Scots Have Thick Skulls

April 04, 2015:

Fellow agents visit Fitz in SHIELD Medical.

SHIELD Medical - The Triskelion - NYC

A boring place where you don't really ever want to be.

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

SHIELD Medical. Nobody wants to end up there, but everyone does at some point. Sadly, for Leo Fitz, it's happened twice this year. He's off to a splendid start.

The engineer has been allowed to put on some normal clothes, though they insist on him wearing a white medical smock over it all. A bandage is wrapped clear around his head, and he can be found reclining in a medical bed, tablet in hand.

*

There's something wafting down the hall. Something…savoury. Something cheesy. Something totally unlike the food that normally gets served to the folks laid up in the infirmary. Argyle shoulders the door open. He's got two boxes of pizza with a six pack of cokes on top of it. He's also got a bag slung over his shoulder. "Yo Fitz-o, I heard you got a bonk on the noggin. Figured you'd be sick of eatin' jello by now."

*

word gets around, especially when something what happened; well happens. Skye has managed to find some down time and visiting her friend while he is laid up in bed seemed like a nice thing to do; truth be told, she knew she would hear about it if she did not, but she wanted to…honest. Through the door she steps slightly after Emmett, a box under her arm.

"Hey Mario. .." She pauses and quickly states out of concern, "Wait you know your name right?" She does not wait for his reply and sets the box down on the foot of the bed, nodding to Emmett, "It's a robotic lego kit. I figured you could maybe make something to break yourself out of here. Cool right?"

*

When Skye and Argyle come into his room, they each earn a dubious look. Fitz isn't much for sympathy; truth be told, he'd much rather someone compliment his work than sympathize over his mortality. "Of course I remember my name."

The pizza. That is what shakes the long-suffered scowl. Eyebrows rise, and he tosses the tablet into a bedside table, only to grab the box, lift the lid, take a whiff, then sign. "Emmett Argyle, you're a bloody lifesaver."

Without hesitation, he tears a slice free. New York style; it gets folded over itself long-wise, and a big bite of it stuffed into his mouth. "Muh murph ish monna ill me."

Swallow.

"I haven't messed around with Legos since I was a lad," he remarks, looking at the box curiously.

*

Argyle hops up on a nearby unoccupied bed and grabs himself a slice from the box. "I've been in here enough times to know what it's like. S'no kinda fun. If you're stuck somewhere, the food might as well be good." He nudges the pizza box towards Skye, then cranes his neck to have a look at the lego.

*

Pizza. Oh the number of times she had that for dinner, and then again for breakfast the next morning. The food of the van dwelling. She reaches for ap iece and takes a small bite, lowering it as she chews and waiting until she is able to speak, pointing at the bx with the slice, "I figured…you would be going crazy for something to tinker with. I figured rather this then tweaking the mechanics on your bed and folding yourself up like that pizza slice there." She winks and takes another bite.

*

"Don't be surprised at what I build with it," Fitz says. "And don't think that bumping my head is gonnae take away all my smarts. We Scots have thick skulls. It'll take a lot more to turn this scientist into a vegetable."

*

Argyle pushes a bit of cheese into his mouth, then takes another healthy bite of the pizza. "I brought DSes in case you wanted to try and beat me at Mario Kart. Though we both know that's completely futile." He grins and chews away. "You may have gotten a knock on the noggin, but you did it, right? Saved the day and all 'at?" He tugs the pop off the rings and passes them around to Skye and Fitz.

*

Skye smiles at Fit'z comment about no being a vegetable just yet, moving to sit on a chair in the corner and pulling her feet up, "You know Emmett, if he loses he always uses the: Skye tries her best scottish accent, but it truly sounds nothing like it at all; like nothing like it, "Of course ya be beatin' me. Where I be comin' from, we be drivin' on da otha side of da road." She realizes how bad her accent really ways and tries to dismiss it with a smile and a shrug, "Or something like that.." She takes one of the beverages and states softly, "I'm just gunna sip my drink over here."

*

"I dunno about that," answers Fitz. "We let a whole lot of stuff through. But…" he smiles. "Yeah. Suppose we did keep a singularity from eating lower Manhattan." He devours the rest of his slice, then snatches up a can and pops it with a hiss. "Whoa. RC Cola? Where did you find this stuff, Emmett?"

Then there's Skye, doing a terrible Scottish accent. He doesn't comment, instead choosing to sit back with a smirk on his face. A knowing smirk.

*

Argyle winces. "Oh oh, never ever do that again, Skye. 'Least not until you've gone further in spy school and learned Accents 101." He thumbs towards Fitz. "This one does a mighty fine American accent. S'a little eerie." He grins and takes another bite. As for the beverages, "Oh, I have my sources. A good black marketeer never reveals his sources."

*

Skye takes another sip of the cola and smiles from behind the rim of the can, "Hey…I am good at other stuff. Not my fault Fitz was born in a country that talks different." She tops before speaking and shakes her head quickly, "Wait. Was that mean?" She shrugs and quickly moves on turning her attention to Emmett, "Except when that source is Larry's on 6th. He has Tab and Mellow Yellow too. If you get there early you can even get yourself pop rocks too." She sets her soda down beside her and raises both hands with palms facing out, "Just saying."

*

Simmons voice may be heard filtering through the doors of the infirmary as she grows closer "It was truly amazing, Agent May" Simmons might be babbling a little. "Booster Gold bought Agent Carter and Edwin Jarvis forward in time. Mr Stark seemed to know something about it and knew how to close the anomaly."

The voice seems to stop getting closer, like the biochem has stopped moving "Fortunately, Mr Stark decided to bait Fitz a little and I heard the instructions on what to do with the boxes." She had closed the anomaly because of it. The voice starts getting closer again "But then, poor Fitz… got knocked over and cracked his head. That's why I'm heading to medical, to see how he's faring." The door to the infirmary opens, revealing the Scientist, complete with labcoat, speaking to Agent May, not looking into the room as she does.

*

Melinda May nods to Jemma as she looks through the now open door at the little pizza party. "Where are Jarvis and Carter now?" she asks the biochemist while levelling a LOOK at two agents who clearly brought in outside food.

And didn't offer to share with her.

*

"Dude." Fitz suddenly sounds quite American. "Pop rocks n' soda ain't a good idea. Y'all be blowin' up your bowels 'til the cows come home."

This little display of linguistic treachery just might be noticed by the new arrivals. Fitz turns to look at the two, and hunkers back in his cot a little. "Oh. Hullo." He smiles a bit, then leans over to casually scoot the pizza box over a bit. "Argyle smuggled in pizza. Join the fun, it's a party."

*

Argyle reaches out, grabs a clipboard and swats Skye with it gently. "Shhh. Stop giving away all my damned secrets and let me be a junk food hero. Else all I'll bring you if you get bonked on the head is more jello." He grabs for a napkin and wipes off his hand after he finishes devouring the slice of pizza.
He hears Simmons and May before he sees them and looks faintly guilty. For a moment he looks like he's going to try and shove the pizza under a pillow. But the damned pillows aren't big enough. "Hey there Agent May, Agent Simmons." And then Fitz is accenting. "'Ay, 'ay, 'ay!" he says with a nudge to Fitz. "S'at supposed to be me, huh? Don't make me try'n imitate your Glaswegian. It'd be worse than Skye's."

*

Did she just get whapped with a clipboard? "Cat like" reflexes swat at the attack long after it has occured, resulting in an obvious fail at defending herself from the portable writing surface. She can be heard softly stating with a shrug, "I like jello." Eyes go to Fitz and she starts to reply to his scientific explaination of soda and pop rocks, but then May and Simmons enter and she pauses, sitting a ittle straighter in her chair and putting her feet back down on the floor, "Agent May. Agent Simmons. What brings you here?" There is a moment right after you say something where you realize what you said was idiotic and Skye is now in that moment. She looks over to Emmett as if to silently say with the gaze of her eyes: Hit me again.

*

Melinda May notices everything, the faked accents, the moment of 'will a pillow hide the pizza?', the clipboard swat and Skye's oh so graceful response. "Fitz, have you been debriefed yet?" Have to be about business, after all. Can't disappoint the fan base.

*

Emmett gets a rueful smirk. "That, is not Glasgwegian, mate. You gotta slit your words 'til they're barely recognizable. Helps if you have the Scotch delivered intravenously."

And then, there's May. Turning a perfectly nice pizza party into a bloody debriefing. A crestfallen look comes across him, and he reaches up to touch the bandage wrapped around his head. "Would you believe me if I told you I have amnesia?" he asks, drily.

*

Emmett gets a rueful smirk. "That, is not Glasgwegian, mate. You gotta slur your words 'til they're barely recognizable. Helps if you have the Scotch delivered intravenously."

And then, there's May. Turning a perfectly nice pizza party into a bloody debriefing. A crestfallen look comes across him, and he reaches up to touch the bandage wrapped around his head. "Would you believe me if I told you I have amnesia?" he asks, drily.

*

"See, that's why I'm the blow things up kinda spy, not the sneak around and deceive people with accents sort." Emmett did not bring beer to go with the pizza. A pizza party in the infirmary is a little inappropriate, but alcohol would be going too far. He clears his throat. "Uh, would you like some pizza, Agent May?" Simmons is included in that offer too, given the way he motions to the box.

*

Sky winces slightly at Fitz's attempt to make May think he has amnesia. Her eyes drift from Fitz to Simmons, then to May and then back to Fitz. Comfort zone sequence intiiated and she immediatly looks down at her phone and starts pushing a few buttons.

*

Raising her head at Mays question, Simmons looks round the infirmary and frowns at the Pizza. "Really, Fitz!" she exclaims but takes a piece from the box when Emmett offers. "Agent Argyle, how are you? Skye, good to see you again."

Fitz' comment has her snagging the chart from the base of his bed and raising an eyebrow at him.

Mays question has her chewing her bottom lip "Agent Pezinni looked after that, Agent May. I believe she was bought to the Triskelian." Truth, she'd been too worried about Fitz to follow that up just yet.

*

May is clearly unimpressed by Fitz's attempt to claim amnesia. She een goes so far as to cross her arms. After staring at the pizza trio for a solid five seconds, she steps closer. "Don't let Sitwell or Hill try to browbeat you into a debrief before Medical gives you the okay, especially since Pezzini has already given them a preliminary debrief." And then she's reaching to claim a slice of the pizza.

*

"… who is Hill?" Fitz maintains the lie for a second or two, his expression of confusion utterly convincing, until it breaks. "Of course not, Agent May." It's worth noting, he seems much more at ease now that the Asian Summoner of Mounted Vengeance has a slice of pizza in hand.

Then, he's rolling his eyes. "Oh, come off it, Simmons! I seriously doubt that this delicious pizza is going to cause me brain damage." There is a momentary pause where he sips at his RC Cola — okay, admittedly, the soda is a step beyond his usual tolerance — before he smiles at her. Then, the smile becomes concerned. "You weren't hurt by those monstrosities, were you?"

*

"Careful, Fitz. They might actually put you up for psych eval if you keep being that convincing." Argyle scoots over on the empty hospital bed he's taken up residence on to make room for the newcomers if they care to sit. "Anyway, pizza's totally my fault, Simmons. He woulda kept on eating hospital-approved food if it wasn't for me."

*

skye looks up from her phone, eyes falling on Simmons who is given a smile, "Hey Jemma. He /did/ only have one piece. Or was it two?" Another shrug and she looks to Emmett, "It's true. A man can only take so much hospital food before they end up with something else wrong with them." Another glance down to her phone and she furrows a brow, muttering to herself and hopefully not heard, "You clever bastards."

*

Simmons maintains the flat look for several long moments before smiling "I know, Fitz. I'm just joshing you. It's great to see you in such good spirits. I was a little concerned." The RC Cola however, gets a frown. Taking a seat on the bed next Emmett, "Oh I'm sure, Agent Argyle." Shaking her head at Fitz "No, I avoided the first one with the help of Supergirl and Agents Pezinni and Manning did their job well." The smile on her face says it all "I'd do it all again though, Fitz… except for your injury of course. Imagine! SSR Agent Carter!"

Skyes preoccupation with her phone has the young scientist quirking an eyebrow "Something up there, Skye?"

*

Speaking of phones. Emmett's makes a sound and he pulls it out. He clucks his tongue. "Sorry, kids. Gotta jet. Duty calls." He hops off the bed and hangs the bag with the DS in it off the edge of Fitz's bed. "Feel better, Fitz-o." And then he lifts a salute to the gathered before ambling out the door.

*

May steps back again with her pizza slice in hand and looks at the others, nodding to Argyle as he takes his leave. "Where are Agent Carter and Mr. Jarvis now, Simmons?" That was the one question she really wanted to have answered.

*

"Oy." Fitz scowls a bit regarding psych eval. "Not much worse than that." He looks to the DS as Emmett departs and grins. "Thanks, Emmett." The DS ought to keep him occupied when the others have gone.

"Still hard to believe it. Peggy Carter, in the flesh. I'm dying to know just how all of this went down from their perspective, but something tells me Stark isn't gonna play ball." He looks from Simmons to May, arcing an eyebrow. "Mr… Jarvis?" It would seem he is not familiar with the name.

*

"See you soon, Agent Argyle." Jemma waves as he goes before turning her attention to May "At the Triskelian, I believe, Agent May. To be honest, I was looking after Fitz and Agent Pezinni took charge of the scene." Nodding to Fitz, Simmons smiles, she's been doing some reading "Mr Jarvis, Mr Edwin Jarvis, was initially in the employ of Mr Starks (the elder one) and worked, it seems, with Agent Carter as well."

*

May nods at Jemma's information, making a mental note to go talk with Pezzini at the first opportunity. There's a glint of metal at her neck, like she's wearing a necklace chain, but any closer scrutiny is almost impossible as she takes a bite of the pizza. "I'm going to have to schedule you for evasion tactics after this, aren't I, Fitz?" she comments after finishing the bite of food.

*

"He wasn't a member of the SSR, though?" asks Fitz. "Poor chap's gotten himself tangled up in something. I feel for him." Then he turns to Agent May and lifts his hands defensively. "I, uh, don't think that is quite necessary. It was the Portal Buster. We'd never encountered something so powerful. When the portal failed, there was a, uh, well, the best way I could describe it is a displacement. Knocked me right on my bloody arse, is all."

*

"I don't believe so, Fitz." Simmons looks between May and Fitz "All I really heard as we were cleaning up, is that Booster Gold went to speak to Mr Stark and found out that he, Booster, had been seen in 1948." At least, she thinks that's what she heard "So Booster went to investigate it, apparently he can time travel, and then worked out what he had do." she sighs "It's all a little confusing, really. And I doubt Mr Stark will reveal anything."

*

May takes a deep breath and seems less than pleased by the likelihood that Howard Stark isn't going to play. "I'll go talk to him if it comes to that." She sets the rest of the pizza slice aside after having eaten less than half of it. "Is there anything else going on that I should know about?"

*

"Honestly, I'll be as interested in reading the debrief as you, Agent May. I was preoccupied during the incident, and well, once I hit my head, I was out like a light." He glances toward Simmons. "Time travel and temporal displacement is very dangerous science, Jemma. It's… there's a lot in quantum theory, but some of the theories behind it are dreadful. I really hope Booster had a damn good reason to do what he did. Messing with space time is… well it's a bloody bad idea."

*

"I know that, Fitz. We've spoken about it before. And from what I saw of Booster Gold, he seems pretty much up on this stuff." She's not sure exactly what, but he did speak on it carefully, the last time they met. "Not that I can think of, Agent May."

*

Mera has heard of Booster Gold, but has never talked with the man. She suspects it would be a … frustrating experience. "I think you need to add a bicycle helmet to your gear next time you take out the portal buster, Fitz. You don't want Medical to start equating you with someone like Barton."

*

"Well, that may be," answers Fitz, "but someone with apt scientific knowledge needs to debrief him. We need to draw conclusions to the potential effects this whole mess has had on the flow of space and time." He sighs; the affair is stressing him out, and his head is beginning to ache.

Fortunately, Agent May is able to get his mind on something else. Scatterbrained he is. "If I'm going to fashion a helmet, it should look cool. Maybe some body armor, too. Something to make Portsl Busting more bad ass then it already is." He catches himself and swallows. "That is, uh, excellent idea Agent May. I will get on that once I'm released from medical and, uh, debriefed first, of course."

Still, he can't help but throw Simmons a boyish grin. His own costume! Avenger material even, perhaps!

*

Jemma actually rolls her eyes at Fitz "I think you're getting way too big a head with this portal busting thing. Next time… it's my turn." Maybe that will stop her hairing after monsters and then she sobers "You're correct of course, Booster should be debriefed. I'm sure Agent Pezinni is onto it."

*

May nods to Jemma. Maybe later, when they're not here talking with Fitz, May will let Simmons know that Fenris considered her for one of the pendulums, but decided that ley line powers might be a bit much for the biochem to fully accept. "I'm sure she is." That's one good thing about having had the NYPD detectives move over to SHIELD full time. They already have some very good skills instilled in them.

*

"Much as I respect Agent Pezzini, she doesn't have a Ph.D." Fitz has madehis point, and surprisingly, he isn't even phased by Jemma's criticism. Instead, he looks her way with a boyish grin. "I'll make sure your armor is as bad-ass as mine."

*

"All I meant Fitz, is that Agent Pezinni will probably have arranged for Booster Gold to be debriefed." She rolls her eyes again "But I'll go find her when I leave and make sure you're name is there to speak to him." Looking down at her labcoat, she peers back at her friend with an impish grin "You do that…"

Hopping up off the bed, the biochemist straightens her lap jacket "I'm glad to see you're doing well, Fitz. The lab misses you."

*

May straightens from where she'd been leaning against the nearby wall as Simmons appears to be ready to take her leave. "Quit knocking your head." That's probably about as close to a 'glad you're okay' as May is going ot get.

*

"Thank you." Control freak, much? Fitz smiles regardless, at both of them. "Awlright then, you two. Better get outta here before the med techs kick you out. Oh, and Simmons? Will you remember to purge the Z-raid units and recycle the tridurium batch? Given how expensive the diamond powder was, I don't want to have to write up an explanation."

Yea, Fitz misses his lab, too.

*

Nodding at Fitz, Simmons gives him a small smile "Oh course, Fitz. I helped write that operations manual, remember?" Nodding to May, Simmons heads on out, back to her lab and whatever experiments are waiting for her.

*

Nodding to Fitz, May also takes her leave. But, the pizza is left with the engineer. And there is no way she just forgot about it.

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