Your Own Worst Enemy

Log Title: Your Own Worst Enemy

Characters: Axegrinder, Damon Ward, Jarvis, Scarlett, Seville, Snake-Eyes, Victoria Crawford

Location: IMORTAL's American base, Chicago, Illinois

Date: 21 November 2007

Summary: Damon Ward attempts to recruit a new member to IMORTAL, only to have Jarvis unexpectedly torpedo the organisation's public relations...

As logged by Axegrinder

IMORTAL Base: America[]

It's a secret location! SSSSSSHHHHH!

Damon Ward steps out of the large 'Under Construction' area of the America base. He slips a set of shaded covers off of his glasses and looks around.

Victoria Crawford is checking on the construction of a hangar, helping with setting up the final phases. When she sees Damon enter she smiles. "Hello, Damon. We're almost situated here. The new base is coming along nicely."

Axegrinder walks up to her newly repaired Stratus, reaching up to pat the plane's fuselage. "How ya doin', boy?" she murmurs. "Gonna get you some new gear, eh? You'll like that." She gives the plane a final pat and heads off into the main area.

Damon Ward looks over as Axegrinder arrives, "Ah. The new VTOL systems have been successfully retrofitted into your Stratus."

"Ripper!" Barrows shouts, grinning. "So when do we get to go kick some more robot butt?"

Damon Ward shrugs slightly, "Well, unless the Decepticons continue to attack us, /in spite/ of the Autobots' departure, then...we may not have to worry about that anymore."

Axegrinder snorts. "I bet they will, those lousy bastards. Then me 'an Prometheus here," she jerks a thumb toward the jet, "we'll teach 'em a thing or two."

Sarah Barrows[]

Edgy-looking woman. Her black t-shirt has a gold stylized scorpion emblem on it. Her brown hair is tied into a ponytail. The top of her head is hidden by a navy blue baseball cap. She wears a pair of blue jeans, black low-cut hiking boots, and an expression that makes you think she may very well leap for your throat at any moment.

Chicago, Illinois - USA[]

On a cold, brutally windy day in Chicago, when the temperature's sub-zero and strong gusts keep you from walking down the street, the first question that will come to mind is, 'Who the hell decided to build a city and settle here?' Well, nearly three million hardy souls now call this great city home, and they can thank the mettle and vision of their Irish, Italian, German, Polish, Mexican and Asian immigrant forebears, and others who migrated here from the southern US for creating it. This diverse mix has built a city with an unrivaled tradition of jazz and blues, an astonishing architecture, an appetite for hearty food, award-winning newspapers, universities full of Nobel laureates and some of the most die-hard sports fans you'll ever meet.

Snake-Eyes shows his passport at the desk, waits while they compare pictures. The man makes a gesture at snakes face and snake removes the 3M breathe mask from his mouth and raises the glasses. No one behind the man can see his face, but from the expression on the custom's official's face, it can't be very good. The man makes another quick gesture and Snake places the items back on his face, pulls the cap low on his face, grabs his passport and starts after Scarlett.

'Georgia McHenry' steps out of the Terminal, and then leans against the wall. "Hamish, any ideas? You'd think people wanting recruits to help fight Cybertronians would have recruiting stations..."

Damon Ward has never really made his presence anywhere a great secret. He's met with several people in public already, a couple of them rather prominent. At present, he has booked a hotel room in Chicago to meet with a prospective recruit.

Snake-Eyes nods and signs, keeping his hand hidden by his body from the prying eyes of the CCTV camera, ~Maybe that's part of the first test?~

Scarlett shrugs. "Perhaps." She looks at a passerby, and asks, "I donna suppose you know where we can find Mister Damon Ward?" Her accent is Scottish. She does, however, know where to find Damon Ward, but is trying to get separated from Snake-Eyes, as she really does not want him watching her back on this... emotions, especially the kind between her and Snake-Eyes, complicate things.

GAME: Snake-Eyes PASSES a DEXTERITY roll of Average difficulty.

Snake-Eyes slides next to Scarlett and puts his arm around her waist. A protective, loving gesture with a purpose. His hand slides a replica dime into her jacket pocket. Imbedded within: a micropulse transmitter that sends out a single, .5 second burst transmission at random intervals between 1 second and 2 minutes, making it difficult to trace. The encrypted transmission is sent to an orbiting satellite, then downloaded to the HUD in Snake's sunglasses in the form of a map and location of the 'beeper'.

GAME: Scarlett PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of Extreme difficulty.

Scarlett clears her throat, noticing the small dime being placed in her pocket, but for the moment, she won't say anything... She just smiles at Snake-Eyes, and says, "Why don't you check the Lakefront hotels, I'll look Downtown."

Snake-Eyes pauses for a moment, then nods, -I'll see you later,- he turns and heads toward the exit.

Damon Ward would have given Georgia very specific instructions on where to meet him. Of course, whether or not she /shared/ those instructions would have been entirely up to her.

Georgia has not yet shared, she is trying to decide if she wants Snake-Eyes around... After a few minutes after Snake-Eyes leaves she peers at the 'dime', and sighs. Finally, she slips it back into her pocket and heads for a Taxi. She gives the driver the address of the Hotel Damon Ward is staying at and continues to try and decide what to do about Snake-Eyes.

Damon Ward is most certainly /not/ at the Hilton. Stupid bitch. He is, however, at a rather respectable one, sitting in the bar downstairs, with his Second nearby.

Scarlett is dropped off at the Hotel, and she steps into it. She leaves the 'dime' in her pocket, but taps it a couple times, to get it to transmit, before moving to the bar. She looks around, to make sure this is not a trap.

Sarah Barrows sits at the end of the bar, toying idly with the little decorative stick that came with her drink.

Damon Ward is not beside Sarah, as one might assume. Rather, he's sitting in a dimly lit booth, with his customary sunglasses covering his eyes, even in this dim environment.

Snake-Eyes glances up from the back seat of the cab. The three pings sent by the dime means only one thing. First off, she found it. Damn. Secondly, she's letting her position be known. He looks at the map under his glasses, taps the glass, writes a quick note to the driver. The cap swings a uturn an heads back the way it came.

"Mister Ward?" Georgia's Scottish voice asks the man wearing sunglasses at night (OOC: Go Corey!). "I'm R.A.F. Leftenant McHenry..." She waits for Damon to respond, before adding anything else.

Sarah Barrows glances up briefly as 'Georgia' enters the bar, then orders a beer from the bartender.

Damon Ward has something rather modest on the table before him. It's difficult to say what it is at a glance, but he seems to be enjoying it. He looks up at his name, "Good evening, Miss McHenry." He gestures to the seat across from him, "Please, join me."

Georgia inclines her head slightly, and sits down, "Thank you, Sir." She says, in the tone of a Military Officer thanking a superior officer for an order.

Sarah Barrows sits quietly drinking, peering about the bar periodically.

Snake-Eyes steps out of the cab as it pulls to a stop at the entrance of the Hotel. He hands a wad of cash to the driver and steps toward the entrance of the hotel. He's dressed much the same as before, black pants and shirt and long, black coat. He's wearing sunglasses and a white 3M filter mask, as well as a baseball cap pulled down low to hide his face in shadow. He looks over to the hotel bar and steps inside, looking around for Scarlett.

Damon Ward nods to 'Georgia,' "My pleasure. Always interested in meeting people of like mind." He offers her a kind smile, taking a sip from the glass in front of him, "So my people have mentioned that you were a candidate to attend MIT?"

Sarah Barrows tugs at the brim of her own baseball cap, which doesn't hide her face, drumming her fingernails on her glass with her other hand. Her green-eyed glance flicks over the newcomer briefly, notes the shades and the black coat, then returns to her drink.

Scarlett arches an eyebrow, "I think you have me confused with someone else, Sir. I went to The University of London, on an Air Force grant. Studied Engineering, but I don't believe I was ever a candidate to attend MIT. The Royal Air Force paid for my college, but, it was because I was already a licensed pilot before I decided to join."

Snake-Eyes spots Scarlett sitting in the booth and starts slowly toward the duo, taking note of the angles of the room and various escape routes as he walks.

Seville comes booting into the restaurant too. Look who's here! She laughs, a few of the other logistic personnel with her... a tall, black man who looks almost eight feet tall, and... come to think of it, the other two were almost as tall, although not quite as black. They split up though, her waving them off for now and turning to look about for a place to sit and be alone.

Seville[]

Five-foot eight and stocky, this brunette woman's hair is cropped short around her heart-shaped face. A widow's peak and slight witchlock grace her head, pointed chin dimpled. Brown eyes peer out at the world, wrinkled at the edges and squinted somewhat. A thick neck drops into her muscled body clothed in a grey bunny-hug sweatshirt reading ALCATRAZ PENITENTIARY SWIM TEAM on it, and black snap-off track pants around her thick legs and white-toed bright green sneakers.

Damon Ward's brow furrows, a frown creasing the corners of his mouth. In this instant, he looks a great deal older than 43. "I'm sorry, Ms. McHenry." He shakes his head, not really having an excuse for getting her confused. It does, however, seem quite genuine. "What, exactly, did your engineering specialize in?"

"Electrical Systems, specifically, Electronic components for Aircraft.." Georgia responds. Of course, if she were Damon, she'd be trying to slip up potential recruits too.

Snake-Eyes makes the first noise he's needed to since entering the bar. He snaps his fingers once, in an attempt to get Scarlett's attention.

Sarah Barrows's head jerks around to the man in the black coat and she scowls briefly at him before letting her gaze drift across the bar again, taking in Damon and Georgia at their booth.

Seville finds a seat not far from the others, whom she is oblivious to their true nature. Curling up in a seat, she waits for the waiter's attention, flipping open a romance novel.

Damon Ward nods slowly, "Avionics, yes, I'm fairly familiar with them. Were you specialized further in that field? Weapon systems, flight controls, sensors?"

Scarlett nods slightly, "Weapon Systems were what interested me the most. But it really has been a few years since I got a chance to look into it. Been spending a lot of time flying." She glances over at Snake-Eyes than back to Damon, "Sir, I had a fellow RAF member want to come with me. Sergeant Hamish McNeil. I knew him before my University days, and recently, while on Leave, the Decepticons attacked a power plant near his home town. He took an explosion too close to the face, and now, wants to help get rid of the Cybertronians...." She frowns, "I hope you do not mind his coming along with me. He is a Demolitions expert, and a crack marksman, but I don't know if your organization has call for his type, or not... I found him following me, as I got into Heathrow Airport."

Damon Ward frowns slightly, this time in a more disapproving manner. "My field operative didn't mention him..." His mirrored glasses stay fixed on Scarlett, "I'm afraid that I'm not entirely comfortable discussing recruitment this directly." He lifts up the glass and drains it, setting it back down toward the edge of the table. The situation seems to be not quite to Damon's liking all of a sudden.

Snake-Eyes reaches the table and stands, hands behind his back, at the typical 'at rest' pose.

Georgia sighs, "I knew bringing him was not a good idea...." She sighs again, "I'll leave if it makes you happy." She starts to stand up, "Good Luck, Sir... Kill some of those bastards for me... I guess I'll go back to England, and face the wrath of being AWOL."

Sarah Barrows notes Damon's movements and drops her head, surreptitiously gazing toward her boss and shifting on her barstool, the fingers of her right hand splaying, then flexing. When the man in the black coat moves to stand at Damon's table, she slides off her barstool.

(The following was broadcast at this moment:)

Jarvis' face appears on the screen* Fellow world citizens, I wish to extend IMORTAL's deepest thanks during this difficult time. As most of you well know, the Autobots have left our orbit and are heading to their rightful home on Cybertron. IMORTAL has full confidence this will result in a more secure Earth. *Jarvis pauses briefly* This...is a monumental day for humanity. We have shown that we are the Transformers equal, not subordinates. And if we can do this, there's no question what we can do. That is why I'm proud to say that IMORTAL is proudly unveiling phase 2 of its operations. Mainly, to eliminate the existence of terrorist organizations such as COBRA and Al-Qaida. Our technology has proven it can rid the world of the Transformer threat. Now, it's our responsibility to go after further threats. We are looking forward to working with world governments on this vital issue. Until then, take this time to celebrate this monumental achievement.

GAME: Damon Ward PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of High difficulty.

Seville ignores the two, reading about Fabio and the latest hottie.

Damon Ward side-steps past Snake-Eyes and moves over to Sarah, "We need to go. Now." There's a genuine tone of anger in his voice, /almost/ covered by the sense of urgency.

Scarlett watches Damon move to Sarah and hears the tone of his voice, and she smiles a bit to herself. She drops the accent, "Let's go home Snake-Eyes..." What does she care if Damon sees through her cover now, he likely already has.

Snake-Eyes relaxes visibly, dropping the silly resting stance. He signs quickly, ~Didn't go well?~

Sarah Barrows backs up immediately, nodding tersely to Damon and following closely behind him.

Seville continues reading, oblivious to the goings' ons.

Scarlett mutters, "And here I changed my hair and dress, for nothing...." She sighs and says to Snake-Eyes, "It was O.K... Until..." She shakes her head, "I should have ditched your tracking device." She drops the dime on the floor and crushes it beneath the heel of her boot. She sighs a little, and says, "Let's go... I can get this dye out of my hair after we get back to the PITT...."

Seville continues to read, oblivious to the balance of power going on.

IMORTAL Base: America[]

It's a secret location! SSSSSSHHHHH!

Jarvis is reading the paper, nursing a bourbon on the rocks.

Damon Ward practically storms into the main area of the American base. He looks to the first member he can find, "Where is he? Where's Jarvis?!" He doesn't normally refer to people by their last names, but...he's not happy right now.

Jarvis arches a brow as he hears Damon stomp in, but he continues to read the paper, sipping bourbon.

Damon Ward spots Henry in the lounge. He takes a moment to collect himself and marches over to the table. "Jar-... Henry. Could you /please/...please tell me why you just went in front of the whole world to announce that IMORTAL will now be turning its forces /against/ our own kind?"

Jarvis tilts his head and stands up. "Well, if you weren't recruiting young tarts during the most vital night of IMORTAL's existence...the departure of the Autobots, I would have known the talking points..."

Sarah Barrows comes in on Damon's heels, and unfortunately for Jarvis, she's not concerned with collecting herself. She stomps over to the American and seizes him by his shirt front. "What the hell're you playin' at, y'damn Seppo?"

Jarvis says simply "Cobra and Al-Qaida aren't 'our kind' - and we have exhausted virtually none of the resources given to us." He remains composed, though he gives Sarah a stern look "Release me..." Jarvis looks at both Damon and Sarah "I was expecting you to thank me. I thought it was an inspiring speech - aimed to unite the world."

Sarah Barrows glares into Jarvis' eyes. "I'll let ya go when I've broken yer fool head!"

Jarvis remains still "Before you resort to violence, you may want to tell me exactly one damn reason why we shouldn't go after either of those barbarian, terrorist organizations - "

Damon Ward pulls out a chair and practically collapses into it. He holds up a hand, "Let him go, Sarah."

Jarvis smirks triumphantly at Sarah. "Well..."

"That ain't what we're /here/ for!" Sarah shouts, shaking Jarvis for emphasis. "We're here ta chase off the robots! An' if y'think they're gone f'r good, y'need yer 'ead examined!" She glances back to Damon, gives Jarvis a sneer, and shoves him back into his seat. "Bloody moron," she mutters.

Jarvis looks at Damon Ward "When I suggested 'stage 2' - you didn't necessarily say 'no.' And since you were so busy recruiting - I didn't know our gameplan. Someone asked me to do an interview, I accepted. What I said...there wasn't anything controversial about it! (except those pesky Al-Qaida and COBRA-funded terrorist countries)

Damon Ward draws in a deep breath, reaching up and unhooking the glasses. He folds the arms and sets the mirrored lenses on the table. With his eyes closed, he looks toward Jarvis' voice, "Henry, when I agreed to begin IMORTAL, there was a lot of negotiation. The initial supporters all wanted a piece of the research they were funding...particularly the weapons. However, the one issue I absolutely refused to budge on was that our weapons and technology would, under no circumstances, be turned against our own kind."

Sarah Barrows sits and glowers at Jarvis, her arms folded across her chest.

Jarvis looks at Sarah and Damon and for the first time, he's utterly speechless. "I see..." is all he can say.

Damon Ward considers something for a moment, "Henry...look me in the eyes." And for what may be the first time in his IMORTAL career, he opens his eyes for people to see. What used to be vibrant blue eyes have long since lost any hue. The irises had gone white years ago, but the entire surface is glassy and almost ash-gray. Granted, he can't see, but the eyes seem to get people's attention. "Henry, I don't intend for IMORTAL to simply fade into nothingness. The research we've done here will benefit the human race as a whole. When we are united against a single enemy, then our race is stronger than it has ever been in history. That is how we were able to send the machines off of this planet."

Jarvis nods and looks at Damon Ward, he looks away briefly, then looks at Damon in the eyes again. "Then why not use our technology against our next biggest threat if we dispatched our first threat so effortlessly?"

Sarah Barrows looks at Damon's eyes as well, blinking in surprise. She didn't know what she expected her boss' eyes to look like, but it's startling to see.

Jarvis looks at Sarah and gives her a slight patronizing wink. He waves a hand and says "Sorry...I need to pick up my kids from practice. If you want me to restate any of our goals, just email me the script." He looks at Damon with almost complete sincerity "I apologize if I overstepped my bounds."

Sarah Barrows just glares at Jarvis.

Damon Ward nods to Jarvis, "Please, tell them I said hi. I'll make the formal apology, myself...I...shuold have made time to speak with you the other day."

Jarvis nods at Damon, satisfied. "I appreciate it..." He walks past Sarah before heading to his Lexus. He mutters to Sarah, "trollop"

Sarah Barrows leaps up from the sofa. "Jarvis, you bastard!"

Jarvis gestures to Damon "Heyah, I'm just doing what he says." He nods to both of them. "Cheers..."

Sarah Barrows glares daggers into Jarvis' back as he leaves.