| Chapter 1: Outbreak | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 14 2013, 05:27 AM (127 Views) | |
| Jason Hawk | Feb 14 2013, 05:27 AM Post #1 |
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Hawk flew out early the next morning, running on no sleep. He memorized the fake identity assigned to him by Silhouette, making sure to remember that he was an art professor on holiday, originally from California. The airline was a small one, which had apparently only started operations within the past two years. Though it was small, he was impressed with the level of efficiency and service. It seemed as if he was fast-tracked through ticketing and security, making the often unpleasant ritual of air travel much more agreeable. *It’s almost as if we’re not on the run...* He quickly banished the thought from his mind, careful to know that whenever anything seemed to go his way, it was usually life’s way of setting him up for some spectacular difficulty. *** He took a series of power naps on the plane, trying his best to recover his lost sleep from the previous night’s altercation with Jade. His shoulder still ached, recovering from a previous gunshot wound, which was exacerbated by Jade’s repeatedly smashing it with a soup ladle. The pilot announced descent into JFK International Airport in New York City as he finished a glass of wine, handing to empty glass to the stewardess. Upon landing, he recovered his bags and made his way through customs, without much fanfair. *Either these false passports are particularly good or I’ve earned karma for not throwing Stefan through a window while we were in Europe.* Jade’s flight had landed twenty minutes before his, so as he made his way into the outer terminal he looked to see if he could find her. He listened to the accents around him, a familiar feeling of home coming over him. Though he was not a native New Yorker, it had been a long time since he’d been back in the States. He glanced at the morning’s New York Times cover, detailing President Obama’s latest fractious dealings with House Republicans, the latest diet fad, the results of the Jets’ game and the inside scoop on this season’s American Idol lineup. “Some things never change,” he whispered. “It’s good to be home....” Jade stood next to a newsstand trying to read the headline without buying the paper. A man in a suit brushed past her, hitting her shoulder. She looked up from the paper but the man had already continued towards the exit and taxi stands. “Fucking americans,” she muttered. She’d slept very little on the flight, still stewing over the altercation with Hawk and the fact that despite everything, she still wanted to be with him. This fact made her hate herself even more than she hated him. Picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, she turned to walk towards the exit and noticed Hawk loitering near the arrivals area. She took a deep breath and headed towards him. “I see you made it,” she said, standing next to him and looking up at the incoming flight roster on a monitor. “Fancy meeting you here,” he replied. “I’d think of something with more wit, but I’m afraid I didn’t get much sleep last night. I see Hitomi’s being her usual fashionably late self. Hopefully she didn’t miss her flight. She takes pride in never waking up before noon.” “I’ve noticed,” Jade replied. “She’s a fucking diva,” she added with a hint of a smile. “I wouldn’t put it past her to go on vacation and screw us over,” she added. “If she does that, *I’ll* kill her,” came a familiar voice. Marcus joined them, a cup of coffee in his hand. “Hello Marcus, you’re looking chipper this morning,” said Hawk sullenly. “Kill who?” said Hitomi, brightly, with an issue of “Tattoo” magazine in her hand. “Hey,” she said, pointing to a picture of a model with a circle of thorns tattooed around her upper right arm. “What would you think of this on me? I was thinking of adding crimson teardrops, to signify my most memorable kills.” “Sounds positively prison-like,” said Hawk. “Besides, wouldn’t a tramp-stamp suit you better?” “Huh?” “Never mind....American slang....tattoos girls get on their lower backs.....never mind.” Jade rolled her eyes. “Maybe you should stick to temporary tattoos,” she said. Marcus laughed into his coffee cup, taking a sip. He hadn’t slept and was feeling the weight of his exhaustion despite the extra shots of espresso. “Don’t look at me,” he said to Hitomi. “You’re on your own. My body’s a temple. I don’t like tattoos,” he said. “No offence,” he added, glancing over at Jade. The flatscreen monitor overhead broadcasted top of the hour news. “Hello and good morning, this is Ashleigh Banfield with CNN news....” “Ah, good old American mainstream media,” muttered Hawk. “Let no one say that Americans are ill-informed about the latest celebrity trash gossip or up to the minute developments in Justin Bieber’s hairstyle....” “The Robert Ducs death investigation has taken a turn for the strange, as Belgian authorities are continuing to refuse to release autopsy results pending continued investigation. At least four persons of interest are still wanted for questioning in connection with the sudden death of the French industrialist.” Marcus groaned. “I’m never going home,” he muttered. “My name is ruined.” “Maybe you should get that tattoo,” Jade said to Hitomi. “You’ll be the prettiest girl on the cell block. And Cavanaugh, maybe you should consider it too. You’re going to need to butch up.” she added with a bitter laugh. “In other news, Cord Industries has released an official statement on its internal investigation into the loss of its Mediterranean A.R.K. project, a state-of-the-art scientific vessel designed to explore ocean topography. A structural compromise thought repaired six months ago was apparently exacerbated by a recent storm at sea. As reported, the A.R.K. vessel struck a coral reef and sustained significant damage to its hull eight months ago.” “Spin travels fast,” said Hawk. “Ocean topography?? really??” Jade muttered. “People will fucking believe anything. Can we just kill this asshole and get this over with?” she asked. “Wait...” said Hawk, listening with interest as the newscast continued. “Despite the A.R.K. setback, Cord Industries stock is up over twenty percent this morning after the latest press announcement from Cord Industries CEO, Deacon Cord.” “What is it, I wonder?” said Hitomi. She mocked Cord’s voice, “*I’m a murderous asshole who pulls the wings off flies for fun.*” “Quiet,” said Hawk. “I’m listening.” “At a lavish press conference today attended by mainstream and technical media alike, Deacon Cord unveiled Cord Industries' (NASDAQ:CORD) newest technological achievement, "Aquinas." Rumored to have been in development for almost five years at a cost of over seven billion dollars, Aquinas is a seamless, transparent replacement for the current patch of Net protocols that promises to radically expand bandwidth without the need for new hardware.” “Decon Cord offered these comments:” “Aquinas is the result of over five hundred man-years of effort on the part of some of the most talented and driven people in the industry," Cord said at the conference. "We're grateful to the NSA and the Hague Commission on Secure Communications for trusting Cord Industries with the responsibility for this technological milestone. As of noon today you can expect nearly all of the world's net traffic to be carried by Aquinas. Bandwidth is now, for all intents and purposes, free." “The remainder of the conference involved presentations by the leaders of the carriers allied with Cord Industries, and a technical discussion of the Aquinas protocol -- named after the titular Thomas Aquinas, whose philosophy is a well-known passion for Deacon Cord.” “What’s the catch?” Marcus asked, narrowing his eyes. “Nothing is free. Especially when people like Cord are involved.” “I don’t think the right people are asking that question,” said Hawk. “Nothing’s free without a catch. Think about it, people willingly give over reams of personal information to social networks for the purpose of sharing mirror pics of themselves and forwarding chain letters. Or to search for funny pictures of cats....or to use free office software. Everything’s in the cloud, controlled by someone else, trusted to run it all.” “Selling my marketing information to someone so that they can bombard me with ads for things they think my demographic buys is one thing, letting someone like Cord have access to your activity is another entirely.” Marcus replied. “I can block ads for luxury cars and dating services. I don’t need cord looking through my bank accounts or having access to the back-end of every website and networked device out there. That sounds a bit too much like 1984.” “A single corporate entity gifting the world with unlimited bandwidth asking nothing in return,” Hawk noted. “Orwellian indeed.” Hitomi chuckled. Hawk scowled at her. “I *have* read a book, Hitomi. Shocking, I know.” “I said nothing.....” Jade smirked. “Playboy isn’t a book, Hawk.” Marcus laughed. “Give him some credit. Isn’t that high school reading material?” “In International news, the V-42N virus outbreak, which originated in Africa a year ago has spread to every continent. The Center for Disease Control has declared this outbreak an emergency of the highest order for North America. The governments of the Americas, Asia and Europe are working with vaccine manufacturer ApostleCorp to distribute the vaccine among the infected populace. ApostleCorp(NASDAQ: APOS) is working with governments of the United States, Canada, Mexico as well as the European Union to establish orderly distribution of the vaccine. Though ApostleCorp claims to be working twenty-four hours to synthesize the vaccine, there is not enough to properly keep up with the number of people infected. Latest reports show thirty-thousand confirmed cases in the New York City area, forty-five thousand in Los Angeles, thirty-thousand in Houston and a top US infection rate of eighty-thousand in the greater Chicago area. The V-42N virus is on track to reach a million confirmed infections in the United States alone by mid-year.” “Due to the rapid rate of infection, ApostleCorp is limiting distribution of the vaccine only to approved individuals at the moment. Essential government, scientific and military personnel are being fast-tracked for the vaccine. Applications for the ApostleCorp vaccine are available online. Please refer to the following websites, based on your country of citizenship, to apply......” “They fucking did this,” Jade seethed. “They control the access to information and communication, and now they control the death rate.” Marcus had gone pale. Already a bit of a clean-freak and germaphobe, the idea that they were standing in a giant open space filled with people from all over the world suddenly made him feel nauseated. “We’re all at risk now. And for once I’m guessing all of those ‘don’t vaccinate your kid you don’t know what it will do to them’ conspiracy theorists might also have an excellent point.” “There’s something not right about this whole thing,” said Hawk. “You have a talent for stating the obvious,” Hitomi chimed in. “No, I mean this isn’t some grand population cleansing program,” said Hawk. “Cord’s not a fanatic, like Stark was. His aim is not eugenics....it’s something else...” “I wouldn’t put it past him to put something in the vaccine. Not for eugenics, but as a way to selectively inject subjects. Think about it. You have to register. They get to select. If it’s not to weed out the undesirable, it can only be to select the desirable.” Marcus replied. “Regardless, we need to stop it,” Jade replied, clenching her fists. “I don’t....I don’t see how we can,” said Hitomi. “It’s out of the bag now. There’s no countdown, not missile launch to stop....it’s not like a stupid spy movie!” “Cain had a countdown....” said Hawk. “Just saying.....” Hitomi glare at him. “Don’t make me hit you, Hawk.” “Jesus fucking christ,” Jade spat, glaring at them. “This isn’t the fucking time or place.” Marcus laughed despite himself. “She’s right,” he said, trying to compose himself. “There will be mass panic when people start hearing about this.” “Looks like there already is.....” said Hawk. “In New York City, protesters marched on ApostleCorp’s Manhattan headquarters demanding that ApostleCorp open-source the vaccine, something that has been categorically described as a non-starter by ApostleCorp senior management and parent company CEO, Deacon Cord. In a statement to the press, Deacon Cord said:” “ApostleCorp is working night and day to synthesize enough vaccine to treat all who are infected by the V-42N virus. We have the greatest minds on the planet hard at work finding ways to streamline production of this vaccine. We are working with world governments to make the goal of vaccine for all a reality. Distribution of ApostleCorp’s intellectual property to competitors, that are not prepared to produce, distribute or engineer the proprietary creation of ApostleCorp’s greatest minds will only result in delays of the mass-production of the vaccine. Trust in ApostleCorp’s scientific and medical expertise to see the world through to total vaccination against, and eradication of the V-42N virus.” The newscaster continued.... “Federal Emergency Management Agency director Max Krueger authorized National Guard protection to all ApostleCorp facilities involved in the synthesis of the V-42N vaccine. Today, police used tear gas to break up crowds that had formed around ApostleCorp headquarters. There were reports of protesters being beaten and arrested en masse. Max Krueger had this to say:” “FEMA is determined to see this crisis through, and we are working with ApostleCorp to secure facilities involved in the creation of the vaccine. Any attempt to interfere with lawful vaccine distribution will be considered an act of terrorism and dealt with accordingly.” “Fucking Krueger. That’s why he was appointed to FEMA.” Jade hissed. “Alex’s father’s company and countless others could easily mass produce the vaccine. I know Ducs thought that this was about market control, but it’s more than that. In a mass epidemic, sharing would be better for PR. This is about ensuring that whatever is in this supposed vaccine is controlled.” Marcus said. “You and I know that,” said Hawk. “But this is a country where the Secretary of Defense can go on national television and say, ‘This is not about oil, it’s about freedom.’ The media repeats it and people believe it. They also believe artificial sweeteners are safe, there were WMDs in Iraq and Anna Nicole married for love. We can’t count on the public rising up until its too late.” “And you wonder why the rest of the world hates Americans.” Jade replied. Marcus nodded in agreement. “Let’s get the fuck out of here and do something about this.” Jade said. “Preferably somewhere with less people.” Marcus added, nodding in agreement. Hawk checked his phone. “We have an invite, it seems.” They all had encrypted messages inviting them to a downtown Manhattan office address. “Looks like we’re expected,” said Hitomi. “At least these people don’t make us wait.” “I still don’t like working for people we know next to nothing about,” said Hawk. “We don’t even know their real motives,” Jade nodded her agreement. “But at least they haven’t tried to kill us yet,” she added. “That’s more than I can say for from of our previous employers.” Edited by Jason Hawk, Feb 14 2013, 06:56 AM.
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| Jade Anderson | Feb 19 2013, 04:15 AM Post #2 |
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“We have a car waiting for us in the parking garage, level A,” said Hawk. “Our benefactors think of everything, it seems. Come on, we can get there quicker if we take one of the shuttles.” Hawk made his way to a nearby escalator and joined the throng of people moving through the morning rush. “That’s the nice thing about escalators,” he said to no one in particular. “They can never really break down, they just become stairs.” “You’re a regular philosopher,” Jade said, rolling her eyes and shoving her way onto the escalator behind a woman with way too many suitcases for one person. Once they’d descended to the parking level, they stepped outside to wait. Marcus pulled out his phone and turned it on, looking around at the people coming and going. “Do you ever question why people with this level of connectivity and resources need us?” he asked. “I mean, you’d think that they’d have their own team by now,” he mused. “There are advantages to working through intermediaries,” Hawk replied. “The work we do is not something that powerful people who wish to maintain a legitimate face wish to advertise.” “Hang on,” he added, stopping outside the platform to the monorail system that ran throughout the airport. “I’ve got a call to make. This is a longshot, but I was in the Army before I joined Section 17.” “So?” said Hitomi, unimpressed. “Every other high school dropout was probably in the Army. Your point is?” “I was in the part that isn’t officially supposed to exist,” Hawk replied, reaching for his cell phone. “It’s been years, but I may still have a contact or two with some influence who trusts me. I figure its worth a shot trying to make contact now that we’re in the States. I don’t have to divulge our identities or locations, but.........an old friend of mine helped us out years ago during the Stark business.” “The guy from Scotland?” “Precisely. I may still have an ex-colleague here in the States who might be willing to listen and give benefit of the doubt before doing something rash. It’s worth a shot, and if things were to go south I’d make sure I was the only one of us making contact.” “Do we really want to drag more people into this mess?” Marcus asked. “Haven’t we ruined enough lives?” he added. Jade glanced over at him. “I think you’d agree that this is big enough that a few extra resources couldn’t hurt. Besides, anyone who would willingly team up with Hawk isn’t likely to have a life worth preserving,” she said with a wry smile. Hawk dialed a number and opened up an encrypted connection. “Yes,” he said nonchalantly. “I’d like one large thin crust supreme with no olives and a liter of Coke with no ice.” Hawk paused and scowled. “This *is* Antonio’s Pizza Parlor, right? Kalamazoo, Michigan? …....” Hitomi gave a puzzled look and whispered, “What the hell?” “Asia Wok Super Buffet and Egg Roll Palace?” said Hawk. “Um....well, do you guys also deliver pizzas? No? Ok, sorry to have bothered you.” Hawk rang off and sighed in resignation. “Why are you looking at me like that, Hitomi? It’s a military black op, they don’t exactly advertise their presence with a location in the mall next to Spencers Gifts.” “Antonio’s Pizza Parlor?” Marcus rolled his eyes. “If this is your idea of a joke, I’m not amused.” he said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it while he thumbed a text on his phone. “What kind of black ops team masquerades as a pizza parlour? What’s next, a dry-cleaner?” “It’s not a bloody pizza parlor,” snapped Hawk. “It’s special line for operatives in the field who are in crisis situations. It doesn’t matter anymore, the line’s obviously been long dead. I didn’t think it would work anyway, last time it was active was years before I met you and Jade.” “If I’d known I would have second guessed teaming up with you,” Jade replied, rolling her eyes. Marcus looked up from his phone. “I didn’t know you had standards,” he said, with a wry smile. Jade glared at him. “Hitomi,” Marcus continued, “Stefan says that your bodyguards are boring and that their English is worse than his. Apparently there’s a bit of a language barrier,” he smirked. “He wants to know how to order a massage and pedicure in Japanese,” he laughed. “Oh for the love of.....,” muttered Hawk. “Please don’t tell me that Stef is actually enjoying himself.” “Hush you big grump,” said Hitomi. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this nefarious black op organization that turned you from class A loser into a lethal killing machine operates like a bad episode of The Avengers.” “Oh please,” said Hawk, exasperated. “A certain degree of misdirection and subterfuge is expected in field ops. Besides, its not invisible car-bad.” “Wrong franchise,” Hitomi corrected. “The Avengers was a 60’s series with Patrick McNee and Diana Rigg. That terrible film from the nineties doesn’t count.” “Well, at least we can both agree that the invisible car was dumb. No excuse for Die Another Day.” “That we do, that we do.” “We’re back on Bond, are we?” Marcus said, watching the shuttle approach. “I’d like to strike Brosnan from the record completely. Well, Goldeneye was alright,” he conceded. Jade sighed in irritation. “Am I the only one annoyed by the fact that the three of you have suddenly reverted to some sort of strange immature teenaged frat-boy relationship?” she asked. “Sorry,” said Hawk and Hitomi, sheepishly and in unison. *** The group picked up their sedan and Hawk took the driver seat, weaving through the unpredictable and hectic New York traffic. “This is not the best place to get re-adjusted to driving on the right hand side of the road,” said Hawk, narrowly missing a yellow cab. “Looks like we’re close, there’s the place,” said Hitomi, pointing to the tall glass and steel tower ahead of them. Near the top, the logo for IsaniCorp could be seen. In the distance, the nearly-completed One World Trade Center could be seen. It would soon be the replacement for the Twin Towers lost on the attacks of 2001. “IsaniCorp?” said Hawk. “Never heard of them. What do they do?” “Hmmmmm, they’re into a lot of things. I’m trying to dig up some info on them, but 3G is acting up this morning.” Marcus handed Hitomi his phone. “Try mine,” he offered. “I haven’t been here in years,” he mused. “A lot has changed.” “Fuck, watch the road instead of Hitomi,” Jade swore as Hawk nearly hit another car. “Maybe someone else should drive.” “Sorry,” said Hawk. “You know one of my first jobs with Section 17 was tracking an informant to Tower One of the old World Trade Center. It was an amazing view, or at least I thought so as I was throwing him off the building.” “I’m guessing he didn’t agree,” Jade smirked. “Do either of you have any *pleasant* memories?” Marcus asked, rolling his eyes. “Sure....” said Hawk. “I mean, I’m sure I do. I’ll let you know if I ever think of one.” Hitomi fidgeted with Marcus’ phone for a few minutes. “Hmmmm, IsaniCorp deals in banking and finance mostly. I was founded only three years ago. Fairly recent for such a big headquarters.” Hawk pulled into a parking garage and Marcus’ cell service cut out. “Damn, I’ve lost signal,” she said. “I’ll try to re-establish connection when we get to the lobby.” Hawk parked close to the lobby on the first level. Upon entering the lobby, they found themselves in a stylish and expensive corporate headquarters. Modern art adorned the walls and several pieces of sculpture adorned the lobby. A large fountain was in the center of the lobby. “This is pretty impressive for a three-year-old company,” Jade said, her voice echoing slightly in the large space. “What the fuck do they do?” “I told you they’re into banking and finance,” said Hitomi. “A lot of offshore dealings, acquisitions, basically they move money around but don’t actually make anything.” “That’s the American way,” quipped Hawk. “It’s starting to feel more and more like home.” Hawk approached the information desk. “Hello, we have an appointment at....” “Yes, you are all expected,” said the attendant. “Third elevator. It’ll take you to the penthouse level. Have a great day.” “Um, thanks.....” said Hawk, taken aback by the familiarity. “Jade,” he whispered privately. “Statistically don’t we wind up shooting our way out of places like this more often than not?” Jade nodded her agreement. “What are you thinking?” “Be on your guard,” he replied. The elevator was an ultra-modern chrome and glass tube that was automated to take them to the top level. Clearly, they were expected and arrangements were made for their coming. As they rose, a panoramic view of Manhattan could be seen through the glass, a seemingly endless forest of tall skyscrapers and a mass of humanity. “Ever been to New York, Jade?” said Hawk. “No,” Jade admitted. “But from what I’ve seen, It’s not that different than London, really. Just newer.” She said, looking out the window at the city. “You, Miss International Faster Pussycat Kill-Kill have *never* been to the Big Apple?” said Hitomi incredulously, waiting for a page to load on Marcus’ phone. “Not even to....I don’t know, stick a knife in someone?” “Jade’s more of a homebody when she’s not working,” said Hawk. “I like my peace and quiet,” Jade said, “I’m not the social butterfly you are.” “Shame,” Hitomi said. “Jade, there’s a club off of Greenwich Village that I absolutely *must* take you to, sometime. It’s an absolute bitch to get into, but I know the right people. I usually go there to chill out with a night of dancing and martinis two or three times a year. If you promise not to be a black void of negativity I’ll take you sometime for a girls’ night out.” Marcus laughed. “Now this I have to see. When you make that happen, I want in.” “You’ll be waiting a while, then,” Jade replied. ‘You’re missing out,” Marcus said, “Hitomi well known in my circles for closing out the after hours clubs. She actually *does* make me feel like an uptight prude sometimes,” he added with a laugh. Hitomi began to laugh, looked at Marcus’ phone and immediately turned deadly serious. Her face turned to ash and her eyes grew wide. “Um, we need to leave now!” she hissed. “Why? What’s going on?” Marcus asked, grabbing his phone from her hand. Jade reached for her weapon and looked at her questioningly. “You know we’re in a fucking lift, right?” On Marcus screen, a New York Times page dated three years earlier read: “IsaniCorp, formed from the merger of a trio of banking firms, is the newest spinoff company under the Dysson International corporate banner.” Marcus groaned. “Fuck me,” he muttered. It took a lot to reduce him to swearing, but this was too much even for him. “This is an off-shoot of Dysson,” he said, spinning the phone around to show Hawk and Jade. “Oh you have *got* to be kidding,” Hawk hissed, drawing his gun and hitting the stop button, to no avail. “This is not good at all. Fuck me, we were set up!” Jade started pounding her fist into the panel, randomly hitting floors, but nothing was happening. The buttons lit up and then the elevator passed the corresponding floor without stopping. “Fucking hell!” she screamed in rage. “I’ve found another great feature of escalators,” Marcus said to Hawk. “You can get off of them when you want.” He reached under his suit jacket and pulled out his gun. “When this thing stops, kill anything with a pulse that’s not one of us,” spat Hawk, readying his pistol. The elevator stopped at the top floor and opened into a spacious and luxurious penthouse suite. Beyond the main hall was an outdoor rooftop area complete with reflecting pools, an outdoor lounge and a helipad with a helicopter parked. Inside was an expensive and luxurious space, including a sitting area, dining hall, wine bar and conference facility. At the far end of the hall was a glass-enclosed ultra-modern office space. Three walls were predominantly taken up by large computer video display panels. Standing at the other side of the mahogany desk was a blonde woman wearing a stylish grey business suit with designer pumps and skirt. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she held a datapad in her hands. “Wire the sum of forty million into our Hong Kong accounts,” she said, her voice familiar. “Inform our people there that they may access the funds on an as needed basis to ensure completion of directives. Our Beijing operations should begin dissemination of the information about the Finance Minister’s illicit dealings as needed to ensure his influence in the National People’s Congress is in our favor.” “Understood,” said the man on the other end of the screen. “About the Argentinian matter, the ambassador is threatening to compromise our information source unless we acquiesce to his demands. He wants another five million as well as our influence in his upcoming corruption trial.” “Out of the question,” said the woman. “Initiate alpha protocols. See to it that the ambassador is neutralized by week’s end. Make it look convincingly self-inflicted. Line up the necessary witnesses and experts to attest to that fact. Standard procedure.” “Acknowledged.” The woman cut the connection and turned around. “Hello Arianne,” said Hawk. “Hawk, Jade.....Hitomi, Marcus,” she said. “I’m glad you made it. It’s been a long time. Sorry I haven’t been in closer contact, but......as you can see I’ve been busy.” “Arianne,” Marcus nodded, “It’s been quite some time,” he added, his tone reserved. Jade stared, her mouth opened but words failed her. She didn’t lower her weapon. “What the fuck is this??” She asked, suspiciously. “Sorry about the bit of business you just saw. The ice princess thing is mostly for show.” She looked at Jade’s pistol aimed at her head. “I...I suppose I have a bit of explaining to do.” “Just a bit,” Jade replied, tersely. “Congratulations on the promotion,” said Hawk, keeping his weapon at ready. “Do you have the key to the executive washroom and your own parking space?” “Listen, things have changed since we last saw each other.” “You disappeared after the Cain affair,” said Hawk. “Well, there was a reason for that. My mother was on the board of directors at Dysson, but she was something more than that. She was a ranking member of the Illuminati. Before she died trying to track down Cain...she willed everything to me. Her accounts, her position in the hierarchy, her information network. After all these years I’m still discovering things she was tapped into. It was....too much of an opportunity to pass up.” “I’m still waiting for the part where you explain what you’re doing heading up a branch of Dysson,” Jade said. Arianne sighed. “Dysson is a front for certain segments of the Illuminati, you know that by now. They’re extremely well-financed, connected and have a record of human rights abuses that’s earned them the place of honor in countless news exposés.” “I spun off IsaniCorp after my mother’s death,” she continued. “Officially we’re under the Dysson banner, but it allows me autonomy to act free from much of the board of directors’ influence. It was a choice I was forced to make...walk away from it all and let someone else take it over, or make a deal with the devil and work from within and maybe make some right decisions for a change.” “And what have those decisions entailed?” Jade asked, still unconvinced. “Well, one of my first decisions was to direct a few billion into consolidating our information network into a unified system designed to take vast amounts of data and disseminate it in a manner that let’s me categorize, identify trends, pinpoint areas of interest. From this I determine global strategy. We take information, use it, sell it, influence with it....” “You’re an information broker, like Lazarus,” said Hawk. “We’ve managed to bring most of the late Lazarus’ network under our control,” she said. “Working behind the scenes, of course. Taking small amounts of funding under the banner of ‘special projects’.....a few billion here and there, amounts too small to draw attention.” “Why are we here? Why now?” Jade asked. “Because the situation is even more serious that I’d feared,” she said. Noting Jade’s pistol, Arianne said, “Can we continue this conversation without the threat of violence? If you feel like shooting me after, I’ll gladly give you the opportunity.” “Don’t tempt her,” Marcus said, putting away his weapon. “She’s...” He glanced over at Jade, choosing his words carefully, “Having a bad month,” he finished. Jade glared at Marcus and then glanced over at Hawk, slowly lowering her weapon. “That’s quite alright,” Arianne said. “Some things never change. And I didn’t have you brought here to have you killed. That would be quite counterproductive and not something I’d do to my former comrades.” Hawk lowered his weapon. Hitomi followed suit. “Sorry,” said Hawk. “We’ve had reason to be cautious as of late.” “Indeed, you four made quite a show in Europe and Africa,” said Arianne. “And Hitomi, you look quite good for a dead woman.” “Well you know,” said Hitomi with a shrug. “They can’t keep a good woman down. Hell’s too good for me and Heaven won’t have me, I guess.” “If you’ve heard about the events in Europe and Africa, then I can only assume you know the real story and not just what’ made it onto the news,” Marcus said. “Is there anything you can do to help?” Arianne hesitated a moment. “I won’t lie to you, you’ve pissed off some very powerful people, but we are not without influence ourselves. I believe we can help each other. At the very least, I can do what I can to get the heat off your backs so you can operate with greater freedom. Officially you are wanted as persons of interest in the death of Robert Ducs. The story is not yet set, with proper media influence the story could be deflected, misdirected to another course that does not involve you. Simple case of mistaken identity, happens all the time.” Marcus laughed, “Really? Because I don’t recall anyone else in my social circle getting confused for a murder, It may happen, but not to me.” “I want to go home, Arianne. And right now, I can’t do that.” “I know, Marcus. I want to make that happen, but try to understand that there are more important matters than any one of us at stake. You’ve seen the news reports. The V-42N virus will kill millions worldwide this year alone. Deacon Cord, working through his subsidiary ApostleCorp is making a bad situation even worse by, I believe, deliberately keeping production of the vaccine low. Combined with the Aquinas Protocol going online and he’s consolidating power on multiple fronts. He’s planning something big, and with Max Krueger as FEMA head he has a foothold in the US government, too. The Helios A.I. breaking containment was a setback for him, but I can’t get past the feeling that all of these events are related and part of a common goal.” “So then what are you doing about it?” Jade asked. “Information gathering and monitoring isn’t going to change anything,” she added. “The Illuminati does not act directly,” she replied. “We only suggest, insinuate, influence. We act through agencies and operatives, which in turn operate other agencies and operatives. Boxes stacked atop one another. Always an order, an understanding, but we do have our means of acting when we need to. I have a few ideas of my own.” |
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| Jason Hawk | Feb 22 2013, 05:18 AM Post #3 |
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“Such as?” said Hawk expectantly. Arianne took a long breath and touched a sequence on her datapad. The array of large computer screens on the wall formed a composite display of a map of North America. Red lines overlayed a web around the United States, Canada and going into Mexico. Map markers were placed at strategic points along the web. “This is our best estimation of Cord’s distribution network of the V-42N vaccine,” said Arianne. “The vaccine is synthesized at ApostleCorp production facilities in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. From there, the vaccine is taken to secure distribution points throughout the nation. Since the riots began, distribution of the vaccine has become federalized, with FEMA handling dissemination of the vaccine to approved members of the populace. FEMA’s counterparts in Canada and Mexico have followed suit. The entire process is closed and controlled.” “Has anyone been able to get a sample of this vaccine?” Jade asked. “Anyone *not* affiliated with Cord?” “We have and our analysis has shown in to be remarkably difficult to reverse engineer. It’s nanotech code seems to have a built-in resistance to tampering and seems to have some sort of automated defense mechanisms that causes it to revert to a useless state when tampering is detected.” “A sort of autoimmune system built into the nanomachines in the vaccine itself,” said Hawk. “Yes,” said Arianne. “A destructive digital rights management system applied to nanotech.” "Is it simply an antivirus or could it be used for other purposes?" Jade asked. It was too easy to believe that Cord had bigger plans. “I don’t know,” said Arianne, the frustration evident in her voice. “I don’t *like* to not know. It’s my job to know and I have no solid proof on what Cord’s endgame is. I do know that the ones who get the vaccine are selected through a closed process. No one really knows the criteria. There wasn’t time enough to make the selection process public. A year ago no one had heard of V-42N, now it’s sweeping the world. The bloody damn new Plague.” "Then we need to find someone who has been selected and question and test them. Or send someone in to try," Marcus suggested. “Try most of the United States Congress,” Arianne replied. “Or CEO’s of the Fortune 500. Leading members of political think tanks in the US. It’s the same with the Canadian Parliament and the EU. This plague has elicited an emotional response from the people and, as we know, decisions made out of fear are not always the most well reasoned ones. One thing to note, though, several politicians who who changed sides to support legislation favorable to Cord Industries, such as the creation of the Aquinas Protocol and the closed source nature of ApostleCorp’s cure were fast-tracked access to the vaccine for themselves and their families.” "Convenient," Marcus muttered bitterly. "It's nice to know that they're still on their vote or die campaign." “We access some of Section 17’s old servers still left online after the *incident*. Most of them were decommissioned after Stark’s death, but we were able to delve into some of the datanet and found some old communiques of Jonah Stark. They were old, over a decade, but it appeared that even then he had an eye on Deacon Cord. They were both members of the Order and Stark wrote of Cord’s plans even then to consolidate power. He hoped to eliminate Cord before he was able to put his plans into motion, but he died before that could take place. He wrote of Cord’s plan to “Create God”......I have no idea what he means by that, but the closest reference we’ve been able to find is the Voltaire quote, If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” "Cord said that to me in Switzerland," Jade replied, frowning. "So what's your best guess as to what he's planning then? I don't think it's as simple as eugenics or bribery," Marcus said. “Am I the only one who finds it mildly disconcerting that Jonah Stark, the man who wanted to bring the entire planet under his own new world order, thought Cord was so dangerous that even *he* didn’t want Cord to succeed?” said Hitomi. "And Stark was fucking insane," Jade nodded. "Maybe he thought their plans didn't gel- saw him as a threat," Marcus shrugged. “What is true is that it appears Cord is better financed, better connected and is consolidating power even faster than Stark did,” said Hawk. “Stark was an isolationist, walled off in his own ivory tower. Cord is a fucking celebrity, building wings for childrens’ hospitals.” "Different approaches, similar end game," Jade replied. "Cord's connections make him harder to get to and make us more vulnerable. Stark would have been too exposed going to the media and making us a public threat. Cord's marketing machine OWNs the media. He can do what he wants." "Half of me wonders how wide spread this virus really is," Marcus nodded. "With his control of the media it would be easy to create the mass hysteria he needs, even without proof." “ApostleCorp has one of their four vaccine production centers here in the city,” said Arianne. She pulled up a schematic of the ApostleCorp headquarters building. “Here, it’s got tight security made even more secure by the presence of FEMA troops around the building. I’d suggest this is a good spot to do a bit of snooping. If you can get a copy of the source for the vaccine, that would allow us to enable more widespread distribution.” Jade examined the schematics. "That makes it wen more of a challenge. With Cord's lackeys controlling FEMA, it wouldn't surprise me if he's put is on some sort of terrorist watch list," she said sarcastically. "What kind of resources can we get access to through your network?" “I can get you schematics of the subway system that runs underneath that section of Manhattan,” said Arianne. “There’s a section of the tunnel where you can access an abandoned section of the line that was never completed in the 1890s. Seems like there was a dispute back then over funding and that section of the subway was never completed. Instead, it was bricked off from the rest of the line. You should be able to blast your way through to it. It leads directly under the ApostleCorp building. I doubt even they know its there.” "I was thinking more along the lines of weapons... equipment..." Jade replied with a sigh. “I can provide you with what you need,” said Arianne, nodding. “Money’s not a problem, neither is logistics. Being an information broker has its advantages, one of which is knowing the back ways in and having the means to exploit them.” “You said there were FEMA troops on site?” said Hawk. “Yes, special Federal agents under the personal direction of Max Krueger. The state of emergency has caused numerous executive orders that give Krueger considerable leeway in protecting vaccine distribution. Personally, I believe his appointment as head of FEMA was orchestrated. He was by far not the most qualified for the job, but definitely ruthless and loyal to Deacon Cord. I believe he’s using his powers for more than just orderly management of national emergencies. There have been some interesting fund transfers that have gone through secret FEMA-controlled accounts that have coincided with high profile assassinations.” Marcus cringed noticeably at this. “I have no doubt that he was strategically placed there,” he said. “We really need to see what they’re doing in there.” “Then I picked the perfect time for our little reunion,” said Arianne with a smile. “What about you?” said Hawk. “Why not come with us? We could use someone with your talents.” Arianne laughed. “If only I could. No, I’ve been out of field work for far too long now....not that I wouldn’t relish the chance to get back in. I’m too visible. We have credible reports that Cord might make a move on me directly soon. It seems he considers me a threat.” Jade laughed “And we’re not??” she asked. “Besides, if skillset were any indicator, he wouldn’t be around,” she added, glancing over at Marcus. “He *did* kill Loque,” Hawk noted. “Yes, I came to Marcus’ defense. I’m waiting to see if I burst into flames.” Marcus smirked. “Thank you,” he said. “I appreciate your sacrifice. And believe me, after what we’ve all done, I doubt that’s going to be the thing that gets you struck down.” “That was *you*?” said Arianne incredulously. “Naturally I knew Alexander Loque had been killed in France, but I assumed it was Hawk, Jade or Hitomi who did it. You’ll have to tell me that story sometime.” Hitomi shrugged, “Not much to tell.....he was an asshole. And there was fire......lots of fire.” “Let’s not discuss fire,” Jade said, looking away. “He threatened my boyfriend,” Marcus shrugged. “That made me angry.” “You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry,” said Hawk. “Sorry, you left yourself wide open, Cavanaugh.” Marcus laughed despite himself. “This is what I fucking put up with now,” Jade said to Arianne, rolling her eyes. “These two,” she indicated Hitomi and Marcus, “are best girlfriends, and he and Hawk have some bizarre bromance... The three of them act like they’re about eighteen.” “Sorry,” said Hawk. “I’ll try to brood more to make you happy, better?” Jade rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and shaking her head in disgust. “Apparently Jade’s happier when we’re all at each other’s throats.” Marcus said. “I’m sure you don’t miss it,” he added, giving Arianne a wry smile. “By the way,” said Hitomi. “How is your father.......?” “Still single,” replied Arianne with a knowing smile. “Really.....” Hitomi replied, making a mental note. “Please give him my warmest regards....” Marcus rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation. “Seriously? You won’t date my cousin, but you’ll date someone old enough to be your father?” he shook his head. “You might want to note that Christoph is probably in excellent health and smart enough to get a prenup,” he added with a wry smile.” Hitomi scowled. Marcus gave Hitomi a winning smile. “Why don’t we all have a drink,” said Arianne. “Forgive me for the subterfuge but I wanted to make contact with you under friendly territory. I hope you understand.” “If it shuts those two up, I’m all for it,” Jade replied, glaring at Hitomi and Marcus. “Um, about *friendly territory*,” said Hawk, pointing outside of the glass windows. “That helicopter is getting awfully close....” A grey helicopter maneuvered around the top of the building, hovering low over the penthouse. Arianne’s eyes grew wide. She yelled, “Get down!” as the first shots rang out. Edited by Jason Hawk, Feb 22 2013, 04:20 PM.
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| Jason Hawk | Feb 24 2013, 06:25 AM Post #4 |
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"Target acquired. Prosecuting mission objectives……" The pilot swung the helicopter low over the penthouse terrace and held position as the sniper took aim. The electronic targeting mechanism built into the rifle's scope scanned the windows and outlined the five heat signatures. "Five targets positively identified," said the sniper. "Mission parameters indicate only one target should be on site. Should I take the others out?" "Take them out," replied the team leader. The sniper fired several shots, hitting the glass surrounding the penthouse. The glass cracked, but did not shatter. "Reinforced glass," said the sniper. "I can't penetrate it." "Hit it with HE rounds." "Switching to high explosive rounds……" *** Bullets struck the glass surrounding the penthouse, causing it to crack in a web-shaped patterns where the bullets hit. The helicopter was a modern Eurocopter EC155 bearing no markings, grey exterior and tinted windows. Hovering outside the penthouse, a sniper fired high-powered rounds into the glass. There was a brief pause, and a rocket fired from the passenger cabin, hitting the glass and blowing a massive hole, showering the penthouse with reinforced glass shards. Jade dove behind a desk as glass shattered everywhere. “Fucking hell,” she screamed over the drone of the helicopter. “How did they find us so fast?” She raised her weapon and fired in an ambitious attempt to hit the sniper. “Better question,” Marcus shouted, raising his head from where he’d also scrambled for cover. “How are we going to get out of here?” “It’s not you they’re after,” said Arianne, going prone behind a leather couch and shielding herself against the glass shards. She cursed, realizing she was unarmed. “I need a weapon!” “Stay down!” said Hawk, drawing his pistol. “We’ve got company coming. We’ve only got a few seconds. Jade, get behind the wet bar. I’ll take the center. Hitomi, use the computer terminals as cover. Marcus, stay with me. When they breach, take them out.” Jade pulled a spare weapon from her boot and looked at it as if hesitating to give it to Arianne. “Just give it to her,” Marcus shouted, moving to join Hawk and drawing his weapon. “I think you have better things to worry about than her betraying you.” Jade glared at him but reluctantly slid the weapon across the floor towards the blonde woman. Arianne grabbed the pistol and waited as a pair of concussion grenades were tossed into the front room. Coming out of cover she fired at the men breaching the reinforced glass wall. The men were dressed in black combat uniforms with ceramic armor plates. The wore black helmets with visors built in with red lenses. The roman numeral XII was displayed in red on their helmets. Arianne hit the first man to come in, plugging him with three rounds. Hawk and Hitomi each claimed another. The men returned fire, taking up positions in the penthouse, letting rounds fly with assault rifles. Jade fired on two more men, downing them. “We need one of them alive!” shouted Arianne. “And who gets that honour?” Marcus shouted, leaning over and firing at one of the men. His bullet impacted the man’s visor. He fired again, hitting him in the neck and taking him out. Even he had to admit that his aim had greatly improved, although the thought brought him no comfort. “That’s a little easier said than done!” yelled Hawk, emptying his pistol’s magazine and pulling a throwing knife out of a hidden sheath near his boot. He hit one of the gunmen in the throat. A gunman came near Arianne’s hiding spot as she sprang from cover and smashed him into a glass display case. Marcus fired on a pair of gunmen as they approached where he and Hawk had taken up hiding. He hit one in the throat, but merely grazed the other one, momentarily distracting him. “Grab the injured one,” Jade shouted, glancing over at the soldier Marcus had injured and then emptying her pistol into two more men. She paused to re-load as she waited for a reply. Hitomi slammed a fresh magazine into her pistol and dashed out of cover, firing as she went. She fired through the gaping hole in the wall, hitting the helicopter several times. Her shots hit something important, as the helicopter began to spew black smoke from it engine and lurch to one side as the pilot tried to maintain control. Hawk shot the last of the gunmen as he saw Hitomi fire on the chopper “Um, guys....I have some good news and some bad news,” Hitomi said. “I don’t like the sound of that,” Marcus said, looking over at her. The helicopter swerved and lurched as it careened out of control. It tilted forward, its blades striking the tile of the penthouse veranda. “Get down!” yelled Hawk, tackling Hitomi and taking cover behind the wet bar. The helicopter crashed into the penthouse with a massive shattering of glass, steel and concrete. When the smoke cleared, the wrecked helicopter was inside of the half-collapsed penthouse on its side. Marcus looked up as the dust and smoke cleared. He ran a hand over his face, smearing soot and drywall dust. He looked around to see if the others were all okay. “I fucking hate my job,” Jade said, slowly getting up and dusting herself off. Hawk slowly got up off of Hitomi and surveyed the damage. The destruction inside the penthouse was total. In all, he counted eight bodies, none of which was of their group. The cockpit door opened and the injured pilot began to slowly crawl out. “Arianne, are you alive?” said Hawk. “Yes,” she said, nodding. She held a pistol to the head of one of the gunmen, who writhed on the floor in pain. “And that one’s alive?” “Yes,” she said. Hawk then turned and fired a slug into the injured pilot, killing him as he tried to exit the wreck. “She said keep *one* of them alive,” Hawk said with a nonchalant shrug. “One is too many in my opinion,” Jade scowled. “What does the ‘XII’ mean?” Marcus asked, cocking his head to the side and staring at their hostage. “The Majestic Council of the Twelve,” said Arianne, holding the pistol at the surviving gunman’s head. She pulled off his helmet and aimed between his eyes. “More commonly known as Majestic Twelve.” “Who sent you?” Arianne hissed. “Tell me!” The man glared defiantly. “I’ll tell you nothing. I’ll....I’ll.....” He bit down hard and then began to choke. Foam came out of his mouth. “Fuck I hate suicide pills,” Jade muttered. “There’s no one I feel that loyal to,” she added. Marcus spied an unbroken bottle of scotch from the bar lying nearby. He grabbed it, opened the man’s mouth and poured it in under the hopes it might slow or prevent his death. “Who fucking sent you?” Jade spat. “Cyanide capsule in the tooth,” said Hawk watching the man die. “He’s either extremely loyal or extremely afraid of whoever he works for.” The alcohol did not slow the man’s death as he made a gurgling sound and his eyes froze. “So much for leaving one of them alive,” said Hitomi. “I tried,” Marcus shrugged. “So what is this counsel of twelve and what do they want with you?” he asked. "Majestic Twelve is a part of the Illuminati," said Arianne. "During the twentieth century, the Order's leadership realized it would have to extend control to technology. So, Majestic Twelve was created as the Illuminati's technology and communications leader. They gave out and suppressed technology, controlled both legal and illegal drug distribution and introduced diseases. MJ12 was also tasked with influencing the world's intelligence organizations. They had their hands deeply into Section 17 back in the day…." “Officially Majestic Twelve doesn’t exist,” Arianne continued. “But its been part of the Illuminati power structure since the start of the Cold war. It’s dedicated to research and exploiting post-atomic technology. Deacon Cord’s father was its first head. It’s passed down to his son. Many of Cord Industries’ technologies have their roots in MJ12 research. As to what they want with me, they’ve obviously decided I’m a threat that needs taking out. I guess they were expecting me to be alone.” “Great, so Cord is after you, too.” Jade said, stepping over rubble as she paced. “So now what?” “So now we relocate to a secure location,” she replied. “This place is compromised. This is brazen, even for Cord. He obviously thinks I’m getting too close to things he’d rather stay unknown, such as the nature of Krueger’s appointment, FEMA, ApostleCorp and the virus. Twenty years ago, members of the Order taking direct action against each other was unheard of. There was a mutual understanding. Obviously, times have changed.” “Cord seems to be a big fan of overkill,” Marcus observed, “I don’t think he’s really concerned with the rules of engagement, or etiquette.” “You thought this was a secure location,” Jade said. “Where do you propose we go?” “We have a location near the harbor. We have a deal with the dockworker’s union that they keep us informed in exchange for payment.” “You mean the local mob,” said Hawk. “We don’t inquire into the nature of their various business dealings as long as they keep up their end of the bargain,” said Arianne. “We’re in the business of information, not policing the wharf.” “Let’s go, then, before Cord catches wind of his team’s latest cock-up,” Jade said, stepping over a body on her way to what was left of the door. ‘You take me to all the nicest places,” Marcus said sarcastically. “I’ll make it up to you when this is over,” said Arianne. “And by the way...thank you, thank you all. If you weren’t here, I’d have a bullet in me right about now.” “You can make it up to me by figuring out a way for me to go home without being arrested or murdered,” Marcus replied. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before Cord gets another chance to try to kill us all,” Jade said. |
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| Jason Hawk | Feb 25 2013, 06:30 AM Post #5 |
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Arianne’s helicopter survived the destruction at the penthouse and was available to take them to another secured location once Arianne had made a phone call to arrange for their relocation. “It’s done,” she said, stepping over one of the bodies. “Our people are expecting us at the docks and a team will be here to secure this location.” She glanced at the wrecked chopper in her front room and sighed. “Getting the wreck out of here will be a challenge, but luckily that’s not our problem right now.” “What about the media?” said Hitomi. “Aircraft crashing into buildings in New York tends to put people on edge nowadays.” “I’m sure the proper story can be manufactured,” said Hawk. “By this afternoon it’ll be back page news. We have bigger problems now.” “It won’t be the first little accident we’ve had the papers cover up, or even the worst”, Arianne commented. “You’ll understand if I have no sympathy,” Marcus said, looking around at the destruction. “Your place in Japan exploded,” Hawk reminded him. “Technically it was not *our* doing...” “It’s not like I left the gas on and lit a bloody cigarette,” Marcus replied. “I’m also a bit more selective about whom I give a key to,” he added, glancing at Jade. “And if it weren’t for the media, we wouldn’t be in even half of the mess we’re in,” he huffed. “Jesus fucking Christ,” Jade spat. “We get it. Your comfortable little world has been shattered. Get over it.” Jade looked over at Arianne. “The two of you can discuss your redecorating later. Let’s go.” The Bell 429 helicopter outside the penthouse was painted in the yellow and blue of the IsaniCorp logo. “Do you trust me to fly again?” said Hawk. Arianne frowned. “Allow me. I know the way, anyway”, she said. *** Arianne flew them over the city as the late-morning commuters could bee seen on the streets below going about their business. They headed for the port district, where Arianne had earlier told them that she had a safe house located at one of the dock houses. They could only speculate at what was inside. Given her nature as former thief turned Illuminati member and information broker, they could only speculate as to the nature of the equipment and personnel she had access to. “So in regard to the question earlier,” said Hawk. “How is your father? I haven’t seen him in years. I’ve scanned the newsfeeds for his name, but nothing’s come up regarding any major operation connected with him. Nor has there been an obituary.....sorry, that came out all wrong.” “Charming,” Marcus muttered. “Dad keeps busy. We talk often but not about work very much. I don’t think he entirely approves of my, well, career change, but I think he understands that I didn’t have much choice in the matter.” She grinned as she flipped one of the controls. “I think he still hopes I’ll go back and he and I can go on a heist together.” “The offer to join us is still open,” said Hawk. “Now that a hit’s been put out on you, I doubt these people will stop because of one setback. Believe me, we killed half the mercs in Europe and we’re still in the crosshairs.” “Cord seems to have an endless supply of weapons and expendable soldiers at his disposal,” Jade agreed. “He’s been sending out armies for us.” “Well, he’s bitten a sleeping giant this time, and I doubt he can chew it”, Arianne said. “Our organization is not short on resources and when people try to kill me and wreck my home, I take it very personally.” “It’s a pleasant change to have someone with resources, connections and motivation who is *not* trying to have us killed,” said Hawk. “Yeah,” said Hitomi. “The proper organization backing us, and we could take this far....franchise....I’m just thinking long-term.” Hawk rolled his eyes and gave Hitomi a pained glance. “No, I work alone. Besides, we’re not talking about a chain of bloody fast food joints. Stop trying to shake down our friends for money.” “That’s rich, coming from you.” Marcus laughed. “We finish this, and then if Hitomi wants to start up her own branch of Charlie’s Angels with Arianne, she can do it on her own,” Jade rolled her eyes. “Yes, well.” Arianne briefly lifted a hand from the controls to raise a warning finger. “Our resources are not infinite, or at your complete disposal, people. For one thing, there are Illuminati politics to consider. For another...” she chuckled, “...not one of you is actually a member, though I have to bring that franchise idea up at the next meeting. Illuminati Burger. Mysterious numbers served. Our secret sauce is so secret it’s classified.” Hitomi scowled at Jade. “Jade is unable to understand that some of us look forward to a life after we’ve cleared our names. I realize it might be a bit difficult to understand life planning that goes beyond choosing the next razor blade to cut one’s arm with, or the next terrible goth song to cue up. Jade, do you even have your money invested or do you just put what you earn from your jobs under the mattress? Hell, do you even have a home to go back to when this is all over?” Marcus coughed as Hitomi asked the question. He gave her a warning glance but it was too late. “That’s none of your fucking business!” Jade spat, balling up her fists as her face reddened with rage. “And what I do with my money is none of your concern. If you want cash, keep hanging out with pretty-boy here and his pool-boy. I’m sure they’ve still got plenty to spare.” “No fighting in the chopper, please”, Arianne put in calmly. “Leave it to when we land.” “Fine, I’m sorry I take it back,” said Hitomi, crossing her arms. “Forgive me, jetlag is kicking in and getting shot at puts me in an absolutely terrible fucking mood in the morning.” She paused, then added, “Please tell me this safe house we’re going to has a bar.” “Can’t you stay sober for one fucking day?” Jade asked, shaking her head, “Or were you planning to have another little party like you had at Cavanaugh’s house?” “Don’t mind the two of them,” Hawk said to Arianne. “To Hitomi, pushing Jade’s buttons is a pastime not unlike golf to a salesman or World of Warcraft to a network administrator. You’d hardly know they’re crazy about each other.” “Just like old times”, she said with a smirk. “Yes, very little has changed,” Marcus replied, giving Arianne a wry smile. “They’re still fighting with each other one day and sleeping with each other the next, and I keep getting dragged into the middle of it.” “You’ve coming dangerously close to crossing the line,” Hitomi hissed at Hawk. “I am *not* crazy about her....I don’t even like her.” “Might I remind you that she has a hair-trigger temper and we are thousands of feet up and these doors unlock from the inside,” said Hawk. Hitomi shrugged and pouted. “Point taken....” “I said to leave it for when we land. We’re almost there.” And with that, she actually began to land... on the rooftop helipad of a large hospital. “Are we finally going to have Jade committed?” said Hitomi with a laugh. Jade glared at Hitomi and actually made a move to get out of her seat. Marcus’ arm shot out to block her. “Quiet,” snapped Hawk. “Um, this is a hospital, Arianne. I realize I’m being Captain Obvious here, but I thought we were supposed to be going to a secure location.” “Of course we are”, Arianne said. “But you can’t just land a helicopter anywhere you please in the city. What do you think people will think if we just land the helicopter on top of a warehouse, hmm? To say nothing of it being there with its registration markings right on top of our ‘secure’ location. Now if we land on a hospital helipad...” She deftly touched down the helicopter and clicked the engine off. “Well, then we can take the elevator, find the van waiting for us in the parking lot, and drive to the safehouse with no one the wiser. We have arrangements with the staff here. And it’s convenient should someone be injured as you’re escaping.” “Your connections really are far reaching, “ Marcus observed. “Can one of your doctors sew her fucking mouth shut?” Jade asked, still glaring at Hitomi. “Hitomi!” snapped Hawk. “Stop picking on Jade.” “Sorry, no elective surgery”, Arianne said, stifling a chuckle. “Fine,” said Hitomi with a sigh. “Jade, I’m sorry you have no sense of humor. Can we get out now?” “I pity you, Hawk,” Marcus said. “When this is all over I am going to look forward to going home to a house with no women in it,” he said, smirking. “It’s going to be so quiet.” Hawk shook his head and got out. “So, I assume you know where we’re going, Arianne?” “Yes, but we have to go through the hospital. We shouldn’t meet much of anyone, but please shut the fuck up and don’t attract attention to ourselves, ‘mkay?” “You’re asking a lot, you know that, right?” Marcus asked, getting out of the helicopter and stretching. Jade moved to get out of the helicopter and practically shoved Hitomi out before her. “Let’s just get this over with,” she said tersely. Hawk looked at Jade, then at Hitomi. Hitomi had the tips of her hair dyed purple and wore a black Hello Kitty shirt cut off at the midriff. She wore leather pants and a pair of high boots. She pulled out a file and absently filed her purple-painted nails. Jade was.....Jade. “It’s ok if I smoke in there, right?” said Hitomi. “It’s a hospital”, Arianne said with a warning glance. “What do you think?” Hawk rolled his eyes. “Don’t attract attention to ourselves....got it.” “We’re all going to be arrested,” Marcus groaned, rubbing his hands over his face in exasperation. “I’m starting to think that would have been easier”, Arianne muttered to herself. “If that were the case, I could have stayed home,” Marcus replied, walking over and grabbing the cigarette from Hitomi’s hand before she could even contemplate lighting it. “I understand it’s a lot to ask, but could you please tone back the bitch factor for a few hours until we get to safety?” said Hawk to Hitomi. “Just stay calm and act natural.....wait, bitch *is* natural for you, so just do what Arianne does, okay?” Hitomi sighed, “Look, calm may work for Locutus of Borg but I’m officially on edge this morning. Fine, let’s just get this over with.” “Please,” Jade agreed. “Maybe we should just let them kill each other,” Marcus said, casting a glance over at Arianne. “It would make the rest of this little adventure so peaceful.” As he spoke he headed towards the door leading into the hospital. Arianne finished shutting down the helicopter and gestured to the doors. “All right. Everybody out. Calmly. We’ll quietly walk to the elevator, go down, leave through the employee exit, and find the van in the parking lot. That’s all.” “Lead the way,” said Hawk, motioning Arianne to take point. |
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| Jason Hawk | Mar 11 2013, 04:48 AM Post #6 |
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Arianne led them into the hospital which was busier than usual for a weekday morning. Doctors and nurses moved about, wheeling patients on stretchers into the various wards. Jade followed, her, growing uneasy simply being in a hospital setting. Her hand kept moving nervously to her side where her weapon was concealed. “Just keep moving,” Marcus said, putting a hand on her back and pushing her forward. She turned her head to give him a warning look. He met her gaze evenly, having had about enough of her threats.”We can always leave you here,” he said, arching an eyebrow. Jade stopped dead in her tracks, turning to confront him. “Marcus,” snapped Hawk. “Now is definitely NOT the time....” Marcus glared at Hawk and then looked back at Jade. “Just keep walking.” He said, his tone bored. He stepped around Jade, ignoring Hawk’s words. “I’m not the one who looks like they’re going to start shooting the place up at any moment,” he commented. “Maybe its something about being in the States,” said Hitomi, watching a pair of patients being wheeled into the ICU ward. They were coughing profusely, one pulled their hand away to reveal a spattering of blood. “Isn’t it the mass shooting capital of the world now?” “More or less,” replied Hawk. “Seems like a lot of those patients have a nasty cough. Even when I had the flu two years ago I wasn’t that bad.” “V-42N patients,” Arianne explained. “The virus attacks the lungs first. By the time you feel the symptoms its already too late. This hospital has one of the largest V-42N wards in the city. They municipality is having to repurpose school gymnasiums and community centers to handle what the hospitals can’t. It’s a virtual replay of 1918.” Marcus looked around and instinctively covered his mouth and nose with his arm. “Can we please talk somewhere where the air is a bit less contaminated?” he asked. “Despite what my smoking might indicate, I rather enjoy breathing.” “We keep limited supplies of the V-42N vaccine in our private stores,” said Arianne. “I won’t ask how you got it,” replied Hawk. “We only use it on our most important personnel. I’ll see that you’re all inoculated.” “Are you sure that we want something developed by Cord in our bodies?” Marcus asked. “He has a point. He’s still a prissy germaphobic asshole, but I’m not keen on that idea, either,” Jade said. “We’ve been unable to detect any unintended side-effects of the vaccine itself. However, I understand if you’re hesitant to have something injected into you that you don’t trust.” “I won’t point out the irony in that statement,” said Hitomi. “Though I suppose I just did.” Hawk shot her a scowl. Jade glared at Hitomi. “I’d rather take my chances that I’m injecting borax with my heroin than something Cord’s had a hand in,” she spat. “Can we please keep moving?” Marcus asked, glancing around. “People are starting to stare.” “Follow me,” said Arianne. Arianne led them down a hallway and into an underground tunnel. “Once some investor from California wanted to build a private underground monorail for the rich and influential in the city,” said Arianne. “Then, he lost his fortune in the oil bust of the early eighties. This is all that remains, but we’ve adopted what was built for our purposes.” “I can’t see the wealthy using any form of public transit, even if it’s only for them,” Jade smirked. “She has a point,” Marcus said, “although it would create a decided advantage for private movement through the city, or emergency transportation.” He looked around as they walked. “I thought you never walked anywhere unless you had to,” said Hawk. “I don’t. You’ve seen my car collection. Would you?” Marcus replied with a wry smile. *** After a long while they came to a staircase which led to a metal door with a retinal scanner. “One moment,” said Arianne. A blue laser scanned her eye and a computerized voice intoned: “IDENTITY CONFIRMED. ACCESS GRANTED.” The locks to the door opened up. Then the panels slid sideways, to reveal a well-appointed living room with a pair of wide plasma TVs on either side. Leather-covered sofas provided comfortable-looking seating alongside glass-and-metal end tables, and a small bar stood in one corner. Immediately the group noticed that the furniture, while artfully arranged, was also set up to provide cover for the occupants against anyone entering via the door they were in. Closed doors in the back and side walls suggested more rooms. The place was deserted. “Mi casa is su casa, and all that”, said Arianne. “Sleeping arrangements might get tricky. This wasn’t planned out for so many people.” “My internal clock’s still adjusting,” said Hawk, taking in the surroundings. “I’ll be up for a while.” “Somehow I was expecting something more.........” said Hitomi, choosing her words. “Something with more guards. Servers......dogs, guards...more dogs. Is this where you live or just one of your hideouts, Arianne?” “Hideout”, Arianne said. “You saw where I live. You blew it up.” She pointed one of the doors. “Servers that way. No guards, this is a secret bolthole. There’s only a handful of people who know exactly where it is and how to get there and that’s a handful more than I would like, but the place needs to be maintained.” She chuckled. “We have procedures to deal with those while the place is in use, though. I almost wish they try to interrogate someone to find this place. It might give us a lead.” “One day, Arianne, we’ll learn not to invite these two into our homes,” Marcus said, offering her a wry smile. “They really do break everything they touch.” He sat down on the edge of one of the sofas. Hawk rolled his eyes and sighed. “Marcus is still going on about his place in Tokyo. It was a hundred years ago that it blew up, and we didn’t even do that to it. Besides, the decor was tacky. You should be thanking us, really.” “Well, I liked my place”, grumbled Arianne. “You guys make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be in my office, checking on news, making arrangements.” “I liked mine, too.” Marcus grumbled. “And it wasn’t tacky. It was modern and clean - unlike your hoarded dump,” he said. “But then it’s gone, too. What’s the common denominator? Oh... Wait... The two of you...” “I miss my place too,” said Hawk mournfully. “Whatever,” muttered Hitomi, pulling out a cigarette, glancing at Arianne, and then deciding not to light it. “A quick trip to the nearest Spencers Gifts should be all that’s needed to decorate your new place, anyway. I think they’re having a clearance sale on blacklight posters. Maybe they’ll have one of, who’s that shitty British singer that Jade’s into, Paul Murphy?” “Fuck off,” Jade muttered. “Anyway,” Hitomi continued. “Before the aircraft crashed into your penthouse, you were saying something about a back way into the ApostleCorp HQ here in the city. Get us the schematics and equipment and we can hit it as soon as tonight, unless there are objections.”’ “Whatever gets this over with,” Marcus replied. Hitomi stretched out on the leather sofa. “If the MJ12 guys who attacked us are any indication, they’ll have security up the ass at ApostleCorp. You know, this is really nice....maybe you should get decorating advice from Arianne, Hawk.” “Not really my thing,” he replied. “No offense, but I was thinking something more sixties retro. Anything special we should know about building security? Where is the vaccine source most likely to be located, Arianne?” “I’m reasonably sure they had trash bins in the sixties, Hawk.” Marcus said, rolling his eyes. “You should get one.” “Their manufacturing facilities are out of town”, Arianne said. “But the vaccine transits via their HQ before distribution. They don’t actually use a warehouse, for what we believe are both security and storage reasons -- straight through the HQ’s loading dock.” She sat on one of the sofas, produced a wireless keyboard from between the armrest and the end table. A few keystrokes brought one of the plasma TVs to life, and deft typing caused blueprints to be displayed. “These might be a bit out of date. ApostleCorp has cracked down hard on these ever since they moved in.” “You’ll be on the outside running logistics, I assume?” said Hawk. Arianne chuckled. “Just like Dad in the old days. But that sounds right, now. Though... I am not completely out of practice.” She nods. “Bet I’m still sneakier than you lot, and better with security electronics.” “Thank you,” said Hitomi. “Turn these two loose and they want to shoot and burn everything.” Hawk shrugged, “There’s no problem too big to solve with a large enough explosion.” “It’s always the same problem”, Arianne said. “Explosions are fine for big problems, never so much for small ones.” “They also tend to get noticed,” Marcus observed. “They also don’t solve my problem of wanting to go home, oh, and having a place to go to.” “Always fucking whining,” Jade rolled her eyes. “What do you propose, then?” “Stealth, of course”, Arianne said. “What else?” “More specifically?” Jade replied, rolling her eyes and pacing the room. “We need two things: a hard disk containing the data we need, and the encryption key. Unless you want to sit there until the heat death of the universe while we try to brute force their on-drive encryption.” “Or when Marcus learns how to operate a dishwasher,” Hawk quipped. “Whichever comes first.” “How soon can we be in?” asked Hitomi. “As soon as we have a plan to get in there and out with what we need without turning all this into a monumental cock-up”, said Arianne. “In all likelihood, the decrypters will be keyed to biometrics, but if we can steal one as well as the encrypted data we should be able to crack it. It would be best if we could get our mitts on the unencrypted data outright, of course, but I doubt their procedures will allow that to happen unless we have Cord’s own desktop.” “If we find Cord, stealing his computer will be the least of his worries,” Jade seethed. “When can we leave?” Arianne glared at Jade in exasperation. “Do we have a plan yet? No? Then not now.” She waved back at the screen. “We need both the decrypter and the data together or else they will simply change the keys. That means we need a two-pronged approach. Very tricky. Twice the odds of cocking up.” “Is that before, or after we factor in Hawk and Jade?” Marcus asked. “Marcus, don’t make me hit you,” said Hawk with a glare. “I’m just stating a fact,” Marcus replied. “The two of you haven’t exactly been in prime form as of late.” Hawk ignored Marcus’ comment and turned to Arianne. “Killing silently is a specialty of Jade’s and mine. We could cover your entrance and escape.” “I’d rather we avoid killing anyone unless necessary, especially on the way in”, Arianne said. “One guard misses a call-in and we may have to abort. But it would be good to have the option if all hell breaks loose.” “Killing is always necessary,” Jade said, continuing to pace around the room. “You leave them alive and they’ll only cause more trouble later,” she reasoned. “But fine, we’ll try it your way.” “I’m trying to be practical here. Dead bodies raise alarms. Guards that don’t call in raise alarms. Raised alarms make it hard to get secret data off servers.” “She has a point,” said Hitomi. “You sound almost disappointed, Jade. But trust her, I think Arianne knows what she’s doing.” Jade glared at Hitomi. “I’m not advocating blowing everything up. I’m in agreement on that one - it’s messy. I do however think that leaving people alive creates liabilities.” “Leaving them alive is not a problem if they never see you,” Hitomi replied. “Sometimes the direct approach isn’t always the best. There’s a time and a place for a blunt instrument, mind you.” “I can think of a few,” Marcus smirked. “So what do you propose then? All go in together, or split up?” “I’m thinking about it. Going in all together makes for a bigger group, which is harder to hide, and it forces us to stay in there for longer, so the risk of detection is more than doubled.” Arianne frowned and looked at the blueprints. “At the same time, who here knows how to read RAID tables enough to figure out which hard drives to take from a server room, or knows how to crack the safe that the decrypt units are sure to be in?” “Katya did,” Hawk volunteered. “But.....she’s not here. What about your dad, Arianne? He taught you everything he knows. I love watching the two of you work. Can you get him here?” “I can call him and ask”, Arianne said thoughtfully, looking at the blueprint on the screen. “We’re on alright terms even if he doesn’t necessarily approve of what I do or want to be a part of this. Something like this, though...” She smiled faintly. “Why, I think I just might be able to convince him.” “Alright terms?” asked Hawk cautiously. “Is there something we don’t know about? Did I just stick my foot in mouth?” “I thought you’d be used to the taste of your shoes by now,” Hitomi quipped. “I thought the taste in my mouth was you, Hitomi,” Hawk retorted. Marcus coughed and looked away. “Not saying anything,” he muttered. “I’m not going to waste the perfect comeback on you, Hawk,” Hitomi hissed. “But don’t think I don’t have it....it *will* come.” “What terms?” Jade asked, rolling her eyes at the others. Arianne sighed. “We talk to each other and we’re friendly but we’re not as tight as we used to be. That’s all.” “He wanted you to walk away from this and stay with him, right?” said Hawk. “Something like that. Not sure which part was more important. In his own, adventurous devil-may-care way, he’s like any dad who doesn’t want to see his little girl leave the nest.” “Understood. Sometimes the people we’re closest to are the hardest to see eye-to-eye with.” He laughed. “Sometimes I think it’s easier to kill ten men in hand to hand combat than it is to tell someone that they give my life meaning....or to pick out the right birthday gift.....or find a mutually agreeable flavor of coffee.” “Or tell them about your plans for the future,” Jade added bitterly. “It’s a wonder you ever get laid,” Marcus shook his head. Hawk shook his head. “So do I. Though these days it’s a lot less of that and a lot more locking myself in a dark room and listening to country music...the music of pain.” “You mean the music that causes pain,” Marcus replied. “It must be terrible being you.” “I’m not even going to point out the irony of the man whose music sounds like the bleeps from an eighties video game console playing music critic.” Hawk stopped and looked at Arianne with an apologetic expression. “Sorry Arianne....I realize some of this must be a little *too much info* for you.” “I’ve been around you guys long enough to tune it out. It doesn’t take long.” Arianne smirked and moved to the bar. “Wine, anyone? I keep a good red or two here.” “Please!” Marcus quickly responded before turning back to Hawk. “At least most of my music isn’t filled with lyrics about pickup trucks and beer,” he retorted. “I don’t *like* country music,” Hawk said. “It just....kind of fits this transitional period. Arianne, I’d like some wine, too. I usually buy the stuff that comes in a box. Jade doesn’t drink much, and I can’t stand drinking corked wine. So,” he shrugged. “I’m not demanding.” Marcus whimpered at this, cringing as Hawk described his dislike of decent wine. “No wonder Jade doesn’t drink it,” he muttered. Hawk waited patiently for his wine. “Arianne, one more thing,” Hawk said. “Does the name Helios mean anything to you?” Arianne expertly worked the fancy bottle opener on the bottle of red. “I’ve seen that codeword pop up a few times in data we’ve intercepted. We think it’s some sort of computer thing.” She poured three glasses. “We don’t have any details at this point.” “We were on board the ARK ship before it sank,” said Hawk. “We saw them conducting some sort of experiment to fuse human consciousness with an A.I. system. Before the whole place blew, it appears to have broken away from its software containment system. It overloaded the ship’s power system before uploading itself into the CordSky satellite system. By now it has the entire net to move around, as far as we know.” “You think there’s a rogue AI on the Internet? Right now?” Arianne chuckled. “My IT guys can’t ever shut up about the ‘cloud’, but I think this is a bit much.” She handed Marcus and Hawk their glasses. “I’m telling you what we saw,” said Hawk, swishing the wine in his glass and taking a sip. He nodded appreciatively. “The girl they fused into the A.I. couldn’t have been more than thirteen or fourteen. She was the daughter of Dr. Elizabeth Aristide. Do you know the name? Brilliant researcher in the field of mapping the human brain, but had a bit of a falling out in her field due to the nature of some of her experiments. Cord was apparently funding her most recent work.” “I still can’t believe she experimented on her own child,” Jade said, bitterly. “She’s fucking sick.” “*Was* sick being the operative word,” Hitomi chimed in. “Decent wine, at last we’re in civilization. I don’t suppose you have a stylist available on short notice, do you Arianne?” Arianne rolled her eyes. “This is a bolt-hole, remember?” Hawk sighed. “There are more important things than your hair, Hitomi. Stop with the Marie Antoinette act.” “Hey,” said Hitomi defensively. “Marie Antoinette got a bad rep by history. I can totally relate to her. I mean, she worked really hard to look that good. It’s not *her* fault that the peasants were all so poor....and dirty and depressed.” "And you call *me* a snob," Marcus quipped. "I promise you can have a spa day when this is over," he said to Hitomi, sipping his wine. "Can we get back to the task at hand?" Jade demanded. “Dr. Aristide seemed to indicate that the Helios A.I. project was part of a larger initiative by Deacon Cord,” said Hawk. “Before Jade shot her, that is.” “This is the downside of shooting people”, Arianne muttered. “It makes it damnably hard to interrogate them.” Jade shot Arianne a death stare. "It makes it harder for them to escape." “What’s done is done,” said Hawk, shooting Jade a look warning her not to get upset. “What we would like to know is why Cord developed Helios and what his purpose is.” “You and me both”, said Arianne. “We have a busy schedule as it is, but we can try to grab data on it from the servers and hope that the same decrypt key will work on both.” “Excellent,” said Hitomi, pouring herself a goblet of wine and drinking deeply. “The wine and the fact that you’re with us. To be honest, after all that’s happened it’s nice to see a friendly, familiar face again.” “I’ll second that,” said Hawk. “With our luck I was afraid we’d run into another hack fiction writer.” “I give you permission to shoot if that happens,” Marcus quipped. |
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| Jason Hawk | Mar 11 2013, 04:49 AM Post #7 |
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Hawk swished the remainder of his wine and drank the last of the glass. “I think you should talk to your father,” said Hawk to Arianne. He didn’t say that he actually looked forward to talking to Chris again. It had been many years and he had actually written a couple of letters to Chris in that time, but unfortunately he had gotten sidetracked and stopped somewhere along the way. “Tell him I give him my regards,” he added. Arianne nodded. “I’ll call from my rooms. You guys get settled.” She grinned. “Go easy on the bar.” She walked over to one of the doors. When she opened it the others had a glimpse of a well-furnished bedroom in a modern style before she slipped in and closed the door behind herself. Hitomi watched Arianne step out and refilled her goblet. “I’ve got to hand it to her, she’s done well for herself. I wonder why Arianne would want back in the game. It seems like she has everything a woman could want.” “Money isn’t everything, Hitomi,” Marcus observed. “Having cash doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re fulfilled.” Jade laughed. “That’s rich, coming from you.” Marcus regarded her assessingly. “You make plenty and you spend nothing, clearly money does nothing for you,” he replied. “You don’t have to live like you do.” “We’re hardly in the same situation,” Jade replied. “Maybe not, but you have to agree that there are some things that can’t be solved by throwing money at them... like loneliness, illness, or maybe even a need to be free from responsibility.” Jade shrugged. “I guess she could be bored. I couldn’t do this...” she looked around. “You’ve lived much of your life out of a paper bag and a cardboard box,” said Hitomi bluntly. “You’re not exactly one to lend perspective.” She sighed wistfully. “When you met me in Tokyo I’d just maneuvered myself into my position by arranging the assassination of a political rival in the Syndicate. Now, a majority of my investments are in legitimate industries....pharmaceuticals, software, shipping....to be honest I could run my little empire quite nicely with a few keystrokes on my laptop between sunbathing and my afternoon pedicure. I have more money than I’ll ever be able to spend, but sometimes I miss the pitiful wail of a grocer who failed to pay his protection money as I had his fingers broken. Maybe, in a way, I *can* relate.....” “Speak for yourselves,” Marcus replied. “When this is over, I only want to hear from you if you want to go to the beach or a gallery. If your plans involve torture or extortion, you’re on your own.” “You don’t feel any remorse at all, do you?” said Hawk. “Of course not,” Hitomi replied. “In life, you’re either a victim or a victimizer. It’s the way of the natural world. You murder people for a living. Do you ever lose sleep? Do you ever wonder if perhaps you should, instead of shooting someone, just give them a big hug and make an effort to understand them?” “No....” “Okay then, we have an understanding.” “I sometimes wonder if I’m going to wake up and discover that this has all been a nightmare,” Marcus laughed. “People like me don’t hang around people like you. We’re not supposed to think you exist outside of movies and books,” he added. “Yet we *do* exist,” said Hawk. “And I’d watch your comments, Marcus. I still haven’t decided on a place to live and I might just decide to buy a house in your neighborhood.” Hawk deadpanned. A moment later he said, “Just fucking with you, Cavanaugh.” Marcus laughed. “Like you could afford a house in my neighbourhood.” He shook his head. “And you could afford to stay out of trouble yet you continually come back, getting wrapped up in another one of our adventures. Why is that, Cavanaugh?” Marcus laughed. “I ask myself that question every day lately,” he said. “Maybe ignorance was bliss. Now I feel somewhat responsible,” he shrugged. “Once I start something I see it through. And now that’s forced me into this situation. After this is through I’m going home and not leaving unless it involves a beach or a poolside,” he decided. Hawk shook his head. “You give John McClaine a run for his money, Cavanaugh. I think deep down inside you secretly want to be with us. Bloody adventures, intrigue, travel. At some level it has got to be a refreshing change from dining out at the same places, socializing with the same phoney people, drinking the same wine....day in and day out.” “Firstly my friends aren’t phony,” Marcus said defensively. “Weren’t....” he corrected himself with a frown as he realized that he was really down to one out of his closest circle. “And I’ve never seen you complain about my wine selection,” he added with annoyance. “If I want travel and intrigue I’ll watch the in-flight movie on my way to see Hitomi in Japan,” he said. “Yeah, except that they *are* phony,” Hawk replied, laughing. “Come on, Cavanaugh, can you tell me with a straight face that any one of them would give you the time of day if you didn’t have money and birthright? Be serious.” “At least he has friends,” said Hitomi. “And his only one isn’t crazy.” Hawk shrugged, “Sure, Jade might be crazy, but she accepts me for who I am, not for where I come from or how much money I have.” “She has to be off her fucking rocker to want to be with you,” Hitomi replied. “At least my best friend isn’t going to burn our house down or stab me to death because I stole the blankets,” Marcus added. “And my friends accept me as I am... We all have our idiosyncrasies,” he continued. “I’m aware that I’m an uptight neatfreak, and I live with a slob and hang out with a lush,” he said glancing over at Hitomi. “If that’s not acceptance, I don’t know what is.” “Don’t count Jade and I out of that little group. Neither of us could really give a damn about your money or your family and yet here we are. When you think about it, we’re really the best friends you have.” Marcus laughed. “How on earth did you arrive at that conclusion?” “Your *friends* probably think you are a cutthroat and a scoundrel by now. Jade and I, we *are* cutthroats and scoundrels. You’re in good company, Cavanaugh.” Marcus smirked. “I’m not sure about that. And the ones I care about the most know me well enough to know that’s not true.” Hitomi listened while she casually tapped away at her tablet computer and sipped wine. “Check it out, the biggest natural gas line in the city runs right down the street in front of ApostleCorp HQ. If we need to we can set off the biggest explosion since 9/11 without too much effort.” “Could be useful if things go sour,” said Hawk. “I thought we agreed we were doing this in a more subtle way?” Marcus asked. “We are,” Jade said. “Even I think explosions are overkill. I prefer my kills to be silent and less... messy,” she said, propping her heavy boots up on Arianne’s coffee table. “It figures talk of death and destruction would snap Jade out of her brood-a-thon,” said Hitomi. “I wasn’t saying it was our primary plan....just nice to know its there if we need it.” “Chekov’s Gun,” said Hawk. “What?” “Chekov’s Gun....a literary device. If you throw something into the plot, no matter how small, if you draw attention to it, you’d better well use it before the story ends.” “You do know that this isn’t a fictional story, right?” Marcus asked, shedding his suit jacket and sitting down next to Hitomi to look at her screen. “The crazy stuff that’s happened, sometimes I wonder.” “Strange things happen all the time... Or maybe we’re just magnets for them,” Jade replied. “The gas line stretches all the way to the harbor seven blocks away,” said Hitomi, pointing to the screen. “There are maintenance access points here, here and here. Set off......I’d say twelve pounds of Semtex at any one of the access points and you give New Yorkers something to talk about for years.” “Charming,” Marcus replied. “Why don’t we at least try to do this without destroying half the city,” he said. “I haven’t been banned from any cities recently, Cavanaugh,” said Hawk. “That thing in Toledo in ‘99....the charges were dropped. Don’t worry, this’ll go off without a hitch. Trust me.” Marcus laughed. “That’s not entirely true. I’m pretty sure that the only people welcoming us back to Brussels right now are the police,” he replied. “I think even *they* have defriended us on Facebook,” Hawk replied. “You have friends on Facebook?” Surprisingly, this came from Jade. Marcus laughed. “It’s pretty bad when even *she’s* surprised,” he chuckled. |
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7:27 PM Jul 11