Summary:A SHIELD team gets a lead on a Thunderbolt plant, and walk into a trap. Was it Ares, or someone else? Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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The mission briefing was short. Marines at Camp Dwyer had gotten information that the supply line for Thunderbolt had been discovered outside of a small village nearly 100 kilometers to the northeast of the base. Because it was of interest to SHIELD to find the supplies to try to find a way to cure or at least an antidote for the drug, they had been called in to handle the situation.
One of the SHIELD busses is currently making it's way towards a landing site in the mountains about 3 kilometers from the base, it was the closest that the group can get, without being detected, supposedly.
The load master of the Bus is making his way along, making sure everything is secure. "Forty-five seconds from drop! Zone looks clear!" he calls out to the others. Roy, jostled from his nap, sits up and stretches. "Time to make the donuts." he offers with a snort.
Hiroto - also known by his codename, Kintsugi - wears a tightly fitted black suit of armor, military grade, that has a subtle, uneven pattern of gold threads weaving its way through. From time to time, the gold seems to glow, or maybe they're just hitting the light? A sheathed katana is strapped to his back, and there is more than one handgun at his belt. He stares grimly out the window as the truck moves along, gloved fingers pressed together. At the forty-five second warning mark, he sits up even straighter, but he does not draw any weapon. He simply looks to the others, nods, and readies himself.
So, there was an argument, but Buck did eventually convince Steve that he needed to put a parachute on, like the rest of the hoi polloi. Steve is in his magic starry suit, Buck is in black fatigues, hung about with enough weaponry to field a SEAL team, and looking a hundred percent less spangly than the Captain….but perhaps a little more smug.
Steve is his usual reassuringly calm self, while Buck has the energy of a grayhound in the gate, waiting for the plastic rabbit to burst on the scene. Lined up to be first out of the plane. "It's just a little too late to be the anniversary of one of the first times we jumped out of a plane together," he comments wryly to Steve, who grins back at him. "Just like old times, Buck," he agrees.
Now, now…what an awkward situation.
Ares, the God of War, was in the perfection position nearby to see the Bus incoming. "Damned mortals, always trying to get in the way." Of course, Ares was a supporter of the Thunderbolt drug, apparently amused endlessly by the amount of war that could be caused with it. But, if SHIELD was going to get involved, he might as well make them earn every inch of ground they cover.
"I haven't used this spell in a long time. Hell, only REAL spell I can use…But…lets see what can be made of it." he uses his limited magic ability to conjure up a force of wind to direct it specifically at the Bus! taking in the dust in the area and intending to knock the Bus to ground level.
Anybody ask for a dust storm?
Thea has been quiet and almost weirdly still, during the trip. Hair that is currently brown is braided back tightly and tucked under, and her clothing is that basic non-descript black, to match weapons that are also matte black. She's on her feet at the mention of drop zone, checking everything by a quick, light touch like a religious soul touches rosary beads. She will move to be in the loose queue waiting to leap into the unknown.
Just as everyone is getting lined up, the massive craft is suddenly hit with a massive updraft. The lights in the cabin go out and the emergency lights come on. "Updraft cut power to engines three and four!"
No, correction - there is no engine three or four. The wing has been sheered off and spinning out of control as the plane buckles to thr right and tumbles, slamming into the ground hard. At least they were no more than thirty feet from the ground when the Bus slams into the ground, throwing everyone around as it spins out of the landing zone and slams into the nearby rocks.
While the plane doesn't explode, it is broken in half.
Thrown against one of the consoles, Roy pushes himself to his feet, feeling the cut over his head. Not a concussion. He doublechecks, touching it. It hurts. Nope. Not a concussion. "Everyone okay?!" he calls out.
That's when there's the first pattering of small arms fire against the skin of the plane. Ambush. Someone sold them out.
The two supersoldiers go tumbling, just like everyone else…but they're up in a trice. Steve's hastening to check the others, briskly efficient, while Buck's already trying to get a bead on the source of the fire, using a little mirror to peer around the sheered off edge of the fuselage.
"Looks like we were expected," he says….and he doesn't sound terribly surprised. But then, with more than a century of combat experience between them, there's not much these two haven't encountered, one time or another.
Upon impact, Hiroto's arms immediately go up, and he rolls into the commotion as best he can — as a result, he ends up on his feet, unscathed. Martial arts training comes in handy for some things. Leaping up at the sound of gunfire, he slides the large sword out of its sheath, readying it. "Is anyone injured?" He nods to Bucky, lips pursed into a thin line. It doesn't much surprise him, either. SHIELD has as many enemies as it does allies.
When the lights had gone out, leaving them in the lesser glow of emergency lights, Thea had grabbed onto what she could to try and brace. The crash still leaves her knocked off her feet, faintly breathless. She will gain her feet fairly quickly, looking more annoyed than anything else. She will shift, and work her way towards where the plane has broken off in half.
With the Bus down and the enemy opening fire on the SHIELD agents, Ares is amused to no end by his own actions, retaking his seat on a large-looking rock. "Looks like my job is mostly done." Now? he just feeds on the conflict.
But, the disappointing thing is it looks like most, if not all, of them are still alive. Oh well. It looks like the bloodshed will be beginning any minute now.
Of course, he doesn't know who's in the Bus, so he's debating whether or not to get further involved, he just watches the show.
Pity he has no food to enjoy while he does so.
Bucky can make out the insurgents in the trees. It may be the first time that someone may notice that it's not the camoflauge, or even the rough look of the locals - no, these men are in green uniforms, with that familiar red octopus patch on their arms. The weapons they use are modern assault rifles, firing at the group in the Bus. There's approximately a dozen on them - but at least none of them seem to be supers.
Noone knows what brought down the Bus yet.
Up in the front half of the plane, the pilot and co-pilot are still trapped in their seats when Thea is trying to make her way to them. As she exposes herself between the two halves of the plane, several rifles fire in her direction, trying to make easy pickings of the female SHIELD agent.
Notching one of his arrows, Roy grits. "Illumination!" he calls out as he fires the arrow skyward. It explodes near Ares - the archer didn't know that the God of War was near as the light bathes the area, giving the group something to work with.
"It isn't the worst welcoming wagon we've had," replies Steve over his shoulder as he does a head count as best he can. He can see that the pilot and copilot, while appearing functional, are having trouble. He grits his teeth and pulls the shield from behind his back, having ditched the parachute after the crash itself. The tat-tatter of rifle fire and consequent pings on the plane's outer hull aren't friendly. Joy.
"Didn't need this after all," he singsongs to himself as he toes it to one side of the plane's flooring…if just loud enough for Bucky to hear. He slips over to a break in the plane's splintered hull and peers out. "Might as well see if — "
Roy's got a good call in blinding the agents. Steve catches the distant bright-red patches and feels his heart skip a beat. "«Squid in the freezer,»" he snaps towards Bucky in Gaelic — their signature warning for the HYDRA agents carries tension. "Lay down some covering fire, I'm going in."
Once the fire starts flying back, he intends to dart out behind the safety of his shield. Relative safety, that is.
Why did he think that marriage would make Steve an iota more sensible than he ever was? They say you shouldn't marry someone intending to change them. But Buck has the Grumpy Cat face on for a moment, even as he acknowledges the comment about the nature of their foe.
"Just like old times," he says, even as he settles to the point where he can watch Steve's back. Shield and bullet - these HYDRA goons won't know what hit 'em.
Thea will linger near the break in the plane, listening, before she will finally look around the edge of the broken plane. She will squint, trying to see if there's anyone hidden out there, pick up biosigns of those camoflagued.
Ares was JUST starting to actually get relaxed when that arrow from Roy lands next to him and illuminates! While he's not bothered by the explosion or the blinding light, Ares does growl a little bit. "And here I though the age of mortals using weapons of old were behind us." Ares doesn't stand up from his position, and he seems to be toying with a rock in his hands.
Though even if he had a pebble, Ares could still use that as a lethal weapon. But, he keeps his eyes forward, watching…and waiting.
Who knows? If these people can take down the HYDRA agents, maybe he'll go and see how they fare against the God of War.
….then he sees the star-spangled banner of Captain America's shield and Ares narrows his eyes.
In other news, Thea will probably know of his position, especially since he's not exactly hiding.
Hiroto's head whips to the rock, eyes widening as he notices the God of War sitting on the rock over there — so calmly, as though he were enjoying a nice summer's day out and not in the middle of an ambush. It gives him pause, as it would any ethical person, but there's no time to muse on it. They are being attacked, and Hiroto quickly rushes into the fray — yes, with a sword. Though he has guns strapped to him, the sword appears to be his primary weapon. He moves fast, almost faster than the human eye, and deflects bullets as he does so. When he attacks, it is cleanly, doing the most efficient damage with the least amount of pain: they may be Hydra, but they still don't deserve to suffer. All the while, he keeps an eye on the others, though most of them certainly don't need /his/ help…
Thea can make out the biosigns of a dozen trained Hydra agents. They're nervous but trained - the excitement at getting to light up some SHIELD soldiers is there - they were just as surprised by the assistance of the windstorm as SHIELD was, apparently.
And of course, there's that HEY I'M A GOD AND YOU ARE NOT biosign up there.
After firing the arrow to illuminate the area, Roy grits his teeth. "Cap, I don't see any lab, this all stinks of a set up. We got this?" he asks the star-spangled wonder as he works on notching an arrow, and firing it. It explodes into ice, encasing one of the Hydra agents and freezing him in place.
"We got this, Agent Harper!" calls the Captain back over his shoulder as he runs. Bullets ricochet off the spangled shield in hollow clangs and with sparks that flare up with brief if vicious light. Steve does the best he can to duck behind the spartan clumpings of vegatation and small outcroppings on his way over, using the lull to check on the others. He sees the blur of Hiroto join him, sword and all, and nods to himself.
Breaking cover from behind a boulder, he dives into a collection of four HYDRA agents with the fervor of a fox into a henhouse. Poor HYDRA agents - as much as they deserve the pity. Clang — clunk — thud — there goes one guy just arcing away after a roundhouse kick to the chest. Steve bends a rifle over his knee and smashes another against a nearby rock before he crouches, looking around for the next and nearest gathering.
Got this they do, indeed. There are people who would pay real money to see this show - Steven and Bucky, fighting with that absurd, perfect rhythm. Like something choreographed. Though the former Soldier, unlike Steve, does not scruple in the least to use deadly force. These dingbats dare try to harm Steve, he has no mercy for them.
"Yeah, it's some kinna trap," Buck sounds almost bored, as he confirms. He ends up back to back with Steve….then, taking in Hiroto and Roy, mutters, "Jesus H Christ, am I the only guy here with weapons from the twentieth century?"
There's the sound of a hammer slid back to chamber a round, before Thea will move into the space past the ragged edge of the plane, to take a shot towards one glowing biosign. She will not aim at Ares, instead trying to reach out with her powers to tug at his biology to see what is what.
Though not much of one for witty banter, Hiroto manages a smile for Bucky, and for Cap, too. He is trying, for the best of his ability, not to kill these men, though he is badly injuring them. One goes down with a strike from the hilt of his sword to the agent's forehead. "For me," he says, leaping around to intersect another, "this ''is'' a weapon of the twentieth century…" He glances briefly over to Ares for a moment. Perhaps sensing something from Thea, he, too, reaches out to understand the god's essence.
Ares seems to analyze this fight, even as he watches the conflict play out. "Hrrnnh." he grunts, especially when a bullet wizzes on by. Thea would be able to tell that Ares is completely healthy, calm even. At least he doesn't appear to be hostile, but it would definitely explain the random dust storm out of nowhere. But with Hiroto also reaching out, its more than likely that they can get a lot of information off of the currently inactive Ares.
…but knowing his nature, that could change at any moment.
The SHIELD agents are making short work of the HYDRA agents. One of them attempts to get a shot in on Hirohto when he comes out, but is taken down quickly enough. It takes about five minutes of battle, but the agents are cleaned up, and it seems that all that's left now is the God.
It seems to have been a rather anti-climatic battle, but in the end - there's one thing that's obvious. There's no lab nearby. This was a set up from the start. Someone within the military fed SHIELD false info.
If he had a lot of pity left, he might even be disposed to waste some of it on these poor disposable goons. "These jerks never learn," he sighs. But he's wary, keeping an eye on their perimeter. "If it's a trap….what'd they want…." Just the thought has him tense. Either he or Steve would be a prize, one they've sought for decades.
Steve's shield comes back to him after bouncing off a HYDRA agent's face and two more rocks. He catches it while the noise of its impacts are still resounding through the area.
"Dunno if it's a trap, but… Hate to say it, unit, but this's bogus," he mutters into the comms before turns around to do another quick headcount. All of the SHIELD agents appear to be standing —
— and who's this guy on the boulder? Ares gets a hard squint from the supersoldier who doesn't relent on his shield's set before himself. "And who're you?" he asks of Ares, voice carrying.
Ares looks up then as Steve Rogers calls to him. His helmet covers his face, but that - glare - is still visible. "What does it matter who I am? You have won the day. You have won the conflict." THEN he rises from his feet, a Battle Axe appearing out of thin air into his hand.
"I care not for a battle with you. Clearly your intelligence was false. There is nothing here but the desert and me. Yet should you wish a battle if you think me lying, then make the first move, and suffer the wrath of Ares."
Who's feeling rather lucky?
"We have Marines about three minutes out." Roy reports as he moves towards the other agents, a frown pulling on his features. "This was tits up from the start." he admits with a sigh and rubs his temple. He's going to have a hell of a headache in the morning.
Then he glances at Ares, and back over to Steve and Bucky. "Should I tell them to hold off on ex-fil?" he asks, ready to press his radio que.
"Confirm ex-fil, Agent Harper." Steve doesn't look away from Ares. That battle axe is nothing to sneer at. He knows everyone in the squad is intact if bumped and scraped from their abrupt landing and now, it's time to return to base and regroup. This attempt to assassinate them wasn't successful, but HYDRA grows many new heads for an unfortunate reason: they don't roll over easily.
"'m not here to pick a fight with you right now," he replies to Ares. "Battle's over for now. Team, back to the plane. You heard Agent Harper, they're three minutes out." With a curt nod to Ares, he then turns to lope back towards the wreckage. Never once does he put his shield away and he's the last to regroup, making absolutely certain no one else attempts anything on his fellow agents.
For now, it appears, the mystery of the Thunderbolt remains unsolved…and there's a mole to root out.