1963-11-30 - Never Meet Your Heroes
Summary: Fitz makes progress on the crystal, Peggy checks in, and Liv ventures to the lab.
Related: N/A
Theme Song: None
fitz peggy liv 


It's dismal in the SHIELD lab. Fitz has set up a large long scope with the crystal in question in the centre. The metallic projector works much like a regular projector, shooting the image on top of the ceiling so he can better see his work. The pair of goggles tugged over his face won't give him much protection from anything if the crystal goes awry.

He slides to the edge of the bench and flicks a button. A large field of energy spikes upwards, slicing through an apple he's jerry-rigged by suspending it with a string from the roof.

He catches one side of the now-halved apple and takes a giant crunchy bite. Mmmmm. "Jemma, did you see that?! You said it couldn't be done — " but Simmons is nowhere to be seen. Fitz pouts. "Does genius count if no one sees it?" his face scrunches up irritably.

*

After the loud and somewhat uncomfortably too noticable argument upstairs, Peggy has been rather restless. She can't just sit in her office, but every time she goes into the bullpen everyone just keeps *staring* at her. So, finally, she decided to put that energy to actually good work. She stalks down the hallway to that private elevator that brings her downstairs to the labs. The sound of her high heels are almost unmistakeable as she comes down the hall, walking a bit too fast and hard. She really needs to get out of those things.

"Report. What progress have you made today?" She snaps to the young man inside the lab. There, he needed someone to show off to, she has all too kindly provided. Even if it's with the icy demands of a rather difficult director.

*

Good news, Fitz — someone did see it.

The resident Asgardian steps into the lab just in time to see the energy field spike upward to carve the apple in half, which actually makes Liv stop in her tracks with a slight wince on her face. Oh, lord, the experiments have begun. Super. This can only end well.

And the Director's already here! Double-super! Any comment Liv might have been thinking of making dies on her lips and she hangs back near the door, peering warily towards the crystal and its housing.

*

Oh, Jemma is going to hear all about that later, Carter. ALL about it. And it'll probably end in some banter about how she dragged him hear. In fact, even as the Director makes her demand, Fitz plays out how that conversation will go in his head, imagining Jemma apologizing, and him being gracious. And then the grace fading when she blames him for designing a laser cutter in the lab without warning, and him pointing that she dragged him on this plan in the first place.

But. Back to reality.

Fitz coughs.

He pivots on his heel to face the Director and holds out the apple to her, "Apple?" his eyes squint. He coughs again, this time nearly choking on his apple. "Director, I don't know what you know about particle physics, but this isn't exactly rocket science," which by the way he says it implies that rocket science is easier. "I still don't know what infused the crystal with this energy in the first place, but I have figured out how to harness it."

His eyebrows lift. See? Progress.

*

"Sigrundsdottir." Peggy greets the woman, a touch stiff, a touch smooth, but not exactly angry. She acknowledgement that she's seen the tall blonde there and there is no escaping the room for Liv now. But, Peggy has more important things, like getting a report about the crystal across the room from her. She arches a brow at the offer of an apple, shaking her head slightly, "I…had lunch. Thanks though. And… I'm only partially schooled in rocket science," Those are the Nazi's down the block doing that, "So…you will have to explain more. How are you harnessing it, and can we safely get it into the building?"

*

"Director." Smooth, stiff… wary. Times have changed fast, haven't they? Still, the greeting is at least returned, and Liv even musters up a small smile before moving a bit further into the lab. No attempt will be made to escape.

She loosely clasps her hands behind her back and offers a friendly bob of her head towards Fitz, but since he's in the middle of making a report, Liv isn't going to interrupt for pleasantries.

*

"It's simple really," Leo offers with a faint frown. He flicks the button into the 'off' position. And then? He begins to science babble at a mile a minute: "It's all about honing and entering the pinpoint source of the field of energy — we use advanced particle physics with laser precision that then can slice and dice — Jemma and I believe we may be able to generalize that idea through a series of convex and concave lenses — that way we wouldn't be pinpointing," as Fitz has managed now, "but generalizing — and in generalizing creating that blue field that could be used to encapsulate… well… anyone." His throat clears and he frowns. "Like all things… it would have a few shortfalls. Simmons and I will need to test it at length." His hand rubs the back of his neck, "Even once people are in there, I would suspect it won't work across the board. It depends on the nature of the criminals you aim to hold. I could, possibly, find a way to change the frequency of the wavelength of the energy but," his hand waivers in the air."

He shoots Liv a small smile and lifts a couple fingers, "Fitz." His lips twitch into a small smile. "Uh. Engineering."
"

*

The director listens with a look of someone who is *trying* to follow, but Peggy really isn't a rocket scientist. She blinks quietly, her brows both pulling up in a bit of an arch. She looks up, actually exchanging an almost warm, confused look with Liv as if to say 'Did you get any of that? I sure didn't!' but a half smile comes a moment later and then she's looking back to the scientist.

"…Well, Fitz, that… sounds like excellent work. I should be getting you those samples you requested soon as well, so you can test how it interacts with various aliens and other species. But, I'd be good to know that you have it fully under control before other things start to be tested."

*

Liv mirrors Peggy's look and, although she says nothing, she does lift one hand to rock it very slightly from side to side. Eh? A little? A shrug and she looks to Fitz again, offering him a lopsided smile. "Sigrunsdottir. Liv's fine," she adds quickly. "Nice to meet you."

The Asgardian has a lot of opinions on the crystal and the testing thereof, but with Peggy here? Noooope. She keeps them to herself.

*

A faint curve of a smile edge's Fitz's lips at the bit of praise. His chin drops and his cheeks flush a faint pink as his hands go back to tightening his instruments. "Thank you, Director." His lips twitch again and he stifles a quiet chuckle, "Well, Liv, technically it's Leo then?" He shrugs. "But… everyone calls me Fitz. Thinks it's the hair," bashfully, his chin tucks even further into his chest as he works at making some adjustments to his machine.

"Samples will help Jemma — er — Simmons to do her bit. She's already begging the DoD to give a kick at helping with the alien autopsy. Evidently the Fantastic Four have it well in hand." He shrugs. "Someday I'll get a tour of that lab," he whistles sharply. "Uh. Sorry. This is lovely too," his face reddens further.

*

Well, Peggy was happy, until Fitz implied that their labs weren't as fancy as the department of defense. Ignore the fact they are in a basement four floors down in a place that was carved out during WWII. She is proud of their labs. "Yes…well…Carry on." Peggy states stiffly, having learned to bite back her temper a bit today. Or, maybe she's just run out of it. Either way, she turns on the ball of her foot and heads back for the door, disappearing back down the hall just the way she came. The two are left alone.

*

The abruptness with which Peggy departs actually seems to startle Liv, who turns in place to peer after her like she's worried she's hallucinated it. She at least waits for the director to be out of sight before she actually says anything: "That was… odd." She looks back at Fitz, eyebrows raised. It was odd, right? Back her up.

Liv gives herself a quick shake to dismiss the thought. Right. "Well. If everyone calls you Fitz, I'm not one to be needlessly contrary," she muses, flashing him an easy smile now that Hurricane Carter has passed by.

*

Fitz hums when Peggy leaves. His smile fades and he emits a soft sigh. His hands puzzle through the work of tightening the machine and his eyes train on the bolts he's already readying. He shoots Liv a shy smile. Is it alright to remark on your new boss? His lips twitch uncertainly and he looks longingly towards the door to ask Simmons the question that remains on the tip of his tongue, but seeing no reason not to (he had already gone over the lab with a fine-toothed comb for bugs), he offers, "She's not what I expected. Heard stories 'bout her during the War. She's a hero. From any perspective."

His cheeks flush further. "No one should meet their heroes. I said as much before we came," he shrugs.

*

Apparently, this isn't going to get him in hot water with Liv, anyway. She hums in agreement and lowers her voice, loosely folding her arms across her chest. "I know what you mean," she admits quietly, looking troubled. "Heather spoke so highly of her when she got this job, but the last few weeks have been…" She trails off, and eventually quietly clicks her tongue. "Maybe it's the stress. So much is happening all at once and none of it is good," she grumbles, running a hand back over her hair.

*

"It's what it is," Fitz offers in return with a sad smile. He peeks up from his work and issues her another shrug. "World War II would've been bloody stressful," he offers with a sad lopsided smile. "And the things they saw from the nazis?" his eyebrows lift. "That's stuff of engineering legend," meaningfully he looks back to the crystal and then allows his eyes to trail back to Liv. "It's fine."

*

"It was." Liv pauses for a moment, then realizes she should probably clarify. "The war, I mean. It was. Stressful." She makes a bit of a face and turns her focus onto the crystal, very quietly clearing her throat. "I know that we brought back some parts of the sentries that were guarding the lab we found this in," she says instead, indicating the crystal with an uptick of her chin. "I assume that you lot will be trying to figure that tech out, as well? Seeing what you can use?"

*

Fitz's lips tick upwards and his fingers rake through his hair, "It's not…" he lifts his hands. "The way they work, the way they're powered? It's… " he swallows hard. "Well." He motions towards the crystal, "That's not the power source." His nose wrinkles. "Er.. not the original. Not sure the Director understood what I was getting at. What powered the technology encountered during the War?" he shrugs. "I suspect…" he lifts a hand and waves off the idea. "Anyways. Yes. I'll probably take another gander at them when they come. I travelled with that piece. It and I are virtually joint at the hip now."

*

"I should really try to find you someone at Act-F to speak with," Liv murmurs, with a thoughtful narrowing of her eyes as she continues to peer down at the crystal. "There has to be someone there who is more versed in the Kree than I am. I just know they built those sentries. I have no idea who altered them, but I am … relatively sure it wasn't the Kree." Why change the faces, if it was? She makes a low, grumbly noise. "Just… be careful when you test them, Fitz. The weapons hit hard."

*

"Act-F? They don't… I was told they don't want us there." Fitz shoots her another lopsided smile. "I don't know species. You'll have to talk to Jemma — er — Simmons about any traces of DNA. Possible someone left something behind." His eyebrows lift. "I don't know what created the sentries, but they were powered by," his head turns back towards the crystal. "IT's like a battery." He shoots her another shrug and smile.

*

"Well, Act-F doesn't have a lab full of mysteriously altered alien technology, do they?" Liv asks lightly, looking over at Fitz and mirroring his smile. "So they can cope. But. After Simmons has had a chance to go over them," she decides, nodding to herself. "Then we can run the risk of them trying to claim jurisdiction over all of it, I suppose."

*

"Well, I don't think that's a risk. If it'd been recovered here," Fitz shrugs, "no leg to stand on. But because SHIELD recovered it from Turkey, well." He reaches of the rubber glove and tugs the crystal out of its spot.

*

"It might be the excuse they're waiting for to try and establish planetary jurisdiction for themselves," Liv says with a tired-sounding laugh, taking a small step back to give Fitz some room to deal with the crystal. "It wouldn't surprise me. So we might as well indulge in a little paranoia."

*

"Well," Fitz begins, "I think that's what SHIELD is trying. There's murmurings — " he looks over his shoulder and manages another smile without ever finishing the thought. "I need to find Jemma." He scrubs his face. "You don't build a prison without intention. That said, it's turning necessary. Without infrastructure in place, we'll never resolve the problems the world faces." His face turns crimson; he shouldn't be talking about this. "And trust is something that isn't likely to to develop without work. The DoD," he chuckles and his eyes turn downwards. No, no more talking, "I need to find Jemma," he repeats. And snaps the crystal into its case.

*

"Humanity does need to be able to defend itself," Liv says with a sigh, her arms still loosely folded across her chest. "And trust is… something of a rare commodity these days. It was even before we had aliens falling out of the sky and Asgardian princes making asses of themselves on live television." She's still upset about that. To say nothing of the president's assassination.

Liv drops her chin and purses her lips. "Once Jemma is here. If you two need an extra set of hands. My desk is upstairs, across from Barton's."

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