Description: In which Duke meets Blackjack's leader, Elle. Abound with planning and lies (?!). Also, SOMEONE DIES -- nah, not really. One day it'll happen though. MAYBE TODAY?! Naaaaah.
When it comes down to it, Elle is everywhere.
It really doesn't matter anymore. Wherever you are, whatever you do, it's impossible to go someplace Elle hasn't been if you're a member of the black and gray markets. It's not a palpable presence, though. Unlike Geese or Kain, or any other of the shadowy organizations that demand respect and deference, Elle prefers to just be around. That tiny little speck in the background of all your pictures, or the disclaimer on the pack of cigarettes, or the vaguely ominous 'John 3:12' on the bottom of your cup at In n' Out. Check it. It's there.
Waiting.
Unlike those strange and cryptic things, however, Elle is active and moving. Enough so that very perceptive people will note that something is running around in the dark, scooping up what others leave behind. Trash and garbage that people beleive is nothing always ends up in Elle's hands, where she shapes and molds the find into something she can use.
A scavenger to the utmost. Though little more than an insect in terms of raw physical power, what she lacks in strength she makes up for in knowledge. Anyone that recognizes that? Well, as long as they have money, Elle is the fighting world's biggest help file.
And it's that need of knowledge that brings Elle here today looking for the leader of Mephistopheles. A grandiose name compared to her more meager 'Blackjack', an organization named on the ideology that sometimes 'close enough is good enough'. She's dressed conservatively today, her black pantsuit, maroon blouse and black two inch heeled boots only marred by the ever-present guitar strapped along her back. The building lobby seems a little much, but then that tends to be the norm when you're dealing with the Syndicate.
In the end, there's two kinds of people who deal in the criminal underworld. The power-seekers, those that seek to reach the top of the food chain. And then there are those who just want their cut. Both are opportunists. It all just amounts to how far they end up -taking- those opportunities.
Some people, like Elle, are the practical sort only looking for their share. Doing what she needs to, scavenging where she goes, and accomplishing what others ask of her for the right price. Opportunists who seek profit rather than power. Elle isn't the only one of her kind, after all; mercenaries exist throughout the world dedicated to the exact same thing. The only diffierence between them all is the effectiveness of their work. But then...
... But then, there are people like the man Elle has come to meet today. Not idealists, not looking out to grasp the world and make it their own. Just looking for their own 'cut.' A cut of the power, a position in the world where no one can truly control them. A different kind of 'power mongerer' from those that run the organizations of R, NESTS, or Shadaloo. After all --
Duke has never really been interested in conquering the world. All he wants is his personal top of the totem pole.
The place Elle finds herself in today is just one of several locations owned by Duke; not the opera house, nor the warehouse in which his goons do much of the dirty work in Metro. This can be considered more of his... 'estate,' if it could even be called as such. The lobby is plain, empty; if anyone were to ask, the explanation would be that the building had been 'closed until further notice.' But Elle is here. And here as well--
"Elle Belmounte." --would be the 'owner' of this particular building. The man known simply as Duke, standing towards the edge of the empty lobby. His right hand tucked away into his pocket, his left cracks his neck in an idle gesture, dark eyes observing the woman before him in silence for a long moment. "... Right? Head of Blackjack." Of course he's right. If he wasn't, Elle wouldn't still be standing here. "You're right on time. Good." He says nothing more for now; any introductions could take place, he hardly cares. But for now -- he takes a moment to assess. Odds are she'll ask the pertinent questions soon enough, after all.
After the billionth meeting, you get kind of tired anyway. Elle slogs through life with the dreary certainty that empires come and go, and that men of power rise and fall, but she'll always be there to pick up the peices. Having managed her way through Vega's ultimate disintigration, it behooves to to infect yet another organization with her dubious hand.
She doesn't really answer Duke's statement. On time is how she is. People don't pay her to be late. She metally riffles through the accumulated information that her photographic memory affords her. Duke's got a number moreso than a name, and that number is intricately linked to how much the man is willing to pay.
"Leilani tells me that things went well. I took the liberty in delivering over one hundred and fifty gallons of Glow to your boys in Metro Bay. You now have enough shit to have half of the borough walking dumb," she informs the man, not really big on going through the usual rigamarole of pomp and circumstance some people make her go through. The intimidating poses do get a little annoying, but when you've dealt with enough megalomaniacs, you know when to feign fear and when not to. Right now? She barely blinks, dull expression set on her countenance like a mask
%"The way I figure it, you've got maybe two, three more months before Haggar figures out where you are and what you're doing. Since you're my biggest distributor thus far, I'd like to know what you plan on doing about it. Otherwise, I'm going to have to find me a new salesman, and I hate having to do things twice."
In any type of criminal organization, there's one of two kinds of leaders: there's crime bosses, and then there's megalomaniacs. And no one involved in the Syndicate, top of the ladder or lowest, has ever been in the latter category. Duke strikes no intimidating poses, he does not engage in any tiringly long and tedious monologues; he cracks his neck because it needs to be cracked, and otherwise assumes a casual position. He has nothing to fear from Elle, and as long as she doesn't try to kill him with that guitar or something equally foolish, she has nothing to fear from him.
And so -- business assumes as any normal business deal would. Duke takes into consideration the woman's words, nodding only once towards her statements. "And the money's been wired to your account. I'll let you know in advance when or if I need more shipments." The Glow is a way for Duke to receive funding -outside- of Geese Howard's notice. It's a fact that Leilani picked up on -- and maybe one that Elle will have as well. "You'll be paid slightly more than the agreed upon price to maintain secrecy on who you're delivering the Glow to if questioned. Other than that, I think everything has been taken care of." Duke's words are calm, to the point; after all, there's no use in beating around the bush in a business deal. It just wastes his valuable time.
"I've already been afforded a month to start establishing a firm power base here in Metro... for the Syndicate," 'Hell's Executioner' explains in a matter-of-fact tone. For the Syndicate -- but mainly for himself. "Mayor Haggar has been busy in Thailand and, in that time, I've established myself firmly in the criminal underground -- and with the public." He doesn't expand on that for the moment; there are, after all, certain levels of trust and certain things that you do not confide in business partners you have only recently established. "By the time he notices things are amiss, I'll have already infiltrated far enough that he can't just remove me by trying to throw me through a wall. And if he does try it -- I can deal with -that-, too." He's not boasting; Duke speaks as if he already knows this to be fact. And considering he has already solidly taken down the poor Mayor a peg or two, he has no problem in doing so again. "This isn't simply a brute force take over. By the time he realizes anything, my ties to the community here will be solid. There won't be anything he can do."
Sure. That's what Belger said. And Katana. And Rolento. Mentally, Elle checks off a mark. Hopefully Leilani will get back to her soon on the other projects she's had the Hawai'ian girl placed on. And if not? Well... it's just /nice/ to have connections. Elle just has to make a few phone calls, and things happen.
Elle doesn't have to be a genius to know that Duke is playing his own angle. Just about everyone in the Syndicate is. From Mr. Big to Tony Styles, Elle has seen, met, or dealt with them all, and if Geese isn't careful, his whole assembly is going to fall apart like a house of cards. It's just a matter of whether or not his lieutenants can keep from killing eachh other first.
To be truthful, Elle doesn't find the explaination sufficient, but she doesn't press the matter further. There's no real point to it. Time will tell if Duke's self-assured posture is warrented. While Elle would prefer it to be, she harbors no illusions. Blackjack will preservere, regardless.
"If you say so," is all she really has to say on the matter. "That's the only real concern I have. I have more opportunities for you if you're interested in them. It'll cost the usual rates."
If Elle retains doubts, Duke really doesn't care. He isn't here to prove anything to her, after all. He knows his capacities, and he knows well enough Haggar's and those of his friends. When he decides to truly move, he'll be more than ready for any vigilante justice the Mayor Mike Haggar decides to attempt to dole out.
At the moment, however, the issue isn't wresting control of Metro from Haggar; it's dominating the criminal empire already -made- there by Geese in Duke's own name. Hence this meeting, and hence Duke's business arrangement with Blackjack. He is essentially working from the ground up -- but it wouldn't be the first time. And it wouldn't be the first time he's succeeded in it to begin with.
If you say so, Elle says, and to it Duke offers a wry, unamused sort of smile, lacking any real luster or meaning behind it. "Just wait and see," is all he really has to say on the matter; he imagines Elle can reserve judgment. She's just here to pick up checks. Detailed strategies and plans are reserved for those who actually work for him. "If those concerns are out of the way, then, we can move on." Duke makes a simple shift, his left hand slipping into his pants pocket as he looks towards the lobby elevator, offering Elle a passing glance over his shoulder as she speaks. "Opportunities, eh? Which are what, exactly?" Once he knows what they are, then he'll determine whether they're worth the price or not. But Elle knows how this works. Just like him, she's done it a thousand times before.
"I've got a theif trying to get out of the business in Southtown. It may not sound like much, but he's got talent," Elle informs. "Rumor has it that Big is putting the pressure on him. Anyone that shows him a hand up might get themselves a good pair of hands and feet. I'd take him up myself, but I don't have the kind of time I need to make him what I want him to be."
"He's got an easy angle, too. Kid's got a sister to protect, according to sources. I never picked up on it, because that sort of thing to me is just extra baggage," she continues. "Twenty grand gets you a name, his hangouts, and where he lives. He's worth a lot more than that. If I didn't already have a good theif, I'd have considered him more carefully."
With the snap of her wrist, she produces a pocket organizer. One of those fancy gizmos that execs that want to look important get. However in Elle's case, the thing is warranted, and already shows sign of severe use. However, it's of an odd, unplaceable model. Maybe it's NESTS tech. "I also got a list of some abandoned Shadaloo safehouses that Vega won't be using for a while. They've been cleaned out of anything too flashy, but they're still stocked with Russian surplus weapons and ammo. Probably enough to flood the local market enough to block out Rugal for a month and a half, if you played your cards right. Two mil for that, and it's at a bargain. I'm giving it away at nearly two hundred a unit."
Talk of thieves go largely past Duke's notice; he has people as such in his employ already, and the cost itself leaves much to be desired. For a moment, he's wordless, waiting for Elle to finish before simply giving a flat no; however, her other words bring him to pause, and consider for a long, silent moment. "A sister, huh?" he questions, bringing his dark gaze up towards the ceiling.
"... hm. Give me the name and the location once you receive the money." Twenty grand, after all, isn't much more than chump change in lieu of all the money Duke is bringing in from work in Metro alone. Whether this kid is actually worth the time to invest in is something Duke may well figure out for himself.
But then, there's words of something more interesting to Duke then employees: weaponry. Hell's Executioner turns for a moment to consider Elle fully, arching a brow. Rugal isn't an enemy he necessarily wants; in fact, he's just another person Duke could find a use for. But even so -- money is money. And business is business. "If you can have them shipped to the location I send you within the next two weeks, then we have a deal. Split the stock into four seperate shipments, I'll pay you a fourth of the money for each you send in, including a portion of the payment upfront. Do we have a deal?" Weapons -- useful for sale, and simply for -use-. Odds are, it will be another good source of capitol for the man. And another one that can be used under Howard's radar.
The sooner Elle gets the little X-factor out of her hair, the better off she'll be. If she can't use Aranha, then knowing who does is the next best thing. When Duke accepts both offers, Elle nods, and the money is as good as in the bank. With the cash rolling in continuously, Elle's not too far away from her own peice of the dream. As far as she's willing to go at the moment, anyhow.
"Good. I'm also going to assume you know who Kain is," Elle says. "Used to be a big noise a while back? All the weasels were saying that he was next in line for Geese's seat if Geese so much as missed the toilet. Well he's all but inert now. Apparently shuffling his boys in Polynesia didn't so much as raise an eyebrow down Shadaloo way. My friends in NESTS didn't even put down the remote to stop watching 'Life According to Jim'."
"I'd set up a meeting for you if I thought it'd do anything, but the fact is that he's an amature that doesn't know what he's doing. If you're interested in pulling his money factory apart and taking a cut, let me know."
The mentioning of Kain earns the arching of a dark brow on the part of Duke, considering Elle's words once more as silently as before. Does he know who Kain is? "Anyone in the Syndicate who doesn't know who Kain is has kept their heads buried deep in the sand," is his response. Of course he knows. One of Geese's many thorns in his proverbial side. Howard has more enemies than he can likely keep track of, and that? That works perfectly fine for Duke.
"I've already met him," Duke says after a small slice of time. Elle's opinion on the man is clear from how she speaks of him. It's something tucked away for later thought, a small little note on her own personality that he keeps in mind. "He has power, but no interest in just controlling the Syndicate. He wants Geese dead." Of course, whatever his motives for wanting this is beyond Duke's knowledge or care. "But he hasn't made any move against Howard, and he won't for some time unless someone gives him a nudge in the right direction."
Kain's money, though? Duke shakes his head after a moment, "No; not yet, at least. He's not a threat to the Syndicate overall, but he could be useful if only because of the power he has." Power to rival that of Geese's -- and likely, power enough to kill him. "Dismantling him can come after he's done his part. ... Setting him up for a fall, though, couldn't hurt." It's another thing he'll consider later.
"Is there anything else, then...?"
And that answers Elle's final question. Having adjudicated on the matter, she knows how to plot her next move now that all the players that she cares to deal with have been placed on the board, and all the others have been removed from play. Her expressionless face displays nothing, but the simple 'no' provided as she leaves makes clear that Elle got more from the last transaction than she lets on.
As the ball is already rolling in the direction she wants it to, it won't take much more movement on her part to get things done.
All it'll take now is a few more phone calls.
Several million dollars richer and having determined the scope of the playing feild, Elle leaves immediately, already arranging for a flight back home. A winner is Elle... especially if the two other members of Blackjack have succeeded in their missions.
It's coming down to time now. Just a matter of time.
Tick tock.
Log created on 23:39:15 07/17/2007 by Duke, and last modified on 11:08:51 07/22/2007.