- Index -

Agent Gray: Mr. Roderick, continued Merovingian aggression against the Ouroboros Corporation, and a critical lack of communication with that company, as well as certain other considerations, are threatening to lead to a crisis. We must take vigorous action to ensure that the worst does not occur. Please see me immediately.

Operator: Our Agents have that place buttoned down tight.

I don't see what the big deal is. So Ouroboros' next shaver design is a bit delayed--big whoop.

[Friendlies: Machine Programs]
[Heroes: Agent Gray, Agent Pace]

Agent Gray: The Ouroboros Corporation is a front for a group who counts among its members two who caused many problems here recently: Halborn and Carlyne, or "the intruders," to use the operative designation. The group styles themselves "The Oligarchs." I tell you this because it is imperative that they do not receive an alert from their sleeper agents at Ouroboros. A response from them would almost certainly bring more override codes into the simulation, an occurence that we can ill afford.

We have tried to convince Ouroboros to allow us to handle the Merovingian's incursion into their network ourselves. We have received no positive response. I want you take these Agents, and make one last attempt to obtain their cooperation.

Yes, we have known of Ouroboros' connection with the Oligarchs for some time now. Halborn and Carlyne, however appeared to be working independently of the Oligarchy as a whole; Carlyne indicated as much before he left the Matrix. Thus, their front company remained untroubled...until now.

Agent Pace: Complications in the city's business climate could make dealing with Ouroboros more difficult. The network technology group, Wright Research, is initiating legal procedures against the city's largest corporation, consumer products giant Pendhurst-Amaranth, alleging that Pendhurst-Amaranth conspiring with Mauser--and Zion--to steal corporate secrets.

While we have not seen conclusive evidence that Mauser was working with Zion, we think it likely that he used stolen Wright technology. It would be...problematic if this became public knowledge, partly because Ouroboros watches both of those companies closely.

The last thing we want right now is for Ouroboros to become alarmed by more circumstances that cannot easily be explained within the rules of the simulation. The Merovingian is already causing a significant problem in that regard.

Agent Gray: We must persuade the Ouroboros Corporation to leave the Merovingian problem in our hands. If they continue to refuse to cooperate with our Agents, and attempt to repel his attacks on their network with their own security forces, it will be very difficult to prevent the conflict from escalating to the point where an emergency contingency within the company will almost certainly be triggered to call the distant attention of the Oligarchs to the problem.

Hilario Hoyos is the highest-ranking Ouroboros executive to whom we have been able to obtain access through official channels. Approaches by our Agents have met with no result. We rely on your... human communication abilities to persuade Hoyos to have the company accept our offer of assitance.

Operator: Got some office people, probably some security people in there. No Mervs in sight... There's one plus, anyway.

[Friendlies: Bluepills, Security]

Ouroboros Security: Ten-four.

Operator: Well... This is it.

Sam Zato: Excuse me, gentlemen. I must ask you to stop here.

Yes, we do appreciate the government's willingness to lend ah and. However, I can assure you that our security forces are quite capable of resistaing a few latter-day gansters, and without costing the taxpayers a cent. We have the best security that money can buy. There is no question that our property is quite safe from any threat.

Operator: *cough* **bullcrud**! *cough*

Sorry. Uh... Air filter must be on the fritz again.

Ouroboros Security: You'll find the exit back the way you came, sir. Hard to miss.

Sam Zato: Now, unless you gentlemen have a warrant...

Ahah, just a small joke. I trust that you can see yourselves out?

Agent Gray: Operative, their policies leave us with little recourse. We must locate and sever the corporation's communication channel to the Real before they can draw the attention of the Oligarchs here.

We have some idea of where this connection lies. The difficulty will not be in reaching it, but in reaching it undetected. Therefore, we are first going to ahve you raise an alarm in a seperate office.

By the way, please alter your costume so that you are not recognized.

Operator: Okay, that is one of their more secure offices--payroll, I think. The place is wired with three seperate security systems. We're gonna have you set off all three--just to be sure they get the picture.

[Friendlies: Bluepills]

Timika Lepine: Francis? Is that you? I thought they had you over in billing!

Wow, when's the last time we actually met up in-person? Was it that blowout retirement for Mr. Curmod? What was that... four years ago? Ah, when we were young!

We really should have got together for lunch one of these years... Well... traffic...and actually, I have to tell you that I'm just so addicted to the tacos they have in the cafeteria here.

[alarm activated]

Timika Lepine: Eeeeee!

Francis!

Eeeeeeeeeeeee!

Miles Harrison: Don't you hate those car alarms... Hear them all the time in this neighborhood.

Operator: That should be loud enough. And if there's any justice, their neighbors will sue them over the noise.

Agent Gray: Proceed to the indicated Ouroboros facility, and locate the control terminal for the connection out of the Matrix, operative. We will re-route it to a spoofed receiver so that any messages sent appear to be going through normally. And while we cannot fake the encrypted outgoing signals, some passable excuse for a missing routine status message or two while the Merovingian issue is being resolved can probably be devised.

Operator: Our little distraction must have worked. I'm only picking up one guard in there.

[Hostiles: Ouroboros Security]

Ouroboros Security: Guys? You're back already? I told you it was a false--

Eeyak!



Operator: Okay. Let's go work a little magic on that communication terminal. Should be in the next room.

Computer:
Pattern mismatch_
Threat analysis_
Supersimulation mode_

[NEW SIGNALS DETECTED!]
[Hostiles: Accelerator, Ouroboros Security]

Operator: What? An override program! *CENSORED* it, and now I'm getting nothing out of the computer! What the--Rrrr...

Computer: _

[Mission End]

Agent Gray: Evidently...they were prepared for that stratagem. This was not anticipated. If their cognizance of the simulation has already reached this level, notification of the Oligarchs must be imminent....if it has not already occured.

- Index -