Owner	Pose
Cole Cash	Haiti is one of the worst places in the world for mercenaries. It is poor, it is rife with corruption and it is politically a mess. Which is why mercenaries often find work here. Admittedly it is not as dangerous a some parts of the Middle East or West Africa, but it is not good. It has little of value, too, which is why when the local authorities (and bandit lords, little difference, really) find out AIM has a base in the nearby mountains, no one believes them. In fact, SHIELD laughed at the possibility MODOK would put a base in the area. So, mercenaries. Which means Grifter and Outlaw. Because they don't have the kind of cash to send Deathstroke or Bullseye. But the even cheaper mercs they sent last week didn't return. The local thugs they sent two weeks ago didn't either. The lack of returning hints there is something dangerous going on, sure. And that the guys up there wear yellow (allegedly) means they could be beekeepers. But there are no pictures, so they might also be dangerous people with yellow t-shirts. In any case, Cole and Inez are the only two that accepted the contract when they saw the crappy conditions. Money is money, right? And Cole needed to leave the US for a couple weeks while things cool down with I.O.
Inez Temple	Inez grew up dirt poor in Texas. Shitty conditions aren't exactly unusual to her. Sure, she's largely moved up in the world, but that doesn't mean she doesn't still occasionally get sent to third-world shitholes to crawl around in the mud. Arranging for weaponry isn't terribly difficult either, so she just throws some clothes into a jump bag and heads out to Haiti! They were given an address of a 'safe house' they could use, which means the prior occupants were likely political rivals that were recently removed. So at least there's accommodations! Inez arrives in her usual getup, but with a few options packed depending on what the situation calls for. She's got a crate waiting at the safe house that holds her weapons, meaning that's her first stop, checking everything over to ensure it's intact and unfucked with.
Cole Cash	See, Cole didn't let his guns out of his sight. Sure, it means he didn't take rpgs. But he took his energy handguns, which are better than anything he can carry in a duffel bag. If it is really AIM they might have giant robots, cyborged landsharks or something equally ridiculous. He does bring an old jeep, though. Borrowed from the local police station. It is not pretty, but the engine sounds good enough. "Outlaw?" He greets, "what is a woman like you doing in a place like this? Job sucks. But if it is AIM up there, I'll eat my hat."
Inez Temple	The simple fact is, while top of the line and expensive, there's nothing about her guns that requires keeping them to hand at all times. So Inez is content to make sure they get to the island without having to go through the 'proper authorities' first. She's inspecting a nice-looking assault rifle when Cole steps into the house. Glancing over her shoulder, she flashes an easygoing smile and tips her hat towards him, "Grifter. Same's ya are, I expect. Money's money, even if it ain't much." She sets the gun down and turns to face him, chuckling, "I'm guessin' it ain't, but whatever it is, it's bad enough t'take down other mercs. So it's worth shuttin' down."
Cole Cash	"Sure, something has killed the previous groups sent to investigate," agrees Cole. "But chances are it is just a few brigands running a drug lab." He wouldn't have taken the job most days, but Gotham got too hot for a minute. "Your guns are worth more than what they are paying," he observes, picking up the assault rifle and checking for serial numbers. He is going to give her a look if he finds any. "Anyway, I got some wheels, we can reach the place at dusk. Do you have nightvision gear?" He asks.
Inez Temple	Pff, serial numbers. Children know not to leave serial numbers, and her guns are clean as a whistle. She lifts a shrug and offers, "I like t' travel." Picking up her bag, she motions to one of the rooms, "Jes' gonna slip into somethin' more... appropriate." And she disappears for a few moments. "Got night scopes fer th' guns, but I tend t' not use 'em. Fucks with my eyes. I c'n usually do jes' fine without it, though." Stepping back out, she's swapped the leather gowgirl getup for black tank, shorts, and boots. Glancing up, she sighs, then takes off the hat as well, muttering, "That better still be here when I get back..." Then moves towards the weaponry, choosing the AR, the shotgun, and a pistol that's nearly the size of her head. Her hair has been braided back from her face and she's giving off strange Cammy from Street Fighter vibes. "Ready when ya are, darlin'."
Cole Cash	Careless mercs don't delete the serials of their new guns. It is better to know early on. He doesn't comment on Inez choice of attire, but gives her an once-over. It must be nice to be bullet-proof. Cole is taking his coat, because it is bullet-proof. It is not going to be nice with the heat and humidity, but at night it won't be as bad. He is also wearing a tactical vest and belt. On plain sight he only has a couple large handguns, though. Nothing long-range. "I'll drive," he offers.
Inez Temple	It is. It IS nice to be bullet-proof. Inez has rarely had to worry about making sure she's 'armored', which is nice. She turns to head out front where the Jeep was parked, flashing a grin over her shoulder, "Works fer me. I'll play lookout on th' way up." Inez steps into the Jeep and sets the shotgun under the dash, keeping the assault rifle in her hands. She settles in, looking comfy as can be!
Cole Cash	"Yep, I bet they know we are coming, security in this town is less than good. I can get anything with a few dollars bribe," comments Cole, turning on the engine and leading the old vehicle through the busy town streets. "There are some old maps in the glove compartment; we are going to lose gps in a minute. Unless you have some fancy satellite uplink." "Plan is to leave all the main roads and try to stay out of sight. Come from an unexpected direction, then hike the last few miles," offers Cole. Plan is subject to revision. Plans tend to suck, particularly his plans. "And maybe surprise them. Ideas?"
Inez Temple	"Oh I'm sure they knew we were comin' b'fore th' plane touched down. They'll be preppin' fer mercs. But... they won't be ready fer us." She flashes a grin at him and braces herself against the bouncing of the jeep as they get going. "If'n ya c'n get us within two miles, I c'n get us th' rest o' th' way. Don't become a bounty hunter without some damn good trackin' skills." Inez grabs up one of the maps and looks over it, glancing at the gps briefly for their current position, then mapping out quickly where the compound is supposed to be. She glances over at him and grins, "Sounds good t'me. I tend t' be better at improvisin' along th' way anyways. Plans never survive first contact."
Cole Cash	"Yeah, I know what you mean," agrees Cole. Just get close and then we'll see. They only need proof it is AIM, anyway. They don't have to take out a whole base of science nuts with lasers. Theoretically. "We don't even know where they are, just the general are," and there is nothing in the map, just a couple dirt roads. The authorities didn't even bother to try some aerial recon with a helicopter. Or, more likely, someone moved bribes to make sure it wasn't done. But it could also be the weather has been pretty bad lately. For instance, it just started raining.
Inez Temple	"Hey, jes' think... if it's AIM, we c'n tag th' compound, mebbe take out a couple perimeter guards if we need t'... then we back out an' let 'em know it's gonna be a Helluva lot more t' get rid o' them an' we'll have t' call in a team t' help. Get paid, go home... or go on vacation. WHatever. If it ain't AIM, we c'n wreck faces, loot th' base fer anythin' worth takin', an' tell the local government their problems are over. Easy payday either way," Inez grins at him, always somehow cheerful and optimistic, a direct counterpoint to Grifter himself. She shakes her head, 'Don't need exact coordinates. Unless they're a LOT better funded than they seem t' be, they ain't got th' money t' be all covert an' shit. So we should be able t' pick it out pretty easy once we're inside a mile or so." She seems unconcerned, but then, she's used to dirt roads and a whole lot of nothing being the rule of the day. When the rain starts, she glances up and chuckles, "Well... won't need a shower..."
Cole Cash	"It is not going to be AIM, but whoever it is, it has made a couple armed groups vanish and..." and it is raining, and Cole puts the rain cover but doesn't help a lot. It is a tropical thunderstorm and rain comes from all directions. Also, the road Cole takes becomes muddy quickly, slowing down the Jeep to a crawl. "I guess I was too optimistic about getting there at dusk," grumbles.
Inez Temple	"Well, WE know it's not gonna be AIM... can't tell them that without givin' 'em somethin' else, though," Inez lifts a shrug and is glad she put the map away before the rain came down! Casting a look around, she mutters, "Mebbe we should get off th' road an' go on foot from here. This roadway's only gonna get muddier, an' we're on th' wrong side o' th' hill fer that t'be an advantage. Prob'ly make better time walkin' at this point." She glances at him and grins, "Not afraid t'get wet'n'dirty are ya?"
Cole Cash	"We are still too far," protests Cole. "Lets keep going least another couple hours, maybe forty more miles." At which point it will be night, anyway. Not that the visibility is much better now. In fact, it is so bad Cole puts on his mask so he can use the sensors to stay on the road. "On the positive side, there is no way they see us coming now."
Inez Temple	"If'n ya want..." Inez flicks a glance to Cole and grins, "Suppose I c'n catch a nap then, since we still got a ways t'go an' there ain't a chance in Hell they're gonna see th' jeep through all this." Is she teasing? She has to be teasing, right?
Cole Cash	"Sure, get some sleep if you need it," Cole doesn't seem surprised Inez is able to steep during a thunderstorm, inside a moving vehicle, mercs learn to catch sleep when they can, where they can. Cole drives on for another hour or three. Until the road is blocked by a fallen tree. Inez might get woken up by the fact the Jeep is no longer moving. Or maybe the scent of cheap cigarettes when Cole starts one. He is checking the map with a flashlight and a compass. Trying to guess where they are. Then he nudges her. "I think we are close enough," he says. "If you can move that tree, we could go on twenty more minutes. But we can also walk. Rain is not as bad now."
Inez Temple	Inez gives a nod and settles herself in the Jeep, arms folding up across her torso as she gets a little shut eye before they have to head off on foot. She wakes when the jeep rumbles to a stop, glancing over at Cole as he lights up a cigaretee and peers at the map. Looks to the fallen tree, then back to Cole with a nod, "I'd say walk. If'n we get into trouble along th' way an' gotta book it back t' th' jeep, this tree'lll slow 'em down from pursuin'." Inez checks her gear, makes sure everything is stowed or settled where it needs to be, then looks to Cole with a grin. "Ready when yer ready."
Cole Cash	Cole nods, folds the map and puts it inside one of the dozens of pockets he seems to have in his coat. Then he steps off the car and points ahead, into the forest, jungle, actually. "Pretty sure is this way. Like seventy percent sure. Stupid rain." The cigarette is the first victim of the rain. But he doesn't seen terribly bothered. "Lets go."
Inez Temple	Inez laughs at his 'pretty sure', then pulls out her own compass to check their direction, glancing back over her shoulder to see if she can spot the lights from the town. Then back to Cole with a grin, "North by northwest, angle a lil more t' th' left an' yer right on th' money." She wears the shotgun in a sling that runs crossbody and carries the assault rifle. Heading off with Cole into thick jungle in the rain, at night. There's a few ways this could play out!
Cole Cash	No lights, the rain is still pretty thick. But it is clearing up, so maybe in another hour or two they will have a respite. Cole has night vision in his mask, and a flashlight. Enough for him. But they have only moved about 20 yards when the vehicle explodes behind them. So much for getting close unobserved. He immediately jumps for cover, turning off the flashlight.
Inez Temple	Inez seems fairly confident in being able to get them to the compound, setting off into the jungle at a brisk pace. She hasn't gotten night vision, but her eyesight is enhanced already and technology doesn't tend to work as well with it. She'll make do! At least, until the Jeep explodes. Taking cover behind a small copse, she looks across at Cole and mutters, "How did neither of us see that incoming?"
Cole Cash	That is actually a good question. And Cole has a few more, like how is someone saw them coming despite the foul weather? What kind of weapon can make a Jeep explode like that? It is smells to stupid super-tech, which means AIM. And that makes him feel like an idiot. With the vehicle on fire his night vision is useless, "no idea. But they shoot a little too late. Fifteen seconds ago and we would be dead," and that means the enemy probably didn't see them leaving the now ruined four by four. "Fan out, keep your head down," he suggests, as he crawls away from Inez, a handgun in hand. There is something coming, an odd insect-legged thing, and nearly ten feet tall. Two long, segmented legs turn the burning wreck to a side. At the light of the flames Inez can see a human torso on top of the six, legged creature. It has a rotting skull on top of a body reinforced with black metal. His left arm is actually some kind of cannon. In his right hand, it carries a large machine gun.
Inez Temple	Going low, Inez gives a nod to Cole and moves around to see if she can't flank whatever is incoming, using the rain to help hide the occasional rustle of leaves as she creeps. She posts up on the opposite side of the Jeep and brings the AR up to her shoulder, peering down the iron sights. What comes into view, however, gives even the merc pause. This isn't just advanced tech. This is body horror at a level you generally only see in movies. She stares for a long moment, then looks past into the jungle, trying to see if she can spot Cole and desperately wishing she'd brought the grenade launcher now.
Cole Cash	The creature half turns, and then sprays the jungle with machine gun fire, aiming in the direction Cole was moving in. Izen can hear Cole returning fire, and the monster recoils as at least two high calibre bullets hit the torso. But apparently they fail to cause serious damage, because it moves forward again and shoots the canon. Which happens to be a plasma cannon. A centuries old palm tree explodes in fire and wood splinters, and for a large cloud of vapour covers the area for a few seconds. Plasma and rain don't go well together.
Inez Temple	Inez makes her move while it's chasing Cole, darting out from her hiding place to run at the creature, intending to tackle it from behind. She leaps at the last moment, anticipating it turning towards her and firing, then tries to grab hold of that canon arm so she can rip it off. While certainly not the strongest of the strong, Inez is no slouch and can bring ten tons of force to bear pretty casually. She doesn't hit like a freight train, she hits like a stinger missile.
Cole Cash	The creature does try to turn at the last moment, the waist turning around completely on mechanical hips, but Inez still hits it with enough force the seven insect legs (which now she can see are mechanical) leave the ground for a second. Then both fall into the burning jungle, "you crazy biiiiitch!" Yells the rotting head, crashing through a burning trunk, losing grip of the machinegun, then attempting to craw at Inez's face with two inch long metal claws that sprout from its fingertips. As she pulls from the canon, she can hear bones snapping, but the metal covering of the arm feels too sturdy for an outright ripping-off. Also, fire, and wood splintters, and mud.
Inez Temple	Inez's eyes light up with rage when the creature screams at her. Flying through burning jungle, she ignores the heat and sting of burning foliage, hitting the ground with the creature as a buffer. With a scream, she re-grips the canon arm and twists HARD, pinting it skyward even as she starts stomping the everliving fuck out of the creature's skull. "I! AM! NOT! CRAZY!!!" Each shriek punctuated by another stomp, not stopping until the things head no longer exists. Claws, legs, everything else is ignored. He did the one this he shouldn't ever do. NEVER, call Inez crazy.
Cole Cash	There is a sickly crunching sound as Outlaw completely mangles the cannon-arm and then another as she breaks the monster skull with a few punches. It is not pretty, as the flesh was mostly rotten, although strangely the brain inside the skull looked perfectly fine, although connected with metal wires to the spine. In fact, there is quite a bit of metal mixed with the flesh, covered by a baroque breastplate protecting back and front of the now very, very dead cybernetic monster. Cole himself, looking a little worse from the wear (the bullet-proof coat visibly blackened at places) prefers to stay a few yards away until the Texan woman calms down.
Inez Temple	Inez drops what is left of the canon arm as she pants lightly for breath. She heaves out a sigh and shakes her head, then looks up towards Cole. "Well, there were interestin'. But I dunno if it's AIM... this ain't really their style. This... thing... were alive. It spoke. Had thoughts, feelin's." She lifts a shrug and moves towards him, "Guess we should mosey on along, huh? They're likely t' send more now."
Cole Cash	"Are you injured?" It is hard to say with the rain and... all that gore. "Going where? They took out our ride." He reloads his handgun. "If there are more of those things, they are gonna be faster than we are. So we can, uh... find shelter, or some defensive position. Or go on the offensive."
Inez Temple	"Eh, nothin' that won't heal in a minute." She hasn't even checked, really, but barring anything life-threatening or limb-removing, she generally assumes she's going to be fine. Hefting the assault rifle, she looks at him, "I ain't one fer sittin' on my ass waitin' fer someone t'come t'me. I say we keep pushin' forward."
Cole Cash	"Copy that," agrees Cole. Then he glances at the cyborg corpse. "He wasn't that tough. I will use armor-piercing next time, and aim for the head." Or maybe use a grenade. Never leave home without a hand grenade or two. He has pouches for that kind of thing, all very 90s. "This way," he gestures ahead. "Probably."
Inez Temple	She lifts a shrug, "Tougher' they look. I c'n exert enough force normally t'toss a Mack truck around like a toy but I couldn't pull that arm off. Skull weren't so protected, though. Would think they'd've put more armorin' around th' brain." Inez nods and heads off into the jungle once more, checking against the compass now and then to make sure they stay moving in the right general direction. "So what's the bet on who's behind this?" She glances sidelong towards Cole and flashes a grin.