Kids Ask a Lot of Questions (Question)

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After entering Gotham, the FBI has set up shop in a number of secret locations throughout the city - small bases of operations where they can meet, coordinate raids, and even temporarily house some of the higher-level criminals where they can keep an eye on them instead of relying on the not-fully-trusted GCPD to hang onto them. This is one such location - Phoebe doesn't have the slightest idea what the place was before, only that a lot of thick concrete walls were involved.

Right now she's stuck sitting in the lobby, bored out of her mind. Technically, she's in a meeting - or, more properly, Agent Stevens is in a meeting in her behalf and she's 'listening in'. Things get a little complicated when there's a meeting that she'd be wanted in attendance except for the fact that people would ask questions about why there's a child in attendance. She can't wait until she can pass for 'adult'. Though at the moment, watching random people enter the building is far more entertaining than listening to Agent Stevens's thoughts as two agents argue over one of the small details of a plan she won't even be participating in.

Especially when a group of agents walk in carrying what appears to be an odd-looking unconscious man. The boring meeting is quickly shoved to the back of her mind in the face of that sight. Or, more accurately, the lack of face. Instead she watches them head down a short hallway that begins across from where she's sitting and deposit the man in one of the holding rooms next to that. She can't actually see the room itself from where she is, but it's easy enough for her to find the spot they put him by looking for his mind with her telepathy. Of course, given that he seems to be just barely regaining some semblance of consciousness, there isn't much in it at the moment.

So instead she finds herself speculating; he must not be very good at being a bad guy if they caught him so quickly - she's heard a lot of names being thrown around about bad guys who are being a lot tricker than everyone thought so he must not be one of them. Then again, the low-level criminals aren't being brought here; this is where they take the ones that are being sent off to that place she can never remember the name of.

[question]

After a few moments of being in the cell he started to stir. Question rolled over onto his back an placed his hand over his lack of a face an let out a slight groan. His head was pounding. Must have been the double tap to the skull.

He sat up an looked around, nothing to fancy Concrete an bars. talk about Security. He had seen better turning in escaped patients. No matter, From the looks of things he was indeed alone, which meant that his work had not been in total vein. Though he would have loved to get out of this along side Nina, it didn't happen that way.

Self sacrifice was the name of the game sometimes for his type. It was kind of odd being in this end of the stick, normally he would be working hand in Hand with the F.B.I. as much as he hated them. But it was always for the greater good.

Just not this time, This little act was going to put so many people in pain. An there was nothing he could do from this end to help. Right now, Question had to keep his head up that someone from the justice league would find him before he was moved again. Too many people for him to try an escape. Would be foolish in his current state.

He leaned forward an pulled his slightly bloodied pant leg up slightly. Pain was setting in now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He wasn't going to be walking out of here that was for sure. He pulled his shoe off, It wasn't one that needed to be tied.. Aglets. an set it to the side before pulling his sock down. It wasn't a through an through, there was still a slug in his ankle. Vic tilted his head back as he opened the wound with his fingers to remove the object, cringing from the sicking pain that came forth. A slight metallic noise could be heard from the bullet being tossed away, banished to a corner.

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It doesn't take very long for the man's mind to pull itself back together. For a moment she feels a bit like she's breaking the rules. True, they never told her not to listen to the minds of criminals when not told to, but then again she's old enough that Agent Stevens probably figured that she knew better than to do that. She does, but the lack of an actual rule means that her curiosity overtakes her caution and she continues to listen - just until she can have some idea what kind of person runs around Gotham without a face. Because that's just odd.

Then again, pretty quickly his thoughts turn in a direction that she didn't expect at all. Not the part about looking at the construction of the cell - that's to be expected from anyone, she supposes. Well, except that he seems confident in his conclusions about it. Of course, he wouldn't know about the armed guards stationed at the end of every hallway throughout the building, as well as in the lobby. Escape attempts here are reacted to with lethal force.

She's also, perhaps surprisingly, not too surprised by his thoughts of some woman who he'd managed to help escape - she learned well while processing the people leaving Gotham that just because someone is a bad guy doesn't mean they don't genuinely care about other people.

No, what catches her attention is when his thoughts turn to concern about the people - as in the people of Gotham in general. That's definitely not a thought she'd associate with a criminal, though it immediately brings to mind something that had been mentioned to her several times before about bad guys who think that they're good guys: people who do things, thinking that they're helping, but they're really not because it goes against the law. The law based upon the Constitution of the greatest country in the world - or so she's been taught as far back as she can remember. And the people who said so weren't lying when they said it - she can tell. So she's definitely wary that she's found the mind of one of those wolves in sheep's clothing, as it were.

Of course, she's also instantly intrigued, even as his thoughts drift over some organization she's never heard of except in passing in the odd person's thoughts - given that the media likes to paint most members of the Justice League as heroes, certain facts about the world have been kept from this young lady who many imagine as possibly needing to fight against them in the future. They can't have her idolize the people she may need to defend the country against, so knowledge of them has largely been kept from her so that they can paint whatever picture of them for the young girl that they want whenever they feel the time is right.

Following his thoughts as he tends to his ankle isn't pleasant at all, but she easily distracts herself by pondering the temptation to talk to him. This good bad guy is definitely a curiosity in any event and the meeting she's supposed to be listening continues to be boring and useless. Eventually, what willpower a ten year old may have isn't enough and she inserts a few words of her own into his mind. If I talk to you like this, will you freak out? she asks. Since she's found that some people do, especially when they're alone and have no reason to suspect that there's someone listening in on their mind. Then again, it's been her experience that asking a question like that first tends to increase the odds of its answer being 'no'.

[question]

After a few seconds there was a quaint little Question mark drawn in his blood on the floor of the already dingy cell. After that he had laid back against the floor with a hand over his face when he heard a little voice in his head. At first he instance his immediate reaction was to think it was J'onn, but it wasn't. Question furrowed his brow in thought. Was he really loosing it from the scuff? Why would there be a little girl in the area was a more appropriate question though.

He sat back up slowly an looked about through what he could see from the vantage point behind the bars.

Your not the first to, He thought knowing she would hear him. Isn't it dangerous for a little girl to be here? Or did they detain you parents? His focus had shifted severely from his leg to this Girl. One thing he could not stand was children being harmed in any way. Had her parents committed the sudden crime of trying to take her out of the city before things went to hell because the government didn't know what it was doing? Bogus martial laws being placed, no one in or out of the city. Thousands were going to suffer from the strangle hold. People would be dying in the cross fire by the hundreds on a daily basis. An why did they have to suffer?

Because some block head thought it would be a brilliant plan to Embargo an declare war on a city. Just because a few people ran around in costume committing Crime.The Justice League had that under control before the people that were once on their side decided to act against them in nothing but pure betrayal. An this child should be with her Parents or some loving family not detained here.

If only he knew the real reason behind her. It would only irritate him more.

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There's a very long pause after his questions before she makes any sort of reply. Partly because the questions surprise her. Partly because she doesn't have a ready answer for them. Partly because the string of less direct thoughts after that are a bit shocking to her. But mostly because her telepathy goes just deeply enough that she can detect the sincerity or lack thereof in someone's thoughts - and he believes every last one of those things that he's thinking. And the picture they paint is in stark contrast to the one found in the minds of the people she works for.

No, that's not what we're going to do! she finally thinks back, We're here to catch all the bad guys, so that everyone else can be safe. And the fence is only there so that the bad guys don't escape. And we're going to try really hard to keep all the other people from getting hurt; that's why I'm here. I'm strong enough to beat them without so many people getting hurt.[/color][/i] Her thoughts are insistent, certain that he's simply gotten it all wrong. Obviously he's simply misinterpreting the situation since he's also one of those people who are mistaken enough about the world to think that one can do good by being bad. Yes, that has to be it.

But she can't shake the feeling that there must be some truth to it, if only by how certain he is in the eventual disaster. He's almost as certain as Agent Tiff is that the whole thing will be a complete success - and that's a bit difficult for her to come to grips with. She's used to the thoughts of the people around her agreeing on all the major issues. Then again, she's used to being around the sort of people who live in or staff hidden government facilities, and they all tend to be about the same flavor.

[question]

Her Answer explained it, either her Parent's worked here of she was taken from them. Which either way was no way for a kid to be raised. she should be out playing with those her own age, getting scrapped knees, jumping out of a swing, Playing. not here.

I'm not a bad guy, he thought, knowing that in his past he had done somethings that were less then honorable but who hasn't? It was part if being human. I'm here because I saved a woman from unlawful imprisonment by the F.B.I. They had no reason to harm her but they did. she's a good person, not afraid to help people that really need it but can't see they do. An they were going to take her away when she could help this city so much. I'll stop rambling

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Phoebe frowns, bothered by the certainty in the man's thoughts. They can't be true, and yet he believes all of it. Maybe he's another one of those insane people? But all those she's met had something that felt... off about their mind in one way or another. The Ventriloquist, for example: two minds in one head is clearly weird. But no, the way this guy is thinking isn't like that. He seems more sane than Agent Tiff, even, aside from just how wrong he must be.

Considering what he thought for a moment, Phoebe can only reply with, You're wrong! if they hurt her, they must have had a very good reason. Maybe she was trying to escape or something? Phoebe knows that they do that - and that it's necessary or else all the bad guys would escape too easily. And if they had her arrested then they must have thought she did something wrong - and if they were wrong, they'd find out and let her go. So it was wrong of you to help her, and you are a bad guy.[/color][/i] she concludes, sounding more confident by the end.

Powerful as she is, she's just a child. And like any child, especially one raised in a manner specifically meant to inspire loyalty, she believes that those who take care of her are good, largely infallible, and worth her complete trust. A naive belief to have, but exactly what one would expect a young girl to have for her caregivers - especially since she knows that many of them genuinely care about her for more than her unique abilities. Agent Stevens, for example, is literally like a mother to her.

[question]

there are just some things that you won't understand till your older, Kiddo. Like good intentions, don't always turn out the way they should, they can think they are for the better but are really only hurting. They wouldn't have let her go, It was past the point of knowing to much. She knew faces, as I do. Besides, Kidnapping is Illegal no matter who does it.

He felt so bad for this girl, she was clearly raised to beleive that these people could do no wrong, but by taking the people who understood the city an could be their greatest ally away would be their down fall. It was too far in the past that he used to work with the government to bring the rouges down. Or they would have the Justice league cross national lines where their jurisdiction ended, such acts were of pure betrayal, with out warning.

His mind started to wander again towards more sinister things, secret groups that controlled the government, Illuminate, Skull an bones (who had a direct hand in the CIA), Committee of 300, Freemasons, Various others that probably knew that He had uncovered various secrets. It was going to be hell for a few days, until he either found a way out or passed out from an in ability to get his mask off. Such was life though, wouldn't be the first time.

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Phoebe's frown abruptly shifts from one of confusion to one of anger. I'm not too young to understand,[/color][/i] she thinks back seriously, tired of everyone always thinking that. She's ten - that's not that little. If she's old enough to participate in this operation, isn't she old enough to understand the points of view about it?

Then again, she doesn't really know what to say to the rest of it: while she knows that the other agents, not having the benefit of her abilities, can make mistakes in identifying who are criminals, she's certain that they would have let an innocent woman go if she was truly innocent as soon as they could determine that.

The thoughts he drifts into afterwards are even more confusing, though that last part is more clear and concerning. You can't get your mask off? she asks, surprised by that. Such an odd problem to have!

[question]

If you did then you would know that just because people have law on their side doesn't mean they are right. an he was going to leave it at that, it was one of those attitude issues that everyone had as a kid. He smirked inwardly at her protest about age, she was still very young.

His mask though was another story. It was made that way, in case I found my self being held against my will my identity would be safe, Its just doing its job, doesn't mean its a good one. Question's thoughts drifted back to one such similar time, but instead of a cell he was buried up to his neck in frozen earth in the snow. Good times.

He shook his head an laid back against the floor. Vic was tired, but he wasn't going to get any rest here.

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Indeed, the whole concept that the man is trying to explain to her is a difficult one for her to grasp. Partly because she's never consciously thought about the difference between what is legal and what is right. Aren't they the same thing? But no there's a subtle difference between the two concepts, even if it seems like a bit of a mind screw to distinguish the two. You're saying following the law isn't always the right thing to do?[/color][/i] she asks almost rhetorically, simplifying his statement a little to make that much easier for herself to understand. Why would it be a law if it isn't right?

She's not finished mulling that one over when he explains about his mask. But that too prompts another question: If you're not a bad guy, why do you hide who you are? she asks. In her very limited experience, only bad guys hide their faces, and only so that they don't get caught doing bad stuff. However, just as she asks that question, she senses the thought about him being tired and she adds, If you don't want to talk, I can stop - I'm just really bored right now.

[question]

He was far from bored, This kid was a telepathic, how cool was that. Must have made it a hell of a challenge to play go fish with her.
Big issue kiddo is Man made Laws, an man is far from perfect. Sometimes doing the right thing is against the law. It takes a special kind of person to see that

His mask though, that was a question he wasn't really expecting but he had an answer for her none the less. that an he found no reason to lie to a kid. I wear it to protect my self an the people I care about from the people I help put behind bars. I wouldn't want them to get out an come after me or my friends. I'm far from a bad guy He let a smirk cross his face before it faded, knowing that it wasn't going to bee seen.

He never knew his family, no need to include them. No sweat, I'm not going any where any time soon. You don't seem to be in too much of a rush either

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Listening to his words, Phoebe is surprised when she discovers that this explanation actually makes sense. She already knows a lot better than any kid her age that adults aren't perfect; she can hear their thoughts, after all. She can see them putting on a show of being confident when they're really uncertain of themselves, telling her that this or that will be okay, even when they aren't sure. She hates any of that stuff: that's why she appreciates those sorts of people that are exactly same on the inside as they are on the outside. So she's fully aware that nobody is perfect - perhaps even more than she should be. It just never occurred to her that since imperfect people make the laws that the laws could, therefore, be imperfect. They certainly never taught her that one.

She also understands his explanation for the mask easily: she has, after all, listened to the thoughts of a lot of bad guys. People like the Ventriloquist who take some sort of sick pleasure in harming people. It's easy for her to imagine them going after a particular person they were angry with. Though it leads her to ask, Why do it that way though? If you want to catch bad guys, don't cops do that? Couldn't you be a cop?

When he mentions her apparent lack of anything to do, she somewhat guiltily admits, Well, I'm supposed to be listening to a meeting but it's... really boring. They're not even talking about anything I need to know right now.[/color][/i]

[question]

Well sometimes the cops are bad as well, an because they are cops no one puts them in jail. so it just expands. He didn't want to go too in depth with the politics of it. I do it because there is only so much that a cop can do, they can know that someone is doing wrong but until someone gives them the green light that person goes free.

Meetings, he could agree they were indeed boring. I can't be a cop, because I have a job out side of this, I don't get anything but knowing that I take one less scum bag off the streets, an save one person is worth the long nights an lost sleep.

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Pondering upon the thoughts his answers raise, Phoebe finds herself being in the unaccustomed position of being able to see two sides to the issue. She'd like to be able to dispute a lot of the things this man is thinking, but she can tell that he means what he's saying. And she doesn't like not being completely sure which side of the issue that she should be on, since what he's saying feeds easily into her own desire to be on the side of the 'good guys'. If this man is a good guy, what does that make the people who caught him and locked him up?

Then again, given her uncertainty, she has to fall back onto her default of putting more trust in the side she's already on. She's also heard the thoughts of Agent Tiff and Agent Stevens and other people who are equally as certain in their belief that people like this man are criminals themselves. So thus far his words change nothing - except that now she has contradictory ideas in her head now.

She's silent for a long moment after his statements, unable to dispute them. Though she does have to ask, But if you decide to break the law to do these good things - what happens if everyone decides that's a good idea? A lot of the bad guys think that they are doing good things, you know - their idea of what's good is wrong. Even if the law is sometimes wrong, isn't it better to follow those rules instead of saying it's okay for everyone to just decide?[/color][/i]