Operation: Clan Akkaba - Ascent - Log 2
Jun. 2nd, 2022 11:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsKevin, Darcy and Natasha work to find out what the Maggia is up to and who they're working for.
"Gerson. He's not a local boy." Kevin looked through the file, scanning the information. While he was adapted well enough to his computer and tablet, he still liked to flip through physical pages, ordering the information as his brain processed it. "European, I think. Maybe Southern France. Nat, isn't he covered under one of your networks?"
"The name sounds familiar. Tickling a feeling like he might be some sort of mob related?" Natasha said as she tapped out a few keywords and let the fancy tablet do its thing. A line of images began to fill across her screen in one of those long card shuffles with image cards being removed by flicking themselves down toward the bottom of her screen. "Might have a dossier on him tucked in here somewhere."
Darcy was shamelessly reading over Kevin's shoulder, eyes glancing quickly over the pages. "It's not ringing any bells for me, but my info in that area is skimming what the rest of you bring in." Her hand moved in, tapping a spot near the middle of the page as Kevin started to turn it. "Wait--thanks, that's..." she set her tablet down, typing in the information with one hand before moving her hand off the file. "That shipping company's started showing up on some of the trade routes I'm watching. Not as a subcontractor to the major lines, though."
"Old World Maggia have a lot of control over shipping lines in the Med. Even if he's not directly involved, he might be a facilitator... a travel agent for smugglers, basically." Kevin leaned back in his chair for a second. "So, what do we know? Everything suggests this wasn't about looking for weaponizable mutants. I mean, look at the powers of some of these choices. This one guy was as useful as a scratch and sniff sticker. So if it is just grabbing any mutants you can find, what's the angle?"
"Could be tied into research. Take a look at the DNA when it comes to their mutation and seeing what they can tease out. Possibly create something to make their mutations evolve more and faster than nature intended." The file that finally popped up with information on Gerson was sparse. It had more about his family tree and theorized associations than anything helpful. The family business did run deep after all. "Also begs the question, are they being used as cannon fodder for some higher level mutation we're just not aware of yet?"
"It could be research," Darcy agreed, though her face was still set in a thoughtful frown. "There's not the increase in black market organs I'd expect, but if they're keeping the subjects alive... experimentation, cannon fodder. But they're not connected to the usual suspects for that." Her fingers curled around the tablet, tapping it lightly as she continued to think. "It'd be easier to show this on the AI, I think, but take a look at these transit routes." She slid the device between Kevin and Natasha so they could both see what she was talking about. "All of these shipments terminate in the same area, but it's not a major air or sea hub like you'd expect. What do we know about groups in the area?"
"North Africa. That's a lot of possibilities. OK, who can we eliminate?" Kevin replaced his file with his own tablet, porting data in from their main database. "It's not going to be the usual mercenary or extremist groups unless there's an element we have no way to factor for. That takes out most of the conventional groups. So, we're down to, what, crackpots and weirdos with agendas. In that area, there aren't a lot of places you can really hide if you're not buying local protection or are part of the economy. Darcy, let's look at SHIELD's satellite coverage. Anything in the coverage we can't identify is a potential destination."
Darcy switched over to the satellite coverage without fuss. "Couple of warehouses along the very north--this bit of Egypt heading towards Libya--and then here along the Red Sea that they don't have any information for. And they don't show on the last maps satellite pass, so they can't be more than a few years old. They've probably got locals on staff too. I would. Blend in a little better, fewer issues getting around. Tash?"
"Probably greasing a lot of hands too. Definitely keeping it to the locals with either filling a need or giving the desperate people what they need to make a better life for themselves and their families. That's a bargain most people wouldn't pass up no matter the long term costs." She tapped a few keys on her end and pulled up the meager intel she had on the new buildings. "I don't have much on those new buildings either. Just rumors about electricity usage, security, and weird branded trucks coming in and out of the area."
"Wait, go back a couple of frames." Kevin tapped on the screen. "What is this, a private school or something?" More data flowed down the interface. "Walled compound, somewhat isolated but not obviously so and... is owned by a shell company out of Symkaria. All that needs is a fucking neon sign on the roof pointing down saying 'shady shit here'. Let the rest of the team know. I think we found where they're operating from."
"Gerson. He's not a local boy." Kevin looked through the file, scanning the information. While he was adapted well enough to his computer and tablet, he still liked to flip through physical pages, ordering the information as his brain processed it. "European, I think. Maybe Southern France. Nat, isn't he covered under one of your networks?"
"The name sounds familiar. Tickling a feeling like he might be some sort of mob related?" Natasha said as she tapped out a few keywords and let the fancy tablet do its thing. A line of images began to fill across her screen in one of those long card shuffles with image cards being removed by flicking themselves down toward the bottom of her screen. "Might have a dossier on him tucked in here somewhere."
Darcy was shamelessly reading over Kevin's shoulder, eyes glancing quickly over the pages. "It's not ringing any bells for me, but my info in that area is skimming what the rest of you bring in." Her hand moved in, tapping a spot near the middle of the page as Kevin started to turn it. "Wait--thanks, that's..." she set her tablet down, typing in the information with one hand before moving her hand off the file. "That shipping company's started showing up on some of the trade routes I'm watching. Not as a subcontractor to the major lines, though."
"Old World Maggia have a lot of control over shipping lines in the Med. Even if he's not directly involved, he might be a facilitator... a travel agent for smugglers, basically." Kevin leaned back in his chair for a second. "So, what do we know? Everything suggests this wasn't about looking for weaponizable mutants. I mean, look at the powers of some of these choices. This one guy was as useful as a scratch and sniff sticker. So if it is just grabbing any mutants you can find, what's the angle?"
"Could be tied into research. Take a look at the DNA when it comes to their mutation and seeing what they can tease out. Possibly create something to make their mutations evolve more and faster than nature intended." The file that finally popped up with information on Gerson was sparse. It had more about his family tree and theorized associations than anything helpful. The family business did run deep after all. "Also begs the question, are they being used as cannon fodder for some higher level mutation we're just not aware of yet?"
"It could be research," Darcy agreed, though her face was still set in a thoughtful frown. "There's not the increase in black market organs I'd expect, but if they're keeping the subjects alive... experimentation, cannon fodder. But they're not connected to the usual suspects for that." Her fingers curled around the tablet, tapping it lightly as she continued to think. "It'd be easier to show this on the AI, I think, but take a look at these transit routes." She slid the device between Kevin and Natasha so they could both see what she was talking about. "All of these shipments terminate in the same area, but it's not a major air or sea hub like you'd expect. What do we know about groups in the area?"
"North Africa. That's a lot of possibilities. OK, who can we eliminate?" Kevin replaced his file with his own tablet, porting data in from their main database. "It's not going to be the usual mercenary or extremist groups unless there's an element we have no way to factor for. That takes out most of the conventional groups. So, we're down to, what, crackpots and weirdos with agendas. In that area, there aren't a lot of places you can really hide if you're not buying local protection or are part of the economy. Darcy, let's look at SHIELD's satellite coverage. Anything in the coverage we can't identify is a potential destination."
Darcy switched over to the satellite coverage without fuss. "Couple of warehouses along the very north--this bit of Egypt heading towards Libya--and then here along the Red Sea that they don't have any information for. And they don't show on the last maps satellite pass, so they can't be more than a few years old. They've probably got locals on staff too. I would. Blend in a little better, fewer issues getting around. Tash?"
"Probably greasing a lot of hands too. Definitely keeping it to the locals with either filling a need or giving the desperate people what they need to make a better life for themselves and their families. That's a bargain most people wouldn't pass up no matter the long term costs." She tapped a few keys on her end and pulled up the meager intel she had on the new buildings. "I don't have much on those new buildings either. Just rumors about electricity usage, security, and weird branded trucks coming in and out of the area."
"Wait, go back a couple of frames." Kevin tapped on the screen. "What is this, a private school or something?" More data flowed down the interface. "Walled compound, somewhat isolated but not obviously so and... is owned by a shell company out of Symkaria. All that needs is a fucking neon sign on the roof pointing down saying 'shady shit here'. Let the rest of the team know. I think we found where they're operating from."
