In The Bus Depot

September 22, 2015:

Yet another incident at a Bus Depot in New York… SHIELD gets called in to investigate

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

Late evening, New York City and SHIELD receives notice that the back section of the bus terminal is missing. It was there one minute and gone the next. The structural integrity of the building is in question and there's a number of casualties - potentially fatal at that.

Of course, given the spate of these types of incidences, SHIELD is called in to investigate.


This is becoming increasingly annoying. May gets the call out, and at least by now she and Simmons are more than accustomed to the routine. Getting there is quick and simple, but the structural integrity of the bus terminal is decidedly problematic. She's studying the structure to try and figure out a way to make their jobs a little safer, and quickly.


Hanging in the sky above the building burns a particularly bright golden star. It's slowly sinking downwards, with a direct path towards the building. As it gets closer, it is more clearly broad golden glowing wings and a bright zone in the center that, with how dark the night sky is, will end up just being difficult to stare at. Don't look into the light!- it'll leave the glowing angel shape on retinas. If the angel is coming for the casualties or something else, it's too high up still to communicate about it, but not for much longer. (Emit by Joel)


This is not exactly in Clint's line at the moment. He's been dealing with ninjas and… ninjas. They're pretty persistent and pretty annoying and pretty absent at the moment. He actually was in this area more or less purely by chance when the black SUV's pulled up. Having been in SHIELD he kind of knows the signs, so he rather smugly sticks his hands in his pockets and just… waits.


EMT's are onsite, shoring up the structure, it will be safe enough to work through for the time being. Surprisingly, there isn't much rubble for the amount of the devastation … but May and Simmons are used to that by now.

Survivors, those who had been in the bus station (thankfully not many due to the time of night), are led away by the EMT's but they're working against the clock to get any caught in the rubble out and to safety.

The SHIELD field team confirms for May that the scene is like the other three, nothing unusual, no energy traces, although detecting any magic is problematic as there are no magic users available at the moment.

The epicentre of the 'blast' seems to be near the lockers … that might be a good place to start looking.


Melinda May stands near the vehicle she drove here, watching everything and waiting for the all clear from the EMTs before letting Simmons and her investigation teams have at the area. Though, as the source of these occurrences are usually out side of the actual affected zone, she nods to the little gaggle of sciencey types and starts to lead them around to where they'll hopefully find the next 084 of the bunch. If she's noticed Barton's presence she doesn't show it, though she does glance upwards briefly at the growing light source. That causes her to pause and direct the sciencey types to continue on their path while she subtly reaches for the pistol concealed inside her jacket.


Glowly light source isn't interested in the building in particular, but is headed right at the EMT group. The flares and tendrils of light mask most of the vaguely humanoid glowing winged …person, but he'll speak in a calm way to the EMTs, without any dangerous moves, when he drifts down nearby: a personable, gentle-voiced request to allow him to heal and care for the souls of the critically hurt. Some of the light reduces, as Joel allows more of his general shape to be visible, huge golden wings fanning effortlessly in slow, magical flaps. He's very deliberately angelic looking, both physically and in posture, with hands out and parted a little bit in a 'I mean no harm' pose. He doesn't seem aware of the agents, at least yet.


Clint steps forward toward May when he sees her. "May I… woah…" Big glowy guy. He knows that May deals with that kind of thing but holy hell. Maybe he's a bit above his pay grade. He knows an 084 response when he sees one but… man. This might be above anything he's done before.


The science team begins combing the site, working methodically towards the centre of the blast. Everything they find is gathered and catalogued, not knowing what might be useful or not. As they reach the locker, it becomes obvious that there's a sports bag with part of it missing and a black triangular object nestled inside.

The sportsbag is fairly mainstream. with what looks like three diagonal lines on it… although that's hard to tell as those lines are near the damaged part.

After scanning the device, the lead scientist looks to May and Simmons "Same as before, Agent May. No detectable signs and made from an unknown compound."

The EMTs are too busy to be worried a heap by Joel. Afterall, they've worked with a Wolfman, why not an Angel? Directing him to more critically injured, they continue looking after the others. He's an Angel, right? That's what he's there for?

Simmons however, blinks at the Angel, momentarily distracted from the investigation. Anyone who knows her will know that it's mostly professional curiosity. And then Barton steps up "Agent… Mr Barton. I'd say a pleasure… but as you can see, this is a little messy."


May starts to nod a greeting to Barton but his reaction to the glowing winged individual is … well, typical of him. She watches Joel talk with the EMTs, then passes her sidearm over to Barton (the custom-made 1911, likely a bit small for his hands) before putting a hand on Simmons' shoulder briefly to indicate that she stay by the archer as she moves to greet or more likely question the angel-like person.

"Please state your name and business here," May says to Joel when she's close enough to address him without having to raise her voice. And despite the possibly confrontational words, she doesn't block his path to the injured people. If the EMTs are letting him approach, she wants to see exactly what he plans to do. It's not like she or Barton can't take him down if needed.


May starts to nod a greeting to Barton but his reaction to the glowing winged individual is … well, typical of him. She watches Joel talk with the EMTs, then passes her sidearm over to Barton (the custom-made 1911, likely a bit small for his hands) before putting a hand on Simmons' shoulder briefly to indicate that she stay by the archer as she moves to greet or more likely question the angel-like person.

"Please state your name and business here," May says to Joel when she's close enough to address him without having to raise her voice. And despite the possibly confrontational words, she doesn't block his path to the injured people. If the EMTs are letting him approach, she wants to see exactly what he plans to do. It's not like she or Barton can't take him down if needed.


"Oh. Hello," Joel answers May, personable, as if unaware that he might get shot. He's glowing, his aura is very bright, but not obnoxiously so. "I'm Joel. I've come to heal those that are not already with God," he says simply, as if expecting to be believed. Hey, she asked. Since May isn't blocking him, he'll proceed, and doesn't mind being watched. The glowing angel figure drifts to the injured as directed by the EMTs, hanging in the air with still very slowly fanning wings. He lands near an injured older woman that he judged to be the worst off, leaning in to talk to her gently, moving thumb and two fingers over her forehead to touch her. And begins to do what it looked like he was going to — his hands flare with a golden light, and he bends his head, quite obviously praying, and, well, healing. With glowy magic. He'd be very easy to shoot in the back, should they decide to.


Clint tenses up when the angel shows but when he seems to be more interested in helping than being… strange or mysterious or irritating, he calms back down. "So what do you have here, May? Not often I see Simmons out of the labs. Unless she's a field agent these days." She doesn't look like a field agent, even for all her field time. For one thing she's still sporting an ICER and not an actual piece. For another… scanner. Do you have see May carrying a scanner? No, you do not.


Simmons wasn't going to go anywhere near the Angel, she's already distracted by what they've found. "Agent May." Her voice carries a little "Would you like to inspect the bag before it's moved?"

Barton gets a quick look "I'm out of the lab plenty these days but I'm still R&D, these incidents are of interest to us." She /should/ look like a field agent - she is in field gear, after all - but Barton's likely right…


Melinda May watches Joel for a moment, then leaves him to his work to return to where Barton and Simmons are. "084, Barton. You know I can't tell you more than that." Of course, her expression is saying LOADS more, if you happen to know how to read the variations in 'deadpan' that she's capable of. Whatever happens to be going on here, May is frustrated, and completely unsurprised which means she's seen the MO at least once before. That bodes even worse. She then adds very softly, "Watch the healer." She's hedging her bets here, knowing that the former SHIELD sniper will know what to do if Joel turns out to be something other than he appears to be at the moment.

Then… "Simmons, let's go inspect that bag."


Joel isn't very interesting, aside from that he's apparently doing a holy heal on the woman. He'll continue to do that, but won't linger after she's stable: he'll go to someone else and do the same procedure. If he's paying attention to their bag inspection he isn't showing it — but he's probably hard to read, really, since he's such a bright light source.


Clint nods. he's good at watching. They used to call him Hawkeye after all. He takes in the healer, knowing that he's doing something… mmm… paranormal? He's been seeing a lot of that lately though mostly in the teleportation and shadow-magic veins. It's nice to know that weird powers can be used for things other than pissing him off. Then again, the entire mess those damn ninja are locked up in annoys him kind of on prinicple. Long story. May knows it though.

"Can do. Make sure Simmons isn't getting in trouble, mmm?"


"Yes, Agent May." Simmons casts a mildy disgruntled look at Clint for that comment. She doesn't get into trouble. Unless you count Sigma Six Agents accosting her in carparks, that is.

Following May over to the locker, which isn't far from where Clint and Joel are, she stops to let May and the others inspect.

As observed, it's a fairly mainstream bag not anything special, that appeared to be in a locker on the top row. One of the Scientists is inspecting it, very carefully… "There doesn't appear to be anything else in this bag, except that object. Agent May… wait…" From an inside pocket, they take a scrap of paper - in a pair of tweezers, of course "Looks like we have something." Examining it, they hold it out to May to look. It might be the remains of a receipt.

One of the people being treated, near Joel and Clint, starts to talk to the EMT's "I…I was here… I smelt something… and then…" seems like there's at least one person who witnessed what happened.


Watching the team examining everything closely, she leans a bit to look at the scrap of paper without touching it. The receipt-like paper could well hold a clue, so unless it has some glaringly obvious data she nods to the scientist and lets him take images of the paper to send back to HQ for further study.


Joel continues to help the person he was focused on, but looks over slowly towards the person that is speaking. He has to maintain his healing focus, though, so he doesn't ask any questions. Still, a bit curious. But one thing at a time.


"What'd you smell?" Ozone? Chemical. Clues like this might give some notion of what the 084 was. May might have a bit more insight but she looks busy at the moment so Clint kneels down near the shell shocked man. "What happened? It's alright, you can tell me."


There isn't much to go on from the receipt. What's left of it, seems to be from a local sports store. But it's something to go on.

The scientists carefully take the artifact from the bag and turn it over. This one looks to be made from the same material as the others, but it's a pyramid this time, the base no bigger than the average palm. These are not large items.

There's part of a sign hanging above the lockers - what can be read indicates the lockers are rentable. Over what period, who can say?

The man Clints speaking to looks up dazedly "Smelt like after a thunderstorm, you know… was only a moment but enough to have me looking outside. Then there was a bright flash of light … I couldn't see anything after for a bit."


Melinda May looks up at the sign above the lockers and directs another of the scientists to find out who rented this locker, then turns to head back out to where Barton is speaking with one of the witnesses. She doesn't interrupt them, but waits to see if this man noticed anything that Gabrielle Trent or Jesana or any of the others didn't.


Joel finishes with the person he's assisting. He'll move over a bit towards Clint, but doesn't want to upset their dialogue. Just to kind of look and see if he can be of help — a kind of shy lingering, as if expecting to be told to go away by Clint.

Joel decides to not intrude on this — it isn't his business really, and sticks to healing another injured person. Once people are stable, though, he'll drift away… without any fanfare.


Clint stands up. "Guy says it smelled like a thunderstorm just before it happened. Maybe… ozone? Ionization of the air?" He's not a science geek and this isn't his forte but if Jemma can make use of it… well… "I should probably go before anyone tells me to." Clint gives Joel a nod. "Good lookin' out there." And then he's off too.


The computer systems are down, strange that, and the details on who rented the locker or when it was rented isn't available yet. That will need to be followed up and the shift manager agrees to get that data to SHIELD as soon as they can. Those details are passed to May.

Unfortunately, the man Clint is speaking to doesn't have anything else to add to his recollection - maybe he will once he recovers a little more, maybe not.

The scientists and field team begin to pack up their equipment … and head back to The Triskelian.


Melinda May makes sure nothing has been missed, accepts the preliminary data from the scientists, and as the EMTs are getting everyone situated to be taken to hospitals, she insures that SHIELD will get a chance to debrief people once they're able.

When she finds whomever is planting these things…

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