Summary:Skye has some crates full of highly questionable materials which would be a lot more at home in Hank's lab. SHIELD sends Dylan in as backup. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's been a while since Skye had last made contact with Hank but it would be a mistake to think that she had forgotten about their previous business. The message sent to his phone comes out of nowhere and gets straight to the point.
<Need to meet. You'll want cargo space. Light blue van, level S3.>
The address provided is to a parking garage tucked underground, not quite abandoned but secluded enough. It's also running old enough tech that it's a trivial matter for her to deal with the cameras in the immediate area. She's totally not being paranoid, this is legit shady business right here!
Skye arrives ahead of schedule and gives the area a quick check. She's not trained as a spy but she has a healthy distrust for others and surveillance measures. Then she sits with the driver's door open, legs hanging off the side of the seat as she eats a burger picked up from down the street. Act casual! Just meeting up with a friend. Nothing unusual at all.
The 'light blue van' in question is a GMC from the early 80's with its share of rust. About the only noteworthy detail is that it's still on the road.
*
The cryptic text from Skye does get Hank's attention, and after he Googles the address and location he sends a reply text.
<ETA 2.5 hours.>
Yup, that's all he sends, but it gets the message across, surely. Once sent, he gets up and heads out to the garage of the Institute, taking out one of the Escalade SUVs there, easy enough. The one he chose is of course black in color, though it is not quite a Fed version and does not have any government plates. A faint frown as he sees someone applied a decal to the back window showing a family of four and a cat. Great, he'll look like a soccer mom or something, oh well. The Escalade is the only thing available with cargo space to spare.
The drive is about 90 minutes, giving him a bit of leeway.
He does check in with SHIELD as he suspects that the meet is going to be pertinent to the bio-phage attack in Canada a couple weeks ago, and that's an active investigation. He doesn't /request/ backup, but he didn't NOT request it either. He just felt it prudent to inform them and keep them in the loop. He's only a contractor, after all, and Skye? Well, she's his asset.
He hopes.
*
Dylan hasn't been on any missions yet. He's still in the getting familiarized with the states phase of this transfer. And they know part of his effectiveness will depend on knowing his way around the city. So really, it's a good compromise; he gets to explore part of the city he hasn't yet and Hank gets the backup he didn't actually ask for.
Around the appointed time, he enters the parking garage, slowly winding his way down to the correct floor. His motorcycle is clearly vintage but looks brand new despite that. Dark, secluded, underground, perfect for an ambush.
*
The problem with shady dealings is that they usually involve shady vehicles and at times it can be very difficult to separate one shady vehicle from another. The black Escalade all but screams 'government spook' in Skye's mind right up until she notices the sticker in the window. That's enough to have the hackerette breathing out a slow sigh of relief. Had she been holding her breath before..?
The last wad of burger is stuffed into her mouth and the wrapper crumpled into a ball and tossed onto the dashboard to be dealt with later. Before anything else she wants to make sure that it is indeed Hank stepping out of the vehicle. They may not know one another very well but he seemed to be a good enough sort. Not the type to set her up, although their ultimate motives are definitely not in alignment.
Whatever had initiated this meeting it's still being kept in the dark as Skye hops from the van and closes the door, stepping over to meet Hank halfway. "Hey. Your name had come up as the right person to handle this and at the time I happened to have the space to—"
The explanation is cut short as the sound of another engine starts to echo through the level. It sounds small. Older. A peculiar sound in the second week of December, to be certain. It stands out in that it's both unusual..and coming closer.
Skye turns suddenly suspicious eyes onto Hank. "Are you expecting company?"
*
Irony: thy name be 'silly soccer mom sticker'?
Hank enters the garage, and drives to the appointed level, and finds…the HackerMobile…aka Skye's Van. A faint smile as he sees the rusty thing, and then he parks one space over from it, and gets out of the SUV once the engine is cut off.
Fortunately his appearance is /really/ hard to simulate, the guy's build alone is fairly freakish between the burly and the long limbs and such. Moving over next to Skye he offers a smile. He's dressed today in jeans and a white knit sweater over the top, size twenty boots too, but that's about it. "Hello Skye." He greets.
He is attentive when she starts talking, but notes the sound of a third vehicle around when she does, and his frown comes swift on the heels of that. "In fact I am not." He answers, and if he is lying he's DAMN good at it, really really damn good.
He steps so that his bulk shields Daisy from view, and also provides four hundred something pounds of meatshield.
Your welcome!
*
The Vincent Black Shadow rounds the ramp to the level and starts up the aisle, going slowly as if he's looking for a parking spot on a crowded shopping day at the mall. That he's passing dozens of empty spaces probably indicates he's not looking for parking. Instead, when Dylan spots the two vehicles, he steers over to them and comes to a halt several feet away. He clearly looks Hank up and down before saying "You must be McCoy." The mutant is very easy to describe after all, even if the dispatcher is being polite while doing it. Dismounting, he pulls his helmet off and hangs it on a handlebar. Despite not using the kickstand, the bike stays upright. "Miss." he greets Skye, giving her a nod before looking back to Hank. "SHIELD said you might need a hand."
*
That Hank places himself in front of Skye without a second thought is noteworthy! She can't -not- notice his consideration for her safety. Frankly it catches her off guard, she's not used to others being so ..protective of her.
Although this also gives her a chance to open the van's door again and haul out a slightly used tire iron. Lately it's starting to become less of a roadside maintenance tool and more of a personal sidekick for the untrained and otherwise unarmed techie.
The engine keeps getting closer. Sure enough, it's a motorcycle. A bold choice. As soon as the lone rider greets Hank by name she peers a little more around the broad mutant's side, continuing to use Hank's impressive stature to hide the bent piece of steel in her one hand.
All it takes is one word and Skye's dark eyes bug out, slowly turning back to STARE at Hank. "You called -SHIELD?- Are you -crazy?!-"
To say she doesn't trust the Division would be a massive understatement!
*
Hank placed himself between Skye and possible danger without a FIRST thought, he's just wired that way. Protect folks, keep them safe, that's essentially hardwired to his BIOS and the chipset can't be overwritten! At least not easily, anyway.
He notes the approaching cycle, and the mechanic in him appreciates the thing rather a lot, actually - a LOT lot. The man on the back however, draws his attention from admiring the classic cycle as he speaks.
He meets the man's gaze, and nods slowly. "I'm McCoy, yes." He confirms readily enough - as has been noted - it isn't like Hank is hard to describe! "I'm afraid I don't know you, sir, and I didn't request any backup - do you have intel suggesting we might be in danger?"
Because that would be a good reason to dispatch a field agent.
A sigh when Daisy rounds on him, and then he turns to offer her a smile. "Skye, I'm a vigilante superhero, and a scientist, and a hacker…I also work with SHIELD as a contractor. I know you have reason to distrust them in broad, but I can emphatically state that the people I work with are trustworthy. In fact I've /literally/ had them save my life on more than one occasion. I know you don't know me well, but I give you my word, this is not a double cross."
He digs out his reading glasses and dons them, and then presses the side, in Daisy's line of sight she'd see a flicker on the lenses that looks to be some sort of HUD before the thing flows into essentially a set of goggles, a visor in amber adhering to his face as he turns to the SHIELD agent. "May I see some ID please?" He asks with absolute courtesy and equally absolute inflexibility.
*
"Dylan Grey, seconded to WAND." Dylan says to them both, his Welsh accent strong. "If there's danger, I wasn't told about it. My instructions were to familiarize myself with this part of the city and as long as I was here, to check in with you as you called in not long ago. That you checked in but didn't ask for backup was considered unusual enough to send someone." Reaching into his inside coat pocket, he pulls out his ID and flips it open before handing it to Hank. "It could be a counterfeit." he points out helpfully. "My knowing you called in is better proof of my affiliation."
*
It's a good sales pitch from Hank but Skye's not going to let the matter go so easily. "Well of -course- they want you to think that they're trustworthy, it's a lot easier to manipulate compliance than to force it."
Poor Dylan. If SHIELD had any idea what they were tossing him into they might have given him a folder with her picture inside. There's plenty of dirt on her, starting with 'conspiracy theorist.'
Then again, maybe they somehow already knew and a higher-up wanted to put the newbie on the spot. Who knows!
Also holy whoa Hank's packing some interesting tech in those glasses… Skye's complete resistance momentarily gives way due to nothing more than a passing fascination for what the Doctor possesses.
It's gone just as quickly, replaced by a pained expression which overcomes her. The girl's head dips forward into empty fingertips in a clear look of 'this is not happening…' "Oh my god." Back to the local mutant, "It's the -Division,- Hank. I don't trust them, and neither should you."
He'll have a chance to verify Dylan's ID before any business transpires, anyway. Skye can be quite good at stalling!
*
"Agent Grey, a pleasure." Hank actually offers the man his (ginormous) hand to shake. "I'm sure they'd have briefed you, I'm relieved." He takes the ID, studying it with particularly care as he looks for tell-tale signs of forgery. The magnification built into his visor doesn't hurt, he almost literally has it under a microscope, before he returns the ID to Dylan. "Between your information…" A nod to the helpfulness the agent displayed. "…and my examination, I'd say you're on the up and up."
And that's that, apparently.
He turns back to Skye, and smiles. "Skye, I have worked very closely with some of them, one of them literally saved my life at least twice, possibly more. Believe me, she's /not/ a good liar, I would have known if she'd been anything other than than a true and treasured friend. She has GIVEN trust as well, not just take, there's give too."
A broad grin, happy and proud both when he sees her sort of bliss out watching the glasses at work. "You clearly were willing to give me a go in the trust department, well, trust my judgement in this as well, mm?"
*
"The Division?" Dylan queries, looking first at Skye and then at Hank. "Is that a department of SHIELD I haven't heard about yet? I've only recently been seconded to WAND so still getting accustomed to the organization. MI-13 is much smaller, only having to deal with the kingdom and colonies and not the entire world. In any case, Miss, I assure you I have no interest in taking you in, taking you out, or doing anything else regarding you other than making sure nothing bad happens here."
*
A perfectly wary glance is passed between the two before Skye silently releases another breath. What's she going to do, walk out on these two and hang onto something that she -really- shouldn't be in possession of? A meaningful stare is leveled at Dylan this time when she declares "I'm watching you."
If it's tech related this could be a legitimate threat. Take away the keyboards and touchscreens and even a brand new trainee could probably take her without much trouble. A more seasoned agent might have to resist rolling their eyes at her threat.
On the upside she's setting the tire iron back inside of the van, neatly tucked between the front seats.
"I still think you're a fool, but whatever. This is more than what I can handle. The other day I ran into our ..mutual acquaintances." She's still not willing to drop any names it would seem! "Remember the winged people in the attack? We found some of them." Which might explain why she's looking a little stiff with certain motions.
Walking around to the back of the van, she continues. "Some guys showed up to make a delivery, and I have it." The doors are opened revealing the interior space which someone had clearly spent some time living in. Blocking most of the view are a series of very secure looking containers though a keen eye would be able to see past that to what looks like a very sophisticated computer station, linking a desktop with laptops and tablets. It even LOOKS like the van of a conspiracy theorist, everything but the corkboard covered with colored yarn linking pictures and newspaper clippings together.
She took that stuff down before texting Hank.
"I don't know much about it other than they kept throwing the name 'Terrigen' around. They..for whatever reason..wanted -SHIELD- to have it but I wasn't about to drop the stuff on their porch. If that decision is to be made then you're going to have to be the one to make it."
*
"The last word in the Acronym, Agent Grey. She's just not mentioning the rest." Hank nods at the rest, supporting the man's assertions that he is here to help, and Hank totally accepts it and him. "WAND and MI-13, mm?" Not just a spook, a MAGICAL spook. Which is interesting to Hank, as he is't a very magical fellow, and has not been to Tahiti in a long time.
He turns back to Skye then. "Knowing one's limits is important." Hank observes, letting the fool part slide. He KNOWS she's a conspiracy theorist and hactivist, not like he was expecting her to drink the coolaid on just his say so.
He would have been delighted to see the wall of crazy in the van, but hey, she ticked off all the other pertinent check boxes, so that's all good.
The word 'terrigen' is a familiar one, though he doesn't know a whole lot. The opportunity to study something related to it is quite interesting and exciting. "Really?" Hank nearly purrs. "Well then, I will be happy to take possession for you, and will work with SHIELD so you needn't just dump it on the stoop of the Triskelion, Skye." He smiles, very genuinely. "Thank you."
*
"Noted." Dylan tells Daisy, not just in a serious tone but managing to keep a straight face as well. He just looks into the van once the doors are opened, the word 'Terrigen' meaning nothing to him. "Terrigen? I assume it's not radioactive, explosive, or damaging to people around it? Though even if it is, actually make that especially if it is, I can transport it fairly easily and safely back to the Triskelion."
*
"Look, I don't know much about this stuff beyond 'it's dangerous' and 'I probably shouldn't handle it with bare hands.' I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right amount of storage to take it away from the delivery point. As far as I'm concerned it's all your problem now." -Hank's- problem, specifically. But with Dylan right here and ready to go she won't start hissing and spitting if Hank's first move is to take his shiny black Escalade straight to the Triskelion with the crates in tow. So long as it's not on her!
With the bit of business done her arms (carefully) fold together as her attention fiiinally focuses on Dylan. "MI-13 -and- WAND, huh. You've been busy. How'd you get the short straw to come out this way and deal with a couple of covert boxes?"
Your tax dollars at work, right here.
*
"Well…it /can/ be dangerous. I believe it to be a powerful mutagen, but as I have never had anything to study I cannot confirm that. It does not as I understand it have any radiological or explosive properties, though, again, I have no way of being certain without firsthand analysis." Oh, that's super reassuring, right? "I would say however that the containers that Skye has the goods in look sufficiently secure to ensure a reasonable chance of not getting contaminated." Yeah, still not all that reassuring.
And really, Hank's evident glee a the prospect of having a chance to study some terrigen? Very very obvious.
He does study the containers with his visor - zooming in, checking thermal images and happily. "It seems to be well sealed." He decides finally and then takes possession. He simply stacks them up on one hand, and moves over to the truck. He doesn't even think about how odd that might look, the guy IS pretty strong it would seem.
*
"The trend of global unification is becoming stronger as time goes on." Dylan explains to Daisy. "My superiors in MI-13 are aware of this and considers exposure of its agents to the larger community to be a good thing. Further, it is better to defuse potentially dangerous situations before they affect the United Kingdom. And so I've been seconded to WAND. As for this…" he gestures around them. "I've been spending my time exploring the city as it'll make responding to emergencies quicker if I've been there. This kills two birds with one stone. And you? Why the distrust of SHIELD, aside from them being a very large authority figure? Which I can partially understand." he confesses. "I prefer my chain of command to be a bit more feudal and less bureaucratic. I like the more personal touch it provides." Pause. "Which, granted, is very much a perspective born from privilege." He just nods at Hank's words and lets the man take care of it, a hint of surprise at the strength displayed fading as quickly as it came.
*
Skye is left standing there with a brow hooked upward as Hank goes on about how it's all 'probably' safe and 'probably' not a concern. "Should I be swinging by Tolliver's for a check-up?" she pointedly asks. Can they test for radiation exposure or whatever at the free clinic?
Then he stacks them all onto one hand like they were boxes of pizza or something. "Show-off," she mutters with the hint of a smirk.
As Dylan responds he has Skye's undivided attention. Frankly, she's ..not entirely certain what to make of the guy as he shares his views on the subject. Kinda doesn't -sound- like a government spook. Much like with Hank what he says -seems- genuine. Buuut it could also be a load of baloney.
Sharply inclining her chin once, she adds "I don't trust -any- organization. Especially not ones which are government funded and allowed to operate under the radar as they please." Which means she probably has the same distrust for MI-13 and WAND, too. Heck, if it's an acronym she probably distrusts it!
Drawing in a quick breath she turns back to the Doctor, calling out "Let me know what you find? Assuming you don't, like..kill yourself by looking at it, or..something."
*
Hank smiles to Dylan. "Agent Grey, if you'd like I can put together some notes on good eateries and other points of interest in town for you." Not like Hank hasn't been living here off and on for quite a few years, oh…wait…it is EXACTLY like he's been living here off and on for years! He then focuses on the boxes, and moves them over to the SUV before popping the back open with his free hand and tucking them in. However, he's not content with just that, so he then secures them with bungee cords as well.
Only then does he seal up the SUV and smile to Daisy. "Show off? No no, that wasn't showing off." For a brief moment he /clearly/ considers doing so, it is almost a live thing in the room, and then he grins and rubs the back of his neck. "I suppose I'm fairly used to my own strength, I didn't mean to show off."
A nod then. "Oh, of course, Skye. And! I wanted to thank you in a more tangible fashion." He offers a pre-loaded debit card to the girl who is clearly living out of her van.
*
"Oh, I wouldn't trust your government either." Dylan assures Daisy, adding with a quick grin. "Mostly because I'm British. Though I'm still ambivalent about trusting the English as well but mostly because I'm Welsh and it's only been 737 years since they conquered us." Some things just can't be forgotten even after a thousand years. Or two. "That would be very appreciated, Mister McCoy. Fodor's guide is only so useful."
*
"That was pretty showy," Skye gently teases Hank before he can go and do something completely unpredictable like handing her a debit card. She wears an absent expression while equally absently reaching out for the gift, her mouth working a few times before any words can be found. "I..uh..wow..! Really, that's..totally unexpected, I mean… Thanks."
Old habits die hard. She miiight have managed to get a small place from an elderly lady with empty nest syndrome but living expenses out here are a real threat and handing photos in to a newspaper for scraps only gets her by so far. Besides, van is where the heart is!
Dylan's admission catches Skye off guard. "But..you're -working- for them. How can you do that while not trusting them?" Would that even be allowed..?
*
"I trust the people I work with, not the government itself." Hank says with complete sincerity. "I'm a mutant, we have a long history of not being able to trust the government." And persecution by it too, and other bad stuff. So yeah, he gets the 'gov bad' thing, even as a government contractor — because his /handler/ IS ethical and trustworthy. He can't help but laugh when Agent Grey states so emphatically that a proper grudge lasts for at least a millenium. "Well then, Agent Grey, first…call me Hank, and second, I'll shoot you the Hank McCoy Guide to the New York Metro Area and Surrounding Environs, shall I?"
And he will too, probably later that same night Dylan will get an email with all sorts of goodies.
Hank grins. "Showy is juggling cars, that was just me not thinking about being showy." Hank corrects gently, and then grins at how taken aback she is. "What? You did me a solid, paying for services rendered is a time honored thing that goes way back." And it really bugs Hank to see a girl living out of a van!
*
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Miss." Dylan advises but then shrugs lightly. "And they have gotten better about invading other countries in the last hundred years or so." he allows. "And old grudges shouldn't get in the way of common sense. Like it or not, Wales is part of the UK now and for the foreseeable future. And, as Mr… Hank - and you shall call me Dylan - As Hank just said, I trust the people more than I trust the government. Put your faith in people not organizations."
*
Huh! Do a thing, get paid for said thing. "This could be the start of a beautiful relationship," Skye teases Hank just a liiittle bit further. It can't hurt, can it? It probably can't hurt.
Dylan's next response surprises her almost as much as the gift because what he's saying -actually makes sense.- Skye gets it! Seriously, if she ever wound up in SHIELD it would be in order to start digging into all of their buried secrets and that's SO much easier to do from the inside. Granted Dylan may not be planning on publicly exposing their entire backlog of secrets or anything but his views about trust are like -right- on target.
With head tilted to one side she gives Dylan another long look before voicing a completely inconclusive "Huh." It's probably the nicest word she's going to have for the guy on their first encounter but it would seem that she hasn't -completely- written him off. There may actually be some hope of moving beyond.
"Well," she comes back around with an empty smile. "That's what I've got, so..have fun, you two."
*
"Take care, Skye. I'll ping you when I have something." A smile then to Dylan. "And you, Dylan, I will also keep in the loop, I'll copy you on the email I send to confirm my findings here as well, I don't think I need to go to the Triskel just yet. I work better in my own labs after all." He nods. "Unless you have any concerns, of course." He adds.
*
"A pleasure meeting you, Miss." Dylan tells Daisy before looking dubiously at Hank. "Concerns? Let's see… So these people gave those canisters to her to give to SHIELD and you're not going to give them to SHIELD but take them back to your private lab and work on them yourself? No, no concerns. I don't guarantee that SHIELD won't but that's between you and them. Ready to go, Hengroen?" Just who Hengroen might be is possibly answered by the motorcycle's engine revving, seemingly by itself. And the license plates that read HENGROEN.
*