CLOSED ♔ i'll tell you 'bout a secret i've been undermining

[superswank]

WHO || Sydney, Sylar, Drax, Frankie, Allison [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights investigate a biological weapons threat for the Ukrainians 
WHERE ||Antarctica
WHEN || April 10th [back dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

Not all international intrigue happens in presidential palaces, plush business offices, and smoky dives next to waterfronts.  Some happens in the coldest, dreariest parts of the world.

The Ukrainians expect the Knights to head for the Russian research station from the drop point, stop to disable both the helicopter and communications tower, then enter the compound. Once there, they are to find Prytyka and question him on camera, transmitting this conversation live via a satellite uplink with their contact, Kuchma.

They are currently been flown to the drop point 2 miles from Adelie 14, and Kuchma is on the plane with them, providing them all with arctic gear and final requests.  They have access to thermal undergarments, snowsuits, boots, parkas, snow goggles, gloves and mittens, as well as a portable satellite phone and video camera, and several AKSU-74 sub machine guns.

"Many firearms are unreliable in the extreme Antarctic weather, so you might wish to take one," Kuchma cautions. 

Comments

[risked]

[Allison watches, clearly not so sure what the deal is with that guy, but definitely not planning on ticking him off anytime soon.]

[superswank]

[ the plate sparks and spits beneath his touch... and then the light turns green and the door clicks open. syd throws him a little smile before she's back to all business, pushing the door open slowly and sticking her head into what looks like a storage area, mostly vials and other basic lab equipment. a single door leads out to the first lab. ]

[watchmaker]

I'm gonna guess that was the easy part.

[thetokenaussie]

Nah I'm sure it'll be all sunshine and rainbows from here on out. [Tone more dry than sarcastic. Frankie's default mode tbh.]

[superswank]

[ syd puts a finger to her lips, indicating they should go silent while they're trying to sneAK AROUND THE LABS MAYBE. she cautiously moves out into the room (move silently 27) which appears to be an environmental lab. there's no signs of anyone in here, just the hum of machinery. a door leads into another room marked 'storage' on the opposite side of the room, while to the right is a door into the main laboratory hallway. ]

[thetokenaussie]

[Yeah she'll zip it now and fall into step behind Syd with a Move Silently of 24, sweeping the area but possibly missing anything of interest; (Spot 15) as she tries to hear anything above the hum of machinery (Lis 14).]

[watchmaker]

[well his move silently was 16 so he's ... making some kind of effort, at least. with a spot 18 and a listen 15. he's trying ok. the struggle is real.]

[risked]

[Allison follows! (move silently 19, spot 18, listen 13)]

[superswank]

[ sylar and allison notice a clipboard hanging by the door that says "Room assignments log", which lists all personnel, with their room assignments, next to the intercom. syd checks out the door and gestures to indicate that the hallway is clear. ]

[watchmaker]

[what if sylar .. gently took the clipboard for later as they pass by it ... as in that's what he's doing.]

[risked]

[Allison saw that... but he's on their team and also he can electrocute things. She's not gonna argue his theft.]

[superswank]

[ syd goes to push open a door across the hall, glancing into what looks like another unlit lab, empty. she looks back at the others, shakes her head. no prytyka there.

there's another door marked lab here, two doors marked storage, and then at the end of the hall is another door marked 'biolab'. it's also possible to turn right while standing in front of that door and zigzag to continue further down this hall. ]

[spinerip]

[Drax's move silently is an unsurprising 8. Is he even trying? We just don't know. He's just way top clompy to actually be silent. He strides forward to push open the biolab door.]

[superswank]

[ welp. of all the rooms to lack subtlety on...

inside the biolab the lights are on, and three people are inside. this man, as well as a woman with double braids and beady brown eyes, and an elven male with white-blonde hair coiled tight in a ponytail, a tattoo resembling an eagle claw just below his right eye.

all three of them look up from their microscopes, etc. when drax pushes the door open, eyes widening in uncertain fear, as prytyka asks something in another language.

syd frowns slightly and responds in kind, raising her gun to point at him and give some sort of order. (intimidate 15) they all look suitably frightened, raising their hands and backing away a few steps, as she nods for everyone to move inside the lab so they can shut the door. ]

[watchmaker]

[sylar waves goodbye at them with a smile because he's a giant dickhead. and then starts looking around once they're gone? spot nat 20?!?!?!]

[risked]

[Allison gets into the lab and glances around (spot 25).]

[superswank]

[ i'm not sure there's all that much to see, sob. other than the fact that these people are all unarmed.

syd gestures to the others to get out the video camera, modem, and satellite phone they were given. someone will have to make a computer use DC 10 check to set them up properly. ] Do you speak English?

[ prytyka nods. "Yes, I do. What... what is this?" ]

[watchmaker]

[well sylar's computer use check was ... exactly 11. it's not much harder than setting up the bluray player in lila's room, ok. so he's doing that in the bg.]

[risked]

[Allison will just keep an eye on the interrogation/questioning of the guy they were there to find.]

[superswank]

[ syd looks back at the others, ignoring his question for a moment to tell them something that seems to be troubling her. ]

That wasn't Russian he was speaking. That was Ukrainian.

[ the scientist looks even more confused. "That is because I am Ukrainian. I don't understand. What do you want from us?" syd frowns deeply, turning back to him as sylar gets the camera on. ]

Identify yourself, please. [ she nods at the camera.

he swallows, but looks into the lens. "Vi-- Vitaliy Prytyka." ]

Tell us about the work you've been doing here, Mr. Prytyka.

[ he blinks rapidly, confused again. "This-- this is a research facility. An environmental research facility." ]

[watchmaker]

[sylar squints like WELL ... he could be lying. that could be a thing. it's not like he's going to come out all like YEP I'M ACTUALLY SECRETLY DOING BIOWEAPON RESEARCH LOL.]

Is that all it is?

[risked]

[Allison moves to watch him.]

What about the drilling? What research is that part of?

[superswank]

[ he squirms uncomfortably, but then sighs, and looks nervously at the camera lens, then back at them. "There's a... secondary purpose to the lab. In addition to our research, we routinely conduct mineral surveys of the area. The studies have been covert, but they recently bore fruit." he looks down again, and then admits: "We struck oil. Lots of it. Beneath the ice."

syd's eyebrows climb up, as this clearly wasn't... where she thought that would go. she looks at the others like ???? before asking: ] Why was this kept secret, exactly?

[ he scoffs. "The mineral exploitation of Antarctica has been banned by treaty since 1961, that's why. The ban's been slowly losing international support over the last few years, growing weaker, but it still technically stands. A large-scale violation would create... controversy."

syd's lips press together, the situation making her increasingly uncomfortable. without looking away from prytyka, she says: ] Someone get Kuchma on the line.

[spinerip]

Ah. That was why we found oil. [Drax glances over at Allison with a firm nod, then looks back at Prytyka..] You should search for more efficient forms of fuel. Oil is worthless on civilized planets.

[watchmaker]

[sylar will ... be the one to do get kuchman, then. since he did such a good job setting all this shit up.] Did you want him patched in or to chat?