6198/Warehouses, NYC Harbor

Warehouses, NYC Harbor
Date of Scene:	12 May 2021
Location:	Warehouses, NYC HArbor
Synopsis:	Jovian and Lara investigate the people who made the app for the thugs that attacked the clinic. It is blown up to prevent them from investigating anything.
Cast of Characters:	Jovian Anderson, Lara Croft
Tinyplot:	The Queen in Blue

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Jovian Anderson has posed:
Jovian Anderson has been following up on what he did while blacked out at the clinic. The hidden app has proven quite alusive but he had a contact at the NSA that owed him a favor, and helped him triangulate the location where these communications were coming from. While the cultists didnt have phones, he knew they were using them and had found them dumped in a dumpster not too far from the clinic. The proper thing to do would be to turn them over to the NYPD...then again the NYPD should have scouted the damn dumpster. As it was, he didn't trust himself as much as he should so he called for backup.

He had been waiting outside of the warehouse in the NYC Harbor, watching people enter and leave. It looked like some kind of a converted officespace for a startup. Nothing that screamed cult or 'here there be bad guys' but Jovian wasn't giving up that easily.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara received the message on her way back from a contact's office at the Natural History Museum. She was working on a new expedition, several of them in fact, and was getting insight from a colleague who was better versed in that part of the world than she was.

But, knowing full well that Jovian is ever neck-deep in some measur eof trouble, Lara confirms the message and drives to meet up with him.

She parks her Jeep a bit away from where he said he was and she finishes reaching him via casually walking. She appears not too far away and starts toward where he said he'd be, her eyes covered by her sunglasses and her hands in the pockets of her light hoodie, a dark blue hoodie zipped up to her chest. He'll spot her first, most likely, her tell-tale pony tail tied back behind her shoulders as she's walking.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Jovian Anderson waves, smiling. He motions over his shoulder at the warehouse. "So, to summarize a long story short; a bunch of randos attacked a clinic last night. I think I might have contacted them after using my power too much but it MIGHT have something to do with the dopplegangers. Don't know. What I do know is that my phone and several phones abandoned nearby had this weird app on it that uses the darknet to send communications back and forth and the math on the encryption, per my NSA contact is 'really really weird.' But while you can encrypt communications, signals are harder ot hide. Triangulated it to the inside of that building. I've been staking them out, but no red flags so far. I'm thinking about going in from above or below." He shrugs and smiles, "How have you been? You dont look harried by constant law enforcement harassment."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara spies him and walks toward where he is, she stops in front of him and reaches up to put her sunglasses on to her hairline. She gives him a soft smile and a light nod before she looks at the building behind his shoulder. When she looks back at him he's asking that last question which has her shaking her head.

"I'm British nobility, the police don't have a lot to ask me. I'd say it's a perk, but..." The role of a Duchess is a strange thing in 2021, but Lara does her best to uphold it, better than some of the other British nobility in the world, that's for sure.

Again Lara looks tothe warehouse, then back to the man. "To be honest, I think yo ushould just approach it and knock on the door. It could be they're using some diversion to direct people here as a fail-safe. If there's normal workers in there, they might be rather put out by you... coming in through a skylight, or some such." She says with another light smile.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Jovian Anderson crosses his arms uncomfortably, "Lott had a few titles in kingdoms that no longer exist. It is arguable that one or two of them might be 'inheritable' but fortunately American law is pretty...draconian on that kind of thing, and I've no intention of renouncing my American citizenship." He uncrosses his arms and smiles, "Still, I imagine being a Noble has its advatanges. Lott had weird fingers in weird pies and at some point I need..." he trails off. The whole thing makes him very uncomfortable. "On paper, I'm insnaely rich but its the weirdest fortunate imaginable."

Enjoying the chance to focus on the here and now and concrete is a nice refocus. It is something he can even do something about even if the blackouts are disconcerting, "Well, I admit, being normal is an unorthydox strategy, but sure, lets try that." He chuckles and motions with his head, "Let's find out who writes apps for the 'faceless men'

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara keeps the faint smile for the man and nods softly once. "It does, and a lot of hindrances as well." She adds before she nods at the idea of just approaching the place like normal citizens. She takes her sunglasses off her forehead and folds the golden limbs together then tucks them in to the hem of her tanktop as she walks with him toward the door of the warehouse.

Lara's eyes go over to him then. "You better quickly decide what you're going to ask them though." She states with a little grin. "Butyes, I'm betting this is a misleading address. I can't imagine these people would go to all the trouble you're describing only to have their location be so easily dug up."

She sighs though and as they approach the door she looks up for cameras. "Though, I've certainly seen stranger things..." She mumbles that last part.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
There are, in fact, cameras. No one stops Jovian as he knocks on the door, and then he opens it. He blinks and motions Lara inside. There is a whole improvised workspace inside that looks like something out of a San Francisco Silicon Valley, with about a quarter of the office in a large faraday cage with a number of phones being tested by several QA workers.

Jovian looks dubious and then looks at Lara. He walks to one of the workers, and says, "What....company is this?"

The worker blinks, "You know, I dont know. That's a really good idea, you should ask the manager. I just work here." He points to a youth at a desk near the corner who is talking with several people.

Jovian mutters, "Alright, THIS is not something I expected.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara watches the door open up and her eyes peer beyond its threshold in to the interior. She moves forward, taking a measured step, but trying to come off as casual about it. Once inside she roams her brown eyes over the interior and the way its laid out, very casual nature in here... but off, somehow.

The exchange has Lara raising a brow at the resposne Jovian gets, and she glances toward him, then toward where the manager was seemingly stationed. "Interesting." The Briton says softly before she looks to Jovian and moves toward the managers position, offering them a soft smile should they look at her on the approach.

A nice smile on a pretty face can sometimes go a long way, sometimes...

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Kraight, the manager, looks up at Jovian, who doesnt impress him and at Lara, who smiles, "You're famous" he replies, "but I can't recall where. Actress?" He seems genuinely puzzled.

Jovian asks, "Pardon me, I'm Jovian and this is my friend Lara, and we were just wondering-"

"Lara Croft! Dame Lady Croft, that was it. Ever play that kid's game, I'm going on an expidition to Africa and I'm bringing an Apple, a Banjo and a Cake? I'm good at it, photographic memory. Kraight Ofton, Pleased to meet you both.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara looks between the manager and Jovian as they get to experience a bit of the man's personality. In so far as his ability to spot Lara and recognize her. She responds with a larger smile then and nods her head softly. "Close." She says. "A Lady, not a Dame, but yes, Lara. Croft." She offers him her hand, her tone soft and soothing to most ears.

"This is a friend of mine, Jovian." She states then, motioning to him. "We were curious about this business. We heard it might be tin ehf field of... making apps, for phones?" Lara asks then, looking back to this Kraight fellow.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
"Yes, we make apps, but in this particular case we make apps on demand. Our current client demands confidentiality."

One of the assistants next to him chuckles, "They're insanely paranoid, like so secret they dont even want us sharing our names with each other."

Jovian arches a brow, "Then how do they all know your name?"

Kraight chuckles, "I sign their paychecks. Its kind of legally required. But she is right, my current big contractor has...an eye for discretion."

Jovian considers this and nods, "Well, what KINDS of apps can you make in general."

Kraight actually beams, "Well anything but we specialize in using decentralized communications networks for discriminating clients. We build them each from the ground up, so that it reduces the ability of others to hack them, particular AI which is an emerging threat for secure communications."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's eyes are going between faces of those who are speaking, she's gently nodding her head to what they're saying and showing the hints of an expression here and there to what's being said.

Tot he manager then, Lara looks. "Are there examples of your work out there that we might be able to see?" She asks, then clarifies.

"I'm an archaeologist, whose... started to make a bit of a name for herself, and I've been getting pressured by my internet followers to build an app that they can use as an online community and a place where I might talk to them more easily than standard social media platforms." She's making this up on the fly, obviously.

"So we're looking for a really... qualified company to build such athing for me. If I'm going to do it, I want it to be nice, you know?" She shows another light smile then.

"But... we'd like to see examples of what you've already produced. Which might be hard if you're working for the CIA or some such." She laughs lightly then, trying to be funny!

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Kraight looks hesitant. He almost wants to say no, but the dollar signs metaphorically appearing in his eyes, seems to be enough to convince him to show them more. He looks around and motions with his head to the faraday cage. He opens the cage door and snaps his fingers, "We have a potential client." The others seem annoyed but leave, putting their work behind.

He shows them several servers, "We can use stegonoraphy, the dark net, satilites, or even more arcane telemtries like telnet. Very often, we like to build our keys with a combination of numbers provided by our client. By ensuring that the key is provided directly by us, it allows us to use much higher levels of encryption normally used. Some use a combination of birthdays, zodiac signs or latitude and longitude of their main office. The more, the better."

Jovian looks at one screen and seems...fascinated by some non eucledian geometry that appears there. Anyone else looking at it seems to get a headache if they look at it for more than a few seconds, but Jovian doesnt seem affected at all.

Kraight seems disturbed, "How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"That screen makes most people get a splitting headache if they look at it too long."

"What ...IS it?"

"That's confidential.

Lara Croft has posed:
This kind of tech stuff isn't precisely Lara's 'bag' as they say. But she's tech savvy as much as the next person. Of course, mayube a little less, she didn't grow up with a phone in her hand like most young people her age have in the past 20 years.

She moves along with them though and watches Jovian's ability to stare at this strange screen is called in to question. She gives it a stare and is almost instnatly made to look away from it. "Mm, yes, that is a bit uncumfortable to look at." She adds to the conversation as she looks toJovian. "It could just be a random eye difference. Such as the ability to see colors, or be color blind." Her gaze goes back to Kraight then as she judges his reaction to this.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Jovian Anderson nods, "Of course, that could be it."

Kraight frowns and then looks at Jovian, "How did you find out about our company again?"

Jovian looks at Lara and then says, "I found your app on my phone."

Kraight looks at the app and then looks at Jovian, "Are you....with them?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Well things don't seem to be doing too good anymore, or at least seem like they could be degrading here. The man was on to them, so to speak, and had called Jovian out.

Lara tilts her head very slightly. "We're concerned about the app and the people who are using it. We're not with them though, we're merely investigating things, hoping to intervened before something terrible is done through that app, or through other means that these people might be employing. If... you could help, it'd be greatly appreciated." She tries to go the diplomatic route here and now, it works... sometimes!

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Kraight's eyes go wide, "Wait a minute are you guys..." he looks around nervously and up at a Camera and says, "I'm sorry. You've seen too much. You need to leave. Right now."

A klaxon on the side of the wall starts to flare. Everyone looks up, annoyed at yet ANOTHER drill and then stares expectantly at Kraight to deactivate the damn thing. He pales, "Run. RUN! EVERYONE, GET OUT NOW!"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara looks to Jovian then before she stares back at the man as the alarms go off and people get up to go, quickly no less. "Come on." Lara tells him as she turns to the side and moves to follow after the workers of the building.

"What is this??" Lara shouts to the manager, or to whomever else is with them as they exit the warehouse ian rush! She keeps up with them as they seem to be running as far as they can to take cover.

"A bomb?" Lara shouts then, catching on to the hints and suggestions of it all.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Kraight nods, "The people paying for that app insisted on it as a failsafe. We have drills once a month but I never though...." The first explosion goes off in the former faraday cage, multing all the servers, including the one with the very 'interesting' screen to slag. The bombs go off, one after the other, seemingly well placed to utterly destroy every shred of recoverable evidence as Jovian runs and makes sure that everyone is getting out, picking a few people up as they go before a final larger explosion causes the entire warehouse to neatly implode without destroying the other buildings around it.

Kraight curses, "MAN! My scooby doo lunch box was in there. That thing was a collectible and I wanted that sandwich!"

Jovian just....stares at Kraight while the other employees hug each other in shock, a few running and not looking back.

Lara Croft has posed:
When the implosion detonator goes off it sends a shockwave through the neighborhood though, even if it was designed to be mostly directed damage inward upon itself. She recoils at the thunderous kinetic wave and then ducks behind something for cover. When she comes out again she hears the reactions from the others and looks over to Jovian, then to the manager.

"I think you have a lot more to answer for than your lost lunch pale." Lara replies to the man as she's already placing a call to the police. "Putting a bomb inside of your work place is not exactly something that is legal." She glances up to Jovian and then motions to Kraight, indicating that he needs to be detained incase he tries something stupid.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Jovian Anderson didnt bring any equipment with him....he left that in the car. He nods and twirls a bolo made from darkness that wraps around Kraight who seems, shocked. Sirens appear in the background and more of the employees quietly begin to move away. Jovian is fairly certain they are innocent but uses Command voice, something he learned in the Marshals, "Folks, Law Enforcement is going to want to speak to you. Please remain where you are."

Kraight looks indignant, "What the hell man?"

"You put bombs underneath your employees."

"We had MONTHLY drills."

"I'm sure that will help your case."

One of the workers, the one who pointed Kraight out initially frowns, "We thought they were FIRE drills man, uncool."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara had her phone up through most of that back and forht,b ut she pulls it down from her ear and catches the last bit of it from the employee who spoke back to his boss. This gets a huff of a laugh from the British one, one rooted in disbelief.

"I guess I'll be looking for a different app creator..." She dryly jests as any good British person would or should. Maybe the app is a real thing she's not lying about wanting to have made!

When the NYPD begin to arrive, Lara walks toward them to greet them, her SHIELD badge already being pulled out and put around her neck to show her status off to the authorities as they come to amke sense of what just happened.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Kraight looks more horrified about this than the loss of his lunch box, "Now now now! Let's not be hasty, I mean if I'm willing to layer explosives down on my employers request, think of how COOL I'm willing to go to make-" The police arrive and he shuts up.

A few of the employees come up and give Lara business cards. They dont leave but they do only stay as long as they have to while police take brief statements, contact information and put a few people experiencing shock in Ambulances. The police are cooperative, and defer to Lara and Jovian once Lara shows the badge.

Jovian shakes his head, "That was....not what I expected it to be.

Lara Croft has posed:
When it's all said and done, the scene is still being tended to by emergency services and invesigators with a couple news vans on the perimeter too.

Lara ends up back near to where Jovian is and shows him a smirk. "Maybe the skylight approach would've worked better?" She jokes as she folds her arms together over her stomach before looking back to the mess that the Firefighters are mulling over along with a few others.

"At least everyone got out." She then adds before looking to Jovian. "What's your next ove?" She asks him then.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Jovian Anderson considers, "I still have the app on my phone, and its still working. Those ...angles looked familiar somehow. I've seen them somewhere before. I might ask the Nazca Brotherhood...who knows what those guys know. They're cryptic and weird, and its been heavily implied that if I ask for something they'll ask for more in return."