+==~~~~~====~~~~====~~~~===~~~~~~ Nike's Log ~~~~~~~==~~~~====~~~~====~~~~~==+
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It's been about fifteen minutes since Billy, Teddy and Lorna teleported off to try and find Tommy, who ran off very suddenly and quite clearly not under his own power to parts unknown. Leaving the… relatively well-behaved Switch alone in the little apartment with Domino (and possibly Hope), still tied to a chair, and looking around.
"So, uh… you guys got anything to eat around here, or do I gotta wait on the fast one to get back?" he asks, looking over to the albino hopefully.
*
Tommy has partially disconnected.
*
Ava is late. Which is, in itself, fairly remarkable. She's almost always at least thirty minutes early, waiting for everyone after having checked the place out, watched the area, and made sure there are no potential weaknesses. But then again, keeping your extracurricular activities off of SHIELD's radar takes a little work. So she's late. Bundled up in her usual coat, she steps into the room only to pause when she sees Domino. "Hello," she says slowly.
*
There are lots of ways to interrogate a person…
There's the violent method.
There's the hands-on method, great for when there's a personal stake involved.
There's all manner of deprivation.
There's the psychological method. With or without the psychoactive drugs.
Frankly, Domino can't be bothered to get into all of that. There's no personal stake, no need for revenge, and certainly no reason why she should have to put any more effort into the matter than what's necessary.
When the question of food is raised and Tommy and the others are still nowhere to be found the Creepy White Lady releases a slow breath then stands and steps toward the kitchen. "No, but I do have something to keep you company."
It's a simple mixture of common household chemicals in a small glass dish. Domino slips a pair of ordinary brightly colored kitchen gloves on then grabs a toothbrush and dips it into the solution. "Ever have a close encounter with poison ivy?
All it takes is running a thumb across the bristles to create a light mist directed at the back of Switch's scalp. There won't be any lasting injuries, though until it's washed out really well it's going to sting and itch and burn for a very long time.
Dom seems to have faith in the stuff because the brush is set back aside and the gloves are tossed along with it, though on her way back to sit down she's instead being greeted by a familiar looking girl. "Oh. Hey. Didn't realize you were a part of this operation." (Awkward…) A quick glance back to Switch and she adds "Just whine when you feel like sharing something useful."
"
*
"So… that's a no on the food then." Switch replies to himself, cringing a bit as mist is applied to his scalp. Between the verbal description of what's going on there and the physical sensation? Well, it's uncomfortable. It takes a few moments. Maybe a bit more than a few moments. Before… "What am I supposed to tell you? /I/ didn't take your buddy away, that was /clearly/ Brainfreeze." The drop in temperature that accompanied the mind control? Seems to back up his statement. "And it's not like that Mojo guy tells us what we're doing in advance… it ruins the suprise, he says. Real actors knwo how to 'improvise' he says." …he's annoyed a'plenty by this fact.
*
"Same," Ava replies to Domino, giving Switch a long look as she closes the door behind herself. "Just because you have not been told a thing, does not mean you know nothing of it." Domino's heard her speak before - usually she has exactly no Russian accent. At the moment, though, it's slipping through. Either the girl is slipping, or she's hoping it will unsettle Switch enough to shake something loose. "You are clever, no?"
*
"That's a no on the food," Domino confirms with a level tone. "This isn't my place, it would be rude of me to dig into their fridge." Uh huh, because that's the only thing stopping her from doing so. Though truthfully..it's Ava who's holding her attention more than anything now. Dom knows a Russkie accent when she hears one… Clearly there's a lot more to this Ava mystery. Perhaps she can extract some information from both individuals tonight.
"Brainfreeze, huh. You guys really scraped the bottom of the barrel with those names. So maybe Mojo doesn't tell you what you're doing, there's still -plenty- you could be telling us about the guy," she helpfully 'suggests' while turning toward Switch and leaning forward upon her elbows.
"His operation. Who he has working for him. How Brainfreeze affected my 'buddy' and how we might go about reversing the effect. How powers had been swapped. Where your base of operations is located. How you boys are teleporting around. Come on now, there's -lots- of interesting things you could be telling me. Pick something and get talking or you're going to get an irritant bath."
*
The accent is a suprise to Switch, who stares towards Ava for a couple moments. Maybe it appeals, because he's furrowing his brows to try and figure out something to say…
…and then comes the bad cop. Domino's voice in and of itself makes Switch cringe, if only because he realizes that that feeling that's on his scalp? Could very well spread real far, real fast.
"Uh, you're right! Working for him.. well, there's the four of us," assuming they know, he is. "There's that Seth guy your magnet-friend is crazy about… that's about all I know. Probably the TV Station's staff." Pause. "Brainfreeze gets into people's heads… and makes it cold. She's probably somewhere kinda close. Don't know how they found me, though. The power-swapping… that's me. That's what I do." There's a nod towards Ava, "She knows."
He'll start with that, let some of it digest.
*
"Yes, I am remembering." Ava moves toward Domino's bowl of irritants, nostrils flaring slightly as she gets a whiff of what's inside. "You do not want her to have to use this, I am thinking." Arms crossed loosely over her chest, she paces a slow circle around Switch, inspecting him. "And what is it that you do with this Mojo? He has his television station, yes. But such things are overseen here in the United States. The things he calls entertainment, they do not go on the broadcast every night. So who is his audience?"
*
The one detail which immediately draws Domino's attention relates to Brainfreeze. 'She's probably somewhere kinda close.' If Tommy was still around Dom would be having him do the world's fastest recon exactly -now.- Without the benefit of a super-speedy ally, however…
She's already feeling a little cold through the spine. Both Neena and Ava could be at risk. Is there anything at all either of them could do about it? Dom knows what it feels like to lose control of her own mind way..-way- too well. Despite having the upper hand as far as the interrogation goes, now she's just feeling concerned as hell.
Ava's asking some good questions, though the albino has one more of her own. One which comes out more as a demand rather than a question. "Brainfreeze. How do you interrupt it. How is she stopped."
Ava's already seen Dom flip out and nearly kill an Agent once before, and that was without any mindgames being involved!
*
"He says we're gonna be /world/-famous, lady… I dunno if he's got stations in the rest of the world where he broadcasts more, but he was trying to get a bunch of people together. there's probably more than us. His audience… probably people who like violent things. Maybe mobsters or some shit like that?" is offered to Ava. The longer he's been their captive, the more willing he's been to talk. Connection? Perhaps.
Then to Domino, he considers the questions asked. "She doesn't deal well with heat. No surprise there. I mean, other than being a mutant, like us… she's pretty much human. Knock her lights out and the tricks turn off too, y'dig?"
*
Ava, for some reason, doesn't seem particularly worried about the threat of mind-control. But she certainly notices that Domino is. "The idea of using television to appeal to an audience as narrow as mobsters is short-sighted," she shakes her head. "Fighting rings and gladiatorial combat thrive on an underground sense of exclusivity. You do not get that through television. Television is about the everyman." She glances upwards, pensive. "Aliens, maybe?"
*
It isn't the most comforting of news. If someone is already being mind-controlled, how are they supposed to create heat or knock out the source? Making a bad situation worse, Domino's not one to trust anyone else. Now that it's just her and Ava, if one of them suddenly happened to become enthralled to this Brainfreeze chick then it would be up to the other to stop it.
The glance that she gives Ava isn't filled with confidence. This could become a very bad thing.
Then Ava has to go and mention 'aliens,' something which promptly gets a groan out of the albino. "Not -that- load of shit again…" she mutters in protest. More to herself, she rambles "As if I didn't have enough problems of a terrestrial origin to deal with."
*
Ding ding ding! "Aliens!" Switch echoes, pointing a finger — it's the best he can do considering the whole being tied up part. "There's some aliens who work with him." That's the best way he can describe the denizens of the Mojoverse he's seen. "Some crazy looking ones, man. Then there's others that look /just like us./ Or might be us. Like that Domo guy who acts like some kind of… annoyed robot, or that Mina chick who kept spazzing out. Something ain't right about them, but they /look/ human, you know?"
*
"Mind control does not usually work on me," Ava murmurs to Domino's look, shaking her head slightly. "It is complicated." But her main attention is back on Switch's response, thoughtful. "Interesting," she muses. "And you and the others. You have all joined by choice, just because this Mojo says that you are going to be stars? Is there ever anyone who walks away from his offers and goes on with their life?"
*
"Happy for you," Domino quietly grunts back to Ava.
Her thought process quickly changes.
"Oh fuck me running," she immediately reacts to the alien confirmation while dropping her forehead into a hand. In the next moment she's looking right back at Switch. "A violent-themed tv show that's focused away from Earth? This is starting to sound more like a positive career move, I'm feelin' pretty damn violent already. Maybe I -should- have some words with your boss."
She's..not serious about the idea..is she?
Weirdest interrogation ever.
*
Tommy has partially disconnected.
*
"/I/ did. I mean, everybody loves TV stars. Even those no-good jerks in the Friends of Humanity." He spits after saying /that/ name. "I figured, get famous, they'll leave me alone, right? But this Mojo guy… man. He does stuff that we /never/ see come out of Hollywood. I can't imagine any of the /other/ studios tryin' to let the bulls out at Pamplona, but… I guess it does good on the tube, but I ain't no movie exec or anything. I dunno about anyone else, but.. I don't know why anyone /wouldn't/ want to be famous, you know? Stars have it easy. Riches, power, babes… it's a good life."
Then Domino's talking and sounds like she's coming over to the other side, and Switch nods eagerly. "See? She gets it! Who knows, he might still be castin'. You could always try heading out to W-ILD like we did." Apparantly, he's not aware that the place got wrecked. "If you're lucky, you might just find something."
And he /knows/ she is.
*
On the one hand, if people willingly want to bludgeon each other in gladiatorial combat for the chance to be famous (the most American sentiment ever), who is Ava to stop them? On the other hand, there have been a lot of missing people. "Have you ever seen anyone walk away from this Mojo?" she presses Switch, reserving any comment on the intelligence of the people who are staying.
*
On the upside it would seem that more of the irritant isn't necessary. This guy's suddenly become all sorts of chatty! Still frowning in contemplation Domino walks back to the kitchen without a word, filling a plant mister with a mixture of water and some other secret ingredient. Just keep talking, Switch.
"Yeah, last I heard that place got trashed pretty hard. There won't be anyone left around to pass an application my way." Not that she -isn't- going to go check it out for herself. After all, she hadn't been one of the people already looking around the fallen studio for clues. There's a two in three odds that she'll find something which no one else had!
"Answer her question and get a treat," Dom promises while swirling the liquid mixture inside of the mister.
*
"Can't say I have. But I've only been working for him for, what, a few weeks now?" Pause. "But… you know what? I /do/ know he started the whole casting deal 'cause he wanted to make new stars, you know? So I'm guessing something happened to the old ones. Like, they quit. Or died. Or something."
*
Ava gives Switch a long look. "Or something," she echoes, then looks back to Domino. Back to Switch. "Are you really that stupid?"
*
"Twenty bucks says they died," Domino concludes a beat after Ava's question. "Guess they couldn't hack it. See, if you want people to -fight- for entertainment you have to find people who know -how- to fight. You pick some random Joe off of the street and what the heck do you think is going to happen."
She leaves the question in the air while reaching over to spritz the top of Switch's head, immediately calming the chemical sting.
"Considering that he wound up here with his ass tied to a chair I'd say intelligence isn't his strong suit."
*
"Considering the kind of action we see? Quit or died seem like the most likely cases! I mean, Mojo doesn't seem like the kinda boss who goes out and fires people, you know?" Switch protests, and then relaxes a bit as the chemical sting goes away. Oh, that's a /lot/ better. "Thanks, lad— hey! I ain't no /dummy./" Mutter. Grumble. "I just—" …and suddenly, he stops. Stops and starts staring off into the distance. Is it getting colder in the apartment — again?
*
"It is more that you think 'quit' is actually an option," Ava drawls, dry, with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head as she steps away from the chair and their captive. "I am beginning to think that I do not like this Mojo. Whatever he is doing, it is putting people in danger, and not just the people who have signed up for it." She doesn't seem to notice the chill - Russians. It's their natural habitat.
*
Trigger reaction. Switch already put the idea into Domino's head. Things getting cold. Mind getting taken over. Brainfreeze lurking nearby. The very -instant- that he stops talking the mister falls to the floor, replaced in her hands by a pair of .380 semiautomatic pistols. Ava would probably recognize those Colt 1908's, they're the same set she had opened fire on the SHIELD agents with. Now Whitey has one aimed at the door and the other pointed at the nearest window, crouching low behind the furniture for cover.
If Switch is messing with her he's a dead man. But..it really DOES feel more cold in here. Could it just be psychosomatic?
*
"He doesn't care for ye much either, Princess." comes a voice from Switch's mouth that… doesn't sound much like the male teen. No, it carries a higher pitch and an Irish lilt. "But he thinks ye could be famous, and ye bein' famous is good for /him,/ so that's why /we/ have to deal with the lot of ye." he goes on to explain.
*
Ava glances to Domino when she draws down on the room, slowly raising a hand toward the other woman. "Please do not shoot me by accident. Or on purpose," she murmurs before she looks back to Switch - and the person speaking through him. "I am not interested in being famous, thank you. Or in what is good for Mojo. I am interested in what is good for the people he continues to put into danger, though."
*
Nope. Definitely not messing with Neena. Neither of Mojo's flunkies are, for that matter. Unfortunately for the mind-controlled Switch, now he has a pair of handguns being aimed at his head.
The mind control is real…
The pale one is really good at hiding her own fear. Usually. ..For the most part. Staying here is taking a fair amount of willpower, though now that Brainfreeze is 'in the house' this is the best moment to ask one of their more pressing questions:
"What did you do to Tommy?"
*
If Switch were in control? He'd definitely be worried about those guns. As it stands? He doesn't seem phased by this at all. Despite working decently together, loyalty to one another? There's none of that here. "What's good for the the folk he 'puts in danger'" there's a certain mocking to the voice as the words are echoed. "Is for them to smarten up and work for Mojo." …and is that his tongue sticking out? Yes. Yes it is.
As for the question about the missing speedster? "Oh, talkin' about the cutie I borrowed? I had him take me for a run. The boss wanted you lot in some…. New Guinea place or something? So I had him take me there."
*
"Do you know," Ava muses slowly. "I do not like mind control." She looks to Domino, turning more toward the other woman so that one hand is hidden from Switch's view by her body. "Do you like mind control?" In that hidden hand, there's a bright spark of blue-white electricity - she doesn't know for sure, but it's nice to imagine that a shock to the host mind would be unpleasant for the visiting mind as well.
*
New Guinea—! "You can't be serious," Domino snorts. Thennn she remembers the running of the bulls. Didn't one of these kids say something about being in Spain? This must be Mojo's game. Lure everyone out to some other exotic locale, drop some bizarre hazard into play, record the results, bam. Instant episode. This time the irritating Speedster is their bait.
Well, Dom did offer to help out, didn't she?
"Coordinates. Address. -Something.- I can get us th-ACK!" Stealing a plane is a piece of cake. As is giving Switch one heck of an electric jolt, apparently! Neena's hands, guns and all, drop roughly to her sides before she uses one and motions toward Ava in a way which would leave most normal folk feeling mighty uncomfortable. "So that's how it is, huh. You runnin' tricks up your sleeves. What the Hell was that?!" Another meaningful point with a gun, not threatening so much as just being a particularly reckless extension of her usual hand gestures. "I do -not- know you, girl."
*
"The lad's fast. What can I say?" There's a grin to that bit there, "And o' /course/ I like mind contro—" Cue the electric shock that sends switch into a spasming fit. There's a few moments to recover for that before a glare is turned towards Ava and then towards Domino. "The hell was THAT for?!"
One might notice that the temperature's returning to normal. And so did Switch's voice.
*
"I did not care for your friend." Ava turns from Switch to Domino, lifting one shoulder in a slight shrug. "That is the idea, as I understand it," she adds to the other woman. "The less people know, the easier it is to operate. Which is why I am not a good fit for this Mojo." She moves toward Switch, crouching just out of reach in front of him. "Your Mojo appeals only to those who hunger for fame, who seek recognition. I do not. What I do care about are people who are being taken advantage of. And if he continues this, with people who are my friends, then I will end him. And all of his cameras will not see me coming."
*
With Freezie out of the picture Domino relaxes..slightly. "Yeah, she's a controlling bitch."
This time when she 'points' at Ava it's in agreement. "There. Something we have in common. Thank fuck there's someone else around who knows how to get things done."
Back to Switch, she decides to take a gamble. "Here's the deal. We go to New Guinea. We do the thing. We -all- walk away. Mojo bugs the hell off. He gets his grand finale, we get our people, done and over. Otherwise he can have fun trying to get an episode with half of the main cast."
*
"Didn't have to zap me." grumps Switch. He may be feeling a bit whiny after that, it seems. "…and hey, as long as you're not coming after me? Whatever you do to him isn't my problem. I'm gettin' the feeling that this deal of his won't end up too well for /anyone,/ you know?" …then to Domino? There's a roll of his eyes. "She's not in my head. We'd feel it if she were." he points out, crinkling his nose. "And if /she/ can't hear you, /he/ can't. But, you know. It's probably worth a shot if nothin' else… besides, if that's where your pals are? They can probably use your help."
*
"Hope also knows how things are done," Ava notes clinically, without looking away from Switch. "The others are learning. But we will give them a chance to learn." She pauses, lips pursing slightly before she does look to Domino. "So Tommy is lost. Have you seen Billy? Otherwise getting to New Guinea is going to become…complicated."
*
"You had it coming," Domino says in regard to Switch getting zapped. "Besides, it was hilarious."
"Mojo has made a televised empire for himself. I've seen all of the proof I need to realize that if he wants eyes and ears everywhere, he can have eyes and ears everywhere. So you just can it and I'll keep taking my chances, thanks."
To Ava with a slight frown, she inquires "Who's Billy, now? I don't see where the trouble is, I can get us a plane that's ready to go in an hour or less," she offers with a light shrug. "Been way too long since I've flown something."
Not before she swings by the old W-ILD studio, of course.
*
"Yeah, well, good luck with that." is all Switch has to say in response to Domino's remarks. Yeah, he's clamming up a bit more now. Someone didn't like getting zapped!
*
"The skinny one with the dark hair." In all fairness, they're all teenage boys - hair color is the main distinguishing characteristic. Ava straightens up, giving Switch a flat look. "Is your brain yours again? Yes it is. You are no longer a meat puppet for someone who cares nothing about you. You are welcome." She grimaces, looking around. "I will try to call Billy and Teddy's apartment. Maybe they're there. We shouldn't wait too long, though."
*
"Agreed," Domino is all too prompt to concur while (finally!) tucking her sidearms away. "I'm past due for a vacation, anyway. Do whatever you want with that one," she says with a point toward Switch.
*
"Well, have /this/ as thanks. The skinny kid with the dark hair? He was here when they took the quick one. Him, the shapeshifter and the magnet-chick all teleported away before you joined the party."
*
(Oh goodie! Another shape-shifter.)