17107/The Blackbriar Rescue

The Blackbriar Rescue
Date of Scene:	09 February 2024
Location:	Wardin, Belgium - 15km From The Ardennes Forest
Synopsis:	A mission to rescue a tank crew in 1944 runs astray, and we don't mean Bucky trying to flirt with Nettie.
Cast of Characters:	Damian Wayne, Steve Rogers, James Barnes, Nettie Crowe

---

Damian Wayne has posed:
24 December 1944 - A heavy snow has fallen over the Ardennes, and the American forces have been bogged down near the town of Bastogne, Belgium for the last couple of weeks. With losses mounting amongst the 101st Airborne, the arrival of the 107th Infantry and 4th Armored Divisions were a welcomed sight to the men that haven't stopped fighting since their boots hit the sand at Omaha Beach. Most of the troops are aware it's Christmas Eve, but with the constant thrum of artillery in the distance, it was clear that Santa would not be visiting the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge.

Set up in a tavern in the town of Wardin, the 107th has set up their command under Colonel Chester Phillips, who is currently sitting in his war room (the former dining area), with maps of the area spread out with some photos and reports. Having summoned Bucky and Steve, the Colonel glances up from his work and frowns. Apparently, he had been in the middle of his meal - there's half of a ration of mystery meat, some local bread and half a cup of long cold coffee.

"I know you just got back from yer time with our friends at HYDRA's science division." Phillips drawls, "But I need to get you back into the saddle. And while the milk around here may be frozen, this is the type of mission that you'd call a milk run. Lieutenant Colonel Abrams over at 4th AD seems to have lost a couple of his Shermans, asked us to find them."

He gestures to the map, where he's placed a couple of tanks. "A runner says there may have been wounded, so there's a nurse from Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps accompanying you on this soiree, since all of our medics have their hands full in the forest. Easy peasy, find the Sherman, help them with whatever they need to get back on the march and get back here. Your nurse will be waiting for you outside, says she knows the area."

That was it for the briefing, there would be some small talk and greetings that could be done on the road, a Jeep is already waiting for those that are going on the mission sitting on idle.

Already standing outside is a large man in British green fatigues and a large bowler hat with Corporal chevrons on the front of it. "Oi!" Dum Dum calls as he jogs over. "Heard dere was a mission. Can't wait to return the hospitality those blokes at HYDRA gave us." He's already packed his gear for the mission. "Mind some company? Better than just sitting around here, watching the snow pile up, roight?"

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers picks up his pack that he'd set beside the door, slinging it over a shoulder as they step outside and are greeted by Dum Dum Dugan. "Mind it?" Steve repeats of the offer of extra company. "Something to listen to besides Bucky? Count me in," he says, resting his hand on the back of his best friend after making the good-natured joke.

Glancing about, Steve says, "Supposed to be a nurse coming with us as well," as he looks for where she might be. "Hopefully he's right about it being a milk run. If it turns out otherwise, let's make getting her to safety a top priority," he suggests, shifting the weight of his pack a little bit to rest better on his shoulder.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky doesn't quite have the same saunter as he did back in New York. Things are too tense here, too close to the skin, for him to be relaxed enough for that, but his expression isn't overly grim as he steps inside the tavern. He's already geared up, overcoat buttoned up tightly against the chill and his rifle slung over his shoulder. It's his standard kit for supporting Captain America out on the front lines.

    Speaking of; he elbows Steve in the side as they enter, the remains of some fantastical story (probably about a girl) falling from his mouth. "--so then I told her I was shipping out, and she said what about the kids? Apparently she'd invented an entire family for us over a half hour of our first, and only, date." He shakes his head. "Hell of a right hook on her, though."

    Does he rub his cheek in fond memory? No, that would be silly. But he definitely thinks about it!

    And then as soon as they've come in from the cold they're right back out into it, and Bucky's immediately looking about for this nurse. No doubt he perked right up when Colonel Phillips mentioned her. "Hey, my stories are great, what are you complaining about? I'm single-handedly responsible for keeping morale up!"

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "/Anything's/ better than sitting here watchin' the snow pile up an' listening to you gents natter on." sounds a feminine voice -- that would probably be the nurse dispatched to help. She's wearing a British QARANC officer's uniform, and a smart knitted hat that she's pulled over her hair, hiding its color. She's sitting in the jeep, under a blanket to keep the snow out of it, and has a couple of playing cards set in front of her in rows of three, and she stands up inside the Jeep.

    "Senior Sister Annette, at your services gentlemen. I'll be your chauffer -- she stands up a little taller -- on her tip-toes, and shakes off the blanket. A crow gives complaint and hops off, taking to the air.

    "-- an' the nurse. The good Lieutenant Cooper--" pronounced Leftenant, of course, properly British "--unfortunately has come down with the /flu/ else he'd be with you." the dimunitive woman states, and then puts her hands on her hips. She pauses, looking to the trio.

    "... goodness you lot must have the American rations. Look at the *size* of you all!"

Damian Wayne has posed:
"It's good to see ya boys back together, lads!" Dum Dum is offering enthusiastically as he links up with the others. "Hopefully this lass is a looker, eh?" he suggests, before he takes in Sister Annette. And he pauses. That grin on his face? It pushes his moustache up high and crinkles his eyes. "Senior Sister, is it now? I remember when you were just plain Sister Annette!" he crows about with a laugh. "Step lively with this one boys, she may be a slip of a girl, but she damn near drunk me under a table one night at the Stow on the Wold before the war kicked into full steam!"

With that warning offered, he moves to take a seat in the only place appropriate for him - the very back of the jeep. "And I'd suggest letting her drive. She gets car sick when ye don't." Don't ask him how he knows that. That's another - much longer story - for another time. Settled in, he waits for Steve and Bucky to figure out who's going to be shotgun before they head off.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Single-handedly responsible for morale at least I'd agree," Steve jokes back to Bucky, before Sister Annette draws their attention over to her. Steve walks over that way across the frozen ground, the ice of a puddle cracking beneath his boot, though beneath it's dry, the water all having ended up as ice.

"Senior Sister Annette, pleasure to meet you," he offers amiably enough. The man's blue-eyed gaze swings over to Dum Dum as he gives the brief glimpse into his past with the woman. "And you come highly recommended it sounds like," he says.

Steve walks around the jeep to the passenger seat, climbing in. To Annette's comment about their rations and size, he just grins and says, "You can blame Bucky's mom for that. Woman is the best cook in the Bronx." He's got his shield on his back, and also a submachine gun slung over one shoulder which he double checks the safety on and then settles in. "Hopefully this ends up being a simple enough trip," he comments.

James Barnes has posed:
    It's not often that Bucky is speechless, but he does go curiously silent for a few seconds after spotting Sister Annette. He's not quite tongue-tied, though, because as he starts to circle around the Jeep, he says, "Apologies for keeping you waiting then, Senior Sister Annette." He's too slow to sneak in and nab the passenger seat from Steve, and he's definitely blaming that one on the Super Serum in his head, so he resignedly climbs into the back next to Dum Dum Dugan.

    His fellow Howling Commando gets a cheeky smile, and then upon hearing precisely how he knows the Sister, Bucky looks forward, giving Annette a different sort of appraising eye. "Well, sounds like you know your way around a stick shift already. I'm glad we're in good hands."

    And with that, he settles in, and gives a thump to the back of Steve's seat. "You're already her favorite, no need to butter her up a whole ocean away," he says with a laugh, then tilts his head slightly to wink up at Annette in the front.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "That I did, Cor'pral, only Sister Flynn could outdrink *you* though Lad. Cheers." she toasts an imaginary pint. She gives a salute to Steve. "Pleasure's all mine, Captain Rogers, your reputation preceeds you. An' good to know the Americans are all strapping lads, so kind of you to join in the fun." she gives a wry smile to Cap as she reaches back and flicks Dum Dum's hat back a little.

    To Bucky, she gives a little bit of a grin.

    "Well, then you should know I'm *very* familiar with shifting sticks about, an' even better behind the wheel."

    She drops into the driver's seat, and brings up a pair of aviator goggles (because snow and icy is already an issue). She drops the jeep into gear, she revs the engine and then lifts her foot of the brake and they are *off*.

    The snow may be blinding as she carefully but quickly speeds about, using landmarks and broken street signs and occasionally turning off the headlights as she rounds corners.

    "SO! What information were you fed about the tank crew we're about to rescue? I don't s'pose you lads know if there's proper tea makin' facilities for them? Important question -- have to sterilise the equipment if there's more than one in need of stitching!" she shouts over the motor and the wind.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Dum Dum nudges James with his elbow as he joins him in the back. There's a snort, trying his best not to hide a laugh. "Boyo, I know he's all 'No, You Move', but I bet he'd moved if you asked to sit next to the pretty girl." he comments dryly. "Instead, you get me, who ain't had a shower in a week and a half, and you already know there's no such thing as hot water around here." he comments. "Just be glad we're drivin' down wind, eh?" Offering up a toothy grin, his attention turns to the ride.

Does he tell James that Annette has a different persuasion? Nah, this is going to be way more fun. Leaning over, he suggests, "Make sure to remember to compliment her on the smooth ride when we get there."

And off they are on the road - which is really a logging trail that's been shelled and blasted to splinters. The ride is not comfortable, the rugged little Jeep bouncing and dropping and ambling it's way to the location.

And as they get closer, Nettie will sense it first. Something is not exactly right about where they are. The visual signs will become more obvious to the others as the ride smooths out - where's the shell holes? The splintered and shattered trees? The path that they are on meanders deeper into the grove.

There are green leaves on the trees. In the dead of winter, as figidly cold as it is, there are signs of life, a few trees that are vibrant, the ground lacks the snow that was present around the rest of the field. But the tank tracks - they head right into that thicket.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Very little information on them, ma'am," Steve replies to Annette. His submachine gun stock is resting on his leg, the barrel pointed straight up as they drive along through the lonely forest. Lonely when it's not occupied by a few dozen divisions of Hitler's crack troops at least.

Steve keeps his eyes on the tank tracks for the most part, but not to the exclusion of glances about for any signs of danger. Thankfully there isn't much of the latter. "Be nice if the weather broke enough they could get some aerial drops in here," he comments after one of his glances is aimed upwards at the clouds and inclement weather that were a boon to the Nazis with neutralizing the Allie's advantage in the air.

As they come to the thicket, Steve tilts his head, looking about, noting there's a change in the forest they've been going through. Though seemingly not something that alarms him.

James Barnes has posed:
    Annette's rejoinder has Bucky's face splitting into a wide smile. "Good to know."

    And then to Dugan, "No he wouldn't have," Bucky answers, with the ease of long friendship behind his certainty. Because that'd be too easy! He doesn't look overly bothered to be sitting in the back, though he does offer the other man a side-eye at his suggestion. He's immediately suspicious.

    But there are more important things to be doing, like keeping an eye out on their surroundings for potential danger, so that's what he's doing, even as he's being bounced around in his seat. Not much to be done for that, honestly.

    And given that he's watching out for enemies, there's no way he wouldn't catch the lack of... well, disaster. "Why's the snow melted here?" he asks, voice quiet, as they continue onwards.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Aw you ain't the worst smelling gentleman I've had the pleasure of driving about. *Usually* I'm driving hearses!" Nettie chipperly states and she gives a hard turn to the left, avoiding a hole in the ground. Another sharp veer t o the right.

    Seat belts, mind you, won't be a 'thing' for another twenty years. Hold tight lads!

    "Are you tellin' me that all those fancy dials and gizmos in those planes and none of the pilots can tell where they are in the clouds? An' no callin' me ma'am. Annette or Nettie does just fine -- no one calls me mum unless I'm getting kicked out or --" Nettie asks, her brows knitting as a couple ideas form in her head -- and then there's another crow call, and Nettie hits the brake, and skids where the snow turns to grass, mud kicking up as she looks around the thicket.

    "... now innit that the question, Sergent Barnes?" Nettie states. She chews on her cheek for a moment before she releases the parking brake, and begins at a more mundane pace, following the tracks more carefully.

    A big black bird flies before them. Another crow. What's that old rhyme?

    One for sorrow, two for joy...

Damian Wayne has posed:
Three for murder. Four for woe.

"This place is giving me the right jeebies." Dum Dum offers, a shiver over his large body as Nettie drives them along into the thicket. At the slower, more mundane pace, the Jeep's travel is no longer as rough as they follow after the wayward Sherman tank.

As they go deeper, there's no birdsong. No buzz of insects. Even the sounds of the artillery that was so prevelant back in the rear area seems to be a distant memory.

And the smell. Fresh earth, nothing frozen, nothing cold. The soil smells fresh, just tilled, as if the thicket had just sprung to life a few hours ago, not been here for hundreds of years.

And just ahead, about a football field's length away? The back of the Sherman Tank is noticed, parked in the middle of the trail. It's engine is off, no smoke or steam rising from the back of it.

Steve will notice the stump that just seems to suddenly be there in the middle of the road. Twisted and gnarled, it's just at the right height to rip out the transmission of an unsuspecting vehicle.

And Nettie did not notice it in the middle of the logging trail.

They could be in for a very sudden, very ugly stop.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve is on a bit more alert. Granted the weather and plants aren't quite as worrisome as a Hydra motorized unit would be. But it's still rather eerie. And Steve has learned to be on guard when unusual things start happening in this war.

He sees the stump ahead and reacts immediately, "Look out!" he calls to the Annette as he reaches over to give the steering wheel a shove to turn it to the left, Annette's side, to hopefully avoid the stump!

James Barnes has posed:
    Given his position in the back, there's not much Bucky can do to contribute to the whole mysterious tree stump spotting. But he does have the wherewithall to say, a few moments before Steve calls out, "Please, call me Bucky."

    And then the mood is ruined seconds later when the aforementioned mysterious tree stump leaps into their way. He grips the chassis to hold on, his whole body going tense as the Jeep lurches.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "This is odd. Shouldn't be nothin' but field about here -- my recon was *flawless* --" Nettie states under her breath, she was distracted, and she blinks herself out of her thoughts when Steve reaches for the wheel. She braces, she narrows her eyes at the stump as a warning caw rings out, and she helps Steve turn the wheel -- not that he needed help -- but is it enough? The weight of the jeeps skidding through the wet and fresh earth below them as she braces for impact, her gloved hands reaching for ANYTHING that is not a beefcake to grab onto for stability!

Damian Wayne has posed:
The Jeep makes the hard turn, but the side of it collides with the stump, bringing it to a sudden and immediate stop. The whole vehicle tilts but stays upright, jostling around the passengers. The only one that takes the worst of it is Dum Dum, who slips and the back of his head smacks into the back of the Jeep, sending to seeing stars and into darkness.

He's knocked out, but stable - he's just not going to be responsive for a bit.

And there, as the Jeep sits there in the darkening field, there's flickers of light. Soft illuminations, almost like fireflies that weave in and out of the trees. But these little lights? They make noise.

'Help us...'
'...save me...'
'Come. Come find us.'
'We are here...'

Will o' Wisps, Nettie would recognize, as they flit to and fro, the soft words coupled with the sounds of the wounded, the injured, the possible dying - mixing into sounds that could be real, could be fake - but that Sherman?

It's very much real. And it appears that noone is coming out of it from it yet. But this forest? There is far more to it than meets the eye.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers watches the stump slam against the side of the jeep just in front of his door. The reason he shoved the wheel to the side he did, so it would hit on his side and not that of Annette.

He turns to take stock of everyone in the jeep first, before hopping out of it. "Bucky. Dum Dum," he says, motioning to the unconscious Howling Commando. Assuming Dum Dum isn't lying across Bucky's lap at the conclusion of the little car wreck.

It's then that Steve turns, seeing those lights floating in the trees. He cocks his submachine gun and pulls his shield off his back, arm through the straps on the back as he turns to regard them. "Ok, this..." he says, trailing off. "I have a feeling we probably shouldn't head towards those. But let's check on the tank."

James Barnes has posed:
    As far as Bucky can tell, at least, he is bereft of Dum Dum. But given that he's the one in the back seat, he leans over to check for a pulse first, fingers to the man's neck, before he hops out to give way towards Annette. Nettie, he corrects mentally.

    And as soon as he's free of the Jeep, Bucky's rifle is drawn, the butt tucked into his shoulder. His eyes dart around frantically at the sounds of those voices, but then he takes in a calming breath, and nods up at Steve. "Agreed. No good for us to go rushing off into the darkness. I've cover us."

    Which he then proceeds to do, moving to the side to cover their flank in case this is a trap.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    CRUNCH. That's the sound of the passenger side getting crunched in. Dum Dum gets knocked out, and after she contends with shaking off her own stars and garters, Nettie kills the engine and turns to assess Dum Dum.

    "Dugan!" she hisses, and she hops up to her knees, assessing the situation they're in.

    Oh. This might be bad.

    The crow that had cawed out settles in the trees, watching the quartet of humans, and the nurse narrows her eyes.

    "Aye... mind the lights. Stay close together. Don't wander off the path." she warns the two, and she upnods. "Will-o-whisps. M'gran used to talk about them." she states, and she checks something up her sleeve, and then from her coat she pulls a revolver -- standard Enfield .38, issued to the lads from Great Britain.

    "Be wary. Could be a trick."

    Nettie is trying to use her magical senses to suss out those lights -- were they the souls of men who perished here, or just fairie lanterns hoping to lead them astray?

    "Dum Dum will be all right. Provided he doesn't wake up and lumber about like an auruch."

Damian Wayne has posed:
Dum Dum is out like a light. Little chance of him waking up for a bit.

Now, in the midsts of the forest, there are small rustlings, the light movement of leaves rustling. Nothing like what would be feet in the leaves or the like, just as if the leaves themselves were being pushed around by the ground with a lack of wind.

The will o' the wisps seem to be mimicking the souls of those that have fallen, without being those souls. But there has been so much death and pain in this area in the last couple of months, is it any wonder that they are all stirred up?

And then, suddenly...

*CLANG CLANG!*

The sudden noise shatters the silence of the woods, the soft moans, the cries of the fairies that tempt those to follow their lights further into the darkness. Those loud clangs?

They come from the Sherman tank.

The sound of someone within that is pounding something against the metal of the tank to try to alert the others that he is there. Within the tank.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers looks back to Bucky, making sure he's able to keep an eye on Dum Dum as well, and then starts down the path. He puts himself in front of Annette, the shield on her side so he's able to cover her should something go wrong.

The ground lacks that crunching noise that the frozen earth makes everywhere else in the Ardennes as they approach the tank. As that clanging sounds, Steve comes to a quick halt. He checks the area before not seeing anything more worrisome than what they've already seen, and he continues forward.

"You in the tank. We've come to relieve you and get you back to our lines," he calls out. "Are you alright in there?"

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky ends up splitting the difference, which means he's about equidistant from the Jeep and the tank. It's better than nothing, but after that sudden banging had startled them all, his head whipping around towards it in the dark, something about this whole situation makes his skin itch uncomfortably.

    The only reaction he shows is the way his shoulders shift under his coat, his hackles definitely up.

    "Any chance of that noise being a trick like the will-o'-the-wisps?" he asks, though he's eyeing the tank with less trepidation than he is the little points of light further out.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "There's always a chance, Sergeant Barnes -- Captain -- let me go first." Annette suggests, turning to Rogers a moment as she shakes her head -- "in case there's wounded. Tanks are awful cramped." she grasps her bag marked with a gray and red cross, and she takes a deep breath as she makes her approach, minding the whisps with a side eye. "Keep an eye on them." she whispers, though it's not clear who she's addressing.

    Nettie makes her approach with a little hustle to the tank, gripping the base of something up her sleeve in her left hand, the revolver with her right, and she goes to scale the tank with a little difficulty.

Damian Wayne has posed:
The rattle from the tank is muffled, but he lifts one of the small eye-covers and looks out. "C-Cap... is that really you?!" he declares, having heard rumors of the star-spangled one being out and about after saving a lot of people.

"You need to look out for the crew! I was on the radio and something just... grabbed them!"

And just as he is saying that, the rustle grows, and three men come stumbling out of the woods. Dressed in the tatters of American tanker uniforms, their skin has been run through and taken over by the forest, the vines on the ground wrapped up around their legs as they walk.

Their faces are gaunt, drained all of their life as they shamble out, obviously dead and puppets of a larger master - as they lurch towards the trio.

Behind them, further up the trail, the woods starts to shift, to change, forming into something else. The trees close in on each other, the limbs wrapping and warping and twisting. A face forms, underneath a cloak of vines and limbs, an anctient creature's white eyes glowing brighter than any will o' the wisp.

Old. Very old magic. And as he forms, the druid roars, "Hast thou not yet realized, fool," That is aimed at Nettie, perhaps sensing her magic. "I am the undefeatable! Mine is the power of the very earth beneath my feet, the power infinite. And 'tis power I can draw upon at will! Behold the power of Blackbriar Thorn, ye mighty. And despair!"

Steve Rogers has posed:
Behold the power of Blackbriar Thorn, ye mighty. And desp-

CLANG!!!

Captain America's shield cuts off the final word before the last syllable makes it out fully. The shield bounces back and is snatched out of the air by Steve Rogers.

"Despairing is what too many despots want us to do. You're not going to find any quit here today, Blackbriar Thorn!" Captain America tells him. He turns to motion to the man in the tank to climb out. "Come on, soldier. We're getting out of here," Steve says. He'll wait long enough for the soldier to get out and join them before starting to make for the way that they came in, and the jeep where it's stopped with Bucky and Dum Dum.

James Barnes has posed:
    Does Blackbriar Thorn have a head? Yeah, looks like. Bucky lines up the sight against his eye and levels it at whatever the hell that is, points his rifle right between the thing's glowing eyes, and squeezes the trigger. And he doesn't...

    ...stop...

    ...firing. Not until he hears the *click* of an empty magazine, and only then does he start backstepping towards the Jeep, though he keeps Blackbriar Thorn in his sights all the same as he reloads his weapon via feel. At this point, this deep into the war, though, it's all muscle memory anyway.

    "My vote's on getting the hell away from here," he calls out. You know. In case anyone was wondering about his opinion.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "GET THE HELL OUTTA THE TANK!" Annette barks in her best 'I am the Nurse in charge, you WILL do what I say!' voice. She balls up her fist with something from her pocket, and she casts her hand. There didn't appear to be anything in it, but some of the ground bursts into flame -- must have been some kind of incindiaray item! What's a NURSE doing with that?!

    The crow that had been cawing in warning has begun to circle wildly, pecking at vines and scratching at the wood of Blackbriar Thorn.

    Nettie is providing cover fire with her revolver. She empties it into the oncoming bodies as she backs away, letting Rogers carry the tankier as she reaches into her nursing bag and appears to ball her fist up again.

    "Out out out -- everybody out!"

Damian Wayne has posed:
The surviving crew member doesn't need to be told twice - he's scrambling out the tank, just as Cap's shield collides with Blackbriar and the old druid /roars/. "I will crush you all!" he declares.

Even as the crow starts to claw at the branches, there are vines that lash out at the bird.

The plant covered troops are fired upon, their bodies shredded, but still mobile, if slowed by the injection of so much lead.

With Steve and Bucky falling back to the jeep, they miss what the very resourceful nurse is doing - and the fire lashes out.

If this had been just a standard Molotov cocktail, the durid may have laughed off Nettie's feeble attempt.

But as this was... something else, the druid roars in pain and disapproval as he recoils from the fire, trying to find a way to extinguish the flames.

While he is doing that, it gives the four the chance to get back to the Jeep, which if someone can just knock it off the stump that is hanging up on, probably has a good chance of getting them out of there.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers does a doubletake as the 'nurse' causes that impressive swathe of fire. But it's a brief one as they are in danger and there are people to rescue.

"Bucky, take him," he says, passing the tanker over to him, "And I'll get the jeep ready," Steve finishes, returning the shield to his back.

He turns and tosses his submachine gun to Annette, then goes over to the jeep. The Star Spangled Man crouches, getting hold of the bottom of the jeep and using his legs to lift. He doesn't exactly pick the jeep off the ground, but he lifts at least half of its weight, getting it up and off the tree stump. Shoving it sideways, the tires slide on the dirt path and he's able to drop it again, the Army-issue springs making it rock back and forth, but surviving the ordeal.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky, like Steve, has no idea what's missing in the combination of Nettie + ??? = Fire. But he's suddenly got his arms full of nervous tanker crew, so he swings his rifle back over his shoulder and hauls the guy upright... only to have to pause for a moment as--

    "Really, Steve?" comes out of Bucky's mouth, an octave higher than it usually is. Look, if even *Bucky* is impressed, then it's saying something! No time to fawn over Captain Rogers now, though, so the tanker gets tossed into the backseat with Dugan, and then Buck's climbing in after, half-hanging out so he can resume taking potshots at Blackbriar Thorn.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    And Nettie has ZERO time to explain!

    "WE. ARE. LEAVING!" she calls out, rushing the Jeep as Steve lifts it, and she goes to jump into the driver's seat. Turn the key -- wheeze.

    Turn the key -- WHEEZE --

    Turn the key and WHACK the dashboard!

    The engine roars to life. The crow that had been pecking and scratching soars through ahead of them, fire trailing on its pinion feathers before Nettie crows out "ALL ABOARD!"

    And punches the jeep into gear, roaring out of the thicket through the encroaching trees!

Damian Wayne has posed:
Blackbriar Thorn was just starting to pull himself together when the Jeep roars to life...

Vines reach out, trying to ensnare and capture the Jeep, it's passengers...

And just as it's about to close, Nettie guns the engine and it bursts through, rattling as it hits the trail, the cold suddenly there again as they are free of the thicket as they bounce and rattle back down the trail, racing back to headquarters.

Maybe the allies can firebomb the area later?