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In transport, somehow, the breathing apparatus around the clone's mouth was jarred loose. This wasn't a huge deal, at least not at first, and no one seemed the wiser. Little by little, the green goo in the cylindrical tube filled his mouth until one day, in the middle of the night, the excess caused him to choke.
The slumber that the Jackal had kept him under as he grew was now over, and Peter(Not Peter) had his fight or flight response kick into full gear.
The sound of smashed glass is probably loud enough to be heard, while the rush of lime green fluid splashing around the floor of the science facility is certainly going to cause some damage. The clone picks himself up off the sopping floor, choking as the goo mixed with yellow bile begins to spill out onto the floor.
It would do him a great deal of comfort to realize that everyone's birth is so traumatic.
A soft chime of warning brings him to a more lucid state. He realizes he needs to go and needs to go now.
The door to the handle is broken and out into the hallway steps a naked young man, covered in green slime. His head turns back and forth as he tries to decide the best way out of here. And he begins to run.
*
And down the hall and around the corner, in a subdivided cell, is dozing the Winter Soldier. Considerably less fearsome looking without tac goggles and mask and all his gear. Just a young man with long hair and a metal arm. But those alarms are being responded to….and the sound of hurrying feet are enough to make him raise his head and frown, before getting to his feet.
*
Ava tends to visit the office at odd hours, all the better to avoid being seen or dealing with people she'd just rather not. She also has regular check-ups in medical, which means that she's close enough to hear the glass break. Her first thought is that the Winter Soldier has broken out, which explains why there's a pistol in her hand when she bursts out of the medical center. A naked boy covered in goo was not what she was expecting.
*
It's one of the days that Teddy's schedule is in synch with Billy's so they're both on the base at the same time for their training. When the alarm goes off, he looks questioningly over at Billy. "Should we? I mean, we're not full agents yet and the Director will probably yell at us for getting in the way. Though she's as likely to do that if we just sit around and do nothing either." Better to get yelled at for something you actually did. Nodding once, he sets off down the hall. "C'mon."
*
One day, Billy will get used to this. But that day is not today. Still, he's just a trainee agent and barely has himself any spycraft yet. Fortunately, he brings other advantages, so seeing him around isn't super unusual. After all, someone has to teach him how to punch— and that's proving to be a rather difficult task, woe to whoever is responsible for martial arts training. "We're baby spies, but we're baby spies with super powers so like I think she has to make an exception. When there's an alarm I vote we like, you know, do things. I interpret alarms as like, all-hands-on-deck with a special focus on magic hands and shapeshifter hands that can do things no one else can do." With that, he's nodding to Teddy and heading off towards the commotion.
*
"You know, I have got to say, of all the fruit stalls owned by clients of mine setting on this specific street corner?" Mr.Green starts to speek as he hurls a small ripe orange up into the air one time after another. The stall itself is a simple affair on wheels sat right outside of the doors of what seemed to be an abandoned building like so many others. He's dressed in his usual gaudy club attire, with a broad smile from one side to the other as he leans hard on the stall.
"Yours?" He continues looking towards a balding overweight man wearing a shirt which simply says 'relax', while looking all to grateful. "is definitely in the top five for me." He pauses as he leans a bit closer a million dollar smile given to the man on the other side. "Can see why they might have tried to get you for selling rotten produce though." A quick laugh and a moment to hold on the end of his nose.
Shifting on the spot so his back is leaning on the cart Mr.Green whistles loudly towards a rather modestly dressed blonde woman with rather good proportions. "Hey good looking, how about you come by my office later, and we can work out a legal defense, because I think your good looks just killed me." A quick wink of the eye that sleazy look of his.
In return he simply gets a quick scoff and a rather dirty look before the woman makes her way right back along leaving Mr.Green to talk with his client. "Honestly though trust me when I say that case was well worth that little favor, without me? Well can't say I'm sure you'd be out walking around now." A final moment to bite the orange, before he realizes you usually peel the skin, a look of disgust comes across his face. "BLEGHARGL" Is the sound he makes
*
The Green Goo Boy turns to look at Ava and pauses for a second as if to gauge in his mind whether she is friend or foe. The gun in her hand tells him all he needs to know and the clone begins to run in the opposite direction, right down past the cell block.
As a way to create a diversion, he pauses long enough to rip off the handle to the first cell he comes across. The cell of one James Buchanan Barnes, naturally.
But the clone doesn't stick around to make friends. Indeed, he's on the move, running the t of another hallway. Billy and Teddy who are approaching from the opposite direction will see a very crazy sight for a split second as the science experiment whizzes past on his way out of here.
Meanwhile, the clone busts right past the oncoming checkpoint, even as gunshots are aimed at him. Miraculously he dodges each of them, and surprisingly it doesn't seem to take much effort.
From there he gets to the garage, and it's not much longer until there's a naked guy running down the middle of the street at 2 in the morning.
*
It takes exactly three beats of observation for the switch to flip. They'd made so much progress, Sofia and James, Peggy's trust justified, Ava's caution unwarranted. But the memory worker's only scratched the surface, the Red Room programming's still firmly in place…..and the Winter Soldier's not one to waste an escape dropped into his lap like a New YEar's gift.
The divider proves to be little more than a nominal barrier as a few blows of that alloy fist break its door, and then he's out into the hall with all the enthusiasm of the Kool Aid Man. How far can he get before he gets dogpiled by agents?
*
Little does Green Goo Boy know just how good a distraction he's made. Any other prisoner, and Ava would leave it to someone else and go after the runner. But this one? This one she's made a promise.
"Soldier!" she snaps after him in Russian, even as she raises that pistol and fires a burst of electric energy at the shoulder blade attached to the metal arm. It's not a single moment of pause, either. As soon as she's pulled the trigger she's running after him, leaping at his back.
*
Teddy almost trips as he catches sight of Ben and he comes to a halt. "Was he naked?" he asks, looking down the hall. "Wait, green stuff? That must be the clone I told you about. Doesn't look like a doctor though." Catch first, speculate after. And he takes off after Ben.
*
For his part, Billy has not gotten debriefed about the various prisoners that are here, so he doesn't really have to consider the Winter Soldier vs Green Goo Dude. He does blink and stare a moment, "That's… gross. I swear if he gets any goo on me I'm gonna kick him in the almond joys." He grunts, and turns to make after the clone with Teddy as well. But he doesn't just run, his instincts causing him to rise up a few inches off the floor and fly: he's faster that way. Even if it is not per-se covert. Billy figures naked guy covered in goop has thrown the subtle covert thing out the window. Maybe literally. "Naked dude! Stop! Or…" Pause, "…else?"
*
Mr.Green spits out the orange peel on the ground disgusted with himself, as he grabs some wilted lettuce to wipe his eyes clean. Piece of lettuce still in hand he goes a bit wide eyed with glee as he catches a glimpse of the man running nude down the street.
The smile goes ear to ear as he snaps back up to a stand, wiping clean his shirt with the lettuce as he jumps back to a stand. "Well Tanto, I'd love to stay and chat, but it looks like I just found my next meal ticket." Adjusting his tie, Mr.Green reaches down with his free hand to grab the briefcase as the man behind the Fruit stand says "But Mr.Green, sir, my name is Aarav, we just got back fr-"
But Mr.Green is already bolted back up to a stand ready to chase that ambulance wherever it might go. He can just FEEL the case and the opportunity. Even if it's just another homeless man. "Hold down the fort Hoshim, I'll be back for more over-ripe produce before you know it!"
Leaving behind the sighing balding man from India Mr.Green makes sure to position himself in the perfect place to hand over a business card to the passing nude.
*
The clone can hear the calling from Billy behind him, but he clearly pays it no heed. Where is he going? He isn't really sure. As he tries to think, he can't really put anything together. He has vague thoughts of an Aunt. An Aunt in Queens. But where is Queens?
All he knows is he needs to go, so as Billy makes his call for reason, Ben just keeps on going, heading straight for that fruit stands and a certain lawyer type.
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters, Agents are confused as to who they should go for. Are they chasing the kid or are they apprehending the Winter Soldier. The confusion leads to many choosing neither, giving Bucky some moments with Ava without the help of backup.
*
It worked the first time, the time she caught him. And while he may not've been wholly the Soldier then….the Soldier learnt his lessons. She aims for the arm, and he's abruptly dropping and turning…but not away, but for her. Going for the weapon that lets her focus her lightning, trying to turn her attempt to leap on him into her inadvertantly hurling herself right into his grip. With no pistol and that metallic hand wrapped around her throat, he can shake her like a terrier with a rat. "Devochka," he replies, almost conversationally, like this is a meeting on a street corner. The grin, however, is feral. No wonder the Russians made him wear a mask - one can blame the conditioning, but it's clear he's enjoying the chaos, and that only makes it the creepier.
*
The Winter Soldier is in for an unpleasant surprise.
The gun and the blades Ava usually uses help her focus her power. Help her to use it at range. Because otherwise? Well, otherwise, she's limited to touch.
When the soldier catches her throat, she doesn't even hesitate, reaching out with both hands to grab his forearm and using her forward momentum to kick her legs up, one wrapping over his shoulder as the other seeks to land a blow to find some purchase. And in the meantime, that blue glow sparks behind her eyes and around her lips, spreading right into the hand around his metal arm.
*
Flying is cheating and makes Billy faster than he can run. At least in this form and a moment later, Teddy's bulked up and turned green though he's still wearing a SHIELD uniform. The extra strength lets him run faster and take longer strides on top of it. "Stop!" he calls. "It's okay. No one's going to hurt you!"
*
"We're the good guys!" calls Billy all enthusiastically, like. See? There's nothing dangerous about him at all. "Let us help you! Hi! My name is Billy! Nothing dangerous about anyone named Billy ever!" He picks up the speed, trying to race up to catch up with the guy, not knowing he can actually run faster then Billy can fly. "Dude if you stop running I promise to get you *pants*."
*
"Hey there friend, great to see you." Mr.Green starts off with that million dollar smile and an almost otherworldly charisma about him. "Love what you're doing with the hair, and the goo thing's a nice touch to boot." Looking over the oncoming goo covered nudists shoulder as if this were just an every day thing he adds. "Take it you're in some trouble with the law, don't worry happens to the best of us."
A rapid fire conversation in the heat of the moment still rendered legible by the intentional pronunciation of each syllable. "Even the whole covered in jello thing, trust me, all kinds of drunk parties" He looks back into the eyes of the nude man coming closer to him ever the friendly punchable face. "When they catch you, don't forget about Mr.Green Devil's Advocate, I'll make sure any charges get dropped for a reasonable fee or your money back." The art of the sale not exactly easy while it's mid chase.
*
The clone's concentration is broken by the odd man talking to him about some sort of slick deal. Enough concentration is lost that even despite the warning of his spidey sense, he slips on some of the good and heads straight for the fruit stand, tumbling into it and coming to a halt rather quickly. Clearly this allows both Billy and Teddy to catch up with him. By the time they do, they'll notice that the clone has enough decency to cover himself with half a pineapple.
Meanwhile, back at SHIELD, the agents are starting to figure things out. Some are coming out after the green clone thing, while others are checking in on the Winter Soldier. The first one draws his weapon but can't get a good shot in for fear of hitting the junior agent currently in fisticuffs with the Soldier.
*
The passage of current up that arm's enough to make the Soldier snarl in pain. The metallic fingers tighten around her throat - there'll be bruising tomorrow. But rather than continue the grapple, he's doing his best to use the arm locking up and sheer momentum to slam her head into the nearest wall. She can't keep shocking him if she's unconscious, after all. Maybe he can peel her off.
*
Ava is a flexible thing, with all the training of the Red Room hidden in the back of her mind, added to further training from SHIELD and a few dirty tricks from a life on the street. Her face flushes as red as her hair as he keeps his grip on her throat, but she ducks her chin and finally gets her other leg up enough to wrap her legs around his neck in turn, putting the full force of larger muscles to cutting off his blood flow. It also lifts her body up out of the way at least in part - if he's going to slam her into a wall, it should leave his back free to the other agents, and knee shots are definitely fair game.
*
Teddy comes to a halt at the fruit stand and can't help looking the clone up and down, taking a moment to eye the pineapple. It's understandable, after all. Naked clone covered in green goo. "Billy, pants?"
*
"I don't need to see that, I /don't/ need to see that, Idon'tneedtoseethat." Billy's emphatic call to Reality to fix the utterly awkward naked situation does… not quite go to plan. Conjuring is hard, okay? So instead of the pants he promised, there's a robe suddenly appearing in his hand. Its not even a big, fluffy man-robe. No, this is a somewhat short, someone slinky, shiny and sheer, red silk robe. But. Its something. So. He hands the man lady robe to the naked man, looking away as he does so, "Uhh, apparently no pants for you. Hi. I'm Billy. Uh." He eyes the lawyer a moment, then he eyes Teddy, then the goo man, then the lawyer. He's absolutely positive there's a SHIELD protocol for this but he is absolutely positive he doesn't know slash remember it yet.
*
There's a pause in his stride as the clone goes sailing right past him and into the fruit stall. Mr.Green keeps the smile but squints wincing slightly as he makes the landing.
A scream echoes out through the streets as the store-keep just calls out "M-My cabbages!" Pure horror as fruit and vegetables already on the edge of being able to be sold, a few clearly reclaimed after being thrown out by the chain stores, are strewn everywhere. He clutches the sides of his bald head in horror lower lip quivering.
Mr.Green takes one step to the side, pulling off his own jacket to hand to the goo covered man. A number of business cards fall out from the pockets. Of course once he's given the jacket Billy proceeds to create a much more covering garment, but that's just his luck.
Still the smile crosses back about his face as he looks towards Billy, a single hand outstretched. "Evening there, Max Green, of Mr.Green: Devils Advocate, I believe you've just assaulted my client and sent him tumbling into this poor mans fruit stall." Starting off completely friendly as he speaks moving for the handshake. "Horrific PR disaster if you ask me, ab-so-lute-ly drrrrrr-eadful" He savors the words on the tip of his tongue. "be a shame if every newspaper outlet in the city ran the story for weeks if you ask me. Best just to let him go."
*
The clone winces as he grabs the robe. Now that these two, clearly powered beings have him, getting away is not much use. He puts the robe on, sacrificing the poor adulterated pineapple and throwing it by the wayside. "Why are you chasing me? Where am I? I just want to go home," he protests, seeming much younger than the twenty two years of age his memories tell him he is. He's scared, clearly.
"Barnes!" yells one of the agents in a way that gets higher at the end. It's clearly a warning. "We have you surrounded. And we have guns. Go easy on the girl and let's get back in the cell before someone gets hurt. You don't want anyone else to get hurt, do you? Barnes?!"
*
Surrounded. And she's going to choke him out, if given the chance. He's tearing at her throat with all his strength - it's not meant to merely throttle her into unconsciousness, but to do irreparable damage to her throat. Go easy indeed. As he does, he's turning again, trying to use what he can of her as a human shield. The warning doesn't seem to have registered.
*
Most of the time, Ava expends effort holding back the electrical charge that builds inside of her. It's a constant, always in the back of her mind that if she loses focus, loses control, it could explode out. But right now? If she doesn't, she's going to be finished. One hand stays at the Winter Soldier's arm, but the other reaches for his face, clawing at his eyes as in the same moment she simply lets go.
The blue glow that's grown around her hands and in her eyes bursts into an actinic bright glare of blue-white electricity, crackling in a globe all around both her and the Winter Soldier with enough voltage to make any normal metal melt or explode in reaction.
*
"You don't even know who he is or what he's done." Teddy tells the scum bag shyster. "Which is nothing." he adds to the clone. "You're a clone made by some evil mad scientist and we found you in a lab stuck in a giant glass cylinder full of green goo." Shapeshifter extraordinaire? Check. Bedside manner? Not even close. "That's not your fault, of course. But you should come back and now that you're awake, they'll give you clothes and help you figure out what's going on."
*
Billy blinks at Mr. Green. He looks to Teddy, then back to the lawyer man, "Dude, do I look like a cop? I'm a science nerd in college." he asks, tone somewhat incredulious. Granted, at the moment Billy is sorta dressed in his Serious SHIELD Workout Outfit, which has vaguely uniformish looks, though without any like… logos or anything. Still. Billy can't help but laugh, his dimples showing for effect. Then he remembers he's flying? And floats down the last few inches to the ground, pretending no one saw that. Aside: "Ixnay hetay reengay." is muttered to Teddy, before he speaks up for Mr. Green, "We're good samaritans. Naked and goo covered man ran by the gym and that seemed to be a cry for help." Looking to Ben, he tilts his head, "We're chasing you because you're running like a mad-man, naked and covered in goo, and figured you were confused. Why don't you come back? We'll get you some proper clothes, a shower, and then get you sorted out. Have a medic check you out and get you home if you don't need other help?" He does wince a little bit at the clone business being broached in this context.
*
Now that's a story alright. Mr.Green gives a wiiide wiide smile, almost too wide as it hits him what he's just stumbled across, a case that could make a career, a once in a lifetime opportunity. All hinging on if the man actually wants help of course. His mind glazes over for a moment as he just thinks of all the possibilities. For him he's on a trip down the future, but for everyone else he just sort of looks up to the sky as he drifts into a bit of daydreaming.
*
Ben looks to Billy and Teddy and Mr. Green. The question is simple, and the answer is only slightly more complicated. Which of these three do you trust? He looks back to Billy and Teddy. "Fine. Alright. But you can't keep me locked up. Just so you know. I can get out of anything. Clothed or otherwise. By the way this robe is …well, I guess beggars can't be choosers. You said a shower and some clothes. Any chance a hamburger is part of that deal?" Gradually the clone is feeling more and more like Peter Parker, which is to say like himself. Only not so much. That's a good sign.
And a bad sign.
Meanwhile the SHIELD agents start pelting Bucky with fire. "Non-fatal only!" exclaims one of them whose voice cuts through the gunfire. "Careful not to hit Ava!!!"
*
It's the electricity that gets him, though a few of those rounds strike home. Ava unleashing her worst has his muscles spasming, a last convulsion that has his body arching back…..and then he's dropping like a rock, fingers finally loosing their grip on her.
Well, at least she kept her promise, if sooner than either of them expected. The agents rush in to separate them, ushering Ava right back to the medical bay, and more or less dogpiling the Soldier. Back to restraints and a harder cell, it seems.
*
Between the damage to her throat and the sheer amount of energy she just discharged, Ava goes limp just about when the Winter Soldier does, falling limply to the floor in the rush of agents. She's going to have a lovely necklace of bruises when she wakes up. Luckily, she's not very talkative as it is, so no one should miss out on her conversation.
*
Teddy needs a minute to decipher the Pig Latin. But really, it's kind of past that point. "Sure, you can have hamburgers. And like I said, you didn't do anything wrong so why would they lock you up? You just weren't awake till today." As far as he knows.
*
"Yeah, err. Sorry about that." Billy flushes a bit at the robe, and plucks at his shirt, "We'll get you some real clothes, and while you're showering and stuff I'll hop out to get some burgers and shakes." He nods his head slowly then, "We won't lock you up, but we do need you to talk to management before you disappear into the masses, okay? You're not a prisoner and we're not cops but it might take a day or so to get you sorted out. Your situation is not an easy one. But we're the sort of people who know how to help work through things that aren't easy." He winces, "I'd hate to have you show up and uhh… run into yourself. Or … stuff." He cocks his head back, gesturing back the way they came with a dimpled grin, "And hey if you want that lawyer's card…" He shrugs, "No one's going to stop you. If anything you're the wronged party in this situation, we're here to help."
*
Bucky is unceremoniously dragged along the tile floor back to a cell as a call is put out for medical attention. A similar call is put out for Ava as the group of agents moves to check on her, hopeful that she has not received any permanent damage. Meanwhile, an extremely odd sight gets odder as Teddy, Billy, and a green covered young man wearing a red silk robe that barely covers the twig and berries strut back into the headquarters. Tellingly, the clone has seemed to avoid all talk about being a clone. Almost like he's an ostrich sticking his head in the sand. Almost as if he was born today.