Melinda May

[agentrpcoulson]

Open.

[shieldagentmqmay]

agentrpcoulson:

“I mean, I get it. The stares and whispers.” Coulson said, “I mean, the last time I was around all them, they watched the God of Mischief impale me with his spear.” Wiping at his face, Coulson said, “then add me getting bitten out on the road and Laura, having the clear mind to cut my hand off before the infection spread. It’s a lot to take in. Even for me.” 

Melinda shifted a little uncomfortably at that, not caring to remember when Fury had called her to his office to tell her that her best friend had been killed. “It is a lot to take in,” she agreed. “But so is the fact that we’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. People will stop staring. They always do.” She’d had plenty of stares and whispers follow her over the years whenever people found out that she was the Cavalry. “What’s important is that you’re here.”

[a-akahowlett]

Safe as Houses

[shieldagentmqmay]

akahowlett:

“I honestly did not think of a radio.”  The reason was simple, her training had not required her to be able to contact her handlers, they contacted her.  She was either where she needed to be, or she was lost.  It was how Rice had tried to kill her.  Even with five years of clear blue water between now and her last mission for Weapon X, training superseded logic in this case.  “Are there designated field radios, or do I just go see what Des can give me upstairs?”  She asked, referring to the reclusive older man whose hobby of radio repair and communication had been immensely helpful to a large group of people used to smartphones.

“Des is probably the best person to see,” Melinda nodded, glad that she’d thought of the suggestion before Laura left. “He’ll be able to tell you which one would be best considering the distance you’re going.” Whilst they did have a collection of radios usually used for going out in the field, the chances were that the frequency from them didn’t go beyond a certain range - a range that Laura would likely be travelling out of. “Once you’ve got that, I think you’re all set. Any last questions?”

[a-akahowlett]

Safe as Houses

[shieldagentmqmay]

akahowlett:

Laura nodded, “I’ve been given special permission to go overnight.”  Most of the scouts when going on foot were meant to be back before sundown.  “I’m looking for places that can be fortified for people travelling long distances, the kind of distance that won’t get you back before dark.”  It was dangerous to be out in the open after dark, the infected would find you while you were blind.  It made sense to send someone as highly trained as her, not to mention someone who could literally smell trouble, to take care of this kind of task.  “I will be back before sundown tomorrow.”

A quick glance down and a few taps at the tablet screen confirmed that overnight permission had indeed been granted, and Melinda nodded as she looked back up, listening as Laura spoke of the brief. “Just make sure you’re careful.” It went without saying, really, and she knew Laura’s capabilities made her ideal for the task, but she said it nonetheless. It wasn’t as if a gentle reminder would go amiss, even if it was about something unlikely to be forgotten. There was no such thing as being overcautious these days. Which led Melinda to another thought. “You know, it might also be worth seeing if there’s a spare radio you can take, just in case you need to check in or get into trouble.” 

[a-akahowlett]

Safe as Houses

[shieldagentmqmay]

akahowlett:

“I will go with the Glock then,” she said as she walked with May.  She watched the older woman punch in the code, memorising the number without even really intending to.  She sometimes couldn’t help but pick things out.

She gave a small nod when the question was asked, and picked up a magazine for the pistol from the shelf where they were laid out.  She loaded the gun with smooth precision, and pointed the barrel at the ground when she turned the safety off and on for Melinda to see.  It was better to demonstrate skills than simply to confirm she had them.

She picked up a second magazine, deciding that if she was bringing the gun, she might as well make sure she had enough ammunition to give whoever might use it.  She slipped her bag off of her shoulders, and put the gun and spare magazine into one of the pockets that zipped shut.  Secure, but easy to access if she needed to give it to someone.  

Melinda nodded approvingly as she watched Laura load the gun and flick the safety off and back on. In her book, it was always good for someone to show they could do something as opposed to just saying they could, and it gave Melinda that much more confidence that the younger woman would be alright on her own.

“Alright,” she spoke again as she watched Laura add the pistol to her supplies. “I think that’s everything you need. You remember when you should return by, I take it?” With things outside of Haven so dangerous and uncertain, it was important that those leaving the sanctuary were only gone for a set period of time so that those remaining behind knew when to start worrying for their friends’ safety. 

[a-akahowlett]

Safe as Houses

[shieldagentmqmay]

akahowlett:

She conceded the point.  “I suppose I will go back for one.  Is there one that you’d recommend I take?  Guns are not my specialty, they weren’t exactly made a priority in my training.”  She could shoot well enough when called upon, but it was far from a key skill for someone of her abilities.  She picked up her bag and made a gesture that said she was heading for the armory.  

She was still a little rigid, unable to bring herself to make small talk with the spy, but then she had a feeling that May would not appreciate idle chit chat.  Instead she headed silently for the room that served as an armory.  Everything inside was neatly sorted and arranged, on the wall was a list of rules for handling the weapons.  The rules were predominantly common sense, but she imagined that human stupidity could prevail quite easily in any situation.

“That doesn’t surprise me. You can defend yourself well enough without the need for additional weapons.” Why focus too heavily on something that would rarely, if ever, be needed? She thought for a moment before giving a nod. “A Glock 17 wouldn’t be a bad choice,” she suggested. “It’s a pretty straightforward pistol, nothing too fancy about it, but it’s reliable. We’ve got quite a few of them.” 

She walked with Laura towards the armory, appreciating the fact that she didn’t seem to feel the need to talk for the sake of talking. As they reached the room, Melinda tapped in the access code to unlock the door before pushing it open and stepping inside, making her way to the back of the room where the guns were kept. 

“Here.” She picked up a pistol and turned, holding it out to the younger woman. “I assume your training covered how to load it and take the safety off?”

[agentrpcoulson]

Open.

[shieldagentmqmay]

agentrpcoulson:

Phil kept his eyes headed toward the forest and nodded, “yeah, I’m ok. Just needed some air.” Holding his stub up, Phil looked at her and said, “people are walking around me on egg shells and whether it’s because they thought I was dead for several years or the fact that I barely escaped getting turned into a walker I just…needed the air.” 

“I get it,” she nodded, leaning back against the door frame, arms folded across her chest. She knew from experience what it was like. Perhaps things for her here weren’t so bad, at least in comparison to how they could be, but Melinda had more than her fair share of dealing with people whispering about her and treading carefully around her. “Things will get back to normal soon enough.” Or at least as normal as they could be when living in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. “Just carry on as always. They’ll sort out whatever’s bothering them.”

[a-akahowlett]

Safe as Houses

[shieldagentmqmay]

akahowlett:

“Honestly, someone who isn’t familiar with guns is only going to be a liability with one.  They might shoot themselves, another survivor, or me.”  Getting shot was incredibly annoying.  “They might panic and fire and bring a horde down on us.  I’d rather single handedly protect anyone I find than arm an amateur.”  She imagined that the spy would be perfectly aware of how frequently people revealed themselves to be not nearly as smart or skilled as you might hope.  “But if you think it’s best to bring one, I’ll just use my discretion when it comes to deciding whether or not to offer it up.”

"That’s true,” Melinda nodded in agreement, “and I definitely don’t advise giving a loaded gun to someone who doesn’t know how to use it.” Hell knows that certainly wasn’t the wisest of plans; novices tended to panic, leading them to miss their intended target completely, potentially hitting someone they shouldn’t, or giving away their position. No, arming someone without the right training was definitely not the best idea. 

“But someone you find might be skilled with a gun and just not have one, or be out of ammo.” With people having to flee and fight at a moment’s notice, there was a distinct lack of time for them to grab everything they needed.

[shieldagentmqmay]

ALWAYS TAKE YOUR MEDICINE [EVENT]

[shieldagentmqmay]

lnvinciblelronman:

“If we could find like… a box or something. We could put more stuff in it than just your pouch.” It wasn’t as if the suit had pockets. Or compartments he could carry things in. They may need two boxes. Maybe some bags. “We’ll look for stuff to carry more things in. But I can lift the heavy things. The truck bed can be piled with stuff too. We’ll toss the smaller stuff in the cab.” JARVIS alerted him to some shuffling around upstairs, Tony was careful to keep an eye on the stairwell door now. Who knew what it was.

“There’s got to be something we can use somewhere in here,” she nodded in agreement. “I doubt they would have thrown away everything like that.” Deliveries would have always come in boxes, and she couldn’t imagine that there wouldn’t be any left. Throwing out such items was hardly a priority, especially in the end. 

She had glanced over her shoulder at Tony as she spoke, and she noticed the way he kept his eyes carefully on the stairwell door. “Everything okay?” she checked, looking back to the contents of the next cupboard.

[a-akahowlett]

Safe as Houses

[shieldagentmqmay]

akahowlett:

“All set,” she said brightly, even though she was a little wary of the scrutiny.  Laura mistrusted figures of authority for obvious reasons.  Figures of authority had rarely had her best interests at heart.  Dr Rice, Alchemax, even Professor Xavier – if someone thinks they have a use for you, your personhood isn’t always important.

“Map, food, markers, compass, camera.  One of the other scouts won’t stop trying to convince me to take a gun,” she rolled her eyes, “I also grabbed one of the small first aid kits, in case I come across someone who needs help.”  Be overprepared.  It’s better than being punished for underpreparedness.  She had to remind herself that she of course, would not be punished for that here, but she lost so much of her progress at times like these.  “Unless there’s something else you think I need?”

Melinda nodded approvingly as Laura listed off the things she had packed, her preparation and foresight a welcome change from some of the others who would also be venturing out that day. A wry smile came to her lips at the mention of the scout who was trying to convince the younger woman to take a gun. “I think you’re good without.” She had seen Laura in action, and couldn’t imagine any additional weapons. Still, Melinda knew that not everyone was as capable. 

“Perhaps it would be worth taking one just in case, though,” she suggested. “You might be able to protect yourself well enough without a weapon, but the same isn’t necessarily true for others. If you find someone uninfected and need to bring them back to Haven, it might be good for you to be able to arm them if necessary.” 

[a-akahowlett]

Safe as Houses

[shieldagentmqmay]

akahowlett:

Laura sat on the porch to check her pack.  It wasn’t entirely encouraged that anyone go out on their own, but being small and lethal, scouting missions were right up Laura’s alley.  She had at this point taught a number of the civilian survivors what they needed to do for the farm, so it wasn’t such a constant drain on time she could spend doing things she knew that she was probably better suited for.  Like looking for buildings within a day’s journey that could be fortified as safehouses.

She laid everything out in front of her to make sure she had what she needed.  A map of the area, a texta, a simple packed lunch, a container filled with her coffee ration – not for drinking, but for something else to smell while she was out there.  Olfactory fatigue was only her friend in the sense of easing the ordeal of how terrible everything smelled.  She needed to be able to smell if there were zombies coming.  Among her things was also a compass, and an old Stark Phone to take pictures; but all things considered, she was travelling very light.  It was to be expected really, she didn’t have a need to carry weapons.

She began packing everything into her pockets, and into her bag, which still had plenty of room inside it in case she spotted anything worth picking up.

Though Melinda hadn’t really known Tony or any of the Avengers before all of this had happened, being Coulson’s right hand as well as a former high ranking agent of SHIELD under Fury’s directorship had meant she automatically found herself in a relatively high position at Haven. It wasn’t exactly a position she would have asked for, preferring to be out in the field rather than having to deal with paperwork and running back-end, but it was one she accepted nonetheless. They were all having to make sacrifices, after all, and at least this way she got to know what was going on.

Today they had a few scouts going out, a necessary but risky task and not one that anyone was really supposed to undertake alone, with a few exceptions. 

One of those exceptions was Laura, and it was to her Melinda was making her way to, tablet in hand as she reviewed the mission brief. The younger woman was sitting on the porch getting her stuff ready when Melinda reached her. 

“Have you got everything you need?”

[agentrpcoulson]

Open.

[shieldagentmqmay]

agentrpcoulson:

Coulson was starting to finally feel like himself, well, minus a hand but that’s just semantics at this point.

While they hadn’t been having him do much at this point, allowing him time to heal and get better, Coulson was starting to feel like he was taking up space. With not much to offer anyone yet, Coulson pulled on some clean sweat pants and a hoodie and decided to go for a jog around the perimeter.

He took his time, not wanting to over exert himself, he took a few laps, enjoying the brisk morning air. After his bodily finally told him enough, he stopped near the barn area and sat down on a thing of hay to catch his breath, looking out at the forest area around him. 

Melinda had been in the middle of her morning tai-chi when she’d heard Phil moving around in the room next to hers. She briefly considered checking on him, as always feeling the need to make sure he was alright, but decided against it. She of all people knew that sometimes a person just needed some space.

Of course, she also knew that too much space could be as bad as not enough, and so once she had finished her routine she changed out of her workout clothes into a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, grabbing her jacket from the back of her door as she stepped out into the hallway.

She didn’t know exactly where he had gone, but she had never found it too difficult to narrow down options when she was trying to find someone, and years of working alongside Phil only made the process easier. It didn’t take too long for her to spot him, sitting down on a hay bale. 

"Hey. You doing okay?”

[shieldagentmqmay]

ALWAYS TAKE YOUR MEDICINE [EVENT]

[shieldagentmqmay]

lnvinciblelronman:

He stood in the doorway, letting her do a sweep while he stood guard. The door opening was as quiet as it could be, but there would also be vibrations and echoes. He just wanted to make sure they could clear the area out without being bothered. The large build of the suit acted as another door, protecting her from any potential harm.

“When we’re done here maybe some monitors? Heart rate or otherwise. Honestly anything here could be repurposed or used. Whatever we can fit in the truck.” Tony was able to fly out of here but Melinda still had to drive everything out of the city and back to Haven. At least she’d have the room. “Defibs would be good too. Some lab testing equipment might be nice. One of those bag hang-y things in case anyone needed an IV. Crutches… wheelchair…” He trailed off, knowing this was just a wish list. Only if they had the time.

Melinda nodded as Tony listed off some other suggestions of items to grab, her years of experience in the field paying off as she managed to pay attention to both her partner’s words and the task at hand simultaneously. 

“It’s a shame this is a one-time trip,” she sighed, glancing down at the labels on some boxes she had just pulled from the cupboard before adding them to the growing collection of items inside the bag. “We need to grab whatever we can, really.” Another trip out here would take months of planning and preparation, and even then it would be with an increased risk. The infected would expect them to return.

“How much can you carry on the flight back?” She glanced briefly over her shoulder at him as she spoke, moving to the next cupboard along to explore it’s contents. 

[shieldagentmqmay]

ALWAYS TAKE YOUR MEDICINE [EVENT]

[shieldagentmqmay]

lnvinciblelronman:

Everything in the hallway was dead, the Wolverines were nothing if not effective at this part of the job. There may have been a straggler or two but it would be too loud to fire a repulsor at them, it would just bring more of them back to the entrance, and it would just waste time. They’d starve to death soon enough, no one was coming back here after this was over. They intended on cleaning this place out.

A blast would certainly take care of the door, but it flying back could damage the things they needed inside. A well placed gold-titanium alloy elbow at the lock had the door swinging open, albeit a little dented.

“What kind of stuff are we looking for, May?” He wanted to make sure he had everything straight, getting the most important objects first before focusing on anything else.   

She nodded a wordless thanks at Tony before stepping through into the now-open store room, immediately making her way to the left hand side of the room to start her search.

“Any small medical supplies,” she answered, keeping her voice quiet as she rummaged through one of the cupboards. It wouldn’t do to be too loud and risk alerting any unfriendly faces to their whereabouts, though hopefully the Wolverines were still keeping them occupied. 

“Drugs and vaccinations, syringes...” she continued, carefully dropping a box of penicillin into a bag she’d kept in her jacket pocket. “We’ll get what we can, and then try and grab a couple of larger things on our way out.” 

[bernard-barton]

Marvelzombiesopen

[shieldagentmqmay]

bernard-barton:

“Stark” Barney almost spat. Tony Holier-Than-Thou Stark had kept Barney locked up in the basement wing of stark tower for months after Barney had donated blood marrow for Clint. Starks name was on the building that collapsed on top of him before Norman Osborn resuscitated him. Stark was the evil maniacal brain that had captured him in the Dark Reality.

Barney had some ill will towards Stark. Though it had been lessened in the past recent weeks since putting an arrow through his counterparts brain.

Barney steeled himself, taking a deep breath. No, this wasn’t the time to let emotions rile up.

‘Remember Barn, the worlds ending. Be a professional. You got this.’ He thought to himself. He turned to The Agent,

“Alright.. I’m sure you’ve heard some about me, and the others have heard some about me too. An’ I won’t say who to believe, but ask that y'all have an open mind about me and know there’s two sides to every story.

“I came to help, to find my brother, and make allies. So, if you will….” Barney cracked a smile,

“Take me to your leader”

Melinda arched a brow at the reaction Barney gave to hearing Tony’s name. She knew the billionaire wasn’t popular with a lot of people, but she hadn’t expected Clint’s brother to harbor any ill will towards the man, at least not as much as his tone indicated. 

“He’s not a bad guy. He’s made mistakes, but who hasn’t? None of us are innocent in this game.” It was a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless. Fighting to save the world meant making tough calls and decisions that ate away at innocence, even if you tried your best to always do the right thing. It wasn’t a black and white job, but rather a grey area where the line between good and bad was thin, and toed every day.

At Barney’s request that she keep an open mind about him, she simply shrugged. “I’m not in the habit of judging people based on what I’ve heard.” It was all part and parcel of not trusting easily. She kept everyone at a distance unless they proved worthy of her trust, and even then there were few people she would trust implicitly. 

“Well the help will certainly be appreciated - there’s always plenty to do around the place,” she nodded, continuing to lead him back towards Haven.

[bernard-barton]

Marvelzombiesopen

[shieldagentmqmay]

bernard-barton:

Barney scratched his head,

“Well I was in the country of Sharzhad last time I was here, so it’s iffy. I was locked up for a few months on the raft working black ops for the new Thunderbolts. So my world view was pretty narrow”

Again he was telling the truth, why didn’t he lie? Probably cause Clint told everyone pretty much nothing about him. Like always. Some thanks that kid had. Save his eye sight and what’s he do? Leave you in a hospital room alone for months before the building collapses on top of you.

“I see,” she nodded, deliberating how much she should tell him. She had gathered from Clint that Barney was smart, and despite having only met the man a few minutes ago Melinda could see that was true. He might not have too many of the facts, but she was sure he had pieced enough together by now. 

“Well, as I’m sure you’ve already figured out, the world is a pretty strange place right now.” Not that it had really been normal for some time - that ended around the time aliens started invading. “Tony Stark set up Haven to accommodate as many people as possible.” 

[shieldagentmqmay]

ALWAYS TAKE YOUR MEDICINE [EVENT]

[shieldagentmqmay]

lnvinciblelronman:

Tony couldn’t exactly fly indoors, but without the suit he couldn’t lift anything if help was needed, or fly out a window with people on his back in case of an emergency. He would have to settle for being a little slower, but all around protected. A metal coated human shield for his partner Melinda. He’d heard a thing or two about her through the grape vine, and though this wasn’t the best of ways to meet, it was better than nothing. Tony shifted from one foot to the other, anticipation running through him. His anxiety wanted nothing more than to spike but he didn’t exactly have time for that sort of thing.

Turning as May spoke he nodded, not fully prepared to wade through whatever carnage Logan and his daughter left, but knowing what needed to be done.

“As ready as I can be,” he waited for her signal, heading inside without hesitation when it was given. Arms up and at the ready he was prepared to blast away any threat that reared its ugly head. Life at Haven depended on this. There was no way he was failing.

Melinda nodded at his confirmation, counting the final seconds before giving the signal and leaping from the vehicle. She pulled her gun from the holster on her thigh as she raced across the space between them and the hospital doors, already open from where the Wolverines had entered. 

Once inside the building, her pace slowed just a little, her ears instinctively listening out for any sounds that danger was approaching. Her gun was held in front of her as they made their way through the corridors towards the ground floor store room, ready to fire on any zombie that appeared. 

Reaching the door of their destination, Melinda wasn’t surprised to find it locked. Though she was certainly capable of dealing with a locked door, it would be far less time consuming for her to let Tony manage it, and so she stepped back, glancing at her partner.

“Care to do the honours?” 

[bernard-barton]

Marvelzombiesopen

[shieldagentmqmay]

bernard-barton:

“Oh, well” Barney followed the Agent as she started trailing, “Different reality, bunch of AIM scientists were using to steal tech as a bunch of avenger types started waging war against each other. It was like the movie The Warriors, cept insteada street gangs, it was Avengers gang.”

Barney arched his back and looked around at the path they were taking, noting any and all significant markers in case he had to high tail it out

“The Thing ruled an underground world, Iron Man was a giant robot that was gonna nuke Manhattan before I put an arrow through his brain, and Spider-Man led a street gang. Got some cool new stuff while I was there though”

Barney absentmindedly twirled an arrow in his fingers as they went.

“Not sure how long I’ve been gone since we were there and back. For us it was maybe a week or two, but a lot has changed since I got back, zombies not included”

She glanced round at Barney as he spoke, nodding slightly at his explanation. It was strange to think that there was a time when different realities would have been a ridiculous notion, yet after everything she’s scene it was actually one of the more normal phenomenons. Still, the particulars of the world Barney was speaking of didn’t sound too fun.

“Sounds like a bit of a messed up reality,” she started as she carried on striding forwards, eyes and ears alert, ready for any sign of danger. There hadn’t been any incidents this close to Haven so far, but they all knew that you could never be too careful. 

“Things are changing daily,” she nodded. “But at least here you know the Avengers are the good guys.” They were certainly good to have as allies, even those without powers such as Natasha and Clint. They were highly skilled, the best at what they did, and that would only serve to help in the struggle to survive.  “What’s the last thing you remember about this world before you left?”