18516/Descent: Lizard On The Loose

Descent: Lizard On The Loose
Date of Scene:	09 July 2024
Location:	Central Park
Synopsis:	A rather disparate group of heroes tracks down the Lizard to his sewer lair beneath Central Park in the hunt to save Curt Connors from the beast he has become and reacquire the Neo-genic Recombinator.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Natasha Romanoff, Hank Pym, Silana Kines, Billy Kaplan, Felicia Hardy, Camille Russo
Tinyplot:	Descent

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Peter Parker has posed:
For the last few days stories of a giant lizard-like creature menacing people have spread throughout the city, the stories largely carried predominately in New York's more infamous tabloids.

The very first sightings happened one afternoon on the Empire State University campus, but most of those since have occured around Central Park. Most people might just laugh it off, chalk it up to another one of the urban legends that periodically make its way through the city. More 'alligators in the sewers' or 'mutant turtles in the sewers' tales to impress the gullible.

Those in the know, however, might very well have been present at ESU on the day when things started to go wrong. They might have seen Dr. Curt Connors transform before their eyes and smash up his own lab before hurling himself through a window.

Others might have taken a different tact. They might have looked at the sudden spike in missing persons reports coming in from the city. They might have noticed just how many of htem had a last seen location of Central Park and begun to put two and two together, to realize that something just wasn't very right. That maybe those tales -- no matter how outlandish -- might have a grain of truth to them. Enough to at least look into them.

There are any number of interested parties that might look into such things.

For at least some of them, it's their job. Not to look into the disappearances per se, so much as to track down a giant lizard in a lab coat. To find the technology that he made of with. If they can garner good publicity by helping to rescue a number of New York's citizens, well that's certainly a bonus.

Despite the later hour, Central Park is abuzz with a little more activity then normal. Night has settled over the city, the heat of the afternoon still lignering unpleasantly into the evening hours, the earlier rain having only added to the humidty hanging in the air, leaving the air feeling thick enough to stand on.

Despite it feeling like an excellent night to find some place cool and lock one's self away, it is still summer in the city. People want to be out and about. And Antonio Girelli was only too happy to sell them hotdogs. At least until a few minutes ago when something smashed his food cart, leaving hotdog buns and condiments scattered all along the bath for about two dozen feet, the sounds of his cries as he was carried off still hanging in the air.

Peter Parker has posed:


In this case the first responders are not the local beat cops who patrol the park. Instead they are a pair of jumpsuited men who have been hot on the trail of the green-scaled creature that made off with Antonio for the past several hours. The hum of the engine of their jeep fills the evening air as they race along what are supposed to be pedestrian paths in very clear violation of the rules.

"You got eyes on 'em?" the first man barks to the other as he remains focused on 'the road' ahead, swerve that vehicle to avoid obstacles, tearing out across the grass as dirt and ripped up turf flies out behind the jeep.

The man at his side grips the roll bar beside him, all but standing in his seat with a pair of strange looking goggles covering his face. His view is different, filled with colors that his partner doesn't see. Heat signatures. "You were right. He's making a break for the nearest sewer entrance," the other says, grimacing as the off road experience jostles him about.

"Did you call it in?"

"'Course I did. You think I want Silver taking a strip off of me? Called it in fifteen minutes ago. Then again when the hot dog guy got grabbed."

"Geez. Freaking giant, walking lizards. This job man."

"Hey, you ain't seen nothing yet noob. Slow down. Heat signatures just disappeared and the sewer entrance is just fifty meters ahead. We're supposed to wait for further orders before pursuing."

That jeep slows to a crawl before stopping, the heavy underbrush making it all but impassable. The two armed mean hop out, modified rifles dangling from their shoulders as they creep ahead. Up ahead a hill juts from the terrain, the grating that should cover the storm sewer entrance there pulled askew, lit up only by the pair of mercenaries from Silver Sable International.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
It always comes down to the Park. Whenever there's some sort of large, rampaging animal about it almost always comes to here. At the very least it's not those legendary turtles over in the sewers that's never bode well. Along this evening, Natasha Romanova is on her own silent patrol of the area. She's taken out a UV display to her HUD and is using it to scan. Given the reptile's rather divergent body temperature, using infrared ones would be useless. She's here more as a support to other SHIELD units, since litlte in their arsenal is guaranteed to do more than slow him. And they can't use heavier weaponry as there are civilians here.

So she's here to hoepfully help with wrangling, making sure civilians stay out of the way, and on backup in case this gets worse.

What she does have with her are a series of cryo grenades. They're likely to bea bout the only thing she has on hand which would be remotely effective that wouldn't have heavy risk of area damage. But it's a start.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym doesn't know anything about Silver SableInt. He does read the papers, and you might say he keeps his ear to the ground. The talk of the Lizard intrigued him, as a biochemist. Connors was plainly a genius. Oh yes people had to be saved. In any case he asked his little friends in numbers untold to keep an eye out.

For that matter, he was out tonight on his flying ant, Balthazar, looking over the park while ant sized.

Silana Kines has posed:
    Silana isn't really aware of most of what went on. But, she has noticed the spike in missing persons, and has decided to look through the park. A simple outfit conceals her in a standard jogger's garb, but she has a headset on, tuned to police bands, and is surprised to hear reports of a... giant lizard in a lab coat? She's certain whatever goes on there, she should probably make sure someone's focused on getting back whoever got nabbed, so she takes a moment in shadows to slip a mask on her face, and then heads for the last location reported...

    "Of course it's a sewer." Slip mutters, as she ducks down into it, letting gravity take her most of the way, then letting space warp around her, and stepping onto the service walk along the sewer tunnel.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
    Billy Kaplan was trying to have a nice, quiet night in the park. A picnic, a blanket on the grass, the sky full of-- well nobody can see stars here, but it's nice to look at the smear of light in the sky sometimes.
    With the sudden commotion and the uniquely jarring sound of Shrieking Civilians, Billy sits up and looks around for the source of the panic and starts running that way. He dashes behind a tree and from the other side emerges Wiccan, taking to the air and surveying the scene from above. He spots an open manhole, and the patterns of civilians heading generally *away* from there. "Really? Now what was that, umm... Oh, yeah." When he murmurs, "~Superhydrophobic~," the sound churns in the air around him, veering back and forth with a kind of doppler effect as a shimmer passes over his outfit.
    When he descends into the sewer he still goes slowly, and hovers above the bottom. Even there the effect is enough to create a divot in the sewage beneath him as he floats, looking around the area.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Felicia Hardy paid a lot of money for this opportunity -- to finally catch the Lizard and be one step closer to restoring Peter Parker to his rightful size, shape, and number of limbs. She wasn't about to let pride or her hesitance to trust government agencies take it from her.

Plus, calling in a bunch of mooks to do her dirty work was exactly her style. So, she forwarded what she knew on to the LAPD, knowing they would forward it on to the respective alphabet agencies.

Anonymous >> The Lizard has been sighted in Central Park.

Anonymous >> (geolocation)

Might as well get the best bang for the buck, right? Besides, it's not exactly like she had a holding cell in her penthouse she could cage him in, even if she did manage to drag him back there by his tail.

Then she suited up as Black Cat -- reinforced micro-weave catsuit, white gauntlets and shinguards, and high-tech lenses in her mask -- and gathered her gear, snapping a utility belt around her waist.

The night air brushes against her skin as she moves silently through the park, her senses heightened. The moon casts as much of a silvery glow on the paths as it does the long mane of her platinum-white ponytail, but the shadows seem somehow darker, more menacing.

How she got from wherever she was to just behind the two men from Silver Sable International is anyone's guess. She moves like a wraith through the night, absolutely soundless, until she speaks up from the limb of a tree above and behind them.

"Well, you have your orders, now," she speaks up, her voice a sensual throaty purr. With feline fluidity, she descends from that limb, dropping to the ground in a low crouch and then standing slowly back up with one clawed digit pointing towards the sewer. "Lead the way, boys, or from the looks of it, we're going to be late to the party."

One step after another she approaches with a gentle sway of her hips.

"And remember... _alive_. He's no good to anyone dead. I need the device he took, and I need that lizard to turn back into a scientist. Fail in either one of those, and I call Silver back to ask her for the number of the complaint department."

Her smile curls wickedly.

"Understand?"

Camille Russo has posed:
Camille is admittedly more backup today than she is front lines, on account of that pesky little concussion she still has. Her ammo is all spellshot because of the civilians, rounds designed to stun and sleep, and she's wearing a dark pair of sunglasses even though it's evening out. She comes to a stop next to Natasha and holds out a magazine. "Not your usual, but they're designed to stun in a small radius. If you hit the ground near a group, you'll knock them all out."

Her head is still pounding, but thankfully her concussion is minor, as these things go. Still, her cap's got threading on it now to help with the whole brain bouncing thing, and her voice is low. Her comms are low too. She can hear them, but she has to be paying attention.

Peter Parker has posed:
The pair of mercenaries do stop short of that sewer grating, the lights of the jeep behind them shining through the underbrush, offering at least a little illumination though also casting a barrage of shadows over the area. Between those lights in a place that should be pretty dark and deserted, as well as the rather prominent tracks that have torn a path through the Park's otherwise unmarred grassy lawns, there might as well be a sign that points right in this direction.

Though others will certainly have their own means to find their way to the scene of the disturbance..

Either way, the two men wait for further orders, crouched their in the underbrush with those modified rifles directed towards the sewer entrance. At least until that unfamiliar voice sounds behind them. The younger of the two and the one driving the jeep -- the patch on his jupsuit says 'Murphy' might gape a little, but his partner -- older, darker of hair and clearly more seasoned simply raises from his crouch and dips his head, showing no hint of discomfort at the ease Felicia managed to sneak up on them.
"Yes ma'am. I'm Davis. We've got your six and other teams are on the way," he says crisply before holding out that weapon towards her briefly. "Our weapons have been modifed to shoot darts. Each one can penetrate an elephant hide and each one is loaded down with enough tranquizers to take out two animals of that size," he assures her. "Your lizard problem ends tonight."

Whether any of that makes her feel any better is a matter of debate of course. But at least it *sounds* like they know what they're doing.

The jeep remains there, still casting that faint glow into the mouth of the sewer, lighting up that passage as it begins to dip lower and lower, quickly going subterranean. As others have ventured in already may have already discovered, the sewer is dirty, cramped and unpleasant. At least this part of it is largely just storm run off so the water that slowly gathers and then flows in little streams between the various walkways is merely unpleasant instead of disgusting and while their is the odor of stagnant water hanging in the air mingled with rotting vegetation, there's nothing worse.

Vermin are fairly prevelent however, bugs of all sorts and the occasional scurrying of little feet can be heard, the flash of beady eyes under whatever light source one happens to have at their disposal.

The passage of the Lizard, heading deeper, closer to the core tunnels that riddle the underground beneath the city are not that hard to find. A smear of dirt here, a partial inhuman print there. But if nothing else, there is always the sound of those cries for help, as poor Antonio shouts himself hoarse, his voice echoing strangely in these underground passages.

And still the path seems to go downward, the darkness growing a little more oppressive, pressing in a little more ominously it seems as they venture further and further from the surface above.

Silana Kines has posed:
    Slip pulls out a flashlight, lighting up the sewer with a sigh, as she adjusts her radio in her ear, setting it to scan for signals, as she heads deeper in. She follows the trail fairly easily, it's not like it's not obvious, though, soon, it's clear she's not the only one down here looking. She looks up and nods to the others who have joined her in the swers.

    "I'm Slip." She introduces herself to anyone who cares. "Pretty easy trail to follow. And I hear calls for help, though they're harder to pinpoint what with the echoes." She waves her flashlight over several spots where the sewer pipeline has been disturbed. She follows along, stealthy and quiet as she moves through the darkness, in spite of the bright beacon of light in her hands. Some habits die hard, it seems.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Weaponry that they can use in the sewers. Natasha's used to them and has long since come to accept them. She takes the heavy weapons and stunner rounds with her, gives a low nod of appreciation, and then goes to start to ready to move with the rest of the team once they go on in. The helmet she has on is acting as a filter so she doesn't have to deal with the smell. As the group goes along, she drops small disks along the ground. The disks dig themseles into the ground and start to vibrate before going still. One is thrown every corridor or so through the sewers.

Attuned to seismic shifts, even small ones. The first ones thrown act as calibration ones. Matching the tempo of the sewers. Vibrations from the subways nearby, the traffic above, the dam.. Each designed to get a normal background for what went on. Then, as they got a baseline, they would hopefully act as early warning sensors if the rather stealthy LIzard came on to ambush them.

As they hear those cries for help and the echos, Natasha keeps up her pace, ever so thoughtfully. She's shifted her lenses to UV, and moves to take point. Her bulky looking rifle leads her motions, a chambered round ready if she has a chance to get off a snap shot. Now.. Now they're tracking, and figuring it out as they go along.

<<All units, stay in touch. Ensure you're within line of sight of one another. Move to fireteams.>>

Billy Kaplan has posed:
    Billy Kaplan conjures a light source-- invisible to the eye so as not to make a distracting glare, detectable only by the faint ambient glow and the specular gleam it imparts on the surrounding surfaces. "The smell!" he hisses. "I forgot the smell." He drifts forward in the air anyway, alert to threats. The edges of his water-repellant spell rake along the walls and ceiling of the sewer tunnel, shoving the moisture almost like a squeegee.
    He nods to Silana and gestures to himself. "Wiccan. Good to meet you." He manages a quick, polite smile. Only a brief one before he's focused back on the task at hand.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym shakes his head, "A sewer. Well I've lived underground a lot. Ants are not the most fragrant of creature... yes I know you find my smell unpleasant Bal. Just saying. Follow the screams please. Fast. They might stop screaming soon. Fortunately this Lizard is about as bright as the Hulk when it comes to stealth. He turns on the night vision in his helmet and the lenses glow softly.

"Any Avengers in the Central Park area... This is Pym. Hello, Natasha. Been awhile. " He peers at the light and activity ahead. People. Hard to make out with the flashlight, darkness and his small size. He does note the redhead and he and Bal grow to man sized near her. "Don't pet the ant. He bites."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Felicia's eyes narrow as she steps forward and reaches out, taking the modified rifle from Davis, her fingers dragging down the side of it with a sensual efficiency. Her touch is light but deliberate, testing the action with the familiarity of a lover. It may be the first time she's had it in her hand, but she handles it with the grace of someone well-versed in its use.

"Very nice," she purrs, a wicked smile curling her lips. "I'll have to commend Silver on her team next time I see her. It's a rare treat to find a man who knows exactly what I need."

She shifts the butt of the rifle up to her shoulder, then, and flicks on the flashlight mounted under the barrel, using it to light the path.

"Alright, boys. Let's get this show on the road."

She steps past them, taking the lead as they head towards the sewer entrance.

The thermal signatures in her mask's lenses augment her vision, painting the world in shades of red and blue without taking over sight completely. The light at the end of the rifle casts a narrow beam ahead of her, illuminating the dank, cramped passageways of the sewer. She can hear the faint sounds of scurrying vermin and the occasional splash of water, the air thick with the smell of rotting vegetation and stagnant water.

Felicia moves with purpose, every step calculated. The cries for help from Antonio grow louder, echoing eerily through the tunnels. She follows the faint trail left by the Lizard, a smear of dirt here, a partial inhuman print there, leading them deeper underground.

"Black Cat," she answers Slip's introduction, adding hers to the others with a grimace of a smile on her lips. "For those of you who have never fought a giant lizard before, watch yourselves. He broke both of my friend's arms with one swipe, and he didn't even hit her with his claws. He's a scientist... or, he's supposed to be. Damn smart. We need him alive so we can change him back."

We?

As they venture further from the surface, the darkness seems to press in around them, the atmosphere growing more oppressive with each step. But Felicia remains undeterred, her senses heightened and her resolve unwavering. She glances back at the mercenaries, a playful yet determined glint in her eyes.

"Keep up, boys," she says with a smirk. "We've got a lizard to catch."

Camille Russo has posed:
Sewers. Cam sighs to herself as she follows Nat through the tunnel. The bright side is that when the smell and sounds inevitably make her vomit, she's not actually going to be making things worse for the team... well, as long as she aims behind or away. Her sunglasses have nightvision and stay on, dark lenses catching any light that tries to reflect off them. Like this, she's very difficult to see, and she keeps near the wall. Her gun is still holstered, but her hand is on it and she's - hopefully - ready for whatever comes at them.

Pym's comments to his ants over the comms have her almost laughing. A quick glint of white flashes in the dark before her lips press together. The taste of the sewers is exceptionally unpleasant.

Peter Parker has posed:
The tunnels twist and turn and those echoing cries make it a little difficult to tell just what direction they might have to travel. As they increasingly end up in a larger pack -- Mercenaries, thieves, SHIELD, Avengers and everyone inbetween -- the odds at least seem to tilt a little more in their favor.

One of the mercenaries that Felicia has hired for just this produces a screen, the light from it adding a little too the ambient illumination and while they might not want to attract attention, the purpose of it becomes clear quickly enough.

A map of the tunnel system beneath Manhatten quickly pops up on the screen, all the various differing systems -- sewers, service, subway -- all marked out in different colors. It is, suffice to say, an absolute warren of different passages and access points. An absolute nightmare to plan anything coordinated and Davis occasionally grimaces as he manipulates the touch screen, trying to reposition the map to tell exactly where they are.

The further from the surface they go, the less accurate the geo-locationing on the device appears to be.. While he does that, his partner eyes the new individuals that they meet up with assessingly. They are not part of their mission making them variables. But perhaps useful ones.

"You get what you pay for ma'am. That Lizard is as good as yours," Davis promises before making a gesture with his head to the tunnel that curves up ahead. "The passage should open up into a much larger chamber. Multiple tunnels converge there. It's a fairly likely spot for his staging ground," he says quietly, creeping forward carefully.

The mercenary was not mistaken. To put it mildly.

Dozens of different tunnels seem to converge here in a central cistern, the earlier rains during the day insuring that there are at least a half dozen miniature waterfalls cascading down into the centreal resevoir below. Rusted metal grating criss-crosses the area, looking more then a little rickety and unsafe though it seems to have survived intact so far and the dim, muted lights of the city above seem to come from somewhere up it in the shadows above, adding just a little more illumination to the scene.

One one of the grated areas, about twenty-five feet below, it almost looks like a makeshift lab has been set up and it is readily apparent to Felicia -- who has seen something of it's like in Connor's lab days ago -- and possibly Hank as well, that the Lizard has somehow concocted a new, improvised Neo-Genic array.

The device that the Black Cat is after hangs there at the heart of it, pointing towards a table where loose straps dangle.

But perhaps the most ominous thing of all are the dozen or so cages that hang, dangle, or are otherwise precariously perched throughout the chamber, spread about at various heights. Eight of them are currently occupied, huddled individuals either laying unconscious or staring forlornly at the scene below.

The source of their interest? Their captor of course. A larger then man-sized Lizard creature who appears to be stuffing poor Antonio into another of those cages.

"You don't need to do this man, lizard, whatever. You like hotdogs? I can get you all the hotdogs you want. Just don't eat me!" he shouts to the seemingly indifferent creature.

Silana Kines has posed:
    Slip shakes her head, dark hair waving as she speaks softly. "I'm not here to catch anyone, or to fight anyone. I'm here to save the civilians. The kidnap victims. Whatever that takes." Her voice is quiet, but cold, calculating, and hard. There's no flexibility in her goals. "You all can play your super hero games. I'm here for everyone else."

    She moves like a mercenary, like she's been trained to sweep and clear areas, but, lacking a gun in hand, she uses her flashlight to lead the way, occasionally skipping a section of particularly nasty sewer by just.. stepping past it, flickering in a twist of space as she seems to slip from spot to spot without ever really being between them.

    She shuts off the light as they near the cistern turned lab, and, with two quick steps that cover about twenty feet between them, vanishes into the copious shadows of the cistern, trying to decide what she needs to do first. Eight people, some unconscious. A ninth being caged. She bides her time for the moment, hiding up in the catwalks, tracing the chains to the cages, trying to spot a way to lower them. Once the fighting stops, she's going to need to figure out how to get those people out of there.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
    Billy Kaplan douses his eerie ghost light as the group approaches a sewer nexus. "~Unseen and unheard~," he whispers. The spell susurrates in the air, almost lost amidst the rushing... flushing... fluid sounds, before finally spreading out to shroud the party in a veil of invisibility and silence. A cone, even.
    "We can talk normally," he tells the others with a confidence typical of wizards. Or college kids. "But whatever planning you're going to do I'd suggest making it quick."

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym wants to tell the verbose fellow being caged, that he has no worries about being eaten. He is not food, but experimental material. Much more important than food. Also the Lizard was capable of getting food for himself. The fellow's protests distracted him for a moment from the glorious shinies the Lizard has on display. "A Neogenic Array. Amazing consjdering what he has to work with... and Connors built it with one arm. Beautiful... Balthazar, remain here. Lead the captives to the surface as they are freed. NO BITEYS. Understand?" He strokes the ant's antenna gentlly, "Good boy."

"What is the plan Natasha? I can distract the Lizard for you to free the captives. I can be Giant Man."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Going to tap at her comm, Natasha goes to speak to Hank <<Good to have you wtih us, Doctor Pym. I take it that you're familiar with the VIP?>> She's being polite here. Connors is having this done against his will, so they'd like to take him down safely if they can. <<Can you come up wtih something to neutralize him?>> They had at least some records of how the anti-Lizard sreum worked in the Avengers database, so hopefully Pym might be able to whip up something close enough along the way. Then moving to link Hank up with the rest of the comm network.
    And not particularly happy with the Wild Pack. They were subcontractors, yes. Their primary employer might be on reasonable terms with SHIELD. SHIELD might even use thier services on occasion. But it was still always never fun to work alongside mercenaries hired by someone else.
    And as she maneuvers along and gets just an inkling over of the cages, her expression darks underneath her helmet. <<Warning, subject has multiple hostages>>
    Then she activates the camo mesh in her outfit, and goes to vanish from view, the gunk of the sewer having caked about it to make the scent blend in with the background, even as it goes to also match external temperature.

Camille Russo has posed:
Camille raises an eyebrow behind her glasses. That's... a solid chunk of magic she feels, weaving its way around her own self-protection. She resists the urge to shake the web-like feeling of it off, but her hand does brush over the back of her exposed neck for a moment until the sensation is gone. It's been a long time since she's had magic cloaking her like this, and she'd forgotten how it felt. She makes a mental note to try and meet the guy before all this breaks up, but for now she slides a mag of freezeshot into her gun, keeping it pointed at the floor with the safety off as the pieces of the group peel off to handle different assignments.

It's like the worst of working cross-teams - SHIELD, consultants, mercs, a crazy lizard scientist. Well, at least she knows lizards hate the cold.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Felicia navigates the tunnels with a predatory grace, her movements fluid and precise. She steps over puddles and debris effortlessly, her thermal lenses enhancing her vision in the dim light. Every sense is heightened, every sound magnified. She's a shadow in the darkness, her focus unyielding.

"Oh, good," she purrs sarcastically to Slip, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "And what's your superpower? Being a bleeding heart who has no idea what she's talking about?" She rolls her eyes, her disdain evident. "You do what you have to do, Sweetness, but don't get in my way."

Not long after, Billy Kaplan's spell envelops them, creating a cone of silence and invisibility. Felicia nods, appreciating the wizard's timing. Her eyes flick to the cages scattered around the chamber, noting the huddled figures inside. The Lizard's cruel handiwork. She clenches her jaw, her resolve hardening.

She turns her attention back to the mercenaries. "Alright, boys, time to put your money where your mouth is. See that device hanging in the middle?" She points with the rifle towards the makeshift lab below. "That's what we're after. We need it intact."

Black Cat keeps her eyes trained on the Lizard, ready for any sudden movements. "Alright, team," she says inside that cone, her voice carrying through the eerie silence. "Join in when the moment speaks to you. Let's get this done."

She cuts the light on her rifle and strides confidently out of the cone of silence, her steps measured and deliberate. Then she raises the barrel, aiming directly at the Lizard's back. Her finger tightens on the trigger, and without so much as a taunt or a word of warning, she fires. The shot rings out, the tranquilizer dart speeding towards its target.

Her confidence is unshakable, her focus absolute.

The mission is clear: capture the Lizard, retrieve the device. She won't let anything stand in her way.

Peter Parker has posed:
Off hand, it looks like it will be difficult to sneak up on the Lizard.

Those rickety metal grate bridges don't look entirely sturdy and certainly they won't be quiet. Maneuvering around such a tall room, descending over those multiple levels seems like a tricky proposition indeed.

Of course, they have a few resources that most standard spelunkers wouldn't given Wiccan's magicks and the fact that Hank can grow to pretty much fill the entire cistern chamber at need. That does kind of tend to change the odds about these sorts of things.

Below, the Lizard hisses angrily at his latest victim, raising one of those taloned hands menacingly towards the man. "Quieeeeeeet," he says in the silibant voice, making sure the cage is secruely locked before turning away, padding over towards the improvised workbench that he has apparently created out of assorted cast-off furniture, staring at the designs and formulas he has etched into the wooden top with one very sharp talon.

"Soooon," he practically croons, the shreaded remains of a wallet resting on one edge of that workbench, a picture of Curt Connors, his wife and son sitting out in the open. Reaching for that photo, the Lizard strokes the edge of it, almost strangely gentle. "Soooon it will be perfffecccccted and youuuuu can joinnnnn with usssss."

If the creepy lizard creature is aware of the rest of them he is certainly giving no hint of it.

If the others had been hoping to sneak up on the Lizard, had been hoping to craft some elaborate plan, those intentions are rather quickly foiled as the Black Cat simply takes matters into her own hand and steps out far enough to draw a clear bead on the transformed Doc Connors, sending that high-impact dart flying through the air with a shoft hiss and a surprisingly strong recoil from that modified rifle.

And the dart strikes home. The Cat might not be known for using guns in her line of work, but clearly she does indeed know what she's doing. The dart strikes the Lizard right in the back, center mass, tearing through that billowing, dirtied labcoat that strill drapes his scaly form and he gives a loud hiss of pain, whirling as those yellow eyes sweep upwards amongst all those rickety metal grating walkways.

Natasha, Hank, Camille -- really everyone present -- might technically have more authority then a sometimes renegade burglar like the Black Cat. But she's the one that commissioned Silver Sable International. She is the one that the two mercenaries have been ordered to support, to follow her lead.

So that's what they do.

Even as Felicia steps out, so do Davis and Murphy, flanking her on either side. Another flurry of darts is promptly fired off, the syringe-like projectiles raining down from above.

But the Lizard expects it now and grabbing a beaker full of chemicals from that improvised workbench he hurls it back with surprising force, the vial smashing on the nearby walkway and exploding in a bright, hot gout of flame that burns with surprising intensity.

The he whirls, darting towards that improvised Neo-genic array. "Nooooo. You'll ruiiiin everthinggggg," he hisses.

It might be Felicia's imagination, but it certainly seems as if the creature is moving a little slower then he did in the ESU lab. It's possible that the tranquilizers are already taking effect.

Silana Kines has posed:
    Slip doesn't seem to care about Black Cat's sarcasm and disdain. She has better things to deal with. Black Cat has made her priorities clear, and while Slip is sure that she doesn't want to see people hurt.. 'Freeing the captives' didn't make her mission statement, now did it?

    As the gunfire starts, Slip reaches out, grabbing at midair as if grabbing onto something. A tug, a shift, and a grappling hook and rope appear in her hand. She steps off the pipe where she was perched, falling down towards a catwalk bellow her, near to a cage. Once close, she demonstrates her super power once more for anyone who wasn't paying attention in the tunnels, and flickered through space to land delicately on the catwalk. A fling of her hand lands the grappling hook at the door to a cage, and she starts dragging it over to the catwalk with the rope.

    "Keep quiet, don't draw attention. I'm here to get you out of this." She speaks softly to the captive as she drags them close.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
    Billy Kaplan quirks a brow up mildly at all the snippiness around. But he makes note of the wildly different (possibly competing) objectives everyone has stated.
    He hardly has an opportunity to clarify his own goal before Felicia is setting things in motion. "Oh, we're starting? I guess we're starting, umm, hang on--" Agitated, he shuts his eyes for a moment to concentrate. He's about to lob a spell at Silana but, oh, she's gone, too. Er, over there. Billy has trouble following her movements. "Name checks out," he decides. "But maybe she could use some extra ~Strength~!"
    Enough, at least, to snap the locks open with her bare hands.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The lack of immediate update from Natasha to Hank is due somewhat to their arrival, and she goes to say briefly to it <<Agreed.>> They're a bit caught up in the middle of things now. And Natasha doesn't have any real reason to trust the Black Cat either; the woman's an outside party to this with no immediate logic that Natasha can attest to it.

The way the mercenaries defer to Felicia is indicative that she hired them. THat has Natasha's covert attention to follow up on later. But one thing at a time. She goes to line up a sight in her optic over on the LIzard, noting the equipment spread to the side (The Neo-Genetic Recombinator). <<Pym, assessment?>> Even as her HUD goes to flash over images of it as the Lizard goes to engage with Felicia and her armed guard.
    Kaplan she doesn't particularly know, but he's working with them even if nto directly coordinating, so she seems to trust that Russo is cooperating with him even when she's not directlky talking to the pair. With her heavy rifle held up now, hopefully still in stealth mode.. She goes to line it up and fire!

In this case, the rifle's not armed with a big bullet - there's too much chance for damage in the underground from something heavy enough to inflict atual damage. The gun goes to lock on, and.. From it a large barbed spike emerges. That's launched over at the lizard's center of mass at supersonic velocities. She goes to try and hit the Lizard what is essentially a slimmed down whaling harpoon, without a reel.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym considers the size of the Lizard. He steps forward, out of the cone of magic. When he hears normal background screams unmuffled he decides he left the magic behind. He begins running, and shrinking. At a foot tall, he makes a leap at the mutated scientist, hopefully get close enough to sting him and knock him senseless. He tries to go for a head shot and end this. Those teeth look nasty.

Balthazar whines and chitters. Ants attack together. reserves go against their nature. But he obeys. Then the Slips human and the Billy human are fiddling with cages. The ant walks over and tears the door open on one, waits for another cage. He does have the proportionate strength of... an ANT!

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Felicia drops the rifle as soon as the Lizard starts to move, her mind calculating the quickest route to the Neo-Genic Recombinator. She fires her grappling hook without hesitation, the line shooting out to catch on one of the many catwalks above. With a swift, powerful yank, she propels herself forward, swinging hard and fast through the chamber.

As she swings, her eyes lock onto the Neo-Genic Recombinator, the crucial device at the heart of Connors' makeshift lab. The Lizard, despite his enraged hiss, seems to be moving slower than before. Did she hit him? It's hard to be certain, but maybe the tranquilizers starting to take their toll.

Felicia twists in mid-air, her feet extending out in front of her as she aims directly for the Recombinator. The light from the rifle she dropped still casts long shadows, but her thermal lenses guide her unerringly. She _has_ to reach the device before the Lizard does.

The moment stretches as she closes in, her body tense and ready for impact. If she times it perfectly, she'll grab the Recombinator, rip it free, and tuck it in like a football, rolling to absorb the momentum and keep it safe. If she's just a fraction of a second too slow, she'll pivot for a two-footed swinging punt to knock the mutated Doc Connors out of the path of the device. The stakes couldn't be higher, and she relishes the challenge.

As she approaches, she narrows her eyes, focusing on pushing her bad luck powers towards the Lizard. The power is _notoriously_ unpredictable, but it's her 'secret' weapon -- her Ace in the Hole. It's not a flashy or showy power, but she's relied on it for a good part of her criminal career to give her the edge she needs.

Peter Parker has posed:
Sometimes chaos works against you. Sometimes it works for you. And one is rarely going to find out which is which until they are right in the thick of things.

While Felicia might be first and foremost concerned with capturing the Lizard and acquiring the Neo-genic Recombinator once more -- if only for Peter Parker's sake -- that doesn't mean that the other captives here aren't worth some measure of concern too.

Which makes it fortuante that Slips happened to stumble across this particular situation. The pathways might look a little unstable, but it becomes significantly easier to cross them when you can swing about, or blip from place to place. Either way she will easily reach the first of those cages, the haggard looking young woman within turning desperate eyes up towards her rescuer, giving a fearful nod and glancing down towards her captor even as the room explodes into chaos and violence. But she stays silent.

With Wiccan's enchantment coursing through her, it will be an easy matter to get the rusted chain sealing the cage shut out of the way.

Nor is she the only one who begins to attend to the prisoners as that giant ant settles by another cage, ripping the door from it's hinges, freeing anohter man who begins to stagger his way over towards the tunnel where they appeared.

Two down, seven to go.

As the Black Cat leaps from her perch and begins to execute that impressive series of leaps and twists through mid-air, Murphy lets out a low whistle of appreciation. Then both of the mercenaries are scampering away as that hurled flask hit nearby, engulfing one of those metal ramps in flames, trying to reposition themselves for clear shots without risking hitting their primary.

Or ideally any of the others. That's slightly of less concern though Silver Sable might have their hides if they accidently shoot Avengers.

But there is a method to the Lizard's madness. While this particular chamber is large enough and better ventilated then some, there is still a build up of gas and that fire suddenly explodes violently, bright light ripping through the chamber, causing some of those rickety platforms to finally give way, snapping from place and swinging erratically, crashing into things, raining burning debris on those below and hurling the two Wildpack mercenaries aside.

Down towards the lower levels ot the cistern, the race for the Recombinator intensifies. Pym zips in, blasting the Lizard with those bolts as the scaly creature fends them off, his slowly diminishing strength still far greater then any normal man. He swaps blindly at Hank, but might as well be swatting at a mosquito really, and lunges for that prized device.

Meanwhile Felicia is doing exactly the same though in much more impressively acrobatic fashion. Flying through the air, it looks like the two will arrive at almost exactly the same time. And the Lizard definitely has the advantage in strength and size, even slowed as he is.

Maybe it is her bad luck powers coming into play. Maybe it's just the fact that the Black Widow is one hell of a shot, but just before they can both reach for that cutting edge scientific doo-dad, that harpoon-like projectile hits the Lizard, mbeds itself in his leg and a swift jerk is enough to bring his momentum up short as the Black Cat grabs hold of the Recombinator and slides passed his outstretched talons, leaving the creature to hiss angrily and struggle against this newest restraint. "Noooooooo, it's miiiiiine!" comes that silibant cry.

Which is when Felicia's follow through leaves her boot connecting solidly in his face.

The Lizard has probably had better days.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
One thing at a time. Natasha goes to speak to the comms to Camille and Billy <<Status of the hostages?>> Things are getting messy very quick and they have to get them out of here just in case the environment further deteoriates. She'll ask Pym for more information about the equipment later, presuming they don't have to deal with the Cat and her subontractors trying to retreat with it.

Natasha's arm slides up and over to her back now as she moves to load up another harpoon over into the heavy gun,goes to take a moment to let it CLACK in hard, and then moves to aim her weapon over to take another heavy shot at him. This dart would have a bulkier tip to it as she moves to line it up with the lower torso of the Lizard.. And fire sit once again! This is one designed to try and keep a target down. Presuming the spearhead actually can get penetration - and if her shot is accurate, at least.. Hopefully if the weapon managed to get a full piercing through armored leather skin the tips would pop 'wide' in extended spikes and barbettes on both ends. There would be no easy way to get it out without some heavy injury and mutilation involved as it couldn't be cleanly ripped out either way.

Now would be a good time to hit him with some more cryo bombs to try to keep him down.

Silana Kines has posed:
    The surge in strength makes Slip's work much easier, and the Ant ripping the cage open is... unexpected. But it does save some time. "Thanks." She murmurs quietly, both to the ant, and to the wizard who are making her life easier. She's honestly a little surprised. She notes that the wizard is one of the good ones, and moves to pull the civilian out of the cage. "The Ant will show you where to go. Don't be scared. We're getting you out of here." She repeats.

    The explosion spurs Slip into more activity, leaping out over the cistern, through a waterfall, which she shifts a large chunk of. A rush of water that moves from her right, to her left, and crashes down over the fire like a hammer. She has to slip herself to a lower catwalk as she lands, and climb up to a cage, taking advantage of her increased strength to leap a couple places, and land precariously, dragging a cage with her, before she breaks the chain, and pulls an unconscious body out, before bounding up to Balthazar, to hand off the unconscious prisoner. Steadily, she works through more of the prisoners, helping the Ant and Wiccan get through the cages.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
    Billy Kaplan flies further into the space of the cistern, now getting a better look at the decrepit walkways. They looked weak already; all these people (and ant!) hopping around on them is sure to invite a wet, smelly disaster.
    As Billy gestures and whispers, runic circles swirl into being. The rings of violet light dance along the sides of the walkways, intended to replace their rusted metal and weakened welds...
    But the spell has barely started to take effect when the explosion below sends a shockwave upward, snapping the paths from their moorings and hurling everything into chaos.
    Wiccan reflexively manifests a large shield under himself, Silana, Baltha(nt)zar, and anyone else nearby. The bright blue energy suffers a spiderweb of cracks from the blast, but holds up long enough.
    Billy was just giving Silana a quick salute of acknowledgement when he spotted a couple of mercs sailing through the air. He flings a couple of hasty spells their way, tilting their momentum toward the relative safety of one of the cistern's inlet ducts. Maybe not the happiest of all possible landings, but better... smelled than felled?

Camille Russo has posed:
The exploding fire makes Camille's eyes water and her head spin, but she's found a clear spot and is taking aim with her freezing shot, hitting the burning debris with the accuracy expected of every single recruit that has gone through boot camp.

Or SHIELD training, which has similar stringent requirements, even if you're "just" part of the admin pool. The thought of what she's seen Becky Galanis in Legal do with a stapler leaves a smile on her face.

Her bullets hit some of the smaller fires, putting out the tiny piles of debris under and nearest to cages, people, and other likely combustibles, and then she switches to the lizard, looking to slow him by hitting center mass. If they're lucky, maybe he'll drop into brumation. She takes a deep breath and squeezes.

The deep breath is a mistake, her stomach roiling violently before finally giving up the battle to keep anything down. Her comm gets turned off, safety on and gun holstered, and then Cam steps back into the tunnel they'd come in from before partially replicating a few scenes from The Exorcist.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym sends a mentalc command to Balthazar. vocalizing it helps. "Yes. I know what I said but... it's cool. Be careful!" The ant accepts the human, carefully closing his mandibles on the torso. He carries the unconscious human towards the surface as directed. Apparently there were degrees of biteys. Don't break anything, down tear parts off.

"Yeah have another stinger beam Godzilla! I'll show you who's the mad scientist here! Pewpewpew!"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Nice shot," Felicia mutters under her breath, acknowledging the Black Widow's well-aimed harpoon that had slowed the Lizard down enough for her to make her move.

Felicia tucks the Neo-Genic Recombinator securely under one arm as she pivots away from the Lizard's snout. She fires her grappling hook again, aiming for a wall -- just some place she could be sure would support her weight to yank her well clear of the Lizard's immediate reach. The line catches, and with a powerful yank, she swings away. Her mind races, calculating the safest path that won't endanger the hostages or herself on the unstable catwalks.

Felicia lands lightly on a narrow ledge made by one of the severed catwalks, balancing precariously as the unstable metal grates creak under her weight. She scans the area, spotting another grappling point, knowing needs to keep moving... keep the Neo-Genic Recombinator out of the Lizard's reach. With another swift motion, she fires the grappling hook again, swinging to a higher vantage point. The device is heavy, but she holds onto it with a determined grip, her body moving fluidly through the air.

She lands on a more stable platform, far enough from the hostages to keep them safe, but close enough to rejoin the fight if necessary. From her new position, she has a clear view of the entire cistern, the hostages being freed, and what she desperately hopes is a Lizard about to lose consciousness from a combination of tranq dart, harpoon, and very angry... wow... Pixie-Man?

You see something new every day...

Peter Parker has posed:
The fires that threaten to spread, to further compromise the structural integrity of all the undergorund infrastructure in the giant cistern room are dealt with quickly and efficiently by Slips' redirected water stream, Wiccan's spells to shield and reinforce the bridges, ramps and pathways, and Camille's little freezing shots, the burgeoning raging inferno tamped down to a few flickering flames here and there.

That in turn makes it considerably safer for the group on rescue duty to see to dealing with those individuals still locked up in cages. The unconscious individuals handed off to the giant ant as those locked confines are slowly but surely opened up and the nine captives and would-be future Lizards are freed from their fate.

The mercenaries potentially fatal ride are also given a respite, the blast that sends them flying tempered by those magical spells that instead send them sliding on down towards the cistern where they emerge wet and stained, grimacing and out of sorts.

But alive and moving to back up Felicia.

The Lizard is in a vulnerable position, there's no doubt about it and he can only watch as the Black Cat swings away, out of his reach with his prize, his chance to make more of his kind and bring about a New Lizard Order.

But his suffering isn't likely to last long.

Hank is right there, pouring more stingers into him from close range and while he might be able to ward off a few, open and vulnerable like this there is nowhere to go, no way to avoid them.

Natash fires another of those barbed bolts into that scaly form as he tries to writhe, to cover up, pinning him to the ground and Camille's icy shots quickly add to that sluggishness until he ceases moving altogether, unconscious and pinned to that metal grate floor outstretched, that lab coat that is draped over him all but torn to shreads.

Especially when Murphy and Davis come over and pump a few extra tranq darts into the Lizard's back. Maybe wanting payback for that explosion that has left them drenched and not smelling minty fresh.

Without the Lizard interfering, freeing the hostages is a matter of minutes of efforts as well as guiding them back through those sewers and to safety, the authorities no doubt on site up at the sewers entrance by now.

The Lizard will be... a little bit of an effort to get out. He's a lot of dead weight at the moment. But the Black Cat has achieved her goal. It might take some time, but whether it is Hank or one of the other big brains at SHIELD, someone will surely be able to duplicate Peter Parker's Lizard cure.

And with Doctor Connors back to his regular self, with the Neo-Genic Recombinator reclaimed, it is surely only a matter of time before the menacing Man-Spider is once more a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man again. Right?

Right?

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Felicia watches as the combined efforts of the team bring the Lizard down, her mind already racing ahead to the next step. The fires are under control, the hostages are being freed, and the Lizard is unconscious, pinned to the ground with tranq darts and harpoons. With a determined nod, she swings down from her vantage point, the Neo-Genic Recombinator clutched securely under her arm.

She lands lightly near the downed Lizard, her movements fluid and graceful despite the chaos around them. Setting the device down carefully, she takes a deep breath before speaking.

"This pains me to ask, but I need your help," Felicia says, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. "This is the Neo-Genic Recombinator that turned Spider-Man into... well... whatever he is now. I don't have the resources to fix Doctor Connors or Spider-Man, but SHIELD does." She gestures to the Neo-Genic Recombinator, her eyes earnest as she meets Natasha's gaze.

"All I ask is that you use this to put Spider-Man back the way he was. And if you need to find him... look no further than your own Agent Silk." There's a bitter edge to her voice when she says the name. "She always seems to know exactly how to find him."

Felicia steps back, giving the SHIELD agents room to examine the device. Her heart is pounding, but she maintains her composure, her expression resolute. The mission is almost over, but the real challenge is just beginning.

As the authorities arrive and the hostages are guided to safety, Felicia can't help but feel a glimmer of hope. The Lizard is down, the device is in capable hands, and Spider-Man _might_ soon be back to his old self... if all of the stars align and everything goes according to plan.

And with a final glance at the unconscious Lizard, she fires a grappling hook, and she's off, leaving the prisoners / human experiments behind.

Because she was never playing superhero games.

She was never a hero to begin with, and she would never be a hero.

Not really.