3545/Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes
Date of Scene:	02 January 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Zola and IcedLotus meet to discuss a recent discovery.
Cast of Characters:	Arnim Zola, Quake

---

Arnim Zola has posed:
Other than the brief meeting with Albert Wexler, Zola had been laying low while SHIELD used their gathered intelligence to raid their bases and ferret out their agents. Most of the men taken were middle management types, and men working for Zemo. Zola's people were buried deep and were hardly exposed enough to be troubled by the raids but Zola was careful.

Now though, he felt confident enough to step out into the world again, this time clothed in the robot body he'd dubbed Karl. The body had been formed to simulate a young dark-skinned man in his twenties of indeterminate race, under the skin, artificial muscle, sinew and bone, which gave Zola's mind a powerful vehicle to drive.

Today though, he would not be needing such power he thinks, not unless his agent is followed to New York City, but then his men are keeping watch to make sure that if she is there will be plenty of warning.

The message sent to his agent, IcedLotus, had been simple, ~Meet K at the usual spot and time. Update and advise~

The usual spot was a small bar off Times Square, the time was in the middle of the afternoon, the slow period where most of the patrons could be plants, Zola's people and privacy could be ensured.

Quake has posed:
Lotus didn't like bars. They were full of people. More, they were full of people who looked at you with their thoughts in their eyes, fully able to be read. She didn't like to be undressed that way. It was just one of the things she didn't like about Americans. They had no sense of propriety.

Still, it was the best place to meet her contact without things being obvious. He was late, though. Just another thing that annoyed her. She'd been nursing the same gin and tonic for half an hour now and it was turning lukewarm.

Her gaze is flicked towards a too loud man from Syracuse who was speaking just a little too loudly and enthusiastically in her direction to his friend. It was obvious he was interested. It was just as obvious that she wasn't. Long fingernails that shouldn't allow her to use her keyboard as efficiently as she did tapped along her glass.

With luck, Karl would show up before the man from Syracuse got up the nerve to wander over and ask her out.

Arnim Zola has posed:
"All clear," came the notice over comms as Zola's security teams reported that Lotus had come to him unfollowed.

He exits the car he'd come in, a town car, with lovely leather seats. It did not fit Karl's persona to be seen exiting it, but it had been weeks since Zola had been in one of his bodies and he wished for some tactile enjoyment along with his business. He crossed the street quickly, ignoring the honking of passing motorists and doubtless worrying his security detail that watched from a safe distance. Then, heading down the stairs, he enters the bar.

As Karl, Zola tried to affect the attitude and dress of a man the age this body looked, the result was, mixed at best. He wore a leather jacket, a t-shirt and jeans. Though all of it was too clean, too unused, and indeed, the jeans were even pressed. There were other details too off about him and said he was more poser than true denizen of the hip fringe of society.

Still, despite his oddness, in their past meetings, he'd made it clear that Karl spoke with the authority of the Benefactor. Which to his mind at least, covered many sins.

Spotting Lotus being eyed by a couple of other men, Karl walked over to her table. "Ah, sorry I am late, I hope you haven't been waiting long," he puts a familiar hand on Lotus's shoulder. A sign to the men to look elsewhere.

Quake has posed:
It was almost with some relief that Lotus spied Karl entering the bar.

She'd already ascertained that Syracuse was less than half a drink away from wandering over. And in the interim, a group of college frat boys had parked themselves nearby, by their dress, 'slumming' it.

She, herself, was dressed out of place for the bar - but not out of place for what she was. She looked ever inch the bored Asian woman here on some assignation. Her pencil skirt just a little too tight, and a little too short. Her coat thrown casually over the back of the chair, and her heels just a little too high. Everything smacked of performance. She reeked of call girl. Expensive call girl. The kind you didn't just hire to drag off to your bed.

If she were remembered, she'd be remembered for that.

"You're late," she says in her bored tones. "I was about to call it off. I have other things I could be doing. But you are here now." Then and only then does she allow herself a smile, a thing so insincere one can almost imagine the pricetag that had been put upon it.

Arnim Zola has posed:
This was a dance the two of them had done before. Client and call girl. It was a strange little play to Zola's mind, one foreign to his human experience but needed for the sake of blending into their surroundings. "I am sorry, I was caught in traffic," he says before he takes a seat and waves a waitress over to order drinks, "Scotch and soda for me, and another round for the lady," he orders before turning to Lotus, laying his hand upon the table to listlessly paw as the act demanded.

As he does that, he speaks, "So, what do you have to report?"

Quake has posed:
Lotus hands the waitress her half-full glass. "Less ice next time. No lime." Then she turns her attention back to Karl.

"I have something I think that you will be interested in." That insincere smile flutters across her lips. "Actually, you might be quite amused when I tell you. It seems that SHIELD has a new pet working for them. I wasn't certain before, but I am now. You might remember her."

She waits. News like this she enjoyed dragging out. It was a small power play, but it reminded who was actually in control of the information. He might speak for the Benefactor, but it was they who needed her, not the other way around.

Arnim Zola has posed:
The waitress gives Lotus a barely contained /look/ before smiling overly sweetly and saying, "Sorry about that hon," in an accent that spoke of the Bronx. She moves away quickly, seeing the couple for what they were working so hard to portray.

"Oh," he says tilting his head quizzically. "Well, don't keep me waiting. Who do they have?"

Zola could see the powerplay for what it was, but lacked the social graces to properly counter it. All the while his mind swept his downloaded databases, seeking possible candidates who might have joined SHIELD. At the moment, none ticked all the required boxes. He rankled at that, needing to be told critical information rather than his agents simply confirming what he already knew.

"Well?" he says impatiently.

Quake has posed:
If smoking inside were still allowed, Lotus would pulled one from a slim, longline case and lit it. Perhaps even leaning in to let Karl light it for her. As it was, the intimation of the thing was present in the small, smug smile she gave as she uncrossed and recrossed her legs in the other direction.

"Tell me, what do you know of a hacker named DarkSky?"

Lotus doesn't embellish the name drop. It would or would not convey all she needed it to, but she suspected it would be the little bombshell she thought it to be.

Arnim Zola has posed:
Karl's eyes linger unblinkingly on Lotus as she twists the knife of his ignorance more fully into his chest with that smug smile and the repositioning of her legs. He almost wants to slap her for it, almost.

When the news is given, he does not look away, "DarkSky?" he repeats as his processors scan the database. "One of the Rising Tide's star operatives. Inactive for over a year now. Are you sure it's her? I remember a report saying she left on her own, some argument with one of the other members."

The name made an impact, especially as more data came up laying bare her past exploits. Karl's lips became a thin line.

Quake has posed:
There's a soft chuckle from Lotus. "Left on her own. Was encouraged to leave. I'm not sure it matters much. But it's her. She's most definitely working for them. I thought so before, but now I know for certain."

The waitress arrives with their drinks, and Lotus gives her a condescendingly bored smile. Payback for the 'hon' of earlier. Predictably, she doesn't pay, expecting Karl to. Women in her profession don't touch cash. They didn't even touch plastic if they could help it.

Arnim Zola has posed:
"That is troubling news," he says. He takes the drink offered him tasting it, letting his sensors sweep through it and bring him at least the shadow of taste. He could no longer tell how accurate it was, having forgotten the true taste of scotch along with so many other sensations. However his brief foray into epicurean enjoyment, does not dull his focus on the matters at hand or the need to needle in return "But it does explain your failure to protect the Caracas facility for your employers. She is very skilled." The implication there was plain.

Another sip is had and the drink is set down. "What is your assessment then, do we need to take action to remove her from the equation?" he asks.

Quake has posed:
Lotus gives an arch of brow, taking a sip of her drink before answering. "Is that rhetorical? I suppose you could let it play out, but she knows it was me."

She shrugs, sitting back in her set, running a lazy finger along the top of her glass. "At this point, I think it could go either way. There are arguments for both. In our world, people often play games. We acknowledged one another. However, my employers might not appreciate the sentiment of that. She's a threat. And a liability. Anything she knew can be used against them. You tell me. Should she be removed?"

Arnim Zola has posed:
Whether his question was rhetorical or not he does not dignify hers with a response. He simply sips his drink and listens to her appraisal, commenting, "Your employers have a point, this is not the time for games, whatever the traditions of your world," he says. He processes the risks, with SHIELD on the hunt making moves against one of their agents, even if they were new, might be showing too much of their hand. "I will bring this to the Benefactor," he says. "And he will make the final decision."

"For now, he wants you to keep a low profile, he's passed on the rest of the information from SHIELD to our friends. Given the attack on the president, the leak of the Index will prove inflammatory, and should keep SHIELD distracted while things move forward."

He settles back then content to discuss their other business before their act demands they leave together.