2311/A Shake Down About Epicenter

A Shake Down About Epicenter
Date of Scene:	02 July 2020
Location:	R and D Labs: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Learning.
Cast of Characters:	Daisy Johnson, Jane Foster

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Daisy Johnson has posed:
It's been some terribly busy weeks for Daisy as of late. What with vampires smashing her favorite speakeasy, a Brainiac chewing on mutant town, a new supervillain in service of SUPER SHIELD and being blamed for the havoc wreaked by her trainee at the urban shooting range there's no moment to rest! Daisy revels on that though, never put, always with something or another on her mind...

And today it's been spending time at the R and D, attempting to devise a way to combat some of Epicenter's abilities. She knew a facedown against the villain was coming sooner or later and they were SHIELD, so they would need a plan. Food offerings had been brought in way of appeasing the R and D gods and goddesses. Cookies, some chocolate. They were on a bag she had brought to be distributed by the brains that could bring the best plans to the table. Because after the disco death truck of doom they had a new convert to their ways from Daisy.

Right now she was leaned over a tablet, watching over some footage of a tall, blond man flying about in what seemed to be a celebration of some sort. She was frowning faintly.

Jane Foster has posed:
Super SHIELD better be actually explained to Jane, because she has been deep in the versed issues already afflicting Daisy. At least most, but not that one, meaning she's entirely ignorant beyond a few random notes. The aesthetic of trying to crush information into one's head, breaking down knowledge into bite-size portions. She might well have some things to catch up on, and holding her tablet, she breezes through the R&D section. Notes are already being uploaded into the SHIELD cloud, details dancing in crunchy packets through secure gateways and onward into oblivion for some bored analyst to read.

Her footfalls make a clear patter on the ground, announcing that she's bound inward. What purpose has the R&D department for her today isn't clear, though she shimmies up to the counter and eyes up the food offerings. Oh hello! Maybe something fruity? No, alas, perhaps that chocolate isn't so bad. A dark chocolate block will do, a square snapped off, put into her mouth after a delicate sniff to make sure it's obviously not adulterated or something terrible. Because people might test to see if someone is foolish enough to eat poisoned offerings, which does have a rather sinister tone. But they're spooks; these things are training. So she eyes the chocolate carefully but proceeds in, watching out.

"Agent Johnson, you're looking entirely too serious. What's causing you trouble?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
If there is one thing Daisy appears intent on is to fatten up the R&D. Chocolate and cookies! Or maybe it's all a cunning plan to have them join her on athletics more often for workout. The sniff at the chocolate square brings a rather amused look to Daisy's features, instantly forgotten on what was making her look so serious on whatever is on the tablet.

"I am not May." She tells the other Agent. Or maybe it's all part of the plan! Spooks indeed.... But the chocolate indeed has nothing different than the norm. And tastes well to boot.

The question does bring her gaze back to the tablet though and she exhales. "Super SHIELD..." then a roll of her eyes. "Do you recall the nazis with ties to Whitehall? Apparently they are going on a recruitment drive for whatever purpose they got and ..." she taptaps on her tablet, sending some footage over for Jane to see on her own tablet. "... they fabricated a supervillain of their own. Called him Epicenter too." another eyeroll. And maybe she feels jealous, because Epicenter is a pretty cool name too, even if Quake is bestest!

"Flying, superior strength.., most likely some of my powers and electricity. A combination of those guys we found at the warehouse. And I am currently trying to figure out a way to at least counter his electricity powers."

Jane Foster has posed:
Chocolate and cookies, no emetics, all is good. Therefore the brunette astrophysicist braves being caught on camera and takes a little nibble, testing the corners. "I would be afraid of May's baking. It would look delicious and possibly be made of lard and salt, or plastic, resembling food but not part of it. Jane knows better, in some ways, but she sheepishly grins and shrugs. "You learn fast around any scientists not to just try something left out in a bowl. That's a good way to be part of an unfunded study. They did that to us with psychedelics, once."

They, who? MIT. That isn't hard to find, anyway. Her smile lifts a bit, even for her to savour the taste of the chocolate. "I vaguely do, yes. Nazis and Whitehall are a troubling situation, and Whitehall's work has been more in your and Morse's wheelhouse than mine, I regret to say. Might need to catch me up. They managed to use stolen information -- yours -- to... make... a supervillain? This sounds like a Japanese horror movie. I hope it's not bad for you? I really don't like the idea of him having all those powers we detected, because they must have not overcome the instability issue, have they?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
When Jane goes about with her story about psychedelics induced by mischievous scientists she arches her brows. "You scientists are savages.." because she is no scientist, just a hacker with a penchant for technology! An important distinction! But just so there are no doubts about the chocolate (and how good it is) Daisy also reaches for a piece, tossing it into her mouth. She chews and nods at what Jane replies about the Whitehall investigation.

"Not only mine. I think they have been harvesting powers out of other mutants. I was just one of those they found." Mutants.., inhumans.., to Daisy it's mostly all the same right now. "And no.., I have suffered no side effects. As for the instability.., I am not really sure. At least they found a way to lengthen how long it may last. But we can't wait till this .., Epicenter.., deteriorate. We will need to act soon. Hence me being here today, I was thinking on trying to counter those electrical powers with some kind of surge arrester but ..., this isn't exactly my specialty."

Then a pause and she asks about their more recent mission. "Has anything further come forth about those supposed vampires we found at the speakeasy?" She asks. And she even says vampires without a pause. Because being in SHIELD means you accept all the crazy without almost no question. The trauma can come after the mission is done.

Jane Foster has posed:
Psychedelics and their scientific practices are terrible, aren't they? A sly smile from Jane would be sly except for the softness and sweetness in her bearing, something that invariably warms to Daisy's presence. She wanders a little closer, leaning in the better to take a better look at the details captured on the tablet. There's a certain thing to be said about watching it in action.

"I'm glad you are fine, though I wonder if /he/ does. I rarely want anyone to be ill. But I would think it better he did not have those powers," she confesses, her voice soft and pointedly direct in that hope. Not cruel, her; but she is, if nothing else, intent on that goal. "Electricity powers would be a challenge. You need a way to ground or redirect them. This might be as much Dane's skill as mine, since we both have the engineering background. Very few things can simply absorb the energy naturally, but you can use grounding devices. I wonder if we might have some way to rig up something that channeled the electricity down to the ground or a battery but the overload potential is awful. Especially if he can manipulate it. Trust me, having seen how lightning plays, I am very cautious with it."

She runs her fingers through her hair at mention of the vampires, and winces a bit. "Simmons has the tests to run."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Well, you and me both. Though he's still a nazi." Daisy replies, because that makes a difference! "And I am sure they chose to do that to themselves." she not being as sympathetic as Jane apparently! She mulls over her chocolate bit for a little while longer, the bittersweet taste very much a mirror to what she is doing now, finding a way for the mission to be successful even if in the end it may bring death.

"It doesn't have to last long, perhaps just enough to give an opening for the team to move in." She muses. "So even if he can afterwards manipulate the stored electricity it wouldn't matter too much. Maybe a battery will work, with subsequently grounding it." she returns to taptapping on her tablet and nods.

At the mention of tests to run Daisy raises her eyes up to Jane. "If there was something I wasn't expecting during that mission was vampires. They are awfully strong though.." then a pause and she says in a lower tone. "And I really hope we haven't been banned for life from the speakeasy." because lots of destruction! But they helped saving it, right?!

Jane Foster has posed:
"If we slapped anyone down for having white supremacist views, we'd be a happier society and down quite a few noxious individuals. However odious, though, we have to give them a chance to be rehabilitated," Jane chides gently, smiling at Daisy all the same. "I hate what they believe and what they do, but they are humans underneath. No indiscriminate lockup, as much as our grandparents had excellent reason for wanting that. Stripping him of the ego boost will be enough, especially on the grounds he /stole/ all those abilities. Something about that just sticks in my craw, I have to admit."

Daisy isn't the only one facing some serious doubts, or at least some torn opinions. "I would think developing something for a grounding function might help, and it's probably easier than storing. We don't want to play with the notion of converting power to different uses, do we? Or a short, harmless discharge, though that's going to need some kind of careful manipulation on our part, too." Her thoughts are obviously turning around.

The reference to fanged individuals earns a sharp little shake of her head. "I encounter weird things, but not that scale. Agent Whitman is another matter, and I am sure that Agent Croft is used to it by now. But someone threw a table at me like it was a matchbook." Affronted, bothered, but she pushes on. "I don't think you could be blamed."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Maybe there is just a small hint of reluctance on Daisy's tone, but then again she was also someone that had skirted the other side of the law, and had been given a chance by SHIELD to have a different type of life. "SHIELD has been known to giving people second chances.." a small nod given. "And yea, you are right." a sigh escaping her lips. "We can't be like them." and this requires additional chocolate, she taking another piece. "I like the idea of stripping off that ego boost though, maybe something that can be explored during the fight if it comes .., I expect all those sudden powers must be making him feel like a god. Might make him tauntable and prone to mistakes." something to chew on.

When the convo turns towards on how to stop the electricity powers she mms. "No, I wanted to keep a KISS approach to this. Keeping it simple and just discharge his powers. But how to ground his powers though? There are surge stoppers, but they aren't 100% effective. Or well, maybe one can be crafted for the effect. We do have the readings on the guy that was using electricity during the warehouse assault. I expect the intensity of power will be similar."

As for the vampires.. "I was more disturbed on how easy they seem to manipulate minds. I hate it. Maybe I should find a way to block those attacks from my head someday..." easier said than done though!

Jane Foster has posed:
Reluctance on either side of the equation, be it the scientist come in to the organization or a lifelong agent facing the real world; a doubtful hacker or an idealist at the top of the food chain. Jane probably has an odd view of Coulson, considering he stole her work. Daisy, on the other hand, is a perfectly delightful specimen of happiness who, in her way, is perfectly a balance of active and worldly. It's something invaluable in their little world.

"I don't know I'm right, but I am certain that it erodes our values and who we are as people to sink that low. The same reason that we have to avoid killing people indiscriminately." She's pretty staunch on that, but then again, is she really on the front lines making those difficult decisions? The cookie tempts, but her waistline will suffer and another hour in the gym hardly sounds appealing without her better half lurking around. That probably being Gothic Lolita, if she's willing to be a running partner. Going up against a cybernetic individual always means losing!

Her chuckle is a soft thing, though, friendly, untroubled despite it all. "You never can discount experience. It's absolutely got to be the truth. Someone who doesn't know how to fly suddenly flying should hit a wall, they're not a bird and not used to it. Whereas Strider always has flown and no one's going to just up and grow a pair of wings and match him." Oh sweet, sweet summer child. The promise of that will be answered in gold and Aesir runes some day soon.

"Other than having some earth trick, you ground his powers by grounding him. Make it so he can't fling around electricity. Attack him where he can't draw on the mobility of flying or lightning. Super strength, for something like that we might need Agent Danvers or Agent Drew, they're both plenty strong, aren't they? But either way, we're in a position to do some good."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"At least your heart seems to be in the right place, even if you may or may not be right." And that seems to make the difference for Daisy, her grin now more pronounced. She finishes taptapping on her tablet, sliding it aside for the moment and turning to face the astrophysicist more fully now, her arms folding about her waist. Though with Daisy conversations never go to the casual or simple, because questions need to be asked. "Have you killed in the past?" there seems to be no judgement on her tone or eyes, just a curiosity about Jane's thought processes.

"Both Drew and Danvers are very good possibilities, yes. And so is Gothic Lols, she has a .., pretty strong punch." understatement really. As for the other suggestion it makes her mmm, jerking her lips to the side in thought. "Don't think we got anyone that can manipulate earth, but yea, might just be a question of manipulating the fight in our favor. Or maybe we will just him so hard he won't even know what happened and just get knocked off instantly." an optimistic grin.

Though the mention of Strider makes her perk up. "I still need to actually meet Strider you know? Though I can't be certain they won't know how to use their powers somewhat well, at least the one that stole mine was using them without the same restrictions I had."

Jane Foster has posed:
The idea the astrophysicist is in the right somehow earns a soft pink hue to her cheeks, but not much else. It's been a long week. "This Epicenter, where was he last spotted? Have you got any beads on his whereabouts? I imagine someone with that sort of power structure aims to further the goals of the Third Reich?" A quizzical look shows on her face, as though she' s not sure. The tablet gets a last look and then she steps back to open up space for Daisy again. "Whatever it is, that kind of tech on the black market is nothing good for us."

The question about her killing sets her back on her heels, and she gives a small shake of her head. "No. At least, not that I knew of directly. I was participating in the Battle of New York where it got pretty intense. Not Avengers-level, but something serious all the same. I imagine the protective defenses we set up and the targeting array might have led to deaths, but not the same as pointing a gun and..." She doesn't cock the gesture. "I assume most field agents have faced lethal danger. Sooner or later, it's got to come up."

Her words are soft, then, trailing off with a purposeful measure. "Let's focus on that battery. We have enough diodes lying around and a proper insulating material will help with the framework. In a short period of time, it won't be /pretty/ but we can put together something that would suit you well enough, I think. At least be small enough to carry around in a backpack, at least as a prototype. It has to be reasonably big for us to get the absorption, anyway." What's a girl to do otherwise? Talk about horses? Yes. "Well... Strider is a fine horse person," she manages to mostly keep a straight face, "and I'm blessed to know he's patient and kind. Also, we get to occasionally go up there," a point to the ceiling, "so it's hard to be overwhelmed after the first time doing /that/."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Upper New York." Daisy points to her tablet where there's still some footage running. "They were doing a large recruitment drive for their ..., SUPER shield." another roll of her eyes. "Really, I am glad I wasn't there. I probably would had went ballistic. And people were buying their BS." a pause and then she adds, "Though I know the Agents present got some evidence and have been following leads. So I am hoping we will get a location soon on where they are holed up."

"It's this Whitehall that really needs to be stopped." She murmurs, "He seems to be the pivot around here." and for some reason those eyes of hers seem to spell she won't be too nice with the 'good' doctor if she ever finds him. And oh, if only she knew half of what he has done!

"All I remember of the battle of New York is hitting Clint with a keyboard." Some levity to the issue, then a faint smile. "Maybe I shouldn't had said this.." but she nods at Jane's answer, becoming a bit more serious on her expression. "But yes, it will come up." she says to Jane. No point in trying to soften it. "Be it to defend another's life, or a fallen Agent. I always thought there could be another way but .., I have had to make the choice. Sometimes we just can't afford to give that second chance." and that doesn't seem to make her happy.

The change of subject does make her nod though. "We can leave the pretty to when we go out to speakeasies for drinks. Efficient will do. And backpack-portable is the ideal. Nothing too cumbersome and ..." a pause. "... fine horse person..?" a chuckle. "But as I said earlier, after getting to SHIELD I don't get as disturbed as I used to with all the craziness, be it flying horses or vampires or whatever!"

Jane Foster has posed:
"It's bad enough," Jane insists, "that they steal the name and reputation of an agency to springboard off of. 'Super SHIELD.'" Her distaste is clear, nose wrinkled, unable to resist that unfortunate take on events. "I hate sounding like this, but it's like calling themselves the Soviet Avengers or the Greater Avengers. Really? Who does that? The Most Fantastic Four?" Putting her hands on her hips, there's no way to resist the fact this clearly has her a tiny bit put-out. "I know you say you'd have gone ballistic, but imagine showing him up. Some people are dangerous, maybe a bit more crazy than is good. All I can think of are casualties of being shown up. He's probably not the most sane individual."

Epicenter, the bad knock-off, will not be selling toys or earning appreciation from the public soon. Not if Jane has anything to say about it, and she might have a few choice words to tweet.

Back to the moment at hand... cookie. Fine, she takes one, breaking it in half, and offering the larger chunk to Daisy just because. "Whitehall's activities are suspect in their own right, but they need to be halted before more people get hurt. That's really where I worry. Someone like that has no sense of what's right or wrong. He'll justify hurting people, because the price is worth it to him, as far as I can tell. Nothing in any report we can read suggests he has a moral compass that works." Her fingers scrunch into the fabric of her shirt, and she loosens her pose so no one thinks she's trying to adopt that power stance in every public speaking TED talk out there.

"Death is going to happen one way or another. I look at it with a bit of a morbid view, I guess, but my mom passed when I was younger and that set up life wasn't exactly fair or just." She shrugs a little; the wounds are old on that one. "I swore to be like her, except I ended up studying the stars. Save lives, don't take them, but if someone was putting a gun to your head and I could stop them, I would. I bet Morse would have me set up with a therapist before I stepped out of the car, afterward, but I signed up for all those firing range lessons knowing it might be a live gun and not an ICER, right?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy is clearly in agreement about that choice of name for their 'group', having her own choice words for it. "Ikr?!" And yes, Daisy uses the acronym because being a keyboard warrior in the past always a keyboard warrior! "It goes towards their feeling of superiority though. They feel they are better but at the same time have -no- originality." she shaking her head to herself but then ..., cookie! She takes that half with a grin. Or at least it's a grin that lasts until Whitehall talk sort of sours it. Bittersweet. But she nibbles on her cookie while considering Jane's words.

"The most dangerous of people." She agrees. "Not following any kind of morality, no breaks to their search for answers. It's ..., frightening enough. And makes me wonder what made that man become the way he did." because she knows there is always a story beneath. No matter how wicked someone may be in the present. "Some people just can't stop being in constant war.."

A sigh later and she is being comforted by her cookie, now very close to the end of it. Small blessings. The talk of having lost her mother makes Daisy nod slowly, a point of understanding for her, she who has lived always looking for her parents, hoping they were alive but knowing it most likely wasn't to be. "That's how it should be. If a choice came between not killing and saving someone that belongs to my family here at SHIELD I would not hesitate. I think it was harder for me to realize that I had my family right here at SHIELD than it was to kill. I have been known to be, mmm, stubborn." a faint smile coming to her lips.