17089/Daemonites Doing Danger

Daemonites Doing Danger
Date of Scene:	03 February 2024
Location:	Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	A quick strike by SHIELD on a small Daemonite cell has the team get in over their head but they manage to pull off a win.
Cast of Characters:	Natasha Romanoff, Nikolas Kamarov, Cole Cash, Vintridr

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Natasha Romanoff has posed:
ALiens were the mandate of SWORD, which kept track of them on Earth. Ways of tracking ones not wanting to be found could be very difficult, but sometimes they got lucky. A consulting agent that worked at a start-up technology firm which was using surprisingly advanced tech had noticed a sudden chnage in behavior of the staff and great leaps forwards in their advancements.
    Passed up along the chain, somewhere around it a small cell of Daemonites had been confirmed. The main office was in Hell's Kitchen, and the consultant had confirmed that there were plenty of 'extra hours' activities going on.
    Late Night in Hell's Kitchen, a small office building -decidedly- left alone. No homeless, no graffiti, no vandalism. Their orders were to sweep and clear.

Nikolas Kamarov has posed:
"This building reminds me of this one time in Grozny." Winter says over the comms, "Let's hope this doesn't turn out like Grozny, though. I'll be in position on the floor below the targets in 3 2 1. Here." Winter had gone in first, activating his stealth suit to wink out of existance. "We sure you want to sure you want to do this? I'll blast a hole in the floor as you guys kick the door down?"

Cole Cash has posed:
And since someone somewhere knows Cole has tangled with Daemonites a few times, guess who got assigned to this mission? Yeah, 'Agent Grifter'. The guy that would very much prefer never see a Daemonite ever again.

"They can phase, they can shapeshift, they can possess people and most of them can tear apart the average bear with their bare hands. Claws. Paws? Well, you know what I mean?" This is Cole being helpful. "Also, they might also have other psychic or magical powers."

He left his SHIELD-issue handgun at the Triskelion, he will be shooting with his energy handguns, regulations be damned. "How many do you read?" He asks.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
They possess people, they can merge with them like Brood.. Extermination wtih superior firepower is the best way to go about it. They may not know exactly whom of the staff is possessed.. But, likely everyone. The consultant was given the third degree and every analysis short of invasive procedure to confirm he wasn't one of them.

Nikolas can pick up roughly a dozen signatures spread throughout the building and the multiple levels. A few in individual offices on the differnet floors. That means they can't take them all at once and some of them might have room to flee.

Nikolas Kamarov has posed:
"Welp. There goes that plan. Too spread out." Winter calls as he tracks the various energy signatures, likely cell phones above him. "Multiple floors and in multiple offices." He shakes his head. "Well, I'm coming up through the floor. Any chance for redemption even knock em out? Or should we just start the killing and let the priests sort it out in the end?"

Cole Cash has posed:
"We can try an exorcist," mutters Cole. "I bet the eggheads will love to have some of them alive, but they are slippery," he admits. Because the whole phase through walls, shapeshift and possess people thing. "But we don't have instructions to even try that, right?"

He sighs, "look, the important thing is: don't let them take you. I'd take them out as fast as possible. Unconscious or dead, the important thing is they are out. Don't even try to talk to them."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The figments within the building are moving about in it. Three upstairs are going to cluster together over - as if gathering by a water cooler. Two more downstairs are heading over towards what would be one of the alleyway entrances. Then there's two more pings which are going from the casual walk they had been within to picking up speed.

Nikolas Kamarov has posed:
"They are on the move." Winter says quickly, "Busting the floor in 3 2 1." A blast of energy from Winter blows through the floor upwards, sending flooring and causing the metal joists to buckle and bend upwards. In a flash before the last piece of flooring can hit the floor, he's up and through the hole. His stealth suit hiding him for the moment. "Shit. Do we have someone at the back entrance? Just like Russian military, never sending us enough resources."

Cole Cash has posed:
"I'll get them," replies Cole, dashing towards the alleyway and switching to talking through the SHIELD comms system. He opens his mind a bit, so he can feel other minds around him. No way to know if they are human or alien, but he can keep track of the pair of suspects heading out.

But he also agrees with Winter. They are too few to deal with a dozen Daemonites. Particularly if they don't want to stay and fight. What was the planning people doing?

Vintridr has posed:
    Eddie Thurmond blinks in confusion as the noise and the light both vanish, and he tries to piece together recent events. He'd been doing his evening round through the building, a bit earlier than normal, but keeping too strict a schedule makes it too easy for burglars to figure out your patterns, but when he'd opened the door to the second floor office one of the workers was being held up by some kind of four-armed hunchbacked thing and he'd drawn his gun and fired almost before his mind had caught up, and the thing had dropped the worker and jumped him instead and there'd been pain and...

     He blinks again as he realize the monster is right there in front of him, somehow frozen in this cool blue glow that's pervading everything. His gaze travels downward as realization seeps in, staring at...

... Oh.

    "Be at ease, Edward Thurmond; your battle was well fought, but it is at an end."

    Eddie turns toward the voice - the first sound he has heard since this happened, he realizes - and finds himself face to face with a tall woman wearing armor that somehow looks ancient and modern at the same time. And while he might not have been the most avid student of mythology, with Asgard's presence in the city it's hard not to pick up a few things. "... Wait, me? But I'm just..."

    "You saw one of those you were charged to protect in danger and did not hesitate," Vintridr points out, a brief smile playing along her lips. "It matters little how brief your struggle was; only that you fought with courage. Valhalla's halls are open to you, should you wish it."

    he Valkyrior falls silent, holding out her hand, waiting patiently for Eddie to come to terms with things.

    It doesn't take long for Eddie to reach a decision, and he reaches out to take Vin's hand when he notices the office worker in the corner of his eye, frozen in mid-dash, and the two Daemonites already leaping after him in pursuit. "... He's not going to make it out, is he?" he asks, even as he feels Vintridr's hand clasp his own.

    "Not without help, no," the Valkyrior replies, then smiles again, significantly sharper. "You sold your life to buy him a chance; I'm more than willing to pay the fair price."

    Eddie's smile fades with the rest of him as time resumes its march.

    Fred Jackson is having a terrible, terrible day and if he could just wake up in bed and realize it was all a nightmare that would be really nice, because one of his coworkers turned into a monster and tried to grab him, and then there were gunshots and it dropped him and he ran for it past that fat security guard and he didn't look back when the screaming started, but he'd still managed to trip over a wastebasket and oh god that thing is right on him--

    ... And then it's shoved sideways by the force of the sword that now skewers its neck. Fred looks wild-eyed at the sword, then turns to look at the wielder, who simply glares at him.

    "Take the emergency staircase to ground level and do not stop running," Vintridr admonishes him, then turns to face the remaining Daemonites with a grin of challenge. "Come, then, devil-kin. Come and die."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
As Cole and Nikolas go to split up, there's three Daemonite sthat are making a break for it through the front. They end up being face to face with Cole, in their fully transformed frames of giant alien bug cockroaches! The trio go to hiss over at him, wings and mandibles flashing as they're going to leap along to try and flank him from several angles and to try and swarm him! One is going to try and slash him from the side over with a triple layer of claws, as a second goes over to try and spit acid at him. It would spray out like a hose, anythin in the way being instantly melted through! THe third goes to try and strike at him over with a massive, barbed tail strong enough to cave it's way through the side of a truck!

The Daemonites aren't demons. Called that, unforgiving abominations.. They're insectoids (of a sort) not from Earth. The appearance of the Valkyr has one going to smap over at her, it having a trio of slashes snap out trying to slash her over the body! Very powerful ones with surprising speed and strength, attempting to skewer her over on the tips of them! Even as behind it a triple barbed tail goes to try and whip around like a scorpion's stinger to try and hit her with the poisoned barb to paralyse her!

Cole Cash has posed:
"You picked up very cute shapes," comments Cole as he comes on three of the aliens in full 'battle configuration'. They aren't demons, but sure they look the part. And act the way. And smell the... yeah.

Cole pulls out his weapons as he jumps over the barbed tail, getting out range of the slashing claws. Bolts of energy go towards the one trying to spit acid, directly to the open mouth. Cole knows they can make their skin very thick, but probably not the insides.

His VAD PP30 particle projectors can technically go through any armor any typical Daemonite can shift, but at such power collateral damage tends to be pretty bad. He is being careful here because it is New York.

Vintridr has posed:
    And so battle is joined. Vin permits herself a savage grin as she moves. Daemonites are not a foe to be taken lightly -- stronger, faster and more durable than humans, with natural weapons that might given even a bear pause -- even by an Asgardian. But then, what is the fun in an easy fight?

    A feint with her sword draws its attention away just long enough to bash it in the maw with her shield, pushing it off balance long enough for the Valkyrior to step inside its range and deliver a slash to its abdomen before moving past it, interposing its body between her and its tail.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Whatever the aliens are - insectoids, replites, freaks.. They're abominations. They're monsters. That's all that matters about them. They were spawn and they needed to be dealt with quickly. Outside, the sounds of more firefights pickup as backup teams are going to scramble upon the callout and moving to plug the holes. Energy blasts go back and forth, and yells are heard. But the perimeter is locked down, even if only barely.

Cole is able to dodge the attacks from long practice and experience, evading them and going to blast through. The energy blasts go to scythe through the head of the bug spitting acid. It detonates, sizzling over and spewing ichor in every direction. As said ichor impacts the walls and the ground, and even some of the ceiling, it would sizzle and continue melting. Someone had definitely been watching the Aliens movies.

The first of the Daemonites above goes to snap it's teeth over at Cole, attempting to snap them into Cole's neck with the power to bite his head clean off as the second one goes to try and jump him from the side! Four limbs snapping out at him, growing blades from elbows and claws to try and get extra reach! They definitely were a bit different mutations than usual..

Vintridr may or may not know what the creatures were. They were definitely not from Midgard or any of the other realms linke dto it! That seemed to make it more fun. Her quick counterattack goes to slash on through the edge of the first. IT being pressed backwards over and unable to get her with it's tail. The second one goes to then move to snap up it's claws and goes to shoot a series of hyper-speed spines over at her, them launching like ballistae-hurled daggers!

Cole Cash has posed:
One down, and two... are a bit too much. Cole drops a flash-bang trusting his mask to shield him, and ducks to avoid having his head bitten off. But then comes another alien guy with four claws.

Cole has little space to dodge, instead he shoots a dozen times at the alien torso and head, trying to make him retreat, maybe kill him before the claws slice him open. "Winter, some backup?" He sends through the comms. Not that he expects much, there were just too many aliens. And somehow they knew SHIELD was coming.

Vintridr has posed:
    This is the first time Vin has encountered this particular enemy, true; but she's fought in Asgard's wars for centuries and there are very few tricks truly new to her -- the Svartalfar have a fondness for twisting creatures out of true to make more effective - and horriffic -- fighters. So she recognizes the suddenly puffing up spinal fur for the attack it is, and is already moving.

    A quick step to close the distance again with her first quarry, grabbing hold of one of its arms while it's still off balance from trying to scramble back, an even quicker spin to interpose its body between her and the spines about to be fired at her, followed by a kick to its midsection as soon as she notices the spines hitting home to send its mangled body careening into its comrade...

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Vin is able to hold her own and moves to fling the second enemy over into the third, which leaves the second dismembered and third somewhat slowed as it goes to try and hurl off it's brethren's corpse to go at her once more. THis leaves the moderately injured first as the only one that can attack Vintridr, even as it goes to try and just leap through the air to try and land on her mid-kick to try and give her a bladed bear hug!

This hasn't turned into a clusterf*** for SHIELD but the enemy knew they were coming or intel got -real- sloppy with it. Nikolas is going along to give some backup fire, which drives the second remaining Daemonite away from Cole, even as energy blasts would erupt over it. Cole has a few moments to breathe.

Cole Cash has posed:
A few moments is all Cole needed, and he jumps into the offensive, aiming a kick to the head of the snapping alien, mostly to give himself some impulse to reach the other and shoot his head off with half a dozen close range blasts.

"You are too quiet, you know?" He comments to the last guy. "Most of your pals would be babbling about how us lowly humans should bow to the superior Daemonites. Did you skip Hellspont's monologuing lessons? Not that I would blame you if you did."

Vintridr has posed:
    Two enemies down, but at a cost of leaving herself overextended just when the third makes its leap. Vintridr needs more time to recover her balance than she has left, so all she has time for is to bring her shield around to intercept the claws even as the creature's force of impact knocks her off her foot. She shoves hard as she goes down, trying to send her assailant skidding away while rolling in the other direction to gain both breathing space and the momentum to get back on her feet.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Her assailant is flung into the wall, leaving a crater of plaster and insulation which it's rapidly yanking itself out of, claws digging into the wall and ground tquickly snap itself forwards! But Vin has those precious seconds she needs to recover.

The remaining Daemonite in front of Cole that's disabled is not spewing out the normal round of monologuing. It's clearly not feral and is part of the cell.. And yet it's not going on a tirade against him and trying to imaple him while it can. A closer inspection would reveal a lucky ricochet had gone over into what passed as the bug's spine.

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole blinks at the remaining alien falls to the ground, unconscious or dead. "Well, that explains it," he mutters, returning his guns to the holsters and digging for a cigarette. "Alleyway door secure," he mumbles on the comms. "I am low on ammo, tell me if you want me somewhere else. Otherwise I will keep overwatch here."

Vintridr has posed:
    Seconds, she had. Seconds were more than enough. Vin dispenses with all subtlety and finesse, and simply lets out a battlecry as she bodily charges the final remaining Daemonite, her shield in front of her to intercept its claws and her sword at the ready -- but rather than stop at the impact, she uses her momentum to keep on going, through the drywall and the window overlooking a two-story drop.

    Only when both of them are in mid-air and about to fall does Vin pull her shield away, only to drive her sword into the Daemonite's innards while it's still flailing for purchase, then leaping off the body just before impact and to soften her own landing... As it happens, in the alleyway not terribly far from Cole.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The area is secure, wtih Vintridr having managed to take out the last of them. That makes for a bloody smear of alien goo and carcasses around the area, the firefight inside having messed up most of the useful material, if not all. There's more lights as a containment team arrives from SWORD to start taking everything into possession - bodies, and a large stasis tube for thier prisoner. Oh yes, whomever does interrogations is going to have such a good time..