4366/Friends in high places

Friends in high places
Date of Scene:	10 December 2020
Location:	Security: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Gavin Hedgecroft walks free from SHIELD custody thanks to the intervention of the President of the United States. SHIELD smells a rat, someone is pulling his strings. Now they need to head to Saudi Arabia to get some answers.
Cast of Characters:	Bobbi Morse, Daisy Johnson

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Bobbi Morse has posed:
Fuming. That's the word that best describes Bobbi right now. The heart rate monitor on her wrist is flicking up higher and higher in to that dangerous minor heart infraction territory. She is staring balefully at Director Gonzales. The older man is trying to look sympathetic, but also has that stubborn glint in his eyes.

"This is out of our hands now Barbara. The order apparently came directly from the president. Who bent his arm, well we don't know yet," Gonzales says.

Bobbi turns her attention from the director of S.P.O.T. back to the interview room. So close to getting to talk to Gavin Hedgecroft, the merc who was paid to take out the Saudi diplomat's son and who surrendered without firing a single shot when they caught him on the highway.

Agents are uncuffing him and his accomplices.

"Is the president trying to cause or close an international incident? It makes no sense," Bobbi insists and clenches a fist, her mouth equally tightly pinched shut as she glares at the man behind blast proof one way glass.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Standing against one wall of the room is Daisy, arms folded about her waist, a slight frown on her expression. Yea, she can smell a rat when she scents one... Someone's dirty here. "I have taken the liberty of bugging the heck out of his tech, including a transmitter on his jacket." she explains, perhaps trying to figure out a solution instead of adding in to the trouble. She knows about Bobbi's heart condition afterall, no good in amping her up more!

"Just because he is being released doesn't mean we will lose the man out of our sight." Dark gaze moving from Gonzales and Bobbi and to the glass separating them.

"Or ...," and there, Daisy is a rebel, "... couldn't we simply delay having actually heard about the order and .., just go with the interrogation?" dangerous territory! But a rebel will rebel.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Gonzales looks over to Daisy with an expression lacking patience. "I sat on it for three hours and two missed calls from the oval office," he says and then looks through the glass himself. "I don't know what to tell you. Sometimes we hit a wall. I knew something was up when your report told me they didn't even put up a fight, but their car was filled with weapons. They were armed to the teeth."

"Bobbi nods to Daisy and smiles. Her expression relaxing a touch. "Nice. Chances are they've already been paid and will step aside though. Whoever is behind all this will simply hire someone else to do the job. We're never going to get answers from the president, ...but something Hedgecroft said out on the interstate - that we're working for the bad guys. Ugh, I hate not being a step ahead of it."

Hedgecroft himself gathers his things up in to his pockets, then turns toward the one way mirror and gives a cheeky little salute from the forehead like a boyscout. He says assuming people are listening, "I'll be seeing you around SHIELD." The Agents escort them out of the far door and likely through the maze of corridors to the buildings entrance where they will be free to go.

"Sir I'd like to take a team to Saudi Arabia. I want to find out what dirty secrets Diplomat Naasif el-Lodi has been hiding. May be then we'll get some answers on who his enemies are and who is pulling the presidents puppet strings...," Bobbi requests of the director.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Or ask him for a drink..." Daisy suggests. Though now Daisy is more poking Bobbi then being *entirely* serious, "Just don't let Hunter hear about it." but hey, Bobbi is good where it comes to getting info out of people!

Though as it seems that she has a different idea about figuring out about this case she finds herself nodding. Going to Saudi Arabia to find out more about it sounds about right too. "Oil money?" she suggests. About those who might be able to pull on the president's strings. But then she reaches over for a tablet on the side to check on it. Tracking the merc! Always a chance he may give up his contractor.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
The signal is coming through strong and loud to Daisy's tablet. They're going down the elevator toward the lobby right now.

Gonzales pauses a moment and says, "You know we have no treaty with Saudia Arabia. You're going to be on your own. The best we can do is hustle up an exit strategy. I'll get Mack working on one. Put your team together and send me the mission specifics."

Bobbi's lips twitch in to a small smile at Daisy's suggestion, "It probably wouldn't work. He knows my face and I doubt I'd get budget approval to pay him more than whatever he's being paid to stay silent. The man has a reputation to uphold after all," she says even though Daisy was teasing. It was a good idea.

Bobbi nods to Gonzales, "Yes Sir. I'll have it to you in the hour. Daisy, are you in?," she asks as she takes her tablet out from her thigh pocket and unfolds it. She begins to tap on it wildly, assembling some ideas about where to go.

"Huh. Actually... I think I know just the place. In 1997 there was a regime change and el-Lodi ended up working as a diplomat, eventually getting posted to the USA. But during that coup, a lot of sensitive information was locked up in 'the vault', as they called it. We've never been inside... but I bet the answers we're looking for are in there."

Gonzales actually smiles. "It had better be a damn good plan if you intend to go in to the vault Barbara. I look forward to the requisition," he says and turns to leave. At the door he glances back, "Oh and it goes without saying. No mention of the presidents involvement leaves this room."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
No treaty with Saudi Arabia, being on their own?! Sounds like one of the usual missions! Or well.., maybe the dangerous one, but all still in the day's job. She smiles faintly at Gonzales but says nothing on it yet at the question from Bobbi she bobs her head affirmatively. "Sure am." a beat, "Sand getting everywhere? Can barely wait." a wink. And with the merc so far being on the elevator she shifts the image on the tablet ..

"The vault?" She starts picking up info about it. And secrets? That does perk her up. Digging out secrets is one of Daisy's hobbies afterall!

"My lips are sealed, Director." About the President's involvement.

She waits until Gonzales steps out to look at Bobbi, "You know that vault will be tight up with security up to the kazoos, right?" she grins. "Just to make sure we are in the same page. But no way I will lose an opportunity to dig in there."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi takes a seat at the workstation and peers at her tablet for a few moment and then looks back to Daisy, "It sure will. Worse than that, we know very little about how it looks on the inside, how many guards there are.. and just what kind of information might be in there. No doubt, they're protecting the rich and powerful."

"It's going to be a tough fight. We're going to lose our stealth the moment we engage the guards or security measures they have in place. Really, the only thing we know about the place is where it is. Nestled amongst sand dunes like something out of an Arabian Nights story. I'd worry about awakening the mummy but that's the wrong country," she says, her heart rate slowly lowering. The moment had passed, Hedgecroft and his men had walked but now they were formulating a daring heist.

"Keep a digital eye on Hedgecroft all the same, hopefully he doesn't get up to anything exciting while we're out of the country. Now I need to assemble a strike team for the job," she says thumbing over a list of SHIELD agents and their photo identification on her tablet. "Unfortunately this isn't the kind of mission I can hand over to my protege Jemma, this one has links back to the white house."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Oh, don't worry. I will keep my eyes on him like ..." A pause here, "Like a bear on honey!" followed by a smirk from the hackerette, Daisy for the moment continuing to look up info on what is to come on Saudi Arabia. "Guess I will have to spend the next few nights training out too.." a sigh, "The tech they use can sometimes be a bit different, time will be important so can't lose time adapting.." she murmurs, already looking up ways to go faster.

"Who do you think would fit the profile?" She questions, brushing some hair out of her face and her eyes continuing down on her tablet.

"Do we have any contacts out there on Saudi Arabia?" She asks. Bobbi knows someone everywhere afterall!

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi nods her head and says, "Anyone who can sneak and packs a mean punch and a good aim. Probably Fitz too." A touch of playful snark. "A small tight, faster team. I could sure use May for this, may be Peggy too. But I'm getting ahead of myself."

She looks up and back to Daisy, "I do have one contact. Though.. our friendship is a little strained. It'll be worth reaching out to her. She may still be upset at me, but she'd never betray us. Her name is Nyssa el-Wali, she is ex-mossad assigned to Saudi Arabia. Things went poorly on a mission and they blamed her. Instead of retiring back home, she decided to stay and work free lance. She's picky about jobs though."

Bobbi shuts her tablet and says, "Okay.. I need to stop planning a super secret operation to hostile territory in the observation room of interrogation. Back to my office with me." She smiles to Daisy and says, "Good luck with your practice. Hopefully we won't need your shakes to get the job done."