2013.07.27 - Coffee Ransom

When one accidentally steals someone's starbucks card, it's a handy feature when it's someone who is very easy to look up in the phone book. The teen looks fundamentally the same as she did before, even if its clean jeans and a t-shirt, although significantly more conscious than when last Justin might have seen her. She steps into the building that looks like offices, looking utterly out of place in age and dress, but not by mannerisms. She works her way over to reception, pausing there a moment to wait for the woman to get off the phone.
The blond receptionist finishes her call, then looks up to the rather out of place teen. She offers a professional smile. "How can I help you?" she asks politely. The security guard that's stationed behind the reception desk gives the girl a hard look, but doesn't move from his spot behind and just to the left of the receptionist.
Jazmin offers an easy smile. "I was wondering if Mr Hammer was free for a brief, very brief, meeting with Jazmin Cullen of the Legion of Superheroes." She doesn't seem phased by the extra scrutiny that her presence brings, perhaps even expected.
That catches the receptionist off guard. The Legion of Superheros? She nods, then picks up the phone. "One moment," she says politely as she dials the CEO's extension. The phone on the other end rings, and is answered. "Mister Hammer, I have a Jazmin Cullen here from the Legion of Superheroes, she would like to speak with you." There's a brief pause, then, "Yes sir, I'll let her know." The blond hangs up the handset and looks again to the teen. "He should be down in just a few moments. Please sign in." She motions to the sign-in book on the desk, but doesn't pull a visitor's badge since it looks like the meeting will happen in the lobby.
"Excellent, thank you." Jazmin moves forward, taking the pen to write her name neatly in the book before she turns towards the elevators to patiently wait. Her professional manner is entirely shattered by the shoving of her hands back in her pockets, lingering as she waits, taking the time and interest to look around at the decor and people going by.
The teen doesn't have to wait long, it's only about five minutes before the dedicated elevator on the right-side of the elevator bank dings and the doors open. Justin steps from the car, making a quick sweep of the lobby. Jazmin isn't hard to spot, and he blinks in surprise. After all, he didn't recall her name from yesterday, so he hadn't made the connection. He tosses on one of those less than trustworthy smiles he's good at, and walks toward the girl. "Miss Cullen, a pleasure to see you again. Hopefully we won't end up battling monsters today."
Jazmin twists up her lips into a wry little smile as she pushes forward, taking the few steps to close the distance between them. She offers her hand. "Hopefully not, I'm still resting up from the last set. It is a pleasure, and I realized that we'd never actually managed to meet or do introductions. So. Hi. I'm Jazmin Cullen, of the Legion of Superheros. Thank you for your help, it was appreciated."
Justin takes the teen's hand, shaking. "Justin Hammer, CEO of Hammer Industries. And I was just doing what anyone in that situation would do." Unlike most folks who say that, there's an air of pride in Hammer's tone. Sure, he was doing what anyone would do, with the full intent on getting some publicity for it. "So what brings you down to my quaint little corner of Staten Island this morning?"
Jazmin laughs warmly and there's a little wink. "I still think Honey suits you fine. I wanted to stop by in person, because I was pretty sure I'd never manage to get through to you on the phone, and let you know that I was holding your starbucks card hostage until such point as we can actually get that coffee."
The Starbucks card. Justin had spaced it until now, not having stopped in for his morning coffee this morning, opting instead to fix some at the office. He chuckles. "I forgot about that, you do still have it, don't you?" He raises his left arm and flicks his wrist to check his watch. "I have a little spare time and wouldn't mind getting out of the office for a bit, if you have the time."
"I do still have it." Jazmin confirms with a nod. "Although to be honest, how well it survived getting electrocuted might be questionable. I'm given to understand the current generation of cards are magnetic and those aren't always so delighted by a zot of electricity." Nor, honestly, was the physical body that also got that zot, but Jazmin heals. She mms softly, also glancing at her watch. "I could manage something brief. I have a meeting shortly myself, and my HQ isn't exactly next door. We might manage a coffee, before our respective professional lives steal us back."
The CEO frowns a bit, then nods. "Yeah, magnetic cards don't get along well with high voltages. At least you're alright, though. I think you gave all of us a heck of a scare. Alright, let me call my driver, unless you want to just grab something in the cafeteria. The lattes there aren't bad." They're not exactly Starbucks quality, but they're several steps above truck stop coffee, at least.
"I.. yeah. Not precisely my finest hour in terms of missions, but our medics cleared me for duty again, with an admonishment. I haven't yet seen my second in command this morning to get the mocking." Jazmin looks sheepish and then mmms softly. "Cafeteria doesn't get you out of the office, but might be faster if we're both on a timeline."
Justin motions toward one of the large hallways that branch off of the lobby. Once Jazmin starts walking he'll fall into step next to her. It's of interest to note that a lot of the employees avoid eye contact with the CEO, and he doesn't go out of his way to greet any of them. He grins at the comment about the mocking. "Being the head honcho, I don't have to worry as much about that," he comments. "Though there are a few board members and stock holders who are starting to get a little worried about the fact I keep finding myself in unusual situations." The cafeteria isn't far from the lobby. It's large, and decorated much the same way. There's a coffee bar that's set into it's own alcove, and it's set up much the same way as a chain coffee shop, just without the name.
"We have a more.. relaxed structure of command in the Legion." Jazmin answers diplomatically. "And our members are largely teens, so head honcho does not insulate me from mocking at having been carried out of a mission." She follows along with him in step, following his lead towards the in house coffee bar. "I expect the culture between your organization and mine are quite different in many regards."
Hammer makes his way to the coffee bar, though he hangs back enough to indicate that Jazmin should order first. A jerk he may be, but he can at least /act/ like a gentleman. Sometimes. He nods. "So you're the one in charge, huh? I've heard of the Legion, but I don't know much about your group. I try to keep up on as many teams as I can, but it's getting difficult with all the projects I have going right now." There's a bit of boasting in that statement, but it's not as bad as he usually is. He's doing a fair job of keeping himself tempered today.
"I am, currently yes." Jazmin confirms as she puts in an order for a caramel latte and then turns to Justin, reaching to dig something out of her back pocket. "The Legion is a little unusual, I get the sense of things. We're teens, by and large, for one. We're also all ... mmm.. not from around here. I'll put it that way."
Justin waves his hand toward the young woman working behind the counter. It's an unspoken signal for 'just charge it to me'. The young woman nods, and takes down the order, along with Hammer's request for a peppermint mocha. The CEO looks back toward his guest. "Interesting. I must admit, I'll never get used to seeing people so young going up against all the really nasty stuff out there." He elects not to bring up the 'not from around here' part of it. He has already had enough run-ins with aliens, and doesn't want to think about threats from outer space. There's enough bad stuff on this planet alone.
Jazmin draws her hand out, offering the gold starbucks card upon her palm to him. "It's been a large part of my life for years now, I can't imagine not being amongst the ones going up against the nasty stuff. If anything, I feel rather ashamed for not having been more effective in that fight. When did you decide to become a businessman?"
A large part of her life for many years? She can't be over 20, when did she start kicking monsters' tails? Justin takes the card, flicking it over in his fingers. "Looks alright," he says in a joking tone before reaching for his wallet to put it away. "Me? I don't know... Right after college, really. Wanted to be an engineer, ended up starting my own business instead. I guess it worked out." Again he's understating things in a sarcastic manner. One of his many charming qualities.
The drinks are prepared and set on the counter, the young woman behind the counter smiling as she names off which one is which.
"Nineteen." Jazmin answers the unspoken question as she reaches for her coffee drink. "Inevitably it's one of the stock questions, so I'll just stick it out there." She gives a little shake of her head. "College is the late teens early twenties age group, yes?" She glances around, quirking her brow and then turning her smirk back at him. "Seems to have worked out alright, Honey. You don't seem to be starving on the streets."
Hammer takes his coffee from the counter. He grins as the teen answers the question on his mind without him asking it. "Yeah, it is. Though I was twenty-four when I started this company. So maybe closer to mid twenties." He chuckles as he takes a sip of the coffee, careful to keep from burning himself. He shakes his head lightly as the girl calls him 'Honey' again. Apparently, that's not going away. "Yeah, it did. Plus, it's just busy enough to keep my interest. I'm not a fan of sitting still."
"Oddly enough, I have to say that I dont think college is likely to be on my radar. Nor business, but fortunately I've people for that." Jazmin sips carefully, leaning against the counter. "Busy is good, sitting still has its time and place, but well.. I would do what I do if I was a lazabout. Now comes the question that /really/ marks me as not being from around here. So what is it that your company does?"
The girl has people? Huh, Justin wouldn't have guessed that. He grins lightly. "Hammer Industries is mainly a defense contractor. Military weapons, armor, hardware and systems. I do a little bit of civilian market and private security stuff as well, but my main focus is keeping the country safe." Which translates into a nice way of saying 'I'm a war monger that builds really big guns' "So, you work on the side, or is the superhero thing your main gig?"
"Hunh, interestng." Jazmin nods as he explains the thrust of his company direction. "Research and development, or purely a reseller?" She sips from her coffee again, wincing a touch at the temperature and then she quirks that smile again. "The superhero thing is my main, and only gig. It's a slightly different take on the phrase 'my main focus is keeping the country safe'. A little more.. hands on."
"Both," Hammer replies to the question about the focus of his company. "I do a lot of engineering, research, manufacturing, and I do resell and customize some existing systems. Keeps as many options open as possible." He nods as he takes another drink of coffee. "I applaud you folks who can do the hands-on thing," he motions toward Jazmin with his cup, "Putting your lives on the line for folks like me. This country owes you all a big debt. I, personally, thank you." It's hard to tell if he's being sincere or not, the words don't seem to carry a lot of sentiment.
"I think that phrase is on a hallmark card somewhere. Absolutely on political cue cards. /Damn/, you even got the tone of voice the same. That's /creepy/, Honey." Jazmin teases him lightly with a laugh. "Do they teach that one in press conference classes, or are you aspiring for poliical life?"
Even though she's joking, Hammer does look a bit put down. Ouch, is he really /that/ bad? Well, yes, he is. He forces a smile and a chuckle that doesn't have a lot of humor in it. "Well, I /have/ been toying with the idea of running for president." The comment could be serious, or humorous. It's impossible to tell.
Jazmin's voice dips a touch more quiet, more personal as she looks a touch rueful at his drop in expression. "Sorry, I've heard nigh on exactly that phrase from politicians for quite some time. It's nice to get thanked, don't get me wrong, but there's something about the stock phrasing that makes it feel like policial buzz words to hit quota."
Justin offers the teen hero another one of his toothy grins. "Hey, hey, don't worry about it. I've worked with politicians so long that I must be starting to sound like them." Nice cover, right? It's not that he's insincere, just that he's around a lot of B.S.-filled political types. Really. That's his story and he's going to stick to it. "So how active is your team? I mean, things seem to be getting pretty nuts around here lately, I imagine you guys are keeping busy."
"Clearly." Jazmin agrees to that cover story with a touch of a smile, a lift of her coffee. She mmms and nods. "We keep pretty busy, yes. I haven't had a lot of people come to me and complain that they're bored, there's usually something freaky going on somewhere." She glances to her watch a moment, a little furrow of her brow as she notes the time. "My meeting must be running late. How about you? Business is going well? With all the pretty nuts around here going on?"
The CEO tilts his head slightly as the teen comments her meeting is running late. She must be waiting on a page or a call of some sort, to know that. He takes a drink of his coffee and nods. "Business is good. Been picking up some new contracts, and I've got some new stuff in the works. I'm going to be debuting one of them at the Stark Expo after it opens. It's definitely going to be one of my finer works." And my his work he means his hairbrained idea that he had teams of engineers busting their tails to try and make work. Of course, that part gets left out.
"Aren't you and Stark Enterprises competitors? You can debut things at his Expo? Or does it not work that way? I'm not terribly familiar with the Expo and the details of it, to know quite how ti works on that level." Jazmin's tone is curious, genuinely so as she asks him questions. A bingly ping sound emerges, much like a cell phone really, except apparently from her watch and she glances to it a moment.
Another forced chuckle from Justin. "Stark and me? No, not really. I mean, sure we have some competition on the civilian side of things, but that's good. Competition is good for business. Since he's out of the weapons game, it's a little different playing field." Another drink of his coffee. "The Expo is open to everyone from every industry. Stark just sponsors it. Besides, would it be funny if I busted out some new tech that really did give him a run for his money in his own back yard?" The man notices the beep, "That your meeting?"
"Ahh, I didnt' realize it had a broader focus than strictly weapons, I might need to see about checking it out." Jazmin laughs softly and gestures with her free hand. "Competition is good for business, right? And yes.. that's my heads up that we're just about ready to get going." The moniker of 'meeting' might be a little different in the Legion than in most organizations. "So I should probably thank you for the coffee. If you're ever along the High Line, stop in and say hey. Jazmin or Kid Quantum would both find me. And I should head off."
Justin nods to the young woman. "Definitely check it out. There's a lot of interesting stuff that should be on display. I'll give you a heads up when I'm scheduled to do my demo." He motions back in the direction of the lobby. "Any time, and if I'm on your side of town, I'll be sure to look you up. Let me walk you out."
"Please do, I'd be interested to hear your speal." Jazmin answers as she heads towards the lobby. "Thanks, and take care. Good seeing you again. This time, with 100% less Frost Giants."
Category:Log