5165/Shine: The Montana Homestead

Shine: The Montana Homestead
Date of Scene:	13 February 2021
Location:	Joplin, Montana
Synopsis:	The Moonstone Facility, a former religious commune-turned-slave-labor camp and refuge for the illicitly wealthy. The Outsiders and their ally Agent Angelos Tampambulos are on hand to rescue Phoebe Beacon, missing from Gotham City. The magical healer is rescued from her plight, and returned home. Mickey Rodgers and a slew of other minor villainous types are rendered to SHIELD and FBI custody, and Rodgers, loosing the Gotham Gate, will never be in a position to hurt anyone again.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Tim Drake, Achilles, Conner Kent, Laura Kinney, Bart Allen, Rose Wilson

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    It is a 'brisk' five degrees on the plains of Montana.

    The facility in front of our intrepid heroes appears to be at rest with the cold -- minus the thick jakceted guards who are making rounds. There is a lean-to where two vans are parked. There is a long, low barracks like building with a corrogated metal roof, rusting in some places, and a nice little farmhouse, where the porch lights are on in spite of the storm.
    With the information that Bart was able to gather, the Outsiders know that there are six levels below the barracks -- garages, storage, a barn, and somewhere -- likely -- Phoebe was being kept either in the 'Brig' or in one of the small, lower bedrooms. There are a trio of elevators -- two smaller ones at the front, and a larger one at the back, lightly for transporting larger loads.

    Meanwhile, Angelo Tampambulos would have gotten an update from SHIELD, as a favor. They'd tracked down the social media information to the tiny town of Joplin, Montana, and the large facility to the NOrth seemed the most likely place for a group of ne'er-do-wells to make a base.

    Let the games begin.

Tim Drake has posed:
Everything pointed to Joplin, Montana. Every clue that the Outsiders have managed to piece together about the disappearance of their teammate, and friend, Phoebe has lead them here to this facility.

Setting the VTOL craft to hover in silent mode about a half-mile from the facility itself, Red Robin releases the buckles from his seat and moves into the back of the aircraft. Starting one last check of his equipment, because one thing you learn as a hero in Gotham is that you can never be too prepared, Red Robin look to the others of his team.

"We need to go quietly. We don't know what numbers we are dealing with in there, and with the complex being so large there is no way to get a decent count on thermals. We can't risk an alarm that will bring everyone down on us. Are we ready for this?"

Achilles has posed:
    Sitting in his SHIELD issue sedan with the high tech communications suite, Angelo hangs up his cellphone after getting the call from home base to tell him that he is about to get emailed the schematics on public record of the facility. His car is about a quarter mile from said location where he parked it.
    Bundled up, he adjusts the scarf about his neck, and seals the carhart-style light beta-cloth lined coat and the thinsulate shooting gloves he carries with him.
    That done, it's time to get out and head for the trunk where his ... well... for lack of a better word, 'armory' is located. From within, he withdraws the SHIELD issue ICER pistol, and the upgraded modified Kriss Vector SMG chambered for ICER rounds. He wants nonlethal stuff here. Plus, he has his old school arsenal on hand. So, after gearing up, he is heading in on foot under cover of darkness. And... did I mention the glasses with super Nightvision lenses? Yep, important detail too. He is moving slowly as he approaches... taking time to survey and make sure that the visual matches the schematics he has on hand.

Conner Kent has posed:
The past weeks Conner has been reading a lot about Montana. He knew Phoebe's kidnappers were heading this way, so he tried to do some investigations himself. But to say the truth, it feels it was luck and Phoebe herself almost escaping that finally allowed the team to find her.

That feels vaguely wrong. The Outsiders are supposedly to be smarter than this. Not that they have dealt with kidnapping cases before, but... well, Conner has been uncharacteristically quiet during the trip to Joplin, and now he seems eager to punch someone. "I have no problem with bringing everyone on me for this. But I guess we should find Phoebe before we start kicking ass," he comments to Robin's words.

Laura Kinney has posed:
When it comes to fashion Laura subscribes to the one or two practical outfits philosophy. But when it comes to equipment for specific missions? She's an extremely well prepared clone killing machine. Sporting a full head to toe winter camouflage outfit, carefully selected for the vegetation in the local area, with pockets filled with assorted tactical gear. Thermal smoke grenades, throwing knives and other assorted concealed weapons.

"I'll take point unless someone objects?" She packed a scoped rifle too incase they need long distance sniper cover. But somehow she suspects Tim might object to that being plan A. "We should assume there are various electronic security measures in place as well as guards. Possibly explosives or landmines until we can confirm otherwise."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks tot he bunch and says "I don't think the locals in the town are in on anything, It is just the people in the complex." He is wearing a version of his normal costume, but the red areas are grey for this mission. "We need to make sure that the local area is not hurt, seems the place's water is brought in from the local water table, they have lowered it enough one of the local farms went dry and had to dig a new well. The people here think their town is dieing, they were helpful when I was here, want to make sure we don't hasten the towns death, just the complexes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    ANd the complex awaits in front of them; no one appears to be detected yet. The guards are wearing thick hats, it might muffle noise, but they don't seem particularly concerned as they hurry up to the next guard hut.

    Snow is blowing over the area.

    THe visual matches the schematics -- this is indeed the place. Phoebe is in there, somewhere, waiting for a rescue.

Tim Drake has posed:
Robin looks to Superboy, "I know you don't, Connor, but until we have an idea what we are really up against we need to keep things on the quiet. The last thing we want is someone raising an alarm and deciding that would be a good time to start hurting hostages, or worse. Don't worry, I am positive you will get a chance to punch someone or something soon enough."

Robin makes his way to the back of the plane, hitting the button to lower the back which starts to open with a hydraulic whine. "Laura, take point. No objections here. Bart, when we hit the ground do a quick parameter check, but make sure not to cross the property line until we have a chance to check it."

As the door lowers, Tim steps out onto the platform and places his gloved hand on the piston for stability, the icy wind whipping his hair and his cape violently as he scans the grounds from his vantage point. "Connor, can you get Bart and Laura down? I'll risk a dro...."

He pauses, reaching up to tap at a hidden button on his domino mask, "Someone else is here. 2 O'clock, approaching the complex. Damnit, if he isn't careful he is going to alert people..."

Achilles has posed:
    Checking the small knapsack he is wearing, Angelo makes sure the thermal blanket and such he brought with just in case the rescue target is not equipped for cold weather is secured. He also has his phone tucked away with image and video proof that Caroline Beacon is safe and healthy. Not to mention the plan to call the burner phone he left with the woman so that she and Phoebe -can- speak.
    But for now, he is moving with practiced motions. Making sure to not draw attention from -most- folks looking in that direction. Most folks does not include super-predator-mutants, Kryptonians, or Bat-Trained Robins.
    He scans the perimeter patiently. The first mistake a lot of operators make is to rush things. He figures that this girl has been here for a while, and a few extra minutes won't make matters worse. He has no idea that the others are present. As far as he knew, he was doing this alone.
    His lenses peer out and look for electronic security measures, laser detection grids, etc.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Er... probably not landmines," comments Conner, jumping down the plane and offering Laura and Bart help if they needed. But electronic security is likely, so he will try to scan the area with his enhanced eyesight and some tactile telekinesis through the ground. Which should work also in locating the mines.

Anyway, he is looking for... anything, he is also quick to spot Agent Angelo, "isn't that the guy from Gotham? The one talking with Gordon? What is he doing this far from the city?"

Laura Kinney has posed:
"I'll be fine getting down," Laura assures. It's not so big a fall that she can't just drop, roll and heal anything that she breaks on the go. She glances back at Conner. "You'd be surprised at just how often criminals deploy landmines or other explosive traps." And then steps off the edge.

Despite the fall there's barely any noise when she lands. And it's not long before she's slinking her way through the freezing cold Montana landscape. Aiming for an approach from which the wind is blowing from the compound towards her. The better to scent scout.

Slipping onto subvocal comms she notes "The SHIELD Agent. He paid Phoebe's Mothers hospital bills with his own money."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over to Robin and says "Want me to drop off a com with him, see if we are going to be working with or against him. I showed him some of the info we originally had that they had almost up to. Mostly about who the Johnson's were. I can drop it off on a circuit. He also has a can of spray paint with him, and offers Conner a pair of red sunglasses with red lenses, and names a light frequency for the others two. "If I find anything will spray it down, but should only show through that frequency." He does grab a second com and after Conner drops him off, he is off. but waiting for Robin's call before getting near the shield agent.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Just what *is* Agent Tampambulos doing here?

    When X-23 drops, there is nary a sound. Coming up from downwind, she can smell alcohol, body odor, sweat. She could smell the myriad people who lived on the facility grounds from their day to day coming from the exhausts of the lower building, rather than the farmhouse.

    A door opens, and someone is thrown out!

    "Y-you can't do this to me!" she squeals, "I'll freeze out here!"

    "Then you're going to stop sneaking around where you're not supposed to be, aren't you Fern?" a voice snaps. A farmiliar one, and LAura would find the unpleasantly remembered smell of someone she recently made acquaintence of.

    "I won't! I'll stay in my room! PLEASE, sir!"

    "... all right, But if I catch you outside your room in the next week, even just to take a piss, I will bury you in the snow and let the rats gnaw on you!" the voice growls, and the girl is grabbed by her head in the snow, and dragged back inside, the heavy metal door slamming shut behind them.

Tim Drake has posed:
Over the coms, Robin switches to code names since they may be giving an outsider a come unit to use for the Outsiders. "23, intercept....but be nice about it. Impulse, Superboy, do your perimeter search fist then rendezvous with 23 and the SHEILD agent. Give him a comm unit, but keep it to codenames from now on. I'm not going to look a gift horse, or extra ally as the case may be, in the mouth. The more on this op the merrier. I'm on my way down and will meet you guys in a moment."

With that Robin hooks a line to the frame of the plan and launches himself into the air from the back of the plane and freefalls for a moment before letting the line snap taught, sliding down the rest of the way as his cape billows out behind him.

Conner Kent has posed:
"SHIELD? Very cool," decides Conner. He takes the glasses from Bart and gives him a quizzical look. "What are you spraying? Uh, lets just sneak in and..." he hears the yelling from the building and frowns. "Or maybe just kick the door down..."

But when Tim gives them instructions, he reluctantly abandons his plans of door-kicking to do the recon of his side of the fields. No mines or electronics he can detect anywhere. In fact, it is kind of nothing out here. "This side is clear," he says to the comms. "Going back to you, X."

Laura Kinney has posed:
"Confirmed. Judging by the scents on the wind Mickey Rogers, the newspaper owner, is inside. Seems to be keeping at least one other girl by the name of Fern prisoner," Laura adds over comms. "Threatened her for going 'somewhere she shouldn't. Maybe a reference to the prison Phoebe is in?."

Of course that's pure speculation.

She continues to slink through the snow, almost as silently as if it was clear ground, making no move to announce herself until she's right behind Angelo.

Her voice low enough it's only just audible over the wind she notes "Agent Tampambulos you have stumbled into a superhero operation. Please avoid making any sudden hostile movements. My team leader Red Robin wishes to speak with you over our comms."

She carefully tosses the Outsiders communicator out infront of Angelo. Making sure it lands in a spot that would make it tricky for him to draw any of his weapons and try shoot her.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen is doing his circuit. He heads the opposite direction of Conner, and says over the coms "If I see mines, sensors or what not, the spray will let you guys see them from a distance. " He offers explaining the paint. His large feed do help a bit with the snow and keeping moving like he would on water helps as well. He keeps scanning about doing recon, and only very softly humming the mission impossible theme in his head, and maybe over com.. softly.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There are no mines, no hidden pitfalls. It's not like they're expecting guests -- and after all, in the summer? The place is a farm. The most there might be are canine or horse-based landmines, and other than the smell, not really much of a problem.

    The door to the barracks gives a 'click' as it time-locks. Hostiles within... likely just about everyone.

Achilles has posed:
    Someone with as much battlefield experience as Angelo is used to looking for small details. I mean X23 is going to be far better at sensing -and- sneaking than he is. But at the moment, Angelo is distracted by the noise up at the building. The truth is, that sound provides a flawless diversion and cover for any noise he might make moving in. So, he is about to move forward when he hears LAura's voice.
    Many of the most experienced soldiers would flinch at such a sudden sound. Even as soft as it is. But Angelo merely turns his head minutely, not betraying anything to anyone up ahead.
    A hand come sup and catches the comm unit even as his SMG drops to hang from its sling. A gesture of a sort. But it is only a few seconds later that his voice comes over comms. Soft, almost subvocalized.
    "I do hope I am not intruding. I am here for the girl. I thought I was alone, so... if you people plan to go in regardless then I will simply provide support from here. I have cold weather supplies for Ms. Beacon if it is needed. I am equipped mainly for nonlethal takedowns. But I am not planning to get in your way. SHIELD is here to support, not obstruct. Give me instructions."

Tim Drake has posed:
"Agent Tampambulos, This is Red Robin." Tim says once he lands in the snow, letting the line go and taking the time to multitask by using the computer on arm to control the VTOL craft to close the backdoor and move to a safer distance. "We appreciate any assistance that you may be able to aid in the rescue of Ms. Beacon. Superboy, Impulse, 23, and myself will be rendezvousing on your position here shortly and will we go in from there. I'll see you soon, Agent."

Once the communication is over, Robin starts to slog his way through the snow towards the agent's position, switching over to night vision, mumbling something to himself about not having the forethought to bring snowshoes.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner sneaks (badly) to join the others, arriving more or less at the same time Robin does. "Pretty much zero security, guys. I don't even think they have cameras outside. If they did, they are buried under the snow."

"This is supposedly to be some kind of cult retreat, right?" He offers. "They don't seem very high tech, so probably not Cobra or anything like that." Beat, "unless they are magic types, then we are screwed. On the other hand, they have not send zombies after us yet, so chances are they are just a bunch of creeps."

Achilles has posed:
    "Copy." is all Angelo says over comms. No sense getting all verbose. He does doublecheck visually that his bronze bracers are in place on his wrists. I mean they've been a part of who he is for three thousand years thus far. He just can't really go anywhere without'em.
    But his Vector Submachinegun comes up, the ACOG scope sighting in on the building as he waits. He was told that others would be coming to his position... so he holds position and says softly off comms, hoping Laura is still nearby, "When we find her, it is important that I talk to her as soon as possible. I have information that she is going to want to know..." he says.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Delivery complete Laura slinks off into the snow, moving off and blending into the snow with inhuman grace. She is after all supposed to be scouting ahead.

As she advances on the compound over the comms she muses "What approach are we going for? Breach from all sides for maximum shock and awe?" The building having potential extra hostages in complicates matters. Even if the group are all mundane Humans they could hurt enough hostages that even Bart would struggle to get everyone to a suitable hospital in time.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over to the group as he gets there. "I didn't see anything either. And yes slightly different costume, but it is the guy who dropped off the info for Angelo. He looks around them, and says "So, how we want to do this Rob?" He asks looking over to the leader waiting for his orders.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The low house was covered, and lights were beginning to go out -- presumably to save on power. The door opens again, this time someone comes outside, using the door as a windshield as he tries to smoke a cigarette, huddlign against the cold as he tries to light up.

Rose Wilson has posed:
As Laura peels off from the group, she discovers Ravager there following the group like a pro or something. What a surprise! She stands in the snow and says, "Could you guys be louder?" she asks her, "Easy to follow you but hard for attacking. Just saying," she advises.

Tim Drake has posed:
"I want to try and take this as quiet as we can. I don't want to alert the interior unless we absolutely have no choice," Robin confirms as he makes his way slowly towards the agent, trying to keep low and to the shadows as the color scheme of his costume isn't exactly meant for snowy weather. He squats down as he approaches the Agent, tapping a few keys on his wrist computer as he pulls up an overhead view of the complex, focusing in on the barracks. "Impulse, take the left. 23, take the right. Superboy, you can take front and draw fire, but only if things go south. I'll try around back. Agent Tampambulos, cover the front and let us know if you spot anything more out of the ordinary. Let's move people."

Robin closes the overhead view and starts to make his way towards the back of the house, hindered slightly by the snow as he trudges through the powder.

Achilles has posed:
    The only response Angelo gives is a double click on his comm. He settles in and presses the stock of his weapon to his shoulder. He gets comfortable and ready, sweeping his weapon slowly left, then right, then back left as he scans the perimeter. He'd point out the smoker and the door as a potential breach point but.. anyone named Robin is going to already be aware of it. He's spent enough time in Gotham to know that. So he focuses on basically being on overwatch.
    Any changes in the strategic or tactical situation however, -will- be transmitted quietly over the comm net.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Hey, Ro... Ravager," greets Conner. "Hmm, there is a guy at the door, smoking. Bad habit in this weather," he smirks. But since he can 'take the front' that means he is going to be the first to get there. He is not stealthy, but he is fast. So his plan is grabbing the smoker and pulling him away from the door, tossing him to Angelo's feet. The SHIELD agent can ask him questions or just shoot him with the ICER. In any case, Conner is going inside.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney doesn't react to Ravager appearing, other than to raise an eyebrow at Rose standing up in the open where everyone can see her. She's a professional too after all. If you can call being genetically engineered to be a superhuman killing machine a profession that is.

"Confirmed Red Robin. Approaching now." She slinks off into the snow with barely a trace she was ever there. When she finally gets in position her claws come out with a quiet snikt ready to slice open the door. "Ready on your signal."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will head to left as he is told. As Superboy grabs the guy, Bart will reach into a pocket, and pop some chewing gum in his mouth and chewing softly to move in and put the chewing gum into the lock with a bit of foil over it to try to keep the door unlocked but let it read as locked.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    And now the Outsiders have access to what appears to be a bunk house!

    It has people in it, who all look Very Very Cold, and before anyone can really say anything, there's someone behind the group, suddenly taking aim at Robin!

    "Surge to control: We have *Bats*!" he barks into the command, and launches a filiment at Tim, shocking the poor lad from behind with a whole lot of electricity!

    "Freeze! Don't any of you punks move! You're on private property!"

Achilles has posed:
    When someone talks about a suppressed firearm, there are usually two different thoughts about how they sound. If you believe the movies, they are as quiet as can be. In reality, they are just -less- loud than full on firearms. Either way, a short three round burst of ICER rounds in .45 caliber are fired from Angelo's SMG. Pretty much the same moment that the taser is fired at Tim. Er.. Robin. The fact that someone appeared to get the drop on Robin, -and- got a message off tells Angelo that they've been made. So, he takes initiative and says over comms, "We're made. Superboy, I think it's safe to do your thing. And don't be subtle about it." he suggests.
    His plan? Use the invulnerable alien as a diversion so he can move closer and check on Robin. Oh, and maybe find the girl. But that's not -all- his job.

Conner Kent has posed:
Inside the building Conner finds a bunch of confused but not hostile people. Oops. "Hey, stay calm and nothing bad will happen," he offers, flashing a grin. No Phoebe here, so he tries to go deeper into the building. Then he hears Tim is in trouble -outside-. "Impulse, help Robin," he says on the com. "Someone else cover my back, I am going to find Balm even if I have to kick down all the walls of this place."

Laura Kinney has posed:
Well stealth no longer seems like it's the plan. That works for Laura though. Her claws already out she sweeps them from floor to ceiling in a circle around the door, then kicks it frame and all into the room followed by a flashbang grenade from one of the many pouches she's wearing.

The moment of confusion it causes should be plenty of time for her to burst in and get up close. The anatomy training she received to help her kill people is also great for picking out places you can stab or slice someone without it being fatal.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods to head back to cover Robin. He comes up behind the man, and frowns. He will reach down taking zip ties off the man's belt, and zip ties his left hand to his right foot, and his right hand to his left foot. He will pull the com off the man, as he sees it tossing it to Angelo as the man comes up. He will grab Rob and zoom him to the ship, to make sure he is ok, and once he knows he is ok he calls back "Rob's ok but out, put him on the ship."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The guy had only about thirty seconds of security thinking he had saved the day, only to be taken out by a college kid in leather pajamas.

    THe people on the inside are pretty frightened, kids climbing up to their moms, people hudding in bunkbeds.

    One man -- Taylor Johnson, one of the pair that kidnapped Phoebe -- races to one of the elevators! Can he make it in time?!

Achilles has posed:
    Rushing forward now, Angelo is in tactical mode. He had the coms to use as IFF markers. But he reaches the doorway and ends up with his back against the frame before he whips about into the room, submachinegun at the ready. But he doesn't fire. Not right away. Mostly, he's making sure to identify enemies. How? Anyone who shoots him is an enemy. It's a bit backwards to most folks. But most folks can die.
    He spots the runner and tracks to fire... but his reflexes are merely human level. Someone else may beat him to that.

Conner Kent has posed:
There is a good deal of confusion on the bunk room, but Conner was looking for... elevators, right. So, he also spots Taylor Johnson. The fake dad. "Hey, you!" He yells. Obviously Johnson is not stopping, but Conner is Kryptonian enough to be able to move quite fast, and manages to grab the man before he gets to the elevator.

"Where is Phoebe?" He asks, angrily, pinning him against the wall opposed to the elevator. "Why the hell did you bring her here? You are not her father!"

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney also puts on a burst of speed when Taylor rushes for the elevators, although she doesn't stop once Conner has caught upto him. No she's on the hunt now. A scent trail leads to the elevators and it's only a matter of time before the people underground figure out something is up!

Which is why X-23 doesn't hang around waiting for the elevator to arrive. She snikts herself an opening and jumps. Aiming for the roof of the rising elevator car, then leaping off again into one of the narrow service gaps in the shaft and from there back to a cable to slide down.

For someone without superhuman reaction speeds it'd be suicide. And even with them it's still pretty dangerous. But that's what a healing factor is for right?

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will come in last, after the others, and does something unusual. He stops and looks around a moment Kids? He looks around and says "Ok, everyone stay calm, we are not here to help/ Who here is being held against their will, and made to stay here?" He looks them over trying to tell if any are bad guys or somehow just in a very bad situation

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The man gives a lout grunt, there are children crying. One of the elevators lights up that it is going down... and then the other lights up that it's going down, dropping digital numbers.

    "I just did what I was told! It was a job! I didn't even have to hurt anyone!" 'Taylor' growls, and attempts to slam Conner into the opening that Laura has created. It's not going to work, because Conner has him pretty pinned.

    Laura gets through the elevator, which is making its way up slowly.

    "... does he mean the girl who ran away?" A little kid asks, tugging on the sleeve of his parent, and the mom whispers "Hush, Josie!"

    The elevator opens with a cheery 'Ding!' --

    And the sudden report of firearms, aiming to take out Conner and Taylor!

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner growls at Taylor. "You did hurt plenty," wait, 'ding'. He turns slowly to see the armed goons. "Drop those weapons," he says, tossing Taylor away. He turns so they all can see the big red S in his chest. "Because ricocheting bullets are a bitch. You will only hurt yourselves," he adds with cocky smirk.

In the case they won't listen (when do they listen?) he is rushing in, trying to get into the elevator and push the goons against the back end of the cabin.

Laura Kinney has posed:
There being a second elevator car makes this a lot easier for Laura. Rather than slide down the cable she can just leap down onto the roof of the descending car and deal with the occupants in a nice enclosed space. No running away from her.

"In pursuit, shaft goes about a hundred foot down," she calls out over comms her voice barely carrying over the noise from inside the shaft.

With that big a drop it would take valuable time healing all the broken bones. So Laura really can't afford to miss any of her jumps! Still in an emergency she can at least dig her claws into the wall and slow her fall.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen comes over to the mom and kids "Yea, I think she was the one who ran away, she wants to be home with her mom, and some people brought her here against her will. He looks at the mom "I am sure you understand how bad it would be to not be able to be around your family." He does not mean it as a threat, but with one friend rushing an elevator, and the other making short work of the doors on another, it maybe taken the wrong way.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The woman's eyes are wide. "They took her to the Brig when they returned with her. We haven't seen her since they took her hair." she states, and she wraps her arms around the two kids, holding them close.

    The other car gives a soft grunt of 'huh?' ... and then fires upwards at Laura!

    A couple of Ricochet bullets do make it out, but these guys appear to learn pretty fast -- they stop shooting and one of them, in frustration, lobs the gun at Conner! Duck!"

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner is bullet-proof, so hitting him with punches, clubs or kicks is not going to work well. In fact the only reason he is not just ignoring the goons is because there is a roomful of unarmed people behind him. He has to go relatively slowly, disarming them men, breaking the guns, and then punching them hard enough just to knock them out or break some unimportant bones. "Who are these guys?" He grumbles at the coms.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura dances around on the roof of the descending elevator car as bullets punch through the metal, avoiding most of the bullets and letting her healing factor take care of the few which catch her.

Then, like something out of a horror film, she quickly and carefully slices a hole in the roof. Having taken the time to work out the best places to cut without causing the whole thing to fall apart.

And yet that's not the worst part. That comes when X-23, her winter camouflage stained with blood, springs through the gap.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks tot he people and says "I am going to take you someplace where you will be safe." He looks to them, and then group by group he will carry them all to a waffle house a few cities over. Once he has everyone there he uses the emergency fund to pay for food for all of them "I will be back to talk to you all after we are finished, and see where you want to go and make sure your all ok." He does worry about the people running off, so he does make a mental note of where camera are so he can track them if need be later.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Bart Allen has moved all of the people upstairs to the Waffle House, where they're greeting inevitably by a waitress who may be some Lovecraftian actor because she has seen it all, and a cook who simply cracks his knuckles and starts in on breakfast foods. Agent Tampampolus is guarding the upstairs in case of any sort of back up, likely.

    Laura crashes through the elevator with a couple of surprised guards, their gun muzzles hot as they all turn, and realize that it's too close quarters to shoot!

    One of them hits the Emergency Stop, and the door opens up into a parking garage -- on the fourth floor down!

    The guards spill out of the door, firing into the elevator at Laura as they go!

    Conner is bullet proof. There's also no longer any defenseless residents behind him, thanks to Bart, and with a couple of good hits, the goons go down. One of their radios is sparking, echoing the gunfire below as someone echoes his question, and then: "Don't let them get to the bottom floor!"

Conner Kent has posed:
"Guys, we gotta get to the bottom floor," states Conner at the comms. He leaves the guys from the first elevator unconscious or whimpering due to broken bones in the bunk room. Then he hit the button down on the elevator's wall. "How goes your side, X?" He asks, a little worried Laura jumped down like that.

In Conners opinion Laura might have a deathwish and is going to give them all grey hairs before they get to twenty.

Laura Kinney has posed:
With Laura's keen senses and superhuman reflexes she can slice bullets from the air as she closes the distance on the retreating guards. Her face contorted into a snarl as she covers the ground between them. Lucky for the guards she's under orders not to kill so her initial attacks will focus on cutting the weapons apart and then?

Then it'll be a flurry of wounding strikes.

Surgical stabs to clavicals, slices to tendons. By the time she's done they won't be able to fight anymore. Perhaps ever again. But at least they'll still be alive.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen comes back making a circuit of the place, making sure none are trying to make a quick exit while they are heading in. He will go a spiral overland coming in from a bit farther out than he did the last time. Once he has made sure none are making their exit, he will come back in and stops at the elevators. Enny Minny minney moe." He choses the right elevator to go down and help there.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Down the elevator Bart goes!
    Laura's group are all in a pile of what used to be guys who got paid to be mean and flash their guns around, and they are now all groaning, the fight pretty much cut out of them with surgical precision.

    She may also notice that this garage has a lot of expensive cars -- Bently and Rolses, a couple of escalades with massive lift kits, Caddys with tinted windows and mirror trim.

    They couldn't possibly belong to the people Bart just evacuated, and probably didn't belong to the gunmen here.

    Leaves only the sixth floor below, the deepest floor --

    Which once Bart gets there, he'll find some very thick blast doors. Looks like this used to be a bomb shelter.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner also gets to the bottom floor about the same time Bart does, and briefly stares to the blasts doors. "Laura would come handy now," he mutters, then puts a hand on the door and lets his telekinesis tell him how thick it is and who is behind. If it is not somehow 'locked', he will try telekinesis to pry it open.

Otherwise, he might need to do some serious punching. In fact the wall might be easier to 'open' than a blast door. Decisions, decisions.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney pauses to memorize every license plate, just incase someone sneaks past them and tries to make an escape, then returns to the elevator.

This close to the bottom floor she doesn't bother trying to restart it. A few quick cuts and there's another Laura sized hole she can leap out of. Her claws biting into the concrete sides of the elevator shaft as she slides the remaining distance down.

And in those few moments it takes to catch up with the others her various assorted injuries seal up. Leaving nothing but a few blood stained holes in her clothing to indicate she was ever hurt at all.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will hope down, and looking around he will start to vibrate in place a bit, becoming blurry, and no Bart did not stop at the jiffy mart, and get a case of jolt cola. No, he is working on vibrating himself through that blast door. Once on the other side, he goes to where he hopes is a latch to open the door, and not finding one "Dang, someone did not go to super villain slip up class." He turns to look around as he says over the com "No door opener on this side I see.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There are some long hallways behind the door, with rooms along the side. Thick block walls, steel bars and cages. Then beyond, bigger rooms. Meeting rooms perhaps -- one of them has a lot of people in it.

    The door is about fifteen inches thick, the norm for 1960's era blast doors and ones commonly sold on the market today for the rich and powerful to hide behind.

    With Bart on the inside of the door, he'll be able to see that this level does contain its 'Brig' -- there's cells up at the front here, as if in warning to anyone who passes these rooms. The light here is garrishly bright compared to the rooms above.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Impulse, no..." but of course Bart is too quick. For some reason Conner can see Tim scowling at him already. "Fifteen inches thick, too much even for your claws," he notes to Laura. "Too heavy for telekinesis, so..." he grunts, pushing as hard as he can, his fingers sinking on the metal. "I'm gonna expend a lot of solar power for this," he states, slowly rendering the metal doors open. The grinding of metal against metal is nerve-wracking.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"You'd be surprised what I can cut through. It's all about the angle of the cut," Laura notes with a shrug. A door that thick wouldn't keep her out. Just slow her down. "Doors of this model tend to operate on hydralics so if you can crack them with telekinesis the loss of pressure will make it possible to slide the door open." She glances around for possible controls or access panels. "Providing the metal isn't too bent out of shape. Alternatively I can look around for the air ventilation system and gain access that way."

She stands and waits for Conner to finish. Although if it looks like he has thinned a section enough for her to quickly cut it away she'll join in with some snikting.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will frown and nod finding anything to open the door, he will stick his head back through the door, and epps moving so he aint in pert of the door being destroyed. He will come on through and stand behind the two. "Ok, lots of bright lights, there does seem to be the cells out there. I didn't see anyone out in the open though. " He stands there waiting for the other two.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There's a creeeaak... and a grooooaaaan, but Conner manages to push open the doors enough for them to walk through -- with Laura slicing off chunks to make it easier for the Super Lad to break on through to the other side.

    Laura would notice that there are a lot of scents here, but Phoebe's is strong -- and alight with blood. Michael Rodgers passed this way recently, heading deeper into the very sterile looking halls with their bright lights. On this side of the door, anyone with enhanced hearing would be able to hear voices from inside one of the meeting rooms, sounds like someone's giving a sales pitch.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner shakes his head, "I tried, but I couldn't push hard enough with telekinesis." He looks ahead, frowning. "I guess they open the doors from a remote location, and... this is some kind of expensive nuke shelter?"

He stomps ahead, checking the cells to see if there is anyone there. "Man, I still have no idea what this place is. People in bunks above, in the cold. But there is plenty of space here. And then armed guards. I'd say a cult, but I don't see any religious crap. And it is kind of too old to be one of the world-conquering crazy outfits like Hydra. Any idea, guys?"

Laura Kinney has posed:
"Phoebe is close by. She's been injured," Laura informs, sniffing the air and snarling. "Think she's that way. Mickey is.. in the same direction. He could be going to take her hostage." She glances around. "Doomsday preppers? Wanting a healer for their compound. Could just be a criminal gang operating out of an old bunker. There are people in this direction. You and Bart rescue Phoebe and I'll find some answers?"

It is probably not wise for her to get within claw range of Michael Rodgers...

With Conner already heading off she doesn't wait long for anyone to disagree with the plan. She begins silently padding towards whatever conference room lies up ahead. Claws out and ready for trouble.

And if she happens to pass any locked cells? Well it only takes a moment to snikt the doors open.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and will head towards the way Laura pointed. He does stop looking through windows or doors as best he can, trying to find Phoebe, he also unlocks any doors he can as he goes along. Bart will resist the urge to go check the meeting as he believes that is where Laura is heading. He will look in any cabinets or such they find along the way as well, for possible bandages or such if Phoebe needs them.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    As the teams split up, they each find themselves in front of a double door. Each double door is locked -- but just with a regular lock. A good kick will blow those doors open in a hot minute. There is talking coming from inside the room, the presentation is still going on -- something about timeshares or permanant residences in 'a unique Shangri-La, where we have workers to keep above ground, the farm to provide us with food, and our unique Moonstone Healing to keep us all healthy and rid ourselves of toxins thanks to its /unique healing energies/."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Sounds like a plan," replies Conner, nodding at Laura, anger in his voice at hearing Phoebe is injured. But at least she is here and alive! "Phoebe!" He yells. Not that everyone this level could have possible miss him forcing the blast door open. Unless they are deaf.

Yes, that double door never had a chance.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney rolls her eyes. "Rich preppers wanting a magic healer," she mutters over the comms. Clearly not amused. "Detaining them now." Presumably some of the people here are the owners of those expensive cars. So she does a quick mental math to work out roughly how many people might be inside. Maybe thirty? Some of which could be armed.

She draws a pair of flashbang grenades, pulls the pins, then kicks the door open and throws them into the room. The bright flash of light and the accompanying bangs aren't exactly fun for her enhanced senses. But she knew it was about to happen and her healing ability patches up any damage even as she storms her way into the room. Using her memory of where everyone was standing and her sense of smell to target her initial attacks.

With X-23's training she doesn't need to see to be able to fight.

Her plan is simple. Anyone who resists gets put down. Full shock and awe. The rest can be detained for SHIELD to interrogate. Anyone thinking of buying a bunker timeshare run by slave labour probably has a criminal record somewhere.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will let the other two handle the coble doors, he is going to check out the brigs, and any other doors he can along the way. He is also looking for the girl they threated to bury in the snow, wanting to help anyone held captive here.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Neither of those double doors had a chance in hell.

    Once they burst open, and X23 releases a flashbang there is confusion, yelling in a couple different languages. Mike's scent here is strong, and he's diving behind a podium while shouting a couple of obsenities.

    No one resists -- but quite a few attempt to escape through one door or the other. They're dressed mostly in business suits, Wall-Street types.

    The girl they threatened doesn't seem to be down here; there's a good chance she's currently enjoying some home fries at a Waffle House.

    However, when the smoke clears there is now Superboy, X-23, and a smattering of rich and powerful... and anyone who has been inside of Phoebe's aura *can feel it*. It fills the room around them. Aches and pains are easing up -- which unfortunately means that everyone who was caught offguard by the flashbang gets their vision and earing back much faster.

    "What... who..." Mike Rodgers blinks, and then looks at the two heroes and gives a yelp of "OH NO! Security to the Moonroom!"

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner blinkblinks at the flashbangs. "A bit excessive against a bunch of bankers," he murmurs to the brunette. Then steps forward. "Rodgers, you slime, I was almost convinced you were just a fool," he grabs the man by the neck. "Instead of a kidnapper and human trafficker. Pity you are outside Gordon's reach. But SHIELD is out there and they want to chat with you. Where is Phoebe Beacon."

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura makes no response to the comment about excess. For all she knew the room could have been filled with armed men with hostages! Besides. They rather deserve it... Anyone trying to rush past her gets knocked down with leg sweeps and quick efficient takedowns. And anyone lucky enough to dash out past Conner? Well it's not like the elevators are in great working condition right now!

Besides not one of those cars can outrun Bart...

"Your security team that was riding the elevators down after you? They won't be coming." Her eyes track Mickey, seeing where his gaze drifts when he calls for help, and heading in that direction. "I would advise you tell him what he wants to hear. If you do not I will start cutting non-essential parts from you until you do." She makes a threatening gesture with her claws, still wet with blood.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen listens in and at the speaking of a moonroom, Bart will look about and see if there is a floor or crawlspace or something along those lines above the ceiling of this room. If so he will climb up there and start to check it for people, and or rooms.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Security isn't coming. They're currently bleeding in the parking lot.

    Rodgers is grabbed by the neck by Conner. He gasps, kicking his legs out and struggling, his thin, blonde hair now matted with sweat from worry realizing that he is six floors below the surface of a barren Montana snowscape and there was going to be no one to help him against these super-powered brats!!

    He doesn't seem to be talking, but there is a quiet 'hiss' behind him, and a purple, velvet curtain shifts around, to where a large, roundish 'stone' is on a dias. It's big enough for a person to be tucked inside, and unlike most stones appears to be utterly man-made, and has some tubing hooked up to the back of it. There are arcane symbols for astrology and old alchemy symbols on the stand that it sits on to make it look more mysterious.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner tosses Rodgers on the table, none too gentle and moves closer to the stone on the dais. He frowns at seeing the tubes, suspecting what they are for. Touching the stone and using his telekinesis as sonar confirms it. "Found her," he grunts, much dissembling the stone-construct with telekinesis.

Magical stone. Of course. Selling the shareholders the healing was some kind of stupid new age magics. All this to get an enslaved healer. Main question now is how did they found out about Phoebe's powers.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"There will be a security control room. Maybe a server room. If you're okay to handle this I will look for it," Laura offers. Sniffing the air for the telltale smell of a room filled with electronics. "We don't want anyone destroying evidence." She looks around the room. "The blood relative might have known and sold the information or been threatened for it."

She prowls from the doors she came in to the ones Conner used and sniffs the air at each. The better to gauge where to go next. And, unless she gets told to stay put, she'll head off in whichever direction she thinks might contain potential evidence.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will check out the drop ceiling coming back out a bit greyer than he went in from dust. He does a quick shake to remove the dust and comes to check on Phoebe with Conner. Having seen what she was in, he looks over to Rodgers "Putting people into rocks and leaving them there, sound like a good idea to you?" He frowns and looks to the others and says "This man is a fraud and kidnapper. He kidnapped a young lady to scam you out of your money. He does not care about anyone but himself.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The stone is removed, dissembled piece by piece by Conner's telepathy.

    And inside was Phoebe. Or what looked like Phoebe.

    Her head had been shaved, and poorly at that. She was tethered to the tubes, a feeding tube stuck down her nose and an O2 mask on her face. Thick needles were inserted at her shoulders and up through her hips, feeding her a constant, noxious poison that her body was so focused on trying to heal, a delicate balance of keeping her under. She was covered with bruises and poke marks, dried blood and broken finger-nails on her hand from fighting her captors. One of her feet as a long laceration across the top of it, reaching crosswise from her ankle to her little toe. She's got a wrap around her chest and around her hips. She does not look like she's in good condition.

    "... so, this healing energy was coming from a person?" one of the business men speaks up. He has a very European accent.

    "... I will give you five million dollars for her, right now."

    "Six million!" another man states, there is murmuring as suddenly this becomes a bidding war for Phoebe's body, even as she's left exposed.

    Michael attempts to sneak out the opposite way that Laura went.

    Laura, meanwhile, does find the security and server room. Plenty of servers running. Security footage shows that it was paused when Robin got hit with a taser.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner starts detaching needles from Phoebe's body when the bidding starts behind him. That gives him pause. "What the hell? You are going to have plenty of time to heal IN JAIL!" He shouts. "As accomplices for kidnapping and torture of a seventeen year old. I am going to make sure your faces are all over the Internet tomorrow." and if any of them keeps going or asks 'heal what'. The answer is: laser blasts holes in the face.

Laura Kinney has posed:
The first thing Laura does in the security room, once anyone inside has been disabled and she's sniffed for scents, is turn the camera system back onto record mode. Especially for the conference chamber where people are bidding on Phoebe. She pauses long enough for enough of the bidding war to be recorded then pushes the 'talk' button "Ladies and Gentlemen you are all under arrest. We have video footage of you attempting to purchase a teenage girl. Anyone attempting to flee the scene should know that the elevators are under my control and SHIELD Agents are awaiting above ground."

She totally powers both elevators down.

If Mickey seems to be making a run for somewhere other then the elevators she'll switch to the team comms and give Bart his location. Unless he's heading in her direction. Then she'll just quietly turn off the appropriate camera for that hallway and intercept him herself...

For now at least she doesn't try anything more complex with the computer system. That's really something Tim is best handling. Or SHIELD. Thankfully her winter gear does a good job of covering her features. Even if the claws are rather distinctive.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will look to Conner "Get the tubes out, and I will be there in just a moment." He will go amongst the bidders frisking them all, taking any weapons, and pulling their wallets out and taking their IDs before putting their wallets back. Since Rodgers was heading the opposite way of Laura Bart will grab him, and pull him back to the main room, where he will vibrate the man, and flops the man's coat out, and then lets go wile the hem of the man's coat is inside the wall. He makes sure Rodgers aint in the wall, but he is ok scaring him a bit.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    With the needles and tubes removed, there's a few moments before Phoebe's body heals up. She breathes unsteadily where she's cradled.

    Everyone in the room is frisked. It's a who's-who of shadey dealings, weapons smuggling, drug running, and human trafficking. Along with some very boring Wall Street types and rich European bankers. Someone comments that they *will* sue, but the question was -- who are they going to sue?

    Mickey thankfully does not meet up with Laura. That would probably be a Bad End.

    He is met by Bart, who grabs him, vibrates him (while he demands Impulse stop this instant!), and then his jacket is partially int he wall!

    "What... what the -- Who /are/ you people?! What do you have to do with that girl?!" he exclaims in abject horror.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner is sure they can sue Mickey, which will actually be fun. But for now, he has had enough of them. Carefully, he picks up Phoebe and carries her off the room, and up the elevator shaft to the Outsiders jetplane. He will return to talk with the SHIELD agent and the cops. As usual, if someone needs to stay, Conner will stay and report to the authorities.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"If you two are okay to hold down the fort I will begin tracking whomever was operating the security room before we got here," Laura offers over the team comms. She changes channel to one Angelo won't have access to and adds "It would be best if I was gone before SHIELD arrived in full force. I am not entirely sure how happy they will be to see me..."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and looks tot he man, and resists the urge to make the dark broody voice and answer I'm Bart-man. He looks between the camera and where Conner is heading "Head on back, I'll wait for shield, I can tell them the Titans were investigating it." He looks to the bad guys and says "You mess with kids, you will have the titans on you like green on Beast Boy." He strikes a heroic pose a moment, and then removes everyone's shoe laces and ties their feet together to keep them from causing trouble, and finds a seat to wait for shield.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    At that point, the Outsiders should make their withdrawl. The target was acquired and saved. Phoebe would be wrapped in blankets to be kept warm as she recovers, her expended and exhausted aura causing her to sleep most of the ride home to Gotham, until she's set in her room.

     -- and as soon as she's home, Scout -- who had been despondant without his girl -- immediately goes up to her room, hops on her bed and nestles in at her feet, giving little 'boofs' to anyone who might come in, guarding his girl.