The Youth of New York

Vexus stood outside of a an abandoned warehouse somewhere deep inside the industrial ports of New York, she had been at this location once before. The building used to be a secret military base that was housing an important piece of technology. She had been asked by Nightkill to retrieve it in order to finish one of their projects. One side of the building had a hole in it from a hero running through it with a truck. To her surprise, the truck was still there. On the other side, there were multiple scorch marks surrounding another gaping hole. Elena had thrown grenades down that side since the police had decided to get involved. With most of the siding missing, and the frame weakened by fire and age she could not see the building lasting much longer.
The real purpose of her being here was an arranged meeting between her and the upcoming hero group known as "The Talons". She had sent the leader of the group a request exactly one month ago today. Elena asked the presence of the leader and allowed any or all of the existing members of the group to join the meeting as well. The letter gave a location, date and time for the meeting as well as the promise of a conflict free proposition. Elena also said that she would be accompanied by two of her associates. The offer was not given in full detail and only mentioned that their group's name would go down in history to be forever remembered. They were mere children and the promise of becoming immortalized in the hero world would hopefully be enticing enough for them to show up. But if it was not enough to move them in her favor, she had a number of other convincing tactics.
It was night and the moon had been covered by storm clouds as it was raining rather heavily. Vexus and her two 'associates' stood in long black hooded cloaks that kept them from the rain as well as concealed their identities. To further protect her identity Elena also brought along a voice changer that concealed her voice. However unknowingly to the approaching heroes her 'associates' were simply two of her clones, and for added protection the real Elena was not the forward most individual, instead she posed as an associate in the background. The building behind her had been rigged with concealed explosives as well as a multitude of hidden cameras streaming streaming live into Elena's brain , and the rusting truck that had broken through the wall of the warehouse months ago was stocked with additional clones if for some reason Vexus needed backup or a quick escape. Though none of this would need to be used if everyone cooperates and a conclusion is reach in a quick and civilized manner. On the other hand, she was dealing with the youth of New York and the young never had the quality of predictability...

Phoenix received word to meet at the warehouse. He brought 3 Talons with him. To his left was Forcewave and A.I., to his right was Sean. He had not intended this meeting to be a physical one. However, he was fully prepared just incase. On his back was his favorite sword, in his jacket was 3 throwing knives. He stopped just outside the entrance and turned to his team.
"This is not supposed to go sour, but if it does I know I can count on you. Let's keep the violence to a minimum. Also, AI record the meeting so we can play it back later. Now let's go. Talons, engage."

He approached the hooded figures and greeted them with a bow. "I'm Phoenix, this is Forcewave, Deluge, and AI. I didn't get very much detail on this meeting, so why did you call us here?" Phoenix wondered to himself that same question all week. He turned to his team and then looked back at the hooded individuals. "Also, I hate to say this, but those hoods kind of make this a tad sketchy... Don't get me wrong, no judgement here. Anyways, back to business, why did you call the Talons?"

Forcewave was walking down one of the many streets of new york that night.Alongside some of his teammates in the talons for a meeting with a mysterious supposed possible benefactor for them.All these meetings with complete strangers was starting to become both an aggravation and a burden to him.Did they really have to meet with every mysterious person who knew about them he asked himself.He felt such meetings were completely meaningless seeing as they got them nowhere and just took up time from their schedules and efforts.
The only reason he was able to be out this late at night was because his father was out of town on another business trip.This trip was proving beneficial in that he was able to be out and about whenever he needed to be but still he wished that his dad did not have to be out of town at this time.All these things he was going through and doing were starting to wear down on him.True he had known beforehand and fully accepted the responsibilities and burden that came as part of a superhero's life it still did not make dealing with such things any easier.
He had agreed to attend this meeting simply because he wanted to protect the others, not because he was interested in the details or plans or happenings of it.He had wished that phoenix had allowed them more time to prepare beforehand.A chance to discuss what this meeting may be about and how they would respond to various topics and subjects that could be brought up or maybe even the possibility that they wind up being in danger and how they could have prepared to enter a fray.They were going in blindfolded and unaware and he was not to content with such a fact.
As they approached the selected upon meeting place for this pre-arranged encounter.An old warehouse that looked worse for wear.In fact it looked like it was falling apart at the seams.He wondered if this place was even safe for them to be at.Why did this person choose this as the meeting place he wondered.He also wondered if this was the actual meeting place at all.It did not look very secure for a discreet meeting.The fact that it was indeed the designated place was confirmed when he saw some people in cloaks awaiting them.He kept his hands held together behind his back and all his senses fully focused and his mind prepared for anything all the while the initial talks began.

A.I. walked with his fellow Talons, following their leader. The others all seemed to be enveloped in their own thoughts, making their trip a very quiet one. They had received a request to meet a month earlier, and now they were approaching the designated location. A.I. wondered who this mysterious benefactor was, and what he or she really wanted from the Talons. He knew that any promise of fame would definitely come with a price, and the only question was, what was that price?

As the Talons arrived at their destination, Phoenix gave a quick pep talk and told A.I. to record the meeting. A.I. gave a nod, and laughed on the inside. He recorded everything, constantly. His brain was a supercomputer, and his memories were basically just video files. A.I. looked to the three hooded figures and zoomed in. He couldn't get a look at their faces, but what he could see was that they were all exactly the same height. Could be coincidence... He thought. But probably not.

((OOC: Sorry it's so short, I'm really exhausted today))

Vexus game a smirk under her cloak as all of the members arrived. The leader had only brought four. The numbers she would be able to deal with it was their abilities, though she did come prepared. Analyzing each one of them she could see all the weapons they had brought, Elena may have said that this was to be a peaceful meeting it did not seem to be a very set idea in the minds of these kids. The clone standing front most stepped forward to begin the conversation.
"WELcoME TaLONS. fIrsT I WOUld liKE to ApOLogIzE fOr mY ApPEArAnCE. I NEed To ProTECT my IdeNTity unTIL MY ofFEr haS beEn FINalIzeD."
As the clone continued to speak, the real Elena activated her infrared vision and carried on with her scan of the organization members. Immediately she noticed that one was not human. He gave off no heat signature nor could she make out any organs or parts of him that should be giving off heat like any normal living organism. These Talons had quite the collection of members, they come well prepared and even bring a robot. Vexus became extremely curious as to how it worked and what sort of technology was in it.
"mOvING foRWard TO THe OFfeR thAT i Had MEntiONed In MY inVItAtion... PuT sIMply, apPoiNt mE As ThE heAd of yOUR oRgaNIZatiOn And I shalL maKe yOu aLL rEacH nEw hEIghts. pOinTs in pOwer and fAmE tHAT yoU hAVe ONly DRemPt abouT. nOT onLY pOWEr in NUmbERs, bUt POwer iN yOurSelvES. The enHancEmENT oF yOUr owN perSonaL ABILITies..."
These words were all spoken while Vexus scanned and analyzed. The other clone and the real Elena had not moved the slightest since the meeting began, as if they were not even alive.
"AlL tHAt I ASk iN retuRN WoUld be A faVOR oN oCcAsIoN. oF couRSE theRE wiLL be SomE smALL leGAl MatTerS inVolveD witH swITchiNG oWnErsHIp, iF you Agree thAT is..." said the clone as it continued on.
"I wOUlD oF coURSE nEeD ACCess to aLL aValiAble FunDS, As WeLl as oTHer Specific INFORmAtion oF wHICh I shALL iDenTiFY fuRthER oN..."
Elena allowed a long pause to allow some time for all of this to process in their heads, a gust of wind rolled through one of the large holes in the wall causing the robes of the three to ruffle . The garments were long enough as to where they would only blow along with the wind and not reveal anything. However, Elena could feel her hood get pushed to the side a bit slightly exposing the lower half of her face. She gently turned to the side so that the wind would no longer effect her, figuring that only seeing that much should not be able to give anything away. Or at least that's what she hoped.
After a few moments of silence passed and the breeze stopped, Elena's Clone spoke again, but time in a tone that did not fluctuate violently as it did before. It sounded like a normal human's voice this time, but it was still not her own.
"So, do we have a deal, Talons...?"

Phoenix listened as the strange voice spoke out. After the offer was finished Phoenix laughed a little. "You invite us here, still haven't shown us what you even look like, give us little to no information, and ask to be the leader of an organization I've worked my ass off to create? With all due respect, you have to see the humor in this" Phoenix said with a smile.

"But to put it kindly, no. Not a deal. You haven't given me enough reason to even consider you for the team, let alone take my role as the head of this project. Now I have to ask, what are your motives? What would someone want to take control of the youth of New York for? I may not be the smartest of us all, but Helen Keller could see that this doesn't add up." he said as he scratched the back of his head.

(OOC: Not much I could really say here, my next post will be longer)

Forcewave listened intently to what their newfound acquaintance had to say to them even though it seemed like he was not.How could it with the way he never looked directly at the speaker or the other two during the entire course of their speech.He instead tended to glance away from them entirely at times as if this meeting was completely uninteresting to him.Which to some extent was true.Though he knew it was rather impolite for him to be doing so, he felt that they did not care at all.Their business which was the matter at hand was far more important.
Even without looking at them he could tell that they were watching him and his teammates intently.It seemed they were determined to learn as much about them as they could simply through their gestures and mannerisms.They were studying them intently.
When the speaker has finally finished their speech phoenix responded with an answer.No his answer could be summarized as with good reason provided for it.For they had no reason to agree with their proposal.The talons may not have been around for long but so far they had shown that they could take care of themselves.Forcewave would surely not agree to such a thing anyways.He still did not fully trust Phoenix whom he knew and learned of.He certainly would not trust someone new that was a complete stranger and would not be interested in taking orders from them.He also wondered how this person would react to the answer given to their proposal.

A.I. focused his eyes on the head figure, and searched for more clues as to what these "people" were. No signs of breathing, or any form of movement for that matter.. He thought. During a pause in the hooded figure's speech, A.I. took an opportunity to inform his team of his discoveries, and patched his thoughts into the Talon's radio channel. Hey, guys. A.I. speaking. I'm projecting my voice into the radio channel, this way I can speak to you without alerting our "benefactor" here. I've been trying to gather as much information as I can, and I've noticed that all three of these individuals are the exact same height, and are not moving at all. No breathing, nothing. I don't know what these means, but it can't be a coincidence.

A.I. watched the figures lack of movement as Phoenix turned them down. Couldn't have said it better myself. He thought to himself. A.I. knew for a fact that the Talon's didn't need any help to become famous.* And either way, that wasn't their goal. Hopefully these mysterious "people" wouldn't turn hostile now that their proposal had been rejected. He was ready for anything, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Spoiler:

As expected. Their leader immediately denied the offer, as well as support from the other members.
"Wise choice, Talons. Now that I see you are not just in it for the fame and power we can move forward..."
The forward most clone that was speaking grabbed her cloak at the shoulder and pulled it off, throwing it somewhere in the background. She cocked her hip to one side and put her hand on it as her vibrant pink hair settled. She had on a rather revealing, primarily white halter top with black accents, a black skirt, violet tights, and black stilettos with a pink sole.
"My name is Elena Vexus. If you were to trust me without knowing my identity then I would not have gone any further with the offer. As far as who I am, you may or may not have heard of me, but if you have you know how far I would be able to bring your organization.."
Elena made sure that her deep violet eyes made contact with each of the members at least once.
"Regarding the possible negatives you may have heard in my reputation, I only do what is best for the goal of that specific organization. I assure you that the message The Talons bring to the city shall remain true and strong..."
The speaking clone took another step forward and opened her arms.
"You know that this city is damaged, broken. Malevolence rules the streets. I am positive that with our combined efforts we may go fourth and cure this down of its wretched diseases."
Vexus gave another pause and looked at the members to see how they were taking the new proposition. Another gust of wind blew though and the real Elena had been monitoring their body temperatures. All but one of them were slightly elevated most likely due to the stress of the situation. She did wonder if this leader would crack under enough pressure, but that was an experiment for a later date...
"I now ask you to reconsider your answer, Talons... Do we have a deal?"

Phoenix listened once more to what Elena had to say and then looked around to his team with an eyebrow raised. He turned back to Elena and began speaking.

"You still haven't given me information enough for me to just say deal and give you the Talons. I have no understanding of your motives, and to be honest I'm a little insulted you might believe such a thing. I have worked to hard and too long on this organization to just give it up. Was it no clear to you from the start we're not in it for the fame?" Phoenix said a little annoyed by the woman's statement. "And If I wanted fame I'd go show off my powers and act like a profit on TV. I do this because it's what I was put on this planet to do."

Phoenix looked up at the sky as it stared to rain a little. This women had a lot of nerve asking him to just hand over the Talons. Her intentions with the team were starting to seem grim.
"So, Elena. Let's say hypothetically I agree to this... deal. What's in it for me? And don't say fame because like I said, I'm not interested. If you want to actually contribute and better the team, then give me an idea. However, don't request a meeting with me, and ask to become the head of the very organization I built with my blood, sweat, and tears. So sorry, but if that's the best you've come to the plate with, no deal. With all due respect, I need more than that if I'm going to turn the team over to someone. I'm a people person, and from where I stand, your motives seem pretty sketchy to me. So, Ms.Vexus, what do you have to say?"

Forcewave had an answer already prepared for when phoenix turned towards them.He shook his head as a strong indication for him to say no.He did not want the offer accepted.He found himself completely unable to trust elena vexus in the slightest even though he had no clue as to why.He hoped phoenix had gotten the signal.He had turned back around rather quickly.The questioning of the woman who called herself vexus continued.
He was starting to feel the tension rising.Things may soon get out of control.He quickly glanced around for any sign of anyone else that may be present.He wanted to make sure there was nobody else around.He was really starting to hope this meeting would end peacefully but was starting to fear it might not.

After the little information A.I. had been able to collect, he already knew this "woman" was up to something. The one thing he wondered was how far she would go to achieve her goal. The way she spoke of the city, saying she wanted to "cure" it, just sounded like the twisted words of a villain to him.
A.I. scanned the area, looking for any signs of a trap. All he was able to see were a few cameras that seemed a little out of place, but that alone was enough for A.I. to know there would be more. If she had been there long enough to set up cameras, she had to have something else set somewhere in case the meeting didn't go her way. A.I. placed his hand on his pistol. He hoped things wouldn't escalate, but he was ready if they did.