November 04, 2015:
Jim Rhea comes to sniff around the piece of Big Ben that was in Central Park and draws the attention of Captain Britain
Central Park
Duck Pond
Characters
NPCs: None.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\# None.]
Fade In…
SHIELD immediately secured the area around the Big Ben chunk. Large yellow tape reading 'CAUTION-KEEP OUT' surrounds the duck pond it landed in, and there is a crane and a large transport present to start with the moving of the clock face. Several agents are on guard around the chunk, apparently to make sure noone that wasn't supposed to be around it isn't climbing all over it. A few vehicles for a 'film' crew have been brought out to assist with the cover that this was all a movie plot.
In costume, Captain Britain is currenly floating slightly over the crane as it moves, his hands outstretched, eyes closed as he feels the lines of magic around him, watching for any breeches that may occur in the fabric of reality that may bring forth another attack.
Jim Reha is a strange bird. No. Quite literally he's been trapped in the guise of an ancient avianoid computational entity. That his partner in the time-share process ended up with his body somehow is also no great shakes. It tends to put a crimp in things, including the part-time hobby/devotion he's developed over the past few months of 'checking the ley lines' in the greater Tri-Cities area.
Admittedly, he'd run afoul of some misadventure along the way, in part defining his current predicament. It doesn't change the matter that the recent arrival of the chunk of Big Ben needed to be investigated, surreptitiously if possible.
The bird-like being had landed awkwardly a few blocks away and donned a small tent to try and cover the more extreme of his features. He was hoping perhaps by sneaking in close he could get some sort of confirmation, verification of his numbers and math against the local ley map he'd brought with, and get out without anyone really being the wiser.
A plus side to being corvid is that he tends to blend in a bit at night. A minus side, though, is that the corvid form bears with it a strange arcane anti-magical alloy that was derived in part from Thanagarian metallurgical sciences. To someone who is attuned to the fabric of reality and the magic within… Jim's arrival is a 'dead spot' in the field.
Unaware of the presence of the Champion of Britain, he shuffles and makes his way closer, closer to the taped off site, while trying to avoid cameras and the ever-watchful eyes of the competent security team.
That hulking shuffling presence… yeah… that might not be such a good thing.
As Britain seems to be peaceful, as soon as the clock is moved, he feels the sudden dead zone and his eyes snap open. Confusion color his features as he streaks downwards into the shadow of the clockface, magic causing his fists to glow faintly as he focuses his forcefield. "I know there's something here." he offers sportingly.
"I'll give you one chance to identify yourself as a friend or a foe - and a none response will be considered a foe and reacted upon properly." What a polite Brit he is as he floats just above the water, his posture coiled in defense.
It was not the intent of the avianoid to move the clock, but given the way his luck has run of late, this is par for the course. When it shifts slightly he FREEZES in place. It works for cats, right?
Not really.
The descent of the red white and blue-clad hero that is notably *not* Captain America gives him a bit of a pause.
Is this a residual effect of the translocation? We need to document this!
"Someone, not something" That tone is somewhat biting and harsh. Did he just call me a thing? I think he just called me a 'thing'!
"If I was a foe I would have struck out at you already?" The tone is tenuous, curious… yet somewhat on business. "I'd… really rather not identify myself at the moment, thanks, there'd be a bit of a hassle and things would get messy and I think we'd all like them tidy, right?"
The tarp-covered avian looks left and right for possible escape routes, and watches for the agents warily.
Hell.
He doesn't lash out, though. If there's going to be fighting, he's not going to start it.
"Well, as you can tell, things are definetly /not tidy/ at the moment." Britain responds as he folds his arms over his chest. The magic he eminates doesn't quite match up with the leylines here - it's as if he's part of the system - but part of a system that's connected to another system. "And yes, I suppose you would have. And considering I have not struck yet in response to your words means that I am not the type to immediately charge into battle." the British superhero offers.
"What is your business here then, sir?" he asks finally. "This is a restricted area, under the protection of SHIELD and the Justice League Alliance and uh.. the British Consulate." Way to add to it there, Britain. "Are you someone that was brought to this world by this item?"
"No, definitely NOT tidy. In fact, I'm here investigating how un-tidy it is, actually. It's… a hobby of mine. Or part-time job. Take your pick. And to quote the partner… 'The path of consideration is the path of strength. The path of haste is the path of weakness.'
Whatever that means, at any rate.
The tarp-covered being shifts a bit and then drops the tarp, revealing the strange amalgamation of what appears to be some sort of humanoid and some winged entity.
"I research the mundane and esoteric overlaps between the etheric and the transcendent properties of what are known as 'ley lines'. It's hard research, though hard to quantify because magic and science don't quite mesh up and more often than not that particular junction has explosive results."
There's a bit of a pause then a head-tilt.
"Me? Oh, no. I'm… local. Sort of. Long story and this really isn't a good spot for it. What might your interest in this place be? I can see the insignia is reminiscent of the United Kingdom's Union Jack, and the color scheme is also close?"
"You're pretty far out for someone local." Britain responds nonchalantly at the figure that comes out from under the tarp. He's seen similar creatures in Otherworld - but they're usually bare-breasted, female, and trying to claw people's eyes out. "To answer your thought.. I believe that this might be a spot where two Earths, with distinctly different histories, may have crossed over each other through their matching leylines.. and this happened." he points out, gesturing towards the clock piece.
Straightening up slightly, he allows his arms to fall to the sides. "No, I am Captain Britain.. and as this is a piece of Britain, it only makes sense that I should be here, no?" he asks with a small smile. "And you are.. sir?"
If Jim knew he was being compared to a harpy, he'd probably laugh at the idea. At the suggestion that the two leylines may have lined up the bird-like being's plumage fluffs up in an almost comical fashion before slowly dropping back down. There's a bit of a shudder as he looks at his local map of the lines and is about to tear it up when he gets another idea, flipping a couple of pages to a blank sheet and starting to write frantically, drawing diagrams on how such a thing might come to pass, and what sort of resources would have to be brought to bear to make it less than a momentary transition.
As his hands work away, he glances up.
"Not only plausible, more than likely. The ley fabric of the region has been under extreme stress of late. We had a HYDRA off-shoot that was trying to use the ley and the power grid from Metropolis — you should look at THEM sometime, they're eerily similar to one another — to manipulate a cross-dimensional interaction with a reality where the National Socialists…"
There's a bit of a pause as he shudders again, then puts the pen in a cargo short pocket and offers his right betaloned hand.
"Jim Reha. I know, I know, I don't look like a Jim, long story, tied in part to that other thing I was just talking about. Pleasure to meet you, Captain Britain, and hey, not here to take the country back over I hope?" There's an undeniable mirth to the tone of the avianoid. Beaks kind of make it hard to smile.
"No no, I believe the Queen has quite enough from the Colonies for the time being." Britain says in dry amusement as he nods his head. "It is a pleasure to meet someone versed in interdimensional travel, Master Reha." he offers as he floats down to just above the water. "Yes, well, it seems that it is the old saying that the grass is greener on the other side is held true for alternate worlds. At least, that's what this would suggest, as we are the greener grass, and not.. this.." he gestures to the wrecked clock.
"Not an invasion of birds ala Alfred Hitchcock, I hope?" he asks in response finally as he places his hand on the clock tower, studying it. "They're trying to remove this piece for study now." he admits, as it is still giving off some of the energies from the world it was yanked from - a world that no longer exists, destroyed by some powerful force.
"Well, Her Majesty is the longest reigning monarch for the United Kingdom, so I'm sure she's seen it all, or wishes she hadn't?" That is delivered in a similarly dry tone, then winces at the mention of being versed in travel.
"It was not a pleasant experience. I still have nightmares from it and some things don't go away. But it must have taken quite the divergence for a world to have Big Ben in a geothaumic location that corresponded to our Central Park so the interaction from the lines a the teh angle would cause conjunction.
The bird-like being shakes his head. "While there are threats of birds in the Imminent Storm, they aren't the sort common to Terra. They're a bit more… humanoid than even myself. Hawkish types, bred and loving for war."
The avianoid squints a bit at the tower and then shakes his head. "There's a danger to that. Purely theoretical, of course, but if it is a piece of debris from an interplanar incident, it may be acting like a clog in a sink. Removing it could cause…. issues." More than likely NOT, but if folks aren't prepared for that possibility…
"That would be why I'm here. I can detect a leak of a magical nature, and .. quite nicely stopper it." Britain says with a small smirk as he floats upwards a little. "Which is why I responded to your presence as quickly as I did." he comments as he studies Jim. "Though I've not sensed something that /dulls/ magicks before. It is rather disturbing." he admits as he looks over Jim. "Is it a natural ability of something else? I have not had much experience with many creatures - or well - much of what is here doesn't exist back in Britain. Not that we are completely free of such things - it just exists on a much smaller scale."
With a wave of Britain's hand, the slow process of lifting the clock continues, the crane creaking as it raises it into the air.
"Well, that's really handy, then. Wish we'd had you six months ago, would have made life a lot easier. Ah well."
And then the Question gets asked.
"That's me, unfortunately. Or to be brutally honest, the form. It has a high-level alloy interwoven into it that dampens magic effects. Not as efficient as the metallurgy that it was derived from, but still… you could feel that? It didn't hurt you, did it?"
Last thing I'd need… depowering a visiting Brit hero.
"It's drawing a lot, actually." Britain finds himself admitting. "But there's plenty more, I should be fine." Whether or not he's bluffing may not be immediately known as he moves a little further away and taps his communicator. «Agents, there might be a little leak. Take a few and clear the area.»
There's no leak as Britain turns his attention back to Jim. "I can buy you about thirty more minutes, and then they'll be back. That enough time for you to finish your research?" he asks helpfully.
"If you really need it to go away I could have the partner take a shift, but that'd make things a bit of an issue. He's not as dialed in on this sort of thing, so it makes research a bit problematic." The avianoid tilts his head then blinks a bit, squinting.
"I can be out of here in ten. If you could give me inferred magic weights along the teh and tau axes that'd be helpful but not expected."
Out comes the clipboard again, and the hand begins taking frantic yet neat notes with machine precision.
"Really glad this didn't go the other way, and thank you very much."
"Not my call. SHIELD doesn't like these things laying around. You know how they get." Britain offers with a faint shrug. Though at the question, he blinks. It takes about thirty seconds, but he finally comes up with the numbers. "It is rather refreshing to talk to someone that understands what I'm saying when I go off on my tangents." he admits with a laugh.
"Yes. I suppose it could have. But it does help to ask first, won't you agree?" he asks as the British hero rises into the air to give the Avian a chance to finish his calculations and notes. Now's a good time for tea.