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It's evening. You can tell that by looking up past the street lights and past the well lit billboards. There's a reason they call Broadway in Midtown the Great White Way. It's bright. And crowded, especially at this time of year. Theatre goers are heading to their shows. Diners are heading to their restaurants. Tourists are taking pictures and waiting for New Years to be here when the ball drops.
It's evening. It's cold. And there's still snow and ice on the ground. The bus wasn't speeding. The car was. The driver should have just run the red light by a couple seconds. Instead he tried to brake too hard. He skidded intot he bus that was just starting to move. Had it not been icy, it would have been bad but not terrible. But the force of the impact pushed the bus along a patch of ice and right toward the corner where a crowd of people were waiting to cross.
Teddy's there in his letterman jacket. He saw the speeding car. He saw the bus. He heard the impact. He can put two and two together very well. The human jock shifts into a large green hulking being. People could be forgiven for screaming about a green alien and running, all things considered. But he ignores them and moves forward to keep the bus from smashing into the crowd with inches to spare.
*
Crystal took the long route back from the Baxter Building, looking to give herself a little bit of time to think and make some mental space before she called Lockjaw to return to Westchester. A trip through Times Square was just the thing. Right up until she heard the brakes scream, followed by the screaming of the crowd.
Before she can get to the source of the sounds, though, someone else has managed to stop the bus. Someone large and green. Well. That's…nicer than the last time she faced off against someone large and green. Raising a hand, she summons a slope of ice to help take the weight off of the young green fellow before she comes any closer.
*
Teddy glances down to see the ice slab that wasn't there a moment ago and looks around to see where it came from. Not spotting anyone obviously made of ice, he lets go of the bus and steps back, reaching up to run a hand over his hair. "I am NOT an alien." he mutters. "Chill out people."
*
Once the bus is secure, Crystal steps forward, giving Teddy a faint, sympathetic smile before she turns toward the crowd. "Everything is under control," she calls out, rising a few feet on a column of air. "I'm with Act-F. Everything is fine here."
There was news footage of her during the frost giant invasion. Then again, the yellow and black uniform she'd worn then was more remarkable than the wool dress and cream wool capelet she's wearing now. All the same, she holds out a hand and the ice slowly eases away, setting the bus to rights once more.
"That was well done," she says to Teddy in a lower tone, smile encouraging.
*
Teddy turns around when Crystal speaks up and he kind of blinks at her hovering in the air. "I couldn't let it smash into people. Someone would have gotten hurt." he notes, a bit defensively despite the approving words. "You're with the alien hunting team?"
*
Crystal settles to the ground even as the bus does, moving to help open the door for the people inside. "There's a bit more to it than that," she notes, rueful. "But yes, I'm a member of the team." As rattled people start to unload, she glances around the bus toward the car. "I don't suppose you could nudge that out of the way of traffic? I'm sure the police will call a tow truck, but you seem to have the muscles for it."
*
Teddy steps around the bus to look at the car. The driver already got out of it and though he looks shaken, seems to be okay. "Oh, sure." Stepping over to the car, he lifts it up and then… stands there looking around for a parking spot. Of which there aren't any. Finally, he put its down in front of a fire hydrant by the corner. "What more to it is there?"
*
"More about who the real enemy is. About where the threat is coming from. About understanding what the threat is and why it exists," Crystal lists, keeping an eye on things as people start to make way. "Hunting aliens may be part of it, but it's a complicated, international process." She quirks a brow, giving him a closer look. "It's no witch hunt, if that's what you're worried about."
*
Teddy looks around at the staring and pointing gawkers. "Yeah, you could say that." It's not easy being green. "I'm uhh, Hulkling." Not terribly creative but it gets the point across. "I'm not sure who's on Act-F." Translation: who are you?
*
"Well. My name is Crystal." The young woman steps around the front of the bus, offering a hand as if this were an entirely normal interaction. "And you are decidedly better behaved than the last Hulk I had the…pleasure of meeting." Before SHIELD took him in. After he tore apart a small town. "Thank you for stepping in here."
*
"No relation." Teddy's quick to say as he takes the hand and carefully doesn't squeeze. "I've never met him either. Which is probably a good thing." he adds after a moment. "Well, I couldn't just do nothing. I didn't know you were there to take care of it." Or he would have.
*
"I'm afraid I would have been too late," Crystal laughs softly, giving the dispersing group of commuters a relieved look. "So I'm glad that you were here." She does consider him for another moment, as if trying to place a few things, before she speaks again. "This world needs more people willing to step up and step in when help is needed."
*
Teddy nods his agreement, watching the last couple people leave the bus. Once it's emptied, he takes hold of the front and lifts it up to drag into a straighter line in the road so it's only taking up one lane. "Yeah, it's good of you to fight the aliens and keep the world safe. Dod you know why they're here?"
*
"For certain? No," Crystal shakes her head. "But I know who they are, and I know a bit of the background. I suspect they're less interested in anything here than in fighting with each other," she grimaces. "Not that that's much comfort to people whose homes are being destroyed, unfortunately."
*
"Wait, what?" Teddy asks, frowning at Crystal. "There's two of them? I haven't really been reading the newspaper but I know there are the green shapeshifters. There's another bunch too?"
*
"At least." Crystal takes up stance near the rear of the bus, idling directing traffic with tiny balls of fire as she waits for the police to arrive and take over. "That's leaving out Asgard and their various races, of course. I believe the appropriate quote is 'more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy,'" she says, looking over her shoulder with a flicker of a smile.
*
"Well, yeah. I wasn't counting the Norse gods and monsters." Teddy admits. "Just the ones that come from space. Or are you saying that they come from space too? Is that Thor guy an alien?"
*
"That depends on how you define alien? I don't believe you can reach Asgard or its realms through conventional space travel, so in that sense, no," Crystal muses. "But he isn't human, or mutant, or…anything from this realm, so technically, I suppose he would be alien in that sense." It's all so matter-of-fact to her.
*
Teddy thinks about that then shrugs. The distinction is pretty irrelevant except to scientists: they're all strange beings. "I guess. Doesn't really matter. They're not us. Human, I mean. Or mutant. I'm a mutant." Said loudly enough to be heard by those watching.
*
Crystal quirks a brow, looking over with a hint of a smile. "Yes, I assumed," she answers, though there's the slightest note in her voice that suggests there's something more to the statement. Of course he's a mutant. They're the only Earth natives with strange powers, right? "Though given that there are humans who feel the same way about mutants, it bears considering that not all aliens might be bad."
*
"I didn't say they were all bad." Teddy points out. "So long as they stay cool and don't try to conquer us and start giving orders, I'm fine with them being here. But the first time they pull out a cook book, I'm punching them back into space."
*
"A cook book?" Crystal laughs, arching a brow. "You may have to clarify just what the problem is with alien cook books. Those seem like the sorts of things you bring along when you're planning on settling in peacefully, after all."
*
"You don't know?" Teddy asks, sounding enthused all of a sudden as SciFi nerd kicks in and he moves closer to Crystal. "Have you ever seen the Twilight Zone? Last year, there was this episode based on a short story from the 50s. See, these aliens land on Earth and proclaim they were here 'to serve man' as they were instructed to by the book they came with. Well, it was a cook book."
*
Crystal snorts softly, holding back a laugh. "I see," she says, amused. "Well. I will keep that in mind, but I don't think most of them are very interested in eating us. I've gotten the sense that Earth just happens to sit in a useful part of space. And now, of course, here we are popping up with mutants and other exceptional sorts of beings. If you were from somewhere else, I imagine you'd be interested in checking in on us as well. Right now it's just a matter of showing our visitors that what happens here is none of their business."
*
"And that they better not cause trouble or we'll pound them hard." Teddy agrees. "Whether they want to eat us or not. We took care of Hitler, we can take care of other would be dictators no matter where they're from. If any of them show up around here, I'll do it myself."
*
Just about then is when the police start to show up, lights flashing. Crystal lets her own traffic guidance fade away, brushing her hands off and looking to Teddy with a small smile. "I hope that won't be necessary. But if it should be, then I'm glad you'll be with us, Hulkling. That said, unless you want to speak with the authorities…" She trails off, tilting her head toward the arriving officers but leaving the choice open to him.
*
"Umm, no." Teddy says, looking at the arriving police cars and then around him quickly. "Cops'll just want me to tell them the same thing over and over and probably ticket me for putting the car in front of a hydrant. You want a lift out of here?"
*
"Oh, I can handle it," Crystal assures, waving a hand as she turns to intercept the arriving authorities. "But it's been nice to meet you, Hulkling. If there's ever anything you need, you can leave a message for me at the Baxter Building. Keep doing what you've been doing."
*
"Sure thing." Turning, Teddy starts running down the street away from the arriving cops and then leaps into the air. A pair of large bat wings grow from his back and he flies off.
*