6862/Like a Freight Train

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Like a Freight Train
Date of Scene: 11 July 2021
Location: Rockefeller State Park Preserve
Synopsis: What's a little blood and gutting between Battle Bros? Bucky actually manages to walk away from an encounter with an angry Wolverine, but not without a little help from his friends and a LOT of help from Morrigan.
Cast of Characters: James Barnes, Logan Howlett, Sam Wilson, Gabby Kinney, Steve Rogers, Cael Becker, Kaida Connolly, Morrigan MacIntyre, Karen Starr, Opal Moirai




James Barnes has posed:
    A day in Westchester, at a state reserve, it's really just what the shrink would probably order. But really, Bucky needed to pick up some art supplies he special ordered and that kicked off the invitations.

    So, Bucky, Steve, Sam, Lili and Cael headed north. Rather than dealing with the dog - that really needed to go - in town, Bucky dropped the rest of the crew off at the park and went on ahead to pick up his stuff. It's not the best day for a park adventure, it rained a good portion of the night before and the ground's still soggy. That just means more room for the pup to run unleashed though, right?

    Special paints, a few brushes and the only pencils he really likes tucked into a bag in one hand, Bucky's leaving the store.

    He pulls out his cell phone, pausing on the sidewalk near the car, to call Sam to ask, "You guys need anything while I'm here?"

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan was minding his own business. Whether it was something he saw, or heard...no, it was something he smelled. The same scent he smelled when Itsu, his wife many years past, was murdered before his very eyes. Logan bears his teeth, Wolf-like fangs and all, and gets moving.

He tracks this scent for what feels like forever, his eyes narrowed as he uses stealth to his advantage, until he has the group in his sights. He growls a moment, clenching his fists as claws begin to dig through his forearm, but he doesn't engage yet. Too many unknown variables, but he's in stalker mode. His eyes narrowed, focused on Bucky, putting old, but mastered, skills to the task.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Roadtrips are apparently just a thing that they're all doing now. Going through airport security as an Avenger is pretty awkward anyway, and even though Sam's batting average at being recognized as the Falcon is pretty low in comparison to some of the more famous members of the team, it's still not zero.

    And besides, once you start flying around with your own set of wings, commercial flights become too damn slow real quick.

    "Lemme ask Steve," Sam says into his phone, which he has tucked against his shoulder as he crouches in the grass, getting his shoes muddy as he works to free the tennis ball from Lili's overeager chompers. "Steve!"

    Lili finally relents, and Sam stands up, pulls his arm back, and lets the ball fly. If the baseball analogy earlier wasn't enough of a tip off, the way the ball sails across the park--and Lili tears off after it like a furry blur--it's pretty obvious Sam used to play.

    He wipes the dog slobber off on his jeans and then actually pulls his phone away from his face. "Bucky's asking if you need anything." And since Sam knows basically nothing about art supplies, he's willing to hand the phone off for that conversation to happen without his direct involvement.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The park wasn't far off from where Gabby had been spending a good amount of her time 'house sitting' recently. Though the task was over she still visits on occasion. It was a good excuse to get away from the school for a bit, and there were a lot of places around to nab a quick snack at. There were still several she was working through her bucket list of 'need to try' and today, recent rain or not, she'd opted for icecream. With a Mexican style popcicle in hand she makes her way through the park enjoying the scenery and dog watching. Because why wouldn't she watch cute dogs? It's a good thing she does, too, since the ball Sam threw flies past followed by the dog chasing after earning a yelp of surprise that ends in a peal of laughter from Gabby. "Go get it!"

Steve Rogers has posed:
"How about a decent beer?" Steve says, squinting over at Sam's question. He grins at the aviator and takes another sip of the light stuff. The party voted, and they voted for Coors. Cap respects the democratic process.

Even if it inspires thoughts of sedition from time to time.

"Anyway Beck, Carol's got a plane, I think Rhodey does too. They're both top flight aviators and Rhodey's been an instructor for years. Heck if we bring you on the Avenger's staff, Tony could probably be persuaded to help offset the cost of some of the gas. We don't have any Federal agents on loan to us right now," he points out. "And we've had them attached to the Avenger's organization in the past as consultants."

Construction boots, sturdy jeans, and a comfortable short-sleeved button down shirt worn untucked. It's a casual look for Cap, and with his sunglasses and hat he could pass for any suburban dad at the park.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael had, just for the record, been delighted to meet Lili - and had greeted the dog with a broad smile and an almost child-like exuberance that none of the boys had yet seen out of the young agent. After a few moments crouched before the dog - scratching at her fur and literally burying her face against the pup's neck, she'd climbed back to her feet and into the car with the rest of the group - happily sitting in the back with the pup. She was currently watching Sam toss the ball while perched on the edge of a picnic table, a relaxed smile on her features.
    "Ask him to grab some chips or something. Maybe pretzels? I don't know." She takes another sip from her beer - and then a moment later lets out a surprised cough.
    "Wait- what? Avengers staff?" she asks. "I- when did that become a thing?"
    Yes. Somehow the thought that these guys might try to recruit her for something, somehow never came up.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"I get up, I get down and I'm jumpin' around. The rumpus and ruckus are comfortable now!" Kaida idly sings to herself as she runs along with a knapsack on her back and grins as she goes. She's fast, faster than most anyway and it's how she's stayed alive and also explored. She had come to the store that Bucky had gone into as well searching for snacks. She had snagged a few bars from a grab and go section, dropped a five behind the counter and then proceeded to find a quiet spot to break apart and stow away her prize (and eat half of it before it even got put away).

As Bucky exits, she uses his exit to sneak out and dances out, "I'm way too young to lie here forever, way too old to try so whatever!" And she then zips along only coming to a halt as her nose wrinkles, "Someone likes their beer." She shakes her head, nose twitching slightly and right ear flicking. Of course, despite all her 'noise', most would probably not even notice as she's not projecting her voice and is, well, quite small. Either way, she begins to zip off and looks up briefly at Bucky in passing and sniffs a little before moving along.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's not with the crew, but she knows where at least one of them is. How does she keep ending up in parks? That question may never be answered. She'd parked the Challenger off somewhere and made her way to where Sam said they were. She's wearing her sunglasses, because bright light hurts. She gives a smile to the group, "Nice to see everyone in one piece." she tells them.

Then she opens the bag she has with her, drawing out a few folders, "Sorry to bring work to you, but figured it was better if you knew of a few of the teens that might need a bit more one on one counseling this coming year." she tells Sam in a quiet tone.

James Barnes has posed:
    Beer, chips, pretzels, whatever's requested is snagged from a little corner store and juggling his phone, his keys and the beer when he gets into the car, Bucky is clueless that the former hunter has become the hunted and all his dicking around is just giving Logan more time to focus on his scent and his need for revenge.

    When he arrives at the park and pulls into a spot, there's a pretty good distance between him and his friends. He kills the engine and then just sits there for a minute or twenty, watching, unwittingly giving the hunter time to catch up.

     This is what normal freakin' life looks like, isn't it?

    Leaving the bag of art supplies, he gets out of the car, grabs the beer from the back seat and stands there just watching for a few more minutes before heading back to the trunk to retrieve the cooler he forgot to leave with the group when he dropped them off.

    A few more moments spent just... watching actually has him smiling a real and genuine smile. Those are really rare these days. But hell, if he's here, with the people he cares about for just a damned normal day, maybe shit really can get better? He piles everything inside the cooler for ease of carrying all the crap they wanted and, finally, starts in that direction.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    "Yeah, right, I'm sure Jerry's Fine Art Mart," which is for the record not what the place is actually called, Sam fully just made that up, "Has a great stock of snacks and beverages."

    Maybe they do! Sam has no idea. Maybe the term starving artist has more meaning than he realizes.

    He points at Steve. "Not all of us appreciate getting punched in the face with every sip, man, you keep your masochistic ways to yourself." Sam definitely tried to make an argument for some kind of bougie craft beer that also got shot down before they all reached a mutual agreement.

    Anyway, Sam relays the requests down the phone line to Bucky, throws in another for beef jerky that is definitely actually just going to be for Lili (this dog is probably spoiled to all hell) and then once the call disconnects he lets out a sharp whistle that echoes across the park.

    Sure, Sam's doing the typical baseball-cap-and-sunglasses thing to avoid being recognized, but he's not out here actively trying to be stealthy. They're hanging at the park. It's a normal day. Lili has probably stopped on her way back with the ball to sniff at Gabby until Sam's whistle calls her back, and off she goes.

    He's bracing himself for imminent dog impact when Morrigan makes her appearance, and Sam stands up, which means Lili slams into his legs and nearly does knock him on his ass. "Jeez, hello, hi, yes," Sam says as he bends over to rub behind the dog's ears, because it's not like he could ever be angry at that face. "Hey, Mo! This is Lili." Priorities being what they are, the dog gets introduced first before he addresses the work stuff with, "Nah, it's no problem. Is this a serious work visit or do you want to discuss it over a couple of beers?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Having nothing better to do, and already having lost her icecream to dodging the racing Lili after the ball, Gabby gets a ruffle in on her ears before Lili is called away. Curious, she jogs after with a wide grin. "Hey, your dog is great!" She calls out in greeting with an arm lifting to wave as she approaches the group. It's then that it strikes her: That is a fairly sized group of people. And Morrigan, her old teacher is there from when she was at Happy Harbor a few years ago. "Oh! Hi Miss Morrigan! And other people I don't know," she offers while glancing at Sam --No recognition. Then over to Cael. Nope. Then Steve. Yeah she probably doesn't know... Her eyes widen and she stiffens. "Holy---Moly! I mean. Hello! Captain Sir!" She starts to salute, pauses, narrows her eyes and struggles with a decision. "You're not in uniform so.. uh. Hi!"

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan tries not to laugh when Lili crashes into Sam, "Lili and I have met, though the first meeting was under poor circumstances. Hopefully this time she realizes that I'm not trying to hurt her human." she states. "Speaking of her human..." she trails off to look around, then she spots Bucky coming their way, "Hello James." she waves to him. Then she looks back to Sam and there's a smile, "I don't want to intrude on anything." she admits as she looks around.

There is a smile to Steve, "Captain, always good to see you." she nods to him. Cael gets a smile as well, "Good to see you in one piece." she states. Then there is a Gabby and there's a look to her, "Oh hello Gabby!" she grins, "Just out enjoying the park?" she asks her.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Lo, the gazelle leaves the pack.

Logan growls a little bit more as he begins to move through the shadows and light both as best as he can. His eyes remain fixed on Bucky, eyes filled with a rage of half a century behind them. When Bucky is just...admiring the normality of life, he can hear the sins of the past like the death cry of a samurai.

"AAAGGGGHHHHH!!!"

It's a cry of agony. Vengeance. Rage, as his feet move faster than any normal person has any right to move, arms moved to his sides and outward as his claws shatter through flesh, the brilliant metal and shine of Adamantium that composes his claws emerges with a 'SNIKT'.

He doesn't stop, he doesn't slow down. He charges Bucky with every intent to kill him. Irregardless of who sees, who tries to stop him, his claws will seek any organ he can find if he makes it to the assassin.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve grins at Cael's spluttering. "Hey I'm not saying anything's official, me and Tony are a team and I gotta talk it over with him. When he's feeling, uh, better," he says, and coughs into his hand. The throat-cleaning turns into some real coughing. Steve's looking a little pale around the gills, and his eyes are red-rimmed with exhaustion. Still, he's a soldier, and soldiers don't like letting sickness show.

"But with the time as you've been spending with Bucky and Sam--" he nods at Wilson-- "you've shown you don't panic easily and you aren't going to start dishing to the media outlets. It'd be nice to have a cop around the HQ. Keeps the rest of us in line."

Gabby does her fangirl thing and Steve puts a polite smile on. It's a trick he learned from Janet, that instant public affairs face. Never get caught frowning at a fan! "You don't have to salute, miss," Steve reassures Gabby. "That's just an Army thing. You're ... probably too old for a sticker, right?" he says with a theatrical hesitation-- and yes, Steve does have a thin wallet with some one-inch Captain America shield stickers in it. He unfolds it and offers one to Gabby anyway.

Steve's tone drifts as he spots a familiar face-- well, one that he knows, anyway. "Is that... Jimmy?" he mutters to himself. "'scuse me, miss," he apologizes, and starts towards Logan.

"Jimmy! Hey!" he says, raising his voice. When Logan doesn't respond, Steve whistles. "Logan! You deaf?"

Logan's so focused on Bucky that he apparently doesn't hear Steve, and Steve tracks the man's view towards the Winter Soldier and his bag full of groceries. The hunch of shoulders, that predatory stride... it doesn't take an expert in body language to recognize murderous intent.

Or to remember Logan has knives concealed in his forearms.

"Jimmy... Jimmy, no! Don't!" Steve jogs, then runs, and then breaks into a sprint as fast as his legs can carry him as Logan closes the gap with that predatory stride. At the last moment Steve leaps into the air and slams the heels of both boots into Logan's temple with a spectacular flying kick. He underestimates the inertia of Logan's deceptively sturdy build and lands badly on his hip and shoulder. Mud congeals on his shirt and jeans and he gets fast on his feet to try and get between Logan and Bucky Barnes. Hands out, palms outstretched, trying to show peaceful intent.

"Damnit, Logan! Stop!" Steve barks with as much authority as he can muster in his voice.

Karen Starr has posed:
    For someone that keeps tabs on International Issues, Karen Starr is usually relatively detached. It is not often at all that most nations are happy about someone like Power Girl getting involved in matters of terrorism, foreign or domestic: Something about throwing cruise liners at people gives politicians the heebie jeebies.

    The escape of Zemo has been somewhat different. Power Girl isn't deeply invested, but it's definitely an Avengers matter: Zemo's dislike of capes is a well known thing. That he's gone missing is a problem that, with her relatively clean plate (at any given moment, Metropolis being what it is) she figures she can take on. Certainly it's nothing that she can't handle- as long as people let her.

    This is why, as she hears familiar voices coming from a distance that isn't too crazy- sort of, she's not in the New York office of Starrware at the moment- she decides she can pay Cap a visit.

    The noise of her exit from the airspace of Metropolis isn't at all different from the norm. Before a few seconds have passed, she's up in the sky above New York, and after a second or two longer, she's drifting down towards the park.

    Calmly, quietly, she lands herself on her feet just a meter or two from Cap and Sam. Her mouth opens, and she starts to speak, "Hey, Cap, I wanted to-" Then, there's a scream, a howl of rage and fury coming from not far away, a voice she's heard before but doesn't know- if she had, she'd have been off like a bullet, but in this case Karen is more confused. Did someone fall over while playing frisbee with their dog?

    Her attention shifts to the side. Cap had the right of it- and knew more about who it was. Power Girl herself isn't too quick to move, this time, but as soon as she recognizes Logan, she knows what they're dealing with- and in a blur, she's just gone in that direction.

    So much for a greeting.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Then Bucky gathers up snacks and Kaida stares at the bag of snacks and sniffs the air a few times. She was about to dig into part of the bar when she decides that Bucky might have a better haul and possibly not need all of it. She follows him to his car and leaps up on to the car and clings on the vehicle's trunk and grins as it moves. She casually enjoys the ride, not really paying much attention to where they are going as she'll find her way afterward. Hopefully after sneaking some food.

She leaps off at the park, not really having the same reaction to the park as Bucky did. She was instead looking to see where he'd go with that food. Of course, then she sniffs the air, "Beer again?" She looks at Bucky and sniffs at him, "No..." She then pauses a moment, "Same smell?" Of course then she blinks as she hears a yelling and turns suddenly to see Logan racing at Bucky with blades. She then jumps up and back before yelling, "Look out snacks guy!" She isn't really sure who Bucky is but he is snacks guy. For now.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Craft stores don't exist in a //vaccum//, Sam!" Cael calls towards the man in amusement. "There's probably a grocery or at least a gas station somewhere on the block." She rolls her eyes at him before taking another swig from her beer - setting it down on the picnic table and crouching down as she whistles the dog towards her, instead. She scritches happily at Lili's head, neck, and shoulders, and then engages with the pre-requisite game of tug over the ball, before tossing it as far as she can. "I used to, uh... live with someone who had a german shepherd," she remarks as she straightens once more. "Moreau was the dog's name. He was a good pup." She'd been happy in that foster home - it was one of the happier times in her young life, honestly. Not that she could talk about it, really.
    "Oh, come on, the public- ...doesn't need to know any of this shit," she mutters under her breath. No, they couldn't handle any of this shit. Let's be honest about that. A frown of concern crosses her features at the cough - but she doesn't comment on it, instead she turns a smile and a nod of greeting on the child.
    Just before all hell breaks loose. //Again//.
    "Aww, shit," she mutters under her breath. "Kid - get the dog for us, huh? Her name's Lili!" she calls - before she follows after Steve at a cautious jog. With two super soldiers in the mix, she needs to sort out what exactly is going on before she attempts to weigh in. Besides, the only way she can weigh into this mess is with the pistol concealed under her jacket - and you don't pull that unless you really mean business.

James Barnes has posed:
    What the actual *fuck*. He was just ... everything was okay with the world for an entire two point two seconds.

    First, Bucky hears that scream of rage and, of course, turns toward it. Then he sees Logan barreling down on him. Of course the cooler hits the ground, it overturns, everything falls out... bottles break. That's the stuff that might happen in slow motion in his mind. That's the stuff Bucky will remember most, the 'normal' stuff.

    At first, he doesn't have a clue who he's looking at, he doesn't have a whole lot of time to ponder the identity of the man about to what? Murder him, that's what.

    Jimmy? Is that Steve, still not much time to process, but Jimmy? Is that...

    Pale blues widen in both recognition and surprise. ...and narrow into something closer to acceptance. It's not like he wants to die here today, he really doesn't. In fact, he's already moving to try and get out of Logan's way but it's all happening so fast! He manages to get his left arm up, he turns, shifting his weight on one leg. He's just about to leap onto the top of the car, just to get distance so he can regroup and figure out his next move.

    ...he's not fast enough. Thank the Gods for Steve's hit? It may not stop Logan, but it it likely saved Bucky from taking those claws right to the heart. Instead, they plunge into his lower abdomen and... out his back.

    He doesn't even feel it, it's not registering yet, will it ever? But he knows. Bucky reaches up with one hand to wrap around Logan's wrist. Blood's already dripping from the corner of his mouth, out of his nose. It splutters and sprays when he coughs out, "It's okay, Lucky..." There wasn't any mistaking who the man was now that they're this up close and personal.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai knows better than to question when she gets one of her 'feelings', and she's not going to start now. It's a bit of a drive from her club. She only hopes she won't be late.

The high-end pickup rolls up and skids as she locks up the brakes. Extended cab, 4x4, Platinum edition. The door is thrown open and a woman steps out. Briskly. Boot-cut jeans, riding heels, calfskin vest over a dressy Western shirt, wide-brimmed Stetson pulled down tight over flowing blonde hair, and aviator sunglasses.

She is just in time, alright. Just in time to watch the 3-man collision and Bucky get stabbed. And for several long moments, that's all the woman does is watch.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan feels her stomach turn, "Oh not again..." she whispers as she sees the man with the familiar looking blades go charging at an oblivious Bucky for the moment. Then she's hearing Steve and others call out to the man. "Can you keep Lili here?" she asks Gabby as she watches what is unfolding in rapt horror.

Then she sees the claws come out Bucky's back and her face pales, "JAMES!" she shouts. There's a quick look to Sam and then the redhead starts towards the growing brawl that's going to turn into a blood bath.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney goes all solemn at the offer of a sticker. "I am never too old for stickers," she assures with a broad grin. "Thank you!" The offered sticker is taken and tucked into her pocket just in time for things to suddenly hit the spot. It's a simple thing, yes, but she doesn't mind it at all. When Steve takes off calling after someone named Jimmy she pays no attention. At least not until the name changes ... And that yell of pure rage causes the hairs on the back of her neck to bristle instinctively. "Logan... Oh no. No no no no," she utters beneath her breath as her hands flex at her sides itching with the urge to jump in but not sure if she ought to. Or which side to even BE on. The clear confusion flits over her face as all hell breaks loose. Cael's ordering her to get the dog has her hesitate again as everyone runs over to try and stop what would likely be a very messy, bloody conflict.

Watch the dog. Right. She does that by grabbing the tennis ball that was thrown and lobbing it away from all of this ruckus. Then she turns to run after all the adults heading that way with her face set in a stubborn grimace herself. She doesn't move to attack though. There were enough for that, and she's quick to dodge or duck around them if need be until she interposes herself between Bucky and Logan with arms thrown wide to, well, hug around poor Bucky using her body as a shield in case Logan tries to go in again. She doesn't care about the blood.

Logan Howlett has posed:
As Logan charges Barnes, he hears the voice of Steve Rogers, but he doesn't -hear- him. Itsu, one of the few people in his king life that he genuinely loved, an unborn child paired with her, and in one sudden moment, that happiness, that peace, that hope that he could be more than what they made him...was ripped from his eyes. The feet of Rogers slam into the side of Logan's head, not knocking him down but sparing Barnes from being immediately killed by Logan's claws.

Instead, his claws rip straight through the Winter Soldier's abdomen and out the back, rupturing organs that are already failing. He could feel his blood seeping out, his breath shallowing beneath the pain, his other hand comes up, claws at the ready as if he was preparing to slash Barnes's face clean off. But only when he -finally- gets a good look at Bucky does he recognize the kid who fought with him in the trenches, the kid who he swore he would protect from the bullets, the kid from Brooklyn who just wanted to serve his country.

"Barnes?"

Gabby was going to be a shield, but the strike never comes, instead, Logan looked in shock. "It was you?" Logan's voice is shocked, the man he saw and tracked, the Winter Soldier...was his friend? Only now does he hear Steve's voice. Logan's claws retract into his fist, leaving Bucky's abdomen, then he tries to catch him and help him to the ground. "Shit, shit, Fuck Barnes!" Logan tried to plead with him, hands trying to stop the bleeding, but he knows he's too late.

Vengeance delivered, but isn't vengeance always blind?

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Though Lili is in fact not Sam's dog, all he says to Gabby is an amused "Thanks." He's temporarily watching her (well, it's a collaborative effort, really) which is good enough for Sam. Besides, if he gets his way, the Avengers are about to have a new mascot. Maybe they could put her in a little cape and mask! It'll be great.

    He does the thing where you cup your hands around a dog's ears and just wiggle 'em, because German Shepherds have the perfect ears for that. Ugh, dogs are so good.

    "Nothing to intrude on," Sam tells Morrigan as he tries and fails to convince Lili to drop the tennis ball. This is a no take, only throw kind of moment, and he's not so cruel-hearted as to actually force the issue. Except then she just walks over to Cael and willingly gives up the ball! J'accuse! Traitor! "Pretty sure I could convince Beck to take over dog-sitting duty if you want to sit down somewhere private so we can talk about the new students." Welcome to the Avengers, Cael! That's her job now.

    It's probably a good thing Sam's not in charge of recruitment.

    Sam's about to snark back at the FBI agent about something or other (dealing with Falcon smack-talk is a requisite part of joining the Avengers) when everything goes straight to hell, and he's competely out of the loop. Jimmy who? There are in fact enough people rushing that way that all Sam knows is something's happened, because he has no line-of-sight with Bucky or Logan. Probably something terrible, because they can't have a single normal day, can they?

    He doesn't even really process Karen's arrival, because as quickly as she's arrived, she's also throwing herself into the fray. Sam's left there a beat longer than anyone else before rushing over, though the crowd means he's only getting glimpses of what's happening. And then there's blood. That's definitely blood.

    Okay. Big inhale. He's maybe channeling a little bit of Steve's Captain America, the whole son-just-don't voice when he yells out "If you're not rendering medical aid CLEAR THE AREA RIGHT NOW." Sam's already tugging off the button-down he's wearing over his t-shirt as he tries to body his way in to Bucky.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen not knowing what's going on is an advantage in Bucky's corner: The less she knows, the more she thinks that someone has gone off the deep end and is trying to murder someone else. In broad daylight no less- but that's not even really strange for her hometown.

    She arrives a split second following Cap's acrobatic maneuver and ungraceful landing. She tries to bring her hand around Logans's shoulder, about the to the middle of his chest, and if she can, she'll just offer a push covering the last inch or so. The strength she puts into it is enough that it'll feel like being thumped in the chest by a car. Not enough to kill, but definitely enough to hurt like hell and send someone flying.

    "I'm not sure what the hell is going on, but you've done enough."

Opal Moirai has posed:
Rather than approach, Opal rests a hand on the open door of her truck. These are professionals. Elites. And she understands that she has absolutely no business joining in the fray. That isn't her role, and it never has been.

Logan gets kicked, James gets stabbed anyway, Steve falls back, Gabby launches herself and the red-white blur that is Karen streaks into the mix. Others begin to approach, or to hold back the dog.

Then Sam yells to clear the area. Only then does the blonde cowgirl walk closer. Slowly.

James Barnes has posed:
    Why doesn't it hurt? Shouldn't hurt?

    He's a super soldier, still mostly human, just tougher. He's not Superman. "It's okay," he rasps out again. 'I get it, Jimmy... I forgive you'. But the words are really barely audible. Bucky's blue eyes are wide open though. He's not staring *at* Logan but more through him? "Hey, remember that time Captain America was late to the party?" A little louder than before, like maybe it'll be okay after all?

    He coughs, splutters, choking on his own blood. ...and then his eyes close.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Kaida declares at seeing the blood coming out of the back of Bucky. She then looks at the downed snacks and then at the guy with the claws and then she blinks slowly. "WHAT?!" She stares in disbelief, "What is going on?!" She then zips away from the situation and aims for Logan as she prepares to spring into action only for others to rush in and for Logan to stop and she stares more. Then she races back over and puts her hands on her hips, "What in the hell?!" She isn't sure anyone would notice her but she is rather upset all the same!

Steve Rogers has posed:
Logan's claws retract and Steve exhales a deep and profound sigh of relief when the mutant doesn't press the attack. Stopping Logan temporarily was within the realm of possibility... but a prolonged battle with the warrior is the sort of knife fight even Cap wouldn't win.

Karen flicks Logan backwards far enough to remove him from the fight. "Easy, Power-Girl, he's done," Steve tells the blonde Kryptonian. He's already trying to help Bucky keep his feet but the soldier's going down fast and Steve can only support him as Bucky collapses.

"Sam. SAM!" Cap screams for the medic. He fishes the car keys out of Bucky's pocket and tosses them at Cael. "Becker, get the red bag out the trunk! Sam, help me stop the bleeding!" Steve's voice is frantic with terror. Three penetrating knife wounds spurting bright red blood. "I think it nicked the artery," Steve tells Wilson. He suppresses the trembling in his fingers and for lack of gauze or sutures handy, jams his fingers into the bleeding holes to apply direct pressure. "We gotta-- we gotta stop the bleeding!"

The pressure is likely *exquisitely* painful. But his fingers serve to clamp the steady pumping of blood. It buys Bucky maybe a couple of minutes... but the instant the pressure lets up, Bucky's life will be back down to being counted by the second hand instead.

Steve looks at Sam, blood staining his cheek and spattering his clothing. Terror underpins his expression, pleading with Sam to pull one of those medic miracles out of his ass and keep Bucky from exsanguinating on the muddy ground right then and there.

Cael Becker has posed:
    As the claws tear into Bucky's entrails, Cael's eyes go wide. No. Oh, no no no. That's also when her gun comes out - to get trained on Logan. "Put the knives down," she growls out. "NOW."
    ...the fact that they disappear into his hands it a bit baffling, she'll admit, but it's hardly the weirdest thing she's seen lately. The fact that he's gone from trying to kill Bucky, to trying to help him- well. She's not going to think about that too closely, either. "Are there medical supplies in the car?" she asks Sam urgently - holstering the weapon once more - just in time to catch the tosses keys. She pulls out the large, clearly marked medical pack and without a word, she sets it down in Sam's reach, cracking the kit open.
    Then she pulls out her phone. "Yes, we need emergency medical services to the Rockefeller State Park Preserve," she says into the phone as she takes a step back. "There's- We have a man with serious abdonimal trauma. It looks like there's damage to the lungs. And- god, okay, looks like there's damage to an artery. We're- we have an Air Force medic on scene, he's doing what he can, but-"

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Morrigan growls out at Logan, baring her fangs at him. She didn't know him and he'd just turned Bucky into a fucking shish kebab. She'd apologize another time for being upset. She tries to make heads or tails of things, but she can just smell Bucky's blood and Gabby is blocking for him. Then Bucky is choking on his own blood and the woman FREAKS out internally as she realizes that he's dying...very close to it.

"There's no time for EMS." she states in a very cryptic way. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her own heartbeat as she kneels down next to Bucky, one hand reaches out to settle on blood soaked skin, not far from Steve's, the other reaches up to touch the side of Bucky's face. Then she closes her eyes and starts to whisper things in a different language. There are neon violet tendrils of energy that snake out of her fingers, starting to get to work.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney rolls to the side to crouch on the ground near where Bucky is laid down. She was too small to try and help keep him up along with the others so she doesn't even try. Cap is already pressing in to start rendering first aid as well as shoot orders around. "Logan, you with us now?" she calls out toward him as it seemed he was starting to regain his clarity by the time she'd attempted to interpose herself. Even as she asks she reaches over with her far smaller hands to put pressure on some of the abdominal wounds from the side opposite Steve. "He's going to need a transfusion ASAP." A crinkle of her nose comes and she looks toward Sam who apparently, according to the information she was hearing shouted about, was an Army medic. "If you've got a transfusion line in there, hook me up I can--" she begins to explain. Or try to explain, but there's Morrigan as well. A deep breath is drawn and she quietly corrects, "Or healing magic works too." Though she doesn't remove her hands unless pushed aside. Better to keep things inside the body IN after all.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Rogers calls for Sam, and Opal knows what *that* means. She kicks it into a run, then. The medkit is retrieved and passed, but she's too late to stop the phone call.

Some matters should be handled by the proper authorities, but this certainly isn't one of them. All the same, she makes a lowering gesture to Cael and shakes her head.

Then the redhead kneels beside Bucky and violet tendrils appear. The cowgirl draws a breath, exhaling slowly, and her footsteps slow once more.

James Barnes has posed:
    107 years is long enough right? Maybe not when 73 of them were spent as HYDRA's fist - tortured and brainwashed into compliance. Has Bucky even had a chance to actually LIVE yet?

    He's so pale, he doesn't even react the painful stimuli of Steve putting pressure on his wounds.

    At first, it doesn't even seem like Morrigan's magic is going to work. Is he too far gone? Is he dead already? But then, finally, the blood flow stops. Slowly things begin to knit back together. The, once barely there, rise and fall of his chest is a little more pronounced. Was it fate that had the Vampire Sorceress showing up AGAIN to save Bucky's life or was it just happenstance. There's a little blonde cowgirl watching from a distance the may know the answer to that question.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Looking at the situation, Kaida would actually like to meet some of these people but this is hardly the time. She isn't a healer type, though she knows a little about it. She just slips back to where she had dropped her knapsack and then grabs up the bag. She looks back briefly and shakes her head before letting out a sigh, "I really hate to say this but humans and adults are all weird and crazy." And then she races off back the way she came.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan tries to stymie the wound, but Karen arrives in the knock of time to yeet Logan off of him with a fling. Logan bounces off of the ground a few times, beforehand comes to a stop. Bruises and the cuts from being rat dolled immediately heal, which may shock Karen when he's already standing on his feet.

From where he landed, Logan is already approaching Bucky, but he doesn't appear hostile. Instead, he puts his hands in his hair as he racks himself with guilt. "Fuck!" He exclaims in anger, even as he approaches Bucky's soon to be corpse.

Logan understands that Bucky is already dead, or dying, and he exists there in that moment, guilty as he looks upon a former friend as conflicting feelings over come him. Tye cost was too high.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    "I'm here," Sam is saying, because either people move or he shoves them out of the way, sorry not sorry, until he can actually get to where he needs to be. To Cael he manages a quick, "In the trunk!" and then he doesn't quite stop himself before he starts to say, "Fu--" but it's only that first syllable, and then Sam clamps down on the initial burst of panic that buzzes through his brain.

    Game face on, he kneels down next to Bucky.

    There's not much he can see, not with both Steve and Gabby--wait, where's Lili? No, can't think about that now--keeping their hands over the entrance and exit wounds. All Sam can do is press the makeshift bandage he's just made of his shirt against Bucky's abdomen, but with his training he knows what that amount of blood means for the survival odds.

    His breath seizes in his lungs and he keeps his head down, shaking his head, unable to meet Steve's eyes, because he knows what he'd see. One of his closest friends bleeding out underneath his hands, the other one about to lose it next to him, and what the hell is Sam supposed to do except sit here and watch it happen?

    Welcome to his worst nightmare.

    Except it's not actually his worst nightmare. He looks up, and there's Morrigan, and the purple glow of her magic. "Oh, fuck," and there it is, there's the whole rest of the word, as he crouches there and watches her do her thing. "Buck, come on man," he says, and while one of his hands stays flat against Bucky's side the other lifts up, smearing blood against skin as he feels for Bucky's pulse at his carotid.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve almost-- almost-- cold-cocks Morrigan. One more person plunging into the fray, Bucky nigh unto death, and strange hands grabbing at his (dying) best friend. His instinct is reflexive and driven by worry for Bucky.

Morrigan's a known factor at least. Someone relatively close to Sam and to Bucky. Someone Cap's met more than once, and a person that two of his closest friends clearly trust implicitly. Still, the crawling magical tentacles inject a fresh spurt of adrenaline into Steve's spine.

"What the hell are you doing?" Steve grabs Morrigan's wrist as the spell forms. "Stop that! He's not dead, not yet!" The hand gripping her wrist squeezes, a little too hard, and he starts trying to push Morrigan back before she can finish working whatever eldritch mischief Steve seems to think she's up to.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney scooches further away to give those with healing powers room to do their thing. Blood covers her hands, and the front of her shirt where she'd attempted and failed to protect Bucky. To be honest--she had no idea who he was. It was everyone's reaction that made her think this was something that needed to be stopped, along with the fact that Logan... She instantly pushes to her feet glancing after the retreating figure. "Logan!" Turning away she starts to move after him.

Starts, and stops when she hears an approaching barking from the dog she'd only temporarily managed to distract that was now barreling toward them all. A little huffed sigh breaks from her lips as she reluctantly allows Logan to leave in favor of turning back, and running to meet Lilli. To stop her from attacking anyone that might be attempting to render aid. With one giant German Shepherd leap the teen goes down wrassling with the dog trying to get a grip on the collar. "Calm down there's a good girl calm down..."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen impassively stands, hands on her hips, as the others swarm in to handle the injury dealt to Bucky. Steve has told her to stop- that Logan's done, but as far as she's concerned, done means done over there.

    She takes a step to the side, blurring momentarily and appearing not even to have changed her stance as Logan approaches. "Nope." she states, holding an arm out, and trying to effectively strongarm the man into keeping his distance.

    "Cap said you're done. That means that until he's /definitely/ not dead, or definitely dead, you're staying right where you are. You get me?"

    The happenings behind her aren't something she's oblivious to, and she doesn't seem confused at Logan's healing: Even if she hasn't seen it before, she faces things like that daily. Metropolis is just weird like that, even if his healing is definitively unique.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah - what's the ETA?" Cael is asking into the phone as she watches everything unfold - standing a few steps back from where the others kneel over Bucky's form. Cap needs to be there - she knows that. Sam's the only one who has any chance of keeping him alive. The attacker - at least he doesn't look hostile anymore. And the woman she'd met briefly once before? ... what- what is she doing? Some sort of mutant power or something? Would it help? Cap doesn't seem to think so.
    "They can't shave any time off that? This guy doesn't have- Lili!" The dog darts past Cael, who makes a futile grasp for the collar. She's relieved when the girl gets a grip on the whining, anxious dog.
    Back into the phone she adds, "Sorry, it's- the guy's dog. Uh-huh. Umm... Yeah, I didn't see what happened," she lies. "Look, just make sure they hurry."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's magic flows and it touches the others that are holding the bleeding back from Bucky's wounds. There's a pleasant warmth that brushes against them. Nothing cold or weird feeling. She can feel the life slipping away and something shifts in Morrigan, the powers surge and start working faster, like a little surgical team that has a ridiculous amount of power to work with.

"He's not going to die." she states. To herself or to the people around her is something that might not come across with her eyes closed and her head bowed. There are shadowy black tendrils that starts to drift into the violet. Curling along the skin to aid with the damage that was done.

The fingers on his face twitch, her face shows signs of strain as she fights with whatever might be trying to wrench his soul free. And then Steve grabs her wrist and she opens her eyes to look at him, "What in the hell do you think I'm doing, Captain?" Morrigan snaps at him. Irritation was high. "I'm healing him. Just like I've done more than once now." she adds. With the interruption from Cap, this means the healing stops. "We're going to lose him if you don't let me finish!" she shouts. The hurt in her eyes that Captain America thinks she's pulling something shady on his best friend is there, but...Morrigan's used to people thinking she's a weirdo.

"Please let me save him. Or you'll lose him." she pleads.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai watches, and she FEELS the magic take hold. Strengthen. She may be dressed like a fancy cowgirl, but when the little blonde speaks her words are more like those of an oracle. "Behold, his heart grows stronger." she declares. "Captain Rogers, you need to let her finish." Then almost as an afterthought, she continues. "He has a good heart." Only this time it doesn't seem like she's talking about his ticker.

Opal turns towards Logan then, pointing a finger directly towards his chest. "You also have a good heart." And once more it sounds like a pronouncement.

Opal's attention shift to Morrigan, then. She smiles with the aviators still pulled down tight over her eyes and offers a polite tip of her Stetson.

James Barnes has posed:
    At first Sam's frantic attempts to find a pulse fail. But the more Morrigain pours into Bucky... well, there it is. It's faint, thready, too fast as his heart tries to pump the pitiful amount of blood in his body through it.

    After a bit more time, he's looking more pink than ashen gray.

    But as soon as Morrigan is stopped, it all starts going to shit again. He makes a little gurgling sound, it's a death rattle heard many times by most of the men present here. His lungs begin filling with fluid - his own blood again - when Morrigan's healing efforts stop holding back the flow.

    If Sam's finger is still on his corotid, that pulse is spluttering again, fading.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan sees Steve try and stop Morrigan from healing Bucky, and Logan is aggressive in his movement. Though as Karen tries to stop him, Logan's eyes lock onto hers. "Move or James is guaranteed to die from his wounds." Logan clearly has no fear of Karen as he tries to move around him. He's prepared to test the durability of the legendary Power Girl, but instead he calls out to Cap.

"Fucking move, bub, or Bucky is guaranteed to die. Let her work." Logan tells him, now trying to undo his mistake, because there's no way in hell that Bucky and the Winter Soldier are the same person. He needs answers, and he can't get them if Bucky is dead.

Logan can hear his heart beat. He can hear everybody's heartbeat...but he's only focused on the one.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    "Steve! Steve, hold off, she's--Mo's a friend, it's okay."

    Is it okay? Sam's not sure, but he can feel a weak, thready pulse against his fingertips now, and one of his knees drops down onto the grass with the relief that surges through him at that.

    Only for it to start fading just as fast. He swears under his breath and leans his weight down, onto where he's still holding pressure against Bucky's wounds.

    "Let her!" He reaches to take hold of Steve's wrist, fingers digging in, trying to wrench it away so that Morrigan can do her work. The other voices calling for Cap to do the same don't really register for Sam beyond a dull hope that, if Steve isn't going to listen to him, he'll listen to someone else. "He's going into severe hypovolemic shock. I can't do anything for him. You've seen wounds like this before, you know that! She's our only option!"

    There are sirens blaring in the distance, but far away still, and even if they get here Sam knows they won't be able to do much more than what he can with the kit Cael pulled out of the trunk.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve looks up at the others, especially at the expressions on the face of Sam and Morrigan. The insistent boom of Logan's voice. Sure, Morrigan's a relatively known face, and she and Sam had a -thing- once upon a time... but in the immediacy of the moment, with Bucky's death rattle and the expressions of fear and horror, Steve is hard pressed to put blind faith in her.

But in Sam and Logan... yeah. Those two, he trusts.

The other voices nearby are hazy echoes at the edge of his awareness. Heard, but not heeded. He looks down at Bucky's greying features, then relents and releases the crushing grip his fingers put on Morrigan's wristbones.

"Do it. Save him. Whatever it takes," he tells her, and goes back to applying pressure to the wounds again to ensure Bucky doesn't bleed out before Morrigan works her magics.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael is still on the phone with EMS - because you're not supposed to hang up. And, hell, it's not like there's anything else she can do - other than go over to the kid and help her keep Lili contained.
    "You're a good girl, Lili. It's okay, girl. They're helping James," she croons quietly. Who knew Cael even had a voice like that.
    Then back into the phone it's the more gruff, "Sorry. Yeah, his dog again. Yes, they're keeping on pressure. He's still breathing - I think." What is with those black tendrils coming off from the woman, though? Sam vouches for her - hell, everyone seems to be vouching for her. But it's creepy. Right?

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan waits patiently to see whether or not Steve is going to break that wrist he's got a hold of. Not very hard to really. "Captain Rogers, I promise you, saving him is the only thing on my mind. I know most aren't alright around magic use, but this is a time where I need to concentrate all of my energy and focus on saving James. Or he's going to die." she tells him calmly, but internally she's a mess. There's even tears starting to well up in her eyes. When he relents, she moves her hand away from his immediately, not worrying about the bruises that will be there shortly. "Thank you." she murmurs to Logan and Sam.

She closes her eyes and stifles the shout she wants to let out when she hears that death rattle, "No." she hisses out as she pours everything that she has into healing James Barnes. This time, there's no inky blackness, just the normal violet that is Morrigan's regular power. The hand on his cheek pours the familiar warmth and healing into him as things resync. She could tackle this.

It would be fine.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Sirens. Fantastic. Time for a certain cowgirl to ride off into the sunset. Opal steps up close, stepping around to be in Sam's direct view. Her voice remains clear and purposeful as she lowers her sunglasses.

"SAM WILSON! Bring James to me when he is recovered."

For that brief moment, anyone looking would be SURE that the woman's left eye is... different. Clouded, perhaps? Or even pearlescent. Surely not a gemstone. Then the cowgirl abruptly turns on her heel and strides briskly back to the truck. The door slams and it skids around, accelerating. The dust will have settled by the time the ambulance arrives.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Growling, snarling, chomping at the bit. That's poor Lilli as she tries SO very hard to get to her person who was injured, dying even. A few snapping bites are bestowed to the girl trying to get hold of her, but nothing meant to do real harm so much as warn away. Gabby ignores it as best as she can while she holds onto Lilli's collar. It's a good thing Cael comes over to offer help at that point because with Gabby on the ground she starts to get dragged along closer. "No no no... Oh good thanks," she lets out when she comes to help calm Lilli. It allows her to sit up properly regaining some of her balance. With a look to the others, then back to Cael, her face scrunches up. She reaches out wiggling her hand slightly. "Can I...? I know what she's doing, I can update them better," she offers but doesn't yoink the phone. It's just an offer. And if/when Cael hesitates she offers instead, "Tell them there's a mutant healer helping him right now and they may not be neeed after all."

James Barnes has posed:
    There it is. For those that have the means to know, as soon as Morrigan is permitted to keep going, Bucky's heart goes back to trying to do its job rather than sputtering and trying to stall out. His color improves, the rise and fall of his chest is more evident. ...and damn, the hair he recently cut? Is it *growing back*. Woman is putting her all into it, into making him 'whole' again.

    Her work to get him all the way back to rights likely isn't near done when those pale blues of his snap open and he sucks in a deep, gasping breath and then his chest is just heaving, panic... he's a little panicked. Who wouldn't be?

    "Jimmy!" ... but his very first thought is of his friend and the guilt he saw in the man's eyes before everything went black.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Power Girl isn't about to move. Even if there's a way for her to be hurt, that's never stopped her before, and she'll be damned if it does now. When Logan attempts to move past her, Karen just puts herself in the way.

    "I move and you make it worse. You're. Staying. Here." It seems to be the battle between immovable objects, and Karen has been part of this dance before. "As far as I'm concerned, every bit of your concern is for the fact that you didn't get to finish the job. You're not a medic, you're not a healer, as far as I know you don't even know first aid. Even if you /don't/ want to kill him, you'll just get in the way."

    It's not the most... Diplomatic way of putting it, but she probably has a point. "Last chance. Stand down. When Cap's done, when he's stable, we'll get to the bottom of this- but I'm not letting you go until he's stopped bleeding, one way or another."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan quiets down, her head bows again as she heals the extensive damage to Bucky's insides. AGAIN! What's up with the snikt's and gutting folks?! She wasn't going to ask. The Master Sorceror probably puts a little too much power into it given the hair growing back. Or there is an image somewhere of Bucky healthy with the long hair. Who knows.

All the while that beautiful brown hair grows back out of Bucky's head and some of those long fiery red curls of Morrigan's start to lose their color until there is just bone white that gives a stark contrast to the rest of her hair. It's not a bad look, but it's obvious to others. When Bucky's eyes open she raises her head and the hand of hers that's on his cheek gives a gentle pat as she leans up a bit to look into his eyes, "There are those beautiful blue eyes." she whispers. "Steve...Sam. I'll let you take it from here." she tells the others as she staggers to her feet. She gazes down at her bloody hands and she takes a breath, "Slow and steady." she mutters to herself.

"Gabby are you okay?" she calls to her former student.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan seems to find that Karen is still standing in front of him, and so, Logan has no problems at all as he stares her into the eyes. "New ultimatum, bub." He clenches his fist, claws digging through flesh, which only makes him angrier now that he's fighting through pain. "You move, or I test how tough you actually are." Karen tries to be more stubborn than him. "He killed my wife, my child with her." He tells her then. "I served with him in the war, which makes me a battle brother. Get. The fuck. Out of my way." Logan's spine is basically potruding from his back.

His intense staredown with Karen is interrupted when Bucky seems to have life in him again, and that makes Logan's eyes soften and look past Karen. "I'm here, kid!" Logan calls over to him, trying once again to move past Karen to get to the side of his friend.

He gives a little nod to Morrigan as the healing seems to have been a resounding success.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    A good bit of situational awareness comes hand-in-hand with being a medic, so while Sam has been very busy trying to convince Steve to let Morrigan do her thing while Bucky's blood seeps out between their collective fingers, he has been paying attention. Best he can understand it, Logan's the one responsible for Bucky's injuries, and even though it seems like there might be some post-murder regret, Sam's glad that Karen is there to be an immovable object to Logan's unstoppable force.

    Same goes for the double team of Cael and Gabby, keeping Lili at bay. Sam can hear her barking over the chaotic hum of everything happening right now.

    There are still enough people clustered around Bucky that it's claustrophobic, especially for Sam, who's come to appreciate the wide open sky. It's just another stressor on top of the dozen or so others that he's currently dealing with, which is why he flinches a little bit when his name is yelled, shoulders tightening. "What--you?!"

    Nope, nah, not going to deal with that right now. Opal's sudden appearance here just gets added to the shelf, where Sam puts all the things he doesn't have the time or mental energy to deal with at any given moment. He'll have a chance to look back and process it all later once Bucky isn't knocking on death's door.

    Don't worry. It's a very sturdy shelf.

    Sam's frown of concern deepens when he looks up again and notices the streak of white in Morrigan's hair. His general knowledge of pop culture (which will have to do, since he knows nothing at all about magic) informs him that it's probably not a good sign. "Thank you," he tells her, clearly having some sense that this incurred a personal cost. Though that might just be an assumption on his part.

    "Whoa, Buck!" Not only is Bucky's pulse easy to find now, but it's strong, or at least strong enough that the nervous pinch leaves Sam's expression all at once. Plus, he's breathing. And talking! "Hey, okay. Deep breaths, come on." He peels back the blood-soaked remains of his shirt to check the state of Bucky's injuries.

James Barnes has posed:
    "Mo, you're hair?" When the hell did she get here? He's confused, for sure, but then Logan's calling back to him. "Let him through!"

    Attempts to sit up are probably immediately squashed by Sam and maybe Steve.

    "Jimmy, I'm sorry about Itsu, I'm so sorry." He won't say it wasn't him, because... no matter what, it WAS his hands that did it.

    Poor Morrigan can't do it ALL when it comes to Bucky, the woman'd kill herself!

    Sam busy himself stitching what needs stitched but, overall, he'll be well on the mend soon enough. Coulda been worse, woulda been worse, if Morrigan hadn't stepped in.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steven sits back on his rear in relief and shock as Morrigan puts his friend back together. He dimly notes the whiteness of her hair-- perhaps some consequence of the magic? Such things always come with a cost, as they say.

"Yeah." His voice is hoarse and he nods at Sam, then back at Morrigan. "Thanks."

Relief doesn't drown the adrenaline in his blood and he looks over at Logan jockeying with Karen, trying to get past her. That emotion, that fear, turns into anger, and once Bucky's upright and blinking Steve is on his feet and surging at Logan.

This time though he's throwing himself in the middle again, which is a bit of a feat considering the stocky Canadian's squaring up against the brick-house blonde Kryptonian.

"Logan-- Logan. Jimmy!" Steve speaks quickly. There's another fight brewing and as much as there's anger and frustration on his face, he clearly is not in the mood to wipe any more blood off of a friend.

"Damnit, will everyone -CALM DOWN-!" he demands, voice booming. "Logan. You need to stop," he orders his friend. "It wasn't Bucky. It was the Winter Soldier. It's a long story with Russians and brainwashing, and I promise you will -get answers-. But it -wasn't Bucky-," he promises the old soldier.

Steve looks over his shoulder at Power-Girl. "This is not something another fight is going to improve," he says, making eye contact-- but his words are meant for both of them.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Uhh... this girl says a mutant healer is helping him. I- here." Cael hands off the phone willingly, so she can focus on Lili for the moment.
    Look. The current situation is very upsetting, and she has the option of petting an anxious german shepherd. She's going to pet the dog, okay? "It's going to be okay, Lili. See? The lady's a healer... apparently." How is that even a thing? None of her life seems real lately.
    When Bucky opens his eyes and speaks, Lili lets out a loud, insistent whine and tries to inch towards her human, but Cael continues to hold her back, while also taking in and letting out a deep, relieved breath. Obviously this doesn't mean he's out of the woods - but it's better than unconsciousness. Right?
    And what the hell happened to that lady's hair? And what is with this guy calling Bucky 'kid' and claiming fought with him in 'the war'? World War II? How many people from 'the War' got stored on ice?
    "Sir," Cael grits out in a cool voice, "you wait until Sam and Cap give you go ahead, or I will fucking shoot you with my gun. Is there an understanding between us?" The tense anger to Cael's voice, of course, only causes Lili more anxiety as the poor pup barks and whines in response, shaking her head to try to wrench herself free of Cael's grasp - it only gets worse as Steve gets to his feet - to start shouting in Logan's face.
    What the hell is even going on? Though some of it is starting to make sense. Barnes killed his friend's wife? ...shit.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
For all of Morrigan's anger towards Logan when things unfolded, it's faded now and his nod is returned, "Sorry for yelling at you." the Irish woman tells him in a soft tone. She doesn't know about her hair yet, not until Bucky says something and a bloody hand reaches up to touch the white curls in her hair with shaking fingers. "Ah well, it was going that color in a few years anyways. You don't worry about it, James." she tries to smile when she tells him that, but it fails. She looks around the crowd and realizes that Bucky is going to be fine now. Steve's 'thanks' gets her to nod, "Nothing to thank me for. I'm always going to heal him if I'm allowed." she points out.

"I'm...going to go. Sam, just let me know how he is later...or have him call." she states as she reaches out to pat Sam's shoulder. She gives a look to Steve, "Captain." she nods. Then she turns on her all too expensive heels and starts for her car. Because she was feeling out of it and they had Bucky and Logan to contend with.

"I'm not a mutant, Gabby. I'm an abomination." she muses as she is heading for her car.

Or so that is what her father and Dracula like to call her. Potato, potato am I right?

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Thank you," Gabby offers to Cael when the phone is handed over. She takes it while turning her attention to watch the conflict going on around them. "Hi, yeah, sorry about that. Captain America is here right now and aid is being rendered by an associate of his." Fibbing? A bit. But as far as she knew that's exactly what was going on. "I apologize for the call, it was the right thing to do at the time, but currently it appears the resources of EMS won't be needed. There are others out there who need it more." With that she clicks the phone off and hands it over to Cael again. Lightly she clears her throat flashing a smile toward the tired Morrigan. "I'm fine, trust me. You look like you could use a hamburger and a nap though. And you are not. I just figured that was an easier explanation since I don't know what kinda powers you have," she calls back with a cluck of her tongue at Morrigan's own remarks.

A long sigh is let out at the way things were going. Cael actually gets a gentle head-pat from her in spite of the age difference. "Save your bullets, they wouldn't do anything to him. And he's calmed down already can't you see? Just let him see his friend. He's not... he's not in that mindset right now," she offers out far louder attempting to be heard by Cap, Karen, and anyone else trying to keep them apart. "You can probably let the dog go now too she just wants to check her person."

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky isn't Steve, he's not Mister Commanding Presence and Voice. But when he wants to be heard, like right now? He can get damned lout and damned scary sounding, even after near eath and being healed. "Put the gun DOWN!" aimed at Cael. "Let. Him. The. Fuck. Through. Now!" That's aimed at anyone and everyone trying to stand between him and Logan.

    His insides aren't going to fall out now, so he tells Sam, "Go calm Lili," voice pitched a little lower, but his voice still *firm*.

    Then... he's trying to climb to his feet. Little light headed from blood loss still, he doesn't do so without having something to hold on to, whatever or *whoever* is closest to him might get that job.

    "I'm... not sorry, Mo."

    But those blue eyes come to land squarely on Logan. "Steve's right, man, they fucked with my head... but that doesn't mean, I'm not sorry for what happened, what I did."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Surely one day, someone will have heard the stories and admit it isn't worth it- but, today probably isn't that day. Admittedly, Logan just isn't that person, and Karen is one hundred percent just as stubborn.

    "Okay. 'Bub.' Try it." she states, her hands balling into tight fists. The knives split the skin at Logan's knuckles, and frankly, that's all it takes. "You know, I /was/ wrong. You're not going to stay right there."

    Karen's following right hook comes out like a bullet, and hits like a freight train- and if Cap isn't careful, he might just get caught right up in it, because she's clearly trying to give Logan some height. Even with enhanced senses, she's difficult to dodge, but more striking might be the mood of the blow- it's not even /taxing/ for her to move at that pace, to swing with that power.

    She's not even warming up, and it'd be like being hit by a bus if it connects.

Logan Howlett has posed:
THe trheat from Cael is met with a look of 'really' from the Canucklehead. "I'm not 'sir'." Logan replies to him. "and good for you, you can pull a trigger like literally everyone on the planet ever. If you shot me, and it kept me down, you would be the first. So by all means, bub, be my fucking guest." Logan tells Cael, claws coming out with a 'Snikt!' once more, easily breaking through skin. Though as Cap gets in front of him? Logan seems to calm down a little bit, looking him in the eyes.

"Hnnh." He growls at him, before the claws find their sheathe in this flesh once more, and he straightens out. "Talk." Logan tells Steve, and even to Bucky, even as he apologizes. Logan isn't entirely sure. "His face, his hands." Logan says to Steve's face, looking him in the eyes. "I...need answers. Now." Logan tells the pair of them, even as he seems noticeably -relieved- that Bucky's okay and on the mend, even as he shouts for everyone to move out of the way between him and Logan. Though as Logan's expression softens, Karen decides it's a wonderful idea to sucker punch him past Steve's shoulder, which causes Logan to fly all the way back until he smashes into a parked car.

For a moment, he's still. That should've KO'd a person immediately, but Logan seems to already be getting up, spitting out blood and cracking his neck loudly. "Hnnnh." He growls, before he's walking over to Karen. "For someone who can pick up a car, you punch for shit." Logan spits leftover blood at her, using his arm to rub at his chin. Apparently, having an unbreakable alloy composing your skeleton keeps you from getting immediately splattered by Karen.

"Now I need words with Buck. I respect you Cap, but my business ain't with you." He looks to Bucky. "I'm sorry I stabbed you, kid."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's instinct is to try and deflect the punch. Logan's on edge, he's riled up, and Steve is /so close/ to talking the Canuck down.

Instinct bad.

His attempt to block is so fruitless that it might as well have been trying to stop a wrecking ball with a wiffle bat. Even the incidental impact is enough to knock him from his feet and he takes a staggering tumble a few yards away before regaining his balance.

"No no noNONO!" Steve shouts, back on his feet already. "Power-Girl, you need to STAND DOWN!" he shouts at her. A finger jabs emphatically at the ground. "Stop escalating! Damnit, we don't need more blood shed here!" He sweeps a furious blue-eyed gaze around, absolutely uncaring if anyone here has him outclassed physically and making pointed eye contact until he's satisfied the message has gotten across.

"We are in /entirely/ too public an area for you all to act like a bunch of bratty kids," Steve seethes, in a low tone of voice. "The last thing we need is breaking news coverage of attempted murder of an Avenger. Or a Kryptonian threatening to beat a man to death with her hands."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "The gun's not drawn, Barnes. I was just making a point," Cael remarks. Though clearly not one that made much of an impression on Logan. "Look. I just want to keep my friend from losing what little blood volume is left circulating around that... sometimes scrambled brain of his. I'd also like to remind everyone that I called EMS, and I don't think they're going to take 'Cap's here - everything's fine now,' as an excuse.
    She relinquishes Lili to Sam's more capable hands - and rises to her feet - moving towards Bucky as he insists on propping himself up against the car - taking him by the arm before he falls down. "I could pop open one of the doors. So you can sit and chat with your war buddy here - if we're all... finished with the violence for now?" she asks - looking to Cap, Karen, and Logan in turn. I mean - that the guy can take a punch like that and get back up? Yeah. She might buy that the bullet wouldn't stop him.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a smile over to Gabby, "Thank you for the assist today. We appreciate it." she tells her. She finishes the walk to the Challenger and pops open the drivers side door...only to see Karen throwing a punch. "Oh sweet Jesus." she mutters to herself. Then she realizes she's the worst equipped to deal with this at the moment. Sam is there, Steve is there. Things would be fine. She didn't have the energy to fix another gutted Bucky...or a gutted anyone for that matter.

Plus the urge to bite someone and drink deeply was very high and given she was dealing with more clothes being stained with a certain super soldiers blood...it wasn't safe.

Then Logan hits a car close to her and there's a wince, "Well...I'm just going to sit here in case anyone needs healed I guess." she states as she parks herself in her Challenger. For now she listens and doesn't get in the middle of things.

James Barnes has posed:
    Oh, oh hell fucking no. That's not happening. Not on Bucky's watch. Not now, not after... he knows, Barnes knows what Logan's feeling right now, that guilt eating him up over what he just did. He has a lot of years of that same guilt bottled up and, it's not going to happen. No one is going to add to that for Lucky Jimmy Howlett.

    Adrenaline pumps, keeping him on his feet when others might fall over, it's not a new concept, not for a Super Soldier. He's sure to fall over when it fades away. When Karen actually *attacks* Logan, he brushes Cael aside ... maybe not too gently, but at least it's a right handed shove, not a left?

    If someone doesn't stop him, Bucky's going to be right up in the middle of that shit.

    "Leave him the *fuck* alone!" - the BITCH at the end is definitely implied almost as clearly as if he'd said it.

    His voice is loud and sounding a little psychotic when he tries to start in that direction at a dead run, left hand curing into a fist at his side. He's looking a little psychotic too, all covered in his own blood, those pale blues wide and wild. Logan isn't the only rabid dog in the room tonight.

    It takes him a second or two to process the situation. He was sure this would go to shit, but when Logan doesn't fight back... It takes a little of the wind out of his sails, just a little. Not enough to keep him from snarling, "Everyone, leave him alone."

    Then all he has eyes for is Logan. "You're right, Jimmy, my face, my hands. I can't change that. I can't change what they... made me do. I would if I could. I'd let you run me through with those claws a thousand times over, use'm to rip to me pieces... if that could change it and bring her back. I'm sorry," his voice cracks at the end. Now the wind is out of his sails, his left hand relaxes at his side and those pale blues are a little too bright. Tears don't fall, he won't let that happen, but they're threatening to, stinging his eyes, blurring his vision. "I'm sorry," he murmurs again.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"You're right, they're not gonna take my word, I'm just some rando kid. I was hoping it might confuse them for a bit but chances of that are still slim. You all should get in a car and go drive somewhere nice and quiet to talk and NOT fight," Gabby declares though... again she's some rando kid. These people are even less likely to listen to her given the situation especially.

Wordlessly she walks over toward where Logan had crashed into the car after the punch. There's no haste to her movements. No attempt at attacking. Bucky, riled up as he is, gets a little pat on his arm as she passes by. "I know this bar you and dad could talk properly. Over some beers even. But for now... those sirens are getting close. I'm gonna hop." She thumbs over her shoulder indicating the direction she's going. "You okay Logan? I mean I'm sure you are, but..." she shrugs. "Maybe you guys should hit Harry's once everyone's calmed down. AWAY from here, like the Captain suggested?" She's kind of hopefull there, but a glance over to Cap and Karen and Cael beyond earns a shrug. "Serious though, they're getting close."

Karen Starr has posed:
    For a half moment, Karen is starting to shove her way towards Logan as soon as he gets back up. She hadn't planned for it to keep him down, and the concept of Round Two probably shouldn't be something anyone's really excited for, but Cap is talking her down- and Bucky's charged in front of her.

    "Are we... Are we serious, here?" she exclaims, looking incredulously at Steve. "The guy leaps out of the bushes, and runs Bucky through, and we're just okay with him having done that to /anyone?/ On a whim? We've locked people up for less. We've made sure that people couldn't use their powers to hurt other people, for /less/ than that. But because he's an old war buddy, /somehow/, you're both okay with the idea that, somewhere along the way, someone might piss him off enough to do the /same thing,/ let alone the fact that I pulled him off of you when he had just tried to /kill/ you, and now /I'm/ in the wrong here?"

    Karen takes a moment to breathe, and roll her neck. "Yeah. Sure. That's fine. Just remember this the next time you call and I show up anyways."

    The idea of stopping her might be a comical endeavor, but... Unless someone does something, she's rising into the air, and will- with a loud POP that is /far/ too close to the ground for protocol, she's hit a multiple of Mach that isn't at all /sane/ to consider- simply be gone.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan was ready for round two if Karen -really- wnated to take it that far, but it would seem the arrival of both Cap and Bucky to his defense is well-noted, and well, Karen doesn't seem to be too pleased or stick around long as she blasts off into the sky. Logan stares upwards as Karen seems to leave, before his eyes return to Cap and Bucky. "Ain't she friendly." Logan says with every word dripping with seething sarcasm.

His eyes then shift to Bucky as he apologizes for what happened to Itsu. Logan's eyes lower for a long moment, his hand lifts, but he seems to be fighting the mere thought of it. "I'm sorry too, kid." He reaches out with one hand, grabs Bucky by the back of the neck and brings him in for an apologetic hug. "I'm sorry." Logan almost killed his friend.

Over something that happened for than forty years ago. The pain was raw, sure, but Bucky was still his friend. And apparently...he wasn't in control. If anybody understands that feeling, the feeling of a monster, not in control of yourself? It's Logan.

Eventually, he pulls himself away from Bucky, because Logan's a tough guy who doens't do emotions very well, but he nods at Gabby. "Hey tike. I'm fine, now at least..." he looks at Bucky, guilt in his eyes. He almost killed him. Very, very nearly succeeding.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve winces away from that low-level sonic boom. Car alarms go off nearby but at least there are no broken windows. Things with Karen will need smoothing over later, for certain, and Steve looks a little guilty at the obvious confusion and upset in her voice before she blasts off.

The Avenger watches warily as Logan moves towards Bucky-- and sighs in wholehearted relief when the two embrace.

He doesn't interrupt the two though. Instead he looks to Cael and gives the long-suffering agent a look of quiet gratitude for her calm and professionalism. Morrigan gets a look as well, but with the mage sitting in her car with an expression of profound exhaustion and withdrawal, he hesitates to approach her.

Instead, Steve looks over at Gabby. "'Dad'?" he echoes, and wiggles a thumb towards Logan. "Your dad?" He gives Logan a bemused look. "Jimmy, when were you gonna tell us you had a kid?" he inquires of the stocky Canuck. "I think I like her, she's got good instincts." He nods thankfully at Gabby for her interlocution during the crisis. "And I'm guessing you take after your mom for looks," he mutters out the side of his mouth, sotto voce. "I can't imagine growing up seeing that sourpuss mug in the mirror every day."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Even a right-armed shove sends Cael stumbling back a step - and Cael's appreciation of just how strong Bucky is, even in his weakened state, shows on her features. Damn, man. "This is all very touching," Cael remarks, as she shares a nod with Steve, and gives the kid an appreciative look. She noticed the 'dad' too - but she's not going to touch it. It seems like a weird family dynamic, given the kid had also shouted 'Logan' at him a few times. "But the question of 'Do we stay and answer questions, or do we bolt?' it becoming increasingly pressing. Also: you assholes broke the beer bottles, I see. I just think that's worth noting at this point."
    She stoops to to pick up the scattered supplies before adding, "Can someone with super-strength throw Barnes in the car and make him sit down before he falls down?" The food supplies go back into the trunk, followed by the med pack. She probably don't have time to clean up all the broken glass from the bottles... damnit. She hates leaving it there...

James Barnes has posed:
    Logan would feel Bucky's shoulders hitch once, twice, as he struggles with the emotions brought on by that hug. He'd know where it comes from too. That feeling of being undeserving of it. He pulls it together, emotionally anyway, when Logan pulls back, but not so much physically.

    He staggers a little, the adrenaline's gone, a hand on the car steadies him. "Some of those beer bottles didn't break," he corrects Cael with a nod in the direction of the spilled cooler, "I don't get drunk anyway, someone can have my share." Not to mention, insides, almost outside, food and drink, not his top priority at the moment. "I say... we just walk off into the woods and finish our picnic?"

    Sam's already moved off somewhere out of sight with Lili, he always was the smart one in the bunch.

    Really, only Bucky - and maybe Logan - would find it perfectly acceptable to spend the day, covered in blood, sitting in the woods and drinking Coors. Hey, it's easier than almost any alternative?

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney smiles at the pair that are apparently mending bridges. Even if they were ones she didn't know about before, that was okay. It was turning out as well as could be expected given the other direction was a very deep and dark one to head down. Swiping her hands over her sides she smears off a bit of blood onto her thankfully black attire where it wasn't as noticable. "Good, good. Glad things are working out. Sorta." Then Steve seems to catch on her slip causing her to blink repeatedly with an abashed expression. "Er... Don't have a mom actually but *anyway* you guys should do your thing, I'm gonna get going like I said and yeah. Later! Nice meeting you, Cap!" With that she takes Bucky's own advice and jogs off further into the park. Away she goes!

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan seems to lower his hand to Gabby's head, clearly intending to ruffle her hair a little bit. "See you later kid." He tells her, before he sighs and shifts his attention to Cap. "She didn't have a mom, bub. She got cloned from my DNA." He tells him then, apparently not offended by the comment about his gruffy looks. "If anything, she got the weird part o' me that was apaprently decent-lookin'. But I may as well raise her as my kid, just like her sister Laura. Have a lot of people looking for me, Cap." He tells him then.

Sum up: Weapon X, or Weapon Plus, is a bitch and Wolverine is more than happy to remind everybody every day of the week.

His attention shifts to Bucky, keeping a hand on his shoulder. "You're okay, kid. Lets go have a picnic, and you can tell me everything." His eyes narrow. "Spare. No. Detail." he informs of him, before he seems to try to smirk, but it's an uneasy one. These past few moments have...uh, not exactly been happy.

His gaze though, shifts to Cael and Cap. "You guys coming?"

James Barnes has posed:
    Tell me... everything. Bucky shoots a slightly wild eyed, panicked look in Steve's direction, then in Caels but it's quick, over fast. Steve? He knows some of it, most of it, but really... no one knows the *worst* of it and, well, Cael doesn't know much of it at all

    "Yeah, I'm fine," he replies before he's pulling away from Logan. "I don't ... " Like to talk about it. But he stops himself and goes with, "You carry the cooler, Luck..."

    He shoves his hands into the pockets of his sliced up, bloody hoodie and focuses his gaze on the ground as he walks. He's not sure why Morrigan did it, or how, but he's grateful that his long mop of hair's back to hide his face along the way.

    Shutting down, stalking off - someone else in the room used to do that, probably still does. He doesn't wait for the others to follow, he just heads straight for the woods.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Shouldn't a clone be a- you know what, apparently gender is only a social construct anyways." So fuck it.
    At the invitation to join them for the picnic, Cael gestures to the approaching blues and reds. "They'll have my cellphone number recorded, so I better smooth things over. I'll join you in a bit." She lifts the cooler or half-broken beers, and hands it off to one of the boys, and eyes the amount of blood staining the dirt, and the dented cars. Damnit. This is going to be fun to explain. "...yeah. Give me thirty minutes," she mutters under her breath.
    She then stoops to deal with the bits of glass. Once the ambulance and cops arrive, she'll explain that it was a super powered brawl gone amiss. She gives vague and utterly false descriptions of the combatants, and that backed up the by power of her badge - seems to wrap the whole thing up nicely.