Evie's Determination (JP)

The elevator dinged open to the top floor, which had been entirely converted into one BIG office. The floors were well polished, the furniture meticulously placed throughout and Thomas was seated at a gorgeous red mahogany desk. The screens behind him had an array of different people in a conference video call. Rideout seemed to be on the phone with his bosses. He had bosses?

"We're monitoring the situation closely Madame President, my team is more than qualified to root out the insurgents. Our top operatives have already destroyed several mutant cells in the Northeastern grid near the Crow Reservation." Rideout said, directed toward a fierce looking woman in a suit, very clearly seated in the Oval Office of the White House.

"Thank you Director Rideout. My people will be in touch soon for a situation report." The woman replied, then turned her attention toward one of the other people in the conference call. "Senator, what is the timetable for a field use of Project Fulgora? I was under the impression it had passed all of it's tests."

Then the man she was talking to responded. This man had a cold demeanor. His voice was deep and percussive, booming out of the sound system like a thunderstorm.

"Madame President, when Fulgora is ready to meet the world, she'll not go unnoticed. Until then, you will keep open the supply lines we've agreed on."

The woman, er, president was visibly flustered. It appeared she was too intimidated to continue. "Yes, as agreed. I'll have my people contact you in 7 days for a situation report. I expect results gentlemen." Then she disconnected from the call, with several others... all except for him.

Evie watched in silence as the conversation went on, taking in the information like a sponge with her eidetic memory. The man that seemed to make even the Madame President so nervous pulled at her curiosity and she found herself staring. She knew it was rude to stare, but she simply couldn't help herself. Something about him made her want to know more, despite the frightening air of dominance he gave off, even through a screen.

Unsure of whether or not she should speak up, the lightning user simply held her cereal bowl close and stepped into the room. Forcing her gaze from that alluring man on the screen, she glanced back at Simone as she made her way into the room, hoping she wasn't intruding on Rideout.

Clearing her throat, grip tightening on the bowl in her hands, she finally made herself speak up. "Hello..."

Thomas spun around, diverting his attention to the man on the screen. "Evelyn!" He boasted with a smile. "Julius, I'd like you to meet Eveyln." Thomas directed back toward the man.

"Hello Evelyn. It's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard promising things from Thomas about you." Julius said, his voice again booming.

Offering a glance at Thomas when he spoke to her, Evelyn went right back to gazign at Julius with something akin to defiance in her eyes. It was how she always felt with authority figures, but she wouldn't let her body language fall into that habit of self-preservation, of keeping herself protected. There was a screen between her and this stranger, after all.

She was safe. For now.

How long that lasted was always a constant mystery to a girl who had suffered torture for six years...

"Promising things, sir?" She asked politely, curiously.

Julius let out a bellowing laugh then replied, "Yes indeed. I wish I had more time to elaborate, but I must go. Thank you for your efforts Thomas, Vi veri universam."

"Vivus vici," Thomas replied, echoing an apparent motto or perhaps mantra. The man exited the call then turned his attention back to Simone and Evie. "Thank you Captain Freeman, you are dismissed." He declared.

Simone, without a word, saluted then returned to the elevator. Meanwhile Thomas gestured for Evie to come to his desk, "Evelyn, I have some news about your father."

Perking up at this information, Evie walked toward the desk, stopping just a small step from it. She kept the bowl in her hands as if holding onto it would keep her leveled and comfortable as she stood just outside of touching the desk. "Is he okay?" She inquired, a slight urgency in her voice.

Thomas sighed and shook his head, "That, we do not know for sure. His location has been narrowed down to a 15 mile radius of Sheridan, Wyoming. My man on the ground there says he flushed out some of the terrorists responsible, and they pointed him in that direction. One of these people was captured, and from what I'm told, she's a young woman, probably close to your age. I was hoping you'd be willing to help us get information from her about their base of operation." Thomas paused briefly then finished with, "Because that's where they'll be keeping Dimitri." Thomas made sure to close with Evie's dominant motivator for any decision.

This information caused Evie to set the bowl down on the desk. This young woman might know where her father, Demitri, was, someone she desperately wanted to have back in her life. Every time she slept she had nightmares of either her time suffering or worse, losing her father forever. Demitri had been the only reason she'd fought so hard to stay
alive all this time and she refused to lose him to anyone, even if they were mutants like herself.

"Where is she?" She asked, voice cold as ice now.

Thomas forced himself not grin as he envisioned Trillby dancing to the influence of Svengali. His plan was working perfectly, as he knew it would. Still, the power high delighted him.

"She's being transported to the facility as we speak, she should be here in less than an hour. I don't want you to do this if you don't believe you can control yourself." Thomas spoke as though he were delivering an elegy.

"I've controlled myself for six years." Evie replied quickly, those blue eyes of hers flashing a silver color. "Each escape attempt only failed because those goons shot me with that...that nasty stuff." She didn't want to call it what it had been. The shakes and sickness she'd had earlier in the day had not been comfortable at all. Withdrawal symptoms had kicked in for a small period and everything she'd eaten the night before had emptied out of her stomach, something she was not proud of.

Letting out a slow and controlled breath, she closed her eyes for a moment. She would not be out of control for this.

"I'll talk to her when she's here. I want to know where my father is."

Evie's zeal and conviction were music to his ears. Thomas maintained an unbothered expression despite his glee. "That's good to hear Evelyn. I knew I could rely on you when the time came. I sense you have as much hope for the future of your kind as I do."

Evie gazed at Thomas for a long moment, assessing his words in her own silent manner. "We'll see, I suppose." She spoke in a calm, yet cryptic tone. "Is that all you needed to speak with me about, sir?" Every fiber of her being wanted to go down and meet up with this newcomer immediately, but she knew it would have to wait until she arrived. For now, she was hoping to return to her room and prepare herself mentally for all of this. There was still a suspicion, alarm bells going off in the back of her mind, but she was forcing them away, trying to keep herself from that emotional panic that wanted to sneak up on her.

She had to stay in control...or The Storm might get free.