Heroes: The Road of Good Intentions

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot watched everything that was happening and retreated into his mind, attempting to lose himself in the flood of thoughts, hoping that there would be something that would let him gain a better perspective on the matter. Everything he had seen of Ultima had been completely insane, the team dynamic, the paper pushers, Kyosuke, the men in black, and all the rest. Getting away from it made sense. What good could possibly be done with the madness of this organization getting in the way? He sure as hell wasn't going to enlist with the last day's experiences under his belt, but he couldn't turn his back on the situation either, and he was smart enough to know he couldn't handle this on his own.

Collin, there may come a time when you have to choose between what's right, and what is right. Do you understand?

Sorta kinda not really...why?

That's okay. It's not supposed to be easy, but you know how I've always told you to try and help other people?

Uh-huh, I do.

I know, sweetie. Well, sometimes, helping some people means that you have to hurt someone else, and sometimes helping someone that really needs it means that you can't help someone who needs help more. You can't do everything at once, so you have to choose which you'll do.

Mmm...I guess I see. Still, what about the people you can't help? I feel bad for them.

Well...that does hurt, but there are times you have to make decisions like that, Collin. It's not fun, but eventually you'll need to do it. You'll understand it better when you get older, but you understand it a little now, right?

Mmmhm!

Good boy, now let's go welcome Daddy home, okay?

Collin looked at Blackheart, his eyes narrowing at the man he was growing to hate for being right. "Yes sir." He could feel his gut twisting from the decision already. He focused on that, primarily so he could get away from the memory that had come to the fore.

[LadyTevar]

"Forgot the fun we had there last time?" Argent quipped, careful not to say where. "I could find it again in my sleep ...." She was tempted to make a couple jokes about the owner, but Blackheart's temper was already hot enough. Poking fun at him right now would not be a good idea.

Her eyes drift to Saibot as Blackheart clarifies he's to be left behind, then drop to the floor. Would he even get to the trial, or would some unnamed agency steal him away first. In Ultima, she was more willing to bet on the latter.

"Don't make any deals, Garth," Lei said quietly as she turned to actually walk out of the room for once. "You don't want to vanish before the trial." As a goodbye, it sucked, but she could not think of anything else to say. Her voice strengthened as she left the room. "Hotfoot, let's see about a uniform for you. Tachyon? Would you like to join us?"

If they wanted to follow her, they'd best catch up.

[Dark Silver]

And there it was.

Garth remained silent during the entire time, letting Blackheart and Reason have it out. It was better than him opening his mouth and making it worse.

"Protective custody....fun. Blackheart is right, I've got to answer for what I did. I'll tell you, as I told Gravitas, Blackheart. The people I worked for, kept themselves quiet. The jobs I pulled for them over the years were simple Breaking and Entering, taking some bits of high tech equipment. They were interested in materials which looked like would work well with DNA experimentation. But they were paying me to get the stuff, not to stick my nose into it. I contacted them through agents, and vice versa, never met face to face, and aside from code names, none was given. If they knew who I was...then they had one up on me. I'll write out the information on how to make contact, if you want to follow down the lead there, just incase. But the agents were norms, never went armed, and had no body guards, money was depositied into my accounts from a overseas bank."

He closed his eyes for a moment, reopened them, "Project: Guardian - as far as I know, was discontinued years back. But that's only because I was told such, when the team was disbanded, and the East Coast expansion was canceled. I wasn't allowed clearence enough to know our bankrollers, and I attended the funeral of the head of the Project myself three years ago. If this is Project Guardian, it's entirely new people running the show, and they've never bothered to contact me. And they've never tried to get the items and equipment I had taken when we were disbanded."

"That's everything, all I know. And if they have a copy of my memory, which it felt like they pulled with those machines, Ultima knows all of this already."

Argent said her goodbye, "Don't make any deals..."

"Don't worry," he said, keeping his voice as calm as possible, though his eyes gave away emotion, sadness. "I managed to stay alive before...I'm sure I'll make it though this time." With or without my Ring and Sword...

[SirNitram]

"Even Prometheus eventually was freed of his chains." Gravitas offered to Garth. It was the best he could do: The man had committed crimes. Justice must be served. But there would always be a light at the end of the tunnel. Unless, of course, the tunnel was heading for Station Zero.

As Gravitas finished preparations, and sent a message to the doctors he was signing out AMA, he reflected on that thing. It was an ugly thing. Not really from the shape, but being up in space was somehow sullied by the existance of the thing. Someday, he had promised himself, he would find out the truth. But this wasn't that day.

Gravitas formed the wormhole, glancing to the others. "Those who need a lift." He said simply, levitating himself through it to the top of the building and laying on it. It would be a while. But he was feeling more like himself already. Parts of his mind given nothing but basic upkeep of things that shouldn't be ready, started to think again. In it's own perverse, immoral way, he thought of it as fun. Fun he really should hate. But what awaited was what he lived for.

[Cynical Cat]

"Okay folks, time to go." He headed past the two IA goons. "I'm going to go let Reason chew on my ass. Go do what you have to do." Maybe he could make Reason see reason.

[B4UTRUST]

Reason was in his office. It was a simple place, three chairs, a desk, a computer. It looked for all intents and purposes like no one ever used it. No family photos, no motivational posters or coffee maker.

The phone was silent. Which meant one of two things. Saibot and Blackheart were still there or his apointees were dead. He doubted the second, the phone would have rang telling him of this. It hadn't rang.

When Blackheart came to his office he wasn't surprised in the least.
"Hello again, agent. To what do I owe this occassion. Not to often people willingly come find me."

[Cynical Cat]

"You have problems," said Blackheart. I have problems. Some of them are the same. Some of mine are solvable. Let me take care of them the way I see fit and your life will get a lot easier."

[B4UTRUST]

"But," Reason replied, the blank look returning to his face. "Part of my problem is you dealing with your problems. However, I do agree with you, in part. We do need to work together to solve some of these problems.

"And for the record, my life will be easier only when Ultima's problems are no more. Which, seeming highly unlikely at this particular moment, means my life will continue to be rather harsh."

[Cynical Cat]

"Ultima has security leaks all over the place," said Blackheart. "People stealing symbiot parts, nanite tricks, the whole fucking business with the Bobs. I can't run an operation with everyone looking over their shoulder in a our so called secure headquarters. Then there is the whole messing with the apartments business. You need to get upper management to stop undercutting your and our security problems solved before a team can be run out of this place with any degree of effectiveness. I need to actually be able to run the god damn team without Tarot, or an alphabet soup agency, or some bureaucrat fucking with me every five minutes."

"Here is what I propose: Me and my team vanish. I'll check email so you can communicate. We get things done. When this place is more seaworthy than the Titanic, we can rebase here. Until then, a hidden location in the field has the advantage of not being fucked with every five minutes."

[B4UTRUST]

"I agree. There are pleanty of someones around with the preverbial hardon for your team. This, in part, is design, though I wish it had not worked quite so well.

"Agent Tarot is not someone we can deal with. He is connected, somehow, at levels that you or I can not even begin to believe. But, fortunatly, he is still in Asia for the time being.

"The incident with Legacies was not planned. Whoever pulled that one had access to our systems. In effect, there was no security breach.

"Saibot's apartment was not Ultima or any TLA currently operating. Either serious black ops, which you can cover from your end, or an outside agency which I will cover from mine.

"The Bobs were not my doing. I went with the recomendations given to me by Agent Bowman and Mirage Team lead - you. You heard my decision on that. Someone higher up wants her. I can guess why just as well as you can. She is in danger and we have, in effect, caused her to be there.

"Are there any other security concerns or happenings you want to know about, agent? Because it is not upper management that is solely responsible for these incidents. Just be happy that you do not know the whole truth of that matter.

"Do not bother checking in through the usual contacts. There is a high likelyhood that they're being monitored and there is no guarentee that it is trustworthy. I will ensure a secure line of communication is established for you. Give me a drop location and I will see to it.

"And while we are on the subject of security; watch your own team. Their own agendas are going to get you in more trouble then you realize. And I am not talking about Gravitas or Argent."

[Cynical Cat]

"Anyone in particular I should be wary of or do you want to play prophetess and have me guess?" asked Blackheart.

[B4UTRUST]

"We suspected that there were other groups trying to get an in on Ultima. One of your own agents is a plant from them. Undercover from the feebs. Ghost.

"Your team was, in a manner of speaking, set up from the begining, agent Blackheart. IA is using your team and a few others to flush out a lot of problems at once. We did not believe them to be so numerous, however.

"Saibot is damaged goods. He is unusable. He is too big of a risk. He has so many guns aimed at him and skeletons in his closet that we won't accept him any longer. He has served his purpose. We had intended to cut him loose in the end and keep tabs on him. That is no longer an option. For the same reason, Dr. Stone will not be staying with you for very long. He is too well known to be of use.

"Enough revelations for the moment, agent Blackheart?"

[Cynical Cat]

"That'll do. It makes assigning me as a team leader in the first place actually sound somewhat sane. Putting Doctor Stone back in the lab is something I heartily approve of and I can't say I'm shocked about Ghost although it is nice to know. Anything else you want from me before I go?" He wouldn't hold it against Ghost that he had been sent to infiltrate Ultima, but that didn't mean he was going to have him on his team. Hell, Blackheart was loyaler to Taskmaster than to Ultima and Taskmaster knew that when he sent him there.

[B4UTRUST]

"Good. Glad we have finally reached a civil understanding. Just get me a secure drop so I can pass you information. Only other thing is that you, of course, understand that what you have just been told does not go past that door. We have managed to keep this off the radar so far. I do not wish the operation to be compromised in the reassurance of a few team members when they are tucked into bed at night on their first big day away from home. Good luck."

[Cynical Cat]

"They're big boys and girls or at least they keep telling me so. Hell, one of them keeps telling me he's a god. They'll just have to adjust to not sleeping at the parent's place." Blackheart wrote down an email address and tossed it to Reason. "You can reach me there. Just another anonymous, disposable internet account."

[B4UTRUST]

"I will send you the information as soon as I can get it made. Ditch the account after you get my e-mail. Ultima networks are lousy with sniffers, trackers and loggers, both IA's and others.

"Smile, agent. Tomorrow is another day."

[Cynical Cat]

"I know. Of course I don't have too many of them left. I'll take what I can get today." Blackheart turned and left, making a small detour before rejoining his team.

The secretary's eyes almost bulged out her skull as she saw him walk in. "Uh sir, can I help you?"

"David Grey, I have an appointment."

"Um, of course." He walked in.

"Hello Mister Grey," said Arnold Simkin as he rose from his desk.

"Hello," said Blackheart shaking his hand. "Let's get down to business shall we?"

"Of course," said Simkin. "The changes are easy enough, everything is in order. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," said Blackheart. He handed over a manila envelope. "This also goes to him."

"Of course sir. Anything else?"

"No. Let's get these signed and witnessed and done."

"Certainly. It won't take long."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Blackheart descended to the roof of his apartment building. "It's done. I'm still in charge, if anyone asks you in a debriefing, I have full authority to do the undercover shit we're about to do. All contact with the higher ups will be through me for security reasons, so you have no way of testing this, which of course will compromise team cover. You can swear up and down on a pile of Bibles that as far as you know this is a legitimate op. Which of course it is." He smiled, making the truth seem like a lie.

"Before we go any further, we have the small matter of dealing with Ghost."

[Marcao]

The exchange between Blackheart and Reason was a tense one at least for him. And it was his hope that it did not come to blows between both men, he would prefer not to burn any bridges just yet. His eyes flickered towards Saibot for a moment before flickering back towards Blackheart. In the end, the apparent de-escalation was a welcome one. Moments later Reason left the room and Blackheart began to make preparations. When Gravitas spoke of Saibot he said nothing, trusting that Blackheart would pick the right choice; He did.

His eyes slid towards Argent then her exchange with Blackheart met with a blink. Hmm, he would have to get used to not being in the loop for a while longer. When she spoke to Saibot he listened, a part of him trying to identify what it was about that man that had attracted her interest. He watched her wordlessly as she turned away from Saibot and began to walk away. When her words reached his ears he glanced towards Saibot one last time.

“There is no other place I would rather be.â€

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost had gone with Argent and Hotfoot, heading with them, still holding the ice bag to his chin. He looked over at her. "Argent, seriously, next time, please don't yell into the comm unit."

[SirNitram]

"Ghost." Gravitas shook his head where he lay. It was relaxing, against the building's rooftop. "Skills and powers and upgrades don't come cheap, and aren't let go of easily. And since he's not a washed up drunk, he's still a usable asset. Shoulda known..." A small grin. "Of course, Blackheart, the same can be said of you."

[Cynical Cat]

"There's the little matter of Ghost working for another team," said Blackheart.

[SirNitram]

"That's what I was heavily implying, Blackheart." Gravitas heaved a sigh. "Maybe I should have said no to the last morphine. What I meant was, it was kinda obvious anyone so trained and powered wasn't going to be a free agent who just blows into Ultima. He was obviously working for someone."

[Cynical Cat]

"So much for the meat not running the show," said Blackheart.

[SirNitram]

"Yes, as I'm learning to my dismay. If only transcending beyond Nova to God came with an instruction manual, or perhaps a helpful book with a title like What To Expect When You're Descending." Gravitas snorted. "No, the meat apparently holds sway. But let's stick to Ghost, since you don't beleive a word of this anyway."

[Cynical Cat]

"No need for anything violent," said Blackheart. "We just don't take him with us."