13416/SHIELD: The Red Bog!

SHIELD: The Red Bog!
Date of Scene:	23 November 2022
Location:	Upstate New York
Synopsis:	Shield discovers the red bog
Cast of Characters:	Alexander Aaron, Daisy Johnson, Monica Chang, Jemma Simmons

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Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The anomaly was detected at 04:38 hours EST. Early in the morning when the Triskelion late shift was still on duty. The alarm in the subsystem detectors presented a stream of data about the energy reading being an emission from a rare alternate frequency plasmic discharge that carried a signature not seen for a good long time. The earlier noted recording, however, was in the same place. The outskirts of Penn Yan in upstate New York.
    Former investigation into the signal previously came back with a declaration by the team sent that they could not locate any evidence of such a signal. During that time the research was still being solidified so it was recorded as possible equipment error. A team had gone out, executed long distance surveillance as they could not contact the owner of the land, found nothing, departed.
    This signal now, however? It was an order of magnitude greater.
    So a team had been gathered of appropriate ranks, put into a suitable Quinjet and set on their way upstate.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
4.38am EST?!

It's perhaps a good thing that Daisy was still working on GMT clock after a recent mission to Europe, which meant she was fit as a fiddle for mission duty! Nevermind the various coffees that had been razed in her wake. But that's what you get for 0438 EST time missions.

"I was looking through the logs.." Daisy's been busy on the quinjet, working at her laptop and her eyes on the screen. "Not the first time this happened but there was never anything found. I hope this is the aliens finally coming down to have a word. Or maybe ..., it's an alien communicating home.." a grin on the hacker's lips.

Daisy needs to lay off on watching all those 80s classics movies.

Monica Chang has posed:
Monica was one of the first on the Quinjet. She was going to be at work at 7am anyway so was already up to get in her work out when the notice had pinged over looking for agents that might want to get involved. A quick shower and she'd headed in to the office.

Now she was on the Quinjet, dressed in her usual tactical gear over the bodysuit she used on stealth missions typically. She was reading through the reports from the initial attempt to locate the signal, wondering if the agents had missed something. But it didn't seem so. Thus why this was all the more curious. She was strapped into one of the jumpseats in the back compartment of the craft.

At the comment from Daisy, she tilted her head ever so slightly. "Do they even still make Speak N Spells?" In case that was the movie being referred to.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
"Really, Daisy, I do not think we are going to find Drew Barrymore in the vicinity."

The familiar British tones of one Jemma Simmons follow up after Daisy's rather dated pop culture reference. A pair of brown eyes cast a glance over as Jemma's head shakes, though it is impossible for her to hide the small smile that forms on her lips. "However, if there is one, we better stop on the way at some convenience store to pick up a bag of Reese's Pieces. You know, for proper interstellar relations."

Because of course Jemma has seen that movie, too. And...an answer for Monica's question about the Mattel product line is given. "Yes, yes they still do. There is a market for nostalgia, after all."

Still...it does seem that the team is in relatively good spirits, given the early hour. Not that Jemma was asleep anyways. Sleep means less science. And, like Daisy, Jemma is fueled by caffeine. Proper tea, of course.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Agent Aaron was in the combat harness and helmet of one of the response teams, the field weapon on his back as he sat in one of the rumble-seats. He was on call for the role of tactical backup for the teams that need it and this particular romp in Upstate called for it. His role primarily? Red shirt. Though it wasn't listed that of course. But it had gained that name fairly quickly amongst the lower ranked SHIELD recruits. Though it was perhaps spoken of with more affection down in those ranks.
    The Quinjet soared across the sky. No transponder, no public flight plan as was common for their investigative teams. The pilot up front called back to the drop bay, "We're coming up, 5 minutes. Any particular place you want me to put down?"
    It was a short jump from the Triskelion out here. And when they looked outside it was still a little dark, early morning with the sun rising. New York's rural towns had a beauty to them this time of year. All of the brilliant reds, browns, yellows, and oranges of the changing leaves.
    Their destination? Looked like it was owned by an A. Grimes. Little public record, social security, age of almost seventy it seems. It was a lot of land about 70 acres on the outskirts of the town. Private property with a private road that went through it. The trouble spot was located deep on his land. Contact had been attempted by land-line. No answer.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"I agree with this plan to improve uh .., relations." Daisy nodding emphatically about how they should get some Reese's Pieces for the mission. She should had remembered to smuggle some in but damn it, it's still so early! "And look, I am not that old..."

"Drop us close to the signal." Daisy says back to the pilot, reaching to put her yellow-tinted visor on.

Monica Chang has posed:
"They do?" Monica looked at Jemma like she had to be lying. But she seemed quite serious so all Monica could do was add a surprised. "Huh."

At the words from the front, she tucked away the tablet she'd been reading back into the pack by her feet. It was zipped up and secured. Then she checked her weapon in the holster on her right thigh, pulling it out, checking the chamber to be sure there was a round in place, then tucking the weapon back down into the holster and locking the holding strap over the top of it. Which is when she glanced around. "Hopefully Mr. Grimes is home to give us permission. Someone without a gun gets to knock on the front door. So ... Not it."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Agent Simmons herself is dressed in standard SHIELD attire. Meaning, for her, Jemma has on a pair of black denim jeans, a dark long sleeved shirt...and a SHIELD jacket thrown over top. And her red Converse shoes. Hey, she wasn't expecting to go for a early morning joyride in a Quinjet. The fact that she wasn't wearing her lab coat means that at least Jemma had a little forethought before leaving. The only thing extra is a backpack, that is currently down in a corner of the Quinjet. Jemma has gotten into the habit of taking her little bag of tricks around...and habits are hard to break.

"Take us to the signal." Daisy's intent are echoed with Jemma. And...considering she seems to be the ranking agent (perish the thought!), that's what is going to happen. Jemma has her own tablet out...but this one is synced to certain satellite systems. And is currently tracking the signal itself. "I am running algorithms to determine the nature of the signal, but the closer we can safely get to it, the better."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Roger that," The pilot said as he swooped across the beautiful landscape, the flame-kissed colors of the trees a lovely blur beneath them. The land was rough, twisted rocks and rough land visible at parts where the forest canopy allowed.
    There was a clearing near the dwelling that would allow them to disembark though not enough to let the jet touch down. Then another that was closer to the signal though the drop would be a little rougher as it was broken land and grottoes.
    First one out of the back was Agent Aaron still in his faceless visored helmet and dropping down to land with a thump. He then stepped back, looking up to make sure the rest of the team deployed cleanly as he backed up, ready to catch anyone just in case.
    A brief survey would show that the signal led into those grottoes beneath the canopy of the forest. The ground was covered with leaves, though not so much it was a hazard. There were still plenty on the trees themselves. It was cold, the breeze made it moreso, and the ground was muddy.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Now you two know what you can give me for christmas...." A Speak N Spell?! Well, Daisy is cheap to please at least. The visor gets put on and she unbuckles from her seat, laptop stored away. She is dressed in her usual uniform today. Dark blue and black sans the gloves. She snatches one of the ICERs from the nearby locker and slides it down on a holster. "Also .., not it." about going to talk with Grimes, a grin sent Monica's way.

"With some luck we can just be in and out of here without anyone being the wiser." She says, stepping out of the quinnjet after Phobos. A quick look around, then she moving some loose strands of her shortish hair behind a ear. "If the signal is coming from a cave I wonder if the first team missed it due to it coming from the underground..."

She is moving quietly now, using all those lessons taught by the best SHIELD has to offer, quiet. Senses expand as she feels out for any vibrational pings on their surroundings.

Monica Chang has posed:
Monica opted not to put on her helmet. Instead, she left it in the jump seat next to where she had been sitting. She did pick up her lightweight backpack and slung it onto her shoulders so he could hang behind her. A quick tightening of the straps she it wouldn't go anywhere.

Then she exited down the ramp at the back of the Quinjet, glancing around for a quick scan of surroundings then looking off toward the house. "And since he's a Red Shirt..." She paused. "He gets no speaking lines. So that leaves Jemma for door duty!"

Jemma Simmons has posed:
The backpack is picked up and the tablet stowed away in a compartment just for it. Then, with a quick check to confirm the ICER upon Jemma's hip is secure, Jemma is out the back of the Quinjet and down on solid ground. Or...as solid of ground as the mud will allow. Which, of course, means Jemma's red sneakers are decidedly less red now. "We are not going to worry about the resident presently. If this signal is in any way dangerous, that needs to be dealt with first, as it could certainly be harmful." A pause, as Jemma glances overs each person in turn. "In this case, I would much rather investigate now and beg for forgiveness later than to ask for permission and potentially endanger others through inaction."

Which, in short, means that no, Jemma has no intention of taking door duty.

And, to prove said point, the tablet is produced from the backpack pocket...and Jemma turns, orientating herself until she gets a fix on the signal. "We need to go this way." No question, no asking for permission. This is the way Jemma is going, regardless if people want to follow or not. It is a familiar behavior for Jemma. There are questions to be answered! And she is going to answer them.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The signal leads to the North North East of the landing spot, and indeed does take them down a declination into the broken land where large rocks and boulders rose from the ground, looking like it might've been connected to a river some years back as there were stones on the ground that might've been a riverbed a good while ago. They wander down the path, heading in that direction. At points it was twenty feet wide, at others it was only about six.
    Agent Aaron took point, his footsteps were quiet even with the dry leaves around. Not exactly ninja quiet, but one might get the feeling he knew where to put his feet in this environment. Very little shuffling.
    They made that journey though after a little bit of time Alexander held up his hand to stay their progress then said, "Hold on."
    He knelt down and lightly touched a small length of twine that had some give. The young Olympian looked to the side and lightly brushed off some of the fallen leaves. It revealed a set of four long spines with a tension spring carved from what could be conventional lumber materials. But what they really were were a trap. That apparently was aimed the opposite direction they were going. So if they were coming from the area of the signal it would be harmful to them. From this angle? Less so.
    "Think we need to proceed a little slower."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
There's a sharp nod given back to Jemma when they are to go in without PERMISSION. Because you can't take the rebel, outlaw streak out of Daisy, no matter how long she stays in SHIELD. Not that her attention lowers, in fact she now going silent as they proceed further into the bowels of the land.

Steps are firm as well, not one to be missing her footing or making much in terms of noise. The silence is starting to make her frown though. A silence that is broken when Alex speaks up. She stops, eyeing the trap.

"Not liking this one bit..." If the trap was turned inwards .., it meant whatever was in there wasn't friendly.

Clearly not ET.

Monica Chang has posed:
Since Daisy doesn't give voice to it, Monica does. "What's being kept in?" she asks simply.

She crouches by Alexander, considering the setup. "I suggest we don't disarm it. Just be very aware of it should we need to make a hasty exit this direction." Since that would suck. A lot.

"Because at least if there is someone chasing us, this might slow or stop them." And she rises back to her feet, prepared to step carefully over the tripwire and watching more closely for such things further ahead.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
A trap. Pointing back towards the origin of the signal. How peculiar.

Jemma looks over the contraption as Alexander points out the device and angle. And...shakes her head when Monica suggests leaving it active. "If we are running away from whatever this device is meant to deter, we are not going to be aware of it being here until it is too late. Given what I am seeing on the tracer, we need to do in that direction. I would much rather not worry about wooden spikes piercing me from behind."

There isn't an order given, but Jemma's intent seems clear enough. Though, realizing she didn't give an order, she makes the correction. "Disable the device for now. But also, draw ICERs. Be on your guard." A glance is given towards Daisy. "If anything seems off to you, let us know. You know what I mean by that."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Agent Aaron rises and tilts his head, "Disarming," In case they had to come back this way, and in a hurry...might be a good idea. He drew his sidearm and activated it, then proceeded onward.
    They continued on through the broken land, heading further in. Another few twists and turns and then another trap was found. This one was pointed out when they saw what looked like a set of stones ready to fall when a branch was kicked out from a place where it was moored into the rock. Some sort of free fall device set to block the path in and out. Then the trail opened up as they reached what looked like an area that some of the rock and the rough land curved over creating a sheltered area, not quite a cave but something shaped by the river that once flowed through these parts. It was an open area, wetlands as the flora changed from forest to a more swampy sampling of life.
    Jemma's display flashed that they were near the site of the signal which was when they saw it. For in those wetlands ahead they saw a bloody smudge on the landscape. As if the animator of the world accidentally poured crimson onto the canvas under the pretty little trees and the happy little clouds. A circular crimson area that was like the wetlands, just everything within was red in a perfect circle about thirty feet in diameter.
    Otherwise it looked normal save for one plant in the middle that seemed like it was a stalk of... red celery and on the end of it what looked like a cluster of eyes, only the eyes didn't move.
    Then Agent Aaron's voice was heard, "Hold on." As he kneels beside a tree and brushes some more leaves away revealing what is very clearly a claymore mine with the 'Front Toward Enemy' depicted on its green exterior.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Stone traps. Claymores. This is -messed- up. This is turning into an horror movie, but at least she isn't three days away from retirement. The hacker Agent continues following along, ICER drawn out and held pointing up, both hands on it and close to her body.

And indeed she knows exactly what Jemma means about checking if anything seems off. It means expanding her senses, letting her -feel- the vibrations around them for signs of life, or for signs of ..., anything.

All until they find the Red Celery Beholder. Which just makes Daisy's eyes go wide.

"Why does that celery have eyes?" then a beat, "I sense it being alive, but nothing beyond plant life.." which could mean a -lot-. Just ask Poison Ivy!

Monica Chang has posed:
"Claymores to keep something in too."

And she spies the celery as it likely spies them. "Alright, we just crossed over into the Twilight Zone and I don't like it one bit. I prefer things I understand that I can shoot with positive--for me--results." Monica looked at the red circle around the eyeballed celery thing and frowned a little.

Then she looked around the area, moving slowly, to see if there were any other little surprises like the claymore awaiting them. More in a circular motion to see if, indeed, it was the Celery From Hell that was the reason for the traps. Or something else in the bloody looking bog area. Which was oddly contained for being in a bog.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Maybe I should sweep the area. I'll mark anymore traps if I find them." He looks sidelong toward Daisy and Jemma and if he gets the go ahead he'll head off to take the small trip around the perimeter. Agent Aaron then steps away, leaving the others to investigate the weirdness.
    Inside the crimson circle the water burbles and the small ripples in the bog can be seen. The red does not seem to cross out of that circle, and sometimes when a leaf falls into the area it does not take on the crimson color. Though as it floats there eventually, slowly... its color does change. But it does not seem like paint or liquid applied. It simply seems like whatever is in there... becomes red.
    The sun is rising, however, small sunbeams peeking through the canopy. There are no birds one might notice. No morning greeting sounds from our feathered friends.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
There's a mute nod of agreement at Alex when he chooses to go do some rounds for more traps. Because who likes getting a claymore to the face? Not Daisy! Her focus quickly returns to the matter at hand, circling on the opposite direction from Monica, around that circle, steps measured and slow.

No need to take chances really!

"Low water, nothing underneath that I can feel, or underground.." she informs the others.

"It all looks ...." No, she can't really say normal. A glance up as the sun begins to rise even if missing those sounds that announce a forest coming to life. "No birds all small life either.." she suppresses a shudder, a glance to Jemma. "Anything on those readings?" she asks before looking across to Monica.

Monica Chang has posed:
"Plenty of insects but that seems to be about it," Monica says as she watches some ants doing what ants do as she continues her circuit. She does pull out a data pad and starts scanning for readings from the area as well as trying to pick up from the red bog and the Celery from Hell. "So stuff turns red when it lands in there but...is that it?"

She has this horrible urge to yell at the celery and see what it does. Do the eyes seem to be tracking them or just looking out in a static fashion?

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The eyes do not seem to move at all, they could just be bulbs with markings that resemble eyes as the celery remains where it is. The water seems to be peaceful, but ripples seem to transition past the crimson barrier. So it's not a force field or the like. There is no mark of the energy, no readings coming off of the area.
    After a little bit of time as the big brains gather their data, Alexander comes back and says. "More claymores... five more. A few more traps, two pits. And..." He looks between Daisy and Monica as he says in that modulated electronic tone of the helmet. "Get this, three M60 7.62 machine guns in camouflaged nests. All pointing..." He points toward the Red Bog with a nod.
    Which is when a voice calls out from the rocky raised areas that surround the wetlands, a ragged voice that shouts. "You all know you're trespassin'? Don't ya?"
    A thin figure appears on one of those raised stones back the way they had come from. An old figure with a white beard. He had blue jeans, boots, and a red and black flannel jacket on his chest. He had a pair of rifles, one over the shoulder and the other in his hands.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"M60s? What, we got a Rambo here or something ....?" Daisy is asking Alexander, one hand on her hip until ....

Cue old man Rambo Grimes coming on. Oh, great.

"Seems like you could use a hand down here with ..., whatever this is." Daisy looking up at the man when he's coming on. A rifle. But she keeps her ICER down, showing she means no harm. She even holsters it. Of course that she is a cheater face because she knows her powers could be used to great effect to stop rifle shots, "You Grimes?" she nods to the celery. "We are with Shield. Agent Johnson. Receiving some very weird signals coming out of ..., this.

Monica Chang has posed:
"I'd lean more toward Dutch instead of Rambo. But that's me," Monica murmured, glancing up toward any trees in the area at the thought. Just in case.

When she heard the voice, she glanced that direction but remained silent. Let others above her rank handle the talking though she did move a bit to the side to be certain she was in a spot to either move toward cover or react if the armed man did anything.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Alexander puts his own ICER away by sliding it back into the holster on his thigh. He looks up toward Old Man Grimes and tilts his head a little. Then he says sidelong, "He's not afraid of us, or the thing." Which Daisy would likely know why he feels confident to say that.
    Grimes' voice is heard as he walks forward and answers Daisy. "Yeah?"
    He throws a length of rope down the side of the rock outcropping and starts to rappel his way down slowly. Then he lands on the ground with a thud and straightens up. "Oh SHIELD are ya?" He looks at their gear, then at the red shirt in the helmet, then back to Daisy.
    "That's great, girly. Now how about you get off my property. Then you can walk up to my house, knock on the door, and I can decide if I want to deal with you lot."
    He looks around at them, sniffs affectedly. Then after a moment he asks, "You think you can get rid of it though?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Urgh, Dutch. That has Daisy just shudder and look up at the treeline too. But no one gets three red dots on their heads. No one explodes. No one is covered from head to toe in mud. It's all positives, really.

And being so used to being caught trespassing Daisy doesn't even get phased at being called 'girly'. She just offers a faint, apologetic smile. "We thought there might be danger for you, but we did try calling the landline." she points out, "We have been tracking these signals for a time now, and it has evaded us before.." she explains on the why's of not knocking on the man's door.

"We can help you handle with whatever is going on here. These are the best SHIELD has to offer." a gesture to the Agents with her, "But we need to understand what's happening. What is -it-?" another glance around the place.

Monica Chang has posed:
"And why are all the weapons and traps in the direction of it? Has it done something in the past or are the just general precautions?"

Which does indeed let Mr. Grimes know they have figured out his traps. He probably already figured that out of course, since he was talking to them instead of having the flora in the area fertilized with what was left of them after explosion so or landslides.

Monica glances out to the Hellbeast and suppresses a shudder. That's just creepy, no matter how much experience she has in the field.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Oh look...an elderly walking armory. And Jemma....doesn't even gives him a cursory glance.

Instead...her attention is focused on the red entity before her. And the signal itself, which is being analyzed on the tablet in Jemma's hands. A signal that....Jemma sees a pattern in. "The signal is decaying at a standard rate. As if it is...a timer of some sorts, drawing itself in to a point." A flurry of taps as Jemma saves the recording, then turns to the group. "As far as the entity is concerned, preliminary scans suggest that it is not of terrestrial origin. Which is not to say that it is extra-terrestrial in the terms that you might be thinking, Agent Johnson." Yes, Jemma switched to professionalism. There is an observer, after all.

No, no cute little alien here. However, Jemma is not done. "Extra terrestrial in the most common terms would suggest someone of interstellar origin. An alien from the stars. But...that doesn't seem to be the case here." How would Jemma know? "This appears to be not interstellar..for it doesn't seem to match any that we would have seen before. This...with the isolated and clearly defined borders, has more of the makings of an inter-dimensional incursion."

Again, how would Jemma know that? It could help that she has been part of a inter-dimensional incursion before. Though, she could really just be making things up at this point. From her appearance, though, it looks like Jemma is completely serious.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Yeah, don't have a phone." No other explanation is given as he looks between Daisy and Monica, though he keeps giving Agent Aaron the stink-eye since... well he does look a bit like a storm-trooper.
    "Oh don't worry, I got it handled." He answers then he grunts and leans to the side, pushing one of his nostrils closed and expelling a large amount of mucus from the other onto the ground. He wipes a forearm over his nose then looks back. "Been about... twenty some years since it started up. Used to be about... yea big." He spreads his arms around like he's holding something the size of a trash can lid. "Lil ones used ta come out now and again. Shot em. Made good eatin'."
    He looks over at Monica, "Well cuz that's the direction they come from, darlin'."
    Though when Jemma starts talking. And talking. Old Man Grimes sort of looks at her then quirks an eyebrow and looks at the others. He says to them conspiratorially. "I didn't understand a word that lady said."