Story of the Trojan Kegs Follow-Up Notes

Sihn contacts Gere-luce and Bob "Buick" for help - he needs Gere-luce to help design some containment devices for the new prisoners and he'll need Bob to help deliver a substance which will help track Slayer and Bud Girl to some appropriate sewer stops.   He also contacts Stark Industries to get some needed equipment and help.  They aren't terribly forthcoming but basically he ends up making a deal to take on a special project in return for more expedience.  SI work crews swarm into the offices first thing Monday.  Meanwhile, Sihn works feverishly on the concoction he hopes will lead him to the Gang of Five (formerly known as the Devil's Night Gang).

Terwilliger stops by first thing Monday and Sihn explains the immediate situation fully to him.  Terwilliger wants nothing more about the illegal holding of the suspects and advises Sihn to turn them in, though at the same time indicating that he'll do what he can to cover for them.  He stresses he should see nothing official about this, just verbal unofficial updates when needed.  And not on the phone.

Eduardo Tucci has a personal envoy stop by and stress the importance of attending a dinner they've been invited to.

The Captain gets a visitation from Superman in his bathroom mirror (as he reveals later, thus made public here), indicating he's there to help him and encouraging him.  During a few quiet moments during the day, Sihn politely inquires into The Captain's origin - and finds The Captain isn't sure what happened other than he was in some sort of accident and blacked out for several days, though he long dreamed of being a super-hero and studied so hard on various subjects and skills that "I know a lot, in fact, more than most people with a degree!"

Sheila Shield is interrogated and little is learned.  During the interrogation she acts contrite and relieved to be in custody.  She knows she was genetically engineered but her only memories of her early period are bleak non-descript laboratory settings.  She is also aware that the genes were initially bred from an intense inbreeding program pursued by the Bernsteins between the 1930s and 1980s.  Marty has some sympathy for the pitiful victim of circumstances but Sihn on the other hand thinks Sheila is thoroughly evil, particularly as she participated in firing on Aela while she was down.

Stigmata's interrogation is a disquieting one.  Stigmata hacks up blood even as he bleeds it from his nose and occasionally pores.  He's generally difficult to bear interrogating as his attitude is similarly repellant.   He occasionally hisses at the heroes and repeatedly bellows "The blood of Christ compels you. Hahahahahaha!"   He doesn't seem to have any sincere religious bent whatsoever, Jewish, Christian, or otherwise, he simply seems to bitterly enjoy drawing the analogy between he and the stigmata of Christ.  As the heroes press him, he answers quite convincingly that he has nothing to know. "Yes, I am a mutant, a godforsaken mutant of the deep. Bred to kill, bred to bleed, hahaha. You all put on a good face and a good show but believe me your human friends will imprison and use you as they see fit. And you should learn your place and serve as I have. At least I am loyal to my human friends. But even at that, it matters for nothing because I am a mutant of the dark and deep and have nothing to tell you. Kept in a cell, fed when needed. I was raised up in a test tube and saw the white-coated humans treat me, grow me, make me strong. They wore all white, even white masks. I thought for a long time they were like me and the white on their faces stopped the bloodflow. But I learned they were humans like my friends who keep me and trained me. Hahahaha, I almost beat you, but I will now be beaten as I deserve for my failure."  Other than it becomes evident he has some slight level of interest in where Sheila Shield is, nothing else is learned.

An inquiry to Terwilliger re the mutants leads the heroes to realize they can/should turn the mutants into the federal government as they are unregistered and therefore subject to federal jurisdiction - including indefinite holding without a trial.  The feds are dispatched to quickly pick up the mutants (see issue #5).

When asked about the reference to a government agency in connection with the care and feeding of the Purple Hat mutants, Terwilliger is unaware of the government agency other than it's one of many "profitable" GAO agencies that are thus black booked - so long as they make money their books aren't revealed except, in theory, to the president.  He admits he's aware of this because he's also a member of such an agency.  However, he makes it clear that he doesn't know more about this other agency and they are in fact separate.  He stresses that he won't help and it would be a bad idea for Sihn to get caught monkeying with them and a bad idea for Sihn to tell him anything official.  He'll be interested to listen in secure settings, though.  He cannot afford much, if any, protection if they're caught messing with that or similar agencies.

Laughton interrogates Yitzak and Sheckie with Sihn's help.  He begins with Yitzak who is unflappable.  He boasts and threatens the heroes, and, when he sees "Sheckie" (played by Sammy) brutally tortured he seems to genuinely delight in it ("Hey, Sheckie, how's that feel, you codger, you! HAhahahah, so today you are a man - get it?").  When he is tortured himself he isn't so happy but he stands it.  The Troll starts to think perhaps Yitzak should work for them - he's certainly reliable enough.  Sheckie is more forthcoming, despite an initial attempt at holding out.  When he sees the grotesque fashion in which the Troll and Laughton terrorize and cannibalize "Yitzak" (again, Sammy), he pales and surrenders what he knows about the three cells he commanded.