A Wild Tale....

Inquirer pauses with an internal smile before barreling on with her spiel. Shock value had worked wonders in the past for the Military in many situations and in this case it would work wonders here!

See, Inquirer had always said that if she'd ever met anyone in real life in a situation like that olden late 20th century movie, Sneakers, then she'd know what it would take to get their attention! Something like a two by four between the eyes!

Though she seriously never really thought she'd ever get a chance to carry out her words, she'd realized that such an approach was needed. The clock was ticking for Bishop and the others of his group. It was only a matter of time before the authorities tracked them down and arrest them all. That being the case, then, Inquirer and her group had to work quick and fast before this happened if justice was to be done!

So, after the firestorm of questions, exclamations of resentment at her intrusion and such, Inquirer was able to win them over to her side by explaining the crux of the situation (while skipping the part of just HOW she had known just what was happening).

"Well.....I always did say that the NSA was in bed with the telecommunications business since the 1950s," Mother (who looked somewhat like Dan Aykroyd who'd played Mother in the movie) said worriedly. Being the resident conspiracy nut, Mother had always been sure that there was somebody out there trying to fool the public at large. In some cases, unbeknownst to him, the theories he expoused (and believed in) were actually true. In most however, they were just out and out luney (the idea that the Apollo Moon Landings had actually been done on a sound stage in a warehouse in San Bernardino, California, being just one of many).

Crease (an African American who looked similar to...but not much...like Sidney Poitier), the veteran from the FBI who'd been fired back in the '80s for his temper, just rolled his eyes in exasperation at what just sound like another crazy conspiracy theory.

Inquirer frowned at Crease.

"And just what do YOU think the Item is for?" she asked softly, "Why does the NSA fund it's creation in the first place? You KNOW the Russian codes are based on an entirely different system than yours....."

Some nod at that, having already figured as much. Crease frowns and finally concedes the point, though he really doesn't want to since it was so......disturbing.

"Oh, but before we go on," Bishop finally interrupts, "But who did you say you worked for? And while we're at it....."

Inquirer pulled out a toy wallet with plastic badge and showed it to the crowd.

Intially, when she'd bought it and others just like it for the Doctor's group, they'd looked at her funny. But after she had cast some illusions and other spells upon the toy, she'd explained that the badge would, when viewed, look like any legitimate identification the owner wishes. The spells would even stand up to physical examination.

Initially, she'd only thought they'd have to be used for certain purchases that required the checking of ID before the purchase could be complete. One could go only so far, nowadays, without it.

But the wily AI had always foreseen the need for a bit more than just that for situation like this. The badge was now for the British intelligence agency, M16.

Crease goggles at the badge, as well as the others. British intelligence?!

Perhaps that explained how this woman had been able to just appear if from thin air? Some type of super new spy devices and such? It sounded too fantastic to be believed....but the only other explanations were even HARDER to believe!

"You Yanks look like you could use a hand," she says in an English accent that sounded like she'd been born in London.

She then "slipped back" into her American accent.

"Now, here's the deal," she said calmly, "We people over on the....other side of the pond.....have been getting rather annoyed with one particular agency of yours: the NSA. It appears that there is currently an inner cabal within this agency that wants to expand it's reach into areas that it's not sanctioned to reach into. Namely, it's reaching out to create a shadow network. For reasons which will remain unsaid, we at M16 would rather bloody like them brought to heel. 

"Now, here is where you come in." Inquirer said, overriding any objections, "You got drawn into a situation that is well out of your league. The inclusion of Carl Cosmo and the Mob wasn't expected, but it happened. Cosmo duped Bishop into stealing the Item, ruining months of planning for us, by the way. As it stands, there is only one way out for you and your friends is us! Oh, you may luck out with the NSA if you give the Item back to them.....but do you really want them to have it?"

Bishop and his group look at each other uncomfortably and then back at Inquirer. Their expressions said it all. They'd hate themselves if that had happened. It would be a betrayal of their principles and such. Also, it would be opening up a door that lead to a world that could become like Orson Well's book, 1984 !

"I see you don't like the idea of the monitored society," she smiled, borrowing a phrase from Enemy of the State. "I and my colleges will aid you in getting the Item, but know this. The Item MUST be destroyed so the NSA nor anyone else can misuse it. A person could use it to....say....bankrupt a political party so HIS party could win....and fulfill their political agenda more easily."

Inquirer notes that Bishop's eyes light up on that thought.

The world at large doesn't seem ready for it yet, she sighed to herself sadly. Especially you, Mr. Bishop. Your movie counterpart at the end of the movie swiped all the money from the Republican Party and spread it amongst the charitable organizations...... Noble intentions, but leaving such a powerful nation as the United States of America with only ONE major political party is a VERY bad idea. Not politically healthy at all! And...of course there is that little fact something like THAT would be like shouting to certain people that you still had the Item. People that, frankly Mr. Bishop, you'd not like to meet at all....for it would prove fatal. People like the Mob that had been after the Item in the first place. People like the Russians who'd been trying to get the Item. People like whoever in the NSA who'd actually funded the project...who'd be really angered that you'd tricked them.......

"How do we know we can trust you?" Bishop finally says with an edge of defiance in his voice.

Inquirer snorts, bringing a trace of laughter to her friends who were listening in on this stuff via magic.

Time to be blunt and spell it out to him, Inquirer sent to the others.

 "Bishop, you must trust somebody," she said simply. "We can go without you and let you just hang, but at least my group wants to help you, else why bother with me coming forward and helping? Can you afford NOT to trust us, since we know where you are right now?" 

Inquirer stared him right in the eye when she said the last, as if daring him to say otherwise.

Bishop visibly deflates. The others look like they'd go along also.

"What do we have to do?" Bishop finally asks.

 "Make that call," the AI says as she opens the door so the other adventurers could come in, "But do it sensibly."

 "Do it her way," the Doctor says as he walks in, not tipping Inquirer's hand in this gameplay.

While Inquirer had been talking with the Sneakers (a LONG evolution indeed as those in the Navy would say), Betty and the others were gotten up to speed with a movie......called Sneakers. Ragan already had seen it, but the refresher was good.

1. Betty, whoever, was seeing it for the first time (for this movie hadn't been made in this universe).... 

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