Caroline Stark

Chapter 36

I pull up in one of my dad's cars, just as Skye pulls up in her taxi. I give her a small nod and we walk to the gate. I'm actually surprised at the similarity of our outfits. We usually have the same hairstyle, but now, we wear a similar dress. Except, while hers is a bright pink color, mine is a sea green color. 

We walk up to the door and I pretend we don;t know eachother. We walk in separate directions, planning to meet later. I'm stunned by the place. A massive maze of walls led straight to the house garden, then, to the side, the enormous house. I turn to say something to Skye, before remembering that she's somewhere else, and that I'm not supposed to know her. 

I walk in to the large garden, and a man immediately offers me champagne and an hors d'oeuvre. A man approaches me, and I tense for a second. 

"Hello" he says with a smile. "I assume you're here representing Mr. Stark?"

I give a small smile. "Yes. He really wanted to come, but he was caught up with work business." I say. That's a lie. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Francois Hollande." he says. 

"He's the president of France." says Simmons over the earcom. 

"Oh wow!" I say, shaking his hand. "France is a lovely place." 

"You should go sometime. I promise the best treatment." he says. 

"I'd love to." I give him one last smile before departing. 

I spot Skye from across the garden, so we decide to "meet". 

"Hello!" I say. "Who might you be?" I ask. I make sure Quinn is watching. "I just love your dress." I add. 

"My name is Skye. I'm with the Rising Tide." she says, shaking my hand. "And you're Caroline Stark, I assume?"

"Yes." I say with a smile. 

We hold a little more conversation, then decide to go talk to Quinn. 

"Skipper to bravo, I have eyes on top dog. The eagle is landing on it." says Skye. 

"What?" I ask. 

"I'm telling Simmons and May that I'm going to talk to Quinn." she says defensively. 

I shrug. "Okay." 

We walk over, and Quinn spots me. "Caroline Stark" he says happily. "I was worried you wouldn't show."

"Don't be ridiculous. How could I miss this?" I ask, gesturing to the hors d'oeuvre. 

He laughs. "Who's your friend?" he asks. 

"Skye" says Skye. "I'm your last minute party crasher."

"Wow" says Quinn. "Great to meet you."he shakes her hand. "Um, this is Skye, a member of the Rising Tide. They're a group of hackers." Quinn says, introducing Skye to the group of people he was talking to. "And I'm sure you all know Miss Stark." he turns back to Skye and I. "I've gotten some pretty big secrets out to the public."

"I prefer the term hacktivist." Skye says to us. "I'm glad you've heard of our site."

"I read it" says Quinn. "We think very much alike. More freedom of information, less government infringing on everyone's rights. I'm a fan."

"That explains the invite. " says Skye. "This is a tough party to get into."

"Not as hard to get into as the encrypted back channel you contacted us through to request the invite." says Quinn. 

Skye laughs. "That's sort of where I live."

"You've got to show me how you did that." says Quinn. "I mean, if you sign on."

"Sign what now?" asks Skye. I pretend like I'm listening to another man talking, but I'm actually listening to Skye. 

"I've been known to turn a few black hats into white hats, if you know what I mean." says Quinn. "Not just for vulnerability analysis, but for very creative thinking."

"Are you offering me a job?" asks Skye. 

"Well, I didn't invite you here for your pretty face. says Quinn. "I didn't know you had a pretty face. Yes I want to hire you before someone else snatches you up."

I walk back over. "That seemed to go well."

"Yeah. It did." she replies. 

Quinn calls us all over to start his speech. "Many of you, shareholders, have been with us for many years, and I see a few new names here, but I want to thank you all for traveling so far to this beautiful country." he raises his glass. "And for slumming it at Shaba Tal-Banar." everyone laughs. Skye and I give awkward smiles. "This country where we are allowed to pursue progress and profit without the stranglehold of regulations that are now choking-"

I notice Skye slowly walk off. Quinn seems to be watching me, so I can't leave. 

He finishes his speech, and everyone claps. I'm about to go find Skye when Ian walks over. 

"So, what did you think?" he asks. 

"I think you're a genius." I reply in a flirty tone. 

"You know, That gravitonium stuff I was talking about, I actually have that right now. I could show you." he offers.

"That would be fantastic!" I say cheerily. 

He walks me into the house, and we head for his office. We turn the corner and run into Skye, who is talking into the comms. "Well, what do I do now?" she asks, probably to Fitz. 

"Well that depends, what are you trying to do?" asks Quinn. 

She looks up in shock. I give her a warning face. 

"Just, looking for a pen" says Skye awkwardly. Got to write down all those good ideas. You know?" she asks. Quinn doesn't look convinced. "Of course you know," continues Skye. "You must have like, ten pens for all your good ideas." her voice trails off. 

"What are you really doing?" asks Quinn. 

Skye thinks for a moment. "All right, I'm busted." she says simply. "I was trying to get a glimpse behind your office doors, see how things really operate."

"I invite you here as a guest, you treat me like another corrupt institution, looking for trade secrets to leak online." says Quinn angrily. "Security" he starts

"No no no no" I say, grabbing his arm. He cocks his head. I take a deep breath. "It's just, with all these la-di-da people, you have to be so guarded, so careful." I start. I walk to his desk and start writing on a piece of paper. "What you say" I continue. "What secrets you reveal. And, I was hoping, that we could all be honest with one another. If you know what I mean." I hold up the paper. Written on it are the words S.H.I.E.L.D. is listening. 

Skye nods, and Quinn gives a knowing smile. "Well, I'd love to show you both my office." he says, unlocking the doors. 

He sits us down on the couch to talk.