13800/What in the HECK is that

What in the HECK is that
Date of Scene:	08 September 2021
Location:	Central Park, Manhattan
Synopsis:	A chance meeting in the park. Time anomalies. Time holes. Cyborgs, oh my. Okay no Cyborgs -this- time.
Cast of Characters:	10070, Sarah Connor, Mockingbird

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Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    It's the park. It's a Saturday. Agent Wendell Vaughn of SHIELD, and owner of the single most pretentious title ever... Protector of the Universe, finds himself in Central Park, scanning for a weird energy anomaly he picked up earlier. But it's gone now.

    He's in street clothing, trusting his neural link to his bands to tell him about the anomaly. The bands said that it was some weird temporal anomaly. But it was here, and then gone.

    However, when anything has to do with temporal energy, here and gone, the time it is here, or the time since it's been gone really doesn't mean a ton. Wendell is confused. He's not a time travel specialist. But he is the damned Protector... damnit.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Saturday night, and Sarah could have kicked herself. She was walking around the park, late at night, and *boom*- a concert. Actually the end of a concert, but who was counting.

Now, Sarah wasn't a protector of the universe, but she did have her own self-given name, namely raising John, who was the earth's hope. He was 16, still young. Until then she did anything to keep him safe, including, lying, cheating, and stealing (amongst others).

Except kill humans. That she refused to do. Up to now? She kept her word to herself. But terminators? All bets were off.. except for Cameron. And that was strange.

Standing away from the decreasing crowds, she watched them.. until the last people left.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    Some people stand out by doing nothing when everyone else is doing something. Wendell is just kinda standing there, processing his scans. Trying to discern the tiniest detail of the lingering energy readings he picked up on.

His eyes are shut at the moment, and he just stands stock still with everyone meandering past him. He is dressed in a light windbreaker, a tee shirt, and blue jeans. So basically, like a lot of the other folks out there. But he is the stone in the stream, making the river of people flow -around- him.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah just shakes her head. But he's not from the concert. So.. where does he belong? Interesting.

Then again, she doesn't fit in either!

While the concert goers were looking away from the stage, she and he were looking in on it. She catches his eyes and notices them closed, which makes her look around. What could he want to.. feel? Make her very nervous.

She checks herself for guns. Yep, they're all there. She's still not happy about the circumstances, but she's ready *if* it comes down to it.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    Having sent a message via his bands to his superior within SHIELD, Wendell sticks his hands in his pockets. He moves without his eyes open. Guiding himself via the bands themselves.

    Finally, he finally zeroes in on the anomalous reading's location. Tachyons... Tachyons from decades in the future. And his eyes snap open, mouth opening at the same time. "Okay. So someone... or something has come back from somewhere between twenty and thirty years ahead." he mutters. He thinks he is alone, because he's gotten used to trusting his bands to detect things. They just don't pick up everyday average human beings unless they have some high energy footprint for whatever reason. This means he's not aware of Sarah's presence. He thought everyone left.

    And so he keeps talking, nominally to his SHIELD superior... aka Bobbi Morse. "I thought this might be something you'd want to have on our mutual radar."

Mockingbird has posed:
Wendell Vaughn is high on the list of newly reinstated agents that Bobbi keeps an eye on. The 'bands' he wields belong in a class of artifacts that exist in their own category. How does anyone keep tabs on something so otherworldly powerful that it could contribute to the end of the world? Yet, another puzzle to deal with, but this time not safely stashed in the deep vaults of SHIELD.

The call receives top priority. Luckily, it is timed with a field office visit in Manhattan. Bobbi drops her other work to explore an anomaly strange enough for Agent Vaughn to report it. Motorcycling in mid-town is challenging unless you like to play dodge with taxis and messengers, neither of which Bobbi minds. She leaves her ride parked legally and walks quickly toward the spot pinging on her phone.

The senior agent blends with the crowd wearing tennis shoes, a light jacket over a sleeveless dress, and a modish leather satchel over her shoulder. The jacket hides her ICER and the batons strapped to her arms.

On seeing Vaughn, she pings him from a distance by phone to let him know she's in the vicinity, then sends a text. <How do you want to play this? Still getting those readings?>

Sarah Connor has posed:
Of course, Sarah doesn't see Bobbi. But Wendell has opened his eyes. So far she's keeping an eye on him. He could be a terminator. Easily.

She wanders into the background to watch him.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    He could be! He seems a bit less emotional than the norm. At least not until he gets the ping from Bobbi. That received, he turns and grins. Then he waves to ask her to come join him.

    Once she gets closer, he shakes his head. "No, this is a lingering reading. Whatever was happening is done, but.. as it is tachyons that read to be somewhere between twenty and thirty years old, that means that whatever caused that anomaly is from that far in the future. It's... loose in our time. I can -try- to track it, but these energy readings would fade -quickly-."

    It's a fairly detailed briefing, and somehow he can detect such energies. It's not readily apparent, as his bands are cloaking their visual presence.

Mockingbird has posed:
Friends meeting in the park is the game then. Bobbi returns the smile and wave, even one-upping the agent with a kiss on the cheek which allows her to question him. "How accurate are those readings? I mean, seriously, thirty years?"

She pulls back, and turns to survey the crowd, asking him lightly, "Can you pinpoint the source?"

Sarah Connor has posed:
Two of them? Really???

..unless..

He, and her, weren't terminators. But what?

She did happen to catch his voice about the '..it's loose on our time..". That perked up her ears. And made her move closer to the pair to listen.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    "Somewhere between twenty and thirty. The problem is that tachyon readings are notoriously unreliable. They fade and lose cohesion really quick. But yes, something traveled back in time."

    Wendell pauses and shrugs, "Ten years ago I would've said that flatly impossible. But.. ten years ago I wasn't saddled with the dumbest job title in history.... and the most powerful weapons that I have ever -heard- of."

    He shrugs, "As for how accurate I am... I had Eon use his cosmic awareness to zero in on it. He agrees with me. Someone, or something travelled back in time. As far as we can tell, it was just one being. There -was- an unusual energy trace here too. Something left traces consistent with a fusion reactor that should be the size of a house. But.. I somehow doubt whatever came back was that big... or in a vehicle that big. Again, that is the barest lingering trace of energy... think of it like a dog picking up the scent of someone who came through three days ago."

Mockingbird has posed:
Bobbi keeps a straight face, shooting Vaughn a sideways glance at his mention of his job title. She thinks Agent Vaughn, SHIELD agent, is sufficient. He merits another glance at the mention of Eon whose place in the scheme of SHIELD affairs is nebulous at best.

"So, bigger than a bread box, smaller than, let's say a tank or a car? Is that fair enough? I'd say a person then." Keeping her eyes off of a woman who has looked at them twice now, she leans on his arm and says with a faint chuckle that has no match with her words, "Like say? That woman?"

Sarah Connor has posed:
Fuck.

She's been found. Mind you, she could have explained it to them.. if they didn't take her down first.

*Now* she regrets the concert goers. Where are they when you needed them? Sarah tries to back away.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    "Huh?" asks Wendell. His blue eyes flicker towards Sarah, and at the speed of thought, he runs a scan. "No. No tachyon -or- fusion energy signatures from her. She might just be fascinated by people in the park." He's no spy. He doesn't keep -his- eyes off of Sarah. He telegraphs... and sure, is a field agent, but not the same type of field agent.

    "However, as weak as the fusion power signature is, I still -have- the signature, and I can follow the trail from here.... if you want me to track it." Yes, he is a bit too loud himself.

Mockingbird has posed:
Biting the inside of her lip to keep herself from breaking character, she doesn't whisper sweet nothings into his ear. "She's made us. If she's not the source then something else has her nervous." Still putting her weight on Vaughn's arm, Bobbi looks behind them for possible targets.

Straightening up, she nods, "Where do you want to go then?"

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah still didn't know their names. Given that, and they're making her, she pegged them for FBI. Or, come to think of it, they could be.. what did that guy, Clint, say he was?

Fuck. Why didn't she keep her mouth closed? Smart move.. Not.

Oh, yes.. she got attacked in front of him. That's why.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    "Well, I have the scent, so to speak. That's not going away." says Wendell. With a lot less subtlety than most spies, he says, "Let's try the direct approach." as he starts walking off towards Sarah.

    "Ma'am!" he calls out, "Ma'am!" and he is walking a little faster now. "Excuse me! Can I have a moment of your time please?!" he calls out.

Mockingbird has posed:
The cover is totally blown. Slipping her arm out from under his, Bobbi drops the girlfriend pretense. Still, she doesn't want to outright scare the woman off. She automatically separates from Vaughn to block the woman from leaving.

Holding her arms out away from herself in the universal gesture showing she is not presently holding a weapon on the woman, "Hey, hi. Do you mind if we talk?"

She has no idea what Vaughn is up to, and despite his clumsiness in the field, she is letting him have his head. Eyebrows raised high in question to Wendell, she nods at the woman.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Ah.. fuck. Now she has two ways to go: Run like hell, and try to get away from them, or, to stop and have a nice talk, like every normal person would do. Sadly, she's not normal, but she didn't want them to look her up and find that arrest warrant either.

Sarah made herself be relaxed (on the outside at least!), and turned to them.

"Sure..What can I do for you?" Yeah, she could have done so much better.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    Offering a smile, Wendell comes to conversational range, but doesn't invade personal space. His hands are up and shown to be unarmed. Of course... nobody can see the bands on his wrists. This man is -never- unarmed.

    "Just a couple questions I'd like to ask you..." he states. "You seemed interested in what I was doing, and I just needed to know if you know anything about it."

    And then his bands ping him, and he tilts his head. "You know. You have the most faint residue of tachyons on you. If I had to guess, it would be that you spend a good deal of time around someone who has travelled back in time. Can you confirm this?" he asks. Yes... he's blunt and to the point.

Mockingbird has posed:
They are going to have a talk about approaching suspects in the field. Bobbi is back to biting the inside of her cheek. Yes, they need to talk. Unbelievable.

With a lift of one shoulder to the woman, almost excusing his bluntness, Bobbi says, pleasantly, "You're not in trouble. Nor are we as weird as we seem. If you're in trouble, perhaps we can help?" Purest speculation on Bobbi's part as well as a whiff of intuition.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Well, that was blunt. And not the usual questions for a regular person. Whatever he is, 'regular' is not that. At least these two might actually be convinced that she knows what she is talking about.

Maybe?

"I might have run into.. something odd." Cameron. Terminators. Yeah 'run into'. "I walked away. Why?" Looking between Wendell and Bobbi.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    Narrowing his eyes, Wendell nods a bit, "Yes. We can help if you are in trouble. But these readings are not of someone who just bumped into a time traveler and walked away. To pick up this level of exposure, you'd need to spend prolonged time in the presence of someone who came back from the future. Suppose you just come out with it."

    That said, he inclines his head, "If I could guarantee protection... guarantee that I could stop someone from reaching you. Would you tell me what you are so afraid of?" he asks. Just about ready to spandex up to show what he means by 'protection'...

Mockingbird has posed:
Sighing to herself, Bobbi joins Vaughn and puts a restraining hand on his arm. "Forgive my colleague. How can we help with this...odd thing that you saw?"

Sarah Connor has posed:
Great. She had to think. Either she needs help (which she really finds herself not needing, even if she could them, which she doesn't think she can), or she doesn't.

"Okay, you've got me. It's nothing that you need to worry about, but I am curious about those tachyons you mentioned, how can you tell? I mean with me, and back there, near the concert." Sarah turned on a brilliant smile for them, but one that had a little bit of snide.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    I mean... Wendell could use the 'I could tell you but I'd have to kill you'. Wendell figures however that this is not the time for a joke like that.

    "Is it not enough that I -can- detect just about any energy related phenomena in the vicinity? Stronger ones I can detect from miles away. If they are strong enough, I could pick them up in orbit. But... Temporal anomalies... tachyons, those are a bit more difficult to pick up on, so I need to be closer. But I -can- detect them."

    And now he looks to Bobbi, lifting brows as if asking.. can I show her?

Mockingbird has posed:
"No, Vaughn. Just no. Suffice it to say, he has a rather sensitive device on him," Bobbi says drily to the woman while she shakes her head at Vaughn.

"He means well. He wants to help as I do." Gesturing to the row of benches set back from the crowd, "Let's go sit and talk a bit. It would help us understand what is going on. Perhaps, we could help each other." She gives Vaughn a pointed look.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Holy fuck. He's actually got a reason. Where was this guy when I needed him. Then again, the people behind the terminators probably didn't want her to be seen by the public. She probably would have been stuck in the mental hospital regardless.

Still he spoke a good spiel.

"Listen. What you discovered was a timehole from the future. They have one purpose, and it isn't you. If you were smart, I would just walk away from this, and wash your hands of it. Really." Compared to how she was before, and after, this woman was confident, and held herself up as though she could meet anything.. and beat it.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    Nodding to Mockingbird, Wendell just shrugs. "Well, my job is to protect people. It's more of a calling... not to mention a duty somewhat foisted onto my shoulders by an omnicient being of a sort." he says.

    "But my partner here is correct. We -do- want to help you. We -could- help you. And if someone is sending things back from the future to do nefarious things in the here and now." Yes, he actually used the word 'nefarious'.

    Either way, he says, "You might be surprised, but.. I have the ability to deal with a -lot- of issues and problems. On a huge scale I might add. Again, for the record, there's more than meets the eye, like the old cartoon." Yes, this guy in his mid thirties is such a bad hardass. Such a softie.

Mockingbird has posed:
"Remember that old expression TMI, Vaughn?" Bobbi taps a T-sign at the other agent, wondering to herself what the criteria was for sending agents out into the field. She definitely would be having a talk with the man. Soon.

Frowning slightly at the alarming words from the yet unnamed woman, "I think, my colleague," again a meaningful look is sent Vaughn's way, "wants to convince you of our good intentions. Which is a hard thing to do when you are suspicious of people's motives. You just used a surprising word. Well, two, actually. Timehole and /They/. Would you be willing to explain what you mean? My name is Bobbi Morse, by the way. And this is Wendell Vaughn. I think we may be able to help."

Sarah Connor has posed:
"Omniscient?!" Sarah turns to Bobbi. "Is he crazy?"

Turning back to the two of them. "It's not as simple as that. And believe me, I wish it was. But the more noise you make around here, the bigger the mark on my back you'll leave me with." Forget about Sarah, what she is worried about is John. And he had to live to adulthood to beat the terminators.

That's what all this has been for.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    "Well, like I said, almost omniscient. It's complicated." says Wendell before he catches Bobbi's look. He shrugs to her and says, "We are asking her to trust us. Best way to get that is to give it you realize."

    He followed orders to a degree. Then he looks to Sarah and lifts a brow, "Mark on your back?" he asks. "Are they -after- you directly?"

Mockingbird has posed:
"We'll talk about giving people ground to trust, Vaughn and unloading what must remain between a very few people for now. And for good reason."

Bobbi's frown at Vaughn changes subtilely into concern for Sarah. "You /are/ in trouble, aren't you?" Reaching into her pocket, Bobbi withdraws a card with her name and number on it, no mention of agency or title on it. Again, intuition keeps her from loading the the woman with too much information that could be dangerous for her.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah doesn't answer Wendell.

She does, however, reach out and takes the card from Bobbi. For a moment she stares at it. Then she says, quietly, "Do you happen to know Clint?"

She's taking a real risk in mentioning him.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    Clint. The name seems familiar. But it's not someone Wendell knows directly. He shrugs his shoulders and looks to Bobbi here. He steps back a half pace as if symbolically just -not- taking the lead anymore here. She outranks him by a -lot-. So he just falls back on one thing.

    He turns his eyes towards Sarah. "We really do want to help. And I really do believe you."

Mockingbird has posed:
"Don't hesitate to call. Yes, I certainly do know Clint. Better than you would think." A strange little smile lilts across her lips and disappears. Bobbi dips her head at Vaughn acknowledging his taking a step back. She knows that he means well but needs to learn a bit of discretion.

"There is something strange going on. My intuition tells me that you are in trouble, not of your own making. But, I won't push. Call, don't wait too long. Let us help if we can. The offer has no time limitations on it and is made in your interest as well as in the interest of protecting people," said with quiet intensity.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Bobbi's answer makes her head tilt, but other than that, make no reply. Sarah makes a point of memorizing the number, and hands the card back.

"We'll see." Is all she says. "Can I go now?"

That is the point where she would be allowed to go, or, 'Why don't you come down to our Office." Either/or.

Wendell Vaughn (10070) has posed:
    Several replies begin in Wendell's brain and make it all the way to his throat... only to die stillborn before they get out of his mouth. He just shrugs his shoulders and looks to Bobbi at this point.