8195/Peacekeepers: Doing some Housecleaning

Peacekeepers: Doing some Housecleaning
Date of Scene:	06 July 2019
Location:	LexCorp
Synopsis:	Film Freak is contracted once again for internal LexCorp affairs by Lex. This time for investigation into the Peacekeeper problem.
Cast of Characters:	Lex Luthor, Film Freak
Tinyplot:	Peacekeepers

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Lex Luthor has posed:
LexCorp has been silent for days now on the matter of the Peacekeeper project. Rogue cyborgs with frightening capabilities derived from LexCorp technology. A press conference would be 'forthcoming' according to him. So far, it hasn't. In fact, the only thing known about the Peacekeepers is most of them have disappeared.

A few days after the tragedy, Burt was contacted again by Lex. This time, for another internal LexCorp job. From everything Burt has been given -from contracts to NDAs- it had every indication of being an official contractor job for Burt, like the last time... and this time, he's been invited to the office of LexCorp Tower itself. Under disguise, anyway. Seems like doesn't want his company to know Burt is being hired. Again.

Lex awaits Burt Weston in his office, behind his desk, with Mercy and Hope flanking to either side looking for all the world like trained soldiers; mainly becuase they are. Burt has been invited with a Team Luthor security escort.

Film Freak has posed:
Film Freak drove through town as a professional transport courier, in Jason Statham's sharp style, his two-door Honda, black with a silver-chrome stripe along the lower end of the frame on either side, rolling through Metropolis. He had been in the character for hours, after going to the mirror in his apartment and bringing a razor to his hair, cutting off huge locks of his long black hair, until he was buzzed clean. He looked at himself in the mirror, now ready to become a soldier, and watched his cold blue eyes with dead lights swirling in the outer edges of his vision.

The car was parked in the garage at the base of the facility, and he locked it, before snapping his head and shifting into Burt Weston. He tilted his head down, running his hand over his buzz sadly as he morosely trundled with black rave boots through the early morning parking lot towards the elevators. After identifying himself, he was on his way to an elevator up to Lex Luthor's office, looking up at the numbers of the elevator's lighted panel with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

As soon as Burt Weston stepped into Lex's office, there was a snap, and he became Edison, a plastic smile spreading across his face as his eyes became a mirror in his head, all the fundaments of the office lighting up into Christmas cheer.

"Lex, nice to see you again," came Edison's voice as he strutted into the place, looking around with the security escort around him. After taking in the sights, he looks to Mercy and Hope, diminuitive but confident with all the serious candor. "I'm at your service, even got a haircut."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Have a seat, Mr. Weston." Lex commands casually as he sits at his desk, going over some electronic reports. Mercy, for her part, moves around the table and gestures to one of the seats... which she stands behind.

"I'm afraid I need to get right to the point. As per the contract and NDA you just signed, nothing we're about to say leaves this room." Lex leans forward onto his desk, his eyes going right for Burts as he steeples his fingers. Lex is /not/ in a good mood today, and it shows. "I have a problem with one of my projects. No doubt you've heard of the Peacekeepers going rogue. I have some leads on what happened, and I'm pursuing them... but I suspect I have a traitor in the subsidiary where the Peacekeepers were developed. I wish you to flush them out so I can have them charged."

He smiles. It's not a warm smile, "interested?"

Film Freak has posed:
"Please, sir, Edison," Edison says with a raise of his left hand, fingers pointed up and spread at a distance as he sits and crosses his left-leg, placing his grip on the ankle. "I'm in character."

"I can find your traitor, sure. If these are going to be official criminal proceedings, I won't be able to do anything wet. No loss of life, permanent trauma, or major felony that wouldn't be cleared with a grand jury motion."

"I'm interested. I can do this a number of ways. I can make your traitor move into a netline where you can make the grab, if you want him before you turn him over, I can force him to seek police protection, so you can trap him with a larger government agency, I can personally capture him and deposit him into your custody, or I can identify him for surveillance. Each one of those, escalates in difficulty, hence a higher cheque. As I am an official Arkham Asylum rapsheet, I cannot act as a police agent, I hope you are aware."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"There was major destruction of property at a military base for initial public testing with this. There's no way I can avoid giving the government the culprit without expending some major resources, and while I would be prepared to do that if it looked necessary, I'm not seeing any reason for it." Lex explains, "someone went /behind my back/ and assisted in turning LexCorp employees into their own personal weapons. That's a personal insult to /me/, Mr. Edison. Without even counting the trust in LexCorp that would be broken if I didn't pursue this to the fullest of my resources. The theft of millions of dollars worth of LexCorp equipment of the form of the Cyborg materials used in their construction would be a major crime in and of itself."

There's a hard glint to his eyes. "This requires a hard response, so people will have an example to point to in recent times when they say 'don't double cross Lex Luthor'." His expression hardens, "no... they're going to the government, after I have a word with them. For now, I want a list of potential suspects I can watch. I want to know how far this conspiracy extends. If we're looking at a lone wolf? All the better."

Film Freak has posed:
"Surveillance? That's the hardest one, but I can handle it. I'm going to need a briefing dossier in the facilities where the materials were located, as well as an identity indicating I'm involved in venture capital for the requisite industry. This is a pencil neck, a geek, that did this. They're going to want an extraction into money, a private project, maybe something to save the whales. So I'm going to need a carrot, and I put it above a slaughterhouse, and I see which cow is a rabbit and walks inside."

Edison pulls his ankle back a notch. "Now, my fee?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I'll be happy to pay you 10k as an up front fee, with 1000 by the day... with a bonus 5000 for every suspect you give me that has some credible links. I can have a surveillance satellite and various resources on any target you give me within an hour. I can have a Team Luthor squad on standby as backup if you need an extraction as well." Lex offers. "I see see my people talking to investors after seeing what the cyborgs are capable of... I'll have an appropriate false identity given to you by the end of the day."

Film Freak has posed:
"I'll need a holding company, a Nobel Prize compliant university in northern Europe as my backing credentials for the holding venture shares, and of course, I'll need a company memorandum that an lateral employment opportunity has arrived due to market losses in the subsidiary from the incident, to consolidate resources by moving employees to new projects. I'll compile a list of whomever bites that fits the right interest, given the briefing of the scientists potentially involved in the sabotage."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"The holding company will be a bit more work as I don't wouldn't want to make it obvious it'd just be a shell company... but I'll see what I can do." Lex notes... because he pauses and looks to Hope. "Bring me the testing incident footage from the vault." Hope nods, "Right away, Mr. Luthor." and walks off to the exit.

Meanwhile, Lex looks back to Burt, "I should have something for you by the end of the week for your request. I make no guarantees they'll bite." Lex frowns, "to be clear... it sounds like you're coming in as a venture capitalist to poach from the subsidiary. Correct?" There's no malice in his tone there, since it's fake.

Film Freak has posed:
"A way to recover losses after the incident, and regain your status in the press as compliant with the Nordic liberal model of business."

Edison smiles darkly. "You know, philanthropy."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Then I think we have a deal. Mona can give you a comm device you can use on the LexCorp network. It'll have a direct connection to Mercy." Lex presses a button on his desk, intercomming to Mona just outside. "Mona, the contractor has agreed to my proposal. Have the commlink ready when he leaves." Lex depresses the button, "Of course, Mr. Luthor." Comes a female voice in reply.

He looks back to Burt, "anything else?"

Film Freak has posed:
"Nothing else, sir."

Edison unclasps his hand on his ankle and uncrosses his legs, rising with a press off his straightening knees.

"You are always a wonderful man to do business with, Mr. Luthor. An interesting assignment is the role of a lifetime."

He turns about, snapping his head and sliding into Film Freak, back into the Transporter's delivery runner. He strolls out, tight and smooth and jelly-coiled, like a bound rope covered in napalm, a cobra of force and intensity.

Film Freak takes the commlink and scoops it into his pocket, before stepping out.

The cold blue eyes of the head shaven man alight on his reflection in the elevator's chrome sheen, a slim grin coming to his mouth as he feels the static charge of his demons coming out and swimming through his intestines.