6871/Sentinels: Mutation and You

Sentinels: Mutation and You
Date of Scene:	12 March 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Jean and Forge discuss the Sentinel threat... and address John Doe.
Cast of Characters:	Bastion, Phoenix, Forge
Tinyplot:	Sentinels

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Bastion has posed:
The first meeting of the X-Men with the Avenger's 'person' (captive? Prisoner? Guest?) didn't go very well. A lot of information was gathered, depending on how accurate the equipment is that did gather it. What was certain was that the guest is certainly not just a human. He's got an ability to put a huge hole in a wall, and needed to be moved to another room without such a wall. These new ones are reinforced.

If the man is actually shut down or faking it? That's another story. From the Avengers statement, so far, was that the man is faking it, but there doesn't seem to be a reason why he'd do that. If the source that said it was drunk, well, maybe 'take it with a grain of salt' there.

Forge and Jean show up as the second wave of cavalry, now that everything has cooled down, to get a look for themselves. Whether the man will explode again, or is dead - so many unknowns.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean has come dressed for the occasion, in her Phoenix costume, and she looks at Forge when they are ushered into the new place of holding for the 'guest'. "Forge...do you think if he's indeed mostly machine, there's a way you could come up with a way to interface with him? From what I heard from Psylocke, she didn't find much of a mind to scour, but maybe what we need is to look into a database? Or whatever it is he happens to have?"

While talking to Forge she turns to look at the man dubbed simple 'Johne Doe', and just to be sure, she tries a telepathic scan of her own. It's not that she doesn't trust Psylocke, rather, she wants to get a sense of herself of this eerie void described to her. An emptiness that doesn't make sense.

Forge has posed:
"I'm concerned about getting too close to him, and being hit by whatever is needed to keep him from being explosive," Forge says with a softened sigh, skeptical. "I brought some things to shield what I'm going to use, but I don't know what interesting and risky tech is going to come from the Avengers side, or even this subject," says the careful inventor.

"I'm going to get a good look, though, at the very least. I won't leave without that: I should be able to tell you a lot, even if I can't get very close. I'll know how organic he is, if nothing else, and some purpose of what he was made for."

Forge sets down the large box he brought with him and begins to unpack his gear; prepared is part of what makes Forge as effective as he is. Making things on the fly is only as good as what you bring with you as parts.

Phoenix has posed:
"Forge...it feels like Psylocke was spot on, but I'm not sure it's a nullifying field, so much as some sort of trap meant to fool telepaths. Allow me..." Jean notes as she shifts from looking into 'John Doe' to looking into Forge, it's a cursory surface scan, but mostly to check for herself that her power has not been nullified by 'John Doe' if there's a nullifying field, she shouldn't be able to read Forge on even a surface level. It's a simple enough check.

"If it's not a true nullifying field, I think I should be able to contain him, though it's not a definite...he did exhibit something unseen to date from a Sentinel type, judging by all reports I read."

Forge has posed:
"I don't want either of us to be in undue risk," Forge answers her gently. As she cans for thoughts, he's a calm, cautious answer to her mentally. He's often a steady influence, when telepaths do choose to use him as a pillar. He's patient, aware, and balanced in what he does. His concerns are with the unknown tech: it isn't a fear of it, but a prudence about the reality of the situation. If he can lend her any of those features, or boost her confidence (within reason), he'd like to. Forge is excellent backup.

"I think I will stay back and get what I can, if you want to try to speak to him. If he doesn't respond well to you, I can attempt as well. Speaking in telepathy around him might be a good idea, if he has strong scanners," Forge adds, more quietly. "No need to upset him."

Phoenix has posed:
"That's smart," Phoenix notes to Forge, in full agreement with him. "Interesting...I seem to have no trouble reading you, Forge," Jean notes, moving closer to look at the man who appears at least to not be fully concious. "I guess that rules out a nullifying field, I wonder about emotions though..." if her guesstimation that there's some kind of weird tech embedded in 'John Doe' meant to full a telepath into 'missing' the fact he's not human in a crowd, it wouldn't necessarily work on an empathic angle, or would it? She tries to shift to an empathic read out of 'John Doe', is he scared of being imprisoned? Is he angry? Does he register any emotion at all?

She does answer telepathically to Forge's suggestion <<sounds like a good plan to me...I figure he'll feel more safe with me if there's no barrier between us, you think the Avengers would be mad if I go inside with him?>>

Forge has posed:
Forge ends up shrugging when she asks about the Avengers being mad. He really doesn't know what the Avengers would make of that, but he isn't worried. He has a sort of distant dismay with a lot of what Tony Stark does; but certainly not concern. Forge's opinion, and emotions, lean towards protecting people, and that may mean they need to get close to this guy or push him? So be it.

Forge is here to troubleshoot. <<If he is like a Sentinel and can sense you are a mutant, we are already at a huge disadvantage. Here. Let me see if I can at least give you something to mask that, before you go in,>> Forge offers, going to his kit to quickly adjust another item he'd brought as a shield into this newer thought. <<It would fool one of the versions I had, but this one? Cannot hurt, I think.>>

Forge is the only emotions around, and while he's very stable, he's concerned for Jean. And the subject. And others that may suffer from Sentinels, or being turned into whatever this man was forced to become.

Phoenix has posed:
<<That is actually a brilliant idea, glad to have you with me, Forge, I'm really not yet fully ingrained to think with the Sentinel threat in mind...what a curse those idiots unleashed on our kind,>> Jean muses bitterly while walking towards Forge, looking intently at his tech wizardry.

Jean at this point is quite certain that the level of 'human' inside 'John Doe' is either very slim, or non-existant. Could it be he was a very sophisticated version of Sentinel meant to mingle in crowds and serve as a 'hidden assassin' as it were? The thought was quite scary. The hulking Sentinels were scary enough all on their own, but someone like this 'John Doe' could technically get in Xavier's with none being the wiser. The progress made by those who hate mutants was alarming.

Once Forge has equipped her with a device to mask her mutant gene for getting picked on a Sentinel scanner, at least the older types, Jean braves an attempt to walk into the cell (guestroom?) that John Doe is kept in.

"Hello..." she speaks softly, and offering a warm smile to John Doe, "...am I disturbing you?" An utterly out of place question, but one meant to put a shade of normallacy on the exchange.

Bastion has posed:
Inside the room, John Doe is just laying where he was put. If the Avengers scans are accurate (and who knows if those are, with how unreliable other scans have been), the man is awake but is just laying there anyway. He's a big, military looking fellow. The type someone WOULD pick as a strong and hearty male for all kinds of testing from an army perspective.

When Jean gets in the room, at first there's no response. Finally, though, he moves a little, to turn his face into the blanket on the cot he was put on. It's a very... human move. As if he could be in denial about all of everything for a little while longer, if he just didn't look at it. He then rotates his head towards her some, one light toned eye opening. Hazel, maybe, hard to tell in the grim lighting. "No," John Doe answers.

Phoenix has posed:
"I am glad to hear..." Jean proceeds, before stating, "I was told that you would like to get out of here. At the same time, I am told others on the outside are seeking to kill you. It sounds like quite the conflict." She moves a bit closer, extending her hand towards him for a handshake, "I am Jane," she offers, which is only fair seeing how he is 'John', "I was born in New York, where are you from?" A simple test, a human ought to know that much, a robot might have a very off putting reply to such a question.

Bastion has posed:
"You're pretty brave; didn't they tell you energy shoots out of my hands for some reason?" John asks narrowly, with some very apparent disgust about the whole energy thing. He pushes himself to sit up, and looks at her hand, but slowly accept a handshake. He's warm enough, nothing interesting about it.

"I don't remember. I have nothing useful in here," John sighs, gesturing to his head, his expression turning more distant, disconnected. "Yes, I want to get out of here. Someone wants to put me down? Maybe I deserve that."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean nods when John notes her bravery will mentioning the risk to her, "I heard of it," she notes, before adding, "but I believe that you are a good man, John, and I will show you the courtesy of speaking face to face. It must be scary to be locked in a room because others fear you...I want to take that away and show you that you have nothing to fear of me, and I hope, in return, you will be moved to show me I have nothing to fear of you?" She shakes hands with John.

At the same time, Jean has determined that he may well not be entirely human, or at least isn't currently, unable to share where he is from. Her next set of questions was aimed specifically at emotions, to see the level of his reply. If he can genuinely reflect some emotion, maybe it could cast doubt into her theory, but if not...maybe he truly is a machine, even if he used to be human. <<Any strange readins, Forge? Do you think you could come up with a way to search for a data set you might be able to access on his person? I have a growing suspicion he is more machine than anything else.>>

"Why would you deserve being put down?" Jean looks genuinely saddened by his words, not a tough response for her, she is used to emotionally connecting with others, even stoic sorts like Logan.

Bastion has posed:
"I would fear whatever this is," John says. "Mutations that are out of control, that harm others -- it's better to trade the few for the better of a whole community. I harmed someone accidentally, and it could happen again. It nearly did today. I still want to be freed. I need to know what the Trask people want, what they did. They know something," the man insists. He was on this point earlier. And he's sharp enough, it looks like, to realize it.

"I'm just frustrated. A parade of new faces in here. Or is it that we've met, and I just don't remember you?" John asks, keenly, suddenly trying to really LOOK at her hard. There's no actual weight in it, beyond just that he's probably trying, very hard, to remember. There's just nothing, and he turns his head aside, still frustrated. He's emulating emotions very well, if they are fake.

Forge is getting a variety of extremely convoluted readings, and he's dealing with fishing around in it. He won't have the answers Jean seeks yet, other than that the machine side is very, very complicated.

Phoenix has posed:
"Are you a mutant then...?" Jean sounds surprised, apparently she heard nothing of the sort. She looks hopeful at the mention of Trask, "is it Trask's people who did this to you?" She asks most intently, very keen it seems on helping 'John', "maybe we can bring some of Trask's people here?"

Now that John is displaying emotions, and is active, Jean decides to risk it a bit while trying to verify with certainty if he is emulating or not. By first reaching to Forge telepathically, <<can you hear me?>> Another check against nullification, before using empathy to try and make John feel relaxed and comfortable, trying to take away any anxiety at being imprisoned and wanting out of there. If he responds, his emotions are organic in nature, if not, they are simulated by deduced response to interaction. "I admit we have not met before, John, but that is because you are now closer to being released...I am here to assess if you pose a threat, to yourself, to others, and as you can tell...I am willing to risk my own well being for it, because I believe in you John. I believe you are a good man, and no matter what...Trask's men did to you, they will not take your goodness away from you."

Bastion has posed:
"What else would I be?" John asks Jean. "An alien? A monster?" Those answers sort of amuse John, it looks like. Those are funny answers. "Something to do with mutants. They can't be trusted. There's something /foul/. And that could include this. Whatever it is." John brushes his hands together as if trying to rub something off that he got on him.

He eyes Jean's questions. "Yes, if they were here, I could ask them," John admits. That would satisfy that. "They're just the first thing I can remember. Talking about me. They wanted one of my hands, when they thought I couldn't hear them. They decided to send me here. I don't know why I was sent. Or why the people at the airport wanted to murder me. Maybe they hate mutants?" John suggests. He's been far more open with Jean than with Psylocke, so far.

Forge hears Jean fine, his assent of hearing her is loud, and clear.

The effects, if any, on the man may or may not be received. There's just no way to tell, but he doesn't seem agitated. Maybe it worked? Or it's coincidence.

Phoenix has posed:
"Alien...? Possible. Monster?" Jean chuckles, "I think that is but a title meant to offend. No one is ever truly a monster, not in their eyes." Jean tries a different test when she fails to get a percievable result, now trying to make John feel embarrassed, if only to note if he lowers his gaze uncomfortably for a moment. The second she registers a response she'll stop, and if there is none, she'll similarly stop. It shouldn't take long at all, and a prolonged effect will help no one.

"I think that is what we'll do then," Jean smiles jovially, pleased to have reached some sort of agreement with John about what should be done, "I'll get Trask to get a representative here to answer all your questions." She doesn't share what she thinks Trask's men are up to, which is essentially get whatever tech they covet out of John with utter disregard to his life.

"Hate is such a blinding force, makes the smartest of poeple act foolishly..." Jean remarks, "I hope they don't have such hate in them, as to try and kill you without knowing anything about you."

Jean seems to have exhausted all avenues she wanted to explore, and asks John, "I am going to see who to contact to get someone from Trask here, but in the meantime, would you like refreshments? Something to drink? Eat? A book maybe?"

Bastion has posed:
"I'm okay. I feel ill. And if I decide to need a hunger strike, I may as well get started on it," John answers in a smooth deadpanned joke. It's not really funny, but he did sort of try. He embarrassed himself with his joke, it looks like, but it may be unrelated to any empathy she's trying to do on the man. Or whatever it is he is now.

"I think," John says, slowly, quietly, "Trask's people maybe did do whatever this is. And they care about it. SO they /know/, at least, what's going on. I just want answers. I was told I'm like these robots. Well, I want to /see/ one. I want to judge. The Avengers kept sking me if I'm a scientist. What if I could do something? What if it triggered a memory? What if this is important? I don't like sitting here. I just want to contribute to my own fate. Not have it decided behind a mirror wall. If you can get me that much, I'll stay put. Might eat." Maybe he's funny after all.

Phoenix has posed:
"I'll get you something to eat...and I'll work on that, I promise you that much. You're right, nobody likes to lack agency...I'll be back with refreshments soon." As she heads outside of the cell (guestroom?), she moves towards Forge <<nothing in this interaction convinced me he is human, but maybe he used to be human. He believes Trask has something to do with this...I think it's nefarious.>>

Forge has posed:
<< There is no way that he is human, >> Forge replies, with a mix of sadness and a lurking disturbed quality that he's keeping a lid on. But if Jean is sensing emotions, she may pick up on it. Forge is really very worried. << That's an evolving AI. I don't suggest we treat him like a robot, but he isn't human, either. I think him talking to the Sentinel people is extremely.... dangerous. But we can talk more when we're well away from him.>>

Forge greets her physically as she returns, and he packs up his things. << He is made to find and stop mutants. We should make the most of the time we have before he starts to do that. Perhaps even a killing machine, with enough other heart or balance, can be something more. We may find out. >>

Phoenix has posed:
<<Agreed...I would actually posit, him being here, may well be what they wanted. I mean Trask, or whoever is behind its creation. The Sentinel threat is extremely grave...>> Jean shares with Forge, <<I hope you are right, Forge, maybe we should discuss this with Tony or Banner.>>