ic [IC] Irradiated Intervention

[olopi]

GM

Clarkson had been quietly typing all through the last conversation, looking up at the table every few seconds. When Warne turned to him, he quickly finished off, and upon hitting the enter button looked up into the round, everybody awaiting his answer. His face told of some doubt.

 

“Doubtful. I’ve already sent some requests in, asked for a few favors. Considering they just gave us the permission we’ve got something to push with. But on the other hand, it also means they already gave us something and don’t have to do much more. Add the fact it’s Bonfire we’re talking about, and I feel like this will take some time. We’re not going to have to deal with Cullstone, which helps. “

 

He clicked around some more while talking, occasionally looking down onto the screen of his laptop. His head shot upwards again, a faint smile appearing on his face.

 

“Actually, we might be in luck. I managed to arrange a meeting, in 2 hours. The bosses want to hear your argumentation for why you believe this is a good idea before deciding. It would’ve been on Friday, but something got in the way of the original schedule, so there you go. Just Warne and Stone however.“

 

 

Edited July 11, 2016 by olopi

[Sophistemon]

Ethan blinked. "Oh, whoa, me?" He smiled, a little nervously, and chuckled. "Don't you think that you'd be more qualified to plead the case, Clarkson?" He glanced to Warne and winced. "I'm just... I don't know if I'm qualified to pitch something like this to the brass. Don't get me wrong, I think that it's a great idea, but let's be honest here: I've got a reputation with these people. I'm not exactly the little tin soldier that they were hoping for when I signed on, you know?" He paused, breathed, and continued. "You know what, forget all that. I'll think of this as a good way of showing them that I'm not just some goofball flyboy."

[Blarghy]

"You're an agent of AEGIS," Warne replied shortly, feeling that this affiliation was all that mattered.  Though internally, he added, And a valuable propaganda piece for our agency.  Perhaps they'll give us what we want just to keep you happy.  ...If they don't consider Bonfire's association a risk to your reputation.  Hrrmmm.

 

He turned back to the superhero in question.  "We've still got some time, then.  Have you had any other interactions with Neutron Industries or their agents since our last meeting?  And have you done anything we should know about, before we try to have you officially assigned to this case?"  The last thing Adept wanted was for his superiors to open their discussion with an unknown video of Bonfire torching valuable property again, however well-intended.

[olopi]

PC

 

“I have not had any direct interaction with Neutron since our last encounter, no. I’ve been scouring the net for information, looking through whatever I could pick up on them, what they have been involved with, and so on. But I’ve never done anything where I interacted with them outside opf the ‘net, no. “

 

Bonfire shuffled around in his seat a bit, perhaps he was nervous, perhaps he was restless. He attempted to take another sip of his coffee but realized it was empty. He put down the cup, then continued speaking.

 

“As for other things… I spent the last month outside the country. I wasn’t really involved in anything that needed any degree of heat, so my powers weren’t really used more than once. And that time was just to make sure there was nothing fishy going on. A total of … well, two before, now it’s a few more, people even know about it. I’m not going to go into details, but it shouldn’t be anything you’d need to know about, really. “

 

Yeah, that thing. It had happened. Only a few people knew about it, but the less was known, the better probably. Cass really doubted AEGIS would care, but who knew. Sure, this would just make him more suspicious, but at least there was some degree of honesty, right? It was something about the atmosphere. This place just felt intimidating. Lying was really difficult. And to be fair, he just wanted to get out.

Edited July 13, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Warne replied with an unhappy murmur.  He didn't like secrets.  Secrets kept from him, at least.  Maybe I'll do some investigating of my own, then, kid.  Perhaps it's nothing...but I won't know until I know.

 

"...Fine.  And have you learned anything of note about Neutron, then?  I doubt they've been so careless as to leave incriminating evidence online, but any leads we can follow will be useful.  At the moment we have little beside the Gas Man; I think he'll be a good place to start, but the more we can use, the better.  If nothing else, successful work on your part should make you more appealing to the heads of our department."

 

It also provides a more subtle reason to deputize him.  If he becomes an official, if temporary, consultant for AEGIS, then whatever information he's gathered becomes much easier to use in court.  I assume he isn't a licensed private detective.  Neutron's lawyers will be eager to use whatever loopholes and flimsy missteps they can find to dismiss our case; best to not make their job easy.

[Sophistemon]

Ethan shot Warne a glance. It was all but imperceptible, but there was real gratitude in it. He steepled his fingers and looked at Bonfire. "Well," he said. "I think that we're all aware of just how much secrecy being a super-hero entails, and I suppose that we can't hold the fact that you've got to keep certain things close to your chest against you -- in an official capacity, anyway." The fingers spread wide. "In any case, I think that we're closing in on a plan of action, so I'd like to ask a question for my sake. This Gas Man, when you fought him: how good is he in a scrap? What's he capable of, and how on guard should we be? Did he seem like the kind of guy that'd fight it out, or rabbit at the first sign of a losing battle?" One might get the distinct impression that Agent Stone was looking forward to dueling with the Gas Man.

[olopi]

PC

 

Yeah. As expected, the grumpy guy wasn’t happy at all. Still, going on about Nicaragua wouldn’t have helped here at all, and possibly even revealed something about Cassidy Bauer. And AEGIS were about the last people Cass wanted to know of his secret identity. Best to keep it as safe as it was. Having them knocking at his door would be terrible. Sending him calls at 8 AM was already bad enough, no need to give them the ability to do more.

 

“Neutron? They’re a publicly traded company. Easy enough to find things if you know where to look.  It’s mainly financial data and the likes, and probably not very accurate considering how trustworthy they’ve been, but I managed to dig deeper. Nothing that’s of any use, but security certainly isn’t their main focus.”

 

 Not that it ever was considering how easy it was to get in.

 

A short chuckle came from of the smoky head, as the smoke formed itself into a smiley face for just a second. Then, Bonfire continued talking.

 

“As for the Gas Man? Oh. Well. It’s not really a story I like telling. He sounds all dangerous and all, but actually, and this was really disappointing, we never REALLY fought. He drove up, yelled some things, and threw a grenade, knocking out a bystander. And within … maybe 6 seconds? He was knocked out too. So, no idea how strong he is in a fight, our only one barely lasted any time. “

 

Edited July 15, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

The dark circles from lack of sleep pulled inward as Warne's eyes narrowed, until his face at a glance appeared dominated by two black pits, like some vengeful demon.  It certainly mirrored his inward feelings. 

 

"This...person.  Uses explosives.  In public places.  Attacking innocent civilians."  He chewed the words bitterly, feeling his anger condense and layer.  Agent Warne wasn't the type to take his cases personally, not even when he carried them out in a rage, as he often did.  Over the course of his career, he rarely ever considered putting retribution ahead of justice, or personal satisfaction ahead of the job.  The proper motivation, however, could drive him onward for days or weeks with singleminded determination...and let him feel, in his bones, the difference between regular scum he could use as assets to further his mission, and monsters who must be stopped.  Could he bring himself to suggest any kind of deal with the Gas Man, even in exchange for his bosses at Neutron Industries?  Endangering civilians was a particular sore point for Warne.  It was just...unprofessional. 

 

He restlessly shifted in his chair, wishing for a cigarette.  "Hrrrmm.  Regardless.  If Bonfire alone had no trouble, the three of us should make short work of this problem.  Then we can move ahead with our larger investigation." 

 

And the Gas Man can go to prison.  Maybe if he's very cooperative, I'll recommend him for a cell near the top of Blackstone, instead of down at the core, where he'll never taste fresh air again.

[Sophistemon]

Ethan looked over at Warne and inclined his head. "I'm with you, man," he said. He'd correctly interpreted his partner's feelings on the matter. "I want him in chains as much you do, believe me." He arced a thumb at the wall, indication 'out there.' "But he's a crook, and he'll screw up again. Let's use him now to catch the big fish, and then net him later when he does." He looked over at Bonfire. "So, he's nothing special?" He blew air from his mouth in a raspberry. "What a joke! I'm going to wear a battle-tank to take down some doofus with a gas grenade?" He chuckled. "I hope he wears his brown pants, or this'll be embarrassing for everyone."

Edited July 27, 2016 by Sophistemon

[olopi]

GM

 

 

 Clarkson had been following the conversation quietly, writing things down on his laptop like he had done before. The other agents in the room stayed mostly quiet, occasionally adding in a few things, but leaving the main discussion to Warne and Stone. The discussion continued on for a bit more, primarily to add details and make it look cleaner on the records.

 

Not soon after, when everything had finished what they had to say, Clarkson, still leading the meeting, looked up again.

 

“I believe that’s everything then, right? Anything you still want to add before this meeting is officially dismissed? Warne and Stone are scheduled to be in a meeting … further on down … later, so let’s not keep them occupied for too long. “

Edited July 29, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Adept nodded, still grumpily thoughtful.  He loathed the idea of a semi-legal bounty hunter endangering the public; Neutron Industries had plagued his thoughts for weeks, but now the Gas Man felt like a splinter under his thumbnail.  The sooner they found and brought him to justice, the better. 

 

He glanced to Bonfire and wondered again how trustworthy the young hero could be, especially when he was already hiding something, related to the case or not.  Best to watch him closely as well...though that went without saying. 

 

"I'm finished here," he agreed.

[olopi]

GM

 

“Okay. Meeting dismissed. “

 

“Stone, Warne, the floor’s secretary should have all the information about the upcoming meeting within a few minutes, talk to her for further instructions. “

 

“All other Agents, if there’s anything that requires your attention it will be in your inbox. “

 

“And Bonfire, you can come with me. Some things to fill out if we want to start, bureaucracy. And, depending on how the meeting goes, more forms and papers after that. “

 

The various agents packed their notes, leaving the room one after another. Following them, Clarkson and Bonfire left, heading towards an elevator, probably upwards to one of the offices.

___

About 2 hours later…

 

So far, everything had gone according to plan. The meeting had been set up, and it looked like it would start on time, without any issues. Down here, below the Federal Building, big things were handled. Big meetings, big cases. Or sometimes, smaller things involving higher-ups. This probably was a mix of all three. The two agents had just arrived, their meeting scheduled to start within a few minutes. The lobby was quite comfortable to wait in, just because it was a secret subterranean complex it didn’t mean that they hadn’t spent money on making sure that waiting wouldn’t be too much of a hassle.

Edited August 5, 2016 by olopi

[Sophistemon]

"Your tax-dollars at work," Stone joked, reclining in a comfortable chair. He pointed to Adept. "It doesn't take a long time of working with you to get used to that face, Warne," he said. "Something's bothering, so why not spill it? Is it Bonfire? Or the Gas-Man?" He shook his head, eyes clouding. "For me, it's Neutron. Man, I can't stand it when corporate fat-cats think that their money gives them carte blanche to ignore the laws they figure are inconvenient." He frowned, then took an angry sip of coffee. "No wonder you smoke," he added. "All of this weaving and winding bull-crap, it's a wonder we're not all alcoholics."

Edited August 6, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Blarghy]

Warne wasn't one to drink on or around the job (he had all night in his hotel room for that), but Stone's mention of his other habit made his fingers twitch in anticipation.  He'd only just come back from a smoke break, but who could say no to a post-cigarette cigarette? 

 

Nonetheless, he managed a grim half-smile; there was a camaraderie in shared displeasure.  "All of them," he rumbled.  "Neutron and their mad dog will regret getting our attention--but at least we're finally moving forward, however slowly."  He rubbed his scraggly chin and added, "I'm still unsure about Bonfire too.  He's got his secrets, and even if the kid means well, he's got a questionable record.  I wish we didn't need to involve him.  But he's already involved, he may be useful, and I suppose it's best to keep him where we can monitor his activities, at least until we wrap up the case."

[Sophistemon]

To that, Ethan shrugged. "Warne, everyone's got a history that they try to hide. There's a lyric I remember from a band that I can't recall that goes: 'Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future' or something like that." He grimaced. "It's from some tweenage mopey pop-band my daughter likes." He made a motion that was halfway towards sticking two fingers down his throat and faked a gag. "It's garbage. Anyway, what I'm saying is, the kid's got secrets -- but who are we to judge? I mean, have you been in a relationship in the past decade where you told the girl what you really do for a living? My wife thinks that I'm a test pilot, for God's sake." He looked down at his hands. "You know, she cried when I told her that I wasn't going to be flying missions for the Air Force anymore. She was so happy that I'd be doing something safe that she broke down and sobbed. I can't stand to tell her that I've traded a plane for a bipedal tank."

Edited August 18, 2016 by Sophistemon

[olopi]

GM

 

A young woman, wearing the standard issue AEGIS officeworker outfit walked towards the two men. Her brown hair kept in a bun, she was a fairly rare sight. While most were aware of it’s existance, only few of these kinds of office-workers were found down in the subterranean area of the Federal Building, usually in secretary positions. A nametag worn on her waist, the same ID most people used, identified her as Alessa Holborn. She stopped when she saw the two men, holding a paper board clip in her hand, a pen between her fingers.

 

“Agents Stone, Warne? You two are now requested at the meeting room. “

 

Holborn ticked off something on her clip board, then walked out of the room again, towards the hallways that made up a fair part of the complex.

 

 

The meeting room had been darkened, the lights turned low, as some high-ranking AEGIS personnel sat on the end of a horseshoe table setup, the wall behind their back, facing towards the door and a whiteboard on the wall. Two seats had aleady been prepared for the Agents, placed in the centre of the room. As they walked in and sat down, the light became somewhat brigther, allowing all parties to see each other flawlessly, but still dark enough should the whiteboard be used.

 

“Gentlemen. We have heard of your plan to deputize Bonfire, somebody we consider a potential threat. Tell us, why do you believe this to be the best course of action?”

Edited August 14, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Discussion of Upgrade's personal life left his partner plainly uncomfortable; he rubbed the jacket pocket with his cigarettes and shifted awkwardly in his chair, unsure of what to say.  The usual responses--the truth will set you free, honesty is paramount in a serious relationship, you shouldn't try to carry these burdens alone--would be hilariously hypocritical.  When Holborn interjected, Adept saw it as a lifeline.  He stood hastily and moved for the conference room, looking back to Stone with an apologetic shrug, as though to say he'd surely love to talk about private matters, but oh no, work calls!

 

Pitching unpopular risks to management was significantly less stressful, although Warne's posture didn't show it.  He sat stiffly at attention and probably would've been more comfortable just standing.  "I agree that he's dangerous.  The recent nuclear incident proves that.  However, if we won't risk the publicity of arresting him, and we clearly can't stand aside while a publicly-traded company sends bounty hunters after him in the streets like a modern-day Western, then I think we should keep him close until we solve this matter.  Temporarily deputizing Bonfire will eliminate any gray areas that Neutron Industries can use to target him and help us prosecute whichever corrupt individuals are behind it.  The longer we let this go on, the more attention it draws.  That's bad for Neutron Industries as a representative of American companies worldwide, and it's bad for us, if the media starts to ask why AEGIS hasn't intervened already."

[Sophistemon]

Ethan cleared his throat. "Agent Warne has raised good points, and I'd like to take a moment to expand on them. The world is, as you know, an increasingly dangerous place. What's more, people these days -- especially young people -- aren't really keen on appreciating the things that their government does to help keep them safe." He looked at his superiors. "AEGIS is the shadowy government agency -- cloaked in secrecy, working in the background to keep America safe. Bonfire, on the other hand, has a very... vocal presence. He has an online following that numbers in the millions, if the reports that I've read have it right. If we want to talk about winning hearts and minds, let's talk about doing some of that here at home. Everything that Agent Warne has said is true, but let's look at this from a marketing standpoint. AEGIS teams up with the superhero blogger to take down the corrupt corporation that flaunts inconvenient laws at their leisure? Think of all the positive press this can net us if we pull it off!"

[olopi]

GM

 

Agent Stone’s statement was followed by silence. Then, the men sitting on the other side of the room turned their heads towards one another, and began to discuss something, in hushed voices, too quiet to understand. From how they had waited first, it did feel like they had not expected a statement like the one just made, an air of surprise was in the room.

 

About a minute passed, and the hushed voices went quiet. The men all returned to their natural stances, arms on the table, and looking forwards, towards the two agents. One of the men, sitting off towards the left, began to speak.

 

“Your statement brings up an interesting viewpoint, Agent Stone. We had not considered using this as a way to gain public favour. “

 

When the man stopped, another one continued to speak picking up just a few seconds afterwards.

 

“Due to the political status of our organization, and the risks involved with this, we cannot officially condone this. However, there has been some concern towards the public’s opinion of our Service. We do see a potential use in this. “

 

Once again, one of the other people sitting at the table continued.

 

“With somebody like Bonfire it should be possible to spin it positively. Work together with him, and make him talk about it. Hopefully it will reach people. But avoid mentions of this being a sanctioned action, with him getting official support. The politics involved are fickle, and we do not want to trade the politicians’ current opinion with the public’s. “

Edited August 28, 2016 by olopi

[Sophistemon]

Agent Stone looked over at his partner and grinned. He leaned towards him in his chair and whispered, "Go team!" before settling back and nodded his head at their superiors. "Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to meet with us about this, and I appreciate even more that you've decided in our favor. Between the three of us -- Agent Warne, Bonfire, and myself -- I have no doubt that we'll get to the bottom of this and bring those responsible to justice." He cleared his throat and started to stand. "Was there anything else that we need to go over? If I know my partner here, he's been compiling leads and it's probably for the best that we get this thing started."

Edited August 26, 2016 by Sophistemon

[olopi]

GM

 

 

 

“There are a few more minor things. Organizational matters primarily, and some things you should be aware of….

….

[…]

…

Thank you for listening, Agents. Meeting dismissed. All required files have been sent to you, and Bonfire will have his various permissions in a matter of minutes.”

 

 

The meeting had ended, the two agents were once again standing outside, in the lobby. A quick look at the clock revealed it was about to be lunch-time, which explained both the lack of people walking around in the hallways, and also the crowd moving towards the cafeteria. It was not the best food, but it certainly was one of the higher level cantinas.

 

From what the agents knew, Clarkson was currently getting Bonfire up to the most recent level of information and finalizing his deputy position, along with telling him just what he could talk about on his blog and what not. It would take some more time, so for now the Agents had some free time.

Edited August 28, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Free time which Adept would rather spend on the hunt.  He fidgeted slightly, hands in his pockets.  "...I guess we could get lunch," he offered to Stone.  "Nice work, by the way.  I'm no good at pitching ideas to management.  I usually just do what they tell me, or apologize afterward."  The grim agent gave a rare, small smile. 

 

[Sophistemon]

Ethan smiled, then nodded. "Lunch sounds good, Warne. And, hey, no problem. The thing is, everything's about appearances these days. You've just got to know how to bait the hook and they'll bite every time." He chuckled. "We've just got to be careful and not screw things up, that's all."

[olopi]

GM

 

Some time later…

 

Lunch had been good. As the two agents had learned, today had been pizza day. Which both explained the crowd in the cafeteria, and also the delivery trucks that were currently stationed outside the Federal Building, something Agent Warne had noticed during a smoke break. Getting food had taken some time, pizzas meant everyone tried to get some. Food was taken, words were exchanged with colleagues, even if talking about the job wasn’t ever easy. Especially when it came to sharing information with co-workers the guidelines were quite complex, what one could share and what not was, at most times, rather confusing, so many preferred to not talk about work at all.

 

Then, the two agents finally received the call they had been waiting for. Clarkson had finished Bonfire’s personal briefing, the various processes finished far enough for field duty to now be possible, even if most other things were still not active. Many would never be due to Bonfire’s position, but some of the benefits of AEGIS employees also applied to temporary deputies. The group met up again at a currently unoccupied meeting room. Bonfire looked the same as before, as hi general position would be kept secret. When the two agents arrived, he and Clarkson had already sat down, Bonfire was browsing on his phone, while Clarkson was, once again, working on his laptop.  

[Blarghy]

By this point in the day, Warne felt pretty tightly-wound; his after-lunch cigarette only helped so much.  They'd spent all morning setting up the mission, to say nothing of the months before, and he was ready to go. 

 

"You're cleared, then?" he asked gruffly.  "Then let's do this.  The longer we wait, the more time the Gas Man has to act with impunity.  Let alone whatever Neutron is doing."