15821/On the trail of missing tech

On the trail of missing tech
Date of Scene:	09 September 2023
Location:	New Jersey
Synopsis:	Hot on the heels of some stolen Stark tech, Pepper Potts asks Janet to use her underworld connections to find out who stole the goods!
Cast of Characters:	Janet van Dyne, Pepper Potts

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Janet van Dyne has posed:
There's a certain amount of theater that goes into high-security meetings with criminals. On the one hand, a literal army of guards sends a message of looking afraid and overcompensating. Then again, too few guards, and you're either over-confident or reckless.

So three black Escalades pull into the loading lot of a disused warehouse, the building covered in 'for rent' signs and sporting a few shattered windows. They move with a certain aggressiveness, accelerating into the turns, stopping hard when they reach the center of the lot.

From each vehicle, two bodyguards in dark suits step out of the vehicle. They would almost look government except they're sporting a designer label outfit and there is clearly room for personal flavor in their garb. They are also armed with high-power modern rifles and handguns and make no pretense about showing them.

Once the center Escalade is secure, the aid driver steps out of the shotgun seat and moves to the back doors to hold them open. He offers a hand to the two women who disembark and falls back behind them a step in an aide's usual position.

"Remember, no names," Janet mutters sidelong to Pepper as they get settled on their feet. The socialite's dressed in black and grey, with a pencil skirt, dark hose and Louboutain heels. Her face is concealed under a black veil attached to a flat-brimmed hat that looks almost like mourning wear. "We're here to arrange the buy. That's it. Just follow my lead."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper's heart probably hasn't slowed down since being first told about.. concerns. Business take-overs, hostile or otherwise, she is in the ring fighting like a tiger. Espionnage? She has a good cadre of lawyers that are both staff and others that are perpetually getting a retaining fee, so again? Not out of her wheelhouse, as it were.

Boots-- er.. high heels on the ground with obviously heavily armed guards surrounding them?

Totally new territory.

Thankfully, Pepper has her best friend at her side, and this is yet one more bit of proof that both ladies would stop at nothing to help the other. Period.

Pepper is dressed in a dark, pin-striped, bespoke skirt-suit with a silk camisole that makes its presence known only as a sliver above the buttoned jacket. Dark heels finish the outfit. Or, would if the strawberry blonde hair wasn't dyed dark, eyebrows penciled to match. Green eyes are turned brown, and her flat, pinned hat has its own bit of veil to help obscure her main features.

When Pepper steps from the vehicle, it's as if there's that total transition from the woman who prefers to stay in the background, happily giving the light to others to a woman who has .. moxie. There's a roll back of her shoulders, giving her that grace and poise, her jaw set, and as she steps from the car, her attitude is one that holds a comfort with all the weaponry.

When one lives and works with Tony Stark, one learns.. some level of showmanship.

"Right," Pepper responds in a soft whisper. "Here goes nothing."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
The warehouse doors rattle open, sliding on rusty, ill-maintained wheels. Inside, a half a dozen men who look like modern cutthroats; lounging indolently on old furniture or storage crates stacked on each other. A little area has been cleared out, enough for an old table to be dragged over under an overhead light.

"Ola, La Madrina!" a voice booms out. One of the men steps out of the shadows, arms outspread in greeting and a con-man's smile plastered on his pockmarked face. Stringy, greasy hair hangs to his denim jacket collar, and a pistol can be seen jammed into his waistband. Like the others, he doesn't look like the sort of person Janet would know socially.

"Pitor. Buenos tardes," Janet says. Her normal tone of inflection is completely changed and her Spanish sounds crisp and natural, with a faintly European accent instead of her Bronx influences. With that peerless self-possession she walks up to conversational distance with him, though clearly makes no effort to permit the hug he's offering with his outstretched arms.

Piotr looks at Pepper with a wary smile, then turns his shoulders and invites the two women to the table. "Please, come in. Sit," he invites. The armed guards start to follow, but he 'tut-tuts' and holds a palm out. "Ah... your security, they can wait outside," he informs Janet. His men shift in place, fingering the weapons they've brought with them.

Janet looks at Pepper out the corner of her eye from behind her veil, then back at Piotr. She nods once. "He comes with me," she says in a tone that brooks no argument, and points at her personal assistant (disguised much like Pepper is in a suit of his own).

"Very well," Piotr allows, and beckons the women to take a seat at the table. "And who is this?" Piotr asks, looking at Pepper.

"An associate," Janet explains. "She is part of the negotiations. I will vouch for her."

Pepper Potts has posed:
'La Madrina'.

The women hadn't ever truly spoken about Janet's exploits South of the Border, but Pepper's support has been unwavering. There's a little bit of an upturn on perfectly drawn lips in an acknowledging smirk, and she inclines her head every so slightly to appear that she does encourage Janet's moniker.

The fact that their guards aren't allowed turns that smirk to something of a scowl; there's no fear in those dark eyes, but a tinge of annoyance. Just as befits her role. The glance meets glance, and Pepper inclines her head in a single acquiescence; no need to push any further than Janet's assistant.

The introduction as 'an associate' has Pepper smiling once more, but it's not one that is usually seen upon Pepper's face. No.. it's a touch more haughty than that. No hand is extended, however; there are lines, and.. ew.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet takes a seat at the head of the table. Given the cigarette and booze there, it was almost certainly where Piotr was sitting. The Chechen gangster scowls at the woman but it passes in a heartbeat. Pepper's glance at his face during the transition speaks to his fear of Janet seeing him looking irritated at her.

"There is a sale happening somewhere in the tri-state region," Janet says without preamble. "Arms and technology. Rumor has it that it was stolen from a Stark Industries shipment. Untraced weapons are of great interest to us," she tells Piotr. "I want you to arrange for us to get into the buy."

Piotr looks at Janet a beat, then brays out laughing. "Bozhe moi! You have a high opinion of me, La Madrina," he tells Janet. "To get you into a meeting like that, not easy. To vouch for you personally, even harder. And of course--" he rubs thumb and forefinger together, as if brushing invisible coins between them. "I would need to spread some bribe money around to even learn about it."

Piotr looks at Pepper and walks around to her seat near Janet, eyeballing her with frank appraisal. "Besides, what do you need with some stolen computers, huh?" he asks them. "I know you've got many guns, and men to use them besides. Is there something special in this shipment, something maybe I, Piotr, can obtain for you some other way?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's a balance, really. Even Pepper knows enough; 'money is no object' means they'd potentially get completely and totally ripped off. To not offer, well.. assumptions as to other types of trade?

No.

Pepper takes a seat next to Janet, and reaches over to take one of Piotr's cigarettes from the box. It's lit, and the first draw sends soft smoke ringlets into the air. This is definitely NOT Pepper! Nope.

"If you can't," Pepper begins, her voice dropping ever so slightly into something of an alto. (Not even coughing!)

"None of your concern.." and the way the woman says it, it goes for double duty. That's all she says, however; not going to risk too much, just in case. The cigarette is given a studied look before she reaches to put it out once more, crushing it on the table to extinguish the tip's red glow.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet takes her cue from Pepper crushing out the cigarette and gets to her feet. "Then we are done here," she declares in a harsh voice. "You wasted my time, Piotr. You were of no use to me."

The best sales tactic is to look like you can afford to walk away, and Janet... just walks away, waiting only for Pepper to join her.

"Wait wait WAIT!" Piotr shouts, voice a little frantic. He starts chasing after Janet and Pepper, and almost grabs Janet's arm but immediately thinks better of it as her assistant moves a gun to his belt and stares a hole in Piotr's forehead.

"<Please, La Madrina, don't go,>" he begs in Chechan. "I can-- I can find out, I promise you! Piotr!" he reminds her, and thumps his chest with both palms. "You know Piotr, good old dependable Piotr, I found you those cars, yeah?" he reminds her. "And those men with the petrol?"

Janet stops with a visible grimace on her face and sighs in exasperation. "Please, please I-- I will find, I swear on my children," Piotr begs, palms pressing together in repentance. He looks at Pepper to try and enlist her on his side. "It is just, these auctioners, they are very scary men, and I would hate for you two lovely ladies to get hurt if they do not like you," he says. It's obviously a bald-faced lie; though on some level, Piotr does seem sincere in that he doesn't want Janet and Pepper to show up at the auction.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Bingo!

The moment Janet moves to get to her feet, Pepper is as well, the ladies working in tandem. She has her features set, and for all intents and purposes, she is more than willing to walk away. Always look like you can walk away. In the ladies' case, of course, there are other avenues; there are always other avenues, but it'd be .. well, they'd have to start all over. Never good when timing can mean everything.

Piotr doesn't need to know that, though.

The man is smart, even in his desperation. Perhaps La Madrina has something of a reputation? Heh..

*click*click*

The heels tell the entire story in that room, and they cease at the supplications. A single darkened brow rises; the man almost had Pepper's, if not support, understanding... until that last bit, 'if they do not like you'?

"Not really your concern," is returned flatly. Her head cants to the side a little, allowing her hat to fuzzy up her features a little, and she defers to Janet on this one for anything beyond that.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Piotr's up against two hard cases, and he deflates at how deftly Janet and Pepper are pressuring him. "...Fine, fine," he grouses, and beckons them back to the table rather obsequiously. Janet makes him almost scrape the ground before she relents, walking back to the table-- but not sitting at it.

"Piotr my time is valuable and you are wasting it," she says in firm, clipped tones. "Start talking fast, or you're going to sour our business relationship."

Piotr sits down at the other end of the table with an exhausted groan, looking a little defeated. "All right. All right, I will... I know some of it," he admits. "Not the particulars. The sale will be in New York, this I know. At auction, fancy, formal thing. It is invitation only-- I can get you an invitation, I am sure," he promises, hastily holding his hands up.

He looks from Pepper to Janet, back again. His heel drums on the ground. "It is... only /rumor/, but I hear on street, that it is The Kingpin," he says, finally. "How he has them, I do not know, but that is what my people are saying."

He looks at Pepper and Janet hopefully. "So to get you in, you front me some cash, I make some phone calls, da...?" he entreats the two women.

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's not even a matter of good cop/bad cop. It's two women who have no time to waste, and no .. stuff to give, as it were. Pepper doesn't even have to cross her arms before her in order to convey her opinions on the matter. Her manner and mien says it all at this point.

Janet doesn't sit, nor does Pepper. Everyone in high stakes business knows that negotiations are best done standing; it's a power game, and when money and tech are on the line? No.. not even a throne could entice Pepper right now, though the obsequiousness is appreciated.

When Piotr gives up the information, Pepper's dark eyes keeps a watch on him, stock still. Sale in New York. Invite only. Kingpin.

As far as the cash goes, and as far as Pepper's concerned, the information itself is worth the 'entrance fee' as it were. The money, however, can be done through Janet. Pepper's good for it.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet's already shaking her head. "No," she tells Piotr, flatly. He sighs and hangs his head, groaning a little theatrically.

"Pizdets," he curses, rubbing his face. "All right. I will spot you. Because I know, /you/ are good for it," he tells Janet, and points a finger at her. "But may be a lot of money."

"No es asunto mio," Janet tells Piotr with a disdainful tone. "Get it done, get word back to me, and be discreet," she warns him. "Or else you and I will have problema. Comprendes?"

"Yes, yes ma'am, of course," Piotr says. Janet turns on her toes, waiting for Pepper, and then snaps her fingers at her aide with a premptory gesture as the two women walk out of the warehouse. Heads high, with long and confident strides, they rejoin the convoy and load up into the dark-tinted vehicles.

"God, I hate dealing with that man," Janet complains in her normal tone of voice. She tosses her hat on the bench seat opposite where she and Pepper are sitting, and starts rummaging around in the wet bar for a drink. "He's a good fixer, but just... euugh," she says, and shudders eloquently.

"You, though, were a Badass Bitch in there. I loved the bit with the cigarette," she admires. "You'd make a great crime lord, you know."

Pepper Potts has posed:
See? Good that Pepper didn't say anything about the money! After all, she's not as good navigating these waters as her best friend. Her gaze is firm, clear as Janet closes the negotiations, and when all is said and done, they've gotten everything they wanted, if not a little more.

Pepper, too, virtually pirouettes as she turns, light on her feet, and the first *click* of her heel hits the ground as they depart. Her posture is ramrod straight, chin up though she's got her head cocked so as to allow the hat to continue to blur the lines. As the pair depart, the car doors are opened for them, and once the doors are closed and the darkened windows hide all, Pepper exhales and leans against the back of the seat.

There's Pepper, and that nervous relieved laugh shines through. "Oh my god," she begins as they pull away. "I need to burn these clothes. The smoke will never come out.."

There she is!

The wet bar is absolutely appreciated, and Pep doesn't even ask if there's fixings for a green lemon grass based smoothie. "He is disgusting," she begins again. "How..." no. A perfectly manicured hand rises into the air to forestall anymore of THAT thought.

The compliment gained, however, gets a bemused smile. "I used to smoke when I was a teenager. You know, that touch of rebellion that all girls get when raised by perfect parents?" She shakes her head quickly, removing her hat now that they're on their way back. Fingers comb the dark tresses, and she looks at her friend dubiously, "You think-- aw.." She's teasing, right?

"You.. you were amazing. A side I've never seen." But had at least been hinted at!

"And.. seriously, thank you."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet fixes herself a fast and dirty mojito, and mixes up a dry martini for Pepper, too. "You don't need to thank me. What's the point of having a drug queenpin girlfriend if she can't find some hot black market merchandise?" she asks rhetorically. Pepper's drink is passed to her and Janet sits back in her own seat, drink going in the cupholder.

"Of course, now I need a cigarette," she mutters, and digs a men's silver cigarette case out from a side console. There's a proper little oil lighter concealed in the console too. The cigarette's put between her lips and she tickles it with the soft little flame until it glows cherry red. The socialite takes a deep drag and exhales upwards, where the smoke is caught by the car's exhaust and immediately vented outside.

"I can't believe he's calling Fisk out, though. I know Wilson," she says. "I mean, we're very friendly. I supported his Mayoral campaign. Sure, I know he's got some dirt on the side-- I went through him when I needed to get the Family off of my building crew-- but I don't think he's any shadier than I am. Professionally," she amends, hastily, and waves off her persona as La Madrina as a non-contributing factor to that assessment.

Pepper Potts has posed:
The martini is much appreciated, and once she's got the stemware in hand, she can properly sink back into the comfortable cushions that is a back seat of a limosine. "Thank you." These cars, she's very accustomed to. Even when Janet lights up, Pepper knows that the ventilation system works and works well. Still, doesn't mean she's not going to burn the suit she's wearing once she gets home.

"The gift that keeps giving?" is said once the first sip and *sigh* is taken, and given. "But, we sort of supported him as well," in the 'we didn't throw money at the opposition' sort of way. Pepper's no fool; if Stark Industries wanted to play the politics game, they really could. They have the leverage.. and the fame. "But do you really think that he's behind it? Going after our tech?" If so, well.. "I mean, that little slime Hammer would in a heartbeat," yuck. "Just saying his name makes me want to take a shower." Ew.

"I suppose we'll see when we get there, though."