Landed Sky catch-all!

[alterer]

Characters: Nilin (alterer), Bucky Barnes(trainwrecked), Annabeth Chase (sophos), Sharon Carter (agentx13)
Date: Mid May --> TBA!
Location: Various
Situation: Initial Meet-up and discussion, catch-all for check ins thereafter.
Warnings/Rating: None thus far aside from people being awesome. Will edit as required.


At the Police Academy in central Keeliai, four foreigners have been assembled and a great task set before them. There are maps and documents, a great deal to study before they get to any real work and information from Evandau himself shared only under the promise that it will spread no further than those present.

Left alone, Nilin looks to the other three she's been set to work alongside and gives a nod. She knows faces, voices, but this is the first time she's really met any of them. "First things first, I guess. I'm Nilin. I don't believe we've met."

Comments

[trainwrecked]

"Yeah, we'd be kinda conspicuous without 'em." He gives Sharon another nod, but doesn't ask for the amulets quite yet. "Even if he's got some foreigners actually workin' for him, I suspect they'll be known well. Changing to look like kedan..."

He rubs his face, then focuses on the file in front of him again.

"I've only been there for an audience, and in the areas open to the public when the jiangshi attacked. I can see if I can find anything more in the hours before we're actually going in." His eyes dart to Sharon. Yes, he'll ask Natasha. Shh. Just in case.

"Since we don't have a place that we can arrange meetup, maybe set up pass words, in case some information has to be passed among us?"

[sophos]

"I have. I've broken in," Annabeth says, maybe a little purposely, especially once she catches the glance Bucky gives Sharon. "It's entirely likely the interior has been altered since being taken over, especially given the exterior changes, but there are a handful of ways in and out that'll probably be useful." And she'll share them, because if all four of them are going to be working in the palace, it'll be better to have alternative ways out. She walks over to the maps on the table, starts scanning them over herself.

"Any discussions of information we have should probably take place out of the palace, if possible, at risk of being overheard and busted. But we could use passwords to signal a need for immediate communication. And whatever we look like under disguise - we should know, so there aren't any cases of mistaken identity among us."

She doesn't look up at Sharon, but it's clear the next question is for her. "Does the magic user have a name? If we're going to use the amulets, we should know as much as we can about them."

She has a guess. A good guess. But she'll play dumb.

[agentx13]

Sharon shifts uncomfortably. She hates sharing information that could put others at risk. But at least she trusts Bucky and Annabeth. She's still considering Nilin.

"Her name is Zatanna." Yes, the same girl who had switched everyone's bodies and genders and abilities months ago. "Two have already been successfully field-tested. All we have to do is put them on - they work best as necklaces. They won't change us completely, but she assured me we'd be unrecognizable to anyone who knows us at a glance." She digs into one of the pouches on her belt and pulls out four choker necklaces, each with an amulet. "They aren't foolproof. She tried to keep the levels low so that they wouldn't be detected, but someone with enough power can still sense the amulets and root us out."

She glances at Annabeth, a silent promise not to forget what she'd said about breaking in. There's one thing she wants to discuss first, so long as they have some degree of leisure. "I know Bucky knows some codes, and if you don't, Annabeth, I know you're clever enough to catch on quickly." Her gaze settles on Nilin. "I don't know as much about your background as I'd like, though. What are your thoughts?" And skills, too, of course.

Sorry, Nilin, but Sharon doesn't trust you as much as she does the others.

[alterer]

There's no way to miss the reactions of the others in regards to her. Nilin knows she's the odd one out long before it's said. They know each other, or are familiar at the least. She's yet to meet any of them until now.

It's uncomfortable, really, but understandable all the same. This is a war, and she is the stranger they've been asked to trust. Her gaze moves from the page before her to meet Sharon's and after a brief pause, Nilin nods.

"By the sound of things, you all know each other and I know as much about you as you do about me. Perhaps introductions are in need from all angles?" comes her reply, words calm and even.

"My name is Nilin Cartier-Wells. I'm a memory hunter from a place called Neo-Paris. I work alone more often than not, but in this case I feel teamwork might be necessary." As she speaks, Nilin looks to Bucky and Annabeth. "I'm good in a fight should it come to one, hand-to-hand a specialty though I've got a few other tricks up my sleeve should push come to shove."

Talking about herself to this degree is something Nilin rarely ever does. There's a reason here though. She wants these people to trust her at least a little. "I can be quiet when I want to be. I've done my share of sneaking around. The computer systems here are far less advanced than where I'm from, so working my way about them, however thoroughly is another thing I can do."

Well, that and her Sensen can help a lot in that regard.

[trainwrecked]

Bucky's eyes flick at Annabeth for a moment, once Nilin is done - which he acknowledges with a nod. He has... questions and remarks and. First things first.

"I'm Sergeant Bucky Barnes, from the 107th Infantry Regiment of the US Army during what's known, in our world, as the Second World War. Been to the original Paris, by the way. After we got a super-soldier, well, Captain America, he made up a team for special operations taking out the mystic-scientific wing of the Nazi party, and I was on that team, best strength as a sniper. That... in general outline matches Agent Carter's world, too, I believe - she knows 'bout me from hers, she's after my time." As far as he knows. There may be details for them to talk about later.

"Been here for - will be two years in August. Since the late Emperor started pulling foreigners this time 'round. For some of that time, I've been practicing with somebody who's much better than ... most people in both sneaking and hand-to-hand." Small shrug. That's more of a resume than he's had most of his life, really.

"When I came here, I thought I was about to die, back home. That... might not have happened with as much certainty as I thought, but I don't think it matters all that much."

He tries to meet the eyes of all three women in turn. "If anyone's gotta take a fall, if things go hairy, I'll be willing to do that. Not because I don't have anything to lose here, and I won't exactly look for it, but - I'm not exactly the best at planning." Compared to Steve Rogers, or Natasha Romanoff, but, hey. "If the call's gotta be made, it's a good thing to know, who's standing where."

And he's a soldier. He's made that choice a long time ago.

Then he turns to Annabeth. "When it comes to sharing the information - and I might be wrong, my knowledge of magic ain't exactly extensive - wouldn't going in and out a lot increase the chance of being noticed? We might wanna keep that to as small a number as we can, I think."

He breathes out, shoulders slumping at Sharon's words as to the likeliness of detection of the amulets. "Right. We can't really spend much time there without 'em, but we should try to avoid anyone with much of a magical ability. Like the bid bad guy. Got it.

"I've made progress with sneaking around. But checking how much of the palace has changed from these plans before trying to go around without the amulets is probably also a good idea."

[sophos]

Annabeth wouldn't say she trusts Bucky or Sharon, but it's hard for someone to earn her complete trust. And she can appreciate how open Nilin is, without much prompting. They have to have some level of openness between them, though, especially if they're going to be working together, as each other's only allies within the palace.

"My mother is the goddess Athena, which makes me a demigod." There's a lot she could say about herself, and before Tartarus, she might have - but she's been a bit humbled by that, taken to being somewhat cautionary over her pride. So she sticks to the minimum. "I've fought in two wars, not including this world's. It'll be two years here come August for me, too, and I was among the first to be brought when the former Emperor started her summoning process. Since Athena is the goddess of warfare, I know how to plan and fight, in whatever method is necessary, and I've been training since I was seven years old." She's got a knife hooked at her waist, but there's quite the armory back at her suite. Annabeth is a soldier, too. Her lips quirk a little, before she adds: "I've been to Paris once, too."

She gives the amulets a second look over. It wasn't exactly the answer she'd been expecting, but it's relieving to know it's her friend's rather than Eva. "I know Zatanna. I can vouch for these. They'll be useful."

But then she looks over at Bucky. "I have no intention of staying inside the palace indefinitely. Our disappearances in Keeliai would be cause for suspicion, too. We need to strike a balance, and I'm pretty sure Mally's got people coming and going - he's gotta have his own spies. We can figure out the pattern of their comings and goings, and try to do something similar ourselves. We don't want people suspicious of us outside the palace either."

[agentx13]

The daughter of Athena, one of the best assassins she knows, and a memory hunter. She's not particularly sure what to do with that, yet, but she can come back to it later.

"My name is Sharon Carter. Back home, I worked for a peace-keeping organization called SHIELD - Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate. I have experience working undercover, infiltrating enemy bases, hacking computers, and fighting. My code name was Agent 13, but too many people know that for me to use it on this mission."

Her lips quirk a little. "Since it sounds like we're all familiar with Paris, I suggest we use that base for our code, if they're similar enough for us to know the same landmarks and such."

She glances at Annabeth. "It may be dangerous to assume we'll be able to leave the palace when we want to. We don't know yet what the circumstances are there. We might want to start laying the groundwork for our absences now, getting cover stories in order if we need them."

She turns back to Nilin. "Memory hunter?"

Most importantly, how can that help them? Is it a sort of magic that can use?

[alterer]

It's interesting to hear about the others, and Nilin holds to every word. Some of it seems unbelievable, but she pushes aside any skepticism. Crazier things have happened. They're on the back of a giant turtle after all. Having even base knowledge of her teammates does a lot to set her mind at ease. Each mention of Paris brings the hint of a smile to her face, but otherwise she keeps her focus.

"The original Paris was brought to ruin long before I was born. Neo-Paris is what was rebuilt a few decades later. They salvaged quite a lot of it, so there's bound to be common points we all know."

At the mention of coming and going, the woman frowns. Until at least one of them has been in there, knowing how things will work in that regard is going to be difficult. "Cover stories for sure, perhaps we work in teams or rotations. At least one of us on the outside at all times?"

This will take some thought. When Sharon asks about memory hunting, Nilin turns her head to show a white and yellow disc floating at the base of her skull. "This is a Sensen. It's a neural implant that allows me to treat my brain like a computer. Thoughts and memories can be erased, copied, shared and manipulated. Everyone in my Paris has one, thus the flow of data is constant."

She pauses a moment, honestly wondering if she's making any sense. Her next words she knows will sound cold, but there's no easy way around it. "I and others like me can take those memories without the owner even knowing. Of course, I can't do it here. No one else has a Sensen."

Things would be so much easier if she could. This whole mission would have a massive advantage, were that the case. "However, like a computer, I can write my own... programs, really. They take some time to construct, but the ones I have in action right now allow me to hack consoles in seconds, store large sums of data almost instantly. Anything with an electronic core, I can do something with."

Control, manipulate, detonate. "I can also map a path and leave tracers that only I'll be able to see, or activate. I know this doesn't help the rest of you directly, but at the least I'll be able to map any findings when we're not in the palace."

[trainwrecked]

Excuse the old guy, Nilin. Bucky can't suppress a shudder at the sight of the implant. The closest he's gotten to seeing anything like that back home were some of Zola's plans he's caught sight of during the Commandos' attacks on Hydra, and those are really not among his fondest memories.

He forces himself past the reaction, however, only commenting, quietly, "from what I understand," thanks to Natasha's teaching, again, "what's happening now with the consoles suggests something like that ... you should be careful, right? 'cause of what," his eyes flick to Annabeth, "Mally can do." It's not an 'I'm suspicious of you now' reaction. More like bringing it out in the open, for all of their sake.

And also a small thank-you, for letting them know.

It took him a moment to realize that he has nothing to contribute to the discussion - not useful, anyway - without some mulling over. So he turns to action, next. Where a moment ago he was almost hesitant, now he reached to take one of the pendants. Not because Annabeth vouched for them, really, but because the sooner they knew, the better.

"What does it take to make 'em work?"

[sophos]

"I have responsibilities in Keeliai I can't abandon." A zoo, mostly, but also her friends. "If there's a way out, I'll find it and use it without compromising myself or any of you - I already know a way in that escaped Eshai's notice. My complete disappearance will be suspicious, even with excuses." It's probably... kind of self-important, maybe even a little selfish, but she's already done the impossible getting through hell alive, that working within the palace feels easier, and that's with Mally using it as a base. She refuses to get stuck for too long inside the palace, no matter what kind of mission she's supposed to be doing. Asking Frank to look after Mrs. O'Leary alone when she vanishes for the first time is going to be enough cause for concern - she hasn't decided what to tell him yet, truth or lies.

Besides. She can go invisible. That'll definitely be useful here, on some level, even if she's a little hesitant to reveal so out loud right now.

She nods at Nilin. "I like the idea of potential rotations. And we probably shouldn't talk outside the palace more than necessary either. But we really need a better understanding of the layout before we start digging around too deep - and it sounds like the Sensen will be useful with that too. Mally's manipulation seems focused on the organic technology here, not any of our personal tech as foreigners."

Annabeth sighs a little. "I understand the concerns - that we might be stuck longer than we want to be, which is why we should find ourselves escape routes, and easy ways out. Any information we find inside will be useless if we can't actually get it out."

[agentx13]

Sharon's mouth tightens. She doesn't like that Annabeth is going to travel so much, but to try to stop her could potentially blow their cover.

There's a certain amount of trust that has to go with these missions, a trust she doesn't have yet in these individuals. But she'll have to.

And hey, if things go sideways, she'll torture and kill them herself. But politely - it's not as if she knows them particularly well. And maybe she'll only torture them a little bit. Speaking of...

Her eyes slide over to Bucky. They'll be talking about his proposed sacrifice play later in private.

"Just put them on, and they'll work. The pendants will still be visible. We can hide them under clothing, though, so that they don't draw too much attention."

She considers for a moment and looks back to Nilin. "Do you think you could work out some sort of virus that could feed us information from consoles at the computer? And any other electronics the enemy has. And a virus that could destroy any electronics in the palace when we're ready? Or maybe even change some information to throw people off."

[alterer]

Reactions to her Sensen are something Nilin has grown used to in the four months she's been on the turtle. At first she'd been confused, a little offended even, but putting herself in the position of someone who's never had one, and never been around one, she can understand why some react as they do.

There's definitely risks to coming and going, but Nilin can't fault Annabeth for making the call that she has. The best they can do for now is try to find a way for things to work as smoothly as possible without drawing enemy fire. So far, things seem to be working well enough, even if it is all theory and guesswork at this point.

At Sharon's question, she frowns faintly and nods her head. "I don't see why not." Back home it would definitely be possible. Here, with the difference in technology, it might take that little bit more effort. Nilin takes a moment to consider and then looks to the team.

"Yes," she says. "It'll take some work, but I should be able to manage something along those lines."

[trainwrecked]

Bucky is fingering a pendant - he'll put it on to try how it changes him in a moment, but focuses on the discussion, first.

"Does anybody know how we're gonna pass through the barrier? And what can pass?" Maybe, they can set up a means of communication that doesn't rely on one of them leaving - or entering. "Just in case something goes wrong, and whoever's inside can't leave." His eyes train on the papers in front of them. Maybe the answer's here already.

"I have... at least one person who could be trusted with pickup of information, just in case. She's already saved the turtle at least once back... a year and a half ago. Natasha Romanoff." He trust Steve. He trusts Steve more than Natasha. But months and months here have given him some idea of her skills, and the kind of sacrifices she is willing to make, to get the job done.

It's an offer for them to ponder. With it 'on the table,' Bucky shakes his head, and slips the pendant on.

Now they'll know how he'll look under the guise. Generally.

[sophos]

She doesn't miss the look Sharon gives her - and she's not blind to what the others might be thinking, of how stupid it might be to go back and forth so much. But she's stubborn, and she won't leave Frank - or any of her inherited zoo.

Annabeth reaches for a pendent of her own, though she doesn't put it on, just turns it over between her fingers to start.

"It sounds like we're all in a good position for this, at least," she offers, both on an individual level and as a group, being tasked with this mission. Because yeah, at the very least, they do all seem suited for it. "And - I have someone we could pass on information to also, if we wanted to think about that option. No one would even necessarily know he was there."

She won't explain what Frank can do, and if it turns out he wants nothing to do with it, she'll respect that. But she feels the need to offer that up too. "But I don't think we should trust anyone outside the four of us with anything related to this just yet either." Not that she has trust in them, exactly, but she can at least trust in their sense of self preservation alliance.

When Bucky slips the pendent on, she blinks a few times. "Well. You look like a kedan."

[agentx13]

"They'll need supplies. We may be able to sneak in with those." At Annabeth's suggestion, though, she considers that. "How is he getting in and out so no one knows he's there? Could he sneak the rest of us in?"

Whoever the "he" is.

She glances at Bucky and smirks, prodding him lightly with her foot. "Sexy," she teases before slipping on her own pendant.

Zatanna had done a good job. Sharon would have to make sure and tell her so if she ever sees her again.

[alterer]

The moment Bucky changes, Nilin makes a quiet 'huh' sound. She's impressed and more than a little curious. This kind of thing Nilin has seen before, but only with Sensen and technology. 'Magic' is still a foreign thing to her. Already she's pondering a visit to meet this Zatanna and talk more about what she's done.

She takes a pendant of her own but like Annabeth, doesn't slip it on. "I agree that any information should be kept to us for the time being. In the long run, we can introduce others, but for now..."

Nilin trails off, shakes her head lightly and breathes a sigh. "Can you talk to this friend of yours, Annabeth? Bringing him to meet us would be even better." A beat. She taps a finger to the side of her head. "I'll try to find a way to direct upload straight to the ones we're working for."

[trainwrecked]

Bucky's not losing track of the conversation, but as none of them seems to know about the workings on the barrier, he frowns and starts looking through the files. His eyes are working properly, and he's just getting accustomed to reading with them when Sharon's comment makes him glance up and snort, before returning to the writing.

"Agent Romanoff knows what she's doing better than anyone, but. Suit yourselves." Quiet, distracted, and then he does spot something that might be relevant.

"There. It seems that the barrier is similar to the one around the turtle, which probably means the big bad or somebody's gotten their hands on what the late Emperor can do. And it detects - huh. Being alive. So items might pass through unnoticed, probably, but people..."

His eyes narrow.

"People've been sent across the outer barrier before. And taken in. No idea who'll know about it, though."



ooc: Source for the barrier info.

[sophos]

"No, no sneaking. We still have to do that ourselves. But he's a shapeshifter and can easily hide in plain sight." That's the easiest way to explain it; Frank's gotten more open about using his power, but she feels weird describing it in details. Yes hello, my friend can transform into just about any animal! "I can bring him to meet you for sure, if he's interested, but only after we get a handle on what we're doing."

But she nods at Nilin; until they get a better understanding of what's going on, she still doesn't want to bring anyone else in yet. It'd be different if Percy were still here - they have no secrets, and there's no way her disappearance for that long could go flimsily unexplained to him.

Annabeth squints down here Bucky points, eyebrows furrowing. "That'll be an issue. Should we talk to Evandau about it? Unless these talismans," and she runs her fingers over her own, "can mask our entrance through the barrier, too?"