Who: Georgia Bell (Agent 028) and Allen Fairchild (Agent Ares) Where: That Same Interrogation Room When: July 28th, Afternoon What: Continuing the Investigation of Agent Xray Warnings: N/A
They were weeks into this, and rapidly getting nowhere. The metahumans were, perhaps a bit understandably, useless in offering insight into Stonewall’s nature. The most Allen had gotten from Princess’ chat logs was that the Operative had seemed to turn sour on agents since her incident, and while that certainly might’ve played a role in his treason, it wasn’t enough to indict him. Not yet.
For now, he supposed it was time to try and focus on his own side of the equation.
“Hello, Agent Zero-Two-Eight. Thank you for meeting with me,” he said, giving Georgia a nod. Though he certainly wasn’t what anyone would call friendly, there was no denying that he was less hostile in this discussion. “As I’m sure you can imagine, this situation is quite pressing, and we are doing our best to investigate it fully. We appreciate your assistance, here.”
"I would do anything to help with this investigation," Georgia replied. "Whatever you need from me. I'm happy to help." She might have sounded cheesy, even sycophantic, but Georgia meant every word. She didn't care about whether Allen Fairchild liked her, but figuring out what had happened between Stonewall and Xray would help everyone in the facility. That was their job, right?
Allen nodded. Bell was, from what he’d read of her reports, a good enough agent on the RS side of things. He wasn’t quite as predispositioned to value her opinion as he might’ve been had she been one of his own Field set, but her enthusiasm to help (potentially sycophantic or not) was a refreshing change from the metahumans who’d been less than useful.
“I’m glad to hear that, Agent,” he said, flipping through his notes. “I was hoping you could tell me a bit about Agent Xray, today. You were acquainted with her, yes?”
Georgia nodded emphatically, the purpose of the interview suddenly becoming much more clear. "Oh yes, I knew Alma. As you know, we were in different divisions, but sometimes we'd chat when getting coffee in the break room. Mostly work stuff, but we've shared a drink at The Road before." And also talked about work stuff there, but that was mostly Georgia's fault.
Allen nodded. The Road. A part of him scoffed at the idea of agents needing a stiff drink after their shift -- back in his day… well, times changed. Another part of him approved of the bonding, there. A place where Agents could meet, could talk, could build a unity across the staff. That unity was vital to their operation. It could save their lives -- and now, he hoped, it’d provide information to save Xray’s career.
“And what would she talk about?” He said, jotting something down on his paper. “In regards to ‘work stuff,’ that is?”
"Well, she definitely didn't ever say, 'Well, Georgia, that Stonewall Op on my team is a real pain in the ass. I think I'm going to shoot him!'"
Realizing that her tone was perhaps too flippant and could perhaps even come across as defensive, Georgia cleared her throat. "What I mean to say is, Xray was a pro. I really admired how she wanted to work with the metas. I don't think she ever had a professional issue before this."
Allen’s neutral expression twitched into just a hint of frown at the flippancy, but he suppressed it quickly, before he continued.
“So she expressed a trust in the metahuman population, then?” he asked, refocusing. “Particularly her teammates?”
Georgia nodded, more solemnly than she might have, were she not making up points for the sarcasm. "She did mention wanting to work as a unit."
“And she never mentioned Stonewall? Not as a potential problem, not as a difficulty?”
"Only if you count stupid jokes as a difficulty," Georgia explained.
"'Stupid' was her word, not mine," she added after a moment's pause. "Alma repeated a few to me once, and I thought they were funny."
Allen nodded. “All in all, then, would you suspect Agent Xray of taking action outside of the usual expected procedure for her position?”
Georgia shook her head. Xray wouldn't shoot someone for being stupid. A traitor, yes, but not dumb. "No, never."
The tiniest hint of satisfaction crossed Allen’s face, as he nodded once more.
“Thank you, Agent,” he said, making one last note. “That will be all for now. I appreciate your help here, and if there’s anything else that needs to be addressed, I’ll be sure to let you know.” He nodded. “Dismissed.”
"Thank you, sir," she said, standing up to leave. "Please let me know if you need any help with anything in the rest of the investigation."