Participants:
| Scene Title | Sing Birdy, Sing |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Ling and Melissa meet at an abandoned shop in order to question a Humanis First prisoner they'd kidnapped. Unfortunately, unexpected events lead to it becoming more than just an interrogation, and leaves the Little Green House short one occupant. |
| Date | July 27, 2010 |
Abandoned Auto Shop - Staten Island
Interrogation of kidnapped prisoners probably isn't something that some members of Messiah expected to be on their dance card when they joined. Especially not those who had taken part in blowing up various building. But that is the assignment for those who have been called to gather today.
The location they're meeting at is a place that Ling has seen before. An old automotive shop on Staten Island, one that's been abandoned for a while. It's wrecked in some places, vandals showing off their mad graffiti skills, or stealing odd pieces of equipment. But it does offer a secluded building with a nice open room. And one storage closet in particular where one Jacob Shields has been stowed since Ling and Melissa stashed him there several days ago. Duct tape bindings and a gag cannot be comfortable, nor can a few days without food or water, but it does serve to present a perfect backdrop to the interrogation which will be starting shortly.
Melissa left the house a little early, carrying a backpack with her, and walking at a slow sedate pace. Walking with a gunshot wound isn't fun, but climbing in and out of cars with one in your stomach is even less fun. She left keys for Ling in case she chose to come by car instead, which just leaves two opportunities for their curious housemate to stow away in order to see just what Melissa is getting up to lately in order to end up injured as much as she is.
With some time left before the others should arrive, Melissa has stowed her backpack, hanging it from a car lift, and there are two chairs positioned just so. One for her to sit in for now, and the other next to a table. That chair is for the guest of honor.
Somehow Melissa guesses that he won't appreciate the consideration.
Melissa has been coming home with all sorts of injuries lately, so Kendall finally decided that he'd tail her the next time she goes out. He pretended to be busy in his room as usual to make sure she doesn't get suspicious, but then when he hears her leave, he opens his door, getting ready to follow her. He leaves out the back door to be all sneaky-like, and before he circles around to the front, he pulls a ring out of his pocket. He slips it onto his finger and then vanishes… or rather, becomes unable to be seen by most people. Then he trots after her all stealthy-like.
Ling looms at the back of the room, an unhappy scowl on her face. She's trying to remain close to the back, in the dark and slightly out of sight - an effort made to hide the cast she has now around her leg, a product of the other night. Arms are crossed across her chest, and because of the cast she looks less than dressed for the event. Smoke wafts from her form, not enough to change any of her form, and not enough to mess with the state of her leg or cast, but enough to be noticeable, enough to make a show. She remains silent, watching. With her leg, she's here mostly to advise, but she will get involved if she needs to.
Trying to hide it or not, Melissa spends a full minute looking at that cast before she smiles faintly at Ling. "This should be…Interesting. Where are the big burly guys when we need 'em?" She sighs softly, grabbing a knife from her bag. "I'll go get our guest," she says, heading to the closet.
Lights are turned on, which have Jacob blinking and squinting after days in a dark closet. She shifts around him and cuts the duct tape on his ankles before drawing a pistol and using it to motion towards the door. "Up. You try anything, anything at all, and I will shoot you. Understand me?" For now Jacob seems cooperative enough, but he goes glare at Melissa, muttering uncomplimentary things at her under his breath.
So a few minutes after Mel disappeared, she reappears, Jacob just in front of her at gunpoint. "Over to the chair and sit down." She glances at Ling and nods to her backpack. "Can you get the cuffs out of my bag? We don't want him making a run for it before we get our answers, do we?"
Kendall followed Melissa into this strange looking, slightly ominous (okay, a bit more than slightly) building, managed to get inside without making it look like there's a miraculous opening door, and then she's getting some tied and gagged guy out of a closet. What the?! He stifles any noise he would've made, waiting a little longer. Surely she has a…. reason… for…. omgwtf, she's threatening him with a gun! And that lady Ling is here too? What, does he live in a mafia headquarters or something?
Ling grimaces. She had been hoping well enough not to have to move much and show her weakness. But, being that this is within her limited capacity to help, she complies with Melissa's request. Awkwardly shuffling her way over to Melissa's bag, she retrieves the cuffs and tosses them over to the waiting woman, remaining once again silent the entire time
The cuffs are caught with a small wince as it makes Melissa move in a way that isn't pleasant, and she watches Jacob sit, now glaring at Ling and Melissa both. The hand with the gun lightly slaps Jacob on the back of the head. "Be nice, or this will hurt more," she says, before crouching down behind him to secure his ankles and wrists to the chair. Then, she callously just rips the duct tape off his mouth.
There's a gasp of pain as tape tears at skin. "You two bitches are in some big trouble now. You're already dead, you just don't know enough to lay down yet. Dumbshit evo freaks," he snarls at them. Mel shakes her head. "That doesn't sound very nice to me. Does it sound nice to you, Ling?"
Kendall winces when Melissa gets all rough with the poor guy, and then he starts speaking, and his expression clears. Ahhhhh, it's one of the racist people. Er, evolvist people. What were they called again…? Well, at any rate Kendall understands a bit more, but… he still doesn't say anything, though he glances towards Ling a few times.
"Hmph," Ling remarks to Melissa's question, shaking her head. "I suppose he doesn't realize the dire situation he is in," Ling replies, shuffling back over to where she had been previously. "Bold proclamations from a soon to be broken man mean little to me, I'm afraid." Arms cross back across her chest, glaring ahead at Jacob.
With Jacob restrained, Melissa moves back in front of him, holstering the pistol. "I think you're right," she says with a nod to Ling. "Now Jacob, we're going to ask you some questions, my friend and I. And you're going to answer them, because if you don't, we're going to hurt you. Badly. I'm inclined to hurt you anyway, since you're one of those bigoted Humanis First bastards, and the fact that you exist is something that pisses me off on a regular basis."
Those words are rewarded by Jacob spitting towards her. Clearly he isn't intimidated by the two women. "Fuck you, bitch. Evo bitch," he hisses, as though it were the worst of insults. Melissa tsks and shakes her head then looks to Ling. "Question away. I'll make sure he answers you, one way or another."
Kendall frowns at the guy when he spits at Melissa. Hmm…. maybe he came make him think they have telekinetic powers or something, and he moves to rap the guy in the back of the head. Manners, dude. He still can't be seen yet unless someone is actively looking for him.
Ling grins, standing a bit straighter at her perch. She makes no effort to approach, and real movement will only diminish any sense of bring a threat she might have culled up. Smoke wisps through the air, a tendril sliding through the air and towards Jacob - and as the light catches her arm, the glint of metal caught in the light reveals to Jacob and Kendall for the first time the knife she holds in the other.
"I am not kidding about you being a broken man, Jacob," Ling intones darkly as she stares at him. "But Humanis First scum or not, your fate is in your hands." The display Ling puts on and the tone of her voice is almost theatrical, an vastly underused talent of hers. And, well, maybe she secretly watched one of Melissa's action movies the other day. "If you tell us what you can, perhaps there is an out for you?" She's lying, of course. "So perhaps it is best to start simple - for you to provide us with anything you know about Humanis First activities in the area." A very broad question, but intentionally so - how he answers determines what questions come next.
Ling is there, Melissa is there, so who the hell just hit him? Jacob cranes his head around, frowning at the empty air. "Telekinetic whore," he rephrases, before giving the evil eye to both women. The knife, however, is eyed warily. "I'm not telling you a fucking thing. I'm going to dance when my buddies kill you both!"
Telekinetic? Melissa frowns a little, knowing full well that no one here is telekinetic. Is he messing with them, maybe? She shakes her head slightly and focuses on Jacob again. "Bzzt. Wrong answer. Wanna try door number two?" she asks, and seems very, very calm as she draws the pistol, aims, and fires, hitting his foot and making him howl in pain. Someone is getting colder, more callous, it seems. "Wanna cut him up a little? If he behaves, then I'll make all the pain go away. If he doesn't…" Well, Ling knows what Melissa's ability is.
Kendall flinches away when Melissa actually shoots him in the foot, bumping against the wall. Of course, it might not have been heard since a gun was just shot and it might still be ringing in everyone's ears. Dude! She SHOT him! ….maybe Kendall should stay away from him now lest he accidentally get shot too.
"I believe I will leave this unstained, for now," Ling replies with a shake of her head. Despite the façade she tries to put up, Ling is by no means an actual torturer, and would rather hold off before bringing her crippled self closer to the man. Besides, she really does hate having to put a knife to work. Eyes return to Jacob, a sadistic grin forming on her face, shaking a billow of smoke towards the bigot. "Perhaps you would like to try again? This can only get better if you cooperate. There is no need for you to die tonight." Said in a manner that does, however, make it sound inevitable. "So, shall we? Because it will be very hard to dance with a shattered kneecap, I imagine." Both intimidation and giving Melissa her next target, a two for one. "Answer: What is Humanis First up to in New York at the moment? Between the recent beatings and bombings, it's easy to tell how active you are."
Eyes wide with fear and pain, Jacob looks between the two women. But there's still a great deal of hatred in that gaze too. He starts to speak, stops, then starts again. "We're preparing. You evolved freaks are planning to take over this city, we know it. You screwed up and showed that to us! You signed your own death warrant!"
Melissa's brows arch and she smiles faintly. "Well, well. The little birdy can sing. Keep singing, Tweety, because every time you refuse to answer one of her questions, I'll just hurt you more. We clear?" The answer gets another look that would kill her if he could, then he nods, once, jaw clenched tightly.
Taking over the city? Yeah, right. Kendall looks skeptical, narrowing his eyes. He's kinda wondering what they're up to as well. Then he suddenly shakes his head, and blinks at Melissa and Ling. That's right, these are people he knows, torturing someone and interrogating him! What's going on?
Ling face flashes genuine surprise, slowly looking over to Melissa. "The last I checked, the only thing I was planning was a business trip." More lying. She leans forward a bit, eyes narrowed. "It's because of people like you that we find ourselves in these dreadful situations," she remarks, arms theatrically unfolding and sweeping in front of her. "I would listen to her, though. Anything you know, tell us. Who is in charge of these preparations?"
Jacob shakes his head. "No, I won't tell you anything else. Torture me all you want, but I won't talk!" he claims, though there's something weak, scared in that voice, on that face. "I won't help the uprising!"
Melissa sighs and shakes her head. "Way wrong answer, boy-o. Why do you make us hurt you? If you'd just answer the questions, then we wouldn't have to," she says, before her attention is focused, and she sends pain screaming through the man, worse than just a simple bullet wound.
Jacob screams and shakes his head, body tense in the restraints that hold him to the chair. "Stop! Stop it! I can't! They'll kill me!"
Yikes, she's not kidding! Kendall never really considered just how suited Melissa's power is to interrogating people. Lovely, now he's going to be terrified out of his mind if he ever does anything that would make her question him!
"An uprising?" Ling raises an eyebrow, looking rather amused. "Self defence, my friend, against people like you. As I said, we would have no problem if it wasn't for bigots like you." Fingers raise in front of her as she leans back against the wall, steepling in what has become a signature gesture of hers. "I may hate you, but perhaps arrangements can be made so that they will not kill you should you clue us in on what is being planned. But that is only if you help us."
The pain continues to course through Jacob, making him jerk against the cuffs, which start to rub his wrist raw. "Wallace! His name's Wallace Cartwright! Oh god make it stop! Don't kill me!" he cries out, giving the women pleading looks. Melissa's head tilts and she considers him for a moment before abruptly switching the power off, though she doesn't nothing to stop the pain of the injuries that he's physically sustained.
It's understandable that Kendall has no clue who the guy named is, and he edges away from Melissa a bit more, moving around towards the shadows on the other side of the table.
Ling's sadistic grin doesn't waver, nodding at Jacob slowly. It's not too hard to tell she's enjoying this on some level, enough so that it would surprise even her if she stopped to think about it. "Thank you, Jacob. Now, if you know anything else, perhaps we can do something about the rest of your pain?" Two of Ling's fingers tap together. "Perhaps we can get this running smoothly after all."
Melissa, on the other hand, doesn't look like she's enjoying it. It's nice to be able to use her power, yes, but torturing isn't really her gig. The things you do for love and family. Jacob takes in several deep breaths before looking at Ling. "What do you want to know? Tell me, and I'll answer!"
Now Kendall is edging away from Ling. It's not surprising that she's enjoying something like this, but it's disturbing nevertheless.
"The basics," Ling states simply. "How. When. Where. The more detailed, the better." She looks over to Melissa, letting her grin fade so that she looks less threatening, now that they appear to be getting what they want. A nod is given, as if to tell her to soothe him a little.
"I…I'm not sure. I swear. I know we're preparing for the uprising, we're getting weapons and shit, and Wallace is leading my group," Jacob answers, sounding a bit desperate. As he begins to talk, Melissa's power touches him again, making the pain of the gunshot disappear. He blinks in surprise and looks down at his foot. "It…doesn't hurt anymore," he murmurs, frowning.
He seems to recall the position he's in then and looks back up. "Curtis High. Go to Curtis High. And…and…The anniversary! That's when it's gonna happen! The uprising. We saw it!" he says eagerly, as if hoping this bit of information will save his life.
Kendall is relaxing a bit more now that they're not making the guy scream in pain, and even seem to be taking away his pain. Carrot and the stick strategy, huh?
"You saw it?" Ling asks curiously, tilting her head and lowering her hands. "Would you care to explain this, simply to satiate my curiosity?" Ling no longer sneers or glares, her general demeanour having lightened. The knife has even been pulled out of view.
"W-well…I didn't see it, not personally. But a while back, the flashes…One of us saw the evolved rising up to claim the city," Jacob answers, while Melissa just watches passively, not seemign to care about the answers, except that they're still coming.
Kendall rolls his eyes. Yeah, right. He didn't see anything like that going on in his flash!
"Of course," Ling replies with a roll of her eyes. "I have been following the flashes myself very intimately," she remarks, sounding genuinely frank. "For personal reasons. But this is the first I've heard of an… uprising. What do you make of it, Melissa?"
Melissa shrugs a little, eyes remaining on Jacob. "I don't think we know enough yet, to be honest." Though Ling gets a sharp look. Names are baaaad. Then she looks back to Jacob. "How many men are in your group, Jacob? And what exactly do you guys plan on doing to stop this…uprising? And I wouldn't lie. We can't keep the pain away forever."
Jacob gives a slight shrug of his own. "I just told you what I was told. Wallace doesn't share all his information with us. He's got all these names of evolved people, even people who are tier 0. He shouldn't have those. He's not a cop."
What's tier 0? Despite everything, Kendall's curious.
"That is quite interesting," Ling says with a grimace, her gaze shifted back to Melissa. A hand reaches up, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. She falls quiet again, leaning back against the wall in a more casual, slacked position. "I believe that sounds like registration lists? I am not familiar myself." Implying she's not registered, perhaps a bit more info then she should be volunteering.
Melissa nods slightly to Ling. "It is. It goes from tier zero to three. Three are the ones who usually ended up in Moab. But Jacob, dear, ou didn't answer the rest of my questions. How many men? What are you guys planning to do about the uprising?"
Jacob swallows noisily. "You guys swear you'll protect me from them? They really will kill me if they find out I told you guys all this. It's like…treason. Just against humanity." Clearly, he still thinks of them as lesser. Silly prisoner.
Tier 0 up to tier 3? This Kendall's never heard about, but then again, he never registered either; apparently registering is A Bad Thing To Do. Look at this group, they know people's names!
"As I said, arrangements can be made. Even if we did release you back to them, fear is a wonderful motivator," she says in a bit more darker tone. "And I doubt you have anything to fear from mindreaders among them." Ling scoffs, shaking her head. "It will, however, help your position if you stop excluding us from… "humanity." Ling's fingers tap against her arm, smirking.
Jacob grimaces but nods slowly. "I don't know the exact count. Forty or fifty, I think? And…well…the list. We're going to kill as many as we can, using the shit going on on November eighth as a cover," he answers, hunching over and wincing, as if expecting the answer to earn him some pain.
Kendall blinks and stares at the guy when he speaks so very casually about killing people. Eek! Hopefully he's not on that list!
"Did you ever consider that you may be having a hand in everything that happens in November?" Ling asks with a raised eyebrow. Perhaps she had been wrong about how things go down in her vision. But she would rather die now than be shot by some loathsome lowlife from Humanis First. She shrugs afterwards. "More than enough to start something serious, to be sure."
Jacob frowns as if he's trying to sort through Ling's logic. He really isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. "I…don't know?" he says finally, looking up at Ling. "But that's all I know, I swear it. Please don't kill me?"
Melissa rises from her chair, looking at Ling, and sighing. "Sorry, Jacob. But you know my name now. I can't have you hunting me down later," she says, pulling her pistol from behind her back, checking the clip then racking a shell into the chamber. It looks like she's going to just…kill him!
WHAT?! Kendall gapes at Melissa for a split second, then yanks off the ring. "What, are you CRAZY? Are you going to KILL HIM?!" he yelps. Uhhh, yeah, hopefully he won't make either of the ladies shoot him in reflex, but he is standing out of the way, right in front of this Jacob guy so he got an eyeful of a magically appearing teenager.
At first Ling just shakes her head, watching with a grin as Melissa draws her pistol back out. She had, after all, promised protection from Humanis First. Not from any one else. But at Kendall's outburst, her grin turns into a dark scowl, head tilted forward as she glares in his direction the air misting with smoke around her. "You?!" she intones, beginning to shuffle around and towards him, signs of weakness be damned. She flashes a glare over at Melissa, eyes narrowed.
The pistol in Melissa's hand automatically shifts over to Kendall, then is pointed at the ceiling when she realizes just who it is. "You? What in the hell are you doing here? Are you fucking crazy?" she hisses at him, stalking towards him and reaching for an arm, trying to drag him off to the side. "What the fuck were you thinking?" She looks over to Ling. "Watch him," she says, nodding to Jacob, who's staring wide-eyed and starting to scream, "Don't kill me!" over and over again.
"Forget about me, but are YOU fucking crazy?" Kendall yells back, jerking his arm out of reach. Don't touch me, crazy murderer lady! "No wonder you keep coming home after being shot, stabbed, arms broken, whatever! What the hell are you doing? Are you in the mafia or something?" mafia… hahaha.
"Take him out of here," Ling practically snarls, hobbling over to where Jacob sits. Her blade returns into view, tapping up and down against her arm. "Do not get any wild ideas, or else you will die," she states very matter of factly, regardless of Kendall's presence.
Melissa jerks back as if Kendall struck her, and hurt shows on her face, her voice dropping to a whisper that barely carries to him. "Listen to me. Listen good. I come home hurt because I'm fighting to make sure that fuckers like Jacob over there don't kill you. Fighting to make sure that the government doesn't lock you in a tiny hole in Moab II. So you think long and hard about that before you say anything goddamned word."
She glances back to Ling, then to Kendall. "Go home. We'll talk about this later. And don't even think of arguing with me on this, hon. I mean it," she says, giving him a little push towards the door while Jacob continues to scream.
Kendall fidgets, not exactly arguing with her but not exactly leaving, either. His gaze keeps going to the screaming guy in the chair, and he gulps.
Ling remains silent as her gaze wanders over to Melissa and Kendall, eyes still narrowed. "I do apologise for the rude interruption," she says with a glance down to the screaming man, as if trying to make a very bad joke in an incredibly unsuitable situation. "I would appreciate it it you left. Now." She stares straight at Kendall, this time being smart enough not to actually use a name. "These matters can be discussed in short order. But for now… this is not your place."
There's another push, this time a little more insistent. "Go. She's right. This isn't your place. I didn't want you involved in any of this," Melissa says, trying to walk Kendall to the door and out.
Kendall finally takes the hint, and leaves. Whether or not he goes to the house, however, is the real question.
Ling shakes her head, a disappointed look on her face as she looks back to Melissa, again shaking her head. "Shall I follow after him, and leave this to handle as you please?" She cocks an eyebrow, stepping past Jacob and towards Melissa.
"Follow him. Make sure he gets home safely," Melissa says softly, nodding as she moves back towards the prisoner. She looks at him for a minute. Maybe giving Ling time to get out and pursue Kendall, maybe just steeling herself for what's coming next. The pistol remains at her side, harmless for the moment, though the look on her face is anything but. She's sad, hurt, and it seems that she blames Jacob for both. Maybe all of his organization.
She whispers softly, "I'm sorry Jacob," before the pistol is slowly lifted. He starts struggle and scream, "Help me! Help me! She's gonna kill me!" But soon the words are cut off abruptly, as the gun is put almost against Jacob's forehead, and the trigger is pulled, sending gore splattering against the equipment behind him, blood getting on Melissa's clothes and exposed skin.
No, she's not mafia. But maybe she's a part of something worse.