The Third Place bookshop is surrounded by fashionable coffee shops, bistros, and expensive brown houses. The University of Maryland draws a hip crowd with their newest commlinks and most fashionable enhancements.

The Third Place does not really fit, of course there are cracked leather spines on prominent display and the occasional new age book for procurement. There was nonetheless something off about the place a type of history that does not fit the sixth world a place where even the deepest of places should be but a shallow pool.

The rain was discomforting as it whipped its way past the stunted elm trees and along winnowing roads. It gripped your fingers leaving behind its wet touch, and seemed to mock mankind's 2000 years of clothing development with its icy breath.

The bookshop was light, warm and inviting. There was the smell of soykaf in the air and of heated cookies. Already some people had shown up, the bored university student, the hippie, and of course the conspiracy theorists. They all agnled around the in their own groups. It looked like a total of twenty people had shown up.

The only two who seemed to be pleased at all was a bespectacled man in his 80s. All angular features with a salt and pepper mustache. His commlink displayed a simple SIN with the heading: Joseph Meyer - Antiquarian. The other was animated and talkative. He talked with animation his eyes darting occasionally to the sides for dramatic effect, had to come around and pump your hand at least twice and introduced you to some of the less likely compatriots. Even some of the college students started to warm-up.

***

[This would be a good time to introduce yourself.]

***

"The man of the hour is nearly here. Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you to ..." With a grandiose wave of his hand Isaac Davidson or as he insisted everyone call him - Izzie; opened up the door and a tall, lanky man walked in from the cold. He was dressed neatly, and could have been mistaken for any other passer-by anywhere in the suit and overcoat as a man of influence. His dark, but fading hair was neatly groomed and despite what could be considered a neutral expression a fire burned deep in his eyes. It was blue like his orbs and it lit them with a burning intellect.

"Conrad Tyrell."

He stopped to scan the crowd his umbrella creaking close and with a snap it was shut.

"It's a pleasure in meeting you all." He cracked a mesmerizing smile. "It's a pleasure seeing so many people come for a first-time publication." There was pride tinged wit a bitterness in his voice. Educated, east coast, and probably the kind of poker player you only can play against once.

He mingled a bit, attentive and smiling, nodding when proper and smiling further when polite. The initial discomfort smoothing back with personal magnetism and Izzy''s freneticism. Conrad Tyrell had a SIN, but it was not the numerous adverts for his book and the Publisher's link sitting in PAN it would be ominously empty.

As the mingling began to wane people drifted to the seats assigned to them until only Conrad stood.

"Thank you for coming, I wish to stop and explain a bit about the reasons why I started to write the history of the bogeyman of the American Intelligence industry. About ten years ago I worked in a company on the west coast near Sacramento. During that time I became aware of financial irregularities inside the company. While scoffed by my employers and coworkers I started putting together a labyrinth of different financial transactions. At the core was an organization and it's name was AEGIS. For the pat ten years I have been combing over documents and talk with names, each leading me further on into what is this organization."

"Ten years."

"The organization though started a little over 120 years ago. Its mandate was to study foreign intelligence agencies and directorates, infiltrate and subvert. It has been continuing that same mandate into today, but instead of agencies it has been corporations..."

The door opens and big man walks in. He takes up a seat at the back. His bald black head glistening with water. He simply sits there like an elephant trying not be paid attention to.

"..which has been doing its subversion. For example at the moment it owns a slient majority in Ares Macrotechnology."

In the next twety minutes he tantalizes the audience with promises of more. He stops and slips from salesman to a drier academic style as he stops to elaborate on a point or cite a reference.

The concept of AEGIS is that it is a pervasive organization, it works in the shadows and has numerous connections through-out the world. It does not influence directly, but often sets the stage for discoveries by others. An example he used was the upload to Shadowland in 2057 tentatively identified what are believed to be the five people who ran Alamos 20,000, known as the Central Executive. They were also the ones who caused a hit-and-run
of Dr. Dieter von Kammelburg - the man who would be later identified as the Nazi.

Financial and political sway are what it has been using recently and Conrad focuses primarily on the financial, the ebb and flow of money in a complex interplay of the web of AEGIS' wealth and influence. It is methodical and efficient and Conrad can spin out the book breath of this spider.

"We have some minutes for questions."

Professor purposefully memorizes the appearances of the crowd, with particular attention to the author, the hosts and the newcomer with the wet, bald head. He holds up his hand to ask a question.

"Tell me, Mr. Tyrell, you focus on the financial dealings of this organization. Why should one care that yet another layer of holding company exists in the world? How does this affect our lives?"

November, 18th 2069: The Third Place Bookshop

A male human in his late 20's well built walks through the door and scans the room. He is dressed in professional tactical clothing (like 5.11 pants and long sleeve polo) under his wet jacket (armored).

I have a feeling this is going to be really boring or really interesting.

He finds a set were he can have easy access to an escape route and cover the room. He actively avoids Conrad's walk around the room.

Near the end of the talk.
Well I was right this was really boring.

November, 18th 2069: The Third Place Bookshop

Cruze listened intently to the story of shadowy organisations in a shadowy world. This was all nothing new. She had heard such tales before, if every crazy were to be believed one would never dare go out of the house. Still it wasn't often you got to meet the author of such theories. The visiting hours were usually inconvenient.

This one seemed to be in possession of all of his marbles and while the talk of financial irregularities was dry it had a sort of scientific rigour that most such conjecture lacked.

Of course claims that the author had found such irregularities were worthless without publishing the financial records in question and Cruze thought that was unlikely to be happening any time soon.

She occupied herself by taking notes and recording as much of the event as possible, scanning the room every few seconds and being careful to ensure that she focused her eyes on as much of the detail in the room as possible.

She would never forget the crushing disappointment of reviewing her first ever Sim Recording. It had never occured to her that objects that she was not looking directly at would be all blurry and out of focus and that not even the best image processing software could pick information she had not actually perceived out of the recording.

Now she made it a point to be constantly scanning her environment, sweeping from side to side concentrating on first one plane and then another incrementally further away and then another and another until she had reached the limit of her line of sight before starting all over again. She had initially been amazed at the things she started to notice in everyday life that she had missed before and was stunned by the level of detail she could pick out of the recordings when she went back over them.

Combined with the scans the sensor suite in the rucksack under her chair was making she would have a thoroughly comprehensive record of this event should it prove to have been important.

And if not she would only recall finding herself outside a quaint little bookshop completely by chance just as an author was about to do a signing of his new conspiracy theory. She would remember that the talk was dull but not where the books dust cover had disappeared to. She had dozens of such books, strangely the signed ones were all missing their dust covers and she had no idea why.

She would be briefly astounded were she ever to look in the back of the freezer but would soon forget all about it.

The question from the old academic surprised her. Usually these crowds were mere sycophants. The answer would be telling...

[ OOC - Hey! Professor is only 31 years old! ]

"A good question." He pauses and thinks. "AEGIS financially has immense pull on the world market, but it is not interested in it. The funding is only to support its other core activities. It affects us in these ways."

Tyrell's PAN winks into existence and a vast array of images can be seen. Using a few strokes of his hand as he files through video and picture images. An image of two aging scientists in white lab-coats are smiling like idiots as a young man with a crew cut flexes a cybernetic hand, flashes by. A virtual technical document called Aurora is brushed aside.

The following floats in front, the transcript turning violet as each word is said.
<Heart beat slightly elevated. Stress level: 3. Vocal markers match: Harper, Angela>
"This is Wendy. I have files at node 1379.4 of primary infestation points and of turned operatives inside the Universal Brotherhood. I will continue to monitor the situation."
<Call terminated at 01:25 14 December 2049>.

"For background information the Universal Brotherhood was founded in 2043 upon the principles of Dr. Caitlin O'Connal, a sociologist and statistician who lectured at UCLA, and the support of her husband Paul Grigg, a shaman and fellow instructor at UCLA. In the late 2030s, O'Connal believed that her mathematical studies of mob psychology proved that all Humans and Metahumans were linked by a bond she called the "universal brotherhood", a theory that was immediately dismissed by her peers. Unfazed by such a negative reaction, and despite the fact that no journal would publish her findings, she began work on developing a whole philosophy and framework around this brotherhood principle. By March 2050, it was estimated that the Universal Brotherhood had over 300 chapters in North America, with 100 more chapters internationally, growing from less than 100 members to over 35,000 members worldwide in seven years."

"A few days after the transcript O'Connol is killed. An interdepartmental memo began circulating requesting an official inquest. In 2051, an expose by the late Frederick Davitt and Zebediah Wanderly called "Universal Brotherhood: A Web of Deceit" was released. That too was suppressed. Between 2050-2055 AEGIS spent its time removing bug spirit influenced road blocks."

<Heart beat critical. Warning. Stress level: 11. Vocal markers match: Harper, Angela>
"This is ... not sure... Wendy... is no more. I do not know how much longer I can keep the ant queen spirit out of my mind. Requesting immediate extermination of Universal Brotherhood nest at attached GPS location. Chicago... trying to open up gateway to Charnak... Oh God. Kill it."
<call teminated at 01:05 12 February 2055. Cranial bomb authorization granted.>

"An Ares Firewatch team was dispatched to Project Hope in Seattle. It was the first time the public had heard of Insect Spirits. An inter-agency memo also circulated based on the knowledge gained from the Seattle nest. In 3rd of March 2055 the IRS froze all the accounts of the Universal Brotherhood. In 2055 AEGIS through its holdings gained majority vote and authorized the use of Firewatch teams through-out the world in conjunction with local Defense Force units to eliminate nests. On August 22, 2055, insect spirits spread in the city. On August 23, the UCAS Federal Government declares a quarantine area between Lake Michigan and Des Plaines River. Officially, the Chicago Containment Zone is established against an outbreak of a new strain of VITAS. In late December 2055, AEGIS through its Shadowland contacts spread to the public information about the presence of insect spirits in Chicago. A nuclear device was detonated inside the gateway in Chicago shortly thereafter."

"Next question please."

Professor looks around to see if there is another questioner waiting her turn before he asks another question.

"Huh. More polite than I used to be. Must be all that time in Toronto affecting me. 'Aurora', eh? Back to the cover photos again."

November, 18th 2069: The Third Place Bookshop

OK, now we are getting in to some good stuff. With insect spirits and all.

Looks, around and then speaks:
So, your saying that AEGIS had funded and organized Fire watch right? What other Teams so to speak had AEGIS funded and or organized?

A young man speaks up from his position at the edge of the gather. "Before you answer that, I would like to ask you to better demonstrate how you connected this 'Wendy' individual with AEGIS."

He adjusts his stylish glasses, the motion lending a very scholarly air to him. "The information you gave us seems to demonstrate a connection between her and Ares, rather than any connection with AEGIS. Is it not possible that she was simply an operative inserted by Ares to watch the suspect activities of the Universal Brotherhood?"

Having asked his question, he leans forward in his Actioneer Business Suit, all attention aimed at Tyrell.

November, 18th 2069: The Third Place Bookshop
Tyrell's fingers walk their way through his files. A near self-conscious if not subconscious behavior. The files slowly collapse in amongst themselves like a deck of cards, shuffled into order.

"I will try to answer first about the connections. There is no direct correlation that she was with AEGIS, nor are there direct connections to Ares. Even the local law enforcement of the suburb where she lived was not even patrolled by Ares. The woman who identified herself as Wendy, her entire existence can be well documented from tax records and public institutions. However, if Angela Harper lived in an extraterritorial compound or abroad, it would be very difficult to verify. Even the number to which the call was directed was untraceable. I am unaware of Ares maintaining unpaid operatives in the field. Of course if anyone can find me such a person, both real and their cover financial records, I would of course be highly interested in comparing them to those of the individual in the transcripts."

"Instead we have to look at flow of information. Ares had an extraordinary stockholder meeting at the same time as a Firewatch team was dispatched to the Seattle nest. There were complaints inside Ares that destruction of a possible area of interest was against company policy and there were also fiscal concerns of maintaining such a long-term offensive. The second indicator was the level of intra-cooperation between corporate and UCAS institutions."

He paused for a moment. "The IRS, nor the UCAS Treasury Department, do not conduct quick, decisive action on the behest of external parties."

He looked down for a moment and looked up with a professional, but dazzling smile. "If you wish to know more about the financial goings-on and the pull on the world by AEGIS you will have to read my book."

Tyrell looked at Izzie and they shared nods. "I'll take one more question please."

The dark elephant of a man in the room shifted its weight.

The dark, intellectual ambience of the bookstore, the hobby home of conspiracy theorists and idle university students brought back nostalgic thoughts of Meta. He was a man that would have relished this situation, fiercely analyzing and questioning the subject, staying up late to discuss and debate. But blackie was on edge, his right hand over his knee, flipping an antique copper coin between his fingers, his suspicious eyes holding questions for everyone in the room. He leaned over the back of his chair, glancing at the bald man at the back. He didn't look like a conspiracy nut or an academic. Blackie could afford to scan the room, it was his brutally honed paranoia, and the fact that Tyrell's salesmanship was being recorded for later. Then Tyrell called for the final question.

"Assuming that this AEGIS' involvement in the Ares stock meeting was not infact a consultancy with the private intelligence corporation, Aegis Cognito, you claim that AEGIS has had long-standing control over monolithic megacorporate structures, but if their interest is not greed, then what is it? You mention their 'core activities' but only show us circumstantial evidence.", Blackie injected the statement at the least minute, leaning back in his chair, trying to get a better angle of Tyrell for the visual recording, and continued with a grim face. "But, to give you the benefit of the doubt. If this AEGIS incognito is powerful enough to influence a triple-A corp to go to war with an alien force, how do you plan to survive?"

If Tyrell was right, it was a story of incredible import. History would have to be re-examined and revised, of course, but he had suggested that this is a clandestine organisation that has thrived for more than a century, through two crashes, the awakening, the balkanisation of the United States. Blackie had been tortured over lesser mysteries, and he went to great pains to remain discreet and obscure. A man with that sort of information and a tale to tell to bookstore clientelle has either a very short life expectancy or something behind those eyes that keeps him bulletproof. Unless of course he's just a crackpot, which would dissapoint blackie, as subconsciously, Blackie related to this man, feeling that they both felt the same calling, that the truth was obscured beneath the surface.

Tyrell nodded for a moment. "For clarification, I never claimed that AEGIS had any long-standing control over megacorporations."

He looks at his audience intently. "AEGIS was founded in 1947 because an alien spacecraft crashed in Roswell New Mexico."

He gauges the looks of his audience.

"The question I would propose is, would you believe it? I see a few nods in the audience and a lots frowns. Suppose now you were all invited for a once in a lifetime chance to see the irrefutable proof of this alien spacecraft, but you could only observe."

"The few of the researchers who I have come across, we have really talked about this scenario. Problems of irrefutable proof, researching the world of smoke and mirrors, and about the ease of discrediting. I am not saying there are or are not aliens among us, but it is easy to be written off, easier than most people think."

"Anyways, buy a copy of my book, read through it and if you still have any questions you can send me a message through my publisher's Matrix node ... Unless I get taken by the Men in Black." Tyrell smiles his professional smile. There is a steely eyed determination in his eyes which is hidden away again.

Izzie coughs a stage cough. He seems to be a bit uncomfortable, but hides it behind his usual open behaviour. "Now before everyone swamps the soykaf or Conrad here as he makes hi break for the concession stand, I just wanted to mention that among the attendees we had a bit of a virtual raffle and Third Place has some prizes for the lucky ones, which will get anounced in a bit"

Conrad excuses sips his soykaf next to the thermos. The questions and the answers received seem to have created a somber tone in the rest of the attendees. Izzie slowly working back to its cheerful tone as a college student and a new ager jostle between questions about the pervasiveness of corporate control on the person and about the existence of aliens.

Izzie turns to Cruze mopping his brow and asks "That was a lively question and answer session."

Professor ambles over to the refreshment table and samples a few niblets of cheese and pastries. As nonchalantly as he can he scans the room, committing a three-dimensional snapshot of the occupants to memory.

"Mmmm... that cheese is good. I think I'll take another piece of that."

Slowly he moves through the assembly and ends up 'randomly' beside the 'elephant in the room'.

"You might like this cheese, it's very good." He holds up the hors-d' oeuvre for inspection. Before the man can answer, he continues. "But I wonder, would you like to take him up on his offer? Would you go to see a ... flying saucer?"

Intriguing, certainly. I'd love to take him up on his offer to see a flying saucer, that would certainly be a departure for a conspiracy theorist.

Cruze was more interested in the big man at the back. She queried her sensor logs to see if the mysterious late comer was packing any heat or 'ware. On a whim she checked the rest of the crowd as well, there was definitely something atypical about this whole setup.

[OOC - I'm not sure whether there was miscommunication here. I thought the 'elephant in the room' was the bald, black guy. That's the one Professor tried to approach and involve in conversation.]

The elephant looked down at the mouse of a professor, in even tone, a detached tone, as if he was reading the obituaries, he said in a deep rumble of bass. "That is the worst pick-up line I have ever heard. Excuse me."

Izzie self-consciously gripped Cruze's arm as the black, bald, elephant-man walked past the two of them. His suit and overcoat could have been from anywhere, his white shirt immaculate, his pencil strip tie still glistening with drops of rain. His gait as someone who was heavy, a body built up of packed meat. If he did not look like he was a full-fleshed human you could assume he was a troll, he was that tall and burly. He did not give out any readings of packing heat or carrying ware. But you suspect that he did not need fancy weapons to kill. His hands could suffice.

While the man walked past, he looked intently at Conrad as he was talking to bookshop owner. His head swiveling on target as he moved to the door and without looking found the handle and walked out into the rainy Monday night. Izzie let go of Cruze's arm leaving bruises down its sides.

As he left the atmosphere seem to noticeably lift and the hushed tones turned into animated discussion. Conrad stood by the book-table alone possibly for the first time this evening.


[Izzie is the publisher. The elephant is the black bald man. Now is a good oppotunity to talk to Conrad, Izzie or each other; I will then move the scene to the next one.]

What was his problem? Not the friendly type for sure.

"Mr. Tyrell, my name is Richard Tracey. I was most impressed by your findings. I do have to ask, however. If AEGIS is as secretive as the evidence suggests they are, and have as large a reach as it appears they do, how do you plan on surviving? I imagine that they would be less than pleased about you revealing their secrets like this..."

Dick smiles easily at Tyrell before popping a grape into his mouth and chewing slowly.

[OOC- so I guess Izzie and Cruze and Professor were close to the 'elephant', and so Professor heard Cruze's last comment]

"I think he was the person in the room who most lent credence to the idea there are clandestine forces working behind the facade of government and corporation. I will not forget his face for a long time.

"Mr. Tyrell looks free for a moment. I think I will go ask him some more questions. Would you care to come, too? Today I seem to be driving people away with my questions."

Sure, I have some questions of my own for the Professor.

Have you considered the possibility that our friend was a plant designed to give precisely that impression? He certainly did not cause the word clandestine to leap to the front of my brain.

After getting up from the back of the room after the black guy left Philp walks up to Conrad and says. "Whats that's ass holes problem? Anywho, I'm more then willing to see the totality of evidence you have. But I'm more of a hands on type of guy just so you know. Then walks away before he could answer. Heading towards the small side group that had formed from the earlier tension. Once with in acceptably conversation distance he says. "So who's ready for some real fun?" making direct eye contact with Cruze over the other two.

[For the sake of knowing where each person is and what happened as well as adding a bit of description; I have compiled today's posts into a more reasonable form.]

Cruze the twenty something college beauty, who could be claimed to have wandered in at a whim commented to anyone who would care to listen or overhear. "What was his problem? Not the friendly type for sure." The sound of feigned interest and the worse breaking of etiquette could be distinguished in her voice.

The Professor overhearing the Cruze's comment, quiped. "I think he was the person in the room who most lent credence to the idea there are clandestine forces working behind the facade of government and corporation. I will not forget his face for a long time.

"Mr. Tyrell looks free for a moment. I think I will go ask him some more questions. Would you care to come, too? Today I seem to be driving people away with my questions."

Cruze looked at the dwarf and commented as they slowly moved towards Tyrell. "Sure, I have some questions of my own for the Professor."

She thought for a moment before adding. "Have you considered the possibility that our friend was a plant designed to give precisely that impression? He certainly did not cause the word clandestine to leap to the front of my brain."

Izzie continued following Cruze and the Professor, forming the now silent third party of the group as they approached Tyrell.

Before the three can reach Tyrell already the man who asked the particularly outlandish final question at the question and answer session was now hovering by the books and Tyrell. Years of journalistic behaviour meant that he had the preternatural ability to squeeze into places before others.

Tyrell looks at the man as if realising that it took longer to notice him than it should. His wild hair, prominent nose and dark thick eyebrows were offset by the heavy overcoat he still wore. His clothing seemed to lack the splashes of colour, AR tags, and coulourshifting that accoutrement modern fabrics.

Looking at Tyrell caressing the book and the placing it back self-consciously. His strive to focus on him and when they do he already has his question ready as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"Mr. Tyrell, my name is Richard Tracey. I was most impressed by your findings. I do have to ask, however. If AEGIS is as secretive as the evidence suggests they are, and have as large a reach as it appears they do, how do you plan on surviving? I imagine that they would be less than pleased about you revealing their secrets like this..."

Dick smiles easily at Tyrell before popping a grape into his mouth and chewing slowly.

Tyrell looked at the man intently and adjusted his cuff links. "Well, Mr. Tracey As a journalist I am sure you have been threatened several times and I doubt that has stopped you from publishing before. It has been the same way with me. I guess you could say I am a dangerous man because there is nothing they can take away from me anymore. Ten years of work and sacrifices of me and those around me have finally been published and they cannot undo that."

He smiled and it was a madly triumphant smile. He was about to say something more when a man who looked like he walked off the cover Mercenary Quarterly walked up to Tyrell and Dick.

Philip turned to Conrad and said. "Whats that's assholes problem? Anywho, I'm more then willing to see the totality of evidence you have. But I'm more of a hands on type of guy just so you know.

Philip walked away before either could answer. Heading towards the small side group that had formed from the earlier tension and was heading his way. "So who's ready for some real fun?" he made direct eye contact with Cruze over the other two.

Blackie leaves the corner he was firmly attatched to as the muscle-bound man with the conservative haircut moves towards him. The guy looks like a fed, and makes Blackie nervous. Moving over to the h'ordeurves. He selects a pastie, cracking it in two to check that it is vegan before devouring it. Blackie's been largely ignoring his need for food since he got to DeeCee, and he suddenly realises he's ravenous.

"I... uh... apolagize for my pointed question before, uh... i mean... well, I meant no disrespect." Blackie remarks to Tyrell, brushing some crums from his mouth. He doesn't make eye contact, instead nervously scrutinizing yet another snack. "It's just that I... well, I believe that it's a universal responsibility to scrutinize the media, as we live in an age where it's synonymous with financial interests, rather than the truth. Consider the immense sociopolitical power of Horizon. Who would have thought so many minds could be changed in Tir Tairngire, who now have an Ork as their Prince. Have you made any discoveries about this AEGIS' influence on the media? It's ah... an area of interest of mine, so to speak."

Tyrell sips his soykaf. "Well, disinformation is part of propaganda, and propaganda was part of AEGIS' charter since its inception. However, the more I delve into AEGIS the more it is not interested in Neil the Ork Barbarian style of world domination. It gives you a couple pushes in the direction it wants you to go in... Suddenly an investigative journalist like yourself is holding a lead on 10,000 hours of data and transcripts on insect spirits. Someone gets a confidential dossier on a couple of the princes - maybe it was an ork. The thing is not all breaking stories needs a conspiracy like AEGIS behind it, but not all breaking stories are not supported by conspiracies like AEGIS. Or to be less cryptic. Horizon can put a spin on anything. Sometimes AEGIS likes to step in and guest DJ the Horizon turntable for scratching."

Tyrell looked in his soykaf disappointed. "Izzie's probably going to kill me. He was kind of expecting me to talk about little gray aliens or something."

[Professor] Let's get this niggling idea out of my head, and clear it up one way or another.

"Well, Mr. Tyrell, I'm interested in your reasoning behind choosing cover imagery that suggests a shield around Earth protecting it from danger originating in space. Combined with the name AEGIS, one can't help but surmise that you are suggesting that this organization is protecting us not only from Earthly or astral dangers, but extraterrestrial ones as well. Are there such dangers from which AEGIS is shielding us?"

Tyrell looked back from his soykaf. "Well, the imagery was chosen with plenty of influence from Izzie here. AEGIS, at least in terms of the insect spirits are certainly protecting us from an alien influence. If you can believe in insect spirits... yes AEGIS is supposed to protect us from external incursions as well, whether soviet, spirit, or space originating."

Hmph. I can see how this guy manages to navigate difficult political waters, with evasive answers like that!

Blackie ponders Tyrell's last words. If AEGIS is a real entity, then they would have to have massive resources, influence, and even direct power to defend Earth from metaplanar and extraterrestrial threats.

"Do they ever directly intervene, with their own operatives, perhaps, or per your example do they use the assets of other entities, such as Firewatch when dealing with the bugs? Do they have their own operatives, or do they hire, to use a corporate euphemism, deniable assets"

Following the others back to Tyrell and overhearing Blackie's question about if AEGIS has it's own Operatives Philp's ear's perk up. "Yes that is a very good question I would like to know as well. It is similar to the question I asked earlier during the presentation." Philp pauses with anticipation to the answer and the meaning it would hold to him and getting out from under of this "dishonor" he has been dealing with.

Dick stands back at the edge of the group, just close enough to hear everything, and let's others have their turns asking questions while he continues munching on grapes.

Cruze stared intently at the carpet until the heat in her cheeks subsided and when she glanced up the rough looking Merc had moved on to be inappropriate somewhere else. She made a point of starting a file on him, he seemed the sort that could easily lead to trouble.

She purchased a copy of the book using Certified Credit and started to flick through it while she waited for the other shoe to drop.

Professor begins to fidget as Tyrell ponders his answer.

Tyrell ponders the question for an uncomforting moment. "I believe that AEGIS enjoys working in the shadows. While we can consider that AEGIS does have immense resources to call upon. I doubt that it enjoys using them. I mean lets take a case and point of the insect issue. In December 2050, almost immediately after the transmission I showed you at the question and answer session O'Connal suffered from supposed mental health problems and committed suicide. This would be a case of an operative or operatives.

"Between 2050-2055 individuals with covert Universal Brotherhood affiliations discovered themselves either shuttled into dead-end positions or then are now statistics in seemingly random deaths. The number of random deaths would indicate, to use the euphemism, done with deniable assets."

"In 2055 when the pieces were in place for AEGIS to arrange an extraordinary shareholders meeting. Damian Knight held a very confusing press conference because of it. Supposedly in charge, but no clue about who was giving the orders because he certainly wasn't. In this case Firewatch teams was the right tool for the right job."

"As AEGIS is a covert organization that does not file its taxes, hold public meetings, or keep offices open to the public, it likes using and utilizing individuals who are deniable by nature or then part of existing organizations and structures."

"OK, that makes sense, but I'm ready to cut through the bull here why are we here? It is clear that we are not the normal types for a book signing." As Philip motions quotes on the words book signing. "Because no one hand Delivers mail anymore but I can assume that we all here had received one which is clear that it in it self means something more or am I wrong?" He shifts his weight and crosses his arms awaiting an answer.

Dick's eyes widen slightly at what he perceives as Philip's complete lack of subtlety and gently eases a couple steps further away from the group before turning and scanning the room carefully, looking for anyone who may have overheard Philip and judging their reactions.

Cruze peered over the top of her copy of the book. She had been flicking through it looking for interesting pictures or highlights waiting for something to happen. That sounded like it starting.

She watches the others carefully to see who else reacts to the Bull in the China Shop. She replays the incident a couple of times in an AR window to make sure.

"Hmm. That's likely to stir things up! Ah, yes. Look at people glancing over their shoulders. Maybe I'll have a look around too. While I'm at it, maybe an astral scan will be in order."

Everyone looks uncomfortable as Tyrell looks back at Philip. He clears his throat for a moment. Cruze notices the bookshop owner moves quietly centre stage. "Excuse me, perhaps I can help."

"End simulation." Everyone suddenly nods off as if asleep, including Izzie and Tyrell.


"Now then young man, you really stirred things up with that question. Excellent. Excellent."

"Now then Gentlemen and lady, you have my undivided attention. Oh and please do not move around too much. Most get confused when you appear in strange places after five minutes of memory lapse. In some cases it can cause problems."

"I am from AEGIS. Now then the reason why I sent you was that we need a bit of help. We have an individual that needs to be placed under surveillance. Unfortunately we suspect there is a mole in AEGIS... so we cannot go through regular channels."

"There will of course be incentives after demonstrating your integrity. And yes this is a test Mr Dayton."

Professor

Panic gripped Cruze's heart. It was as bad as she suspected, she was compromised!

Assessing the situation she was pretty confident she could take down everyone in the room in a few heart beats. Five-O with the big mouth and the wandering eyes might be a problem, she'd have to take him first, getting close to him shouldn't be difficult.

She tucked her new purchase into her rucksack and shouldered it, sticking her hands nonchalantly into her pockets she drifted into the center of the room where she relaxed into a ready stance within striking distance of everyone.

You must know that you will need to rapidly convince me of your credentials and my desire to work with you. Contacting me in the open like this was very brave.

Breathe slow, remain focused. If it goes bad Five-O first and Mr Aegis, then tidy up the witnesses.

"Cool! I wonder how he did that. I will ask him if I live through the next 'five minutes'. I think I will just stay astrally aware. What does this guy really want, though?"



"Hmm. The woman is moving ... changing the pattern. If this works out, I will have to remind her to get back to where she was standing. Her aura...? That's an idea. Check them all."

[OOC - Professor assenses them all ... Bookshop owner, then the questioner, then the woman who moved, then the other two, closest first. This should keep him busy for the next 15-20 seconds, unless shooting starts!]