Genosha - Step by Step: Discussion of Next Steps

[x-adrienne.livejournal.com]

Through their contact with a certain British agent, the group in the city learns of a direct contact in the Commission who is also a British agent. They determine that if they can somehow compromise the support of the public for the government, they might be able to weaken it enough to attempt another rescue, and brainstorm about just how to accomplish the compromise.



The new safehouse wasn't much - a just constructed three story townhouse in a seaside development that was halted while the investors argued over their percentages. Legally, the down payment on the condo allowed them access, despite the still unfinished interior, and thanks to the elder Kane, it was secure and the last place people would look for them. Bishop and John hadn't gotten a look at the man on the bus who had palmed the safe deposit box key and address into their pocket, but when they had used them, a neat pile of replacement passports, corresponding credit cards, and clean cell phones had been waiting. They had split up, buying necessities and making their way to the new location in pairs, watching for tails and Magistrates. Fortunately, they drew no more attention than anyone. 

Sleeping bags on the floor and a cooler of food subbing in for a refrigerator wasn't the most comfortable of living arrangements, but it beat a cell any day. As they settled in, Kane plugged the phone into the conference base he'd picked up at the Genosha version of Radio Shack, and clicked the call button. 

"Dad? It's Garrison." 

"Hello boy. Are you safe?" 

"For the time being. Thanks. I don't know how you got the IDs so quickly." 

"What's the point of having run British Intelligence for a couple of decades if you can't call on a favour or two. What's your next move?" 

"Trying to find a way to retrieve our comrades and students safely," Jean said. She was standing, occasionally scanning the window for any signs of movement and listening for any thoughts approaching that shouldn't have been there. 

"So far our attempts have obviously failed in a spectacular blaze of glory. Open to some better suggestions." 

Jean-Paul stood back from the table, arms crossed, in an effort to let people who could contribute something of value to the conversation have at it. He'd slept briefly thanks to Bishop being able to siphon off some of his excess energy, but not enough. Not really. And every instinct he possessed was telling him to get out there, to fly as far as he could as fast as he could, but he tamped down on that. Head tipped to the side, the Quebecois kept an eye on Jean. If she was listening to stray thoughts, it was likely she'd be the first to know if danger approached and from which direction, which would give him a good idea of where he needed to be to put himself between whatever came and the others in the room. 

Lying on his back quietly, a washcloth filled with ice over his eyes, Bishop listened to the call. He hadn't slept much and he wanted to keep his vision clear and eyes rested. With the charge he had been keeping, he didn't feel the need for much sleep.

"Genosha is a tough nut to crack," said the elder Kane. "Stable multicultural free market democracies in Africa are few and far between, and once you add its energy resources, spying on them isn't as attractive as making them trading partners." There was a pause. "Still, if this mutate thing is festering under the surface, it means there's other cracks there too. You don't hide something unless you fear the reaction to it publicly. Sounds like their Executive branch is quietly easing them into their plan, because they know the support won't be there for it openly. That creates opportunities." 

"Getting the truth out about Genosha to their own people?" Suggested Garrison. "Maybe stir up enough trouble to give us a window to get our people back?" 

"I want to break them", Angelo said quietly from his place on the floor, wrapped in his sleeping bag.  "Gettin' everyone back won't cut it any more, not while Moreau's still in charge." 

"Maybe we can..." Sooraya said very hesitantly and quietly from where she was just gathering up the cloth she had used as a prayer rug for the Maghrib or evening prayer. "If we can a way to show them what really is going on... If people don't have to see that something is really happening to mutants, it is easy to close their eyes and do nothing. If we can put it in plain view, many might not be able to ignore what is happening anymore." 

"It's probably better than sitting here doing nothing," Maddie piped up from where she was seated nearby. Threat of imminent danger aside, she was bored stiff from sitting around while the adults talked. Whatever. Even if they found a way to show the people of Genosha what their government was doing, there was no guarantee that anyone would care; people closed their eyes to atrocities all the time. But, as the current highlight of her day was finding a piece of string and playing an endless solo game of "Cat's Cradle", she figured she could use a break from the monotony. 

Sam was listening to the brainstorming and nodded his head in agreement to what everyone seemed to be saying. "Then we need to find a way to open their eyes somehow, have it recorded or broadcast or something like that in order to show everyone in the world what's going on here, not just the people in Genosha." If the people of the outside world could only discover how mutants were being treated there then that would be more likely to cause an uproar than just signalling the people immediately around them. "Question is, how exactly do we go about doin' that?" 

Artie already thought in images so it wasn't surprising when he projected a series of stills from their capture before scribbling madly on a piece of paper. "That's not enough. I have that but we need objective proof of what's happening, rather than just pictures coming out of some guy's head. Find the imgs, steal the imgs, show them." He held up the piece of paper for them to read before showing an image of a security guard's console. "that's recorded, right?" he wrote. 

"Artie's got a point. Without proof, we're not going to incite the Genoshans to do anything. And we need someone inside the power structure who doesn't know they're being duped to believe us. Otherwise, this doesn't go anywhere." Garrison nodded, considering the options. 

"I might be able to help with someone inside." Christian's voice broke through. "There's a British asset placed in the offices of two Commission members. He's been reporting on a growing rift between them and the government. I can send you the information." 

Nico had put some distance from the group. Legs crossed in a meditation stance, she was floating a feet from the floor, eyes closed as she quietly worked on replenishing her energy reserves without draining the life out of anyone. It was a slow and complicated job, and she had been pushing herself a bit too much. She had been paying attention though. "As long as it leads us somewhere we can break in, quietly, get what we need and then get out, it should do. Finding allies within the Government itself could be useful, but I wonder if that's viable." Eyes always closed, Nico sighed; the energy signatures around them seemed all normal, but she was starting to run out of little things to drain. "As good as this place is, we will become sitting ducks with enough time." 

Callisto had missed the beginning of the conversation, having been off washing and changing out of her magistrate uniform and had reappeared to slump gracefully into a corner now clad back in her usual ragged jeans and vest, flannel shirt tied around her waist in a look that suggested she hadn't changed her fashion concept since 1994, her wild hair hanging in damp tendrils around her face. While Callisto never looked 'alert' per se (though anyone trying to get the drop on her wound find themselves regretting taking her at face value) she looked irritatingly un-exhausted at present. 

"Say we wanted to find and film them, or take pictures or whatever," she said now, in a guarded tone, as though she wasn't sure what she was saying wasn't utterly moronic. "Would we know where to start lookin'?" 

"Those enclaves should have some kind of records. Even if they've been doctored, they might indicate where to look from the gaps." Kane pointed out. "Sooraya, could you slip through normal security." 

The young Afghan had tucked away her cloth and was now sitting cross legged on her sleeping bag, considering the question. "I probably could, yes." She nodded. "Doors I can easily circumvent by either slipping under or using the ventilation system..." Sooraya shifted a little. "The biggest problem would be cameras, I think. I can cloud them a little, but if someone is watching them, they would still see either a sand cloud and probably know if something is up." 

"What about this British guy?" Angelo pointed out.  "He's actually got official status, so if we can get him on side maybe he can help us get the proof."

"Christian," Jean said, glancing over from the window. "You said there's a growing rift between two of the Commission members and the government? How big is that rift? Do you think if we were able to get proof from the British asset that he could arrange for us to speak to the two Commission members?" 

"I'm not part of the operation that recruited him. Best I can do is arrange a meeting, let you assess him face to face. The Home Office trusts his intel, and says that he's been legitimate so far." 

"So, we talk to this guy, figure out whether or not there's something to work with there."

"Look, whatever and whenever you guys decide, I'm up for breaking into one of the buildings to get hold of whatever proof we need." John was definitely feeling a little restless. He wanted to get back out there already, and he wanted to have something to focus on instead of spending hour after hour worrying over where Amara was.

"Oui," Jean-Paul said, speaking from the place near the wall where he'd migrated while trying to keep all possible entrances into the room in his line of vision. "And so the plan is set." At least they had a plan now. A viable one that might yield something useful. Now all they had to do was not get caught while executing said plan.