[h1][color=Maroon]Mark Emerson[/color] & [color=dodgerblue]Lihua Vuhong[/color][/h1]
[hr]

Just as Agent Vuhong ordered, Winged Metahumans from all over Verthaven were brought in for questioning. They couldn't get all of them in at once on such [i]short[/i] notice, but they managed to get quite a few. Right now, the Agents were cycling through the suspects, and questioning them of where they were during the time of the kidnapping, and for Lihua to get a good look at them.

Lihua was standing behind the mirror of the questioning room, leaning up on a hand up against the wall. She was watching fervorously. The current suspect they were interviewing, was a short-girl with white angelic wings... Definitely wasn't the guy. She's too small to be him. Lihua let out a sigh, before she put her fingers on her earpiece, "She isn't the one. Too small. Let her go." Lihua said. [i]At this rate, we'll never get Lijuan back.[/i] She thought to herself. She knew that the man that took her was most likely hiding by now. NEST Agents are also on hyper-vigilance mode, scanning the area for the man, or anyone else who was in the area.

The NEST Agent nodded his head, before telling the girl that she could go. She stretched her wings before she walked out the door.

"Heard what happened with your daughter." Maximilian said as he walked up, stopping right at Lihua's side. He didn't get a reaction from her. "I'm wondering if this is part of a bigger ploy..." He trailed off. "Because... who would kidnap a NEST Agent's daughter's - especially as high-ranking as yourself?" He asked.

"A fool." Lihua blankly replies. "They best realize I'm coming for her."

Max put his hand up. "Take it easy, Agent Vuhong." He warned her. "Don't get hasty. You'll play right into their hands."

Lihua loudly groaned. People think they're being helpful by telling her that. [i]How can she?[/i] Monsters are out there, and clawing for her only two children. Only in this case, Lijuan doesn't even have the tools necessary to defend herself.

"I'll be fine, Cornell." Lihua said. "Just let me handle this."

"This [i]is[/i] a NEST matter, you know?" Maximilian said. "The Changeling Unit are a national problem that has been plaguing Metahumans for decades now."

Lihua looked at him blankly.

"And what is one of NEST's goals?" Maximilian asked.

"... The safety of all Metahumans." Lihua groaned.

"Exactly." Maximilian said. "So, don't you think about doing this alone."

[i]My responsibility, and mine alone.[/i] Lihua ran the thoughts through her head.

The next person was lead into the room, and Lihua's eyes immediately narrowed her eyes. [i]That build.... those wings....[/i] Lihua thought to herself. Her sharp eyes scanned him during their brief encounter. Just for a situation like this. She could just [i]picture[/i] him in the armor. Her finger immediately went to her ear-piece,

"You can sit this one out." She said, "[i]I'll[/i] handle this one."

[hr]

Mark was nervous. He was an actor, and he played his part well, wore his mask well, but he was still nervous underneath it all. He had every right to be. He had rare hiccups at work in the past, as far as being shot at or pursued by car, but those were all [i]nobodies[/i]. But last night's job wasn't some nobody.

Aside from worrying about maintaining his illusion of harmlessness, he [i]also[/i] had to worry about the cyanide capsule tucked under his tongue. It scared him when he thought about it, and so, he tried not to. If worst came to worst, Mark was prepared to break it with a quick bite. It wasn't out of care for his coworkers or The Changeling Unit, but for his daughter. He would've preferred she be raised in foster care rather than risk her knowing his identity.

"Emerson, Mark." A stern looking man with a haircut and demeanor that only could've been supplied by the military opened a door at the end of the room, holding a clipboard. Mark stood up, sheepishly waving. He wore a pair of old grey jeans, brown work boots, a slightly oversized fisherman's sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a banana sticker strategically placed on his forearm where it would be the most visible.

He had purposefully cut himself shaving that morning on his neck and chin, covering two spots with circular bandaids just [i]barely[/i] too dark to match his skin. He wore a costume, and it was the same one he always wore when dealing with NEST. The [i]idiot costume.[/i].

He had to be careful not to overplay it, though he had no problem with that. He was a careful man by nature, which was how he managed to keep his job for so long. Every minute detail of his appearance, down to his walk, was kept in mind. He appeared exactly as he wanted to appear -- A harmless, forest-squatting simpleton.

[i]Alright Mark. Showtime.[/i] He thought to himself. Mark slumped his shoulders a bit, and unfocused his normally steely gaze. 

"I forgot to go earlier. Can I go take a leak really quick?"

The military man looked at him with the dour austerity of a Cigar store Indian. [i]"No."[/i]

Mark shrugged, and walked into the room with his hands in his pockets.

[hr]


Normally, Lihua wouldn't be caught at work in such an... [i]improper[/i] outfit. Yet, she had no choice. Situation called that she immediately head to the NEST Headquarters, and that's exactly what she did. Lihua stepped inside the room wearing the same outfit as before (A tank-top, grey sweatpants, and sandals. Of course she had her bra and underwear on). Her gun was tucked into her waistband. She slowly slid into the chair, and politely wrapped her hands on the table.

"Hello-" [i]You worthless bastard.[/i] "Can you tell me your name?" Lihua was doing a great job in containing herself. She always has, and always will.

"Howdy! Mark Emerson." Mark said with a dopey smile. He was a charming man, but he couldn't be charming. To have charm would mean that he possessed at least a certain level of intellect, and to show that he was smart could mean suspicion. It was safer to be a yokel than charismatic for now.

Mark Emerson. She was wondering where Agent Vahan was. He could easily solve this problem. Lihua let out a sigh, and realized that she'll have to do this herself. "I'll have to ask where you were at 3:10 PM."

"3:10 yesterday?" Mark paused for a moment. "I was out in my garden with my little girl yesterday 'till about four, I'd say." He nodded to himself. Technically, that [i]was[/i] what he was doing, and so it rolled off the tongue just a little bit more naturally.

"Anyone to corroborate your story?" Lihua asked.

Mark shrugged. "My little Marigold, but she's at school right now. Homeschool though, so it doesn't matter too much if she plays a little hookie." He said, leaning back into his chair. Though he was sweating bullets, he was maintaining his illusion expertly so far.

This bastard's just toying with her. He was sweating heavily, meaning he's worried about [i]something[/i]. She was ready to pull her Glock out of her waistband, and then [i]make[/i] him tell her everything he knows.

A man humming a song softly into her comms distracted her momentarily.

She put her fingers to her comm piece to say something, but Maximilian beat her to it.

"Agent Vahan, now isn't the time." Cornell said into the comms. 

Leon started walking up, his trench coat flowing with every step, and his sunglasses shined the second he stepped into the room. He looked around, and saw Maximilian looking at him. "Hey, what the hell is going on? I was taking a piss." He threw a thumb over his shoulder.

"Agent Vuhong is questioning this man... I believe she has a hunch." Max put his hand on his chin.

"Oh, lemme get to that." Leon smirked. His swirling white eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, started glowing. He started literally peeking into the man's head, and surprise, surprise, he was putting on a ruse. They got their man. He was the Changeling behind the kidnapping of Lijuan Vuhong. He pulled out of his mind.

He put his fingers to his earpiece - but quickly took them off. He turned his head to Maximilian, and asked him, "He's our guy... but I don't think that telling her this with him in there is, you know, the best idea." He used his ability to observe to spot the gun tucked into Lihua's pants.

Maximilian put his hand on his chin, as he thought about it. "Hmmm... Go for it. I trust Agent Vuhong on this matter."

Leon let out a sigh, and quietly muttered, "You're the boss-man." Before he put his fingers on the earpiece. "Agent Vuhong, I peaked into his head... He's our guy. I'll leave it up to you... but keep your cool. Remember that."

Just the words that Lihua wanted to hear. She just wanted some confirmation. She smirked. Before she came out and said it, "You best drop the ruse. We [i]know[/i] who you are, and you're just the man we want." Her hand drifted towards her gun, but she pulled away. No need. He'd get his ass kicked by Maximilian and every NEST Agent in the building should he attempt to leave. All Lihua was feeling was rage. Nothing. But. Rage. However, she controlled herself. Direct that rage in a healthy form. 

She tapped her fingernail onto the table, and said, forboding as possible, "Tell me what you did with my daughter this instant." 

Mark paused for a moment, his adrenaline kicking into overdrive. He knew that NEST had powerful telepaths, and her assured attitude could only mean one thing -- They were prying into his mind. 

Delicately rolling the capsule with his teeth, Mark's eyes darted around, looking for any escape. The window behind Lihua was caged, and the man who let him into the room was likely armed. He could shout, stun her, and make an escape through the front door while she was on the ground, then grab Marigold at the house, and...

Mark's normally fast-paced decision making skills sputtered. How long could he run? And to where? Even if he managed to escape, he had no friends to hide out with, and no place he knew he'd be safe. He probably wouldn't be able to get to the woods without being shot down by some marksman agent on the roof or something.

He realized that his moment to think had become a long, incriminating pause. He exhaled deeply. No matter the outcome, life was about to get a lot more difficult.

Mark sank into his chair, dropping his dopey farmboy smile, settling into his normal face. He didn't look sinister or proud, but [i]tired[/i].

"Don't suppose you NEST types would be willing to bargain?" His half-hearted attempt at lightening the mood did him little good.

There was no amount of training or discipline that could restrain Lihua. She immediately stood straight up, and whipped her glock out of her waistband. She pressed it up against Mark's skull, and pulled the trigger halfway.

"I told you to tell me where my daughter was - Do you [i]fucking[/i] get that?!" Lihua roared. "Tell me where she is, or I kill you right here, right now. That is your [i]only[/i] bargain."

Mark eyed her without moving. To an extent, he knew what she was going through.

"If you have a way to get information from my corpse, go right ahead." He gritted his teeth, but his tone was neither threatening nor gloating.

Lihua pushed the gun against his head even harder. "You're right. I'll just make this a lot more painful than it should, [i]dog[/i]."

A massive shadow appeared behind Lihua, and before she could even react [i]Echo[/i], Maximilian's power manisfesting in a golden-tinted copy of Maximilian, grabbed the gun at lightning speeds and yanked it out of her hand.

"Agent Vuhong, that is enough." Max said through the comms. "Control yourself, or I'm pulling you out." He should pull her out right now, but he knew that, if Agent Vuhong controls herself, she could get information.

"... Told you." Leon said, off-the-comms. His hand went to the earpiece, and he informed Lihua of a little fact he found out, "He's got an L-pill in his mouth. You won't get anywhere if he's dead, so just relax."

With Echo holding her gun, and standing over her, there was nothing that Lihua could use to threaten Mark with. Not with Maximilian snatching it out of her hands, or breaking it. Lihua let out a sigh, and with her eyes closed, she plopped right back down on the chair. And started taking deep breaths in, and then out. [i]Find your zen[/i], Lihua. She was calming herself down. She felt literally no threat than this man.

"If you're willing to talk, I can at least tell you she's not dead or anything like that." Mark said in a genuinely sympathetic tone.

Lihua groaned. "That's [i]swell[/i]... but you know [i]exactly[/i] what I want to know." Lihua growled at him.

Mark rocked his hand  with a pained expression, gesturing that he didn't know [i]everything[/i]. 

"The Changeling Unit is pretty secretive, even with their own members." He cleared his throat, and leaned forward. "I suppose I should give out the list of demands before I rat out all the others, eh?"

He gave her another half-hearted smile, hoping she'd at least chuckle. She didn't. He knew she didn't find him funny, but he wanted desperately to convey that he [i]wasn't[/i] a bad guy.

"What do you want...?" Lihua had to ask. "Let me tell you that you're [i]not[/i] in the position to be making any demands. In case you forgot, you're in one of the most secure locations in all of California. [i]Full[/i] of people trained to put down dogs like you." Lihua grit her teeth, and tapped her fingernail on the table.

Mark shrugged sheepishly. "That's all true, but I'm still the one with the kill pill." He cleared his throat again, cracking his knuckles nervously.

"First and foremost, I want my daughter far away from this. I don't want her to hear about it, I don't want her shipped off to some NEST boarding home, I don't want her sent back to her mother's." The demands he made were the first things he had said with any hint of anger or forcefulness.

"Secondly, I want to stay with her. Put an ankle bracelet on me, have cameras at my house, give me one of those collars," He threw up his hands. "Whatever. Clip my wings if you have to. I just want to be with my kid. We want the same things, okay? You let me stay with Marigold, and I'll start talking."

When he said "we want the same things", Lihua sneered. 

"Agent Vuhong," Lihua's comms came alive with Leon's voice, "If you could get the [i]rest[/i] of the Changelings out of him. If we rescue your daughter, and take out some Changelings, ain't that a win-win?"

"I agree with Agent Vahan." Maximilian said. "You need to see the bigger picture here."

[i]Like hell I'm going to let this bastard get away with breaking into my home, attacking me, and kidnapping my infant daughter, so he can get off with a slap on his wrist.[/i] Lihua thought to herself when she heard his demands, [i]and[/i] when her fellow Agents agreed to go along with it. Lihua dragged her nails along the tabletop, and got wood clipping underneath her nails. If it was up to her, she would be torturing this man until she [i]broke[/i] him, and he'd do [i]anything[/i] to make it up.

"Very well..." Lihua sighed. Seeming (and reluctantly) going along with it. "We, at NEST, accept your terms and conditions..."

However, there was [i]another[/i] thing she wanted to add.

Lihua quickly pointed her hand at the mirror, and closed her hands. Concrete spikes appeared from the floors and ceiling and completely covered the mirror. She quickly pointed her hand at the camera, and did the same. Then she covered the door in concrete.

"Agent Vuhong!? What are you doing?!" Maximilian shouted through the comms - only to get ignored by Lihua. This is a problem, he can't see through Echo, and was essentially blocked off from controlling him. She could do anything she wanted to Mark, and they'd standing here with thumbs up their ass.

She leaned into on the table, and stared Mark right into the eyes.

"I know that you're willing to say anything to... say, secure your freedom, but there's that [i]nagging[/i] feeling in the back of my skull that's telling me that this is one big trap for me and NEST. That you bastards had killed Lijuan ages ago, and this is apart of some scheme to remove one of the biggest threats NEST has to offer." Lihua started off. 

"You said that you had a daughter? Marigold, you said her name was?" Lihua asked him. "Say... maybe if this is a trap, or Lijuan doesn't get out alive. I'm not going to go for you... I'm going straight for [i]her[/i]." 

Lihua let the words hang out in the air. So Mark could absorb them. "I promise you, no matter where you hide her, I will find her, and [i]butcher[/i] her like the bitch she is. There won't be anything left for you to recognize. And, I can get away with it. You know what my job is? Uncovering crimes, and solving murders. I know exactly how to cover my tracks, and make it hard to track back to me as possible. Or you may not even find her for [i]months[/i] after what happened. And I won't even scratch you. I'll let you suffer, just as I would."

Lihua leaned back in her chair. and raised her fist in the air, and opened it. All the concrete barriers she had created had disappeared without a trace. She calmly folded her hands on the table, and asked him, "So, your choice."

Lihua didn't exactly mean it. It was nothing more than a bluff (If anything, she'd [i]help[/i] his daughter. Help her get away from him). She was attempting to ensure his compliance the only way she knew how.

With fear.

It was still very underhanded, and cruel, and she knew that. Threatening a man's daughter. Lihua had an ability that very few people had. It wasn't a superpower - but the [i]ability[/i] to detach herself from her humanity. Because she's long realized that, with all her sins, she's never going to be able to redeem herself. 

She was a demon of her own creation.

Mark's eyes were closed, as if he was still processing everything she had said. He knew what she was going through, he empathized with her, but even then, he had buttons to push just like any other man. He drew a sharp breath, filling his lungs with air.

In her anger, Lihua had never put a power nullification collar on him. His lungs were full of air, and nothing was there to stop him from [i]deafening[/i] her. He couldn't kill her, but the ability to permanently rob this woman of one of her senses became immediately apparent to him after hearing her threaten his daughter.

In the end, he chose not to.

He exhaled deeply, wondering if Lihua would ever understand the mercy he was granting her by trying to remain patient in spite of her threats. Instead, he tried a different approach. Though he opened his eyes, he kept his head lowered, focusing on questions he had asked himself many nights.

"Let me ask you something, Agent Vuhong. If something stood between you and your daughter, would you kill for her?"

"I'm considering it now."

Mark nodded. "What if the ante was upped a little? What about, say, arson? Would you burn a few strangers alive for your daughter?"

"... Of course."

"How about kidnapping?" Mark said, raising his head and staring into her eyes. "Hypothetically, if kidnapping a child would save yours, could you do it?"

"I'd find another way, one that wouldn't spread grief. It's what I always do."

"What if it wasn't there?" Mark asked, with a tone that was almost defensive. For the first time during the interview, Mark was neither collected, nor putting on a facade.  His hands were in fists, but not raised, and he stared at her with intensity.

What? Was this dog trying to drag her down to his level? She almost considered getting her gun back from Echo, and blasting his head off for even trying.

"If there was no other way, could you do it?" He repeated.

"I couldn't." Lihua hissed at him. She wasn't being true to herself, she knew that she'd definitely do it if there was no other choice. But, like hell that she's getting dragged down with this [i]childish[/i] reasoning.

"[i]I could.[/i]." Mark said coldly. His words seemed to resonate in the small room, carrying a great weight with them. Lihua was too angry to see, but it was very apparent to those watching the situation unfold through the camera, that Mark was not bragging. He was [i]confessing[/i], and his words carried a deep, hollow sadness to them. His hands unclenched, and he sank into his seat.

 There was a long pause before Mark spoke up.

"You ever see a level ten metahuman?"

"Yes. I... have seen many Metahumans." Lihua replied, her guard was up, and she wasn't going to fall for any tricks. Her days as a member of the Gai Hexin Yuan truly was something that haunts her. It's scary how powerful Metahumans can get, and what happens if they lose control.

Or have that control, and decide to burn it all. 

"I've only ever seen one, and it's my daughter. She's not registered, though. That'll probably happen soon, I guess." He leaned forward, chewing on a fingernail. "She has these, these..." He trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"Her eyes bug out, and blood comes out of, of everywhere, really." He exhaled again, hoping to regain his normal composure.

"Her power is harmful to her." Lihua blankly answered. What a sob story. She was keeping herself composed as possible - because she knew that she had dug her own grave with that stunt back there. Maybe... she should control herself better.

Mark nodded, but offered no response. "She has these seizures, basically. I don't know how to explain it as well as what I was told by the folks who make her medicine. They're at The Hands of Science.

Now he's associated with the Hands of Science, too? Made sense at this point. This better be going somewhere, other than trying to elect sympathy from her. She remained stone-faced the whole time.

Though Lihua's expression remained unchanged, Mark could tell she was now more interested in what he had to say. 

"I'll tell you about them too, just, let me explain myself a bit. This is the first chance I've gotten to talk to someone about it, so let me at least explain why I do, you know. What I do. I'm getting somewhere with this."

Everyone had their reasons for being who they are. Lihua at least acknowledged that. The Gai Hexin Yuan turned her into a monster. while America and motherhood has certainly... mellowed her out.

"So, Marigold has these seizures sometimes. She doesn't normally have telekinesis, but she does when she's having an episode. She's only ever had one fit I couldn't control, and that was before I knew what was wrong with her, and before I knew how to get her medicine." He paused again, shifting the cyanide pill uncomfortably in his mouth.

Mark pulled out his phone, oblivious to any rules against it, thumbing through bookmarks. "It's not a pretty picture. Take a look." He remarked, sliding his phone to her.

It was an article on a Colorado newspaper. There was a before and after picture -- On the left, there was a Google Maps photo of the rustic cottage Mark and Marigold lived in before their move to Verthaven. On the right was the "after". It seemed as if a bomb had been dropped. The cottage itself had been reduced to the foundation, and the forest of trees behind it ripped from the earth. The few trees still remaining had been shredded, missing large branches and chunks of bark.

She ignored regulation, just for a second. Just to humor him. She leaned in and read the article. Hm. She's a dangerous Metahuman if she's capable of all this destruction. Which meant more reason to take her out of his hands.

"Obviously, it wasn't an explosion. When she has these fits, her brain sends out these waves that just tear [i]everything[/i] to shreds. Everything." Mark said, watching her scroll through the article.

"Like she's flinging thousands of invisible buzzsaws in every direction." He explained. "Nobody knew what to do. Power suppressant collars were like chemo to her. Nobody knew why, but she would start withering away if she so much as got near one."

He straightened his back, continuing "So, a member of The Hands of Science tells me there's a way to keep her from living her life as a time bomb, [i]and[/i] keep her from dying, [i]and[/i] stop her fits altogether. Every time she starts to have a fit, I give her a shot, and her seizure goes away." He accentuated his remark with a loud snap of his fingers. "Gone. Just like that."

He leaned back in his chair, sighing with exasperation.

"Care to guess how much a dose is?" He asked sarcastically, as if the two were soccer moms complaining about the price of gas. "Two hundred thousand dollars." His words were without a hint of humor. "When they told me about the price, they explained there was an easy way someone with my abilities could get that kind of money.

"This explains your actions." Lihua said to him with sharp eyes. "But it doesn't justify them." She was quick to add on, just so Mark wouldn't lose track. "No matter how hard things were, you have to remember that nobody forced you to do so. Far as I can tell, there wasn't a single gun to your head...."

"Just because I wasn't being held up by a highwayman doesn't mean I had any more of a choice." Mark replied. "I'm not justifying what I do, I'm just justifying who I [i]am[/i]. And that's a guy who's had to do some fucked up things for his kid, who I'd appreciate that you not threaten."

"I'm just making sure you recognize personal accountability, and all." Lihua shrugged.

Mark closed his eyes and nodded, letting go of the last bits of anger he still held on to. 

"Now that I've got that out of the way, I hope you can understand that [i]I'm[/i] not the guy you should be pointing a gun at."

"Very well," Lihua folded her hands on the table. "Help us find them, and maybe you'll begin your own path to redemption."

Mark nodded again, trying to think of something that would be useful to her. "My boss is called Heartbreaker."

"Heartbreaker...." Lihua groaned. "I know of her. Natalie, her name is. She's on the NEST wanted list."

She folded her hands on the table.

"I'd like to know where she is. I want to meet her in person."

"I can bring you to her in less than an hour if you want. But she won't be alone."

"... And neither will I."