7942/Sentinels: Hello Houston.. Is This Thing On

Sentinels: Hello Houston.. Is This Thing On
Date of Scene:	18 June 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Late night sleeplessness before mission finds Skye texting Tony Stark.. only to get Hank Pym. They exchange 'notes' and arrange for a clandestine exchange of information. Kind of.
Cast of Characters:	Quake, Ant-Man (Pym)
Tinyplot:	Sentinels

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Quake has posed:
The wee hours of the morning before the Zola attack, Skye can't sleep. She's wired on nerves, and number crunching, even though every set of data she's run comes up the same, and her code simulations likewise. In short: she's worrying just to worry.

It does leave her with nothing to do to blow off steam, until she tweaks upon an idea. A crazy idea, but an idea: This whole sentinel thing, specifically Sebastian, have niggled in the back of her mind. And given she doesn't know much more than that (or better) she's still running with the idea that perhaps what SHIELD knows about Zola's projects might be useful in dealing with Sebastian. After all, how many mad scienctists dealt with artificial lifeforms and/or importing brain patterns into computer systems?

Besides, it had been too long since she'd poked at Tony. This was as good an excuse as any.

Opening up the most secure channels she knew how to (they were still avoiding Zola's eyes and ears after all) she attempts to break into the Avengers systems - helped by the fact that she's actually used them and been in the monitor duty room numerous times with Clint. That might have been some time ago now, but she remembered things. It should be enough to maybe get her in. And if she does, she pokes a note in there:

Quake >> You know, you're a hard man to make a lunch date with. I want to talk to you about Sebastian.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
There's more than one active user on Avenger side; but the other one hasn't moved in a while, just check out that crazy idle time. JARVIS is no doubt there like always, and didn't overreact to Skye's presence either. Perhaps it's even JARVIS that evaluates and lets her in. A quick check with JARVIS about the 'intruder' gives Hank information about that 'Quake' is a trusted identity.

GM >> I don't take messages for Stark, but I may be able to help.

Quake has posed:
In her livingroom, Skye snorts, typing:

Quake >> Stark doesn't take messages for Stark. But I do have to ask who you are. GM? Not a callsign I know. Who the hell are you anyway?

Nobody could accuse Skye of pulling punches if she didn't feel they were warranted. For all she knew she'd hit upon another hacker trying to break in. Possibly even one she knew. BArring that, someone was up late at the mansion and fooling around. Skye wasn't aware that there were too many who cared to get this deep into the system. Then again, there was Nat. But Nat would have told her off, so it likely wasn't her. Besides, she and Nat had gone head to head before. Skye knew her call.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Hank snorts at his own end, with a soft laugh. He has two laptops going: one to his left with the 'light' reading of the dense information, and then the other tasks he was doing, copying files, trying to figure out the ridiculous filing system that Stark seems to think is so amazing. Stupid maze.

GM >> This is Hank. If you put one at the bottom of a bottle, he might find it.

Hank chuckles a little, which evolves into a massive amount of coughing. Still, a game is fun, and this person mentioned Sebastion. That's enough to be interesting.

Quake has posed:
Hank isn't the only one multi-tasking. He might be amused if he could see Skye's setup. Or she his.

Since she seems to have a live body - one she isn't sure the identity of, but since she has them - hell, for all she knows it's Tony being an ass, and given their prior relationship, and his propensity for practical jokes, that's as likely an explanation as any.

Quake >> Ha ha. You're still not getting your money back. Told you, bought the booze for the party with it. And since when were you so up front about your drinking problem?

Skye had seen Tony at parties. She wasn't blind. Then again, in their line of work many found themselves at the bottom of a bad habit to deal.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Hank's setup is from a medical bed, and has a weird assortment of things around him, including a big cup of water that he is now sipping from with a straw. He isn't a mad multi-tasker, so the work is on hold while he takes a little break to focus more on Quake. And to ask JARVIS about who that is. Who doesn't give him much information. Some, but not much.

"Really, that's it?" Hank asks JARVIS.

"Apologies, Dr. Pym. You do not have security clearance for additional details. Would you like to place a request?"

With a derisive snort, Hank rolls his eyes. He then reads her answer.

GM >> I'm sure it was spent wisely. Is this Skye?

Quake has posed:
Quake >> Holy fuck. You actually know my - wait. This isn't Tony, is it?

Because Skye doubted Tony could carry even this joke that far. And he *delighted* in the flower names. Skye wouldn't cross his lips unless there were some dire need, and this wasn't that.

Quake >> Who are you? And how do you know my name?

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Hank squints at his screen. He already identified himself. He has a peeve against repeating himself, but text is a little different. He'll answer it again. He looks over the information JARVIS was able to provide, and slows as he looks at the SHIELD affiliation. And relaxes some.

GM >> This is Hank. I'm the current resident of the Avengers medical facility. I asked JARVIS to verify you.

Quake has posed:
So he was a Hank. She didn't know a Hank.. wait, yes she did. Something something Tony's report. Which was odd in and of itself.

Quake >> Sorry. Thought you were Tony being an ass. And Jarvis, huh? Figures. No wonder you knew. *Nice move Jarvis. Didn't know you knew this one*

Not that that surprised Skye. She'd gone head to head with Tony (and, she supposed at that rate, Jarvis). She'd be a known entity to those with enough skill. This qualified.

Quake >> So they found you? Guess we didn't get that news yet. That's okay. Sometimes it's slow. Our Medical is better, though.

She couldn't help the dig.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
GM >> I'll expect my transfer. I've already counted these ceiling tiles, after all.

Hank is happy to play, really. At least, within limits. The text medium actually drowns out most of the things that can make him difficult socially: so in a way, Skye is getting the best side of Hank.

GM >> What do you want to know about Sebastion? We called him Project 1.

Quake has posed:
Quake >> You win boredom wars. I got an unexpected roommate when they chained me to a bed.

That seemed eons ago, now, Peggy's arrival. But in the grand scheme of things it was only a couple weeks ago. Funny how time did that.

Quake >> Sebastion? Oh. Project 1, huh? Well, that's the thing. Not sure if we know anything. Not sure if he's the guy we have or not, but I have a wad of info on a project that sounds a lot similar to the bit I heard? Know a guy tried to put his brain into a machine. Figured out how to do it, too.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
GM >> The war I never wanted to win. A war of true attrition.

Which, in a way, is a reason why he's chatting at all. Not quite boredom, but also actively talking to someone is keeping him awake, perhaps refreshing him a little bit.

GM >> I've heard rumors and some information about that. Not something I'd advise. Insanity and multiple psychosis could evolve quickly.

Hank draws one hand back from the laptop, eyes panning the ceiling. The horrors of what she's suggesting? He shakes his head slowly.

Quake has posed:
Quake >> No shit Sherlock. Man is batshit crazy. But also brilliant. Scary brilliant. Anyway, thought they might like the info exchange. Not sure if it's the same thing, but I'm up and bored, and why are you up at this hour anyway?

A pause.

Quake >> Mad Scientist. Nevermind. As bad as a hacker.

Because he knows that too she's guessing.

Quake >> Anyway. Reams of shit. He's been a pain in our ass for years. You might as well benefit from what we've learned without all the mistakes.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
GM >> I've been in a coma for a long time. I've gotten sleep out of my system.

He is tired, but that's another thing. It's more fun to type the answer he did, smile to himself some. And suppress the yawn. His body needs to recover, and he's already pushing it. But good decisions about his health aren't often Hank's forte.

GM >> All right. I can use more reading materials. Has Stark not gone over it yet?

Quake has posed:
Another of those amused snorts from Skye on her end. She actually remembers she has a coffee nearby. And leftover stirfry from earlier. The stirfry is tackled, Skye shovelling food into her mouth before typing:

Quake >> May would kill me if she thought I was still up. Never adusted to normal people hours.

How to answer that question, though. Other than, she figured, the truth. Putting it out there as factually but covertly as she could.

Quake >> No. Nobody but me has read the full set. Maybe the Bobsey twins. This is totally in house, and hard copy. Can't send it over the wires. Reasons.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
Oh, that's a name that sounds familiar for sure. He just heard it earlier in the day.

GM > Is that Director May? That seems excessive.

Hank then settles in to read her additional information, and rubs a few fingers over his chin. Ugh. He forgot about the beard. He'll have to shave soon. He must be doing better, to notice and care about that. He has some more water, while he considers that.

GM > I understand exactly why. That is fine. Hard copy, it is. I've asked Jarvis to convey that.

This does have his interest, now, more than it did before.

Quake has posed:
Quake >> Figure of speech. Dude, how long were you asleep?

She's laughing to herself, and shovelling another mouthful of stirfry. When he says he understands why, Skye shrugs and nods like he was in the room to see, setting aside her plate.

Quake >> Yeah. Unique little problem. Thankfully we saw the light before we made another mistake. Working from what's essentially a clean room, but nothing is digital

Well, the engrams were - but they were also part of the code now. And they weren't going anywhere, nor where they necessary for Tony and the others. What they'd want to look at was the data. The notes. The formulae.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
GM > How urgent is this?

Hank cannot, indeed, see her, or he might be jealous of the stirfry. He has an applesauce near him, that he snubbed earlier. He looks at it, but continues to snub the applesauce. He starts to go back to skimming the other data while he types with Skye.

GM > Nothing is digital? I am imagining a apartment like a cave full of sticky notes on walls, like a detective trying to solve a murder case.

Hank chuckles some, then pauses, and adds, tactfully:

GM > There are ways to trap entities like that, which I won't go into, here.

Quake has posed:
Quake >> Hey! My handwriting is better than that.

Another of those laughs, even if her protest hasn't decided if she's insulted or not. She settles on not and carries on.

Quake >> Bankers boxes full of notes. Not sure how urgent it is? Just know what the reports say. But figured it might be something they wanted to look at.

She considers, then comes up with a way to exchange at least some of the data.

Quake >> I have a meeting at the Mansion. If you can arrange for it to be sooner than later, you can have the info that soon. Some, anyway.

Quake >> Oh? Shame you weren't around sooner. We're at endgame. When you get bail we can all compare notes. Well, you and the Bobsey twins.

Quake >> Best to not go into details. The walls have eyes

Or, the internet does. The more generic their conversation, the less likely it is to be picked up by mining programs and flagging anyone looking for specific words or phrases. Even if she's gone to great lengths to secure the channel, Skye isn't taking chances. Not when they're so close to removing the ghost from their machine.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
GM > I'll take your word. Mine is barely readable to others. It is part of being a doctor, to give up legible writing.

Hank sits back as she sends a bunch more messages, and frowns at his now empty water. He doesn't want to move. "JARVIS, send me one of the nurses," he asks the ceiling. The servants, he has to admit, is really a perk of the mansion. He probably shouldn't yell at them so much. Oh well.

GM >> I'm due to visit your employer, but I have a high priority problem to do first. We'll play it by ear, if it isn't urgent. It's never just one monster eating the world at any one time, is it.

Quake has posed:
Quake >> If I'm not mistaken I'm trying to give you stuff to help with that monster. Grendel won't be ours much longer

Okay, that was a gamble, but innocuous enough. No dates. And frankly, Zola *knew* an attack was planned. Both sides were playing an elaborate game of cat and mouse now.

Quake >> Could always come with the boss. Supposed to meet a guest at the Mansion regardless. Either or.

Ant-Man (Pym) has posed:
GM >> I'm going to need to log out.

Hank watches the nurse come in, and nods her towards his empty cup. She tolerantly fills it, and gives him a bit of a lecture about resting, and stares at all of his equipment. How these Avengers always seem to explode with equipment in the medical lab just doesn't shock her anymore.

GM >> Don't give me more details today. During a meeting, is fine. Nice speaking with you, Skye.

Quake has posed:
Quake >> Fair enough. Busy day for me. Tell Tony Buttercup sends her love. He'll know what it means.

Surprisingly, over the course of the conversation she'd finished the food, and relaxed enough that /now/ she was tired. Which meant the possibility of most of a good nights.. okay, a good couple hours sleep before the mission went down, which was already a couple hours more than she expected, so it was all good.

Quake >> Don't sweat it, Hank. It'll all work out.

And then there's nothing but a blinking cursor, her connection cut, all trace and trails of it gone. Erased. Something she'd always done, gone back over her digital paths and made them disappear.

Leaving her mess for tomorrow, and closing her laptop after a final check of code the told her what she already knew - for the hundreth time tonight - Skye finally went to bed.

If May knew, she might consider bottling Pym...