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It has been some weeks since Bravo managed to capture Sousa in broad daylight, and only about a week since Bravo called Peggy, and left a terribly cryptic clue on how to retrieve poor Sousa. After being knocked out in Central Station, Sousa awoke to find himself in a relatively dark room, the floors lined with soft-ish carpeting made from sheets and pillows. And to his surprise, no doubt, Sousa was not the only captive being held here! He was in the room with about 5 other people chained to the walls as he was. And, curiously, all of them were amputees, much like himself.
Sousa's captors treat the prisoners well enough. Little talking aside from basic orders, and the only times they do come in is when they are bringing food, water, or taking captives to go use the bathroom. Every so often, from the door beyond, one can hear Bravo speaking to his soldiers… but at other times, he seems to be talking to someone else. Possibly a radio of some kind. But undoubtedly, it's always with a fellow named "Dr. Bevl." From the sound of it, Bevl would be along soon enough to take custody of the captives, Sousa included. Beyond that, who knows what is in store for him and the others? What a curious doctor wants with a bunch of captives is anybody's guess. The only thing the others have been able to relay to Sousa is that most are war vets who lost their arms and legs in combat, much like him. What a super soldier like Bravo wants with them is anybody's guess.
*
Sousa is not happy to be chained up. He's certainly tried to jimmy the locks free, but to no avail. No doubt anything that could have been useful was taken away. He spoke to the other captives, asked what was going on with this 'Dr. Bevl' and even about Bravo. He's not been the most docile of captives…seeking escape at any opportunity. He's not the type to wait around to be rescued.
*
Most of the other captives seem to only know a bit about Bravo. Some claim that they have heard Bravo talking, but seemingly, to himself. Mostly in some kind of mumbling, but from the sound of it, he seems to be waffling on something regarding the captives. They know even less about Bevl, only that this fellow is seemingly a Russian scientist who apparently is responsible for Bravo and the Forgotten Battalion being as strong as they are. Though the formula has been most refined with Bravo, if he is to be believed.
Certainly, the soldiers take great pains to keep Sousa in captivity, even if he fights them at every turn. Sadly, most of his efforts seem to end in vain, and with no news from the outside, things are looking grim.
But after what is estimated to be about 2 and a half weeks of captivity, acvitity starts to flourish in the apparent bunker they are being kept in! The sound of footsteps running and shouts to arms ring from the door beyond that the soldiers are frequenting! And from the rumbling noises, it sounds like something is trying to break in through the very ground itself!
*
Sousa tries to fight against the chains as he hears the rumbling…maybe it will loosen the wall-pins enough to let them loose? With their guards busy with the new development, now's the time for them to make their escape! If they can. "Come on, boys," Sousa tries to rally them, "Now's our chance!"
*
As Sousa urges the others into action, their efforts to pull the wall pins out actually seems to work! In fact, it works so well, the wall opposite the door starts to crack a bit! One set of pins flies out, then another! And one more! And then the cracks get bigger. Wait… something was actually busting through the other side! The other captives jostle themselves towards the door wall just in time for the wall to utterly crumble and crash into the room.
Stepping in through the rubble and settling dust, a strange figure has arrived! Clad in purple and white tights, a pair of matching aviator goggles covering his eyes and framing his swept-back short brown hair, and a 3 foot white scarf flowing down behind him, the figure steps into the room… and for Sousa, he's instantly recognizable. This is, perhaps unfortunately, the hero known as The Ego. A failed hero who only had one public appearance… and it was a proper disaster. About 8 months ago, The Ego showed up to stop a bank robbery, and ended up throwing a car that crushed and killed an innocent bystander. It was a real PR disaster for the police department and one that sparked numerous discussions and debates on hero registration acts and anti-hero bias.
Which begs the question: why is he here now? Taking a look around the place, Ego stared at the captives a moment before clearing his throat. "Oh, this is… totally the wrong place, isn't it? I'm… I'm really sorry. Nobody's hurt, are they?"
*
At least they're unchained from the wall? Sousa reaches over to one of the other men to use him as some support since his leg was taken from him. There's an actual facepalm when he sees who has arrived, "Well, while you're here, mind helping us to get out of here?" Is anyone hurt? He looks around to make sure, and then begins to order about, "Ok, you two help Jim…and Glen, can you get over to Ira and help him out?" Those with two legs get to help those with fewer…and those with two arms help those with fewer. It's got to be a collaborative effort. "Please tell me you've called the police…"
*
"…no? Should I? What's going on here? I thought this was a Joker hideout. I'm… guessing that's not the case?" Most of the captives look to be okay, and are on their way to getting the others off the ground or on their feet… or foot, in some cases. Ford reached down to offer Sousa a hand up, but as he balanced on another captive, Ford withdrew it, grimacing. "I think there was a big truck in one of the tunnels back that way. Possibly army surplus. If we can get you in, I can push it out. So long as someone steers."
"Oh! I'm The Ego, by the way! Back from action to help the weak and downtrodden of New York once more!"
*
"Yes, you should have," Sousa sighs and gestures for one of the other Vets who has two legs and one arm, "You good to drive, Glen?" Dark eyes then look at 'The Ego' and he tries not to sigh and shake his head. "Don't know who the Joker is, but we've been here for…weeks from what we can tell and we'd all like to go home. Think you can manage that? Heroic enough for you?"
*
"Pretty smart mouth, aren't'cha?" Ego replied, folding his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I can do it. Think you can muster up enough strength to hobble your way to that truck, you're so damn-" The Ego is interrupted by the sudden sound of shouting on the other side of the door, along with more boots clomping on the floor. Sounds as if the soldiers had finally wised up to the ruckus!
"…alright. You all, head out through this hole. Follow the tunnel down to the left. You'll see another exit door broken off on the right. The vehicle is through there in a loading bay of some sort." The hero turned and pounded his fist into his palm, cracking some knuckles and repeating the process with the other. "I'll handle these clods." As if on cue, the door bursts open, only for Ego to crash into them and pound the front man into another behind him and bash them into the wall. Beyond, one can hear Bravo shouting over the soldiers. "Don't let the POWs escape! Capture them, dammit!" Meanwhile, the Ego turned and braced himself, apparently taking a brunt of a charge from a group of soldiers, before pushing back into the hallway. He might not be the brightest hero… but he was clearly strong, easily handling a group of super soldiers supposedly stronger the Captain America himself.
*
"We've been here for weeks, my wife is near eight months pregnant, and the guy holding us wants to use us in some scientific experimentation. Excuse me if I'm not exuberantly thankful for your appearance here. We want -out-."
He doesn't wait too much longer to start ushering the others out. He's going to make sure they're all out before he goes towards the truck. There's a pause as he looks back to see how well The Ego is handling the captors. So much for 'Super-Soldiers'.
*
"Tch. And this is why being a hero is a sucker's job. Always saving ungrateful jerks…" Ego grumbled before continuing to pummel the enemy captors. Despite the dark and dank conditions of the facility they were in, Sousa and the other captives manage to find a makeshift vehicle bay right where he'd directed. And one of them is an old army truck for transporting troops. Already some of the other captives are moving to hop in the back, with Glen heading towards the front.
In the distance down the tunnel, one can see the way out into the full moon night of the cityscape beyond. And all that stands between them and freedom is fog! …wait, what? Actually, a heavy layer of strange yellow-ish fog roils around the exit of the tunnel. "Hey, Sousa! We've got two problems! First… ain't got no key! And… him!" Glen pointed his good arm up and noted what seems to be a massive looking fellow standing amidst the fog. He looks to be covered in what amounts to an armored hazmat suit, with a large pair of yellow headlights as eyes staring at the truck and the hostages.
He doesn't even seem to make a move to stop them. He's just… staring…
*
Sousa was going to head to the front as well and he and the one helping him to be mobile are nearly at the door when Glen points out the man in their way. Well, damn. "You never hotwired a truck before?" Seriously? And why are there no guns on this truck?
If the guy in the Hazmat suit is just going to stare, Sousa will get into the truch and try to work on hotwiring it. It's not like they're able to go running around looking for weapons, but he's not willing to let them be sitting ducks. "Guys, find what weapons you can…or be prepared for…something." Once again, he's not going to go down without a fight.
*
The Man In The Yellow Fog just continues to watch them for a bit, before slowly gliding through the fog. For a big guy in a clunky looking suit, he moves surprisingly swift. "<I cannot deny, I am a little disappointed. After all the work I had done on Agent Bravo's behalf… an inconvenience, to say the least. Letting my good test subjects escape so recklessly.>" He spoke with a voice that sounded like it was being put through a metallic filter. Test subjects? So… this must be the enigmatic Dr. Bevl that they'd heard about! The fog begins to roll towards the truck and encircle the base as the other men frantically search for something they can use as weapons.
Dr. Bevl's attention seems to divert at the sound of more wall smashing, before the flying form of The Ego came crashing through the walls and skiddig across the ground. Shortly following through the wall, Agent Bravo came through and studied the scene for a moment. "…Dr. Bevl. What are you doing here ahead of schedule?" Bravo asked, clearly confused by the man's arrival. "<Are you quite finished playing around, Mr. Bravo?>" Bevl replied.
As the two conversed, Ego stood up and looked over between Bravo and Bevl, evidently confused by the whole affair. "Would someone like to please explain what the actual hell is going on?" The good news about all this banter is it gives Sousa plenty of time to hotwire the truck and bring the engine on.
*
As soon as the engine turns on, Sousa kicks it into Drive and, jams his only leg onto the gas. It's a good thing it's his left as he's in the passenger seat. The intent, of course, is to basically slam into Dr. Brevl. He's the immediate threat here and Sousa isn't playing anymore. If it means he loses his job, so be it, but they need to get -out- of here!
*
As Sousa hits the gas, the truck lurches to life and, albeit slow, manages to barrel right into Bevl. For all of about 2 seconds before the wheels start to skid and wail. Evidently, Bevl is just as strong as his size leads one to believe! The truck just grinds and squeals to push forward, but the Russian scientist simply refuses to let it. "<That spirit is good. It will serve you well in my work. I need hardy test subjects.>" As the yellow fog rises up and starts to fill the cabin and trunk, Sousa may find his vision getting a bit dizzy and the colors of… well, /everything/ start to warp a bit!
Meanwhile, it seems The Ego is not content to sit by and let things progress this way! Moving with incredible, super human speeds to the back of the truck, he plants his hands firmly on the back and begins to push. Meanwhile, Bevl starts to skid back, even when Agent Bravo moves over to help him! "Sorry, fellas! I've got no plans on sticking around for this!" Ego yelled, before giving one great big shove and knocking Bravo backwards on his rear while Bevl slides seemlessly out of the way of the truck's path.
*
Sousa is about ready to put the truck into reverse and try to pull out that way when the gas starts to enter the cabin of the truck. He shakes his head and tries to clear it, blinking to get his vision to right itself…he was a SHIELD agent for over fifteen years, dammit! The push from Ford to get the truck moving forward is enough to get him to keep his foot on the gas, even if Glen isn't able to focus enough to drive. Maybe if they get out of the smoke…?
They just need to not crash until their heads clear. Easier said than done.
*
As Ford gave one more push in conjunction with the truck's gas pedal, the truck barreled forward and right over Agent Bravo! Whether it kills him or not is unclear, as he simply lies there after being run over. Bevl, for his part, looks… well, blank. With not proper face plate and being too far now to hear any dialogue, he could be fuming in frustration or simply not care. It's hard to say.
Finally, though, even as Sousa might ease off the gas and Glen tries to steer to save their actual lives, the truck suddenly lifted off the ground and wobbled slightly, as if being balanced on something. "Sunday driver! Just let go and hold on! I'll get you to a hospital!" The Ego's voice bellowed out from beneath the truck. Wait… was he CARRYING the vehicle over his head!? And at the speed he's moving, it easily outpaces whatever land speed the truck can get!
"Oh! And your damn well welcome, you S-O-B!"
*
Is this guy for real? Sousa peers out the window, as if he could see the man beneath who is -carrying- the truck. If he can remember this, he's definitely letting Peggy know…this guy should be noted. "Remind me to thank you once we're there. I'll be sure to fall on my knee," singular, "And shout glory to your name." Or he'll offer a 'Thank You'. They're not there yet and they're trying to clear that gas from their heads.
*