8464/The Hidden Room

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The Hidden Room
Date of Scene: 29 October 2021
Location: Clarice Ferguson's Quarters
Synopsis: No description
Cast of Characters: Raven Darkholme, Clarice Ferguson, Lydia Dietrich, Rahne Sinclair




Raven Darkholme has posed:
Three days ago in Montana Theo was handed the mystery of all mysteries, and freaked his sister out so badly that she blinked out. Of course she came back, but that moment was the realization for the young man that this was as serious as he thought it was.

For the past three days he has been locked in a large room somewhere on the asteroid that only Clarice and Lydia know the location of, well and Magneto but he's not looking, and probably H & D and they are... they are always watching. The computer was singing the magic of files, upon files that Theo has been reading. With H & D's help, he was fully into everything the computer had to offer. Vocal commands sent the images to the large monitor and he read... and kept reading... and still was reading.

That's when it happened, the computer asked him a serious of questions that he answered based on the files he'd been reading... that was the thing he should not have done.

The alarm on Clarice and Lydia's phones sound before H makes them answer and both can hear Theo. "Clare... Lydia... you need to be here, like now... oh shit... just stay there." Then they hears another voice, "I comply." Then back to Theo, "guys are you already coming? H is it working?!" H says, "Yes, they can hear you Theo."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice was deep in research for her new hunting trip - something she desperately needs right now. She was staring at satellite images of a camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo, trying to plan the best approach to minimize the risk to the people they were trying to liberate - the minors who had been forced into lives of fear and violence. Theo's desperate voice speaking from her phone, however, prompts her to pick up the device of her desk, shoving it into a pocket as she stands abruptly, her chair rolling back and away from her. She blinks out immediately, reappearing inside the room she'd blocked off for Theo's private use, javelines appearing in each hand. "Theo?" she says immediately, starting towards the back of the truck.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia was working on her book, getting another chapter under the belt when her phone goes off. She looks curiously at it when H answers it for her and when she hears Theo's panicked voice she immediately drops everything and rushes down the hallways until she finds the out of they way storage area that Theo is keeping his truck in.

"Theo!" she shouts. "What's going on?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne doesn't know what's going on. She does, however, have a killer sense of smell. Clarice's scent should not be like it just spiked, and it gets her lifting her head. She's not even sure where she is, but she knows that Clarice isn't going alone.

Half a second and trained battle reflexes kick in. Rahne is up, reaching, grabbing. She's going with. Screw asking for permission, though she does look into Clarice's eyes. This is happening.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The back of the tractor trailer is open, just as Theo always leaves it. As the back of approached, Theo can be heard talking.

"Okay, so... just sit there, you too... all of you sit," it what is heard before he hears Clarice, then Lydia before he shouts, "Move slowly!"

When they do step around to the back of the truck, they can see Theo standing there with the four pod occupants sitting on the floor of the trailer. All four have buzz cuts and are wearing skin tight body suits, bare feet, staring up at Theo silently.

"I didn't do this," Theo then says quickly. "The computer did it!"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice steps cautiously up into the back of the trailer, her gaze studying the four individuals in front of them - her features a carefully schooled mask of passivity that shows just how tightly she's bottling the roiling emotions that would otherwise threaten to overwhelm her. "Did you learn their powers?" she asks Theo without taking her gaze off the quartet.
    "We need to call in Hathaway." This isn't a question as she lets the javelins fade out so she can pull her phone out and access the correct number.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia rushes into the trailer and stops dead when she sees the four figures sitting on the floor. She looks at Theo and nods. "What happened?" she asks. "Clarice is right. We need to get Doctor Hathaway in here to check them out."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne isn't sure yet. So she hangs back, and shifts to wolf form. The sense of smell is at its maximum, and she's fast. She's ready. She wants to keep back so she can have the most time to react. This isn't something she knows anything about, and these people are...

What are they?

Raven Darkholme has posed:
As Theo stands there, he takes the time to touch each one on the head at least once, then starts repeating the motion slowly. Each time he touches one, they seem to smile and continue to look up at him.

"They uh... have multiple powers," he says softly, way more calmly now, getting turned so he can see the three outside the truck.

"I'm their controller," he then adds with a sound in his voice that is both panic and terror riding along with the fake calm. "They respond to me and only me, thanks to the computer, but they will also act in defense of me without hesitation. I had /just/ gotten to those files, and then I heard the hissing of the pod opening."

Once again he does the slow circle, touching each one on the head, apparently completing some sort of programming to ensure their cooperation. "They are telepathic between each other and me, enhanced strength, agility, endurance, can disappear like chameleons, and morph wings or extra arms. Each one had one power, that this mutate thing connected and gave to each of them. It's really cre..." he stops and corrects, just in case. "... ative."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Yeah," Clarice murmurs quietly. "Creative." Sure. She lifts the phone to her ear, letting it ring until the Doctor picks up.
    "It's Blink," she supplies - still avoiding the word doctor. "We have a bit of a situation, and require your presence urgently. We have a few new guests who can use a once over." She supplies the location of the room - and with H & D listening in, she's perfectly confident the door will be open for the Doctor when the woman arrives.
    She glances over her shoulder towards Rahne, giving the woman an apologetic look - she knows Rahne has no idea what's going on, that she purposefully kept her in the dark. Oops?

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia looks aghast. "We... that's /sick/." She gives Clarice a wide eyed look, "We have to do something about their programming. It's... it's inhumane." Still, she doesn't move further into the trailer, just in case the four would take that as an aggressive action.

She looks back when Rahne shows up. "Theo had this truck in his pocket," she explains. "Cracked the computer and found four cryostasis pods in there. And now..." she gestures at the four, "They're awake."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne stands up, wolf to human in less time than it takes to blink. She nods quietly, her eyes looking between everyone involved. There's no obvious judgement there, simply a waiting. An enforced calm, as if she's ready to leap and tear out a throat.

Still, even that seems to slow slightly when Lydia explains. She frowns, she nods. She doesn't say anything. What could she do anyway?

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The four continue to watch Theo, and with the last round of head tapping, they all blink a few times then look toward the end of the trailer.

"I swear Clare, I didn't do this," Theo says again, then tenses to watch what the four are doing. "Okay, they just confirmed that you're all mutants and I've told them to remain 'at ease'. Gotta admit it's effective, but I've gotta be careful what I think... just in case."

Hathaway responds with a quick, 'On my way.'

"Verbal communication," the only female in the group of four says. "That is my job." She nods once and stands up, a huge smile spreading across her face as she looks at the sister's and Rahne. "Hellooooo." she offers.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I know you didn't, Theo," Clarice answers, her voice still that carefully controlled calm. She does hold one hand out towards Rahne, beckoning the woman towards her. "We're all going to stay calm, and patient, and we'll get everything sorted out soon." Doctor Hathaway would be there - and then they could sedate them if needed - and possibly even collar them. Everything would be fine - and they'd get the help they needed.
    "I'm Clarice," she offers towards the woman. "You're safe here."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Hello," Lydia offers uncertainly. "I'm Lydia. What should we call you?" She looks over to Theo, looking worried. "Is the telepathic bond permanent?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne takes a deep breath. She lets the air linger on her tongue, tasting it, and sorts out the varieties of scents. She shifts, she thinks. She makes a judgement call.

"Welcome," she says softly. She's suddenly Rahne again, shy and small. She's not this hidden weapon, and the body language shift is super obvious. Combat mode de-engaged, she's suddenly sorry. That she was prepared to rip, to...things.

She sighs, then she offers a slightly lopsided little smile to the female with the wordage.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo shrugs to Lydia, watching the woman. "I have no idea Lydia," he offers quietly. "Right now, it all seems permanent, but there was indications in the files of how things were done and some of it should be reversible."

The woman, no more than twenty, perhaps even late teens, steps forward, but she pauses to look at Theo a moment, then back to the others to say, "I'm Shi. That is Ichi, Ni, and San," she points to each of the other's still sitting. "And this Kontorora," she points to Theo last.

The door slides open and Hathaway enters, not at all expecting to see an 18-wheeler parked in the Asteroid. "Okay, that's new," she mutters as she walks slowly along the side of the truck toward Clarice. She can hear voices, so she stops just out of sight of those in the trailer. "Blink, what's up?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "It seems like things are fine," Clarice remarks in a calm voice, one hand still held back towards Rahne in the hopes that the other woman will take hold of it. "This is Shi, Ichi, Ni, and San," she introduces simply. "They have a history similar to my own." And they doubtlessly have the numbers tattooed across their foreheads to prove it. "I just thought we should have the looked at - to make sure all is indeed well - and thought we might like to move them as safely and calmly as possible to somewhere more appropriate, and more comfortable."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Shi, Ichi, Ni, San," Lydia repeats nodding to each as she repeats their names. "Their names sound familiar," she says, her brows furrowing as she tries to remember, "but I can't quite place it."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne takes Clarice's hand. She seems content to be quiet background. She doesn't know these people, and they don't know her. But they're victims, and they're family.

"Help them," she says softly to Clarice. That's all, and it's enough.

Four, one two, three, she thinks. There are bonuses to training with Logan sometimes.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Hathaway steps around the end of the trailer now, which draws all eyes inside the trailer.

"At ease," Theo states as firmly as he can muster. "No one here is the enemy, remain 'at east' until other wise informed."

Each nods once, then the three males stand up and remain behind Theo, like right behind. Approaching Theo might be a huge mistake, that's what their faces indicated.

Shi offers Hathaway that award winning smile, but she looks back to Clarice to say, "We are in perfect health. Functioning at one-hundred percent efficiency. We were just activated, of course we're in top shape," she giggles, it almost sounds innocent and child like. "Kontorora has received full report on our status, we thank you for your concern."

For the moment Hathaway observes from a distance. "Ich, Ni San, Ichi... One, Two, Three, Four. Kontorora is Controller," she says quickly for Clarice, Lydia and Rahne. "What is your programming?" She then asks the four, blunt and to the point.

The smile remains on Shi's face as she replies just as bluntly, "We are the seek and destroy unit for Kontorora, Theo Ferguson."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice takes Rahne's hand and pulls her in close beside her, leaning in against the other woman. That contact, that reassurance - it helps, even though nothing changes in her expression. "Well, your controller is my subordinate," she remarks, giving Theo a quick glance, before returning her gaze to Shi. "I think we would all feel most comfortable if you would let us ensure your health and well being. You've been in stasis longer than initially intended. Please allow Doctor Hathaway to examine you - and then we will all proceed to Medical," through one of her portals, to ensure the safety of the rest of the Asteroid. She doesn't trust this situation one bit.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia feels kind of helpless and out of her depth here. She's never been in the military and these poor people... what are they even going to do with them? For now she's content and letting Clarice and Doctor Hathaway run the show.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo lays his hand on Shi's shoulder just as she looks about to take a step forward.

"Clare," he says quietly. "We're going to pretend you didn't say that, it was a joke, right?" He gives her a look that says 'go with this, please'. "There's no one higher than Kontorora, that would be silly. I run the government, I'm in charge of the whole country, all mutants are my pets... remember?" Again, the look given, to just please, please play along for now."

"Shi," he then says verbally to make her look at him. There is a moment, one blink of the eye and all four nod once.

Shi looks to Hathaway and Clarice. "Kontorora has ordered us to with you to this medical bay, he would like a report from Hathaway, Emily, MD on our Status. We will comply."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Ah, yes. My sense of humor is opaque to most people," Clarice agrees, in a deadpan voice, trying not to let her jaw grit. "My apologies." Everything is fine, Clarice. This is fine. Everything is under control.
    "I think we'll take a shortcut - if that's acceptable, Kontorora?" She waits for a nod from Theo, before opening a portal into the Medical Bay with a gesture.
    Her arm around Rahne, however, tightens noticeably. It's that - or scream. And screaming is not a good idea.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia tries not to gawp at Theo, and how he's in total control of the four mutants. "Where are we going to put them?" she asks in a whisper to Clarice. "We can't have them following around Theo all the time."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Shi looks back to Theo, then offers her hand to him. Personal escort for their controller it would seem. Theo accepts the hand, if only to get them all moving toward the end of the trailer and where the portal will be.

"Yes, a short cut is a good idea," Theo comments, and even as he is moving, Ichi, San and Ni walk with him.

San hops down from the trailer first, then Ichi and last is Ni, all three looking at the women there intently before Shi and Theo hop down.

Hathaway takes a couple of steps around to look at the four of them a little better, already taking mental notes on build. She's not looking forward to figuring out how to handle this particular group. She dealt with mutate mutants before, but not in a group. "Room B-3 Blink," she offers quietly, the one room in the medbay that could take a small explosion if it were to occur.

Theo offers Clarice a weak smile. "Don't worry, just phrasing has to be considered, other wise... yeah, they literally do everything I say."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice nods to Theo, opening the portal to B-3 as requested, and gestures her brother and the doctor forward. She'll go through last with Rahne as she takes a moment to tap a text into her phone, sending it silently to Hathaway.
    'Collars?'
    She doesn't like the idea of collaring other mutants - but she worries they might grow aggressive of unpredictable when they try to break through their programming - which is something they all intent to try eventually.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Hathaway steps through first, to make sure the room is empty like it should be and lacks any kind of items that could be used as weapons. Basically it's a room with metal cots that are /part/ of the metal of the room, each with a simple mattress, blanket and pillow. The bathroom is behind a screen of folding metal that can be pulled to offer privacy. There is a television high up in the wall with transparent steel over it to encase it.

All four look at the portal a moment, then in the same order they exited the trailer, step though, Theo and Shi being last. "What an interesting room," Shi offers cheerfully, but that's it. The other three remain hovering near Theo, waiting.

Hathaway pulls out her phone the types away on it at a speed that comes from years of practice. 'They may be required. You and Lydia should step out of the room with me for a moment.'

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Follows Theo and his strike team through the portal. She hasn't been in this particular room before and she can see why they're here. It seems fairly secure. "Yes. Quite," Lydia answers.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    As Clarice steps through the portal, and the text comes back, she shows it to Rahne - and then to Lydia, since she spots the woman's name there, as well. She's a bit stymied at the word 'required' - and is not in the best headspace for struggling with reading at the moment. So it take a little nudging from Rahne and Lydia before Clarice makes her way out of the room.
    "We'll be back in a moment, Theo. I mean - Kontorora."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo nods to Clarice, he's got a good idea that the adults are about to go plan, plot and other wise panic in private for a moment. He'll use this time to assign a bed to each of them, point out the bathroom, find out if they're hungry and act like he's got a clue and all commanding.

Hathaway holds the door open for the other women to pass through, then slides it closed. She knows Clarice won't be keen on leaving Theo alone in there, but he's the safest person on the Asteroid right now, so the door is locked. One of Hathaway's assistances appears with a tablet and a cart with the things the doctor will need for taking blood, blood pressure, heart rate, the usual 'physical' items, then with a nod, hands Emily a cup of coffee and walks off.

"Okay, here's the deal," Hathaway states after a sip of the coffee. "I've worked with mutate mutants before, but never in a group like this. The fact that Shi could tell me specifically what her programming is, tells me that no one here is in danger. Theo literally has full control. He could tell one of them to kill themselves, and they would."

She glances to the door, "So if he tells them to stay in this room, they'll stay here until hell freezes over. We just have to remember that when around them, Theo is the boss, not any of us. Everything needs to be worded as a suggestion to him." She looks back to Clarice now. "H & D are going to have to have access to that computer as well, they're the only ones who can decipher the information fast enough to find the reverse for the programming."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Once Lydia is out of the room and the door is safely closed does she let out the wild panic that she's been holding in since this began. "We..." she rubs her temples trying to think. "We /have/ to tell Mystique about this. They're dangerous. Not because I think Theo would ever set them on anybody, but who knows what they'd misconstrue as a threat to Theo. He's in way over his head on this one." She gives Clarice a pleading look to back her up.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice nods in agreement with Hathaway's suggestion. "Of course," she answers. "We need to help them, and as quickly as possible. What's been done to them-" Was she like that? As mindless? As eager to please? Her grip on the silent Rahne is almost painfully tight as she maintains strict control over her emotions.
    Her attenttionshifts to Lydia next, another nod given. "This can't stay Theo's little mystery anymore." She'd tried to play along for the sake of their relationship - and so that, at the very least, Theo didn't feel forced to try to solve it completely alone without any back-up. But it's clearly gone too far. "Mystique will be made aware. I'll explain the situation to her, myself. ...the same explination I owe to you, Rahne," she adds to her silent but stalwart support. "We can help them... right?" Her gaze returns to Hathaway as she asks the question.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Hathaway lays her hand lightly on Lydia's shoulder and offers Clarice a reassuring smile, but just as she is about to say something...

"Tell me what?" Is heard as Mystique walks around the corner into the hall, her phone in her hand. "That Theo has a secret 18-wheeler in the fourth level storage room that contained four mutate mutant experiments that has now woke up and think he's the second coming?"

Hathaway blinks a few times, wondering just how the hell Mystique did that and assumed it was H & D, but maybe it wasn't. "Yes Clarice, we can help them," she finally says, for the moment ignoring Mystique's appearance to offer Clarice some comfort. "This appears to be a deeper level of programming than I've previously seen, but it's still uh..." she falters her a moment then decides she's already in, might as well say it. "It's still standard for the mutate. They always had controllers, usually set during their programming. The computer must have been setting Theo as the controller from the minute he accessed the computer the first time."

Mystique steps up beside Lydia, slipping her arm around the woman. "You really think anything happens on his asteroid that I don't know about?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia leans into Mystique and reaches up to give her a quick kiss. "Sorry we didn't tell you, but Theo wanted to have his own thing," she explains. "He was feeling that we were being too controlling and he wanted a little independence." She lets out a weary sigh, "We tried to convince him to get you involved as soon as we saw what was in the truck. I never imagined something like this happening."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "...that's about the size of it, yes," Clarice admits. "I thought it better that we at least had some supervision - rather than let him think he needed to hide everything from us completely. But things didn't go as planned," obviously.
    Her attention quickly shifts back to Dr. Hathaway, nodding in confirmation at the woman's reassurances. The thought of Theo as a mutate controller was... disturbing. The thought of Theo getting an up close and personal look at what she'd been like all those years was equally unnerving. None of this felt good, or right. Who had seen her when she was like that? Had Mister Creed? Had Mystique? "Anything I can do to help, I will," is all she gives voice to, however.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique place a soft kiss on Lydia's cheek, then another lightly on her lips.

"You don't need to be sorry," she offers quietly. "You did the right thing, letting him try while keeping an eye on him. H & D would have probably let you tell me yourself, but D was panicking, do H contacted me."

For a moment, Mystique just watched Clarice. There were only a few here now that remembered the initial claiming of Genosha, Victor and herself included. She hadn't seen these four yet, only heard from the twins what they were like. She'd like to be able to tell Clarice she wasn't like that, but the truth was, all mutate mutants were. They were programmed and used as tools, nothing more, disposable assets.

Hathaway taps a few things on the tablet before frowning slightly then looks up to Clarice and shows her the tablet. All four of the mutants are sitting on a cot in the room now, watching the television which has Finding Nemo playing... it was all Theo could find to make the thing work for them to watch. Theo was leaning against the door watching them, but the room seemed perfectly calm.

"We have food on the way," Hathaway says. "I think what needs to happen now is to see if Theo can actually leave or if he's doing to have to stay with them until we can deprogram them. I don't like the idea of having to knock them out, or collar them, but I will if that is what is decided by Mystique and yourself."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's lips press into a thin line. "How easy was it to deprogram you, Clarice?" she asks. "I've never had to deal with anything like this so I don't know what all is involved."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Time was hard to judge," Clarice admits in an uncertain voice. "It was uncomfortable. Going from the certainty, the peace, of mindless service to... doubt, confusion, and fear." And betrayal, and guilt... "And it was very confusion. I don't like to- I try not to dwell on it." She tries not to think of it at all. "It takes time to find yourself. Time, and support. I had Mister Creed." And maybe now Lydia could understand just why Clarice was so attached to the man, despite his flaws.
    "Should I go in and see if I can get Theo out - once the food has arrived?" she asks.