Wednesday, December 4 - 10 AM Eastern
After a little scouting about, Jason located an abandoned cargo lifter and borrowed it to speed up the trip from the abandoned subway station to the tunnel closest to Reality Check, where Kimon had deposited his powered armor, Inari's sniper rifle, and both of the military grade sneaksuits that they had liberated from past owners. Even with the lifter, the going proved a little difficult due to the poor condition of the tunnels.
They slow as they approach the substation. Their headlights illuminates only a massive rockfall-- the tunnel had fallen in due to the earthquakes unleashed in the Ecoclysm-- but they can hear voices from the other side. One familiar voice in particular gets Jason's attention.
"Work with me, gentlemen, and we'll be in the money," Mr. Desoto says.
A grumbly female voice speaks. "Waddabout me?"
Desoto sighs. "Yes, yes, of course, you too, Mary. You'll all be well paid. I happen to know the fellow we're paying a call on is fairly loaded."
"An' he just gonna give you the money?" A male voice this time.
Desoto's voice hardens. "Yeah, he owes me. And if he doesn't want to pay, well, that's why I'm paying you guys."
"And gal," Mary points out.
Inari noses Jason's ear from where she was riding next to him precariously on the back of the cargo lifter. "Sounds like your old friend is back," she whispers. "Maybe you should have gotten him arrested after all?"
"Shows that showing a little compassion seems to be a bad idea. He's also a bit low on brains given he's trying to invade my home; you would think he would learn," Jason mutters, annoyed. "And you know, the old phrase about no honor among thieves may come into play here. I wonder if an invisible RIU could get the idiots fighting amongst themselves then we pick off the survivors." So ... he pokes the dragon on his shoulder. "Hey, think you can sneak over there invisible and start them fighting amongst each other?"
RIU beeps quietly! It is ready to give it a try.
Inari whispers to Jason, "And then we sneak in and cut a few throats?"
"Fighting fair is for the unimaginative. Stealthy-time RIU. Lets see if you can skulk around between them and start a fight. Like, oh, pinching that woman's butt, 'accidentally' pulling pins on their grenades if they have them. That sort of thing," Jason tells the dragon. "Us, well, we're going to move up and get behind some cover. And yes, that sort of thing when it comes to it."
The dragon visibly concentrates... And fades out of sight, matching the kevlar vest Jason's wearing so exactly that if he weren't feeling the minidragon's weight, he wouldn't know RIU was there! And a second later, he's airborne, gliding silently toward Desoto and his scavenger friends.
"And contrary to their belief, I am not loaded," Jason mutters to Inari.
The golden vixen nibbles Jason's ear. "But your heart is made of gold," she teases. "Maybe they want to sign you up as an organ donor."
"It's actually made of fibrous protein-strands," Jason retorts in whisper as he slips off the hover loader and moves forward slowly, apparently making his way to the large pile of debris ahead.
Inari follows closely. Her laser blade is in her hand but not energized yet.
Desoto says to his scavengers, "This way!" Footsteps.
"And you know, we still haven't actually been on a date that doesn't involve shooting someone," Jason mutters.
Inari whispers, "I thought that was your idea of a good date!"
The golden vixen slips into the shadows, moving toward the enemies.
Jason hears a faint click as Inari's foot touches a loose section of flooring... But she manages to catch herself just in time before it becomes a helter-skelter slide.
"Well, some day I would like to have a date that doesn't involve worrying about getting shot," Jason mutters as Inari slinks away.
And perhaps hypnotized by Inari's slinky retreating butt, Jason follows after her in silence.
The scavengers move up warily after Desoto. "You sure this is the right way? That's just a pile of junk," one says.
"Ooh, junk!" says Mary excitedly. "Maybe there's something left behind in the lot."
Not being aware of anyone else in the tunnels, they apparently feel no need to silence their movements. The echoes of their feet as they jump down into the tracks area can be heard down the tunnel.
"We're not here to pick up the trash," Desoto snaps. "This access hatch should take us up to the surface pretty close to the mark's hideyhole."
The man can be heard wheezing as he climbs up onto the platform... And then his breath catches as he notices something. That's odd."
The golden vixen looks back at Jason for her cue, as she slides into the cover of the rocks.
"You find something, boss?" asks Mary as she scrambles up onto the platform.
The scavengers greedily look over the pile of junk, reaching out for the crates that block their direct view of the storage lockers.
"Touch mah stuff and I'll have Inari castrate you," Jason thinks. Once he notices Inari looking back at him he points low, perhaps to keep as out of sight as possible, then mimes with his fingers sneaking towards the scavagers. "And go on, RIU, we've got to keep them from messing with my stuff." And to aid in that, eh starts looking for pipes or other junk he could sabotage to draw their attention.
The minidragon emits a tiny beep of agreement!
As Jason studies the scene, he notes Desoto standing near the maintenance access hatch, currently covered by a grille to prevent people from falling into the cables beneath. Subdued lights, including red strobe flashers, dot the substation.
Mr. Desoto rubs his hands. "I do believe we've found a cache, boys," he says. "Start moving those crates!"
"And gal," Mary points out. The scavengers spread out and begin shifting crates.
Jason twitches. "Well, at least they're distracted," he tells himself as a way to keep from getting too annoyed. Plus, they're now busy so ... "RIU, move closer, get ready to sow distrust! They're thieves. I bet they would argue..."
As RIU gets closer to the intruders, it can make out their equipment. They're wearing various scavenged pieces of armor. Mary, the coffee-skinned woman, totes a Spazztic! Reaper, a heavy shotgun with the bolt launcher stripped off. The other two scavengers each carry worn-looking Eagle Assault Rifles, and Desoto himself is packing a Spazztic! Hammergun. Even though it looks significantly smaller than the other guns, it might be deadlier-- it's in a lot better condition than the rest.
The thick Hispanic-looking "businessman" struggles mightily with a crate, trying to pull it away from the lockers. The junk underfoot makes the footing difficult.
Jason crouches down in cover beside the debris. His eyes narrow as he concentrates; he remembers Desoto's phone well. Older model, poor security. Aaand, thankfully he guy hasn't taken the time to improve it because the keys he obtained the last time he hacked it open up the gateways again! So, the first thing he does is change the answer setting to default to speaker phone. Aand ... the next thing he does is .. give it a ring! "Time to sow a little distrust..." jason thinks and wisely avoids cackling.
Deep bass tones emit from Desoto's pocket, followed by the light, lilting notes of Ravel's "Bolero". Desoto yelps, dropping the crate on his own foot, then hops around, pulling his foot free as he fumbles around his person. "ARGH! Frack, who's calling me?"
The scavengers turn to Desoto's antics, looking puzzled.
The golden vixen creeps into position, taking advantage of the lowered subway tracks to hide from their sight.
"RIU, see if you can fuse up her gun!" Jason orders the little dragon.
The minidragon, making sure it's not in the line of sight of the scavengers as they confusedly watch Desoto perform the 'Box On My Toe' dance, unleashes a deadly precise beam of energy straight for the shotgun on Mary's back! Lightning arcs across the gun, heating the metal to uselessness... And setting off the shotgun shells.
KaFWOOM! Mary is blown off her feet, smacking into the concrete, and the male scavenger near her fares little better as he gets knocked into the crate he was holding.
"OW FROTZING frack they're shooting at us, oh my God," Desoto babbles as he shifts from grabbing for his phone to trying to find his handgun, and the remaining hardened scavenger whirls around fumbling for his assault rifle.
The Hispanic arms dealer finally manages to pull his Spazztic! Hammergun out. He levels it toward Mary, but sees no enemy in that direction, so he sweeps his gaze around wildly, hunting the source of the devastating explosion.
"They got Mary! Sweet fracking all, they got Robin too!" moans the other scavenger as he shrinks back against the wall.
Desoto's gun wavers as he looks around wildly. "Show yourself!" he yells.
Ravel's Bolero continues to play from his pocket, incongruous.
Jason picks up a rock near his feet and tests its weight. He eyes the large pile of debris down the tunnel. "Lets see if I can hit somewhere near that and get them to go check it out .. and put their backs to Inari..."
Desoto hears the clink from the distance... And opens fire against the rocks! Ratatat!
The other scavenger squints his eyes looking that direction, trying to find the source of the noise.
The golden vixen scrambles up onto the platform under cover of Desoto's shooting, but some sixth sense alerts him to her presence, as ghostly silent as she moves. "Bart! Look out!" he yells. But by then, it's too late and she's already in close.
Shwish! The laser blade flickers on as she strikes, leaving the stench of scorched flesh behind. The remaining scavenger collapses to the ground, scattering bottles and smaller boxes.
The golden vixen raises her blade in Desoto's direction. She has his complete attention for the moment, as she licks her lips smiling viciously.
"RIU, light up that bastard," Jason orders the hidden dragon. He pulls out his own gun and switches it to lethal rounds.
As Inari holds Desoto's attention, and he whirls to bring his gun to bear, trying to backpedal simultaneously... Zap! Another bolt of lightning strikes from apparently empty air, shocking him. He stumbles, off balance, and falls to the ground in the debris.
"If you want to live, through your gun away," Jason calls out. "Otherwise, well, I'll let my friend have some fun with you."
Desoto's expression sinks into despair as he takes in the fact that his hirelings are unconscious or dead, and he's at their mercy. "I... Ah... You got me. You got me good, Mr. Edwards," he says, throwing his gun to the side. "I give!"
Bandages cover his gun hand, the expensive 'Amaranth Deep Healing' kind that contain tissue regeneratives.
"Smart man," Jason says as he keeps his gun trained on the downed man. "It's a pity you weren't earlier. You just had to be greedy and come after me. Or was it ego? Either way, bad decision." "Kimon, call an ambulance and the police, there is wounded down here. Once they're called, you will need to come pick them up so they will be picked up outside my home instead of down here."
The minidragon reappears from invisibility and perches on Jason's shoulder. It trills an 8-bit victory game theme!
"Get the injured to the hatch, please," Jason asks of Inari. "I'll make sure they get medical attention. They're just idiots for following this guy."
"Well... What's a working man to do?" Desoto asks, a bit indignant. "You didn't even pay me for the merchandise... When the Mav's Mavericks I was working with got out, they took off to go have a word with Irongrip, and that left me without any choice but to collect on a few debts."
The golden vixen smirks. "Cheap thugs for a cheap boss," she comments as she goes to pick up the injured and unconscious scavengers.
"And may I remind you that you tried to kill me the last time? I hardly feel I owe you anything since the last deal you deliberately tried to betray me and didn't even acquire what I asked for," Jason points out.
Jason makes his way slowly over to where Desoto is down.
Desoto temporizes. "You asked me for a top grade sneaksuit! The Amaranth Shadowsuit 1200 is their top of the line product, Mr. Edwards. But I'm sure I could get you a good deal if you happen to want something. At cost! I'll just have to ask for the money up front, you know, to cover the acquisition. I'm a bit strapped here since you shot up my employees." He seems to realize at least, he's hardly in a strong bargaining position.
The golden vixen throws Jason a grin as she passes by, lugging Robin, and whispers in his ear, "Think we have time for a quick... shower... while we're here?"
The arms dealer struggles to his feet, but makes no hostile moves, realizing that he's still under the beady eyes of RIU and being tracked by Jason's own gun.
"I have bigger issues to deal with than acquiring new stuff. Speaking of which, have you heard from Irongrip again? What exactly is their game?" Jason asks. Inari's question causes him some pause. "Er, if the ambulance picks these guys up, I expect Andrei's thugs to show up not soon after .. so probably not," he admits.
The golden vixen pouts. "It would have been a perfect way to unwind," she murmurs. She studies the hatch leading upward, then throws Jason a questioning look as if to ask if it's boobytrapped.
"I don't disagree, but we can't right now. Maybe back in the base," Jason suggests. "And oh, right," he adds as he sends RIU over to release the trigegr contacts on the hatch so that it doesn't set off the electrical 'bomb' as it were.
Desoto shakes his head. "Irongrip! Those jumped-up jackbooted jerks, muscling in on a simple little transaction," he snarls, keeping his hands in plain sight. "After you took out our base-- that is, Mav's Mavericks' base," he corrects himself, since he's not exactly working with them anymore. "Word has it that Mav decided to cut his losses and sign up with them. And since they were the biggest gang around, I don't see much to keep Irongrip from turning the Dregs into his own little kingdom."
Inari lugs Robin up, disappearing from sight briefly. Groans can be heard from where the unconscious scavenger gets bumped against the sides of the ventilation shaft overhead.
"They're also planning some major operation in the very near future," Jason remarks. "And frankly I wouldn't put much past their head guy. He and I go ways back. He wouldn't be alive right now were it not for me, but I suppose that is beside the point. I also doubt their plan is to control the dregs. That's too 'small scale' for him."
Desoto says cagily, "You could be right. Maybe what you need is someone with contacts, someone who can go asking around for you in the places you wouldn't normally go. For a small fee, I'd be happy to ask those questions."
"I already have people I can go to," Jason notes as he smirks. "My tentacles are everywhere, so to speak."
It takes a bit of prompting, but Jason prises out information from Desoto and his phone that gives him a bit more information: it seems as if Irongrip is shifting his most experienced personnel to California, particularly those with SEAL-style training for hazardous terrain and climates, and using the less experienced ones to fill in his security needs out in North Bend. "Not that I have much in the way of 'personnel' to offer him anymore, but that is the word on the grapevine," Desoto admits.
"That has significant meaning. Can you guess what? I can give you a hint, four years ago," Jason prompts the strange Hispanic man. "Seems I need to contact the General and just flat ask him what he's up to."
"Four years ago... Um." The businessman looks upward. "There was that series of murders. Dios! They whispered of the Shadow Killer, who would strike out of nowhere and bloodily kill someone, leaving behind scraps that looked as if they had been chewed upon. But they stopped happening. Perhaps the Shadow Killer was killed by someone he would have slain." He eyes Jason edgily. "Or... Do you think the Shadow Killer has returned?"
While they chat, Inari returns for the other two scavengers. She looks a bit bemused by this show of mercy for common street scum, but if Jason wants to be nice to thieves who would have killed him for pocket change...
"Eh, not quite. Although that is interesting," Jason remarks, shrugs, and continues, "That was probably someone else I know of. Anyway, no, the giant disaster at the amusement part. Don't you follow any conspiracy theories at all? Just because they all sound crazy doesn't mean they are. Now, Irongrip is run by someone very dangerous, and was touched by those events. Almost as crazy as Dantech, but at least Irongrip will just kill you. Dantech will rape your brain."
"Amusement parks? They are for children," Desoto says with a shrug. "Dantech, now, that is serious business. But I don't deal in Q-Cores. Difficult to steal. Impossible to maintain."
"Oh, what I could tell you about what is inside a Q-Core," Jason remarks.
Desoto looks curious. "Is highly proprietary technology, no? No one walks away from Dantech, they say. Not if they wish to live."
"Lets just say it really brings new meaning to a thinking machine," Jason remarks as he flips his gun over to the tranq dart setting. "Try and stay out of trouble. If you try to attack me, or otherwise betray me again, next time I won't be so nice," he remarks, takes aim at Desoto's bandaged hand from short range, and tries to tranq-dart him into unconciousness.
"Ow!" Desoto says. "What did... you..." His voice slurs as the dart takes effect. He slumps to the ground just as Inari returns.
The golden vixen smirks. "Another one to go out with the trash?" she asks.
"Yes. And hm, I'm tempted to send him out naked," Jason admits.
"Ew! I didn't think your tastes went that way," Inari teases. "Do I have to disown you?"
"Ha ha. Originally you wanted to kill me. Now you want to disown me. Fine thanks that is!" Jason remarks. "I'll go get the hover sled and load up the gear while you dispose of him."
The golden vixen laughs, but shoulders Desoto and starts to haul him up the ladder.
"I really want to tear that suit off her and ... " Jason mutters, right up to the point RIU bites his ear. "Ow! Okay, okay, I'm going and loading up the transport. You don't have to be so jealous."
The minidragon chirrs wrapping itself around Jason's neck. Mine!
"You can share," Jason mutters.
Stored snug and safe away are the powered armor suit (disassembled), Inari's sniper rifle, and the two stealthsuits, one liberated from Mav's Mavericks and the other borrowed by the unfortunate Thomas Whaley for his daughter. Getting into the armor may require assistance, unless Jason feels like spending a few hours working on some kind of armor assembly function for it.
Kimon reports the safe arrival of the thugs upstairs, along with the unconscious Mr. Desoto. "The Avatars LLC security guards have attached restraining straps and taken them into custody," the household AI reports. "They are summoning medical assistance."
Jason taps the side of his head. "Kimon, set up a call to Thomas Whaley, please," Jason instructs, "All the usual redirects of course. I need to let him how his walking pajamas are coming home."
Beep! A cyberspace routing map superimposes itself onto Jason's vision, showing the call progress.
"Sergeant Thomas Whaley," a voice answers after a moment. "What? Sorry, sir, I know we're inventorying, but it's a message from my daughter's school. She must be in some kind of trouble. You know how it is, young girls tend to run wild. All right. Five minutes it is, sir."
"You know, if you're too busy I won't bother you with the small details about your Daughter's wandering illusionary underwear," Jason remarks through the link. "Or that it will be in a location you can pick it up in a bit."
"Oh, no, no, I didn't mean you," the gruff voice of Mr. Whaley says. "Sorry, we're all rushing around here, trying to get everything unpacked and counted."
"Yes, about that. Exactly why is the General sending an army to California? Just what is his plan?" Jason asks.
"How'd you know about that? I just got the notice this morning, I'll be going along as quartermaster for the expedition," Whaley says. Short pause. "Right, just confirmed we aren't being bugged locally. We've got to prep a fully armed team for any and all environmental conditions. In Palmdale! I don't know what the boss is thinking. But he wants a scouting force with full environmental suits, and the rest of us loaded for bear. 'Prepared for anything and everything,' were his exact words."
"'No matter what world we might wind up in,'" Thomas adds, confused. "I mean, there isn't even a spaceport in Palmdale."
"I swear I need to call that man and ask him what the hell he's up to," Jason remarks rather dryly. "As for how I know, there's little I don't know. Your boss, for example, wouldn't be alive were it not for me. But, that's a different matter entirely. I have the suit and I'll be dropping it off at a location ear your office soonish. I'm not going to say where until it's in place and I'm gone. I have this aversion to being ambushed."
"Understood, and thanks, I owe you!" says the grateful-sounding Thomas Whaley.
In the background Jason can hear the telltale sounds of a privacy screen, preventing anyone outside the office from eavesdropping on Whaley. "You'll have to tell me sometimes how you saved the boss's life," Whaley says. "Right now though, I've got to get back to directing the inventory, I don't want them counting sneaksuits until last."
"Then how about you keep me up to date on what is going on out in California when you get there?" Jason requests. "Anyway, you should hear from be again in half an our or less, if all goes well. I'll just send you a private message with the coordinates."
"Will do!" Whaley says. "Just give me a dropbox and I'll file a report. Ah. I just hope it doesn't lead to us getting shot up in an ambush. My daughter might kind of miss me," he adds with a bit of worry.
"If I told you what I suspect, you wouldn't believe me. Just try to stay out of trouble. Bye," Jason says and then cuts the comm. "Okay, we've got to drop this suit off in a tunnel near to Irongrip. Not too close, of course, but close enough. Then we get out of there.".
Inari nods. "I liked the part where he tried to guilt trip you into not shooting at him, in case we turned out to be the opposition," she says, kissing Jason's nose.
"I'll just aim for his head, since he seems to lack anything substantial in it," Jason quips. "And after I drop this suit off, I think I'll give the General a call."
The golden vixen laughs at Jason's wit. "Should be a safe non-vital target," she agrees.
Over the next hour, they get close to the part of the fortified suburbs closest to Irongrip Security, and then the golden vixen takes the package and sneaks into position, with Jason monitoring her progress over the headphones and on his map. The drop goes off without a hitch, as Inari bypasses the security cameras so deftly they don't even notice a whisper of the wind in her passing.
One private message later, they can observe as Thomas Whaley takes a 'walk'-- down into the sewers, where he furtively hustles to the pickup point and picks up the package.
In person, Whaley is a big burley man with a thick beard, black hair tied up into a ponytail that hangs out the back of his Irongrip Security baseball cap. He turns to climb up the ladder.
"So far, so good. At least one thing has gone okay," Jason thinks nervously. He doesn't do anything yet as he's terrified it might mess up the drop.
As Whaley gets to the top of the stairs, he stares up at the hatch, or more accurately, at the guards that have gathered there. "Uh... G-g-good day, boss," he stammers.
A familiar deep voice speaks. "Out for a walk, eh? I see you've found something interesting."
"Of course," Jason thinks and sighs, "Now what do I do about this?" He shakes his head and thinks. "Kimon, locate and call the General's cell phone please."
"In progress," Kimon says over Jason's implant.
"I-i-it's not how it looks," Thomas says as the guards descend the ladder from the parking lot. "Someone ripped off some of our inventory, and I had to track it down, and..."
"Come on call, go through," Jason thinks.
"Vilius Irons found in database," Kimon says quietly in Jason's head. "What level of indirection do you wish?"
"As much as can be managed in the next sixty seconds! Jason answers.
Kimon replies, "Rerouting call." A cyberspace map shows the call pinging from one spot to another.
"Inari, I have a bad feeling. Help me set up this mess of metal armor quickly. I don't want to see that guy get a bullet in his head really," Jason admits to Inari and does to deal with his not quite as pretty as the virtual-version armor. At least with two people it doesn't involve hopping around and bending at weird angles to hold stuff long enough to lock it on. He's also grateful Tracy isn't here to comment.
Mr. Irons, unseen, shakes his head. "Tsk, tsk, really, Mr. Whalen. Do you think me completely oblivious to the peccadillos of my employees? You were far, far too nervous for a simple inventory, a sure sign of a guilty soul. It was a simple matter to check the call log and note that your most recent call had not been from your daughter's school, and from there, I simply needed to confirm that you were rectifying some misdeed by following your every motion." He pauses. "Selling a sneaksuit on the black market? Do I not pay you enough, Mr. Whalen? I am shocked."
"No! That's not how it is," Mr. Whalen protests. "Please, you have to believe me! I was just borrowing it for my daughter's costume party! I was going to put it right back, but..."
"Inari, stay out of sight. I may have to intervene if my call doesn't go through ... and I may need someone to save me," Jason tells the kitsune.
The two guards, in full armor, move down to secure Mr. Whalen on both sides.
Inari nods quietly. "If he kills you, he won't live out the day," she vows quietly.
"Call ready," Kimon whispers. "Maximum level of indirection reached."
"I don't plan to die. I still have to cave in Andrei's face," Jason promises.
"Call him," Jason says as he starts towards the general and his guards.
Mr. Irons's PDA goes off with the Imperial March. He starts, then answers it. His face pops up in Jason's vision. "Irongrip Security, the Irongrip speaking," he says brusquely.
"You know, I really thought better of you," Jason remarks once the 'General' is done with his introduction. "Here I gave you a second chance at life and here you use it by trying to kill my friend. Not only that, now you're bullying an employee that was really just trying to help his daughter out. I know you're going to go on about how you don't believe that, but it's true. I know because I'm the one who found that suit; and you should thank me that I stripped off the virus that was infecting it. I also tried to return it today, but no. You wouldn't even stay out of that. Now the question is this: What are you going to do? Because if you do anything I don't like thee world is going to find out exactly who and what you are."
"What-- Jason!" the General says, recognizing the voice. "But how... Perhaps you'd better give me the story from the beginning."
"That suit was found in the garbage after Whaley's kid threw it out after a small incident when trying to use it for a costume. Don't believe me? Well, then check this out. The only wrong thing your employee did was try to please his rather demanding daughter. Fortunately karma got its own revenge for that," Jason remarks. He even sends over the 'link' to the Face Reality posting of his daughter's video. "It ended up in my hands though a rather round-about way and I ended up stripping off that virus, then tracking down where the suit came from. Given I try to stay out of trouble and notice I promised your employee I would get it back to him, and this is the first chance I've had. I'm sure you've seen the news, I have been shot at for days, starting with the attack on Randall and Mara, then the numerous attacks on Avatar's home offices by your former Empire."
Irons listens thoughtfully at first, then surprised and even furious. "I authorized no attack on my old compatriots," he declares. "And what is this-- the Empire attacked Avatars LLC? This is an outrage! I had heard they were under attack by terrorists, and I offered my assistance, but they declined my services." He shakes his head. "The Empire... It's been so long." The emotion on his face is hard to interpret. "Perhaps we had better meet in person, Mr. Edwards. It seems there is much I need to know about the situation at hand."
Thomas Whaley looks confused, his hands still in the air. One of the guards has relieved him of the sneaksuit package and the other is holding him under cover.
"I can forward the copies of the e-mails used to arrange Mav's little gang in their attack on Randall. They came from your company," Jason notes. "And give me a couple minutes and I'll be right there."
"Understood. What do you wish me to do with my erstwhile logistics officer?" asks Mr. Irons. "I'm given to understand that 'firing' does not, these days, involve being stood in front of a line of soldiers and shot."
Mr. Whaley blanches. He only hears one side of the conversation, but that side does sound alarming.
"He's guilty of giving in to his kids too much. Watch that link and understand he has to deal with that. So perhaps a formal reprimand for bad decisions and perhaps a week's docking of wages would suffice. He did, after all, try to fix his mistake and at his own expense," Jason suggests. "He was not disloyal to you or your company after all. It hardly warrants something severe."
"Very well. Sergeant Whaley!" At the sound of Mr. Irons's voice, the Sergeant stiffens. "I am very disappointed with your misuse of Imp-- Irongrip resources for personal reasons. However, I am not without heart, and thus I will allow you to return to duty. You will be fined for the amount of time in which the inventory was unavailable." A pause. "This is your final warning. I will have to let you go, with extreme prejudice, if you fail me again."
"Sir! Yes, sir!" says Mr. Whaley.
"Return to duty!" barks Mr. Irons. The Sergeant double-times it up the ladder, followed by the guards.
"As for you, Jason-- I will be expecting you in a few minutes. Fall out, men, and return to work We have much to get done!" says the General.
And true to his word (and once the guards are gone), Jason comes around the corner in full armor. At least he bothered to take the helmet off. "So, what exactly is going on?" Jason asks. "Every bit of evidence we have seen have indicated you are part of some plan to reopen gateways to 'other worlds'. From the e-mails that indicated Irongrip wanted Randall and Mara taken, to this new mass-movement of people to California, you had to admit it looks suspicious."
Vilius Irons shakes his head, once he's had a chance to review the data. "This... I would never hire cheap armed thugs to assassinate my friends," he says. "If I meant to betray Randall and his Avatar, it would be Irongrip-stamped metal that did the killing." He eyes Jason. "But you are skeptical. Come inside, I will give you access to our systems so you can track down the author of these messages."
Inari's voice whispers over Jason's implant, "Are you going to trust that cheap jackbooted thug? Why'd he leave Avatars LLC in the first place?"
"Inari, stay hidden and keep watch. This may be a trap. If it is, well, I need you to save my butt," Jason relays to Inari through the mind-to-comm link. "Before I go anywhere with you," Jason now says out loud, "Why did you leave Avatar's LLC anyway?"
"It was not the Empire," Irons says. "Yes, they made the world in which the Empire lives... But here, they are simply a large company. They do not have a vision for the world. They simply seek to entertain... And that does not stir my heart." He walks toward the door slowly.
"The WHITE advised me. Perhaps what I needed was to make a difference. To help build the Empire's vision of order in this world. But it could not be done while I was still employed by Avatars LLC," he says. "There would be many lawsuits, many arguments that one company was gaining power by force over many. I would need my own company, and I would need funds that did not come from Avatars. So, I started Irongrip Security. Peace and order... For a price."
"Mmmhmm," Jason muses, "And this mass movement of people to California? Does this have something to do with the Zeus System?"
"Zeus? No. It is the largest contract we have received by far," General Irons says. "It would allow me to complete my ambitions of securing the Dregs, ridding them of this ridiculous anarchy. Mr. Romanov contacted me and requested a division of my best personnel for what he calls the 'Ouroboros Project'. A project that Dantech is working on for your US government, I understand. As he describes it, it would allow one to project soldiers anywhere, instantly. But of course, being experimental... There is the chance that 'anywhere' might not be on Earth."
Jason coughs. "And you trust Andrei? The man is bordering in insane. He'll use anyone for any thing and right now I'm number one on his hit list. So, it looks like I have to decline your invitation," he says. "He was able to rip into my head once and I don't intend to give him another chance to do it again."
Mr. Irons stops, turns around to Jason. "Trust him? Irrelevant. He is a customer. I do not agree to contracts that violate my principles, but once I have taken a contract, I will see that it is completed," he says. "And in return, if my employers attempt to breach the terms of the contract, I will take my pound of flesh out of their hide. The assignment seems simple enough. All we need to do is to secure a beachhead, wherever their Ouroboros project takes them, and protect their scientists while they complete their measurements and refine their process." He raises an eyebrow. "I take it that I shouldn't mention your little visit to Mr. Romanov then."
"Trust is very much relevant here. Andrei will use you however he sees fit and if that includes making you a scapegoat or betraying you, he'll do it without blinking," Jason says, "And yes, it would be ill advised to mention it to him, considering that I know he uses human brains inside his little Q-Core devices. He doesn't quite want that public knowledge. And given that now we are both in the same situation since you just heard that, I suppose I could at least go see who sent those requests. You may have your own spy issues."
"Human brains!" Irons looks up at this curiously. "But... What's the point? Q-Cores can't get up and walk around like our war golems could, back in the Empire."
The General ponders. "At least, I'm unaware of this aspect of their capavility. Perhaps if they had concealed wheels, and guns... No," he says, noticing Jason's look. "Never mind. I'll bring you inside and you can have a word with our Mr. Whaley, if you wish."
"I don't have all the details on why, just the what. We found this out after the BLACK staged a little coup at Avatar's. It failed and now it's quite dead. I cut its links using an arc-welder of a sort," Jason notes. "And fine, I'm going to trust you for the moment. We may have a common foe and frankly, we may have been deliberately played against each other. Considering that there are only a few who know about, and dealt with, what happened some years back, having us work together again might be exactly what they don't want. And one more thing to worry about: Andrei has a clone-version of me that's acting as his little slave."
"A clone! Is it the one that little Akiko saved?" asks Irons.
"The same one," Jason agrees.
"Or did he somehow grow-- ah." The General shakes his head. "I confess, I had thought with your culture's prohibition against clones, it would have been destroyed once your scientists had finished obtaining what information they could from it. Does Mr. Romanov have something against you personally? Or does he simply recognize the potential for great talent in your genes?"
Inari whispers into Jason's commlink, "The General is creeping me out."
"Me too, but it may provide some information. Just keep an eye on everything and be ready to save my butt if I need it. I'll make it up to you somehow," Jason tells Inari over the comm. "He and I go way back. We've been ... rivals for a long time," he explains. "Ironically his attempt to 'keep and eye on me', as well as have a way to kill me at his whim sort of backfired on him. He never thought I might figure out how to use the experimental neural interface as well as I have, or that I would figure out how to disable the kill switch."
Irons nods. "Ah! Good men have friends, great men have rivals," he says, quoting an Imperial adage. "Well, then, come on in. I give you my word of safe-conduct that you will be free to leave."
"I hope so. If nothing else we might learn who tried to set your company up, along with creating rifts between old allies," Jason agrees as he follows after Irons. "Inari, I really hope I'm not being stupid here. Part of me wants to believe that he actually isn't an enemy in this. Why is it that I always try to give people a chance? Especially those tho try to kill me?" the mast bit carries with it obvious hints of a tease, but it doesn't entirely mask his real worries. Sometimes you just have to have faith in people. Perhaps that is all this is about; he wants to have faith that in helping this man years ago would mean that now he really wasn't behind the attacks.
(OOC) Log stop