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It's after midnight, at least.
Much like Central Park, Domino's whole world has gone to Hell. The motorcycle that got her here (and Raven through the portal) has vanished without a trace. The other three that had been chasing them..are also gone. Maybe Dom's attempt at saving -both- of them didn't go according to plan, but one thing certainly worked out in her favor.
She's still free. No one's chasing her. No one's shooting at her. No one's attacking her. No one's even using foul language at her.
As she slowly pries herself out of the wreckage of an office table and desk, and a broken window, and stumbles toward the hole she left the side of the building, any sense of accomplishment quickly shrivels up and dies.
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
She looks, sounds, and moves like she just stepped OUT of a warzone, and now she's right back in the middle of another one! Nearly smack dab in the middle of the Hellmouth quarantined zone. With just three guns. And a small number of bullets. And all of the aches and pains of the world to keep her company.
"This is total bullshit."
*
"My first day back in America annnnd… this is where I end up?!" The man going by 'J.T. James' — or just JT — trudges up the stairs of a building inside the quarantine zone, shaking his head at himself. "I gotta be more picky on those jobs I take, flarkin' hell." The accent is… like a bastardised form of north-eastern Australian, with a hint of the exotic thrown in.
The expletive is… not exactly Terran.
Clad in the jacket, pants and boots of a biker, JT keeps going up the stairs — almost to the third floor — muttering to himself. "Get up there… get keepsakes… get the d'ast out of there…" And all the while, the length of metal chain wound over his shoulder chinks and clinks with each step.
He is… not really being that careful, but then again, the man is in a mood. "Swell, all I want is a cold one…"
*
Psst. Wade.
"What?"
There's this whole Hellmouth plot going on where you'll probably get to kill a lot of stuff and not even get frowned at.
"Seriously? What about Upon?"
Nope. You won't even get frowned upon either.
"GREEK CHRISTMAS! LET'S DO IT!"
One +Meetme Later…
Central Park has been turned into a warzone of DEMONIC FILTH. At least, that's what I've been told. So the arrival of DEADPOOL is going to be as epic as he can figure out on such short notice. His teleportation gear has him pop right into the immediate vicinity of the Hellmouth Zone of Demonic Death. He's decked out in his normal anti-hero attire. He's even armed more to the teeth than usual. The only difference in his outfit is that this time he's wearing a school girl skirt and a letterman jacket with a big S on it. That stands for Sunnydale. He's even got a few stakes strapped to his outfit.
He doesn't even know if there's anything violent nearby. He does understand that he's made his presence known and that right now he's got one of those stakes held in hand and he's likely grinning beneath the mask that has been blonde wigged.
"Alright, Hellspawn and Brimstones. It's time to meet your easy baker." Deadpool tosses the hair on his wig and gives the stake a twirl. "Hi. I'm Muffy. The Hellmouth Plot Slayer."
What the hell, Wade.
*
A small team of men in black featureless uniforms make their heavily armed way along the park sticking down to the shadows. Their movements are methodical and planned as they watch corners. This was Bobs first big break in months of working as a HYDRA agent, he was leading a team into combat, and for once it didn't even seem like that much of a suicide mission.
Bob is wearing his pitch black and red leather jumpsuit goggles trained along the horizon as he holds his prototype assault rifle at the ready. The gear on his back must have weighed a good ton, but that was just part of the honor being bestowed on him this mission. All he had to do was lead the team to the hellmouth and get some readings. Not exactly the most glamorous of missions but all he needed to do was not mess up.
Coming to a stop near a tree split down the middle he holds up his fist. A quick motion of his fingers see's Bert, Tim, Rich, Rob, and Phil moving their uniformed ways over behind him stacking up ready for anything. Alright so he was leading a group of first month recruits on a highly dangerous mission but he was still a LEADER, that likely meant that he'd get bonus pay if this went well.
*
Someone's coming up the stairs. Talking to himself. Making a lot of noise…
With a swear muttered beneath her weary breath Domino turns and unshoulders the M-16 she still has from the police station. She's still got another keepsake from the station dangling off of one wrist, too. One bloodied pair of handcuffs, slightly used.
This guy's making noise..but not as much as the OTHER guy who suddenly appears outside, closer to the portal…
Despite having a seriously awful headache, Domino facepalms with an audible *smak!* Perhaps Raven had the right idea, after all.
"I shoulda aimed for the portal…"
But wait..there's more! A shadow-ops team is on approach down in the killzone. More importantly, a bunch of amateurs in possession of prototype assault rifles has her mind working in high gear, already. She -wants- one of those rifles. Maybe two or three. Or four. And the guys carrying them, honestly, look greener than the grass here used to be before it all got burned to a blackened crisp.
Before anything though, she has to get past the guy in the stairs. As tempting as it is to shoot that ridiculous wig right off of Wade's head. She can always do that later. So, by the time JT hits the third floor he's going to be greeted by a battered and bloody albino lady taking shelter behind an overturned desk with a militarized Armalite held up to her shoulder.
"Hi."
*
JT stops just inside the door-frame to the third floor, staring at the albino girl pointing an Armalite at him… and holds up a finger. "Ssswwelll…uh. Beautiful, I dig the hardware, but… think you could point that a little way over there…" and he motions to his right, while turning his head to look that way too.
Then he indicates the left side of his face with his other hand. "This is my good side. Uh… I'll be hurt if you hit it. You… shouldn't be here." JT laughs, apparently unafraid, or just… talking out of his arse. "This whole place was supposed to be deserted. Okay!"
He takes a caaaarrrreful step to the side, which puts him a little closer in the room — but just a little, and he spreads his hands in a placating gesture. Still smiling. "Now, easy — be easy, doll. Man, I dig the look! I'm supposed to be hunting demons and finding something. You don't look like a demon, so… hang on. Who the hell is… is that someone yellin' out in the street? Seriously? Yelling? In the street? Near the… undead, devilish, portal to whateverhell?? Mind if I…?"
And he sort of steps toward the hole in the wall — very slowly — to try and see outside.
*
"I thought you said there were demons here?"
There's supposed to be. I dunno, maybe Domino hasn't posed them yet.
"… Wait. Domino's here?! HOLY SHIT!" Deadpool pauses and twirls a gloved finger through his wig. "… Which one is she again?"
The hot one.
"Right!" Deadpool pops his gum. "… Which hot one is she again?"
Jesus, Wade. Here: http://marvel1963mush.wikidot.com/character:domino
"OHHHHHHHHH! Nice! I like that one." Deadpool turns his attention to the building that's not far off and he grins beneath his mask. "I'M COMIN' LIKE A WRECKIN' BAAAALLLLLL! DOMINO'S ZIPPER WILL FAAAAAAAALLLLLL! AND SHOW ME… CLEA-EA-EA-EA-VAGE!" Wade skips his way towards the office building of doom because that's where the poses above this one has said that people are. He hasn't run into anything vile or evil or demonic yet but there's still hope. There's still a possible light at the end of this Goose Chasing Tunnel.
*
The team moves slow and steady. There's a pause with the motion from the team as they begin to set up. Motioning with a single hand Bob sends out the signal for the other recruits to stay at the ready. They get their Stoner 63's at the ready falling down into position in a circle around Bob as he tries to get a good reading on this place. These readings could provide HYDRA with invaluable information that could go into potential weapons research or even teleportation technology.
Bob quietly speaks to himself while flicking up the latches on his oversized backpack a small radar dish raises up from within the pack to transfer information. "I've always wanted a teleporter belt." His hands tapping out at the keys in order to start the scanning process. "Then I could just teleport into the SHIELD base and steal all kinds of research." Even more quietly to himself. "Maybe then I'd get some damn respect around here." As he connects a pair of wires, getting an odd look from one of the recruits.
*
This guy looks like a biker, but he talks more like a stoner. Kinda weird, all in all. Either way, Domino's established the pecking order between them. It's a start. "Maybe I like it better aimed right where it is." Maybe he isn't afraid, but he is kept somewhat off-center by the intimidation play.
Soon after she's sighing in annoyance, then motioning toward the window with a quick jerk of her head. "The shouty one is Wade. If he bugs you feel free to shoot him. He grows back like a very prolific weed. I'm not familiar with the black ops team but they look well-equipped and nervous as hell." Which probably means twitchy on the expensive triggers.
Now onto more important matters…
"Finding something, huh. Play your cards right, this may be your lucky day. I want to get away from this shitstorm, and you look like you're geared up for a fight. Back me up and I'll keep an eye out for whatever it is you're hunting for. Deal?"
Oh, and Deadpool's on his way up. Dom, finally lowering the rifle from JT, looks around then picks up a discarded rotary phone from the floor and yanks the cord out. She tries to time throwing it at the stairs -just- right to strike Deadpool in the head with it.
"Your brain called, it wants to come home."
*
Still with his hands raised like a hostage in a cheap, Paramount picture, JT sidles his way across the room to peer outside… and the only thing that remotely looks 'professional' about him is how he cases the grounds, and the team of mercs — assuming they are mercs — down there.
"Packing, and nervous. Packing and nervous. No way, that's a waste of good hardware!" The bogan-looking Inhuman (think: guy from trailer park, sans bike) turns around to see the albino beauty brain… and JT's jaw falls open.
The Inhuman points a finger at the clearly crazy dude, then looks at Domino, then the dude, then back to Domino, and mouths the words: "That's Wade, I take it?" Son of a hazmot. (for Wade: that's Kree). JT goes to say something else, when noises from across the street draw his (and likely everyone else's) attention.
A car — more like a truck, Toyota Hylux — rockets its way out from an underground parking lot, smashing through the toll-gate… on a collision course for the team of well-equipped greenhorns outside. At the driver's seat: a portly, winged demon with purple skin.
In the back of the truck: several more off the rotund little ifrits. Ifrits, for those who don't know, love fire. Lots of fire. They also fling it. Like monkeys and poop. The truck hits a traffic light, and two of the ifrits go sailing toward the third floor wall (with the hole in it) where JT is staring.
"Annnd that's why it's called a quarantine zone. DUCK!"
*
Wade's too busy paying attention to the fact that there's Possible Domino Cleavage in his future to realize that he may be getting followed by demonic things and such. He's managed to get himself into the building and is climbing those stairs with the greatest of ease. "Dompunzel! Dompunzel! Let down your — phone?!" Deadpool's face gets smashed by the phone and he goes tumbling back down the stairs, breaking a few bones in his body and maybe even his neck. When he finally hits the bottom of the stairs he lifts his head to see that there are shenanigans going on. Something about Ifrits.
"Okay! Who had sex with a Final Fantasy Summon?! And was it groovy?!"
I don't think 'groovy' is a thing yet, Wade.
"WHATEVER!"
Wade pulls himself up to his feet and draws a couple of his guns that are not from this time period but that's just how Deadpool does. He manages to put on a menacing expression… with the mask on. Somehow.
"Alright, Mother Theresas. Let's get it on."
His wig is crooked.
*
LMG fire fills the air as the lights flash out into the distance. Gunshots bounce off the truck in front of them as HYDRA troops try their best to stop the careening truck by any means necessary. Seeing no time to really stop it most of the men dive out of the way leaving the distracted Bob right in the pathway of the careening truck.
"I mean honestly if it weren't for the healthcare I'd go right back to working for A.I.M., at least they had dental." As he's typing along his laser focus shuts out most the rest of the world. "Then again the boss did kind of let the power all go to hi-" A quiet snapping sound comes out from the machine as he manages to break a small lever off the side. His headphones he'd been using to listen for readings manage to block most of the sounds around him, as he ducks down to pick up the piece. "I hope that wasn't important." Muttered as the truck swoops literally millimeters over his head, before landing.
*
Subtlety is going right out the window Domino came in through. First there's Shouty McLouderson (that'd be Wade, who is now falling down the stairs.) Then there's two ugly little critters flying toward them up on the third floor of the office building. Then..there's—
*THOOM-THOOM!*
"PULL!" the albino yells as two spent 5.56 shell casings flick out across the room and chime merrily across the floor.
The HYDRA team at ground level will know that sound.
The police will know that sound.
The biohazard teams will know that sound.
Hell, it's New York City. -Everyone- knows that sound.
When the Government-sanctioned teams realize that the shooting wasn't from one of their units someone is going to investigate.
Fortunately, they have a Wade! And, if Dom gets particularly lucky… Now the black ops guys are unleashing their own brand of jacketed Hell. Gosh, that..might have completely masked her own two rifle shots.
A quick glance is passed to JT and Wade, hoping (and assuming) that the two Ifrits are toast when she announces "I'm going recruiting." Then she makes for the stairs. It's as good a time as any to introduce herself to Team HYDRA.
Imagine her surprise when she will eventually come to recognize their fearless(ly oblivious) leader.
*
JT ducks back behind the wall, pressing up against it as the ifrits go sailing past. Well, one does. As soon as Domino's shots ring out, one of the demons swerves to avoid it — but as luck would have it, it swerves into the other. The second ifrit takes the shot directly in the chest, knocking it (and its equally unfortunate companion) off course.
One hits the outer wall full in the face, leaving a purplish smear on the concrete as it slides down to the ground far below. The other… falls on a direct course for one of the HYDRA agents below.
JT puts his hands to his temples, closes his eyes briefly and mutters: "Think o' the money. Think o' the money. Cold… hard… smooth… moist…" He stops. "Now I'm thinkin' o' the girl. How'd that 'appen? Fer flark's sake!"
As the demon-bearing truck comes to an abrupt halt (having narrowly missed a certain HYDRA agent, while colliding with a fire hydrant), the demons fly in opposite directions, shrieking in a mixture of demonspeak… and really bad English. Some of them throw fireballs. Others instantly go chasing the humans.
When Domino and Wade make it to the bottom of the stairs… there are two ifrits waiting for them: one making rude gestures… the other, picking its nose. Behind them, the truck's radio sparks to life with the Beatles:
"…I wanna hold your ha - nd. I wanna hold your ha - nd…"
*
For once in his life, Wade Winston Wilson can't even make sense out of the craziness that is going down at this exact moment. There's Baby Ifrits all over the place. Demon carrying trucks. The world's worst mercenary band. And there's Domino. "Well. Fancy meeting you two here." Wade has no shame in the fact that he's taking this moment to talk directly to Domino's chest. It's just what he does.
Before or after he gets smacked to kingdom come he reaches up to snatch the wig off his head. "It is I! Deadpoolio The Great! And I am here to rescue you from the clutches of firey demonic idiocy, I dunno. I wasn't prepared for this much insanity." Deadpool shrugs and then grins at Domino. "I brought you a present." He reaches behind his back and comes out with an Uzi. There's even a bow painted on it. In blood. It's really weird.
Uh. Wade? You're doing a lot in this pose. And there's still /demons galore/ nearby. You might want to shift focus for juuuust a bit.
"But I'm trying to get my flirt on."
If you don't kill those demons there won't be anything left to flirt with.
"… What about you?"
I don't count! Now focus!
"Fiiiiiine." Wade tosses the Uzi to Domino and then turns to face the demon things that are closest to him and his not-so-damsel-y partner in gun loving. "IT'S BEATLIN' TIIIIIIME!"
Wade starts shooting.
*
The expendables do their best to fall back into formation looking for cover as they fire away at the demons. However as luck would have it despite their training they aren't much match for the demonic spawn, and seem to be in a sort of deadlock with them unable to quite take many of them out, while being slaughtered themselves.
All the while in the midst of the chaos Bob focuses on the job at hand: Getting that bit that fell off back into place. He doesn't have any tape, but as he tries to place it back on he doesn't manage to see the imp slowly sneaking up behind him in the midst of the chaos. "Come on, I thought he said this was the height of technology. Why aren't you working?" Said in a somewhat defeated voice, as he starts to lower his headphones. "Well guys, looks like the scanner is busted we might ne-" And the imp jumps on his face.
Bob is immediately knocked behind the side of the truck as he grabs at his own face trying to get the hellspawn off of him. There's a scream of pain as he moves around for his pistol, trying to grab it off of his belt. The small creature laughs as it claws at him singing along completely out of key with the music.
*
'Meeting you two here'..?
Domino actually stops, looks around, looks down at herself, rolls her eyes, and just like the last (and first!) time they met..she pushes his chin upright with the barrel of her weapon. Just as an automatic course-correction. She isn't saying anything to him this time.
Now, then.
Demons..are supposed to be scary things, aren't they..? Maybe it's a credit to the Project which Dom came from but when she finds the two Ifrits at the bottom of the stairs..she almost wants to start laughing.
Scary things do not pick their nose. Except perhaps Wade when he's in the shower.
Dom's actually stunned into stillness for a moment before a quick gasp brings her back to reality.
The critter making the rude gestures gets clubbed upside the head with a rifle stock.
Then shot twice in the face.
They still bleed, ergo they're all just weirdly shaped nails for the albino sledgehammer. Who is now in possession of another Uzi. The blood on the side kinda makes her hesitate with a grimace, but a quick check of the chamber shows her that it's all filled out where it counts.
He's still not getting a thank you, though. She doesn't ask for help! She never -needs- help…
Back with JT, that was a suggested alliance. That's all. ..Honest!
With all of the other HYDRA agents running around like headless chicken armed with assault rifles she singles out the only one who appears to have any sort of level head about him throughout all of this. The guy looks downright tranquil! Up until he took an imp to the face. At first she snaps the rifle up like she's going to shoot it right off of the guy's front but he's just moving too frantically for a clean shot. It'd be risky. Right now she wants these guys fighting -with- her, not -against- her.
Maybe she can knock that one stupid with the rifle stock like the last one. Good things come in pairs. Just ask Wade.
*
Still three floors up, JT makes a decision.
Scrounging around for items in the smashed up office, he picks up a typewriter — which suddenly bursts into orange-red flames, along with JT's hands. Appearing in the hole in the wall, the man hurls the burning typewriter down toward the demons lingering near the truck…
It explodes (the typewriter, that is). A second later, he picks up a glass paperweight in the shape of a bare-breasted woman, then instantly rethinks his strategy… and tucks the paperweight inside his jacket. From another cabinet, he retrieves a single photo-frame, and carefully stores that on his person as well. The Inhuman legs it down the stairs until he reaches Domino and Wade.
A stray bullet hits the truck, switching the radio to the local weather report. A stray ifrit makes off with the magazine collection that had been in the truck's back seat, while another two cling to the legs of a HYDRA agent.
Fortunately, most of the ifrits are dead. Unfortunately, this amount of activity in the quarantine zone is bound to draw some attention. The demon clinging to Bob's face breaks wind — projecting a puff of smoke and flame out of its posterior, although it is enough to loosen its grip.
JT glances at Domino and Wade and raises a hand from the elbow. "Hey mate, uh… this happen a lot to you folks?" Staring then at Bob, he adds: "Aw, that's gonna leave a scar…"
*
"Ever since my baptism in the lourve."
Deadpool doesn't know what he's talking about but he does know that little Ifrits need to be shot in the face at a rapid pace. Every time one of his guns clicks because it is empty, somehow Wade manages to holster it and ends up with another one in his hand and he's aiming for more demonic targets and shooting with epic speed.
There's a chance that this is all happening in his head, too, though. He's been known to have entire video game levels that exist in the span of his daydream. Now, though, things are starting to feel pretty real.
The carnage and the madness are music to Wade's ears and he starts firing bullets to the beat of the screams and bloody murder that's around him. It's like painting a picture. With violence. "This is so unfair! We're being attacked by demonic elves and cell phones don't exist yet! This would so be the best time for a selfie!" Bang bang bang!
*
From the darkness outside of the park a loud rumbling comes rocketing along the mostly empty streets of the quarantine zone. A pitch black vehicle with a large turret mount on the roof crashes in through the wall of a nearby building. The rooftop hatch flicks open and a man dressed in an costume almost identical to the rest of the hydra agents down to the full face covering mask pops up from within mounting the heavy machine gun on the roof.
From within the vehicle music blares out suddenly heralding its arrival. Louie Louie by the kingsmen echoes out across the park, almost covering the sounds of heavy machine-gun fire as the surviving stragglers of the small HYDRA squad begin running right for the slowly opening back door.
The now unconscious Bob with a dead imp laying on his face is dragged by his feet by two HYDRA soldiers while a third scrambles to grab the equipment. They are pulling out in full force, and the hope is no one happens to kill them and steal their ride.
*
"Apparently," Dom flatly replies to JT's question, already making a face at the infernal flatulence. Then with a quick motion of her head, she says "We need that truck."
She's all set to go strike up a conversation with the HYDRA guy all Domino-like when she stops, and stares, and blurts out—
"-Bob?- What the Hell!"
And Wade is at it again, prompting yet another "Seriously, -what the Hell-" when he starts going on about cell phones and selfies and whatever the heck. But, he's turned himself into Demon Murder Central over there, so..she's just gonna leave him be for now. Good cover fire is invaluable!
Then there's the matter of that pickup truck, now kissing a wall at speed and coming to a dead halt with a *Smash!* "Okay, plan B." Which is assuming she -had- a plan B.
As luck would have it, the universe provides. Dom slowly grins as the APC rolls onto the scene. After a quick moment's worth of consideration (and a muttered curse) she calls back to Deadpool "Wade! Party tank's here, I'm gettin' outta Dodge!" Though with his healing factor he may just choose to stick around and play for a while longer. Either way!
HYDRA's already gathering up the gear and guns from the fallen, and taking it all right back to where she wants to be. Including Bob! She'll actually be considerate enough to 1) not kill the guy, and 2) make sure he's on the APC before she boosts it. Free guns, free vehicle out of here, all handled with the aid..of a free Uzi.
Thank you, Wade.
*
"I WANNA BE! I WANNA BE! LIKE IKE!!"
Wade Winston Wilson ain't even paying attention to the fact that Domino is leaving. Or that HYDRA is leaving. Or that anybody is actually leaving. He's having too much of a ball diving into the fray with the various demons and he's shooting and stabbing and kicking and punching and handing out wedgies at every turn.
"By the Power of Numbskull!"
Wade draws his katanas and raises them both to the sky. No lightning strikes or anything like that but he does get swarmed by demons.
"OH HELTER SKELTER!" And Wade is taken down and dragged off into the distance.
"Remember meeeeeee!"
*
It's just a little bloody, that'll wash right out..!
With a strained grunt Domino pushes one of the downed HYDRA goons out of the APC with some help from her boot then she seals the hatch. A hand reaches up to turn off the radio, hesitates, then leaves it right as it is.
Let's see that red-clad bastard from Hell's Kitchen and his insane sidekick stop her -now!-
The powerful diesel winds up and with a belch of dark smoke all six wheels bite into the dirt then launch the armored carrier forward.
Away from the Hellmouth.
Away from the quarantined zone.
Toward that bag of guns Raven had tossed aside during the bike chase out this way.
*