19790/Cold Truths, Hot Leads

Cold Truths, Hot Leads
Date of Scene:	02 January 2025
Location:	Warehouses - Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	Both hot on the trail of the Covenant, Daisy Johnson and Ghost-Spider cross paths in a warehouse in Hell's Kitchen that's not nearly as abandoned as it's supposed to be.
Cast of Characters:	Gwen Stacy, Daisy Johnson

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Gwen Stacy has posed:
Why is it always some dingy warehouse in a shady part of town in the middle of the night? Do bad guys have no creativity, anymore? No ingenuity? No imagination?

Well, one might argue that if they did, they wouldn't have to be bad guys. Ghost-Spider would, actually. And she just might, by the end of the night.

As stake-outs go, the white-and-black costumed spider isn't going to a lot of technical lengths. She'd put her feelers out in the NYPD for tips on the Covenant -- the new group that is (allegedly) responsible for kidnapping some kids. There are a problem, though...

For one, none of the kids have been 'officially' reported as having been kidnapped. A few went on the missing list, briefly, and were quickly taken off again. But, word on the street as that those kids didn't actually show back up. Their parents, at least one of whom was an NYPD officer in every case, only said they did.

A diner in Brooklyn recently caught fire. It didn't quite burn to the ground (thankfully it was raining at the time), but it took a lot of damage. Investigation links that to this same group, the Covenant, as well as a few eye-witness reports of The Punisher, Frank Castle, being there...

...and a certain wraith-like spider, who also happens to be perched on the roof of the warehouse she got a lead on. It's cold out, but at least isn't not snowing. Ghost-Spider's quietly peering down through the skylight, hood pulled up over her masked face, with one hand braced on the skylight's frame.

Inside, there's movement. Nothing that looks like a kid or a cage full of kids, but guys with guns up to no good... as guys with guns usually are.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
It's not often that Daisy brings out the old classics. Like her '83 GMC light blue van she used to great effect in the past when she was still Skye, the anti-establishment hacker looking for the truth. Now? She is a SHIELD Agent but there's still much of her that's still that Skye, or why would she had kept this old van?

"I should had pressed FitzSimmons to install some heating in this thing..." Daisy is muttering to herself while trying to keep her hands warm, rubbing them together while watching the front gates of this warehouse. Why was she here though? It had all started with some strange communications she had found through SHIELD surveillance. Tidbits about a conspiracy on kidnappings. Enough that she had decided to investigate. And in true Daisy fashion she hadn't really brought a team with her. That would only spook any leads she could find at this place.

Her powers help Daisy detect motion inside. There's people within of course but she won't really get anything out here so eventually she steps out of the van, clad in a fluffy coat, a beanie hat and other comfy clothing. Of course it's all a ruse for underneath she has her SHIELD uniform, the one that marks her as Quake, one of the Secret Warriors.

So as Gwen is peering in through that skylight she might find a Daisy skulking her way into the place, clearly not someone who belongs to this group of criminals, moving quietly.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Come on, guys," Ghost-Spider mutters to herself as she looks down at the thugs inside. "I could be out celebrating the New Year. Or better yet, at home. Warm. But nooooo..."

The thugs don't exactly look like kidnappers or child-traffickers, not that there's really a GQ style guide for that. But they're kinda brutish looking with older, well-worn jackets and the kind of movie-style submachine gun that every goon wants to carry because they saw it on TV.

Well, all except for one of them -- a woman in a fluffy coat and a beanie hat.

"Umm.. quelle surprise? Intrigue."

Those expressive, pink-rimmed eyelets narrow as she watches Daisy slip into the warehouse unnoticed, but it's a dicey thing. The place isn't exactly being regularly patrolled. It seems like the dozen or so guys that are here, all moving boxes around, are complaining about the cold and talking about their New Years Eve conquest -- which ranges from picking up women to breaking someone's jaw. They're not oblivious, but they're not exactly military-grade sentries, either.

Sneaky as the woman in the puffer coat might be, the tension is starting to build. A couple unexpected moves by any of the goons could mean they step right into her path or circle around behind her completely by accident.

Not to mention... what is she even doing here?!

Wellllll... there's one way to find out.

Silent as the night, Ghost-Spider slips through a broken skylight, web-lining herself between rafters and quietly padding along until she's as close to Daisy's anticipated path as she can get.

Then she's lowering herself down, upside down, on a web-line, one hand tucked almost between the soles of her teal Chuck Taylors as she brings the other one up to her mask-covered mouth in the universal symbol for "Don't scream or you'll get us both killed."

Unfortunately, she ended up _behind_ Daisy... but you play the cards you're dealt.

"Hey," she hisses, just loud enough for Daisy to hear. "This is the artless thug warehouse. If you're looking stylish but sneaky, that's two doors down."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Caught! Right as Daisy was peeking into one of the crates they are hauling around in this warehouse. Yet she doesn't lose her cool, she's a veteran SHIELD Agent now! So as she is turning she is already going through her story of being a ditzy delivery driver who got lost, "Hiiii..." she is starting to say as she turns, "My van just broke off and I ..." and truth be told she does have quite the dazzling smile on her lips. So ditzy too, and vain, and ...., it turns inquisitive when instead of a thug she finds a hanging spider.

Ghost Spider.

And yes, Daisy knows who it is of course, because she might even be a secret fangirl. Not that she will ever admit so, "Hello there." her demeanor shifting a touch, not looking as ditzy, "Curious place to find a spider at." she whispers.

It's right then and there that a couple of thugs come around the corner, looking at the two women in astonishment, "What are you doing here?!" one asks, to which Daisy retorts, "Would you believe we are lost?" the answer then being the two cocking their guns.

It makes Daisy shrug in resignation and sigh. The thugs chose the hard way apparently.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
In turn, Daisy get a little head tilt back, pink-rimmed eyelets widening slightly at the... explanation?

Lie. Let's just call it a lie.

The thing about being a spider-menace is that you get your.. um.. 'face' in the paper a lot. Not always -- maybe not even usually -- in the most flattering light. SHIELD agents don't usually have to deal with the likes of J. Jonah Jameson, or at least they have a whole division devoted to PR, so while Ghost-Spider might be recognizable, there's not nearly as much to reciprocate.

Maybe she should figure out how to hire a PR firm.

But though she may not recognize the woman, there's a definite 'grin' through her eyes when that ditzy demeanor drops away.

"Oh, no. Spiders love hanging out in old, dingy, freezing warehouses in the dead of winter," she sighs, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. "It's great. Four out of five webs. Would nest here agai -- "

'What are you doing here?!'

Her response is immediate. It's an exact echo of the woman beside her, like the two had somehow planned it.

"Would you believe we're lost?"

Then, of course, they cock their guns. It's probably not helping their case that she's hanging upside down, is it?

*thwip*

With the hand not currently hanging on to her dangling web-line, she fires a shot directly into one of the thugs hands, grabbing his gun and simply hanging it out of his hand.

"Hey, as far as New Years resolutions go, what do you guys think about _not_ shooting people this year? Is that even on the table?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
There -was- a time when Daisy used to be front page on the papers, and not for the best of reasons, when she was accused of being a SHIELD traitor going by the name of Quake. It's been years now though and she has thankfully disappeared from the public limelight once the story was cleared as a Hydra plot. It wouldn't do to have a field Agent to be showing their face on the papers all the time!

It makes it so these thugs don't really know to expect when Daisy's powers come to manifest. Like they do now for as one is losing his gun to Gwen's webs the other is pointing it at the duo. She lifts her hand up towards the man as subtle vibrations crawl up and around Daisy, a -woosh- of air felt before she exhales, focused, the weapon starting to vibrate and dismantle itself, crumbling in the astonished thug's hands.

"Wrong answer, bud." She says, taking advantage of the man to still be staring at the gun as if not understanding what's going on by running towards him, fast, delivering a snap kick to the face that sends him falling to the ground, unconscious.

Yep, clearly not just someone whose van had broken down.

"Don't think you can teach old dogs new tricks, Spidey." Daisy says about her 'suggestion' that they rethink their lives after New Years.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Ghost-Spider's eyelets widen comically when Daisy does her 'Quake' thing, staring in transfixed fascination as that gun literally vibrates itself apart instead of going off.

"Okay... that's freaking cool."

However, just because her goon was disarmed, now, doesn't mean he's disabled. She seems to realize that the moment he lunges for Daisy, flipping herself off of her dangling line and snagging the back of his shoulders with webbing. With a solid yank, she drags him off of his feet, overhead, and throws him into the side of a heavy wooden crate.

*thwip-thwip-thwip*

Before he can even hit the floor, he's stuck there, hanging upside down, all four limbs -- plus his mouth -- webbed in place.

"You know, you and I should talk after this. I think I might know what happened to your van... are you sure the wheels are still attached?"

Of course, the talking would have to wait a little while longer. The other nine or ten goons are starting to yell and move and spread out. There's the sound of clattering tools, a box being dropped and shattering on the floor, and booted footfalls.

"I'll take the high road. I'd normally say you should get out, but honestly, I'm not hating the idea of help... if you're up for it."

There's a brief eyelet smile before she reaches a hand up into the air, a web-line *thwipping* out to a rafter and dragging her up over the main floor-space.

"It's a spider!"
"There it is!"
"Shoot it!"

Which is when the guns start going off.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"If the wheels were stolen it might be a mercy to it." Daisy replies, fully aware that her van may need retirement soon. That poor thing has been running around since she was alive, or earlier even! Not that Daisy would be pleased if anything happened to her precious vehicle but right now she has other things to worry about, like the part where they alerted the rest of the warehouse. So much for a sneaky, smooth operation.

Unfortunate. For the thugs of course.

Specially when Ghost Spider serves as the perfect 'bait' with all the guns pointing up at her. No one cares about the woman in her beanie hat that comes from the side and lifts her hand towards some of the men. Another woosh is felt through the air, more powerful than the earlier one as she unleashes her power to a whole new level. A concussion blast hits some of them before they can even start shooting up at Ghost Spider, sending them flying and smashing against the crates, sending some panicking away.

The others? They continues shooting up at Ghost Spider but are already considering retreating with a few of their 'friends' being out cold already.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Laughter bubbles up as Ghost-Spider rises into the rafters, though it fades away into the burst of gunfire, and her wraith-like, dancer's figure no longer stills for even an instant. She's in constant motion, leaping from one beam to another with graceful flips and changing direction with a quick tug of webbing.

She's an impossible target to hit, weaving through the hail of bullets as if they were traveling in slow-motion. And, in many ways, they are, thanks to that very nearly precognitive tingle in the back of her mind.

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Also, no one expects Quake.

The tandem job of direction and assault does it's job amazingly well, and more than half of the thugs are caught just in that initial blast. The ones that aren't knocked out cold when they hit walls and crates are quickly webbed in place, a couple quickly strung up to dangle from the rafters, and the ones that weren't are already running.

Because whatever that was, it sure as heck wasn't a spider, and they have zero interest in turning out like their buddies. So, a lot of running ensues.

Aaaaand, yeah. Technically, Ghost-Spider could go try to round them all up, but they all scattered in different directions. There was already the sound of cranking engines, of peeling tires, and a car-chase through Hell's Kitchen was going to put more innocent lives at risk than just biding her time and waiting.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

"So."

Gwen's lithe form slips down from the rafters, landing like a ballerina on the floor before as she looks around, one hand on her hip.

"Just a wild guess, but I'm assuming you're not with these guys?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
The thugs start scattering as Daisy expected they might. No loyalty among thieves clearly, or thugs.., or criminals. Still, a few are left unconscious and that makes Daisy sigh. Maybe she should had brought a team to do the cuffing instead of she having to do all this work, but it's not like they will be waking up anytime soon after having their world rocked upside down. Literally.

"What, my cover wasn't good?" She questions with a bit of a smirk to the corner of her lips, continuing, "Daisy Johnson. SHIELD Agent. Sometimes called Quake." she says in ways of introduction to Ghost Spider when she comes to land nearby, "Good moves by the way." she says of her bullet dodging that seemed right out of Matrix.

"I have been tracking these guys through some grapevine rumors I have been getting on the web.." It's clear Daisy is assuming that Gwen wasn't here by chance either, "There's been a common word being mentioned. Covenant. Rings any bell?"

She reaches under her coat, revealing a few zippers with which she starts getting those thugs zipped up and ready for prison. At least the ones that weren't webbed up.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Wait, _you're_ Quake?! The one that..." Ghost-Spider's eyelets widen again. "Sorry. Those probably aren't fond memories..."

Then she's getting complimented, and if that white mask could blush, it looks like it might. Instead, she reaches up to rub the back of her neck.

"Thanks. You, too. I wish I could bring down the house like you do. It'd save me a lot of jumping around."

Her eyelets seem to smile.

Even as Daisy's working on zip-tying the unconscious one, Ghost-Spider brings her left wrist up and taps on a band there, bringing up a holographic display in front of her.

A local area map. Access to NYPD dispatch. It wasn't often that she had to call these things in herself. Usually gunfire gets reported by everyone in a mile radius, but out in these warehouses, the chances are slim. Sure enough, no calls for service.

"Ah.. same-ish, actually. I found out about them the hard way at a diner, the other day. I heard they're after kids. Cops' kids. Which is.. you know.. a one-way ticket to the 'special hell.'" Firefly was such a good show. "So, I thought I'd start looking into it, and I heard these guys were associated. I haven't seen any kids, though."

Aaaand almost like she forgot what she was doing, her eyes snap back to the map in front of her.

"I'm Ghost-Spider, by the way. Do you want me to give this to the NYPD? Or is it going to be a SHIELD thing?"

Her eyes widen again.

"Am I working for SHIELD now?!"

She almost certainly knows she's not. It's definitely a joke. But that's also absolutely genuine excitement in her voice.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"The one and only." The titular Quake confirms with a brief chuckle when Ghost Spider seems to recognize the name. She is just about finishing zipping the thugs up when she finally turns back to Gwen, nodding appreciatively at the holo display, "Nice gadget." she moving closer, "Even if not -that- legal.." she teases, noting its access to the police dispatch, chuckling with a shake of her head even if she does sober up when Gwen tells her about the kidnappings, making her both frown but also quirk a brow at the Firefly quote, "I will forever be waiting for season 2."

But ..., back to the kids, "I am not sensing anyone else around here, besides the knocked out guys." she admits, "No one else around. I am going to report it to SHIELD, but these guys should be picked up by the NYPD."

As for working for SHIELD? "Consider yourself recruited, Ghost Spider. Let's get to the bottom of this."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
'Even if not -that- legal..'

"It's not mine," Ghost-Spider blurts out. About the 'watch.' On her wrist. That she's currently using. ....And then seems to realize how dumb that sounds."

"God, now I understand why bad guys say that all the time. It's like a knee-jerk thing. I mean, it _is_ mine, but I didn't make it. You can blame the other guy. He already gets blamed for everything, anyway, so he's used to it."

Laughter creeps in around the edges of her eyelets.

Season 2. "Right?!"

With a few swipes, there's a message texted to NYPD dispatch with a goon-count and their link to the Covenant. Signed, of course, "Your friendly neighborhood Ghost-Spider."

She's so distracted with that for a moment that she almost misses when she gets recruited. Her eyes snap up at the same time the holographic display collapses.

"Really? That's awesome! I'm totally down."

Beat.

"But.. maybe.." One hand on her hip, the other is kind of waving vaguely in the air. "..we can just... skip the paperwork. You know. For time constraints."

Then she thumbs over her shoulder.

"Speaking of avoiding paperwork. I should scoot before the sirens get here. Do you want to wait? Or, I know a place that serves the best greasy diner burger around..."

She's already walking backwards.