10031/Peacekeepers: Down the Rabbit Hole

Peacekeepers: Down the Rabbit Hole
Date of Scene:	13 November 2019
Location:	Electronics manufacturing plant in New Jersey.
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Lex Luthor, Darkness
Tinyplot:	Peacekeepers

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Lex Luthor has posed:
A series of hit and run raids on various depots over the east coast had been easy to trace to the Peacekeeper units. Security camera footage was always scrubbed, but the Peacekeepers inability to kill people always left witnesses. They always stole materials of some kind. Steel. Copper. Platinum. Numerous other metals. Presumably, they were building something somewhere, but whoever it was covering their tracks kept them off the radar.

Lex Luthor had made the Peacekeepers too adaptable, and whoever it was that had taken control of them had taken advantage of that to swap out anti-surveillance packages.

Tonight, Jackie had been tasked with going into an electronics printing plant for a small scale company. It was a 'rental', and Jackie had been given credentials as a janitor for the interior. Mercy was his handler for this one. His task? Confirm suspicions of Peacekeeper manufacturing, and find the main database. As a secondary objective, Jackie was to capture any agents with knowledge of current Peacekeeper plans, if there were indeed any people involved on site.

Jackie had the combined assets of the Light and LexCorp Empires at his call for field operations, and a Team Luthor squad on standby for backup.

Darkness has posed:
It's a far cry from putting lead in the back of some two bit grifter with dreams of an empire. A far cry indeed. With the obscene resources at his fingertips now from both The Light -and- Lexcorp, Jackie Estacado was batting far above his mafia pay grade. So he swings for the fences. It's all in the hips, right? Right. In deep but not over his head, Jackie and a small crew watched their target for a night. For a day. Distant and careful. No unneccisary risks. Results are needed here. Proof. Not blood and nightmares.

Satisfied with his 'in' when he found it, Jackie made moves to ease his entry. A diminutive team of miniscule Darklings tasked with nudging a camera ever so slightly. The credentials obtained, he chose a face. His stature is unmistakeable but with the Darkness? Nearly all things were possible.

As the shifts changed, Jackie Estacado became Jorge Ramirez. Slouched, shuffling posture replacing his usual confident, no-nonsense stride. He looked frail. Haggard. Wrinkled and positively overwhelmed by a uniform coverall twice his size. Appearance matters.

All these vast resources and all Jackie asked for was clearance, a spotter team and someone to hold the trigger on a micro EMP burst. Whether he got that last one is not known. What is known is that as he climbs out of a beat up Subaru, he is absolutely buying a new car this weekend. To make up for the insult that is being seen in this station wagon.

With the change of shift comes the swap of bodies and Jackie/Jorge is in the crowd on his way in.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Inside was just started to ramp down. Automaton had replaced where most of the assembly floor workers would be (why risk humans with payouts for potential accidents when machines just need repairs?), but there were a couple dozen workers easily spotted. Along the catwalks, in the office at the top of the stairwell to Jackie's right, and a number of technicians doing routine maintenance along one of the assembly lines that appears shut down.

No one appears to be all that interested in 'Jorge'. He's the 'new guy', and they're just trying to get their shifts finished.

In a few moments though, a man in electricians overalls comes up to Jackie, looking at a clipboard, a casual baritone asks, "Jorge Ramirez?" He reads off the board, before looking to 'Jorge'.

Outside, spotter teams are in position "Alpha One in position, standing by for Dark." Over the commlink Mercy replies, "All assets in place. Satellite live. Burst on standby."

"Dark, looks underground have turned up tunnels under the complex, but we can't get a good idea of their entry point. See if you can find it." Mercy Graves requests over the commlink directly.

Darkness has posed:
These jobs, the work with The Light, has been crucial to Jackie as of late. The Darkness making more and increasingly deranged or dangerous demands of him. Mafia work, the blood and tragedy of it all, serving only to strengthen that vile blackness in his heart. This? It was enough to temper the more violent hungers. So he dives into it... his work for one shadow organization overtaking the other. Frankie Franchetti would have him burn Martin Spanner alive tonight. Lex Luthor, however, demands something more challenging.

Gaining entry is almost laughably easy with his support and 'natural' talents. His appearance, his voice, even his very -scent- is twisted by The Darkness into the vision of an elderly, if quite tall, Mexican gentleman with a milky eye and the voice of a three pack-a-day smoker. He wastes no time in getting his cart. Tottering around to 'familiarize' himself with the floor. He's making a plan to get upstairs when he's addressed unexpectedly. Inwardly, he curse. Outwardly, he cringes and tightens shoulders. Putposeful submissive stature. "That's me, sir. First night." He says with a forced smile, yellowed with age and smoke.

His ear buzzes with the voice of Mercy. Everything going smoothly, he's even got a party popper if things go south. The request is met with the chitter of inhuman glee from somewhere in the back of his mind.

~"Underground, Jackiiieee..."~
~"Down in the dark, Boss! Can I?! Can I?!"~
~"Sssssssssilence them alllll Jaaaaaack...."~

To his credit, the young killer doesn't break character. Even as the void whispers cheerily in his mind. Down they must go. Down they will get.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Right. Boss wants this shipment done by the end of the week. Managers, right? We have some office cleanup for you to handle." He points his pen in the direction of the office up the stairs to Jackie's right. Jackie is in the center of the plant, with the stairway itself built into the far wall. It'll be just a bit of a walk. "We have the place cleared out for you already. There's been some chemical spills up there. Nothing hazardous, but we need it cleared up."

"Two techs just left by the back entry." Alpha Team offers in observation. Without the database, it's impossible to tell if those were scheduled shift enders, or something else.

Darkness has posed:
"What can you do, right?" Jackie/Jorge jokes with a wet, raspy voice. A commercial attack ad against Marlboro would pay him handsomely for that sickly rattle in his chest alone. "Offices." He nods while looking up the stairwell. A couple fancy flash drives in a hidden pocket already primed and ready for those very rooms. Management files. Always juicy reading material, right? He nods an affirmative and taps the unopened box of a breather mask. "Somebody must have been ready for me, huh?" He jokes. It's not a good joke. He's shooting for that 'weird guy at the office' vibe. He's no Oscar winning lead actor but he's working at it. With a shuffling, weakened stride, Jackie pushes tbe cart forward. Inside the plastic confines, little grey-green skinned goblin-like creatures play Blackjack. Waiting to be unleashed into the unsuspecting world. "I'm on it, sir." He says in passing.

Cart wheels creak. One spinning uselessly a bare sliver fron the floor. As he puts distance between himself and Clipboard, one of the devilish Darklings chitters into the comm Jackie gave it. Telepathic links to his beasties is useful.

~"The Boss says grab them."~
~"He says eat their nervous system."~
~"He thinks we should take them for a ride. Yeeeeee haw, boys. Cowboy up."~

Raspy giggles are shushed in annoyance by Jackie/Jorge as he makes his way to the offices. A sigh. He speaks low. Careful. His own comms picking up vibration and translating it for Mercy. "The boys got an earpiece. Grab 'em. Question them. Drug them. Dump them. I'm hitting the offices then sending the boys downstairs. Still all clear, Mercy?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"For now." Comes the slight accent of Mercy over the comm, "It's a smooth cover operation, if it is a cover operation. Those tunnels could be maintenance related, but Mr. Luthor has credible reason to believe those tunnels are Peacekeeper related. Our inability to find the entry suggests anti-surveillance technology. Not something you put in place if you're a wholly legitimate business."

As Jackie gets to the office, they weren't kidding about the spill. By estimation, there's a full drumload of some sort of green substance all over the concrete floor.

The terminal Jackie wants is just to his right, up against the main window looking out into the assembly yard.

The Darklings themselves find nothing suspicious along the main areas of the plant. This is your typical electronics assembly on the face value of it.

Darkness has posed:
"For now is all we need." Jackie replies with that disguised, sickly voice. "For now." He ammends with a wry smirk to no-one but himself. Pushing his cart and taking the lift up, he chides the snickering Darklings for their sing-song mockery of Mercy's accent. "Can't find the door because nobody wants it to be found. Sounds on the up and up, right?" The chemical stench hits him, making his eyes water. With a grunt of annoyance, he rips open the new box and dons the ventilation mask.

It's a cake walk so far, stepping around the chemical spill and plugging the drive in. A tiny LED blinks rapidly before a steady green light remains. It's then that he sends the Darklings out. A screwdriver is all he needs to send the literal handful of pint-sized demons through the ventilation system.

They come up with nothing. Jackie mocks their lack of evidence, cursing under a breath.

Which left him to do one thing. Find those tunnels.

Say what you will about Jackie Estacado. He's an accomplished killer. Excellent fashion sense. A verifiable hit in the dating game... but he's shit at house keeping. He makes a token effort to mop before he disregards the task. He's wasted enough time.

So he concentrates. Eyes closed as he communes with the shadows. Let the Darkness speak of this place and its secrets. Shadows are everywhere. Even well lit clean rooms. Shadows are everywhere. It's just a matter of looking through the right ones... The cover is solid. Low rung electronics plant. But down under their feet? Well. We'll see. Won't we?

Lex Luthor has posed:
The drive taps into the terminal easily, and the wireless receiver waiting outside grabs the data. "Package one acquired." Alpha One speaks up, "Transmitting now."

The tunnels underneath the factory indeed have shadows. Lots of them. There's an entire stairwell somewhere below with the lights completely off. Wether because it's not in use, or something else is undermined. He can most definitely hear the sounds of machinery, welding, sawing, and moving servos echoing through the walls, though.

There's also a maintenance closet down below completely in darkness. This room is a lot closer to those sounds of machinery.

There are also scattered shadows in a tunnel that seems to go into a very wel lit large room. Glancing to the other end of the tunnel, Jackie can recognize the shape of the door at the bottom of the doorwell, on the other end.

Darkness has posed:
It's a -lot- of input to filter. The rapidfire glimpses are like a slide show on amphetamines. Lightning fast, the visions bleed together. Most familiar. Different angles of things he's already seen on the way through the factory. He grimaces when the comms chirp in his ear. The noise is coupled with the glimpse of the manager he spoke to earlier in the men's room... he did not want to see that.

Then the tunnels. His eyes roll and jerk beneath the lids. Darklings and hellish serpents glimpsing more and more... "Enough." He says in a newr death rattle rasp. Senses pulled back, Jackie takes one look out the windows to ensure his privacy. The office light clicks off. "Bruno, Peaches. Stay."

~"You got it, boss!"~
~"Kill the intuder, yes? Yes?"~

"No. Incapacitate. Pull the drive when the light goes red. Then take it to Mercy." Shrouded in dark, Jackie/Jorge smiles to himself as he fades away like smoke. Only to appear in a pitch black maintenance closet. Oh, the lovely places he gets to go. Disguise dropped in favor of his obsidian and gold armor, Estacado stands with head bowed as if in prayer. Concentration is key. Machinery. Metal work. Gears and servos. Tendrils with malevolent yellow eyes peer under around the cracks of the door.

An emaciated shape of a stray feline composed of shadow and hunger forms in one of those patches of shadow down that mysterious tunnel. A sentry of sorts.

"I'm in. In where? Not sure yet... Mercy, the boys should be bringing you the package soon... Hrmmm. Noise. Heavy work. Still clear?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
Jackie gets static as soon as he tries to talk over his commlink; a clear indicator of a localized signal jammer. Something is definitely countering surveillance down here.

Under the door, Jackie can see an /extremely/ brightly lit room. He can just barely manage to get eyes at shoe level before the tendril hits a solid 'wall' of light. He's not getting eyes under there, but he's definitely hearing the sounds of some sort of assembly line. It's almost exactly the sound pattern of upstairs... but different. This assembly area is clearly tooled for different components.

Darkness has posed:
Jackie rolls his eyes, shaking his head subtly in the dark when static is his only reward. "Right. Counter surveilance." He clucks his tongue, mouthy little demons and imps at his ankles cling and chitter with alien laughter at his momentary shortcomings. He winces as disembodied eyes are blinded by harsh light. So much for The Darkness being the answer to his every little problem and need.

The sound is familiar but clearly the work down here is heavier. More intensive. Gritting his teeth, Jackie curls a clawed hand around the door handle and turns. Slow. Quiet. Patient as he inches the door open to look through himself. The light spilling in to sizzle away nigh impervious armor. A Darkling loses a limb. The others snicker at its misfortune.

If he gets out of here alive, he may just invest in some of those fancy spy toys they were offering last night. Overconfidence bites him on the ass once more. Go figure.

Lex Luthor has posed:
As the door opens, light floods the closet. Darkness related abilities suddenly get flash fried by intense LED based light. Machines can be heard hard at work just around the corner from where Jackie is situated... and he can hear the unmistakable sounds of a conversation going on far away. It's hard to pinpoint direction in this cacophony, but with a bit of work, he'd probably be able to tell where it's coming from.

The assembly lines just on the edge of his vision are what are the most interesting thing though... this is a small assembly yard, by the sounds of it, but Jackie would be able to spot electronic components being worked on. This is micro-circuitry assembly by the looks of it.

Darkness has posed:
It doesn't hurt. Not Jackie, at least. His hideous little cohorts? Well, they feel the burn in full. Flash fried to dust motes, there's a small comfort that he doesn't have to listen to their idiotic jokes anymore. Armor and disguise alike are burned away to leave... Jackie Estacado. Black shirt. Black slacks. Fine, leather soled shoes with a high polish shine... He winds that long hair up in a bun, tied with the band that was around his wrist. Door opened further, Jackie slinks free of the maintenance closet with only a push broom. Glock stowed at the small of his back tucked proper under his belt line.

Senses keen like a bloodhound, even in this intense scrutiny of LED light, Jackie seeks to sneak down the wall toward the voices. He just needs to get close enough to make out words. Seperate human from machine and go from there.

His jaw tenses. Hoping, for once, that he won't have to savage a man with a push broom this week.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Jackie has been given pictures of the latest Peacekeeper models. They're not hard to miss; towering constructs of metal and flesh, more machine than man. A good portion of the prototype cyborgs are still flesh... but only on the inside. Most will only ever see the metallic exo-skeleton that is the primary bodysuit they wear. Designed to be modular adaptable, this is what allows Peacekeepers to be so much more dangerous in comparison to Sentinels.

When Jackie starts to head onto the assembly floor, he can see two Peacekeeper like bodies walking along catwalks above... but they're not in any configuration that Jackie can recognize. The basic structure is there... but it's bulkier in comparison to the sleeker and leaner Hunter and Riot class Peacekeepers. This... is something new.

The whatever-they-are haven't spotted him yet, but Jackie has no idea how long it'll stay that way. The sensors on the Peacekeeper models are bleeding edge. Do these have the same grade?

Trying to get to the source of that conversation might take a bit of time, if Jackie wants to stay hidden.

Darkness has posed:
Jackie has never really cared one way or the other for robotics. Cybernetics. The protests, the killings... Sentinels. Peacekeepers. He sees no difference but blood and bone. They don't impact his livelihood. Or, well, they didn't until he found himself hip deep in what appears to be a hive of them.

With or without the Darkness, Estacado is a gifted yount man. Bright. Charismatic. Tactically sound and, most importantly to his employers, more lethal than arsenic. Stealth he can do but he's no Daredevil. He's no Batman. He's Jackie Estacado and he's got a job to do.

Eyes on the Peacekeepers above from time to time, he takes stock of what he sees. The Peacekeepers changed. Clearly but the works of how? That's what he wants to know.

He also knows his time is limited. So with that in mind, he pushes further. Not about to expose himself to the main manufacturing floor, he'll stick to the wall as long as he can. But if cover looks scarce? Lex and the Light will have to settle for visual confirmation and a manufacturing manifest to sort through. Or whatever was on that computer upstairs.

Lex Luthor has posed:
It's only the two so far, but as Jackie moves along, he can see two technicians working on the two assembly lines down here. This room is not nearly as expansive as the six assembly lines up topside... but the manufacturing process is clearly being guarded by some sort of new model.

Clearly, this is Peacekeeper related... but are these guard dogs, or is there something more involved going on?

The technicians don't seem to be bothering with watching their surroundings for now, and as Jackie gets closer to the source of the conversation, he can clearly see another office to the 'back' of the room.

This has all the markings of a hidden manufacturing facility underneath another, using the main line to cover their activities.

Darkness has posed:
There is a stern dislike for these Peacekeepers and their high ground. Outgunned, outmanned and out of his natural element, Jackie regards the new model of abomination with no small amount of pity and disdain. He didn't need metal and wire to become -better-. No. That just needed a firm hand of guidance and plenty of bloodshed. His primordial birthright came much later.

No disguise would serve him well at this depth. No janitor would survive the accidental incursion. That thought in mind, Jackie does what he's paid to do. The techs were kept at the corner of his eye as he continued along. Noting patches of shade here and there. Under conveyor lines. Inside machinery casings. Beneath the feet of dutifully working technicians.

Closing in on the chatter, Jackie furrows his brows at the sight of another office Thanking his penchant for doubling down, he's got that extra drive. Looks like fate smiled on him tonight. Now to see if it was because he was finally going on that one way trip to Hell or not.

With push broom in hand, Jackie goes for broke. He continues on. That's when the idea comes. Since comms are down, it was time to give Mercy a little heads up. The telepathic link between Jackie and his Darklings. The duo upstairs. One with the stolen ear piece. Hijacking his minion, the Darkling speaks in a strained, tiny voicr over the lines. "B-b-bosssss found something. Heeeee he... he sees Peacekeeperssss... Ahhhhrggh hurts... Bright.... factory under...."

The split in focus is too much. Jackie shuts the link down as he makes a sneaky go for that office.

Lex Luthor has posed:
There isn't really that much staff down here, so moving around the technicians for the hitman isn't too hard... though it would only take looking away from their work for things to get considerably more difficult.

Not to mention Jackie doesn't really have any idea what those bulky Peacekeepers are capable of.

Somewhere nearby, Mercy Graves is watching over the whole operation from a command center van a couple blocks away. A frown comes to her lips as she listens to the Darkling. "Telepath direct control. Interesting addition." She muses to herself, before she clicks on the commlink, "Alpha One, we have confirmation of Peacekeepers below. Find me the power links for the plant." Mercy barks over the commlink.

Down below, Jackie finally makes it to the office. There's a door into the office, but there's no shadow outside here for Jackie to use.

"You're behind schedule, Doctor." Comes a modulated voice from the door, "you assured me you could keep with demand. Renting this section of the facility under the table is not cheap, and I expect results." Another voice, this one in the bass range, replies, "I know that. This whole plan was a longshot at best, and you know it. Luthor's made it very difficult for us to handle our day to day."

Darkness has posed:
Thankful for the graveyard shift and their general lack of concern for anything outside their work, Jackie makes an easy run of it. Well, easy for him, that is. Professional murder for hire breeds a certain skill set that is clearly coming in handy here. The Peacekeepers, however, will be a problem if they become aware of his presence. Though he has the beginings of a plan for them too.

Upstairs, the Darklings remain. One animatedly complaining about needless micromanagement. The other licking chemical ooze off the floor. A lovely pair, really. Jackie may just kill one with the other one when he gets some free time.

Making it to the office, Jackie presses his back to the wall beside the door. Eyes peeled for trouble, he listens in with an intent and unexpectedly careful ear. He hasn't done it before but the attempt at mimicking the voices for possible recognition? It's possible. Worth testing. He smirks wryly at the conversation. Luthor being a thorn in their collective sides? Who would have thought?

Then it clicks. He needed a technician. He needed that database. He needed in that room. His fingers curl around the door knob and with practiced ease, he's drawing that Glock as he opens the door and slips inside. Finger to his lips, he offers a silent 'Shhhhhh' as a gun barrel is leveled in a steady grip.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Inside, A man wearing engineers overalls is talking to someone over speakerphone. Blonde shoulder length hair conceals his face from this angle, but the terminal in front of him is the source of the other side of the conversation in the room. In the back, there are plenty of crates storage cabinets... but their shadows are barely there with the angles. The dual light sources will be easy to deal with though, should Jackie decide to shoot them out in the ceiling.

"They're almost ready. The material raids have been slow, but we've managed to get the new model dealt with." The voice over the speakerphone comments, "I don't know how he managed it. The tech is far beyond what my people have been able to figure out, and he's got the blueprints locked away in the tower." The man in the door replies, "How about the patent office? I thought you were trying that angle." The reply comes again, "it's taking time, and Luthor is sniffing around. The current model will just have to work for now."

Darkness has posed:
Shadows, while useful beyond measure, sometimes pale to the classics. A gun. A thousand yard stare. Some creative threats. Who doesn't love the old crowd favorites? Glock 19 leveled and steady as Lexcorp stock, Jackie tilts his head aside curiously. Unnoticed, he smiles sweet and sinful all too himself and closes the door behind him silently. Turning the knob once it's pulled into frame. Quiet as a whisper.

Lights? Check. Terminal? Check. Engineer? Double check. As long as he's not seen, not heard and not interrupting, he lets the blond gentleman have his chat with the distorted voice. Buuuuut once that changes? The hammer will be pulled back and the threat of immediate death becomes very, very real. Flash drive in hand. Oh, this is too good. Priceless. Lex will -love- this little tidbit. Maybe he'd make some Darklings act it out for him.