December 20, 2016:
Hydra terrorists attack during holiday shopping season
Manhattan Mall
Characters
NPCs: Hydra
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\# None.]
Fade In…
* OOC Time: Sat Dec 10 13:55:05 2016 *
INT. Manhattan Mall - New York City
The holiday is in full swing with thousands of shoppers moving throughout the multi-storied mall in an irrepressible sea of commerce on a weekday afternoon. The deals today are terrifying…
Near Victoria's Secret..
"Golly Lois," a bespeckled man paces back and forth across a small area with a phone pressed to his ear. Hunched shoulders and a perpetual slouch he refuses to even make eye contact with the inside of the store he now prowls beyond making the whole affair even more awkward, "When I said I would grab what you needed I didn't know you wanted me to go /in there/."
"In there?" A female voice laughs, "Clark, I'm asking you to go inside of Victoria's Secret /not/ Hustler."
Mall Center..
A crowd of men disperse at the center of the mall near where an unending line of children and parents snake towards Santa Claus himself.
Several of these men shift and pull out silver lighters and then produce capped cylinders made from PVC pipe with long cords sticking out of one end. A spark. A flame. These objects are hurled overhand into the crowd and then reach deeper into their jackets.
"HAIL HYDRA!"
Their cry might be lost but what comes next is not. They produce weaponry and begin firing into the crowd.
*POP POP POP* Screams, panic, and chaos ensues.
Nancy O'Neal heads out to FRP Ready Room.
Inside one of Umoja's warehouse located on Manhattan, Morien was prepared to enjoyed the Army versus Navy game, when he hears about a possible shooting with multiple gunmen at one of the malls in Manhattan. Morien turns on the DVR and lets out a frustrated sigh as he goes to the upper levels of his warehouse, and begins putting on his uniform and weapons.
Once putting up his uniform and quickly checking his weapons, he escapes via his skylight and makes his way to the mall.
In a world of constant change, one man struggles. There are people who struggle to leave their house, who constantly are on the computer or the TV, people who are scared to talk to their neighbor. They are the current generation. They are not the outlier in the era, however. He is.
Thankfully, there are things that oddly make this lonely feel at home. Things like friends, those who share a just cause. And of course, nothing tickles his fancy like a wrong to right. More so when it's HYDRA.
"Sorry we couldn't get you there sooner, Sir," the woman chimes in, the mission handler speaking over the roar of a motorcycle engine.
"The fact that we were on the way before they made their move is amazing," the man with the shield states with a warm smile. "That's nothing to be ashamed of. You all did your part, now it's time I did mine."
With that, Captain America skids his bike to a halt, not even turning it off as he runs toward the entrance of the mall. Thankfully, SHIELD tech turns it off it 'locks' itself for him. Focusing on the battle that looms ahead, Steve takes his shield from his back to wield defensively in front of him, sprinting forward as people flee around him. "Have the emergency crews on standby, as soon as we get this hostiles down, we'll need to have EMTs on the ground," he 'recommends'.
"Of course, Captain" is the simple reply.
As soon as Captain America finds a target, the star spangled warrior flings his shield in an attempt to hit first, hoping it finds firm purchase on one enemy agents (or two, if he's lucky) before flies back toward him.
Near Victoria's Secret..
"It's just not decent—," the nervous Kent stops as the words 'Hail Hydra' can be made out in the near distance. "Lois, I have to go," as the first shot is fired he hangs up on Lois and the milquetoast mien evaporates from his persona.
Mall Center..
A blur of red and blue enters the area displacing the air which buffets outward in a song gust of wind. For a fraction of a second it weaves impossibly through the panic and then flows upward above the sea of fear.
Look, up above the Concourse. It's Superman..
Superman has collected the three pipe bombs straining the size of one hand around their bottom end. With his other hand he takes their tops in a reverse grip and pulls all three close to his chest.
FRRWUMPANG
The muffled concussion is loud enough that many people shriek. Smoke curls outward between the Man of Steel's grip as the three bombs detonate harmlessly into his hands. Concurrent with their detonation he sweeps the crowd with vision that peels back layers of clothes in a search for threa-
From nowhere a man leaps out of the crowd and takes the Man of Steel in a bearhug then driving him into the floor. The MGH which courses through the terrorist's body grants him impossible strength which he uses to drive his knuckles over and over into the back of Superman's head creating a steadily widening crater in the floor.
Nearby..
A vibranium shield whirls in with a predatory hum impacting a gunman cleanly at the base of the skull before flying away at an acute angle to hit the marbled support column and changing trajectory to shatter the forearms of a gunman before then spinning backward towards its origin point.
There's a burst of radio chatter between the gunman and they turn on Cap firing high and low in an attempt to bypass the immense defense created by his freedom disc.
Finally Ozymandias arrives on the scene and starts directing civilians to seek cover and hide as he makes he gets closer. He quickly looks over at Captain America, and pulls out his Zulu style shield to provide him cover as he starts firing on the flanks of the gunmen that are shooting Captain America. "I hope you don't mind playing Pee Wee Reese to your Billy Herman." shouts Ozymandias to Captain America as he lays down fire to stun the gunmen as he continue to move towards a better position to examine the entire battle.
Finally Ozymandias arrives on the scene and starts directing civilians to seek cover and hide as he makes he gets closer. He quickly looks over at Captain America, and pulls out his Zulu style shield to provide him cover as he starts firing on the flanks of the gunmen that are shooting Captain America.
"I hope you don't mind playing Pee Wee Reese to your Billy Herman." shouts Ozymandias to Captain America as he lays down fire to stun the gunmen as he continue to move towards a better position to examine the entire battle.
While it's unknown how much is luck and how much was combat skill, the shield comes back a split second before the weapon fire begins to rain down. Rogers strafes with urgency, trying to make for some low cover as he ignores the pain of a grazing weapon wound across his outer left leg. While the stroller rentals won't give much in the way of defense, the two foot high tile and concrete wall the child transports are rested again does the trick. The fact that it doesn't seem to have any people around it is just icing on the cake.
Now having a significantly lower risk of getting killed by nameless assassins and a stray shot to a leg artery, the Super Soldier peeks out from his shield a couple of times, once on the left, than another time on the right to keep them guessing. His mind works in overdrive as he tries to assess and figure out the biggest threats, understand the full situation, and ensure that there aren't bystanders and allies in trouble. Or in Superman's case, allies that can help him. A small smile appears on his face, as the legendary hero of Metropolis is able to make quick work of men like this. Maybe all Cap will need to do is merely keep them occupied and-
The overconfidence quickly evaporates into horror as there seems to be a metahuman influence within the enemy forces and seems to, for the time being, keep Superman occupied. Captain America is going through the two-second flow chart for how to handle this turn of event when the scales are tipped in the favor of justice once more.
"Not a problem," the shield slinger replies simply with a half-cocked grin. With new front pressing the assault, Cap can afford to give an opening, throwing his shield once more, not for the gunners that heroic gun man has flanked, but the back of the aggressor with the courage to hit Superman. It seems that Cap is taking Oz's tactics and running with them, purposefully switching opponents to keep the other side harried.
The concourse floor…
The crowd has scattered from where Superman and the MGH addict landed. The very foundation seems to shake as the terrorist mounts the Man of Steel's back and drives blow after blow into the back Kryptonian's head to literally push his skull into the building's foundation.
What the Hydra terrorist cannot feel is the steady fracture of his own hands as each powerful blow transfers force into an alien that, while tremendously disoriented from the suddenness of it all, is suffering very few actual wounds from the exchange.
Superman's right arm goes backward flailing awkwardly first for his aggressor..
Stroller Rentals..
With reflexes that defy mere-human accuracy Captain America makes dives into cover with a trail of gunfire just behind him. The shield spins outward, off a storefront, and towards the man pounding on Superman.
Concurrent with the dive…
Cool blue beams pass through the area with precision. Each impact inhibits neuro-muscular processes quickly dropping the fellows gunning for America's best known symbol.
As they hit the ground their hands go limp and the tiny detonators wired down their sleeve falls askew to their wrist. Then you might realize they all have back packs.
The concourse floor..
*WHONG*
The impact of freedom's shield inturrupts the assault upon Superman and sprawls the metahuman drug addict forward to create a moment of advantage before arcing back towards Rogers.
With superspeed Superman spins so that the aggressor now straddles his chest. The ground and pound then continues as three strikes hit him at the center of his nose - which doesn't so much as bend.
The Kryptonian grabs at the next blow wrenching the man's wrist backward and away. Then he merely exhales, a cloud of blue-white particles freezing his opponents face in a half-block of ice. This seems to stop their struggle the Hydra combatant tries unsuccessfully to pull the ice off his face without removing his own features.
Rising from the floor Superman hefts the man by one arm like a doll as Kal-El calculates the physics necessary to remove his opponent from the fight without launching him into space.
The air between Superman and the skylight above quivers with microwaves that vaporize the glass above them in a flash of orange. Then the Man of Steel rotates once mid-air before flinging the monstrous superhuman in a low arc that will have him land near the center of the Atlantic Ocean between New York and London. Clark will retrieve him after the fight when hopefully the MGH will be wearing thin.
Ozymandias lets out a frustrated sigh at the sight of the switches. "First, it was the robots, now Hydra. Was there a sale on explosives?" Ozymandias grinds his teeth and realizes he should had spent sometime designing a gadget that would helped in situations like this, but that is something that he will need to figure out if he gets out of this.
Ozymandias shouts, "I got bombs and I am not talking about Tim Burton last few movies either." Since there hasn't been an explosion, he quickly deduces that the switches are not deadman switches which gives him more time to disarm the devices. Ozymandias opens the first backpack and using his knowledge of explosives and high level of intuition combined with deft hands he figures out how to disarm the first bomb, and starts to work through the other bombs.
There is a look of tired exasperation as Captain America realizes the heroes' enemies went full blown terror for their mission for the day. "Oh swizzle sticks," he swears quietly. It baffles the man, no matter how many times he deals with it. It isn't the straight forward fights he's used to or prefers, where the enemy is more concerned about damage caused than winning the fight or beating the enemy.
As Superman appears to have taken the opening and ran with it, the shield is soon slung over his back with one hand as the other moves to the side of his helm. "The area is secure, but hold on the rescue units, we have explosives that will need to be disarmed." A short pause. "No we already have someone, it's okay." He looks toward Ozymandias to give an 'it's okay, right?' look before looking around to take in the scene to make sure there aren't any men coming to. If there are, a simple foot to the face will fix the situation. After all, distracting the bomb diffuser would be bad. To the second cultural mention, Cap gives a chuckle. "Because Burton movies have a lot of bombs in them." He really tried to get that reference. He really, really did. At least he got the one from HIS era.
Presuming that the Man of Steel makes his return to the ground, Captain America will give a nod of thanks before looking around for injured. If there are any, he'll do his part to make sure they are at least out of the building to ensure they can get treatment.
'Bombs'
Superman completes his rotation to see Ozymandias rushing towards the fallen foes. A quick X-Ray of the fallen reveals that the Morien is correct. Looking away he turns slowly mid-air whilst scanning the area around them.
There is a man at either side of the mall acting as a failsafe.
SUPER SPEED
Superman alights upon the ground and begins a sprint through the mall. The panicked crowd are merely mannequins that surround him.
Reaching the east side of the mall pulls the detonator out of a frozen hand and then begins to remove the backpack with such care that he will not injure the human as strength and speed impact upon mortal frame. With a backpack in one hand he races through the mall again.
Arriving at the west side he can see the electrical impulse hit the explosive material which slowly begins to combust before his eyes. With less care than before he takes the straps of the backpack in his hands and snaps them before pulling it free. As the explosion begins to move outward he gently taps the bombardier on the side of the head before taking to the air and accelerating towards the skylight above the concourse.
NORMAL SPEED
All of the sudden there is a blue-red wind. First to the east. Then to the west. The speed of it it sweeps debris upward as it exits the building above their heads.
BOOM ** **BOOM
The air above the mall ripples in a pair of concussive bursts that flash briefly orange to create a brief unimpressive display.
At the west side of the mall the bomber falls to the floor with a severe concussion.
Near the Bombs..
With the primary foes unconscious it is a simple task to first disarm the detonators and then disarm the actual triggers themselves.
The crowd..
Is still screaming. Dispersing. There are dozens of people who have injuries that span from simply being terrified to at risk of death. People writhe upon the floor in search of hope..
..and then Captain America swelling the injured with the feeling that they can fight their way to tomorrow.
Ozymandias collects a few of the detonators and the bombing material to investigate latter back at the WatchTower. He peers around the area for further threats, he looks up at the man in the sky. "Do we have an all clear? If so am going to send in first responders and other emergency teams to help with the injured and secure the prisoners.
Caitlin's running as fast as she's legally allowed to in the city, but there's just no substitute for flight. Still, she's going fast enough that one hard banking corner results in a crack forming in a concrete pad on the sidewalk— she winces but keeps dashing, arms and legs pumping furiously as fast as super strength can carry her.
"Almost there!" she chirps into her earpiece, red hair streaming behind her.
She vaults over a line of parked cars and fetches up against the front doors of the mall, seeing people struggling to get through them. "Move!" Caitlin commands— and with a set of her feet and powerful twist of her shoulders, she simply rips out two entire doorframes and flings them aside, freeing up room for six abreast to leave.
Pushing through the tide, she gets into the crowd and hops up onto a low planter— she's already tall enough, but it puts her shoulders over the crowd, too. "THIS WAY! PROCEED IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!" Caitlin bellows, her voice thundering like a megaphone. "HELP THE KIDS AND OLD FOLKS FIRST!" she adds, trying to project the sort of stern authority one normally expects from, say, Diana, or Carol Danvers.
Momentary confusion crosses Cap's face before a sigh of relief once he realized what has occurred with the bombs. While the man has heightened speed, it's not nearly on any sort of level to keep up visually with Superman. With not-so-hidden awe at the display of power, Captain America nods to Ozymandias without looking at him. "It would seem. The sooner it happens the better," he points out as his body relaxes somewhat. Still, as the rush of battle begins to leave his body, the first Avenger knows there is still work to be done.
"Listen up, everyone, everyone is going to be okay!" he offers in the wake of Caitlin's words to support her efforts. "Like the good woman said, help one another, show any that would stand against us that we won't let a few bullies make us forget who we are!"
There isn't much that Captain America can do in terms of powers. He doesn't fly with speed, have insane strength, or even have the techno-know-how to deal with his bombs (or on some occasions, his own phone). But he can be an example. Slowly, he helps up an elderly woman who has her husband trying in vain to get her moving. "You two," he states to a pair of teenagers cowering under a table. "If you could help make sure this woman gets help, I'd be really appreciative."
Once that is done, Steve glances around, just taking in this moment with a solemn respect. It never fails to sting that such things happen, but the last thing he would want is to be numb to those who suffered.
Moments after the explosions Superman descends back through the skylight. The Kryptonian's brow furrows at Ozymandias's question and he seems to again surveil the space around them with purpose.
"I think we're clear," he says the word 'think' nearly lost for the certain purpose his even baritone conveys to all who can hear him, "Send them in."
The Man of Steel alights upon the floor and then seems to settle as his weight shifts to his heels so that he stands amongst the survivors. There is a clear moment where he turns in place looking at the injured and then he looks to where the doors have been ripped to the front of the building, "Fairchild," his voice thooms like a peal of thunder, "EMS is coming in. Help them through."
In the moment of solemn respect Superman stands next to Captain America and puts a hand upon the other man's shoulder giving a gentle squeeze of appreciation.
Ozymandias gives the signal over his comlink to send in the police and ems, then scans the area once more. His eyes happen to fall on a television and sees that Army beat Navy, and he shakes his head. "I guess there is no reason to look at the DVR anymore." Ozymandias rolls his eyes behind his mask before making sure the detonators and bomb making material are secured for transport.
The EMS and the police arrive on the scene and begin helping out the injured, and placing the Hydra members under arrest. Once the bomb squad gathers the bombs and detonators not collected by Ozymandias, Ozymandias raises his grappling hook in the air and fires it towards the roof. "Hydra always showing up like a bad penny."
"Yessir, I'm on it," Caitlin chirps. She hops off the planter and as quickly as possible, trots into the crowd out towards the ambulances pulling in up front. There are some words exchanged and she points inside, then turns around and starts pushing her way back into the interior of the building. Handily, she's not just strong— Cait weighs more than even Steve Rogers, so she sets her heels low and pushes through the crowd, forcing people to either move or bounce off of her. She elbows a clear path for the EMTs to get through, making sure the stretchers can get to a clear path.
"First EMTs are coming in," she says into her earpiece. "Can someone open up the, uh…" She peers at a map. "East exit? We can divert some of the foot traffic out that way and relieve congestion."
While Superman offers the respect to Cap, it's the shield bearer that offers a deep nod. "If it wasn't for you, it would have been a lot worse here," he states with a sincere smile toward Superman. After all, Steve might have had to phone in an attempt of bomb defusing to tried some crazed scheme to redirect the blast. This way was much better.
Within a second or two, Captain America's attention shifts toward Ozymandias. "Same to you as well," he says with a grin. "Always willing to have you take first bat on stuff like this." As the grappling hook makes its presence known, Cap figures it is farewell for one hero, but it's understand since he did his part. "Take it easy and thanks again. Good working with you." Rogers is nothing if not congenial.
As Caitlin makes her request, Steve nods in response. "You got it." It seems that he has no problem playing traffic control, routing people and offering a simple but effective kick to get the doors open and help people out.
Once it seems that the emergency services are able to come in and the crowds are managed by far more organized people, Cap makes his way back, presuming that there will be other heroes still around. "We have any idea if this was their main goal? I didn't hear anything about secondary forces or the like." He looks toward Fairchild, figuring if anyone had any idea about any other Hydra it would be the later responder, who might have been delayed due to her own heroics.
A bit after the Mall of Terror.. (Continuation Scene
INT. Mall of Manhattan - New York City
Emergency medical responders and police have swarmed the mall. Outside the mall the crowd of store managers wait to be allowed re-entry so they can secure their stores but otherwise the entire complex is empty except for wounded and emergency responders.
In the time between the attack and now Superman's assistance has been primarily related to triage. Microscopic and X-Ray vision providing the sort-of assessments that not be done for hours in the hospital.
Those who remain are largely uninjured except for the heroes which NYPD's finest has been hesitant to interview and disperse because some of them are difficult to re-acquire for follow-up interviews.
What an odd visual..
Superman has exhausted his capabilities in identifying who is suffering from grave internal injury. The Man of Steel stands quietly at the center of things with an expression that is simultaneously unyielding for his now awkward protectorate but also pained for what brought him here to begin with.
'Do we know if this was their main goal?" Cap had asked.
"I don't know," Superman admitted to Captain America earlier, "It was just luck that I was nearby." When the Man of Steel speaks to the First Avenger it is with the candidness of an everyman, "These sorts of attacks seem to be happening more and more often." If he knew enough to anticipate them would try and pre-empt them — except that even he cannot how fathom how deeply the conspiracy goes.
Caitlin Fairchild tries to match the miens of the two men near her— Superman and Captain America are literally a competition for Most American Jawline, Resolute category— but she's a naturally empathetic person, so she spends a lot of time giving the injured expression that vacillate between worry and encouragement as the redhead tries to smile reassurances at them.
"Sorry it took me so long to get here," Caitlin adds, a moment later. "I can only run so fast in town without starting car wrecks." She looks around the devastation, nose wrinkling thoughtfully. "Do we have a motive at all? Or was it just… y'know, awfulness for it own sake?" she asks, gesturing vaguely.
A frown is given at the information given. "Then it appears to be a pure terror attack then," Captain America replies to both Fairchild and Superman in their concerns. "With how much resources they seem to have, I'd say that they want to make people as scared as possible, but I don't really see the endgame for that." A glance is given toward the people as they try and clean up. There are already people investigating and the man is sure that there are likely SHIELD agents in the mix, silently collecting their own information. As he studies the aftermath, he continues on. "As you said, it just seems like they are ramping up and having way more recruits than something like this should." Clandestine struggles are far from the man's bailiwick, often depending on the wisdom of others within SHIELD to understand the clear purpose when pure insight fails.
His gaze shifts back toward the two with a smile despite the weight the conversation brings. "Either way, I'm confident we'll figure this out. With so many heroes to lend a hand, I don't see how Hydra stands a chance as long as we work together." Encouraging and inspiring is just how Cap works, even when dealing with others used to giving hope than receiving it.
Empathy. Hope.
Superman fails to suppress a smile when Caitain speaks up. The edges of his mouth barely twist and yet good-spirit seems to radiate outward from him at her thoughtfulness, "It's Christmas," Clark replies with a heavy sigh, "and so I think it was just awfulness. At least one was so full of MGH he thought he was invincible."
Somewhere in the mid-Atlantic this man dog-paddles as the drug oozes from his pores.
Superman nods to Captain America, "That doesn't mean they'll stop trying," he replies, emboldened, "but it also doesn't mean we'll give up. This was bad but it could have been so much worse."
Caitlin's a young hero, but she's not dumb by any means. While Cap and Superman exchange Grave Looks, she frets her lower lip and scrunches up her nose, thinking.
"Okay. So, two options. If this was a lone wolf attack," she says, upticking a finger, "then we need to figure out who supplied him with the MGH and where he self-radicalized. If it wasn't, then we need to figure out who supplied him with the MGH and then aimed him at the mall," she says, a second finger ticking up. She puts both fingers down and holds out her other hand, palm up. "Common factor there— figure out where he got the MGH, right? Any chance of a chemical sample we could trace, or a supplier we could start from the other end?"
"All too true," Steve replies to Superman's stance of never yielding, folding his arms and rubbing his left chest muscle slightly, perhaps overstretching a muscle from an over energetic shield toss.
But perhaps thankfully for those that might get sick of the endless pep talk that is Captain America, Caitlin speaks of more practical things like clues to trace the villians to their lair. "That's some sharp thinking," he acknowledges. "I suppose that would likely be wherever he is. If he's still alive." A glance is given toward Superman, expecting that he would be able to expound on that. "While I'm sure you both already know, I know a few times those guys would rather die than let themselves be captured or used in any way against their organization."
"Lucky for us," Superman responds his blue-eyes exchanging knowing looks with Caitlin and Cap, "All of our attackers survived." He asks Cap, "Do you think they'll cooperate?" He asks but the question is largely rhetorical for it does not hang long.
The Kryptonian suddenly cocks his head, "The fellow on MGH is about swimming northwest about three hundred miles east of here and fading fast." Looking at them both, "I'll be right back."
The Man of Steel rockets into the air with an intense downdraft of displaced air. The distinct sound of a sonic boom soon follows from above.
Moments later, Stryker's Island..
The Man of Steel descends in a low arc over the prison where he discards a rapidly deflating individual into the prison yard.
Moments after that, Mall of Manhattan..
A sopping wet backpack falls from the sky to land in the space between Captain America and Caitlin. Superman descends shortly thereafter. There are drugs, explosives, and other sea-salt smelling articles within.
"Doo de doo," Caitlin hums, quietly. She interlaces her fingers behind her back and hums quietly, flashing a nervous smile at Captain Beefcak- Captain America, and then finding something /incredibly fascinating/ to stare at on the other side of the mall area. Evidence! That's what she's looking for, evidence. She rocks back and forth, heel-toe-heel, mentally counting how long it'll take Superman to get back.
When the bag lands, she nudges it with a toe, then stoops to open it with careful fingers. "Hmm. Some explosives, but I think the salt water neutralized them," she explains, pulling a few detonators out. She crushes the endcaps carefully and guts the chemical igniters, which fizzle with a mild acid against her fingers. Once they're expended, she hands the blasting caps to Cap. "These are military, right?" she asks him, hesitantly.
As Superman talks of all the attackers surviving, Captain America has a faint frown. "I doubt it, but you'd likely want to keep him unconscious until he's looked over. Maybe get him some decent security to avoid him being silenced." If the Hydra agents had any useful information, they didn't seem to survive long. At least not in Cap's experience. But he nods toward the Man of Steel, clearly impressed with how he handled the situation and not having any real words to offer him before he vanishes with a swift leap.
As Caitlin looks toward him and smiles, Rogers just gives an oblivious smile back, unknowing of any difficulties he may knowingly cause her, just content to look about as she does.
As the blasting caps come out, Cap glances them over, leaning in slightly. "That would be my guess. Seems odd they would use it for terror attacks, but if they are military surplus, could have been bought from a nation wanting to unload some aging inventory. But most nations don't sell that stuff outside of defense contractors or other militaries. Or so I thought."
Fairchild says, "more like"
Superman alights upon the ground again giving the explosives and chemical igniters a stern look, "So what's the next step?" His blue eyes move from the inquisitive Caitlin to the experienced symbol of freedom, "Have the Justice League interrogate the MGH addict?" A lasso of truth might be handy, there.
"Will SHIELD take the lead on investigating leads that are uncovered?"
Caitlin hunkers down in a squat, thinking, forearms folded and chin on her wrist. The questions float, then she slowly rises with a flex of her legs and quirks her mouth and nose to the right, brow scrunching.
"Well— we need law enforcement to interrogate him," Caitlin says, in her diffident, polite way of making herself heard. "Otherwise anything he says won't count as a confession. So maybe we hand him off to the authorities."
"But we've got some of the best labs in the country," she adds, a moment later. "We can do the forensic work and follow up on the background stuf— the MGH, the explosives— from our end, legally, and maybe—" she glances at Steve, one brow cocked. "Maybe we can pool resources with SHIELD, see if they can expedite things by helping line up the results of the chemical analysis with Homeland Security or DEO records? He got these explosives from /somewhere/. The MGH, too. You can't make this at home in a blender."
She clears her throat, realizing she's perhaps overstepping her authority a little. "Er, I mean, that… might be a way to go," she says, ears pinking a little.
"SHIELD will be doing an investigation themselves likely either way," Cap admits to Superman with some chagrin. While the group tends to hold things close to the chest, Steve doesn't. But there is a reason why they don't tell him too much. Plausible deniability is important. "If I could have a couple of the blasting caps, could likely have someone work on the supplier of the armaments, could be a solid lead to an arms dealer. Two birds, one stone. Or at least one that is a bit easier than dealing with personnel." SHIELD handles their prisoners a bit differently than the Justice League or most law enforcements, after all.
In the end, people from SHIELD might not be too thrilled with Captain America being so willing to yield vital information, but considering both people have done so much to help this time and times past, it's the least he can do. "I can see what we can do to help, just let me know what you guys would prefer. In the end, as long as someone's looking into it, that's the important thing." Or at least it is to Steve.
"I think we would all benefit from putting our heads together on this one," Superman replies sincerely, looking at the materials being discussed. For the next two seconds a man who can witness the splitting of atoms breaks down the molecular chains of the materials involved and commits their formulas to memory.
He blinks then cool blue eyes fix directly upon Caitlin, "The addict is in custody at Strykers." He informs the red-head in case some legal means is uncovered for someone outside of traditional law enforcement to ask him some questions.
"Go ahead and divide up the blasting caps."
Turning away from them again he floats off of the ground, "Chief O'Neill," if ever there were a distraction for secretly divvying up evidence in the midst of a full blown law enforcement investigation there was Superman, "We need to talk." When he speaks he draws every eye.
What follows is a discussion involving his intention to cooperate
"I think we would all benefit from putting our heads together on this one," Superman replies sincerely, looking at the materials being discussed. For the next two seconds a man who can witness the splitting of atoms breaks down the molecular chains of the materials involved and commits their formulas to memory.
He blinks, "Let's all put our heads together on this one," cool blue eyes look directly upon Caitlin, "The addict is in custody at Strykers." He informs the red-head in case some legal means is uncovered for someone outside of traditional law enforcement to ask him some questions.
"Go ahead and divide up the blasting caps."
Turning away from them again he floats off of the ground, "Chief O'Neill," if ever there were a distraction for secretly divvying up evidence in the midst of a full blown law enforcement investigation is was Superman, "We need to talk." When he speaks he draws every eye.
What follows is a discussion involving his intention to cooperate but need to depart. It seems there is a 1,000 year flood occurring in the South Pacific.