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Samuel Peterson.

A business mogul whose finger was on the pulse of the city - both the mundane and the criminal underbelly. With his investments in a variety of cover businesses and money-laundering schemes, HERO had rightfully identified him as a possible collaborator to the various criminal organizations that called Castleburg their home. With the reveal that he had been a primary investor behind the Fiendish Five, HERO has been forced to focus on him and reveal his true intentions before he could support another crime syndicate or mercenary team.

If rumors were true, his actions over the years would be partly responsible for millions of dollars in damage to the city, hundreds to thousands of injuries, and even the death of civilians and heroes alike.

But worst of all...

[color=00a99d][i]'This motherfucker gave Rocky 2 a 6.8/10! He's GOTTA be up to some shady shit if he's got such bad taste, no doubt about it...'[/i][/color]

Cinepedia was a vestigial branch of Peterson Communications, which served as a movie and television review platform. Despite being outclassed by several other review sites in terms of funding and reputation, the critics were known for their scathing critique of otherwise beloved films, and the forumns that were hosted on the site served as a fierce hotbed for discussion on a variety of genres. Rupa had been banned (and made sockpuppet accounts) over 38 times in defense of her favorite films. 

[color=00a99d][i]'Heheheh... Bet StallonePwn84 would be PISSED if he knew I was about to get his boss arrested. Serves you right, asswipe!!! RAMBO AIN'T A 6.5!!!'[/i][/color]

She coughed and closed the file she was reading on her phone, before pulling out a vanilla folder from her bag and lighting it ablaze. She had wanted to print the actual file and burn it like the spies did in the movies, but ALISA said that printing mission files that were supposed to be secret from ICOSA wasn't a good idea. And she was using the printers to make the invitations or whatever... Rupa ended up just bringing a folder with a few blank pieces of printer paper, and played pretend. She stashed the lighter in her pocket before dropping the burning folder into a nearby trashcan (which she had emptied earlier because she was scared of starting a real fire) and quickly made her way out of the alley and onto the street. 

It took quite a bit of convincing for Rupa to get sent on this mission. Considering her behavior on the Scavenger Hunt and several incidents that occurred in the last month of patrol (hopefully that cat was okay...), she didn't strike most individuals in HERO as 'subtle'. But after begging Ms. Duff for a few hours and promising to stop prank calling Powers at 2 AM from burner phones, Rupa finally managed to get a shot! If she managed to pull this off without a hitch, not only would she get her revenge on Cinepedia, but she could prove her responsibility and maturity to the other heroes!

She had prepared for the mission as best as she could - she actually read the mission file for once, she practiced her best snobby rich elitist impression, and even got her landlord Mrs. Yuvaves to make her an outfit for the occasion! A white dress shirt, a black vest, black dress pants, shiny dress shoes, and a bow tie. Rupa was hoping for a suit jacket so she could complete the James Bond look, but beggars can't be choosers. She even slicked her hair back into a ponytail, though she probably used way too much oil.

The walk to Passenger Island was surprisingly brief - there was very little foot traffic on the bridge, as anyone who was invited to the event was almost certainly being driven there in a limo or something. Within a dozen minutes, Rupa stood in front of the massive mansion that comprised the Peterson estate. There was countless vehicles parked all around the property, with frantic valets racing all around to clear space and allow more guests to pour in.

Rupa attracted a few looks from the other guests, almost certainly because she was dressed so well, and she patiently waited in line before approaching the intimidating doorman. She assumed a strange hybrid between a bow and a curtsy as she greeted the man.

[color=00a99d]"Ahem~ Good evening, my good sir! I believe Mr. Peterson is expecting moi?"[/color]

The doorman cocked an eyebrow, clearly unamused. Rupa maintained the pose for a few more seconds before awkwardly rifling through her bag, and retrieving the invitation that ALISA had made. He took it as she continued her practiced introduction.

[color=00a99d]"My name is Maxine Zorin, CEO and Founder of the microchip manufacturing company calle-"[/color]

"Hm? What the hell? Waitstaff are supposed to come in through the back! Get the hell inside, you're late!"

[color=00a99d]"Wh-!? I-I'm not part of the staff, I'm a guest! I got a backstory and everything!!!"[/color]

Rupa sputtered and whined as she was pushed through the door by the burly doorman, who was grumbling about the hiring manager cheaping out and hiring a crazy high school dropout to staff a formal event. As she stumbled into the mansion, she looked down and actually examined her invitation seriously - it was a nondescript paper, much less decorated than the invitations held by the other guests, with the word 'Waitstaff' boldly printed on the front in large text, just above the address of the venue itself. At the bottom was the name 'Ruby Zorin', as well as information about the dress code and hours.

Rupa could hear a cough from behind her, and turned to see several proper guests glaring at her for standing in the middle of the entryway. She quickly jumped to the side to allow them to pass.

[color=00a99d]"S-sorry sir! Super duper sorry!"[/color]

Being inside this place was way more intimidating than Rupa thought it would be. The entrance room alone looked larger than most apartments, and that wasn't even mentioning how lavishly decorated it was. The red carpeted floor instantly reminded Rupa of the Oscars, and the spiraling stairway nearby let to an upper floor that looked over the nearby ballroom. The ballroom itself was massive, and most guests had pooled in there and were listening to a string quartet that sounded straight out of Titanic.

All things considered, it was almost as luxurious as the Paksha headquarters. Missing a few dozen golden statues and death traps, but still orders of magnitude nicer than the shitbox Rupa was living in currently.

She wandered around the ballroom for a few minutes before eventually spotting the kitchen. If she [i]had[/i] to be waitstaff instead of a badass spy, then it would probably be smart to at least look the part. She pushed into the kitchen, immediately being hit by the intense heat and the sounds of dishes cooking and chefs yelling at one another. The kitchen itself was about as lavish as any other part of the mansion, with dozens of ovens, prep stations, and grills for any kind of meal. For someone who could barely use a microwave, Rupa couldn't even name half of the appliances she could see, let alone what they were used for.

Identifying the person in charge was easy - Cook up a Storm taught her that the guy with the tallest hat was in charge. In this case, a shorter woman with red hair who was currently hovering over an anxious-looking Pattisier. Rupa walked up to her without a thought, focused more on avoiding the other chefs who were running around and calling out orders or that they were passing each other.

[color=00a99d]"E-excuse me, I was wondering what I can do to hel-"[/color]

The head chef snapped towards the new arrival and looked Rupa up and down, eyes narrowing before launching into a frenzied critique and cutting the younger woman off mid-sentence.

"Why are you so late!? All waitstaff were supposed to arrive at 4 PM sharp to assist in setup and food prep! And you're not even in uniform!? Putain de bordel de merde! We specified Onyx Black for the vests and pants - you are [i]clearly[/i] wearing Charcoal! If we weren't running a damn skeleton crew, I'd kick your ass to the curb myself!"

Rupa crumpled instantly and almost had tears in her eyes as she croaked a response to the fuming older woman, completely forgetting that she wasn't even employed here.

[color=00a99d]"I-I-I'm sorry chef! I-It won't happen again, I p-promise! P-please don't fire meeeee!!!"[/color]

The woman swore as a pot began to boil nearby, and she yelled commands to a terrified Saucier as she left Rupa shaking in the middle of the kitchen. A tall, clean-shaven man in a uniform almost identical to Rupa's outfit pushed past her, carrying a tray of what looked like a Slider's millionaire uncle. He paused at the door as he looked her way.

"Grab something and keep your head down, greenhorn. Chef Cazenave hammers any nails that stick out. Read the card on the tray, give the suits some snacks, you'll survive. And don't cry, they can smell insecurity like blood in the water."

As Rupa hurriedly grabbed the nearest tray of appetizers, she was starting to wish she was assigned to the leftover mission instead. At least there she'd be torn apart physically rather than verbally. Rupa wandered around and desperately looked for one of the other undercover heroes. Eva was the number one choice, considering she was a known quantity, but hacker girl or one of the others would be more than welcome compared to flying solo... 

She reached up to the hidden earpiece, muttering a response as a few other team members reported on their presence in the mansion.

[color=00a99d]"S-shining like a shooting star, the Casino Royale of superspies... Alchemist has landed in the building. D-don't talk to Chef Cazenave, she's very scary... If anybody wants a sandwich, I'm near the alcoves and the bar..."[/color]

Oh right, she was supposed to blend in. And get info. Be a spy! Rupa walked over to a nearby group of guests, cutting in as soon as their was a lull in their conversation.

[color=00a99d]"G-good evening, gentlemen! Ladies, you look wonderful - that necklace is stunning ma'am, looks like the one from Titanic! Hate that she throws it in the ocean at the end... Could I interest you in a... uhm... 'Mini Kobe Beef Slider with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese on Toasted Brioche, served with a Balsamic Reduction'? I... I'll just call them Mini Royales with Cheese, cause I watched Pulp Fiction last night... Have you guys seen it? So it starts with-"[/color]

This mission was not going to end well.