Summary:Nick and Isis look into the missing mutants. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Nick Gleason is doing the boring part of PI work. He's going through information and looking for a pattern. A lot of it is culled from public sources - most PI's have to work with things that are legal for any citizen to access. Fortunately people leave a lot more data laying around than they used to and it is secured so poorly that anyone with a little bit of determination can get to it.
In this current case, Nick has a lot of determination. And also coffee. He has a lot of coffee. Which he needs because going through twitter feeds and social media accounts looking for patterns is about as scintillating as watching paint dry with none of the possible respite of getting high of the fumes.
"You wanted more coffee?" Isis asks as she enters Nicks office with the coffee pot in hand. It doesn't smell burnt … in fact, it smells quite good. "I've been going through Instagram feeds all morning - I would really like to do something else, Nick."
No, it's not exciting and Isis really does have a cat brain.
It's getting cooler outside and Isis' clothing is changing. No longer the old, threadbare, oversized casts off she used to wear. Now she prefers hip hugging jeans and form fitting t-shirts - normally with collars that a little lower.
"I did." Nick rubs at his face with the palms of his hands. This is just… tedious. He looks up at Isis and smiles. "I know it's boring but we need to do it. We need to know what Lobo Tech is up to if we're going to figure this out and it's our only lead. Did you see anything that looked like it might be relevant?"
Probably not. People put a lot of dross on social media, he is discovering to his intense boredom.
Isis might need a jacket soon. Though Nick does definitely approve of the way she looks now.
Filling Nicks mug and putting the pot on the shelf behind him, Isis perches on the table just to the side of Nick - it will be hard for him to ignore her but he can if tries hard.
Though he's done that before and nearly always failed.
"Lots of nice bathing suits I like." How Isis delivers that with such a straight face is a very good question. "Not a lot really but I did find some images of Avians at a party. It was on the Lobotech feed … If I hadn't been looking for something, I would have just thought it was fancy dress or cosplay."
Nick shifts his chair to look at Isis. She is very difficult to ignore when she wants attention. And she has ways of making that even more difficult. So instead he just sips his coffee. "Wrong season for bathing suits unless you're planning on a tropical vacation." He points out.
"Avians at a party, mmm? From what Shayera told us I thought she was the only one out here. Which is interesting but not… really what we're looking for. Have you seen anything relevant to disappearing mutants or experiments or strange things going on at pharma-tech companies?"
Focus Isis. Or if not that at least be entertaining.
"I know, which is why I found it interesting they were on the Lobotech feed…" Isis' blue eyes hold Nicks as she puts her feet on either side of his chair. He's not trapped but it will be a little more difficult for him to ignore her.
Taking up the tablet that she'd bought in with her, Isis turns it so Nick can see it. "See these comments …" They're a long way down the post of the party, had she really read all of them?
"See here, there's a comment about someones sister who went missing that night. It links to another post where they're talking about it but that woman was a mutant like us."
Isis definitely has Nick's attention now. Also control of which way is chair turns which is probably amusing for her. He leans in to look at the tablet, nodding at the comments.
"Alright. Yes. I've seen a few of those. What I'm looking for is something that links them to Lobo, or at least a location that we can look into." Something smaller than 'the disaster zone'.
And Nick doesn't have that thing. Not yet. Or more likely heh asn't yet realized that he has seen it. There is just so much unimportant noise that it's difficult to filter.
"Wait… That happened… a week ago… so did four of the others I've seen. Where was that?"
Isis swivels Nicks chair a little as he leans in. Then scratches one of his ears, almost absently. "The link is there, in that comment. Apparently the sister was going to that party." Apparently. And Isis definitely said *was* not *did*.
"Uh where … I think the party was being held at the Rockefeller Centre. They're not sure where the sister went missing from."
The Rockefeller Centre is on the outskirts of the Disaster Zone though.
"Hrm…" Nick leans past Isis to tap his computer. His ears fold back as she scratches though. He apparently likes that.
"Okay. Three other hits for the Rockafeller Center. I think that has to be it. All within the last week. Not all of them mention parties but…" Not all would have to.
"What do you mean was? What happened to her?"
Isis purrs a bit when Nicks ears fold back, still scratching at them without thinking. "So is it the Rockefeller Centre or something around there?" She frowns at the screen, trying to read what she can.
That's difficult given she really doesn't read well.
"Hmmm? Oh. Apparently she didn't arrive at the party. Or, that's the organisers said. They didn't see her there. Apparently she caught public transport and her card was charged for the journey. If you look at the linked post, he's given lots of details."
"It can't be the party." Nick is slightly distracted by the scratching. "Since that was only one night and the disappearances are spread out over a week. Perhaps they were just watching the center. Or maybe someone in it was tipping them off to likely targets." The trouble is of course a LOT of people work in the Rockafeller Center and none of them work for the same group, company or person.
"Hrm. That gives us a time frame…" Which he should follow up on but… distracted.
Leaning in as Nick is distracted, Isis rubs her ears against his cheek. "What else is common with the others you've found? We know that Sarah here took public transport but we don't know if she made it to the building."
"What about the others? There has to be more to it than that. We have timeframe, so if it was someone during that week, they'll have been working in the area but how do you find that out? There would be a lot of them, right?"
Nicks the PI. Isis is learning. "Is there anything common at all between what you found and what I did?"
Nick lets out a small chuff and leans in a bit more. "No we don't. And we don't know where and exactly when the others were taken either." He looks back at the information he has.
"They all were relatively young. Between the ages of 20 and 25. They all were relatively poor. All of them worked service jobs, though not in the same place or neighborhood…" What is the line between them?
"Hrm. What is at the Rockafeller Center that they all might use."
He looks again. "Wait. They all… bank at the same place. And there's an ATM at the Center…"
Isis starts purring when Nick chuffs and leans in more. Soon the pair are leaning against each other as they work. "They probably all used public transport." Isis adds as Nick works it through. "We know they didn't work at the same place … "
The purring falters for a moment as the feline looks at the screen. "They all used the ATM? Or the bank? You think someone was watching the ATM and chose them from that?" It's a possibility. "They have security tapes, do you think they'll let us look at them?"
"They all use the bank. But I would be willing to bet they all used the ATM." If they had some OTHER way of determining that these people were mutants that would make a good ambush point, especially late at night. "I don't know if they will. But we might be able to get them anyway. We don't need the ATM's camera. Just some camera that looks at the ATM and because the Rockafeller Center is a bit famous, there are cameras all over…"
Will ANYONE share their film? Hard to say but they've got more than one shot at it now.
"See if we can figure out who has cameras that look at this place. We'll need to make some calls."
"Bring up Google Streetview." Isis says, sliding off the desk and onto Nicks lap. It will make it a little hard for him to reach the keyboard, but she doesn't seem to mind … of course she doesn't.
"There's a jewellers in the Centre. The souvenir shop." Isis points as Nick 'walks' down the street.
Nick nods and keeps clicking. "Wait a minute…" He backs up and peers. "Do you see that? There's a camera on a tripod here with no one at it?" And it's set up in a kind of out of the way location.
"Art Institute…" He cants his head slightly. "A student's art project?" If the camera was filming or doing time lapse, they might well have pictures of interest to Nick and Isis.
Nick leans over to scratch Isis as she sets on his lap. This is nice.
It shouldn't be this nice, should it? They've got work to do and this is distracting. Or at least, it's distracting for Nick. Isis seems to agree though as she settles against his solid frame.
"All these shops might have camera's, Nick. We could talk to them. Even if they don't, they might have seen something. That's the way it happens on all those detective shows."
Nick had better hope that Isis is taking notes from the shows. Who knows what she'll do in the field.
"Could be a project. I don't know why you'd do that. The street isn't really the nicest place to be filming. Do you think they'll talk to us?"
It probably shouldn't be nice but Nick seems to be enjoying it and that has to count for something does it? Nick ahd better hope she's watching the right kind of shows. Otherwise she's going to 'lean' on people. And not like she's leaning on him right now.
"Maybe but we'd need to figure out who they are. We at least know the school. If we ask the shops someone might know. And we can ask the school too…" That means at least they have leads…
Nick starts to scratch Isis' flank idly, through her shirt.
Isis can lean on people mentally any way. Well, emotionally. It sometimes backfires on them, so there's that. "If it's the school, we ask them who was doing the project. I can go in and say that something happened and we think they have it recorded."
The purring gets louder as Nick starts to scratch Isis, her ears flick under his chin as she sits there. "Do you think I should say I lost my bag or was attacked or just that I tripped and hurt myself?"
"Maybe tell them that a friend of yours got mugged at the ATM?" Nick muses. As she purrs louder he scratches a bit more firmly. Just a little bit.
"I'll go talk to the shop owners. One of them might help out but that's a nicer part of town and they'd likely be concerned about liability." Not that people in less nice parts of town aren't, but they're more sympathetic to someone working outside usual channels he's found.
"If I'm lucky one of them will be a mutant and I can lean on that." His nose wrinkles as the flicking ears tickle him.
"That would work." Isis squirms a little on Nicks lap, enjoy the scritches. She's such a cat.
"I might be able to help you with the store owners. If I … lean on them … when you're talking. Or maybe I could wear that top you bought me, distract them a little."
The feline-like mutant doesn't know what to make of the attention she's started getting but if it helps them, she'll do it.
Nick chuckles. "That'd probably be really distracting but are you sure you really want to deal with that?" Because she will get attention and it might be persistent. He's seen it before. Persistent attention. Mostly it's harmless. Most people just want to get her attention and impress her, maybe the bolder ones want her number.
Occasionally it's sort of unsavory though. And every once in a great while, it's dangerous.
Not everyone likes mutants after all. Especially young pretty ones.
"I don't know, Nick." Isis murmurs, looking at the screen and thnking. "Maybe not unless it's really necessary, what do you think?" beat "I would like to come with you though, when you speak to them. Will that be ok?"
It's strange that she's showing such an interest in the business. She hadn't really shown interest in much else other than fighting before.
Rubbing her cheek against his neck, the purring gets a bit louder. "Have you had anymore urges to return to the Zone since Hank looked at you?"
"No, not since Hank helped. Though I have had dreams…" Not weird dreams. Well yes weird dreams but not dreams that felt like anything other than just a dream. The dreams he has been having are all about mutants and training facilities. Echoes of what he was shown in that… vision?
Hard to know what to call it.
"Of course you can come, Isis. You know I like having you around right? We'll start there. And if we need more we'll do more."
"You're dreaming? Let me dream with you tonight… I don't know if it will help but maybe …"
At the least it will be another perspective won't it? Also, strange she's asking to dream with Nick. Normally … she just would.
"Alright then, we'll do that. But for now… I want scritches and food."
Such a cat.
"Then we'll get you some. Which do you want first?" Nick smiles. He moves to shut off the computer. They can follow up more on the case later. Right now the Kitten wants scritches and food and he can't think of a single reason why she shouldn't have them.
Not a single reason at all.