18350/Stegrons and SHIELDs

Stegrons and SHIELDs
Date of Scene:	17 June 2024
Location:	SHIELD Outpost
Synopsis:	Intrepid space hero Captain Marvel, the Unstoppable Juggernaut, and (poor) Peter Parker suffering bad allergies ready for a teamup with the Saurian Stegron to rescue his Dinosaurian brethren!
Cast of Characters:	Mary Jane Watson, Cain Marko, Peter Parker, Carol Danvers

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Mary Jane Watson has posed:
SHIELD Outpost #713 was the primary operating facilty that SHIELD used in the Savage Lands. After extensive experience with the High Evolutionary and Deathbird using the location for one of her recent attempts to usurp the Shi'Ar throne, the outpost had been built up. Quinjets came and went frequently,t ransporting supplies, researchers, and personnel.
    On this day, a new commander had rotated in to the facility for a brief term for what one might call 'vacation' (if mad dinosaur jungle not-island could be considered vacation spot) along with some folks for PR (by which we meant annoying reporter types).
    Even as the group of roving reporter types was getting a 'tour' of the base's public facilities..
    Outside the perimeter would be a massive Stegosaurus wearing a labcoat, with several arrows sticking out of him, blaster burns, and a huge armored tail in a sling followed by a hired mercenary that had been given a deposit to a swiss bank account of considerable value that was bigger than many of the dinosaurs.
    "weee Havvv to Rescue my Bretthren!" The last attempt ever so short a time ago had the rather dangerous security systems driving off the pair - while Cain might be invulnerable, Stegron was not.

Cain Marko has posed:
Doombots, Vampires and now Dinosaurs. He's going to -have- to start vetting his contracts a bit better or find a better agent as tromping through the a jungle that should not be there in the middle of the antartic....was not exactly his idea of a high class job.

But money talks and with his various projects on his mind and bad spending habits, the criminal mercenary that is The Juggernaut cannot easily turn down work even if it is from a refugee from Jurassic Park, so far as he can tell.

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe let me take the lead or wait til I get here, next time.." he grumps in response to the desperate need to rescue those that the dinosaur scientist seeks.

Maybe few reinforcements as well, I don't now. A little strategy might do you some good..."

He may be virtually tireless and immune to any hostile environment the imagination can cook up - but it doesn't mean he doesn't feel discomfort or annoyance at the sweltering heat and humidity and certainly, a Juggernaut in a bad mood is hardly a good thing - given that he's -usually- in some degree of a bad mood at his most baseline.

"Just hang back and let me do what I came here to do so I can get the hell gone, alright? At least let me make a hole big enough for you to do your thing."

Peter Parker has posed:
Schooooooool's out for summer.

With his last exam written and under his belt at last, Peter's career as an undergraduate at Empire State University is officially over and in the books. And while his scholastic career might just really be getting started as he gears up to start his Master's program in Bio-Chem come the fall, for now, for the summer, he is blessedly free of any school commitments beyond those that he wishes to make.

Because it is Peter. And of course he'll still be making regular visits to the ESU labs and volunteering to help Dr. Curt Connors on his own research through the summer. Stay away from science? Blasphemy.

Indeed, it is thanks in large part to his faculty mentor that Pete is even hear today. It is Dr. Connors that was aware of this potential opportunity thanks to some of the consulting that he does for SHIELD. Dr. Connors that put in a good word for him. Dr. Connors that helped to convince the powers that be that a photographer -- one with a scientific background -- would be perfect to make a visit to the Savage Land and document a little of the incredible sights down at the very southern-most tip of the world itself.

No doubt it helps that he is close friends with a couple of lovely SHIELD agents as well. And the fact that if they did not know that Peter Parker was Spider-Man before -- unlikely given their resources -- they certainly do now.

So Peter finds himself on the long trek south. Waaaaay south. A trek that is mitigated considerably by the fact that he is flying in with SHIELD instead of having to get to some South American port, take the slow boat ride on a research vessel and then trek across the glacier shelf.

Having an in definitely makes a big difference when it matters most, there is no denying that.

Even better, Jameson has agreed to pay him top dollar for his photographs. Enough to go a long way towards covering Pete's expenses for the next few months. The very possibility of not having to live paycheck to paycheck is a pretty exciting one for Peter. Reason alone to agree to this assignment, despite the fact that it is taking him away from his beloved New York City and the myriad of distractions it offers.

Some much more lovely then others.

Though, in truth, as eager as he is to see the sights of the Savage Land, to experience a land out of time, he might have been wary if this wasn't just an assignment for Peter Parker. Since the encounter with Kraven, since those drums, since the toxins he was filled with, Pete just hasn't quite been himself. A little slower. A little more sluggish. And that weird thing with his Spider-Sense not working, to the extent that some punk gangbanger quite nearly shot him. Would have if his aim had been just a little better.

But he won't have to worry about any of that here right? Right? So he wanders the perimeter of the base, snapping shots of the wonderous world beyond that fenceline. Despite everything he's seen and experienced he still gapes at the sight of that massive Stegosaurus in a labcoat, snapping a couple of pictures. "They'll never believe this back home," he mutters.

Then absently sniffs and wipes his nose. Weird. He doesn't normally have allergies.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Captain Marvel's here!

She doesn't arrive by Quinjet. She arrives _with_ the Quinjet, carefully timing her arrival to avoid stealing any attention from the new commander and his post. Instead of riding with the media and others flying in -- which would have meant fielding countless questions about both Earthbound and celestial matters -- she served as an unseen escort for the entire trip.

For those on the ground, however, her arrival is hard to miss. The glowing energy surrounding her customary blue-and-red uniform only subsides as she slows down enough to land, choosing an area that isn't overly crowded to touches lightly down and glance around.

Oh, boy.

Media.

She could be monitoring threats from the Justice League's Moon Base or following up on the recent capture of Captain America's killer, but instead, she's here... part babysitter, part public relations.

As she takes in the scene, her attention, much like Peter's, is drawn towards the large Stegosaurus in a lab coat and his _very_ large compatriot. Striding over, Carol is only a couple of steps behind Peter when her smile curls a bit more warmly.

"I tell myself that every day." One hand settles on her hip. "Now what do you imagine these two boneheads are up to?"

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Peter Parker has the sniffles. What could he be allergic to? The mosquitos the size of drones? The giant mutant plant-men? The ooze monsters? One could say the alligators, but they already have plenty of those over in New York so he would already be aware of it anyways.

The giant stegosaurus in a labcoat may or may not be recognizable from one of the 'I didn't want to cure cancer, I wanted to turn people into dinosaurs' events, which was legendary even by the standards of Long Island. Stegron, several arrows sticking out of him, blaster burns, and over with the Juggernaut nearby. "I ammm Stegrron! I seek to savveee my brethreenn from their Ssuufffffering at the Hands of the Wretched ABOMination that tortures them!" He quakes in rage. "That MONsterrr in the volcano that CUTTTSSS them apart!" Monster, volcano.. Oh, yeah, where Carol would know there had been one of those mind controlled/enslaved/etc tribes of Jungle People that the High Evolutionary had taken to be guardians that the Amazons had taken out..

And that SHIELD had been blocked from getting back into due to said ancient alien supercomputers.

"Yesss, my confederate, you are correct. Even with hisss great strengthhh, we were unable to free them! I, STEGRONN, beSEECh you for your aid!" He had called Cain his 'confederate'. Not lacky, not minion, not with a semi taunt about the inferior of humans to hyper evolved, superior dinosaurs.

That sort of deference from a crazed supervillain with a highly specific life goal/niche might be odd.

Cain Marko has posed:
The sight of the arriving Quinjet had indeed caught The Juggernaut's attention. The noise of its approach had mixed in with the sounds of the jungle but it was nevertheless distinct. A quick glance had also noted the figure flying alongside it but that was slightly harder to make out. The rest of his attention was soon claimed by the good doctor.

"So we're -not- busting up the SHIELD base?" Juggernaut's eyes hood slightly and he works his mouth into a mild frown as he listens and attempts.....to make sense of the dino-scientists words.

It's a little hard to follow after all. That 'accent' of his is a might be strong.

"Man...I gotta read my memo's a little more closely. Good thing I just didn't go heading right for it... I guess I should have asked a few questions about them using bow and arrows..."

He does arc an eyebrow at some of the word choice here but then seem sto choose to not dwell on it for overly long. "Alright so fine. A rescue operation in a volcano and you hired The Juggernaut. Not exactly subtle but I can get us in. Sure. no problem. But expect them..." He jabs his a meaty finger towards The SHIELD outpost, "..To stick their noses into it. We aint actually cutting a svelte profile between the two of us... So you might wanna have a plan to deal with 'em. Either way...we should get a move on because we're probably going to have some company soon."

Peter Parker has posed:
Look, he has dealt with costumed baddies or all sorts, no matter how strange or ridiculous. The Kangaroo? Stilt-Man? C'mon.

He has faced down aliens and creatures from the center of the earth while hardly batting an eyes.

But c'mon, this is a full-sized, upright dinosaur in a labcoat.

He's a New York City kid that now finds himself in the midst of a primeval jungle in the middle of Antasctica. Antarctica! There are times that his life is just... *frickin' amazing*! And for a change it isn't even his being Spider-Man that is responsible for it all. Just regular old Peter Parker.

And not only is he here, getting some unbelievably photos and getting some stories that he will *definitely* be sharing with his friends back home, but he is here with Captain Marvel of all people. How cool is that? That alone might be the hardest part for some of his friends to believe or accept.

While Carol might be stuck playing escort to the photo-geek brigade, at least he is enthusiastic and reasonably well behaved. And surprisingly knowledgable about all of this. Though maybe that is less of a surprise. Boys do love their dinosaurs.

"Sounds like monsters in a volcano. What kind of monsters live in a primordial volcano?" Pete replies absently to the question. Not that the Avenger at his back probably can't make out that much for herself. Still, it helps him to think things through sometimes, vocalizing them.

And this whole situation is weird and unbelievable enough that he feels the urge to quip -- mask or no.

Carol Danvers has posed:
"None of the good kind."

Carol had listened to Stegron's passionate plea, her expression shifting from curiosity to seriousness. The familiar territory of mad schemes and supervillain monologues hits a chord, but there's an underlying sincerity in Stegron's voice that makes her pause.

She takes a moment to process the information, connecting the dots between the volcano, the enslaved tribes, and the ancient alien supercomputers. Her eyes narrow slightly as she considers the implications.

A moment later, she's shooting up into the air and descending, outside the perimeter, in front of Stegron and Juggernaut.

"Did I hear someone say SHIELD needed to stick their noses into something?" she asks with slightly lifted eyebrows, her tone measured and authoritative, though there's just the faintest quirk of a smile at the corner of her lips.

Her gaze turns to Stegron, though. "I understand you're trying to help your people, but charging in without a plan isn't going to solve anything. We need to approach this strategically."

Her gaze shifts to the arrows and blaster burns marring Stegron's tough skin, then to Juggernaut standing nearby. "Looks like your confederate already had a taste of what you're up against.."

Carol crosses her arms, shifting her gaze back to Stegron. "I'll help, but we're going to do it right. No more reckless charges, understood? Tell me everything you know about this 'monster' and the layout of the volcano. We'll come up with a plan and get your brethren out of there."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Stegron looks over at Cain, then at Carol, "Charrrginng in will not save them for the rabid mongrel will kill them all. We must settt them free!" Yes, Stegron was offering to work with SHIELD. "My commraddee will help usss." Looking over at Cain with a 'please' expression on his face that was decidedly alien on the.. Decidedly already alien looking muzzle. Even as he would be about to ordinarily monologue about how could Cain tolerate the enslavement of his fellow dinosaur brethren.. But realizing whom he was speaking to, and then speak a familiar language. And therefore adding in, "I willl payyy you double." Hopefully which would resolve any and all issues when it came to things.

"Weee musssttt get inside an dfreee them! Myyy genius can shut down the penns holding them! You two and your dissposssabbble little meatttsackk can keep the defensseesss and security occupied!"

By 'meatsack' he meant Peter. At least he wasn't calling Peter something tastier? But it still probably flet like being a security ensign being put on an away team.

Peter Parker has posed:
Look, Peter is very much anticipating the chance to get out from beyond the secure perimeter of the SHIELD base, outside the fence that Captain Marvel so easily soars over to land next to the talking dinosaur and the much more familiar figure of the Juggeranut of all people -- man that guy gets around -- as he listens in, occasionally raising that camera to his eye and trying to discretely snap a few shots.

It's not that he imagines that anyone much cares or notices him right at the moment, but no need to be deliberately provocative, right? He definitely doesn't need anyone deciding that they need to smash his camera or confiscate his digital records or anything.

While Pete might take photographs largely because it is convenient -- though he has gained a certain love and appreciation for the art -- he has some journalistic instincts too. And this all smells like the front page to him.

Which would be an even bigger bonus from Jonah. Ka-ching! Ka-ching!

And of course there is the matter of Stegron's people too. He assumes that they are also giant talking dinosaurs? Maybe. He's a little fuzzy on some of the details. But they probably don't deserve whatever fate awaits them with the lava monsters of the deadly volcano.

He feels like he is in some pulp movie form the fifties or sisties. *It's awesome*!

At least until the giant, lab-coated Dino gestures his way and refers to him as a 'meatsack'. That is less reassuring. Though it might bode well for the kinds of pictures he could get.

Then he sniffles, crickles his nose and rubs a hand across it as it itches, sneezing dispite himself.

Ugh, what is wrong with him these days?

Cain Marko has posed:
The arrival of Captain Marvel certainly doesn't ease any sense of anticipation for a potential brawl given that they are standing -right outside- of a SHIELD base that Juggernaut had been poised to just attack straight up at a moments notice...but to his credit, Juggernaut simply turns and looks at her as she lands and begins speaking to them. That she doesn't come in fists flying and cosmic energy a-blastin' does do much for keeping him at yellow-alert and not full on battlestations but still he does tense ever so slightly.

It's Captain Marvel after all and he's already in a bad mood due to that jungle weather.

The good doctor, however drags his attention towards him and Cain looks momentarily taken aback by the plea and desperation in the man-dino's voice. He frowns once again and then looks away, resting both of his hands onto his hips with his frown etching deeper and deeper onto his own craggy features.
5rFinally his deep voice grinds out, "Well whaddya think I'm here for? A tan? I thought that's what you hired me to do in the first place. Man, I need an assistant to vet these jobs better. You don't gotta beg. I'm here now, so let's do it."

He inclines his head, helmet tilting slightly within its casing as it moves with his gestures, leaning Carol's way now. "So long as I don't get any flack from SHIELD and the Avengers we're good. I get any reason to think that aint the case...and we'll have to just take that one step at a time now wont' we..."

Carol Danvers has posed:
'Meatsack.'

Carol thumbs over her shoulder. "That guy?" She even looks.

Sorry, Peter. But she does _not_ look... particularly... impressed.

On a cosmic scale, though, when you're standing beside Captain Marvel and Juggernaut (who have a non-zero chance of coming to blows before the whole thing is over), the photographer-slash-recent graduate of the ESU Bachelor's program might actually best be described as a 'meatsack.'

Sorry, Peter.

"We'll... circle back to picking teams."

Then her gaze is shifting to Juggernaut, another one of those little grins visible at his audible protest about picking jobs that only lingers through his... threat?

"Easy, Big Guy." She thumbs over her shoulder. "You leave these nice people alone, let the commander have his well earned vacation in peace, and for these purposes, you and I don't have a problem. SHIELD has been trying to get in there. You help us, it might even win you some points."

_That_ part is sincere.

But she can't help but offer a little roll of her shoulder and a cockier, playful smirk. "And as long as you play nice, you won't become the next volcano monster." It's meant to be a rib. A jab. The kind of playful snark she'd throw out at any of the other Avengers.

Playfully threatening to murder your allies by throwing them into a volcano. It's called 'team building.'

At least, it is in the military.

Then her gaze is back on Stegron.

"I _know_ I'm going to regret this, but I'm in."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Stegron takes a moment to listen, and goes to grunt, "THank you hairless ape! WIht your assistance we shall free my kind and wreck vengeance upon the one that has tortured them!" There's a loud, loud cackling over through the air that echos - it doesn't draw any more attention, however.

It's hard to have MORE attention when you have a dinosaur in a labcoat, Captain Marvel, and the Unstoppable Juggernaut standing around one another.

"We shalll liberate them and destroy all in our wayyyyy!" There's a sincere tone to his mad cackling that echos through the base. UPlifting, perhaps. To attending SHIELD personnel that may or may not be more confused at what's going on than the press corps that has survived New Jersey for years.

And thus, the strange teamup that fate could have never predicted came about.

Don't worry, true believers! We'll all get to see how this turns out! Tune in next issue to see how the Saurian Smash goes!

'Nuff said and EXCELSIOR!