A group of seven stood, waiting outside a warehouse, huddled in a circle. There were other groups around this one, but none intermingled.

In this group, every member looked different, personifying one of the Seven Deadly Sins as much as they could: Gluttony was their biggest member, bloated beyond human limits, and had food stuffed in his pockets; Pride wore a dark blue tuxedo, slick gelled hair, and dusted himself off every two seconds; Wrath was hidden beneath red robes, carrying a weapon too large for them; Greed wore a yellow suit, tugging on his golden gloves every few seconds, while smoking a large cigar; Envy was unshaven, dirty, and was unable to stop moving his hands; Sloth had hunched shoulders, eyes half-opened, and swayed at the lightest breeze; and Lust was Samantha, owner of Whore's Place, and wore a mask that hid too little. They all wore a mask, each differing from another, but fit their general theme.

"Can I go home?" Sloth said, the first sound any of them made since standing in their circle.

"Not yet," said Greed, pulling back a glove to reveal a watch. "Meeting starts in three, two, and..."

Following his cue, two large sections of the closest wall were heaved open. Inside was a long table, leaving a little gap between the narrowest side and a wall. One at a time, each group headed in, leaving plenty of room ahead of them. After reaching their designated seats, they sat, no group having more than eight members.

"Thank you for coming," someone said, rising out of their seat. It was a man, average in build, wearing a full Oni mask, whether it was black or if that was due to lighting, it was unclear. "I know many of you do not wish to be here, but we have been threatened by something terrible."

"A loss of our powers," Pride said, though it earned him several glares. "Am I right, Anti, or am I right?"

"You are correct. Now, I know you all think, 'What's the point of this meeting?' I can tell you it's to kill our new Mayor, but that wouldn't be enough. No, his research would be continued. So we're going to erase every last thing about him, make it seem like he never existed, and the only thing to be said about him is how he tried to do something so stupid." Beckoning with his left hand, a few groups stood up.

"We've agreed on a plan," said a man with goggles strapped to his forehead. "Our chances of doing this without being noticed are almost impossible, but it becomes more with every group that joins." Anti nodded at his words.

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"A problem of numbers," Pride said, giving himself a pat on the back. "Ooh, classic riot distraction, then we kidnap him until sending him into the ocean?" Before answering, Anti and the goggle-wearing man looked at each other, before the former nodded.

"We'll discuss this only with those who decide to join, one hundred per cent. If this idea's not your tool of choice, you're welcome to leave and try on your own." A few groups lapsed into silence, though it was matched by the rest talking amongst themselves, filling their meeting place with noise.

"Quiet," Anti said. "If you've decided to join us, stay. All others may leave."

Following his words, a few groups stood from their seat, leaving through their closest exit. Most, however, stayed longer, talking to each other. Every Sin stuck around, Sloth asleep with his head down, while Gluttony ate some food that fell out of his pocket. The others were paying attention, but Pride made sure to watch more than just Anti this meeting.

Soon enough, Anti spoke. "Everyone left is now an accomplice. I'll assume none of us would consider going to anyone about this, so hopefully you'll reciprocate. Please, take the floor, Techie's."

That same man with goggles stood, firing up a device that whirred to life. While he spoke, an image propped up onto the opposite wall; a map labelled Arctown that contained every shop, alley, house, and warehouse within the city's limits, including City Hall. "Like Pride pointed out, our easiest plan would be to cause a riot, kill him in the confusion. But, looking around, a lot of manpower would have to be placed into this diversion, trying to make it seem real enough. Our better option is to continue like normal."

This revelation had no applause, but instead, a man spoke up, clad in a dark-gray suit. "This farce is a waste of time! Couldn't we just march up to City Hall, take the Mayor, and then rip his guts out in front of everyone in Arctown?"

Though the one in goggles tried to answer first, Pride was a little faster. "No, Wildcat. Sure, it's a quick way to resolve this particular issue, but then what? We'd be targeted by every Hero from here to Eastern Bell. My answer earns perfect marks, as usual, I'm sure." At that, Pride grinned to Anti, who didn't move. "Now, let's have this poor boy continue, and maybe we'll see a spark of genius somewhere."

"...Yes, thank you, but as I was going to say, we'll be doing this for a little while, to throw them off our trail. Also to gather materials, in order to build this." His projector flipped to its next slide, showing a blueprint uncensored.

Only the brighter minds were able to realise the complexity and thought put into this suit, and Pride knew he was one; but of course, he was.

"Oh, before I forget, if everyone could take one and pass the rest of these along," he said, sliding a stack of chips across the table.

"We playin' Poker?" Greed said, lighting a fresh cigar. "'Cause I don't play without a drink."

"No, these are for identification purposes. Place them somewhere on your suit, and remember to keep them on your suit when going with the plan. Otherwise, we won't tell you anything. There is no GPS, no anything that can figure out your identity, but if you want to be safe, go right ahead. We made them removable. Now, continuing with the plan..."