13329/The Department of Conspiracy

The Department of Conspiracy
Date of Scene:	10 November 2022
Location:	Empire Diner
Synopsis:	Clark and Pete catch up for 'lunch'.. Pete confides in his journalist friend that someone very high up in the DoD and government is likely working for HYDRA and may be in the motion of starting something big.
Cast of Characters:	Pete Ross, Clark Kent

---

Pete Ross has posed:
Pete was overdue to catch up with Clark. Long distance friendships forged when you're young last forever but they still need get togethers. This was a bit different though - Pete's message was curt, to the point, almost urgent in its manner.

The empire diner was hardly the usual kind of place to catch up with friends either. It was just the right kind of noisy and busy that you could be properly ignored by anyone but the waitstaff. Pete made sure he wasn't followed, taking the metro and a bus, all with cash. The paranoia is high in his mind but his demeanor is calm and collected. It comes with the job.

What also comes with the job, Deputy Secretary of Defense, was not talking to journalists. Pete could skirt the rules here because he was just 'meeting up with an old friend'. Now, seated in the diner, he waits for Clark to arrive. Business suit, polished shoes, plain black tie. He didn't want to stand out today.

Clark Kent has posed:
    Clark hadn't heard from Pete for a while before receiving his message. The tone left him a bit concerned about what might be going on, so he made sure to reach the diner a couple minutes before the time given. Pete made it a few minutes before that, because as Clark scans the diner he spots his friend already ensconced in one of the booths. He heads over, greeting Pete with a quiet, "Hi Pete, everything ok?" as he sits down.

    He's dressed fairly casual today, creme colored button shirt under a brown jacket, khakis and no tie. Nothing that would stand out at all in New York. Though Pete doesn't know it, Clark is listening in on every conversation happening in the diner to make certain nobody is paying the two of them more than casual attention. Just one of the perks of his Kryptonian heritage.

    "So what's up? Your message was kind of terse, is there some problem I can help you with?"

Pete Ross has posed:
Pete rises when he sees Clark enter. Smile on his face. His heart rate is up but his whole vibe screams 'friend meeting up with friend'. Super senses tell otherwise and even the offered hand shake is a little more shake than necessary. "Clark, so good to see you. It's been too long."

As Pete slides back down in to the booth he almost starts to talk when a waitress approaches. "What can I getcha?"

Pete smiles up to her and says, "Coffee, black, thanks a bunch." Small town manners never go away. Once she's gone Pete glances around again just to feel a little safer and says, "Clark. I think I've dug up something and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. There are protocols and safeguards and yet."

He takes one of the menus and pretends to look at it for a moment, then slips a usb drive underneath it and slides the menu across to Clark. "I think someone high up in the Department of Defense works for HYDRA," he states in very hushed tones, dipping his head a touch as his eyes glance to the left and right again.

Clark Kent has posed:
    Palming the USB as he takes the menu, Clark looks over said menu while talking quietly. "Wouldn't really surprise me, to be honest, look what happened with SHIELD last year. You can't expect to catch everyone when they're that deep into the system." He turns the page on the menu, actually considering getting something while he's here anyway. Reporter has to eat, after all.

    Continuing on as quietly as possible, he asks "Is there a reason you didn't take this to SHIELD? They'd be a more likely choice for investigating a government official. I don't have the kind of government connections and clearances that they do. I'll do all the digging I can on it, but at some point an actual government agency is going to need to get involved."

    He holds a hand up, saying "One moment." before getting the waitress to come over so he can order a burger and fries. Once she leaves again, he looks back to Pete and asks, "So tell me your thoughts on the situation." Somewhere along the line the USB drive made it's way into one of his pockets, because as he puts the menu aside, both his hands are empty.

Pete Ross has posed:
Pete's palms are slightly sweaty and he rubs them on his trouser pants. "There are six people with the clearance to move assets and funds around the way I've been watching them. I'm one of them - and all six of us have been cleared by SHIELD before and after they fell apart."

He frowns a moment, "There's no one I can trust with this. You've got people who can dig in to this discretely, right? I don't want to name names.. I don't want to be wrong about this. But some of the assets used by HYDRA when they attacked SHIELD were authorised from the DoD."

There was a mini-purge in most agencies after SHIELD came back from the darkness. A list of names was provided and people and people connected to those people were arrested. "The same technique used to move assets then is still being used today. Someone was missed, someone up high. Someone with access. Clark.."

He lowers his voice again, "There are mothballed soviet era projects getting funding all of a sudden. There's even money going out to space contractors." He leans back and actually looks at the menu now. "I've never done this kind of thing before. Been a whistle blower. This will be the end of my career even if i'm right. But I can't just let this slide by."

Clark Kent has posed:
    "Well, given that the Secretary of Defense was HYDRA, it wasn't hard to get those authorizations taken care of. And after that whole mess, I don't think the current Secretary is likely to be compromised, SHIELD and a number of other agencies probably examined his life up, down and sideways before letting him have the job. So that brings us down to five people who might be playing for the wrong team."

    He stops talking when the waitress brings his food over, thanking her politely as she does... he's got those same small town manners in his psyche as well, thanks to a good upbringing by the Kents. Once she's gone, he takes a bite of the burger, swallowing before continuing on.

    "I do have a number of contacts, and you can be sure I'll get them all working on this as quickly as possible. So that leaves one thing to worry about... you. If there is an agent in the DoD and they manage to find out what you've done, it could be very dangerous for you. I want you to make sure you have my number on speed dial and never go anywhere without that phone. You so much as suspect something is going on, you call me. Because I have a couple friends who can get to you very quickly and make sure you are safe."

Pete Ross has posed:
Pete nods his head, "Yeah. Well. I'm pretty sure I'm right which puts the list at this: President Luthor, Vice President Weathers, Sec Def Pierce, Dep Sec Def .. me, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Polster, Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Banker, and Under Secretary of Defence for Intelligence and Security Wayne-Brooks... it's a big list of heavy hitters Clark."

He hushes as the food is delivered. He should eat but the coffee will suffice. He takes a sip and relaxes just a little. "Alright Clark," he says and takes out his phone. Bringing up the contacts there's a cheery picture of Clark waving leaning against an old wooden fence post back in Smallville for Clark's entry in Pete's contacts. He adds Clark to spot #1 on the speed dial.

"I'm being careful. As careful as I know how to be. If something is shady I'll call you and I'll.. I'll make a reference to the Smallville Crows. That's the signal I need help. Clark - if things are going the way I think they're going then something bad is coming. Something really bad."

Clark Kent has posed:
    Clark nods, "Yeah, that kind of goes without saying, given the list of luminaries who could be working for HYDRA. However this falls out, it's going to further erode the people's trust in the government. There have been too many security failures in the past couple of years and they were impossible to keep secret, so the American public got to hear about official after official who were double agents. Now it looks like we're headed there again. It's just not a good situation for the government."

    He pauses to eat another bite, then chuckles and says "Hey, I've got it. You think the government could hire Wonder Woman to use that lasso on every elected official to make sure they aren't the enemy before we let them begin their duties? I mean, we do drug testing, why not truth testing? At least we'd know the worst they were going to do was float some contracts to friends and family instead of trying to tear the country down."

    He sighs, "I imagine there would be a major uproar if we did that though, people already complain about the drug testing, and this would take things to an entirely other level. It'd be nice to know though." With a shrug, he collects a couple fries to eat next.

Pete Ross has posed:
Pete nods his head. "I don't know how President Luthor does it. Officials collapsing all around him yet his approval rating went up anyway. He has a silver tongue and the luck of a protagonist on his side. It's the weirdest thing. I was talking to a farmer from Ohio and he was praising Luthor for the free energy in Metropolis. He doesn't get any of that free energy himself but there you have it. People just want to believe in something, someone. I guess that's Luthor right now."

He brings the coffee to his lips and almost spits it with a chuckle at the idea of everyone getting the lasso of truth as part of their security clearance. "Oh Clark. You're a class act. A truly transparent government for a truly transparent age. All those state secrets out in the open. We'd have no allies left. Though, there are some people in the Senate who'd love for that to happen."

With a smirk he adds, "And then some genius with access to magic finds a way to cheat the lasso test somehow. Then we're all left thinking they're safe. Bam, they turn on us and everyone now thinks Wonder Woman either lied to them or the lasso doesn't work."

Clark Kent has posed:
    Clark shakes his head, "Well, I wasn't going to dig that deep into it, more just an 'are you an enemy agent' type question or two. But unfortunately you're right, someone somewhere would figure out a way around it and we'd be back where we started. Man, but it would be nice to be able to trust our government again. Seems like it affects everyone, they're all just a little less open than people used to be because nobody knows who to trust. I just wish there were a way to help people regain that trust, it would make this a better place for everyone."

    A couple more fries follow the first, then a little more of the burger. "So, other than the crisis of the day, how have things been for you? Any good things to counteract the bad we're currently dealing with?"

Pete Ross has posed:
Pete wraps his hands about that coffee mug and takes another longer sip. "I hear you Clark. It's people like you and me who should be running this country. Nothing against Lex, he seems like a swell guy but he's rich beyond richness. And Weathers is old politics."

A shake of his head, "I'd vote for you if you were to ever run." A little vote of confidence in his friend. "Huh, other things. Well, Casey," his daughter, "now has braces. She says she's the next Ironman. At least, in our house. I don't think that kind of talk is considered 'cool' with her school friends."

A tap tap on his phone and he brings up a picture of his daughter with a big smile showing off metal braces. "You should come visit. Have dinner. We don't catch up often enough. I know that's mostly my fault. My job keeps me busy - too busy if you ask the wife. I think that may be she has a point. How's about you? what's been kicking in your world?"

Clark Kent has posed:
    "Yeah, it certainly couldn't make things much worse if you or I were president, at least we'd be a little closer to understanding the little guy's point of view. Of course eventually the term limit kicks in and we're back to having a politician in the office. Finding a way to keep government honest is almost impossible I fear. At least not without turning the US into some kind of repressive dictatorship. And even then, corruption manages to flourish."

    Clark takes a look at Casey's picture with a smile, "At least she seems ok with them. And there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a superhero, though Tony might not be the best role model for a teenage girl." He chuckles, then replies "Not a lot out of the ordinary. The life of a reporter is another job that makes for strange hours, you have to find the news to be able to report on it. I think I've been to half the countries on the globe in the past year. At least the Planet lets me fly business class these days."

Pete Ross has posed:
The phone is put back away and the smile on Pete's face shows how proud he is of his daughter. "Wow. How do you manage so much travel? and what about the language barrier? There's a full time team of interpreters working for the DoD and the White House. I couldn't do half my job without them."

A glance at his watch and he frowns. "I'm going to be missed. There's a budget committee meeting I need to sit in on and the last thing I need is someone asking me why I was meeting with a reporter."

He looks fondly to his friend and says, "Then they'll start digging in to our past and find awful photos of us playing football." A little chuckle and he finishes off his coffee. "But seriously let's figure out how to do lunch more regularly. Or dinner. Or something. Also.."

His voice drops a little again and he leans forward, "Just in case I can't call you when something goes wrong can you call me every day? 6pm. If I don't pick up try again in an hour and if I don't pick up then - may be call some of those people of yours?"

Clark Kent has posed:
    With a shrug, Clark replies, "Well, I speak nine or ten languages well enough to get by, or else hire a local interpreter. It's a little easier for me because I only need one language at a time, where with government work, you might have people with five different languages in the same room. As for how I manage? These days it's easy. I can file a report with the Planet from anywhere on the globe thanks to satellite phones. And I get to sleep on all those flights I take, so it all works out."

    He nods, "Yeah, we don't need anyone digging into our backgrounds, so you better get to your meeting. But I agree, we'll have to get together more than we have been managing. If we can find a time we're not in meetings or travelling somewhere." He pauses to listen to Pete's request then nods, "No problem, 6pm it is. I'll do as much as possible to keep you safe and unconnected with the inquiries I'm going to be making. Now get going, I'll stay for a bit and finish eating so nothing looks suspicious."

    *And that way I can see if anyone follows him out* is thought but not verbalized. Life is so much easier when your opponent wears a flashy costume and makes open threats to vaporize major cities. You know who you're dealing with that way.

Pete Ross has posed:
Pete nods his head. A tight smile. He rises up and pats Clark on the shoulder. Solid as ever. "Be seeing you Clark. Say hi to your ma from me next time you talk to her." Everyone likes Mrs. Kent. How could they not? A few notes plus tip are folded up for the coffee and he places them on the table.

With that Pete, is off. Out of the diner and back in to the busy streets of New York. He is not followed but his movements are brisk. He's a man with a purpose and a destination after all. Still, things have been put in motion that may one day require him to stand up and point the finger publicly.

But for now, it must be business as usual. For whatever level of usual being Dep. Director of Defense for the United States of America is these days.