2013.05.04 - A Job Offer

Grodd doesn't get out much. He never really liked human society, so loud, so complicated, so many little humans running around doing pointless things to fill their pointless lives. One of the few things he does appreciate about human society is their love of food and drinks. 
He's been walking around town all day with a low level telepathic field emitter on his wrist that radiates a calming effect making it perfectly normal that a giant gorilla is walking down the street. In New York people think they have seen it all and Grodd uses this to his advantage amplifying that feeling and wrapping it around him like a cloak. People just don't pay the supper-villain much attention they just walk past him like he's something they see every day.. Well, most people anyway. Sure there is the occasional psychotic break that will happen when a mentally unstable person sees Grodd's perception filter but, hey, omelets, right? 
The giant gorilla has decided to stop at a coffee shop and wait in line for a triple chocolate mint frappuccino. Entering the green and brown walled store he moves into the back of the line with all the other people purchasing a drink at the coffee chain he reaches up to rub his chin in thought while he waits.. Perhaps in his eternal empire he will have coffee slaves who run coffee shops for him. The world is a better place with coffee in it. Yes, definitely coffee slaves!
Quite a lot of people would already be called coffee slaves, but that would be more because of their own dependence on the beverage, not because they run coffee shops. Although, that's pretty accurate, too. While she's not quite a 'coffee slave' in any sense of the phrase, Fern does love a cup when she's wandering around Soho. Hence, her ending up in the same coffee shop, standing off to the side, not yet in line. She shifts lightly from one black booted foot to the other, her attention on a few crumpled bills and some change in her hand. The young redhead moves the coins around with one finger, lips moving absently as she counts, then her head lifts and she peers up at the price board. 
 
A small frown touches her lips, her attention falls back to the money in her hand, and her other hand drops to fish around in the sporran around her waist. Yes, she's dressed a little eccentrically, but does anyone notice that in New York? She found the traditional Scottish pouch on one of her thrift shop expeditions, and has, appropriately, teamed it with a plaid skirt. There's probably a name for the tartan, but she wouldn't know what it is. She just liked it because it's primarily green but has purple stripes running through it. Whoever thought to team purple and green was a colorblind idiot, and Fern would kiss them if she met them. She loves clashing colors. Topping her ensemble is an emerald green, v-neck t-shirt, one of many she owns. 
 
Her fishing expedition seems to pay off as she produces a few more coins, does a recount, and finally smiles. Just enough for a large cup! Finally she sidles over into line, ending up right behind Grodd. She's seen so many odd things in the city that even without the calming from the gorilla's transmitter she probably wouldn't bat an eyelash. It could be a really good costume for all she knows, and she uses the defense that has come to suit her best in the big city... she just doesn't think too hard about it. Everyone's gotta live. 
The Grodd is a super villain and the feeling of having someone so close to his back where they could easily stab him puts him on edge. He tries to fight it. He knows it's not a logical fear, that even if some human did stab him or taser him he would survive it, but his paranoid mind keeps bugging him and bugging him. 
Large hands close into fists. He lets out a heavy breath and shifts his weight from one leg to the other nervously. Why do humans have to stand so close?! The very presence of the human behind him slowly starts to erode at his self-control. He starts to breathe faster and the person in front of him gets a phone call so that just makes him more annoyed having to listen to this human talk to her girl friend about some boy she met. 
Outside a police officer walks by the shop and stops to look in the window when he sees Grodd. The cop knows there is something wrong in the shop, he knows he should be alarmed by the presence of Grodd but he doesn't understand why and he can't seem to think clearly. He just stops there and looks into the shop unable to move forward in his mind. 
In all fairness to Grodd, even Fern gets annoyed when people hold private conversations in public on the phone. And rather loudly, to boot. She leans sideways to look around Grodd at the girl in front of him, lips pressed together, brows furrowed. "They just don't teach anyone manners any more." The words are to herself, soft, but they still might carry as far as the ears in front of her. 
 
Fern sighs, shaking her head, and pulls back into her place, rolling her eyes as a very loud "I know! I couldn't believe he did that either!" comes from the phone-talker. At least the line is moving, so Fern will be able to make her escape fairly quickly. To block out the obnoxious conversation, she hums softly to herself, the tune, appropriately, an old Scottish folk song about a woman who loved someone above her station with a very sad ending. 
Grodd likes to consider himself an evolved creature, far superior to those of the human species and even to those of his own kind but there is one thing which will draw out his inner animal more than having to wait in line. The line moving is a relief to him and he lets out a breath trying to hold his temper. He distracts himself by twisting his massive body to look down at the girl behind him, both because it lets him not have his back to her and because he agrees with her. The gorilla says, "Don't worry, in a few years when I rule the world there will be no cellphones. They are a public nuisance. I'm going to outlaw them, and mimes. Mimes are creepy." 
It's rather random but hey, it's conversation and it keeps the big gorilla calm enough to stop him from just turning off the perception filter and demanding coffee or he blows up the city. Grodd is trying to keep a low profile and holding the city hostage for a cup of coffee hardly qualifies, "I don't see why you humans need to be connected to everyone you know, every second of your lives. Take Twitter for example, you send short digital messages to each other all day about everything you do and then when you finally meet in person, you are shocked to find you have nothing to talk about." 
The humming stops as Grodd turns to address her, and Fern's attention shifts to focus on him. His words bring a shy smile to her lips, and she offers agreeably, "I don't like Twitter. Or mimes, actually. How are they always getting shut into boxes? And why don't they ever suffocate then?" She shakes her head, shrugging her shoulders. "But cell phones are a good thing, when people aren't total jerks with them. You can have it with you for an emergency. Call someone if you go to the store and forgot what flavor ice cream they like best." This is offered with her smile returned, and a musing light in her eyes. 
Grodd considers the red head's words as he towers over her like a giant. There are a few moments where he considers her ideas and he establishes a plan for an emergency phone service using the existing cellphone network that will allow people to call for help and make personal calls with but if they use terms he does not approve of the phone shocks them into compliance and reports them... Those phones and the human dependency on them could make a great tool for his totalitarian control of the world. 
"You're right. Cellphones could be more valuable than I first thought." the line moves behind him and he shuffles around to move forward again before he turns back to the red head, "I think I'll send out a city wide mind wave next April first which programs all mimes to think they really do get trapped in boxes and trapped by invisible walls. It will be amusing," the big villain says.. jokingly..? 
Her pleasure at Grodd's agreement about cell phones shows clearly on Fern's face. She's always half afraid that anyone she talks to will yell at her, this is such a confrontational city! Still, she does keep talking to people, it's just in her nature to be friendly and curious about the world around her. 
She almost hops forward with the line movement, amusing herself for exactly two steps before she settles again. And her neck cranes as she peers back up at Grodd when he turns back. Red brows arch in surprise, amusement not alarm on her face. "That would be." Of course, she assumes no harm would come to them. Her head tilts curiously, and she asks, "You could really do something like that?" 
Grodd shrugs his large shoulders and lets out a breath again, "Of course, I'm Grodd. I can make people do anything I want." He holds up his wrist where a silver device is strapped to it on a leather band, "This is emitting a low level psionic field right now which is making you stay calm even though I'm a well known super-villain who has tried to take over the world on several occasions." People all around him look at Grodd when he says that but like the cop they either just stop and stare, unable to move past the idea or they dismiss the thought. 
"Mind you, I was younger and more foolish back then. I thought I could fix the world if I ground it under my heel. But I've seen the error of my logic. I've been mostly out of the super-villain game for several years." Grodd explains, "These days I try and fix the world's problems one at a time. Pollution, Starvation, I'm working on a few ideas for limitless energy then I'll be able to set up teleportation technology. No more air-ports. You'll just be able to program in where you want to travel to and be there in a flash of light. I'm going to solve the world's problems then when I rise up against the government the people will choose me as their champion not people like Superman who solves all of his problems with hitting people in the face." 
Fern isn't quite sure if Grodd is serious or joking when he talks about being a super-villain. She's not even heard of most of the super-heroes that can be found around town, and until some months ago had never even entertained the thought of meeting any. She hasn't even -thought- of super-villains, really. Blue eyes narrow thoughtfully as she regards the very large gorilla, "What made you change the way you do things? It's cool that you have, most people just think about themselves and not the whole bigger picture thing. And teleporting sounds neat, I don't like airports." 
The line moves again and the woman on the phone starts to place her order, while still talking on the phone loudly. Grodd says, "Remember about five years ago when all the people of the world got turned into Gorillas for about five minutes? That was me. It was after that point I realized I had a problem. I was over reaching." The ape lies as he moves forward in line again then kneels down to be closer to eye level for the little human woman.
"You see, I come from a whole city of super intelligent gorillas hidden in a cloaking shield. We've lived in peace for generations under the protection of our stealth technology but by the time my great grand sons are grown the city's population will be unsustainable within the limits of the cloaking field. We will have to spread out into the human world. But humans are many and we are few. Even with our advanced technology, the humans will simply overwhelm us and destroy us. " he explains, "I wanted to make the whole world into Gorillas so my people would be no different than anyone else. " then he has the decency to look embarrassed, "It.. seemed like a good idea at the time." 
The change in height as the gorilla kneels does ease the tilt Fern has to employ to look up at his face, and she takes a step sideways to accommodate the shift of his bulk. She nods understandingly, "A lot of things seem like a good idea at the time. But why do you think humans would destroy you? I mean, we don't have the greatest track record of getting along with things, I know." 
"Gorilla City has technology your human leader will kill for. We have almost no sickness, we live vastly longer life spans, we have energy technologies that dwarf your current understanding of science. I, for example, could easily grow a retrovirus which I could inject you with to stop you from aging or even reverse your aging process for a time." the Gorilla says not really bragging he makes it sound like these are the things a child could do, "Your human elite would wage war for what we have. You wage war now for oil, killing thousands of people a week. Imagine the deaths your leaders would approve in the name of achieving a near infinite life span?" the Gorilla offers then shrugs. 
"I can not trust your species to run this planet. You are too greedy. You consider the wrong things to be important. Your species is weak and short sighted. That is why I must rule you. You need someone in charge with the technology, the will, and the compassion to do what must be done. It is only when humanity has been dragged, kicking and screaming into a utopian future that I will allow my people to take the risk. " See, Grodd isn't a bad guy. He just wants to make the world a better place.. for him.. 
Fern leans again, glancing around Grodd to the girl at the counter, still yapping into her phone. Actually, she can't really argue a lot of his points, they are sadly accurate. And she doesn't think it ought to matter if the person in charge is a man, woman, gay, straight, what color... heck, why not a gorilla? Just that they make things better. She does protest, though. "There are a lot of good people. Ones who try to make things better and make a difference. Just not... that many it seems like sometimes." 
Grodd says, "Exactly! We need to figure out a way to eliminate the greedy people from power while putting those who would work for a better future in power within the system. Perhaps I'll invent a scanner that shows the brain wave patterns most associated with positive behavior." then he thinks about it and says, "You seem like a fairly ideal human model. How would you like a job? I could use a personal assistant. Someone to run errands for me, drive me around, stand in lines at coffee places and we could use your brain as a template. " doesn't that sound lovely? "I could make a device you could attach to television cameras that detect if a human is lying or deceitful, a filter to show their quality of character. It would change politics as we know it. " he muses, thinking aloud. Bu then silently he thinks that it would also give him the exact frequencies he would need to control the minds of any public speaker any time they were on the news... 
The offer surprises Fern, and she smiles, "Well, I already have a job. Two actually. I'm an actress, and I wait tables at a nice little Italian restaurant in Brooklyn." She laughs softly, "And you don't even know me. I could be the absolute worst choice for an assistant. And I'm scared to drive in the city." How can anyone even call that driving? There's so much sitting in traffic jams. Fern looks over as phone-girl finally finishes. Getting her coffee, not her conversation. She motions with one hand, "Finally don't have to listen to that any more. Your turn." 
Grodd walks up to the counter, or rather half steps up to it his steps are so wide and says, "I'll have a double chocolate mint Frappuccino and she will have whatever she wants." the clerk behind the counter nods and looks at Fern then Grodd says, "I can pay you two thousand a week, give you a car to practice in and you can stay at my beach house, far away from the city. Teleportation technology makes commuting to the city much less of a hassle." the super-villain offers.
 
"Oh! Um... large coffee, double sugar, double cream, please," Fern requests, then looks back to Grodd with a smile. "Thank you." The easing of her face is momentary, as her brows shoot back up with the gorilla's offer. She barely makes that salary in a month right now. It takes a second for her to get over that shock, but the young woman finds her voice again. "I do have an apartment," she responds, "And I like the city." She looks apologetic as she adds, "It's a really big decision. I'd need some time to think about it." 
Grodd nods and says, "I understand. Working for a super-villain can seem daunting but I really would like you to help me. " he says as he takes a napkin out of the dispenser and reaches across the coffee bar to take the pen used to write down orders. He writes his phone number down, "I am the smartest organic life form on earth but some times I get ahead of myself. Some times, if I work alone, I get off on a tangent and develop plans that seem like good ideas at the time but in hind sight where pretty silly." he says and he purposefully lets that word alone stress as if there is pain behind it as if for all of his bravado and power, deep inside he is a lonely, lost soul who needs someone to help him be a better man.. er.. gorilla. Offering her the napkin with a phone number on it the big gorilla says, "Here is my number. Give me a call if you find yourself interested, Miss..??" he asks never having gotten her name. 
Fern watches the gorilla's movements, thoughtful again as she does. She reaches to accept the napkin, glancing at the number, then smiles up at him. "Fern Fiddlehead. You can just call me Fern," she offers, along with a small hand to shake in proper introduction. 
Grodd's hand is massive and leathery, oddly warm with a higher body temperature than most mammals due to his enhancements, "It's a pleasure to meet you Fern." He lets his hand shake linger a second as if he doesn't get to touch anyone in a pleasant way often and there is that look of pain in his eyes like a king who's crown wears heavy on his head because he is so alone in his duty. 
Withdrawing his hand the Gorilla turns to the coffee jockey and accepts his drink. "It was nice meeting you." he says to Fern then he teleports away back to his home with his coffee leaving Fern to think about his offer clear of the effects of the reality filter. 
People start to act normal again around her once the Gorilla vanishes. Most of them choose to deny the events, some just forget it even happened, one of the men in the cafe pulls out his camera and takes a photo of here Fern and Grodd had been standing in line as if he had been on pause and just now started moving again but then he looks confused and unsure why he just took a photo of empty air. 
Fern is left to deal with the reality in her own way, the reality that she just talked with a Super-villain and he offered her a job... 
Category:Log