6971/Wherefore Art Thou, Janet

Wherefore Art Thou, Janet
Date of Scene:	20 March 2019
Location:	Avengers Mansion
Synopsis:	Steve and T'Challa search for signs of Janet after her abduction. Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk into Steve's.
Cast of Characters:	Black Panther, Captain America

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Black Panther has posed:
Since Janet went missing, T'Challa has only left the Assembly Room when he hit the point of not being able to function properly without some sleep. And then only a long enough rest to restore his mental faculties.

He is back at it again. Sitting in a chair at the array of consoles that make up the command center for the team. One monitor shows video feeds from traffic cameras, playing at high speed as Jarvis performs facial recognition matches, looking for signs of Janet.

Another shows programs that are searching all frequencies, looking for any signs of a message. Not just Avengers frequencies, but anything she might have been able to get hold of to get a message out.

T'Challa picks up his coffee mug, going to take a sip and finding it is empty. He sets it down a little firmly, but thankfully not enough to break it, his frustration showing. "Jarvis, we need to expand our coverage of social media. We're not searching for enough terms. Wasp, Van Dyne, we have everything directly related to her. But lets add terms about... people armed with weapons, cries for help, anything related to abductions," he tells the mansion's artificial intelligence.

Captain America has posed:
Seated next to T'Challa, the Captain looks up from his own console at the sound of the coffee mug hitting the table. He's slept no more easily and with the same sparing care of his personal need for it. The rare dark circles beneath his eyes are beginning to show. Someone without the aid of the super-serum's support would have been struggling to stay awake hours ago.

A push of his own coffee mug, untouched with a full serving of the barely-steaming brew, is offered towards T'Challa. "Drink it. 'm not gonna, apparently," he says almost under his breath. The bagels on the plate in the center between the two men don't seem to entice him either. He rubs at his temple as he leans back heavily in the ergonomic chair. Spanning his eyes with one hand, he sits there with arms otherwise crossed in his rumpled sweatshirt and jeans.

"What else could we search... Have we looked into the dark-net? The social media that's beneath all this bunk?" he asks the Wakandan king as he glances over at him. The fracturing of his poise can be seen in the crow's-feet at the corners of his eyes. Steve is genuinely worried.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa takes the offered coffee with a grateful nod. Having another human being draw his attention away also helps T'Challa regain a hold on his frustration. "After we find her, we should invest more effort into our search capability there," T'Challa comments as he pulls up a display on the computer to see what Jarvis has managed to accomplish there. "Though most of the internet is not tracked within search engines. And the nefarious areas are constantly changing."

T'Challa takes a sip of the coffee and then looks over to Steve. "How are you holding up?" he asks. "Have you had a chance to get some sleep yet? We need to be fresh when we find her," T'Challa says, his tone making it a surety that they will find her.

"I think I will revisit her rooms soon, see if there is something there we missed which might be of aid," the Wakandan comments. He turns in his chair to face Steve. "We may wish to start considering who has issues with Janet specifically. We are casting a wide net. But it might be time to start seeking out those who might have some motive for this, if we do not generate new leads soon."

Captain America has posed:
At hearing of more limited capabilities in terms of dark-net researching, Steve lets out a slow, almost groaning sigh. "It used to be so much more simple back then..." he mutters to himself as he massages at his closed eyelids with thumb and forefinger. Then, lifting his brows, he looks over at T'Challa again with the mask of stoicism he's worn since hearing of the missing fashionista.

"Could use more sleep, but that's not gonna happen until she's home. Wasn't sleeping well when I parachuted into Austria after lost men and don't plan on stopping the hunt now." A light slap of his palms on his thighs and he gets to his feet with a soft grunt.

"That list of people with grudges against the Avengers? It rolls on and on," the Captain comments flatly. "If JARVIS hasn't been able to identify the model of robotics involved, dunno what to search for there. We'll give her rooms a once-over before we think about narrowing the field. You're not wrong. Could find a clue. Start here at the mansion." By the tuck of his chin and sidecast gaze, Steve's not looking forwards to visiting the penthouse apartment suite where the attack occurred yet again.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa's eyes follow Steve as he rises. "Perhaps we have neglected to examine the mansion closely enough," is said in soft mixed African and English accents. "I will update Jarvis's search parameters. We can revisit her room, then," T'Challa suggests.

He turns back to the controls and looks thoughtful. "Let us assume that whoever is responsible... would have her under surveillance. For some time. Perhaps the mansion as a whole," he says. T'Challa works some commands on the system, bringing up a map of the area around the mansion. Cameras are marked on them as well as their field of vision.

"Jarvis, begin reviewing all of these cameras going back a month. Look for surveillance of the mansion. Look for vehicles that began parking in the area. Especially if they have stopped since the abduction. Perform a similar search in the area round Janet's building."

T'Challa stands up as Jarvis replies, "Searches initiated, Your Majesty. Tasking compute cycles on the Stark Industries cluster to aid searches." T'Challa gives an affirmative nod and then turns to join Steve. "Did she say anything you can think of? Anything unusual happening with her?"

Captain America has posed:
"No." Steve catches himself regardless as he stands there, reaching up to rub at the divot behind his ear as he rifles tiredly through his recent memories of the Wasp and conversations they've had. "No," he confirms yet again. "I don't remember hearing anything about competitors going wild or a grudge from a customer she was concerned about. Nothing popped up on the radars save for the Sentinel bots, but..."

He gestures off to one side as he leaves the consoles and their tasking behind him, intending to head towards the room at a brisk pace. The Captain seems to want the entire thing to be over with, bristling and readying himself as if it were one big Bandaid to rip away. "We've been occupied with the robots. Nothing saying something could have slipped past us." His tone has a weary acceptance to it. "Did she say anything to you?" As Steve looks to T'Challa again, he seems to be asking simply to do as such.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa falls in beside Steve Rogers, the pair moving with strides that send the little automated sweeping drones scuttling quickly to be out of their way. "No. Talk of the Sentinel prisoner. Comments about her fashion line. I replay our last conversations in my head," T'Challa says, before shaking that very part of himself. "I cannot think of anything that would make her a target. Not more than the rest of us," T'Challa comments.

They take the stairs to the residence wing, moving quickly along. "Perhaps a visit to the Sentinel prisoner. To see if he has any kind of awareness of it," T'Challa says. "I will undertake this. After visiting her penthouse again," he offers, mouth set in a determined line.

Captain America has posed:
Steve nods to hear of no clues granted through outside conversation. He doesn't seem surprised. "Sounds like a plan," he agrees quietly to T'Challa's suggestion of a visitation. "Doubt he'll know much, but leave no stone unturned."

They arrive at Janet's room and the Captain reaches out towards the door knob. The motion visibly slows before he continues to turning it and then entering the space. In that short period of time, he was halted by a rush of recent memory. It clutches his throat. He's silent as he enters the fashionista's room. Since movie night featuring Casablanca, she's reset it to its original layout. The drafting desk is tucked beneath the artwork he helped hang up those months back. The Captain doesn't stray far into the room, as if to do so were to be trespassing without her present. His hands tuck into his jean pockets as he does a cursory scan of it.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa steps inside, but noting Steve's hesitance about going too far in yet, the African man does not enter farther either. He drifts a little to the side, perusing the room from there until Steve is ready to pass that threshold. Whether it is a question of stepping into his memories or into Janet's space, T'Challa is not sure.

He draws in slow, deep breaths, sensing the air. People without his sense of smell do not realize how much scent is a temporal sense. Eyes can only see how things are now. The nose frequently senses things as they were. Picks up the scents of people who were here before. Of foods eaten here, or the scents of places visited that left remnants of themselves to be carried along. Each of those scents is caught, compared to what he senses in Janet's penthouse the night of the attack.

Captain America has posed:
Memories crowd in again as Steve stands there. T'Challa fades away into the background as a presence alone as he stares at the empty wall where the grainy black-and-white film was once projected. He unconsciously mirrors the Wakandan king in his inhaling and finds far less than he does -- however, the ghost of Janet's perfume is a knife to his ribs.

Clearing his throat softly, the Captain blinks and looks over at T'Challa, his eyes having to flicker from the floor and to the man's face. "Getting anything?"

Black Panther has posed:
"A few scents from the penthouse. That are not present here," T'Challa says thoughtfully. "Though I suspect they might be... maids. Other servants. Visiting friends," the Wakandan comments. "Definitely human scents those. Nothing here like scents from the Sentinels that Janet destroyed."

T'Challa keeps his eyes looking forward, but reaches over to gently clasp Steve on the shoulder. "Wanda has excellent senses for such things. I believe she may yet prove able to track Janet with what she sensed. And there is the section of Sentinel I was able to recover. The self-destruct failed on it. Once that has been analyzed? We may have additional leads, Steve," T'Challa offers.

It was always Captain Rogers when T'Challa first joined the team. T'Challa did not really notice when he started using the other man's first name. It wasn't something Steve had brought up, asked him to do. Just at a point, it seemed it was the right thing to call him.

Captain America has posed:
The Captain doesn't shrug away the hand on his shoulder. Instead, he lets it linger as he looks away and around the room again. He swallows once before he nods again, the movement crisp and controlled.

"I have faith in the team. Janet wouldn't stop hunting if it were one of us. She knows we're coming." This is spoken with an intensity as if to make it true simply by chance of leaving his mouth. "We're lucky to have you here, T'Challa." As if subconsciously realizing he's been named, he uses the king's name in return as a gesture of brotherly respect. "I know I can count on you to bring the power needed to bear when we find her. You and the others."

Steve finally brings his attention back to T'Challa, his hands still in his pants pockets. "What'd you smell at the penthouse that's not here?"

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa looks over to Steve and he gives an affirming nod at the mention that the team will bring what's needed to get Janet back. He returns his own hands to his side as he looks around the room. "It is difficult to say. Perhaps some sort of chemical? My memory for smells is nearly photographic," T'Challa says.

He pauses to look over, grimacing at the lack of precision in his choice of words. "Well, you know what I mean. Encyclopedic, a better word perhaps? I would recognize it again. But I am not sure the source. I have not smelled it before. Perhaps something the Sentinel passed through. Or something used in their upkeep," he says. "It was faint though, nothing I could get a sample of to test."

Captain America has posed:
The quiet 'mmm' of affirmation follows T'Challa's initial word choice. Steve frowns a little as the king elucidates further and then echoes the sound yet again, this time with more certainty in turn.

"I gotcha," he says by way of expressing understanding. The Captain then wanders over slowly to the drafting desk. He reaches out to take up one of the fine pens used and turns it between his fingers, back and forth, like he might glean something from it. Alas, he has no mystical ability. "Still, y'think if you smelled it elsewhere, you could track it? If we were out in public, for example?" Half-turning, Steve considers the Panther as he continues fiddling with the pen between thumb and forefinger, flipping it like a hypersonic see-saw in miniature.

Black Panther has posed:
As Steve finally goes deeper into the room, so does T'Challa. He looks about, though he's looking more for mundane clues at this point. Anything that might spark a thought that would help finding Janet. He looks back to Steve to say, "If I smelled it again? I would recognize it. Yes."

The Wakandan makes a little gesture with his hand that introduces more uncertainty than his last sentence was given. "If I could follow it? I can track people by scent. But it has many of the same pitfalls as following a pair of footprints," T'Challa explains.

He walks over to a desk, where some sketches sit out. T'Challa looks down at them without touching. "She is truly talented," he says as he looks at her designs. "Shuri, would love this one," he comments, motioning to a silver spaghetti strap dress that would be perfect for his sister's very lithe figure.

Captain America has posed:
The reassurance from T'Challa is enough to take an edge from the Captain's movements. The drafting pen slows to a mere quick see-sawing flicking in his pinched grip. He doesn't seem put-off much by the addendum of scent-tracking and its difficulties. Instead, a reluctant and resigned incline of head.

Steve tilts his head to look at the sketch in question, wherein the design is svelte and draped gracefully over the model figure beneath its flowing fabric. "I can see it," he agrees. An attempt at a half-smile follows. "If you think she'd ever be caught wearing it. Thought I heard Shuri wasn't a dress kind of gal. More...sneakers and lab coats. But, if Janet can get me in a tux, y'never know. She might be able to convince your sister to wear it," he opines before the momentary amusement of its dims like a candle nearing its end.

Black Panther has posed:
The thought of his little sister in the dress brings a smile to T'Challa's face. "I think we could probably manage it. Though we might have to come up with an event. For her to wear it to," T'Challa intones quietly as he looks at the dress.

He glances back up and moves about the room. Is it out of respect for Janet, or Steve, that he doesn't touch much? T'Challa isn't sure himself. Some mix, but in which proportion he is not sure. Janet would probably care less, to his mind.

A faint chime sounds and Jarvis's voice comes over the intercom. "Your Majesty? Your assistance is requested with some of the dark web searches." T'Challa turns and replies, "I will be right there, Jarvis."

The Wakandan's footsteps are silent as he crosses the floor, pausing to give Steve a reassuring look. One that doesn't need words to express that they are going to find her. And then he's departing. Leaving Steve alone with his memories.