Unconventional Training [Rosie/Larry]

[m i c h a e l]

Continuing from the room: after Captain America caught Larry trying to improve his shooting skills by himself (and chastised him for it), Rosie took Larry to a farmhouse in the country where she grew up, and tried to get him to shoot not from a target but just bottles on a railing. He showed some success from the change in scenery, and they started to talk.

Rosie: Huzzah! *see, she knew you could do it... that's three out of four, better than your crumpled target back at the range, she bets. She takes another generous drink of the whiskey, then pats the ground beside her. * Or you're just more relaxed...*give yourself a bit of credit. She lays back on the grass, looking up at the stars again* I'll set a few more up here in a minute.

---

Hm, maybe. *he's not really in the credit-giving business, at least when it comes to this....at the pat, he lowers himself to the ground, eyeing the whiskey bottle as he does so....not because he wants some, and not in a judgmental way, but he feels like he should make sure you're OK to drive home....when you lay back, he doesn't but he does settle into a cross-legged position himself* Sure, no problem. *he doesn't sound super impatient about the notion of more practice - even if he is showing some improvement given the change of venue....instead he says* I know I'm a.... *he struggles to find the word* ....pain. I really appreciate the help.

[RazzleDazzle]

A pain? I don't think you're a pain. *she quirks a brow and looks over at you, propping herself up on an elbow* Though, I do wonder sometimes. About why you're here. *pause* Not that I think you don't belong or don't fit or whatever, but...*she hopes you don't take offense - she probably wouldn't normally say this, but the alcohol has loosened her lips somewhat* It's easy to figure Van Dyne and Ross - looking for some kind of vengeance - and Captain America is obvious. But what about you? *Rosie shifts a bit, looking up at you a bit more intently* Why did Larry Garber decide to join SHIELD? *again, no offense. You didn't seem particularly happy here, you didn't have any particular agenty skills outside of being really smart and a technological genius. But that skillset will translate to almost any other sort of job. So why a government agent? Her eyes narrow a bit* And if you say it's to impress some dumb civilian chick, I swear I will leave you out here for the coyotes.

[m i c h a e l]

*he doesn't look offended, but he does squirm a bit under the intensity of your gaze and the directness of the questioning...your perception is correct though - he's not exactly what you'd consider "happy"...he doesn't answer the question right away, though, sitting in uncomfortable silence...finally he if gives a small, humorless laugh* Well, Larry Garber didn't really have much of a choice, really. *he gives you a lopsided smile* I got swept up in New York with Janet with all that Leviathan business. *the smile turns slightly sad, but he shakes his head, dispelling whatever it was that he was thinking about* But I guess...if I'm being honest, I had a kind of personal motive for staying. *he falls silent again, even though that might give you the wrong impression, that he was following after Van Dyne or something like a lost puppy....the real reason is even more personal, and he's not talked about it with anyone, not even Captain America....but now that it's out there in the wild, he suspects you'll press the issue one way or another....he sighs softly, and continues:* I was hoping that I'd be able to use some of SHIELD's assets to help....find my parents.

[RazzleDazzle]

*as you elaborate, she is prepared to literally leave you here, especially because it DOES sound like you followed Van Dyne here like a lovesick puppy, which is disgusting and really beneath you. She even starts to be a little huffy, looking away until you specify it's about your parents. Suddenly, Rosie sits up, turning to face you* Your parents? Do you mean like, you're adopted and are looking for your birth parents, or do you mean that your actual parents are missing? *and why didn't you just say that months ago, if you needed help? What's the point of being part of a secret government organization if you can't get a few personal perks? Or maybe you did say something, to someone else. Like Van Dyne perhaps? That thought bothers her, though she's not sure why. But she can help too, just like she offered to help Clint with the ninja problem. That's part of being a team*

[m i c h a e l]

*the question about whether he's adopted startles a chortle out of him, and he shakes his head* No, not adopted. *he falls silent for a moment....if only it were something that simple...he shifts his weight as if the ground suddenly became uncomfortable to sit on...he actually starts uncrossing his legs as if to stand, but then catches himself and settles back down again, finally returning his attention to you* My actual parents are missing. *he makes a face like you would if you knowingly used a wrong word but don't know what the correct one is* At least, I think so. *he sighs* It's....complicated. *he looks around, taking in the area where we are....in the middle of the country, dead of night, no one around....well hell, if he were going to talk about this with ANYONE, there may be no better place than you, right here right now...at least he's relatively certain there aren't any cameras nearby* I....listen....can I trust you? *it might be an insulting question to ask, but he means no offense by it....everything about his demeanor speaks to someone with something to get off their chest*

[m i c h a e l]

[Completed In The Room]

Rosalyn Diaz: now she's intrigued...missing parents, but there's something else, something secretive. She loves secrets! It's why she became an agent. Well, that and the guns. Heh. Rosie sits up as well, crossing her long legs* Of course. *Could you trust her? Sure. Should you? That's a different story. She isn't a gossip, but she also has loyalties. If you are about to reveal that you think SHIELD is responsible for your missing parents and you plan to take it down from the inside, then you won't ever leave this middle of nowhere place.*

G. A. L.: *well he's in it now, for better or worse...he shifts his weight once more, looking even more uncomfortable, his eyes darting everywhere but you...it doesn't even cross his mind that you could be lying in your response to him.....after a protracted pause, he sucks in a long breath and lets it out in a sigh...then:* Larry Garber isn't my real name. It's an...alias. *he'd been staring straight ahead, pointedly not at you, but his eyes flick over to you for a second before he continues* My parents....they were part of government experiments before they had me and...we've been living off the grid ever since.

Rosalyn Diaz: her first thought was that it totally made sense because who is really named Larry? Still... you see her brows draw together as she processes what you're saying, but there's not enough information. Her first response is defensive - you've infiltrated SHIELD under false pretenses and she needs to protect the organization. But... is there more to the story? She held up two fingers* 1. Does Director Fury know? 2. Which government? *there's a slight pause, then she holds up a third finger* Subquestion: If Fury doesn't know, HOW did you get it past him?

G. A. L.: *he squirms a bit under the questioning, but he did invite this on himself....if you'd just placidly accepted what he said with no follow-up that would be surprising...that doesn't mean that he's happy about it...at your first question, his lips quirk upward in a half-grin* I...well....I sort of assumed that Fury knew all along, or found out and just doesn't care. *he shrugs slightly* I...if you're asking if I told him, I didn't. *and maybe he'll be drummed out of SHIELD for that, and maybe he'll deserve it* It really is just enough to get past a basic credit check, like to open a bank account, nothing that I would expect to escape SHIELD's notice if they wanted to. As for which government... *he sucks in a breath, holds it for a moment, exhales* You ever heard of MKUltra? It was a project under that....so, ostensibly, CIA. *does that mean definitively that SHIELD didn't have its tentacles in it? it does not*

Rosalyn Diaz: she doesn't actually know MKUltra, but Rosie is filing away all the information to doublecheck it later. Your answers don't exactly put her at ease either. She's silent for several minutes, obviously thinking through the best course here. An owl hoots softly nearby and she glances toward the sound before looking back at you* What sort of experiments? *believe it or not, but being part of this team is her first real exposure to the whole experimenting on humans/superhuman sort of thing. She's mostly just been a run-of-the-mill special agent type up until now.*

G. A. L.: *everything he has to tell you would line up with the records, public and otherwise, on the program....any training you have on detecting when someone is lying would not indicate any sort of falsehood from him....when you ask what sort of experiments, his gaze drops to the patch of grass between his feet...it's to the ground where he addresses his words* They told my parents at the time it was some kind of "psychology experiment". *there's no hiding the bitterness in his words* They dosed them with drugs - they never told them what - and had them answer a bunch of random questions. Later, they compared notes and figured that they were trying to figure out if the drugs gave them any kind of telepathic abilities.

Rosalyn Diaz: there's a small noise of distaste as you explain... not directed toward you, but in reference to what happened to your parents. Experimenting on humans, isn't that what they're up against right now? Abhorrent. * Did it work? *pauses again as a thought dawns on her* Do YOU have telepathic abilities? *no one had mentioned it before, but if you got your identity past Fury, who knows what else got past him?*

G. A. L.: *he looks up at you at the first question, with a small smile that's just tinged with sadness* If it did, they never told me. *honestly? he thinks it had SOME kind of effect, given his own abilities....at the follow-up question, he shakes his head* No, nothing like that. Just this... *he taps the side of his temple with one finger* ....super smarts, the most boring mutant ability there is. *and there it is: he finally comes out and admits it...he drops his gaze again, afraid to see your reaction to the admission that he's technically a mutant*

Rosalyn Diaz: But useful. Unlike some mutations. *at least you weren't some gelatinous glob or house large maggots in your intestines or something. She didn't even respond to the mutant admission -- no one really cares about that. Agent Thane is a mutant, you know. * So, tell me about your missing parents. When did they go missing? What was the last contact you had with them? Things like that...*now that she had the background info, time to get down to business*

G. A. L.: *when you don't react with immediate disgust, he looks up somewhat hopefully....though his expression changes slightly as you start asking questions....now it's his turn to feel a tingle of protectiveness....he hasn't definitively disproven that SHIELD was involved at all in those experiments, so he needs to be somewhat guarded on how much he divulges....he shifts his weight uncomfortably and for the first time you might detect a hint of caginess in his tone* I.... so....okay, like I said, they figured out it was an experiment, and they figured the government would be checking on them....so they were living under aliases and such, off the grid, even before they had me.... *he makes a frustrated sound* I...what I mean to say is....it's not uncommon for them to vanish sometimes....but this....it was a much longer period than normal..... *he makes a face* Our...."contact" was usually stuff like....they'd make a deposit into a bank account I had access to, so I'd know they were OK. Things like that. The last time I clocked any activity on ANY accounts of theirs I know about was about three and a half months before I got mixed up with SHIELD in New York.

Rosalyn Diaz: haha, thought I replied, then the youngest came down for a snack, and now I've been sitting here waiting for you. Rosie sat and listened - she's a good listener, then looked over with her brows lifted. Did you really live like that? She doesn't call her parents every day -- and sometimes when she's on assignment, she CAN'T talk to them for weeks at a time -- but your relationship with them sounds so lonely. She bites at her bottom lip, thinking for several seconds before replying* So it's been quite a while. And you've tried searching? *they're "off the grid, sure, but with SHIELD resources at your disposal....* Do you know their last known location?

G. A. L.: *it was a pretty lonely way to grow up...lonely and stunted in many respects...perhaps some of his mannerisms and reactions to things are starting to make sense...he squirms again as you ask more questions* I...think I got a partial face match off of an ATM, that's where I was in the city when....well, you know... *he makes a vague gesture encompassing everything his life has become since....he's silent for a few seconds before he speaks again* I...listen, what you have to understand is...I...my parents...I don't know who all may be looking for them, and I didn't want to try searching in case it triggered some kind of alert....I don't have any reason to think it would on SHIELD systems, but....I've been poking around the perimeter of it, as far as I can go without putting in their actual names or any of their aliases. *pause* Plus....uhm....things have been....kind of busy.

Rosalyn Diaz: she laughs once at that remark, because truer words were never spoken. But it wasn't going to get any better - such is the life of a SHIELD agent, there was always something that needed immediate attention. She reached over and touched your hand lightly, just a brief gesture of support* How can I help?

G. A. L.: *he lets out a small gasp as you touch his hand, more surprised than anything...his hand twitches like he's going to pull it away, but he doesn't....his eyes flick from your hand, to your face* Help? *it's a simple word, but he sounds more confused at the question than someone of his intelligence aught to* I... *thoughts crash into each other in his head as he takes this into account....he's never had someone else helping him on this sort of thing.....his jaw sets suddenly as he reaches a decision* I....could you protect me from Mr. Fury when I tell him? *he gives a forced chuckle; he's only half-joking*

Rosalyn Diaz: she laughs at that as well, making a bit of a face* I can try. But no promises. *he was a force to be reckoned with, for sure. But if your false identity was as flimsy as you claimed it to be, you were right -- he likely already knew. Which reminds her!!* So, if you aren't Larry Garber....who are you?

G. A. L.: *at your question, he does pull his hand back, seeming to shrink back into himself a bit....he ducks his head down and kind of hunches his shoulders....this is something he has conditioned himself against doing, but now here he is about to reveal it to everyone at SHIELD potentially....at least he's starting with you* George Lawrence is my given name. *not much more exciting than Larry Garber, in his view* I....you should know, I told The Captain about some of this....mostly the bit about my parents....but he doesn't know about my name.

Rosalyn Diaz: Well, it is nice to meet you, George. *she gives a cheeky grin and holds a hand out for a handshake - it takes her a moment to realize who "the Captain" is, but she gives a nod. That makes sense. She won't even tell you that you should tell him, because that's your business. But you SHOULD talk to Director Fury.* Maybe we should head back before they think WE'VE gone missing.

G. A. L.: *he returns your cheeky grin with one that is a bit uncertain, but he does reach out and clasp your hand, giving a shake* Glad to make your acquaintance, Agent Diaz.... *when you mention getting back, he gives a faint nod and moves to stand up....he reaches out a hand to help you stand, out of sheer politeness, not offended if you're able to get up without assistance....surely you're more physically capable than he is!...as we're getting up, he speaks again* Are....are you going to be okay to drive? *he thinks of the booze you had before*

Rosalyn Diaz: she clutches your hand and hops up off the ground, brushing her bottom off...looking askance at your question. Of course she's fine to drive, the news hasn't upset her terribly or anyth--oh, you mean because she had like three gulps of whiskey. LOL * Why? Do you want to drive? *she's fine - not to brag, but she can hold her alcohol pretty well. * And I thought you were going to call me Rosie?

G. A. L.: *he shakes his head firmly at the question* No, nothing like that! I just.... *he trails off, unsure if you'd be offended by his rationale for asking.....after a second, he waves it away* Nevermind....er, Rosie.

Rosalyn Diaz: *well, now she's feeling a bit mischievious because you've intimated that she can't hold whiskey, so guess what? She pulls out her keys and tosses them at you* You might as well. *heh, do you even know how to drive? She hopes so. LOL She gathers up anything that can be gathered up and heads back toward the house and car*

G. A. L.: *he catches the keys with surprising ease considering his bad luck with sharpshooting....his eyes widen a bit and he opens his mouth as if to object, but you don't really give him the chance....he kind of turns in a small circle, the keys in his extended hand....making a low noise in the back of his throat, he follows you, looking a bit nonplussed...fortunately for the both of us, he's a better driver than he is a marksman....even more surprising, he seems to be able to navigate back to the city without needing you to give him directions, not even once......we ride in silence for a time, and then he speaks somewhat hesitantly* So...he....The Captain....he never told you anything? *he doesn't think The Captain is a blabbermouth or something, but for some reason he assumes that it would have come up in the natural course of conversation between you two*

Rosalyn Diaz: she is impressed with your driving skills, especially considering she had already assumed that you didn't drive. Rosie looks over, a faint look of surprise on her face* No, should he have? *she and Cap don't really have "conversations" per se. Mostly shop talk, that sort of thing. And, of course, getting reprimanded when she's done something wrong, apparently!*

G. A. L.: Well....no. *it WAS a secret after all....he tries but he can't keep a bit of the "no doi" tone from his voice....he makes a face and shifts a bit in his seat* I just thought maybe it might have come up, I don't know.... *his estimation of The Captain rises a bit more at that....he's still intimidated as hell by the man, but at least he can keep confidences....and George intends to repay that with the full truth once we get back....he glances over at you* I....so....ah....what made you decide to join SHEILD? *too much of this conversation has been about him, he doesn't want to monopolize things*

Rosalyn Diaz: That's classified. *she responds with complete seriousness and then reamins quiet for several seconds before grinning* Let's just say I was recruited by Director Fury after an...incident... in college. *that didn't really clarify things, but it's not really important, honestly.* I like what we do though. Usually.