September 20th, 2020, Freedom Force HQ, Maryland USA

Price didn’t count on any of them reading his text messages (which he sent at five o’clock in the morning), so he called each and every one of them.  Personally.  At sunrise.

‘An important meeting at HQ today.  Make sure you come on time, and be prepared for overnight travel.  All other details will be provided at the morning briefing’

That was barely three hours ago, and now they were all sitting comfortably for said briefing at the meeting room at Freedom Force HQ.   Price was already there, of course, and was antsier than the usual.  He checked the time on his watch every time one of the agents walked through the door, making note of the time they have arrived.  Once they were all finally there, he sat down his big mug of coffee on the table and stood up in front of the big digital screen

“Alright people, listen up”

“We got fresh intel on one of the Brotherhood mutants that participated in the assault on Nomans Island three weeks ago.  Goes by the name of Michael Thornton”

He clicked on his remote to display the picture of a rather aimable man in his early thirties on the monitor behind him.

"We got warrant for his arrest.  Our mission is to capture him, and interrogate him about the whereabouts of the rest of his cell. Questions so far?"

New mission thread.  Time is about one week after 'A better version of you' (which is still ongoing),  and three weeks after 'prison break'. 

Newton had years of experience about Price's methods. He attended the meeting looking well rested and ready.

"What will be the nature of this operation? Are we here to simply capture the target or do we need to find out his current location? Also information about his powers would be nice, and how does he operate if we have records on him."

"The guy goes by the name 'Legion'," Frank explained, suppressing a sigh. This guy. Why did it have to be this guy again? "He can duplicate himself into hundreds of bodies. Maybe more. There might be no limit.

"Which means he doesn't fear anything we can threaten him with, up to and including death."

Danny had been prompt:  joining Freedom Force was an awesome opportunity for him, and he wasn't going to just screw it up.
As he sat listening, he was also taking notes.

The first two guys had asked some good questions, and added to the overall understanding of the situation: which looked to Danny like it was going to be a dangerous and difficult task.
So, for now, he sat quietly and listened some more.

Ana Sofía echoes Frank's sigh. "Frank's right, and it's even worse. While he technically has an original body, any one of his bodies can spawn or absorb others. It's somewhat like asking us to arrest one ant from a colony of ants. Any one on its own is no big deal, but it's Sisyphean. The one thing we might have going for us is that each of the duplicates is its own individual with its own interests, so any given individual probably won't want to be locked up. I supposed we could try to find the original; maybe he's still on the tropical vacation he was on a few weeks ago while the rest of him was raiding the island."

“What if we could ...”, Danny offered, tentatively as he still hadn’t thought this fully through, “use that against him?  Punish him via his clones?
Like, I dunno, a virus or something ... that could be passed through the network ... ?”
This message was last edited by the player at 11:50, Fri 04 June 2021.

"Is it really Sisyphean though? If the what we want from him is intel about the Mutant Brotherhood cell, any copies of him would work. If we want to remove the target, I am not sure what to do. Deploying a bio weapon can certainly work but it also can go sour really fast, and it needs to be developed. Though I assume you have skills in that area Danny since not many people think about unleashing a virus as a first course of action. Hehe. It also assumes that he is going to contact with his duplicates before he realises something is off with them. Do we know how does he communicate with his duplicates?"

OOC: It is a rule that everyone uses blue for speech and orange for ooc text for this campaign Danny, you might want to fix that message.

"As long as the information is old enough, we could get it from one of them, yes. But once a duplicate has been created it has its own memory. It's only when that duplicate is reabsorbed that that duplicate's memory is absorbed into the other one. As for communication, outside of the reabsorption they communicate as any normal person would. Other duplicates have no idea if some of them are off-task until they observe it or are told, for example."

"I don't think we need to discuss the feasibility of a virus," Frank said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Anything that we could possibly use to infect him would be transmissible. He'd be a walking pandemic. The idea is to interrogate him, anyway... not punish him."

He was more than a little disturbed to hear that kind of idea coming out of their medic. Whatever happened to 'First, do no harm'?

"Thank you, Ana.  We were working under the assumption that all the clones shared a ‘hive mind’ of a sort.  If each of them has separate memories, it certainly complicates matters"

He scratched his beard as he thought some more.  This wasn't good.

"Here's what we know about ‘Michael’: He currently resides at Kalispel, Montana.  Owns a floral shop.  Married.  Two children.  We got records of him being there, at Kalispel, going back six years.  This means that whatever information he does have might be out of date.  On the other hand, interrogating him could still yield valuable intelligence, and we can’t afford to miss out on the opportunity.  Not when we know the Brotherhood are still out there, planning their next move.  So lets start putting a plan together on how we go about capturing him, without endangering civilians"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:32, Wed 02 June 2021.

Danny smirked at the quick judgement and condescension of his fellow.
The guy obviously didn't understand what could be done: what a virus was ... and could be.

But now wasn't the time to try to explain the possibilities.
For now, Danny would sit quietly, and hear what the others had to say ... and learn a little more about those he'd be working closely with as the days and weeks went on.

"There is a way to use his power against him. His copies are basically separate entities from what I've gathered from you Ana. I bet there is at least one copy entertaining the idea of a life where can he his own instead of a mere copy. If we can find and cut a deal with such copy, it would help us to dismantle the terrorist cell."

"Yes, that may well be a good approach."

"I wouldn't mind giving him an offer, but that's assuming he wouldn't bolt the minute he sees us, or creates more clones.  I don't know if this is a chance I am willing to take"

"I could knock him out with some gas" Mistress leaned forward on her elbows "If we can somehow get him into a confined space, it wouldn't matter how many clones he creates.  They'll all be affected just the same"

"About creating about more clones... That is a good question. Can his clones create clones or can this only be performed by the main guy?"

"The clones can create new clones, unfortunately. In essence, they're all originals."

"Great"

This was becoming worse and worse by the minute.  Their man can create as many clones of him as he desires, and they don't have any guarantee he has the information they need to begin with.  This mission has the potential to become one huge clusteruck.

"Our man is wanted for the attack on Nomans land Island.  And I got warrants for him going ten years back for drug possession, larceny, breaking and entering,  assault.  He belongs behind bars" he takes a deep breath "BUT - seeing this one is of no threat, I will be satisfied with getting the information we want"

"That ought to be tough enough, without trying to capture or kill the entire... whatever you want to call him. Species, maybe." Frank was glad they weren't going to try anything stupid, like unleashing a plague on the guy. "Hopefully he'll be willing to talk, or open to a little light persuasion."

"I'm not against trying to talk with him, but what guarantee do we have that he wouldn't split the moment he sees us?" and he meant that in two different ways
"Do we know anything about what he's like, at all, from our encounter at Nomans land?

"Each copy of him seems to be somewhat unique, somewhat how identical twins are different individuals, though notably closer than that. They don't seem to be anything special as individuals. The island's guards were able to kill many of them. Similarly, the ones we faced were not difficult to handle. The problem is the multitude of them. In some ways, I wonder if targeting him financially so he cannot afford to feed and house so many of himself might be one of the most effective ways of containing him."

"I meant more what he's like as a person, and if we can trust him to be reasonable.  But if they're all different individuals then we can't judge what that copy might do based on our previous experiences"

Price scratched his beard

"Going in without intel is asking for it.  But I don't think we have enough to go on to draw a full psychological profile of the man either.   Knocking him out cold might be our safest bet.  Get him to a secure location where we can interrogate him properly, without endangering anyone else other than ourselves" he stopped to look at Ana
"Or perhaps you can dominate him from a distance.  Plant a suggestion in his mind that would make him more amenable to talk?"

"... or maybe give a clone a viral toxin ... non-communicable, debilitating but not life-treatening ... that he might be willing to 'deal' for the cure to?" Danny suggested quietly, as much to himself as anyone else.

"We're not poisoning the guy," Frank snapped, hearing Danny's muttered comment. He smacked a hand down on the table almost hard enough to crack it. What was wrong with this guy? Viruses and toxins? Wasn't he supposed to be a medic? Frank wasn't sure he'd want Danny to be responsible for any of his future treatments. The kid sounded like a mad scientist in the making. "We're going to talk to him. In a locked room and under bright lights, if need be, but just talk.

"No toxins, no viruses, no torture... no bullshit."

She'd let it go earlier, but here it is again. "I can hear you as though you whispered in my ear." She glares at the new guy. "When we last encountered the guy we're after and his associates, they were trying to free mutants from medical experimentation. Freedom Force just recently interrogated a doctor running experiments on them." Ana Sofía's temperature is certainly rising as she continues. "We Native Americans were attacked with disease, and more recently unknowingly subjected to medical experiments! Now we mutants are having medical stuff forced upon us! Why would we want to perpetuate that!?" A few things around the room start to jiggle and rattle, and sounds of screaming are 'heard' without any sound. Ana Sofía stops to calm herself a little; the jiggling and non-sound screaming die down. "One of Ms. Cooper's agreements with Freedom Force is that we end such unwanted medical 'treatment' on mutants. That was a caveat Frank and I both needed to hear before signing up."

“Calm down!!” Price raised his voice over Ana’s and Frank’s  “The both of you!”

Frank’s slamming his fist, and Ana’s telekinetic outburst, ended up spilling Price’s coffee all over the table.  It was a ridiculously large mug – the size of a soup bowl, and the hot coffee reached halfway across the table before dripping to its sides, soaking into the wall-to-wall carpeting.

“God damn it, you voice your disagreements in a civilized manner, or don’t do it at all”  he gave them all a stern look to make sure they got the message.  He decided not to address the specifics of Ana's and Frank's objections, nor Danny's idea; he'll be damned if he allows them to hijack his meeting!

“Now, Windtalker, I believe I asked you a question.  Can you, or can you not, make sure he'll be willing to talk with us?"

"I might be able to convince him, especially if it's close to what he wants to do already for whatever reason. A little push in the right direction is easier than total domination. He's not especially strong-willed nor was his mind protected by anyone else last time."

Newton's face was blank, though his clenched fists were betraying his facial expression.

"Sir, I believe we need to change mission parameters. I don't see a possibility of capturing this guy completely, not now at least. And I don't think our laws can handle this guy in the court. It would take years long planning to completely capture this guy."

He drank some water from to bottle in front of him. This team lacked cohesion, granted they were just brought together but they were not in a state to operate, hopefully Price will put them in a decent shape before the assignment.

"Also, I would like to know more about this doctor and speak to him myself"

Danny just sighed, and shrugged his shoulders in acceptance.
This was not a room for contributing, he was gathering ... unless you agreed with the aggressive types.  There would be little room for tolerance or empathy for varied points of view.

"Focus! Our mission is to apprehend and interrogate Michael Thornton.  Get intel on the rest of the Brotherhood.  NOT capture each and every one of his clones"

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he would continue

"Now - I'm going to tell you exactly how its going to go down.  One - We take the next flight to Kalispel.  Two - we loan a van from the local FBI office.  Three - Danny, Newton, Fiona set up around the Floral shop. Frank rides with me.  Ana and Mistress walk inside and try to talk him into coming with us.  If they fail, Mistress will gas the entire store and knock him out cold.  Backup team to get involved only if he makes a run for it.  Questions?"

Frank had no questions. He shook his head briefly, and kept silent.

Ana Sofía nods to the plan, staying silent now.

Danny, also, acknowledged and indicated that he had no questions ... and began to pack up here, so he could prepare for said flight.

Ana Sofía finds a moment to catch Danny to ask, "If you're able to manipulate viruses really well, how about something in the other direction? Could you cure a child of cancer? Dr. Adler's son is dying of cancer, which is how Dr. Karasu and Essex were able to manipulate him to do his experiments on mutants."

"All clear sir"

"Good!"

Price checks his watch

"I'm off to arrange our flight.  In the meantime, get ready; acquaint yourself with the map of Kalipsel and the surrounding of the 'Woodland Floral and Gifts'.  Don't pack too much either - we will pick up whatever equipment we need from the local FBI office"

Danny stopped and considered Ana Sofia's question a moment, then said, "I haven't attempted such yet ... but ... I can't see why I couldn't ".   He seemed speculative, but with an underlying confidence.
"Maybe we should speak with Mr Price about that option".

The small city of Kalispell lied at the center of Flathead Valley, tucked between two subranges of the Rocky mountains. The main attraction wasn’t the city itself (though it had its own sort of rugged charm), but its surrounding;  the vast areas of untouched wilderness that beckoned outdoors enthusiasts.   The green valley was surrounded by forested mountaintops, with rivers and creeks interconnecting hundreds! of small lakes.  Life in Kalispell, really, was just passing the time Monday till Friday in anticipation for the next camping trip.

The team could definitely feel the different vibe once they landed in the small airport.  Everybody seemed far more relaxed, less in a hurry.  Not to mention friendlier.   After picking up their luggage, and checking in to one of the small family-run hotels, they spent the next day at the local FBI office preparing for their mission.  Price made them memorize the street names surrounding Michael’s floral shop.  He grilled them on where each of them was supposed to be throughout the operation, and what they should be doing in case things go south.   It wasn’t supposed to be complex – get in, convince Michael to come with them peacefully to answer a few questions.  If he bolts, knock him out.   Kalispell was a sparsely populated town, and ‘Woodland Floral and Gifts’ was located at its outskirts.  That, at least, would make things simpler if they had to use deadly force.

“Alright”  Price was sitting with Frank at the back of the very conspicuous black van, which they therefore had to park on the adjacent street to avoid being spotted.

“Everybody is in position” he communicated to the team via their hidden earpieces, having confirmed that they were where they were supposed to be by checking the feed from their body cameras.

“Mistress, Windtalker – you’re up.  Remember; nice and easy"

Walking through the airport Ana Sofía says to no one in particular, "I should retire to a place like this... peaceful."

---

In the planning she says, "What's our story? How about getaway wedding planning? Wilderness retreat wedding? That would give him a reason to speak with us more than just buying something."

---

"Shall we?" Ana Sofía asks Mistress as she gets out of the van. She walks with Mistress over to the floral shop. Walking through the door she says to Mistress, "This place looks nice. I bet they'll be able to do a great job with it."

A sweet shopkeeper’s bell welcomed Ana and Mistress into Michael’s shop.  A couple dozens of richly colored bouquets (made in advance for the walk-ins) were placed at the forefront of the room, and to the sides of the narrow aisle leading to the counter at the back.  There, their person of interest was busy working on the new orders, together with his assistant.

“I got this, Clara” he smiled at the young woman and stepped behind the counter, wiping his hands on his apron as he briskly walked over to Ana and Mistress, a cheerful smile on his face.

“Good morning ladies, and welcome.  What can I do for you for?”

This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 15:45, Sun 13 June 2021.

That he doesn't quickly recognize her tells Ana Sofía something. She smiles back and begins speaking a little lower so the other woman won't hear. She gives a nudge to make her suggestion sound more appealing before he makes any sudden decision. "Hi. We have an offer for you. You can come peacefully and quietly with us to discuss the Legion, or you can make it difficult on us and make the ensuing discussion less pleasant. After all, it seems you yourself haven't been up to what your kin have been."

Mind Control Complication
1d10 Willpower
1d8 One Step  Ahead of You
1d8 Mind Control
1d8 Psych
1d6 Enthralling Mind (+1 step effect die)

12:17, Today: Ana Sofia Garcia Mendez rolled 2,6,1,6,2 using d10,d8,d8,d8,d6 with rolls of 2,6,1,6,2.  Nudging the Legion her way.

That's a 12 with a d12 effect die.
Doom Pool gains d8 -> +1 PP (2 PP now).

In the van, Frank did nothing but observe the equipment that was listening to and recording the conversation. The recording appeared to be functioning excellently, with the voices being clear and precise. No adjustments were required.

It was boring. But it was necessary.

"Yes, yes, of course" Michael's head bobbled up and down.  Ana could have 'suggested' that he slit his own throat, and he would have considered it to be an excellent idea just the same.

"I will come peacefully and quietly with you to discuss the Legion" he repeated after her, almost word to word
This message was last edited by the player at 18:14, Mon 14 June 2021.

Ana Sofía leads him down the street and around to the adjacent street and the awaiting van.

Danny shivered, but not from the cold.   “Reminds of that freaky little ‘sweet, perfect village’  Twin Peaks; or that ‘lovely village in Hot Fuzz’,  or Lakeside in American Gods.
I bet there’s all levels insanity and corruption festering just under its surface.  A place this ‘pretty’ doesn’t exist unless some sick, twisted power is making it be this way”, he had replied.


He was remembering that just now, as he sat at the cafe on the next corner, casually watching the two women ‘escorting’ their charge to the van.

He stood, and wandered over the the bike he’d requisitioned from the FBI, and readied to follow the van at a safe distance once it pulled off into the traffic.

“I’ll be damned” 

Price had to admit there was something a bit spooky about the way Michael followed in Ana’s footstep like a lost puppy.  If she could do it to him, she could do it to just about anybody.
In fact, he preferred to believe it was some sort of ruse by Michael.  He would have slept better if that was the case.

But it wasn't

Michael climbed right through the rear door and sat down next to Price without saying a word. All Price had to do was close the doors behind him, and signal Frank to get a move-on

"Alright, team" Price's voice was a bit hoarse.  More so than usual. "We got hold of our target. Coming around to pick up Mistress and Newton. Danny, Fiona - you escort us back to HQ"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:32, Tue 15 June 2021.

"Well, this was smooth. But I am not complaining about it. Best kind of mission, isn't that right Mistress?"

Newton pulled out his phone to watch cat videos while waiting for their transport to arrive.

Frank moved himself over into the driver's seat and pulled the van out into the street. He wasn't familiar with the area yet, but he knew how to drive around the block to pick up the others without getting lost... and the turn-by-turn instructions of the GPS would get him back to the local field office.

A short hour later Michael was sitting silently at the table in the FBI’s interrogation room, patiently waiting to tell Freedom Force everything they wanted to know about the ‘Legion’.   Price first instinct was to handcuff the guy, just in case (he has seen the vids from Nomans Land, and thought they had to take some precautions), but seeing how docile the man was changed his mind.

“Alright, team, lets get this show on the road.  Get in there and see what you can find out.  Just make sure you don’t harm him; he seems wiling to cooperate, and if he doesn’t, Ana can always apply a bit more pressure.  I’ll be monitoring you from outside”


OOC:...moving things along

Before going in Ana Sofía asks, "Should we make sure he has a lawyer so the lawyer can at least hear us question him? I don't know what the procedure should be." She also tells Price and the others, "He hasn't merged with any of his clones that were on the island and met me. Otherwise he would have recognized me, having absorbed their memories."

Depending on the response, Ana Sofía either waits or heads in fairly soon.

Ana Sofía joins the interrogation. "Mr. Thornton, are you aware that some of your clones... Is that a good term?... have been causing some problems? I don't know how the Justice Department will handle things, but right now I expect they look to hold every individual accountable for the actions of all of the clones. That would make you culpable for everything done by any of your clones, and they will want to lock you away forever. The only way I can stop things from going that far is to find out everything I can from you to show you weren't involved with everything your clones did."

"He's not under arrest," Frank replied, based on his admittedly limited knowledge of the judicial system. All of the TV shows he'd ever watched, though, agreed on this point. They weren't required to get him a lawyer unless he asked for one, and they weren't required to specifically inform him of his right to representation unless they were actually placing him under arrest. "We're in the clear on that point."

What he didn't bother to say was that they weren't entirely in the clear where it came to Ana Sofia's mental influence. Cooper and Price assured them that they had a wide latitude where it came to this sort of thing, but it still felt pretty... iffy.

Danny preferred to join Price in the adjoining room; seeing no need to flood the interrogation room with bodies that didn't intend to get involved.    'Too many cooks ...' as the old adage went.

Michael’s jaw dropped with utter disbelief.
“What? No!” he sprang from his chair “I had nothing to do with any wrongdoings.  You can’t hold me responsible for the actions of some loonies who happen to look like me” the injustice of it had him reeling inside “please.  I’ve been here in Kalispell my entire life.  Never set foot farther than twenty miles away from the city’s center”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:35, Thu 17 June 2021.

"We are not accusing you with anything Mr Thornton. You are not under arrest. However we would be really happy if you have anything to share about activities of your clones. However irrelevant or unimportant may intel be, we would appreciate it regardless" Newton said as he entered the interrogation room, carrying cups of tea on a tray for everyone in the room, including Thornton.

"I hope you like tea Mr Thornton."

"I don't know what they're up to" Michael really did want to cooperate fully with them. Only he had no clue what any of the other versions of him were up to.  He wasn't mentally linked with them.  They were strangers, for all intent and purposes

"All I have are memories from way back before" he tried to give them something  "Not MY memories.  I mean; there are my memories, but I didn't actually do any of things I remember doing.  I think..."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 16:53, Fri 18 June 2021.

"Before we delve into those memories from way back before, when and where did you last create another version of yourself? Knowing that could help us track down the real criminals. Also, as you know your power better than anyone, is there a way of limiting it so we can slow down the criminals?"

"And while you're at it, tell us this," Frank said, stepping in through the doorway. He'd been listening in the hall, but now he needed to go in to get some information that the conversation might not otherwise cover. Despite his appearance of youth, his size was imposing, particularly in the small interrogation room. He could have used this to his advantage, leaning in over the table in a menacing fashion.... but the guy was cooperating, so instead he hung back behind the others. "How is it that you're running a flower shop in the middle of nowhere while the rest of you is off committing acts of domestic terror and treason? What makes you different?

"Are you the original?"

Michael reached out to one of the tea cups, nodding thankfully with his head.  He didn't sip though, content to hold the hot cup in his hands for warmth

"I've never created any clone.  How could I?  The last thing I want is another version of me competing for the affection of my wife.  It just seems... wrong" he shook his head "I do have memories of me creating more clones in the past.  I mean not me-me. But the old me. Other me? I seem to remember our limit was a few thousands.  Combined.  Between all of us.  It might have changed since then though"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:16, Fri 18 June 2021.

"Ah, so you are not the original? You are one of the clones who has gone on to lead a life of his own? Let's focus on the original, then. If you can help us track him down, that could help us show you are not at all part of these crimes."

Michael reflexively retreats farther into the corner when Frank walks into the room.  It was already rather crowded in there, and the massive man looked rather intimidating, even if he didn’t threaten him with violence.  Why else would he be there?

“I guess its something a part of me always wanted to do.  Settle down somewhere, live a good life” he answered Frank while still looking at Ana “And like I told you; I have no way to know where any of the others are.  We don’t keep in touch”

Then a thought pops into his head

“You know who could help you?  Professor Xavier! He has a way to find and track every mutant on the planet.  At least that’s what they told me…”

"Xavier." Frank rolled his eyes. They could just run back to the X-Men for help every time some little thing came up. "Of course. Thanks for that."

Now he leaned in across the table.

"Listen," he said in a low voice. "You've got to give us something we can use. If there's no telling you and the others apart, they might as well just prosecute you for the crimes that the others committed... and they probably will. Tell me something useful, though, and all this goes away.

"How do we identify the original? If we can track him down, you're superfluous."

"No, please! I haven't done anything wrong" Michael turned deathly pale "You can't.  My wife.  My daughters.  It wasn't me who did these things, it wasn't me" he shakes his head vigorously, and it wasn't quite clear if he was trying to convince Frank, or also himself

"Please, I will help you in any way I can, but I don't know where the others are.  I don't.  But maybe...maybe HE does"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:10, Mon 21 June 2021.

Ana Sofía speaks mentally to her team, 'I suspect prosecuting him will run into problems. If they convict this clone, they probably cannot convict the actually guilty clones. And I don't think we're getting any more from this one. Should we chat about this outside of his earshot?'

"Hello, hello, does this work both ways? I believe we can't prosecute him anyways. And that would be a pointless endeavour. All we accomplish would be jailing an innocent man"

"I believe you Mr Thornton. What I wan't is your help. I am going to give a pen and paper to you. So you can write whatever detail about mutant brotherhood cell you can write before your... I believe emergence is the right word here." Newton left the room for a moment and brought a pen and several papers.

"Whatever tiny detail you remember is useful to us. And don't forget, you are in a grave danger. A single touch from one of your copies and you would be absorbed to be disappear forever. You diverged from rest of your copies but they seem to be fairly collectivist given how they threw their lives away.

Danny sat with Price, in the adjoining Observation room.
It seemed that threats and intimidation were considered 'viable' and acceptable ... at least by some in that room.

Mostly, he was watching Price, to gauge how 'the boss' was reacting to the methods and threats being made.
Danny was more interested in what Price seemed to consider acceptable methods.

«I think we just cut him loose,» Frank suggested to the others over Ana Sofia's mental link. «But we keep an eye on him for a few days, and see if he talks to anyone about this.»

“There was one man” Michael breath turned heavy, and he turned his eyes away to look down at the floor “He…he goes by the name of ‘Eric’. He offered me to join the ‘Brotherhood’, but I turned him down.  Maybe he convinced the others to join him.  Probably” the room started spinning around him, and he sat back down before he would lose his balance
“Please.  Can I go now?”

"Team; he isn't going anywhere until he tells us everything he knows about the Brotherhood, and we confirm the veracity of what he told us" Price talked to them through their earpieces

"And that is very generous offer, considering the Department of Homeland Security wants this guy locked up.  Get him talking"

Newton left the interrogation room and went near Price to respond.

"On what charges? He is practically twin of a criminal, but that's not a crime. Technically he was born in American soil, so that makes him eligible for birthright citizenship. Unless you put him a jury against mutant haters he can't be found guilty. Of course, assuming he is telling the truth. With all due respect sir, wishes of Department of Homeland Security are irrelevant until this guy gets his fair trial. Every mutant is a security threat to them." said Newton while sneering.

"And what was with Xavier's machine that can find every mutant. Are we going to follow that?"

He then addressed Ana through the earpieces
"Ana, can you mentally probe,- or whatever you call it - him to see if he is telling the truth. I am not going to let an innocent man rot in jail, but I need to be sure. Actually, can we ask him to allow for a full scan. Can your powers work that why or am I being silly?"

Danny remained quiet, watching and listening.  This was intriguing him:  not the interrogation, but the dynamics between this budding 'team'.

Ana Sofía tries to check Michael's mind to confirm he's being truthful.


Can I use his Complication for a d12? I'll roll it now just in case, and give both results.

Willpower d10
Telepathy d10
Psych d8
1 PP d6

19:33, Today: Ana Sofia Garcia Mendez rolled 8,4,4,1,4 using d12,d10,d10,d8,d6 with rolls of 8,4,4,1,4.  Checking for truth.

With d12:
12 with a d10 effect die

Without d12:
8 with an d10 effect die

Either way, d8 to the doom pool and +1 PP, leaving her at 2 PP.

"Look" an annoyed Price keeps his headset on all through his discussion with Newton. He wouldn't want to repeat himself if anyone else has the same objections

"He might claim those crimes were committed by his ‘progenitor’, but you could also make the case that letting him go is like releasing ‘born again’ Jeffrey Dahmer from prison.  All I know is that we have a warrant for his arrest.  He wants to plead his innocence?  He’s welcome to do it in a court of law”

And boy, was Price happy he wouldn’t have to sit through the proceedings.  Sorting this mess out would likely take years, and set all sort of weird legal precedents.

"Our job is to protect America.  Right now, all I want are his leads on the Brotherhood. I'll face the DOJ and tell them we couldn't hold him if he comes through.  But I'm not sticking my neck out for him if he doesn't cooperate. fully” 
This message was last edited by the player at 09:05, Thu 24 June 2021.

"That is why I said that our laws are not ready to handle this case before. And I am doing my job sir. Our job is to protect America, and what is America if not her citizens. But I don't need to say this to you, sir, do I? You taught me that."

This case was too hard, it would to be too hard still even if they were a veteran group, doing this for years. It was too nuanced, it questioned what means being a person, it was testing our laws. He took a deep breath in frustration.

"This is quite a mess, isn't it, sir?"

"It is" and he didn't just mean the situation with Michael "Now go back to the room and do your job.  I want all the details on that 'Xavier' person, and 'Eric'.  Plus whatever else he may know about the Brotherhood, or any other mutant he has ever met.  Then we can discuss the conditions of his release"

OOC: Ana - Michael really doesn't know where the rest of his clones are (but he might still have pertinent information about the Brotherhood).  If he is innocent of any crime, he himself is unsure of.  He has memories of living hundreds of different lives before he arrived at Kalispell.  Some of those people WERE criminals.  He has no way to know if his current 'body' was the one who perpetrated the crimes, or if he absorbed the memories of the ones who did.  One thing is true though ; Michael is an upstanding citizen - from the moment he arrived to Kalispell.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:08, Thu 24 June 2021.

In the outside conversation Ana Sofía says, "He's being truthful, and we won't get any more from him on his clones' activities. We might be able to get more about the Brotherhood from him, but that's about it. He hasn't been involved in anything criminal since arriving here and setting down roots; that's for sure. I suggest we go back in and focus on the Brotherhood, such as who he knows of in it, how they reach out, etc. Meanwhile, I have another thought. Mr. Price, how much visual recognition equipment do we have access to through any agencies? We can take all the recordings of this clone we want, and maybe we can identify other clones elsewhere in the United States, at least if they go near a federal building or some other actively surveilled place. It may be a shot in the dark, but it could be worth while, especially with the number of clones there may be running around."

«We know who Xavier is.» Frank wasn't sure he should be telling Price this, but it wasn't as though his name wasn't public knowledge. Professor Charles Xavier was a noted expert in the field of genetics and an outspoken proponent of mutant rights. He ran a school. All of that was well known. It wasn't the same as giving him up as the leader of the X-Men. As for who 'Erik' was, Frank only had a guess: Magneto. «I don't think there's anything for us there.»

"That's well understood, Windtalker.  Interrogate him about the Brotherhood.  Then we will see about locating the rest of his clones"

Ana Sofía heads back in. "Well, Mr. Thornton, no guarantees unfortunately. But if you tell us everything you know about the Mutant Brotherhood, as my colleague earlier requested, things are more likely to go well for you."

"I haven't met any of them save that 'Eric' character, and that was almost a year ago.   I think his power is prescience, or something of the sort; he claimed that humans are going to put us mutants in camps, then exterminate us, and that he has already seen that happen"

It was a bit farfetched, and not enough to risk 'his' life over - not when he had so much to live for!

"Anyways, I rejected his offer, and he didn't force the issue.  I did provide him with the name of an old acquaintance, which I thought might be interested in joining.  Mike Columbus.  No idea whether or not they ended up talking"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:44, Mon 28 June 2021.

To Frank, it didn't sound like Eric was prescient. It sounded to him like he was a student of history, or perhaps a participant. Genocide wasn't a new concept where it came to mutants. There had been any number of genocides, attempted and completed, through the course of human history, dating all the way back to the conflict of Neanderthal versus Cro Magnon. The history of the human race was the history of genocide.

And, from a historical perspective, he might be right, too. Humans and Mutants might never be willing to share the same territories and resources. Eventually one might try to destroy the other.

None of this got them any closer to the Brotherhood, though. But Mike Columbus was a new lead.

"Who is this Mike Columbus?" Frank asked.

"Just a guy I knew from way back in highschool.  Kids called him Cyclops, on account of him having only one eye.  He really struggled - couldn't walk down the street without people staring at him.  No friends, no romantic prospects. .." Michael sighed.  The mutants that still looked like humans, himself included, were the lucky ones.  A majority had some deformity or another that prevented them from blending in. If people treated you like a monster, eventually you started believing you really are one

"He grew resentful.  Nothing I could do to help him.  So I thought, you know, that he will be happy with people that will actually care about him"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:24, Tue 29 June 2021.

"That's accessory to a crime right there!" aiding a known terrorist certainly was.  Price had to remind himself that Michael didn't confess because he was too dimwitted to realize what he's done, but because he was being mind controlled by Windtalker.  Once again, he wondered if any of this would stand at a court of law. It was good that they already had a warrant for his arrest, so he didn't have to think too hard on the subject

"Alright team, wrap it up; arrest him, read him his rights.  I'm going to ask the Feds to help us track Mike Columbus down.  It shouldn't be too hard..." even if he didn't only have one eye, his name and age would be enough to go on.

Danny sat quietly, watching the rest of the team through the one-way glass ... and watched Douglas Price leave the room the two were in.

So Price really seemed to be the 'achieve the goal, and we'll deal with the repercussions later'  type.   Sure, do it as ethically as possible, but get the job done regardless.
Mental coercion, intimidation, ethically-bendable methods.   It was good to know what the boss wanted and needed.

Danny sat back.  He could work with that ... regardless of what his team-mates thought.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:11, Thu 01 July 2021.

Frank sighed. This was not how things should have gone. But Thornton had committed crimes before he'd become a law-abiding citizen in the middle of nowhere, and they'd never caught up with him. And now he'd admitted to helping Erik recruit mutants to the Brotherhood. This wasn't going to go well for the guy.

"Mister Thornton, at this point I'm going to have to advise you of your rights," Frank said. He began to recite the Miranda warnings that he'd long ago learned from television....

Things got resolved before Newton returned to interrogation room. This, this whole ordeal was ugly, it was getting uglier and Newton hated it. Regardless he got a job to do, so he communicated with the team through earpieces.

"I want to follow other leads as soon as possible. We need to see if we got anything on this Mike Columbus guy. And a meeting with Professor Xavier. I will also inform Mr. Thornton's family that is he is under custody. I wish to keep him on our base though. It would be trivial for his clones launch a suicide attack to absorb him and kill themselves in a facility like this."

Ana Sofía stays silent as Frank reads the miranda rights. Lawyers can try to sort out the craziness of this later. She leaves the room and then bides her time until the arrest is formally done.

"But you told me that if I revealed something useful you'll let me go!" Michael started to protest as he realizes what a mess he got himself into "I'm supposed to pick Laura from kindergarten today.  And who's going to look after the store?  I just can't be arrested, I can't be" his voice cracked.  This was going to be the end of his life as he knew it.  If they are going to pin every crime one of his clones ever committed, he would never see the light of day.  But that wasn't the worse part.  There were people who depended on him.  A family.  It wasn't fair for his daughters to grow up without a father

"Please" he tried one last time, to no avail.  The two stone-faced officers who entered the room have heard these types of sob stories all before.  'Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time'.  They handcuffed him, and ushered him out of the room, the only resistance they had to overcome was his weeping.

Michael left the room, and Price entered soon after.
"Good job everyone.  We're going to keep Mr. Thornton here - HQ doesn't have the required facilities to hold a dangerous criminal, or the manpower" he gave a short nod to Newton
"We're going to track down Mike Columbus.  I bet if he can locate him, we will find the rest of the Brotherhood with him.  But I am more interested in this 'Professor Xavier'.  If he really found a way to track down mutants, it could make our jobs MUCH easier" 
This message was last edited by the player at 05:54, Fri 02 July 2021.

"Is someone going to make sure his daughter gets home safely?"

"I will do that. I was planning to see his family myself." He could at least do that.

"How soon can we see Professor Xavier? I am willing to free fall towards his address if accepts random visitors right after I am done with the family." Free falling was his poor attempt at flying. He had yet to manage flying properly, so he would shift direction of gravity, so he could fall up or sideways. He disliked how it felt, landing was always annoying, but it could be fast.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Fri 02 July 2021.

"That wouldn't be necessary; " Price lifted his hand " we will call up his wife and let her know he's been arrested.  As for Professor Xavier; internet says he is some world renewed geneticist, specializing in Mutants. Runs a private school in Salem Center, New York "

"Ana Sofia and I attended that school," Frank said, surprised that Price didn't know. It would have been in their files. Maybe he was letting them keep it a secret from the others? If so, then it was a short-lived one. "I think the two of us should go talk to the Professor, and try to talk him into sharing his tech."

Frank didn't even know for sure that this technology really existed. It had been a widespread rumor at the school, but never proven to the students one way or the other.

"We'll talk about assignments once we get back to HQ.  There's one other thing I need to update you about though" he paused for a second before delivering the bad news
"Dr. Steven Adler committed suicide in his cell last night.  Cut his own wrists. They haven't released it to the public yet, but they will before the end of the day"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:13, Sat 03 July 2021.

Danny wasn't sure who this 'Dr Adler' was.   Was he the guy that Ana mentioned earlier; with the cancer-ridden kid?
Either way, Danny wasn't invested in what happened to this Adler guy, so the news didn't mean much to him ... but he figured it was about to have some impact on others present.

Either way, he was packing up his stuff, now; preparing to head back to headquarters.
It occured to him that he could mark this Thornton, in a way that would carry through to any clones he made ... but he still wasn't sure what this team would tolerate beyond mind controlling, intimidating and threatening a target.