12023/Business at Hand

Business at Hand
Date of Scene:	18 August 2020
Location:	Lex Luthor's Office - LexCorp Tower
Synopsis:	Mercy gets a briefing from Lex on current situations that the Light and LexCorp both need to have resolved.
Cast of Characters:	Lex Luthor, Mercy Graves

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Lex Luthor has posed:
The Peacekeeper mess had been largely been resolved, but there were still issues to handle in that business. On top of that, Lex was already moving his attention to other projects.

Those projects, Mercy knew from experience, would come to her attention later; She usually got the ideas when they're fleshed out enough for practical implementation. When it came to brainstorming, Lex was practically on another planet as far as the rest of humanity was concerned.

To be fair to planet Earth, it wasn't far from the truth.

Nonetheless, this was one of those days where Mercy had been summoned up to his office for a 'discussion'. Something had happened outside of Lex's projected timeline, and adjustments needed to be made. It was not an uncommon occurrence. Lex was good, but he was not a prophet. Variables were introduced all the time to the intended projections.

Today, Lex was watching over Metropolis from the smart-glass window in the back of the floor. His black business suit was just laundered, and his hands were behind his back as he watched his domain passively. His head was tilted just enough that the light would have reflected off the back of his bald head if his head was shiny.

Mercy knew the position well as his 'thinking' pose. It also doubled as 'King overlooking his domain' for visitors, if he wanted to project a sense of intimidation.

Hope was, as usual, silently standing guard to one side of the massive main desk that served as the nerve center for LexCorp proper... and known to only a few, the Light.

Mercy Graves has posed:
Almost always at his side, Mercy had been away for just a handful of days handling a bit of business abroad. She had left just after the Peacekeeper mess finished, not wanting to leave him down a body guard until that was over, but didn't allow herself to be gone all that long. She took a red eye back last night, touched down just after 7 am, and has been catching up in Metropolis all day otherwise.

The summons wasn't question, just a simple echo of, "On my way, Mr. Luthor," and she was riding the elevator up to his office. Today, she's dressed for business in the city not necessarily at his side. If she's going to be with him, her preferred black suit with the short pencil skirt that gives her a full range of physical motion is her preference. But today she had a few other meetings and wasn't expecting a fight. So, she's in an ivory, double breasted suit dress with the most delicate, well matched black pinstripes cutting through the expensive fabric. The outfit is like a blazer has been stretched just a bit longer to cross over hips and to her mid thighs, but clearly has been fitted to her curves, especially with those neat pearl buttons hugging in two lines down the front, starting just below her breasts.

She crosses into the room but minutes after he's called, her high heels clicking neat and loud enough to make her presense known. She *can* slip in silently. She chooses not to in moments like this. "It seems I returned just in time, Mr. Luthor. What's on your mind?" She carries a datapad in her right hand but doesn't open it yet. All her attention is for nothing but him until she figures out the nature of this meeting.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Someone new was brought to my attention during the Stark Tower incident recently." Lex begins to brief her, "Stark kept an unstable AI in his tower and did the equivalent of playing with fire and got burned. During that incident, a young woman came to my attention. Her name is Berri Sundae, and I've been evaluating her for the organization."

Lex takes out a notepad from his business suit, and tosses it in Mercy's direction, "all the relevant details are in there. Normally, I would handle her recruitment in the usual way via remote, but she's a confirmed telepath just coming into her ability."

He glances to Mercy, "As such, she already knows I'm the pilot of the LexKnight. We need to discuss her approach."

Mercy Graves has posed:
The note pad is caught with neat alacrity, slightly bending at the knees to shift forward and grasp it before it hits the ground, but she's certainly not going to let it drop. The explanation of his recruitment of the woman gets a slightly confused look for just a heartbeat or two, not vocalizing a question as to why this is any different, but she is confused until he gets to the end of it. "Aaah. That is... Concerning."

She moves closer to him, flipping open the note pad as her pale eyes begin to scan down all the information about Ms. Sundae. A slight frown poises across her mouth, the expression a mix of concerned and, perhaps, a bit jealous, but she's generally adept at hiding it. Standing this close, she smells of her shower from just off the plane. Something faintly coconut to her hair and the expensive vanilla oil she wears at pulse points.

"If she knows already, then she either needs to be recruited and her ability to be trusted *confirmed*, or she needs to be dealt with quickly. That's not news we need getting out. Did she show any interest in being a part of the organization?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"From all indicators, she's not holding to traditional morality for her ability." Lex notes as he turns around, heading to the desk. He gestures to the center of the office/apartment with his right hand, before returning it. "Harmony, display the rooftop conversation with the subject. Audio enabled."

A muted version from Lex's perspective of the conversation with Berri in New York begins, "I *think* she can be a potential asset, but I want you to be the one who handles her, from now on."

Lex looks to Mercy, "I have no measure of her range or power, and for obvious reasons, we don't want her controlling the suit. If she controls you, we'll know her intentions, and I have a much better chance of rescuing you from her than the other way around."

Mercy Graves has posed:
"I'll have to brush up on my ASL, but that's a minor challenge compared to others." Mercy steps around the desk next to him, leaning one hip against the arm of his chair as she settles in to watch the exchange, her arms now folding thoughtfully across her chest. The frown on her perfectly burgundy painted lips is clear, not trusting the situation but not arguing it either.

"Unless we're certain we can absolutely trust her, what she knows about you and the suit is potential for a disaster. I'll recruit and handle her, but if there is a hint that she's going to threaten this organization, I want permission to make her disappear. I'd rather an asset, but I won't let a... liability like that threaten the work you've done." Mercy explains flatly, as the playback wraps up. She's still holding the notepad of information, but now her pale eyes turn to fully rest on his face, the expression on her face deadly calm but also completely serious.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Denied." Lex states without hesitation. "She's just getting into her powers, and is at the bottom rung. She has too much potential to be an asset for a bit of doubt to be her end. Even if she doesn't commit right away, she can still be manipulated into serving the Light, with her current resources. We have plenty of indirect means of control, if it comes to that."

He turns to Mercy, fully, an eyebrow raising, "the general public won't believe her, especially if I bring our resources to bear... and telepathy doesn't hold up in court."

Mercy Graves has posed:
As she is denied, a line of tension cuts through her body, the readying to argue with him, but she stops short the breath she was taking in to speak and just listens to him. Her expression is still closed off and a touch tense, line of dark lips uncertain about the whole matter, but she doesn't fight back. Mercy turns pale eyes to the frozen, last image on that screen, studying the young woman's entire demeanor now. Finally, she releases a low sigh.

"Understood. The clean up will be a pain but it's managable. Hopefully, it won't necessary. The fact she hasn't gone to the press yet is... Reassuring." She steps over to the side of his desk and sets down his note pad, opening up and resting her own data pad along side of it so she can transfer a few quick notes and the address of the young woman's hotel.

"I'll get in touch with her by tomorrow at the address she gave you, and with a traceable-by-us burner phone. The usual starting recruitment package, or do you want to sweeten the deal for her a bit more considering her personal... Assets?" Mercy watches him now, dark eyes studying every trace of emotion and line on his face. She's used to reading his body language as much as she does what he actually tells her.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Going for a massive financial boost right off the bat will make her think she can gouge me for more profit. She has a valuable talent, but she also needs to know her place if she wants to work her way into the big leagues." Lex notes, his Empire planning mentality in full display, "We offer her the standard mutant package, and offer her more as she proves her ability to work within long term rules."

He looks to the video, "Harmony, display Stark Tower , 45 degree angle, top down."

As the hologram flicks to the requested blueprint, Lex gestures to it, "It took her barely a couple minutes to find me, so we know for sure that she has the range enough for a good portion of Stark Tower. For now, we assume she has global range, and *hope* she only has Stark Tower coverage."

He looks back to Mercy, "I'll leave the details to you." Then, he looks back to Harmony again, "Harmony, bring up the Carver situation report."

The current status and timeline for Henry Carver pops up, "I'm going to be going to talk to Henry soon, now that the officials have an idea of what they're doing with him. I'm going to need you to bring his people under control. Babysitting the children during a mob war is not in our interests. We already have enough issues about that in New York."

Mercy Graves has posed:
As he pulls up the diagram, she looks over the tower but then back down, continuing to write quick notes in her datapad for the recruitment and possible gifts of Berri Sundae. She's not bothering to sit, but leanining over his desk like she naturally fits there. Whether she's doing it to show off the nice lines of her suit and the very tops of the cuban heeled thigh highs she wears, or it's just habit now to not bother sitting because she'll be back up in a moment, it's not clear. But the new fitting suit compliments her muscled frame quite well.

The Carver people get a sigh from her, most certainly not looking forward to a baby sitting job, but she gives a brief nod and opens another file of notes on her datapad. "Do we have numbers on them? If they are zealots like Carver, convincing them to see logic and the way of the world will be...Difficult. They might have other assets we could leverage for their loyalty but it's going to be a fight."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I don't know if they were in on Henry's plan or not. The project itself was only meant for terminal patients, and he was known to be dying for a while. It'll be your job to determine who can be swayed, and who needs to be given to the local PD for a lesson." Lex continues. "Carver was less a zealot and more a man whom saw an opportunity and took it. His plan was bold in it's audacity. He didn't introduce the error into the firmware until the military test."

Lex shrugs, his eyes remaining on her own as he speaks, for now. Whether or not he notices the subtle body language, he isn't commenting, "I don't imagine you'll have too much trouble getting them in line. It'll probably be a matter of backing the most obvious claim to their godfather."

Mercy Graves has posed:
A slight smile cuts across burgundy lips as she looks up from her data pad, meeting his handsome, serious gaze. "Considering I have yet to master the ability to be in two places at once, I'll need to tackle these one a a time. I take it order of priority is Ms. Sundae first, then the children? She's a larger liability at this moment, considering the knowledge she carries. All the technological assets are back under LexCorp control." While she trusts her instincts, it's clear she's still going to look to him for the final word. She always does. She's highly intelligent, but he's got the genius intellect and it's his company.

But the half smile on her lips is one of slight regret. If she could do both at once, for him, it's clear she would. She's not slept more than a handlful of hours, having dove straight into work coming off the plane, and it's clear she's not going to stop. If she's tired, it's only, barely visible at the edges of her eyes. Her back remains straight and ready to dive into more work.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Berri is the priority. The mob war hasn't gone hot yet, so it can be monitored for now. I have no doubt that they know it too, and aren't looking to make a serious mess unless they know they can get away with it. We have time there." Lex confirms for her, before he starts to move back to the smart window wall. "I don't expect there will be too much trouble from either assignment. Berry has all the markers of someone looking to advance and improve their quality of life."

There's a brief pause, before Lex looks at her from over his shoulder, "Before you go anywhere, get some sleep. You'll need to be on top of your game for Berri, and I don't want her thinking that I treat my employees terribly."

Mercy Graves has posed:
A last few notes are keyed into her datapad before she swipes it locked again, assignments in hand, she knows her jobs for the next few days. Even if it means being away from his side. Again. She turns to step away from his desk, preparing to leave, before he looks back over at her and gives an order she absolutely didn't expect. That makes her pause, a slight frown returning to her features.

"You've never treated me anything but excellently. As with all your employees. I'm on top of things right now, Lex. I promise. I slept on the plane a few hours. I'm fine... I'd rather get this done and be back at your side. I dislike when you only have one guard around." She gives him a slightly warmer, more reassuring smile, a glimmer of humor behind her pale eyes. "Besides, what is it they say? I'll sleep when I'm dead. There are far more pressing things to do now than sleep."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I trust you to know your limits." Lex confirms, looking back to the wall, and out over Metropolis again. "A lot of matters need attending to, and there are only so many hours in the day. Maybe one day we'll find reliable time travel."

Of course, this is Lex Luthor... if anyone could find a way to do it, it'd be him.

Mercy Graves has posed:
"Yes, Mr. Luthor. I'll get started on matters now." And with that, Mercy turns on the ball of her foot and the whisper light clicks of her high heels can be heard leaving the office. Maybe one day there would be time to talk. To relax. This was, as usual, not one of those days.