Andrew enters the room last taking a moment to check the halls before closing and locking the door. He listens to Steve's analysis and Joani's comments. He smiles, with a little skill and some luck they'd at least have this one thread wrapped up before the day was out.

"Well, we can certainly set up the contact to appear completed and then leave Joani as bait. Granted I don't feel too good about the last part, how do we detain and combat somebody that can jump bodies at will?" Andrew looks genuinely concerned that while this parasite will take the bait that he and Steve will not be able to do anything about it.

"Still I can easily hide in the room and provide backup. I do a mean impression of a lounge chair," he says winking at Joani. "Unless this parasite is smart enough to check for other, hidden, novas that will not be a problem. "

Andrew shakes his head, "It's still too dangerous though, we need a way to incapacitate her before she can jump bodies. If Cody was around, well... moot point he's not. Steve, the jumper is subject to the physical abilities of the host right? A tranquilizer should be able to take down the baseline host before she could jump back into Joani yes?"

Assuming this is true Andrew lays down his plan. They will go back to the conference room and complete the negotiations for the contract. Phineous will leave early in order to get into position in Joani's room with a tranquilizer gun ready. Steve/Howard will complete the contract and leave. Joani goes back to her room where the parasite will hopefully attempt to reacquire her. Andrew tags the parasite with the tranquilizer gun and they can safely apprehend their culprit.

"So what do you think?"

Steve says,

"Hold it, No! No way do we run the risk of letting her get her hands on a super-powered body. We already know she can run you well enough to fly. It might even be easier for her to take over again since she's had so much practice."

"I see no evidence she's a full telepath, so she shouldn't see this coming. As a rule, telepaths aren't this shallow and obsessed with shallow flattery. And mind reader with her powers could just take over someone who is already at the top. People like that already have lots of Hollywood relationships and it'd be odd if she couldn't remember them. Thus all the time developing you."

"Cody won't be able to hide from her. He tried to stay hidden last time and she spotted him. Smart money says she can recognize mental powers, even when she's not involved. Ah, shoot. Andrew, that includes the link."

"So no tracking, telepathic or otherwise. We let the studio release the details of that deal of yours. Give her a day or two for her to realize what's happened."

"While you're out supposedly signing papers & meeting people, Cody will teach you the basics of mental defense. We call the hotel and let them know you want your rooms cleaned and you'll be back in... three days. You come back exhausted from all the partying and go into your room alone. She'll use her room key to sneak in, and zap."

"We'll teleport her into a holding cell. Your bedroom is over there, she'll have to enter here and cross this room, we'll monitor it from a far. No real need to even be in the bedroom. You close contact with novas, no chance to jump one of them."

"As for right now, Joani, you're in danger here. We'll just leave. Grab some clothes and let the hotel know you'll be out for a few days."

Biting her underlip nervously she nodded to Steve and smiled weakly to Andrews comment about him doing a mean lounge chair. With a blink of an eye she picked up her stuff. (Fast Task/Hypermovement)

"Fine... and you can guarantee that she won't get away with my body? I'm really scared, to be honest. I don't want to be obsessed by some parasitic freak. She made me do things I'd never do, I feel so ashamed. I would feel more secure if I could stay with you." addressing both men.

She tried to smile and appear brave, but it was obvious to see that she was scared now that she knew how vulnerable she suddenly was.

An idea occurred to Omar, and he wanted to pass it along to Andrew and Steve to get their thoughts. * Why not give this possessor of bodies a tempting target. We could put myself out there as a mark and when this thing comes to get me, I smash it in the face, mox it, and we now have someone to interrogate. As to how we entice it to go after me...I will leave it in your hands. Or we can hope that we stop it before it takes over Joani and she smashes the rest of you into goo. I will trust your judgement.

Andrew listen, if it can be called that, to Omar's suggestion, *Hey big guy, I dunno if that's all that good an idea, this guy may not need to touch you to possess you, and Steve is pretty convinced that they wnet after Joani and spent a lot of time building up a life because they aren't able to work with a target's memories, plus it looks like it may be a woman, might not even be interested in you sexy bod! Sorry you're the one sitting this out, but we all have our specialities.*

Andrew chuckles to himself a moment then returns to the present. Heh offers Joani a hug, "It's gonna be alright, there's not anything on this planet we're prepared to lose to, certainly not some parasitic cretin."

Turning to Steve he says, "While I think your plan has it's merits I think we should act sooner, today, if possible. You said yourself this person displays a serious lack of planning and well thought out actions. We should capitalize on that and try to take them today, the less time we give them to work on any sembalance of a plan the better off our own will be.

"In three days time the parasite may have switched to a doorman or concierge in order to catch Joani on the way in to the hotel. Seriously we need to act fast.

"That said, I think the final choice ought to be yours Joani, you are the one at risk, the one who's life was stolen, which plan do you prefer?"

Joani appreciated Andrews hug and felt for once safe and reasured.

Answering Andrews question she says, "I'd rather have this over sooner than later. I already lost enough time. Steve mentioned something about teleportation - can you recognise her quick enough before she can act? If so, you can teleport the both of us into that holding cell and we agree upon a codeword to make sure I'm really me."

"One more thing - in the case she repossessed me - can you're friend force her out of my body?"

Omar chuckles to himself. Not interested in my sexy bod? She's a woman! They all want me for sexy-time.

Omar sends back: *I don't think I can be possessed. If I have the willpower to resist crying out while being tortured, I am pretty confident that I can resist someone trying to take me over. Besides, who says it is a woman? A misogynist might find it 'stimulating' to take over a woman and make her do stuff that might humiliate her. That said, if you have any problems, give me a hollar. I'm staying right here where I can monitor the situation.

Steve replies, "If you're not in the same building, you're not at risk. We've got several places you can hide out in, just staying away from the media should be enough."

Steve pauses, *(To Andrew) Until Cody can check her out I don't think we can risk taking her back to Lorean. This could be a complicated plot.* He continues, "I live in New York, there's a guest room, you can stay at my place if you want till this is over."

Steve says to Andrew, "I'm not sure drugging her will work. Unless it takes her out instantly she'll have the opportunity to jump again. We don't know how good her reactions are. I don't want any other nova even in the same room as her. There's an added complication, we don't know how drugs will act on nova inside a baseline. ScarCrow's hosts got tougher."

"But moving things forward sounds like a good idea. You're right, she's not a forward thinking and might try early."

*Lorean, can you monitor this suite and see if any novas enter? And if they do, can you teleport them to a cell? Would you need for us to set up any sensors or other gear down here?*

*(To Omar) Unless you can grow breasts I don't think she'd want to wear your body. :)*

Andrew frowns, "We're not going to let her ge to you, so don't ever talk about that." He stops and thinks for a moment.

To Steve *Agreed, I wouldn't suggest it either way until we are sure she can handle what we have to tell her if she gets involved more deeply.*

Andrew shakes his head, "That's a valid point, I know I could create a nerve gas to knock out a baseline in less than a second but the nova might boost the host's body, or it might just be able to jump out of the host and operate on it's own. "

To Steve again *Let's try the teleport thing but not to the ship, we don't know her range or if she even needs line of sight, better to put her somewhere on earth to avoid exposing our secrets*

"Lets use Steve's plan but modify it a bit. Once you get back to your room just leave via the window and meet Steve and I on the roof. The parasite pays you a visit and pop! we get our man, or whatever. And more importantly we keep you comepletely out of harm's way."

"Ok, I can do that. I hope you guys know what you're doing - I don't want anyone to get hurt. If things should get out of control I'd prefer that you put my life to an end. It wouldn't be a real life anyways. Please promise that you end this, no matter how the outcome?"

Joani sounded absolutely devoutly about the part with sacrificing herself rather than let someone get away with her body.

Steve steps up to Joani and tries to hold her so she has to look directly into his eyes as he says convincingly,

"Joani, that's not going to happen. Murder is for the unimaginative. If it gets that far, which it won't because you'll be in New York, I have three backup plans."

"Tell you what, call down to the front desk and tell them you'll be in your room practicing your lines for the next few days and you'll want full meal carts sent up every four hours. With the nova hunger for food, this should be normal when you're eatting in your room.

Leave all the lights in your place on, shut the door to your bedroom, and we can port in every now and then when the room is empty and empty the cart.

Then we teleport out. Sooner or later she will walk in with a cart full of food, and check out your room looking for you."

As Joani is picking up the phone to call, Steve hears someone approaching down the hallway, it sounds like a woman's walk.

To Cody,
*I'll do what I can. Besides, I'm talking about something I believe in, so sue me

"Matthew, our ability to predict the future is still not absolute, but from what we do know I can tell you this. In a state of disunity, division, and poverty, if the Specials are reveiled there would be fear, resentment, and awe amongst Humanity. They would want the Specials to be compelled to help out and work for the 'Common Good'. The Specials would resent and resiste this compulsury service. The two groups would fractionalize and divide. The end result would be a bloody and destructive conflict. I am trying to avoid that and part of my plan is to keep the Specials like you hidden for a little longer. We wait for the day when Mankind is the master of its own destiny. Specials can then help out as much as each one feels drawn to and no more."

"This brings me to one of the key points of why I am here. What do you want? What do you want to be recognized as? Someone who rebels and tears away at the veil of secrecy, or someone who helps me work with other Specials keeping things together for the day we are ready to step out into the light? Or is it something else?"

"For that matter, what does Harold want? Why has he left you to face me alone, if he is your friend? What is he really after? After all, he wasn't the one facing public scrutiny. He hasn't been exposed as a public spectacle and law-breaker. I don't want any more greedy bank officials blaming you for the sudden short falls in funds. It's not right."

"I've come here today because I don't want this to be handled by some bureaucratic hacks and have the information purculate up to me. I want to know what you want and what you need."
With the last of that, Ulric leans toward Matthew in a brotherly fashion.

Matthew is obviously hanging on ever word and is very eager to agree. "I guess for myself, it just grates on me to have this incredible power and not to be using it for some purpose. If I were inclined to evil I could become the richest man in the world, but like you I want to do something good with my gift. I hadn't really considered what might happen if humanity were surprised by us. Now that I think of it I suppose you are right, people fear what they don't understand, it seems to be part of our base nature that needs to be overcome."

He thinks hard for a moment before continuing, "As for Harold, he says he wants the same things as you, but the more I think about it in the terms you've expressed, I'm not so sure he does. He said that we needed to reveal ourselves, but he didn't seem eager to expose himself and his abilities. I do not know specifically where he is, but I know he is in America at the moment, he flew over there a few days ago saying he needed to expose another part of the 'conspiracy', he didn't reveal any more."

Finally he smiles broadly, "Well, I would just like to be useful and if not today, someday have my contributions recognized. Not with money, I have plenty of that now thanks to my family, but with acceptance and perhaps a little... Bah, I hate to use such a crude word, but fame."

Steve turns and sharply glances at the door. He says in a sharply commanding tone of voice,

"Ms. Walters, I think you left something in your room. Now please."

(In a louder tone of voice)

"Mr. Smythe, Phineous, I think Ms. Walters will be a wonderful asset for our studio. A marvel. In 6 months she'll be a super-star. In a few years she'll be the most famous woman on the planet."

Steve expression is curiously blank, his words and the emotion behind them don't match his expression. He pulls out a steel pen.

(Still in the louder tone of voice)

"Keep in mind that script might be have a re-write or two still left in it, but I think we've gotten everyone's signatures and everything, so it's really time for us to leave."


Edited to Add: If we're in a new scene, (Investigative Prodigy & Lie Detector on. Luck roll please). If we aren't then they're already on.

The step in the hallway gets closer and there is a knock at the door. "Room Service".



(On board ship)
Lorean's hologram appears and looks at Omar, "Be ready there may be trouble coming. I think the one that possessed Joani is returning."

With barely a moments thought Andrew is replaced by Phineous Smythe once more, I shouldn't have made this guy quite so fat he thinks to himself.

"Howard you are correct as always, we've got ourselves a real star here, no telling how far she could go. The new darling of American cinema!" Andrew rolls his eyes indicating the door, and moves to open it waiting only for a nod from Steve.

If they take a moment both Steve and Joani can see the forarms of Phineous' suit bulge. Steve will recognize that Andrew's barbed tendrils are ready to strike if needed.

Joani acknowledged Steves command and silently retreated into her room. Then she tried to brace herself for the upcoming event. She never was the violent type but for the first time she wished she could fight actively against this thread instead of playing the bait.
If I get out of this mess I definitely need to make some changes. My powers in someone elses hands could really do some serious damage - that mustn't ever happen she thought to herself.

Ulric takes the news as if it pains him.
(Subterfuge roll)

"Matthew, this is similar to other reports I am beginning to hear. These reports describe a small group of mentalist - telepaths and people with the power of mental domination - are up to well ... oppose what I have been working for. What has puzzled me up til now is the why."

"You have shown me the why: that is to oppose the theme of Global Peace and Unity which also leads to opposing the kind of criminal schemes they are involved in. I have heard reports of lives destroyed, thoughts editted and changed, and even the pirating of people's bodies. It sickens me because there is so little I can do to stop this and safeguard the populace."

A light comes on in Ulric's eyes.
"Matthew - Herr Satterfield, how would you like to become part of the solution to this problem? You would have to remain secret for a while longer but ..."

"Here is what I think: I need a group of dedicated Specials to locate and help local law enforcement apprehend those who would use their gifts to commit crimes and abuse people. I can probably introduce this Force to the League of Nations as an International Police Agency. How would you like to be a founding member?"

"We could include human operatives to work with and train you and other recruits. In due course, when you are ready, we could expose this force to the public at large, with you as a lead member - maybe even its head, if you learn the ropes well enough. What do you think? Are you willing to work to be famous; the Earth's Top Cop?"

Steve watches Joani retreat with relief, it's the right move but there was no time to second guess anyone.

He moves to the door and says loudly,

"Come In. We're just on the way out." (Truth )

Steve will hold the door for whoever is coming in, as he does he'll look at her feet and compare them to the tracks he found eariler. (Activate E-Vision)

Also as she does Steve will ask, "Hello, are you the maid? Ms. Walters will be out in a moment I think."


If in his evaluation this is the body snatcher (lying about being the maid while wearing a maid's uniform would do it), he'll try to cold cock her after she steps in (i.e. punch to the head). He'll spend a willpower point on this but hold any luck succ in reserve to ward off any mental attacks.

Joani just closes the bedroom door as Andrew opens the outer door. The maid is wearing shoes that match the earlier prints, and her eyes spend just fraction too long on Phineous and Howard as if to memorize your faces. She smiles and says, "I can come back later if Ms. Walters does not wish service right now. I was just stopping to check in on her towels." (She is lying and she is not pushing her cart which would have the spare towels. She is most definitely the body snatcher.)

Steve swings his fist at her head and just barely connects as she starts to dodge, but she is a fraction too late and with Steve's strength even the glancing blow is enough to knock her unconscious. Andrew quickly closes the door to avoid any unwanted eyes wondering why a maid is sprawled out on the floor inside the hotel room.

Matthew Satterfield sits back and ponders the offer. "Well, I've never been one for physical danger, but I am pretty good at organization and I would be very good at intrusion with my abilities so I could see myself leading others in policing those who would abuse their positions. (Inside his mind he is imagining himself as the world famous head of the specials police.)

Andrew looks at the unconscious maid on the floor, then at Steve and again at the maid. "Damn dude," he says with a wince as he looks at the bright red impact mark in the shape of Steve's fist.

Andrew extends his hand, the index finger now tipped with a fang-like claw, the tip wet with toxin. "I can does her up right now with some mox if you think it's a good idea."

Lorean says over the link, *That might be a bad idea Andrew, it could kill the host if it is a baseline, or at least make her very ill. If you would like I can place her in a room aboard ship where she is sealed off from any others but can talk to her via hologram. That way there is no contact that could result in an attempt at possession.*

Steve answers,

"Mox might kill her. Try a standard knock out drug. If it doesn't work then we'll try something stronger."

"Joani?! It's safe to come out now."

Steve says, "Please do that Lorean."

Andrew thinks for a moment decides on a perfectly suitable non-narcotic tranquillizer that can be easily reversed and injects a six hour dose into the maid. "She'll be out for six hours barring any enhancement from the parasitic rider. And if we decide to wake her early that's an easy affair."

Andrew looks to Joani, "See not a problem ..." he pauses and laughs, "Not according to plan either, but then again I wont tell anybody if you don't."

Lorean says over the link *Prepare for transport* Just after that the maid disappears then you all find yourselves on the Bridge looking at Lorean the hologram and Lorean the physical person.

Lorean smiles and says, "The bodysnatcher is in the brig. I have that area blocked against any telepathy as well as the bridge so that none of you can be found that way by the bodysnatcher or any of her associates. I can only do this in select locations and it takes a good deal of energy, but I can maintain it for two or three rooms aboard at a time without it effecting any of my other systems. Besides, I doubt that the psiad will think to scan Earth's orbit since they don't even know that it is possible for someone to be up here."

She smiles warmly at Joani and walks over to shake her hand and give her a little hug, "Welcome aboard, I'm Lorean, and you are safe here, those who harmed you won't be able to find you.

"Well that was interesting, not what I expected out of the day." Andrew nods to Lorean, "Thank you for setting that up, we'll wake her when we are ready to talk to this parasite." He claps his hands and cracks his knuckles, a habit that he has been unable to rid himself of despite not even having any actual bones. "Anybody for lunch?"

Andrew walks over to Omar, "So big-guy, how's things with Cody and Ulric?" Andrew leans over one of the control panels and punches in a request for the café to bring up some lunch.

Steve steps close to Joani and says quietly,

"It's a bit much to take in isn't it? Don't worry too much about it, you're amoung friends."

Omar looks up at Andrew. "They seem to be handling things OK. I think they are giving up the kitchen sink to get Matthew on our side, but I'm not there." He looks at Steve. "Ulric is planning on starting a central police force to include telepaths. Matthew is to be the leader of it. I don't know how smart that is. I think we need to talk to him about consulting us before starting such grandiose plans. We have the benefit of history. Ulric is a product of his age. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea, but that we need to discuss these things before implementing them. It's that 'unforeseen problem' the concerns me."

He notices the newcomer. She was beautiful. His 6'10" frame rose from where he sat. He reached out to her hand, and while giving her a giant smile, he kisses the back of her hand. "I am pleased to meet you, Joani. Welcome to our home away from home."

Omar stands and heads to where Lorien has sent the body snatcher. "I think I'm going to look in on our 'guest'. I could probably frighten her into talking once she awakes."

Still looking at Joani, Steve replies to Omar,

"We drugged her. She may be out for several hours."