Easter weekend has not been very productive, life wise for me. But y'all should be pleased about my general laziness as you get another chapter. Don't get used to such quick successive updates though, normal life will resume on Tuesday! I hope you enjoy, please leave feedback if you do (or don't!) it will be much appreciated.
Chapter 7
"Twitter. Really?"
Mack looked up to see an amused look on Hunter's face and was irrationally annoyed. After all this time he should have been immune to it. "Yes" he replied, in a tone that dared Hunter to make a sarcastic remark but he carried on uninterrupted. "We've been scanning the internet and social media for any references or sightings that fit the description of the glowing dude that attacked Daisy and Bobbi and we got a hit."
Mack handed the tablet to Hunter who read off the screen. "At Ben the great 94. That's 'great' with an eight by the way" He was reading aloud for Bobbi's benefit. She had her eyes fixed firmly on the sky ahead. They were still in the air, about half an hour from their destination. "Saw this weirdo in a sick costume" Hunter continued in a dry deadpan voice. "Hash too early for Halloween." He looked up. "What is that?"
"It's called a hashtag" Bobbi said over her shoulder, a smirk on her fact that she was glad Hunter couldn't see "It's so people talking about the same topic can see each other's tweets."
"You've lost me love."
"A ten year old can understand it Hunter. I forgot your mental capacities are a little below that age bracket sometimes."
Mack rolled his eyes. He'd also forgotten Bobbi and Hunter's bickering and how much it grated on him sometimes. "There's a picture" he said, pulling the conversation back on track. He spun the ipad around to show Hunter, before walking to the cockpit and showing Bobbi.
She glanced at it and fear gripped her, but she shook it off quickly. "It's blurry, but that's definitely the thing that we encountered. Who posted the message?"
"Ben the great, apparently."
"Hunter, if you haven't got anything productive to contribute just keep quiet." Bobbi warned.
Hunter was behind her in a moment. He squeezed her shoulder. "Sorry" he said sincerely and kissed her hair.
"Ben the great" Hunter said, bringing up a new screen on the tablet, "otherwise known as Benedict Cartwright."
"21 years old, a student at NYU visiting his family in Queensbury, New York on spring break." Mack recited the details from memory. "We need to go and talk to him."
"What's our cover story?" Bobbi asked.
"Apparently there was a break in at a convenience store near the location where this photo was taken. It could be connected, but even if it's not it give us an excuse to talk to this guy" Mack replied. "Hunter and I will pose at plain clothes police officers and go and see what he knows."
"And me?" Bobbi flashed a look at Hunter, who steeled himself for an argument. "If you think I'm just going to sit here and babysit the plane you have another thing coming."
Hunter reached across and stroked Bobbi's arm. "Bob, please, if we encounter that creature you could be in danger, we don't know what it wants or what..." Hunter caught himself and stopped mid sentence, suddenly aware that Mack didn't know the whole story.
Bobbi caught his meaning, but was still determined to prove her worth. "I can still fight" she said, shifting her gaze to Hunter's concerned face. "You know, not that I'll need to fight. I'll be careful, I promise." She couldn't just sit around, even though she knew it pained Hunter to potentially put her in harm's way. She was an agent, it's what she did, just because she was pregnant didn't mean her will to work hadn't gone away. The creature was probably long gone, she reflected, and if it wasn't, well, they'd just have to deal with it.
"Ok" Hunter gave in, knowing that he'd lose the argument eventually and agreeing sooner saved a lot of time.
"So how far along are you anyway?" Mack asked Bobbi, changing the subject, and he leaned against the wall of the jet.
She smiled. "About 12 weeks."
"When you two disappeared after the explosion, you went to a hospital didn't you? To check the baby was ok?" His question was met by silent nods from both Bobbi and Hunter. "I thought it was strange that you didn't just get checked out back at the base." Bobbi opened her mouth to speak, to apologise or something, but Mack raised his hand to stop her. "You don't need to say anything, it's nobody's business but your own. I understand wanting to keep secrets around that place, believe me."
Hunter shifted in his seat, sitting up straighter. "Thanks man."
"Hey, did you get a scan? Do you have a picture?"
Bobbi's brow furrowed and she looked sideways at Hunter. "Yeah, we did, but I'm not sure..."
"Got it right here." Hunter reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out his wallet. Bobbi smiled, touched that he had kept the picture proudly even though they were not sharing the news. Like a normal expectant father, she thought, with a twinge of sadness.
Mack took the picture from Hunter and studied it intently for a moment before a smile spread across his face. "Wow, how about that. I never thought in a million years you two would have kids."
"Trust me" Bobbi said. "Neither did I."
"This kid's going to be a handful, I can tell."
Hunter caught Bobbi's eye. The look they exchanged expressed so many conflicting feelings and emotions that Hunter couldn't put into words if he tried. "You have no idea."
The three SHIELD agents stood side by side watching a basketball game through a chain link fence.
"Which one is he?" Bobbi asked.
"Black shirt, green shorts, beanie hat." Mack pointed to a tall guy tossing the ball to his friend who shot for the hoop and missed. The game over, the group of 10 or so jogged over to the end of the court and the pile of bags and jumpers that had been flung against the fence.
"We're up" said Hunter. "How do you want to play this?"
"Allow me" said Bobbi, striding past Hunter and Mack. "If he's reluctant to talk, I'm pretty sure I can convince him better than either of you."
"Oh no!" Hunter called after her but was ignored. "I don't want some little punk drooling all over you."
"Tough" Bobbi called without looking back. Hunter glanced at Mack and received only a shrug in return. They hurried to catch up with Bobbi before she reached the gate that was the only entrance to the basketball court.
"Benedict Cartright?" She asked and an authoritative voice, and 10 pairs of eyes all turned her way. Hunter quietly seethed, as ridiculous as he knew it was, he felt jealous. But he kept his mouth shut and let Bobbi take point.
"That's me." The guy Mack had pointed out pulled his sweater on over his t-shirt and stepped forward. "How can I help?"
Bobbi took her fake police badge from her back jeans pocket and help it up for Ben to see.
"Am I in some kind of trouble?"
"No. We're investigating a robbery on the convenience store yesterday and understand you saw a suspicious figure around?"
"Yeah. This white dude." He stopped himself. "I don't mean Caucasian. I mean, like, actually white. This'll sound stupid." He lowered his voice, so his mates couldn't hear. Not that they would, thought Hunter, they were all to bust staring at Bobbi with their tongues hanging out. "He was glowing."
"Glowing?" Bobbi did well to look surprised and disbelieving, not wanting to give away anything that might alert this guy into thinking they were not who they said they were. Mack and Hunter held back, their arms folded, listening to the conversation but keeping quiet.
"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I was coming out of the liquor store. I hadn't been drinking if that's what you're thinking. Anyway, I was crossing the street to go to the ATM and I felt something rush past me and disappear around the corner into the alley next to the store. I went to have a look and there was that... Thing. It didn't see me at first so I took out my cell to take a picture, but it caught me watching and took off."
"Where did it go?"
"Around to the back of the store, I guess. You said the store was robbed?"
Bobbi nodded.
Ben continued. "Was anyone hurt? Is Mr Ramos ok?"
"Is that the owner?"
"Yeah. He's a strange old guy, but he's always friendly to everyone. Please, tell me if he's alright."
Promising to contact Benedict if they learnt anything new, Bobbi, Hunter and Mack gingerly pushed open the back door to the store, ignoring the police tape that stretched across the doorway. Surprisingly but happily there were no actual officers keeping guard of the crime scene.
"The call came in from a neighbour a few doors down" said Mack, in a hushed voice. "The owner didn't put in the call and no one has seen him since last night."
Instinctively, Hunter moved in front of Bobbi as they entered the building, drawing his gun and moving cautiously into what turned out to be a back storeroom. It occurred to Bobbi to be annoyed, but all her arguments about being able to take care of herself were eclipsed by her pleasure at Hunter's insistence that he would protect her. Ever since she had told him about the baby a couple of weeks ago, she had seen a side to him that she had always known was there, bubbling under the surface, but was now amplified. Hunter had always kept his feelings close to the surface; it was both what she loved about him and what had infuriated her so much when they were married.
Emerging into the front of the store, they saw definite signs of a struggle. Goods littered the floor.
"The cash register is still here" said Mack. "That's weird."
"Definitely not normal" agreed Hunter. "Booze is here too." He caught Mack's look. "What? Money or alcohol is what robbers are usually after right?"
Bobbi picked up a baseball bat that he rolled unseen underneath some shelves. "Looks like the owner put up a fight."
"There's no blood" said Mack. "Wherever this Mr Ramos is, I think he was alive when he left."
"Do you think this is connected to the sighting of the creature?" Hunter asked. "It could just be a very bizarre coincidence."
"It doesn't look like a robbery" Bobbi said, standing up. Hunter detected a waiver in her voice. "It looks like a kidnapping."
"Why would this creature, whatever it is, be after this guy?" Mack stared off into the distance, pondering his own question.
"Mr Ramos is Inhuman" Bobbi said with certainty. "It makes sense. This creature, or creatures, is rounding up Inhumans."
"Are Hydra out-sourcing?" asked Mack, mostly to himself. "Why would they not use their own resources for something like this?"
"Deniability" said Bobbi. "Or it could not be Hydra at all."
"I need to call Coulson, give him an update."
Mack left the way they had entered in case anyone was watching the front of the store. Bobbi and Hunter waited until he was out of earshot before turning to each other. "We can't stay here" Hunter said. "What if it comes back? If your theory is true, you're in real danger." Bobbi didn't contradict him. He saw fear in her eyes.
"It knows about the baby, Hunter. I felt its confusion when it studied me before. I'm sure it was trying to take Daisy, mentally overpower her, but it got distracted and broke the link. It must have figured it out by now, which means whoever it reports to, be that Hydra or someone else, will know too."
"It will be ok" said Hunter, trying to convince himself as well as Bobbi. "Let's go outside."
As they emerged into the falling evening light, Bobbi felt bewildered and dizzy. Her mind swam with every possible and horrible outcome this new information they had deduced would lead to. It was all she could do to keep on her feet. She clutched Hunter's arm to steady herself.
Mack was against the wall further up the alley talking into his cell. Bobbi tugged Hunter's arm to hold him back. "What are we going to do?" she asked in a whisper. "Should we tell Mack the whole story?"
"Do you want to?" Hunter asked.
"I trust him with my life" said Bobbi, answering the question in a roundabout way. "But I can't help feeling like the fewer people that know, the better for everyone."
Hunter nodded. Whether he agreed or not, he didn't say. The truth was that what he thought didn't matter to him half as much as making Bobbi feel safe and comfortable. Just then, there was a noise from the second story and they both looked up. Hunter and Bobbi both pulled out their guns as a reflex and backed away from the building in order to get a better look into the small window above their heads.
Bobbi inhaled sharply and dropped her weapon. Hunter's eyes widened in fear at the sight of all the colour draining from her face. "Talk to me Bob" he called urgently, and grabbed her shoulder with his free hand, all the while searching the window for any signs of movement.
Bobbi's face was contorted into a grimace and she gripped her stomach in pain. "Hunter" she said, her voice strained.
"Does it feel like before?" he asked, fear in his voice.
"No" she replied, "not exactly..." Bobbi's voice grew small and trailed off completely.
Hunter made a split second decision and aimed a shot at the window above them, in the hope that the noise would startle the creature which was surely up there, and it would release its grip (how was it doing that?) on the baby and in turn Bobbi. The glass shattered and Bobbi slumped to the floor, breathless and in pain but conscious.
"Mack" Hunter yelled, and Mack turned, having just hung up his phone.
"Look out" Mack called back, and a beat later, the alien creature had climbed through the shattered window and dropped to the ground, landing on all fours like a cat. It stood upright, startled, and glanced quickly around, before darting for the open end of the alley and freedom. Hunter was knocked aside and landed in a heap beside Bobbi.
Mack made a move to block the way out, using his bulk to act as a barrier. He pulled his own gun, ready to fire, but quick as a flash the creature grabbed his wrist and flung him to one side. Mack fell to his knees, gripping his arm in agony, and just like that, the creature vanished.
Hunter crawled to Bobbi. She was weak and breathing heavily but otherwise unharmed. He brushed her hair from her face, searching her eyes for any sign to the contrary. "Bobbi, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I think so." Hunter was not convinced. "Mack?"
Hunter looked up down the alley. Mack was trying to get to his feet, struggling with his injured arm. He locked eyes with Hunter. "What the hell was that?"
