cracked

May 05, 2015:

May seeks Simmons' help about the Pendulum

The Triskelian

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

Melinda May has returned from dealing with that mess in Metropolis, and the resultant chaos that took over Gotham while they were without electricity. So why is she visiting Simmons in her lab? Well, she's in the process of removing a gold chain from around her neck to offer to the biochemist. "It cracked recently. Can you suggest ways to keep it from cracking further?" She means the dragonscale-shaped flake of polished carnelian stone attached to the chain. Yes, she very easily could have filled in the cracks with cyanoacrylate, but that just seems … improper.


For a man who only has one name, Logan certainly does get around. Ireland one day. Papua New Guinea the next. And New York the day after that. But then, he's been taking it easy ever since he got that stop sign impaled in his chest. Which by the way is no easy feat when you consider that his ribcage is laced with adamantium. But he's not here about that, or the albino bastard who did it to him.

No, today is about catching up. It's been a while since he graced the Triskelion's doors, and truth be told, he wasn't even sure if his clearance would be good enough to get him into the building after they downgraded him from special agent to contract agent. But it worked and here he is, setting off every metal sensor in the place.

That much adamantium usually plays havoc with electrical instruments, especially the precision ones normally found in a lab, so while he may not be noticed, his presence may be felt long before the man actually walks up towards the door, and presses the intercom button. He was told he could find May here, so he begins by saying her name, "May, it's Logan." Of course, the lab doesn't belong to May, so she's probably not the one to answer.


Simmons mmms' over the item May just gave her, casting a quizzicle look at the woman and then back to the necklace. "I'm not sure… let me take a look." and places the item under her microscope to inspect it. As she looks, she frowns, the frown getting deeper… "That's strange, somethings affecting my…." Just as the intercom sounds. "That might explain it." she murmurs to May.


Melinda May turns to look toward the door, but when Logan announced himself she nods to Simmons then goes to open the lab door and let the Canuck in. "Back from walkabout, Logan?" She tilts her head slightly toward Simmons to let Logan he's entered the scientist's domain. There are other wordless orders included, like 'don't touch without asking first'.


Logan's reputation precedes him. But it's not surprising. Sure, he has a codename, but he's not married to it like most of the metahumans out there. Logan or Wolverine, it's the same guy, same attitude, same skills, it's just a bit of clothing, no more and no less.

So when he introduces himself as Logan, which isn't the most common name to begin with, people, especially in these circles, usually have a pretty good idea that it's the failed Samurai, and not just some guy named Logan. The door's still closed, and no response is immediately forthcoming, but he can tell May's in there. He can smell her.

With a simple, singular sniff, he can tell that there's also another woman too, but he's not as familiar with her. He thinks about it, and soon it comes to him. He remembers that it belongs to Jemma Simmons. But she's switched perfumes since the last time he met her. He hates when women do that. It's bad for the senses. Why don't they just pick a scent, or even better, go with their natural one, and leave it at that.

He's not just a good judge of scent. He can also read body language as if it were any other language, and the few nods, ticks, gestures, breathes, posture, everything that shared with May, it's like a silent conversation is had in a matter of seconds, but it's all understood. "Nice ta see you again May, and Simmons, Jemma isn't it?" When his mind isn't being messed about by telepaths, he's got a memory like an elephant. Too bad it's so rare that he gets to use it.


As Logan enters, Simmons turns off her equipment. Smiling politely, the biochemist nods slightly "Dr Jemma Simmons, yes. You can call Simmons, if you like, everyone does." Glancing between May and Logan, Simmons nods to the necklace "I'll be happy to take a look at that for you and make some recommendations. I'm fairly certain there's a way to bond it without destroying the structural integrity."


It's not the stone's structural integrity she's most concerned about, it's the stone's connection to the ley lines cattered throughout the city, but she doesn't say any of that aloud. Not in front of Logan. She nods to Simmons and waits there by the door to see if the Canuck is going to step further into the lab. Of course, silent dialogue is continuing. May is clearly wondering why Logan tracked her down inside the Triskelion. It's not like he's ever pretended to be beholden to her in any way.


Nodding, Logan reiterates, "Simmons." He has no problem with using a surname to refer to someone. If anything, he prefers it. That kind of thinking harkens back to his military training, and he's had a lot of it. Hell, even his adopted name, Logan, was technically the surname of his biological father, not that he knows it, or even remembers it.

"Getting sentimental, are we May?" He asks Melinda when he overhears the bit about repairing the necklace. He never pinned her for being the type, but will wonders never cease to amaze him. But whatever he has to say to her, it seems like he's not so sure he wants to say it in front of Jemma, so he's keeping it civil.

"I'm not intruding on anything too important, am I?" He's heard a bit, some through the door, some on the other side of it, but he hasn't heard enough to understand. And besides, he's no scientist. He's good at breaking things, but not so good at mending them.


"I would say always, Logan." Simmons says with a smile "Always something to keep us science types busy. But it's time for a tea break." Looking between May and Logan, she pauses "Would you like tea, Agent May, Logan." She doesn't have to tell the other Agent she's appropriated some of her /special/ stash from the tea room.

She's already moving to the other side of the room, where there's a small kitchenette like facility. She's used to people needing to speak to Agent May on the QT.


Melinda May nods her acceptance of the tea and thanks to Simmons before stepping closer to speak with Logan quietly. She gives him a intense, almost soul-deep stare for several seconds before finally saying, "I know this look, Logan. What's going on with you?"


Simmons brews and seeps the tea, letting Logan and May talk, and eventually pours out two mugs. Returning to May she hands one over, before returning to her workspace to resume work.

Whatever it was that Logan wanted, is quickly resolved and the man disappears out of the lab and down the hallway.

Starting her equipment again, Simmons resumes her inspection of the necklace before glancing at May "I have to agree, Agent May, this type of thing doesn't seem to be your usual."


Melinda May takes a sip of the tea while trying to figure out how to phrase an explanation for Simmons. "Have you met Fenris? Sometimes goes by Jeremiah Wolfson?" She considers for a moment. "Tall man, pale, a face like an otter." She gestures faintly toward the 'necklace'. He entrusted minor objects of magical importance to several people. Pezzini, Zatanna Zatara, the Kryptonian woman Kara." She doesn't mention that she was one of those people, Jemma is more than smart enough to put the pieces together.


Simmons has met Fenris, once, and she nods slowly to May, her eyes slowly widening at the mention of magic…. and May! Picking up the 'necklace' and turning it in her hands, her brow furrows "So… what is it, not necklace obviously."


"A Pendulum. It focuses on ley lines and makes use of the energies there for various purposes. Communication. Travel." That last word would explain how May's been able to get from place to place so rapidly of late. "Fenris has gone missing. About the same time, every Pendulum that Zatara and I are aware of cracked. Like that. And now it's weaker than before." In other words, she no longer trusts it for travel, and the communication part seems completely broken.


"I see…" Simmons is distracted as she peers at the Pendulum "So repairing it is a matter of maintaining it's natural properties as well. I can see why you didn't just use cyanoacrylate." Her brows furrow "Fenris is missing?" That finally gets her attention "Apart from the timing, why is it pertinent to the cracks?"


Melinda May reaches to catch the small gold dragon pendant on the other end of the pendulum's chain. "Fenris is… I'm not sure the exact terminology. He's a caretaker of sorts for the magical properties, energies, things for this planet. Take him out of the picture and the protecteions on and around the magical sources in the planet are greatly weakened. I think." She studies the little dragon for a moment, and then her eyes abruptly go distant. She's that way for a few seconds before she blinks and focuses on the pendulum again. And she looks determined now.


How on earth did a scientist come to be tied up with all this mumbo jumbo? Magic, for goodness sake it's not scientific…. or is it?

Watching the distant look in Mays eyes and then the refocussing, Simmons looks to the pendulum again, with a slight frown.

"So these are tied to Fenris, in some way, Agent May?" the biochem considers Mays words and twists her lips as she thinks "I take it then, you're concerned?" That's possibly an understatement.


Melinda May nods in answer to Jemma's first question. "Yes, and he's not the sort that can be 'taken' easily. Whoever took him has some serious resources. Her expression sharpens, though it's clearly not aimed at the biochem. "And now we know approximately where he is."


Simmons looks over at May and places the 'necklace' in the spectrum analyser… not that she expects it to give her anything concrete to work with. Programming the device, the scientist steps back and watches as the tests begin.

"You said Agent Pezzini had one of these as well?" Simmons is lost in her own train of thought "Given her connection to the Witchblade, I would like to consult with her before trying anything with your necklace, Agent May." the frown appears again "I could well do more damage than good, if I tried to repair it."

Mays last sharp look and her comment has Simmons head canting "Really? Well isn't that a good thing?"


"Debatable. He's in Germany." And the quickest way there is by ley lines, which May doesn't trust right now with her pendulum cracked the way it is. "Besides, the group of us can't just race off, we need to coordinate and plan."


The spectrum analyser beeps at Simmons, drawing her attention. "The results of the analysis, Agent May, are as I would expect. Nothing unusual in the physical construct of this…. pendulum." Handing the necklace back to May, Simmons considers Mays last answer "Well Agent May, that's something you're very good at… I trust the others believe the same."

"I would very much, like to speak to Agent Pezzini. I'll send her a request through our systems, but if you happen to see her, it would be good to let her know why…."

Settling onto a stool, Simmons picks up her cup of tea and slowly sips it, whilst she waits for May to respond.


Melinda May nods to Simmons. She'd kind of expected no definitive result. "I'll let Pezzini know." She finishes her tea and moves to leave the lab. But not before reclaiming her pendulum and refastening it around her neck. This entails wrapping the chain through the little dragon pendant in such a way as it almost looks like the dragon is holding the chain secure.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License