A Complicated Web

Chapter Twenty: You Know How To Drive?

Phil Coulson watched as several agents combed through the remains of the medical suite in Stark Tower. Thanks to Tony, he had a copy of the video, but they still needed to find that syringe they'd used on Miss Carmichael. With that, they could hopefully identify whatever they'd used to drug her with and countermand it.

The two assailants were currently undergoing treatment at a secure hospital, though he doubted they'd wake up any time soon. At least not soon enough to get them the much needed answers. He hadn't recognized either of them from the captured images, but that didn't mean anything. It didn't help that they weren't on any facial recognition database either. The third man who'd infiltrated one of the guest rooms had used some kind of facial reflecting device, eliminating the possibility of their discovering his identity. All they knew about him was he was a male, about five foot eight, well built, without no fear of heights. He'd jumped from the window and flown off on some kind of hang glider.

Coulson doubted there would be any fingerprints. From what he saw in the video, both assailants had worn gloves. They certainly weren't making this easy on them, he sighed. Hopefully they'd catch a break soon. It didn't help that Tony had run off when the kids had gotten attacked only halfway to the safe house. Chances were good he wouldn't be coming back any time soon. He'd have to coordinate with Hill to be sure.

"Got something," one of the agents called out as he held up a discarded syringe. The plunger seemed to have been partially depressed, though there was still some of the serum inside the plastic tube. the needle was bent.

"Get that to the lab for immediate analysis," Coulson ordered as he put his hands in his pocket. He could have the information relayed to Stark or Romanoff as soon as they figured out what it was. Things could have been worse, he supposed. "Okay, wrap it up here," he instructed the other agents. "I'm heading out to the university."

One team had already been dispatched to check into an incident reported at the dorms at NYU. The room in question belonged to one Kally Carmichael. Her dorm mate had been attacked by an unknown assailant, the room trashed. At least the roommate was only a little worse for wear, with a few stitches for her troubles. But without knowing what all had been in the room, there was no way of telling if anything was missing. The intruders hadn't left much to chance, going so far as to rip the bedding and slashing the mattress. At the very least, he could retrieve some of Miss Carmichael's clothes to be forwarded on to the safe house. If they weren't destroyed as well.

"Keep an eye on things," Coulson requested of the agents he was leaving behind as he left the building. He slipped into the driver's seat of a dark sedan waiting for him, heading for the university. With luck, no one had tampered with Miss Carmichael's experiments. And, at the very least, he could retrieve the data chip the Hamada kid had mentioned.

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"I don't know about you guys, but I could totally go for like a cheeseburger or maybe a burrito," Fred spoke up as Tony continued to drive. It was after nine now and he was hungry. And if he was hungry, he felt sure the other two had to be. Kally didn't count as she still was out of it.

Tony had managed to get them as far as Staten Island at this point; taking them away from the craziness they'd experiences near Brooklyn. They all definitely did not want a repeat of that. But at least things were going smoothly so far. "I suppose we could stop by a drive-thru or something," he suggested. "But I can't be the one behind the wheel if we do."

"You're damn right," Natasha said over the headset. "You're face would be plastered all over the internet in no time."

Hiro's stomach grumbled. He'd tried to go back to sleep but hadn't had much success. He assessed the information at hand, realizing Fred, though he had a license, wouldn't be a good pick to act as a decoy driver. He didn't look that great at the moment, still pale from pain and loss of blood. He needed something in him for sure. And even though Tony had given them all bottled water, he knew it wouldn't be enough to replace what Fred had lost. He hesitantly raised his hand. "I could drive," he hazarded. "I do have a learner's permit."