((Collab Post between Letter Bee and AcerRo))

As Cedric walked out with the memory stick, he noticed Elijah following him. Looking behind him warmly, the 20-year old said:

"So, follow me to StuCorp?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to Stewie." Eli saw the guy face down on the bar. It was wrong but Eli couldn't help himself, with pen and paper in hand. Eli left him a little note, one that said "I'll be seeing you. Give my love to Ruby. With love Elijah Craig."

Eli did as asked and followed the kid out the door.

"Anyway," spoke the boy, "saw you with the Dalai Lama a while back; that was surprising, even for you.

"Dude was cool as hell. I washed up at his door step one day and he helped nursed me back to health. Nice guy though.  Almost made me wanna stay. What's been going on here?"

"Things were mostly peaceful since the Metahuman Rights Bill was passed; we get some incidents, but nothing big...until now; there are rumors of an 'Underground Movement', a group trying to gather the remaining underworld Metas, with some vile powers with them, including [i]two[/i] cannibalistic Metahumans," Cedric said with distaste. "Of course," he continued, "much of this is guess and conjecture, but if Xenomorph guy is with the Undergrounds, and guarding Ruby, too boot - well, let's just say that they won't be above those two either. Also, some guys in the Gov't are running secret missions without my permission; it might just be a lesser matter - I doubt it - or it could be another conspiracy."

"You know, shit always goes south even me and Ruby get in the same room. I don't get why we need to have a bill of rights passed. Its not were from a different country. What else is going on? Anyone else get famous form that shit storm?"

"Alto did," spoke the young man, "same for that Toon-Metahuman, Light; I like her as a subordinate, but, well, she can be dense. That said, point her at some bad guys and wacky hijinx ensue." He then smiled, for the first time - visible to Elijah - taking something resembling joy at something bad happening to someone else. "As you know, Dicrector David Michael Taylor never knew what hit him."

"I never read or saw what happened to him. I was a little busy with Ruby and dodging bombs."

"Ah, let me tell you," spoke Cedric as they approached the StuCorp building, "it was an epic fight, with Director David Taylor - not to be confused with Taylor from Worm - spamming powers left and right, and the rest using teamwork and tactics to get around his epic array of battle abilities. In the end, though, Light dropped down from a portable hole and grabbed David until he became a Toon, and everyone else tore him apart." He then frowned sadly. "That said, he did manage to kill Bloodrune and Cypress, though."

"I never liked that River Rat. Bitch was always looking down and coming after me and Ruby. Before Ruby turned into a damn nut job. If I remember right, she and Ruby were both taken by Apature. I felt bad about that for a while. Till she sent Scarlet in to Stucorp. Speaking of which what's been going on with Stewie?"

"Oh, same old, same old, advancing his corporation, advancing his philanthrophy, working to keep people out of the prisons and inside the schools - sometimes through use of loophole abuses and other legalese - oh, and laying with ever remotely hot Joe and Jane ever since he lost his adoptive brother," Cedric quipped good-naturedly as they went through the door, and Cedric conversed briefly with the receptionist before going up to the elevator.

"I heard about that guy dying. What was his name again King or something? I hate it for you two. I'm sure you were all very close."

"Constantine Ramiel King; and, yeah, he was a surrogate uncle to me. He was kind, and nice, but also with a spine and conviction that few others could match. He was adopted by Gary's father, Martin Stuart, after the latter ran over his birth parents in an accident. That was probably where his 'forgiving, but firm' nature came from." And with that, they were at the Penthouse, where Gary was staring at them quizzically, and Cedric just realized that he had been talking about the man in front of him.

"What up Stewie!?" Elijah said jovially. "How's your hammer hanging son!?"

"Very well...on all accounts," Gary Stuart said, his youthful face making him look like a somewhat older, western version of Gary Oak from Pokemon. "So, you here for your stuff?"

"Among other things. Anything I need to know before we transact some bidness?" Eli had left a decent sized fortune with Gary before leaving. He didn't know if it would be called insider trading but since he knew that Apature was going under and stocks all over California were going to take a dive. Eli asked Gary for as much as he could and watch over his investments. Eli didn't have anything other money so he asked that it be watched over.

In fact when he left all Eli took with him was a back pack full of money. He had made it last till now but he was running in empty and needed a place to sleep while he was in town.

"Well, the economy is rising, while certain other corporations, such as New Sun, are trying to do what Aperture did, but are making weak tries at it...until the Underground Movement - and note, this is just speculation - gave them spine and encouraged them to use their collective bargaining power. But other than that, nothing."

"I keep hearing about this Underground horse shit. I can't help but wonder if Imma be dragged into this. I am wondering if you guys are gonna ask me to do something for this movement or meta rights or whatever is going on around here."

"I do have a small fortune I can use," spoke Cedric, "if you're again willing to be hired. Problem is that if the direction of this conflict goes the way I'm expecting it to, I'm going to need some muscle, some muscle that doesn't belong to someone who can't be bothered to care about the larger conflict - sorry, Light! I respect you but that's true - a jingoistic asshole whose sense of morality is in the black and white stage, and a guy with sister issues."

Eli sighed and flopped on a near by couch. He rubbed his temples for a second before speaking. "If Stewie is as good as I hope, I won't need any money. I am gonna need some clout. A lot of people are still scared shirtless of me... I need some pull and an office, somewhere fancy and I need some guns... And a place to start... Now you know if I startstart and it gets to going bad, its gonna be really bad, right?"

"My parents started out in Chicago, but had a mansion here; which I had cleaned up and refurbished; it's also stocked with an armory; my parents profited off the tail end of the arms trade. Of course, most of the arms are obsolete for ten years, but, well, they're still functional. As for a place to start...Gary, can I make use of Bloodrune's replacement,  Halo?" Halo was a Metahuman who can predict major disasters when nearly aphysxiated, which made Gary iffy on using her powers, but, well some things could not be helped.

"All right, Ced," he spoke, not happy with this sudden request. "But make it quick."

"Okay, I can work with a house full of guns and the like. What's my money look like? I need to get my connections going and make some new ones."

"That's my cue," said Gary, "it seems that your investments had gone like a skyscraper; up up up! With a few exceptions, of course; but on the whole, you're a wealthy person, Elijah."

"Oh Kid! Before you leave." Eli jumped to his feet, walked over to Cedric and sent a power hook to his eye. " Next time, I'll kill yah. Now then let's get on with work."

------

An hour later, the group were watching an 18-year old woman, with white-blond curls, blue eyes, and clad in white-gold robes being strangled via garotte by drones she herself controlled by remote, something that was very disturbing to watch. Which was why when the scene ended, Cedric was all:

"Halo, are you all right?!" he said, running up to the woman, checking for a pulse. She was all right. She then said, once her voice returned:

"Cedric...everyone, on New Sun Tower, two weeks from now, a child will be born, the son of Isabella Lancaster and Jaden MacFadden, aka Shifter, via a surrogate mother. Said child will have the power to turn into a tree whose fruit can heal Metahumans...and grant powers to Non-Metas. Allow that child to be concieved, then take him away. He is the key to saving the world; [i]Eden[/i] will be his name."

Eli sighed, he knew this was gonna be bad. "Shit what happened to nine months!? This shit is unnatural! Heresy I says! Kill them all and take the tree baby for ourselves damn it." It was bad form to make light of this situation but Eli didn't care. The end result was the same, a lot of people are gonna die again. He started to wonder if he stayed away from Ruby would all this shit keep happening?

"We spare Ruby - she's been giving me info - and Harper," spoke Cedric in a matter-of-fact tone. "Same for whatever poor sucker they got to use as a surrogate. Everyone else - we kill."

"Who the Fuck is Harper?" Eli assumed it was the guy who some time earlier had said he smelled of "rotten meat." Still it was a point he needed to get across. Eli didn't care who they were, if they got in his way, they were gonna be dealt with.

"Ruby's bodyguard, Xenomorph guy with acid blood, blades, super strength and...umm...facehugging," Cedric said. "I don't want him to be permanently hurt, so I'm going to have either to fight him myself, or get someone else to do it for me. Sigh, and I wanted to fight Shifter..."