overjoyed_logs | Pre-game catchall

[It's been a surprisingly quiet day for Angel, riot rates have been low and in turn interesting candidates have made themselves less visible. Even those she's been assigned to keep an eye on have been keeping their heads down recently. It's for the best, today's main event will likely take all her energy.

She pulls up the recent data she's collected before steeling herself to contact him, her voice coming clear through their private line to his preferred communication device]

Sorry to bother you Sir, but I noticed you didn't schedule in time for a weekly review, would you like to skip it this week, or is now a good time?

[ Jack is sitting in his office, leisurely going through the more mundane parts of his work. For all the fun of busting peoples' heads, putting away bad people, and other enjoyable tasks, there's still a hell of a lot of way less fun work. Paperwork. Normally, he'd delegate this crap to some idiot, but nooo, his usual idiot got shivved last week. Friggin' animal Westies. So, the duty falls to him, much to his displeasure.

He sees his tablet light up in a call, and at first, Jack almost ignores it, caught up in his work as he is. But seeing the nondescript caller, Jack's expression lightens slightly. He sits back as he picks up the tablet, taking off his reading glasses idly as he does so. ]

Hey, Angel.

[ His response is casual and almost detached at first, which could be distraction, or it might just be a little piece of that distance between the two of them. It's never easy to tell, especially with how his voice lights up with personality right after. ]

Ahhhh crap, is it that time already? Please tell me you've found someone to fill the paperwork vacancy since friggin' Kyle died. I need another Kyle ASAP.

[ He pauses, then taps his glasses idly against his temple before setting them down on the desk. He sits back more, propping up his feet comfortably. ]

Nah, we don't skip it, sweetheart. Now's as good a time as any.

[A Jack running cool is always better than a Jack running hot, in her experience. Any closeness she craves is not the kind she'll ever get, distance is preferable.]

I haven't found anyone as adequate as Kyle, but there is that descendant of the nine that's been sulking around old town as of late. From what I've been able to gather, he has less than a stellar relationship with his own family, and is bordering on desperate when it comes to work for the Company, though he may view this as ambition. What's more, he seems to be in tangled in some business with the resistance. Though it's less by personal choice and more by blackmailed force, if my information is correct.

He doesn't seem to be as....

[She pauses to search for a kind way to phrase it, Kyle deserved that much.]

Cultured in the ways of Westerly and its people, but what he lacks in street smarts he makes up for in business, it may be worth at least contacting him for an interview.

[Again, she takes a break to bring up new information, and rearrange the glowing screens in front of her. As always she's ready for Jack to not like what he hears.]

As for the general report on you and your business, your methods are polling favorably in the north parts of Old Town, but low in the east, and considerably lower this week on Leith as a whole. On Qresh, however, you remain stable.

Prisoner intake this week has been on the low side, with less incidents and only 60 hazard accidents and minor injuries.

[She stops for now to give Jack a moment to note all this down. The shorter this encounter the better, and not having to repeat herself will certainly reduce the time taken.]

[ The answer surprises Jack, not because he hadn't expected Angel to have an answer, but because he's surprised that he knows who she's talking about. He thinks, at least. It's a vague description, but still, how often do descendants of the Nine come to visit their resident pisshole? ]

Oh... Oh, yeah, uh-- Rice? Something like that? Yeah, he was a Kendry.

[ Jack hums out a thoughtful 'huh' as he considers what it might be like to get Rhys on his side instead, but that thought is quickly gone with the rest of what Angel explains. His eyes widen in surprise, and even the mild annoyance he feels at his numbers being down is easily brushed away in the face of that juicy information she has. He waits for her to finish, and though he's not quite patient about it, he at least doesn't interrupt. ]

Ha— Seriously? That's- That's why he's here? He got blackmailed by Resistance? [ Jack barks out a laugh, but it at least is full of amusement and not a hint of irritation anymore. ] What a friggin' moron! That's great news though, baby. Good job digging that one up. Any idea what they've got on him?

I believe it's pronounced "R-ee-ce" [She stops, winces. Correcting Jack is always an unpredictable move, so she adds a rushed] Sir.

Most details about his situation are unclear, how he got into this predicament in the first place, the information is on Leith and unreachable to me at the moment. But from what I can gather, it seems like good intentions gone wrong on his part.

[Angel doesn't really know the guy, the information she's pulled up has been gathered from resistance and smuggler reports alike, but any of Rhys's personal logs are inaccessible to her at the moment. She had tried accessing his personal computer while researching the situation, but couldn't get past medium level security, let alone into his augmentations. She would need his permission to go any further.
Whether Rhys acted out of the goodness of his heart of for personal gain is all conjecture at the moment.]

The events just...got out of control.

[She brings Rhys's file back in front of her.]

Traitors within the Nine, smugglers, and then the resistance. It almost reads like a comedy sketch...except it's really happening to him and not very funny.

Yeah, yeah, that's what I said. Basically.

[ A little annoyance creeps into his tone, and Jack waves his hand dismissively. It's at least quickly gone, because he's far, far more interested and amused by the story Angel is laying out here. He picks a pen up off his desk to twirl it around his fingers. The information energizes him and gets him thinking, and that energy is conveyed in a small amount through the gesture. ]

Good intentions gone wrong, that's good though. If he were actually loyal to 'em, that'd be a problem, but blackmail? We- I can work with blackmail. Because now my blackmail is gonna top his. Bet they're going for a double agent kinda thing so... Maybe a double double agent...? Hm.

[ He lapses into a silence, though it could barely be called one with how brief it is. It's only a few seconds before he breaks it with a laugh. ]

Wait, not very funny? You're kidding, right? This is gold. A real comedy of errors, and I don't even know what happened!

[Jack finding it funny is no surprise, letting it slip that she thought otherwise was a mistake. Maybe the quietness of this week has made her forget to hold her tongue. Best to just agree.]

Of course, I was just speaking from his perspective on the situation, that's all.

All records show his loyalty lies with the Kendry's and Company, perhaps offering to help him sort things out Company side while he continues to work within the Resistance is the best course of action.

[She stops to think for a moment. Here's an unfortunate thing about Angel's job: it comes with a buttload of guilt, especially when she's directly effecting a person like this, handing them over to Jack like a lamb to slaughter. It's easier when it's a large group, then it's abstract, or when it's people who Jack has assured her deserve it. Criminals. She knows, has to believe, that in those times it's for the best. But Rhys? He's just some sad sap down on his luck for all she knows, just another man caught by the tide of his own hubris and sent out to sea.

Maybe she can help, if she plays this right. Or at least keep an eye on him. The seed has already been planted in terms of trouble when it comes to Jack, but she could try to keep Rhys from make things worse for himself.]

If I could get into his subsystems information would be much easier to obtain on him, but his security protocols are strange, definitely not Company standard, if I had to guess he may have programmed them himself. And even if I were to find a way through, the chances of being detected are extremely high. He'd need to let me in directly for the best results.

[She has to make Jack have the idea himself, asking outright to contact Rhys directly is most likely a fools errand.]

Edited 2017-01-16 04:57 (UTC)

[ Jack listens calmly, since this is all good information to take in an absorb if he's going to be using Rhys for a vague something, but he's surprised yet again. His eyebrows quickly shoot up in near disbelief when Angel says she can't get into Rhys's systems, because that... doesn't sound possible. ]

Wait, wait, wait, seriously. You. You can't get into that turd's systems? Just- Just what kinda hardware is he packing?

[ jack you could really afford to work on phrasing ]

Huh. Would not have pegged that guy as actually being, I dunno, useful with tech. Or making his own crap. What's making you think he made it himself?

[Thanks for that image, Jack.

Listen, there's a chance she could manage it, a back door to slip through. But...]

With what I've observed I wouldn't be able to do this unnoticed. It's not that Rhys's security measures are beyond me, but they're incompatible in ways that will alert my presence to the rest of the system.

[On her end, she brings up the details of Rhys's hard and software- and now that just sounds wrong. Great.- for reference.]

It's company grade, but the ways it has been modified exude a very personal touch. If he didn't do it himself, it would have been by someone who knows him and his augmentations very well.

Huh. Guess even an idiot like that can surprise you.

[ He twirls his pen in his fingers, and there's a lapse into silence that's probably awkward on Angel's end, but Jack is oblivious to it. He's just trying to think this through to a good, useful way to use these facts, and that takes at least a little time. But he stops twirling the pen only to point it at the screen, regardless of whether she can even see it or not. ]

Okay, one, any idea what percentage of modifications he's sitting at? That's good to know. Especially if it's a high one.

[ Does that sound ominous? Probably, but Jack barely misses a beat before continuing. ]

But two, sounds like I'm gonna have to get to know him myself, in that case. Easy enough, considering what I've got already. But I'll go the softer route first, because, eh, jumping straight to blackmail on that level means losing a good play of cards. A Kendry— [ He laughs out Rhys's family name, and there's enthusiasm in his voice ] That's a good person to have on our side for when I start moving up.

[Can't see shit captain, this is a voice-only call.]

His public records show installation of a data port on his left temple that connects directly to his brain, it's risky technology but his body seems to have accepted it without much trouble, according to the medical report. With it, he can up or download directly to his brain.

His left eye is also false, and allows him to scan objects within his line of sight and gain information on them, so long as it exists in the Company's database. However this information is not public, with the medical records of it stored securely on Quresh. Thankfully, there are enough of the Company's uplinks there that getting through hospital security wasn't much of a problem.

The eye isn't as lofty as his temple port, but it makes sense that he would not want to make it known knowledge. Though he's well below the legal limit, it's enough to reflect badly on his status.

[That's good, she thinks, that Jack isn't immediately going for the low blow. In fact, together, they may actually be able to help this guy. He's being held hostage by the resistance after all, and they're at least as dangerous as Jack, right?]

If I may suggest...with the right amount of trust, I may not only be able to access his secured files, but integrate with his modifications completely.

Edited 2017-01-17 05:46 (UTC)

Oh— Oh, yeah, he scanned me with the eye. It's... Okay, well, glad that I changed my records so much as I could. Also surprised the Company hasn't noticed I changed 'em yet, but eh, whatever. He didn't seem concerned with being a snitch.

[ It's more like it hadn't occurred to him that he could or should, but that works for his purposes. He at least agrees to her suggestion fairly quickly, since as she'd hoped, Jack is thinking this is his idea. ]

Way ahead of you there, Angel. Definitely- I mean, probably kinda weird to make friends with the guy so we can get into his, uh, brain, but. Whatever. Going for it. You think you'd have any luck? Dunno him well enough to be sure, but who knows. Maybe he's the kind of guy to fall for the AI in distress ploy. If not... Ehh, I guess I'll have to, but he's friggin' Qreshi, so he already thinks I'm some kinda slackjawed idiot probably.

[ He sighs in irritation, since that prospect always annoys him, but he adds: ] Nah, shouldn't be too hard, actually. He'll think Company is better than Resistance blackmailing him any day.

He seems to be at least a fan of technology, if his modifications and coding skill are anything to go by. In that vein, he may not need to be moved by distress. Judging from the records I can access all he may need is a friend, and one in the form of an AI may be easier for him to open up to.

Lonely? Ha—

[ Jack laughs again, and that laugh is tinged with a sharp amusement. At least even so, his interest stays relatively neutral. At least, so much as Jack can be without it tipping towards being dangerous. It tends to be better when Jack's amused over anything else. ]

Yeah, then sure, let's go with that one. I hear about that sometimes, like the Qreshi are craaaazy paranoid because- I mean, because they're always afraid of their family stabbin' them in the back and stuff. Insane, right? Anyways. Yeah, see if you can get buddy-buddy with him.

[Ding!]

Yes, Jack.

[Once again she shuffles around the windows and files in front of her, bringing up the next item on the docket.]

Should we talk about your personal health now?

Yeaaah, sure, why not.

[ Jack says like it's optional, which, technically it is, but it also shouldn't be... He's still riding the good cheer from the previous topic, so he's at least amenable to it. ]

Perfect review, right? I mean, has to be. I'm me. [ There's a tone to the "me" that's light enough that he might be making a joke with his arrogance, but it could just as well be Jack being whimsical and wanting to make a stupid voice. Best to assume it's not a joke, though. ]

Erm, actually....

[Angel hesitates, and if Jack could see her he might notice she's fidgeting as she stalls.]

Both your physical activity and proper eating habits have been on the lower end this week. Your coffee to food ratio is 1 to 10 on average. If you want to...keep your

[ [UHG] ]

"Fit Bod"

[UUUUHGGGG]

You'll have to make up for lost time in the upcoming week, double visits to the gym at least and please eat something substantial.

[ ...Oh.

That wipes the grin off Jack's face pretty quickly, though at least this time it's not because he's getting upset. Maybe he would, because any implication that he's not the perfect ideal of the male body is just clearly completely wrong and untrue, but. He's also very aware that his daughter just 'fit bod' to describe him, and. His reaction is actually the same as hers there. ]

Uuuughhhh— That's... No, no, look, that's just because this week has been busy...

[ He tries to justify himself, but with another groan and pulling his face, he at least concedes this one pretty easily. ]

Gym it is... And food. Did I really not eat that much?

[LISTEN it says right here, in this document, that Jack edited that his "bod is fit" and to be called as such. Maybe think about the person who has to read this next time? Please. Angel can only cringe so much in her life.]

You didn't, and when you did it was fast food without much nutrition. Should I look into a suitable gopher for you?

[ LOOK... He thought it was funny!! Jack does a lot of things because he thinks they're funny... Leave him be. ]

Uhh... Mmmmaybe, yeah. You know anyone off the top of your head, or you gonna have to do some digging for that one?

[ He considers it a little more, then nods ]

Actually, scratch the maybe. Definitely. I could use some idiot to get me the crap I don't have time for.

I'll have to do some digging...someone low enough in the ranks that they'd be willing to comply, but loyal enough to not put you at risk.

[And for like, the briefest second, Angel considers what that would be like--someone taking Jack out--but that's impossible, her father wouldn't have gotten this far if he was an easy target. Besides, without him what would happen to her?]

I'll start looking into it.

Yeah, just gimme a list of the people you dig up.

[ He makes a thoughtful noise as he considers it, then leans back in his chair. He twirls his pen around again, then just thinks aloud. ]

I mean, loyalty's kinda hard to judge from your side, Angel, so leave that part to me. Buuuut just in case, dig up the dirt too if they've got any. Would, uh, prefer the real deal, but if not? Everyone's got a price. So, y'know, I'll do that part of the deal.

I'll get right on it, Jack.

Thanks, Angel.

[ His thanks is genuine, but the tone isn't quite right for what it should be. It's not the tone of a father thanking his daughter for doing well, but much more akin to the boss speaking to his secretary. He pauses, taps his pen thoughtfully a few times, but then shakes his head. ]

Well, you got anything else? 'Cause otherwise, I'm drawin' a blank here. [ Then quickly, he adds: ] Oh, no, wait, duh. You need anything? I'll be going, uh, shopping this week I think, so lemme know what you want.

No, nothing else to report at the moment. Plans to move forward on Operation Dunk on Dilholes are scheduled for a month from now, but otherwise there are no pressing concerns.

[She pauses to think about his question]

If there are any interesting non-perishables you come across, I'd like the variety.

[ And like the five year old in a forty year old man's body that Jack is, he snickers at the name, and even mutters to himself: ]

Classic.

[ But. All that aside, there's an easy smile in his voice as he continues. ]

Can do! Or, uh, will do my best! Ssssshould be easier, what with Harvest Week and all, at least. Don't completely have my schedule set yet, but, hey, I'll let you know as soon as I'm sure when I can take a day off. Shouldn't be a big deal, since it's not like I take off time otherwise, but yeah. Variety it is.

Pre-game catchall

JACK

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