Summary:Jeriah is processing data and that lures Jemma from her lab Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Jeriah has been processing signals intelligence for most of the day which looks remarkably like him having his feet up on a table in the break room while he eats chips and reads a book. This is because, of course, he can do a lot of that work in his head and indeed, with his head. Nor is his lackadaisical posture mere insouciance. When doing this much mental processing it's helpful if his body is physically relaxed and comfortable and that means a nice posture, not being hungry or thirsty and having some mild engagement for the parts of his brain that aren't being used as a CPU. Occasionally he has to stop reading to process a bit more actively or sort through the information he's gotten.
What is he looking for? Well, Flumm of course. Marvin Flumm, formerly of SHIELD and now on the run. He's been annoyingly difficult to pin down and Jericho wants to get to him before he causes more trouble. Of course not everyone KNOWS that his lackadaisical posture is just good prep for other work and so Jemma MAY have heard some people confusedly grumbling about someone camped out in the lounge.
Jeriah must know that Jemma is approaching. That connection between their minds hasn't been broken and, if anything, Jemma seems to be able to read his thoughts more easily since the operation.
She's still not sleeping well but at least the nightmares of 'Deathlok' have abated.
Standing before the hacker-soldier for several minutes, Jemma finally clears her throat. "Jeriah. Would you like to explain why I have had three section heads ask me what you're doing? And why I'm getting tetchy comments about the … size … of my budget."
"Presumably because they think I'm not working. And they don't like being told that they're not in fact my boss and I don't in fact care what they think of my choice of office space." Which from Jeriah possibly included a bit of profanity. And really, how many SHIELD agents CAN successfully argue with the special forces soldier? Not many who are working on this floor and certainly none of the researchers.
The hacker-soldier takes his feet off the table and sits up a bit. "As to your budget? Not sure. What IS your budget? Do you need help spending it? I could use a bonus."
Jemma sighs and looks pointedly at the couch next to Jeriah - expecting him to move enough to let her sit beside him. "I suppose you told them that, exactly like that too." There's another sigh. Jemma doesn't really think she's his boss. He was contracted to work with her and that's it.
Through their link, Jeriah gets the flashes of the work that got interrupted.
One of the tests that Jemma was running has to be redone - it was ruined when one of the heads just sort of barged in to her lab. It's not Jeriah's fault that happened, it is vexing though.
"I'm pretty sure it's a reference to the 'lay about soldier' I have on my books." she says. "I thought you had a bonus."
"What are you working on, then?"
"I'm processing signals data for your intel division. I could have told the section chiefs that but frankly it isn't any of their business. They're lucky I didn't have one of the dogs sit on them for trying to get classified information from me."
Jemma is in fact not his boss. She is his point of contact but she isn't actually qualified to give him orders and SHIELD knows that. He reports to someone in their office that handles outside assets and is probably giving them a headache but they keep paying him so he keeps showing up.
"I do but I can always use another bonus. Might motivate me more to find Flumm. I was looking for signs of him in all of the comms SHIELD has intercepted from various criminal and terrorist organizations."
Right. Jeriah has opinions about Jemma's suitability for the field. It's an ongoing discussion with them.
"Did you tell them it was classified?" Jemma shakes her head and holds up a hand to forestall his answer. "Given you got you me out of my lab, move over so I can sit down."
That's an achievement actually.
"I could ask you to go dancing with me tomorrow night." the scientist says, smoothing her skirt as she sits. The outfit is very … 40's, as is the hair do. A little incongruous given her cyborg implants.
"Let me give you some encouragement to find Flumm faster, then. They want me to head a research team out at Rykers Island."
I'd love to." Jeriah looks over Jemma and smiles. It is very 40's but he happens to find it classy. Yes it doesn't go with the chrome implants but eh. It doesn't clash that badly. Better than what passes for cyberpunk in his opinion. Besides she'd never dye her hair neon green.
"Rykers? What are you going to be looking at there?" He does move over so she can sit down and pauses some of his data processing so that he can process her conversation better. Otherwise it's like he's distracted when he's talking to her which to be fair… he would be.
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"The prisoners have been getting sick and the doctors can't say what it is." Jemma answers, folding her hands in her lap and rubbing her metal one with her fingers. "It started a few days ago, just two patients according the records I've seen. Now over half the prison population is ill, including the corrective service staff."
She sighs, and looks up at Jeriah, the serious look broken by a small smile at his answer. "Would you?" beat "Everyone is in quarantine. No one is to enter or leave and they want me to go and see what I can do."
It's sort of right up her alley. She might not be a medical doctor but with everything she's done at SHIELD, infectious diseases? Pffft.
"Interesting. And they're turning to SHIELD why?" Jeriah wonders about that. SHIELD has many functions but medical repository is not generally one of them. Why would they want Jemma specifically? Well she is a very good researcher and her biochemical background gives her good insight into virology even if she isn't herself a virologist.
"And yes of course. When would you like to do it?" Go dancing that is. He'll work harder on finding Flumm. Hopefully Flumm doesn't have anything to do with Ryker's island. It's not really his style of disaster to be sure.
Jemma shakes her head "Not SHIELD exactly, me. I gave a talk a couple of years back about the transmission of a virus we'd come across on a mission. It was in a small village in BF nowhere… but it was spreading to the other villages so quickly. Our estimates were that …" the biochem blinks and looks at Jeriah, realising she's starting on a classic Jemma Babble.
"I was the lead on the team that broke the virus and worked out how to stop the transmission. Long enough for others to work out a vaccine. I guess that's why they want me?"
Jemma is a brillant scientist and even if she doesn't publish or talk as much as her peers, she's still got some good contacts on the 'outside'.
"I did say tomorrow night, Jeriah. Maybe you should dedicate some cycles just for me." She teases.
"You try holding a conversation while processing fifty terrabytes of gobbledegook." Jeriah muatters as he dials it back a little more. "Tomorrow night then? I think I know just the place. Will you be wearing that?" Which honestly if she were, would not be a bad idea. She looks good in vintage dress and he has been sure to let her know about that. Much to her general blushing.
Yes he knows the perfect place. There are still places that do swing dance or older forms instead of the club style of dancing favored by so many these days. Also they're less noisy and they have good food so if one IS to go dancing he's a fan of that.
"Just be careful on the new assignment eh?"
Jemma just smiles at Jeriah's muttering. "Why don't you come and keep me company in my lab?" IF he wants to stay here, with his feet on the table, she'll just sigh. "And no. I have something … new … to wear." There's the blush though. She's picking up his thoughts again.
"I will be. I always am." No, no she's not and he knows it. "Of course, if you were worried, you could come along and keep me safe." He *is* her bullet shield after all. Not that she should need a bullet shield on this mission.
"I can do that." He can put his feet up on the table near her instruments and… well no. She won't get any work done, she'll be too busy fussing at him. But he can go there. He rises and offers his arm. "Shall we?"
That'll make her blush again and he is well aware that it will. He offers anyway because well, that's what a bullet shield should do.
Sadly no, a bullet shield cannot protect her against viruses. "What are you working on right now?" He knows she has been working yes but not WHAT she has been working on.
Jemma has just the place for Jeriah in her lab. He can put his feet up and all.
The colour tinges her cheeks as she rise and takes his arm.
"Oh. One of the teams bought in an interesting artifact. They say they found in a site out in Africa. I'm not sure it's earth based to be honest but it could be. That's one of the things I'm trying work out."
She'll keep rattling on about that until they make her lab.
Once Jeriah is there he can settle in again. He will need to relax and be mostly quiet again. The processing he's doing takes up a lot of brain power. But he can be there. And he can keep an eye on things. And he can offer small words when they're needed or just to break the silence. And it's often the little things anyway that makes having someone around so useful.