Collab: [@Herald], [@Estylwen]

[hr]

Antonia sat in her office, idly flicking through Matthias FitzClarence's case file. She was momentarily distracted by her work phone beeping, and she clicked a button. A receptionist's voice could be heard on the other end.

[b]”Detective MacAoidh is on his way to you, says it's important.”[/b]

[color=b20000][b]I'll be ready to receive him, thank you.”[/b][/color] Antonia responded smoothly, before clicking another button on her phone, ending the call. She leaned back in her seat a bit, eyes on the door.

Leon entered the office with a frown on his face, clearly a bit on edge as he tried to figure out how in the hell he was going to pull all of this off. Still, he moved to the middle of the room and stood at attention, his hands clasped behind his back and face resuming a more neutral look. [color=0072bc]“Ma’am, thank you for seeing me on such short notice,”[/color] he said.

[color=0072bc]“I’ll try to make this quick, but there are a handful of things I could use a hand with and I wouldn’t be requesting it unless I felt there was a more than reasonable chance of success,”[/color] Leon continued, trying to choose what to talk about first.

[color=0072bc]”I believe a strike against the Thorned Roses is coming, a very hard one. I received information that a rival is going to be making a move against their operations in White Pine. This same informant encouraged me to strike at their operations in Crossguard… a bit convenient considering what information I have points to a moderate amount of evidence stored in that district,”[/color] Leon pointed out, [color=0072bc] “however, to carry out such an operation I would require some assistance. During the operation I would like to ask that blockades be established in Gold Rim to prevent Vincenzo from reinforcing his holdings. The second, which I’ll explain why next, is that I need to requisition some additional funding to make this raid happen. $25,000(2.5 wealth) to give a rough estimate.”[/color]

The Commissioner stared for a moment, fingers poised against her chin, elbow rested against the armrest. Her head lifted slightly.

[b][color=b20000]”Who is your informant, Detective? And yes, please continue.”[/color][/b]
 
[color=0072bc]“Two informants, actually, though normally I would disregard them given their sources,”[/color] Leon admitted,[color=0072bc] “the strike against the Roses holdings is being orchestrated by Matthias FitzClarence. I believe he intends to use resources gained through that Order of his. I know officially we can offer no aid or acceptance of this organization, and have made that clear that should we choose to act on this information it will be a… coincidence of conflict. I’m aware Matthias is on your list and have neither offered nor accepted any form of alliance with his organization. I have considered whether I might be able to get him to confess to a crime and bring him in, but for now…. The enemy of my enemy is next, I believe is colloquialism.”

“The second is a bit more… odd. I was contacted by someone claiming to be the Silver Canary. They were able to give me a surprisingly thorough list of what we might expect as we move in on the Roses. A list of personnel and equipment that Vincenzo has at his beck and call. Much of it is illegal of course, but until we verify it’s ties to Vincenzo it doesn’t function as useful evidence,”[/color] Leon grumbled, shifting uncomfortably. This was not how he normally did his police work, but Vincenzo was no ordinary target. He worked hard to maintain a clean image and he already felt tainted by even an implied cooperation with elements outside of Nocturnia PD. 

Antonia's gaze tilted at the mention of Matthias. It was intriguing that the man, who knew he had a clock on him, would willingly give information to her organization and her people. He must had been desperate to put an end to Vincent. Weren't they all?

At the mention of the Canary, Antonia perked up a bit, nodding. [b][color=b20000]”You've met my contact. Good. He's not official with us, but off the records I've come to regard him as an asset. His information is good, and reasonably priced.”[/color][/b]

Antonia swiveled in her seat, mulling over Leon's words and his demands. Before she straightened up in her seat a bit, leaning forward.

[b][color=b20000]”Alright, Detective. You got my support. I approve your roadblock between Laterdale and White Pine, and I will wire you funds to your department's account.

“I hope, for your sake and mine, you pin him good this time. I've got Town Hall breathing down my neck.”[/color][/b] She said, shrugging a bit.

Leon looked like he had just dropped a weight off of his shoulders. [color=0072bc]“If it can be done, ma’am. I’ll get it done,”[/color] he said, then hesitated a bit before continuing, [color=0072bc]”ma’am, there is something else. I’ve been contacted by a doctor that has made some interesting promises. A… cure for the gyft. I’m moving some of my officers to detail protection within the next 24 hours. Their need for funding is great, but I have enough faith in them to fund them myself as long as their results continue to be promising. Of course, I will keep you apprised of the effectiveness and versatility of this supposed cure.”

Antonia’s head lifted, shades gleaming momentarily. [b][color=b20000]A cure, you say…?”[/color][/b]

She sank back in her seat, taking in the information. The possibilities were great, with such a thing. And she knew Leon wouldn't back something without putting a great deal of thought into it.

[b][color=b20000]”I trust your judgement on this. But I do have to ask, what is the name of this doctor? How long do they need?

“If you are indeed as confident in this as I think you are, I can ask the Mayor to put forward some legislation so we can bring this into the law...”[/color][/b]

[color=0072bc]”At current pacing? Completion of this project would take a week or two. Further… development for law enforcement use may take a bit longer. To be blunt, I cannot even promise it has a use for us outside of enforced rehabilitation,”[/color] Leon answered, part of him feeling like scum for the concept. Yet he had seen far too many bad people with gyfts to not admit it would have it’s uses. And if this Sugarcrush is as effective as the canary said, a cure may not even be truly permanent until they could get the drug off the streets and into a pharmaceutical center. Desperate people would always risk their lives for the kind of power this city offered, and he couldn’t imagine anyone more desperate than someone who had a gyft… and had it stripped from them.

His hesitation in giving the doctor’s name had likely not gone unnoticed. He trusted the Commissioner as a colleague, but a great deal of Nocturnia PD had gone dirty. If word on the street was to be believed, even his fellow detectives were not above acting like little more than gangland tyrants if it meant bringing some level of order to the city.

But if he couldn’t trust the Commissioner… who could he trust?

“Doctor Akir Bondar is the current head of the project,” Leon said at last.

Antonia nodded, taking a breath. [b][color=b20000]”I should have guessed. She is known well for her developments in the field of gyft medicine.”[/color][/b]

Her face grew grim. [b][color=b20000]”I can think of a large number of people who would hate to even [i]think[/i] of the possibility of having their gyfts taken away. I trust you and your people will do everything to keep her safe. Heavens know we need an edge, for once.”[/color][/b]

A pause, before Antonia asked. [b][color=b20000]”Was there anything else you needed from me for your operation tomorrow? Anything else on your mind?”[/color][/b]

[color=0072bc]”Nothing until things progress on one of these two fronts,”[/color] Leon commented with a slight shrug, [color=0072bc]“I am expecting a bit of an extreme reaction once news of what Doctor Bondar is working on gets out. I have promised that should it prove practical, the cure will be distributed among the citizens, but until their work is finished ‘practical’ remains a loose definition. With your permission, I’ll see myself out and get the teams ready for their assignments.”[/color]

Antonia gave a nod of her head. [b][color=b20000]”Good luck, Detective MacAoidh.”[/color][/b]