Frank didn't check his phone. He'd do that when the meeting was done, but not before. Johnson would likely blow a gasket if everyone started looking at their phones while he was talking.

"Where do we even begin to investigate?" he asked. "The voting machines could have been hacked from anywhere."

At least there were still paper copies of most votes. Those couldn't be hacked, and would tell the truth of the matter when inspected.

"It's too bad Shiva got arrested.  But um,  what is the point of printing out what the computer says?  doesn't that just confirm the same thing?" Clearly she doesn't know much about the process or even aware that actual paper ballots exist.  "Do we just start going around and asking people if they will share what they voted with us to see if it matches what is on the print out which matches what is on the electronic record which we think is wrong?"

"No, we're not going to do anything of the sort.  There are going to be manual recounts of the paper ballots, and statistical analysis performed.  I don't know what they will do if they find every electronic ballot cast went to President Davis, since it can never be proven to have been tampered with, but I'd think it would be enough to disqualify the elections" or get Davis to call for a new one.  In fact, the results were so incredulous for that already.  But there won't be a point for running a new election if they don't apprehend the culprit first:

"Our new member of Freedom Force night provide us with a lead.  Misty is a pre-cog, and - " Johnson's phone rang just as he was about to complete the sentence. Grimacing after looking at the number, he placed his phone on the table and put it on speaker:
"Johnson"

Over the speakerphone a woman's voice can be heard with a gentle New York City tone to it. "Sir, you wanted me to talk to the team now... We need to get to Seattle. In about half a day a mob, the police, and reporters surrounded... will surround... a building. We need to be there. It looks bad."

Gwenyth is still trying to figure out how to empty her inbox, so she doesn't get the message!

Gwenyth smiles at Kate. She doesn't know very much about the process but she knows the voting process is unnecessarily convoluted and it's nice to see someone drawing attention to the fact.

Gwenyth looks over as the phone goes off. She doesn't think she's ever heard Agent Johnson's phone go off, let alone in the middle of a briefing. "I like Seattle," Gwenyth says. "It rains there a lot. Hello agent Misty!" she calls to the phone, waving as though the lady on the other end can see her.

Johnson frown deepened.  Was there any point in asking his next question, or would Misty know what he was going to say anyways?
"How does this relate to the elections? What's in that house?"

Illya's brows furrow, "What if it wasn't the machines that were hacked? What if it was the people? That'd be much harder to detect." But his line of thought collapses as he moves to help Gwenyth with her technological challenges, "You'll just need to delete some stuff from your inbox. See, here's the button...Wait. How far back do these emails go?!"

Illya compulsively checks his comms device when the message comes through, frowning slightly when he sees that his access to social media was still locked. But the frown quickly turns into a sly(ish) smile when he sees the message.

Misty's voice snaps Illya out of his reverie and a look of open wonder erupts onto his face, "Hi Misty! Welcome to Freedom Force. Did...did you know I was going to say that?"

Misty answers Johnson, "A child in that house, Brian, is a mutant. He's only twelve. He's somehow responsible, or at least catching the blame, for rigging the election."

Replying to the greetings she says, "Hi, Gwenyth. Hi, Ilya. I recognize your voices, as I watched video of you both after we met... or knew we would meet. Ilya, there are many future possibilities, but as things get closer they converge to become the present; so I don't always see what will happen, but lots of possible outcomes. When big outcomes get more solidified, they're clearer."

"Okay, wow! That's awesome. Uh, in Seattle. Do you see anyone with powers? And just to clarify. The police and press are surrounded with the mob? Or are they part of the mob?"

"Alright, fine!" Johnson let out an exasperated sigh "I don't like it that we don't have anything to corroborate, but it's not like we have anything else to go on. I'll arrange our flight and we can figure everything out on our way. Get ready to leave for the airport in thirty minutes.  Agent Deneuve; we'll meet you at Reagan"

"Yes, sir. I called an Uber to Reagan after I heard you say so. I'm already packed, and it just arrived. I've arranged for equipment in Seattle so I don't need to deal with weapons in the airport. It'll be good to see the rest of you in person soon."

Illya, who can't help himself, leans over to Kate, "Okay. That was spooky."

When Illya moves over with Tech Support Face Gwenyth thrusts her phone at him like it is a used diaper. "It's broken, fix it," she mutters before he can offer up any explanation. She also waves away any attempted efforts to explain how to fix it herself. Gotta pay attention to the briefing after all!

"I hope it was a flattering video, haha~!" Gwenyth laughs sheepishly. Agent Misty has her at a disadvantage it seems! Fortunately she is used to people seeing video of her long before they met, being an ex-actress and all~.

"Blaming children again..." Gwenyth sighs sadly.

Gwenyth is a little jealous of how organized and prepared Agent Misty is! She could make a killing as a travel agent or something!

In reply to Gwenyth Blake (msg # 23):

Illya finally has a phone to play with! He begins tapping away and his attention immediately withdraws from the briefing. Agent Johnson could burst into flames and Illya wouldn't notice.

"Well, we'd best be going," said Frank, getting up from the table when it looked like the meeting was done.

"Wait, I have a concern!" Gwenyth speaks up. "Seattle is, like, just about the farthest Freedom Force could possibly get from DC, right? Should we really be flying the entire team over to the other side of the country at a time like this? With... the death of Agent Mistress..." She falters and takes a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. "... t-the B-Team consists of just Agent Dunn, right? Is that enough? And her zombie horde isn't exactly the most PR-friendly show of force during this delicate situation..."

In reply to Black Hole (msg # 22):

"Spooky Awesome."  Kate whispered back then turning more towards the phone she spoke louder so it would be picked up.  "It was nice to meet you Misty, I hope we will already be friends when I catch up on getting to know you.  Future tenses are weird.  Do they ever work that out?"

"We can't be everywhere at once" he said after some careful consideration.  Her concern wasn't invalid, considering the pace of events in the last few weeks "We'll just have to hope for the best.  Or for someone else to pick up the slack for once"
Rising, he picked up his phone and took it off speaker:
"We're on our way Agent Deneuve.  We'll see you there"

The team rendezvoused with Allison (aka Misty), but barely had the time to get acquainted before boarding the flight.  They didn't have much chance to talk throughout the flight either, as Johnson requested them all to keep a low profile.  That proved to be impossible.  All of them were recognized the minute they boarded the airplane.  Phones were quickly taken out to snap a picture of the heroes, and more than one person brazenly approached them asking for a selfie.  But for every ecstatic fan, there were at least three others giving them the stink-eye, and a couple of people went so far as to ask the stewardess to change seats to avoid sitting anywhere near the Mutants.

It was therefore smart of Johnson to have arranged for the VIP pickup.  A limo was waiting for them once they disembarked from the airplane, taking them, and them alone, right through security and straight out of Seattle's airfield.  From there it was a short drive to the quiet, sleepy suburb, and to the house Misty has seen in her vision.

It was early in the afternoon, with uncharacteristically clear blue skies for early November, though still rather chilly. Like on the airplane, Freedom Force were recognized the moment they stepped out of their vehicle.  A jogger deliberately slowed down to look at them from the other side of the street, and a curious neighbor stepped out of his house to get a closer look.  They wouldn't have much time before more onlookers will be on the scene.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 13:43, Wed 27 July 2022.

Humming approvingly at the perfectly cut lawn, and at the American flag hanging at the front, Johnson climbed up the stairs leading to the house, where he stopped and allowed the others to pass him by.

"Agent Blake- I want you to take the lead on this one.  We need to find out what 'Brian' has done, if anything"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:40, Wed 27 July 2022.

Illya's mood brightens considerably with the recognition that the team receives at the airport. He lingers, perhaps too long, with the fans accommodating any requests for pictures, selfies, or autographs. Only once forcibly pulled away does he depart, albeit very reluctantly.

Standing in front of the house, Illya breathes in the fresh pacific northwestern air and seems to lose a bit more of his gloom, "Oh! Gwynth! I cleared up some space in your inbox. I deleted any emails that you received before 2011. That seemed safe." Illya's tone then becomes a bit more conspiratorial, "I also rejigged your bluetooth so that it can deliver a shortrange DDOS on an electronic device. Just point and press this app. With Shiva gone, I I'm the team's tech dude now." Illya seems quite pleased with himself.

OOC: Illya has attempts to create an asset for Gwynth

Wits d6
Unwavering Confidence d8
Tech d8

Black Hole rolled 3,8,2 using d6,d8,d8 with rolls of 3,8,2.  DDOS phone hack.
Total = 11
Effect = d8
This message was last edited by the player at 14:47, Wed 27 July 2022.

On the flight Misty spends most of her time on a computer, on email and checking the market or playing chess. But she's happy to play chess on a small travel board if someone will join her.

In the car Misty makes sure she has clips of rubber bullets as well as more lethal rounds. She also dons a baton and a knife rather than two knives.

Hmm... Misty quietly says, "One of the problems is figuring out if you're actually causing an event when trying to prevent it. That neighbor over there is either in the Friends of Humanity or is just strongly partial to them. It could be that him seeing us arrive is what triggers the mob descending on this place. Regardless, keep an eye out for him and his rifle."

Illya's eyes widen to dinner plates at Misty's rumination, "Wait. What? You're just thinking about this now!? Shouldn't we have discussed this back at HQ?"

"If I saw it way back then so clearly, it was pretty much guaranteed regardless of our presence. But we may now be triggering it, so the specifics may shift some."

Each of the team's commlinks and phones(Expect for Misty and Johnson) get a sudden message. When opened, it shows a active 3D map of all the houses in the neighborhood. It also has IR signatures of each living being in each house, what they are doing, and any objects they might be holding. It will highlight possible weapons as well. It also shows a interior map of each residence, which can be touched and shown a total layout of the property-including those moving around inside. It will also highlight any electronics use that is occurring, including phone calls, texts, and video conferencing. The source of this sudden display of information is unclear, as is any digital trail that would normally be left behind.


OOC-Creating Team digital map asset.

Wits-d10
Senses-d12
Tech-d10
Uber Nerd-d4 (+1 PP)
Resources-d8

Spending 1 PP to activate tech resources
Spending 1 PP to make asset last the entire scene.

Total=14
Effect die=d12

10:51, Today: Shiva rolled 9,5,5,4,5 using 1d10,1d12,1d10,d4,d8 with rolls of 9,5,5,4,5.  Digital Map Asset .

Current PP=2.


This message was last edited by the player at 15:31, Wed 27 July 2022.