4195/The Grandson's Sins

The Grandson's Sins
Date of Scene:	21 November 2020
Location:	The Docks, Bayonne, NJ
Synopsis:	Bucky, May, and Peggy go hunting for Jackson Becker, known financier and HYDRA agent. It turns out the lead is a trap. Fortunately, they are good at handling traps.
Cast of Characters:	Peggy Carter, Melinda May, James Barnes

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Peggy Carter has posed:
Jackson Becker has been a hard man to track down. Grandson of Elias Becker, HYDRA scientist and Operation Paperclip 'cooperative', he's a financier and club owner on the surface. However, ever since the night several SHIELD agents, undercover in a loud night club he owned, burned his cover and discovered several bodies in the back being experimented on, the man has pulled up the carpet on most of his business and gone to ground. But, finally, Peggy's searches got a hit. In fact, it seems the man is planning on leaving the country.

A mixed business ship is taking a large load of something from Jackson Becker's businesses and he's got passage aboard. It's out of the large, industrial docks in the less than pleasant side of Bayonne, New Jersey. This isn't a place people walk along the board walk with dates. A few cruise ships leave from these terminals, but the far end is mainly cargo ships and barges.

Peggy put out the note to her little, most trusted group of allies, but it's last minute. The text was simply, 'Cleaning up old mess tonight. Bayonne Docks, pier 31. Could use an extra hands. Meet at warehouse 28 9 pm if you can come.'

Melinda May has posed:
Thus, 9pm sees Melinda May, garbbed in black -- but without any formal SHIELD insignia -- standing in the shadows of warehouse 28. She's light on equipment, a gun, some extra ammo, maybe a pair of retractable escrima sticks. Nothing nearly as fancy as Bobbi's batons, mind. But, then, the Specialist has always said: If she needs a gun, she'll take one. Most of the time, however, she's her own best weapon.

Besides... chances are pretty good Carter will let her know if they need anything more. And, it's Hydra. There are always extra weapons laying about. Just have to take out the men who hold them.

James Barnes has posed:
Extra hands - here's a pair, if mismatched flesh and metal. Buck's in dark, plain civilian clothing, calculated to blend in. Being who and what he is, he's come armed, most notably with what looks like a plain black briefcase but proves to be a case that holds the insectile-looking components of a sniper rifle. Not that he's assembled it, yet. It may need to ride out this mission stowed in the trunk of his bike's side car.

"Carter," he says, in a voice that still sounds like he's a pack a day smoker, gruff and low. Face impassive, but there's that wolf's gleam in the pale eyes. It's not just the construct personality of Winter that enjoys violence.

Peggy Carter has posed:
If she was asked to put money on who would show, these two were probably on the list, though it seems like an unlikely team now. Peggy's dressed equally dark, close fitting slacks, black combat boots, a dark shirt and a dark jacket that's probably hiding more than a few weapons. She has her now-shortly bobbed hair swept back from her face, exposing those faint, mostly healed burn scars down the left side of her cheek and hair line. It's not long enough to put in a tail, so she she's slicked it back and secured with a few bobby pins. It will do.

She nods to both of them as they approach. "I take it you two know each other? If you don't, well...I trust you both with my life, we'll leave it there. I didn't get much information other than Becker is on that ship, and has cargo on that ship. Removing him and his allies is the priority, but if we could get our hands on that cargo it might tell us some more of what we're dealing with." She picks up her burn phone, showing them both a fairly vivid photo of the handsome, 40-something man. "This is the target. Remove at all costs. He's HYDRA and he's been experimenting on people. Understood?"

Melinda May has posed:
"We've met," May assures Peggy. She glances to Barnes and gives him a brief nod. They share an appreciation of well-made weapons, among other things.

She listens to the briefing and her eyes narrow. "Understood." Some people need to be crossed off. It's a hard choice. And never one to be taken lightly. But she trusts Carter's judgement. Beyond that, she has this thing about Hydra scientists and their warped experiments. They're nearly as bad as Loki, in her book.

"What's our approach? Get in, cross him off, and hope for a break -- or split up and kill two birds at once? Do you know how many are with him?"

James Barnes has posed:
He can plan a mission, has done so many a time. But she's the mastermind here, as she was so often in the good old days. Buck inclines his head to May, politely, before nodding at Peggy. "Understood," he says, softly. "Ideally, we'll take out the personnel and get the cargo." Some gut instinct is niggling at him, babbling possibilities as to that cargo.

But May's asking the questions he wants answered, so he's quiet again, looking between them. No fidgeting, no impatience.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The question from May gets a pressed line from Peggy's lips. She's not entirely decided on it. She lets out a slow breath, looking over to Bucky quietly, trying to weigh something in the back of her head. "...You feel like being the bird's eye again? I trust you to take the shot. May and I could clean out anyone else. I figure go in, shake up the bird's next, take out anyone around him or guarding those containers, when he runs, as he probably will, we have Barnes from the nest. But if you want in on the ground action, Buck, I'll always have you at my back."

It might be because Peggy doesn't want to use him for the same reasons HYDRA did. Or maybe she's worried about them all splitting up. Normally, she's just call the shots and they'd go, but this isn't a trio that has worked together before. And, frankly, it's personal.

Melinda May has posed:
May can't answer the questions put to Bucky. But she can tell from the look in Carter's eye that this is more than a simple tag and bag. She doesn't pry further. She trusts Carter. And trusts what intel they've already shared.

She takes a moment to check her weapons. She knows her job: Hit things; keep them from hitting her team. It's what she does best. "Ready when you are."

James Barnes has posed:
An upnod from the cyborg, and a thin little grin of acknowledgement. "Sounds good, Carter," he says. "Got my rifle, gonna go find myself a high place," It has the air of an old joke, somehow. "Drive him out of his den, I'll get 'im." He even claps Peggy on the shoulder gently with his human hand, before he's fading off into the shadows of the dockside.

Peggy Carter has posed:
That's all Peggy needed to hear. She gives James a brief, approving nod, and then dark eyes flicker over to May, "Alright, sweep in, clean out, see if we can drive him out. Anyone who isn't him, use the ICERs, we can't be certain they're HYDRA unless they're directly with his company. We can piece them out later. But I'd prefer to get more than just our target if we can." With that, Peggy's unholstering her ICER and quickly moving her way around the warehouse, to the front side of the docks.

They're about ten piers off where his ship is docked, but the older woman is clearing that space rather quickly. She stays hugged in shadows and moves like someone who has spent her whole life learning how to be invisible. The trigger discipline on her gun is present, the ICER pointed to the ground, finger stretched along the side, but she's ready. Unless one of the others somehow slips up, the bored security guard for the final 10 piers doesn't even notice them. He keeps scrolling on his phone, the dock mostly unwatched. There's two people overseeing cargo being loaded onto the ship. Otherwise, it's quiet.

Melinda May has posed:
May is perfectly content to use an ICER, but that does beg the question: "Is our target worth anything alive?" Because once they're in there and fighting, she's probably not going to be swapping weapons -- unless it's her fists for her gun... either gun.

Not to mention the fact: Personal or not, they're SHIELD. Forty years ago, ICERs weren't an option. Today? They're pretty much standard. SHIELD doesn't have to default to killing, any more.

Doesn't really matter, though. She'll follow Peggy's lead. Thus, she's at the other woman's heels as they approach the ship. Her ICER is in her hand. She glances up at the guard as they sneak past him in the shadows. She makes no noise, but the disdain is clear on her face.

Her eyes track towards the cargo and the placement of workers. She glances to Peggy, watching for her cue to move ahead.

James Barnes has posed:
There's even ICER in that case. Though Buck gives it a long, hard look before loading it up. He's found himself a spot in haste, up on what was once offices for the shipping companies and is now a crumbling brick wreck.

He's keeping an eye alternately on the women approaching the ship....and the ship itself, taking it in quickly. No sound from him - the ladies know their jobs.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The two cargo workers get a brief look from Peggy and then she's gazing back to May. This isn't official SHIELD business, even if they have the ICERs, so she's not on official SHIELD coms. She just gives a single, curt nod to the woman, then brings her firearm up, just slow enough that May can catch up on the timing. Hopefully, they can take out the two workers at the same time and not trigger any sort of alert. That's Peggy's plan. Either way, as soon as they are down, the woman moves quickly up onto the ship.

Bucky's perch is quiet. Almost pleasant, though the winter wind is starting to cut in uncomfortably, especially coming off the water beyond him. The whole place seems a little abandoned now, the bored guard and momentary flurry of activity from below all to be seen... for a moment. But, about 30 seconds after Peggy and May take out those two guards, there's suddenly a bit more activity in the shadows of the warehouse one pier over. Bodies. More than one. Moving fast and mainly keeping to shadows. It's dark enough that they might be mistaken for a sail or tarp in the breeze, but Bucky's got super soldier senses. They're people.

Melinda May has posed:
May watches Peggy's gun come up. Her own rises, eyes tracking the movement of the dock workers. The bodies slump at the same time when the women fire in tandem. Official SHIELD op or not, they're using SHIELD weaponry. Hydra won't have any doubt who's responsible for this later.

She slips forward on silent feet towards the bodies, taking just a moment to move them out of an easy line of sight for anyone else that might come by. She rifles swiftly for a manifest, pulling something off one of the crates before she returns to Carter's side.

James Barnes has posed:
Well, courtesy of the ICER rounds for his trusty rifle, Buck doesn't have to hesitate. If he's wrong, well, no long-term harm done - they'll wake up later with a headache, as it were. He starts from the back of the pack, rather than dropping the leader first. There's no report, only the discreet *crack* of the suppressed round, and the action working....and working forward. Better to get as many as he can before they realize they're being sniped.

Even as he works, he's warning them over the link, "Boss, you had some guys trying to join the party. Taking care of 'em, but....looks like our visit was anticipated," A beat and he adds, tone philosophical, "Or we had crap timing." Hey, it's a possibility.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Anticipated is more likely. Bucky gets two shots in before the team catches onto the fact that something is wrong and starts taking far better cover than they did before. They are *trained* and about as militarily competent as the people they are fighting. That's never good news. But he's giving them successful cover fire, the opposing team in equally dark clothing now moving far slower than they did before. They're trying to pinpoint the sniper, but that also gives Bucky a chance or two, where heads duck out, to at least get once more. If he's in the zone, he can probably grab another two easily.

Then, suddenly, there's three bodies moving *fast*. Two giving cover to a third that is physically being protected from Bucky's position by those other guards. They are cutting across six feet of an alley and towards a car.

On the ship, it's like the walls have woken up. Where as May and Peggy were fighting two quiet cargo workers, now there's a dozen enemies out of the woodwork. From hatches, the side of the ship, unseen halls, between cargo containers. If there was any doubt that this is a trap? It's all gone now. Peggy had a sense it was too easy going in, though, hence her gun being readied the whole time. The moment assailants begin, she's got her gun up and firing. She's as sharp a shot as she was decades ago. Perhaps even better for her last few months of PT. More determined to prove herself. "More company on the ship." She clips over the short range comm they're using.

Melinda May has posed:
May pivots when the rats scurry across the deck towards them. She puts her back to Carter's and begins firing quick, sure shots. She's not a woman prone to wasting ammo. The combat specialist says nothing, firing, anticipating, and reacting as the trap is sprung. She trusts Carter to protect her back even as she protects Carter's.

And when firing is no longer an option due to proximity or an empty mag? Fists and feet will do.

James Barnes has posed:
A car that won't be going anywhere particularly fast, if James has anything to say about it. He hastily switches to real rounds, and shoots out the tires he can see. Oh, they might well have more cars, but that one's not gonna be useful for the moment. Then he's back to ICER, dropping bodies again....now on the ship. "Yeah, that's a hell of a party," he deadpans, occasionally scoping back to those three down there. "Oh, they've realized I'm here." Still unperturbed - unless they've got a phenomenal counter-sniper on their team, he'll be gone from this perch before they get anywhere near him.

Peggy Carter has posed:
No counter-sniper. That wasn't what the intel was about the team who stung him in the club. Barnes is the secret, lucky token in all of this. And the shot out tires of the car are incredibly frustrating. The escaping trio still tries to drive on rims, limping away, but they're going slow and it's rocky. It still seems they are determined to get out of there. When the secondary team off the ship realizes they aren't under fire any more, they start quickly looking for where his position might be. About half a minute later, he's going to hear scraping on the side of the building near him.

The ship is controlled chaos. Peggy falls in against May's back, smoothly covering her as she continues taking out dark forms nearly as quick as they can be thrown at her. But it's not just fists and knives, there's guns involved on the other side and probably not ones just meant for unconsciousness. "We're sitting ducks out here!" She hisses to May, nodding towards a small, cabin-like structure on the ship. There might be someone in it, but if they can get inside, there's a defensible position there. She curses as something wings her shoulder, but takes out her opponent in vengeful return.

Melinda May has posed:
May nods sharply. "Let's go." She doesn't need to be told twice. Firing as she retreats, she interrupts her rhythm to slam the butt of her gun into the face of a man who got too close to her flank. He stumbles back and she reaches out to grab him, spin him around, and use him as a fulcrum to allow her to engage his mates while still keeping an obstacle between shooters and Carter's back.

These guys are trained, yes. Which means May takes a couple of solid body blows of her own. But she's an elite SHIELD agent, not a simple soldier. Free of the melee, her ICER comes back up and she fires again. When the near-field is cleared, she retreats to the cabin and crouches beside the door. Her hand wraps over the knob, waiting for Carter to be in position before she risks opening the door.

James Barnes has posed:
He could run. He can outrun nearly any normal human, even well-trained ones. But....how much fun would *that* be? Buck packs up the sniper rifle with that strangely deliberate haste, slings the strap of the case over his shoulder....and then he's clambering up to the roof proper, all the better to lie in wait for them. He's got the advantage of ground, and an ICER pistol - hiding in the shadow of an AC unit, controlling his breathing. Yeah, this is definitely a better evening than watching yet another Rin Tin Tin movie with Lili in their apartment.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The quiet sound of feet scratching up the side of the building, rusty old fire escape not a thing they can keep all that quiet, slows down. It seems they might realize that he's disappeared or is on to them. Now, they are a bit slower. They are very careful as they crest the edge of the roof, guns in hand, sweeping the place as quickly as possible. They'll open fire the second they see any movement, but he's more trained at this than them.

In the ship, things aren't going great, but considering their numbers, Peg and Melinda are well holding their own. The moment Carter sees that hand on the knob, she nods in approval for May to push it open and immediately swings in low, dropped so her head is below chest level just in case someone immediately opens fire -- which they do. Fortunately, that fire catches the HYDRA agent who was coming up behidn her instead of Peggy herself. Hopefully, Melinda has used the cover of the door. Or is wearing a vest. Peggy takes out the single opponent inside a split of a second later.

Melinda May has posed:
Melinda's played this game before. She stays low and in cover until the interior shooter is down. Then, she slides in after Peggy, pops that door closed, and locks it down. "We can't stay in here indefinitely," she notes, scanning the room for whatever advantages or secondary egress may present themselves.

She kicks the weapon away from the downed man's hand and takes a moment to swap a new mag into her ICER.

"Helluva welcoming committee."

James Barnes has posed:
He lets them pass him, even as he holsters the ICER. All the better to creep up behind the last man and wrap a metal arm around his throat, even as he seizes the man's pistol. The unfortunate goon will find himself used as a human shield as Buck fires on the others with that inhuman quickness. Not a stealthy altercation, though - the pistol reports are loud on the rooftop, the muzzle flashes bright and visible. ....and James is unaware that he's grinning that perturbing little grin, almost a smirk, one of the few expressions that's really Winter's more than his own.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The pair on the roof? They didn't stand a chance. The one that Bucky takes tries to kick, slamming heel back into his attacker's thigh and meaty bits, but never quite getting the purchase. Then his body goes stiff with that shot and he slumps into the man's arms. The other fires back, trying to defend herself, but to little success. She hits the top of the roof bonelessly a moment later. Suddenly, everything around Bucky is very quiet. Other than the sound of a car limping away about two blocks down.

In the small cabin where they've taken shelter, Peggy's taking just a few moments to catch her breath as she swaps out her own magazine and readies to go back out there. "I thought it was...possibly a trap. I didn't think they'd throw quite this many at us. Guess it's good to be... good?" Peg admits with a bitter laugh. She then looks to the small window. "Figure we use the sides of the door as better cover, take out the rest, get off this hunk of metal? WOuldn't mind dragging a few back home for questioning..." But they couldn't bring them to SHIELD. Or, they could, they might just disappear.

Melinda May has posed:
May chuffs a breath that's not quite a laugh, not quite a snirk. "This isn't a trap," she says dryly, "it's overkill. I don't know what you did to piss them off, but... yeah, we're good alright." Not quite what Peggy meant. Still valid.

She picks up the fallen man's weapon and searches his body briefly for additional ammo or anything else that might help. "Alright," she says finally, moving to the door. "I'll take point. You settle in behind. Let's clear them out as quickly as we can."

Following her own suggestion, she crouches down beside the door, against the wall, allowing Peggy to take up a position behind the door. "I don't think we'll be dragging a few of anything. One. Maybe two, if Bucky's gotten lucky, too. So, let's hope we get lucky."

Nothing left to do now, but start fighting their way back out.

James Barnes has posed:
There's a dark pleasure in this, the antithesis of quiet hours spent brooding in the refuge/prison that is his set of rooms in the Triskelion. He doesn't need to worry, he doesn't need to think beyond the confines of the mission, he just needs to pursue. The ladies aren't on their own, but for the moment, the next target is the car.

So Buck's flinging himself back down the fire escape, taking jumps that a normal human couldn't....and then he's running after the car, not even winded. They'll see him coming in the rearview, surely. Lucky for the passengers, he's gone back to ICER rounds. Apparently he means to bring some of them back alive, if he can.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The car doesn't catch sight of him in time to do something special. They're two blocks away now but have severely damaged their rims and speed is near impossible. He's about 100 feet behind when they notice and try to take a sharp turn down an alleyway. Just enough to get them out of sight so the trio can spill out of the car and start making a hidden run for it. Once more, there's two protecting a body in the middle. They are booking it as if their lives depend on it.

While they've sent in overkill, Peggy and May really are that good. They've cleaned out a good two thirds of the ship's attackers by the time they're swinging out into the hallway again. Peggy really hasn't slowed down for that blood at her arm, but she's happy to let Melinda take point on this. Not because of the injury, but because she trusts the woman to be as clear headed as possible. She does, however, pick up one of the downed men's weapons and has switched over to that. If they aren't taking prisoners? Peggy's not leaving HYDRA alive. She clears out the rest behind them with lethal shots in her wake.

Melinda May has posed:
In May's mind, it's a simple matter of logistics. Neither she nor Peggy have the super strength Bucky does. And they've faced enough resistance that maintaining the ability to move quickly and flexibly -- especially while injured -- is a priority. She's switched to a more traditional firearm as well, but only be cause her ICER is running low on ammo and they've dispensed with any sense of the niceties. Non-lethality takes second place to survival, in her experience.

"Love to know where your friend is, though," she comments, taking out another pair of aggressors. She means their target, of course. "I mean, he went to all the expense of fireworks and a party. We really should thank him."

James Barnes has posed:
Their body language argues that that's the crucial target. And Buck's pouncing on them like a cat on a cluster of mice, not even winded. He goes for the bodyguards first - out of ICER so it's a matter of pistol butt and fist for non-lethal options. No commands for them to stop, no pleas or orders. Buck's no cop, after all.

But he does tell them, even as he's wading in, "This is kind of pointless. I'll even let you surrender alive." Tone conversational as if he were giving them directions to the nearest subway station.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The brief panic on their faces is enough. The men turn towards Bucky, then back to the man in front of them, and they know it's all over. There's the careful momentary positioning of jaw and quickly, each of them are biting on a cyanide tab. Bucky might be able to stop one, if he's willing to shove a hand into the jaw. In a flash of streetlight, the face of the one they were protecting can be seen. It's Jackson Becker. Bucky has about half a second to decide if he's willing to put a hand in a guy's mouth or not.

"I hope my friend is even here. I'll be cross if this was *only* a set up. But the last time we saw him, we had several more hands... and he did seem the sort who liked to brag." Peggy admits with a brush of frustration behind her voice. Anger at the situation is better than guilt that she drew her friends into this much danger. May has a bit more resistence than she has, since May is leading the way. But Peggy takes out two others, "I think our back is clear..."

Melinda May has posed:
"Let's hope so," May says, continuing to move forward. She darts ahead after a moment, spinkicking to draw an assailant out of hiding. There's a flury of blows, she shouts briefly and slams a fist into his jaw and bounces his head off a bulkhead. He collapses. "This way," she says, leading them back towards the cargo.

She did get a manifest, earlier, but she glances back to Peggy, nonetheless. "You want to take a look before we go?"

James Barnes has posed:
Is he willing? He's absolutely willing - the unfortunate man will find himself with a mouthful of alloy fingers in a heartbeat. A fit of impromptu dentistry follows, *without* anesthetic, and then Buck's yanking the cyanide tooth out and flinging it down the street into the gutter. "Man, you guys never do learn any new tricks," he scolds them.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The man screams. A gurgling, choked, pained scream, but a scream never the less. His guards are on the floor, foam at their mouths, hearts already stopping. But he didn't get his easy death. He then pulls out his own gun, whipping it around in Bucky's direction and starting to fire frantic, repeated shots. He's now just trying to blow his attacker to hell. In his panic, his brain doesn't actually think to turn the gun on himself.

The calm on the ship is a little strange now, compared to the chaos of before. They're walking over bodies, but those bodies are staying down. Peggy looks down to the manifest, smirking just a bit, "Wanna bet the containers are empty? Manifest is just a cover... We should check, either way... but..." That's Peggy's guess. She looks over the piece of paper, but keeps her gun readied as she nods for Melinda to open one of the containers.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Not empty. When May pops the container open, she'll find cold, refridgerated slabs of meat in FDA packaging. They look like strange meat, not the usual cuts, but meat marked as beef hide vacuum sealed packages, all with FDA approved markers. The manifest says it's going to somewhere in Russia.

Melinda May has posed:
May frowns as she sees the meat within. "Peggy? What the hell is this?" She reaches out to touch one of the bags, lift it up, flip it over. Her gaze is curious and perplexed. "Did they just shoot at us over a box of steaks?"

Because, really, that seems like overkill to her.

James Barnes has posed:
Shots deflected by that metal hand, before Buck takes the pistol and crushes it. It's luck that his captive's beyond real calculated thought, for even he's not fast enough to stop a bullet. "Give up," Buck tells him. "You're mine now." Then there's a blow to Becker's temple, calculated to put him out without causing any permanent damage. Only once he's got him down and ziptied does Buck patch back in to their comms. "Got him," he tells the women. "Tried to bolt, but he didn't make it. These guys never learn." He sounds positively scolding, like he's disappointed in them.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The meat gets a wary look, Peggy frowning a bit deeper. "...Doesn't look like many steaks I've seen. But... grab one. We'll see if we can get it tested somewhere. Maybe I'm just not all that familiar with what cows look like these days. Those are some small steaks." Peggy comments, really hoping her feeling on the matter is wrong. She lets her gun drop to her side and begins the way down the walkway to the docks. No one else is rearing their head. "Good news, Buck. Bring him in and let's get him somewhere we can talk."

The man who fought so hard is nothing but rag doll weight in Bucky's arms. All the fight is gone and there's a faint trickle of blood from the corner of his lip, but he seems in decent condition otherwise. The tooth didn't get a chance to do it's job, so he's going to snooze the whole way back to the safe house, and then some.