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Easing up off of his bunk, Sam Wilson slowly puts his weight on the makeshift metal crutch Poindexter managed to rig up for him. Her practical medical experience, augmented occasionally by Cho and Darwin's more theoretical knowledge, have gotten Falcon mobile again. This removes the last practical obstacle to the group's escape; the only concern left is the somewhat abstract but nonetheless true observation that their captors have done little to prevent a breakout. Instead, they seem to be waiting to see what their prisoners attempt. Several in the group have noted with unease that this makes the very attempt seem like it's simply playing into MODOK's tiny hands.
Testing his range of motion with a wince, Sam makes a crutch-assisted circuit of the holding cell, then turns to the rest of the prisoners. "So," he says, expression serious as he surveys the dimly lit room. "Have we decided what we're going to do?"
*
"There's nothing really to decide." Alex murmurs from where he leans over against the wall, eyeing Sam a bit now that he's finally up and somewhat mobile, "As soon as we want to get out of here, I make the wall, door, and whatever else is between us and freedom explode. Violently. Are you up to it?" The 'finally' of his tone is ill hidden.
*
"Sit around and do nothing for another month or so till we're too weak to get off the bunks?" Bobby suggests dyly. "Why change a winning strategy when it's done so well for us already."
*
"Well," Miles says, pushing onto his feet and stretching lightly, "I'm with Alex. Put a hole in the wall or blow the door off. Anybody that tries to stop us is fair game. Doubt they're as prepared for us as they think."
*
Sousa was more than happy to help out with Sam and the crutch since he's had a long time with his own. He walks along with Sam, making sure he's all right, "Feel ok? Can you free up one hand? Just in case we get guns?" He looks about, "I know Darwin's been watching the schedule and Ms. Wasp was going to try and scout." He looks to the others and scowls some at Bobby, "Constructive advice is welcome. Derogatory comments are not." He then turns to Alex, "Are we certain that your blasts will actually get through these walls? I don't want you to make them explode only to have the explosion contained within the cell."
There's another glance to the other prisoners and he gives a nod, "Right now it seems like the best, albeit riskiest bet." He gestures to the bunkbeds, "Let's make a quick, makeshift shield for those of us who can't withstand an explosion and hope that the walls weren't make to keep that energy in."
*
Most people.. well, the rest of them were already awake. Where was Ann? Asleep. She had done her job, and was practically already rendered useless. At least until someone loses a leg or manages to bruise an arm or an eye. But, the conversations were enough to get her to sit upright in her bunk, her legs dangling, hands lifting to rub at her eyes.. her shoulders slumping and hand clasping against the back of her neck. "Someone say blast.." She murmurs dryly.
*
"I'll do my very best to heal faster next time, sirs," Sam says to the pair of snarky mutants. Absent context clues, his tone would be absolutely convincing in its apologetic sincerity. With the benefit of more than a week in close quarters, it's possible they'll remain skeptical.
Turning to Sousa, the pilot nods. "Most of the damage was done to my offhand leg, Chief," he answers. "I should be able to hold my own." Hunkering back against the far wall, he nods to Havok. "I'll be ready when you are. Just, like she said" — he nods at Agent Poindexter — "give us a heads up, first."
*
"Yes." is Alex's reply to Sousa, giving a slight shrug, "It's not an explosion in a conventional sense. It is more like a distintigration. Possibly melting. Sometimes incineration. It depends a bit on the structure and material, but, really. The only place where its dangerous to stand for my 'blasts' is in front of me. I can put a hole through a mountain if need be, or through solid ten foot steel— its a question of how long it takes and how much power I have left over after its done, not if if'll work." He pauses, and adds, "It's also a question of what's on the other side, which I have no idea about. So everyone better be ready to fight." He pushes off the wall, "Is everyone ready?" There's a sidelong look over to Bobby in particular.
*
Finally. Bobby stands up and stretches, a layer of ice forming over him as he does so, crackling as he rolls his shoulders and moves to stand behind Alex but off to one side a bit. "More than ready. You give em the one, I'll give em the two."
*
"Get more ready every day." Miles starts cracking his knuckles. "Just let me at these assholes." He changes his balance from one foot to the other, working out all the stiffness he's collected.
*
"Unless they've rigged this room to prevent such an explosion from the inside," Sousa points out. "That said, I don't think that they were that prepared for us, underestimating the abilities presented within this group." He looks between the two mutants and gives a nod. "Do it." Making sure everyone else is well behind him…just in case. There has to be some level of trust in order to get them all out as safely as possible.
"Those who can take the blasts from those guns should go first, try and knock our captors down, and arm the rest of us if possible. I still have my pistol," which might help but not against HYDRA guns. "Once we get out of here, we focus on getting us -all- out of wherever we are."
*
Darwin is quiet before he stands, he just looks towards Bobby and Alex both- shaking his head quietly. Profound disappointment in the other's behavior during a stressful time- he has the good sense, however, not to mention it. "Shifts change in about two minutes. The guards will break away from the door. The one on the left will walk to greet his friend- they'll talk sports. The one on the right will just walk right down the hall. The incoming guards come from the right- and the exiting guard will walk the same direction." Armando offers quietly, as he stretches.
"My best guess is that they're coming and going from an equipment room- one that is likely on the way to our avenue of escape. We should stick together, and watch each other's backs." He takes a slow breath. "I'll take point." Darwin states as he stands off. "And absorb any fire coming our way. Sam, try to stay behind me. I'll act as cover for you."
*
Well, it looks like they were on the move. Poindexter hops down from her bunk with a little bit of a crouch, flopping back upon the floor to quietly gather her things. Her shoes were tugged on, fitted just right, backpack searched out for her glasses which were soon slid over her eyes. And with a sigh and a raise, bookbag hitched upon her back. She was ready.
Though, she does take a few side steps behind Chief Sousa and Falcon. No way in hell she was going to get hit by anything coming through those doors. She was the smallest member of their ragtag, angry, angsty crew! Hitting her would be like hitting a toddler!
*
With a nod, Falcon takes the offered position behind Darwin, a sharp metal 'feather' from his wingsuit held in the hand opposite his crutch. It's a functional substitute knife, but it's likely that he's about to carry it into a gunfight. It'll just have to do until he can find something better — hopefully Darwin is right about that equipment room. There were, of course, plenty of these bladed ailerons available, if anyone else wanted to grab one.
Other than that, all that's left to do now is count down to the shift change. The pilot keeps his eyes on the rest of the group, watching each member of the team cope with the stress of their imprisonment. After 10 days, two minutes pass fast.
*
"It's not possible to rig a room to withstand me, Agent Sousa." Alex says confidently, though he knows its not strictly true. An adamantium room would be proof against him, but that's a pretty seriously high budget prison. He glances at Darwin and gives a nod, "And energy weapons are no use against me either, so I can double as a shield." He strides up forward and waits for Darwin to come up point, and takes some time to roll his shoulders. Blue light streams out of his (admittedly probably ripe) black suit, rising through his skin and the conduits of the suit itself, quickly swirling around his chest as he clenches his fists and lifts his arms to point outward. He takes his time gathering the power together, and waits about the two minutes, "Going in 3…2…" And the plasma speeds up as it spins about him, coalescing directly between his arms and then shooting out at the door. It's a little less of an explosion and a little more disintegration. Then for good measure it keeps blasting outward for several seconds after the door is obliterated. Just, you know, in case.
*
After 10 days in the dim interior of the cell, the harsh light of Havok's blast is bad enough, but the brightness that spills through the disintegrated doorway is overwhelming: blinding, even. There are tinny shouts of shock from outside, then radioactive energy fire just like that they encountered during the raid is being focused into the room. At least four guards are out there; two were quick on the draw, but the others are still trying to get into a firing position. At least so far, it's so bright that no details of the room beyond the cell can be made out.
*
And as soon as blowing doors away is done, Alex is rushing through to take the brunt of the blaster fire, so others can move out and keep behind and use him (and Darwin) as shields.
*
Darwin is quick to take point and soak up the fire- his body absorbing the radioactive energy and fire just as it had before- Evolution rather enjoyed reusing successful tactics. Again, his eyes glow with ghostly blue fire and he looks rather like a grey-skinned demon from hell when he howls a battle cry to pull more attention towards himself and away from the others.
*
With Havok and Darwin there to take the brunt of the blaster fire, Iceman moves out behind them, squinting against the glare. Fortunately, he doesn't really need to see well since everyone out there is an enemy. Once the two clear the door, or where the door used to be, he 'fires' a battering ram of ice down toward the source of where the fire is coming from. But unlike most battering rams, the end of this one is spiked like the inside of an iron maiden to puncture enemy and containment suits alike.
*
Miles throws a hand up to cover his eyes, growling quietly as the light blinds him. And as if that wasn't bad enough there's a buzzing in his skull. Instinct takes over and the man leaps upward, latching onto the ceiling and fading from sight, before climbing through the new exit just above the energy fire.
*
As the door is blasted open, Sousa moves to pull Poindexter to one side, behind him, so that they aren't in direct line of fire from the doorway. It might have saved their asses from being fried by radioactive blasts. His gun is drawn and he tries to peer through the energy blasts from both sides, to see if he can get of a shot. Maybe his 'simple' bullet will be unexpected.
*
The blast of the light was blinding, Poindexter couldn't help but shield her eyes from the pain of new light that reaches her eyes. That raise of her hands and a shielding of her head leaves her blinded, and able to be manuvered into a place where she couldn't see a thing but is well protected by the bodies of her temporary 'teammates'. "I quit.. I so quit.." She murmurs beneath her breath, ready to start crying from all the shouts, the fire and the noise. Yeah, the best bet for her was to hang back, wait until the all clear was given then she could move out, completely safe and sound.
*
The enemy fire is soaked up by Havok and Darwin, proving ineffective against their defensive abilities. Iceman's battering ram skewers one guard, who screams; a mechanical voice squeaks out, "External temperature anomaly detected! Compensating!" and the suit starts to heat up and melt the battering ram. Too little, too late. Miles will find himself sitting on top of their scrap metal cell; the entire room seems to be contained in another, larger room. The guards haven't tracked him up here, between his own stealthiness and the rest of the team's distractions. Likewise, Sousa won't have too much trouble lining up a shot at the guards, if he chooses to. Sam flattens himself against the opposite wall from the other powerless team members, waiting for a break in the fire before advancing.
As the prisoners' eyes slowly adjust, they find themselves in a stark white chamber, lit by shining panels above and below. The metal sheets and grates that held them for so long are suspended in the center of the room; the glow panels directly facing the cell shine much more brightly than the rest and emit a low thrum of power. A rough ramp of more scrap metal leads down to the spotless white floor; the remaining guards are flanking it. About 20 yards distant, the prisoners can see an arched entrance. There doesn't appear to be a door, but those particularly observant might note a slight shimmer in the air. Also, the ground is steadily shaking, as though powerful engines are in action somewhere below. This wasn't the case in the cell; somehow, they were insulated from it.
Up above, there's the sound of a muffled but unmistakable impact; it sounds like whatever building (vehicle?) they've been confined in just got hit by a meteor. Alarm klaxons start to blare.
*
Armando doesn't have time to sit still, he's got people to protect. He makes himself as big of a threat as he can- using the enhanced strength offered by absorbing all this radiation to grab pieces of the shattered cell and throw them towards those guards still standing- he tries to keep himself a target over anything else as he falls back, looking over to Alex. "Cry, Havock, and release the dogs of war." he says over to his fellow Mutant as he stays back- continuing to make himself a better target than the softer Sousa, Sam, and Anna. He dodges into fire- taking the hits on purpose as they burn away his uniform hit by hit- "Stay behind me!" he says over to the three more squishy members of the crew.
*
"Are we in some kind of vehicle? A plane?" Havok calls out, but he is marching forward facing off against another of the guards, absorbing the energy bolts and sending a superheated, focused blast of plasma out against his foe. Remembering these suits seem to deflect some of his power, he holds this blast steady for much longer then usual, as a commentary on his opinion of their captivity. He wants to make a point.
*
"Could be! Don't aim at the guards down below, take out the floor beneath them!" Iceman calls. Assuming Havok will aim for the ones closest to him, Bobby targets the ones on the other side of the ramp. Sticking close behind him and Darwin, he doesn't need to target the guards directly as he's forming boulders of ice in mid air directly above them which start dropping immediately and getting larger as he adds more ice to them.
*
Miles blinks a few times until he gets his bearings, and then he moves into action, he suddenly appears in front of guards that aren't directly engaged at the moment, swinging on them. "Everyone be careful!" he cautions.
*
Sousa's gun finds a victim…and, as they make their way forward, he tries to grab one of the HYDRA-style guns…two, if possible, so Poindexter can also be armed. If he can continue to fire and help keep other guards off of them, he'll do so. He knows he and the others are less defended but that doesn't mean he's going to sit back and let them have to drag them along.
At the klaxons, he calls out, "Careful…they may have called reinforcements." Or it's yet another enemy. He looks to Poindexter, "Shoot if you see any of the bad guys. Don't shoot at the good guys."
*
How in the world did Anna ever make it to be a shield agent? She totally failed the field tests, squeaking by just by only one point. Nothing in the world has ever prepared her for this sort of action. But she pushes on, keeping her head down, one hand hanging on Sousa's coattails and the other keeping her head shielded until they were out of the cage. And then she has a weapon in her hand, her eyes owlishly wide, even more so as the alarms kick into high gear. "Oooh monkey nuts.." If there was any a time to flee, it would be now. She was so tempted to bolt to the goddamned door for freedom but striking out ahead of everyone else would be a fools errant. "LETS HURRY!" And no, she won't shoot anyone if she could help it. This poor woman fires with her eyes closed!
*
Alex can consider his point made; as soon as the immolating blast starts peeling away his yellow suit, the guard turns to flee. This only moves the blast from the front, which continues to gutter with flames, to the back, which is just as easily torched. About five seconds of continuous blasting, and the guard starts to holler in fear and agony. At that point, he hits the archway, and a wave of electromagnetic power surges over him from some kind of protective field. The energy rolls off of the intact portions of his suit; Havok's breaches of it, on the other hand, let the energy through, and the screaming man ignites with actinic shocks, writhing in agony like a horsefly on the world's slowest bug zapper. His suit's robot voice tries to say something, but quickly scales upward in pitch and fails. A dozen agonizing seconds later, he's a blackened corpse, still raked by arcs of merciless electricity.
Iceman's boulders are less lethal, but no less effective, pinned under a mini-glacier, one guard's suit inflates. This protects his body from being entirely crushed, but renders him immobile. The heating element goes into overdrive, but isn't able to keep up with Iceman actively pouring more frost onto the boulder. When Miles lands on a guard, the man yelps and starts fumbling with the belt controls for his suit, but webbing does seem to stick to the suits pretty effectively.
Annamena's fire is wild, but Sousa's shot punctures the last guard's suit, and he falls — although the suit merrily announces, "Blood loss detected. Sealing breach and sending medical alert." Reinforcements are definitely on the way. Sam stares at the archway and the still-twitching cinder of a body trapped in it. "Any ideas how we're going to get through that?" he asks. Then, with a glance at Darwin and Havok, he amends, "All of us, I mean?"
*
Alex inclines his head to himself after he burns through the suit: there, point made, indeed. "Jackasses. Put down your weapons and surrendor and we won't kill you all. Continue doing anything else at all and you're going to have one last, very short, final day." He gives the guards a moment to see if they want to take him up on this surrendoring offer, though. A glance over to Sousa and he purses his lips, "A mechanism has to be generating it: I get through the field itself, find it, and make it explode. At least that's my plan unless someone has a better idea."
*
Bobby glances over at Alex then pauses to see if any of them are willing to take him up on the offer to surrender. "Yeah, I do. We don't go through the doorway. We go through the wall next to the doorway. Problem solved. Or through the floor. Though if we're on a plane, and it's gotta be a damn big plane, we might be on the lowest level."
*
Miles sticks the battered guard in the jaw and watches him crumple. "Alright, we should get up to where that noise is." He cracks his knuckles again, gaze shifting over to make sure everyone is alright. "It sounds like they started a party without us."
*
Sousa looks dubious as Alex talks about the doorway and its field. "Are you sure you can get through?" He then glances to Bobby and the others, "Can we be sure that the field doesn't go through the entire wall? Going up might be the best plan, but we're limited in those who can actually get there quickly."
*
Well, warning shots were fired. She held onto that trigger until there was nothing left. Thankfully, no one noticed the sheepish glance she had given, and promptly dropped the weapon to the floor. Yeah, firing guns was not for her. Though, with the guards subdued, she was free to take those few steps forward, the klaxon alarms slowly drowned out as she approaches the archway. There was half a mind to ask someone to grab Darwin to shove him through it. Head first, feet last, but no. That would be cruel.
Her gaze strikes up as the noise seemingly gets louder, but then it was back towards the archway, a little few steps aside were taken as she shucks her bookbag from her back, opening it briefly to search for a few items here and there, quiet little hums abound. "What if there is feedback and it bounces your power right back towards us.." Though, she had no options. Nothing in her bag to negate an electrical current of that magnitude. "Well, there's options. Blast through the wall and hope the structure holds and not bury us, or shove Mr. Armando through and he can turn it off on the other side. Or.. wait to die." And she says this all chipper like! Even though she'd like to cry right about now.
*
Although Alex's offer wouldn't necessarily fall on deaf ears, there's no one left to surrender. The inflated man trapped under Bobby's ice-boulder does at least squeak out a sort of affirmative-sounding noise.
Sam crouches, grabs a piece of metal, and flings it against the wall, where it is briefly encased in a web of electrical discharges before bouncing away and skidding along the ground, smoking. "Theory confirmed," he reports with a frown. "The field is all around us." He's looking pretty much at a loss when a lone man in a natty suit walks into view on the other side of the field.
*
Akiva moves slowly closer, to examine the field, cocking his ear as he tries to see if hears anything. He also assesses the field itself, trying to see if he can locate a source or wire he can cut with his knife, emerging slowly into view to try and see the people on the other side of the electrical field.
To the people over there, he's an interesting sight, a man in a perfectly tailored suit, spattered with blood, carrying a large automatic pistol. And, of course, to one or two, he will be a familiar figure.
*
"I'm not sure I want to damage the structural integrity anymore then— whatever is happening upstairs, if we're in a vehicle." replies Havok to Bobby, before he glances over to Sousa and sighs softly, "Energy can't hurt me, Agent Sousa. Energy weapons, electrical field surrounding the place: this whole place is designed exactly the wrong way to contain me." A sidelong glance at Poindexter, "I wasn't proposing to blast the field— not that my plasma bounces— but just walk right through it." And with that, he makes for the doorway to try just that. Seeing guy with a suit, he eyes him as he approaches the field. "Anyone know the suit? He's not in one of those obnoxious yellow bubble suits."
*
Bobby looks over at the wall Sam throws something at then glances up at the ceiling. "Easy enough to do." To see if that's electrified as well, he sweeps an arm up at it and an ice dart heads upwards. "And he's bloody which is either good or bad."
*
"It's good." Miles informs Alex and Bobby. "Means that the calvary has arrived." With an easy leap he clears over to where the field separates the room they're in from the room Akiva is in, "Please tell us you know how to shut this thing off?"
*
"My concern, Mr. Havok, is that everyone gets out safely. I get that you can go through. But if you can't find how to turn it off so we can all get through, then it's…" Sousa starts but trails off as someone approaches on the other side. His gun is raised, but not fired…not that it would do any good with the electrical field between them. A glance is given to Miles, "You sure? Would be nice, even if they're a little late."
*
While everyone was bickering, Poindexter was still looking through her bag. "Your power is an interesting one, Mr. Alex." As much as she wanted to say that she wanted to get him back into the lab to run some tests, she knew that was a far cry in Heaven and it wasn't going to happen any time soon. Or at all. But with a slight frown, she zips up her bag and shrugs it back upon her shoulders, her eyes squinting as she peers through her glasses and through the field to the man that stands there.. in the suit.. all bloody.
And then her smile grows wide as all get out.
"Agent Avraham!" Her hand shoots up and gives a wave that was all too obnoxious and wide. Though, with everyone drawing down upon the shield and Bobby icing it like so, she takes a wise step back.
*
Bobby's flung ice dart is also encased in a corona of electricity as it strikes the ceiling. It appears that the only part of the room that isn't encased in electrical death is the floor — and even there, it might just be held underneath the glowing panels, to allow people to walk around in the room freely.
Sam Wilson, leaning on a crutch and holding what is, essentially, a knife-like piece of scrap metal in his opposite hand, dips his head respectfully toward Akiva. He's been holding up pretty well so far, but it's clear that he is severely injured, and would like nothing better than to succumb to exhaustion. "Agent… Avraham. Panel, behind you," he says wearily, repeating the name carefully, so as to get the pronunciation at least as right as Agent Poindexter did. "We think it controls the field. Although it could be another sick trap." He eyes the cinder of a man on the floor in front of him.
Down below, there's another massive explosion, and the room is suddenly plunged into darkness, the engines below going silent. One notable light source that has been eliminated? The arcs of electricity tearing into the former guard. There's half a second of silence, then the sound of feet and a crutch shuffling rapidly across the suddenly non-lethal threshold. "Carpe diem, ladies and gentlemen," Wilson's voice says in the darkness.
*
Akiva allows the faintest hint of a smile to play over his stoic face, nodding to Poindexter when she calls out for him, "I believe Surgeon would be my proper title in the field. Codenames and discretion…Poindexter," he says.
At Sam's instructions, he nods simply and makes his way over to the panel, opening it up until he can flick the necessary switch, "Another agent is above removing their communications capabilities, while another provides…distraction. Monstrous, green-skinned distraction, in his case," he says. "We had to parachute in, however, and so may need to find our own transportation back out again."
*
To Poindexter's comment Havok remarks with a grin, "It's a gift." But then the stare that Alex directs at Sousa is bleak, "If I couldn't find a button or machanism to deal with, then I'd have walked back in and we'd be no worse off— only all that could have happened without a debate and you asking everyone if they're sure every two seconds." he exclaims through gritted teeth. "I am well aware of the completely obvious tactical needs of, 'everyone get through safely'." Then there's an explosion and there's darkness and the field comes down, at which point no one can see him rolling his eyes. They can hear him grunting though. "Good luck with that… Surgeon. Nice to meet you. I'm Havok." This last said with forced cheer, "So, up to meet … the others?" And he heads out into the hall to try to get a look around. Which is a little hard, given that its dark, "Damnit, I should be able to glow in the dark."
*
Bobby looks down at the sound of an explosion. "Just what are we on, anyway? It's gotta be big." He starts heading toward Akiva. "Which way are the stairs? The walls are a different temperature than open space so I can lead the way. Staying in contact would probably be a good idea."
*
Concludes in The Great Escape (Conclusion)