Marvel: Empire of Power

While the elaborate preparations for "Project: Ursus Minor" progressed, Elias Thorne couldn't afford to neglect the simmering cauldron of Montreal's underworld. Lou Scarelli, increasingly isolated and paranoid, was becoming a wounded animal – unpredictable and dangerous. Desmond Fitzpatrick, smelling blood in the water, began to make more overt moves, not against Scarelli directly, but by poaching his disgruntled underlings and subtly encroaching on his territories.

Angelo Trapani, the capo Elias had targeted with his cryptic gift, was a key domino. Dr. Finch's analysis, combined with Mickey's street-level intel, suggested Trapani was on the verge of making a decision. He was distancing himself from Scarelli's increasingly erratic inner circle and had been observed in hushed, clandestine meetings with men known to be affiliated with Fitzpatrick.

Elias decided it was time for another gentle nudge. He didn't want Trapani to fully commit to Fitzpatrick, which would merely consolidate power under a different, potentially more formidable, rival. He wanted Trapani weakened, perhaps independent, or at least owing a debt to an unknown benefactor – Elias himself.

He dispatched Mickey O'Halloran with a new task. Not infiltration or theft, but a carefully orchestrated piece of misinformation. Mickey, using his Goblin-enhanced stealth and his network of pliable low-lifes, was to spread a rumor within Scarelli's ranks: that Angie Trapani had already secretly cut a deal with Fitzpatrick, selling out Scarelli for a prominent position in Fitzpatrick's new order. The rumor was to be insidious, appearing to come from multiple unreliable sources, designed to further fuel Scarelli's paranoia and force his hand against Trapani.

"Make it sound like street gossip, Mickey," Elias instructed. "The kind of thing whispered over cheap whiskey in back alleys. Plausible enough to worry Scarelli, but deniable enough that Trapani can't easily refute it if Scarelli confronts him."

Mickey, despite his inherent nervousness, reveled in this kind of subtle sabotage. It played to his Goblin strengths of stealth and spreading discord. "They'll be at each other's throats like Kilkenny cats, Mr. Thorne," he cackled, his eyes gleaming.

And so it proved. The rumor spread like wildfire through Scarelli's already jittery organization. Scarelli, in a fit of rage and suspicion, publicly accused Trapani of treason during a tense meeting of his remaining capos. Trapani, caught off guard and outraged by the false accusation (though he had been exploring options with Fitzpatrick), furiously denied it. The confrontation, according to Mickey's later excited report (gleaned from a terrified busboy hiding in the kitchen), devolved into a screaming match, culminating in Scarelli striking Trapani and ordering him confined to his house under guard, effectively under arrest.