| Sin's Interrogation | |||||
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| What: After being returned to her father, Sin is subjected to an interrogation by HYDRA newcomers Taskmaster and Baroness. | |||||
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Place: HYDRA Base - North Atlantic Ocean
Time: 17:50, Sunday
"Nearly ten minutes early: I think this might be a first for one of our crafts since the rebuilding began."
In one of the submarine hangar bays, a small welcoming party stands assembled. The HYDRA troops are in full body armor, with their rifles held at attention. They form a walkway of sorts from the door of the recently-docked submarine, all the way down the landing. There, at the bottom of the landing, stands the actual 'party.' Several officers in black HYDRA coats, their boots as shiny as their buttons. The commander of the base stands in the forefront, flanked by a couple of bright-looking younger people. It is he who replies to the rhetorical question. "I believe you may be right, Herr Skull. But now that traffic has been rerouted I doubt we will be having scheduling problems again."
"Hmph." It's the only answer the base commander receives from the man who, while not actually standing in formation, is clearly one running the show. He's wearing a uniform similar to that of the other officers, but he's the only one with a dark red skull for a head. Apparently in this organization, that's a more prestigious emblem of rank than any badge or stripe. "They've docked and passed the screening protocols, yes? Well then open the airlock and let them out. I have business to discuss with some of our new... acquisitions."
The cloak and dagger espionage to straight up super criminal element isn't unknown to the Taskmaster, hell it is his bread and butter. As long as he has had his moniker he's been diving in out of of missions for the likes of A.I.M., Lethal Legion, the Secret Society, the Maggia, you name it but it's always impressive when one of these outfits has something like an entire submarine. Humbling almost if he wasn't who he is. The 'TSA' like shakedown to get to meet the man in charge cumbersome and comical as usual but getting better when you're walking down a line of men who look like they should be on one of the Emperor's Star Destroyers. "Man, I love Hydra. Toss a hail in there somewhere." The villainous combat instructor quips out past grinning white teeth. Not really to anyone in particular of course. He does after all suffer from a broken internal dialogue.
As expected the man is garbed in full gear from head to toe, kevlar, weapon harness, pistols, a sword and what weaponry he was allowed to keep on his person.
"Ah... every bit the heavily-armed man of action I was expecting. Taskmaster, the pleasure of your acquaintance is long overdue."
The Red Skull's English is careful and slow, but this doesn't completely hide the traces of his accent. At his age, it's unlikely he'll ever be able to fully disguise it. He takes a few steps forward in order to meet the new arrival, but he leaves both of his hands folded behind his back. With a nod of his head, he indicates a few waiting HYDRA troops. "These men will see that your personal effects are stored in your new quarters, which will be ready for you when you wish to retire." He turns away and with another nod of his head gives a pretty clear indication that he wishes to be followed. "For now, though, I've got an urgent matter that requires your immediate attention." "I should say the same, you are after all the man footing the bill." A casual yet observant once over is given to the hangar before Taskmaster gives a tip of his head towards the Red Skull. "Not to mention you have a great sense of style." "My companion got held up docking. Some poor soul packed the wrong suitcase. She may be a moment." The amusement is heard in his tone. "Fashionably late I suppose..."
Sin is dressed in style, her corset marked with the Red Skull symbol. Her hair is dyed, but the smell of the dye is finally fading as she showered earlier. On her left cheek is a wound that has been liquid stitched closed, and the swelling is still obvious though it has gone down from yesterday. Her split lip was also liquid stitched closed. There is a medical report on the table with all her injuries, including two cracked ribs, bruising, and electrical burns which are also revealed on her exposed upper arms. She was efficently tortured, though the actual damage was kept minimum while the sensation of pain was put high.
The chair and table are bolted in the interrogation room. Sin herself, the daughter of Red Skull, is strapped to the chair with her ankles and wrists bound to it. But she just licks her lips and tilts her head back, a sadistic and crazy grin on her face as her eyes close.
- Later...
"Right down this corridor."
The Red Skull continues walking toward the destination, leading slightly. The corridors become narrower the further they get away from the main hub, but they stay surprisingly well-lit. Apparently geothermal energy is cheap once it's been gotten running. At the end of the corridor, the door is marked 'Interrogation Block B.' When you're building an underwater base, you evidently need more than one interrogation block.
The Skull places his hand over the palm reader and bends over to place his eye over the retinal scanner. The computer's voice responds with 'Identity confirmed: The Red Skull.' and the doors whoosh open in a satisfyingly sci-fi manner.
From the interrogation block's main area, one can see all three of the individual interrogation rooms via two-way mirrors. In one of the rooms, a man is having little strips of flesh peeled of of his back with what appears to be a rusty potato peeler. In another room, a woman in a HYDRA uniform is being yelled at by an officer who has grabbed her by the hair and has her head held inches away from a butane torch. And then there's the other room, in which a red-headed burgeoning psychopath is strapped to a chair.
"I'm very good at finding the truth of things. There are some who would say that it's my specialty. When I have made up my mind to learn a secret from someone, I always find what I'm looking for." The Red Skull doesn't say this with any sort of pride or any indication of boasting. He just says it. "But after I've gotten what I want, my subjects typically perish soon after. Or wish that they had." He stands in front of the glass, looking at the bound girl. "Normally this is fine. But in this case, a more subtle approach must be used. The subject in this room is not to be harmed, but she may be put through whatever stress is necessary to compel the truth from her. I must know where she has been since her caretaker lost track of her, what she has been doing for the last three years, if there is any indication of further brainwashing left addling her brain. And most of all... I need to know if she can be trusted. Here." He hands the Taskmaster a folder containing the reports of a field operative who rescued Sin and of Sin herself. "These are their reports, I need you to verify them. Find out what I want to know."
Morbid fascination, admiration, and some unease coupled with a vast amount of general indifference are the motions of humanity worn underneath that bone white skull mask. "Nice lighting in here." Taskmaster comments off-handedly before taking the dossier out of the man's hand. "I don't doubt you one bit." No jesting or humor in that response, just flat obvious agreement. "This isn't usually my forte. But hey, you're the boss.".
Who is sh-." He pauses skimming through the file. "Guess we get to find out firsthand." Tipping his fingers up he makes to exit the room, "Anything else before I go pay a proper how do you do to your guest?"
So, packing apparently is a chore when you have someone else do it for you. Baroness, however did not enter with the suitable peturbed look on her face - at least she is -fashiinably- late. Her corret things arrived and she was not stuck with the maids pink floral palm tree sun dress from hell. From pointed and armored toe to mid thigh those boots rode plated in an armor that bent amicably with joints and kept her approach relatively silent. The body suit bore straps for affixing weaponry in according places. A shoulder holster for two side arms, both thighs bearing daggers and just above the empty straps for more side arms that were likely in the large duffel that was toted by another tac-suit wearing man at her side. His expression was what look troubled, but only borne at the corners of his eyes, flicking from her back to the small bag in her hand that looked like it harbored a bowling ball.
Entering the room a hand smoothed through the free-falling long locks of pitch that rode down between shoulder blades, glasses flashing excess light from the lenses as she scanned the surroundings to settle on occupants. "Adolf sends his apologies for my tardiness." That accented voice states with the amused lilt that rode on the corners of upturned lips.
When your face has very little tissue, it's not always easy to get your emotions across with a look. However, the slight curl of Red Skull's lip and the slight narrowing of his eyes as he turns his head around to greet the Baroness is more than enough to express his irritation at hearing a certain named referenced. However, any look that was there as his head begins to turn is gone by the time he's completed the motion. When he is fully facing the new arrival, it is with an absolutely placid, dispassionate expression.
He nods in the direction of Taskmaster. "I believe that should be all you need to complete the task. I hear you're not bad at completing those..."
His gaze returns to the Baroness. "I suppose I'll have to catch you up, Freifrau, as from what I understand this sort of thing is more your forte than your friend's. I wish this girl to be debriefed, thoroughly, regarding her whereabouts and activities for the last three years. I want to know that she's telling the truth, and I want to know if she's learned anything useful during her time at the facility. But most importantly, I want to ensure that she is free from any lingering indoctrination and that she can be trusted. And I want this done in such a way that she is not harmed. This should not be a problem for someone of your reputation, yes? You two may work together. Consider it your initiation."
So no worries, it's not like there's any pressure.
And wait till you meet Sin! She jiggles the metal casps over her wrists and ankles. The bolted chair isn't moving. Her eyes are still closed, head leaning back, and she...yawns. "Boooorrrreeeeeedddddd," a slight German accent to her voice. Apparently, that's a clue that she is done with waiting. She flicks a tongue out to lick her lower lip, feeling the liquid stitching on it. "Mmmmm." There is no tenseness in her body language really or fear, just...annoyance.
"That is my motto and all." Or some such bullshit. Change of slogan may be needed one of these days. Taskmaster brushes past the Baroness as she makes her entrance. "A shame about that guy (Adolf) he cooked a mean Pasta Primavera." Adolf no doubt the guy who packed her belongings for this trip wrong.
A door opened and closed brings him standing in front of the lunatic daughter of the infamous Red Skull. Such a loving family. "Hi there!" He says in an overly cheerful manner. "Should I call you Samantha or Sinthea? You kind of look like you might even be a Sally." Her file held in his hands the lighting in this room only adds a larger grin to the skull mask he wears within seconds he is looming above the chair she has been restrained to. "Squirmy Sally. I like that."
The man that enters with Baroness stands to the side with the duffel hanging at his side now, at a form of attention with his gaze affixed forward and at nothing - a statue once a place to be such is found. That small bag in her hand remains there, fingers groaning over the leather handle as her grip fluxes in tension around it, the only response for a moment until her gaze tilts from Johann to Taskmaster as he enters the room.
"We /may/? Why thank you." Her words should have held sarcasm, but instead held nothing. Turning to look through the windown at Sin and yet keep Johann in view as well a single brow rises. "Ah to be young and /enduring/. So I have to be -gentle-? I'll do my best." This time though, through that narrowed gaze and periphery she grins to Johann and pushes into the room with Taskmaster, attempting to grip the dossier from his hands to read up on the captive.
One eye slowly opens and Sin stares at Taskmaster a bit before her other eye opens. They are violent. But a sweet smile curls about her lips, "Hey...missed the red on your face. Should I call you Daddy now?" Her voice is practically a purr, and her back arches with her shoulders that roll back suggestively. "Though it doesn't look like you need a b$^#, you already got one." Her head tilts to the side and her sweet smile turns into a wicked grin.
Body language is where Taskmaster will read the young woman like a book. "Red isn't a good color on me. In any form and daddy? Heck nah. That just gives me the heebies." Casually he folds his arms up across his chest in to that akimbo like fashion once Baroness swipes the file from him. "Mouth on this one, no wonder you look like you do Sally or should we call you Sinthea?" Yeah, it says she doesn't like to be called that. Fish a bit and see what arises, this is more of a profiling than an actual torture anyways. Her father did say not to harm her right? He is pretty sure that was in there somewhere. No response of his own in regards to the jab about Anastasia. The woman can handle her own - besides chick fights were the best kind right? Sure.
Setting the file aside she lowered to a crouch where one leg is bent and braced beneath her, the other just before her as if she could be ready to lunge or just rest in a position to rise or spring. The bag is held in front of her, hooked fingers bouncing it up and down, slowly and deliberately. "Yes, he tends to dabble with experience, and tact. Neither of which I see you offer." Baroness states with a rise and fall gesture of empty hand.
"And definitely not on the side you seem to tread on." That said she flicked open the file to a page with the SHIELD logo, twisting it so she can at least glimpse it before she slaps it shut.
"Why, Father must hate you and want you dead for you to be calling me that." Sin smiles with excitement. She won't forget. "Sooo, what you want to know? How to disect a human being so that they are living while they watch you pull their guts out, or want to know about how I broke up with my last boy toy cause he was 'lacking'," her eyes dropping to look below Taskmaster's belt. "In high school, they called the -boyfriends-. Can you believe it? How retarded is that?"
Sin's eyes flicker toward the Baroness, and she smirks. "Bat gets the job done just as good as a cigar burn. I take pleasure in my work, nothing wrong with that. Mother Night always said I was the fastest learner, the most brutal too. If you want, can show you sometime sweetcakes. Just you and me."
But Sin then flickers her eyes back to Taskmaster, "Do like the mask though, might take it later. It is kinda sexy."
"So... Adolf? How do you like the new interrogation block?" Red Skull watches the proceedings from his safe vantage point behind the glass. He is clearly amused by something, but it's probably impossible to tell what.
"It was just finished last month. It's already starting to smell a bit like body odor and burnt flesh though." He taps his fingers against the bicep of his other arm.
A low whistle escapes Taskmaster and he looks from Sin to Baroness. "May want to tone it down a notch Sally, keep your insult slingin' towards Officer Friendly over here." His hand waves his own direction. All he can read off the woman is the pointedly obvious... rage and a buncha crazy. Insert jokes about typical of most women but this ain't quite the same. "Not sure what Girl Scout Badges that 'tude earned you in the past but right now ain't the time to go gunning for 'em. What we get to learn now is what kinda vacation you been having past three years, some Cancun College Girls Gone Wild or getting hold up with some drugs in your arm in a trailer park, bout you just hit us up with some story time, huh? 'fore we have to get ugly. Ugly isn't always as fun as it sounds either."
The convo of the Red Skull and Baroness' henchman obviously going unheard but it would be laugh worthy if he knew it was transpiring.
"I'd delight in that, but it'll have to wait, for now I am under the impression I have to... Behave. So should you." With a deft movement that bag in front of Baroness unzips via gloved hand. In one fluid motion akin to a felinesque stretch she hooks fingers under the handle and tosses the bag at Sin's feet where it impacts with a dull thud and peeling from the inside the contents roll forward to reveal a pale haired man, though his eyes are indiscernable in hue by being vacuous. "I do so like bowling. Perhaps you can join the /league/ if you learn to play like the rest of us." Now she is back to a stand and moving in a languid motion towards Sin, opposite side of where Task stands.
"Meet Adolf, he didn't work out." Baroness tsks.
Sin scowls unhappily at Taskmaster. She -doesn't- want to talk about it, and she is weighing her options. She is actually a smart girl, just got a lot of anger issues that often get in the way of her doing the smart thing. "You know, you should meet some real men mister." She smirks, "Crossbones now, that's a -real- man. He can turn any girl to mush. Could help your style."
But when Baroness acts and rolls that head. "Wasn't much worthy of the name, was he?" But there is excitement in Sin's eyes as she bites at her lower lip, before licking it once released. She's warring with herself. She's liking Baroness, but she doesn't want Baroness to know about her screw up.
"Crossbones? Sweet kid. Hope he still doesn't let his left arm hang to low when he fights. And if you're familiar with him you should know who I am and that his idea of a girl falling to mush for him is one he's sent through a trash compactor. Probably right up you ladies alleys." A foot tap on the leg of the table to indicate the decapitated former employee of the Baroness, Adolf. It was a horrible name choice but not one he had to worry about anymore. "So back to your bandcamp stories... second time I'm asking third won't be so friendly, ever heard of scaphism? Persians are twisted brilliant people. With a loon like you we may have to hop straight to that." Grisly. Probably not where he's going to leap either but a bluff is all part of the Officer Friendly routine. For now.
The unnamed henchman behind the mirror pauses and manages to go a shade paler than he already is as the Red Skull initiates what could be small talk with him, he's been trained to fear and respect men like him, how does one respond to this sort of thing. "Uh." Uh it is. Followed by a long swallow. That sick thump sound of a head landing inside the room was exactly what his stomach just did. Half part giddy at a criminal celebrity like the Red Skull talking to him and half part intense deep fear. SAY MORE THAN UH! Prove you are not just a red shirt. Got nothing. Still just uh.
"Oh... so it really was a head. I honestly thought she was just going to use the bag as a prop and pretend it was a head. It's much cheaper, but you have to be a pretty convincing actor."
The Skull turns around, looking at the poor nervous man. "I like you. I'm going to call you Kleines Eichhornchen."
Kleine? This is like Vin Diesal rumors of being named by Chuck Norris. He'll wear it proudly for as long as he might exist on this earth. Which may not be long considerng who he works for and who /she/ seems to work for. Next up from the Red Skull is what?
Stare and nod. Don't smile wild animals don't always like smile, practice the henchman poker face and just agree like a good lackey and you'll get to keep your head. One of the reasons 'Kleine' has outlasted three 'Adolfs' he keeps his trap shut and he knows not to touch the boss ladies shit. Always leave that up to someone else.
"Sweet huh? He kinda is, isn't he?" Thinking of Crossbones. But on the other hand! Well, Sin rolls her eyes, "Honey or the like coating to attract insects, trap them in a trough, and when the sun rises, they will die slowly and painfully. I personally prefer burying them in the ground, and when the fire ants come up, they have a blast. They scream louder," Sin suggests.
And she snarks, she asks questions, she tries to draw blood with her words, and other times she sounds sweet and curious. And when she pushes Taskmaster and he thinks she needs some encouragement, she takes her punches and laughs. The first one likely gets a, "You hit like a high school girl!" But when she spits blood, she grins with some respect. At one point, Taskmaster gets too close and she actually head butts him, violently. Hard enough he would feel it through the mask, but it also split her forehead open so she bleeds. It only causes Sin to grin, "Damn, that felt good."
She seems particularly interested in Baroness though, as Sin tries to find out who trained her, what she likes to wear beneath her cat suit, and her favorite liquor. Yep, Sin is in a love and hate relationship with Baroness, and all Baroness did was show how bad-ass she can be. Poor Baroness.
Three hours later...
Baroness finally gave up, likely with the: 'I'm going to kill her,' feeling becoming overpowering, and gives in to the desire for a hot bath with bubbles.
Sin licks some of the blood off that dripped down from her forehead and nose. "Alright, I'm tired. I still feel like shit from when I was tortured till I grew a pair and got some brain cells back." She then closes her eyes and mmms, "Uniforms, they aren't S.H.I.E.L.D. White lab coats, the smell of chemicals. Shocks, it felt like I was juiced all the time. Then going to school, being supposedly 'normal', bored out of my damn skull. Always angry, didn't like it, unhappy. Classes, they seemed too easy. Pranking the teachers, I liked it when the guys screamed like girls cause of the snakes in their desks. Boys were boring, boring, boring! None of them had a real pair. Had more fun with myself. There were always people watching, I wonder if they got a kick out of that," and Sin grins wickedly.
Her eyes finally snap open, "Seriously, just remember being 'normal', and someone always watching. I never felt like I was alone. Everything felt suffocating, and I had no where to go, no where I belonged, no where I could run to. Forgot how to fight, forgot how to hurt people for real, couldn't remember s$^*. But pain, it clarifies things, you know? It makes you remember what's important." And Sin's eyes narrow at Taskmaster, "And that's my Father. So, how about you undo these cuffs, I see if you have balls worth mentioning, and then I go get my own bath with bubbles. I want pink bubbles." As if she expects Taskmaster to make this happen, he's good with tasks, right?!
The hot bath with bubbles idea seemed to also be one the Baroness hosted not long after watching Taskmaster pull back and give Sin a taste of knuckles with a right hook was she departing. Leaving the man to deal with the Skull's offspring and the rest of the interrogation.
Tough, it seems to go with the crazy routine. He's used to this in women around him. Everyone of them is batshit insane and lethal as all get out. Rubbing his knuckles as he stands there Taskmaster releases an audible grunt, having moved at some point to sit on the edge of the table. "Lotsa issues and not just Daddy ones." He comments. She had irritated him with the headbutt but then again it was a rookie mistake on his part. "So this has been your life, huh? Feel like a unique snowflake still?" A glance at the mirror as if he was trying to read the man behind it, (if even still there). Hard to get much out of the woman as she is. Time would probably be the best tell. This was just a preliminary no doubt this was also known and probably a test for himself and the Baroness as well. "Clearly I don't care who is or isn't your daddy. You're a job right now, darlin and that is all."
Although he's had little else to do besides make small talk with the 'little squirrel', Red Skull has, for whatever reason, stayed behind the glass and watched every minute of the attempts to persuade her. Fatherly concern, maybe? After more than three hours of activity, he has apparently learned whatever it is he wished to know. He extends his hand, flipping the switch to the intercom in order to allow his voice to be heard in the room.
"Thank you, that will suffice for now. I'm sure you're very tired and wish to see how resplendent your quarters are. There is a guard outside to escort you and Eichhörnchen here to where you'll be staying." With a quick flip of his finger, the intercom is back off. "You know what the funny thing is? We've got a fully capable psychic on staff at this very base. He read her mind while she was sleeping last night."
So maybe he wasn't staying because of fatherly concern. When you're the Red Skull, nobody gets to judge.
Sin rolls her eyes at Taskmaster. "Hey...got a headache, I know I should say I need to wash my hair now, but honestly, I'd rather have some painkillers." Well, wonder how she got that headache?! Duh! She snorts, "Ya, and you doing wonderful honey, just great. Can you rub my right shoulder while you are at it?"
And there is a reason Sin's voice is sounding hoarse about now. She just won't shut up! But at least Taskmaster outlasted her stamina, but she was worn out even with a good night sleep before then. She licks at her lip, a habit she apparently has with it split. Even the liquid stitching broke from the punches though, so she worries the wound.
Sin grunts, mostly at herself. She seems about to say more, but her Father's voice comes over the intercom. Her eyes lower below Taskmaster's belt again, before raising to his skull masked face which has a splatter of blood on it, her own. "See, knew red looked better on your face baby. And guess I got to play nice for now. But you are sticking around, I'm sure we have more -FUN- later." "Feel like we just started too. I been dying to do this whole keelhauling thing to someone since I got to Madripoor.. never happened and now.. eh." Mock pouting isn't seen behind the mask but the mercenary gives a nod to the mirrored surface and slides off the table. "Joy. I imagine it'll be a blast and once again, red ain't my color." This exercise was just a taste no doubt. Unphased by the glances or postures Sin's been putting herself through Taskmaster proceeds out the door with 'little squirrel' in tow. The Red Skull can no doubt find him when he needs his services. Taskmaster is in for the long haul.
Once again, the Skull's voice comes over the intercom. "Wait there for a moment Sinthea. I'll have a guard come and take you to your quarters as well." Inside the room, he looks at a completely different set of files, complete dossiers of all three of the people who were just in the room. A bit of light reading. As he leaves the room, leaving his daughter to chill for a minute, he chuckles to himself. "I suppose they'll have to do."