Isabel gave Dio and irritated look as he nudged her for probably the hundredth time since they'd left the Park. He always had to be so bossy, but she would concede that he probably did have a point. She hadn't had any intention of having more than one drink anyway, but with the prompting she flipped the small glass upside down to discourage any potential offers for a refill. It was just to take the edge off in any case, and with a slight feeling of lightheadedness having already settled on her, either from the pill by itself or in combination with the shot, she was content enough not to argue the point.

Dio broaching the subject of a debt did make her uneasy, the thought having briefly passed through her mind already. There was almost always a catch to acts that seemed charitable on the surface and so far this side for the Rip didn't exactly scream hospitality. Being in Poseidon's debt would make it harder to get back too their side of the Rip since it was doubtful he'd let them cross without settling. Even with their hosts assurances otherwise, his comments about being a collector didn't sit quite right. Isabel didn't like the idea of being collected. It sounded... confining. And she was already on a short enough leash as it was.

The posed question didn't seem to add up with the rest of the conversation at hand and briefly she wondered where exactly he was going with it all. Clearly he was trying to get a feel for herself and Dio, but he seemed to be taking a bit of an unconventional route to get there. Still, if it steered away from the subject of debt and collecting she was willing enough to play along.

"That's easy, she replied with a shrug. "Mutants only. No humans and definitely no Adapteds, just us." It's what she'd been after for years, particularly with the Order, so for her it was a no-brainer.

Despite the late (or was it technically early?) hour Poseidon seemed in no rush to reach his point and while Dio was inclined to be fairly accommodating given the present circumstances, he had been awake for nearly 24 hours and it was wearing on him, which meant Isabel was likely only a careless quip away from stabbing someone… which, wasn’t really that different from usual honestly; she simply might be tired enough to follow the conversation and take offense out of habit.

That said she did trust him enough to refuse any further drinks, earning her a grateful nod and relieved sigh when she flipped her tumbler over. As… interesting as things became when Duskmoor was drunk, it was a distraction neither of them could afford right now, still best to settle things quickly before she changed her mind.

Hence the direct approach, while Dio was usually fond of subtle word games now was not the time. Thankfully their aquatically inclined samaritan didn’t take offense to having the conversation bluntly shifted to the matter at hand, if anything he seemed amused even as he continued to beat around the proverbial bush.

That wasn’t to say the man wasn’t informative; a walking mafia stereotype claiming to make a business of helping mutants? He and Isabel had likely stumbled across this world's version of the Order and if Super was as active a threat as claimed, it was possible Poseidon's organization might even be competent.

They were in an alternate universe after all.

Speaking of different worlds Poseidons assurance that they would be free to return home was comforting, though the caveat of waiting for the ‘heat’ to die down was potentially worrisome. It was one of those innocently worded statements that could mean almost anything especially since Simon very much doubted SUPER’s presence around the Rift would die down in the near future, if at all. Still he’d deal with that if and when it became an issue, or rather, Isabel would and he’d be left to pick up the pieces.

When the conversation turned to talents and ideals Simon let himself relax; a recruiting pitch, that was the catch. He could deal with that.

Taking another sip of his water as Isabel answered first; her words far from surprising even if they were slightly disappointing. He’d have to try and talk with her about that later, much later.

In the lull that came after the soubrettes response Simon’s gaze remained fixed on his glass as he considered his own words and held back a yawn. “Easy? Heh, sometime Isabel I almost envy you.” Shooting the girl a quiet grin as he spoke then letting it fade as he glanced to their barkeep. “My own views are not quite so clear cut, but suffice to say I believe both mutants and humans have their place but that much needs to be done in terms of recognizing and prizing mutants for their abilities.”

“What about you Poseidon? What is your vision for the world?”

Jorge wanted to know what these two were really made of, however, he couldn’t really get into the meat of it without exposing the underside of his business. Then again, the duo had already witnessed him killed several SUPER agents and rescuing them from capture. If that wasn’t damning, he didn’t know what was. Therefore, it was going to come down to these two, and their personal beliefs, before he took this any further. Again, he didn’t believe that they would be on opposing sides, but experience had taught the man to remain cautious in certain regards.

So he asked, a general question, what was their view of a “perfect world”? It was an open ended question to be sure. The answer could be anything, really: no more poverty, no sickness, every building made of cake and pie, anything. But these two were smart and, given their current discussion, it shouldn’t be too hard for them to understand where he was trying to find out. However, he had been disappointed before…

>>"That's easy...Mutants only. No humans and definitely no Adapteds, just us."

The first to answer would be from the surly brunette with the bows in her hair. She was by far the more vicious of the two but seemed almost attached to the hip to the gentleman, Dio, at her side. Still, she made her feelings perfectly well known, with no attempt at trying to be subtle about it: she was a mutant supremicist. It was perfect, really.

>>“My own views are not quite so clear cut, but suffice to say I believe both mutants and humans have their place but that much needs to be done in terms of recognizing and prizing mutants for their abilities.”

A respectable answer. While Jorge had no qualms with killing humans, he also firmly believed in using his empire to use them up like resources. Humans needed to be eradicated, yes, but it was more their status in the world that he wanted to assassinate, not them as an entire species. After all, one simply doesn’t kill all the cows in the world because they want to eat meat, do they? No, they cull them, they breed them, they keep them locked away in pens and serve a singular purpose. That was what humanity was, cattle that had just run free for far too long.

>>“What about you Poseidon? What is your vision for the world?”

A grin swept over his face. A twisted grin that could only be created by the most firm and vile of thoughts. He turned on his heel, his back to them, as he started to march towards a lone door on the other side of the room that said “Employees Only”.

”Why don’t I show you both?” He said with all the air of a showman. Jorge didn’t turn to see if they followed as he was assured that their curiosity if anything would move their feet. As he stepped over to the door, Jorge tapped a code into a keypad attached to the door, waited for it to buzz, and pushed his way inside. He held the door open for both Dio and Isabel, before letting it close behind them.

The hall was empty and vastly unimpressive. It looked like a “behind-the-scenes” look of any business really, with offices, restrooms, staff break rooms, and etc. Jorge stopped at none of these as he made a beeline down the hall and towards a lone door on the other end. Quietly the man whistled to himself as he marched to the door but stopped just before it. Turning to a supposedly blank wall, Jorge reached placed his hand on the flat stone and waited until a holographic laser grid of green light encased his hand. A satisfied “Ding” rang through the air as the wall panels slid aside revealing a spacious elevator. Jorge stepped in and gestured for the other two to join. It was only now that he would go into his familiar speech.

”My vision of the world is much like the both of you. You see, I too have witnessed the atrocities that mankind has delivered upon our kind. My own family suffered heavily from the internment camps and occupation of SUPER in the country has certainly made things even more difficult.” Once both were in he tapped a button on the panel to take them to the lower levels. ”When I came to New York, I came across several like-minded individuals, people who would become my associates. Together we had a idea...a vision of the world as it should be -- rather than what it was.” A beat. ”Humanity has pushed off its extinction for far too long.” He gave them both a generous smile. ”It’s time for us to do what mother nature had always intended us to do…” The elevator came to a stop, metallic doors sliding open and filling the room with light. ”...take our place at the top of the food chain.”

On the other side was a waiting room where a pair were already waiting for them. One of them was Duke Manchester, the driver with the inhuman silver eyes whom they had met earlier. Next to him was another individual, smaller, leaner, a woman with tanned skin and ink-black hair. Cybernetic enhancements were clearly seen as she kept her eyes glued to a tablet that she expertly tapped and swiped. Jorge smirked eyeing the two as he stepped out. Hands in his pockets, he turned back to face Dio and Isabel.

”Mr. Dio...My sweet lady Isabel…” He gestured to the surprisingly high tech waiting room that branched off into a series of halls that hinted at a much larger complex around them. ”...welcome to the Syndicate.”

Isabel simply rolled her eyes at Dio's teasing and shifted her focus back to the older man behind the bar. She was interested in hearing is answer too, still curious about the direction the conversation had taken and why. Disappointingly enough Poseidon simply grinned and turned to make his way across the room. What kind of answer was that? She shot a confused look to Dio before sliding out of her chair and hurrying after their host. That was probably what they were supposed to do, right? The guy was a bit odd, but didn't seem quite odd enough to abandon the two of them without warning.

He hadn't gotten too far before he called back and fell in step behind him and slipped through the opened door. There wasn't much of interest behind it but she still peeked through the doorways of most of the rooms as they passed. The whole hidden elevator thing was much more impressive, and even as apprehensive as she was to follow him into the small space to who knew where, she couldn't help also starting to feel just a little bit excited as well. The whole hidden doors and mystery elevators thing reminded her of the ones back at the Sanctuary. It was almost comforting in its familiarity.

She nearly cut in when he mentioned camps, her attention snapping back to the older man rather than drifting around the interior of the lift, but he throat seemed to tighten around her voice and keep it from escaping. The thought of it sent an cold shiver up her spine and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable in the small space. Those SUPER people sounded bad enough, but if there were camps still operating in this world then it was even more pressing that they get back through that rift. She would have to take her concerns to Dio the next time she had a chance. Maybe she could convince him to try and risk crossing over sooner than planned.

It would have to wait, though. Falling into another panic wouldn't do her any good, especially now that they were underground in an unfamiliar building. She'd just have to push her concerns to the back of her mind for the time being and focus on whatever else was going on at the moment. Taking a breath Isabel tried to refocus on the rest of Poseidon's spiel, managing to catch the last bit about mutants and the food chain. Another mutant supremacist. That seemed promising, just as long as he wasn't aiming for the destruction of the world like the last group she'd gotten tangled up with. It was hard to enjoy being at the top when you were dead.

"The Syndicate, huh?" she said, finding he voice again as the doors opened to a new room and another pair of individuals. Stepping out of the elevator she began to slowly circle the room, wanting a closer look at everything in it as well as the attached hallways. The place looked huge and she wanted to do a little poking around, preferably with a little less supervision. But if Cyborg Sally was on the payroll it probably wasn't very likely. The woman was probably hooked in to the club's security or something judging by how intently she was staring at her little screen. "Not a bad place, Old Man, but what exactly is the Syndicate and what's it do? And what do you want us down here for?

Frowning slightly as Poseidon walked away from his question Dio resisted the urge to sigh, he’d seen the type of manic grin the older man was sporting in others and well, suffice to say he hoped the man was simply being dramatic; a showman he could deal with, even predict if he cared enough but a zealot? Well, truth be told they were also predictable but generally not in a good way.

Catching the puzzled look Isabel shot him as their impromptu barkeep crossed the floor Simon rolled his eyes towards the older man before pitching his voice so only the brunette could hear “He wants to show off, we may as well indulge him.” Rising from his seat the hessian finished his glass and placed a gentle hand on Isabel’s shoulder before she could hurry off to catch their guide. “No need to rush, we’re not lost lambs-” he paused for a moment and then amended “merely displaced tourists.”

Nudging the girl to walk with him as Poisedon called back to them Simon adopted a steady stride that wasn’t rushed but still allowed them to catch up as he continued whispering in a tone that was both resigned and bemused, “If this is what I think it is we shouldn’t seem too eager for him to lead us by the nose.” It wasn’t the most subtle power play but given everything that had already happened tonight subtle wasn’t really in the cards, still leverage was leverage and the hessian wasn’t going to abandon what little bargaining power they had before an offer had even been made.

He deliberately avoided mentioning that last part, partly because he doubted Isabel would react well when she recognized the social manipulation for what it was, but mainly he was hoping she didn’t realize he was guilty of using the same tactic on her all too often.

Passing through the employee only area Dio kept his gaze straight ahead, keeping Isabel in the corner of his eye while letting his spatial awareness map the layout of the building for him. As such he was less than surprised when the hidden elevator revealed itself and they were gestured inside as Poseidon began his pitch and to be fair he wasn’t a bad orator but his vision was one the hessian had heard too many times to be caught up in it, that wasn’t to say he disagreed with all of it merely that he was more circumspect.

When the elevator doors opened they were treated to the sight of a modest waiting room, well modest by the standards of the club upstairs. There were chandeliers or ocean views, instead they were greeted by the silver eyed gaze of their driver, Mr Manchester, and another raven haired woman who looked to have stepped straight from a sci-fi movie. The latter of which was which was both promising and concerning; technological superiority was generally a necessity for any less than legal enterprise and not having it on your side meant it could be used against you.

”Mr. Dio...My sweet lady Isabel…welcome to the Syndicate.

"The Syndicate, huh? Not a bad place, Old Man, but what exactly is the Syndicate and what's it do? And what do you want us down here for?”

Despite the fatigue tugging at his mind Simon couldn’t help the slight smile which stole across his lips. Relevant questions, without an overt insult or threat? Was Duskmoor actually learning or had he inadvertently picked up an other world version… huh, that was a thought. Given how closely this dimension looked mirrored his own it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that there were copies of both Isabel and himself wandering around.

Something to look into later perhaps, right now there was a job offer to discuss. “We’re being recruited Isabel and I assume we’re down here because it’s more secure but also because our friend wants to make a statement about the resources at his disposal, underground complexes aren’t cheap after all.”

“As for what his group does, well I’m just as curious as you.”

Jorge smiled, stopped and turned back to face the duo that he had just led down here. Sure, maybe it was a bit of a risk to bring people whom he had only known for less than an hour, but Poseidon wouldn’t have been in his position if he didn’t take risks. Besides, considering the manner in which they handled the SUPER agents, he doubted that they would say anything against his revelations. And, even if so, two new fish in his universe could easily be taken out. But there was no sense in considering such thoughts at the moment.

He waited in silence for them to react, instead taking the moment in at attempt to read both of their body languages. They both seemed guarded, with questions, but other than that, the man wasn’t a mind reader. Dio was certainly the more collected of the two, with a far superior poker face. But Isabel, well, she was quick to open her mouth. Good, he preferred it when people were transparent.

>>"The Syndicate, huh? Not a bad place, Old Man, but what exactly is the Syndicate and what's it do? And what do you want us down here for?”

>>“We’re being recruited Isabel and I assume we’re down here because it’s more secure but also because our friend wants to make a statement about the resources at his disposal, underground complexes aren’t cheap after all.”

He smirked. Really the two of them made an excellent comedy duo. Classic formula of the mismatched couple, one quiet and strict and the other loudmouthed and a little more off the rails. Jorge would probably have a hearty laugh if he watched them on TV, but right now this was actually a serious matter.

>>“As for what his group does, well I’m just as curious as you.”

With a nod of his head, he slowly stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest as he spoke. ”We are trying to lay the bedrock of a better world. You both heard my spiel about ‘mutants being greater than humans’ so on and so forth.” He sighed. ”It gets a little repetitive after awhile. Don’t get me wrong, I believe it through and through, as do my associates. But...why talk when I can show you?” He turned to lead them both on a tour of the facility. ”You see, for as much as I want the total destruction for the human race, at the end of the day, I’m not a wasteful man.” He said, opening a door to lead them through. ”I don’t haphazardly destroy resources. Humans will die, that is a given, but what matters is how they die. For as much as a nuisance as they are, I don’t believe in their total annihilation in one fell sweep. I believe in using them up until there is nothing left.”

Opening another door, Jorge walked through, entering a warehouse-like portion of the facility that was manned individuals who were too busy moving and loading boxes to look up. The whole operation seemed well-oiled and machine-like, a reflection of the man’s practices and his striving for perfection. Jorge didn’t stop to look at them, though, instead continuing on.

”What we do is...a bit of everything. The club upstairs provides vices to take their money, to hook them onto illicit activities that we specifically control, as well as provide a backlog of evidence against certain individuals in power so ensure that we are always a step ahead of the humans.”

He pushed through another door, this one leading to a small room where chemist were clearly hard at work. Here, Jorge stopped, sighed, and picked up a small vial that was filled with pills that were gold in color and stamped with a symbol for a chalice. He tossed the vial to them so they could inspect it.

”And that, is one of my favorites -- Ambrosia. The gift of the gods.” He sighed happily just saying it. ”Grants humans mutants abilities, temporarily, of course, and has the added side effect of being extremely addictive. Humans have given up the deeds to their homes for just half a pill.” He chuckled, sighed, and paused. ”Mutants need to dethrone humanity -- but that doesn’t mean we can’t use them up on the way down.” He took a second to contemplate, watching them both, before he continued. ”You both are impressive. Powerful. You could find safety and a purpose here...if you wanted it.” He offered a knowing smile. ”But I’m a businessman...and neither of you are stupid. So if you want to talk terms, what you want in exchange, I’ll be more than happy to sit and discuss with you.” He gestured around. ”Unless you both would rather wander around and take a look for yourself before deciding? I have nothing to hide.”

Being recruited, right. Isabel had recruited and been recruited a number of times in the past so it probably should have been more obvious. She'd just have to blame the lapse on her divided attention and the vague dizziness in her head. At least Dio was paying closer attention so she could get away with being a bit distracted, at least for the time being. It probably was a good idea to put more of her focus on their host than their surroundings, though.

And they were moving again. She made sure not to rush her pace again on Dio's earlier suggestion, sticking closer to the windbag as they moved and not concerning herself so much with catching up to their guide. The further they got into the structure the harder it would be to get back out again after all, and Dio was her safest bet at any chance for an escape if necessary. She cast one more wary look at the driver and Mechanical Melissa as they passed before letting her attention turn back to the Old Man.

Honestly it was an awfully enticing picture he was painting. It was striking all kinds of old Order chords for Isabel with the added intentions of 'use and abuse' when it came to humans, rather than the old Faction's views of extermination. It was an interesting angle and she quite liked the idea of lording over the lesser portion of the gene pool up until they were considered unusable. All in all it was a pretty good recruitment pitch and she found herself starting to warm up to their guide a little. If nothing else it would make their time spend on the wrong side of things more interesting.

Hidden elevators, underground rooms, storage, it all seemed fairly typical for the kind of operation a faction might be running. The lab was an unexpected twist, though. It was difficult to keep her attention where it should be when there were so many other interesting things within the room, so many vials and tools to poke around with. She was so busy watching one of the chemists that she nearly missed the vial that was tossed their way, just managing to catch it before it slipped out of her fingers.

Giving the thing a shake and watching the pills bounce around inside, her lip curled at the idea of granting humans mutant abilities, even temporarily. It was a good enough tactic for manipulation and control, but it still didn't sit well with her. Even when the Order was peddling M for a while she didn't care for it or want to get involved in their distribution. She held the vial out for Dio to examine, quickly having lost interest in the little pills.

Discussing terms and conditions of their membership was something Dio would be much better at than she would, so she didn't have too many issue with him spearheading that particular problem as long as he didn't completely exclude her from the discussion. Personally she was getting a little excited about the prospect, having been feeling rather rudderless since the Order had disbanded and probably a little too eager to find a replacement. Still, there were just enough concerns nagging at the back of her mind to keep her from taking the plunge right away.

"Just how long do you expect us to be stuck on this side of that Rip, Old Man?" she asked, crossing her arms and leveling her gaze on their host. "You know we're trying to get outta here as soon as we can and this doesn't exactly sound like a short term kind of deal. You say we're powerful and you obviously want us on your side, but once someone gets power they're not exactly happy to let it go without a fight. I don't really see how this is gonna work out too well for both sides." The excitement was starting to ebb in the face of her concerns. It all seemed a little too good to be true, which meant that it probably was.

The bedrock for a better world…

As far as recruiting pitches went Dio couldn’t honestly claim it was the worst he’d heard, that honour had to go to the Order. It’s leadership had been a tad... debatable at the time and so his recruitment had been left to Lisa, who’d been determined to read off a script that seemed to have been written by a blind child while keeping an utterly straight face.

Lisa was not a woman to bet against in poker.

Returning to the matter at hand however, by all accounts the Syndicate was shaping up to be a less mismanaged version of the Order while lacking the asinine genocial goals. Granted the bigotry was still there but it was balanced by a level pragmatism that was almost refreshing. Honestly, if he had a bitcoin for every jumped up mutant supremacist who thought their powers were the way to world domination he’d own half of Manhattan, or possibly just half a limo you couldn’t quite tell with crypto currencies yet.

The business model was fairly standard; drugs, blackmail which likely also meant prostitution.. protection would probably be a safe bet as well, though with SUPER’s existence he might have to reconsider that. He pondered potential hindrances as Isabel fidgeted with the vial of ‘Ambrosia’; by the sounds of it was little more than a reflection of ‘M’ that the Order used to distribute during Lori’s time.

”You both are impressive. Powerful. You could find safety and a purpose here...if you wanted it.” ”But I’m a businessman...and neither of you are stupid. So if you want to talk terms, what you want in exchange, I’ll be more than happy to sit and discuss with you. Unless you both would rather wander around and take a look for yourself before deciding? I have nothing to hide.”

Taking the vial from isabel Simon openly rolled his eyes at Poseidon's mixture of flattery and dissembling. Even tired as he was the hessian wouldn’t have taken those statements at face value and, judging by the frown marring Isabel countenance, neither did she. The man claimed to run a criminal empire for pity’s sake; no matter how much ‘kinship’ he might feel for them because of their genetics he’d hardly want two strangers wandering around sensitive operations… which implied Atlantis wasn’t where he housed said operations.

He really was getting tired, that had taken him far too long to puzzle out. He was honestly surprised Isabel was still going, she must have been awake as long as- no, no she wouldn’t; he hadn’t called on her this morning so she’d likely slept in till noon at least; the girl was an utter lazy bones when her blood lust wasn’t up.

Momentarily pre-occupied by the unfairness of such a karmic imbalance Simon again allowed Duskmoor to get the first word in with their recruiter and once more was not disappointed. A restatement of the realities of the situation, framed to their own advantage and poignant question on conflicting interests presented as a not so subtle challenge to the older man’s authority? It was actually competent, and if he didn’t know the hessian might think she’d even done it on purpose.

Still, even as Isabel raised her questions Simons weary mind wound its way to the logical answer as he covered a yawn with one hand before replying “A fair point Isabel, and since any competent businessman,” He nodded slightly to Poseidon “knows that willing employees are more profitable than unwilling I’d wager a guess that the ‘Old Man’ is looking to expand beyond-” another yawn- “the current reality of his operations.”

At the blank look he received from the brunette Simon gave a short shrug and simplified “He wants us to work for him on our side of the Rift.” He raised an eyebrow at Poseidon to see if he’d judged correctly. In all honesty he’d never expected to play good cop to Isabel bad cop but it was working rather well for now.

“Really it should be a win win win scenario and if not I’m sure we can come to terms, though perhaps not tonight. Such talk deserve a clear head and it’s been a long day for all of us.”

Contrary to popular belief, Jorge was a rather simple man, with simple wants, and simple needs. It was because of that simplicity that he was rather straightforward with people, finding it needless to verbally jump through hoops unless he was trying to wheedle someone into doing something he required. But that was not what he was trying to do with these two. No, when it came to requirement, Jorge was all open and upfront with everyone because that was what he wanted from the people he worked with...honesty.

So he laid it all out on the line. They weren’t stupid. They wanted to know what it was that they were wanted for, and precisely why. He gave them the truth, he needed allies, especially on the other side of the rift and they were the most competent candidates so far. In return, of course, they would have health and safety and resources at their disposal, but Jorge wouldn’t try to make this too grand of a sales pitch. He wasn’t selling them a broken down Yugo and calling it a sports car, after all.

As it would appear, Isabel, the more mistrusting of the two, had questions…

>>"Just how long do you expect us to be stuck on this side of that Rip, Old Man? You know we're trying to get outta here as soon as we can and this doesn't exactly sound like a short term kind of deal. You say we're powerful and you obviously want us on your side, but once someone gets power they're not exactly happy to let it go without a fight. I don't really see how this is gonna work out too well for both sides."

>>“A fair point Isabel, and since any competent businessman...knows that willing employees are more profitable than unwilling I’d wager a guess that the ‘Old Man’ is looking to expand beyond--the current reality of his operations.”

He had to smirk. It really was like watching a comedy duo in actions. Isabel was quick to defend her freedom but to the point that she automatically assumed the worst. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, he was all for self-preservation, but it could make trust a difficulty. Then again, Dio once more proved to be the voice of reason, pointing out the very real fact of what this “Old Man” was looking for.

”You would be correct, Dio,” he said, looking between the two of them. ”Of course I would love your continued services on this side of the rip, but they would be rare. What I really need are allies on the other side, a place to start. Hence why I would like you both to join, to help ensure that my operations can continue to spread.”

>>“Really it should be a win win win scenario and if not I’m sure we can come to terms, though perhaps not tonight. Such talk deserve a clear head and it’s been a long day for all of us.”

Jorge noted how tired Dio looked and, admittedly, Isabel did as well. Of course, as much as he would have liked to swift recruitment, he wasn’t going to press the matter. The both of them were exhausted and if they were going to make a decision this big, they needed to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Of course, seeing as there would be too much heat around the rip tonight, they were going to have to bite the bullet and rest here.

He smiled and nodded his head to them both.

”Yes, where are my manners? You both must be exhausted.” He stepped past them, opening another door and stepping into another section of the complex. Stepping aside to allow them entry, if they choose, he gestured towards the hall. ”If you wish to stay the night, which I would considering that SUPER will probably be swarming the city, take this hall all the way down. Sleeping quarters are on the right. Feel free to choose whichever room suits you both.” He smirked. ”I promise, there will be utmost discretion.” He then gestured down the opposite hall. ”Down that way is the P.L.A.T.O. training facility if you need to work out some aggression. I leave it up to the both of you. Unfortunately I have other matters I must attend to.” He stepped away to allow them freedom to wander. ”I shall see you both in the morning. Please, do consider my offer.” He nodded to them both. ”Dio. Isabel. I look forward to your response.”

With that he turned and headed away from head, back into another direction of the facility. River had to update him on progress concerning her most recent discovery about the rip. As for Isabel and Dio, well, he had a feeling that the two of them would make the right call when it came down to it. All they needed was time.