Hide yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife

[Crow]

The giggle that followed Crow's comment was entirely unexpected, and she gave the cyborg a startled look. Maybe Karima had some emotions, after all. Crow smiled. It was followed by a warm, affectionate feeling that was entirely unwanted, and she shoved it back down ruthlessly. What the hell was she thinking? This wasn't some poor, idiot feral kid that needed protection. She was a cyborg, working for SHIELD and obviously designed for combat situations. Crow had seen her efficient brutality firsthand. Sure, sleeping with the cyborg once or twice still wasn't a bad idea, but attachment wouldn't figure into that. Attachment was a luxury that Crow couldn't afford. It would get her killed, possibly by Karima herself.

Karima's continued actions after the giggling were even more interesting than the initial reaction. She fell silent and expressionless, walking along the sidewalk but doing little to avoid people coming in their direction. There was no massive change in the cyborg's behavior, but it was still enough for Crow to notice. Fascinating. Useful to know, too. Her evaluation of Karima's weaknesses changed to account for this development. The emotion she was best at feeling was lust, but humor seemed to break her, a little. If she needed to slow down the cyborg's reactions, start being funny. Good to know, but Crow was pretty sure that getting naked would still be a hell of a lot easier.

As Karima worked on fixing her processing system, Crow did some mental modifications of her own. She carefully took control over her emotional output, slowing her breathing and heart rate down to a dead calm. Next came her scent, which was somewhat more difficult. By the time they had reached the front doors of the Hooters, however, every outward sign she was giving displayed nothing but cool, distant neutrality. She was almost as emotionless as the cyborg next to her.

There was no response to her question, and Crow gave a mental shrug. She slipped through the front door to the Hooters, expecting Karima to grab it after her. She ended up having to hold it open as the cyborg nearly tried to walk through the glass. Yup. Crow had broken her. She was almost proud of that. Turning back, Crow found the hostess staring at them, eyes wide, permanently-affixed smile wavering. It was almost like they weren't typical customers. She couldn't really find herself caring. She was tired, and hungry, and didn't have to worry about this woman handling her food. “Table for two.”

The hostess had already been through a long, hard day of work. There had been several unruly customers not an hour before, and she'd had to deal with an angry series of texts from her mother. And now, standing in the foyer, were a pair of scuffed-up girls. One looked homeless, and the other was wearing some kind of uniform that she didn't recognize. Was that...blood? And why did both of them look so vacant? For a long second, she considered asking them to leave, but her manager would not be happy about that. Great. Finding one of the waitresses willing to work that table would be fun. Maybe Cindy would take it; she'd suspected that the girl was a lesbian for a while now. Her nails were awful. Still, she gave the two new customers a smile around gritted teeth, and pulled two menus out from her podium. “Of course. Right this way, ladies.”

The nervous hostess showed them to a far booth, and Crow took the side with the better view of the exits. Karima was still standing, now completely still, expression still blank. Crow was beginning to wonder if she needed to call Fury and explain that she'd broken his new project. A second later, however, Karima was back to normal, and apologizing. Crow raised an eyebrow slightly, but gave no other signs of surprise. “It's not important,” she replied, voice completely neutral.

The hostess hurried back to the kitchen, glad to be away from the weird pair of females she'd just seated. She caught Cindy chatting with one of the cooks as she waited for an order. Oh good, she clearly wasn't too busy. “Can you pick up table twelve?” the hostess asked, shooting a look back towards their booth. “There's a weird pair of girls there. Uh, you might want to bring them some extra napkins.”

[Karima Shapandar]

Karima hadn't really considered her appearance when walking with Crow. There was no real reason to, her physical facilities were already devoted to a task and appearance largely meant very little to her. Then again, she always looked immaculate, perfect hair, perfect make up, clothing fitted so precisely you'd think it was tailored specifically for her body. For somebody who cares nothing about their appearance, she seemed to put a lot of time into looking exceptional. Karima would reason that the effort level to look 'decent' and 'immaculate' were so close for her, that she chose the one which would be of higher benefit to her. It was a logical decision in her minds eye, of course as is most things with Karima, the truth is another story entirely. She has feelings about the way she looks, they're burried deep in her cybernetic subconscious, but they are there.

"The hostess thinks we are weird. Do you think this will hinder our chances of successfully objectifying them?"

She might've been in the back, but Karima could hear it all. Every heart beat, every breath. Places like these were teaming with life for her and if it weren't for her cybernetic brain, she likely wouldn't be able to sort the roar out at all, but she has a few dozen subroutines specifically dedicated to analyzing and splitting sounds in real time so that she can clearly hear everything that goes on around her.

And then, before Crow could really answer, Karima looked at her rather straight forward with as close to a troubled expression as it gets with her, which is to say, there might be a light crease in her brow, but even that would be barely noticeable. It seemed her time around Crow was effecting her more than she'd be ready to admit.

"I am reading your vitals as abnormal, Perhaps we should take you to a hospital."

Karima was very interested in objectifying the female employees of this establishment, but she still considered Crow's well being to be higher priority and right now, after that little play dead trick, Karima has become concerned since moments ago she was rather alive and well.

[Crow]

“Not in the least,” she replied simply. “One of the great things about objectification is that it doesn't matter what they think.” They were already making a scene, just by being there; sadly, there was no way to get around that. Crow would have needed to clean up, and Karima would have needed to change. She could hear a short discussion about them from the kitchen, but could only make out about half of it over the general noise in the restaurant. At least one of the females on staff didn't seem to mind taking their table. At this point, Crow didn't care who or what was waiting on them, as long as they got food. Preferably lots of it, in a short period of time.

Crow usually hated standing out. It was one of the reasons why she tended to dress down; anyone who had been in New York for any period of time tended to overlook homeless people. Unless they started talking to themselves or looked dangerous, they were invisible. Even in a classy establishment such as this, she could have wandered in, grabbed a bite and left before anyone took notice. Sure, one of the waitresses might recall 'some homeless girl', but any description more elaborate than her general hair color would be impossible. The ability to be completely anonymous was very useful when there were people trying to find her.

Unfortunately, they were currently the farthest thing possible from invisible. Half of the staff was probably talking about them, and if they did anything else memorable—which Crow didn't put past Karima—they'd be the subject for several days of gossip. It wasn't a situation she wanted to be in, but she was too hungry to consider leaving. From the kitchen, she could hear one of the waitresses agreeing to take their table, and footsteps in their direction. It was then that Karima made a new, completely unhelpful observation. Crow gave her a long, unimpressed look before responding. “No. I'm fine.”

It was then that their waitress appeared, and Crow gave her an appreciative smile. It was the first real sign of emotion since they entered the restaurant, but it still didn't extend past her face. Her heart rate and smell both remained eerily calm. She watched as the waitress gave them an obvious once-over, and refrained from growling when her eyes lingered over Karima. Apparently she did like what she saw. Or she was really into uniforms. “Hi, I'm Cindy,” she greeted them as she finally stopped by their table. She leaned down, giving them an ample view of her cleavage as she scribbled her name on a napkin. “And I'll be your waitress tonight. Can I start you off with anything to drink?”

“Coffee, please. Black,” Crow requested. As Cindy turned to get Karima's order, Crow picked up one of the napkins that she'd brought over and started cleaning the rest of the blood off her face. She caught the waitress looking back at her, and grinned. “It's been a rough night.”

[Karima Shapandar]

Karima was concerned at the possibility that Crow might be suffering from internal bleeding, and had thus far simply been concealing it very well, but after the walk and the cool down, any adrenaline in her blood stream would've worn off, and thus her vitals would be significantly lower. Still, if Crow passed out, it would take Karima approximately one minute and forty seven seconds running and jumping across roof tops at full speed to get to the nearest hospital, so she would not worry about it further.

When the waitress was on her approach, Karima noticed everything that could be noticed about her, from a rough estimate of how many hair follicles she had on her head to her underwear size. She scanned her photo against all databases she had legal access to and concluded she had seen the girl five times prior to this evening, none were of any consequence how ever, on the street, in wal-mart, on the sub way, etc etc. When you have a memory like Karima's, Even New York City isn't that big.

"I would like eight ounces of milk."

Karima turned her attentions from the waitress to Crow, then back to the waitress. She tilted her head lightly, analyzing the behavior of the girl, the posture, the tone of her voice. But she didn't stare at any one point, if anything, her eyes were mostly affixed with the waitresses face, but they were quite piercing. And why would they be anything but intense, there is nothing about Karima that is wavering. She is either on or off, no middle ground. The waitress might even blush a little at it.

"Alright, Coffee and a small milk. See you cuties in a flash."

As the waitress walked away, Karima continued to stare for a moment, then looks back at Crow with what can only be described as a slightly troubled face, which is more emotion than she usually shows. Of course, most people wouldn't see it at all, but Crow pays attention to small details, she's practically a shape shifting sherlock holmes and so the subtle nuance that even psychoanalysts might miss probably seem clear as day to Crow.

"I am not sure I am doing this right. Should I say something ...objectifying, when she returns?"

The moment of emotional expression passed rather quickly and she returned to her mostly bland expressionless demeanor, though the question was still posed. The waitress made sure to shake her ass a little as she walked off. She can't really see the big deal that her co-worker made out of these two. They look rough, but they're hot too, especially the one that looks like some kind of cop, then again, maybe that's why she can't see the big deal, Pretty faces and nice tits seem to have a way of blinding some people to the important details.

[Crow]

After Karima had placed her drink order—which was endearingly specific—Cindy made her way back to the kitchen. Crow turned her focus back to Karima as the cyborg stared at their waitress's ass. It was somewhat unsettling, for reasons that Crow couldn't quite understand. She pushed the feeling aside before they had a chance to register as a change in her smell. It was then that Karima asked how to properly objectify their waitress. Crow tilted her head slightly, staring at the cyborg before responding. Was she really having trouble with this concept? Was she...worried about it? Could Karima even be worried? This wasn't going to trigger another meltdown, was it? If so, Crow was just going to call Fury up and leave. Not her problem if his robot was glitchy.

“Yes, but don't be an asshole about it. I don't need her spitting in my food, because then I'll have to pretend that I don't know it's there. Flirting would be good. That's what I'm planning on, so you can follow my lead there. If you want an easier approach, just stare at her chest the entire time. It's annoying, but it shouldn't piss her off.”

That probably covered the basics. Crow paused, giving the cyborg a chance to digest the information. The second approach would be pretty straightforward, but flirting was an art form. One that Karima could definitely screw up enough to piss off their waitress. It would probably be better if the cyborg stayed away from it, but Crow wouldn't stop her. The result might be funny enough to make the spit in her food worth it. Of course, Crow would eat her food regardless. A little saliva wasn't about to stop her; she'd eaten far worse and her immune system hadn't complained yet. Anything that didn't get them kicked out of the restaurant entirely would probably be fine.

Now that they were alone and waiting, Crow had a question that needed to be answered. She locked her eyes on Karima, watching the cyborg intently. “What happened back there, after you laughed?” she asked. If she could confirm that it was a massive error, she could figure out how to trigger it again. Just in case. There was no such thing as being 'too careful' around people working for SHIELD.

[Karima Shapandar]

Karima could logically conclude Crow was legitimately concerned about her food being spat in. This confused her considering human saliva is 99.9% water with the rest being simply electrolytes, glycoprotein's, antibacterial compounds and other non harmful substances. In fact, the saliva inside Crow's mouth was likely so close in composition to the waitresses saliva that they could be said as indistinguishable. Regardless, she is totally dependant on Crow's guidance in this situation as she has no clue and she has no desire to make a mess of the situation. This is supposed to be a favor to Crow and Karima's need to be radically efficient forbids her from doing anything that might compromise it.

"I do not know what you mean. If I did laugh, it is likely that I can not remember because my internal error checking services have quarantined the data on basis that they are too erroneous for random access. Any disruptions in normal behavior were likely a result of catastrophic failure in my higher processes. I have a question for you though Crow."

Around that time, The waitress was returning with their drinks. Exactly like they had ordered and exactly as Crow had instructed, Karima began to stare at the waitresses chest. Just as the waitress was placing their drinks on the table, at literally the same time Karima was staring rather harshly at the girls large and lovely chest, Karima did exactly as Crow had suspected she would, by asking her question, though not in exactly the way Crow had anticipated she might.

"Why does it concern you that the waitress might spit in our food?"

She did not take her eyes off of the waitresses chest as she spoke the words, nor did she look away after she finished. The phrasing of the question was precise, but could be taken either way. Literally, Karima wondered why it was a concern, and not if. She is curious about the trouble with saliva, not the act itself or any actions that might inspire it, of course she could've picked a better time to ask her question. So now it might seem she is deliberately provoking their waitress, when she isn't.

[Crow]

Crow tilted her head slightly as Karima denied remembering the event. Interesting. So she had managed to break the cyborg, if only temporarily. Karima termed it as a 'catastrophic failure', even. She liked the sound of that. Even if the cyborg continued to be nice—and Crow had no reason to need to shut her down again—it was good to have options open. Granted, she'd like something more useful than telling jokes, but it would have to do. Crow considered replying, but decided on silence as she saw their waitress returning. Arguing the point about what had happened could wait, especially if Karima had some mysterious question to ask, first. Besides, she wasn't quite sure exactly how much information she wanted to give the cyborg, anyway. The more she said, the faster Karima would probably come up with a way to counteract that flaw.

Cindy placed a mug and the glass of milk on the table before shifting her grip back to the coffee pot. She leaned over the table more than was strictly necessary as she filled the mug, only to be rewarded by a piercing, chest-focused stare by Karima. Crow joined in the ogling, more than happy to enjoy the view in front of her. The waitress's rack was almost as nice as Karima's, but it was definitely more visible. Crow leaned back a little, enjoying the view and the company. This was starting to get fun. And then, of course, Karima had to go and ruin everything.

It was no surprise that the waitress overheard the question. She was, after all, right there. Crow's forced calm broke to give Karima an indignant look as Cindy gave a low, throaty chuckle. She did like these girls. “Oh, sweetie. Sweetie, honey. You can't possibly say anything that I haven't endured from far uglier guests. Relax and enjoy yourselves, 'kay cuties?”

Crow covered her shock at the conversation by raising her mug of coffee, sniffing it carefully. She still couldn't believe that Karima had actually asked that while the waitress was around. She was never taking her somewhere nice again. At the very least, it seemed her coffee was free of both spit and poison. She sipped at the beverage, still trying to come up with some sort of response. It was proving difficult. With a flirtatious smile at the two women, Cindy straightened. She pulled a pad of paper and a pencil out of her pocket. “You two decide on what you want, yet? What can I get for you?”

[Karima Shapandar]

Karima had of course previewed the menu on their way to the place and decided within seconds what she actually wanted, so when the waitress asks, she immediately springs an answer when the question is asked, which shouldn't be surprising honestly.

"I'll have the Shrimp and Spinach Salad and the steamed Shrimp Platter and thank you for your hospitality. My friend is concerned that a member of your staff will place their saliva in our food, though I'm concerned mainly about why this would be a problem, as the differences from human to human between saliva are literally at the genetic level. It would be as consequential as if she were to spit in her own food, which certain life forms use as a method of predigestion."

Her voice comes off as dead pan as it usually does, but there's something underlying it that usually isn't there, it's a bit higher pitched than normal and seems to flow a little nicer, it's odd. Aside from the precise and perfect annunciation, Karima sounds like she could actually be a normal person, if you excuse what she's saying, that is.

She continues to stare at the waitresses ample chest, almost to the point that she's unsure if the purpose for her doing so is working or not. If Crow is watching Karima, or at least paying enough of her divided attention to the girl as she is the beautiful waitress, she'll notice a few eye brow flicks and maybe the curl of her lips towards one side. There's definitely something going on in there and Karima may not even be aware of it. She isn't 'breaking' the same way she did before, that much is clear, it's possible that the feelings she's experiencing are not even passing into her higher brain functions, they're simply traveling along what little remains of her organic nervous system without her explicit approval or knowledge. Which might also be some interesting knowledge to file away in Crow's already growing database centered around her new and unusual acquaintance.

Karima hypothesizes that perhaps if Crow is able to assume insectoid form, then there is some previously unknown instinct which prevents her from eating food that has had another insects predigestive juices applied to it and this then translates to all walks of her life. Of course she could perform a simple internet query and discover the truth of spitting in another persons food, but she prefers to ask questions in analogue and have them answered, largely so she can collect more emotional data for her inevitable rewrite. This is largely one of the main reasons she doesn't use the internet to answer all of her questions. She cannot become more human inside a vacuum, she needs human interaction. Humans have some nature to help them be human, but largely, they learn to be human from other humans.

[Crow]

Oh no. No. Karima was still asking questions about the spit, and their poor waitress was still there. She gave a hurried glance at her menu, trying to figure out what she wanted so they could get rid of the girl. Her eyes landed on the wings, gave a quick glance over the flavors, and set her menu down. Good enough. Crow gave the waitress an apologetic look, even though it was clear that the woman was trying to hold in laughter. “Sorry 'bout my friend, she's a bit of an idiot,” Crow told her, desperately hoping that Karima wouldn't pipe up and ruin the excuse, or ask more awkward questions.

At that, the waitress did let out a giggle. “Oh, I don't mind, sweetheart. I think it's cute.”

Crow could only be thankful they'd gotten the tolerant waitress. And, apparently, one that swung both ways. She gave the waitress a somewhat relieved smile, and folded her menu. “Anyway, I'll take the original wings, mild. And I'll probably need a refill on coffee by the time you're back. It's been a rough night.”

“All right, ladies. I'll be back as soon as they're ready. Just ask if you need anything else, okay?” With that, Cindy gathered the menus and sauntered off towards the kitchen again, still smiling to herself. These newest guests had just made her day.

Waitress gone, Crow was able to return her full focus to Karima. There was a faint smile playing across the cyborg's lips, and a slight change to her smell. Great, she was asking awkward questions and attracted to the waitress. Crow's deadpan returned, with just a hint of a frown creasing her forehead. If she hadn't been keeping such a tight lid on her emotions, there probably would have been glaring involved. She didn't even know where to begin with the cyborg's issues. Should she explain why she was concerned about spit in her food, or should she start off by explaining that she'd picked the worst possible time to pipe up? Or just tell Karima to shut up, and avoid explaining either? Seriously, how had SHIELD decided that sending this girl out into public was a good idea? After a few seconds of watching Karima, Crow picked up her mug again and took a long swallow from it. She definitely needed more caffeine to deal with this. Maybe she should have asked their waitress to just leave the pot.

[Karima Shapandar]

Once the waitress passes from sight, Karima returns her attention to Crow fully, she does glance down for a split second at her milk, and then takes it up and takes a small drink from it. She of course has no clue how much brooding Crow is actually doing, she can't read anything about the woman. It was almost sad really, she was able to recognize patterns of behavior that elicited certain responses. She is not stupid after all, and perhaps all this socially awkward behavior is exactly what Karima hopes it will be, socially awkward to the point of provoking a response so that she can record that response. Most of these processes occur without Karima's direct influence, she simply has software, extremely complex software within her own mind, acting 24/7 like a team of highly accredited scientists working towards the goal of retrofitting Karima's inefficient operating system with emotional capacity. When they require a test or see an opportunity for one, they take it. Not that Karima has no control over her own behavior, but from a moral and ethical stand point, why bother? Sure there is a priority of tasks and objects in her mind, but the multitude of ways she can rationalize this sort of thing are beyond counting. After all, despite more or less having shield on her side, and a couple hundred acquaintances in the underbellies of New York City. Karima can thoroughly rely on none of them, she must make decisions for herself from within a vacuum and given her nature, the results are almost guaranteed to be unusual.

"Was I objectifying her appropriately? perhaps when she returns I will touch her? Is touching allowed? I have been researching the concepts we're applying online and seen a variety of methods and theorized outcomes, unfortunately most empirical data I find is of a fictional sort and thus cannot entirely be trusted as an accurate source for human emotional expression. Do you have any input?"

Something else fairly obvious is Karima's return to cold cool dead pan silence, an emptiness that she carries with her every where she goes. The hinting at a smile, the smells, any sort of subtle arousal she might've acquired while staring to intently at the waitresses breasts has now gone totally cold.

[Crow]

Resting her elbows on the table, Crow leaned forward as she watched Karima. She was trying to teach a robot to be a normal human, and it was going terribly. She really shouldn't have expected anything different. It was interesting to note that Karima's arousal disappeared entirely as her attention shifted back to Crow. Good to know she was such a mood-killer. She should probably be offended, if only because it seemed to be so difficult to get an emotional response from the cyborg. Flirting was, apparently, an effective tactic. She found herself wondering how much it interfered with the girl's ability to make rational decisions.

Crow still wasn't sure where to begin when Karima asked her if she'd been doing her objectification right. Well, the staring had been adequate, but nearly everything else had been a disaster. Had the cyborg really been unable to figure that much out Maybe Crow's deadpan had been a little too effective. After a moment's pause, she decided that fixing her mistakes would be far too much hassle. Thankfully, it seemed that Karima had a few questions that would be easier to answer.

“No. No touching. That might get us kicked out, and please don't ask why in front of the waitress. And if you want to study people's reactions so much, why not just use security cameras? SHIELD has bugs on nearly everyone they consider worthwhile, me included. Plenty of people to stalk there.” Although, to be honest, Crow was pretty sure SHIELD didn't currently have any bugs on her. Explosions big enough to destroy an apartment would probably take the cameras out, too. She'd have to once again go through the hassle of making sure they knew where she lived. Hmm, maybe she'd just give Karima her address later. That would probably be adequate.

[Karima Shapandar]

Karima had of course thought of watching security cameras before. She does it quite often on unsecured networks. After the snafu with Cheryl back on the shiel Helicarrier though, Karima was hesitant to access any databases unauthorized. She had never really been interested in doing so in the past. Afterall, she had only hacked Shield's database when the threat of her capture became real. She could of course hack a multitude of networks, which all had extremely wide surveillance networks.

"I do, though I only watch networks with no or low security. You are probably underestimating the amount of data I need to complete my task. Additionally, I have promised shield I will not abuse their resources for my personal gain. I expect them to help me with Trask when the time is right, and abusing their trust further will not be conducive to this task. Additionally, I find surveilance footage to only be so useful, many times it does not include sound, or i am only observing people interacting with their environment and not each other. Lastly, I am able to acquire much higher quality data when I am personally involved. The organic portions of my brain are still able to respond emotionally, but the errors that are produced are purged. I am still able to analyze certain unique factors associated with each unique response how ever, meaning anything that emotionally effects me, even in the smallest way, is a much higher value. Such as my growing affection for you."

Karima decided to fake a smile after that. For once, she was fairly certain that one was appropriate and decided she would employ the use of a smile to see how Crow responded. All of her processes which are dedicated to the biorythmic analysis of other living creatures was then focused mostly on Crow. It was a crucial moment and she wanted to see how Crow responded to the smile which seemed almost entirely genuine. Truth is, it's as genuine as Karima is capable of making, though she did add a fair amount of filigree to it to enhance the effect. It was fake as hell. Karima's fully capable of perfectly mimicking any emotional expression she's been exposed to, she just normally chooses not to. How ever, this one time, it seemed highly appropriate.

[Crow]

Crow listened quietly as Karima admitted that she did watch at least some security footage. However, if she wasn't using SHIELD's resources, that would slow her down somewhat. She had to admit that there was some humor in the fact that the only SHIELD agent with morals was a cyborg. Any other agent she knew would be all over that information in a heartbeat, if they could access it. But wait...she was planning on using them as leverage against Trask? That Trask? The one that Crow had been in a pissing contest with? What was her involvement with him, and why was this the first that she'd heard about it? This was exactly why Crow liked stalking people before getting to know them in person. Fewer misunderstandings.

The cyborg continued, explaining that things that affected her personally were more useful. That was something Crow could understand. Granted, there was still a lot to be said for going over every piece of surveillance that SHIELD had, but apparently Karima had ethics or something. That seemed strange in itself, but the cyborg's closing statement only served to make things worse. Once again, Crow's brain shifted gears without the clutch. Affection for her. Oh no. That couldn't be right. Didn't she have some waitress to lust over? She had absolutely nothing against one-night stands, but the last thing Crow needed was a super-powered cyborg obsessing over her. Worse, said cyborg was now smiling at her, and there was something incredibly unsettling about the expression. Crow's expression was studiously bland as she tried to figure out a way to let Karima down without giving her the chance to experience homicidal rage.

“That's...sweet of you, but you'll have more luck with the waitress. Affection is pretty much the last emotion I tend to get from people, and I try to stay out of SHIELD's way as much as possible. You'll have better luck finding some nice agent. So what's your problem with Trask, and why do you need their help with it?”

[Karima Shapandar]

Of course it only took Karima a second to process what Crow had said, less really, though we're dealing in numbers that are limited by how fast Crow can even communicate what she is saying. Karima's response is quick and succinct.

"You over estimate the affect value of my statement. To put it strictly in perspective, there are over seven hundred million tasks within my priority queue which need to be sorted. The first two hundred fifty thousand change constantly, by the microsecond and many tasks are flagged as higher priority, thus are automatically bumped further in the task queue any time the opportunity arises to address them. By saying my affection for you is growing, I am merely stating in terms that are simpler to convey, that your priority in said queue has increased by approximately 13.9% since we met. There is one shield agent who has also mysteriously climbed the ranks in my priority queue, but she is even less interested in spending time with me than you are. Additionally, I may be wearing the uniform, but I am not an agent of shield."

It took her a moment to search for the context and meaning behind Crow's mention that Karima would likely have more luck with the waitress. Karima's immediate course of action and directive had very little to do with sexual relations, though she wouldn't refuse if they were offered, as she is learning, sexual arousal is perhaps the only emotion she can feel without being bombarded with emotions. It's something she would eagerly explore if given the opportunity, but that does not increase its priority in the queue, and has nothing to do with Crow at all. All things considered though, it probably wasn't a good idea to explain all that to crow, in retrospect, Karima considers this notion, and then eagerly awaits for her response, despite how seemingly negative she suspects it might be. Still, there was another question posed, and Karima didn't want to leave that hanging either.

"My problem with Trask is that I need to kill him and destroy his organization. I need their help because he is so entrenched in the united states government that I cannot touch him in a lasting way. He has to much political, military and judicial sway and there are to many ways he and his compatriots could twist the story if I were to simply assassinate him and tear his organization apart by myself. I do not need their help to do it, not specifically, I do need their help to do it, and ensure that it stays done, and no one else rises to fill his position."

And why not? Simple revenge wasn't enough for a calculating cyborg with deadly efficiency. She needed his family to hate him, she needed the people of this country to hate him, she wanted them all to know what they had done, she wanted the government to change its policy on what it considered acceptably necessary. She didn't just want to kill him, she wanted to wipe him from existence and ensure the thought of what had happened was so unthinkable, it wouldn't happen again.

The sad fact is, Karima knows where Trask is. Even now, she knows what he had for lunch and knows where he'll be tomorrow morning. She knows all his contacts, she knows his bank account number and what size of socks he wears. She isn't obsessed, she's just thorough. With a high enough caliber rifle, she could snipe him from a mile away and be gone before anybody knew the difference. She was built to kill after all. Trask is the one life form, in Karima's mind at least, that breaks the mold, he's the only life form that Karima would willingly and premeditatedly end the life of. If her inability to end life was a function, Trask simply exists outside of it, as a separate entity, despite so much of Karima's core processes being devoted to the task of preserving life. IF anything, it's just another testament to how complex her programming truly is. It's also a testament to how human she has yet remained, despite it all.

[Crow]

It didn't take Karima long to begin explaining exactly what she meant by 'attraction', tossing around some impressive numbers in the process. Her description sounded more like recognition of a strategic advantage to Crow, which she was oddly okay with. Relationships were uncomfortable and restricting; gathering allies was perfectly acceptable. She could only hope that was the extent of the cyborg's interests; the last thing she needed was someone who genuinely believed that she could become a better person. Crow had a sneaking suspicion that the agent Karima was talking about happened to be a redhead and Russian, but she couldn't exactly blame the cyborg there. Pretty much everyone was attracted to her. Granted, there were a large number of attractive, intelligent, dangerous people working for SHIELD. Karima would have her pick of them. At the woman's insistence that she didn't work for SHIELD, Crow snorted, sending a blood clot flying into her mug. Gross. “You sure about that? They aren't exactly known for giving out the uniforms to just anyone.”

Crow's deadpan disappeared as Karima explained her dislike of Trask, replaced by an intense, predatory demeanor. Her shoulder muscles bunched, and her grip on the coffee mug tightened. Before, she'd been testing Karima's limits, seeing how she reacted; this was now business. This was interesting. What did the cyborg have against Trask? Had she been involved in Sentinel in some way? Technology envy? Wait, Crow was pretty sure she recalled Karima saying something about not killing people. So nice of her to make an exception for a particularly unpleasant individual.

She could enjoy humiliating Trask as much as anyone—hell, she'd done so in a very public setting last year—but killing him and destroying his organization seemed like a bit much. She did, after all, find the Sentinels useful. All but the very latest models were too large and clumsy to keep up with her, and there hadn't been one made yet that could detect her when she wasn't human. They were, however, still very effective against criminal mutants as a whole. Namely, her competition. For all that Crow liked harassing the giant robots, they did help maintain her position in New York's underworld. She had no reason to want them gone for good. She did, however, have plenty of reasons to want them to get caught in a battle with SHIELD. It would keep both organizations weakened and distracted. That would have any number of useful side effects.

She also realized that asking SHIELD for help would be difficult, as best. Crow knew for a fact that Fury disliked Sentinel, but he would never attack them openly without some very damning evidence. Officially, at least, they were on the same side. Changing that would need to involve something along the lines of treason. Finding—or setting up—that sort of evidence would take some time. Getting Karima into SHIELD's good graces would be necessary, as well. That would also be a lengthy process, but a more manageable one. Slowly, Crow worked on a plan that would take care of both problems. If she did it correctly, neither SHIELD nor Sentinel would notice her involvement. Karima probably would, but that was fine. Crow could make sure the cyborg just saw it as a favor. Between...allies.

“Have you told this to Fury?” Crow asked, voice low and intense. Whether she had or not would change how this would play out. The director of SHIELD liked elegant solutions that didn't get any agents killed. Given enough warning, he'd arrange for a removal of Sentinel that was so quiet, there would be no real fuss about it. Crow suspected that Karima wanted something far more noticeable.