10/23 Instance: Stealth Mode: Activate!

[Starfish]

Timeline: Right after the game "Men in Black".


Carol: Against Carol's better judgement, the four of them had split up to cover more ground. The two more prone to sneaking had snuck off well enough which left her and Melati - the two most likely to get into trouble - to work together at not doing that. Damn this assignment. Damn it to hell.

Melati: "Hey, you think we should find two guards, knock them over the head, and steal their uniforms?" Melati asked, looking over her shoulder at the woman by her side. She had shifted back into her human form, and while they were still far from inconspicuous, not looking like a giant walking lizard could make all the difference.

Carol: "I'm thinking we'd be hard pushed to find agents our size... and female." She wrinkled her nose, peeking out from their spot. "There are a lot of people around..."

Melati: "Oh, I didn't plan to wear them," Melati replied, flashing a quick grin. "I was only looking for an excuse to hit someone and undress them." She peeked around the stack of crates they were hiding behind. "And they brought the heavy gear. This looks more like an excavation site than a crime scene."

Carol: "Yeah... and there's a lot of stuff in there we probably don't want just anybody getting ahold of..." The phonecall she planned to have with Fury later was looking to be more and more of a headache.

Melati: "Investigations my tail - these guys are snooping around in our stuff!" Melati huffed, before looking around to make sure they were still in the clear. "I swear, if they touch any of my valuable scotch..."

Carol: "If they got to that, it's probably all gone by now... shame.... assuming it survived all the explosions and the place falling down, that is..." and now she had another reason to be pissed at these guys. No scotch.

Melati: "Dammit, I can't see what they're doing," Melati muttered, crouching back behind the crates before she turned towards Carol. "I guess we'll just have to get closer."

Carol: "I'd do a flyby but they're bound to notice that... of course, there's nothing they could do about it..."

Melati: "Yeah, but then they'd know who's been snooping around in their dirty laundry, and believe it or not, getting the school in trouble before it's even properly open again isn't on my list of things to accomplish this week." Melati poked her head around the corner again.

Melati: "We should be able to sneak between those tents and get a closer look," she suggested. "What do you say, boss lady?"

Carol: "I hate covert ops." That was all she had to say on the matter but she moved into a position for better hurrying to between the tents anyway.

Melati: "I prefer the direct method myself, but I've learnt when it's wise to lay low and keep your head down." Melati scanned their surroundings, before she stepped out of their hiding place and hurried across the lawn, the grass still burnt from the firefight that had taken place there.

Carol: Carol followed close at her heels though she got the distinct impression that something was wrong with that picture. She was an officer, for crying out loud. "I find I work best with the direct method... have a habit of pissing people off too much for the subtlety to work."

Melati: Attempts at stealthiness aside, Melati couldn't help but chuckle at Carol's remark. "Tell me about it, lady," she said, slipping between two tents for cover. "Subtlety is for people with too much time on their hands. I prefer to get shit done."

Carol: "Exactly my point. Not like I have to worry about them shooting at me anymore." She frowned as they got closer, "What used to be in that section of the building, can you tell from here?"

Melati: "I think that was the kitchen," Melati replied, trying to peek around the corner without being spotted. Thankfully, almost everyone seemed to be quite busy working on the ruins. "Such a shame - we've just got it all renovated after the last time it was blown to pieces."

Carol: "Yeah... that seems to be a thing with you guys..." she shook her head, "Anything special in or under the kitchen?"

Melati: "Yeah, see that big hole where they've got that big ass drill and the crane?" Melati gestured at the chasm in the middle of the building, lined by heavy tools and floodlights. "Right down there are the Danger Room and the labs."

Carol: "Oh crap... that's not good... we need to know if they got in there already..." The labs contained the student medical files, never mind all the tech the Danger Room had.

Melati: "Something tells me they did," Melati remarked darkly, nodding in the direction of the crane as it lifted a large piece of machinery out of the hole. Several technicians in protective suits circled the chunk of electronics as if they had just unearthed some hidden treasure.

Carol: "... If I didn't have to fly the jet back and not get fired I could swipe that right now."

Melati: "Then I get thrown into jail and they take away the jet, and I'll never get to fly it," Melati commented with a growl in her voice, her agitation showing itself when a hint of green scales shimmered on her human skin. "I'm afraid we'll have to be... subtle."

Carol: "And do what? Just let the suits take your stuff?" She didn't like this at all.

Melati: Melati's eyes took on a reptilian appearance as she let her gaze drift across the ruined estate. "They probably took most of it already," she said. "And we're not gonna change that by getting ourselves in trouble. Though, I don't think they're keeping it here."

Melati: "I bet they're taking everything somewhere else where they can poke at it or whatnot. Perhaps there's a way we can track them down."

Carol: "Yeah... I'll give General Fury a call later... This can't be legal, they at least should notify someone if they're taking your property... and personal information."

Melati: "Not just that - they probably also took one of our friends," Melati added, her hushed voice unable to conceal the tension in it.

Carol: "I don't know that they're into abductions, that's definitely illegal..."

Melati: "See, that's the problem - I doubt many people would see it that way," Melati said, turning back around to look at Carol. "They probably aren't even aware of what they did. You see, our friend... she's not exactly human. Or a mutant, even. Actually, she's more... a robot."

Carol: "Ohhh, the surly AI that's been missing since the attack on the place? I heard about her..."

Melati: "Yes, her name's Danger." Melati pressed her lips together, silent for a moment. "She stayed behind to cover our retreat during the attack. We figured she'd be okay, and that we could simply come back and get her when the worst was over. Obviously, none of considered the feds..."

Carol: "There's something beyond simple government involvement here... it's pretty much unheard of for them to shut SHIELD out of something like this. Something else is going on... that or the President doesn't think SHIELD should be handling this for some reason."

Melati: "If the President is even told about such things," Melati grumbled as she took another look at the crew of workers, who were now loading the piece of machinery onto a truck. "Either way, we better get to the bottom of this."

Carol: "We will, I promise... even if I get re-assed to Alaska for helping." Snooping was what had landed her this gig after all.

Melati: Melati gave the blond woman a long look, before a crooked smile appeared on her lips. "Maybe you're not so bad, after all, chief," she said. "I might even take back most of the things I've thought about you."

Carol: "Hooray for me?" She ducked back behind the tent, pulling Melati with her when a group headed their way.

Melati: Once the voices disappeared in the distance again, Melati looked at Carol and gave her a grin. "Hooray fur us," she replied with a subdued chuckle. "Now, should we see if the others rock subtlety as much as we do?"

Carol: "Yeah, we've seen all we need to here..." she sighed, "Let's get back to that spot thing...."

Melati: "Yeah, let's get out of here." Melati cast another look over her shoulder, before she followed Carol with silent steps. "Hey, have you ever wondered if we're actually, you know, inside of Johnathon when we go through his spots?"

Carol: "... No. But now I will every time. So, thanks for that." She shook her head, suppressing the shudder.

Melati: "Oh, no need to thank me." Melati's teeth reflected the dim light as she flashed another grin. "You know, I think we're going to get along just fine."

Carol: "I'm not expecting to get along with everyone but some allies might be nice... helps with the whole me helping you guys thing."

Melati: "Yeah, I bet it does." Melati took another look around to make sure they weren't being followed. "Hey, you know what would be a good start to cement our alliance? If we flew the jet together."

Carol: "Nice try. But if you want training I can start you from the ground up."

Melati: "Damn." Melati smirked to herself as they ducked around the tents and headed towards the dark woods. "You're really hard on doing this by the book, aren't you?"

Carol: "I have to be... it's my job." She shrugged a shoulder, "This isn't 'fun' for me, I didn't choose this assignment, I was given it because I asked too many questions and someone wanted me out of the way. So I'm going to do this properly."

Melati: "Good to know we're considered punishment now." Melati kept her voice low as she laughed. "Hey, don't think I couldn't do this your way. I've yet to back down from any challenge."

Carol: "Then consider the challenge issued." She tossed the girl a smile.