[IC] [Mask or Menace] Contact Post

[dendarii]

"This is Miles. Leave a message and I'll respond to you at my earliest convenience."

The line has gone silent; any messages sent to this name only return an error.

Comments

[pushtheboundaries]

[for that? Callaghan just regards him silently for a long moment, then closes his eyes.]

Suffice it to say if it works, we'll have a lot less to worry about from Russia. If it doesn't, we're no worse off than we were before.

Until it's operational, I'd rather not discuss details. I trust my work [he tilts his head towards his device] but the less who know, the better. How long has it been since he put it on you? [subject change back towards the Mark; go.]

[dendarii]

[ Oh he recognizes the subject change. And he doesn't like it. A frown crosses his face. ]

He put it on me as we were escaping from the submarine. So ... a week ago? Week and a half?

[pushtheboundaries]

[woah woah woah wait a minute. eyes open, eyes focused.]

He was torturing you during that time? And nobody stopped him?

[dendarii]

-- Oh, no. God no. He was murdering Russians during the breakout and I tried to stop him. That was his response.

[pushtheboundaries]

[okay that's...well, that's not better, but there's the very slightest of shrugs, insomuch well that makes more sense.]

You're a brave man, mister Naismith. One of my former students tried the same thing and had some ribs broken. [there's a tone of respect there, for the both of them. he's clearly not happy about Lucifer being...Lucifer...but. well.

he lets out a breath.]

Before you bring it up, yes, I know I'm playing with fire. That's why I asked you here, so I could get an idea of else is in this damned 'deal', and so I at least have some warnings. Maybe make a countermeasure or two. [the very, very slightest of headtilts towards his device.] What else do you know?

[dendarii]

Brave, maybe. Stupid, more likely. I hope your student had better weapons than I.

[ He just snorts a bit, brushing off the compliment. ]

About Lucifer? Very little. I've tried to avoid him as much as possible.

[pushtheboundaries]

I taught her. [so she has her head. and her aim. and her...being Gogo. that's pretty formidable.] That, and she's faced worse.

[moving on.]

Did you have any encounters with him before?

[dendarii]

[ He shakes his head a bit. ]

My very first time. I must have truly pissed him off.

[pushtheboundaries]

So why would he focus on you? Why would he care about your connections if he barely knew you?

[dendarii]

I have no idea. He seems to want to be a guardian angel to someone very badly.

[pushtheboundaries]

[pft. yeah, that's- that's an eyeroll. you're important to me. let's just- ignore that.]

If you're a fan of scripture, he'd rather just watch all of us kill ourselves.

[dendarii]

Not familiar with it in the slightest, alas. Theism in general is rare where I come from.

[pushtheboundaries]

I'd like to hear about it sometime when we're not on a time limit.

[though this isn't proving as fruitful as he hoped.]

Can I count on your discretion in this?

[dendarii]

[ Miles truly does wish he knew more, alas. ]

If you're asking me not to tell Lucifer, absolutely.

[pushtheboundaries]

Or anyone else. This doesn't need to leave the room.

[he folds his hands again.]

I don't know how little time we have, but it's only a matter of it before something happens, and I don't know if I'll be in time to stop it.

[dendarii]

... I'm sorry, but there's one person I have to tell everything. But I can avoid telling anyone else.

[ He hesitates. ]

What are you trying to do, Professor?

[pushtheboundaries]

Can you trust them to stay quiet? Or do they have one person they have to tell? [there's an implication there; and will they tell one person? and will they tell one person? but he can't stop him, he can only look at him long and seriously.]

I just think it'd be nice if we didn't have to worry about being held again. After that's built- as far as I'm concerned, I'm done with this.

[with Lucifer.]

[dendarii]

[ Miles lifts his chin stubbornly, a bit offended. ]

I assure you, it will be only the two of us. No further. I trust the man with my life and my soul both.

[ Don't you sass him on this one, he will tear you to shreds. ]

... You want to prevent another kidnapping? How?

[pushtheboundaries]

Mm. [he's not fighting it. instead, he's just looking towards the device, and making a gesture towards it] I told you- that's just a prototype. And that it has other features.

[and that? that is a smile, but it actually does have some good humor.]

Wait 'til you see when it's finished.

[dendarii]

[ It takes him a moment, but Miles is a brilliant tactician for a reason. He picks this kind of thing up easily. ]

The nanites. You mean to disable them?

[pushtheboundaries]

[clever man. he could play coy...but settles for shrugging a bit.] Something like that. Disabling them completely could risk literally unleashing hell. [assuming they're what's keeping Lucifer in check.] But they're the one common bond between all of those who were taken- which means they're the key to defending ourselves.

[dendarii]

I think you're right. Knowing nothing about the science behind it -

[ LACKEY being some sort of porter helps as well with that assumption. ]

Does it necessarily turn off all powers when it does that? Is it a choice between superpowers and safety?

[pushtheboundaries]

You mean, if it could pick and choose what powers?...I don't think that's possible. In terms of blocking the nanites without blocking the powers?...that's what I'm going to find out.

[dendarii]

I'm more concerned with the latter. There's one in particular I have to keep.

[pushtheboundaries]

Hypothetically...it should be possible. [he leans back a bit, furrowing his brow.] Assuming that connection of ours is based on the nanites- well, it wasn't blocked when all your powers were, was it? A lot of you made contact with us, and vice versa.