13658/Digging Up The Past: Thank God For Stupid Bad Guys

Digging Up The Past: Thank God For Stupid Bad Guys
Date of Scene:	23 July 2021
Location:	Like Punisher's going to tell you...
Synopsis:	Let's compare notes
Cast of Characters:	Punisher, Phantasm (Drago), Winter Soldier
Tinyplot:	Digging Up The Past

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Punisher has posed:
Most people will never see the armory in their lives. This is by design, as letting people know of the existence of one of the biggest stockpiles of technology, weaponry, equipment and electronics on the planet is stupid, dumb, and idiotic. Not necessarily in that order.

It's also where Microchip comes to do high powered computer work. They've even done renovations to expand the 'armory' over the years in ways that don't disturb the surroundings.

It's like a heavily fortified military base, only far more automated. With machine gun turrets and an auto cannon in the middle, Microchips workstation in the central portion of the armory looks very much like a supercomputer network, with a wall of screens at the main desk.

Today, the Punisher is just getting through the main tunnel in, the alarms disabled briefly to allow him access by foot. "You said you had something for me?" Frank grates out in a half question as he takes off his trenchcoat and tosses it onto a table, heading to the weapons workbench to resume work on his M82 rifle; a 50 caliber anti tank sniper rifle with custom modifications to be able to accept anti-personnel rounds.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Within the house that could withstand armageddon, Microchip's location within is the same as it normally is when working here. All the monitors are on with various displays scrolling through on a few of them, providing glimpses of the magic the hactivist is capable of. The screen closest to him isn't displaying as much. The text is quite still. "Yeah. Statement of the obvious first. Xydias and Vasquez were idiots. Which worked in our favor."

With a shift of the mouse, one of the displays on an adjacent montior gets selected and drug over to yet another monitor. The screen he was looking at gets slung over there. Making it to where Frank can see it without Micro having to move from his seat.

"Being that they seem not far from getting phone calls from Stuck, I looked into their call history. And well. No matter how many precautions you take to hide something. If you're talking to an idiot, it doesn't matter."

He holds up a capped pen, using it as a pointer to indicate towards a series of garbled lines on the screen. "Took some doing but was able to piece together a bit of a timeline involving communication with burn phones. Over eighteen years. Likely more of this stuff out there. But there's enough here to build a picture."

Punisher has posed:
He pauses, and the Punisher looks over to Microchip, "Using burner phones is smart. I'm assuming somewhere along the line they were using unsecured stuff, though." Then, he gets back to working on doing barrel maintenance, the custom oil soaking a rod with a microfiber cloth that he starts to drag in and out of the barrel. "I've been racking my brain for a way to get the director without bringing half the DHS down on me and turning the city into a warzone as they manhunt."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Oh yes. Hence Xydias and Vasquez being termed idiots." Microchip replies back. "If it wasn't for them, It'd probably have taken longer to get what I already got pulled together."

The pen points over towards one of the lines, "And with enough information collected, and some relevant timelines to cross reference, you can figure out the code used. Meet up times, locations. Phone switch outs and other things."

Punisher has posed:
The barrel finished, Frank gets started on the trigger assembly, "Sounds good to me. I'd love to know what the fuck happened in that Condo, for one."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Funny you should mention that." Microchip comments, pen lowering to indicate the activities of 2028. "Well. More expected. Judging from the times of the meetings being called on, we struck a nerve with the Savio extraction."

Microchip pauses, looking to the next line. "And from the patterns in here, what information you got from Barnes," He pauses, "Whoever they're getting orders from put a hit out on Drago. The younger one."

The pen lowers to the next line as he reads through it. "Meeting after the condo incident. Communication that the attempt failed. The Int is probably short for Interrogate. DNK, Does not know. Sample taken..."

The pen shifts down once more, "And then hit called off."

Punisher has posed:
There's a long moment of silence, then... "They weren't there for me. They were there for the kid." Punisher finally manages. It's not a 'surprised' tone, but rather 'resigned'.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Microchip glances over to Punisher. "You do know that 'kid' is not that much younger than you, right?" Shaking his head, he looks back, scrolling up. "...Although he was one at the begining of this whole list. First meeting I found was dated for June 1st, 2010... two days before the murder."

Punisher has posed:
"Anyone who has not been out in the shit like I have is a kid to me, David. Those 'superheroes' are the worst." Frank informs Microchip as he starts to reassemble the sniper rifle. As he listens, he stops halfway through putting the barrel assembly back on, stops in thought, then... "Got the context for that?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Micro glances to the line, "Similar format as the others. Between the two burners." He points to the line under the 2010 entries 'MU0601-1300-TOTG-reGBreWS' "Meet up. June 1st, 1300. Looks to be regarding Groundbreaker, GB. And Regarding the son, WS. TOTG is the location. And based on the other location consistenly saying CPZOO. My money is on TOTG meaning Tavern on the Green."

Punisher has posed:
"Yeah, these assholes were extremely paranoid, but stupid. If you're gonna have a conspiracy, switch up the fucking code words. Even I know digital paper trails are a thing." Frank mutters. "For being higher ups in the government food chain, they sure are amateurs. How are these people in leadership positions?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Everything about this department screams cutting corners." Microchip agrees, looking over towards Frank, "Seems to me there needs to be some changes to the hierarchy. So we have their meeting locations, approximate times, very vague mentions of what's being discussed, possible hits And some convenient timings." He glances to Frank, "Seems like some questions are in order and the somewhat cooperative ones are Drago, Barnes, and Schwizer. Or could try for Stuck or Schmirler."

Punisher has posed:
"Is there ANYTHING in there that makes it worth keeping Stuck alive? Anything at all? You know I have no problems with killing government employees, but Stuck doesn't strike me as an idiot, just a zealot who got corrupt along the way." Frank starts to disassemble an M4 and clean it. "I don't trust any of those people at this point; their gravy train relies on keeping the shitshow running. Get Barnes on secure. We need an outsider and he's our best bet with his connection to the kid."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Well." Microchip considers, looking to the monitor. "I'd say it's worth it to keep him alive long enough to find out who the fourth person is at least."

Turning back to the monitor, He taps through a few keys, bringing up another window. A clattering of keys go by a few seconds before the fingers freeze, watching the display.

Off in the distance, Bucky gets a call from Aynor, South Carolina.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    If anyone were watching the contact of the phone call on a street map, they'd see the dot that is James Barnes moving at speed in New York. There's a brief moment before the call is answered, and then it's overlaid with a slight rustling sound, like wind blowing past a microphone that's just about being filtered out. "Charles Burgess, who is this?" The voice and accent are nothing like Bucky. So either someone has the wrong number, or James Buchanan Barnes is cautious about answering calls he doesn't expect.

Punisher has posed:
"Your accent is terrible." Frank grates out in reply. "Get somewhere safe. We need to talk." The telltale sound of a gun being cleaned can be heard on the other end of the line for James.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Micro's eyes roll up, flicking the display to another screen before bringing up the call logs. Reaching down to th a switch under the main monitor, he hits a button, causing for a few monitors to change to different displays of scrolling text, after doing a skim through the displays he switches the montiors back.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    For a brief moment, there is the sound of an engine roaring and then the squealing of tyres and the honking of horns. The mind can so easily conjure up the image of a motorbike suddenly accelerating and then swerving through traffic not just into another lane, but heading into a completely different direction.

    Said mind could just as easily imagine Bucky scanning his mirrors for even the slightest sign that he's being watched. "This had better be good. Talk."

Punisher has posed:
"Your show now, Micro." Frank tells his partner, "You have your head wrapped around all that already. I'd just be playing catchup." The barrel is audibly taken out of the assembly.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Micro nods, glancing over towards the screen. "Alright," Micro, sort of greets, "To avoid going over the same thing, Have you come across any interesting phone logs recently?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Plenty." is the almost immediate reply, among the cacophony of a motorbike swerving through traffic a few more times before the rush of wind past the microphone eases up. "But if you're calling me, you've probably finally figured out the codes between Stuck, Clayton, Vasquez and Xydias."

    Wait, what?

    "And tell Frank that he's going to fuck up the head space if he keeps popping that barrel out." Hmmm. Voice stress analysis would indicate that, right now, Bucky is smiling.

Punisher has posed:
Possibly mercifully, Frank doesn't rise to the bait. Instead, he just cleans the barrel. "Busy boy."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Micro glances back towards the screen, tapping the key to mute the mic for a moment. "Makes sense. Clayton was Stuck's handler."

The microphone taps back on. "Interesting. Where did you get confirmation on Clayton's involvement?"

There's a flash upon one of the screens turning Micro's attention over. Giving a flip of the switch he goes to another display and looks to a listing, There's some more typing before an icon appears in another folder. Clipping it open, he looks to a black and white video feed. "Security footage?"

Punisher has posed:
"Probably. He has more access than we do." Frank notes, matter of factly, swapping the barrel back in, "oh, and this is a custom job frame. Does SHIELD never tune up your gear?" Microchip will note he doesn't call JAMES kid. There's a healthy respect there Frank doesn't give to most people.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Human intel." is all that Bucky seems to want to say about that for now. There is a sudden 'whurf' which must have come from nearby, followed by the thump of something or someone dropping to the ground. Next there is a metallic sound, a sharp click.

    If it weren't too impossible to credit, it would sound almost exactly like someone clipping a leash to the collar of their dog.

    "Placed Clayton and Stuck together at the Tavern on the Green, 13:00, October 20th. You'll notice that's burner phone Alpha Juliet."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Microchip is looking to the date to the bottom of the screen. Not the 20th. Pulling up some photos of Stuck and Clayton he positions them next to the video display before speeding up the footage to around the noon mark. "Around the time of the condo attack." Micro supplies, "Alright. Not bad." His hand clicks quickly, pausing the footage. He zooms in a bit, glancing between the face and the photos.

He sits back, head tilting, "What about the third of that month?"

Punisher has posed:
"I swear, it's like children playing CIA." Frank mutters under his breath, just low enough that it comes off as static on the other end of the line. Just loud enough for David to hear.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Stuck, Tavern on the green. Unable to verify Clayton at that time, but it's the same phone, same place, same MO." The squeaking of a gate, and the happy panting of a large dog. Yup, that sounds like Bucky walking his dog alright.

    "For professionals they get pretty sloppy lately, but I doubt they got sloppy enough to let multiple people use the same burner phone."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Micro turns his head, giving Punisher a look before using his pen to once again act as a pointer, this time pointing to the image of a man in the footage. "How convenient for you that we called then."

Punisher has posed:
"Go ahead. Doesn't compromise our operations." Frank gives the go ahead and cooperate on intel.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "You had to call me eventually." Bucky retorts, with a smile that's audible. "I mean, Frank has killed every reliable witness that could have tied Stuck and Clayton to the four attempts on Nick's life, makes sense you'd eventually try to take someone alive."

    Pause.

    "And we are taking Stuck alive. There's a cell in Leavenworth with his name on it."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Micro nods, "Well. It happens that we got footage of Clayton tied to the meeting on the third." The mention of the attempt count causes for Micro to look back to the messages timeline. He tabs over to another screen looking through notes. And there's a lot. "The Morettis and the condo ... What was the fourth? You're grabbing at straws if you're using the convenience store robbery. That was just a flesh wound."

Punisher has posed:
"It was a murder that had a massive decades old conspiracy behind it. You should be thanking me for forcing them into the light. These idiots ruin more lives than they save with their bullshit." Frank retorts, unapologetically. "I have no problem with taking the man alive. We need the intel." A pistol starts to get disassembled.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Hard agree on the conspiracy. Except his mother wasn't the target for the first hit, Nick was. If Green hadn't been there, Moretti would have succeeded." It's an odd juxtaposition, hearing Bucky talk like that over the sounds of what is likely a city park.

    "That's one. Second was Moretti's son, Dennis. Third was the son's crew, subway, 2028. Fourth was the Condo. They made Moretti's son disappear, likely part of the foundations of one of their buildings. And Frank... I want them as bad as you, for different reasons."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The analyst looks over to Punisher as he justifies the removal of Moretti from existance. The guy had gotten away with murder for a long while. And honestly, the argument of targeting the kid over the mother doesn't reinforce the argument of allowing Moretti to live. Also he already stated Moretti in the plural. "Yes, saw the DC in the logs with his initials." Micro states, "Along with the WS."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Looked into the timeline yet? Beyond the murder, I mean. Overlay it with what Stuck and Clayton were doing at the time, every time they move into a new city, every time they set up a new network to catch terrorists, hey... they find themselves some terrorists." Bucky summarizes, and his voice is losing the joviality that's been with it so far.

    "Senior talks of getting out, Junior is the target of a hit. Triggerman fingers Belmonte, and just so happens to have information of a terrorist plot. Except nothing ties the triggerman to Belmonte except the confession he made to Stuck, and the project suddenly gets extended. They get to keep their kingpin in place, and expand the network somewhere else. Score."

    "Goes on like that, year after year. Just when they need results, they get results. More agents, more networks, more funding. Senior believes every word of it. Junior grows up with an aunt that's keeping an eye on him for Stuck, meaning Junior is the leverage to keep Senior in line. All the while they're recruiting poor bastards like Colby, who could have made a proper career in the military, instead of being brainwashed into being the puppet enforcers of some kind of black ops drug empire. Either Stuck and Clayton are using the op to finance another op, or they're skimming from the top. Wasting resources this country actually needs in the meantime and destroying the lives of impressionable veterans."

    "That's why I want them Frank."

Punisher has posed:
"I didn't need the timeline to want to end him. That's just icing on the cake, Barnes." Not kid, Barnes. Frank definitely has some respect for the man. "I've been planning a kidnap operation for weeks now on Stuck. With your access, that plan just got much easier."

Then, there's a pause, "Tell me about the aunt. What are we looking at?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Fiona Hannigan, mother's sister." Bucky begins, and there's the 'whurf' again, closer by, until there is a soft *whoosh* and there's a happy bark which recedes into the distance. "After the murder, Senior files for custody. So does the aunt, Whiskey Tango in the logs. Pretty sure that stands for watcher. Junior is Whiskey Sierra, wayward son. Normally in a case like that a court would rule for the father. Except this time it didn't, custody awarded to the aunt. After that, a petition to end all parental rights of Senior. After all, they needed to keep Junior separated from Senior, or he'd be lost as leverage. Few months before all that, our friend Stuck shows up in New York, fresh transfer, listed as a handler. Handling who or what, it doesn't say. Senior doesn't know either. But while Junior is busy growing up, Stuck hangs around. Every time the aunt puts in a complaint for harassment, Stuck tells Vasquez and Xydias to make it disappear. You tell me that's coincidence."

    A quick happy panting and a 'whurf', before another *whoosh* and receding happy barking.

    "Did she know? I doubt it. If there wasn't an aunt, want to bet they'd have found foster parents that just conveniently happened to be related to one of their planted agents? But Stuck watched them all the same, was so sloppy about it that Junior even remembers seeing him around. And the moment Junior is out from underneath auntie's roof, Stuck clears out."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Micro brings a hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. Eyes closing, he shakes his head slowly. "Oh yes. Aunt Fiona HANNIGAN. The sister of-" Annnnd there Barnes goes, killing the source of Micro's source of aggravation. It would have been a glorious response but the Winter Soldier certainly put a chill on the hot retort.

He shakes his head, hitting anoter switch to flash the display a different way, glancing over to it. He holds down a key, selecting one window then selects another before keying a few more strokes. Giving some nods as Bucky goes through his theories. That's all this can be.

He skims through some notes.

Punisher has posed:
"Get her logs and bank records when you can, Microchip. Just to rule her out." Frank gives in a serious tone. "This shitshow is already a mess as it is, but if we don't clean up the mess completely, we're just inviting more crap to pop up."

The sound of a pistol being loaded and cocked is heard, "We should meet up to go over operational planning. I have a burnable safehouse north side Manhatten. Are you available?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Twenty minutes, send me details." is the response. Since when did the Winter Soldier need twenty minutes to prepare for a meeting? Perhaps the whistle and happy barking has something to do with it... he's not going to risk getting Lilly anywhere near Frank.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Already on it." Micro responds, "-Been on it..." flicking through a few more switches for the displays to switch twice over. "Her financials were on par for someone of her income level. There was a bit of money from the life insurance policy of the sister but that got shoved into a money market account for the younger Drago and that has been churning away for the past nineteen years untouched." He pauses, "Nothing of note in the phone logs beyond what we already knew."
There's anoter press of the buttons and Micro's typing away again, queuing up the information for the safehouse.

Punisher has posed:
"Microchip will send you the details. I need to prep the van." Frank replies, the sound of metal on metal and other stuff happening. "I'll see you there."