16606/Avengers vs Hydra (Tomb Raider Shadows)

Avengers vs Hydra (Tomb Raider Shadows)
Date of Scene:	22 December 2023
Location:	Mexico - North America
Synopsis:	The Avengers lure Hydra troops out of the Paititi temple, but Lara Croft is captured during her attempt to retrieve the artifacts.
Cast of Characters:	Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Lara Croft
Tinyplot:	Tomb Raider: Shadows

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Steve Rogers has posed:
Captain America had gone down to the Yucatan after SHIELD had lost touch with Lara Croft who was working in the area. After a few days of searching the jungle by aircraft, Cap had contacted the Avengers. His message pretty dire.

Hydra had obtained an artifact, one that would bring them tremendous power. And in fact the tsunami that struck Cozumel, and the Yucatan and Honduran coasts, was an example of the power it was capable of. Cap got word out to any Avengers he could.

"Avengers, Assemble!"

Now members of the team have gathered outside of a small village named Patiuti. The villagers have put up some barricades for protection should the fighting spill over to it. Though the idea is to fight Hydra in an area near the temple, keeping them from the village, and also drawing out their forces from the temple.

"While Lara sneaks into the temple, and retrieves the artifact..." Steve Rogers finishes with the briefing. "The rest of us are going to make like we're fighting to get into the temple, but our goal is to keep them occupied and draw as many reinforcements away from it to face us, as possible." The super soldier looks around at the rest of the team. He's donned his uniform and has his shield on his back. The air is hot and humid, though the little village looks quite peaceful were it not for the preparations for a possible fight should it spill over to them.

"Any questions? If not, let's move out and hit them hard," Steve says.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner didn't like dealing with magic stuff. He was a man of science, first and foremost, and the squishy boundaries and sometimes counter-intuitive logic of the mystical made his skin crawl in some fundamental way. Ironically, most of the magicians he knew were delightful people. Again, counter-intuitive.

He's wearing a pair of trunks made of unstable molecules under his clothing, enough to keep Hulk's modesty intact without putting a strain on America's denim tailors. He walks off to the side and actually pulls off his jumpsuit, "Hit 'em hard," he says. Accessing the Hulk at will is oddly difficult. He can't really do it, there's too much between them, too much scar tissue in his mind that can't be permeated by anything short of rage. Of course, he'd already let a few in on his greatest secret - that he was always angry. He just buried it. Buried it deep inside his head, stuffed it into the wounds of his abusive childhood, of the disdainful hatred of the man he called father. Swallowed it up until it festered and burned and turned into a great and terrifying thing.

Hulk. Bruce strikes himself hard, across the face. Hulk.

He drives his head into the ground and reaches deep into the pain inside him and he tears something open and throws his head back in a roar. His skin starts to ripple, grow taut and then expand, bloating beneath skin turning rapidly green. His muscles tear and reform, pops of sinew torn combining into a popcorn staccato blast of raw noise, urgent and terrifyikng as he grows massive. Eyes wide, he erupts, becoming, changing, until he's over eight feet in height, wide as a semi and with the gruesome, slack-faced visage of a maddened animal.

"HULK!" he screams and then, with a bend of knees, the great beast springs forward towards the village.

Yeah, that oughtta distract 'em.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
There wasn't a large group present. It was anyone that could be spared. Natasha had come along, piloting the Quinjet silently. When they arrived she had taken out her sniper rifle, using the scope to scan ahead. "Do we have any idea of thier numbers or whom might be present?" Digging out Hydra from a fortified location was going to be nasty. And the type of fighting that the others might nto want to engage in. But she could sympathize with them. Besides..

They had a Hulk. Even as the (Not So) Jolly Green Giant would charge ahead, Natasha would press her hand up to her wrist, where she would activate the chameleon netting on her outfit. She would flicker and then vanish, going to head along towards the target. She goes to stalk along quietly, using an arc of the jungle for cover while heading in at a fast trot. Her priority was trying to pass along unnoticed and trying to bypass everyone and get to the temple unseen.

Lara Croft has posed:
Earlier in the day, Lara had been at a table covered by a map where she'd tried to explain some of the ins and outs of what they were facing here. HYDRA had a arm entirely dedicated to the mystical, much like SHIELD had WAND... HYDRA had an organization known as 'Trinity' and Trinity had been a thorn in Lara's side since she'd originally joined SHIELD. Both groups were often seeking the same kinds of dangerous magical artifacts, and due to Lara's history, and her father's before her, she had a wealth of experience with these kinds of terrible things.

"Trinity has amassed its entire High Council, and they've set off for the Paittiti Great Pyramid. I lost both key artifacts to them, and in order to stop their plans, they /must/ be retrieved. I'll set out, taking this route--" She indicated on the map. "While the battle focuses here..." She adds with another tap of a finger upon the map.

"Once I have retrieved the Dagger, and the Silver Box, I'll report over comms. If I'm lucky, I won't need reinforcements at the Pyramid... but if I do... well, I hope the fighting has gone well and additional help can make it to me in time. Their goal is to perform the ritual the moment the Moon passes before the Sun, in hopes of restoring the Goddess Ix Chel to this world, who will bring about a cleansing that will spread from continent to continent... But, we're going to see to it that doesn't happen."

A dagger, and a silver box... that could destroy the world? How fun! Fun is the right word, right?

Once the forces had begun to move out, Lara had suited up and split from the main group. She'd conversed quietly with Steve before leaving, and then slipped away from the village to the north, headed north east...

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers had shared those few quiet moments with Lara. The concern showing in his eyes as she'd stepped away to begin her trek probably revealing some hint of what might have been shared between them.

The trip to the area before the temple is not exactly a pleasant trek. Vines and thorny bushes. Thankfully Hulk's presence seems to scare away the more aggressive predators. Jaguars and snakes want nothing to do with the angry green hulk. After about an hour they finally start to draw near, able to see some of the Hydra forces gathered before the temple. "Looks like mortars to the right and left. Watch out for artillery," Captain America points out before starting forward.

Before the temple, Grim Reaper is standing with Madam Hydra, a snear on his face. "I never thought Dominguez and his Trinity nonsense would pay dividends," he admits to Madam Hydra, voice deep and as grave as his villain motif.

She gets a smirk. "So long as it brings us victory, I am-"

She's cut off by a familiar voice as Steve Rogers steps out of the jungle. "Victory, there'll be no victory for you here, Madam Hydra. Not so long as men and women stand true against tyrants."

The Hydra villains turn, and Grim Reaper's lips grow in a sardonic smile. "Oh wonderful. I'd have been disappointed if you were wiped out by some ancient goddess before I had a chance to bring you down myself, Captain America!" he exclaims. His scythe-like bladed extends from his arm and he leaps to the attack. "Heil Hydra!" Madam Hydra starts forward as well. So do a few squads of ground troops armed with various energy weapons.

And there's a rumble from the temple, and then a number of large robots come rolling out, bearing the Hydra sigil. The Dreadnoughts start to roll forward towards the clearing where the heroes prepare for the fight!

Bruce Banner has posed:
Hulk takes a few moments to get fully on track. Emergence is a sudden thing for Hulk, akin to awakening from a long, long sleep and he's bleary eyes, stunned as he focuses himself forward. Temple. He doesn't know why he's angry at the temple, why he's supposed to go there. It's as much guidance as Banner can give him and, if he knew it came from Banner, he'd probably disregard it. But instead it's just an itch in his mind, a target. Something to smash.

The sight of the robots is a welcome one, bringing a raw grin to Hulk's face. Hulk had fought robots before. Robots smash. Robots smash real good.

"HULK SMASH!" he cries as he lands amidst the Dreadnoughts, driving his fists down into the ground to create a shockwave in every direction around him.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Lovely. Not only is Hydra dug in and likely with elite forces but there are officers present. That means the troopers will willingly fight to the death no matter what. And even more dangerous. Natasha goes to take out her pistol to start to aim it over at Madame Hydra even as she's still cloaked.. Moving to slowly center the pistol sight over between Madame Hydra's forehead.. Lining it up..

But before she can shoot /something/ tips off Ophelia. Whatever it is the woman moves faster than the eye can see, snapping out her whip and slicing /through/ the gun before Natasha can pull the trigger. Then she's charging in over at the Red Room survivor as the two meet in a blur of fighting!

Viper goes to slash at her with claws built into her gloves, even as Natasha would go to the side. Natasha goes to try and counterstrike, even as a knee slams up and over to her gut. Natasha is able to get in a palm strike at Viper's shoulder with enough force to shatter a concrete block. Viper simply braces herself to it and staggers backwards a few inches, goin gto slam her knee up into Natasha's gut! The ceramic armor underneath her outfit cracks just a hairdsbreath. The fight is going to be messy and brutal.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara emerges from the dense jungle foliage, her silhouette framed against the vibrant backdrop of Paititi. The waterway, a muddy ribbon that winds around the base of the Paititi Pyramid, beckons her onward. As the distant rumble of the Hulk shakes the air, she fixates on the murky waters, rolling over in her mind the challenge that awaits. Her gaze shifts southward, catching a glimpse of the colossal green giant's ascent over the treetops before his earth-shaking arrival. The jungle responds, a cacophony of fleeing birds creating a symphony of wings against the backdrop of the chaos unfolding to the south.

"I guess we're getting started then..." Lara murmurs, her voice carrying a determined undertone as she strides purposefully toward the water's edge. The weight of her dual responsibilities?confronting the mysteries within the Temple and aiding the Avengers in their battle?hangs in the air. With practiced grace, she flexes her legs and propels herself off a muddy ledge, executing a nimble dive into the river. rThe water swirls around her as she swims with purpose, the current pulling her toward the opposite bank where the shadows of the Temple loom.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The dreadnoughts race to engage the Hulk, some of them flying backwards from the gigantic shockwave he inflicts on the ground. Some of the Hydra soldiers open fire on him, recognizing the Hulk as a priority target. Especially if they don't wish to be smooched into jelly.

Captain America runs forward, he and Grim Reaper charging at each other. Both leap, Cap's shielding ringing as the villain's blade clangs against it in an attempt to slice the super soldier in two.

"I'm going to enjoy this Captain America. Zemo is going to be green with envy when I walk in with your shield, still dripping with your blood!" the Grim Reaper exclaims.

"Better men than you have tried to make that happen, Reaper," Steve says as he pivots, throwing his shield which Grim Reaper blocks with his blade. He leaps back on the attack even as Steve is catching his shield, ducking low under the Reaper's slash and then swinging his shield again only to have the blow parried aside once again.

Other Hydra soldiers are yelling to each other. Those manning the mortars are hesitating, perhaps worried about hitting Madam Hydra or the Grim Reaper.

And more soldiers emerge from the temple, moving into firing positions.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Hulk feels the impact of shells upon his skin, along with energy blasts from some of the other Dreadnoughts. He holds up a hand to block any from hitting his face anymore, letting out a raucous snarl. "ROBOTS WEAK. WEAKER THAN HULK. HULK SHOW."

He drives forward and seizes one of the robots. driving his brow forward into a savage headbutt that drives right through the chest of the thing, splattering wire and circuit and shell. He grasps the carcass of the thing by the arm and begins to swing it, using the remnants of the first Dreadnought as a flail and whipping it into its fellows.

One drives down and hits him hard between the shoulder blades, an explosion massive enough to send a black cloud into the air. He's only singed, almost taking a knee and then charging forward to spear through another Dreadnought, driving it down into the ground and beginning to pummel it into shards.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The melee between the two assassins is a blur. Natasha goes to yank out her two batons, the edge of each glowing with electricity as she sets them to thier highest charges. A human? These could drop a rhino in it's tracks. She goes to slash up with one, using a strike to get some room between her and Sarkinson. Ophelia takes a step back and then Natasha follows it up with a kick.

Madame Hydra goes to catch the kick at the ankle and goes to flip Natasha. THe redhead has to tuck her legs underneath her in a quick sommersault to avoid being hurled onto her back. Evn as she goes to land Viper is going to charge at her!

Natasha is ever so slightly off balance, raising up one baton to block the attack. Ophelia's poisoned claws go right through it like a hot knife through butter. Natasha goes to yank the second baton up, attempting to strike Viper in the face. Ophelia catches the handle of it in her hand, an energy surge along her gloves being a small field that blocks the electricity from incapacitating her.

A strike from Viper's opposite arm has Natasha dropping the baton, arms going up to catch and twist the wrist before the poisoned claws strike her. She moves to snap up to her feet, tiwrling around to take the arm behind OPhelia's back, intent on snapping it like a twig with a twist and a yank.

It breaks, but without even so much as a wince of pain Viper slams her forehead into Natasha's, the redhead falling back while OPhelia would yank up her opposite hand to the broken arm, forcibly snapping the bones back into place as they would start healing.

Lara Croft has posed:
While the chaotic sounds rumble up from the south, a splash falls in to a muddy pool off of a small boat dock. A man's body lands in the mud, a gouged hole in the back of his neck rendering him entirely lifeless. Emerged from the mud, entirely covered in it from head to toe, Lara advances down the dock, clutching the automatic rifle that she'd taken off of the man's body, holding it in one hand, as her climbing axe was reattached to her utility belt around her waist.

Ducking low, Lara advances ever closer toward the Great Pyramid stretching up out of the jungle's canopy.

Taking a turn down a stone lined pathway, Lara can hear the sounds of voices communicating over radio, and keeping behind cover, she primes the rifle by the pull of its charge lever..

Birds fly up once again, taking to the sky from atop trees north of the main battle area.

Moments later, two bodies rest side by side in the jungle underbrush, as Lara's shadow glides across them, weaving her way toward the stone pathway that leads up to the Pyramid structure ahead.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers doesn't have time to watch for any signs of Lara as she makes her way stealthily forward to the temple. He trusts her to get the job done, and Grim Reaper and the Hydra soldiers are more than enough to keep Cap occupied.

The sound of clinging vibranium fills the air as Cap's shield turns aside those razor sharp slashes. He ducks under a swing and kicks into Grim Reaper's stomach, knocking him back.

One of the mortar crews must think that's enough opening as there is a WHOOMP noise and soon there's a whistling as a mortar shell lands past Cap, overshooting by a good thirty paces.

Cap dives forward, coming out of a roll with his shield flying. It caroms off the head of one Hydra soldier and ricochets into a second before flying back towards the super soldier to be deftly plucked out of the air.

Just in time, as Grim Reaper has recovered and launches more attacks, Cap parrying them aside. He backs away and then jumps up, grabbing a branch of a jungle tree, getting his feet on it and leaping higher even as Reaper slices the branch away.

"Damn you, Rogers, face me!" he yells. Grim Reaper turns and waves some of the soldiers forward. Blasts of energy sizzle through the air into the foliage, seeking out Captain America, while Grim Reaper curses, moving forward slicing away at vines and bushes and even felling a tree as he tries to find his adversary. More of the Hydra soldiers being drawn into the chase.

Bruce Banner has posed:
A couple more Dreadnoughts attack Hulk from behind as he's grinding his last opponent to bits. They unload blast after blast into the back of the emerald giant. He's blasted forward, skidding across his chest and rolling for a moment on the ground.

Before they have long to celebrate, though, the Hulk rises up again, punching his right into the palm of his left with a distinct KRAK sound.

"HULK GETTING TIRED OF ROBOTS. HULK DONE PLAYING NICE."

Uh oh. If robots could wet themselves, these Dreadnoughts probably would. Instead, they just charge mindlessly forward, without enough autonomy to even understand their own doom as they lean headfirst into the mighty fists that take their heads off.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
In slow time, there's a mortar fragment covered in fire blasting past Natasha. She's moving to dodge it, leaning to the side. Even as she does so, Viper kicks out at her in the shoulder mid-evasion. This snaps her up just a few degrees as the shrapnel whips past her shoulder. It digs in just a bit, disabling the arm even as the heat with the fragment goes to nearly instantly burn it solid down to the bone.

Viper follows it up wtih a palm strike aimed at Natasha's chin, snapping her jaw, then a quick strike aimed at Natasha's knee to cripple the leg.

Natasha drives her knee up to Viper's gut, hand going down to snap up her pistol. AT close range, she moves to fire three shots to Viper's center of mass. The first shot misses to the side as Viper twists just enough. The second hits Viper in the center of her torso, cracking on the energy fields protecting her. The third..

The third Viper just slashes clean out of the air, shredding the bullet with her claws while rotating a brutal strike over with her hand that barely avoids taking Natasha's head off, claw slashing through her cheek. The sheer speed and power of the strike hvaing it go through so quickly that Viper's poison doesn't have enough contact to inject her.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara lets out a final grunt as she reaches the apex of a climb that took her up and over a stone blocking the entire entry archway to the Pyramid's interior. It had been clearly dropped to intentionally block the Pyramid from being entered. At the peak of the stone, however, Lara found a crevice wide enough for her to crawl through on her stomach. With little sounds of extreme effort, she pushed her way through the tight squeeze, and came out on the other side, finding herself in a blanket of near pitch black darkness.

With a click and a little squeal, Lara's high powered LED shoulder light came on, offering illumination to the mud-caked woman, as her eyes scanned the interior chamber of the Pyramid's grand hall.

Still catching her breath, Lara ignited a yellow chem light, that she tossed across the floor, where it rolled to the base of a wall covered in runic symbols. Working as quickly as she was able, Lara pulled a journal from her back pocket, and rapidly began to swipe muddy fingertips across the pages to find the exact spot of her extensive notes regarding this room...

Her eyes came up again, her filthy face looking around at the statues on all sides of the Great Hall, the young woman released a heavy sigh.

"Nothing is ever straight forward.." She quietly mused in her British toned voice.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The thump of the mortars is coming more steady now. Not because the situation is allowing them to fire without risk to their own forces, but because a few sharp words delivered by Grim Reaper having them cutting it close.

A fountain of dirt and shredded vegetation rises into the air, showering Cap where he perches on a branch. A pair of Hydra soldiers pass beneath and he drops down behind them, grabbing their heads and slamming them together and dropping both men.

Another mortar round hits, this one close enough that Steve dives and covers himself with his shield as he hears the whistle. <<Hulk, if you can reach those mortars, silencing them would help!>>

From behind him, Grim Reaper yells, "There you are!" his scythe blade already sweeping towards Cap's back. Cap pivots, clanging the blow off his shield, the blade slicing through a tree trunk.

The American hero and the one who took Death for his name trade blows. Steve is staggered back by a kick when he moves to block the scythe. Then as Grim Reaper follows up trying to stab him, Cap grabs a handful of vine, using it to momentarily snare Reaper's arm.

"More troops!" Grim Reaper yells, Hydra goons converging on his location and lightning up the jungle with the crackle of energy blasts!

Bruce Banner has posed:
Hulk has mopped up multiple Dreadnoughts at this point. Leaving the decapitated pair behind, Hulk leaps forward, landing in a Mario smash atop another, then backhanding a different Dreadnaught hard enough to send it flying.

Hearing the sounds erupting in the jungle, the Hydra troops starting to approach, Hulk reaches down and scoops up a half-broken Dreadnaught, hurling it toards the terrorist soldiers with a savage lack of mercy, letting it land where it may. Hulk doesn't like killing people but these fascists were on the naughty list.

"YES MORE COME FIGHT HULK!!!! HULK WANT MORE!" he says, moving to step towards the jungle and stomping his foot to send another shockwave in that direction.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The next mortar round fragment goes ricocheting past the brawling pair of Natasha and Viper. Viper shifts her posture enough to let it shoot past her, as does Natasha. The fragment goes through three treets, cutting them down through the trunks as they would sizzle, wood flying in every direction. Natasha uses this as a cover to try and strike Viper again in the face. Two heavy blows go up and each is met by a green flicker of energy blocking it.

Viper goes to slash at Natasha again, even as she's on the retreat. Blow after blow goes, the redhead on the defensive as the two would fight through the jungle. Natasha's coming over towards a tree, where she'd have no room to maneuver. She backs towards it, even as Ophelia goe sto lash out with her whip, monovilament weapon bisecting the tree! Even as it's being cloven in half, Natasha jumps and uses it as a springboard to launch herself!

As she sommersaults over OPhelia, she drops two powerful Widow's Bites. Each lanching out to magnetically clamp themselves over to Ophelia's frame, both kicking in at high power even as the force field would short out! Ophelia's howling in agony even as she yanks her hands up, her claws slashing through them and throwing them away!

Lara Croft has posed:
As the Pyramid itself shakes from the fighting to the south, inside it, Lara is rapidly smashing her axe against an old chain afixed to a rock column. Sparks fly from each impact until the chain suddenly gives way, and a massive statue begins to topple over. When it smashes in to a stone wall, Lara uses it to run swiftly up the felled statue, before leaping across from its shoulder to a makeshift lift built likely by the HYDRA forces. With a gap, Lara grasps the side of the hovering lift, pulling herself up on to its floor, before rolling on to her back. With a sigh, she lays there for just a moment, while falling dust from the reverberations rolling through the jungle cause dust to fall down upon her cheek. She blinks her eyes a few times, then pulls herself to her feet again. Grasping the controls of the lift, Lara begins pulling and tapping the levers and brass buttons adorning the control board.

The lift begins to rise, and Lara raises her eyes to watch her ascent...

A machine gun opens fire on her location, however, causing the mud-caked adventurer to duck behind the metal control board of the lift. The bullets scatter around her, sparking off of the metal controls, and the railings of the lift itself. Lara unholsters her handgun and begins to return fire, the sounds of the shared gunfire echoing throughout the Pyramid's interior.

So much for stealth...

Steve Rogers has posed:
Hydra soldiers go tumbling as Hulk creates a miniature earthquake, the ground lurching beneath their feet to drop the men. The mortar tubes turn their aim towards him, and shells start to explode around him, filling the air with falling dirt and debris!

Cap lets out a cry of pain as an energy blast hits him in the shoulder. "You're outnumbered, Rogers! Today is the day that Hydra will rid the Earth of Captain America!" Grim Reaper cries out gleefully, pressing his attack.

A flurry of slashes are turned aside, Cap forced every backwards with more of the soldiers rallying to Grim Reaper, moving in behind him.

Cap eyes them while fighting Reaper, backing up until his back is to a tall jungle tree. Grim Reaper slashes brutally, trying to catch him while Cap's path is obstructed.

But Steve had lured Grim Reaper into that slash, the soldier rolling out of the way as Grim Reaper's scythe cuts incredibly deep. The tree groans and the trunk cracks and then falls forward, the massive tree coming down right atop the squad of Hydra soldiers behind him.

"The benefits of choosing the terrain, Reaper," Steve educates him as he jumps atop the fallen trunk while the Hydra villain slashes about him, cutting limbs to make his way free of the tree.

Steve spares a brief glance towards the temple. There can't be many more troops left with how many come out. At least he's hoping that's the case!

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The fight goes on. Even as Viper is lightly injured, and Natasha moderately as the two face off with one another. Both disarmed of anything but thier fists and their furiousity. Now they go at one another at full force! Viper slashes at Natasha, taking advantage of Natasha's partially disabled arm to attack her. The woman of the Red Room can only quickly retreat, even as Viper keeps up the attack. Viper furiously keeps up her assault, going in at full power.

The women move at speeds, the un-enhanced eye cannot track, fighting with rage that only those that have been forged in the fires that they two have can understand. A strike from Natasha barely misses Viper. Viper goes to slam her fist into Natasha's gut as the ceramic plates shatter. Another slash goes up towards Natasha's broken jaw. Her injuries are slowing her. Just one solid strike of Viper's poisoned claws will end her.

Viper's attacks are unrelenting as she takes advantage of Natasha's injured side and injured knee. She just has to keep up the pressure.

Lara Croft has posed:
Inside the Temple Pyramid, Lara had slammed the ascension controls forward, and cut the safety line, sending the lift rocketing up toward the upper levels with a dangerous amount of speed! The remaining soldiers below lost their tracking sight upon her when the lift shot skyward!

It came to a sudden, crashing, arrival at the apex of the ancient Pyramid's multi-story complex, and the moment she arrived, she had her own rifle raised up, and ready for action in this new dark corridor. Moving with one foot steping evenly forward after the other, Lara advanced down the corridor until a target came rushing around a corner up ahead. She pulled the trigger on her rifle, popping off two quick shots before dropping the man at the end of the hallway. Rushing toward him, as he released the last strange sounds of death groans, Lara eyed him as she crouched to pull replacement magazines from the pouches on his utility vest...

Sliding the magazines in to her own tactical harness, Lara rose back up to her full height, and took a step around the sharp bend in the corridor, her microphone coming up from her shoulder rig.

"Steve, I'm almost there. The guards are light inside. I think it's worked. I'll contact you when--"

Lara's voice is cut off when the butt of a rifle impacts against the back of her head and neck. She is dropped to the ground, her body thudding against the stone floor, her own weapon scattering across the floor beside her.

Standing over Lara, a man dressed in black fatigues, lowers his rifle. He exhales a heavy breath before his radio crackles to life. "Dominguez." He grunts in a rough voice. "I have Croft. Want me to finish her?"

After a second of pause, the bursting static returns with another voice. "No." The voice says gruffly. "Bring her to me. The ritual is beginning now. Make haste, and good work..."

"Copy that, Carlson out." The trooper in black says, his radio clipped back to his hip, as he crouches to gather Lara up off of the floor.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve feels relief at hearing Lara's voice over comms, even as he takes a punch to the ribs, thankfully from Grim Reaper's hand that doesn't have a metal scythe attached!

Though Lara's voice is cut off, and Steve knows her well enough to know that tiny sound she gave portends trouble. <<Agent,>> he says. <<What is your status?>>

There's no way he can say it quiet enough that Grim Reaper won't hear it. He backs away a step, giving a deep-throated cackle. "So, you had a spy Rogers. And now he- no, wait... SHE. You sent a woman in to your job for you? Tsk tsk, Captain."

Steve points a gloved fist at the Grim Reaper. "That's misogynistic. And-"

"AND," Grim Reaper says, cutting Steve off, "If you and your little Avengers don't pull back, the lady is going to get a Columbian necktie. That's where after slitting her throat-"

Steve lets out an angry growl that cuts off Grim Reaper's words, if not his grin. <<Avengers. We're pulling back. Hulk. Stop smashing,>> he says over comms. He points a finger back at Grim Reaper. "If you hurt her, we're coming for you. And you won't end up in a cell on the Raft this time."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The fight wtih Viper goes on. Even as she and Natasha push themselves. Viper finally goes to maneuver into position where she's forced Natasha to keep her arm between the two. Viper goe son the attack, full power. Claws slashing, blades scything. Moving fast enough she could hack bullets from midair. Natasha doesn't tire.. But her injuries slow her just a bit. Viper goes in for another series of attacks, claws swinging over at the arm.

Rather than trying to turn away or partially block the strike.. Natasha braces herself, readies for pain, and smashes her arm up to Viper mid-go. Viper's full force and momentum hits her and her arm snaps in several pieces like a twig. But the injured limb was already a liability..

Sometimes in a fight, the best move was to sacrifice something already broken. And for those few eyeblinks as the bone shatters.. Natasha has an opening. Viper's full pressure is at it and she's overcommitted and can't maneuver. Natasha's hand snaps up and goes to jab her Widow's Bit einto VIper's neck, current blasting into OPhelia's neck.

Even as the green haired poisonous woman would be staggered by the blow, the call for the retreat comes in. And machine gun fire is peppering off around her. Natasha's in no physical shape for another melee, even if she could disengage to go for hit and run tactics. She goes to join the withdraw, heading back towards the Quinjet.

Lara Croft has posed:
Some small amount of time later...

On the apex of the Pyramid, a celestial garden unfolds, adorned with artifacts dedicated to the resurgence of the Moon and Sun Goddess of IX Chel. The High Council of Trinity, flanked by scant HYDRA guards, stands sentinel around the sacred altar. A makeshift stretcher, crafted from wood and cloth, carries Lara Croft, now draped in ceremonial attire with an ornate golden half-mask gracing her face. The stretcher bearers carefully lift her, placing her on the altar's surface. From the north, Dominguez strides forward, clutching the Dagger of Chak Chel in his right hand and the gleaming Silver Box of IX Chel in his left. To the west, the Moon begins its slow dance across the horizon, casting an ethereal orange-red glow upon the unfolding ceremony.

Dominguez, his gaze fixed upon Lara's unconscious form, plunges the Dagger of Chak Chel into the keyhole on the side of the Silver Box. A radiant white light spills forth as the box's lid gracefully unfurls.

With a sinister smile, Dominguez withdraws the dagger, raising it high before driving it down toward Lara's abdomen on the altar. Beneath the golden sun and moon goddess mask, Lara's eyes flare open, a gasp escaping her throat, as the celestial ritual takes an unexpected turn.

The jungle canopy is bathed in a wash of reds and oranges, as the Moon begins to lay across the Sun, and the brilliant bright white light shines atop the Great Paititi Pyramid, a harbinger of danger yet to come.