capeandcowl | ♞ 007: [video]

Entry tags:

rick bradbury | n/a

♞ 007: [video]

[ Bradbury doesn't use the Network as much as he should, and the last few times he's had to, he's usually all business. He doesn't start talking immediately, corners of his mouth turning up and down like he's incapable of deciding whether he wants to try for a smile or a frown. Instead, he settles for a tired grimace. ]

You know, I always thought the whole idea behind making a back-up plan in case you ever get Ported out was to make things easier for the people you left behind -- not make it more complicated.

For those who haven't noticed yet, John Watson and Sherlock have both been ported out of the City. [ A beat. ] It looks like Sherlock was working on something pretty big before he left. Apparently he got ahold of someone who was willing to swear that there were Skrulls in the British Parliament -- among other things. The rabbit hole goes pretty damn deep.

[ He waves a print out that looks like it's been marked over with a own several times, shaking his head. ]

I don't know what Sherlock was planning to do with all this, but he thought it was important enough to leave behind to someone -- but I'll say it straight up, international politics and all this superhero stuff ain't really my area of expertise. So here's the deal: if you wanna know what it says, and you can promise me you're trying to work on a way to kick Vulcanus in the balls? Call me.

[ After that ringing endorsement, there's another pause, this time of the more "what the fuck do I say now" variety, but before it can extend for long, he's interrupted by a sharp bark and two blurs of fur -- one white, one much darker -- streaking into view. Terror, Bradbury's terrier, is a familiar sight from his last unfortunate video feed, but the new arrival is much larger.

Keen eyes will notice it is, in fact, not a dog but a direwolf. Not that it seems to matter as both of them promptly attempt to climb all over Bradbury, apparently deciding he's been paying far too much attention to his communicator and not enough to them. Bradbury groans in exasperation, trying to shove both canines off him as he fumbles to turn off the feed. ]

Baskerville--

[ private to kate kane ]

[ Later, when the dogs are under control, he adds on a message for Kate -- though he's apparently forgotten he had video on, because his face betrays far more exhaustion than it did on his public post despite the effort to keep his voice casual. ]

Hey. It's been a while. Up for a drink?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lovely, that'll be a stall in my own information, then. But I suppose it's better to know that no one's working on it anymore than to wait for results that aren't coming.

Sorry. [ Not that he knows what he's apologizing for exactly. Being the bearer of bad news, maybe. ]

What were you waiting on? [ Beat. ] If it's okay to ask about it.

We'd found the former liaison between Vulcanus and the Red Death. They were meant to be investigating what we'd learned from her.

[ He bites back a curse, but only just. There's no love lost between him and Red Death, for obvious reasons. But kicking himself over missed opportunities won't accomplish much. ]

Makes sense that everyone who hates our guts is working together. But you said "former" -- did she just quit, or does that mean Vulcanus and Red Death broke up?

That is something she didn't care to discuss. But I don't think it necessarily means no one else filled her position, only that she and Vulcanus are no longer on friendly terms.

Things are going big, from the looks of it.

Vulcanus and Red Death having a cat fight would be convenient for us, but that's probably why it's too good to be true.

[ His voice is grim. ]

You don't need to have any super-smarts to see where they're headed. Hell, if what Sherlock dug up is right? Sounds like they're planning to start a war.

They're doing exactly that, according to our intelligence. Gathering resources and expanding their territories to invade our own.

Just peachy. [ He sighs. ] It's pretty easy to whale on Vulcanus when they're on their own. When they're hiding behind other countries, then we get kinda stuck.

Well. I was referring to the Red Death, and their campaigns are in this country.

Right. Sorry. [ Seriously, Sherlock, why couldn't you have left this with someone else with a damn idea of what they're doing? ]

Guess we should worry about problems on the home front first, huh?

More than worry, if something isn't done to curb their actions, then that battle front will only get much closer. I wouldn't underestimate just how big they are getting.

[ and if they bring a war to the phantasm, that's going to be an issue for all of them, certain people she cares about most of all. ]

[ he chews that over, frowning thoughtfully. tactics was never his strong point, and red death's an enemy he doesn't have the first clue how to face. ]

You got a plan in mind? [ it's a serious question. ] 'Cause either we fight 'em on their own ground where they're ready for us, or we find a different way to get at 'em.

[ a plan. much as she likes to be taken seriously, she wonders if it isn't a little hypocritical to expect a sixteen-year-old girl to think like a general. she's never been much for leading people. ]

I...was waiting on Sherlock's findings. Knowing there's a need to strike doesn't necessarily mean we know where to do so. [ she was waiting for a plan to be provided. ]

[ sometimes he forgets -- especially like this, when he's not looking at them -- that they really are just kids. but in the moments when they hesitate and allow uncertainty to show instead of the bravado and conviction, he's painfully reminded of how young they really are. ]

Right. Sherlock wasn't the only detective in the City -- we'll find someone else. [ he doesn't think too much about slipping in that "we." ] And then just run from there. But this kind of stuff takes time and manpower. You got any friends who can help you out?

There are some I could recruit, but I hadn't yet approached them. One obviously can't start a war to preempt one coming with only a handful of operatives, but I don't know that it would help to tell others there's a fight coming but they'll have to be patient until we can determine when.

Many will be impatient already.

Yeah, you can't bring a fight without any decent intel. [ He's considering, though. ] Maybe if you knew someone good with computers ... that kind of thing. Takes a real special type to be invisible, there's always someone who doesn't know how to cover their tracks.

Here's one thing I wanna know: how'd Red Death get those powers? Is that something you gotta have before you sign up, or something they give you? Either way ... maybe that's one thing to look for.

[ someone good with computers. what a time for sollux to be gone. ]

The powers came from Vulcanus, that isn't the sort of thing that naturally occurs here. It was some sort of drug they'd developed from an existing formula, supposedly created by imPorts.

That's what our source's involvement was to facilitate.

Created by imPorts.

[ He sounds so thrilled at the idea that the reason they're left with this mess is because someone else didn't clean up theirs, but he's quick to shake it off. ]

Well, that gives us... something. There can't be too many imPorts with the resources and ability to make something like that. [ He hopes, anyway. ] Can't have anything to do with magic, they wouldn't be able to make it themselves, otherwise.

Guess our best bet's to look through the network or talk to people who've been around long enough to notice something fishy.

I imagine it would. The only such thing I can recall in my time is the Metamen program Vulcanus developed, they kidnapped a friend of mine to create one of the templates.

So, this is either something less well known, or perhaps from before my time.

If it's before your time, it's definitely before mine. [ A beat. Kidnappings ring a bell, probably because Mitch was one of the kidnapped. Not a happy prospect. ]

I'll ask around, let you know you if I find any leads. [ Telling her what she ought to do isn't really his place, and she's not likely to listen to him, but she's already balked at being looked to for a plan once, and it's enough to make him pause to consider what to say next. ]

What about you?

[ well, mitch wasn't that time, but there's been a lot of kidnapping in the last two years. ]

I'd suggest mostly from those who've been here for much longer. Maybe three years or more. They're getting scarcer lately, so it may not be easy.

For my part, I'll probably see how things are progressing on the Phantasm end. If it comes to war, they'll be the target, and perhaps they could use the extra set of hands.

[ He exhales. ]

All right. Be careful out there, all right? [ It comes out, for the most part, automatically, before he can consider that she might not appreciate the sentiment. ]

I mean, you seem like you can handle yourself. [ "Just try not to rack up any more deaths?" That sounds too morbid. ] But if that happens, things are gonna be rough.

It's likely to be rough either way. So, I guess you should be careful too.

But I'll be sure to do the same.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

♞ 007: [video]

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;