Magical Rumors Board

January 26, 2015: Bobbi has a lunch meeting with Sara to get some information on who or what might have provided the magic for the HYDRA attack on the Triskelion.

Excellent Dumpling - Chinatown - NYC

Chinese restaurant.



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Mood Music:

In order to escape the wrath of the Director, Bobbi volunteered herself to speak to the magically inclined or knowledgeable contacts on the SHIELD consultant roster as well as anyone on their radar with that info who isn't up and up an enemy. First on her list is Sara Pezzini, in part because she's a known commodity to SHIELD, in part because she's dating Captain Effing America which means she has to be a decent sort, but mostly because she's a cop and One Police Plaza is in Chinatown. Yay for good food!

Agent Morse left a phone message requesting lunch with Sara at Excellent Dumpling down the block from the station. The once-again blonde is seated at a small table in a corner, with an assortment of dumplings in bamboo baskets in front of her, and a bowl of their specialty curry chicken rice noodle soup. There's plenty to share. She's dressed down in jeans and a comfy-looking sweater, with the equivalent of a parka on the back of her chair in a nod to the impending blizzard.


There's a surprising amount of paperwork involved in trading off shifts with SHIELD. Sara was dropping off one set and picking up another at the office when she got word that another SHIELD agent wanted to chat. And rather than endure another conversation about who's paying her salary, she was all too happy to meet for dumplings.

"Agent Morse?" she asks as she approaches the table, offering over a hand. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Had to pass along a few things back at the precinct. Everything all right?" She pauses, then shakes her head. "Stupid question. There'd be a jet and no dumplings if something was seriously wrong. What can I help you with?"


"Detective Pezzini, thank you for coming," the woman declares as she rises from her seat and shakes the offered hand. She's tall, statuesque even, and one might wonder what the hell she's doing in SHIELD instead of on a runway somewhere acting as a mobile clothes hanger. Bobbi smiles with all her charm at the fore, possibly due to the fact she's eating awesome hot food on a miserably cold day. "I'll try to make this brief, I know there's a storm on the way and I want to make sure we both get home safely."

Morse gestures at the food on the table. "Please dig in. I'm collecting any information I can for Director Fury regarding the supernatural or magical attacks they've begun launching. We're boots to the ground sorts, and this sort of thing is not our forte. According to our records you have experience with these sorts of things. I was hoping you might be able to help us understand what was used against us, and where it might have come from."

The agent lays out some photos from the security cameras and various sources inside the Triskelion during the attack. Portals, red and blue, Vikings and Demons. Fun wow.


Sara settles into a seat, pulling out a dumpling as she pulls over the photos to get a closer look. "I already met with Fitz," she notes, turning one of the photos. "But he didn't bring pictures. I'm happy to help if you guys need it, but you know that means there's going to have to be more interdepartmental paperwork." She whistles low as she flips through the pictures, shaking her head. "That's not…just a few cultists. That is a full-out assault. I haven't seen something that big since…Actually, I'm not sure I've ever seen something that big and that coordinated. People who do this sort of thing don't usually play well with others, you know?"


Bobbi pops a fried pork dumpling into her mouth and chews it thoughtfully while Sara looks over the photos. She swallows the morsel down. "I don't know, that's the issue. You give me terrorists and chemicals and viruses and bombs, I'm on it. You give me demons and two thousand year old Thor impersonators and I'm at a loss. All we do know is this was the work of HYDRA, which is bad news for more than just SHIELD."

She sips her soup for a moment as she formulates her questions. "Could they be brainwashing someone to do this? Forcing them? Or could this stuff be triggered with magical items?" Morse looks to be at a loss, which isn't surprising. This is way out of her comfort zone. "Is there anything on the magical rumors board about someone acquiring things that could do that?"


"There isn't a magical rumors board," Sara says ruefully, looking up from the papers. "Not really. Though I had an unpleasant visit from a sorcerer who time-shares with a demon within the last month or so. I think he said something about the barriers thinning." She takes another bite of the dumpling, frowning to herself for a moment before leaning back in her chair.

"That's the thing, though, Agent Morse. The barriers are always thinning. Something is always trying to break through. I've been dealing with this stuff for almost seven years now, and it doesn't change. I can tell you what I've picked up. Something this big? Someone's got to have some sort of artifact, and they've probably been working on it for a long damned time. I doubt you've got more than…at best, for them, you've got a group of mediocre practitioners working under the direction of someone with more power. They like the number thirteen, it's got significance."


"I'll see if we can get the crew on looking for recent recovery or auctions of artifacts or really old things. Maybe we'll get lucky. Is there anyone you recommend I talk to about this? I figured Zatanna Zatara would be one but I imagine her schedule is crowded. Anyone who might play more to the middle than you? Someone who might hear about things going on magically amid the nastybads?" Bobbi asks.


"Call John Constantine if you've got his number," Sara suggests as she straightens the photos. "Jason Blood, in Gotham. Blood's not likely to get involved, but he hears things. Fenris may know a thing or two. Zatara's usually read in, and there's a mutant girl who goes by Magik who's usually up on things." She pushes a hand through her hair, frowning at the photo on the top of the pile. "I wish I could be more help. If you guys want me to come by and see if I can see anything you didn't, I'll be glad to. The Witchblade just tends to be more reactive than proactive. It'll push me toward the problem. Or bring the problem to me. I've never been one hundred percent sure which of those is more true. For what it's worth, apparently there are parts of Hell that aren't thrilled with what HYDRA's been doing. Which means feeding them to their own minions isn't off the table."


"Now seeing that happen would be worth the price of admission. Watching HYDRA getting munched on by the hellspawn they summoned. That might be on my bucket list," Bobbi quips with a grin. "Thank you for the list. I'll see about contacting those individuals. As for coming by to take a look, run that by Deputy Director Hill at the very least. I don't want to do anything to anger the SHIELD gods by bringing someone in too deep," she admits. "Now eat your lunch before we get buried in snow. I miss Hawai'i already."

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