((Collab Post between Lord Santa and Letter Bee))

[b][i]Flashback[/i][/b]

Before returning to the International Heroes headquarters, Cedric Wessex, the (nominal) Big Good of the Reformist Movement, went down to the StuCorp Labs to meet up with Trickster, and perhaps Alto if he remembered the meeting. Nevertheless, the young man, his 20-year old visage curious as ever, went to a secluded alcove near the Drone Development Wing and waited...

A man in a dark blue suit walked through the front door of Stu corp labs, with neatly combed brown hair and a clean-shaven face. His black shoes echoed on the marble floor as he strode towards the reception desk. He approached the desk and tried to grab the receptionist's attention.

"Excuse me." The man called. "I'm here for an appointment with... someone who's expecting the Trickster."

"Ah, that would be Mr. Wessex," said the receptionist, "he's currently in the labs," the woman's voice sounded tired, as though she had seen this sort of thing before; seen it all, even. Should the Trickster go to said labs, he would find a distinctive and distinguished-looking person, whose brown hair and blue eyes, combined with a deceptively soft-looking face, gave off a look of both maturity and innocence, accentuated by his longcoat, which covered his T-Shirt and Jeans.

The receptionist had given the man more information than she knew. The man knew that Wessex was the name of the leader of the reformation council. Quite the lofty position to be relying on someone with as shifty a personality as the Trickster, and one might wonder exactly why a leader of the reformation council would do so. The only answer would be because the Trickster could get a job done, and the job likely included things which weren't exactly legal. The advantage of hiring a mercenary company was that they could do things normally outside the bounds of law, and it appeared like it was the case now.

The brown haired man smiled. It would be an interesting job.

-----------------

The man paced into the labs of Stucorp, looking around at the technology inside. It wasn't an amount to laugh at, and Stucorp were one of the most technologically advanced companies on the planet. The man walked slowly, and finally found his employer. A 20 year old man with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Wessex. You seem to have hired the Trickster for a job." The man called out, walking in slow measured paces before coming to a stop a few meters away from Cedric. "I'm here to sort out the details of said job."

Cedric smiled, seemingly unsurprised by the arrival of either the Trickster or a representative - it was hard to know with illusionists. Nevertheless, if he can get the Trickster to do a job for him, either way would be good.

"Okay," Cedric continued, "the problem is that I need an unusually subtle person for said job, and the three people I currently have on-hand in LA - sorry Light! - cannot be depended on for subtlety. Basically, I need to know more about the Underground Movement, which, as you would already know, is a group of Metas who want to destroy the current peace, a peace that I have been tasked to maintain. I have already been contacted by one of their members, and I have recieved a...prediction that they're doing something big. Actually..." he said, "...you may be the solution to a problem that's besetting me."

"Basically, a new Metahuman is about to be born in two weeks; his conception accelerated by the nature of his DNA. This Metahuman, when born, can transform into a tree whose fruits grant perfect healing to a Metahuman, and can give Metahuman powers to a Non-Metahuman. I want the surrogate mother bearing him taken from the Underground Movement and brought to a place where she can be saved from her accelerated pregnancy. And, I won't lie; I want the child myself," [i]for Elena, for peace, for the physical salvation of All Humanity, Meta or Non-Meta.[/i]

"So from that, I'm assuming you want the mother alive." The man said. "Well, that's probably manageable. But do you have any other information about the underground movement? I'm sure you do, and it's necessary."

"I just discovered today - from a source that I don't want to use again - that they have a base under New Sun Corporation's tower. I'm not allowed to invade it just yet due to me needing evidence, but I can probably find some in about...two weeks. Perhaps sooner."

"Well, that's fine." The man sad, light traces of disappointment in his voice. "I didn't expect you to have anything... Well, nevermind."
He walked up to Cedric and stuck out his hand.
"Consider this job taken." He smiled. "The Trickster is in your employ. We can discuss the payment details later."

Cedric grasped Loki's - not that he knew his name - hand. And that was that. The man smiled and began walking away. At the door, he turned back and said his goodbyes.
"We look forward to working with you, Mr. Wessex." The man said, his tone that of a proffessional.
With that, he walked out of the door.