As Stone and Danny saw to securing the two assassins, Nemesis and Sebastian made sure that all of the evidence that they didn't need for the next step of their plan, was left in an easy to find location.  Edison and Vinny did a quick scan of the suite and made sure that anything they didn't want left behind was taken care of.  They worked swiftly, but not swiftly enough for the hot headed DiSantiago, who was beginning to grow tiresome to the heroes. 

Despite his hurry, Vinny was the last one out the door, he stayed behind to spit in the assassin's face and whisper something appropriately threatening in his ear before he caught up to the rest of the heroes at the door.  As they exited the suite, they saw a three man security team sweeping their floor at the other end of the hall.  A man on each side, knocking and entering each of the rooms, while the third remained in the hallway, radio in hand, conducting the search.

Their trip downstairs was uneventful, save for the looks towards Nemesis and Stone as people realized who they might be, or who they were.  Most of those that saw the group were too awestruck to do anything but stare and whisper, marking the scene in their mind as one they would tell their children.  It wasn't every day that you saw a group of people with that much fame and notoriety, with that palpable sense of presence.

One woman among them was braver that the rest and asked Stone for his autograph as they made their way through the lobby to the front door.  The biker detoured slightly towards the hasty encounter.

Nemesis stayed the course, looking neither left nor right except to assess potential threats and exits. He allowed himself a smirk at Stone's fan, however. But this mission more than any other required focus, a clarity of purpose that brooked no distraction. There was no room for error in this. Too many lives depended on their success. Way too much depended on their success...

She had on sunglasses and her long dark blonde hair was tied back yet Stone felt as though he recognized her from somewhere.  It might have been the bow shape of her cupie-doll mouth or the slight lisp, but he couldn't place it and didn't have the time to worry about it.  He simply took the offered napkin and pen and made to write.

"What's you're name?"

The woman gave a quick look which Stone didn't see back towards the other person she was with.  "Drew," she replied with an amused and playful tone.

"Okay, Drew, here you go."  Stone handed her back the napkin and pen, the former now bearing writing which read, "Drew, Behave yourself, Stone". 

"I'll see ya," he said to her before quickly moving to rejoin Nemesis.

Vinny stopped at the front desk to take care of some business but the rest of the group had no problem seeing the limousine that he indicated outside the front doors.  For now it would offer them a secluded and sheltered base on wheels, while they finalized their plans to find and disarm the bombs that they believed were a threat to the city. 

Sebastián paused halfway between the front desk and the front doors to wait for Vinny to finish up whatever he was doing.   He idly glanced around the lobby, looking for any other security guards who might be checking into the disturbance Vinny had reported.  Silently he urged his cousin to finish up whatever it was he was doing, so they could get on their way.

"Be right there."  Vinny called out as he gestured for Sebastián to go on without him.

The driver introduced himself as Chip Wolfe, as he opened the door and invited them to enjoy the refreshments inside, complements of the Stewart Regency Hotel.

"Get on the Forty-Eighty-Five," Nemesis said to the driver, referring to the interstate bisecting Hudson City. "North Jackson exit, north."

"Of course Sir."  Chip said with utmost courtesy.  "There's a button on each of the consoles that will page me.  Just push it to speak with me in the front."  With that he closed the door, securing his passengers inside.

Nemesis waited for confirmation before finding the button that raised the glass between the passenger area and the driver, affording them all some privacy.

Adjusting his seating--his costume and belt really didn't afford comfortable sitting--Nemesis glanced around at the gathering. "As much as I wish we could do this as a team, Stone's right. We need two teams in order to prevent any sort of a mishap. The first team will go after the government building. That's a primary target since they're after ADA Hudson. The Asylum is likely a diversion, or maybe a statement. Chaos, insanity--close enough for these people. We'll need to coordinate this well enough that any alert from one group to another would be minimal. The last thing we need is these people to have too much advanced warning."

Finally accepting that he wasn't going to get to lounge Nemesis grew still. "I can disarm a bomb, I think, especially with a copy of the schematics. Who else?"

Danny shook his head. "This goes way beyond what I know. I could try a'course, and probably get back up if it all goes to shite but that won't help anyone else." 

Palmer merely snorted and shook his head.

Danny looked across at Palmer, one eyebrow raised. "And can you do anythin aside from holdin peoples mouths shut and be annoyin? As a peanut gallery yer top notch, but I think we kinda need more than that." He seemed to consider what he'd just said a moment, then added "Not that I'm any good fer bombs either, but still." 

Palmer gave the man a long look before replying, "You complain a lot," he observed. Nothing but polite interest showed on his face. "I'm glad I work for Nemesis and not you." He shot the team leader a quick glance, then looked out the window.

Danny laughed good-naturedly. "Me mum used to say that to," he replied.  Palmer flashed him a genuine smile at that.

"We're all here to help," Palmer said. "From each according to his abilities, and all that."

Danny then looked at Stone. "Anythin you can do in this arena?"

"Yeah," the biker responded.  "I can fly it somewhere it can detonate without hurting anyone."

He looked around the group.  "Someone said something about schematics.  Does this thing have a motion trigger?"

Nemesis gave a quick shake of the head. "Not that I'm aware of. Fairly straight-forward design with timer and mercury switch. Chances are they're going for stealth instead of complexity." Nemesis checked his watch and glanced out the window. "We've still got a good twelve hours or more before anything happens so I don't want to rush this. Our best bet would be to coordinate our efforts at the two locations to give minimal warning to The Syndicate. We spend the rest of the time either making sure they don't have a back-up plan or getting what info we can about them."

Danny gave a smile. "That changes things, tha no motion detector thingee. I can rip it out of the wall 'r whatever and take it somewhere safe too, provided we can confirm it won't blow up in me face." He settled back more comfortably in the seat and seemed relieved. "Coordinate the yankin and the flyin away, and we're done with that part, yeah?" 

"Seems like," Nemesis agreed. He paused thoughtfully. "Okay, we've got a little time so we don't need to rush this, but let's not dawdle, just the same. Stone, Sebastian and Danny to the Asylum. Sebastian should be able to help get access, and between them Stone and Danny should be able to handle the bomb. That leaves us sneaky types at the Justice Center, since it's unlikely they're going to let us walk in and search the place."

"Sneaky is good," Palmer mused. "But we should be ready to evacuate the building too."

Nemesis nodded. "We can pull the fire alarm or call in a bomb threat, if it comes to it. Evacuation is not an impossibility, depending on what we find." He turned to Sebastian. "So how does this work when we're done? Do we hang around until ten-thirty or so to jump back in, or can you make that happen whenever we're ready?"

His mind already working on how he could get them into the asylum, Sebastián didn't answer Nemesis right away. When he looked up and saw him looking at him, he processed what had been said.  "At any time I wish I can open a portal  which will take us to the exact second we left, if it is required. However in an ideal situation we would return to the ballroom before that happens.  If I make the portal from anywhere else, we must traverse the distance between that location and the ballroom once we go through."

"That's good." Nemesis nodded thoughtfully.  "That's good. Okay, we meet at the ballroom after we do what we have to do. We'll figure out if we have any loose ends to tie up by then and with luck be able to just go on back." He gave Sebastian a nod and a smile, a gesture of confidence that all would be as it should.

As the others were finalizing their plans, the door opened again and Vinny joined them.  "Hey Boss.  There's quite a bit of chatting in there about the Conquistadors.  If that gets back to the other yous, is the going to be a problem?  That lady from the local news was pulling up when I left."

"Hanging with you people," Palmer drawled, "is going to be bad for my reputation."

Nemesis chuckled. "I could've told you that," he replied. Turning to Vinny he said, "Maybe. I know if I heard that there was another me running around I'd want to check it out, but even if I did I'd be a step behind. Worse case scenario some wannabes have stopped a couple of bombs. Chances are, though, I'll be too busy to respond to idle chatter. I'd need something more concrete to go on."

Stone pressed down on the console button and said, "Courthouse Plaza, let's roll."  As the limo pulled away from the hotel, the biker pulled out his Conquistadors-provided cell phone and dialed a number.

"Can you handle a motorcycle?" he asked Sebastian as he held the phone to his ear.

"A motorcycle? Well, I can't see myself breaking into the X-Games any time soon, but I can get around well enough. " replied Sebastián, unspoken questions evident on his face. 

Stone didn't elaborate, focused on his call once more.  "Jack, Stone...  Yeah, yeah.  Listen, I need a solid.  I need three ladies juiced and ready at Courthouse Plaza in about fifteen minutes.  Can you handle that?...  I can't say, I just need it done...  Jack?...  Thanks, brother."

Stone snapped the phone shut and said to Nemesis, "Our transportation's been arranged.  We'll split at the courthouse."

"Sounds good." Nemesis glanced around the car. "Anyone have anything else to add before we do this?"

"Seems simple," Danny said, settling back into his seat. "Which just means it probably won't be." He added with an impish grin.
 
The limosuine slid fairly easily through the late morning traffic, rush hour was winding down and as luck would have it, there weren't any major traffic accidents.  By the time they reached Courthouse Plaza it was almost ten in the morning and they all had a good understanding of their plan.  They decided to use their cell phones for communication, just in case there was any truth to the rumors that Vinny heard, regarding the media buzz around the Conquistadors being at the Stewart Regency Hotel.

With Stone, Danny, and Sebastian heading towards the Asylum, the limousine delivered the remaining team members to the front steps of the Justice Building, a massive concrete, typical judiciary edifice -- stark, bland and imposing.  Expensive suits strode with purpose.  Society's dregs scuttled to and fro.  This was the black hole of morality into which lawyers, judges, officers, and criminals both petty and resolute alike were sucked.  It was mid morning.  By all accounts it was business as usual.

Security at the front consisted of a couple officers at the door followed by a short queue to a pair of metal detectors manned by a small crew of police.  Closed feed security cameras watched nearly every corner of the building and every trafficked area.

Inside the limo, before the car had stopped, the intercom beeped.  Chip's voice followed.  "Is this suitable, sir?"

"This is fine," Nemesis answered. "Thank you." He glanced out the windows, then turned to his two companions. "Okay, we need to find the bomb, and to do that we need full access to the building. That means we either need full cooperation or we need to clear the place. The trick is that we need to do it without alerting the bad guys that we're on to them. Before I toss out my idea I'm willing to hear any thoughts you two might have."

"Sorry Boss, but this is the one place I don't have many friends.  I'm willing to do whatever, but I'm not going to be able to get my piece through security."  Vinny shrugged apologetically and turned his attention to Palmer, who had proved to be all kinds of resourceful so far.

"Well, that's the thing," Nemesis said. "Either we try and circumvent security entirely and risk getting on the city's shit list, or we try and work with them and hopefully score some bonus points at the same time." He smiled ruefully and tapped his belt. "It's not like I'm getting in the front door with all of this and a mask. Not without an invite, anyway."

"What?"  Vinny's brow shot up in genuine surprise.  "You're a fucking Conquistador, now.  I don't think anyone would stop you from walking in.  I mean, right?"  He looked at Palmer, then, not quite as sure as he was before.  "Right?"

"If only it were that easy," Nemesis said. "But even if that were true, we still wouldn't want the Syndicate tipped off. We have to assume they have eyes on the place, if not someone inside. I like the idea of it, but you both would need to be on board before I do anything." He turned to Palmer with a questioning look.

"Is your mask too tight, boss?" Palmer asked cheerfully. "You're wearing a new face. All  you need is some baggy clothes."

Nemesis considered that. "Okay, so I need baggy clothes." He looked out the window, his eyes scanning nearby businesses. "Anyone know of a thrift shop in the area?"

Deciding that they had plenty of time, the three of them put some careful thought and planning into the obstacles ahead.  Vinny managed to be somewhat useful, and recruited the driver's help.  In short order they had him off on foot to retrieve a few supplies that the group needed.  The tip that the hot headed DiSantiago gave him, was enough to ensure his return and his silence.

It was decided that Vinny and Palmer would go into the Justice Building through the front doors.  After the DiSantiago gave Nemesis his sidearm, both of them knew they would be able to enter unarmed and without arising suspicion.  The building was a busy one, and as long as an alarm on one of the detectors wasn't set off, the guards paid little attention to who was coming or going.  That was probably how the Syndicate was able to pull off placing a bomb in such a critical place.  The city thrived on this kind of surface deep false security.

After a thorough and careful review of the schematics, it was decided that Palmer would let Nemesis in through a side emergency door, the one nearest Kate Sutherland's office.  According to the schematics that they had acquired from the two thugs, the device was in a small closet, likely a janitor's closet, about ten feet from the assistant DA's office.

A quick call into Stone, verifying that his crew was at the asylum and ready, the team at the Justice Building put their plan into motion.  Everything went swimmingly up to the point where Palmer and Vinny arrived at the wing to Kate's office.  At the end of the first hall there was a small barricade of orange cones and yellow tape set up.  A janitor's bucket sat in the middle of the hallway with an abandoned mop, and a huge garbage can close by.  Two yellow caution signs were set up within the taped perimeter reading 'Caution.  Slippery When Wet.'  

Just out of site, a lengthy stretch needed to see around the small alcove, Palmer could see the fringe of Nemesis' baggy set of overalls.  He would need to cross the taped off area in order to open the door for his team leader, who stood none too patiently waiting.  Kate Sutherland's office was still out of sight, they would have to go around another corner at the end of the hall, facing the door, to get there.

Vinny gave Edison a bewildered look and shrugged his shoulders.  "What the fuck do we do?"  It was almost comical to witness how some generic tape and a wet floor could throw the DiSantiago off of his game.  It wasn't something he could shoot or buy off and no other ideas seemed to be forthcoming.

"How about we step over the tape?" Palmer suggested gravely. "It's crazy, but it just might work." But he stood still, his eyes  moving over the hallway. It didn't add up. Janitors don't leave dirty mops lying around, and they surely don't block fire exits.

"Ah..."  Vinny smirked with an approving nod of his head.  "Fucking brilliant."  He looked over his shoulder nervously, feeling naked without his sidearm, which he'd given to Nemesis earlier.  Then stepped gingerly over the line, his anxiety obvious by the chagrined expression on his face.  "Fucking tape."

"This is the Syndicate's escape route," he said softly. "Wonder if they've used it yet." He crossed to the taped off area and tried to peer into the garbage can.

Vinny shrugged his shoulders in response and hurried forward to duck around the corner, which would hide him from anyone else coming into the wing from the main building.

Outside, Nemesis scuffed his feet, shuffling around in a circle and trying to look like nothing more than a vagrant taking a break from the world in the shadow of a big building. He glanced at the door whenever he turned in that direction and made an effort to not look at his watch. He was counting in his head, though, and he was already several minutes over the allotted time for Vinny and Palmer to get to the side door.

He stopped his pacing, scuffed his feet a time or two, and knelt down into a crouch, seemingly studying something interesting only to him. In reality he was already looking at the door; specifically, the lock. He knew it was a standard fire-door style, likely with a bar and alarm sensor inside the housing. Which meant he'd have to pick the lock and disable the alarm before he could open the door. Not an easy trick from this side, but he was getting tired of waiting.

"...fifty-four...fifty-five..." he mentally counted. "Easy pick...fifty-six...simple connect sensor...fifty-seven...pick, hold, click...fifty-eight...pick, hold, click and push...fifty-nine..." He sighed.

"Five minutes." He muttered aloud. Five minutes past the expected time. He sat down and leaned against the wall next to the door. "One...two...three..."

One more minute. Maybe two. Then he was going in. "...four...five..."

At last he heard movement on the other side, and the door pushed open slowly. Palmer leaned out and grinned. "Our thoughts are of clocks. I think the Syndicate are still here." He held the door open for Nemesis and added, "Wipe your feet, I just did the floor."

Nemesis smirked as he stepped in. "Smart ass," he muttered, looking around. "What makes you think they're still here?"

"Murphy's Law," Palmer replied. He gestured to the janitorial tableau. "I figure they came in this way, or planned to leave this way, or both. "

Nemesis nodded, his eyes casting about. It made sense to have a ready exit, but why would the Syndicate agent--or agents--still be in the building after the bomb was planted? Perhaps it wasn't that big a bomb. A localized blast would accomplish their goal and they could use it as an effective distraction to mask further mischief. They could steal files, have secondary targets...

The vigilante frowned in consternation. It didn't really change anything about why they were there, but it annoyed him further.

It only took a few long strides to join Vinny around the corner.  It was a short hallway that ended in a wall.  There were four doors here, two on each side, a bathroom and office on one side and the janitor's closet and Sutherland's office on the other. 

"As quick as we can, gentlemen," Nemesis said quietly, and probably needlessly.

"Boss?"  Vinny said pointedly, in reference to his missing firearm.  "I believe you have something of mine."  

Nemesis grunted in acknowledgment and reached up under his old coat to retrieve the pistol. He'd half-hoped that Vinny had forgotten about it. He handed it over without further comment.

As they took in the scene, measuring it to the schematics and finding it exactly as expected, a man dressed in a janitor's suit stepped out of the bathroom. Nemesis stopped and focused on him immediately.

The man looked at them quietly for a moment and then reached into his pocket.  There was no particular urgency on his part and nothing about his body language showed an immediate threat, but there was something 'off' about him, and both Nemesis and Edison could sense it. 

Nemesis stepped forward, drawing himself up to his full height, tensing for attack. "Stop," he said forcefully, one hand slightly raised. "Raise your hands where we can see them and you won't get hurt."

The man lifted both of his hands up, one of them holding what appeared to be a phone, but still there was something not right about him.  He was too calm, his compliance didn't show a hint of the intimidation that most of Hudson City's residence would have felt under Nemesis' demanding presence.  The phone was already glowing under the man's closed fist, as if he'd opened it or initiated a speed dial call.

The phone activates the bomb, Palmer thought with a stomach-clenching rush of dread. There was no way to get out in time. He forced a slow breath out, trying to calm himself. Quick as a thought he was ready to unleash his avatar. But to do what? He forced another slow breath.

Nemesis' brow furrowed as he saw the phone, his thoughts mirroring Palmer's. "If you set the bomb off now, you'll die, too," he told the man, his tone firm but calm. "You don't want that any more than we do. Give me the phone." He held out his hand, slowly sliding one foot forward, the better to reach out. "Just hand it to me and we can all go home for dinner."

As Nemesis took a cautious step forward, Palmer took an equally cautious step backward. The man seemed overcome with fear as he rigidly pressed himself against the wall, holding as much of himself as possible against its support.

On the other side of the wall, a shadowy figure emerged through the brickwork and into the courtyard. Like an Olympic swimmer slicing through water the avatar dove into the ground and reversed direction, moving in a tight arc that took it through the basement and up into the bathroom behind the man holding the phone.

After a very long moment, the janitor slowly handed the phone over, exactly as he was told to do.

As Edison stood there, watching Nemesis with open anticipation, wondering if his gut feeling was right, he felt a wave of emotion coming from the janitor.  There was a sadness about him, and that 'off' feeling that resonated from him began to take shape.  It started in his eyes, they were emotionless despite the strong wave of feelings that assaulted Palmer.  He saw a pretty woman, a professional woman, with perfect blond hair in a crisp business suit.  There was a strong connection between this woman and the man in the hallway, and he could tell that it wasn't a pleasant one.

Nemesis took the phone, curious but still tense. He glanced down at the display. The phone was cued to text messages and read simply "mission compromised". The phone flickered and a clock application opened, beginning at 02:00 and counting backwards.

"Dammit." He cast a baleful look at the man, trying hard to ignore the shadowy figure that appeared behind him. Palmer's avatar was something he'd only seen once or twice before but it still unnerved him.

"Vinnie, watch this guy." He glanced at Palmer behind him. "Two minutes and counting," he said simply.

"Holy fucking Christ, Boss."  Vinny said, his hand with the gun shaking, but his eyes swung dutifully to watch the janitor.

Palmer was blessedly distracted by the surge of psychic input. He stepped towards the janitor, curiosity plain on his face. "The blonde in the business suit," he said softly. "Why don't you like her?"

"Because..."  The man hesitated and looked at the phone, searching to find the answer.  "She made me kill all of these people..."

Nemesis turned and stepped to the janitor's closet. He opened the door, his eyes darting all around.

The bomb was laid out to the exact specifications that were on the schematics.  Even before he ducked to inspect it closely, he knew where all of the parts would be.  The electronic display had sprung to life and was mirroring the phone that he held in his hand.  Both displays read 1:39.

Nemesis reached inside the old coat and withdrew a small case. He snapped it open and glanced at the tools within, then the bomb itself. It occurred to him that this was the first bomb he'd had to defuse. It also occurred to him that he really, really should've studied more.

He could hear a subtle clacking in the back ground as the metal in Vinny's gun clicked against the generous sized ring on his right hand.  The display read 0:58 and he was painfully aware of how such a simple everyday action, actually took seconds to accomplish.

With a deep breath Nemesis set about studying the bomb. The schematics were one thing, but it was something else entirely to have the bomb right in front of him. He realized he was starting to sweat. He carefully studied the wiring, the timer. It all seemed pretty straight-forward. He hoped he was right.

"Boss?  ...you should probably hurry!"  The DiSantiago's voice was shaky and the entirety of his focus was now on Nemesis' broad shoulders.  He winced when he saw the display as the hero leaned in closer to inspect the wires.  0:36.

Palmer froze as he remembered why his heart was going a mile a minute. He hated to break the moment with the janitor, but he turned his head to the side, ready for a signal from Nemesis.

After several long moments he reached out with a small pair of alligator clips and attached them to the timing posts. The clips were attached to a small charger-like box that would regulate the amperage. There didn't seem to be a failsafe on the timer but he might as well cover all the bases. He would've just removed the timer altogether, but something in the back of his head seemed to think that would be bad. Which meant that it came down to the all-too-common movie trope of "red vs. blue". Or yellow. He knew it wasn't black, and there wasn't a green one.

0:10.  Red?  0:08.  ...or Blue.

Damn.

0:07. The small cutters were shaking slightly and Nemesis took another deep breath to steady his hand. 0:06...He reached out, gingerly touching the blue wire...0:05...then went with his instinct.

0:04. He cut the blue wire, then the red one.

0:03. He blinked, watchng the timer.

0:02 His heart stopped beating, lodged in his throat.

0:01 He closed his eyes.

After several long seconds he opened one eye. 0:00.  He let out his breath explosively and sagged backwards. He looked over his shoulder.

"Piece of cake," he said. Or started to say. It came out as a croak. He cleared his throat and swallowed. Hard.

"Piece of cake," he said again, louder.

He was definitely going to study some more.

Palmer and the janitor sighed in unison. The psychic smiled slightly at that, and used the opportunity to slide back into playing nice cop. "Why did she want you to do this?" he asked, not unkindly.

"Anarchy."  The man said, his face blank and mostly devoid of emotion. The lack of affect was unsettling.

"What the hell kind of hold has she got on you?" Palmer blurted.  The janitor's face took on a pale imitation of wariness, and Palmer knew he'd blown it. His instincts said the man wasn't going to talk any more.

Nemesis stood up and took a deep breath. He swiped a hand across his face and jerked his head toward the man in custody. "Let's tie him up and leave him and the bomb for the authorities to find, then get the hell outta here."

"I love a guy who brings his own handcuffs," Palmer said. His smile was steady but his voice was shaky as his adrenaline level tanked. He gestured to the perp and added in a serious tone, " Something really off about him."

"I know," Nemesis agreed tiredly. "But what can we do? We'll follow up later, after we get back. We did what we came to do--hopefully. Can't risk screwing anything else up."

"No, but - that's not what I mean," Palmer insisted. "This guy's been tampered with. Someone's been in his mind." He looked back at the janitor and hunched his shoulders.

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