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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 10, 2018 19:03:42 GMT -5
"Oh, so there was a break-in." Max quickly reached into her tote and whipped out her notebook and pencil. "Guess that explains how Lydia got caught in the crossfire."
Her scribblings were hasty and excited as she jotted down everything she needed to know, but her expression was wary and concerned, presumably for Lydia's sake. Overall, it seemed like she was well on board for this. "So... does this mean there are two parties opposing Mexus? If someone already stole the microchip you need, who's holding Lydia for it?"
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Nov 10, 2018 20:09:00 GMT -5
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.
William began to sweat slightly, and his face grew somewhat strained. "It's uh... We don't know who took her ransom. Maybe it was whoever broke into Mexus earlier? Maybe there's another party? We dunno! We just found out she was bleedin' held hostage! That's why we came here to find leads! Right, Ryan...?"
By the horror that is Izanami having to give birth to Japan, we are totally screwed.
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Post by ColArana on Nov 11, 2018 4:29:25 GMT -5
Ryan shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I mean, I guess? That's probable? Whatever the case, Lydia's currently being held by these psychos and we need some help. We're kinda running on fumes here, when it comes to leads, so do you know anything? Anything at all?" He asked. Wait. The argument the previous night! "You're a reporter right? There was a name that came up, while we were getting involved in all of this. It was uhh... Cora? I think? Something to do with cybernetics anyways." He explained. "That ring any bells for you?" Of course Ryan was more assured in his information than this, but he figured by playing up the confused individual he could possibly alleviate any suspicion, by letting Max attribute it to uncertainty and confusion, rather than omission or lies. Geeze this is stressful shit...
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 13, 2018 18:51:32 GMT -5
"Well, it's fair to assume whoever's doing all this dirty work would wanna remain anonymous," Max elucidated as she continued to jot down her notes. "But based on what you're telling me, I doubt the people who broke into Mexus this morning are the same ones who're holding Lydia captive. Why would they demand a microchip they've already stolen? I'm just asking because we'd need evidence for at least the ones who took Lydia if we wanna track her down."
Max looked up at Ryan with a raised eyebrow as he shared a name with her. Then she stared into space and tapped her chin with her pencil as she mulled over this new information. "Actually, yeah, I think I know what you're talking about." She flipped back through her notes a couple dozen pages, scanning for that name. "If you're looking for a cybernetics expert, I'd say your best match is Dr. Cora Michaels, founder and lead technician of LunArc Industries. Which would makes sense; she's apparently had it out for Lydia's dad and Mexus for years."
Then she looked up at the boys and tilted her head. She had so many questions about this investigation, but one thing in particular was bugging her. "Now... how did you guys get involved in this? In my experience, Mexus is sealed tighter than a drum. Even Lydia won't spill their secrets. Trust me, I know."
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Nov 13, 2018 19:01:23 GMT -5
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. Oh by the various old gods and their various deeds. I am completely and utterly boned.
Will hastily stood up, glad that his heavy shirt, messy hair, and glasses would obscure most of his nervous tells. "I may not be the world's most educated man, but I am good at guesswork. Right, Ryan? And we have a name now, that's good! Right, Ryan? ... I am not nervous about this at all! Right, Ryan??"
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Post by ColArana on Nov 13, 2018 20:18:50 GMT -5
Ryan shot Will a withering glare. I'm not that good at this but.... Even I could do better than you, Will. The cyborg sighed. "Will, shut up. To answer your questions. As far as the microchip? I have no idea." He replied. A blatant lie, but for once in his life, Ryan was glad to have a face that was 99% artificial skin and metal. No inherent nerves to betray his lie, with a nervous twitch. "It's what we were told, and that's what we're working from. Maybe they're lying, and it's something else they want. Maybe they didn't actually get the chip they wanted. Who knows. I don't." He said, with a surprisingly good poker face. "Either way. Doesn't matter. We have to help Lydia out however we can."
When she described Cora and LunArc Industries, Ryan smiled. "That's awesome! I uhh... Never asked Lydia much about her work, to be honest. Or any of that. I don't suppose you could tell us more?" He asked, regarding the two.
"So.... Honestly.... I wish I knew how we got involved. We got a call from one of her work buddies. I think his name was Jack? He gave us the basic details, mentioned the name "Cora" and then ended the call before we could ask any questions. Couldn't get ahold of him back. We don't know shit, right now, besides Will's "guesswork", so we've been looking for anyone else that might know Lydia to help us out. Which brings us here. Sorry. We were hoping you might know more than we did."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 13, 2018 20:47:16 GMT -5
"Will, calm down," Max insisted with a hard frown. "Panicking about it isn't gonna help us save Lydia any faster. I can't blame you if you don't know for sure who the culprits are. Like I said, anonymity is integral for corporate thieves. We can just figure that much out as we go along."
She turned back to Ryan with a nod. "Jack? That's the name of the Mexus intern who was gunned down this morning, isn't it?" After writing something else down, she offered the young man a shrug. "Yeah, sorry. I've been trying to get some dirt on Mexus myself for years. LunArc, though... if you guys suspect them to be behind any of this, I could probably dig up any information you need."
Tapping her eraser to her open book, Max continued, "Larger organizations and motivations aside... at the very least, do you know who has her and where they're keeping her?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 13, 2018 20:49:01 GMT -5
Lydia couldn't help but snicker and give her monitor a cutesy wave.
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Nov 13, 2018 20:59:39 GMT -5
"I need to take a piss," William bluntly stated, walking away from the table and towards what he assumed were the restrooms. "I'll be right back."
The click of the bathroom stall door closing never sounded so nice until now, he thought. "Please look away," he said to what seemed to be the air.
A green feather fell into the next stall over, as a green, amorphous mass slipped through the ceiling grate...
---
"Phew... I feel better..." William said, drying his hands off. And then... "Oh shit. Lydia, if you're there, please say something. Please tell me I didn't piss you out."
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Post by ColArana on Nov 13, 2018 23:07:54 GMT -5
Ryan paused. "Oh. Shit." In response to Max's statement about Jack. He had to at least feign that he hadn't known what had happened. Even though Lydia and her father had already dropped that bomb. It did help that he hadn't known Jack personally like Lydia had. "Well I... guess I know why he didn't return my calls."
Lying was making him uncomfortable and Ryan desperately wanted to move on to more progressive topics that didn't force him to blatantly lie with every other sentence. "It'd be a starting point though. What can you tell us about LunArc?" He asked. "Where they're centered, or anything like that?" He glanced at Will as he excused himself and nodded at him, secretly grateful that he could take hold of the situation for the moment, without Will accidentally letting something slip. He was showing that for all his other good qualities, being good at keeping a secret like this wasn't one of them.
When Max asked, Ryan shook his head. "I don't. I know that Lydia's apparently being held hostage, I'm inclined to believe that, because I can't get ahold of her. I know they're looking for this weird chip of some kind, and that someone named Cora is involved." He stated. "Maybe if we look into this LunArc some answers will present themselves? Are you willing to help us out here Max?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 14, 2018 10:11:59 GMT -5
"Oh..." Max awkwardly gritted her teeth, taken aback by Ryan's reaction to the news of Jack's death. "You didn't know about that? Yeah... Whoever's after this chip really means business. Kind of a precarious situation we've gotten ourselves into, but then again, what isn't a precarious situation around here?"
As Will abruptly departed for the restroom, Max quietly watched him walk away with a raised eyebrow and an apparent "What's his problem?" look. She let out a long sigh, then she turned back to Ryan with a calm, cool smile. "Of course I'm willing to help. Not only does this sound like one hell of a story, but... well, Lydia needs help, and it seems like I'm finally in a position where I can and need to provide it. I guess old habits die hard."
Flipping through her notebook again, Max continued, "Here's what I know for sure about LunArc. Their primary trade is cybernetic implants, but they specialize in other technological advances too. They have an office just outside the city and a research lab in the mountains up north, but no one knows for sure where their main facility is. Their leader, Dr. Michaels... like I said, she's been competing with Mexus for years. Apparently she and Dr. Pendleton went to the same school in the same universe before some freak accident brought them here."
She screwed up her face a little as she looked over a page in her book. "Now here's where things get sketchy. On multiple occasions, Dr. Michaels has acted as legal counsel to reputed organized crime figures and been suspected of black market arms dealing and non-regulated human experimentation, yet somehow she manages to keep her hands clean."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 14, 2018 10:57:34 GMT -5
"...What? No, I'm still here," Lydia responded somewhat awkwardly. "Wasn't anywhere near that business."
She let out a prolonged sigh. "Look, don't worry too much about Max. You did fine. She's just a tough cookie."
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Nov 14, 2018 11:13:52 GMT -5
"Well, that's... comforting, I guess?" William said, looking around to confirm that yes, he was alone in this restroom. "Cripes... I was about to just scream. I'm just gonna trust Ryan on this one. Excuse me."
He turned on the water, removed his glasses, and splashed his face as if trying to clear his head. "Okay. I feel a bit calmer now. I'm afraid to ask what my heart rate was before." But still, something was bothering him... "Hey. Question. Wouldn't it be easier to just tell Max what's really up? 'Sides, you saw me. I'm not a good liar..."
A green slime slid through the grate, internally grumbling about humans and all the facilities they required in their short, sad lives. Liderc slowly reformed back into his usual state, trying to make his presence unknown to his quarry... Good doctor, my ship had better be fixed. I am also wishing I never have to go into such an establishment like this again.
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Post by ColArana on Nov 14, 2018 18:29:34 GMT -5
Ryan sighed, letting the news of what had happened to Jack move on quickly. Taking a weight off of his shoulders. Moving right along... "I'm glad you're willing to help with this... I feel like we need all the help we can get." He admitted, before listening to what Max had to say. "And you seem like someone who's really reliable." He added. "So thank you." Now down to business. What did Max know about LunArc that could help them? Truth be told, Ryan knew almost nothing about her. Not even her profession. Aside from the blowout from the previous night and well... Ryan couldn't remember all the specific details of that.
"Cybernetic implants huh? Wonder if my dad knows anyone who works there." He murmured, before shaking his head. "Either way. The mountains seem promising but.... I guess it's pretty unrealistic just to run all over them until we find it. I'm sure if it was that easy to find, someone would have stumbled upon it by now." Or maybe someone had, and just never came back? That thought was a little chilling to Ryan. They'd already killed someone to get what they wanted. What if they decided that Ryan and William needed to go the same way? ....No. Ryan had to shake that line of thought out of his head. "So their office... do you think you might have any ideas of how to get us in?" He paused, as if in thought. "Or at least, do you think you might have any ways of getting us there to start with?" The easier question. That one, Ryan bet was probably a yes. Getting in might be trickier, but who knew. Max might have a skillset that Ryan was unaware of.
But that didn't help when she brought up the black market connections. "At this point I can't say I'm entirely surprised. Do you think that makes things harder? Do you think it's a tight connection or just a thing that happens from time to time? Sorry if it seems like I'm bombarding you with these questions..."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 14, 2018 21:32:05 GMT -5
"No, no, you're fine," Max insisted. "Gotta get as many details down as we can, right? Any information helps."
As she continued to look through her notes for anything else particularly useful, Max continued, "I can't say for certain how extensively Dr. Michaels' suspected criminal history would come into play here, but considering someone is... well... dead, I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of her recruiting some dangerous allies to her cause. Provided, of course, that LunArc is behind this heist."
Finding nothing, she turned back to Ryan, pointing to several nothing in particulars with her pencil. "As for infiltration... their building in Void City is just for office and trade work. Purely the business end of their company. Somehow I doubt they would want to keep Lydia in easily their most public facility, especially considering the people who actually make the technology, the ones who would benefit directly from this microchip they want, would operate out of either the research lab or the main facility. Our best bet would probably be to search the former and try to figure out where the latter is."
She scratched behind her ear with her eraser, awkwardly grimacing at Ryan. "I could... maybe get you guys in there under the guise of conducting an interview? It's a stretch, showing up on their doorstep with little warning, but it's the best idea I have."
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