9568/Rest and Consideration

Rest and Consideration
Date of Scene:	10 January 2022
Location:	Recreation Lounge: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Michael and Jess discuss his joining SHIELD - and then the aftermath of that...
Cast of Characters:	Michael Erickson, Jessica Drew

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Michael Erickson has posed:
    He can, at times, be found down here - when he comes to the Triskelion to deliver reports, he comes down here to nap. And so, there he is, in black fatigues and a plate-carrier vest, curled up in the corner of a couch in the quiet, darker area of the lounge made for reading. Taking, at least for the moment, some rest.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jess can be as quiet as a spider on a web. It was on a hunch that she came looking for him now, knowing that even aliens that inhabit suits powered from another dimension need to rest sometimes. Like most agents since the invasion, the mutant agent wears a standard black tactical suit and rubber soled boots. Her dark hair is pulled back into a pony tail. Fatigue leaves its mark in circles under her green eyes and pallor.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    A smile touches his lips. "I'm not asleep," he says, scratching at his stomach under the vest. "Hello, halan." The eyes stay closed, but it if as if he were watching her. Somehow. "Come to see if I'm getting a nap?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
"It's best for us all if you do," she replies with an involuntary sigh, smiling tiredly. "This way I know you are not getting up to something for at least a few hours."

She leaves the overhead light off to not rouse him further from rest. "Do we need to cover your cage so you can sleep?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    He smirks at that. "No need, halan," he tells her, gesturing for her to join him on the couch; with a faint groan of exertion the rasp of nylon, he gestures once again. "I wanted to talk to you, actually," Michael says. "I've come to a decision."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"This sound portentious," she settles on the couch next to him. "What kind of decision? Have you decided to shield all of Manhattan now?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    That gets her a snort, now. "We should be so lucky," he replies, looping an arm around her waist. "No. I have decided to join SHIELD. As an agent. Full stop."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jess masks her surprise. Pulling back from him to look at his face, she asks levelly, "I thought you valued your independence from SHIELD and no longer wanted to be dictated to by a hierarchy of command?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    He grunts. "I am putting myself in command as much as I ever did,' he replies, rubbing at his brow with his free hand. Pulls her a bit closer, as if trying to soak up her warmth. "Yes. I cannot set up what I do without the authority behind it. I cannot claim that authority without membership."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Hrumph." She allows him to pull her closer, "You cracked sooner than I expected. I guess the invasion pushed you over, huh? Old habits..." Jessica looks like the cat that got the canary. "So recruit, probation and then agent?" His handler seems unworried about how they might change her status.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Aye," he replies. "And you as my supervisor, halan." He lets out a sigh. "Besides, I need a job. I can't teach at Xavier's forever." Michael lets out another sigh. "...and I like working with you. So it's really more your fault, you could say."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Right, blame it on me." Jess looks pleased with the idea and smirks. "But you will be in charge of the new unit, right? Along with whoever else is recruited. It's your area of expertise and not mine."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "On the day to day," he replies with a nod. "But ultimately, it's you and Commander May that have the final say on operations and planning. You know, SHIELD policy, methodology, that sort of thing." He chuckles. "I need to get us a ship. I've got some idea on what would be good, but to pull it off..." He yawns, leaning into her side a bit more. "Shall I tell you my idea?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica ruthlessly noogies him in the ribs and grins, "No way are you going to tease me about you getting a space ship." The agent moves down the couch, giving him a look of 'just try it you wanker'.

"First, do you plan to buy it or steal it or do some complicated borrow that is, in fact, theft?"

"SHIELD does have some resources though I don't know what the budget grinders will say about that funny little expenditure on line 30 when Chief Carter turns it in." She scrunches up her face into a narrow-eyed frown then relaxes it, inviting him to answer.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Oh," Michael says with a wave of his hand, "Nothing that we end up using beyond standard SHIELD equipment is going to be bought by the organization, I'm afraid. Most of our capital resources will be on-site procurement or some other similar method. I actually had a wild idea that might give us enough resources to secure a ship. But it will be...a madcap plan, as it were. Good for commandoes." He winks, then clears his throat.

    "Did you know that there's a bounty on my head in space?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica turns her head to stare at him silently from under raised eyebrows. "Do tell. Why does this not surprise me? Commandoes interests me."

Straightening, her face deadpan, she asks,"Does someone hate you /that/ much?"

She gestures helplessly with a resigned laugh, "Go ahead, how do you plan to make enough money to buy a working starship?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Wellllll." He considers. "It's not nearly as big as the one I found out the former administration had levied on me in the Empire, but it's not too small. Only thing is, it was registered /here/, in this galaxy. Which begs the question: who the Hell knows I'm here, isn't the Empire, and has sufficient money to levy such an amount?"

    A beat. "It doesn't matter. Because we need money, and it's a lot of it. So, I thought, why not have you lot turn me in for the bounty and buy a ship with it? I should be able to sneak out on my own."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica stares flatly at him. "How did you find out that someone in /this/ Galaxy has a price on your head? A wanted poster on Mars?

"And my god, Michael," she does indignation well when her British accent comes to the fore. "Suppose you /don't/ get out? What makes you so sure you can? Do you know you remind me of Bebop Cowboy right now with wily plans for making money?

Michael Erickson has posed:
    A slight smile crosses his lips as he settles back against the couch. "I have no idea what a 'Bebop Cowboy' is," he says, eyes settling closed. "But it's a good way to remove a potential threat to the team while securing resources /and/ making sure everyone gets their feet wet. Eventually." One eye open faintly. "Why? Don't you think you lot can do it?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Oh, right," she replies sardonically, "turn the tables on me. /We/ can do our end of the business, whatever that may be but /we/ are not the one being put in prison. What makes you think that you can break out from wherever your captors put you?

Her eyes bore into him to underline how serious she is. "Do you know what a cowboy is? Know any Japanese anime? Well, Beebop is about a bounty hunter in space who is forever getting into serious trouble and having to shoot his way out of it.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    His eyes close again. "I'm not a cowboy, then," Michael says with a chuckle. "Halan, Imperial training is all about crisis and observation. Without crisis, there can be no improvement, and of course no observation. I have the utmost faith that if I cannot escape myself, you lot can get me out. And then we return with a starship. It is important for a team to go through such things. Especially with such a wide variety of skills. We will learn to work in various environments - this will be a final test. By that time you should be able to pull this off with your eyes closed. I know for a fact that you've all done stranger."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica Drew says, "Hrumph," she crosses her arms. "I do /not/ need to be tested, Dottie does not need to be tested, May does not need to be tested, we are a crack team. I want to hear your plan, the details. No one goes into a sting like you're proposing without a plan. Not some, I'm going to flaunt myself in front of people wanting to get my bounty and then pull out from my captors, somehow with a space ship or the money and if I don't, you'll rescue me.""

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "/Everyone/ needs to be tested," he replies flatly. "Everyone." The eye opens up again. "And we aren't going to do it for a while. There's other things to do first. I'll have gotten more information then."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Arms still crossed. "Yes, like train. Who knows I may not like space or zero-g might make me vomit or suddenly I hate heights. A space suit will cut down on what I can do: I won't be able to shoot webs or venom blast or even climb structures - so I may not want to be there.

Mouth set like she has bitten into something bad, "Do /you/ need to be tested?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    That gets her a snort. "I probably need tested more than anyone," he replies with a shrug. "But that's not what this is about. And if a different opportunity rises, we can take that instead. This was a thought, nothing more." Michael gives her a squeeze. "But it's nice to know you care."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Insufferable man. Tell me your plans. No surprises, now that you have decided to put yourself into the SHIELD, you /have/ to report to me."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    He lets out a grunt at that, settling into the corner of the couch all the more. Birds like to nest, and all. "Don't pull rank on me yet, halan," Michael says, his tone taking just the slightest frown. "I haven't talked to the Chief yet. I don't /have/ a plan, yet, I said. It was an idea that had started to form."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica puts herself into the opposite corner, reaches down to unlace her boots which she sets to the side of the couch, then lifts her stockinged feet into his lap.

"So what do we need to do first before we put you to the test?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "A lot of things." He takes one of her feet into his hands, beginning to knead. Good strong hands, that one. "We need to secure the coilguns from Tannhauser along with whatever else they have. We need to train you lot. I wish we had a proper holographic simulator so that we could replicate conditions here on planet, but I will need to work out a way to get us offworld and local. Meantime we can train in polar regions, deserts, that sort of thing."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jess sighs at the fingers kneading her feet despite herself.

With less acrimony than before, "What kind of training do we need beyond what we already possess under gravity. You should know better than a lot of people that none of us are green recruits needing to train. But, I don't know anything about handling myself in zero gravity. But, yes, first Tannhauser. What are your thoughts on that?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Zero gravity, double gravity or more, radiation wastes, ash deserts, acidic atmospheres..." He ticks off points for a moment before going back to kneading her foot. "It isn't that you're green recruits, its' that these are environments that you have no knowledge of. So in some ways, yes, you're utterly unprepared. And that's fine - the fact that you're already so skilled will make things faster. That's why I picked who I have."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Mollified and massaged, Jess grunts her reply.

"We are the best. This is going to put me to sleep." Her eyes start to lid. Sleepily, "If I go to sleep now I will be under for hours the way I feel. Talk to me. How do we take Tannhauser?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "I don't know," he says, shrugging. "I need to see what information that SHIELD has and compare it with mine. Certainly we'll need to go to Germany to get it done. They might even be distracted with all the events unfolding in the city." Michael switches to the other foot, now. "Reed Richards is providing us with suits. He and I had an interesting conversation about arming the inner solar system...but I suggested instead that if he were to request anything, it be perhaps something defensive, like a system-scale version of the Maginot Line."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"You had mentioned sending Dottie in to spy. At their warehouse or at their headquarters? Are they separate? Do we know who leads them? I want to get going with this, angels be damned. We'll be in Germany. Where in Germany?"

Jess sighs a long breath when he changes feet. "Keep this up and I will think I'm in love, Michael. Right, suits. Please don't say Maginot Line, look where it got the French. I hope it will be something supple that can morph according to tactical situations and maybe even hide to surprise incoming invaders."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "I'd like to think that Richards can do a better job than the French," Michael says, snorting faintly as he keeps working at her foot. "But it's long been a tactic of systems that do not wish to be outwardly aggressive to set up a number of automated defense platforms around important areas. Around planets, for example. You can't really surround a whole solar system, or even a section of it, fully. But tow defense platforms in orbit, or create choke points, and a system would be much better-defended against outward threats, and be much better able to secure its sovereignty." A snort escapes him and he opens one eye to peer at her. "Tough nuts to crack, fortress-systems. I know that one from experience."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Very well. Are you working on plans for that then?" She butts him with her free foot. "I was talking about Tannhauser."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Alai, alai!" Michael shakes his head, giving her a wrinkled-nose look as she pokes him with her foot. "It's in the back of my head, but I'm only one man, halan, and I'm certainly no engineer. I'll give him whatever information or advice that I can, though, certainly."

    That said, he nods, slowly rotating her foot at the ankle to stretch it. "I'd send Dottie first, yes. She's very pretty, very Teutonic in her way - I'd be surprised if she wasn't employed against the Nazis by her government in her day. Her name is Dasya, you know. Not Dorothy." A beat. "Though perhaps we won't use that. It's simply the Russian form of the name, but still."

Jessica Drew has posed:
An important piece of information is filed away: he does not like getting poked in the ribs with a heel. Jessica smiles smugly.

"Where are you going to send her? When? I thought you were going to work with her in Manhattan or has that plan changed? I want to get started."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "You want to get started," he echoes, brows lifting. "Well, the first thing you can do is get me the data SHIELD has on the matter. Or, more accurately, we need to get me signed up so I have at least proxy clearance through you to view that information."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Well, you talked to the Chief, right? Did she give you a date on getting you cleared or is the world ending slowing you up?" He gets a toe tickle to the ribs on her last word.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "I said I didn't yet, halan," he gently reminds, closing his eyes again - and grunts, faintly, as he gets a toe in his ribs. "Anyway Grand Central isn't my issue anymore. Agent Sims has it secured and handling things there. I've done my part."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Then we need to stop horsing around and talk to the Chief as soon as possible. "I'm getting as impatient as Dasya is. I wonder if she would want to go full agent or if SHIELD would even trust her to do that?" Her voice fades as she scrunches down on the couch, careful to not dislodge her foot from his hand.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Some time later...and Michael is going to be an agent of SHIELD. But because he can't do anything easy, apparently, he's also managed to make an ass of himself at the exactly wrong time. Which means, when he comes down to sit down on the corner sectional once more, it's with significantly less confidence and a great deal more self-directed hatred. He scowls, his face a leaden mask, and those blue eyes have taken on an ever harder quality.

    He says nothing. Just stares straight ahead, redolent with self-loathing.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Following automatically in his footsteps, still focused on what just happened in the Chief's office, Jessica seats herself at the opposite end of the couch. A glance at Michael tells her that he is no more sanguine about the interview than she was. There is a question on repeat in her head: did she do the right thing by vouching for him?

"Well," she says, with a weak smile trying to overcome the remains of irritation at herself for not foreseeing his reaction, "you'll be official within twenty-four hours. Congratulations!"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Stele vaas." He rumbles it, those words. The meaning's a mystery at the moment, but the sentiment...well. He's mad at someone, at least.

    Then, he looks sidelong at her. "I'm not human. Sometimes, things do not link up with human culture. As I said before, I need to be tested more than the lot of you. You're not the only one learning new things."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica tilts her head, genuinely puzzled and nods. "Not human. True enough. I forget and if that had been delicate negotiation, would have blown it."

Interested, already forgetting, her own embarrassment,she leans forward, studying his face, "Could you explain what we didn't understand? It seemed perfectly normal to ask if you would adhere to our standards for an agent. When we swear someone in, as a citizen, for example, we ask them if they will abide by the laws of the country solemnly. It is both for form and a promise. So you surprised us when you rescinded your decision when questioned."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "I don't do delicate negotiations, usually," he mutters. "That's why I have you, and Agent May. And I wouldn't have nearly this problem on another planet - keep in mind, Jessica, that I am a spy. When I am acting against an enemy, I am a very, /very/ good liar. Smooth as mirror crystal." He shakes his head. "It's when I'm trying to be friendly to humans that my social flaws show. So. Be aware, if I fuck up, it's because I actually am trying my best. Sometimes, I forget that I am dealing with humans and try to speak to you as Shi'ar. Because I am comfortable with you."

Jessica Drew has posed:
The information chills a corner of her soul. Questions she thought she had overcome surface. Jess forges ahead, knowing she will return to her doubts about the wisdom of being in love with an alien, and his handler, "But I still don't understand what happened. We asked you if you wanted to be an agent and if you were sure. When we questioned your certainty...was that the problem? Questioning your certainty?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Questioning my certainty." He nods once. Slowly. "No. I thought she was /joking/ with me. We are a sardonic lot. I was joking back. Then I realized she meant it, and that...perhaps she was challenging me. So I challenged her back. It was meant to be friendly. I thought that I had earned a certain type of camaraderie with her." He draws a deep breath. "I did not. I see that, now. The mistake will be repeated."

    A glance her way. "I did not expect /you/ to turn so quickly."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Turn?" Sharp surprise makes her sit back in her seat and shake her head slowly.

"We had no idea you were joking. We don't joke about those questions. I thought, I was sure I had made such a serious mistake that I deserved to lose my job and did what anyone should in that case - tender my resignation because of my midjudgment.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Just ask if I'm kidding next time," he rumbles softly, running a hand through his hair. "And yes, turn. On yourself. In any case, I have made a hash of this, I am still not human, and I have been awake more or less a week straight. So before I do any more to my life or my relationship, I am going to bed. Throne knows, Agent Sims has it handled."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Elect of the Angels. Just ask him, he'll tell you," she nods reassuringly. "Go get sleep. They have a bunkroom here, take one before they are all filled."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Yeah." He lays a hand on her shoulder as he passes. "Spereg'naa, halan, spereg'naa." All is well. Does he believe it? Likely not. But he says it, and he heads toward the exit, where the bunkroom awaits. And that's progress.