12932/Transmissions from the Dark Side

Transmissions from the Dark Side
Date of Scene:	19 October 2022
Location:	Operations: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Everyone blame Kora for... no, maybe not. A moon rock in Fitz's collection is responsible for making lots of upsetting noise all around New York. What power does a rock have to interrupt radio and more? A tale from the dark side...
Cast of Characters:	Jane Foster, Mary Jane Watson, Jemma Simmons, Alexander Aaron, Jessica Drew, Monica Chang, Kora Johnson

---

Jane Foster has posed:
Wednesdays aren't hot beds of terror activity. Then again, at the Triskelion, any day ending in Y is a potential hot bed of terror activity. Things are rolling along at a normal clip, the only real issue of consequence whether someone can steal R&D's fancy espresso machine. A guard's been placed from among the regular staff of scientists to check if SWORD or ARMOR are responsible for the last attempted heist and replacement with a promotional Nabob machine from circa 1979.

An interruption to the flagship 6 PM news program sends a furor across SHIELD's agents on their 15-minute break or checking in for the evening shift.

"Live from **SKREE** News in Washington, I'm *SKREEEEE* Spear. It has been a night of astonishing scenes in W**skree!** with reports of jostling, manhandling, pushing, and shouting in the halls of *bzzt!* and outside the offices of *shrk* *brrp*. After weeks of backroom negotiation, the government was supposed to have **krbt* *rrrt* a deal over *bkt bkt*. The speaker was said to have left the scene furious, saying, "I'm absolutely effing furious, I just don't effing *beep!* anymore. Skk skk skk kriiiii!! definitely been fired tonight. **Skrk!* In short *zk nyuu nyuu* It's total, absolute, abject chaos."

"Now, The President of *incoherent squeals* has declared martial law in parts of *skreeeee!*"

---

Down in R&D and the cafeteria, things are a little more upbeat and contemporary. Z100 broadcasts music that's hopefully inoffensive and slightly Hallowe'en oriented, splitting between pop, alternative, and similar genres. Diners at their tables and workers in their labs get to share the same experience. (This: https://open.spotify.com/track/39lSeqnyjZJejRuaREfyLL?si=beb5b3befbd0440b)

"In touch with the ground, I'm on the hunt *skrIIIIIiiII* you, smell like I EEEEEEkkkk in a crowd, and I'm hungry like //PPSSSSSS KKKEKEKEKEKE//." The smooth, buttery take on a classic turns into a sonic howl sure enough to bring hands to ears.

For those of more sensitive hearing, the tonal bursts come in multifrequency chords, shrill and strident. Piercing notes radiate from speakers, like a 28.8 Kbps modem decided to make passionate love to a dysfunctional lawnmower in a wind tunnel.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Having been over in the R&D labs working over on sharpening her sword, Mary Jane goes to grit her teeth over at the sudden ping music coming along. If she were borne in another era, she might recognize the 'AOL Offline' signal going along. "What in the Seven Pits of Tartarus is.." Her teeth grit even more as the shriek goes louder and louder.
    "Turn that music -off- or I'll smash -every- single radio here into little bits!" Her face twitches in agony as she looks for the nearest thing playing to start to smash. Then she hears the 'Martial Law' and goes to tense and snatch her blade up. That's -got- to be a joke, right?

Jemma Simmons has posed:
As far as the music is concerned...it might have been on at Jemma's prompting. There just might have been the soft murmur of lyrics from the brunette as Jemma sings along quietly to the dulcet tones of Duran Duran. That is, until the interference kicks in.

"Well...that is unexpected." What else is unexpected is when Mary Jane threatens to break the radio. "Well...breaking the radio would be bad, considering we are streaming it over the computer network. I sincerely doubt SHIELD would appreciate that sort of damage on purpose." On purpose? So...they would be okay with it accidentially? Jemma....might have some experience with that, too.

Still, that interference is *unusual*. "That doesn't seem right, though. What would be strong enough to cause interference with a radio signal as strong as the local top 40 station?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "14 chemical stoves, serial numbers 1811914DA1 through 1811914DB5." O'Hara's voice was calm as she stood there in the Triskelion storage room. Behind her was her squad-mate, Agent Aaron who had a tablet with a checklist app running in hand, eyes lowered as he lightly taps the screen with a stylus. "Got it."
    The red-haired woman stepped to the side, "Ok, next up we have... 12 chemical torches, extended use. Serial numbers 11843934TY5 through 1184393TTZ2..."
    "Got it." Alex responded, some hint of boredom to his tone though he tried to hide it.
    "And now 24 chemical ignition devices for... I'm detecting a pattern here."
    "Heh," Alexander said as he lightly tapped the stylus again. Only for a moment for that sound to come across the speakers heard downt he hall. It was rather curious, moreso considering how the comms had to be shielded here perhaps? Still.
    "Hey, O'Hara, I need to..." He gestures with a thumb over his shoulder. "You know."
    "What?" The other squaddie looked over her shoulder, "Serious? Fiiine. You got five before I come looking."
    "Thanks." And with that Alexander turns and ducks out of the room, leaving the tablet there on one of the stack of boxes.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica would be the last to admit that she had been in on the aborted heist of the R&D espresso machine. But it doesn't mean she has given up. Having to walk nearly five minutes at a brisk pace to get something decent to drink to keep her awake at her desk being one reason. .

Being a spider mutant is no proof against needing high octane caffeine to see her through the rest of the afternoon. The mutant agent is among the agents loitering on their break in the cafeteria, a triple-espresso in hand when something hits her over the head with a two-by-four.

Mutant reflexes save the espresso and the blue silk blouse under her tailored jacket and pencil skirt. Only a little splashed on her high-heeled shoes and the oxfords of another hapless nearby agent with his hands clapped to his ears.

Hands over her ears, she asks the group, recuperating from the blast of sound, "The president? Which president? Can someone block the connection?" She is already walking toward the source of the pain.

Monica Chang has posed:
At the R&D lab, the door is awkwardly opened by a woman pushing it with her back as she is carrying a box. There was a piece of paper laying on the box which looked like a little map with an X at the R&D Lab. She is in a SHIELD uniform and just scanned her ID card to be able to enter. She manages to get through the door with those shuffling backwards movements then a little side step so the door can close as she turns to face the room.

She looked to those already in the room then offered a smile. "Hi, I'm Moni--" That squealing sound from the radio feed had her visually wincing but her hands were currently full, preventing the whole ear covering.

Then the red head was picking up a sword and threatening to break things while another woman was politely discussing matters.

Monica glanced back down to her map then the door. This looked like the R&D lab. But maybe she was in the wrong place? Possibly?

Jane Foster has posed:
Short of ripping a speaker out of the wall or disconnecting the power, the warbled pitch won't stop. Rhythmic pulses vibrate furiously across the R&D department. Huge sonic "plinks" filled by high-frequency pulses distort the otherwise clear strains of Duran Duran. In the scramble to get out of their desks, a couple people bang their knees or turn over chairs. Radios are shut down, SHIELD-sanctioned streaming services terminated by fat-fingered keystrokes and skittering mice.
Migraine-prone Agent Okkervil groans, making a stumble for the fire door. He looks queasy.

Faint vibrations originating as all the tuned-in devices layer the sonic painting in further shades of chaos. No sedate paint-by-numbers, the disruption feels a lot more like a manic toddler's finger-painting or Damon Hirst on a LSD-fueled bender.

SIGINT has two agents in the cafeteria who come tearing up the stairs, animated chatter between them a loud thing. One stops by the door to R&D, shooting a hopeful look at the coffee maker in the midst of chaos. "We have to--"

"Not now, Benson!"

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Accidents happen. This is one of the facts of life. Redheads cause accidents. Mary Jane smiles over at Jemma. Then smashes her fist into the first speaker she comes across. Then oer to the next one, twitching as the noise keeps on going over as she would groan.

Further down the hall, two SHIELD R&D agents, one short, bald, and slightly portly with glasses that completely covered his eyes, and his assistant, tall and thin with an eternally terrified look with a wild-cut red hair would go. "Meep Meep Meep!" Flailing about in his labcoat.

The somewhat stodgy one goine, "Don't be silly, Agent Bea--" the rest of it cut off in the noise, "It's nowhere near that bad. It's not like it's going to explode your pancreas or your spleen from it. It could however hit the nervous systems of your brain and override them,c ausing you to have a seizure and split personality that turns you into a murdering psychopath wiht us all locked in here!"

"meep Meep MEEP!"

"Oh, even if it's not you it could be someone else! Come now, the cause of SCIENCE must be advanced!"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Takes a little bit of a ways to go before Agent Aaron gets clear of the storage area and toward the R&D area, and as he draws closer and walks past a speaker on the wall his brow knits with a wince. Then his shoulders hunch as that sound is... staggeringly unpleasant. His pained expression is rather pronounced as he picks up the pace, looking like someone who has been caught in an ice cold shower without an umbrella. Just that scrunched up grimace of a look and that severe body language.
    Then he pushes open the door entering the R&D area proper where the noise is even worse, though diminished by the predations of the Red Sonja. He looks around, pausing there to see which way people are leaping since the big brains on that level...
    Surely they'll know what's going on and what to do.
    Catching a rushing agent who is moving past him with a look of purpose, Alex grabs the man's shoulder and asks. "What's the word?"

Jemma Simmons has posed:
An audible sigh escapes from Jemma. Yes, she just witnessed Mary Jane put her hand through a speaker. "Really. You know that it is possible to turn off the speaker, yes?" Yes, it is possible to be polite and minorly annoyed at the same time. Jemma does it so well. "Seriously. Have you heard of a power button?" Yet, with Jemma, it is hard to take offense. She really does sound like a British nanny.

Daisy would have a field day.

"That sort of interference is not usual. It isn't straight chaotic in nature, nor is it patterned." Still...Jemma shifts to turn things down. All except a single speaker, next to her, so she can try to determine the source. And...yet, it seems that the volume does not diminish. Even with powered down speakers that can still function (looking at you, MJ), the bursts still persist.

And...what does Jemma think of that? Despite the ear-piercing cacophony, Jemma just replies with one word. "Interesting."

Jessica Drew has posed:
See Drew cling. See Drew hang by one hand from the wall, her skirt hiked to mid-thigh as she busts the metal grille covering the speaker and pulls out its innards. While performing her acrobatics, other agents mill around below, talking excitedly about what it all could mean.

"Look, I'm not taking them all out." Jess jumps to the floor, grimacing from the painful sound while she recovers her shoes. The shoes are left on the table along with her unfinished espresso. Sensitive as her hearing is, it takes an effort to not curl into a ball.

"We've got to get to the computer broadcasting," she says to the group."

Along with several others, Jess heads for the door leading to the elevators. They endure the screeches as they descend to R&D. Jess is first out the door, nearly running headlong into Aaron stopped in the hall. "Do you know what's happening?"

Monica Chang has posed:
Monica quickly puts her box down on the floor near a desk, slipping it underneath so there isn't a tripping hazard to others. Safety first! Then she enjoys that moment of putting her hands over her ears and stifling the horrific screeching sounds. It muffles it but doesn't block it out completely as she looks around at the others in the room.

With that slighty muffling, she is starting to pick up on something.

"It's not random," she murmured as she moved further into the room. As Jemma gets most of them turned down, she removes her hands from her ears. "It seems to be...sequenced? The intensity or length is variable but not the way it is setup. I don't believe this is static but something else. Only what?"

Then she realizes her introduction was interrupted. "Monica Chang, new transfer, Robotics and A.I."

Kora Johnson has posed:
Phone to ear, the door is still smoking from the hole Kora blasted in to it. The Playground, a secret SHIELD base where they took her after they found her and a weird alien device. It's storage room where before her is that said strange device. It's secure in a technological cage of some kind - and by secure, it's rattling and making weird sounds. The cage is shaking.

"Yes Agent Aaron," she repeats to the person on the other end of the call. "Kora Johnson... yes I know I'm not an Agent. ....I think this qualifies as an emergency ....please just put me through."

The comms come through for Alex, <<Agent Aaron, this is Trisk Actual, we have someone named Kora Johnson calling through to you from The Playground. She says it's an emergency.>>

Jane Foster has posed:
Alexander happens to run into a SIGINT agent torn between rescuing the coffeemaker and hurrying to his office. His tablet squeals with notifications and his smartwatch throws alarmed messages: <...an incident here..> and <..get back now, we need you to crack this!!> and <..got (coffee emoji) yet?? Laxmi's losing it up here!>

"Uh, it's a..." he bubbles out, looking for any kind of a badge. It's Jess! He knows her look enough and coughs a little, "An encrypted thing. S'all some kind of encrypted noise gone haywire. Guessing Chinese or Russians." Benson, behind him, is flapping around like an alarmed mother goose. "I need to scram. It's getting worse!"

Famous last words! Another wave rolls across the ground in R&D. Shouldn't things be quieter? They aren't. The signal produces an audible chiming in anything loose and metal. It passes through the floor. Someone shuts off the radio broadcasting Z100 through R&D, but still that muffled harmonizing keeps on going, tech devices or no devices.

A claxon rings out from near the labs, lost among the shrill lawnmower-modem spikes. That's okay, SHIELD prepares its lockdown alarms with visual and tactile cues. Scanners by the doors stop being a friendly green and glow a searing blue. Messages pop up on monitors, clocks, and tablets. Safety calls for a lockdown to ensure the source of the noise doesn't wander out into the cafeteria or take a plane somewhere. It's not out of the ordinary; it's pretty much a monthly event whenever something gets out of control in WAND or a lab.

Holographic projections beam out: R&D LOCKDOWN LEVEL 2. SAFETY AND CONTAINMENT PROTOCOLS ENGAGED.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
A lowly amused and irritated look from Mary Jane is given to Jemma. "So can you figure out what it is and what's causing it?" With no real immediate threat she goes to put her sword back over in to the sheathe on her back and moves to cross her arms while still wincing. She's at least not going to smash anything else now..

More shrieking, however, quickly makes her reconsider over as she would twitch as the lockdown goe son. "Lovely. Can anyone get systems access to figure out what's broken lose that we need to worry about?" She goes to keep her hand over on her blade, ready to swing it out while looking over at Jemma to be ready to lend assistance over or protect the senior researcher.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Turning away from the SIGINT agent he was questioning, Alex's response to Jess is a quick shake of his head and then a murmured, "No, ma'am. Wait, one sec."
    He digs a hand into one of the pouches from the combat harness around his chest. A yellow and white box is produced that has neon orange bits of foam within, he shakes some out and offers them. Most SHIELD personnel would recognize them as ear inserts for the gun range, which might help. At least a bit. "Good to have as an option if needs be."
    He shoots a glance back at the SIGINT agent he was speaking to before Agent Drew arrived and seems about to say something else... only for him to have already motored off. When over the comm earpiece he gets that quick heads up. One hand lifts to his ear as he listens.
    "Put her through." He tells Triskelion Actual.
    Then once the channel switch is made, "Go for Aaron."
    Something in his tone is calm, precise, and the agent speaking them seems rather... confident. And curiously enough it might well be a confidence that is infectious as he speaks.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Drew makes a disgusted moue at Aaron's answer nearly overwhelmed by another wave of sound. Eyes narrowed in pain, she takes a breath, one hand clapped to an ear, the other extended to take the earplugs. She twists them in with a blissful look of relief. "Good thinking, Aaron. Let's get into the lab before we're locked out."

Looking back at the others, she holds the door that is about to lock on them open, saying, "Did I hear encrypted noise? That makes a weird kind of sense." Another blast of noise leaks through the earplugs, making her twist her mouth into a frown.

"Okay, in we go. Maybe R&D has an idea of what's going on."

Monica Chang has posed:
As more people enter the lab, Monica is in search of a computer in the hopes she might try to find some information. "Where was the broadcast coming from?" she asks anyone that might know, considering she's new to this building and city so she has no idea what the radio station may have been. "I'll see if I can get through to their system, try to find the source."

She tilted her head slightly. "Definitely a sequence of some sort. Repeats ...six times?" She shakes her head slightly and begins firing up the computer, hoping that she got entered into the security protocols already so she is able to login.

Kora Johnson has posed:
Kora glances back at the agent beside her whose comms phone she borrowed for this. He looks confused and worried which reflect her own state. "Agent Aaron," she says with a small breath of relief. Finally, someone who knows things. Even if he claimed he didn't know things.

"It's me Kora," she elaborates because phone culture was different back in the 90s. "Do you remember that strange alien thing that was locked up with me in Shanghai that someone brought back and put in storage here? It's doing really weird things. The containment cage is humming, the object is vibrating and making weird noises like a modem." Dialup internet is still a reality in her zeitgeist, "It wasn't doing that until just a few moments ago."

Because weird alien thing that HYDRA was investigating makes her incredibly nervous. It was so quietly inert but all of a sudden the noise from the storage room was undeniable. The agent with her didn't even have a card to swipe them in - hence Kora using her gift to blow a hole in the lock. "What are we meant to do about it? is it safe? is there someone you know who knows how to turn this thing off?" ... it's a radio right? "Over"

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Jemma's attention turns from MJ to the new transfer. And...since Monica introduced herself, it is only proper that Jemma returns the favor. "I am Doctor Jemma Simmons. Or, if we insist on SHIELD rankings, Senior Agent Simmons. But really, Jemma is fine." Then, Jemma pauses as she considers what Monica stated. "You...are correct. There is a pattern. And maybe...maybe we can track the signal source."

With that, she steps immediately for her own workstation. Nevermind the fact that R&D is in lockdown...once Jemma gets an idea, there is little that can derail her from it. From her workstation...or, more precisely, from the tactical backpack in her workstation, Jemma retrieves a tablet and a small receiver. "If we can isolate the particular frequency of the disruptions, we should be able to at least get a general direction as to where the interference originates from." The app that Jemma plays with seems rather familiar to her. Which...it should, considering she developed it. "Now...just a moment..."

A few moments later....and Jemma seems to have an answer. One that seems to perplex her more. "if this is correct, then the source of our auditory intrusion....is in Fitz's personal workshop. More specifically, the holding area he keeps his projects in their various stages of completion."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Once inside the lab, Jessica takes out an earplug to listen to the warbling sound. Among the extensive tests she has been submitted to were range of hearing - Jess hears sounds that norms don't, high into the ultra-frequencies. They complete a pattern that others can't hear.

With the earplug out she catches the several conversations passing around her. Orienting to Jemma's voice, "Holding area? Who is in there now, Agent Simmons? Because it sounds like a transmission of some kind to me."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Moving at Jessica's behest, Alexander darts double quick toward the door and through before the lock down can bring it fully to a close. Yet he still has his focus partially split by the call that he's listening to.
    "Heya." The greeting given to Kora is abrupt, she can likely tell his attention is partially split. "Things ok?" He asks quickly even as he's surveying the room then moving to hold the door in case there's any trouble with Jessica getting through. His brow is furrowed, expression focused as he moves.
    But then he's given pause as she starts relating her current situation. His eyes widen slightly then he says, "Hold for a second, going to give you to Agent Simmons. Tell her what you told me. We're working a crisis and that might have an angle to it."

Monica Chang has posed:
For once, on the same day of transfer, credentials have been completed and Monica manages to login! She begins tapping keys, starting to see the beginnings of SIGINT's findings. "Nice to meet you, Jemma."

Followed immediately by her screen having what one might consider a meltdown. Not literally. The computer is fine. However, it is set up so the internal meetings chats open automatically. And apparently every cryptographer and a few dozen other people are on the screen all at the same time. Messages are scrolling so fast they are not even able to be read. She can pick up a few things here or there, such as "The algorithm says not identified" and "Who is the super programmer in R&D that broke this" and something that seemed very frantic about the coffee maker.

The computer basically was locked up now as it tried to process everything at once, causing Monica to mutter a few curse words. At least they seem to be in Russian. Or Chinese. Or both.

Jane Foster has posed:
Jemma's claims for the source of the noise coming from Doctor Leopold Fitz's lab turns heads. The holding areas under the laboratories give more space for projects in motion, and they can be accessed by a secure stairwell or directly from the lab proper. Either option requires authorization that Jessica or Jemma can provide.

Monica can parse out no one is currently in the holding area, the locks engaged out of habit. Entry during lockdown requires a senior agent's say-so, and no record exists for entry in the last hour.

A calmer atmosphere prevails, strengthening thanks to Alexander fully entering the R&D area. People go back to their desks to complete security sweeps or wait for instructions. Frustrated cryptographers keep up with their cacophonous work, bombarding anyone in the SIGINT pool with regular updates.

Accessing the cameras in the lab for Fitz isn't hard either, something any of them can ease. The lab holding area is exquisitely neat and ordered, like the mind who masters it. Metal vibrates in place around a shielded box. The container isn't larger than the average dog, and clearly shakes a little from whatever is inside. A 30-second window of silence follows. Then the cycle heard by Monica and Jessica in particular begins again.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Jessica's question gets an answer. "Right now? No one, that I am aware of. Fitz rarely allows anyone into his personal sanctum, with few exceptions." Jemma doesn't mention who gets a pass into the area, but she seems to speak from experience. Which means...most likely, Jemma has access.

A fact that she proves just a bit later when she pulls up the camera feed for Fitz's holding area. A tap on the screen when the shielded container vibrates is enough to signify where Jemma believes that their particular noise complaint is coming from. "See there? That vibrates in time to the outbursts. That seems to be what is causing the disturbance here."

Jemma throws the feed up onto the monitors for all to see, even as she places the tablet down to take the comm from Alexander, announcing that she is on with a simple "This is Jemma..."

Kora Johnson has posed:
Kora furrows her eyebrows and there is quieted muffled voices coming through the comms to Jemma, "He said Agent Simmons? Is she smart?" -- another muffled voice -- "Very" -- "Okay." The comms unit returns to Kora's head and she says, "Hello Agent Simmons. Jemma. I'm Kora Johnson at the" -- muffled voices again "Where did you say we are?" -- "Playground" -- "Right, Playground" ... the voice comes through clear again, "At the Playground."

"The team here recently went to Shanghai and found a HYDRA lab with an alien device in it." This person she doesn't know and thus she leaves out how she was there or why she's in the Playground or how it is she shares the same last name as Daisy. She doesn't realise yet that this is the same person who took her blood in the Playground.

"Anyway the device is active, it's vibrating and making weird modem noises and the cage it's in is rattling. It only just started doing this and I'm a little worried it's going to do ... something? Should I destroy it?" Pure conjecture on her part there. It just freaks her out.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Earplugs both securely back in place, Jess raises her voice compensating for the noise-cancellers. "No one?"

One hand on the desk, she leans to look at the monitor, studying the image which vibrates in time with what she hears despite the high-tech plugs. "Yep, that seems to be the source."

Looking from Jemma to Aaron, "We need to get in there and stop it."

A small smile erases the frown she has been lapsing into since the noise pollution began, as she eavesdrops on both parts of the conversation.

"Is she smart? I rather think so." She throws Jemma an amused look and shrugs. "Back to what we are going to do. An alien device? Do you know anything about it, Agent Simmons?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Taking a step back and getting clear of the local situation, Alexander starts to move around the room and if needs be will give out the remaining ear plugs just in case. He otherwise does not have too much to contribute than to perhaps bring Jessica up to speed as he moves closer.
    "There was an op, recovery of assets. This might have to do with that op. We might need to get out there soon." A glance is given to Jemma as he listens to the conversation, but has not the gift of such enhanced senses so just carries on for now.
    Sidelong he spares a glance toward Monica, then back toward Jess. "Might need a jet." Though he doesn't have the clearance to recquisition one.

Jane Foster has posed:
The warbling vibrations from Fitz's experiments and projects tapers off after a minute or two. All that high-energy activity hasn't produced a visible signature or damaged the cameras other than shaking them inside their structure. No radiation alarms are ringing either, a good sign!

Lockdown in R&D necessitates thorough manual sweeps and plenty of automated ones. Security personnel confirm no hazards in offices, study spaces, and labs. One by one, doors unlock and the containment zone narrows down to the nexus around the FitzSimmons ward. Basically where everyone is.

And now, they have silence to show for their hard work and plenty of elbow grease to follow.

Kora Johnson has posed:
Kora is waiting for an answer on the 'destroy it' bit when suddenly it stops. No more rattling, no more noises, no more shaking. She looks to the agent next to her and then back to it. "Hold please," she says in to the phone and holds it to her chest.

Once again muffled voices "It stopped" -- "I noticed" -- "Is it done do you think?" ... pause ... "Yeah"

"Hello this is Kora Johnson again. It stopped doing the thing. Emergency is over for now I believe."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Once Jemma's finished with his comm, Alexander waits patiently until a good moment when he can meet her gaze with a nod and accept it back. Setting it back into place he keys it and says, "Think we're out of the woods. Maybe."
    And the proof of it is that for the first time since things started to go crazy he offers a touch of humor, "Alright, closing this channel." As he tells Kora, "Try to stop breaking stuff."
    And then click, channel is closed.
    

Jessica Drew has posed:
"We still don't know the source of the sound yet. First, let's get into Fitz's sacred lab and see what is in that locked box."

The sound seems to have ended. Tentatively, Jess removes one earplug and then the other. With a relieved sigh, "That's better."

Holding up the badge swinging from the lanyard around her neck, "I can override locks. So can Jemma. But we need a plan? Can you tell us what was put in the box? Some sort of device, right?"

Her gaze sweeps the other that holed up in the office, "What would keep it from doing that again?"

Monica Chang has posed:
"Thank you," Monica murmurs as she is offered the foam ear plugs from Alexander. Then just as she is going to take them the noise just stops. She still takes the earplugs because trust issues with alien objects making horrific noises now. They just get tucked into a pocket instead of her ears.

She does leave the computer running but locks the screen and moves to look at Jemma's feed from a few feet behind her. "I'm willing to go as well. Though new guy so...no clues here." Her gaze also goes to Jemma who seems to be the one in the know around here at the moment, specifically for R&D.

Jane Foster has posed:
Jemma and Jessica can override locks. Since they'll be monitored the whole time with a Black Widow at their back, no funny business is likely to follow. Jemma will be the escort for Jessica, and with a lack of exploration, all focus lies on that box. Security on it can be overcome quite easily.

Monica has more work to parse as the cryptographers keep knocking out possibilities. It's not in the database. The high-frequency requires a massive energy source, or maybe some kind of localized array capable of producing the disruption. It was ultra and infrasonic. Someone swears it's musical, which has an entire subchat devoted to figuring out who is beaming Duran Duran. Another comment suggests reviewing Sagan and the golden disks sent on Voyager into space. Another wants to run the selection by the maths wonks to see if it's purely an equation. Pings invite her to six different work groups in a matter of minutes. For some reason, Project Coffeepot is now an authorized go! Project Coffeepot's goals are paired to the hacking division under one suffering Daisy Johnson. Monica's name gets squashed in the list. Her email starts filling up with meetings, inquiries, and a couple polls. 'Do you think this is a scientific accident?' 'Can you meet on Tuesday evenings?'

But the grand reveal for the awaiting eyes... may be a disappointment. The source of their signal is no mighty server farm, nor a floating orb inscribed in strange projections that rotate and sink into themselves. It's nothing Tony Stark would look at twice.

The box contains a potato-shaped grey boulder. Dark colours with faint, roughened texture make it an igneous rock.

A rock that can apparently disrupt broadcasts from New Jersey to Connecticut.