Polo could see that Laraxis was not amused at Hannibal's speech. But he suspected moreso, the monk was just annoyed that Hannibal had ruined part of his tea set. This was confirmed when Laraxis snatched the cup from Polo's hand, ignoring his dry inquiry into compensation.

The blood sample that he'd scraped from the cup, however, Polo tapped into his arm's analyzer tray. He linked with his base network and set the system to work.

"I'll give you reasons not even a beast could ignore," Laraxis said to Hannibal, pointedly. "You've made your home in the sewers, pitifully eating the scraps of humans alone in the darkness. Like a vampire, you can't reveal yourself in the light."

[i]That's right. I'd forgotten about that.[/i] Hannibal didn't exactly drift into Polo's thoughts very often - The lizard was a rather repulsive creature, self-assured in his personal tirades and vendettas.

[i]It's easy to see yourself as superior when you live among nothing but filth. But confidence bred from self-imposed exile is naught but an illusion.[/i]

Laraxis continued to glare at Hannibal. "Out of all the Operatives," he said. "You're the one they especially want put down. Did you know you have a bounty, internationally? Exactly five million in cash for whoever finds the enigmatic beast. Dead or alive, of course."

[i]That's the official number, at least. Black market estimates put him at over twenty, easy. Thirty when alive, to the right buyers.[/i] Polo glanced at the analyzer scan on his glasses - the system was still looking for chemical makeup.

"What I offer, however, is so much more!" Polo could tell that Laraxis was gearing up for a sales pitch. "Be it money, compensation, the finer things in life," He nodded to Alter. Polo smirked in response.

"Or morality..." His glance fell on Hannibal. "I am here to help fight for your freedom. Aren't you sick of hiding? Of being looked down on for what makes you superior in every way? Are you done playing the masochist, ready to take back what is rightfully entitled to you - the lesser's respect, and their fear?"

[i]We either adapt, or we fall away. There is no second choice, Laraxis. Out talents do not make us into gods, and it is our [b]actions[/b] that garner respect. Not fear.[/i]

Polo had been right about this fellow from the beginning. Delusions of superiority, grandeur, and the goal to see the masses pressed to bended knee. This would be a more difficult assignment than Cyrus had originally implied.

Laraxis was now into the show of his speech. "I also offer an assurance from a sudden and unexpected death," he said, motioning to Cheshire and Citrine. The threats were becoming too commonplace - They were starting to lose their edge. A part of Polo questioned whether Laraxis had actually even killed anyone with that bootlegged KSP remote in the first place.

"Now, the mission in more detail..." Laraxis paced back and forth in front of the monitor, hands held behind his back. Polo kept his thoughts to himself, noting the continual progress on his analyzer as Laraxis continued. "The agency I mentioned would be the CIA. Their headquarters is situated in Langley, Virginia, a few miles off Washington.

[i]Common knowledge.[/i]

"I have plane tickets, floor plans and decoders; no door should oppose you, and I trust your skills in espionage. The blueprints are in an underground vault guarded by sensors and cameras. As for the device behind the blueprints, you needn't concern yourself. Technology is my 'specialty', I will have complete control over the situation.

[i]His specialty?[/i] Polo couldn't help his lips from forming into a smirk. He'd noted at least sixteen security flaws in Laraxis' base of operations just in the time that he'd taken to walk into the theater. A self-proclaimed "specialist" - Polo knew that a man's claims were only as good as his actions.

He noted the analyzer was about halfway complete.

"What do you plan to use this device for?" Polo inquired.

"The device itself will help assist in..." Laraxis seemed to ponder for a moment. "Mm, breaking a few choice individuals."

"Wait! Wait! Are you trying to ransom the world or something?" Said Cheshire suddenly, verbalizing Polo's thoughts. "Are you like some super-villain in those stupid movies?" Laraxis, for his part, seemed annoyed at the comparison.

"What I am, dear, is nothing that can be defined by a single word like supervillain," he said. "My goal is liberty, the means are insignificant. Those who oppose me will be swept aside as the dust they are. And if liberty comes down to ransoming the world, so be it."

"OK well liberty is all nice and fine," said Cheshire, crazy amusement in her eyes. "I'd kind of miss the fun of the masochism though. The hide 'n' seek is pretty fun."

Polo noted two more arrivals, and shifted his analyzer to the background to get a facial rec scan.

[b]Sylvia Szypowski aka "Arsenic" - 24, Female - Poison and acidic emission, corrosion, and immunity.

Theodore Wenton aka "Ghost" - 27, Male - Material transparency and intangibility.[/b]

"Ah, the notorious Arsenic and Ghost. Any complaints to add, or can I continue?"

"I have a complaint," said Citrine. The annoyance on her face matched Polo's thoughts. "Though it could be interpreted as a question. How long will this Operative puppet show last?"

"Y'know..." Cheshire seemed lost in her own thoughts. Oblivious to the rest of them. "I think I'm in. I could do with something to do. Sounds like this could be a bit of fun. I'm just confused in one fashion: why threaten us with the Killy Thingy?" She glanced over at Hannibal and then over her shoulder at the newcomers. "You'd think that maybe one of us might y'know want your head for such a threat."

Her gaze then turned to Alter, of all people. "Or maybe you already have made plans for that. It wouldn't surprise me honestly, you mastermind-types are pretty good at plannin' I just do what I'm told."

"A trait," said Polo casually. "For which we masterminds are eternally grateful."

Ignoring that, Cheshire turned to Hannibal. It seemed that the cat had a short attention span, and needed another ball of string. "Been doing much work? That's quite the bounty you've got there. You certainly earned it."

A glance at the analyzer confirmed the chemical test was about three-quarters complete.

Hannibal seemed far more concerned with continuing his tirade towards the monk. "You speak of freedom," he said. "But why? Everything you say relates to death. My bounty is created by what you could only guess my activities were, the KSP as a threat, your... bipolar behavior... all leads to subconscious expression of PTSD."

"Did you swallow a psyche book there, Hannibal?" Said Polo. Probably not the best idea to quip at the lizard, but Polo was slowly getting more annoyed. This entire affair was turning into a waste of time, especially since Laraxis had already given them a target.

The lizard continued, ignoring Polo for the moment. He would not be deterred from his reverie. "The fact that you've taken the time to go through what little there was left of the agency to find out about our existence... The way you concocted this whole plan to dupe the military and want a weapon to give you the power to force the world into submission for us... The amount of homework you've done on reports about me and undoubtedly others..." Hannibal seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"You've done this before, haven't you Laxaris." Hannibal, it seems, had made his deduction. "And you lost something or someone... then failed." He stared hard into Laraxis' eyes for another few seconds, before he turned away to look at the rest of the operatives over his shoulder. He then turned back to look at Laraxis again, his arms falling behind his back and clasping each other, his fingers interlacing. "Have I ever told you the definition... of insanity?"

[i]You would be the expert, I'd assume[/i], thought Polo mirthfully.

Hannibal, for his part, didn't wait for a response, but instead turned his attention finally to the cat. "It has been a long time since I have heard anyone say anything besides garbled pleading for their life or screaming upon seeing me."

Polo stopped listening at that point. This was a creature that loved to hear himself talk, and looked for any opportunity to do so. Polo was just getting annoyed, but at least the beast had moved on to batter another target into verbal unconsciousness.

He turned his attention back to Laraxis, and looked over the specs of the building that the monk had displayed. A CIA facility wouldn't be too difficult, exactly. It'd just be a matter of hitting the right switches - Gaining the right access. More difficult would be the response. Without a suitable distraction, the Operatives would be looking at an army facing them down.

[i]This would take some work.[/i]

At that point, the display on his glasses blinked in completion. [i]100%[/i]

Upon noticing the H30 compound at the top of the display, Polo immediately removed the glove from his left hand, and tossed it to the floor, checking his hand for any burn exposure. He scanned the skin quickly with his specs, but it looked as if he'd escaped any damage, barring the light smoke coming off of his glove.

[i]Hydrofluoric Acid[/i]. Polo couldn't help a glance. He'd heard Hannibal mention the three molar solution was running through his veins, but thought it was just showboating.

[i]How in the world is he even still alive?[/i]

The computer had prepared an extensive biological makeup. This would take some time.

[i]Alright, Hannibal. Let's see what you're made of.[/i]