Illusions of Control

The SHIELD helicarrier, hovering over Smithtown Bay…

The massive mile long flying air carrier was a well-oiled machine of activity both mechanically and with its staff. SHIELD security agents, ship engineers and logistics officials zig zagged past each other through the halls and corridors, moving fluidly to their required stations moving information and equipment where it was needed. Just like Director Fury liked it.

Making his way down the corridor that led to the bridge, everyone around him was too busy to get to where they needed to be to acknowledge his presence when the mechanical doors hissed open, and he stepped onto the bridge space. All around him there were computer stations with SHIELD agents going over relayed information across the country, checking for threats and current SHIELD locations and their status.

“Talk to me people, what have we got this morning?” Fury called out as he got to his chair, looking to a few screens with his good eye while Maria Hill took to stand behind his right shoulder with a pad in hand.

“There was a **** at an undisclosed bar in Manhattan last night. Victim was missing his eyes. The witnesses didn’t see who killed him, but they did collaborate that the six women we were looking for had been there. Now they are gone again without a trace.” Going over the file, Maria’s face scrunched into one of disappointment when she read the testimonies. “They also claim they went clean with the police after they met a woman dressed in white toss them around.”

Turning to look back at the woman, Fury’s face was expressionless. “Are we sure its who we think it is?”

“No sir. But we DID find something else at the location. The missing fingers to a known street gang who were attacked on the same night. The ones who could still talk after surgery at the nearby hospital describe their attacker identical to the woman who attacked the bar.”

His brow furrowed at that as he turned his attention to a screen to his left. “Bring up the data from the tracking bracelets put on our visitors.” The screen pinged with the serial numbers of the tracking bracelets and subjects they were locked to. “Now show me their activities and locations over the last… 12 hours.”

Showing a map of New York city over the screen, the picture zoomed in until it was a bird’s eye view of the address at 4 Yancy street. A timer appeared at the bottom right of the screen as it tracked the bracer’s locations in the home over last night onto morning. For the most part, the map would have been clearer, but the Richard’s family had a VERY special home… One that didn’t conform to physical reality. The interior was as large as it was needed to be, but the exterior was left unchanged. Still, the map did its best to show what the three had been doing.

The trio lingered in the living room during dinner time, moving over to the kitchen and living room then went to their respective rooms, which popped out of the blue on the map over the last few hours, sped up to compress time as Fury watched their activities. At some point at one in the morning one went to the kitchen and lingered there for an hour before another appeared, then they went to the living room. After a few more hours the third came down the hall and joined the two there. The three remaining in the living room for several hours and moving only short distances up until 6 AM.

“Hmm…”

Going back to the police reports provided to him by his assistant agent Hill, Nick Fury looked back at the current time and back at the police sketches of the woman in a white cloak and black face mask.

“There should be no harm in visiting the Richards family today. Get an update on how our three visitors are doing.”

“Shall I prepare another squad for this visit too sir?”

Smirking, Fury got out of his chair and made his way off the bridge with Hill in tow behind him. “No… Not this time, if I show up with a squad every time I show up to visit, everyone will think its never a visit.”

“Of course, sir.”

“By the way, do we have that interdimensional portal stored away?”

“It’s in one of our research and development holds now Director, its being studied by our top scientists but sadly they can’t make heads or tails of it.”

“Pfff… Of course they can’t.” Scoffed Fury as the two entered an elevator and waited to be brought to the top decks of the vessel. “The higher ups wanted the portal after what happened to New York last year but couldn’t act without a probable cause after the dust settled. Not to mention the entire city was practically singing kum by ya for a week thanks to the empathy ray they were letting cut loose on the island of Manhattan. The minute an armed **** would show up to take the portal then the entire city would be on our asses.”

“Be that as it may, at least its in more secure hands. We even have armed guards at the portal just in case we get NEW arrivals.”

“Good.” Nick Fury commented as the doors to the elevator opened and they both stepped out into the open morning air. Making their way over to the flight deck, a transport was already prepped and ready to take off when the two stepped out onto the deck and passed by saluting flight officers before stepping into the vehicle coming to life. “I don’t want us to be in a situation where we’re stuck watching from the sidelines while the world turns into a nightmare again. We keep a handle on this and arrest our unaccounted guests.” Nodding to the pilot, the man at the controls immediately knew where to go as the vessel took off and made its way out over the waters towards Manhattan Island.