10922/Command and Conquer: Saving the Chief - Go Science!

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Command and Conquer: Saving the Chief - Go Science!
Date of Scene: 26 April 2022
Location: Interior Hydra Base
Synopsis: The SHIELD Science Team infiltrates a Hydra base in search of Peggy Carter. They don't find her.. But they find monstrocities that Hydra has been up to. The Chief.. Is still missing.
Cast of Characters: Mary Jane Watson, Leopold Fitz, Jane Foster, Jemma Simmons, Dottie Underwood, Melinda May, Peggy Carter




Mary Jane Watson has posed:
The Hydra base was a heavily fortified underground network in the mountains in upstate New York. Dug in a series of subterranean tunnels going down hundreds of meters. Satellite recon had gotten a rough map of it. Vehicle maintenance bays up by the surface with dozens of heavily armed HYDRA assault craft in it and jets, two large fusion generators deep underground which powered the complex, large R&D facilities no doubt used for some of the nastier experiments Hydra was infamous for performing.. And a large, well armed garrison consisting of hundreds of fanatical soldiers well equipped. Even more worrying were chatter of a number of Hydra elites and high ranking personnel at the base.
    The operation was to get in, find the Chief if present, do as much damage as possible, get out. A large numbers of entrances had been setup large enough for vehicles to come and go easily. The base seemed reliant on the fortifications and garrison to hold off an attack rather necessarily than simple hiding if it was concealed. The team was in the area and getting ready to launch, if not to immediately smash their way in!

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
A decoy for the infiltration team has been established. By virtue of the front gates team sending in a stolen Hydra RPC on a kamikaze course before the vehicle was detonated as everyone at the front gates was storming towards it!

Leopold Fitz has posed:
While some agents go in with the barest of essentials packed on them, or look as if they do, Dr Leopold Fitz is almost never without at least a suitcase in his possession when going on missions. Now is no different.

Dressed in button-down oxford shirt with sleeves rolled up, tie and slacks, Fitz is setting up quickly and expertly. He's done this a million times, and this is just one more, except for two special little DWARFs. The case is opened, one of the control pads is handed back to Jemma in a brief lean with a soft, 'Here y'go'. It's equipment she, too, has used at least half a million times. His own controller tablet is keyed on, and immediately three of the silent drones whirrrr into life, lifting in the air with graceful ease.

"They're a bit more specialized," comes in brief explanation, blue eyes not leaving the tablet for a second. "An' I've uploaded what schematics I could find in."

Rising from his crouch, Fitz looks around, getting attendance, as it were, and he looks to May. To her, he gives a quick nod; he's ready. He's going for the fusion reactors with his three, working on the path. If it's reasonably clear, he'll be following.

Jane Foster has posed:
Priority in a HYDRA base: not dying. After that, retrieve the target. Dying in pursuit of a missing SHIELD chief might get her name on a wall of fallen service members and spooks, but not what Jane truly desires.

For once, she's not in civilian attire but straight up dark gear, reinforced lightly with Kevlar and ceramic armour. None of it will make a lick of difference against some threats. "Commander," she warns quietly before they're on scene entirely. "Data feeds suggest that Wolfgang Strucker is on site. We may expect Armin Zola, at least with a high likelihood." May is who she is, informed by the debriefing to make the appropriate choices needed to keep them all from bleeding to no point.

"Otherwise, I imagine their labs are full of similarly enhanced people or projects as we've seen in the past." Almost certain. Her distaste lingers, soft and fierce.

Then out comes the weight of the mission, what lies ahead. She carries a few unimpressive tonfas, what looks like unseen. A palmed sticky disc. Nothing too odd, except she can twist space on a miniature scale with them. Fitz Simmons may be team science and she's there to back them up.

A dead woman walking. Oh, the irony.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
When it comes to preparation, there are few agents that can match the likes of Fitz and Simmons. And, while Fitz has his suitcase of drones, Jemma has her own bag of tricks.

Really, quite literally.

Jemma has her combat backpack on, with whatever assorted accessories she usually takes on the field stashed away nicely within. It is almost a sure bet that Jemma has a pair of ballistic glasses in there with the various spectrum views, though she does not have those out presently. Also is the portable lab, which those in the know are aware of, powered by a newer device that Leo might not have seen directly....a wrist-mounted mini-computer. Fancy. And, speaking of fancy, Jemma's outfit is certainly set more for field work than not. A jumpsuit, certainly in SHIELD colors...but...a little more fancier than standard issue?

Yes, indeed.

The control pad is taken with a smile. "Thank you, Fitz. Just a moment." With that, she places the control pad close to her own wrist computer, tapping a few icons on the screen to sync up the drones to her device. She hands the pad back with a small smile...which seems somewhat apologetic? "I know....it is all a little much, isn't it? But...Daisy seems to like it." Well of course Daisy does.

Then...a quick explanation. "Fitz reworked the two DWARFs now linked to my wrist computer so that they can essentially detect DNA signatures. Given the experience I have with Director Carter's unique genetic profile, I modified my own tracking programs to essentially trace her steps. If Peggy Carter is at this location, we will find her." Experience with Peggy's genes? Yes, Jemma was being modest. If there is anyone with more familiarity of Peggy's genetic structure, it would be Peggy Carter herself.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie Underwood is one of those barest essentials operatives. She shrugs, adjusting her tacsuit. And draws a weapon from her holster. Just because the recon drones won't draw as much attention, especially while Team Smash is banging on the front door, doesn't mean that they'll attract zero notice. Standing apart from the group, she scans the horizon for signs of trouble.

Melinda May has posed:
May glances briefly to Fitz as he indicates his readiness. Her attention turns to Jane, however, when the astrophysicist starts talking about notables they can expect to encounter. She grimaces at the name 'Strucker'. Didn't they already take care of him? Damned HYDRA heads. More lives than a whole clowder of cats.

Or maybe it was someone else? There've been so many...

She gives Jemma a nod as the doctor tells her about their new toys. A hint of a smile touches her lips. Daisy will likely be disappointed May gave up her 'Fennec Shand' look for a nano-activated 'Commander Sheppard' look instead. But, hey, she kept her 'lightsabers'.

Garbed in her nanomesh tacsuit, an ICER on her thigh and the two hafts of her plasma blades tucked into the small of her back, she sports that narrow, black 'fitbit' band about her left wrist -- the one that turns into a 31st century battle armour suit. She also has her futuristic sniper rifle across her back.

Between her and Dottie... the scientists should get through this in one piece. And, hey. There are lots of squids around that will make *perfect* aggression therapy targets for both of them. No holds barred. Isn't that happy?

She listens to the chaos at the front gates. "Okay," she says, pulling out her ICER. "Let's take advantage of the distraction." She gestures to their entrance -- a much smaller, more lightly guarded entrance.

She turns to the Russian woman beside her. "Dot," she says, pointing at the guards. "You're up. Soon as she's got the guards down, we're in. Fitz, find us the main power sources and take them out. Foster, make sure we're not blindsided. Simmons... find our chief. I've got your backs."

And that's the 'go'. Time to get it done.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The secondary team is well hidden, towards the back of the grandly defended base and in the shadows and slightly behind the roll of a hill to obscure the position of their bodies. Out of that hill, there's two different exhaust grates that lead directly down towards the fusion reactor area. No hand holds ladders to reach down the huge exhaust shafts, this is purely for steam and other byproducts to escape, but they are a seemingly easy way down to the fusion reactors. Only, there is a grate at the very bottom of them with smaller holes than the DWARFS. It could be conceivably removed.

Other than that, hidden beneath gilly tarps made to look like greenery, there's one back exit that is made for large cargo vehicles and the like. It's well concealed and not too far from their positions, but currently closed and seemingly inactive. There are security cameras everywhere but they might not be really worried about being that hidden, considering the chaos that is happening at the front door right now. Alarms are going off everywhere, the echo of a LOT of pounding boots as scads of HYDRA soldiers go to respond to the front entrance.

With the intrusion, more alarms light up at the back. It's helpful to tell them where other entrances might be, and if they are listening very close (or watching a monitor) there are four heat signatures still guarding the inside of that cargo door. But many others have gone to the front.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Those in residence, when named by Jane, gains a soft whistle from the good doctor, along with a murmured, 'Sods' before he's shutting his drone suitcase, and twisting around for his own ICER sidearm. He won't go in unarmed; he'll say to his dying breath that he's still an Agent, but on this mission, while he's more hands on, his brain is the greatest asset here. The weapon is for hold out.

Jemma's standing to his crouch, and rocking his head back, moving it around, brows raise at the unveiling of the wrist computer. "When did you cobble that bit together?" Does that sound a touch jealous or accusatory? Never. They're a team! "We'll need a right chat when we get back." That thought passes before, "If your glasses are integrated, that's part of the upgrade on them as well. Visual. Take a try, later." With her handing the pad back, Fitz stores it away, though not before logging it out and shutting it down.

The case is closed, his ICER case is shut as well, and finally, the 'brain of SHIELD' rises to his feet, the drones rising gently with him, echoing his basic movements. Pulling a backpack up, now, he's truly ready to go. "There are a few sources. They've gotten smart an' mirrored. No single point of failure. I'll be takin' out as many as I can get to." Find, no. He knows where they are, basically. "I'll give fair warning when they're goin' down."

As for him? Fitz wanders towards one of the vent conduits and looks down, his expression slightly dubious, "Looks like that is my entrance, then?" He'll need a line and rappel down...

Jane Foster has posed:
Not blindsided in a facility this big, and a Ghost Rider on the loose by the front door? Jane stifles a reflexive, low chuckle. "You should see my diplomatic plans with rock trolls." The lightest impression of gallows humour suits the mandate ahead of them, trouble found by small shafts or a doorway.

The ICER in easy reach is helpful if the need arises. She considers the small puck in her hand, and then shakes her head, stowing it back carefully in the pocket on her pants. Utility pants are the best, as is the modified go-bag at her shoulder. "Come on, I'll get you set up. Give me cover for the line."

She has a light-footed way of moving, disturbingly quiet with an unerring sense of where living targets might be stowed away. Cameras are another matter, but Stargazer isn't merely a name but a habit of finding things. She approaches the conduit ahead of Fitz, unless he decides to stay back. A tightly bound spool of rope, reinforced carbines, and a carbonite burst hook all await. As safely close as she can hope to get, she points the blackened tube on the end of the rope to a solid point by said grate and releases.

A puff of force thrusts her back, followed by a metallic crack of impact. She doesn't fall over entirely, but drops to kneel. Rope reels through her gloved hands, yanked taut by a double-handed, totally normal pull. Another piton gets jammed in the ground, springing out four barbs for purchase. She steps on it with her full body weight to pin it down, giving some play as the remainder of the ropeline awaits. "Your carriage."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
The question about the gear is answered in a completely indirect and coy manner. "Well...you know, after the promotion. I, well...I felt it would be better if I brought a little more of science out to the field." Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? It also means that Jemma has been putting some work into things for at least a little while now. The idea of being able to control the drones through her special glasses is certainly not a thought she had before, though. The minor surprise with that, followed by the smile, is proof enough of that.

"I will want to see their laboratory." Of course Jemma does. "If there are any traces of Director Carter anywhere around here, I suspect we will find them there." Well...it is apparent then where Jemma wants to head to.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Those four heat signatures in the garages might be oblivious to Team Science scaling the exhaust pipes. But some nosey snake might peek their head out. And Dottie can't have that. So those guards who stayed at their post will soon realize their mistake.

She darts behind the tarps, crossing the lawn, taking cover. She grins. Time to take out the guards.

Melinda May has posed:
May glances to Dottie as Fitz and Foster head for the shaft. She knows what the Russian is going to do. So, the Commander flexes her left fist, sending a neuro signal to the band on her wrist. A sleek black-and-navy wave ripples out over her hand and up her arm, spreading over her body in less than a heartbeat, until she's encased in the suit -- sans helmet. She moves to the shaft.

"Go with Underwood and Simmons," she tells Jane. "I've got this." Yeah, it looks like they're splitting the party. Which means they'll need to hook up again inside. It also means May's going to have to split her 'muscle'. The priority is to locate Peggy. Jemma will have a better chance of that in the open, which means she'll need both Dottie and Jane. That means May's with Fitz.

"I'm going first, Fitz," she tells him. Because a) she's small, b) if there are any surprises, she's better equipped and experienced to deal with them, and c) she's the 'expendable' one of the two. Besides... *aggression therapy*. First in gets to hit back first, too.

She looks down the shaft. Her eyes narrow. "Hope you're not claustrophobic," she tells him. "I'm not sure your bag is going to fit while still on your back. Drop it down to me, once I'm at the bottom."

And in she goes.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Rappelling down the exhaust conduits is possible. The tops and soil are solid enough that Jane gets the firm attachment onto them and a steady way to help May and Fitz drop themselves. Of course, they are exhaust ports. Who knows what sort of steam or chemicals might be coming out of them. There's enough stain on the outside that they do look like they are being actively used. More than one person could enter that way as well, but they'll be going one at a time. It's going to be a small, cramped drop for all those who go.

Jemma's drones, as they come to life, do detect something very faint inside that reads of Peggy's DNA signature. Whether that's because there is a LOT of metal and mountain between them and the woman. or there just isn't that much of the woman left, is not entirely clear. But they can get inside to get a better reading, either through the door that Dottie is clearing now, or once the bottom grates on the exhaust are open, they could fly in there.

The four guards do catch sight of Dottie's movement, but it seems that Dottie is solo, so the back cargo door opens and two HYDRA agents spill forward with a spray of bullets in her direction. They aren't being careful with their ammo, they clearly think their SMGs have more than enough, so the whole hillside is getting a spray in efforts to put Dottie down. It also probably means they aren't HYDRA's sharpest of guards, or they'd have more disciplined fire. There are two more inside, using the cover of the edges of the cargo hatch, but that way is clear otherwise.

Rappelling down the exhaust hatches is a claustrophic's nughtmare. It's tiny and smells of caustic fires. There is a grate at the very bottom but it's not secured, as easily popped off as a manhole, because who would be insane enough to come down these shafts? May is still going to need to figure out how to manipulate it off with her feet before she gives Fitz the all clear. And there are bullets coming Fitz's direction as well. He's going to have to jump in very shortly after May or risk getting repeatedly shot.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Jemma's explanation gains something of a smile from Fitz, and as he's walking past, allowing Jane to get there first, he reaches a hand to set on Jemma's shoulder. "Don't hog all the good stuff from the lab. I'll see you there once I've taken care of the reactors."

Catching up with Jane, he's looking into the depths from over the side. The line is set, but before he can take hold of it, May becomes his personal bodyguard. Blue eyes look at the inscrutable woman before he nods, waiting for her to head down first.

Once she's down, and she's ready for it, his backpack of goodies is sent down with the line.

It's then that the hillside erupts with bullets. Dropping flat onto his belly, making a much smaller target, Fitz is glancing over the edge. "I.. I should be good. If it'll get me out of the line of fire, I'm all for it."

Pulling up the line once more, once May gives him the 'all clear', he'll happily squeeze down. It's the quickest route to the reactors!

Jane Foster has posed:
Becoming the equivalent of a modern chimney sweep would normally call for a pithy statement about shined shoes or Dickens. Given they have neither Sam Wilson or Bucky Barnes for such a wisecrack, the moment proves lost. Jane rises up from her crouched position after seeing the rappelling line solidly planted, and nods briskly to Fitz and May. That leaves her following her fellow Furiae and a trained killer. "Next time," she asides softly to Jemma, "we need to talk about electrostatic gloves." Wall-crawling, coming to a SHIELD near you.

Supposing they can get back at all. Bullets chewing up the ground in Dottie's wake force her to withdraw, staying low to the ground. Her gear isn't perfectly soundproofed, shifting in the bag and presenting a tactical consideration. Slender pipes turned sideways might get stuck or rattled, requiring her to sling the bag forward over her chest. Crossfire ricocheting across the grounds require a scramble and duck method to not get shot. More importantly, to draw attention from Jemma to her if Dottie somehow should fail.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
There is one benefit to sloppy shooting and inattentive Hydra goons. It allows for Jemma to test out the drones' ability to be her 'eyes in the sky' as it were. A hand slips into the combat pack and pull out the glasses. Which, at least on Jemma's part, look a bit more stylish than the bulky ballistics gear she originally started out with. They actually seem to go with the whole ensemble. Tres spy chic. Jemma slides the glasses on and taps the left bow, activating the link up and powering on the spectrum glasses. Jemma finds herself a cozy spot, just out of the line of fire, and taps her wrist computer. "Let's just see how integrated Fitz made our little DWARFs."

And the answer is....pretty integrated. With the SMGs trained on Dottie, the drones are able to take the high road and sneak in to the cargo hold with little difficulty. Jemma switches to what seems to be a com channel....just for the sneaky team. <Two guards at the door with storm trooper aim. Another two inside, using the hatch as cover. And...most certainly traces of Carter DNA here, though sparse. Should be able to at least track using what I can see.> A tap on the wrist computer and the drone vision slides into a corner of Jemma's view, allowing Jemma to see where she is going as well as keeping tabs with surveillance.

Why?

Well, the fact that Jemma is pulling out her ICER should give enough clue. She is going to help clear the road, just a bit more humanely than others might. "Ready, Jane? Time to put that training with Daisy to good use."

Yes, Jemma is not afraid to jump in. She's seen evidence of Peggy. That's all the motivation she needs to get in there to see what is going on.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dodging the spray of bullets from the ground squids, Dottie pops up from behind cover to take out one of the guards with a single measured shot. Then, running directly at the people with the automatic weapons, she fires at another one. Once he falls, she closes distance, pushing her way through the open door. The two inside are dispatched with ease -- one dies of a broken neck, the other collapses with a knife in her chest.

She peeks her head outside, and beckons for the other two women to join her.

Melinda May has posed:
Just before she enters the shaft, catching the scent and heat of the steam billowing out, May activates the helmet on her armour. Instant o2 scrubber and HUD. Activating the a-grav jets on the back of her armour, she pulls out her plasma blades and, arms by her side drops straight down to the grate all those feet below.

As her feet touch the metal plate, she activates the blades. They ignite straight down. Turning in a purposeful circle, she lets the blades do their work, until the grate drops out from under her and she lands straight down on the floor below.

On the surface, as the bullets fly, the echo of surprised shouts and cries of alarm can be heard drifting up the shaft. They don't last long. May is very, very good at what she does. And she landed in the middle of a bunch of engineers, in advanced armour with a pair of blazing sci-fi swords. Yep. HYDRA's having a very, very bad day.

Those who resisted, she took out. Those who surrendered were bound and gagged. Once that's done, she gives Fitz the all clear and catches his bag when it's dropped. It gets set aside and she stands guard as he descends.

But once he's down, she looks at him, "Clock's ticking. The others are going to need our help."

Peggy Carter has posed:
HYDRA is having a *very* bad day. Most of their capable guards and heavy hitters have gone forward to fight with the team that came in the front. No one imagined they'd end up inside the reactor room, but that's where they are. Half a dozen engineers and two guards are presented to May, two who attempt to go for guns, but she makes fast work of them. Four are conscious and gagged when she's done, four out cold, and the whole array of panels, connections to the reactor, and various computers are now bared at Fitz's fingertips.

All the panels require biometic IDs if Fitz wants to get into them. However, there are several unconscious engineers to be used for such things! He's got successful run of the reactor room now.

Through the cargo hatch, four bodies are falling in quick order. Dottie is simply more prepared than the HYDRA low level agents and no one expects her to use walls or be that quick in her work. Widows know their stuff. Jemma's little drones have gone *completely* unnoticed, hovering into the cooridors and down along the walls. The collection of Peggy's DNA is stronger one level down and two turns to the left, one of the main labs. The door is protected by two more guards and, inside, there are two men very quickly starting to pack up a large amount of valuable DNA evidence and experiments. One load has already been sent on an elevator up to the surface, to an idling getaway car. The are preparing another. Behind locked glass cages are half a dozen other science experiments -- people -- but most look unconscious.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
The rope line comes snaking down, and while it's a touch ungraceful, Fitz does manage to get to the ground without falling over. As he lets go of the rope, however, he turns his hands, palms up, and blows on them. "Rope burns," is muttered.

It's not more than a few seconds before he scoops up his back, however, and tossing it over his back, he's pulling out his tablet in the next turn. He stands there for no longer than a few heartbeats, though it may seem like forever, hitting the keys before the little, silent drones go flying off down one of the corridors, high and tight against the ceiling.

"Mmmm.." and he bites his lower lip before he points in the direction the DWARFs are going, "That way." Even as he speaks, Fitz is on the move, looking both at his tablet guide and the corridor.. back and forth.

Reactor room... and it's only a pause in his step that needs be taken before he's working on the bio-keys.. and all is laid bare for him.

The backpack is set down once more at his feet, and he's moving across the control room, around the engineers and onto the boards. "Now, y'little thing. Where is.. aaaaah." He'd said they were mirrored, yes? No single point of failure?

Fitz looks for the main control panel, and while it does take a few tries, he's in, and says as much in a murmured sound of victory. "Okay.. where.. there ye are.." His accent gets thicker the deeper in work and thought he gets. Upon the monitors, the different reactors shine, and he glances over his shoulder towards May, "They connected these things. I.. I think it's our lucky day."

//Shutdown in 120 seconds.//

There's a timer.. and all that needs be done is lock everyone else out.

"Jemma," Fitz is on coms, "I've got the network of reactors. Shutting down in 120. Tell me you're close."

Fitz swings back around towards May, his head nodding quickly as he scoops up his bag. "It isn't going to blow. I promise. Just.. shut down an' not be good for a restart unless they break my code."

Jane Foster has posed:
Evidently the hour to go for a nice stroll through a HYDRA facility will be when the heavy lifting happens in the front. Point to Team Science. Though it's with some reluctance that Jane advances into the cargo hold, breaking into a run for cover. The hatch provides a suitable barrier, but she isn't going to stand there at the mouth hoping for a path to be cleared. Vehicles give some protection and so does staying low, ICER at the ready to shoot whatever hasn't made it through Dottie's lethal fire.

Knowing where exactly to go is another matter. Jemma's lead will be necessary for that.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
A look at the ICER in her hand...and then back to Dottie...and Jemma shrugs and re-holsters her weapon. "Well, okay then."

Back to the matter at hand. A couple taps on the wrist computer and Jemma overlays the DNA tracer over her regular vision. This provides her with a clear view of whatever trace amounts of Carter chromosomes are detectable. And...with the drones in the air, she had built in triangulation to determine where she needs to go.

It is almost as if Jemma planned for the situation. Well, she has said she was always extremely good at preparation.

With her augmented viewpoint, Jemma doesn't dawdle as she heads in. "Judging from the trace amounts, Peggy was here. But....not any longer. Though....yes. There is a concentration of DNA in a centralized location. A box." A beat. "Bloody hell, they took samples of her. I don't know why, yet...but I intend to find out."

The ICER is back out...and is intended to be used. Dottie might be able to take the guards out before Jemma can fire a shot...but Jemma's focus is on the samples. Therefore, the ICER is meant not necessarily for the guards...but for the two lab workers trying to clear out the evidence. Jemma means to get those samples...

Dottie Underwood has posed:
The guards, on the other hand, get no such consideration. The moment they appear, Dottie puts them down. Now is not the time for prolonged engagements. And if they'd wanted to survive, they should have chosen an employer who wouldn't have put them in the fatal position of getting in the way of a hundred year old Widow, one who still keeps in fighting fit.

Melinda May has posed:
May nods to Fitz as he tells her what she needs to know. "Then let's get out of here." Time to meet up with the others.

"<<Underwood,>>" she says into comms as she approaches the door. "<<What's your twenty?">> She leaves her helmet on. It has enhanced optics and a HUD. Very useful.

She swaps her blades out for her ICER and eases into the hallway. A pair of HYDRA troopers round the corner. They drop like they've hit a brick wall, simply because her shots are that quick and precise.

Moving swiftly, expecting Fitz to keep up as she clears the way, she uses her HUD display to track body signatures and establish firing vectors. Even so, a couple of troopers let loose with their machine guns before she can nail them. She recoils briefly, letting her suit's kinetic barriers absorb and reflect the impacts.

"My turn," she replies, a sharp smile on her lips. She activates her jumpjets and literally rockets forward, pulling plasma blades as she goes. It's *possible* she's channelling emotions from the *wrong* people, right now.

Suffice it to say... the troopers are no longer a problem, and she and Fitz are a whole helluva lot closer to meeting up with everyone else in whatever lab it is they're going to.

Peggy Carter has posed:
There are more guards from beneath. People being woken out of bunks, the last ditch effort, but all their A-team was up front and seems to have been handled. There's a scramble of feet down the hall, running for both the reactor room and the lab. Those inside will have to contend with the last dozen guards left to this base's name, but that's it. And then May is pulling out her plasma blades and her anger. Those HYRDA agents never had a chance. There's the sound of pained shouts and surprise coming from the hallways between the reactor room and the lab, but no more enemy soldiers. They even try to fire at Fitz, instead of May, but it's likely she intercepts most of those bullets.

Meanwhile, Zola and Stucker are sharing a moment of a look. Only one of them is going to fit into the hidden dumbwaiter that is taking up the most valuable samples (including a bit of Chief Carter, though there is FAR more of her left behind in the lab.) HYDRA is never magnamous and while Zola's mind might be the most important, it's Strucker who is stronger. He flings his once-colleague back into the Lab, to be stuck by SHIELD's brightest science minds, while he ducks himself into that small lift with his best experiments, titanium doors shutting, and he's beginning to rise to the surface.

Inside the lab, other than the mostly unconscious lab experiments -- people which mutations cybernetic augumentations to somewhat horrific degrees. One looks like they are just a farm for growing other, augmented body parts -- ears, fingers, other limbs all connected to the surface of the body, all with extra cybernetics in them. Another has a fogged up interior that is half filled with water and cyber gills forcibly shoved into the side of his throat. Another has spikes growing out of her body in every which way, some others sticking in the wall, either shot there or shredded. None of them look healthy. They are all growing grounds.

Inside the lab, there are many other samples in smaller tanks and coolers. They have some of Peggy's blood, hair and skin all on slides carefully frozen away for the future. But there are two other, very tiny tanks, one of which is reading all to be a match of Peggy's DNA. Whatever is growing inside -- a small blob of cells at the moment suspended in fluid -- it's all Peggy.

This lab is filled with dozens of atrocities. And Armin Zola on the floor, desperate for his guards to win, but the loss is already showing in his eyes. This base likely needs destroyed, all these things scrubbed from the planet, not just shut down electronically.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Fitz jogs up to stand beside May, his face looking at hers, and he nods his understanding. The ICER comes out of his hand, though with his companion, it's doubtful it'll see any use.

Fitz does indeed keep up, the steady progression down corridors is an easy one when one has the likes of Commander May. To be fair, he also makes it a touch easier by not running out here and there; he's predictable. He's also not too bad a shot with his weapon, managing to get off a few shots and actually hitting one of the guards!

Pointing in a direction, even though she has her HUD up, Fitz knows it's one of the ways to the lab, and the little drones lead the way!

Jane Foster has posed:
Time is up. The abominations to life laid out before her sends a keening, silent shudder up Jane's back. Bodies used as living gardens for harvested organs and extremities violates every ethic held dear, the splendour of life perverted by the many-headed monster who strikes humanity again and again. Maybe if the Olympians did it right the first time round, Hercules would've caved this thing in. Alas, Jane has no Iolaus, but a golden sword...

"Black hole sun," she shouts to Jemma. The ICER is pointless, simply forgotten. A sprint through the lab bypasses the jars and suspension chambers, the coolers a blur that reveal counts in peculiar detail. She might be going to level-set a few matters with Arnim Zola -- affairs that never were concluded, a little matter that some nice legal proceedings in a German town left completely open. He'd be wrong to think her sights rested on him.

She goes for the dumbwaiter. Nobel Prize Laureate astrophysicist also gets some of her energy out scrambling up near vertical surfaces. Little to see when she dashes into the space abandoned by the rising lift, even if it means forcibly prying a door open. Scrambling boots for a few moments, the sound of her slapping one of the black sticky pads into the shaft and then another. Similar to a harrowing situation in the basement of a New York metro station, she had to rip small holes in space to devour terrigen-laced bombs. This time isn't all that different. A thump to wedge herself in leads to utter silence.

Rather than warp space, she falls out of it, the only thing tethering her in a corporeal form coming undone for a moment. Lock to a key, the unmoored soul rises through the Astral at speeds arms or legs just cannot match. She rises until entombed not in blackness but a space with objects, forbidden biological specimens, and someone bearing the wages of their sins. Effortless to bypass the wall like it was nothing. To rise a little higher than the floor and emerge, soundless, with a featureless silver helm and cybernetic scales fanned over her like Jormungandr for the 22nd century. The Valkyrie whirls like a dervish, the weapon in her hands no electrified hammer but a radiant scythe that slams from diagonally from corner to corner through the floor.

<<Boo, asshole.>>

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Jemma's voice cuts in over the coms. <<Laboratory discovered. There are other people here, unconscious. Plus, appears that samples were taken of the Director. Securing samples. There appears to be an elevator here leading out as well. The trail leads out that way. Intend to follow the trail.>>

That....is her report for Leo's request. In other words, yes, she's there and she is going to take care of business. Well...Jemma and Jane. As Jane sprints forward, past the laboratory freak show towards the elevator, Jemma takes just a moment to take inventory. Guards? Down for good, courtesy of Dottie. Two of the lab assistants? A pair of ICER rounds from Jemma's own firearm and the two crumble to the floor. Carter DNA? Practically all over the place, little bits here and there. Yes...they were doing something here.

And yet, all Jemma can wonder about is the health of the unborn life that resides with Peggy, as well as Peggy herself.

However, an unexpected prize. Zola, on the floor. The sprinting Jane was enough to distract the Hydra scientist....enough so that Jemma's own approach is not heard. That is, until the muzzle of a railgun is pointed between his eyes. As Zola looks up, Jemma stands true, her expression set in a grim mask. She has seen more than enough of what Hydra calls 'science'. As Jemma squeezes the trigger of her ICER, she offers Zola only two words in greeting.

"Guten nacht."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
<<Peg's not here,>> Dottie informs May. <<Just samples.>> She surveys the other inhabitants of the lab. <<And some freak experiments.>>

The scientists engaged in the petty squabble spark only passing recognition. After all, neither of the men have every harmed her directly. She's been the subject of plenty of human experiments over the century. And these are not the faces that haunt her dreams.

Still she starts securing the unconscious scientists. And she doesn't even maim any of them as she fastens their limbs together.

Melinda May has posed:
May would curse, but, frankly, she's not entirely surprised. By now she should have felt *something* from Peggy.

She leads Fitz through the maze to join Jemma in the lab. Her helmet melts away, and the rage in her eyes as she takes in the macabre horror that is the lab isn't anything she tries to hide or quell. She doesn't need to; not one on her team feels any differently. She ought to know...

Though, of course, that means she only proves why she's one of the few people on Earth who can wield the ragestaff and not be lost to it. She's still in control.

"Where's Foster?" She looks around the lab, lip curling in disgust at what she sees. Her eyes settle on those on her team that *are* in the room. "As soon as the base is secure, we need to know what the fuck they think they were doing here," she tells them grimly. "And once we know, we need to burn this place to the ground."

She looks toward the dumbwaiter. "I'm going after Foster." And whomever is unlucky enough to encounter the Valkyrie as well.

She pries open the doors to the shaft and slips within, her jumpjets providing lift and her plasma blades providing light. Maybe she can't phase through the floor, but she can damned well rip through it, if she needs to.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Zola doesn't even have a moment to say anything, but he gives a surprised squawk of protest, his eyes going wide, before his head jerks back and he's unconscious on the floor. Another valuable prisoner for SHIELD's cells. The lab will be long in cleaning up, biohazards needing scrubbed and the prisoners are all in delicate medical conditions to transport out, but Peggy is gone. There is one empty cell that has slightly more traces of her DNA. She was here, but not for long.

There are lots of HYDRA agents to interrogate later. Even scientists that were working directly in the lab where Peggy was held. Strucker is among the, even if he thought he was going to escape, he was NOT ready for a ghost of a woman to share that very small space with him. The dumbwaiter screeches, never quite making it's destination as she cuts through the whole space with a radiant scythe. Then there is May at the bottom. She'll have to use the escape hatch, but she has the opportunity to when the thing finally hits the surface. Which is good, because there are two last guards there, waiting to help get him out of there. May and Jane can both clean them up fairly neatly, and the last chance of anyone who isn't SHIELD escaping this base. The team has stopped them all. Today has been a massive win for SHIELD. There's only one person missing...