6501/Lay Down and Die

Lay Down and Die
Date of Scene:	26 June 2021
Location:	Island off the coast of Maine.
Synopsis:	They thought they could just go back and regroup after gathering some samples, little did they know that the time to stand up and fight was upon them.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Jovian Anderson, Sara Pezzini, Laxmi Mallick, Sharon Carter, Darcy Lewis, Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers

---

James Barnes has posed:
    For once, this is actually a SHIELD sanctioned thing and Bucky isn't 'borrowing' equipment for well, non-sanctioned things. The team assembled barely fits in the one Quinjet that's currently being piloted by the former Winter Soldier, but it'll due. Back-up will be arriving shortly in the form of a chopper or two, but for now it's just the one team, a few squints and a few - Sam and Bucky included - not so squinties to keep the lab rats safe.

    The briefing is left to Sam, because Bucky has Good Reasons not to let on that he knows more than the briefing might tell about this place.

    It's probably a good thing, because the short flight without nothing to think about but flying allows him to clear his mind and focus on getting through the horrors that are sure to come.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Tapper Anderson was undercover at the time of the big reveal so hasnt been on the run. Very few people know he is in SHIELD so he was a bit surprised to have been tapped for this mission, but he is an expert on Heavy Infantry assault and currently has a full assault rifle equipped with both ICER and more traditional ammo. He is loaded for bear and curious as to what they are headed into. He keeps his mouth shut and his ears open.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The NYPD Detective and rookie of SHIELD Sara, answered the call. She arrived with a pack over her back, wearing her standard clothing of a casual suit. She never had to go into hiding, merely had to hide her badge, as originally she was assigned to WAND, though times change and she has been working with Bobbi and Clint in SPOT.

Offering a nod to those present, she notes who is SHIELD and who isn't and starts to get just a little nervous. Is there such a thing as a non-disclosure for missions?

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    Rachel Marsh didn't know what the mission entailed - but she was only ever tapped for things like this for one reason and one reason alone: something hinky was going on, medically. As the quinjet flies them off to their destination, the doctor goes through her medical kit - making sure all of supplies were ready, from the mundane gauze and drugs, to the high-tech medical scanner that was some how adapted from alien tech. SHIELD agents get all the best toys, that was what she likes best about this work.
    What she likes least is what was currently going on. Flying into the unknown. But this is why they made her take a few basic courses on gun handling and physical fitness, right?
    Still. It was probably best she only has a icer at her side.

Sharon Carter has posed:
That damned Sharon was supposed to be on bedrest! But being tapped and a Quinjet needed required Sharon to get off of her ass and get to work (lies, she wanted to leave) without bothering to clear it with medical. Sitting near to the pilot seat of the Quinjet, Sharon kept herself strapped in through the ride, her eyes glued to her phone, often switching hands as she tippy-taps away. And most could tell that things got -serious- when she uses both hands and thumbs.

Idly, there would be snarky comments for Bucky to hear just to keep him on his toes. The latest?

'You fly like a granny.' or 'Christ, slow down.' All in good fun.

The phone pings again and Sharon is back at it, the only sounds coming from her now is the digital keyboard display as she types.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
While there has been a lot of BIG IMPORTANT stuff going on recently, Darcy has largely kept clear. She's a physicist, not a spy. She has a day job! And this has had the advantage of keeping her out of the line of fire.

But... it's also been a little boring! Stuck doing lab work while some of her colleagues and even friends run around with guns being action stars. So when she got one of those oh-so-secretive messages to come and meet at the [SPECIFIED LOCATION] at [SPECIFIED TIME] all Mission Impossible-like, she'd actually given a bit of a "WOO!" at her computer workstation. This caused some of her (definitely non-spy) colleagues to give her a weird look.

So now, here she is, sitting in a cramped Quinjet, with all the much more spy-like people. She's in dressed-down summer casual, with the most notable feature being a hefty laptop bag. She has it out, as they fly, click-clacking at keys. "So, is this going to be some sort of Cthulhu thing, you think? An eldritch Spider Monster preying on the fear of children? Maine kind of has a reputation for bonkers creepy stuff."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Said briefing is, as the name might imply, brief. Sam goes over where he received the initial intel from, which involved HYDRA agents making an attempt on his life in Puerto Vallarta after an Avengers mission on the 14th, and the following (absolutely done solo, yep, 100%) exploration of an underground HYDRA laboratory on a tiny, no-name island off the coast of Maine. Scans from the Falcon HUD of documents recovered on-location are shared that shows details of human experimentation and work on a pharmaceutical compound that, as Sam explains, targets the limbic system.

    To Rachel, and anyone else with some medical knowledge, it's basically a mind-control drug. Which, HYDRA being HYDRA, probably shouldn't come as a surprise.

    There are pictures attached to the documents; some are of the corpse of a man with several gunshot wounds to the torso and a final, fatal one to the head, others are of a woman, first shots of her charging at the viewer, then later shots of her corpse, a bullet between her eyes. "They're not zombies," Sam starts off with. "They're alive. They have vital signs, and they are extremely aggressive. But they seem to shrug off any damage that isn't immediately fatal, so aim for the head."

    There are a few more photos if anyone continues to flip through, though they just show other residents of the island who seem to have died on the spot where they were standing, mid-task. One mowing their lawn, another walking their dog... as if they just laid down and died right there.

    Sam's geared up in the Falcon suit but he has an assault rifle strapped to his torso in such a way that it won't interfere with the function of his wings, complimenting the weaponry that comes standard with the EXO suit.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Tapper Anderson frowns at the mention of mind control drugs. See, this? This was why he signed up for deep cover operations, so he could get away from the crazy, but of course SHIELD was desperate these days and his skill set was what it was. It was too late to leave now. He listened and checked and rechecked his gear.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's shield is propped against his knee, and the Captain is the picture of relaxed focus when Sam gives his spiel. His dark blue uniform is more subdued, suitable for operations more than the public eye, and he's added some military-issue pouches to it to carry extra goodies in case things go sideways.

When Sam glances over at him, Steve nods once with unvarnished approval. It's Sam's op, and the Falcon knows how to deliver information concisely and clearly.

But he does take a few seconds to look around the room, checking out some of the SHIELD assets who don't have quite so many combat hours logged. A loose buckle, a poorly-positioned pouch; his suggestions are quietly nonverbal, not wanting to interrupt Sam, but ensuring no one's going to trip over an undone shoelace at an inopportune time.

James Barnes has posed:
    "Sharon, keep your eyes open on all sides of your head when we land," Bucky murmurs quietly to the pain in the ass sitting next to him because despite her being a huge pain in his ass, he's genuinely fond of her and would be sad if she DIED down there, or worse. Something in his tone hints at first hand knowledge, but that can't be right. He's never been to this island before, right? Right. ...she probably knows him better than that though. It's more like than not that SHIELD doesn't know that he's been to this island before today.

    In a Quinjet, the hop from Delaware to Maine isn't a terribly LONG flight, it won't take too much more time before they're approaching their destination. "Sa-... Agent Wilson," it's still hard for him to remember those little details like titles being used when things are all 'official'. "... the town is on the southwest corner of the island, right? Gonna set us down just outside it, start there." ...it's not unlikely that Sharon will see right through that attempt to pretend he doesn't know where he's going.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Looking around those in the QuinJet again, Sara looks over at Sam.

"Agent Wilson, I don't recognize all these faces. Are we all SHIELD or consultants?" Yes, she has something to worry about and she has to worry about it, at least right now. If all goes as she hopes, someday she won't have to worry about it, but right now... she has to worry about it.

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    "Are icers effective?" Rachel asks simply - looking up from the displayed images, to Sam's features. "If there's a way to subdue these people, and undo what Hydra has done to them - they can't be held responsible for their actions in a case like this."
    She looks between the various gathered agents - many of whom look armed for - well, //war//.
    "...I mean, sure we have to protect ourselves down there. But... Can we try to capture a few? Take them alive in hopes of finding a cure, to save these people?"
    At Sara's question she promptly adds, "Oh, umm - Rachel Marsh, Agent of SHIELD. Medical division."

Sharon Carter has posed:
As Sam speaks, Sharon's phone is promptly put away. There wasn't a need to look at the missions dossier; everything was cut clear and dry. Not to mention, the slight warning that Sharon had received from Bucky already has her side-eying the man.

As everyone asks their questions, Sharon too takes a look at all of those gathered. Medical officers, science officers, a Witchblade whom Sharon fought behind. The Captain who sat back with calm and silently judged, in which Sharon mimics throwing a balled up paper towards. All jokes aside now, Sharon rolls a shoulder.

It was already a thought that Sharon and Bucky would have a long talk if she happens to survive this, but Sara's concern is a valid one. So she answers. "Sharon Carter, Second-In-Command, STRIKE. Or 13."

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Tapper Anderson says, "Tapper Anderson, Shield Deep Cover OPS. And I second that question about ICER working on them. Head shots I can do but I'm not using shots that dont work if they're looking to eat my face."

Darcy Lewis has posed:
One assumes Darcy is joking around, as is her tradition, and that hopefully HYDRA has not acquired any horrible monsters that possibly violate Stephen King's copyrights (and no, no one cares about Lovecraft!). But life moves on!

She continues her taptaptap on the keyboard. "You guys didn't have a doctor you could bring along? I mean, er, a medical doctor, not a me-doctor. Smart and wonderful as I am. Jane would be so much better at this, even." She rambles a bit as she types, and it begins to sound as if she's motormouthing to keep her nerves in check. It may very well be. Somewhere amidst the chattering, she looks over at Sara since it sounds like she's getting to know the team. "Hi, I'm uh.... Special Agent Lewis?" She doesn't sound half sure. "Doctor Lewis? Darcy's fine. I guess technically I'm SWORD now, they transfered me when all the stuff went, you know, number two meets industrial fan."

Finally, she closes the laptop, anticipating that they're approaching the point where she'll have to abandon the safety of the Quinjet. "Where's the big blonde doofus when you need him."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    "This is a SHIELD op," Sam confirms for Sara, and then as everyone goes around the room introducing themselves, he makes sure to add: "Agent Marsh is here to advise on the drug compound HYDRA was working on; go to her first for medical assistance, me second. And ^we've brought in Agent Lewis as well in case we come upon any other signs of HYDRA experimentation." He gives a quick shake of his head, smiling, though it's a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of thing. "Let's hope this isn't something that Stephen King's subconscious cooked up. I don't want to consider our chances if this ends up being a Derry situation."

    He braces himself against the wall of the quinjet so that he can tap at the control panel on his left gauntlet, then he looks towards Bucky in the cockpit area. "Yeah, I did a scan on my flyover. It's pretty small, but the buildings could provide decent cover." He sends a set of coordinates over to the pilot console for somewhere near the town's edge, the closest they can get to having the sea at their backs.

    His eyes fall to the sidearm Rachel has, and then Sam adds, "No information on whether ICER rounds would work. They basically ignored non-lethal damage so I'd wager not, but use your best judgment in the field. Aim for the head and don't hesitate. Agent Barnes, you're on security detail for our science team."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara offers each person a nod as they introduce themselves, looking a little sheepish in response. "I apologize, but presently I hold onto a secret identity pretty securely. I joined SHIELD to help out, because I know it's needed, and they poked me into WAND. Agent Sara Pezzini, NYPD Detective, and you'll see soon why I was worried."

Standing up she moves to the back of the QuinJet, and with no modesty at all, removes her jacket and pants. Again, she doesn't seem to care that everyone might be watching, but she's still mostly covered so it shouldn't really matter.

Preparation for her is simple now, the metal tendrils explode from the bracelet lightning fast a gauntlet on her right hand, then from there into metal armor that covers her entire body. The shirt is shredded entirely in the this process, which explains the removal of clothing. The last of the tendrils wrap up over her head into a helmet and finally a mask that covers the top part of her face. It is likely very clear now, why she was worried.

Moving back to sit down, she listens to the remainder of the briefing.

James Barnes has posed:
    Get in line Sharon, there's always *someone* wanting to have a Long Talk with Bucky. He brings it out in people, he really does. It's a talent.

    "Five minutes out," he informs the team. He makes a few subtle adjustments to their course to correct for Sam's new information before he adds, "That means if I say duck, you two duck, if I say run, you run, if I say hide, you hide, if I say shit, you squat and get ready to do it. If you decide not to, then it's on you if you don't make it back." Grim much? He always was a bit of a pragmatist, even back in the days of Swing Dance and women. "I'm Agent Barnes by the way," as if that was necessary? "My friends call me Bucky, you can call me Agent Barnes ...and I guess I'm your tour guide for this little Maine vacation."

    "Three minutes..." Bucky starts to angle down, in toward their destination, the Quinjet shaking a little as the thrusters begin to turn down for their impending landing.

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    Rachel presses her lips together in a thin line in response to Sam's words - not seeming to like the implications at all. "Maybe we //try// using an icer before we start shooting innocent people in the head?" she suggests. "The icers use dendrotoxins - //drugs// to simplify things - and could have a complete different effect compared to shooting them with a traditional bullet. If your intel is accurate, these people didn't choose to do this to themselves. Don't we owe it to them to at least try to spare them? And save them?" she asks, looking between the others gathered. "What they were our own people? Or our own families?" she points out. "I mean. What's the point of //defeating Hydra// if we just- if this is why we have to become."
    Yup. She's a persistent thing, this Dr. Marsh, but she does at least shoot Sam an apologetic look at the tail end of her protests.
    Her gazes goes to Bucky next - and she offers a small nod of confirmation. She at least knowns when she's well and truly over her head.

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Tapper Anderson takes out a needle and takes out his ammo, taking the liquid from one ICER bullet and injecting it into another. Less ammo but it doubles the effectiveness. He learned that trick from another TAC ASSAULT officer. He listens to the others and works methodically on clip after clip.

James Barnes has posed:
    The second the jet hits dirt, Bucky shuts her down and is on his feet. He snatches and SMG and a precision rifle from the spot they're hanging on the curved hull of the aircraft. It adds to the Glocks already present on his hips, the 9mm pea shooter strapped to his outer left thigh and the small belt of throwing knives strapped to his right. Behind the firearm on both hips is sheath, each holding a Bowie knife. Not an Icer in sight.

    "Because I think most of them *were* HYDRA before this shit went down," he tells Rachel. ...another little insight he probably should not have, another hint for Sharon. "...and if not, if it's you or them? I'm gonna make it them, got it?"

    When he hits the button to lower the ramp, he's speaking as it lowers. "Right here," he points to a spot behind himself. "...you two stay right here until the all clear."

    He doesn't start down the ramp himself until the rest of the 'meat shields' are ready, but once they are it's that SMG that leads the way.

    The first thing to note is the fog. It's Maine, it's relatively early morning as his goal is to be gone before nightfall. The fog is dense, thick, pea soup shit. The town they've landed nearly is barely visible in the distance through it. The second thing to note? The sound - or lack of it. There aren't even the sounds of gulls in the distance.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Looking to Rachel, the woman is offered a nod. "I will try using ICERS first, if they fail I'll have to go lethal."

Moving to collect a couple of ICERS, the armor just makes holsters on her hip. That is a very handy trick really.

That done, she heads for the ramp. "Don't worry Agent Barnes, we got this."

The lack of sound is eery, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She had the basic idea of what was going on, so she double checks the ICERs and readies herself to 'storm the beach'.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Its a conundrum. On one hand, Darcy isn't the biggest fan of being barked at by R. Lee Ermey types.

On the other? She really likes not being killed, so Bucky has that going for him!

In the end, she only rolls her eyes a -little- as she gives a sarcastically peppy "Sir, yes sir!" from her spot in the back. "... except I went before we left, so that last part might be tricky." She really can't help herself.

As they prepare to leave, and having stowed her laptop in her bag, she gets up and removes another bag that was secured with some equipment netting on the side. This is a bit bigger, bulkier, and more awkward, as it has some random bits sticking out that look vaguely like camera tripod legs. She does not explain what any of this is, but presumably, it is gear of some relevance. Regular Girl Scout, this one (no, not really).

With her gear in hand, she starts walking, then pauses to grab some cargo netting to steady herself as the Jet sets down. She starts following again... but abruptly stops as said authority figure delineates the Nerd Line.

In this case, she does exactly as he says. See earlier self-preservation instinct!

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Tapper Anderson sigh to himself. Its one of those things that you're literally risking your life on, but his assault rifle has two types of ammo, and right now he slaps in a clip of the double strength ICER and simply waits for directive to roll out to where they are going.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    If an agent starting to strip in the middle of mission briefing gives Sam any pause, he doesn't show it. All he does is politely avert his eyes away from Sara, flipping through menus on his gauntlet's touch screen. That's where his attention stays, so it's where Sam aims an exasperated roll of his eyes. "Agent Barnes will keep you both safe so you can do what you need to do. Just ignore his bad attitude," Sam adds on after Bucky's little speech, and resists the urge to kick the back of the pilot seat.

    "I understand your concerns Agent Marsh but given the level of aggression the hostiles I encountered exhibited, I can't ask anyone to take that risk. If anyone thinks they're in a position to try, go ahead, but only if you can reliably switch to a weapon with live ammunition in time."

    He follows Bucky down the ramp, and as soon as they're out into the fog the small drone detaches from the back of the Falcon wingpak. It gives a quiet little trill of midi beeps towards Sam (to the tune of "You're my dad! Boogie woogie woogie") before Redwing zips up into the air, high enough to give a decent view of their surroundings.

    "I've got Redwing's thermal feed in my HUD, he'll call out incoming hostiles." That done, Sam unstraps the rifle from his chest and tucks it against his shoulder. "Carter, Anderson, go left. Pezzini, you're with me. Let's clear the town first."

Sharon Carter has posed:
Sharon says nothing. Nothing when the Quinjet touches down, nor nothing to the quips that are going around about life saving measures.

Sharon slowly rises from her spot, keeping that back end position and waiting for everyone to exit the Quinjet before her. It takes her a moment to move, fingers pressed against the bridge of her nose, her teeth gritted, lips pinched, and with an inhale she stands tall and slowly walks off the Quinjet to join them in the fog.

As Sam gives the order in which way to go, Sharon silently nods and takes lead. It was strange, being in the field and working with others, in which she saw fit to keep her weaponry holstered and away mostly due to her goddamned hand hurting.

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    It's with reluctance that Rachel Marsh adds a pistol with live ammunition to her own arsenal, along with a few clips of additional ammo. Everything about her posture and expression says how much she hates doing so, however. Maybe it's the whole 'do no harm' doctor thing? Who knows.
    She does fall into place behind Bucky without another word, however. Though the weapon she holds in her hand? It's an icer. And strapped to her back she carries the majority of her equipment and medical supplies. She can feel her heart thudding in her chest as they descend the ramp. Nothing about this feels right.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky holds at the bottom of the ramp for a second or three, damn this fog. He waits until the other two teams have split off before motioning his two charges on down. Usually, when something like this happens on television, the big bad muscle walks in front of the squishy sorts. But that's not how it happens here. "Move in front of me," he instructs. "Seriously, if I say duck, fucking duck." This way? He's a shield between them and anything that might come from behind and he can shoot the shit out of anything that comes from the fronts and sides.

    "Wilson, what's that scrap metal picking up?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
A nod is given to Sam as she is assigned to his team, made sense to put both the flyers together.

Moving toward the town, to the left since the other team went right, she keeps the ICERs in hand, because she can make a hand to hand weapon at any time and she really wanted to give Rachel's concept a chance to work. She was a cop after all, murder wasn't the first thing her mind went to. Hydra or not, it didn't matter over all, if there was a way to save some of them she would, if not she would resort to lethal force.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Darcy hoists the second pack onto her back and secures a strap or two, such that with that and her other bag, her chest is sort of criss-crossed with them. Maybe it makes her look like half a badass agent. Or a hipster on a camping trip. Notably, like Rachel, at least one of these is actually a holster of some sort. They do make everyone take those training classes! But it's probably ideal she not have to put them to the test!

Regardless of all of this, she starts down the ramp when Bucky declares it clear. Or clear-ish. And then starts to procede ahead, although at a fairly cautious pace.

"Ugh, this is like pea soup. Or chowder. Chowder's the big thing up here, right?"

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Tapper Anderson goes left with agent Carter. He doesnt consider himself expendable, but he does make sure he goes first. He knows the reps of most of the major hitters in SHIELD and is quite sure she could or would go first. As it is, he aims to let himself find out if the double ICER will work before switching to live ammo BUT his thumb remains on thie switch on his assault rifle, ready to switch in a moment. He is watching, literally everywhere.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    It's a few seconds before Bucky gets an answer, because Redwing has to isolate and remove several thermal signatures--various woodland animals-- from its threat assessment. "So far nothing," Sam tells Bucky, and then he returns Sara's nod. He lets her take point, both as she's leading with the ICER-loaded weapon and because Sam is monitoring Redwing's feed for incoming hostiles for the entire squad.

    There are small, single-family dwellings and just enough commercial storefronts to support the barest needs of a settlement like this. <<Dead bodies haven't moved.>> He spares a glance down at one, slumped over a half-step out from one home's front door, still open. There are a set of keys dropped just beyond the reach of their (her?) hand, like death had come sweeping down just as they were leaving the house. <<Lobster chowder,>> Sam fills in for Darcy, over comms. He stays on Sara's six, sweeping his gaze across their limited field of vision.

    <<Something about this is off,>> he adds, after a few silent moments. <<Same feeling I had when I was here the first time.>>

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    Rachel nods and moves to the indicated position in front of Bucky, her weapon held pointed low at her side. "Preparing to duck," she remarks in a dry voice, her gaze studying their surroundings. The fog made her uneasy - no doubt it made all of them uneasy - as they advance towards their objective.
    Why did she take this job again?

James Barnes has posed:
    It's creepy, this island is just about as close to something out of a Stephen King novel as you can get. Between the fog and the silence, it's almost as if nothing else in the world exists but you and the man or woman directly in front of you. It's easy to imagine things lurking out there, reaching ... ready to strike. Every whispered word seems too loud, even through the muffling effect of the thick mist.

    Other than the underlying sense of dread all that might bring about, the trip into the town is uneventful.

    The town, it adds an entirely new level to the game. From somewhere down the first street they come onto, soft music plays inside one of the houses. The current track is 'Bad Moon Rising' by CCR.

    The only apparent dead on this particular street, other than Sam's find, is a middle aged man sitting on his front porch with a book in his lap and a woman that was probably watering her flower bed when she decided to just stop. The water still runs from the hose, the added moisture contributing to a quicker decomposition and bloating of the body. Those that are all that are visible from the outside. ... on this street.

    Icy tendrils of fear creep up and down Bucky's spine, the hair on his flesh and bone arm stands on end. Cold sweat drips down the back of his neck. This shit sucks, but... he has a job to do. From time to time, he turns to walk backward a few steps before turning to face front again. "If there's anything you need to stop and check, speak up."

    Over the comms, to Sam who's further away, <<What'er your thoughts on just nuking the entire island from orbit?>> He's joking, mostly... but maybe not entirely.

    From somewhere in the middle of town, a gong of a sound rings out, breaking the silence in a shockingly sudden and abrupt fashion. Bucky about jumps out of his skin, SMG up, sweeping, finger relaxed on the trigger but ready.

    It's only the bell of a small clock tower marking the hour as 8 AM.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara continues her sweep, looking at the state of things and feeling much like she walked into some kind of horror movie. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just straight up Stephen King nightmare.

<<Whatever hit, hit fast and killed instantly.>> She comments into the comm, still keeping her eyes sharp as best she can through the fog. Where was a weather mutant when you needed one?

Darcy Lewis has posed:
"Oh that actually sounds pretty good." Mmm lobster.

Of course, Darcy's appetite doesn't survive contact with the scene in front of them, the rather gruesome tableau on display as they make their way into the little town. As she's happily pointed out, she's not a medical doctor, so she's... not especially good with bodies, either. "Oh gross. THat's just-" She makes half a HORKing sound, but manages to keep everything down. "I uh... you know this is probably late to be suggesting, in terms of us not all already being as good as dead if it's the case, but maybe we want to be doing some kind of air particle analysis. I can handle particulate density, at least, if not tell you what any of it might be."

She has gear for that... probably!

"Wait, instantly? Well. That's a relief. Not for them, for us I mean. Well, I guess maybe for them, compared to the opposite. But probably not any kind of normal pathogen if they died so quickly."

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Tapper Anderson does not open fire on the dead bodies. He does, however, take the safety off his weapon. He is ready to act very quietly here but heeks an eye out. If this goes right, he wont even have to fire. Yeah, even he doesnt believe that.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Man, Sam was thinking it, and there Bucky goes saying it aloud. <<Doubt we'd be able to justify that one, Buck,>> comes the response over the line. <<Agent Marsh, you might want to take a look at one of these bodies, see if you can identify a cause of death. Looks to me like they just fell over and died on the spot.>> That's as far as Sam's training gets him, which doesn't extend past emergency medicine. No pathology or the like. He and Sara move on to the next house, and that's when Sam starts to hear something.

    <<Might just be this place getting to me, but is that music?>> He's only a few steps in that direction when the bell begins to toll, and immediately Sam ducks down into cover behind a car parked on the street. It's a few seconds before his heartbeat has slowed down. He rolls his eyes at his own reaction, and then pops back up, sweeping the street with his rifle before he sighs.

    <<Collect samples, at the very least. But I've been to medical since my last visit here and I got a clean bill of health.>> Mostly! <<I was up close and personal with two of them, so chances are if it's some kind of pathogen it isn't airborne or easily contractable.>>

Sharon Carter has posed:
This was eerie. Sharon wasn't a bit of ways off from Anderson, so she was watching his six. But what she was also watching were the bodies on the floor. It was sinister, the feeling that she felt, slowly strolling through the middle of the street, her hands at the ready to pull either ICER or glock if she had to. But this wasn't right. She hadn't felt like this since..

<< I can't hear any music. >> Sharon says over comms, obviously in the other direction of where Sam and the others were. <<I'm going to slide into one of these houses here, I'll hollar if need be.>>

Where the running water was, Sharon approaches. She follows the line of the hose back to the hookup upon the side of the house, reaching out with a hand to turn the knob into it's off position. As she steps away, she looks down at her hand, only to wipe the mist away upon her hands whilst she heads towards the back door of the home.

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    <<Yeah, I- my thoughts exactly,>> Rachel Marsh answers, glancing back towards Bucky - and indicating one of the bodies with a questioning look. Yes, she literally waits for the go-ahead from Barnes, before she approaches the man on his porch, pulling out her scanner to study the corpse, and some collection gear to take some swabs and samples - including samples of insect larvae. They're handy when studying corpses. Each is carefully and quickly labeled before she moves on to the next body. She even approaches the bloated corpse on the wet lawn - though her expression shows her struggle to contain her own gag reflex.
    <<It would be extremely useful to collect a body for a full autopsy,>> she suggests quietly into the comm after trotting back into her position - right in front of Bucky.

James Barnes has posed:
    "Shut. Up. and analyse your particles then." Really, Bucky's not being *mean*, he's being practical. He might miss some important sound or cue of impending shit incoming if she keeps up the yammering. "It's not airborne, whatever it is," he adds... if it was airborne both him and Sam would either be dead or... worse. But maybe being here did something to them both? Seems they're on the same wave length and speaking the same truths at the same time.

    The backdoor of the house is unlocked, the front likely is as well, from all appearances, it seems this little town is - was - home to people that worked here and their families. Inside, sitting on the couch, is a teenage girl, maybe sixteen? She has a TV remote in her hand. Rocko's Modern Life is on the screen, volume low enough to not be heard from the street. So there's still power to the homes, at least there's that. That fact is also the reason that the smell of decomposition isn't immediately overpowering. The air conditioning has been on the entire time. Beyond the living room is the kitchen and, probably the father of this family unit, is on the floor in front of the 'fridge, a carton of orange juice spilled out around his body.

    Bucky gives a little nod, but also, "Don't touch him..." As in with her bare hands that is, because who the fuck really knows?

    That faint music has switched tracks. Have You Ever Seen the Rain. Someone was a CCR fan.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The bell causes the armor to react to Witchblade's freak out. It thickens around her as she jumps into the air and just hovers, guns aimed at nothing and everything at the same time. This place was way too creepy. The pathogen may not be airborne, but for a moment, Witchblade was.

Landing back by Sam she eyes him for a moment, the armor returning to a more manageable thickness. <<I'd still advise against touching anything without double gloves, we've got no idea what we're dealing with here, but let's be honest, this had to be airborne at some point, or it couldn't have effected the entire town at the same time.>>

Now she tilts her head, trying to see if she hears music. <<Bad Moon Rising?>>

Jovian Anderson has posed:
Tapper Anderson follows Carter into the house, but is hair trigger with the music and the water. He almost shoots at shadows five times but manages to hold his ammo knowing he only has a limited amount of it. He definitely isnt planning on touching ANYTHING if he doesnt have to.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
The idea of getting some samples does spur Darcy into some action. She spends a few moments wrestling with the bag, pulling out one of the tripods and attaching a small device atop it. There's a clear cylinder of a sort, contained within a square housing. She presses something, and it makes a sort of hiss. "Uh, normally this is for a very different sort of sampling, basically atmospheric analysis and separation for later mass spectrometry, but... it should kind of work to contain a decent sample, at least. And see if you've got any heavier particle matter in the air. Normally you might want to take multiple samples at different points to try and build an atmospheric topography but I'm assuming we're not really thinking its in the air."

"I sure hope it's not."

Fortunately for the more tense SHIELD agents concerned with safety and the like, this whole procedure ends up being a rather static one. She doesn't need to go anywhere, and remains there as the others fan out to search various buildings and the like. She only gets a little nervous if too many of them are out of sight simultaneously. "Another option, actually more likely with the uh," and she grimaces, "quick timeframe is something like a fast, intense radiation burst. I'm gonna start scanning background levels next." She has another device for this, naturally.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sara name drops the first song and it earns a quiet, humorless laugh from Sam nearby. <<That feels a little too appropriate. Okay, we're clear on this end of town, and Redwing's still not picking anything up on thermals. We're heading back to the quinjet, regroup.>> He looks over at Sara and then tips his head thataway before starting to retrace his steps.

    Even still, he keeps his rifle up. They're not clear until the quinjet is up in the air and well on its way back to the Playground.

    Though for a brief moment, Sam tucks his rifle against his chest and lifts up his arm to touch his gauntlet. <<I'm going to send Redwing out on a perimeter sweep, see if we're missing something,>> he says. A few taps and it's done, though that means they no longer have their eye in the sky. <<Agent Pezzini, can you give us some cover from the air while we bag up one of these bodies? I'll be back ASAP to assist you on that, Agent Marsh.>> Given that Sam is probably the best equipped to deal with a decomposing corpse after the good doctor herself.

Sharon Carter has posed:
All was normal. Much of what happened outside, happened inside. Sharon takes in a deep breath, her eyes closing, one hand lifting to press against the side of her hips and exhales with a grunt. With a glance back towards Tapper, Sharon gestures towards the kitchen as she slowly begins to walk, spying the body on the ground and the spilled juice. For once, Sharon does the right thing by taking her blade from her belt to cut off a piece of her pantleg. That fabric was used to grab the handle of the juice carton, pouring the contents into the sink then sets the empty jug upright and underneath the faucet.

"Want to check upstairs after this or should we head out?" She asks Tapper, "You're looking a little spooked my angel." Teasing, of course. She was spooked herself. Using that same cloth, she turns on the faucet to run water into the empty jug, then pulls it away to swirl and dump. As the water is ran into the clean jug, she finally turns off the water, that big sample collected -just- in case. May was well, right? "Help me find a cap."

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    Oh, Rachel has her gloves on, believe you me. She has zero desire to touch any of the bloated corpses of unknown pathology. She does her work quickly, and quietly, and moves away from them as quickly as she can manage.
    She's on her way back to where Bucky is positioned near Darcy - when she glances around the side of the house. Was that- It looked like she'd found a child. Which is tragic, of course, but would also be a much easier transport if they were going to bring a body back for autopsy. She moves closer to check - not noticing the trap door leading down into a cellar built into the side of the house.
    "You poor darling," she breathes quietly.
    She shouldn't have spoken. But how was she to know that? The cellar doors beside her as abruptly shoved open as something reaches out for her.
    "BARNES!"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Witchblade leaps into the air with a, <<On it Agent Wilson.>> over the comm.

It is at this time that Sara remembers just how new the wings are, and though they function through magic and not flapping, she has a moment of going in the wrong direction before getting back on track and taking up a hovering position so she can see, mostly, through the fog. She may or may not need some lessons, diving bombing she has down, this get to height thing though, not so much.

<<That was not graceful, wings are new, apologizes>> She offers with a chuckle, leveling out perfectly now. <<Not like I can practice with these things in the middle of New York.>>

James Barnes has posed:
    <<Copy, we'll head back as soon as we're done here.>>

    A common garter snake comes crawling its way out of the bloated corpse's mouth. It likely sought out refuge there the night before.

    That even sets Bucky's nerves further on edge, because ... really? It was a split second that he was distracted by the sight of that snake. ...and one of his damned charges wanders off.

    "MARSH!"

    "You, shoot to KILL anything that comes at at," he BARKS at Darcy, but he's already full tilt in the direction of the side of the house and Rachel's scream before the order is even finished. When he finds the open cellar door and Marsh nowhere in sight, he just... jumps, skipping the concrete stairs entirely and landing in a slight crouch on the cellar floor.

    <<Sam! fifteen, side yard, cellar door! Send Redwing!>> He called the thing by its name, it must be bad.

    It's dark down there, pitch, can't see a hand in front of your face *dark*.

    The bell from the clock tower chimes once to mark the half hour.

    Somewhere on the other side of the island, down in the lab, there's no one there to press the button, no one there to reset the timer.

    "Ten, nine, eight, seven..." A booming voice echoes through the entire town via loudspeakers perched on houses and store fronts.

    It begs the question, what happens when the voice reaches zero?