Opportunity Presents Itself (Closed)

[Ignition]

Walking down a cold, snow covered sidewalk, Jason adjusts the hood on his head. Sidestepping a few people walking in the opposite direction, he looked up at the streetlight to get an idea of the current snowfall.

"This is ridiculous." Veering down the next alleyway he sees, Jason rubs his hands together in hopes to re-gain the feeling in them. Looking around, Jason spots an empty garbage can and a recycle bin. Lifting the cover off the recycle bin, Jason chuckles to himself.

"People and their 'going green' initiative." What appears to be old newspapers and magazines, Jason starts pulling them out and setting them in the metal garbage can. Feeling satisfied with the amount of burnable material he has in the can, Jason pulls out his Zippo and lights it with his right hand. Bringing his left hand over the flame, he creates a baseball size ball of fire and tosses it onto the papers. Which are, in seconds, burning at a considerable rate. Tossing a few more papers in, Jason rubs his hands together over the flames.

"I feel sorry for those who need to rub sticks together." He says turning his head toward the street. Not seconds after he turned his head did he see a black stretch-limousine pull up and stop under the street lamp. After watching it for a while and no one getting out, or in that he could see, he turned his attention back to regaining his warmth. Then suddenly, he felt an urge to go to the limo. Not knowing where it came from, he tried to disregard it but to no avail. Something was telling him to get in the limo.

Not wanting to fight it, Jason found himself walking toward the limo. Once on the sidewalk, the driver got out and walked around the front of the limo to open the door for him.

"The Illusive Man awaits your presence." The driver said, with a voice that reminded him of Michael Cane.

Jason then got in, the driver closing the door behind him. Then lifted his gaze to a man sitting across from him. No longer feeling the presence from before, Jason believes to be looking at it.

[The Illusive Man]

Keeping his gaze on the file in his hands, Andrew listened as the man he had been looking for got in his limousine. Finally having him in his limo, Andrew released the control he had over Jason and looked across to him. Noting the look of confusion and discomfort that was being projected back at him.

"Jason Riker. I gotta say, looking for you was quite the hunt." He closed the file in his hands and set it on his briefcase in the seat next to him. "However, looking for you and looking at you..." Andrew then lifted his eyes finally to meet Jason's. "Well lets just say the feeling is indescribable." He then reached into the inside pocket of his suit and pulled out his flask, taking a quick sip. "Right now your probably asking yourself three questions. Who is this man, how does he know about me, and what does he want from me. The answers to those questions are really quite simple." He then tucked his flask back into his coat, grabbing Jason's file again.

"I am the Illusive Man and I call myself that because I am a man who is supposedly six-feet-under." Looking through Jason's file, Andrew continues. "You see, last year I faked my own death. Why? Because I thought it to be a thrill ride unlike anything I've ever experienced before. That, and the fact that I was bored." Andrew then reached back into his coat and grabbed his flask, taking another quick sip of the alcohol inside. "Unfortunately for me, I didn't see the cons that outweighed the pros. Which leave me unable to conduct myself normally in public. And that, Jason, leads me to you." Andrew then closed the file he was looking at and tossed it on the seat next to Jason.

"Everything I need to know about you is right there in that file. Where I got it and who I got it from are of no concern to you. The only concern you should have is that I know everything there is to know about Jason Riker." Andrew watched as Jason flipped through the file given to him. "Being the only survivor of a fire of that magnitude, suggests you too should be a dead man. And yet," he said taking a pause, "here you are." He then looked out the tinted window and down the alley at the fire slowly burning off inside the trash can. Then he looked back to Jason, who looked back at him. "You see Jason, I have a hard time in believing that house fire was more than a mere accident. Everyone in it was charred to a crisp and yet," he said with another pause, "here you are. Not a burn on you."

"Up until I read that file in your hands, I thought I was the only one of my kind." Andrew then held his coat open with his left hand, raised his right hand slightly in front of his chest, and from out of his inside pocket, his flask hit his palm and Andrew took hold of it. "You see, I have super-natural abilities as well. Just as I'm aware you do." Then twirling his finger above the flask, the cap gets unscrewed and he takes a sip. "Which leads me to my next point. I want you to do the things for me that I cant do in public. Essentially making you a glorified assistant. If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I'm a man of means. And my means are simple." Andrew then extended his index and middle finger, levitating the suitcase beside him over to Jason. "I get what I want, Jason. If I cant pay you, I make you. It's that simple."

[Ignition]

Jason looked through the file in disbelief as he listened to the man talk. This man, this Illusive Man, was right. Everything about him was in the file. Academic scores, a run-down of every job he's had, previous arrests, even the accident that followed him learning his abilities. Which, up until reading this file, he forgot about. Then he looked up as the man said he wasn't the only of his kind. And watched in awe as he pulled out his flask without touching it. Then later doing the same thing with the briefcase.

"I get what I want, Jason. If I cant pay you, I make you. It's that simple."

Jason then came to the realization that the presence from earlier was in-fact The Illusive Man making him get in the limo. Lifting open the briefcase, Jason's eyes went wide as he saw it was filled with money. Jason guessed it to be over two hundred thousand. After closing it, Jason set it on the seat next to him with a hand on it.

"Well, Illusive Man, it would seem to me that you already have made your decision of either paying me or making me. Honestly, I would prefer to be paid." He said adjusting himself more comfortably in the seat as The man knocked on the window behind him. Signaling the driver to do his job and drive. "But, if there is one thing you need to know about me, its that I don't half-ass anything and I would prefer to work alone. I have no intentions of sharing this," he says patting the case next to him, "with anyone. As for where you got my information and how you acquired it, I'm willing to let it slide. For now. But know that at some point in the future I will ask you and you will give me an ans..."

Jason was then cut off as he felt himself being choked. Looking up he say a look of anger on the Illusive Mans face, and his arm stretched out in front of him.

[The Illusive Man]

"One thing I forgot to mention, Jason." Andrew said as he leaned forward slightly, holding his right hand in front of him, choking Jason without touching him. "I don't respond to well to threats." Watching as Jason then tried his all to nod, Andrew released his grip on Jason, who then coughs his way to getting his breath back.

"You want to accept my offer, thats fine. But never, ever, threaten me again." He then sat back in his seat and in an attempt to regaining his composure, he unscrewed the cap of his flask and downed what was left of it. "Now, as of this moment you will do as I say. How you do it, is completely up to you. But I expect the job to be done none the less." He poured and offered Jason a glass of water from the small bar in-between him and Jason. "You are, whether you like it or not, mine." He said as Jason accepted the glass that was offered.

"Being mine you will be given a new name. From now on you will not be known as Jason Riker. You will, from this day forward, be known simply as Ignition." Judging by the look of satisfaction on Jason's face, Andrew was pleased he liked the name. He then grabbed a cigarette from a small jar on the bar. Patting his pockets he brought his eyes up to meet Jason's. "I seem to have misplaced my lighter, would you mind?"

After Jason reached forward and lit his cigarette, Andrew used his telekinesis to lower the windows for ventilation. "Now, Ignition, inside the briefcase you will fnd a wireless earpiece. Wear it at all times. It is my way of staying in contact with you." He says feeling the limo stop. Looking out the window, he sees they are at their destination. "You will also find a card-key. That card-key is to the presidental suite of that Plaza." He said pointing out the window. "Like I said before, keep that earpiece on you at all times. I will be getting a hold of you for a job soon. Now go."

Andrew watched as Jason grabbed the briefcase and got out of his limo. Taking a hit from his cigarette and exhaling the smoke from his lungs, Andrew couldnt help but let himself over to the all too familiar feeling of self-empowerment.

Closed