[Plot] "Fuck Tha Police."

[Chase Delacroix]

"With any luck, we'll be on the home stretch after this and you can leave the rest to us."

[Colette Rosenhof]

"I should not have to leave ze rest to you two. Zere should not be anyzing TO be left to you." Yes, that was part of Colette's frustrations, but she was also feeling more and more guilt about having to depend so much on so many other people.

[Chisaki Watanabe]

"If we focus on what should be and not what is, we will never find him." Chisaki explained.

[Chase Delacroix]

"Hey..." Chase said softly, "Don't worry about relying on us for this kind of thing. We were made for it."

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette looked to Chase and Chisaki with a very soft expression and tired-looking eyes. "Some day I will repay you boz properly. But until zen... zank you."

[Narrator]

Fairly quickly, Theresa returned with the requested items, holding out a bright green bottle labeled as 'asti spumante' .

"Your future mother in law's a cheaper date than she lets on. But you've probably already realized that." She commented, taking a bottle out of her apron and handing it directly to Colette. Once her hands were empty, she motioned to the stairs.

"Climb up all three flights, then walk straight down the hall from the landing. At the end you'll see a set of glass doors. That's where you'll find her."

[Chase Delacroix]

"Thanks," Chase said with a nod. Since they didn't need a rear guard anymore, he took the lead.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette took the pink beverage with the white foam on top in one hand, and the green bottle in the other, and looked them both over. She then did a very un-Colette thing and did not offer her thanks, and turned instead for the stairs.

Someone was still a bit miffed about their earlier... conversation.

[Narrator]

As they made their way up to where they were old to go, opulence was definitely on display, but mostly in the build of the house itself. Lots of hardwoods, dark stained. In the long hallway where some would expect family portraits in old money families, there were barren walls with long, intricate rugs lining the entire length of them up to the staircases. Following the last of these led them out onto a rooftop terrace, where a Jessica Benson who was already a bottle deep waited patiently in the way only a person half in the bag really could.

"Oh lovely, you're here." He replied, making childish grabby hand motions at Colette, but probably not *for* her.

[Chase Delacroix]

She definitely knows something if she's rattled enough to get drunk. Well, or she was drunk when we got here.

"We apologize for the attempted cloak and dagger routine. We didn't think you'd give us the time of day if we rang the buzzer like good boys and girls," he said as an icebreaker of sorts.

[Colette Rosenhof]

More and more Colette was forming a sad an unsavory opinion of the place, one that their host might not have appreciated, and George Benson would have found insulting. Though she kept that to herself, for now at least. Any desire to make herself look cheerful had long since evaporated, the pink woman passing the green bottle to Jessica before she took a seat uninvited in one of the terrace chairs.

"Oui. While we knew zat you would not be terribly keen on having zis conversation, we at least took some measures to try and minimize ze potential gossip regarding our arrival. One must try to look ze part when so many are watching."

[Narrator]

"You're right, I wouldn't." She replied as she took the bottle to work the cork out by placing it between her knees and started working at it with her well manicured hands. She seemed to be ignoring Colette entirely.

"So why are you here?"

[Chase Delacroix]

"We are here because we believe Basil has been placed in a facility to re-educate him into a proper heir for your husband's interest. We want to find out if you know anything, though we prefer to think that if you did you would have purer intentions than that. Despite what Basil's father talked about you."

Chase was playing nice, but he did slip that last bit in to throw her off.

[Narrator]

"Mmmm.

What evidence do you have towards that idea?" She asked, the cork finally worked out of her wine bottle.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Ze kidnapping idea, or ze idea zat you might not be in favour of ze kidnapping?" From Colette's tone, it sounded as though neither possibility was particularly more unlikely than the other.

[Chase Delacroix]

"Easy Colette, let's not get hostile just yet."

"While we lack hard evidence, we have plenty of circumstantial evidence that only makes sense if your husband is involved. We know Basil left us a breadcrumb in a breakup letter we can only assume he was forced to write. We know his cellphone was disposed of. We've been told by a reliable source that the vested interests of powerful people mean going to the authorities is off the table. In other words, The Board. You no doubt have at least an inkling that your husband is involved with a secret group by that name. And that Basil is set to inherit his position. People with his kind of influence are always concerned with leaving a legacy, often at the cost of truer familial responsibilities. And another man's son that's trying to find his own place in the world, and in a serious relationship with another obvious mutant, can't possibly fill that role to his satisfaction. It's understandable that he would protect that legacy."

"As for you, your reputation for trying to manage Basil leads us to believe you can't be entirely in the dark. It also means you want what's best for him. This is what's best for your husband."

[Narrator]

"Yes Rosenhof, the adults are talking." Jessica added to Chase's very light admonishment.

As Chase explained the situation, Jessica merely sat back in the patio chaise lounge and sighed.

"I'm sorry for your friend, but I'm uncertain how I could have been more direct with the boy. I warned him repeatedly if he didn't fall in line some worse fate would befall him."

[Chase Delacroix]

"You seem awfully nonchalant about your son potentially being essentially brainwashed into line," he said, eyes narrowed a little. His tone was still civil, but there was an edge to it.

[Narrator]

"And what do you want me to do about it?" She snapped at Chase. "I have as much power in this situation as you do."

She looked away from the pair, and folded her arms over her chest. Her right hand was absentmindedly swirling her wine, but her left hand found it's way to her clavicle as she fidgeted with a necklace she was wearing, rubbing along the bone line occasionally.

[Chase Delacroix]

"We only need information. If we can figure out where he's being held... well, taking down places illegally holding mutants is definitely X-Men and X-Corp material."

[Narrator]

"I don't think you understand.

I don't have anything else to tell you because I legitimately have no other information to provide. He sent me the same form of letter so where-ever he is, I'm deliberately being kept away too. I say i can't help him anymore, because I can't." She had that distant sort of look Basil would get when he was just about to cry.

She didn't, apparently better at corralling her emotions around strangers, even when drunk.

"I shouldn't have allowed this to happen. I should have just had the abortion and this would never have been an issue." She added, probably the alcohol talking at this point.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Do not say such zings." Colette piped up, sounding more sympathetic that the usual outrage she might've expressed. She couldn't think of any way to express how important Basil was to people without making the situation worse, so she left it at that.

"So, you really have not even ze slightest suspicion where Basil might be? And zat would mean zat ze only one who knew would be..."

[Chase Delacroix]

"The man himself. And he'll definitely not talk," Chase sighed.

Looking to Jessica more kindly than before, he asked, "Is there any chance he'd tell you anything if you asked?"

[Narrator]

"Perhaps... if I ask the right questions in the right ways... but I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope. I rarely see him these days, so catching him is the hardest part.

Even if we manage to corner George and interrogate him, we don't know if my son is being held against his will. At the very least, we don't have any evidence to prove it, with the letters indicating he chose this for himself.

For all we know, we'll find Basil perfectly contented to be where ever he is currently, and unwilling to leave. This espionage business really isn't my field, but it seems especially likely if you think he's being brainwashed."

[Chase Delacroix]

"We need to see that for ourselves. Because she loves him and he's my best friend. And I know what it's like to have your mind toyed with for another's selfish benefit. I can't sit idly by if there's a chance it's being done to someone, especially someone I care about."

[Colette Rosenhof]

"I do not believe zat anyone short of Charles Xavier himself could make Basil zink somezing he did not wish to. Zat boy is extremely, vehemently stubborn when he puts his mind to it, and crafty. You must know zat even better zan I do Madam. I have ze upmost confidence zat, if given ze opportunity, he would leave. Which, of course, will not sway Monsieur Benson in any way - having put Basil in zat cage in ze first place.

"Which means, we may have to... alter his priorities, to incentivize ze sharing of information."

[Narrator]

It wasn't Colette that spurred Jessica to speak further, but Chase.

She reached for a pack of cigarettes, lighting one quickly before setting everything back down on the side table again. Basil may have had his fathers looks, but he had his mother's mannerisms. And bad habits too.

"I can tell you i'd bet pound sterling that he's in a medical facility. Which one or where, I don't know. All I know is that the man had hosts of medical doctors in here trying to get him better and not a single one could fix the child. The discussion was had about sending him away. I told him I wouldn't allow it, so instead we sent him to Oxford, which he cocked up royally. Then your university. And when he eventually made too much of a scene, wherever he is now."

[Chase Delacroix]

Chase put aside his disgust at the idea of 'fixing' mutants and thought for a moment. "Do you have a list of those doctors? Or remember if any used behavioral therapy?"

[Narrator]

"I don't, though I can try to compile one of names i can remember.

Certainly several of them tried to psychoanalyze Basil to see if it was behavioral, but the boy thinks he has the sort of dark secrets only spoony, maudlin twenty year olds invent. As such, behavioral therapy was the one sort of medical invasion he wouldn't stand."

[Chase Delacroix]

"Whatever you can remember would be a great help. If where Basil is being held is supposed to appear legitimate, a doctor that's previously been vetted is more likely than not."

He left out how Basil's issues were probably more caused by all those attempts to fix what wasn't broken than mitigated. It really wasn't the time for admonishment.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette was being uncharacteristically quiet, perhaps knowing how easily she often put her foot in her mouth in these situations.

"None of them ever suggested any sort of... camp or facility before, did zey? As a potential..., treatment center?"

[Chisaki Watanabe]

At the mention of making a list, Chisaki swooped in with a notepad and a pen from her position stationed next to the door, holding them out to Jessica.

[Narrator]

"No." She added plainly, not really up for the chatty chat with the woman who, in her mind, started this new round of mess with her son and his unchecked libido.

She took the items from Chisaki to make a short list.

Dr. Sunita Devi
Dr. Jacob Whitehall
Dr. Li Zhang
Dr. Janet Brown
Dr. Noah Alleyne

[Chase Delacroix]

"Thank you," he said as soon as she returned the notepad.

"I'm glad to know that you aren't the heartless creature Basil's biological father described."

[Narrator]

"Stop trying to appeal to me young man." She replied, settling back into her spot to enjoy her drink.

[Chase Delacroix]

"Sorry," he said, a little embarrassed.

"Looks like we've gotten everything we can," he said to the others, "For now anyway."

"Send those names to Diego. Let him stretch his detective legs."

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette worked to polish off her drink with the egg foam before setting down the empty glass.

"Well, I suppose if we have everyzing we can get, zen we should not take up any more of Madam Benson's valuable time."

[Chisaki Watanabe]

Chisaki texted the list of names she was given to Diego, with the short message:

We're done here. Start looking.

"Yes." Chisaki agreed with Colette.

[Diego Zapata]

On it. After I drive anyway.

Diego started the car and drove to meet them. When he could, he got to work finding the current employment of those on the list.

[Narrator]

"Best of luck." Was the only other thing Jessica had for them. She went back to sitting in the sun while the fall weather still allowed, drinking and smoking.