Chapter Text
Admittedly, Clarke wasn't all too blown away by the sight of the huge comic convention - but that didn't stop the rest of the team from gasping and oohing like a group of starry-eyed children on a field trip.
Jasper was nearly glowing, grinning so enthusiastically, Clarke feared that he would split his face in half. And Raven was no better, just barely being able to keep her excitement contained for the life of her. Even the other boys were pretty impressed, with Bellamy gazing at everything sporting such vigorous awe, it made the blonde genius's heartbeat actually pick up its pace.
To put it simply, SuperCon was basically just a ginormous stadium-like building filled with numerous displays featuring everything a comic nerd - or just any nerd in general- could possibly imagine, and hundreds upon hundreds of unnecessarily ecstatic people, all dressed in attire similar to that of the Daedalus crew.
Then, to put it correctly - the scene was pretty extravagant, and Clarke figured that she could learn to appreciate the engineering involved with the somewhat refined building.
But that lesson could take longer than completing the case would.
" Okay, " Bellamy said beside her. " This is pretty amazing. "
Clarke only pursed her lips. " Pretty unnecessary, " she corrected as she turned to face his curious expression.
" How so? " he asked, ruffling his dark curls (he wasn't wearing the Cap mask, much to Murphy's dismay, even though the strategist had clarified plenty of times on the way over about how uncomfortable it was to wear).
" Imagine, " Clarke began. " If instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a get-together for fans of fictional people who have been impossibly empowered by exposure to radiation, we instead invested money in much more imperative matters, such as starving people and third-world countries. "
Bellamy seemed to contemplate this for a moment, nodding his head slowly before turning back to her with a raised eyebrow and smirk. " That's a lot of charity talk for a rich girl, don't you think? "
" Former rich girl. I only just recently became an owner of an actual bed a couple of weeks ago. You're whole "princess" campaign is futile. "
He only responded to this with a warm smile.
" What? " she demanded impatiently.
Then he full-on grinned. " How about 'Clarke the Superhero'? "
She rolled her eyes, suppressing a similar facial expression. " I'm no hero. "
" So you say, Princess, " the annoyingly attractive asshole emphasized the nickname painfully. " but in case you haven't noticed, you're wearing a Thor costume. " he pointed out smugly. " Plus, what Daedalus does is kind of like being a superhero. We save people. Catch the bad guys. "
" Yes, and we do this by employing intelligence, not implausible supernatural abilities. "
Beside them, Raven was groaning. " If you two shitballs keep bickering like that, I'mma go ahead and tie the knot FOR
you. "
Bellamy rolled his eyes.
" Not to worry, Raven, " Clarke assured the mechanic. " I'm pretty confident I've shut the argument down for good, seeing as I have obviously won. " she directed that last bit to the Captain America-clad strategist with a bit of a haughty tone.
Raven only snorted. " My hero, "
" Hey, " Bellamy began warningly. " You can't say 'hero' in front of Clarke, you'll make her combust or something. "
Clarke huffed. " You- "
" Griffin, " a sharp voice interjected, and she was surprised to see that Lincoln had been the one to cut her off. He then turned to the other argumentative culprit. " Blake. We have more important things to worry about, wouldn't you agree? "
They nodded grudgingly, But Bellamy looked a little miffed.
" Okay. So I say that we split up. It's a large area, and we'll cover more ground this way. "
" I agree, " Kane said. He was the only team member who wasn't wearing a costume - which was just unfair. " I'll be heading back for Monty. And we'll both be on comms. Everyone else go on. "
They ended up pairing off into threes in terms of safety. Lincoln, Raven and
Jasper all went together, leaving Murphy, Bellamy and Clarke to scavenge for clues in the intensely packed building with hundreds of people dressed just as stupidly as them.
" Okay, " started Bellamy thoughtfully as he scanned the area. " If I were trying to infect government children with a bunch of superhero dolls to make a statement, I'd use the doll as my mark. "
" Well, there's bound to be a display of some around here. " Murphy offered. " It's only a matter of finding it. Probably out in the open to make a scene when it comes down to it. "
" There's a directory over there, " Clarke pointed to a brightly lit, electronic sign a few yards away. " Maybe they have it in the layout. "
Agreeing with that logic, the trio made their way to the sign and did an intake of the numerous setups which were listed on a color-coded map. They found the LifeComics display under the action figure category. Unfortunately, it was also all the way on the other side of the building.
" Raven, what's your guys' position? " asked Bellamy with a scrunched brow and pursed lips.
" We're on the second floor - balcony. " her voice crackled through the communication buds. " Jasper has a micro-drive software hooked to his tablet that contains an algorithm to scan faces with ten faces per second. We're waiting to see if any of the officials might come in. See if they're being blackmailed into arriving. "
" Sounds good, " Bellamy nodded. " We're heading over to the east area on the other side. There's a doll display from LifeComics set up over there. "
" You sure you all can handle that on your own? There's a good chance the 'Beasts' or whatever it might be there. "
" That's actually what we're hoping for. We'll keep you posted alright? And vice-versa. "
" Copy that, "
They found the display a few minutes later. It was small and not at all extravagant like all of the other setups, almost like one of those sketchy looking knockoff kiosks one might spot along a line of vendors. Even the Captain America action figures looked a little cheap.
There was one guy manning the booth, a pudgy man who looked to be in his late thirties, leaning back casually in his chair and seeming extremely bored. Not exactly the terrorist type.
However, the three geniuses continued to move forward until they reached the display, and Bellamy took charge.
" Excuse me, " he greeted the guy, who looked up and squinted like he couldn't actually believe there was company.
" Hi there, " he replied. " How can I help you? "
" I'm actually pretty interested in these action figures. " Bellamy explained enthusiastically, and Clarke was more than a little impressed with his acting.
" You are? " the other man asked, unsure. His name tag read 'Jared'.
" Yeah. You wouldn't happen to be a part of the company who manufactures them, would you? "
" No, I'm just a fill-in for the convention. I'm paid to sit here while the actual members go off and present their product. "
At this, the three Daedalus members all shared a wary look. Murphy shrugged and whispered, " He's not lying. Passed my test. "
Clarke then turned to Jared and sighed.
" Look, let me be honest with you...We're not really comic fans here. We work for the government, and we're undercover. "
The employee's face then slowly began breaking into a huge splitting grin as he started laughing hysterically, throwing his head back as he did so.
" Wow, " he kept chuckling. " That's good. Really, you actually had me there for a second! That's hilarious! "
Clarke pursed her lips soberly. " It wasn't a joke. "
Beside her, Murphy whispered, " Thoretta, what are you doing? "
" He can help us find out who hired him. " she explained in exasperation.
" Wait, " Jared suddenly asked, his expression going more on the astonished side. " You mean you guys are actually from the Feds? "
Bellamy snorted. " Something like that. "
Through comms, Lincoln's voice crackled in their ears. " Um, is it just me, or did you seriously just disclose your actual identities to a civilian? "
No one replied though as the three continued staring at a shocked Jared and Clarke explained further.
" We're looking for some people. " she told him. " Most likely the same people who hired you to man their display. It's imperative that we find out who they are - is there anything you remember about them? Anything that you can tell us at all? "
The man was obviously recovering from his state of surprise, but he eventually shook and head to clear it and began to answer slowly. " Uh, " was the intelligent beginning. " Yeah, I uh...I know what she looked like. "
" She? " asked Murphy. " Just one person? "
" Yes. She was about medium height. Long, brown hair, and she had a bunch of scars going down her face. "
" What kind of scars? "
" I don't know, maybe knife slashes or something? "
They all exchanged confused and uneasy glances before nodding back at Jared to continue, which he did.
" She had been sitting here for about an hour. " he told them. " Then she found me - I was standing by that door over there - and she asked me to stay by the display until she came back. "
" How long ago was that? " inquired Clarke.
" About two hours, "
Bellamy inhaled sharply, his lips set in a thin line. " Yeah. That doesn't sound
good. "
Murphy stepped forward, eyes thoughtful and his hand grasping his chin. " Can you describe her mannerisms? "
" What? " answered Jared in confusion.
" Like, what was her body language, how fast did she walk, was she jittery while at this desk, did she act anxious when she came and asked you to fill in her her? Anything like that? "
He considered this a moment. " I guess she did act like she was in a hurry. Almost like she was waiting for someone. "
" What was she wearing? "
" Uh...Something like a pantsuit. "
" Hm.. " Murphy drew his brows in.
" Anyone who has experience in being a salesperson would know that suits are a no-go, because it extinguishes that sense of familiarity between them and the customer. It's an amateur move, most likely made by a person who is, in fact, not a real salesperson. "
" BOE? " Clarke asked for confirmation in regards to the criminalistic radical group.
The behaviorist nodded grimly before saying to the rest of the team on communications, " You guys got that? "
" Jasper's inputting that info right now. " Lincoln's responded. " Standing by until the software picks up on our person of interest. "
Clarke turned to Jared and gave him a nod. " Thank you for your assistance. Try to keep a low profile, alright? And don't tell anyone what's happened. "
He nodded back firmly and held out his hand for a shake. " You have my word. "
She shook it, then pulled away and began walking off in the opposite direction, her two companions in tow.
" So, what now? " Murphy asked.
" Now we look for this woman. " answered the blonde. " Whoever she is, she's definitely with our guys. We just need to find her and hope she'll lead us right into the thick of things. "
" Maybe she'll- " Bellamy began before quickly cutting himself off. His body went completely still except for his head, which slowly scanned the crowd in concentration, his eyes on something in the throng of people surrounding them.
Clarke grasped his arm. " What is it? "
He mumbled, " Those two men, "
She followed his eyeline to find two guys dressed much too casually for a comic convention - save the strange, extravagant animal masks that they were wearing - standing stiffly in the middle of the crowd and periodically looking around at their surroundings.
" That seems a little off.. " she agreed. Then she saw a few more spotting the area, all just as awkward peculiar looking.
" Shit, " Murphy caught on. " Something's about to go down. "
Bellamy threw an arm out in front of Clarke's abdomen and began to push her away. " Let's go, " he instructed. " We don't want- "
But just as those words were uttered, a sudden, shrill shot split through the atmosphere, followed by a series of ones much like it as various screams rang out, and one particularly loud voice repeatedly composed the words, " Get down on the ground! "
There were six gunmen. All with their arms stretched upwards shooting into the ceiling. People scrambled all around before dropping down in crouched positions as they wailed in fear.
Instinctively, Clarke grabbed onto the two men beside her and pulled them to the ground with her. They all three huddled together, mostly unaffected by the current scenario given that none of them usually felt fear.
Bellamy's face was right next to Clarke's, his warm, ragged breath heavily coating her face while her stupid red Thor's cape sprawled itself over his backside. She met his eyes, all dilated and already thinking a way out of their predicament, and he squeezed her arm in reassurance.
" It's okay, " he whispered.
" I'm not afraid. " she replied calmly.
" Well, that makes one of us. " Murphy then stated in a breathless voice. " I'm starting to think this whole 'government agent' thing wasn't really a good idea. "
" Stay calm, " Bellamy reminded him.
" The others will figure something out...if they aren't also in danger, that is. "
Clarke furrowed her brow. " Where are they? There's been no responses on comms. "
At that, they all tried to intently pay attention to the communication devices, but all they heard was steady static.
" The shots must have disabled them with such intense sound. " Murphy offered, but
Clarke shook her head. " I don't think it's possible for Raven to create something that a mere few shots could bring down. "
" What if- "
Suddenly a large hand wrapped itself around the back of Murphy's costume, hauling the shocked and writhing boy up to his feet. The hand belonged to a beefy man resembling a goon on Sons of Anarchy, with large biceps and a leather-clad body. His mask looked like demonic lion.
" Hey, hey, hey! " Murphy protested in a strained voice. " Take it easy, man! "
" Are you the little motherfucker who keeps talking? " the man demanded angrily.
" Uh....I feel like there's no good outcome to any answer I give. "
" You- "
" Hey! " Bellamy loudly interjected, jumping up to attempt to separate the brute from a trapped Murphy. " Let him the fuck go! "
The man dropped Murphy instantly, but then directed his full, angry attention to the strategist, which was probably worse, given that this victim was more prone to responding assholistically.
" What'd you say, little bitch? " grumbled the man.
Bellamy only squared his shoulders and glared. " You heard me, shithead. "
The opposing force looked like he might strangle the other man, but before he could, another voice came out, halting any further actions.
" What is this, Barry? " said the young woman who approached them, wearing what looked like a godly, African mask.
Murphy made a strange face. " 'Barry'?"
Barry shoved his gun in Murphy's direction as he growled. " This one was talking. "
" They're all talking. " the woman snapped irritatedly. " Maybe try to act productively and stick to the plan, yes? "
Clarke watched her carefully, not missing her clothing choice: a grey, pinstripe pantsuit her eyes widened.
Noticing her, Pantsuit cocked her head to the side. " What's that in your ear? " then she bent down, grabbing Clarke's chin harshly as she turned her head, undoubtedly examining the small earpiece.
The woman flung the blonde’s head back in outrage. " You're one of those agent nerds aren't you? "
At the genius's stunned expression, she continued. " Yes, that's right. We found your little bitches scanning faces by the entrance right before the shooting. " then she turned back to Barry. " Put them with the others. I have real business to deal with here. "
He nodded. " Got it, Ontari. " then the large man called two of the other criminals over to help hold the three unwilling geniuses down as they dragged them away from the terrified and crouched crowd, down an unfamiliar hall which lead to a shabby basement.
Along that basement was a series of storage rooms, all locked significantly.
Clarke tried her best as not to struggle too much. She didn't think the Beasts would shoot anyone due to the fact that their evident plan was not to harm civilians, but government officials. Even so, she didn't want to risk endangering herself or Bellamy and Murphy. The other two must have felt the same way, because there was little resistance from them as well.
They would figure a way out of this predicament. They always did.
Once the men led them to a specific storage area, one came forward and unlocked the thick, aluminum door and thrust the three straight inside before slamming it tightly just after.
They all tripped and fell to the ground, heads fuzzy and unfocused.
Suddenly familiar voices began to swim around them, and eventually Clarke was able to pick herself up enough to see some of the rest of the team standing over them.
Raven, Lincoln, and Jasper quickly helped the others up to their feet, scraping the musty dust of the old room off of them and hurriedly checking for any injuries.
" Are you guys okay? " Jasper asked frantically. " We'd just been made by those assholes up there when the shooting started, and we couldn't reach you through comms because - "
" They found them? " Bellamy finished.
" Yeah. Us too. "
" This is bad, " muttered Lincoln worriedly. " Whatever they're doing up there can't be good. And no officials will be able to enter without endangering hostages. "
" What about security guards? " offered Bellamy.
" I don't think they'll hold much of a candle to these people. "
They all paused and stood in silence for a grim moment as their brains spun off into motion.
" We need to get out of here. " Clarke stated.
" And do what? " retorted Raven dryly.
" Those guys outnumber us five to one, and you heard what Lincoln said about endangering civilians. Besides, this room is too secure, even Lincoln couldn't bust anything. We already tried. "
" I don't think they'll kill regular people. Dax said that this is about more than just infecting children and shooting shit up. Something else is about to happen, and we need to know what that is. If we can't get out, then we need to get in touch with Monty. "
" How? " inquired Murphy helplessly.
" They took our comms and it's not like any of us were able to squeeze a phone somewhere into our Avengers costumes. "
" Maybe we don't need phones... " Clarke trailed off, an idea beginning to form.
Beside her, Bellamy grinned widely, eyes sparkling. " Ooh, I love that look. " he said proudly. " That's the look of a girl about say something brilliant. "
" Jasper, " she got the hacker's attention quickly. " See that radio speaker? " she pointed to a small, white intercom system bolted to the wall with numerous dials and options.
" Yeah, " he affirmed with a nod.
" Can you interfere with a radio frequency connected to our comms? If they're still working, we can get through to Monty by using them remotely. "
" What the.. " Lincoln mumbled in utter shock and confusion. " How could you even do that? "
" Simple, " Raven began with a shrug. " I programmed those devices to be set up with radio satellite, almost like a walkie-talkie but more advanced. If Jasper can get into a frequency inhabiting this building, he can reach those buds, and we'll be able to talk to Monty through that little speaker. Easy-peasy. "
The bodyguard stared at her, dumbfounded. " Yeah, " he managed to utter. " So easy. "
While he continued to be astounded, Jasper worked on the speaker, and Bellamy found an interest in periodically bumping Clarke's side. She turned to glare at him. " Can I help you? " she asked in irritation.
He smirked. " Really taking charge here Princess Thor. Guess you know how to bring down the...hammer. "
She stared. " Did you just make a Thor pun? "
" Yup, " he said nonchalantly. " And I think you "Loki" liked it. Get it? Like 'low-key'? "
" I get it. That was dumb. "
" Hey, stop trying to steal my thunder. "
" Seriously? " she retorted in return, unimpressed. But Bellamy only smiled and slung a loose, heavy arm around her tiny shoulders and pulled her closely to his side.
" Ah, come on, Princess. Lighten up. "
" How is it that you're this carefree while we're locked in a storage room and hundreds of people are being held hostage above our heads? "
He shrugged. " Making light of unfortunate situations is how I cope with them. "
Clarke snorted. " Since when? "
" Wow, " he frowned mockingly. " All these super heroics sure make you grumpy. "
" I'm not a superhero. I'm intelligent, not a magical being. " she dismissed him with a lift of her shoulders, shoving his arm off.
" Magic's just science that hasn't been explained yet. "
" Said every nutcase ever. "
Suddenly a burst of static echoed in the small room, and Jasper gave out a loud 'whoop'.
" I think I've got it! " he exclaimed loudly before continuing to fiddle with the exposed wires and coils. " If I could
just... "
Another crackle, and then a familiar voice broke through the noise.
" ...to Team Daedalus. Come in, Daedalus. I repeat: Green to Team Daedalus, come in. "
" Monty! " Jasper replied hastily. " Bro, can you hear me? "
" Jasper? Is that- " the audio went out. " I thought you all- .....When the shots- "
" The connection's too unstable. " Raven observed. " We'll never be able to hear him. "
" Wait, I see the problem. " Clarke told them with her blue eyes squinted in concentration. " Jasper, that white wire's connected to an audio module and its nicked slightly. "
" Ah, I see.. " he replied, tongue sticking out. " Anybody have a tiny piece of
metal? "
" Sorry, " Murphy responded dryly.
" Forgot to put on my daily footwear attire of metallic crocs. "
They all gave him an irritated look, to which he only sighed and shrugged as if to say, “What are you gonna do?”
" Hey, " Raven suddenly piped up. " I have an earring. " she then proceeded to remove the said item of jewelry from her right ear, a medium-sized, metal hoop which she was able to shape into a crooked line with her strong fingers.
" Here, " she offered it to Jasper, who took it with a nod and then went back to the speaker, where he wrapped the tiny piece around the damaged wire as a coil to boost the connection.
Within a few seconds, Monty's frantic voice resurfaced. " Guys? Guys, are you still there? "
" Yeah, we're here. " replied Clarke.
" Sorry about that. The Beasts are here and they started shooting the place up. They've taken hostages upstairs. "
" What about you all? "
" We're fine. Sort of. They found our comms and figured we were from the government, which, isn't entirely incorrect. We're locked in a storage room. "
" Wait, then how are we communicating? "
" Jasper hacked into the building radio transmission frequency, so we're actually talking to you through our comms now, but remotely. "
There was a pause, and then, " Hot damn, " he breathed. " That's my boy. "
Jasper grinned and saluted. " Your one and only. "
" Monty, " Bellamy interjected, now all business. " Is Kane there? "
" Yes. He's speaking with the doctors here. There's a lot of weird shit going on right now, guys. "
They all shared a wary look before turning back to the speaker.
" What do you mean? " inquired an unnerved Lincoln.
Monty sighed. " It's the kids. They're starting to lose their symptoms and regain some strength. Which doesn't make any sense whatsoever. "
" Did anyone else around them ever get infected? " Raven asked with a grim expression.
" No. But they didn't start to become well until about thirty minutes ago. "
At this, Clarke whipped around to stare at her companions with wide eyes in realization. " That's right around when they started shooting. " she told them as their own faces went white.
Bellamy pinched the bridge of his nose, that previous glow of a light-hearted, flirtatious boy long gone. " Monty, where are the parents? "
A pause. " Uh, the one whose house I'm currently in just went out about forty-five minutes ago, he had an errand to run. Which is strange, because who has to run an errand while their child is dying? "
" Can you check up on the other parents, please? "
" Alright, give me a second. "
The rest of them all watched the strategist with curiosity.
" What are you on to, Blake? " asked Raven, her tone signifying that she knew it couldn't be something good.
Bellamy sighed. " I think I know why the shooting went down. "
" Why? "
" Well- "
" Here, " Monty cut him off as the speaker cracked. " according to Kane, just about all of them took off about forty minutes to an hour ago.... " he inhaled deeply.
" Something's very wrong. "
" Very, " was Bellamy's pained response.
" It's happening. "
Clarke lowered her brows, heart pumping so excessively in her chest. " What's happening? "
He looked at her wanly. " The main event. The real plan. "