Chapter 3
"So what's this guy's story?" Ward asked as they gathered in the briefing room the following morning.
"His name is Jonas Green. Approximaly five foot two, two hundred and forty pounds. He was born and raised in Berlin, but gained dual citizenship in Great Britian after getting a degree from Oxford. He moved back to Berlin two years ago and went on to be an accountant if you can believe that. However, all that changed a week ago. He woke up and found out that he could punch a hole through a wall."
"Most people can do that. It may hurt, but most people can do it." Skye interjected, but Colson shook his head.
"Can most people punch a hole through a brick wall without even breaking skin?" He asked, making Skye shake her head, while Ward and May looked slightly surprised. Fitz and Simmons were looking like someone had told them Christmas had come early, no doubt intrigued by the scientific possibilities. In fact the only person in the room besides Colson who didn't seem the least bit shocked by what Colson had said was Clark, something that the others were quick to notice.
"Why don't you seem the least bit surprised by this?" May asked, but Skye spoke before the young man could answer.
"Probably because he's been involved in pretty much everything strange or mysterious that goes on in Smallville." She said, making Clark glare while the others merely looked on.
"What? I read the Torch when I'm bored."
"So, just how involved were you in all the weird stuff in Smallville Clark?" Fitz asked after a minute.
"Enough to know what kind of person we're going to deal with." He replied, making it clear that the discussion was closed.
"So I'm assuming you have a plan Agent Kent?" Colson asked, making the young man smirk.
"As a matter of fact Agent Colson, I do."
"I seriously hate this plan." Ward muttered from where he was perched on the roof of a hotel, just across from the museum. Skye had pinged the man's cellphone and found out where he was. Now the only thing that remained was to hope that Jonas Green wasn't the violent type.
"Just remember Ward, don't shoot unless I give you the word."
"Just be sure to stay out of my line of sight. Do you have any idea the type of paperwork I'd have to deal with for accidentally shooting an agent?"
"Cut the chatter you two, and keep your minds on the job." Colson said, effectively ending the conversation.
"Mr. Green, can I have a word?" Clark asked as he walked over to the man, seeing another man standing beside him.
"Don't say a word Jonas. I told you this would happen. He's one of them."
"One of who, and just who are you?" Clark asked, briefly turning his gaze to the man. He looked to be about fifty with black hair that was greying around the temples, and was dressed in a dark blue almost black suit. Most wouldn't have given him a second glance, but Clark wasn't most people and he knew that whoever this man was he wasn't anyone good.
"Why you're an agent of SHIELD of course, and as for who I am well I'm just a messanger…Mr. Kent."
The last two words were spoken so softly that the mikes didn't pick them up, but Clark caught them clear as crystal thanks to his super hearing. Clark glared at the man, but he knew that now wasn't the time to lose his temper. For now he had to keep his mind on the job, so instead of responding he returned his attention to Jonas Green.
"Mr. Green, my name is Clark Kent, and yes I am an agent of SHIELD. However, I also understand what you're going through."
"I find that hard to believe."
"You spend most of your life just like everybody else, and then you wake up one day and you're different, and the way you find out that you're different is by getting so angry that you punch a hole through a brick wall. Then lo and behold, you don't even have a scratch on you. Now you're scared, afraid to go home, afraid to touch anything or anyone for fear of using too much strength and hurting someone. Now I'm sure that this man here has told you horror stories about how SHIELD wants to use you, how they want to turn you into a weapon. He is lying. All we want is to help you control your powers so that you don't have to be scared anymore."
"Say I believe you, what happens once I've learned how to control my powers?"
"That is entirely up to you. Once you learn to control your powers you will be given an offer to join SHIELD. If you take that offer than I will be glad to welcome you to the team. If you decide that you want to walk away, then I give you my word that you will walk away and never hear from me again. Now what do you say?"
"You give me your word that I can walk away, and you won't follow?"
"You have my word."
"Then let's go." He replied walking toward the younger man.
"No you can't-"
"He can and he did. Now as for you, you're-"
"Sorry I couldn't resist. Itchy trigger finger." Ward said a moment later as the man fell to the floor, clutching his knee.
Clark just shook his head before walking over and cuffing the man, not quite sure how to respond to Ward's statement.
"Mr. Green, this is Agent Colson, and he'll be the one who will start helping you learn control." The Last Son of Krypton said a few moments later as they all walked back onto the Bus.
"Good to meet you. If you'll follow me we can get started. Good work Clark." He said, and Clark just nodded his head in acknowledgement of the man's comment.
"I know that you'll want Ward to interrogate this one, but I need a minute with him first. Alone." He told him, fixing the senior agent with a look that spoke volumes.
"I'll give you two. Just keep him in a state to talk." Colson replied, and Clark nodded before walking the man into the interrogation room, completely ignoring the looks the other occupants of the Bus were giving him.
"Now, start talking. How do you know who I am?" He demanded, shoving the man into a chair as the door to the interrogation room shut behind them.
"It is not I who knows you Mr. Kent. As I said before, I am just a messenger." He replied, looking as though he had not a care in the world. Clark shook his head at the man's cavalier attitude before slamming his hand down on the table.
"Look, I don't have time for games! If you're just a messenger, than who is the person that gives you your messages? Who do you give them to?"
"Oh, but I cannot say for I have never seen them. I am not even sure whether they are male or female."
"Then how about you tell me what you do know? You must have called them something."
"No names were given and I was never so foolish as to ask. Except, I heard whispers from others, the other messengers….whispers of the Clairvoyant, and of the change he would bring."
"Changes to what, to who?" Clark pressed.
"Changes to the world. Changes in the form of a rising tide." He replied. Suddenly he began to foam at the mouth, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell off the chair. Instantly Clark was by his side, feeling desperately for a pulse. A moment later he cursed as he realized that he was too late...the messenger was dead.
He walked out the door where he was met by Colson, May and Ward.
"He's dead." Clark said simply, moving out of the way even as Colson called for Fitz and Simmons.
"What the hell happened?" Colson asked a minute later as Fitz and Simmons took the body away for autopsy.
"Cyanide capsule if I had to guess. One minute I'm questioning him, and the next thing I know he's foaming at the mouth."
"Why were you questioning him?" May asked, but Clark ignored her, continuing to look at Colson.
"I asked you-"
"That's enough May. Go make sure we're still on course. Ward, go see if Fitz and Simmons have made any progress, then see if Skye can find out who this guy was. He may have had some form of ID on him." Colson told them and the two nodded before doing as he asked. However, it was obvious that they weren't happy about it.
"What in the hell is going on Clark?" Colson asked once they walked up to his office.
"We could have a serious problem. Whoever that man was, he knew my name, and I have never seen him before in my life. He knew my name, knew I worked for SHIELD."
"You think there could be a leak, someone within SHIELD?" Colson asked.
"Honestly, I don't know what to think. I hope that there's not a leak, because we both know just how many people knew I was an agent!"
"Look, take a deep breath and start at the beginning. What did he tell you once you started to question him?"
"It was strange. He said he was a messenger, but that he had no idea who gave him the messages or who he was giving them to. All he said was that there were other messengers, and they had mentioned someone called the Clairvoyant, and that he would change the world in the form of a rising tide."
"Well I don't have a clue who or what the clairvoyant is, but the rising tide part isn't that hard to figure out."
"We need to find them and shut them down. Then maybe I'll find out how that man knew who I was."
"We'll figure it out together my friend." He said, and Clark nodded before heading out of the man's office, and heading into his own just as his computer went off saying that he had a video conference call. He answered it, smiling when he saw Natasha's face looking back at him.
"Calling to check up on me?" He asked, and she laughed in response.
"I can't just want to have a chat with a friend?" She asked him, and this time it was Clark's turn to laugh.
"So how have your first couple days on the job been?" She asked, making his smile fade slightly as he remembered the unknown man's words.
"Natasha, when you said you had my back-"
"Whatever you need Clark." She said, cutting him off. He nodded in thanks and made sure his office door was shut and locked, going so far as to check for bugs and asking her to do the same.
"Okay Clark, we're both clean as far as monitoring devices go. Now what's going on? What's got you so rattled?"
"It all started with today's assignment…"
He then proceeded to tell her everything that had happened over the course of the day, not leaving a single detail out.
"Well for starter's congratulations on your success. Managing to convince Green to come in without revealing your powers is impressive. Now as for your conversation with this messenger I just don't know. I've never heard of anyone called the Clairvoyant and none of the intelligence that I've ever seen on the Rising Tide has ever mentioned them as anything more than a group wanting to stop SHIELD from finding people with powers. However, that's obviously not the case."
"So what do we do now?" He asked.
"Now we just go about business as usual. However, I am going to talk to Colson, see about getting you transferred."
"What?"
"Clark, if you come across anyone else who knows who you are then pretty soon everyone on the Bus is going to start asking questions."
"Let them ask. I mean anything to do with me is redacted."
"Eventually they'll work it out, and if it turns out we do have a mole and it's one or both of them then you could be in trouble."
"I can handle myself. You made sure of that."
She didn't respond, just looking at him an unreadable expression on her face.
"Natasha?" He asked after a minute.
"Just promise me that you'll be careful. You're one of the few people that I can trust in this business. One of the only friends I've got."
"I will be, I promise. Just come back alive from whatever Fury has you doing alright?"
"It's a deal. In fact, I should be flying back tonight. Any chance the boss might let you have a night off? I'll buy you a drink."
"No drugs this time?" He asked, making her chuckle.
"No drugs. So what do you say?"
"Just tell me where you want to meet. I'm sure Colson can manage without me for a couple hours."
"There's a little hole in the wall on the south side of New York. The sign above the door looks like an eagle. I'll see you at ten local time."
"See you then." He replied before the two cut the connection.
"Have we found anything?" He asked as he walked into Colson's office.
"Not yet, and there's not much we can do until we do find something. You may as well take the rest of the night off."
"I'm actually meeting Natasha for a drink. Call me if we find something?"
"Of course. Enjoy your drink."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next chapter will be up soon!