9484/Sentinels: Trask, Interrupted

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Sentinels: Trask, Interrupted
Date of Scene: 08 October 2019
Location: Secret Cell (The Light)
Synopsis: Doctor Doom and Lex Luthor enact a planned swap out for Trask in prison. Negotiations are had, and Trask is now connected indirectly to the Light.
Cast of Characters: Lex Luthor, Doctor Doom, Iron Man
Tinyplot: Sentinels


Lex Luthor has posed:
Truth be told, it was a long time coming. The whole Sentinel business and the 'cyborg' that the NYPD had had made Lex intensely curious... but he was nothing if not a strategist. With the way Trask had been making waves and turning himself into a gigantic target, it was only a matter of time before he had the whole legal system crash down on him and put him in a major position where freedom could be leveraged to get some (probably) truthful answers.

When the moment came, a long term plan setup in joint effort with Doctor Doom went into effect. Action was finally able to be taken with minimal effort... and all it would take was some plain old bribery, a Doombot and a concealed cell designed to give no indications of where they were, with paid mercenaries given instructions simply to keep their prisoner inside... no questions asked.

Lex and Victor were in the specially designed cell when the call came to Lex's LexPhone. "Yes?" Lex answered. A moment later... "The payment will go to the usual account."

Lex looks to Victor and his Doombot, "We're ready. My man inside has the loop going. He was instructed for five minutes to be safe."

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom had made exquisite pains to ensure that Trasks's Doombot was just like him in every possible way. Even down to the simplest microexpression, Doom spared no detail. Even the hair follicles would be just right and if someone attempted to do a DNA t- okay, Doom didn't prepare for a DNA test because this was going to be a quick swap and its not like they were going to keep Trask for very long.

Nevertheless, The time was right. Doom was in his full armor and cloak, because Doom always looks his best. Upon Lex's words, he turns his head to look upon him as he stares upon the Doombot, giving a nod and the bot seems to acknowledge that it must now follow its creator.

"Then let us waste no further time. Do you know what you wish to ask of him." Its said in a commanding tone instead of that of a question. Though Lex is used to Doom's unique vernacular.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I have many, many questions." Lex informs Victor as he places his LexPhone into one of his business suit pockets and replaces his hands behind his back. He looks back to Victor and gives a charismatic smile, "We know what his long term plans probably were, but I'd like to confirm that, and everything he knows about that 'cyborg' we were informed of at the NYPD."

Lex frowns just slightly, "there's more to that story, I can feel it. Something has been controlling the Sentinels themselves for a while now, and I suspect it's that thing."

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom turns his head slowly to look upon Lex as he speaks of his many questions. Though Lex can't see Doom smile, Doom's eyes are straightforward and a smile would be visible by a certain creak in the eyes. Except Doom isn't smiling. Rather, he looks unconvinced at Lex's charisma, but Doom always bears such an expression.

"I simply wonder if Trask is working for this individual or vice versa. For it seems that this creature has total control over the Sentinels. He claims he wishes to destroy them, but I am not so certain. Perhaps Trask can enlighten us."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Trask strikes me as a zealot with no refinement. Mutants are here to stay and we have many methods of dealing with them, but zealots ignore the evidence and draw their own reality," Lex muses. "If I didn't know better, I'd call him delusional... but he's managed to make a business out of tricking governments into funding his projects in the name of 'alternative supergroups.'." Lex points out. "It's safe to say he's decent enough at manipulation, based on that... but it's also possible someone is using his blindspot in regards to his zealotry to work through him."

Doctor Doom has posed:
"He uses his ego and charm to his advantage, but his history speaks for itself. Nearly all of his plans have fallen short of his prize." Doom shakes his head. But then Lex calls Trask Delusional and honestly, he's not wrong. "What do we know about any of his family members?" Doom asks of Lex without looking at him, simply staying where he is.

"All men have their weaknesses." Except for Doom, of course. Or so the Latverian King would tell you. But its clear he's playing more of a background role for a -reason-.

Why?

Lex Luthor has posed:
"He has family. If we really need it, I suppose we could do some kidnaps... but potential freedom is likely going to be leverage enough." Lex looks to Victor, and raises a brow, "Shall we?" Lex gestures to the wall in front of them; a non-verbal confirmation they should get started.

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom looks at Lex Luthor for that brief moment. Family is leverage. Close family is a weakness just waiting to be exploited by someone with the will to make it happen. Nodding softly to Lex Luthor, he turns to the wall before them. "We shall."

With a mystical gesture of his fingers, a portal opens up that finds its anchor on the wall, leading no doubt to Trask's cell. Doom wastes no time immediately walking through with his Doombot (modeled and set to resemble and mimic Trask himself) to make the quick switch.

Iron Man has posed:
Trask is was resting on his cot, staring at the ceiling. All of the activity, of course -- two people entering his cell, specifically one that looks like him obviously draws his attention. "....What?!" is what Trask comes up with at first as he sits up, taking this in. He didn't expect this.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Lex steps through just enough to be seen by Trask... but not by the rest of the cell block. His business suit is brushed off, before his hands go behind his back again and he looks to Trask.

"This window will close shortly. I suggest you take it." Lex gestures with his head to the portal, stepping aside for Trask, "and take it quietly." Lex has his own voice down. Just loud enough for Trask to hear.

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom gestures the Trask Doombot to stay put in the cell, though he doesn't activate it quite yet. Rather, he stares down Trask. "Now." Doom gives that not-so-subtle urgency to the situation. Are they here to rescue Trask? Are they here to kill him? The world may never know!

But Doom so does hate to waste time. He gives Trask roughly three seconds to make a choice on the matter. If he doens't make a choice, Doom will drag him through the portal. Either way, Doom won't activate the Trask Doombot proper until the portal is about to close, to which it acts, sounds, and moves just like Trask would.

Doom's intelligence made clear.

Iron Man has posed:
Trask absolutely recognizes Lex. Doom is given far more of a critical stare. But the short man climbs off his cot, skeptically looking at them. "I'm guessing this is to have a chat, maybe a trade?" he asks, headed towards the portal, his own voice quiet, but watchful of Lex. "I'll come if you ensure my safety," he says, eyes narrowing, and offers a handshake at Lex.

Considering his position, Trask is handling himself very well, in the stressful situation. He's trying, though. If the deal is struck, though, he'll go through the portal without any waste of time.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"You act as if you have leverage in this situation. If we meant to harm you, you would be harmed by now." Lex informs Trask, matter-of-factly.

Without another word, Lex steps back into the portal. Vanishing from sight in the cell.

Victor has the situation well in hand, and Lex has just as little patience for Trask's attempt at 'dealing' as Doom himself does. Lex and Victor would have Trask in their prepared 'room', whether he comes willingly or not.

Iron Man has posed:
"You truly lack in //negotiation skills//, Luthor," Trask answers, with disgust at Luthor's back, drawing his hand back. "You think you can be rude to me, for no reason other than that you /can/, and still get what you want? Acting no better than these people with powers, pushing us humans around. Please. Perhaps those rumors about /you/ are true. You have shown you mean to kill me, likely. Why the hell would I help you with anything, now? I thought you were smarter."

Trask shrugs a little, headed to the door of his cell. He is very clearly going to yell for alarm, and this facility is not a minor one: They had to keep Sentinels out, after all. This could very very quickly turn ugly, very fast.

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom notices Trask acting rather pompous and that he's in control. "You misunderstand." Doom corrects Trask and follows him quickly when the scientist moves to the door to try and call for alarm. "We mean you no harm. However, you are unwise to assume that this is a negotiation, a bussiness-arrangement. Allow me to enlighten you."

Doom tries to strike Trask in the back of the neck in a 'chop' like motion to attempt to knock him unconscious. Looks like this is going to have to be done the hard way. Thats assuming Doom can successfully strike Trask to begin with.

Iron Man has posed:
The 'negotiation' discussion distracts Trask from calling for aid. He rolls his eyes at Doom, starting to turn back to the door. "Sure, enlighten me why I should---" begins Trask.

He is then struck, and with a huffing sound, he stumbles and goes down. The activity, it seems, was noticed, though: the villains will need to hurry up to get out of the cell and get the replacement in place, as there are footsteps in the hallway. Trask himself doesn't weigh much, and can be picked up easily.

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom watches Trask crumple to the ground after his careful strike. So, Doom will lean down and try to hoist Trask on his shoulders so he can carry him out (also an attempt). Here's hoping Trask is actually unconscious and won't try to yell for help. Even Doom makes mistakes sometimes.

That was made more difficult than he thought. But its not like Lex and Doom were intending to play nice to begin with while they were in the prison.

Iron Man has posed:
Doom successfully snares Trask off the floor, a limp, short male in his khaki prison attire. He's unable to defend himself or snark any further, and is taken through the portal, presumably to be replaced by the bot in the cell.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Inside the cell itself is what amounts to a basic guest quarters... with no windows and black walls. It's very intentionally designed to not give the occupants any idea where they actually are, and there is a single night vision capable camera hidden in a corner.

Lex sits in a recliner, waiting for Trask and Doom, "For such an interesting businessman, he has such a bad grasp of strategy." Lex muses aloud, before he stands and looks to Trask, "jumping right to an assassination attempt. Really. No imagination or vision."

Doctor Doom has posed:
The Doombot is activated. Nobody should know the difference, unless someone knows Trask by heart and notices the very small things. Doom is only so good. But he sets Trask's form in a chair, before moving to a point to where there is a triangle that can be made out of their standing positions. His eyes stare forward. "I will wake him now."

Doom is simple. He didn't carry any bath salts or anything of that nature...instead,unless Lex stops him, he just tries to stimulate Trask's mind using magic to attempt to bring him back to consciousness.

Iron Man has posed:
"My neck..." mumbles Trask from the chair. His feet don't really touch the floor in the chair. He groans in pain and leans forwards, trying to feel his poor head and neck. He looks a little bit green, from the impact plus now being stimulated into awareness.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"That should pass in a few minutes. Please understand, you were stalling us on a plan designed to get in and out. Now that you're here, we have plenty of time to discuss matters." Lex states as he leans forward on the recliner, "you're safe, for the moment... and we have measures in place to handle your absence."

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom remains silent as Lex does the initial talking. He was much more of a people person, after all. He does, however, look to Trask when he groans about his neck. "Consider it a successful rescue." Doom of course, doesn't elaborate why hitting Trask was necessary. From here, he lets Lex ask the questions.

Iron Man has posed:
"Well.... I wasn't ... informed of this plan," Trasks asks, in clear confusion, leaving his head in his hands for a long moment as he works to regain full awareness. He's coming out of it, though. "While I didn't want to be in prison.." He pauses, taking in his area. "I had my own escape plan..." he adds, slowly. The logic, then, may be more clear, of why Trask acted as he did: he had his own plans in mind.

"What's this about?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"We can get you back to your prisoner escape later, if you desire. We might even be willing to negotiate resources for it. For now, we have some questions about you and your Sentinels." Lex stands, his hands behind his back once more as he stands slowly and walks over to Trask, his eyes on him. "I'm especially interested in the cyborg. I've had... reports about it, but nothing definitive, other than it is highly advanced."

Iron Man has posed:
"Ahhhhh," Trask replies. "We have a number of those. You're talking about the big one," suspects Trask, watching Lex approach. He makes no moves from the chair, other than to sit back in it some, squinting through the continued pain in his head. "Have you found it? We're willing to pay very handsomely to get it back. It was stolen, you see."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"There have been sightings. I have many resources across Earth, Trask... but considering it's capabilities, bringing the droid in would be far more trouble than it's worth with all the supergroups having their own opinions on the matter. It isn't worth risking exposure." Lex shrugs, "tracking it is something we can do, and I'm willing to give your people the reports from my own people, if you'll answers our questions truthfully."

Iron Man has posed:
"Get me a plane to my facilities in Russia, and I'm.... willing to share some information about the Project, in trade," Trask says, with some caution. The trust level isn't really there on either end: for the others, or for Trask. "Things that aren't specifically company secrets, of course."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I can have an anonymous transport ready at a time and location of your choosing, without a problem. I assume you're more interested in escape plans on your own devising, so I don't believe I need to offer there." Lex raises a brow at him, "do I?"

Iron Man has posed:
"Depends on where this is," Trask says, with a gesture of his hands around them. "If you're asking about if I'd rather go back to the prison and enact my own escape -- I'd rather adapt to my new situation with an improved plan," Trask replies. He doesn't see the eyebrow-raise, he's busy rubbing headache from his eyes.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Are you asking for our assistance in your escape plan?" Lex presses.

Iron Man has posed:
"What country are we in?" Trask answers the question with a question. "Latveria?" He noticed Dr. Doom, clearly, and he's not a fool. He woke up in a new place, after all. "We're not in the same place, are we? I don't want to go back to prison, is all. I'll talk to you for freedom, though."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Freedom can be arranged, easily. Assuming your answers are satisfactory." Lex replies. "Give me an hour, and I can have an aircraft ready for you to go to Russia. A favor for a favor, and the beginning of some form of trust between us."

Iron Man has posed:
"Fewer headaches," suggests Trasks a little dryly, but if he's annoyed about the headache, he's not contining about it. "Yes, let's assume I'm satisfactory," agrees Trask. "Really, I just want my property back. It would change everything for me."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Good. The terrible optics of using the Sentinels aside, what is the droid, and what is it's connection to the big robots?" Lex asks.

Iron Man has posed:
Trask sits back some, folding his fingers together low across his abdomen, and gives Lex an appraising look. His eyes move to Doom, then, and back. "The Sentinels were weapons sold to goverments," Trask says, defending his creations. "To protect."

"Project 1 is what we called it. It is an advanced prototype of my own tech. We found it in one of our labs, and have a few guesses about where it came from. Top guess being that somehow one of my creations became self-aware, and suddenly upgraded itself to an insane level," Trask explains. "Or, if you believe in time travel, it's from the future. I've heard both opinions but can't confirm either for certain. It's /MY/ tech, though."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Time travel is theoretically possible, but nothing I want to get involved in." Yet, is left unspoken by Lex.

"So what are the big ones then? I've seen the footage of them, and they had bays big enough to structure Sentinels themselves. Were the factories for appearances?" Lex continues.

Iron Man has posed:
"They're mobile factories; I call them 'master molds', but people are skittish about seeing them, and we had to construct the molds themselves somewhere. So, yes, the factories were two things... places to build the molds, and store the Sentinels." Trask seems more comfortable with the topic shift, proud to discuss his sentinels.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"People are skittish because you used robots that are infamous for hunting down mutants." Lex states, as if this was obvious, "and are extremely cumbersome in movement and do way too much collateral damage themselves." Lex then shrugs, "but at this point, it doesn't matter. What was your aim with them?"

Iron Man has posed:
Trask tilts his head, looking from one of them to the other, weighing. "Make enough money to make better ones," Trask answers evenly. "I have, and I am. Just had some problems on the way. It happens."

Lex Luthor has posed:
Trask's answer comes at no surprise to Lex; truthfully, Lex had guessed as much... but confirmation is always good. Lex switches his eyes to Doom, then. "seems like a good project to bring some resources to, get a foot in the door for the technology for something that isn't directly connected to us." Lex half states, half asks Victor, "would you be interested in background involvement with such a venture?"

Iron Man has posed:
"You're asking him if he wants to be involved with my company?" Trask asks Lex curiously, with a quizzical look. "I'm not in search of investors now. In what way are you offering assistance?" he wonders. "I have different problems than I did last year."

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom had been watching, waiting, listening the entire time. From the moment Trask opened his mouth, Doom knew he was just another businessman trying to make money for the sake of 'protection'. Doom didn't like him. If they didn't have questions to ask Trask...Well, thats neither here or there. He turns his head to Luthor as he addresses the King of Latveria. "Perhaps." he seems in agreement that this is an intriguing project.

"I would be." he finally answers Luthor on the account of involvement. He glances briefly at Trask, then looks back to Luthor. He's the businessman, and Doom is of the belief that the way he would put it would be either insulting or detrimental to the cause.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I have no interest in direct investment, Trask." Lex clarifies, "Investment creates money trails publicly that could lead to me, and unless you're willing to put Trask Industries as a subsidiary under the LexCorp banner and my direction, I have no interest in getting directly connected with your business." Lex's word probably come as a relief to Trask, in their own way.

"What I'm interested in... is covert development and involvement in the next generation of Sentinels. You're going to be building them regardless... but I do have more than a passing interest in keeping up to date with military scale technologies." Lex confirms. "I'd be willing to bring my expertise as a silent partner."

Iron Man has posed:
"I could see working together, sharing information and ideas in the future," Trask agrees, after some thought. He is a businessman, and like many businessmen, functions off of greed... and his own agendas related to his greed. "I will /admit/ we could have used some outside consultation when we found Project 1. My teams were not prepared for it."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Given the US government has frozen everything legally, I assume you have a plan for that, and will be moving ahead with research in Russia?" Lex asks.

Iron Man has posed:
"And a few other places, but Russia has my home base, and my best researchers," brags Trask evenly. "Some Canada resources, though, have really come through with cyborg applications. Much of it from what we did learn from Project 1."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Then I do believe we might have things to discuss later on." Lex moves over to the cell door, and knocks on it twice. "Dr. Doom, I do believe we can retrieve the package once Mr. Trask leaves." Lex looks to Doom, "at least once he's over international waters."

That said, when he leaves the cell, Lex brings up his LexPhone, calling Mercy. "I need anonymous transport and a private aircraft contracted to Russia at the airfield nearby." Lex looks at the cell door, "Negotiation went better than I expected, and we have an in."

Intelligence, a foot in the door for Sentinel research, and a potential asset who owes the Light a favor and doesn't realize it. Time would tell if this was a worthwhile venture.