8822/Sentinels: Interviewing the Good Doctor

Sentinels: Interviewing the Good Doctor
Date of Scene:	15 August 2019
Location:	First Floor, Avengers Mansion
Synopsis:	Dr. Pym gives an interview about Trask to Captain Quaid. Dr. Pym drops several bombshells. The case against Trask widens.
Cast of Characters:	Ant-Man (Pym), Frank Quaid

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Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Appointments are fairly easy to make when you have the right credentials and are expected. Captain Quaid is given a visitor badge at the entrance by security, and one of the assistants guides him back towards one of the sitting rooms adjacent to the back yard.

There is a massive building in the back yard, that has been there at least long enough to kill lawn directly under it. It is a temporary building yet isn't. It lacks windows, and has a bunker feeling to it, something high tech. "I'll let Dr. Pym know you're here," says the assistant, who draws out her mobile device, and keys in a few things.

"Can I get you any refreshment?" she asks. She'll bring him whatever he requests from the nearby bar, before exiting.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank makes his way through security, on his own for once. He has nothing beyond the expected for a police officer and checks his weapons with security. After all, if anything got past Mansion security, his firearm was not going to help.

"A black coffee would be great, thanks," Frank says to the assistant with a bit of a smile. He thanks her when she brings the coffee, sips from it and waits.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Dr. Pym was outside. There's motion through the windows, as the exterior bunker-lab doors open up, and Dr. Pym pauses in the doorway to strip a glove off, stepping back again to deposit it neatly somewhere inside, and then heads down the short stairs out of the lab. He crosses the lawn and comes in through the side door-and then around through from the hallway into the study that Frank was put in.

"Good afternoon," Dr. Pym greets, with a smile that is genuine and yet also forced, as if he felt the emotion but the smile wasn't necessarily his main go-to, or something else is on his mind. "What brings New York's finest to the Avengers' door today? ...or more specifically, mine?"

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank stands up when Dr. Pym comes in and smiles politely.

"Afternoon, Dr. Pym," Frank says. He does not offer a hand and make the doctor uncomfortable if the doctor does not seem the type. "Thank you for seeing me. I'm leading the teams investigating Trask Industries. I'd like to interview about what Trask has been up to, if you're willing."

Frank watches the reaction carefully to judge what he is dealing with. He really does not know the man and top-level heroes can be very... Unique.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Dr. Pym is the type: he approaches to get his handshake. It's businesslike. Pym has a penetrating look that he puts on people, like he's able to see down into the molecules that make up their bodies. Whether he can or not is perhaps more up to debate. He isn't impolite, but there's an immediate air of superiority that Dr. Pym usually exudes, as if his time was expensive and others should appreciate it. A perceptive man like Captain Quaid will probably see the ego level right off the bat: it isn't like Dr. Pym hides it!

"You've come to the right place. Not only do I have a great deal of information from my 'stay' in his facilities, I'm willing to testify to it," Dr. Pym states in a very direct way, taking a seat in the study.

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Great," Frank says after the matter-of-fact handshake. He pulls out his little AV recorder and turns it on. He introduces himself, gives the time and date, location and file number for the investigation. Right to business given his read of Dr. Pym.

"Dr. Pym, please give your fullname and then tell me about your experiences with Trask Industries. Start with your earliest interactions and bring us up to date. Every detail could be important. I may take notes, but I will not interrupt you. At the end I may have some question," Frank intones the pre-interview script from memory. He pulls a small notebook from his suit jacket and a pen, then sits quietly to wait on the good doctor's story.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Dr. Pym adjusts his position some, then stands and moves to fetch himself a water from the nearby bar. He doesn't hurry, but is also collecting his thoughts: there's a planned and meticulousness to the scientist. He returns and sits back down.

"Dr. Henry Pym."

"On February 20th, I was abducted by mercenaries paid by Trask Industries, and taken to work on a secret project at a Russian Trask facility. I had been contacted by a colleague of mine, Dr. Wendy Walker, on a questionable project. She provided me information, and I could immediately see that it was something very serious; we started to discuss it."

"I believe they had been after me since the middle of January, but I am of a disposition that contains a healthy amount of paranoia. /How/ they finally physically acquired me is inconsequential, except that they used my previous assistants, Dr. Wendy Walker. As it turned out, she was taken in a similar way, perhaps to get to me. We were pressured to work on this 'top secret' project with various forms of blackmail and leverage. Dr. Walker's son was threatened to place pressure on her. I suspected that we were in a Russian facility, which I have since learned was indeed the case."

"The project was that Trask Industries had found a highly advanced model of their own technology somewhere. I can't tell you where it came from. However, they could not decipher how to repair it, or even turn it on. Laughable, really. When I first encountered it, it appeared to be a cyborg; but that was a repair attempt, I ascertained: it did not arrive with any human parts."

"After examining it, I was able to begin the boot cycle for the AI. The programs it was running were highly corrupted (yes, I do know why), and the AI is extremely limited to a small portion of programs and computation power. It did not know who it was, nor did it have access to any memories or data. The team decided to instill in the subject humanitarian concepts; the lead on the project agreed with our strong insistence that it was best for the subject to remain unaware of what it was capable of, to be docile, until decisions were made. I was confident that the cyborg would slowly deteriorate due to the corrupted programs."

"At some point after this, myself and the other scientists were put into stasis. I have since learned that the subject was recovered by the Avengers, which did mean that the scientists (such as myself) were held over-long in stasis while they attempted to get the project back. The next thing I was aware of, I was in Avenger hands, having been rescued from the Trask factory in New Jersey, alongside another of the team, Dr. Sandhu. Had I remained in stasis much longer, I would have been dead."

"You may notice there are some holes in the story, such as what was used to blackmail me, and I would prefer to not discuss that."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Thank you for that, Dr. Pym," Frank says. He looks over the notes to he took as Dr. Pym spoke.

"I will ask some questions to get details on what you shared. If you think of anything relevant beyond my question, please feel free to elaborate," Frank begins. "You say you were abducted by mercenaries paid by Trask Industries and taken to a Trask facility in Russia. Can you explain how you were abucted, what makes you believe the mercesaries were hired by Trask Industries and what makes you believe the facility you were taken to was a Trask facility?"

"Also, do you know how Dr. Walker was brought to the facility, the name and location of her son, and what threats were made by to Dr. Walker by whom?"

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Hank nods, the questions don't bother him: he clearly has answers. "Absolutely," he says, voice smooth. He does take some water, though. "I dug around in the files on the computers on arrival. I looked at manifests, messages. Everything," he explains, coolly. "Security footage of the mercenaries, of them speaking to our 'lead' scientist, who was responsible for most of the blackmail. But he was in contact with Trask: this went all the way up. Project 1 was Bolivar Trask's baby. He visited at least twice while I was there. Not that he knew that /I/ knew. But no computer resists me for long."

Dr. Pym examines his water visually, as if starting to get bored.

Frank Quaid has posed:
"You are frighteningly capable, Dr. Pym," Frank observes as he finishes making more notes. "I can see why they chose you. Can you tell me more about the project staff, their names and roles? Also, you say the project was found without human parts. I believe we are talking about the cyborg that refers to itself as Sebastion, is that correct? Where did the body parts for Sebastion come from? Would you characterize Trask's work on this project as human experimentation?"

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
"They chose me because of Ultron," Dr. Pym says without pause, though his scowl is real: the first main emotion that's surfaced to any degree beyond boredom. It was a little like he was reciting something he'd already organized in his head, and with the questions, it's less prepared, and emotion comes into it. "/Sebastion/ is the name of Wendy's child who was held hostage. I believe she mentioned it to Project 1, but yes, 'he' uses that name now. Dr. Walker was his primary contact once he went live." He pauses, organizing mentally.

"We have a set of log files from the facility I worked in, let me get that. But it was led by Dr. Octavius. Team members were Walker, Weiss, Sandhu. Human experimentation? Yes. There was a subject, before I arrived, that was used for human parts. Gilberti-something."

Dr. Pym stands while he talks, and moves to one of the monitors. He types in, and then scowls as the security denies him. "Really, Stark." Growl growl. He suddenly just... stalks out of the room. "Wait here." Pym strides out into the hallway, outside, towards his lab, annoyed.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank is nodding to show he is listening while making notes as Dr. Pym speaks. Thankfully an experienced investigator, he avoids making any kind of face when Dr. Pym claims responsibility for creating Ultron.

He notes the time specifically of the confirmation on human experimentation. He does not see Dr. Pym moving out of the room until the man speaks. Frank looks mildly surprised and amused but waits patiently for Dr. Pym to return.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
"There," Pym says as he explosively returns. He's angry, but containing it: poorly. He tosses the tablet onto the table in front of Frank. It isn't aimed at Frank, but the emotional swing that Dr. Pym just exhibited would certainly set off alarms about Pym's instability.

He sits back down, though, to fume, and drinks his water, eyes on the hallway.

The log open on the tablet is a clear list of facts about some different projects. "At the bottom you'll see a link to a project that involved cloning Janet Van Dyne. You want to dig into human experimentation and have a quality, charismatic witness for it, talk to her. They copied her, against her will."

A pause. "We have the clone, by the way."

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank sits up straighter when Dr. Pym explodes into the room, taken aback despite himself. He tilts his head slightly at Dr. Pym, but picks up the tablet and starts to review while listening.

First his face slackens. Then it pales. Frank looks up at Dr. Pym trying to collect his thoughts. For the first time since he was a rookie detective, Captain Frank Quaid is completely caught off-guard by an interview subject and it shows.

"What?" he manages finally. The word just hangs there awkwardly. Frank looks down at the material. "Dr.... Pym, I am," Frank clears his throat. "I am going to read some sections of this and would like you to tell me whether they are accurate to the best of your knowledge."

Frank reads a few highlights, and the entire Janet Clone section, verbatim from the record for Dr. Pym to confirm. Then he sets the tablet down and tries to collect his thoughts.

"Do you know, and if so, whether Trask knew about the clones of US Senator Amanda Weiss and the Avenger Janet Van Dyne?" Frank asks. "Further, do you know the location of Dr. Uly Burke's laboratory and any facilities in the United States that do or may contain physical or electronic evidence to corroborate these records?" Frank asks, thinking forward now to the next search and arrest warrants.

"Also, do you know the location of the project staff, Dr. Uly Burke or where Jesse Gilberti was taken or recruited from?"

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
"I don't know where the labs are, I'm not a computer," Dr. Pym says, a little bit harshly, but it could be attributed to his mood. He isn't directly nasty, but hostile, a bit. "I didn't get to bring my notes back with me while I was in stasis." He drops one hand to his water, seeming to try to rein himself in.

"I do know Trask knew about the clones. Those were leverage. He wanted the team: and it isn't like we were willing. They tried to use Janet to make me work," says Pym, his tone cold. "I think Weiss is similar, but he was a creepy asshole all on his own. I didn't know his wife was a Senator until I read that myself. He's your human experimenter, no question, though."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Thank you again, you are being extremely helpful. Unbelievably, Dr. Pym, what you've already shared is a huge service to the public," Frank says. "I won't take up too much more of your time."

Frank flips back through his notes quickly. "You mentioned the AI the, ah, cyborg was running was 'highly corrupted'. Why was that? Also, what was the purpose of Project 1? Did Trask have plans to use it for anything? And do you have any idea how long you were kept in stasis?"

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Dr. Pym seems mollified by the thanks, and his mood does soften. The spike of anger seems to be leaving, and he gives a gesture of hand in a generous way. "It's all right. Someone needs to do something with this. SHIELD has known all of this since June," Dr. Pym observes dryly. "Along with missions into Russia, I'd expect. That's a guess, but I'm often good at guessing."

"Let's start with the easy one. Yes. I was in stasis from where it clearly says there, until June 16th," Hank begins. He then goes to the other questions. "Because I corrupted it," Pym says simply. "That he doesn't think he's a potted plant by now had very low probability, but he is very powerful. Still slowly 'dying', though, due to what I did." Dr. Pym's words are very clinical and straightforward, now that he's settled. "The purpose as I saw it was to use Project 1 to upgrade the lot of them. It is clearly Trask's technology, just from some other reality or timescape. It was a matter of getting it online and using it as a leap forward in tech."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"That's a frightening though. Somebody must be looking out for us, because you were about the only person in the world who could have crippled that thing without Trask catching on," Frank observes.

"We can finish at your leisure of course, Dr. Pym, but I do have a last few questions if you will," Frank asks, making one last review of his notes. The investigator in him is veritably salivating now.

"First, is there anything else you think the investigators should now that we haven't covered? Second, is there anyone else we should talk to for more information? And finally, if you had to give a professional opinion, would you classify Sebastion as a person with moral agency or a thing?

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
"Well. I am perhaps one of the only people that could have switched him on. So I am unsure that I am quite a guardian angel. I chose to do it, with intent to destroy all sentinels. I didn't work out," Hank says, gesturing with his water, and sipping from it. "Always someone with a sniper rifle hitting me with some garbage," he growls. And tehre's the answer to how they got Hank.

"I'd talk to Janet. I'd talk to SHIELD. I'd talk to Stark. The X-men, if you can swing that. They might know where 'Sebastion' is from, ultimately." He considers.

"I gave him moral agency. Does he have it? Yes. Because I put it there. Make of that what you will."

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank nods slowly at the answers and taps his pen on his notebook. He closes the little book and puts it away with his pen.

"Dr. Pym, thank you so much for your time, information and insight. It is invaluable to our investigation," Frank says, sincerely though not enthusiastically. Not his way. "We will put this to good use."

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
"Good. Nail Trask to the wall," Pym asks, with a little dark victorious look in his eyes. More than a glint. "Should I /happen/ to collect information in a facility, I'll mention it," he adds. After all, Captain Quaid is speaking to Ant-man. "I believe that clone is here in storage. It might have information on where it was made; I haven't looked at it. 'Sebastion' shut it down, originally, to save Jessica Drew, if I remember the report. Ask Captain America or one of the others. I was in stasis." Grumble.

He gets up, and extends a handshake. "Good hunting."