14718/Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies
Date of Scene:	20 February 2023
Location:	Tony's Office - Stark Tower
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Quake

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Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark looks up from his screen as the receptionist informs him that his appointment has arrived. He puts aside the work he was doing, rapidly closing a half-dozen open files with a flick of fingers before setting it into a secured safe that prevents wireless access from outside. Skye might be 'reformed', but being sloppy with his data isn't something Tony Stark is ever likely to be, much less around one of the world's best hackers.

When the door opens to let her in, he's risen from his seat and is pouring a drink, gin and tonic, stirring it casually as he glances back over his shoulder. He wears a charcoal suit with a red tie, his hair and mustache neatly trimmed and shiny with oil, the fragrance of his cologne palpable but not overpowering.

"Can I get you something? I think I can make most of the major drinks, although if you want a little umbrella, I'll have to send out for those," he says. "Have a seat. Thank you for coming."

He resumes his seat and steeples his fingers, "I've been following the work you've been doing with SHIELD. It's impressive. Beyond your technical acumen, you show a great deal of ingenuity, courage and passion. Before we go further, though, I'd like for you to tell me about your time with SHIELD and how you've adapted to it from the...private sector," he says with a thin smile.

Quake has posed:
It's been some time since she'd been invited to Stark Towers. What was it.. One year? Two years? Certainly long enough for Tony to have forgotten the thousand dollars she was to have spent on lunch with him..

Of course she is pretty much and in black, with her braces on her forearms. Really, she was surprised it had taken him this long to invite her up and find out just what this 'Quake' could do. Then again, he might only be interested in her hacking - where she had gone to after the Rising Tide had blown apart. Either way, it had been a long time since she and he had talked.

"No drinks, unless you've got coffee?" That was different. "Which me are you looking for answers from? I take it that you know about Quake?" Even if he didn't ask her. "It's been a long while since I saw you."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark sighs, "I know something about Quake. But I would always rather hear things straight form the source. Secondhand accounts have a habit of being exaggerated. Details get lost. I always know what -I- think about things. After all, I'm the one thinking them. So getting an outside perspective is critical."

Money doesn't really worry Tony. He has more than he could ever use and he likes it that way. But he doesn't keep close track of ledgers or debts, owed or otherwise. Focusing too much on money just gets in the way, in his experience.

"I'm sorry if you felt at all neglected. Just been a bit busy. Saving the world a few dozen times or so can be very time consuming. You should see how far behind I am on my binge-watching."

"Also, I do have coffee. Or, we do, anyway," he says, pressing the intercom, "Could you get Ms. Johnson a coffee? Do you want sugar, cream...foam?"

Quake has posed:
"Cream. No sugar." And with that she pulls a face telling everyone who could read it, what she thinks of coffee and sugar together.

"Hrm. Well, you must have been aware of the Rising Tide mission." Like anyone on the whole earth could have missed it. "I was arrested." D'uh. "Most of the agents and worker over at SHIELD were surprised. Most of them thought I was an IT specialist." In other words someone who could get new passwords, and undelete email for a living.

"Of course it was almost immediately when I was taken prisoner." Skys skipped the part about her father. "That's when *this* happened." She showsTony her bracers, and shrugs. "There was a period of time when I was out of commission, to put it politely. I couldn't be trusted with my powers yet. And when I did we kept it under wraps until to perfect time to use them."

And how. Her first time was spectacular. So much so that they hadn't realized how much her powers could be.

"I still prefer to be a hacker. I mean, my powers are a part of me now." And it only took one snap of Shredder's hand (so to speak) to stop her from using her powers to realize how much she had come to count on them from day to day. "I usually poke at the web at night, in my Brownstone. And when Fury needs me I turn my attention to whatever mission he needs me on."

Nothing has been added to make it a bigger story. In fact, there are whole bunches of little things that she has left out.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark nods, "I can understand. I don't have powers of my own, but I can imagine their use becomes a bit of a narcotic. And I am so very fond of those," he says with a wink.

He takes a long sip of his drink, rattling the ice a little bit.

"I'm probably more interested in your hacking and computer prowess than your powers, but those can be useful, too. Hackers are great but most of them are extremely vulnerable low-tone geeks who would get their asses handed to them in a real fight," he says. "I'm not bagging on them - I'm a nerd. Sort of. I just have advantages most of them don't. Lots of money. A personal trainer. Deodorant," he smirks. "Most of them don't end up beautiful women with superpowers once you track them down. Which just means you're remarkable. And I have a habit of collecting remarkable people. Always good to have one on hand in a pinch, I've found."

Quake has posed:
Ah! Now they are going somewhere.

"Yeah, yeah. We both know that I'm with Clint. Besides, don't you have a girlfriend?" Skye grins. "Leave the false praise behind. I'm average looking at best. And I'm good with that." A pause. "Now, my hacking? That's another thing altogether."

She thinks about it. "I'd say, these days, I am in the top ten.. top five in the world? About that."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark shakes his head, "Nothing false about it. I prefer to speak frankly. People have assets. I don't have a girlfriend and, even if I did, that wouldn't make me blind. Complimenting someone isn't the same as flirtation. If I wanted to sleep with you, you'd know it, I promise. I don't do mixed signals."

"My interest is in where your hacking talents are being put to good use and how much your other abilities can be harnessed. I don't really give a damn about your legal situation or your background or your personal affairs. You're a weapon in the arsenal for which I am partially responsible. I want to make sure you're being used to the fullest effect."

Quake has posed:
Skye sits back and thinks about it for a minute.

"Tells you what I know." The girlfriend that is. "To be frank, some of my.. forays.. are not completely legal." Rather they are in the murky grays. "Some things Fury doesn't not need to know, at least he turns the other way. I have friends in the past that I still use." Sometimes she still acts with them..

My house is off the grid. It happened when we needed a different place to set up SHIELD without SHIELD being aware of it. When Kyle infiltrated the entire mainframe. It has been.." She nods without finishing the sentence. "Right now my number one enemy as far as hacking goes is IcedLotus."

Of course, Skye is pretty much left to her own devices most of the time. Not that she sits on her butt and twiddles her thumbs. No siree. Not even close.