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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2011 19:55:17 GMT -5
Her attention focused on protecting the medic and severely injured agent as the man recovers from his surprise and completes the rescue, Phoebe finds herself steadying. Agent Stevens' thoughts are right: they can't rely on her if she gets too upset. And, naturally since her powers are mentally based, she was trained in how to control her own thoughts. At least, as much as a ten year old is able to.
Meanwhile, Agent Stevens uses the apparent lull of activity from the back of the semi to motion for the other agents to better surround the semi. With the man holed up in there with such an effective gun, getting him out of there without too much risk to other's lives will be very tricky. Especially if how free he's being with his ammo is any indication of how much of it he has.
They're safe, Phoebe reports back once Agent Golden and the medic are far enough out of harm's way to make her shield unnecessary.
Hearing the improvement in Phoebe's mental voice, Agent Stevens says, Good, because I need you to - GRENADE!
Phoebe stands up in alarm, only able to see a large cloud of dirt and dust from her position deeper into the checkpoint, some distance from the truck and closer to its front than the back. Agent Stevens?! she asks in alarm, her mind probing into the cloud where her guardian was last.
I'm okay, the agent responds, choking on the dust but otherwise unharmed. They'll probably have to wait for the dust to clear before they'll know if and how many others weren't as lucky. Who'd have thought that the man had grenades in there? Quickly making up her mind, she tells Phoebe, We're going to have to do something different. Are you up to trying Negotiation Tactic 23?
Sensing the seriousness in the agent's tone, Phoebe takes a deep breath and says, Yes. She can tell that things have gotten very serious and doesn't dare let anyone down now.
Her attention turns to the semi, and she quickly locates the mind of the man inside. Concentrating carefully, she makes sure that her 'voice' is as authoritative and serious as she can. No matter what she does she'll definitely sound youthful, though when she takes that tone she's likely to sound more like a teenager than a child. Surrender immediately. If you don't, I'll rip the walls off that truck and let the sharpshooters on the fence take care of you, she says directly into his mind. And she isn't bluffing either - that's Negotiation Tactic 24.
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Post by ventrioquist on Aug 11, 2011 12:44:57 GMT -5
The impact of the grenade explosion kicked some debris into the trailer. The Ventriloquist popped his head from behind a crate. Scarface still in hand, he rushed over to grab another grenade when all of a sudden his mind was invaded by an unknown voice.
Surrender immediately. If you don't, I'll rip the walls off that truck and let the sharpshooters on the fence take care of you,
“Ugh…” the Ventriloquist clutched his temple as there was a ringing sound that followed the voice. “There is someone else in here. She’s telling us to surrender.”
“Ah’ heard da voice too,” Scarface bluntly stated, the crime mafiso then began to address Miss Phoebe. “Now ye listen here. Who do ye think’ ye are tellin’ us to surrender?! If ye’ haven’t noticed we’re the one’s with da intent and harm to injure. An’ of yer people come close, they’re going’ to get a ‘gullet to the head.”
There was the question of whether or not the threat would be a real one. Something or someone had destroyed the cyborg outside and with relative ease. Either way, the Ventriloquist was determined to force this unknown entity to use their powers. Knowledge was power, and information is worth money.
The Ventriloquist ran over to another crate, and found a bullet magazine for the automatic weapon. Slamming the new set of rounds into the uzi, he then waited. His eyes were scanning the truck the entire time. Why? Because the shadows were beginning to form.
"A cat came fiddling out of a barn, With a pair of bagpipes under her arm. She could sing nothing but fiddle dee dee, The mouse has married the bumblebee. Pipe, cat; dance, mouse; We'll have a wedding at our good house."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2011 13:58:56 GMT -5
Listening to his thoughts now, Phoebe frowns to herself. She hates hearing the thoughts of bad guys, they're so... mean. Still, if they're going to get out of this situation without anyone else getting hurt then it's necessary.
I'm Force, she replies. Her real name is classified information and known only by a few people with enough clearance. And I think I'm the one who doesn't have to be in there to either talk to you or do what I said. And if you think I'm lying...[/color][/i] she continues, before shifting some of her attention to the door she can see on the semi's side. There's the sound of straining metal for a brief moment before the locks and hinges securing it in place buckle and break as it's simply torn off the large truck, causing the walls near it to buckle a little though they remain intact.
That wasn't hard. And your bullets don't frighten me. You should surrender, she adds, though she finds herself mildly distracted by the rhyme the less bossy voice is saying - she hasn't heard that one before.
Meanwhile, as the dust clears outside, Agent Stevens orders the other agents to stay back and keep under cover. If the man in the truck has one grenade, it's quite possible that he has more and who knows what else he might have in there? Better to let Phoebe try to talk him into giving up than put anyone else in harm's way.
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Post by ventrioquist on Aug 12, 2011 7:07:41 GMT -5
The freighter begins to shake as if a minor tremor had come through the area. The Ventriloquist had to drop his uzi momentarily in order to balance himself on a crate to prevent himself from falling over.
There was a loud snap as the nuts, bolts, and screws that held the main frame of the trailer began to be ripped from their hinges. The trailer shifts it’s position so that it is not directly lined up with the base platform.
“Ah’ don’t think she’s lying…” Scarface muttered.
Regardless, the Ventriloquist did not enjoy hearing voices in his head even if they come from external factors rather manifestations of his psychiatric instability.
The Ventriloquist began to think, knowing that whomever had shifted the trailer could hear what he is thinking.
“Th—there is no way we’re going to surrender until we actually see and know what the hell you are. For all we know this could be a figment of our imagination. Yes! That’s it.”
“An’d there is no way Scarface surrenders without a fight. Quick dummy’ nag’ da gun, and give it to me.” Scarface beckoned to his puppeteer
The Ventriloquist ran over to where he had dropped the gun. He gave the weapon to Scarface, who was now holding the machine pistol. The Ventriloquist used the hand not holding Scarface to control the dummy, thus making use of both of his upper limbs, and essentially wielding the gun with both hands, thus improving the accuracy of the weapon.
Outside, everything was quiet. Not a good sign. Were the FBI snipers getting into position, where the agents taking time to surround the truck? Not wanting to quote ‘act like a sitting duc,’ the Ventriloquist took initiative.
“If---I---if you’re listening, here is our answer!” The Ventriloquist gave a crooked smile before he pointed the gun through the walls of the trailer and began to fire through the metal frame. The initial bullets from the fully automatic attack were stopped by the walls, but only for a moment.
RAT-A-TAT-TAT! RAT-A-TAT-TAT!
Multiple bullets holes punched their way through the metal walls of the trailer, spraying harmlessly to the outside area.
This attack was meant as something to weaken the trailer walls. The Ventriloquist ran over to and fumbled for another magazine.
He would keep shooting through the walls and through the now open entrance way of the freighter. This would serve to keep the FBI Agents back. Eventually these random attacks would hit a stray FBI agent before they ran out of bullets.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2011 11:05:58 GMT -5
I told you: I'm Force - that's all you need to know, Phoebe replies. She may be young, but she knows better than to fall for such bait and reveal herself more than she already has.
She frowns to herself as she senses the man's desire to keep fighting in spite of that little demonstration of her power. Though her threat had been sincere in that she's actually capable of doing it, she also knows that the FBI will want the man alive for questioning if they can get him safely. So she turns to Agent Stevens for advice on how to proceed. He doesn't want to surrender, she reports But one of the voices called himself Scarface and the other one 'dummy'.
Fortunately, Agent Stevens is much better briefed on Gotham's main criminals than Phoebe is, Ah, I know who we're dealing with! That would explain the two voices... Listen carefully: Agent Tiff is definitely going to want us to catch this one. Now, this man carries a large doll. If you take it from him and destroy it, he should give up easily.
Phoebe blinks at that bit of information. Weird... she comments. She likes her dolls a lot herself, but she definitely wouldn't give up just because someone broke one. In fact the last time that happened... She inwardly cringes at the memory of how she was punished for the way she'd reacted to that. Nevertheless, nobody's ever harmed her dolls since then.
But she wastes no more time: the random sprays of bullets the man is firing, effective as they are at keeping the agents back, aren't likely to find a target quickly, but sooner or later he's liable to hit someone so she can't let him keep it up. First she finds the man's mind again, though she's more concerned about using that telepathic link to give her an idea of his location more than she is about listening to his thoughts or talking to him at this point. Next, she pulls out her binoculars and uses them to peer carefully at the truck. She doesn't need them to help her remove the side wall of the truck but, between them and her mental link, they will help her be the first one to spot him. Or, more importantly, the large doll Agent Stevens told her about.
Only needing a few moments to be ready, she begins the process of peeling away the side wall of the truck, starting at the front corner nearest to her and working her way backward. It's more difficult than removing the side door, but the hard part for Phoebe isn't the amount of force required, but the amount of care it takes to apply that force to the right points on the semi so that she doesn't completely destroy something by accident. She'll only stop when she spots the doll, at which point she'll grab it with her telekinesis - which is, sufficeth to say, more than strong enough to take it from the man.
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Post by ventrioquist on Aug 12, 2011 20:50:51 GMT -5
One side of the trailer wall begins to peep open like the top of a sardine can. The sharp almost defeaning sound of metal being torn forces the Ventriloquist to cover his ears. There is a slight vibration from the bottm of the truck which also causes him to lose his footing.
"It look's like da jig is up." Scarface cried out.
"Geee Mister Scarface, what do we do now?"
"Ah'm thinking! Ah'm thinking!"
It would only be a matter of minutes before they would be caught. Obviously, whatever was out there was using a powerful version of telekinesis to literally rip the walls right off the trailer. The FBI were serious about their invasion of Gotham City, and had brought something more then guns, bullets, and firearms. This would not be the first time the Ventriloquist had been caputured by the authorities, nor would it be the last.
"M--M--Mister Scarface, what do we do now?"
"Well. We can' either go down' quietly, or we can go out with' a G'ANG!"
"I---I--I'm a fan of the ladder."
"So Ah'm I!"
There was something unerving about the entire situation. The agents on the outside were being to silent. There should have been tear gas canisters, bullets, and movement from the outside. Yet, the Ventriloquist did not sense a thing. The Ventriloquist ran over to a crate and pulled out another set of grenades.
About half of the trailer wall had been ripped off when suddenly, there was very powerful pull on the arm of the Ventriloquist. The result of the strong tug was Mister Sc arface flying from the grasp of the Ventriloquist.
"AhhhhhHHHhhhhh!" Scarface cried as he sailed through the air to land harmlessly onto the road outside of the truck.
It was as if there was a invisible rope that was tied around the Mannequin and someone had pulled on the rope to relieve the Ventriloquist of his partner.
"Noooooooooo! Mi---Mister Scarface!"
Arnold began to stumble after the mannequin when he was blinded by large spotlights that had turned on and were now aimed right at his eyes. This was followed by the sound of numerous guns being 'pointed in his direction.
The Ventriloquist stared helpelessly at the squadron of FBI Agents and then nodded his head. The villain dropped to his knees and placed arms a kimbo behind his head.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2011 22:03:28 GMT -5
After the difficulty involved in tearing open the semi's wall without ripping it apart entirely, destroying the doll by breaking it into several large pieces takes just a moment and seems like the easiest thing in the world. And, though taking it away from the man does just what Agent Stevens said it would, when she hears the man's thoughts react to it she can't help but feel sorry for him - for a few moments anyway. All she has to do to remember why all this is necessary is to think about Agent Golden and all the other violence he tried to inflict on everyone else. She hates violence.
Finished, she reports to Agent Stevens promptly, glad that everything seems to be under control now.
Good work, the agent replies, and Phoebe can't help but grin at the obvious pride behind that thought from her guardian. Keep listening to his thoughts until he's in custody and stop him if he tries any funny business. But after that we'll be done here. Though if she's remembering the man's file correctly, it's unlikely that he'll work up enough nerve to try anything without Scarface egging him on.
Okay, Phoebe replies as she returns her attention back to the man, watching him very carefully with her binoculars for sudden moves - though with her mind following his thoughts as well, even if he does try something he'll be unlikely to succeed.
Which is why, once they're able to lower the ramp in the back of the truck, Agent Stevens can feel completely confident about walking right up to the man armed only with a pair of handcuffs. Not that the fact that a couple of agents with guns drawn are following her doesn't help, not to mention the amount of firepower now trained on him from outside of the truck. "Arnold Wesker, you are under arrest," she says simply as she approaches him. She won't go into listing off his rights - under the PROTECT Act, he effectively doesn't have any rights. So instead she simply says, "Welcome to Gotham."
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Post by ventrioquist on Aug 13, 2011 17:06:57 GMT -5
"Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn," It begins as a whisper.
"Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,"
The Ventriloquist chimes, eyes darting to Agent Stevens when she approaches with the handcuffs.
"Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn..." "Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn," "Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn..."
The line comes in the form of a rapid speech, without a pause. Almost without drawing a breath.
The handcuffs snap tight. Stevens declares he's under arrest.
"Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn..." "Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn..""Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn!"
The Ventriloquist is officially welcome back into Gotham City.
The Ventriloquist begins to yell in a high pitched scream.
"Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn. Where is the boy who looks after the sheep? He's under a haycock, fast asleep. Will you wake him? No, not I, For if I do, he's sure to cry!!" Without Scarface, and forced back into this humiliating position, the psyche of Arnold Wesker begins to snap. He begins to growl about the destruction of Scarface, vowing to make the FBI and their secret weapon pay for the death of the physical representation of Scarface. And of course without a physical mannequin, there is no Scarface...at least in terms of speaking out in 'the real world.'
The voices will be there. Always the voices.
The Ventriloquist begins to snap, struggle, and fig-it under the restraints of his handcuffs.
He looks Agent Stevens directly in the eye, one more time...
"Where is the boy who looks after the sheep? He's under a haycock, fast asleep."
The line to the nursery rhyme is spoken in a whisper. A whisper that was preceded by a crooked grin.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2011 22:06:13 GMT -5
Flinching a little at the scream, Agent Stevens frowns and simply steps back to allow the two agents who followed her onto the truck to take him away. She and Phoebe are done with him; their job is to catch criminals, not to figure out where to take them and what's to be done with them. She just knows that he'll be interrogated, sent off to one of their more remote prison facilities, and be interrogated again. And probably very quickly too - the FBI is not messing around with this operation, unlike the police in this dump of a city.
Stepping off the truck herself in order to keep out of the way of the other agents already starting to go through the rest of the truck's contents, she walks over to where Phoebe is. The young girl may be putting on a brave face, but Agent Stevens knows that she's also just a little shaken. "Are you okay?" she asks quietly.
"Yes," Phoebe replies, though she's very quick to admit, "That was really hard though - that lady... but I was busy with the robot..."
Giving Phoebe a sympathetic smile, Agent Stevens simply says, "If you hadn't taken care of that robot then it probably would have killed people; remember that. And remember that no matter how hard and how fast you work, there will always be more than you can do. But as long as you do your best that isn't your fault - there's simply more problems in the world than one person can fix, no matter how strong they are. Okay?"
"Okay," Phoebe says, mulling that one over. "What about that man? What's wrong with him?" she asks, glancing the way she saw the Ventriloquist being dragged.
"He's insane," Agent Stevens answers simply, before adding, "He has, like you could hear, two people in his head. But the stronger one only really comes out when he has that doll. When you took it away, the other part of him couldn't keep going." A simplified explanation, to be sure, but it's not like Phoebe needs the full psychiatric details. "If you want to talk about it more later, we can, but there are more cars to process now," she adds, "But if you need a break, you've definitely earned one. We could finish up the old fashioned way." She's not about to insist that Phoebe finish out the day after all this mess - she's a child, after all.
"No, you need me," Phoebe says almost instantly, knowing that without her help mistakes will be made and some bad guys won't get caught as they try to leave the city, "And I want to work." There's something about this little experience that has made what was once a very tedious job a lot more pleasant.
"That's my girl," Agent Stevens replies proudly as she turns toward the waiting vehicles, and Phoebe can't help but feel better.
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