The Glitch V: Taste of Fear (Episode 1)

[Charon]

Matt didn't seem to take much note of the stumble. He was paying attention to the phone. "He knows something more than we do. Or thinks he does." Matt spoke softly, making certain his voice couldn't carry over to the detective.

[frigidmagi]

"Don't look the gift horse in the mouth. See if we can make a meet." Jeremy said.

[B4UTRUST]

James muted the phone again so he could talk to those with him.
"He's got people with him. More Ascended. I don't like this. It's too convenient, too simple. I think we're going to have a face to face and I have no clue how this is going to go down."

[Agent Fisher]

Jack looked to the door of the office. "Right outside your office, actually. As for convenient, you're right and I don't like being played like a puppet by the Shadow Don."

[frigidmagi]

"He's got people with him. More Ascended. I don't like this. It's too convenient, too simple. I think we're going to have a face to face and I have no clue how this is going to go down."

"Simple, we meet in public, someplace well paroled where he can't start a fuss. If you want me and Mal can hide close by and if he does try something, we jump them. Surprise is a pretty good equalizer." Jeremy said.

[B4UTRUST]

The phone still muted, James replied to Jeremy.
"He's outside my office. That might work. Because this is Old Town. No such thing as well patrolled."

[frigidmagi]

"Then we don't meet in Old Town." Jeremy suggested.

[B4UTRUST]

James nodded and un-muted the phone.
"Alright, we need to meet up. There's a restaurant not too far from you, just across the border into Crystal City. Giovanni's in Greenbrier Plaza. Thirty minutes. I'll find you there. "

James hung up the phone and set it on the center console before turning down the next street. Giovanni's would be twenty to twenty-five minutes away from his office, but only about ten from where they were at. They could get there early and set up before the others arrived.

No longer bothering to look for people, James' foot got heavier as he accelerated, wanting to give himself the maximum time between when he arrived and the Alchemist's group did.

[LadyTevar]

"So what did he say?" Lizbet asked as Uncle Jack put the phone away.

[Agent Fisher]

Jack lowered his hand and looked at the group. "Giovanni's in about half a hour." He said. "So, everybody back to the car." He said, waving his hand.

[Charon]

Matt shook his head. "I don't like going in unprepared. Let's give it a minute so Greg can take a look in this guy's office. Get an idea of what we're gonna be dealing with."

[Agent Fisher]

Jack shrugged. "Ok, fine. I also figured I'd drop you and uh, Seth, off a block away, that way if things go bad, you two come storming in and rescue me."

[LadyTevar]

"Giovanni's?" LizBet asked, her face scrunching in confusion. "Why does he want to meet outside OldTown?"

[Charon]

Matt laughed. "You came and got me. You're stuck with me. You and I are going to meet with him, I doubt he doesn't have backup of some sort. But if he's wanting a meet outside of Old Town, he isn't looking to start immediate trouble. I hope. Either way, it is better to be safe than sorry." He smiled and looked to Greg. "Do your thing kid."

[frigidmagi]

No longer bothering to look for people, James' foot got heavier as he accelerated, wanting to give himself the maximum time between when he arrived and the Alchemist's group did.

"Do you wanna met as a group or want one or both of us to hang back as a surprise?" Jeremy asked.

[SirNitram]

"Given two of you look perfectly normal, and one of us is an undead in plate armor, I'm guessing it's me that'd have to walk the rest of the way." A dark smirk.

[General Havoc]

Moment of truth.

Frankly, Gregory was sure this was not what whoever had designed this had intended for his power, but he was on solid games theory ground with it. How many games did players abuse camera controls and personal reconnaissance capabilities from their "eyes in the sky" to get advance warning of what was to come? How many games was it more or less assumed that you would do so? The verbal invitation from Matt was the final kicker. The power only worked relative to individuals who accepted, however subconsciously, his participation in their organization. He needed them as an anchor point.

None of that, of course, was easily explained.

"Okay," he said, nodding. "I'll be right back."

Carefully, he sat down on the steps, organizing himself carefully, and leaned to one side against the side of the railing. Normally he would never have even dreamed of doing this in such an exposed position, but this was a special case (what wasn't?) and they weren't expecting combat (when were they?). He adjusted his weight, his position carefully, taking the few seconds that was all it took now, after months of long practice and familiarity with just how this would work.

And when everything was ready, he simply closed his eyes, and went limp.

It was barely even noticeable, no sound, no motion other than a faint slump as his muscles all relaxed at once. And then all of a sudden he was free.

His consciousness floated overhead. He saw the street, the people walking up and down it. He saw his own body lying senseless on the stairs, and the others standing around him. He paused a second to get his bearings, and then, without actually moving, phased his consciousness clean through the wall, through the outer reception area, dark and abandoned, and into the main office itself.

It was nothing special. Empty of all life, with a coffee machine, water cooler, hat/coatrack, some posters and maps up on a bulletin board, a couple chairs, and a desk on which were placed a number of folders, tossed onto the desk as though people had been perusing them recently. Several papers lay face-up on the desk, where they had been placed or dropped.

Moments later, Jack's phone rang once again, the call coming in from an "unavailable" phone number, at the same time as Gregory's voice, clear sounding and unhurried, simultaneously was broadcast directly into Lizbet and Matt's ears, or perhaps head.

"It's empty," he said. "But there's a bunch of papers on the desk. I can only read a couple of them, but... they're about the Cannibal."

[frigidmagi]

"Given two of you look perfectly normal, and one of us is an undead in plate armor, I'm guessing it's me that'd have to walk the rest of the way." A dark smirk.

"No. If you walked you would miss the meet. If do this, it's you and me hiding. One man will lower their guard, two men won't. Besides the bigger the hole card, the bigger our options." Jeremy said.

[B4UTRUST]

"I'll meet him and whoever he's with by myself," James stated. "There's enough businesses and places around for you two to have eyes on the meet and see who's coming into the area. No walking, Malk, we'll get there before they do and have time to set up. Ten to fifteen minutes hopefully."

James reached into one of his inner coat pockets and pulled out a folded piece of paper and passed it to Jeremy. It was a print out of pictures of Jack the Alchemist from moments during and after the last war. None of them were newer than a few years old, mostly publicity and morale/welfare pieces and stuff taken for history books and what not. But it would give everyone a good idea of who they were looking for.
"Here, best pictures I could find on the guy. We know he's got backup and I can only guess who he's got with him. Guess we'll find out here shortly."

A few minutes later the car pulled into the main parking lot of the plaza. Giovanni's was a little Italian restaurant tucked into one of the corner spaces of the shopping plaza, surrounded by the usual array of shops ranging from book stores, sports equipment, clothes, shoes and other miscellaneous types of stores. All in all, what you would expect to find at a normal strip-mall shopping plaza. What made it nice in this case was the entire thing was laid out in a massive U shape with most of the employee parking, dumpsters delivery in the back while the front was reserved for the customers, shops surrounding on all sides with the large parking lot in the middle. One way in, same way out. Poe found a parking spot that suited him, facing the car back out towards the exit and on the end so he wouldn't have to dodge between rows of cars to get out in a hurry if he needed to. He could have parked in between cars and gotten a bit more protection but that would have risked his car being blocked in too easily.

As James got out of the car he looked at the restaurant and then at the surrounding stores.
"What do you guys think?"

[Charon]

Matt blinked once he heard the voice in his head. "Well that's weird..." Shaking his head a bit Matt focused on the matter at hand. "Official documents or hand-written notes? Also, any notes on any of us that you can see?"

[frigidmagi]

As James got out of the car he looked at the restaurant and then at the surrounding stores.
"What do you guys think?"

"Perfect. We can stay close and come running if there's trouble. What's the all clear signal?" Jeremy asked.

[B4UTRUST]

James paused for a moment thinking about it.
"I'm going to go in and put down a request for a table for a party of 7. This will take a bit to get organized and set up. Long enough for the Alchemist to get here and him and I to meet. If it's good, we'll go inside the restaurant and everyone can sit down and have a nice chat. If it's bad, we're outside so there's less chance they're going to try something stupid. I'll walk away. That should cover both basis, yes?"

[frigidmagi]

"Yeah, we'll come running if it gets violent." Jeremy replied.

[LadyTevar]

Lizbet jumped when the voice came in her ear... mind... wherever. She tried to cover it the only way she knew how -- which was to take action. "I can get them!" she announced, and before anyone could object, she Ghosted, becoming intangible and slipping through the wall into the outer office.

[B4UTRUST]

Poe nodded and turned towards the restaurant. Inside he walked up to the hostess' stand and smiled.
"Hi, I've got a party of seven arriving for lunch, how long would a table take?"

The hostess looked up at him, frowning slightly before glancing down at her chart.
"Seven? Ummm, it's gonna be at least half an hour, maybe forty minutes?"

James continued to smile.
"That's fine, just put it under the name Poe."
"Oh, um, okay then? About half an hour or so."
"Alright, I'll wait for my friends outside, if that's okay."
"Oh, uh fine, sir, we'll page you when the table is ready."

She handed him a small round black beeper with a few red LEDs on it that he slipped into his coat pocket. Stepping back outside he found a bench by the door to sit on while he waited. He scanned the parking lot, waiting for Jack and his group to show up.