Summary:
March 22, 2015: Jericho arrives at the Triskelian to discuss his findings. Simmons briefs everyone on what she found out at Stark Industries
The Triskelian - New York
Characters
NPCs
- None
Mood Music:
[*<http://insert.video.or.music.link.here>]
It's bad form to Teleport to the Tri. Well, prior to now Jericho might have found it hilarious to do so but after the Triskelion was nearly destroyed in a mass teleport assault SHIELD tends to get a bit jumpy. But he does want to confer with May and doesn't trust it to wireless comms, even his usual secured channels. So here he is. He has steadfastly refused to get any kind of SHIELD ID. Fury made him an 'asset' without bothering to get any more personal infor than SHIELD already had on him and he'd like to keep it that way. It does mean he has to wait at the desk while someone pages May, though.
Melinda May is in the middle of monitoring pistol proficiency certifications (or re-certs for some people) when the call comes in from the front lobby that Trent is here. She'd look surprised if she were prone to to revealing her reactions, but she's not. So instead she tells the front lobby person she'll be there shortly and waits for everyone in the range to stop firing. Seh uses a control panel by the door to activate a small red light in each booth that's there to get the attention of people wearing ear protection.
Once she has the attention of everyone practicing she glances at a clock on the wall. "Reconvene in conference room six for proficiency evaluations in fifteen minutes." And with that, she turns to leave. Now, anyone who's done certifications with May before know that that is NOT normal procedure.
Sara passed her certification with room to spare the first time. She's been an active police officer for ten years and a detective for eight. The problem is, Paul's score blew hers out of the water. That's what you get with an ex-military partner. Which is why she decided to go one more round anyhow, just to make sure she scored as high as she possibly could. Certainly not out of any competitive tendencies.
When May calls a halt, she puts her things away, but she's curious enough about why to fall in behind the senior agent. "Everything all right?" she asks, hands in her pockets.
"All right, you heard Agent May. Safeties on, ladies and gents." Argyle's voice booms out even through the ear protectors some of the people are still wearing. He claps his hands together. The gun tech is lending a hand with today's examination just in case, well, in case Agent May gets called away. "If you don't know how to do that, please set your weapon down, kindly back away, and excuse yourself from this exam, 'cause you ain't ready."
Pistol proficency re-certification. Luckily she was not up for re-cert this time around. It is not that Skye was a poor shot, it was just that with May's piercing gaze and expectation, it made your hand shake a bit. Like Medusa for crying out loud. No, Skye was dealing with something that had been giving her a bit of a challenge for the past few days, and had just made some progress; thus making the hacker a little excited and giddy.
A fast moving excited agent looking down at her phone and typing away and something as she hastens her way is a bad combination, and her lack of attention causes her to quite literally bump into May as the Senior Agent makes her way to the lobby. The bumping into causes her hpne to scatter to the floor and slide as she smiles with a slight wince at May; fully expecting a death glare, "I…I was just…" She peers at the phone on the floor and it's downloading progress, "I should prolly get that before it finishes."
Paul's aware that Sara is in no way at all even the slightest bit competitive. Which is why he was watching and smirking the entire time. "Too much time filling out reports, Pezzini." he tells her. "And not enough practicing." Which is a joke since he did most of the paperwork. He still thinks it's likely that the Captain teamed himwith her just to get reports that were more than three sentences. The end feels a bit abrupt though and he falls in behind May when Sara decides to be nosy about it. Cop instincts for trouble.
It might seem strange for a Scientist, a biochemist at that, to undergo pistol proficiency certification, but life for Jemma Simmons since taking a field posting has proven to be quite strange. She's decided that certification and the ability to use a pistol, even if it is only to shoot dendrotoxin darts, is a useful thing to have.
By the time Argyle speaks, she's already removed her safety goggles (seems she's always wearing them for something) and ear protection, set the safety on and placed her weapon down. Nodding to Agents Pezinni and Manning, Simmon is now headed out the door to the conference room, where she'll wait for Mays return and spend the extra time reviewing results from tests that have just arrived.
Jericho looks up as May approaches. He knows its rare for him to be here. And he's glad he caught her on a day she wasn't flying to some place with a name ending in -stan. "Hey there." He says quietly as he levers off the desk. "Got some follow up from last night if you're interested. Got a quiet place to talk about it?" He'll let May lead the way. That's a generally good idea when it comes to visiting this place.
Melinda May gets bumped-into by Skye, and manages only a flat look. No death glare. "Yes, you probably should. And maybe from now on keep one eye on where you're going." She normally wouldn't let someone off that easily, but she's in a hurry. Trent is waiting, and he doesn't wait easily.
Arriving in the lobby a moment later, she nods to the hacker and listens to his words. "I think we should read some others in as well." May-speak for those in SHIELD who have already been exposed to this HYDRA stuff. Like the engineer, the biochem, and the two former NYPD detectives. Of course, May should know by now that it won't end there. But she can hope, right?
"Yeah, yeah. Let's have a sword fight later, see who's laughing then," Sara smirks back at Paul's teasing. "I promise not to cheat." Exactly how she'd manage that is less than clear. When Skye bumps into May, she leans down to pick up the dropped phone, glancing at the screen in the process. Nosy? Well yeah, but that's supposed to be a virtue around here, right? "Latest Taylor Swift song?" she asks as she passes it back. She's joking, right?
"Pezzini, why the hell are you here, anyway?" says Argyle. "Didn't I already see you checked off?" Colour the weapons tech a bit confused. "Or do you just enjoy writing tests and shooting at targets?" He moves down the line and makes sure all the weapons are secured as he speaks.
May is certainly in a rush to wherever she is going. Thus, bumping into her did little to slow the Senior Agent. Got off this time. No doubt she will get an earful later. Skye will do what she usually does when that occurs: Stare past her and try not to smile. Skye reaches down to pick up her phone from the ground, staring at it from a crouched position as it finishes the download. She presses one more button and murmurs to herself, "Eat that sucka. Impregnable security? Well I just made a baby." She stands and looking where she is going makes her way to the conference room; her intial destination.
"If we ever let someone get that close, I'll be happy to hide behind you." Not that Paul doesn't have his own options if that happens. When they get down to the lobby, he quirks a brow at who's waiting there. "Trent. Long time." Instead of wearing plain clothes as detectives are wont to do, both he and Sara are in SHIELD uniforms right down to the insignia. "Not HYDRA again is it?"
"Sara, Paul." Jericho nods, his eyes flashing in interest at the uniforms. Some things seem to have changed. Bad for the NYPD but good for SHIELD. They can do more good here and he knows that. Speaking of changes, it's likely that the the two former detectives could feel Trent before they could see him. He's dressed per ususal, that they might recall. Long sleeved shirt, jeans, boots. The only addition is the leather case slung behind him that seems to go wherever he does. "It's always HYDRA, or it seems that way, I'll tell you inside, come on."
He's been to this conference room before. Still let's May lead, though. He's not sure who's coming but he doesn't particularly feel the need to stand on ceremony. Once inside he finds himself a comfortable seat.
"May and I and a man you two might be familiar with - John Constantine - disrupted a criminal human trafficking operaton last night linked to HYDRA. They were rounding up folks with arcane talent and they didn't seem too particular about it." He glances over to May. "I think your peeople handled the cleanup on that, yes? Anyway, I dug around their systems a bit more. Wasn't easy but I did find out where they were supposed to have been sent. South America. Venezuela, specifically, for 'reeducation and evaluation.' Pretty standard MO for them so far. Strange part came when I found a reference for the 'graduates' being shipped back via the Port of Metropolis."
May, Trent, Sara and Simmons had a conversation earlier about what specifically it was HYDRA was doing with all the resoruces it had been marshalling and at the time Jericho hadn't known where they intended to strike. This seems to indicate that it will be somewhere in the local area.
Melinda May looks at Pezzini and Manning, then moves to lead the growing posse toward the conference room that Trent is most familiar with. Her eyes catch on Skye and she gives the young agent a look and a slight tilt of her head. Follow or get left behind. As she steps into the conference room and waits for everyone else to get settled, she sends a quick text message to Simmons and Fitz both indicating which conference room she wanted them to get to. Now.
"I do like shooting at targets," Sara calls back to Argyle at his question, flashing a grin. "Writing tests, less." And then they're in the lobby, and she tips her chin toward Jericho. She follows into the conference room, settling into a seat as Jericho reports on the latest developments. "Metropolis, where someone made a poor decision about trying to call up a rakshasha," she replies, eyes narrowing. "Which is the sort of mistake someone who didn't know all that well what they were doing in the first place might try, especially if they'd had their common sense re-educated out of their heads."
She does not even have to say a word. When May nods, it is as if she has said a thousand. There are a few quick nods given in understanding and Skye shuffles into the group as they make their way for the conference room. Skye will follow and she knows that right now is not the best time to discuss her recent accomplishment. Her eyes look over May's "entourage" with a slight nibbling of her lower lip.
Argyle shakes his head and chuckles at Sara, then remains behind on the firing range to make sure everything is secured and that the weapons are stowed. He'll have to be briefed on whatever it is they're all talking about later - if it comes to concern him. He's got a few experiments back at the lab that can't be left alone for long.
It's a good thing May sent the text, Simmons got distracted with the results she was reviewing and is currently stopped in a hallway somewhere, looking distracted. Checking the text, she starts up again and nearly walks straight into Fitz. "Did you get Agent Mays text, Fitz. I'm heading that way myself." She keeps moving until they reach the conference room, slipping inside quietly with a nod to Jericho and May.
Paul knows Constantine, yes. He even has a crystal attuned to the wizard just as Sara has one for Blood. Handy things. "Sounds like fun." he says dryly. "Later on, we should talk about what you've been doing. I'm curious about what I'm picking up." Which is to say, Trent stinks to high heaven and he'd like to know what's exactly is going on there. He just leaves it at that since May's the ranking officer and they don't like to be ignored, if his former Captain was any indication.
"W— 'scuse me. I was —" Fitz was only paying partial attention to where he was going; it isn't until he looks back up from his tablet that he realizes, yes, that is Simmons' voice and it is coming from Simmons."
"Simmons! I — yes, I got the bloody text, I'm… just… headed there, now."
He turns to follow Jemma, though the engineer keeps back a bit. Sneakily, he lifts the phone and views the text; May won't need a response, but that way, should she check her phone, the message will view as 'Seen'.
Once inside the conference room, he looks around at all of the familiar faces. "Gee, Simmons, we almost missed the party," is said drily. There's one unfamiliar face there; Fitz studies Skye for a moment before turning a curios look Simmons' way.
Jericho has some vauge ideas about what Paul might be picking up but without knowing exactly how his thing works he can't really say what. It's a conversation that can happen later. "Hello Fitz. Simmons." Skye he does not know. But he doesn't say anything about it. May will speak up if something is amiss.
"Point, Sara, yes. I don't know exactly what reeducation means in this context, so without finding someone who went missing and came back I couldn't say. I do know that HYDRA has been experimenting with subtle behavior modification techniques. Both standard and arcane so…" He shrugs. "This is a bit of a step up from the sketches we first found a couple months ago, May. Either they have one hell of an extensive list or just decided a dragnet was more effective. Did anything ever come of talking to Mister Reha, by the way?" The hacker glances to the senior agent and gestures to the confrence room projector in a 'may I?' kind of way.
Overwhelming? A bit. Skye had only recently arrived back to the Triskelion after a long abscence and there were some faces she was obviously unfamiliar with. In fact, Agent May was the only one she had truly ever had a conversation with. Sitting in her chair, her eyes dart back and forth, but land on Fitz and Simmons when they enter together. A soft smile is given to them and she quickly checks something on her phone, before turning her attention once more to Jericho and what he is about to divulge.
"Not really Fitz" Simmons moves to a chair to slide into it. "Jericho, good to see you. And yes, I went to see Mr Reha as Agent May directed." Simmons looks to May, should she continue to expound what she found out?
Skyes smile gets a smile in return "Hello, I'm Dr Jemma Simmons, but most people just call me Simmons."
"Was there any intel about where in Metropolis this 'returning group' would be making landfall?" May is focused on Trent at the moment, but that doesn't mean she didn't notice the scientists arriving. "We need to find that out. I plan on talking to Fury about getting a team to Venezuela. Skye, coordinate with Trent on finding ways to track the HYDRA movements to and from South America."
Her attention then focuses on Simmons. "What did you find out from Reha?"
The smile gets one in return as Skye offers her reply, "Simmons. It is good to put a face to the name." Her eyes dart to Fitz and she adds, "And that must be Fitz then?" Her eyes shift back betwene the pair as she timidly says, "I did a little…well…personal intel before my arrival." As May addr4esses her, her attention immediatly goes to the Senrior Agent, giving her an affirmitive nods, "Consider it done. Do you want al movements sent directly to your phone…um directly?"
Fitz takes a seat, but leans forward a bit, not completely in his chair. "Uh, she's… biochem. I'm Fitz; engineering." He smiles at Skye, before finally sitting down in his chair. A flash of conspiracy is sent Jericho's way; he remembers a time when the man's name was spoken like that of a leper around these parts. A grin soon follows. "Bust any ghosts, lately?"
The greetings are short lived. Once May speaks up again, Fitz turns to her, all ears.
Skye Johnson adds somewhat after the fact, "I mean…encrypted of course with a inverted…" She trails off, "We can just let you know…"
Paul takes a seat at the table and swivels his chair to face Trent. HYDRA. Magic. Not entirely his thing since the Rapture is pretty much focused solely on the various hells but closer than he normally found in the NYPD. Which is exactly why he decided to transfer over. "I wonder… May, I don't know a lot about magic but I'm wondering if Constantine, or someone, could work with one of our programmers to upload to one of our satellites a program that would be able to detect magical energy. Sort of an arcane infrared thing."
Sara leans back in her seat as more information comes through, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. "I'd also be interested in knowing how they're finding so many practitioners," she muses, pointing at Paul's suggestion. "Do they have something like that? Or are we looking at some sort of artifact?"
Simmons nods to Skye and indicates Fitz "Yes, Dr Leopold Fitz. And you are?" Then May is talking and the biochemist gives her attention. "A fair amount actually, Agent May." Simmons drops her hand into the coat of her lab jacket and withdraws three thumb drives.
Nodding to Jericho, she smiles a little "Your name unlocked doors over there. I should be thanking you." Taking a deep breath, the biochemist begins to share, for the benefit of the group "Agent May asked me to speak to a Mr Jim Reha from Stark Industries. Based on information Mr Trent here had shared, we were looking for a power source that might be large enough to perform a ''Dimensional Translocation''. The talk with Mr Reha, and others from Stark Industry, I believe has shown us where the power will becoming from."
Handing a data stick to Jericho, Simmons nods to it, "Could you bring up the files of the grids on that please. And I'll explain, as I understand it."
"Well I'm no expert but I suspect based on other things we've collected that they're using these…" Jericho pulls a small obsidian orb about twice the size of a baseball out of his pocket and rolls it to the center of the table. "I've recovered several. They seem to be a combination communication device and scrying device…"
Once that's done he casts a look to Skye, the only one in here he hasn't met before, and brings his left hand over his right arm. There's a glow beneath it as he taps on what looks like a short holographic keyboard with one hand. May, Paul or Sara might remember when there were English letters on that thing. There, uh, aren't anymore. The holoprojector in the center of the table lights up and gets a data download.
"Okay. So for those of you who haven't been working with me on this here's the cliffs notes. Some time ago May, an asset named Armory and myself raided a remote HYDRA location and recovered a lot of hardcopy intel. Among it were these…" Pictures begin to appear. Police artist quality sketches depicting known individuals in one of two siuations: Dead, or wokring for HYDRA. There's one of May in a HYDRA uniform. One of Kate Bishop bleeding out in the center of a ritual circle. Another of May doing the same. 'Armory', a woman others may known as Lunair, blasting at a SHIELD quinjet with a SAM. The pictures go on. Known politicians. Heroic figures. Some seemingly random people. In the corner of all of them is scrawled the note 'best fit solution.'
"Subsequent investigation detirmined these pictures were likely the result of targeted divinations on the individuals in question. HYDRA had a campaign of attacks against SHIELD assets in accordance with this last, attacks the deployment of Fitz's portal buster gun has largely stopped." Fitz gets a grin here. "No ghosts lately, thanks Fitz."
"Since then HYDRA has shifted to targeting the occult and mutant populations, often at the same time, often with the same methods. To answer your question, May, no I haven't found anything yet on return trips to here, but I'll keep looking."
In response to Simmons, Jericho uploads a holo of the Metro power grid. "Go ahead, Simmons."r
Simmons' report draws an arched eyebrow from Fitz. "Didn't…" he interjects, looking from Simmons to Jericho and May specifically. "… Mister Stark mention he had a design for the ARC reactor back in the forties?" He looks back to Simmons. "You suppose this isn't the first time he's had things stolen from him?"
To Paul, Fitz looks next. "My runic nanotechnology might make that more possible," he suggests.
Melinda May turns to look at the Metropolis power grid that Jericho has on display, and ever so faintly utters a vile curse. In Vietnamese. SHe's learned to understand ley lines, so she sees how they overlay with that city's power grid. It's positively eerie. "This has to be stopped." WHich means Fury needs to know about it.
Paul has no idea what Fitz is talking about but gives him a nod, acknowledging what he said even if it means nothing. "I don't know if it's possible to cast a spell on a computer program or on 'runic nanotechnology' but it's worth finding out." Seeing the overlay of the power grid and the ley lines, it's obviously possible to mix technology and magic. "I'll call Constantine." he tells Sara. "You try Blood?"
Skye shifts a few times in her seat as Jericho expounds on what he has discovered and all the details that encapcilate it. It is clear that much of what is being said she is completely lost to. She blinks a few times, eyes darting about the room as one agent after another speaks to the topic at hand. There is a soft murmur to herself, "Welcome to the Triskelion Skye. " She looks up from the table after a breif moment and with an utter look of confusion on her face states, "I'm sorry…what? " She seems like she wants to fully understand, but being away she is completely lost as to the recent goings on.
Sara's brows rise as she looks over the pictures. "Well it's nice to know they've got plans," she drawls. And also that she isn't in them at the moment. Then again, the last time HYDRA agents tried to bring in a Witchblade bearer, it ended very poorly for them. Maybe they've learned their lesson. She grimaces at Paul's question, though. "I can try. He was still…off the last time I talked to him. And I've got someone trying to get in touch with the church about the Spear. It's definitely a time someone needs to be using it."
"Basically, what you're seeing there" Simmons nods to the power grids "is an overlay of the power grids of Metropolis, Gotham and New York." Seeing the dawning comprehension around the table she nods "Mr Reha believes that if all three grids are combined, it will form some sort of magic slush fund/storagepool… More than enough to perform a ''Dimensional Translocation''."
Turning to Agent May, Simmons shows her the other two thumbdrives "Agent May, Mr Reha requested I give this information to three other people and upload it to a computer that never gets used and we can keep tabs on." She'll hand them to May if she takes them.
Skye gets an apologetic look "A lot to take in for the first meeting, isn't it." And finally, she turns to smirk at Fitz "While I was there, Fitz, Cricket mentioned you hadn't called her. She seems to be expecting a call, don't disappoint her."
The bit about Cricket gets a chuckle from the hacker at the head of the table and his eyes flash with amusement. Actually flash, which might be seem odd to those who haven't seen it before. "May, something you want to share with me?" If she's thinking of taking something to Fury, it's probably pretty serious. Granted… dimensional transpositions are. Or can be.
"The diviniations, Paul and Sara, seemed to be… well I'd call them random if they weren't so very specific. I think when it got too hard to get to their targets they started to just round up large numbers of people. I still don't know why they were doing that though my working hypothesis is that they were somehow attempting to align people such that particular events happened in a particular fashion. It's the only thing I can think of doing with that kind of Data. Well beyond plain spying on people which they might be."
Skye gets a curious look. "Questions there?"
"Anything's possible, Agent Manning." Fitz smiles in that signature way; somehow charming yet smug as hell. Perhaps that was a vague reference to his most recent invention? Nah. Well, yeah. Probably.
Revelation of the map causes the scientist to mellow out a bit. His finger comes up to trace the power grids, he does some murmuring under his breath, then nods. "Yes, I can see that. Certainly possible, but not easy."
Then, he looks to Simmons and blushes. Ferociously. While sinking back in his seat a little. "I, um… won't?"
Melinda May accepts the two thumbdrives from Jemma which promptly disappear into her jacket. She knows exactly who to take at least one of these USB drives to. Then she answers Jericho with a typical, "I'll tell you later." And yeah, she's NOT about to let COnstantine anywhere near Skye. The two of them in the same place? The stuff of nightmares.
She's not done bossing the young agent around, though. "Once you and Trent get some sort of tracking algorithm going, I want to see if between you there's a way to program the automated systems in the power grids for each city to NOT allow them to interlink." She knows that doing that is a calculated risk, especially after what happened to Metropolis, but the weather's finally warming up so it's a risk she's willing to take.
"Maybe a Craigslist ad." Paul murmurs to Sara. "'Sword of Balance seeks religious fanatic to wield weapon in cause of good. Familiarity with Latin masses a must, experience with Olympic javelins a plus.' And I suspect Blood is always 'off'. Which is quite reasonable given the demon we all love to hate and where Jason goes when it shows up." As he listens to what Jericho says, he purses his lips. "I once read a book where someone was killing people in specific locations of a city. Once all the murders were complete, they would form a symbol to summon a demon lord." Ever since getting the Rapture, he's been reading up on the subject, both fiction and non. "Maybe something similar is happening here."
Skye gives Simmons a wide-eyed nod when the comment about "A lot to take in.." is mentioned. She then looks over to Jericho and plainly states, "Ya think? This morning I was on a plane eating a bagel and reading the comics. Good times really." She then shoots a glance to Fitz and pounces. Finally something she can understand and keep up with. Her hands go flat palm to the table surface, "Oh you totally need too. It will be far worse if you don't." Skye has no idea who this "Cricket" is, but she leans back in her chair and nods matter of factly, pointing to Fitz, "We'll talk later."
"Very funny," Sara rolls her eyes at Paul with a smirk. "Should I put one out letting HYDRA know they should send a strike team to take me out, too? Life could get boring if I'm not careful, you know." The humor, though, is surface only. Cop humor. Simmons' diagram gets a long look. "Is there anything to suggest this is actually linked to that mess a few months back?"
Talk later? Skye gets a good deer-in-headlights from Fitz. "We will? I mean, sure."
The map provides a good distraction. He goes back to studying it, listening to the others while once again drawing lines in the air with his finger. He's trying to see if there's a mathematic or scientific connection to be had; his knowledge of the arcane is still rather limited in practicality.
"The terrorist attack?" Jericho's been wondering that too. "The timing is a bit convenient, I'll admit but I haven't found anything yet. Which doesn't mean that there isn't a link. It could just mean that it's well hidden. On the other hand, HYDRA's a bunch of opportunistic bastards. They may have just seen an opportunity."
"I might, May, be able to rig a program to prevent energy transfers. Safest thing would be to disconnect the cities from the power grid to prevent that all together which… we can't. Not without a couple months work of constant construction work, and that leave all three cities hurting for electricity." Power grid attacks are an internal security nightmare and the US Grid is waaaay under secured compared to a lot of places. He can talk to May later for the 'offline' stuff.
"I have no idea when HYDRA plans to move, but they made a deal with… an outside power two weeks ago. The message my friends and I found suggests they got most of what they needed out of it. So far as we know they could go at any time." Means he, Simmons and Skye will probably be working together. And Sara and Paul may be needed at a moment's notice. After what May might or might not have done last night, she might be included with those two.
May appears to be completely ignoring all of the comments aimed at making Fitz, staying mostly quiet as the others discuss possibilities. But then, as always, she has to be the party pooper. "None of this is going to happen until I get Fury's approval." Of course, with what se said earlier, she seems pretty well confident that he's going to give them the go-ahead.
Looking to Jericho, Simmons nods "Mr Reha did say that he thought he might be able to find a way to trick the system into dumping the excess energy. That might be worth following up, perhaps." See Fitz's blush and the way he looked at Skyes comment, Simmons covers a small laugh.
"… because the U.S. infrastructure is barney," Fitz murmurs. "Jericho's right, we don't have the time to make that happen. I would suggest, in a pinch, the grid could be shut down." He looks between the others. "Temporarily. It would cause a lot of mayhem, but if the situation is dire enough…" He shrugs. "Shut down one grid, the others won't have what's needed to do their dirty deeds."
Done dirt cheap? Fitz does have a filter, but it certainly crosses his mind. "Gotham would be the likeliest choice." And not just because it's Jersey. "It's the link between all three, geographically."
That suggestion may not get Fury's approval. Simmons, however, does get a little nudge under the table after that laugh.
"Why dump if we can channel?" Paul suggests. "If you can figure out the former, then it shouldn't be too difficult to do the latter. Let's figure out a use to put it. Preferably something that'll help us defeat them at the same time. And Trent, what exactly do you mean by a deal with an outside power? Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Like an accosted school girl. That is the reaction Skye takes when May speaks once again. She sits straight in her chair and looks directly at the Senior Agent, giving a nod to her of complete obedience. She does however sneak another look over to Fitz and gives him a narrowe eyed nod as if to once again confirm her invitation that they are to talk. Her attention quickly goes back to May and she nibbles her lowe lip once more before looking back down to her phone, pushing a few things lightly. It is clear she is kind of paying attention. May's glares be damned, she has sought comfort in "her world", a world she understands; beside Fitz's potential love life.
"You all realize that feeding the power into someone or something, even if it's an ally, could be…disastrous, right?" Sara looks around the table, arching a brow. "We're talking about enough power to actually move a city between dimensions. Just bleeding it off is likely to cause some unpleasant side effects. Interrupting it…" She trails off, tilting her head. "Seems like the better option, if you ask me."
Skye's phone is then slide across the table to May slowly, and then the young agewnt begins to speak, "Look here first. I traced the planned shipment that left Venezuela. , and then trwaced it back to Metropolis. With some backdoor maneuvering; which proved to be quite easy when I figured out what they were using, I was able to backtrack that to find previous arrivals from a similiar launching off point within a ten mile radius." She leans back in her chair and looks to Jericho, "You can check it if you want. "
Jericho doesn't want to upload this to a SHIELD system. Even one as low key as a holoemitter. So he taps a few more keys on that holographic keyboard hovering above his arm. The keyboard vanishes to be replaced by the image of a… demon is a good word. Or alien. It's a got a long, almost horse like face with sharp triangular teeth, bat like wings and digitgrade legs with prominant claws. It's also jade green. "The pact is sealed and executed. Your magi now have everything they need to know to enact your dimensional transposition. All you will need is a power source. I shall provide you with that final key to the puzzle once payment is recieved in full." The demon grins widely. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you."
"That's what I meant." Jericho says quietly. "He's not our problem, at the present. Whatever he gave HYDRA is. I'm still working on that part." And what he got in return though that's a bit more personal.
"Interrupting it might cause something to blow up, I know." Jericho shakes his head and kills the projections as he stands up. "I'll let you decide which." The hacker glances over toward Skye. "Mmmmm. I'll look that data over. Though not here." Place makes him itch a little. Did May have it consecrated or something when they did the remodel? He'll ask that later too.
"Well, sorry I get to be the bearer of bad news so often." He grins over at Sara and Paul. "Least no one's putting holes in your offices this time. I'll be in touch. Anything for me before I go?"
Paul studies the hologram then shrugs. "Might be a demon, might not. I can't tell from a hologram." Especially not with Trent being right there like a beacon in the night. "We need a printout of that thing. Maybe Constantine can identify it by sight." After a moment as he's still studying it, he adds "I wonder what it got in return."
Melinda May shakes her head no to Trent. Nothing from her, anyway. The others might still have questions. She looks down at the phone, then at Skye and Trent. "We'll need to talk offline." Her attention then turns to Sara and Paul. "Likewise." Apparently, she's got additional news that, like Jericho, she's reluctant to have out in the open here in the Triskelion. When she moves to stand and see the hacker back out of the building (for his sake mostly), there's the very brief glint of a necklace type chain around her neck for anyone quick enough to notice.
Gotham may make strategic sense, but the idea of causing a city-wide blackout in that region causes Fitz to shrink back a bit, a low whistle emerging. "It would be a war zone. We'd need to give the authorities a heads up." Beat. "Does… anybody have Batman's number?" He grins. Sheepishly. That was surely a joke, wasn't it?
The demon is watched, and it brings a shudder to his frame. "I'd like to Portal Bust his arse back into the ninth level of hell," he murmurs to himself.
Jericho nods to May. "No, sadly, Paul. I'll send a printout. I know the name too and have a vague idea of where he lives." Which is, in broad terms, where Jericho lives. "N'astirh. I'll be following up on it myself. I'll give you a heads up if anything pertinent comes up." With a nod and wave to everyone else Jericho moves out with May.
Skye Johnson slowly rises from her chair, murmuring to herself more or less, "Well. That was fun." She walks around the table to her phone and picks it up, then proceeding herself to make her way to the exit. She pauses by Fitz and Simmons, looking over to Fitz, "You can borrow my phone to make that call if you need." She winks to Skye and tilts her head to the side, "Can we get pizza delivered here?" She does not wait for a reply as she walks out, pushing a few buttons on her phone. Her voice can barely be heard repeating, "No I don't know the address. Is that a problem?"
Melinda May looks at Fitz and says completely seriously, "I probably do. Or rather, I know someone who does." And then she's leading Trent out of the conference room.
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