1565/Shield Briefing - Talk to the Animals!

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Shield Briefing - Talk to the Animals!
Date of Scene: 08 May 2020
Location: R and D Labs: Triskelion
Synopsis: Daniel gives a briefing on his research into communicating with the shadow creatures and things don't go well.
Cast of Characters: Daniel Hastings, Maria Hill, Jemma Simmons, Achilles, Jane Foster, Jessica Drew, Dane Whitman, Bobbi Morse, Lara Croft




Daniel Hastings has posed:
At the last briefing, Doctor Foster had suggested that someone with a musical background make a crack at the language of the shadow creatures. After a week or so of work, Daniel had made some significant progress. Significant enough that he invited those Agents interested in for a small briefing. Within R&D, he'd set up a series of keyboard synthesizers not unlike what you see at a Vangelis concert or Jean Michel Jarre.. and if you have no idea who they are just realize it's a trio of stacked electronic keyboards.. and a single one with a shoulder strap set nearby.

Daniel himself isn't known for his great charm or wit so as he stands at the fore of the room, he has his hands clasped behind his back and a genial smile on his face as he waits for people to gather. He'd used extra antiperspirant just to be sure and has a glass of water nearby. If only to settle nerves.

Maria Hill has posed:
Deputy Director Hill is one of those who has come to the briefing. Dressed, as always, in a black military-style jumpsuit favored by SHIELD Ops personnel, her personal sidearms at her waist, Hill looks annoyed and deadly. Which isn't entirely different from her usual demeanor.

She crosses her arms across her chest as she stands near the middle of R&D, eyeing the synthesizers with skepticism. Heavy skepticism. Her long brown hair is tied back out of her face, hazel eyes narrowing as she scans the lab, as if looking for anything else out of place.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    There was a gracious offer to use the Research and Development labs because, yes, the fact that everyone is working to discover the nature of the shadow creatures is certainly a subject for research. And so, already present is Doctor Jemma Simmons. These labs are her second home, so to speak, so it is really of no great surprise that she would be present for this particular presentation.

    What is a minor surprise, at least to her, is the fact that it looks more like the setup for a concert rather than a research presentation. However, there are some that take an unorthodox approach to science, Jemma included, so the doctor remains quiet and passive for the moment. Still....there might be a side glance or two to the keyboards. Not that anyone is watching.

Achilles has posed:
    Briefing time. Not the best place for a high cost business suit. So Achilles is dressed in standard uniform with his -trainee- emblem on display. It amuses him that he is entry level at his age. But he is taking it seriously. Obviously, those cleared for the information know who he -really- is. And are entitled to keep that to themselves so that they can use his... longevity to their best benefit.
    But a briefing is a briefing, and he just sits patiently, observing quietly.

Jane Foster has posed:
Humming softly to herself, Jane enters into the lab in appropriate lab attire: white coat, gloves, sensible suit underneath. Jemma and Fitz's domain deserves the appropriate respect afforded a space where --Classified: Level 10 required-- events happened involving --Redacted--, overseen by --Redacted--. She has her tablet with her, along with a block of paper in case the reception or the situation calls for old-fashioned note-taking. No escape from that, considering SHIELD sometimes calls for rapid sketches and plotted ideas in ink or pencils. Those are thrust lightly into her hair where she can pull them out from her braid as need be. "Doctor Simmons," she murmurs respectfully in Jemma's direction. "Doing well?"

Deputy Director Hill receives a polite nod, crisp and swift, which is effectively succinct and to the point in the way this sentence is not.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Fresh off of requalifying on the firing range, Jessica attentively watches each of the arrivals. She stands next to the tall blonde man, hands shoved into the pockets of the black hoodie she favors over the black zip up one-piece. Her work PJs as she jokingly calls them.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting," she comments to him, sotto voce.

Dane Whitman has posed:
Having more or less been in on this business for a while now, Dane Whitman has taken up a position near the center of what seems to be the viewing area, giving nods, waves, smiles, etc... for those assembled that he knows, but for the moment remaining silent. He has his SHIELD issue tablet tucked under an arm, ready to retrieve at a moment's notice.

It's a new tablet. His old one got confiscated when it became Level 10 because of --Redacted--.

Deputy Director Maria Hill he knows purely from briefings on who the senior honchos are here, and given that she seems to be paying attention to other things, he certainly isn't inclined to bother her. But he does look a little surprised.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi has been burning the candle at both ends. When she enters the R&D area she pauses, seeing Maria. There's a small smile of.. relief?, then she falls in to the general crowd curious what this meeting is going to be all about. Perhaps they've found Tony... nah, probably more Nazis. It's always Nazis. And vampires. Never forget the vampires.

Bobbi hasn't got a shiny new tablet, she's perfectly happy with hers. It's broken enough rules that it has all kinds of weird security taggings on it these days. She sips her coffee and says to Hill, "Good morning Deputy Director." She likes Hill. She likes the way Hill makes everyone uncomfortable. It's delicious to watch.. though sometimes she's on the receiving end of it and it's less fun then.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Wow. That's a lot of people in the room. Annnnd Deputy Director Hill. Right. No pressure. Daniel reaches for that glass of water to wet his whistle then clears his throat. "First, thank you all for coming. Second, I want to thank Doctor Foster for this particular piece of inspiration." He tips his chin in her direction.

"For those that don't know me, my background is in mathematics, physics, astrophysics.. back when the sciences were just starting to explode onto the map. Yes, I knew Einstein." In case someone in the back was going to get smarmy? "Why is this important? Waves. Now we've been kicking around the problem of the creature's attack method and have been getting somewhere with the blocking of those with some of Doctor Fitz' efforts." There's a scan about the room. He's in here somewhere right?

"But that left us with communication. So I've been delving into that. You see, the keening notes were polyphonic.. that being a complex combination of frequencies that suggested both an advanced biology as well as the potential for language. THAT, my fellows, is what I turned to with these. It was primitive at first but I was able to break out a range of frequencies. Further, I noted that the patterns resembled that of simble command and response. It would seem.."

And now, Daniel queues up the digital board with a video of a creature attack and a visible display of the soundwaves (since the audio waves aren't exactly healthy for humans). There's also a second display for soundwaves that is inactive. "Now what you'll see here is a recording of an attack.. and the associated sound pattern. As you'll see here, I've broken out the frequencies to specific keys." That explains the synthesizers as he keys them and matches the emitted frequencies.

"Now this is all fine and good but.. what does this do for us?" Daniel turns back to the group. "It would seem that the speaking entity is a control creature of sorts. A sentient intelligence. The lessers? Demonstrate an animal intelligence. And these? Are simple commands. Sit. Stay. Attack. Come. And sundry." He gestures to the screen and points at each peak in the display then to the reaction of the creatures. "Questions?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara had been off duty since her Jeep had been shot to Hell by the Uzi-wielding SHIELD rogue agent who'd been selling weapons on the black market. She'd been given a few days off, and naturally she'd taken her Jeep back to the dealership to get it ... replaced. The dealership had certainly been surprised to see the condition of the once brand new vehicle when it was towed in to the lot. Lots of jokes had been asked, and a lot of 'It's classified' responses had been given by Lara, with a smile of course at least!

Now, Lara is arriving a bit late to the briefing, she's wearing a SHIELD light jacket unzipped over a light grey tanktop and a pair of dark army green cargo pants, with black leather boots on her feet. Her hair is tied back in a loose pony tail and her aviators are pushed up on her brow line. She steps in to the room and finds a quiet corner to slowly move herself in to, smiling softly to some of the faces she recognizes.

Achilles has posed:
    Uncomfortable. Achilles is anything but. He is so amused and bemused by all of this rigmarole. It's not that he isn't taking it seriously. He just isn't all that worried if someone wants to try to intimidate him or whatnot. He's here to learn things and to contribute helpfully. But he's definitely not planning to let folks push him around for their own benefit. Nope. Either way... attention is high thing here. Shadow Creatures? This is new to him.
    He knew Einstein? Achilles looks more closely at the man's face. Maybe they -met- back then. That would be awkward.

Dane Whitman has posed:
"So is this something we could potentially use to send counter-commands to the mini-creatures?" Dane Whitman queries, studying the display with his brow furrowed in thought. "Even if we just managed to rig up devices that could only broadcast "Halt" or something to that effect, might be an additional layer of protection, and force the master entity to spend effort trying to counter it."

Jane Foster has posed:
Jane quickly finds a seat beside Dane, a position giving her an excellent vantage over whatever might be happening. Tablet in lap, she starts up two of the apps with a swipe of her fingers. Note-taking and recording functions at the ready are prepared to sup on information. Fingers slip across the screen as a haptic keyboard pops up, and the pirouetting spiral of a blue line follows the trace of her fingertips, giving an array of sentences starting to form in a quick, short notation mastered by just about anyone forced to take notes without benefit of a real keyboard and a fast-speaking professor. She nods at the mention of her name, giving a quick arc of a smile. "Glad to contribute to whatever keeps civilians safe," she replies, inclining her head to see the others all around. Goodness, that's a lot of people with clearances higher than hers. Her eyebrows raise slightly and that smile freezes in place, a puzzled line forming between her brows. "The bigger shadow broadcasts the controls for the other shadow beings we saw hunting. They were active around Queensland Park in Metropolis, especially at the opera house."

She contributes this with a soft tone, although audible. "The smaller ones acted, for lack of a better word, like hounds of a sort. They seemed to be responsible for controlling the crowd. This suggests the one who made the bell tones was issuing commands to use them like guards while it fed?"

Maria Hill has posed:
Deputy Director Hill somehow manages to look /less/ impressed when Dr. Hastings mentions he knew Einstein. Point of fact, her eyes roll slightly. Not a good sign. "Self congratulatory bullshit aside, Doctor," she says icily, "I want the practical upshot. Can we control these entities, or at least wrest control away from those who do?"

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    Jemma's tablet is right beside her. And....it might be missing some information. But the tablet itself is still the same one as always. Mainly because there is so much other stuff on there that it really would set back research for weeks. But...that's besides the point. There is a nod and a smile to Jane, then to Dane, then attention is given to Daniel.

    There is a pause, as Jemma contemplates the information. "So, apart from the fact that you are potentially able interfere with communication, supposedly, did you determine the precise tonal frequencies responsible for the transient states of the victims? Because, if so, we can then use that to isolate the precise sine wave oscillations and make the sonic inhibitor unique to that precise vibration."

    In other words? Jemma and Fitz can block one sound and let all others through. If....they had the right frequency combinations.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
When they first started looking at all the data they'd gathered from Metropolis, it was sort of a throw away line that may be there's a language in there. May be they could communicate. As the attacks have continued though, the idea of asking it nicely to stop seemed a bit far fetched. They had always considered one method of attack would be to drown out the frequencies.. now they know if they did it, it'd be drowning out communication between the master and the pets. That will at least be useful.

Bobbi's gaze drifts back to Maria as she speaks up, cutting to the chase as usual. She looks back to see how Hastings handles this. The excitement of potentially making contact with another kind of life that is, supposed, from hell... that must be put aside while people are dying. At some point, this creature is going to get itself put down and put down hard.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Daniel arches a brow at Hill's rebuttal. "Director Hill, I don't mention Einstein to fluff my ego. I mention him to dismiss the desire for questions that aren't relevant to the moment. But then you don't know me." A beat. "The answer to your question is maybe. Yes, we can emit counter commands. Yes, we can do it with the specific frequencies recorded which likely refers back to the speech patterns of the controlling entity. So for instance, if you had a dog and gave it schutzhund training, the dog would recognize the command but would likely still ignore others because they weren't given by you. /That/ is the concern. Yes, we can emit commands and confuse. Maybe temporarily halt. But the moment the core entity realizes what is happening, it will likely be able to wrest control back."

Daniel nods to Jane, "And yes, the command and response supports a canid analog." To Jemma, he shakes his head, "That I wasn't working on but should be able to isolate fairly easily now that the speech portions have been extrapolated out. Unfortunately, I'm still building a primer for the core entity. Single words with no syntax don't give you much to work with when trying to build a language from scratch. Ms. Richards and I have not given up on that, mind you. It's just slow going and we don't exactly have a cooperating party to speak with."

Jessica Drew has posed:
The squeak of a tennis shoe sounds overloud in the room as Jessica shifts in place. Gritting her teeth, she doesn't look down at her own feet, much too focused on the idea that they are chasing hounds controlled by sounds.

"If you find the right frequencies to give counter commands, how are you going to find out if they respond to them? It might be a case of only listening to their 'Master's voice', maybe?" She throws the question from her station at the back of the room among the non-tech types.

Maria Hill has posed:
Hill lifts a brow, then holds her hand to her side for Bobbi's tablet. "Doctor, I understand you may be used to giving briefings to those that are of a lower rank than you, so you feel obliged to condescend. I understand." Bobbi hands the tablet to the Deputy Director. "Perhaps a valuable lesson is in order. If you are used to speaking to underlings to a point where you cannot respect the chain of command or those above you, perhaps you need less underlings. Probie." She taps a few things into the tablet. "Rank busted. Play nice, speak plainly, or I'll bust you further to Trainee."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Somehow this feels like her fault. Like, perhaps she should have been preparing these agents better. Bobbi snaps her mouth she again quickly and puts her hands behind her back, chest out, chin up a little higher. Nothing quite like Hill flexing to set the mood. "Agent Hastings please continue with the pertinent facts," she says, her eyebrows more raised than usual. After the meeting, she'll send through a few reports detailing Hastings' past actions in defence of his previous rank, but for now it's meeting survival time.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    There *might* have been a face when Daniel addressed Director Hill from Jemma. One that could be right at home with instances such as stepping your foot into a pile of animal feces. It very clearly states "Eww....I wouldn't have done that..." But, to Jemma's benefit, she remains quiet. And...manages to recover enough to look interested when Daniel actually addresses Jemma directly.

    There was a nod as Daniel states he wasn't working on that particular vocalization. "You do understand that I do not wish to deafen any assets we might have in the field fighting this creature. And, at present, that is the only safe option we have to counteract the hypnotic state."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara steps over to an open seat at table, her messenger bag is sat down and she pulls out a tablet to which she slips the pen off of the side of. This is certainly and indepth meeting and up to this point she'd not been directly involved in any of the cases being spoken about here. So, notes must be taken! Lots of notes, tons of notes. The young archaeologist and survival expert lets her stare roam from speaker to speaker as she quickly jots down bits and pieces of what they're saying to keep up as best as she can.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Daniel can't help but look at Hill like the woman has lost her mind. He does, at least, hold his tongue and look to Drew. "Short form. We may sound like the dog's owner but we aren't familiar with the dog. Small variations in tone. Things that the dog might recognize that come from years of contact aren't things we would be able to examine in a short amount of time or would come instinctually. So while we could mimic the voice, give commands, how long that would be effective in the immediate moment would depend on the creature in question and the response of the master speaker. We won't know until contact is made."

Achilles has posed:
    Shaking his head, Achilles mentally tsks. He glances to Hill and then lifts his brows. But he doesn't speak up. He is learning a lot by just keeping his trap shut. Dynamics, politics. Some things never change in thousands of years of experience.

Jane Foster has posed:
Gently propping her knee slightly higher to support her tablet, Jane continues to take a succession of quick notes. Bulletpoints pop in a neat, tidy structure down the left margin, and she pauses for a few moments. A cursor blinks merrily on the pale blue background. "Agent Simmons, I would be happy to assist you with running frequency scans to see if we can determine the correct soundwaves. The initial array that Agent Morse set up gave some promising results, and seeing whether we can do a secondary fan elsewhere in Metropolis would give us a deeper pool of information to compare against." She addresses the others at large. "Do we know of other sites beyond Metropolis being targeted, or have we seen it mostly localized to the city?"

She brushes her finger against her brow, tucking her bangs behind her ear where they absolutely aren't going to stay. "May I ask a question about collaboration? Are there guidelines we should follow in bringing outside parties into ongoing investigations on this one? I would like to be clear on what's acceptable."

Dane Whitman has posed:
Dane hasn't been with SHIELD long, but everything he's heard about Deputy Director Hill so far seems to be adding up to accurate. He shakes his head and shrugs somewhat helplessly to something Jane murmurs to him. Meanwhile, he pulls out his tablet and copies and transfers all the information he has that Lara is cleared for over to her tablet.

"I know Superman has lined up a meeting with the JLA's Magic expert. There's a meeting tomorrow night. If there are no objections or better candidates on-hand, Agent Croft and I can attend as WAND representatives." Dane offers up, "And from what I've seen of Superman, he's pretty keen on information sharing, so I'd imagine she knows as much as he does, at a minimum."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi looks to Jane and nods her head, "Are you referring to the previously visited Valeria Richards? if they're vetted by security and on premises, they will have access to the relevant level of information accessible to them. In the case of Valeria, the sound samples we took. There are other parts to this operation that remain high level clearance. If there are other people who you believe could help, the usual SHIELD security background check. If they've been pre-vetted, the better. I can follow up if you have someone you'd like to pursue Agent Foster."

She narrows her eyes at Hastings a touch. Surely he can read the situation better than this.. but then again, he's spent the majority of his time in the labs. She wonders who is in charge of the labs these days, which poor level 8 is going to get a massive dressing down from Hill later.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara looks to the files sent to her datapad from Dane and then looks to him and offers a light smile before she raises her stare to Daniel. "I have extensive history with learning new languages. In fact I can't even precisely count how many I know, because some of them are so similar that they mix together, yet still remain a mystery in many other ways. I'd be happy to help with building the langauge, it'd be a new field for me, but one I think I'd be qualified to give my thoughts on, considering."

Another glance is given to Dane and then she agrees with a nod. "And I'm more than happy to represent WAND with Agent Whitman, for whomever we might need to speak with."

Maria Hill has posed:
Hill catches the look Hastings gives her, and her expression flattens. She hands Senior Agent Morse back her tablet. "Morse, report to me later regarding this... issue. I'll be in Ops." Which issue? Bobbi will likely understand that there may be a very broad list of issues. "And Doctor?" Hill holds up one finger towards Hastings. "This was your one. I suggest you refamilarize yourself with SHIELD protocols and expectations."

With that, the Deputy Director turns on a heel and departs, combat boots heavy on the lab floors.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Leaving the currents between the different personalties in the room to settle into their respective streams, Jessica hums thoughtfully at Hastings' response, eyebrows contracting. The risk factor for in-field testing multiplying in her mind, she nods to herself at Jane's question.

"If I may, I think my question might fit into Agent Foster's question about other sightings. Do we know how many masters there are? I ask, considering how we might isolate one master with his pack of guardians to keep potential casualties to a minimum while we test how well the guardians respond to our commands. I'm sure your team has put together some excellent scenarios for how that might be done, sir."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi stiffens and salutes Hill, "Ma'am yes Ma'am." Bobbi snaps to attention so quickly it's an ardent reminder that SHIELD is not just an expensive building with lots of scientific toys. Once Hill is gone she places her hands behind her back again and turns her attention back to the room. Her look is slightly more determined, or perhaps concerned. Maria is three years old than her, but they've both gone down very different career paths in SHIELD. There's no hesitation from Bobbi when it comes to obeying Fury and Hill.

"Let's tune these tools and put some gear in the field for a test run tomorrow. If we can catch one of these beasts off guard without its master too close, we can see just how responsive it is to these commands. Although it'd be great to talk to this shadow monster, let's not forget it's actively hunting and killing people. If it turns out to be as simple as asking it to nicely to stop.. I'd be very surprised, given what our consulting experts have told us. If we believe we have enough knowledge to stop and contain this creature, we should scramble and put together the mission asap."

She smiles to Hastings, "A word after the presentation if you'd please?" She asks it like a question, but really it's not.

Jane Foster has posed:
"That's an excellent question." Jane nods appreciatively to Jessica's recommendation. "I would like to know that myself. Also whether they have any limitations on proximity due to the clarity and range of the soundwaves. I imagine having something like that would in turn control whether we could force any of the 'hounds' to move away from their 'shepherd,' or if there is a hazard in doing so. For example, do they go inert or retreat if they are outside the range of hearing the commands?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Daniel Hastings watches Hill depart with a tight jaw then slowly shifts to turn off the display. "Well. That was interesting. I think I'm off for a pint." He doesn't really look to the rest so much as power down the equipment. But then Morse is asking him to stay and he looks to her with something of a stiff necked regard. "I'm finished, Agent Morse. At your leisure." He pulls up a stool and sits on it to wait patiently for.. whatever.