15855/Nailing the Interview

Nailing the Interview
Date of Scene:	13 September 2023
Location:	The Triskelion: Courtyard
Synopsis:	Interviews are always hard to prep for. Interviews with SHIELD even more so.
Cast of Characters:	Miguel O'Hara, Mary Jane Watson, Jessica Drew

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Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Ohhhhh, YEAH. This isn't imposing at ALL.
Miguel steps out of the Uber vehicle (a VERY comfortable SUV, definitely five stars) and posted a $20 tip.

As the SUV drives away...quickly...Miguel turns around, then walked towards the gate, taking a quick gulp of air.

No Spider-Sense tingling. Maybe he's just not close enough to go off unti he's too far in. Very smart tactical planning...

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
SHIELD is.. Well, do they have SHIELD in his timeline? Has anything survived of it? What is it's legacy? Is it just a means to an end for him? Or is it something that could lead to something more? Perhpas time to find out.

Out there, Mary Jane is waiting for him in the courtyard - along with another that's from a lifestyle that's hopefully a bit more familiar that she's asked in as a favor. "Hey, Miguel, good to have you with us."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Watching through the close circuit camera, the dark haired agent in a perfectly tailored black suit and green silk blouse that matches her eyes smiles to herself and murmurs, "Oh, this should be fun. He looks like his hands might be sweating." She steps up to the guard next to the metal detector and flashes the badge on the lanyard around her neck to him.

"We"re waiting for him. Agent Watson is bringing him in."

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel sees a familiar face wearing...okay, that's not UMF, but that's still pretty...suave? Sharp? Nova? Better use sharp.

"Uhm, hello, Miss Watson. I'm...okay, I'm a LOT nervous. SHIELD is a pretty big deal, but even from my time, you had to wait another century for any files to get declassified, so yes. Big on mystery, short on details."

Miguel is wearing what appears to be a black turtleneck shirt, black slacks, dress shoes and, oddly enough, a World War Two bomber jacket. Apparently this is what he considers stylish.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would glance over at Miguel as he would come in, "Hey, srory this took awhile. Things can be a litlte.. Complicated. But, it has it's privileges." She would smile. "I hope that you two have met. Uh.. If she's interested in it, I think that Jess can help give a good perspective on things." Offering her hand in a gesture to Miguel to come laong.

Jessica Drew has posed:
The first time they had met, the potential recruit was dressed distinctly differently. Without tipping any onlookers off, Jessica approves of the look, retro jacket and all. Jess discreetly rolls her eyes at Watson's understatement, then steps out from behind the metal detector to greet them both.Bureaucracies, even ones as efficient as SHIELD, will be bureaucracies.

"It's Mr. O'Hara, I believe. We meet again," she nods her head pleasantly. "Welcome to SHIELD. Agent Watson, I'll be joining you in the initial interview."

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Okay. 2023 or 2099, flop sweat is still flop sweat. And STILL no Spider-Sense. What the SHOCK??

"Wait...right, you're...uhm..."
Lyla said politely, "Jessica Drew, Miguel. You promised me you were not going to be DENSE today." The crystal voice emanated from someone around Miguel's chest, and a disc the size of a hockey puck could be detected there."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would glance over at Miguel in amusement as Jessica would come out, "So, hey Lyla. Going the bling route I guess?" She would inquire politely - but still quietly so people wouldn't necessarily ask -why- she was talking to Miguel's shirt . "Good. So, uh.. How much have you two talked?" She would inquire.

In other words, did Jess know about the 'future stuff'.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Face straight, Jessica watches Agent Watson for a sign concerning the voice coming out of the 'bling' Miguel is wearing. After a deep breath and a considered stare at Miguel, she responds, "Obviously, not enough? We, ah, met at the zoo and didn't talk very long. Or rather, not long enough."

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel smiled sheepishly. "Lyla is considered a level 3 Expert System. She mimics A.I. behavior, but is not actually an A.I. Her processing power is limited by hardwired failsafes, so she couldn't circumvent them if she tried."

He looks down as Lyla continues, "And he has ALWAYS been a complete gentleman. I credit his father with that."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would sigh, "Presuming you don't want to have someone here poking at her, probably best to.. Not take her along with you here in the future just in case. Folks are.. Pretty paranoid on AI in this era. And.." She would look at Jess.

"Miguel will be working for us as a consultant." Ultimately it's Miguel's decision on what to share.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"It depends on its capabilities. If we find that there is clandestine recording, likely there could be," Jess tilts her head and raises a warning eyebrow at Miguel, "trouble." Lips pursed, after considering both Watson and O'Hara for a moment, "Can we ask you to shut down the device until we reach our destination? Otherwise, we would have to put it in a locker until you leave."

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel took a deep breath, but Lyla spoke first. "I TOLD you this would happen. I prefer the locker."
Miguel nodded. "Lyla, shut down."
"Bleeeeeoooop."
When Miguel takes out the hockey puck from his inside pocket, all the lights were dark. She wouldn't like looking at the inside of the locker all that time."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would shake her head, "I'm fine wtih this." Hoping that LYla had enough sense to stay shut down and not pop active if she got curious - some AI's could go either way with things. "Thanks, Jess."

Jessica Drew has posed:
After a satisfied nod, Jess walks to the bank of elevators, high heels clicking on the marble floors. She looks back at Watson then pushes the call button. The door opens immediately, and she gestures toward it, "Please, after you." Then, places herself in front of the panel and hits the floor number for the interrogation rooms.

"I thought at first you were considering signing on full time when I first heard you were coming, Mr. O'Hara."

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel sighed. "As long as you don't drug me like Alchemax tried to do. I noticed you have an Alchemax here. How do you know an Alchemax executive is lying to you? His parser activates." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I've got a Ph.D. I can't use anywhere else but this place. So yes...I'd like to do some good that doesn't mean swinging around in a costume."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would smile, "Well, here is the place to do that, Doctor O'Hara. You'll meet lots of experts in many fields. Definitely keep an eye out for Jemma Simmons. She's.. I'd like to say in your field, among the many others." Her hands over in her pockets, then she would laugh.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Smiling tightly at the joke, Jessica nods several times, agreeing with Watson. "I believe Simmons and her colleague would be head over heels with joy at your 'expert system." Polite disbelief audible in her voice at 'expert system.'

The elevator chimes and Jess leads the way into a hallway lined with doors. She badges the third door down on the right and waits to usher O'Hara into a room with a table and three chairs. One wall of the room has a mirror.

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel stepped inside. He had resisted the urge to look around like a tourist. He'd never seen the inside of this place, not even in V/R sims.
Stay calm.

He looks around, then goes to sit in one of the chairs. "Interview rooms and interrogation rooms are easier to tell apart." He places his hands on the table, clasping them together, waiting attentively, like any good, dutiful schoolboy.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would nod her head distantly, "They're laid out differently. Interview rooms are lighter in color and generally warmer to help induce someone to feel more relaxed. There will be lighter background noises as well sometimes." She would stop herself before going on.

Then chuckling over at Jessica, "Take us away, Jess. You're the senior one here."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Reassuringly with a faint smile playing at the edge of her lips, "You have nothing to worry about Mr. O'Hara unless you have something to hide. Which it seems you don't."

She pauses, a faint line appearing between her eyebrows, "What is your area of expertise, Doctor?"

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel smiled. This was a firmer foundation.

"I have an Advanced Ph.D. in genetics, with a focus on animal genetics. It's...how I got the Alchemax job." He smiled crookedly, then slid off his sunglasses to reveal the crimson irises, relaxing his lips to expose the fangs. "What happened to me was an attempt to cure an addiction from a designer drug called Rapture. I was trying to overwrite my genome with an earlier copy of my unchanged genome. Except a supervisor switched my Prime Genome with a spider genome."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
That would get a confused look from Mary Jane, "What was so bad about a designer drug that you had to rewrite your DNA?" That has her shiver. She can only guess how horrific it was if it drove someone to that degree of desperation.. It was something seh didn't want to have to imagine.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica leans forward questioningly, leaving Mary Jane to show empathy for his plight. "On purpose? An assassination attempt? Without the switch would you have been able to rewrite your genome?"

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel nods. "Rapture is basically a mind-control drug. Very insidious. Activates symbology in the cortex. The end result? The more you work for Alchemax, the happier you feel. People could and had worked themselves to death due to Rapture-induced devotion. By the time I realized, I was hooked and already having issues where I would choose Alchemax over my own family."

He glanced to Jessica. "It was the best chance I had and the calculations supported the theory 100 percent. The supervisor was jealous opf my work and had a poor time passing it off as his own, so a 'work mishap' was his plan."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would shiver. "That.. I can't even imagine." How desperate he must have been. How horrid such a drug was. What it was remotely like for people that were /not/ in any position to resist. Her eyes are very, very wide.

Then as Miguel would go on she would listen, going silent once more, face set in a frown.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Unconsciously, Jessica mimics Mary Jane's frown as she nods several times at his explanation. "I hope said employee had his comeuppance. And, not to get sidetracked, too far. Did the government condone using drugs on employees to render them devoted to the corporation? It smacks to much of our all too recent experience with Nazi Germany. Arbeit macht Freiheit." She grimaces.

"Tell me, Mr. O'Hara, do you feel like you are in danger here?"

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel looked down. He really didn't want to say this.

"Considering Alchemax controls the entire nation in 2099, it is safe to say they have no problem with it whatsoever."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would blink, "Wait, entire nation? How does a corporation control.." Or perhaps she's phrasing it wrong. And visualiziging it wrong. How -DOES- a corporation come to take over a nation?

Their world, thier history can't go in the same direction that Miguel's did. Or will.

Jessica Drew has posed:
The senior agent's eyes close in dismay. Swallowing back any commentary, she takes a deep breath and focuses her attention back on Miguel. "Then let me rephrase my last question. Do you feel like Alchemax poses a threat to you in this time? Could someone have followed you here? Certainly, the powers that be, both friendly and unfriendly would love to pump you about this possible future."

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel held up a hand. "Keep in mind that I'm not in the same universe that leads to that future. There are people...groups...cities...even organizations that never existed in my world. There are HUNDREDS of variables that were not in effect in my universe. I mean...you have aliens that could take over this world by lunch if their own conscience would let them. Amazons? Who saw THAT coming?"

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would rub at her temples, "So by our standards you're.. From a history that has some similarities to our's, but there are enough events familiar to you that haven't happened here that we know that you're not from.. Here's future. Or a possible future." Time travel at least as terrifying as it is is still two fixed points.

Alternate realities drive her mad.

Jessica Drew has posed:
His last exclamation wrings a genuine smile from Jessica. "Indeed. Or the Asgardians. I ask you. Thor?" The smile fades as she taps the table with a fingertip, saying, "Point taken. Still, could someone follow you here?"

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel rolls his eyes. "I don't see HOW. I was fighting a guy, Manda Veeres, who made some kind of 'time helmet' that was was going to use to capture women from all time periods in history. Called them 'Companions'...anyway, what he was really doing was throwing around time/space distortions and they were sending their targets to....well I saw a volcano erupting in one of them. I shut off a part of his helmet, which was the part that CONTROLLED the distortions, so five of them converged on him and....well, there's some swamp in the Cretaceous where you can hear someone screaming for three million years. But one of them enveloped ma nd poof...here I am."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
This makes.. Very little sense to Mary Jane. She opens her mouth.. Realizes that she can live a lot more easily thinking that he's joking for most of it than having to sort out what bits are exaggerated and what are the truth. "... Time helmet. That sounds stupid enough it could work."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica cuts her eyes to Mary Jane and lifts her chin. "Poof, indeed."

She then lays both hands on the table, "What happened to the helmet? Believe me, that is not a story you will want to share widely. I won't be the only person asking about it or wanting to get the technology you possess and not be pleasant about it."

Her expression softens somewhat, "I'm sorry for your loss. You've effectively lost everything, haven't you?"

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel shrugs. "Ask me a question about genomes. Most of what I know is what Manda told me while he was going to use it to open time/space distortions all over Nueva York. Manda was borked. Up the ding ding."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would nod and frown . "Yeah.." Her tone softens to match Jess'. "I hope we can help you get back to your proper reality.." But she doesn't remotely know how. Or anyone that might help in it

Jessica Drew has posed:
Exhaling slowly, Jessica adds, "The same goes for your genome work. May I suggest that you be very careful about mentioning that outside of SHIELD? You could endanger yourself. As it is, our scientists will want to spend as much time with you as you are willing. And not just our scientists, I've seen you in the field, so to speak. I think you would be a valuable asset to us."

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel raised an eyebrow. "As long as I have the right to say no to something I have ethical concerns with."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would nod and glance at Jessica, "She'll be the one to step up for you with them. She has pull and she knows how the system works."

Jessica Drew has posed:
After shooting a little smile at Mary Jane, she continues, "That's commendable. We share your concerns. Here I speak for both SHIELD and myself. Our mission is to protect the planet with as a little loss of life or property as possible. As you pointed out earlier, there are powers that pose real threat to the planet."

Reaching across the table, she offers Miguel her hand, "This is only the first interview, there are others who will want to meet you, notably our science teams and our agents in charge of ops. Thank you for your time."

Miguel O'Hara has posed:
Miguel reaches over to shake her hand, then paused.
Jessica and MJ both saw the extended talons from his fingers and thumb. After a moment, they retract into his fingertips and he shakes Jessica's hand firmly.