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Alex was in the base as their leaders we going over the specifics of the upcoming mission. But as she couldn't understand anything they were saying anyway she didn't really feel any reason to pay much attention to what they're doing. Instead she goes about her duty of trying to make sure that Noah is being cared for. There are days in which Noah is doing better than normal and others where he's basically just doing nothing all day. This particular day seems to be one of the worse days. Perhaps them discussing the mission is affecting his mood but it isn't like she could really ask him. He doesn't show any sign of understanding sign language or even that he can understand speech.

She is sure that he still recognizes her based on scent and expressions. He is far more responsive to her and anyone else in the original group than anyone from Michael's group and will all but refuse any sort of cooperation when Michael or Richard are the ones trying to do it. Currently she's sitting with him with a brush, going through his fur trying to get any of the snags and getting it into a sense of order. And for the most part he's just sitting there letting her, though he does have his own brush and will occasionally try and brush her own hair, though usually not all that good at it. She'll definitely need to go through it again herself later, but it's an action he's taking himself without instruction and it gives her some hope that perhaps he's still at least slightly in there.

"So for the mission, we're going to be very tight about our timing in order to pull this off," Michael says.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Richard says in response, shrugging. "It ain't like we haven't been through this multiple times already."

"But this mission is perhaps the most important mission we could potentially pull off. So far we've just been chipping away at an iron wall. If we can get the intel from inside their facility then we can finally do some real damage. Possibly even expose what they've been doing all this time and why they felt the need to send the FBI after us now. But with the second FBI attack and unrest at an all time high we cannot afford to not make a play at this now."

"Yes, and unfortunately, they've upped their security since the last time we attempted this," Angela protests. "Honestly, a side-hack would probably be the safest course of action. Just hack into their servers and download whatever we can and get out nice and safely."

"We've tried that," Dylan says. "Doesn't work. Nothing of consequence can be found on their external servers. The only way to find something useful is to go into their actual main facilities and download them there. Even Noah had said as much before well," he pauses a moment, not entirely sure how to end his statement and instead gestures back at Noah.

"Yeah, and that's something we definitely want to be avoiding at all costs," Michael says. "To get the best chance of pulling this off we're going to need a distraction, a window to buy us time for Alex to get in, get the data and get out. And I want as many distractions as possible, hitting high priority targets. We need them to think we're going on the offensive and trying to take them all out and not that we're going to attempt the same thing that got Noah into his current state. Alex is faster than Noah was in every regard. That much even you probably wouldn't contest," he looks over at Richard, who just shrugs. "Noah didn't notice he had triggered a silent alarm when he was getting into their systems and wasn't able to complete a full download before they cornered him. Alex knows what to look out for, even knows where to look thanks to Noah's information last time. Assuming they haven't moved any of that information. With luck, if we can distract them long enough she'll only have to deal with at most only a couple of guards while she gets the data and leaves. And if she actually cared enough to not just get beat up for the fun of it," he casts a sidelong glance at Alex, "then she should be fine."

"I'm still not entirely convinced that sending her in is such a good idea," Angela says, leaning back against a wall and sending a sidelong glance at her.

"She's our best chance of success," Michael responds calmly.

"I'm not arguing that. Barring a massive invasion that's likely going to get a lot of people killed I highly doubt that there is any way to get the information we want and everything else without her. And I also fully understand that with the attacks from the FBI means that not only do we need to act before it gets to be too late to do any good but also that this is by far the best possible time for us to act. And Black will know this as well and be on the alert. My problem is the fact that you know Black will bend over backwards and practically tear down the entire facility if it means even a chance at being able convert the girl. And she's simply far too valuable an asset for whichever side she's on, ignoring the fact of what will likely happen with the original group if both her and Noah are lost. She's not going to be dumb. She literally has spies everywhere feeding her information. It's why we keep having to change our base of operations, so that they don't find us. If she sees us making a massive attack at multiple locations she isn't just going to decide that we're only lashing out. She's not going to be a massive idiot about all this. She knows just as much as we do that Alex is the only one that can succeed at taking on that facility. When we attack, her first course of action would be to simply connect with all of her spies and see who knows where Alex is. She's too wary and visible for them to just try and make a grab at her in the streets. But she's also too visible to really sneak away. If they don't see her on her rounds they'll know something is up and it wouldn't take much for Black to figure out what."

"It will be fine. I've already talked it over with Ben in regard part. He's going to impersonate Alex as best he can and go about her rounds. It's extremely unlikely that they'll be able to connect that the two are different, especially considering how racist humans typically are. They might not even be able to tell what differences there are between Ben, Alex and myself. They likely think all three look alike, which is why they keep arresting Ben and then immediately letting him go as they keep confusing him for me. As for desertions, given how things are going, I highly doubt that any of them would actually abandon the cause completely given how important what we're doing is. Most have friends and family in this city. People who rely on us. To simply give way because a couple of us fell would be narrow minded and condemn those friends and family members to the Black. And finally, as for her protection," his eyes shift to watch her tend to Noah some more. "I'll take care of it. Won't be a permanent guarantee. But I can guarantee that she will be safe for a little while. If things go south and she gets captured, I'll make sure that they won't inject her with the Black for a few hours to a few days, depending on how much they want to rush things."

"Or you know," Richard says, shrugging and then speaks up louder to make sure everyone in the facility can hear him. "simply let it happen. I don't care how much the others want her here. The fact remains she is a liability. She's made absolutely no secret of the fact she wants to kill you. If we don't take care of her soon she will eventually try. So I say we just let the bitch run the op like normal. She come out clean then oh well. Them's the breaks I suppose. But if she gets the Black, so long as we get the data I'm fine with it. Either she becomes a Blank like Noah or I put a bullet in her brain. Either way, threat gone."

"And I've told you multiple times that that is not your call to make. She understands what it is we're trying to do," Michael says in response, not even bothering to look at Richard. "I will personally make sure that she is in a state that they won't convert her. Don't worry about that. But you all need to be ready just in case things do go south."

"There's also the Doc," Dylan adds in. "They've made some real progress in the serum. So it might work this time and not have them become a Blank. Can't exactly get many people to volunteer to try it, though."

"And how effective will she be as a Blank?" Michael demands back.

"Well she'd be able to hear again," Angela says very pointedly, staring him down.

Michael stares back at her for a moment before shrugging. "Either way, making sure she has a window where she won't be given the Black is far better than having to depend on dealing with an untested cure. I'll give you all the plans in a day or two about all the contingencies that I'm going to want in place before we begin. I want things to go smoothly even when they go wrong."

"Does it really matter if she goes Blank?" Richard asks. "I mean, I'll perform as well as always. You know you can trust me for that. I know full well that if they capture her and hold her until she's fully converted that's a massive net loss that we would never recover from. That might even be the end to our organization. And that alone is a large enough liability to make getting her contained more of an issue for you. So I will do everything I can to make sure she can get in there and out safely in one piece. But that doesn't change the fact she is one little girl. Any organization that revolves around a single member is doomed to failure. That's always been your philosophy, has it not? It really doesn't matter how effective she is as a Blank. So long as we get the data in the process that's all that matters. She's a scout, nothing more. And if our organization cannot continue without the actions of a single scout then we were doomed to failure right from the beginning."

Dylan takes a deep breath and considers what to say. "Morale is something that is definitely something to keep in mind. I think the saying goes something along the lines of 'if one side thinks they will win and the other thinks they will lose, then both will find them proven correct.' Our best chance at success, above anything else, is if she feels that she will make it out of here. If she goes into the mission fully expecting it to be a suicide mission then she'll approach the mission far more differently. She may give up far more quickly, especially since the only one of our group she really has any connection is Noah. But even if it is superficial, if we can get her to even just believe that we'll come to her aid and she'll be safe for a few hours then she'll do the best to make sure the job is done to take advantage of that window. So even if there is no real way to make her safe, it will at least some good to convince her to think that she will be fine. So will whatever you're planning on doing help convince her that she will be fine?"

Michael doesn't answer and instead turns around. "This discussion is over. I am the one in charge here. Unless of course you think you can get Noah to voice opposition to me. We are all agreed that this plan must be carried out. We need that data in order to have any chance of taking out Black in time for whatever it is she's currently planning. And the only one in our group suited to having any chance at getting that information is Alex. I have said I will take care of protecting her against being given the Black for a few hours. There is no reason for me to share what that method is. The matter is settled. Once she's done playing dress-up with Noah have her taken out and given a computer well away from us and one that cannot be connected to us in any way. Put it in her old home if it helps. Nostalgia would do her a bit of good. I want her skills as sharp as they can so long as she isn't doing anything that would jeopardize this mission while doing so. I'm going for a walk."

And with that Michael walks out of the base, grabbing his gun from the cabinet as he does so. The rest of the group stare off after him, not entirely sure what to make of the thing and not really having any of their concerns really addressed.

"Well, I still think this is a retarded idea and is only going to make things worse for us," Richard sighs. "But he has spoken and I know that the bitch sure as hell won't let me do anything regarding Michael's last order, so I'm going to go out for a patrol, see if I can't find any Black sites and scope out the best place to attack their facilities."

And then Richard leaves as well. On seeing the two people go Alex looks up and makes a noise to try and get their attention. Not knowing the situation she doesn't entirely want to just get up and leave Noah alone if they only went to go grab something, it would only confuse him. When Angela turns around to look in her direction she puts the brush down for a second and signs out, 'is meeting done?'

Angela sighs, the expression making it very clear she wasn't all that pleased with the way things have been going in that meeting. But she composes herself and then signs back. 'It just finished. Michael wants me to give you a burner computer and hook you up at your old place to go practice. We need you at your best. Do what you want, it will be a live computer. Just don't do anything that can be traced back to us in any way.'

Alex smiles a bit at that as Angela heads off to go get something further into their base. Dylan, however, looks at her with a huge grin on his muzzle. 'Your hair looks hilarious,' he signs at her before making a sound she assumes is him laughing before he turns away from her and walks off.

Alex sticks her tongue out at him, knowing full well that she probably doesn't look all that good right now. Originally, she had intended on going to go find a mirror and correct her appearance after the meeting but if she's being given the chance to actually have full access to a computer, even if it's only a burner she would put that above even sleep. She'll still do her rounds later but her appearance can wait. She stands up and gives Noah a hug before signing at him, 'heading out now. Take care. Going to go play for a while.'

She takes a moment to see if he understands, though he usually doesn't. Her leaving, even though she does try talking to him seems mostly just a thing that happens. He doesn't really ever show any connection or understanding. His brow has furrowed a bit but she can't be entirely sure it's not just a response to her standing up. But he mimics the sign for 'play,' which gives her a small smile in hopes he does understand, though he doesn't seem to have any emotion on his face beyond the furrowed brows. She waves at him as she starts to turn and can half swear that his hands look like they're making the sign for 'safe' but when she turns back his hands are back on his lap, clutching at the brush he had been using. Shrugging she begins to make her way to go look for Angela since she was the one that was running off into the back. And she knows full well what the others would likely think of her expression whenever she's being given a computer after so long. Noah had always teased her about stuff like that in the past before their last mission attempt. But even with that she knows better than to be too risky. As much as she'd like to engage in the games she did when she was younger it is far more important for her to simply brush up on what all has been changed since the last time she's been allowed open access to a computer.

The two detectives knew that there was no way that their activity would have been kept a secret to the chief and the FBI. Though they have taken no direct action in regards to the Underground, there is the search results and the fact that detective Ryan had gone to see the CEO of Black Industries. So they were fully expecting to eventually get a dressing down, especially since he was still investigating a case that the FBI had already assigned to someone else, though who is somewhat of a mystery because he hasn't seen a single person make any comment about checking up on anything that they may have missed. As far as they could tell the case was just put back into the cold case status and considered done.

The two detectives were called into the chief's office, which wasn't at all a good sign. At least not with the way things were going. And especially not the way that it was done. He didn't come out and ask them to see him in his office in a casual manner. Instead as soon as they entered the precinct, one of the FBI agents that was still present in their precinct told them flat out that they were to report immediately to the Chief. To top things off they are being practically given an armed escort to his office. It's not officially so, but there are a few beat cops that normally don't really spend much time in the precinct itself when they can help it walking with them at the edge of the room. If they really wanted to they could probably go to their desks and ignore the summons and there really isn't anything that can be done about it. But it would serve no purpose than to send a message that they are acting in defiance of the chief of police and likely would be suspended over it. But there's not really any question as to why they're being summoned and it's better they get it over with sooner than just escalate things and quite likely make matters worse. There is no sound when they knock on the door, but they were summoned so they open the door slowly and step in. The chief of police was in no way at all pleased with the two detectives. He stares down at the two of them imperiously and the stack of crumpled and torn papers nearby are tantamount to just what emotional state he's in.

"Do you know why I called you two in here?" he demands. It isn't really anything they really have to respond to. And so they simply stay quiet for the time being. Finally, after a moment he throws down a packet onto the desk, "What is this?" he demands again.

Detective Matthews picks up the packet and looks at it, it seems to be the research that Detective Ryan had done in trying to figure out what the legal standing regarding the Morph situation is. "Looks like some fairly ordinary research, sir."

"Yes, but why are you two numbskulls going about doing that. You aren't lawyers. You aren't politicians and you most certainly are not on the animal squads. You're humans. You have no place looking up what laws are in place regarding those beasts. That isn't your job. That isn't what this city is paying you to do. You are here to work on crimes against real people. And bring the people responsible for these crimes against real people to justice. That is how the system works. You do your job, you get paid. Your job is not to care about what is and is not legal. The City is not paying you to know the law. The City is paying you to enforce the law and make sure that those that break the law are punished. So I don't want to hear any more whispers of you doing anything more with those monsters unless I tell you to deal with them."

He takes a deep breath and looks somewhat conflicted about something for a moment, as if there is something that he wants to say but is unable to do so. The way his eyes look compared to the rest of his expression is somewhat off-putting to the detectives.

"But seeing as how you two have already been told by the feds to have nothing to do with those mongrels before and yet you are still engaging in that line of work, certain restrictions are needed to be put into place to make sure you two behave and actually listen to these restrictions. IT's gone in and set up some filters into your computers. Anything regarding the Morphs, the Underground or the city of Vitraan are going to be blocked. And your cars will no longer take you anywhere that city.