6915/The Package

The Package
Date of Scene:	13 July 2021
Location:	Hangar - Playground
Synopsis:	Agent 13 briefs the team about something no one, not even SHIELD knows about. There was just a name. Time to do things Sousa style.
Cast of Characters:	Sharon Carter, James Barnes, Daniel Sousa, Abcde Prescelta, Melinda May, Sam Wilson

---

Sharon Carter has posed:
It wasn't a rare occasion to hold mission briefings in the Hangar of the Playground.

The massive area has always been occupied even in the thick of the night, with one or two agents or maintenance men either working or playing a round of cards to pass the time to the tune of a swishing broom against the concrete floor below. Often times, more of the seasoned agents and worker bees spent most of their time on the upper levels, looking down upon the various methods of travel to clear their minds after a long day of work with a bottle of beer.

If that was allowed, it was anyones guess.

And yet here is where those agents, hopefuls, and others were called at the behest of Agent 13, Sharon Carter, who carried the bare bones of a mission in one hand, and her own beer in the other. Not protocol, mind you, even though this one is for the books.

Despite the goings on at the Playground, they still had a job to do. SHIELD and STRIKE agents were known for their capability to multitask and get the job done, and today will be no different.

Her plan was such after all had gathered, carve them into something other than themselves and if need be? Make them enjoy it.

EDITORS NOTE: Because what fun would a mission be without a little fisticuffs, possible bloodshed and laughter!

The area was set up as such; a sectional round table was placed in the middle of the floor, each with cushioned seats that would be able to fold once the job was done. It was all temporary, set up for just this night only, and each space in front of an empty seat rests a manila folder. There were no stamps that read "Secret Mission" or "For Your Eyes Only", as the flair was saved for the movies and not something -this- important.

Agent 13 remains pressed against the wall, Dragon's Milk stout in one hand, the other holding her own folder open to go over the content.

This would be her first commanded mission; and it was a mutherfucker.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky hasn't been seen around the Playground in a good while. The people he's closest to? They know the why of it. It's also the pull of one of those people that's dragged him back here. Not much has changed with him, he's still all BuckyStares(tm) and tucked away somewhere in the back of the room. He does, however, look like he's sleeping better. ...and he's wearing what look like cochlear implants; the receivers are stuck to the sides of his head behind his ears, the transmitters and speakers hooked over his ears. If he manages to catch 'Agent-13's' attention, he'll offer her a wink and a little 'you got this girl' nod.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Allowed or not drinking at SHIELD had been a tradition since the agency was founded, Daniel knew, he had been there. Finding the little gathering of agents he finds Sharon and gives her a nod of greeting and a smile, before offering a nod to Bucky as well. Then he waits to see how things were going to playout.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    The armor has yet to figure out how to sit well on Abcde. She adjusts it under her arms, at her hips, and just generally. She has an empty holster at her side. The quartermaster was not going to arm her with an ICER without her completely a certification. Without a doubt, she is the least qualified to be here.

    Tugging at the collar of the armor she fidgets a touch, a finger tapping the tip of her wander in its holster on the other side of her body just to make sure it's still there. Why wouldn't it be. An over the back shotgun holster is worn too, the straps are being adjusted still by Abcde. In it? a broom?!?

    She takes a seat which also means trying to adjust the armor once more because sitting and standing make it do different things. Looking at the manilla folder and opens it up to see what she's gotten herself in to. Well, what Daniel has gotten her in to.

Melinda May has posed:
May is attending the briefing, but mostly as an observer and advisor. This is Sharon's show. She doesn't need to interfere. She wouldn't have tapped the woman to be her lieutenant if she didn't think she were capable of the job. Sure, the alcohol is an unconventional touch, but it's not the first time plans have been made over a bottle of stout... or scotch as the case may be. For her part, however, she's stuck to green tea and has taken a more casual stance just off to the side.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sam has been mostly NYC-based in the last week or so, which tends to be how it goes with him. The Avenging stuff, the daytime nine-to-five that he kind of not really doesn't manage to keep up with any more, it's a lot of stuff for one person to juggle. But this is Sharon, and she's worth the 3 hour roadtrip.

    So here he is. Perched on a stack of crates in the back near Bucky, with a bottle of craft beer dangling from his fingers as he texts one-handed. He hits send the tucks his phone into his back pocket so he can sit up and flash Sharon a thumbs-up.

Sharon Carter has posed:
For this; everything had to be planned.

As the others gather, some familiar faces and not, Sharon gives an up-nod to everyone in attendance, even a glance back towards May to at least ensure that she was there and relaxed. With her grandmother in better spirits, the other work can begin. Work that requires a heavy hand, sledge hammers, and brooms?

"Alright, let's get started."

No introductions needed, names will come along the way. They were all adults and round robins should be reserved for corporate; 'State your name and your position', none of that awkwardness here. To know this gathering is to walk along side them.

The first page presented, laid upon the table.. one that they all have. The words Ophiucus scrawled across the top in a shittily made power point print out, the many pictures of a young man with slightly longish brown-hair and a name:

Maximus Mazmillian.

Sharon takes her seat at the table, leaving one open for May and Daniel to join if they wish. It was then, once she was comfortable, she begins to speak. "We all know that the world doesn't stop moving when tragedy strikes, we're just lucky as hell that our people keep their ears to the ground when assets reach out." She points to the picture, and with a twirl of her fingers, flicks it towards the side of the table where Bucky and Sam are, so that they could partake of the image.

"We've got word that a dangerous item is being put up for auction in about three weeks, called the Ophicucus. Like most intelligence we get, we do not know what it does, we only have the name. And -literally-, that's it." She looks rather annoyed, and explains. "Because of our status in the world my particular assets are .. being rather difficult. SHIELD being persona non grata gives them the means and reason to step on our toes. So we know, at least.. that this little bit of information that has slid our way was a bait for something -bigger. What that is?"

Sharon shrugs her shoulders.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky snags that picture as it's flicked toward him, like a little snake striking. He picks it up, studies it for a moment, commits it to memory and passes if off to Sam. Questions he has, and there are likely quite a few, he keeps to himself for now. She'll get to them, answer them all before it's over, he's sure of it.

    Pale blues, not so dark-circled as they were a few weeks ago, shift back to the woman of the hour. Damned if he doesn't look downright proud of her. He even manages a smile, a real one, for Sharon's benefit.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's round of greetings extends to both May who gets a nod, and Abcde who gets a smile as she fiddles with her kit. Then as the briefing begins he takes a seat and focuses his attention on his granddaughter's briefing, pulling a notebook from his jacket pocket and jotting down details and glancing at the rest of the agents around the table.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde lifts up a hand like she's back in school. She says, "Ma'am are we going to steal the Ophiucus?" Because most of what she knows about spies she's so far learnt from Daniel. Peggy and May have been helpful too. From Peggy she learnt that spies have crazy lives and from May she learnt that there's a time and place for closer conversation with the ninja.

    Perhaps the question was a bit too mundane and obvious. May be when SHIELD was in the spot light more they could have walked in and seized the item without issue. The question she should have asked is -- just who might end up shooting at them.

Melinda May has posed:
May moves to take a place at the table, just so she can follow along with the briefing. And maybe offer Abcde a small amount of moral support. She trusts the young witch, even if she is going to need more training to really survive the field. They'll get there.

So, the Commander opens the folder and glances down at the materials provided, as she follows along with the discussion.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sam looks at the image passed to him and frowns, though it's a mostly contemplative expression, before he makes sure it gets passed back to the front of the class.

    And let it be known that Sam is not (and has never been) the type to hang out in the back of the classroom, so he hops down off his makeshift seat, bumps his fist companionably against Bucky's upper arm, and then heads over to find a place at the table. He sets his beer down before he sets himself down, and then he tucks his hand against his chin, elbow on the table as he listens to Sharon.

    Something about the word at the top of the printout has Sam coming back to it, and he taps it a couple of times thoughtfully, though he hasn't yet figured out why it seems familiar. For now, he just narrows his eyes down at it.

Sharon Carter has posed:
"Yes."

Sharon doesn't skimp.

"The only problem is, we do not have any information on what it could be." Sharon lifts a hand to rub at the back of her neck, bottle of beer placed upon the table. She knew getting into this? She wouldn't want to drink it until it was warm and.. gross.

"In fact, we have -no- information on where the auction is going to take place, just -how- dangerous this weapon is, and even if we can destroy the blasted thing. But I can say this, Mr. Mazmillian has -never- led me on a wild goose chase. Which leads me to wonder about two things." She wasn't going to address the class, but she was sure that they were going to get it.

"Either way, we're going to work the problem. Lean on myself or Mr. Sousa.." (At least she didn't say grandpa) "..as Mr. Sousa may often times be in the field to guide and assit you. We'll need all sorts of hands and methods for this, simply because we do not know. And Mr. Sousa is an expert at the game of Scratch."

Starting from scratch, that is.

James Barnes has posed:
    "Better to die, and sleep the never-waking sleep, than linger on and dare to live when the soul's life is gone," Bucky murmurs, almost to himself, but loud enough for the 'class' to hear. What? He reads, that's been well established. "Hope I'm wrong, 'cause dealing with the undead sucks."

    "I can... do some asking around, or Elijah can."

    Then he goes back to quiet, still at the back of the room where he feels most comfortable, although he does finally get around to offering Daniel a little up-nod should the man look his direction again.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Mr. Sousa. It felt weird to hear, he was really going to have to get his qualifications complete to rejoin the agency for whatever time he had in the future. For now though, he nods in support of Sharon's briefing. "So, we've got a report from a reliable source about the sale of a potentially dangerous item, but no intel about the item itself," he looks around the table. "Where do we begin?" he asks them, before reinforcing Sharon's comments. "I'm here to help but let's hear what you've got for ideas to start with."

Bucky's comment gets an upnod in return as he glances that way. "Good, any other contacts we can lean on?"

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    That's a lot of unknowns. No wonder she was asked to join in on this operation. She glances over to May and nods to her, a small smile playing on her lips. May is a known quantity: serious butt kick. Daniel is a known quantity: time displaced. Everyone else is an unknown, she feels like it's the first day of middle school all over again. She know she doesn't fit in but she's got to do this anyway.

    Asking the obvious questions is the best she can contribute at this point, "Do we know anyone intending to go to this auction that we could approach?" - 'Does SHIELD really solve cases with such a thin lead? that's impressive,' she thinks to herself.

    Poetry? she peers over to Bucky Barnes. He looks kind of familiar. May be she saw him on the news once. "Is the undead a distinct possibility on this case? I will need to pack differently..."

Melinda May has posed:
May has worked more WAND cases -- entirely accidentally -- than she cares to admit. Between them and her various 084 cases, she's started to amass her own store of trivia. It's not going to rival Phil's anytime soon, but...

"Ophiucus," she says. "That's the 13th symbol of the Zodiac, I think. Not usually seen in Western astrology, but known in both eastern and classical studies. It's usually represented by a snake or a man fighting with a snake."

She glances to Abcde and then to Sharon. "Is there any significance to that? You've said this is a weapon. Is the name connected to some sort of symbolism or someone's fancy?" That can be telling, too.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sam cuts a look towards Bucky and just shakes his head. "I should've added a no-zombies clause to my contract," he comments lightly, but then his eyebrows draw together, expression sobering.

    Something's still nagging at him. And it isn't until May speaks up that everything clicks. "Right. It's a constellation. A lot of my unit got into stargazing during my first tour. It's associated with Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. He fought a snake and it, uh, the myth has something to do with immortality."

    He stares upwards for a long moment, but the details aren't really coming together. So he shrugs. "Doesn't really bode well if that's all we have to go by," he says. "We could jump to the assumption that it gives its wielder immortality but there are a bunch of different ways we could interpret its link to the myth."

Sharon Carter has posed:
Sharon nods towards James. "Rather you use Elijah, he's going to come in handy in the future." As Vovo begins the line of questioning, it all has Sharon thinking. She knew where she'd begin and in the case of undead, she knows who to lean on. Which brings her to Abcde, "We don't know anyone who is going to be at that auction just yet. But if there -is- a case of the undead, pack. Pack for everything, and I'll get you a contact. I'll set up a meet for you two." Bucky, oddly enough, would know who.

From the research she's gained herself, she nods silently towards May. "I don't really see any significance unless we're considering this sort of weapon a snake charmer. But I really don't know of anything in our armory or databases about big snakes." She pauses. "That are still alive."

She snappoints at Sam, then glances down towards the face upon the paper.

"-Everything-, is going to begin with him." She glances towards Daniel and May. She didn't -really- want to travel, not until she's spoken to her grandparents privately first. But.. "Our people are narrowing him down as we speak. And you guys know.." She looks to Sam and James, ".. or will know.." She glances to Abcde with a smile. "..how fast they work."

Faster than nerd-Twitter on a Marvel TV show easter egg hunt.

James Barnes has posed:
    "Based on the name, it could be. In Greek Mythology, Ophiuchus represents Asclepius, the first doctor," his line of thinking confirming Sam's. "He created a potion to bring the dead back to life... from snake venom and the blood of a Gorgon. But, given the serpent, it could all just be fucking HYDRA." he replies to the new face in the crowed, to him anyway. The HYDRA is spat out more like a curse than the actual curse preceding it.

    Seriously people, the man reads, a LOT and it's not always Harry Potter.

    Bucky offers Daniel one of those genuine smiles, hell, it's even a grin. Those don't happen with him often. "Well, you're kinda lookin' at Elijah, dressed down a bit. He just hasn't been out to play since... Russia, 2016, maybe 2017..." So before Steve brought him in from the cold? ...and maybe right around the time Sharon was there. "This kind of thing is exactly something he'd be interested in bidding on, his wife would love it. I'm gonna need a fancy suit budget though, when he gets to come play." Unlike Sharon, his closet isn't filled with the likes of Doir just hanging there waiting to be pulled out.

    Sometimes, given his recent... unstable-ness and penchant for jumping directly to violence, it's easy to forget that he was never JUST a blunt weapon for HYDRA.

    "Yeah, tell him me and him need to catch up at some point, it's been a while."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Catching on, Daniel returns the smile to Bucky, "Right cover identity, understood," he says as Bucky spools out the details to them he nods. "Makes sense, would be good to have someone on the inside," but then he gets around to the zombie elephant in the room. "Also, a question, undead? Like for real undead?" he looks around the table like they're all about to laugh and tell him they were pulling his leg.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde nods her head, "The snake around the staff for medics is the same snake." She double-takes when she realises that's The Falcon from The Avengers sitting in on this briefing. "It's not a lot to go on," she agrees. "It also depends on what part of the world this thing is from. In some cultures, snakes are guardians. In others, they offer knowledge. In the more mundane arena - some are very venomous."

    She's not sure what is and isn't pertinent in this case though the greek angle is starting to tick over in her head, "It might lead us to the undead. There are powerful magics that grant eternal life, but most have some horrible consequence. I've yet to meet an actual zombie that wants to eat brains though. Let's just hope none of this is heading us head first in to Medusa. I'll pack a mirror."

Melinda May has posed:
May falls silent now, as the discussion continues. She tracks it, but she won't be directly involved in the mission, so she's happy to let the team decide just what they need to do.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sharon snap-points at him, and Sam's eyes go wide, but then he turns and snap-points at Bucky, like this is some sort of parlor game and they're just passing it around the circle. "Right! And Zeus kills him for it!"

    This seems to be the most important part of the myth to Sam. "I mean, it's Zeus. He usually either, y'know," and here Sam just gestures vaguely, because he is only one beer in and still has his manners, "Or he kills someone. So."

    That's really all he remembers, though, and then the mention of HYDRA has Sam shaking his head, like he can just willful-ignorance them right out of this equation. Nope. Not even gonna acknowledge them. There are other villain groups associated with snakes!

    When Abcde continues following the discussion line about Asclepius, Sam nods and pipes up with "Yeah, it's on the AFMS seal."

    Beer in hand again, Sam leans back in his chair, far enough that the two front legs pop off the ground. "Man, you do *not* look like an 'Elijah'," he says, pointing with his bottle. And then his chair drops back down to the floor and he takes a long swig. "Not that you look like a 'Bucky', either, because nobody looks like a 'Bucky'," he adds after.

    Then, a pause. "Except maybe a beaver." Sam takes one more sip of his beer.

Sharon Carter has posed:
"Don't read too much in a name.." Sharon says, looking down at the paper. "Sometimes people just pick names because they believe their world to be.." She waves her hand dismissively. Bucky's quip about catching up is given a nod, she'd have to toss the number his way soon, but Daniel's question gives her a wince. "I uh.. think we should talk about that with a round of scotch. Or three." Undead.

Vampires. The whole she-bang.

Abcde finally finagles a smile from Sharon, it was one of amusement and for the simple fact that she was impressed. The new recruits? They were built different. "And wood." Sharon adds.

"Let's not make fun of Dobby here.." Sharon tells Sam, then quickly gets back to the talk of the mission. "Alright, I figure in another hour our people will track down Maz. I know you lot have other things to do, but be ready to be wheels up. He doesn't move fast so I'll be on the road in about a day or so to drive where everyone is." Other things to handle, like.. seeing her folks.

"We're good to go for now. I know that this isn't much to go on, but we have the most intelligent and experienced people at this table who can make a way and find a way. So I'm hopeful. Let's scatter. Charge dinner to one of Coulson's accounts. We've worked hard tonight."

At talking. -AT TALKING.-

James Barnes has posed:
    "Welcome to the future, buddy," Bucky tells Daniel along with a bark of a laugh. "That was my reaction too when *someone*," was that a pointed glance in Sharon's direction? "...introduced me to the fact that vampires are real." Just a beat and he adds, "Good to see you again, man," and he really means that. It's been what? Over seventy years? The fact that he takes Daniel's sudden appearance in this time in stride means one of two things. A: He's actually really seen the man already at some point, maybe when sneaking around to visit Peggy? B: He's just been living this shit for so long that NOTHING surprises him anymore.

    "At least I know what a beaver is and where to find one," Bucky shoots back at Sam... and something hints that he might not be talking about the actual animal. He doesn't need to be any beers in to lose his manners.

    "Anyway, back to the mission talk. I'll put some feelers out as an interested Elijah, see if I can reconnect with his connections." Is that safe? Physically or mentally? Connecting with connections from The Cold years? Does he care? Probably not. "Annie joining him or is this a surprise for the Lil' Missus?" he asks of Sharon. Just checking that last, it's important to the 'cover'

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Vampires?" Daniel says to Bucky, raising his eyebrows. "Like Bela Lugosi?" he asks still not sure if he's being messed with or not but slowly leaning towards not.

Though with all the madness of vampires and such it's good to see a familiar face, "Good to see you too," he grins. By his reaction he's heard Bucky survived the war and who knows what else, still he greets him like he's the James Barnes he knew not the boogeyman called the Winter Soldier.

"And sounds like we'll need a few bottles," he says to Sharon, an agreement to have that talk and soon.

As for mission prep he jots down mirrors, wood and holy water. The last one with a question mark beside it. He's seen Dracula, he knows at least that much.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    "Well, technically, the vampires have been around for a really long time. So that'd be welcome to the past..." Abcde adds realising she probably just over stepped her bounds. "Sir." That's how this works right? call people sir and ma'am. She raises an eyebrow though, why does Barnes look so familiar.

    "To do things.. right. I'll hit my books. See if the name Ophiuchus pops up anywhere besides greek mythology. May be one of my ancestors has run in to it before and detailed what it looks like and what it does. And if we're lucky, may be it's not a weapon."

    There's a pause as she realises only two people know what she means when she, a random new probie, says she's going to hit her books. "I'm a witch," she says by way of explaining. "Pointy hat and all. The hat is back home. I have a lot of books written by my family coven over the centuries. Most magical things, even rumours, get a mention. Then again, the Ophiuchus might not even be magical."

    Abcde leans over and whispers to Daniel as he jots things down about vampires, "Fire works best."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    When Sharon suggests he *not* make fun, Sam motions to himself with his beer. Him? Make fun? Pssh.

    Sam is mid-sip when Bucky throws out his retort, which means Sam's first response is to choke a little bit, but thankfully it doesn't resolve into an actual spit-take.

    "Ooh, he mad," Sam mutters as his shoulders shake with barely restrained laughter. The talk of vampires happens mostly without his input, because what the hell does Sam know about vampires?

    Nothing. He'd like it to stay that way, honestly.

    Sam's up on his feet and drains the last of his beer. "I'll float the name by some of the mystical folk in the Avengers," he says as he makes a detour to drop his empty bottle in a recycling bin. Surely SHIELD is eco-friendly, right? He flashes Sharon a smile and a quick salute before he's on the move.

    He slaps Bucky on the arm--wrong arm, ow--and after he fans his stinging hand through the air for a second or two, Sam points a thumb over his shoulder towards Abcde. "So, she has a hat. Means she's not a sorceror."

    Yep, he's starting that conversation back up again as he leaves.

James Barnes has posed:
    "I have a hat, lots of hats, doesn't mean I'm a wizard, Sam," Bucky points out as he stands to follow. He shoots a wink at Sharon over his shoulder before, "Wizards don't exist."