Log:Destroyer Returns

Destroyer Returns, Scene 1 2009/09/25 	 Agent Black Chandrika Regan 1

Past Times Coffee Shop

The smell of fresh coffee is the first thing that assails you. The next is the very old style. It seems the owner has gone for the Edwardian style from early last century. Lots of imitation wood panelling and prints of old English countryside. There are many partitions between the tables, affording some privacy and the sound seems hushed in the room, this has been achieved mainly through very good design, which muffles sounds. At the counter service is quite quick and cheery, conveying a welcoming and friendly attitude. The menu boasts the fact that for a little extra real coffee is served along with light hot and cold meals and snacks. All in all a pleasant place to pass a bit of time.

Agent Black is seated at a table where he has a view of the door.

(Agent Black: Just too much the sterotype to be accidental. A tall well build man aged about 30 wearing dark glasses, black suit, white shirt, black shoes, neatly groomed, short crew-sut hair, also black. There's an earbud in his left ear and a lapel microphone pinned to his jacket's left lapel.)

Chandrika makes her way into the coffee shop, sighing tiredly as she limps in, carrying a briefcase after a long day of work. She shoulders the case and walks up to the counter, sighing. "Coffee, Alice." She says.

Agent Black calls over just loudly enough for itto be heard at the counter, "Put that on my bill. Chandrika, I'd be pleased if you could join me."

Chandrika blinks for a moment as she turns to look at Agent Black. "Excuse me?" She says, looking over at Agent Black. "I don't believe I know you."

Agent Black nods, "That is correct. You don't. I, however, know of you."

Chandrika smiles. "That's Miss Williams to you." She says. "I don't like being called by my first name by people out of the blue. I don't call you "Mr. Nobody." She begins walking over. "So let's start with the basics. Can I see some ID?"

Agent Black nods, a slight smile on his face, "Of course." He pulls a ID badge wallet out from his inside jacket pocket and holds it up and open. The ID card inside bears a photograph of him, and a M.I.A. embossed seal. "Agent Black. M.I.A. From Washington, not one of the local office."

Chandrika nods. "All right." She says and takes a seat. She gets out a notepad and writes the ID and badge number down. "I have to have a record of this, I'm afraid, all contact with any federal agent for any reason has to go into my ledger." She inputs data into the pad and tucks it aside. "What can I do for you?"

Agent Black says, "This can be unofficial and off the record, or you can enjoy the coffee on me and we can discuss the Redskin's season so far, Ms Willaims. It's up to you."

Chandrika looks at Agent Black coldly. "Let me get this straight. You wait for me here, you buy me coffee. You want something from me, and you don't want me to report it to my superiors at my firm, who will likely fire me if I don't. This had better be good."

Agent Black nods, "An accurate summation right up to your last point, Ms Williams. It's not good. Potentially it's bad. How bad we don't know. I'm aproaching you because you are a laywer specializing in metahunam law and practice. Which means you should both understand and respect the concept of confidentiality and have contacts among the meta community. Am I correct?"

Chandrika nods. "I do have a certain number of contacts. That last case with Captain Cannabis isn't going so well. He wants to appeal, but I already told him it's not likely to be overturned."

Agent Black smiles, "I'll take your word for it. I'm not familiar with the case or the defendant. I was a little harsh on the local agents. It's experience they mostly lack. Colonial Bay City, despite surface appearance, is a low incident locale as far as my organization is concerned. There are sufficient local meta-heroes we rarely need to become involved. However, before I proceed with any further discussion of the circumstances which brings me here I must have your assurance this discussion will be treated as confidental."

Chandrika nods. "If you want, we can move this discussion to a private location, and you can become my client. That would then enable you to avoid the nasty disclosures you face in a coffee shop full of people."

Agent Black says, "Nobody who is not at this table and who doesn't have some form of extraordinary sensory capability will hear a thing we discuss. We lack meta-talents, Ms Williams. But we do have a wide range of compensatory gadgets. As to the niceties of your professional ethics, rather than becoming a client, I suggest we contact your professional services. I have authorization to pay a reasonable retainer, and any fees and expenses incurred by you should you act on our behalf."

Chandrika nods once. "All right. So you want to hire my services as an attorney, and in exchange, I get money, and all the usual perks that come with being a civil servant." She says. "So what's this all about?"

Agent Black asks, "How much do you know about epidemiology? A lot of the background to our current requirement will relatively meaningless without some knowledge of that subject."

Chandrika blinks. "You mean the study of the spread of viruses?"

Agent Black nods, "Yes."

Chandrika thinks. o O (Oh, god. Someone's loose in this city with a new virus? Again?)

Chandrika says, "It's not my field, but I know enough about it to know how to approach things in a hazmat suit."

Agent Black nods again, "It is too late for that in this instance. Usually a new virus starts at a specific geographical location and spreads from there, at a rate dependant on multiple factors. The mobility of the local population, contagion ratio, etc. The virus we are concerned with appeared in six locations spread across the globe, each of the locations being a major city with extensive transport facilities. It is highly contagious. The obvious effects are similiar to a mild head-cold. As of this date we estimate over eighty percent of the world's population has been exposed."

Chandrika blinks. "Excuse me?" She says. "And what is the purpose of this virus? Have you been able to isolate the effects?"

Chandrika says, "Did it appear simultaneously?"

Agent Black says, "As I mentioned the obvious effects are almost identical to a mild head-cold. The virus has been identified and isolated. It is clearly engineered. We do not believe some person or persons have engineered a virus and spread it so widely in order to give head-colds to those exposed to it."

Chandrika thinks. o O (I didn't get a head cold. I wonder why?)

Chandrika nods. "So you want me to take a look at it, under controlled conditions?"

Chandrika says, "Which means you're not really soliciting my services as an attorney, you're soliciting my services as a superhuman biologist."

Agent Black says, "The initial appearance in the six primary locations was as near simultaneous as we can determine."

Chandrika says, "What were the locations?"

Chandrika idly taps her fingers on the table. She seems to be thinking.

Chandrika thinks. o O (I always said Transmat technology was a bad idea. Someone got in the transmat device, rigged some sort of doohickey, and when the delivery people got transported, the virus arrived too.)

Chandrika pauses. "Have you checked the time of spread for a single simultaneous transmat delivery?" She asks. "That would be the most efficient way of getting the virus into six locations at once."

Agent Black nods, "Yes, that is correct. However your legal profession is what swung the decision on whom to contact, as it assured us of your discretion should you accept the contact."

Agent Black says, "Undoubtedly TransMat helped to spread the virus, in exactly the same way airflight and road and rail services did. However one of the locations was Shanghi, which has no TransMat or Hypersite facility."

Chandrika nods. "I really don't have a choice. Eighty percent of the world is infected." o O (This reeks of the Baron. Eighty Percent of the World.) "Has the virus responded to anything specific so far? Even going so far as to telepathically assault it, expose it to weird radiation, or mutagens? This could easily be some sort of delayed reaction virus by Next Generation or ACE. When everyone's super, we can beat the aliens, or when everyone's super, we win in two generations."

Chandrika says, "So you don't think the Chinese are responsible?"

Agent Black says, "The only correlation we have been able to make so far is some of the genetic material in the virus is of meta origin. Specifically, it is a gene that has been seen in captured Wolfguard clones."

Agent Black says, "We are not ruling out anyone. We don't don't know why this virus was spread. A trial run? A failure of the virus to perform as intended? Until we have more information making any pre-judgement is unwise."

Chandrika blinks for a moment. o O (That's why I don't have a head cold. The nanites keep me from getting this or bonding to it.) "Have you tested Jewish people to see if they don't have it?" She asks. "This is gonna sound really stupid, but it's the "Nazi plot or not" test. Not that I'm any closer on the scale."

Chandrika shrugs. "If I were the person behind this, and I had access to the Wolfguard Genome, I would be one of three people. Wolfguard, an unlikely candidate at best, The Baron, or the recently returned to life Doctor Destroyer. See if the infected respond to the Wolfguard control signals. That's another good test.'

Agent Black sighs, "Do you know what the Wolfguard control is based on. If we knew that Wolfguard wouldn't be a fraction of the threat they are."

Chandrika thinks. o O (I need to check Grandma's notes. I think this was even before her time.)

Agent Black says, "The spread of the virus seems to be pretty uniform. I've had the head-cold. So has my superior. He is Jewish. I'm of Irish ancestry. Africa and Asian have been saturated. Europe also. South America was one of the first locations, Mexico City to be exact."

Chandrika says, "They wanted to hit the biggest population centers. Mexico CIty, Beijing, Shanghai, New York, Los Angeles, the Berlin Metropolitan Area. How many did I get?"

Agent Black nods, "Very impressive, Ms Williams. Five out of six. Delete Berlin, add Paris."

Chandrika laughs. "It's Destroyer. He left Germany out."

Chandrika says, "It's based on genetic response to it's commanders, I believe, according to some tests I've had the good fortune to look at. Unfortunately, that means Doctor Destroyer." o O (I'm screwed. There's no way I can make enough of that stupid antidote to weaponize the entire atmosphere.)"

Chandrika says, "Has anyone been able to develop a counteragent?"

Agent Black says, "Ms Williams, the biologists and genetists we have access to are stumped. We need two things very urgently. An understanding of what the virus is intended to achieve and whether or not it does so, and an cure should the purpose be malign."

Chandrika nods. "I think the first thing you need to do is play back tapes of Destroyer's Voice, the Baron's Voice, and Wolfguard Commander voices, give them orders, and see if anything happens. Make them play twister or something."

Agent Black nods, "That can be done."

Chandrika nods. "I'll need to examine the virus in a hazmat suit. This reeks of mind control. If eighty percent of the world has the virus, and it has some way of affecting people's heads, he needs to launch one radio satellite to send signals that say "Obey Destroyer."

Agent Black nods, "Anything, whether it is Destroyer or not, and while your suggestion makes sense I caution against jumping ahead of the available evidence, that affects such a percentage of the world's population is worrying. We can supply you an isolated sample of the virus. Ironically, extreme hazmat precautions are probably not that relevant. It's already pretty well everywhere."

Chandrika nods slowly. "I want to examine it under controlled conditions." She says. "I would examine it in a Hazmat suit if a hundred percent of the population had been affected."

Chandrika says, "I assume no one gets to know I'm working on this, and I'll be provided with equipment and a laboratory?"

Agent Black nods, "I won't presume to offer advice of any kind. You're the expert, which is why I'm here."

Chandrika thinks. o O (If I only had a comic book for my daring deeds, Silver Spider would be crossed out and replaced in this issue with Chandrika Williams, Attorney At Law! in big capital letters.)

Chandrika says, "Well, I'm going to need that. And I'm going to need it to be mobile, in case I do something that requires you to sink the entire thing under the ocean or throw it into a volcano."

Chandrika thinks. o O (And once I figure out what this does, I'm going to have a long chat with the Twins, assuming I can find them.)

Agent Black says, "Yes and yes. We want to keep this under wraps. I'm sure you can imagine the panic if this becomes public knowledge. We won't object if you recruit a few trusted assistants. But we do ask you keep the Markham Twins out of the loop. They have been seen with the Baron and Destroyer recently."

Chandrika nods. "Of course." o O (I'm counting on it. Whichever one doesn't get to take over the world will surely attack the other, allowing me to destroy whatever this is in the confusion.)

Chandrika says, "Who in the name of God would I recruit who wouldn't have someone be chatty?"

Chandrika says, "How about Quentin Dallimore? Can you pull him off whatever he's working on?"

Agent Black says, "He is British. If you wish to bring him in and trust him that is your decision to make. We have no authority to release this to non-citizens of the United States."

Chandrika nods. "That's understandable. I won't be doing that, then, because his silence can't be guaranteed. Nope, it's just me, and your lab, and your virus sample. See if the Twister thing works. I'm going to have to bring a few changes of clothes, and I'm assuming that I'm not allowed to bring my significant other, since she is also British?"

Agent Black says, "Let me clarify our position. We are not going to put obstuctions in your path. You are free to bring in whoever you feel can be trusted, be they Americans, British, or aliens. My organisation is constained by our charter not to directly involve non-citizens. That is a restriction laid on us, not on you."

Chandrika is chatting quietly with a man in a black suit at a table. o O (Uh, oh. She's gonna kill me. Talking with an MIB and not inviting her)

Chandrika and the man can be seen talking, but no sound is audible and their images are just blurred enough when seen from more than a couple of feet to make lip-reading impossible.

Chandrika nods and drums her fingers on the table. "Okay. When can you get this rolling lab to me?"

Agent Black the man slides a key across the table, "Within three hours. We'll have it flown in. Where do you want it parked?"

Agent Black says, "The sample will be in the lab."

Chandrika muses. "A block from my apartment. You know the address. I want a panic button in it so that if something goes wrong, you can cleanse the lab out and blow me to smithereens."

The door of the shop swings smoothly open to admit Regan who moves into the shop's interior. After a moment of looking around her attention alights on Chandrika and her brow furrows at the blurriness of the image. She takes a few steps forward and speaks in fluent Cantonese. "Hey hon, is everything ok?"

Agent Black nods, "It's a standard feature. Don't be too eager to press the button. We need answers, not dead biologists."

Chandrika's eyes flick up towards Regan. "Yes. Absolutely fine." She says. "Have a seat." o O "Agent Black, may I introduce Regan, she's a lady of inestimable talent and my special friend."

Chandrika flicks her eyes around. "So, can I see the file that documents the spread of the virus?"

Agent Black nods, "A pleasure to meet you. Regrettably I have to leave. Perhaps we'll meet again some other time. Ms Williams, thank you for agreeing to assist. We very much look forward to hearing from you."

Regan turns to regard the gentleman to whom she has just been introduced and inclines her head in a brisk nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She slides into the offered seat, hands absently smoothing the folds of her skirt as she does.

Agent Black stands, nods politely to Chandrika and Regan. He slides a data chip across the table to Chandrika and then goes to the counter to settle the bill in readiness to depart.

Chandrika turns to Agent Black for a moment. "Thank you, sir." She turns to look at Regan. "So, ready to be a lab rat and wear a hazmat suit?"

Chandrika thinks. o O (I don't want to involve her, but she exposed herself to this and now we're screwed.)

Chandrika takes the Data Chip and slips it into a pocket. "What a mess this is."

Regan's brows lift. "Wow, how much more glamorous can things possibly get? Though I'd much rather be a guinea pig than a lab rat." Her lips curl into a soft smile. "So what's happening?"

Chandrika sighs. "Can't talk about it until we get to the van. Come on. We're going to pack some clothes and get cracking." She takes Regan's hand and gives her a kiss. "This is an unplanned vacation. Come on."

Regan smiles and rises with Chandrika. "Why do I suspect this vacation won't involving sipping mint daiquiris while sunbathing at a select Caribbean resort?"

Chandrika turns to Regan. "How about a road trip?" She says, sliding her arm around her lady friend, and moving out the door.