17625/Appalachian Atrocities: Mine Your Own Business

Appalachian Atrocities: Mine Your Own Business
Date of Scene:	20 April 2024
Location:	Blackstone Hollow
Synopsis:	A team of heroes discover the horrors of Blackstone Hollow, but the nightmare is just beginning.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Natasha Romanoff, Frank Noble, Sara Pezzini, Morrigan MacIntyre, Michael Hannigan, Steve Rogers

---

James Barnes has posed:
It's late in the evening following a day in Blackstone to do a little figurative digging before, perhaps, doing a little literal. Bucky and Steve stayed out of sight, camping in the woods for the night. Best not to scare the locals with the ghost of a man that passed through many many years ago and the face of Captain America. Locals in these parts are a little jumpy.

They were, however, pretty cooperative when asked questions - so long as no one flashed a badge. The townspeople are just as eager to get answers as the team. They also just seemed to like telling the tales of the 'cursed' mine.

The little campsite that Bucky and Steve set up, isn't far from the mines themselves. No need to worry about locals seeing the campfires, it's probably just a moonshiner waiting until the wee hours to bring his wares to the local sheriff.

With Steve off taking care of random Steve business, it's only Bucky at the camp when everyone returns. Seriously, only Bucky - can't leave two super soldiers alone with the food too long or it all disappears.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova has dropped in to be of assistance. And Natasha is performing a perimeter sweep. Swooping about in a pattern, checking the area for several hundred meters along the rally point. Natasha is all business here - going in full stealth, intent on being as silent as possible. Reconottiring for anything that might stand out or be a threat.
    She has a large hunting rifle with her, using the scope to sweep along. It's not paranoia if they're out to get you, after all. And she's had a grat many people pursue ehr and her teammates.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble is not a shield operative. He hasnt even completed anything but basic orientation but he picks up on how to use equipment quite well, and has a tach radio. He will share, as Frank, remembering the warning from the mouse not to put on the mask, though unsure what use he is going to be in all this, as he says over the radio, "I interviewed the locals. Some think a spirit has cursed the town, others think its the mine, but one guy talked about something with wings....so watch the skies."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The small town seemed lovely, or something, Sara didn't really look at the town itself or the people for that matter. She thought it best, given that she was an Avenger, that she not really start talking to the people in case one of them recognized her. It wouldn't do to have an Avenger randomly appearing in their town, much the same reason Steve hadn't gone. The difference with her was that she wasn't as famous as him.

The first thing she'd done was go and speak to the drunk who called himself the local law, the Sheriff who already smelled like moonshine and cigarettes in the early morning. Once she finished with him, without berating him for being a useless piece of *bleeeep*, it was time for Witchblade to have a look around. Even in his bracelet form, the red stone being unblocked permitted the ancient god entity to see in a way only he could.

When at last she made her way to the campsite, she was muttering to herself... or at least that's what it looked like. Really she was talking out loud to Witchblade. Once she reached the fire, she offered greetings by nodding to each person then says, "No magic in this area. No linger effects, no trails, no lines. Whatever happened, it wasn't via magic... oh, and that Sheriff, he said he saw a large bird or bat, so like Frank said... watch the skies."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan was no stranger to weirdness. Her curiousity had been thoroughly piqued by the area and after talking to folks she was just as confused really.

"I have some theories..." she states as she stands next to a tree on the edges of the shadows.. How long has she been there? Probably just a few minutes. "Firstly, nobody say 'Batman' more than two times or the one from Gotham will appear and punch us all I'm guessing." she points out.

Secondly...Tripp has the DNA of not one, but TWO bats that are not common in North America let alone Appalachia. The golden flying fox and the common vampire bat. The locals were complaining of light sensitivity and they were pale, with some of them showing signs of brown patches that were sprouting soft brown fur." she states. "None of the vampires I've ever encountered have ever exhibited things like this...well...sun sensitivity is a given." she sighs. "Either way, I am not sure what is going on, but it could be a lot worse down there in the mine than we want to thank about." she frowns.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Into the gathering a sizable bird glides in to the campsite. Birds in the woods? You say? INCONCEI-

Ok fine that's very likely.

You could even argue that ravens tend to prefer areas such as this so that is COMPLETELY normal.

COMPLETELY.

UTTERLY NORMAL.

But then, the raven swooping in to the camp is carrying a camera in its talons. So explain that!

...

'The lens is shiny.'

Ok fine. this is a completely normal raven with a camera flying in. Nothing odd here.

And that completely NORMAL raven comes in, does a flip and upon righting itself, it is now perched on Sara's shoulder with the camera held in his wing.

"I need a sketchpad." Mike announces.

...

"Please."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers returns from having made a circuit of the area. Going all the way around Blackstone, but staying out at a distance he wouldn't run into anyone. It was a chance to look for tracks, and to see with his own eyes the lay of the land after having studied the topographic maps.

Now he comes hiking back into camp, wearing boots and jeans and a flannel shirt. One might recognize the color of his uniform just visible beneath the flannel shirt.

James Barnes has posed:
Now Bucky's usually the stoic epitome of ... stoicism. Impossible to read, most of the time wearing that scowl. Tonight is really no different unless someone knows what to look for. His jaw's just a little more tight causing a slight twitch below his right eye. He keeps having to force himself to uncurl the fist he's making with his left hand.

The more he hears, the harder it becomes to uncurl that fist. Morrigan's findings have his vision a little red around the edges. He needs to *hurt* something, or the someone, that caused all of this.

But more importantly, he needs to bring Tripp and Robert James home.

"Let's go then," he 'suggests' with just a hint - or maybe more than a hint - of a growl in his tone. Definitely not like Bucky to be all 'let's move it' before all the information is given. "Let's go find them."

He shoots Steve a *look* that's easy enough for his 'brother by another mother' to read. 'LET'S GO!' says that look.

Sketch books? He doesn't have time for someone's art project.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble does, in fact, have a sketch book in case he has some random idea that needs to be written down and hands it over with a thick drawing penicil as he looks, distracted, around in a 360 degree radius. He has a few conventional grenades from a SHIELD aresenal, but nothing of his own equipment. He knows how to turn a safety off but even with ICE ammo he is...cautious about picking a gun up. As unnatural as it feels, right now, he is a consultant and needs to be a scientist. But the helm can still help passively as it always does.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha knows Bucky. She knows that he's in control. She knows that this has touched an edge in him. An edge that will only end in one way. That he can only -see- it ending one way. And that it if does not end the way he desperately needs it to..
    Well, such things are best left unimagined. As the others come to share their information and progress with one another, Natasha goes to wait in the shadows, hunkered down and sweeping along with her scope and rifle. She goes to sweep along and then goes to adjust her sight. Mobile humanoid. Flying towards the mines. The legendary mothman? No.
    She goes to tag her comm, sending an update to Cap and Bucky. <<Unidentified humanoid flying towards mine area>> She keeps it tracked with her scope, letting the others handle their back and forth. <<PUrsue and track?>>

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara doesn't so much as blink when the camera carrying raven lands on her shoulder. Either she's used to it happening, or she knows who it is, either way she offers the bird a brief nod, and accepts the offered camera as a wing passes over it.

When James goes all, well... James, she takes a small step forward, "Hold up Barnes. We can't go in guns blazing without some sort of plan, or at least a basic knowledge of the area." She holds up the camera, even as she indicates to Mike the pad being offered up.

"Let's give Mike a few minutes to do his thing, while we look over the pictures he took, /then/ we'll go murder large bats."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Mike, good to see you." Morrigan nods to her fellow Harborite. "Captain Rogers." the Irish woman intones to Steve when he appears. "You're not going to bust out of the clothes like a Magic Mike scene, are you?" she asks him in a dead pan way.

The Bucky is moving and there is a bit of a shoulder roll, "Alright, time to witness more horrors." she whispers to herself. "Do you want me to just...port everyone?" she offers.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
As the sketch book and pencil are offered, the bird tilts his head in a nod towards Frank, already passing off the camera to Sara to free up his wings. "Thank you."

Sketchpad and pencil accepted, he glances up. "Switching forms." He gives as a warning before he hops off Sara, flipping forward before the figure elongates into something a bit more humanoid.

In the place of the bird, Mike takes its place. Attire basically what one might see on someone jogging in Central Park on a chilly day, complete with a hood that is still tugged over, to cast a bit of shadow upon his face. The sketchbook and pencil are currently located in his gloved hands. "Hey Mo." Mike greets in return, before he scoots off to the side to find a perch (heh) to start sketching. "Got a good look at the guy. But he was too quick to get a photo of." He explains, furiously working out a rough outline of the figure, "But I did get pictures of the hole he was coming from. Just give me a few minutes before you start going out..."

With the time allowed, the rough outline starts to fill in with more details...

When it's done, the sketchbook is turned around, depicting a rather humanoid figure only covered in fur. While size is hard to convey on a paper, the leathery wings appear to have a span twice the height of the figure. And while most of the details scream 'bat' the face has more of a human appearance.

Off to the side there's a larger sketch to give a bit more detail to the face, including a very bat like nose.

He drew a man-bat.

"That came out of the hole I took a picture of and flew off from there."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers heads to his tent and pulls out a familiar looking shield. "Not planning on it," he tells Morrigan with a quick grin. Making his way back over, he tells Bucky in a reassuring voice, "We'll find him, Bucky." He gives his old friend a nod and that confident expression that steeled the Howling Commandos before many an action.

"It sounds like whatever is affecting them, it could be contagious in some fashion. Protect yourselves. But we don't know what the situation is. Let's avoid casualties unless it become absolutely necessary. Hopefully we can help these people," Steve says, trying to make sure any violence that has to be done is suited to the mission of saving people.

<< Roger Natasha. Keep an on it, but do not engage. And keep an eye on your six, >> Steve sends back over comms. He takes a look at the drawing that Michael Hannigan makes. "Should have brought nets," he murmurs to himself.

James Barnes has posed:
Natasha's here. That's a good thing - it takes the edge off a bit. Steve answers, so he doesn't.

But... Port them there? Bucky's not going to argue that point, not one bit. That is until he takes a moment to take a breath and let it out, then another and out. The bleeding red at the edges of his vision begins to pull back. But that fist stays clenched tightly. That fist uncurls a little with Steve's -always so positive and calm - voice

He hears Sara, the rational mind part of him knows she's right. It's the other part, the part he thought was dead for a very long time that doesn't want to hear it - the *irrational* heart.

"Well then, we go down the hole." The 'rabbit hole' that Mike snapped with the camera.

The alternate entrance, that large hole in the ground, definitely appears to be man made and recently so. It's wide enough for one person to slide through comfortably. It's about a six foot drop to the floor below. That's all that can be seen from above. It's just a drop and then what might be tunnel to the left, smaller and tighter - much much tighter. Nothing about this entrance or the partially visible tunnel indicates that either are any part of the mines themselves.

Or so everyone will find out once they get past the monstrosity that might have been a man once, that's stopped at the entrance. If it stood straight up, it would be at least six foot tall. But it's not standing, instead it's hunched over - the ends of its folded wings on the ground. Once looking off into the distance- watching something, or someone, it now turns its head in the direction of the group of people that seem to have appeared from nowhere - maybe because they did?

Saliva drips from the corner of its mouth. For the moment at least, it seems shocked into stillness.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble is well equipped, with the kind of gagets a consultant would have, but he is a sceintist here not a paladin for THE FORCES OF GOOD, and its...odd. As a regular sceintist alibet one who knows cutting edge science, being in t he field is...weird. He listens, waits, and watches but follows the majority of the group, waiting for the sketch as able

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The thing is going down a hole? Or not quite down it. Pausing right at the last moment.. And then twists about as if to face her. The bat-thing, flying on that bat-wing, even from this distance. Natasha goes to speak again to the comm <<Understood>> She goes to load up a tracking dart.. Then restrains her shot. At this range adn distance, with the thing about to dive down into the cave she would be likeliest to miss. The gun didn't have enough power to shoot the dart accurately.

She would confirm likely. <<It's aware of us>> That's sent to those that are in the SHIELD network. GIven the rather extensive group amongst them, someone otherwise might have to relay along the information. All right, if that thing had noticed hereven while skulking they likely had some form of enhanced perception. Possibly mystical or echolocation. Something to test at a later date. Instead.. Natasha crouches down, and goes to head towards the hole in the ground and the mine in the distance as the group apparates. Rifle put over her back.

She's intent on just trying to take advnatage of the disorientation and shock of the thing to simply try and sneak past it towards the mine itself.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
It was old news for Sara to teleport, but before she even thinks about going, the jacket and boots she is wearing is removed and tossed into a tent. Doesn't matter whose tent it is, she's just interesting in saving those items. The rest of her clothing, well everyone knows what will happen and if they don't, they're about to find out.

Walking toward Morrigan tendrils of metal expand out from the bracelet on her right wrist, first forming an intricate gauntlet over her hand and forearm. From there the tendrils spread across her body, shredding the clothing that had not been taken off and forming on her body what most would call a metal bikini. Not knowing the full level of the threat they were headed into, Witchblade was going with the 'show off' armor. The last thing to form are a pair of metal wings on her back, too small to actually be useful for flight, but even still she lifts slightly off the ground before going through the portal.

The minute they are all through the portal, the metal tendrils reappear, wrapping her legs and arms in armor, as well as covering her back... of course the bikini front remains for now, because The Witchblade is being a pain in the...

"Moderate threat," she comments, a longsword forming in her right hand. "Still no magic... and that is a large thing that Witchblade really wants to attack."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan grins at Steve, "Good to see you, I'm glad it is on better terms than you being sick." she tells him. Then she is being Mystical Uber for people as they step through the portal that she opens. Because you do recon to check places so you know where to send folks.

She reaches up to take her sunglasses off and there is a adjustment to the light that filters in, "Don't attack it..." she cautions the rest of the group in a quiet tone. "If they have been turned into this through some means there might be hope that we can reverse it without injuring them." she tells them.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike observes the armor taking form and as it continues to tear apart the clothing, he shakes his head with a sigh. "I would HATE to see what your clothing budget looks like." He mutters, following after her into the portal.

To the other side, Mike glances about quickly to see what has changed since the last time he was in the area. Sara's comment regarding the lack of magic has him glance over to her and then in the direction of the stupored man-bat. Mutancy? Experiment gone wrong?

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's nod goes along with Morrigan's statement they don't want to hurt these people. Not unless it is the last resort.

When they arrive on the other side of the portal, Steve walks forward at a slow pace, moving out in front of the others and nearer to the creature, but trying not to spook it. "Are you able to speak with us? We've come to try help," he offers to the man-bat. His shield is on his arm but dangling at his side in a non-threatening manner.

James Barnes has posed:
For one, very brief, moment the monster looks much more human than it does monster. It tilts its head from one side to the other as if trying to figure out the puzzle of what Steve is saying ...or maybe the puzzle of what's happened to *it*.

The moment is fleeting, whatever might have been human there disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Bats? Well they have sharp, nasty teeth. They just don't always appear so when they're just tiny little things. This is no tiny little bat. Those are not tiny little teeth. It straightens to its full height and lets out a screech - earsplitting, terrifying and - somehow - haunting and sad.

Its cries are answered by the same, some from inside the mines and some from the surrounding skies. Is it a war cry or simply a warning? Get out and mind your own business?

Bucky? He didn't even come into this armed outside of his serum laden body and well, his arm. Truth be told, he didn't really even come into this thinking straight. He's thinking even *less* straight when a dawning realization hits him like a ton of bricks. He turns, putting his back to the beast and his body between it and his teammates and friends. Both hands out in front of him, he confirms Morrigan's thoughts that these creatures are, in fact, the missing miners. "Don't! It's Trip!"

...and that's all it takes for the thing to launch itself and take to the skies again.

There is, of course, still the matter of the sounds coming from below.

Sounds from exactly where Natasha managed to sneak her little self right into.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble moves with the others, keeping an eye and ear out, hand on a flash bang greanade. He assumes it IS a trap but doesnt yet toss it or go charging anyhere. He listens to see if there is something he can do, but also examines the mien rock

Sara Pezzini has posed:
After four years with the Witchblade, Sara and he had come to an agreement on one thing... she would decide when, where and who to attack. He could have his opinion, scream, rant, rave, but in the end /she/ decided. In this case, she decided to hold back and wait, and when Bucky's realization hits him and it is spoken out loud who the creature is, she is exceedingly grateful for the control she has over her soul companion.

The cry from the creature causes her to tilt her head slightly, narrowing her eyes, but it is the other cries back that makes her insides crawl. Who had done this? What was behind this? These were people!

The sword disappears from her hand, replaced by a whip as she leaps into the air to follow the one that took flight. "We won't hurt him Bucky," she calls out as she rises up. "But we can't let him get away either. I swear, I'll bring him back alive."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Well, those definitely don't look friendly. But they could have useful information. And Steven had told her to not harm them unless necessary. So Natasha would have to bend a bit to make it fit the 'necessary'. All of those Man-Bats were launching themselves up through the exit.. And she moves to then take out a series of several Widow's Bites. She would launch them around the tunnel that the Batwings were flying out of, hopefully before they would be able to fully launch themselves out and into the melee.

The half dozen orbs would dig into the walls and clamp on hard, metallic gears shifting into place. From them a series of criss-crossing electric netting spires would pop out. Hopefully for her to set in the midst of the group..

And getting them stuck up in Webbing.

Soviet Style.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Being that Mike had followed behind Sara, Morrigan warned against just blindly attacking the creature, and he doesn't have any projectile like weapons on him. There's not much for him to hold back on in terms of action when Bucky shouts out his warning

It's Trip! Oh no!

...Who's Trip?

But then Sara rises up offering to go after him.

"Not by yourself-" Mike replies to Sara, spinning round and taking a flying leap up, alongside Sara, "I'm coming with."

Twisting forward he shifts back to bird form, gliding alongside Sara.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan doesn't want to hurt these people...bat people...honestly there were cryptids that aligned with man-bats so this was FASCINATING in a horrifying way. She takes a few steps away from where everyone is congregating and then looks askance at the hole that things were going down. Then Natasha is handling securing it and she gives a look back to the others, "I don't want to get in the way, but let me see if I can calm them..." she whispers as she reaches out with her magic to see just how far gone this guy is mentally. Or if he can communicate.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve tries making a calming gesture with his hand, leaving the shield hanging at his side. "We're friends, Trip. That's your name right-" Steve manages to get out before Trip hisses and bares those fangs, and then flaps and propels himself into the air.

There's no way Steve is letting the person Bucky came to save get away if he can help it. As the bat wings are making their first sweep to launch the bat-like man upwards, Steve makes a tremendous leap, jumping up and wrapping an arm about both of Trip's legs. Hoping his weight will be enough to keep him from flying off, or if not that it'll slow him enough for the rest of the team to subdue him. Steve lifts the shield up to protect himself from any bites as he clings to the man-bat's legs.

James Barnes has posed:
Melee wasn't their intent, only escape. When the twisted, tormented forms of what used to be miners hit her trap, the screeching becomes almost unbearable to hear. For Natasha, being right up close and personal down there with them, it's likely literally deafening - and will be even for a few moments after it finally stops.

Her plan works, mostly. Four out of the six or so that were down below are caught in her net and stunned. The others, kept from contact with the nets by the bodies of their brethren, turn and flee deeper into the mines.

Trip's wings are powerful things at twice the size of his six foot long body. Steve may go for a ride, but it won't be terribly high - if only because he'll soon have help. ...or had help already. Fight or flight is the animal way and, for all intents and purposes, Trip's mind is working like an animals. No longer able to flee, he goes into fight mode. Teeth, claws at the end of his wings, claws at the end of his toes. He spares them nothing in his attempt to get free. There might be some blood drawn, but even a six-foot tall manbat isn't a match for the trio after him.

Bucky? Does nothing. Not immediately. The shock of the realization that that *thing* was actually Trip, that his fears once Morrigan told of her findings were warranted? It leaves him frozen, brain trying to process it all.

...while anger begins to bubble dangerously to the surface.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
It deafens her, and all she can do is brace herself. Natasha isn't going anywhere for a few moments - she goes to activate spikes in her gloves, normally used for close range slashing but for now serve to brace her on the side of the tunnel wall. Rubber soles in her boots used for help with rapid climbing anchor her in place as she just outlasts it.

Still, she's not in any state to do anything for some precious seconds - to pass along a warning, to chase, or to continue on the plunge.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble doesnt have his usual equipment and cant capture them well or with only a flashbang but instead only says,"Remember we might be able to cure this....capture alive...." the helm is of course is working to help with that but isnt infallible.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Not for a single second did Sara expect Steve to go for a bat-winged joy ride on Trip. She had planned to catch him with the whip, non-lethal, non-damaging, and bring him back to the others but now, now it was more of a stop Trip from tearing Steve up.

The wings on her back really were just for show, she didn't need them to remain aloft. Turning in the air quickly, she aims herself back toward the duo.

<<Cap, I can contain Trip with the whip, and catch you with another... but you have to be ready to let go as I extend the second whip.>> Is spoken over the comms, and in her left hand another whip appears, longer than the first, but when the whips are made from Witchblade they can be as long or short as needed.

<<Just let me know when you're ready.>>

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Mo's usually A-OK to throw herself into combat, but there's a line to try to get to Trip and she can...use other things to help the situation. "We'll get you back." she states to the man that was struggling to keep himself human.

"James, he's still in there and he is fighting." she tells the man so that he might have some comfort. "We need to find The Maker. I am guessing that they are responsible for all of this and they are down further." she frowns. She was having flashbacks to being kidnapped and held in Ravencroft by Moon Knight's dumb ass old friend all of the sudden.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
With the small form, the raven flies about Trip but with each slashing motion the man bat does, the bird is ... actually focusing his strength into deflecting the attempted strikes. While it might be nice that such support is being offered, it's probably not the best of sights for Steve as he's being more treated to a lenghty glimpse of bird butt during this.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"GO ahead and grab him, Sara! I can handle the drop!" Steve calls over to her as he swings his shield to fend off the claws. The sharp teeth clang into the vibranium, trying to get around the edge but Steve forces the creature's head back upwards with the rim of the shield.

"Ready?" he calls. "One, two, three!" and he lets go, falling back towards the ground. He bounces off a tree branch which helps slow his fall, if at the expense of a bruise later, and comes up rolling on the ground.

<< Nat, coming in to help contain the others, > he says, running over to the hole and jumping in.

James Barnes has posed:
Snapped out of his reverie by Morrigan's words and then more so by all the chaos around him, Bucky finally looks up. His brow furrows, but not in the scowl-y way he's known to do. "Someone *did* this to him?" he asks. Then he repeats it more as a statement. "Someone *did* this to them." That means... experiments. That means... so much hell is going to rain down on this Maker from a man that was nothing but an experiment for nearing a century.

"Steve!" he calls out, once again pulled away from his thoughts and - blessedly the building rage, by his best friend vanishing down that hole.

He takes a few steps in that direction... But his attention is pulled again, this time back to Trip. "We can help him, right?" he asks of Morrigan as he watches the struggle above unfold. A struggle that could very well be the struggle to save a man's humanity.

Down there, in the tunnels that will eventually lead into the mine shafts proper, the darkness is near complete. No lights, not even the dim ones that normally illuminate. Tracking those poor lost souls won't be an easy task, but eventually Natasha and Steve will get their win.

In the end, about half of the missing miners are accounted for, the other half having been airborne already when the team came in.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
With Steve safely out of the way, and Trip being distracted by Mike, Sara moves in. The right whip is flicked out toward Trip's upper body, but not at full strength. She did not want to hurt this man, she merely wanted to contain him. Even as she is sending the metal weapon outward it grew in length, wrapping around him and pulling his wings in against his body. Only a second later the left whip is cast out in a similar way, this time aiming for Trip's lower half, waist and legs.

Inside her head Witchblade is screaming. There may be no magic involved, but this was unacceptable. This was imbalance, unnatural, something no human should ever have to experience. It went against everything he stood for. He wanted revenge, he wanted blood, and his vexation was echoing through her mind like a child screaming into a canyon just to hear their voice come back at them.

The weight of the being carefully wrapped in metal pulled slight at Sara, but she remained hovering in the air a moment to ensure she had him. Once she was certain, she began to lower him gently to the ground.

"I'm sorry Trip," she offered to the bat softly. "This is for your own good."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Going to snap in on the attack, Natasha goes to charge in towards another target. This was a possibility. That something had mutated them, was experimenting on them.. Or there was something inherently transformative. That's why she engaged to disable and disorient rather than cripple.

She leaps up towards one in ambush as soon as she can hear again. Batons striking, glowing, attacking. QUick strikes, aimed at nerve clusters. Beat it down until it stays there.

And she calmly reports in.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
As Sara manages to trap the man bat, Mike the bird ends up flying down to the ground. Taking note of the struggle, he frowns as he shifts back to human!mode. Oh that's going to be a problem.

Unless?

"Uh..." On the spot, Mike strings together a quick rhyme using what little he knows of the situation.

'Alright Trip not another peep, relax those eyes and go to sleep!'

Surely that couldn't have worked.

Could it?

James Barnes has posed:
Well, look there. It did work. No more screeching and struggling from Trip. It will, however, likely take some backup called in to deal with all of the lost souls caught this evening.

Bucky remains characteristically silent through it all. To those that don't know him, it's just Bucky. To those that do know him? It's easy to see the thunderstorm of rage behind his blue eyes.