Participants:
| Scene Title | Footage from Hell |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Veronica investigates a hellish incident in Tartarus, and finds the cameras were rolling — with any luck, the damned in question might be caught on film |
| Date | October 6, 2010 |
Figuring that the best time to talk to a bartender of a club is not during club hours, Veronica called ahead to Tartarus to ensure that the bartender in question would be there, along with any other employees who were present on the 23rd when apparently the gothic masses had a bout of mass hysteria. Once at the club, she is let in by one of the bouncers prepping for his own shift, and led to the bar Nadira mans.
The agent certainly isn't the type to frequent a place like Tartarus, so her eyes are curious as she takes in the dark, stygian atmosphere; she herself is practically cheery in a suit of charcoal gray offset by a plum silk blouse beneath. The holsters beneath the suit blazer are black to keep with the gothic decor, though those are hidden from view.
"Nadira Karim?" she says, stepping forward with her badge in her left hand and a hand held out in her right. "I'm Agent Sawyer with DHS. I called earlier about the incident on the 23rd. I'll try to be brief so I can get out of your hair in time for opening."
"That would be me," Nadira says with a nod, the darkly-dressed Egyptian definitely a bit of a contrast to Veronica's plum-and-gray. She eyes the badge cautiously for a moment before nodding. "Sure, I can answer whatever questions you have." She leans against the bar, taking a moment to assess Veronica.
The badge gets stowed inside her blazer and Veronica pulls out a smart phone, not her old Company blackberry but a new Institute issue one, for taking notes.
"I guess you were the tender on duty the day of the twenty-third, when an incident had various people acting strangely? I'd like you to tell me what you noticed, what you saw, anything out of the ordinary that you think might be useful. I'd like you to think about if there was anyone who seemed un-affected, especially," the agent explains, then glances around looking for any cameras. "Was there any footage of the event, by the way? You have security cameras?"
Nadira purses her lips. "Yes, I had the unfortunate pleasure of being in the middle of that." She rubs her neck. "We've got footage, cameras, yes. I am not sure that I would be able to tell you a whole lot, it was a bit intense and very quick. I did notice that it was close to the bar… whatever happened, the people further away didn't seem to have been affected." She seems thoughtful, clearly trying to wrack her brain for more information.
Veronica nods slowly. "Is it possible to get the tapes from the footage?" Of course it's possible, and of course she will, but she'll ask nicely now and come back with a warrant for it later if she needs to — most people just hand it over the first time. She'll look over the footage, maybe see if she can get one of the witnesses from the Nite Owl to watch it, see if any faces stick out as having been in both.
"How did you personally feel, before, during, after the incident?" she adds.
Nadira nods. "Yeah, I think there is a copy." She flags down one of the wait staff, instructing her to head back and see if she can find the copy of the tape. "Well, before? I was fine. Things were going just fine that evening. A bit worried cause a few of the customers were a bit angry at each other… but it was not anything out of the ordinary. It hit, though. People were acting strange all around me and then I felt… scared. Anxious. Like I was trapped. Like there was someone hunting me down for some reason. It was extreme, mostly because people seemed to have abilities that were being used, like they lost control or something. After it was all over, I felt alright other than quite shaken up… understandably so, I think, given the circumstances."
"Definitely understandable, Miss Karim," Veronica assures the bartender with a dimpled smile. "Did you know any of the people who were in the bar that night, the ones who were affected, prior to the event? Do you know of anyone in particular with an ability like empathy or telepathy or anything that might have gotten into people's heads? Even if you think they wouldn't have done anything like this — it's possible something made their power turn on that was out of their control, and we'd want to make sure that's not the case, you know?"
The agent tries to look reassuring, tries to assure the girl, in case she's protecting anyone she knows, that they're not going to haul off the Evolved in question just because of a use of power.
"It might just be a matter of control or something like drug use causing a loss of control — what I'm getting at is that I don't want you to protect someone you know for fear that they'll be in trouble, Miss Karim," Veronica says. "That's not always the case, and I'm very aware of that. I'm not looking to arrest anyone, but to help them get in control if they are having trouble with their power."
"I knew a few people there that night from before… girl I ran across at the zoo, once, though I don't know if she has an ability, I never got her name. Luke, I met him before, he was very hostile right at the beginning, kind of angry. From my prior conversation with him he doesn't have the most pleasant outlook on life, but he most definitely does not have anything mind-related. But no one else I knew from before." Nadira shakes her head a little.
The agent nods at Nadira's words, typing in a few words with her deft fingers onto the smartphone. The server returns from the back office with the copied footage, handing them to Veronica before heading off to put more eyeliner on in the bathroom once the brunette nods her thanks.
"Thanks for your time and for the footage, Miss Karim. I appreciate your help. If you think of anything else, or if something like this happens again, go ahead and give me a call."
A business card with Veronica's phone number and the DHS logo is handed to the bartender. "I'll let you get back to work."