Today, I made an appearance downtown. I'm an expert witness, because I say I am.

[howangryarethey]

On Monday morning, a limo pulls up in front of the Conrad and Adam Monroe, plus a few ranking Organization personnel and all their individual security details, arrive at the Conrad Hotel for a meeting. They head straight to the meeting room without lingering too long outside or in the lobby, and while Adam is choking down a deep-rooted urge to kill

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[howangryarethey]

Adam folds his hands behind his back and puts on the most saccharine smile he can manage, which is pretty damn saccharine, but no less threatening. This is his city. He made a deal with these people that he wouldn't interfere with them if they didn't interfere with him. The Organization's embarrassing turn of failures here lately aside, what could these people possibly want?

"As I said, you picked a complicated time to arrive. I do apologize for the wait," he says, resisting the urge to add a snipe about why the hell anyone would choose Christmas as a good time for diplomatic negotiations.

He waves off the offer. "Nothing for me, thank you. Leona?" He turns to the woman at his side, gritting his teeth in what looks like a charming smile, but his eyes say differently. If this goes sour, you have my permission to kill every last one of them.Death happens in Chicago. He doesn't particularly want to go to war with the Trust, but he doesn't want them here either. In the end, someone always does have to make that hard choice for the

[howangryarethey]

Adam smiles right back and steps a bit closer, inviting the Doctor into the comforting folds of a... Large assortment of scary looking security details, lest the Trust catch wind of what they're up to before they make it out to the limo.

"You'll forgive the theatrics, I hope," Adam says when the Doctor's well enough in earshot that he have to speak in anything more than hushed tones. "But it really is in all of our best interests if we make haste."

The limo is waiting, doors open and inviting. Yeah, Doctor, there's nothing vaguely suspicious about this at all. They're totally nice criminal masterminds. Really.

[thatsortofaman]

"Make haste? Well, that sounds... urgent. There's not a bomb in the building, is there?" The question is... mostly flippant, though with the Master, you never can be sure. ...if there is a bomb in the building, he's going to be very annoyed.

He doesn't even bat an eye at the limousine, just slides inside. Suspicious? Maybe, but these days he can't seem to move without tripping over mysterious and possibly evil organisations. What's the worst that could happen if he hears them out?

...he did not just think that.

[howangryarethey]

"You could say that," Adam half-mutters. Metaphorical bombs, anyway, considering the Trust.

Adam slides in, after waving Leona inside, leaving just the three of them inside- the rest of security detail file into the other limo. If the Doctor's dangerous, Leona's more than a match for him, although Adam's really hoping this doesn't come to bloodshed. He likes this suit... And this limo.

And, you know, he's kinda planning on using that Time Lord.

"I assume your intent was to cut into the meeting," he notes, far too casually, as soon as the limo has started to head off. Yes, Doctor. They're totally aware of how monumentally DUMB you can be sometimes. "The Trust's Emissary's a friend of yours, I take it."

It's either that or species loyalty and color Adam jaded, but very few people love their species enough to rescue perfect strangers from powerful organizations.

[thatsortofaman]

The Doctor stretches his legs out, and smirks a bit at the question. Well. Implied question, anyway. "Something like that. Though he might object to your phrasing..." At least, he might if he didn't need the Doctor so desperately right now.

He tilts his head slowly to one side, studying Adam. "And you would be Adam Monroe. You are, aren't you? ...I imagined you'd be a bit more imposing." Which isn't an insult, just a statement of fact. ...and a demonstration of the fact that the Doctor can't keep his mouth shut to save his life. That too.

[howangryarethey]

"You'd be correct." If Adam cares all that much about that assessment, he gives no indication of it. He merely inclines his head in a nod of agreement, a crooked smile playing across his lips. "I suppose looks are deceiving. In fact, I was expecting you to be a bit more... Imposing, yourself

[thatsortofaman]

The Doctor smiles at him, amused but... not as friendly as that expression might be in other circumstances. These people have either been doing their research or keeping an eye on him. Or both. Afraid he's going to throw a spanner into whatever it is they're doing?

"Are you planning to tell me anything I didn't know, or can I get out of the car now? Because I do... sort of have things I was planning to do today..." That didn't involve taking car rides with mysterious strangers.

Maybe he should try not being rude to those mysterious strangers when he's in their limousine and they could kill him without anyone ever knowing what happened to him, but... well, he's not too concerned about that. They obviously want to use him for something.

[sinsofskin]

"Such as what, Doctor?" Leona asks, leaning forward and crossing her legs. "Walking in and hoping no one would notice that you hadn't been invited?" She quirks an eyebrow. "How's this: we can tell you that the contingent we've observed contains a conjurer, an archangel, and a man who can clone himself at will. We can tell you that even without access to a stable Rift, they have entire banks of technology far beyond anything except what falls through our Rifts only sporadically. And we can tell you that for a world power whose employees, last we checked, could barely fill out Tuvalu, they're more to be reckoned with than some sovereign nations. Some of them first-world ones."

She flexes her fingers, sliding her hands down on to her knees.

"And, for whatever reason, you seem to be relevant to their interests. So much so that you made it into their terms as a primary threat. I imagine there's a fascinating story behind that."

[thatsortofaman]

The Doctor raises his eyebrows, looking... at least momentarily impressed. Conjurer. Well, that would explain the disappearance, and the cloning... The Master might have mentioned the cloning, he thinks, a bit resentful. But no, that would only be helpful...

"Queen Victoria and I didn't exactly get along," he remarks idly, most of his attention on his own thoughts. Torchwood or Kashtta, whatever they're calling themselves, he's not surprised they're interested in him. Though they probably have more reasons than Queen Victoria's grudge against him.

"And what were the terms? Am I allowed to know that?"

[howangryarethey]

Adam's back to his whiskey. He's an unrepentant alcoholic and that doesn't change much after four hundred years.

"Simply put, they want a hold on Chicago, control of any and all Time Lords, which would, I think, include at least two of your friends we're aware of, even if you, personally, could elude them." He raises an eyebrow. "They also want control of Torchwood, who are also relevant to your interests. The Trust won't put their backs to the wall, I presume, but if they make life difficult..." He eyes Leona. "Well, let's just say that I can imagine a few possible outcomes and you won't like any of them."

So basically, Doctor. Trust falls, all your friends die or suffer horribly.

[thatsortofaman]

...right then. The Doctor officially likes them even less than Yvonne Hartman's Torchwood, which is... quite the accomplishment. He grimaces, staring out the window for a moment as he considers that. The chances he'll be able to settle this by just extricating the Master and finding a way to send the Trust representatives home seem to be fading by the minute.

"And that wasn't acceptable," he says finally, eyes flicking back toward Adam. "To you. What do you care about Torchwood or Time Lords?"

[sinsofskin]

"For the first time in history," Leona says, "wanderer organizations are emerging with some claim on self-determinism." She quirks an eyebrow. It's a bit like watching the aftermath of World War II, here, or the fall of the Soviet Union, except contained to their little city and... really, politically, nothing like either of those. Except for the fact that they were times of great upheaval, and that was... kind of the point.

The narration apologizes.

"Simply put, we're not interested in seeing either of the emergent authorities - Torchwood or the Conrad Hotel group - fall under the control of a force we find... less than palatable."

She casts a sidelong look at Adam.

"Some of us are wanderers ourselves, after all."

[howangryarethey]

Adam nods soberly. "I didn't work my way to the top of this organization to be taken down by a group that might turn around and decide we're all their puppets. Try to imagine a Chicago where wanderers are herded, defined by their usefulness, and made into slaves."

He tilts his head, eying the Doctor steadily. "While I can't say for certain that's the Trust's ultimate endgame. I wouldn't be surprised if it came to that." He shrugs. "So you see we have a heavy stake in this- it starts with Torchwood and Time Lords and then eventually it extends to all of us."

[sinsofskin]

"'Protecting the sovereignty of Earth against any and all outside threats.'," Leona quotes, smoothly sliding back into the presentation she and Adam seem to be weaving. "That's how their man defined the Trust's mandate. And even if all wanderers came from versions of Earth, which they rather clearly do not... well." The smile she gives is tight-lipped. "How generous have you known any nationalist organization to be with their definition of 'outside'?"

[thatsortofaman]

Oh, they're good. They're very good and they've got the teamwork down and the Doctor is almost impressed. It is very good reasoning, and he doesn't doubt that they're at least mostly sincere about it and that they're certainly preferable to the Trust, but...

"And your interest in the wanderers of this city, Torchwood, my friends... that's completely benevolent, of course."

A bit of an edge slips into his tone, possibly a warning. They mentioned other Time Lords, his friends, and maybe it is the sort of knowledge that comes out of simple curiosity about the man who's been connected to most major events in Chicago the past few years, but he's less concerned with why they know about them and more concerned that his friends aren't made a part of whatever game they're playing.

"What are you getting out of this, if everything goes your way? Besides getting the Trust out of this city, which... trust me, I want more than you do."

[howangryarethey]

Adam looks to Leona, another smirk playing at his lips. Smart man. He turns back to the Doctor, the smile not quite fading