Suspension Characters: Justin Hammer, Jasper Sitwell, Phil Coulson Setting: SHIELD! Content: Probably some physical conflict. Summary: It was about time someone took charge of this mess.
The scanners picked it up first-- a domestic disturbance, shots fired in the suburbs, two men fighting and an Avenger on site. It escalated, a high volume of calls frazzling emergency services as the reports of an explosion began-- a 'fireball in the air'? Jasper had just curiously flipped on the small TV in the Heroes for Hire office, the news anchors still reporting on the effect of noise pollution on ducks and the weather, when suddenly the feed changed. It was on every channel. Rocky footage of someone shaking their head vehemently behind a screen door that suddenly shuddered, and the camera whipped around to watch a house just a few doors down throw itself up into the air from its foundations. Even Jasper took a step back from the TV in surprise, as a familiar voice crackled, "What the hell was that?" Whoever was filming, apparently, went from close to the ground to an aerial view of the damage as it came raining back down, then the neighbourhood streets rapidly compounding the chaos in their panic. Wait-- Jasper knew this place. And the cameraman was saying something about a kid.
Jasper spun around, mouth open to address...the empty office. "Something's happening!" he shouted in case anyone was within earshot, scrambling on the desk for a pen and paper to scrawl a note to the Heroes: 'Check the news. Avengers alert. Went to SHIELD. Sitwell'
Why would S.H.I.E.L.D. make a show of unearthing and releasing Alex just to blow up his house? There was a note of patience in the plan that didn't ring true for what Jasper understood of Hammer, but it seemed to him that they wanted to have their cake and eat it, too; using the scandal to cement Nick Fury's wickedness, then take out Alex and his sensitive knowledge when everyone had moved on. And record the whole sorry production? Whatever Hammer thought he was doing, that flyer was in pursuit of a child, and however it ended Hammer was going to have to answer for it, and before he had the opportunity to cook up his cover story. "It's wild--" the radio in Jasper's car was reporting, "on every station, yeah. I'm reading now that this is coming out of New Jersey where gunshots and, as we've seen, explosions are, in fact, taking place live as we see them. Some people are saying it's the Avengers that started this party on a warm Saturday night, but-- yes, we are hearing a few call signs that seem to be military. If you're just joining us, I don't know what to tell you, I'm just as lost as you are. Is that Iron Man?"
It was an excruciatingly long drive downtown, the jumbled narrative of the more jumbled images no one had a good grasp on only making Jasper more anxious. By the time he arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, reporters had already swarmed the area and Jasper had to lay on his horn to mount the curb and leave the truck parked across the sidewalk. No time or quarter to be careful here. He shoved his way through the civilians, then the Agents barring the doors, hissing and baring his teeth in place of a badge before jerking out of their restraint and sending them sprawling to the floor. The reporters spilled inside after him, sending the agents scrambling to contain the flood, but the damage was done and Jasper easily vaulted over security and slipped amongst the chaos into the stairwell. He had barely broken a sweat by the time he reached the Director's office, but Jasper finally paused at the door, this area queerly quiet, to take a deep breath before knocking politely. He should have brought a gun.