[Audio]

[steelweb]

All right, people, listen up!

Everyone not arriving through the hospital, there's free lodging and food being put up on the city's money at the Four Saisons Hotel. The men and women in blue uniforms with badges are the local police force. You need help? Ask them.

If you arrive injured, head uphill - near the top there's a big multi-story building with a lot of glass windows - the local hospital. They're aware that walk-ins are going to be up, so don't hesitate to get medical treatment if you need it. Police station's down five blocks to your left if you're looking at the hospital.



[Locked to NMPD; Avengers; Harkness//NMPD security]

All police personnel are immediately on call twenty-four hours a day. Extended hours. If you are called in off shift immediate hazard pay grades apply. Carol, that includes your people if they're registered as consultants with us.

Well over half our new arrivals are not arriving at the hospital. I need everyone but a skeleton staff on the streets getting people straightened out and headed for the Four Saisons. Do what you can to minimize the damage. All calls get routed through Sheska for the station, and Darcy for the Avengers, got it?

Any questions?



[Private Audio: Koizumi]
[The tight control she's kept over her voice is starting to crack a little - there's a lot of pent up tension and emotion under there.]

Special assignment. I need you to find a girl and try and keep an eye on her from a distance, if you can. Short, black hair pulled up in a halo style, strong voice and personality - forceful. [Pause.] Earthbender. Her name's Toph. Not a big fan of rules, and tends to hang out with a little bald boy in orange and yellow with blue arrow tattoos. Avatar Aang. Just make sure they aren't hurt.



[Private Audio: Coulson]
[Conflicting emotions are becoming more evident in her voice, so she keeps it short, almost clipped.]

We may have a problem. Timeline issues.



[Private Audio: Carol]
[She's keeping it together. For now. How much longer that'll last is anyone's guess.]

Carol. We're going to need your help. ...I may need you myself. Got a minute?

Comments

[Action]

[steelweb]

[Lin tenses as Carol grips her shoulders, but manages not to twist away or automatically punch her. She was getting better at that, and it helped that she'd seen Carol coming. She was all set and primed to explode - tears or fury or something - but Carol's suggestion was just so... so ridiculous that she laughed instead.

Maybe it was the situation, maybe it was the wording, maybe it was the way everything in her had been strung taut for months, maybe it was the way she was working herself into the ground to avoid everything else! Whatever the reason, she was laughing. Actually laughing. Laughing as she hadn't in years. Laughing till tears rolled down her face. Till she could hardly breathe for laughing. The problem appeared to be stopping.

Distantly she recognizes it as a form of hysteria. Disgust darkens the tone of the laughter, but doesn't stop it. How stupid. She always hated that part of the job. Dealing with hysterical people. Just get a hold of yourself. This is not a productive way of dealing with anything. It's humiliating. Involuntary. And completely idiotic.]

[Action]

[tookthename]

[Carol's releaved when Lin starts laughing. Even though the tree house thing was only half a joke, she is glad it did something to cheer her friend up. She lets go and lets the woman laugh.

Then the laughter doesn't stop and it begins to sound more maniacal than happy.]

Lin? You okay? It wasn't that funny.

[When it still doesn't stop she takes her by the shoulders again and gives her a small shake]

Lin? Come on, snap out of it!

[Action]

[steelweb]

Something in the shake, as gentle as it is, breaks the cycle and lets Lin stop, rubbing her palms hard over her face and breathing hard.]

Sorry.

[Raspy and breathless, she sounds exhausted, so she straightens and clears her throat a little to try again.]

Thanks.

[And let's pretend that never happened. Never speak of it again. Weakness is not something that Lin tolerates. Not in her officers, not in herself. Especially not now. Ignoring the dull ache from the ribs fractured in the fight against Sato and his mechs a year ago (only a few weeks past), she absently takes a firmer stance and completely ignores the concern on her friend's face. Don't address it. Let it go.]

I'd drive myself crazy in isolation, Danvers. I can't stay out of this. Koizumi's going to report in, and he has his orders. If possible, I don't want my full name out there for her to pick up. If she hears it, she'll have questions. I'll deal with it then.

[And when this is over, she's going to put even more effort into figuring this out. If Harkness is half of what she thinks he's worth, maybe they can get somewhere. They just made it personal.]

[Action]

[tookthename]

You're chief of police, I don't know how long you can hide your name from someone, but I'll try to help.

[Carol lets her face fall into something a little more neutral. She knows Lin's going through a rough time and her looking concerned isn't going to make her feel better.]

You want something to eat?

[Action]

[steelweb]

I'm aware of the difficulties. I just need time.

[It always boiled down to time, didn't it? She still hadn't figured out how to announce to the general populace that she didn't have her bending. The department knew, and they were keeping it quiet for her, thank the spirits, but how would the rest of the island react? It had been hard enough to deal with the officer's pitying looks when they though she wasn't looking, and their over-hearty back-slapping camaraderie when she was.]

...No, I'll be all right. I need to get back to work. I don't have Coulson coordinating this time. I just needed a safe place to get some of that in the air. The wall in my office needs repairing again.

[The corner of her mouth twitched in the wry ghost of a smile.]

I'll keep you updated as the situation develops.

Re: [Action]

[tookthename]

Please do. Any time of the day, even if I said I'd be busy.

[Carol gives a small smile]

You can come here any time. You have your own code to get in the back and everything.