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At another time, a little later than the first time, the Cooper farm finds itself presented with yet another carload of newcomers.

At least these don't apparently plan to stay -- and certainly wouldn't seem to have close bonds, the way they're all three bitching at each other, or the way the car doors slam in order as they get out and immediately stalk in different directions.

[Tag under subthreads of who you're tagging, plz? <33]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well, the simple part first: With the exception of Metropolis, if it's a city chances are it's wasted. Most of them directly, some of them due to a collapse of infrastructure. As for priority targets, I'm still trying to put a list together. There are problems all over, most of the inhuman."

Barbara proceeds to give a run-down of what she knows about major areas in North America, in descending order of original population. She taps a few keys to bring up some visual aids, which is especially helpful when she gets into the list of encountered monsters.

The streaks of smug or smirky don't vanish entirely from her personality while the briefing is going on, but they settle in to a ten percent category. It's hard knocks and sensible questions from then on.

Who's found what and what worlds are things from, if she knows, and certain ones where she recognizes them as they pop up. She's not taking notes, even though she seriously considered asking for paper.

It's more than she had in weeks.

And she's very silently grateful. Even if that doesn't show while the picture gets more and more gruesome.

Rachel is quiet, stone-faced and attentive, arms crossed and listening. She doesn't startle, doesn't gasp - but she's seen a few of those images now and again.

According to the number of monsters Barbara is showing them, it's doubtful that these creatures are morphs. But in the back of her mind, she's already cursing herself for being so careless, for letting even two people know who she is, what she can do, letting them know she's here.

"These're all killed or just what you know is out there?"

"Just what I know of. Some encountered by me or my people, some not."

Jo's staring at the screen of changing monsters while they talk.

There was a point back home, a tidal wave of black they were fighting back.
That part would be the same here, even the part where it's randoms what shows up where.

It gets muddle somewhere, between sanity and survival.

Rachel's still frowning, thinking on some of those monsters. She remembers fighting those, remembers hurting those.

Remembers being hurt by those.

"What's that mean? 'Your people'?"

"People who work with me," Barbara says evenly. Then her voice hardens ever so slightly, "People I help since I can't be out there myself anymore."

There's challenge there, as if she's daring Rachel to say something, anything, about her being in a chair.

Jo was ignoring their rising and falling tension (it was none of her mind if they got along or rubbed edges) but she did glance over.

"Roughly how many are they?"

Rachel hears the challenge.

It's why she grins.

Like a chair would stop anyone from fighting if they wanted to.

"Help or order?"

Babs eyes the two of them for a moment before answering Jo's question. "Maybe a dozen or so." It's a number large enough to be somewhat impressive while still being a vast underestimate. She's still not sure she trusts these two.

Then she rolls her eyes at Rachel. "Help. I recruit people like you. How many of them do you think take orders from me?" She shrugs, "To be fair I do give orders, but that's only to people who have worked with me long enough to know that I give good ones. No point in ordering people around if they won't listen."

Maybe to someone else it is. Jo's seen far too many people come into and out of the bar for that to be impressive.

But it is a lot better thing nothing.

Especially given that Lawrence has six (or seven).

Maybe those 'dozen or so' will not be crazy. It would be nice. Not that she's counting on anything in this multiverse working out under a heading of nice.

Rachel's frowning at Oracle's response - and less than pleased with the roll of her eyes. Her smile, so obviously fake to begin with, drops and she tilts her head slightly, giving the redhead a cold look.

"It's a legitimate question. I wanna know if I decide I don't like your ideas, am I getting cut off from information from then on, or are those people that've worked with you long enough going to come hunting me down? I can do this with or without your information."

It'd just be better with. It's just that, at this point, Rachel isn't feeling particularly gracious to admit that.

Barbara's voice drops a couple of degrees and her eyes flash. "You can walk away whenever you want, no questions asked. And as long you don't screw one of my ops I won't cut you out of the loop, but if you can't work with me you won't get nearly as much active support."

Jo could really care less. She lived with a tech in the bar, the actual on site bar.

Oracle has better hair, and she might be wondering what music she listens to, the complaints of Rachel's issues totally and blissfully beyond her. Those doesn't even exist in her head. Not in relation to a Tech.

Getting more coffee, Jo asked, "What comes with active support?"

Though they haven't said it outright, the assumption is that they'd like to work this together, Jo and Rachel. At this point, there are two things coming between that: Dean and Babs and how comfortable Rachel is with them.

So really, it's Rachel coming between Jo and Rachel.

Rachel who continues glaring at Barbara, arms crossed tight over her chest and falling silent with Jo's question.

"Active support means you get more than access to my database," Barbara's voice is cold and businesslike. "Gear, supplies, transportation." She pauses, and when she continues her tone is the same but her eyes are a bit harder, she knows this might sound arrogant, but it's true. "And you get me."

Jo took a pull of her coffee listening, gaze moving from the cup to Oracle to the screens and back to her while she spoke.

She listened without comment this time, thinking about how little she liked a universe where everything was at nil.

Rachel absolutely did not snort at Babs' arrogance.

Because that would be rude.

But she did get some more coffee.

"Yeah," Barbara shakes her head a bit ruefully, "I can see you're impressed." She shrugs, "Clearly you'll have to work with me for a bit to see why that matters. So... you two interested in a provisional position?"

Jo looked up from her coffee. She had yet to give any inclination of being unimpressed or impressed by anything. Just attentive and at times distant or snarky.

She looked down, tapping a finger on the table the coffee pot rested on.

"There are few other options."

The was something of a silent question there.

Rachel lifts a brow, indicating she sure would like to hear those options.

Since the coffee mug in front of her lips was the only thing keeping her from an outright NO to Oracle's question.

Barbara considers this before shrugging slowly, "As far as I can tell there aren't a lot of other large scale groups operating. I mentioned some active military units, you could probably hook up with one of them if you wanted. I know Mel's been organizing things around the farm itself, and she might have plans to branch out. But I think I'm the only person with an active organization at the global level."

Jo finished her second cup of coffee with a nod, casting a glance at Rachel again.

"We should talk about it," she said to Oracle, looking back. Not that she had any intention to do any talking. Setting her mug down, "Let you know before we head off?"

Rachel's brows lift sharply, surprised.

She wouldn't have figured Jo had any intention of talking it out either. But she takes another sip of coffee before mimicking the other blonde and setting it aside.

Babs nods and turns suddenly to open one of the cabinets along the wall. She pulls out a hard-backed plastic case. "Here. There's a satellite phone in here. My number is pre-programmed in, but you should be able to use it to reach other people if you can get a contact number. A lot of the grid is down, but some people still have communication gear."

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Re: The Meeting ----- Jo, Rachel, Oracle

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Re: The Meeting ----- Jo, Rachel, Oracle

Re: The Meeting ----- Jo, Rachel, Oracle

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Re: The Meeting ----- Jo, Rachel, Oracle

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Re: The Meeting ----- Jo, Rachel, Oracle

Re: The Meeting ----- Jo, Rachel, Oracle

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Re: The Meeting ----- Jo, Rachel, Oracle

Re: The Meeting ----- Jo, Rachel, Oracle