(Untitled)

[uphillbothwayz]

In a high class bar in Chicago, Richard Johnson, better known as Dick, sits in a booth with two gorgeous women, young enough to potentially be his granddaughters. If he had any. He doesn't. Family has never been a pursuit of Dick's. It's all about the green, of course. Money makes the world go round and Dick has plenty, considering his occupation

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[sarkraticmethod]

Generally speaking, if you ask enough people about organized crime and you're not actually involved in it, you're asking for trouble on a number of levels. Sark, fortunately, is an experienced liar and while not the Director Operations for anyone's epic crime syndicate these days, he still knows how things work and how to pretend like he's a cog in a bigger machine. He's kept an ear to the ground and something is operating out of Chicago and if Sark's not in the middle of it, then he intends to find out who is beyond it and put an end to it. If he wanted to rationalize it, it has nothing to do with heroics and everything to do with... Okay, there is no way to rationalize it. He's just bored and it'll be better for his health in the long run if he tries to put a stop to what amounts to terrorist activity, rather than join in on it.

Besides, whatever this is, it's a bit too vulgar for his tastes.

Unfortunately, very few people talk, which is more often than not a common theme. Informants are hard to come by, especially when you're not CIA and have no access to witness protection, and Sark's been on the other end of this and he knows full well what happens to a rat. Never mind that he's been a rat a few times.

The last place he was at gave him a name and a location and that's what brings him to this bar. His first attempts to get in were met with more than a little resistance Given that Sark has a minimal number of suits and the one he has at this moment is starting to look a little rumpled, it's no wonder... And then there's the fact that the only money he has is petty cash that he got.. Well, he's not saying where he got it. None of it is adding to him being able to get into a place that would have known him by name in his world.

Stupid world. Not knowing who the hell he is.

Phase two involves just going in under the cover of invisibility, which should have been phase one, but Sark's arrogance is occasionally astounding. So there is one very covert operative sneaking towards Dick's table, fully intending to speak with him. He ducks out of sight (not that he's in sight anyway) and drops the invisibility just before he gets there and bridges the gap now fully visible.

Surprisingly, Dick is pretty much exactly what he was expecting. That doesn't make it any better. He steps up to the table, blatently ignoring the two women. "I wonder, Mr. Johnson, if I might have a word."

Serious, direct, to the point, and acting like the first impulse Dick's probably going to have isn't what the hell is some random English kid doing talking to him like that. Again, Sark? Occasionally forgets this isn't a world that knows who he is.

[uphillbothwayz]

Dick is not happy to have his women-time interrupted, by someone who is not female. It is, as has already been stated, very important for his sanity and reducing his levels of stress to have this time with the women and the wine. Their feminine ways do much to ease his tension.

Does this blond, British punk want him to have a heart attack?

"Look, kid, you've already had about twenty seconds of my time. You're going to have to give me a damn good reason to let you have a word, too."

He's had a little too much wine though so the reason may not have to be that good, but he doesn't expect much from this kid. Most of the important people he works with in his business are much older.

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark drums his fingers on the table and resists the urge to do what is generally his initial reaction to that sort of attitude towards him... Which is shoot them or cause them physical harm, but as he is currently unarmed and causing a scene in a bar will just get him arrested, he keeps his cool. It's all about proving his worth. He's not just a kid. He's a skilled operative who has accomplished more than most people accomplish in a single lifetime before the age of twenty-two. All he has to do is prove it.

"I represent certain parties that have more than a passing interest in the work of your employers. It seems they've been making quite a show of themselves. If they intended to call attention to themselves, I can assure you, they were successful."

He skillfully doesn't indicate which side he's swinging towards. It all depends on Dick- if he shows any indication of being unenthused by the vulgar actions of his employers than Sark can play the good guy and if Dick doesn't want to rat to someone who might be a fed or worse, then he's very good at being a bad guy.

[uphillbothwayz]

Dick stares at him as if trying to size him up for a second time. Most punks (any male under the age of 35) he's run into don't talk like this. It makes him more intrigued.

He's not even surprised that this punk knows that he works for who's involved with the latest acts of terror around the city. The Organization has become less of a secret since the two psychos and the angel took over. However, the fact that someone knows and someone's questioning it

"I don't pretend to have any idea what they intend," Yes, Dick is a talker, especially when it comes to how the Organization has changed and it's loss of so much to the three new bosses. He misses his former demon bosses.

"Alright," Dick has another drink from his glass. "I'll let you have that word."

Dick does not want to say anymore about it with the ladies around. They very well may be whores working for the Organization. The largest asset to having such a large group is that it makes it impossible to know for sure if a strange is involved in it or not.

"Ladies, you've been lovely, as always, but the men here have to talk business matters. You know how it is, I'll keep in touch."

They pout and coo at him at the thought of having to leave, even protest that they don't mind business and two men such as them deserve two beautiful women to sit at their table with them. Eventually, he repeats his wish and they give in, still pouting. Definetly, hired company. He gives one a kiss on the cheek before they stand and the other a smack on her ass as she gets up to leave.

Dick slides over and gestures to the empty side of the booth.

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark doesn't so much as smile when Dick agrees to speak with him for a couple of reasons. The first is simply because he knew he was going to get him to talk one way or the other and second is because stoic professionalism is his middle name.

He closes his eyes briefly at the 'display' and reminds himself that this is no different from any other sleeze he's ever had the dishonor of dealing with in his line of work. They're all so very... Charming in a way that is not charming at all.

He takes the empty seat and gives the bar a surreptitious glance. He's not sure what he's dealing with, but he's fairly certain the bar hasn't been bugged. That would require a certain level of foresight this man's employers clearly don't have.

"Obviously, you have no idea what they intend. Given the erratic nature of their crimes, I'd beg to question whether they have any idea what they intend." He steeples his fingers and gives Dick one of those Looks on the off-chance it might actually work. No matter what Ariel or anyone says, he is damn intimidating when he wants to be, but it's difficult to convey that without a gun and a reputation. "Speaking purely as someone who has a deep understanding of organized crime, I hardly see anything resembling organization, and I find crime without a foreseeable endgame beyond petty whim to be something of a disgrace."

Sark is good at saying a lot and saying absolutely nothing at the same time. If anything, however, it makes him sound like someone who knows what he's talking about, which he does.

[uphillbothwayz]

The Look goes completely over his head, but the narration is sure Ariel woud give him a gold star for trying. It's mostly because he's actually met his new bosses. After a person has witnessed psycho to that level, it is difficult to be afraid by much less than pure insanity.

"It wasn't always this way," Dick says with a wistful sigh as he pulls out a cigar and lights it up. "The Organization has been lead by people with a mind for how to run business since it's start. Most of our business dealings are completely legit. You know we are most well known in the public eye for making those wraps of bubble sheets. You know. The ones that are so fun to pop."

He seems to be having a moment here, potentially to remember a bubble popping moment of his own or to enjoy his cigar, quietly. It's hard to tell with him.

"The change has been very recent, and it will not be good for the group as a whole if the current leadership continues on as it has been. Unfortunately, I see no signs of it stopping and no one quite has the balls to stand up to them."

All of this, of course, is information that is not hard to come by, not information that will get him in trouble.

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark almost figured it was a longshot anyway, but half the time those looks are just habit, so there's really nothing lost here. It's just natural that he try to look unsettling and intimidating to draw attention away from the fact that he's... Very small and a tiny thing.

He arches an eyebrow in a way that suggests that yes, he is fully aware of bubble wrap, which might be the strangest front cover for a criminal organization, even one that was mostly legit, he's ever heard of. Then again, most of the criminal organizations he's worked for weren't even slightly legit.

He takes Dick's little moment as an opportunity to run through the facts. He has a name now- not a particularly clever one, but it's a name all the same. He files it away and makes a note to either research it himself or get Flinkamn to do it. Possibly Tippin. He's a reporter and thus good at this sort of thing and he might as well do something useful if he's going to exist here. Besides it's not like Tippin's never engaged in research that might get himself killed. (Okay, this Will Tippin hasn't, but the urge has to still be there.) Of course, anything one can find in archives is going to be the legit stuff, but he has Dick for the serious, hardcore stuff.

That is, of course, if Dick can be persuaded. "I see," he nods slowly, leaning forward a bit. "And if you were presented with individuals who could, in fact, stand up to them? Could you be persuaded to provide them with the necessary information?"

He tilts his head up, fixing Dick with a flat stare. He doesn't have to explain himself. The necessary ambiguity is only there for show- if the man wants a change, he can be provided with people who might be able to usurp some sense of dominance.

That, of course, is Sark having absolutely no idea what he's dealing with, but he has no intention of going after the head of the monster first thing, even if he, Sydney, Vaughn, Flinkman, and possibly April could manage it. It's the first great rule of this sort of operation- when you think you're all-powerful, all it takes is a small attack to throw everything off-kilter.

[uphillbothwayz]

Sark's flat stare is met with a very blank stare of Dick's. He shifts in the booth, smokes on his cigar, quietly. Dick pulls the cigarette away from his mouth and turns toward him.

"I would have to have a way of being fairly convinced that they could stand up to the current leadership. I'll admit the thought of anyone even making the attempt makes me more agreeable to providing certain information to these people, but having no idea of the details or skills of said individuals..." Dick trails off and makes a face, stuffing his cigarette out in his frustration.

There are a mixture of emotions here. His excitement is making him jump ahead of the game where he normally would have stayed back. He has met the Joker and Crane, but has not see either of them 'in action', has not seen how easily they kill henchmen and really... anyone that they feel like. On a whim.

All he sees is that the psychos and the angel are taken out of the plan, his own fate might not have to suffer.

"Goddamn, I hate this vague shit we have to put up with and deal out in this line of work. Look. What you're vaguely implying here means I'm putting my ass way out on the line, hanging it out so far on the line to be killed it'd be stickin' so far out. So what I would need for this to happen is some kind of reassurance that it won't all be for nothing and I'll be left with my pants down, ass sticking out when they go ahead and kick my bucket for me."

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark leans against the seat and closes his eyes, deeply considering this. Informants are always well paid and generally shipped off to Boca with witness protection as far as the CIA is concerned. Informants typically don't last that long in his neck of the woods.

He sorts through what exactly he has to offer. Ariel may or may not have connections through Brando's legacy. He has no real connection to Torchwood and they wouldn't know what to do with him and putting him anywhere near the Kashtta could put Sydney at risk (which is a perfectly valid concern, really). If Jack Bristow were here, but God forbid that ever happen, he might have a means. It's not like bribe money is an option.

So all he has to bargain with are the skills of a group of operatives who technically have never worked together before, much less in a cohesive unit without the aide of a strategist. Never mind that Vaughn would shoot himself before he went along with a plan designed by him. Never mind that Flinkman is Torchwood. Never mind that Sydney is refusing to accept that her life is not going to be as normal as she wants it to be.

This will happen. He needs this, because if he doesn't do something that hinges on his training, he's likely to go mad.

He opens his eyes again and calmly regards Dick with a very serious look, before leaning forward again. "The individuals in question consist of two highly trained operatives, one of whom is one of the most brilliant I have ever had the benefit of knowing. It is my personal opinion that, despite her curse of far too much human compassion, there is very little that she can't do. The other is a former assassin who has killed enough people in a very short amount of time to populate a very small village, and who just so happens to be an expert on global terrorism and organized crime." Him, essentially. Never let it be said that Sark isn't a braggart. "Beyond that, there is a CIA-trained op-technician, a CIA agent who I'm sure boasts some amount of skill, and a psychic." A psychic who was also trained as an operative for that matter. Not that he's going to force April into using her training if she doesn't want to.

"If a team consisted of that lot, would that be enough to interest you in a proposition or should I leave you now to continuing to wait out a revolution that I doubt is ever going to come?"

As if to prova he's completely serious, he slides out of the booth and stands, fully intending to walk out if only to prove his point. "I doubt, Mr. Johnson, that you will ever find a group more skilled nor more willing than the one I'm suggesting."

Willing, unfortunately, is the part that is a lie, but he'll deal with that later.

[uphillbothwayz]

Dick has not heard of a group like this existing, but it's not exactly his role in the Organization to be aware of other groups. He has very specific duties. There are groups within the Organization that he doesn't even know exist, but that's what makes the Organization so powerful and so difficult to destroy.

A piece of it will always survive.

"A team like that sounds very promising, but seeing as I have no idea who you are... You can understand that it's difficult to take a stranger... or even a friend by his word alone," he says quietly, smoking as he thinks this over. Being in the business of organized crime, there usually tends to be someone out there that you'd lie to see bite the dust. Someone in your own Organization, which makes taking care of them all the more difficult. "Perhaps we can work something out. If this group really has the ability to fix our leadership problem, they should have no trouble say... taking care of an assassin, as well. Correct? In this, I won't have to take your word alone about this team's capabilities and avenged my associate's rather untimely death. We had been on the verge of closing a deal..."

On the other hand, a problem with having such a large Organization is that no one quite knows exactly every little interest the members of the group have. It occassionally causes problems. Although it's likely that it was not assigned to the assassin to do by the group itself...

"The problem with Charun demons working for the group. They see just anyone on the street, get that urge to follow that person until they've killed them. It's unpredictable, can't be controlled, and pisses me off. As if my job isn't hard enough as it is without some doll getting it in her head that she has to go and kill the guy I've been working on for months." Dick sighs, with exasperation. "Good and bad, whichever way you swing, I'm sure she's killed someone you'd rather have alive... not that you need the extra incentive, considering what I'm willing to work out for you if the team comes through."

[sarkraticmethod]

That's the wonderful part about not existing in a world- you really, really don't exist, which means you're impossible to pin down, impossible to target until you get yourselves completely organized, and it would take a great deal of effort to take you down when they can't find you in any records.

Operatives are trained to be ghostlike. They get the chance to pretty much be the real thing, so long as he makes a good impression on dear Richard Johnson.

"It's all I ask, Mr. Johnson. An opportunity for the lot of us to prove ourselves worthy of whatever information you can give us." He inclines his head a little at the mention of the demon, frowning a little. Of course, their first foray into the world of taking down organized crime would lead to something that none of them have dealt with (well, Sark has dealt with demons, but he prefers not to think about that and anyway, it didn't involve killing them). Well, this is a brave new world. Might as well get used to killing demons, since they'll always be around to do that sort of work.

"Has she been contracted recently?" He's fairly certain that Sydney won't go through with this unless there's an immediate threat, but then again, Sydney's such a student of human compassion, a clever fabrication of what he already knows might suffice to get her on his side... Unless she's going to be stubborn about it. She does have that irrationally stubborn attitude going on. "And how would we go about finding her?"

[uphillbothwayz]

Dick sits back in the booth and finishes his cigar, glancing at this punk who went from random, annoying kid to potential fix for all his problems. It's funny how often that happens with people he meet.

"I would have to look into it. She is almost always working so I can't imagine she wouldn't be, but I don't know off the top of my head. I don't keep track of the assassinations, not a part of what I do. I can find out."

Working for the Organization as long as he has, Dick has plenty of resources. They are much more likely to talk within themselves than to a stranger so that won't be a problem at all. Plus, he has access to a certain depth within the database.

"As for where to find her, that will be more difficult. Many of our operatives live in the Main Gauche, but others have their own apartments throughout the city. I doubt anyone will know where or how to find her, but I can get the where and when for her next contract"

[sarkraticmethod]

"You do that, Mr. Johnson, and I can assure you that whatever problem she poses will be eliminated." If that sounds a little creepier than he does normally, it probably wasn't intentional. Sark just has this nasty little habit of saying things that sound casual from a middle-aged assassin, but from a under-thirty blond kid just sound weird and unsettling. Normal people cower, but some people just aren't affected by it at all. Sark really doesn't care either way.

"The journals are more than private enough. I assume there won't be a problem getting the information delivered to the necessary parties." Unless they can be hacked- one day he's going to have to ask Flinkman about that. "Contact me when you have the necessary information. We'll be waiting."

It's going to occur to one of them that he hasn't given him his name yet, which is something that generally slips Sark's mind a lot, considering he has a household name back where he comes from. Okay, not household as much as 'commonly thrown around criminal circles' but, well, old habits.

[uphillbothwayz]

The way he says that does sound a little creepier than anything he's said so far, but Dick's response is not to be weirded out by it. No, he takes out a cigar and offers it to the kid, wordlessly. He refrains from the head patting, but it's like his form of a hand shake. Instead of saying, 'but we shook on it!!', Dick is known for saying, 'but I gave you a cigar!', which much more inflection and tone of betrayal.

"The journals are a form of communication the Organization utilizes often. It will work, but it might work better if I had a name."

It'd certainly work better 'blond punk who approached me at a bar'. ...It happens more often than you'd think.

[sarkraticmethod]

Sark just arches his eyebrows at the cigar, wonders vaguely if he can refuse it without sounding rude, because he can't stand the things, and finally just decides to take it. If anything, he can give it to Vaughn's guardian angel as a peace offering just to irk him.

Oh right names. Those are generally important. Given that there's no record of him here, there's no way that Dick would be able to find anything on him, but either paranoia or the fact that he just likes introducing himself like that takes over and he responds, "Mr. Sark."

First names are for other people.

"Are we finished here?" He makes to leave before he gets an answer, figuring that if Dick has anything interesting to add he'll stop him before he actually gets to far.