one she was after. He must have some kind of drug or ability that was useful, as to what that was…she couldn’t be sure, but she was sure she’d find out soon enough. There had to be reason she wasn’t informed on all aspects of this job.

She watched him make his way further into the room, following after him, but keeping a slight distance. She would listen to the man’s word, making a bit of a confused expression as he spoke. When he finally stopped she would shake her head, smiling politely at the man. With a quick clear of her throat she’d begin, “I’m so sorry, sir. I think you have me confused for someone else. I’m not your landlady or any sort of repair person, though I can see about getting the people you need here as soon as I can, but first…I have a quick…” She tilted her head back and forth, considering, “favor to ask? Well, not so much as a favor, I just need a few moments of your time to listen to a job offer of sorts.”

She’d give a polite bow of her head, that polite smile still on her expression. “You see, I work for a very specific organization who knows about some of your…more unique features. These features have greatly impressed our boss who would love to meet with you personally. He’s a very influential and wealthy man, one who could give you quite a lucrative job.” She’d extend her folder to the man, inside would be a few documents on Chimara, the crime organization she came to represent. “You see…we know who you are, Mr. Danger, and we are very interested in seeing both what we can do for you and you can do for us.” She nodded once more, “I do hope you understand that we’re putting a lot of faith in you just by sharing this information and that you don’t answer quickly. Give your answer some thought, because a lot is riding on it.” She’d finish with folding her hands in front of her, waiting for the man to think and look through the folder if he wanted.

The folder would mainly be composed of the different sorts of activities the mafia got involved with which included weapon and drug trafficking, assassinations, robbery, riggings, illegal technological research and development, and the management of several smaller crime groups like smaller mafias and street gangs. Not everything they did would be on there, of course, nor would any personal information on the boss himself, just mentions of the name “The Director”. There would be several other job listings which ranged from the above-mentioned list including gang member or “muscle”, but there were a few “special” jobs which weren’t elaborated on. It all seemed well-organized and planned out.

"Oh..."

While Dan was wanting his reputation to get out there and was expecting this sort of thing to happen he wasn't expecting this sort of attention. After all, he had only just begun his ventures into villainy a few months ago and well...as much as he'd like to say he has made a dramatic entry he really hasn't done much to warrant this kind of attention. All he has done is have a bit of a debut flop, fighting a bird boy (Maybe a robin or something boy?) while some weird bat like man (A Batman if you will) watched from the ceiling. There was also the art heist where he stole cursed relics that were more or less gag curses and pranks than anything powerful...Hell the only impressive thing he has done was his dozen or so raids of abandoned villain lairs but no one really knows about that.

It's obvious from the mysterious woman's sharp dress and specific wording that she obviously works for some evil criminal empire...That or EA but Dan didn't have any sort of programming skills so yeah, probably criminal empire.

He considered his options. A criminal empire wants him, or mainly wants his 'unique features' so probably his indestructibility. They didn't ambush him or poison him so odds are they don't know how strong he is, hence the polite woman. He could say no but he doubted whoever her boss was would be happy. Could he take her? Maybe....Could he take her without destroying his home? Absolutely not.

Wringing his hands together he took a breath before speaking.

"Very well...I would of preferred a phone call."

Taking the folder he paused before opening it.

"Before I open this I need to know, do you have my family hostage? How did you find me? And what happens if I say no?"

Nine quietly considered for a few moments. The boss did prefer indirect methods of communication, he usually didn’t go about in person meetings. However, in the case of DANGER DAN! he wanted to meet him directly, see his abilities for himself. As much as he trusted the reports, the boss had some greater interest in this guy. She wasn’t sure as to why that was, but it wasn’t really her place to ask or go digging. The last thing she needed was to anger the boss, not after hearing what she’s heard.

Nine blinked at the man, giving a small giggle at his remark. She shook her head, “No, we’ve done nothing of that sort. We thought that it would be a bad first impression to cause any form of distress to you. We have nothing to hold over you, just the offer.” She cleared her throat, continuing that polite smile. “As for the phone call…” She thought for another moment, “I suppose it would be a good introduction. I don’t think he’ll have an issue with that.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a cellphone. It was one of those disposable phones, easy to find and easier to replace. After a few clicks the phone began to ring on speakerphone. She held the phone in an open palm between the two of them, giving a single nod to DANGER DAN!.

Back at his office Isaac was looking over some paperwork, reviewing the progress reports from Chimara’s special labs. Progress on experiments were slow, but turning up fruitful for the most part. It was then his phone began to ring and after a quick check of the name he let out a sigh. His only assumption was that it had to be a progress update. When he answered his voice would come through as toned down, a strange sound yet completely understandable. He always used a voice changer when using a phone. It was dumb to use anything else.

“Nine, update?”

She smiled, “I have our friend here, he wanted to speak with you before considering our offer.”

Isaac would pause for a moment. When he spoke again his tones would continue to carry that monotone sound. “Danger. It is a pleasure to hear from you. I’ve heard a great deal about your skills and I have to say I am impressed. What can I do to help you feel welcome in our Company?”

'Oh thank god I don't have to till with the hassle of saving my mom! If she got kidnapped she'd never let me forget it. Woo that's a bullet dodged. Now I can actually focus on why possibly EA wants me.'

Putting the phone on speaker Dan began thumbing the sealed envelope. He tried to do that cool finger trick where you use your nail to open the top in one go but was meet with much less results. With a look of disappointment he ripped open the top.

"Well, I would I introduce myself but I have a feeling you already know..."

Dan paused as he started looking at various clippings inside the envelope

'Alright Dan, whats the sort of thing EA likes to hear? They only care about money so what can I do about money?'

"Look, I'm going to just be straight with you. You know where I live, who I am, where my loved ones live, and the not so legal things I do. You have me in a tough spot here and we both know it."

Dan stopped for dramatic pause as he looked back towards his mysterious guest who was more or less standing there with the same fake professional look most EA workers have.

"Before we even start talking about jobs there are some things off the table. I don't kill, I don't want to hurt normal people, I only care about those stuck up heroes. I may be a villain but I'm not a psychopath, if that's who you are looking for then it's not me. You can also forget about any sex trafficking or hurting children. Those are my rules and I will not change them."

Taking a breath to calm himself he wondered if he was coming on too strong. Would the man on the phone be upset over his rules? Most likely. Will he be even more upset if Danger Dan! didn't bring it up before hand? Absolutely. Might as well get terms straight before anything bad happens.

"Now...What sort of work you talking about and why are you interested in me? All jokes aside I'm not exactly an A-Lister in terms of power."

There would be a long quiet, neither Nine or Isaac spoke after Dan had finished. Nine remained unflinching her gaze only on the phone and her expression rather…unreadable of emotion. She knew her place after all, she was just the messenger and it was not her place to make comments on business like this. Isaac, however, was smiling to himself. Dan was proving exactly as he wanted. The further away from the more serious business the better. There was a reputation to be had and as he was at the moment…well, he would put things off quite a bit. Isaac, however, wanted intimidation to sink in. He wanted Dan to sink in the silence and stew there for a few moments.

Finally, after a good thirty- or forty-seconds Isaac would begin talking. “I see.” He would flip through a few pages of paper then clear his throat a bit, “I think we can make do with that. Our organization, as you can read in the handout we so kindly made for you, has several sectors in which you can work in. Honestly, I think you may do exceedingly well in a testing department due to your…state of being.”

Isaac would then consider something for a moment, “Of course, I know what you truly want. A reputation. And I know that by working in a lab all day you wouldn’t get that reputation. For that, you’d want something in the field, something active. For that, there is work that could be done. I hear your dislike for heroes and I can understand where you are coming from.” He was trying his best to sound sincere and understanding, though in all honesty he couldn’t care less. Further, with the voice changer it would be…difficult to hear that sincerity that he was trying to convey. “These ‘heroes’ as they are called cause me quite a bit of trouble as well.”

Nine smirked a bit at his comment, knowing all too well about the trouble heroes have given the company, and Isaac’s plan for dealing with them. But outside of the smirk, she did not move. Isaac would go on, “But, I have a proposition for you. Let’s start you off on a trial. I’ll give you a task and if you prove that you can handle the type of job that remains for you, then we’ll welcome you in. The rewards would be quite beneficial, especially to your goals. If you want the job, just ask Nine about it. She has all the details. Or, I suppose if you have any further questions, go ahead and ask.”

Dan was not a patient man. If he did not have instant gratification then there was a problem. He'd like to put off personal problems and blame this on his generation. After all, millennials are blamed for basically everything nowadays by the boomers, so why can't Dan also blame then for random crap? To not do so means having to own up to his faults and he'd be dead before that happened.

"Hel-"

He was cut off by the Darth Vader sounding super villain. Despite the filtered voice he still swore he heard some smugness. Yeah, definitely EA vibes. Dan nodded along for the first few moments before realizing the villain couldn't actually see him and with a cough tried to pass it off as stretching in from of the still motionless woman.

While the underlying evil business tones were abundant Dan couldn't help but smile when Darth talked about money, power, fame...but really it was the fame that got him. Money and power was nice and all but in the end whats the point of it when you can't flex on others below you? Its one thing to be able to destroy a building but its another when you don't even have to to inspire awe. Being someone is a hell of a lot better than being some no one with a bank account.

"I gotta say, you give one hell of an offer. If everything you are offering is true that is."

Dan paused for dramatic flair

"I don't know you, never heard of your business, nor know you will keep your word on anything. Most people will say no but in this line of work you gotta risk it all if you're ever gonna go into the big leagues....My rules still stand and the moment you don't hold up your end I'm out. I do have one question though. What dangerous deed was it? Which one made you interested? Done quite a few now."

Isaac rolled his eyes at the man’s last question. Dan really did have a big ego after all. Isaac honestly only briefly looked over the reports, focusing more on the ability rather than the situations. He didn’t really care about what trouble Dan put himself into, the kind idiotic stunts only children thought villains did. He had to say something though, he couldn’t lose a valuable asset like Dan to not knowing any of his encounters. There had been one which vaguely stood out, only because Isaac had read about it prior to reading the report. He cleared his throat and continued speaking through the phone.

“Ah, ha…I would have to say it was when you captured that reporter. Not only was that entertaining, but that was truly villainous. A wonderful way to debut yourself as a major villain. I am surprised the whole world wasn’t speaking of the act. It takes a lot to kidnap someone and then do a broadcast about it.” He would take a moment to pause, wanting to shake his head. Honestly, he believed that Dan had been incredibly foolish. You don’t commit crimes and broadcast it. Even if he was insane, which Isaac was beginning to think he was, you did it for the chase and eventually to be found, not to be found and try and get the attention of heroes. It wasn’t even a good trap. “That’s the kind of gusto we need here, someone that could bring the heroes in, lure them to their doom by, not my hand, not yours, but ours. The combined force to take down these self-proclaimed superhumans. We’ll truly show them their place in this society, in the world, and that place is beneath the heels of our shoes.” This, Isaac partly believed. He believed that people belonged under him, under the heel of his boot waiting for his mercy or for their destruction, but he had added some flair to try and lure in Dan a bit more.

When he was finished with that rant Isaac would let out a breath. “I accept your terms, so…if you’re ready, speak to Nine about the details of the job. If you do this well enough you will properly be rewarded. You said your ability wasn’t that flashy, well…I may just have something that will give you that flash you want. I look forward to working with you Mr. Danger.” And, if Dan didn’t have anything else to say to continue on the conversation, Isaac would hang up, leaving the rest to Nine.

Dan couldn't help but dumbly smile

"I knew kidnapping her was the right way to go! It was a hard choice between a bank robbery or kidnapping. Both are classics ya know? The hero didn't even know what hit them when I decked 'em in the face."

For a soulless corporation Dan was already looking forward to working with Darth. Not for, with. Only heroes work together. Villains on the other hand use each other for their own goals. Luckily Darth seemed to hate heroes as well and Dan could get behind that even if Darth tried to sell him a loot box. He really hoped whatever that "Something" was that it wasn't a loot box and came with all features with just one purchase.

"Looks like we got an agreement. I look forward to working with you and will call back when the job is done."

With that Dan hung up on the sith lord. Darth may be employing him but he certainly wasn't going to walk over Dan.

He looked over at Nine and quickly composed himself.

'Why was she called 9 anyways? Was it a hot scale? I mean she isn't ugly or anything but the whole emotionless judgmental face she has going on doesn't do it for him. I had enough judgmental looks from his mother and I definitely don't need another mom. Yeaaaah if I had to rate her...7....Maybe 8. Definitely not a 9.'

"Sooo...Whats this "job", partner?"

Isaac let out a cheerful sounding laugh. It was faked of course, but after years of board meetings and having to deal with old timers and mob bosses he had learned how to make it sound real. People liked it when you laughed genuinely, it added a level of reliability, a trust. It was a human element that Isaac, while he was human, did lack. He had become cold and distant in his rise to the top. But still, his tone was good natured now.

“Wonderful. I’ll leave the rest to Nine. Until we meet.” And then he hung up.

Nine looked at her new…coworker and sighed. She seemed utterly…unimpressed. There was no more of that proper business woman look in her eyes, that professional attitude she was forced to keep. He was theirs; he had agreed and, regardless of whether he knew it or not, that meant he was in. Once you were in it’d be near impossible to leave. Especially for someone like him, someone that Isaac had personally taken interest in. She didn’t quite get it, but being indestructible would prove useful. There was plenty work in the lab could be done. There were also rumors of a secret the boss had. She had paid close attention to these rumors and although she had yet to prove anything she felt as though it could be a powerful bargaining chip. A chip that this Dan person would help her get.

She turned and started towards the door. “The job is simple. You’ll be fighting a hero that has captured an important figure head of our company. Of course, this hero I am sure you’ll have a particular problem with, given your history with them. He’s a gang leader who uses his gang to further his name; pretending to beat them and gain street credit as a great hero. He’s a local gem. A lot of people like him, though none know the truth about him and finding proof on such things is proving troublesome.” At the door she turned and opened it for him, “You’ll be fighting him, taking him down, and rescuing our VIP. I’ll be providing cover for you. We’ll provide you with the means to beat him, something only you can do though. I’ll answer any questions in the car. We are on a tight schedule.”

If he continued to follow, she’d lead him down to the car, a black limo to which she would also hold the door for him. From there, she’d get in, sit across from wherever he sat and would await any questions he might have.

Fumbling with the phone still in his hand. "Hey, wait! You're forgetting your phone and...I still need to put on my duds." Rushing into his bedroom he grabbed his costume lying scattered on the floor and hastily suited up. A familiar routine long ingrained from months of putting it on made the process of donning a full suit of hazmat gear much quicker than expected.

Leaving the door to chase after his partner he abruptly stopped, went back, and locked his door. He may be a super villain but even he was susceptible to local crime. Besides he has a few cool looking grenades hidden in his fridge and he'd be fucking pissed if he came back to a would-be thief having set one off in his home. In any case he went on to chase(speed walk) after Nine who was already standing by a fancy looking limo.

Dan in his midst of trying to get comfortable on the 100% leather seats bumped his elbow into the ice chest revealing it in all its boozy glory. A amused look flashed across his face, but no one could see since he was wearing his mask. He rummaged around the chest for a minute before letting out a sigh of frustration.

"What, no Jack?" He frowned (Still not seen because same reason) It was true, there was no Ol' Jack in the chest. Only fancy looking bottles with even fancier names in font so decorative he couldn't even read them. This chest was only filled with empty hopes and promises of good times to come. Truly this was a villainous limo.

Settling back into his seat he started flicking the switch that controlled the limo driver's rear window. If Dan was to be denied a good ride then so would the driver. Did it make any sense? No, but he was a villain, he didn't have to make sense. This continued for a minute or two before he started seeing an annoyed look from his partner. Still having no idea what she was capable of he aired on caution when pissing her off.

"So....What's the details? Like, what can this guy do, and what "means" do you have?" He sat there for a moment longer before continuing. "Also, what do you even do? Wait let me guess, super speed right? You seem like a speedster in any case or...or, oh, I got it! A telepath! Yeah, that's it! One of those mind readers right? But seriously though what's the details?"

Nine let out a heavy sigh as she looked over the man and his...getup. It didn't really offer any sort of benefit, at least from her perspective. There was nothing to this man that seemed like a benefit or a semblance of being a benefit to the company. He was just a man-a child. A child with a power that was slightly impressive. Only slightly though. Fieldwork would be far from the best place available for him. He'd be a better lab rat or a punching bag.

She ignored the first few questions and simply leaned down to reach under her seat, pulling out a metal briefcase. She flipped it up and showed it to Dan. Inside there was a large leather gauntlet mixed in and plated with metal. Along the wrist of it would be three blue bulbs. "This is what we call a Bolt Gauntlet. It's experimental and dangerous. So far none of our test subjects have lived through the trial phase. It'll be a good test to see how durable you really are. Don't turn it on yet, there is a switch on the bottom of the wrist, but you only have enough charge for three shocks."

She would pass it over to Dan, though she didn't really trust him with it. "It can send two hundred milliamps through the target. And the user. Shouldn't be a problem for you though. The 'hero' you're after is someone who can convert their body into and control water. His hero name is Torrent." She then met his gaze finally, giving him a cold stare, "And I kill people. That's what I do. Something you're too cowardly to do."

She'd click a button on the side of her seat, a window lock to prevent him from opening and closing it any further. "You say you have this dream of being some big villain. It's a stupid dream, yet a dream regardless. You're not even willing to make sacrifices to make it come true. You've just cut out potential things you might encounter and for what? Because you don't want to? It's pathetic and if you aren't willing to do what it takes you should probably give it up. You'll never get anywhere if you aren't willing to make a few sacrifices along the way." After that she would remain quiet, though not breaking that cold stare from him.

He stared back in the growing silence. The only sound was the occasional *Thump* as the car went over a pothole. He would of mouthed of to Nine, like he has so many others who laughed at him, treated him like some clown, but that look was different. There wasn't any joy in her as she glared at him with those cold eyes. Disappointment? No, that wasn't it. Anger? No, that look was far more intense than frustration. She hated him. She truly loathed him, and in that realization...he was stunned.

The worst of it all was that Dan did not have a good answer for her accusation. She was right and they both knew it. He had been working on his dream for the last 3 months and was not a step closer to achieving it. Was it really just because he refused to cross the line from villain to murderer? He'd like to think otherwise but that cold stare held a sort of truth he couldn't shake. Was his dream impossible from the start? He did not know. The only true thing he knew was that he refused to continue being a nobody.

After several minutes Dan spoke in a voice that lacked his usual energy.

"Very well."

Nine was not bothered in the slightest by the long silence that filled the car, every moment of it enforced her opinion. When he finally spoke his answer...honestly, to some degree surprised her. She didn't show it, of course, keeping that hard, cold stare. Eventually, she looked away. Her phone buzzed and sparked up. Her eyes quickly darted over the words and she let out another breath, looking back up to Dan.

"We're almost there. Be ready to act. Remember. This is more of a test than anything, but if you fail it does have real consequences for us. Besides...this is a scum bag hero. You should be able to show us your hate for them through this man." She didn't say this with any tone of reassurance, it was all rather matter of factly.

It would be a few minutes more when the limo came to a halt. They'd be parked in front of an alley, dirtied with trash and muck. At the far end of the alley, there would be an abandoned apartment building, a man with a skull cap and bat leaning against it. The man would stare at the car for a few moments, narrowing his eyes. This kind of car in this neighborhood was not a common thing and the fact that it was stopped...

Inside the car Nine nodded at Dan. "Alright. Get to work. I'll be sure to clean up any mess you leave behind." And with that, she opened the car door and waited for the man to exit.