Characterization Corporation

"Excuse me, ma'am!"

This was the closest coffee shop that Richard Ruiz could find. The effects of the extra caffeinated brew sustained from his last battle were setting him on edge, and he had quickly pressed through the doorway, scrambling for the main counter.

He saw the barista. "Ma'am!" Here he was, a businessman garbed in blue, fresh off a mentally exhausting battle of attrition, jittery and unkempt, unable to stand still in one spot. About to fall on the floor, he fell onto the counter instead, catching the surface with his arms and leaning forward.

His arms and hands were jittering. "I need...the strongest, blackest coffee you've got." Ruiz shoved his hands in his pockets, struggling to pull out his wallet. "This is a- an emergency, ma'am!" he continued, his struggle with a simple task becoming more comically inept and overexaggerated. "COFFEE!!!"

Yvette looked up at the first mention of "ma'am" to find the over-zealous businessman all but throwing himself over the counter to get at the coffee. Her eyes widened, somewhat in disbelief and also in no small amount of surprise as he ordered her to get him the blackest coffee she had.

"O-of course, sir." She didn't argue, but hurried to fulfill his order. She'd encountered worse than just a few curt words coming from people in a panic, rush or otherwise who were in various stages of caffeine withdrawal. Though she had to admit, this one was the worst she'd seen in some time.

"Are you okay?" she asked, as she handed over the cup of her blackest, strongest coffee. It was so strong, a spoon would stand straight up in it. As she handed it over, she felt a soft ease of power transfer to the cup. Oops.

With his disposition worsening, Ruiz took the cup and took a long sip. Ah, perfect- just like the blackest coffee they've got back at the OKAY Black Sea-

It was fortunate that he quickly set down his cup on the counter right as he collapsed onto the floor. Within seconds of consuming the strongest coffee he thought he could find, his body, and the extra brew that had been forcefully injected into his mouth just hours before he got here, began to react.

Ruiz ceased shaking. He knew at once that the brew's effects were fading. It was incredibly awkward to be sprawled out on the floor like this. Hopefully nobody would call the emergency hotline.

A few seconds after collapsing, Ruiz felt his muscles loosen up, free from the earlier agitating effects. The unnatural caffeine had been ousted by a more natural one. He had yet to find out how it exactly worked, how Fred knew about these effects.

Still laying on the floor, Ruiz began to speak. "It's alright, ma'am. No need to call for help. I'll be fine, I just..." He cut himself off by inhaling and exhaling slowly. "I am so, so sorry for what happened right now, I just...uh..."

He sat upright, sighing. "Note to self: do NOT engage the Coffee Mechs directly." With both hands on the counter he began to pull himself upward.

(OOC edit: sorry, accidental double post)

(I love him!)

Yvette eeped and jumped to the counter to look down at his prone form. She was reaching for the wireless phone and after fumbling for a moment, realized it was in the back--and anyway, by that time, the poor businessman was slowly recovering from his...what? Heart attack?

"Are you s-sure you're okay? I can call an ambulance...maybe you shouldn't drink that coffee." She suddenly felt responsible and remembered that burst of power. Had that been her fault? Her face flushed uncertainly with the blame.

She came around the counter to help him up. "Let me at least get you in a chair." She dragged a barstool over so he could sit for a moment. She frowned slightly as she observed him. "What's a...Coffee Mech?"

Ruiz, slowly but surely regaining his balance, plopped onto the seat that was provided for him. As he stretched, pushing his arms backwards to loosen himself up even more, he began again: "Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate the hospitality."

He quickly sat upright, taking another deep breath. His facial expression morphed from relief to seriousness. "That whole spazzing out that you had just witnessed was induced by an extreme dose of caffeine," he continued. "Literally minutes before I got here I was ambushed by some jerk wearing a mechanical power suit. His suit - and I daresay he as well - was powered by the most caffeinated coffee I had ever tasted in my life. I had nothing on me to stop him. He sprayed a gallon of iced coffee at me, and I ran. I know, I know, my clothes are dry. I'll get to that later.

"I couldn't help but taste this brew he kept shooting at me. A few minutes after I fled, this crazy caffeine effect hit me hard. You saw me twitching like crazy. If I had hesitated any more, I would have lapsed and gotten knocked out cold. But this coffee right here..."

Ruiz stopped to take a sip of the black coffee provided for his aid. "Incredible," he commented, "A fine blend. Your coffee saved my life, ma'am. You have my gratitude." He took another sip. He didn't except the barista to understand; yet the folk remedy worked, for the time being.

The absurdness of the whole event made Yvette laugh as the businessman waxed on about his fight with the ice-coffee man. "A caffeine overdose is really bad," she agreed, "but not in the way most people seem to think. You're lucky you just collapsed in a heap on the floor, and not flat-out unconscious."

She sat down next to him. "Are you one of those people who needs a caffeine drip to keep you stable?" She still flushed at his praise though, merely shrugging it off. "It's just coffee--brewed strong enough to tar and feather people in. Or nearly."

"A good cup of coffee starts me up five days of the week. I don't think I'm dependent on it, though. Now fruits and vegetables - I always make sure I have one or two cups of those every morning. Even on the days I have to go forty-eight hours without sleeping, I always bring something fresh to munch on."

Ruiz shook his cup a bit - half-empty, he could feel. The black coffee was making him sane again, in a way.

"I supposed now that I've fled I have time to think about what I'm going to do next. I'm going to have to report back to my collaborators about what just happened, and send out an APB about giant coffee machines that are worn as power suits."

Yvette grinned. "Well, next time I see one, I'll have to hire him. He could probably make a killing by going mobile. And of course fruits and vegetables are good for you. They give you energy for sure. Where do you work?"

She saw him swish his cup and held her hand out for it. "I'll top it up for you if you'd like." Funny, but she was really warming up to him now. She chalked it up to his ridiculous entry and then the story he told as for why she felt relaxed around him.

"Sure, one more cup wouldn't hurt," Ruiz said to the barista, handing the cup over to her. This was thoughtful customer service, and a hefty tip for saving his life was in order.

Or perhaps a job at the Franchise.

"I am a business administrator," Ruiz began to explain. "I...am at least one type of administrator at all times. At the very least, I am the head administrator of a large off-the-radar company. We specialize in..." He stopped for a second to stretch his arms some more. "Well, we specialize in helping people."

He paused to let the ambiguity of that statement sink in. Hopefully, from the first impression that he gave her, she would not think this company he headed was an assassin's guild or underground private military group of that sort. Ruiz would, as much as possible, condemn such violent operations in his Franchise.

Yvette nodded and happily filled his cup again, handing it back over though this time there was no tingle in her hands. Apparently it only worked for fresh drinks--not top-offs. She leaned against the counter, listening interestedly as he described what he did.

It was pretty vague, but the idea caught her fancy. "You help people. How?" she asked, curiously. And for a moment eagerness shone in her eyes.

Ruiz recognized it at once. Without pausing to sip his coffee, he began to clarify:

"Suppose you ran the greatest arts and crafts store in the world. The town around you is slowly unraveling, its hopelessness reflected by crime and vice. The world, as everyone knows, is a cruel place. Nobody's got time to sit down, think, talk, and help others channel their frustrations positively.

"That's where my organization comes in. I am the head of this organization, a franchise, even, that sends out people across the globe to help others in their time of need. In my example this organization would, given the chance, come into the town and spread good cheer through their talents and passions. Working together with everyone, they could inspire hope in the town again. They could make the arts and crafts store a thriving cultural center. They could bloodlessly lower crime!"

He paused to sip. "It sounds very idealistic, ma'am," he continued, putting down his cup. "Of course, being realistic for a second, we can't win every battle, but we sure can try."

He sipped again. "We are an organization that aims to better the world by non-violent means if possible. You are aware that I was attacked earlier; my run-ins with such enemies are exceptions to the rule. I am not a man of combat; I'd rather quick-dry-clean my clothes in my car than spend the minutes on trying to dismantle a person's coffee suit."

One long sip. "The whereabouts of my organization are classified, and I have the right to refuse the disclosing of my organization's name. Yet...I think we need more people like you. Something tells me that you could fit right in."

Ruiz pulled out his wallet in a single swipe. "Here's my business card." And as he pulled out a small white rectangle of paper stock from within the leather folds, he also took out a few slips of paper currency. "And my money. I don't think I've properly paid for my order."

The card, lettered in bold black font, read:

OVERWATCH FOR THE KNOWLEDGE AND ANTICIPATION OF YOUR PROBLEMS

NATHANIEL SICO
HEAD ADMINISTRATOR OF OKAY

PHONE: ((OOC: DUE TO THE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE NATURE OF THE FRANCHISE THIS PHONE NUMBER HAS BEEN REDACTED FROM THIS POST))
Available 24/7

Now she was onto something. The counter bore most of her weight as the stranger explained how his organization worked. It was, to put it mildly, incredible. And a smile worked its way across her face until she was positively beaming when he finished.

She took the card and looked it over, reading the name and fine print, and almost forgetting about the cash. "Helping people and bloodlessly lowering crime?" she repeated softly, feeling that spark of interest catch. But doubt crept in. Would they want someone like her? Granted she had the goodwill and desire to help people, but there was still the uncertainty of the power she couldn't control, and that uncertainty made her hand tremble a little.

She made change for Nathaniel and handed it over. "Mr. Sico, I'm very interested, but..." she hesitated, trying to marshal up her courage--but really she was talking to the perfect guy if he really was in charge of helping people. She looked down at her hands, rubbing them together briefly, before saying softly, "I can't guarantee everything will go smoothly." She winced, because it sounded like she wanted to be perfect, and she hastily added, "I-just-uh, when I make coffee, I give out luck to people. Usually, most of the time, it's good luck. But, sometimes, it's not." Oh she wished the ground would open up beneath her feet. "I, um, you should be careful when you leave." Hopefully he'd read that, not as a threat, but as a warning to keep an eye out for bad luck.

"I see," Ruiz responded with much open-mindedness. He had seen some crazy stuff in his lifetime; the idea of good and bad fortunes in a cup did not faze him. Unique talents like the one that the barista divulged just now were what made OKAY Freelancers special.

"I understand your concerns, ma'am." He pocketed the change and put his wallet back in his pants pocket. "You don't have to commit today. Whenever you think this through, call my number. The Franchise will always be on call. And hey..."

He stood up, sipping his black coffee one last time before setting the cup down on the counter. "If you have anything that needs to be done here, give me a call, too. Our organization's Freelancers will be waiting."

Ruiz, as Mr. Sico, turned to leave, but quickly turned around again to ask: "Oh, I almost forgot. What's your name, ma'am?"

A pair of women entered, but aside from their gender and travel-oriented clothing, there was very little that matched between them. One was notably younger - barely an adult - and had an almost angelic appearance: light, barely-tanned skin, bright blue eyes, a cheerful smile in a youthfully round face, and short blonde hair that swayed to and fro along with the girl's own perpetual dance-like motions. The older one, however, had distinctly brown skin, more angular features, and kept her hair up in a tight bun, but she still bore a smile that seemed almost motherly.

As the younger looked around with apparent fascination, her graceful movements never ceasing, Shanique put a light hand on her shoulder and asked softly, "Anything you'd like, Lali?"

"Something... creamy~" was the only response Laluli gave, and said with a smile as she continued her visual exploration.

Shanique gave a small laugh, and looked toward the man and woman already present.

"Forgive us if we're intruding. We were hoping we might get a snack. I assume... you work here?" she asked politely, pointing toward the woman.

Yvette nodded and smiled at Mr. Sico's offer, reassured, now that he knew what she could do and that he wasn't immediately turned off from it. "I will do that, sir." She agreed. "And my name is Yvette. Yvette Rhee." She was on cloud nine, and totally distracted by his offer and what that meant, when she nearly missed the bell chiming the entrance of two more people. "Good luck, sir," she called ironically after Nathaniel, when he turned to leave.

She pulled herself together, but that too-happy grin on her face remained steadfast, as she slipped the card into her back pocket for safe keeping, as she turned to greet the two women.

"Hi, welcome to the Half Calf!" Yvette nodded at the woman's question of whether she worked there. "Yep, I'll be more than happy to whip something up for you. The coffee and pastries are made fresh."

"Thank you," Ruiz responded to Yvette. "Until we meet again." He made his way past the two women that had just entered the building, and had just stuck his right leg out the door when-

"Hmm?" Ruiz took out his phone, a compact, unfolding device of slick black texture, from his breast pocket. He scanned the ID in bright blue letters. NICOLE, one of the newer Freelancers, was calling.

Ruiz was in no rush to get anywhere right now. He flipped the case open, and quickly spoke to the receiver: "What's up, Nicole? How's the renovation going along?"

...

"What? You're kidding. I just encountered one of them just minutes ago. Stay calm. Find the blackest coffee you can find and drink it. I'm going to put out an APB on these guys right now. Scan their vitals if you can. We'll need as much data as possible to find suitable countermeasures."

...

"Right. Evacuate everyone from the youth center. Get them as far away from the Coffee Mech as possible. Isolate the incident, or if things get too hot, abandon the premises."

...

"Understood. See if you can get Shane to disable the mech's power source with his static powers. Call me if you need anything else." He hung up and pocketed his phone, just in time to see his totally cool-looking, shiny multi-functional sports car parked across the street get smashed from above by a suspicious torrent of broken coffee machines. "Oh, son of a-"

"Wonderful," Shanique said, though she glanced back with a hint of concern at the man who seemed less than pleased with the voice on his phone. She failed to noticed the distinct change in movement of one of Laluli's hands while looking back though, and smiled back at Yvette. "What would you suggest for-"

"Shawny."

Something in the younger woman's tone pulled Shanique's attention back, but before either of them said a word more, there was a crash outside as the poor man's totally cool-looking sports car was destroyed. Laluli clasped her head at the noise, whimpering a little.

Yvette flinched at the metallic crunch that came from outside, followed by a burst of glass. That hadn't sounded good. And what she saw through the window made her gasp in surprise. Coffee mechs? Was that what the man had been attacked by? But...they were coffee machines! Running rampant. The ludicrous idea was suddenly a whole lot worse than for which she had initially taken it.

"Oh hell no," she muttered, her hands closing into fists. "They better not destroy this place." There would be hell--er, coffee--to pay.

Chris Saunders, a youth in his mid-teens with brown hair and brown eyes, stared at his best friend with something akin to horror. "You did what?!"

"I-I-I didn't mean to!" Jim stammered out, waving his arms--and subsequently a wrench--about. "I just thought it was a good idea and I couldn't resist." Various scrap parts lay scattered across the cement floor of the small workshop. A robot, or half of one anyway, sat forgotten in a corner--stripped of anything remotely useful.

Chris groaned into his hands. "Jim, when will you learn that that's never the case! Now we have coffee machines running around? Where do you come up with these things?!"

"It was supposed to be a mobile coffee machine--" Chris held up his hand cutting off Jim's attempt to reason through his 'good idea'.

"Just...don't bother. How do we deactivate them? Pull their cord?"

Jim sighed and shook his head. "No, they run off a wireless signal and their batteries are charged with a fuel that takes a while to burn through." Chris just stared at him blankly, waiting for the answer. Jim scowled and dropped his arms in defeat. "There's a remote about yay big-" Jim held out his thumb and index fingers, rotating them so that index fingers touched the thumb of the other hand, forming a small-ish rectangle. "And you have to type in the "abort" code."

"Great, where is it?"

Jim cringed. "One of the machines ran off with it."

"Great, just my luck." The coffee machines that just rained down on his car consisted of the cheap kinds that came from big brand stores. He recognized the makes without having to look at the labels - Jekyll & Koch, Becker, and Drifter were among them. There were about a hundred of these broken machines piled on and around the car. The windows were blown off, which surprised Ruiz. The sunroof was bent...so was the spoiler...

Well, come to think of it, the damage wasn't too bad. It was fortunate that the car was retrofitted with advanced shock resistant tech; the paint job was heavily chipped but the frame, though bent in places, wasn't totaled. It would take a really large machine, like the mech suit he encountered a while ago, to disable the car.

"Don't panic everyone, I've got this." Ruiz quickly rushed out the door and across the street to attend to his vehicle. The driver's door automatically flung open, brushing aside any coffee pots and mangled casings in the way.

As he quickly jumped into the driver's seat, he shouted towards the bar's direction: "I'll be but a moment! Things have gotten incredibly serious! Remember to keep a cup of black coffee on hand at all times, ma'am!"

Ruiz pulled the door down and started the ignition, which was virtually untarnished from the impact.