Welcome the two newest Recruits

Lucifer Hermes Mercury, also ‘known’ as The Phantom, was currently sitting in his roll-y chair in his hidden office looking through files. There were two files to be exact, and both of these files were on what Phantom hoped would be recruits to his ‘little’ organization. The first of course was a man who seemed to have no name, a man clouded in nearly as much mystery as the Phantom himself. Yet with that mystery came a reasonable amount of intelligence and wealth, both of which could be used the Syndicate’s advantage and help bring about the end goal; one which no one in the organization, not even Number One, was fully aware of. The second, Michael Collin, would be an addition to the organization that was different from the others Lucifer had now, as he would be the first member that was part of The Occult. Or in simpler terms, a person who was connected to magic and the unexplained, quite like Elena Marie herself was.

Upon hearing the knock at his door a slight smile passed onto his face before vanishing just as soon as it came. The knock of course meant that his limo was ready to go and so standing up, he placed the files back down on his desk and left the room; descending the stairs into the grand ‘ballroom’ or the entrance hall of the Crime Syndicate mansion. The doors opened wide and the ‘lord’ of the ‘castle’ made his way outside and into the limo that was waiting. Upon sitting down inside of the limo the driver would let him know his messages were sent out to the two men and that they were received. These letters would explain, somewhat, to the recipients what would be going on. The gist of it though simply being that they had caught the eyes of the Syndicate, and that they should meet at the yadda yadda nothing special Hilton Hotel in room 403 at ten o’ clock to discuss some terms.

Lucifer of course had to arrive at the destination an hour beforehand if only to make sure everything was in order, and just in case either of the two men decided to show up before hand. Although he was quite sure at least one of them would find it fun to arrive fashionably late; which Lucifer had no true problem with. For him it was simply polite to be at the meeting point early if you were the one who scheduled it and although they knew not who scheduled it he still felt obliged to do so. When it was about nearly time for the two men to show up, and with Number One and Four in the room with him incase things got out of hand, Lucifer sat down in a chair facing the door, the lights turned on just enough for the three of them to see, and nothing more.

A Cheshire grin made its way on to the crime boss’ face as the door handle started to move, and the first man made his way into the room. Everything was about to get interesting.

A man shuffled into the hotel room, slowly. His steps were small, and his shoulders hunched. He awkwardly shut the door behind him. This was a Man in Black. He wore a black suit, black tie, black gloves, black pants, black scarf and, of course...

The black hat.

The man sat down, his brown eyes looking straight at The Phantom. From behind his scarf, a dark, mild voice spoke. "Hello." There was a pause as the man situated himself in the chair, putting his hands across his lap. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I have been informed that you would like to conduct business with me." The man nodded slowly, his neck stiff.

He lowered his brow, looking over Lucifer carefully. "I am glad we could arrange this meeting then, I am always looking for new.... business opportunities." The man was silent afterwards, sitting unnaturally still, expectant of The Phantom's response. "Please. By all means, give me your proposal, and we can work a deal." The voice said, emphasis on the word 'deal'. There was an obvious smugness, a glib attitude behind this voice of being such a mysterious figure. "But first... introductions. First, you are...?" The man in the chair tapped his finger nervously as the voice concluded, now waiting eagerly for Lucifer's reply.

Michael looked over the letter considerately, silver orbs shifting over every letter with a scrutiny that was unparalleled. Andrew sat across from his, raising a dirty blonde brow as he simply watched the male do his thing. Whoever had sent this message had some minor information, nothing in-depth but considering that they knew his surname meant that their information network was considerable. The more interesting twist was that they wanted to meet with him, whoever the writer of this note was. Usually he would have shrugged it off, perhaps sent someone as a proxy to garner information from the meeting, but Michael was feeling a little adventurous, so he would attend. Of course Andrew was against it, but then again he was against so many risks that Michael took, so there was no surprise there.

Michael chose to dress in something more formal for the occasional, considering how rare it was that people actually called upon him. Black slacks with a charcoal colored button up shirt with pinstripes running down it, and two pockets on each side. All of it complimented by simple black formal shoes, sleeves on his short rolled to the elbow, likely to get across that he was still somewhat formal with his attire. Stepping out of his motel, Michael would find himself on the way to the hotel that was surprisingly not too far from where he was now. It was large hotel of a considerable class, and if it was worth anything, with room service. The moon was high in the starless sky, looking down upon them like some kind of judgmental god, silver glow nearly as unearthly as the color of his own eyes.

After a short ride on the hotels elevator, Michael walked along until he found the door to room 403, twisting lightly on the handle as he opened the door and immediately took in his surroundings. The light was low, but it was enough that he could see, and the first thing that Michael saw was a dapper gentleman sitting in a chair facing the door. There were others of course, an older male and a young woman, as well as someone dressed in literally all black. With his initial scan done, Michael sat down, one leg crossing over the other as he let both hands fall into his lap. ”Looks like I came to the right place.” He noted simply, one corner of his lip tugging into a smirk. First impressions were everything to people, and at the same time they were very deceiving. ”Well, I’m here ;so what do you want of me?”

The elusive Man in Black was the first of the two men two arrive. He was quick to get down to business and bring out the idea of the deals that Phantom was very soon to discuss, as well as wondering just who Phantom was. Which, of course Lucifer was not in the mind to give out just yet, especially with the final member of the little get together not in the picture. A smile found its way onto his face nonetheless and he was just about to answer the Man in Black when the second man wandered into the room. He had a more reserved entrance, instead taking in his surroundings first and then sitting down to discuss business, both men were exceptional it seemed at this. They were both quick and to the point, which Lucifer loved.

Not a man to deny them their satisfaction he straightened his tie and then spoke out his greeting. “Welcome Mr. Collin and…The Man in Black, I am Lucifer Hermes Mercury…you may know me as The Phantom.” Here he paused for only a couple of seconds letting his Forget Me power dissolve from their minds and any sort of news or information they had seen, heard, or knew of him would come rushing back into their minds at whatever pace it did. The pace the memories came back was always interesting to Lucifer, as it was never quite the same for the same person. At times the information came quick and easily while at other times it was an exceptionally long period of time before they remembered even the tiniest bit of information about him. Whichever these two were would divulge just how intelligent they truly were…usually.

“I am the leader of the Crime Syndicate, which I am sure you have heard of, and I wish to offer both of you a place amongst the organization. Each suited to your own…expertise of course.” He told them letting them know right of the back what they were here for, which should have been at least a teensy bit obvious if not completely obvious. “You will both be paid a considerable amount of money for your participation in the Syndicate and will also be paid for any jobs you do.” This second half was more directed at Mr. Collin as The Man in Black was not the ‘operative type’. Yet, neither was Michael either but he was more fit for any true missions than Black himself was.

“Mr. Black, if I may call you thus, you are presented amongst the…community… as a man of intellect and one who puts his interest in only the most worthy of organizations, and I can surely tell you none are more worthy than the Syndicate its self.” He paused if only slightly to take a sip of tea from his cup that was in front of him before continuing. “As for you Mr. Collin your place amongst the ranks of the Crime Syndicate would be one of a top ranking specialist. You would work alongside Number Five and would deal with the unexplained…the parts of the criminal underground that the rest of the Crime Syndicate is not quite prepared to encounter.” This of course was not the best way to present the deal to Mr. Collin but it was the only true position Lucifer could give the man and not feel as if he was inadvertently handing over the reins or flat out rejecting the man. Neither of which he was ever going to do…no neither of these men could be left to their own devices in Lucifer’s city.

The man in black's eyes widened as the memories were wiped from his mind. His voice could audibly be heard going "Hm...so that's how..." in confusion. He looked to the left and right suddenly, staring at Michael for a few seconds, while a scratching sound could be heard from behind his scarf, as is he was grinding his teeth in stress. The scratching persisted.

When speaking to Michael, the man in black looked almost... almost fearfully at the boy sitting next to him. Then, with a slight start, the man in black looked back at the Phantom. "I seek no monetary pay. Whatever money you offer me would be..." The man in black shivered. "...a drop in the ocean." The voice was still confident, despite appearances, intent on making The Phantom blindly trust the man in black. "No, I am an investor, sir. It is not my desire to do jobs. I create nothing." He paused for dramatic effect. "I own."

"The syndicate and the phantom have been quite successful at evading capture for all of your crimes. As part of our deal, quite simply, I want to know how you did it. Your methods, and your weapons. That is why I invest, so that I may surround myself with the power and curiosities of the world. You are no exception." The scratching noise came back, for a few seconds, before stopping. "You will have my guidance, my funds, and in exchange, I wish to see your secrets. With this knowledge, I can make your syndicate into an empire. As you become more ambitious, I will make your strength grow exponentially. You will have unlimited resources. What I want... to see is your ambitions grow large enough to engulf the earth. Anything short of that..." Another pause. "...will disappoint me." His voice grew dark and threatening. "You are quite powerful, but even all of your power is nothing compared to the depth of my desires. It is with me that you can see your goals fulfilled, not the other way around."

Things were getting intense. The Man in black was actively challenging The Phantom's enigmatic demeanor. It was a deal that was being offered, but The Man in Black was not going to be anyone's employee. That much was true, and he seemed willing to prove it. Sweat was forming on the brow of the man in black.

"Before I can grant this power to you, however, I need you to demonstrate the depth of your strength and the power of your organization. I need to know that my investment will go to good use. Not that you will simply use me." His voice became light and smug again.  Despite this, however, it was now obviously visible that the man in black's leg was shaking gently.

"No man can ever use me, Phantom.

I am the one who uses."

His attention first snapped to Phantom as he opened his mouth, speaking with a certain elegance that Michael could not help but give heed to. He referred to Michael first, calling him Mr. Collin as if he were come kind of dignified businessman, one that required a certain respect when spoken to. Considering his youthful appearance, that was a surprise really but enjoyed nonetheless. The name was an interesting one, not adhering to any known name choices that he had heard within his treks through the country, but it held a certain charm to it. Perhaps it was denoting a more mischievous personality, as well as something else that he was wondering about. Michael reclined in the seat, making himself as comfortable as possible as something shifted, a slight thing really but he could feel the sensation running through his mind.

It was something to do with this dapper gentleman called The Phantom, someone that was….an enigma among the criminal underworld. He had heard rumors of him before, but meeting the ghost in person was an interesting prospect and him wanting to do business with him was even better. If that was the case, he would have to make sure that his own memory was protected against tampering, and that was what Michael did, using a small amount of his own Ethereal energy to simply put, file the information, protected by a small magical block of sorts. If that was the case, he would know of the tampering, but if not, then his precaution would have been for nothing, and considering that there were others in the room, it could have easily been them as well. Michael simply making mental speculations as he halfway listened to what the male said.

He was offering them positions within his syndicate, within an organization of criminals that likely spread far and wide. How he knew of Michael’s expertise was unknown, but then again that would have to be dealt with when the time came. First things came first, and that was finding out what exactly he intended to offer him as compensation for this work. Money was offered, and hell, it made the world go around, so why the hell not? His friend was simply called Mister Black, which was derived from his choice in attire and while black was always fashionable; he took that to an enjoyable extreme. Michael would work to deal with someone called Number Five, to deal with something, the unknown as he so kindly put it. That was laymans terms for the supernatural, and something that he was very familiar with.

”Hrm, an interesting offer you have there…Phantom.” He noted pretending to mull this over, eyes narrowing to add effect. If there was one thing that Michael was adept in, it was acting. He would then allowed the other one to speak, but he was more of a presumptuous type than initially expected, not that Michael had high expectation of humans in the first place. He wanted knowledge and anything less would have been dross to him that was something that he both respected and despised, a paradoxical feeling. He couldn’t help but chuckle lowly, watching the cock strut about before prospective hens, crowing loudly. Fingers interlocked, one foot tapping lightly against the floor as he considered everything. ”I do have to ask what you consider to be a…considerable amount of money.”

The Man in Black was the first to speak up when it came to whether or not the small terms of agreement laid out by Lucifer were acceptable, and the man’s answers were certainly interesting to say the least. The foolish man who shrouded himself in black clothing, hid his face from the world and was only being recognized by the Syndicate for the sole purpose of Lucifer not wanting the man to go about unwatched was threatening Phantom and his organization? That was a laugh a minute, and Lucifer was very much contemplating having Number Four empty both magazines of the uzis she had hidden underneath her jacket into the man’s stomach simply to show him what true power was. That he could not go around making statements such as what he did. But, alas Lucifer Hermes Mercury was taught better than that; he had manners unlike the pore sap sitting in front of him.

“So, you truly wish to know how I do my job? How I run my organization, and how we are able to continually be the largest underground criminal organization in the world without ever having the cops take us down? It is quite simple Mr. Black, and that comes down to leadership. A position I assure you is already filled.” The Phantom said rising from his chair now, fixing his suit jacket as he did. “You also dare threaten me in my own establishment, when I was nice enough to offer you a place amongst the ranks of the Syndicate, when I went through all that trouble to allow you to get a whiff of the Syndicate’s operations in Chicago. Mr. Black, if I were a lesser man you would not be alive to hear the end of this conversation. Yet, luckily for you I do not feel like getting blood on my suit, dry cleaning for fine silk does cost so much these days you know.”

A sly smile made its way onto the Phantom’s face as he continued to walk around the room, making sure to keep in eye sight of the two men just so they’d remember everything. “Now, you will have access to the Syndicate Mr. Black, as much as required but no more than what Number One desires you to have.” A curt nod was made in John VonJhon’s direction indicating who Lucifer was talking about. “As for your first piece of information…the reasoning as to why the Police are never able to capture me is quite simple truly. It is because they like everyone else in the world, save for a few lucky individuals, shall never remember I even existed. Take upon that what you will, but it is all you shall receive for now Mr. Black until the Syndicate receives its first…donation from you towards our cause.”

He paused now having walked back over to the table to take another sip out of his glass of water. “Let us also make it clear that you do not own me Mr. Black, especially not a man who hides his face when there are much greater means of making yourself invisible. I do so truly look forward to this partnership though.” This would end the conversation with the man in black as Lucifer turned to Michael Collin, with a lighter hearted smile on his face giving only a chuckle. “Well Mr. Collin, what exactly is it you consider, a considerable amount of money? Does $90,000 per job as well as paid for home and supplies, and equipment you require paid for in advance sound reasonable to you. Or do you perhaps have something else in mind? I am open for discussion on what you believe to be reasonable…I want only the best for members of the Syndicate.”

A sad smile came upon his face as if he had just remembered something he failed to mention which of course brought about a sigh from the ‘old’ man. “I also forgot to mention, once both of you are associated with the Crime Syndicate if it is ever heard that you intentionally brought harm to children, you will be excommunicated from the organization…and there is only one way to leave this group.”

Memory. Of course. That explains everything.... and could he truly turn invisible? We shall see... The Man in Black thought to himself. He now had all the tools he needed. "If you truly believe what you say is true, Phantom, then why don't you kill me? Or capture me? Or even remove my own scarf?" With these words, the man in black shivered and started shaking violently. Whatever scratching noise there was from the person's mouth, was now overshadowed by what was an apparent act of fear. The voice, however, remained as calm as ever. "As you say yourself, it is not noble to hide a person's face when invisibility is available. So please, I ask you to remove my own hat and scarf... so that we can be..." He paused, deliciously. "...equals in our endeavors." The slight presence of a tear could be seen in the figure's left eye, and the grinding noise continued. "I could do it myself, but you are... after all... the leader of this fine organization. I invite you to know my identity."

Protecting children? What good are children? If anything Children are even better to manipulate and abuse, they have less strength and are more impressionable. The man in black thought on this. Perhaps he couldn't bear to do what someone else did to him... perhaps 'the Phantom' is more mortal than even he thinks he is...

Michael found himself rolling his eyes as the two continued their banter, considering it all….juvenile but what must be done had to be done. Granted that was coming from someone like Michael, who did most things he did just for fun, which was perhaps the most juvenile thing around, but he was also a hypocrite. From what he could tell however that it was a competition of who could make the best threat and Phantom already had that right the moment that they walked into the room. Phantom had stacked everything down in his favor if things got ugly, but then again this man in black was simply human, not like the ethereal male that sat next to him. Fingers intertwined as he made a mental note of everything, if only to take note of the personalities of those that he was dealing with. If one could not learn to mimic all that they met, they did not make a good infiltrator did they?

One interesting thing however, was the statement in the matter of children and them coming to harm. This man was too much really, especially if he was concerned for the weak spawn of humanity. Michael never found children to be that great, especially the ones that he ran across in his treks across the city of Chicago. If he was a prick, then most of those self entitled brats were at least twice as worst. It was equally amusing however when the man requested that he actually attempt to kill him, as if killing a human were a difficult task. It was a matter of a blade to the heart, bullet to the brain or even poison slipped into their drink. Honestly Michael considered killing all of them within a moment, as simply as swatting a few flies.

If this was truly The Phantom, then his organization would crumble without the enigmatic ruler. A transmission would have been much easier, but then again maybe he had ways to avoid the untimely end that many had planned for him. ”Before I say anything else, and while I find whatever this is adorable, I did not come here to hear the egocentrics of a spastic man.” He added tersely rubbing index fingers against one another, yet keeping a certain calm air about him that gave away nothing. Silver orbs glimmered darkly for a moment, allowing the flecks of neon green to be even more obvious within that moment.  If anything, Michael was also slightly annoyed by this male, the one draped in black pressing his luck in a room of people that could easily snuff out his candle with but a puff of breath.

”Disregarding the underlying threat behind the statement you won’t have to worry about me….killing children if I can help it. The terms are rather agreeable as well, as long as the home is not a low end hovel I won’t really complain.” He had lived in a motel for a while, so a home would be a step up. ”So in short I accept your terms.”