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Summary: After picking her up from police custody, Rocket Raccoon questions Tabitha to file a proper report on her battle with Envy.
Log Title: Damage Report
Rating: PG
Barnes Academy - Administrative Office
The administrative offices of the various shield agents and academic administrators as well as the small army of secretaries and clerks it takes to keep a school running smoothly are connected to this module. The central module has a large counter bisecting it with various school functionaries behind the counter at work stations or manning the desk.
The Administrative Offices are rather scarce this time of night. By the time Rocket convinced the NYPD to release Tabitha Jones into his custody and battle New York traffic back to Barne's, it is nearly midnight. The Raccoon waves to the night secretary as he marches toward his office with the Rat Girl in tow. Rocket's office is quite a ways down the hall here, probably because he is away so often on intersteller business. He turns on the lights to illuminate the room. It seems like a standard office at first, a snazzy desk, a few trinkets. But as the Raccoon walks further into the room electronic devices seem to react to his presence. Several holographic screens pop up in the room as well as a three dimensional spinning globe with various locations glowing red. An electronic female voice calls out from somewhere, "Welcome Rocket".
The Raccoon waves a paw as he takes a seat at his desk, causing a few of his screens to back up and minimize. "S.A.G.E., please bring up information on codename Envy." Several images pop up of the woman, as well as recordings of violence and a fight with Iron Man. Rocket walks to one side of the room and pours himself some coffee. "Would you like anything, Miss Jones? Please have a seat." He waves to a chair on the other side of his desk.
Tabitha follows along, carrying a rather sullen aire along with her. She's gotten changed out of her bullet hole riddled clothing along the way, into a pair of dark blue Barnes sweat pants and matching top, which are not all that flattering but at least aren't threatening to fall off her body entirely at the first wrong movement. "Thank you," she murmurs, and plops directly down into a chair. She tilts her head, and cradles her forehead with one hand. "Just… I dunno… could I have something to drink, please?" She pauses, and sits up straighter. "Was anyone killed? There was a car accident, and she attacked two cops… is everyone okay? The cops wouldn't tell me anything."
The Raccoon moves to the side bar again and prepares to pour the teen some coffee, then after glancing back at her again decides cocoa might be a wiser choice. "I haven't had a chance to scan the reports yet. S.A.G.E.?" He brings a mug over and hands it to the girl.
"Rocket, you are the lucky winner of…"
"Damnit! The reports, please!" He shakes his head, "Sorry. The AI is terrible. Tried salvaging it from my ship. I need to have Tony over to take a look at it some time. She keeps getting confused with junk emails." One of the screens switches to what looks like police reports. "Here we go…The police are ok…Looks like one DOA for that car accident…A few more injured." Rocket frowns slightly and waves the screen away with a paw. "So yes, she did kill someone. But it could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse."
Tabitha stares at the screen for a long moment, and for the moment, the cup of hot chocolate being offered her goes entirely unnoticed. "…That was my fault," she whispers. "I could have stopped it. She threw something at me and I could have stopped it, but I avoided it instead. That was what caused the car accident. …If I'd stopped it instead then nobody would've been killed, we would've just done a bunch of property damage and that would have been it." The rat girl, by now looking fit to burst into tears, finally gets around to accepting the drink; she mumbles a barely perceptible 'thank you', and then just sits there, staring at the screen and cradling the drink in her hands.
Rocket quirks an ear awkwardly and stands silently for a moment. "You know. People like Envy are…They're not sane. There is something wrong with that woman. Why I saw a report that she attacked a student from Xavier's just this week. And more reports of her causing all sorts of mayhem date back years and years. If you keep blaming yourself for her sins…Well let's just say if she was willing to attack you randomly on the street, she was willing to attack anyone. You kept the civilian casualties to a minimum."
"Rocket you have an incoming transmission from Field Agent 372." The screen pops up an image of a man wearing sunglasses and a suit. "Mr. Raccoon, sir? We've searched the area. We believe Envy escaped through a door that leads into the sewers. We'll keep you updated." The screen minimizes again as the computer chimes, "Transmission ended."
"Well…Looks like she's in the wind." Rocket is quiet for a moment as he types a few things into something that looks like an I-pad. "But we could still use your help, Tabitha. I need you to give a report on exactly what happened. Any details could be helpful in locating the terrorist."
Tabitha finally gets around to putting the hot chocolate to her lips, and nods her head slowly. "I know. …I know, it wasn't directly my fault, just… I take all the required combat courses, and some extra ones, and they all teach that you should be mindful of your surroundings, and I *should* have been mindful of the fact that my back was too a busy street. I have no excuse, honestly, I just… I didn't want to tip my hand right away that I could copy her without touching her, since she thought touch was required, and I wasn't sure I could catch what she was throwing without using her abilities, so I… I made a big mistake," she finishes, in a glum tone of voice.
The rat girl sighs heavily, and nods her head. "I'll give you every detail I can," she murmurs. "We had a conversation first. She talked about wiping out the human government and replacing it with a mutant one, and putting humans into slavery, that sort of thing."
The Raccoon taps a few buttons and something that looks like a camera mixed with a robotic eye comes up out of the desk. He waves a paw at it, "Ignore it. Just want to be sure I get all the details right." Rocket shakes his head at the girl and moves around to sit in the chair behind his desk, which elevates when he sits on it so that he is level with Tabitha. "You were in my Survival class I believe, correct? I know I only touched on battle survival, but remember that you have to protect yourself in these situations. You're no help to anyone dead. Envy is extremely dangerous." He pulls up a video feed of the woman battling Iron Man. "She attacked Mr. Stark in the middle of the street once. With a rocket launcher." The Raccoon shakes his head. "I recommend my Tactics class for information on dealing with people like Envy. And I offer a select course called "Moral & Civic Duty, where I discuss things like civilian casualties."
Rocket sighs in response to Envy’s conversation.. "Ah, that mentality is getting to be troublesome. I'm actually kind of surprised she hasn't teamed up with Magneto yet. And by surprised, I mean relieved. He would of course deny affiliation with her, but with his brains and her malice…" He shudders slightly. "Anyway…Do you have any idea what she was doing in that part of town?" The globe hologram suddenly zooms in on the city and then the neighborhood. The building Eris came out of is flashing red. "Was she carrying anything? Dressed strangely? Anything like that?"
Tabitha shakes her head. "No," she murmurs. "She didn't seem to be equipped for war or anything. She had a concealed pistol, a semi-automatic I think but I'm not sure. Other than that she was just dressed in green and black, like a mini-skirt and tank top and stuff. Oh, and she was really bruised up and had a bunch of bandages, like she'd gotten beat up real bad recently." The rat girl pauses, and holds up one hand, which slowly turns into some sort of clear crystal from the elbow down. "Which, anyone who was going to do that to her, would have to be pretty scary, I'd think. While I was borrowing her powers are only two thirds her strength, I could pretty much… ignore a vicious hail of gunfire from a SWAT Team. I hardly even felt it." She gazes up, watching the hologram as she speaks. "She didn't attack me right away, or even after I compared her to Hitler. …She didn't attack me until I turned down her offer to help her install a mutant government."
Rocket seems concerned by something, but he allows the girl to finish speaking. "So she was dressed like a normal civilian, but she was injured you say?" He brings up a few files on the woman. "She was held in custody once. It was estimated that Envy could withstand an impact in excess of one hundred tons per square inch when in diamond form. And we estimate she has grown stronger since then. If we can figure out exactly HOW she was injured…Well it would be extremely helpful." The Raccoon glances up at Tabitha, "And as for why she attacked you, well the "with me or against me" mentality seems to be a theme with that woman. " A pause. “You are estimated at mimicking abilities at 66% of the original user's power level? If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to see one of the technicians so that we can get an accurate reading on your diamond strength. That way we can estimate Envy's current power level. No rush, you can do it tomorrow sometime."
"Actually, I can copy powers from two mutants… one at about two thirds, and one at about a quarter of their strength," Tabitha replies. "But I'm just copying Eris. …I don't… always get everything another mutant has to offer, but I think what she has was all wrapped up in one package, or… whatever you want to call it." Tabitha shrugs lightly, and sips from her hot chocolate. "I… was kinda rude, to her. In retrospect it was probably me being stupid, but I was really offended by her ideas. Especially since my girlfriend is not a mutant." The rat girl pauses, and sips the drink again. "I didn't transform right away. She threw a diamond sword at me, and I caught it and threw it back; then she tossed this really massive… throwing star-thing at me. That was what I dodged, and it caused the accident." She glances up at the screen, and sighs softly. "Yeah, I'll see the technicians, they can spend all afternoon hitting me with things I guess."
Rocket types a few things into his computer. "When you threw the sword back, did she catch it?" An image of one of Envy's stars appears on the screen. "Envy's throwing star. It's kind of a signature attack of hers. Lucky us she leaves them lying around all over the place. We've been able to track her strength to some extent using them." Rocket flattens his ears slightly, "You really can't blame yourself. Her profile is…She's a sociopath. If it wasn't you she would have attacked someone else. At least you were able to slow her down. And you were able to defend yourself." After a moment, "And no, the technicians will be able to take a reading with their equipment. It should only take an hour at most."
Tabitha shakes her head quickly. "No, she didn't bother. She just let the sword hit her, and it shattered on impact. …She was happy to point out later that my crystals were structurally inferior to hers, and that if she were to really fight me, I'd break before she would. …And she said that would be bad." The rat girlblows across her drink, before swallowing a more ambitious gulp of the stuff. "I told her that her powers weren't going to work after she hucked the throwing star at me, so she pulled out a gun and opened fire. …After the accident I didn't want bullets flying down range as well, so I just transformed into diamond and let her shoot me. And then things basically just got really hairy."
Rocket quirks a brow, or at least, his mask moves in such a way that it is indicated that he does this. "If you were to break in diamond form…That would be bad…" He takes a few more notes. "We've kind of speculated that if she broke in diamond form she would die, but it is hard to say. I mean, if you look at other elementals…" He pulls up footage of Dingo exploding. "Dingo, for example, seems to be able to reconstruct himself." He wipes that footage off the screen. Some more typing. "Well any information is helpful…Can you think of anything else that might be relevant?"
"Well the fight evolved into us having a contest to see who could inconvenience the other more with crystal spikes out of the ground, walls, and whatever else," Tabitha replies. "This lasted until I pointed out that the fight was pointless, neither of us could kill the other. …So she pointed out that I have one 'weakness' she lacks, which was my love for humans." She swirls her hot chocolate in the mug, and shrugs lightly. "I don't necessarily 'love' humans, well I love my girlfriend, but… well, anyway. So Envy said she was going to see how many humans she'd have to kill before I'd back down. I did my best to stop her… and that was when she destroyed the ambulance, and injured the two cops. I managed to hit her with a crystal hammer and tackle her and stuff, but… in the end I just told her she was stronger, and admitted that she could beat me, and she seemed satisfied with that, and left."
The Raccoon nods as Tabitha speaks, taking notes as she tells of the events. "Alright. This all seems typical of her behavior. I'm glad that was all it took to satisfy her…But it does seem a little unlike her…Perhaps her injuries…" The Raccoon makes chittering noises that seem almost as though he is talking to himself. After a few minutes he looks up at Tabitha. "I think that's enough for tonight. I just wanted to get your story before time eroded away some of the details." A pause. "I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to speak to the counselor some time this week. Like I said, the woman who died…That couldn't be helped. But still, it helps to talk things out with professionals. Is there anything you need from me before I let you go?"
Tabitha chews over all this in her thoughts, and reaches up to scratch the back of her head. "I uhh…" She pauses. "Advice, I guess. What should I do if I see her again?" A silent moment, with Tabitha lifting her hot chocolate to finish it off. "And uhm, please don't say run away, call the professionals, all that. I can't just run away and let her hurt people… especially if I know I can at least slow her down a bit."
Rocket hesitates for a moment and pulls up a bit of information on Envy. Though the screen would read backwards from Tabitha's perspective, she can probably deduce that this is a personality file on the woman. "Now as a teacher and guardian at this school, I have to tell you to protect yourself and leave it to the professionals…So if anyone asks, that's what I told you. And in all honesty if you are able to get assistance I really do suggest doing that." He reads over the documents. "Now if you happen to see her NOT doing anything particularly bad, try to tail her without her noticing. Contact us so that we can send the appropriate team to deal with her. If she has already engaged someone who may not be able to hold their own against her, try to draw her away to a less crowded area." He stops to take a drink of his coffee. "You have a unique ability that makes you less vulnerable to her attacks. She probably doesn't like that. If she heads off to attack civilians, run in the opposite direction. I believe she will pursue you in order to keep you as her audience. She attacked the civilians to torment you. If you're not there, what's the point?"
The display switches to a power diagnostic and battle pattern rundown. "Now we need more data on Envy's current power level…But she mostly seems to attack from a distance. If you can get someplace where you can block line of site to the woman that would do best. Try a park or large abandoned building. But if you enter a building make sure you can get out. Always leave yourself an exit strategy." A clawed digit scans along the notes he had taken from Tabitha's report. "She seems fairly confident that she could break down YOUR body when you turn to crystal. Keep your distance if you can. Keep her distracted and occupied until help arrives. Envy is an alpha level mutant with extreme beliefs and homicidal tendencies. You DO need help when dealing with her. Be a hero, but don't be a fool."
Tabitha nods her head slowly. "I'll keep all that in mind," she replies. "And I'll sign up for your Tactics class next semester… unless if I can take it in my spare time for extra credit or something." She hesitates for a second, tapping her lips. "Or… hell, even not for credit, it's stuff I clearly need to know. And your morality class." She nods her head slowly. "I'm getting stronger all the time, and I practice my powers as much as possible. …Maybe eventually I'll be able to copy her, or anyone else, at their full strength." She clasps her hands behind her head, and sighs softly. "I hope so. …I don't like being in a losing position, especially with a psychopath."
Rocket taps a few windows on the panel in front of him and the screens dim. "Well there's no terrible rush…Although I suppose they are useful classes. I'd be sure you got full credit for them all. And hopefully we won't have to deal with Envy by the time you reach that strength level. This city has suffered enough from that maniac." He nods again. "Alright. Is there anything else?"
Tabitha shakes her head slowly, and rises from her seat. "No, thank you," she replies. "I appreciate you coming to get me from the police station, I think they might've been happy to keep me there for weeks otherwise. …I guess you know where I'll be if you need me to answer anything else, and I'll see the technicians tomorrow so they can check out my borrowed diamond form."
Rocket nods to the girl. "Alright then." He looks at the clock. "I know it's late…But I want you to stop by the medical bay before you head to bed. I'll call down to let them know you're coming. In fact…S.A.G.E. if you would please do that for me?" There is an "Of course commander" from somewhere in the wall. "If you have any appointments or private lessons tomorrow…Well just leave that information with Mariel at the desk. I'll get you the proper excuse forms so that you can sleep in and see the technical team and counselor." The Raccoon offers a toothy smile, "I know you're only focusing on what you think were your mistakes now, but trust me when I say you did a good job. What Envy called your "weakness"…Well that is what makes you strong. Your drive to protect those around you. It's what separates those who are good from the forces of destruction." Rocket hops down from his chair and walks over to open the door for the girl. He offers a salute, "Have a good night, Miss Jones. And never hesitate to visit if you need anything from me."
The rat girl pauses, and turns to glance back at the raccoon. She bobs her head, and manages a slight smile. "I… okay. I'll do that, and thank you. It means a lot to hear that I did well. I…" She pauses, and shakes her head slowly. "I'd say I hope I never have to do anything like that again, but I'll almost be surprised if I don't encounter a super villain again before the end of next week. …Just my luck, is all. …I guess we'll see." She bobs her head, and slips out of the office. "Have a good night," she murmurs, before she's on her way back down the hall.
