[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + Oliver Halle

Jack could acquire most things. Funds were rarely an issue and there was very little that could not be acquired through the expenditure of untraceable cash. When that wasn't enough occasionally wheels could be greased through the application of illicitly acquired information. When you had little regard for privacy laws, at least in how they applied to you, then the world was your oyster. Especially in the day and age of smart phones and social media. It was remarkable how lax people were with their security. They'd experienced a brief flash of challenge in unravelling this latest piece of security and finance. It had been a tangled web, a mess of shell corporations and dummy companies that funnelled money from one business into another. To anyone without a degree in accountancy and several months alone with both sets of books, it would have been impossible to untangle. That said, Jack rarely factored into people's expectations. The eighteen-year-old rubbed their eyes, their face blue in the light cast only by the many monitors before them. They hadn't slept, again. Dark circles hovered beneath their eyes and their hair was greasy and unwashed as they pushed it back and away from their vision. An image stared at them from another monitor. A tall man, lean, with slicked back hair and cold blue eyes. They weren't all that dissimilar to the blue eyes that regarded the image dispassionately for a moment. Abruptly Jack stood, pushing the chair back from the desk. They walked away from the computers, leaving them running as they flicked several switches to bring proper illumination to the room. Their workshop was a mess, still not tidied up from their last Obsession. The device sat, humming, on a worktable in the centre of the large space. The rest of the room was littered with other half-finished Obsessions. They seemed to leave more projects unfinished than complete. They tapped the device thoughtfully. Perhaps this was one that would have been better left incomplete. There was a buzz, and they snatched up the strange bundle of wires, circuit boards and screens that passed for their phone. It was constantly being upgraded, tinkered with and adapted. Anyone who saw it would swear that it was a slightly different device every time it appeared. There were just two words in the message from Anna. She could be talkative, but not over the airwaves. Package delivered Jack smiled, their teeth startlingly white against their oily face. This might actually be a little exciting after all. 3 DAYS LATER It didn't do to keep blackmailed mob bosses waiting too long. Jack would like to say they'd learned that the hard way, but they didn't really do anything the hard way. Others might disagree with that view, but there is a certain kind of arrogance that derives from being the smartest person in the room. Jack was the smartest person in every room. It didn't help that they'd been raised to view others as beneath them too, much as they railed against their birth right, they had become the sort of child their father had always wanted. They were dressed a little more smartly today, the shirt had even been ironed, though not by Jack. It hung awkwardly off their gangly frame, tucked in at the front but hanging loose at the back, either by accident or design. Probably accident considering that the laces of their shoes had been only half-heartedly tucked in shoes, rather than tied. The maître d' had looked askance at them when they'd entered the exclusive restaurant. That look had melted away to be replaced with effusive politeness when Jack had dropped the American Express Centurion credit card on his desk. It wasn't Jack's name on the card, but the maître d' wasn't to know that. Jack folded a hundred-dollar bill into the head waiter's top pocket. "I'm expecting a guest. Blue eyes, dark hair, nice suit. A quiet table please." The table in question was mostly out of sight, and clearly out of earshot, in a spot that by some quirk of architecture sounded like the restaurant was empty. Jack folded another hundred into the man's pocket, "Wine, something expensive, one glass." They sat down, "I'll have a coke." The man, still effusive, nodded and left. The sommelier had plenty of wine. They'd have to send out for the coke.

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[Oliver Halle]

Oliver Halle wasn't surprised by much these days, while receiving information he hadn't anticipated was at least a daily occurrence it was rare he was truly caught off-guard like he had been just a few days earlier when a message had been delivered to him. He had quickly ruled out any internal leaks as responsible, compartmentalization meant that nobody who worked for him knew all of the relevant information, and attempts to track the identity of his newest source of concern were fruitless.

Well, he had always welcomed a challenge, there was no denying that whoever sent it was very well informed and to him there were no traits stronger then that, so it seemed a visit to the west coast was due. Oliver walked into the restaurant in a well-tailored suit that like most of his wardrobe was abnormally flexible for a piece of formalwear. He was not surprised to be told his contactor was already waiting there, clearly they had done all they could to ensure control over the situation, and while there were only a few photos of Oliver around none were under security anyway considering his existence was not a secret of any kind.

The person in question was indeed sitting at a table removed from the rest of the building. Oliver's mind subconsciously started the process of observing and analyzing them. Much younger than I'd have thought... late teens most likely? Somewhat underdressed for the establishment, but choosing it in the first place shows some familiarity with high society so it's probably intentional. He stopped his train of thought for the moment to not be distracted as he walked up to the table. With a thin-lipped and very slight smile he sits down and says "You've certainly gone to some trouble to get my attention. While I don't appreciate the security threat... I must commend the ability to gather such material to begin with. I'm interested to see why you went to the trouble". He spoke slowly, his words had no malice in them but did have a sort of underlying cold aggression.

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + Oliver Halle

"Call it advertising Mr Halle." The man reminds Jack of their brother, they have those same thin lips, that same deliberate method of communicating. Slow, measured, without anger. Yet about this man was an aura of threat. It wasn't quite obvious, but there was a sensation that crossing him would leave you regretting the action. Or rather, leave you incapable of doing so. It was the same kind of menacing air possessed by certain predators, like Siberian tigers or great white sharks. As they so often had with their brother, Jack ignored the aura. They already knew exactly what this man was capable of. There was little enough evidence of it, but for someone with Jack's resources and intuition the malpractice, misdemeanours and murders were clear as day. Even if they can only prove a fraction of it. "You have some very, very good accountants, and even better lawyers, clearly you are a man to be taken seriously. And a man who can afford the kind of lawyers you can doesn't need any more money." The coke and the bottle of wine arrives, being set down carefully by the waiter. They pour a small measure of the wine into the glass, then stand back to allow Oliver to taste it. Once dismissed the waiter gives a small nod and disappears with a promise to return in a few minutes for their food order. Jack flips over the thick, embossed sheet of paper that forms the restaurants menu. The selection of dishes is tiny, each more expensive than the last. They peruse it absentmindedly, having already memorised it and chosen their meal long before arriving at the restaurant themselves. Eventually they set the menu down. "I'm a spoiled rich kid Mr Halle, I was raised a spoiled rich kid and I've stayed one since I left home. Spoiled rich kids get what they want Mr Halle. There is something I want, and I think you are the person to get it for me." They push a USB drive across the table, "In return you can have access to my rather considerable, if I do say so myself, information gathering skills for a period or amount to be negotiated. Something a lot more valuable than any suitcase of cash. Although I can get you one of those too if you'd prefer." They lean back, kicking one foot up onto the chair at the side of the table, and slurp noisily at the ice cold coke.

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[Oliver Halle]

Oliver's eyes looked over his strange new contact. They (which was what Oliver was going with for referring to this person unless evidence to the contrary emerged given they were too androgynous to pin down) didn't look particularly intimidating, but even before metahumans that meant little. Oliver had gotten very good at observing and putting things together over the years- he couldn't have gotten to where he was without a lot of cunning. He was simply drastically outmatched in processing speed and power by the person he shared the table with, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep up at all, and one thing was clear to his mind as it processed the situation as fast as a normal brain could manage- the teen felt completely safe and comfortable right now. It was clear enough that the security breech had been entirely their work, and considering the Security market was one of his biggest, it frankly merited his complete attention when a teenager cracked the security of a security business.

Perhaps it was fortunate that he'd been dragged out here, Oliver had wanted to spend some more time in the west for a while. There was money to be made and opportunities to be seized here as much as there had been in the Midwest. His eyes briefly flickered to the waiter, taking a very small sip of the wine that had been ordered for him. Expensive, even by this restaurant's standards. Desire to impress yet to be flippant at the same time considering their own order almost certainly being something this place likely didn't keep a stock of.

Lips quirking up almost imperceptibly at the self-deprecating comment, Oliver took the USB, long thin fingers tipped by nails cut with extreme precision. "As you said, I'm not remotely short of money. Information though, that's got a value above and beyond what most seeking something from me tend to offer. I'll look into this, and assuming it's possible, get it to you. I assume details on how to deliver it are included here?" he paused taking a shallow breath. "I'm quite used to people being evasive about their identity, but having something to refer to you as would be quite helpful here"

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + Oliver Halle

"Of course." The thumb stick is a rather standard one, something that can be bought in any technology store for a few dollars. It looks new, and it is, for Jack had purchased it only a few hours ago before loading it with the data that Halle would need. The item in question was rare, practically unique, and required for Jack's current obsession. Normally they would have found another way, sent Punk or Anna, but as it was they needed it, and they needed it before the end of the obsession. What might have taken an accountant years to unravel, they had unpicked in only one sleepless day. "Nobody." The capital letter can be heard in Jack's intonation. "You can call me Nobody." It was the handle they had taken to using online, a simple word that the online community knew them by, those that were intelligent enough to unravel the tangled web they had surrounded themselves with. Jack might be the most intelligent being on the planet, but even they could not completely erase their existence from the all encompassing reach of the internet. They also took advantage of the services of those individuals themselves, in much the same way that they were now taking advantage of Mr Halle. "It suits me, cause that's all I am, just a Nobody. I doubt you managed to find much, if any information on me before coming me. That's probably for the best, I have quite an... Unpleasant family." It's not a threat, more a statement, and the tone and expression on Jack's face makes it clear that the words are meant wholeheartedly. They don't have anything even resembling a healthy relationship with their father, mother or elder brother. That their sister is exempted from that particular toxic circle is testament only to Jack's tolerance for her over the others. They have done their best to distance themselves from their influence, but even leaving the country would not indemnify them forever. "I must confess I am impressed that you arrived alone, most people like you usually have a goon or three in tow. No one worthy of protecting you?"

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[Oliver Halle]

Oliver's eyebrow raised almost imperceptibly for a brief moment on hearing his strange new contact's choice of identification. Nobody... it was a name of a sort he supposed, and dealt with the issue in the English language that required he have some way of referring to a person he didn't know the name of. They're one to keep an eye on, evidently metahuman, maybe some sort of data processing? He'd have needed to be able to run numbers at supercomputer levels and have a firmer understanding of economics than any computer ever could to have gotten the data on me that he did. Yet he seems actively frightened by his family... or was it Family perhaps? Unlike most of those to gain their powers in the event, Oliver was completely aware of the existence of the Families from his strong intelligence network, though even then he knew frustratingly little about the keepers of now completely broken secrets. He only knew this much from finding one of their informants in his ranks and the best the single relatively weak telepath in the Casters. Oliver prided himself on having all the information, the fact that he kept a detailed file on all the discoverable facts about every single metahuman that he could find the existence of probably had done more good for the Scrap Casters then the powers of the five in their ranks at the time of the Event who had gained them combined.

Yet there were still some gaps in his information- a lot of Heroes still couldn't be identified but he could still put in details about their appearance, powers, personality, and weaknesses. A few groups though managed to still evade his networks, he had even less information on the Families than he did on the Spades, and he knew no more than most well-connected criminals did about them.

At Nobody's question, Oliver gave a small oily smile. "Worthiness doesn't come into it. It would be very ill-advised to let pride come before practicality like that. I've met many 'people like me' as you say, why would I repeat their mistakes? This situation... hasn't given me any cause to feel a need to bring anybody else, I am perfectly capable of keeping myself safe."

[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + Oliver Halle

"No, I didn't think so. I'd have thought you'd have been able to attract some more impressive metahumans than those you have." Jack drops this piece of information carelessly, as if it is worth nothing. In truth, it really isn't. That gangs and criminal organisations have been recruiting metahumans is common knowledge. Though several new metahumans seem determined to set themselves up as gangland kings, most of them have been promptly squashed by the hired muscle of more experienced criminals. For the most part anyway. The criminal underground has been surprisingly stable in San Francisco for example. Though many make their way to the west coast to challenge Paladin for the title of strongest metahuman in America, they are promptly squashed, and the rest of the underworld remains relatively unchanged thanks to the presence of the Spades. They cock their head in curiosity at Oliver's comment. Does Oliver know of particular examples of these mistakes? "You seem a very practical man, that's true, but is there not a certain kind of arrogance that displays?" Jack themselves has come to meeting alone too, but they set it up, and they were more than aware of their own failings to know that they were arrogant. Though of course they thought of it as confidence. Jack has researched Oliver Halle, researched this restaurant and the area around it. "I'm sure cleverer men than you still value a little extra protection? Especially considering that you are away from your powerbase right now?"

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