[Recorded conversation circa 30 November 2005] ... JANSSEN: I'm sure we're all aware of the current security breach involving the avian hybrid group Delta, but I'd like you two to enlighten me on the exact circumstances of the breach. ANNE: The avian hybrids had been in containment under my supervision, but on the morning of the 28th Maximum and the other four made an unexpected escape attempt from the North Adams facility. JANSSEN: Were you unable to stop this attempt for some reason? ANNE: Ma'am, I tried. Luckily, Eraser team Gamma was in the area. I anticipated that the avian hybrids would return to their prior containment area, and deployed the Eraser team to deal with them. JANSSEN: What made you so sure they would come back? ANNE: They left their dog behind. JANSSEN: I see. Please continue. ANNE: Well, in the meantime I notified Dr. Batchelder that I felt his presence would be needed to contain the avian hybrids. JANSSEN: Why might that have been? JEB: I had been staying in the area supervising team Gamma's actions in the field -- this was their first field exercise, and I felt that they needed a little guidance. ANNE: I knew that he could be on scene if I needed him to be. Also, I knew that Dr. Batchelder had worked with the avian hybrids before, and that he had previously had success reducing the magnitude of any accidents they caused. JANSSEN: All right. ANNE: The avian hybrids arrived and retrieved their dog. The leader of the Eraser team requested permission to engage in aerial pursuit, but given the avian hybrids' reputation for great damage when allowed to remain airborne, I refused. JANSSEN: I understand that Dr. Batchelder defused the situation at that point. JEB: I attempted to. JANSSEN: You failed? JEB: With all due respect, ma'am. Given the unexpected arrival of the missing avian hybrid, Anne and I were forced to improvise. JANSSEN: To what extent? ANNE: We kept Maximum distracted. Without their leader the rest of the group is essentially helpless. JEB: I had to subdue, ah, the leader of the Eraser team to keep him from causing unwanted damage to Maximum. ANNE: So we had to enact protocol Omega-17. I'm sure you're familiar with it, ma'am. JANSSEN: I wrote it. I see from your reports that you had minimal success. JEB: Well, I wouldn't say that -- the purpose of protocol Omega-17 is to further complicate Maximum's worldview -- JANSSEN: Can you confirm that that happened, Dr. Batchelder? JEB: Well, no, not yet. JANSSEN: Then please wait until you have data to confirm your wild suppositions. ANNE: Um, anyway, after that the avian hybrids continued on their way. The Eraser team had difficulty utilizing the new tranquilizer gun design, and furthermore I believe they were unprepared to deal with the amount of aerial prowess possessed by the avian hybrids. JEB: At that point I concluded that incurring damage to Maximum was better than possibly sustaining a high-profile escape. I gave the Eraser team permission to engage in full-scale pursuit. JANSSEN: And they failed. JEB: Yes, they were unsuccessful in their objective. I believe it was due to -- JANSSEN: They failed, Dr. Batchelder. Which is why, from now on, the gloves are coming off in our treatment of avian hybrid group Delta. Dr. ter Borcht will be supervising the both of you from now on. TER BORCHT: And as I am sure you are both aware, I am not a proponent of the soft touch when it comes to dealing with unruly mutants. You will control them or they will be terminated. ANNE: Yes, sir. Containment team B5 has been deployed from our main American facility near Dade City. They should rendevous quite soon. JANSSEN: Excellent work, Ms. Walker. Now. Future containment plans for the avian hybrids. TER BORCHT: Containment? I would rather see them terminated. But I admit, there are certain advantages to keeping them alive for a while. JANSSEN: Thank you for your input, doctor. JEB: Well, containment in the Death Valley facility proved unsuccessful. The closest we've come to keeping them in sustained containment since then has been the Colorado arrangement. TER BORCHT: That was improvisation. I believe we're looking for a more... long-term solution. JEB: It would be long-term if we put them back into a long-term arrangement like that one. They're scheduled for expiration any time in the next few years. TER BORCHT: But what happens if they escape containment again? Our resources are finite, Dr. Batchelder, and we cannot afford to continue recapturing them again and again. ANNE: You won't have to. I'm sure we can afford to leave off testing on them in order to save ourselves the effort to repeatedly recapture them. If we leave them alone, they likely won't go anywhere. JEB: And to ensure that they don't make any further attempts at escape, we can post a monitoring team nearby. TER BORCHT: Yes, since that worked so well the last time. JEB: They never noticed, only suspected. I would say it worked pretty well. JANSSEN: Gentlemen... ANNE: We can remotely monitor their location through the chips. That removes the necessity to pay for a monitoring team. JEB: Sounds good to me. JANSSEN: I'll put it into consideration. You two may consider yourselves under probation in the immediate future. Batchelder, I want you to immediately move to the Orlando office in case we have to put contingency plan F into practice. And watch your back -- any more unprofessional slips with the avian hybrids, and I will not hesitate to see you demoted to junior lab assistant in our Vancouver facility. JEB: Yes ma'am. JANSSEN: Good. All clear? Dismissed.