Starring:
Summary: When He said "John, go do my Will.".
Date It Happened: April 7th, 2008
My Heart Stood Still
Hartsdale, NY - Primatech Ruins
It has been almost two days since the collapse of what was left of the old Primatech building out in Hartsdale; organizing a manhunt takes time, but now there are at least a dozen lower-ranked agents(aka, grunts) combing the ruins with various implements of demolition and cleanup. There is one with a dog by his side, which is haphazardly coming the dusty landscape with a sharp nose.
The exit where Noah Bennet had escaped was the first area targeted; the wing is mostly cleared, and now the agents down there are making their way towards where the stairwell to Level Five was located once upon a time. It is still down there somewhere, most likely. Around that exit, there are spaces being cleared by the edges first, and the moving of the heavier pieces of previously charred building is assisted by a relatively tiny Bobcat. A slow search, but deliberate and planned well. If Church is down there, someone will find him. In one piece, however- that may prove a mystery.
Arms folded, Mr. Bennet watches and waits as the work goes. He's recently been updated on the progress of the work, planning on being here a few more minutes before heading out to attend another pressing matter involving something seemingly related to the attempted rescue. He seems unhappy from the frown upon his face, but for those that know Noah, that is by far a surprise.
Niel is a mid-ranked agent, but he volunteered to do grunt work this time. The thought of being trapped under rubble for almost two days is something that really hits him, and so all the help he can give is too little. He's there in ratty jeans and a T-shirt and jacket — not his usual clothing — and going at his designated spot with a shovel. He's been here almost the whole time.
Still slow, deliberate, uneventful. Up until one of the agents at the exit wing hollers out of his ditch and tosses something up to another at the top edge. From afar, the young man is examining whatever it is with confusion smeared on his face. He climbs away from the diggers and goes directly up to Noah, hauling his find with him past Niel's line; in his hands is a long metal shard of some kind, but one side it has been molten down as if it were a stick of butter. "What do you make of this? This wasn't from the fire." Obviously.
The agent with the dog passes by Niel, and the canine does pause for a moment at the brink of where the agent is digging, only to tuck his tail down from its wagging and continue onward and forward. The man with the leash sends Niel a look that practically says that he doesn't want to be here. Screw the totem pole and its dirty work, right?
The steel pole is brought to Noah, who gives it a simple look before lifting his eyes back up toward the young man. "It means you're on the right track. Keep going," Noah replies, keeping his answer vague yet concise as he usually does. Even if the man has other questions, Noah doesn't answer them right away as he turns his attention to other people here.
Noah looks toward Niel, just watching him as he works hard to try and save the life of a fellow agent… Or at least get his body for a proper burial. Perhaps a few years ago, Noah would have been down there, tirelessly working himself. But time steals a lot from you… More so when you spend it in the Company.
The look from the other agent is not returned. Niel simply shoots him a glare — a 'it could be you under there' sort of glare. All the commotion about the melted pole is a good pick-me-up; he delves into his work with more vigor. They're close.
As if right on cue during a particularly painfully long silence, comes a tinny, almost disruptive little noise from down below, just off to Niel's right somewhere.
I'm a walking nightmare,
An arsenal of doom,
I kill conversation as I walk into the room,
I'm a three line whip,
I'm the sort of thing they ban,
I'm a walking disaster,
I'm a demolition man…
The man that had taken back the metal pipe turns his head up to look at Noah across the mess. Then he wags his phone in the air, looking sheepish all of a sudden. He called Agent Church.
The phone gets an arched brow from HRG, but for the time being, he says nothing, shaking his head before letting the people continue their work. From time to time, he checks his pager and his cell phone. He seems like he is waiting for something, clearly distracted.
And just like that, Niel changes his course and begins digging right over the spot where the sound of the phone was heard. He's quick, but careful. It would be pretty bad to stick a shovel through a potentially still-alive Church, now wouldn't it?
If you didn't believe in zombies, now might be a good time to look into that. While Niel smashes his way through towards that music still ringing dull under debris, the noises mask the other ones happening just below him. It sounds like the agent is simply making an echo in his own ditch, but soon that is obviously incorrect.
A small cracking of rubble precedes a hand in Niel's blind spot, ungloved and covered in a grimy layer of red and brown. It latches around the younger agent's ankle, the fingers burning imprints of themselves into the sides of his boot.
Well, hello there.
There is a brief pause as people around Niel likely react. Considering that Noah is a decent deal away from the digging, he will only notice something is going on by how others react to the sudden hand appearance. Calmly, Noah makes his way toward Niel's location, making his way through the wreckage and rubble with a careful pace.
The leather of Niel's boots is now branded, but that's not something he particularly cares about. "I got something here!" he shouts to his fellows as he drops the shovel and falls to his knees. He begins to clear rubble with his hands this time, gloves or no gloves. "Church!"
One larger stone is moved, and there is an audible hiss. Hot air shoots straight out of the ground and into Niel, finding the quickest escape that happens to be where the agent is now digging. Nothing like sticking one's face in a fire- just suddenly standing too close.
There is a rumble below, and the hand scrabbling for the ground finds purchase on the side. The spaces between glow dull orange for a split second- then there is a shoulder, another hand, and a head covered in dust. Brunette? It looks like he has gone all gray from that mess. When Lawrence hits the open air, there is steam billowing everywhere, and the man is scalding hot to the touch; the armor he still wears sizzles, and from his lips pours a cloud of dusky-colored smoke. The nest breath in is dazed, and out comes a smaller spiral of smoke.
HRG moves up to see that Church is indeed alive. Looks like he won the bet. Turning away, he begins to shout the orders. "We need a medic here and our friend transported to medical facilities now." He turns his head back to Church. "Thank you for not dying." That inspiring and touching speech said, Noah makes his way back toward his car.
Niel flinches back as soon as the steam starts to erupt, scalded a bit on his face and arms, but nothing he won't recover from. He doesn't attempt to touch Church because he does like having fingers and sensation in his hands. He instead glances back at Noah as orders are shouted, then again at Church, saying nothing for now.
Church opens his mouth to talk as he drags himself into view, turning his head as a dribble of foamy blood makes its way past the side of his bottom lip. Fresh air, people- you're welcome, Noah. Getting a thank you from Bennet is good enough for most. Recognition dawns in brown eyes when Niel comes into view and Lawrence lies flat on the ground; the dissipating heat meets the cold April air while there is a scramble to call a bus. For all visible purposes, Church is beaten to hell and likely has a broken leg judging by the funny angle of his lower left leg, but the voice that comes is not entirely his own. It is his voice, yes, but instead of that friendly, smooth-talking tone- what comes out of his mouth is a sharp, largely southern sort of drawl, almost angry in its delivery.
"The Paper God hates me 'cause I drive a Dodge, don't'e?"
Wh-what? Niel blinks at Church's strange accent and question, then casts a glance over his shoulder at Noah, as though about to call him back. He thinks better of it and instead turns to Church again. "Hey, buddy, can you tell me your name?"
Lying back, the veteran's head lolls away from Niel with a fluttering beneath his eyelids, and a low grunt of question. Where is up? He tries to focus on Youngblood's buzzcut, then his face. Everyone at this point is basically waiting for him to cool off(literally) before touching him- one other agent hovers near Niel's side, and the crunching of tires on debris can be heard past that.
Mmnngh. "Yer- 'e knows ye'-" Another moment of haziness comes over his features before they manage to sharpen all over again, and the heat on him simmers down to touchable levels. "John. No… L- goddamnitall-" That stranger's voice hisses angrily.
The hell. Niel stands up and looks to the others. "Let's get him in for a psych eval too," he utters. Not normal.
That same hand that grabbed Niel's boot before grabs at it again fruitlessly, just as a couple of the younger agents try to hoist Church's body upwards without much damage and out of the rubble. "Don'need eval- don'need it-" He's not crazy. At least, John does not seem to think so. As he is carted away the man offers no physical resistance, but does yell his discontent in an angry howl of pain. Everything hurts. Everything.