11085/Not Those Guardians

Not Those Guardians
Date of Scene:	17 February 2020
Location:	Little Odessa, NYC
Synopsis:	The Guardians Initiative are looking to punish someone for their recent losses. Piotr falls into their crosshairs and Natasha is there to try and save the day. She succeeds. And fails.
Cast of Characters:	Colossus, Black Widow (Romanoff)

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Colossus has posed:
    The first word that had come across the wire was simple intel. Small information, usually overlooked. Nothing of tremendous interest. But a piece of the puzzle that would come to haunt the thoughts of any investigator following that particular line of reasoning. It was just a data report, smuggling information tracking a shipment of gear that didn't stand out for the most part. But the little things might trigger some curiousity.
    Like how a NATO restock option usually comes with .50 caliber anti-materiel rounds. But for some reason those were omitted from the inventory. Was it being requested? If so why wasn't it listed there? If not what was the reason for that?
    Then a week down the line another line of reasoning. From another source. Phosphorous flares, outlawed, scheduled for disposal at the East Brooklyn chemical yard. Though anyone familiar with the ordnances covering chemical weapon disposal would know that the East Brooklyn isn't rated for something with that potential.
    The final thing was when it might come across someone's desk the knowledge that the Russian's Guardian initiative had hemorrhaged and lost some of its operatives. As well as its commanding officer. And Colonel Lundskaya was known as a hot head who whenever he came into a command... he made an example of someone.
    Those things all came together, and brought the attention likely to only someone with the years and the expertise to recognize such a thing. And of all the people in the world, and the people who could fit that criteria? Could all be counted on one hand.
    None of this mattered to Piotr Rasputin, however. That particular late at night, he rarely was in this neighborhood. He was only part time at Nevinsky's gym, but old man Nevinsky had been trusting him to lock up after he'd finished cleaning and picking up. So for now he locked the large doors, and pulled the chain gate shut over them. Flipping the keys up into the air he turned and started walking down the street there in Little Odessa.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
If there was one part of her job that Natasha hated, it was paperwork. She despised it. So many reports would sift across her desk for her to review. Normally it was something the lower level agents looked at but anything that seemed off, they were to send it to someone higher in the chain of command. Most of the time, it was nothing. If it was something, it was so blatantly apparent she had to wonder if those of the lower ranks were being purposefully blind if they needed a second opinion.

Yet this time, it was a bit more. She had contacts back home still. Though she had chosen to be in this country for quite a few years now, had turned her back, there were still those in the community that would help her with information and she would do the same. As long as it suited them. It's what spies do.

Looking at the missing bits and pieces all combined with the Guardians initiative losing operatives in addition to failing to recruit others. This was going to go sideways. A few favors. A few clandestine meetings. The information was learned and the Widow knew her task.

As the tall young man exited the gym, she was on a rooftop not far away. She wasn't alone as she worked her way toward the figure prone on the gravel, a rifle in his hands.

One guard who had been watching the man's back was already unconscious on the ground. She moved in the shadows, silent, not a sound from the gravel as she took careful steps.

Colossus has posed:
    She had found their comm frequency easily enough. And after two minutes of listening she found it was a five man team. Or at least five elements that were vocal while they referred to an extraction element. Six units in total. But five man teams made the most sense.
    She timed the taking out of the first man perfectly. Immediately after he checked in. she have three minutes until he came up on the rotation though it would be difficult to know exactly where the ambush spot would be. But something wasn't lining up. That one she took down didn't have the .50 caliber rifle. He had a long barreled weapon and it was a typical .306. There was something at play here that wasn't entirely clear.
    Of course pieces might start falling into place when she was able to triangulate one of the other observers. Across the street, on the tall billboard that angrily portrayed J Jonah Jameson shrieking about something or other from his talk show, and demanding people watch it. There was the glint of a telescopic lens that might be another sniper nest.
    But what might surprise her, and was entirely out of character for a long range kill team, was when she saw one of the men on her Wanted list. A grim faced Ukrainian who was walking down the sidewalk, hands jammed into his pockets deeply and avoiding eye contact with Piotr.
    Who was walking down the street to his subway stop. Like he does each Sunday night.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As was proper technique, the man in front of her did not have his finger on the trigger. Which meant she was able to use a Widow's Bite. A flick of her wrist and a small disc was thrown, landing on his leg. He jerked as the electricity arced through his body, sending him to blissful unconsciousness after a five second ride. His finger never had a chance to curl in to the trigger guard for his shot.

She was beside him immediately, taking his rifle and quickly focusing where that glint of light had come from. The sniper there had made a mistake. His eye was glued to his sight. He was focused on the target on the ground. He was not making sure that his team had not been compromised.

Two minutes. She didn't have much time. A shift of her view and she could see the finger of the sniper on the trigger. He was about to take his shot. She shifted her focus to his face again then purposefully shifted the rifle in her hand slightly from the left to the right. It would be enough to cause her own glint of light. Her finger was on the trigger.

It worked. The sniper brought up his gun and focused on her. An instant where he realized he was looking down the barrel of the .306. A squeeze of the trigger by Natasha. A puff of displaced air thanks to the silencer and a moment of impact on the other end.

That's where things went sideways.

The gun in her hand literally began to melt and she threw it away from her, quickly yanking off her gloves and tossing them aside as well as they were damaged by whatever that was.

Her target should've been a puff of red mist. Instead, he burst into flames.

So much for keeping a low profile. The rest of the strike team would know they were compromised now.

She was quickly rolling away from the spot she'd been in, heading for the edge of the building as she got to her feet and prepared to leap down--with the help of her Widow's Line--to get to the Ukrainian hopefully before he could get over the surprise of Sparky over on the other rooftop.

Colossus has posed:
    It was a bright flash in the night when the man lit up across the way. A powerful thermal round of some kind impacting him and the expulsion enough to overwhelm the rifle she had been using. Likely they had anticipated only needing the one shot. But she knew Rasputin. Knew of the times he fought for the Rodina, knew him as an X-Man. A white hot round wouldn't be enough to kill him. It'd hurt probably, trigger his armor into life and leave him injured, but then his reckoning would likely be a severe thing.
    There had to be other pieces to the puzzle.
    The widow line pfffts from her wrist and imbeds in the far wall, locking tight. The world slows down around them as everything seems to happen at once.
    A distant van's lights key on as its engine roars from idle and it starts into the road with a jolt of acceleration.
    A voice shouts from across the street in some sort of hideaway in an alley, "<< We are marked, Dimitri! >>"
    And then, perhaps the one known as Dimitri though unlikely that was his real name. He must make a quick decision. For an instant he sees Widow's silhouette against the night, he sees Piotr walking toward him as that tall Russian youth stops in mid-step and looks confused at the sudden noise and the shout and this nervous man in front of him.
    A nervous man who throws a grenade at his feet that immediately explodes with a /PAFF!/ of sound as abrupt white ice crystals spring forth and then suddenly a ragged crackling snapping mass of ice crawls up Piotr's legs, chilling his feet instantly, and there is a short /crack/ as he winces. Pain enough to trigger the instinct as his power ignites with a white energy that sweeps over his muscular form, converting flesh to steel. Steel that abruptly is covered with a sheen of ice though not immobilizing him.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Dimitri was not his real name. He'd been on her lists for a long time and had managed to remain a ghost. It was his bad luck he had agreed to take this job.

As Natasha reached the critical point in the arc of her swing, she twisted her wrist just so. The line was cut. She fell, gaining speed, directly toward the figure of Dimitri.

Hopefully she would be able to strike, both feet solidly in the middle of his chest with two stories of momentum behind her. If he dodged, she would roll to absorb the impact and get back to her feet, preparing to go hand-to-hand.

That car would take at least 18 seconds to reach their positions. Likely, it would go for a strike on her since Colossus was now armored up. Hitting him would just break their car. She would be a far easier target and they likely had something more in store for the Russian youth.

Anti-Material rounds were likely in that .50 caliber rifle next to he burning body. Phosphorous was the only explanation for that part, along with the melting weapon she had fired. That was two pieces of the puzzle.

Colonel Lundskaya had plenty of agents who had not left though and that was where the problem may come in. Usually, he used five man teams. It was just his M.O. Five were accounted for. Two she took out, one was on fire, Dimitri and the driver of the vehicle.

Why did she feel like it wasn't all of them?

Colossus has posed:
    Because there is always one for redundancy.
    It comes as she's rising from slamming into Dimitri, sending the Ukrainian operative into the wall and cracking his face open, leaving him to smear to the ground slowly. He'd likely live, if he received medical attention quickly enough. Though right now, that wasn't the priority.
    For as she rounded she likely heard the charging roar of the van as its engine howled while it leapt across the distance toward them. But something about it didn't seem to sit right. That's not how they'd go for a kill. Not on a hard target like Piotr. It was as she was probably looking for targets when the great silver figure with the long shadow rose up behind her. She was seeking the target, the driver... was not one of the operatives, he was evac.
    Another crack sounded. The /clang/ of impact of the super sonic round reaching them both a split second before the lound KRACK of the rifle. Another .50 from somewhere. But where did it hit?
    Colossus, in torn clothes and flash frozen armored form goes to one knee roughly behind her. He had spread his arms and broad shoulders, tried to shield her from the round fired. Somehow knew where it was coming from and managed to interpose himself in case...
    He lowers an arm to hold himself up, wincing even as that van roars to the side and off a side street. Their contingencies exhausted. It was time to switch into clean up mode. If there was to be another attempt it would not be now. It must be planned.
    For now they were left with the fallen, the bleeding Ukrainian, and Piotr whose metal features are contorted with pain.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha reached up to her ear, tapping it. "Medical evac immediately to my location. Continue monitoring of frequency 726.348." After all, she wouldn't be on an op like this without some form of backup lined up. There were at least a lot of bodies that would need to be gathered. Not to mention the Ukrainian who would need medical attention if he was to survive.

She did walk over to the fallen villain. Not to help him. A quick ziptie around his wrists and ankles to keep him from going anywhere in case he woke. Unlikely but she was not taking chances. He was on her list of wanted violent terrorists for a reason.

Her attention was on the fallen man she had been trying to protect. She spoke to him in perfect Russian. <<Where are you hit and how bad is it?>> She quickly dropped to one knee, looking him over. <<Medical evac is on the way. You should not have protected me.>> The last was said in the same tone as everything else but it was a slight reprimand. After all, her getting shot saving someone was how it was supposed to work.

Colossus has posed:
    "Ah, it is you." Piotr's voice is a little rough, the pain seeping into the tone as he holds to English for the moment, then slips into it as he pushes himself to his feet slooowly, one large hand reaching out to a telephone pole to try and first steady himself, then draw himself fully to his height. "<< I had thought it may have been. What is...? >>
    The X-Man frowns and looks around him at what has happened, the burning man above, the recently evacuated sniper's nest across the way, the fallen man. "<< What is this that has happened? >>"
    She can see it then as he turns, the heavy round imbedded in his back and right side, just above the kidney. It is fortunate it stopped, but it is still an injury. Less a bullet wound and more a stabbing by a knife perhaps if one were to compare it. He takes deep breaths, trying to focus as he turns to the side, trying to see where he was hit... then settling on his reflection in the mirror. He frowns.
    Back to English, "I should not take it out, yes?" Since that might be a bad idea.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Yes, you should not. Removal could cause more injury. Just leave it in until you are at a SHIELD medical facility. You'll be safe there, you have my word." Since being a mutant 'terrorist' might be a problem in the eyes of some, but Natasha has enough pull that nothing will happen to Piotr while there. Other than hopefully fixing that hole in his back.

<<Have you been contacted by anyone wanting you to join something called the Guardians Initiative? Or know any members of that group? I had info that they were involved in a possible hit on someone. I did not expect it to be someone I know.>>

She reached out a hand, offering to help support him. Which might be humorous considering she was about half his size and human. He probably would crush her if he fell. "Perhaps you should sit instead?"

The sound of a siren could be heard approaching. It would be less than a minute.

Colossus has posed:
    A small rough 'heh' slips from the dour Russian as he looks around at somewhere to sit, and finds little more than perhaps that bus seat bench over there, but in this form it might well not support his weight. He holds up a hand to her as he waves off her concern, "<< I have had worse, friend Natasha. I can get home on my own perhaps. >>" Though his brow knits together as he considers the logistics of that. And perhaps ponders the possibility of calling for a lift from the Blackbird.
    But then he turns to look at her and sees the seriousness in her features and he nods, "But whatever you think is best, Widow." His accent thick in this particular moment.
    He then answers her question, "Once. I was approached. A year ago? Perhaps slightly less. I did not think ill of it." A pause and his metal eyebrows lift, "Until now." It looks so strange at a glance assuredly. The tall metal man just standing there with half the round sticking out of his side.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I don't know if you have time to wait for that flight to get home," Natasha admits. "I just think it would be best to help you now. Then you can call for pickup or I'll fly you there myself in a Quinjet."

She looked at the round and how it was positioned, amazed that he was still functioning so well. Perhaps it was shock. She knew he was tough but seriously, that was insane.

"I have the feeling since the Initiative is having some hiccups, they are wanting to make some examples. You may be the first. There may be others they have approached that chose not to join." She glanced up as three black SUVs with no markings at all pulled around the corner and pulled up on the street. Two Quinjets arrived. The first moved to the rooftop where all this had started, to take the fallen men there into custody. The other landed in the street nearby, the rear ramp opening and agents rushing out from there as well but with a gurney. They paused upon seeing their patient then disappeared back inside. A moment later, they were back with one reinforced for patients of the heavier persuasion.

Colossus has posed:
    There were still ice crystals in Piotr's jeans and boots and on his hands, melting and dripping as he nods along with what she says. "I will agree to go with you if you think this is wise." For now the Russian is dropped as Piotr settles into the tongue he's trained himself on since his arrival, albeit with the aid of Xavier. He for now focuses on breathing readily and steadily, then nods as the sirens come closer.
    "Perhaps while your people look at my injury you can tell me what has passed..."
    And with that Piotr manages a small smile, pained as it is, then steps forward to await the vehicle's arrival.