8097/Sentinels: NYPD v. Sentinel

Sentinels: NYPD v. Sentinel
Date of Scene:	29 June 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Frank Quaid and the NYPD attempt to break Sebastion down.
Cast of Characters:	Frank Quaid, Iron Man
Tinyplot:	Sentinels

---

Frank Quaid has posed:
The briefing was long on location detail but short on target specifics. The surveillance team knew the apartment well, they had worked it before. Two hours early, they deployed to get eyes on and confirm the target was in the apartment. Or someone was at any rate. The tactical response team was warned; the target looked injured and crippled, but he was a robot and extremely strong. And possibly armed. Frank did not sugarcoat it. This guy could be really dangerous. But Frank told the team the same thing he told the Deputy Commissioner. This guy controlled Sentinels. He caused some of the big Sentinel incidents.

"Alright," Frank said into the radio from his Tahoe. "We're go. Follow the plan, heads up."

Two unmarked black suburbans pulled out of the CT Bureau garage followed by Frank's truck with Elaina driving. They ripped across New York in close formation and pulled up to a stop out front of the building. Three men pile out of each suburban in tactical gear. The team leader, Carmichael, opens the front door of the bulding with the key fob and the team goes in, carbines ready. They move into the stairwell and head up.

Frank walks into the lobby using a black cane, with Elaina in tow.

"I hate this part," Frank says.

Elaina just nods.

Upstairs the team stacks in the hallway by the door. The ram is counted down and then strikes. The assaulter leads the way in.

Iron Man has posed:
The team won't have any trouble approaching the door at all; there's nothing hostile, from all checks. Sebastion is present: he changed his clothing to sweatpants and a dark blue t-shirt, with a small towel wrapped around the bottom of his missing arm. He's in the kitchen, with a pizza he ordered perhaps an hour before, having seconds, perhaps. He has a plate with pizza on it, and will be there in the kitchen.

While not surprised, which is perhaps odd, he doesn't seem to have a big problem with anything. He's mellow, and looks entirely cooperative. He puts the pizza down and sets his free hand on the counter.

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Contact!" shouts the assaulter. A teammate stacks behind him. "Turn around and get on your knees! Do it now!" the assaulter orders. The team leader grimaces. Two of his team are barely into the unit and in contact, leaving the rest of his team hung up outside.

"Contact made," the team leader radios.

Frank fidgets with his cane in silence. He is tense. Very tense.

Iron Man has posed:
There's no fight about any of it. Sebastion looks puzzled, maybe, but turns slowly. He drops to his knees, barefoot on the kitchen tile, and leaves his free hand out and to the side, the palm clearly visible.

"This isn't necessary. I agreed to come here, chose to stay, and I'll agree with where you'd like to move me," Sebastion says evenly, if sadly. "But if you need to do this for safety, I understand it."

Frank Quaid has posed:
The assaulter mentally counts to four once Sebastion kneels, then slings his carbine and moves forward. He grabs Sebastion's arm with the hand and brings it around behind him. When there is no resistance, the second team member moves forward and zipties Sebastion's feet together. Then they hood him, search him and call secure. Moments later, four of them are carrying Sebastion down the stairs into the lobby and then into one of the suburbans. It is maybe a minute later that they are roaring back through New York with lights and sirens.

Sebastion is driven into the prisoner bay in the underground garage. The car door to the cell bay opens and then closes behind the Suburban. The tactical team disarms and carries Sebastion into cells. They put shackle his arm to his legs, cut the zip tie and walk him to an interview room. There is no table or chair in the room. They sit Sebastion down on the floor and take the hood off.

"Fuck me," Frank says before getting out of the truck.

"Too easy," Elaina agrees.

They disarm and go into the room. Two of the tactical members stay as well.

"Hi, Sebastion," Frank says apologetically. "All this isn't personal, but you can imagine how worried I am. This is Elaina, detective sergeant. She's my partner."

Iron Man has posed:
Sebastion doesn't resist through any of it. He doesn't have weapons on him, though he's a little heavier than he looks, it isn't severe. Once they ignore his words, he just stays silent and entirely passive. He doesn't move through the car ride, or anything else: the man just submits to all of it.

When they put him in the cell seated, he just stays there, head down, eyes shut, as if he were in some other place mentally, or just waiting.

However, when he's finally spoken to, he lifts his head a little and stares at Frank, then Elaina. There's a tension there: he was tolerant, but he wasn't treated very politely, and the displeasure about it shows in his gray eyes. He doesn't respond verbally.

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Right now, you are the most dangerous terrorist in New York," Frank explains. "I don't know how fast or strong you are, but you've got a lot of steel and concrete to get through before you could even think of escaping. The rest of their team is outside in case anything goes wrong. The Deputy Commissioner of Counterterrorism Bureau knows you're here. For the moment, the Avengers and SHIELD have no idea where you are."

"Sebastion, what Frank heard in the restaurant was terrifying," Elaina says. "But you did say you wanted to help, help Humans. That's what we want, too. That's our job."

"I wish I could say I had better luck getting a Sentinel Program representative, but I didn't," says Frank. " The brass want more before we stick our necks out and reach out to the big guns. You want to turn over control of the Sentinels to the proper authorities? And stop Trask? It starts here. Doesn't matter if you like me or not. This is bigger than that. Unless it really is just a pissing match between you and Trask with 200 ton robots."

Iron Man has posed:
"I don't know for certain what Mr. Trask wants with me, I only have guesses. My 'pissing match' consists of me attempting to disarm him, when he comes after me or innocent people," Sebastion says, slowly, but not in a snide or snarky way. He's sounding fairly patient: and less agitated, comparitively, to how he did at the restaurant in front of Frank. There's an edge of emotion in there, but his manner is more that of military, of some type. An attempt at self control.

"I understand that there's no reason to believe me about anything. What proof would you like me to demonstrate?" Sebastion asks, eyes dropping to the floor.

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Given the disaster he's been raining down on the city, maybe you should be our number one hero instead of terrorist," Frank says. He leans on the cane. "I'm prepared to believe you. I think the fact that I went and got you the way I did says I believe you. And it's got me shitting bricks. Because I know nothing about the guy who can take on Trask for control of military weapons in my city. So forget proof, can we start with the story? Please? Who are you? What are you? How did you get control of the Sentinels?"

Iron Man has posed:
Sebastion lifts his eyes again, a sad aspect to them. "I will summarize, and if you have questions about an individual part, we'll address that," he says. He takes a moment, seeming to need to think it through or collect it into proper manner.

"My first memories involve being found, in Russia, by a doctor, half a year or so ago. I became aware that I was in the possession of Mr. Trask, who decided to send me to America, where I would be studied. I thought that I was human, at that time."

"On arriving here, the Avengers removed me from Trask's possession, and exposed that I'm part machine, or perhaps all machine. Specifically Sentinel. A Sentinel attacked the Avenger facility to get to me, and I learned that I can communicate with them, even give direct orders. It is difficult to explain. Later, I was able to change their programming a little bit, on the big ones. The Avengers allowed me to convert a number of the Sentinels away from Trask's organization. I kept them in a warehouse, because.... because I didn't feel safe. I wanted them to protect me."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Wait, are you or were you human? Or part human?" Frank asks. "Because it sounds like you're describing something like human experimentation at Trask's hands."

"And you kept the Sentinels to protect you from Trask," Elaina says, frowning in concern. "You said one came after you when you were with the Avengers. Was it a military Sentinel or Trask? Or is there even a difference?"

Iron Man has posed:
"I believe I was human. I really do feel that I was. I've been told I might be from some kind of future place, a cyborg. I don't know that I believe that. I guess it needs to be what you believe. Because I don't have an answer," sighs the Sentinel.

"Military and Trask sentinels are the same. It is all Trask's sentinel army. They all share the programming, which includes Trask's back doors. On the ones I obtained, I shut that door. They acted for me, while I was an influence. When I was shot, they defaulted to their core programming. Which looked like.... hunting mutants in the streets actively, I've read. I wasn't awake during that."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Jesus," Frank says. "I don't know how you've kept sane. So if you'd be able to show that Trask backdoored the Sentinels and used them? You could prove that? Because that alone could put him away for life. He'd lose everything he had and built. One hell of a revenge."

"I don't understand, Sebastion," Elaina says. "Who shot you? Why? Did Trask's Sentinels catch you?"

Frank nods in agreement with the question. "And sounds like you didn't mean to let those Sentinels go nuts. They started hunting down mutants. All over the city. Other Sentinels were sent in to fight them, but not under our request or command. I still can't get answers about who was in charge of those things. It's a mess. We have dead mutants and humans from these fights. Sentinels landing on homes, crushing people at protests.... And that's what these things do when they're switched on and just... left to do their thing?"

Iron Man has posed:
"I don't know how I'd prove the backdoor to anyone. I can see it. But when people don't believe me, I don't see what I can say to make it true to them."

"I've been told that I'm not sane, they say I'm dying," Sebastion says, a little darkly, the sadness showing again. "The Avengers said that of me. They asked me to stay in their facility. As I wasn't a prisoner, I chose to leave. I have more /good/ to do, if they're right that I'm dying. One of them - The Vision - attacked me, when I tried to leave, to prevent me. I defended myself, but was very, very wounded by him. I lost all of the Sentinels I controlled. I didn't mean for any of it."

"Left to do their thing: yes. Their most base programming is to do what they did. When nobody's controlling them. In hindsight, I should have shut them off. But as I said, I wanted them able to protect me. It was a selfish choice."

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank puts his free hand into his pocket. "I don't know if anyone would blame you. You don't exactly have a lot of friends," he says, keeping his face carefully neutral at the mention of fighting /Avengers/. "Can you... show the code? Something we could let an expert confirm?"

The two tactical team members behind Sebastion look to each and then to Frank. They shift slightly, setting their feet, as if Sebastion might leap into Terminator mode and kill them all.

"It seems like it really bothers you," Elaina says. "I'm sure you didn't mean for any of it. What good are you trying to get done before it's too late?"

Iron Man has posed:
"I have no friends at all, I think," admits the robot, with a heaviness of emotion that normally isn't shown on robots. He's extremely convincing as a person, and not a robot: particularly dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, sitting on the bare floor, barefoot. He finally shifts his weight a little, and some minor bruises show on his ankle and foot, from being flung down. If he didn't admit to being part Sentinel, there would be no visual proof of it at all.

"How do you want me to show code? I'm getting a little better with files and computers, if you want to bring a computer here, but I don't want to do more things that will frighten anyone," Sebastion says, in a quiet tone. "I've noticed that I've frightened people." He looks around the cell and then down. "My truthfulness seems to cause distrust."

"I was trying to put the Sentinels into the hands of the people. To let them protect humans, without these programs by Trask that cause innocent people to die. Sentinels aren't /bad/. It's the programs. I don't know, anymore."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"I don't think you helping us stop Trask is gonna scare anyone," Frank says. "I don't know about anyone else, but all I deal with is getting to the truth. I don't care how dark or messy, what's done is done. I just want the truth. Don't worry about that with us," Frank assures Sebastion.

"Can you still put the Sentinels in the hands of someone? Us? This has to stop. There's even videos online about gigantic Sentinels out there," Elaina says.

"Truth is, you're running out of road, Sebastion. It's out hand and you're starting to do things... That I don't think you really want to do."

Iron Man has posed:
"I'm very hurt. I suspect I can still manipulate sentinels. I haven't tried it. If you have one, we can test it," Sebastion says, still heavily. He looks towards Elaina. "The big ones are called 'Molds'. It is a sentinel which creates others, from raw materials or damaged sentinels," he explains to her in an informational way.

"They are also control centers. They project orders. I haven't seen one myself, so I can't tell you if I can turn those off." He adjusts his hand, bringing in in against his thigh. The other bicep flexes a little, a phantom motion, but does nothing else.

There's a sideways downwards look about the things he doesn't want to do. "I know. I feel cornered into being what others fear I am. There aren't other paths available to me."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"What did you do for parts? We need to know," Frank asks quietly. "I'm guessing it's too late to help, but... There's some peace in confession."

Iron Man has posed:
"There was an opportunity that I had... an opportunity to kill Trask," Sebastion says, suddenly. "I couldn't make myself do it. I have had a long think about it. I don't know if it's something programmed into what I am, or if it's just that I'm not a murderer. But I don't have it in me to kill a person on purpose. I just can't, even if it would help everyone, maybe. And I fear him, and what he'd do to me."

An uncomfortable look follows Frank's question, then. "One of the Sentinels did kill... someone. I couldn't save them. I did... take some pieces. To survive; I didn't have a choice. I'm part cyborg. But I--- I didn't kill them. I /couldn't/ have. Right now, I could still use a number of, um, biological parts to repair myself now. I haven't gotten them. I was trying to ask for mechanical solutions instead, through Ms. Drew, to the Avengers. But I think my truth just makes me seem worse: that I can use human ones. Even if I'm trying to use mechanical parts."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"What the /fuck/?! Are you..."

"Dean!" Elaina barks, all the apparent softness absolutely gone. She points to the door. "Get out. Send Elliott in here."

Dean glares at Elaina and his fists ball. Then they unclench. He leaves without a word.

"You got a problem?" she asks the other tactical member. He shakes his head.

Once the outburst is past, Frank carries on as if nothing happened. "Every does what they have to, to survive. Like passengers in a plane that crashes in the Andes. They do things they would never do. To survive," Frank says. He exhales. "Thank you for telling me. If there's a body I need to find, I'd like to know where it is."

Frank considers Sebastion. "We're in a bind. I can't promise you parts. I can't promise you freedom. Or that you won't be charged for interfering with military tech or the damage it did when it got loose. I can't even promise the military isn't going to swoop in here and black site you. Only thing I can promise is if you lay it all out, everything, and tell us how to stop these Sentinels, we'll do the right thing."

Iron Man has posed:
The outburst was weathered reasonably well. Sebastion knows what he is, and how bad it looks: that much is apparent. "The rest was found," Sebastion replies. "And I'll return what I'm ... using, when I can," he says quickly. "Emergency use." There's something of a shudder, and frown.

"I wouldn't have done it if I had another way," he repeats. It's important that that be clear. "I can stop them, shut them off, but I'm not enough on my own. I don't have a way for you to win against all of them. I wish I could tell you a magic way, but I'm still learning about what I am, and what was done to me by Trask."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"I know," Frank says. "I do. If I thought you were some kind of necrophiliac monster or organ trafficker, I wouldn't be here talking with you. Guys like Dean? They think I'm wasting my time. But I think you really do want to help. You really are making the best of a nightmare. I don't know how it will end. But I'll get you a computer and you can show us code. You can tell us everything in detail. Meeting Trask, what he said, everything. At least get your voice heard. Make sure they know who the real Sebastion is. Then... Well, I respect you enough not to spin fairy tales."

Elaina looks over at Frank with a shocked look. "Frank, he'll die if we don't... find parts. We're not... We don't..."

Frank looks at Elaina. His expression is sombre but uncompromising. She looks away, her expression dark. Frank looks back to Sebastion. "This may be all the time you have left. Especially once others find out you're here," he says gravely. "You need to think about how you want to go out. And whether you want it to be in the hands of the people out there. Let us carry on your fight for you."

Frank is clearly not even remotely hopeful anyone will let him get the parts Sebastion needs.

Iron Man has posed:
"Take me to a place where Sentinels are. I will try to shut them down for you, or give them to your control," offers Sebastion. "I believe in the units. ... I have to, I'm one of them, somehow. I want this nightmare to matter," he says, more urgently, with a frustrated note coming into his voice.

It may suddenly be apparent how things went down when he attempted to leave the Avengers: it looks like Sebastion is starting to fire up: emotionally. "I've been in a box for months, kept out of the way. I followed Captain America's every question, order, and request. I've tried to do everything you've asked of me, every time."

"Dying in a hole while I slowly go crazy in here -- please, help me do something better than /that/. Please don't take it as a threat, but it's very hard for me to sit in here while I want to do something with myself."

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank's look is sympathetic, genuinely, but conflicted. "I want to. I want what happened to you to have meaning Sebastion. But you're asking me to put my life, and other lives, in your hands. You could do anything with those Sentinels. And I'm not even sure the government wants them stopped. They're just gonna want them out of Trask's control," Frank shakes his head. "What you're asking me to do... I can't. If you want to do something better, you need to do it through me, us," he gestures to Elaina. "If you leave here, they'll hunt you down, tonight. And it ends."

Iron Man has posed:
Sebastion slowly drops his hand towards the handcuffs, and rotates the wrist just a little, sliding out of the handcuff, and uses the palm to press downwards, and ease his lower body up, so that he can stand up, still in the middle of the room. He's still in the leg cuffs, but he needed to get off his knees. The vibe probably changes a lot, when he stands, more into a position of confidence. He's a big, military looking bruiser anyway. He's clearly going to continue talking.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Elliott opens the door to replace Dean just as Sebastion slips out of his handcuff. His eyes go wide. "Move!!"

Elliott and the other tactical officer were on hair triggers. They draw tazers from leg holsters and fire at Sebastion. Frank startles backwards and limps back a couple of steps. Elaina starts then her hands come up, ready to fight.

"Stay down, Sebastion!" Elaina shouts.

Outside the room, the cell block alarm goes.

Iron Man has posed:
The tazers spit out and he intercepts them with his arm, deliberately using his arm to catch the tazers. He flinches some at all the reaction to him standing. "I can't tell if you want me to go along with this, like I am with the cuffs," Sebastion says, of the tazer on his arm, unhappy.

With a touch of annoyance but acceptance, he does exactly what Elaina orders: he drops back down -- and attempts to put his hand into the cuff, but it's very difficult to do one-handed, and he doesn't get far with it.

Frank Quaid has posed:
"This is fucking insane, Elliott get the goddamn chair!" Nesbitt, the second tactical officer shouts.

"No wait!" Elaina yells.

Feet pound down the hall and the door bursts open. Six officers, three with tazers, burst in.

"Get down, get down, get..." the first yells then stops.

"STOP!" Frank yells. Eveyone comes to a halt. "Don't be stupid, the chair won't stop him. Lock cells down. I want armed men at every exit from cells, the basement and the goddamn building. Do it!" Frank shouts.

"You," Frank points at Elliott. "Get us some chairs. Elaina, go find a laptop and have someone rip the... modem or whatever."

The officers look at each other and Frank.

"/Now/," he barks. "And get him up off the floor."

Nesbitt is purple in the face but he does what he's told. He pulls Sebastion to his feet. That breaks the spell and everyone gets moving.

"You're not helping," Frank says to Sebastion , with no small amount of anger. "You're fucked, I get it. It's not fair. But /think/. You're like a walking time bomb to everyone else. You're strong? You're smart? I can't stop you? I /know/, Sebastion. Okay? Work with me before we both run out of options. If I can't sell the Deputy on you working with me right the fuck now, you will sit in a box!"

Iron Man has posed:
Emotion rears. "I won't sit in a box any more, is all," Sebastion says quietly to Frank; no doubt Nesbitt can hear that too. The Sentinel is frustrated and it's edged into a low fury. He's suppressing it, but the emotions won't look or seem fake.

"I'm going to try to call Sentinels to me. If they come, I'll prove to you that I'm on your side. I'm your best weapon and defense against them. I want to work through you. I want it to be you, and humans like you that protect others, that succeed to end the mess."

Sebastion centers himself. "My truth is that I'm here because I want that. I'm trying to work with you, but throwing me on my knees or abusing me physically isn't /useful/. Mostly it just reminds me that I'm not human and I hate it, okay." A breath. "You say we're running out of options, but I've already seen where option 'sitting in box' goes. And you know I'm dying. I won't do it in the dark."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"And how's that gonna go? /If/ you can transmit through that much concrete what do you think is gonna happen when you bring Sentinels here? We're gonna clap and cheer?" Frank says.

He walks up to Sebastion, leaning hard on his cane as he does. "You are not in charge here! You're not calling the shots. Just about every option other than you doing what I fucking tell you ends with you dead down here!"

Frank stands there glaring at Sebastion. "Carmichael. If anything lands near this fucking building you call the Guard and shoot this asshole," he says with a raised voice.

Iron Man has posed:
"I can't tell how much concrete we're under," Sebastion answers somewhat sullenly, still angry, as well. "I'm not a god." He turns his head away a little bit, but seems to have figured out that him giving more truths is, as has often been proven to him, not in his interest.

Being honest about things seems to cause trouble. He allows himself to be glared at, while he glares more at the wall, instead of at Frank, and doesn't escalate further.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank exhales and backs off a step. "Maybe you need some time to think about whether you're going to tell me everything and give us the code we need to prove Trask is a traitor," Frank says. His jawline tenses and relaxes. "Until then you can sit in a goddamn cell and wait for Trask, or the Avengers or who knows who to come for you. I'm trying to work with you here, but it's not gonna happen the way you want."

Frank backs up a couple more steps and calls for the tactical guys to come take Sebastion to a cell.

Iron Man has posed:
"Nothing for any of my memory has gone in a way I want," Sebastion says, in answer. "You'll want the information off of me while I'm still coherent enough to give it, though. That's not an order, but a suggestion. But I won't argue any more. Show me to my cell, if that's what you need to do, right now, and what will prove I'm not trying to be combative."

Despite the emotion, Sebastion seems to go passive, again, and looks to the tactical guys.