18548/This isn't over...

This isn't over...
Date of Scene:	13 July 2024
Location:	Galveston Bay Texas
Synopsis:	SHIELD manages to, mostly, stop the oil refinery in Galveston Bay from going BOOM! Bucky survived, maybe Steve did too.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Sam Wilson, Morrigan MacIntyre, Camille Russo, Richard Stadler

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James Barnes has posed:
In the middle of everyone reeling from Becker's interrogation and subsequent escape along with digging up whatever could be found out about Cockerham, intel came in about a potential threat to the Marathon Oil Refinery, Galveston Bay Texas. The intel proved to have a ninety percent chance of being the real deal, more than enough to set teams in motion - but are they in motion too late?

The night is thick with tension as the team gathers at a secluded location not far from the refinery.

The oil refinery itself looms ahead, a sprawling complex of pipes, tanks, and machinery, bathed in the dim glow of security lights. The air is heavy with the scent of crude oil and the distant hum of machinery, a stark reminder of the potential devastation that could unfold if the eco-terrorists succeed.

One would think SHIELD could spare more than a few of their best agents and some lower on the totem pole grunts for this operation. They certainly would have if stealth wasn't of the utmost importance. Spooking their targets could easily end with things getting too hot and too loud very quickly. If their plan is to blow this place as they tried to with Roxxon, a premature push of a few buttons could be catastrophic.

Eyes closed, head down, Bucky uses the implant he's starting to hate less and less for a long distance listen. "It's too quiet," he murmurs almost to himself. "These places are staffed and running twenty-four seven. They're already inside. Sam, think Redwing can get us a look without giving us away?" Since when does Bucky ever take the lead on anything? Typically he's just the dude that those in charge point in a direction and say - sig'em, boy. Since Steve is dead and that score hasn't been settled, that's when.

Sam Wilson has posed:
Geared up in the EXO-7, Sam had wanted to take to the air from the start, but as Bucky insisted that he could be spotted, he stayed grounded. Machine pistols at the ready, he drew in a steadying breath, before Bucky speaks to him. And says words he had been waiting to hear since they first discussed this mission. "I'm sure he's up to the task." Sam offered.

Holdering the pistols, he brings his arms up and taps into his left wrist comm with his right hand. From the backpack of the armor, it seperates for a moment, before the Redwing drone is launched skywards. Spreading it's wings and small engine humming, Sam starts to guide the drone towards the refinery. "Want me to check the office first?" he asks. "See if Becker is there, or want me to start with the perimeter so we know how many guards we have to deal with?"

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan was starting to regret not going back to have a one on one with Becker, but...you could only do so much. She had accompanied the SHIELD folks on this trip...mostly because Sam and Bucky going anywhere tended to leave them both in some sort of trouble that ended in major healing being needed.

She's dressed down today, black pants, t-shirt and apparently she's came unarmed and unarmored to this fight.

"Just don't get Redwing shot, yeah?" she whispers.

Camille Russo has posed:
Camille is... well, she's dressed for bear, basically. This is far too convenient, and she's suspicious. Antsy. Also a little tired, and since she'd come straight from Rhodey's she was a little low on magic supplies. But her pockets were full of what she did have, or kept at Triskelion, so she had plenty of ammo and a bandolier of small vials that held new modifications for some of her spellshot. Her rifle was on her back, and her hand was at the handgun on her hip.

She stops near Morrigan. "Do you need my backup piece, ma'am?"

Richard Stadler has posed:
     This, at least, was a comfortable position for Rick to be in. There was certainly something about a direct course of action; A battle rifle and 7.62 between you and the weekly manifestations of evil, as it were. BUt it was enough to almost forget the truth; that the strongest weapon wasn't the rifle, but radio. And the people behind it.

Pipes, tanks, and reactors were up everywhere; there wasn't a clear line of sight to the important parts of the facility from an nearby vantage point, so Rick's eyes was on the Keyhole feed they had for only a few precious minutes. A gloved hand gripped the SINGCARS handset attached to the manpack of the commo next to him, clicking the button. "X-Ray 6, Actual, to all on net. These places are dangerous without terrorists running around, so watch your fire you can, and be mindful of what's behind your target"

He checked his own sidearm, and the UMP slung in front of him, briefly. Hollow points pistol cartridges, like everyone else. Body armor would pose a problem, but so would shooting through the wrong pressurized reactor, so less penetration was a proper tradeoff.

"Bravo, go. Alpha, hold for my signal."

Bravo element kept things quiet, UMPs in tactical ready as they skulked forward, around the fencing set up, keeping close to the cover of the AMOCO credit union building. Admin was close here, and if the terrorists were operating smart, they'd have set up a detail at the gate to control entry of those plant workers that were here 24-7s.

James Barnes has posed:
"See what we're dealing with first. If Becker's in there, he's an idiot." Or maybe he really thinks that much of himself that he won't possibly be caught again? "After we have the outside obstacles determined, see if that bucket of bolts," - he means that lovingly, really, "can spot any larger groups of heat signatures. If so, that's probably where they're keeping the employees." This is probably more words than Bucky Barnes has said at one time in the past ten years. "Once we get moving, this all needs to be efficient, quiet and quick. We need to take them out before they know we're there. If you run across an explosive device, leave it if you aren't sure you can disarm it. Tag its location with the rest of us over the comms. No one here wants to hear it, but it needs to be said. Stopping them from blowing this place ten ways to Sunday takes precedence over everything else - including any hostages." A lot more people will die if they blow the whole place to hell and back.

With a glance over his shoulder at Rick's team Bucky offers, "Don't get dead," before he turns his attention back to the others. "I'm going in on my own. I work better that way." While Bucky often seems to be the bear or the bull mowing people down in the most aggressive and loud manner possible, he's so much more than that. For a man with a metal arm that weighs probably a third of his own body weight, he can move as quickly and silently as a TV Neenja.

"Morrigan, you really need to learn about that little thing called armor. Hang back until one of us needs you, yeah?" Then to Camille, "Do your thing and don't get dead."

With a wink and a thumbs up to Sam, he says, "See you on the other side - tell me what that damned bird comes up with." Then he's off, slinking into the darkness and all but vanishing.

Sam Wilson has posed:
Sam smirks as he lowers his goggles so that Redwing can feed him information. "Babe," he retorts to Morrigan, "I'd rather get shot myself than Redwing get hit." he explains with a smirk. As he starts to guide Redwing into position, Bucky decides to go off on his own. "Goddammit, Buck!" he hisses angrily, but he returns quickly to his task.

Taking out a stick, he starts to draw positions in the dirt, talking it out with Bucky over comms as he does so. "Perimeter has twelve guards. Evenly spaced around the facility." He draws the perimeter out and marks each position with an X.

"There's a large building. A cafeteria or such..." he glances as Redwing scans the area as he maps again. "At least twenty I can count. They look to be working on something." he explains, but isn't quite done scouting yet, as he moves Redwing towards the administrative wing to finish his scan. "I can feed you information from here if you want to deploy. But as soon as I'm done, I'm taking to the skies to bomb that cafeteria."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a look over to Camille, but there is a smile, "Oh not for me, no thank you. I'm quite alright." she states to that. "Thank you for checking though." she adds quietly. Then she looks to Bucky and there is a bit of a chuckle, "I got armor. I promise." she states. "I will hang back though until something needs portaled into a sharks mouth." she nods to that.

Then she watches Bucky slink off and there is a shake of her head before she looks back to Sam, she points to her eyes, then to him, "Stay safe." she tells him.

Camille Russo has posed:
Camille snaps a little smart-ass salute at Bucky's words but nods. She has zero plans to get dead anytime soon, and she's willing to be cautious. She does reach into her pocket though, and presses a small square of fabric that's been embroidered with protection sigils into into Morrigan's hand. "A little extra protection, just in case." She gives the woman a small smile, moving quietly through the shadows and stopping near Rick.

Richard Stadler has posed:
     Stadler grimaces as Bucky takes off on his own, but only offers words to stop him. "You know, the defining mark of a soldier is being able to work with others to accomplish goals." What else could they do to stop him? The man was as stealthy as a cat if he wanted to be, so if he didn't take orders... he didn't take orders. "That being said, I suggest you take your own advice." He notes, before nodding to the uncomfortable communications specialist, and bringing the handset up once more. "Bravo, Keyhole's out of range, but we have local support for recon. One two, I repeat. One two guards posted at perimiter area... looks like a patrol close to you. Two zero, again, Two Zero in the large building..." He says, moving to get the map out of his pocket. "Gridsquare 4520QZ. Watch for explosives planted; use the sniffers if you can."

Bravo element continued their advance forward. A sentry was at the perimeter in front of them, an an attacking force had an advantage. They had to watch for an infiltration along a line, where SHIELD could concentrate their forces. Metallic clacking, the sound of a machine, was the only trace of a burst of subsonic bullets aimed toward the guard's throat, and the team quickly moved past him.

"Rick nodded slightly, before turning to Sam. "Can you uplink that drone footage? I've got a Toughbook. Doctor MacIntyre, honestly, I wish you had more of it; they never look like level 4 plates to me."

And to Camille, he gestures to the paper map. "I don't suppose you have any hocuspocus that works on this?"

James Barnes has posed:
Over the comms, "I was a sniper, Rick." Back in the days where he was using terms like Bravo and Keyhole and all that jazz. "Snipers aren't the best team players." Bucky goes silent for a beat or three, maybe four, seems a little too long, but then again, it's time to be quiet, right?

Finally, "Sam, think about what you just said, man. Bomb the shit out of something in the middle of an oil refinery? I can't believe /I'm/ saying this to /you/ but Goddamnit, Sam." Bucky goes silent over the comms for a second or three, but the sounds of a snapped neck and a body being slid to the ground are pretty unmistakable and it's followed by the faintest hint of footfalls as he moves to the next in line. "Rick, this place is huge. Quick and quiet and keep /them/ quiet. Only sure way to do that is deadly force." That's an easy option for Bucky, but may not come so easily to everyone else.

"Sam, after that bird's done its thing, gain rooftop access to that cafeteria - quietly. Take Mo with you, maybe we can save some of the employees if she's near by to give them a doorway out. But make sure she stays /hidden/. Gain enough altitude that they won't see you in the skies and then drop in quick and /quiet/."
"Who the fuck are..." The guard doesn't get a chance to finish his surprised question. "Just gained access to the inside, west of your location, Sam. I'm not sure what I'm looking at, seems to just be a big ass building to store big ass shit in. Tell me where to go, anything in here?"

Sam Wilson has posed:
"There's two signatures in the administative building." After ordering Redwing to stay in a higher position to hide in the night, Sam turns his attention to his own debut. There's a glance to Morrigan and a grin. "I don't plan to give you caused to worry." But it's Sam and Bucky together, so you know... all hell is about to break loose. With Camille offering extra protection to Morrigan, he nods. "Thanks, Cam." he offers to her.

With Camille and Rick heading off with the team, he rises into the sky, preparing to launch a deluge of rockets into the cafeteria... when suddenly, his goggles light up.

WARNING! Targets are not armed. Verify? Y/N

At Richard's request, he shares the information with his toughbook, and uses that moment to have Redwing scan the cafeteria, this time closer. And causes him to immediately hit N. With that, he's on the comms, amending his earlier. "Cafeteria is hostages. Repeat, Cafeteria is hostages."

Finally, he leaves cover as he takes to the air. Though when Bucky speaks up, he snorts. "I made a correction. Guess some of your bloodlust ran off on me." It's not said in anger, just a moment of frustration that's cleared up. And as he turns when he is requested to take Morrigan with him. "I think this is the first time we've done this?" he asks her as he offers his arms to her. And once she's settled in, he'll lift her into a bridal carry to fly them to the cafeteria to land and prepare to evacuate the hostages.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan doesn't reject the offer of extra protection, it was a nice gesture, "Thank you, Agent Russo." she tells Camille. "You just want me out here in swat gear, Stadler." she muses to her fellow faculty member. Then she is looking to Sam as he's frustrated, "It's alright." she tells him.

Then there's a little smile, "We have not, because the last time something like this happened I just flew myself." she grins as she steps over. "But hey, I'm not objecting to a ride." she points out before they are headed that way.

Camille Russo has posed:
Camille looks at the map and grimaces. "I can't track like the Harry Potter map, but I might be able to use it to scry." Her eyes track the spacing on the map, then flick up to draw a mental line from the cover of the building to where she thinks is about mid-refinery. "I should be able to reach from here, but I won't be aware of anything happening around me while I do it. If the refinery goes, I won't be able to come back fast enough to get out of the blast radius. I'd call it high risk, medium to high reward." She shrugs a shoulder and gives Rick a small smile. "I'll do what we need done to try and prevent it from blowing, though. Just say the word."

Richard Stadler has posed:
     "Barnes, you know snipers work in teams of two. I think you're short a spotter." Might as well remind him that he never should be as alone as he thinks.

Rick pauses, waiting for the update to the book itself; SINGCARS could talk with a lot of different systems, after all, and thank God for Lockheed Martin and Stark Industries that made it all possible. The map overlay appeared, red dots flagging on the map. "I would-" He starts, before the sudden status change appears, dots flagging green in the cafeteria. And Rick grimaces. "I would /not/ start hitting locations like this with artillery. There's human life at stack, but also environmental factors, and not to mention the economic coast and cost to strategic readiness if we lost a facility like this. I know a guy on the Chemical Safety Board; the way these things can go up if you leave the wrong valves open..." He says, trailing off as the data moves through the screen.

"Yeah, I'd prefer you out here in SWAT gear, Doctor. Really, I'd prefer everyone in something with those stylish ceramic plates; it's fashion forward."

Bravo element continues moving forward; another sentry down. This time a close call; They had almost missed him, and one of the team had to slam him to the ground. The knife had gone into the chest, and then the throat. It was... messy. Painful. But it prevented a gunshot from going off, which would have been as bad as an alarm. A report was made over the radio, as they recovered, and moved toward the cafeteria.

"Bravo 6, keep it tight over there. Slow and steady for the moment. Reckless speed comes later. Alpha, you're up with me. CP is mobile." He notes, before handing the handset back to the specialist, and looking toward Camille. "Oh, no, don't worry, this place goes, we all go. Looks like a good location for a CP, anyway, and I don't think to use you as some human sensor platform." He says, snapping the toughbook shut and handing it off as they start moving toward the building that she had indicated. "Remind me of your MOS in the Air Force?" He asked.

James Barnes has posed:
"Sam, if Redwing can scramble their radio signals, that'd be pretty useful right about now." Bang, snap, crack... thud. "See if you can get a hole in that roof without making too much noise about it?" ... and maybe, one day, Bucky won't feel as alone as he thinks he is? Man's been a lone soldier for a really really long time, maybe not by choice - old habits die hard, particularly when they were hardwired in by less than gentle means.

Things are going so well, until they're not.

"Welcome to the party," booms a voice over a PA system. "Thank you so very much for accepting my invitation." Oh shit. It's a trap!

"Damnit, Sam!" Crack, smash, bang, pewpew. "Sam! Someone! Find out where that voice is coming from!"

Darkness is turned to day when all of the spotlights in the area come on to light up the night sky. To say it's blinding would be an understatement.

The voice over the PA begins to count down. "Twenty, nineteen, eighteen." Hey, at least he didn't start at ten?

All bets are off now, there's nothing to do but run away before the place blows or stand and fight and hope and pray that luck is on their side tonight. "Here we go guys, games on," Bucky says before there's nothing but the sound of his running feet over the comms - not running back, but running forward. He knows where he stands. Odds are never really in his favor anyway.

Sam Wilson has posed:
When Morrigan settles in his arms, Sam lifts her easily, settling her close to him as he spreads the mechanical wings and rises into the air. With Morrigan settled in, he can handle the situations that he's stepped into. A statement made in anger can't be taken back, after all. Just as they land on the roof, the trap is sprung and Sam looks to Morrigan. "Get the civilians and yourself out of here!" he tells her, a quick squeeze of her hand as he prepares to rise in the air. As he does so, he sends Redwing towards the administrative building, turning on it's jamming suite.

"Trying to figure it out, Bucky! Give me a moment." With him and Redwing working in concert, the pair are trying to triangulate where the broadcasts are coming from. The biggest drawback to this is that it leaves him vulnerable to be spotted by the search lights.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's all too happy to be whisked over to the oil rig. Means she doesn't have to expend magic to fly. Win/win! But there is a bit of concern when she hears what is going on over the comms. "Well fuck." she breathes out. She gives a look to Sam, his hand squeezed in response, "I'll get people out. You focus on seeing if you can get this place to not blow up." she nods to him.

Once that's done she quickly looks over the roof...and there is no access to it. Guess we're making a hole! Her hand comes up, neon violet sparks forming as she channels power into her fist and then swings hard down into the surface of the roof where she can't sense life. It cracks and then breaks under her, sending her down into the cafeteria below. She rises with a practiced grace. "Everybody stay calm." she states as she brushes some dust from her shirt.

Camille Russo has posed:
"SERE speciali-" Camille cuts off as the voice booms out from the PA system, and she lets out a quiet but heartfelt "_fuck_" at the cheeky 'thank you'.

If the place blows, they are all going with it. If not in the initial blast, then almost certainly in the aftermath, when they get a very hot, very unfortunate oil bath. They can't run far enough to outpace it either, so that means running towards it, and possibly die trying. "I think we do need me to find something specific," she says grimly, pulling a pen out of her pocket.

Richard Stadler has posed:
     The teams were well trained, of course; they knew what to do on the mission, and improvise when things didn't go according to plan... but there was only so much you could do when you've entered a nest of snakes and they decide to get active at the same time.

Bravo, out and exposed, rips off night vision gear as the spotlights turn on, blinded for the critical few seconds needed to react; gunfire, unconcerned with the damage that's done, rings out from elevated positions; if the site was going to explode, those people wouldn't be leaving it. One man fell when a riffle round went through a jaw; another collapsed under the hammer impact to the vest, ribs cracked and too many rushing to cover to pull him to safety.

But they still /were/ well trained, and Rick wasn't the type to freeze up, besides his own under the breath swear. "All on net, advanced toward ambush!" Alpha's own fire, closer to the rest of them, was more sustained, if more inaccurate. Bravo answered as well, as bursts of fire exchanged between both sides, Rick's hand drawing a side arm as he looked over to Camille and Sam. "Give me something! I need a location!"

Mo was already on her way to get some people to safety, which was good, but there was much more at stake than a few lives.

James Barnes has posed:
The employees in the cafeteria are obviously terrified. A few of the stronger looking men must have fought back - they're bound hands and feet and suffering various bruises. They went down hard, but they're awake now. "Right, lady, I'm not sure if you're aware of the fact that we're in an oil refinery that's about to be blown to hell?" Stay calm, pfffft! All of their voices blend together in pleas of 'get us out of here, we have to go now, I don't want to die, please I have a wife and kids, please help us'. It's a little overwhelming and it only gets worse with...

"Seventeen, sixteen, fifteen."

"We don't have a moment, Sam! Lucky if we have a quarter of a moment!" Bucky's obviously still running, his heavily booted feet making so much noise now that it seems impossible that he was so quiet before. Every now and again, the footfalls stop to be replaced by another terrorist death added to his tally for the evening.

Once again, there's nothing from Bucky on the comms save for his footfalls intermingled with the obvious sounds of him taking down more terrorist - at least not until, "They're not running towards exits." His tone is a little more than a little puzzled. "They're running..." It's almost audible, that moment the lightbulb goes off in his head, the moment he realizes exactly what's happening. They're baiting him, herding him like a damned stray sheep. The realization comes too late. The first of what is likely to be many more explosions to come happens. It happens in an off building, one that's for storage of things that aren't flammable - expensive equipment, personal safety gear - one that's meant to be standing should things go wrong.

It's also the building that's the last location of James Buchannan Barnes.

"Fourteen, Thirteen..."

Sam Wilson has posed:
"I've got two in the admin building..." Sam starts as he gets the reading that he was looking for. "Tower! One inside! That's where the tranmissions are coming from!" he calls out. "I'm going after the tower, just in case there's something up there that can delay that countdown!" the Parajumper calls out as he rockets towards the tower.

As he gets close, he brings his wings in front of him to shatter the glass.

And as the glass breaks, he rolls in, bouncing to his feet with the terrorist within. Just as he was about to bring up his shield, the terrorist who had watched him approach already had a bead on him and fires off a shot which hits Sam in the abdomen, causing him to gasp out in pain before he fires back, taking him out and sending him spiraling out of the tower and towards the ground.

A hand pressed to his wound, he'll treat it in a moment, for now he needs to find that transmitter and try to silence the countdown.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan doesn't give anyone any lip, she just wanted to make sure that no one panicked. Too late for that. She opens a fairly large portal that leads back to safety and solid land, "I need you to move as quickly as you can. Go through that portal and you'll be back to safety. We'll deal with other things." she tells them. She makes magical work of the untying of hostages. Ropes dropping at the same time. "GO!" she encourages the others.

But up out of the hole that Morrigan made in the roof comes someone jumping from the floor and back onto the roof. The black and gold armor covers from head to toe. They sprint across the roof, heading for the admin building, once they are there, the door is ripped off and flung off the side of the oil rig before the figure disappears into the building, followed by gunshots and a lot of screaming...

Camille Russo has posed:
There is a repeating litany of curses running through Cam's head interspersed with a few mentions of patrons she tries very, very hard to not invoke, even mentally, unless she /really/ means it. Would not be afraid should they appear beside her levels of means it. So when the first explosion drops, her first thought should absolutely _not_ be that she is unready for the Baron and Maman to be diggin her grave just yet. But it is.

Her second thought is that this is going to hurt, and she really needs to ask the Detective and Ms. Morrigan about getting her some proper-ass training. Her third is actually voiced, as she writes frantic symbols up her arms. "Hey Rick? Don't let me crack my skull when I pass out."

With that, she grabs two vials out of her bandolier, drops to her knees, and presses both hands - vials still intact - directly against the ground.

Camille does not, as a general rule, do anything like astral projection or teleportation with her powers. She has theories on how she could do either one. This is... not quite either. Instead, she's trying to use a connection with the earth to fast-travel the contents of those freezing vials into and around the exploding building. It takes several very, very long moments, but a solid ring of frozen sludge forms around the area, some of the smaller fires and smouldering areas snuffing out entirely.

Richard Stadler has posed:
     There is a lot happening at once; Bucky's giving a play by play of his realization of some sort of trap before there's another explosion. It was bad, but there would be time to determine what was going on later. Or to mourn. No time to think about that now. Order's were being directed through the handset as Bravo team fell back towards Alpha and the rest, into a cohesive unit, Terrorists coming at them finding them a harder knot to crack. Training and positioning start to win out, thinning the fire that was being directed toward them, but despite taking targets out, that countdown continued.

"All on net; we are falling back to the entrance. Credit Union!" It was a solid building, stone, instead of sheet metal or trailers that would simply be blown to pieces. It was there best chance with the 15 seconds they had left. They started bounding back, as Sam made the hail mary of seeing if there was a place that would actually stop that, and a familiar black and gold armored figure appearing. What the hell was he doing here? Maybe Rick would be alive in half a minute to continue to ask that question.

"When you-" Rick says, before reaching down as she moves to her knees, grabbing her by the bandolier, and hoisting her up with... more effort than he'd like. "Goddamn it, we're supposed to be moving! Warn me!"

James Barnes has posed:
When faced with going through a strange portal to God Knows Where and certain death by fire, people tend to choose the former. Surprisingly they all go in an organized, calm fashion. How to behave in an emergency has probably been practiced so many times they can do 'exit in an orderly fashion' in their sleep.

At the top of the crack tower, the man behind the countdown is holding what has to be a detonator in his right hand. "Think you're fast enough, Bird Boy?" he taunts. "I already caught the big fish I was looking to fry, the rest is just going to be a bonus. YOU'LL NEVER STOP US, we'll burn it all to the ground and the earth will rise from the ashes, free of the disgusting filth that is mankind. Do you know how many animals lose their natural habitats to..."

Really Sam, be fast enough - stop the explosion and, for the love of God, stop the worst villain monologue to ever be spoken.

In the Admin office, they aren't so on board with the cause enough that they're willing to actually /die/ for it. The two men up there, well they dove for cover and if they're not dead already, they're peeking out from that cover with their arms raised in the air and explaining, "We were just supposed to watch the cameras and tell them..." Blah blah Blah, wasn't their fault, they didn't know what was about to happen.

Camille's ice ring does keep the fire from spreading. But it does something else as well. See there, right where that beam of light from the flood lights is shining? Right where the light is refracted by the ice into what looks like a small star? If anyone notices it, that little guiding light, they'll be the first to see the still body of Bucky Barnes. They'll also be the first to see the charred skin on his face and neck, the mangled state of his left arm, the blood running down his face from a split in his scalp. But then they'll also be the first to see the rise and fall of his chest and they way the serum in his veins has already set to work at healing his charred skin. Bucky's alive. After being trapped in that building when it blew sky high, Bucky is still /breathing/.

Bucky Barnes lived through an explosion that put the one that took Steve Roger's life to shame. Gives a person something to think about.

Sam Wilson has posed:
Holding his hand to his abdomen as he reaches the top of the control tower, Sam's response to the man holding the detonator is for him to raise his bloody hand to flip off the guy. "You really think you took out Bucky or Steve? You're a huge idiot." he snarls and then his wing lashes out in a lightening attack, taking the man's right hand off at the wrist, and he flares in to catching the detonator before it hits the ground.

In the moment between, as he turns, he sends out a kick into the man's stomach, meant to knock him off the tower. Holding the detonator, he approaches the edge of the tower. "Have the... detonator." he grunts. "Took a small hit. Minor, really."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
The Anubis cowled figure flips over a desk, smashing it into splinters against the wall and then reaches to grab one of the men up by their shirts, "Do not waste your breath. Explain it to the authorities." the voice states. They are lowered to the ground after that and then both are put to sleep for the moment. Easier to move cooperative unconscious bodies.

Duct tape is found and used to restrain them. Then they are being drug out of the admin building and back towards the cafeteria. The door is kicked open unceremoniously and the armored figure heads for the portal that was opened to disappear through it and it closes behind them.

Morrigan was apparently getting the hostages sorted away, but she reappears on top of the tower about five seconds after Sam says that he's been hit. She sniffs the air, "Are you getting enough iron?" she asks him. Half vampires have jokes. "We need to get that disarmed and things." she points to the detonator. "And we should find James." she adds.

Richard Stadler has posed:
     Monologuing was a mix of relief and tension; it wasn't a countdown, but possibly something worse. Luckily, it wasn't , just a yell of pain after some brave speech on saving the world by destroying things, and the explosion they were expecting not fourthcoming. The team, reorganized and back in good order, halts at a command from Rick over the radio. "We're clear! Press back!"

And the unit, battered, bruised, and bloodied, holds, and moves back into the refinery. The element of suprise that the terrorists had was gone, and now skill and training were giving them the edge they needed to take the fight back. The fire slackened off more, and then ceased. They were willing to die for the cause, and let it be known that SHIELD was in the position to grant wishes these days. They moved toward the suddenly iced building, at the site of Bucky's somewhat frozen body... that seemed to be breathing. So, good. He was alive, and Rick could call him a Moron to his face.

He was less mobile, hoisting Russo up with his hand underneath her armpit, the other gripping the radio handset like it was a llfe ring and he was far out to sea. "Can you get the detonator down here? I don't like that we're this strung out."

James Barnes has posed:
The man's down a hand, but that doesn't mean he's still not a batshit zealot willing to die for a cause that means destroying the world with some delusional belief that it will all come back better. He's still that crazy and he's still willing to die. Rather than respond, rather than put his other hand up in surrender, rather than be taken alive and made to talk - well he takes a swan dive right off the top of that tower.

The fact that Bucky isn't immediately responding with some snarky quip, from a place of concern, about Sam's complete inability to take a hit without whining about it - well, that isn't a good sign.

Truth be told, this was likely one of the very very very rare instances that Bucky was - pretty much - a moron in a situation like this. He runs off on his own often, but he's always smart about it, always calculating, always a soldier. This time he was led into a trap because this time his head wasn't in the game.

The press back by the SHIELD agents ends with some dead, some fled and some on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Die for the cause, flea to fight another day and 'fuck this, we're through'. It's the latter bunch that will likely become useful as the hunt continues.

Overall, the mission was a success - Galveston Bay didn't suffer mass casualties or environmental destruction. The team had injuries, but no deaths. It's win.

... Bucky lets out a soft groan of a sound. His skin, still red and blistered in spots, is no longer looking so charred. The healing properties of the serum in his veins is working in overdrive to get him up and running as soon as possible. Yeah, it's a win.

Sam Wilson has posed:
The fact that the guy jumped... knowing that Sam couldn't trace him down fast enough, "Fuck." he mutters, before returning his attention to the things he can handle.

"I'll send it down with Morrigan. I think she's salivating a little." Sam responds as he offers the detonator to Morrigan. "I'm going after Bucky. You can join me after you deliver this to Richard." he offers to Morrigan. "And then you can tend to me later. Yay, right?"

There's a quick smile to Morrigan and he leaps off the tower, wings spreading as he tracks Bucky down by his transmitter and lands near his side.

Once there, he offers a hand up to Bucky. "Why is it on these missions, we're the only two to get fucked up?" he asks with a mote of amusement. "Come on, Buck, we got medics to check on you."

Camille Russo has posed:
Camille lets out a noise of disgruntlement, and her feet wiggle just a little bit. Her head is pounding, and she really, really does not want to open her eyes, but she manages just a crack. Someone's holding her upright. "...Rick?" Her voice is faint. "Lemme down next toa wall." It's a little slurred, but eh... at least understandable, if not fully coherent. But! She's awake. Kinda. Arguably. Even if she'd rather not be.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Bringing it down, right away." Morrigan tells Stadler over comms. "I'm not salivating oh my gosh." she grumps at him as she takes the detonator. Sam was one of the very few who knew of the other side. "That sounds like a plan." she tells Sam. "If he needs some super healing real fast let me know, alright?" she offers.

"If he wasn't so adorable I'd kick him right in the ass." she huffs after Sam has leapt off to go fly.

She opens a portal from where she is, to where Camille and Richard are and she blinks, "Ummm..is she okay?" she asks as she moves over to look at them both. Then she thinks better of more questions and just helps with what they need to get going.

Richard Stadler has posed:
     The SHIELD assault team moves around the building covered in and frost, weapons at the ready, but the enemy brought down to hit and run stragglers that are easy to mop up. It allows them to secure the area easily enough, as Rick moves over to where Bucky happens to be getting picked up with Sam. Well, the gang's all meeting together, at least. And only a few dead to show for it. The bodies would have to be recovered later, which is why Rick may not be in the jokingest of modes.

"Because I am surrounded by heroes of the worst possible type." He offers to Sam, moving to place Camille next to one of the walls that's still standing. "As for Agent Russo, I don't know. It may just be a matter of hydration; no... obvious hemmorging I'm seeing on this side, but I'll leave her to the MD." He notes, grabbing the detonator when it's offered and carefully securing it in a gear pouch.

"Let's clean this up. Paperwork's going to be a nightmare for this."

James Barnes has posed:
Fucked up is putting it mildly. His left arm is going to need some serious repair work. His right isn't working all that well either but Bucky manages to use it to pull himself to his feet with Sam's help. Of all the times they've been fucked up together, this is the absolute worst amount of fucked up that Sam has ever seen Bucky. His clothes are melted to his body in spots. He's still a bit of a crispy critter. Looks like he's going to be forced into that long overdue haircut because the fire already started the job. While it's still just Sam within earshot he asks, "You really think he could still be alive?"

Not much in this world makes Bucky Barnes sound the way he does when that question is asked because not much in this world has ever given Bucky that much hope. He doesn't let himself dwell on the fact that Steve could be alive and hasn't /told/ him yet. That'll be a bridge for later.

As they approach and Rick starts talking about paperwork, Bucky does a complete one-eighty and limps off in the other direction. "I think I lost my favorite pen!" he offers in way of explanation. Can't do paperwork without his pen.

Sam Wilson has posed:
For a moment, Sam considers reacting with a smartass remark. But in this case, as he sees Bucky reaction. "Like I said. I ain't seen a body. I ain't seen any proof he was dead. And considering the shit we've survived? I don't doubt at all that he's somewhere and hiding for a good reason." he points out. There's a clasp of his hand against Bucky's shoulder before he snorts. "Now I'm gonna let Mo tend to me before I fall over from blood loss. We good?"

James Barnes has posed:
Bucky limps off way from the group, far enough that all they'll really see of him is his silhouette against the bright flood lights of the refinery. He looks up at the stars, still shining in the sky despite the tragedy that almost took place here tonight. In a voice barely a whisper but with more conviction than most can muster he says, "If you're out there, I'm gonna bring you home, pal. It's us until the end of the line. I won't leave you out in the cold." With his private vow spoken to the stars and the heavens, Bucky turns back to look at the rest of the group. He'll find Steve if he's still out there. He knows he will, because he'll have more help than any one man needs to do so.