Log:Blast From the Past, Scene 4

Blast From the Past 2018/02/05 	 Amelia Chase Conley Dorian Daemon General Clifford Betsy Null Scarlet 4

= The Phone Call =

Dorian calls General Betsy back from his office. "Hello, General. I see you noticed my request regarding housing for Meachum."

Dorian has been looking into ways to get Meachum back on his feet, and it looks like Starguard isnt' going to be keen to foot the bill. But the Air Force...might.

General Clifford Betsy, U.S.A.F. is on the other end of the call. He is a Causasian man in his fifties, with salt and pepper hair who wears glasses with heavy black rims. He's got a slender built, and physically not very imposing. "Yes. I also got your information on Meacham... my God, what a disaster," he says.

Dorian nods, "His personnel records that you sent me do also seem to indicate he might be a risk. All the more reason to help him acclimate himself, I think."

"Meacham was a foul-up before this accident," Betsy says. "What do you think he's going to be like now that he might have special powers? You want me to recommend that the Air Force support him? Why? So we can be left holding the bag when he fouls up again?"

Dorian raises a brow, "Because the Air Force's experiment that he was coerced into failed and nearly killed him. That seems pretty cut and dry to me. And if he DOES go rogue, it'll be because he feels like he has no choice but to do so. Whose fault will that be if you fail to help him out, General?"

The General sighs, perhaps acknowledging the point. "Look -- if it weren't for the accident, he's had been behind bars at the military stockade." He raises his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose. "If the Air Force is going to support him, there will be some... conditions..."

Dorian nods. "I figured as much. And that's fine. Though I suppose it'll also be up to him, at the end of the day. He can accept your conditions and your help, or neither."

Betsy stops messing with his glasses. "He'd need to live on the base," Betsy says. "With GPS location tracking so that we know where he is at all times. And that's just for starters."

Dorian nods, "Just send me a list. Like I said, it's up to him whether or not he'll accept or not."

Betsy says. "You'll have the list. So... where's my wreckage, Perrault?"

Dorian says, "I said two weeks. It's been one."

Dorian smiles. "You'll have it by next week. I'm sure of it."

Betsy grumbles. "Alright. Betsy out."

Dorian heads out to brief folks about what's going on with Meachum.

= The Briefing =

Dorian walks into the conference room, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I was working on securing some support for Meachum." He walks over toward the display on the wall. "I've found a location for Dr. Lassiter. He's in hospice in Costa Rica. I'd like you all to go speak to him in regards to the experiment."

"So he's alive is he?" Dr. Scarlet Thames asks, a bit amused by that after checking her readings on Meachum, perhaps wanting to see how his body is adapting further to a week of being what it is now, or any signs he's greatly increased or reduced the amounts of radiation in his vicinity. He may not be alien, but he is intriguing from a scientific standpoint, and she has a number of degrees in these fields that make her valuable to SGG on this sort of thing. "I'll go. I haven't been to Costa Rica. I wonder what bathing suit I should bring..." She taps her bottom lip thoughtfully.

Amelia comments deadpan, "Not according to the official records. Which have him as dead and buried."

Dorian nods. "He's in hospice. And terminally ill. I believe he was trying to lay low after the events of the experiment. So...the official records might be faked."

Dorian says, "When the experiment failed spectacularly, those on the project felt the brunt of it. Titus and Lassiter both had to deal with fallout."

Dorian checks his notes, "After the explosion, Meacham was presumed dead. General Titus was drummed out of the service, and he's now deceased. General Betsy, my current Air Force contact, is the officer currently holding his old post. Dr. Lassiter was convicted, jailed, and released at the end of his term."

Dorian says, "Oh...and I have some notes on Meachum. He was in the stockade for some crimes. He was effectively coerced into participating in the experiment for having the charges cleared."

"Do we know what he is dying from? Cancer? What specific type if so? Do we have any medical records at all?" Scarlet asks, "Costa Rica is a long way from here, there may be a carrot we could offer, for further information if need be." She pauses and then asks, "What crimes? Any information we can use to unlock Dr. Lassiter's tongue would be... helpful."

Amelia shrugs, "If you want a carrot... I can heal him. As I'm going to be there I will anyway. But if you wish to suggest it's contingent on his spilling the beans I'll keep quiet." she says.

Dorian nods. "No idea what he's dying from. It could be anything. Cancer from exposure to the alien materials? Or just...something more normal. I'm afraid I dont' have more than that. As for Meachum, he was a fighter jet mechanic, who was caught stealing and selling parts on the black market. When the military investigators tried to arrest him, he injured a number of people, including some innocents in his attempt to escape." He pauses, and then adds, "General Titus offered to clear his record in return for working as a test pilot / guinea pig on this USAF teleportation project. The project was about to get its funding cut, but the General and the project lead Doctor Jack Lassiter cut corners and abandoned safety protocols to try and prove the project's worth...which as you can likely guess...caused the explosion."

The Spyder, Daemon listens as everyone plans a trip to sunny Costa Rica. He grumbles silently over comms to his partner, Null.

<< I'm trying to find a way to get ahead of this, but so far we're stuck letting StarGuard lead the way. >> He does not sound enthused by this outcome.

Dorian shakes his head, and says to Amelia, "If you can heal him, go ahead and do it. I'm not the kind of person who would hold that back from someone."

Amelia looks at Dorian, "My mistake. I thought I was speaking in English. Because I believe I said I would heal him in any event." she points out.

Null scratches at his neck idly as he subvocalizes over the comms to Daemon <>

Dorian raises a brow, "Perhaps I was mistaken. You implied that I wanted to use it as a bargaining chip." He leans over the table and looks directly at her, "Do not insult me like that again, please."

Scarlet looks at Amelia curiously, "You can cure cancer?" She looks thoughtful then looks at Dorian, "No, she implied /I/ want to use it as a bargaining chip. And I do. A cure is both a carrot and a stick. We're not dealing with a very generous individual here who has a lot of care for the human condition."

Amelia nods, "Thewn please do not insult me by suggesting I would without healing."

Dorian says, "I never said such. Ever."

Null glances towards Daemon silently as the arguing occurs, then silently tips his head to the door in a silent question.

Dorian shakes his head and straightens back up, "If you're willing to go talk to Dr. Lassiter, I would appreciate it. If you're able to help his health...great." He looks around the room, "Everyone willing to go?"

The Spyder, Daemon has half a mind to go invisible and slink off totwards a TransMat to get a head start on this investigation. He's about to suggest the same to Null when he notices he's having the same thought.

He is a millisecond away from nodding in agreement when the talk of curing someone of cancer comes up. Thats a hell of a bargaining chip- on he can't really play himself, though he recognizes the fact of the matter is that may very well work. He isn't one for shooting a working plan in the foot, but he'll be working on a Plan B with Null while StarGuard continues following the rules.

Daemon nods slowly to Dorian's question.

Scarlet looks back and forth between Amelia and Dorian, or at least his image on the screen if that's what he's doing, or if he's here, or whatever. "We should go." She says brusquely, "Time waits for no one. Though it /can/ be distracted a bit." She smiles and then nods towards Daemon and Null as she heads towards... however it is they're getting to Costa Rica!

Amelia looks over at Dorian, "Is this location shielded against portals? If not I can open a portal to Costa Rica."

Dorian shakes his head, "Pretty sure it's a regular hospice. So, probably not."

Amelia smiles, "I meant this briefing room. I assume SG has rather more protection than a normal run of the mill hospice."

Amelia adds, "Anyway, over that distance I'll be aiming at opening a portal on the island. Somewhere on the island."

Dorian nods. "I suggest you start from the landing field rather than in here, then."

Amelia nods. "All for the scenic trip, let's head out to the landing field."

"Not to be a naysayer, but, landing anywhere on the island it may increase our overall travel time having to foot it through Costa Rican jungle rather than just taking a supersonic flight and then a drive to the hospice?" Scarlet asks Amelia curiously, "Or will you be able to locate the hospice and open a portal to it once we arrive?" She follows along to the landing field.

Amelia nods to Scarlet. "Yes. Accuracy is inversely proportional to distance. Once on the island I can check our location with GPS and open a second portal to the hospice grounds."

Null falls in like a soldier, silent and alert as Daemon slinks through with him. He takes a moment to read the situation and the area. Not what he was expecting. "Lassiter must've done well for himself," he comments.

= The Hospice =

The hospice is on the Carribbean side of Costa Rica, with a view of a private beach. The facade is grand and well taken care of, perhaps hinting at well-to-do clientele. As you arrive, there seems to be some kind of commotion in front of the building. Two orderly are blocking the entry stairs from a blonde man in aviator sunglasses.

Upon arriving at the Hospice where they can see what is going on, Scarlet looks around and then considers the upcoming situation, "I am not aware of Costa Rica's views on Meta's currently. It might be in our best interest to not go through the front door. Perhaps we can use Sunglasses there as a distraction to get to the Doctor."

Sunglasses says, "We were just talkin' that's all.." One of the orderlies folds his arms, "Senor Lassiter has made it clear that the conversation is over. Please leave." Sunglasses frowns and turns, sighing. "Well... hello.." he says, spotting the newcomers, but primarily Scarlet.

Scarlet looks from the others and then clams up when Sunglasses turns towards her and seemingly ignores everyone else. She raises an eyebrow and then quirks a small little smile, "Hello there." She answers back, "Sounds like you've had a bit of bad luck, kicked out?" She asks, glancing towards the orderlies then back to Sunglasses, "I'm about to go see someone, need a message passed on?" She speaks that last bit quiet enough the orderlies shouldn't be able to hear. Hopefully.

The Spyder, sticks close to his partner, but disappears the moment they cross the boundary of the portal. His movements are solent as they land on the beach. With his nanocloak & sound suppressors active there is no trace of him visually or audibly- but the sand gives his foot steps away. Each one a shuffle as he plows through the sand on purpose.

He reappears as they arrive at the hospice- though this time wearing a very suave and cyberpunk chique three-piece suit. His featureless helmet remains the same. It has thin fiberoptic lines wehre a tweed jacket might have patches and other flair that seems fitting for the Spyder.

He steps forward as they watch Sunglasses turned away.

"Hmmm- so what's our reason for being here?" He inquires, figuring they'll need some kind of cover here.

"Yes, just a small set back," Sunglasses says. "But things are starting to look up," he says, with a smile. He lowers his voice to match Scarlet's. "Now, just who are you here to see?" He speaks with a bit of a drawl, Texas maybe.

Scarlet steps away from Daemon, Null, and Amelia to let the three of them discuss things in private without Sunglasses overhearing, or at least that's the idea. Scarlet in the meantime, decides to sell the only thing that she might feasibly sell in a situation like this: "I am afraid I cannot answer that. Client privilege and such, unless a law has been broken, and the Costa Rican government declares that I must grant out such privileged information." Yep, she is trying to sell she is a doctor, because she is, and it's the easiest way to go for her.

Null is about as used to operating on the up and up as Daemon is, so he is characteristically quiet when the time comes to answer Daemon's question. If he or Daemon were running things, there would be a lot of threatening, extortion and other unsavory tactics to bend the 'good' Doctor to his whim. This being a StarGaurd operation being played in broad day means the Aleph|Null fall to the wayside until someone's screws need turning.

"'Client privilege'," Sunglasses says. "Wish I could be so lucky, to have a hot shot lawyer come to visit me here. It's a long trip from Colonial Bay.." he says. "What are your plans for later?" he asks."

"'Client privilege'," Sunglasses says. "Wish I could be so lucky, to have a hot shot lawyer come to visit me here. It's a long trip from Colonial Bay.." he says. "What are your plans for later?" he asks.

"Oh I'm not the lawyer. I'm the doctor. Medical records are still privileged information." Scarlet says to Sunglasses with a bit of a frown at being called a lawyer, "Colonial Bay?" She asks, "You seem to have me at a disadvantage Mister....?" She smiles again though, "I don't tend to go out on dates with someone without at least knowing their name."

Null mutters to Daemon, "But here's our chance to go in quiet if you can get his room number and the location in the building."

Amelia turns to Null and Daemon, "I'm kind of conspicuous. Can either or both of you get to Dr Lassiter and make sure he's safe. Call me paranoid, but that guy knows too much to be uninvolved." she says quietly.

Sunglasses shrugs, "Just a guess, doctor. And the name's Chase. Chase Conley." He smiles and offers a hand. "I reckon we might have some business in common. So when you're done here, how about we chat over drinks."

Daemon nods, "I'm sure I can." He adds as he opens up his mental terminal and connects to one of his many servers and begins hacking his way into the hospice's records. Now we're talking- this is the kind of thing Aleph|Null do best- possibly better than nayone else. Daemon is happy to prove his unspoken point as part of his plan to 'play nice', as discussed in Aleph|Null #12 True Beleivers!

Scarlet looks at 'Chase' and raises an eyebrow when he introduces himself, "Chase? Seems an appropriate name. So appropriate one wonders if you gave it to yourself." She says playfully, "Afterwards? Drinks? I will try to find the time. Do you have a specific restaurant or bar you want to meet at Mr. Conley?" Scarlet asks, but doesn't actually return the shake. "I have a feeling you already know who I am, or will, shortly. Let's see if your information gathering techniques are good hmm?" She whispers that last bit to Conley, still trying to keep him distracted from whatever it is the others are doing.

Chase shrugs and puts his hand on his hip. "I'm at the big hotel, back in town," Chase says. "Don't keep me waiting too long."

"If I didn't keep you waiting, then it would hardly be a chase at all, Chase." Scarlet answers still in that playful tone, "But I shouldn't be overlong, hopefully will be a relatively short check up assuming the patients condition has not worsened."

Null waits patiently for Daemon to get him the intel so they can go inside.

Daemon gets the data in no time at all. Costa Rican medical recordkeeping is not half as stringent as it is stateside. He nods. "Got it. Alright- well since we have some cover, we're green." Daemon says to Null as he begins disappearing from sight. The invisibility washes over him in a wave from left to right and top to bottom.

He switches his communications to comms. One man in black tactical gear is conspicuous enough. Daemon's invisibility also lets him play as distraction if Null is spotted.

<< II've got your back. But before you depart, tell Amelia that we'll be needing Mr. Chase Conley- so while we're off with Doc Lassiter, she'll need to stick with him, or tag him if we can. >>

And with that Daemon continues leading the way for Null so he can spot anyone who might spot his partner's movements.

Amelia speaks up helpfully, "Doctor. Mr Chase. May I suggest you swap phone numbers? In case something unforeseen pops up and you have to change plans?"

Null nods to Amelia at her request and whispers to her, "See if you can discretely tail Mr. Chaose over there." He moves ahead towards the hospital after receiving the data from Daemon. After passing behind a parked car, it's very difficult to spot him moving onward.

<< East wing. Single room- #12. >> Daemon reports to Null as they move towards their target- Daemon by ceiling, Null by ninja methodology.

"Here ya go," Chase says. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small case for business cards. He offers one to Scarlet. The card is from the US Department of Defense, and it has his name and phone on it.

Scarlet smiles at Amelia's suggestion, "I suppose we could-" But then there is a business card, "Department of Defense? Well, I hope it's not my patient you're interested in, Mr. Conley." And with that she turns and starts to make her way towards the door, looking over her shoulder at Chase she says, "Stay there Mr. Conley, unless you aren't interested in that conversation and drinks after all."

Chase smiles, "Can't say I was ever that good at staying put..." He does just that though, for now. He watches Scarlet as she heads into the building.

Null follows the directions from Daemon to room #12. He taps the side of his mask, activating its x-ray mode to scan the room from a supply closet to see if it's clear before entering.