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War Witch     Recently, Ainsley, X, and Horus, investigating the presence of a villain at a Tetra Corporation building, discovered an extensive cover-up. One that ended with the heroes fleeing with the information they'd obtained, rather than face an ambush with them trapped in a small room with only one door and an unknown number of enemies with unknown capabilities.

    They reported what they found after getting away... Only to find out that the Tetra Corp building has suffered a mysterious, building-wide fire. Possibly caused by arsonists. It's Atlas Park, so there's Hellions in the area after all... Thankfully no one was hurt, but all evidence that could corroborate the story of the heroes, aside from what X and Horus may have recorded, no longer exists.

    And with no employees to link it to, and Tetra Corp saying it never owned that building, never had any of its business there, and financial records backing that up, it seems that someone set up an entire office building under a false identity in order to capture heroes like Flower Knight, and then destroyed it when it was no longer useful, without leaving any evidence connecting them to the place.

    Sure, they have the recordings of the cover-up... But they have no culprits. They're the only witnesses. And they still don't know WHY it was covered up.

    Which is why it was such a lucky break when the super villain claiming to have created the magi-tech device that took control of Flower Knight's mind turned himself in and demanded protective custody...

    Though the fact he claims he was forced to use his abilities on Flower Knight, and that there are people worse than him out to get him, adds a layer of incredulity to the mix. Presently, this villain, who goes by the name Mu'Orbiss, is in a secure holding facility, and heroes are needed to interrogate him while he's in confinement. The cell has super power suppressors, so it SHOULD be safe... But they'll be talking to him through a forcefield either way.

    Right now, the heroes are being led underground to the interrogation room. Horus's head is spinning at the series of events that have taken place.
Ainsley     When Ainsley learned there would be super power suppressors in use and that there would be a forcefield as well, she was simultaneously relieved and frustrated. She knew that the only way that she could pick up on lies in any way -- her magical eyes, tuned to the body language of her target -- would have difficulty with a couple layers of interference of that variety.

    She has a smile on her face that is as mellow as ever as they walk down to where Mu'Orbiss has been detained. Her book is held under one of her arms, and her other hand rests on the hilt of her longsword. Her stride carries more vigor and confidence that may have come from the recent events in another world. She makes sure to ask questions as they go, none of them about the front company and why they did what they did. "Would the suppressors prevent me from using my own abilities?" she wonders, hoping Horus is at least aware that she uses magic by now. "And as for the mind control risk," she adds, "I have developed a couple of counteractive spells because of a recent experience with a similar threat. Even if it does hook into any of our minds, I can squelch the commands built in to minimize the damage." Then she furrows her brow and wonders to herself, "Is it the Autumn of Mind Control or something...?" She shakes her head slowly after that joking ponderance.
Maya Maya the Blue Witch had turned up again, she'd often been a force to help War Witch and everyone else. Clad again in her costume Maya was following up the heels of Ainsley as she arrived and she ponders for a moment. She has to wonder about Ainsley's joke but she laughs though it was funny in a way to the long time unionoperative.

"Still this sort of thing ... sits a bit unwell with me I have ... fallen prey to control before."
X Having been lead on a wild goose chase, forced to contend with wildly corrupt company employees and then ASSAULTED, X is not feeling terribly forgiving or charitable. He's frowning heavily all through the procedure to speak with this strangely-named villain. "Right now I can't help but be a little suspicious of everything surrounding this case." He tells his allies, hinting that they should be on guard for ANYTHING to happen. Maybe not be sure who to trust... besides each other.
War Witch     The FBSA agent leading them down there says, "The limiters are on his side of the force field. You should be able to use your abilities just fine. We have Masks providing additional security just incase, and we can lock down the entire facility." The sunglasses-wearing agent says, "Any additional countermeasures you wish to employ would be welcomed."

    Horus turns his helmeted head towards Maya when she speaks. "Well, Blue Witch, that's why we're trying to stop it! Taking control of someone's mind isn't the kind of thing we can just allow to happen. Though his claims, even if outlandish, are also concerning..."

    He also nods in agreement with X. "Yeah, this whole thing feels like it's much bigger than even a villain who can take control of a hero. But if we can get information from him, we might have a way of combatting the larger problem..."

    Then they arrive at the cell. A blue force field separates them from the villain. A man wrapped up in red leather straps, with a red metal helmet that seems to have no eye holes... He's seemingly suspended in the air. He has red armor on his shoulders and upper torso as well. It's definitely an odd costume.

    Mu'Orbiss says, "Ah. You've arrived." when they come into view. THough how he can see them through his helmet isn't certain. Maybe there's some trick to it, like exterior cameras. Maybe he just heard their footsteps. "Time is short. You must listen."

    The FBSA agent says, "Actually, you are going to listen to these heroes' questions, and then you are going to answer them. You'll be able to talk plenty when you do that."

    "I have no time for your paltry questions. The hour of your demise grows closer!"

    Horus says, "Hey, there's no need for threats. We'll be glad to hear what you have to say, but we need to know--"

    Mu'Orbiss, surprisingly, laughs at Horus. "I am not threatening you. But fine, waste your remaining time. Only, hope there is still some left to squander when you are done."

    Horus turns to look at the others, off-put and uncertain.
X "....." X looks bewilderedly and uncertainly between the caged villainb ehind the field to the FBSA agent... then to Horus... and Maya...

    Finally back to the villain. He adopts a simple, humble tone. "If you've been waiting to speak to us we'll hear you out." X's voice is crystal clear and kind despite the circumstances. It hides some of his exasperation. Maybe he's just that mentally worn out with the situation already...
Ainsley     Ainsley's first thoughts about Mu'Orbiss range from confusion to curiosity to skepticism, but he greets them as if they were perfectly visible to them which gives her a moment of pause. She looks at Horus as the restrained villain speaks, and when he phrases it as 'hour of their demise,' she frowns in a grim way that suggests that she doesn't think he's lying. That said, she activates her Arcane Sight and watches the wavelengths in his voice and any visible body language... though his costume is awfully difficult to read him through.

    "Okay, Mu'Orbiss. Since I know we actually don't have enough information to even know where to begin questioning you, I say we hear you out." She glances aside at the agent and Horus, expecting objections, but then she says, "You clearly know something and you are willing to tell us what. We would be foolish to overlook that. But bear in mind that you will have an extraordinarily difficult time lying to me. I hope you are not offended by my precautions, I'm sure you're aware of why we have no reason to trust what you say to us." She's pretty cordial in tone, despite how dangerous this man is.

    She activates her 'lie detection' spell by opening her magic book, with an appropriate puff of blue fire-like light, tuning her Sight to the aforementioned factors for catching a lie in progress. She waits for him to explain with that serious frown on her face.
Maya Maya Says "Indeed Horus. This is the sort of thing you can't ignore, the one time you end up doing so? They were not full of it."

She notes while she enters iwith the otehrs she looks to the FBSA agent for a moment.

"Oh is that it? If your not behind it is something else ... ticking down we are unaware of?"
War Witch     The agent seems willing to let the heroes handle it. That's what they were called down here for after all. And Horus is willing to keep quiet and listen. But just like Ainsley, he is using the tech in his armor to analyze what he can. With a force field in the way, thermal imaging scans to try to register body heat changes are probably slightly inaccurate, and various other sensors as well. But he can try, at least.

    For Orbiss's part, he doesn't appear concerned about lie detection. "Do what you feel you must. As will I. To begin with, I do not deny culpability in planning to use my mystic powers to seize control of computer systems here in Paragon City and compromise them. But controlling machines is not my specialty. It is not a refined capability. And to work the spells of mind control requires more time and energy than a simple... 'Data spike' could produce. In short, the feats I am not responsible for were not casually permissable for my abilities, as loathe as I am to speak ill of my powers."

    His lowered head comes up slightly as he just keeps bobbing in the air, a shimmering blue field separating him from those he is speaking to. "My target was a facility that informants told--Me about." He started to say something else there. It was the briefest of pauses. A minor slip of the tongue of the like anyone could make. But in this situation, it probably was not just getting tongue-tied. Even so, it was not an actual lie, and he does not pause to let people consider it much.

    "Supposedly, a technology was being worked on there that I desired. A technology for installing a mental 'backdoor' in others. I faced a military force that took me down shortly after I infiltrated, using weapons designed specifically to combat me. And then they performed their procedure on me, and tuned my magic in ways I could not have managed myself without years of study. I did not learn of what they used me for until I made my escape. Needless to say, their technology works. And they had the resources to lure me there with the promise of that technology, and then use me to cover up its existence by making it seem as though I was the sole responsible party for controlling heroes... All while implicating others in the deception as well. And then they would be able to use their mental hacking without any knowledge of their existence being known even among the Intelligence community."

    Horus is frowning as he listens to all this. There's something... Wrong here. Something that's right in front of his eyes.
Ainsley     Ainsley listens to Orbiss with great interest. As he speaks, he is fairly careful not to implicate others. That small trip in his speech didn't seem like a lie, but it did hint at the presence of others in all of this.

    "It's clear that your ego could not let this manipulation stand," she speaks up, not in the least bit approving of the guy's attitude since she first heard him speak, "We know there was at least one other person present when Flower Knight fell into that trap. Do you remember who that was?"

    "Is there some way to prove you're even who you say you are? What do you gain from all of this?" She asks because she doesn't believe for a second that someone that talks with such pride would come here simply out of a sense of justice. He got trapped by his desire to improve himself.

    Meanwhile, she begins to check him for signs of tampering via that mind control tech, another spell sparking blue light from her book and a burnt page. Mind control typically requires a command or set of commands to overwrite mental processes, and she might be able to pick up in the presence of the effect. She's got the specific spell component phrases to check for the magitech traces. She frowns to herself again, reminding herself not to directly scan a mind and mentally cursing her luck for getting into another mind control situation where she gets dangerously close to crossing a line she is uncomfortable with.
X A number of questions flare through X's neurals as the story's unfolded. His expression shifts rather negatively towards a fiercely disapproving frown....

    Seriously?

    He starts to reason through the chain of events as it's being described though... and comes up with a few questions.

    "Despite being played, you're leaving out plenty of useful details. Like who these people are, or who else might be under their sway. What should we lok for to find who's being controlled? How did you manage to escape their control if it was so effective?!"
Maya Maya expression remains neuteral as she listens as she gets some answers there are more. Thei is a hell of a lot to take in but there's something not quite right here, she'll pull out a fate fard, and start to focus a spell, a simple scan spell and she'll focus it on the one they are questinging.

"This is harmless."

She notes as she works her magic wondering just what's going on here. It's answered a few questions but now she's got more...
War Witch     Mu'Orbiss answers Ainsley cryptically, but it's still an answer. "They did not make a point of explaining their true identity, aims, origins, or other information to a prisoner, believe it or not. They also did not make a habit of keeping me awareness of what I was doing while using me. To put it bluntly, what I am telling you is all that I know about them. A web of influence and conspiracy I can not even guess at the scope of, but one that can manipulate events and those with powers as they please if we do not maintain vigilance against them. Speaking about them as I am now, I do not doubt they will find some way to silence me if I do not get somewhere safer than this. I am hoping that by exchanging what I know, I can be extradited to my land of origin, where a force exists great enough to thwart them. I also hope, that by helping you revolting 'heroes', you will become enough of a thorn in their side that even if our ends are opposed, we will divide their attention to avoid being subverted from within. We may not agree on much, but I am sure you can at least understand that knowledge of a secretive group is our greatest weapon against them."

    Ainsley's scan indicates that the EXACT method that Orbiss's device used to influence Flower Knight, a temporary brain hack, is not present. But if she can detect a compromised mind, then the 'back door' into Mu'Orbiss's mind is still there. Unlike with Flower Knight, instead of traces of magic, it's a mix of actual psychological hole punched into his psyche by something or other, and then sophisticated 'normal' brainwashing layered in place over that. Mu'Orbiss is in control of his own mind right now, but there is latent 'programming' active on the surface. That means that if he falls back into enemy hands, they only need to say the right words and he'll go back to helping them.

    "There are two forces in play here." he continues. "The Spider and the Web. You fools are caught in the middle, and now so am I. You must choose which you will combat for the moment. The Spider can find new hunting grounds while you fight your shadow war. But the Web will strangle all if we thrash together in its confines. This is a matter of preservation. Not any good will towards this city or these people."

    In response to X, Orbiss says, "The adjustments they made to my powers exceeded their expectations. By refining my control over machines and minds, they facilitated my own escape. I altered the machine that was delivering suppressing drugs into my system bit by bit, until I was able to gain full control and slip away. But they probably knew I'd done so before I even made it out the door. Why they haven't come for me yet, I do not know."

    And just then, Maya's card would reveal what's wrong. Mu'Orbiss is in a cell that is supposed to be suppressing his powers. But for some reason, he's levitating in the air.

    In summary, right now, at this moment, and possibly ever since he was brought down here, his powers have been working just fine.

    Then the overhead lights in the underground corridor start shutting down, one by one, turning the hallway dark. The sound of machines shutting down continues, as Mu'Orbiss hisses out, "It is too late. Your time is up. And so is mine."

    Then, standing in the darkened hallway, with only the blue glow of the forcefields on the holding cells illuminating things... Even those go off.

    The sound of firearms with suppressors can be heard up the stairs they came down, and the sound of booted feet hitting the ground.
Ainsley     Ainsley's brow furrows as she discovers the truth in what Mu'Orbiss is saying. While he is a selfish soul, he is clearly not a dumb one. Someone has hijacked his mind and that is enough for even the most evil of creatures to turn to those who would fight the users of such methods. She deactivates her Sight now that she knows what to look for in others with the appropriate Name fragments, she can scan for it in others. "They made a fatal error, Mu'Orbiss. They failed to account for me." She grins at him in a way that suggests that, while she is a hero, she seems to empathize with pride in magical ability.

    When things go bad, and she knows they are, she takes note of the power getting cut. She looks unperturbed, but only because a pair of high power allies are nearby to assist. She writes in her book even in the dim lighting, and makes a spell to target Orbiss. Then she tears the paper out, and the blue light emitted from the burning paper indicates another spell, as she casts a spell on him. Provided he doesn't have magical resistance measures that would deflect such an attempt, she tries to do something to prove his doom and gloom wrong. She tries to slam the 'mental backdoor' closed, and maintain it until they can neutralize the threat here.

    "You are such a pessimist, Orbiss," she says, "How about you help us, while I help you? They won't be expecting their command to fail, and I'll make sure it can never reach your mind."

    She may even step into the cell so she has some cover in case gunfire comes blazing down the corridor, not wanting to get filled with bullet holes tonight if she can help it.
X X ponders this message and proposal... and nods. "For now, I'll agree that has merit. A group with this much finesse could be anywhere." Which factors in with the reason he was so wary upon entering this facility to begin with. He's been questioning the entire encounter from the get-go...

    And right on-cue, the lights go out. He makes a disgusted noise, but doesn't actually seem SURPRISED by the development as much as he ought to be.

    After all, he was complacent at the office building. He's on guard NOW. Which leads him to add, in an irritated tone, "See, the first discrepancy was pointing out that they hit you with enough tailored methods that you couldn't stop them. I find it hard to believe a group that capable would make breaking away easy! Which means you're actually the one behind this blackout. They're STILL controlling you... to some level. The conspiracy goes so far that whoever set up this containment sabotaged it, and planted you here to make a strike against the facility!"

    Only near the end of this does he start sounding angry. "Well, I'm not betting zenny on that deduction, but it makes sense!"

    He probably isn't right on all counts, but he doesn't believe he is either. X is apparently quite modest about these things.