June 22, 2017:
Obadiah Stane, Jessica Jones, Agent Peggy Carter and Tony Stark have a meeting to regroup and share information in the wake of Holmes' apprehension in the sublevels of Stark Towers.
Stark Industries, Manhattan, NYC
Never a dull moment.
Characters
![class="image1"](http://cmbeta.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images//class="image1"/medium.jpg)
NPCs: None.
Mentions: Kinsey Sheridan, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Jane Foster, Azalea Kingston, Sizani, Grymalkin, Zatanna Zatara, Sally Stojespal, Thor
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\# None.]
Fade In…
New York, New York.
Obadiah's office, Stark Tower.
This is where it all began. For Obi, it seemed fitting to have a conversation here, now that they have their man. For all his suffering at the hands of Sieve, AKA Holmes, it does not show on his weathered face. Maybe he's been around this block before, or maybe he's just not the kind of person who emote his distress in public. In any case, he seemed more than happy to host.
As his guests arrive for the meeting, they'll find the living area in the center of the office set up to act as a small living room, with the coffee table already projecting a small file index that they can all see clearly, no matter which angle they look at it.
Stark Tech is indeed the best.
For Obi's part, he has his jacket off and slung over a chair, and he's behind the little bar off to one side, though as per usual no visible alcohol is present. Everything is tucked away for safe keeping.
"Make yourselves at home. There are snacks there, over on my desk. Just some finger sandwiches from downstairs."
He does not look up from his task of putting ice into glasses, and the sound of each cube hitting rings out from behind the bar.
—
By now, Jessica Jones has definitely typed up all the information she got from Extra and sent it on to the parties here. It's all in her own files now, too. This includes the information about the targeting of one Kinsey Sheridan, a factor that had her feeling nervous, and on edge. She's held the secret of that woman's very existence close to her chest for so long that telling others about her now feels odd, and unnatural, and a bit like Impending Disaster on a Plate. But it's done.
Yesterday she'd pulled Peggy aside for a specific apology and explanation for the withheld explanation. She could have played it off like she'd always meant to tell, but she didn't. Instead, she said it straight. She'd given her word to a friend and a source who she had vowed to protect way back in January, and her word superceeded all until the exact moment when it no longer could. She'd been relieved that Peggy had not only understood, but had seemed to respect her decision.
At any rate, she's hoping to get new information from others today, having shared all she has for herself.
She's also operating on a theory.
Peggy Carter seems completely in control. Jessica had to wonder if part of this was a function of just…looking amazing at all times. In her way that she has sometimes as she tries to navigate herself out of her broken hot mess— and that is a process— she has decided to try something she is seeing someone she admires doing. It's something she's done with Steve, then Bucky, and now Peggy. She comes in looking better than usual. Fully made up. Hair twisted up into a tight bun at the back of her neck. Black sleeveless suit jacket over electric blue tank top; it's too hot for sleeves. And jeans, but the newer sort. She just had a little trouble getting rid of her beloved jeans. Boots are shined though. And she went and got her nails done of all things, which is pretty ridiculous when one considers that it will probably be less than a week before she has to punch something again and breaks one of them.
But…weirdly, it kind of works. On one hand. Because on one hand she feels more in control. On the other she's used to dressing and making herself up in a way that sort of downplays and hides her. She's not sure if she's going to be able to keep this up, because the sensation of being looked at, even when she's not actually being looked at, is really uncomfortable. And she isn't sure she feels like herself. Also uncomfortable. Some of that discomfort conveys itself in her body language as she enters.
"Thanks, Mr. Stane," she says, heading for the finger sandwiches. This experiment has done her the favor of restoring some of her appetite. As did her meeting with Bucky, really.
—
From the elevator, Peggy emerges. There's a quite a bit going on in the woman's life, but she still looks calm and properly made up. The one thing that Peggy Carter is good at is pressing down her own personal issues for the mission should the need require it. And, boy, does it lately.
The changed look of Jessica Jones is met with an immediate, but quick, assessment. She's used to the private detective dressing in a certain way and to see that she is now attempting a different direction is one that she immediately picks up on, if not the actual reason as to why she may be doing it.
The offer from Obadiah is met with a raised hand to signify that she is fine without, even as she appreciates the thought. Instead, she makes her way to a sofa - that is how she would make herself at home. Despite the circumstances of their last meeting, Peggy does not seem to hold Obadiah responsible for attempting to kill her. Instead, she gives him the kindest thing she can imagine - a sweep under the rug of his actions.
—
The elevator dings a third time and Tony Stark is the last one to a meeting in his own building. As usual. Backing out of the elevator he seems to be talking to one of his drones, Idgit it looks like, who is trying to hold a holopicture up for Tony as he backs out of the elevator. Focused not on the meeting but on his newest obsession.
…and no one is suprised.
"No no no, the skeletal structure has to be much more flexible. Have to design a new alloy for it maybe. And the movement systems need to be more like actual muscles." Lines and desgins scroll across the screen.
"Huh better. But lets see what we can do about getting a better syntheic muscle, and what it'll take to fix that new isotope…"
Then he spins around and realises he's not the only one there anymore.
A pause.
A blink.
"…oh yeah. Meeting."
—
Moments after the gathering has commenced, Obadiah appears with a glass in each hand. The first he offers to Jessica, though both have the same contents: Ice cold water. "I made sure I had your drink." A nod of his head, from where she is at the desk, will direct her to look over at the stash he keeps just out of sight. Not the bar, but where he keeps the good stuff.
Or used to. It's all gone.
"Having someone bend your mind helps put certain vices and dangers in perspective. Time to turn the page." Does that mean Obi is off the sauce too? A step or two towards the bar and he snags another glass from behind it, already filled with ice water. This one is for Tony. His brows lift a little as he has a seat near Peggy, and as she brushes away the past altercation, one that seemed to cut him to the very core, he wavers himself. It calls to him to apologize. For bringing her into this, perhaps. For almost ending them all. He can't bring himself to meet her gaze in that moment, and he takes a long drink from his water before leaning back in his chair.
"I wanted to bring us together, before the official investigation puts to much red tape between all of us. I'm certain SHIELD and maybe even the Avengers will be involved from here on out. I just wanted to say that it pained me, being unable to say anything while you were on your quest. I've made arrangements with Tony to make sure JARVIS can't be subverted like that in the future." His gaze lifts to Tony then, and it is a father looking at a son. "I know we all have our loyalties. Mostly though, I'm certain we have them to the truth. Right now, we know there's a woman out there this being from another realm wants, or maybe needs. We know we have someone in custody he seems to want to. And refugees. A whole lot of them. I don't want to just hand this over to greater powers. I don't trust them to see it through like the rest of us might. Especially knowing what I know about Mr. Holmes."
He is referring to something he had given Peggy as a note, looking over at her with a meaningful gaze, but it does not last long. His phone buzzes ones in his pocket, and he reaches up to touch his earpiece, waving a hand to show that they should continue while he takes the brief call. He stands, walking back towards his desk.
—
Jessica has the grace to look a little embarrassed. How could she have ever been suspicious of this kindly old fellow?
Well. Easy. Actually. She's mostly suspicious of everyone. Sure, she has like. Friends now. But that's still a pretty short list when compared to the entire population of the planet. "Thanks," she says again.
She takes the water. He goes on to describe how having someone bend his mind has impacted him, and a look of profound empathy comes over her face. "Yeah. It does that. I'm really sorry that happened to you," she says. "If I'd caught him sooner…"
Because while Jessica is working on the whole 'not everything is my fault thing'…
Yeah. It rears its ugly head.
She flops down next to Peggy, forgetting that things like body language and not sprawling in a sofa to wrinkle her outer suit jacket are good things for looking fresh as a daisy all the time too. Really it's anyone's guess how long this nonsense is going to last.
He listens as he says he doesn't want to hand it over, and she shrugs uncomfortably. "I'm in it till someone tells me I'm not allowed anymore," she says slowly. "And I can throw out ideas all day long, but…this feels more like a war than an investigation. I don't know anything about wars or tactics or anything like that. But if something needs punching I'm there. And um…I mean Tony I don't expect you to pay me anymore if you don't want to, because like…I don't know how much actual investigation will be happening? I mean…I'm still going to chase Cassandra Marx's killer unless Holmes reveals he did that too. That's become a little personal for me. And I mean…I'd really like to be in on interrogating Holmes, Peggy, but I get that SHIELD might not let me."
She shoves an errant bang back into her hair.
Check. Being dressed up hasn't killed the inferiority complex. Maybe it just made it worse. She's certainly not at all put off by Tony's distraction. That's…typical anyway right?
—
Tony's entrance is met with only a raised eyebrow. "Tony," Peggy greets him with a bit of a lilt in her already British intoned voice. It's hard to tell the tone. Disappointed? Curious? Happy? Perhaps a mixture of them all. "Yes, meeting. You're right on time."
As Obadiah settles himself to Peggy, she looks over at him. She does not look embarrassed, nor does she look suspicious of Obadiah. Instead, she tilts her head at him just slightly as he brings up the fact that he doesn't trust the greater powers to take care of either Holmes or the refugees. There's a bit of a frown. Either she is annoyed that this is forced to bring this point up, or she was hoping to do this without the prompting of Obadiah. Either way, the point is moot.
As Obadiah looks at his phone, she looks back at Tony and Jess. "Mr. Stane believes that Holmes had an inside man within SHIELD." With a look to Jessica, she nods. "If it is within my power, you will be there to interrogate him. I believe I should be able to get you clearance, but if what Stane says is true, they might stymie us. Or, it might simply be the general red tape that comes about with an organization as large as SHIELD."
It seems that despite the fact that she is willing to look into the fact that SHIELD might have a mole, that she doesn't exactly believe it entirely.
—
Tony swipes his glass with one hand while banishing the screen with the other. "Sorry about that, had an unexpected visitor last night that got me thinking. You know how that goes. What day is it anyway?" Knocking back the liquid in the glass he only then realies its ice water and makes only the slightest of faces.
So bland.
He doesn't like bland.
"Anyway! Hi Peggy, Jess, Obi." His gaze lingers a moment on the older man, a touch of worry there for only a split second. Then on he moves. Never stopping. Never worring. Brushing all by those pesky emotions.
If you move fast enough they won't catch up to you. Right?
"Well I bought a hotel for the refugees, so they can stay there out of prying eyes for as long as they want. SHIELD is welcome with that. They can turn it into a secret base or something." He adds with a shake of his head before pointing one finger at Jess around the body of his glass. "And no blaming yourself, there are plenty of other things to blame. I mean he was hiding in my building and all." A smirk at that before he goes back towards Peggy. "Well I'm gonna have to bring it up to the Avengers yes, and SHIELD knows. Think there might be a spy in the ranks? Oh oh I could hack things to help ferret him out. I'm good at that."
…he's done it before and all.
—
About the time Peggy is finished speaking about the possible mole, she'll know the familiar buzz of an urgent message on her phone. Obadiah stares out at the window for a few moments longer, until finally he rips his bluetooth ear piece off and in an an act that simply does not fit his character, throws it sidelong across the room to impact a far wall. His hands slide into his pockets then, a bitter rage roiling off of him.
"My man at the medical ward tells me Holmes is dead. Complications from losing this… nanotech in his bloodstream." If only they knew where his rage came from. Muscles tense in his shoulders, his head tilts down a little, and he turns to look over them all. "These people.. or what used to be people, are not going to do what they did to that other Earth. I was hoping we could use Holmes as bait, but that seems off the table. Tony… what have you been able to find out about the portal he left behind? Is there anyway we can take this fight to the enemy?"
Maybe it's something other than the safety of the world that drives Obadiah Stane tonight. Tony's seen that look before from him in the arena of business. It is the look of a man who wants to get even, but this time it is not from across a boardroom table.
—
"…"
Jessica Jones has a number of complex and dark reactions to this news.
She just fucked up Kinsey's life. For nothing.
She turns a pleading, silent look at Tony and Peggy. Maybe if her name isn't going to come out in interrogation they can just…quietly let her get back to her life?
There's also the fact that she killed him after all.
He was a mind controlling asshole. A murderer.
A man trying to save his children.
A man she tried not to kill.
She moves to one of the windows and stares out of it dully. She raises one arm to rest her head against it. The other hand comes up to release the bun. It's pulling at her hair. Messy raven waves flow over her shoulders, shielding her face.
A host of other questions hit her mind. "Is SHIELD going to charge me with murder, do you think?" she asks, thinking of Bucky, and his case. "I tried. I tried not to kill him. But if he's dead, there is definitely a mole in SHIELD. Cause I don't believe for a second it was really complications with nanites."
But she shuts up, because Obadiah's question is a good one.
—
"Unexpected visitor?" There is no way that Peggy will allow that to slide, despite the seriousness of their current conversation. "Who was that?" The question as to helping with a spy in the ranks is met with a bit of a smirk. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I believe I will attempt to solve this the old fashioned way. A hack will certainly alert SHIELD as to what you might be doing."
As Obadiah speaks, a buzz from Peggy's phone sounds. She generally does not pick up the phone in important meetings such as this, but the buzz frequency alerts that it is an emergency. Plucking her phone from her bag, she reads through her messages, brow creasing and dark features passing over her features. "He's quite correct. Holmes is dead, I've just been informed. They will be sending me a full autopsy report shortly."
To Jess, she gives the woman an assured look. "You won't be charged with murder. He is not dead from sustained injuries." There's a pause. "This does not rule out the fact that there is not a mole, however he is apparently needed a substance they call 'God's Blood'. You told me that there was something to that before." In fact, it's why Az is under lock and key. "It's possible it is all linked. Kelly Anders mentioned that Holmes was 'recruited' and that gave him powers. It's possible those powers were granted through whatever this God's Blood is and that he needed regular transfusions to both keep him alive and keep his powers."
—
"One of the Black Panther's bodyguards. Hacked security, waltzed in like she ownded the place then asked me to dinner afterwards. I mean I appriciate the audicity but man. I can do without the Wakandan smugness." The inventor grumbles as he crosses his arms and leans one back against the wall. "Gave me a cheat code for something that'll help, and released the sharp side of my interns tounge. Which was fun to see."
But then the bad news comes in and the man frowns. "No, no way that is going to be a coinkidink. I mean the timing is just too pat. We get him, source of info and everything and then he expires before we can chat with him? Lovely."
He blows out a sigh though before he shakes his head. "I havn't done much with the portal yet, dimentional travel isn't my best subject and I want an expert if we are going to open the thing to a plane thats possibily been destroyed by some kind of machine god. Its in lockdown at the moment, but I'm brining it up to the Avengers now that I've determined that its not going to explode or anything."
—
"As far as I can tell, Jessica, this is war." Obadiah's statement runs hot and cold, destroying the notion that a murder charge could enter the picture, even if he does not have legal authority to discount it. He has other kinds of authority, though. His hands curl over the back of his chair as he thinks on the other angles, on this God's Blood. "What else do we know about this Agency? Weaknesses? Recovered tech? Anyone know why this girl they're after wasn't just kidnapped?"
Frustration mounts in the old man's features and he reaches up to smooth down his tie, until finally getting fed up with the thing after toying with it for a few moments. It comes off, and he finally has a seat again, his other hand smoothing back over the texture of his bald head. "Tony. If it comes down to it, we might need an army for this world. Wakandan intrusion aside, how's your production capacity?"
That's right. He wants to know how long it would take Tony to make an Army of suits. Or maybe drones. He hasn't asked Tony to manufacture a weapon of war in a very long time. "Wait a minute now. Recruited. They recruited him? Any ideas on how that happens? Do they come after him, and he calls them back? Does he invent something, reach out across dimensions, prove he's got what it takes? I'd like to explore ways into the realm where this God's Blood - and it's owner - are. I don't know about the three of you, but I'm done playing waiting games. They're bold because they know we don't have the whole picture. I think we need to make sure they know this dimension isn't going to fold to their usual antics."
—
"God blood is lousy with nanites, but I didn't know it was keeping him alive," Jessica replies to the window. She says it slowly. For Bucky's sake, it's possible she should keep her mouth shut and avoid saying anything which could get her into legal hot water. For the world's sake…it's time to disclose. She'll just have to trust these people. Obidiah certainly seems willing to give her the pass, and Tony and Peggy don't seem eager to bring the courts into it either.
"He begged me to kill him. He said that if I didn't, Decimux would come. Immediately. I chose not to, gambled the whole world on a choice to fry the nanites inside him instead. I had some localized EMP devices left over from the Ozone Park mission. But that was me trying to save him, and I guess there's no better immenent 'defense of others' justification than, you know. The whole world was maybe about to die. But I did try to save him. So EMP may disrupt godblood but it will probably kill them, unless this was a murder. Can we get a coroner's report from someone you trust, Peggy?"
She sighs at Obi's question. "I have theories," she says slowly, hesitant to ruin Kinsey's life still more by dragging them in. But it is war. "With scant justification for both. I can share them if you guys care to hear them. I think it's worth pointing out that obviously Arc reactors provide some sort of shielding to Decimux, we have three recovered Agency portals, we know they've been recruiting here, and also the one called Schism desperately wants to be freed when she's not under the influence of the Godblood. As far as I can tell, the recruiters just show up. Make offers. And we know the Gods are his enemies because Extra was sent to assinate Gods, so…who knows? T'Challa might be kind of vital. Azalea too, if we can ever get her well."
—
There's quite a lot of information to be processed. Cheat codes and Wakandand security visiting Tony. Hm. "Don't get yourself involved in an international incident," she warns Tony, though she's sure he will not listen. While she may not have lived all the years with Tony, she's certainly gotten a general gist of him in the time the have spent together.
"As far as we even know, we're not sure that this Agency is what we think it is. We thought Holmes to be a villain until we learned he was attempting to save orphans. None of what we know about this other world or its technology seems to be correct." There's a frustration there, one bound up in not knowing and a woman who hates not knowing things.
There's a look between Jessica and Obadiah. "I dislike knowing as much as the next person and an attempt to gather information should certainly be the next step, however I am reluctant to declare war on something we do not clearly understand. We must figure out what it is we are dealing with before we decide that attacking it with force is our best option."
Turning to Jessica, she frowns. "You attempted to save his life by trying something. You attempted mercy and that means something, no matter the test results. I am expecting a report shortly." In fact, as seh speaks, her phone buzzes again and she diverts her attention to it breifly.
—
"Hrmmm, I wonder just what constitutes an international incident…" Tony mumurs to himself before he shrugs slightly. "…eh I'm sure it'll be fine. I mean really what could go wrong. I mean its not like I can get access to vibrainum or something." A beatpause at he looks at Obi. "…I can't can I?"
Because if he could…
But then the subject shifts into something else and Stark blinks for a moment at the rage and vehemence in Stane's voice. "Woah there Obi, pull back a bit. I don't think the Tower can handle building a whole army right now. Not that I'd want too, thats what SHIELD and the League and the Avengers are for. If they try those kind of tricks here we have our own to fire back with, without sending an army over there and putting even more people's lives at risk. And can you imagine Pepper's face if I ask for enough money from the company to build an army. I mean god, that right there is what terrifies me."
A glance between the three of them. "What we need is more information about all this mess. I hate just flailing around blindly in the dark."
A pause.
"I'll modulate the ARC reactor systems I've built so they won't give as much resistance to finding those portals. Should be doable with minimal loss of power. I'll just have to rewire things, and I love rewiring things." A glance at Jess and he nods.
"You tried to do a good thing, Jess. Its fine. It didn't work out cause some other asshat, I love that word 'asshat', decided to be a jackass and kill our prisoner…"
A pause.
"Huh, what hospital was he at?"
—
The notion that this is not war briefly flares the inner turmoil of Obadiah's temper, but it quells as Peggy's calculated caution brings him back to the world he should really stick to: The chessboard. A slow, grim nod. But one that comes with a truth. "Maybe we should use a portal we have control of. For exactly what Peggy suggests. Perhaps information gathering should be our next step. Recon, wherever this thing lives. Or maybe if this is war, we can try to find some avenue to peace."
He glances to Jessica for a moment, taking stock of the strength in her, trying to decide, perhaps, if she has what it takes to keep going in this meandering road to what must certainly be Hell. "The idea of these things calling themselves Gods just makes me want a few on our side. Though Thor did almost cave my head in, even if by accident. Maybe there's a medium here. Maybe we could use the portals to find the enemies of Decimux. I'm just spitballing here. I'm not the expert we need." His gaze drifts back to Tony, and Obi looks almost exasperated. "No you can't have any vibranium, not unless you want to get branded by the Wakandans or maybe steal Captain Rogers' shield. Well. I guess Cap is really just borrowing your dad's work…" A finger comes up to scratch at his beard, thoughtful, and then he waves the whole thing off. "An outpatient medical facility down the street. That's the SHIELD cover anyway. What are you thinking, Tony?"
—
A flicker of a smile. "I love the word asshat too, Tony," Jessica agrees.
She finally turns from the window, releasing her guilt quicker than she has in the past. She's just trying to help put out a fucking fire. Doing the best she can with the information she has. She isn't out ruining lives. Other people are, and she's trying to stop them. She can feel bad that lives are getting ruined or people are dying but…what else could she do?
"Info gathering is tricky. We could probably get into that other dimension but could we get back out? Some of us really can't afford to be lost elsewhere for weeks right now, either. As for more information…I tried interviewing every one of the refugees. None of them know jack or shit. They're just people who fled to a space station."
She looks over at Peggy, still professionally waiting for the report. Despite her misgivings about her own actions, she's still pretty contained and professional. She looks sympathetically over at Obi…she gets the anger, she's just too tired for it right now.
"Holmes still murdered four people," she points out to Peggy. "So. Not exactly a hero either."
He takes stock of her, Obi does, and Jess has no idea what he sees. She has no idea if she has the strength. She certainly has been through Hell, and seems adept at finding her way into and out of it. She sure drags herself over broken glass when she has to. Fall down seven, get up eight.
But it's also true that she is a livewire. She can't hide her emotions behind a facade of outer strength. She feels them and wears them and owns them. She fears fear, immense fear. And does it anyway, but she's no typical hero who puts her hands on her hips and declares that she can do anything, face anything. She might not be cut out for this. She sure questions if she is. But she's paying attention, and…if nothing else, she's real good at the investigation thing.
What that means for her potential spot on this team, though, is up to the three in this room to decide.
—
Looking up from her phone, Peggy gives Tony a pointed incident. "If you have to ask if an action would cause an international incident, you should not do it," she tells him very pointedly. Though, something in his demeanor makes her wonder if he hasn't already done it. "That includes Vibranium."
It's clear she agrees with Tony about not making an army of suits immediately, nodding as she eyes scan through the information on her screen and glancing upward at the proper moments.
"Either we use the portals, or we find what he can on this side. If anyone knows of Decimux, it seems as if it might be Azalea. We can attempt to find out what she knows." Putting her phone away, she explains, "More in depth autopsy. It seems as if whatever was keeping Holmes alive was decaying over time. It had been going on for awhile. So, it was not any one action that caused this."
Jessica's observation is met with a nod. "No, he was not a good person, however he is not what we thought he is. None of this is. We only have a sliver. I feel as if we are all the flies touching different parts of an elephant, thinking we know the proper answer."
—
"Can't blame me for trying," Tony replies with a shrug as he cocks his wrist at an angle. As he does one of his holographic keyboards snaps into existance. "I can get a feed from the camras outside the building, run a sensor sweep though that see if there are any portal signitures in the area." Which is what he's doing even as he says it. "Give us peace of mind if nothing else, even if like Peggy said it could have been just natural decay the timing is just too pat for me not to check on everything."
Which is why he's just doing it instead of waiting on permission to do it. Thats normally how he operates anyway.
"Anyway let me talk to the Avengers, see what we can get together as an info gathering mission. I'd rather have an expert or two along with me if I'm goinng world hopping. With luck we can get some information without even opening the portal."
—
"I'm sorry. I try to put on the brave face, you know. But I'm not like the three of you. I'm not anywhere close to an Avenger. I was just angry." He's referring to the idea that they should build an army. When Tony begins scanning, he can't help but smile a little, watching as he sets to work with an angle he didn't think of. Slipping, old man.
"Excellent idea. I wonder if maybe we could use our satellites, maybe some of SHIELD's, to scan for these portals to. Try to track what they're up to." Obi's gaze shifts to Peggy then. "Do it your way. The smart way, and try to find out more. In the meantime, Jessica, I'll set you up with some operational funds from my office. Peggy can peek into the SHIELD piece and find out if we do have another problem. For all I know, it was someone else mind controlled. Hopefully not someone with a kill switch. And also, just maybe, your friend downstairs can tell you what she knows about 'gods'. And maybe Peggy, you could bug Thor again. Maybe Asgard knows something about this guy."
Finally he stands, picks up his discarded tie, and wraps it around one fist. "I'll reach out to some old friends. I exaggerate most of my stories from the old days but I still know a few real operators. Maybe I can dig up an expert on inter-dimensional travel."
Or just entice him over with a can of tuna.
—
“Not until Zatanna fixes her," Jessica says sharply. "Every time you talk to Azalea about what Xihunel remembers you strengthen him and kill her."
She may have failed the girl, but she's still protective of her. It's all she can do.
She nods to Tony, frowning deeply. She should be on the forefront of that, but…she has to testify. Which means she cannot go. "Not going in would be smart, for a start."
She needs to find some useful course of action to pursue on this, but at the moment she's not identifying a single thing that she could or should be doing. Jessica chuffs and finally just goes to put a hand on the old man's shoulder, if he'll allow it. "Neither am I," she says dryly. "I'm just a PI. You have a right to be angry. It's a thing that should make anyone fucking angry."
He's going to set her up with operational funds, but what will she do with operational funds?
She opens her mouth to say he should belay that. She can't get into SHIELD to look for a mole, not as an outsider. That's Peggy's job. As is talking to Thor. Tony's gathering intel from the other world and doing satellite things she barely understands.
"I did ask your intern Stojespal, Tony, to develop localized EMP weapons which can counter godblood. They're maybe a bit more lethal than I intended, but…if it does come to war…"
She shrugs. "Frying the nanites fucks them up pretty good, deprives them of their powers and breaks their contact with Decimux. You might also pull Extra into helping you do the thing with the stuff, because he probably knows a lot that can be on-point useful. But he knows so much that he could easily drown us in infodump."
Suddenly a slow thought occurs to her. But she has to talk to Kinsey about that one first. This still leaves her with a dearth of things to pursue. Is this a bad thing? She could focus on the trial.
But there were all those people. Looking to Agent Jones. Save us. You can save us.
Idiots.
At least they're putting together a functional plan. "Mr. Stane," she says, because she has to do the right thing. "Tony…I'm at a dead end right now. If you want to set up an operational fund so it will be there I won't object, but for the moment I certainly can't or won't touch it. I doubt I'll be at a dead end forever. I'll be happy to sit in with anyone on any meeting to share what I've learned and have seen personally if you all think it will help, but I just…I have to be honest about where I'm at here. It's only right."
—
"Already had JARVIS scan the energy sig for the big portal so we can retask satalites when we need too." Tony replies as he concentrates on getting all the camras and scanners correctly calibrated towards the hotel. "Should be able to do that in a week or so." The inventor replies as he smirks slightly. "What did you think I was getting slow, old man?" He adds as he tosses a grin towards Obi.
Then a nod towards Jess. "Yeah, she mentioned that. I'll see if I can get you some ranged EMP rifle systems build, and I should have a working verson of an improved ICER in a week or two." A glance towards Jess. "That was what the lady from Wakanda gave me by the way. Something to knock Az out, well knock Xihumeywhatever out. Ran the tests should work and the only side effect would be a slight headache."
A reasuring tone accompanies those words for Jessica.
Then a smirk. "Thats right being two mini-suits, and a intercepter I'm building. But I think we are all at a dead end for right now, which I'm sure won't last long."
—
There's no resistance to Jessica's touch, and Obi bows his head a little at her words. "I know a hero when I see one, Jessica Jones." He doesn't look at her until he finishes his thought. "You'll take the money because I need you ready. Because the next hit on this case will come soon enough. We still have places to look. Your friend, the robot, and whatever Peggy digs up at SHIELD. This isn't a dead end. As grim as it is, Sieve's body might tell as many tales dead as alive."
It all depends on that full autopsy.
Tony will bring an incredulous lift of his brows, and he finally stands up again. "Well maybe I was hoping you'd slow down. You keep going at this rate and I don't know who's going to outlive who. Listen, I'm going to make a few calls. As soon as I find my headset. We all have our tasks. Let's keep in touch."