11906/Madripoor Connection: Dangerous Streets

Madripoor Connection: Dangerous Streets
Date of Scene:	04 August 2020
Location:	Abandoned Parking Structure, NYC
Synopsis:	Lex and Riana spy on Tony Stark as he gives money to drug dealers.
Cast of Characters:	Aguila 6, Iron Man, Lex Luthor, Wild Rose
Tinyplot:	Madripoor Connection

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Aguila 6 has posed:
The night is quiet and dark here around the old parking structure. It's the perfect place for a meet, or so the drug runners think. From the roof their guys can cover every angle of approach, there are a couple of exits in case they need to beat a hasty retreat and there's plenty of cover in the event a gunfight breaks out. The guys doing the selling tonight are already on the premises. There are guards at each of the corners of the parking structure's roof wearing goggles on their faces and carrying automatic rifles. In the center of the roof, near the elevators, a folding table and chair are set up with a laptop open on it. The guy at the computer has a controller in his hand. Overhead, those particularly perceptive will notice a stealthy black quad rotor drone buzzing about.

More guards are positioned throughout, equipped similarly to those on the roof. The real action looks like it will take place in the second of the three floors, however. That's where there's another folding table set out with plastic bags full of white powder. On every level are a couple of vehicles, cars or vans, nondescript looking.

Iron Man has posed:
"I believe that you may be suffering from a severe mental impairment, Tony. My programming authorizes me to take control and return you to the nearest Stark-Fujikawa office or hospital."

The voice isn't so much rude as just... British. Slightly artificial, but a fairly convincing reproduction of a middle-aged British man's voice, complete with colloquial mannerisms and a stiff upper lip.

Currently, the voice is emanating from the speakers inside the piece of tech that is currently wrapped around Tony Stark.

"Nonononono... J.A.R.V.I.S., come on... I'm clearly fine. You read the same request from SHIELD that I got, they asked me to 'look into' this, so I'm just... going to look. You know... spy stuff."

The piece of tech that is currently wrapped around Tony Stark travels at speeds in excess of a hundred miles an hour, making copious amounts of noise and weaving it's way toward the meeting place of the various miscreants who've set up a drug buy.

"You have no spy training whatsoever, Tony. I'm placing a call to Colonel Rhodes."

"NONONO! It's fine! I've got an excellent plan. I'm just going to show up and... buy some drugs. Easy peasy."

The piece of tech that is currently wrapped around Tony Stark crests over a hill, all four of its wheels leaving the ground for a moment as it speeds forward.

A candy apple red Lamborghini (with gold wheel trim, because Iron Man) speeds in, screeching to a halt just outside of Immediate Shooting Range, leaving the headlights blazing obnoxiously to illuminate some of the Crime People.

The door opens, and out steps one of the world's most recognizable men.

Only he's wearing a tuxedo.

And sunglasses.

At night.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Lex was always on the lookout for anything new cropping up. Opportunities -or threats- were something Lex made it a point to know about first. He didn't like competition. Sure, Capitalist and all that... but you don't need competition to have a drive to be the best.

Well, some don't.

Today was a good opportunity to assess a new threat. A big deal was being made, and Mercy was sent to the deal itself to gather information for him. She was not going as a bodyguard... but rather an underboss for her bosses' underworld Empire. Blonde hair down and wearing an impeccable business dress (with a hidden slit in the right arm so her cybernetic laser can be used) Mercy Graves has driven up into the parking structure, stopping just before the rooftop, parking the sedan.

She's slowly coming up the ramp to the meeting place. She's not here to buy... but she IS here to represent Mr. Luthor.

Meanwhile, not a block away, Lex himself is sitting in his Sedan Limo in a parking lot, the warsuits assembly truck nearby. He had hacked the surveillance drones feed ten minutes before Mercy's arrival, and was watching the feed via a control monitor in the center of the area.

Then, Tony Stark comes literally flying onto the rooftop. In a Lamborghini.

It probably turns into Iron Man armor too.

"What in the hell is that fool doing?!" Lex narrows his eyes at the intruder. He expected some sort of superheroic intervention, possibly... but only Tony would go from 1 to 11 like this.

In the seat next to him, Hope just watches, eyes hardening slightly as Tony starts to get out. "Mercy, step back. I don't want you getting seen by the playboy." Lex orders.

Aguila 6 has posed:
Though some are temporarily blinded by the illuminating headlights, other crooks rush to the low walls of the parking structure with their weapons at the ready. They hardly make any noise as they move into position, even the one guy who touches his throat and subvocalizes something to their leader. For now none of the guns are pointed at Stark, though the criminals are ready for something to go awry.

The fellows on the roof hold their position when ordered to by their boss, a guy standing by the table of drugs with a radio in his hand. He speaks quietly into it and the fellow who'd touched his throat moments before speaks in accented English, "Welcome, Mister Stark. How can we be of service to you this evening?"

As Mercy heads towards the rooftop she's noted and nodded to by the occasional guard, but they aren't the talkative types, it seems. As long as she plays by the rules none of them are liable to do anything untoward. Most of their focus, whether they mean for it to be or not, is on Stark. He makes a hell of a distraction.

Iron Man has posed:
Inside Tony Stark's earpiece (don't call it a hearing aid...), J.A.R.V.I.S. is having a British Tantrum. It mostly consists of calling Tony's behavior 'Ill-advised, if I may say so' and telling him that he 'wouldn't be at all surprised if no good comes from this, not to put too fine a point upon it.'

Getting out of the cramped little overpriced car, Tony stands up, and whacks himself in the ear with the palm of his hand before straightening his bowtie and giving the assembled drug dealers his best Used Car Salesman smile.

With the door still open, it's clear that he's halfway through Cyndi Lauper's 'She's So Unusual' album. To the trained ear, that is.

"Wrong question, bro. The right question is, how can we be of service to each OTHER?"

Fiddling with the oversized cufflinks, Tony walks forward confidently, as if he actually had an excellent plan.

"You see I, well... I'm not that good at metric to standard conversion, so maybe one of you upstanding gentleman could help me out with a little math problem. Maybe..."

Tony points at the nerdiest-looking one.

"You! Soul Patch! If I have a hundred and fifty pounds of money, how many kilos of medicinal product can that be exchanged for?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
Mercy stops just down the ramp, listening above, but not going up. Clearly, she wants to eavesdrop, not get involved.

In the Limo where Lex is, Lex takes on a curious look, watching the exchange. "Only Stark would walk into a drug meetup and call it medicinal. At least we can confirm he's insane."

Aguila 6 has posed:
The guy who gets pointed at shrugs his shoulders and looks towards the next guy over. He says something in Cantonese which gets repeated into the throat mic dude is wearing. After a moment Soul Patch will reply, "I assume that it is weight in American dollars. If it is one hundred dollar bills, 6.75 million dollars, roughly, then you can purchase about 300 kilograms of medicinal product." It's a steal. Always a good idea to buy in bulk.

There's some murmuring going on between the various assembled drug dealers, making sure that they all know what one another are up to.

Iron Man has posed:
"300 kilos for under seven million. That sounds... pretty reasonable. For uncut medicine."

They never said it was uncut, which is probably why Tony adds a lot of stress to the word 'uncut' as if there's just the hint of a question there.

He seems to be trying to do the math, actually tapping a few of his fingers as if he were counting on them as he confidently walks right into the midst of all the crime.

"I've heard good things about your product, but I've been trying to make healthier choices lately. I do yoga twice a month, only eat cheeseburgers made from happy cows, that sort of thing. So tell me..."

"Is this stuff organic? Because my last guy sold me some medicinal product that definitely had some genetically modified additives. Gave me a toothache."

Aguila 6 has posed:
The guys follow Stark's path with at least their eyes, though some look a little bit itchy with their weapons, "All of our medicine is pure. We add nothing to it so we can deliver the best product to our customers. What you do with it once it is in your possession is up to you."

The guy at the table will put his radio in his pocket and address Tony after that, "Would you care to try a sample of our product before making your decision, sir? It is of the highest quality and any test you wish to perform will confirm that."

Iron Man has posed:
"It's funny that you mention that, because I just happened to bring my Portable Chemical Extractolizer with me."

Reaching into one of the inside pockets of his tuxedo, Tony produces something that looks suspiciously like a mobile phone, and opens up one of the apps.

"Still trying to think of a better name for it, you know, for branding. My ad guys seem to think that hokey names are having a moment though..."

Nearing the table, phone, er... Portable Chemical Extractolizer in hand, Tony takes pictures, er... scans images of the chemicals into his Portable Chemical Extractolizer.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., run an analysis for me while I have a pleasant conversation with these gentlemen, will you?"

He's still smiling at the guy who seems to be in charge, but pretty blatantly talking into his earpiece.

Aguila 6 has posed:
"You may use whatever equipment you feel comfortable with, sir," the head guy says with a nod of his head. "Just as long as you touch nothing without permission or purchasing first. We take great pains to make sure nothing we distribute is damaged or contaminated." Atop one of the big bags of white powedr is a smaller bag containing some samples.

As the boss speaks the other guards go back to their sectors and patrols, making sure that things at the parking garage are staying peaceful.

Wild Rose has posed:
     The latest search for a home for a martial arts studio had, sadly, proved fruitless, though a few good hours of rest had restored her hearing to normal from earlier in the day. While some of the rents might have been cheaper, it turned out to be with very, very good reason. This area of the city is nowhere that one Riana Mackenzie would bring any one of her students, regardless of age or any prior training. Any sensible person would be making a strategic advance to the rear, post-haste.

     But who said she was entirely sensible?

     Dressed in black from tip to tail, in black jeans, sneakers, and a black t-shirt, the titian-haired woman has her hair pulled back in deference to the heat. Most saw the way she carried herself, with each step careful and measured, catlike grace bespeaking barely restrained strength, and gave her ample personal space. Perhaps, too, it was the bo staff she was using more as a walking stick for the moment. But whatever it was, it left her alone to observe the rather noisy entrance of one Tony Stark into the skies above.

     "Ah, f... seriously?"

     This could -not- be good. Sonic booms and loud noises meant trouble. Perhaps it might warrant some observation.

     "I'm gonna regret this..."

     Turning her steps towards the seemingly abandoned parking structure, she focuses her hearing on the happenings of levels above her as she makes her way up. Tap-tap-tap. The faint tapping of her staff on pavement echoed and faded into nothingness, adding an eerie, heartbeat-like rhythm to the creepy surroundings. It might well be mistaken for many things. But who was to say, in the end?

Iron Man has posed:
"Huh."

For some reason, Tony seems both surprised and a little disappointed. According to his mobile device, the drugs that these gentlemen are selling are...

Just drugs.

Really good drugs.

"I would have been willing to bet at least a grand on 'weaponized hallucinogens', but... it seems that you boys are actually running a completely legitimate illegal drug operation. I've really learned a valuable lesson about making assumptions."

Looking back at his car, Tony snaps his fingers and the tiny trunk pops open, looking all manner of comical.

"Unfortunately, I'm unable to exchange a hundred and fifty pounds of money for your medicinal product tonight, because there are some really regressive and short-sighted laws against that sort of thing and I run a publicly traded company."

There's clearly a 'but' coming...

"BUT! I don't see any reason why I couldn't simply GIVE you boys a hundred and fifty pounds of money. Do you?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
Mercy continues to listen. Lex continues to watch.

"This is actually entertaining." Lex comments over the commlink, "I'm so happy I'm recording this. Stark being insane is going to be my new holopaper."

Then Riana is heard -or rather, her staff is- and Mercy is moving back into her Sedan to keep out of sight. With the tinted windows, she'll be able to keep an eye on the newcomer... but not the other way around.

Aguila 6 has posed:
"We wish only to provide the best for our customers, as I have said before. If you'd like to simply give us money we would be most amenable to that as well," leader guy tells Stark, actually putting on a smile at this point.

"We do carry other products, though if the law changes your mind about the purchase of these products I doubt you would care to buy them."

Wild Rose has posed:
     The flash of red and gold that was the Lamborghini, coupled with the voice of its owner--a voice that had been heard by millions--brought to mind a household name. Stark. It didn't rain, it poured.

     "Mo Dhia."

     This could -not- be good, not if a heavy hitter like him was involved. Keeping to the shadows for the moment, Riana shifts her grip upon her staff, sliding her hand down along the smooth wood and holding it across her body, both hands gripping it closer to the center. Her gaze is intent now, and she holds stock-still in the shadows, silent and ready.

     Just what had she stumbled into?

Iron Man has posed:
"Well, it's in the trunk. Maybe you could have some of your guys go grab it? I'd help but a hundred and fifty pounds is a little heavy, now that I'm in my forties. Don't want to risk a pulled muscle."

The trunk is still open, and Tony doesn't appear to have called for any sort of backup, or really be interested at all in busting up their little drug ring. Who knows? Maybe he's serious about liking the cut of their jib?

"Adn hey, maybe you could mention my generosity to your supplier? I'm sure I could find a couple more suitcases full of money laying around if I bothered to look. And maybe, hypothetically, you might have some extra chemicals stashed somewhere that I might be interested in purchasing? Maybe somewhere... a bit more neutral?"

Aguila 6 has posed:
"Very well, sir," the boss man says to Stark with a deep nod. He pulls his radio from his pocket and speaks softly into it. Moments later four men come off of the walls to deal with Tony's heavy money. "I'm certain we could find another time and location for you to peruse our additional wares. It should not be hard to plan another time to meet up." As the four men approach Tony's vehicle they do so slowly, with apprehension, not wanting to be surprised by anything they see.

Wild Rose has posed:
     Four more pieces on the chess board, four more ways things could go very, very wrong. The odds were now five to two if it came down to it, by Riana's reckoning. Not the greatest odds, but not the worst she had ever faced. And they moved with the air of a long-tailed cat slinking through a room full of rocking chairs. With drugs and the amount of money involved, the likelihood of being well-armed seemed strong.

     Riana slinks forward through the shadows, inching just a tiny bit closer, keeping her staff off the ground. Without that tapping, her approach--however incremental--was now silent. With any luck, Stark would not need any backup.

     But would fortune continue to favor the foolish?

Iron Man has posed:
In addition to the foolish, there's another class of people who seem to always be favored by fortune: The rich.

No matter how many reckless schemes Tony comes up with, money usually seems to do an adequate job of backing him up. So far he hasn't ended up stuck in the trunk with an ear cut off, so it seems that his good fortune is holding.

"Excellent! I'll let you boys get back to it then. I left a supermodel sitting in a tub full of very chilly champagne, so I need to get home before she A) gets hypothermia or B) warms the champagne up enough to make it gross."

He gives Soul Patch a fingergun/smile/wink combo. "This guy knows what I'm talking about. Don't let them give you any grief, Soul Patch. That looks gonna come back any day now."

"I should know, I'm a futurist."

Aguila 6 has posed:
The guys at the Lamborghini grab their money and head over towards the vans with it, each member of their little team providing some assistance in lifting the cash. Once they've got it in place one of them opens it and starts speaking in Cantonese again. The boss man looks at Tony and nods to him, "I look forward to continuing to do business with you in the future. I wish you well with your supermodel and champagne tonight."

Soul Patch gives Tony a thumbs up.

Wild Rose has posed:
     Riana was no expert on languages, but it sounded suspiciously like Chinese. So, drugs, Chinese, and just what was Stark doing there anyways? Were the Avengers involved as a team? The twists and turns down that particular rabbit hole just grew more and more interesting. What she had just witnessed seemed utterly ludicrous on the surface.

     But Stark was, despite whatever other faults rumor might attribute to him, an incredibly cunning man. So for now, the fiery-haired martial artist kept to the shadows right where she was, cloaked in the night.

     Perhaps there was more to this than met the eye....

Iron Man has posed:
Look at that. A little bit of generosity, and Stark has already made some new friends. If they're not careful, he'll come up with codenames for all of them and make them fight crime.

That'll cut into their profits.

As he heads toward his car, Stark snaps his fingers again and the trunk closes itself with a satisfying 'CLUNK!'.

With one hand resting on the door, Stark starts to do the awkward near-crouching that is required to get into a Lamborghini, before suddenly pausing, and calling back at the heavily armed drug dealers.

"You might want to invest some of that in Stark-Fujikawa, by the way! We're about to start paying a dividend..."

Shortly thereafter, the car door slams, the engine revs up, and Tony pops the clutch, sending the vehicle screaming over the side of the building.

It doesn't seem to land with a crash, and the squealing of tires can be heard for an uncomfortably long time as he peals out into the night.

With Cyndi Lauper blasting out of the open windows.