@katelin.philips

[covertness]

hi @everyone, i have a question. bear with me, the question comes with a lot of backstory and exposition.

those of us who've been here a while know this, but for those who just got here, quick recap: a while ago, a monster attacked the city. smaller monsters split from it. some of those smaller monster parts have been showing up on the black market, apparently

then one of the nurses from the busses that keep dropping people off? waved at a camera. we figured, hey, a lead, but when we got to his apartment building, the building was on fire. we've since learned that the nurse was already dead when the fire started and that someone else in the building had monster parts in their apartment.

and then everyone who went into the burning building got... sick. angry. really, really angry. we're able to cure that somehow (it makes whatever's in our chests glow, so it probably has to do with whatever was done to us). we ran some tests on blood samples and one of the samples showed a link to the monster dna from the fire.

not sure how any of that is related to who brought us here or what was done to us, but that's not actually the question i want to ask today.

i'm a scientist. biology, mainly. if things like this happen again, or other weird stuff, it might be useful to have more samples. i'm not going to take any without anyone's consent. so: would you give consent to having a sample taken if ever you're affected by something like this?

i'm not going to sugarcoat it: there are ethical concerns. not only would you have to trust me and any other scientists around, but i don't have unsupervised access to a lab yet, so morningstar's been sending samples off to be tested. i can't say anything about those labs. you don't have to tell me now. you don't have to say yes at all.

think about it.

oh, and if anyone wants to handle data management, @leo.fitz promises payment in the form of snacks and beer

[ ooc: probably goes without saying but threadjack this post to your heart's delight, catch each other up, theorise, w/e. for those who have a definite stance on having their samples taken while they may or may not be in a position to give consent (ie because they're affected by rage-inducing monster dna), please head OVER HERE. ]

Comments

@leo.fitz

[retravel]

[ he sends one link and then another. ]

We believe the toxin finds its source in the 084 (unknown creature) carcasses in a neighboring apartment to our person of interest, the nurse, making the outbreak an unhappy accident following 41st Street fire.
Presently, individuals among us are investigating the neighbors and the letting agency in the hopes of confirming or complicating our suspicions.

[revlon]

[ Ah, Mr Fitz. A man with his his fingers in a lot of pies, it seems. ]

It appears as though I've got some reading to do. Thank you.

Do either of you believe there's a chance something similar could happen again? If the infection was an accidental byproduct of the carcasses burning, then you — us — being the cure may be unintentional as well. And if that's the case, our group may not be the only one interested in these test results.

[retravel]

[ mmm hmmm ]

Absolutely.
It would appear the local authorities have come to the same conclusion as we have, regarding the carcasses, and asked that they be turned over to the authorities. A trade continues on the black market, at present, and again, is being pursued by our own.

Further details on the cure:
1. It required prolonged skin-to-skin contact for five minutes, regardless of whether it was being used on ourselves or the locals, give or take a few seconds. Over ten trials confirm this.
2. The curing process itself involved an empathetic experience of peace, followed by aching sadness. And paired with our charming, blue chest glow.
3. Videos have since surfaced of us curing others. Nothing clear enough to identify our own, but the glow can be seen in the footage.

If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on a variety of groups being highly interested.

[revlon]

[ She's not one to be ten steps behind everyone else but that's the truth of the matter here. A lot has happened in the past few weeks and while it may sound like an ordinary day at the office back home, monster attacks are another thing entirely. But working from the underground? That's old hat.

So is scouring intel for every scrap of a clue. Thank God she's got something to focus on. ]

Curiouser and curiouser.

Have any of the experiments done to us prior to arrival show up in the blood work?

[retravel]

A substantial, volunteer blood sample of the first wave was taken and showed indicators of a synthetic substance with a degradation rate of approximately twelve hours.
Similarities to known sedatives but stronger. Traces of compounds unknown to MS's lab contact, which would explain the compliance. No chemical stamping found which could indicate the maker, but we were told the clean and stable nature of it points to a professional hand.
Other samples have yet to be taken. If they have, the results have not been shared publicly.

As for the experiments, it would seem there are no indicators, but again: Minimal testing.
Our expert on powers and neurology, Stephen Strange, has since gone missing, and he was leading the investigation on this front.

[ and Fitz doesn't trust himself to look into it. Luckily, neither Bobbi nor Daisy have pushed him to do so, even knowing what his true expertise in the Framework was. ]

[revlon]

An unfortunate hurdle but not impossible to overcome.

It sounds to me as though you're overdue for another set of samples while the recent wave is still fresh. And now you have more results to compare them to. It may be nothing but why take the chance when we still have more questions than answers?

[retravel]

I agree.
Are you volunteering, anonymous?

[revlon]

Someone ought to.
Mr Fitz.

[retravel]

[ Oh, Agent Carter. There's only one other person who calls him Mr Fitz and, honey, you ain't Vanessa Ives. ]

We thank you for your service.

[ wink wink. ]

[revlon]

Hardly. You're doing all the legwork. Although like your Ms Philips, I do wonder about these offsite labs and whether our samples are the first of their kind they've seen.

[retravel]

As far as I'm aware, it's a person with access to a lab, rather than their own offsite facilities.
Not sure if MS will share or be able to share. They keep information and identities segmented/anonymised to ensure the whole survives any individual compromisation.
But it's worth pursuing, regardless.

[revlon]

[ That's somewhat reassuring. It's how agents like her operated during the war. But: ]

Do you believe so? Because I have some specific concerns about passing off our samples to an unknown third party.

/ private forever.

[retravel]

I believe we have to take calculated risks, if we mean to survive this.

[ blunt. honest. ]

How specific?

[revlon]

There was a reason we were protective about the remaining samples of Captain America's blood. Why I destroyed the last of it.

If we were altered in a similar fashion, these abilities and the matter of our chests, I don't fancy the idea of our genetic material being in the hands of some unknown face we have to trust because we have no other choice.

[retravel]

[ Carter is history in motion — behind-the-scenes at the museum.

A wealth of information. He feels a little thrill, at how she trusts him with this topic (and how he shouldn't be trusted with this topic). As the words scroll across his vision, Fitz takes mental notes. ]

I'm sure you don't need me to say you were right to be protective.

[ but hard same. ]

I don't like the idea of our samples going anywhere. We're working on gaining lab access through individual routes, but we'd still be using equipment owned by others. Corporations.
Every avenue has risks, at present.

And I should think our genetic material is already in questionable hands.

[revlon]

That's painfully clear, yes.

It's a matter of a rock and a hard place. I kept SR53 (the last vial of Rogers' blood) from the SSR, Howard, everyone — no matter what good they claimed to want to do with it. I'm aware we don't have that luxury here because we need answers. I just want to know who else is looking.

Then again, whoever's looking may not know what to look for; or what they're looking at.

[retravel]

[ Painfully clear, yes, not only from history but from knowing himself and another Stark — Anthony, whose inventions have plagued two universes. Connor summed it up better than he ever could, You want to see advances, even if they happen to be dangerous.

Best not give him the tools to do so. ]

I'm of that mind as well. We've had a recent spike in superhuman individuals in my time. Abilities not unlike Rogers. Genetically engineered. And I was one of the first to spot and parse the tells in someone's test results, despite the other experts in the room.

[ Daisy, he means. Fitz pulled that data right out from under Simmons and Bobbi's noses, too. It's possible no one but their makers will be able to identify divergences, should there be any. ]

[revlon]

Then that makes you the right man for the job. I'm sure you're aware I assisted on Project Rebirth — I'm familiar with the science, the paperwork, but Erskine and Stark were the brains of the operation. You'll have more of an eye for this.

Beyond this virus you're investigating, we've all been tweaked in some way and I'd have to be blind not to see the similarities. The Allies wanted supersoldiers. Who's to say humanity has changed very much in 500 years?

[retravel]

[ Another pang of hope, unbidden, at how easily she ascertains his expertise and tells him to put it to use. What if the skills and experience that make him the right man for the job actually make him the wrong choice entirely? He has more of an eye for this than she knows, after his time spent leading Project Looking Glass.

Fitz finds himself grateful that this discussion occurs over text, so she can't see the way his hand twitches, fist bunched at his forehead, or how his features scrunch together. Something clicks, then. You have to believe what you're doing is justified, necessary in the name of a greater cause, if you experiment on human beings and make deadly weapons of man. He knows that. ]

We learn from history that we do not learn from history.

[ They repeat their mistakes, again and again. Stark made Ultron; Fitz and Radcliffe made AIDA. ]

But your knowledge will be invaluable here, Miss Carter.
We could discuss how to approach this once you're out of the safehouse. See how to pick up where Strange left off.

[ Another LINK for her reading list. It buys Fitz time to decide if he can be of help with this, too. ]

Tour the new headquarters.

[ Their apartment... ]

[revlon]

What a piece of work is man, indeed.

[ Just as he's affected by her words, so is she by his — because she knows what she means to him (rather, to his history books) but it's still refreshing for a man to accept her opinion and expertise without question. It happened in the SSR eventually, but it was slow-going and even then, she still had to insist on her points from time to time.

And here is Leopold Fitz, not only welcoming her to the table but pulling out a seat for her, too. No, she doesn't need anyone's approval. Yes, she knows her value and no one else's opinion matters. But it's still nice. ]

That sounds like an excellent course of action, Mr Fitz. Although I suspect I'll still be at the safehouse even after the requisite four days have passed. I haven't got anywhere else to go, yet.

[retravel]

[ He sends over a collection of links and notes on the local landlords, recommending several with high ratings, including team SHIELD's own. ]

It takes some time to secure a place.
You're welcome with us, of course, in the event you need to stop over somewhere more centrally located.

[ Somehow, he doubts lacking a base will stall her movements. ]

I should warn you it's a rather bustling hub, much to my surprise, though we can ensure it's clear when you drop in, of course.

[ Dick's over almost every day, Thor's been in, Connor, Markus, Vanessa — even bloody Matches has been to their doorstep. ]

[revlon]

Oh. Thank you.

[ She doesn't mean for it to sound as blunt and startled as it comes across. This implant is hideously intuitive. But she doesn't expect the generosity of his offer, not to the point where she's being invited into his own home, not when they've only known each other for a day or two. ]

Please, don't go out of your way on my account. This list is more than enough. Between this and finding a job, I should be set.

[retravel]

[ brows up, because if there's one thing that hasn't changed for fitz — it's his ability to offer small, mundane kindness. ]

It's not a problem.
Have you decided where to look yet?
I'm at Volt, a tech subsidiary of Vyonation.

[ intel for intel, etc. ]

[revlon]

I'm weighing my options. As much as law enforcement would suit the majority of my resumé, I've always done my best work behind the scenes.

I've approached Morningstar with my requests. If they yield any fruit, I'll let you know.

Tell me about your job.

[retravel]

I appreciate that.

[ a beat, as he crafts a consise reply. ]

I'm an engineering lab tech. Way below my paygrade.
Volt's a means to an end. As a subsidiary of one of the big three corporations (the others being Pulsar and Giles Bell), it pays well and provides access to tools as well as a means to gather intel.
I'm hesitant to consider Vyonation a corrupt company beyond the obvious issues with a capitalist oligopoly. It's a profit-focused corporation with independent aims and likely a few moles inside it.
A self-interested and rational entity is a predictable one, besides.

[ a tool, like anything else. ]