13506/Paranoid Goliath

Paranoid Goliath
Date of Scene:	14 June 2021
Location:	Columbus Park - Chinatown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Hulk, Captain America, Sarah Connor, Hawkeye (Barton)

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Hulk has posed:
It's been a while since Bruce was in the mansion. He's been in relative contact, but he's always moving, always trying to keep the people who constantly want to tame The Other Guy from finding him... and causing an episode... which causes even more destruction around him... and the vicious cycle continues.

After a decade and change of dealing with this, his methods have only become more hermity... and he's at the point where he's building log cabins out in the middle of nowhere and seting up labs that way.

Today, however, Steve received a set of coordinates and 'need to talk', from Bruce's comm.. and then silence. The destination? Columbus Park.

Captain America has posed:
When Dr. Banner contacts Steve Rogers, he does not dawdle. The Hulk was like a force of nature, so even a mild approach was considered high alert stuff. Thankfully, Steve wasn't actually involved in any major incidents, so he immediately made his way to Columbus Park. He had been at the mansion, so did grab the shield and the straps, but didn't take the time to suit up.

He took his motorcycle, contacting Hawkeye while driving, and arranging for the man to join as backup. Hopefully it would not be needed, but every little bit helped. And he understood that the Hulk was fond of the 'puny archer', at least fonder than of some of the other Avengers. Parking his motorcycle alongside the park, he would get off, removing his helmet, which was attached to the bike, and he made his way in.

He was looking for Dr. Banner. If the Hulk were around, Steve wouldn't really have to do much in the way of seeking. The big guy had a habit of making himself known. Steve wore a brown leather jacket, shoulder straps and the hook for his shield, desaturated blue jeans, and a white and blue checkered shirt.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah was walking through the park, ostensibly without weapons. You'd be wrong. Sarah always had weapons. Always.

But for the afternoon she was rather calm for herself. Heck she'd even bought an ice cream and was enjoying (for some degrees of enjoyment) the park.

That's.. odd? Nothing gets by Sarah.. Captain America. In street clothes.Working her way around to hear him she hovered in the background.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
When it comes to Bruce Banner, everything is up and can hit the fan in a matter of seconds. This might be the reason why Clint Barton - aka Hawkeye and many other less prestigious nicknames - was notified and sent the coordinates of the rendez-vous.

His is the distance, and elevated point of view from where his keen eyes can spot anything or anyone - friend or foe. But today, he has opted for a quiet corner of the park from where he had a view of most entrances. Including one from which Cap is coming from.

Upon spotting Cap, Clint walks around, his eyes on the American Legend while keeping his distance. He's here /just in case/ the shit hits the fan. SHIELD practice as super spy comes handy when the archer has to hide in the crowd.

The archer is not wearing his usual hero outfit, instead, he's in civvies - worn out jeans, leather jacket, and a sport bag slung over his shoulder. Just an ordinary Joe, enjoying the park. Right.

Hulk has posed:
In a white sleeveless hoodie and slacks with sandals, a man wearing a baseball cap with some New York team on it prominent is casually scrolling through the park himself, earbuds from a smartphone as well no doubt. He comes over to Steve... and just barely raises his head so the man can see Bruce under it. "No time to linger. Follow me, and be prepared for anything." He starts going at a brisk walk towards the other end of the park.

Clint... can see activity on the rooftops at the far, far end of the park. Without a closer look, it's hard to tell who they are.

Captain America has posed:
As subtly as he could, Steve Rogers acknowledged Clint Barton's presence. He didn't want to call attention to it, but he knew he was there, and wanted Clint to know he knew he was there. So it was all done with the faintest of body language signals. The kind of thing that would be so easily missed by anyone who didn't have extensive military, or paramilitary training. Walking along with Bruce, "Dr. Banner," he said, not knowing what this was for, or about, but he did not believe Bruce would try to hurt him, so he just went along for now.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Ahhh.. A friend. Likely one of the Avengers? Could be. Sarah would have to be closer to confirm. So far she hasn't caught on to the third member of the team though. As they move, Sarah does too, looking for a trash can for her cover up for following them.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Joggers in the park, nothing to worry about. Now, joggers on the rooftops? Not likely! Keeping an eye on Bruce and Steve, the archer also walking fast - short of running. If Cap can see him, he'll notice that the archer has been intrigued by something that requires closer attention.

Reaching the base of one of the buildings, Clint drops his bag on the ground in the alley, and quickly equips his quiver, bow already in hand and shooting a grappling arrow which expertly finds purchase on the rooftop. In two seconds, the archer reaches the top of the building, quickly looking around at the rooftops. The whole movement was done so quickly, that not many bystanders would have noticed him. From his new vantage point, Hawkeye has a better view of the surroundings. If there's anything nefarious going on around, he'll notice it and contact Cap with the commlink.

Hulk has posed:
As he walks, Bruce is looking here and there, subtly... as it he thinks he's being followed. "I've had a number of incidents that just happen to show up around me. Little things that caused a stir. I haven't had anyone come after me yet... but I get the feeling they're just waiting for a chance where they can do it sneakily." He mutters, his shoulders slumping, "It's been happening since Ohio."

Up above, Clint can get a better view of what looks like two people wearing balaclavas with monoculars... sweeping the park... and focusing on Bruce himself.

Bruce doesn't seem to have noticed the pair.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers was trying to keep an eye on Hawkeye, and the man seemed to be spooked by something. Rogers couldn't pick up on it all at once, but over a series of glances, all while trying to avoid raising Banner's suspicions, he was trying to gleam whatever information that Hawkeye was trying to convey. It was a good thing that Rogers himself was quite observant. He picked up on a lot of things in the surrounding area, like the woman that had been following them.

"If you want a safe place, Bruce, all you need to do is ask. There's a bed with your name on it at the mansion." Rogers was running through his mind the tactical basis for trying to sneak up on Banner. To what end? How would you even do it? And why would you think it would have a chance. His understanding was that you could shoot Banner in his sleep, and in the time it took the bullet to penetrate Banner's skin, the other guy would be awake, healthy, and very upset.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Now Hawkeye had made himself known. Well, to Sarah at least.

Now there were three, which wasn't a coincidence. Something was up. But what?

She looks around them, just casual like. Three openings were easy. And at least that many more were not so obvious. She knew this because her life depended upon looking for anything and everyone as a potential enemy.

So far, so good. Except she doesn't have Hawkeye's view.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Well, Bruce seems to be right, from Clint's point of view on the two men. For what seems to last like an eternity - but is a matter of mere seconds - the archer analyzes his options. Keep observing the men, or take them out - and ask questions later. For now, he decides to keep his eyes on them - if they so much as reach for their pockets or else, they'll wake up in the ICU, thanks to a concussion arrow aimed directly at their head. Of course, there's some distance between the two of them, so the archer would have to be quick in reloading for the second man. But hey, he can do that.

So far, the archer doesn't feel the two men noticed him, as he keeps hidden by the corner of a large air conditioning unit. Now comes the time to notify Cap.

"Hey, Mathuselah. Got two guys up here at 2 hours, I'd bet they don't have an invitation card, unless it's a masked party. I'd say, if they're here for Greenie, the shit could hit the fan. I can take them out, whadya say?"

Body language is nice, and the archer knows that Cap will find a way to signify his decision without speaking in the commlink. Good thing Clint has a vantage point that lets him check on the men while occasionally glancing at Bruce and Steve. At that point, Sarah wasn't spotted, her behaviour not being out of normal, and even then, the archer's eyes are mostly on the two men.

Hulk has posed:
There's a flat stare from Bruce at Steve's suggestion... and an equally flat voice, "If I wanted to hunker down in one place and just hermit, sure. I'm a target anywhere I go, and staying at the mansion would just invite more people to try to bypass the defenses there. No." Bruce shakes his head, "I can do that for transient threats. This is persistant. They'd just keep trying to get in until they got in my room."

As they near the edge of the park, the team of two suddenly backs up... and disappears from sight on that rooftop, presumably going into the building proper from the doorway.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers wore a communicator in his ear, the ear he had deliberately tried to keep from Bruce Banner. He did not reach for his earpiece, because that would be a dead giveaway. It was hard to have a conversation while standing next to someone who wasn't in on the conversation. But he had worked with Hawkeye for a long time. They knew each other's beats. And Hawkeye knew that Captain America would never, under these circumstances, approve of lethal measures, but disabling a potential threat was another thing entirely. "We are ready, willing, and able, to do whatever it takes to protect you, Bruce. Once an Avenger, always an Avenger. We deal with threats every single day, and we're really good at it. Nobody wants to see people get hurt... or collateral damage, but we aren't afraid to make the tough calls. We act. You will be safe at the mansion." And through the radio, Hawkeye could hear every word.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah was just close enough to catch the third member's name: Bruce. So now she had all of them. Steve (or Captain America), Hawkeye on the roof, and finally Bruce Banner.

When they stopped, so did she. Thankfully she was at a trash bin, to 'throw' her garbage out. But she covers her mouth when Steve goes into his spiel to cover her laugh. He was right, or so she had heard about the Avengers, but still his words were flowy. She preferred action. Of course most of her enemies were Terminators, and they didn't appreciate 'the pen' either.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Although the situation is serious, Clint can't help but have fun. Hey, most people would worry about him if he didn't!

"Right, when did I ask for the Ten Commandments?" comes the archer's voice over the commlink, acknowledging that Cap reminded him of everything - and more - the Avengers stand for. Sarah doesn't know, but Clint is in total agreement there: so many words, not enough moves. Of course, Hawkeye would not kill anyone without extreme necessity, and still. He and Cap are on the same page when it comes to killing.

And then, the men just moved, disappearing into the building. "Fuck it," Clint groans over the comms as he moves after the men, jumping over the edge of the rooftop onto the next one, reaching for the door leading inside. *Next time, I shot first, say sorry later!*

As he runs after the men, the archer notifies Cap of the new development.

"Watch it, they moved inside, going ground level most likely."

Not wanting to wait for the elevator, the archer runs down the stairs, jumping over at the landings, trying to race the men to the ground, trying to race the elevator if they used it. It's a good thing that he's in top-shape with outstanding acrobatic abilities. Even then, it might not be fast enough to reach the men in time. In time for what? That is still unknown. What /is/ known, though, is that the archer will disable them as soon as he can.