1257/The Hunger: Wings of Destruction

The Hunger: Wings of Destruction
Date of Scene:	20 April 2020
Location:	Flushing Meadows Park
Synopsis:	A surprise attack on the Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows leads to a pitched battle on the ground and in the skies!
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Riri Williams, Sam Wilson, Shuri, Lara Croft, Dex Alruin, Morrigan MacIntyre

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Tony Stark has posed:
The Stark Expo has been going full tilt for almost a week now, with pavilions set up all throughout Flushing Meadows exhibiting the most advanced science and technology available on Earth. Beyond this, there's also insights into the Expo's past including rides in a flying car designed and built by Howard Stark during the Second World War. The crowds are thick even in the early evening, with throngs of people milling about on the outdoor concrete walkways and passing through the gates in and out of the many pavilions.

One of the most busy pavilions is that of Starrware, exhibiting prototype technology the likes of which has never been seen before on Earth. The pavilion itself is packed with people clamoring to see the anti-gravity projectors, or the holographic displays that seem so life-like and solid that they could be mistaken for the real thing.

Riri Williams has posed:
     Having already amde an appearance in the Mark II at the Expo's opening ceremonies, Riri's currently orbiting the fairgrounds at about a thousand feet up keeping an eye on things in the Mark I. Plus, she can make extra sure nobody's crossing into the airspace marked off for the flying car demo. Knowing supervillains, at least one of them would probably like to steal the thing for bragging rights if nothing else. Even if nothing happens, she's never going to get tired of the view.

Sam Wilson has posed:
While most of this tech is stuff that Sam could probably get a look in the Triskelion or by simply being at the mansion, he wanted an excuse to just be out and get some air and spend some time being a civilian. A pair of sunglasses are pulled on to attempt to mask his identity, matched with a tweed hat that goes with his shirt, tie and slacks. Steve uses a baseball cap, Sam's just classing it up a little.

Especially when considering his company as he walks with Morrigan, the pair of them looking over some of the tech at Starrware. "What do you think?" he asks her, pulling back from one of the anti-grav projectors with a grin as he looks around. "I think we can probably swing taking the school here for a field trip next week?" he suggests to her. "Or at least before the Expo closes. I know Tony gave out a ton of free passes, I don't think he'd complain about it."

Shuri has posed:
Shuri was actually here to see more of the expo. She had not really gotten to see a ton of what she wanted on opening night because, well, that was when the biggest crowd was here. Now she can walk around and see more. She hmms as she walks in and she casually brings up a small screen on her wrist and types in something. A moment later, Riri's will get a message with a picture of Shuri waving and the words <At hte expo, if you want to join.> She then looks around and starts checking out the various displays.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara Croft is amongst the crowds. She's wearing a light grey hoodie that is zipped up to mid chest with a white tanktop on beneath it, a pair of brown denim pants and a worn pair of leather boots on her feet. Over her eyes she wears a pair of black aviator sunglasses that shine the ambient lights back as her eyes look this way and that, though with the sun setting she'll likely pull them up soon. Her hair is tied back into a loose pony and in her right hand she's holding a drink cup she'd gotten from a nearby vendor. The technology on display here is impressive and she's particularly interested in the holographics being put on display as that is some very cutting edge stuff.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex... well, Dex is in paradise right now. After leaving his bag with an employee outside the Expo, a bag that contained his Proto-Shot and its solar battery pack, the young man had spent the next several hours roaming the expo in awe. He knew, of course, how advanced Stark Industries technology was, but to be able to see it all in action, right in front of his eyes? It was enough to leave him speechless. As though he talked all that much anyway, really. But his eyes are wide and his jaw mostly just hanging open all the time.

    People around him are likely giving him an amused smirk or annoyed glance as he wanders the exhibits with a wanderlust, eager to take in everything he can while making a note or three about how he might be able to improve the Proto-Shot. Granted, none of this gear was within his reach, but a man can dream, right? And right now, Dex Alruin is almost sure he must be dreaming. Luckily, he blends in well enough with the throngs, dressed in a green t-shirt and blue jeans, hair cleanly parted and eyes darting to and fro with excitement.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's dressed in a red business like dress this evening. Paired with her wealth of bright red hair and pale skin it's something that makes her stand out. She gives a smile to Sam as she looks to his hat and then back to what they were perusing already, "Nice hat." she murmurs to him.

"And I think we can swing it. Just need to make sure none of them go crazy over things." she muses to that. "Samuel's probably ready to get back over here." she admits. "You feeling alright? Nothing is hurting?" she asks him.

Tony Stark has posed:
As Dex Alruin admires the technology on display, a slender man in dark clothes bumps into him heavily with a shoulder. He pauses for a moment to regard Dex before muttering something in a strange, guttural language that definitely doesn't sound like an apology. He turns then, disappearing back into the crowds without another word.

High above, the sensors built into the Mark I chime for Riri, pinging ... something . An intruder in the airspace for certain, but a visual scan shows nothing. The sensors nevertheless continue to scream that something is definitely approaching, and only when it is perilously close does it become visible. A figure in pitch black armor that seems to absorb the light rather than reflect it, a pair of angular wings jutting from the back. The helmet, when it is close enough, has a bird-like appearance with a pair of baleful eyes glaring through the eye holes.

The armored man flings himself at Riri shoulder first, attempting to bodily knock her from the air and screaming at the top of his lungs in an untranslatable tongue:

"ROTH THANAGAR!"

Almost simultaneously around the Expo, chaos breaks loose. A series of energy weapons discharge from out of the darkness, sending up plumes of flame that the attendees scatter to avoid. More figures in winged armor emerge, soaring around fifty feet above the main concourse. They carry weapons of no earthly manufacture, firing indiscriminately into the crowds but not seeming to aim for anyone specifically.

In the chaos, the slender man in the dark clothing runs straight towards the Starrware pavilion ...

Riri Williams has posed:
     Okay, this is weird. No locks on either end, but SOMETHING's coming in on radar. And then she's slammed into with a CLANG and loses about three hundred feet before regaining control. "Flares!" Twin dispensers pop out from her hips, and the air is filled with brilliant white chunks as Ironheart deploys countermeasures. HOpefully that'll blind him enough that she can get a repulsor shot in, which with the right lead, should be.... There! The attacker tumbles, and then they're both clawing for altitude, beam weapons flashign occasionally on Riri's end as she tries to make attack runs

Sam Wilson has posed:
"Nothing strange so far. I mean, the good thing about this is that with all the people around, there aren't many birds. I mean, they're nearby. But far enough way that it's not overbearing." Sam explains to Morrigan and then gives her a swift smile. "Stop worrying so much, I'll let you know if it gets bad. I'm not one of your students." he points out to her teasingly. He had just noticed Lara and was about to give a wave to her when the first explosions go off, rocking the pavillion.

"I don't think this was the planned Strakvaganza firework show he had planned!" Sam taps the side of his glasses, and they shift into the combat goggles for the Exo-7. "I need to get up there." he admits to Morrigan, a glance towards her quickly as he is already pressing a few things on his wrist. "I'm bringing the Falcon armor in, Redwing fetch!" he calls into his wristcomm as he turns his attention to the redhead for a moment. "Help get the people clear to the exits. And be careful." He almost says more, but instead he shoots her a swift smile. "I'll see you for ice cream later."

He runs past the slender man -- it doesn't ping on his radar as he is heading outdoors, looking to the sky for the drone to arrive with his combat harness. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a cool suit up sequence like Iron Man, that will have to be something he looks into later. He does manage however, to get the pack pulled on and strapped into place. His wings unfurl and he launches skywards. <<Falcon on scene!>> he calls out over comms as he tries to link people up, and as he gets his first real look at where the attack is coming from, his lips pull into a thin line.

<<These aren't the first time that these aliens have attacked, people. They were part of the Alliance Alliance thing back in '12. They're winged people, Thanagarians. Excellent at hand to hand combat, keep your distance in engagements! They're the uncool version of Prince Vultan.>> Bonus points to anyone that gets the reference.

Shuri has posed:
A blink as she suddenly hears what is going on and Shuri stares, "DIdn't think I'd get to test all this out so soon." She reaches up and taps the bead in her ear and a visor flows over her face. She then does the same to her wrist. Flowing over her body like a small light show, a sheer black armor with various designs appears and simply covers her form from neck to toe and all the way out to her hands. She reaches down and pulls out a pair of truncheons, flicking them on.

A moment later a line shoots out from her hip and slams into a nearby wall and pulls her up and away. A moment later she is pushing off said wall as white wings flow over her back and flex out. She flies right for one of the men with the weird weapons and swings for the fences only for him to duck nimbly underneath.

<<Riri, I got my wings on. I'll try to take someone off of you.>>

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara raises her sunglasses up and off of her head to fold the limbs together and tuck them in to the hem of her tanktop. She lifts her drink up for another sip as she watches one of the automated displays talking about the features of it's own programming.

And then aliens attack!

Thanagarians to be specific... they're world renowned, famous, they made themselves known to the world in 2012 when Lara was 14. She'd seen the news reports of the attack while on a survival expedition with her mentor Conrad Roth, deep in the Amazon they'd only been able to watch as it all unfolded across the world.

'It's best we're not there, Lara.' Conrad had told her. 'A lot of people are dying.'

It didn't stop her from wanting to be there to try to help, even if she was just a kid back then. She's no longer a kid now though, and with it happening so sudenly, Lara reacts to the random attacks and tries to help others get out of the way. "Come on!" Lara shouts to a large group. "Get under here!" She motions them toward cover.

In her hand, Lara is holding her handgun... fingers clenching it tightly. Her opposite hand pulls up her SHIELD comm and she starts reporting the attack across the emergency channel.

Lara hadn't seen Sam before, but when his voice comes across the comms she looks up in the sky to see him, she knows others will be coming in response to this... but how long will it take?

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex is sent off balance slightly as the dark-clothed figure runs into him. He spins on his heels and steadies himself, noting the grunting voice and realizing that, while he didn't understand it, he also didn't like the sound of it. However, rather than just demanding an apology like most New Yorkers would, Dex instead decides to follow the figure. At least as much as he can before the crowds churn around him, the slender figure merging into the crowd and causing Dex a bit of distress. However, his eyes are drawn upward shortly after, hearing a scream that, while he can't be sure, might be tied to his mark. He sees an Iron Man suit in the air, before it's hit by... what? It takes his eyes some time to make out the shape of the armor against the evening sky, and then he's forced to abandon even that line of thought as the distinct sound of energy weapon discharges begin ringing out into the crowd. It's another moment before he spots more armors of the same design, and he's already in motion before he can fully process it.

    One part of him wants to immediately go after the man that had bumped him, now feeling certain he was related to the attack being orchestrated. However, he knows that going after what might be a supervillain of some sort would be utter suicide if he didn't at the very least equip himself. And so he makes his way back to the entrance and, after a long moment, finds his bag and opens it up, slinging the battery onto the small of his back and drawing the metallic recurve bow into a readied position. With his Proto-Shot in tow, he dives back into the Expo, now fighting against the fleeing crowds.

    As he pushes through the throngs, he can see one figure seeming to be calmly running deeper into the Expo. A slender, dark-clothed figure. His mark. He scans the air, then speaks softly to his weapon. "Deploy string."

    The entire recurve glows with a dull red light, before, with a sharp hum, a bowstring appears constructed entirely from hard light. Tucking the weapon close to his side, he breaks into a sprint, not drawing up against his target quite yet but keeping his eyes high, running after the man toward the Starrware section of the Expo.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan was just about to tell Sam not to jinx them, but, there he goes jinxing them! "Oh come on, Sam!" the redhead grumps a bit. Then there's the sudden fire of energy weapons and there's a look to him like 'OH WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS!'

But not right now!

She gives a look after the man that goes running and then back to Sam, "You go do your thing. I'll help out." she states as she hurries off to go direct some of the people towards an exit.

Tony Stark has posed:
The battle rages on high above, Riri twisting and tumbling through the air locked in combat with one of the armored Thanagarians. The figure whom Shuri swung at and missed turns his attention on her immediately, no longer focused on the crowds below or the Expo itself. He turns nimbly in the air, drawing what looks like a heavy mace from his belt and attempting to bludgeon the Wakandan Princess with it as he rockets through the air after her.

The man Dex is following continues to move against the crowds into the rapidly-emptying Starrware pavilion. He doesn't seem to be checking if he's being followed, relying instead on the chaos to give him cover. When Lara and Morrigan begin to direct people to safety, they obediently follow. They've been in New York long enough to know that you listen to the authoritative voice when the chaos. It's as they're moving the people around that Lara's foot bumps into a black, nondescript duffel bag secluded under one of the benches.

Sam's rocketing into the air doesn't go unnoticed, and one of the Thanagarians breaks off to intercept him. The shape of the armor and the sound of their voice suggests a female behind the hawkish mask, and as she charges a hi-tech spear extends in her hand. She jabs it towards him, shouting out angrily in her alien tongue as she does so.

Riri Williams has posed:
     <<"Shuri! I could use a targeting solution if you can get one, I can't get a guidance lock on these guys, so missiles are no go this close to the fairgrounds! Opening the tactical link now!">> On the next pass, Riri fires her usual repulsor beam, before the omni-blade flares out right before the 'close encounter'. It stays on just long enough for an attempted slash, and then they're back at it again, the teen nervously checking her status indicators

Sam Wilson has posed:
Look, just listen to Principal MacIntyre, and noone will get the 'look'. That same one that Sam got just as he took flight as Falcon. But he can worry about that later. A pair of machine pistols jump out from the backpack and he grabs them, opening fire on the Thanigarian that's closing in on him. "Look, if you're going to invade, at least learn the language, first!"

When he hears Riri's cry for assistance, while Falcon may not know who Shuri and Riri are, but. <<Hey, Iron Girl! Get ready for a tac link!>> he calls out to her, and then he launches the Redwing drone from his back. The sleek drone takes flight just as Sam slams his wings together in front of him in a shield to cocoon himself from the Thanagarian lance. The drone gets to attitude, and starts to feed it's tactical data to Riri, giving her a different view of the battlefield and hopefully giving her an advantage as it coordinates with the two girls.

As he twists away from the spear, he sends a kick at the woman, that sweeps by her as Sam gets air with his thrusters, using his wings defensively. "Alright... so you got wings. Are you a bird?" he asks her, reaching out and concentrating with his recently acrquired telepathy to try to see if the woman might be avian-like.

It's a long shot, but if he can get an idea of what the devil they're doing here...

Shuri has posed:
<<No problem, Riri.>> Shuri replies and soon she'll be getting data from the visor that Shuri is wearing. She turns nimbly in the air though she is no where near as good as these Thangarians with wings. She looks at the situation and then she calls up data on them as she moves. Trying her best to learn as she goes but it isn't easy even for her. She flies up over the one trying to attack her back and she gives him a hard swing right for his shoulder only to get clipped herself. Luckily, the first real test of her armor seems to negate most of the damage. She winces all the same as she shifts in the air.

<<Falcon.>> She calls out through her visor, <<What do you know of these flying aliens? I am getting some basics but it isn't telling me enough.>> She pulls out something from her hip and flips it into the air, <<Also, it is about to get really bright up here.>> And a moment later, the thing she threw out, lets out a burst of light right in the middle of the sky for just a moment even as her own visor briefly tints over to protect her before returning to normal.

Lara Croft has posed:
In emergency situations like this, all a person like Lara can do is try to buy other's moments and opportunities to get away from the chaos and get to some level of safety. This is what she's doing when she sees someone trip over the duffle bag that is very much the type of displaced bag that airports warn you about.

As people rush past her to get under the cover of a concrete and stone structure, Lara turns and moves past them to get to the bag. She crouches down beside it and runs a hand over it before she looks up and to the chaos. Her SHIELD-comm starts talking and she back to it, communicating with Sam over it. With her phone out she's linked into the Redwing's systems and she sees the information coming across to her now.

"Wow, okay." Lara's a quick learner though and the touch screen commands are intuitive. Her eyes go back to the duffle though and as she flies the Redwing around to start scanning and targetting the Alien Invaders with it!

Her free hand pulls the zipper on the bag open though and when she see's what's inside of it she blinks, several quick times...

Dex Alruin has posed:
    While others with more authority handle evacuation, and those with more combat experience and better weapons focus on the bulk of the threats, Dex falls into step and charges his way to the Starrware pavilion. His bow hums with energy, ready to be drawn, but he feels like he might be a little overzealous in just trying to hobble the figure he's following. On top of that, he's still working against civilians, and thus can't guarantee himself a clean shot. So he presses forward, all thoughts of the wonders around him falling to the wayside. Instead, he needs to figure out what this guy ahead of him is after.

    Why? He's not really sure. Surely Stark has enough influence to destroy anything he could get a hold of, right? Maybe. Maybe not. He can't really fathom the consequences if not.

    So he moves, bow tucked to one side, fingers moving to the string in case he needs to draw it in a hurry. "Prepare arrow, standby," he says quietly. An arrow, made of a similar construct light as the bow, appears on the string and nocks itself, the shaft cutting off at the edge of the bow and leaving the point unconstructed as he presses through the escaping crowds.

    His eyes sweep back and forth, making sure to keep on alert in case one of the skybound folks spots him tailing their guy on the ground.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan looks up to the sky and there's a glow that comes to her eyes, yep, this week just peaked at the worst possible moment. There's a look over the thinning crowd and she already into things. The herd of people are managing to get out of the way fast and that is a good thing. "Sir the exit is the other way!" the redhead calls as she is trying to catch up with her. Her hands flutter in front of her, neon violet energy ebbing out as she quickly shields herself.

In case the lanky dude was going to try something.

Tony Stark has posed:
The bright flash of light high above throws the four Thanagarians still in the open sky off kilter. The one nearest Shuri throws his arm over his eyes, spitting out what definitely sounds like a curse word. The Thanagarian locked in battle with Riri is already looking worse for wear, parts of his armor having burnt away under repulsor barrages. But he fights on. The spear-wielding woman continues to savagely thrust the weapon at Sam, prescient enough to cover her eyes from the blast. But that's when there's a strange, fleeting connection and the point of the spear lowers down to face the ground for a second.

<What is this?> she thinks, the words alien but somehow discernible by the telepathic link, <Dominator!> As though overcome with a sudden fury, she attempts to jab the spear at Falcon again.

Inside the pavilion, the lanky man finally arrives at the area he was looking for. The crowds have mostly thinned out now, and he doesn't bother to look around before driving his fist into the glass display case and shattering it. He begins to look through the Starrware products on display, turning them over in his hands critically and muttering in his strange language before throwing them aside and looking for more.

At the same time, another of the Thanagarians outside breaks off from the frey and descends towards the pavilion. A blast of his energy weapon shatters part of the skylight and he descends on black wings down towards the slender man at the display cases. They exchange words in their tongue. An astute listener might hear what sound like names - "Deron Nul" and "Fel Toj" being exchanged. The Thanagarian in the armor points at a Starrware prototype laptop, prompting the unarmored one to gather it up in his arms. As he runs, he calls out through a thick accent: "I go! I go! Wrong way! Mistake!"

When Morrigan calls out, he turns suddenly with the laptop clutched protectively against his chest. He makes a break for it, running towards Dex but away from Morrigan, unaware that the archer is present. The armored Thanagarian takes to the air again, attempting to dart back out the way he came rather than fighting.

Lara, however, finds herself looking at what appear to be a pair of metallic, black wings concealed in the duffel bag. Nearby, she'll see that slender man who was robbing the Starrware pavilion running right for her location, although still several seconds away.

Riri Williams has posed:
     Riri's cameras automatically dim when the light flash happens, and there's the harsh tone of a missile lock in her ears. She confirms it, the bright line connecting her to several of the flying attackers that aren't /too/ close to her friends. Maximum flight speed once on intercept, warheads on the focused setting that would send a solid lance of repulsor energy through armor. The one she'd been melee fighting has the bad luck to recieve the micro-missile directly to an already damaged armor plate, and goes tumbling downwards to crash land in a fountain.

Sam Wilson has posed:
<<I just know what they are because a group of them attacked us in the mountains of Afghanistan back when I was in the Air Force.>> Sam responds to Shuri. <<But they're attacking here for a reason. Can't be a weapon. Tony wouldn't have weapons on display here. And they're not attacking just because it's a group of humans. Thanagarians are big on the whole... artifact thing. If Agent Croft's on the comm, she may be able to share more information than that.>> he manages to polarize his goggles against the blinding flash from Shuri's strobe - but he doesn't get a chance to use it to his advantage.

Because that is when he catches the woman's thoughts and he winces as the whole telepathy thing is still very new to him. <What's a Dominator?> he asks her. But with the question and answer and the situation with it affects him as he's caught off-guard when the Thanagarian lunges at him. He doesn't get his wings around this time, and the blade of the spear cuts through his side, ripping the fabric of the shirt, and beneath it, the spread of red blood as the wound is opened and ruins the nice yellow shirt that he was wearing.

However, with her this close, he can throw a punch directly into the woman's face, using the grip of the pistol to push it further and add extra oomph.

<<Th...They're looking for something called the Dominator...>> he manages to gasp out, getting a targetting solution from Redwing on another Thanagarian nearby and he sends a pair of micro-missiles from his pack flying out to scream towards the winged warrior in an attempt to shoot them down.

<<Redwing will feed you targetting data on what he sees as the weak points.>>

Shuri has posed:
<<Thank you for the information, Falcon.>> Shuri replies and then she flies right in between two of the blinded Thanagarians. As she does, she lines up the shot and aims two lines, one from each of her omni-directional geat her hips to them and then keeps flying. As she does, she spins in the air once to make the lines twist behind her before she'll suddenly dive right for the ground, dragging the Thanagarians behind her and toward the ground. Once she has completed her dive, she simply releases the lines and lets them hopefully slam into a couple of open spots and hten she arcs back up.

<<Do not focus on weaknesses. Focus on their goal. If they are not normally the type to attack for no reason, then they must have a purpose. We need eyes on that.>> She then looks back at any remaining Thanagarians and speaks directly out loud to them, "Tell me honestly, this is my first live combat with these wings. I'd love an opinion on a scale of you to ten. You being the worst and ten, well, obviously not being you."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara keeps using her thumb on her phone to tell Redwing what to target. "There's so many of them." She says with a shake of her head before she looks back to the duffle bag and starts to drag it backwards further way from the chaos out in the pavillion. Her eyes take sight of the man who seems to be watching her move the equipment, but she doesn't stop doing it. She just keeps on dragging it until she's out of sight around a corner.

In the alcove that the people near Lara ran to cover for, they all look up and start to scream while one of the aliens lands above them and wields his weapon pointed down at them all!

But it's a second later that the alien is collided in to from the side by... Lara, wearing whatever that suit / jacket in the bag was! With metal wings, she flies right in to the alien and raises her hand gun to place it against the side of his head, pulling the trigger repeatedly while her new black metal wings flap and sway against the winds that they're creating!

Dex Alruin has posed:
    As he slips into the pavilion, unaware that he's also being followed by Morrigan, Dex readies his bow. He feels like maybe he should try to say something to get the man to stop, but instead holds his silence, drawing his bowstring taut and allowing the rest of the arrow to construct with a loud hum. Morrigan shocks him but also helps him out, making the guy turn toward him and presenting him with a clear target. The laptop was clearly the target they hoped to make off with in this whole attack, or at least it seemed so. And so he draws a bead on the laptop, holding it in his sights even as the man runs at him. "Drop it or I'll shoot!" he calls, his voice a bit unsteady but his aim seeming far more steady than his attitude would let on.

    He narrows his eyes in focus, watching his mark and readying. Watching the man's approach with a steady gaze and clear intent. He'd... probably have to pay for it later, but maybe someone could help him get a better job if that was the case. "I'll destroy it! Don't test me!"

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan hears the breaking of glass. It rains down against the magical shield she'd conjured and while it blocks the biggest barrage, it doesn't block the last few hits. The woman doesn't manage to dodge a big chunk of glass and it splits the skin apart at her temple and then slams into her shoulder. Stay calm Morrigan...

There's blood, there's people fighting in the sky, a few on the ground. The slender man is running with a laptop. She thrusts her hand out, magically seeking to wrap the slender man and stop him in his tracks, "ENOUGH." she growls out at him as she stalks forward, her hand closing and tightening as she does. "You with the bow, if he twitches, shoot him." she states. Her other hand goes towards the winged man that crashed through the ceiling, "Halt your attack" she warns.

Tony Stark has posed:
<You will not overthrow my will, Dominator! We will not be prey to Ved-Rah-Vo!>

The female Thanagarian lets out another shout or rage, attempting to make another stab when the butt of Sam's pistol cracks the faceplate. Her armor is strong, but there's enough strength behind it to make it crack and cause a part of it to fall away. Beneath, her face is human though stern and serious. The bags under her eyes are heavy, as though she may not have slept in some time. Her nose is bloodied, and she bares her teeth before lunging in for another attack.

The Thanagarian with whom Riri does not move after crashing into the fountain. The stonework is cracked beneath him, and one arm and leg dangle limply over the side. He's out of the game, it would seem. The other, driven into the ground by Shuri's device, clatters noisily along the concrete before slumping over into a heap against the wall.

The Thanagarian that Lara engages has kept clear of the heroes for the moment, firing from a strange energy cannon mounted atop her wings. When Lara hits her, the pair of them tumble end-over-end through the air as their wings keep them from succumbing to gravity. The gun firing against the helmet rings the Thanagarian's bell and she lets out a shout of protest, trying to fling Lara off of her.

Inside the pavilion, the thin man glares warily at Dex and wraps his arms more protectively around the laptop he carries.

"No! Ape! Not shoot! Not - " He is stopped short when Morrigan magically ensnares him, holding him in place as he struggles to try and get free but to no avail. He begins shouting towards the sky in that alien language again, repeating the same words over and over: "Fel Toj! Fel Toj!"

One of the armored Thanagarians descends through the skylight again, scattering the area with fire from his energy rifle - sweeping across both Morrigan and Dex, trying to hit both but aiming for neither.

Sam Wilson has posed:
<<Croft, do you have anything on Vedrahvo?!>> Sam's trying to keep up the conversation, trying to figure out what they're doing. And then it dawns on him. And his eyes lift behind the googles, and he looks utterly confused.

<<They're looking for a way to leave the planet.>> he suddenly realizes, the surprise obvious as he takes in the condition of the Thanagarian. He's seen that look of combat fatigure before. But she's continung to attack.

It brings a change of tactics, not to take her out, but to take her down. This isn't about an attack.

This was an escape attempt.

Riri Williams has posed:
     Crap. THey're going for civilians. Ironheart plunges through the already shattered skylight in a superhero landing, before rising and charging the Thanagarian who's shooting into the crowd. Flying tackles aren't the most practical, but it'll distract him. <<"Get out of here!">> Ironheart yells to the remaining Exo guests, before dumping power into her electroknucks and tasing the crap out of the attacker

Shuri has posed:
A look over at the ones she took down and the girl nods her head. She starts to analyze the situation, flying up a little higher and starting to scan around. She hears what Sam had said and her eyes start to dart about, the visor giving her what info it can, <<Trying to leave? There are man inventions here but are any of them focused on some kind of space travel or navigation?>> She continues to go around, meanwhile having the computer start searching what it knows of the expo while the others handle the remaining Thanagarians.

Lara Croft has posed:
The bullets don't seem to do the trick, the two aerial combatants tumble end over end until Lara sees the shoulder mounted cannon on the Alien turn directly to her! She doesn't have armor like the Thanagarion has, she's left to her own unarmored state -- and that is not a state she wants to test the effectiveness of that cannon in!

Lara releases her hold on the Alien and she manipulates her wings to fly away! Between two trees her wings take her, as she narrowly avoids fire from the Alien's cannon! "Come on... come on!" Lara mutters, with the wind whipping at her face and her hair wildly sweeping across her brow and over her eyes.

The Thanagarian pursuing her keeps firing, lining up it's targeting systems as they both sweep around the perimeter of the pavilion. Lara concentrates on her phone in her right hand as she tries to keep flying quickly and nimbly to dodge the incoming attacks. Right between and over her wings a blast from the Thanagarian's cannon narrowly avoids her!

Lara zips around a corner and enacts her plan, to bring Redwing down out of the sky!

The bird zips past the Thanagarian as it turns to pursue Lara, it looks in the direction that Redwing cut it off in and then howls and turns back to chase Croft!

Only it runs neck first into a protruding metal spike sticking out of the side of a concrete building!

Lara... rises up above it, standing on top of that structure and staring down at the Alien as it's impaled gruesomely on the spike. She raises her wrist comm up, and with labored breath she replies.

<<"Vedrahvo, is a Thanagarian God. The God of Death. Or the Death God. It's all I know, read from recovered texts from 2012.">> She tells Sam and anyone else listening as she turns around atop the building to look out on to the crowd, Redwing flying past above her.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex narrows his eyes. "Ape? Really? Not helping your case..." he says dangerously. As he begins to cry out what seems to be a name, Dex has to act fast, watching the skylight and seeing the armored foe return. "You guys attacked, this is the right move!" Dex lets the arrow fly, aiming for the laptop and drawing a second. "Keep him in place, and if you can get that out of his hands, all the better. But I'm gonna break it if I can!"

    He readies another shot, then lets it fly as well, though something seems off about the arrow as the light constructing it seems to waver and break midflight. "No... not now, damnit...!" he says, before readying a third shot...

    And getting blasted off his feet just as the arrow flies at the Thanagarian holding the laptop again, not quite as on point. He tumbles a bit and hits the ground, rolling across the floor and, with a sizzling sound, losing power to his Proto-Shot as the battery breaks under the impact.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Welp, they didn't understand English. Morrigan's magic pushes the laptop hugging man towards Dex, "Watch that one please." she calls to him. Then she is turning her attention to the other one that has descended, a quick back peddle barely saves her skin from getting burnt, but the heel breaks on her shoe and she kicks them off with a bit of a scowl. Damn it!

She then takes a moment and focuses, Magic was a tricky thing sometimes, but, hey, she manages to get the mystic speak and spell going. ~What does this man...~ she looks over to where Dex has tumbled and the laptop is..broken looking. Then back to the winged guys ~What did he have? Why are you attacking?~ she demands in their own language.

Wizards. Ugh.

Tony Stark has posed:

Dex's arrow strikes the unarmored Thanagarian square in the shoulder and he topples, the laptop still clutched to his chest. It is burnt and fractured in places, but still in one piece

"You do not have the capacity to understand, ape," the Thanagarian known as 'Fel Toj' spits back at Morrigan, "Whatever artifice you use to speak our high tongue does not make you worthy. You will relinquish this technology to us! Deron Nul!"

As though to emphasize his point, Fel Toj levels the rifle he carries at Morrigan and takes another barrage of shots at her. In response to his words, the unarmored Thanagarian hurls the laptop through the air in time for Fel Toj to scoop it up under one arm.

"Withdraw," he announces, shouting into what looks like a communication device of some sort, "Withdraw! The payload is secured! For Thanagar!"

Once more Fel Toj takes to the air, attempting to disappear up through the skylight while using his free hand to fire blindly down at both Morrigan and Dex. More covering his escape than trying to harm them.

Outside the pavilion, the majority of the Thanagarians are defeated. Two seem dead, one for certain. Another lies unconscious against a raised concrete divider. The one fighting Sam takes the moment to try and withdraw for him, swooping down to try and gather her unconscious comrad up under the arms in an effort to spirit him away into the sky.

They're retreating.

Riri Williams has posed:
     Ironheart staggers to her feet as the aliens start withdrawing, looking up at the skylight as they go. "AISHA, Status." She winces inside her helmet when the displays update. That... isn't good. Moderate damage over most of her torso and limbs, A few joints are binding, and missile racks are at fifty percent. ...Could have been worse. Hopefully she saved a few lives.

Sam Wilson has posed:
As the one that Sam is fighting starts to withdraw, for a moment, he's considering going after her. She's gathering a comrade, they're running. This should be a good thing. But the sound of rifle fire from the Pavilion catches his ears and Falcon stiffens, his wings locking into an attack position as he rockets towards the skylight that he sees Fel Toj heading upwards.

While Ironheart may be backing down, the soldier comes in weapons-hot. <<Down, Ironheart!>> he warns sharply.

Pistols blazing, Falcon is fully on the attack. <<Hey Prince Vultan, catch!>> And he's coming in for a full frontal blindside. Because he is clearly not happy.

Shuri has posed:
For her part, Shuri is not ready to just let this thing go. She considers the situation and then the commotion has her eyes locking on to the one escaping from the skylight. She frowns and folds her wings flat, causing her to start to fall. She doesn't though, she instead links her omni-directional gear to her visor and looks to where she wants to go. Both lines shoot out and attach to the wall and she flies at speed in that direction. When she gets in close, she flares out both wings and slows enough to land in a crouch against the wall before she releases and flips into the air, trying to land near the skylight and aim both lines again and attempt to hit the escaping man.

"Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't yet had a chance to give you a proper greeting." Shuri smirks as she attempts to catch him and pull him back down to the buliding's roof.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara steps to the edge of the building she's standing upon and her eyes look over her shoulders at the wings that were propelling her about, she takes in a breath and then jumps once again, using them to lift her skyward and lead her out and over the pavilion. But she doesn't stay airborne long as her path is bringing her back to where she started. Sweeping around she comes in for a landing back where she found the winged vested. She raises her phone up to look at Redwing's readout.

<"Falcon."> Lara calls out over comms, her eyes scanning for him. <"Status report."> She didn't see him in a full frontal tussle now!

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex pushes himself up, shielding his eyes from the renewed blasts and staggering back. He winces lightly as a burning sensation eats at his back, and he glances behind him to see the smoldering remains of his solar battery. He frowns a bit, sighing as he looks at the now-useless bow in his hands as he glances around. Shattered glass, smoldering energy blast craters, and an alien race escaping with a laptop from the most advanced tech expo on the planet. He rests the bow on his shoulder, shaking his head. It was going to take him some time to rebuild a power source for the Proto-Shot, and that's if that was the only busted component. He glances sadly at the tech all around him, then shakes his head.

    Without his weapon, he was no more useful than a civilian at this point, but he wanted to see this through to the end. So he waits, watching quietly as the other heroes go about their business, his solar pack crumbling and falling to the floor as his bow pulses weakly with the remnants of power before flickering out completely.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's face twists into something akin to pain for a moment, ~Say Ape one more time.~ she spits back at the one talking, but, the laptop is sailing through the air and well, there's a hail of energy weapon fire that she can't dodge all of. "I should have ported that fucking thing to the bottom of the ocean!" she shouts as she dives for cover, but it's only after she's rolled out to one side that she realizes she has been hit. She pulls her bloody hand back and there's a moment where all the magic she was using drops. It required focus and well, she had zero at the moment.

"Sorry kid." she tells Dex. There was a feeling of failure and she was confused as well. What was on that computer? She lets herself crawl to a wall and there's a look around at the wrecked pavilion, "Tony's going to be pissed." she chuffs out with a little wheeze.

Tony Stark has posed:
When Sam withdraws his attention from them, the female Thanagarian makes a break for it with her unconscious comrade. They disappear in the confusion, soaring skyward until they are out of sight. Not even advanced sensor equipment seems to pick them up as they depart for parts unknown.

At the skylight, Fel Toj is blindsided by the sudden arrival of both Falcon and Shuri. He lets out a shout of alarm in Thanagarian, whirling on Shuri to unload with his energy weapon. The small arms fire from Sam clatter noisily against his armor, denting it in places and causing him to land on his feet to maintain balance. It's then that Shuri's wires capture him and the laptop falls from his hands, toppling end over end towards the concrete far below.

Back inside the pavilion, the unarmored Thanagarian slowly climbs to his feet. Seeing the attention off of him for the moment, he makes a run for it. A run for the crowds, which he slips into easily enough. Outside the armor, he looks just like a human being. They all do.

The chaos seems to be coming to an end now, with Fel Toj the only remaining Thanagarian now at the mercy of both Falcon and Shuri. Sirens have already begun to sound in the distance. The authorities are on their way.

Riri Williams has posed:
     Ironheart sighs, the rounds from Falcon that make it past the Avenger's target pinging off her plates. <<"Those are machine pistols, Falcon. I tested these plates up to light autocannon.">> She brings one arm up, repulsor charged with a whine, and keeping the captured alien covered. <"Anyone got handcuffs rated for aliens?">

Sam Wilson has posed:
After slamming into Fel Toj, Sam glances down into the pavilion. <<Present.>> he responds to Lara, that is until he sees Morrigan's condition, and his eyes darken. For a moment, the urge to put a missile into the Thanagarian is //right there//. But he shakes it off as training kicks in. The training of someone that spent almost two decades in Pararescue. Riri's comment is overlooked for now with a grunted. <<Never know when you have a chinck in it.>>

Instead, he's rocketting downwards, to get to Morrigan. "Do we need to get you to the hospital? I can have you there in a matter of minutes." he asks her in concern, ignoring his own injury.

Shuri has posed:
The energy weapon fires and she takes it to the chest. Shuri is a bit surprised but then she lets out a huff as she gets him in her wires and she reels him back, "Come on, I have some questions and I am sure others do, too." And she then takes both of her truncheons and aims them right for him, setting them to full stun as she slams them into him and attempts to bring him down till he can be properly questioned.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    As the Thanagarian he and Morrigan had been facing gets up and flees, Dex has no real choice but to let him. He's down his weapon, and to be certain he has no real idea what is going on. So he takes a few steps, then sits on the floor away from his shattered battery, bow in his lap and he waits to figure out just what is going on. He knows he'll have to be talked to, of course, but by who?

    And given he hadn't succeeded in helping all that much, would anyone want to listen anyway? He frowns lightly, but waits nonetheless, wondering if his first test had taught him anything about his Proto-Shot. He had one arrow dissolve in midair, but other than that? It had worked like a charm. Kinda. Here he was, surrounded by the greatest tech on earth, fretting over his own.

    The woes of a tinkerer turned hero.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan looks over things and then there's a Falcon that appears. And he's bleeding. She immediately stiffens and she takes a deep breath to try to clear her head, her eyes pale as she looks to him, "Sam, you're bleeding." she tells him. Like he didn't know that. "I'll be alright. Just need..." she looks down to her leg and things, "I'll get there." she states as she starts to get up to her feet.

"But seriously I have to go that way and you know why." she states with an apologetic look as she starts to hobble off. She was not going to have a hunger meltdown on top of an alien attack. NEWP.

Tony Stark has posed:
The SHIELD agents beat out the NYPD in getting the Expo, the men in dark suits and serious expressions already cordoning off areas. The concourse outside is mostly devoid of civilians now, with SHIELD techs securing the bodies of those Thanagarians not captured or fled. They're quick about their business, securing the scattered Thanagarian tech and locking it away. The Damage Control officers that joined them have already begun to clear the area, the broken Starrware laptop sealed away as evidence along with so many other items.

It's in the midst of all this that a bright beam of light illuminates the night, shining out from the windows and doors of the Stark Industries pavilion that had itself been silent this whole time. The column of white-yellow light extends to the sky, and Tony Stark's voice sounds over all local frequencies - addressing Ironheart!

<<Kid - Riri! Get everyone out of here! Clear the area! NOW!>>

Then, echoing out from deep within the pavilion, a shrill voice cackling with demented glee ...

<<GO!>>

Tony Stark has posed:
The thrilling adventures of the ill fated Stark Expo will conclude in +event 1258, coming next week!