8548/The Return of Old Enemy

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The Return of Old Enemy
Date of Scene: 04 November 2021
Location: American Museum of Natural History
Synopsis: The Thule Society is back, and apparently gunning for the Witchblade. A few items have gone missing from the Museum of Natural History, a few left behind, and too many questions left unanswered.
Cast of Characters: Sara Pezzini, Cael Becker, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Wade Wilson




Sara Pezzini has posed:
The hour is close to eleven o'lock at night when the call comes in from local police. A silent alarm had been triggered at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the security guards quickly discovered the situation was beyond them. When the police arrived on scene, they found that they also could not get close to the basement where the robbery was taking place. Despite numerous attempts to gain access to the basement, they could only watch on the security cameras as the unknown assailants in matching uniforms took their own sweet time picking through the museum items stored there.

Captain Gregory Larken of the NYPD explained over the phone that this situation was entirely over the heads of the police department and they were uncertain who else to contact until Detective Pezzini suggested the Avengers.

Sara had been spending the evening with Cael, Alis and Wade, video games and pizza... she had been losing. When she heard the call over the police radio regarding the museum. That ended play time and switched her brain into action mode. She had intended to go alone and find out what was going on, but honestly it was better to have as many useful hands as possible, so Cael and Wade arrived on scene with her.

After a brief conversation with Captain Larken, they all now waited for a response from the Avengers.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Was one night off really so much to ask? Couldn't they ask the criminals to //not// engage in criminality for just one night? Yes, Cael is here - but she's here with her arms folded over chest and a look of sour annoyance on her features that isn't directed at anyone. At least she'd been using pixelated murder as her coping skill tonight - rather than the bottom of a whiskey bottle. She's decked in her usual sort of attire - a pair of jeans with boots, and a black leather jacket over a plain shirt, which also served the purpose of concealing her pistols.
    "So. We just wait for the big guns?" she finally remarks in a dry tone of voice. "What is there worth stealing at a //natural history museum// anyways? I thought only nerds liked this stuff."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sam's day is officially over. He's signed off of the Happy Harbor skype account, updated a couple of student files, and then spent a little while puttering around his room at the Mansion. Tidying as an excuse to avoid going to bed at 8PM. Because, dammit, he's not that old!

    But they're long past that point, now. He's wrapped up his bedtime routine of a cup of sleepytime tea and thirty minutes of reading, done his skincare (look, with no super soldier serum, Sam has to *work* at looking this good) and is settled in bed, in his pajamas, with a YouTube video of "Bayou Nature Sounds for Sleep and Relaxing" playing. So close. Sam was *this* close to falling asleep.

    Instead, he's touching down on the pavement next to Captain Larken. No superhero three-point landing, just a careful hover and drop. "Thousands and thousands of dollars of artifacts. Minerals, gemstones, artwork..." he says to Cael, with a tight smile sent her way. Sara and Wade, familiar faces, both get a quick nod before he turns to the Captain. "What's the sitch?"

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    Wanda tends to stay close to the mansion of late. She spends her evenings binge-watching television shows or coursework, though figuring out how to make Christmas cookies is a high priority. Avenger stuff happens when she stands in the kitchen staring into a cupboard and gauging how much flour they have. Cookies use a lot of flour. Now a bag of whole wheat flour stands forgotten on a counter.

    "Add to shopping list, confectioner's sugar." The last statement to the neighbourhood friendly Stark program marks the point when it's time to go. Sam heads out with the trio headed for the museum. Lucky the mansion's really close, only Central Park in the way... so coming on foot the last bit is good.

    Sam can do most of the talking. She gives Captain Larken an introduction anyway. "Hello, sir. The Scarlet Witch." What gives it away? The red coat makes her more civilian than obvious superhero for now. The smile for Sara, Wade and Cael is warmer, less tightly drawn. "Are there any staff inside or is the buiding supposed to be empty?"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade is in his usuals. Red and black, complete with mask, boots, and an assortment of weapons. Even on a night with this girl and her roomate(s) he seems almost ready for a fight to break out. Old habits and hollywood movies with his name on it have taught him better safe than sorry. (So, so sorry.) He stands back and allows the Avengers to do most of the talking. Falcon and Scarlet Witch's arrival makes his eyes widen a bit.

    Is he fanboying? He's fanboying. The excited little dance he does at their arrival hides very little about his impression of the pair--supersuit of or no, these are two of the big guns. Nevermind that their respective displays were TV shows instead of movies; both of them are here and he is still in awe that he's working with *Them.* Being with Sara has a lot of perks... working with the Avengers is pretty high on the list of them.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The front of the museum was blocked by numerous police cars, their red and blue lights flashing in the night, and more were still arriving as the NYPD did their best to create a perimeter around the large building. Every entrance and exit already had at least one officer present, and on the roof a small team moved to quietly to ensure no one escaped that way.

Captain Larken is a tall, wirely man with greying hair, but he was blessed as it was not falling out. He looked much like the weight of the world was no his shoulders, and he didn't much like it at all. He was wearing his police uniform, with numerous awards on the chest, and the standard issue police cap. Even though he looked tired and stressed, he had an air of authority that surrounded him that carried through when he spoke.

"The building has been evacuated save for the security room," he states first, looking to Sam and Wanda first. "The silent alarm was triggered at exactly ten-fifteen, and night security immediately contacted police while attempting to ascertain the threat level. Officers arrived on scene at ten-twenty three, and quickly discovered that there's some kind of invisible barrier keeping everyone out of the basement."

Now the man looks around at everyone assembled, he's not one to question who the Avenger's call allies and work with, he's a smart man. The situation was over his head, he called in help, he'd write the reports himself later.

"Security cameras were blacked out for how they got into the building, and refused to work at first," he continues. "But they came back on at ten-fifty, which is about the time Detective Pezzini, NYPC Consultant and FBI Agent Becker and er..." he eyes Wade, not entirely certain of who it is or what he can do but... "and guest arrived on scene and the suggestion to call you all in was made."

===============================================================================

There was something nagging at the back of Sara's mind, something more than Witchblade's usual presence, something almost familiar about what she was sensing from the museum, but she couldn't place it no matter how hard she tried. She let the captain explain the situation because he's her boss, well one of the many bosses the woman has. While he is talking she is looking at the building and positioning of the police officers and their vehicles. Standard operating, it worked perfectly... but still there was that nag.

She was glad that Larken didn't ask her /how/ she knew the Avengers and just took the advice (and number) to call them. For the moment she remained quiet, the ball wasn't in her court to deal with, but she would offer assistance where she could.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Thousands'll -what? Pay two months rent?" Cael remarks in a dry voice as Sam arrives - offering a simple nod of greeting to the man. She continues to regard the building with a frown as she tries to sort out the situation. Her head tilts slightly to one side, as if she's spotted something, or is listening to something, though there's no clear indication of what that could possibly be.
    "So. Are we talking a magical barrier, or a technological force field of some sort?" she asks. "Because presumeably we handle those two problems in different ways."
    God. Did she really just ask that question with a straight face? Shouldn't she go... wash her mouth out or something?
    Her eyes flick to Wade for a moment, and she somehow manages to resist the urge to 'accidentally' trod on his foot.
    It's a near thing, though.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sam's goggles are pushed up onto the top of his head as he listens to Captain Larken's explanation. He isn't always looking directly at the man; most of the time actually, he's scanning the front of the museum, on high alert. But he's still definitely listening.

    "So they've had the better part of an hour already to secure whatever it is that they're after," he says. His fingers hover over the control panel in his left gauntlet but it isn't until Larken confirms that the security cameras are working once more that he deploys Redwing.

    The drone chirps out a midi song in greeting to the assembled crew and then it's off to start scouting the museum from above. And maybe see if it can hack those cameras.

    After a moment spent watching his Metal Bird Son fly away, Sam turns back to the group. "Good question, Becker. Wanda, can you sense anything magical from this far out?"

    He tugs his goggles back down over his eyes. "Here's another one: what's their exit strategy? No way they don't have one with this kind of setup."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    "Excellent, excellent," the Scarlet Witch replies to the police captain. "I am glad to hear the public will not be in harm's way. We intend to keep it so. A bit suspicious all the times round off so cleanly. Is someone very specific about clocks or does it feel programmed?" With the air of a question aimed to any who might answer, she does not exclude the procedural experts around her.
    She approaches the museum slowly, holding her arms out slightly to the sides. Her fingers curl and open like they might pass through wildflowers or waves at the beach. Feeling for oddities is part tactile and calling on senses most don't have. Red motes spread a warm garnet glow over her eyes, traced subtly over her pupils instead of the outright inhuman, scary aura pulled when angry. "The city interferes with a clear view, as does the bulk of the building. I sense magic in there, but I need a closer look."
    She studies the bulky museum a few moments longer, then nods to Sam's question. "How they plan to leave is important. They raised a wall keeping us out and them in. For now, though I can open it up."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade *might* have an answer to their questions. "Oh it's planned" he pipes in after humming along with the tune that Redwing plays as if he's *very* familiar with it before watching the drone fly off. He turns it attention back to the Falcon and Scarlet Witch. "Museum like this... and a team this coordinated. Everything's on a timer with the group. As for exit, they're probably going to go down. Sewer system or subway tunnels--either way gives them enough of a maze to confuse anyone following them. As long as they don't mind the occasional crocodile for the former--they're real, I've ridden on--and the occasional wayward trasient village for the latter--ridden one of those too; don't ask."

    He doesn't necessarily need to tell them *how* he knows the specifics of this sort of operation. That he's done his fair share of snatch and grab museum heists in his time as a merc. That's not important. Not right now. What *is* important is that he can help them and give them some insight into the crew they're up against. "You obviously got a visual on them? Any identifying marks on their uniforms?" he assuming they have uniforms; even a full black tac suit is a uniform in some cases.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Larken has very little else to offer, so he just says, "Part of my stating the times was to be thorough." Glancing to the building he adds, "You have access to the building when you want. Officers have been informed you will be entering when you're ready. We'll stay tuned to your comm channels to listen, but we'll stay out of your way unless you need back up." That actually makes him snerk, like the Avengers need back up from the police.

==============================================================================

As Wanda moves toward the building, Sara actually moves with her. She can't sense the magic in the same way Wanda does, but Witchblade can feel its presence. For a moment she just stands there staring at the building. "Something familiar," she mutters, likely only heard by Wanda.

A shudder runs up her spine, that familiarity starting to seep into the back of her mind and settle as something dark and foreboding. She takes a step toward the building then stops and looks back to the others. Reaching up she taps the comm in her ear, finally turning it on, "I need to check something, then I'll report in." Then she heads into the building.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well - can we get access to the city plans showing all current and past subway tunnels, sewer access, and other underground utilities in this area?" Cael asks - looking from Wade, towards the Captain. "If there's any convenient access points we can find, we can set up some sort of baracade - and deploy some men down there to block their exit."
    She watches Sara start to move towards the building, a faint frown on her features. As much as she wants to follow and help cover Sara, she holds back for the moment, looking towards Sam instead. "What's the bird seeing?"

Sam Wilson has posed:
    While Wanda stretches out her mystical senses, Sam is doing something similar. In his own way, through Redwing, who soon enough has provided him feeds from the security cameras inside.

    "Professional job," the Falcon agrees, nodding distractedly towards the other Wilson on the premises. His nose wrinkles faintly at the thought of having to head down into the sewers, because, man, come on. He just lotioned! "Some kind of symbol on their uniforms. Redwing's running it through now."

    It isn't until he's flipped through all of the cameras, rapid-fire, that he speaks up again, answering Cael with: "Redwing's got eyes on ten guys in the basement, though from what I'm looking at there's plenty of blind spots the cams aren't covering. Their target seems to be a selection from one of the vaults. Old stuff, delicate, by the way they're handling it."

    He follows the Scarlet Witch towards the building, though he gives her space, as if he might suspect his physical presence interferes with her senses. Best not to be crowding her, just on that gut feeling.

    He's still standing there when Sara makes her rapid departure, and that gives him pause, but then Sam nods. He follows up Cael's request with a professional-sounding, "We appreciate all the good work the NYPD does," in that 'I'm at a press conference' sort of voice that anyone who deals with the media ends up developing. Adding his own Avengers-backed weight to her request.

    Then he rolls his neck from side-to-side. "Guessing you can handle yourself with that getup," he says to Wade. Then, to Wanda and Cael whose capabilities he's more familiar (and thus, comfortable) with, Sam gives a lift of his chin towards the museum. In he goes.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    Wanda follows Wade right up until alligators and transient subterranean villages. Take a right turn at disbelief and continue right up to okay-then-town. "Place so big probably has security on its sewer access, d..." She bites off that residual influence of her Transian upbringing. Injecting a bit of her native tongue even unconsciously could make others uncomfortable. "Doesn't it?"
    The magic seething within the building calls, and the witchiest Avenger intends to critique it fully. Her blinks slow to take in the magical landscape and extract what webs the museum beyond its usual protections. What she wants is a thread distinct to the interior barrier. A line to curl around her finger like Ariadne unspooled hers. Light finger on the pulse to keep any magic user from noticing her presence at first, since the passive detection stays that way as she gets closer to the museum.
    "Got your back," she says. Sam does the honours of walking inside and the follow-up of the Scarlet Witch comes through the most predictable means. An edge of light chaos swirled up to snip at the barrier's magic here and there. "Once I have a good feel for the main exhibit, I will be bringing it down quick."
    Ten people stealing from a museum is an ugly business, and she shields herself from them with a veil meant to hide her casting when it finally comes time for that. Her steps pause to work the obfuscation, then she can get back to selectively snipping at the spell from its fringes.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "So cool..." Wade says, watching the trio as they move toward the building. "Still, don't want to get left behind." He gestures for Cael to follow as he too moves in on the place. His steps are silent as he reflexively loosens one of the two and three quarter feet blades in its sheath on his back. "Let's go, kick some ass."

    He doesn't comment on Falcon's assessment of his abilities, he'll let them speak for himself if they need to. As Wanda disappears under a veil he shakes his head again. "So... fucking... cool..." he whispers before slipping in after the Avengers and Witchblade. He's still fanboying. It's going to take a moment, after all his debut into the MCU is still in development.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The police make certain they're out of the Avengers way, but watch as each one moves. Pezzini they mostly know, letting her pass because she's part of whatever is going on now. They don't need all the details, they just accept that for now they'll be out of the way.

==============================================================================

Inside the museum Sara heads for the primary entrance to the basement but she stops there, reaching one hand toward the feeling of the barrier. There is nothing visible about it, most people would step right into it and bounce off it, but she can feel it.

As her hand passes right through the barrier a series of things all happen in that same exact moment.

The first is her mutter of, "Son of a bitch!" before she collapses to the floor.

The second is Witchblade springing to life as if someone had just put a gun to her head. The tendrils of metal shred through her clothing and form armor that fully encases her in a matter of seconds, not one single damn given that there might be a camera or person to see it.

The third is a deep resonating sound, a hum that lasts exactly five seconds and then is gone.

Cael Becker has posed:
    As the others enter, so does Cael, making her way towards Sara - intent on murmuring something quiet to her. Before she can get a word in, though, the woman simply slumps. "What the-" she starts, moving hurriedly towards her partner. She doesn't think she can get there in time to prevent her from hitting the floor, but she reaches for her anyways - only to pull her hands back as the Witchblade starts shredding Sara's clothing. The last thing she wants is for it to inadvertantly shred her hands as well.
    "Sara? Hey, Pezzini, rise and shine. We still got work to do," she says quietly but urgently - reaching out to place two fingers at the woman's throat, searching for her pulse.
    Should they call for medical? That would completely blow Sara's cover. But better blown than dead of some unknown medical emergency - right?

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sam glances back at Wanda, exchanging a nod with his fellow Avenger, before soldiering on forth. "My thinking is, we get in close as we can before you pull it all down. Guessing they'll know when you do," he says to her, though with the sort of tone that makes it clear he's open to being corrected on his assumptions. Beyond unknowingly thinking along the same lines in terms of strategy, Sam knows that Wanda vastly outclasses him on mystical knowledge. All of Sam's magical knowledge comes from reading Harry Potter to his little brother and sister when he was a teen (because otherwise they'd fight over who got to read it first).

    He's still puzzling it all out in his head while Redwing's search for that emblem on the thieves' uniforms continues. And then they come upon Sara, falling to the floor.

    Well, that definitely wasn't how Sam expected this to go. Not that it's smart to have expectations on missions. With the Avengers, those tend to go sideways real fast. He's the resident medic, though, so he joins Cael by Sara's side. The Witchblade armor makes it hard for him to triage, but he tries to get a clear read on her physical condition.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    "Don't" comes too late to check Sara poking at invisible objects and things. Wanda's subtle considerations no longer apply when someone has fallen. She pauses in holding the tangled skein of unseen energy in her curled fingers. Witchblade's transformation halts her from running over to apply basic first aid. "Are you still with us?" Cael taking care of her partner eases some of the burden off her shoulders, but a little.
    "Does she have a pulse? Conscious?" Questions may be best answered by Sam.
    "I don't feel very nice right now." Her eyes are fully lost to the invisible, locking on the hum. It rubs her senses like fur petted backwards. Slowly she turns, and a single gesture becomes a fluid extension of her arm. A glowing line manifests in soft blue. It paints a wiggling line somehow west, beyond the building. "It triggered an alarm headed several kilometers that way. I advise against stepping right in there. But I can mark it. We can get airborne after."
    The arcane task set before her demands more painstaking handiwork, the neat use of arcane scalpels to excise tentpoles. That's how it should be. The Scarlet Witch throws her crossed arms out in front of her. Vining strands bloom in a searing raspberry signature that would never earn the Paul Hollywood handshake. Want dictates power. Her subconscious intentions pour into manifested will, and she subtly throws more minute snips and threads to seize control of it from the caster and make it hers. If magic's a cat, she is the one with the premium food and gently shaking the bowl.
    <Open>, she commands in Transian. An authoritative flick sweep of her hands apart will wrench a hole in there, and close the path for anyone else not passing with her blessing.
    Not like a town's ever been enfolded in a hex before...

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade stops in his tracks as Sara falls. "No. No no no. We are not having a Deadpool 2 moment *this* soon!" he says moving forward swiftly. The eruption of Witchblade over her gives him a little bit of relief. If she was dead then then artifact on her wrist wouldn't be active--at least, that's the case in the library of understanding on the matter in that is his inasnity tells him. "She's alive... but..."

    He looks around and directs his question in the area he *thinks* Scarlet Witch might be. He's a little off, but hopefully the question is enough to let it be known that it's for her. "Was there anything in the field that you can sense that would've done this to her?" he asks the mystic, worry painting his words with an edge of hysteria. He kneels next to Sam and Cael around her. "If necessary I can carry her." He isn't necessarily stronger than either of the others, but he is rather free from the natural constrains of physical limiters.

    "If she needs medical... we need to get her out... secret identity or no. Though I'm not sure that the paramedics will be able to get under this.." he knocks on the armor lightly--hoping the simple act of touching it won't trigger a defense response. "Any more than would can."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The activity in the basement speeds up at the sound of that alarm, the people starting to move more quickly. One of the transport containers is picked up by a large man who walks toward the solid wall of the basement and right through it. The cameras don't miss that at all, but the officers watching are now flabbergasted by what they saw.

The barrier going down changes their actions even more. Only two remain in the vault in an attempt to obtain the last few items from the containers they were in, while the others all move toward the entrance to the basement by which the alarm was triggered. They know someone is coming, they know someone has magical abilities enough to remove the barrier, and they are preparing for what might come through that door.

==============================================================================

Sara remains motionless on the ground, though she is breathing and the only reason that is known is if someone checks by listening. Witchblade has taken the threat as full on magical, meaning there isn't a single inch of Sara's skin showing and thus no way to know what the hell is going on.

It is then that a female voice whispers quietly into the ear of each Avenger, no matter where they might be standing, and of course into Wade's ear... she's not leaving him out.

"Sara's fine,? Alis whispers. "Witchblade is in full protection mode. The magic just tried to take her again... I have no idea why he's telling me, or how... but yeah, that's what's going on."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Great. Well." Cael takes a deep breath, and let it out, climbing to her feet and drawing a pistol. "I guess we go deal with this." Reaching for the radio she was issued, she presses the button then remarks, "We need a medical team in here to evac one. The rest of us are going in."
    "After you guys, I guess," she remarks in a wry tone. After all - out of everyone on this team, she's probably the most vulunerable. Not that she intends to let that stop her. "The bird can show us where to expect opposition?" she asks Sam, looking to him to provide guidance on that front.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Given she's encased in a shell of armor, there's not a whole lot Sam can do, here, to help Sara. "Pretty sure it's up to the Witchblade what happens right now," he says quietly, indeed leaning over to at least listen for breathing as he looks upward. "Breathing," he confirms.

    Whatever it is that Wanda's doing, her finding the rope attached to the trap that was waiting for them--for Sara--only causes Sam a second or two of blinking disbelief.

    The same for Alis's whispered reassurance. He bites the inside of his cheek and then stands up. "Wade, stay back with Sara until the med evac gets in here." There's an unsaid please at the end there, spoken instead by the quick glance Sam sends Wade's way.

    Then he extends a hand, and the weapons holster frame inside the wingpack rapidly extends an ICER pistol right into the grip of his fingers. "Redwing just got a match on the symbol on their uniforms. Something called the Thule Society?" But then he raises his free hand. "Pin in it. They're on the move." He's noticed that the thieves are starting to make their escape right through the wall, so now Sam's on the move too. "Wanda, keep an eye out for more traps. These guys are starting to get more suspicious the more we learn about them!"

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    The witch twists the barrier to her will and uses it as a fence wrapped around the boundaries of the museum. It may be of some use, her spun magic plunging into the structure built deep into the bedrock. Wanda doesn't waste time, advancing as she ties off spells.
    "The Thule Society?" That snaps her head sharply in Sam's direction. "That a hate group under neo-pagan symbols? They were the Studiengruppe fur germanisches Altertum during the war. My father probably hates them as much as anyone. That is, if they pretend or did inherit the occult practices during the Third Reich." Perfectly competent German bends her tongue like she was born to it.
    Cael and Wade (there's a portmanteau in there) instructed to help steady Sara is one thing. The unseen source of the voice she skims, Sight burning bright. Simply bringing the building down is no option she wants to deal with.
    Spindling her fingers in a complex pattern, she hurls a pair of hex beams ahead of her. Twin half-moons formed from pure good luck sweep on before them. It doesn't make up for walking carefully or letting Sam go ahead. She isn't risking that much. "They have a place in New Jersey. Sooner or later we have to get there. But these-- ugh. I feel filthy even thinking about it."
    Angry. But anger can come later.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade wants to taar into the people that hurt Sara. He really, *really* does. But he understands that his style of operating guns and swords blazing isn't exactly Avengers modus operandi and well... he sort of wants to make a good impression, after all these are Sara's comrades if not outright friends. So, he nods to Falcon and sets his jaw. If he has to be the guard dog here, he'll be the guard dog. "Got it..." There may have been some hesitation in his tone at the affirmation, but he's listening. Team Player tonight.

    "Hey Cael... kick their assess twice as hard... for Sara." He slips the sword from the sheath fully, just in case something more tries to get to his girlfriend. They'll have to go through him entirely... which... wouldn't be a first time he's had that problem.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You got it, DP," Cael agrees. She even flashes him a brief, tight smile - and then she's off, on Sam's heels, with her pistol drawn and ready to open fire on anyone who makes aggressive moves. "FBI!" she announces. "Drop any weapons and get down on the floor! Get down now!" she announces.
    After all - they already knew they were coming, didn't they? Might as well do the official thing and announce.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    "You heard the woman!" Sam yells, his own weapon (non-lethal, though the thieves don't need to know that) raised. He angles himself so he's about 90 degrees away from the direction Cael is facing, doing his best to cover her as he gestures with a few terse nods of his head for people to start disarming themselves and rearranging their physical selves into a horizontal planking position.

    AKA what Cael said. Drop their weapons and get down on the floor.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    They have their reasons for wanting to tear into things. Wade angry for the woman he cares about. Security for stealing items. Cael for a friend, Sam and Wanda for an ally.
    The Thule Society might be a little personal. The Scarlet Witch's boots barely touch the ground when she walks. With thieves on the run and a shot of guilt nagging at the back of her mind, she doesn't go with the nice remedies.
    Lorna Dane, Pietro Maximoff, they would not be nice. Erik Lensherr is not nice. Why would his daughter most like her mother fall very far from the tree?
    A not-very audible note vibrates on her lips, low and droned out as Cael shouts for them to drop.
    They're within her reach, so be it. Eyes flash red, and the whisper on her lips... well, good thing her kids grew up in different beds cause a mom like that would never be fair.
    "Sleep."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade waits as the others are moving down to take care of business. He looks at Sara's unconcious form and says, "It's going to be okay, babe... you're going to be fine... no Fridging for you, okay?" he says, though the reassurances might be more for himself than the unconscious and armor-encased woman.

    He turns to look as a lone officer enters to building and moves toward them. Strange. They called for a medical evac, not an officer's job. The fact that the officer draws his gun on Wade and fires the next instant erases all thought of the man's identity as a friendly.

    Wade's been shot before. Hell, when he first met Sara he'd been shot a good seven times. Bullets are bullets and 9mm are some of the smallest--if most numerous--on the market. The shots hammer into him, making his body jerk and twitch as round after round enters his torso. Fifteen rounds in all (a full clip on a standard Sig Sauer) find their way into the flesh of the Merc with a Mouth and he falls to the ground limply next to his lover, his blood pooling around the pair of them.

    Too bad for the black-hat it's all completely an act.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Many of the thieves just drop to the floor unconscious, to which Cael responds with a simple, "Huh." That is, of course, just before she hears the sounds of gunfire behind them. "Shit. DP - you good? Shots fired in the museum. Where's the medical evac- SHIT!"
    Her question is cut off as what appears to be a bolt of fucking lightning barely misses her. She can feel the static electricity crackling over her skin - in fact, the only reason it seems to have missed her at all was what it hit a meteorite heavy with metals instead. Deciding that's provocation enough, she fires on the man, before changing her aim towards a man who starts shooting fire at her and Sam. "Bunch of fucking firebenders in here," she mutters.
    Wait. Cael's seen Avatar?
    Only when the man starts to fall does she start desperately patting at her leather jacket. It's //ruined//. "God damnit."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Down into the basement they go. As Redwing starts running analytics on the thieves--the ones that remain on camera, at least--the drone also pulls up more information on the Thule Society. Enough to fill in the blanks for Sam, at least, though he sticks true to putting a pin in it temporarily.

    They can't head back upstairs when the gunshots sound. It's too late now, and Sam can only hope that Wade is handling himself.

    Little does he know.

    Well, that's a fun surprise for later. Right now, many of the thieves take Cael's command quite seriously. Just a little magical nudge from Wanda and down on the floor they go. Unfortunately one of the few who don't proceeds to belch--literally, mouth gaping open--a stream of noxious liquid at them.

    He didn't even seen the lightning. Probably blinked at a real inopportune time, there. But he can feel the heat of flames on his back, so Sam does the logical thing.

    Up into the air he goes.

    It's tight, trying to fly in here, but the wings only snap open for a second, just to give him enough upward momentum to complete an arc over the poison-spewing man. He twists in midair so he can kick both legs out at the poison cultist's back, then brings his ICER up to fire a couple of rounds into him too.

    "We got a headcount on how many of these guys weren't ready to go night-night?" he calls out. Redwing is feeding him information but there are a lot of places the cameras don't see down here.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade lays there for a moment as the officer approaches. He hears the muttered gloating. 'Got you back' he muses on for a moment. Something to think about and look into once they were out of here. He's fairly certain, if these guys are part of an operations group tied to Nazis... then they probably have the entire 'failsafe tooth' thing going on. Best to do what he does best then.

    The katana is still in his hand and he wastes no time in utilizing it. "Really poor form" he says, rising in one fluid motion and turning the would be assassin into a fucking kebab in the process. "You know that armor on her would turn you into stir fry before you got a chance to even touch her, right?" he says. "Never mind that this" he takes the gun from blood sputtering man and tosses it aside. "Does pretty much nothing more than irritate me." He jerks a bit as more blood is spit into his face as the man starts to drown in his own fluid. "Ew... just fucking die alright, please." He watches as the man jerks a few more times and then goes limp on the blade.

    "Thank you." He lowers the body and slides the sword from it flicking blood droplets from the shining steel in an attempt to clean it. "I'm okay!" he calls to the other team below. "How about you guys?" He waves a still mostly bloody katanna as a number of medical crew enter in. "Hi. Gonna need a black bag for the trash here..." he says, gesturing to the dead body laying before him. "She's still good though." Working with Deadpool made matters so complicated for authority figures like The Avengers.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The Thule Society did not expect the Avengers. The robbery was meant to draw in the police, and hopefully Sara Pezzini, to the Witch, the Falcon and the FBI Agent were more than they prepared for.

With so many going down from the Witches spell, then two more dropped from the Falcon and the Agent, the remaining two look at each other and the decision is made. One drives toward those sleeping as he mutters, "Incendio." The other bites down on his capsule tooth with a hissed, "Hail Hydra."

Three... two... one... every single thief explodes into flames, anyone near one as they go up dives back to avoid the flames that burn quick and hot, killing and destroying the bodies at the same time. No evidence left.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    It's some long moments before Sam answers Wade with a beleagured "Oh we for sure are NOT okay!"

    Then, under his breath, Sam mutters, "God damned HYDRA," as he presses a hand to his forehead. What a mess.