Gather the Pieces

Vigil’s Gallery was located in quieter part of the city. It was in one of the back allies, on a street that got very little traffic. It wasn’t slum and it didn’t look at all like a dangerous place, just a quiet place. For those tired of the city and the hassles it held, it would be a good place to have sit and relax for a bit. No one would have to worry about the traffic that filled the streets and sounds of the people moving about their day. Not many people really knew about those kinds of streets though. Everyone always moved too fast to take notice of such places.

Eli sat at his desk, carelessly leaning back his office chair, and idling staring up at the ceiling. His computer was opened to a news article detailing the recent capture of a dangerous villain meta. The villain was responsible for recently injuring a large number of people at a bus station. He had been subdued by a hero who managed to get the drop on them, a surprising ability that caught the villain off guard. The details of the fight and reasoning didn’t really concern Eli, rather it was the information at the bottom of the page. He could rave and plan around that later, though. Well, it was more accurate to say that the business he had today would help with his plans around these events. Life always seemed to hand him a favor during these times, a lucky little gift that would ensure his plans went off without a hitch.

First, of course, was the business of a planned meeting. Isaac, the head Chimera, and all around dreadfully serious person to work with was sending in someone new. Isaac wanted him to look over this Daniel fellow and see what could be picked up. He even got the go ahead from Isaac to use this “Danger Dan” however he wanted to get whatever information he needed. In the long run, Eli felt like Isaac would regret this. In the short term, however, Eli would comply and do as instructed. This Danger Dan fellow would be an interesting piece in the oncoming games that would be had. If anything, he would be key player in Eli’s plans.

Eli spun around in his chair, looking at his office. It was a nice room, a mix between a home office and a living room. There was a couch area with a television that could be hooked up to his computer and a bookshelf built into the far wall and a staircase leading up to the next floor where is bedroom, master bathroom, and private study were. The next room over was a kitchen, and then besides that was a spare room and a bathroom. It wasn’t the sort of lair you’d expect for a villain, though Eli never really wanted to call himself that. He was never actually even identified as one. No one knew of his dealings. Well, maybe a hero or two, as well as the villaining community, and, of course, a few public officials and police officers, but otherwise, his involvement in the world of villainy and crime was unknown. It wouldn’t be like that forever, though, soon enough the first piece would be taken, the first major blow would be dealt.

Down below in the streets would be the entrance to the gallery. It was a simple enough building. Two glass doors leading into the main floor. The inside would be plain, but holding a certain class to it. There would be a circle desk at the entrance for people to be greeted, worked by a tall and lanky man, hair buzzed, and with glasses. The main hall would be open for the most part and filled with frame photographs, mainly taken from the city. To a normal eye they would, well, nice, but to the more trained eye they would be elaborate and of a higher quality, a true form of art.

Watching the gallery would be a man dressed up as a security guard, a strong looking man with short blonde hair and muscles to spare. He would be at the front, waiting by the doors to watch those who came in. Specifically, today, he was waiting for Eli’s guest. He would lead him to the elevator at the back of the gallery, which would take them right up to him. The others of Eli’s men would be about the place, Clockwork and Blight down a floor below the gallery in the storage area, going over future plans and Mimi would be upstairs, wanting to be this Daniel person herself.

Nearly all the pieces were together, all they were missing was one, Danger Dan.

Yawning, Dan stretched and tried to work a kink out of his neck. For being seemingly indestructible, he often wondered why he was still able to feel sore, heat, and cold. Wouldn't it make more sense for him to be always in a set state given his power? There was so much he didn't really understand about his durability besides the fact that he didn't seem to be harmed by pretty much anything. Certainly sounds cool, but you can't do much with just being tough. You can't fly, lift cars, or even shoot lasers from your eyes. In many ways, Dan considered his power to be a joke. Compared to every other hero and villain, his indestructibility seemed to be unmatched, but it amounted to little when most others could just throw him around like he weighed nothing, or literally bury him in the rubble. Had he just had one other power to truly make use of his durability, then maybe, just maybe, he'd be an actually dangerous villain he jokingly claims to be.

Sighing at his position in life as the world's best punching bag, he looked at the gallery's storefront sign then back down to the business card in his hand. "Vigil's Gallery" Dan muttered. As far as secret lairs went, this was very mundane and dull. Certainly wasn't some fortress of ice or a cave filled with bats. As he grabbed hold of one of the front doors, he wondered once again if he should have dressed up in his normal costume of DANGER DAN! THE MOST DANGEROUS OF VILLAINS. While it was a snazzy looking costume, he just didn't see the need for it. Wasn't like the people who sent him here didn't know who he actually was.

Stepping inside he was met with more of the same boringly mundane scenery. A few of the more snobby looking art people were wandering about, looking at the various modern art and didn't pay any mind to the average looking Dan. He walked towards the front desk, remembering that he needs to just show the card to whoever was upfront and just go along with whatever happens from there.

As Dan approached the desk and flashed the card he would suddenly feel a large mitt on his shoulder, a slight squeeze as if someone was trying to catch his attention. Standing there would be the buff security guard, grinning rather casually down at Dan. He shot Dan a wink to show that he knew who he was and motioned with his head for Dan to follow him towards the elevator. "With me, bud! I'll take you up to see Eli, he's been looking forward to this visit for some time. Same here, honestly. I've heard a lot about you." He would stop there, for now, and continue to the elevator, calling it down and waiting in silence. At this distance, he almost looked like a war vet with how he was built and just a general look in his eyes. He was...friendly, it seemed. Some intimidation with his height and build, but...he didn't seem all that bad or fitting for an art gallery or for a villain.

However, once the elevator was called down, he'd motion to it and step in with Dan, if he did. Once there, he would speak a bit more freely, more easily, as if they had known each other for some time. "I saw what you did with that news reporter not too long ago. Me and Mimi both loved that, you don't see crimes like that anymore." He gave a thumbs-up, "Boss says you'd fit in with us if you're looking for a criminal group to run with that is. Which, that reminds me...what are you doing here, bud? I know someone arranged a meeting, but I didn't get all the details on it. You got any clue on what boss is gonna talk to you about or is gonna want from you? He don't tell me much, only what to do." He said this last part laughing a bit. Chummy was a good word to describe him. He was chummy. After a few moments the elevator door would ring and open, the guard holding it for Dan as he stepped out. There, across the room, Eli would be sitting, typing away at a computer and waiting for Dan. There was a seat in front of the desk, already pulled and waiting for an occupant.

As the beefy mitt grabbed him from seemingly out of nowhere Dan fought the urge to shriek and throw an elbow at whoever was grabbing him. Thankfully, this wasn't his first time in a DANGEROUS situation so he managed to keep a leveled head...Well, a leveled head for a supervillain anyways.

He turned and saw a rather big guy in a security uniform. He reminded him of one of those jocks back in HS that would constantly flex for no other reason than to show off. The fact that the guy then winked at him with a big goofy grin only cemented the idea that this guy was probably a jock...Dan didn't like jocks.

"With me, bud! I'll take you up to see Eli, he's been looking forward to this visit for some time. Same here, honestly. I've heard a lot about you."

Dan made to say something but the jock security, or jockurity if you will, was already powerwalking away. Dan quickly followed behind.

They both waited for the elevator to come in silence, mainly because Dan didn't want to small talk and didn't think it would be a good idea to talk about their career choices in such a public area.

In the elevator, Dan began to ask what kind of stuff Eli did exactly but he couldn't even get a word out before jockurity spoke over him

"I saw what you did with that news reporter not too long ago. Me and Mimi both loved that, you don't see crimes like that anymore." He gave a thumbs-up, "Boss says you'd fit in with us if you're looking for a criminal group to run with that is. Which, that reminds me...what are you doing here, bud? I know someone arranged a meeting, but I didn't get all the details on it. You got any clue on what boss is gonna talk to you about or is gonna want from you? He don't tell me much, only what to do."

Dan's eyebrows raised a bit overhearing how jockurity actually knew about his debut as DANGER DAN!. Then he blinked as he realized this is the first time in his 6 months as a villain that he's met a fan. Most people usually mocked and made fun of him so meeting someone who enjoyed his wacky antics was...good? He honestly wasn't sure how he felt about meeting a fan. On the one hand, it's great to see someone enjoy your work but...Dan was a criminal. It's not exactly something that should be praised.

Dan was about to reply to the multitude of questions but once again was cut off, only this time it was by the elevator reaching their floor. Dan could only give a nod of thanks to jockurity as he exited and crossed the room to sit with someone who was hopefully Eli. The only person in the room was some guy typing on a computer but there was a seat across from him so without prompting, Dan took a seat and waited for the man to finish whatever he was doing.

As Dan left the elevator, Chief of Jockurity Doppler gave him a wave, “We’ll catch up later. Looking forward to working with you!” His eyes were then drawn to Eli and a strange, or rather, different sort of expression of seriousness came about him. “Sir, DANGER DAN, is here to see you. Let me know when I am needed, yeah?” And then he gave a salute, and with a ding of the elevator, he went back down to the floor before where he would be the best dang Jockurity Guard this place had ever seen. Also he had been the only one this place had ever seen, but that just reinforced the feelings behind it.

As Dan made his way over to the computer, Eli, not for a moment looked away from this computer, continuing to tap across it. However, once he had sat down, there would a noticeable grin across Eli’s face, almost as if acknowledging his presence. He gave one final hard tap of a key, then swiveled in his chair to properly face Dan, giving him a firm nod. “Ah, there you are.” And in that moment, Eli’s eyes changed color from their normal shade to almost glowing blue. He had read Dan before, as he had entered, but now he could do it closer, with more clarity. It was an interesting power to say the least. Many metas had some sort of durability wrapped up in their ability, it was almost too frequently and it honestly was getting very boring, but pure immunity….now that was something.

His smiled broadened and while there was a charming genuineness to it, there was something ever so slightly unnerving about it. It was the grin of someone who probably knew too much? It was almost like it was a cat grinning at a mouse it had just cornered, but it wasn’t just about to pounce, not yet at least. But then that faded into a more playful and easier grin, and Eli let out a small laugh. “Ha, there he is! One of the few villains who still enters the game with a bit of class.”

He spread his arms a bit, almost as he was praising or presenting something, “Honestly, too many villains these days come into the field with some edge or they do that mafia still underground villainy that’s really just a profit game.” His hands lowered and he shook his head, “Not you though, you want something more and I do respect that. Motives beyond material gain which is something that I can support.”

He let out a small sigh, keeping that now pleasant grin on his face. He leaned back in his chair, now seeming to relax some. “Though, before I get into the job offer, I have for you, something that I am sure you’ll like, let me ask you…is there anything you want from me? Is there anything you’d like to know or that you’d like help with? It is my trade, after all, to provide info to any who come seeking it.” His hands were now folded on his lap, but still his eyes glowed blue, still reading DANGER DAN.

Dan resisted the urge to shiver as the man looked at him. The unease had less to do with how his eyes changed color because really, he had fought against people who could teleport with portals, and an angsty telekinetic girl from the 90s, why would he be in the least surprised with eye color? No, what offset him was the look in those eyes. Eli reminded him of a predator of some sort, the kind that saw you less as a person and more of amusement or food. Dan really hoped he wasn't about to be food...

He didn't buy Eli's honeyed words either since he was obviously a villain. Only bad people worked with Isaac and Chimera...People like himself. That thought made Dan pause for a moment as he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He was a villain sure, he'd broken the law a dozen times now and he'd go as far as to say he hasn't hurt anyone if memories of a dead Torrent didn't haunt him.

Pushing away his oncoming existential crisis he nodded along as Eli talked.

“Though, before I get into the job offer, I have for you, something that I am sure you’ll like, let me ask you…is there anything you want from me? Is there anything you’d like to know or that you’d like help with? It is my trade, after all, to provide info to any who come seeking it.”

"Know how to change a tire?" Dan replied dryly. "The DAN Mobile 5 has a flat."

He sat in silence, waiting to see if Eli would react or not.

"But really though, it should be obvious what I want. Word is that you can see powers and figure things out about them. Hell, you're prob doing it now if that eye is anything to go by."

He drummed his fingers on the desk as he thought of what to say next.

"Going to be real with you. My power is awful. I can take a hit sure but nothing stops them from putting me in a chokehold or drowning me. Hoping you could do your thing and tell me if there is some sort of secret Super Saiyan form or something I don't know about."

There was, for a brief moment, and which was a very rare occasion in which...Eli actually looked surprised. Not offended, not insulted or angry, buuuuuut rather it just seemed partially unreal. Though, he let out a rather pleasant sounding laugh as he threw his head back in his chair, spinning around a bit. Maybe not catching the joke, he gave a nod.

"Yes, we can help with that if you're serious. I can have Doppler take a look at it, he's pretty hand when it comes to that kind of thing." He smiled, "I didn't even know you had a DAN Mobile, you are full of surprises, my friend."

As Dan went on, Eli nodded along, keeping that cheery smiles of his, he seemed laid back in it all, maybe a bit too laid back for a villain. At the end, Eli gave a shake of his head. "Nothing of the sort, sadly. I can't see how powers develop, only what they currently are. Though, there is still plenty you can do without having pure strength." He motioned to himself, "I don't have any real physical powers, I can just read abilities and can see things a better, but that's about all. There's plenty you could do with not taking damage, for sure. But...I might be able to look into a way of getting your power to forcibly adapt." Isaac, this man's 'boss' already was planning something like that, so it wouldn't be too hard to arrange that from happening. "Or maybe I can look into some tech that might be up your alley. A better DAN mobile possibly?"

He gave a small shake of his head, before going on. "That is, if you don't mind doing a job for me first. I need someone like you, actually, you're exactly what I need. Further, I think you might like the job offer I have you, it might be just up your league."

"Oh?" Dan oh'd."I figured this wouldn't be a free thing but now I'm curious about what you think can be up my league though."

He scratched his cheek a bit as he thought for a moment.

"Well, I'm not too keen on blindly agreeing to do something for you unless I know at least the idea. This one time I tried to collab with a bunch of authentic genuine pirates for this DANGEROUS DEED! a while ago. We were supposed to attack Disney Land using an actual flying pirate ship with a gravity thing I found somewhere.  It was going to be just perfect! Or...It would have been had the pirates not beaten me up and flew off with the thing...They made me eat a pencil, man, an entire pencil."

Dan looked dejectedly to the side, wondering what could have been...Like not eating a pencil. This morose mood lasted only for a moment before Dan bounced back to his usual self.

"Anyways, you know what I'm about and what I can do. I'm sure you have a good plan in mind...But I do want to know what that plan is before I say yes. You wouldn't try to make me eat a pencil right?"

Eli's grin grew a bit thinner, slyer, the sort of grin that was an obvious tell that he was up to something or that DANGER DAN had said exactly what Eli had wanted him to say...or what Eli thought he would say. He seemed happy with the outcome regardless and opened his hands in a showy manner before speaking with that same tone of voice, not playful, but upbeat? Though still that same sort of subtle tone of something else.

"It's really an easy job. I want you to break out someone from a special holding cell. I'd send my own people at it, but the problem is there is a protective measure put over it that would either severely injure or potentially kill them. So, I need someone who won't be at risk to handle it." He spun in his chair, slowly going round and round as he continued on, plotting and explaining, "While this is a simple job, what makes me think it'll be up your alley is that I am gonna let you decide how it is all done."

The chair stopped so that Eli was facing Dan again, meeting his gaze and folding his hands over his lap. "I would never expect you to blindly agree to any plan I make or to any plan. And hopefully there should be a lack of pencil eating." He said, going on and trying to dismiss any worry that the villain might have of such a thing. It was an odd thing to make someone do and he couldn't really see any value in that. Was it supposed to be funny? It was hard to say. Eli wasn't the textbook definition of order and a well put-together person, but he did at least try to have a good reason behind his actions.

"So, instead of blindly following a plan, you'll be the one in charge. You'll be able to the choose two or three of people to go along with you and they will follow every order you give them. You want to go through without a single person dying? Done. You want a bloodbath? Sure. Whatever you wanna do, my people will listen. So long as you get that person out of the cell and give them my card, then everything else is fine." He said, letting his chair spin one more time, this time letting it stop the side so he could reach into a folder and pull out a small folder which he then handed over to Dan.

Inside the folder would be each of his team members and a description of what they did. Mimic Me could copy anyone she touched or has the possession of. Doppler could create clones that functioned like a hive mind. Clockwork could slow down or speed up the speed of things in motion or could create a field in which things were sped up or slowed down. Blight could spread out a flesh eating mold that would eat through organic substances at a quick speed. And then finally, Polaroid could teleport anyone or a group of people to anywhere he had a polaroid photo of, though the photo would be destroyed afterward.

Dan nodded along before reaching over to grab the folder but stopped, tapping it a few times in thought.

"So...there isn't any info on the job itself, just the potential goons I can pick?" He idly flipped through the folder, not reading but skimming the general headers. He did stop at the photo of Mimic Me to give a more... appreciative review.

Slowly shaking his head he closed the folder and looked back at Eli. "Having the pick of the lot is great and all but how could I know which fits best if I don't know any details on the jail? Like, the mold guy would be useful if there are human guards but what if it is all robots?"

"I know it may not seem like I put much thought into my DANGEROUS DEEDS! and most see me as a loser because of them but...Well, have I ever been caught or caused civilian deaths? I don't just mindlessly go about stealing 40 cakes or robbing banks. I usually plan these out for at least a week."

"I need the location of the target, a map of the area, info on how guarded it is and how it is guarded, how much time I have, and lastly, a box of Twinkies, I'm getting hungry." Dan said as he listed his various demands.

"Oh, I also need to know more about the minions. There is stuff about their power but some of it just doesn't make sense. Couldn't you just pay off a guard to snap a photo of the cell and have Pic Dude just teleport in there and teleport out? I know you said there is a "protective measure" but if it's like a forcefield or something I don't see why he can't."

Dan idly scratched his chin as he remembered a memory that he experience in the past, thus making it a memory.

"Prob best if I could interview them or something. There was one time I was working with this chick who really liked the 90s, hot too. Too bad she was fucking crazy and bitched and moaned the entire time while I picked up the slack. She ended up turning me into a human pretzel with her mind and tried to drown me...Women amirite? Anyways, I don't deal with crazy anymore, I learned my lesson on that one." Dan laughed.

"Anyways...Get me what I need and you got yourself a deal."

Eli shook his head, leaning back further into his chair and making a small motion with his hand, "No no, we have info, I just wanted to give you the gist of it, get an idea of what you would be doing and see if it was your kind of thing. Since you are interested, I will give you the run down." He said, giving him that thin, reassuring smile he had.

"The prisoner you will breaking out is a young man who can manipulate ash. He is being held a small facility right here in the city. It is a sort of...in between place while they design a cell better suited for containing him. It's a building that has be disguised as a transit station for packages, although no real packages are put through it." He reached over to the side of his desk and took out a notepad and jotted down the address. "You're looking at about....ten to twelve higher trained guards, a security system that will alert more if a breakout is attempted. If the alarm system is activated you'll have three minutes, give or take, before the Calvary arrives."

"You have time to plan out, he isn't scheduled to move for another two weeks, but you understand how slow the government can be sometime, so you probably have some wiggle room for it." He began to type at his computer, seeing what he could pull up for his new friend. He had a few of the resources on hand, but others would require some legwork. The question was how much to give the rising super villain or if it was better for him to decide how to get the info.

After a minute or so of going through his resources, Eli managed to get a simple map of the layout of the facility. He passed it over to him with a smile. "Here is a basic look of what you'll be getting into. As for schedules and everything else you might wanna know, that you'll have to handle yourself, if you want the job. And then finally..." He started, trailing off a bit.

"We can have Dabbler or Mimi go pick you up something to eat if you want. That should really be no issue at all. So, was there anything else you needed, or do you now have everything you need that I can give?" He asked, nodding towards DANGER DAN!