6471/Ghosting the Triskelion

Ghosting the Triskelion
Date of Scene:	11 May 2021
Location:	R and D Labs: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Ava breaks into the Triskelion to get her hands on some tech that might help stabilze her molecular disequalibrium. She runs afoul of Talbot and -- worse -- General Hale, whose secret she knows. Fortunately, a small team of SHIELD agents happen to show up just in time to pull her ass out of the fire.
Cast of Characters:	Ava Starr, Bobbi Morse, Jessica Drew, Daisy Johnson, Peggy Carter, Clint Barton, Dottie Underwood

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Ava Starr has posed:
It's rare, really, when Ava has to actually work to get into a building. The Triskellion, however, is one of the few places on Earth that's actually hardened against the sort of intrusion she usually works. Probably because SHIELD's the one who trained her and helped her develop her power set. As a result, she's actually had to resort to more traditional methods to get in.

She spent a pretty penny, not to mention had to pull a few difficult and somewhat distasteful jobs, to obtain the credentials she needed to get in. Military ID, researcher credentials. All qualified with the Taskforce General Hale and Colonel Talbot has installed at the former SHIELD headquarters. Thus, she's actually had to go in without her suit. And without backup. Not that she ever has backup.

It means, today, she's relying on actual spy skills and not just phasing invisibly through walls. Damn those quantum resonators. The problem that brings? It also means she can't rely on her suit to control her molecular destabilization. So, she's on a time limit before she starts experiencing painful Quantum quakes.

Thus, as she moves through the corridors, glasses on her face and hair styled to conceal the contours of her cheeks and jaw, she's dressed in a lab coat over smart business wear. She's found the lab she needs. So, she swipes the card and walks in as if she has every right to be there. Because, according to the system, she does.

Inside the lab, her biggest concern is that someone who doesn't recognize her will stop her and ask her questions. She can answer most questions, but it's still a risk.

However, a confident step and stand-offish attitude can get her quite far. She steps up to a computer and starts looking for what she needs. Again, it doesn't take long. Before long, she's pocketting a flash drive and looking for the small prototype component she needs to take with her for analysis.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Outside the Triskelion is a military camp. The building is full of security that they just haven't figured out how to control. The most interesting places in there, such as the various vaults (magical and otherwise) aren't accessible. Fury's office isn't accessible. The quantum computers seem to have been sabotaged.

    A multi-billion dollar brick is what they've seized. The labs are filled with people who aren't doing science, they're doing forensics. They're trying to figure out exactly what kind of science was being done here by SHIELD.

    One of the larger vaults filled with dangerous biological samples has a dedicated team trying to break in. They look like the military equivalent of a heist team at that final door and behind it their treasure.

    "Excuse me Colonel, General Hale is en route, eta 15 minutes," says a soldier peeking his head in to Talbot's tent. No fancy quinjets for the military. Hale is arriving by gunship. She's an airforce general after all.

Jessica Drew has posed:
It's not like the private asked why she is doing guard duty inside of SHIELD. Or, that anyone asked her if she liked it. The weight in Angie's back pocket positively burns; it's against the regs to have her cell phone on her. She could get a black mark for having it. It vibrates once again. If it is not her mother, then it is the guy she swiped right on and has been chatting with for the last two days. He's cute.

Straightening her shoulders, the young private imagines she is standing guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, uniform in perfect order, face schooled into ideal blankness though practically nobody goes in and out of the lab. She straightens more at the officious tap of someone's footsteps coming down the hall.

Pretending not to look, she memorizes the woman's face who passes, tensing because she is new to her. When the woman gains admittance, the young soldier relaxes somewhat. Unknown eyes are likely on her; she knows that there is constant surveillance in the corridors.

Another text arrives. The phone feels like it weighs another half a pound. A bathroom break might do the trick. She's been on duty for nearly two hours already and could scream with boredom.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Finally things are as they should be. The Triskelion is now in the hands of true patriots, true Americans. And not on SHIELD's traitorous hands. It was a great win for Talbot, finally rooting out this criminal organization. One that has made it so he is now Colonel of the Armed Forces, ruling over the Triskelion.

He sits on his tent, leaning back on his chair and with a little mirror up, working on trimming his mustache and a bit of that nose hair.

On speaker a few reports are coming in. New findings of what they have dug up. "Sir, we have found another cache within the labs. It seemed to contain .., chocolate...?" another one of Fitz's stashes. Honestly, it's unhealthy! Talbot grumbles. "God damn it. Continue working on digging out their secrets. And has anyone figured out what's the purpose of that ..., large truck with the strobing lights?!" also known as the disco death truck of doom.

The sudden entrance of a soldier makes him miss a beat and cut a bit too much on his mustache. "God damn it! Can't you warn before coming in?!" now he's getting aggravated..! And Hale here? Well ...

He gets up to his feet. "15 minutes?! Well damn it!" he gestures. "Get people ready to receive her, send word for everyone to perk up and redouble efforts. Go go." he walks out of his tent.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava notes the guard at the door, and the way others are so focussed on their tasks, trying to break through SHIELD encryption and discover the lab's secrets. Being able to phase would be very helpful right about now. She's relied on it for so long...

She ignores a tremor that runs down her spine, squaring her shoulders and concentrating on shoring up her efforts to minimize the chances of a quake. She walks across the room, to where a smaller containment area stands. Her eyes examine the access pad. Taking a brief look around, she adjusts her body to block any view of what she's doing. She phases her hand and shoves it into the guts of the pad, wrapping fingers around wires. She's not phasing through a perimeter wall, so the alarms don't go off. Nevertheless, she gives a quick jerk of her hand. The access pad sparks and shorts out. Carefully, she pushes the door open and enters the room.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    One of the more curious things about the deployment is their lack of access to SHIELDs systems. Which means all the detectors and cameras and the like throughout the building? they can't use them. Hastily installed cameras and motion sensors of their own have been set up in corridors and rooms.

    A bank of computer monitors and a team of soldiers sit watching everything. After the robot incident a few nights ago they're all on higher alert. That shorting out? SHIELD would have caught that. Their setup? not so much.

    The physical presence, soldiers patrolling the hallways of the Triskelion, is what really keeps the place secure. Not from a spy trained at infiltration apparently. They passed Ava by on her way in and her credentials claimed she was meant to be here. Just one of the many experts brought in to try to understand what SHIELD was up to.

    Hale's helicopter is 7 minutes out.

Jessica Drew has posed:
The faint acrid perfume of ozone insinuates itself into the corridor - something in the labs, Angie guesses, nose twitching. She rocks in place, one hand surreptitiously touching her back pocket where those texts are piling up, each vibration making the phone heavier and heavier.

Biting the inside of her lips, she takes a deep breath, making the ozone smell tickle her senses more. She wonders what they are doing in the lab; Angie sidles closer to the door.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Oh, those guys up on the labs better have some answers to him. Chocolate?! He wants secrets! So Talbot starts on his way past the camp and towards the Triskelion itself at a brisk pace. All the way through the foyer and onto the elevators. Sometimes a Colonel just needs to get all those answers himself. Fine!

Hands behind his back, shoulders back, posture straight. He looks like the perfect soldier. Such flair!

The elevator goes up and there's a ding on that corridor Angie is overlooking, and now peering over the door to where Ava spelunked into.

Out comes the Colonel himself, walking down towards the Tinder-pressured Angie!

"Private!" He calls out, "Is the chief researcher in? Bring me to him." he orders.

Jessica Drew has posed:
The private has had enough practice keeping a straight face to only blink at the appearance of the Colonel. She thanks her creator for not having touched that phone, but now she really needs to take a bathroom break. Great.

"Sir, yes, sir," she responds, turning smartly in place and unreeling the keycard that was issued to her at the beginning of her duty shift. After a quick swipe with the card, she pushes the door open, holding it for the Colonel to pass in front of her. A quick look around the lab shows an interior door open which she puzzles over. The ozone smell is markedly stronger.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava moves along the shelves, eyes scanning the ID tags attached to the pieces there. Finally, she finds what she's looking for. "There you are..." she says softly, sliding the weighty component from its slot. It's roughly the size of a mid-sized tablet, but three times as thick, with input slots at one end and activation indicators on the other.

Tucking it under her arm, she squares her shoulders one more time and lifts her head confidently as she exits the storage room. The door slides closed behind her, though the lock can't engage.

Her dark eyes scan the room. The large form of the Colonel standing just outside the lab is... less than optimal. There's no other easy way out, however. And, really, why would a Wingnut like him pay any attention to the research personnel?

Without missing a beat, she heads for that door. She's already noticed that there's more obvious security tech in the halls than there used to be. Between that, and the snatches of conversation she's hearing from the personnel in the room... she's beginning to suspect that SHIELD's secrets are still, well, secret.

Doesn't that figure?

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Two techs are arguing near by, "No it's clearly red to blue, not blue to green." Says the man and the woman responds vehemently, "Green for biological, blue for aquatic, red for.. peppers?" The argument is getting ridiculous as they discuss the mode by which the scientists and lab techs of SHIELD had organised things.

A particularly savvy military researcher looks up as Ava exits the storage room holding something. He ponders that for a moment and walks past her, opening up the storage room without needing to by pass any locks. There's uncatalogued things in here...

"Hey you," he says to Ava, "Wait right there."

Outside, the helicopter touches down. General Hale and her two aides disembark and they stride toward the command tent with purpose. Over the radio <Colonel, the General has landed and is headed to your tent>

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Narrowed eyes. Imposing mustache. Yes, it's the colonel. Eagle eyes looking over the inside of the place. That the private opens the door and lets him go first is good. Yes. He sets his eyes on the two techs having some kind of red and blue discussion like this was some kind of Red Team vs Blue Team game. "Oh, I will give you some peppers if I don't start getting some answers..." he is walking in, gesturing for Angie to lead on towards the chief one until he notes one of them stopping Ava.

Oh..., did someone find anything? Indeed those eagle eyes were ready to just ignore Ava and let her go. Just another grunt doing grunt work! But if she has a piece of tech, well, Hale will like it. And it's progress.

"What have you found, soldiers?" he asks. Fingers brush over his mustache as if he's waiting for answers.

Jessica Drew has posed:
The techs inside don't look like anything is bothering them, so the private passes them with only a passing glance. A spot right between her shoulder blades itches as the Colonel walks behind her.

After a smart sidestep, she watches the Colonel confront the woman technician that had gone into the room earlier. It doesn't look like anything is wrong but hey, she is just a private. She tenses as she watches the Colonel bristle importantly.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava is more prepared to ignore the researcher calling to her than the Colonel. She looks at the mustachioed officer and gives him a crisp answer, shifting her normally British accent into a broader American one. "We managed to override the lock in Storage Area C, sir," she tells him. She gestures back to the man by the door. But then steps just a little to the side in case either one of them decides to stop her. It's a fairly short run to that door, if she needs to -- and once that happens, all bets are off and her powers are go.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
The duo explains, "Colonel! the people who worked here had a particular way of organising things. If we can understand their system it'll help us find the more important stuff first."

Ah, an explanation from Ava. Except, the man by the door asking Ava stop sees things a little differently, "We? This door has been locked for days and we couldn't open it. You turn up and you're in and out in seconds." He walks over and gives the Colonel a salute. The researcher looks at her identification badge.

He peers at Ava and says, "I've never seen you before." He picks up the nearest walkie and says <Could I get a security check on identification serial number 178-901-Yankee6Zulu>

Hale enters the command tent. Talbot isn't here. "Where's Talbot?," she says in a clipped voice, her chin raised and her eyes peeking around curious. She makes herself at home at his desk, sitting in his seat and strokes her hands over the table top. "Tell Talbot to come:- immediately," she says with an odd rythm to her words.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Yes. FitzSimmons.." Even the Colonel knows that infamous duo. Masterminds of the worst kind under the guise of innocent, quirky researchers. I am Engineering. She's Biotech. Yea right. Or so Talbot thinks anyway. He listens to the researcher taking charge. Well, that's initiative! He does like it. But he does have a damn meeting with Hale. And yes, he most likely just missed her.... Why can't things be simple? He was just going to ask Ava to go with him to meet Hale and show off that item. But nooooo.

But is this a security breach or ....? "Oh, don't be a drag..." a look at the man's researcher tag. "... Peters." he approaches Ava, looking her up and down. Narrowed eyes, fingers on his mustache. He nods approvingly. "You did well." he rests one hand on Ava's shoulder to give her a reassuring tap. Ufff, seems like she is off the hook!

Until he says. "Lets go. Bring what you found. We will go meet General Hale." a look to Angie. "Private. Escort us. Good job everyone."

And good job to him! He starts walking out, fully expecting to be followed.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Arm akimbo with her hand on the sidearm at her belt, Angie forgets just how much she wished she had taken a break when one of the technicians takes exception to the woman. A peculiar way of doing everything if you asked her. These people were obviously not patriots, if anyone asks her. Which they won't.

Eyes fastened to the Colonel she takes her cues from the arrogant jerk who could put her in the brig faster than she could say his full name quickly. The private lets her eyes widen at his decision when he is not looking, but she is not in charge.

Angie snaps to attention, saying vigorously, "Yes, sir." Maybe she can get to the bathroom now. With a few steps, she is at the door holding it open for everyone.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava regards the man calling for her credientials with some disdain. "Let me guess," she says, leaning into that twang. "You're treating this whole thing like a puzzle box, aren't you? Pushing buttons, spinning levers, and hoping like hell no one shoots poison darts out of the wall like in some Indiana Jones movie."

She gives Talbot an almost sycophantic smile. "What can I say? I've always had a way with electronics." Escorted by the private and the Colonel, she quickly realizes things are about to get very complicated. However, if they're taking her away from Peters, even if it's to the camp outside the building... She can work with that.

Outside of the Triskelion's walls, her powers become a lot more viable, even if controlling them will still be a bitch and a half.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
So it is that Talbot was lording over the Triskelion, trying to dig into it's secrets. Teams are spread about the building, trying to break firewalls, or get through nightmarish sorting processes in FitzSimmons' lab. It's in the latter that the action has been going on. Spurred by General Hale's visit to the Triskelion Talbot has walked up to the lab to ask the researchers there for some results. Any results that she can show Hale!

It was also at this time that Ava is in there, trying to steal certain secrets from the labs... And is intercepted by Talbot, already with the stolen item in hand. Confusing it for some kind of discovery Talbot is now making his way back outside to where Hale awaits, bringing in Ava with him along with faithful private Angie. "You know. We will have to consider a promotion to you." a glance over. "What did you say your name was anyway?" he asks Ava.

Meanwhile inside SHIELD an alarm has started going on. Security breach at the Triskelion, but the military seem awfully quiet as if nothing happened. Something is definitely up. Which means a team is to be scrambled up.

Peggy Carter has posed:
There's an odd bittersweetness in flying back to the Triskelion. While there's some in undercover, and they have gotten regular reports, it's like going back to your childhood home after it's been sold and someone else is building a life behind the doors. Only those people kicked them in and stole it, instead of buying it. Peggy's flight training has done her well and she manages to even shave one minute in time from Delaware to New York, which means her and her little team are there in nine minutes flat from deploying into the Quinjet.

"Approaching the Triskelion now. I can't decloak this close into the city, but I'm going to hover over the 14th floor deck and get you all as close as possible to get inside. Finley, can you do a scan of the ground and see if you can register where the disturbances are coming from? Drew, double check your ICERs. I'd prefer we don't kill anyone inside. This is a quick info gathering mission, not the fight back yet. Understood?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Ramrod straight, the young soldier leads the technician and the Colonel out of the lab. The itchy area between her shoulder blades blazing with heat as she imagines their eyes on her. She tells herself to get over it and keeps an even pace to the elevator. Behind her, the pompous Colonel talks of promotion while she holds a perfectly straight face and punches the button to hold the door open for everyone.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Drew's ears pop as they go into the final descent. Ready bag at her ankles, Agent Drew reholsters the dual-purpose pistol and grabs the FN P90 from the rack to put over her shoulder. Grenades dangle from her belt, percussion, flashbangs, and gas - one never knows what they'll be facing, but it is US military and HYDRA, so she expects the worst. With a tap to her ear, she acknowledges the order from Carter, "Copy that. We will be nice and easy on them, ma'am." Both the pistol at her hip and FN P90 have dual-round systems.

Clint Barton has posed:
In the time it took to fly to the Triskelion, Clint has checked his throwing knives and sword and also strapped on an ICER. He's been playing the good little Avenger to avoid pulling any official attention onto himself or the other SHIELD aligned Avengers, but this has been going on for far too long already. At Peggy's announcement, he clicks onto comms and asks, "So when is the fight back, anyway? We've been sitting on our butts for too long already."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"Starting a scan now," Agent Finley Ellison says when Chief Carter gives the order. As soon as the readings start coming though, she reports, "It looks like the alarms were triggered in FitzSimmons's lab."

But then she notices an anomaly. "That's odd," she mutters to herself.

Ava Starr has posed:
"Dr. Jessica Hart..." Or so her faked credientials say. Originally from Texas. Who knew? Ava's eyes move restlessly about each corridor, lift, and area they pass through -- noting exits, security measures, guard emplacements. The closer they get to ground, the greater the security build-up. She noted most of it coming in, of course, but she has time to take a second look, catalogue what she missed.

Without her suit, her passage through the Triskelion can be picked up as a slight quantum energy fluctuation where there shouldn't be any. (Of course, to be fair, outside of controlled conditions in the lab, 'where there shouldn't be any' can be defined as *everywhere* on site.)

The small group leaves Peters behind in the lab and makes their way down to the grand Foyer with its impressive SHIELD eagle in the center of it. As Ava walks by it, she turns her eyes away, suppressing the urge to curl her lip. At the end of the day, she's not surprised the organization was branded as traitors and terroristsi... not knowing the things they've done to her and had her do to others.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Doctor Hart. Okay, okay. I will make sure to remember it." Talbot has already forgotten her name. Ah well.

"What is it that you have there anyway? So I can properly explain it to the General when we get there." fingers brushing up on his mustache before he focuses on the helicopter that's stationed outside, near his tent, along with a rather impatient Hale waiting for them. He lifts his hand as if to greet them and fastens his pace.

"General Hale. Such a surprise to see you here.." his best smile.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A slight sigh escapes Peggy's lips as Clint asks about when the fight back is. The Chief is as exhausted of this as anyone, and clearly frustrated, but all she echoes over the comms is a quiet, "When I know the right side will win. Soon. Not today. Not without preparation and the entirity of SHIELD on board. Today... we're just doing a little peek through our old back yard. Making certain they're keeping the edges trimmed." She tries to blunt her own frustration with a bit of humor. It doesn't work all that well.

As Drew confirms she's ready to go non-lethal, Peggy gives a slight nod, looking behind her at the team that is readying to leave. "And if you do find whatever this... anomaly is and it won't get you killed? Bring it back. I'd rather this in our hands than their's. I don't trust them with it any more than I trust them in Fitz and Simmons' lab. First priority for all of you -- don't die. Second, see how well our defenses are keeping SHIELD safe in their. Third? Bring this intel home. Understood."

Then Finley's comment about something odd registers. Peggy's head tilts, "Care to explain, Finley? Or can you find it on the ground? Help the team know what they're looking for. That's why you're going in with them."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Nothing like more brass and not just any brass, the private's radar for trouble pings hard when she catches sight of Hale. Regulations inform her that she should return to her post in the lab, but these folk are tricky. She announces to no one in particular as she stands at the entrance to the tent, "I'm reporting back to my station, sir."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Clint voices one of the many concerns that Drew has. Carter's weariness touches the places in Jessica where she has tamped down her doubts about SHIELD returning to something regular and whole.

She glances at Clint, giving him a thumbs up. <"Anyone know if it is bigger than a bread box?">

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Finley double checks her scanners. And then triple checks just to be sure. "There seems to be a small mobile fluctuation in the quantum energy field. I'm not sure what's causing the disturbance."

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint shrugs, "Just hard sitting around waiting for something to happen while they drag us through the mud." He moves to the ramp, adding, "Going down through the whole building to get to the labs is gonna set off a lot of security." He shakes his head, "I'll give the military one thing, they haven't left us a good way to get in there. Outside and the soldiers see us, inside and it's security systems and guards." He looks around at the team, "Ok guys, think invisible thoughts and let's go see who's poking around in our toys."

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava feels her body tensing as she sees the gunship out there -- and the general standing impatiently by the tent. The chances of being able to commandeer the gunship are small. But maybe one of the vehicles in the vehicle pool will do. She can still phase. Can still turn invisible. The trouble is, if she does, without her suit she's risking not being able to come back, she's risking the tidal forces of the quantum realm tearing her to pieces at a molecular level and scattering her quite literally from one end of the universe to another.

"Oh, it's just a microchip prototype, sir," 'Hart' tells Talbot, keeping just a half a step behind him so she's a little outside his peripheral vision. "Might make the computers go faster." A beat. "Or it could blow them up. You never know, with SHIELD. I should take it back to the lab and study it, really."

Funny how everyone wants to get away from Talbot, isn't it?

Notably to the observers on the quinjet, that quantum flux signature is now almost in the midst of the command station set up on the Triskelion's front lawn -- close to both Hale and Talbot.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Why does everyone want to get away from that cool mustache? A mystery. But Talbot doesn't care about any of that! Again that best smile to Hale, who looks around and lets out a deep sigh. "You are late, Talbot." around her are a few agents, certainly looking the hardened, professional types. Dressed in black, and without name tags. They are looking around attentively, focusing first on Talbot then on Angie and the researcher, then to what she is carrying. "I hope whatever it is you were doing was worth it."

Talbot answers back. "Yes, turns out that the good Doctor here..." yes, he forgot the name. "..., found this prototype in one of the safes. They were able to crack it. We will be starting investigation right away."

Hale looks with quite the interested look at the device on Ava's hands. "Place it on the table, Doctor." did she recognize it? There is something on her look there...

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Well. Find it. Finley's there to help you track your bread box. Though," Peggy frowns, leaning over to look at the readings Finley's better scanners on the Quinjet, eyes narrowing at where that marked reading is. "Looks like it's headed out. Am I reading that right, Finley? I'm going to try to get you all on the ground instead. The drop is... going to be a lot. Brace for it. And stay in touch."

With those last orders, Peggy hovers the quinjet around to the opposite side of the building of the military camp. It's still going to kick up a good bit of wind, being that close to the ground, but it's the only place she has enough room to get near to street level. She might even end up ruffling Talbot's mustache. She switches to manual to keep the ship as steady as she possily can against the updraft this close to the surface. There is a ripple of air as the back ramp opens and ropes are dropped to get them down to the deck. Peggy winces a little, fighting with the close distances, but she won't let the ship slip while her agents are departing.

"I'll pick you up from the same place, unless you need a fast exit from somewhere else. Higher is better. The soonest you can let me know, the better. I hope you've kept up with your jump work." And with that, team away. "Finley, I'll keep an eye on the scanners here. Bring what you can, but if you need finer eyes on the surface, you just tell me what to look for and I'll relay it over comms."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica squints against the air blown back as the ramp doors open. The noise of the jets fills her ears. Like the other agents, she has the standard equipment for dropping by line but decides to take the spider way down to the ground. It's faster.

<"Copy that,"> she says to the group at large, then steps over the edge of the ramp into a controlled glide to the ground. She arrests her fall in a four-point crouch then waits for the others, staying low. Even with spider senses fully deployed, she can't pinpoint the woman they are searching for.

<"Where is the subject pinging? Talbot's tent over where the jet is parked?">

Clint Barton has posed:
As he doesn't have wings, Clint does use a rope to drop quickly to the ground, landing in a crouch and drawing his ICER. Being outside, it's probably a better choice than the knives he carries unless a special effect is called for. Scanning for area not under direct view of soldiers, he gestures the agents on the ground to concealed positions moving towards the side of the building as they begin their infiltration of the area.

<<Stay low, remember a bunch of these guys are really on our side, just don't know it. Non-lethal only>>

He gets to the corner of the building and shoots a quick glance around to see if the way is clear.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"Yes Chief," Finley nods. Then switching to coms as the wind from the open ramp rumbles through the hold, <<The signal is currently stationary in the command tent, yes.>>

Then she follows Clint out of the QuinJet. She does not land as gracefully as Clint, but she manages to keep her feet. The tablet with her scanner readouts survived, and that's what really matters.

Ava Starr has posed:
Hale's eyes fall on the device, but Ava's fall on Hale's face. It's now she actually realizes who's in charge here -- and it's not Colonel Movember. "Sorry," she says, dropping the Texan drawl entirely. "But, I think I'll keep it." She flashes the general an unpleasant smile before she spins and gives Talbot a hard shove toward the woman. She backs up the movement with a bit of quantum thrust. This adds accelleration to his body, meaning he actually flies some, harder and faster than a simple shove would generally provide. It also means Finley's scanner *SPIKES* as the energy flux triples in strength.

Ava launches herself in a dead run, pivoting towards that vehicle pool. She's gone intangible, but not invisible, the generator component clutched tightly in one hand. The advantage of this? She does not need to dodge anything -- tents, tables, computers (which spark when she passes through them), or people. The disadvantage? She's burning through what molecular cohesion she's got left. That's the big reason she's not boosting her speed or going invisible, too.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Recognition comes to Hale a second too late. For when Ava speaks up Hale looks up sharply. Recognition? Very much so. But then there's Mr. Mustache tumbling towards her, a bit of chaos as she gets back up to her feet. "You dunce!" she calls out, pushing Talbot away, who is very much confused at all this violence. But to his credit he recovers quickly, reaching for comms. "Red alert. Close down the base. We have a rogue on base. I repeat, we have a rogue on base."

"Private! Stop her!" This to Angie. The two men that were flanking Hale? They already have their weapons out and level them at Ava. A beat, "Shoot to kill." Hale orders. They start blasting.

Around the military camp the alarm sounds. Were the SHIELD Agents detected? At least no shots are coming in their direction, but they can hear them dead ahead after the next building. Soldiers start pouring out of tents. Discovery is imminent!

Peggy Carter has posed:
<<Finley, I don't know if these scanners are... right. I'm getting massive spikes of whatever you picked up, on the ground now, moving out of the tent. This... Can't be right. Are you seeing this?>> Peggy's voice comes over the comms. She slightly raises the Quinjet, kicking up another gust of wind which is going to sent those tents scattering, any loose papers are gone, and further add to the chaos that is happening. She doesn't go back to her previous level, but is hovering high enough that she's not in danger of clipping the building.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Mouth open in shock at the order to fire, Angie reaches for her gun, unready for Ava to make a run for it. The private takes a step directly into Ava's path braced to block her. Her brain doesn't process that the woman isn't there. She makes a stumbling recovery, pulling out the gun, fumbles with the safety, and fires several times in Ava's general direction, the shots going wide. She makes no claims to having a sharpshooter's medal.

Clint Barton has posed:
As gunshots ring out from the front of the building, Clint curses quietly and moves around the corner, quickly covering ground to the front corner of the building, pretty easy to do as all attention is suddenly up front where the gunfire is happening.

<<Enemy has opened fire, not on us. Think whatever you're tracking has their full attention.>>

A peek around the corner shows him the back of a soldier firing at something moving across the compound. With a shrug, a silent ICER shot takes the man out and Clint drags him back around the corner and out of sight.

<<Immediate area clear, let's move!>>

He slips around the corner and takes up position behind some supply crates, scanning the area to try and get an idea of what's got the military shooting.

Jessica Drew has posed:
They move, Jessica, running at a wide angle to the corner that Clint rounds. Pistol in hand, she picks off a soldier firing at a woman in a white lab coat the soldier drops hard to the ground, unconscious. Blinking in disbelief, she calls over coms, saying rapidly, "Is the subject super-powered? I thought for sure I saw her walk through someone. I'm going for her if I can."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"Well, that escalated quickly," Finley mutters to herself. <<Whatever it is, it's moving *through* solid objects. So I don't know how we're gonna contain it.>> She looks up from the tablet. And witnesses a lab tech pass through a soldier with his gun raised. <<Um, it's the woman in the lab coat. What sort of experiment went wrong, do you think?>>

Ava Starr has posed:
Bullets sail right through Ava's body without impact. They don't even slow her down. Her lab coat flaps behind her as she runs, phasing right through the private from the lab. Her head is down and her arms pump at her sides, legs extending to a full on rush. She whips off the glasses she's been wearing as disguise, tossing them in the face of another soldier as she goes. As soon as they leave the quantum field surrounding her body, they become tangible again, hitting the poor guy in the face. It's not enough to hurt him, obviously, but it's certainly enough to throw off his aim and keep him from continuing to fire.

She's halfway to the vehicle pool by now, more and more soldiers beginning to join in the pursuit. Worse, there's a wind blowing up dust and debris -- though that passes through her too. But she can feel the tingle building up at the base of her neck, a tremor buzzing through her clenched fists. Drawing in great gasps of air, she doubles her pace, igniting enough of a quantum thrust to increase her speed a little. She just needs to make it to that jeep... She doesn't even register that someone has started firing at the people firing on her.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Shoot to kill? Talbot frowns, a look to Hale. "I am still in charge of this base." he tells her. Firm tone too. Mustache twitch! <Stop the woman, do not kill her. I repeat, do not kill her.> he wants answers about this damn thing and what and who this woman is.

Hale doesn't seem to care, gesturing for the two agents with her to move in to take her out. She whispers. "Use the disruptors." the two run out at a sprint, over to where Ava went to, past the various soldiers who are still trying to catch her but to no avail.

Yet right now they seem to be worried with the approaching SHIELD too. <Sir, we have more enemies on scene!> some shots towards the Agents moving into the scene, a few military men here and there mounting a defense.

Though they can indeed see Ava fleeing to that car, along with the two black-dressed men following close by. They level up fancy-looking pistols towards Ava and let loose.

Peggy Carter has posed:
<<Then that's our target. Get her out of there quickly as you can. Unconscious is fine, we can make explanations and apologies when the target wakes up. I'm holding the jet close but I can't keep this up forever.>> Peggy calls over the comm unit, not daring to reveal their ride yet, which means she can't fire any weapons to give them back up. She wouldn't necessarily want to anyway -- this close, there is no way she wouldn't kill someone. She curses again as another gust of wind off the bay buffets her craft a bit more and she has to lean into it to avoid slamming into the building and giving herself away.

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint waves the team forward, snapping off ICER shots at various soldiers in their way. Per his usual... he doesn't miss. Soldiers drop where they stand as he swaps out an empty magazine for a full one and keeps moving. He hasn't gone after the two with the special weapons yet, since he's not sure how to deal with the woman who's running through solid objects.

<<Team moving in, target is approaching vehicles, probably trying for an escape.>>

He scans the area, noting soldiers moving in from multiple directions, and adds

<<This is gonna get too hot for us way fast, be ready to extract.>>

Jessica Drew has posed:
Lucky for the woman on the run, the SHIELD team has divided the military's attention, making them work on several targets at once. The military is not using ICERs. A bullet whizzes by Jessica's ear close enough to take a lock of her loosely curling hair with it.

<"Roger that, Clint. Going for the lab coat,"> she announces as she drops into a crouch behind a tree momentarily.

Pushing off the tree, Jessica launches herself at a dead run behind the black-suited agents, firing a full clip into their backs. One stumbles and slides to a halt face down; the other aims a black weapon with an odd shape at the fleeing woman. The weapon coughs, a strange sound covering four octaves at once, hurting the spider-woman's ears.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
So many bullets flying. Finely is not accustomed to field work. And all of projectiles make it difficult to think about anything other than...well, the bullets. But she needs to concentrate. If the woman remains intangible, she's not sure how they'll transport her back to the Playground. But if she's heading for a vehicle, she must be able to control her own tangibility. Which means knocking her unconscious might be the best bet. <<You might have to knock her out. She's continuing to spike. I don't know how long she can keep this up.>>

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava is nearly at the jeep when the first wave of quantum instablity rips through her. Finley's scanner spikes higher than it has thus far, redlining the readout briefly before falling back into the range it was before. Anyone watching Ava will see a prismatic spread of afterimages surrounding her, replicating her features and pulling her in a myriad of different directions. She lets out a cry of clear pain, stumbling, reaching out with her free hand to try to steady herself on the jeep.

Then, disruptor bolts are raining down on her. One of them hits her square in the back before she can recover. She lets out another bellow of pain, falling to her knees, the prismatic energy flaring visibly around her. One of the men firing on her goes down in a hail of ICER bullets, but the other gets off another shot or two. More disruptor bolts hit her just as a second instability wave hits, threatening to rip her apart at a molecular level. She collapses to the ground, writhing, her body curling protectively around the generator component she had been holding.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
The first man gets caught by surprise under Jessica's assault, though the other turns to her sharply, the weapon levelled at the spider-woman. Perhaps not the ideal weapon to fight her but ..., it should be painful nonetheless!...

If he could hit her, which may turn to be an hard prospect, even at close range. And specially as more of the SHIELD agents start swarming in, carving a path through the military as they fall under ICER fire.

They have a brief respite from assault, perhaps enough to retrieve the fallen woman and whatever she is carrying. But it won't last. Talbot's voice is being heard not too far away. "SHIELD IS HERE! Go go go!" poor Angie.. She was so close to a nice, relaxed shift guarding the labs.. And now it's the wild west out here.

Peggy Carter has posed:
<<If she's unconscious, getting up ropes is going to be hard. I'm going to set down in the park at the end of the block. It means you all have to run, but the ramp will be open and waiting. Just... make it fast. The ramp will be directly facing away from the river and open when I see you approaching.>> Peggy explains. This will be the hardest landing she has *ever* done and she's still probably going to kill some landscaping, but it's the only way to ensure the team and their target can get out safely. It's like a little tornado goes up across the street, kicking trashcans and bushes everywhere, as something unseen touches down into the grass.

Jessica Drew has posed:
After today, Angie will rethink signing up for another tour. None of the officers really had her respect. Firing on an unarmed woman sticks in her craw. Back on her feet after an embarrassing fall, the private makes sure her rounds go high. 'Take that, Talbot and Hale,' she thinks as she begins to root for the runaway.

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint puts a shot into the other disruptor armed agent before he can shoot Jessica, gesturing her towards the fallen scientist.

<<Collect the target, I'll cover you.>>

He measures his shots carefully, picking off any soldier who gets too close while Jessica collects the unconscious woman and her stolen technology, clearing a way towards the extraction point.

<<Team, provide cover, let's get her out of here.>>

Jessica Drew has posed:
Rainbow colors flare around the fleeing woman, tripling her image, which dissolves and vibrates back to a whole faster than Jessica's eye can follow. Psychedelic.

Evidently, her taking down the other black-clad agent's partner didn't please him. Jessica finds herself within close range of one of those weird guns aimed straight at her. She drops flat to the ground, taking a Keystone pratfall in the best spider fashion, then watches Clint take him down. Springing to her feet, the spider-woman runs to the woman who appears to be suffering from some sort of fit to her untrained eye.

<"Got that, Clint.">

Jessica drops to her knee and rolls across Ava, returning to her feet with the woman across her shoulder in a Ranger's carry. <"Got her!"> With a shift she moves the woman to a more comfortable position and heads toward the quinjet.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
<<We need to get her out of here now. She's being ripped apart and the disrupter weapons effecting her instability. I can't tell yet if they're doing more harm than good. But we need to stabilize her if we're going to get answers. Get her back to the jet. And try to grab one of those weapons if you can. >> Finley hangs back from the firefight, but pulls her ICER to provide cover for the rest of the ground team, splitting her attention between analysis and tactical action.

Clint Barton has posed:
At Finley's communication, Clint hurries over to the downed agents and grabs one of their weapons, at the same time making sure that the item their target was trying to steal isn't left behind either... no point in all this if they leave it for the military to find. After that, he moves at his best speed towards the quinjet, firing at any soldier who gets too close before they are able to extract.

<<Ok, everybody in the bus. Comon, go, go.>>

He waves the team past him to embark first. Before he gets in last, he pulls one of his explosive throwing knives and wings it into the propeller linkage of the helicopter Hale showed up in. The resulting explosion should damage things enough that it's going nowhere until repairs are made, but isn't big enough to threaten any of the surrounding soldiers. That done, he vanished into the cloaked jet.

<<We're all in, go!>>

Jessica Drew has posed:
Footsteps pound up the ramp just as it begins to raise off the ground. Hands high over her head, Angie hollers, "Don't shoot." She'll have plenty of time to reconsider what adventure she has launched Mrs. Boudreaux's youngest daughter into.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava isn't completely unconscious, though she's clearly in considerable distress. Her pain threshold is stupidly high -- she's been dealing with quantum seizures for a good twenty years, now. When the disruptor fire stops, a seizure rips through her, sending a visible wave of prismatic energy rippling from her a third time. She tries pushing herself to her knees. Her hand on the side of the jeep makes it very obvious she's at least partially tangible.

Then, Drew is rolling over her and slinging Ava over her shoulder before Ava really knows what's happening. She lets out a soft grunt, not having a whole lot of energy to fight. She wants to, and she pushes briefly against Jessica's back, almost slipping out of her grasp. The disruptor fire has completely screwed up her control and the effort is too much to sustain.

Her hands tighten around that generator component. Whatever else happens -- wherever else the stranger takes her -- she won't let that go without a real fight.

By the time she realizes she's ultimately being dragged up the ramp of a cloaked Quinjet, it's too late. She lands where she's dumped and looks up at the blurring faces looming over her.

"Fuck."

Oblivion finally wins.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy isn't the best pilot they have, really only a few months out of her training and still getting used to naturally using modern technology. However, she was TAUGHT but one of the best, and Melinda May gave her some incredibly useful tricks over the course of their training. She takes off the moment everyone is on board, pulling up the ramp as they are hovering in the air, but it also involves her taking out a few trees on the way. Sensors alert as more of the US military starts deploying jets behind them, "Damn..." She mutters. She then uncloaks, probably much to everyone's confusion. "Hold ON back there. This is going to be uncomfortable!" Peggy calls back to her team as she slams the control stick forward and the G forces in the plane incredibly increase.She's shooting for the heavy cloud cover tens of thousands of feet up and still dodging the US military jets on her trail.

"We're not cloaking yet... not yet..." She calls back, half talking to herself, half accustomed to having a copilot. She keeps climbing and climbing, slowing down just enough she can time the cloud cover for just after the jets lock on their targets and missiles release. The rest of the crew will see her display panel going into red panic. They are being targetted with three direct hits.

But then she fires three self directing missiles back, to the shots that were taken at them. Missile hits missile in the cloud cover and she presses cloaking action just as the mass amount of fire goes up in the clouds. There is no sigh of a quin jet after, just large explosions. Hopefully enough to fool the military. She collapses back in her seat, breathing hard as she evens them out flying. "...everyone in one piece? Let's get this...very interesting scientist back home." And off they are for Delaware.