Issue Eight Interlude II: Motya Cheykina

Louise smiles and motions for Motya to follow her to an adjacent meeting room. "Our security systems are tied into several databases, law enforcement and otherwise. Your image was fed through these databases as you approached the building and matched to one taken back when you were working with local law enforcement."

"Oh, I see, that's understandable then," she said, looking a bit embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that herself. "So, I guess you already have an idea of my references then. I guess it isn't the most glamorous of activities, acting the part of a dead or missing victim."

"Probably some", Louise replies. "But it's probably best to get it in your own words", she adds cheerfully.

Sitting down in a meeting room adjacent to the entryway and the concourse, Louise asks Motya several questions, indicating that these are only 'preliminary background' questions and that she's sure the team chairpersons and government liaisons will have more questions for her. Louise stresses that there is no need to answer any questions you are uncomfortable with. She goes on to ask questions about Motya, her family, birthplace, personal beliefs, and any organizations she is a member of. She explains that members of the AEF receive a weekly stipend of $100 in addition to room and board, should they choose to stay at Avengers Tower, although some members do have other residences. She can give you some general history on the team and the "farm club" project in Buffalo, specifically, as well as a opy of teh Avengers charter and by-laws which, Motya is pretty sure, could be easily found on the internet.

The Avengers 'proper', Louise says, consists of three teams, one based on each of Los Angeles ('west'), NYC ('east'), and Buffalo ('north'). In addition, there are two 'franchise' teams or 'farm clubs' of heroes-in-training/reserve. One is based here in Buffalo and the other in the American southwest (comprised mostly of the old Texas Rangers superhero team).

During this interview, Motya hears an occasional electronic beep from just outside the meeting room, where 'Bob' is pacing back and forth. After a few minutes, Motya realizes he appears to be playing a handheld video game. After one particularly loud series of chirps, Motya hears Bob utter an exuberant "Yes!", which he accompanies with an energetic fist pump. Louise reacts simply by saying his proper name.

"Robert."

At which point, Bob stashed whatever it was he was playing with in his cape.

Louise turns back to Motya, smiles, and continues as if nothing happened.

[Louise will answer any other questions she can, leaving complex or difficult issues to be answered by team members once they are available. Once both sides are content that they have as much information as they can obtain, Louise will once again inform Motya that she will pass this information along to the team leadership as soon as they are available and begin to walk her to the door.]

Room and board was tempting given the rather puny apartment she currently kept on her rather small budget. In addition to the extra $100 a month.

"I don't suppose there is any problem with me being a lawyer at all, I mean She-Hulk is a lawyer and she does fine," she said as she looked over the forms. "Given I'll be sort of a reserve status and my case load is...well...small."

At the moment, the case load was nil, actually.

She let the woman answer that question as they walked to the door.

"Not at all!", Louise comments as they walk towards the door. "In fact, we have several people in related professions on staff...I, myself, worked as a legal secretary for a couple of firms for many years before..."

Interrupting Louise, an obnoxiously loud alarm begins to echo through the building.

Not far away, Bova drops a sheet of freshly baked cookies while removing them from the oven.

Several floors above her, Byran Justinian Gamble, the NSC liaison, hides under his desk.

Several floors above him, scientist Gordon Fields spills some chemicals he was transferring between test tubes as the alarm goes off. "Drat! Another setback!", he exclaims to no one in particular.

Four floors below him, a short, humanoid male with dirty blonde hair and pointed ears places something into a glass showcase in the Avengers' trophy room.

Seven floors below him, a woman with long blonde hair and pale skin, clad in a brown, flowing dress covered with green and orange leaf-shaped patterns like some sort of abstract camouflage pattern, manifests in one of the tower's many guest rooms.

"Home again, home again, jiggity jig", the woman says to herself.

"What is that?" Motya snapped looking around hurriedly as she slipped her purse off her shoulder and set it aside on a flat surface and falling back flat against a wall, pulling Louise with her (or at least trying to).

It was a bit of training from the police, minimize your silohuette with cover, maximize your range of vision.

Waiting a bit for either an answer from Louise or the appearance of an intruder, assuming she'd recognize one. Motya prepared to move for the nearest exit once she was certain that they weren't in immediate danger.

And if they were in immediate danger, well, at least she had that part of her power under control.

"Bob! Take us to wherever the trouble is!", Louise yells at the colorful Avenger as she grabs both his hand and Motya's. A translucent blue bubble forms from rays of energy projected out of Bob's wristbands and encapsulates the threesome.

Motya realizes too late she probably shouldn't have put her purse down.

Outside the semi-transparent blue sphere, Motya can see the inside of the building rapidly fly past the outside of the sphere, although she feels no sensation of movement on the inside. The bubble eventually comes to rest in a room full of monitors and computer consoles. Each of the previously mentioned individuals can be seen on at least one of the monitors in the room. Quickly scanning the monitors for anything...or anyone out of place, Louise's eyes are drawn to two particular displays. Pointing to the individuals in the third floor trophy room and tenth floor bedrooms, Louise exclaims "There! Bob, do you know either one of them? Motya, are either of them with you?"

Motya shook her head as she took in the two individuals.

"I came alone," she responded. "I don't know who those people are."

She watched them carefully as they went about their actions.

The male is leaving the trophy room and headed upstairs. You did not see what, if anything, he did in that room.

The female seems to be just inspecting the contents of the bedroom. Not ransacking it, but just looking around.

"He's heading upstairs -- probably to meet up with her -- Bob, get us up there, now!", Louise orders.

Once again, the protective blue sphere forms around you and visions on the outside of the sphere sweep by nauseatingly fast. It appears your bubble is spiraling up a staircase shaft. After a brief while, the image outside stops moving and the bubble disincorporates, leaving the three of you in a hallway with several doors off of it...

More to come.

Motya immediately starts scanning the area looking for any sign of coming danger.

"What was that that he did? What did you do?"