15199/Operation: London Calling - Part One

Operation: London Calling - Part One
Date of Scene:	09 July 2023
Location:	London - England
Synopsis:	Jack the Ripper is located and on the run!
Cast of Characters:	Clea, Natasha Romanoff, James Barnes, Bruce Banner, Jennifer Walters, Henry McCoy

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Clea has posed:
Clea was not someone who asked help with things when it came to matters that had to do with the Dark Dimension. Mainly because she was stubborn and she felt that she needed to take care of it herself. It was her realm after all and she was the Sorceror Supreme there.

But sometimes...a little help is needed.

A call had went out to fellow Avengers that there were too many women being picked off by the denizen that could have only been sent by her uncle, The Dread Dormammu. There had been a briefing before the travel to London on which unsavory fellow it might be and the name Jack the Ripper probably isn't what anyone expects.

"I think the biggest thing to remember is that if we find the current body he's residing in and he flees it's going to take some time to track him down again. I can try to bind him to the body, but if we kill him while he's in said body...well...we kill the host as well." she frowned. "Another thing to watch on, he can produce and fire multiple knives from his body. So he's sort of like a walking blender if he gets cornered." she'd added to the group.

"We'll spread out across Whitechapel and see if we can track his current face at their last residence." she tells the team.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
This is not something that Natasha is looking forwards to. "So we're not dealing with the nemesis of Sherlock Holmes?" She means that in total seriousness. Because a demonic immortal serial killer is going to be trouble, no matter who they throw in. "So we patrol, lure the entity away from civilians, and then isolate it?" Dealing with magical beings was always very difficult.

If only WAND's armory included Nth Metal bullets, and if those bullets were even useful against demons.. But WAND armory wasn't something even Natasha could get into with short notice. She's pursing her lips. "Is there anything from STRIKE in the area we might commandeer?" The European 'branch' of SHIELD. Because dealing wiht a walking demonic blender was going to be very fun.

James Barnes has posed:
    Before anyone asks: no, Bucky wasn't around during the Ripper's original killing spree. That is actually before his time, believe it or not. But a killer is a killer no matter what century he's from (or what dimension) and he's seen this whole possession thing up close and personal now, so he's going to see this thing through to the end.

    "Non-lethal takedown, got it," he says after he gets the low-down on Jack the Ripper's modus operandi, "We could set out some bait, if someone wants to volunteer." And then he spends some time checking his gear. The metal arm is ever-present, of course, but he'd used his Avengers credentials to bring a fair amount of firepower along with him to England.

    Given the details Clea had shared, though, most of his loadout comes equipped with small caliber bullets. Less likely to kill, depending on where the bullet hits..

    And this is Bucky. It'll hit where he wants it to hit.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce had been concerned about Clea's recent distractions during their encounters, but she refused to divulge any information. When the request for help came in, Bruce was ready to take action. He transformed into the Hulk and found a piece of paper on his head with the words "play me." Despite Hulk's inability to read, he noticed a drawn picture of a hand pushing a button on the door. Hulk's increased intelligence from his visit to the Savage Lands allowed him to understand the significance.

Playing the video, Hulk saw Bruce addressing him. Anger surged within Hulk, urging him to smash the video, but he hesitated as Bruce began speaking. "We don't talk much, maybe that's my fault as well... But Clea is a friend, and she needs our help. If you do this, I will solve your issues back in Hulkanda."

Bruce sighed, momentarily diverted from the topic. "Really... you called it," he muttered before refocusing. "Please, Hulk, she is a good person." The tape ended, leaving Hulk to contemplate the request. Smoke rose into the air as Hulk weighed his decision.

Moving to the closet, Hulk opened it, revealing a peculiar piece of space metal he had brought back with him. One of the pieces resembled a massive gauntlet with a bar inserted into the fist, allowing a hand to grasp it. It was constructed from durable ship hull parts that wouldn't break, even after crashing in the Savage Lands, shaped into a fist by Hulk's own strength. The gauntlet itself likely weighed several tons.

Hulk was determined to smash whoever was giving Clea a hard time. If it happened to be a mere human, Hulk would later apologize for the extent of the damage, as Bruce's earnest request had stirred Hulk's anger. Throughout the journey, Hulk remained silent, seething with anger. Whenever he glanced at the others, his fury was palpable.

After a while, Hulk looked at Clea and growled, "Hulk... smash puny human... Knives not scare the Hulk." Then his gaze shifted to Bucky. "Do not get in Hulk's way," he warned with a serious and angry tone. Hulk turned his attention to Jen, nodding to indicate that if the Hulk had already been unleashed, her cousin was not to be taken lightly. Hulk had come for one purpose-to smash someone or something.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    To be honest, Jennifer is kind of sad that she's visiting London on official Avenger business. She's only been here once before and even then it was for business, too. "If this goes well, I may stay in London for a bit. Be a tourist."

    She walks along nodding to what Clea is saying. "Right, so isolate and restrain the host and try not to damage him. I can do that. How do we plan on dealing with Mr. Ripper so we can extract him from the host and keep him from inhabiting another one?" She shakes her head. "I don't have a head for all this magic stuff. If you want me to give him a subpoena I can do that, no sweat."

Clea has posed:
"Sadly, no. Jack the Ripper was an actual historical figure. This one...is a huge copycat, but has his own motives. This time he's been sent to grief me and he's been doing it by killing women that look like me. He had possessed the guy at the convention and I hadn't gotten to find him again until a day or so ago. He's currently in the body of a very affluent English businessman...so if we could make sure he doesn't die, that would be preferred." she states.

There's a look to Hulk and a smile, "Try not to smash too much, big guy." she tells him. Her and the green guy had a shaky relationship, but she trusted him not to pull a Mr. Hyde on the streets of London.

She gives a look to Bucky, "I'm the bait. He's been goading me. I just need people to keep the civilians out of the way while I get him out of there." she admits.

Natasha gets a nod, "We'll patrol the area around his flat, see if he's home and we can try to extract him. I'm not a team lead and I don't want this to get messy or Cap's going to have my ass for dragging you all into this." she admits. The quinjet lands on a nearby roof top long enough to let them out.

"We ready?" she asks the group.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod at Clea, "Much as we can be." She would give a nod over to Bucky and a quick hand signal. She has her own loadout - widow's bites, staves, electro-netting.. She tends to be a bit more forcible when it comes to takedowns than Bucky's loadout is focused on. She's not exepcting any of the targets necessarily to come with them nicely - and for there to be quite a bit more going on.

She taps something on her wrists as her body fades and goes to blend in with the background. A chameleon mesh - blending her body in with the coloration of the area. Nothing that would work in a crowd of people.. But that would let her fit in quite well with the architecture. Readying herself to deploy along wiht the rest, she goes totally silent. Tracking her will require keeping touch on the comms. It's time to hunt the hunter.

James Barnes has posed:
    The threat earns a blank stare from Bucky, before he holds up one hand placatingly, palm facing out. "Sure, big guy." He checks the lone SHIELD ICER that he has amidst his more dangerous weaponry and then returns Natasha's hand signal with one of his own, indicating the numerous other weaponry on his person that he has not made obvious to the rest of the Avengers crew, before tucking the ICER into a shoulder holster inside his jacket.

    The jacket's black, of course, along with the rest of his getup. Even the lone glove he's wearing to cover up the metal hand. At least London is probably going to be dreary and cloudy, so he won't look as out of place as he does out in NYC in the middle of summer.

    "I'll shadow you, then. He won't see me." That last part is made as a promise, one that Bucky's skillset is more than capable of backing up. He nods and doesn't wait to disembark, hopping off the Quinjet and then shortly after, the roof. In contrast to Black Widow's hi-tech stealth means today, the Winter Soldier goes old school, perhaps fittingly, by simply disappearing into the crowd on the street below.

Bruce Banner has posed:
As Hulk huffed in anger, his gaze shifted towards Clea. "Hulk... try," he muttered, briefly flashing her a mischievous smile. He then turned away as the plane landed. Stepping out onto the rooftop, the structure creaked under Hulk's immense weight. He surveyed the landscape around them, recognizing the potential for traps. Hulk, having used traps to secure food in the past, understood their effectiveness. With a powerful leap, he descended to street level, causing dust to swirl in his wake.

Hulk knew he needed to get the people out without causing harm. He had a foolproof plan to scare them away. Emitting a thunderous roar that shook the windows, Hulk approached a car and lightly tapped it with his hand. Although the vehicle dented slightly, it was a half-hearted action as he didn't want to inflict harm.

The sound and display of Hulk's power would surely frighten the people, causing them to scatter. He glanced back at the rooftop he had just descended from and gave a big thumbs up, acknowledging the effectiveness of his method. Moving towards a nearby box truck, Hulk effortlessly lifted it off the ground, using it as a visual message. With another resounding roar, he waved the empty truck in the air before gently placing it back down. Hulk charged like a crazed ape towards anyone who didn't respond quickly enough, giving them a final nudge to prompt them to move away swiftly.

Hulk's actions were aimed at evacuation rather than aggression, ensuring the safety of the civilians without causing unnecessary harm.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "Alright," Jennifer says, giving Clea a nod. "I can handle the people. I stick out like a sore thumb, anyway, so I'll draw them away from the area." She turns and walks down the road some before turning around and shouting "Autographs! I'm signing autographs for anybody who wants them!"

    It's... not a complete failure. She-Hulk isn't as well known over the pond as she is at home, but a few curious people come up to her, which makes other people curious and come to find out what everybody else is on about, and once she's got people taking selfies with her, there's something of a crowd surrounding her.

Henry McCoy has posed:
With his research into who might be running Brand, Henry had found himself overseas on a lead. He was a man on a mission, so to speak. He still had a few contacts over on the island, and had been bending their ears in the hopes that some information would turn up. So far, it hadn't panned out. That being said, he found himself in the right place at the right time to help out his former team.

Dropping down from atop one of the nearby rooftops, he lands with a slight exhale. Far enough away, to hopefully not startle any of the enhanced folks that were gathered there. "I'd heard there might be a need for assistance out here?" He offered over, cheerfully enough. The big blue man waved to those who he caught the attention of. "How might I be of assistance?"

Clea has posed:
Clea gives a nod to the group of them, "Doctor McCoy, good to have you. I think just giving intel as you see it might be good or you can help canvas?" she offers. "I'll take the direct route." she adds. Which honestly is probably the best option for her given the guy is trying to track her down. Her showing up is probably not the most expected thing.

"Good luck out there. I'll draw him out and then go from there."

The white haired woman makes a portal from where she is, to the hallway of the apartment building where the mans flat is and she rings the bell to his apartment. After a few rings the intercomm picks up and a deep voice speaks, "Someone better be dead at this hour." the man states.

"Ah, well. Depends of if you're going to come down and make that happen as to how we answer that. I'll wait down here for you to decide if you're going to come out or if I'm coming in." she states.

The intercomm goes dead and if anyone is watching there is a very disturbing looking shadow that manifests and moves with it's own mind as Jack makes his way out of the apartment.

"Thank the gods for distractions." she mutters to herself as she heads for the door back outside.

Only to find she can't get it open.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
They have a target and they're after it. As Clea vanishes and portals off, Natasha is in pursuit towards the flat. She's heading along the rooftops, ending up a block away from the apartment building where she gets out a set of binoculars and goes to sweep over it. Going to rapidly check over the area for approach points. They'll have to act quickly if they want to avoid endangering civilians. So Natasha goes to take an overwatch position. QUickly scanning to try and get an idea as to where possible trouble could come from. She's leaning into the rooftop, the chamo-mesh of her semi-cloak making her blend in tightly with the dingy London architecture. She's silent on comms - letting the others draw the thing out and seeing just what else is in the area around them. She goes to take out a large sniper rifle and moves to cock it to her shoulder.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky blends into the crowd and is gone before there's time for any greetings to the newly arrived Doctor McCoy, but let's face it, Bucky isn't the most gregarious of folks anyway, so it's not much of a loss on anyone's part. The additional chaos of Hulk's arrival and, further down the street, Jennifer's offer of free autographs, means it's extra easy for him to disappear.

    He's tracking towards the flat, but he doesn't have the benefit of portals like Clea does so he's slightly slower. At least until he hits the alleyways and can run at a full clip, and then he manages to close the distance rapidly.

    "What's your location, Clea?" he asks over comms as he rounds a corner and has the block of flats in sight.

Bruce Banner has posed:
As Hulk charged through the streets of London, momentarily forgetting his purpose, he continued to move up and down with reckless abandon. However, his attention was caught by a brave police officer on horseback who approached him, despite being considerably shorter than Hulk. The officer politely asked him to leave, their voice trembling slightly as they stared up at the massive figure. Hulk paused and turned to face the officer, remembering that he was only trying to facilitate the evacuation.

In silence, Hulk reached out and grabbed the officer, lifting them off the horse. He let out a growl directed at the horse, causing it to bolt away. Returning his attention to the officer, Hulk pointed a finger and bellowed, "Go!" His booming voice left no room for interpretation?it was an imperative command. Hulk understood that the presence of police could spook anyone they were pursuing, further impeding the evacuation efforts. Once the officer departed, Hulk dropped to all fours and began sniffing the ground.

Having lost sight of Clea amidst the chaos, Hulk realized that with the streets now clearer, it was an opportune time to find her. Instead of continuing to spook people, he scuttled around on all fours at ground level, sniffing the air in an attempt to trace her scent. Hulk approached various buildings, sniffing their exteriors in hopes of locating the one she had portaled into. His hulking form moved with an unusual agility as he crawled and sniffed, his determination unwavering. With each inhale, he focused on capturing any trace of Clea's distinct aroma, determined to find her and fulfill his mission.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Well, it would seem things are in motion! Nodding to the Hulk, Natasha and Bucky - Henry bounds up the side of the building across from where Clea portalled to. It's easy enough, the claws and enhanced physique allowing for a quick scaling of the flat. Once atop, he glances around - making sure others are getting into positions as well. They are professionals, after all!

Once he's sure everything's truly in motion, the Beast gets a running start, to launch himself over to the other rooftop. Landing silently and rolling to his feet, his yellow eyes scan the rooftop for an entry into the building.

Clea has posed:
Clea magics the door open. There's no one out in front given the sighting of the Hulk and She-Hulk giving autographs gives a distraction. It also helps this is a rather closed off place. "Just coming out of the apartment lobby. It's clear here. Think we got his attention though." she calls over comms. Because keeping in touch was the best thing to do. "Going to bring him out and then we'll flush him towards the harbor so we can get him on the jet easier." she adds.

Coming out of the lobby doors of the apartment building is a rather non-descript man. Fit, blonde hair and wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the designer range. He looks VERY annoyed even before he sets his gaze on Clea.

"Oh hi. You're a huge pain in the ass to find, by the way." Clea tells Jack. "Could we possibly do this the easy way?" she asks him.

The sudden sound of metal clanking off a bench and a knife whizzing past her head gives the answer on that.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
And as Clea vanishes and reappears within the building, Natasha goes to rapidly track her by the comm signal. <<Next time bring the rest of us with you>> That's said even as she goes to 'ping' along the comms to give an exact location of the half-Faltine Avenger to the rest of the team. Then she sends a signal to the rest of the team <<Converge on her location>>

For Hulk, the system is designed to lead him along like a divining rod does to water. A 'chime' to help guide him in the right direction with gentle pings to lead him onwards. For the rest of the team, along their systems it flashes a holographic display of the no doubt soon-to-be-flattened part of the flat!

Natasha is in her position, trying to swing through her sniper rifle to get a solid 'scope' of the target through the wall.

James Barnes has posed:
    At the corner, Bucky lingers in the shadows, still covering Clea's six. He has her in his sights now, even if he's still got some distance between them. If Jack makes an approach, he'll be able to make the shot from here if he needs to.

    And then, well, Jack does exactly that. ICER out and in hand, Bucky presses himself to the wall of the pub on the corner. He hears more than sees the knife miss Clea and impact a nearby bench, so he pops out of cover long enough to fire a few non-lethal rounds at Jack, though these are mostly aimed at his feet to get Jack in motion towards the harbor, per Clea's orders.

Bruce Banner has posed:
As Hulk continued to sniff the air, he suddenly heard a distinct signal. Confused, he turned and swiped at the air, realizing that the signal seemed to originate from a specific direction. Standing up on two legs again, he scratched his head, swinging his arms uncertainly. Hulk couldn't quite grasp where the signal was coming from, but he interpreted it as a challenge. Unbeknownst to him, Natasha had orchestrated the chime intentionally.

With determination, Hulk charged forward, his head lowered, aiming to reach the source of the irritating noise. Like a rampaging force, he plowed through everything in his path, demolishing walls with ease as if he were a crazed Kool-aid man. Finally, he halted, standing in the opening to a flat, searching for the chime's creator. Hulk's heavy breathing filled the space, not from exertion, but from the frustration of being pranked. However, to his dismay, he didn't find the chime maker inside the room. While he had successfully created the large hole that Natasha desired, he now found himself unsure of what to do next. Filled with anger, he pounded the floor with his fists, causing the ground to tremble.

Hulk's gaze shifted from Clea to James, and then his bloodshot eyes locked onto the Shadow. He let out a growl, accusing, "Shadow make fun of the Hulk. Shadow send chime to Hulk." Hulk stood at his maximum height, pounding his chest with enough force to disperse the surrounding dust. Pointing a massive finger at the Shadow, he uttered a single word, "You..." Hulk was on the brink of launching an attack, driven by his anger and the belief that the Shadow was responsible for the prank.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Well, that wasn't what he thought he'd heard! Henry, right about to kick in the door on the roof, hears the clank of a metalic item and Clea's voice. That's where he needs to be! He sprints to that side of the building, before leaping off the roof, intending to drop in on the action.

Drop in!
...

...

No one enjoys puns more than Henry.

Clea has posed:
"I know, I know, I should have." Clea states as she ducks some of the knives that are being hurled her way. "But if we all ported over he was going to sense it." she adds on the comms. It wasn't arguing, she was just focused.

She is fine...until she is not. The ICER going off startles Jack and he lets loose a hail of blades and there is the metallic sound of rain coming down for a moment. Follow that with the Hulk making the ground tremble and Jack takes off like a shot towards where he is being coralled.

"The Quinjet is at the docks. It's already got the necessary things in it to keep him contained!" Clea calls over comms to those that choose to continue the chase!