14009/A Worker Bee in the Wild

A Worker Bee in the Wild
Date of Scene:	31 January 2023
Location:	Metropolis
Synopsis:	Jinx takes some Titans on a field trip to prove to them how insideous HIVE truly are
Cast of Characters:	Jinx, Terry O'Neil, Donna Troy, Caitlin Fairchild

---

Jinx has posed:
Just how much leash does one give a supervillainess? the construction yard is an active site. In the heart of the city, an old building was torn down and a new one is soon to be constructed. The facades were preserved to maintain the historical feel of Metropolis.

Of note however is the plethora of dirt, a key feature of Jinx doing more than just bad luck oriented magic. She didn't exactly usher them on site through an official entrance either - a wall panel that was loose was fine enough to get them there.

She keeps glancing back out through the hole. There's a look of determination on her face - she intends to prove to them that she's not just making it all up. Conspiracies sometimes make you feel like you're going insane, even when you know they're real. OR especially when you know they're real.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Perhaps it might not be particulary comforting for Jinx to know that, back where Vorpal comes from*, it is quite possible to be insane /and/ for conspiracies to be real. They're all mad there, after all.

"It's very cozy," the Cheshire volunteers as he steps through the hole, "Very Home In Garden." Emphasis on Garden.

*Well. HALF of him. It's like a Facebook relationship status update**

** It's complicated.

Donna Troy has posed:
    The leash has, in the main, come in the form of a specialized T-Com, which Jinx has been instructed to keep on her at all times. It's tracking her; that much had never been denied. It probably has all sorts of other options for keeping tabs on erstwhile supervillains claiming to go straight. It certainly doesn't do a lot of things other people's T-Coms do, like give access to tower systems. There's been hints there's something magical there too, though Jinx hasn't been able to detect anything. Bluff? Maybe, but Raven is something no sorcerer should take for granted. There's something about her mere presence in the Tower that sets magical senses on edge.

    Then there's the 'boss from hell' as Jinx has been known to refer to her, Donna. On the one hand Donna is the one who has championed giving Jinx a chance, and has leapt to Jinx's defense when others have been dubious. On the other she's not shy of making it clear to Jinx that she has a lot to prove. Donna's Wonder Woman's sister, and Diana has a reputation even amongst the supervillain set of being really /nice/. Why can't Donna be nicer?

    Still, at least Donna's giving Jinx a chance, and that extends to approving a mission to give Jinx the chance to prove her claims about HIVE. The fact that this could be a trap has been left unspoken, at least in Jinx's presence, but it's obvious the thought hasn't been left unthought. Caitlin and Donna are two of the Titans heavy hitters, and Vorpal opens portals for easy exits. This is definitely an 'it could be a trap' sort of team.

    "I assume this is more than HIVE breaking city construction regulations?" Donna comments, smirking slightly. Still not taking things seriously? The shield, sword and lasso at the ready suggests that perhaps the comment is more about keeping the mood light than reflecting a genuine skepticism of Jinx's claims.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's patient manner is very likely a bit of overcompensating for Donna's brusque manner. The redhead keeps giving Jinx encouraging expressions when she picks up on some hesitation or uncertainty. It's partly in her nature, in fairness, but she leans into it a bit more readily just so the newest addition to the Titans isn't facing an insurmountable wall of disapproval.

"Hey, I've seen what happens when construction is done without the right architectural permits," Caitlin murmurs back at Donna. She's in a blacked-out version of her athletic outfit, a shoulder-baring tank top and knee-length compression pants. She's eschewed the heavy loadout bag, given they're not more than a short trip away from a hot meal. Plus, it helps her move a little more stealthily, which seems a pre-requisite for this mission.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx feels like all of this is criticism directed at her. This has nothing to do with the Titans per-se and more to do with the way she's used to being treated growing up.

"Just wait...," she insists and gives Cait a confused look when one of those encouraging expressions is shot her way. She steps back through the hole and as a business man is walking past, yanks him in to the construction yard amongst the Titans.

He lets out an angry yelp, a balding man with a bristly thick moustache. He could work as a Ned Flanders lookalike. "Hey what do you think you're... oh it's YOU again." Apparently he knows Jinx.

Jinx frowns at the man. She pulls the wood back in place to give them privacy. Her toes curl in to the soil. "Tell them what you told me."

He dusts himself off and stands up, looking at the Titans. His eyes stare at Donna a little too long, "Gavin Webber." It seems he knows there's no use resisting Jinx, "I'll tell you what I told her - what I told the court. I have no recollection of approving that money transfer. Now, it's a tragedy what happened but it wasn't me. Sure, yes, it was my signature but I never approved that money."

Jinx looks at the Titans and explains, "He's talking a cargo crate used for human trafficking. Twelve children were smuggled to the docks where they... were left."

She takes out her phone and dials a number, <<"Hello this is Galway Banking how can I direct your call.">> Jinx puts on a happy fake voice, "Oh hi I was hoping to talk to Gavin Webber." <<"I'm sorry Gavin doesn't work here anymore.">>

It's that last part that makes Gavin look very worried and confused, Jinx continues, "Oh when did that happen?" <<"Three months ago">> Jinx hangs up. Gavin looks worried, "That ... I was there all morning working." And yet his shoes are dirty an there's grease and dirt underneath his fingernails. More the features of a labourer than a banker.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The Cheshire cat tilts his head and narrows his eyes. "Boys who tell lies go to a bad place," he says in a slightly sing-song voice. His irises turn a little red. Or is that a trick of the light.

"Twelve children, hm?"

He crosses his arms and glances at Donna, she of the Onboard Lie Detector. He tilts his head in 'Gavin's' direction, letting the silent question speak for itself.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna raises a hand. "Okay, slow down everyone. You're raising more questions than you're answering right now. Jinx, Vorpal... go easy on the guy." She narrows her eyes for a moment, then turns to Caitlin. "Cait, can you find anything out about this human trafficking incident they're talking about?"

    Donna turns her attention on the mystery banker, and gives him a reassuring smile. "Gavin, was it? Hello Gavin. I'm Troia of Themyscira. You may have heard of me by the other name I regularly use, Donna Troy. We're with the Titans, and Jinx here is helping us with an investigation right now. She's trying to turn over a new leaf and do the right thing. I'm sure you want to do the right thing too, am I right? I mean nobody wants to be involved in human trafficking. I'm sure it bothers the hell out of you to be tied to that and you'd love to have your name cleared and the people who are really responsible for that brought to justice, am I right?"

    Though her hand is resting on her lasso, Donna looks perfectly relaxed, and her smile grows wider. Why can't she be like that to Jinx? Well, this guy didn't ruin her exhibition for a start. "So let's just take this from the top. You work for Galway banking, right? And people say that you signed off on a money transfer that turned out to be involved in some human trafficking scheme? And when you were questioned about this in court, you told the court that even though it's your signature on it, it was nothing to do with you, is that about right? Let me know if I got any of that wrong."

    She tilts her head to the side. "And now Jinx is trying to convince you that you actually don't work at the bank any more, and haven't for three months. Even though you were working there this morning? Is that right too?"

    The smile stays, the head tilt shifts to the other direction. "So, to clear a few things up for me here... three months ago, would that be about the time this human trafficking thing happened? And can I ask what /else/ you've been doing this morning other than working at the bank? Because you're kinda dirty for someone who's been in a nice clean office all day."

    Donna's not giving any clear lie detector hints away to Terry, but it's obvious from the questions she's asking to those who know of that particular skill of hers that she's registering something odd here.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's left eye flickers with an inner light, tiny letters and numbers printing themselves over her pupil. Her right hand taps at a virtual keyboard concealed in her left wrist brace, integrated into the stylized Amazon steel.

"Holy Mary," Caitlin says with a choked voice. It's truthfully more prayer than expletive. She closes her eyes and shakes her head, dismissing the datafeed into her contact lens. "Twelve kids were found dead. Coroner is insure if COD was... exposure, suffocation, or starvation." Tears glimmer in one eye and she flicks at the corner of her eye in irritation. "This ...person," she struggles, gesturing at Gavin. "He's the only live link to the incident. He signed off on the purchase order to get it into the country."

Jinx has posed:
Gavin seems to relax when it's clear Jinx can't do squat to him because he's with the Titans. The Titans are legendary after all. "Yes that's right. The attourney general dropped all charges against me but but... but it is troubling yes."

Though there's something about him that becomes uneasy at the way he's being questioned by Donna, "Hey, look, I don't have to answer questions about this and my lawyer advises me not to."

Jinx huffs in annoyance, "You're wasting your time. He doesn't know because he didn't do it. And this piece of shit even knows why - he hasn't worked a day in his life for years but he still gets paid as if he did and he sleeps just fine with that."

As Jinx spills his secret he shrugs his shoulders in annoyance and says, "I can neither confirm nor deny that."

Jinx pulls out a packet from Nettie Crowe. A letter falls out with it on to the ground but she pours out the ingredient contents in to her hands, rubs them together and then blows the dust in to everybody's face as she speaks magical words, her toes curling in the dirt.

--

Each of the Titans sees the same thing, sitting at a computer terminal with a strange language on it. They are watching from the perspective of Gavin as he types in this strange language, the screen locks with a honeycomb pattern. He gets up and leaves what appears to be a storage room off of a coffee shop, gets in a white van, then drives to another building.

There he dresses up as a fumigator with three other people. The enter another skyscraper and go up to a floor which is deserted. They join the ranks of other fumigators, but they go to a quiet office. One cuts a hole in the window and installs an open/close mechanism while Gavin helps set up a very high powered sniper rifle. Once they're done, they leave and after getting back in the van, then getting out, Gavin's vision fades to black.

--

--

--

The strange vision ends. Gavin, however, has bolted during their little vision quest in to the last few hours of Gavin's life.

Jinx rubs her hands on her clothes and says, "There. Now you've seen it. He's just a worker bee. Anyone can be working for them and they themselves don't even know. You can catch them and question them but they literally don't know a thing. And they're finding ways to get their fingers in to new things every day. It's big already and it's growing. HIVE... is the inevitable outcome of last stage capitalism and mind control technology."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal shakes his head as the vision leaves him. "... so ... we've just witnessed the new age of mind control gig economy, is where we're at?" he asks, rubbing his temples. "... like someone looked at Jarvis Tetch's gig and decided they were going to actually take it /somewhere/."

He purses his lips and narrows his eyes, "Tetch isn't mixed up in this, isn't he?" He glances at Donna and Caitlin, frowning. "If true, this is a whole different level of threat..." he turns to look at Jinx. "Let me guess... they hide in uncountable websites out there, offering work opportunities to people in desperate situations... or greedy. Pop-up and pop-down operations that are hard to track afterwards?"

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna doesn't seem to have any interest in hanging around for Jinx's explanation of the spell. There's not even any congratulations for Jinx's spell casting! After all, she'd just employed a novel variation of 'The Unconscious Unseen', combining it with a memory projection spell she'd largely invented herself because the more common of such spells rely on the person who's memory is shared consciously thinking about it rather than having hidden memories repeated to them. The 19th century mage Finnegen, who devised the Unconscious Unseen, had based the magic on a trick taught to him by a Fae and advised against attempting any such modifications on the basis that Fae magic tends to have unpredictable interactions with more traditional mortal spell-casting. He was also a massive ass and extremely sexist and would probably have been outraged that a woman had figured out how to do it. Donna's supposed to be an Amazon, shouldn't she applaud such a clear proof of the capabilities of a female sorcerer?

    Instead, as soon as the vision clears, Donna notes the disappearance of Gavin, looks to the ground to determine the direction his footprints lead (the dirt Jinx was so eager to have her feet in has other uses!), and takes off into the air without a word.

    Donna unhooks her lasso and rises to a height of a hundred feet, moving in the direction Gavin had gone. She flies in the same direction before circling a little, hoping that he has not got too far and that his desire to get away means he's going to keep moving fast, and be a reasonably easy target for sharp Amazon eyes.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin whimpers when the spell takes hold. Every muscle in her body clenches tight. As Terry and Donna are well aware, the redhead has a *profound* aversion to things tampering with her mind. At least the spell is relatively short, and she's spared long exposure to intrusive thoughts or stray emotions.

"Where-- he's gone!" Caitlin blurts out. "I'll go that way and see if I can cut him off," she suggests, and starts jogging away from their location in a direction opposite Donna's vector.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx throws up her arms as Caitlin and Donna take off. "He's... argh." She looks at Terry, "They weren't listening. The guy is a no body." She frowns a bit and picks up the letter from Nettie. She folds it back up again and puts it in her pocket. Astute eyes can see Nettie offering Jinx a place to go.

Their prey had a head start and it becomes quickly clear with all the food traffic and taxis and cars and bikes, and bicycles, and the subway system, and buildings.... that he is gone.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"They were listening. Cait and Donna believe in the empirical method- they like to leave no stone unturned. They'll be back." He crosses his arms. "In the meantime, I guess I should slip into my Boy Reporter role-" he hasn't worked at The Planet for a hot minute, but- "The mind control. Hypnotic suggestion, magic, or is it via added 'accessories' like how Tetch does with his hats? I'm betting on magic since you said they could /resurrect/ a djinn?"

He taps his comm, "Donna, while you're out there, do you mind getting me a frapuccino?" He pauses and looks at Jinx, "You want anything?"

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna returns a short time later, without a frapuccino. "No sign of him," she says. "Which means he had the sense to get into cover. Caitlin's searching shops and cafes in the area, but if he's smart he won't have gone into any building with only one entrance. Maybe Cait will come back with your drinks order."

    She winds her lasso back up and returns it to her hip, then arches an eyebrow at Jinx. There's a short pause when she says nothing, and then... "Jinx, I know you're not used to working with us. But let us know what you're planning first. That way we can account for your actions, and we get better outcomes."

    "He may be a nobody, but if we'd grabbed that nobody, we could probably figure out /how/ the mind control was working. Don't forget Vorp, Hive was using Gizmo as well as Jinx here. That means they're happy using both tech /and/ magic." She does have good hearing.

    She frowns slightly, then perhaps a little surprisingly, gives Jinx a smile. "If you'd told us what you were planning, I could have grabbed the guy before you did it. Or you could have given your show to just one of us while the rest were keeping an eye on what was going on. Still, that's about experience. I'm pretty sure the team you're used to running with isn't big on sharing and cooperation the way we are. Still, good work Jinx."

Jinx has posed:
Jinx shakes her head to Terry, "I don't know how they do it. They never did it to me - too valuable an asset." A twitch of annoyance. She shakes her head about a drink order. Sure, she could speak over the T-comms, but she doesn't feel like that's her space to use.

When Donna returns, she knows this is the moment - did she convince them or not? Caitlin not back yet, but she knows that tone from Donna.

Her hackles raise but she doesn't do anything... and then suddenly she's told 'good work'. Her facade crumbles and she clearly doesn't know how to respond to those words. They aren't normal words she ever hears.

"Nn.. hm..." a nod, she's confused and parts of her brain are screaming 'she's manipulating you!' but this is Donna Troy, one of the 'good guys' so.. that doesn't really fit.

"Wh... yeah. Fine. I'm used to working with people who are more interested in being right than working together." The Titans are well aware, given the way the Five fought against them.