Summary:Roy stops by to ask Jemma's lab to ask her to take a look at the Thunderbolt drug and it looks like everyone else heard the biochem was back as well. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Jemma hasn't been around the Triskellian much lately. In fact, few have known where she's been. But that's the way things go when you're an Agent - you go where and when you're required. She's only been back hours and already she's in her lab.
There's a two headed cat staring at her, on her worktable. "Well now, aren't you interesting." she's saying to herself as she tries to examine it. She's already sent a message to Agent Koa Turner - telling him the creature has surfaced.
The door is open and the smell of phemaldehyde wafts out into the corrider. Anyone would think she was working on Zombies.
"Ugh, who died and got reanimated?" comes a voice from the door. Standing at the entrance to the lab, Roy's dressed down from his Arsenal gear, wearing a rock tour T-Shirt, this one for Motorhead, and a pair of blue jeans. "Hey, Simmons. Got a moment?" he asks, a small baggie in his right hand.
"Had a couple of run-ins with a new drug, and wanted to get your analysis on it and se if there's some type of antidote or some crap like that." he offers. "Called it Thunderbolt over in the sand box."
Kelly Dehaven had been having lunch with Roy and offered to tag along when she heard he was going to drop by Jemma's lab. The more senior Agent hasn't been around much and Kelly hasn't had a chance to meet the infamous Simmons since getting hired on earlier this year.
The short redheaded woman has a labcoat on over a blouse and slacks. She's got sneakers on her feet today and as always, she's wearing gloves. Kelly's work is fairly specialized, so she doesn't often meet most of the field agents.
Unless they need replacement limbs. So, really, no one wants to meet her.
Storm Shadow comes down to the science labs, he's not in his usual gear, and instead is just wearing black pants with a white sweatshirt. He doesn't have his swords on him, but he likely has some Shuriken just in case. "More than likely, whatever it is that Agent Simmons is working on." he speaks in a deadpan fashion, and he enters more fully and crosses his arms over his chest. He does give a light nod to Kelly and Arsenal, before he looks at Simmons. "What are you working on?"
"YOU!" That comes from the doorway as a tall, broad and well built man with short brown hair strides in. The 'you' is not directed at any of the people in the lab though.
"Meow-meow." Both heads respond.
"Don't you meow me…" That's Koa Turner and he's grumbling for a very good reason, but he doesn't explain what that reason is.
"Thanks for calling Doctor Simmons." He says as he comes to a stop near Roy and Kelly, mad dogging the cat for a moment before he nods to the other three. "Heya. Koa Turner. I don't think we've met."
He won't introduce Simmons as clearly at least two of them knows her.
Kelly is wrong that no one wants to meet her. Her … condition … is known to the biochem and it's of immense interest. So too is the woman, of course - Jemma might be a SCIENCE! geek, but she's compassionate.
"Doctor Dehaven." The redhead is greeted first, perhaps Jemma senses how the woman feels. "Agent Harper. What's this you've got for me?" She gestures to the workbench for the moment, not willing to let the cat out of her control "And nothing reanimated … Shaodow sort of. Certainly nothing I'm working on, yet. Just this cat that has escaped from the WAND Offices ag—-"
"And here's Agent Turner to collect it. When are you going to let me get a look at the cat, Agent Turner? It's quite fascinating." Even after all this time in America, her british accent is still quite present.
"Agent Turner, this is Agent Harper and Doctor Dehaven. Have you all met, Shadow? Agent Harper bought me a puzzle to solve." As Koa takes ownership of the cat, Jemma picks up the bag that Roy has bought in. "Alright then, let's see what this show me and why don't you bring us all up to speed?"
It won't take her long to have a sample under the scope.
"Consultant Harper." It's a gentle rebuke - but he's not an Agent yet. "Though Roy's fine." he offers with a rolling shrug of his shoulders. "Or Arsenal. Just not Speedy. That was me, but now it's a girl's name, and that's all confusing and shit." And it's easy to tell why Kelly's with him, his right arm is mechanical from the elbow down.
As the pill is placed underneath the scope, Roy's going into the explanation. "Don't know where the stuff comes from. But the Taliban's been using it over in Afghanistan to give troops hell. Apparently, taking one of these gives you like.. a serious high and strength and stuff. Seen some videoes on YouTube about the things people do on the influence of them. And seen it in person a couple of times. Including when it goes wrong, as well."
"Local gang tried to smuggle some home for selling on the street. Busted up the main shipment, and now they're all pissed about it. Tried to crash the doctor and I when we were out to dinner the other night. And found some more of the pills at a bust at Obsidian today."
"I was just there to help. You know, observe." Dig that hole a little deeper, Harper. "Anyway, what's the deal with Churchill?" he asks, gesturing to the cat, using the name of the cat from Pet Semetary.
Obviously, wanting to meet Kelly does not bode well for Jemma. She's going to end up needing a replacement limb or something soon, just watch. Kelly gives the other Doctor a genuine smile. "Doctor Simmons, hello."
As Jemma starts to make introductions around, Kelly offers a gloved hand to them in turn. "Doctor Kelly Dehaven. I'm in the science division working on Brain-Computer Interface." Her SHIELD dossier for anyone with Lelvel 1 clearance explains why the gloves, flagging her ability to mentally connect to computerized systems though her telepathic abilities are more highly classified. Most people don't have a need to read her file, however and so those that see her in passing just figure she's kind of odd for always having gloves.
Kelly gives the two-headed cat a skeptical look. That thing is not at all cute and fuzzy, in her opinion.
Storm Shadow listens to Kelly as she introduces herself. "Storm Shadow." he says and he gives a little bow at the waist before he's resuming his previous stance. He does turn his attention to Roy for a moment as he talks about the happenings on the street. Though Shadow eventually looks upon Simmons herself. "Seems we have the introductions out of the way."
Though the cat gets his attention, and he seems curious, though not Simmons curious. Two headed cat….huh. Well then.
He'll just uh…forget he saw that.
"This guy? Someone's science experiment from the 1870's. It's not dangerous, really, unless you give it catnip. But we keep it in containment. Or, well, we TRY to keep it in containment. It keeps getting out." Koa stuffs the cat into a pet carrier. "And I'll be happy to let you look at him, Doctor Simmons, when I figure out how he keeps getting OUT of the Triskellion."
It's really rather maddening but that's neither here nor there.
"Drug huh? Sounds like a pretty nasty one." Koa is at least smart enough not to ask what that has to do with Brain Computer Interfaces. He can see Roy's arm. It makes perfect sense.
"Anyway, Nice to meet you Consultant Harper, Doctor Dehaven. Feel free to drop by my office if you ever need to. Though lets all hope you don't."
The moment a biochemist, or a Brain-Computer expert needs to consult Koa, something has gone badly wrong with all of reality… Roy's needing Koa's help would probably be less disastrous.
"Pleased to meet you, Storm Shadow." Odd name but Koa doesn't press the matter. He's used to dealing with people that have odd names.
"Meow-meow." They meow in stereo. It's quite disconcerting. "Hush." Koa mutters.
"So, what were we hoping Doctor Simmons could find out about the drug?"
"Jemma, please …" Jemma's never really stood on ceremonoy. Might come from being with SHIELD for so long and from so young. "Roy, then. Are you settling in here, Doctor Dehaven? Got all the resources you need?"
The story of Churchill, as Roy just called the cat, horrifies Jemma on a level that might not horrify many others.
"The Obsidian … you were there." The faintest of colour touches Jemma's cheeks as she turns to the microscope to continue her analysis.
"Well now isn't that interesting …" she murmurs, leaving the others to talk for several long moments before taking the pill, cutting it up and putting it through the spectrum analyser.
"Serious high isn't an exaggeration…" she finally says, remembering there are people in the lab to talk to. "This operates to stimulate the Hypothalumus and Adrenal glands. Well overstimulate them, actually. Those affected would be seriously dangerous."
There's a serious frown as she moves to the dish to another device and sets the machine off whirring. "Let's see what else I can find." beat "Just the usual, I suspect, Agent Turner. You know … working my own brand of magic of things." There's an almost cheeky grin in the WAND agents direction "What it is, what it does, how to cure it…" She even waggles her fingers in his direction.
"Storm Shadow, did you come by for anything in particular? If you're waiting on anything, it's probably not ready. I've only been back a few hours myself."
"Yeah. It wasn't ladies night, though. And it really does prove the old adage that noone goes to a strip club for the buffet." Roy offers with a shrug of his shoulders. Though there is a sudden glance to Kelly, and he has the good sense to blush about something, before muttering something under his breath.
With that, his attention returns to Jemma. "Well, that'd explain the exploding eyeballs and bleeding from the ears and nose." comes the comment with a low shake of his head and a grunt of a thought. "We need to find out where they're hiding out and where the rest of the pills are - or better yet, an antidote to that thing, if there is one. Or where they're getting them from. Unless anyone else feels like trapsing in Afghanistan to find out."
Kelly Dehaven does give Storm Shadow an extra long look, as though waiting for a 'real name'. When he sticks to what to her is more of a callsign, she arches her brows a bit and just nods. Okay.
"I'm sorry, did you say the cat is from *1870*?" Kelly just sort of stares at Koa. Yes, she's aware of the WAND arm and OK, there's magical hoodoo that supposedly goes on over there but… a nearly 150 year old cat? Really? She scoots a little further away from it, putting Roy between her and the thing. Even if it is in a carrier now.
Jemma's question pulls Kelly's attention back over to her and she bobs her head in a nod, long red hair sliding forward over her shoulders as she does so. "Oh. Yes. I've been working with Roy on his prosthetic. It's into a solid Beta but I'm still squashing bugs."
While the drugs aren't really in her wheelhouse, Kelly's used to speaking her mind on a thing and she frowns lightly. "It seems like the fatal side-effects set in almost instantaneously, so a cure wouldn't help them much…" It would make those that are hyped up on the stuff and dangerous easier to deal with, though. The redhead can't help but try to think of how to keep people from, y'know, exploding.
Storm Shadow shakes his head. "Not this time, Doctor." Storm Shadow states simply. "Rather, I came to see what all the attention was about for the moment." Then he seems to fall into silence, though he does give a small nod at Koa at the introduction. Though then he looks at Kelly and his attention doesn't move from her until she seems to just nod and lets it go. Of course, he would give his real name but there's a secretive nature to the ninja.
Though as they talk more about this drug…its peaking Storm Shadow's interest in what can be done to stop it. But, thats not his thing. So he lets the doctors and the appropriate people talk about it while he just watches from a distance.
There's a little motion in the doorway and then Agent May's standing where the door should be. She doesn't say anything for a few moments, surveying the room with a sweep of her unfathomable brown eyes. Her SHIELD uniform's worn perfectly starched, not a crease or wrinkle to be seen. She could stand in for a 'how to' on how to dress professionally, hands resting at hte small of her back in a casual 'rest' position.
She waits until she gets the researcher's attention, then speaks in a level voice. "This entire floor is complaining about a smell 'like zombies'," May explains. "Is your vent hood not working properly?"
"Yeah. It's a hundred and fifty years old." Koa says with a grin. "I can see you doing the math."
"Meow-meow." The two headed cat says in the cat carrier.
"That sounds fascinating, Jemma. I'll leave you to it. I've got to get back to the WAND section and see why it is this thing keeps getting out from behind our wards."
It's devilishly clever if nothing else. Koa nods to Kelly and Roy with a smile and then heads on out.
"Sorry Agent May. Taking the smelly two headed cat back to the wierdo zone now." He says as he slides out.
There's a look that crosses Jemma's face when Kelly mentions Roys arm and she glances at it, quickly covering the gesture when the machine beeps at her. "Let me know if you need anything, Doctor Dehaven and maybe at some point we could get lunch, or something. If our schedules permit it."
The results cut any other response Jemma might make short, the frown she had before deepening. "Yes it would explain it and if they're surving it, I would be surprised. Just give me a moment … I've a breakdown of the materials used."
On the 3D display above the work table, a map of the world displays. Turning to it, Jemma gestures, causing it to rotate and then zoom in. To a group of islands near Malaysia. "This is the area a high percentage of the organic material comes from." Most present will recognise the localised area.
Madripoor.
"I want to run more tests, see how this stuff actually works. I might be able to create a cure or similar. How much of this do you think has made the States?"
Jemma's tablet bings at that exact moment and she checks it. "I'm being called to the Directors office for a briefing… "
When Melinda May appears in the doorway, Kelly grimaces a bit. Oi. Bigwigs. She reaches out to squeeze Roy's flesh-and-blood arm, meeting his green eyes with her own briefly before moving to squeeze past May and get the hell out of here and back to her own lab. Being a low-Level scientist, she's not wanting to get called out for doing something wrong by a superior officer type. And the less people in the room, the more likely that critical eye is likely to land on her.
"I don't know, Doctor Simmons. We intercepted a gallon sized baggie at the motorpool." And as Jemma excuses herself, Roy reaches up to give his arm a rub. He can feel the pain of it - even if most of the appendage is gone. Closing his eyes, he takes several deep breaths to try to balance himself, as everyone starts to retreat. "Wow. This is just like back when I used to wear a mask." he mutters quietly.
"I guess you missed all the fun stuff, Agent May. I'm going to have to wait for Simmons before I get more of it myself."
It's about then that Sarah Black arrives, letting Dehaven get past before peering in past Agent May. "Jemma, you're back, thank God," she says to her fellow Brit. "We're going to need you on this one. I see Harper's already brought the samples by, and…"
It's about then that she sees the highlighted spot on the globe projection. "Madripoor. Why am I not surprised?"
When May arrives on the scene, Storm Shadow turns his head to look at her and he gives her a nod. "May." is all he says in the greeting. Though as Jemma and Koa and Kelly all take their leaves, it seems poor Roy is left with Storm Shadow and Agent May. Yikes.
"You call that fun?' Shadow asks Roy with a look of amusement on his face. It was a funny thought.
Then cue the arrival of one Sarah Black. "Its always Madripoor." Shadow says with some kind of grim humor.
May gives Shadow a level look. "Agent," she responds, after a beat. She moves a few inches to the side to give people access to the door, but doesn't shift her feet more than precisely the amount needed for people to shift past her.
She doesn't respond to Harper initially, craning her neck to look up at the display on the screen. She examines the readouts and the assessment, then flickers a glance over at Roy.
"What's your assertion of the situation, Harper?" she asks, putting him on the spot for a moment.
After the others leave and Roy's left on the spot, he lets out a breath. "Dogs of Hell got the drugs stateside. Don't know how much, but with the first bust, they're trying to distribute. Need to figure out where they are, break the gang, get the drugs, destroy them, and then find out where they got it from both in Afghanistan.. and possibly Madripoor.. boy that will be a diplomatic nightmare. And take these pill makers down once and for all."
Once those departing have filed out, Sarah slips past May and into the lab. "Once Jemma has more of a chance to work on this shite, maybe she can cook up an antidote, too. It would be good to be able to at least try to keep idiots who've taken it alive. I don't know, something along the lines of the treatment for heroin overdose. Not my field, obviously, but something would be good, both from the intel standpoint and the not bloody letting people die if we can help it."
Storm Shadow just falls into silence, looking at Sarah as she speaks of the possible antidote. "Maybe." though he also turns his head to Roy as he gives his assertion. Not bad. "Worst case scenario, we investigate both Afghanistan and Madripoor at the same time. We have the resources."
"Narcan," Melinda tells Sarah. Her eyes stay focused on the vidscreen, face unreadable as if she were reading stock reports scrolling past. "Aerosol delivery. Fast and effective," she explains. "They issue it to law enforcement and paramedics."
She looks to Roy again. "What assets do you need to assess port of entry? Either land or via sea?" she inquires of him. "We might have agents in the area who could help narrow it down a bit. Knowing how it was shipped would be a break for us."
"Yes, because it's /just/ like heroin." Roy's tone is suddenly severe. Angry. Maybe Sarah read his file. Maybe not. But Roy Harper is an /expert/ on heroin. "Heroin depresses the heart and lungs to cause a euphoric state. This drug actually increases it. It twists and turns a person into a beast that can flip over a Hum-Vee without thinking twice about it."
"While Naloxone is what's used on me when I had my lowest moment - but you know, while you're too busy trying to get the stripper's phone number, some of us were more focused on the goddamn mission." He slams his artificial arm against the table, cracking it and driving a heavy dent into the aluminum pan.
"Narcan won't work on this thing. Simmons is going to have to research it. As for what I need? I'm just the former heroin junkie that is trying to keep shit off the streets." And with that, he storms out without even a 'by your leave'.
"The hell?" Sarah stares after Harper as he leaves, clearly taken aback. She actually hasn't read the man's file, not having worked directly with him until the quickly-assembled raid earlier today. "I… seem to have touched a nerve without intending to," she says quietly. Shaking her head, she continues, "Nonetheless, if it /is/ possible to concoct an emergency counteragent to this drug, it would be obviously useful. But that will be for Agent Simmons to determine."
"I agree," May says. She seems completely unruffled by Harper's outburst, focusing on Black. "Come up with a work proposal for it. Something with a remote delivery system," she suggests. "Getting someone with superhuman strength, to hold still long enough to jam an applicator up their nose, might be a challenge."
Was that a joke? It's hard to say from her expression. "Paintballs, maybe. Something that will explode on impact. How soon could you have a proof of concept drawn up?"
"That will partly depend on what Simmons is able to come up with," Sarah replies. "The nature of the counteragent may dictate its delivery vector. But I agree, something that can work from range would be… highly preferable." She doesn't mention that earlier today, her ribs would definitely be in agreement with that assessment. Fortunately for her, she heals unnaturally quickly.
"Work with the engineers," May tells Sarah. "See what you can come up with. There's been a lot of research into metahuman suppression tech. We have the transmission vector now. That's got to be a leg up."
She looks directly at Sarah a few seconds later. "Have a report on my desk by the end of the week. I want to know what the team's come up with. If you get it designed, we'll greenlight funding and production immediately."
Sarah nods. "Yes, Ma'am. I'll follow through on this. Hopefully, Simmons will have good news for us about the possibility of a counteragent, and once she can tell me what our options are for delivery — if it will require injection, or could work via skin absorption or as an aerosol — I will get to work with engineering on a delivery solution. With any luck, we'll be able to adapt something we already have in our inventory."
"Don't let me hold you up, then," May remarks, and nods sharply at Black. "Keep me up to date on your progress. And …" She pauses, mid-step. "Let me know if Harper breaks any more lab equipment."
She turns on the ball of her foot and walks out of the lab, hands still loosely behind her waist and her back ramrod straight.