The Last Equation

[HoneyDog]

Nik is regretting that they didn’t get an assassination order for this man. He eyes the beer Gossel is drinking.

“No need to be unfriendly, Doctor” he says. “You’ve performed a valuable service. We appreciate that. You have nothing to fear, we’re not going to abuse an asset such as yourself. Part of the reason we’re here is to assess your ability for more work, should you wish it.”

[Silver Priest]

It's a popular light beer. The man is scum.

Gossel's eyes narrow. "Do you listen to a word I say? I've made it abundantly clear I want nothing more to do with you people. I don't care how well your 'work' pays; I'm not having any more deaths on my conscience, especially of kids. And you needn't worry about me saying anything. L made it clear that if I value I and my wife's lives I'll practice discretion."

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm glad you understand that," says Vanessa. "As long as you do, you won't see either of us again after today. Tell me, what is your opinion of L? Professionally, as a psychiatrist, I mean."

[Silver Priest]

At this the doctor lights up, clearly more back in his element.

"He's undoubtedly a man who has ordered several deaths, and the chances are good he's killed himself. It does not seem to weigh heavily on him. He's either a sociopath or very good at shutting that part of himself off as he does his job. He's also very effective at manipulating people. He does his homework; he knew all about my gambling debts and knew exactly how to phrase things to make me believe he was doing me a favor. The first time he was all smiles, polite and professional.

His sandwich arrives, and he takes a bite before continuing. "The second meeting was different, of course. I told him I did not appreciate being misled into helping with an assassination. He made it very clear he did not care for my feelings. Then he placed pictures of my wife on my desk and recited her entire daily routine. He never mentioned why he had this information, but I'm not a fool. I knew very well what he was implying. He's also used to being intimidating, it's probably why he has that set of gold teeth in his mouth.

"Have either of you met him?" he asks. "My professional advice is you keep your time spent with him to a minimum. I strongly suspect he'd have no problem killing anyone who got in his way. And that includes those who work under him."

OOC:   Did either of your agents order anything?

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa ordered a coffee, which she sips before replying. "I've never met him myself," says Vanessa. "I've managed to avoid attracting his attention so far, and I intend to keep it that way. Has L been your only point of contact?"

[Silver Priest]

"You should keep it that way. And yes, aside from the emails he's the only one from Outlook I've met in person."

[HoneyDog]

Nik just sips water, thinking about how they could track down this L figure. This Outlook group must have an address.

[Silver Priest]

Nik's certain he can find out more. McRay had said Outlook was a think tank. So they surely had an address and list of clients they consulted with. Some digging should find out some more about the group.

"Jane! There you are!"

The agents turn their heads to find three figures approaching them. The lead figure is a man dressed in a very nicely pressed suit. He's African American, with movie star good looks and a wide smile on his face, and he's looking directly at Vanessa. It seems to be him who has spoken. The other two are an older man with a stocky build and a severe looking young woman. Neither of them are smiling, and both of them are a few steps back.

The first man grabs a seat and sits down at the table, leaving his companions to stand just behind him. "I'm so glad we caught up with you guys before you left. We have so much to discuss, after all!" He's still smiling.

A glance at the woman with him shows she's carrying a pistol in her pants pocket. She makes no effort to pull it out, but it seems as though she wanted to be sure the agents knew she had it.

"I hope we're not making lunch uncomfortable for all of you. None of us want to make things uncomfortable. That wouldn't be good for anyone."

Gossel looks puzzled. It's clear he has no idea who these people are either.

[HoneyDog]

“It looks like lunch is on you, then” Nik says to the sitting man calmly, although his adrenaline is beginning to kick in. “Maybe I will have a sandwich after all.”

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa smiles back at the man who addressed her. "Why would I be uncomfortable?" she says. "This is just a friendly chat." She mentally kicks herself for having not noticed these people who obviously followed them here.

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   Indeed, some unfortunate luck with the rolls there!

"I'm so glad you get it!" The man replies with an easy laugh. "Friendly chat, right. None of us want things to get unpleasant. Especially here."

To Nik he responds "I really recommend the pastrami on rye. This place is famous for them." The man and women flanking him take seats at the next table, and both face the agents as they eat.

"I'll get right down to business," the man says. "I regret to inform you that you have been misled, Dr. Gossel. These two are not with us."

The color drains out of Gossel's face. "You have to believe me, I didn't know! They came and acted like they were in on everything. I, I promise, I had no intention of divulging__"

"We know, Doc. We know. Don't worry, so long as you don't do anything foolish, you might make it out of this in one piece. Now shut up and eat your lunch. The adults are talking." He turns to face Nik and Vanessa.

"Let me be blunt. We know who you both are with. And you know who we are with. Moreover, you might even know who we are really with, if you catch my drift. Professional courtesy keeps us from gunning the both of you down. You people have your uses, and believe it or not, nobody wants a war.

"Of course, I can't just let you both walk out of here, not just yet. The people I work for want a meeting with you both, to set some things straight about all this. I would strongly encourage you to come. The alternative would be ruining the lunch of all these fine folks, and I don't think you want that."

[HoneyDog]

“What steps have you taken to set this straight?” Nik asks, looking directly at the speaker. “You’ve put into effect a chain of events and it looks like it’s beyond your control. Or did you plan it like this? I want to know what you're doing about it before I go anywhere with you.”

[Mr. Handy]

"I never actually said that we were with your group," Vanessa says. "The good doctor merely assumed we were, and I didn't correct his misconception. Of course, you must know all this already, seeing as you've been watching him -and listening to him. He didn't tell us much we didn't already know anyway." It's reasonable to assume that Outlook has planted a listening device in Gossel's office, considering what they already know.

[Silver Priest]

The man shrugs. "That's not my department. The very smart men upstairs are the ones who planned this all out. We're just the clean up crew. If it makes you feel any better, we've not been ordered to kill anyone yet, so I don't think they're particularly concerned about the situation at present. Generally more aggressive countermeasures are taken when they are..

"Clever," he admits to Vanessa. "You're good at this line of work. I'd offer you a job, but I don't have that authority. And yes, our orders were to watch the good doctor and see if anyone came for him. It's why we left him as a dangling bit of bait, just waiting to see what little fishies he could attract. So you see, it really does not matter what he gave you. The purpose of all of this was to bring a few of your men out of the woodwork.

"So finish your meal and come with us. I can again promise you, so long as you cooperate you won't be killed. You may even get a few answers to your questions, and the opportunity to make your bosses very happy."

ooc,You can roll HUMINT on the smiling man to see if he's telling the truth. Also, don't feel like you need to go with him. I'm prepared for this to go violent if it does. But it is reasonable to assume all three are armed, and it does carry risk.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thanks, I'm glad we understand each other," says Vanessa. "That's why we took the bait. It seemed the best way of meeting the fisherman."

OOC,HUMINT roll (54% skill) about the Outlook man: [dice]0[/dice]

[HoneyDog]

“Smart men!” Nik sneers. “How many people are dead due to your bullshit? Of course, you don't care, do you?”

He takes a good look at the man, trying to get a read on him. If necessary, Nik will kill him first.

HUMINT,HUMINT 72: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/693844]HUMINT[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]13[/b]

[Silver Priest]

"I'm not being paid to care." Smiley says. "But look, the folks behind all of this aren't doing it for fun. There's real important research being conducted here. I won't pretend it's always 100 percent ethical. But I firmly believe it's all in the name of national security. And my men and I are patriots."

Nik can see right though that. Smiley feels some shred of guilt over this; it's probably why he is so quick to justify his actions to them. But it's also highly unlikely either of them could get through to him. Money and the work they were doing seems to let him sleep soundly at night.

As for the rest of his words, Nik feels reasonably confident he's being honest when he says Outlook won't kill them. But whatever other plans they have for him and Vanessa, Nik can't get a good read on.

The doctor gets up. "I think it's best if I go__"

" Sit down, Dr. Gossel." Smiley says calmly, still not looking at the man. "Your debriefing is not finished yet."

He slinks back in his seat, and morosely picks at his half eaten sandwich.

[HoneyDog]

Nik sighs.

“Alright then.” He looks at Vanessa. “If you want to go, we’ll go.”

He looks back at the man.

“But we don’t give up our weapons, so don’t bother asking. I hope you can understand that.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, we should go," says Vanessa to Nik.

[Silver Priest]

"That's fine," Smiley says. "I trust both of you are smart enough not to start a firefight in public."

Once the agents have finished eating, the group gets up. Smiley throws a few twenties down on the table to cover the bill, and motions for the three hostages to walk in front of him. "No sudden movements, and no tricks." The woman and man with him flank the group on the left and right,and the group begins to make its way out of the still crowded cafe.

They are marched to a nearby parking garage,about half filled. A wide black sedan awaits them there. The windows are tinted and reveal nothing on the interior, and they might very well be bullet proof. There's no one near them at present; the only one in sight is a lone parking garage attendant who is situated in a booth and presently reading the morning paper at the other end of the lot. He seems to be paying no attention to the group.

"Just a few more steps. Nobody try and be John Rambo."

It occurs to the agents that if they want to make a break for it, this may be their last chance before they're inside the vehicle.

ooc,You're flanked by the three goons and near the sedan. Planning to continue to cooperate or going to try a last minute escape attempt?