The FBI Has A Secret Weapon.[Force]

[ventrioquist]

It had felt like an eternity since the Ventriloquist had stepped onto the soil of Gotham City.

He was almost there.

This quarantine that the FBI had placed over Gotham City had resulted in frustrating complications to get back in. The word on the street was that the FBI had taken over. The reasons specific reasons still remained unknown, but he had heard rumors that the criminals of the city were being hunted.

How crazy is that? Who do the FBI think they are? What type of man power and resources to they have to stop the likes of Two-Face, Bane, Killer-Croc, Poison Ivy, the Joker, and the Ventriloquist!

Yes! Arnold Wesker aka the Ventriloquist.

The plan was simple. The Ventriloquist was to get off the Greyhound bus right outside a suburb of town and then make a telephone call to a smuggler who was supposed to help him enter Gotham unscathed. The service had cost a pretty penny, but if it gave them an opportunity to exact revenge against those who he had humliated them in the past it would be worth it.

The Ventriloquist stepped off the Greyhound bus into an empty bus terminal just outside of Gotham. In one hand Wesker carried a large steel briefcase. The only other item he carried was a small revolver tucked neatly in a shoulder holster, hidden behind a brown tweed blazer.

The parking lot of the bus terminal was almost empty, save a few taxi cabs waiting to make a late night buck. The area was poorly illuminated, as the only source of light came from a series of flickering street lights.




"Wat's da hold up dummy?" The voices in the mind began. "Wat's takin' ye so long to move?!"

"I--I'm being careful Mr. Scarface," came the response.

"Well hurry it up will yas? Go ahea' and make da phone call to the contact so Ah' can get the hell out of this g'rief--case!"

"Yes sir. Right away sir."

There was strange silence as he made his way over to a payphone with rushed footsteps. The type of silence in a scary movie which preluded the killer jumping out from a shadow with a butcher knife in hand. Wesker slotted a quarter into the payphone with a trembling hand and dialed. The phone rang four times, just as planned.

"Hello? Yes this is the Ventriloquist.....Mr. Scarface and I are back."

[Deleted]

Since taking up her post at the government's security checkpoint, Phoebe has alternated between actually have something interesting to do and being bored. Mostly the latter. True, there's been lots of bad guys hidden among the masses of people braving the intense scrutiny required before leaving Gotham and it's very rewarding for her to be able to point them out, she's still a ten year old girl and is being asked to work very long hours. Even being able to catch someone lying to Agent Stevens has lost much of its appeal.

The only thing that's really exciting anymore is when someone tries to cross Agent Tiff's fence, though it would be a lie if she said that she was monitoring that as closely as he'd probably like. It's hard and boring to juggle watching the fence and listening to the thoughts of people as they're questioned, though the latter is at least a little more interesting. But the patrols along the fence are really good at spotting trouble for her, and it's a simple matter to find and collect any fence jumper before they can get too far.

Then again, the electricity to the fence will be turned on soon, so that will probably take care of that problem. And the window of time allowed for people leaving the city is nearly over, so she won't have to sort through so many thoughts soon and that's a relief. Agent Tiff even said that he'll have some missions for her actually within the city once it's done, and that's an exciting thought.

With most of the activity surrounding processing people leaving the city, those entering are practically a footnote. The only people being let in are the government's own employees, and there are only a limited number of those. People coming in to help the FBI's efforts against the criminals mostly, though there are also the big semi-trucks full of supplies. But most of them are scheduled and have documentation, so people trying to sneak in hasn't been much of a problem.

Still Phoebe's been asked to 'listen in' while they ask a few basic questions of the drivers and mentally scan for any stowaways the drivers don't know about - boring work since the odds of any funny business that way in the first place is rather low. Well, that and the fact that the drivers have some of the most universally boring minds on the planet. But they, like anyone, would have to somehow manage to not think about whatever they're trying to slip through the checkpoint while they're being questioned in order to actually do it - a task made doubly impossible by how knowledge of her abilities has been kept to a strict 'need to know' basis.

Most of the agents running the checkpoint can only surmise that they probably shouldn't ask about the young girl who spends most of the day quietly sitting around and watching all the activity around the checkpoint with an odd amount of focus for one so young. Though most of them also know that Agent Stevens seems to have an uncanny knack for knowing when people are lying. The ones who know more are mostly those patrolling the fence, so that they don't freak out when someone trying to cross it is suddenly stopped by some invisible force and handed to them.

Phoebe smiles to herself as she thinks about the last one: that's actually fun. This lady with the three screaming kids in her car that she's paying attention to now, though... She didn't lie, Phoebe tells Agent Stevens after the lady answers the last question, and Phoebe watches idly as the lady is allowed to proceed through the checkpoint. If only something interesting would happen.

(OOC: Let me know if you have any questions, comments, etc.)

[ventrioquist]

Twenty minutes after the telephone call a large semi-truck pulled into the bus terminal. The driver of the truck was of Korean decent. The large semi-truck was carrying goods for the Asian population of Gotham. Of course there was a catch, the shipping company was a front for a powerful seoulpa ring (Korean Mafia). Ventriloquist and Scarface decided to turn to the Asian Market to help them enter Gotham. For years the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Koreans had been importing illegal immigrants into the country, so why not turn to the experts?

Paying a large monetary fee, the Ventriloquist and Scarface entered into the back of the truck and were placed in a large crate filled with ramen noodles. A crate large enough for them to stand in, along with the fee, the Ventriloquist had been provided a uzi machine pistol. Not a type of firearm he was proficient in, but it was a favorite amongst the Asian gangs and effective in close quarter urban combat.

Off they went toward Gotham Cities checkpoint. The heavy hum and roar of the truck seemed to coincide with the rigid shaking of the freighter seemed to always make. When the truck came to a halt, the Ventriloquist and Scarface believed they were at the checkpoint.

“Its game time—dummy. Now –stay calm’ and let the Korean do da talkin’ capiche?” The voices in the head of Arnold Wesker began.

“Y—y—you think everything will be okay?” The Ventriloquist responded out loud.

“How shou’ ah’ know? They’ shou’ ‘ge as long as ye keep yer cool. ‘gut dat’s like askin’ Nigma not to leave Riddle ‘round da city, or Two – Face not to flip da coin.”

“Th—th—they’re going to find us….I know it!” The Ventriloquist cried out with a panic, all of a sudden feeling claustraphoic.

“Will ye shuddup?!” Tired of the Ventriloquist’s pessimism, Scarface then headed butted the puppeteer. That always seemed to shut him up.

Outside of a minor ‘ow’ the Ventriloquist exclaimed, a sudden wave of focus came over the villain. The trucker was beginning the conversation with the checkpoint guard. It sounded like all of the documents were in place and all of the bribes had been paid.

And unless the FBI had something up their sleeve, Scarface and the Ventriloquist would be in Gotham within the hour.

[Deleted]

We have a semi next, Agent Stevens tells Phoebe as she walks over to it. This serious-looking woman, as Phoebe's guardian, does most of the footwork for Phoebe so that the young girl can remain hidden and secret. Actually, she's quite kind underneath her stern exterior, which is why Phoebe is so willing to work with her, but she's also good at appearing to be the very coolly efficient type of person one expects in an agent of the FBI.

Okay, Phoebe replies from her mostly concealed seat, even her mental voice sounding tired and bored. By this time of the day she has to keep reminding herself of how important it is for her to do a really good job at this so that they'll consider her to be mature enough to take on something more important - and hopefully less tedious.

The day's almost over, Agent Stevens reassures her as she nears the guard who is talking to the driver, knowing that Phoebe could use that encouragement.

Seeing the woman's approach, the guard nods at her before turning to the driver and saying, "This is Agent Stevens - she has a few additional questions." Why, exactly, a few questions from Agent Stevens is a necessary part of any comings and goings through the checkpoint is beyond the guard, though however much he's bribed he knows he can't skip it without drawing attention.

Having processed literally thousands of people through the checkpoint, by now Agent Stevens has gotten very efficient with her questions. "To the best of your knowledge, is the paperwork you provided complete and accurate?" she asks as Phoebe focuses her attention on the driver's mind to catch any and all thoughts that may be at odds with the verbal answers he provides. The paperwork would have included a full listing of the shipment's origin, contents, and destination within Gotham.

[ventrioquist]

The reason for the steep service fee the Koreans had provided to the Ventriloquist was because the drive of the semi-truck was not a living being. It was an cybernetic entity that operated off the controls of the registered user.

That registered user happened to be the Ventriloquist.

A perfect extension of the abilities of ventriloquism the deranged psychopath.

From inside of the crate, the Ventriloquist was able to see through the pretty female FBI agent using a small monitor that was linked directly into cybernetic eyes.

The Ventriloquist made his move, speaking to Agent Stevens through the mouth of the metal dummy using a build in audio microphone.

“Of course it is lady,” the villain used the inflection of a person who spent most of the time on the streets, “This food is going to Chinatown, supposed’ to arrive at 10PM tonight at the Kung-Foong grocery store. So hurr’ it up lady, and let’ us G---G—‘gy (By)”

The Ventriloquist paraphrased the shipping manifest that was provided to him by the Asian gang. If forced, the cyborg was a adequate fighter that was armed with built in weaponry.

The Ventriloquist and Scarface waited, gripping their uzi tightly out of paranoia instead of fear.

[Deleted]

I can't read his thoughts, Phoebe reports to Agent Stevens, suddenly perking up in her seat, actually looking over at the semi parked some 25 yards away with her eyes for the first time. That's never happened before.

To her credit, Agent Stevens manages to not react to this information on the surface. Instead she merely nods in apparent boredom to the man's answers. Scan the semi for stowaways then, the woman replies, He could be some sort of meta, even an honest one. But we'll want to make sure. Let me know when you're finished - I'll have the men search it manually when you're done.

In the meantime, Agent Stevens moves on to the next question as if nothing were amiss in order to give Phoebe time to scan the vehicle with her telepathy. "Are you or someone you know affiliated with or related to a member of one of Gotham's mafia, rogue, or other underground individuals or groups?" she asks, quickly droning out the question as if she's just as impatient to get these questions over with as he is.

Phoebe pulls her attention away from the apparently thoughtless man and starts scanning through the semi with her telepathy, systematically looking for minds. Normally she does this quickly just to get it over with, but the oddity of the driver has refocused her attention so she does it strictly 'by the book' - running a smooth search pattern that leaves no corner of it unchecked. Her mental touch is 'silent', not revealing itself to whoever's mind she's reading unless she talks to them - which of course she won't do now so that she won't alert anyone she finds that they've been found. There's one... Phoebe reports to her guardian as she brushes up against a mind, but she quickly skips past it to look for more.

[ventrioquist]

When the prodigy scans the mind of Ventriloquist she is able to detect multiple brain waves or 'minds' in one body. She is able to deceipher the thinking of the criminal mafisio "Scarface" as well as the neurotic and paranoid Ventriloquist.

If she takes time to focus on the psychic waves that are being projected from the villain, she would be able to match the patterns of the mind with the FBI database, and find the identity of the second passenger of the freigther. Simliar to matching blue-prints for a criminal, but one through the mind.

"Are you or someone you know affiliated with or related to a member of one of Gotham's mafia, rogue, or other underground individuals or groups?"

The Korean cyborg manages to smile as it awaits the audio relay from the Ventriloquist. There is a moment of hesitation from the villain. Never known for being the most composed individual, unless he was speaking as Scarface, he took time to ponder a response.

"No. Of course not. I drive this stupid truck back and forth 60 hours a week..."

The Ventriloquist did not take time to further elaborate on the question. To do so would increase suspicion. Wondering what question would be asked next, the Ventriloquist attempted to stay one step ahead of this border check. Scarface turned It's eye at the uzi which lay at their side.

"Dumm' keep answerin' da questions....just keep answerin' da questions."

The Ventriloquist and Scarface both looked and focused on Agent Stevens through the monitor at the same time. If things got messy, they woudl try to escape, and if things were a little bit better then messy...that woman was going to be filled with bullets.

[Deleted]

Finishing the scan of the semi, Phoebe says, Just one. Merely looking for minds and not having paid any attention to what that particular one was doing or even the fact that it was really a double, she doesn't catch any of the thoughts at first - she was asked to look, not listen; one step at a time.

Then something funny is going on. Shield the agents, listen to the stowaway, tell me anything important, and be prepared for trouble, Agent Stevens replies as her lips purse, looking as if she's not completely satisfied by the driver's answer.

Phoebe knew to do all that already, but she doesn't complain - she is still ten years old and has to admit that sometimes she does need reminders. Instead she simply throws up an invisible telekinetic shield between Agent Stevens and the driver, stretching it on both ends to offer some protection to the other agents walking around nearby.

Shield is in place, Phoebe informs Agent Stevens before turning her attention back to the mind that she found in the semi.

The agent responds to that by saying to the driver, "I'm afraid that we're going to have to search your truck."

Meanwhile, Phoebe's attention shifts over to the mind she found in the semi. It's easy for her to find it again. However, she's actually pretty weak when it comes to telepathy; telekinesis is her true talent - in that she's powerful enough that they've yet to find the thing that can penetrate her shields. But with telepathy she can only read surface thoughts, though she can do that deeply enough to detect lies and other inconsistencies in their thoughts. But she's not able to do anything as sophisticated as identify a mind that she's never encountered before, no matter what the other resources she's provided are. Still, that limited ability is enough for her to easily sense that she's found someone unusual. His mind has two voices, talking to each other, she tells Agent Stevens, surprised enough by it that she doesn't immediately understand what they're saying.

Agent Stevens is pretty surprised by that herself, but having already told the driver that they'll be doing a search, she figures that the best thing to do with that is, Listen to both of them then - we'll figure out what's going on once we have him.

[ventrioquist]

"C'mon lady. I have to deliver this shipment soon."

The protests from the machine did not seem to phase Stevens and the FBI agents. The Ventriloquist quickly shut off the internal microphone and set the cyborg to automatic aggressive mode. Quickly flipping off the security monitor, the Ventriloquist stood up, taking Scarface in one hand and the machine pistol in the other.


"Th---they are onto us!"

"Shuddup dummy. Just get close to the door and shoot when Ah' tell ye."

Outside, the pupils of the cyborg flashed the color of lavender. Clenching a fist, the machine punched through the door of the semi-truck, making the door hang from its hinges. The Cyborg then extended a forearm and out came a built in blowtorch, which it quickly used as a weapon, spraying a burst of fire into the air.

There was a sudden "Frwosssssssh!" from outside indicating that the cyborg had just used the flame sling weapon function.


The Ventriloquist had exited the crate and now stood at the inner entrance of the cargo hold On the outside the first FBI Agent, a young woman no older then the age of 24 approached the hinge that would open up the inside of the truck.

The moment the woman opend up the latch, the Ventriloquist would open fire....

'Wait for it dummy.....wait for it.."

[Deleted]

Now that Phoebe is paying attention to the man properly, it's easy for her to discover his plans as he thinks of them. The driver is a robot, and he set it to attack, she tells Agent Stevens as she stands up from her chair and cranes her head around the building that helps shield her from view. While it's good for her to remain hidden, that's not nearly as important as being able to do her job. And the man in the truck has a gun and is waiting for the door to open! she adds. Well, she wanted not boring and she got not boring!

Having seen the effect of Phoebe's shield and trusting the young girl to do her job well, Agent Stevens hardly flinches when the flames shoot her way, only to curve around the unseen barrier Phoebe put in place to protect her. Knowing that Phoebe is being stretched thin already keeping the shield in place and reading the thoughts of the man in the van, the woman responds, Okay, let me worry about the man in the van - you handle the robot.

Phoebe grins at that order. Any FBI agent worth their salt can help deal with a guy with a gun holding up in a confined space, but Agent Stevens just asked her to take care of an even more dangerous robot all by herself - that is so cool! Phoebe stops paying attention to the man in the semi and alters the shield protecting Agent Stevens, curving it back around to surround the driver, then closing off the top. Just like trapping a spider underneath a cup - a giant, invisible, unbreakable cup.

Agent Stevens, meanwhile, spots the younger woman approaching the back of the semi and shouts, "Stop! That's a order!" Noting a few other agents whose attention has been drawn to the commotion, she adds to all of them, "Surround the semi, we have an armed stowaway. And ignore the robot!" Following her own orders, Agent Stevens pulls out her gun and steps away from the side of the semi, curving her path until the back door is in view and she has her gun pointed at it.

[ventrioquist]

The Korean cyborg finds Itself surrounded by a telekinetic shield. At first It attempts to destroy the barrier using simple fists and powerful kicks, all of which are 5 times stronger then the average human being. If the physical attacks are not enough to destroy the shield, then the machine will operate a built in laser within each of It’s finger tips. The laser acts like a welding torch used to melt the toughest of metals.

*********************************************************************

“Some’thang ain’t right..” Scarface muttered.

That was when they heard Agent Stevens yell out the order to the female FBI agent to back away from the truck. Those words acted as a trigger for Scarface to counter.

“Fire Dummy! Fire!”

“With pleasure Mister Scarface,” the Ventriloquist replied calmly.

Not bothering with any type of restraint the Ventriloquist kicked open the back door of the freight truck and upon seeing the young woman who will be known as Agent Golden, the villain unleashed the entire magazine of roughly 35 bullets into her. Holding the trigger, with a crooked smile etched upon his face.

Rat-A-Tat---Rat—A—Tat---Rat---A—Tat!!! chimed the gun...

All the while the Ventriloquist was chiming a nursery rhyme,

“Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full;
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane!!!!!!!”

[Deleted]

Nobody knows just how powerful the little girl of a weapon the government has is. Not them, and not her. Finding her upper limit didn't seem nearly as important as making sure that she has her ability under control - and making sure that she is under their complete control.

But, suffices to say, they do know enough to know that she's easily one of the strongest telekinetics ever discovered - possibly the strongest, though that's a difficult thing to measure. Neither the physical attacks nor the laser seem to have any apparent effect.

What does have an effect on Phoebe is the sound of the semi's back door being kicked open and the gunfire that follows. She saw the woman approaching the back door, knew that it was bad, but figured that Agent Stevens knew what she was doing when she was ordered to worry about the robot. Which actually is the case since the thing's attempts to escape are proving all too well why it's the bigger threat. But though the reasoning is logical, it doesn't change the fact that Phoebe hasn't seen someone get killed before.

Gritting her teeth, the young girl forces herself to keep her focus on the robot - if she lets her shield around it weaken then that will just make things worse. By concentrating on that fact, she keeps it in place. But as long as she has to grapple with it, she can't help with the man who was hiding in the semi.

Well, then she needs to get rid of the robot.

Twisting the top part of her barrier, it constricts around its neck. She needs only to tighten it even further to decapitate it. And, upset by her need to do this before she can worry about the other threat, she squeezes the rest of the barrier tighter and tighter until the rest of the thing's body gets crushed under the immense pressure.

Meanwhile, the reaction of Agent Stevens and the rest of the agents in the vicinity is practically reflexive: all of them hit the dirt, making use of whatever cover they can find, before pulling out their guns and taking a shot at the man who has come out of the back of the van if they can. However, they weren't prepared to act this quickly and only a few of them have a clear shot, and those few initial shots aren't especially well aimed. Agent Stevens herself wasn't able to come far enough around the semi to get a clear view - he'd have to come further away from the large truck before she'd be able to see him.

[ventrioquist]

Agent Golden's body jerked as she was hit multiple times by the flying bullets from the uzi. The young female agent collapsed to the ground, dropping her Glock 17 in the process. She was alive. Barely. Her breathing was shallow, and diminishing as the seconds continued to tick.

Wesker ducked back inside the truck, easily avoiding the stray bullets fired from the agents outside. Scanning the inside of the truck, the Ventriloquist managed to locate another crate which was filled with machine pistol magazines, a gas mask, and a few melee weapons including a large bowie knife.

"Re-Low-Ad da gun, 'nd fire again!"

Arnold complied with the dominant personality, Scarface was in charge now. Things would go smoothly, as the duo's confidence all of a sudden became greater.

Snapping the magazine into place, the Ventriloquist turned toward the back of the truck again. One door of the semi-trailer was halfway open, swinging open and closed on rusted hinges.



From his current position the Ventriloquist could not make out any targets, so he approached the door and peeked outside getting a good view of the prone Agent Golden and another male officer crawling to the ground in attempts to check on her.

Without hesitation. Without a moral compass, the Ventriloquist opened fire.




-----Rat-a--tat---tat---Rat---a---tat---tat!!

"Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full;
One for the master,
And one for the dame,"

*********************************************************************************
Meanwhile back at the front of the truck, the Cyborg attempted to fight as the pressure tightened around It's neck. At first sparks came and the sound of a short circuit preluded the mechanical creature being crushed like a coke can. It did not explode, but the parts and the internal operating function became useless.

[Deleted]

Crushing the thing until she's completely sure that isn't going to move again, Phoebe takes a deep breath before turning her attention to Agent Stevens. What now? she asks, her mental voice shaky as she tries to avoid thinking about seeing Agent Golden in her periphery.

Are you okay? Agent Stevens asks in return almost reflexively, surprised by both the question and the tone it was asked in.

I don't know, Phoebe replies honestly, But the robot is broken; give me something to do. That last part comes out a bit firmer as she insists to herself that, however upset she is, she can't give up in the middle of a dangerous situation. That would go against all of her training.

Glad to hear that resolve from Phoebe even as she worries over the girl's state of mind, Agent Stevens looks over the situation and replies, Shield them. Though the words themselves are ambiguous, there's a very clear picture in her mind of a low barrier just above Agent Golden and the man trying to get to her. A very simple request, but she's unsure how much to ask of Phoebe at this point and those two are clearly the ones most in danger - even though Agent Stevens has some serious questions about whether or not Agent Golden will survive.

Okay, Phoebe replies as she puts the shield in place, trying to hold back a wave of guilt as she reads the reasons for that request from the woman's mind. Though she feels a bit better when, only a few moments later, a series of bullets bounce harmlessly off of the shield - at least she's definitely saved someone. Nobody is more shocked by this than the man she's protecting.

The second hail of bullets from the man in the truck prompts some return fire, much better aimed this time, though it's probably an impossible shot given how small of a target the Ventriloquist is presenting - most of the agents wisely save their ammo.

[ventrioquist]

Their attack was dead on. The combination of steady hands from the Ventriloquist (with mental support from Scarface) and the prone position of Agent Golden and the medic should have finished off. A pink barrier of kinetic energy appeared taking the form of a contact lens, protecting them from the burst fire attack from the Ventriloquist.

"Dagna'git! Dat shoul'd have got them!"

BANG! BANG! Pew...Pew.

A pair of bullets from Agent Stevens dinged off the side of the trailer door, narrowly missing Wesker's head. This prompted the villain to fall back inside to seek cover within the steel haven. Thus preventing him from pushing the attack.

"Dat' was a close one."

The Ventriloquist and Scarface dwell-ed deeper into the freighter, keeping their focus on the entrance just in case any FBI agent decided to make a move. They back peddled until they reached the small crate filled with the small security monitor that was hooked up to the set of cyber eyes of the Korean driver.

They saw and heard nothing but static.

"Damn! De robot has already g'een dwestro-wed." Scarface stated bluntly..."It look' like de feds have a me--TA--human on their side."

"It would appear so Mister Scarface."

Even though the Ventriloquist was not considered to be level A or B grade rogue who spent time battling cosmic or super-powered beings like the Justice League, he had seen enough meta-human battles to know that there had to be something outside that destroyed the cyborg and protected the two agents.

Scarface turned to the Ventriloquist,"We'll jus' have to find..."

"And kill them."

"YER Learnin' dummy, yer LEARNING. HAH!"

Scarface and the Ventriloquist reloaded the machine gun, and then searched the trailer for more weapons. Something with a higher amount of destructive force. They found what they were looking for in the form of three frag grenades.

Wanting to keep the pressure on the Federal Agents on the outside. The Ventriloquist rushed to the front of the trailer and unleashed another full-auto burst from the uzi...

RAT---A---TAT---TAT---RATA---TAT---TAT..

Followed by a grenade being thrown to the outside. During this time, Agent Golden had been taken away from the front lines by the male medic, so she would no longer be in danger, although her condition was very poor and if she did not get to a hospital within the next fifteen minutes, she would most likely die.

BOOM!!!

The grenade exploded, kicking up debris in the form of dirt and small pebbles up from the road.