2708/Sharks or Jets

Sharks or Jets
Date of Scene:	05 October 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Quake, Ares

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Quake has posed:
If she'd thought about it more than half a second, Daisy would have probably realized that this wasn't a good idea.. but she didn't. And since Agent May didn't hold her back for any other business, Daisy was a free agent for the afternoon, and if she booted it fast enough, she could catch a certain John Aaron before he left the premises.

As it was, she didn't catch up to him until the parkinglot, and even then it was sheer chance he hadn't already gotten into his vehicle and driven away. The young woman doing a quick jog towards his vehicle, "Hey! Hold up a minute." It was worth a shot, anyway.

Ares has posed:
    The tall man had taken his time as he'd walked out of the Triskelion. It always took a little extra with his power signature and the warning alarms that he set off. There was always the second quick search and scan, just in case he had palmed someone's stapler while he was departing. Oh they knew better than to put hands on him, but they did ask (politely) for him to stand still for a time as they scanned. Also, on occasion, some folks would be called in from other sections just to take a gander.
    'So... he's like Thor?' Some would whisper, but after a quick lookie loo or two, then he was cleared and set on his way. They asked him why he had entered with a bag and why he now departed without one, if anyone had asked him to carry it in for them on their behalf, standard fare.
    But now he's back out there at the parking lot, finagling with his key ring as he stands beside the door to the black SUV. He looks up and across the way when the woman calls out, one eyebrow cocking as she jogs closer. "Agent Johnson." He offers, in way of greeting.

Quake has posed:
Daisy's lips quirk over a crooked little grin as she catches up to the man and he actually stops and greets her. "Daisy works. Or Skye if you want. Unless you're really hung up on that Agent thing." The shrug she gives would seem to suggest she's not all that hung up on it herself.

"So," Daisy jerks a thumb back towards the Triskelion, "Back there. You're the real deal, aren't you?"

Smart move Daisy.. You sound like a fawning schoolgirl. Daisy was glad the inward chastizement and groan wasn't broadcast over the parkinglot to share in her own private little shame. She's here now, though, and she's got his attention. No sense wasting the opportunity.

Ares has posed:
    The man's gaze settled on her and for a time he said nothing, but instead he seemed to be gauging her for whatever reason. There's a period of some silence, but then it's dismissed by the steady rumble of his voice, "Agent Johnson," He reiterates, establishing the dynamic for the moment as his lip twitches slightly, "I must imagine you had something else in mind when you had chosen to follow me outside the confines of your clandestine workplace."
    He squeezes the small button on the key chain and the locks on the SUV disengage with a cha-chunk before he pockets the key ring again and focuses fully on her. "But I am suitably accustomed to the manner of the modern mortal, and so I shall await your words as you work your way to whatever it is you might be interested in discussing."

Quake has posed:
Riiiight. Fine, they'd been teaching Daisy all manner of things, including the whole how to be an unscrutible front in the face of everything, but she still had her moments, and this was one of them. If he were any judge of character - and he should be, given who he was - that reaction there was an open book.

Agent Johnson it was.

"Something else in mind. Right. I guess you really don't care about that whole turf war thing. Sorry about that, by the way. I really kind of wanted to pick your brain about the parademons. That hive mind thing? I wasn't there, but I've seen the vids, and they're kind of creepy. Everyone seems hyperfocused on dealing with the weapons. Or the boom tubes as you called them. Nobody really seems to be trying to pick apart the parademons themselves."

Ares has posed:
    A small nod is given to her as he furrows his brow slightly, not frivolous, nor foolish. It was a welcome surprise, perhaps he had misread the initial impression he had of Agent Johnson. "Do you have more information?" He leans against the side of the vehicle, his large arms folding over his chest as he looks upon her levelly. "I have only had one brief encounter, and have seen what is readily available from various media outlets."
    He glances to the side, back towards the building they had just departed from, then back to her. "And are you certain your colleagues will find it acceptable that you would discuss such matters with me?" He eyes her sidelong for a moment before he adds, "Whatever the case, however... we should perhaps not do so out here in the parking lot." That having been said he reaches a hand into the pocket of his jeans and triggers the key ring again, only this time the locks engage with an electronic chirp.

Quake has posed:
The furrow of brow is not missed, and when it's followed up by prodding for more information, Daisy chooses to consider this a good sign, not a bad one. "Some. Fine. I looked at some data I was delivering to someone else." Which pretty much translates: I wasn't supposed to. But really, they had to know she would. They didn't even try that hard to lock it all down. She'd hacked harder things in her sleep.

The rest is assessed and given a nod to. He's right. Here in the parkinglot isn't the best place. Fine, they were all agents, or agent-like. Everyone had a security clearance of some sort. It wasn't classified information... So why did it feel so clandestine to be talking about it?

Skye wasn't sure, but she did know that in her gut it felt right when the man suggested that they retire to somewhere else to finish the discussion. "Shotgun?"

Ares has posed:
    A smirk is given and then he gestures sidelong towards the street's sidewalk even as it leads away from the Triskelion and further into the city proper. "We'll take a walk, it's a nice day." He offers as he slides his hands into his pockets and begins his stroll forwards, stepping onto median that leads out of SHIELD's parking lot. A tilt of his head is offered as he murmurs, "If we are truly concerned about discretion then I am sure they will have bugged my vehicle. But if they truly wish to overhear us there's not too much we can do otherwise. So thus, we walk."
    He begins to move along, then tells her over his shoulder, "Besides, looks like a walk could do you some good." But then again to Ares, most mortals seem that way.

Quake has posed:
The commentary on her physical fitness gets a scoff from the woman. "When 22 years you reach, look as good you will not, hmm?" Whether he gets the pop-culture reference or not, bastardized as it is, Daisy doesn't care, her steps falling easily into pace with his once she's caught up.

"You should have seen me when I got here." Though if he thinks she's bad now, he might have totally given up on the creature that began training barely a year ago with SHIELD.

Once they've gotten a distance from the complex, she begins again. "It was something Mr. Stark said. How they were obviously highly trained. That they moved in unision, with great precision. That's just not how troops move. Once battles begin, they fall apart. Even with the best of training, there's just too much random inteference. You could see it, though, in the vids. They weren't autonomen, but there was something."

Ares has posed:
    A quick glance is given to her when she makes a statement as to how troops perform during battle and she might register the mild disapproval for that instant, as if he were to say, 'Not my troops.' But then, it is perhaps to his credit, that he does not voice this sentiment. Instead he relegates it to a small grunt as he lets it pass for the meaning she offers behind the choice of words is true. To that he gives a nod and murmurs, "It seems likely on some level. They do not seem to possess what you or I would consider an ego. They are creatures that have fully sublimated their self into the effort of conflict, if they truly had a self to begin with."
    For truly, on some level, he would not put it past them to be perhaps fully created beings, since he has some experience with those as well.
    "We will have to await until various autopsies and studies are finished, and ideally capturing a group of them intact would reveal some answers." He then lifts a rough and calloused hand and lashes it to the side as if brushing her words out of the way.
    "In any case, you should pursue your theory and if you share your findings with me I will share my insight."
    That having been said they reach the gate that leads out of the parking lot itself, his footsteps carrying him around the corner and onto the city's sidewalk proper as they make their way. Any number of local businesses are on the sides of the street and the foot traffic has definitely picked up, though he seems to not have any particular place in mind as he moves.

Quake has posed:
Skye gives a soft chuckle of sound, lips bowed in an easy smile. "Well, I'm not a tactician of the military sort. My forte is computers. If it's electronic, I can get at it. Which kind of makes me wonder.." Her brow furrows in thought, totally disregarding his physical brushing aside of matters as she delves deep within, letting her feet do what feet do and walk along, trusting she won't trip on anything. "So, if they /are/ something of a hive mind, there's usually only a few ways that would happen."

Now the young woman looks over, "They have a singlular command source that runs via telepathhy, or some console directly to their brains, or it's something inherent in their armour. But you're the troop guy. What do you think?"

Ares has posed:
    A wave of his hand to the side, fingers flaring slightly as if to say her guess is as good as his. But he furrows his brow as he lets his gaze wander the street for now, attention lighting on people as they walk by. After a few steps he tells her, "I am not familiar with these concepts you voice. It is possible they function in the way you describe, but their leader is an authoritarian dictator. Trust is often in short supply with individuals such as that. You may find elements of what you describe in their make up."
    But then he looks back to her, regard falling heavily upon the smaller woman. "But what may be useful to seek is whatever fail safe he may have in place to counter their creation of a rebellion."
    He strolls along then he glances at her, "Now, I believe the topic may be explored sufficiently." He pauses and looks to her, "If you were seeking to cover such then we have. But if your efforts were along the lines of some sort of amorous pursuit then I should inform you that I find myself under a curious obligation to a lover already."

Quake has posed:
Skye starts to say, "Well, if they /are/ a hive mind, there's an overseer of sort. Kill that and.." The woman gets no further in her thought before the rest of what the man is saying, all of which make her come up short. "Woah.. Care to backtrack a bit there, Sherlock. First, just what makes you think I'm trying to pick you up, and second, are you trying to tell me someone has tried to pick you up using the whole battle strategy line?"

She's caught between indignation and utter amusment. "Seriously? Hey, soldier, I can recite every strategy employed in the battle of 1812 while recitinng the Battle Hymn of the Republic and shaking my tatas?" It's all too amusing. Especially as the thought hadn't even remotely entered her mind. That it had entered his? Priceless.

Ares has posed:
    A hand lifts, the tall man's lips curved into a smirk as he again makes that dismissive gesture, "There are so many of you with such variance that I have long stopped trying to plumb the depths of what makes you work. I simply try to accept that mortals are inherently mad and thus I must plan for such eventualities." For truly, everyone must want something from him of course.
    His smirk twists a bit sidelong as he continues the stroll, walking along. "But I presumed you were making what overtures you could or were building up to them eventually, in your own haphazard way." A small shrug is given as he finally allows that idea to pass by simply adding, "But if I am mistaken, then such is life."
    With that he then addresses her latter query, "As for the way individuals have sought my attentions... they have been myriad. It is common for fellow warriors after battle to find comfort in the arms of others, the renewal of life in the face of death." A small grunt is given, as if that was all the explanation needed.

Quake has posed:
There's an impatient little roll of eye from the woman, Skye muttering, "You really need to associate with a better class of people if that's what happening." The gesture is shortlived and brushed aside as the woman grin, shaking her head. "Wow.. I'm going to tuck this one away as one for the books. And no, I'm not hitting on you. Seriously, if I wanted to hit on you I'd have opened with something like Did you want to go for a drink."

It sounds like she means it, too. The woman carrying on with a decided air of confidence.

A strand of hair is tucked behind an ear. "Of course if I invite you for a drink now it's going to sound all weird." Daisy is grinning widely as she says it.

Ares has posed:
    "Mmm," He says, clearly not dissuaded as if this merely cemented his world view. Yet he continues on that stroll, his brow furrowed. "And I would decline, for you see I am... as you mortals say, taken." He tilts his head to the side as he looks distantly, "Which is a curious thing to say, and yet..." He lets that last word hand there.
    But then he looks towards her, "But if you can somehow suppress your urges long enough, then you can contact me again and we'll cover this matter further. Once you have more information," For truly, that is what they're missing. Data. Then again it's not like he's likely to come across more of it anytime soon.

Quake has posed:
Skye's laugh is light. "Asking someone out for a drink is not the same as a pick-up line. And you already said you were taken. It's kind of rude to keep pointing it out like I'm the red-headed step-child and stupid to boot." Again she stops in her tracks, regarding him with curiousity, much as if trying to guage if he's for real. "Just.. what urges am I supressing here?"

Ares has posed:
    Turning to face her directly he holds his hands to the side as if trying to hold her off, "How could I know? You are clearly the one experiencing them." He says levelly, though there's a ghost of a smirk at the corner of his mouth as if on some level he knows what he's doing, and perhaps enjoying the casual back and forth banter. But he looks aside, "But you see, it is telling now that you have dropped the thread of our conversation about the aliens..."
    He tsks slightly and slides his hands into his pockets as he starts walking again, "And now focus on your clearly animal-like desires." A nod is given sagely, as if that settled it.

Quake has posed:
Skye's amusement whittles away into something more than light annoyance. "You're the one who dropped the whole alien topic and brought up mating rituals and being taken and urges. Not me. I was quite happy to continue talking about the battle and see what you had to think on the matter." She doesn't walk after him, merely watching his back as he moves on ahead. "Woah. Ego much?" Then the thought hits her: Son of Zues, as though that explains everything.

Ares has posed:
    Indeed, it would, for truly what else is there beyond Ares? Nothing! But her annoyance doesn't seem to bother him at all as he cocks an eyebrow at her, "Methinks you are misremembering what has passed, but I shall be the larger individual and allow you your flawed remembrance." He offers with a small grunt, as if that was such a great and magnanimous thing he was doing for her, all hail Ares.
    He then turns around to walk backwards a few steps, "Til the next time, Agent Johnson." As he says this his lip twists wryly. Perhaps, on some level, it was all some attempt at levity. Or perhaps something else as he lifts one hand to her as he makes his departure. Turning around he begins to walk along.

Quake has posed:
Skye merely watches the man, retreat and all. She doesn't even try to correct him, as one pass at that already hadn't gotten her anywhere, and she didn't need to tilt at this particular windmill. As far as brushoffs went, it had been.. unique? She wasn't sure. It could have been some sort of joke at her expense - another reason not to get her panties in a knot and bluster about it. That sort of thing just ended up making a person look bad themselves. Sure, she'd been annoyed, but she hadn't lost her cool. Even if she pictured shooting his departing back with many nerf bullets or some such device of frustration relief.

Still, she had to wonder.. if it were a joke, what was its purpose. And if it wasn't a joke.. Well, that one she had no answer to. If it weren't a joke, there was little she could do to fix matters at this point. Besides, she still had that line of inquiry to follow - the whole matter of the parademons. They might be gone now, but what if they came back? Weapons would always be upgraded or replaced. Training, though? Instinct? She'd spent her life thinking outside boxes and taking advantage of those who couldn't and didn't. Battles and troops might not be up her alley, but the rest of it was. She just needed to get her hands on more information. If it weren't telepathic, and she was right, and it was some sort of electronic means of communication and command? She could be useful against that.