Interrogating Thompson

April 15, 2015:

May interrogates Thompson…. Simmons listens in

Remote SHIELD Facility

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

This remote SHIELD facility is mostly nondescript. A plain, white, light industrial building in an area populated by similarly bland buildings. The interior isn't a whole lot better, though it's probably a LOT more high-tech than the commercial office supply company down the block. Most of the R&D done here is more a form of technological forensics than actual cutting edge innovation and thus possibly flying under the radar of unsavory types like HYDRA.

In the medical section of the facility, May watches the still resting Thompson on a monitor in the lab where Jemma has been working. "How soon do you think he'll be awake and ready to answer some questions?" From anyone else that might sound like a planned interrogation… no, wait, it sounds like that coming from May too.


Coming into the medical section, Simmons looks over to May and then at her tablet. "Any time now, Agent May." She frowns a little at the readings and then checks some of the other equipment around. She's not going to question anything right now.


Over the last day and some Corporal Thompson had been awake off and on. It was only early in the morning that he seemed fully cognizant. So far he's been a good boy, watching the occasional movie or reading the errant magazine. He spent much of the day sleeping, though when awake with other people in the room he tended to ask about the status of things.
The wound on the back of his head was still healing, though much much faster than a normal patient. Currently he's settled on the bed with a cover over his lower body, looking down at an issue of Cosmopolitan that one of the nurses slipped him. He chews absently on some fruit from a nearby fruit cup, tossing a grape into the air now and then and catching it in his mouth, well… more often than not.


Melinda May nods to Simmons. It's time to interrupt that fruit cup. She has News, and needs to speak with Thompson sooner rather than later. She leads the biochemist to the Corporal's room and knocks lightly before opening the door so both women can enter. "Corporal Thompson." She actually takes a very deliberate moment to remove several of her more obviously concealed weapons and set them on a table by door. Perhaps a gesture of peace?


Simmons follows May and waits for the agent to remove the weapons before taking a position in the corner of the room. Her attention turns to her tablet for now.


"Ma'am," Flash responds openly, looking across the way towards the two of them but clearly focusing on May as she takes the lead. He closes the magazine and places it on the small rolling meal tray then pushes it out of the way. "Wanted to thank you and yours, I really appreciate the help. I was gonna say it's a big weighing off my mind, but… you know. I have standards for humor." He offers a small smile, probably trying to defuse the tension in his own way.


Melinda May sets one last item on the table the takes a couple of steps forward. "Glad we could help. That's partly why I'm here." She folds her hands in front of herself and continues after a second. "After you situation came to my attention, I had some associates do a bit of digging. WHile we found all of the official documentation showing where you'd volunteered for a research group, implanting explosives into their test subjects is NOT included in the list of acceptable practices. Agent Simmons' findings," she nods toward Jemma, "have been given to the appropriate SHIELD departments. If things go in your favor, that particular research group will have to cease and desist, and all of their volunteers will be released from the stipulations included on their volunteer forms. Including you."


Listening to her intently, Eugene frowns for a moment, letting his eyes drop slightly but then he looks back up at her. As she speaks he follows along with a few nods, looking mispleased. Once she's finished he tells her, "I know this seems silly, ma'am. But I kinda hemmed and hawed over this for a while. The main thing I want to do is serve my country and do what I can for people."
The sheets whisper somewhat as he straightens in his seat, pushing the pillows back against the wall. "But I know that sometimes things get out of hand, or that not everyone… you know, has the same goals. So I kinda argued against myself that maybe hey with the… the suit, that they had to take these precautions."
He takes a steadying breath, "But right now, the suit and myself, we're pretty good together. We level each other out and I don't think it's as dangerous as they might have been thinking. But then maybe I'm just a coward and wouldn't make the sacrifice needed. But… you know how it is, these things swirl in your thoughts."


Melinda May shifts her weight slightly, moving to cross her arms. "I won't lie, there are divisions of R&D that would sacrifice fingers to take a look at your symbiote." That's what Simmons called it, anyway. "But I'm inclined to agree with you. Keeping you and the suit together is to everyone's benefit. And that's one of the things that's a bone of contention right now. The Army wants to take it back if you aren't willing to return to the research group."


A small 'heh' comes from him as Flash shakes his head. "I understand, belieeeve me I understand." He leans forwards a bit, resting a hand on one of his legs, their abnormal shape emphasized by the lay of the covers over them. "That's why they at first didn't want me to wear it for longer than two days. When I was…" He frowns and straightens up, "This brings up a whole other can of worms. But when the old director of the project had me chasing down an innocent mutant woman and ordered me to apprehend or kill her…"
He frowns and pauses, "I'm crap at telling stories. Just, I was on this op and I learned that my target was innocent. Somebody at control realized I was standing down and that gas main that blew up two months ago? Yah they fired a missile at us."
It's like his mind is getting a bit overrun with recounting the events of his time under Project Rebirth, "But I was able to save her by holding up some debris in this pocket under where the sewers collapsed. Was a horrible time, smelly." He shakes his head, "But I was down there so long… that the thing bonded to me fully. So now we really are one, and if the Army seperates us then we'll both die."


Melinda May looks over at Jemma as if something Thompson just said is significant, then turns back to the Corporal. "Then I'll make sure that that is not an option, no matter what the Army lawyers try to say." She looks at the man for another moment before adding, "Are you wanting to stay with the Army regardless after this?" She's pretty sure that that's not feasible, but she has to ask.


Simmons looks up, to Johnson and then to May, nodding slowly. "It's true, Agent May. The suit and him are bonded, the testing we've conducted is conclusive." And yes, Simmons would love to get a better look at the Symbiote but that wouldn't be fair to Thompson.


At May's words, Flash sort of lifts his hands upwards somewhat, palms flat. He looks aside, shakes his head, then looks back. "I don't know. I just want to do what's right. I understand if I have to go to prison for what I did, since I guess this can kinda be called stealing. Or kicked from the service and stripped of rank…"
Flash frowns distantly, as if giving each possibility his focused attention. He looks back to May. "I still owe the Army two years, but yeah I don't think they'll exactly be pleased with me. I honestly haven't thought about this beyond trying to get some help just to get the bomb out of me."


Melinda May makes a mental note of that. Two years. She's knows it's been done before, but this particular situation is … unique. "I'll share that with the SHIELD group." She hesitates for a moment, then adds, "I know this has happened before but I don't know if you'll be given the chance. Others have had their military service transferred over to SHIELD to finish out working with us."


"Ma'am," Flash straightens up, "I joined the Army because they were the first folks who said they'd take me." He offers a small smile, "I was gonna go down the list to Coast Guard and then on to the French Foreign Legion if I had to. If I had the chance to test out for SHIELD, I'd take it."
Leaning back, Flash rubs at the back of one shoulder, looking pensive. "I just want to know what I'm doing is going to make a difference for the better." He gestures to the side a bit with one hand, "I know it's cheesy, but yeah."


Melinda May nods slowly. "I think that could be arranged." She's definitely going to have to run it past Fury, but she suspects he'll have more reasons to give Thompson a chance than to say no. After all, he's hired some pretty … left field people over the years.


Flash gives a nod in response, then looks across the way at Jemma. He looks back towards Melinda, "If you all want a sample of the symbiote… we don't mind. You'll have to put it on ice quickly, but should keep for a time." The young Army man gives a small shrug, "As a gesture of good faith I guess?"


Melinda May looks from Thompson to Jemma. That's up to her to decide, though she knows the biochemist has been biting her tongue to keep from asking for a sample. "I don't think that has to happen immediately. Also, I think you should be healed enough to go on your way by tomorrow if you want. In the meantime," she pulls a temporary ID card from a pocket. "You have free run of anywhere the card grants you access. As long as you mind the doctors."

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