4251/Banshee's Scream: Investigating a Terrible Scene

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Banshee's Scream: Investigating a Terrible Scene
Date of Scene: 29 November 2020
Location: Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis: A group discover that the Dark Banshee haunting the streets of New York City has something far more sinister in mind at F.E.A.S.T. and rush off to prepare for an imminent attack.
Cast of Characters: Siobhan Smythe, Hellboy, Natasha Cranston, Daisy Johnson, Hela, Kara Danvers, Peter Parker




Siobhan Smythe has posed:
The scene was grisly and parts of it matched a previous situation. It was complete with an extra side of some poor beat cops late night snack. He had thrown up upon seeing what was there. He had then immediately called it in and then messages went out to SHIELD as they had been investigating just this sort of thing.

Rumors were already going around and the police had already moved in, roping the place off and keeping away any looky loos. After hearing (and a couple seeing) what was back there, most didn't mind at all that SHIELD was dealing with this. Now, only a short time past the discovery, the cops await arrival of someone more suited to this mess.

Hellboy has posed:
As is a must with all shadowy, heavy-handed government agencies, the SHIELD Agents (well, just one really) arrived... Late.

That part wasn'tthe usual bit, the usual bit was the swanky, black SUV they pulled up in, wedging it into a parking spot across the street. The engine cut and from the opening driverside door stepped the devil.

"Told you I didn't need that damn GPS tellin' me where to go." jeered the red-skinned, stub-horned, wise-cracking son of a devil.

He stepped out and slapped a SHIELD patch onto the shoulder of his coat where it clung with velcro-tenacity! With a tug at his coat and a cautionary look up and down the street, he crossed the road and waded into the throng of onlookers. They eagerly parted for him when they got a look. He slung his legs up and over the cautionary tape and trotted over to investigate.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
        Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

Six deaths, now.

    The Shadow's agents had been able to provide her with the autopsy details of the first four victims, but aside from the - rather grisly - cause of death there did not seem to be any obvious links connecting them. Wrong place/time? A supernatural predator feeding on opportunity attacks?

    Too many possibilities; not enough information. Not yet. A more personal investigation is called for...

    The alley itself has been closed off, of course, but beyond that traffic continues unabated -- and no one pays much attention when a cab pauses briefly near the curb, and absolutely no one takes notice of the flickering shadows that quickly merge into the gradually encroaching twilight.

    The presence of someone who looks very obviously demonic seems a bit /too/ convenient -- but the SHIELD patch it bears suggests the obvious conclusion might not be correct. For now, the Shadow continues to observe -- both the perhaps-not-a-demon, and the crime scene itself.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy has that experience driving vans because hey, living on her own and on a van for years does that for someone.. But Hellboy wanted to drive. Fine with her! And no GPS. Fine too! But of course that he gets a reply from her when she steps out from the passenger seat, "True. We eventually got there." she admits. "I think we went twice down the same street though." the corner of her mouth curling up into a faint smirk.

She is dressed in her usual shield uniform, black and blue, high boots, the tech gloves on, making way over and next to Hellboy, slipping past the police tape and showing her badge to any nearby. Just in case there's one that dares approach an actual (presumable) demon.

"From the report seems like this will be another attack from her..." the death banshee. Her expression turns more serious. With the deaths starting to pile up it was imperative that this creature was stopped as soon as possible.

Hela has posed:
Hela isn't with SHIELD - yet, anyway. But this is yet another site on Midgard where some scrying suggests she might do something notable, at least with other heroes, and SHIELD certainly has gained her notice.

She's been watching from afar, waiting for them to gather, before she makes an appearance. When she does, she rises up out out of the ground before the other three, not trying to be subtle, and still in her usual Asgard garb - dark green suit and cloak, with a huge headdress reminiscent of antlers, and a cold aura around her for any who stray a bit too close.

"Death banshee?" she echoes, having arrived just in time to catch that. "Fear not, Midgardians, I wish to help. Again. And I am no death banshee.".

This apparition does not have a SHIELD logo!

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
The crowd does indeed part. Some wondering if the person responsible has returned! Well, that is until they see all that SHIELD stuff and realize that Hellboy is one of the good guys. At least, some believe they are good. Either way, once they reach the cops, many stare openly at Hellboy even as one or two idly taps a finger lightly on their holster. Ya know, just to make sure it is still there.

Then, they are arriving, one after the other to the scene. THe first thing visible is the man. Drained all the way to his ninties or perhaps even over a hundred. Dead. He is laying on the ground, hand reaching out, as if he could pull himself just a little further away from whatever killed him. That'd be startling enough if not for what is beyond him.

The woman, the poor woman. She was not aged. No, she was instead pressed, face first into the wall. Her body sinking down to the ground, right hand still raised against hte wall. Neck cut open. A trail of blood running from her finger up to a message:

"Bring me my daughter or I will FEAST!"

Hellboy has posed:
"Agh, so we took the scenic route." he utters with a voice so smokey that tailpipes think he needs to lay off the cigars.

His mirth drained when he started to look the scene over. He glowered over the details... Old World spirits, always so damned dramatic. Messages in blood smeared onto walls... Then again a bllboard might have been over-looked. "Yeah, Mommy's very-" the words died on his lips as a woman rose up from the grimey cement looking not at all like she just rose up from the grimey cement. Alright, what's this one? Midgard, that's norse... Who, who?!

Big, white eyes gawp at the goddess, his heavy jaw hanging slack... He was coming up short. Might as well admit it, "Then... who are you?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl lands within the police line with a running stop. She doesn't mean to make a scene about it, but her presence usually draws attention. She's here for Siobhan. She heard the magic words 'death banshee' and she needs to make sure this isn't going to mess with her friend. Especially not with her missing on another world.

"Hi there," she says to the nearest SHIELD agent, "could you point me to who is in charge here?" Not wanting to step on any toes. She can always pull out her DEO badge if she needs to, but usually simply being Supergirl is enough to get her in any door.

Despite the cool weather she's still wearing her boots and mini-skirt combination. Blue body, red cape, red boots, blonde hair. Supergirl has met some of these people before - Daisy she knows, heck even Hela she is starting to consider reliable. "Agent Johnson," she says when she catches sight of Quaftershock.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    "Behold Hela, Princess of Asgard, Queen of Niffelheim and Goddess of Death," comes a voice from what at first glance is empty air -- until the shadow against the wall moves of its own accord, shifting, thickening... And then goes from two-dimensional to three in a single movement that hurts the eyes to look at.

     The Shadow stands before the Goddess and the Agents, hands open and visibly away from the guns in their holsters, and offers a formal - if curt - bow before turning to the newly arrived Kryptonian.

     "Supergirl. Your reputation precedes you - as does SHIELD's. I take it you're here because something in this case drew your interest?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy offers her best smile over to the cops, approaching them and gesturing. "All good. We will take over now. Any details you can offer?" she questions, looking over each of the officers, "And any witnesses?" she doesn't really expect them but ..., always good to ask. This is done of course while Hellboy is inspecting the scene and her reaction to Hela popping out of the ground is a grimace...

"This one again...?" she murmurs, mostly to herself. That SHIELD suspicion is there, perhaps some involvement. But she did witness Hela helping against certain mind-controlled innocents by ZZGU, even if at the time Daisy was in a completely different guise (and incognito!)

"Hela. Asgardian Goddess of Death." This said to Hellboy's benefit. "We have you on file." she dips her head in a greeting to the Asgardian. "Anything you can tell us about this?" she asks, "And yes, a banshee may be behind this.."

With Supergirl landing closer, "Hello Supergirl." she waves one hand at her. "Should I get you a warm scarf for christmas?" New York cold! Walking around in that kind of clothing combination is a crime during this month!

And .., another shadow? Quake blinks once, looking towards Natasha and her shadowy form. She nods at the woman. "We are." she gestures to the crime scene. "I have seen you before, haven't I? The diplomat's son investigation?"

Hela has posed:
Hela arches a brow at Hellboy, and is even more taken aback when the Shadow shows up. Truly, whenever she visits Midgard she never knows what to expect. Abuse, disbelief, respect. This time, she's actually pleased. Someone actually knows her! In fact two people.

"Now I am pleased. Midgard finally knows of more than my cousin." Hela declares. She even smirks a bit at Daisy. Files, huh?

She turns to the corpses. "Neither of them are mine." she says, unable to hide the trace of disappointment in her voice. "That one has had his soul forcibly removed, so he is most likely nobody's now.", nodding at the aged corpse. She'd be annoyed, but it's not one of hers, so she is merely a bit distasteful. "The other has obviously suffered a more mundane form of death. But the writing, not the deaths, is perhaps the more relevant to you.".

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
THe cops really have nothing to say to Daisy, noting they had found not witnesses and that they had basically not touched the scene once it was clear it wasn't their scene. When Hela gestures to the other corpse, the poor woman, it's becoming clear that the situation that it looks like the woman drew the message now on the wall.

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy should have figured that Daisy'd know her.

Daisy knows everybody... See, she even knew the Shadow Lady!

He takes a few moments to let things settle in, he even offers a wave to Supergirl, his smiled a bit of a put-on, doesn't even last as long as it takes him to turn his attention to Hela. She states about what he figured... He nods along, "Yeah none of this is exactly pretty but hey. Quick question... any idea how to kill a Banshee?" It's an Irish Spirit but maybe there's some overlap in that ven diagram.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    Blue eyes narrow above that crimson scarf at Hela's words. "Forcibly removed... Possibly devoured?" the Shadow asks, gesturing toward the grisly writing. "If so, that might be the 'feasting' that we're being threatened with. Do you have any idea what kind of creature we could be dealing with here?" the figure asks Hela.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara raises an eyebrow to Hela and then gives a nod, "A goddess? that's quite a title," she says with amusement. Though Daisy's suggestion has her chuckling, "Thank you Agent Johnson, but I don't feel the cold like humans do." Which means when she's in her secret identity Kara Danvers, she has to ham it up with the cold. Which she does.

Kara stares in surprise at the three dimensional shadow talking to her. She shuts her mouth and then nods her head, "Yes. This is connected to a friend and a Titan." Her eyes drift to the blood on the wall and she frowns, "Oh no... not that we should, but we couldn't even if we wanted to. The Silver Banshee.. her daughter. She's not on Earth right now."

Her eyes look up to Hellboy, just as tall as Hela. She waves back to him. "Kill? No. Silver Banshee might know - alternatively, may be we could capture and trap it, or kick it out of our dimension. Or send it to the phantom zone... though I'm not sure that last one would work," she says musing about the notion that a banshee is probably not 'physical' most of the time.

Peter Parker has posed:
Hooo BOY, this is a weird one.

He was just winging his way back from the Vault at ESU when the call came over the line of the NYPD dispatch.

Usually, he stayed away from this sort of thing, but it was on the way home, and after that mess with Kulan Gath, he felt he should probably look in on it, at least.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man lands on a roof overlooking the scene, and...yikes. It looks BAD. He always felt a little chill along his spine when seeing stuff like this. But this kind of bad craziness he hadn't seen since the cave trolls...

Then the aug/reality sensors pulled up a few names from the facial recognition.

HELLBOY. That one he knew from the few resources willing to talk about him. So, one of the good guys.
SUPERGIRL. Well, OOF. Only she could look confident and without a spot of dirt on her...

TTF, Peter. Try To Forget.

The others he didn't know about, but the drone detaches and descends to start taking audio and video without getting too close to anyone...

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy, the friendliest SHIELD agent of all! Of course she knows everyone!

"Still, might just be what you will get." this about the x-mas gift to Supergirl. But that's enough sidetracking so she quickly gets back to the investigation at hand, and now with ..., quite the different bunch of people gathered. She looks up at Hellboy. "Seems like our banshee has been attracting a lot of attention from others." she notes before her gaze goes to the others.

She nods in agreement with what Hellboy says, "And besides killing it, how to find one as well?" no witnesses, will most likely be hard if she has any kind of vanishing powers too ... But it doesn't stop her from going around the scene to look around, glance here and there looking for clues on the case.

Perhaps this Banshee is careless!

Hela has posed:
That's more like the Midgard she has come to expect. Hela shrugs almost imperceptibly at Kara, more amused than insulted though. "Thor is god of thunder, you know.". No doubt nobody here has a problem with that, based on past experience! Bah.

"Yes, possibly devoured. And what could do it? Many things. If it is incorporeal it could no doubt be trapped with magic, bound into a gem perhaps, or contained in ice.". Niffleheim has a lot of spirits contained in ice.

"The Silver Banshee was a strange one. Not exactly a spirit, not exactly a curse... not exactly in control, either.". Hmmm. She smiles faintly, as she ponders.

Hellboy has posed:
"What...?" Hellboy asked, not of Hela but of Supergirl.

It was bad news the size of a pink, little letter coming when you thought all your bills were paid. Who needs electricity, really? "Hold onto that thought one moment, there's some good stuff there, uh... Ma'am." Goddesses were real and could get very sharp when disrespected, "Pardon me a moment."

"You're telling me her Mommy's down here stacking up bodies and Smythe decides it's a good time to step out for the holidays?!" Hellboy demands, his voice rising to bounce off of the grimey, alley walls.

So now they didn't even have good bait. "Where the hell is she then?"

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
While everyone talks, Daisy searches and she will find some grisly stuff at first. The first and most obvious thing is that not only did this woman draw the message, her own murder weapon is in her left hand. A simple but sharp pocket knife is death gripped in her left hand. Clearly what slit her throat. She did it to herself. At least, seemingly so. It's not a thought most would find very...settling. Of course, then Daisy notices something else. The man who was running away has something gripped, too.

His right hand was reaching, scrambling, grasping. His left hand, though. It had a piece of paper in it. A pamphlet. Scrunched a little in his hand, if she leans down close, she can make out the title.

F.E.A.S.T.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl motions with a hand to lower the volume and says softly to Hellboy, "You need to stop thinking the worst of Siobhan, Agent." She says with a sigh and moves closer to the big man. In hushed tones she says, "She chased after an alternate version of myself from another reality and got trapped in another dimension. Who knows what kind of horrors she's suffering right now. I'm trying my best to get her back, but both the DEO and SHIELD are reluctant to deliberately open a gateway to that other Earth."

She draws in a breath, it's clear that she is feeling the weight of responsibility for Siobhan's disappearance. "She is most certainly not on holidays," she adds and folds her arms tightly across her chest. Her eyes survey the scene and she frowns, "This banshee can force people to kill themselves? that's.. may be we should contact the Martian Manhunter about this. He's good with psychic stuff."

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    The sound the Shadow makes was probably intended to be a thoughtful hum, before whatever they use to distort their voice got to it.

    "Seemingly self-inflicted," they comment, gesturing at the knife. "... but judging by the facial expression she wasn't in control of her body when it happened."

    The figure turns to look at Supergirl. "You know the 'daughter' this is referring to?" they ask. "Can she be contacted? Preferably soon?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Yea ..." Daisy says in agreement with Natasha, wandering about and kneeling next to the woman to inspect the murder weapon with her gaze. She doesn't really touch it but then follows the trail to the other victim. Eyes narrow.

"Something here.." the curious little pamphlet is noted, she carefully taking it out of the victim's hand to watch it more closely. "A meeting point?"

She lifts it up so the others can see, fow now mostly ignoring the discussion about Siobhan's vacations on alternate dimensions.

This she says to Hela, "So what you are saying is even if we find her we may be unable to stop her unless we have a way to contain the spirit." she lets out a sigh, glancing at Hellboy. "Things can never be easy, can they?"

Hela has posed:
Hela stands between the bodies, looks around slowly, drawing her cloak about herself, and pondering for some time. Eventually, she speaks. "A presence has been here recently, moving between Midgard and yet another dimension unknown to me. It is not here, or anywhere near here, now, however.". Yet another dimension!

As for Daisy's question, she replies, "This is not something under my jurisdiction. However, magic is magic, so I can make certain assumptions.". She looks down at the shrivelled husk of a corpse that's near her feet, musing. Poor soul, forever lost, most likely.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl nods to the shadow and sighs, "I do know her. And I'm working on it. It's.. complicated. If there's a way we can handle this without needing her -- the better. But she'd tell us all to stay away, that it's too dangerous. Of course we're going to ignore that. I'm going to stick with my friend no matter what."

Hellboy has posed:
What ire he had built up was quickly doused by you know, a better perspective on the situation. So, not just off-planet, in an entirely different dimension! It was never just one thing at a time anymore. He cycles a breath, dragging his hand down his face in a slow, dry wash. "Damnit." a bitter swear as his shoulders sag, "Listen, I'm sorry, I didn't-" his apology is cut off. Hopefully, half-given is better than not at all. Folks are picking up on things he blithely glossed over. Of course it wasn't as cut-and-dryed as he would have liked. "No, no, never is."

He's wearing fresher eyes as he looks things over, his jaw firm and his face a bit harder, "Say, what's he got there?" he wonders as he steps away from Kara to join Daisy.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man grimaced.
Ohhh boy, this was really happening. Siobhan's mother was on the prowl and she was PO'd. The thing is, if Hellboy and Supergirl are involved, with whoever those OTHER two scary people are, then all he was going to do was get in the way....

Then the picture of the pamphlet showed up, and it seemed his blood was icing over.

"FEAST..." he whispered under his breath. "...Oh, God in Heaven and all the saints. The place is going to be PACKED..."

He pulled up the virtual Internet connection, running a search. "FEAST...Food...Emergency Aid...Shelter...and Training. List all locations..." he dictated under his breath. He brought up the picture again, looking for an address on the pamphlet.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
If someone takes the pamphlet from the poor, dead man, Spider-Man's worry is true. It is a pamphlet for Food Emergency Aid Shelter and Training. AKA F.E.A.S.T. One of the biggest shelters of New YOrk City, one of many actually. While Peter searches, he finds that there is a F.E.A.S.T. shelter not too far from here. It is known that during winter...such places are packed tight with poor lost souls, all looking for sustenance and help. Even people who might normally not need such help often turn there during the heavier, colder times of year.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Feast..." A frown appears on Daisy's expression, she handing the pamphlet over to Hellboy. "It's a shelter, or at least one of many.. If this creature attacks there.." she shakes her head, considering the possibilities. "So we will need to find a solution for this. Asap."

"Otherwise we may be looking at a massacre." But at least they did have a location.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl frowns a moment as she first hears Peter figuring out what FEAST means, followed by the agents. She watches Hellboy walk further in to the crime scene and takes that opportunity to push off the ground and fly up to the top of the building. She sits down next to Peter.

"Spider-Man. You need to help them. I am needed elsewhere.. and if Silver Banshee really is the only way we can stop the banshee of death, then I need to focus my efforts on finding her and getting her home." She rests a hand on his shoulder, "You've got this, this is your thing - saving New Yorkers. People love Spider-Man and if you tell them to leave they'll listen. May be you can direct them to other shelters."

Natasha Cranston has posed:
The Shadow nods at Supergirl's comments. "Inconvenient... But understood."

    Then the pamphlet is found, and the Shadow curses. "During the winter every FEAST shelter in the city is packed with those in need." Something Natasha knows all too well - her company delivers a great deal of their supplies. "If that's what she has in mind, we'll have a bloodbath on our hands. Possibly multiple."

    The figure looks from Quake to Hellboy. "Can SHIELD provide /discreet/ surveillance to those locations? Anything too overt may spark a panic that could easily kill many without this monster's intervention..."

Hela has posed:
"Stephen Strange is Midgard's mightiest sorcerer, with more experience of defending Midgard from random magical threats than I.". Hela does after all have zero experience of defending Midgard from magical threats. "Perhaps you sould talk to him, if you want to be certain of success.".

"Or failing that, I could prepare a spell of binding, perhaps. It sounds like many mortal souls are endangered.". She smirks a bit, amused that she's probably going to be ending up adding to Lucifer's soul-swag, as no doubt none of them will be hers either!

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man blinks as Supergirl floats up. How did she...right, right. Super-hearing. She HAD told him once. Heck, even if he'd subvocalized, she'd have heard his vocal chords vibrate.

He nods. She's right. She almost always is. Wise beyond her years. Practically a super-power in itself.

"All right. I'll also call the NYPD, tell them they've got a 'Super Sixer' potential threat at that address. That'll make them hustle."
Peter had told her about this, as well. "Super Sixer," aka Code 6-0-6, the NYPD's "informal" code for a crime where a superhuman is present.

"I gotta get moving, Supergirl. Send whoever cen get involved. If she's there, I'll yell. Like, REAL LOUD."

And if the Banshee is there, Spider-Man's going to do something. And if the Banshee is above his "weight class," that's okay. They ALL are.

In the next moment, he is jumping off the ledge and webslinging through the night air towards the F.E.A.S.T. facility at flank speed.

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboys lips thinned. His leathery, red features seeming to grow craggy and even more weathered as the size of their problem seemed to unfurl itself out before them. Not just random strikes but the threat of a single, massive massacre...

Hela... offers her aid. "So, what do you want for it?" he wonders of the Goddess

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"That can certainly be done." This Daisy says over to the Shadow with a brief nod of her head. She brings out a tablet, already taptapping on it quietly, setting up a report. This would need investigation, and indeed surveillance. She looks towards Hellboy. "Let's get this crime scene tagged and quickly. We will have a *lot* of work ahead of us next few days."

She glances towards Hela, "Anything will help if you think you can do such a .., spell.." magic was mostly well, magical to her still. No place for her in WAND, that's for sure!

And a nod right after Hellboy asks what Hela would want. She wouldn't really expect less.

Hela has posed:
Hela chuckles at that. She would trust the guy who looks like one of Lucifer's or Mephisto's to ask that question.

"Would you ask that question of Thor, hmm?" she asks, slightly evasively. "I seek the trust of Midgard is all. So many who know me distrust me, and you even needed to be told who I am.". She spreads her hands expansively. "So what better way to show my good intent. Actions speak louder than words.".

She IS an Asgardian after all!

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    "Yes... Yes, they do," the Shadow comments, nodding at Hela. "And on that note, I'll take my leave. I'll inform my agents to be alert. Good hunting to you all."

    And with that, the figure touches their hat and walks off, fog and shadows swirling up around their feet, obscuring them from view -- and between one blink and another, there's only the fog, and in the distance the sound of passing traffic...

Hellboy has posed:
"Never met'm." it was a simple answer from the red Devil.

Was this true? You'll have to check the logs, True Believers!

"Alright, you pull this off and there's going to be plenty of folks to attest to just that..."

His attention shifts back to Daisy, head bobbing his understanding and agreement, "Right, gotta fiugure out how the hell I'm supposed to punch a Banshee." he muttered before he went about doing his actual job.