8591/The Search for Yv'Kar

The Search for Yv'Kar
Date of Scene:	07 November 2021
Location:	Imperial Science University, Hala
Synopsis:	Carol accompanies Finley and Ava to meet Yv'Kar. Unfortunately, all they discover is a bloody corpse, a shattered containment unit, and a swarm of quantum powered nanites that seem to prefer vanilla human to suped up cosmic energy wielding metahumans. Poor Finley.
Cast of Characters:	Ava Starr, Finley Ellison, Carol Danvers

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Ava Starr has posed:
It's taken a lot longer to hunt down the location for Yv'Kar than Ava would have liked. Then again, she's also not especially thrilled to be going to meet him without Phyla to back her up. Theoretically, Phyla knew him. Could have facilitated the introduction. Now... Ava's trying to figure out how to say, "Yeah, so you don't know me, but Quasar said you could help..." not just in Kree but in some manner that might make the fellow *willing* to help a 'humie' who's technically on the planet illegally and accompanied by the Kree's Public Enemy Number One, instead.

Oh, yeah. This is going to be *such* a fun trip.

Eventually, though, there's nothing to do but bite the bullet and get on with it. That, then, is how she finds herself moving through a corridor at one of the city's larger science facilities, in search of Yv'Kar's office.

Finley Ellison has posed:
It could be worse, Finley tells herself. After all, Yv'Kar is a scientist. Which Finley thinks of as a common bond, even if -- she realizes -- Ava might not find that so comforting. Still the pursuit of knowledge is universal, right? Even if science and scientists haven't always followed that pursuit with the most moral intent. Or action. Get it together, Ellison. It'll be fine. Right?

Carol Danvers has posed:
    Carol, aforementioned Kree Public Enemy No 1, is along to make sure if things go to shit she can help extract her fellow SHIELD agents. This has to happen afterall to help Ava with that serious quantum destablizing problem. It is also now something Carol can help with, even if she is a good engineer.

    She is wearing a very mundane nondescript seeming Kree outfit, with a traditional hat and tech visor to obfuscate her face and appearance from image recognitrion systems.

    She wanders along after them both down the hallway as they look for the offices. "Should be up ahead and down a corridor to the right, unless I am turned around by the layout Ava." soft in english.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava glances to Carol, the three of them dressed to at least pass in polite Kree society. That's a little harder for Ava, what with her darker skin. She doesn't quite match the whole 'Pink Kree' look. But it's not particularly proving a problem. "The sooner we've been and gone, the happier I'll be." Her English accent is heavier than normal, a subtle sign of her stress over this.

Eventually, they come upon the lab. The door is cracked open and there's a hint of flashing light within. Ava's brows crease. She pushes that door open gingerly and steps through.

The lab near the door is actually still quite orderly. It's down at the far end that things seem... askew. The flickering comes from a broken lamp. The counter has been swept mostly clean of equipment which lies scattered and broken across the floor. There appears to have been some sort of struggle.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"Oh, um," Finley whispers taking in the upset. "This doesn't bode well, does it?"

"Yv'Kar? Um?" She calls out. And immediately feels like an idiot. But what else can she do? She can't help thinking about zombie disaster movies. And how this looks like the beginning of one. And that a raging zombie virus infected monkey should come hurtling out of nowhere to attack someone with a real life jump scare. Oh no. She's gonna be the first to die, isn't she? Great.

Carol Danvers has posed:
    Carol ducks in after the two of them through the door, glancing each direction first as she follows them. The flickering flashing light definitely gets her attention and there is a slow inhale of breath at the broken equipment. "It does not at all Finley." agreeing that it does not look good.

    After Finley calls out Carol will step further in, ahead of Finley and off to the side a touch. It is a defensive movement. She isn't worried about zombies but if there is a problem here shje plans to meet it headlong before it gets to her companions.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava utters a curse and immediately becomes intangible once again. It's very hard to leave evidentiary traces when you don't interact with physical objects. "Watch your step," she advises. "I doubt whatever passes for cops on this world are going to be all that thrilled with a trio of human--" mostly human-- "interlopers."

She also moves unconsciously to flank slightly ahead of Finley, the most vulnerable of the trio. Her green eyes scan the room again. "Well, shit," she says eventually, coming to understand that the blue-green splashes she's seeing spattered about are alien blood. She follows the spatter pattern back to a toppled containment case. Beneath it, amidst broken shards, lays a man she can only assume is Yv'Kar. "We're definitely too late."

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley, absolutely out of her depth as to the correct course of action, willingly hangs back. What does one do after stumbling upon an alien crime scene? Are there police? Would reporting the death get them arrested or killed? Can she find any of the scientist's notes? -- either to try and assess what killed him or to try and find something that can help Ava...

"Oh, no," she murmurs. "Um, what was in that case? I bet it's still in here with us." Don't think about alien zombie monkeys. Don't think about alien zombie monkeys. Don't think --

Carol Danvers has posed:
    When Ava goes intangiable Carol keeps her own counsul now. Kree forensics will likely be able to recreate the fact they were here from the breathing they have been doing and subtle evidence left even if they watch themselves and don't touch anything with bare hands. Still no need to make it easier for their forensic techs.

    Carol lifts her hand and her outfit reconfigures into a jacket with the suit scanner in the sleeve. Still not her hero costume and the new Kree style jacket fits in well with her Kree civilian-wear. "Well lets hope it went into a duct or something..." she holds her hand out and starts to scan the body and containment case a play of energy waves washing over everything as she gestures gathering information from the scene.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava moves to crouch down near Yv'Kar so she can get a better look at the case atop him. "This looks technological," she tells the others. "I can sense energy from it. It doesn't strike me as a biological containment unit." She glances up to Carol. "Unless you know of some biology that requires this sort of regulation?"

Hey, she might. Ava's no expert in either science or aliens. But she's been around weird labs and cutting edge tech enough to know the signs.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"Ooooooh," Finley breathes. And, captured by the siren song of technology, she too begins to inspect the scene. It's mostly blue-blooded carnage. The scientist has been eviscerated. Almost like a swarm of angry bees exploded from his chest cavity.

"He has to have a computer somewhere, right?" This question is directed to Carol. "What are Kree computers like? I mean, how do we find his research?"

Carol Danvers has posed:
    Carol has crouched down studying the containment unit as she focuses the scans in on it and the exploded scientists chest now. She does pause to look up and around then points at the device on one of the counters. "That thing, should have a holographic interface and respond to Kree commands as well. Basically his laptop."

    She waves her hand through the air and there is a ripple of light and small particles light up in the air all around everyone in the room. "What do we have here..." as she illuminates the energy that Ava can half sense.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava looks up at the motes in the air, the trails they make through the natural energy fields around them. "What the hell was he working on?" she asks. "It resonates with a quantum signature. Can you feel it?" she asks Carol, glancing over to Finley. She does have her pendant on, which means what she feels is being recorded. Maybe that will help Finley, later. "Like... quantum fireflies chattering back and forth." Yeah. That's precise.

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley inspects the 'laptop'. She might not know much about the Kree. But technology is technology. And she's confident that she can figure it out. What could possibly go wrong?

She pulls up the holographic interface and starts scanning the files. She maybe sort of knows what she's doing.

Carol Danvers has posed:
    "Quantum fireflies chatter back and forth...." as she gestures with her hand and a small pool of the fireflies are drawn closer to her so she can look at them. Her tone is vague as she is thinking deep think thoughts.

    "Oh crud." is the final bit she says eyes widening as she glances at a holo display that pops in front of her right eye. Not something anyone wants to hear probably. She glances around and yes they pretty much are all around the three of them. "It's like quantum fireflies talking because it is computing using quantum entanglement. These are very adanced ... nanites."

    Alarm.

Ava Starr has posed:
Very advanced nanites who, if the cloud of motes slowly growing around Finley is any indication, find the non-meta human a particularly aluring target. The hum they emit as they begin excitedly drifting closer and closer to the human scientist is more something Ava feels than hears. But as she begins to realize what's happening, her hand stretches out and she starts to move toward Finley. "Fin! Look out!"

But the nanites are faster than she, and the golden swarm quickly grows sufficient to be seen with the naked eye as it envelops Finley's slight form.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"What the--?" Finley, intrigued and alarmed, looks up as she senses the vibrations of the minuscule machines, before they cluster dense enough to be seen. But they begin to cohere in a swarm that surrounds her.

"Fuck."

Carol Danvers has posed:
    Carol makes a sweep with her hand and tries to draw the nanites in. It is too late though as they envelope Finley's form. Yes the hero does manage to gather up some in the room that haven't swarmed the vanilla human, but too little too late.

    Doesn't help that the nanites want nothing to do with the cosmic and quantum infused heroes in the room. "Damnit!" starting to hustle towards Finley.

Ava Starr has posed:
The nanites swarm over Finley, sinking through her skin and suffusing her tissues. Neither Ava nor Carol are able to prevent the process. A quantum thrust sends Ava through several pieces of furniture to Finley's side. Even as she's wrapping her arms around her, Finley clutches her bicep. "The data!" she gasps. "Please! We need the data!" Then, she's collapsing in Ava's arms.

Ava looks to Carol, a stricken expression on her face. The Avenger will need to be the one to get the data, if either of them can. Probably, the best either of them can do is grab that Kree laptop. But Ava's hands are full and she has only one coherent thought in her mind: Home. Safety. Go. Now.

She flexes her body and another quantum thrust takes the pair of them phasing straight through the building. There's the sense of a burst of quantum energy laced through with cosmic as the q-bands activate. Their signature is unimistakeable. At least, Carol will be able to follow it.

All the people of Hala know is that a small star appeared to go nova over the university building before disappearing into heavens faster than eyes could follow. Authorities later will marvel that there was no property damage, save the destroyed lab and dead scientist. But, quietly, they'll also peg that signature as Quasar's... mostly. The Supreme Intelligence will doubtlessly find that...

Disturbing.

Carol Danvers has posed:
    Well this is going to look incredibly suspicious to the Kree Authorities.

    Carol nods to Ava when she gives her that stricken expression. "I got you." she redirects to grab the laptop with one hand and the cords with the other hand. She pulls it off the counter but makes sure the plugs come with and don't just snap with her other hands grip.

    She was not expexting the explosive star and the quantum jumping. "Fuck." she mutters to herself and then she steps in and blasts off after Ava and Finley hiding her own signature in Quasar's wake really as she rides the slipstream and punches her own cosmic jump.

    She genuinely is hopin that Ava managed to get them jumped somewhere with a good outcome and not a bad one. Damnit.