xp_logs | Divine Will: Church of Humanity

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Hope turns to her own team to get some help in dealing with the first group.

"Divine Will Church is the major sponsor of the bill that would allow medical personnel to refuse to treat mutants under a freedom of belief clause. They claim this was because funding was made available to specifically equip ambulances and other medical facilities to help mutants better and the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences wants to institute obligatory mutant-specific medicine classes for medical professionals, not just a week of human-variant medicine." Hope explained as she rose from the table, handing everyone a folder with the information she had gathered.

"My hope is that by taking out the major sponsor, this bill will die in committee. I need to know what I can use though to do that and I do not have the ability to fully investigate on my own. A vice often works best to combat the virtuous, but I do need a vice.... And that is where you come in."

Political activism, whether above board or underhanded, was usually out of XFI's wheelhouse, but Hope had brought them something they could not pawn off onto someone else. And besides, who doesn't love embarrassing politicians and destroying their careers and livelihoods? Quentin would consider it an early birthday present. "It's a church, so how far are we gonna have to look until we find some children who were brought a little too close to Jesus?" he caustically speculated. "Though let's be real, uncovering Pastor Bad Touch doesn't always turn these kinds of people away."

"I know vices," Warren piped up. "I know them all. I can spot a fellow addict at 50 paces as the crow flies." He was trying hard to get his southern vernacular in place for this. "Please tell me that this is when I finally get to add drugs to the budget line for an invoice, Hope. This is the only thing I've ever wanted in my entire life. My life's dream, so to speak, since I decided it five minutes ago."

"I reckon we oughta leave the accountin' t'those in charge of, uh... the accountin'," Inez said, smirking a little at Warren's attempts at sounding colloquial. "Though I'm bettin' we'll be able to dig up somethin' that's meant to stay buried in due course... hopefully not literally," she finished with a frown. Thumbing open the folder Hope had handed out, she tilted her chin up towards the other woman in question. "How much time d'you want for a turn around? We'll do our best but just so we know what we're workin' with here."

"Frankly, the sooner the better, but I rather go more thorough and bury them firmly than go quickly and up with sloppy work." Hope explained. "I will play the long game with them if I have to, but something tells me a quick and definite smoking gun unleashed at once is what is required here."

Bea tilted her head, eyes firmly on Hope as the brunette spoke as she gently chewed on her lower lip. "So, they're like televangelists funding a mutant refusal health bill? Right? I read it, but I admit, it's awful confusing to me, sorry."

"That's basically it," Sue agreed, nodding her head at Bea, "Paying off politicians and the whole media thing to get what they want...how dare they, that's my job." A small smile ghosted the blonde's lips she settled back in her chair, "I vote we allow Warren to go with plan drug, it'd be hilarious...and you know probably effective."

"I know a thing or two 'bout fundie churches like this, grew up in 'em." Sam said, lips pulled taut in a line. "I can at the very least get on the same playin' field as parishioners and get information that way if not speak the language good enough to talk to the clergy themselves and get a better idea of what's goin' on. With my accent and a few put upon moments of southern charm I oughta be able to convince 'em that I'm with them enough to get info. But, and I can't believe I'm sayin' this, Warren's right- the pastor's always got a vice. It's gettin' to 'im to figure out what the vice <i>is</i> that'll be his issue."

"A vice... one big enough... that is all that I need." Hope gave a decisive nod. "I can take it from there. However, I will not be able to join you in Pennsylvania. Sue will join you after a few days. She has another matter to attend to first."

"That's a shame. We'll miss you both," Arthur responded brightly as his attention was drawn up from the small mess he'd made from the paperwork. Paperwork now covered with some strategically placed stick figures. "I'll be the guy and say it," continued the guy who was usually that guy, "but is playing dirty the only way here? It is very noir, and I'm happy to help . . ."

Arthur left the 'but' unsaid, but his smile twitched slightly at the edges.

"It's for the greater good," Quentin assured him. "Respectability has never won political games, especially when lives are on the line. Surely this is the right balance of selfish and selfless for you."

"We'll call this your final exam for selfishness, Arthur," Warren added. "And if all else fails, blame me. Everyone else does, and I have enough money to say 'I have no comment' and get away with it."