Jun 12 04:23:53 109 PA - The Undoing of Margot St. Clare

From Chronicles

Jun 12 04:23:53 109 PA.

OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES - MAIN FLOOR

At this hour of the day, the Office of Strategic Services has yet to open its doors for business. As such, there are no employees present. Of course, being the proprietor, Gabriel let himself inside and brought up the lights a while back. Dressed ready for normal business, he's standing near the door awaiting important guests. Two bottles of water are sitting nearby, obvious invitations for those who might be thirsty. A large wall map of the Free Quebec area has been pulled down from a scrolling screen.

This particular hour finds Leonard freshly roused, or still yet conscious from the night prior. It's difficult to discern which, but either justifies the paper cup full of steaming coffee that accompanies him through the doorway. "Morning," he greets, leaving off the adjective. Some may have varying opinions on which to use.

St. James has, herself, arrived with a thermos full of coffee as well. There's been some obvious effort in scraping her armor free of its notifications to Emperor Prosek in favor of a more professional appearance. Gabriel gets greeted with a,"Sir." Leonard? A simple,"Morning." No adjective as well.

Gabriel greets each guest in turn, sticking his head out the door to scan the hallway. "It's clear," he says before closing and locking the office door. "Thanks for coming, guys. Make yourselves comfortable." He heads over to half-sit against one of the utilitarian desks. "Some important matters to go over to make this thing work right. But I *finally* got some details from those assholes at Tolkeen. Who hires people then doesn't tell them what they're doing?" Rhetorical question. "Make yourselves comfortable." Then his head tilts to the side slightly, and he smiles at St. James. "Now you look like a real soldier, Sergeant. I've got the uniform for you, too, when we're done here. Leonard, you know more about Tolkeen than I do, so I think that you know where to start on this. Please do, and I'll move on when you're done."

Leonard makes himself comfortable with simply leaning slightly against the wall. "I'll stand, if you don't mind. After spending much of the night seated and hunched over tomes and datapads, the stretch will do me some good." He takes a healthy sip of caffeine and his eyes widen. "I did discover an interesting invocation," he raises his empty hand, "If anyone would care to witness?" His brow arches and pans between his potential audience members.

St. James chuckles to Gabriel,"Been months since I was a real soldier. I've gotta admit. It'll feel more comfortable that way." She offers the thermos to Gabriel when she takes a seat,"Thanks sir." As for the subject of invocation? "Ah. Magic." She's getting better at curbing her distaste. "Go on, then."

"I'm sure that soldiering instincts haven't gone away. It's second nature to people like you and me," Gabriel says by way of offering the sergeant reassurance, just in case she needed it. A nod is then given to the woman as well, and he shrugs. "We've spoken about mages, St. James, but a good soldier knows that he needs to use every potential gain. So..." he trails off and eyes Leonard somewhat uncomfortably. "Show us what you've got that's going to keep us alive."

"My pleasure," Leonard admits with a hint of grin. His words then turn incomprehensible to most; a mixture of Dragonese and Demogogian. His lifted hand articulates in a series of precise gestures. There is a heartbeat of pause, and the combination continues, albeit with different syllables and gestures.

St. James is watching warily... So when she feels something creeping into her mind, her natural paranoia comes out, and they get to see a normally composed woman come... well... a bit unglued. Her chair goes flying out from beneath her as she stands, lightning fast, hands darting for Leonard's throat, while a swift foot rockets towards his groin,"STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING MIND, YOU FILTHY FUCK!"

Leonard steps off of the wall and manages to bat away the hand incoming for his throat. All despite his mild surprise and consternation at her strong will. It was always a possibility. "This would be simpler if you didn't..." Oh, why does he bother. He sacrifices his coffee, dropping the cup so that he can repeat the gesture and intonation of the latter variety.

And like that, she goes slack-jawed right as she is loading up for a side kick that was pointed right at Leonard's jaw. And now Gabe has a thermos of coffee all over the floor.

Bernard materializes from thin air, maybe he was there all along, maybe not. "You have this in hand?" he asks, mostly ignoring Gabe for the moment as he looks towards Leonard. One attuned to such things might feel Bernard's being drawing at its mystical energy, though his concentration is fading with the reaction St. James gives to the other mage's magics.

The excitement was more than Gabriel expected, but he takes it well. Doesn't even bother to move any more than to raise his right arm slightly, before the sergeant goes down. "Thank you," he says with no thrill in his voice, just business. "Bernard, thanks for being here," is offered a he finally gets to his feet and moves to the downed St. James. A pair of heavy military handcuffs are removed from where they always hang at his back, and he appropriately slaps them on, hands behind her back. "Bernard, would you please put her in a chair and keep her upright for me? Thanks." No need to wait. "Leonard, please repeat my words to her, starting simple. 'What is your full given birth name, age and current active rank?'"

"I thought that you had wanted her to strip?" Leonard notes to Gabriel with a tinge of disappointment, adding somewhat late, "To be sure that she had no hidden devices or weapons." Which reminds him as he turns to directly address St. James. "You will remove all weapons you are carrying, without arming or activating them, and hand them to me." He holds out his hand expectantly. "/Then/, you will state your full given birth name, age, and current rank."

Bernard laughs a bit at Leo's comment then shrugs his shoulders a bit, "Don't worry, from what I hear Gabe's methods should be familiar, I think he's read a Coalition manual or something." He grins, waiting for weapons and the like to be removed before following through with Gabe's instructions of sitting her down.

It takes a while to remove her weapons. A knife from her boot, a pistol. A surprisingly well-concealed collapsed rifle. A sword. Two lengths of rope. A pair of plasma grenades. Then she drones on,"Madison Marie St. Clare, 36, Master Sgt. assigned to the the Blood Hawks Sniper Recon."

Gabriel nods to Leonard, thankful that the other man had the presence of mind to worry about weapons. But he shakes his head and sighs when the woman speaks. "I'd really hoped I was wrong. But that answered one question a lot faster than I thought. 'What is your current assigned mission?'" Crossing his arms, he waits with a sad look on his face. But also a hard look.

Leonard should have held out more hands, it seems. "She is prepared, if nothing else." He carefully takes the items and sets them aside, well out of easy reach. After returning to face her, he directs, with a gesture to indicate, "Sit in that chair. Tell me your current assigned mission, and to whom you report."

St. James intones very deadpan. "To gather information and cultivate Coalition-friendly assets. To cultivate the priority asset, Colonel Blaze with friendship if possible. With the promise of his men held in Coalition detainment if not. To report movements within Kingsdale in its surrounding areas. To deliver the anti-magic device to Coalition hands." On the issue of her current contact, she is silent for some reason.

Bernard's brow raises a bit and he laughs, "I thought all your boys were slain by a big scary monster, Gabe." He says at that, "Maybe you've not been as upfront with us either, should Leo interrogate you next?" he asks, then looks over to Leo, "Anti-magic device?"

Gabriel's eyebrow raises. "Flattering. I wondered who the fuck would recognize a US Marine Corps colonel's lapel and know what a Davy Crockett was." He glances at Bernard and nods. "What makes me special, and who are my men? What is the anti-magic device, and has it already been delivered?" Stepping aside from a direct question regarding a contact, he asks, "Has our mission with Tolkeen's ambassador been compromised to the Coalition?"

"You will answer all of the questions Gabriel just asked, and all that follow," Leonard instructs her in an effort to save himself the hassle of repeating the man. "You are human and do not rely upon magic," he offers, "So there is no reason for the Coalition to be biased against you. Your past efforts might have gained their notice."

St. James answers the question in her usual deadpan, and in order. Also, Gabriel's rhetorical questions, thanks to Leonard's answer,"Anyone raised and educated by judge Eric St. Clare's bloodline would have such an an knowledge. Any officer of the Coalition is likely to have enough education as well. Colonel Blaze is a baseline human, with a distrust for magic. His reputation is straightforward and competent. Your men. The men under your command that you arrived with after you traveled to this time from your pre-Golden Age era. It has not been delivered, but overtures to purchase it are currently being made. Yes. It has been irrevocably compromised.

"You're very outspoken against the Coalition, Gabe. And if you're assuming she's the first and only operative here in Coalition you're being something of a moron. Also, you claim to be some magical time traveler. That's certain to get interest too." Bernard grins at some little joke he's made with himself. "And, anyone who's tortured and interrogated your men would know what little symbol would mean too, and a lot about you I suspect too."

Gabriel nods, keeping his composure. "We'll return to that," he says, making a very difficult decision. "To whom did you pass on information about the ambassador's trip and our mission, and what was in the package that you retrieved from the locker the day that I told you the date of June 25th?"

Leonard has done his part for the moment and likewise leaves the interrogation to Gabriel. Instead, he looks to Bernard. "We should keep the rhetorical questions and commentary to a minimum. She will remember all that she experiences, even while under influence."

St. James once again remains silent on the issue of 'who', against all odds. The second question DOES get an answer though,"A transmitter from an agent in Whykin."

Bernard huhs and shrugs, "Sure, I just assumed Gabe was going to murder her when he was done," he says to Leo then settles back to listen quietly to the exchange.

"The agent in Whykin, does he or she operate in Laramy under the names James or Sarah Facet?" Gabriel moves closer to the woman, fingers gently touching the base of his chin. "You don't know the exact person your information is transmitted to, but you have transmitted it. What is the unit, department or location that this information is transmitted to, and have you used a location in Laramy to transmit information gathered from me?"

"He might," Leonard shrugs to Bernard, "He might not. It is a shame that I can't maintain permanent control or wipe her memories. That would open up more options."

St. James is as impassive as ever. She once again doesn't answer on the question of name. "I transmit via tightband radio a coded message to signal an info drop in a randomly determined wilderness location. I have been to Laramy to drop information to a contact once."

"Well, there may be other options. I don't have much in the way for magical coercion or domination though." Bernard says as he grins a little then shrugs and looks back over to the two.

"Other than the receiver of your transmissions, are you currently operating alone on this particular mission which includes gaining my friendship?" Gabriel looks to the mages, shrugging a 'sorry you're bored' expression in their direction. "What exactly have you transmitted regarding the mission with the ambassador, and what else if anything are you aware that the Coalition knows?"

St. James is as deadpan as ever,"I am a deniable asset. All actions are on my own and at my own risk. They are aware of everything and anything you may have told me, and may at some point present you with video footage of Federation atrocity, as it is suspected it may sway your sympathies. They know your moral fortitude is of exceeding worth to you."

Gabriel now stands directly before St. James, and quite within distance to crack her over the skull. Not that he's carrying any blunt objects. "Are you expected to transmit or make any other contact on a schedule, or any other timetable where you would be anticipated? Does the Coalition maintain a position in Laramy from which you would commonly transmit?" A glance is made to the other men in the room. "Jump in if you've got something. Atrocities and my men have waited this long, we should cover one topic before the next."

St. James is completely deadpan for the moment,"If I stop reporting, I will be classified as captured or dead." As for the question of a 'position in Laramy'? No answer yet again.

"Okay, where do you transmit from?" Why not ask a quick follow-up question? Gabriel waits. Leonard has disconnected.

St. James replies, simply,"Anywhere that's quiet."

"Fair enough," Gabriel allows. "When you drop information in Laramy, where is it done? Tell me all you know about the agent in Whykin whom you received the transmitter from. Since meeting me, have you been anywhere other than Kingsdale, Laramy or the road connecting them?" He squats down a little to look into the woman's eyes. Sure, they might be magically glazed over, but it's second nature, instinct really.

St. James responds in that deadpan as ever,"Wherever I am told to." As for the agent in Whykin, she is MOSTLY silent,"He is based in or was in Whykin at one point, he is human, he is on the planet earth-" Uh oh, she's stuck.

Gabriel might chuckle at another time. But this isn't terribly funny. "With as much detail as you can provide, who tells you where to make a drop?"

St. James replies in kind,"Whoever responds with the proper command codes over my radio."

Nodding, Gabriel fetches a notepad and pen from a nearby desk, putting it into the stationary woman's lap. "Write down all command codes, frequencies and other information necessary to make a successful transmission. Then put the pad down and remain stationary. Do these codes change?"

With a look at the paper to confirm that there's actually something there, Gabriel then puts the pad back on the table and removes the pen - a potentially deadly weapon - from St. James's - or St. Clare's - vicinity. He takes a few steps back. "Okay. Tell me what types of implants you have, and can your armor be removed without causing harm to anyone in this room?" The man makes a second look, and hands the pen and paper back. "Write down the standard encryption that you use, and any specific receiving frequencies."

St. James is silent on the first two questions, but immediately begins writing on the papers to the other two. That's more easily answered, apparently.

Gabriel sighs at the silence, but clearly he's used to the pedestrian pace of interrogation. "You have repeatedly stated that your armor is unique and deadly. If you remove it now and place it on the floor, will any harm come to any person in this room?" He then repeats somewhat changed, "Yes or no, you do or do not possess any cybernetic or bionic implants?"

Bernard continues to stand back a bit, watching Gabriel run St. James through her paces, he glances towards Leo, and in Dragonese asks << How much longer do you have her under your control for? >> he asks.

"Tell me where you keep all of your weapons and equipment, including transmitting equipment," Gabriel asks with a little pacing. "Is there anything about your gear that would lead to direct harm if I were to pick it up and take it for myself?"

St. James merely responds,"In my apartment. You might accidentally discharge them."

Gabriel nods, and looks to the other two men. "I think we're probably done along this line of questioning, unless either of you has a question that I haven't thought of? Which is quite possible." Since he's given himself a little time, he strides over to collect one of the bottles of water, screwing off the plastic cap to take a sip. "Where does the Coalition believe the ambassador from Tolkeen will arrive, and when?"

Leonard rolls his shoulders at Bernard. "A while. We could have her dance a set at the Ivory Lady afterwards," he chuckles and glances to Gabriel, "Now that he seems to be nearly finished having his way with her." He considers the open question and shrugs again, this time to Gabriel. "I've heard enough."

St. James merely responds at this point,"June 25th." As usual, her answers are short and unexpansive.

The soldier looks over to Leonard, shaking his head. "Don't let her go. There's more to talk about." Gabriel nods, and returns to the prisoner but on a separate topic. "My men. How many are there, where and when were they captured? What is their condition." His eyes then narrow. "What does the Coalition plan to do about the ambassador's journey?"

St. James is silent for most of Gabriel's question, other than to inform him,"Alive. Healthy." Well, that's something anyway. "Have me, or another agent disrupt his magical display. No violence and prisoners are preferable."

Bernard chuckles a bit, "That might be fun to see." He says to Leo then looks back to the two, "At least we agree on something. It's probably a terrible idea to let the ambassador finish what he's doing. But, it looks like we'll see now, hmmn?"

"And why is that, Bernard?" Leonard is curious of the man's comment. Nearly as much as he is at St James' answer. "Interesting that their plan is not to shoot first and never ask questions."

"Master Sergeant St. Clare, tell me all that you know about the workings, current location and current ownership of the anti-magic device," Gabriel demands quietly. Takes a moment to mentally chide himself for almost moving past that one. Rather than disrupt St. Clare's fragile psyche, he only looks to Bernard and shakes his head rather than speaking. "Why does the Coalition want prisoners?"

"I know the device is Golden Age technology, it cancels magic of all kinds out completely, is a globe ten feet in diameter, and is in the possession of a one Mr. Guerrno who might willingly sell it to the Coalition. Nonviolent solutions where possible are preferable to my mission. Ambassadors are high value prisoners, and any chance to study magic users in captivity is desirable."

Leonard scowls at the notion of the Coalition 'studying' magic users. "I'm sure such captivity wouldn't be desirable over death by the subjects. Are we quite finished, Gabriel?"

Gabriel thinks for a long moment, and eventually says slowly to the others, "I don't know about magic... but I do know of a 'Golden Age' sphere about ten-feet in diameter. Which once more leads back to me and courting my friendship. The device was part of the Louisiana's power core. Experimental one that I was tasked with guarding. But last I saw, it had detonated enough to leave a nice crater." He clears his breath and shakes his head at Leonard again, whispering, "Patience," before getting back to business. "Master Sergeant, who is Mr. Guerrno? Where are my men being held?"

"In a Coalition Facility. Mr. Guerrno is a businessman for a high-end weapons company."

"I recall that, and it did drain magic," Leonard nods, "Though it had numerous other negative side-effects, as well. It would also explain how the Coalition might have some of your men, Gabriel. Many of them arrived in this world with the ship, separate from you and those that arrived with you."

Gabriel nods as Leonard provides the new information about his ship, eyes clearly surprised for the first real time since this questioning began. But he returns to St. Clare. "Which Coalition facility? Approximately how many of my men are being held?" He squats, looking up inter her eyes from below.

St. James remains silent to Gabriel's questions.

The soldier frowns slightly. "Blank." After a shake of his head, he turns to Leonard. As owner of this enchantment, he might be able to help. "Can you phrase a question to get her to tell us if we can walk into her apartment, use and grab her gear without being blown up, et cetera? I think if I asked her that, her brain would seize again and you seem to be getting a little antsy about being done with this."

Leonard smirks at Gabriel's limited thinking. "Wouldn't it be easier to walk her to her apartment and have her retrieve the equipment for us? If something does detonate..." A shrug. "No harm done."

Gabriel commences with the removal and recuffing. "Regarding my men. To your own best knowledge or estimate, how many are currently being held?"

St. James merely replies,"A large number."

"Estimate the number of men using a numerical value, please." Some of Gabriel's questions demand clarification.

St. James merely responds,"Greater than ten."

"Greater than one-hundred?" Gabriel asks.

St. James is as terse as ever,"Possibly."

Gabriel swings the question sideways slightly, not bothered by the terse anger. "Master Sergeant St. Clare, how many of my men are being held?"

St. James merely responds,"Enough for a dedicated facility."

"Master Sergeant, you will stop trying to evade this question. How many of my men are being held prisoner?" Gabriel moves to use a bit of the spell in a different way.

St. James merely remains silent now.

Gabriel moves on. "Are they being held in a Coalition facility? If so, is this a standard facility, or some specialized facility?"

St. James responds,"Logic dictates that it will be a specialized facility."

"To the best of your knowledge, have any of your belongings been tampered with in any way to cause them to function as a booby-trap or similar denial device beyond their intended use?" Gabriel looks to Leonard, then back to St. James.

St. James merely responds,"The comm system and suit systems are designed to burn out and cease functioning overtime without explicit technical expertise and the Mag-5 Jet Pack was purposefully removed to avoid capture and replication." But no booby traps apparently.

Gabriel smiles at that. "Very reasonable." He then eschews the woman's pride in rank and assignment. "Miss St. Clare, you do deserve some congratulations. In all likelihood, you have disrupted an important meeting by duping my good nature. Thank you for that, I'll be sure not to repeat the mistake," he offers with a nod of his head. So what if she's catatonic, the mage said that she'll remember everything. "At the museum, you told me that you had a 'lead.' What was this lead, and was it real or false information? If false, explain how and why to the best of your knowledge."

St. James merely responds,"I have some black market connections and a virtually unlimited budget subject to requisition approvals for the purposes of carrying out my mission. I was intent on procuring better weapons and armor to ensure your survivability."

"Thank you for that," Gabriel says, chuckling at his strange and useless good fortune. "Would these connections be willing to work with me directly? If so, are they dedicated to the Coalition, and on the pad next to you, write down their names, where to find them and how they can be contacted, plus their specialties, if they have any."

St. James merely responds,"Only one would be willing to work with you." She writes down merely the name of a one Mr. Guerrno: High Performance tools of war.

Gabriel nods again. "If I allow you to live, would you genuinely and forever renounce all ties and allegiance to the Coalition? Understand, completely renounce."

St. James is completely silent once again.

Gabriel tucks his hands against his sides. "I'm going to let you think about that one. I am ordering you to continue thinking about that question. In the meantime, you will escort me to your home and your vehicle. You will behave as you would under the Margot St. James disguise. Under no circumstances will you discuss this interrogation, your capture, your Coalition ties, your mission, your current magical problem or anything else that someone would believe to be abnormal for what they know of Margot St. James. We will return your vehicle, armor and all equipment pertaining to warfare, espionage and the like to this office. You will assist me. Do you understand?"

St. James merely responds to the man,"Yes. My apartment is a front. I sleep in the vehicle."

"There is nothing in your apartment that would likely be of interest to me?" Gabriel glances to Leonard, but is still the only one speaking.

St. James merely responds,"Nothing to my knowledge."

Gabriel nods. "Okay, let's go then. Remember all of the previous orders."

St. James rises and woodenly begins walking.

It doesn't take long for two people to gather a few valuables. St. James and Gabriel are soon back in the office with her gear as if nothing had changed. "Knowing what you do of me, do you have any further information that I would likely want to know, that I have not been told already?"

St. James is probably inwardly cursing herself at that particular,"I'm planning on murdering myself the moment I have free will."

"That's unfortunate," Gabriel says. "But it will be your free will and your life to do with as you please. You're ambitious. Too ambitious and too trusting of your own abilities, unfortunately. Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure. You'll learn more from defeat than from winning." He tucks St. James' survival knife back into her belt. "We've found a beautiful, uninhabited tropical island for you. South Pacific. Out of range of any civilization even having a remote chance of tripping over you. You get to keep the knife, and the clothes on your back. If you choose to take your life or choose to try to survive, that's up to you. If you believe any of the Christianity that you showed, you'll try to survive rather than committing suicide. Beyond your neck and head, your body will remain rigid and unmoving, but you are free to speak your mind until I tell you otherwise. Have you considered the question I asked before we gathered your things?" He crosses his arms and waits to see what's said.

St. James grits her teeth at that,"It's not suicide. It's self-sacrifice. I can't allow you to do more damage than you already have. And maybe... maaybe not everything about the Coalition is ideal, but it's humanity's own best hope. Not all of us are as bad as you think. The thing with Tolkeen was a blunder, and we paid for that... But these people are real threats. This was our planet, and they all just invaded it. Some are murderers, yeah, but some of us would be just as happy to send them back home. Not all of us are child-murderers. And if it were your country, Colonel, you'd do the same thing for them I did. But I'll tell you this Blaze, you're just as trusting and ambitious as I am. The only difference between us is about thirty years experience and a difference in ideology. You've given me no good reason to doubt." The unsaid thing? That there could possibly be a reason good enough,"You criticize me. But until you've seen a creature that looks like a small child bite off your best friend's face and tear through your squad, all because you were too soft-hearted to shoot it... You don't know true horror. You want horror... view footage of the Tolkeen front. The D-bee internment camps. The filth of the burbs. Whether you kill them or send them home, this rotting shithole that is our planet right now is screaming for help, and the Coalition is the only people trying to fix things. Maybe it's not perfect, but it's something I'm willing to die for. I know you think I'm stupid and young... But one day, your arrogance will hoist you too. Be careful Colonel. The planet needs more decent human beings, and it'd be a shame to see you die before you do your part."

Gabriel's face doesn't get angry and harden, but he does say very evenly, "And you, Miss St. Clare, if you believe that I have not seen atrocities, you would be woefully misinformed. I'm not here to argue ideology with you, I'm here because you tried to screw with me - and were partially successful. This would have been far different had you simply approached me as an agent, asked me, been told 'no' and both of us been on our way."

St. James raises an eyebrow,"That was never an option. Unlike you, I can't trust people simply because they 'seem' to have integrity. You've got such a stick up your ass, the moment you realized a Coalition agent was in town, you would've reported my presence to the Kingsdale authority."

"Maybe. But the situation would still be that you'd be alive and free, as I assume you'd have been bright enough to leave." Gabriel lays out a hand, "Or, tried to kill me and ended up dead, I suppose." His lips purse in a sad way. "Is there any message that you'd like me to have delivered to your father through back channels? More than his daughter simply disappearing?"

St. James raises an eyebrow at Gabriel, then sneers,"Tell that bastard I hope he rots. A daughter who is an MIA hero is just the Christmas gift he's hoping for. He'll immediately start counting all the political credit and appointments he can squeeze out of it."

"Perhaps for the benefit of both your sakes I could portray you as an unfortunate MIA non-hero," Gabriel floats out, not that he really sounds as if he's planning on doing anything having been told not to. His frame then stands far more formally as he instructs, "You won't speak again until I tell you to." A pause. "Madison Marie St. Clare, Master Sergeant, Coalition States. I, Colonel Gabriel Blaze of the United States Marine Corps and Central Intelligence Agency have seen you stand trial in martial court, and been found guilty of the crime of espionage. The sentence for this crime is death. I am commuting that sentence, and resigning you to exile in the South Pacific. May God have mercy on your soul." He looks to Leonard, who knows exactly what to do - deliver her to the prison island.