metropolis ♔ has it gone for good? or is it coming back around?

[wynn]

Fireside - Arctic Monkeys

WHO || Oliver, Felicity S., Emma F., Bo, Brantley, Lex Luthor
WHAT || The Knights investigate a connection between Luthorcorp and Sarandis' experiments on Andres
WHERE || Metropolis Kansas
WHEN || April 23rd, 2015
HOW || Actionspam

Metropolis is a bustling city even during these cold winter months, but they have no trouble finding the Luthorcorp building - because it literally towers over the skyline, dwarfing the Daily Planet nearby. It's still daytime when they arrive, working hours, and employees in well tailored suits hustle in and out towards elevator banks, past the front desk.

Comments

[villainous]

Tell you what.

[ He steps away from his desk and moves to a filing cabinet. Once he pulls open the drawer, he begins to thumb through manila folders as he speaks. ]

Don't take my word for it. [ He pulls a file out, flipping it open to take a cursory glance. Seeming satisfied with what he reads, he closes the file and steps over to Felicity, handing the file over. ] If there's anything unsightly going on with the research methods used by Total Logistics Control, I'd like to know about it. My team did a thorough sweep of their operations, but if you have reason to believe there's something we may have missed ... I encourage you to prove me wrong.

[ He points to the file. ] You can start with that. You're more than welcome to conduct your own investigation of the facilities to put your minds at ease. The labs are outside the city, a little place called Arcadia. My security team can get you directions.

[ The genial smile persists as he gestures towards Bo, inviting, ] If you can find something my market analysts couldn't, I may have to try stealing you away from the Karthur Institute.

[fistpump]

[Felicity takes the file from him and gives it a cursory glance. She nods at his allowance to go check his files.

She'll ... just wait for Emma to decide if they're going to go with this plan or if they'll be splitting up or not.]

[succubestie]

[Bo turns to look back up at Emma.]

Should some of us check these labs while Felicity scans the files?

[Though someone will need to stay here with her, too.]

[fistpump]

[Felicity raises her hand, because clearly... she is in elementary school. She drops her hand quickly.]

If the labs have archives on site, I'd probably prefer to check those myself. [That way Mr. Luthor had phrased it with her 'starting with the single hard copy' part had her thinking the rest of it would be on a computer. Where she can actually look for hidden things. With hard copy all she can do is check for that wite-out tape.]

1/2

[villainous]

Felicity's right.

[ Lex picks up her name easily, gesturing casually to the folder he's handed over. ]

That hard copy is all you'll find in this building—the merge hasn't been finalized yet, so their internal records haven't been synched with our database yet. But you should be able to access the secure servers on-site if you head down to Total Logistics Control's lab. [ His smile is turned on Felicity, accompanied by a nod of appreciation for her fastidiousness. ]

[telepathy]

Excellent.

[ Emma's eyes lock on his for a long moment, a piercing quality to their blue depths as she scrutinizes him. An inscrutable second later, she blinks and eases up. ]

Do call ahead and let them know to expect us. And of course, we'll inform you of any inconsistencies in our findings. I'd hate to think you've been bamboozled by bigots.

[succubestie]

[Bo's hands move to press into the arm rests of the chair as she pushes to stand.]

Let's get moving then, shall we?

[fistpump]

[Felicity nods and holds onto the paperwork that she'd been given. She can read it on the way, if nothing else. It'll also help to corroborate the two sides of records.]

[villainous]

Please do let me know what you find.

[ With a final genial smile, he gestures to the door, inviting them to see themselves out. Emma turns to the others, catching each of their gazes individually before crossing to the door. ]

[succubestie]

I'm sure we will.

[With a smile before she follows Emma to the door.]

[telepathy]

[ Emma is particularly cold and quiet as they exit, breezing past Luthor's assistant with no commentary, heading for the elevator and waiting inside it for the rest of them. She makes no comments, and actually looks short with anyone who does speak up. ]

[fixyourproblem]

[Brantley quietly follows as they make their exit. He gives the assistant a quick nod and a genial smile. A small gesture but nice enough, it might help them with future encounter. Looking at Emma, Brantley stays silent, avoiding potential glares and snaps.]

[theterminator]

[Oliver has kept pretty silent thus far, and he isn't planning to change that up until he feels it's necessary.

He does make sure to position himself near Felicity in the elevator, in case she wants to look over any of the files on the ride down.]

[fistpump]

[She glances through them (gather info 24) trying to figure out what it is she's looking at. At least that way she'll know where Lex is expecting them to start their search.]

[telepathy]

[ The files contain transaction records. Shipping manifests, purchase orders, and the like for lab equipment. The equipment purchased and the employees contracted all seem to suit a pharmaceutical and technological research lab; it's up and up, according to the hard copies. Precisely what one would expect, with no financial inconsistencies whatsoever. Almost too clean. ]

[fistpump]

[She's fairly familiar with what it takes to make something look like it's on the up and up. It takes a careful amount of precision to fake something that looks so official. She definitely has her doubts about its validity.]

[telepathy]

[ It's only once they leave the facility and start towards the car that Emma speaks up. ]

His surveillance has all of our faces. Whatever we do find, we'll need it to be airtight. [ She turns to Felicity. ] When we get you access to their systems, start with whatever's been recently removed. Mr. Luthor was already planning on calling ahead before I suggested it: he must know there's something to hide, and I intend for us to find out what that is.

We should divide into two teams. Someone will need to run back-up for Felicity in the event that they're precisely the monsters we believe them to be, and the other should tour the facility and draw information out of the employees.

[theterminator]

[Before anyone else can volunteer to run back-up, Oliver steamrolls the decision by asserting--]

"I'll stay with Felicity."

[Mostly because he doesn't trust anyone else to keep her safe, even if he's more than capable of running infiltration.]

[telepathy]

Very well.

[ She nods to them both as they pack into the car, then turns her attention to Brantley and Bo over the vehicle. ]

Sir River, Sir Dennis-Gatewood, why don't the two of you join me on a tour?

[succubestie]

[She gives Emma a nod.]

You got it.

[fixyourproblem]

[Brantley also confirms with a nod.]

My pleasure, Sir Frost.

[telepathy]

Splendid. We'll see if they can't show us some of the darker corners of the laboratory.

[ The drive is long and uneventful (drive 14), taking them beyond the outskirts of Metropolis and onto one-lane roads lined by rows of corn. The city dwindles out of sight in the distance behind them before they even draw near the laboratory.

Farmhouses pepper the landscape every few miles, in various states of upkeep, and finally, on a hill rippling with wheat and grass, a grey concrete laboratory building stretches out, overlooking a lake. The whole affair is surrounded by fifteen-foot fencing with barbed wire and warning signs, easily spotted from the car windows (spot 18+).

Emma eases the car up into the driveway of the building, slowing on the dirt drive as they approach a gate. ]

[fistpump]

[Felicity spots the signs (spot 21) and takes note of the gates too.]

They either want to keep everyone out... or everyone from leaving. [aka that's a tiny bit excessive.]

[fixyourproblem]

An bit unusual place to build a lab if you ask me.

[With a spot check of 12, Brantley can't clearly see the signs. But he does look outside the window and probably see the countryside ambiance.]

Let's just hope we can actually leave, preferably in one piece.

[telepathy]

Well, it's lovely to know we've brought a couple of optimists along for the right.

[ Emma's sarcasm is, well, frosty and biting. Rolling down her window, she leans out to talk to a loud speaker. ]

Yes, hello, darling. We're with the Karthur Institute. You'll have received a call from Mr. Luthor. Run along and open the gate for us, will you?

[ She sits back. Static crackles. Then the gate slides open. After Emma pulls forward to park the car at the top of the hill in front of the large, metal doors—akin to some kind of airlock—of the laboratory, the gate rattles shut on its tracks behind them. ]