Summary:Paragon Investigattions is visited by a rep from Lobotech. Uh Oh. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's mid day and work is busy at Paragon. There's a lot of juggling that goes on in the PI business especially when multiple cases are running at once, and there's always the odd client or prospective client stopping in for information. Nick himself is just coming out of the kitchen with a fizzy drink when someone knocks on the door. When he opens it, it is revealed to be a woman in a very professional pencil skirt with a briefcase and a too-sharp smile.
"Nick Gleason? I'm Bethany Ayers, of Lobo Technologies. I was looking for you and Miss Marik?"
Nick blinks. This wasn't expected. "May I ask why?"
"Bit of a long story. May I come in?"
"I'll get i—-" Isis is saying as she comes round her desk to open the door. The way her ears are tilted forward and her general demeanour, Nick might tell that something feels off to her.
Not that he has to guess for long, when the woman is standing there. For a moment, Isis pulls backs into the doorway and then takes a deep breath before stepping out again. She's not short but she's incredibly slim and lately her clothing has been changing from the overlarge shirts to nicer form fitting shirts and slim jeans or shorts.
"What is it?"
Nick's eyes narrow and he takes a breath. She's got a fair amount of perfume on and it means he can't smell much of anything else about her. After a moment he nods and steps clear of the door, next to Isis.
"You must be Isis." The woman says, offering her hand. She is much taller than the feline mutant. Closer to Nick's height. "I'm with Lobo Technologies' Legal Department. This isn't an official call though. We heard through the grapevine that you've been making inquiries about us in the course of some of your work. Which is perfectly legal, naturally but you can't blame us for being curious why we're the subject of some manner of investigation?"
Ah. They're here about Nick and Isis' work. Well. That's interesting indeed. He's not at all sure how they heard but the fact that they're now here isn't surprising at all, on that basis.
To Isis, the womans mind feels … cold… it's the only way she can explain it. When Nick steps toward, the smaller feline like mutant crowds a little closer. She doesn't like this woman, though she might not be able to say exactly why.
Isis nearly ignores the outstretched hand but takes it after a very long pause. "I am. Isis Marik. I work here." The feline eyes narrow at Bethany's words.
"I'm not sure we can tell you that, at the moment."
Bethany shakes the hand, firmly and then gestures to a nearby chair. "May I?"
Nick nods and motions Isis to sit with him on the couch. A united front, as it were.
"Isis is right. Confidentiality agreements and such limit what I can tell you." He starts."
"Oh I know. This is a bit less about what you can tell me and a bit more about what I might be able to tell you. I understand you've been making inquiries in connection to a pharmaceutical acquisition we conducted a bit back." The woman opens her briefcase and hands Isis a paper.
On it is a rather lengthy legal document but the upshot appears to be that Lobo Technologies discovered some medical malpractice going on in the company's ranks just after the acquisition and notified the authorities.
How very conveniently forthright of them.
Nick has to sit with Isis on the couch, she's not leaving his side at the moment. She hadn't meant the confidentiality agreements, but she'll go with that - she was just being ornery.
Taking the paper, the smaller woman stares at the words of the page and hands it to Nick. "That says Integrated Methods Incorporated, doesn't it?" she's got the vaguest gist of what that says - so very vague. But that was the place they'd found 'Section 10', the place that had truly freaked Isis out.
"What about this? You said you could help us?"
"It does yes." Nick says. That had been the place they'd investigated. The one that had been bought out by Lobo Technologies.
"Well, it appears that you are investigating something related to the misdeeds of some Integrated Methods employees. We thought we had covered everything they had done but clearly we'd missed something and in the interests of justice being served I've been authorized to hand over our internal review and the associated police casefiles."
Nick's eyebrows go up and he looks at Isis. Bethany is being very, very helpful isn't she? It's a good break for the case make no mistake. But he's old fashioned and a bit suspicious of this much unlooked for assistance.
"I … see…" Isis says slowly. She can feel Nicks mind and the distrust he's feeling. Honestly, even if she couldn't feel that she can smell him. "And because we were investigating it, you decided to come and share this with us? What is it you would like us to do with this?"
Suspicious doesn't begin to describe the feline-like woman as she leans against Nicks arm. Letting her shields down, Isis tries to read the woman, get a feel for her emotional state of being.
The woman is… intense. In many ways her emotions feel very like Nick's. She really, earnestly wants them to take this information but it's not clear why. That's the curse of being an empath. You can infer a lot from what people are feeling but the whys and wherefores often remain elusive.
"Well there is an element of PR here. We don't want to appear to be trying to cover anything up, so if I come down to you and offer you this information and your case later makes the news, I can at least say I provided all the assistance I could the moment I heard of it."
Ah. THAT sounds more corporate and in truth, more honest as well. This is about image. As well it might be, a bad image can send a company's stock tumbling.
Isis rumbles in her chest, it's not loud enough for anyone to hear but Nick can feel it. She's not happy, at all. She knows she can't infer much from this but anything to do with this case leaves her antsy.
"And what do you want from us then?" She asks not trying to keep her suspicion from her voice. "What these people did with your technology, Ms Ayers, is awful and your company sold it to them…" beat "… I know you're saying your company didn't know but …"
Isis takes a deep breath and settles for a moment waiting for the answer. She's thinking she might go dream walking soon.
"At the moment nothing. Though I would appreciate knowing if you find anything significant during your case. Not a requirement but it would help us better understand what had happened and if there's anyone else we need to refer for prosecution." Bethany says. Again, quite generous.
Nick cants his head slightly. "Why did your company acquire Integrated Methods?"
"They were working on some products we thought looked promising. At the time the tech sector was shaky and we were trying to diversify. Imagine our horror when we discovered what they were really doing. I share your distaste, Miss Marik, really I do. But what is done is done."
She's good. She's good at masking her feelings, making sure that only intense emotions show. Isis can be sure that she's doing it instinctively if not deliberately.
"What products?" Isis asks bluntly, still leaning into Nick and looking at Bethany with those blue/grey cats eyes of hers. "And what have you done with the company with now?"
As far as Isis is concerned everyone involved should have their eyes scratched out and worse. Nick wouldn't let her do that though.
"Where can we find you?" Nick has to know that Isis is going to go hunting.
"Medical technology for the most part." Bethany says. "Advanced skin treatments for burn victims. New ways of diagnosing chronic illness. That kind of thing. The company is shut down now. It's just a name and a few empty buildings. We folded some of the former employees into our team but many of them we let go or turned over to the police."
She leans forward. "Here. My card."
Nick takes it. Isis will want to look at it later and yes, he knows she is likely to go dream hunting now.
"Was there anything else, Miss Ayers?" He asks.
"No, I don't think so except… do you know of a good pizza place around here?"
"And did you take the tech and the research from the company before you shut it down?" Isis asks. She's aware, in a way, of how these things works. With Nick taking the card, she doesn't have to move, that makes the feline like mutant very happy.
"Three blocks up the way, on the right." Isis says. It's a pizza place, but not the good one. Nick knows that.
"If there's nothing else …" Isis unfolds from the couch and pads to the door, opening it to wait for Bethany to leave.
Bethany rises when Isis (and Nick) do. "We did, of course. Some of it hasn't been put to use though. Ethical considerations and all. At any rate, it was a pleasure to meet you both." And then she's gone, taking that intensity with her.
Nick looks down at the information they've just been given and sighs.
"Well, crap." The big dogs have come out to play.
Isis looks at Nick as she shuts the door, pressing her ear to it and waiting. "She's gone. I hope you're not mad I didn't send her to the good Pizza Place." The one she'd chosen is really quite ordinary really.
"She wants something from us. Don't ask me how I know, I couldn't read her and her perfume … it burned my nose." It might have been there in the minute ways she moved or Isis is just extremely paranoid.
"I'll go walk her dreams, Nick but what else can we do?"
"Not much, I don't think. Not right now. We'll use what she gave us, after we verify it." Nick stands up. He isn't mad, no and he knows Isis is right. But for now, he's just got a ton more work to do.