|
   |
This is not an unexpected visit to the Baxter Building, but that does not mean that Liv has the faintest idea of what to expect out of it. She really only knows of the Fantastic Four by reputation, and ACT-F is reputedly not terribly excited by the notion of working with people within SHIELD, so she is… wary, during the elevator ride to the 31st floor.
Intentionally or not, Liv does not look particularly Asgardian when she steps off the elevator. No armor or sword, just jeans and a hooded sweatshirt to protect her from the cold. And no Asgardian braids in her hair. Just an entirely mundane, loose tail. She didn't feel up to making the effort today.
*
When the elevator dings, and the doors open, Sue Storm is standing at the entrance awaiting her company. Her hands are clasped lightly in front of her, and she ushers the other woman into the sitting room. "Welcome," she manages as warmly as she can muster. "We're…" her eyes turn up to the ceiling, "…a bit chaotic today…" and they are. In fact, as Liv is led to the sofa, the phone rings constantly. A vague frown tugs Seo's lips downwards. "Please have a seat. Can I get you something? Tea?"
*
Liv's smile is similarly strained, but it doesn't stop her from offering Sue a hand once she's close enough. "Doctor Storm. Thank you. It's… it's going around," she murmurs with a very sympathetic expression. She looks tired as she sinks down to sit on the sofa, ignoring the phone. "Only if you'd like some for yourself. I'm alright."
*
The handshake is returned. "I…" Sue's eyes turn upwards. "No. Actually, I'm getting a bit tired of tea." Mostly because everything happens over tea. Maybe it's the tea that's making everything so chaotic. "Sue is fine," she offers before settling into one of he armchairs. "Tell me, what exactly brings you here."
*
"Sue, then. Liv." She was pretty sure the organization — and the receptionist — had relayed her name, but it's best to make sure. Only polite. But that last question has Liv looking, more than anything, utterly exhausted. "I am not sure where to start. I just… I want to help," she says, dragging a hand across her face.
*
Sue's eyes narrow slightly, "Well." There's something weary and almost disconnected in Doctor Storm's gaze as she's offered that piece of information. She manages an equally weary smile and notes: "It seems a lot of people want to help." She sucks on the inside of her cheek. The amount of help she's been offered has, in fact, put her on edge.
*
Something about that level of disconnect gives Liv pause, her brow furrowing ever so slightly. "I… is that bad?" she asks uncertainly, only now casting a brief look towards the phone. "Er. I could come back?"
*
"It's not, exactly," Sue answers with a quirk of her eyebrow. "But it's been… interesting." Because that is a word that can mean a lot of things while being simultaneously vague. She emits a soft sigh. "So. Why do you want to help?" Her lips purse lightly.
*
"Because this is home," Liv says with a very small smile that is, for some reason, terribly sad. "I love this place. I chose to stay here because I thought I could help keep it safe," she admits — then stops, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "…er. That. That should be in my dossier," she says awkwardly, wringing her hands in her lap. "Is it?"
*
"…yeah." Sue manages a tight-lipped smile. "Before wasting any time, I need to be frank when I've been told not to cooperate with SHIELD in any way, shape, or form. There are too many concerns about American interests versus the interests of, well, NATO."
*
"Of course." Liv slumps back into the couch and reaches up to bury her face in both hands, letting her palms muffle an exhausted-sounding, exasperated noise. "That's… fine. Fine. Awesome."
*
"It's useful to have so many wanting and willing to help, but it's not.. we're not…" Sue's lips turn down into a vague frown. "We're attempting to come up with steps down the line, but right now, I'm trying to rein in something that doesn't exactly… it's unwieldy. Truly. I'm not even sure everyone aims to do the same things."
*
"Oh, of course they don't. Especially not right now, with everyone whipped up like this," Liv says tiredly, letting her hands drop down into her lap while she stares tiredly up at the ceiling. She just seems resigned to having wasted a trip. "Noone trusts anyone else right now, and they probably shouldn't. But you'll have as many different opinions on how to act on that lack of trust as you have people, and they'll all be — " She cuts herself off, closing her eyes. Deep breath. "…sorry. I, uh." She grumbles quietly. "Bad day. Should I go?"
*
"It's not just the lack of trust, I'm afraid," Sue manages with a flicker of a smile. "It has to do with jurisdiction, interests, and concerns over who is working with whom." A tired smile draws over Sue's features, "If it's any comfort, I… can… with some certainty say that General Ross doesn't want me leading this group." She manages a tighter smile.
*
It takes Liv a second to place the name, but when she does, she grimaces. Ah. Betty's… right. "Of course he doesn't. You're probably trying to come at things with an even hand," she says with a tight smile of her own. "It's… I'm not here in my capacity as an agent of SHIELD. But that, of course, doesn't matter, and that has to take precedence over everything else even though I've not even been there long enough to collect two paychecks yet."
With a grunt, Liv shifts to stand. "Not your fault," she says tiredly, her lips twitching into a frown. "Just seems to be the way my life's gone since Loki decided putting on a show was more important than actually delivering a message of good will in any kind of reasonable way."
*
A smile tugs at Sue's lips. "Well, if it's any solace, in this case, I don't think it has anything to do with what Loki did or didn't do." Her eyebrows knit together, "Er. I mean, clearly the evidence against Loki is damning enough." She smoothes her expression. Sue Storm isn't a spy.
"Well. I suspect — " she starts and stops " — the President said I can make my own decisions, but SHIELD… there's a lot of distrust there and it runs deep. To be honest, I can't entirely blame the President for the caution. Jurisdiction and interests are long-running issues with government organizations, I think."
*
Reed has been as busy as anyone with everything that's been going on, and truth to tell it's probably bothering him as much as Sue that they haven't had many opportunities to really touch base and also talk about anything that isn't work. But that's the way it goes sometimes. Sue needss to get the team together, Reed needs to support that effort by figuring out a bunch of practical stuff like security protocols, containment issues, and so on… not to mention the occassional bit of actual Four business that needs handling.
In any case, he rolls through with a clipboard and a pen, scribbling notes on a large sheaf of papers. Stairs, kitchen, halfway back— without the drink he came down for in the first place, mind— when the words floating on the air finally finish permeating his consciousness. He looks up, frowns thoughtfull as he actually pays some attention for a moment, and then drifts over. "Apologies, Ladies. I didn't mean to eavesdrop or interrupt. Sue, would now be a bad time to make an observation?" Or two.
*
If it's any solace… "Not particularly," Liv replies to Sue, sounding sheepish. Sue Storm isn't a spy, but neither is Liv, not really. She's just tired. "Loki didn't assassinate the President. He'd gain nothing, and he would have put on a show if he had. Which is not helpful, I know," she sighs, waving her hands. She's already sorry she brought the man up.
Before Liv can turn to leave, though, Reed comes a-breezing through and she offers him an uncertain smile. "It's fine. Not much to interrupt," she says, stuffing her hands into her pockets.
*
Sue's lips press together tightly at Liv's thoughts. She swallows hard and squints slightly as she attempts to figure out a logical way to walk through Loki's guilt. "Overall, the evidence stacks against Loki," she almost sounds confident. "He was caught at the scene, turned himself in, and generally tried to terrorize the American population."
Her head turns towards Reed and she manages a smaller-not-at-all-convincing smile. Her lips curve down slightly.
*
Reed pauses, while he tries momentarily to get a read on Sue and just how much of assorted things he's been meaning to say are appropriate to bring up in front of Liv. He also takes a moment to give Liv a glance-over and do some basic math that honestly, he should have already done. Then his eyes go back to sue and he lays a light hand on her shoulder.
"It occurs to me that Lynd— President Johnson— delegated this unweildy task to you because he trusts Dr. Seo Hyun Storm to handle the job the way it needs to be handled. It would be awkward for anyone. We're in unprecedented ground. But the president of the United States of America doesn't hand out authority lightly in a crisis. So if nothing else, trust his trust in your decisions until he tells you otherwise." He pauses, to let that sink in.
"Second…" his eyes glide to Liv. "It occurs to me that…" he considers his words here "…leveraging a desire to help by someone inside SHIELD is not necessarily cooperating with SHIELD. After all, the situation we find ourselves in begs the question— Who watches the watchers?" Another pause. "Also, again, we're in new territory. Leaving Loki aside, we don't really understand Asgardians very well. We could use someone with insight, that knows how to put it in terms we'll understand."
Then he looks back to Seo, and squeezes her shoulder. "And one final observation— if you ask what I'd do in your shoes… I don't know. I'm not you. That's why I'm not in charge, on some level. But I think you know what you want to do, what will get the job done best and keep everyone safe without being reactionary or unfair. So that's probably not the same as what I would do. But it's what you should do." Then he… is just sort of done, and waits to let them process it.
*
Sue inhales a long slow breath at the series of observations. Her gaze hones in on Reed and her hands trail to her lap. She clasps them tightly and she crosses her legs at the ankles. Behind her eyes, she calculates something that she can't quite put into words. A quirk of her lips signals something thought but not spoken. "The Soviets and Americans are already in a tenuous partnership here," she pinches the bridge of her nose. "I'm already concerned about those tensions." It's a painfully honest observation.
"But more than that, to be honest, I don't like the notion of lies." The irony isn't lost on Sue. She's not designed for this — the job was never intended to be like this. "And right now, that's precisely what I would be asking from you, Liv. It would mean literally building walls in your life. SHIELD cannot know what we're doing. I'm not even sure half the people currently on the task force can." Her features tighten. "Participation in this task force is playing in a game I was never prepared to play in. Currently, we're looking at different avenues. And while I would appreciate insights, I also don't exactly know where the lines are."
Her eyes clamp shut and her head hangs forward. "And that level of trust… " She lifts her head and shoots Liv a very apologetic loo, "you aren't going to like me in short order. And I can't… negotiate that."
*
"I hadn't been planning on telling SHIELD what the task force was doing, when they inevitably ask," Liv says with a weak smile offered to the pair, her hands still shoved down deep into her pockets. "And they will. They don't like being shut out, of not knowing things." She lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "But that's fine. They don't care for me much as it is."
She looks down at her boots and purses her lips. "I'm… growing accustomed to working for people I don't like," Liv murmurs quietly. "If it puts me in a position to help, it's better than the alternative. But if it's too much politicking to navigate, I understand."
*
Reed gives Sue a smile and a gentle squeeze. He meant it when he said it's her decision. He's delivered his thoughts and some support, and it's now time to let them work it out. "I should finish working out these security screening protocols," he notes, and turns his eyes to Liv. "I'm sure Sue would agree that regardless of how this works out, we'll be here to help if something comes up." Which is an odd thing to add, but maybe he caught something in her manner. In any case… time for him to withdraw for now.
*
A weak smile follows Reed's squeeze. It's been an interesting week. She nods following his assessment. They will certainly help if needed. But just the same, she needs consider the task at hand. "I think SHIELD is going to make your life incredibly uncomfortable if you come onboard." Her lips twist to the side uncertainly, "And, to be frank, I've already acquired some information about the Asgardians. Not information that — " she hesitates and once more pinches the bridge of her nose.
"I…" her eyes light and her smile grows again. "I need a sample. Just from your cheek. Skin sample. Epithelial cells!"
*
Liv watches Reed go with a slightly puzzled furrow of her brow, but her attention is on Sue again quickly enough. She actually laughs, but it sounds just as exhausted as the Asgardian looks. "SHIELD is already making my life incredibly uncomfortable. Noone there trusts me after Sullivan, and I can't say that I blame them," she sighs, unintentionally mirroring the other woman as she pinches the bridge of her own nose.
Then she pauses, lowering her hand and blinking once. "A sam… sure." Liv sounds uncertain, but not unwilling. Surely just a little skin sample couldn't be used to hurt anybody, it must be something else.
*
"Excellent!" Sue's eyes light up again. She treads into the kitchen and grasps a long, sterile cotton swab that she hands to Liv. "Just roll it on the inside of your cheek. It should be enough to collect some skin cells…" her teeth toy at her bottom lip anxiously.
*
"I… I shouldn't ask what this is for." Liv clearly wants to, but she accepts the swab just the same. This should not feel like such a weighty decision, but apparently for her, it is. After a long moment's hesitation, she actually squeezes her eyes shut before opening her mouth and hurriedly swiping her cheek, before she can back out of it.
*
The swab is taken and Seo ticks her head towards the stairs, a silent indication that Liv should follow her up to the lab. Once safely in the lab, Sue takes a slide and sprays it with saline solution to wet the swab along the slide. The slide is popped into the microscope and she eyes it carefully. A few quick adjustment of the microscope and the sample is in focus.
"Definitely not human," she states evenly, "but also not… well, Skrull." She manages a tight lipped smile and her shoulders relax considerably. "Well, that certainly recommends you more for the task force. The issues is, Liv, currently, I have to make people believe that we believe the Asgardians are responsible for the President's death."
*
Liv actually looks a little surprised to be asked to follow, which ensures that she does. While Sue examines the sample, she lingers close by, arms loosely curled around herself while she watches with her lower lip caught between her teeth.
Her brow furrows curiously at this news. Liv knows she's not human, but… "Skrull?" she echoes, slowly tilting her head to one side. "What are those? I'm not familiar with the name." But if there was a concern she might be one, maybe she needs to become familiar. Like. Now. It seems to have her attention far more than Asgard does, for the moment.
*
"What I know is… complicated and limited," Sue offers in return. "But from what I understand they can be anyone. Literally. I'm not sure how or why, but they can be anyone." Her lips press into a thin line. "And they're framing Loki for the President's murder. Currently my best course of action," that she hasn't even run by Reed, "is to pretend we buy it. We need to suss out these Skrulls, but to do so, we need to let Asgard take the blame. I've already spoken to Loki and still need to speak to Thor."
*
"Shapeshifters." Liv doesn't say the words so much as breathes it, her eyes snapping to the microscope with a brightness and focus that had been completely absent before now. She's even standing a bit straighter. "And you can detect them this way?" she asks, pointing at the microscope. "If I brought you something, something belonging to someone who was acting strangely — you could tell?"
*
A small nod follows the assessment. "Exactly. I'm not sure the scope of what they can do or why it looks like under a microscope when they've shapeshifter," Sue cringes slightly, "but I trust that something would stand out." Her lips twist to the side, "The first alien that died during Sanders' speech — it was a Skrull. I performed the autopsy on it, and consequently, have seen that DNA under a microscope many times over." Her eyebrows lift slightly, "As far as whether I could tell, it would be contingent on a few things. First, a large enough non-contaminated sample of cells. Second, whether they don't actually change their DNA when they're in a human shape. I would suspect something on the molecular level would remain — everything I know about mutation and biochemistry suggests aliens would have something on a cellular level would be different, but I can't tell you what that would be."
*
"Would something like a recently-used coffee mug have enough, do you think?" Liv asks in a hopeful, her eyes darting away from the microscope and over to Sue. "I just — sorry, someone I know has been acting weird for a while, and I don't know if it's just the stress of all of this, or…" She rakes both hands back over her hair and looks down, visibly resisting the urge to pace in a circle. She's gone from sullen and lethargic to barely-contained energy in no time flat.
*
Sue tilts her hand, "Possible. But not the best. That's a contaminated sample. The coffee itself will have a degenerative quality on the sample and our technology hasn't gotten to a point where it's easy to get DNA from anything. Consequently, it could be inconclusive." She manages a flicker of a smile. "That said, it's still.. well… possible."
*
"I'll at least get you that much, and if it's too contaminated, I'll… something. I'll think of something," Liv mutters, closing her eyes and forcing herself to just breathe. Deep breaths. "I worry that I'm jumping at shadows, but so many people think she's behaving oddly… I can't just ignore it."
*
Sue's eyebrows draw together and her arms fold over her chest, "Who?" Her jaw tightens slightly and she emits a soft sigh, "I'm sorry about the Act-F conflict issues. And… I suppose Reed is right. If the President dispensed power for me to do whatever I want, I really should exercise my judgment. Assuming you won't say anything to SHIELD or report back to them or any of their agents about what we're doing…" her lips purse. "Just remember I really am actively blaming the Asgardians. Truly."
*
"No, no, it's all right. I understand the position," Liv says with an odd smile. "I won't be reporting anything to SHIELD unless you explicitly tell me that it's something they need to know. If they don't like it, they can… well. They got along without me before."
Which… brings her back to 'who.' Liv drops her eyes to the floor and chews on her lip, loosely curling her arms around herself. She's already lost the support she might have had on Asgard. Liv's jaw tightens.
"…Director Carter."
*
There's a long pause and Sue sucks on the inside of her cheek. "…I see." Her eyebrows lift and she hums quietly. "I don't have access to SHIELD, but I'm happy to help any way I can, Liv. Let me know what you need, and our people will help wherever we can. Truly."
*
"Heather knows the Director better than I do, and she's worried," Liv says quietly, and when she raises her eyes back up towards Sue, she looks almost timid. "Heather has also spoken very highly of you, of how much you helped her after she lost her husband. She trusts you. And that is good enough for me." She musters up a weak smile. "Thank you."
*
"Heather is a good friend and a kind soul, far kinder than I deserve," Sue manages with a fond smile. "Believe me. More than once she could've… well, I don't always deserve kindness. But Heather has always provided it in spades." Her smile grows. "Especially lately." Her hands scrub her face and she repeats: "Especially lately. It's hard though. We have these walls around this project, and for good reason. If our enemy can be anyone, then we literally have to be on the lookout everywhere."
*
"It's exhausting," Liv agrees with a laugh, burying her face in her hands. "Lord. I am not cut out for any of this, it's all… I just hit things, stand in front of bullets for people who they would hurt. This intruige is utterly foreign to me."
*
A small chuckle emits from Sue's lips. "Me neither. I have no ability for this. I'm a scientist. I don't hide truth, I uncover it." She smirks. "I haven't even gotten to talk to Reed about all of this."
*
"Well. If you need someone to commiserate with, you're welcome to call on me and swab my cheek any time." Liv drops her hands and smiles tiredly at her. After a pause for thought, her gaze sharpens, just slightly. "Oh. I should mention. Languages." She lightly slaps herself on the forehead. "All of us — Asgardians, I mean — if a language is spoken, we can understand it, and speak it. So if you find yourself in need of an interpreter…"
*
Sue's eyebrows lift, "That… is good to know." For a lot of reasons. Including the fact she often speaks Korean around her brother in an effort to make sure other people don't know what they're saying. "And potentially useful. I'll remember that," she shoots Liv a grin.
*
"In the meantime… whatever you need from me." Liv takes a breath before she flashes a grin. "I've already expressed my beliefs about Loki's involvement in the assassination to some people that I know, so I can't really change my story now when it comes to them, it would seem odd. But within the task force, I will not contradict it," she promises.