capeandcowllogs | (no subject)

WHO:

iknowyourfear,

aerial_bliss,

regularexercise,

enigmaestro,

skrullactually,

owwmyspine,

evenharder,

catmasked,

canbleadernow.
WHERE: Norman Osborn's tower.
WHEN: After Norman's post, with Terry's post in bewteen.
WARNINGS: Use of Abby's sad-face icons.
SUMMARY: Abby's been discovered as a spy. Hideous things happen.
FORMAT: Quicklog.
NOTES: Refer to this post for plot information. Please tag yourselves in. I'll be organizing this post by different threads below!

[ He has this vivid memory. Stamford, Connecticut. It's a hot day, the worst kind of day to be outside in thick fatigues, dragging your feet through training drills. Sometimes he remembers better than others, what was said. But the one thing he never forgets is the way Abby looked when he transformed on her, the way she covered her ears and screamed. She'd been so scared of him.

Guilt sits heavy in his chest. He couldn't do that to her again. Never, ever wanted to do it again. She'd been one of the first people he wanted to help when his powers were finally under his control. She trusted him. And yet, here he was, outside her door on Norman Osborn's orders. There were reasons-- he was afraid for her, afraid that if he didn't do this, someone who cared less about what happened to her would get sent instead, or that Osborn would arrange a fate worse than interrogation-- but none of it seemed to make this okay.

He's getting sick of this kind of moral compromise. But what else can he do now?

He knocks on the door. Waits. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Falsehood. She's lying.

[He felt his skin lightly sizzle under the influence of Abby's words. He nearly cringed at the sensation; the girl had just pronounced a death sentence upon her own head. And Edward was the messenger.]

Lying significantly.

[He spoke into a communication device separate from the ones so renowned within the City. This was for Osborn's ears only. So Edward thought, anyway.]

Edited 2009-10-23 06:42 (UTC)

We know you've been a spy for the past few months, Cloud 9.

[ She's going to put up a fight. Terry's not sure how he feels about that. He doesn't want to hurt her. It's the last thing he wants. He wouldn't wish his powers on a stranger, let alone Abby.

Still, he lets a little of his power slip into his voice. She needs to give Osborn answers, so they can get her out. ]

Answer the question. What have y

Edited 2009-10-23 06:48 (UTC)

[ She knows that voice. It makes her shrink unconsciously into her chair. Her heart's beating faster. She wants him to stop-- but she knows he can't. And she can't give in either.

Her fists tighten in the material of her clothes. ]

I... [ A little lie. Maybe the half-truth would save her a little, without her having to surrender everything. ] I told him about Carnage and Bullseye. B-But that's all.

[Slight tingle. Nothing as remarkably overpowering as before.]

It's half false and half true, Osborn. I can't differentiate beyond that, it's not how it works in juxtaposition. Not when the statements are dependent on each other. I just know it's mixed.

[Edward hesitates. It would be easy to leave it at that. Easy to ignore the obvious. But he was a man of truth, now wasn't he? Hardly ever took the easy way out.

He needed Osborn's cooperation.]

My guess? She told Stark more. Including that, yes, but there's more to it.

[Hand checks her PDA. There is more to Abby's last statement than she let on. That, or there was a lie in there somewhere.]

Cloud 9, elaborate on your last statement, please.

[She spoke calmly, comfortably, despite the fact that even she was a bit uneasy when Trauma's power was involved. There was no reason to be nasty, so long as the girl cooperated.]

[ The way she's looking down at her hands in her lap, her face can't be seen. She is scared. Definitely. But there's a spark of defiant strength that she'd learned in her time away from home. Something she'd learned from people she loved. It's by will power alone that she hasn't crumble yet.

Her eyebrows draw together. Finally, she looks up. There's something stubborn in her expression. ]

I don't have anything else to say.

[Defiant? Hand expected nothing less from an Avenger, even if this girl could barely pass as one. However, even Cloud 9 should have known that in a situation like this, with Norman pulling the strings, defiance only got people killed.

She looked up at Cloud 9, her expression souring a little, and her tone became more stern.]

I'm not convinced of that, frankly. It's in your best interest to tell us everything. Think about it for a moment, this can all be over as soon as you tell us what you told Stark. You can be out of here and on your merry way, or we can make you tell us everything.

Now, I'll ask something smaller, something that even you can understand.

What exactly did you tell Stark about those two men?

[ooc: Hope this isn't breaking posting order or anything. It just seemed appropriate for Hand to respond again.]

[ Her shoulders shrink up slightly towards her ears. It looks, for a moment, like she might give in. Victoria Hand has always intimidated her-- maybe even more so than Terry. His power scares her more than anything, but she believes that he cares for her. This woman-- it's different.

Abby hesitates. But at length, she purses her lips and shakes her head. ]

I don't have anything else to say.

(OOC: No problem! I think we're just all posting as it seems appropriate.)

Edited 2009-10-23 22:39 (UTC)

[Could Nygma have been wrong? She supposed that it was a possibility, albeit an unlikely one. It didn't matter either way. Soon enough the would know everything that Stark knew.]

Please continue, Mr. Ward.

[A startled look crossed Edward's paling face. He hadn't known that Hand would accompany the interrogation. No one had mentioned it to him. And yet her voice rang clearly in conversation with Abby. One foot betrayed his body, taking a step backwards. He hadn't been informed. And that make him uncomfortable.]

She's lying. There's more to this.

[A pause follows. An increasingly heated pause.]

Speaking of more, I rather get the feeling you're pulling a Hemingway on me, Osborn. Where are the other seventh-eighths?

Edited 2009-10-24 00:44 (UTC)

[ Don't do this, Abby. A part of him keeps chanting that in his head. He doesn't want her to have to suffer. But another part of him, it's... Proud. Proud that Abby is being so strong, even when faced with the threat of his powers. He can't remember the last time he felt so conflicted.

Some day, all this moral compromise is going to catch up with him. He knows that. ]

Tell us the truth, Abby.

[ Terry's eyes glow red. ]

[ When Terry's eyes glow that familiar red, she feels her resolve weaken. She has to close her eyes tight and breathe, counting each breath. He has to remind herself what Terry told her. No matter what he changed into, he was still Terry. And she knew he didn't want this.

Her knuckles are white from how tightly she's gripping the material of her pants. ]

I-I said, I don't. Have anything else to say.

I don't require my gift to know that she's hiding a cornucopia of deceit.

[Edward backed away into the shadows of his small outer room, pacing. He avoided watching Trauma. Avoided the memories that incited. Avoided any sentiment of guilt or remorse for the girl. He simply focused on the truth of the matter.]

She's standing up to you all.

[Now this was just getting ridiculous. Victoria didn't even need Edward hiding in the shadows to tell her that Cloud 9 was lying, and Trauma was taking his time with this.

She stood up, walking over to them.]

You're lying. I will only tell you one more time. Tell us everything that you told Tony Stark.

[She looks over to Trauma.]

Make her talk, or I will.

Edited 2009-10-25 03:08 (UTC)