Pre- S1E1

[protect_and_survey]

Jemma cannot remember the last time she was this excited. It's really, really happening - her field assignment starts today, and Fitz is coming too, and they have their own mobile lab, and it's all quite frankly the best thing ever.

So Jemma is exploring. She'll visit the lab later with Fitz, but she wants to see everything else too (and possibly scope out the best bunk).

Comments

[not_the_cavalry]

Melinda May is walking the Bus. She's been staying here pretty much since they got it in liveable condition. There's a lot of things to acquaint herself to.

"Agent Simmons," she says, smiling slightly as she pauses by the front of the general living quarters (hers are by the cockpit). "Good morning."

[protect_and_survey]

Jemma, who was busily investigating the properties of the rather futuristic coffee machine, very visibly startles, fumbling and re-catching the coffee pot before it can go flying.

"Err, hullo, I mean. Um. Hi, I'm... you already know that."

[not_the_cavalry]

"Yes," Melinda says, letting some of her quiet amusement show. "We've met. Melinda May; Agent Coulson has me running the plane. Would you like a tour?"

[protect_and_survey]

"Oh, yes! Agent May, right, um, yes, I would, Fitz is... um, that's Leo... Leopold, Fitz, my partner, I'm... Actually I'm not sure at all where he is there were some last-minute things with the lab and..."

More than one person has tried to get her to stop babbling in the last few weeks. Sadly, all of those people have failed.

"Um, yes. A tour sounds lovely."

[not_the_cavalry]

Melinda May was not born to be a tour guide.

"Well, this is the galley. The cabinets should latch shut when you close them, but--" she pulls one open with a small tug, and stays silent while she closes it so as to not muffle out the quiet click of the latch closing -- "be sure they do."

She turns out of the galley into the bus. "Living quarters for the team, including bunks. Agent Coulson has already chosen his bunk," Melinda says, pointing to the one closest to the stairs to his office, "but you have second choice. Mine is near the cockpit."

[protect_and_survey]

Jemma looks far too excited by the idea of bunks. The novelty will wear off quickly.

Maybe.

...

No, actually... no, it won't. It really won't.

"Goodness this is spacious it's actually bigger than my apartment which isn't hard, of course and... is there really another level up to this thing?" With a fancy spiral staircase, no less. "It really does just keep going on, doesn't it?"

[not_the_cavalry]

"They did a good job with the remodel," she says, smile faintly proud as she looks across the space.

"The staircase goes up to Agent Coulson's office."

She walks forward, and around the seating area. "The command center," she says, opening the door into the glass room. "Here's where we'll have the majority of meetings concerning any developments we encounter. The extra seats are in case we collaborate with other agents."

[protect_and_survey]

Jemma does not, actually, squeak and bounce up and down on her toes.

...

The impression that she really wants to is there, however.

"I just think it will be ever so much more efficient and effective having sciences give reports directly to those carrying out the missions rather than having multiple summary reports between the actual information and its use... and vice versa, of course, though I'd expect that'd be done more in the laboratory, what with potential radiation and whatnot."

... Maybe Coulson will deal with teaching her how to use sentences with single-digit numbers of words. Just wait May - you haven't gotten FitzSimmons in stereo yet.

[not_the_cavalry]

"... Yes," May says, after a moment to make sure Simmons is done. "That's most of the idea."

It's experimental, which never really bodes well for May, but she mostly trusts Phil's insight. If that fails, she trusts her own even more.

"The more public part of the living quarters is through here," she says, walking out the second door, into an area that looks mostly like a living room, with extra things on the side, including chairs facing each other across a table next to one of the windows. "It's been updated from previous models."

It has booze.

[protect_and_survey]

"... There's a bar." There's a very nice bar, actually. "And.... sofas?"

She sounds completely dumbfounded, because... well. This just not something that happens in her world. No one put a bar in the last SHIELD facility she was assigned to.

[not_the_cavalry]

May's eyebrows raise slightly. "Yes. That's it, for the living areas. Do you have any questions?"

[protect_and_survey]

Clearly, clearly, May hasn't spent too much time in the Sciences division - Jemma doesn't get asked that question too often. Not anymore.

Her expression reflects her surprise and amused glee at hearing it though.

"Do I have a limit?" Her SO gives her three questions. It helps with priorities. And with his blood pressure.

[not_the_cavalry]

Melinda checks her watch. "I have a meeting in twenty minutes. You have ten."

[protect_and_survey]

"Oh! In that case, do you know if there will be any other agents from the Sciences division in this team? And I didn't see an end-date to this particular assignment, do you know if this is meant to be an ongoing assignment or more of something done on a trial basis to work out logistics? Are we to have backup? Are we really going to have enough down-time to want... this? Oh! Do you know where we're going first?"

May. Ten minutes? This may be the longest ten minutes ever.

For the record, she's hoping the answers are 'yes, there's an actual doctor', 'ongoing, get used to it', 'possibly', and 'somewhere with snakes, lots of snakes, so many snakes'.

[not_the_cavalry]

"Questions one at a time," Melinda clarifies. "The assignment is ongoing, as a non-combat unit we are unlikely to require backup beyond Agent Ward, and our current schedule and travel plans are undecided. We'll go where we need to, when we need to -- which means there will be lulls."

Pause.

"Were you expecting another agent?"

[protect_and_survey]

Jemma, very well aware of her extraordinary good luck in getting this assignment in the first place, spots the warning in that tone, her eyes going wide.

"What? No, just... wondering how best to divvy up the lab, that's all."

Oh lord, she'll need to read up on emergency living human medical things. All of them.

[not_the_cavalry]

"I'll leave that to you and Agent Fitz. You will remain in control of the lab space if we do have guest scientists."

[protect_and_survey]

Guest scientists?

...

Could they get Hawking?

...

Or Banner?

...

Jemma displays discretion and decides not to ask those questions. Not yet, anyway.

"Oh, that's good, we pretty much have that down to an art, honestly, there was just that time with the cat and that really wasn't a problem Fitz just shouldn't be eating in... erm. I mean. It will be fine."

[not_the_cavalry]

May's eyebrows don't arch. But there's an impression that, if she weren't being the utmost professional, they would.

She checks her watch.

"Will that be all, Agent Simmons?"

[protect_and_survey]

No, it really, really isn't, but Jemma knows that tone too.

"Yyyes. Yes ma'am." She can figure everything else out on her own, and with Fitz. She's sure.

Or she can find someone else to ask, if necessary.

[not_the_cavalry]

Agent May's expression softens slightly, bordering on a smile.

"I look forward to working with you."

Then she turns, and leaves the room, heels making muffled taps against the carpet.

[protect_and_survey]

"Likewise, Agent May!" Jemma calls after her.

Well, no time like the present to go check out the isolation unit. Looks like she's going to be the one in charge of the dang thing.