5587/Cutting Off a Head

Cutting Off a Head
Date of Scene:	14 March 2021
Location:	Various HYDRA hunting locations.
Synopsis:	A team of trusted SHIELD Agents takes down one of the heads of HYDRA from his posh hotel. One head is cut off. How many more will there be?
Cast of Characters:	Peggy Carter, Lance Hunter, Melinda May, Daisy Johnson, Steve Rogers

---

Peggy Carter has posed:
The messages came in various forms, none on SHIELD issue *anything*. No phones, emails, tablets. If Peggy has a burner phone for you, as she's set up with May, then there was a text to that phone. Otherwise, it's been very quiet slipped notes with requests to destroy after reading:

'If you want to help hunt down more HYDRA assets, please meet 3 pm at the Cherry Hill Motel 6, room 12B on March 14th. Burn after read.'

It's time for another hunt, this time state side. The motel that doesn't ask questions and takes cash payment has been rented right off of route 95, the artery way that will take them to most of their possible destinations. Peggy is there already, several files laid out around her and two of the non-networked, non-SHIELD laptops she's been daring to work off of so she can analyze and keep the information a LITTLE better than just in file folders. She's dressed in generic body armor, not her SHIELD tac suit. This is definitely not an official mission.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Bobbi was back in Hunter's life albeit changed by her time away, so on the books he was off duty for the next little while so he could drive Bobs crazy in an effort to keep her mind off all that happened. Though that doesn't take him out of line up for these little missions, so calling on Mack and Hartley to take over Bobbi duty he slips off with his kit bag to make the meeting, knocking on the hotel door before slipping inside. "Hey all, just me," he says hand raised just in case people were feeling particularly paranoid today.

And given what they learned the last go around who'd blame them?

Melinda May has posed:
May turns up at the motel, as requested. Dressed in black jeans, a dark blue shirt, and black leather jacket, she's arrived on a motorcycle that has a few goodies she's squirrelled away over the years hidden in the saddle bags. She carries a black duffle over her shoulder as she enters -- likely her own set of combat armour and a handful of weapons.

She tosses the bag into a corner and glances around. Her body is relaxed, her expression is calm. Neutral, really. There's not even any tightness around her eyes, the usual shadows that lurk there are far more distant than they usually are. Almost non-existant.

"So, what's the plan, Peggy?" she asks, having given the woman all the intel she gained from Huttz.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Ooo, very old school.. That's what Daisy had thought when that note was found under the door of her room at the Trisk. Not that she used it much, but she stashed some of her 'toys' there, the technological ones mostly and now that she was back from Afterlife she had taken to use it again from time to time. Reading the note had perked her curiosity, she taking care of destroying it by way of fire before she packs a backpack with one of her laptops, the one she uses unhooked from SHIELD logins and a few more tools of the trade. Normal phone is put aside and she gets a couple of burners to go.

She arrives at around the the appointed hour, dressed in black jeans, sweater large enough to have a bit of armor underneath. And a leather jacket of course. Her eyes go around the 'usual suspects' gathering up, greeting them with a faint smile. "Hey.." some concern registering on her eyes when she looks at May. But it disappears swiftly, they had a mission to take care of afterall. "Got the note. Who are we after?" she settles in, pack on the table.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The message had been pushed into Steve's pocket by someone on the street, passing by quickly enough he did not get a chance to make out their face. He had resisted the urge to go after them and instead found somewhere private he could check the note from Peggy Carter.

Now Steve is on a motorcycle, a more common looking one rather than his vintage World War II bike. Coming down the freeway, he departs it three exits early. Steve takes his time driving about on the back roads scouting out the area cautiously before finally pulling into the motel.

He has civilian clothing on over his uniform. He heads to the room, carrying a squarish case, but one that is just about the width of his shield's diameter. When the door opens to his knock he steps inside, eyes going around to the SHIELD agents inside. Each gets a nod. Lance gets a quiet, "No time for a pint this time."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As people start filtering in, a bit of a smile cracks over Peggy's features. They are getting to be familiar faces she's happy to see, even if it's the worst of circumstances. It's like working with the Howling Commandos again, off the books and off assignment, but people she trusts with her life. That's a familiarity she missed, especially as Steve's joined them this time. "No pints. There's coffee on and hot water... didn't know if we'd get Yo-Yo this time so... there's a pile of snacks as well, help yourself." Peggy nods towards the room's little desk that she's basically set up as a make-shift catering station. There's also a set of files there, enough for everyone, with the basic assessments.

"Thanks to May's hard work in Italy, and a bit more information I've managed to track down after a few recent official missions, we've got three possible targets. Vogel himself is back in the country, at a business meeting tomorrow, but I've tracked down the hotel where he's staying and we could apprehend him just to get one of HYDRA's major players off the grid. The Vatican City mission confirmed his involvement, I don't have any issue taking him in. The challenge is...where do we keep him, if we don't trust SHIELD right now to hold him." Or do they just kill him?

"Same with Pacifica...I'm pretty sure of Pacifica's facility, but it's going to be far more heavily guarded. It'll also have more information. Depends where we want to hit first. If we take down one, the other is probably going to jump and move. Details are in the files there. Copies for each of you, though we should destroy them after, just like the notes."

Lance Hunter has posed:
"After," Hunter says with a grin to Steve. "You can tell me how it went with Miss Biosting," he says. Though when Peggy mentions the snacks he scores a snickers bar for himself and looks to the others if he can toss them something, giving Daisy a nod of greeting as he does.

As to the plan. "Anything we can get at this Pacifica place that we can't get out of this Vogel bloke?" he asks. "Seems like he's the easier target, as for where to stash him, I've got an apartment I'm not using that's not in my name," he remarks before picking up a file to skim over.

Melinda May has posed:
May picks up a file and skims it, though a lot of it is information she provided. "Pacifica is in L.A. Going after Vogel now is closer. And he seems to be the key to a lot of this, given what Huttz said."

She glances to Daisy. "Dr. List is at Pacifica," she tells her. "Or was. We do need to follow up on that." Dr. List, after all, is part of Whitehall's legacy. May knows that's important to the younger woman. "But after Vogel." She's still having immense difficulty feeling anything about it, herself. Indeed, anyone who knows her well, will pick up on the fact she is simply not reacting with any sort of verifiable emotion that's deeper than surface curiosity or businesslike efficiency.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Don't mind me..." Daisy replies quietly when it's announced there are snacks. And the good kind if they were to be consumed by Elena. So the Inhuman moves in, prowling close and taking a snack for herself. She is perhaps a bit surprised at seeing Steve there, but does offer him a salute, "Lance always finds the time for one if he wants to." true story, Drunkle.

She then turns to listen to the assessment. Some of it she was aware of already, namely the Pacifica and the Italy job, she nodding gravely about it. She knew the dimension of what they were after, and those revelations had been.., daunting to say the least. She focuses on Pacifica at this point, saying. "They should be a very tough cookie to crack." even as she chews on her own cookie, but then her gaze hardens while she goes through the dossier. And it's when May confirms List's involvement that her expression turns close to a rage. She didn't know of his involvement with Pacifica. "We should go after Pacifica." but it's said in an emotional manner.

She stops then, taking in a breath and calming herself down. "But yes..., Vogel is the more logical target, for now." she says, "And easier to reach to..." another breath taken. "Besides he may have info on how to infiltrate Pacifica too." she may be quite emotional right now, but she is still a spy.

Steve Rogers has posed:
After greeting everyone, including a smile to Daisy and a salute back, Steve makes his way over to the coffee pot. He grabs a cup and fills it, letting others grab files before he goes over to grab the remaining copy.

He is probably the least informed of everyone there on what has been happening. So his reading is a deep one. The ensuing minutes are spent going over the files and soaking up every detail as something new to him.

Sips of the coffee are taken along the way. By the time he reaches the end of the report the coffee mug is empty. Steve sets the file down and goes over to get a refill before turning back to everyone else.

"Is arresting Vogel likely to cause any response at Pacifica?" Steve Rogers asks, eyes going to Peggy Carter first, but then sweeping the room so it is a question open to everyone. "Or will they not be aware anyone has made out a connection between them?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Alright. Vogel it is. He's at the Drake Hotel, penthouse suite. I've got eyes on the place right now and he's not left, yet, but any time he moves he's got a dozen guards around him, so I'm going to assume they're in the hotel as well. While it might be easier to scoop him up when it's on the move, we can control the situation at the hotel better and, hopefully, have the least splash on civilians." Peggy's dark eyes flicker over to Steve, a bit of a deeper frown across her mouth at the question, "They know *someone* is onto them, but not who. Yet. They blame the mess in Italy on AIM and not us, which is good. I also don't think the infiltrator in SHIELD has realized that we know there is a mole... So, they are in paranoid mode and likely to be more so after we grab Vogel, but tey don't know that *we've* made the connection yet."

Peggy stands, moving over to the closet where she pulls open to reveal a fair bit of smuggled out gear. It's not near so good as if they had access to SHIELD's armory, but there's a few pieces for everyone there if they need some extra things. "Take what you want and lets get moving. Daisy, if you can loop the hotel security cameras so no one gets our faces even after the fact, that'd be ideal. The more quiet we keep this, the more time we buy ourselves to keep working without notice. Plan is to go in the back, up the stairs, grab him, get out. Any questions?"

Lance Hunter has posed:
"Wait, List, the one behind that Afterlife bollox is in Pacifica?" Hunter asks looking around the room. "Can I change my vote to hitting there first, that bastard needs to go down," he says, yeah, he's got a score to settle there too but for now though it looks like Vogel is their man. "Fine," he says. "But when it comes around to List, I want in on that op," he says.

As for toys he drops his own kit bag down on one of the beds and unzips it, containing a selection of lethal and non-lethal toys that may have wandered off from the SHIELD armoury. He grabs out an ICER and MP5, and nods to the rest, "Load up if you have a need," he says, before digging out a bit of armour for himself and getting loaded up. "I'm good," he says about the questions.

Melinda May has posed:
"If Vogel is as much involved in all this as Huttz indicated, there's no question that taking him out will alert Pacifica -- and any other facilities he's involved with. It's a trade-off," she says, her tone matter-of-fact. "Huttz believed we were some outfit known as The Cabal, when I questioned her. If we can maintain that fiction, we'll be able to move against any of the other facilities as we're able."

As she speaks, she opens her own kit bag and begins outfitting herself. "The Drake Hotel is the smarter op." She gives Daisy a meaningful look. "Trust me on this. My judgement isn't clouded by emotion, right now." There's almost a hint of a smile on her face. Almost. But not in the way of her usual ghosted smile. More like a memory of one.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
The AIM perceived connection to this whole thing by her targets has Daisy ponder a moment, focused. Intensely so perhaps now that List was on the mix. And that was a target she *was* going to get her hands on, one way or the other, "Me too." she says about being part of List's op group, nodding in agreement to Lance. "But speaking of AIM, and the cameras, maybe I can do one better like inserting footage of an AIM van arriving. Could throw them off our scent for a bit. Even if it wouldn't hold up for a long time." a beat, "But for me to do this I might need to have access to the hotel's security room." she is already poking around for blueprints of the place to figure out where that place is exactly. She will study the better way to do it on the way.

The offer for more toys has her pick up an handgun, no ICER though. If she needed a non-lethal approach she'd use her powers. "Or if we want to look like this .., Cabal.., perhaps it might just be better to loop the cameras simply."

As May confirms about the Hotel Op being the one that makes more sense she nods slowly, relenting. "I know, and I trust you." she zips up her bag, now ready to go. "They are all responsible for what happened." Hydra that is.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers crosses his arms as he listens to the briefing, mug held in one hand. A slight nod is given to the potential impact with the second target by moving now. "If we don't have the resources to hit both at once... well it's more difficult to move a facility than a person," he says. "So if Vogel is more important than List, it makes sense to get him first," Steve agrees.

He takes another sip and then sets down the mug, moving over to see what equipment they have. He makes sure everyone else is armed before picking up an ICER. He checks it to make sure it is fully loaded, showing he must have some familiarity with the weapon already.

Steve opens his bag, pulling his masked helmet out to leave behind. Anyone looking in can see the vibranium, patriotically decorated shield inside. Steve's leather jacket comes off and he pulls a different jacket from the bag, as well as a baseball cap, but just carries them for now.

He considers for a moment and then says, "AIM are pretty slick operators. I don't know they'd let themselves be caught on camera at the hotel. But, if you think Hydra is good enough at investigating, you could maybe toss such a van on some other cameras in the area. If they show a van driving up to the hotel, but the hotel's cameras are looped and don't, that extra hard-earned bit of information will sell it better."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy finishes strapping another ICER to herself, double checks her tactical gear, and seems ready to go. "I've got two unmarked SUVs outside, plates not traceable to us. May, I suspect you want to drive one. I'll get the other." She tosses the usual driver the keys, knowing her friend's comfort spot almost immediately. It leaves the others able to act fast, scramble security, and be on the move as they need. "If Daisy can steal an AIM image for the camera's benefit online, that's a great idea. The worst that could happen is no one notices. The best, we toss them further off our trail. Hotel is about 30 minutes out, so we can work in the car." And with that, Peg leads the way out the door.

The trip to the hotel is mostly quiet. It's in beautiful downtown Philadelphia, one of the oldest hotels that has been renovated for all the modern comforts while keeping it's vintage style. There's doormen out front to greet guests, valets to park cars in a crowded city, many hidden security cameras expected in a luxury hotel, and no indication that one of the heads of HYDRA is staying there currently. Around the back side of the building is a catering and staff entrance, the door cracked open as two chefs stand outside smoking. There's also a heavily locked fire door on the opposite side of the building that leads to the emergency exit stairs. It's heavy, steel, and covered in security cameras.

Lance Hunter has posed:
When they arrive Hunter stuffs the MP5 in a bag and hops out just carrying hid ICER under his leather coat. "Excuse me folks," he flashes a badge, but not a SHIELD one as he drops into a Texas twang, "Going to need you to clear out of here for a few, don't worry, we'll square it with your bosses," he says to the two cooks lingering by the back door. He pulls a fifty out of his pocket and hands it to the men. "Go 'round the corner for a drink for a bit, let us handle our business," then he's moving to secure the back door and move inside.

Melinda May has posed:
May puts the SUV into park and slides out. She doesn't bother pulling out an ICER or any other weapon. She doesn't feel she needs it. Instead, as Lance moves to distract the cooks, she waits for Daisy to indicate the cameras are looping. Then, she moves in, stepping past the men who disappear willingly around the corner for a pint.

As she moves through the kitchen quickly and without pausing to do more than ensure that no one is fool enough to get in their way. Then, she starts heading up towards the likeliest place to intercept Vogel's guards.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"I like your idea." Daisy nodding at Steve's suggestion that they make it hard for them to find the info that it was AIM. "Besides, city traffic cameras are a LOT easier to hack into. Not that I have done it often but.., sometimes evidence of speeding had to be erased and .., well a friend told me how they did it." Not her, of course.

And for once Daisy doesn't complain about not driving. One reason is because this isn't a quinjet, just a van. The second being that she is sitting at the back, going over the blueprints of the place and what is known of it's security. She devises a path to where she needs to go to tap in. Not the security room thankfully. "Ah, typical. They didn't fully isolate the system." a tsk. Yea, she was ready.

She moves in after Texan Lance, eyes down on her tablet like the veritable nerd that she often is, taking a corner and opening a panel, by the kitchen. She connects her tablet through USB, tapping on the screen a few times before giving a thumbs up. "Cameras are now looping. I will join you guys soon."

Steve Rogers has posed:
The comment from Daisy about learning this from a friend gets a slow nod from Steve, but blue eyes lit with an amused light. "Good of your friend to share that," he tells her with a hint of a smile showing on his lips.

Steve waits until the cameras have been cleared and then steps out as well. He retrieves a large sticker from an inside pocket of the lightweight jacket and slaps it on the top of his shield bag. The sticker reads: "Mongo's Pizza - Best 'za in town!" With the shape and size of the bag, it is at least passable as a pizza warming bag.

Another, smaller sticker is pulled out and slapped on his shirt, announcing: "Hi my name is Chet" with a similar little logo beneath as the pizza bag has. Finally he dons the baseball cap and the jacket, and pulls out some glasses with thick, dark horn-rimmed frames. He slips them on and walks over to the door with the others. "I know, I know. Not like a pair of glasses will make anyone not recognize you," he says as he follows inside, holding his shield bag flat like there were pizza boxes inside.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The two cooks look at Lance with a bit of a frown, confused and a bit wary as the badge is just flashed and not for long. But the 50 bucks helps a lot, especially for a prep cook. "...dinner rush isn't for an hour. Come on, let's have a drink." The man mutters to his friend, who is studying Lance's face a bit deeper just in case they DO need to talk to the police, but then lets himself be led away for a more extended, wet smoke break than normal. That leaves the back entrance to the kitchen area open. They're not quite in dinner service yet and room service is just going to have to wait until the chefs come back.

There's two of the dozen guards in the lobby, looking like casual business people just a bit more alert in their very nice, armor lined suits. It's very possible they can just be ignored through this whole process. There's more upstairs, two each in both fire stairwells, two by the elevator bank, two outside his doors and two in the front room of his suite. They are absolute professionals and are on high alert at the moment.

Peggy's last to go, getting the SUV parked on the opposite side of the building, where the heavy steel fire door is. She has no clue which way they are going to get him out the back, but she knows they're going to need people on both sides, lest he slip them entirely. "I'm going up the far fire escape. If someone can pop that door open for me without activating the fire alarm, that'd be great. I'll keep those stairs covered while you all try to get him out the other entrance." She offers over the non-SHIELD issue little headset comms she's passed out for all these missions. They aren't near so nice as the ones at work, but they will do. Then she disappears around the back side of the building.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Line cooks good and bribed, Hunter slips through the back with Chet and the others, as soon as he hits the lobby he spots the two guards b-lines for a spot to stand that blocks their line of sight to the door he just came through, "Two in the lobby, look like custom bullet proof suit jackets, very nice, our tailors could learn a thing or two... but anyhow, got myself positioned to block their view come on through, stair are on the left," he says over comms fiddling with his phone to make it look like he was on one of those wireless ear pieces. Nothing out of the ordinary in a hotel like this.

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm heading for the stairs," May says. Thus, the first two she encounters are in the nearest of the stairwells. She moves in, lightning fast and unrelenting. There's no concern, now, about the pain they'll feel. She's not pulling her punches. Though they do put up a fight, she has the advantage of surprise and an inability to empathize with them, currently.

Thus, that they don't end up dead has more to do with just how swift her attack is than anything else. She exchanges a total of about half a dozen blows with them before they're laying in boneless heaps on the concrete landing and she's taking the stairs two at a time.

"Two down," she reports over comms. "They're like brick walls. Vogel knows his mercs."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy loses a bit more time taking care of loose ends, namely making sure her face doesn't show as she had to go in to actually hack into the place. But with some care the part is erased, along with making sure there won't be any backups. All very professional. She is a professional hackerette afterall! Eventually she does pull out the usb cable and stashes the tablet into her pack, slinging it over a shoulder. <<Moving now.>> she informs Lance, quiet and slipping while the man keeps them covered from sight. Her aim is another from going upstairs though, perhaps trusting that those three have it well handed for now.

<<Moving to the back door to open it.>> Daisy takes a turn, going through a corridor, walking with quite the confident manner. As if she belonged. That often beats a disguise!

And then she is fiddling with the lock, bringing out a pair of tools from her pack. Eventually it relents and she opens it up.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers stops in the kitchen and quickly writes out a room number on the floor that they know Vogel to be on. He finds a bottle, wets the bottom, and then carefully sets it on the note in just the right place. The water smears the ink, and he grabs something else to give it a small rub to make sure the floor is visible but the room number is lost in an obvious water stain from a bottle or glass.

<<I'll head up the elevator and check the situation,>> Steve says into their comms. <<If it's not a situation I can handle myself, I'll say something about waiting.>>

With that he emerges from the kitchen and heads over towards the elevators. He pauses only to look at the fire escape plan on the wall that shows a layout of the hotel, as if figuring out where he's going, then take the elevator up.

Shoulders slouched a little help disguise his musculature a little more than the jacket does by itself, Steve pulls out his cell phone. He brings the phone to his ear, bag held in the other hand, and the note resting on the top of the bag where it can be seen easily enough.

"...grabbed it, but either you or Gina set something on it and I can't read the room number," he says as he steps out past the two guards, not paying them any attention. "Didn't you get a phone number for them?" he says into the phone, pausing as if listening to someone on the other end. "Right, do you have any idea how many rooms there are?" he says into the phone in an irritated voice, looking up and down the diverging hallways, and spotting the two men outside of Vogel's door.

He pulls the phone down for just a moment, and looks to the two guards. "You two weren't the ones that ordered the pizzas are you? Pineapple and mushrooms on one, sausage, anchovies and extra garlic on the other?" he asks. Steve looks down the hallway, "Or maybe those two guys," he says to himself. All of his words are going out over comms. He moves the phone back fully to his ear, "Yeah, look if you put it in the computer. I'm waiting."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The two in the staircase fight back against May rather efficently. They've hung on long enough to get over their own little com pieces "We're under attack! Move-" but that's all, as May is ever efficent in her combat skills. That means that the rest of the guards are now on high alert, however. The two in the lobby are up and moving, each taking a separate stair case in plans to flank whomever is attacking Vogel. Lance doesn't seem to have been noticed, but he'll catch sight of where they are going. That means Daisy is met almost immediately with a charging body guard who didn't expect to find her at the base of the stairs, but is now sending a flying kick at her head as he pulls out his weapon. Hearing the fight, the other two from that side are now coming to intercept at the bottom.

Meanwhile, on the top floor, the guards are starting to move to get Vogel out of the place. Steve's appearance wasn't expected, but he seems to be pulling it off enough that the men don't immediately consider him a threat. "Sir, we're going to have to ask you to leave!" The guard closest to the door calls, nothing gentle in his voice. In fact, it sounds like a bit of a threat. "Back in the elevator now, SIR!" The second guard echoes. They aren't opening the room for Vogel yet, not with someone unknown in the hallway. A moment later, a gun is being levelled at Steve.

Peggy swears as she hears fighting behind the door, but gives Daisy a chance to handle it before she pushes her way in, "Keep going, I've got your back!" She calls to the woman, readying a fast dash up the stairs.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Lance sees the two men in the lobby moving, he watches them speaking into comms, "Got two from the lobby heading to each staircase," he reports before following one of them into the stairs a good distance behind, though as soon as the door closes, he draws his ICER and charges up after the man firing off a round into the back of his head as soon as he gets a shot. "And now make that one on the way on the west stairs, east stairs is clear," he says as he runs up the stairs to get ahead of the other guard.

Melinda May has posed:
May continues to run up the stairs, her lips pressed tightly together as she mounts flight after flight. She pauses at the door on the floor they believe Vogel to be on. She can hear the commotion through the comms and knows their element of surprise has evaporated. That doesn't change the mission, however.

Laying a hand on the doorknob, she pauses to listen. She can hear them shouting at Steve both through comms and faintly through the door. She eases her ICER out of its holster, pops the door open and aims for the nearest of them as she squeezes the trigger.

Hey, Rogers has a red white and blue pizza. He'll be fine.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Hello!" Daisy replies back to the man without missing a beat, "IT support and ---" but then the man is tossing her a kick. Damn, they are well trained indeed. She only has time to cross her arms to protect her head before the kick sends her back a bit. She keeps her balance, grits her teeth and says. "Alright bud, I am going to show you why you don't mess with IT support.."

And then it's on.

Daisy dashes forward, an exchange of blows done with the man, using all those tricks she has learned from May and the others. Still, the man has an impeccable defense, having her quirk a brow. And with her lesser size she will be in a serious disadvantage soon. If she didn't have powers.

She runs to the wall, the man after her, a foot up against it and she pushing away with her powers, flying /behind/ the man before letting him take a full impact of a Quake-powered blast on his back.

<<West stairs is now clear.>> She says on comms as the man collapses, she breathing a touch heavier. And then she is dashing upstairs to join the others, but still a bit behind.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Poor Chet the pizza delivery guy is having a really bad day by pizza delivery standards. His eyes widen behind those thick horn-rimmed glasses as he sees the gun pulled out and pointed his way. He already has one hand holding the phone up near his ear. The other hand lifts higher as if to put his hands up, though he's holding the bag in the other.

"Holy crap. Holy crap that's a gun," he says, and letting a little pretend fright burn up what might end up being important seconds on top of those that passed since he stepped off the elevator. He looks down the hallway and back to them. "What are you guys, Secret Service or something?" he asks in a frightened tone.

"I'm going, I'm going, no need to shoot me," he says. He moves over to the call button for the elevator, hoping that someone else has called the lift already in the time he's been there. He hits the button, the doors not opening yet. Standing at the button though does bring him a little nearer to the gunman. While Steve feigns being even more uncomfortable with that fact, in reality he's making sure he can close the distance before he fires.

The ICER shot hits the other guard and Steve doesn't wait. He uses the 'pizza bag' to push the gun to the side as he steps forward, delivering an elbow to the gunman's head. The man's gun goes off, but Steve is already pulling that ICER out of his jacket's inside pocket and shooting the man at close range.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The team is trained. The goal isn't to take down everyone they are fighting, but to get Vogel out somewhere safely. So the four in the hallway with May and Steve anre now doing their best to take the fight (the one that is on in earnest now) away from the doors so the other two can usher Vogel out and down the far stairs. "Keep the west side clear!" One of them calls into his comms as his partner is ICERed and goes down hard. He's now playing defensive, keeping cover as he fires two shots at Melinda and Steve. And he's not using stun rounds. The west stairs are where Daisy and Peggy are.

The two guards at the top of the west stairs now start moving down, to encounter and clear the opposite there in preparation to get Vogel out. The sound of Daisy and Peggy's steps draw immediate fire from over head. Their weapons? All silenced. So, they aren't completely silent, just little, sharp coughs of violence, but also aren't loud enough to draw the attention of the whole hotel. Peggy curses but keeps going behind Daisy, "I've got your back, go, go!" No reason to be quiet now.

The guard in the east stairs isn't as lucky, as he did not expect Lance behind him. The body goes down fast and hard, leaving a little obstacle in Lance's way, but it shouldn't slow him too much. They're going to need the back up on the upper floor, as another guard comes out of the room with Vogel, trying to end this situation as quickly as possible.

Lance Hunter has posed:
"Just like selection," Hunter tells himself through pants for air as he jumps the downed guard and begins sprinting up the steps. If he could run the hills of Wales with full kit he could do this... he pushes hard, going up, up, up until he reaches the door to Vogel's floor, he slips, takes a moment to catch his breath before slipping into the hall weapon raised << On the floor, where do you need m- >> he begins before seeing Vogel and his guard emerge, he squeezes off a couple of quick shots to keep their heads down as he advances on them. << Vogel sighted exiting his room with one guard >>

Melinda May has posed:
May throws herself to the side, seeking partial cover behind a hallway plant box. Her ICER coughs more blue fire, seeking to take out any of the guards that get in their way. When Steve starts swinging in with his shield, though, May darts forward, eyes still tracking her targets.

Without fear or adrenaline to get in her way, her hands are steady and her shots precise -- not that that's actually unusual for the woman. But usually, she's fighting the chemical soup in her body to do it. Right now? Not so much.

"They're heading down the west stairs," she reports, just so that her some of teammates know specifically why they're being fired upon more fiercely than others are. She sprints forward, sliding under the aim of one of the guards in a bid to deliver a hard kick where it will hurt before she starts firing point blank at any resistence to clear herself room to flip back to her feet.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Now is the time Daisy regrets not having brought an ICER. She does have the lethal gun, but she doesn't want to be killing unless fully necessary. Still, knees are free for all. She draws out her silenced weapon, ducking as a shot hits right over her head, making her wince. Yet with Peggy's encouragement to continue, and trusting that she's got her back she moves on, fast.

She dashes up the stairs at a run, her powers giving her the location of where their opponents are, their resonance playing against her senses, so when she takes a turn around the stairs that lead her to be in sight of them she immediately has her gun ready. She shoots once, hitting one of the men on a knee before rolling on the floor, dodging a shot ..., and hoping Peggy is right behind her to handle the other guard!

Heart is pumping hard now! Oh how sometimes she'd like to not feel fear!

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's left hand slides into the strap on the bottom of the shield bag, meant to provide a grip in a moment just like this where guards later recounting the presence of Captain America's shield needs to be avoided.

He swings the bag over, the silenced rounds making holes in the fabric as the remaining guard by the elevator shoots at Steve and May. The super soldier doesn't give him time to get many shots off though. He charges ahead, blocking another shot but getting inside the range the man can use his gun effectively.

The man kicks at Steve's leg. He turns his leg to the side to take the blow and then lands a kick of his own at the same time as he rams the man with the bag. It turns his back to May and knocks him off balance, letting her ICER round take him down.

Steve turns towards the three in the hallway down by Vogel's door. He starts running forward, using the bag for cover if they shoot as he moves to again close the range, though moving up the side of the hallway so May has a clear lane of fire.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Everything is organized chaos, but the guards really are good. It might have worked if this team wasn't quite so put together. Vogel and his personal guard are doing down the west stairs, but slowly, waiting for the other two guards to clear. Unfortunately for them, Daisy and Peggy make an effective team. The guard on Daisy manages to fire off one more shot at her before his knee is taken out -- no armored clothing there. He screams a curse, going down hard, which means Peggy's swinging a kick into his temple and getting a shot straight into the other guard's neck. She's got an ICER so it probably won't be lethal, but her decades of being a top marksman are showing in that moment. "Come on, up and up we go." To hopefully intercept Vogel.

His guard gets the clue the others are out and, instead of going to encounter their opposite, he ducks out into the 8th floor now, body shielding Vogel as he tries to smuggle him into the other hall and maybe an elevator. "Shit. Vogel's on 8, left the stairwell." Peggy calls over the comms.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the fight is slowly turning towards SHIELD's team. May's taken out one between the knee kick and then the ICER firing, Steve has the other down with some fancy pizza bag work. The third realizes he's both outnumbered, and his goal is to protect the man on 8, so he turns to dash down the east staircase... Right into Lance. On whom he opens immediate fire.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Hunter calmly ICER's the fleeing guard and thern turns to Steve and May, weapon lowered, "Well if you two are done messing around let's get down to 8 shall we?" he asks the two like his single shot was what turned the tide up here. Not that Hunter takes the time to see how his ribbing landed, the Brit is heading down the stairs towards the 8th floor. << Coming on the west stair, now >> he calls for the other team's benefit as he moves fast, jumping steps where he can in an effort to cut off Vogel.

Melinda May has posed:
May flips to her feet and looks toward the man racing in Lance's direction. Then, she looks towards the stairwell Vogel took. She sprints after Vogel and his entrourage, skidding to a stop over the railing of the landing and looking down to see just where they are. If she sees anyone that will make a good target, she'll take a shot. Otherwise, she starts racing down the stairs toward the others, leaping several steps at a time to get to the 8th floor just that much faster.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy offers Peggy a thumbs up once she takes out the other guy threatening her, then as their objective dodges to the 8th she pauses. "There's an elevator there, they may try to trick us." and go down the elevator while everyone is rushing. "I will go down and check the elevators."

She starts dashing back down the stairwell, certainly expecting they will be able to take out Vogel. But in case they slip through she will be waiting. Always better to be safe than sorry.

She takes position near the main ones, looking at the floors they are at, and seeing if any stops at the 8th floor.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve drops the guard he's fighting, and sees Lance take down the one heading for the stairwell to try to assist the rest of the Hydra security. He straightens as Lance and May head for the stairs. "Go on, I'll meet you down there," he says to the pair of SHIELD agents.

Steve runs back the opposite direction. Heading back to the elevator, he pulls one set of elevator doors open. The elevator is almost there on his floor, having been coming back up in response to his having hit the call button.

He moves over to the second elevator and pries those doors open. The car is at the 11th floor and moving down. Steve doesn't hesitate, jumping into the shaft, a leg going around the thick cable and sliding down it to the descending car below.

He pries open the access hatch and drops into the car as it is beeping, going past the 9th floor. He immediately hits the button for 8.

Inside the elevator with Steve is a nice couple who look about 22, and they stare over at him after he drops in from above. Steve turns to them and says, "Don't forget Sunday is $10 unlimited toppings at Mongo's."

Peggy Carter has posed:
For a moment, the guard and Vogel think they're probably going to get away. They just need to dash across the floor to the far stair case which isn't boxed in by Peggy or other agents. But everything seems to come together at once. As they are running past the elevator, they do hit button for 8 just in case it's faster or their other excit gets cut off. Daisy will see it pausing in the lobby, but also Steve is simply *there*. However, they're still moving, back to the other stairs. Granted, that's where May and Lance have had a chance to catch up with them and block off that exit.

Meanwhile, Peggy has given Daisy an approving nod of her idea to make certain the elevators are covered and she's just finished the jog up the stairs into the the 8th floor. She's breathless -- maybe a little more breathless than she SHOULD be considering her normal fitness, but she's there with an ICER levelled. Every exit is blocked now. The guard curses loudly and then bites down on his back tooth. The punishment for failure? Death. Vogel, however, is not so lucky to have a cyanide cap... "Who ARE you people?! I'm an innocent man!"

Lance Hunter has posed:
"Sure you are, mate," Hunter says as he approaches Vogel weapon aimed. "And we're just tourists here for the sights, now how's about you sit tight while my friends get you ready for a nice little trip," he says keeping the man convered to let one of the others handle restraining him and prepping him for travel.

Melinda May has posed:
May doesn't bother to say anything to Vogel. The others are better at quick quips than her, anyway. Especially these days. She moves to kneel by the guard briefly, double-checking his vitals. Yeah. He's dead.

Assured of that, she rises again and picks up the guard's weapon, just to keep it away from Vogel. "Now, how are we getting him out of here?" she asks mildly. As long as the rest of his guards are gone, they'll have no problem. If not? They've got to get him out the back somehow.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
<< Elevator stopped on the 8th...>> Daisy for a moment unaware that Steve took a SHORTCUT to get in there, but she at least hears about the promotion. Tempting! And also how does Steve know so much about those promotions?! A question for later. Right now they have a mission to get through.

Eyes turn here and there, looking for signs of any reinforcements coming their way to help Vogel. But with it mostly being clear she says, <<The way down the west stairwell should be free. Not spotting any further guards down here.>> a murmur and she using the same tactic Lance did, keeping the phone up to her so it's not as if she is talking up to the 'noone'.

<<And the fire door is open too.>>

Steve Rogers has posed:
The elevator door opens and the sound of Vogel and bodyguard running can be heard even if they didn't wait for the door to open. And then Peggy runs past with a gun pointing down the hallway the direction of the footsteps.

Steve turns towards the couple within the elevator again. "Huh. Weird," he says. "Have a great day." He steps out of the elevator, whistling as he walks down the direction Peggy went, until he's out of sight or the elevator has closed. Then he's quickening his step as he sees that they have captured the man, moving to join them.

He keeps the bill of his baseball cap down to help hide his face as he pulls out plastic cuffs, bringing Vogel's hands behind his back and securing them. He quickly checks him for any earpieces or other comms devices. Steve removes his light jacket then, stuffing the ICER in the waistband of his pants and pulling the shirt over it. The jacket goes over Vogel's shoulders and is zipped, to help conceal that his hands are bound, even if it won't stand up to prolonged scrutiny.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The man looks at them angrily, but then does a double take at Steve. Even with the glasses, the way the man fought, the 'pizza' box, the way he's built and is handling Vogel? The jig is up. "...Captain America is a pizza guy? Come f*cking on..." He groans as he's being man handled, but doesn't fight back yet. "You know, these charges are never going to stick. I haven't done anything wrong except practice business and religion, which is what I have every right to do! You can't arrest a man for following his religion!"

Peggy finishes her way down the hall, quiet hate in her eyes as she stares down Vogel. She's practically vibrating with it. HYDRA, after all these years. Her ICER remains levelled, but the likelihood of him coming quietly is nill, so she finally fires it. "Oh, shut up." She mutters, watching his body collapse against Steve's arms. It's rare that Peggy is this ice cold, but she's been fighting these people a long time. She looks back up to the rest of the team. "Sorry. I didn't want him yammering for help." She's not sorry. That's clearly a lie. "Daisy, keep the fire door clear and eyes on the SUV. We don't need to scare the kitchen staff pulling an unconscious body out of here. West side it is." And then she's moving for the stairs, trying to make certain the way is open for them. She'll go ahead first and let others bother with the body. She would not be kind to it.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Hunter raises his hands as Peggy drops Vogel with that ICER shot. "We all saw it wasn't me this time," he says, after all he'd done much the same thing to El Lodi the last one of these missions they were on. Not that it stops him from giving Vogel a little kick while the man's laid out at his feet. "So Cap, think you can handle him? I'll watch your back and handle the warming bag if you want," he says to the man as he checks Vogel is fully out and ready for transport giving the rest a nod when he has.

Melinda May has posed:
May is perfectly willing to let Rogers handle the body. She watches Peggy impassively, perhaps less surprised by the shot than the others. "We need to move," she tells them, heading toward the western door. She pushes the door open and holds it open for them. "Peggy, take point. I'll bring up the rear." Yeah. She's pretending she's the field leader for the moment. But it's mainly because if anything gets in their way, it's probably smart to let Carter have the first crack at it. She's in a *mood*.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
<<I didn't see it.>> Daisy notes through comms to Hunter. But as they have their prize to carry down she moves to keep the way clear, away from the elevators. <<On it.>>

The young agent casts a look around the corridors, then moves to that corridor which leads to the fire exit, making sure to keep it open for them to move through. <<All clear over here.>> she notes, stopping one of the guests that is making way there, most likely to use one of the bathrooms "Hey hey hey, you don't really want to go there." she stopping him with a raised hand and saying in a low note, "Bad caviar." she turning her nose, "Better go to the one on the other side.." she pointing to where she knows is another bathroom.

Turning she then walks to that fire exit, opening the door and out to keep an eye on their van, and at the same time keep the door open.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"And yet your security didn't seem to notice," Steve says to Vogel while he's still conscious. Steve was hoping to not have Vogel pick up on who he was, in case Peggy wished to conceal who was interrogating him. But once the jacket is off, the body is more likely to give it away.

As he sees Peggy aim the ICER at Vogel, Steve opens his mouth to try to forestall the shot that happens before she can get words out. The breath that was going to go into words is exhaled in an exasperated sigh. One with a tone as if this is a kind of thing they have had discussions about in the past. The very distant past as the calendar reckons it.

There isn't much to do now though. Steve wraps an arm around Vogel's shoulders, the man's weight trivial to him to hold up. The baseball cap is put on Vogel's head and pulled low to help hide that his eyes are closed. At a distance it might just look like two people walking companionably. Until it's noticed that Vogel's legs don't move, but instead are an inch or two above the floor.

"Alright, let's get him out," Steve says, the pizza bag remanded to Lance's custody. "Yes, I can get him," he agrees to the other man. <<Alright, moving,>> Steve says into comms and then begins walking Vogel to the stairs leading down to Daisy, letting the team cover him as they go.

Peggy Carter has posed:
For once, things go smoothly. None of the guards wake up in time to alert the hotel, though they are going to be filing reports because a few of them took some fairly severe injuries. The stairwell remains clear, no one called the police from the lack of lights and sirens down the block, and it looks like the SHIELD team can get free and clear.

Peggy spills down into the late afternoon light, wincing a bit at the sun in compare to the dark stairwell, but she quickly slides into the driver's side of the SUV, trusting May and the rest of the team that had been in the other car to go back to it as well. "Lance, where's this apartment of yours? Lead the way." And with that, she'll head off to taking the unconscious body to what will be his jail cell for who knows how long.