6877/Finding A Voice

Finding A Voice
Date of Scene:	12 March 2019
Location:	New York City - The Triskelion - R&D
Synopsis:	Agents Fitz, Simmons, and Special Agent Grant Ward discuss on the best way of determining just what makes SHIELD's guest Nyx so special.
Cast of Characters:	Jemma Simmons, Grant Ward, Leo Fitz

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Jemma Simmons has posed:
    It is just another typical day in the Research and Development department of SHIELD. Typical due to the fact that there are at least two people in the lab at any given time. Typical because it is usually the same two people, regardless on the specific time of day. Typical because it is the scientific gestalt more commonly known as FitzSimmons...one Leo Fitz and one Jemma Simmons.

    And...typical because the two are conversing in a manner normally reserved for married couples.

    A video is playing on one of the monitors on the wall, showing an interview between the person more commonly identified as Forge and the current extended guest of SHIELD, Samantha Twining. Fitz and Simmons are leaning upon a table, with a file opened between them as the two watch the video together. With both taking notes on the file....at the same time.

    "Wait, wait, wait. Jemma, rewind back a lil bit. You're seein' what I'm seein', yeah?" Fitz points his pen to the screen, highlighting the laptop in Sam's hand as it starts to communicate with Forge in the video. "Dat's a separate intelligence. Where the hell did she pick that up?"

    "Oh Fitz, how am I supposed to know that? Just because it talks doesn't mean I know exactly what it is." Jemma just shakes her head lightly, a small smile playing over her lips. "Are we sure it isn't some sort of artifical intelligence? I mean, I know that they are both saying it is techno-organic...but do we really know that for sure?" She pauses, giving Leo a sideline glance. "I mean, this is right up your alley. I thought you would be all over this."

    "Well...yeah. But I don't like playin' with AIs that I didn't have a hand in creating? You know what I mean?"

    A sigh escapes Jemma. "Yes, I suppose I do."

    The two are so engrossed by the video that the entrance to the R&D labs are quite forgotten for the moment. Another typical occurrence.

Grant Ward has posed:
A typical day in research and Development, and a typical day For Grant Ward. Business. All business. If he finds himself with nothing to do, it is rumored he creates something just to say he did it. Howeve,r this day he has a purpose and with a purposeful stride the full dress suited Agent makes his way into the lab. He does not really seem to care what he is inturupting, almost as if whatever he he needs to discuss is going to trump anything they may be talking about. There is a think file folder in his had and it is dropped relatively loudly upon the lab table, perhaps an effort to draw attention to his arrival

"Fitzsimmons. They would always be one entity. "Sorry to interupt your after shcool special. We need to talk." It is now he actually takes a moment to look at what they are watching. "Oh good. Apparently we have the same concerns." He lets that sink in a moment and then simply adds. "So what have you got for me that isn't in that folder?"

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    So intent was the two scientists' attention focused on the video that there is no reaction as Grant walks in. However, when that file hits the table? A reaction that is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face...with the exception of maybe Grant himself. Both Leo and Jemma jump in surprise, with Jemma exclaiming a rather natural yelp of surprise. She fumbles with the remote control, almost dropping it before securing it at the last moment. She quickly thumbs the pause button on the device, freezing the video, and then quickly places the controller down on the table.

    There is a moment in which Jemma takes to compose herself, brushing her hair off the back of the neck while Leo just looks away. Then, she shifts to Grant and offers a smile. As if she just wasn't scared nearly half to death.

    "Oh, Agent Ward! What a surprise to find you here!" Another pause, then a rather tentative question. "You...are asking for what we have?" Yes...she is repeating the question. And yes, it is definitely a stalling tactic so she and Fitz can recover enough to actually attempt the request.

Grant Ward has posed:
Deep down within Ward, and I do mean deep there is a sense of pleasure from frightening the pair. It quickly fleets however and he once again is all business. His hands come to rest on top of the table and he leans forward on them. "Yes. What do you have on..." He points to the screen. "That girl." His eyes drift back and forth between the pair. "Because what we have is nto enough." He walks from around the table and up the the screen.

"There is some sort of artifical intelligence inhabiting her. We have no idea where it is from, or what its intentions are." He raises his hands in front of him. "Wait...this gets better. From what I understand, and please correct me if I am wrong, it is slowly taking her over. So the young girl we have today...just may nto be the same girl we have tomorrow."

He looks back and forth between them. "Please tell me if I am wrong. So what I want the answer to is this: Is she safe where she is? Because god knows little ol' Phil is nto going to stop her if she wants out of that room."

There is a moment when he stops where he looks to the ground and waves a hand in front of him. "Anytime now. Just toss it out."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    Fitz takes the opportunity to speak, even as Jemma back-pedals from the all-business mode of Grant. "You're not wrong. It appears that whatever it is inside 'that girl' is takin' the metal that she encounters and transmuting it for its own purposes." Leo uses his fingers for air quotes as he refers to Sam. At nearly the same time, there is a fleeting glance to Jemma as Leo finishes his sentence, with an expression that is clear to the two of them. That of 'just jump in at any time now.'

    "We noticed that it only happens when the girl is injured. It appears to be a healing mechanism. So, as long as she isn't hurt, it should slow the assimilation process." Jemma appears more in control now, letting the science do the speaking for her. "We did see an adversed reaction to the intelligence when Forge..." Jemma indicates the figure on the screen, "...mentioned the possibility of disabling the entity. That prompted the conversation between Forge and the entity, using the laptop as a conduit. From all appearances, Samantha wasn't even aware of the exchange until shown. Either it was a sort of subconscience technopathy or it truly was the entity."

    As Jemma pauses to take a breath, Fitz jumps in. "The enhancements appear techno-organic, from what Simmons and I could tell. And...taking them out will be really, really bad for Sam. Her heart essentially is an arc reactor, if we wanna go with Stark as an analog, only more powerful. At least, I think. We never really got the specs on that arc reactor of Stark's. He's bloody strict in giving out that sort of info."

    Jemma clears her throat, signalling to Fitz to stop the Stark tirade in her polite British style. She fills in the dead air with more clarification. "Essentially, we can't take it out. It will kill her. Not to mention it may set off a horrific diplomatic disaster with an alien intellect that has enough firepower to level all of Manhattan. If it is techno-organic in origin and not just a highly advanced AI." It seems that Simmons is not completely sold on the alien theory...yet.

    Then both Fitz and Simmons chime in...and interact with each other. "I told ya, Jemma, it's techno-organic. There isn't any tell tale signs of artifical intelligence. It's the real deal." "Like I am supposed to know that, Fitz. You're the engineer, remember? I just tell you if it is alive or not." "Well...is it?" "It certainly looks that way...but can we really be sure?"

    Slowly...at the same time, both Fitz and Simmons stop. They both turn slowly to Grant...and both grow quiet as they realized that, hey, the senior agent is still here. Finally, Jemma offers a soft commentary.

    "We are still looking into it, sir."

Grant Ward has posed:
He had given full attention to the pair, fully intent on listenin gto every word they had to say and trying to put it into terms that he could understand. It was not that Agent Ward was not intelligent, it simply was that some of the words they were tossing about, the accents and the fact they share a brain made it a little more advanced than he was ready for. There is a simple nod as his hands folded before his face in a peak, the slightest of pauses before he responded.

"Right. So here is what I got out of that. It would be beneficial I would think to limit the contact of anything metal to Samantha. If this entity wants to transmute it, let's not give it the chance until will figure this out. Plastic eating utensils..I don't care how we do it. Just get it done."

He turns to Jemma, pointing a finger in her direction. "Obviously, let's make sure she isn't harmed or has means of hurting herself. If there is /something/ in her head we really have no idea what it could tell her to do."

"Fitz. You stated the enhancements are techo-organic and removing them would harm her. Until told otherwise by someone higher than me, let them stay. For all intense and purposes this kid is innocent in all this and we, are not in the business of killing innocents." He reaches for the folder and moves to open it, the girl's photo on top.

"We need to figure out what's inside her. There needs to be a test to determine once and for all if we are dealing with a lifeform that has taken her a s host or an artifical intelligence that has been implanted in her."

He looks between the two of them. "I can't think of two better people in SHIELD to determine that."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    There is a nod, almost in unison, from the FitzSimmons duo as Jemma speaks up. "We can certainly limit contact with metallics. However, might I suggest that we do that subtly. I mean, after all, this is a teen-aged girl we are talking about here. If we are obvious with our actions, she could take it the wrong way and fight back. I think we should be honest and forthcoming with her. You know...gain her trust."

    There is no verbal reaction from Leo....at least not yet. However, there is a definite physical statement, as Leo rolls his eyes during Jemma's more humane methodology suggestion. Of course, when asked if he agrees by Jemma, Fitz sits up and nods. "Oh, most definitely. We do not want to get the girl with particle cannon arms mad at us." He then offers his own response to Grant. "Gotcha. leave the tech in. Good call, sir." He's not saying that it was Leo's own call in the first place. Just pandering to the senior in the room.

    Both Jemma and Leo look at each other in regards to devising a test. As they do so, it seems that an idea or multiple ideas spawn between the two of them. Unspoken, to be sure...but substantial. "With Fitz' technical expertise and my biology background, I am sure we can come up with something." Granted, Jemma doesn't go into proposed details. The steepled fingers of Grant previously was sign enough that there might have been too much science talk given for the time being.

Grant Ward has posed:
This is way over his head. All this bio and techie stuff flies over him, but sometimes a bit of something wil hit him in the forehead. When the pair is finished responding, the ranking Agent considers what they said for what appears to be a more like /Right, whatever you say, but I need to look smart/ pause. "Right. Let's phase metal contact out slowly. Last thing we want is Little Miss Cannon Arms getting angry over something. Last thing we need. Some pissed off teenager with a cause."

"If there is one thing about Grant Ward, even if he knows he is in ove rhis head in a conversation, he will make sure he is still the one in charge of said conversation. It's an ego thing, and not something that is going to ever change. "You're sure you can up with something? That /sure/ needs to be a..." He then does his best to imitate Jemma's British accent. "I am positive Agent Ward that we can develop a test to determine the nature of this entity. Bioscan her. Hook her up to a goddamn Speak & Spell. Bombard her with known alien languages and see if she replies. I don't care what you do. I want to know what's inside her. Something has chosen her. We need to know what so we can determine the why."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    For one fleeting moment, there might have been an expression of annoyance from Dr. Jemma Simmons. But, only for a fraction of a second, if that. And then, in proper British tone, she repeats what Grant had said. "I am positive, Agent Ward, that we can develop a test to determine the nature of this entity." It is also apparent, after Jemma says the phrase, that Grant's accent was *just* a little off. "We will do everything in our power to make it so." Yes, she snuck in a Star Trek reference..and Fitz knows it, as his face shifts from a slight scowl to a small smile.

    And then Leo chimes in. "Well, there really isn't a good interface with a Speak & Spell. You gotta have it just right and there's really not a lot of power to the thing and..." A nudge in the arm from Jemma's elbow stops Fitz' rambling. "Oh, yeah...right. We can start with studying the laptop Sam had in 'er hand. There should be some trace code left in there that we can use to construct a communication array. Give it a voice, ya know? We can analyse the frequencies and see if we're missing anything."

    The bio-chemist takes her turn as soon as the engineer finishes. "We could run a bioscan while the entity is communicating with us. I mean, we have all this data that shows what is there...but there isn't any biometrics that were taken while the entity was active. Maybe that is the key. Catch it while in the act. It may be that an outside trigger is causing all the fuss. If we have spectrum analysis occurring while communicating with the entity, we might be able to trace it to its source." Jemma turns to Leo, as if to confirm. "Wouldn't that be a logical means of verification?"

    There is a moment respite as Fitz considers the possibilities. "Yeah. It could work. It would help to pinpoint where it's all comin' from."

Grant Ward has posed:
Ward claps his hands together once as if to emphasize his agreement with what they have both said. "Excellent. "Let's start with that laptop. Keep it away from her just in case whatever this thing has a way to alter what was saved." There is another brief pause as he looks directly at Fitz. "Tinker Tom, give it a voice. Just try to keep it American." It is clear Ward is in a little over is head with this biochem and tech stuff. "And hit every frequency you can...FM, AM, CB Radio, PBS, NPR...you got it."

Eyes then drift to Jemma, oh Jemma. "Let's get this thing talking again. Just don't piss it off. Run the bioscans and see what's coming back. There must be a way to sense of the expression is an active brain wave or some tech oriented reply. It appears to not be using her to communicate as she is unaware of it right?"

His finger forefully pokes the folder twice. "This is a priority. You what what happens when you don't know all the answers?" He looks between them and answers before they can reply. "Exactly. Bad shit."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
     For a moment, when Grant doesn't have his attention on the scientists, Fitz turns to Jemma, mouthing silently 'Tinker Tom' in a questioning manner. Jemma has just enough time to shrug in confusion before turning back on that smile of hers when Grant returns his full attention to the pair. "Right. Run the bioscans. Don't annoy our guest. Simple, really." Fitz just accentuates the comment with a nod. It is apparent from his expression that he is already thinking of what to do for the communication array.

    As she finishes jotting down her own notes in the copy of the file folder she and Fitz has, Jemma returns her attention to Grant. "Is there anything else then, Agent Ward? We will get right on this otherwise."

Grant Ward has posed:
Ward nods once and moves from around the table, moving to stand between the dynamic duo of Science-y stuff. An arm goes around each of them and h pulls them close towards him in a squeezing hug action. "Good meeting. So I will leave you to do what you do. Go science." The embrace is released and he moves to take the folder from the table, starting for the exit. His voice can be heard calling out to another Agent walking down the hallways outside the lab. "Stillwell. Your report is late." There is an inaudible voice replying, then Ward again. "well you were not the one who gave birth."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    The hug comes as a surprise for both Fitz and Simmons. As the arms wrap around both sets of shouders, an expression of abject horror crosses the features of both scientists. They stare straight ahead, not moving until they are released, as both use slightly forced smiles to nod their agreement to the senior agent. There is a sigh of relief as Grant leaves. Relief that swiftly clouds to confusion at what seems to be a pregnancy comment?

    But...then Fitz and Simmons both shrug, letting it go as they start on the tasks assigned to them. Returning to yet another typical day in the R&D department.