2014.02.17 - Stagg and Tyme

It's a momentary quiet, mid-afternoon, in an otherwise busy, large intersection of Metropolis' China Town, due to half the shops closing for President's Day. One particular street corner has a large, open newsstand, with a wide selection. The chipper elderly woman from behind the counter is shouting out in Chinese, presumably to get people to buy stuff. The smell of the many restaurants mixes and wafts throughout the area.

Unknown to any gathered at this corner, there's an exceptionally large, white limo that's about to round the street and park, right here. But that hasn't happened yet, because it's still a block away. Inside of the limo four people are seated: each one considerably different. Moon Knight and Typhoid Mary are the newest arrivals, and each have been picked up by this limo individually, the purpose of which still unclear... all that's been promised is well-payed work, and an offering of food. Oh, and there was food. A virtual feast on the table between the four: fried chicken, alfredo pasta, and ridiculous amounts of fruit. And beer, but that's not a food.

The other two sitting across from Moon Knight and Typhoid Mary are two older men. One of which dressed modestly, introduced as 'Time'. The other man, considerably older, was a well-build, very expensive-suited fast-talking businessman type who introduced himself as 'Simon Stagg'. At the moment, however, he was busy chirping on his cellphone.

"Red's associate? Good," he says, pausing to shout up to the driver. "PULL OVER UP HERE, CHARLES!" -- and then returns to his phone, "Alright, keep tracking. I wanna make this smooth and painless."

Lunair is on the sidewalks, checking out a noodle stand. Packs of ramen, soup stock cubes and bottles abound! She has a list and cookbook in hand, while a gentleman points out handy stuff. It seems she's learning to cook Japanese food and stocking her kitchen. She's actually a pretty diligent, curious person when she's not straight up murdering people. Funny how that works. Hopefully that won't split her personality or ANYTHING EQUALLY OMIN-- who is playing a recording of organ music?

She is unaware of the incoming limo as she does her shopping.

Flagpoles. Friends of vigilantes everywhere. Perfect for perching, swinging, even bouncing. In Creeper's case, it's dangling upside dow from his tootsies. His greasy hair hangs in lax tendrils from the top his head, green as seaweed and just as fishy. "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...I dunno, Jack, I really think the Snorks are superior...HOW DARE YOU, those are snorkels, you filthy cad, hence the Sno...huh?" he says, eyes catching sight of an almost familiar sight, a hazy fugue memory of a clash of titans amidst aquariums and gunfire and lots and lots of blood, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOH, I KNOW YOU!" he squeal, letting go wit his feet and landing with a crouch behind Lunair, "Remember me? Or should I cover myself in fish guts? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

When she received the invitation, Typhoid Mary saw the words 'well-paid' and 'highly lucrative' and, really, that's all she needed. Considering the fact that she, Harley, and Wade were in the process of building their penthouse--which, in retrospect, was it really a good idea?--and Harley insists on her hyenas being allowed indoors, even in the bedrooms (which ends up with lots of ripped up stuff, including wooden doors and such), and Wade's penchant for spraying blood, and bits of bone and brain everywhere makes a crime scene cleanup crew a necessity twice a week... Well, it ain't cheap, ffs. So, she decided to take up this new offer. No way is she digging into her private holdings for this bs, anyway!

At first, when she got in the limo, she was pretty stoked to see the food and drink, and helped herself. She gave cursory greetings to the two men, but otherwise ignored them. When Moon Knight, however, makes his appearance in the limo, Mary throws the bones of the ribs she ate right at his face, "YOU! What are YOU doing here?! I remember you! At the diner, then at that place where the girl got shot! I thought you were dead!" She grouses, sitting back in her seat with an attitude.

It was a bit difficult to get Moon Knight to accept the invitation. He declined it at first, but then got yelled at by a god, so was forced to accept it, begrudgingly. I mean, it's not really like he /needs/ the money, he'll take it, but, the demands of Khonshu always come first.

Moon Knight entered the limo..to get rib bones tossed at his face, which he wiped off before taking a seat. "Chick, whatever the hell your name was, I don't die easily. I've died twice, actually, dead dead. And I came back. See? Besides, you think a LAW can take me down? I fought the LAW, and /I/ won. And lost. Kind of." He grinned under his mask, stretching his arms, before turning to the other two. "So, you guys /are/ aware she's a murderous psychopath, yes?"

The gentleman known as 'Time' watched Mary and Moon Knight with a certain slightly judgmental vibe, staying curiously silent through the ride, only speaking when he was initially introduced. Simon Stagg, however, was quite the opposite, continually barking directions and 'coordinates' and other generic mapping-type phrases into his phone. He seemed completely aloof to the fact that Typhoid had recognized Moon Knight. He also seemed to completely ignore any comments on Mary's sanity.

Finally, without warning, he put his phone away only two seconds before the extended limo pulled up to the street corner, screeching to a halt. With a rushed fervor, he suddenly pushed his way to the exit, and opened it up, taking three steps directly up to Lunair, smiling with a sudden, unexpected grace. It was his practiced 'charisma-face' that he'd managed to perform the same exact way to both Mary and Moon Knight, in turn.

"Excuse me, miss," Simon said to her, "My name is Simon Stagg. I'm a large contractor... and I've... heard of your work. I know this is rather abrupt, but I've a great need for someone with your skills. I think you'll find the payment I'm offering quite exceptional." He finishes this off with an almost-wicked grin, and gestures to the limo, the door still open. Then, he quickly noticed The Creeper right next to her, and his eyebrow raises. While this guy wasn't on the list, he was judging by his peculiar appearance that he was one of Lunair's associates, so he nods graciously to Creeper in turn, asking, "Are you joining us?"

Lunair was selecting some soup stock when suddenly, Creeper! She jerks, startled and straightens. She, mercifully, resists the urge to lash out and just smiles weakly, turning around. "Um. Hi there. Yup. You rode the crocodile, right? Or was it an alligator... It's hard to tell the two," she admits. Lunair has no clue how to react to the man now talking to her. She seems to have a problem showing any sort of emotion, leaving her with a blank, distant and neutral look on her face despite being startled.

"And um, no. No fish guts needed... how are you?" The man helping her at the booth shop has gone to take her payment, not wanting to do with any of this. And then suddenly, there's someone walking up to her. Simon Stagg? She tilts her head. "Um..." Wasn't there something on TV about this? Never get in a car with strangers? "... he found me and said hello," But hey, she doesn't tell him to GTFO. It's more a stunned 'whaa'. "I guess I can listen at least." Sure. She'll take her bag and follow along. Not like she can't blow the car up on a whim if it comes to it.

The Creeper giggles at Lunair, pushing his knees together and clasping his hands at his waist, "Awwwwwwww, you remembered. I'll have to get you to sign my yearbook. "Never 4get you an that crocodile or was it an alligator, U R 2 Cool 2 B 4 gotten, never change, signed some chick!" Oh, some chick, let's never lose touch again!"

And then! Limo! Rich guy! An invitation, "Are you talking to me? Are you talkin' to me?" he says, turning his head all the way around, his neck making a squeaky sound as he stretches the tendons. A woman walking her dog glances over and spontaneously vomits on her Shih Tzu, "I don't see anybody else here so - BOOBIES!" he cries, catching a glimpse of Typhoid behind Stagg and diving in, shoving both Lunair and Stagg himself partially out of the way, getting partway jammed, his legs stuck outside as Stagg's torso is squished agains the door frame, "Argh, oh, no, Rabbit, I'm stuck! Okay, just..if you...no, no, you pull your leg...oh, watch the egg basket now, sonny jim...AH!" he says, finally getting inside and plopping down in Stagg's seat, leaving the rich man and Lunair still standing outside the car, "So...we meet again, you, too...oh, and you," he snots derisively at Moon Knight.

"You don't need to know my name, jackass," Typhoid Mary responds, getting herself a fresh rib to eat while she nurses a second beer. She's wound a little tight after having had to tie up Harley at home to keep her from following, and send Wade off on a wild goose chase (literally) to keep HIM from following her. In fact, it is these things she's thinking about while Moony goes on about his deeds, his dying twice, and law, and stuff like that. She does snap out of it enough to hear him refer to her as a 'murderous psychopath,' to which she responds, "Oh, good! You /do/ remember the important bits."

But, then, the car is pulling to a stop, again, and the older dude leans out and kisses some ass of a person Mary's never seen, before. This guy, whoever is footing the bill, better have a LOT of dough, 'cause there ain't no WAY she's splitting her share. When she's finished with her rib, she tosses the bone idly at Moon Knight--not aggressively, just...as though he's the place bones go. And, that's when she hears 'BOOBIES,' which is too familiar. "OH, FCK NO," she says in horror. "You're not gonna let him in here, are you?! OH, THE STENCH WILL BE UNBEARABLE!" she hollers and prepares to scoot to the furthest corner of the limo, willing to shift from end to end, to stay away from Creeper and his gross, pus-wet hands. "GROSS," she says as he finally gets in, shuddering and holding her nose. Then, as a rocket of snot shoots out of his nose at Moon Knight, she cringes and lifts a knee and swivels her torso, as if to protect herself, too.

"I take it you know who I am, I'm YouTube famous. The Moon Knight, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Moon Knight is still grinning under his mask as he says this, snorting at Mary.

And then the cavalry (okay not really) is picked up. "Who the fuck are these guys? You better not be cutting our shares." As the Creeper bounces in, he's drawing a crescent dart, which he uses to block the snot, rubbing it off on Mary if possible. "So, so, why are we all here again? And why did you only get crazy people? What about like, Captain America, Batman, those guys?"

Lunair just sort of boggles as Creeper does his thing. "I'm not sure what he does, but - he fights crocodiles okay," She admits. She just - goes with it, looking confused. And uncertain what to do. What is going on in there? "... should I wait a bit or walk?"

Simon Stagg gives an appreciative nod to Lunair and The Creeper, and seems to guide them towards the car, awkwardly fumbling for a few seconds as The Creeper pushes his way by. After Lunair gets inside, Stagg slides in, seating himself on the edge of one of the two, wide couches inside, and closes the door, shouting instantly: "CHARLIE: TO CENTRAL PARK!" -- and, almost instantly, the limo sets into motion. Stagg smiles, panning to examine the four people gathered. While the seating is comfortable, if Stagg were to add any more to this scene, it would start to get cramped.

"To quote the cliche," Simon begins so speak, somehow capturing the attention of everyone, raising a martini in his hand (how it got there remains to this day a mystery). "Variety is the spice of life! And, looking at you four, do you know what I see? Diverse, diverse skills. This is exactly what I need." 'Time' rolls his eyes at this comment while Stagg isn't looking. "You may not know me, and that's okay. I try to keep in the shadows--I'm no Tony Stark or Justin Hammer," Stagg continues. "I'm more into... power, ya see. Oil, electronics, crops. The true money. And this man here..." Stagg announces, throwing his arm around Time's shoulders (who looks visibly unsettled by this), "...is Dr. Tyme. My Chief Operations Officer," he says excitedly. "We're re-acquisitioning! Rebranding! Refocusing!" Stagg declares, waving up his arm as he speaks. "But that's just boring old business claptrap! Let me tell you why you're here!"

"Ladies and gentleman, to get with the new, we must dispose of the old. The rotten. The baggage that weighs us down," he declares--there's almost a twinkle in his eye: "The dead weight. And I, unfortunately, have need of a crew. An elite team such as yourselves. I want you to rid me of my old forgotten waste. Violently. Your financial requirements will not be a problem."

The Creeper snickers and makes a pouty face at Mary, "Awwww, come on, bosom bells, I put on lots and lots of Axe bodyspray so I'd be sure to smell like the kind of horny junior high boy who'd wanna bite your taped up nippies...of course, swimming in the Gotham bay didn't help that...my most sincere and felicitationous apologias!" he declares. After Stagg has his say (along with Creeper jerking his thumb at him and rolling his eyes and twirling his finger at the side of his skull and choking himself at the throat, feigning choking his chicken, and legimately trying to choke Moon Knight before he's pulled back again), Creeper just smiles and says, "Old bandages sound good to me! I'M IN!"

"Can you make me a helicopter? The MOONCOPTER. I have my own pilot and everything. I can pilot, too!" Moon Knight grins, before stretching his arms back. "So, I take it you guys are crazy too. So, what's this team called, the 'Suicide Squad'? Because, you know, we'll all probably die?" He laughs, sitting up. "I'll make one thing clear, I'm only doing this because the deity in my head told me to do so. I pretty much hate you all."

Lunair is strangely well mannered for one labeled crazy. The thousand yard stare might give her away - the mark of someone who has seen something unspeakable. But she listens, looking to Stagg. tilting her head. Hmmm. She smiles politely to Dr. Tyme. "... I see. Is there information on them to be had?" Lunair is cautious. "And thank you." She nods.

But then, the Creeper makes her boggle again. Then a blink at Moon Knight. "Well. If last time you fought is any indication, you'll probably get crushed by something sooner or later." A faint frown. Then, it would be blessedly silent. "And who are you calling crazy?" An eyebrow lifts. Uh oh.

The others make Lunair curious, too, but she's not rude enough to demand introductions just yet.

Typhoid Mary just kinda grimaces ferally at Creeper as he blathers on about AXE body spray and junior high boys and whatnot. She shudders and /tries/ to pay attention to what Stagg is saying. Out with the old, in with the new, needs a crew, diverse, etc, etc. She nods her head vigorously, as if to hurry him along, "Yes, yes. I'm in." She sighs and sits back, holding her beer in a somewhat defensive posture, keeping a close eye on the Creeper. To Lunair, she gives her a chin-up head nod by way of greeting.

Simon Stagg listens to everything his four recruits say, almost as if he were taking careful notes. Dr. Tyme is doing the exact opposite, grumpily gazing out the window as the limo speeds across Metropolis, his expression suggesting he'd rather be having his testicles electrocuted than be here.

"Any good team needs a little time to...adjust. I'm sure you will be getting along smashingly in no time. We'll make whatever adjustments are necessary to increase your activities--you see, this will be a *sequential* agreement. I've three tasks--nay, MISSIONS!...in mind for you. You will be doing good work. Very important work," Stagg rattles on. Somehow, without anyone noticing how, he has a fresh martini, and he sips it, followed by an exhale suggesting an increased calm. "I'll be only asking a few things from you here, my fine people. My team," Stagg says proudly, "The first, I think, will be the hardest. We're going to have to locate. Set-up shop. A headquarters, yes, just for the time being. A place to gather, inform, and plan."

Dr. Tyme looks visibly upset by this, and jerks his head towards Stagg. "You're not suggesting they work at--"

Stagg quickly interrupts him, a hint of scolding in his voice: "OF COURSE I AM! Tyme, you don't see the big picture yet, but we *need* these new recruits." Then Stagg turns to look over his assembled group again, "We'll need you to show up to work when summoned... at the newly purchased BEYOND CORPORATION (formerly Stagg Industries) Metrocenter in the heart of old Metropolis." Dr. Tyme winces, imagining the folks in Accounting on the 28th Floor having to deal with The Creeper.

"Missions, already? What type of missions?" Moon Knight sighs from underneath our mask. "We don't have to kill anyone yet, right?" He's turning to Lunair. "Hey, watch it, that was a new personality, I don't control that shit. Vengeance is asleep, okay? He's not going to do anything crazy. I hope." Moon Knight stretches his arms, as he grabs a beer, cracking it. "So..we're going to be working..in a skyscraper. Us. A bunch of mercenaries. Did it ever cross your mind that that was a terrible idea? No? And look at who you recruited! We're the craziest people ever. We'll /never/ adjust."

A soft sigh. Lunair shakes her head. "Speak for yourself on the non-adjusting front," She frowns faintly. Lunair is apparently not a fan so far. But she is polite, if nothing else. "And locate? I see. Should I bring anything?" She taps her chin. Lunair will just quietly try not to engage in a battle of snaps with - well. There's a polite smile and nod in turn to Mary, Lunair setting her hands in her lap.

"Oh, posh!" Stagg responds, dismissing Moon Knight's criticisms of his plan. "You'd be surprised how much a team will gel together when they NEED to," he asserts. "As for missions... the full details will be disclosed soon, but not yet. I've more preparations to make, you see. But rest assured!" he chirps, coughing slightly on his martini, "My first rule is no *vile* bickering within my team. I know that people get edgy, and don't get along. But first and foremost: no killing each other! It's an absolute must!" Stagg announces, as if he'd written a new Bill of Rights.

To Lunair's question, Stagg answers happily: "We can create whatever work space and storage you require to best your best, my dear, be it weapons or equipment. I have a fine security force, scientists, and the world's best caviar!"

Moon Knight just blinks under the mask. "What are your credentials to be leading a team? Do you even have experience in this?" Moon Knight growls softly. "Will you be offering living spaces? Transportation? What style of weaponry? I want details, damn it. What type of guys are we going to be working with? Are you insane? I think you're insane."

At this point, Moony's thinking of leaping out a window. But alas, he cannot. "What's the pay for jobs, at least?"

"..." Lunair boggles at Moon. "That's a -" Nevermind. "I am pretty sure we're being briefed once we're out of the car," She lifts an eyebrow. "Um." She doesn't seem happy around Moon Knight and sort of looks to the window. He can't. She can! But Lunair stays for now. And PK is not an option, it seems. "Fair enough. And thank you." She's just going to debate flinging herself out the window.

Stagg gives everyone a hopeful, confident gaze. To say that Stagg was a self-assured go-getter would be an understatement, and he's happy to meet all of Moon Knight's questions. "Many a brilliant man has been called 'crazy', and I do suspect such things have been said about you, too. But we know better, don't we? Weapons, vehicles, yes, yes, in spades. If living quarters are required, I'm sure I can make accommodations for you." At this point, there's a meek, muted groan from Dr. Tyme. "You see, my 'Youtube celebrity'," Stagg says, leaning in just slightly to Moon Knight, "I am not insane. I am a man with a plan. I didn't become the owner of one of the largest corporate conglomerates in the world by making poor decisions. Au contraire. You--all of you--are my aces."

A mere second after this is said, there's a shout from the driver of the limo: "COMING UP, SIR."

"Now, I do hope you forgive me for the awkward departure, but I've a very busy schedule to keep. You will be contacted soon, my new friends," Stagg says with a creepy grin, followed by a pronounced nod to Dr. Tyme.

-blip-

A split second later, each of the four pick-ups appear alone at a random location in Central Park, each lying on their backs. In their right hand is a business card which reads:

Simon Stagg BEYOND CORPORATION Owner, Chairmen, President, CEO, and Director

In their left hand is a chocolate chip cookie.