17208/AVENGERS: Hold onto the Dark

AVENGERS: Hold onto the Dark
Date of Scene:	24 February 2024
Location:	Avengers Mansion - Front Yard
Synopsis:	After hitting SHIELD, the magical burglary crew takes on Avenger's Mansion. They bring a Genie to a Hulk Fight, Tony blows up a spellcaster's brain in a jar, and the Avengers discover Wanda may have been keeping some dangerous things in her sock drawer. Good news: most of the badguys caught. Bad news: Chthon's agent lose in the world? Also Clea wishes for a boyfriend.
Cast of Characters:	Darcy Lewis, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, Steve Rogers, Kate Kane, Clea, Natasha Romanoff

---

Darcy Lewis has posed:
This entry in the string of burglaries doesn't start with a break-in. It starts with a rather blatant front-on attack. Against the Avengers. On their home turf. That's... let's go with ambitious!

At a bit before six o'clock in the evening, a nondescript but somewhat over-engineered black humvee makes its way down the busy Manhattan boulevard, trailed by a couple vans. Eyebrow raising, maybe, but also the kind of thing that New Yorkers will notice but otherwise mentally file away: armored trucks, government security convoys, UN diplomats, paranoid billionaires? They're all notorious for holding up traffic.

People only realize it's something worse when the little motorcade stops right in front of the mansion, with a man popping up from the lead vehicle with a tubular weapon on his shoulder. Without pre-amble, he fires, sending some sort of rocket streaking toward the mansion.

It makes it maaaaybe a third of the way across the front yard before the security systems have it fully locked, and a tiny drone - one of Stark's creations - zots it with a laser countermeasure. The projectile explodes in the air. Maybe it rattles some windows, but no damage. Although a large cloud of smoke lingers in the area of the explosion.

"RPG deployed successfully," the attacker relays to his team, as people begin to panic on the street. Successfully?

While mercs pile out of the vans, the cloud churns, expands, and from its midst, a face emerges, humanoid with blue skin, pointed ears, and a black ponytail. Then the rest, a bare-chested upper torso, connected to the still roiling, swirling column of smoke that comprises its lower half. Cackling with glee at its freedom, the column of air crackles with lightning.

Oh, right. RPG. Rocket Propelled... Genie. Duh.

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony is, as usual, tinkering on some obscure piece of technology in his workshop in Stark Tower when a disembodied voice says "Avenger's mansion is under attack by multiple unknown targets, initiating lockdown."

    At the same time, shutters of the same titanium alloy material as his suit slam down over all the windows and doors of the mansion. They will open for any Avenger who wants to get out, but the armor will close again behind them. In the mansion, the same message plays in every room, and warning lights high on each wall begin to pulse.

    Back in Stark Tower, Tony drops what he's working on, taps his wristwatch and says "Open the workshop portal." A door slides open, revealing the city outside. As red and gold metal seem to flow out of the watch, he runs over to the portal and jumps, the door closing behind him as he begins to fall. A few seconds later the suit has fully covered him and he kicks in the repulsors, arrowing straight for the mansion.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner was in his room, taking a nap. He'd been up late working on a project in the lab, drinking most of a full pot of coffee in the process. When he started getting the jitters, he made himself go to sleep. Him with the jitters can lead to bad things. He needs a steady nerve when he can get it.

Sudden alarms and an attack alert shaking him out of his sleep is not going to do much to help, but at least he got a good nap in.

Looks like he might have another outlet for his shaky mood as it is. "Who in the blue hell would attack the Mansion?!" he asks, baffled as he exits his room and begins heading down towards the front.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Late afternoon at the Avengers' Mansion means it's a good a time as any to give a brother a call and that's exactly what Wanda is up at the recreation room, settled at one of the couches, cellphone popped to a ear, "I am telling you I will visit on---"

Pause as the alarms flare off and the sound of those shutters coming close. Smooth features crease in annoyance, perhaps not at the mansion being under attack but that anyone had the gall to interrupt her call to her brother. "I will have to call you back.." she hanging up the call and getting up to her feet, starting her stride towards the door, it opening for her passage to the main gates leading outside.

She says nothing when she steps out right to where those mercs are setting up, her long blood-red jacket billowing behind her. Eyes flare and her hands glow red, chin rising as she regards the group of attackers.

The Scarlet Witch has just joined the fray.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers was getting some rack time in his bed, with his alarm was set for 6 to go for a run. Unfortunately then, he's woken by other alarms than his clock radio that was a gift from someone when he first came out of the ice.

The sound of the mansion's alarm systems pull Cap up out of his sleep, and the message from JARVIS that the mansion is under attack. For someone who spent years in an active World War, it doesn't take him long to react.

Steve's out of bed and grabbing his shield immediately. "JARVIS, situation report," he says as he heads for the door, wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and barefoot.

"An RPG was launched at the mansion. It seems to be forming something with the appearance of a genie in the front lawn. Multiple vehicles on the street outside the gate," street outside the gate," JARVIS replies.

Cap pauses for all of a second at hearing that. "A genie?" he repeats before giving a sigh and hurrying out his door into the hall. He heads down the hallway to the stairs, vaulting over the railing and dropping to catch himself on the railing just about the ground floor before dropping the rest of the way.

Kate Kane has posed:
Batwoman had just arrived a few minutes before the attack, planning to do some work in New York for the evening as it had ties to a few things she was working on in Gotham. And plus, it's always nice to check in with the Avengers while she's here.

When the attack hits, she's standing in the ground floor about five feet from where Cap lands, and she gives him a wry look, "Guess I got here just in time for the fun to begin. Though... did you say /genie/?"

Clea has posed:
Clea's not lived at the mansion for a bit. Currently she's been teaching at Kamar-Taj but she gets the house updates on her phone, just in case. "Wong, I'll be back." she told the Librarian before she was stepping through a portal to the Mansion that has her stepping through to the second floor.

She floats to the staircase down, looking at all of the gathered people. "Well, I'm guessing they aren't trying to deliver us pizza." she states.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
The scene on Fifth Avenue quickly turns as chaotic as one would expect, as people run in every direction... save the few that decide instead to stop and film the floating blue menace with their phones. There's always a few.

Fortunately, the armed soldiers - garbed in black tactical gear and even wearing hoods that cover their faces - do not seem interested in the civillians. They move up with purpose, coordinating on comms that very well might be vulnerable to electronic surveillance, although their encryption and tech seems top-notch, as good as what SHIELD uses.

"Remember ROE and target priority. Move up and deploy the jars. Neutralize spellcasters. Special ammunition is a go."

The summoned genie facilitates the movement of the mercs onto the lawn by reaching back toward the gate and... flicking them open? Granted, the exterior wall and those pretty wrought iron doors are more scenic than defensive, keeping that Victorian charm (and curb appeal for the property value) of the history property. But it's noteworthy how it seems to, well, just make them 'open sesame,' you might say, without damage and without the slightest difficulty.

Turning back, it continues to seemingly grow and expand, now perhaps as tall as the second floor, counting the cloudy 'lower body.'

While Big Blue does whatever it does, the merchs hut hut hut out onto the lawn. The ones in the front have guns, but some of those behind them carry heavy duty gear cases in pairs, they march these into some position and set them down.

And of everyone, it's Wanda who greets them. "What about her?" "Mutant, and probably other stuff too." "Right."

They shoot.

Tony Stark has posed:
    It's not all that far from tower to mansion, so Iron Man arrives as the mercs enter the grounds. With HOMER putting up tactical data on his HUD, he's quickly got a handle on the situation. He says "Tranq darts" and small launchers pop up on his shoulders, his targeting system marking each invader. The darts launch, one heading for each of the attackers.

    He plunges down to the ground near Wanda, throwing in the "superhero landing pose" as he does so. "I'm afraid we're not receiving visitors today gentlemen. If you would like to file calmly away from the grounds we'll skip kicking all your asses."

    You never know, it _might_ work.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Really? Guns to a magic fight?

Wanda cants her head to the side when they level their weapons to shoot. Don't they know who she is? And worst of all, they decide to attack the home of her friends, "You will regret doing this." she warns then, tone even as they prepare to shoot. Hands flare red as shields manifest into reality to stop their weapons. Or at least until her wizard's sight catches sight of..

"Cold iron.."

Eyes go wide as those first few shots are fired her way. And it's good that her powers come at such an instinctual level now that she bends probabilities just enough that the trajectory of those bullets strays from their target, swerving away, even if she feels the sting of one bursting through her coat and grazing her shoulder. Her shields? Completely ineffective. "Rune-carved ammo. Specific against spellcasters." she hisses.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner makes his way out at a sprint. He's not an athlete, not Cap by any means, he'd probably come in last in the team foot races. At least, in this form. But his friends are already in danger and Bruce doesn't have a whole lot of those. Plus, frankly, he's needed an outlet. He's been repressing, he knows he has and it's never healthy to do that, but he just couldn't after that episode a couple of m onths back, dismantling a whole town. He couldn't remember it, but he still felt ashamed.

But with shame comes rage.

A bullet hits him in the shoulder as he comes out but he barely registers it as the pain of transformation hits him. He feels his clothes tear, the unstable molecules on the trunks underneath preserving his modesty as he almost tears himself apart, arching his back and letting out an animalistic roar, a vibrating and primally terrifying cry, the roar of an angry monster unleashed.

Hulk keeps running and puts his head down, fully prepared to charge head first into the mercs unless they find a way to stop him. Fencing be damned.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"That's what he said," Steve confirms to Kate. "Is-" he gets out, before seeing Clea floating down the stairway. "Good, hopefully Wanda is about and between the two of you, you can do something about the genie if it's real?" he says to Clea, already heading for the front door, bare footfalls echoing on the tile as he runs.

The barriers on the doors part for him so Steve doesn't have to slow. Staying open for anyone following him out, or slamming shut if no one is on his heels. He missed Iron Man's comments, and landing nearby to the Scarlet Witch.

Steve sees Wanda take the hit to her shoulder and makes the slight change in direction to slide to a stop in front of her. His shield comes up, and more magic-enhanced ammunition pings off his patriotic-themed vibranium shield.

"Afraid it's past visiting hours, gentleman!" Steve calls over to the attackers. He looks over to Tony, giving him a quick up-nod after making the quip.

Clea has posed:
"That's very rude of them." Clea hisses as the crown above her head flares into view. Her hands wreathed in purple tendrils of magical energy. If she went nuclear the mansion could be rebuilt, right?

Right.

"On the genie, Captain." she tells him.

Then she is teleporting outside and she is in enough time to see Hulk go raging through, "I didn't do it this time." she points out to no one in particular. Then she looks to the genie, her hands coming up to perform a mudra before she fires a violent amount of magic at him as she flies up to meet them head on.

Kate Kane has posed:
Batwoman nods, "Well, genies are a bit out of my league, Cap, but..." She pauses, hearing Wanda snarl about the bullets being anti-magic, "So, how many enemies do you have that are that skilled with magic? Because it can't be very many..."

With that, she leaps out after Cap, cape furling out melodramatically as she lobs a pair of batarangs at the nearest mercenaries.

Because while they might be prepared for magic, it's something else to be prepared to a Gotham City welcome here in the Big Apple.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
It's a testament to the team that their first instinct is to aid Wanda, focusing on defending her against what seem to be modern witch-hunters with automatic weapons.

The volley of darts works quite well, for starters, striking many of the mercenaries on the ground. Not all of them drop - the tactical gear involves good old fashioned body armor, trauma plates, etc., and some fail to penetrate. But others do, and it proves that the targets are otherwise mostly human, in terms of the rapid efficacy of the tranquilizers. Goodnight! Another pair go down to the batarangs, one disarmed of his unusual gun, another just clonked in the mysterious hood.

One of those dropped is part of a pair carrying one of the cases. His partner stumbles, and the case falls, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

Meanwhile, those bullets, fancy as they are, prove a whole lot of nothing special as relates to a vibranium shield... or to the Hulk. He's a sponge, soaking them up, and not slowing down. At the last, the men scatter, some of them fast enough, many of them not, thrown in various directions. The case ends up getting kicked, thrown a short way, and hits the ground, where the latch comes open. Something rolls out onto the grass. It does, in fact, look like a glass jar with some kind of base stand.

Still, that's long in the rear view for the Hulk. He'll easily make it right out into the street, and into the center vehicle, where some are still unloading.

The genie, meanwhile, looks down curiously as the Hulk runs past, but... doesn't interfere. It turns back to the mansion.

Growing, growing, growing, it finally raises a fist high- and Clea shoots it! This does make it flinch, looking down at her with ire. But again, it does not strike back, not yet. Instead, it turns back around and completes the motion, bringing its fist down upon the mansion roof. There's a physical impact, but again, it doesn't actually seem to carry the force it should, doesn't smash the roof in or anything else. Against this fortress of modernity, the summon is a different form of battering ram.

JARVIS reports: "Confirmed. Lockdown canceled. Systems disabled. Welcome home!" No doubt, Tony is going to see some of the strangest errors imaginable when he looks at the logs. Magic is very, very weird.

And with this done, the genie turns. One task complete. A wish, one might even wager? NOW it fights back, holding out one hand each toward Clea and Tony's mobile form, discharging blasts of crackling lighting. Then, like a whirlwind, it charges after the Hulk.

Tony Stark has posed:
    Not a bad job with the darts, all things being equal. He can't put much more armor penetration on them unless he wants to put holes in their targets, which is kind of the complete opposite of what he's going for with them. With the number of heavy hitters now in place, he grins to himself as he says "Sorry Cap, already used that one. Maybe try something about putting them on ice."

    Given the amount of effort the attackers were taking to lug the case onto the grounds, Tony's keeping an eye on it. When it breaks open and spills the glass jar out, he hmms and marks the jar on his HUD.

    Then the lightning hits. Fortunately, Tony's been on the wrong side of Thor once or twice, so all his suits are well insulated against electrical attacks. The magic creating this lightning does make some of his systems reboot, during which he's stuck in place.

    Since it's still marked on his HUD (which didn't have to reboot) he decides that if this was important enough to lug all the way here, it's got to be bad for his team. Raising his arm, an explosive minimissile pops up and launches, heading straight for the jar. "Hope you guys don't need that for anything."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Bullets ping off of Cap's shield as he uses it to protect Wanda, and also himself. He looks up overhead as the gigantic genie looks about to smash the mansion, only to then hear JARVIS cheerfully lifting the lockdown.

"JARVIS," Steve calls out, knowing the AI can hear them anywhere on the mansion grounds through the sensors. "The mansion is under attack! Re-engage all safety measures!" He likely doesn't have much hope it will help against the genie's magic. But if it was a wish, maybe they weren't specific about keeping the defenses offline?

"Alright everyone, it seems the mansion or something inside is the target, not us. Batwoman, you and I are the line of defense. Keep anyone from getting inside. Any other Avengers not already engaged, be on alert for anyone in the mansion!"

With that, as the gunmen have to reload, Cap flips forward, flinging his shield. It travels at what would be lethal velocities if it were to hit the wrong places. Fortunately for the attackers, Steve's aim is true, hitting one in the chest before it carroms off into the ribs of another, then bounces back to him where he catches it, ready to use it to protect Wanda or Kate from any more gunshots.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Hulk pays no mind to bottle or lamp. Hulk doesn't know what a genie is and probably wouldn't much care either way. It can get smashed, just like everything else.

But for now, Hulk is distracted with the vehicle and the mercenaries, barrel sized fists moving to pummel the vehicle into shards, huge limbs thrashing out and swiping men away from him, probably sending more than a few of them flying.

The other Avengers are squawking back there. Noisy humans. Always squawking. Just like Banner. Talk talk talk. Hulk preferred quiet. Even if he had to smash everything that made noise until he got it.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
She'd arrived here late. She'd been several kilometers away and only gotten the alert after the scramble had come in and the shield had gone up about the Mansion. She's revving along on a motorcycle, approaching the perimeter of it now as she goes to brace down along the front of it..

A few flicks along buttons along the front panels have reinforced armored plates sliding down, glowing along them with force fields.. THen she's going to simply smash her way on through the outer perimeter! A pair of small machine guns on the front of the bike move to start to blast along with weapons fire along any hostiles about! Less for damage and moreso to suppress!

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"Thanks, Cap." Breathless for a moment, the shock still very much present in her expression and voice. It takes a couple of seconds for Wanda to recover her posture, hearing those 'pings' on Captain's shield. Bullets that could had pierced her through. She frowns at her own hubris on disregarding this attack, eyes blazing a mixture of anger but also determination.

"Genies are very powerful, but they can never be summoned for long. It would take an extremely powerful sorcerer otherwise." And she isn't feeling the work of sorcery in the air, nor powerful magics besides the ones being tossed by Clea. She nods at the other sorceress present, "They most likely have a lamp and--"

She pauses, letting out a gasp, "I know where they are going to.." she tells the ones close by. "They have breached my wards.."

Which means her room may be a target. She turns to run back inside. "They are already inside!" she exclaims.

Kate Kane has posed:
Batwoman grins a bit at Natasha's entrance, "Have to love a woman who knows how to make an entrance." Because, really, if there's someone that would appreciate a dramatic entry, it's the Bat. She takes a careful look around at the mooks in the front, and tosses a quick batarang at another one carrying one of those cases.

When Cap gives his order and Wanda makes her revelation, she nods to Wanda, "Come on, then, let's hustle inside! If those guys are prepared for magic you'll need backup." Besides, Cap wanted her to keep them from getting inside. And if they're already in... well, then they need to be kicked out! With that, she parkours after Wanda, running quickly with her towards her part of the mansion.

Clea has posed:
Clea gets zapped like a bug in a zapper and drops towards the ground, but brings herself to stop. There is a moment that she reassesses threats. "Wanda what was in there?" she asks the woman, a bit worried that she's in a panic. There is a genie chasing Bruce and Wanda is running back inside.

"I'll get the lamp if they have one." she calls out and then sets her sights on getting the genie...who ever might look like they might be packing one away. That means she's moving away from the mansion.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Shooting the jar probably turns out to be wise. It also turns out to be really, really gross.

Indeed, as Tony is lining up his shot, a random merc, transported into the vague vicinity via Hulk airlines, is just pulling himself up out of the grass and starting to crawl toward it. He gets close, reaches to push a button, and a voice starts to speak from a synthesizer built into the base. "Vrak par hens-"

Boom. Also splat. Because... yep. Points for anyone who guessed literal brain in a jar.

On the lawn, between the tranq volley, batarang and shield throws, and a full rampaging hulk, the troops are definitely starting to thin. And evidently they only have so many fancy (and really strange) magic tricks to deploy.

That said, there's still a whole genie and THAT thing proves a menace. The Hulk may ignore it, playing matchbox cars with military vehicles, but at now easily three times his size, he may be surprised when the blue hand closes around his waist from behind and hoists him aloft. Maybe close to nothing is truly stronger than the Hulk. Is a wish?

Also, JARVIS happily informs Steve: "Security will be restored in two minutes." That's a tight time window, but it fits the military-style operation, as Wanda drops the other shoe.

The cavalry arrives in the form of one Natasha Romanoff on a motorbike. The bike is good, because Fifth Avenue is already backed up multiple blocks because of this nonsense! Zipping between cars, she unloads on the remaining mercs out front, which helps free the Hulk's attention for his big blue friend.

---

Those who rush back inside are met, almost immediately, by gunfire from the second floor down the grand staircase. The infiltration team has already set up, using the high ground to what advantage it might offer (although who knows what other secret routes there might be in here - they probably don't!). However, it's clearly a small group, a speedbump against the Avengers... a play for time.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
As the Black Widow moves to engage along the perimeter, she's content to put up covering fire as she would evade on her bike, revving along at slightly under two hundred kilometers an hour, the armored plates and the force field in front of it taking most attacks as she's intent on keeping the adversaries scattering.

<<I'll keep the perimeter contained and the rest of you can pursue>> There's not that much fighting go along outside, but as a recent arrival she can hopefully make it so they're not at risk of being charged back in. And no one tell the Genie they dream of her.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Hulk feels himself gripped and lifted and lets out a sharp exhalation of rage and shock. The Hulk, lifted from the ground? What is this madness?

Snarling, he squirms in the grip and begins to bash at the Genie's hand with his mighty fists, trying to knock the grip around his waist loose.

"LET HULK GO! HULK NO TOY! HULK CRUSH STUPID MAGIC GIANT!"

Frustrated that he hasn't gotten loose yet, he slams his hands together and the shockwave goes out like a thunderclap, directed at the Genie. And he does it again, and again, sending blasts of sonic force, as if trying to drive the Genie back, a primal and brutal attack when he can't reach that face with his fists.

Yet.

Tony Stark has posed:
    With the opposing team getting whittled down, Tony's got a little time to deal with things. First would be... "Eww. I wonder who that was." Next is repulsor blasting one of the remaining attackers into a wall. He looks for another target when Wanda says that her her wards are being passed and the bad guys are already inside. Easily putting those two thoughts together, Tony abandons the fight on the lawn, looks up at the mansion, counts windows, then jets into the air and through Wanda's window.

    Hopefully they took down all her wards when getting in there, or this could be a really painful trip.

    If he does make it in, anybody who doesn't belong in that room are going to be treated to a really short class on armored melee.

Clea has posed:
"There are..fragments in the grass that hold magical signatures. Did they blow up a lamp? Are they nuts? Oh gross." Clea states over comms. There is the sound of bullets, loud crashing bangs and then Hulk is grabbed up.

"PUT. HIM. DOWN!" Clea's voice is amplified now. She then teleports through the air, her form appearing next to the genies face as she stabs a magical blade into his neck, "What was your purpose here!" she drives the blade deeper in anger as the flames around her become more prominent.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The comment from Clea about finding the genie's lamp gets a nod from Cap. He looks to the jar that Iron Man is taking aim on, his eyes widening. He lifts his hand to call to Tony but it's too late, he blows it up.

The genie doesn't seem to mind. "Probably not its lamp then," Steve says aloud. "See if you can find it Clea. That genie looks as strong as the Hulk."

Oh yeah. He said that, Hulk. With purpose.

"Wanda I'll meet you up there," he says after the Scarlet Witch alerts the group her room is being penetrated. He turns and runs across the lawn, sliding barefoot on a patch of snow. This really isn't that much fun being outside in New York City in February.

Captain America doesn't let it slow him though, racing across the yard down the length of the mansion. He makes a phenomenal leap, jumping up to catch the railing around Wanda's balcony, and vault over, shield at the ready for what he sees, ready to bust inside.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
There is no answer out of Wanda to Clea's question. Maybe she didn't hear it or ..., better not to consider the alternative. Still, she is moving with determination up those stairs towards her room. At least until those gunshots start being heard. But she has no time to lose with mooks.

"No."

A gesture with her hands and their guns all of a sudden aren't really working anymore. What are the -odds- of that happening? Scarlet Witch odds, that's what. It leaves them open for a certain Batwoman to take advantage before she takes to the air and zips past them, taking another corridor and off into an hidden passage that leads up to where the suites are. A solitary gunman close to the exit gets blasted with a witchbolt before she starts her way to the last end leading to where her room is. Precious time has been lost though so who knows what they will find.

Kate Kane has posed:
Batwoman fires her grapple gun and launches herself at the suddenly disarmed mercenaries. Leaping into the fray with a solid boot to the head of the one in front, she follows up with a flurry of kicks and punches to work her way through the hallway. And probably work out a bit of aggression as she doesn't like uninvited guests.

Once that's taken care of, she keeps going up towards the suites, getting up towards the suites the old fashioned way.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
On the lawn, the battle between Big Green and Big Blue is all that one could ask for. The Hulk is impossibly strong. But the Genie... defies reality, by its purpose. At points, the blows he lands against its hand, wrist, arm, seem to smash through portions of it, that disintegrate into blueish whisps and swirling clouds of wind... before reforming. It has no flesh.

Maybe Clea's magic has an answer, as she appears in the air much closer, driving in her blade. Indeed, the Genie howls in pain. "I... must... obey!" it answers her.

And in this moment of weakness, the Hulk's secondary strategy finds purchase: wide scale, the thundering explosion bursts the grip that holds it, disintegrating the Genie's arm down to the elbow. Of course, it immediately starts reforming.

But in that time, it has DROPPED the Hulk, losing its hold.

--

Regardless of their means or paths, many of the Avengers converge on the 2nd floor and the personal quarters of Wanda Maximoff.

They are, first and foremost, very nice! Hardwood floors, rich dark couches, tasteful artwork, flowers in vases, and books. Lots of books. Or, rather, they _were_ nice. Obviously, they're in the process of being ransacked. Things have been knocked over, flower vases shattered. Books are thrown and strewn about from their places on the shelves.

There aren't a lot of them in the room, most having been dispatched as speedbumps. The whole mission has a sense of this, in fact, a very 'all in' kind of effort without a clear exit strategy. Throwing themselves against a team they have no chance of beating, despite some novel countermeasures and strange gimmmicks. All for this. To get in this room.

One could imagine there are a lot of reasons. Wanda's heritage is a winding path through the history of magic in the world. Perhaps there are trinkets from Mount Wundagore, or from Old Salem. And texts colecting the knowledge of past generations of Witches. All of this is fascinating, from a perspective of arcane history. But is it... equal to what they've spent. Is it as good as a Genie's Lamp (one they presumably can't get a refund on)?

A singular figure wears a long duster jacket over the uniform that the others have chosen, except all in white. Two other average mercs have sacks they are clearly just... piling magic goodies in, willy-nilly. But the leader has a book open, gazing down at it. "This was not..."

Tony gets there first, repulsors and a window being a pretty straight line. Cap gets there shortly after, landing behind him... as Tony is thrown backward with a pulse of reddish light. The figure stands there, one hand lifted in that magic gesture, not even looking in their direction. He - they? Are just staring down into the book.

One of the mooks with a sack looks over. "Time, boss?" No answer. "Uh, boss?"

Bruce Banner has posed:
Hulk tumbles from the air, falling end over end and landing with a massive thud on the back of his shoulders. His body crunches for a moment, a wicked impact that leaves a crater in the street around him. He shakes it off, though, planting a massive hand against the ground and pushing back up to his feet.

"Cap wrong! Hulk is strongest. Strongest one there is," he says, breathing heavily. "HULK SHOW YOU! HULK SMASH BLUE THING!" And then he's charging in again, intending to land a big straight right hand to the recovering genie. Is he hoping the being is weakened by Clea and Wanda, that he's striking at a crucial point to be able to disperse it's energies enough to effectively banish it?

Nah, he just wants to hit it.

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony's repulsors function well enough that instead of going straight backwards and taking Cap with him off the balcony, he instead smashes into the wall to the side of the balcony doors. Stunned for a moment, he takes no action, then kind of falls forward, leaving an Iron Man sized impression in the wall.

    Over the comms he says <<Okay, that hurt. Cap, pummel the guy with the book, he's dangerous.>>

    A few sparks dance across the surface of the armor from the combination of magic and impact that he's been dealing with today. <<I'm just gonna.. lay here a minute.>>

    Inside the armor, he's doing everything he can to deal with the various errors that the armor's systems are showing. "Note to self" he mutters, "work with the wizards to find some kind of magical insulation." The armor beeps at him, but so far, is still down for the count.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Arriving in the general area, Natasha is just in time to see the group working over the book, and her teammates coming to put a stop to them. Natasha goe sto quickly chamber out a set of specialized rounds over within her guns. Rather than the normal lethal loadout or hollowpoint rounds, or even her standard Widow's Bite ones..

These are a variant of SHIELD's reverse engineered adhesives taken from Trapster's seized weapons loadouts. Not nearly as good as the real thing.. But each shot from Natasha is aimed at the head if at all possible of each of the attackers. All she has to do is blind them and cover their head in glue goop..

Clea has posed:
When the genie states that it has to obey, there is a bit of a look from Clea. She knew that feeling all too well. "Let me see if I can release you." she states. "Hulk, you okay big guy?" she calls down. Bruce used to be her yoga buddy, so she was hoping he was going to be alright after this! "The genie needs to be released." she states to herself. More than anyone else.

With that, she drops down to the ground, using her magic to call the shards and pieces of the lamp to her and starts to reform it in her hands while the others fight upstairs...

Steve Rogers has posed:
Seeing the lack of success that Iron Man had going directly at the one in the white duster, Cap heaves his shield with all of his super soldier strength, but above the man instead of directly at him.

The man raises his hand to no doubt deflect it, only to find it isn't traveling at him. Instead the shield carves into the ceiling above, and a shower of debris rains down on the figure.

While it catches the attacker by surprise, that lasts for only a flicker of an eye. He gestures and bulk of the falling debris flies out the hole Iron Man made, towards Cap. A few pieces of the ceiling do hit him, enough to draw a glare at the small interruption, but not enough to damage or greatly hinder him.

Cap? He's knocked backwards, flying off the balcony but grabbing the railing with one hand, catching himself and dangling from it as the rest of the debris flies by. He flips himself back up, dusting off as he regains his feet on the balcony.

Kate Kane has posed:
When Batwoman sees Cap go flying just before she dives in, she pauses a bit, then grins a bit slyly as she reaches into her utility belt. Staying on the other side of the door, she then peeks in at Wanda's room to see where people are, then slides the pair of pucks over towards the pair of mercenaries and their boss. There's a sudden flash and *bang* as, well, it's a flashbang, followed by a quick puff of paralyzing gas that's just enough to catch the three of them in its wake.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
The Scarlet Witch finally arrives on scene, looking none-too-happy at what she finds there, the ransack they are doing of her precious artifacts. Many of them priceless, personal. And some....

Her eyes flash when she notes what their leader is holding, "That does not belong to you." her voice crackles with power, for the split of a second sounding inhumane. Alien. Fingertips deftly motion in a swift spell, palms opening as they glow red. Teeth grit down before she launches a pair of Chaos magic bolts streaking towards her room. They hit the barrier that the mysterious white duster figure and she frowns, frustration setting on her features, "Give it back." she calls out.

Bolt after bolt is sent into that room, hitting that shield, making the figure step back but it doesn't make him budge. She lets out a scream of anger, readying another powerful bolt but at that time her defenses are open and that's when the counterblow comes, the man holding the book blasting her back. The Witch flies back across the corridor she had came from, hitting the wall with a *thud* before falling to the ground.

Unconscious or close to it. Hard to tell as her long red hair is all splayed over her face, covering her features.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Hulk and Clea continue their battle, or perhaps two separate ones in parallel. Clea promises what every Genie wants, but sadly, it is not that easy: in this moment, it must obey. She is an enemy, and it must stop her. Even as she manevuers away, it turns again to prepare one of those lighting strikes-

-but then takes a hell of a haymaker from the Hulk. It's enough to make the giant sway, stumble backwards, almost dazed.

Still, punching is not actually a banishment method, it seems. The genie remains. It turns again to the Hulk, even as Clea finds what she's looking for, one by one. Little pieces of metallic shell casing. Made of brass.

---

In Wanda's room, things quickly spiral. Everyone with a bit of tactical sense (and Cap has as much as that as you're going to find) can tell that this situation has now gone sideways - not just for the Avengers, but for the would-be thieves. The figure in the white coat seems to ignore everything, focused on the book. Not even the book, a page. A single page, which after a moment, is ripped free and the book discarded like some much garbage.

Naturally, they quickly become the target of all manner of attacks, but whatever the page is, its power is clearly... immense. A shroud of blackish-red energy rises around them, dripping upward, in reverse of physical sense. Creep factor is at 11 here.

The two are clearly out of their element. "Screw this, let's just- time to extraction?" Tony's clock would read just a few seconds left to that two minute mark from the hijacked JARVIS. Whatever exit they're planning, it might not matter as Kate gasses the room. The mooks go down no problem.

But Chthon's newest plaything? Not so much.

Amidst futile attacks, the white-masked figure turns on Wanda, and a glow is visible beneath the mask, where the eyes should be. "Oh, was this YOUR toy? No- you need to EARN it, little witch."

The two meet, then, in arcane conflict, trading esoteric energies that meet and boil in the air in the space between them. In any fair match, this magic thief would not stand before the Scarlet Witch. But a magic thief with a page of the dreaded Darkhold?

---

Outside, Clea finds the last piece, and when she holds them all, she finds she barely even needs to use her magic. They -want- to be together, and with the slightest nudge, the shrapnel reforms, not as the shell, but as a classic Genie's lamp.

At the same time, the apparent counter reaches zero. The Genie, fist raised, ready to exchange blows with the Hulk again, turns away, with the same sudden disinterest as before. Lifting its hands, a sudden wind begins to swirl around every one of the now almost entirely unconscious soldiers. Ah. The escape plan.

"Oh, no, I'm not going where they're going," declares the figure with the page. The shadowy tedrils reach up around the figure, and then seem to drag them down into a puddle in the floor, where they vanish without a trace. "Find me, Witch."

Tony Stark has posed:
    The armor systems all come on as the magical battle between the thief and Wanda rages in the room. Not wanting to test the armor further against magical energy since it's obvious that the suit loses that fight, he instead just points his arm at the thief and says quietly "Tracking implant." A small port on the knuckle of the gauntlet opens and a tiny dart flies towards it's target.

    He's hoping that with all the energy being thrown about, a non-threatening physical item might sneak through. If it does, it's nothing more than a pin prick. This pin, however, is made of tiny nanobots that will hide in the target's bloodstream, and be easily tracked by the Stark satellite net around the planet.

    Or it will just bounce off a shield. He figures about a twenty percent chance of this working, it's just been that kind of day.