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?"