Chapter 7

I stood on a rooftop across from an old gas station, one of those that looked to be a mom-and-pop shop, a pile of nearly twenty corpses with various wounds lay scattered around the scene most of the victims had died in particularly violent ways if the carnage around had anything to say about it. all except one victim, laying by the counter next to the chocolate bars, except for a few bruises he had no visible injuries that would be fatal. with a sigh, I reluctantly pulled out my phone. the Foundation didn't have a handle on every government yet like in its original universe, so I couldn't just walk up and take a look around, so to speak.

the phone rang a few times before a paranoid blind man answered. "What do you want?" he asked with a sigh. "Hey Fury, that case you've got active at that old station, you know the one, yeah, I'm gonna need jurisdiction on that." The phone was silent for a second. "Let me get this straight, as an organization that made contact with us not even a week ago, you want me to sign over a new case to you?" I leaned against the side of the building with a smile, "what if I added a cherry on top director?" he thought for a moment, "what cherry are we talking about here?" Fury responded slowly. "Well, I'll prove to you that we are who we say we are by giving you and one agent of your choice a peek inside one of our containment facilities," I said. "Deal," he responded quickly.

I hung up the phone almost immediately, I had expected to haggle as Fury was a famously paranoid man, but he accepted pretty quickly. I smelled a scheme, but that was for later. For now, I had an anomaly to find.

as I walked across the street, I got a message, a file designating me as Agent Danvers. I guess Fury was sticking with the name I had used to grab his attention. was it supposed to be a message, probably a warning, or maybe he's just lazy? dealing with secret agencies made my head hurt.

I approached one of the officers and handed him my phone with a digital badge and credentials SHIELD had sent me. the officer looked startled. "Take me to the uninjured victim," I said. The officer cleared his throat. "Of course, sir, sorry for the delay. We weren't expecting a second change in command," he said with a small waver in his voice.

a second command change? I started looking around, "Where is your superior before me, I don't see anyone?" I asked warily. "Well, sir, they came and gathered the tapes and a few samples before leaving. They didn't stick around. I was just instructed to keep an eye on the scene to stop potential contamination of evidence." he explained.

I stared at the man. Something wasn't adding up.

[Examine results

Result 1

Level 2 Standard Human

Titles-Dormant Hydra

Target is unknowingly brainwashed into seeking a position of power within the NYPD

Job- Police Recruit

Skills

None Notable]

poor boy, brainwashed into being a pawn for layer exploitation. I always wondered how HYDRA gained people in powerful positions without an absurd amount of people disappearing or being caught, I suppose they planted them early and reaped what they sow later.

"I'm not sure man, I was supposed to be on vacation but was told I was required here, to call came from way up the chain. if not I'd be in Hawaii by now. " I grumbled, the rookie laughed before stepping aside, "happens to the best of us, anyway my shift is about to end and my relief is here, ill be seeing ya." The rookie said as another grizzled officer appeared and began standing next to him.

while they were switching I walked by them, not interested in getting pulled into another conversation. I approached the uninjured victim, noting the ruffled clothing and one hand clutching his chest hard enough that even in death the coroner trying to move him was having difficulty removing it from the tangled mass of cloth that was the man's tie and jacket.

I kneeled next to the coroner, "was the cause of death" I asked slowly, he turned to me with a befuddled and thoughtful look, "all signs say a massive heart attack, one of the worst I've ever seen, but this man's record says he's twenty-two and has no history of heart problems in his family and no signs he would or even could have a heart attack so suddenly." he paused as if in thought, "it truly is the strangest case I've ever seen in my ten-year career"

I stood up and walked to the back, static was playing on the security monitors, the tapes were evidently ripped out and the camera feeds scrambled. there wasn't anything here for me anymore, I had enough info to lower the pool of suspects down to a few anomalous entities. I hoped it wasn't who I thought it was, I didn't have the resources to comfortably house her right now, but I couldn't let her wander around, she was to dangerous to the population and there was no telling the harm that could befall the world if Hydra or Shield found her first and weaponized her abilities.

and so I began my hunt for SCP-053, The Little Girl