12641/Trying with the Jets

Trying with the Jets
Date of Scene:	31 August 2022
Location:	Hangar: Helicarrier
Synopsis:	Natasha and Fitz work over some scavenged aircraft.
Cast of Characters:	Natasha Romanoff, Leopold Fitz

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Natasha Romanoff has posed:
In a rather creative maneuver while Hydra had been doing a heavy assault on SHIELD's recently launched Hellicarrier, a pair of agents had seized an enemy fighter relatively intact. With most of the electronics inside still functional, it had alreayd been trawled for whatever useful intelligence it might have. So a crew was now going over it, seeing if it would be useful to repair enough to be useful in the field.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Dr Leopold Fitz is present and accounted for, at home on yet another helicarrier. Where he is needed, he goes. The man is in his long sleeved, button down oxford shirt, pressed pants, leather shoes, with his ID badge hanging from his belt to keep it out of the way of his hands. He was one of those that had helped take the data away, tucking it in and making it a present of the code monkeys, and his particular part in it all is just beginning.

With tablet in hand, the good doctor is walking around the aircraft, looking from screen readout to plane, back and forth, slowly, a stylus in hand as he makes notes. Softly muttered words escape; talking while working helps ground him, and only occasionally does a somewhat louder exclamation come in the form of 'ah'.. and updates are furiously written.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff is there and moving to help take some of the panels off the plane, "It was acquired in a.. Rather interesting maneuver." By which she means jetpack onto the plane, yank cockpit open, throw pilot out of plane, take over plane midair. The sort of thing desperate lunatics and madmen did.

Natasha's tone of voice indicates she's not sure whether to be impressed or to reprimand whomever it was for doing something so *stupid*.

"It's rather conventional so far. No particularly high end or high tech systems."

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Another cycle of looking at the tablet and then at the aircraft comes around before Fitz reaches into his top shirt pocket for a marker, and a step forward brings him close enough to make a drawing on the side in that arcane language of his- engineer-speak.

"Hmm?

"Oh.. oh, yes." The soft Scottish burr is present, even in the briefest of words. "That probably did a bit of damage to the cowling, an' some of the hydrolics. Forcing something open that isn't meant to unless toggled by the emergency system.." Fitz shakes his head again and sets his marker back to his pocket before making yet another notation on the screen. Finally, he glances at Natasha, brows rising, "Well?" Is she going to tell him who did it?!

A cursory nod is given, however, to her observations, and his voice drops, "Nothing I see here that says otherwise, no. But, I won't know until I do a full detailed analysis."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would glance over at Fitz for a moment over while tapping her chin to elaborate. "It's all very grounded. I'd guess a generation ro so behind though I'm not quite sure without looking over the electronics." She would go to pause in her analysis while Fitz would go to pause on the hydraulics.

"We know Hydra has cutting edge technology and in some instances weaponry better than most military organizations on Earth. This doesn't look like it has any of that so far. But everything is integrated very well and nothing seems to have been modified or assembled together and jury rigged."

It's a fully home grown and built design, if she's right. Something made for mass production.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
"Yes, well, they're also exceptionally good at making things look as if they're not there." Fitz will absolutely give HYDRA the benefit of the doubt. He knows what sort of scientists they employ, and at times, he'd found himself at odds with one or two specific ones known only by their handiwork. See, everyone has a 'style', himself included. "Only Mr Stark likes to show off on the outside what he's got on the inside."

Case in point for his argument? "Even we do it. Lola." Phil Coulson's car.

Fitz puts his hand up to shade his eyes from the sun as he looks further up, experienced eyes searching and studying some of the hard points, the connections.. all are where they should be.

Lowering his eyes once more, the good doctor turns those blues to the Russian operative, finishing up with, "I'm not willing to underestimate them."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod, "Understood." She would glance over at him and go to look over the craft, "I'll trust your judgement on the matter." He's the expert on things after all. She's just the one that occasionally shoots things and might fly from time to time.
    "Iw as wondering if they might have taken over some older avionics factories or a production line somewhere. Or just seized a boneyard and used it's contents." She's thoughtful now. A few things to backtrack on. If they can possibly find a way to hit Hydra's air forces.. But, lower priority. This is why they have analysis.
    "What are your thoguhts so far onw hat you're reviewing in it?" She would inquire while going to take out a small scanner to check the aircraft plates for a metallurgical anlysis.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Fitz' attention lingers upon the famous operative before he nods, mollified. He actually IS the expert on all things engineered; the moniker 'Brain of SHIELD' is a hard-won reference. He's constantly learning more and more, applying what he's learned. This includes what alien tech he can get his hands on.

Speaking of.. "It's all Earth tech," and his work turns back to his tablet. Did he ever think those words would come out of his mouth? "All the output tells me it has Earth normal thresholds. So far, nothing but normal thrust engines, the VSTOL is in place, even if a bit beat-up. It's really the navigation systems an' the support systems that interest me. That's where modifications usually can be found."

The Scot exhales as he drops the hand that is holding the tablet and takes a long look at the aircraft once more. "Once we dig into its avionics, we should be able to track back. Until then.." He lets his words drop off as he gets an idea. Moving around to the back, he disappears towards the back of the aircraft and climbs the 'ladder' to the canopy, which really isn't anything more than foot-holds. He's up and in, and after a couple of minutes, a sound of discovery and victory sounds from his location before he begins to crawl out once more, holding a bit of electronics. "Black box.. only it's not a black box. Transponder. I'll be looking at it.." and waving a hand, a tech comes over with a box. Fitz sets it carefully in and closes it up. It's a shielded box.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod at Fitz, "Makes sense. Electronics are the easiest to upgrade over the frame. So anything that's updated will be in there." She concurs after a few moments. "And maybe if the navigation system hasn't been wiped we can backtrack to where they launched from to hit it. I fthey don't know the fighter was seized adn presume it just went down." They might not have even prioritized going to evacuate from wehreever they had launched from.
    She goes to watch as Fitz gets to work, and goes to take ou ta lead lined box over with a portable Faraday Cage if necessary to store the thing in. Musing.. "Will the encryption be an issue?" Very sure that someone in the Cryptography department would -love- to prove her wrong in that. Presuming that the encryption wasn't so lousy that it could be figured out in a few moments.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
"Exactly." Fitz offers up one of those rare smiles when he's working; normally he's very studious and serious. The intensity is there, but there's just that feeling that he's safe far behind the battle lines. "So, that's where I'll be goin' next. Check it's boards to get a hint of the loads. If they're built heavier, than we know there's something more goin' on in there."

Once the transponder is tucked away, however, Fitz can breathe a little easier. "They may have tracked it here, don't know. Probably not. Still, we should probably move this great behemoth an' not be in the last known location any more." Or, turn invisible and do both? "Encryption shouldn't be an issue, if it remains based in Earth tech. If it's something other, then it might take an extra day or two." There's that quick smile, there and gone before he puts a hand on the fuselage, patting it. "It'll tell us a lot before we're done with her. We might be able to use her to infiltrate one day." The Trojan aircraft! "Modify her a fair bit, but keep her basics recognizable." Particularly if they think it crashed...

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod, "If we pick up that it's broadcasting then likely." She would consider over. "And I don't think that Hydra's going to use their best tech for a quick hit and run. At least, not without a lot more heavier firepower." She was thoughtful. It didn't mean her presumption was accurate, of course. Hydra tactics being quite varied.
    "I do like how you think. Send it in on an autopilot and recall to gather intelligence or just load it up wtih explosives and use it like a large drone.." If Hydra was goign to have another secret volcano base, no sense in worrying about collateral damage.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
"Exactly. They'd do what we do. Put in a lot of expendables flanking the new tech. Protect it at all cost, an' don't cry when y'lose one or two." Fitz pulls his tablet up and tucks it under an arm, allowing him to set his free hand into a pants pocket. He is, after all, also a Field Agent. (He has to remind people all the time of that fact!)

As Natasha praises his idea, Fitz looks down for a moment before he looks aside, ostensibly at the clouds beyond. "Or smuggle an operative in. They'd not realize it until it was too late." Of course, that wouldn't be a very SAFE mission, but what missions are, really? "But explosives work." A nod of his head underscore the thought as he continues, "I wouldn't recommend them until we built a few more copies, but it'd work."