Players:
Summary: Theo gets a one in a life time offer in the park! What will he choose? Will he go for the mystery box?!
Date: March 28, 2011
Log Title: Would You Like Some Candy?
Rating: PG-13
NYC - Central Park
Central Park is a large public park in upper Manhattan, largest areas of green with people reading, having a picnic, or playing Frisbee. Walking paths can be found all around the park. In-between the large area's of grass, the park is shadier with many trees. A large road circles the park where joggers, bicyclists, and inline skaters are commonly found.
Another day of grunt work. Theo would much rather be in the office, working on some development project. However, this sort of field check needs to be done on things that Stark Industries has put into the city for community support. It's good for PR, and it's better for PR if they check on experimental technology to make sure it's actually working. Today's project? a sprinkler system put in a section of the park, only set to run as the water is required, rather than on a schedule. He looks at his phone, the map of the park and the control box location on the GPS. Zoom. Zoom. He looks up, dark brown eyes scanning an area where the tall grass has started to crop up, along with other inhibiting vegetation. "Seriously?" he asks himself aloud. "Why can't they ever put these things someplace easy to get at?"
What looks like a set of twins wanders over to where Theo is. Upon overhearing his grumbling one of the dark haired twins smiles at Theo. "Hey there, can't help but notice that you seem to be working on something you don't want to be. I might be able to give you a way to be able to do it faster."
Theo steps to the edge of the high grass, stopping as he hears the voice. His head turns, a skeptic's scowl on his face. "I don't hire bums to do my work for me," he answers, and starts into the brush. He doesn't know what they want, but he doesn't look interested. "Go get a real job and stop waiting for the president to give you a handout." He crouches, trying to see the control panel. Where is that blasted thing?
There is a simultanious laugh from the twins. "Ah, I see, I see. You're a big man, think anyone who tries to offer you is a just a bum. Well sir, I guess you're just too good for us then. We were going to offer you a speical deal even at discount but it seems like you don't have the balls to be a superhero. Take care Grumpy!" They says before starting to head off.
Theo is not so easily baited. "Guess not," he answers, high stepping over some thorns. "Superhero? What does that have to do with anything?" He's not a superhero, he works for the Flushing Plant of Stark Industries. But hey, they are starting to walk off, so he pulls up his camera, and starts clicking some pictures. He triggers a sensor with his powers, checking to see if it is registering. The path ahead of the twins suddenly has the sprinklers come on, watering the grass for a moment before going back down into the ground.
"Seems like we…" Then the sentence is immediately interupted as the twins merger into being one person. "Or I, have gotten your interest." He looks at Theo like he's inspecting a piece of meat. "A scrawny kid like you, I could give you the ability to lift a car, or you can fly or, like me, choose the ability to make more of yourselves." The sprinklers going on and off don't really trigger any sort of warning signs to the MGH peddler as he's out here to help his market grow.
The teen accesses Frost's notice about MGH from the day before, and rereads it. "Right. MGH stuff, huh? You know the cops are looking for you, you're pretty ballzy to just start peddling to someone you don't know." He stands back to his feet, discreetly putting his phone in a position to take a picture of the dealer. He stays in the brush, knowing that it gives him a little defense if the guy tries to start coming in after him. "So you kidnap mutants, take their powers, and then sell them, is that it?"
Jeremy puts up his hands. "Woah woah woah there kiddo." He says. "Those are some big accusations you got going, you better have some proof behind you before you start accusing me of those crimes." He says. "And tell me what dealer isn't wanted by the police kiddo? If you're not interested just say so and I'll be on my merry way."
The dealer puts up his hands. "Woah woah woah there kiddo." He says. "Those are some big accusations you got going, you better have some proof behind you before you start accusing me of those crimes." He says. "And tell me what dealer isn't wanted by the police kiddo? If you're not interested just say so and I'll be on my merry way."
"See, I think the business end is more my angle," Theo answers. "Just because I'm still in high school, don't think I'm your average powerhungry knucklehead kid. What's the side effects? I mean, you can't just infuse powers into people and nothing bad happens." Why draw out the conversation? Because right now, he's creating a folder to store the data from the dealer's cell phone. His powers may not give him a lot to work with in a fight, but he's going to use them for what he can get.
"Eh sometimes you get a little moody but…" He looks at Theo up and down. "I can already see you've got that issue so.." He says with a shrug. "No kid, I don't have the time to stand here and play games with you so are you interested or not. If not, I'll fuck off."
After downloading the information, Theo gets a little distant for a moment as he answers. "Maybe I am. Let's say I wanted to be super fast, then what? How much does it run?" He scans the calls from the dealers phone, looking for possible people who might be over him. People who have been called frequently, might have notes about the contact, speed dials, whatever he can find. He comes back to reality.
"For you…" The man says taking almost a long time to think about it. "I'll charge you sixty bucks for five doses of super speed, a hundred for ten." Sure he's inflated it a bit but then Theo was a bit of a dick and he has the right to do so. "This stuff will make you faster then the wind."
"Forty for six," Theo counter offers. "You're inflating it." He doesn't know that for a fact, but he expects it given their level of cordiality. "I don't even know if this is worth my money yet." He stays on his side of the thorns. "And I'll throw in the offer of not reporting you to the cops. How fast is the wind? Got a mile-per-hour?"
"How about this, I give you a sample now. Just one." The man smiles. "If you like it, you can find me in the park. If you don't, well, you don't have to worry about spending your money. Though, if you come back, who knows what the supply and demand will make the cost."
Theo shrugs, "Sure, that sounds fair," he says. He most certainly won't come back to the same dealer if he can help it, he's sure he can find some others in the phone contacts. He takes a step over the thorn bush carefully, working his way out of the high grass. "So, out of curiosity, what would happen if you gave this stuff to a mutant? Would their head explode or something? If this works, I got a friend, she's a mutant already, but she'd be all about getting extra powers. One of those real powerhungry types I'm sure you can sell boatloads to. She'd probably even give you a blood sample for it."
"I've got a friend, classic." The dealer says with a laugh as he reaches into his coat and pulls out a pill bottle and hands one capsul to Theo. "So, you're a mutant already and you want more power. I knew you'd be interested. You have that look about you." He says with a grin. "Lucky for you, the pill will do the same to you that it does for me." though most the numbers Theo finds in his phone aren't fellow dealers but a few contacts, people who buy from him, and all are numbers without names. Mixed in those numbers may be a higer up.
"Me? Pfft. If I was a mutant, I wouldn't be buying from people who kidnap mutants. Don't even pretend you don't," Theo answers dismissively. He takes the bottle and rattles it a little before putting it in his pocket. He's not going to try it right now. "I'm more pragmatic than power hungry. I want things that serve me a purpose, not some joyride."
"Seriously dude, you are one pariond asshole." The dealer says outright to Theo. "All I do is sell this shit, and occasionally indulge in it." He has no clue about the kidnappings or how MGH is paid, just that he gets his supply from someone and sells it. "Super powers do serve some purpose, and that's why you're interested in MGH instead of some shit drug like pot or crack."
"Hey, paranoid keeps people alive," Theo comments, not fighting the accusation. "Well, See you around," he comments. "I got work to do, I'll figure this stuff out later."
