Chojin Patriarch
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True, the Anti-Life tends to make those under its effects more trusting that you have the authority to be where you are, and the dullness to not question the unusual unless it's extremely so. And got to love how casually you alter your face just to make the disguise more effective...15th February 2013
18:32 GMT -5
A brief application of orange light gave Tuppence a military uniform, and she's got dower down without any added training. I've duplicated the dress and face of a researcher from the Gotham branch of S.T.A.R. Labs named Doctor Alistair for myself , and I can duplicate their knowledge base reasonably well through the use of my power rings database. None of it will pass detailed examination if S.T.A.R. Philadelphia can check a central database, but… Someone with a key card already inside the building and dressed correctly? It's unlikely that anyone would check in detail under normal circumstances. If they do and I can't talk my way out of it? Then it goes from a stealth mission to a combat mission.
Of course, that would be a gigantic red flag that someone's been poking around."Cain't y'all jus' wipe their computers?"
"Not the usual easy way with my ring. I could build an electromagnetic pulse generator and activate it to fry every circuit for miles around… And leave it in active mode so that they couldn't just connect to an external database to double check."
Because the human nervous system isn't much more resistant to the effects of an EMP than most circuitry."Raight. That."
"Except an E.M.P. going off just before we turn up is a really obvious sign that we're up to something, and S.T.A.R. Labs may well be shielded against electromagnetic radiation at levels that won't melt people too."
Yeah, that sounds like the super-villain route. One that would be facing a death penalty if convicted. And that's a bad idea, especially if you're trying to be a good guy.She frowns-.
"Oh, you'd be fine. You're tough enough and heal fast enough that you could take it. But my general feeling is that if we have to kill a million people then it would probably be better to just back off and have a rethink."
"Uh… Huh."
Ah, the old-fashioned way of getting around. It's been a while since we've seen OL use any other method than Transition or flight, hasn't it?Okay, rings in my pocket, put the car in gear and pull out of the car park. I don't drive a lot and my car has a slightly different control setup but I can just about remember how these things work. Indicate, turn, ignore the instinctual feeling that I'm on the wrong side of the road and accelerate. The buses appear to be driving within normal safety parameters, so I do the same. It's interesting to have to look at my surroundings rather than using ring mapping. No other traffic around, but given the more limited number of traffic cameras in Philadelphia compared to London I don't think I need to worry about them checking my precise point of origin.
Presumably all the defences are inside. Because under these conditions, it's practically a fortress.A few minutes of safe driving and we're pulling into the car park of S.T.A.R. Labs Philadelphia. We passed a few guards in the street but there doesn't appear to be anyone on duty here.
Now, the hard part. Trying to act like you know what you're doing, like you belong, and like you're as mind-whammied as everyone else.Tuppence goes to open her door and then hesitates, looking at me for guidance. I give a very shallow nod because there are cameras on the front of the building, and she exits the car before coming around and opening my door. I step out of the car and begin walking towards the front door of S.T.A.R. Labs Philadelphia without looking back, trying to emulate the odd facial expression of people who accept the Anti-Life. It's… Mostly blank, but there's a slight hint of both happiness and ferocity that… Doesn't naturally occur in sane people. People who don't particularly have anything going on in their heads but will happily throw themselves at anything that they're told to.
With any luck, it'll work first time...There's a 'clunk' behind me as Tuppence closes then door, and then she walks after me. Her pace is slightly faster than mine so that she'll catch up, but not fast enough to draw attention. I guess she's learned something since she got out of Belle Reve. Or she's just been watching spy films, I suppose.
The card reader is mounted on the side of the door, and there doesn't appear to be any other mechanism to check my identity. The card should be enough, and there's no reason for the person I'm pretending to be to put his other hand in his pocket, but this is a potential point of failure.
...Dammit. What's Plan B?I swipe the card and push at the door.
The magnetic lock doesn't disengage and I reach up to swipe my card again-.
Okay. Must have been lag in their network. Hopefully.There's a buzz and a light changes from red to green as it opens.
Back to calm, I push it fully open as I stride inside, Tuppence following behind-.
Ah, yes... The first place the team encountered Apokoliptian weaponry on Earth...
I can't believe he never made the connection before now. Ah well, she's dead, no need to worry about it now.It wasn't Bialya. It was Mannheim. That's why Queen Bee agreed to see-. Getting rid of competition? Or just.. trying to concentrate power in Adom? I'm not sure.. why-. Not relevant right now.
The robot is pointing some sort of Apokoliptian weapon at us. I could easily evade with my rings and Tuppence could either dodge it or tank it, but it makes more sense for our characters to comply.
Fingers crossed it works..."Present identification."
I hold up my card, face forward. I hear a slight rustle of fabric as Tuppence gets hers out and does the same. The robot deploys a sensor to scan each of them before returning it to its housing.
Playing dumb. Probably not enough to do the job, though."Personnel authorised. Explain presence."
"I was ordered to come here."
There we go.I expect getting just the right amount of dead-head blankness into your voice is the tricky part.
Ah, the Devil Jizz stuff. I could see that being of interest to Mannheim, if only out of curiosity."Acceptable. State purpose."
"S.T.A.R. Philadelphia holds materials relevant to the Demonic Metamorphosis Nectar research program. I was dispatched to confirm its location and transfer it to S.T.A.R. Gotham."
Phew. Diplomacy and Bluff checks passed. Let's hope your luck holds out, OL."Logged. Continue your assigned task. All is one in Mannheim."
"All glory to Mannheim."
And it's a logical first stop for your pretend mission, if only to check that what you're looking for is here.The robot doesn't retreat or lower its guns, but why would it? It's in the best place to do its job. Right, main storage is that way, but that's one of the places where other people are likely to be, and the more people we run into the higher than chance of getting identified. The research laboratories are next to it, and have the same problem. Even if I can just open the door with this key card.
But I can check the lists of objects in storage from anywhere inside that same section, including the hot desking office. It's probably in use; nothing I've seen suggests that the Anti-Lifed people don't value record keeping. But people won't be anything like as alert there.
Ah, the old clipboard trick. Look like you belong, be confident and people will assume you do. Much easier to manage with the cognitive penalties of the Anti-Life in effect, though.So I lead the way away from the reception area as if I was heading for main storage, then take a turning just before I reach it and head toward the office block. A few people pass us by, but they only give us a dead-eyed glance before continuing with their own tasks.
I keep looking blank. Tuppence is giving them suspicious looks, but that works for her character.
Pity it's deep enough inside the building that there's no big picture windows to leap through to get out.Another swipe of the card, and we're in to the office. Let's see. Need a desk that's not immediately in anyone's direct view, but doesn't look like I'm trying to hide. And a view of the door, because if we're spotted they probably won't escalate to destroying the entire building before trying a squad of soldiers and a couple of robots first.
That one, that will do.
Try not to overthink it, OL. Second-guessing the behaviour of the affected will only have you doubting yourself.I sit down, slide my key card into the slot and then touch my ring to get access to Doctor Alistair's log-in details. Give it a moment… And I'm in. I can navigate the records easily enough because I've used this system when logging objects recovered from supervillains. They don't appear to have made any changes, but I wouldn't necessarily know if they've set up something to notify someone if anyone accesses a particular record. Would the Apokoliptians care about the Medusa Mask? I wouldn't have thought so, but I can't be certain.
Best to make a note to check back on that later, after the Anti-Life is gone. Make sure no-one's pulling any illicit super-soldier programs.So I check for objects that relate to my stated purpose first. No demonic tissue in storage at all. Drugs… Yes, quite a lot, and they're experimenting with more in a way that I'm sure is going to cause more problems later. Venom, Blockbuster, Fever, Tar, Smilex, Danner Formula, and a few things I'm not immediately familiar with.
Nothing relating to Devil Jizz, which is a mercy.
...Hmm. Concerning. But who might have taken it?Now I switch to the relic archive. Medusa Mask… Listed as missing. As of… The date of the Anti-Life broadcaster activation.
But… Missing. They wouldn't list it as missing if they'd taken it themselves. Would they? That wouldn't make sense. Can I call up security footage from here? That would help cover the stuff that Agent Carlyle didn't-.
Uh-oh. Have you been made or not? Best not to panic yet.The door opens, and I navigate away from that page as a guard walks in. For a moment I think it might just be a patrol, but then he walks towards me with purpose.
"Doctor Alistair."
Presumably that's the local city boss, not the facility's director. Perhaps you'll find a lead on the mask from them.
Okay, not time to bust out the emergency plans yet. But this is... Out of the ordinary. Could just be the local 'master' getting curious as to why he's here, could be that he's been spotted but someone's got their own agenda. Let's just hope wherever they take him, it won't be too hard to get out of. Especially with a somewhat less mobile partner in tow...
...and she's got dour down without any added training.
Double Space.
There's a 'clunk' behind me as Tuppence closes the door...
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