Owner	Pose
Sara Pezzini	Following the line of magic back to the source has lead the Avengers to a small scrap metal business at Elizabethport, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. At this time of night the streets that wind between the warehouses and business are empty, the only light really offered comes from the streetlights, and a few in the parking lots. Numerous large warehoues from various companies can be seen in the area, numerous eighteen wheeler's with trailers parked, ready for loading or unloading when the businesses open. Around the scrap metal business are two smaller warehouses, both with the company logo on them, and to your left you can see the the entrance to Newark Bay, leading out to the ocean.
Wanda Maximoff	Wanda isn't someone who aims to stand out. Lessons from a living ghost give her some skill in staying out of sight when she doesn't want to be seen, and someone wandering around Elizabethport's dingy waterfront does so best dressed down in totally plain attire with a knit cap hiding her rather telltale locks. Hardship living in Eastern Europe never leaves her. She can sink into a shadow like no one's business, casing rooftops and entrances to the warehouse at a distance. Her eyes are unfocused, the light glaze something overlooked easily as drugs' influence. The threads and strands binding people and places are what she seeks. A tangible connection to the presence of the Thule Society and their stolen items might be out there, and she skims over the scrap metal shop to the warehouse set near it in hopes of finding something.
Cael Becker	Cael strives to look like she belongs - and with her usual garb of jeans, boots, a black leather jacket, and (given the cooler weather) a warm sweater - well, she doesn't look too out of place anywhere in particular. She keeps her hands firmly in her pockets, her shoulders hunched - the posture of someone a bit cold, and who just doesn't want to //be// here just now. But her gaze flicks around, subtly taking in any details she can spot - searching for anything out of place, and any signs of added security. Skulking in shadows just makes people suspect you - if and when they do spot you. That's her experience, anyways.
Sam Wilson	Meanwhile, several hundred feet above Elizabeth, New Jersey...     The night air is clear, the winds mild. A good night for flying, that's for sure. Cold enough that Sam's added a thermal underlayer to his usual getup, and the lower half of his face is shielded by a wrap. More for wind protection than cold protection, admittedly; once you get this high up, there's always wind.     "<<Any movement from your vantage points?>>" Sam asks over an encrypted channel. Better safe than sorry, after all, and there's no reason this group can't be as good at tech as they are at magic.     He taps at the control panel on his left gauntlet and Redwing deploys from his back, the drone immediately beginning a more rigorous scan of the buildings below. "<<I'll let you know if we get anything from up here, mystical or mundane.>>"
Sara Pezzini	Sara was wearing sweats, yes they were black, but still they were sweats. The way she figured it Witchblade would be destroying whatever she wore, again, and it made no sense to waste good clothing. Keeping to the shadows with Wanda and Cael, she added a black stocking cap to her attire because it was cold. There was a tingle running up her spine, that same familiar feeling that caused her to check out the barrier, but this time she wasn't leaving... yet. Witchblade might have other plans later, but for the time being she was in control.
Cael Becker	<<"Nothing useful I can see,">> Cael answers quietly on the comms. Getting a few in the windows would be handy - but potentially risky. She continues to stroll down the street, searching for signs of life - but having no luck. <<"I need a glimpse in the windows to be sure, though,">> she murmurs, as she makes her way closer, watching the ground in front of her for signs of any alarms. <<"You're not detecting any motion sensors or the likes, are you?">> she asks as she skulks closer little by little - ready to stop the moment Sam warns her of.
Sam Wilson	"<<Redwing's picking up some chatter, hold on...>>" Sam pauses in his own flight path, coming to a temporary hover as he taps into an active broadcast channel and listens in. "<<Russian. Talking about a museum... lost their main target but--Redwing, what was that last part?>>"     A moment of silence follows as the drone does some on-the-fly AI translation, which appears on the Falcon HUD. "Huh," Sam says to himself, then, "<<Apparently whatever they were looking for in the museum, they managed to find it.>>" At Cael's prompting he sends a few commands through his gauntlet to Redwing, who begins a more focused scan.     It takes so little time at all that Sam prompts the drone to do it all over again. But the result is the same: nothing. "<<No readings that would indicate anything hi-tech at all, no.>>"
Cael Becker	<<"Well, that doesn't sound great,">> Cael murmurs back - wondering what it is they got their hands on. She continues her slow approach to one of the warehouses, peering cautiously inside from the side of one of the windows - and ducking below it before she'll pass on to inspect more of the windows in turn. <<"They're in here? Where exactly? If you tell me what buildings are empty...">> then they can try to slip inside unnoticed. ...she hopes.
Sara Pezzini	Sara keeps in close to Cael, but not exactly on top of her. She listens to the reports, but for the most part she is keeping an eye on the surrounding area while Cael does the official looking. There is always the chance that someone will come out of a building and spot them or come around the corner, so keeping a set of eyes on the look out seemed a good idea. <"Got that same strange sensation," she finally shares quietly to the both of them. "Just like at the museum, but I swear I'm not touching it this time.">
Sam Wilson	Sam's voice comes over the comm channel again: "<<Picking up heat signatures in the big building down there. Probably them. I'm going to send Redwing in a little closer to see if I can get a better headcount.>>" And of course Sam is already inputting the commands as he's saying this, so the drone has already begun its downwards approach.     Though then something... funny happens. The camera feed from Redwing in the bottom corner of Sam's HUD starts to buzz with static, and when he brings it into focus in the foreground, Sam recognizes the strange symbol that keeps flashing on the scren. The same one that was on the uniforms of the group that broke into the museum. "<<Yeah, they might have a barrier up. Redwing's picking up some kind of magical interference.>>"     He calls the drone back in hurriedly.
Cael Becker	A shudders runs over Cael's form, and she grits her teeth for a moment. <<"That felt- ugh. That felt like when my arm falls asleep. Only //all// of me.">> And she doesn't like it, and she'd be happy if it never happened again, kthanx. She puts it behind her, though, and after thoroughly checking one of the windows for signs of life - and signs of alarms - she slips out a set of thin, strong tools meant for sliding through the edges of windows, and undoing latches. It isn't quite like breaking into locked cars - but it isn't that far off. Plus, she'd gotten a lot of pointers on good ol' fashioned B&Es after that first smash-and-grab after she'd run away as a teen.
Sara Pezzini	Sara stops just a few feet from where Cael is attempting her breaking and entering, not by choice. Although she tries to take one more step forward, she can't, she hits a wall that Cael would walk through. <"We got a problem," she whispers, now taking a couple of steps back. "We're about to have incoming."> Even as she's speaking, Witchblade starts shredding through the sweats to form the armor, the wings sprouting from her back and the last section of armor being the helmet. <"Not from inside..."> She doesn't get to finish that. The thing that buzzes by Falcon in the sky looks like Witchblade save for one major difference, the wielder is male. From the man's hand a whip lashes out at Falcon, attempting to wrap the tip around the flying man's ankle and drag him along as this male version of Witchblade dives toward Sara.
Sam Wilson	The "INCOMING" warning that flashes in front of Sam's eyes comes a moment too late for him to outright avoid the attack as it comes. Whoever this copycat Witchblade is, he manages to snag the Falcon from the sky. Down on the ground, Sara and Cael will likely hear the shout that Sam lets out--that level of sound usually gets filtered out by the comms rather than risk burst eardrums--as he's dragged careening towards the ground.     But even as they begin the descent, Redwing is flying after them, the laser lowering from its undercarriage as it tries to free Sam from the whip. And Sam is firing at his attacker too via an SMG that deploys from within the Falcon pack into his hand.
Cael Becker	So much for sneaking in. Cael shrinks back into the shadows, hoping to evade the notice of whatever was attacking as she pulls out her pistol - a worried frown on her features as she hears Sam cry out. Not much she can do to help him until his attacker is on the ground, though - firing up into a close-quarters fight like that, especially at night? She stood to great a risk of hurting her friend.     <<"You got his back, Pezzini?">> she asks anxiously, as she starts scanning for any additional threats.
Sara Pezzini	The bullets from Sam's gun seem to bounce off the other Witchblade like the would of done off the real Witchblade. The laughter from the man inside is deep, dark, and echoing. There is a madness to it, that matches the movements. Even before Cael asked, Witchblade was already jumping into the air, whether Sara was ready or not. It took a great deal of Sara's will to make him listen, to go for Sam first and not directly after the bastardized version of himself. Swooping upwards she tries to catch Sam even as she screams, her tone deeper than usual, "Let him go and we'll go at it! That's what you're after anyway!" From inside the warehouse Cael can now hear the rapid footsteps of people approaching, coupled with screams of, "He's here!" and "She's here!" and "It's begun!"
Sam Wilson	Unfortunately, when he's this close to his target, Sam doesn't have a huge list of options. Any of his heavy weaponry would inevitably harm him just as much (or maybe more) than the imposter Witchblade. Redwing's laser is still firing, trying to shear through the whip that's still attached to Sam.     In the meantime, though, Sam stops trying to fight the downward pull with his wings and instead wraps them around himself, angling his body to reduce the impact.
Cael Becker	<<"More incoming from the warehouse,">> Cael murmurs into the comms. <<"I'll try to pin them down.">> Studying the building, Cael tries to predict where the'll exit, as she aims her weapon towards the door. This wasn't a SHIELD op - and let's face it, these guys were Hydra assholes - so she didn't have her ICER on her.     Nope. She was fully prepared to fire live ammo on anyone that comes out that door, to keep them pinned down - and make sure her friends didn't have even more to contend with.
Sara Pezzini	The whip releases from around Sam's ankles just as the man is mere feet from the ground. The fake Witchblade laughs his armored ass off, figuring there is no way that Sam can avoid hitting the ground now. He turns toward the real Witchblade only to witness her catching Sam with her own whip to yank him back upwards and let him go. She knows full well his wings can be redeployed, but smashing into the ground would be bad. "Mistake!" the man screams at her, and dives right into her, both going rolling through the air, blows already being exchanged. Three men come running out the door of the warehouse, immediately looking up into the sky. A moment later two more come out another door of the same warehouse, they also stupidly just look up into sky. It's almost as if they didn't expect the Witchblade to have back up, they assume her to be alone. "Look, he got her!" One screams as he points. "Finally!" Another shouts out. "Take her back!"
Sam Wilson	Sam gets flung back up in the air, but it's no more wild a ride than any other he's been on, so the wings flare out around him and after a moment of turbulence he comes to a steady hover. If he's a little shaken from the rough handling, he doesn't show it.     Instead he dives down, aiming himself feet first at one of the men that have come out from the other door. The way he lands guarantees at least a few broken bones--for the Thule Society cultist, not him. And just as soon as he's touched down, the engine in the Falcon pack roars to life again, propelling Sam upwards so that he can slam a knee into the other man's chin.
Cael Becker	Even with the rough treatment Sam's giving the guys at his door - it's kind compared to Cael. The sound of gunfire rings out as she aims for shoulders - trying to injure them badly enough to get them out of the fight without necessarily killing them outright. The moment any of them draw a weapon, though, she shifts her aim towards center-mass - her expression a grim and unflinching mask. Sara has enough to contend with - without these guys adding to the mess.     And the last thing she wants is for one of them to get into their head that they want an Avenger on their kill count.
Sara Pezzini	Up in the sky the two Witchblade's are literally wrapped in each other, tendrils of metal wrapped around each other as the two punch and stab at one another. To the naked eye it appears that they are equally matched, that the blow for blow each are giving and taking is equivalent to the other. The only part of the two not tangled are the wings, which is keeping the tangled mess of both in the air. Broken bones are a good reason to remain laying on the ground, screaming in pain and trying to figure out what the hell just happened... and that is exactly what the one the Falcon landed on is doing. The one who took the jet assisted knee to the chin is just plain out cold, lifted up from the blow, thrown back and unconscious. The gun shots from Cael's gun, striking two of the unexpecting men in the shoulders and sending them into a scrambling run to try and find cover... there is none. The third screams something in Russian, which is when two very large men come running out the door. Although they are wearing the same simple uniforms of the others, and those who had been in the museum, there is a shimmering effect around their entire bodies. Almost immediately one turns on Cael with a grin on his face, the other charges toward the location of the other door, aiming a blast of bright yellow energy at the Falcon.
Sam Wilson	Oh, they can try to fire on Sam, but he's already up in the air. The Falcon doesn't stay grounded long, and he's a much harder target to hit against the dark sky above. Once or twice they might get a lucky shot of their magic missile but all that means is that Sam has to actually dodge out of the way. He keeps them busy for a few moments, peppering them from above with small caliber gunfire. Most of which rebounds off the ground around them, admittedly.     Until Redwing is in place, and it hooks a line to one of the cultist's wrists, dragging him up into the cold night air.     Only to abruptly drop him far enough up that he's going to be hurting from the impact. Not dead, but definitely hurting.     And then Sam swoops down at a low angle so he can kick the other one against the wall. Crunch. Less dramatic than Redwing, maybe, but it'll do the trick. "<<Becker, sitrep! We need to clear the warehouse while Pezzini's engaged.>>"
Cael Becker	<<"Busy, Wilson!">> Cael replies through gritted teeth. She'd dropped the three mooks in short order - at least one of them was extremely still, though that hardly seemed to be worrying Cael. Instead, she was firing on the massive fellow who seemed to be closing on her with determined strides, and a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "Mother... fucking... Hydra... //assholes//!" she grits out between shots.     Reaching into her jacket with her free hand, she pulls out a flash-bang, and underhands it right into the guy's face. Is that how you're supposed to use flash-bangs? No. No it is not. <<"Sparkler,">> she warns the others briefly - just before it explodes in the man's face, burning and possibly even permanently blinding him - then she moves in to use some of the skills she's been practicing in her sparring sessions with Cap - pulling the man off balance, and causing him to pivot over her back, and slam hard into the ground before she stamps her foot onto his head.     <<"...okay. Coming,">> she answers Sam, moving into the building.
Sara Pezzini	The moment Cael passes the thresh hold of the door several monitor's light up with the Thule emblem dead center of the screen. A moment later a female voice with a German accent can be heard speaking. "Sacrifices have been made to capture the prize, you're names will be remembered and praised. Hail Hydra." Ten... nine... eight...
Sam Wilson	All Sam has to say to that is "Well, shit."     Redwing takes a very brisk scan of the warehouse interior while Sam swoops around the exterior, going through the door Cael passed through. "Time to go!" he announces as he sweeps her up and does an abrupt brake-and-turn maneuver. Thankfully, the training he's been doing with Cael will likely have prepared her for withstanding it all as they zoom right back out of the building and *away*.     Redwing isn't far behind.
Cael Becker	"Fucking Hydra!" is about all Cael can get out - before Sam is rocketing to the rescue. She locks her arm around him, tucking into place against the man in a way meant to impede his flying as little as possible - while minimizing any chance that she gets //dropped// by accident. "Have I mentioned how much I hate Hydra?!"     Yes. Yes she has.
Sara Pezzini	As Falcon grabs Cael and takes off to the skies to get away from the explosion that rocks the port and removes both of the warehouses from the face of the planet... it is worth noting at this time, that neither Witchblade is anywhere to be seen. If Redwing attempts to scan for them, neither shows up with in his range. What happened and where the fight ended up remains unknown as the distance from the fire and shock wave is obtained.