12007/A Potential Threat

A Potential Threat
Date of Scene:	16 August 2020
Location:	A New York rooftop
Synopsis:	Berri talks to Lex about potential work, and exchange contact information.
Cast of Characters:	Lex Luthor, Berri Sundae

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Lex Luthor has posed:
Exiting Stark Tower was well done, and Berri could easily tell from the stable flight that the man inside the warsuit knew what they were doing. He was flying over the rooftops of buildings in an effort to remain hidden from view, but his course was heading for one of the bigger buildings; one without any people on top of it.

Carrying Berri to the top of it, Lex put her down right in the center, and then adjusted himself to hover a few feet in front of her, above by a few feet. Without the AI swarm to worry about or the Iron Man suit, the LexKnight powered armor now hovered in front of Berri, in all it's technological -and imposing- glory.

He remains silent, but if Berrri was still scanning him, she could see him running though a hundred different scenarios all at once in his mind; the man was doing risk/reward assessment. He was a cunning strategist, and was weighing options on how to deal with her.

Outwardly, the only thing he said came out in a synthetic modulated voice. The same as the intercom, "Who are you, and how did you find me?"

Berri Sundae has posed:
Well, she hadn't screamed as she'd been carried 'up-up-and-away' by someone who was noticably -not- superman...but then, she hadn't made -any- sound at all. Berri was skilled at many things, her powers offered her many more edges than most...but flying wasn't one of them, so she wasn't really going to struggle or try and get free lest she plummet to an untimely demise before she could come up with some sort of plan. Then she was deposited on the rooftop, dropped downwards and landing neatly on the balls of her feet. The mark of a trained gymnast or acrobat, something he'd doubtlessly seen somewhere before among foes or conspiritors.

Dressed as she was, with those 'icecream' colors and her two-tone hair, the young woman looked...seemingly unbothered. A facade perhaps, but where most would likely be stammering or panicing in the face of that heavily armored interogator, the girl simply raises her parasol, opening it over one shoulder and tilting her head.

A blink, a tilt of her head, finally she lifts one gloved hand to her lips and then shakes her head. Perhaps he'd get it, perhaps not. But without her phone (now smashed) or her notepad...communicating was a little trickier if she didn't wish to reveal the telepathic card up her sleave.

Lex Luthor has posed:
A mental image of Berri's scan pops into Lex's head. He was clearly checking his memory to see if there was a health issue, and finding none, he slowly lowers himself onto the rooftop, landing in front of her. The armor remains motionless as he watches Berri, "I can tell you're perfectly healthy. You really want to play games with a person who can splatter you into red mist in moments?" Lex asked.

His presence was intimidating, and he was clearly conveying menace, but this was a test to him. He wanted to see if she was going to be stubborn about her refusal despite the stated consequences.

Berri Sundae has posed:
Facinating. She could see it after all, a 'impression' of herself as she'd been scanned, unnerving as it was. She could detect his thoughts, unguarded as the surface was, but digging deeper? That might give the game away. Besides, she'd never tried to dig, blast or otherwise control a brain plugged into a computer system before...it provoked uncharacteristic caution from the girl who let out a silent sigh, her parasol neatly twirled and closed with a -snap- to free up her hands before she lifted them. She wasn't deaf, that much was obvious, but the use of A.S.L. was two-pronged in its usefulness.

It hid her powers, and it could tell her if someone she was dealing with understood the handsigns that weren't always common knowledge.

<Unless you're name is Samuel Townsend and you skipped out on child support, you were not who I was there for.> A pause, she tilts her head, seemingly considering just how much more to share and if she was getting any reaction. <Your equipment there was...eye catching, Mr. Luthor.>

Lex Luthor has posed:
Berri can feel Lex call up a system, and suddenly a download of information from a satellite network is put into the warsuits memory; it's a public information compilation of Samuel Townsend.

Then, when she calls him Mr. Luthor, the information sorting in his mind stops, and he suddenly goes through a number of potential reasons how she would know... and also considering the possibility she's bluffing.

It's a matter of subdued public record that the armor is associated with LexCorp, but only a handful of people know that Lex is the pilot for this suit. One possibility comes to mind as the main plausible explanation, "Interesting. I didn't think I'd meet a telepath capable of building wide scanning today."

It was a statement, not a probe. Lex isn't sure, he's throwing it out there as a way to trick her into revealing herself.

Berri Sundae has posed:
The information on the name she'd dropped? It would bounce back rather quickly. A Stark employee with a divorce and several civil claims lodged against him. Seems true enough, and certainly if the girl had been there to bring harm to Luthor she'd come woefully under-prepared!

Sensing intent, reading the 'probe', for Berri it was a bit like playing poker with someone who had a mirror behind them...but it was a little more complex. She could lie, of course, perhaps even try and bend his mind...but a strong enough will would recognize and perhaps even repel her.

Another option then.

<Your reputation preceeds you,> she signs, those lips quirking into a smirk, <Especially among certain circles. I imagine I haven't made enough of a splash to reach your radar but...>

The signing stops, the girl reopens the parasol and rests it on her shoulder, a lazy twirl of the grip making it spin. There's a voice, sweet enough to match the young woman but not heard by the ears as she 'speaks' to his mind.

<<"I am Berri Sundae. I'm sure a man with your resources would have looked me up soon enough. But I have worked for...similarly creative and driven individuals.">>

Lex Luthor has posed:
Another uplink download later, and Lex watches her. Then, when she speaks to his mind, there's no 'shock' per say, but definitely a sense of caution at the confirmation. "I'm typically a busy man, but you seem..." A couple dozen words run through his mind as he tries to find something accurate to the description, "... to have potential. What's your interest in Samuel?"

Berri Sundae has posed:
There's a tilt of her head, a visible 'quirk' of a smile from the girl and she raises a hand, thumb and fingers rubbing together in a universal sign of payment, the you g telepath 'speaks' once more.

<<"Payment. I was hired to get some information from him. A girl has to eat after all...not all of us are multi-billionaires after all.>>

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I'm entirely self-made. I understand the value of hard work and dedication towards a better life." Lex affirmed.

He's a true rags to riches story. Absolutely none of his wealth is inherited, and it gives him an arrogance... a pride, that's almost always there.

At least he's not pretending he's not Lex in that armor.

"I always value talent, young woman. How would you like to be hired on retainer for my business interests?" Lex asks. That synthetic voice is still modulated to be unrecognizable, though.

Berri Sundae has posed:
A little nod, the woman idly twirls the parasol at her hand before she shrugs lightly. Certainly she'd come from similar, an orphan and street-kid, albeit one with the more obvious sign of a mutation given her hair and eyes. Of course, she'd certainly seen quite a lift in the quality of her life after her powers emerged. Moving from huddling in an alleyway to luxury suites paid for with ill-gotten gains showed some progress.

His question? It brings a shrug, but there's a smile remaining as she bows her head.

<<"I could certainly be interested...">>

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Good." His right gauntlet moves forward, placing a hand on Berri's shoulder, "We should discuss what you can do, then, and what you're willing to do." For the first time, Berri can feel Lex starting to organize his thought a bit. Now that he knows she can read his thoughts, he's actually trying to hide things from her on the surface.

Glancing off in the direction of Metropolis, Lex starts to walk that way. "What's your schedule look like for the next couple days?" Lex asks aloud.

Berri Sundae has posed:
Inevitable, but still a little annoying. Of course she expected him to react to the revelation of her being a telepath, but there was a certain satisfaction in being able to 'peek' uninterupted that she was now going to have to go without. She'd make do, but for the moment she had more direct questions to answer. Without her phone, she couldn't exactly just send up contact details, she'd need a new 'burner' to work with. Easily sourced, but it'd take a little more time.

<<"Once I have been paid for this...milk run, minus those naked clone horrors, I had intended to take a week or so to indulge and relax,">> even with her mental 'voice' there was audible amusement to her mirrored by the smirk on her lips. <<"I suppose that leaves me open and available Mr. Luthor.>>

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Stark is a fool who I'm amazed hasn't destroyed this city with his scatterbrained methodology. Those were droids, of a sort." Lex informs her, before he gestures for her to come over to him. "I have... business, to attend to in the city. I can contact your previous employer on your behalf, if you'd like. Or, I can get you a burner phone so you can do that yourself."

Berri gets a flash of him considering having that phone bugged... but he thinks better of it, knowing Berri would know to search for it.

"I can have my Limo brought around and have you picked up. We can discuss the details on the way to Metropolis, assuming you're interested."

Berri Sundae has posed:
If there was pause, consideration or caution, it didn't cross Berri's face. In fact, the woman seemed perhaps frustratingly good at the blank 'innocent' expression as she stared almost unnervingly. Eerie, but perhaps a deliberate action or a habbit born from her abilities removing a few necessary social cues.

A flash of an image, more impression than 'words', Luthor would simply -know- the address of the hotel she was staying in. Safer to share than a safehouse, and a little creative manipulation meant that she didn't really leave a paper trail for more mundane locating.

<<"Find me there. And if you wish a direct line to me, deliver the phone there. Otherwise, I wish you well with your business Mr. Luthor.>>

A bow, she begins to turn, headed for the much more mundane path down to the ground of taking the stairs and fishing for her lockpick. Much like many of her training, it was a matter of seconds before the door popped open and she smiled over her shoulders back at the armored titan.

<<"Many thanks for the lift.">>