1155/Whose Fault Is It, Anyway

Whose Fault Is It, Anyway
Date of Scene:	26 June 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Nick Fury, Spider-Woman (Drew)

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Nick Fury has posed:
A ludicrous number of hulking machines, that roar with the pulse of electricity and high-performance computer parts, serve as the only real man-made structures here on the alkali flats.

A small army of SHIELD technicians populates this technological 'town', checking various dials, readouts, screens, and connection sockets.

"I'm still not sure this is close to being ready, director," says an older woman, one Prof. Hendrix, head of research for this particular project.

"Well, that's why we've brought in a special agent. She should be able to handle whatever few wrinkles may pop up in the test process," Nick Fury replies, hands on his hips. "If there's any at all, RIGHT?" he asks pointedly, leaning toward Hendrix.

"Of course, of course," the woman replies. "But still..."

The SHIELD director shakes his head and walks toward a twelve-foot-tall exosuit with massive forearm extensions. "We've poured a lot of money into this. Time to see if it's time to move forward or go back to the drawing board," he says, before looking around. "Now, where's the pilot?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
While not a particularly frequent flyer on SHIELD science experiment trips, Jessica Drew is here nonetheless for this special field test of equipment.

Out from one of the tents that have been set up, a cup of coffee in hand which she sips on, she makes her way over towards the SHIELD Director, and the giant robot with oversized arms. "Is it compesating for something?" she asks, looking up at it as she comes to a stop nearby.

Nick Fury has posed:
"Not at all," Prof. Hendrix says, adjusting her glasses and walking towards Jessica, hand outstretched for a shake. "A pleasure to meet you, Agent Drew," she says, before adding, "This...this is the S.H.R.I.M.P. A mantis shrimp served as the inspiration."

Nick Fury stands nearby, a smirk on his face. "Don't let the name fool you. It's a doozy of a project, if it ends up being successful."

"Ah, yes," Hendrix chimes in. "The arms are supposed to work like those of a mantis shrimp: incredibly fast and incredibly powerful. They SHOULD react so quickly that you'll cause a focused sonic boom."

Fury nods. "The idea is to wield sound for...a wide variety of goals." He offers a thin smile. "For today, though, we're just going to make sure that it's safe to activate. That's why you're here, in fact. I figured that you'd have less chance of an arm tearing off or your skull exploding from close proximity to a sonic explosion."

"So," he adds, clapping his hands together, "ready to strap on in?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
A look that just screams 'You have Got to be kidding me' sweeps across Jessica Drew's face as she stares at the machine, then back towards Fury, then back towards the machine, "So what does SHRIMP stand for? Sound Harnessing Robot Invertebrate Manipulation Pod?" is what she asks, though that look does not go away, not one bit.

"So, I guess Captain America had a bake sale or something he had to attend to so you had to pull me up for this.. thing?" She scrunches her nose ever so slightly then sighs, "Alright, what exactly do I have to do."

Nick Fury has posed:
The director of SHIELD looks to the director of SHRIMP.

The latter opens her mouth, closes it, clears her throat, and then opens it again. "That's...that's not far off, actually." She stares at Jessica for a long moment before shaking her head. "What it stands for doesn't matter for the purposes of this test. Just know that you'll be controlling an incredibly powerful machine--one that could kill us all if it doesn't work correctly."

"So," Fury says, slipping his hands into his pockets, "no pressure at all."

"What you need to do," Hendrix says, "is just slowly walk the suit over to a series of targets we've got rigged up to measure force of impact. All you need to do is punch each one with the suit's arms. The controls should be incredibly easy. We designed them so that, ah..." she pauses again. "Forgive me for saying so, but we designed them so that even an idiot could use it."

Fury raises an eyebrow. "An idiot, you say?"

"Yes, sir," Hendrix replies sheepishly. "We weren't sure if these would be used solely within SHIELD or, you know, spread out to other agencies and the like."

"At any rate, Agent Drew," Hendrix continues, "just lock in and we'll turn the power on for you. We'll just be nearby, in that portable nuclear bomb shelter and observation deck."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Yeah.. I Know.. I just say whatever stupid thing comes to mind and it's uncannily on point, most of the time. Like the time the R&D department to sell me on the L.A.T.E.X. suit upgrade." Jessica Drew states in a bit of a deadpan.

She glances sidelong at Fury, her own eyebrow raised, then her attention settles back on Hendrix. "I'll try not to break it." She says before starting her way over towards the SHRIMP suit, a resigned look crossing her face as she mouths something not polite following the scientists statement regarding where he'll be observing from.

Once at the suit, Jessica climbs up and into it, going through the motions of harnessing up, examining the various controls and the like, and generally poking and prodding here and there as she gets acustomed to the strange contraption. "You know!" She shouts, "When this suit ends up in some D-Lister badguy's hand, I am going to /enjoy/ punching it's arms off!"

Nick Fury has posed:
"You do you, girl," Nick Fury replies through the suit's intercom after the SHRIMP powers to life. "Now, just walk to each target, labeled 1-4, and punch each one when Hendrix gives the signal."

And there are, indeed, several various objects with signs posted next to them, all in a line (albeit one with considerable distance between each item).

The first is a massive mound of dirt and grass.
The second is a large boulder.
The third is a five-storey steel-and-concrete building.
The fourth is a strange cube roughly 10 feet in each direction.

From the observation bunker, Hendrix presses a button and the sign for object #1 turns green.

"Whenever you're ready, just activate the right arm," she says through the intercom.

The exosuit's controls really do seem quite simple: there's a joystick for each arm and a single button on the top of each one. The suit's legs are controlled by the rider's own walking motions.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"This thing feels so sluggish." Jessica says as she takes the first step in the suit, starting towards the first obstacle. She may have never piloted a robot suit before, but she has been trained by the best that both Hydra, and Shield have to offer, as well as private One on One tutoring with the Taskmaster, that is to say, she's a quick study.

"This is literally the worst, I don't even want to think what Ironman's suit is like after a hard day's adventuring..." She approaches the first obstacle and hits the button.... dirt explodes.

Onwards to the second target, repeating the action with similar results. "I had a dream I was trapped inside of a robot suit once.." She says as she starts over towards the big structure, "Not like trapped trapped, but I had to actually use one to fight crime or whatever." The third target gets a doubletap of mantis-fist.

Nick Fury has posed:
The mound of dirt explodes on impact, leaving a brief 'shower' of soil that smells faintly of fresh grass clippings.

The boulder, meanwhile, maintains its overall shape, but a large cylindrical hole is blasted THROUGh it.

"Alright," Hendrix says after the second test. "We can conclusively say that the suit should not be used for most landscaping or related construction work."

The third test results in an obliterated first storey, and the building's remaining floors drop down onto the rubble below it.

"Demolition work might be a real possibility, though," Fury muses over the intercom.

The remaining test, the strange cube, sits waiting.

"For this test," Hendrix says, "you'll want to do that double-tap attack again. We want to see how the metal and its contents react."

"What's in the box, Professor?" Fury asks.

"Well, I don't want to spoil it, director," Hendrix says cheerfully.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"So far so good, I guess." Jessica says at the trail of SHRIMP related destruction she's left behind her, guiding the suit over towards the final target, the strange box.

"Alright, double shot, roger." Jess says over the comm, a little frown crossing her face as she aims the arms at the target, doing the quick one-two punch at the strange, no doubt terrible box, with it's hidden contents.

Nick Fury has posed:
As the first punch rips through the metal cube, Jessica's heightened senses and reflexes can manage to pick up the traces of radioactive elements emanating from within the box.

In fact, a quick glimpse before the second punch is provided suggests there's a nuclear device inside--one that, should it be impacted by the incredible force of the SHRIMP suit, it would trigger a nuclear explosion.

In that same split second, back in the bunker, Nick Fury waits calmly, seemingly oblivious, while Prof. Hendrix's eyes are wide, ready for the 'surprise' to be revealed.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"What the...." Jessica exclaims as she realizes just what is about to happen, her foot stomping down and the other pushing off to try and send the mech into a forceful tumble, possibly breaking things in the process as she tries to throw the SHRIMP aside.

"Abort, Abort!" She shouts over the intercom as she starts to tear herself out of the harnesses and extract herself from the confines of the oversized robo-suit.

Nick Fury has posed:
"What's wrong?" Nick Fury asks, even as Prof. Hendrix shouts over him. "Do not abort! Continue the project! Damnit! Continue!"

The assorted SHIELD techs freeze, unsure of what to do, until Fury angrily points a finger out toward Jessica.

"Go and HELP your fellow agent, NOW!" he screams, and they comply, sprinting in Jessica's direction.

Hendrix, meanwhile, rushes out of the bunker and then promptly begins in the opposite direction, running for a quinjet parked not far away.

The bunker's sensors begin reading the radiation leakage, and Fury's eye grows wide. "Evac!" he calls to all available frequencies. "And get the 'leak-stopper' team here STAT!"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
The radiation seems to be of no concern to Jessica, a perk of being a metahuman makes her immune to the effects of the poison. So as soon as she pushes out of the suit, she is on her way sprinting off, a quick gaze is drawn towards the fleeing scientist as her footsteps near the Director, "It's a bomb!" She exclaims, "The shockwave was going to set it off!"

The urging of Hendrix to continue the testing isn't lost on her, and the sight of him fleeing towards a Quinjet is something she picks up on, thanks to the extensive training she's received, and she blows right on past Fury, kicking in that spider speed as she tries to close the gap.

Nick Fury has posed:
A quartet of SHIELD technicians in protective suits so padded they look like the Michelin Man, with giant flamethrower-looking objects in their hands and tanks strapped to their backs, waddle up to the radioactive cube. They begin spraying some sort of extremely smelly foam substance into and all over the cube until it looks more like a giant yellow marshmallow than anything else.

Prof. Hendrix, meanwhile, is almost at the quinjet. She makes the mistake of looking back over her shoulder as Jessica Drew chases her, and that decision means there's no way she'll make it to the jet's entrance before the Spider-Woman is on her. "No--no--no!" she shouts in terror.

Nick Fury, meanwhile, has left the bunker and is waving technicians to the other available vehicles, sending people off in all directions.

"Well," he says to himself, "at least we know the suit works." Then, he begins walking briskly in Jessica's direction.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
The intense speed of Jessica Drew, the astounding Spider-Woman, isn't the least of Professor Hendrix' problems, and while it closes the distance quite quickly it is far from the only trick up the woman's sleeves. She also shoot's Lightning bolts in the form of her 'venom'.

Once she judges that she is near enough, she launches herself off the ground in an astounding leap, hand coming forward and sending a low powered blast of bio electricity out of her hand at the fleeing professor, enough to stun, not unlike a tazer, but a lot flashier. *ZZZZZZZZT*.

The landing comes next, Jessica coming down into a tumble, and slowing her pace down for that final approach towards Hendrix, "I. Hate. Robotsuits." She says, a pause between each word for emphasis, whether it's directed at Hendrix, Fury, or just the world in general is hard to say.

Nick Fury has posed:
Hendrix collapses to the ground in an electrocuted heap, her muscles tensed and immobile from Jessica's blasts.

A few moments later, Nick Fury manages to catch up. "Good work, Agent Drew." He exhales slowly through his nose. "Hendrix. I take it you wanted to try and ruin SHIELD high command during this test?"

On the ground, Hendrix's teeth chatter for a moment before she can manage to control her jaw enough to reply. "No...I was here for HER. Hail Hydra," she says with the best sneer she can muster through her only-somewhat-controllable muscles. "We will never let her go."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Yeah, she had you tucked away in a NUCLEAR bunker." Jessica says over towards Fury, "I knew something was up when you chose that as your hiding spot for the test." she says, hands coming to rest on her hips. "And YOU don't have a choice, Hendrix." She says directly to the Scientist.

"You could send everyone you have and you still won't have enough men to take me back, but keep bringing it!" Those hands continue to rest on her hips, but her gaze shifts towards the Director, a brow lifting ever so slightly, though any questions remain unaired infront of the Professor.

Nick Fury has posed:
"Hey, don't look at me," Fury says. "I'm not going to stop your interrogation. In fact, you'll have plenty of unfettered access to our new prisoner during the flight back to the Triskelion."

He rubs his chin and looks back toward the foam-covered cube. "And it looks like we'll need a new round of incredibly comprehensive and invasive identity checks on SHIELD personnel. I'm genuinely impressed you stayed under the radar for so long, Hendrix." He tilts his head to one side. "I know it's not really 'Hendrix' but I don't give a damn what your real name is this instant, you know?"

He gestures toward the quinjet. "You want to do the honors of getting our 'guest' on the jet? I'll fly her."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew bends over to scoop up the Professor with one hand, carrying Hendri over towards the back of the Quinjet. "It's so much easier when they send men." She says, following along behind Fury.

"And we shouldn't rule out the idea that she got turned and brainwashed after the fact. It would be easier to get past the screening process." Jessica says, "We'll need to pull Hendrix' movements over the past several months, maybe longer." She goes to strap Hendrix in, then starts a lengthy process of frisking the woman, including poking and proding at teeth for any cynaide capsules or the like.

Nick Fury has posed:
Hendrix lacks any suicide mechanism, but she grins nonetheless. "Do your best, runaway. I will be dealt with soon enough. One day you will see--it is far safer...for everyone you have ever come into contact with...if you would but return to Hydra and help us. Fulfill your purpose!"

Fury sighs and straps into the pilot's seat, beginning the procedure for the quinjet to depart. "You may need to stay with her until we can get Hendrix into a room with one of our 'specialists'." He offers a wide smile. "Then we'll see what we can get out of that brain."

Hendrix chuckles and shakes her head. "You've just got it all figured out, haven't you?" She looks to Jessica. "You know better than that. You know the depth of our contingencies. SHIELD will never win, truly."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"What, like my Mother? My Father?" Jessica asks, prodding at Hendrix, moving to sit down in the back to keep an eye on the professor. "You don't exactly have a lot of leverage on me, you know. And my purpose is my own, and I think I'll have a great time exercising that purpose chasing down your Hydra pals." She states.

"We'll get everything we need out of you though, don't you worry one bit. You probably don't even know where reality ends and the fiction they've fed you begins."

Nick Fury has posed:
"Heh. Maybe," Hendrix says. "Or maybe I know it clearly. And I know YOUR fiction, too. THIS one," she adds, looking around the quinjet. "Come home. I know I will die regardless, so I have no reason to try. But we have not forgotten. If you will live, do so with your real family. Not these liars."

In the cockpit, Nick Fury begins the quinjet's takeoff, and the craft begins ascending before it starts its return to the Triskelion.

"I am a liar," he says through the ship's communication systems. "That's the one thing about me you can rely on. So I've got a 1-0 advantage right now, I think."

Hendrix makes an annoyed face. "I'd rather just be dead already," she mutters.