3795/Ancient Agent Rescue

Ancient Agent Rescue
Date of Scene:	13 October 2020
Location:	The Desert West of The Valley of Kings
Synopsis:	SHIELD is able to rescue one of their own, after dealing with a couple of snippy guards.
Cast of Characters:	Kendra Saunders, Melinda May, Bobbi Morse, Daisy Johnson, Leopold Fitz, Peggy Carter

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Kendra Saunders has posed:
Kendra Saunders was known to have gone on several solo ops since joining SHIELD. Often suggesting operations that might beenefit the both the group and benefit the world as a whole and then racing off with permission to check out leads or follow up on previous findings. She was, for the most part, a by the books type who always checked in. So, when check in didn't come after a particular operation to Egypt, things seemed off.

Then her emergency beacon pinged a satelite in what should have been literal open desert in the area west of the Valley of Kings.

If one looked at a satelite image of said area, it looked like just open desert. One could scan the landscape for miles and see nothing but wind whipped sand and earth stretching out. Yet, the ping was definitely from that area. Perhaps it was a malfunction but it was the only lead to a missing agent's location.

Melinda May has posed:
May has always liked being in the cockpit of a quinjet. It's usually quiet. Almost medatitave for the veteran pilot. Her hands rest lightly on the controls eyes darting from readout to visual and back. "Approaching coordinates of last known contact," she announces to the rest of the team, beginning to fly a sweep pattern over the area.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi is dressed as Mockingbird today. Black SHIELD armor but with a four part cape hanging from her back. Those in the know know that housed within that cape are alien anti-grav plates that give her flight. She has on her SHIELD glasses, her staves on her thighs, an ICER strapped to her waist. The visuals on her goggles are running through the diagnostics for the alien wings.

To say that Bobbi was a little nervous would be correct. She's not normally nervous about this kind of mission but Agent Saunders is reliable which usually means trouble. And ever since her mishap with HYDRA Bobbi's been struggling to find calibration with her own body. She fills a clip with regular bullets and slides that in to her belt as well, just in case lethal force is necessary.

Feeling ready, she looks over the team and gives them all a smile, "Join SHIELD, travel the world, get sand in your boots, it'll be fun they said." She figures Fitz will complain about the sand sooner or later, might as well pre-joke about it.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
A travel to Egypt? Means Daisy has a *lot* of time to wander around, be both impatient but also supportive of the younger agents, making sure everyone has their gear checked and ready... But it's HOURS for the damn trip, so even that gets old..

So what does Daisy do? Hang by the cockpit! She is looking over the dashboard and then to May. "So, when will I get a chance to pilot one of these?"

Yes, it was almost a running gag on SHIELD now. Daisy never got to drive anything! Not for lack of trying...

But she only nags until they are close to the coordinates, those last few minutes being spent checking on her own gauntlets and the rest of her gear. "What info do we have about Agen Saunders last mission?" She asks.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Ahhhh, lucky Fitz. It's time to venture out of his lab once more, assigned to a recovery op as the resident tech expert. He's basically here to support the big bad field agents with aerial drone support and to deal with any sort of technical issues that might come up. He'll also be able to run any clues that they do find on sight and provide immediate feedback instead of having to haul everything back to a lab. Exciting? Well, maybe not to most people. But then no one has ever accused Fitz of being most people.

While busy going over his gear, making sure that everything is calibrated properly and at a full charge, he still listens in to the others and when Bobbi makes her comment he immediately snap-points, pointing her way though does not otherwise glance up from his work. "Exactly. Why is it every time I go out in the field it is to some place unbearably hot? When do I get to go on some mission to Monaco? Or maybe some tropical resort? I have never once got to wear a tuxedo," he complains. Of course, if he was required to wear a tuxedo he would probably mutter and grumble about that too. "Or how about a mission to CERN? I would kill on a mission to CERN."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"We were getting sand in our boots before SHIELD, I promise you that. We just have nicer rides out to the sand nowadays." Peggy deadpans from her place strapped into the back of the quin jet. She's been getting out on more team missions away as of late, though she's still working on her own secretive project in the background so she seems to disappear for weeks at a time. But then, there she is, smiling and solid, vintage waves still in place on any given day. She's got them twisted back today, close against her head and the rest of her hair in a low tail at the base of her neck. She only wears it like that when she's preparing to fight.

Otherwise, she's in basic, SHIELD body armor blacks. The leather looking sort of material fitted to her hour glass frame, two ICER weapons on her as well as a few bladed ones, zip ties, rope line for extraction -- the usual utility belt with a few fancy bells and whistles to compliment her rather old school training.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
It was somewhat as expected. As they flew over, it was desert. Dead open space for all to see. As most knew, the desert wasn't really dead but by comparison to most places on Earth, it sure looked the part. It was rather unclear where the ping from that distress beacon could have come from right up until something on Fitz equipment pings. Something he likely wouldn't have expected. A gravity anomaly.

It is about that time that May's keen eyes spot a flicker of light from a spot down below that really shouldn't exist. It's not normal to just catch a quick reflection of light in the desert but someone like May knows that such a glint can mean only one thing. Someone spotted them first. Either binoculars or, hopefully not, a scope. Perhaps something else? Either way, reflective surfaces like that are pretty rare in an open desert.

Melinda May has posed:
May arches a brow as she peers sidelong up at Daisy. What was that about meditative? Right. Her bad. She's babysitting again. "How many flight hours do you have?" she asks the young woman bluntly. That's answer enough.

She's in her SHIELD blacks, though an environmental version that will adapt to the desert fairly will. And she's armed in her usual fashion -- which, yes, includes both an ICER and something a little more lethal. Not to mention the fact she's stored a few tricks up in an overhead compartment, just in case.

"We have an agent missing," May replies further to Daisy. "And below is some of the most storied ground on the planet. Terrorist cells, tomb raiders, and trumped up warlords all declaring themselves king of the sand castle. That's all we need to know." Note she didn't say it's all they actually know. But it's all she's saying on the matter. Except...

"Also, I've got movement on the ground. Brace yourselves, we're going in." She'd rather ground the plane before an RPG or SAM does. Thus, moments, later, a stealthed quinjet is sending up clouds of sand like an errant dust devil as it settles to let the agents disembark into... whatever fray they may be facing.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi smirks a touch as Fitz points a hand to her and it's quite clear to everyone look, ie: not Fitz, that she was baiting him. "And just who would you be killing at CERN Fitz, got some rivals that need taking care of?" She smiles conspiratorially to Peggy and then says, "Oh it's go time people." She holds on to a strap above head as May starts a quick sheered vertical descent. May really is a great pilot.

With touch down Bobbi draws her ICER and hits the rear bay door button and moves out first. She quickly pulls up her face mask because.. sand and wind, then proceeds with careful steps to secure the landing site. <Ridge line is quiet> she says looking at the edges of the dunes and continues <can we get a direction Fitz?>

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy is dressed on her usual uniform, black with streaks of dark blue along with high black boots, finishing to check on her ICER and glancing back to May. "But I need to start sometime!" though she is quick enough to get into full mission mode.. Which, is just going in blind.. But she is getting used to not being on the know. "Roger that."

She holds on to the side of the jet as they make their descent, eyes going to Fitz. "It's because you really know how to pick'em." missions that is! "But think on it this way, can't go worse than the jungle mission, can it?"

To Peggy she says, "Did your suits back then also let sand get *everywhere*? I swear, these were supposed to help with not letting that happen but ..." her shoulders rise in a shrug..

She follows Bobbi out to aid in securing the land site, one hand prepared to create a vibrational shield while the other keeps the ICER at the ready.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"...Next time we need to go to a fundraiser, Fitz, you can get in your tuxedo mission. Glad hand all you like and look handsome doing it. Very important SHIELD operations, I promise you, happy at those dinners." Peggy teases the younger man with a quirk of a smile. But the fun and games don't last, the scene going a bit more tense in the bird as something pings on the ground.

Daisy's question gets a deep smirk and a little laugh, "Uh... depends if they had me in the skirt uniform or not. Trust me, a pencil skirt did NOT protect against sand one little bit, but the jump suits were pretty good. Tuck'em into your boots. Looks stupid as hell. Saves you a lot of itching later." And sure enough, Peggy's dark pants are tucked into the tops of her combat boots. Not a flattering look, but she does not care. Then, when May gets serious, Peggy's expression follows.

She falls dead quiet now, looking up to the front of the Quinjet and any readings she can discern from her seat. She's not ever unstrapped herself, but she double checks the tauntness of her belts as May warns they are going in. She then falls into double checking all her weapons are secured, safetied, but present and ready. The normal last minute mission checks.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Of course Fitz has been with SHIELD long enough to understand the importance of secrets. There is a reason that they don't exactly advertise. Some of what they know would be dangerous in the hands of the wrong people. Some of it could cause far more trouble out in the open. It makes sense. He just doesn't necessarily always like it.

Because Fitz is also a scientist and science works best when there is a free exchange of ideas. SHIELD... isn't really big on sharing. Not with outsiders and frequently not amongst themselves either. There are security levels and ranks and even then things can be compartmentalized. Sometimes he has to know things that are strictly speaking, above his level. Because his expertise might be needed. But it does make it hard to know who knows what, and who needs to know and who doesn't. Ugh. Secrets for the sake of secrets. Not his favorite part of the job.

Of course no one asked him.

As he takes in some of the readings he is getting on his console he gives just the slightest of facial ticks as one those little secrets that is probably above his paygrade registers on his scans, the unique radiation signature plain as day to Fitz and he chews his lower lip. "Careful, I'm getting some readings that does suggest that Agent Saunders could be down there," he says before leaning a little back in his seat as they rather abruptly begin to descend.

As they plummet towards the earth, his eyes go wide and he turns his gaze towards Daisy, his expression clearly incredulous. "Why would you say that?" he asks before looking towards the others for support. "Why would she say that? Have you never watched a movie or television? You never say something can't go any worse," he mutters, though he tries to force a smile for Peggy. "See? She gets it," he says, if only half 0heartedly. Perhaps the only thing worse then the blistering heat of the desert or jungle might be trying to make small talk at a fundraiser. The horror. The horror.

As the plane settles, Fitz is on his feet in a flash, that portable scanner already sweeping around as he moves towards the ramp. "Straight down the ramp, two hundred feet and change."

Kendra Saunders has posed:
At first, nothing happens. The group lands, the sand and dust is kicked up. Things go everywhere for a moment. Somewhere out there, a small desert animal complains about stupid giant bird things and their sand kicking up. Nothing exciting for a bunch of agents all ready for a fight. A soft wind simply kicks by and moves a bit more sand.

Then, of course, like they always do, when things are silent for too long. Something happens. May spots that glint of light again. Just a little over two hundred feet ahead.

"Dammit!" The man exclaims as he looks at the subject of his work, staring at the intricate detail and then looking behind him before his hand lashes out and slaps flesh. A woman grunts and then there's the sound of spitting and the man's face is given a small spray of red and wet. Then his hand lashes out again.

"You /and/ your friends will regret that, Chay'ara."

He then turns and starts whispering a slow incantation that flows out on to the wind.

Out in the desert, the particularly sharp eared would hear something odd. It was like someone was calling out to them in some strange language. It was like some kind of voice upon a passing wind. Then, a moment later, some might feel like they are in some kind of ancient myth as it becomes clear just what that glint of light was reflecting off of. Two car sized scorpions come bursting out of the Sand roughly two hundred feet ahead. A flicker of light going off of strange, onyx like eyes as they begin racing right for the agents and the Quinjet.

Melinda May has posed:
May is last out of the jet, stopping to pick up a long barrelled rifle from the overhead compartment. She will play rearguard on this action. So, the longarm will come in handy for her. Pulling a mask over her own face -- googles and a filter breather -- she knees atop the ramp and places the gun against her shoulder. "Movement. 200 ft ahead." In other words... right where Fitz said that signal came from. Funny how things line up like that, huh?

She peers through the scope, her finger on the trigger, just looking for a target. You know. Like those scorpions.

Her rifle sounds a sharp report when it fires.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
"Agent Johnson don't jinx the mission," she says playfully as Fitz complains about Daisy's particular choice of words. That mission was... dark. Very dark. None of the agents involved will ever forget the sound of that small nuclear device detonating any time soon.

And then there they are.. giant car sized scorpions. "For the record, this is Daisy's fault," she adds wryly and says, "We're going to need a bigger gun. Agent Carter, grab the bigger gun. I'll stall one of them, shoot the other, then shoot the one on me. Don't let them get to the quinjet." No chance like the present to see how this goes in the field. She shuts her eyes a moment. Calm. There's no Lance here. Calm. There's no Simmons here. Calm. Just be professional.

She makes a quick glance up and to the left to activate the flight systems and the loose cape snaps in to the shape of wings and a purple glow emanates from them as she lifts off the ground and flies straight for the Scorpion on the left. "Okay big fella, let's see just how strong and smart you are," she mutters to herself and takes a low swoop trying to get its attention.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Ooops. Turns out things got dangerous. More than the jungle mission? Time will tell!

But those vibrations that broke through the quietness of the desert means something is off. "There is .., someone just beyond those scorpions. Like they were called here? I didn't understand the language, but it may be the source." being attuned to vibrations does pay off sometimes!

It also pays off when she has honed control well enough to send a blastwave towards the nearest scorpion that is making their way closer. She is here to protect them afterall..

"Going to try and create a shield to keep them at bay while you shoot.." she tells the others, focusing and sending her blast waves forward, attempting to keep a barrier up with the hopes of at least slowing their advance.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The moment they are down, Peggy's unstrapping and on her feet, ready to go. It seems she's got the same idea as May, because while she's strapped with a few hand guns of the ICER variety, they've got good visibility here and long ranges, so a rifle is the way to go. She reaches up nearly at the same time the pilot does to the stored rifles, pulling one down for herself and flashing a smile back to May. "Always like when we can take out the big boys. Already on it, Morse!" She calls about the bigger gun. Though it's not as flashy as a bazooka or the like, it will probably be sufficient.

She curses that thought a moment later as she spills down the ramp and into the desert, keeping her body low and small as possible from any enemy sights. The view of the strange, large things on the horizon is enough to get a quietly, "Oh hell...don't suppose we *have* a bazooka? You meant *bigger* bigger." Over the comm units. But then her weapon comes up, and she starts firing. She's using her scope and careful, focused fire on the joints of the thing. Trying to take out legs first. "Shield would be helpful, Johnson! I'm focusing on their joints. Try to take out their ability to move. If you get them restrained, tell me, and we'll start on the heads!"

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Even as he reports Fitz is dropping to one knee at the top of the ramp leading out onto what are surely hot sands. He can already feel the heat up here. It's like stepping up next to a furnace going full blast and he can practically feel the breath pulled from his body. "I bet Monaco is lovely right now," he mutters, fishing through that heavy duffle bag, pulling out an assortment of small drones and getting them airborn in seconds. He's a practiced hand at this by now. "Aerial surveillance coming online," he offers up.

Not that they're really going to have time to do a lot of scouting. Or rather, not a lot of need. As he starts down the ramp it is pretty hard to miss the most salient detail of their present circumstance. The freakin' giant metal scorpions! He doesn't need the drones to spot them. He does back up a step, not quite exiting the plane afterall.

As those huge metallic scorpions glint in the sun, he glances down at his scanning device, a sinking feeling already settling in the region of his stomach. He doesn't really think he needs to check, but he can't help himself and indeed his fears are almost immediately confirmed. "Ummm, I hate to break it to you but it is worse," he chimes in. "Some of the metal on those scorpions? It's possible that it might have some... unique characteristics. So they might not just be big -- so very big -- with a bunch of sharp bits," he says. "It's possible they might have some, uhh, anti-gravitational properties."

At least when the stakes go up Fitz's complaints go away. Mostly.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
When the first report of rifle fire rings out, a chunk of an eye gets shattered out of the head of one of the scorpions. Well, head like region. Scorpions aren't exactly normal creatures. These, however, it is clear aren't exactly metal as Fitz reported though parts of them look the part. They aren't robots anyway, based on that shot. Through the scopes, it looks like some kind of strange meshing of stone, metal, and the like. Either way. They aren't biological, that's for sure.

The one that gets shot, is soon blasted by a burst of powerful vibrational energy that sends it skittering backwards. It pauses a moment, makes some kind of chittering screech and races right for Daisy. When it hits that barrier, Daisy will only just stop the thing which causes it to rear back with claws and feet on to the four back legs before it tries to press forward and slam a tail down right at the woman.

Meanwhile, Bobbi is getting a tail whipped right at her with insane speed. If she's not quick, she could be skewered and possibly worse. The thing turns its attention on the weird flying woman more directly as it whips around the sand, kicking it up and attempting to leap up at her. And boy, can it leap.

The shots by Peggy prove rather effective, perhaps giving Daisy an opening, as while the metal that surrounds the large scorpions is, indeed, tough, the joints are made of a stony flesh that cracks and shatters upon imptact. A particularly well placed shot causing one of the legs to collapse, perhaps giving Daisy the opening she needs to not die from a giant stinger to the torso.

Of course, Fitz is the eye in the sky and as he looks around he'll see that just beyond the SOUS (Scorpions of Unusual Size) there is an opening in the size of a large rock with what might be stairs leading down.

Melinda May has posed:
The rifle in May's hands gets slung across her back. She turns back to the jet and takes three steps back inside. Then, crouching low, she yanks open a floor compartment. "Carter!" she calls back to the agent-returned-from-yesteryear. She makes sure she has Peggy's attention before she pulls out what looks like a blunted tri-sided cylinder thing that's about the length of her thigh and slightly wider at one end than the other. Twisting the smaller end, she extends it it into a heavy energy hand cannon that makes a bazooka look dinky. Go-go-SHEILD-gadget-tech! "Catch!"

And, yes. She tosses it to the other agent... right before she pulls out a second for herself. Their ammo? Plasmotic energy shells guaranteed to turn metal into slag and sand into glass.

Again at the edge of the ramp, the asian woman sets that BFG against her shoulder and braces for recoil when she takes aim... and fires.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi's eyes widen but she tries to think calm thoughts as the giant tail and pointy bit starts whipping around at her. Mission accomplished, she got its attention. Now what was part two of this plan: she exclaims over comms "Yes the REALLY really big gun!"

Suddenly the drones are in the sky and the telemetry is in her eye. ++Tactical Telemetry Activated: Warning Evasion Parameters at 91%++ She can take the sudden twists and turns caused by the software from Sam Wilson's flight suit. It wasn't built for anti-gravity wings, it was built for jets. But this is the best she's got as it keeps her barely one step ahead of the scorpoion.

There's an alarm on her left vision as it rears and jumps up. She lifts up in to the sky and has this strange moment of clarity.. where the world seems to slow down for her. If it were a superpower it'd be called idiot savantery. She's still not quite sure how strong she is now but.. but what if.

She evades to the side and pulls her arms and legs in to avoid those big clipping arms of it and hugs the scorpion tail, pushing her wings power up to maximum with a short glance at her controls. Is she strong enough to hold it? is her wing suit strong enough to carry all that weight?

Super Soldier and Alien Tech combined test GO! In her mind, this went well... a dangling upset scorpion twisting and turning about in the air as she holds it for someone to shoot it with the biggest of big guns. "Shooooot it already," she demands over comms. She can see the energy levels for the wings dropping rapidly with this level of strain.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
The shield Daisy creates with those vibrational waves is juuuust enough to keep it at bay and not get pincered down to death by it's huge claws. Of course that the tail is another issue. And ick, it's coming right at her! When the shots come and take one of their legs down she is relieved but it doesn't mean she still isn't in danger, the pause on that pincer just enough to have her toss herself to the side..

"Can't hold them any longer! Take them out!" She throws herself to the side to evade the pincer. In slow motion? Maybe not..., but she is hoping there will be explosions in the near future movie-worthy.

She tosses out just another /push/ of her powers to keep the creature back from snatching her up. Becoming scorpion food isn't in the cards today!

Peggy Carter has posed:
The moment Peggy realizes her strategy of going for the joints is working? She double downs. Or, more accurately, Melinda May helps her double down. The call of her name gets a jerk of eyes. It's May's voice, so she doesn't look impatient about being disturbed, but she's wasting no time. "...Beautiful. Kick like a spooked horse, I'm guessing?" Peggy safeties her first rifle, slinging it across her back so she still has access to it, then she catches smoothly the hand cannon that May's tossed to her.

Fortunately, she's an expert marksman. Not heavily trained with these weapons, but she can easily guess at the kick of them and the use. She drops into the sand so she's on one knee, ready to brace for the worst blow back. Then she's focusing it on the one that Bobbi's demanding over comms, "Fire incoming!" She calls back, activating the BFG and coughing off the huge weapon at the thing Bobbi's got dangling in the air.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
All in all, Fitz is a pretty good shot. It is a skill that he has worked on quite a bit. But with this particular team he is strictly amateur hour. If they are relying on his sidearm, they're probably in all sorts of trouble. And while giant, unnatural scorpions certainly qualify as trouble he is at least more than willing to leave it up to them to deal with them. At least for that he couldn't be surrounded by better agents. So he lets them do what they do, while he concentrates on doing what they do.

The sheer size of the scorpions means that there is not likely to be a whole lot of subtlty to their attacks. They're probably more about overwhelming power. So while he does keep one of his drones hover -- hopefully -- out of reach to keep an eye out for any surprises or potential weak spots that he can pass along to to the others, the others are already drifting past the immediate fight to the area where the scorpions came from.

Eyes on the prize. He might appreciate the opportunity to study whatever is left of these... things back at the Triskelion when this is all over, that isn't why they've hoofed it half-way across the globe -- flew right past Monaco by the way! -- to this arid stretch of particularly unappealing desert. That might be the giant scorpions knocking a few points off his rating scale though.

"There's a rocky mound, just over two hundred feet past our not so friendly greeters. Looks like there might be a break in the rock leading down," he says, relaying the info -- coordinates and a visual snapshot -- to each of the other agents while he maneuvers the drone named Doc in for a closer look to see what else he might be able to pick up.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
Then May fires and the scorpion whips around on that incoming fire in a hurry. Both claws come up before it in a defensive manner and that blast goes off. The thing goes sliding backwards and sand goes up in the air. A moment later, as the sand comes raining down on all those around, the thing is still standing. Though, now it is missing two claws that it is very upset about. Everything else be damned (including Daisy), it races right toward May's position with that huge tail raised, aiming a stinger right for the veteran agent.

Of course, at the same time as this is happening. Now, even as May's blast fires, another comes ringing out right for Bobbi and scorpion II's position. Bobbi's plan is a solid one, grabbing the scorpion's tail and flying up would seem a great idea. However, a strange thing happens as Bobbi grabs it. At first, it seems rather like she could lift it and then suddenly it is like the thing switched on gravity and it became /way/ heavier and right as Peggy fires. She might be able to adjust slightly on the fly but it appears that blast was aimed right for where the thing was and Bobbi now is. Plus side? She is on the tail and that blast is now heading for it. Down side? Bobbi is still on the tail.

"These new allies are...more resourceful than expected." The man grumbles in his odd mask as he begins gathering up some objects and glares, "No matter, my work is done."

"I'll find you..." A woman calls out weakly after him as he begins to move away. The man simply grins back at her and chuckles.

"I count on it, Chay'ara. I count on it."

Melinda May has posed:
May is at the rear of the group, still at the top of the ramp of the jet. As the scorpion comes charging for her, missing it's front claws, she braces herself and aims again for its center of mass. She's trusting the other agents in the team to help run interference. Maybe not Morse or Carter, because they've got their hands full, but that's okay. But she trusts Johnson. And she expects Fitz to do his job with the drones and scouting out the terrain. That's why they're a team here.

Of course, as soon as she fires that shot at the overzealous critter, SHIELD's very own ice queen lets the momentum of the gun's recoil shove her body to one side, so she can roll off the ramp and, possibly, even back under it for cover. Because...

Yipes. Big bug!

But still not an overwhelming mass of murderous ice skeletons intent on May-kabobs or a giant necromantic snake monster from realms beyond.

(Yeah. It's possible the whole Ice Palace thing has left her perspective a little skewed. Just sayin'.)

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi notices her altitude dropping as it gets heavier and heavier, "What?" she queries no one in particular and then *whomf* goes the BFG toward the scorpion she's holding.. or more specifically the scorpion tail she's holding.. and her. Her eyes widen, "SHIT!"

Pieces of scorpion tail dot all over her uniform, the armor saving her from the smaller pieces. Several larger pieces are chasing her through the sky on the same trajectory that she's flying though. Bobbi has never been flying through the air -this- fast before. When she hits the ground first, they'll skewer her.

|ERROR:A114
|ERROR:B718
|ERROR:HH2G

Her glasses read out the response from the interface between the alien anti-gravity technology and the SHIELD technology. It was built using machine learning and this situation was definitely not one of the situations it was programmed to respond to.

|SHUTDOWN

Her eyes widen as the wings shut down on her and she's free flying backwards in an arc, ballistic, toward the sand. She whips out her staves and throws them at the shards aimed at her.. two down.. two to go. Then the ICER is thrown.. one left.

OOof, Bobbi hits the sand hard, winded, a cold shot shooting down her left arm, and then the final jagged piece of metal stabs her right in the thigh. "Aaar!," she calls out and lays there panting, opening and closing her left hand in a squeeze too. "Calm.. Calm Bobbi Calm..," she says to herself and then over comms, "Medic."

Of course, that still leaves the scorpion II, sans a stinger and tail.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
With the explosion, sand flying up and just getting *everywhere* Daisy mutters.. But she is still alive. That's a plus! She pushes herself up to her feet with a grimace, watching as the scorpion starts shooting off to where both May and Peggy are at.

"Hey, Scorpion bitch.. Where are you going?" She calls out, wiping her forearm over her face and focusing, sand starting to spiral about her. She would be upset enough already at these scorpions trying to kill her. But going after the rest of the team? That just makes her mad..

And indeed she is here to run interference. So she presses /down/ with all her might, the vibrational field created on the scorpion quite stronger than the one she used before, exponentially so. The aim? To keep it down to get another shot rocket shot from May. But she isn't stopping there, trying to crush it down to the ground, teeth grinding together..

She distantly hears that call for help from Bobbi. But right now? She can't do much, besides getting angrier, and stronger.

Peggy Carter has posed:
It's hard to see, from this distance, how poorly Peggy's shot went, but as she sees the angle which Bobbi is going, she calls over the comms, "MORSE! DISENGAGE!" But it's probably too late. That BFG moves awful fast. Peggy's mentally swearing as she moves to reload, not able to do much to help the woman out until the enemy is off the board, but that makes it triple important she takes care of it again. "Shit... Shit shit..." She mutters, mostly beneath her breath, but it might be heard over the comms.

Peggy takes one last, heavy shot at the bulk of the tailless body, then she's on her feet, dashing out into the sand towards Bobbi's position. Whether the thing is down or not, it's too important to her to get Bobbi out of the line of danger. So, she tosses herself into it. "Morse, I'm coming for you!" The plan is to dash in, scoop Morse up, get out. Hopefully there's enough pieces of Morse left TO scoop.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
It isn't always easy to make good use of intel in the heat of combat, but at least Fitz is there to provide it, that bird's eye view right there to give them that split-second warning when the unnatural scorpions do something unexpected or particularly dangerous. It certainly is a little safer for Fitz, crouched down on the ramp leading up into the heart of the Quinjet but he is contributing in his own way. Go team.

Guiding multiple eyes in the sky is a challenge of its own, his gaze flickering over the portable control panel now spread out in front of him, a strap resting around his neck so that he can move without too much difficulty, eyes darting to each screen in turn along with the radar display that tracks them all in relation to one another. It's a lot of information to keep track of, but this is his element.

"Relaying visuals on Agent Morse to you Agent Carter," he says, tapping at the drone controls for just a moment as he relays an overlay directly to Peggy with Bobbi's location and a suggested optimal route. Only a suggestion though. Big, flailing scorpions tend to quickly invalidate even the most exacting calculations. It's the optimal route for the next three to four seconds at least.

With his fellow agents just a liiiittttle tied up right now, Fitz guides Doc into that little chasm, giving that one drone just a little more of his attention then the rest as he maneuvers it without the benefit of open air all around. Visuals, thermals, radiation scans and more are all relied back to him as the drone slips deeper beneath the desert, mapping out the area.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
May's dodge is hardly necessary at this point thanks to Daisy. May fires, preparing for the incoming Scorpion but then the Scorpion ends up halting as vibrational energy slams it downward right as the powerful blast hits and that blast is also directed downward. The sand craters near instantly and the rock beneath cracks as all of that scorpion is sort of exploded and imploded at the same time. All that is left is shrapnel that is crushed and splintered into rock and metal.

Meanwhile, another scropion is shaking the stump of a tail it has left a little, unsure as to what to do at first due to its missing tail before it races at the downed Bobbi. Somehow, this is all her fault and it is sure of it. As it raises in with claws out, another blast flips it through the air, ripping apart two legs and a claws as it spins in the air and comes to a rough landing in the sand. Still moving but heavily disabled.

Of course, that's when Fitz's instruments go wild. He spots two thermal signatures in that cave or tomb or whatever it is in the distance only for a much larger thermal signature to appear along with what appears to be something that reads with a massive energy spike. It reads like an Eistein-Rosen Bridge AKA a wormhole. Someone or something in their opens up a wormhole and then it is gone.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi grimaces behind her mask. Another explosion and she lifts her arms up to shield her head. No need though, the scorpion goes tumbling through the sky and lands awkwardly -over there-. Everything hurts, this is a fact, but the mission is not over yet nor is the threat.

She takes a deep breath and whispers to herself, "Okay Steve. I'm trusting you right now. You said this is what you do.. so.. here goes nothing." She grips the shard of metal and with a pained cry pulls it out of her thigh. She can feel the warmth of the blood flowing over her leg even in this heat. She grips the wound with her hand and holds tight, panting and breathing through her teeth.

Her head sup display shows one drone heading to the mysterious staircase.. and also she sees Peggy running her way. "Peggy it's still active!," she warns over comms and feels like she's in a race to see who can stand up and attack the other first. She awkwardly turns to her side and pulls her good left up to the knee and with a much loader groan of determination half rights herself, staring daggers at the scorpion.

Melinda May has posed:
Landing in the sand as the scorpion is replused, May drags herself to her feet. "Status report!" she calls out into her comm. She heard Morse go down. And she knows Carter and Fitz are responding. Nevertheless, she's moving forward into the midst of what remains of the fray, looking for the other agents to make sure they're still standing. She approaches Daisy, first, and reaches out briefly to grab her shoulder in reassurance and grateful thanks before picking up the pace and heading for Morse, that gun coming up again. Because, yes. As Morse says, the other one is still active.

But Carter is closer. So, when May plants herself to take another shot, she holds it until after she sees the results of the other agent's efforts. Firing a second volley into an already volitile situation isn't smart. Thus, her shot will only be fired as a reaction to imminent danger to her team, if their own efforts fail.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
For a moment Daisy goes down on one knee, catching her breath just after the first scorpion gets smashed into pieces. Poor Fitz, everyone blowing up his study specimens.. But no time to linger. May's hand on her shoulder is a good revitalizing balm to get her back to motion, she taking in a deep breath. She still has some more in the tank to dispense.., and the anger is still there..

She glances over and then follows May closer to where that last scorpion still is. And while May is getting that last rocket ready she will be making sure that the scorpion has no chance of reaching either Morse or Peggy with creating a barrier between them and the scorpion.

"It won't be active for much longer." Daisy answers through comms back to Bobbi's words. Determination in her voice. Don't mess with her family!

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Yes! All the more reason we need to get you OUT!" Peggy calls to Bobbi over the comms. She knows there's others back there, still fighting, and she's going to trust them at her back for a moment. Daisy's reassurance on the comms helps, "Thanks, Johnson. I'm nearly at her." However, she does still have a rifle across her back, and while she's not generally a 'spray and pray' kind of shooter, the heavily injured thing is *right there*. So, in the few seconds that she has in her run across the desert sand, she does a little spraying and praying of the things BFG riddled body. It's just one round of shots, but maybe enough to keep it from pouncing them. The BFG's seem to be far more effective. And Daisy's shield is hopefully keeping them clear.

Then she's at Bobbi's side. Her eyes go a little wide to see that flood of blood from her leg, but she's still talking, so hopefully it's not an artery. There's proper medical right behind them. Unless Bobbi fights her off, she slings an arm beneath the woman's shoulders, taking on most of her weight before turning to double time it back towards the quinjet. "You go over my shoulder if you can't walk, come on!" And she means it. Bobbi will be in a fireman's carry if Peggy must. The moment she's retreating away from the thing, Peg calls breathlessly over the coms, "Finish it off, May, I'm getting her clear NOW."

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Geez, this is pretty tense. He's not even out there and he can feel the tension creep through his form. Sure, it's always possible one of the giant scorpions could turn their attention towards the Quinjet. But it's more just monitoring close call after close call. Even with Daisy's powers the number of near misses is alarming. Even just looking on a screen doesn't entirely disconnect him from it.

Of course that might have something to do with the fact that he can hear the rest of the team, not through that slightly distorted way that comes through comms, but actual words, shouts. And there is the way the ground seems to shake a little everytime that huge tail thunks into the sand with a near miss, or the skittering sounds of that way too large arachnid. "Only one one the beasties still up but it's awfully close to Agents Morse and Carter..." he warns.

Which is right about the time Fitz's eyes go wide and that ability to multi-task is entirely overwhelmed by the readings that are being funnelled back to him by the adventurous Doc. "Bloody hell..." he says, doublechecking those readings. And then the readings abruptly cut out, the sensor suite on the drone no doubt completely fried just by the proximity. Thermals, radiation, energy signatures, all disappear, monitors filling with static. But at least the visuals stay up. Lights emerge from the drone, lighting up the underground nook around it and Fitz guides the spunky little drone towards the last known presence of whoever was beneath the surface of the desert.

"Ummmm, I know you're all busy but unless I'm wrong -- and I'm almost never wrong -- someone or something just opened up a wormhole almost under our feet," he says, his voice half-worried, half-filled with awe.

Maybe missing out on CERN isn't that bad afterall. Supercollide this.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi loops an arm about Peggy's shoulders and smiles at her. She winces as she gets upright and walks with a distinct limp as Peggy starts guiding them back toward the quinjet. Bobbi, however, stalls her, "Wrong way. This way," she says pointing toward where the Doc drone went - where the entrance to that underground place is.

"The mission isn't over yet Agent Carter," she says and turns the pair of them around toward the mission destination. "Agent Saunders comes first, Wormhole second. Both may be in the same location." There's a strain in her voice and she shakes out her left hand, but 'tough as nails' agents are what SHIELD makes these days.

"Solution clear, engage," she says over comms for the benefit of May and Daisy. It seems Agent Morse isn't taking no for an answer from Peggy on the goals here. "Heading to the mysterious stairs and apparently a wormhole..."

Melinda May has posed:
When Bobbi's voice comes over comms, both assuring her the other agent is still with them and giving her a clear firing solution, May's voice is crisp in response. "Fire in the hole." Her finger gently squeezes and her BFG belches a plasmotic football that spirals neatly towards that last, writhing scorpion trying to turn her teammates into lunch.

Her sentiments match Daisy's. No one messes with her people.

And lives.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
Even as the still moving Scorpion starts to scramble carefully up and clacks its remaining claw repeatedly before it raises on six legs toward Bobbi and Peggy, inexplicably able to maintain some semblence of normalcy right before it hits that vibrational wall and skitters to the side with a wobbling crash but it is determined. It doesn't go down.

It is only temporarily displaced by the tired agent's vibrational energy. It is upset. Angry. Well, as angry as a magical scorpion golem thing can be. It skitters backward with that chittering screech, letting out a louder screech as it suddenly races forward to bear down on the agents with reckless abandon and try to break through all defenses through sheer force of weight and strength...

...then the blast hits and the thing rocks into the ground. Sand kicks up and Earth as well as it races right at Daisy, the bane of its current existence. Sand, dirt and the like all flying through the air. It is nearly impossible to see what has become of it till finally a large claw comes up out of hte smoke and sand above Daisy and comes crashing down. Right before it hits her...clacking open and staying that way.

As the smoke and sand finally clears, the thing is basically just part of a body and a claw with a couple of legs. Whatever it truly was, it is done now.

Whatever happened in that cave, Fitz is investigating it seems. He is sending that little drone that could down into the cave, flying toward the source of whatever caused all this trouble. What he sees on the visuals is something out of some kind of thriller about strange rituals and the like. The place is covered in hieroglyphics, pillars arranged in a circle surrounding a central dais with an alter. Chains come down from the ceiling, holding someone up. Two more come from below. One for each leg, arm...and wing? Agent Saunders hangs limply in the center with two metallic wings coming out of her back.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
It's right about when that claw begins to close in on Daisy that she secretly wishes she has the regenerative powers of her supposed mother.. But then she isn't sliced in half, the creature stopping. Well, that's a relief! So she exhales a breath she was holding and offers a thumbs up towards May. Job is done. She even dares a faint, tired grin towards the senior Agent.

But they were also right, the mission was still not done. "Care. We are coming in for backup." she warns both Peggy and Bobbi, starting on her dash towards that entrance.

On the comms she asks Fitz. "Is that wormhole still active? What more can you tell us?" she asks. If their Agent was in danger it meant they had to move fast.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Back up would be appreciated, but we're going in..." Apparently. Peggy is giving Bobbi a side eyed look that says she does NOT think this is a good idea, but Morse is not only determined, but far stronger than Peggy was expecting. Her dark eyes drop from the woman's face, to her leg, back to her face, "You're lucky no artery was hit, or there'd be no way you were still conscious..."

But when they breech the area, Peggy just blinks, no longer lecturing about the fact they should have gone back. A new wave of concern washes across her features, staring at the strung up agent at the ceiling. But the pillars and the surrounding circle makes her stop, "..Fitz... are you seeing this? Is there any energy active in the place or can we go just...get her down off there? Oh hell... Whatever medics were on the way for Morse, keep coming." Kendra needs them, probably more than anyone.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Fitz is fairly certain that Daisy and and Agent May have things under control here on the surface. The scorpions might have been big and scary but they're not really a match in the end for SHIELD teamwork. And daunting as those thingsm ight be, they're not the mission. Eyes on the prize.

As the drone makes it's way deeper into the underground lair it begins to eject miniature flares, little bundles of brightly burning red light illuminating the path down for the Agents that follow, providing a clear trail. Of course the lights that project from Doc will also help to pinpoint the scene too.

And what a scene! There might be no sign of the energy disturbance, of the wormhole that fried all of the drone's sensors. But there doesn't really need to be. Because despite the decour that looks like something out of some pulp movie, that is unmistakably Agent Saunders, bound in place like some sacrifical victim for an ancient cult. And are those wings? He wishes he could get the details of this debrief.

"Routing the view to all of you now. The drone's scanners are all down but I'm not seeing any signs of an active wormhole. Waiting for my device here on the plane to boot back up but whatever opened that wormhole... I think it's gone now," he says. "But if you check the video I'm relaying you now you will see that we do have Agent Saunders, I repeat we do have Agent Saunders on sight. She looks a little worse for the wear but does appear alive," he says. "One sec, scanners coming online now..."

"Got it. No unexpected energy readings," Fitz says, a rather specific turn of phrase. Because he is still getting readings from that rather unique metallic alloy. It shouldn't be dangerous though. "I'm engaging recording now," he adds, the drone beginning to circle all through the chamber, paying particular attention to all those hieroglyphes that seem to cover every available surface.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi glances off to the menus in her goggles and initiates a forced restart. The goggles flash a wait icon as it goes through diagnostics. She limps along with Peggy and nods to her, "You're not wrong." The thought had crossed her mind. Even still the blood over her leg is dried and only it's scabbing over. Clearly not healed yet - that'll take days, nor is she willing to unnecessarily put weight on it yet either, so the limps continue down the flare lit stares in to the creepy underground.

|READY

The wings system is back online, though not activated yet. The battery reads 17% power remaining. "Wow, I think that scorpion somehow was anti-gravity too, you called it Fitz."

And then her eyes are upon it. "What the.. hell," she says as she stares up in shock and horror. She takes the burny hot wire thing from her belt and activates the wings. They snap in to wing form behind her and Peggy and she hops on to her good leg. "I'll cut up high, you cut down low," she suggests and pulls the wire out of its coin. It immediately super heats and she rises up off the ground to above Agent Saunders body. She begins with the chains holding her arms. "Agent Saunders, are you awake? can you hear us? It's SHIELD - Morse and Carter. May and Johnson are almost here. Fitz is watching on drones. We've got you."

Melinda May has posed:
May is on her feet, lowering her weapon only when it becomes apparent Daisy isn't about to become half a torso shorter. She gives the other agent a sharp nod at her thumbs up. It's about as close to a look of relief as she can muster when there's still work to be done.

Unwilling to let the BFG go, she's then racing down those steps with Daisy, a few yards behind Morse and Carter (who are probably at least a little slower than the other two because of Morse's injury). "On your six," she calls out to the two agents entering the cavern space only shortly behind themr.

Her own steps slow as they reach the ritual space and dark eyes take in the look of it. Her lips thin into a thin white line. You could tell her it was science that produced all this... but it sure looks a helluva lot like magic.

May *hates* magic.

"Let's get her down." Like it even needs to be said.

Nevertheless, she takes up a covering position, letting the others do the work of rescuing Saunders directly while she makes sure no more monsters are likely to sneak up on them and bite them in the ass.

It's what she's best at.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
Getting a closer look at Kendra and it is clear she's been through the ringer. Her face is bruised and blood drips from her lip. As her hands shift, it becomes a bit more of a horror show as to what was being done. The chains from ceiling weren't just shackled to her, the shackles had biting spikes in them that were forced into her wrists, missing arteries but obviously mean to bleed and cause pain. The same can be said for her ankles. The only part of her, that is sort of a part of her, not pierced in such a way are those wings which are instead just held up by wrapped chains.

As she hears people, Kendra slowly looks up, eyes going left and right before she coughs up a bit of blood and grins, "Took you long enough...was thinking..." She clears her throat, "...I was gonna have to save myself." She winces and shudders as she moves a little and feels the shackles bite in. THe wings flex and tense and if anyone looks, they aren't 'attached' per se. They are seemingly a part of her. There's no sign of stitches, sealants or hte like. Just, flesh ends where metal begins and vice-a-versa.

The only sign that this wasn't normal for her is the blood dripping down under where the wings meet flesh, as if something at some point was bleeding.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy also makes her way down the creepy stairs, those flares from Fitz doing a good job of lighting up the way. Once she is down there her immediate question is. "Are you alright, Agents?" this seems asked both to Peggs and Bobbs but also up to Kendra. A relieved little sigh escapes her when Kendra actually speaks. "We will get you back to fighting shape in no time, Agent Saunders."

Like May, she keeps watch for the moment, attuning herself to the surroundings just in case there may be any other dangers still lurking about, taking a read on the vibrations that surround the cave. No more getting surprised by murderous scorpions out of nowhere!

Peggy Carter has posed:
There is a heavy, long look from Peggy to the other agent. The wings, her face... Something behind Peggy's eyes that gives this situation more weight than a simple rescue, but she doesn't bring it up right now. There were more important things -- like getting her down and actually rescuing her -- than worrying about older memories. When Fitz confirms over the comm that there's no other energies, Peg calls back, "Thanks, Fitz, we're going in. Keep eyes up." But she sounds genuinely relieved to have that confirmation from him. She hates magic, too.

Then she nods to Bobbi, carefully letting the other agent go to get the higher chains, while Peggy dashes over and drops to her knees, grabbing for the lower restraints. She considers them first, trying to figure what might be the easiest way to cut. She then goes for a precision heat tool on the back right edge of her belt. It's basically a high temperature laser cutter, handy little thing for breaking in a lot of places. And breaking restrains quickly, without joslting injured flesh. "Someone get over here, get ready to catch her."

Leopold Fitz has posed:
While Doc continues to make a slow circuit through the chamber, recording everything for posterity -- or at least for the intel analysts to go over later and see if they can make any sense out of it -- assuming that there is any sense to be made out of it and it isn't just some elaborate horror show -- Fitz stares at the scanner that has finally come online again. "Bloody hell," comes that involuntary utterence once more.

It's not the elaborate setting. It's not not even the cruel spiked bonds that have been keeping Agent Saunders strung up. No, it is just how strong a energy signature is radiating from those metal wings that jut from the recovered agent's body. He is not entirely sure who on this particular mission is aware of Nth metal and all that it is capable of. What he does know for certain is that he has never seen so much in one place, not even close. Even the the little bits used in the construction of those monstrous scorpion golems is a pale, pale reflection of a reflection.

It's ahrd to pull his attention from those readings, his gaze continually darting back to that scanning device, but Fitz does finally manage, splitting that focus once more between Doc's efforts to document the scene in detail -- and beginning to gather up a few samples as well -- along with keeping an eye out on the drones that scan the nearby stretch of desert. "Copy that Agent Carter. The surface is clear. You can proceed with evac as soon as the target can be moved," he replies, forcing that excitement -- or is it concern? -- aside to focus on the mission at hand.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi whips the red hot wire around the first chain and then warns Saunders, "Left arm coming down." She takes hold of her forearm so the arm doesn't just flop down, or that nasty spike doesn't yank and rip or tear or who knows what else. The wire burns through the chain quickly and the tension is released. She carefully rests the arm down to her side, then she repeats on the right arm, "Right arm coming down."

She looks at the wings. They moved. They're jammed in her. "We're going to need to get you to surgery asap. Fitz call the Olive Patch and let them know we have a seriously wounded agent incoming." The Olive Patch being the cute name for the Greek SHIELD base. It's the closest safe country to take Saunders to before they're sure they can fly her all the way back to the Triskelion.

Bobbi wraps her arms about Saunders' torso and flicks the wire at the chains holding the wings. "Just relax Agent, everything's going to be okay now." She lowers her down to the point where she can hand off to Johnson and May, then flies back to Carter to get a hand limping again. The glow of her wire has faded now, the chemical reaction that made it so hot has worn off.

Melinda May has posed:
"Johnson," May calls, in response to Carter's words. She gives the younger agent the BFG and moves in to catch Kendra as she falls away from those chains, taking her weight from Morse.

"What have I told you about letting yourself get involved in weird rituals and experiments?" she says gently to Saunders as she wraps her arms around her, being careful of those giant metal wings. The tone isn't scolding at all. It's... almost warm. The sort of teasing encouragement reserved for comrades in arms. Even if it still sounds snarky. "Before you know it, you're sprouting extra appendages."

Which they'll totally deal with back at the Trisk. For now? The priority is getting her out of here and back to the surface.

"I got her," she tells the others. "Carter, you help Morse. Johson, cover our six." She's trusting Fitz's all-clear, since they just killed the giant monsters that were out there. She's not as confident about the cavern, given the whole wormhole technology at play here. Not to mention the ritualistic trappings.

They make her twitch.

And she'd rather not get pounced on from behind as soon as she turns her back.

Nevertheless, the sooner they're clear of the cavern, the sooner they're back aboard the jet, and the sooner she can get them in the air. She'd like nothing better than to put her tail rudder to this sandstorm and call it done.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
The chains cut pretty easily and nothing else comes out of the shadows. It seems that it is clear. If anything, the Scorpions were a cover so a certain someone could escape. Even as she is cut down and May catches her, Kendra looks over at the woman and weakly states, "It's a bad habit...hard to break..." She chuckles and then winces as she does end up kind of hanging there limply on May until she is fully cut away and strangely, those wings don't go down. They hang, like the wings of a bird, pulling against her but limply. Kendra seems capable of staying up with May's help...but barely. The other part that might seem odd is just how light Kendra seems for someone with huge wings on.

As for Fitz? Well, he's going to have a lot of data to go over and a lot of scans to deal with.