High above Manhattan Harbor three glowing lights had entered the night sky. The harbor had been evacuated and SHIELD watercraft prevented boats from entering the harbor. Quite a crowd had become accumulated along the banks and several hundred phones where being held up to capture the disturbance digitally.
Some moron with a shield badge had let it leak that the lights where the product of a NASA experiment.
Waya just kept thinking about solid ground as her pod rocked, the temperature began to rise and all one could see out the window was how hot the pod was actually getting. She really hoped Cortez couldn't direct their trajectory from wherever he was on the asteroid.
Maribel was too worried about landing this thing then about whether she was going to stay at the school or not. 'How do we land this?!' she asked quickly.
The twins looked out the window until fire slowly covered it as they entered the atmosphere. As the continent grew closer, the twins sat back, "Wow...this thing's aim is spot on."
"Lets hope..."
Jeremy groaned, feeling swamped by his hair from the amount of time he'd been out of his body. It was getting for him to see past the green. "I don't want a dip in the ocean."
"It lands itself"
Eliza said, trying to calm her down "After a certain drop we'll get parachutes opening up to slow us down, if those don't work we've got a back up lever. Don't panic.. ok?"
'What are we going to do about Junior and Rhydian?'
Maribel signed, trying not to rock back and forth in the fetal position.
"Well we can control the gravity no sweat but...this thing is going pretty fast. A shift like that could break our knees."
Jaden explained.
"I'm pretty sure it lands itself... I mean not EVERYONE up there would know how to pilot one of these. Don't want to plow a shuttle full of small children straight into the ground do they?"
Jeremy pointed out "I just don't want to splash into somewhere too far from dry land."
"I... I don't know..."
Eliza admitted "We could try SHIELD... it might be a big enough threat for us to get some proper back up this time."
Maribel didn't know a whole lot about SHIELD to begin with. She just knew that they came to the door every so often and Waya would have to bitch them away. Instead of conversing, she stayed silent(as if she had a choice) and sat.
"What's wrong with a little swim, man?" asked
Jayden
"I'm not built for long distance activities... and I tend to get tangled in wet hair"
Jeremy said, tugging at his locks.
"Ah...nothin' a little trip can't fix."
Jayden said quickly.
"We're... getting close to the water guys...." Jaden said, looking out the window.
The windshields slowly began to clear of red flameyness and the earth began growing steadily larger as they approached. Soon they could tell that they where over the east coast. One by one a series of parachutes emerged from each of the pods, aided by reverse thrusters the team made an easy but very moist landing in Manhattan bay. The SHIELD boats where on them in seconds and small red lights indicated that exit would be made from the top most portion of the pod where a hatch was located.
Jeremy was up straight away, not wanting to wait around to see if this thing sank. "Come on come on" he mumbled as he clambered up tha ladder to the pod's roof, his legs shaking slightly as he pulled himself free; that was probably why he slipped. Landing head first into the cold water he foundered for a second then righted himself, his green hair matting in the water and sticking to his skin. He blinked up at the SHIELD boats but didn't offer a hand for them to pick him up, instead this little green man with no features (considering the hair hid them all) and stared at the Government agents with bright red eyes.
Luckily,
Maribel had managed not to vomit again on their decent, though she was shaking like crazy. She immediately went to the ladder and climbed up. Getting to the door, it took a moment for her to open the metal lock and open the hatch. Maribel was pleased to see officers all around them.
The twins were a little shocked at how fast Jeremy moved. "Jeez..." one muttered as they followed him up and out of the pod. "Dude, we could've helped you." said another. Just then, Jeremy's body lifted up out of the water as gravity shifted around him. This unfortunately made him look even more creepy as his body dripped water and floated. "Yea, that's helping alright." muttered the other twin.
"Who's up there?"
Eliza said hurridly, trying to see past Maribel as she climbed up the hatch. She could hear motors out there, silent people... "Hey, hey, is that SHIELD?" she yelled out, stretching her arm up, making it thinner so it could squirm past Maribel and wave madly at the officers "Where's Fury?! I need to see the General! You hear me!? TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER!"
Maribel quickly moved out of the pod and clung to the side like mad so Eliza could come out.
Instead of popping her lid
Waya just teleported to the top of her pod, her knees bent slightly to absorb the movement of the water so she didn't fall in.
"You will all be seeing General Fury very shortly." A familiar looking man with a crop hair cut and a tightly pressed suit said from one of the boats. Agent Coulson always looked his best. He set some men to retrieving the mutants and after a few moments all where safely on board the same boat as Agent Coulson. "We where all quite alarmed when we could not contact you at the school."
"Yeah I'm sure "alarmed" is the proper term."
Waya said sarcastically.
"I'm pretty sure Fury would be annoyed if we didn't tell him about all this straight away"
Eliza pointed out to everyone, specially the SHIELD opperatives "We need to act fast. Who knows what might happen up there..." She paused "Where's Phin? And Rhydian?"
"Phinagin's jumped ship!"
Waya seethed "Just as he was getting into my pod he pushed me in and started being all heroic and crap. Fancypants is gonna get himself killed." Waya breathed for a moment and attempted to deduce why Rhydian hadn't made it "As for Rhydian, I duno. When I teleport lately I've been using your individual brainwaves to lock onto you guys, do I don't have to touch you. The only thing I can figure is that bottle of wine he'd been nursing may have disrupted my lock." Waya suddenly felt a very hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach, it was her fault he was left behind.
"The recovery of your team is among out utmost priorities Miss Smith." Agent Coulson replied with that monotone sympathy that they'd all grown to love. "We have a Hela-Carrier standing by where we may better coordinate our efforts. General Fury is anxiously awaiting your statements."
The fleet of tiny SHIELD speed boats zoomed their way toward a secluded section of the harbor where a Reed Richards original teleporter was waiting to receive them on board the carrier.
Rhydian, Junior AND Phinagin?! Maribel panicked. What would become of her classmates? Would they get help in time? Her knees locked, failing at remaining calm.
"Now we're down two! We could've used them to rescue Junior!"
the twins shouted in frustration.
"SHIELD operatives are preparing to engage the enemy and secure all individuals willing to lay down arms and return to Earth." Agent Coulsn said coolly "Pending whatever information you can provide."
""Yeah well that information has a price."
Waya said, spotting their teleportation destination at a good distance away. Boy was Fury going to be happy about her terms. Logan had always warned her about getting in it with Fury. One always needed leverage when dealing with him.
"We will need certain things done up there of our own... and lethal force is not a factor here."
Eliza said firmly, glancing around for the teleport herself; her eyes weren't as good as Waya's. She felt that she and Waya were the only people who could really square up to Fury, and only that was because of who their parents were.
Jeremy noticed Maribel lock up, patting her gently, if nervously on the shoulder "Don't worry" he said softly "If there are more up there that means there will be more chance they can hold things off."
Maribel looked over at Jeremy and smiled weakly as if asking, 'You think so?' She did her best to ignore the horde of guards that were following them up on the asteroid. Maribel kept her mouth closed as she smiled. She really needed some gum or something to drink after vomiting on the way down.
"They're strong, they can hold out. Find somewhere safe"
Jeremy sighed softly, hold Maribel's arm firmly to try and calm her down "And we've got back up now."
Maribel nodded and kept her grin. Maybe he was right? Maybe everything was going to be fine? After all...everyone seemed to know how to handle their powers except for her. They could possibly hold their own? At least until backup...
"Can't this thing move any faster?"
the twins asked rather loudly. Their feet were tapping up and down, eager to get back up to the asteroid to rescue their comrades.
"All option are being considered." Agent Coulson said as the boat docked and shield agents lined the pier so they could disembark.
"Bout time."
Waya said, taking the lead and leaping up to the pier before the gangplank could be lowered.
Eliza mumbled slightly about "waiting for the others" as she watched the gangplank appear gradually. Honestly, did Waya think that running on ahead and then waiting for the others was any faster?
Turning away from everyone,
Maribel huddled to herself. Bringing her hands close to her chest, she focused and looked at her fingertips. Thin threads emerged out of the tips and waved as if attracted to static. She needed to help...she had to!
Agent Coulson directed everyone to the pad. After a small countdown, some fancy light show and some loud mechanichal humming the team where transported to the hela-carrierMissing: </b>
Stumble!