Jean-Paul, Laura & Vanessa | Friday afternoon

[x-copycat.livejournal.com]

The trio of X-Factor investigators spend their day pouring over surveillance and security footage over and over again until finally one of them spots something useful.

Jean-Paul blinked at the television screen, the grainy black and white video he'd been staring at for hours on end blurring for a moment. He'd been sitting still for far too long and the speedster was valiantly suppressing the urge to get up and do something while the younger, more technologically savvy people looked at other videos and pictures on their computers.

The Quebecois wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for, but he knew he hadn't found it yet. Much longer and he was going to start entertaining himself by counting the men in the videos who might be attractive if the pictures were clearer.

While Vanessa technically counted for the "younger, more technologically savvy" sect, her attention span was only moderately more cooperative going over surveillance video than it was when she attempted to watch movies. The metamorph found herself nodding off here and there and depending on a combination of coffee and energy drinks to keep her alert. Staring at the images was so tedious and dull, however, that she was certain Bishop was using this task as some sort of punishment. "Can't he just use his little assistant for this stuff," she muttered to herself and set about trying to keep her eyes open for as long as possible. Again.

This wasn't what she had joined for, no sir. Still, Laura was more or less aware that her work wouldn't always be about running on rooftops and catching the bad guys but...she could dream, right? Just not in front of the screen; she was part of the younger, more technologically savvy group, after all. A guy passed, and then another guy, and a couple. "Oh my God, after a while everyone looks the same," she said as she sighed. Vanessa falling asleep wasn't making it any easier, really.

"If this keeps up I'm going to start singing." And it was a threat.

"Non," Jean-Paul said, sitting back and pausing the video for a moment so he could rub his eyes. "Do not do this thing, I will be forced to recite Shakespeare at you in self defense. Vanessa, she will probably shoot us both and I do not heal so well."

Leaning forward, he hit 'play' again and continued watching each of the people on the screen as they moved into and out of frame.

Just for the sake of effect Vanessa pulled out the handgun that she'd had tucked into her waistband at the small of her back. She checked the chamber for a bullet, then set the gun down on the table with an audible clack. "And I've got brilliant aim, so I'd not test me on that one. Shooting you would keep me awake, though." Her voice developed a noticeable drone as her eyes went back to her screen. "I've not seen anything for the first eight hundred times of watching this. Eight hundred one isn't going to do any better," But she rewound it and started from the beginning again anyway.

"No, no silly English dude torture for me. And not in your accent." It would certainly drive her insane. She, on the other hand, had a very good voice, or so she thought. Vanessa put an end to the discussion anyway. "You are kindly invited to shot him first," said Laura as she eyed the handgun. Alriiiiiight.

Going back to the screen, she sighed as she spotted a guy..."Huh," she said as she leaned in closer. "Where have I seen this guy before?" She looked up at the other two, a sudden interest in her voice. "I think I'm either onto something or seeing things, but this one guy looks familiar."

Jean-Paul paused his video again and moved over so he could peer at Laura's screen. "Non, I think - one moment. I think I have seen him also." He was back at the television a moment later, hitting rewind on the VCR. When he'd gotten to the point that he needed, he tipped his head to the side. "Oui, I believe this is the same man." Looking toward Vanessa, he asked, "Coincidence?"

Vanessa was alternating between lingering over both of their shoulders, eyeballing the guy on each screen. "No such thing as coincidence, love. Besides, I think I've got him, too." A moment later she was at her own computer searching along the timeline of her video. She stopped it on a frame with what looked like the same guy. "We need to double check all the tapes for this guy," she told them, pointing at her screen. "If he's at all of them then he either knows something or is responsible."

"Or has one hell of a rotten luck." But she was going with Vanessa's 'no coincidence' point of view. "Okay then, at least it seems I get to see something marginally different, but not really." Just more people walking around while she looked for the figure that seemed to be a constant. Laura gave another look at her screen. "He doesn't look like he's following anyone though." Perhaps that was why she hadn't picked it up earlier; the man looked...oddly normal.

"He drinks his coffee here," Jean-Paul put in, frowning a little. He switched the tape for one he'd watched previously and fast forwarded through parts until he spotted the man again. "And here, he eats a sandwich. I do not see him even talking to the victims..."

"Yeah, I don't see any stalking behavior either," Vanessa chimed in as she noted down where she was finding the guy and in relation to which missing person. "I've got his laundromat over here on one, and reading a newspaper before our victim even shows up. Does he ever pop up after they arrive? On mine he's already there. Like the victims walk into wherever he was." She wondered, for a moment, if they had hassled him and self-defense had gone too far.

Laura had switched videos a couple of times now, going over them and checking what the other two were saying. "Just...eating, or minding his own business", said as she squinted at the screen. "And apparently he either knew they would be there, or it was entirely...coincidental?" So far for there not being coincidences. "So he could had had reacted to them, perhaps?", said, airing Vanessa's thoughts. "Although the victims don't look like the kind of people that would go and make trouble to a random guy, unless he, I don't know, owed money to them, but still...something's off."

"I see him walk into a corner store after the client's boyfriend," Jean-Paul said, "But the victim was still there, oui? I have not seen him go into a place where one of the missing people did not go at all."

"Hm.." Vanessa was finished jotting notes down about where Jean-Paul and Laura were spotting this guy. "Let's see if any of us can get a decent screenshot of him that we can print out and take around. I want to see if anyone who knows our missing people knows who this guy is. I want him tracked down and I want to know what he knows. Before anyone else turns up dead, hopefully."

Laura was very much agreeing with Vanessa on avoiding more deaths. "On it boss," she said, her usual cheery tune back in order as she started to go though the videos again, looking for a good one to take a screenshot of. With the right light and without much people around, it could be done.

Jean-Paul sat back and tipped his head to the side, knowing he couldn't take a screeshot of the man from the television, at least. "Oui," he murmured, frowning. "We will divide the friends and family, will we not? To make things move more quickly?"

"Aye. We're all hitting up the same people we've already talked to. It's easier to talk to someone you've already met than to give them a rotating door of options. There's some sort of rapport with you and them if you've already spoken." Once a suitable screenshot of the man was found - or at least the best one they could manage - Vanessa printed it out several times and handed one to Laura and Jean-Paul each. One got folded up and slipped into her own pocket and another got left on Bishop's desk with a quick note that he was a person of interest. After sending the others on their way she got a text off to Bishop and set out herself.