+ Show First Post
Total: 1038
Posts Per Page:
Permalink
"Alright." She closes her eyes and tries to teleport to Coil. This time the frame of the world shrinks to a thin line of Downtown, stretching from PRT HQ to City Hall. She frowns and investigates the feeling of... Vague confusion? Ah. The teleport is trying to track two different people.

...She asks it for the man who dressed as Coil and asked her questions and gets a man at a desk, doing paperwork. She asks it for Coil, with the new knowledge that he probably used a body double, and gets Thomas Calvert listening to a speech in City Hall.

She reports all this to Armsmaster.
Permalink
"You can see people as well as tell whether it works?
You're right about the Director's location, and if the man who introduced himself as Coil is at the PRT it's verifiable without having to do anything drastic like arrest Director Calvert before being certain. Can you describe him?"
Permalink

"I can't see anything around him, but he's maybe five foot eleven, rather thin-" She goes on to accurately describe one of the PRT's mid-level officers in significant detail.

Permalink
It's not anything like an exact description of Director Calvert, but if Gren is right this man would at all relevant times be wearing a full-body suit designed to make him look like the real Coil,

"I can talk to the mole, see how far I can get before he finds out he's a suspect. If you come it'll tip him off that something's out of the ordinary. Will you be able to keep an eye on Calvert remotely?"
Permalink

"Using my teleport power as a scry is tricky as hell. Not what it's meant for. Like being about to move your arm, really meaning to, tensing the muscles, but not actually doing anything. I doubt I could hold it for an extended period of time but I can check every half hour or so. I have an actual scry - but that only targets areas, for some reason it won't meld with the teleport's person-targetting. Cape powers are much more finicky about combining with other things than Witch specials."

Permalink
"It's low priority, if he doesn't know he's suspected he'll probably keep acting as normal.

How good is Tattletale's power at finding out what people are hiding? I'll know if the suspect lies, or if he's hiding something, but might not catch what. If it would help, I can patch you in through a helmet camera."
Permalink

"It's pretty good, especially if you ask pointed questions. I can't do it for more than five minutes at a time though, thinker headache. Audio only was enough for Tattletale and I to have a very, very subtext-laden conversation, but the helmet cam would help."

Permalink
"Good. We'll have to assume he knows to avoid direct lies at the very least, but five minutes should be enough."

He mounts his motorcycle and points it toward the PRT building. "Want a ride, or would you rather fly?"
Permalink

"I'll fly. Might have to leave suddenly, by the way. Unlikely but possible. I've got a few emergency medical response contracts, get called in about once a week. If that happens a recording will be better than nothing." Her steelwing picks itself up again.

Permalink
They arrive at the replacement PRT HQ in approximately no time at all. Before walking in as if nothing is wrong, Armsmaster hands her a screen showing the view from his helmet.

He finds the person Gren's teleportation thinks has masqueraded as Coil, addresses him by name, and asks about recent villain activity. Apparently this is one of the people to ask about that. Armsmaster pretends to be looking for information on some previously unaffiliated villains who allied against the Undersiders, and tries to lead him into consciously not saying that he has been to a truce like that one as a participant.

It'll be obvious to Gren-as-Tattletale that this was also Coil's stand-in when the alliance against the ABB was negotiated, but Armsmaster won't have that verified until she tells him.
Permalink

Gren tells him, that being the entire point of this exercise.

Permalink

That's apparently enough to stop worrying about whether the suspect knows he's suspected. Armsmaster switches to more direct questions, followed by arresting the guy and calling in Gren and the Deputy Director.

Permalink

Gren keeps herself stony-faced, only allowing the tiniest smirk to come through at what she hopes is her impending justice/revenge.

Permalink
Well, this is just a minion, even if it is the minion who was overseeing her imprisonment.

Acting Director Renick is easily convinced, between Armsmaster and Gren, but they don't have Coil himself yet. "We can't just accuse him publicly. It would be the worst PR move imaginable. But he isn't threatening anything or anyone right now, and we can arrest him more discreetly with no risk."
Permalink

"I'll be happy as long as he gets arrested somehow."

Permalink

"He can't very well stay away. And we've got eyes on him already."

Permalink

"I'm normally not a vigilante, you know. I just have a grudge for Coil. I won't be trying to step on your toes."

Permalink

"Under the circumstances, I'm hardly going to complain. How did you find out about Coil?"

Permalink

"I found out that he was still active somehow during a discussion with the Travelers after that incident with the clones in Horten. After that a borrowed Thinker power plus some good old-fashioned research connected the dots. Armsmaster has the full story."

Permalink
Renick mentally revises Gren's thinker rating. "Can find the skeletons in PRT directors' closets" is a highly relevant attribute.

A phone beeps. "He's gone. Left the building, tased McKay, disappeared. Copycat, can you get us to him?"
Permalink
"Yes. Immediately?" She's already reaching to connect everyone present to her teleport-sense.

If they say 'yes,' Copycat, Armsmaster, the Deputy Director, and any officers present are surrounding Calvert from all sides except below within seconds.
Permalink
The reasons to wait stopped applying when they lost track of him. (Hopefully Gren is the only one above him. None of the others can fly.)

Calvert waits for a conversationally excessive amount of time. Eventually he asks his former second in command, "I take it I'm under arrest?"

"Extremely."
Permalink

Gren is the one above him. "Hi. Remember me? Isn't it interesting that there's a ninety-nine point nine seven six one percent chance you won't be getting away?"

Permalink
"Oh, I'm not trying to. I'll come quietly, don't worry. Extremely quietly, in fact, until I've talked with my lawyer."

He doesn't resist while Armsmaster handcuffs him for the cameras.
Permalink
Gren is practically humming. Even if he gets off on a technicality, he'll never be a PRT director again.

"I could have sworn he didn't have a power, though. Whatever... Kinda-vaguely-precog thing he has, It's really annoyingly massively complicated and I can't copy it."

She stays just long enough to give whatever statements and clarifications are required, leaves a note to Tattletale, and offers to repair a couple of sections of sewer for Skitter just because.
Total: 1038
Posts Per Page: