12862/What is in a name

What is in a name
Date of Scene:	19 March 2021
Location:	Operations, The Triskelion
Synopsis:	Skye is able to learn one of the secrets about Agent Aaron and confronts him with it.
Cast of Characters:	Phobos, Quake

---

Phobos has posed:
    The intelligence agency known as SHIELD is not all glamour. For each field operative there are seventeen support personnel and when some of those operatives aren't on active assignments they're needed to fill in the rotations or the duties that keep the Triskelion moving forward and SHIELD as a whole progressing towards its goals. The comms center is always abustle, with information coming in, being filtered, translated, encoded, or decoded. Every monitoring station had its own sphere of influence and each operative on those data displays had to focus. Four hours on, meal break, four more hours, then off.
    It was a steady rhythm of involvement and the young agent known as Alexander Aaron was no exception. He'd put in his time in between the field operations he'd been involved in. He'd done his best to not make waves, to not draw too much attention to himself while still performing his duties and making sure the missions were successes...
    Yet these shifts, he found them much harder.
    "How do you handle it, Kelso?" Alexander closed the locker door with a faint clank, his backpack now over his shoulder and his clothes changed to civvies. The other team members on his shift were milling around in the ready area, getting ready to head out while their replacement shift had already gone on duty.
    Kelso turned, quirking an eyebrow from behind his own locker room door. "What? You mean monitor duty?"
    "Yeah."
    "I don't know man, I like having a mountain of things I gotta do in front of me, makes me feel good when I get them done, you know?"
    "I suppose."
    "Buck up, Aaron. And wish me luck, big date tonight."
    Alexander's lip twisted and he says as he starts walking to the door and the hallway beyond. "Good luck, man."
    "Seeya."

Quake has posed:
Skye *still* hadn't found her own little nook, known as her desk. Most of the time she sat down in the break room, or the recovery room where she could close the door and focus. Usually though the break room was fine.

Until..

Something shocked her. Sure she was doing her own thing, as usual. Fixing up someone's background.. well filling bits and pieces to look like she had just discovered it.. when she really found the one piece the put it all together.

And put him in danger.. kind of.

Skye decided *now* would be that little talk, rather than later. The talk Nat hopefully told Alex that she would - eventually - want to have with him.

Phobos has posed:
    To be fair, Natasha had given him a small heads up. A quick exchange of words though brief and in passing. Yet he hadn't given a huge amount of thought as to how he would handle it. Perhaps wouldn't until it was staring him in the face and demanding answers. But for now as he walked down the hallway, he had other things on his mind in the immediate moment...
    Some of which were due to the efforts he had taken during the day on his shift. For a moment he paused, pulled out the cellphone in his pocket. Signal beyond the Triskelion was sifted and mostly blocked depending on security level, but internal messaging was fully enabled and likely was what he focused on as he swiped a thumb over the surface of his phone...
    Then proceeded to type out a small message before tapping send.

Quake has posed:
She /still/ didn't know what she was going to say to him, but.. something would be necessary. Skye really hadn't been quite truthful before. Well, she was truthful about the eventual finding out.. after all, they were spies. She would have plenty of time to lead then off to the place she had prepared. Plenty of time.

But *this* piece could be bad if someone knew his father..

Skye walked down the Triskelion hoping to find Alex.

Phobos has posed:
    As fate would have it, with their paths set, Alexander was walking down the hall in her direction as soon as she took that corner and rounded to head along that way. He was still holding that cellphone in one hand, and going through the motions of pocketing it when those curious pale hazel eyes lifted to catch her approach.
    He tucked the phone away in his shirt pocket, then settled into an easy stride. He did slow up a little as his gaze met hers and she'd see him lower his eyes in a faint nod. "Evening, Agent Johnson."
    So to be fair she did tell him to call her Skye. But if one of the higher ups heard him do it without explicit permission then they'd still bust his chops for it.
    Yet he keeps walking, starting to step around and give her room to stroll past him down the hall.

Quake has posed:
"Let me guess, Nat told you off for calling me Skye?" Skye shrugs, and slows her pace down. "Quite frankly I'm really surprised. Then again, this is the first time I've spent this much time with a graduating class. I am not put out with the general agents. I'm a bit, well, until this year I've been on special projects." This year too, but..

"How are you doing? You like your job? Agent Romanova treating you well?"

Phobos has posed:
    The young agent draws up to a stop and steps to the side to converse, making sure they're clear of the general path for what other agents might wander on by. But he lets an easy smile settle on his features as he meets Skye's gaze. "Sorry, more myself I think. I'm trying to keep in the pattern." So he doesn't slip with other agents just in case.
    He nods as she tells him about being on special cases, then she asks as to how he's doing. "I'm doing alright. Not everything can be super exciting, but I've had worse jobs." Which might not be entirely the truth, or might entirely be the truth, depending on one's point of view.
    At the last question, however, he bites the inside of his cheek thoughtfully and says. "She's a good agent. Knows her business. But can be difficult sometimes." Which might be an understatement. "Though I'm sure things will get better with time."

Quake has posed:
Skye laughs, then reminds herself that she shouldn't be laughing about his telling her that Nat is 'difficult'. She 'sobers'.. sort of. "Tell me sometime to tell you one of *my* time with Nat. But, you're right. She's a top notch Agent. You should be proud to be paired up with her."

"Which brings me to.."

Skye pulls out a picture and hands it over. "I found this while making your background something less suspicious. I want to know what you want me to do with it."

Phobos has posed:
    The picture is accepted and taken in hand, the twenty-something agent cocks an eyebrow, then another as he considers the profile displayed on the printable paper. A glance down at the photo of the severe-looking man with the shaved head and stubbly beard, then back up toward Skye. Curious he says, "I mean, it's my father?"
    He moves to hand the picture back, and to be fair... he has a good poker face. No hint of worry or trepidation on his features. Just calm and casual easy-going manner.
    He smiles a little which might be just a touch disconcerting. "Not sure, what did you want to do with it? Introduce you two?" That may well show his agent training, shift the focus of a conversation, perhaps deliberate misunderstanding and transition to a topic that might trigger embarrassment.

Quake has posed:
Skye took the photograph back.

"I was a new Agent, and I was assigned Agent Romanova one afternoon. She was working on the Apokolips affair, and because she had experience with him, she was assigned John Aaron, your father."

She pauses, and then continues. "I was introduced to his real name."

She is careful *not* to say his title

Phobos has posed:
    She can see that utter ease in his eyes, that complete calm as he watches and listens to her. Not a hint of trepidation nor anxiety. Then he nods a little with her telling him of the time she was working with Nat, and how they had a meeting with his father. Perhaps he expected the dialogue to go one way, perhaps talk more about Natasha and he's already mentally preparing a few answers for that discussion...
    When she takes it in another direction.
    His lips part, a short inhale of breath, followed by a quiet. "Ah."
    His head tilts slightly as he looks away, then he looks back. "Well." His hand lifts to rub at the back of his neck and then the smile comes, easily given as he replies. "I know my father with who he is. With his past. That he could have some influence here. And I... sort of wanted to make my own way. If that makes sense. So I've..."
    The young Olympian looks away, then back, "Have been trying to keep my head down and just do my job." Then he adds gently, "And I kinda would like to keep doing that."

Quake has posed:
Skye nods. Of course wants to make his way alone.

"I've been looking at your background and filling in the blank, so that someone else thinks they can ride my coattails to the end. I've sort of made it harder, and easier, to follow my trails, in order to keep you hidden. That's the easiest bit."

"But there are people who know who he is. Are you certain you want these pictures in there? I can.. well rearrange your files, and make it harder to place you with him."

She gives a little sigh. "My father is hopped up on drugs that make him pretty much unstoppable. And my mother, we're still trying to find out where she is." A pause. "I'm the only one who is classed an 084." He should know an 084 is an object of unknown origin and power. "So I know a little bit about making it here on your own. My file is black. Level for Fury eyes only." Not even Maria Hill's which was almost unheard of.

Phobos has posed:
    "Well," She can see him now listening to her fully, paying clear attention as he shifts a little to the side, so they're more out of the way of the casual passersby. "That's a kindness. If you've made those changes. But I think there are people in SHIELD who know. I believe the Director does. Widow." Her, now, as he nods in her direction.
    "I'll trust you to do what's wise." Yet as he hears her tale he nods and murmurs, "So I can imagine you understand the sort of desire to..." His eyes drift to the side and then back. "To just get along and do what you can. To figure out how much of what you accomplish is you, and how much is the other stuff."

Quake has posed:
"I'm most concerned for outside SHIELD. It's none of my business who you tell here. Just.." Skye rubbed her eyes. "Look. I was taken prisoner because somebody knew more about me then I did. Now, I think they would be hard pressed knowing something about you that you don't know, but you get it. You still could be a target."

"That's all I have to say."

Phobos has posed:
    For a moment there is a smile on Alexander's face as he looks away, then he looks back to her. Those curious hazel eyes meet her gaze. What can one say when faced with such reckless hubris as she can likely see there in his expression, given life for this one bare moment. It's a smile, indeed, but an edged thing as he tells her gently.
    "If I become a target, and if some group of individuals feel it is wise to put an end to my efforts here against my will, if Hydra or AIM or whomever suddenly think it's wise to use this as some tool for leverage. I think they will discover quickly how very unwise that is."
    Then he leans back a little and bites his lower lip, his eyes softening as he looks to her. "And it means much to me that you are concerned. You are a kind soul. But do not fear for me, or my family, or loved ones."
    There's a pause and his smile eases, those eyes return to that almost sleepy manner as he adds quietly, "Alright?"

Quake has posed:
Skye makes a face, then laughs. "Shhh, don't spread it around. Soon they will believe I'm liking it here."

The rest she leaves out there.

"Don't forget what I said. You can bump yourself just a tad." As for the rest.. probably easiest to keep on doing what she already was.

Phobos has posed:
    His head bobs a few times, "Alright, thank you Agent Johnson." Though this time maybe he says it just cuz he can. Then he takes a step to the side and starts to move down the hallway. Though he does turn around to walk backwards a few feet as he says. "I'll see you around, ma'am."
    And with that he turns back, adjusting the way his backpack lays across his shoulder then starts to head to the security check point that leads to receiving and once through that... outside.