Nicole replies in the dulcet tones of a waitress, and Landon notes the stifled fear and indignation behind the girl's smile. It's a shame she's so humble. She has some intellect, and with a little ambition could rise far in the League. Of course, once he gets off this rock none of that will matter. He turns to his own duties, retrieving his phone to recall the files he'd prepared for the conference. A slight drop in the room's temperature signifies Milady de Winter's arrival.<br/><br/>"A pleasure as always Milady," he says, still busy with his documents. Data prepared, he sets the phone down as the Countess arrives, and the conference begins in proper.<br/><br/>"I for one am intrigued by the information you requested, Countess. As usual, your curiosity is well founded. I looked into the new exhibit and found a lot more buzz than I expected. I don't know why the artifact had an elite Interpol cadre, but I crossed a few wires and got them black-listed. They should be wrapped up in red tape at the airport for the next day or so." He picks up his phone and presses a button, linking it to the holo-projector in the center of the conference table. Police ID badges drift in the air.<br/><br/>"In the meanwhile, the city's organized it's own little task force. Traffic cops pulled off their beat for the most part, but the Bureau's got their hand in this too." Several badges flash, and files featuring alternate IDs as FBI special agents expand and scroll.<br/><br/>"Even the Agency's gotten involved," Another ID expands, detailing one officer's identity as a CIA operative. He flicks his phone's screen and the holographs vanish.<br/><br/>"There's a lot of talk about this thing on the street, and the usual suspects in the underground are giving it a wide berth. Our mutual friends at KAOS Inc. and free agents like the Midnighter are refusing to touch this, so whatever the plan is, there won't be any interference from other criminal superpowers." Landon pockets his phone.<br/><br/>"We should be able to handle the task force with minimal difficulty, however the Order is always an unknown liability," Landon leans back in his chair and crosses his legs, "What exactly is the significance of this 'Rubric Scarab' Countess?"