4982/Secret Doors: Little help here

From Heroes Assemble MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Secret Doors: Little help here
Date of Scene: 02 February 2021
Location: Avengers Mansion - Basement
Synopsis: The ghostly monster appears in the basement of the mansion, tangling with Avengers!
Cast of Characters: Tony Stark, Anthony Druid, Steve Rogers, James Rhodes, Pietro Maximoff, T'Challa, Wanda Maximoff, Bruce Banner




Tony Stark has posed:
"So in /summary/ .... ghost-like things have been haunting the mansion a little. Pepper and I got a close encounter and unwanted vacation with one -- and it's now looking at me in the basement. I'm going to haul it into our dimension fully... buuuut probably could use some backup here. It may or may not do something awful, and I don't need to shoulder ALL of the blame for whatever that ends up being...."

Tony's chatty on the team intercom, descriptive, but he has a tension to his voice that speaks of the actual seriousness of what may be going on down in the basement.

-- AVENGERS BASEMENT --

Those that find their way to the basement encounter a few hair-raising things. There's a warped, unclean, shuddering sense to the very air of the lower zone of the mansion, as if reality were peeling away into a realm of something uncomfortable and unnatural.

The lights shudder but stay on, dim, as if through a shower door, but the air seems clear enough. Tony is present - in terms of squatting low by one of the labs, out of his armor, and looking up at the ceiling with an array of small drones and tech set out all over the basement's floor - there's some in the lab, some out in the main area, some in medical, webbed in a network of glowing energy repulsor flicks and actual wiring.

The ceiling currently contains a nebulous, reddish ghostly spider-like shape, branching in tendrils outward, shuddering as it starts to reach into existence on this plane. It zaps a few toes against the forcefield that seems to have been suddenly erected by Stark, but then starts to lean out further...

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid is wearing a blue sweater vest with a red tie and a checkerborad flannel shirt. He could have worn his elaborate costume, complete with pointy collar, cloak and tights, but it seemed a little garish for an investigation within the mansion itself. He tucks away his pipe as they decide to head downstairs, tamping it out with a mere thought of his elemental powers.

When he sees the crimson entity on the ceiling, his rather bushy eyebrows push up into his high forehead, "Well. That's certainly a bit more than your usual Scooby Doo routine. No old man in a mask this time. Too bad. It's always easier that way. Oh well. Time for a bit of exorcism. And on a weekday no less!"

He reaches into the pockets of his jacket, drawing out a piece of chalk and a bag with some crumpled, dried leaves within it, the silver rings on his left hand starting to glow a bit as he draws on his astral abilities to peer and examine the creature with sight beyond sight.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers strides in, wearing his costume sans the helmet, and with his shield strapped to one arm. Steve looks around at the assembled Avengers. "Should someone get pulled through the other way, I was able to pull Tony back through after he signaled with some lights and Morse code. So act quickly to try to pull someone back, though it make take a number of attempts to grasp them," he warns the others.

Steve moves to take a position near to the door, as if his primary concern is that it not escape the room if this succeeds. He looks over at Tony's equipment, likely thinking a few thoughts about how much easier if science had stayed in the 1940s, but if so he keeps them to himself as he readies himself for whatever happens.

As the form becomes visible, his hand tightens on the shield a bit more. He looks between Tony and the creature. "Do you have it contained, Tony?"

James Rhodes has posed:
Jogging down into the basement is Rhodey. He is also sans his usual armor or weapons. "Ghost like? Excorcism? Which is it are we dealing with I see dead people, or is this some sort of weird Ghost in the Machine thing?" he asks as he comes to a stop near the top of the stairs. For a few moments he seems somewhat reluctant to walk into the basement proper, before he steels himself and starts to walk down the stairs, lips drawn thin.

Notably, he has no weapons, though his hand falls to his hip -- perhaps reflexively -- to grab at a gun that isn't there. Some old habits seem to die hard for the ex-Marine. "What, exactly, is the plan here?" he calls out to the room at large.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
To be honest, the whole thing sounds rather ridiculous to him. It probably shouldn't, not given all that he's seen and experienced. Not really. And especially given not who his sister is. But the word just brings a certain cache with it that is almost impossible to escape. So it's probably good that Pietro hears about this 'ghost' while on the other end of the comm so no one has to watch him role his eyes and smirk sardonically in that faintly disrespectful fashion he sometimes slips back into.

His foot is also tapping the floor at something like three dozen beats a second so that would also probably be annoying if he was there in person.

Never the less it is not as if he is exactly overwhelmed with other things to do so the speedster makes his way to the basement, perfectly ready to be condescending and dismissive in person. But walking into the chamber where some of the others have already gathered his gaze immediately latches onto the disturbance on the ceiling, lips pursing slightly in consideration. Huh. "I stand corrected," he murmurs softly, more to himself then anyone else as he begins to pace back and forth, watching restlessly.

T'Challa has posed:
While Wakanda itself does not have ghosts, per se, there is a healthy belief in the mystical and spiritual side of things once the soul has left the mortal coil. There are ways and rituals that allow one to communicate with the dead, or believe they can, and T'Challa is counted amongst those who believe it goes beyond just the imagination, beyond just the subconscious telling a man what he seems to need to hear.

So it is such that he enters the basement of the Avengers Mansion suited up, only with the Black Panther mask not in place just yet. Whether or not he has the ability to handle an otherworldly force that may or may not be bound by normal Earth rules is secondary to the matter at hand, that being one of safety, of ensuring nobody disappears again. "What do we know of this entity thus far?" he asks, the question meant for anyone who has an answer at the ready. "Do we know if it is peaceful? Hurting? Malevolent?" The sight itself is..not what he was expecting, either way.

Tony Stark has posed:
"If I'm in the 'splash zone' for the pea soup of your exorcism, you'd warn me, won't you, Druid?" Tony quips across at Anthony without actually looking up from what he's doing. He has a tech pad that he's working on, fingers fluttering over the controls one-handedly as he watches the creature with semi-distraction, while trying to use the pad itself. Multi-tasking at it's finest.

T'challa's question gets answered next: "So far it seemed to collect us, and stare at us. I'm going with Stalker-Vibe, but otherwise unknown, T'Challa. Make of that what you will."

"'Contained' is a strong way of putting it..." Tony hedges as Steve asks him the status. "I'm hauling it through. So more of 'lassoed' maybe. I'm not entirely sure what it's turning into, but it's becoming physical, which is good for smashing, so I'm rolling with this."

More of the red ghostly shape continues to firm and pour forth from 'nowhere' on the ceiling, but some odd items start to materialize. Pieces of trash, some clothing, half of a chair -- objects, all the objects it has stolen, are filling in through it's limbs like a deranged garbage-creature. Steve's missing left sock is clearly there, as well as the other missing items.

"Original plan was trap it's transparenty-self, but we're sort of making up a new plan now, Rhodey. There's a few guns prepped back in the lab - which I'm feeling pretty confident about even if it's becoming 'Everything-and-the-kitchen-sink'."

The guns mentioned are large, two-handed cannon-like affairs. No, there's no backpacks; this isn't the 80s. It's Stark-tech. Still, they have heft, and require some charging and care to use if holes in the basement aren't part of the new decor plan. One hand to aim, the other to run the charger on the top to throttle power. "I'm /moderately/ busy, so help yourselves. Or punch. Whatever's in your heart to do."

Anthony Druid has posed:
"I suppose you might call it an extradimensional incursion of some sort. Not really a spirit, I would say. Could just be some sort of quasi-conscious entity. Not infernal, insofar as I can tell. I'm not sensing any obvious malevolence, although it could be tricking me. Well, not easily. If it were to deceive me in that fashion, it would be more powerful than it seems and we're just going to keep our fingers cross that isn't the case, shall we?"

Druid steeples his fingers, "Exorcism can be an ugly word and, frankly, drenched in both Catholicism and misinformation. Think of it more as a liberation. This creature has strayed from its home habitat and has gotten snared in our own, like quicksand or a spider's web," Druid says, gesturing vaguely at the shape of the thing.

"I'm going to do a simple spell to try and analyze its essence and see if I can divine the frequency of its home dimension. Then I'll attempt to open a one-way door through which it can retreat back. I have to be careful with that, because if I make the door too open or prone to be reversible, it could increase the likelihood of further incursion. Which could be problematic, given we don't yet understand the nature of these entities."

"The multiverse is a wondrous place, adrip with things that glitter and spark and bite and sing. I'm always intrigued when something new makes itself manifest. Perhaps I'll get to name it."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve takes a step forward towards the creature, though keeping himself between it and the doorway out of the lab still. "We don't know yet if it's aggressive. Though it hasn't exactly been friendly with those pulled into its... dimension," Steve says, words having that brief pause as he feels like he's saying something out of Buck Rogers.

"Be ready, but let's not be the ones to throw the first punch. Or laser or... you know what I mean," Steve says. As Doctor Druid says he might be able to learn more about it, Steve gives a nod his way. "Go ahead, Anthony. Everyone else stand ready, we don't know how it might react. With any luck it is just as curious about us as we are about it." Steve pauses, as if reconsidering those words. "Well, maybe more curious."

James Rhodes has posed:
Guns? A gun? Something to fight this sickly feeling of dread pounding against his mind? Yes please. Rhodes makes a beeline for the guns, and picks two up. He looks ready to start distributing the weapons to the assembled group, "Akaryod and Murray busy this week, Tony?" he asks, before adding, "Who needs one of these badboys?" He's clearly taken up the mantle of armorer. Seems to be a role he is familar with these days.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
"A wonder is not exactly how I would describe this... thing." Pietro says flatly, eyes flickering over it, taking in the way that shape seems to pour forth from wherever it comes, spreading out across the ceiling. He perhaps lacks the adventurous, inquisitive spirit of some of his fellow Avengers, but it looks more like a bowl of cheery jello gone horribly, horribly wrong to him.

The speedster's gaze flickers over towards the Starktech weapons. Not exactly his thing. But Pietro is not at all certain that he really wants to touch this, well, whatever it is. So he slips over to where they are lined up against the wall and picks one up, turning it over in his hands. He still looks a little dubious about the entire thing and as disagreeable as he occasionally is he at least has learned to mostly trust that his collegues know of waht they speak. Most of the time anyway.

"Understood," Pietro offers up tersely, continuing to watch that weapon cradled in his arms looking a little out of place.

T'Challa has posed:
T'Challa holds up a hand to decline one of the weapons. "There is nothing uncomfortable about that at all, Stark," he tells Tony after the description of being taken and watched is shared.

As additional items come into view, he observes, "It is as if it is some sort of extraterrestrial collector." He's got Steve's idea in mind - provide a deterrent toward the thing escaping the room, should it try for the door. A press of something at the wrist leads to Black Panther's helmet materializing in place, and the internal scanners begin to read what's assembling while Druid shares what he knows and is considering doing. "Let us deal with this first, then there will be time to discuss what to call it," he suggests, his stance one of readiness.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Yeah," Tony says simply to Druid's extensive explanation. He actually pauses in what he's doing to fully look up at Druid, then clicks his tongue once, flashes a quick smile, and resumes what he's doing. He also backs up some, with a mishmash of wires attached to the tablet in tow.

"So my tech is working /really/ well. Let's put it like that. Incoming," Tony alerts. "I'm going to swap over my shielding here to try to block it from phasing; I don't want it in the lab. For reasons." Explosive ones, there's some 'things' in the lab.

"And as for not poking it---? Might be past that point, after it kidnapped me..."

For those that can sense disturbances, emotions, the creature has suddenly started to panic. It isn't where it expected to be, and it's so bright, and it suddenly lunges out, bashing against the field. A rain of random items hurtle through, while the red mass stays stuck behind, pelting the group with plastic bags, litter, clothes, empty food cans-- lots of rubbish. And then it drops, and slams into it again-- breaking through to lash out across at the nearest target - Rogers - with a whiplike tendril seven feet in length made of reddish pudding-mass and various items. Some of the missing Avengers action figures are there, even a limited edition Quicksilver one.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
It's a feeling Wanda's had for some time, since, perhaps since the first time Clint and the good Captain were 'attacked'. Wisps of alternate dimension bleeding through seen on the periphery as ghost-like, yes. And it's the commotion that brings the red-headed witch padding downstairs. She's dressed casually; no costume needed. Just a pair of jeans, flats and a larger sweater that hangs on her slim frame.

It's that panic, however, that Wanda feels to her soul, and she draws a quick, audible pull of air in surprise, her hands rising in the air, a secondary shield automatically rising in front of her brother, and any who may be near him. "It was that!"

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid is in the midst of some herbal preparations for his tracing spell when the creature lashes out, "Perhaps it might have been better not to overwhelm it with too much stimultion. The poor thing's already lost and trapped," he says, lashing out with his mind to try to dismiss anything thrown his way, more than certain that the other Avengers can handle themselves admirably without any immediate assistance on his part.

His legs fold beneath him, the tweedy man hovering idly in the lotus position as he concentrates his mind on discovering the resonance of the creature, all the better to know whence to banish it. He is not panicked and he has no interest in Tony's newfangled toys. He is Druid, after all.

Steve Rogers has posed:
As debris and other items come through the forecefield, a baseball bounces over towards the feet of Steve Rogers. He bends down to pick it up and looks at the signature on it. "My Joe Medwick autographed baseball that Secretary Pierce gave me?" he says, an eyebrow going up as he looks towards the spider-like creature with an expression as if to suggest maybe it's about to get real now.

The creature apparently feels the same way as it slams through the forcefield and and then lashes out at him.

Cap's star-spangled shield comes up, the loud clang registering as it hits the Vibranium shield giving an indication of the thing's strength. "Tony? Can you send it back? Or do we want to!?" he calls even as he moves into action, throwing his shield so it bounces off the ceiling and banks down into something that might be a head. Cap's arm extends and the shield is drawn back to his hand and caught as he quickly looks over to Tony.

James Rhodes has posed:
"Just me with the guns then? Typical." Rhodey says, setting the second weapon he picked up aside, and then moving to engage with the creature-spirit-thing that is currently wreaking havoc on the lab, and throwing its stash of stolen goods at the team.

"I'm ready to zap it whenever you need Tony!" Rhodey calls, moving out of the way to ensure that he has a clear shot at the spirit thing. He ducks an office chair that the creature throws otu of the portal.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
Oh no, Pietro does not approve of that action figure at all. Special edition or not, his lip curls slightly as he catches a glimpse of it amongst the refuse that this 'ghost' seems to be carrying around with it. He is not tiny. And he most definitely is not poseable. His points of articulation certainly are not meant to conform to the whims of anyone else!

Look. Pietro might just have a few issues. It kind of runs in the family.

As Wanda joins them, the speedster flashes her a tight smile. He is always a little less moody when she's about. Well... most of the time. Afterall, it's unlikely he would be here at all if not for her. But glad to see her or not, his attention quickly darts back towards the threat at hand, leveling that Starktech weapon even as Wanda's intangible protection springs up around him.

Guns aren't really his thing, high-tech or otherwise. It seems simple enough though. He levels it, he aims it in the general direction of the red blobby thing and he pulls the trigger. Annnnnnd... nothing. He pulls the trigger again to the same effect, stares daggers at Stark as if it is somehow his fault and not -- more likely -- user error, and promptly turns the high-tech rifle in his grasp until it's held more like a club.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
A single, delicate hand is up and in the air in order to keep the shield in place. It's obviously not necessary that it be too strong, not if it's just a bunch of little things being thrown. Green eyes dart around the room to check on the state of the others before giving a little more attention back to her brother.

It's the weapon failure that Wanda's attention, even briefly. Brows rise, a ghost of a smile creases her face as she rolls her eyes. "Throw ball back?" There is a baseball at the Captain's feet, after all.

"I can create hole to push in?" Even as she speaks, the second hand begins to have that red glow, the suble crimson color gaining in depth from the initial wispiness.

T'Challa has posed:
T'Challa puts up an arm when the junk comes flying his way, at which time a black shield forms to protect against any of it striking him. The suit would absorb the impact, no matter that it would probably not feel like much to begin with, but that's beside the point.

As the thing shows its aggression by making a move for Captain America, Black Panther positions himself closer to the super soldier. "I have your back, should you need it," he lets him know. And it might /not/ be needed, but giving Cap a chance to make that determination himself first is only polite. "But you make a fine bait, if if pleases you to know." A glance slides toward Druid as he adds, "Whatever you are working on, I advise quickening the pace. This 'poor thing' may become more of a danger at any moment."

Tony Stark has posed:
"You are /all/ the guns," Tony agrees with Rhodey, moving to step back and sideways move around his friend expectantly - Rhodey gets to be the physical bodyguard while Tony does 'Important Things' in the background. Probably saving everyone present, as per usual.

"Shoot if it-- I mean, now," Tony amends, as the monster drives outwards with another tentacle-like tree-limb. It's sort of like an upside-down tree in a way: branches from the bottom, roots up into the ceiling, frothing with rubbish. A cleaning-robot falls out of it's left 'shoulder' area, and Tony looks personally attacked. How dare it take a Stark-roomba.

The creature seems to be in a panic, but not entirely foolish-- it rips up part of the ceiling - a long beam-- and begins to use that to viciously and rapidly swipe-swipe-across at them, as if wildly trying to force the Avengers back. While also trying to grab onto and entirely steal Cap's shield.

It's shiny. Collectible. One of a kind!

"It's attached to the mansion. We need to sever that connection." Druid or Wanda might call it a haunting: Tony's less spiritual about it. "Maybe if we can keep it on this side, one of you can cut the cord now."

That seems fine, perhaps, until the ceiling begins to roil and lurch. Something is coming through.

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid finds that the weapons being used will create a bit of spiritual static that might actually make it a little harder, "We need somewhere to put it first. Whether that be its home dimension or some sort of trap or prison. Because if you merely free if from the mansion, all it will do is become able to leave as it chooses and it might become rather difficult to retrieve once it's a free roaming vapor."

He hears Wanda's suggestion and nods, "Most assuredly! A hole in which to stuff its proverbial transdimensional hide would be absolutely delightful, if you may provide such."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers looks over to Wanda. "Throw it back?" he says in a scandalized voice. "Medwick won the Triple Crown in '37!" he says of the vintage autographed baseball. As if the very thought of letting the creature get its hands on the ball has stirred motion from him, Cap swings his shield at the glowing red tentacle that reaches for his shield, bashing it with the shield's edge.

He hits it once, twice, and then it manages to wrap the tendril's arm around the shield. A tug of war ensues as Cap says to T'Challa, voice strained with the effort which suggests the thing's strength, "Now might be a good time, Your Majesty. Wanda, can you make us that hole?"

The creature gives a mighty tug, sliding Steve across the floor towards it. He suddenly jumps in the air, spinning rapidly like a figure skater, but airborne and horizontal. The tendril twists and twists and twists until finally the creature gives a bellow of pain and lets go of the shield, Steve dropping back to the ground with it, his blue eyes set with determination.

James Rhodes has posed:
Spiritual nothing. He's got a laser gun. He has somewhere to aim it. He's gonna use it. Also the creature is attacking one of his friends and stole a baseball signed by a borderline Hall of Famer. Rhodes flips the switch, and then, experiences the same failure as Pietro. The gun doesn't work. At least, not right away.

"Stark Tech's finest, right here Tony!" he calls, and starts flipping switches and turning dials. One of them seems to do something as the gun makes a high pitched whining noise, and then, he pulls the trigger...and nearly gets kicked onto his backside by the device.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
Really, he has no idea if physical blows will have much affect on... whatever this is. Definitely not his area of speciality. And since shooting it is apparently out of the question -- Pietro doesn't even consider fetching another weapon from the rack -- then he is more then happy to fall back to a more traditional role. Making sure that nothing interferes with Wanda.

"Do what you need to do sister. Nothing will touch you," he promises, his form already starting to vibrate slightly. And then he is off, darting about the room, little more then a blur as he races about, knocking aside the debris that is hurled back at them from the otherworldly menace and while he might focus his attention on making sure that no debris comes near his sister, he extends the same curtesy to the rest of the team as well. She would expect nothing less afterall.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Maybe this wasn't the smartest choice, but a scientist's curiosity is a curse. He stands just behind Stark and watches as things unfold. He reaches for a small device in his back pocket. It's looks like a cell phone, but probably not so much. He doesn't point it at the thing, but rather around the room like he is taking a video of the room. Definately stand behind the Iron Man when the thing starts to attack. One potential disaster at a time.

T'Challa has posed:
"Noted, Captain," Black Panther answers, reaching for one of the beads at a wrist before it begins to shine and glow, something that seems to catch the attention of the creature. "Since I am not certain wounding it physically would be a good idea, we will try something else."

This little device, once he's allowed a tendril to claim it, begins to emit a series of high-frequency tones, running through a spectrum of sound. In the event it lands on one that causes the thing any level of consternation, it will lock in that selection and amplify it, along with testing similar sounds in that range just in case.

The bead also starts to alternate between feeling hot or cold to the touch, along with billowing smoke around it. That particular trick worked with the sniper recently. Nothing wrong with going to the same well twice. "I am attempting to disrupt it in a safer way."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
All this shooting and tugging and.. such gains something of an exhasperated sigh from Wanda; very much sounding like her brother. She can't help but wear that hint of a smile, however. She's dispelling one of those shadows, one of those little hauntings that had tugged at the edges of her brain for the month or so. She'd doubted her sanity, but here and now?

With Pietro's word, as well as the others', Wanda nods, and when her brother assures her safety, she is able to drop the shield, and with it, raise her hand in order to form her red bits of chaos magic into something suitable for the occasion, that is, a hole.

Centered up and off the floor near the creature apppears a dark form, that as it opens, there is blackness, a deep nothingness. It opens slowly, bit by bit until it's of a proper size to 'catch' a creature.

"There.. now someone else can take its claws from ceiling."

Tony Stark has posed:
"That's going to ---agh!" Tony was, in fact, behind Rhodey, as he'd moved there to accept some defensive cover. And that weapon has kick. So Rhodey'll be in good shape, but he'll tangle up with Stark a little, who pushes him back upright. And no doubt run into Banner some. Tony's not in full armor, though, so that' likely not a problem. Tony then leans over across the gun in Rhodey's hands to flip a switch yellow. "It was in charge-pulse mode, like a grenade launcher-- now you can hold instead. And not fall on me." More user-friendly, now, having seen what Rhodey expected of the gun, the mechanic can adapt!

"Hi, Bruce. Staying calm? Druid's doing yoga, if you need." Safety tips.

The whipping monster twisted up, losing part of a limb in a crash to the floor, oozing with the strange misty red frothing 'stuff'. The rest of it is coming loose, slowly, from the ceiling, as it drops down as if to recover the missing limb! "Scrape it off!" Tony suggests.

The monster seems to really want Black Panther's bead, for whatever reason. It goes into a vibrating frenzy, frothing and lunging at him to try to get at it. It's unclear exactly which of the items caused it -- but possibly heat? Or cold? It took a few moments, but it certainly NOTICED him! It's stretching, and pushing to strain out to get at the bead. Bits of trash continue to flutter - many of them dangerous. We're in kitchen items now, and there were missing knives. Pietro will need to take care!

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid arches one of his rather prodigious eyebrows, "While this is a yogic practice, I am not, strictly speaking, doing yoga at the moment insomuch as I am applying the techniques of yoga and tantric spirituality to the rather unique problem at hand, hopefully for the benefit of all. And I would be more than happy to offer Dr. Banner my services as both spiritualist and healer, should he desire them, but, given some of his previous experiences with those in the psychiatric profession, I can understand if he might be leery of such an offer."

He focuses his astral self and lashes out, snipping at the ties that bind the creature on the ethereal level even as he is occasionally pelted with debris, ignoring it as best he can, "I hope the hole is prepared because it is about to be...free..!"

Bruce Banner has posed:
"Tony." he mutters and studies the contraption in his hand,"So far so good. Just going to make sure it doesn't get a lucky shot in. Nobody wants that." He glances towareds Druid for a moment and offers a slight nod,"Another time perhaps." he suggests and goes back to moving his finger over the phone screen, moving up and down, narrowing his gaze at something and then moves his eyes between the creature and the would be phone.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers understand the intricacies of yogic practices about as well as he understands Tony's technology. But he does understand "Scrape it off" quite well.

Steve dodges a blow aimed at him, sliding over to T'Challa and then using his shield, bashing back to fend off swings of the tentacle-like appendage that are aimed at the Wakandan monarch.

"Is that you that's having the effect on it?" Steve asks after swinging the shield to block a heavy paperweight made out of marble that was sent flying toward the pair.

Steve hurls his shield, hitting one of the spots where the creature is gripping to the ceiling, knocking that one root-like grip free. The shield bounces back to him merely on the angles of the hit rather than Steve having to use the magnetic bracer he wears to return to the shield to him.

James Rhodes has posed:
"You put a grenade mode on here? Did you even watch Ghostbusters?" Rhodes yells at Tony as he covers for the man. Of course, in doing so, he's not aiming particularly well, and...oops there goes a bit of ceiling that he cuts into with the beam that he's firing at the 'ghost'. Or whatever it is.

He steadies his shot soon after though, and works on carving up the creature as best he can, in concert with the other Avengers in the room. So far he's been mostly ignored by the creature, as it seems more interested in Cap and the yoga instructor, but the creature whips a tentacle at him now, which he is forced to dive away from to dodge.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
Flying cutlery might be something of a danger to others, but Pietro it is as if they were flying at him in slow motion. Much as he might wish to take out his frustrations with Stark's latest gadget and beat the creature in front of him, he still really could make better use of the knives right now. So as he whips about the room as little more then a motion blur, he sets the fancy weapon down on a nearby table as he zips past and instead begins to pluck those flying knives out of the air, one by one. Other cutlery quickly follows, battered aside, knocked to the ground.

And then he takes those knives and zeroes in on those clinging tendrils. He's moving fast enough at this point that it is no real issue to hit the wall and simply run along it, gaining more height then he would have otherwise. He zips around the room and each time he passes those tendrils he slashes at them with the knives, only breaking that route when he needs to return to sentinel duty, plucking more and more of the creatures stolen 'treasures' from the air and beginning to stack them up in piles. Organized even.

Don't say he never did anything for the rest of you.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda is calm and secure now, focussed on maintaining the hole. Her head cants as she takes in all the fighting, all the shooting, the defending and attacking, and there she is, standing in the middle of it all. Her hands move as its shape is changed, modified, and shifted so it can catch every bit of the creature, just in case the parts that are pried off can move independently.

T'Challa has posed:
Black Panther replies, "Yes. It would be easier to simply attack it in the usual ways, but I was uncertain if it would make things better or worse. Instead, I sought to draw its attention." He snaps a hand out to catch a knife passing close by, but Pietro takes care of it before it reaches him. "Thank you," he says by the time the speedster has made another round or two of the basement.

After leaping over a passing tendril to land nimbly back in place, then ducking an espresso machine, he lobs another bead at the monster, programmed to act the same as the first. Two now sent in different directions, to distract and disorient it. "Now, it is time."

Another jump forward brings him into the fray, and with a snap of the wrists the vibranium claws are out. They cut precisely in spots meant to dislodge it, to help aid the team in getting it banished from the world. "Whatever the rest of you have in mind, now might be a good time."

Bruce Banner has posed:
Flying knives? Never a dull moment here. Banner leans forward and to the side to shield himself from such things and frowns at the screen. He scrolls something on the phone and pushes a button. It is far from a sonic pitch, but it would probably annoy the local dogs quite well. Whether it bothers the creature or not, he's getting readings on whatever is going. He is curious to see if it reacts though, mindful to not point the phone directly at any of the team.

Tony Stark has posed:
Everything seems to go swimmingly -- nobody's dying, or crushed under a marble paperweight. Egos are bruised, as that Quicksilver action figure has been swept up to be flung again, but perhaps those can heal. "Okay, dropping all shielding, adding a pulse; Rhodey ---!: pull it in, cross the streams, whatever you've got---!" Tony declares abruptly, nodding to Banner as well, aware that he'll get a rush of data when the force shields drop. Be ready, the nod says.

The whole monster lurches under the pressure from the Avengers, tumbling at the rift Wanda and Druid have maintained. It spins, erupting in garbage littering the floor, disappearing through the hole. It seems the Avengers might get to do a victory lap....

Until the ceiling glows, vibrantly red, reality peeling, as it shifts and bubbles with the form of a large reddish presence. Hundreds of little bubbles start to bloat, then open, into ghastly, phased eyes. The intensity of the stare is beyond just physical, it's something MORE. The thing STARES for a beat, and then the whole thing fades.

"Huh," Tony remarks. "So, that happened."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid winces at the more intense presence, drifting backwards a bit as the others seem to mostly be doing well until they're not. Which is the way of things, always.

"The presence seems to, for the moment, have vanished, with the one captured. But it is clear that it is not one of a kind Nor do I think it was quite so harmless as we may have initially considered. Harmless on a scale of Avengers foes, that is, not normal folks."

"Regardless, for now, what's done is done. I for one would like to get a repast to re-energize, preferably sushi of a luxurious extraction. I'm buying. Tony's not the only wealthy individual amongst us, after all," he says. Plus he can probably put it on the show tab as research after that particular incident.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers joins in the final assault on the creature's 'roots', spying an aerosol can which he hurls up at the ceiling, followed up by his shield to strike it cause it to go off with a loud retort as the metal is breached.

He goes to where his shield lands on the ground, stomping it with his foot to pop up to his hand, watching as the creature falls into the 'hole' that his teammates have made. He's looking at it when those additional eyes stare down malevolently then disappear.

"It seems to have a big brother," Steve says with a frown, turning to look at the others on the team.

James Rhodes has posed:
James Rhodes watches as the rest of the team finishes off the monster, and he gets back to his feet, after the many eyed thing has made its appearance. "Cross the streams? Tony. Go. This weekend. You and Pepper. Go watch Ghostbusters. You'll get a lot out of it. Turst me." He then says, "Add one of these to my suit too, please. This would be...just..next time I am suiting up to fight whatever that was." He nods to Cap, "Big brother, or momma."

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
As his action figure reemerges in amongst the chaos of hurled debris Pietro directs that icy glare at the thingy and perhaps slices one last time at that last tendril a little more savagely then is entirely warrented. Then he is racing about the room, taking care of those last bits of flying debris -- and snatching that offending action figure out of the air -- before he begins to decelerate at last. All that debris ends up in it's appropriate piles as well -- all save the Quicksilver action figure that is. It seems to have conveniently vanished. Surprise, surprise.

So, mission accomplished then and the speedster comes to a stop beside his sister once more, giving her the once over in that protective, older brother fashion to make sure that nothing slipped past his blur of defense. Reassured, he turns his gaze back towards the ceiling and spies the other thingy beind the first, expression tightening once more. "That doesn't bode particularly well," he notes sourly.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda is honestly holding it together. The creature before her is now a 'known', and she has the hole maintained with a gentle kneading gesture. It's //okay//. She's got it covered.

As the body parts fall into the hole, and Wanda maneuvers the yawning chasm in order to catch everything else the others have dropped in. It's just before the crimson red creature appears on the ceiling that gains her attention, her eyes widening in the spot as it appears. It's all she can do to stiflle a scream, the presence making itself known. There's more than one!

"No.. no.. no.." and she shakes her head, red hair moving with the force of the gesture, even as the hole closes when the work is done. In its wake, then, her hand pushes forward in the direction where it's disappeared, melting into the ceiling, with a push of red hex chaos magic. The red of her energy melts away, leaving behind.. the ceiling.

"Pietro?" It's a small voice that calls his name.

Bruce Banner has posed:
The readings on his meter must have gone crazy because Bruce raises his brow in surprise. He's mostly too well educated to swear, but he does at times. He mutters something as the heart monitor on his wrist starts to beep at him and he cloess his eyes, leaning against the nearest wall and starts to take a few slow breaths. Everyone got through this mess, let's not start another. It only takes a few seconds for the monitor to settle down again. Supernatural creatures.

T'Challa has posed:
Black Panther lands nearby and simply..stares back at what looms above them for a few moments, before the basement looks like it's back to the way it's meant to be if you ignore all of the trash strewn about. "That was not something I care to repeat again soon. I am glad everyone seems to be safe, but I will catch up with you after I have taken care of a few things." Seems that is all he has to say about that, as Forrest Gump might have noted. No doubt information about this will be relayed back to scientists at home. In departing, the suit retracts, fades away, leaving T'Challa to walk out wearing what he arrived in, namely traditional Wakandan clothing.

Tony Stark has posed:
"I wouldn't want to just be a stream of pop-culture references. Need to leave that to someone else," is the laugh to Rhodey. Tony sets down the equipment with a deep release of breath, after returning the fields back to former strength. Tech back up and blocking. Surely it'll be fine. "Yeah, staying at the mansion right now is sort of 'at your own risk'," Tony admits to Panther's comment. "I've got a hotel set up nearby if anyone isn't interested in being stared at via the ceiling monster." And then Tony gives a bright little smirk to Druid.

"I could eat," Tony agrees, cheerfully enough, and starts to head away.