3660/An Unpleasant Noising Drone

An Unpleasant Noising Drone
Date of Scene:	16 January 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	For every Old Man of the Mountain there is an Old Woman of the Marketplace who is just as deadly.
Cast of Characters:	Robin (Wayne), Stardust, Brick, 87

---

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     There would have been a request from Robin a couple of days later, to ask the members of their group to gather. Coordinates seemed to be from an abandoned toy factory in the Warehouse district of Gotham.

  Once known as a hideout for villains, this land was reclaimed by Batman following an altercation with its former tenant. Needless to say, The Caped Crusader has taken over the lease.

  All seems to be dark and quiet in the factory, it would be easy enough to get in, but the true secret of the facility was hidden from plain sight, obviously.

Stardust has posed:
There are two basic approaches to entering an abandoned building that's dark, suspicious, and as brooding as its caped owner. You can insinuate yourself in, bat-style. Become one with the darkness. Walk in the shadows, silent as the night. Or...

"HELLO-O! Anyone at home?" It's not that Stardust is incapabale of stealth, but when your costume is a two-tone mix of pale greys that often - as today - glows faintly in the darkness like moonlight, and you're going somewhere that's supposed to be a meeting place for the good guys, why bother? "Ew, what died in here? Where's the light switch? Anyone at home?"

Stardust did slip in through a window rather than coming in through the front door, but honestly? She's not being subtle, she just flew here and windows are nearer than doors when you're coming in from above.

Brick has posed:
Toy factory. Gotham. Those two words do not bode well for anyone, really. Bale Richard Marsten wanted to spend the night working on an experiment write-up, but he has to let the automation collect the data and do the initial prep instead. So he's ready to investigate Someone Else's Toys if necessary, having pulled on his "showing off" suit and, having pre-loaded his weapon slot in his left glove with the signal tracer/analyzer setup he finished earlier in the week, he BOOM!s in as quietly as possible to the coordinates given.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal, for once, chose to be the more discreet member of the group. Mostly due to the fact that this is Gotham, and he isn't quite entirely fond of the Bat due to their first and only encounter. He doesn't want to be spotted.

Which is why he enters the building through the most convenient, out-of-the-way entrance... be it broken skylight or window, and he does so while /invisible/ so as not to draw attention.

His ears twitch. After all, with Stardust hectoring like that somewhere in the factory, //someone// had to be stealthy...

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Soon, there is a wild roar of an engine. The garage door opens, and two beams of light are seen in the darkness. It's the Batmobile. Well, a secondary one, to be specific but nearly identical to the one Batman uses. It slowly rolls into the warehouse, and stops in front of two shipping containers inside.

  The blacked out glass doesn't reveal who is inside but soon the cowl opens, revealing Robin, sporting two casts on his forearms. "Sorry I'm late, the car was in autonomous mode." Damian seems rather calm at the moment. And out he hops, with a nod to Colette and Brick. "Vorpal." He says, approaching the container, a keypad opens and a couple of digits pressed.

  "Robin." He calls out, and the doors open to a corridor. The batmobile is lowered from a gantry and an impressive batcomputer terminal is seen, along with a small armory with an array of bat gear, and a whole set of gear for the other members of the family.

Brick has posed:
**PING**

"Of course he'd mind. You told me not to do anything terrible, Maire Boit, you should follow your own advice."

"*ping ping*"

"Yeah I know. Me too," Brick says. Of course, Maire Boit is still performing a variety of scans that aren't yet part of human technology, but nothing that would damage the bat-gear, especially the computer terminal.

"We have a plan for tonight, Robin? I've figured out how to make the drone do its thing, without exploding it. You want to take a look?"

The information is of course on a near-field datachip. No need to plug it in. Gives its information as if it were a service on a high speed network.

Stardust has posed:
Stardust is all over the Batmobile, almost riding it down from the gantry. "Cool car," she comments as she steps up behind Robin. "Do you ever take it out without him knowing? No, wait. Dumb question. He'd know." She peers over Robin at the corridor, and rubbernecks at the terminal and armory. "Okay. I thought this was an abandoned building you just had as random hideout number 467. I was expecting a worn-out fridge in the corner with a few cans of soda in it, and a socket for recharging your phone.

"Sooo. Hi all. How's the hands, Robin? I didn't realize you'd done that much damage." She frowns slightly. "Probably in future a bit less punching would be wise, but I guess you needed it. Can I write something on your casts? It won't be rude, I promise. Well not too rude. So. What's up, what are we doing today?"

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"If anyone is going to write something in that cast, it's going to be /me/," the Cheshire cat says with pure delight as he appears. He looks a little cross at Damian "You and your infra-red mask thingamagies." Because that is how he assumes that the Boy Rage spotted him. He turns to wave at Stardust and says, in a passable impression of the Godfather, "Hey, Bambina, how's the mob business going?"

He falls into step, grinning at Brick.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "That's what I called you all here for. Despite...communication failing in some areas, it was a good take."

  "I figured we could home in on whatever is controlling it. Perhaps get a bead on our next strike. There's water in there, along with protein bars and such. Nothing too good but it keeps your energy up." True, this secondary cave was filled with all sorts of equipment, it was not meant for Batman or anyone else to operate out of long-term. Scans on the bat tech would show they are simple enough, but the computer wouldn't like being scanned too much. "This computer is linked with the rest of them, here we can access what we want."

  The moment his casts are brought up, Robin's brow furrows. "No one signs the casts. I have to wear these out in public. Last thing I need is 'Get well soon Robin, Vorpal' or the like on them. And NO designing them like repulsors. Iron Man sucks. Next time, Stardust...don't let me leave if you have something that important to tell me." Robin says with a sigh, turning on the batcomputer and logging on.

Stardust has posed:
"I'm soooo out of il cosa nostra, kitty cat." Stardust turns to the newly visible Vorpal and flashes him a sardonically arched eyebrow. "There's no future in it. Great dental plan, but the retirement options suck. Besides, do you know how hard it is to persuade a whole bunch of gang members that you are the big bad, while at the same time not killing everyone or letting them kill people? It's hard. That's how hard it is. You can only bluff for so long." She deepens her voice slightly, and intones "Through fear we will dominate. The dead do not fear." She doesn't have the voice-manipulating whatsit she was wearing as Darkstar, but somehow she manages to do a surprisingly reasonable imitation of the electronic cadences of that voice.

Stardust frowns slightly at Robin's 'communication failure' comments, and again at the 'don't let me leave'. She spends a few moments thinking of a witty retort, but decides that's actually probably not the best option, for once. Throwing her hands up, she says... "Sorry, Robin." She knows the word. "Look, you seemed busy... distracted. Especially when that thing came up with X-Face. I... I mean you seemed like the one person who'd actually know what to do, but I didn't want to give you more stress. You take way too much on our shoudlers already. And I was handling it. I just didn't realize you three were already on the same path. Which, by the way, you didn't tell me either. But... my mistake. I'm new, okay? Anyway. Water and energy bars? Is that the Bat way? No bat-pizza? Okay, let's track the whatsit. Did the weapons all get disposed of, by the way?"

Brick has posed:
Well, apparently Robin trusts that he got it right. Brick smiles to himself and makes whatever connections are necessary to allow the Bat-Computer to download and follow the datastream through his visor and gauntlets -- assuming that if there are systems that need passwords and such, either Robin will make them work at the right times, or Maire Boit will warn him that he needs to wait. The rest of it's a matter of following the steps.

The drone is inert in its little Faraday box, as it has been since Brick and Maire Boit managed to 'stun' it. They've used one of Star Labs' larger containment boxes to keep it isolated while they prepped it for this procedure. All that's needed there is for Robin to push the button, and Brick, Maire Boit and the Bat-Computer will each be able to view the bring-up process, trace its signals, and track down the thing that's controlling it. At least, to some degree.

"We're ready when you are, Bird-Boss."

Brick semi-unconsciously grabs a bottle of water and drains it dry. It's Earth-H2O with trace plasticizers and sterilants, delicious!

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Aw, I would've signed it from Tommy to Damian. But then again, nobody knows we're friends. That's why you should totally invite me to the mansion. I've never been in a mansion. I hear you have a butler. Do you also have a cook? A maid? Hey, we should do a murder mystery party at Wayne Manor... that would be..." his voice lowers and he says rather quietly, "Awesome."

Since he can't very well do much more than provide moral support while Brick and Damian trace, he turns to Stardust for her to support his rgument. "Wouldn't that be the coolest thing in the world?"

Ah, the question about the disposal of the weapon. He turns to look at Angry Bird, curious as to the nature of how he disposed of them after they were collected.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "Like I said, communication failures. It was directed at the group. I..." A moment before he turns back around to the group. Seems criticizing himself happened mostly in his head. "If all that went wrong was this:" He shows his hands. "then I consider it a success." He swivels back to the console. "Go for it, Brick." And with that, The three work in unison to start the trace.

  "Yeah and that's all Robin needs is a 'Damian' written into his cast." He quips to Vorpal before continuing. "If I invited you to the Manor, you'd have to arrive -inside- the Manor. Or show up camouflaged. It's not just my secret identity, it's everyone in the family's."

Stardust has posed:
Stardust nods along with Vorpal. Yeah, a trip to Wayne Manor? Who'd say no? Though not to everything. As Vorpal's comment continues, she looks startled and shakes her head. "Wait. A murder mystery party at Wayne Manor. Are you kidding? I mean I know the odds alway favor the house, but that's taking things a little too far. I'd kinda like to see the inside of that place though. Though you know Robin, arriving inside... with these two, I think you should specify. 'Cos Brick's methods may damage the windows."

Stardust wanders over to the console to watch Brick and Robin's signal tracing efforts. She doesn't really have much idea what's planned, but tech people do what tech people do. Doesn't mean you can't take an interest. And she DOES want to know the answers. "It would have been more of a success if there weren't any injuries, Damian. But we did get a LOT of stuff off the streets. And we got the main buying guy whatsit." Stardust knows all the underworld terminology.

  The systems start their trace, attempting to trigger a spoofed ping to the drone control servers. Assuming there's no kind of booby trap or cleverly disguised code in that thing that somehow escaped the notice of Maire Boite, it's just a matter of time before there's a ping return... which should be traceable, if it's directional enough. If not, a false signal can be sent from several transmitters and the return strength measured to triangulate. Not as accurate, but it should narrow things down to a searchable area.

Brick has posed:
*Ping!?* (Maire seems concerned about names flying around.)
"Nah, I'm ignoring it," Brick says to Maire Boit as he watches the signal route itself through a ludicrous number of cellular nodes, a few ham radio links (Ham radio, really?) and then to a more normal (though allegedly encrypted) route through an onion-service. The transient tags that Maire is inserting make it show up like a deep-sea octopus dayglowing at 1450 meters down. It's really impressive ... but really you'd have to be wearing the visor or watching it on the Bat-Screen to see it happening. And then, it stops. It waits ... beginning to pile up ... and then it's delivered, a good 3 minutes later, in a single swallow and it's almost lost ... until it shows up from a completely different angle as the tags expire and send their pingback and the hidden network that has an unauthorized tap or five is now revealing... and there's a location. Still only virtual, but ... there are spy sattelites and NSA and KGB and even SHIELD and Lexcorp systems that are watching for certain kinds of activity, and they're all ... mutually assured friendly.

The message is delivered to a location that's ... not necessarily inside the borders of the United States. And it sends back a message. And Maire Boit catches it seven minutes later before it can make the drone detonate.

The drone goes back into its Faraday Box and back into stasis, and Brick sends it with a WHOOMPF to his own secret lab.

"That's a self-destruct signal. We found the control site, I believe," Brick says. "And it's not ... local."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Oh, come on Damian, you act as if I had been born yesterday. I /do/ have a secret identity, and the fact that I was able to keep it up while dating Gar in one identity and working for him in another is a testament to my playacting ability. I'd come in through the gates looking like a human, of course. I could make myself look like Draco Malfoy. You know, look so rich that people assume I blow my nose with Benjamins?"

He grins and leans over, peering at the screen while his team-mates do the wrk.

"Not local as in... at least the same hemisphere? Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me all about it."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Robin continues to work his magic along with Brick. "Bingo, we have coordinates. Now cross reference with the database..." Robin takes a moment to swivel around and look directly at Tommy. "And who was the one who saw behind your feigning playing at Georgie Goodspeed?"

Stardust has posed:
The security is good. Maybe not the best, but good. Someone took real effort to disguise the signal source under multiple hidden layers. For people familiar with the techniques; the methods used by the US letter agencies, the tricky French adaptive cyphers, GCHQ and MOSSAD deep code tricks, the North Korean, Chinese or Russian fingerprints... it's interestingly unfamiliar. Not something wholly new by any means, but a different enough.

Turkish, apparently. Istanbul.

Stardust waits impatiently for the computer systems to do their thing. Tempted to jab buttons to try to speed things up, she has to hold herself back a little and after the first few minutes wanders off impatiently to explore the factory. She's brought back by Robin's bingo. "Got it? Let's go pay a visit. I'm ready."

Brick has posed:
"Constantinople Trading Unlimited," Brick says, sending a satellite image to the Bat-Computer. It's at an absurd angle, but then there are some additional images. "And, we can't legally go there, at least not without paperwork."

The image shows a building in the middle of a bunch of other buildings, many many of them looking decrepit, others being absurdly newly refurbished, as gentrification lives everywhere.

"Hand me three of those food-units, please, V?"

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal reaches for one of the bars and tosses it to Brick, "Careful, too many and you won't be able to fit in that bodypaint you call a suit. And as for you, mister wise-guy," Vorpal leans in to look back at Damian, "You caught me playing at someone else. I'm the best me there is."

He looks for a good place to lean against, and crosses his arms. "So, do we go there now, or do we need to get the correct paperwork? We can Boom Tube or Rabbit Hole there and back before anyone knows we've been there... but if somebody decides to rat us out, it could end up creating an international incident."

And then he smirks. "Well, you lot could. I can always go with the defense that I'm from Wonderland. And they are more than welcome to present their grievances to the Queen of Hearts." The grin widens.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Robin watches the display show up, Constantinople trading. "Anyone else know Turkish?" He asks, looking around. "Or Arabic?" Again, looking around. "Fuck paperwork. We can get there. Could make up a reason for a foundation meeting in Istanbul." Seems Damian is quite eager to see this to an end. Damian quickly retorts to Tommy, in Tommy's own voice. "I bet I could be a better you."

  "There's got to be a way we can bust these guys, us busting them and not SHIELD or the JLA." Damian puts his hand to his chin, giving it a think.

Stardust has posed:
"Paperwork? I'll tell 'em I left mine in my other pants. Let's go." Stardust looks from face to face. "C'mon. We're even having this discussion? I mean they are sure to have like... traced the trace, or whatever. And will be scramming the hell out of there AS WE DISCUSS THIS. Two of us can teleport. One of us can go invisible. Two of us are bulletproof. One of us speaks Turkish, apparently." She raises her eyebrow slightly at Damien. "So...."

"Besides..." Colette narrows her eyes, nibbles her lower lip. "Besides. We essentially got an invite from the voice. Also... I'm bored. Now are we going or not?"

Brick has posed:
"Mf." Brick is eating things that are inherently dry and anti-communicational.

*PINGPING* Maire Boit does not speak humanese, though if you listen long enough you might be able to hear words of a sort behind her pings.

Brick taps on his gauntlet and the Bat-Computer screen says, "I need to prep. We can leave in less than an hour."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Oh, you are so ON, Tiny Ragebat!" Vorpal smirks and crosses his arms, taking up Damian's dare. "I'll take your bluff. In the extremely rare case that I ever have a boyfriend again - and that's looking as likely as cold fusion turning out to be a /thing/- then you will get to go on a date with him. Manage to fool him into thinking you're me and I'll recognize you as the supreme spy forever. If you don't..."

He pauses, and then gets a rather evil look on his face. "I get to take the Batmobile out for a spin!"

He pushes away from the chair and nods, "Alright, I'll go get us some proper food from Bisetti's, something light and on the go- Stardust, you will LOVE their Tiramisu- because we can't leave on an empty stomach. Will be back in fifteen minutes and then we'll be ready when Brickman is ready, ciao!"

Brick has posed:
ONE HOUR LATER

Brick returned to the warehouse after 42.4 minutes, with a number of questionable objects strapped to his wrists and legs, at least one of which looks like that pain-stick thing from an earlier adventure, but in different colors. His gravity skates have different looking wheels as well. And, he's got a bucket-sized drink bottle that he's just finishing off.

"*aaaugh* OK, I'm ready to take us there."
*PING* (and that sounds slightly snarkly.)

Stardust has posed:
People are so /slow/! Stardust was ready to go an hour ago. Watching computer screens scrolling all kinds of decryption algorythms isn't fun. Visiting foreign countries, exploring their culture and breaking things is. While everyone else was getting ready, Stardust was sitting around outside, drinking a coffee and playing with her phone. At first inside a coffee shop, then on a bench, then on a wall, then roof. People get so damn /curious/ when you hang around in public in a superheroing outfit.

When her 50 minute alarm goes, Stardust finishes writing a sarcastic comment to one of the various social media sites she frequents, swigs down the last of the coffee, and steps off the roof. She starts flying at the last moment, to avoid broken sidewalk, and slips back into the toy factor. "Okay! Time to go!" she announces loudly. "They'll probably have hidden all the evidence by now, but I've always wanted to see the Hagia Sophia anyway."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian had been ready, readying a PEPS gun from the arsenal, and some extra birdarangs. Any weapon he can grasp without striking his hands and risking more damage to his hands. "Let's get this shit on the road, then." He holds the launcher in his hand, and gets a feel for it. "Ahh the Hagia, good memories." He leaves it there for now.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal appears out of thin air, munching on what looks like a breadstick. Had he been here all this time? Has he just gotten in?

"Well my bags are packed, I'm ready to go!"

He walks up to Brick and Colette, tossing the bread aside. There is a coil of rope wrapped around his chest, like a bandoleer.

"There's going to be no time for sight-seeing. After all, Robin's a great detective, he'll have us hot on the trail even if they have hidden. Right, Robter Dobster?"

Brick has posed:
"Where do you want us to appear, Mr. Boss Leader Man?"

Brick is not a tactician, though he plays one on occasional second Tuesday nights when the Sandbox group gets together, but that's not really anything like what is being done here and now and Brick does not want to use television as a guide for this smash-and-whatever-it-is mission. Which is a reminder to ask...

"Hey, what's the goals of this mission?"

*PING* (exasperated)

Stardust has posed:
"I'd suggest we go in as close to the transmitter or whatever it is as possible," Stardust suggests. "Saves walking. Bullet proof people first in case of traps. As for goals... we don't really know what's there, do we?" She gives a slight shrug of her shoulders. "So we wing it. No point over-planning something when you've got no idea what to expect. The voice seemed to be interested in talking to us, so I guess we go talk if there's someone to talk to, search for evidence if their isn't." She shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "And hit anything that looks like it needs hitting." She tilts her head thoughtfully. "Yeah. I figure that's about it. Solid enough plan."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
  Robin hops down to the rest of the group from the Arsenal. He acknowledges Colette's plan and nods. "I agree. We collect anything we can get hands on, especially intel."

  Robin lifts up his hood, and quickly runs through the modes on his mask before giving a thumbs up. "Good to go."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal nods to Brick, to do his thing. The cat is quiet as he focuses on his step, which is step two: the Rabbit hole for after the first arrival.

"Boom us up!" he says, giving the signal.

Brick has posed:
BOOOOM! The bottom falls out of the world and the sense of movement is a bit like the Millenium Falcon escaping an Imperial trap. There isn't nearly as much time to relax and play holo-chess though, as the other end of the hole in spacetime roars up around the group and spits them out 100 yards above the hills of Ormanlik Alan, then they fall into the twisting nightmare that is a Rabbit Hole. There is no truth to the rumor that the Rabbit Hole is lined with nik-naks, useful snacks, and other visually interesting things. It's lined with things you don't want to look at because you might remember them. And then, the rabbit hole dumps everyone out, with net velocity of less than a casual walk, inside a building. Is it the right building?

A muted *ping* says yes.

Stardust has posed:
"...Scotty," Stardust appends unnecessarily to Vorpal's comment. Closely followed by "Wheeeeeeeeeeee!" The method of travel - Boom Tube to Rabbit Hole - is an interesting combination of near instantaneous transit and the scenic route. The scenery may be a little strange and disturbing, but Stardust does not appear to be easily disturbed.

  It's clear on arrival that the building is not in the best of conditions. No high-tech villain's lair this, though there is an expensive looking piece of computer equipment sitting on a simple table in the middle of the otherwise-empty room, undoubtedly the control terminal for the drone. Or at least the one that was answering the pingback. It has been rather thoroughly torched. It was presumably at some point connected to various things such as an electricity outlet, network connections and more, but there is no sign of any such visible. There is however a small bell on the desk, of the type normally found on the front desk of a small hotel, and a hand written note resting up against it. The words on the note read, in English "Welcome to Istanbul. Ring bell when you arrive."

"It's a trap, right?" Stardust suggests. "It's gonna blow up the entire building when rung." She peers under the table to see if the bell is connected to anything, but it doesn't appear to be. "Or not. Unless it's on a sound trigger. Which it probably isn't 'cos I'm chatting away and nothing blew up. Do we ring it?"

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian's face as the group tunnels through the Boom Tube can only be described as ecstatic. This was what he loved, what being an assassin could not offer him.

  Once the group gets there though...he clicks his tongue in disapproval. "What the fuck?! There's no way they could move their entire operation that fast." He contemplates, before approaching the bell, ringing it before anyone else can second guess.

Brick has posed:
*PING*

"Yeah, I agree, we clearly gave them too much time to set up this mindfuck. They may even have known before we picked up the drone. We're amazingly short on useful info, Boss Bird," Brick says a bit laconically.

Meanwhile, e'en as he speaks the weird bits of techno-fetishery on his outfit are being deployed as Maire Boit scans for traces of Apok-energies, the DNA of humans who have been here (for later cross-comparisons) and even looking for things Watching And Listening. Because there are most likely such things. Even thaumion flows are being mapped and measured, though Brick has no idea how to use them. (Maire Boit might.)

Stardust has posed:
"My guess Robin?" Stardust crosses her arms, leaving the bell to Robin's attentions, and leans against a rather run-down wall. "They were expecting us to track them down, right? I mean the voice said it would be a... test. So they set this up for us to track down. Aaaand we're on a wild goose chase. Let's hit the Hagia Sophia. "

Brick's scans show little of immediate interest. Nothing unearthly, at least, but there are recent DNA traces from a dozen different people. There even appear to be no bugs in the room. It's really electronically clean, though there are traces of digital systems close by. Apparently the hosts have chosen a low-tech approach though, because there is a reply to the bell.

"Hello," a male voice calls through the door. Oxford-accented British English, very well spoken. "I am going to open the door. Please do not be alarmed." The speaker could have a job on the BBC.

The door swings slowly open, and a head peers around. Dark haired, distinctly Turkish looking, despite the accent. Assured there is nothing heading through the door in the opposite direction imminently, the door swings a little wider, revealing the man dressed in a rather fine business suit. "Ah yes, it /is/ you. Excellent. You are expected. Please follow me. You are in no danger, I mean you no harm. And I suspect I could offer you no harm either." He smiles a little and stands back, giving everyone in the room a good view of him, hands held out so that it's clear he is holding nothing. "Into the next room, please. There is no reason for you to stand, it is rather better furnished than this room, and we have a screen set up for you to conference with the Sultan. She will be a few moments, so if there are any refreshments I can bring you, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Cool. Villains with room service," Stardust comments wryly.

"Oh no madam, you mistake us. We are not villains. Far from it. Come through. Irmah Sultan will explain everything. Please. This way."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Robin hadn't readied any weapons, nor jumped in surprise when the soft voiced gentleman made his presence known. Once he comes in and starts ushering the young heroes to an adjacent room, he would keep at the back of the pack, observing the surroundings while he remains covered from his draped cape. Whoever this sultan is, there would be some words.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Why is Yma Sumac offering us explanations?" Vorpal asks, clearly his knack with foreign names being as deft as ever. He follows, but he does not trust- an illusion of him follows about ten steps ahead, while his *invisible* self follows behind, at a distance, to cover everybody's rears. The situation is too tense for him to make a joke about 'tailing' Robin because bird, or remark upon Brick's rear. Right now, he is Srs Bsnss Cat, and he is watching out for his teamies.

Stardust has posed:
The softly-spoken man ushers the four into a slightly larger room than the first. It's well decorated with fine rugs on the walls, two large couches and a low table with a bowl of fruit and a teapot with four glasses stood by it. While obviously as run-down as the last, an effort has been made to polish it up for visitors. Facing the sofas, a large screen is mounted on the far wall. Currently it's showing the image of a desk with nobody sitting at it. However faint voices can be heard through the speakers, indicating that there's someone in the room being shown.

"That's Irmah Sultan," the softly-spoken man corrects Vorpal. "Yma Sumac died some two decades ago, alas. Wonderful voice. Or perhaps you were referring to Rhus Coriaria? A popular spice in these parts. If you have a taste for it, I can have some lahmacun prepared for you. It is the local equivalent of the pizza, I imagine you would like it.

Stardust plops herself down in one of the sofa, and lifts the lid on the teapot. Mint-scented steam rises from it. "Mint tea," she comments. She pours some out, then hands the glass to the softly-spoken man. "Drink," she orders. He raises an eyebrow, but takes a drink without complaint, then returns the glass to her.

"Delightful," he says. "I shall bring you a clean glass. The Sultan will be with you momentarily, please be seated." He steps back through the doorway - very nearly colliding with the invisible Vorpal on the way.

"So," Stardust asks after the softly-spoken man has left. "What's the plan here? Demand instant surrender on pain of pain? Give them a chance to talk? Wing it, still?"

Brick has posed:
There is always a huge spectrum of information available, but almost none of it is useful, or worth keeping, and Brick is experiencing this very issue as he has to shut down the majority of it rather than storing it. Even experimental molecular archival is not good for keeping this kind of thing.

"What? Surrender? Are you tripping the goofy? We find out what she wants to tell us."

What she wants to tell is of course a heavily controlled subset of the truth which may be actually not the truth at all. We'll see.

*ping ping*

"Yeah I know."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"No, thank you, I don't herb while on the job, and Pizza is an After The Job food." After that, Vorpal remains very quiet, letting his illusion appear to be observing things. He is the one observing things... and nearly colliding with people. He tiptoes around to make himself as unobtrusive as possible.

He is tempted by the mint tea, but he must remain invisible, the rear guard to the rear guard.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Robin continues to follow, opting to stand until the rest have been seated. Luckily his mask doesn't show exactly where his eyes are looking, or else he would have been seen studying the entire room, especially the sip of the mint tea. Good move there, prove that the refreshments aren't poisoned before anyone has the chance to object.

  Over subvocal comms, Damian remarks. "Play along for now. If we strong arm them it may only show our hand." Robin takes a seat, sitting upright, showing respect it seems. He reaches for the teapot, serving himself some in a manner seemingly practiced and relaxed.

Brick has posed:
It's proper etiquette to accept hospitality, especially in Mediterranean culture with Islamic influences, and the name Sultan indicates this is one such. There isn't bread, which is too bad, but ... tea, yes, Brick will take a swallow or two of the tea, from a proper tea cup. Maire would have told him if there were any questionable organic compounds or structures after all.

Stardust has posed:
Stardust, too, partakes of the tea. It's good tea. Poor Vorpal doesn't know what he's missing.

After a minute or two, a face leans into the image on the screen, and says "One moment please, Irmah Sultan will be right with you." A few moments later a figure is scene walking slowly and carefully to the desk, and seating herself. She looks old, but it's hard to determine how old. Her skin is darkly tanned and heavily wrinkled around the eyes, but those eyes glint brightly from the face, full of life.

"Ah, there you are," the woman says, flashing a friendly smile. Her English is perfect, and barely accented. "I am Irmah Rustem. I'm most glad to see the four of you were able to find us. I do apologize for the delay, but I was in a meeting and had to make my excuses. The CEO of Roketsan will consider me appallingly rude. Never mind, he needs our satellite guidance system, he will get over it. So please tell me, Vorpal. I understood you had left the Titans? Yet you seem to be with three Titans."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The illusion of the Cheshire cat frowns, crossing his arms. "You're asking a cat to justify where he goes and whom he goes with." he says as he walks around the room to sit down at one of the open chairs. His tone isn't curt or impolite, it is casual like that of someone pointing out the obvious, but he provides no answer beyond that. From a corner of the room, his invisible, real counterpart remains motionless.

Stardust has posed:
Irmah waves an arm, dismissing Vorpal's objection. "I wasn't asking for justification, I was curious as to the reason. An ex-member, with Stardust and Robin, Starfire's back-ups. Yet no Starfire. And Brick, but none of the others. You must admit, it's intriguing. Perhaps you do not trust the others for undercover operations, and brought the illusion-spinner in, instead?"

Brick has posed:
Brick smiles very slightly. He was never formally admitted to the Titans, though he did go through an initial application process. There may be a bit of a lag in the public perception. Maire Boit sends a few memory-triggers about Roketsan ... wait. Major missile company doing business throughout the area, also sells to some of the countries that used to be part of the USSR, and some that aren't.. why do they need anything from an external supplier for guidance systems? Satellite guidance? Brick takes another sip of mint and smiles blandly.

"Excellent tisane. Refreshing."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "Merhaba, Irmah Sultan." He offers, once the sultan makes her entrance on screen. Robin takes a long sip of the tea, refreshing it seems. "If I may interject. From the onset, this was not a Titans operation. In fact, the Titans, apart from the members in the room, are not aware of our actions."

Stardust has posed:
Irmah Rustum nods her head slightly, first to Brick, then to Robin, acknowledging their politeness. "So it would seem, Robin. I am curious as to why you chose to do this operation without the others." Her features sharpen a little, her lips curl up into a slight grin. "Are they not entirely trustworthy allies?"

  "Look lady." Stardust jabs a finger at the screen. "I think you misunderstand the situation. We're here to question you, not the other way around. Who the hell are you, why have you been buying up Apokowhatsit stuff, and hand it over." Stardust is definitely on Team Vorpal when it comes to diplomacy. Perhaps the two should leave it up to Damian and Brick.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The cat's eyebrows shoot up and he looks like he is about to say something-

And then, in his mind, the potential outcomes of each one of the things he has thought of saying flash through his mind. And then he says nothing.

When Colette pipes up, he points at her, as if to say 'That. What she just said.'

He needs to remember that, despite the seeming amicable surroundings, they have no guarantee that this won't turn pear-shaped if someone steps out of line.

Brick has posed:
Brick looks a bit abashed when Colette plays Bad Snoop to their Good Snoop. Probably too soon, probably nothing to do about it anyway.

"Ma'am, the Titans are a bit enthusiastically unsophisticated. They deal with easily identified crime and obvious four-color evil. We're trying to be more of a subtle, intelligent team, looking at potential problems which are in shades of gray."

*ping* *pingPING*

"Oh, sorry, I was just reminded. If you use Apoketek in any kind of satellite guidance system, you will ensure that in the event of an incursion by any, er, Outsiders familiar with them, that they'll be detected and possibly shot down. There are energy frequencies that they use that are not used by most other beings."

Stardust has posed:
"I am the owner and CEO of Kuvvet Holdings," Irmah Rustem replies to Stardust, her grins widening a little. "Since my dear husband died, at least. That's not the only thing I inherited from him though. I also inherited... a mission. For which I need the advanced Apokoliptian technology. To help correct an ancient imbalance. When you understand, I think you will approve. I'm on your side, dear."

  Irmah turns her head to Brick. "Oh we have our own guidance systems. That's not what we want the alien technology for. It's not the company that will be using it. As I said, correcting an imbalance. It has been a very, very long time since we could stand on equal footing with our ancient foe. It will be quite a surprise for them, because I'm quite sure the League of Assassins isn't even aware we still exist." Her grin widens a little more.

Kuvvet Holdings? You may have heard of them, if you take an interest in the inner workings of the Turkish economic boom of the last few years. Turkey's largest corporation, though it does virtually no business in its own name as a holding company. Its subsidiaries are regional leaders in defense, aerospace, electronics manufacturing, software engineering and automobiles. While it's no Lexcorp, Wayne or Sony, it's comfortably on the next tier down.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Luckily Damian had not been drinking at the moment when the League of Assassins is mentioned or else he may have done a spit take. "What would the League of Assassins want with you? Batman of course has had many confrontations with Ra's al Ghul himself in the past."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal tries not to look at Robin when the League of Assassins is mentioned. Suddenly, every sensor in his mind is giving out warning signals... what does this woman know?

"Bah, those are just fairy tales. Sure, there was a historical group of assassins, but that whole crap about secret societies and whatnot is just nonsense to fool the gullible. That Rash al Goo is just some poseur with a discount subscription to a costume shop and way too eager groupies. It's a Gotham thing. The Joker, the Penguin, everybody has a theme, and themed goons." He snorts and makes a dismissive wave, selling it quite convincingly.

Stardust has posed:
"Bravo, Vorpal," Irmah says, giving a small clap. "But if you know no better, believe me that I do. The enmity pre-dates Ra's al Ghul," Irmah says, her gaze turning to Robin. "My husband was a member of an ancient order called Temple-in-Byzantium. When the Knights Templar retreated from the Holy Land, they remained, in secret, in Byzantium. Constantinople. Istanbul. They are still here. Pope Clement's Vox in excelso had no weight here. Their mission was to watch, and to deal with, the remnants of the Order of Assassins. In time, both orders became... a joke. Old men, playing games of rivalry. Then Ra's al Ghul appeared on the scene, and the League was formed. The Order of the Temble-in-Byzantium faded into obscurity. That is until my husband made himself an extremely rich man."

Brick has posed:
*ping*

("thanks,") Brick subvocalizes. Having a record of this will be terribly useful.

Another cup of mint tea is probably a good thing. Interrupting is not, even though Brick wants to ask her if she has considered what happens if she is successful -- what will fill the power vacuum. Or whom. But... he can't. Not yet.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian had never been told of this history. But then again Ra's' version of history always started with his rise to power 700 years ago. "So you plan on igniting a war again between the two factions?"

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"And I might presume that putting himself in a position of antagonism with this 'League' placed him in the Ghoul's list of targets, then?" Vorpal says, steepling his fingers. "And the alien weapons... a way to ensure you wipe 'em out?"

Stardust has posed:
"Okay, so Knights Templar, League of Assassins and Dan Brown aside, Stardust asks, "What about the weapons? You gonna hand them over or what?"

Irmah shakes her head at Stardust. "No, we need them. But we will take very good care of them, do not worry." She turns to Vorpal. "It was a heart attack," she replies. "My husband was a great businessman, but not a general. I will do what he never got around to. Wipe them out? I doubt it. But slow them down, stop their plans? I do hope so." Her eyes find Robin, and seem to drill into him. "Yes, ibn al-xu'ffasch. A war, if that is what it will take to stop them from tearing down this world."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
r

"Gesundheit," Vorpal says as soon as the woman says the name to Robin.

This is the first time has heard that word, and to him it sounds like someone trying not to sneeze while talking, but not succeeding all the way.

Brick has posed:
*ping*

"She certainly does," Brick says quietly, putting down the teacup.

"Ma'am, I strongly advise you be extremely ..." He sends Vorpal a strange look "... extremely careful. They basically invented contract murder as an art-form, and react almost without thought in horribly effective ways."

And with that Brick decides that she'll NEED those weapons and possibly some other defenses once she gets started. Of course, he's going to follow up on her story somehow, to make sure she's not (a) lying and (b) not delusional, and (c) not trying to get into the murder business herself.

Stardust has posed:
Irmah raises an eyebrow, flashing Vorpal an amused glance, before she bows her head slightly in acknowledgement of Brick's warnings. "The risk, of course, is huge. Not so vast as the danger to all of us if the League wins. My people are very dedicated, and have some... interesting resources. And I am sickeningly wealthy. But you are right. We must be careful. And we must have allies. Which is why I am so pleased to have this opportunity to speak to the four of you. I feel you could become valuable allies. And I could offer to you valuable information and aid, in return."

Irmah leans forwards in her seat, her face closing into the camera. Her expression becomes livelier, her voice conspiratorial, and her eyes flash."Oh... and I speak of the four of you, not the Titans. You are the ones who have impressed me. I can offer you a headquarters, equipment, expertise, training. Whatever it will take. I need people in America that I can trust. Yes, I had considered talking with the Batman... but I think I prefer the four of you. Not set in your ways as he is. Full of potential. A project worth backing, I think. IF you accord with my aims?"

Stardust has posed:
Stardust pours herself another cup of mint tea, and leans back, getting comfortable. "Cool," she says. "We'll take it under advisement. One question though. Do we get a regular delivery of those Turkish pizza things your flunkey mentioned? If so, no mustard or the deal's off."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     A moment of intense dread is afforded Robin as he places his cup on the table. Ibn al-Xu'ffasch, one of the many names afforded to Damian in his life. Literally translated to 'Son of the Bat'. But the name had been one he was called after he earned knowledge the true identity of his father from his mother. "Vorpal. She was talking to me. She called me the Son of the Bat." He's referred himself as Robin: Son of Batman ever since the mantle of Robin was passed to him. Though the true meaning of the name, in the real Arabic, was not something he was prepared for.

  Damian changes to Arabic for this part of the conversation. <"You must know, the League is already hobbling. Talia al Ghul is dead, and Ra's was, on our last intelligence, in seclusion after her death.">

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal goes very, very quiet. He is gladd that his illusion can look cool as a cucumber while his invisible self needs to reach back and grab his tail, which would have otherwise betrayed him had he been visible. He has managed to contro almost all of his body language wen trying to deceive- which he is doing a lot of these days- but his tail is the oen part of him that keeps turning traitor. He says nothing.

Stardust has posed:
<"And how old is R'as al-Ghul?> Irmah replies to Robin in the same language. <"I do not discount what the family is capable of. Any member of it. Nor should you. The Legion wax and wane in power over the centuries. They may be hobbling, but they are far from gone. Best to strike before they regain their strength, no?">

Leaning back again, Irmah returns to English. "I don't expect an instant answer. I am sure you wish to do some research, to find out if what I have said is really so. When you have found out that every word I have spoken is true, contact me. Tell me your decision." Her smile widens. "I am confident our future partnership will be most beneficial to all."

Brick has posed:
"I've somehow managed to offset the universe by imposing too much order on it," Brick says quietly, and Maire Boit says *PING* derisively.

"But how do you explain that I've been sent three elements of pure chaos in human-like form?"

*pingPING*

"No, that can't be it. I'm not a force of chaos at all."

He pauses and looks up at the screen, remembering his manners.

"We'll have to discuss your offer of course. I'm not opposed to helping you stay alive in any case."

Maire Boit begins calculations for a boom tube to return them home.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Yes. Definitely have to Pow-wow on this. Don't call us, we'll call you and all of that." The Cheshire hastily gets to his feet and will proceed to open the Rabbit Hole once he gets the sign. His invisible self aligns with his illusory self and the two become one.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
<"Understandable."> Robin answers before standing with the rest of the group. "We will let you know our decision. Rest assured our deliberations are our own, and no one else's." He bows slightly to the screen. "Ma'al salamah." He gives the go ahead to transport the group back to Gotham.