Description: Duke is in jail. But he has friends, powerful friends. Rather than having things escalate, Billy Kane and Cammy White try and sort out a mutually acceptable outcome to this, which doesn't involve either electric chairs or Metro City torn apart by war.
Duke failed. It's that simple to Billy. Ordered to negotiate with the militaristic intruder, he'd bluffed poorly and played a hand she had no difficulty in matching-- and that's an important part of the equation; that this wasn't just a loss for the ambitious Syndicate sub-boss, but a victory for Cammy White. Her expectations had been met, and her mission parameters met to her presumed satisfaction. This only made the Londoner's job harder. His own hand had been empty, a mixed blessing and curse when dealing with somebody like her.
It wasn't empty now. Wanting to avoid the inevitable confict that would ensue, Kane has intercepted the relevant papers from Duke's captors. He knew where there'd be sent; it's his job to know things like that. A trip to city hall accompanied by a pair of capable lawyers - hired from his own pocket, for now - had enabled him, or more accurately /them/, to negotiate legal terms. With fresh papers in hand, he's set up a meeting.
Stuffy barrister's chambers aren't Kane's style, though.
Which is why he's currently sitting on a barstool, a pint of stout - yes, a pint, them's Syndicate privileges - perched on the scuffed wood. The establishment is a few steps up from the kind of dive his demeanour would suggest he frequents; it's got an 'olde worlde' feel and is nicely decorated, cosy but clean. Slightly odd is that the entire place has been vacated, bar Billy and his lawyers; who've been dismissed - after some argument - to a back room. They've probably got guns too, being shady types, but that's not really the point. Billy himself doesn't even have his weapon, just a beer and an envelope stuffed with the acquired paperwork.
The only thing he needs now, is Cammy White.
The Londoner is impatient, drumming his fingers on the surface of the bar as he takes a gulp of sweet nectar.
"That scarred bastard's gonna owe me for this..."
"I didn't know they had pubs here." Cammy says, suddenly having appeared at his side, having slunk in, real quiet like. "I wonder if I'm even allowed in here. This country is rather prudish at times after all, despite talk of British reserve.". Certainly nobody should be serving her any drinks, at least!
She hops up onto the barstool next to him, and turns to face, one elbow resting on the bartop. "I didn't realise you were in association with demon drug dealers. That Duke guy was a bit of a surprise, I have to say!". She glances over at the door where the lawyers are hiding, to scowl at it. "I'm not really sure what we have to talk about, given that!". She shakes her head a little, with a frown.
"I don't think my CO would be very happy if I just let him put this down to experience and go back to glow-ing.".
The Syndicate punk is in mid-gulp when Cammy appears, and he almost chokes on his damn beer, making a quick recovery by doing the old 'casual mouth wipe' routine as he sets the glass down.
"'ello, petal," forms his rough greeting, a gesture made to the seat not actually neighbouring his-- but one further along. He knows how these things go. They're not in such a position of trust that she should be expected to position herself within easy striking range. Of course, she's going ahead in spite of any prudence - gaining herself another point in the respect column as she does. Even with her 'surprise' entrance. "Don't worry about the rules. There's, ah, some flexibility in that regard fer me an' mine."
Despite his antsy mood prior, once Cammy's made her entrance Billy has the ol' game face firmly in place. She's belatedly offered a smile, the predatory edge in place despite otherwise good intentions on the cockney's part; old habits die hard, and this 'playing nice with the enemy' stuff isn't something he ever gets fully used to. There's being honest and there's /being honest/, you see. It's a messy, dirty business, is crime.
He catches her scowl, curving a brow up toward the edge of his bandanna, but doesn't comment.
She's smart. Let her be smart. It might help them both.
"Demon, is it? I 'eard Duke didn't exactly come out of it lookin' like the bee's knees. Shame we didn't catch it on video-- I 'ad a bet on 'ow 'ard you'd manage to beat 'im if the situation went south." He pauses to thrum calloused fingers against the edge of his pint glass, glancing into it a moment before darting an amused glance to Cammy. "Seems to me, I'd've won that bet. Ah well." A rolling shrug, and he sits back, as much of a professional air rolling across his demeanour as is possible, for Billy Kane. He's at least had some practice.
"But here's the deal, Ms. White." An honorific and a full 'h' to boot? We are posh. "I told you before, there's business in this town I don't exactly like. Duke's a part of that. Sendin' 'im against you? Bit of a test. See if Duke's able, see if 'is ambition can allow 'im to be smart as well as scary." Disdainfully, Billy screws up his face, reaching up with one hand to itch at the side of his crumpled nose. "Can't say it went /well/, eh? I asked you to talk coz I 'ad 'igh 'opes, figured maybe if Duke could keep it in check, we'd work something out. You wanna stop Glow? Me an' mine wanna keep this city in check, keep it controlled. Glow ain't control."
He pauses as though to consider that, a frown creasing his craggy brow.
"Not really. A clumsy attempt at it, maybe. But it was never gonna work for long. Still, though-- for all 'is faults, ol' Dukie is one of ours. If he stays locked up, which one way or the other 'e /won't/, then we've prob'ly got a war on our 'ands. D'you want that, Ms. White? Don't need to answer. You're on orders. It's not your choice, is it? It's not mine neither, least it's not meant to be. Which is why I'm 'ere. My attempt to make fings right, to keep control. In this envelope..." A finger touches upon it, and slides it to Cammy.
"Testimonial papers. You've got no solid evidence on Duke. This'll go through court, an' eventually he'll get off the 'ook. But people hear stuff, and worst stuff happens, if that comes to pass. A couple of signatures from you? It goes much easier. Gets out without much bother, but a serious caution. The fuzz keep an eye on 'im, the courts are just waitin' for the day 'e crawls back in. All you admit is that you've got no reason to believe 'e's connected to Glow, but that he /did/ attack you when pressed. There'll be an investigation..."
"But there won't be a war. Meantimes, I give you the 'elp you need to sort this city out."
"Duke threatened Brett, and then had a grenade thrown into his mothers house.". Cammy leans forward. "And I've been dealing with Glow dealer types all week, this city has been filled with them the last few weeks. MI6 is pretty good at finding things out, I can assure you, and lets be fair, Duke wasn't all that subtle. He might get off the hook, because this city is rotten, but it'll take a while, and his reputation will be shot, and as I'm sure you know, when you operate outside the law, reputation is all you have." she tells him. With a rather solemnly fierce expression on her face at that. Which probably looks more comical than scary, given that while she's apparently pretty good at this agent thing, she still has the face of a particularly cute, in the cute lil bunny sense, teenage girl.
She then leans back a little, and shakes her head. "You're right. I'm under orders, the same as you, which ties my hands. All I can say is, Delta Red are here because of the Glow. It attracted international attention, I'm not the local constabulary; it's particularly dangerous, and obvious. Especially the luchador business, it made it look even more international than it actually was.".
She reaches around behind her to tug absently at a braid with her free hand, putting hand, and braid, on one painted knee. "I am a soldier but nobody wants a war. If the glow is gone, luchadors aren't being implicated with Mexican cartels, and grenades are no longer being thrown at I'm sure my CO will be happy. In other words, if Metro City is back to being its usual self, I guess.". She blinks innocent blue eyes at him. "You think Duke just getting a caution will help achieve that?".
Yeah, she's cute. Lascivious as he is, were she at least a few years older, Billy would be more distracted by her pretty looks and-- well, that body. It's relatively tough not to snatch the occasional glance as it is - and if he didn't have a little sister waiting at home, who knows what the Londoner would be thinking? As it is, all the obvious male urges just lead him down a road of guilt, and then irritation.
Guilt isn't something that does /his/ reputation any good.
Aside from any physical concerns, the Delta Red operative does speak an element of wisdom. Duke hadn't been subtle. It's not really his style. That was partly what brought Billy here, though; aside from any particular loyalty to the scarred crimelord, having his various atrocities come to late would do harm to more than just the ascended thug. Nothing he's said is untrue, despite the naturally underworldian spin he's forced to apply. It all adds up to make Kane sigh as he meets that disarmingly sweet cornflower gaze.
"Yeah," he acknowledges with a shrug that almost seems reluctant, "I do. I've told you more than I should already, petal, but Duke's boss... 'e won't be standin' fer the kind of egg that this business is gonna throw in 'is face. I dunno much about your friend Brett, but nobody deserves to 'ave their family brought into private business between men; that's the way we /don't/ operate. Private is private. Personal is personal. The fing is, business is the same way-- it takes care of itself. /We/ take of ourselves. Duke screwed up bad, the fact it's already gone this far prob'ly gives him a life expectancy less than any poor schmuck out there."
As he says that, Billy raises his pint glass and tips it toward the door. They're in a reasonably area, by Metro standards, but during her approach Cammy would have seen plenty of beggars and buskers. Numerous prostitutes and slinking dealers' prey, making their way through the world like sad cockroaches. Surviving only because they've got no other choice but to cling on desperately, and hope.
"Aside from wot that bastard gets, if you 'elp me out, let us take care of our own, I told you twice already; I'll work with you. I've been meeting you alone coz I've wanted to be trusting, show you I mean what I say. Sadly," he flashes a rather charming chagrined smirk, flicking his eyes toward the back door, "Couldn't stop those buggers followin' me today, but that's /legal/ business. Not my usual kind. Dirty as the streets, just wearin' a nice flashy suit as though to 'ide it. Real business? That's me, you, an' whoever we trust to bring along, tidying up the dirt of Glow and the cartels. Neither of us needs that. But I can't lie..."
He chuckles, and places a hand to his chest, bare beneath the leather jacket.
"You shack up with Billy Kane? You're walkin' on the wild side. No strings, mind, but that's the whole point. We don't sign agreements, we don't deal with paperwork no more, this is about two people with a bit of honour and decency - no matter what else they might believe, or 'ow much they might doubt each other's motives. I don't expect you to trust me further'n you can throw me, but--"
He grins, broadly, and it doesn't fail to reach his eyes.
"I reckon you can throw me pretty far."
"I'm in the /army/." Cammy points out to him. "I have orders. I do have to report back to my colonel every so often. It's true that special forces and intelligence agencies get a lot more latitude than regulars but even so, my latitude is limited, and so is my ability to avoid agreements and paperwork.". She sighs, and rocks back in her chair. "I read who you are, Billy, and I know who your boss is. But NATO just defeated Lord Vega, so I wouldn't press the existence of your scary boss too hard; nobody wins when the red button gets pressed.".
/Lord/ Vega?
She sighs, and starts toying with her braid tip again. She's not really much of a negotiator. "I'm open to the idea, if it gets the job done, and doesn't offend my CO's sensibilities. Which it probably won't, if it gets the Glow off our streets.". And besides, those scum lawyers will mean she loses her bargaining chip eventually anyway, most likely. May as well use it before you lose it. "I'm not sure how much your word is worth; I guess we'll find out. You didn't seem like such a bad man from your file, I guess you just found yourself in a bad situation." she shrugs.
"I just hope that my reasonable nature does not get thrown back in my face, is all.". She also wonders if Brett is going to like this. Maybe not. Oh well, she can always indulge in a bit of vigilantism herself, she thinks... or make it up to him somehow. Training perhaps.
Billy and the military don't exactly have a long and storied history together; he was refused entrance for psychological reasons when he was much younger, still fresh from his mother's death and too vitriolic to even hold down a job flogging dodgy merchandise in the local markets. That's really about it, until the war that rocked Southtown and forced the Syndicate to flee here, licking their wounds, gathering strength... and apparently, becoming tied to the darkest of underbellies, fuelled by Glow. He doesn't like that.
And for Kane, it's that simple. He chuckles at the suggestion Cammy won't be able to avoid paperwork, rolling his leather-clad shoulders in a shrug that expresses his direct feeling-- do what you have to do. That's her business. She can't avoid it any more than he can avoid his. Her summary of him is met with a considering breath and a nod, during which she pushes two buttons at once. Neither, fortunately, exactly red. Interesting. His curiosity perks, a brow darting upward before he can entirely stop it, but then she moves on.
It's something else to add to her file. Something he won't mention to her. It's possible to say too much.
Her acquiesence is of more immediate concern anyway, and he looks... not smug, just pleased about it, lifting his glass in a brief toast and bobbing his head in what's almost a humble fashion. He can never entirely remove the hardened edge from his expression-- it's part of him, as the life he leads can never be abandoned. Cammy seems to have the measure of that enough that he doesn't need to mention it. So he doesn't.
"I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't. That goes for keepin' Duke off your back too; we'll sort 'im out. Any faithful that decide to 'ave a go and do what Duke couldn't... well, if you don't pick it up before I do, consider that business dealt with. I won't sign anything coz frankly I can't remember /'ow/," it's an exaggeration, of course, and he chuckles dryly, "But you've got my loyalty for as long as this takes. When the job's done, and you leave this city? We're back to square one. I'm not expectin' you to be my friend. Still."
He pauses, swirling the dregs of his stout around, looking into it for a moment as he reflects. When he looks up, it's with a small smile, knowing without being sly or crafty. Apparently he's elected not to try that. Cammy seems perceptive. Duke couldn't convince her, after all; it seems more as though she played him, in the end. This game they're playing now, well... maybe it's not so much of a game after all.
"My word's worth everything to me," he says finally, glass hanging in the air along with the preceding thoughts, "Said it yourself; reputation. If I double-cross someone like you, it goes in one of your reports, an' next I know I'm slapped up on the national news. These days? That's global. No runnin' away from what the world finks of you, not when an agency like yours gets involved. Not when the press picks it up. You've got the power to break me in more ways than one, Cammy White," he smirks at that, glancing upward and pausing to finish off his pint before setting it down with a heavy *thunk*. "You've proved that, eh?"
That said, Kane extends his other hand for a firm shake, quite comfortable offering the gesture.
"Envelope's got the papers, and my contact info. Including my address. If you've read up on me, you'll know why I don't give that out lightly. Business is business. But you're trustin' me, I'll do you the same. Pleasure, Ms. White."
Cammy listens quietly, eyes narrowing slightly as she peers intently into his face with her bright blue gaze. And waits for him to have his say, still and silent throughout. She does smile a bit at talk of the press, finding it somewhat ironic; she is rather camera shy after all. It's the main reason why she doesn't have a big SNF name. And probably why she's so poor, relatively speaking. No fame, not much money, only loyalty, which is all she needs.
"Alright. No more Glow, no more excessive violence, luchadors proven innocent, anybody who thinks otherwise we can beat up together." she says with that occasional brief impish grin she has. She shrugs. "Metro City has always been rough, I don't think anybody is trying to turn it into Bath. We do what we can.".
"I don't want to see Duke lording it over his gangster minions here for a while, if I see him doing his prince of hell routine in the slums next week, with Glow worshipping junkies all gathered around in some sort of black mass, I won't be very happy.". But with that caveat, and a few vague misgivings, she lets her braid fall, and reaches forward to gently wrap her hand around his for a brief moment.
"In the sombre wars of modern democracy, chivalry finds no place." she tells him seriously. "Under normal circumstances, anyway.", she adds, and smiles, just a little.
She likes cockney gangsters. Who doesn't?
The terms seem agreeable enough, though there's some apparent conflict in Billy's face as he listens. Only a twitch here and there, a downward cast glance as he considers the ramifications of this deal. Acting solo, in truth he's only musing over how to pitch this to the big man himself. Geese didn't order him to come here; he's working with the curious independence his position provides, much like Cammy, but she's gaining the most ground here - and there's no getting away from that. She held the bargaining chip, though. She's the one with a victory. What more could really have been done?
At least he's sure, as tough a sell as this might be, it's only for the better. The Syndicate's always been above the pettier deals, really; using them where necessary to recover strength and spread discord, but the bigger picture operates on a level of moral ambiguity that's understandable, to Kane. The rich get richer, but the poor are rarely forced to be poorer; even less to be /dead/, as Duke seems to be intent upon.
Yeah. This could have gone a lot worse, thinks Billy as he watches the bizarrely-innocent, undoubtedly-savvy girl. Her grin is mirrored with one of his own, her wisecrack garnering a short, barking laugh that doesn't break the flow of her speech. 'We do what we can'. That could be a mantra for his entire existence, really.
"'ey," cracks Billy in turn as she finishes up with that tiny smile, "In this messed-up world, people like you an' me are the closest we've got to knights in shinin' armour. A soldier and a punk." That elicits another laugh, and a shake of the gangster's head before he slides from his barstool. "Deal, though, to all of the above. You catch Duke back to business? Then we're back where we started. Do what you have to do, to him-- an' to me, if it comes to it. If I can't help stop a war by the goodness of my 'eart, maybe I'll do it by gettin' my arse kicked, eh? All goes well, though, we make this city a bit better, nobody innocent dies or gets 'urt."
Hopping from his perch, he turns to face Cammy and actually gives her a bow. Japanese style.
"You've been a peach, love," he offers, placing hands together briefly. It looks out of place on someone like him, to say the least, especially to a fellow countrywoman. "Next time we meet, I reckon you'll be a pineapple!" His mouth pulls to a fairly savage grin at that-- there's an element of roguish black humour to it, along with the truth. Someone like Cammy, breaking up the Glow gangs? Less a pineapple than a morningstar. But somewhere in the Londoner's beat-up head, it works just fine. The grin fades to a more solemn line, and he flips her one last, more casual gesture; a two-fingered salute (of the clean variety) from the forehead.
He'll be taking the back exit out, leaving Cammy alone to make her own way. For now.
"I'll be in touch..."
Cammy shakes her head slightly at being called a peach, with some apparent wry amusement. But she doesn't consider herself to be a delicate flower, so whatever; how can she be? She spent a few months with the regular army in Russia and China after all. And she even /remembers/ that. In fact it's among her earliest memories, such as they are - all of a few months ago.
She slides off of the bar stool, and offers Billy a salute. "Until the next time then, Billy Kane.". Hmm, it could have been worse.
Heading for the front door, she is already deep in thought. Paperwork will need to be handled, Colonel Wolfman convinced this was a good idea, Brett told the bad news that justice, for Duke, was a mere wristslap, if that. It does leave a sour taste in her mouth. But if it gets the Glow off the streets, it's a victory, of sorts at least. And, really, what else could she do? Lawyers, bah.
The sun is a lot brighter than the dingy pub, at least, and makes her feel a bit better, as the blonde bombshell hurries off home, to get to work on this distasteful business.
Log created on 08:23:31 05/17/2012 by Cammy, and last modified on 11:04:38 05/17/2012.