November 15, 2015:
A surveillance watch on video footage has SHIELD agents onsite to see … a portal activate
East Shore - New York
Characters
![class="image1"](http://cmbeta.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images//class="image1"/medium.jpg)
NPCs: None.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: None.
Fade In…
A few weeks ago, reviewing video footage of the scenes where the strange 084 devices were found, Jericho Trent identified an individual in a black suit jacket. Unfortunately that's all that could be identified. That didn't stop Jemma Simmons requesting a 'watch' put on SHIELD surveillance for anyone meeting the basic build and dress. That watch has just yielded results. A sighting has been made in East Shore, New York and SHIELD teams are despatched to the area.
By the time they get there, the individual is gone, but there's another device in situation. This time a pyramid, same black/grey colour, about 25" tall, has been placed in an alleyway and as the SHIELD TAC team is cordoning the area off, a whistling sound starts up.
Agent May and others may recognise that sound - it's been described by eye witnessing to previous events - but this time, it's a much lower tone… like it's just getting ready.
Rain has been helping with the devices as she can. She will be riding her broomstick in, free of traffic. Captain sits behind her, and well, there's a ninja, too! It also means she gets a good bird's eye view before they join the others and hear the whistling. She looks to Snake, "I hear an odd noise," Before trying to confirm with the others. While Rain herself will land with Captain…
Perched right in the middle of the broomstick, standing on his tiptoes, Snake-Eyes had been recouperating from the Madripoor mission at Moontree Manor. While the transportation was unorthodox, the ninja accepted it. As Rain makes her pronouncement, he considers, and then nods subtly, picking up on the noise as well. While she circles to look for a place to land, he tips his fingers in a salute and then falls off the broom backwards.
As he freefalls, he sommersaults in midair and then flicks his wrists against the sides of his suits. A cloth membrane extends from either side of his waist, connected to his wrists as the wingsuit allows him to guide towards the pyramid and he releases the 'wings' as he gets to the rooftop closest to the pyramid, a quick run before slowing down to listen to the tac net, though he announces his own presence with two quick squelch clicks on the radio. Rain can announce his presence otherwise.
Melinda May knows that sound only too well. And it's NEVER good. "Get everyone clear. Now." That command is barked at one of the other agents, who scrambles to get everyone moving. Hearing the radio clicks, she turns to look around, then focuses on Jemma again. "Are the pylons ready for deployment? We need to do this fast."
Jericho has not been called in for this. But he did happen to be in the area when it lit up with SHIELD radio and network traffic. May gets a text to her phone. Anything I should know about? It's an odd question to be asking May but then she knows his expertise and hopefully knows what she's getting into.
"Ready to go with whatever you need," Agent Branch notes to Jemma, assigned at the moment to do any grunt physical work she may need done. He's dressed in the same agent garb as the others: blacks, and a bit heavily armed with weaponry. He's pulling on some gloves, and giving Jemma an attentive stare, ready to follow orders.
Jemma hands three silver pylons, about 3ft in length, to Derek and two other agents, with precise instructions on how to deploy and activate them. They're a psychic dampening field, developed to combat the Psyborgs that have been appearing.
As the SHIELD teams pull back, glowing orange characters appear on the side of the device. If someone's quick, they'll be able to capture them for later analysis.
The whining increases and then there's a bright flash of light… but this time, instead of the devestation that is usually found, a silvery oval (standing vertical to the ground) forms and the wind starts to howl, as bystanders start to be pulled towards it, through the cordon. Rain will feel the dimensional magic and it's unstable, if they don't do something soon this might be bad.
As Snake-Eyes lands on the roof, he might get the glimpse of the sun reflecting off something on the roof opposite, just as one of the SHIELD agents with a pylon is shot at, the bullet grazing the agent who now staggers.
Jericho too, will see a second person on the next rooftop, aiming a rifle towards May and Simmons.
Rain offers, "I- the dimensional magic is unstable. This isn't good," The violet-eyed witch is looking around. "It's forming a portal." Duh. Captain hops onto Rain's shoulders. Shefrowns, as an agent staggers. The witch will help with a Pylon, unless her magical expertise is needed to help elsewhere - like mending that agent. She is in awe of Snake's entrance, but there's badness afoot. So much badness. She can't even with the badness.
As he's watching the deployment of troops from above, Snake-Eyes tries to get a general feeling on the air around him. While he wants to see if it might pull on his spiritual energy, though the collapse of an agent with a pylon catches his attention. The flash of what appears to be a rifle scope sends the ninja on a move, silentingly chastizing himself for not checking the nearby rooftops as soon as he arrives. Focusing his qi about him, he increases his speed and then takes, one, two, and then a third hop. He leaps on the third hop, spanning the distance from one building to the one opposite where he lands in a rolling crouch.
Once on the building, his hand drops to his service pistol, pulling it from his holster with his left hand, as his right hand draws the Mikimoto blade from it's sheath. Laying down a covering fire, he makes sure that the sniper knows he has unwanted company so that he can't go shooting at a second agent. This isn't the time for stealth, it's time to advance, attack, and take out the target.
Noone's bothered to assign him an ICER, after all.
Snipers. Again. May flinches as the shot rings out RIGHT when she's looking at the message from Trent. So she hastily types in a reply. Snipers. Please and thank you. Then she's moving to try and maintain cover while getting to the agent who just got shot. She trusts Jericho to understand her extremely terse message.
Jericho is airborne in moments. He saw where the sniper came from. Well one of them anyway, assuming that there's not a second around. He's going to be down in a second.
It's rather theatrical really, the way he drops from the sky, amber wings glowing, blade unfolding while liquid metal bracers seep through his shirt and wrap around his arms. There's an audible thud as he lands not far from Snake Eyes, wickedly inward curved sword raised high.
Derek Branch takes off with his Pylon at a smooth lope across to his assigned location to deploy his pylon. He's quick, zig-zagging as soon as the danger is announced into the coms. He'll get the Pylon placed, though: first priority and all. He'll follow the instructions exactly to set it up, and immediately drop to a squat not far from it, drawing his rifle, and starts to blend into the area, camouflaging, making him especially difficult to see, let alone hit, using methods that would seem magical to anyone who didn't know Derek's nature. Compared to the showy agents dropping out of the sky, Derek isn't going to be noticed. At least, that's the idea.
Fortunately, one the TAC team has the sense to record the activation of the portal, that will provide valuable intel for later.
With Dereks pylon planted, he might want to see to those who are being drawn towards the portal, the power is increasing and sucking things in a 6 feet radius into it. Keeping people clear and rescuing the ones nearest might be a good thing to do.
Nothing is coming the other way though … yet.
Rains pylon needs to be planted a little further away, she and Captain will need to hurry. If she can do anything to nullify that portal, that would bea good thing too.
With May helping the staggering agent, it will be a minute or two more before they reach their location.
Someone appears behind Snake-Eyes and lays down fire, just as Jericho lands on the roof … the sniper that was under Snake-Eyes fire, looks between the two men with a wild look in his eye and turns his fire on Jericho.
Simmons hurries to the back of the van they arrived in, and grabs out a case. "Help me into this contraption." she directs one of the agents "I really wish Fitz had worked on the asthetic design like I told him… it would make this just so much easier." It's the portal buster but it's cumbersome… she won't be able to use it immediately.
Captain and Rain have flying broomstick action! The two can move quickly, as one is a cat and go nuts at high speeds towards things on shelves and the other is used to piloting. Go figure. Nevertheless, the pylon is toted along and placed properly. It takes her a little bit, though. They do have to land, plant and prepare.
While they work, Rain will at least try to slow the portal so they can do the portal buster before it gets all kinds of open.
After suitably distracting the sniper, Snake-Eyes drops his magazine, putting the smoking pistol away for now as Jericho appears nearby in all of his winged glory. The ninja offers a suitable nod of his head, gesturing towards the sniper's nest that he saw the muzzle flash from and then to Jericho before moving his finger quickly back to the nest. He's apparently content to drawing the sniper's attention while Jericho takes him out.
That is until he feels the hairs rise on the back of his neck as a second target makes it's presence known, laying down a withering fire towards the SHIELD asset. Rolling to the side to juke away from the fire, there's several close calls as the rooftop is pock-marked and more than a few bullets whiz by the ninja as he twists about and then his Mikimoto sword starts to drag along the asphalted rooftop as he makes a curving run directly towards the shooter.
Closing the distance with a burst of qi assisted speed, the Mikimoto blade kicks up sparks just before he slices it straight across the shooter as he passes by.
A thin line of red starts to form along the shooter's outfit, right acorss the middle of his abdomen. While coming to a near complete stop, Snake-Eyes pivots hard on his heel and snaps a kick into the back of the shooter, sending him off the rooftop and down towards the portal. They can have him back.
It's almost painfully slow going, but May helps the agent get to the pylon's deployment position, then draws her sidearm and watches for anyone or anything trying to approach them while the injured man sets and activates the pylon. She's not using her ICER. Not with these people, not today. Even if a normal pistol really isn't any more effective against them.
Jericho gets winged by a shot and takes off again, letting rounds ping off his wings as he zeroes in on the sniper's location. The silent one is off taking care of the other problem. He's got this one. The sniper sees an amber flash though the scope before he loses two feet of barrel. The ex-soldier alights in the landing and his blade flashes once more. That one won't be causing any more trouble.
Damn it. There are a lot of SHIELD agents that are in trouble. Derek puts his gun back over his shoulder, and dodges in (very carefully, he doesn't want to end up sucked into the thing by being stupid), and tries to organize a group of alarmed agents to help rescue those that are being pulled into the portal.
The pylons in place, the psychic suppression field 'hums' (well it would hum if it made a noise) into being, any psychics caught in that field just lost the benefit of their abilities. But, it has no effect on the portal.
Rains attempt to slow the portal has some effect as the radius of it's power shrinks considerably… but she can feel how it's starting to break down, this … could be bad.
Dereks organisation allows the agents to move several bystanders out of the way, to have the Sniper that Snake-Eyes just threw off the roof, land at his feet. The snipers not a good way - Derek will note that he looks human, very much so. Perhaps sending him back through the portal isn't the best idea - you know, interrogation and all?
Jericho's sniper … is disabled. If he's alive, can be detained!
Finally, the agent helps Simmons with the Portal Buster and she struggles towards the silvery oval - aiming the wand and activating it. It takes what seems like a lifetime for the coded spell to get a lock on the portal, and a beam of energy shoots from the wand into the portal… shutting it down. But not before Jemma is knocked backwards and lands hard, from the recoil in the device itself."Ow".
With the portal gone, the grey/black pyramid remains, clearly the epicenter of the portals creation.
Rain is channeling, a purple crystal out as focus. Must be pretty intense to warrant a focus. She frowns. "Even slowing it is destabilizing it. Geez, these things are weird… or the contact violates the laws of physics, quantum and otherwise, so thoroughly that the universe itself is ashamed."
She's not really sure. "It's just odd. Going through an unstable portal is a terrible idea…" Maybe the pyramid is just a starter/launch pad? She'll have to work on it. "You did it!" Yay Jemma! Captain peeks from around Rain's head. "Woo." Yeah, cat enthusiasm.
There's injured snipers. She'll wait to see if assistance is needed, but May+Zip ties and SHIELDies probably mean the snipers aren't really going anywhere
Interrogation. Put him in a room with Snake-Eyes for a few minutes, they'll have a lovely conversation. Snapping his sword to the side, the blood easily flecks off the blade and spluts against the roof before he sheaths the blade to glance towards Jericho and where he's subduing his sniper. There's a slight nod of his head as things seem to be well in hand there, and his attention turns to the Simmons/Rain concert. The idea of magic and science working together is an interesting duet, one that he can't understand, but the way it feels against his qi - Rain's natural abilities mixed with Jemma's unnatural manipulations feel off in a way. But not as bad as that portal did.
Glancing up towards the witch, he tilts his head to the side at the statement before he sends Rain a text. What, he has a phone built into his arm gauntlet, he might as well use it. Of course, he probably should have checked to see how she had him set up in her contacts.
SNEK (MY NEENJA): These portals are not naturally occuring? And are you alright? Not wounded?
With that, Snake returns to his observation of the pyramid, the dwindling and then closed portal, and the clean up. He thinks back to a week ago with a certain eye-patched man showed up at his cabin.
You can sit up here on the sidelines, son and brood over your blood-brother's betrayl some more, or you can get off your ass, see some crap that even you won't understand, and make a difference. I ain't forcing you into anything, but sitting up here isn't going to solve the murder of your master, or even scratch the surface of the truth.
Weird stuff? Check. Worth getting off his ass for? A glance around and up to the cheering witch and her cat. Possibly. He's probably smirking underneath that mask at the moment as he starts to come down off the roof to regroup with the others and figure out the plan of action. But not before he texts group wide:
Not it on the report.
There doesn't seem to be any further immediate danger so Jericho vacates the premesis. SHIELD can do the cleanup. He's a contract agent he doesn't file reports. (May does). Which means there's not much else for him to do here. He was only in the area by coincidence anyway.
Melinda May manages to not breathe a sigh of relief where anyone can hear it, then helps the injured agent back toward the van that brought Simmons and the equipment. The medical and other support teams should be here shortly. She then goes to check on Simmons while looking at Derek and the fallen form near him questioningly. They might actually have a chance to gather some intel. Finally. Maybe. "Simmons, are you all right?"
Derek Branch throws a signal with his left hand to send two agents to check on (and contain, if needed) the guy that splatted down near them, and jogs across to check on Jemma, and help lift the big Portal Buster off her. "Nice shootin' there, Tex. Are you okay?" Derek asks, offering her a hand to help her up. He's still a bit funny-colored from his camouflage, but that starts to fade back to 'normal' coloring now, efficiently.
Before coming down, Snake-Eyes collects the sniper that Jericho took down. Attaching a thin carry line to him, the ninja lowers him down much like a pinata, leaving him a few feet off the ground, suspended from a fire escape for the other agents to collect. That sniper may be in.. better shape.. than the one the ninja dealt with.
"I'm, ow, fine, " Jemma gladly takes the hand offered to her and regains her feet, trying not to blush at being so clumsy "Agent May, Agent Branch."
With the rest of the SHIELD agents securing the scene, the SHIELD science team is now clear to do it's thing.
It will take a while to investigate, collect evidence and clean up, but that's mostly for the Science team and the lucky SHIELD team assigned to … baby sit.
Jemma at least will be here for a while, whilst they investigate what just happened.