the safe word

Skye here. SHIELD agent for, like, an hour. Sucks, man.

[sr-scanner]

Curiosity & the Cat || Skye & Jemma

[usingthebritishness]

"It isn’t exactly like I ever thought to research cats. I don’t even know if anyone has. I suppose I could look in to it." Though honestly someone probably had tried to research it in the past. People researched the strangest things, "Did you know that people have actually had intercourse inside an MRI machine to watch what happens during the act inside the body? I mean it is pretty amazing." It was possible that she should have clued Skye in on her train of thought that got her there, but she didn’t.

Jemma rolled her eyes for extra emphasis on the ridiculousness of her point, but she decided not to fight it. The chances of them getting busted in a park was slim. Though if they did happen to get busted they would never hear the end of it from Coulson and May.

"Oh yes I am sure that you will throw yourself right into the line of fire." She teased as she slipped from the car and shut the door behind her, "Okay cat in a tree… there are a lot of trees here Skye."

[remembermanscaping]

"Nobody has ever researched cats?" Skye scoffed, shaking her head. "Science has failed us, Jemma. The world is doomed." But, it seemed, Jemma's mind was on very different things; Skye's thoughts about cats came to an abrupt stop, and she looked over curiously. "That's weird. Really weird. Like, why would you volunteer for that? That's my question." She smirked, then, never one to let go of an opportunity to tease a friend. "Unless you're into that, in which case--" 

Skye got out of the car and walked to meet up with her companion, shrugging one shoulder. "Yep. And don't you ever doubt it." A year ago, her answer might have been different; she had never been one for elaborate, heroic actions. But now, having trained with May, there was a confidence in her tone that was only partially exaggerated. 

"That-- Yeah. I would agree that there are trees in the park." Her grin, before a smirk, widened, and Skye had to hold back a giggle. "You're brilliant, and all you could come up with was, 'There are a lot of trees here, Skye.'" She walked over to Jemma and nudged her shoulder with her own. "Listen for meows. Or--I think the scanner said the cat was last seen near the corner." She nodded her head toward where she thought they needed to go. "So we could go there."

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

Mistaken Identity | Carol & Skye

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

"You know, maybe once things get a bit more… organized over at SHIELD I will consider joining. I knew Nick Fury, worked with him a few times actually. That man and his secrets." She shook her head and let out a quite laugh. "How’s the new guy?" She asked taking a sip of her water. Carol gently scratched Chewies ears and looked back to Skye. "Maybe I could be useful in helping to restore order." She suggested. As much as she had wanted to believe that the battle between SHIELD and HYDRA wasn’t something she wanted to be a part of, joining SHIELD to be on good terms with the Avengers might be worth it. She could do more then fly around the city as a vigilante.

[remembermanscaping]

"That's all I wanted to hear." Skye raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything, not having known Fury well herself. Yet she had heard stories that were crazy even for SHIELD, and Carol's words tempted her to believe every one of them. "Director Coulson, you mean? He recruited me to SHIELD. There was a flying car involved--so it was a lot more interesting than what I'm doing right here--but-- Well. Don't think I'm allowed to say anything bad, and I wouldn't even if I could." And that was the truth, for Skye respected Coulson like no one else. "I think you're right. I think you could. SHIELD's not the type to admit weakness, but we're weaker than we've ever been, and that's just the truth. We have the tech to see how spread out HYDRA is, but we don't have the resources to do anything to change that." She cocked her head to the side in a shrug of sorts. "So, I guess, let me know if you're interested. As a consultant, as whatever. I'd give you a business card, but they got rid of those with the SHIELD water bottles and the SHIELD baseball caps," Skye joked. "Instead--" She pulled a small notecard and pen from her pocket and scribbled down a phone number. "Here's how to find me if you've got any questions."

[agent13--sharoncarter-blog]

❝ Does there have to be a why? ❞

[remembermanscaping]

"Guess not, but that's not as fun as being mad at something."

[sr-scanner]

Curiosity & the Cat || Skye & Jemma

[usingthebritishness]

"You were supposed to see it!" Jemma laughed, throwing up her hands in fake exasperation. Certainly Skye had to know how absolutely ridiculous this was, "Can’t cats climb down if they wanted to? I never did understand how they get stuck in trees. Do they get up so high and then have little kitten panic attacks? What happens up there that makes them incapable  of coming back down? I don’t get it."

Her brow furrowed a little at Skye’s explanation as to why this was okay, “Of course they need to know. What if we got taken or… picked up by the government?” There were certain considerations that had to be taken now that they were all technically fugitives.

"Oh oh." She pointed towards the park, "There!"

[remembermanscaping]

"Exactly. I was--letting you know that I had known that you wanted me to see it." She grimaced even as the words were coming out of her mouth, aware that it was one of her more lackluster comebacks. "I mean, I don't know. Why would I know? You're the scientist. Maybe they like being up there. Maybe we're the dicks who are all, 'oh no, they're stuck!' and force them down."

To any other person, Jemma's points would have been reasonable. To any normal person, those were legitimate concerns for a covert, wanted-by-the-government spy. To Skye, though, they were nothing. "Nah," she all but scoffed. "What kinda FBI agents are going to look for SHIELD people at a local park rescuing a kitten? That's the last place they'd look." 

Skye followed Jemma's pointing, nodding. "Cool." She pulled over, parked, and gracefully threw the keys in the pocket of her jacket. Now all they had to do was find the cat and save it. She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner--or, essentially, not as teasing as it could've been. "Don't worry. If the Police start chasing us, I'll protect you."

[agent13--sharoncarter-blog]

❝ Thanks. I’ll work on that. ❞

[remembermanscaping]

"Wasn't a complaint. I was wondering why."

[captainamericasagentphil-blog]

"Just be happy you aren’t in Russia like the last ops team we sent out. The got two feet of snow in about half an hour."

[remembermanscaping]

"Never thought I'd say it, but you're right: I'm very glad I'm sitting right here. Did they piss of Elsa or what?"

[remembermanscaping]

"Oh, look. It's snowing. Again."

[sr-scanner]

Curiosity & the Cat || Skye & Jemma

[usingthebritishness]

Jemma rolled her eyes, but smiled just the same. Leave it Skye to find listening to the police scanner as an acceptable alternative to actually doing the task at hand. Then again she herself couldn’t eve comprehend the amount of work May must have her running through. So many push ups and other various tasks. Just thinking about it made her ache. Certainly the hacker turned field agent deserved a break just as anyone else.

That smile faded though when her companion admitted that they didn’t have permission to be going about this escapade, “Skye! May is going to be so pissed, you know on top of the fact that you ran off from your push ups.” Not that that seemed to phase Skye. She changed the subject and put Jemma in charge of directions ,”Fine. When you get out to the street make a right.”

[remembermanscaping]

"I saw that," Skye said, looking sideways at Jemma as she rolled her eyes. "I saw that eye roll, and I can't do anything because I'm driving, so I'm just going to point out that I saw it." Whatever threat she hoped to convey in her tone, however, was lost as she gave into a small laugh. "Stop judging. The cats of the world need my protection."

And there it was. Her teasing had had the exact effect Skye knew it would, and her smile only grew larger as Jemma admonished her. "May can be as pissed as she wants, but I did about half of her workout, and I'm technically not doing anything too illegal. She doesn't need to know everywhere I go, right?" Skye gave a nod of recognition to Jemma's direction, ducking her head slightly to hide the smugness of her grin. After a brief pause while waiting to merge, she pulled onto the new street. "The park's close, I think. Like, it should be off this street somewhere."

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

Mistaken Identity | Carol & Skye

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

Carol shook her head. “No math, I promise. It’s a tell all on NASA. Let’s just say after writing it, they weren’t too thrilled with me. But they deserved it.” She moved about the kitchen and filled Chewie’s food bowl, causing the cat to run into the kitchen. She put the food away and resumed her leaning position at the counter. “I haven’t known him for long. I actually asked for his help. I needed a new suit. He’s more into the metal making aspect of things, but he has better resources with fabrics then I do. Spandex from Joann Fabrics can only last for so long.” Chewie meowed at her feet and jumped up to the counter, only to rub her face against her shoulder. 

[remembermanscaping]

"That sounds exciting," Skye admitted. "Especially 'cause they didn't like it. That means it's both fun and real." She leaned back, stretching her arms over her head, and watched the cat for a moment before turning her attention back to Carol. "I know what you mean," Skye nodded, and it was the truth: though it hardly counted as a real suit, her cosplaying outfits had sent her on many a trip to the local fabric shop. "And, y'know, not to get my pom-poms out and go all cheerleader here, but SHIELD's got more costume shit than any hero'd know what to do with. It's part of the schtick, I think. Spandex costumes or else."

[sr-scanner]

Curiosity & the Cat || Skye & Jemma

[usingthebritishness]

"The police scanner?" Jemma screwed up her forehead in concentration and confusion, "Are you quite serious?" They actually announced those sort of things on police scanners? Was that actually worth being called out on? She couldn’t even wrap her mind around the concept.

The fact that Skye went on to pull out her keys proved that she was in fact very serious. She was wanting to go out and save a cat from a tree. Well it wasn’t the strangest thing she had ever wanted to do, Jemma had to admit. It wouldn’t hurt, “Fine. Come on then.” She conceded with a sigh. Who was she to say no to helping a creature?

In the car she belted herself into the passenger seat, “Are we going to get in trouble for misusing the van? Did you get approval? I mean I know we can’t tell May, but someone has to know, right?”

[remembermanscaping]

"I am quite serious." Skye grinned innocently at Jemma's perplexed expression, as if the idea of hearing about a troubled cat on the police scanner were the most obvious thing in the world. "Why do you look so confused? The thing was sitting right there, basically begging me to mess with it. What was I supposed to do? Actually do push-ups?" She scoffed, shaking her head.

Her grin grew wider--and a decent amount less innocent--when Jemma finally agreed. "Yeah!" She lead the way toward the vans, hopping behind the driver's seat with the ease of someone who couldn't have cared less about the possibility of being punished. "Who, us? Trouble?" Skye winked at Jemma and turned the van on, pulling out of the spot and beginning to drive before she spoke again. "Nope, no one knows. Getting permission would be way less fun. I need you to, uh-- Here. Will you direct me? Shouldn't be too far away." She transitioned between topics, between the danger of their actions and her need for directions, with total nonchalance, and the only hint that she had done so on purpose--Jemma was so easy to fluster--was the smirk on her lips.

[sr-scanner]

Curiosity & the Cat || Skye & Jemma

[usingthebritishness]

Jemma cocked her head curiously to the side waiting for Skye to explain herself. For a moment there it was as if Skye hadn’t even heard her at all, then her answer was much more strange than she had expected. They needed to go somewhere? Then it hit her. Maybe it was a mission. 

The mission that was retrieving a cat from a tree… Well that was certainly a lot less pressing than Jemma had first imagined it might be.

"Uhm yeah I guess." She said, her tone completely unsure. What on earth did Shield want with a cat? How did they even find out about it? The biochemist shrugged out of her lab coat, her expression still fairly confused, "Did Coulson send us? It  is a radioactive cat? Or does it have special powers? What’s going on?" 

Jemma hung up her lab coat then walked out with Skye constantly on the move. She didn’t want to waste any time. Skye was obviously wanting to move quickly. Maybe it really was a radioactive cat. After all that would be pretty bad.

[remembermanscaping]

Just as she had hurried into the room, Skye hurried out as soon as she was sure Jemma was following behind her. She knew she had chosen her companion right: loyal, reliable, and totally drawn to anything that piqued her curiosity. As the idea of a mission to rescue a cat did, apparently.

But the idea of a radioactive cat stopped her short, and she paused for a second to shoot Jemma a look of really? "Not radioactive. I mean, I don't think so? You would think the police scanner would mention that, so I'm going to go with no, but I guess anything is possible. But no--not SuperCat or whatever. And AC's off doing AC things, so no to that too. I just heard it on the police scanner--don't tell May: I was supposed to be doing push-ups--and it needs our help."

She grinned proudly, as if this was an achievement of great merit. "So we're going to help it." Reaching one hand into her pocket, Skye pulled out her key card. She had been granted access to the vans for recruitment purposes: there were some perks to being one of the people tasked with refilling SHIELD's ranks. "Because I've got van access now. Let's go."

[sr-scanner]

Curiosity & the Cat || Skye & Jemma

[usingthebritishness]

Jemma jumped, startled by the interruption, “Skye please!” She held up her hands motioning for her to not take another step further. Of all the times for her to pop up out of the blue it had to be right then.

With her gaze set back on the beakers she ever so slowly poured from one to the other. After a pause a smile spread across her lips when the mixture bubbled then took on a semi solid state inside the larger beaker. It was, luckily, a nice place to stop.

She took off her gloves with a smug air about her then dropped them onto the counter, “Now, what is it that you need, Skye?”

[remembermanscaping]

Skye all but charged into the lab, ready to go out and save the world (or the cat; same difference, really). She was prepared for anything, or so she told herself. Anything, that was, except Jemma waving her aside to finish pouring some mysterious mixture into some vials.

She stood, a mix of confusion and offense quirking her lips into a small frown. This was important. Or it wasn't, but she wanted to think it was, and being ignored by Jemma even for a moment hurt more than she would've thought it would.

She was so absorbed in her odd state of confusion that Jemma's second statement hardly registered. Skye paused for a moment, eyes wide and expression vaguely ridiculous looking, before speaking: "I need you to come with me. We need to do something."

She nodded urgently toward the door and grinned in what she hoped was an apologetic manner--those test tubes seemed somewhat important, after all. "There's, uh, a cat. That's stuck in a tree?" She wasn't sure why her statements of fact came out sounding all the world like questions, but they did, and she shrugged. "Will you come rescue it with me?"

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

Mistaken Identity | Carol & Skye

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

"Yeah, they look like us, you know. Most are super powerful warriors who can do I what I can do." Carol shrugged as moved towards the fridge and took out two bottles of water. "It’s NASA isn’t it? What do you think space exploration really is about? If you wanna know more about NASA, you should read my book." She looked over at Skye and bunched up her nose. "I promise that wasn’t an advertisement." She handed the young woman the bottle of water and resumed her position leaning against the counter. "No, just yours truly. Tony Stark knows, well, only because JARVIS scanned be when I went to see him. I think that’s about it." 

[remembermanscaping]

"I thought they were a little more--" Her sentence went unfinished, and Skye shrugged, figuring both that Carol knew more than she did and that this was a topic best left for later; she didn't have all the information, however much she wanted to. "I would--really--but the chance I'll understand it is... zero, more or less," she said. "Unless there's no math in it. Then I'll give it a shot." She offered Carol a self-effacing grin, taking the bottle of water with a nod of thanks. "Okay, so-- Tony Stark knows you? How'd you get him to stay quiet?"

[remembermanscaping]

"You don't look too happy."

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

Mistaken Identity | Carol & Skye

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

"I worked for NASA for a bit and met an alien disguised as a human.  We ran into trouble and I got knocked into some kind of strange device. My DNA was altered." Carol paused and moved to sit on the opposite side of the counter. "Now I’m part human, part Kree." She stared down at her hands and let out a sigh. "The Kree device I was thrown into, it could make any thing you imagine reality. It took the fact that I wanted to fly literally." 

[remembermanscaping]

Skye stood, gaze focused down at the cup in her hand. It was odd, being here, doing this; she had never thought she'd be sent out for recruiting, but she had been trained well, and her mind noted all the necessary details--worked for NASA, altered DNA and-- "Kree?" She looked up, mouth open slightly. That was interesting. And not what she had been expecting. "Didn't know NASA was into alien shit. Was anyone else there or affected? Does anyone else know?"

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

Mistaken Identity | Carol & Skye

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

She flexed her fingers and made a fist, diminishing the glowing orb of energy. Carol gave a small shrug as she picked up the bottle of vodka and refilled her glass. Alien technology exploding definitely counted as an accident. “An accident is something that wasn’t supposed to happen. Maybe I was destined to be like this.” She let out a sigh and downed the second shot. “Alright, deal. What happens next?.” She asked as she leaned against the counter. 

[remembermanscaping]

"Not too bad of a destiny, I'd say," Skye murmured. She couldn't help but think of her own destiny, if she could call it that: the alien liquid coursing through her veins, her status as an 084. "What did happen? If you don't mind me asking." Skye couldn't help being curious, though she knew there were better things to be asking. She raised one hand in a shrug of sorts. "You hope SHIELD doesn't call you in. Or if you're really gunning for Avenger status, you hope they do. There's not really a protocol for all this, unless you've got any questions I can answer."

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

Mistaken Identity | Carol & Skye

[captainmarvelus-deactivated2015]

"That sounds fair enough, but for now I will remain on the edge of the coin." She picked up the shot glass and downed the drink. "I haven’t been this way for long. I had been normal my entire life. Accidents happened and I came home being able to do this." Carol held up a hand and made a glowing ball of energy appear. "Maybe one day. It’s my dream to be an Avenger. That’s a position I need to earn." She offered the young woman a smile and shook her head. Her first dream was to fly. Well, that certainly came true.

[remembermanscaping]

"Can't blame you. I'm still surprised they let me in." After I betrayed them, she thought; but she didn't say anything further. That wasn't the message to send to a possible new ally. "Accidents happen is something you say when you rear end someone at a red light. Not when you suddenly get-- uh, superpowers," Skye said, the end of her comment trailing off into silence as she took in the sight before her. She worked alongside almost every hero the world had to offer, and yet seeing something so miraculous never failed to make her eyes widen. "Good goal. Joining SHIELD would help with that," she pointed out. "Just sayin'."