13024/Shi'ar: Timor Animicida Est

Shi'ar: Timor Animicida Est
Date of Scene:	21 October 2022
Location:	Atlantic Starport - Transporter Room & Brig
Synopsis:	X-folk and friends investigate the Shi'ar assassin, but the answers they find are more disturbing than reassuring. The woman's memories are disjointed, one day a happy young officer, the next day a fanatic murderer. While mind-control is familiar to the X-Men, their telepathy reveals little. Instead, it is strange data in the transporter logs that suggests a more bizarre and terrible possibility, that she might have had her mind scrambled or rewritten by the machine itself, or been whisked to some other dimension, replaced, or reprogrammed. Worse than that: several of the X-Men have used the same transporters, and one of their supposed allies among the Shi'ar seems another possible victim.
Cast of Characters:	Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Roberto da Costa, Logan Howlett, Jessica Drew, Negasonic, Tabitha Smith

---

Jean Grey has posed:
Previously on X-MEN: A lot of things have happened! A year ago, Majestor D'Ken Neramani came to Earth hunting for his exile sister and to use the Phoenix to pursue crazy universe-dominating plans (as one does). The X-Men foiled this, and put Lilandra on the throne. Since then, Earth has opened up to visitors from other worlds, and the new Majestrix's government was the first to send official envoys, aiming to forge a formal peace after that conflict.

It ended up with their chief diplomat being assassinated to throw a wrench into the works of the peace process. The assassin was another Shi'ar: Engineer 2nd Grade Tiva Rilanari, a seemingly happy-go-lucky junior technical officer assisting, among other things, with helping install some of the Shi'ar technology Lilandra had gifted for use on the new SR-X. Friendly, outgoing, seemingly at ease making friends on a new planet. At least until she used her engineering supplies to jury-rig a blaster and blow a hole in Sub-Minister K'van.

In the aftermath, she was apprehended at the Starport, while other possible co-conspirators fled into space, pursued by the SR-X and eventually brought aboard an orbiting Shi'ar cruiser. Some of the X-Men went to answer questions about the incident, and Tabitha got arrested for a little while. Despite using their own telepaths, the Shi'ar have been somewhat stumped in their investigation.

Perhaps the Earthers will learn more from their prisoners?

--

Tiva is a bit of a cipher. Nothing in the woman's history, readily supplied by the Shi'ar investigators, indicates any unusual political activities. She has an unremarkable family background, without ties to royal intrigue. In her technical coursework, she proved an apt student and sought service in the fleet to expand her horizons. An unlikely assassin is a useful assassin, to be sure, but nonetheless, it has the feeling of pieces that do not quite add up.

Rigorous telepathic interrogation yields no Eureka moment. Rather, it raises deeper concerns: She is not especially resistant, but her memories only confirm official records. Once at the Starport, she was eager to collaborate with her human counterparts. Nowhere in those recollections is the recruiter, the radicalizing force, the handler. Indeed, those evil thoughts seemingly spring from nowhere and can be marked to almost the second: they begin the instant she beams down from the B'rynal at the beginning of that day's shift, having used the transporters (through the Starport's official incoming pad) rather than the shuttle which remained docked for most of the visit. From THAT moment, when she arrived on the station, she planned and executed her attack. And in the aftermath, she speaks - and thinks - eagerly of Deathbird's ascension. A hard metnal break.

When Emma decides to enter her psyche in the guise of her mistress, Tiva is reverent, supplicative, declaring that she has served her part of the great purpose and awaits her reward. But her mind beyond that seems free of detailed knowledge, beyond the plan she was supposed to carry out.

--

At the moment, those working on the investigation have free run of most of the relevant areas of the Atlantic Starport (albeit with some oversight from the Amazon security forces). Indeed, they probably have access to the Cruiser B'rynal as well, whether by communicator or a quick trip up by teleporters.

Emma Frost has posed:
And upon sweeping through Tiva's consiousness, Emma Frost would be skeptical if it had been another telepath than herself. But either someone is good enough to rewrite the woman's mind on such a thorough level that puts her skill and power significantly beyond even Emma's.. Or she's been totally reconstructed. A powerful enough telepath can rewrite things significantly. Even make a new mind entirely. But this level of wiping and remaking is beyond even Emma's skill to tell if there is anything.
    So, upon her scrying since she's been irritated but thoughtful. Sharing what informations he can with the others. "She's been conditioned well enough that if there is anything in there, I'm not able to piece it together. Perhpas something mystical might yield more.." Emma's surety in her own powers was not absolute, and she would readily yield to other abilities beyond her own. "If her mind's been brokena nd remade it's well beyond what I can tell. I'm not picking up indiciations of another personality or presona layered over. The recognition of Deathbird is indicative of her operating within a cell.. I'd suggest looking for down time; wherever she might have been assigned or on leave for an extended period where she might have been picked up and worked over before rejoining her ship."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa considers, "Well, that's five telepaths on Earth, the dominators who we know hate us, at least one member of the super guardians... if she's more powerful or skilled than you. But... Emma, you said it was the transporter? Before the transport she was fine? So, the transport wasthe trigger or the cause? Does it break youdown in a way to allow that level of meddling?"

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan was not a telepath.

But he was still here, his arms crossed and his eyes constantly on their 'guest', Tiva. Don't ask him why, but he's just thoroughly suspicious. He frowns. "I don't like this." He gruffs, rolling his shoulders as he steps up to Roberto, Emma, and Jean. "There's something in the wings here and she ain't talkin'."

Not to mention that Logan does /not/ like being in space, but shit happens.

"She pulled shit before, longer we have her here, the longer we give her time to think about doin' somethin' else." Logan clenches his fist, those adamantium claws tearing through his knuckles and into open air. "I suggest we think about more physical methods if telepathy ain't goin' anywhere."

Pain reveals plenty.

Yes, it's horrible.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica places herself among those intensely interested in what flipped the Shi'ar engineer into a killing frenzy in the name of Deathbird. The Shield agent's reasonable expectation is for a peaceful, if not soporific, few hours spent investigating the assassin - much of it conducted telepathically, which is out of her purview.

Dressed less to impress than for comfort if more violence visits them during the investigation, Jess wears grey wide-legged pants under a matching jacket and a pale blue silk t-shirt. No heels.

Though a mutant herself, Jess is acting as a SHIELD observer and the official handler for the Shi'ar defector that has been taken under SHIELD's wing. His absence is notable, but other urgent business keeps him away.

Deliberately in the background, she serves as a bulwark, adding to the menace meant to intimidate the fanatic Shi'ar. Logan's threat of violence elicits a slight twist to her lips and a raised eyebrow but no comment.

Negasonic has posed:
    Ellie mostly is here for morale. Like a therapy dog or something.

    Okay not really. This is a really low key, probably, mission out in the field where the trainee X-men can get some multi-cultural experience and maybe learn a thing or two. Not wanting to be excluded from futrure field work, or if you are a trainee is it field trips, she has been pretty quiet and had spent a good deal of the time and energy not being impressed by the technology, Amazons, and various impressive things.

    Not oggling an Amazon is probably the hardest part of this whole trip, too many telepaths, and the Amazons might not appreciate a sullen teenager staring. Life is very hard for Ellie right now.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabby's mostly keeping a low profile for now. She was witness to the assassination, Got arrested and interrogated as a possiblke co-conspirator. Accquitted when Oracle poked about and showed that Tabby wa in wrong place wrong time. She did get to keep an orange jumpsuit and a spiffy Amazonian cloak that is now hanging pride of place in her wardrobe.

She finally got to do all the stuff you normally do when you get out of jail. Most of it. Food, shower, clean clothes in the form of her X-Suit. The black and yellow padded one piece. At least while tight, it fits and flatters.

She does give Ellie a grin and a nudge when she tries to not check out the Themysciran contingent around the place. "Hey, some of them are totally checking you out. Have at it!" she encourages the ogling.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean's kept her own involvement in all of this pretty minimal - the Shi'ar have hunted and killed Phoenix hosts throughout their history, and sparing her didn't make any of the diplomacy easier. For the time being, she's on the sidelines speaking with Diana, given her authority over the Amazon security at the Starport. But she's been on hand to double-check things with Emma, and nothing suggests that it's a failing on the White Queen's part. If it stumps the both of them (and Oracle of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard), it's a good bet that mind powers aren't the answer.

"She's a zealot, Logan. Or at least they've turned her into one. And I understand she confessed pretty proudly, after the attack. So I don't know... that she's even trying to hide anything from us." Of course, she's probably looking for ways to rule out the necessity of more brutal physical interrogation. Fortunately... "If you want to ask her anything, we can have Diana use her lasso? No threats necessary, she won't be -capable- of lies."

Hearing Roberto's inquiry, she's happy to supply a bit of her own space knowledge: "That... is more or less how it works, actually, yes. It's similar to my own molecular telekinesis, how I can rebuild an object from its tiniest pieces. They're essentially doing that with a person. At least as well as I understand it."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Jean, "Yes. And they took their time with conditioning her, if we can't get something out of her. SHe's fulfilled her purpose, now she's no longer important. I would doubt they'll make any sort of effort to recover her. She's not worth the effort and they put other assets they have at risk to recover or kill her. Even if she gets out she'll go after any targets of oppotunity rather than back to them. By all means do feel free to ask her anything you might deem of use."
    She would nod over at Jean, "It's possible to piece back together what she knows, though it's time consuming. I'd guess she was radicalized very quickly. Possibly even over a period of a few days. That sort of thing is almost guaranteed to have required some sort of artificial enhancement on it. One can't drive a sapient mind to zealotry in such a short time period.. At least in the amount of time she'd have been noticed as missing or behaving oddly. A great deal of effort was put into concealing anything of use in her brain. And Oracle did say she was having issues breaking through her psionic resistance." Despite having been the one that came up with Shi'Ar mental defense protocols. "I don't think there's much more to learn from her telepathically. More traditional methods are our best bet if she has anything to give."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa is dresed well, three piece suit, in light grey, exquisitely tailored, white short, blue and white broad stripe tie. Brown belt and wing tips. He found a yo-yosomewhere and is showing off his mad yo-yo skills, round the world, walk the dog, rock the baby.

    It's annoying but it's Berto so maybe with the uptight Shi'ar that's thepoint. He also love being in space, that can't be denied. Berto smiles to Diana, "Please don't judge us all by the same measure. Mom says hello, hopes you are well." In perfectly accented ancient Greek.

    Roberto stops the yo-yo and raises his eyebrows at Jean, " But, the machine keeps a record right? We can check the buffers? HAVE we checked the buffers? " The way his tone shifts from subordinate to management is kinda startling as he turns to the senior engineering officer in the room. Yes, Bertohas pucked up the nuances of Shi'ar military dress, he really does pay attention.

Logan Howlett has posed:
"Hnnnh."

*SNNIKT!*

The claws go back in the fist and back to crossed arms. He looks at Emma, nodding at her. "That's where I'm at." and he turns to look at Jessica, the raised brow at him gets a gruff of a look right back at her, but he's staring /right/ at their unwelcome guest. He turns his attention to Roberto as he speaks. He frowns a moment, and he looks back at the prisoner.

"Unless they had a more efficient method. Seen people break faster than you might think and driven to things unimaginable." Logan growls. "Best not to let me ask the questions then." He looks at Diana. "Might as well borrow the lasso." He nods at Jean as she suggests the same thing around the same time.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Rebuilding a person's mental landscape from scratch is a fanatic's wet dream. Fitting that it would be a Deathbird follower that submitted to it. Jean's explanation piques Jessica's attention and she shifts a step closer to the telepaths, discreetly making notes into her phone.

"Do you think she was prepared for the brainwashing with chemicals then? Do you have protocols for testing Shi'ar blood chemistry? SHIELD does. And knowing our science team they might have interrogation drugs suitable for their metabolism. I can check with them on it."

She nods emphatically at Logan seconding the notion of using Diana's lasso. "Better than a lot of drugs that."

Jean Grey has posed:
Perhaps now two forms of investigation get underway, somewhat separately:

As Roberto switches modes, he's got two avenues of people to try and boss around for info. The captive Shi'ar techs or the Starport crew. The latter, well, they're Themysciran, Wakandan. So maybe not quite as pliable as he's used to. However one of the Amazon security members, a tall, dark-haired and bronze-skinned woman is happy to lead the way to the 'landing pad,' possibly catching one of Ellie's looks in passing and giving her a quick smirk. "All distant travel is re-routed through this area. We call it the diktuon... In your language, ah, like a net, for catching fish? Whatever the means, you might distinguish some as magic or science, but for us, well, they are all brought here." She lifts a hand to indicate a selection of control banks off to the side. "These will allow access to the records.

Meanwhile, some of the security staff produce the prisoner. She remains defiant as ever, grinning in the face of her captors. "What this time?" When Diana brandishes the glowing rope, she doesn't look impressed. "Is that supposed to scare me?!"

"Only if you have fear in your heart."

Soon, she will be bound and ready, susceptible to whatever questions people might pose her. In the meantime, Jean muses on the idea of a chemical cause. "It could be. Or if they used the transporter somehow, it would be more like... the effects of chemicals without the trace? In humans, psychoactive medicine can alter neural pathways, do all kinds of stuff, by changing receptors, binding sites, etc. There's no real reason you couldn't skip the chemical intermediary and just... edit those changes in yourself, if you could physically write someone's mind, I suppose. Make them much more pliable, or worse."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod at Jean, "Quite possible." She would gesture over at Logan, "Is there anything you can pick up from her? Or perhpas Power Girl could examine her blood." The Kryptonians can examine things on the genetic level, can't they? She would muse over and then glance at the others, tapping at her cheek before going over to one of the guards to see if they could send Peeg a message requesting her aid. Of course, whether she was present or not.. Then she would lgance at Negasonic.
    "How might you go about trying to grab such an individual and also hide them while they were reconditioned without anyone knowing?" It's a rough question, and one that might hit home to answer. Emma glances as well at Tabitha, gesturing. "If we can figure out where and how she would have been tkaen aside we can followup." ULtimately hte two are the best on the team when it comes to these sorts of skulking. They have the most experience and cunning.

Negasonic has posed:
    Yeah therotically Ellie should be learning something, honest she is listening, but Tabitha is distracting and she gives her a look at her comment about going ahead since some alleged Amazons are checking her out.

    "Not helping Tabby." she notes and then pulls her phone out to glance at it, what she is looking at to deflect from the situation is anyone's guess really. At least she is eighteen as of last month so not like this is untoward.

    When the Themysciran smirks and actually talks to them, well that pops her eyes back up from her phone and she looks the one who engaged over in return. "Uh.. thanks." because well that was helpful. She eyes the panels and then looks back to the bronze skinned dark haired woman. "Can you show me how to pull up the records?"

    See. Totally helping.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Most of what Tabby's doing is generally what might be countersnooping. Just keeping her telepathic presence suppressed while keeping an ear out relatively soeaking for anyone that might be telepathically working to eaves drop.

Explosions can come later and there's still more encouragement that Ellie should totally ask one of the Themysciran guard out some time. "I'll take you to their embassy later. They got a great training facility." she suggests to the other exploder.

"If they did anything extra weird Emma, maybe they might have wiped her memory of what happened before the start?" she states and looks to Tiva when they started lassoing her with Diana's golden lariat.

"So like what did happen before you landed at the spaceport and got me in hot water, and what happened right up to like where you came out and dropped that psychic flashbang?" she asks. There's a little extra push telepathically as well. But nothing more intrusive than just the questions asked. Hopefully the mystic side of the interrogation works.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Yes of course. Come." Ellie wants a lesson, she'll get a lesson. The Amazon's voice is appropriately assertive, a bit like Roberto. "There are touch controls. Wakanda supplied these, but we, the underlying understanding of unseen paths. You may simply slide through the entries, from new to old. And press, to examine the details of one. It is similar to your phone, yes?" She's noticed. "We have a young one, a sister, who also carries such a thing with her. I can see why they are so popular." Just no one show the Amazons twitter!

Away from the pad, Tabitha jumps in on interrogating the Lasso'd Assassin. She grins, opening her mouth as if to answer with some bold comeback... and finds herself instead inevitably answering with total honesty. "I was on the cruiser, just wasting time in my quarters. I was eager to come down to the Starport and get to work, maybe talk to you, I always thought you were nice. And then..." She blinks. Halts. Starts again. "When I came down, well, I started working on the weapon to kill K'van. You had some of the parts I needed in the Blackbird hangar." She traverses from one topic to the other smoothly, like there's no contradiction... except after she says it, it causes a strange twitch, as if some part of her realizes the two halves don't go together. "I... I took the parts, grabbed a few more things from the gift shop, just spare parts, and took them into the bathroom to assemble the weapon. I didn't stun you. That was someone else. Then I shot him."

As she keeps answering, her expression seems more distressed, terror creeping in around the corners of her eyes. "Ah, I was... wait, why did I do that? Where, where did I go?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Head down, the agent types at speed on her phone. Transport records, truth lasso, possible psychoactive drugs, rewriting neural pathways, DNA testing - cryptic prompts for Jessica to report on to the science team when she reports back to SHIELD. An amused smile flits across her lips at the young Xers nudging each other.

The smile widens for an instant when Logan glares at her. Head tilted to the side, she lifts a shoulder at him, making no apologies. Her attention returns to the Shi'ar and the mystery of her seemingly abrupt conversion to Deathbird's cause.

"I'll be interested in seeing how she reacts with the lasso. And then," her gaze lifts to Logan and then moves to the others, "some sort of pain, psychic or physical."

Then the lasso proves to be just as effective with a Shi'ar as a human, revealing a strange split in the Shi'ar. One that even she puzzles at. Murmuring half to herself, "It's like she was programmed in her sleep or hypnotized somehow. One part of her acting on things while the other is somnambulant."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would take a moment to consider over at Jessica, "A thought. That would require some highly advanced technology to do so.. We'd have to inspect her quarters. IF the technology were there it would be the first place that would have been swept and removed." She would tap at her chin over and glance at Jessica. "However, if one were to review the records of whom was in the corridor or had access to it.. Perhaps security logs?" She would query, adding her own thoughts to the mix. While letting the others question the Shi'Ar Assassin.
    Emma nods over at Tabitha, "Quite possible. I'm not fluent with whatever method they might have used. But it goes well beyond telepathy so that means something artificial, as has been offered. I'm not sure as to how they can so well forge telepathic barriers in their confidants. I've never seen such a thing nor can I theorize how it's done. I would rather -like- to know."

Negasonic has posed:
To Tabby before her lesson in the terminals starts. "Definitely." about the embassy and training facility visit. That might actually crack the smallest dent in her usual stoic demeanor.

    Then on to the lesson in the technology and how to look through the history and looks it over nodding. "Okay that makes sense. Yeah a lot like our smartphones, have you seen how they take pictures?" yeah she will probably be ending up asking about getting a selfie with the Themysciran at this rate. She touches the controls though and starts to slide through the entries with a technology natives ease, skimming through them trying to find the entries for the right date, time, and thje Shi'ar techs use of them. Honestly once she says someone else did a stunning, she zeros in on trying to figure out whom else might be a suspect.

    Sure someone else might have already looked into accomplices but well, this is something she can at least amuse herself with. "So no phones where you are from huh?"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Having joined the interrogation, and letting Ellie break ice with Amazons on her own Tabby keeps a smile aimed at Tiva. Even Tabby thought she seemed nice up till things went sideways. And to Taby, it's clear the assassin was messed with mentally.

"Think we got us a disposable patsy." she states to those with her and maybe kind of has some sympathy for Tiva's situation and the fear that she's displaying. "I'm worried that she like had memories wiped!" she states and smiles to Tiva once more. "So does any part of your brain remember the stuff you seems to have blacked out through. Like dreams memories or anything else however fuzzy it might be on your mind." Boom-Boom keeps as gentle a mind link on Tiva, offering to expand the link to include anyone else.

At least she's playing good cop. "Anything at all that could help us find who did this to you. Get yourself some justice. You weren't the assassin, you were the weapon!"

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean stands back watching the lasso-enabled interrogation progress, her own expression mirroring a certain degree of disquiet. It's unnerving, to see the young engineer fluctuate between eager, gleeful murderer and scarred, frightened, confused young officer. "I... don't think there's a barrier, Emma. I think... I think it's really just missing." She reaches up to touch her temple, as if trying to get a clearer read, but having no more success.

Ellie can spend some time browsing the files. Although the interface is every bit as simple as the Amazon described, making it easy to locate the correct entries, the data stored is the exact opposite. There is very basic information at the top, of course, timestamps, source and destination, logged name entries, and so on. But there is also a trove of technical information, energy ratings on various scales, and links to raw data of much more esoteric varieties. More comprehensibly, there are relatively few Shi'ar crew recorded using the transporter on a regular basis, the bulk having come down on the shuttle and simply living out of it. And only one other the day Tiva came back down to the Starport.

Of the phones: "The Princess and some of the other Amazons who travel more widely in Man's World possess them. And the young sister who came from beyond the island. She is very fond of the self-photographs. Would you like totake one?"

Meanwhile, Tabitha keeps pressing. Yet the more she asks, the more Tiva looks confused by things. The lasso compels her, forces the truth, forces her to face and process what is meant for the brain merely to skim over, autocorrecting the error, the trauma. "I don't, I don't, I was on the ship, and then I was here. I wanted to come to work, and then I wanted to kill him. I, I- was I somewhere else? Where did I, what did I, I can't-"

All of the telepaths will feel the rising chaos of it, the intense, instinctive fear of the loss of self, the comprehension of the teetering edge of sanity. The young woman basically unraveling. They can get bits and pieces, flashes and images, back and forth, the hall on the ship, the transporter pad, the arrival room, the food court bathroom and the assassination itself. Back and forth and back and forth, with a black fracture between, seemingly growing wider by the moment.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Jean, her face likewise crunching up. "How.. To remove so much from her mind and not make so much as a sign of it and cover it up with such zealotry?" Emma had never -seen- this sort of thing bfeore, or imagined it. Not so quickly or so thoroughly. As the woman seems on the verge of greater and greater mental disintegration, Emma goes to start to try and give her mind a sense of more endorphins. Trying to if she could pump them over and in to her mind. Hopefully something that wouldn't interfere with or be neutralized over by the Lasso, whihc it may or may not.

But emma's moreso acting to try and prevent a total mental and emotional breakdown in the woman as the void in her consciousness and her awareness seems to be cratering even more. "I want to see the reports of her inspected quarters /now/. And anywhere she might have frequented on the ship and her berth. And whom would have been with her in them." Anything useful's going to have been already taken away, but with some vast luck they can hopefully narrow down whom might have done it.
    Damned Shi'Ar technology. Or Kree. Or whomever might have been the source of it. A grave nod is given. "While she was alseep. By technology or drugs.."

Jessica Drew has posed:
The young engineer was indeed used as a disposable weapon, with no more control over actions than a robot. The thought prompts a question, "Has she been examined for brain implants?" Jessica's green eyes move from Jean to Tabitha and Logan, coming to rest on Wonder Girl.

Frowning with concern over Tiva's disorientation and unaware of the White Queen's ability to soothe, the agent proposes, "She may need sedatives. She didn't choose these actions, did she? Deathbird has a reputation for using and discarding anyone who is no longer useful or who is in her way, according to our intel from Michael Erickson."

Negasonic has posed:
    "I absolutely would like to take a selfie with you yes." Ellie responds with a grave sort of gravity as she works on the touch screen, trying to filter through the pretty technical and advanced data.

    "So... I think.. and don't quote me on this... someone else came down with the Shi'ar the same day as Tiva. I can't make heads or tail enough of the reading to be able to tell exactly who it was, but there was only one other person who came down that day when she did. That may be the stunner?"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Inexperienced a telepath as she is. Tabby doesn't press further with her questions. Any further and, Tabby always feared becoming an abuser herself. So she backs off.

"So she's like they can mess with brains while in a shutdown blackout state? It's like writing to a computer's drive when it's off?" she asks and visibly shivers.

This get looks to Emma and Jean. "You guys did comb through my brain thoroughly when I got home from jail right?" with Jessica mentioning implants. tabby worries a littlke and combs her fingers through her blonde mane. "What? I didn't spend all my time with Oracle and Smasher. I'm allowed to be a little paranoid." she's fairly certain she's fine.

"I'm gonna shove my head in an MRI somewhere when we're done." she considers aloud.

Jean Grey has posed:
As Tiva's mental breakdown becomes more apparent, Diana makes the merciful decision to end any further such interrogation, and with a masterful flick of her wrist causes the lasso to loosen before whipping it off her target and back into her grasp. Fancy ropes! Yet it leaves Tiva panting, her eyes wide, wild.

Calling for a report on the woman's quarters requires them getting in contact with their counterparts in orbit above. The room being used for the interrogation has a viewscreen, and quickly enough, a familiar Shi'ar face is summoned: Investigator Kalar, with whom they've shared a variety of this work. "You want her room scans? I can get them for you, but I believe we were quite thorough and nothing unusual was discovered, or it would have been quickly reported." The screen shows some room on the ship behind him, and the familiar chalk-white presence of their own telepath, among others. "Have you made progress?" the woman wonders, more curiously.

Ellie's mission is briefly sidelined by Amazon selfies; apparently this other unamed phone-happy 'young Amazon' taught her how to properly pose and everything. While she's close, she leans over to look at the screen. "The name data is available, at least. This first one is the engineer in custody. Tiva Rilanari, you see? And the second one you are looking at... this is Guardswoman Oracle, yes? One of their investigators."

Meanwhile: Jessica gets a text (courtesy of one Agent Lewis), maybe a result of uploading some of those notes to the SHIELD cloud: "If you have datas on the transporter stuff send them over and I'll get back to you real quick."

Tabitha's question also earns a dark look from Jean. "... you're not the only person to use their transporters, either. Everyone who went up with you to meet with the Investigator."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would muse over and let out a quick sigh, "Our assassin was completely reprogrammed by artifiical means. Chemicals or technological. Likely in her quarters while she was alseep. I'd presume if there was something it would have been cleared out immediately after the assassination if not before. If you can see whom had access over to the area and they haven't covered their tracks well you might backtrack as to whom was the one in charge of this phase of the operation. And someone clearly has the technology to completely rewrite a mind on an impressive scale. That goes somewhat above and beyond anything I'm aware of. If it's something in the Empire, then I'm sure that Deathbird has access to it. It seems quite effective. If you can find a way to look for whatever mental damage that's done and left a breach in her mind you might have luck finding others that it's been doen to." Emma makes a face. She hates this level of lack of information and any sort of suggestions beyond vague, theoretical one.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa watches, speaking fluently to the Themyscrian in Ancient Greek, he doesn't even seem that taken with her beauty, unusual but not unheard of for Berto. He nods, "Can we compare Tiva's data from the two trips? Also, any portion of the schematics you can share, I'd like to have some of our technical specialists check it out." Berto takes notes on the names. "Also can we het the data for Tabitha and the rest. He offers to take some of the selfies but politely eschews when proffered with posing, letting Ellie have her moment.

Jessica Drew has posed:
An alert dings on Jessica's phone, she scans the text from Lewis, then acknowledges with an affirmative. She leaves her station by the captive, circling around her to approach Negasonic and Tabitha.

"Could you send me a copy of the logs you received, please? I'm going to be taking it back to home base with me. Room scans, too. They will want a mirror of all the info you are looking at. Well done." Said in an understated way, the kind of compliment Jess reserves for good field agents.

Negasonic has posed:
    Ellie tucks her phone back away after the selfie is snapped, peering at the screen as the Themysciran points out the name information now. "Oh." she notes and then looks sidelong with a tilt of her head at the Amazon and then back at the screen. "Right. I'm Ellie, what's your name?"

    That question out though she glances towards then fishes her phone back out to send a message to the others so it isn't verbal on those comms they are using. <<The other transporter was Investigator Oracle.>>

Tabitha Smith has posed:
With the possibility that herself and the other X-Men may have been tampered with. Physically as much as possibly psychically. Tabby winces and looks very pale.

Jubilee would look more tan and she's a vampire.

"We'll I'm skeeved as heck. So transporter logs. Oh god? i saw that episode where they had like transporter doubles. Two Rikers. Two Tabbies? Amd I the real one, the only one. Oh god am I like a duplicate. A literal bombshell walking and waiting to go off?"

Yeah she's probably gonna have a freak out. I kinda feel like I wanna try just powering up and burning the tech out. Do my best Berto/Amara impersonations but I kinda don't want molten silicone or metal in my brain. So scans for everyone?" she suggests.

Her existential crisis can wait.

Jean Grey has posed:
"I guarantee you no one... drugged her in her sleep, Miss Frost," Kalar replies across the screen. "Our internal security sensors would have picked it up. And our security procedures are quite thorough." He sounds confindent enough.

"The technology, unfortunately, is exclusive to the agreements of our partnership with Wakanda," the Amazon defers politely as Roberto asks about the schematics. "And the Shi'ar have not been as generous in this regard as they have been with the engine prototype. Of course, we have learned some things by analyzing the format of the transport beam. It is quite fascinating." She gently takes over for Ellie, tapping with graceful alacrity through a variety fo screens. "But we can bring up, compile and compare the data from all the suspect's visits. Would you-" And Jessica appears. "Ah, yes of course. Let me just..."

Maybe there's some trick to getting on Starport Wifi first. Shortly after, however, Jessica has her data. And perhaps shortly after that, a reply from the Agent-in-Absentia: "So there's a couple things. First, yeah, there's definitely some basic discrepancies in these numbers, although to some degree that's not surprising. You're not physically the same, one second to the next. You eat, metabolize. Cells grow, die. So I'd have to study it a bit more to be totally sure what I'm looking at in terms of a delta. But! These guys use a kind of quantum entanglement to keep field coherence, basically make sure the pattern is still you even as it goes through whatever, gets shot around in space. That should match, and it doesn't. Its kinda like you mixed up your coat check ticket, got the wrong one back."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa picks up his yo-yo, nodding, "Looks more mirror universe than Thomas Riker." He chuckles and heads back to the group, "Jess, be a dear and send me a copy of that report when you've got it, append the raw data for our guys. Thanks." Shoot the moon, round the world, walk the dog. "Thanks."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jess goes over the text from Lewis twice, nodding slowly to herself while she reads. She considers her words a moment before asking the room at large, "Do you think the Shi'ar have the tech to change someone in a transporter? Change their memories and fundamental personality, I mean." She glances down at her phone, checking the text again, "That is a theory that one of our agents is exploring at the moment."

After a quizzical look at Roberto, Jessica suggests, "You could get the data from here, I think." She glances at the others for confirmation. "My reports are SHIELD material. Though, I certainly will share our findings with you all."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at the Shi'Ar Investigator's reply. "Very well then. Given there are rather extensive signs of conditioning involved, it likely would have been somewehre she stopped over for shore leave, or was left on her own for an extended period. If you can review transit or movement records and get back to them.." Well, it's the best she can do at the moment.

Then glancing over at Tabitha, "I'll need you and Ellie to figure out the mechanics for -how- she might have been alone, isolated, or however circumstances came about for her reprogramming."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Umm, you want us playing with transporters? Best guess, they slipped in a firmware update that programs stuff into the trasnportee's memories. Tiva in this case. Hopefully not any one else. I think we'd be okay maybe since? Hangon. Was the ship we were beamed on and off when you locked me up the same one Tiva come on?" she tangents a little.

"Then when done beaming, the system just overwrites the firmare back to the correct version like it was just buggy software?" Out comes the wild ass guess from Tabitha Smith, barely educated ex-thief that's watched too much sci-fi in her downtimes with the other New Mutants like Roberto.

"Or is this just backtractiking her whole day to day routine for however long we need to pick out when she was alone enough to get a whammy?"

Negasonic has posed:
    Ellie tucks her phone away. "IF they did literally any of that, the Investigator Oracle might be compromised too or the one who stunned and doesn't even remember it. That would suck."

    She turns to the Themysciran helping her. "So you stationed here then or do you head back to Themyscira or the Embassy ever?"

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean has been speaking with Diana again, after the disturbing scene of Tiva's breakdown under her lasso-interrogation. Of course, the assassin will be returned to her cell, but the atmosphere has definitely changed from one of anger and accusation to pity, as her Amazon guards escort her back. However, it's both the quick text from Ellie and everything else going on in the transport room that has her own demeanor so grim. "Thank you Investigator, we'll be in touch." They can turn off the communication on their end, and Jean does so, purposefully.

"Emma, they went to investigate the _transporter_. It sounds like that might be the 'how.'" She also holds up her own phone just in case the other woman hadn't noticed the text from Ellie earlier."

By the time they've arrived at the other room, the Amazon has finished all her downloads - there are extra copies to go around, they don't seem to consider the privacy of the Shi'ar data to be terribly paramount given the investigation. Meanwhile, Jessica's thoughts seem to echo whatever has spooked Tabitha, and now Jean seems to sign on as well. "It seems plausible. Whether they somehow rewrote her with the transporter itself or... maybe they took her someplace that the log wouldn't show? Or even swapped her, somehow? I don't know. I'll have Hank look at these, and if we could... exchange notes with your people, on the results? I think that would be helpful."

Ellie's reminder seems to reinforce what she was showing Emma mere moments before. "We have to face the possibility that these sleeper agents could be planted among the ones we trust. The ones who are supposedly on our side against Deathbird. For now... maybe SHIELD, Hank, someone can figure out these signals, get some idea how this is happening, or where."

Despite the grim tone of the room, the Amazon in Ellie's company seems happy with the result of things. She has helped tutor this young one in their technology. "Despina. We all work on rotation, at least those of us who have chosen to go beyond the island. And we have means of transport." She gestures to indicate the possibly redundant fact that they're... in a teleportation re-direction chamber. That does suggest some fancy options. "Sadly I do not possess a phone, so I cannot 'give you my number.' But you are free to seek me out, here or there, or ask one of my sisters. Perhaps one day you might even visit the island."

A grim sort of day, on the whole. But at least it worked out for Ellie!