Post by Shane O'Sullivan on Jun 2, 2021 17:08:22 GMT
She was very honest and to the point, wasn't she? He could admire that, but at the same time it made him wary. Well, everything always made him wary, especially as of late. It was only a matter of time before ACIS figured out he was helping Walsh and Bishop, and being near their headquarters was like being thrown right into the lion's dead. It was unnerving.
'If it goes all the way up...? Well...that's a bridge I'd prefer to burn when we get to it.'
"Yeah, that's the part I wonder..." he said almost under his breath, but she'd hear him. Houston worked closely with the Warden, and it was just a little surprising that she managed to let him slip away with a black box. He couldn't have been that fuckin' sneaky, because Danica was no fool like that. She was high up on the ladder for a reason.
When she asked for his thoughts, he was gazing down into his empty glass, wanting to order another but knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Now he was itching for a cigarette. "Tattlin', as you say-" Shane turned his head to regard her once again, his face practically devoid of emotion except for the stern look in his eyes. "Even tha' is a risk. Yer gonna need hefty leverage in case." Grinding his teeth, he considered his words before speaking again. "What do ye know of the black boxes?"
Amala's confident smile fell. Disbelief with just a dash of horror washed over her face. Fucking hell. Was he suggesting that was the leverage she needed? Or that one was already involved?
"I'm going to need another drink," she muttered, looking balefully at her empty martini glass.
The black boxes were a whisper all through ACIS, a rumor of the 'company's insurance policy should the government decide they didn't like the way that their operatives got things done. It made sense to have a backup plan in case politicians got a little uncomfortable knowing that there was another force operating behind the scenes to keep things moving smoothly in their country. But when she had heard about it, Amala didn't hear "insurance policy" she heard "blackmail."
ACIS operated freely, pulling the puppets' strings because if the truth got out, things would fall apart. And they lorded that over everyone else to do what they wanted.
That is, assuming the boxes were real, and not just a threat.
She composed herself once more with a deep breath through her nose and a roll of her neck before looking back to Shane and raising her eyebrows.
"You're telling me those are real. Real physical objects. And you're suggesting that we get our hands on one so we have the right leverage?" She paused. "Or are you saying one is already in play?"
Post by Shane O'Sullivan on Jun 22, 2021 2:17:39 GMT
He was surprised- that was the first time Shane saw the confident look break from the woman's face. At the mention of her needing another drink, he silently flagged down the bartender to request refills.
Shane's attention drifted back to Dr. Heydari, carefully watching her and remaining patient as she seemed to process this bit of information. He hadn't been sure how many ACIS employees knew of these supposed black boxes...but he certainly knew they were real. And apparently James wanted to get a hold of each and every one of them.
The Scotsman was an idiot, but it might be their only chance at surviving this ordeal. Why did his friend always wrangle him into this kind of shit? Seriously.
When Amala turned back to him, he was already intently watching her and waiting. She honestly hadn't known they were real, but she did know of them. A part of him was slightly disappointed, only because perhaps he had hoped she would be able to point them in the direction of another one. The idea wasn't shrugged away just yet, though.
His lips pursed, once again wondering how much he should tell this woman. She hadn't done anything to make him suspect that she wasn't telling him the truth, but this was a very delicate matter. He had to be careful.
"Apparently Houston has one," he told her, deciding not to inform her that they had Steven as well as the box. Yet. "I believe he's been tryin' to sell it."
Amala hissed through her teeth. "That rat bastard. No wonder you got burned--if anyone realized he was the shitty one he'd be out on his ass."
Selling government secrets? That was normal, or rather, it was normal among the type of people ACIS handled on a regular basis. The amount of information for sale at any given time was astronomical if you knew who to talk to. But these black boxes were more than a few old case files or missile codes that could easily be replaced. This was behind-the-scenes knowledge, like breaking the fourth wall of reality.
"Please tell me you mean to kill that asshat, so that I don't have to do it myself. He's a blithering idiot trying to get that out into the world for cash. That short-sighted, selfish, stupid…" She trailed off with a huff as she ran out of adequate insults for a man who wanted to end society as they knew it for a pile of cash. Didn't he realize money wasn't going to do him any fucking good if he couldn't spend it? Or got killed in World War III?
Thankfully her drink was here, and she gave the bartender a grateful smile as she drained half the glass without tasting it. If the world was about to collapse she might as well be drunk.
Last Edit: Jul 8, 2021 16:00:49 GMT by Dr. Heydari
Post by Shane O'Sullivan on Jul 8, 2021 21:21:23 GMT
Again, she was surprising him, but his amusement at her sudden rage became evident by the smile he partially hid behind the rim of his glass. In truth, she seemed more annoyed by Steven's antics than he was, or perhaps he was just so used to it by now.
'Please tell me you mean to kill that asshat, so that I don't have to do it myself.'
There came a low chuckle, but it wasn't laced with too much humor at this whole situation. "I'd like to," he answered her, knowing full well that he wasn't going to get the chance. No one was, only the cartel...if everything went according to plan.
And dear God, it fucking better.
Then, Amala was going on a rant of insults, and he placed his glass down to regard her. Despite how dire this situation was, there was mirth in those bright eyes. "'Gobshite' is a good Irish insult..." he mused, before he was serious again.
"There are five boxes, from wha' I've heard...and he only has the one, as far as I know." Pausing, Shane drew in a small breath. "Any chance ye might be able to find the location o' another?" All of them would be great, but he wouldn't be greedy.
Amala beamed at his suggestion of "Gobshite" and muttered it a few times to herself, trying to match his inflection. An Irishman and a psychologist meet in a bar… and the Irishman teaches the lady to swear. It sounded like a bad joke.
What he said after, though, wiped the grin from her face, and she went back into a more professional stance and expression. "In theory, yes. I'm privy to a great deal of private information, as the resident shrink. Shouldn't be too hard to work out from the records of evaluations who is hiding something special. The difficult part will be doing it without getting caught." She smiled again, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"Maybe you were right about me the first time...I'm certainly on my way to being one of the spooks, at this rate." She sighed. She'd been happy to get involved as a government psychologist because she thought she'd be helping people who had to do some of the hardest work in the world. The reality was that she was often pressured to sign off on operatives who weren't truly ready to return to work and that even those who could probably shouldn't. If any ACIS agent really were well adjusted? They'd quit.
So she'd been right in more than one way when she told Crane she didn't think he was crazy.