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watercolorfreckles · 2 years

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It won't let me respond to the ask for some reason. Request from @elf-kid2: "Villain takes Hero's girlfriend, Civilian, hostage. Civilian is angry about YET ANOTHER problem her Ex & his refusal to acknowledge the breakup is causing her!"

"I'm not his girlfriend."

Villain's evil monologue stuttered to a halt. His eyes narrowed, stepping closer to brace a hand against the back of his hostage's chair.

Civilian gave a half-hearted tug at the restraints keeping her in place before reluctantly looking up at him.

"You're not his girlfriend?" Villain repeated. "What do you mean you're not his girlfriend?"

"We broke up. Two months ago," Civilian said, frown curling her face. "He refuses to acknowledge it. The press still publishes mushy lover nonsense about us on the daily and he won't correct them."

"Oh." It came out dumbly, Villain looking the hostage up and down. Strawberry-blonde hair falling over her eyes, she gave a final jerk against the ropes before resigning, leaning back against her seat.

"Can we speed this up a little, I have an appointment at four."

Villain considered her. "He still cares for you."

Civilian snorted. "If that's what we're calling stalker behavior these days."

"That means he'll still come for you when he knows I have you," Villain concluded.

Civilian did not want that.

Hero fighting on her behalf... Strong arms tight around her, lifting her into a showy bridal carry to fly her home in front of the barrage of flashing cameras surely awaiting them...

Civilian cringed, gaze flicking up to Villain again.

"Orrrr... Or, and hear me out... You... Could help me instead."

Villain blinked at her.

"I know, but- Wouldn't you enjoy a change of role, y'know, spice things up?" Civilian continued before he could interject. "He won't listen if I tell him I don't want to go with him. Imagine the look on Hero's face if you 'rescue' me instead of him; If there's public proof that I refuse him. You'd be one-upping Hero in front of the whole world, and hopefully... he'd be embarrassed enough to return my things and stop knocking on my door at all hours."

Villain's head tilted slightly. "If this is some sort of scheme-"

"-I swear. Just make it look like you're protecting me from Hero, and you'll get the reward of watching his public image fall."

"You are a strange hostage," Villain said flatly. "You're job is to scream and look scared, not beg me to publicly rescue you from your ex."

Civilian offered a smile, worn at the edges. "And.... you hopefully find that really cute and endearing. Right?"

Villain sighed, his attention unpicking her like a knot.

His power twitched in the air, an echo of his warring thoughts, or, perhaps, a whisper of what he could to to Civilian should she trick him.

Civilian held her breath.

Villain leaned in close again... and cut her binds. "Alright. This will be fun."

***

Hero crashed through the building, appearing in a chalky haze of dry wall and dust. The impact split the outside wall into a crater nearly a story high.

His eyes burned with fury.

"Release my fiance this instant, you--"

Civilian, unbound and standing freely at Villain's side, sneezed against the onslaught of dust.

Hero's gaze shot to her. Relief flooded his face for a fleeting moment before his eyes narrowed. "Civilian? Are you alright?"

Civilian glanced behind Hero at the forming crowd of pedestrians, cellphones raised high.

"I'm fine," Civilian said. "Villain just wanted to get you here, so we can...talk."

Hero's eyes narrowed and Civilian suddenly felt very small. "Talk," he echoed.

Civilian shifted on the balls of her feet, taking another reassuring look at the growing wall of witnesses on the ground below them. Hero wouldn't do anything to hurt his image with so many people watching. At least, that was what she was counting on.

Civilian opened her mouth to speak and Villain stepped up beside her. He slipped an easy arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against his side.

She fit perfectly there.

"I believe what our darling Civilian is trying to say, is that she doesn't appreciate you, shall we say, ah, overbearing antics since your tragic break-up. I think she'd like you to leave her alone."

Hero's jaw clenched tight. "I think you'd better mind your own business," he hissed, softly enough that the cameras below wouldn't catch it.

"She's moved on, buddy," Villain projected loudly in contrast. "Respect her choice. Isn't that part of your whole morally unblemished thing you've got going on?"

Performative. Glowing. Charming, even.

Civilian's mouth dried.

Hero took a step forward and the concrete cracked under his boot. His voice was a growl. "What have you done to my fiance? You've probably brain washed her! Of course she wants to stay with me, I love her."

"Hm. Is that so, Civilian?" Villain looked down at her.

Her stomach swam with anxiety. "I... No. I don't," she repeated, loud enough for the crowd below.

"Super strength and flight, she's in no position to say no to you." Villain cracked a smile. "But I am."

Villain's ability to manipulate energy rippled through the air, threatening all the potential horrors he could cause.

Hero's attention bore into Civilian, making her want to squirm. "Civilian. This must be a misunderstanding. Come to me, I'll take you home."

He held out a hand. Less of an offer and more of a command.

Cameras clicked beneath them.

Civilian summoned all of her bravery, all while feeling like she might faint. Villain's arm around her, warm and solid, rooted her to reality. "I don't want to be with you anymore, Hero. I've asked for you to accept that, and you haven't. I don't want you to follow me anymore. I'm moving on."

"What, with him?" Hero's murderous glare traced the arm around her shoulders like he wanted to cut it off with his bare teeth.

Civilian flinched. "I--"

Villain's thumb stroked Civilian's collar bone, stopping her short. Her skin tingled beneath his touch.

"Isn't it obvious?" Villain drawled. "God, Hero, you really are slow. Do we need to spell it out for you?"

Villain's hands dipped down to Civilians waist, and then he was kissing her.

It struck a match to her nerve endings, and it was all she could do not to collapse to her knees beneath it. She clutched the front of Villain's uniform like he was the only solid land in a storm.

One of Villain's hands rose to gently cup Civilian's chin as he pulled away from the kiss.

Civilian was staring. Villain, however, locked eyes with Hero, daring him to act out in front of the cameras.

Hero snarled, all pretenses gone.

"I'm going to kill you, you--" Hero prowled closer, splintering the floor beneath him.

With a flourish, Villain pulled energy from the air and used it to teleport them away.

They appeared on the grassy open plot beside Civilian's home.

Civilian was still staring.

Villain smiled, devilish and sharp, and even so it warmed her insides. "You're right, that was fun. Call me if you want to do this again."

He winked and disappeared in a crackle of energy, leaving Civilian reeling.

The next day, the story was on every news channel.

General Taglist: @pinned-to-the-wahl , @valiantlytransparentwhispers , @distance-does-not-matter , @redbircl , @lilaccatholic , @crazytwentythrees , @thelazywitchphotographer , @chibicelloking , @lolafaiy , @thinkwrite5 , @putridghost , @tobeornottobeateacher , @sunflower1000 , @bouncyartist , @feyriddle , @yet-another-heathen , @silverwhisperer1 , @distractedlydistracted , @pensivespacepirate , @appleejuicee , @deflated-bouncingball @maybe-a-cat42 , @m0chik0furan , @mercurymomentum , @fairysprinkless , @vuvulia, @amongtheonedaisy, @rose-pinkie , @trappedgoose-in-a-writblr-room , @scorpio-smiles , @inkygemuwu , @wolfeyedwitch , @thewhumpmeisterx3000 , @ikiiryo , @moonquires , @lem-hhn , @fanastywhump , @smallangryfish , @ladybookworm , @freefallingup13 , @acaiaforrest , @a-blue-comedy , @puppyaddict , @pickleking8, @a-person-who-likes-musicals , @talkingsperm , @qualitychaotic1917 , @deckofaces ,

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ramialkarmi · 7 years

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Uber investor Shervin Pishevar accuses Benchmark of wreaking havoc on Uber and says he'll intervene in lawsuit against Travis Kalanick

Shervin Pishevar and Steve Russell, a fellow Uber investor, are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit that Benchmark filed against Uber founder, Travis Kalanick.

In a letter sent Thursday to Uber and Garret Camp, who is chairman of the app-based taxi company's board, Pishevar accused Benchmark of violating its fiduciary duty as a significant investor in Uber.

Among other allegations, Pishevar charged that:

A Benchmark principal helped recruit Uber’s head of finance away from the company. Uber board member and Benchmark partner Bill Gurley knew this was happening, but said nothing, according to Pishevar.

Benchmark has been talking with Lowercase Capital (a fund managed by early Uber investor Chris Sacca) about taking "adverse action against Uber." The two talks indicate the two firms are seeking to remove Ariana Huffington from Uber's board, Pishevar said.

Benchmark is the source of highly confidential leaks from the Eric Holder investigation into Uber’s toxic culture.

Meg Whitman is Benchmark's choice for CEO and the firm is determined to put her in the position. Previous reports indicated that Whitman would not be keen to take the CEO post if Kalanick remained heavily involved with the company. Whitman public took herself out of contention late last month; former GE CEO Jeff Immelt is reportedly the current front runner for the job.

Pishevar said in the letter he's talked with Benchmark about having the firm sell off its stake in Uber and give up its board seat. But Benchmark declined to discuss any possibilities until "this is over," he wrote.

The letter even addressed the recent death of Kalanick’s mother, Bonnie, calling the actions by Benchmark “an affront to her memory."

Earlier this month, Benchmark sued Kalanick, seeking to have three board seats removed from his control, the seat occupied by Kalanick and two others that have yet to be filled. In the suit and in a letter later published to employees, Benchmark alleged that Kalanick was interferring with the search for a new CEO and was trying to get himself reinstated.

Here's the full letter sent by Pishevar on Thursday:

Uber Technologies Inc. c/o Garrett Camp Chairman of the Board Directors 1455 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94103

August 24, 2017

Dear Uber Board of Directors.

I write to inform you that, along with Steve Russell, I have come to the conclusion that I have no choice but to seek to intervene in the unfortunate lawsuit that Benchmark Capital has brought against Travis Kalanick, the founder and former CEO of Uber.

As you know, I have tried in every way possible to convince my friends at Benchmark to drop this lawsuit, to end their public campaign against the founder and the company, and to divest their shares under a proposal which would reward them hugely for their investment.

I have called for Benchmark to resign from the Board by proposing a specific plan that would allow Benchmark to reduce its holdings so that the rest of the Board can move forward constructively to address the challenges of building our company, securing new infusions of major capital, and recruiting a world-class CEO to oversee our continued growth.

Instead, Benchmark has refused to meet with me to address these concerns. I asked as a friend to "have a rational, adult conversation," to "have a conversation and try to make peace on behalf of all." Benchmark told me they looked forward to talking with me "when this is over" but saw no possibility of "a meaningful conversation" with me about these issues.

But they have been more than willing to talk to others, inappropriately, and in violation of their fiduciary duty. They reached out directly to employees in a letter, which is utterly inappropriate for a venture capital firm to do. Benchmark principal Kris Fredrickson helped recruited Gautam Gupta , the head of finance and effectively the acting Uber CFO, to another company where he owned shares without ever informing Uber; in fact, Frederickson told his partner and Uber board member Bill Gurleysix months earlier, but Gurley never told Travis Kalanick, exacerbating the crisis facing the Company in May 2017 when Gupta left. Even more troubling, we have been told that Benchmark has been conferring with Lowercase Capital with respect to adverse action against Uber, indicating that they are seeking to remove Arianna Huffington from the Board and, in clear violation of their fiduciary duties, wrongfully leaked highly confidential details from the investigation by former Attorney General Eric Holder.

Benchmark even intruded itself into staff recommendations made by Holder, urging – contrary to theCEO's wishes – that Holder recommend that the General Counsel be retained, rather than offered a promotion, lest that be seen negatively; yet another inappropriate intrusion by a venture capital investor, this time in an independent investigation

And perhaps most tellingly of all, Benchmark appears determined to insert its own candidate as CEO, Meg Whitman, prior to addressing any future issues, telling me that they "see no meaningful discussion without an acceptable CEO candidate being hired… uninfected by improper influences." The "improper influences" here are Benchmark's own efforts to control the company. They have no interest in reaching a peaceful accord which will allow this great company to grow even more, to recruit a world-class CEO, to secure further important funding. Clearly, they have a different agenda than ours.

Benchmark's investment of $27 million has grown to some $8.4 billion because of the outstanding leadership of Travis Kalanick and his team. Benchmark recognized as much, even as it was encouraging Travis to resign. For a venture capital firm to then turn around, having threatened Mr. Kalanick with a public campaign if he did not resign, and then launch the campaign anyway - complete with the filing of a frivolous lawsuit notwithstanding an arbitration clause that prohibits such lawsuits from being brought in the first instance - has unfortunately convinced us that Benchmark is not operating in good faith, does not have the company's best interests at heart, and instead is seeking to take advantage of the current circumstances to try to take control of the Board. Conduct so completely at odds with Benchmark's fiduciary duty cannot be left unanswered, particularly at this terrible time for Mr. Kalanick and his family.

We all owe a huge debt to Travis and his team for their tireless work in imagining, creating, and building Uber. I know how proud Bonnie Kalanick was of her son's work, and it is an affront to her memory which we cannot silently tolerate that her passing should become the occasion for a secretive and personal assault on her son by those who, by sheer dint of his hard work and determination and that of his team, he has made wealthy beyond all their other investments

The lawsuit brought by Benchmark seeks to cancel the Voting Agreement amendments adopted in 2016, when the Saudi Government's Public Investment Fund made a $3.5 billion dollar investment in Uber. The Agreement was amended to give the Saudis the right to designate a board member; and to give founder and CEO Travis Kalanick three seats he had the right to designate. No one objected at the time; nor did they object any time in the next year. It was only after Mr. Kalanick took a leave to deal with his family's personal tragedies that Benchmark for the first time took the position that Mr. Kalanickshould be forced to resign and to give up his right to appoint additional Board members - supposedly because he had withheld information that Benchmark in fact knew all about.

There is no basis for canceling an agreement entered into by sophisticated investors each advised by counsel. We have a direct and substantial interest in not allowing the governance of the company to be unilaterally changed at the insistence of one party in violation of the procedures requiring written consent to amend. And there is no basis for Benchmark's decision to ignore the comprehensive arbitration provision which governs all disputes arising out of that Agreement in favor of a high-profile filing that paints the company in a negative light to serve Benchmark's own interest in a public campaign against the founder.

We are seeking to intervene in the lawsuit because if Benchmark insists on trying to use the courts to try to take over this company, we are committed to doing everything we can to try to stop this abuse.

We continue to hope that a way can be found for Benchmark to move forward, having profited so handsomely from the work of Travis Kalanick and many others, and to do so without inflicting gratuitous harm on the company which we have all supported, and for which we continue to have the greatest expectations.

Sincerely,

Shervin Pishevar Trustee, Sofreh LP Former Uber Board Observer (2011-2015) and Advisor Uber Shareholder Alliance

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