Corporate Heroes: Project Novus Aevitas

[MCP_8000]

Board Meeting
Prometheus Spire, New Denver
6:39pm, August 3rd, 2065

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Mariana Kova, chief of the Prometheus para-military division, smoothed her skirt and adjusted the tortoise shell glasses on her face as she waited to be called into the most important meeting of her career. The room around her was silent except for the tapping of the secretary's keyboard, and the gentle patter of rain on the floor to ceiling windows that dominate one entire wall. The view was spectacular from here, on the one hundred and seventy fifth floor of the Prometheus Spire. Mariana could see the entire city-scape of New Denver laid out below, gleaming with neon beneath the wine red sky of sunset.

The secretary clearing her throat made Mariana turn from the window and she was informed that the board was ready to see her. Nodding, Mariana checked her appearance one last time, collected her file and data pad from where they lay on a nearby chair, and strode confidently through the frosted glass doors and into the conference room.

Structured like a large hexagon, the conference room was dominated by a six sided table. The walls were smooth, brushed gold, with no windows or other exits that might allow someone to sneak in undetected. At the center of the table a holo-emitter already glowed softly, displaying the slowly rotating torch and eagle logo of the company. Arranged around five sides of the table were the indistinct holograms of the board members. Gender-less, featureless and with nothing to identify them other than a generic, friendly IFF signature, Mariana could still feel every eye following her as she took her place at the open side of the table.

“Ms. Kova,” one of the board members addressed her in a heavily synthesized voice, “I’m sure you understand how important this operation is to the company.”

Mariana swallowed, trying to get some moisture back into her dry throat as she nodded, “Yes. Of course sir,” was her reply. There was no way of knowing if the board member was actually a man, but that was how they all preferred to be addressed.

“Then please explain,” another board member spoke in the exact same electronic voice, “What is your reasoning behind this...team...you have assembled?” the board member gestures and a holographic dossier displaying the six assets Mariana had put together appeared at the center of the table.

Mariana took a moment to open her file and remove the physical copies of each asset’s record she had brought with her before speaking, “These six are among our most powerful assets at this time. Given both the time sensitive nature of the operation, and the importance of it’s success, I felt it more prudent to utilize them than to wait for the asset’s from the Ascendance project to mature. I realize that they may have their flaws, but I believe they are capable of accomplishing our objective.”

There is a moment of silence as the board member’s featureless heads turn from side to side, regarding each other, Mariana and the dossier. Then one of them speaks again, “Explain.”

Mariana nods and uses her data pad to connect to the table’s holo-display emitter, and brings up the file on the first member of her team, “Rivan Burrows, AKA Outrider. A successful graduate of Next Gen’s cyber-enhancment division. She was selected for her background in special operations. She has proven a reliable asset in the past and I expect she will maintain her flawless track record,” Mariana switches to the next file, “Subject 7866, AKA Burr. She is a fascinating case. A second generation mutation, we have yet to determine her exact origin yet, but she show’s remarkable potential as a combat asset. I believe her abilities will compliment Ms. Burrows well, and this operation will give us a chance to test her in the field.”

The holographic projection switches to another file, “Ben Maddox, AKA Emrys. The only successful subject of the ALBION project. His abilities are remarkable, and he has already proven himself a valuable asset in the field. His experience will compliment that of Ms. Burrows and his capabilities should provide for more diverse tactics.” Mariana explains as she switches to the next files, “Kaeli Lancer, AKA Nova. She’s a powerhouse asset with a great deal of potential for further exploitation. But her real contribution is her mind. A certified genius, I expect she will prove invaluable as a strategist and problem solver.”

At this point a member of the board speaks up, “Yes. These four are understandable choices. Assets made for infiltration, strategy and combat. However, Ms. Kova, I fail to understand the need for not one, but two assets on your team that are both extremely profitable and highly recognizable,” the board member motions and the remaining two files open side by side.

Mariana clears her throat having known this question was coming, “Cora Zarina, AKA Gally, and Subject T-R117, AKA Regis. Both successful graduates under the Next Gen umbrella, from the opioid control and mental enhancement divisions respectively. Both are known faces of Prometheus Medical’s marketing and customer service branches, as well as active participants in our public outreach and aid programs. Their presence during the operation is two fold,” Mariana explains, trying not to sweat as she does.

This was the most difficult sell of the meeting and her career was riding on the success of this operation, “Ms. Zarina’s skills in manipulation and control will no doubt prove invaluable during the operation, and her prior connection to both Subject T-R117 and Ms. Burrows as subjects of Next Gen provides an element of bonding and stability to the team that will help keep them in line,” Mariana focuses the display on the Regis file, “In addition to the combat power Subject T-R117 adds to the team, she as the highest public approval rating of all our assets. Her presence provides the team an air of legitimacy in the public eye.”

There is another long pause before a board member speaks again, “Very well Ms. Kova. You have permission to proceed with the operation,” all of the board members regard her with featureless faces, “If you fail. We may be forced to consider...downsizing your department,” the warning is delivered so casually the Mariana felt a chill run up her spine.


Asset Briefing
The Hungry Garden, New Denver
11:16pm, August 3rd, 2065

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A warm summer rain falls on the city of New Denver, heavy clouds obscuring any light coming from the moon or stars high above. Not that anyone in the city had seen the stars in over three decades. Not since Prometheus Medical took control of the city and turned it into their corporate capitol. These days the street lights, sky scrapers and buzzing signs cause too much light pollution for the radiance of the heavens to be seen. The city has become a maze of black asphalt, carbon steel, polymer plastics and neon lights. It is a citadel of modern technology and convenience, a temple of consumerism and a facade of prosperity hiding a steaming, rotting carcass slowly decaying from neglect, greed and oppression. The wealthy corporate citizens live in high-rise apartment buildings and commute to their respectable jobs on the sky tram, blissfully ignorant or purposely ignoring the slums on the streets below where those who do not work for the corporation live in poverty and squalor, dodging the gangs, corrupt police and corporate drones that patrol the streets.

In the city center, between Capitol Hill and Cherry Creek, stand the old Denver Botanical Gardens. The twenty three acre park that once stood here is long gone, replaced thirty years ago by the towering edifice of Taragi Towers. Built in the retro-modern style of Edo Japan, the Taragi Towers have gone to great lengths to maintain a semblance of the natural beauty this area once had. Lush greenery crawls up the sides of the buildings, giving the entire complex the appearance of a miniature overgrown city at the heart of New Denver, and real birds nest in the branch of the trees, not the synthetic substitutes that inhabit most other areas. The Taragi Towers have become a popular destination of the corporate citizens of the city, and it boasts some of the most exclusive stores and restaurants in New Denver.

Located on the fifty third floor of the primary tower is The Hungry Garden. A five star restaurant favored by corporate executives and the wealthy elite. Reservations for this establishment are often taken months in advance, and there is rarely a time when it's many tables and private rooms are not occupied. Tonight, while the main dining room is filled with talking and the clinking of silverware and glasses, six special guests are assembling in one of the Garden's private rooms. Furnished with a table large enough for ten people, plush chairs and pillows, and lit by authentic paper lanterns, the room is spacious and comfortable. A sliding glass door made to resemble traditional Japanese paper doors leads out onto a roofed balcony that overlooks the Taragi Towers complex, with a view of the city lights beyond.

Serving girls in traditional kimonos bustle in and out delivering a buffet of food and drinks, and doing their best not to stare at the very odd assortment of people gathered in the room awaiting the arrival of a Prometheus executive.

Each of you received orders less than four hours ago to come to the Jade Dragon room in The Hungry Garden for a meeting with Mariana Kova, the chief executive of the Prometheus para-military division. You have not been given any details as to the purpose of the meeting, only that attendance was not optional. You are free to role-play as you like while you wait for Ms. Kova to arrive.

[Inspector Valin]

"Gotta have high - high - hopes for a living..."

Regis hums to herself, standing on the balcony and looking on wistfully at a helicopter passing in the distance. She'll always love New Denver: she's been deployed across Prometheus Medical's holdings, but this is her home as much as it is a corporate headquarters. The superhero turns back to the door, where one of the serving attendants stands with a tablet in hand. "I'll take the chicken teriyaki please; with soba. And a raspberry tea to drink, if that's all right."

It's perhaps arrogant to make a personal order when the corporation has laid on a buffet for the meeting, but it's a matter of principle for Regis. Partaking in a spread says nothing: you are there out of obligation. Asking for a specific dish is a sign of respect and caring for the restaurant. It shows that she took the time to look over their menu and wanted to enjoy her visit there.

The server is gone shortly, and Regis steps through the doorway after her, returning to the room with her fellow metahumans. The bright eyed beacon of hope smiles easily as she glances across the table, taking her peers in one by one. Taragi Towers has likely never before seen so strange an assortment of guests. Some of these figures Regis recognizes: Gally might as well be the face of the megacorp, and she's come across the Outrider many a time. Rivan? Was that her name? The other three... she can not recall, at least in the moment. Vague memories of group training aren't enough to put a name to any of the faces just yet.

"So! Do we do introductions now?" Regis sinks into a seat, pushing a bottle of sake to one side as she glances between her fellow metahumans. The white haired hero chuckles, gesturing across the room. "This has 'new team' written all over it. Better we start talking early than wait for it"

[Ridai]

It is funny how some things stay the same, no matter whether you are in the deepest slums of a city, or the highest echelons of society. The turning heads, the hushed whispers, the many wandering gazes, all those little thoughts racing in distracted minds. So it happens down on the street as Gally lands with utmost grace, the rain seeming to fall upon her yet not seeming to touch, people spellbound and becoming the shell around a darling heart, seeking just a bit of attention, a bit of prestige, a look, a smile, a touch. So it happens in the Taragi Towers lobby as the doors part to make way and in the foyer of the restaurant as the elevator announces her presence, personnel stopping their work ever so briefly, Gally greeting them by name in return, watching their eyes widen their skin's hue darken ever so slightly. And so it happens in the Hungry Garden, as the financial elite forgets their hunger for exclusivety and reaffirming their status, replaced by one for the almost impossibly beautiful young woman, with flowing wine-red hair framing a flawless face with golden eyes and full lips as it falls upon her shoulders, guiding the eye to a low-cut, backless dress starting black and transitioning to red past the high side slits. Elegance and a sultry quality coming together to ornament curves a human could not hope for, and revealing high heels with straps snaking up long dancer's legs, hips swaying to an unheard rhythm.

It is the same everywhere, just the things the people tell themselves afterwards change. They cannot help it. They are simply human. And Gally was made to prey upon them. Wives would slap their husbands, if they weren't busy exploring with their eyes themselves, be it out of desire, wonder, or envy. As Gally becomes the heart of the room and strides through it, one or two of the people present are greeted with a smile and a first name and expressing her wish to catch up with them, but oh, she is afraid she is busy at the moment, but perhaps next time. Juliette Rousseau, and Albert Nicols, respectively, are thus marked with Gally's recognition, elevating them ever so slightly in the eyes of their peers, in accordance to Prometheus' aims for them and their businesses. Many eyes still follow her as she disappears in the back room. A room reserved for occasions more important than what the high-class people in this illustrous restaurant are there for, and they know it.

In the Jade Dragon Room, one of the serving girls greets her and comes to guide her to the table with immaculate manners. "Yuki, you look as lovely as ever," Gally greets her, watching the young woman's blush at not only being adressed like this, but with her name. They say Gally never forgets a name and face, and it appears the waitress still has fond memories from the last time Gally visited this establishment. She keeps her countenance quite well, all in all as Gally seats herself on the left side of the table, second seat from the head of the table (and thus the seat meant for Ms. Kova). Hosts tend to be a little distracted when they are sitting directly next to Gally. Dear Rebecca, a fan of hers, leaves with a blush and a smile after taking her order. Now all Gally needs to do is wait for the others who are so clearly being awaited, favoring the serving girls with appreciating smiles. They try not to stare, but they fail regardless, as Gally sneaks into their hearts and minds with nothing but a little courtesy and acknowledgement.

"Regis! Oh, it is so good to see you," Gally greets the beautiful one, heading over to her and embracing her gently. As long as Regis has known Gally, the socialite has been quite enamored with the white-haired heroine, treating her with genuine warmth, always looking out for her. "Come, sit beside me. How have you been since we last met?" Gally goes to her chair and pats the one next to her, the one between Gally and the head of the table.

Well-Informed check about Mariana Kova
Persuasion [roll0]

[Glitchy]

Rivan felt the vibration behind her right eye notifying her of a new message. Without removing her left hand from the server tower in front of her, she accessed her internal computer and brought up the encrypted instructions she had just received from her handler. The words scrolled across her HUD display in big bold print:

[Report to Jade Dragon Room at The Hungry Garden. Priority Alpha, Presence Mandatory]

Blinking Rivan dismissed the message, letting her gaze fall on the bodies of the four hackers laid out on the floor of the dingy little basement, the glow of multiple computer monitors casting long shadows across her face. These hadn’t been corporate agents, they were teenagers. A bunch of idiot kids who had decided to play hacktivist and break into a black site database. They had been good enough to do it, but not good enough to cover their tracks, and they had paid for it.

The download progress bar finally filled in Rivan’s enhanced reality display, and she removed her hand from the server. She didn’t know what information these four had managed to steal, but she didn’t need to know. Prometheus wanted it back, and they had wanted those responsible and their equipment burned. So that’s what she did, hitting the detonator on the small incideary charge she had planted in the server as she made her way back up the stairs and out into the rainy night. Ina few minutes, the equipment would be slag, and the fire would spread to the piles of empty take out containers and trash the hackers had been too lazy to clean up. By the time the DCFD arrived there wouldn’t be anything left to recover.

As she strolled down the street, a thin, translucent shield of light hanging above her head to block the rain, Rivan started a wireless transfer of the data back to the Prometheus servers, sending off a quick text to her handler that the job was done and she was en-route to The Garden. She had about four hours to get there, which gave her just enough time to change out of her tac-gear and into some civilian clothes before the meeting.

When she arrived later that night at The Hungry Garden, Rivan was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and casual jacket. She wasn’t much for fancy clothes or airs of sophistication. She hadn’t been trained for social etiquette or for making public appearances, so she avoided them whenever possible.

She approached Taragi Towers from an alley that cut between a pair of nearby apartment complexes, keeping to the shadows, head down and blending into the crowd. When she reached the edge of the complex, Rivan looked up and spotted the balcony on the fifty third floor that she knew connected to the Jade Dragon Room. In complete silence she vanished from the street, leaving behind only a few wisps of swirling light, and reappeared on the balcony without missing a step in her confident stride.

She took a moment to case the room, noting Regis and Gally already seated at the table. She knew them of course. Who didn’t know the faces of Prometheus. The two of them were practically the company mascots. But more than that she knew them from earlier times, before Next Gen had been split into it’s various branches. She had run into them both a few times since then, but like most of Rivan’s memories the details were hazy at best. She nods to them, “Ladies,” and picks up a bottle of water from the table. She wasn’t about to get drunk before a briefing.

Rather than taking a seat she moved to a corner of the room that let her keep the door to the balcony, the entire table, and the door to the main dining room in sight. She planted her back against the wall and sipped her water, wondering what on Earth this meeting was about. What kind of mission would require her to team up with the icon and the socialite?

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kaeli was fidgeting a bit as the elevator carried her up to the 53rd floor. She wasn't afraid of heights, quite - frankly, even a terminal velocity fall was unlikely to more than inconvenience her - but the ride up kinda drove home just how tall the building was. Numbers and equations whirled through her head. Calculations of the building's total size, estimations of the number of people who would inhabit it at any given time, other buildings that it could impact if it toppled over. Her brain helpfully presented an exact schematic of just where and how hard she would have to push to create a chain reaction sending the maximum possible number of skyscrapers to the ground like dominoes, followed with an estimated injury and fatality rate within a margin of error of 3.27%.

So when Kaeli Lancer stepped out of the elevator and into the bustling restaurant, it was with an off-the-top-of-her-head plan to murder every single person in there, and thousands of others besides.

This was why she liked staying in her lab.

Kaeli moved through the main room of the restaurant with an odd gait, her arms drawn in close and her shoulders hunched. You don't usually hustle on tiptoe, and yet here we were. Practically speaking, Kaeli didn't need to move like that to avoid accidentally harming someone. She had the energy within her body tightly contained, only the barest ghost of a trickle actually flowing through her. She was as strong as a woman twice her size, was all. Still, with every person she passed, her brain ciphered figures to show what she could do to them if she let her control slip for even a second. A misstep could grind every delicate bone in a stomped foot to powder. A glancing blow from a flailing hand could send limbs flying. Just stepping down with enough force could create a shockwave capable of taking out everyone within thirty feet of her position. It was better to be safe than sorry. Walking on tiptoe would concentrate all the force into a much smaller area; about the worst she could do there was plunge her foot through the floor.

(Granted, she was also obsessing about how stupid she probably looked in front of all the wealthy and powerful people. Looking like there was a spotlight constantly shining on you made self-consciousness both easy and profitable! Still, she rated their lives as more valuable than her dignity by a substantial enough margin to overcome the disparity of risk to each.)

After what felt like an eternity spent navigating a judgmental inverse-minefield, she reached the Jade Dragon room. Inside were some of the most famous and/or powerful assets in the entire corporation. Kaeli stood stock still in the doorway for a moment, a very deer-in-headlights look on her face, and let out a brief, nervous chuckle that sounded like it wanted to be a sob when it grew up before stepping into the room. She was dressed in the fanciest thing she owned, which was a plain white silk dress at least three steps too inelegant for a place like this. She felt silly in it, and kinda naked without her lab coat. She was drenched from the rain, her blond hair hanging limply, a few strands of wet bangs hanging down past her vivid green eyes.

Those eyes were the only thing about her that didn't make her look like a pretty-but-pathetic figure, standing in that doorway. They were piercing, intelligent, calculating, sweeping over the room and assessing everything within it at a glance, lit from within by a fearsomely determined will entirely at odds with the hesitant and awkward expressions and language of the face and body that contained them.

She walked over to the buffet, taking a plate and piling it high. Her mouth watered at the sight of all the delicacies on display. She would have loved trying everything there. And then going back for seconds and thirds of her favorites. Her power demanded she eat a lot, and it was situations like this that gave her the chance to really enjoy it!

...Except that would involve, you know, actually enjoying it.

(Buildings toppling like dominoes.)

She filled her plate with plain white rice.

Trying (and failing) to ignore how ludicrous she undoubtedly looked and the affront she was almost certainly giving the restaurant and probably her host as well, she quietly moved to take a seat at the table. She didn't even have to consciously think about it to take a seat that was the maximum possible distance from the next closest person. At this point, running that calculation was instinctive.

Regis suggested introductions. "I'm Kaeli," she said quietly. A good three, four seconds passed before she added, "It's nice to meet you all," with a little, kinda-obviously-forced smile. She couldn't believe she had almost forgotten to add that. And in front of the likes of Regis and Gally, no less! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

[Inspector Valin]

"Mustn't grumble, mustn't grumble. Was on ballroom duty last week. It was a nice break after the Novabomb affair but I'm glad to be back on... whatever this is" Regis lets Gally steer her to the appointed seat with a resigned smile. For all her training in analytics and ability to understand people, the legendary Face of Prometheus was forever beyond her. Simpler by far to go with the flow, let Gally do things her way and appreciate the attention. It's easy to appreciate Gally.

Perhaps a little too easy. Regis' eyes narrow just a touch, though her tone doesn't shift, "Everything still good with you, sunshine?" It is odd for Gally to be put on a team like this. They've worked together before, many times in fact, but always on public relations work. The two of them were a spectacle team, put together to wow the public, and yet the rest of this squad seems far less spotlight friendly. It's hardly Regis' introduction to paramilitary work, but she can't hide a touch of concern at seeing her fellow media meta here. How would Gally react to... whatever this is?

She raises a hand to Rivan as the infamous Outrider steps into the room, chuckling quietly at her old friend's unorthodox method of entry. With the uncertainty of what lies ahead, a professional operative like her is reassuring. The other new arrival is rather stranger. Regis's strange red orbs meet an analytical green eyed gaze, and the Promethean Hero thinks she has the stranger's measure. But then watches as the illuminated woman proceeds delicately across the room, somewhat taken aback just by her manner. She's used to metahumans without supervision having somewhat more boldness to them: the powers they've been gifted with tend to make you feel exceptional. It's quite strange to find someone in a room like this who looks flat out afraid to be here.

It takes her finally speaking to bring Regis back to reality. She nods instinctively, "Kaeli, right." It's not hard to see how nervous their glowing guest is. She should try and start some conversation with her too. Regis leans back in her chair, gesturing to the doorway while smiling at Kaeli. "Did you have an easy time getting here? The Towers aren't the simplest spot in the world to navigate. I know I've gotten lost here a few times over the years."

[Lord of Gifts]

Ben was summoned to a meeting on under four hours notice. Not long enough to properly scout out a new venue, dig up info on the contact, and take all the myriad other precautions he would have run through in his freelance days. Now he was strictly a Prometheus asset, that simplified things a little. No need for a middle-man or plausible deniabilty, to start. The host could be open about their role with the para-military divison. On this occasion, it was the chief executive herself. That spoke to a significant mission, although given his record it wouldn't be his first time dealing with Ms. Kova. The venue, The Hungry Garden, wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him either.
Four hours would be plenty of time.

Shortly before the scheduled time for the meet, he strolled into the restaurant. He wore a besoke three-piece suit cut from cashmere, and an analogue watch sat on his wrist, antiquated as that notion may be, which was worth more than the average wage-slave made in a year. It didn't look at all out of place among the elite clientele, and his status as one of the most dangerous assets Prometheus possessed could easily have gone unnoticed if he hadn't headed for the private room.

Entering the Jade Dragon room, Ben took a seat at the table with a clear view of the door, after loading a plate with sashimi. There were some serious people assembled there. Real professionals, and the twin corporate faces of Prometheus. He noted the preponderance of Next Gen alumni, but given the wild success of that program it probably wasn't significant. The little morbid voice in his head started to ask who they wanted dead, if it took this sort of muscle, but he quickly silenced the needless speculation and moved onto introductions.

"I think I'm familiar with most of you already, at least by reputation, although you don't all know me. I'm Emrys."

If they were to work together as a team, he would be forthcoming with his real name, but he felt no pressing urge to throw that around in front of the wait staff, when he wasn't clear on how thoroughly they were vetted.

[MCP_8000]

Dossier on Mariana Kova for Gally
Mariana Kova
Age 44, Female Caucasian
Resident of New Denver
Chief Executive of Prometheus Para-Military Division

Mariana Kova is a native of New Denver born in 2021 to Dovich and Talyana Kova. She graduated from Aspen University with a major in business management and a minor in language arts. After leaving school Mariana failed to find a job in the increasingly unstable economic climate during the government-corporate merger and instead enlisted in the U.S. armed forces where she served as a decryption analyst in the cyber-warfare division. She served a term of five years before Prometheus Medical took sovereign control of the mid-west territories, and the Corporate State Ratification Act was signed.

Following the restructuring, Mariana came under the employ of Prometheus Medical. She retained her position as a lieutenant, and the cyber-warfare division was regulated into the Prometheus para-military division. Over the next six years Mariana began a meteoric rise through the organization. She rose from being a ranked officer to an administration position, and from there climbed the corporate ladder to her current position as Chief Executive. She has been in command of the para-military division for thirteen years and is known as a hands on presence. She has a reputation for being cunning, ruthless and for prioritizing the needs of the company and her career above all else.

[Izzarra]

Burr

Burr's friend Mary showed up at her quarters (that bear a striking resemblance to some zoo enclosures) with a new black open backed one piece swimsuit and matching short skirt, both custom made out of Kevlar so that they would not get torn to shreds, and some nice looking sandals. "You have been invited to a dinner meeting" said Mary, who was a little surprised at the notion but Burr did not pick up any if the vocal inflections or expressions that would indicate such things.

To which Burr tilted her head to the side and replied "Dinner?" a little confused because she could not smell any food.

"Not now ... let me help you get dressed."

A while later they arrive at the entrance of the restaurant with Burr almost hiding behind Mary as they enter. Burr is hit with a myriad of smells many are unpleasant to her sensitive nose. As they make their way to the private room with Burr walking in a low crouch, almost on all fours as it still feels weird walking upright like the other humans, an uncomfortable whispering spreads across the room radiating from the apparent red scaled animal in minimal clothing. However Burr is more concerned with trying to clear the unfamiliar smells of perfume from her nose to care about the staring.

Mary opens the door to the private room "I have to wait out here, there are some people inside that would like to meet you."

Burr cautiously enters the room to see the other supers, her 270 degree vision catching the entirety of the room, but the smell of the buffet catches her immediate attention. She takes several steps towards it then pauses to see if anybody is going to scold her. Her solid black unblinking eyes appearing to stare at everyone in the room at the same time.

Sorry for taking control of Mary for this bit but I felt that Burr would have never found the place without a guide.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kaeli looked just a tad flustered for a moment when she was spoken to directly. But she collected herself quickly enough, anyway. "Oh. Um... No it, it wasn't hard," she answered. Feeling like...maybe she should elaborate she added, "I saw a map once."

Part of her thought that she should probably say something in return. Keep the conversation going, advance it further. That was polite, wasn't it. So she opened her mouth to speak more and...totally blanked. Nothing came to her whatsoever. After a few seconds with her mouth awkwardly hanging open, she kinda shrank back in her seat and made a lame attempt at covering by filling it with more rice.

She wasn't...she wasn't the most socially-adept asset in the corporation, you guys.

[Glitchy]

From her position in the corner of the room Rivan watched as the others arrived one by one.

The Kaeli girl was certainly different. Was she glowing or was that just a trick of the light? Awkward too. If Rivan had to guess she would say this girl was a lab geek who probably didn't get out much. This team was shaping up to be very unusual, "First the celebrity hero types, and now an egg head who looked like she was scared of her own shadow. What next?" Rivan wonders silently as she sips her water.

That question was answered when Emrys walked in. His appearance was honestly a bit of a relief. Here was someone Rivan knew and had worked with before. He was like her, an operative and a professional. She lifts her bottle of water in a silent greeting to the man as he takes a seat at the table, "This is getting more confusing by the minute. Two operatives, two celebrities and a lab rat? What on earth in the ivory tower thinking? Unless Regis and Gally are going to act as some sort of distraction while Emrys and I infiltrate? Then what's the timid one here for?" the speculations run wild through Rivan's mind as she tries to understand the composition of this group and what kind of mission might be in store for them.

Then all of her reasoning is thrown out the window when the bright red, spiky...girl? Must be a girl...walks into the room, "Okay, I give up. Either Kova has gone insane, or this is going to be a highly unorthodox mission," Rivan watches the newcomer head toward the food and then stop as if unsure, "Huh? Not exactly used to groups I guess," couldn't blame here there. Rivan was accustomed to working solo most of the time herself.

Since everyone was making introductions, Rivan gives the gathered supers a wave with her sleek, black smart matter hand, "Outrider," she stats simply, unwilling to give out her real name. This made exactly two words she had spoken out loud since arriving, and neither had been a swear or an insult. That was a new personal best.

[Ridai]

Watching Rivan enter the room, Gally sees another of her beautiful ones step into this moment of her life. This is a good development indeed. The young woman catches the operative's eye, smiling dazzlingly to her while giving a wave. Gally would have gotten up to embrace her as well, but it would only make Rivan uncomfortable. Same if she simply adressed Rivan by her firstname in such a setting.

"Hello dear," Gally greets her fellow Next-Genner, her voice soft, warm, and so very pleasant as it creates little pleasing tingles. Perhaps Outrider remembers that Gally tends to offer her to come closer, eventually making it an unspoken offer. Whether or not that is the case, Gally appears nothing but welcoming towards her.

The young woman chuckles at Regis' account, and can't help but smile at Regis' question. Talking with Regis is like being warmed by the sun. "Oh, you know me, always wish I had a bit more time for the wonderful people I meet. But seems like we'll be spending some quality time together, so I can hardly complain. Curious what this is about, too! They are having us meet at a restaurant, and you can't really call me covert, so Ms. Kova doesn't seem to mind a more high-profile look and a bit of gossip." And underlining the fact, Kaeli's radiant self carefully enters the room on tippy-toes. Curious to some, but not very surprising to Gally, beyond her being requested to be here as well.

If Gally is irked by Kaeli's halting introduction, she certainly doesn't show it, showing an understanding smile and a nod as Regis so kindly involves the glowing young woman in the proceedings, before turning her attention to the newest arrival, looking rather dapper and professional. "Pleasure to meet you, Emrys. Seems like Ms. Kova wants quite the distinct group for what she is planning." And with that, the girl known as Burr enters the room. "Speaking of which."

As Kaeli is struggling to speak to Regis (the poor glowing girl really is quite nervous, isn't she?), Gally watches Burr walk over to the buffet. She has seen some recordings of her, but hasn't met her in person yet. There is something quite fascinating about the way Burr looks and moves. A lot of people would call her an animal, and Gally does see the instincts... but predators can have a certain elegance.

"Go on," the socialite encourages Burr, gesturing to the buffet, voice soothing. "Take a plate and put on whatever you want." She has an inkling about this girl not being very socially adepted, so perhaps some gentle guidance might help.

Then she seems to remember something and playfully slaps her forehead with her fingers. "Oh, I'm sorry, everyone, decorum went right out of the window after meeting some friends. I'm Gally, nice to meet you all." Of course, most people were well aware of who she is (it is hard for her not to run into herself on the street in some form herself), but it is part of how she presents herself to the world. Gally doesn't act like a spoiled star who just assumes everyone knows and adores her.

With Kaeli trying to bury herself in her rice plate, she probably didn't want any more attention (or closer proximity), but courtesy where it is due. "Would you like me to dry you off?" she asks the soaked Kaeli after catching her eye. "I'll need to get close, but not necessarily touch you."

I am assuming that Gally is familiar with the others given Well-Informed and her frankly ludicrous Persuasion score. Doesn't mean she knows everything about them, but is at least aware of who they are and what they more or less do.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Oddly enough, as obviously and visibly nervous as Kaeli was, she didn't seem at all scared or bothered by Burr's arrival. The look she regarded her with was more one of curiosity than anything (although she turned her attention back to her plate when she realized she was kinda staring and that was rude).

Gally's offer made her acutely conscious of the fact that she was still kinda dripping water all over the fancy restaurant. In retrospect, an umbrella might have been smart to bring along. Hyper-intelligence did not mean perfect forethought. It was, in fact, much better at pointing out all the stupid mistakes you made after you had already made them, and showing you just how many options you had really had to avoid making them. So helpful!

To be fair, she didn't actually, you know, own an umbrella. Given how much time she spent indoors it had never really seemed like an optimal purchase, and she didn't exactly have much in the way of spending money. There were advantages (to the company who owned you) to building your life around spartan discipline.

"Uh, s-sure, I guess. I mean, yes, please," she answered. She was...okay with proximity to other people, as long as it wasn't too extended and she had some forewarning so she could keep very still.

[Izzarra]

Burr acknowledges the nice lady with a movement that is somewhere between a nod and a bow then proceeds to the buffet, her head bobbing back and forth and the tip of her long tail twitching, almost stalking the table. She had never seen such sight before and she slowly makes her way down the length of the table smelling the air in front of each tray. Most dishes are full of plant stuff, too much plant stuff. Eventually she stops at the sushi, finally something to eat, but why were there only small bits spread out on the table? Where was the rest of the fish? Burr does not understand some of the things these people do.

She reaches out slowly to grab a piece of sashimi and hesitates before grabbing the bit of fish with her fingers. She sees the others with their plates, remembers what Mary has been trying to teach her about how to eat, and picks up the little plate with two cuts of sashimi on it and examines it. Burr looks for a fork, she still does not understand why a fork should be used, but it makes Mary happy. She finds several a the end of the table hiding in white bits of cloth. After extracting a fork she goes to the big table where the people are sitting and uses her tail to pull out a chair that she proceeds to crouch in it. Placing the little plate in front of her and holding a fork with a fist and stabs the bit of sashimi with it. Opening her mouth causes two large fangs to unfold to join over fifty sharp pointed teeth, the kind that are not very useful for chewing. She bites the delicate piece of fish off of the fork and swallows it whole, then repeats the process with the next one, proud of herself for what many would consider atrocious table manners.

She stares at the empty plate, then back at buffet table at the rest of the sushi "Why small food?"

[Glitchy]

Rivan caught Gally's smile and couldn't stop herself from smiling back. It was almost impossible not to smile when Gally did, the woman just had that effect on people. Despite all her muddle memories and hazy recollections, that smile was still something that stuck out in Rivan's mind. It was warm, comforting and infectious. Without even realizing she was moving, Rivan found herself walking over and taking a seat beside Gally on the opposite side from Regis. It was as close to relaxed as she had been in a long time, and she even grabbed a bread roll and some butter from the table to eat. She doesn't say anything, just enjoys the company of the only two people she supposed she could actually call friends, even if she only really got to see them in circumstances like this.

[Ridai]

Gally rises from her chair, soon seating herself on one next to Kaeli, facing her (and now close enough the awkward woman to pick up on a pleasant fragrance coming from Gally). Always nicer to engage someone at eye-level. One open hand held out towards Kaeli, only a few inches from touching her, she feels the most curious sensation as the rain water in her hair, on her skin, and in her clothes begins to move, collect, and be drawn away from her. Like a faint mist interspersed with droplets of varying size, the moisture floats towards Gally's hand and simply... disappears in it as it makes contact, leaving Kaeli (as well as her chair) comfortably dry.

"All done." Gally withdraws her hand, feeling how tense her opposite seems to be. "I'll leave you to it, then," she adds as she rises again, to let her eat in peace. It is not much, but letting someone feel that people care can go a long way, so there is rarely a reason not to do it.

As Burr is in the process of wondering about the meaning of Japanese delicacies, Rivan feels Gally's hand on her shoulder for a moment as the socialite heads back to her chair, giving her a gentle squeeze. Glad to have you with us, Rivan. Now sitting with her two beautiful ones, even if what is to come will most likely be the very opposite of trivial or safe, Gally savors the moment, feeling content. An important skill to have.

"It is more for the taste than filling you," Gally explains to Burr. "Unless you eat a lot of them, of course. Say, do you see the light-brown strips over there?" One princess-like finger does a lazy little twirl before pointing towards a particular spot on the buffet. "That is tonkatsu. Fried pork cutlets." The proper Japanese pronunciation, spoken like a native, effortlessly weaves itself into the surrounding construct of American English. She trusts that Burr can figure out the rest, though she adds a playful smirk as if to say have at it.

[Lord of Gifts]

Emrys took careful note of the person entering after him. Not Burr was hard to notice. More muscle, possibly with some other capabilities, but clearly not a social butterfly. Kova clearly wanted a diverse range of talents, for whatever inscrutable reason. The nature of their mission still remained a mystery to him, and presumably the others.

Rivan was easily accounted for, cut from the same mold as Emrys. Any mission one would be suited to could be done easier by the pair.

Regis and Gally made a natural pair as well. Now they were social butterflies, well know by the public and favoured by the PR department. Social engineering to get the killers in position? Though he knew they were hardly innocent themselves. At any rate, the Next Gen lot seemed rather friendly with each other, and Gally in particular was working to ingratiate herself with the others. There weren't any other ALBION graduates to Emrys's knowledge, so he didn't really understand to bond, but it seemed a reasonable coping mechanism. Parahuman assets tend not to maintain conventional friendships.

Kaeli was an interesting one. A lab rat, probably brought on for her tactical mind. But the way she carried herself suggested something else. Fear, and not necessarily of others. More what she could do to them. Clearly another dangerous person then.

He didn't comment on this out loud, instead silently observing. Hopefully the director would arrive soon and shed some light on things.

[Izzarra]

Burr stalks over to the indicated location of the buffet table carrying the small plate. When she gets to the serving dish piled with tonkatsu she considers the size of her small plate verses the large pile of fried meat. Nobody said anything when she took the small plate so she sets it down and goes to pick up the entire serving dish of tonkatsu.

[MCP_8000]

The door to the Jade Dragon room opens again, and this time two large men enter. They are dressed in expensive three piece suits and judging by the way the jackets seem to bulge out they re wearing armor beneath them along with concealed weapons. The two men look nearly identical, and everyone in the room, except perhaps Burr, recognizes them immediately as synthetic soldiers. The bio-mechanical androids many Prometheus executives use as personal body guards. They aren’t particularly smart, but they are strong, fast and easily programmed. They are followed into the room by four hovering drones no bigger than dinner plates, which proceed to scan the room and the occupants. Finally, the clicking of high heels announces the arrival of Mariana Kova as she strides into the room.

Dressed in a corporate pants suit and carrying a data pad and briefcase, Ms. Kova has her light brown hair tied up in a smart bun on top of her head and she regards the gathered supers over the top of her rimless glasses. She says nothing as her drones finish scanning the room for threats, and she walks to the head of the table, putting down her case and data pad. One of the kimono clad serving girls pours a glass of wine and sets it in front of the corporate executive before hurrying out of the room. Once the girl has left, the guards close the door, shutting out the noise of the main dining room.

Ms. Kova takes her time lifting her wine to her nose, taking in the scent, and then slowly takes a long sip of the blood colored drink. She seems t savor it for a moment, then swallows and replaces the glass on the table. Finally she speaks, “I hope everyone has been enjoying the buffet we provided. I hear the fish here is exceptional,” she smiles, but it is a thin, mirthless grin like a porcelain mask painted over her face. Her hazel eyes are hard and clear as she takes in the assembly of corporate assets gathered in the room, “I’m sure you are all curious about why you have been brought here tonight, and I assure you it is a matter of the utmost importance and will require your diverse range of abilities to be handled properly. What I am about to tell you is a delicate matter, and we must attend to it quickly. That is why once this briefing is finished there will be a transport waiting for you on the roof to take you to the Ludum Arcology.”

Opening her briefcase Ms. Kova produces a portable holo display and places it on the table. A few taps on her data pad brings up a rendering of the Ludum Arcology. The massive seven sided pyramid structure stands where Las Vegas once stood, and rests on the boarder between the corporate states of Prometheus Medical and the Purity Coalition. It is a strictly neutral entity owned by the Black Spade Consortium and serves much the same role as the city it replaced. The Ludum Arcology is a place of gambling, prostitution, drugs and entertainment of every nature imaginable. It serves publically as a vacation destination for both bordering corporate states, and privately as a meeting site for the corporations where they can conduct business.

”Earlier today a delegation of representatives from the Purity Coalition were scheduled to meet with members of Prometheus to discuss a transfer of personnel and information of a sensitive nature. The delegation included a member of their board of directors,” Ms. Kova begins to explain, “However, when our own representatives arrived in the hotel room, they found the Coalition representatives murdered, and no signs of either the information or the personnel they were to have brought with them,” the holo display changes to show an image of a hotel suite. The furniture, walls and floor show obvious blood stains, but there are no obvious signs of a struggle or fight, “It was a professional hit as far as local authorities can determine, and the coalition is blaming us. They have already sent their own team in to investigate, and unless we can turn up evidence otherwise, they are going to pin this on us and use it to galvanize the other corporate states to turn on Prometheus,” she pauses to make sure everyone understands how dire the situation is.

”We are sending you in to mitigate the situation,” her eyes go to Gally and Regis, “Make contact with the coalition team and try to reason with them if you can. If not, make sure they don’t get in your way,” her eyes shift to Kaeli, ”Find out who is responsible for the assassination and track them down. We need to know who they are and what their motivations are,” her gaze moves to include Rivan, Emrys and Burr, “And most importantly we need the information they stole and the personnel they kidnapped recovered. Intact and alive if at all possible,” She regards the team as a whole, "Questions?"

[Lord of Gifts]

As the two walking slabs of muscle walked through the door, Emrys straightened up and paid attention. Naturally, once the security sweep was complete, Ms. Kova followed on their heels. The initial comment on the food was perfunctory, simply to settle people into the meeting, but she quickly got around to business.

Though he kept his expression static, the gravity of the situation did register as the para-military chief spoke. This was, potentially, a scenario that could snowball into the downfall of Prometheus. As powerful and enduring as any corporation may seem, they couldn't possibly stand against a united opposition from the others for very long. Suddenly, the need for so many of their top assets made sense.

The Ludum Archology was rife with such business, though rarely at quite so high stakes, and had seen various power plays before. Given the location and political situation, it made a natural meeting point for any sort of important or under-the-table business between Promethus and the Purity Coalition, or even other corps. This was a fact that any serious players had to be aware of, and corporate security measures put this sort of hit beyond the capability of common street thugs. Who would be capable of it, and willing to face the wrath of two corporate states? Of course, there was always the possibility that the transfer was planned under false pretences, and they were set up by Purity. Not guaranteed, but definitely an angle worth exploring. The lack of clear signs of a struggle did point to either inside knowledge or superhuman capabilities. Or both; they were hardly mutually exclusive.

He spoke up, to ask the main questions he had about the mission.
"What was this nature of this information, and who else would be interested in it. And if the Purity team prove problematic, what are the rules of engagement."

Well-informed on the Purity Coalition: [roll0]

[Ridai]

Gally greets Ms. Kova wordlessly with a smile. Gally interacting with those higher up in the Prometheus food chain tends to be multi-level mind games. Getting too enamored with Gally is a mark of weakness, of being open for manipulation. So Gally opts for a more subdued style to signal they have little to worry about. Yet this may lead to letting their guard down, giving Gally an in. Yet her service record is pretty much flawless, enthusiastic even, with plenty of mental conditioning as a backup. But she is also a weapon made for social engagements and thus may unintentionally influence others. Of course, it is a relatively one-sided predicament, since Gally is the perceived test (or hazard), and thus far, she has rarely had a reason to try and get someone to fall out of favor because of her, unless the corporation wanted it. As a test of loyalty or competence, for example, or to have a pretense to demote or fire someone.

Listening closely, Gally refrains from touching her wine (she does not need to eat or drink anyway, and she can produce better wine whenever she wants), and frowns as she hears about the incident and sees the recordings of the crime scene. Corporate sabotage and proxy conflicts aren't exactly a new thing to Gally, but if this situation isn't resolved soon, it would reflect badly on Ms. Kova and, more importantly, the team, meaning Regis and Rivan. That won't do. That won't do at all. It is also unusual that Gally is involved in such an inter-corporate incident this prominently and openly when she normally is employed in marketing and more... positive contact with foreign delegations, at least in the public eye.

In accordance to that, Gally briefly raises her eyebrows and takes a sip of wine, as if to process what she was told.

"That does sound pretty dire. But with Regis involved, I am sure we can smooth things out and buy the team some time to investigate. Other than the bad look of the Coalition having lost their assets and their people while trying to negotiate, is there any real evidence pointing to Prometheus that we know of? And we will also need to know what exactly was to be transfered, why, and what Prometheus offered in exchange. The more we know, the more we can diffuse anything based on assumptions and wrong conclusions, and thus actually have a conversation."

Well-Informed about the Purity Coalition [roll0]
Well-Informed about the Black Spade Consortium [roll1]

Insight vs Ms. Kova to determine if she is leaving something out [roll2]

edit: So, uh, 37, followed by a 40 that is also a Natural 20 on a Well-Informed check where 25 usually means access to protected information.

[Izzarra]

The two big people entering the room did not bother Burr much, but the drones brought back some bad memories. She resists the urge to teleport away because Mary brought her here. She instead drops low to the ground her coloration changing to blend in with her surroundings. Then she moves to a large potted ficus in a corner of the room and up the wall behind the foliage, away from the drones. Her camouflage adapting along the way, her footsteps completely silent.

Burr understands only a few small fragments of what the lady says next.

Wall-Crawling 2

Chameleon: Linked
* Concealment (All Vision), Blending, Partial
* Concealment (Hearing), Blending
* Concealment (Scent)

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kaeli sat kinda rigidly as Gally approached her, kinda vacuuming her dry. That was kinda cool, actually. When she was finished, Kaeli gave her a little, awkward smile and a quiet, "Thanks."

And it seemed it wasn't a moment too soon, since their host arrived shortly. Kaeli sat through the scanning unconcernedly, but when Ms. Kova began the briefing, she listened intently. She let out a little gasp when Ms. Kova described the murders. Who would do such a horrible thing?

She swallowed hard when Ms. Kova's eyes went to her, immediately after saying "Make sure they don't get in your way." Did she mean...? Was she supposed to...?

Kaeli of course knew that at one time there had been preparations to use her as a combat asset. She had frankly been relieved when it was decided that her powers were of better use in a laboratory than on a battlefield. She didn't fear for her own safety, not even against a force that could perform the deed that Ms. Kova had described. But the thought of turning her strength against other people in a live combat situation...visions of people splattering into broken masses at her touch, shattering under her grasp, filled her mind unbidden.

So she let out a relieved breath at her next words. Figure out who did this. Track them down. That was something she could get behind. It was basically a puzzle. Kaeli liked puzzles! For her, they were the perfect blend of being satisfying to complete without being actually fun to work on.

Already, her mind was turning to the task, flying through what she already knew of the particulars and sorting out the information she didn't have. When Ms. Kova had finished, she added her own voice to the questions - seeming now significantly less hesitant than she had been since entering the room. "Will we be able to examine the scene and the bodies? And what about the Ludum security systems? Will we have access to those? And the ability to interview their personnel? Um...I guess more, uh, practically, the question is, can we expect the Ludum Arcology's assistance with our investigation?"

Okay some off-the-top-of-the-head Expertise checks. I'mma just go ahead and Routine all of these for 30 after Eidetic Memory.

Expertise (Business) and (Politics) for a general overview of the Purity Coalition, and their general relationship with Prometheus Medical.

Expertise (Law) for information on how much legal leeway we'll have to conduct this investigation - what lines we shouldn't (get caught) cross(ing), basically.

Expertise (Criminal) to try and narrow down a list of known (rumored, whatever) black ops operatives or teams that might be both capable of this sort of attack and have reason to do it.

[Glitchy]

Rivan watches with the others as the assembly line soldiers enter the room, and she can't help but roll her eyes a bit. Sure they were intimidating to the average person, but they were dumb and they lacked the creatively and adaptability of a real person. They were glorified bullet sponges as far as she was concerned. The appearance of the drones also struck her as odd. Was Kova really worried about security risks? If that were true then why had she elected to hold this briefing in a public venue. No, this was a show. She wanted people to know she was putting this team together.

When the briefing starts Rivan leans forward, bracing her elbows on the table and leaning her chin on the back of her hands as she listens. This was definitely a bad situation. Corporate sabotage was nothing unexpected, but a Coalition board member had been among the victims and that was going to stir up a whole hornet's nest of trouble. If they pinned the hit on Prometheus and managed to get the other corporate states to believe it, then Prometheus would be looking at a full scale corporate war. They wouldn't survive that kind of assault if every other corp came down on them, and that's exactly what would happen. It would be a feeding frenzy, and the other corporate states would be eager to snatch up whatever they could from the ruins.

When the projection of the murder scene comes up, Rivan reaches out and literally grabs it, using her own control of holograms to duplicate the display and center the image on the table. Then she expands it as large as she can without losing resolution. It wasn't as good as physically being there, but she wanted a closer look at the scene.

Perception: [roll0] - Looking for any clues or information in the image that might be useful

When Kova asks if there are questions Rivan lets the others ask theirs first then adds her own, "What do we know about the coalition team? Who are they sending and what are their capabilities?" if Prometheus was tapping all of their most powerful assets for this operation, it only seemed reasonable that the Purity Coalition would do the same. If things turned ugly, Rivan wanted to know what they were up against.

[MCP_8000]

Ms. Kova frowns a bit at the questions and begins to answer, “I’m afraid the exact nature of the information being exchanged is classified. Suffice to say it is valuable and any of our rivals would love to get their hands on it. We were also in the process of exchanging personnel. The individual you are looking for is Doctor Amanda Emriel,” this seems to be all the information Ms. Kova is willing to divulge on the subject.

Moving on she explains, “There is no hard evidence that the Purity Coalition can use against us, but there is plenty of circumstantial. We were the only people officially aware of the meeting, and our people were the first on scene. If we had taken the information and Doctor Emreil, it would obviously be a large benefit to us without the need to give up anything in return,” Mariana sighs and takes another sip of wine, “It isn’t much, but it will be enough to implicate us and spark the suppositions of the other corporate states. If this situation goes the way the coalitions wants, it will lay the foundation for war against Prometheus.”

Looking to Kaeli, Ms. Kova gives her that mirthless grin, “I’m afraid the Consortium is remaining steadfastly neutral in this. I wouldn’t expect any assistance from Ludum security, but they shouldn’t move against you either,” she looks to Emrys, “If Ludom security of the coalition team attempt to interfere with your operation you are authorized to use whatever means at your disposal to accomplish your mission. Prometheus would like to avoid any further death in this matter, but accidents do happen under stressful circumstances,” the message is clear. She is giving the green light for maximum force.

Turning her attention to Rivan, Ms. Kova answers, “Paragons dear. It is the coalition after all. I would expect individuals aat least on the same power scale as yourselves, but they are notoriously unimaginative in their use of the Valasakis Gene.,” the para-military chief rolls her eyes, “Nothing but flying strongmen with varying levels of invulnerability. No energy control, no mental abilities and of curse no cybernetics. Such a waste.”

An examination of the enhanced holographic image doesn't turn up anything new to Rivan's eyes.

Purity Coalition – One of the younger corporate states to rise after the corporate-government merger, the Purity Coalition are a semi-religious organization that believe the use of the Valasakis Gene will allow mankind to ascend to a higher plane of existence and bring them closer to god. They are zealous in their beliefs that cybernetics are a corruption of the human body and a tool of the devil, and that any super other than a pure paragon is an unsightly mutation and disease that should be purged. Their board of directors are called bishops, and their executives are priests. They are known for conducting regular inquisitions and purges throughout their territory that often result in the brutal deaths of thousands who they deem impure abominations.

Black Spade Consortium – Less of a corporation and more of an alliance of organized crime, the Black Spade Consortium is the controlling body of the criminal underworld. The mafia of 2065, they are organized and operate much the same as any of the corporate states, except that they do not maintain a single territory. Instead they have a number of arcology sites across the continent where tey can operate openly and under their own laws, without interference from the corporations. The corporate states allow them their autonomy because they serve a valuable purpose by maintaining a black market for illicit items and offering neutral ground where business can be conducted. The consortium is only concerned with profit.

[Lord of Gifts]

It was a pity, though not surprising, that Ms. Kova was hiding things from them. Despite their value to the corporation, they were still kept out of the loop as much as any other asset. While the nature of the information might not be important, equally the success of the mission could depend on it. Emrys would probably be angry about that if he wasn't so used to it. At least they had the name of the chief indiviual they were searching for. Hopefully research would turn up some information on her, although Kova was unlikely to disclose anything. It was doubtful that it was a personal matter, but things could be connected to her work in some way.

Investigation was perhaps Kaeli's realm, and the diplomacy was best handled by Regis and Gally, which meant Emrys started to think over the security angle. Ludum security were notoriously neutral, and unlikely to take sides unless the pressure against Prometheus became overwhelming. If relations deteriorated to that point, then the mission could likely be considered a failure already. The coalition team were a greater concern, given their personal stake and general trigger-happy nature.

Conflict was better avoided, but if it came to that he was fully prepared for himself and Rivan to take charge. Maximum force was authorised, and he was fully prepared to use it if that was what it took. Against the sort of assets the coalition tended to deploy, anything less wouldn't be enough.

Forming mental plans of attack, he gave voice to his strategic thoughts.
"The Black Spade Consortium always remain neutral, unless there is a clearly stronger side. Their continued operation depends on it. Ludum security won't cause problems unless we completely fail diplomatically, or stretch out the investigation too long without results." His eyes flickered over towards those of his colleagues he expected to handle such matters.
"Purity are fanatics, and I don't rate their capability for abstract thought. They're much more likely to be problematic. Given the power scale we're talking about, I think it would be unwise to engage them directly, no matter how aggressively they may act. The standard assets deployed by the coalition are straight-forward brutes. We out-think them, pick them off, and rely on our broader range of abilities. Of course," he finished, "lets hope it doesn't come to that."
Looking around, gauging how his team mates were reacting, he added, "Any thoughts on how we might approach this diplomatically?"

[Ridai]

Zero information it is, then, meaning very little to put things into context. At least having a rough order of magnitude to point towards and compare it with risking a corporate war would help with negotiations. Unless, of course, they are dealing with closeminded zealots uninterested in actual investigation.

"The way I see it, we have multiple diplomatic scenarios." Gally begins to raise her fingers to enumerate.

"Number 1: the Coalition actually wanted to make the deal and is now actually looking for the culprit, with a bit of jumping to conclusions. This is the best case, as it means we can actually talk to the Coalition and potentially work with them, if they can stomach cooperating with agents not conforming to their standards of purity for a while. We tell them our point of view, point out the irregularities we can, and try to get them to agree to giving us time to investigate alongside them, maybe pool findings. In the end, we make our case, clear Prometheus, and try to keep them from purging the culprits to bring them back." A beat. "Naturally, this is the ideal scenario, and thus not the most likely one, but the one that would no doubt lead to the best diplomatic outcome, as Prometheus would have assisted the Coalition in finding and punishing whoever wronged them."

"Number 2: the Coalition wanted to make the deal, but now is using the loss as an excuse to eradicate Prometheus, no doubt pleasing to them as a business and ideologically. More difficult, as they will most likely obstruct investigations and not be willing to talk much. However, they were caught off-guard by this, so we still have an in, if we work fast, and if we can present solid evidence against Prometheus being the guilty party, they might deem the opportunity too risky to avoid being seen as loose cannons that just randomly declare war. So we will need to delay them and maneuver so that if they try to obstruct us, that it would make them look as if they aren't interested in what actually happened."

"And number 3: this was a setup all along, the member of the board was sacrificed for the greater cause, and they are busy making everything point towards Prometheus. The ends justifying the means, no sacrifice too great to purge the unclean. Naturally, negotiations are hardly possible at this point, unless we find something that practically forces them to give us information or room to work. Regis and I will need to fight for practically everything, with them trying to waste as much of our time and resources as possible. If it does turn out that this is what is going on, I also suspect they have prepared a scapegoat to blame and thus deny their involvement, and will want to 'acquire' the culprit, or get rid of them. This is practically the worst-case scenario, and we will need the Coalition to have messed up somewhere along the way, or just not possess enough aptitude for grand schemes in the first place."

"Whatever it is, we won't know what we are dealing with until we talk with them and begin investigations. We will also need to see how the Consortium is involved in this, if at all, and how interested they are in profiting from a war. As far as I am concerned, I'll keep an open mind and try to respectfully convince them that while acquiring the information and Doctor Emriel without anything in return would be hugely beneficial, it would also be an obvious short-sighted scorched earth approach, and if Prometheus engaged in such tactics, they would have been rightfully torn apart long ago. Even the Coalition should be able to admit that Prometheus isn't run by total idiots."

Well-Informed about Doctor Amanda Emriel [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Ms. Kova's message couldn't have been clearer, and that set Kaeli's heart pounding. With fear, mostly, but also... The Purity Coalition paragons would be strong enough that if they had to fight, she'd have to really cut loose, probably more than she had in months. And she would have to, not just for the sake of the mission, but to protect the other Prometheus assets. For all the perceived risks, she also knew how good that would feel. She couldn't deny that mixed with that fear was just a tiny bit of anticipation.

She hated herself for that.

Kaeli took a breath. They had Gally and Regis with them, she reminded herself. Diplomacy was far from out of the question, and Gally even had plans to avoid potential conflict in the functionally worst-case scenario. Although, Kaeli admitted to herself but did not say out loud, the socialite's assessment was incorrect. An intentional set-up by the Purity Coalition wasn't the worst-case scenario. The worst-case scenario was that Prometheus had done it, and that there was evidence.

Even so, Gally's point stood - that would be a rather riskier move than she would expect of the company. For now, focus on solving the puzzle. If there was fallout...deal with it then.

Aloud, she said, "I don't think I have any other questions that can be better answered here than through active investigation. We should, um, probably get on the move quickly though, right? I mean, whichever group gets to the scene first is going to have greater control over the investigation."

On that subject, how fast are these transports? Looks to me like we've got three people capable of travelling at Speed Rank 12, two of which are capable of carrying others with them easily. And if Purity is using paragons, we can bet that they have travel speeds at least that high. So unless the transport can meet or beat 8,000 MPH, it might behoove us to get there under our own power.

[Ridai]

Gally looks at her fellow team-members, returning to the easy calm from before now that she has laid out what they might potentially need to deal with. "I, too, would like to get to it. The sooner we can start the talks, the better we can prevent things from boiling over."

[Glitchy]

Rivan sighs, dismissing her copy of the projection and leaning back in her chair, "No point in waiting," she stands and takes one last drink of her water, then nods to Ms. Kova, "Unless there is anything else?" if not, Rivan heads for the balcony. She hadn't been seen entering the room, and she wasn't about to be seen exiting it either. It would be easy enough to blink up to the roof to meet the transport.

[Lord of Gifts]

Confident the briefing had wrapped up, and that they had extracted all the relevant information that anyone at Prometheus would be willing to share with the team, Emrys rose and started to make his way to the transports.

[Ridai]

Without further ado, Gally heads to the transport. She changes into more business-like attire, partially due to how puritanical the Coalition can be, and a low-cut evening dress doesn't exactly communicate that you are taking the investigation seriously. Her clothes just become a white layer over her body, shifting, changing color, and forming a dark suit. However, Gally very much retains her shape. They will just need to deal with potentially being attracted to a filthy mutant.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kaeli quietly stood and followed along, still moving with a kinda scrunched, cautious gait but not going so slowly that she'd hold up their departure.

[MCP_8000]

(Alright, moving along)

Reaching the roof the group finds a sleek VT jet waiting for them, it’s engines already spun up and whining, the ramp lowered for boarding. Inside is spartan and military in design. There are two rows of seat facing each other with restraint harnesses, and plenty of open cargo space between them.

Ms. Kova follows the group up to the roof, and as they board she hands Regis a small communication device, ”Once you have located the good doctor, contact me directly for further orders,” she then steps back to allow the transport to close its door and lift off from the roof.

The flight to the arcology only takes about twenty minutes at the speeds the jet can reach, and then it is settling onto a round landing pad attached to one of the sloping sides of the pyramid structure. Once it has come to a rest and the engines spin down, the landing pad is retracted into the greater structure of the complex, bringing the transport into a large hanger of clean, brushed steel and glass. A number of technicians are waiting to tend to the ship should it require refueling or repairs.

As the group disembarks, they are greeted almost immediately by a tall, lanky man with bleach blond, spiked hair, one earring and wearing an all white business suit. On his lapel is a single small pin in the shape of a black spade. He smiles with florescent white teeth as he approaches, flanked by two very attractive, dark skinned women with clear reptilian features that include small horned ridges above their eyes, pointed ears, snake-like scales and long tails. The women are barely dressed and are not carrying any obvious weapons, but they give off an air of danger and are clearly meta-humans.

The man with the glowing white smile offers a small bow as he speaks, ”Ah, welcome, welcome! My name is Cyrus Winter and I have the honor of being your liaison during your stay with us here in the Ludum Arcology. I have been authorized to offer you one of our exclusive suites during your stay and a complimentary fifty thousand dollars in chips for the casinos,” his voice is smooth and confident, with that subtle inflection of an experienced salesman, “If there is anything I can do to make your stay more pleasant, please do not hesitate to ask.”

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kaeli was, unsurprisingly, quiet during the trip, only speaking if spoken to and even then generally only in short replies. Her mind was awhirl, but thinking about the mystery before them, coming up with paths of inquiry and investigation, hypotheses to test. It was a pleasant break from the constant worrying about the damage she might cause if her control slipped for even a moment. There were reasons she liked puzzles.

When they disembarked, Kaeli remained unobtrusively (well, as unobtrusively as you could get when you were constantly glowing, which...wasn't very) near the back of the group. She wasn't a particularly suspicious person so she took Mr. Winter's spiel at face value. That's nice of them, she thought. ...But do they really think we're going to gamble while we're here?

Kaeli's immediate impulse was to start requesting access and information from Winter. Was the Purity Coalition team already here? What did the Black Spade know of the crime? Could they review the crime scene and security footage? However, if there was one thing Kaeli was not beholden to, it was her own impulses. She might not have been particularly socially adept personally, but she could at least recognize her limitations, and that matters of introduction and diplomacy were better left to others.

Besides, that course of action involved not talking to people, which was always aces with her. So Kaeli hung back and let the others handle talking with Winter.

[Ridai]

Emerging from the VTOL wearing sunglasses, Gally moves with effortless confidence and grace down the ramp. She takes in the scene without showing much in the way of doing so as their host goes through his spiel. Well then. Time for an initial assessment.

"Gally. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Winter," she begins, taking off her sunglasses and favoring him (and his companions) with a dazzling (and perhaps a little intrigued) smile. Everyone present can feel her voice washing over and through them, as a sound that just feels good. "Can I call you Cyrus?" Gally is on a first-name-basis with seemingly almost everyone, partially because there is less of a barrier the other way around, since Gally is only known as that. Of course, this is a little different behind closed doors and when dealing with higher-ups or guests of honor, but publicly, Gally tends to quickly break down barriers and reduce interpersonal distance. Millions of people feeling like she is akin to a close friend.

"That is a very generous offer we'll gladly accept, though I'm afraid we probably won't get to see the sights and enjoy what Ludum has to offer... much." There is the slightest shift in her smile and look which could easily be interpreted as hoping to have some free time. And Gally is curious to see if she can spot inklings of hopes who she might spend said time with. She is dealing with professionals, of course, but it would be foolish not to look out for new and interesting opportunities.

"After we check in, could you direct us to where we can find the crime scene, as well as who we can talk to regarding any security records about the incident? We have also been informed that the Purity Coalition sent a team of their own to investigate, and we would very much like to meet them to help sort this unfortunate situation out." As she awaits the answers (and perhaps gets guided to the suite along with the others), Gally holds the Ludum personel's attention fixed upon Regis and herself. They are the ones to talk to, and ideally, they are also the ones Cyrus and his bodyguards want to talk to.

Tried to PM Inspector Valin about Regis starting things off, but got no reply. edit: Apparently Valin got swamped by real life, will be chiming in soon.

Gally switches her Engagement array to Love You All. She doesn't use the Affliction, but the feature is very much active.

Insight check to get a general read on Cyrus and his bodyguards, but also on how they react to Gally [roll0] Critical Success

Persuasion check to improve attitudes of Cyrus and his bodyguards (with a little bit of enticement) [roll1]

[Izzarra]

At the end of the meeting, after the drones had departed, Mary was sent in to coax Burr out of her hiding place with some of remaining buffet. She explained that these new people will be Burr's friends and that Mary will have to stay here while Burr goes out on a trip, and that Burr will need to help her new friends.

The flight was frighting and uncomfortable, the seats are not designed to accommodate somebody with a large tail. Burr is happy to get out of the contraption when it lands.

Burr sticks close to Gally because she has been nice to her.

[Lord of Gifts]

Emrys stepped off the VTOL craft behind Gally, leaving the diplomacy to her while he analysed the situation. The obvious thing to note was the fact they were greated in a cordial manner by the Ludum team. While everything they said should be taken with a mountain of salt, it was possible that Black Spade wouldn't cause them any trouble. Hopefully. Bringing reptilian meta-humans certainly made something of a statement, as the Coalition were unlikely to aprove of such 'deviants'. Maybe an attempt to ingratiate themselves with Prometheus? Or just show that they weren't going to bow down to Purity's every whim? He would leave the exact interpretation to someone slightly more socially adept than himself.

The second point was that they weren't greated by the Purity Coalition team. Obviously they weren't going to be great friends, but it would be ideal comeone could account for their whereabouts. Hopefully they could get first access to the scene, or failing that at least the security footage.

[MCP_8000]

Gally gets an immediate sense that Cyrus is similar to herself in that this is what he does. He’s a face man, skilled in diplomacy and people handling. When he speaks his words are smooth and honeyed and seem to promise more than he is saying, but they don’t seem to be effecting the group the way he wants given the brief look in his eyes. Gally gets the impression that he likely has some form of manipulation powers tied to his voice that either aren’t strong enough to influence her and her companions, or may require a period of time to truly be effective.

The two reptile girls are actually twins, Gally realizes, and both of them are staring at her openly. Apparently they were not properly prepared for this encounter, because one looks absolutely mesmerized and the other keeps giving Gally little winks and inviting smiles.

Cyrus offers another small bow to Gally and motions for her to walk with him, “Yes of course. I understand your very busy but I do hope you’ll avail yourselves of all our hospitality can offer.,” he walks beside Gally, with Regis on his other side, matching their pace while still managing to lead them both out of the hanger and into the lavishly decorated halls of the arcology. Truly this is a place of luxury and excess. The air is filled with pleasant scents, from wild flowers to cooking food, and music plays over the sounds of the casinos that dominate the main concourse.

As Cyrus leads the group into the heart of the arcology, they gt their first real look at the self contained city. It is a brilliant tapestry of gleaming, polished steel and glass and bright neon signs illuminating a massive interior of crisscrossing walkways, tunnels and bridges that form a complex network of beautiful symmetrical design. Everywhere one looks there are shops, restaurants, casinos and game parlors. Every form of entertainment and vice is being catered to here in one fashion or another.

Cyrus leads the group through the crowds without any effort as the people seem to part like water before him. He takes no notice and continues to speak with Gally and Regis, “I’ve arranged for you to have the grand suite at Royal Roulette, it our most exclusive hotel,” he explains, “And I’ve already asked our security professionals to send copies of all relevant records to your room. Once you’ve settled in I would be happy to escort you over to the crime scene myself. It’s been sealed off on the sixteenth floor of the Nightingale,” he points across the open expanse of the arcology to a glass tower glowing pale blue.

”As for the Coalition’s team,” he seems to hesitate for a moment and clears his throat, “They arrived about twenty minutes before you and have...requested that we do not allow you access to the crime scene or the evidence you have requested,” Cyrus laughs, “Of course that’s ridiculous. We have no intention of impeding your operations here so long as you don’t cause a disturbance,” He smiles, showing off those ridiculously white teeth of his, “The Coalition team are staying in the Silver Dollar, and I will ask that you keep any interactions with them as civil as possible,” there is a note in his voice that suggests he knows this wont be possible.

[Glitchy]

Rivan remains silent during the trip and keeps to the back of the group as Gally speaks with the Black Spade representative. She wasn't here to exchange pleasantries or make nice with the arcology staff. She was here to do what she does best. That is why when Cyrus lets slip where the crime scene is and even points to the building, Rivan slows her pace and reaches out to put a hand on Emrys's shoulder so he will as well. Catching his eye, she nods silently toward the Nightingale building. With a thought, she bends the light around herself, keeping her hand on Emrys so the light bends around him as well turning both of them invisible. She gives her fellow operative a gentle tug and slips away from the group to head for the crime scene. She wanted a look at the scene without the commentary of a Black Spade liaison present, and if they were very lucky there wouldn't be any Purity team members there yet either.

Activate Utility of Hard-light array: Invisibility and include Emrys so long as she maintains physical contact with him.

[Ridai]

At the restaurant

Noticing a woman (most likely her handler, from what Gally knows) getting Burr to come out of hiding, Gally has a brief chat with her about the girl. If Burr is in need of a handler, someone will have to act in that capacity during the mission. There is not much time, so after Gally gets the usual flustered reaction from being face-to-face with her, she asks about Burr's general likes, dislikes, what to look out for and what she responds well to.

-------------------

In the VTOL during the flight

Gally hums during the flight (between chatting with the others), the soothing sound managing to carry just enough to reach Burr, creating pleasing and relaxing sensations. It won't help with the discomfort and won't magically wipe away all anxiety (unless Burr responds very well to this), but Gally can't have the girl arrive too stressed in a crowded environment.

-------------------

At the Arcology

Gally concurs with an incline of her head when Ludum's hospitality is once again offered, her facade smooth and flawless (and seemingly not noticing the little signal he lets slip). She could try to get her hooks deeper into Cyrus, but it doesn't strike her as the right time and place as she and Regis walk with him. As Cyrus leads and talks to them, Gally takes in her surroundings, keeps the man engaged, and the twins focused on her. Gally knows the attraction of the latter quite well, and the reptile twins catch little signs and hints that Gally seems to be interested in them as well. Nothing that entices on purpose, of course, just little glances as she looks around, or when she notices one of them staring or winking at her, she responds with a fetching smile, or their eyes are drawn to the natural sway of her hips. Perfectly normal behavior, as she was made to please others, and has a reputation for just being all-around pleasant to be with. As bodyguards, they are probably tied to Cyrus, who will most likely try to get her natural influence out of them after they part ways, or replace them with more... resilient personnel. But if Gally does get a few minutes alone with the twins at some point, well, Gally is always interested in making new friends, and perhaps bringing them back home. They would not be the first to switch sides for her.

"That is very thoughtful of you," Gally continues the pleasantries as she responds to Cyrus outlining the accomodations and offers. What she hears about the Coalition, meanwhile, well, it is as expected. They are going to be difficult. However, at least publicly, they are being the aggressor in this investigation. While it won't matter nearly as much as cold, hard facts, a good conduct can work in their favor. And if the Consortium indeed isn't involved in the crime, nurturing the reputation of being pleasant to deal with could open a door or two in future interactions between them and Prometheus. Good business relations, if you will. And hopefully a bad showing from the Coalition.

"Of course. We have no reason to engage in hostilities, after all, and causing a ruckus just wouldn't do as a guest." A sympathetic smile underlines Gally's words. We have no quarrel with you, and we will gladly have the Coalition tie a noose around their own necks if they want to be the ones that start trouble.

Dear Rivan and Emrys seem to have gone ahead. No trouble, Gally will cover for them, and she hopes they will remain discreet enough to not cause any political difficulties. And remember the various supersenses the Coalition paragons will probably have.

As they keep walking to the suite, she asks "Can you tell me about the Coalition team? Given how charged the situation is, a little knowledge to show proper decorum might go a long way."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kaeli followed along, considering what Cyrus had told them. He wasn't being duplicitous about the standards of the hotel they had been put up in, but the Silver Dollar, while less exclusive, was also more expensive. In other words, two locations of roughly equal, albeit distinctly different merit. It suggested that the Black Spade was maintaining their stated neutrality. That was good.

The Purity Coalition had arrived first - although evidently they had arrived at roughly the same time their group was leaving, so there wasn't much that could be done for that. But they had managed to, if not shoot it fully, at least wing their own foot by trying to force the Black Spade to choose between them. They had been rebuffed, but that shouldn't be taken to mean the Black Spade was on their side. It was just more evidence of their commitment to neutrality. Still, it was something they could take advantage of. As long as they made no requests that would violate their neutrality, they should be able to remain in their good graces. Which based on what they were seeing so far, should mean they could expect cooperation with the investigation, so long as the Black Spade itself was not involved in the crime.

The latter point did remain a possibility. The Black Spade fundamentally had control of the crime scene and evidence, and could manipulate it if necessary. Kaeli would have to keep an eye out for that, but she didn't especially expect it. If the crime wasn't them, it was a black mark on them, and one that impact not just two of the biggest corporations on the planet, but the very two their city sat between. Most likely, the Black Spade wanted this matter resolved as much as anyone. Maybe even more.

So what about Purity, then? They had tried to restrict their access, in doing so implicitly demanding their hosts to choose a side. That was a risk. A risk they took because they were trying to hide something? Or because they were legitimately concerned that they would try to sabotage the investigation if they had access? Or merely as a point of pride? It was hard to say, and for now all she had to go on was speculation.

[Lord of Gifts]

Thankfully, his prediction seemed to be correct, and Black Spade were maintaining their neutrality, at least for the minute. More than that, the Coalition had taken a heavy-handed approach from the beginning, meaning they appeared as the aggressors. If they wanted to reinforce their existing reputation as mindless fanatics, that was no problem for Prometheus. Of course, conflict with them was starting to look likely, but if it was clear that Purity had started it, then that could potentially gather support for Promethus.

Of couse, evidence and facts were also important, and they needed to see what they were dealing with, absent any Black Spade spin. Rivan took the initiative, and Emrys slipped off with her to examine the scene. Very kind of Cyrus to point it out for them. This would require a delicate touch, and had the potential to go badly wrong for them, but it was what they did. As long as they could evade detection, and made sure not to push their luck if the crime scene was too crowded, then it would work out alright.

[Izzarra]

At the restaurant

Gally learns from Mary that aside from her skittishness Burr is a step above a well trained police dog in most respects and likes raw meat.

At the Arcology

Out of all of the talking Burr was able to grasp that they were going hunting but is confused as to why they would come to a place like this where there were no small furry things that go "squeak" before they are eaten.

The bright flashing lights, loud sounds, thick crowds, and above all myriad of odors are an assault on Burr's sensitive senses. She is visibly agitated and stays close to the party.

Thank you for adopting the "lost puppy."

[MCP_8000]

Cyrus continues to lead the group along the walkways of the arcology until the dazzling facade of the Royal Roulette looms before them. It is a grand sight, truly a palace of a hotel with ivory white walls, flowing fountains and windows of stained glass that sparkle like gemstones as they reflect the flickering neon of the streets around the hotel. As Cyrus leads the way into the lobby he continues to answer Gally's questions, "Certainly. There are four of them. I believe the leader of the coalition team calls herself Lodestar..." he trails off as he notices a group of figures lingering near the hotel elevators, "Ah, speak of the proverbial devils."

Indeed it is none other than the Purity Coalition team waiting in the hotel lobby. All four of them are statuesque specimens with super model looks and perfectly toned and muscled bodies. They are all dressed in the sleek white and gold uniforms of the Coalition, with a PC symbol emblazoned over their chests. Two of the team members are men who are tall and broad shouldered with dark hair. One had blue eyes, the other brown. The third is a smaller man with sandy blond hair and a sharp, narrow face. The last team member and apparent leader is a beautiful woman with long silver hair and gold eyes who steps forward when she sees the group approaching and offers a winning smile, "Gally dear, I was so hoping Prometheus would send you."

Gally knows all four of these supers. The men she knows by reputation.

The blue eyed man with dark hair is called Bolt, and the brown eyed man is Seawall. Neither are particularly noteworthy. They are among the top assets of the Coalition, often in the public eye and usually acting as true super heroes, responding to various crisis situations in Purity territory.

The smaller man with the narrow face is called Legate, and he has a reputation for being a true zealot of the Coalition. A top asset who is often at the lead of the Purity Coalition's many "cleansing" operations. He is known for being rigid a merciless in his enforcement of the Coalitions doctrine.

The woman is none other than Lodestar, the Coalitions very best and the face of their supers much the same way Regis and Gally are. Gally has met Lodestar before on a number of occasions during public events and knows the woman to possess a kind and gracious nature. While one hundred percent loyal to the Purity coalition, Lodestar doesn't completely agree with their doctrine against other types of supers and has often acted to try and change the system from the inside.

Gally would find it strange that Lodestar would have tried to get Ludom security to deny them access to the crime scene or evidence. It doesn't fit with what Gally knows of the woman and how she operates.

Over at the Nightingale, Rivan and Emrys find the building is still open to the public so entering is a simple matter. However, they quickly find that the sixteenth floor has been sealed off by security and all access points are being watched by officers with heavy cyber enhancements and a number of drones and cameras.

[Ridai]

Gally glances to Cyrus with a slight hand motion and smile, wordlessly asking him to wait a moment as she steps forward. Her smile is truly dazzling in a way only a bit of truth mixed in can achieve.

"Lodestar! So good to see you, we get to meet way too rarely. And I wish we could have met under better circumstances today." A little bittersweetness accompanies her voice and smile. Lodestar is the gem in the Purity roster. She is of course meant to do publicity work, so not all should be believed and trusted, but Gally appreciates her nonetheless. She does her job quite well, and she has been nothing but a joy to interact with, whereas she often sees the cracks in the figureheads of other corporations, tiny as they may be. So if nothing else, Purity can deservedly pat themselves on the back for having made Lodestar, who may be one of the very rare people who Gally would consider to add to her very short list of beautiful ones.

Gally looks past Lodestar for a brief moment. "And I see you are in prominent company. Gentlemen," she greets the three others, even if Legate would rather see her head on a spike. Again, courtesy. There is no need to agitate yet.

Back to Lodestar. "My condolences to Purity for what happened. I know it's cheap to say, especially now, but like you, we are here to get to the bottom of this crime. And I was hoping we could work together on this case, or, failing that, conduct our investigation alongside yours and keep an open channel." Gally does a quick back-and-forth gesture between her and Lodestar at the end. What she says does lead towards the unspoken question of why the team requested to keep Prometheus away from the evidence, but there is no accusation in it. Clean start. Glad to see you, this is why we are here, we want to cooperate and find the culprit, sort this whole mess out. Lodestar making the request doesn't fit with her persona, but Gally could see that being an order from up high. In that case, there is little Lodestar could do about it. Like Gally, she is a servant, after all, even if their respective leashes are relatively long.

Persuasion check [roll0] to convince the Purity team (though primarily Lodestar) that Gally and her team genuinely are there to find out what happened and that Gally's hopes of being on good terms with Lodestar's team are similarly true.

Insight [roll1] to get a read on how the Purity team feels about the Prometheus team and what Gally said.

Given Gally has interacted with Lodestar a few times in the past, does she have the feeling that Lodestar is a genuine person, or is the nice behavior more a carefully maintained persona?

[Glitchy]

Rivan dropped the invisibility after getting away from the rest of the group, seeing no need for it while just walking through the arcology. When she reaches the Nightingale she enters with Emrys as if they are just a couple of tourists on holiday and uses the stairs to head up toward the sixteenth floor. As soon as she sees the security blocking the way up, she grabs Emrys and pushes him into a corner of the stairwell with his back to the wall. She wraps her arms around his waist and presses her body to his, leaning down into his neck as if she is kissing it as she whispers, "Give me a moment and I'll scout out the situation. Then we can plan how we'll get in. No need to announce our presence just yet," She closes her eyes to hide the brilliant glowing light that comes from them as she begins to take in the optical light from every nearby source, using it to bend her perspective onto the sixteenth floor and look around.

Using Wide Spectrum Sense - Spectrum Sight to see through the light sources on the sixteenth floor.

Perspective: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kaeli shrank back a bit when the Purity Coalition team arrived, always glad to leave the talking to others. Her heart was beating a little faster, and it wasn't because of their appearances either. If something went down...

Kaeli's eyes darted around unconsciously. She scanned the area around her in...well, what was probably a kinda suspicious manner, as if she were looking for an escape route, or something. It wasn't quite that though. She was noting where the walls were, where bystanders were, how much open space there was.

She didn't know how the Purity Coalition would take their presence. Gally presented overtures of cooperation, which was good. Hopefully they'd be able to work together, or at least not at odds.

But if things went bad, Kaeli needed to be acutely aware of her surroundings, to make sure nothing got in her way.

[Kyace]

On the VTOL
Regis holds the communicator that Ms. Kova gave her in her hands, planning out her actions with it. Attaching thoughts to tactile objects helped her try to get her mind in order. Locate Doctor Amanda Emriel. Call Ms. Kova for more information. Don't screw this up. Regis realizes that she is fidgeting with the device and secures it on her belt. She glances around the craft and hopes no once noticed the lapse.

At the Arcology
Regis watches as Gally effortlessly handles Mr. Winter and the reptile twins. She allows herself to be maneuvered into position on the other side of Cyrus from Gally. Regis' T-Series eyes glance over the self-contained city, soaking it in at first glance. The crowd interests Regis with its chaos and personality but she steels herself to stick to the mission. Her gaze lingers on the pale blue skyscaper, the Nightingale, their current destination. "Thank you for not locking us out, Mr. Winter. We'll try not to start any trouble. Hopefully this has been an unfortunate misunderstanding or something." She gives a friendly smile to Cyrus, trying to project an aura of approachable girl-next-door to compliment Gally's graceful goddess.

Regis will take an eye-snapshot of exterior of the Nightingale using the T-series Visual Enhancement Prime Senses ability. Routine Perception result is 32, minus distance using 1k range interval. She's merely trying to get a baseline idea of how the sixteenth floor looks and getting some insurance in case the crime scene gets contaminated by the time we get there.

At the Lobby of the Royal Roulette
Regis moves up with Gally to greet the Purity Coalition team. Regis has to crane her neck to look up to the tall PC team. She puts on her friendliest face. "Hello Lodestone. Hello gentlemen. It's nice to meet you. I'm Regis. I hope we can work together to figure out what happened." She smiles at the four of them in turn and holds out her hand in an offer to shake any who take it.

Will attempt to assist Gally by making a good impression with the PC team. Persuasion [roll0], Attractive 2 if any of them would be interested.

[Lord of Gifts]

Unfortunately, the crime scene was heavilty guarded, but that was to be expected. Given the number of drones and cameras, in addition to enhanced guards, they weren't going to get free reign without causing a major diplomatic issue. There was no sense in trying to force their way through, although they likely could, and the guards looked to single-minded to bluff.

Fortunately, the pair had above-average intelligence-gathering ability between the two of them, and there were still paths open to them. While Rivan looked through the lights, Emrys focused on the tactile input at the edge of his senses, past the soft flesh and sleek cybernetics of his partner pressed against him, past the bulking muscle and chrome of the guards and drones, and reached out across the floor the best he could. While perhaps less useful in the situation than Rivan's abilities, it was always advisable to seek out data through all available means before forming a plan, and if they were forced to retreat without a closer look, he wanted to make sure they gathered everything they could.

Using Mass Awareness to look around.
Perception: [roll0]

[MCP_8000]

Gally knows Lodestar well enough to know that she is a genuinely good and honest person.

Lodestar leans in to give Gally a brief hug in greeting and smiles, "Thank you for your well wishes. I too wish these were better circumstances," she looks to Regis and takes the offered hand, "Of course I know who you are as well. We've actually worked some of the same events but I've never had a chance to speak with you. I'm glad we'll get to work together now," this statement brings a scoff from Legate who looks angry as he regards the group, "This is ridiculous. Pretending we can work with these mongrels," he growls out through clenched teeth. Seawall and Bolt remain silent and stern, showing no indication of supporting either Legate or Lodestar.

Legate stalks forward with clenched fists, "Why don't you save us all some time and just admit Prometheus was behind the assassination!" He is shouting now, and leaning into Gally's face. This prompts Cyrus and the reptile twins to tense, the girls unsheathing long black talons from their slender fingers. But it is Lodestar who moves first. Her hand is around Legate's throat in less than a second, and she effortlessly lifts the man off the floor, her other hand planting a punch in his gut hard enough that the impact causes a small boom in the hotel lobby. When she releases him, he drops to his knees with a gasp and clutches his stomach. Lodestar's gaze is like molten gold as she glares at him, "You will keep a civil tongue or I will remove it," she snaps at him as Bolt and Seawall help Legate to his feet, "We are here to conduct a proper investigation, not a witch hunt. I won't tolerate your idle accusations."

Lodestar then turns back to Gally, Regis and the rest of the group, "I'm so sorry for that. I wouldn't have brought him if it had been my choice. But the remaining board members insist he is the best man for the job," her tone and expression clearly show that she does not agree with that, "I didn't come here to start trouble. I only wanted to say hello and suggest that we gt together and compare notes on the situation. Perhaps we could meet for lunch tomorrow?" she looks at her watch, "It is midnight after all and I'm sure you're tired."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the combined powers of both operatives, Rivan and Emrys are able to get a very accurate idea of what the sixteenth floor looks like. The security guards are human so far as they can tell, but heavily enhanced with cybernetics. The drones are military hardware grade equipment with obvious cameras and the barrels of some kind of weapon. There are two check points, one at the stairs, and one just outside the crime scene, and the drones are patrolling the halls and stationed in the room.
https://oi740.photobucket.com/albums/xx49/Chirp0985/3cd890be8165a71d4f0bdd320e9605d3.jpg
Blue = Your Location
Red = Security Guards
Green = Drones
Yellow Cross = Crime Scene

[Ridai]

Gally hugs Lodestar back (and may or may not place a secret little kiss on the cheek, as Gally is wont to do). She could tap in, go deeper, but she doesn't. A sign of trust to Lodestar on the one hand, even if it would be difficult to notice or prove Gally did so, but it also keeps interactions with Lodestar pure, devoid of growing houses of cards.

Legate's reaction, meanwhile, is the predictable Coalition zealotry. When he gets up in her face, the would be fire-and-brimstone inquisitor shouts his fury at an unfazed, courteous wall. No satisfaction of a reaction as Gally remains the picture of a de-escalating presence, even making a subtle hand gesture towards the twins to ask them not to strike. Legate is doing much to discredit himself, making Lodestar and the Prometheus team appear in a better light. Before Gally can even respond, though, Lodestar swiftly puts her mandated subordinate into his place, only to apologize for his conduct. Oh Lodestar. Dear, beautiful Lodestar. It is as if Gally is looking at what Regis might have been if she had been created by the Purity Coalition. Too pure and good for this world. It is easy to see for Gally how the Purity Coalition may eventually attempt to sacrifice the face of their corporation to make her a supposed martyr, or have people like Legate undermine her and have her purged for false transgressions. The heroine deserves so much better. But should it come to that, there sadly is precious little Gally can do.

The socialite shows an understanding smile to Lodestar, as she gently dabs away what droplets of spittle had hit her face with a folded handkerchief. Most of it is indeed going into the tissue, but naturally, part of it was already absorbed by her body. One never knows when being able to produce a Legate DNA sample may come in handy.

"Oh, there's no need to apologize. It was a heinous crime, nerves must be a little frayed at the moment. Lunch sounds lovely. I expect we will get our bearings and still get a little work done tonight." Gally smiles to dear, lovely Regis and Lodestar. As opposed to Gally, Regis does indeed still need to sleep eventually, even if she has tremendous stamina and could power through. Such is the fate of needing to be presentable. She does briefly adress the rest of the Purity team, though.

"Still, let me be clear for a moment: we have neither secret orders nor hidden knowledge. We are basically starting from zero in this investigation, and we want to find out what happened and who did it based on the evidence. You are, of course, free to not believe me, but this is really where we are at." One side effect, however small, is that by establishing this, should Prometheus actually be behind this, the blame should be directed at the corporation, not the investigation team which was kept in the dark. Of course, that makes little difference for Purity and most of their team, and may not ever provide any benefit... but you never know.

Gally looks back to Lodestar with a smile. "Do you still have my number? Feel free to call me, I'm sure we'll find a nice place to get lunch."

[Quellian-dyrae]

When Legate got up in Gally's face, Kaeli showed relatively little reaction. The insult she flatly ignored. The physical aggression...well. Kaeli's glow might have intensified just slightly, an instinctive reaction in response to a potential threat. A faint smile flickered briefly across her lips.

She took a breath, and forced it down.

Even so, in that one instant, tactics went flying through her head. The Purity Coalition use paragons exclusively. They might have some limited energy-control abilities, heat-vision and such, but the primary threat they present will be physical. Going nova should prove unnecessary; physical force will present little enough threat to me. Lodestone is the leader and may be the most powerful, making her a priority target if she engages. However, Legate is likely to lead the aggression. Putting him down quickly may be sufficient to cow the rest. All other members of the team are top Prometheus assets, and should be assumed at least as capable as myself in a straight fight. Odds of Cyrus and the twins engaging on their behalf negligible, on our behalf low; will most likely remain neutral, may utilize area denial and crowd control in an effort to end hostilities between both teams unilaterally. Acceptable as we would not be the aggressors. To that end, defensive tactics would likely be useful to support our long-term goals. End result, four on four, but we're more diverse and I know that I at least will be resistant to most of their attacks. Odds in our favor. Optimal strategy with current information: Neutralize Legate quickly to gain immediate advantage and attempt to force opposition to back down, play a short defensive game to see if Black Spade will end the fight for us, if not, focus fire Lodestone down and then overwhelm remaining opposition.

Fortunately, it didn't come to that. Lodestone quickly put Legate in his place. Too quickly, perhaps? Kaeli had little in the way of interpersonal insight; downside of, you know, avoiding people as much as possible. But what she did have was a keen understanding of psychology and strategy. Lodestone had preferred not to be teamed with Legate; this suggested she was aware of his predilections. The Coalition team knew that they would be coming. Judging by their interactions, Lodestone was likely in a similar role to Gally, a "face". She would be conscious of the social repercussions of such hostility. Given all of these facts, it was implausible that she would neglect to have a pointed conversation with Legate in private regarding appropriate behavior during this inevitable meeting, if she felt his behavior would reflect poorly on them.

However, by him showing such hostility and her having the opportunity to put him in his place, she instead sent the message that she was reasonable and, more importantly, on our side. Here is a threat to you. I have neutralized that threat for you. You can trust me. It was an effective social ploy. Meanwhile, Legate's initial aggression could serve two purposes. If the Coalition was not themselves involved, then it could prompt defensive reactions or tells if we were. Alternatively, if they were behind it, making the accusation against us is a soft cover, a silent suggestion that they didn't do it, because they believed we did.

Which one, Kaeli could not say. But she was about eighty percent certain that that whole display had been staged. It didn't mean they would act in opposition - social pressures could be useful to exert whether you intended to work with or against someone. But it was definitely something to be aware of. Now was obviously not the time to bring it up, but she would alert the rest of the team of her conclusions once they were alone.

[Izzarra]

While Burr did not understand the literal implication of Legate's comment, the aggressive body language came across just fine. She issues a low hiss as the raiser sharp scales that cover her body stand on end. The gut punch does nothing to ease her growing anxiety, Burr bares her fangs as the hiss turns into a growl. Then everybody calmed down like nothing happened leaving Burr feeling a little confused, but still riled up.

[Kyace]

Regis flinchs when Legate began shouting and again when Lodestone had to bring him back into line. Friction within their team, she thinks. I wonder if Legate was close to one of the victims or if this is just his usual attitude. Hopefully, he can calm down.

Regis puts herself between the tableau and any bystanders in the lobby, to try to shield the bystanders from getting involved. She holds up her empty hands in a placating motion and replies gently to Lodestone. "No worries. It's a tense situation that none of us fully understand yet, its completely understandable for tempers to be a bit frayed. Lunch tomorrow sounds like a good idea, thank you. Everyone is usually calmer once they have a full belly and a night of sleep. 'Panem et somnum' or something." Regis finishes her comment with a weak smile and a reference to 'bread and circus' to try to help deescalate the tension.

[Glitchy]

After getting a read on the sixteenth floor and the crime scene, taking in every detail she can from her unique perspective, Rivan opens her eyes. The light fades from them and she steps back from Emrys, "Security is tight. I could get in for a closer look, but there's too much risk I'll be caught and that would cause unnecessary complications. Lets rendezvous with the rest of the team and fill them in on what we've found," she isn't happy about the situation. This meant when they finally got to get into the crime scene it would be with a Ludom escort and likely with the Purity team as well. A lot of extra eyes and hands to disturb evidence and muddle clues. Cursing to herself Rivan glowers, looking downright pissed off during the walk to the Royal Roulette and regretting the presence of her team. As useful as they would likely be, they were preventing her from doing this her way. The job was too public, too high profile for her usual tactics.

[MCP_8000]

With the meeting for lunch agreed on, Lodestar and her team leave for their own hotel. Cyrus thanks the group for restraining themselves and not causing a fight, then leads everyone up to the suite where they will be staying. The suite is huge, taking up half of an entire floor of the hotel. It has a main living room with a mini bar, kitchen and study. As well as a large bathroom with a hot tub and three bedrooms. Cyrus informs the group that they have been given a line of credit with the hotel room service and should feel free to ask for anything they need. He then takes his leave, though the reptile twins seem very reluctant to leave and pout as he pulls them back to the elevator.

In the living room the group finds the evidence for the case. It includes autopsy reports on the victims which name the cause of death as puncture wounds to the base of the brain stem. There are no signs of trauma or defensive wounds, suggesting the victims were likely taken by surprise. There are also reports of black silk fibers found at the scene, but no fingerprints or DNA from the assailants.

The security footage included with the evidence only shows the hallway outside the room, as there are no cameras inside the guest rooms. The footage shows Three men in suits that seem to double as clergy robes, one of them obviously the Purity board member, arriving at the room with a young asian woman who is no doubt Dr. Emriel. They enter the room together. Then two hours pass before a group of four men in tailored suits arrive. Lapel pins identify them as Prometheus employees. The delegation coming to meet with the Purity board member. They enter the room, and less than a minute later exit again looking worried and speaking into their cellphones. Fifteen minutes later Ludom security arrives on the scene.

[Ridai]

Gally once again thanks Cyrus for their hospitality, and their readiness to defend them during that short confrontation, also asking for the twins' names to thank them personally, as Gally is wont to do.

"If you could secure us permission to investigate the crime scene, that would be most helpful. We would head there after going through the evidence."

When Cyrus takes his leave and the twins look back one last time to Gally, she gives them another smile, a more dazzling one than before. Between her praising the twins just before this, having asked their names, how she looks at them, and with their line of sight just so happening to catch the bathroom with its hot tub, Gally gives them something to dream about. She will be curious to see if they will pursue said dream.

Once they are alone in the suite, she turns to the group with a smile. "Let's take a look at the evidence. I'll shoot Rivan a message. Let me know if I can do anything for you," the last bit being directed to Regis and Kaeli, implicitly acknowledging they are clearly the better investigators. She sends a message to Rivan with their room number, also asking for an update.

As they look through the evidence, Gally takes a moment to tend to Burr, speaking with that soothing voice her fans and admirers so love. The girl still seems pretty agitated, after all. "That man in the lobby got you pretty riled up, didn't he? That was Legate, one of the other investigators. He is not very nice, but he is not an enemy right now. The woman that leads that group, Lodestar, reigned Legate in, and we are working with her," Gally explains. "You did well on the way here, especially that you didn't attack in the lobby. In this place, it is important that we don't attack others unless they attack us first." She thinks about how she can positively reinforce what she just said, getting an idea when looking at the name-giving burrs.

"Burr, dear, I want to show you something. Give me your hand." Gally gentle puts Burr's hand against her own, smiling reassuringly. "You can feel it is solid, as it should be. However, I can make my body liquid." Slowly, Burr's hand seems to pass through Gally's, feeling the warm fluid around her hand. "You don't need to worry about poisoning me. It's a pretty nice trick, if I may say so myself. And when I make my full body liquid, I can do things like this."

And Gally, despite not looking any different, embraces Burr, who feels Gally's form flow around her natural defenses without visible discomfort, warm and soothing, without making Burr's skin wet. "You have been a good girl today. Can I count on you staying a good girl?" Gally smiles to Burr, doubting the girl ever really got a big hug from anyone.


Looking over the evidence, the way the Coalition personnel was murdered and the black silk have her thinking. She briefly saw the reptile twins' claws, and got a good look at their dresses, so she compares the shape of the claws to the records of the stab wounds, and considers whether the twins' dresses might be a match. Of course, such things are hardly evidence. There are many pointy things to kill people with, and a great many silk dresses. Even if it is a match, it could be true, or it could be what the perpetrators want them to think. For now, it is just an idle thought to add to the growing collection. One has to consider as many things as possible.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kaeli continues to follow along impassively...until they reach the suite. She makes a beeline for the box of evidence. To say she's forgotten the customs of social politeness would probably be too generous; it kinda appears like she's forgotten Cyrus and the twins even exist. Jury's still out on whether she remains consciously aware of the rest of her team.

When Gally asks about them visiting the scene itself, Kaeli comes back to reality. She adds, "Also, is there a laboratory I can make use of? I'll want to conduct some chemical analyses. And if it would be possible to take my own look at the bodies that would be good too. ...Um, because, more eyes, and all," she adds, not wanting to come off like she doesn't trust the Ludom team's results. (Granted, she doesn't fully trust them, but she doesn't mistrust them either; she simply doesn't have enough knowledge of both their competence and their helpfulness to place a high weight on the evidentiary value of their work.)

Once she gets an answer, she turns back to the box, going through the evidence piece by piece. The lack of prints and DNA and the fibers are a strong sign that the culprits wore gloves at least - and she makes a point of checking for the same on the Prometheus employees during the security playback. To her, their reactions seem appropriate to people who were surprised to discover bodies, but it could be a show for the cameras. She looks to Regis and asks, "What do you think, real reaction or staged?" If the video doesn't have audio, she also asks, "And can you tell what they're saying?" Her knowledge of the rest of the team's capabilities is largely cursory, but she is well aware that Regis is supposed to have some manner of enhanced eyesight. Reading lips should hopefully be trivial for her.

Once the initial playback is done, she also restarts it from the beginning, to check if there is time from before the arrivals. It was possible that someone could have entered the room before anyone else arrived and laid in wait. Likewise, then, it was important to check if the feeds continued after the Ludom team arrived. If either time period was excluded, it was at the least evidence that Ludom's efforts were less than trustworthy - either they had excluded it intentionally to hide things, indicating they weren't as helpful as they appeared, or they had excluded it because they didn't deem it relevant, which even if they had seen nothing on it themselves meant they didn't realize that they would need a comprehensive look at all possible evidence to come to accurate conclusions, and so their view of what information was sufficient to share was flawed. If those portions of the feed were available, she'd play them back at high speed; her speed of mental processing (and Regis's hasted vision, for that matter) would allow them to cover a day's worth of video rapidly with ease.

She'd also load the feed's file into her phone to scan it for evidence of tampering. In an otherwise empty hallway, it would be easy to loop a feed to cover an approach and an exit. However, such modifications should leave clear evidence in the file itself.

The fibers she'd need a lab to examine in detail. Likewise, the autopsy report covered the basics, but on reviewing it she definitely wanted to take her own look at the bodies. She might be able to narrow down the murder weapon with a personal examination of the injuries.

Investigation for general going through the evidence and video, in case there's anything I neglected that a skill check would pick up: [roll0]. ...Well. I shall just take that to mean I thought of everything. :smallannoyed: :smallamused:

I'm going to Routine the Technology check to check the video feed for tampering, for 25.

Kaeli will be using her Mental Quickness 8 here, so her examinations shouldn't take long.

[Lord of Gifts]

Emrys took in the details of the floor, and the crime scene in particular, sifted through the details and made a mental note of the layout. It was important that he could recall these things, in case anything was tampered with in the time before they made an official visit with the rest of the team.

He murmered his agreement with Rivan's assessment. She was clearly unhappy, and he couldn't blame her, but the situation required caution. If optics weren't such a concern, they could easily disable the drones and incapacitate the guards, and accomplish what they had really come her to do, but they couldn't afford to alienate their hosts this early on into the investigation.

[Izzarra]

Gally's voice is soothing and Burr's scales settle back into place as she calms down. However, when Gally goes to embrace Burr, she stiffens. Burr has never been hugged, or even seen a hug. Burr has no idea what is happening or what she should do, but she senses no hostility. After several endless seconds Burr relaxes, just a little bit. It is kind of nice.

"Burr good"

[Kyace]

Regis thanks Cyrus and the twins before they leave for everything. She gives the trio a tired but grateful smile as they depart the suite.

Taking Gally's suggestion, Regis covers a yawn as she moves joins Kaeli in reviewing the evidence. After giving everything in the box a once over to record it, she digs into the autopsy data, specifically looking for time of death estimates. Did all four of them die at approximately the same time? How long had they been dead before the Prometheus employees found them?

Out loud Regis says, "The method of death has to mean something. If someone just wanted them dead, a bomb or poison in the room wouldn't have raised nearly as many questions. This whole thing," she gestures at the reports, "Brainsucking vampire spiders? Weird enough to be sending a message." Regis shivers at the thought of the comically horrific monsters.

Watching the security footage several times, Regis frowns. "We should talk to the Prometheus employees privately. Maybe we can ask some different questions than Ludom Security." Unsaid was that we'd be asking while representing Prometheus Medical, nominally the same team. Maybe we'd get some information that they'd would be afraid to tell Ludom.

[Glitchy]

Receiving Gally's message Rivan responds with a short explanation about the scouting trip to the crime scene, "Emrys and I have a complete floor plan and positions on all security around the scene, but we weren't able to get close without causing a disturbance," she then relays the room number to Emrys and continues heading back to the group.

When she arrives at the room Rivan sighs and removes her jacket, tossing across the back of a chair and stretching her arms above her head. With only her T-shirt on, the sleek black alloy of her smart matter arm gleams like polished obsidian in the light, "We're going to have to wait to see the crime scene. Which means having Ludom security and the Purity team there with us, clearing off a table Rivan creates a hard light model of the Nightingale's sixteenth floor, placing the guards and drones in their proper positions and letting Emrys fill in any details she misses until they hard a solid scale model of the location down to the tiniest detail, "It looks like the Black Spade don't want anyone messing with the scene without their permission. Could mean they're taking this seriously and want to give us all equal access, or it could mean they want time to manipulate the scene to fit their own goals," Rivan lifts one of the model security guards for everyone to see, "From what i could tell the guards are borged to the teeth, but not supers. I might be wrong, but I doubt Ludom is going to waste enhanced assets on simple guard detail. The drones are military grade, so they are likely packing some serious hardware. I didn't want to risk tripping any advanced sensors so I could only get a visual on the crime scene," she explains, replacing the guard in his position on the model.

Leaving the hard-light model on the table for everyone to examine, Rivan heads for the bathroom, "I need a shower and maybe a nap before they come to get us in the morning," She comments, hands, clasped behind her head as she stifles a yawn. She had been going for a solid thirty six hours straight now, since this mission had started immediately after her last one had been completed. Seeing the hot tub in the bathroom she eyes it, seeming indecisive if she could allow herself the luxury of something that extravagant. It was a bit of a foreign experience for the normally spartan woman, and she actually seems nervous about using it while on mission.

[Ridai]

Rivan suddenly feels Gally's familiar presence right behind her, the soothing voice in her ear. "Why not a nice, relaxing bath with Regis and me? A little massage and pampering for you two, and you'll be sleeping like a baby. There's a lot of time until tomorrow, what's wrong with enjoying yourself a little?" Rivan so often borders on neglecting herself, so Gally has to remind her every now and then that she is indeed deserving of creature comforts.

Gally also briefly turns to the others with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, the hot tub is taken for now, but I'll be available for a bit of attention or a midnight snack afterwards." She will probably need to tuck Burr in in some fashion as well.

[Izzarra]

Now that Burr has calmed down and there are no apparent threats in the area her curiosity gets the better of her and she goes in several directions at once, literally. One of her is still with Gally while four other Burrs start exploring the suite. There are so many new smells that she is unfamiliar with and she goes about methodically investigating every one of them.

Quantum Uncertainty
- Illusion (All Senses; 4 Copies of Character), Independent, Sensory Link (From Mind Reading), Simultaneous (From Remote Sensing)
- Teleport 7, Precise, Change Direction, Change Velocity, Turnabout, Subtle, Limited (You can only teleport into the space occupied by one of your copies), Feature (When you teleport you switch places with your copy seamlessly)

[Lord of Gifts]

Rejoining the others along with Rivan, Ben supported her in briefing them, and filled in any details of the floor plan she missed. Her assessment of the situation seemed correct. Security was, tight but mundane. While Ludom doubtless had their fair share of powerful supers, there were better uses for them. Neither Purity nor Prometheus could afford to unleash the force required to overcome the defences in place, for simple diplomatic reasons, and it would ward off any curious wageslaves or opportunistic thugs.

Once the team meeting was over, he went out into the city and wandered through casinos for a few hours, listening to whispers and taking in the atmosphere of the place. He had some fun playing on Black Spade credit, reasoning that it was no cost to him and it would have looked too suspicious to visit the gambling dens without placing a bet, but made sure not to rack up particularly significant wins or losses, and to stay away from alcohol and other intoxicating substances. A clear head would be needed in the coming investigation.

In the early hours of the morning, he returned to the room and took a map, before waking to prepare for their Ludom escort.

Expertise: Streetwise, to see if there are any rumours circulating about the assassination or the tension between Prometheus and the Coalition.
[roll0]