13706/Digging Up The Past: Stuck between a Rock and a Hard Place

Digging Up The Past: Stuck between a Rock and a Hard Place
Date of Scene:	21 August 2021
Location:	All over New York City
Synopsis:	Bucky and Punisher race the clock to prevent the dangers that arose during Stuck's apprehension
Cast of Characters:	Phantasm (Drago), Winter Soldier, Punisher
Tinyplot:	Digging Up The Past

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Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
It is a horrible time to be heading to the park. With the rain clouds overhead, it makes little difference the time of day as the the only evidence of sunlight is what manages to bounce off the clouds. The rain is noisy and there's a general sloshing sound from those who dare decide to trek through Central Park.

But some people just have to. Those with the misfortune of having to patrol the area make quick treks occasionally, not wanting to expose their horses to the elements for too long.

Some persons cutting through to get to the other side also brave the elements, and then there are the hungry people.

Despite the weather, Tavern on the Green is experiencing a very nice turn out of patrons. Not counting the one being cleared of dishes, all the tables and seats at the bar area are spoken for, Including the outdoor seating that is currently testing out the endurance of the heavy clear plastic awning and walls that have been errected to protect the diners.

Yes, only those not in their right minds, who have to be out in such weather, Or simply can NOT let a dining reservation go to waste would be out in such a downpour.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Or, of course, those with business there. Some people have to work, no matter the weather, and with the Tavern heaving to full capacity save for a single table, there is no rest for the wicked. None. Wait staff are practically run off their feet, ferrying food, drinks, and of course desserts to the tables to regale the clientele. So much of a clientele, in fact, that the maitre d'hotel has to refuse people.

    Alas, no space. None. So sorry. Please do return soon. Yes, we can of course take a booking now for ... oh, say in two weeks?

    You'd need to have some serious connections to make it into the Tavern today. Connections, or a face the staff recognises.

Punisher has posed:
Then, there's those who aren't interested in a seat out there, and are mainly here for backup. The Punisher had rented an apartment on the top floor of a complex nearby. Cash only with a fake ID for one day, and he had spent the last few hours setting up static temporary defenses around the room and carried a number of guns into the apartment with bags.

By the time James was on the ground, a custom M2010 with Mercy rounds was sitting on a sniper perch on Overwatch while Frank used a set of Binoculars to keep an eye out. No drones this time, they could be spotted before it was time, potentially, though two drones were on standby in the Battle Van. "Ready and waiting." Frank confirms over the commlink.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Slosh. Slosh. Slosh. If one thing could be said for the rain, the puddles it makes can do considerable damage to ones' stealth. Moreso, when one isn't planning on sneaking in. As for the source of this particular assortment of sloshes and splashes is nonother than the man of the hour. Or what could be presumed the man of the hour. The large umbrella serving to shield the head makes it a bit hard to see his features. Nor does his outfit really scream suit. It's more dark blue dress pants, a white dress shirt, and blue tie peeking from the partially unzipped jacket. In the hand not holding an umbrella, he's holding a flip phone. Thumb rapidly moving across the lit screen as he starts to near the tavern.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Asshole One, approaching." is the cheery call over the comms. It's important to be accurate and concise over the radio, and since both Bucky and Frank are veterans, James doesn't see any harm in assigning that particular moniker to their first target. The man is, of course, bowed into the Tavern to sit at the only free table, with apologies from the host that things are quite busy right now.

    Soon after, a man in his late twenties approaches the table, dressed just like any of the other waiters, beaming the new customer a bright and eager smile, pen poised over order pad. "Take your order, sir?". With his hair dyed blonde and green contact lenses in, Bucky doubts even Steve would recognise him right now.

Punisher has posed:
With that signal, Frank starts checking the entire visual area. He's a veteran at surveillance by now, and is looking for any telltale signs of covert backup. "Copy." Frank mutters in reply.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Upon reaching the threshold of the restaurant, Stuck closes the large umbrella. A glance is given around. Looking towards the bar area and then to some of the tables. As he sits down, there is a click of a button, causing for the screen to flash a brief message before going back to the main display. The phone snaps shut with a sense of finality.

When prompted for his order, he doesn't even look to the menu to peruse. "Torch and Crown. There Goes The Neighborhood. Burger." Stuck replies briskly. For one ordering food at a nice tavern, he doesn't seem all that excited to be here. The place seeming to have lost its novelty.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    The order is duly noted on the order pad, meticulously but quickly. He may only be playing the part, but damned if Bucky isn't going to keep up the standards of the place. He has to, at any rate, to make sure Stuck doesn't get too suspicious. As it is, he doesn't like that he seems to be using that phone... "Coming right up, sir."

    And with that professional smile, the waiter/Winter Soldier returns to the bar and kitchen area, looking at what he's written down.

    "Do you think he's trying to pass a coded message?" comes over the radio. Oh Bucky... there are more beers twixt heaven and earth than is served up at your usual bar...

Punisher has posed:
"Microchip, can you get a real time checkup on his phone?" Frank asks over the commlink, still watching for potential backup for Stuck.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"I'm already monitoring that." Micro replies over the comm, "If he sent out a text it wasn't on the one we sent a dummy message to. He's using a different burner." There's a pause and then the clacking of keysn "I'll check the other numbers of interest to see if they got anything around that time."

Stuck gives a firm nod, looking up towards the blond server. He watches the man's walk back to the bar.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Ah yes, the walk. Bucky is particularly proud of it. He had ample opportunity at a previous visit to the Tavern to study the walk of another waiter, one who had been particularly helpful. Luckily he can get one of the more professional plants to fill the order, pausing only to manage a little sleight of hand when he's arranging the tray with the beer.

    Now you see the little bottle of clear liquid.
    Now you don't.

    He'd have preferred to have done that entirely out of sight of the target, but imagined that taking the beer below the top of the bar for a few moments would have been far more suspicious than risk adding in the extra ingredient while doing half a dozen other things at the same time.

    And so he ambles back, with that professional smile, to put down the coaster, beer, and complimentary bowl of salted peanuts.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well if it walks like a waiter and talks like a waiter...

Stuck doesn't look away. Quiet, he watches as the coaster and drink are set down along with the peanuts. There's the slight grunt of thanks before he looks back to the rest of the restaurant, glimpsing over to the door for a moment.

Micro's voice pops up over the comms again. "So, it appears Walters just got a text message." He starts to read out the message. "B-3-H-O-R. Space. D-C-L-Y-D-R-W-T. "

Winter Soldier has posed:
    At the bar, Bucky is waiting for the burger to arrive from the kitchen, and seriously hoping Stuck will take a sip of beer before then. Or taste those peanuts. Go on, have the peanuts!

    And then the comms come through. Luckily James Buchanan Barnes has been in many an unpleasant situation before, so he can keep his face pleasant while he hears the code, and turns momentarily to face the kitchen before he uses the comms again.

    "Shit! They're on to us, they're cleaning house. DC is the kill code. WT is Nick's aunt in Hell's Kitchen. Frank... how quickly can you track down Walters and do what you do best? Suggest I deal with Asshole One now, plan B."

Punisher has posed:
"The names Punisher. Frank Castle is dead." Frank replies, before he grabs up his M4A1 and tosses the other rifles into a bag, Putting them under the bed before he's dashing out with the M4 in bag. "Microchip, autodrive the Battle Van over to the target now and launch the drones. I'm grabbing the motorcycle. I don't have time to change." Indeed, Frank is wearing his trenchcoat and full white skull bodysuit for this operation. At least the trenchcoat will conceal the gear underneath, as intended.

Tossing another money wad onto the counter for an extra week, Frank barks at the receptionist, "Taking another week rent."

Outside, Frank packs the back onto the cargo rank, before he starts up the motorcycle to beeline it for the Aunt.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The eyes of the receptionist widens as something is thrown towards him but the thump of the stack of cash draws the attention down to it. The mouth drops, mirroring the surprise from earlier as he gives a slow nod in agreement to Frank's new terms.

"Considering how they like to put times in their messages, I'm saying 3H probably means 3 hours.", Micro offers up in theory over the comm. "So he's setting a time in relation to the kill order." There's a grumble, "Running a few more feeds to see if there are any other surprises. The only thing I can think of for the DR is Doctor but no idea on the first name. Yet."

The van picks up and starts driving towards Hell's Kitchen.

Despite the peanuts and beer. Stuck does not seem all that thirsty or hungry. He checks his watch, frowning.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Order up!" is the shout from the kitchen, presaging the arrival of Stuck's burger, while Bucky tries to remember what he read of Nick's file. "Doctor? Therapist? Someone he confided in? Stand by, I'll see if I can get more info from Asshole One."

    And still with that professional smile, Bucky takes the burger over to Stuck, places it neatly on the table, arranges cutlery...

    ... and then sits down opposite Stuck.

    The smile is gone.

    "Alonso Stuck, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder."

    At which point the entire Tavern goes silent, and all eyes turn towards the man.

Punisher has posed:
"I have a good idea who the therapist is. Micro, put me through to Nick, right now." Frank barks into the commlink as he starts to high speed through New York, only slowing when his motorcycle scanner tells him police cars will be in line of sight shortly.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the Burger starts to come over to the table, Stuck sighs, watching Barnes set the cutlery downn "It appears the person I was supposed to meet is a no show. Could I get a to-"

He pauses as Bucky sits down opposite of him. Hearing the words, there's the flash of a slight smirk. "Let me guess. You're really an actor but you're waiting tables on the side?" The sudden silence is not lost on him as his eyes glance up to look to the eyes looking towards him, "Or perhaps, flash mob?"

The van, having had a bit of a head start is mostly there. It honestly didn't have to go as far as Frank with the presence of drones. What was needed was a discreet place to launch them and New York is full of them.

HOWEVER. It is still @#$@ing raining which does NOT give much drone time. So CLOSER HE MUST GO.

Off in the woods somewhere a phone rings in a cabin. A hand reaches over from the bed to pick it up, flipping the phone open and hitting the answer button. "...hello?" The groggy voice of Nick queries.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Agent Barnes, Strategic Homeland Intervention..." and at that Bucky leans closer just a moment, not a hint of any emotion on his face. "... Extra-Legal Department." His eyes keep track of Stuck's hands, his facial expression, his body posture, anything that might betray that the man is about to do something utterly stupid.

    "Just now you sent a message to officer Walters of the NYPD, to dispose of Fiona Hannigan and two others within three hours unless he hears from you. You have, in the past, sent coded messages that have resulted in the death of at least Dennis Morretti. He might have been a little scum bag from a polluted puddle with a murderous father, but he did not deserve to die like that. Place your duty side arm on the table, in the usual fashion, and surrender your phone. An operative" he does /not/ need to name the Punisher in this "... will secure officer Walters and the phone he is carrying, which will confirm that you have sent a message to him, conspiring to commit murder."

    Very brief pause.

    "The gig is up. Do yourself a favor and don't do anything stupid now."

Punisher has posed:
"Kid, I have no time to explain. Tell your Aunt that I'm coming, and she needs to come with me when I go to pick her up. It's a matter of life and death, and no, this is not a joke." Punisher tells Nick as he's heading over there. "She's on a list. I need to get her somewhere safe. Repeat what I just said back to me so I know you understand."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
There are a bunch of possible things one could be greeted to when they answer a phone after just being woken up from a nap. Even a 'where the hell are you?' ranks higher on the realm of possibility than what Nick got treated to. But there's just something about certain voices that just... Wake you up and the 'eat rocks for breakfast' timbre one telling him to call his aunt is one of them. "Wh- Is th-" Ok not a joke, "A list?" And now Frank's questioning his listening abilities when he just woke up. Nick rubs his face, rolling back through the conversation to process what was said and to relay the finer points of the conversation. The voice sounds a bit more sober this time around, "...Call my aunt and tell her you're coming to take her somewhere safe. Uh what are you wearing?"

He could guess. But hey, maybe he's wearing a disguise this time.

Stuck takes his time, looking to the others before looking back to Bucky. "Now that is a mouthful." He comments, making no move to move towards his jacket or his phone as he instead rests his hands comfortably on the table. Due to sheer placement of the culterly Bucky was kind enough to provide, they are within range but he doesn't look at them. "Someone REALLY wanted that to spell out SHIELD didn't they?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "If you so much as curl a finger towards that knife, I will break every bone in your hand before your skin touches metal, Deputy Director Stuck." It's not even a threat, it's a promise.

    "Officer Walters will be apprehended before he carries out his task. The witnesses you are seeking to murder will be safeguarded long before he gets to the first, let alone the last. They will recognise you, even after ten years. You can't wait this one out. A marksman had you zeroed in the moment you walked through the door and if I give the signal we will redecorate the floor of this wonderful little place in a color I like to call 'hint of brain'. Yours, Alonso."

    Another slight pause.

    "You will comply, or you will die. I don't much care either way."

Punisher has posed:
"I was in the middle of an operation. I'm going to change into all black. There was a timetable involved, but there are moving parts so I'm not taking chances." Frank replies to Nick as he comes up behind the Battle Van and gets to changing out his bodysuit for a casual, covert rig. He's done it more than enough for the changing to be less than a minute.

"Suffice to say that things are about to get heated, and I don't have a lot of time to do a lot of intercepts. This means I need someone your Aunt trusts to tell her to come with a relative stranger for her own safety. I do not want to have to trang her tonight, so you need to be convincing." A pause, "Remember, I don't have time to play nice here. If she wants to live, I need to get her out and off grid until things can settle down."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Stuck's eyes move from Bucky for a moment, seemingly studying the persons looking back towards him before looking over to the other soldier. The pregnant pause carries to full term giving birth to even more silence. Calculation done, he uses a couple fingers to lift the partially open jacket exposing the holster and the handle of the firearm. Pulling it out slowly, he points it downwards, checks the safety, removes the magazine, and checks for remaining ones inside. All done. SLOWLY.

Nick nods, "Yeah, I got that. Right I'll go give her a call right now and give her a heads up."

Close enough to the precinct, Micro launches one of his monitoring drones. Based from what information he was able to pull, Walters was still in the precinct. So as long as he's there, they're covered. The drone makes its way over, positioning near one of the windows to sneak a peek in.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    The Winter Soldier watches the man across from him like a hawk. It's only when the weapon has been produced, cleared and safed that he moves, standing up and producing zip ties from his pocket.

    Yes, zip ties. Not even proper handcuffs.

    "Stand, slowly, hands behind your back. If you're expecting to hear your rights, you're going to be disappointed."

Punisher has posed:
In a black trenchcoat over a black shirt and jeans with a vest underneath, the gear web is designed to be hidden by the trenchcoat, and Frank starts walking in. "I'm at her building now and heading up. Tell me when to knock on the door."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
There's an awkward shuffle and pressing of buttons before Nick manages to put Frank on hold, allowing for him to call up his aunt. Fortunately the ability to remember phone numbers was not lost on him due to all the years of broken phone screen. About five minutes pass by with the sounds of an older woman on the phone providing the background noise beyond the door. But soon the voice dies away.

Nick's voice comes back on the line. "Okay you can knock now."

Stuck looks towards the zip ties and being how slow Stuck has done everything else, he's more than happy to oblige with the instructions. And it is a slow push up to his feet. Despite being how agonizingly slow with his movements, he is following instructions. One should be happy about this, right? And yet, there's this look that seems off to the man's facial features.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Efficiently, and some would say with more 'efficiency' than is /entirely/ necessary at this point, Bucky zip-ties Stuck's hands behind his back, and then pushes him up against a wall to start searching him for more weapons. "You're awfully cheerful for a man whose life is over, Stuck. Might as well tell me who LY is, before you add another murder to your charge sheet."

    And Bucky is taking everything... phone, wallet, even watch, handing everything over to one of the patrons of the Tavern who is standing by with evidence bags. "Or do you think Clayton is going to bail you out of this one?"

Punisher has posed:
Right on cue, Frank knocks on the door for the aunt, his right hand keeping to one of his concealed pistols as he waits. "Micro, where did the Van park? I'll need it out front soon, then we can go find the other targets."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Bucky's added insistance to Stuck's movements results in what may be the quickest Stuck has moved in his time since entering the tavern. The force in which he is shoved into the wall does reward James with the slightest of oofs. Despite the efforts to get Stuck to volunteer the answer. There's not one word uttered from the agent's lips. To the mention of the two letters, the easy smile on his features falters. He recovers the expression by the time Clayton's name is mentioned.

The items retrieved from Alonso is pretty minimal. Other than the one piece, it appears he packed light on the weapons. The gun surrendered earlier appearing to be it. The wallet contains only cash. The watch, while nice, seemed bare minimum quality for the man of his station, as for the phone. Other than the flip phone that was set down. He doesn't turn up another one.

"It'll be out front in five." Microchip offers up, giving the time window for the retrieval of the aunt.

The call ahead was sufficient to cut down on the amount of time Frank has to wait for the door to open. There's the shuffle of someone to the other side, the clack of the cover to the peephole being moved and then the sound of locks being undone. Soon enough, the door opens up exposing a woman, about a couple inches shorter than Nick and about a similar age range as Savio. In her hand is a medium sized bag. "Michael said there was trouble?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "He's not coming to help you. Don't think we'll get him to walk in here, like we managed to bag you, but just you being here is all the evidence we're going to need to hang him with the same rope." Bucky's laying it on thick. He's usually not the guy who interrogates, at least not officially, and he hoists Stuck by the wrists and drags him over to the bar. "Unless of course he's afraid you'll turn out to be a liability. Will we get a DC notice on you too, I wonder? That's going to be fun to find out, isn't it?"

    With an almost predatory smile, he turns Stuck around, pressed hard against the bar. "You, alone, in Leavenworth. 25 years to life, no chance of parole. What's it going to be? Food poisoning? Accidental heart attack at night? Or are we going to find you hanging from the light bracket one morning?" The smile widens. "Or are you going to get a visit, in the middle of the night? All quiet like? The Punisher wants you dead, can't say I blame him. I'd save him the trouble and do it myself, still might. Oh, you're probably going to expect me to say 'unless you tell me who LY is', or 'unless you turn evidence on Clayton'. Truth is, Stuck, I don't care. You've been messing with the heads of veterans, and if you wanted to piss me off, that did it. Tried to kill a kid to scare his father, turned him into a half orphan instead. I'll tell you this now, Stuck, that Wayward Son isn't half the fool his old man is."

    And with that, he nods to the others in the Tavern "Close it up, clean it out, Clayton ain't coming. No traces."

Punisher has posed:
"Yes." Frank tells her simply. "I don't have much time to explain, but I need to get you to a safehouse. If you stay here, there's a good chance that something harmful will happen to you. It might be an assault, it might be a kidnapping... I don't know for sure, but it's best we get going and don't find out." Frank starts walking down the hallway.

"Pick is coming shortly. Stay with me. If anyone approaches us, stay behind me. If something gets iffy and I tell you to run, you run and hide somewhere until I give the all clear. Do you understand?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Alonso's smile remains, albeit strained as the edge of the bar digs into his back, being made to face Bucky. Seemingly recovered from the last round, Stuck maintains the easy smile save for the mention of veterans again. The smile falters once more before recovering.

As Bucky lists off the crimes, Alonso tilts his head, looking a bit... something. Amused? Annoyed? Tempted?

The woman listens to Frank attentively, giving a nod in understanding, "Yes Go with you. I think so." She holds up her bag, closing the apartment door before following after Frank "I thought he was over this. What did he do now?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Dragging Stuck with his left hand and carrying the bags of evidence in his other, Bucky force-marches Alonso to the rear of the Tavern, where a delivery van stands waiting. One of the 'waiters' opens the rear doors for him, and he bodily hoists Stuck inside the cargo compartment, to strap him securely to the side wall with ratchet straps. "Wouldn't want you to slide away and hurt yourself, would we?"

    With Stuck secured, Bucky kneels next to him, opening the evidence bag that contains Alonso's pistol. "Confident scumbag like you, I'm guessing this is your personal side arm. Registered, clean, licensed... Imagine what it would look like if I shot Clayton through the head with this. Try to wriggle your way out of that one. Don't even need you alive for that, just need your fingers on it. Which you obligingly provided when you put this on the table."

    He eyes the man closely, going with a gut feeling... "Did the same to your little friend, Agent Schmirler, remember him? Paid him a visit not too long ago, his flat buddy thought he heard something. You remember him too, agent in charge of that raid on Wayward Son's condo... Well, little Colby, you'll be happy to hear, didn't want to say a word. Not until I threatened to shoot his fellow agent with his own pistol. Sang like a canary after that. Told me straight out he got the kill order from you. That kid could have made something of himself, his entire family in the military, proud legacy to..."

    Click.
    One at a time, puzzle pieces fall into place.

    "Living witness that you're the one who gave the order. Inconvenient. Friend of the family... family legacy..."

    Pause.

    "You piece of shit."

Punisher has posed:
As they leave the building, Frank waits just inside the building, keeping in cover for both of them as he remains vigilant for potential assassins.

Once the Van is there, Frank makes a beeline for the back doors, "Get in and keep calm. I have a few more stops to make for more people in your situation, so this may get bumpy." Frank tells her.

"I know you probably have questions, but it will be much easier to explain it all to everyone once you're all secured." With that, Frank closes the door. "Micro, start driving the Van to the therapist... and keep an eye on her. In fact, set the inside to lockdown mode so she can't fuck up with the guns."

As he speaks, he's already dashing for the motorcycle to get going.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well if there's anything going for Stuck it's that he's been pretty darn good about NOT speaking. Very good when considering the manhandling he's gone through. The side of the inside of the van makes a thump as he shoved to the side wall and strapped in.

When the evidence bag is opened exposing the pistol, he looks to it, listening to the threat being extended towards Clayton. The jaw clenches, lips thinning to a set line. But he looks dead at Bucky, but seemingly focused on a point behind him during the whole narrative. Upon Colby being mentioned, the eyes seem to refocus, centering on Bucky once more, watching as the soldier starts piecing stuff together.

At the accusation, Stuck's smile widens, "Took you long enough."

"Alright, surveilance shows no one coming in to the building." Micro advises to Frank as the van starts pulling up eeking to a stop to allow for the aunt to be loaded into the back. The aunt climbs in back with her bag, looking back to Frank with concern. "I'm sorry for whatever trouble he caused you." She offers up as the doors close. There's the sound of latches engaging before the van starts driving off. "No change in address since the last time." Micro adds in, "Therapist is still living there."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Never said I was the fastest..." Bucky begins, loading Stuck's pistol and racking the slide, engaging the slide safety and tucking it next to the ICER in the small of his back. "... but I get there. Long before your goons do too. Turns out, for some things, I'm about as fast as it gets." And with a smile that is entirely inappropriate for the circumstances, Bucky leaves the van and closes the doors, tossing the keys to one of the 'guests' of the Tavern. "Drive this asshole straight to the Triskellion. Put him on ice. Charge for now is suspect HYDRA activity, side order of conspiracy murder and drug running. Anyone comes asking for him that's not me, lose him in the system. Go."

    And now, with increasing haste, he strides to his own motorbike, taking off his ridiculous disguise. "Micro! Put me in contact with one Colby Schmirler, suspended DHS agent, the one that shot at Nick in the Condo. He's LY."

    Two engines roar to life... The van backs away, as if it carries nothing more exciting than avocados and home made ironic bread.

    The motorbike hares off at full throttle. "Punisher! Plan C. Meet me at Schmirler's place, that kid is going to need protection."

Punisher has posed:
Suddenly, Frank hits the commlink. "I'm assuming that's the priority now. Micro, GPS me to the location and reroute the Battle Van that way."

Frank heads for a general intersection as he waits for the new route on the screen in front of him.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Microchip takes a deep breath as he switches over to a monitor keying up the information, bringing up the phone number. He starts dialing it. As the ringtone continues, the van diverts down a few streets to move out of the Hell's Kitchen area. "I'm not getting an answer." Micro relays back.

He flicks through a few monitors, bringing up the information on Schmirler.

He starts skimming through it. Brow raising before he starts typing away at the keys. "I don't think he's at his home but routing van over that way in the meantime in case I'm wrong."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Punisher..." Bucky begins, threading his way through traffic. He can't run Micro, he can't run the Van, he's not really in a position to even offer opinions on optimal use of assets. But, well... he's going to anyway. "... We need to cover all three. Chances are, whoever is going for the Doctor is going light, no need for a hit squad to take out a shrink." Except maybe his own. Hmmm. No, bad Bucky. Bad. "But Colby's a vet, and a trained agent. They're either gonna sledgehammer him or get one of his buddies to do it. I'd prefer we don't get all the potential marks in the same place at the same time."

    He's well aware that he just invited a potential argument about the durability of the Battle Van, but... "Van can get to the doc quicker than it can get to Schmirler. Speed and firepower for this one."

Punisher has posed:
"Normally, I would tell you to go to hell. These guys work by sledgehammers... but Micro needs to figure out where he is first. This bike can carry a passenger and I can get in and out quickly. The Battle Van can give you fire support if they bring in a hit squad."

Frank turns the motorcycle and resets his GPS for the therapist, "Micro, keep the Van on course to help Barnes. I'll hit and run the doc."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
There's a thundering of keys as Micro fails to get a voice on the line. There's a bit of digging And considering matters a high bit of motivation. "I don't think Schmirler's going to be much help." Micro states, "Seems DHS got their wish of further mental evaluation. Bellevue Psychiatric. Inpatient. I'm updating the van's path to head over. Address is..."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "... I know the address."

    With a screech of tyres, the bike changes lanes, leans into a turn and shoots up the block without even glancing at what the rest of the traffic is doing. Bucky's pulling out the stops for this one, his face freezing into an emotionless mask... and almost as an afterthought, he lifts the mask of the Winter Soldier over his face and twists the throttle open just that bit wider....

Punisher has posed:
Meanwhile, with even less time to do the intercepts, the Punisher activates the gyrostabilizer turn assists and starts to open up the throttle himself. Perfectly balanced and with enough tech to make navigating New York easy compared to the rest of the vehicles, the Punisher doesn't bother with obeying street laws as he heads for the doctor.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As James cuts off Micro, the analyst gives a nod. Of course Barnes would know where a psychiatric hospital was... Biting back the comment, Micro instead focuses on the van's approach to the OTHER side of the island. Traffic towards the hospital is as one would expect Traffic at this time of day. And Belleview has its share of people in the building. Certainly no one would have the cojones to go shooting up a hospital just to get to one guy, right?

As for Punisher, The ride up to Riverview Terrace was rather peaceful considering the matters at hand. The townhomes are not any worse for wear, but a vehicle with tinted windows does seem a little out of place near the Doctor's townhome.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    There are rules the Winter Soldier has to live by these days. Things he can no longer do. But as his bike skids to a halt by the hospital, it certainly doesn't look like someone who is bound by any kind of civilised convention. "Room number?" he asks over the comms as he starts to stride to the doors, inside if unchallenged... inside even if challenged. He's not stopping for anyone.

    And there is, of course, the added difficulty of convincing Colby that he's on his side all of a sudden, especially after the incident a while ago. Subtle his approach certainly isn't, but if the triggermen are already in the building, he's hoping he'll make a more obvious target.

Punisher has posed:
The license plate is rattled off to the commlink, and the Punisher stops the motorcycle on the other side of the street, studies the vehicle... and gets off the seat. Without a word, he takes out a Beretta, plugs in the silencer with a few twists, and hides it behind his back.

Then, he takes out an infrared monocular to take a look inside the vehicle itself. Is it empty, or is he about to need to duck out of the way of a bullet spray?

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Room 438. Fourth floor." Micro returns as he's now entering in the information for the plate number Frank is rattling back.

The screens switch over once more, allowing for Micro to checking the cam feeds to find that - Oh gosh! The rain's stopping! Someone up there must be on their side!

Another switch is toggled, bringing up the drone feed on another monitor while the plates run on the other.

Nick's Aunt looks around puzzled as she hears the whrring sounds of a drone being launced out but not seeing anything from her vantage point to offer such clarity.

The drone flies up, looking to find the hotel room window.

As Bucky enters in, a receptionist glances up from the desk in the main lobby, initially smiling to the newcomer. Seems to be visiting hours. HOW NICE.

There's a blip and Micro's head turns, looking to the the returned plate. Another brow lift. "Adamn Noren. One of the Moretti friends from the subway attack." Oh gosh. What amateurs.

The vehicle upon closer inspection is empty. As for the door to the townhome?

Doesn't seem fully latched.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Odd. Normally his entrance provokes a more... immediate response. And that's when Bucky knows he's walking into a trap.

    Eager to play it to the hilt, he decides to forego the almost inevitable phone box fight in an elevator car, and opts to take the stairs, blanking the receptionist entirely.

    Taking the stairs three steps at a time. It's only four floors, he can get there faster than waiting for an elevator.

    "Not sure what it looks like on your end, but I'm pretty sure they're already here. Watch your back."

Punisher has posed:
Popping the tires would be a dead giveaway, but he does want to be able to control them. So, the Punisher takes out an EMP charge and sets it right under the engine of the vehicle, before he makes a combat dash for the door, weapon at the ready. It's a commando style push, and the Punisher isn't taking chances. He has no time as he uses his foot to open the door just enough so it opens quickly... without hitting the wall.

Doors and corners, everything is checked in quick order as he breaches the townhouse, expecting active hostiles. "Potential hit in progress, monitor police traffic for this area. I don't need surprises."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The receptionit's smile fades as James simply bypasses the front desk. "WAIT SIR YOU NEED TO SIGN IN!" She starts to stand up but sense soon sets in, upon seeing the firearms. She instead grabs the intercom, "Code Silver." She calls out. "Code Silver."

The drone reaches the window for the hospital room, catching a glimpse inside. "Visual on Schirmer. Someone's coming into his room." The oddest thing occurs for Bucky as he reaches the fourth floor. NO ONE is in the hallway

As Punisher breeches the foyer, there's no sound of gunfire or anything of that nature. But there is the sound of things being tossed over in the office area along with muffled protests of concern.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Well, that's not good. Taking a moment to look at the signs for the room numbers, Bucky turns and starts to sprint down the hallway. He may only have moments.

    So when he turns to the door of Room 438, he has no time for niceties, shouldering it open and aiming a straight kick at whoever else is in the room that is not Colby. Yes, he may be booting an innocent bystander into the nearest wall, but let's face it... not very likely.

Punisher has posed:
On his end, Frank is a bit more conservative. getting into breach position just outside the being-tossed office. His pistol is kept down as he just barely peeks around the corner, checking the room.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the door to the hospital room opens with a loud bang, the figure who just entered in turns around in time for a boot to hit her. There's just a bit of a surprised "AH- before she ends up smacking into the wall. Eyes wide she looks terrorstricken at the armed man in front of her. She starts gasping, strugging to find words.

The rest of the hospital room appears quiet. It's a private room so just the one bed and the personal bathroom off to the side. Beyond that the window giving a bit of a New York view is the most amount of personality this room has to boast.

In the solitary bed, Colby lays still.

"P-p-please " the woman cries shakily, "I have a son- I h-av-" She hiccups, "-pictures-"

Frank's pacing along with his being there before does help to paint a rather detailed picture for what's going on. The rest of the house is quiet, but that office is another matter.

It is a rectangular shape to the room. The door, which can swing inwards to the left to the nearest wall, is sligh ajar allowing for the shadows cast by the overhead light to get a general positioning for those who are actually visible. A chair that typically would be close to the right wall has been dragged to the center where the therapist currently sits, tied to the piece of furniture with rope. Legs spread apart so they can be attached to a leg of a chair, wrists bound, and of all things a brown paper bag serving as a hood. Judging from the loosened dress shirt and the muffled sounds from within the bag. One guess to where the man's tie is.

Standing next to him a masked figure stands, gun drawn while he monitors the other two in the room. The other two, similarly dressed are busy rifling through the doctor's belongings, the one directly across from the door is tearing up the desk, pulling out items that could possibly be considered of value in a robbery while the other is rifling through the file cabinets that are positioned to the far right corner furthest from the doorway.

No one seems to be bothering with the sofa in the right corner on the door side of the office. Too bad. Several patients could probably attest that was one comfy sofa.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    There's a moment where Bucky wonders if he's done something even more horrible than usual, and then blanks the possibility from his mind. His mere presence has set off an alarm, he knows that for certain, and what are the odds that a nurse would just happen to be by the room with the target? "Keep your hands where I can see them." The Winter Soldier rasps, drawing the ICER (which looks so deceptively like an actual pistol) with his left hand and keeps it trained on the 'nurse' as he walks around the bed to Colby's side.

    Checking for a pulse.

    "If he's dead, you're dead."

Punisher has posed:
Closing his eyes, Frank puts his back to the wall besides the door and thinks the situation over. Four different scenarios take place in his imagination... but three are discounted, taking far too much time. He has only the information at hand... he needs to act. Whispering to himself... "One batch, two batch... penny and dime."

Decades of breaching reflexes take control as Frank turns over, kicks the door open, and his silenced pistol starts firing off headshots at the one covering the chair, and the one at the file cabinets.

The last one? He gets left alive, for now. "HANDS ON THE DESK! IF I SEE A FUCKIN' TWITCH I'M VENTING YOUR SKULL!" Punisher grates harshly at the man.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The nurse hunches up, hands shakily lifting, fingertips curled as she shows her palms chest level. "I have- a son." She repeats, "Pl-" The voice stops as she looks to Bucky, giving a confused look at the threat. "-what?"

Cole isn't moving much but upon Bucky coming closer it's apparent that Colby is breathing. Even. Not at all disturbed by the ruckus or the newcomer checking his pulse.

That's a hell of a nap he's taking.


The kick, loud creak of the door and the whamming sound of wood upon wall is very attention getting. That buys enough time to get off the two planned shots.

The bagged therapist lets out a muffled skree of terror as someone is shooting and being he's very much not able to move from his seat to get to cover, that bodes badly for him. And he knows it. The doctor does not appear to be the type to practice internalizing feelings as muffled screams continue, providing the background music to Frank's start of negotiations with the surviving assailent.

File cabinet guy, who didn't even get a chance to turn around, remains standing. The large metal drawers propping him up like a bleeding marionette over the exposed files. The one that was by the chair at least has the courtousey to bleed closer to the floor.

Desk guy's eyes are wide through the holes of the mask. As he had been rummaging through the desk, he had set his gun down. Either a stupid move or a life saving one.

The hands slowly move to the desk. Pausing as he sees the gun on the desk. One can see the cogs moving before the man shifts to set his hands on the side of the desk, FURTHEST from the gun.

"Shit."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Hmmm. Well, Colby is alive, and that's what counts. Problem is going to be getting away with him. "What's your name?" Bucky asks the nurse, starting to come around to the idea that either she's an accomplished actress, or an actual innocent bystander... the thing he had so casually dismissed as a possibility. And he had his reasons back then. The situation has not changed.

    "Turn out your pockets. Slowly. One hand at a time."

Punisher has posed:
"Smart move, prick." Punisher concedes with barely a glance to the others.

The screaming? It's ignored as the Punisher starts sweeping the rooms door and corners for anyone he might have missed on his way to the guy at the table, "What were you lookin' for?" Punisher demands, stepping over to grab the gun and toss it over to the other side of the room.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well, Bucky's in for a treat because of ALL the possible types of scrub pants this woman could have come to the hospital wearing. She chose to wear the version that comes with ALL the pockets. The woman moves slowly, reaching to a pocket on her thing and tugs out a small bit of paper. She bites her lip. Setting it down, image side up. A school photo of a little boy.

Bucky, you MONSTER.

She continues empting out her pockets, taking awhile as she's only allowed to do it one hand at a time. She certainly can pack a lot of work equipment in those things. Pen light, work scissors, notepad...

The screams continue for a few more moments before a few things occur to the doctor of varying potential of ethical quality. One. The shooting has stopped. Two. He's not dead. Noise machine shut off, he wheezes through whatever's under the bag and turns his head loo- err, sonaring? The conversation around the desk.

The man behind the desk turns his head, looking towards Punisher only to regret it in a few seconds as the view of his teammate slumped over the file cabinet, he looks away, focusing instead on a knicknack he had pulled out of the desk earlier. "Me? Uh, just looking for stuff worth taking. Tear up the room..." He tilts his head in the direction of the file cabinet without looking back over. "He was looking for files. Not su-"

"USUROBTH!" the muffled doctor manages to get out. Seemingly having found some gusto now that two thirds of the crew are gone-o.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Oh great. Sure. That just had to be the first thing out of that pocket... because the universe is never truly done kicking James Buchanan Barnes when he's down. Heel, thy name is... Hang on a moment. Pen, notepad, all the usual medical detritus, sure, all checks out, all nice and neat. Too neat.

    Picture perfect neat.

    "You think I'm an idiot?" Bucky growls and then shoots the nurse with the ICER. "Next time you try to play on a guy's emotions, don't use a stock photo."

    And with the 'nurse' no longer a threat, he can put the ICER away and /properly/ search her.

Punisher has posed:
"On the floor, hands behind your back." Frank orders, "Head to one side so I can see it." Keeping the gun on the man, Frank takes out the smartphone in his gear web and shows video of the two others, "Micro, incoming unknowns. I need IDs." The last one gets a photo taken of him. "What am I looking at?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the icer hits and the nurse slumps back, Bucky is left with two out cold persons for company. As Bucky searches, Micro ends up chiming in. "Thigh pocket, opposite from where she took out the scissors. She skipped that one."

Because he just HAD to get a word in.

But it's good advice. Upon reaching that pocket a CAPPED needle is produced containing a clear liquid. Likely not a pleasant happy gift within.

Giving a grumble, the man backs away from the desk as far as the space behind it will grant him. Slowly he lowers himself to the floor, resting the palms on the wood to gently rest his head on its side. The hands move back, resting on his back.

Worst. Weekend. Ever.

In the comfort of his computers, Micro looks to the images being fed to him. The unmasked faces being the more helpful images as he runs a cross reference. Considering who would have been making the calls, he runs off a hunch. "On it. Running thro-" He pauses, brow arching as there's already a beep. "...The h-"

He turns to another screen bringing up old information. "You've g-...Remember the subway attack on Drago last year that Barnes brought up? That's a few of them."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Appreciate it." Bucky rasps back over the comms, as he checks the pocket. Ah yes, liquid death. A quick injection, and nobody the wiser. Needless to speculate what exactly this poison might be, it goes into its own evidence bag and the 'nurse' rolled onto her front with her hands zip tied behind her back. One more for the interrogation mill later.

    "Punisher, target is secure. How are things on your end?"

    Well, secure... he's pretty sure there's a few armed units converging on the hospital even now, but hey, there's no /immediate/ danger.

Punisher has posed:
"So am I looking at merc hitmen or people in the assholes 'program'?"

Punisher levels that pistol at the mans head. Life or death will probably be decided by Microchips next words.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"The younger Drago and some other guy beat them up last time. Not mercs. Assholes. Definitely." Micro replies, "Charles Sinnott, Adam Moren, and the one talking is Lawrence Hall. There was another who was arrested, James Smith and hints that there was a fifth that got away during the subway incident. No name for that one. So possibly one or two more out there if they're still hanging together."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Punisher? Sitrep!" Yup, it's a bit worrying that Bucky can't get through to Frank. Damn. If he was expecting the full hit squad to come out for Colby but not for the Doc, and the hitmen aren't here...

    Ah crap.

Punisher has posed:
There's a long moment as the Punisher watches the man, then he grits his teeth. Then, he takes out his trang pistol, and fires a dart into Hall, before replacing it back into it's holster. "I might be able to use him later.

Then, the Punisher looks to the therapist, walks over and pulls the bag and tie out and off of the man. Then, he hits the commlink "target secure. Get extraction over here ASAP. There have been complications." Punisher states, looking the man right in the eyes.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Getting a hint of movement out of the side of his eyes, the Newly identified Lawrence Hall's eyes widen as he sees a second gun being pulled out, lifted and shot. "Wa-"

Too late. The dart ends up hitting. There's only a few moments before Lawrence's posture relaxes just the slightest at the realization he's not dying?. Yet. How cute he thought the first gun was the non-lethal one. Stupid too, when you consider he had gotten a demo in the process of his friends' lives being extinguished.

The bag over the head makes a loud rustling sound as it's yanked off, getting yet another muffled yipe in there as the edge of the bag nicks the underside of the chin. It's a short lived sound. The therapist is a bit of a mess. A man in his mid 60s, the gray haired doctor is wincing from the new found light His right eye squints shut as he tilts that side of the head downwards to avoid the overhead light. He's wearing glasses but the lens on that side of the face is missing and the frame is visibly bent. From reasonably fresh cuts around that side it is apparent the missing lens is a newer development to the man's situation.

The downwards cast of the head to avoid the light does end up drawing his attention to the body laying beside him. The good eye darts around, taking note of the other body in the room. As the tie is removed, his head and attention turns back to the rescuer. Although mention of the word ?target' is not the most reassuring term to his ear.

Microphone off, Microchip hrms to the request made by Punisher before checking on the video feed of the room and then to the general positioning of the two cooperating entities on the New York grid map. There is a consideration of drone range. "Barnes, drone's staying with you. Will be back with the van after extraction. Home should have a quicker exit."

And quite honestly, the SHIELD agent's probably going to get more cooperation from local LEOs than Frank will.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Probably. Possibly. Depends on just who shows up, and how astute they are in their observations. Given that the first units on the scene are likely to be local, Bucky isn't entirely sanguine that they'll be in any mood to ask questions or assess before doing something... unfortunate.

    But all that is something to be considered when they actually get here, so for now all Bucky can do is sit tight, keep an ear out for movement, and check to see if the faux nurse has any kind of identification on her. 'Jane Doe' is always such a crappy name to put on the interrogation sheet... as if the agent doing the interrogation hasn't bothered doing any preparation.

    And once Fury finds out about this, not /if/ but /when/, he wants to have his i's dotted and t's crossed. Preferably in someone else's handwriting.

Punisher has posed:
That done, Frank looks to the therapist. "These men were here likely to kill you in a few hours. I got here in time to stop that from happening... and the man I saved will be helping me with other matters." He points the pistol at the non-dead Hall. "I don't know if they have reinforcements coming or not, and I have extraction coming for you. So, what I need from you is to hide out of sight until I tell you come out and run with me out."

His eyes narrow slightly, "This is me trying to save your life. Do you understand?" Frank takes out a Ka-bar from his vest, bringing it down to the chair to unbind the man from it... but only when he says he understands.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Bucky's check for identification produces the work badge which states the nurse's name to be 'Alisa Howell'. The velcro wallet that got tugged out also has identification bearing the same name. There's very little in terms of protest coming from her as she's pretty much out cold, lying on the floor in front of the closed hotel room door.

The drone turns, seemingly scanning the streets below for signs of activity.

The doctor's eyes widen, causing for what portions of cut that may have been scabbing over to tear a little, making for a few more beads of red near the right eye. Painful reminder earned, he squints the eye again. "...Yes." He responds, taking a deep breath. "saving me..."

MEANWHILE...

The van whrrs down the street as quickly as New York Traffic will take it.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Ah, such a beautiful work of fiction. Bucky doesn't doubt that somewhere in the wide world there is, in fact, a nurse Howell. He's just as certain that if he were to match the ID number to the face, it would be at best a vague similarity. And that means he'll have to write her down as 'Jane Doe, known alias Alisa Howell'. Well, at least it's something.

    With nothing better to do until the van returns, he holds the ID up to the drone and points down to the unconscious nurse, her hands zip-tied behind her back. "Any chance this is a genuine name?"

Punisher has posed:
"Good." Frank cuts the man loose, before he makes sure the curtains are secure... then closes the door and puts his back to the other side where it won't open on him. Frank slides back just so, so he can have a clear line of sight on anyone trying to check inside the door.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The drone's view of the street below gives the first glimpse of red and blue. "Barnes, LEOs are showing up." Micro warns. One of the other cameras on the drone focuses in on the ID being held up, sending the image over to the ever so busy, one man IT department.

Looks like Bucky won't be bored for long. From the bed, there's the slightest of grumbles.

(To the tune of Ride of the Valkyres) *The van is driiiving the van is driiiving. The van is Driiiving right noooooowwww...* Stupid traffic.

With the area in which to hide in severely restricted. The doctor ends up hiding in another room. Like HELL he's going to be in the room where the shooting's likely to start happening.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Four minutes. Average response time." Bucky responds as he walks to the window and looks out, seeing the cars and vans approach with lights and sirens. That's going to be a mess in a few minutes. And a mess that he suspects the Van won't drive into, or at least not without a lot of collateral damage he can't justify.

    "Don't suppose there's a helicopter on the roof right now?" Might as well wish for Doctor Strange to show up and whisk them all away.

    "Punisher, I'm going to be surrounded by local units in less than a minute. I'll meet you at the RVP." So, we're now up to Plan D... first things first, does the detritus of our nurse 'Howell' include car keys...

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The grumbling from the bed occurs once again as the short haired agent's eyes start to blink open. Most persons would allow for wakefulness to gradually drift in, but with the presence of someone lying on the floor at the foot of his bed. It's enough to be jarring. "T-" He reaches for the call button.

Frank is soon greeted with the sight of the van pulling on up. Miss Fiona Hannigan, who is still locked in the back of the vehicle, is likely wondering what the hell is going on.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Okay. So far, the famous Bucky run of luck is holding. Alerted to the waking Colby by the groan and the sudden movement, Bucky just manages to put his own hand over the call button and stop the groggy agent from pressing it. "That... would be a spectacularly bad idea, kid."

    Oh yes, it's him, the spectre from the late night visit, looking every bit as real as last time, and not any less threatening in full daylight. "Get your clothes one, we're getting out of here. Your old friend Stuck put a hit on you. I swear if the next words out of your mouth are 'what?' or 'bullshit!', I'm just knocking you out and wheeling you out of here."

    Bedside manner, Doctor Barnes...

Punisher has posed:
Grabbing up the body of Hall, Frank moves over to where the doctor was hiding and opens it, "It's here, move!" Frank barks in order as he brings up his hands to keep the pistol at the ready and starts to clear the way to the Battle Van out front.

Once he's at the back of the van, he hits the fob to selectively open the back of the van and opens it, "My apologies, Hannigan, but this is going to take a bit longer than I thought. Doctor, get in with her." Frank gestures to the van as he places the knocked out body of Hall inside, takes some cuffs from the armory, and starts to bind the man up and blindfold him. "The doctor is in the same boat as you." Frank tells her. "Ask him about it if you like."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As Colby's hand reaches where the button is, he ends up instead, sort of holding the hand of the very man who came into his place awhile back, threatening the lives of his teammates. As he looks to the man, the visual ends up becoming quite sobering.

Eyes narrow into an angry scowl, "Y-!" Fist balled up the groggy soldier swings a fist at the winter one's face.

To the instruction, the Doctor runs after the taller man like a tiny dog struggling to keep up. Feet a moving in a blurry waddle to the waiting van that is indicated. Following on orders, he starts to go inside only to pause as he sees the woman. "...Fiona?"

Fiona, who has found a nice comfortable spot further inside the van that doesn't jostle around much, glances towards the doctor. "...Manny?"

Oh right. People trying to kill them.

The doctor climbs up, making his way over to sit next to Miss Hannigan. He turns his head, looking over with his good eye to Punisher securing Lawrence.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    *Thwock* The sound of a fist hitting a gloved hand, which then carefully curls shut around it. With both eyebrows arched up, Bucky sighs and looks down at Colby. "Got it out of your system? Good."

    To be fair to the agent, there's not many people happy to see the Winter Soldier once, let alone twice. Those tend to be excitable moments. A punch to the face is practically like saying 'hello' under those circumstances. If he'd be angry at everyone who ever reacted that way, he'd have a long, long list of people to be angry at. Such a list does in fact exist, but mostly of people to apologise to.

    "Look kid, I'm serious. Stuck sent out a DC for one Lima Yankee, that's you. Nurse innocent over there? Had a vial of instant heart attack on her. Look at her. Ever seen her before? Didn't think so."

    "Now use your head, stop wasting time and get dressed. This place is going to be swarming with cops in three minutes, and half of them are going to be on your pal's payroll."

Punisher has posed:
"I have one more coming in soon. Hold tight." Frank closes the doors and locks them again, "Send the Van back, I'll be taking the bike over to help Barnes." Frank tells Microchip. "Target secure and I have an asset in the Van."

Frank dashes for the motorcycle then, and starts to speed off to give backup to Barnes.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Punch failed, all Colby is left to do is to shoot Bucky.

With a VERY scathing look. But he's also left to listen as Bucky makes his case. When the nurse is brought up, he glances towards the body as he's reminded, seeing her restrained. His head shakes as he's asked if he's seen her before. But he's left to process the information presented. He wouldn't-

Except.

"I fucking hate you." Colby mutters. Another glance is given to the nurse. "...FINE."

"Got it." Microchip responds to Frank, keeping it short as he switches over to another window, He glances back over to the map layout. "It won't be right on top. There's a parking garage on FDR Boulevard that's close but not too close to end up in the perimeter. Aim for there."

A glance is given over to the drone cameras. "They've gotten off their asses and are heading in."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Join the queue, kid."

    And with that witty rejoinder, Bucky goes back to the window for a quick look outside, just in time to confirm what Microchip is telling him. "Joy. It'll take them at least three minutes to figure out what floor I'm on. But going out the front door is out. I'm going to have to make my own exit."

    Almost as an afterthought, he picks up the 'nurse' and slings her over his shoulder as if she weighs nothing, leaving the contents of her pockets on the floor except for the ID badge and wallet. "To make things clearer, kid..." he mentions to Colby as he walks to the door to check the hallway "... Stuck's the guest of honor in an interrogation room soon. Conspiracy to commit murder, actual murder, felony embezzlement, a whole host of charges I'm sure the big brains back at the office have the proper name for. And right now, you're one of only three witnesses. So bottle up that anger, keep it for when you're in the gym, and don't get your ass shot off on the way out, got it?"

Punisher has posed:
Meanwhile, the Punisher is breaking all the speed laws as he makes his way over... and he doesn't need to worry about traffic if he hits pavement where there's few people.

It doesn't take long for him to arrive at the location, "Barnes, I'm outside and ready to assist. Do you want me to divert them?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Colby gives a grunt of acknowledgement to Bucky's advice as he slides off the bed, crouching down to retrieve his street clothes from the bag underneath. The changing process is quick. Or as quick as one can expect from someone just waking up with whatever he took before sleeping still trying to wear off. The hospital issued attire is tossed on to the bed as he moves over towards the door.

As Punisher comes up, there's about 4 squad cars outside the main door. The flashing of lights reflecting off a nearby building suggests there's more to boot.

The drone is busy skirting around the perimiter of the building to get a better layout. "Ok. Main entrance has about four cars in place. Alley has one and the side entrance has one. They have the entrances covered. Lightest is at the back entrance. Seems they're banking on a potential shooter wanting more of a show."

As for the van...It's stuck at a red light.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "They're going to be disappointed, we're going out the back." Bucky decides after hearing the tactical situation and darts into the hallway, ICER leveled to cover Colby and himself, double timing it towards the service staircase. "I'd appreciate it if you could sing the cops back there a lullaby."

    Read between the lines? 'No killing!' But saying that out loud to the Punisher may be counterproductive, so a vague advisory will have to suffice.

    "Legacy in tow, one suspect along for the ride. Exfil in two minutes, approx."

Punisher has posed:
"Micro, make some noise with an assault drone, drop some smokes and flashes all around the entries. Make them think they have attacks from multiple angles." Frank states as he grabs a case off the bike rack and starts to pull on his bodysuit and gear web in the alleyway... then assembles his M4A1 in short order.

"I'm going full assault on this one."

In broad daylight, The Punisher guns the engine and launches the motorcycle right for those windows, setting the autodrive to cruise it right into the front entry where it won't hit anyone, but will cause a hell of a distraction.

The Punisher runs across the street with M4 at the ready, in front view of anyone on the street in his trenchcoat and white skull bodysuit glory. There's no mistaking him as the Punisher.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Unarmed, Colby is left ...mostly relying on the soldier who is carrying a suspect and the weapons. "...I can carry her." Colby offers. Hate or not, he'd rather the one able to shoot back have the hands available to do that. Besides, she doesn't look that heavy.

Upon reaching the staircase, the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs echol amongst the brick walls.

The awake occupants of the van look around curiously as the van makes yet ANOTHER weird noise but are unable to determine what. The source of the weird noise? Another drone launching. Which. For some reason doesn't cause anyone in traffic to bat an eye.

Meh. New York.

While the van's still dealing with traffic, the secondary drone zooms its way over towards the hospital.

A few of the cops that went into the building are greeted with a loud crash as a riderless motorcycle finds itself in the lobby. The poor receptionist from earlier just barely rolls her seat out of the way of the vehicles path. Peeking her head up, she looks over to the window area just in time to see a brilliant array of flashes and smoke errupting

"OHMYGODIQUIT!" The woman screams.

The officers positioned outside waiting for someone to come out are momentarily stunned by something going IN, bypassing their barriers in the process. When Punisher makes himself known, the become very much alert. "We have Punisher at the front!" One of the officers cries into his radio. "Four's not going to cut it!"

Off towards the back, two officers look to each other while listening to the radio. There's a quick turn, and the pair start bolting down the alley towards the action.

"Back's exit's clear. They took the bait."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    For a moment, Bucky gives Colby a stare, and then nods. "Very well." With the weight of the nurse, it's unlikely that Colby will be able to run somewhere Bucky doesn't want him to go, and it /does/ leave both his hands free.

    Which almost immediately he's going to need. Even though it'd be quicker, Bucky stows the ICER. Pointing something that /looks/ like a pistol at a nervous cop is the fastest way to get shot. And it'd be hard explaining to Colby that he's not actually shooting officers of the law. So it's bare hands only.

    As the footsteps come further up the stairs, the Winter Soldier dashes into the stairwell and jumps down to the next landing, grabbing the first pistol that swings his way in his left hand (and squeezing), and kicking out with his right foot, the infamous Bucky Kick.

Punisher has posed:
He doesn't hesitate. The Punisher starts firing bursts into the cops as they come into view, and he starts using the police own vehicles as cover. Lucky for the cops, the Punisher is using Mercy rounds, so they won't die... but those still hurt like hell.

The front of the hospital turns into a warzone as Frank starts an all out assault on the police out front, going for headshots.

"COME AND GET ME, ASSHOLES!" Punisher shouts between dashing between cars, exchanging fire.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
With the agreement made regarding the status of the nurse, Colby shifts, taking the nurse from Bucky. There's a slight shifting before she's draped over the shoulder and his arm reaches over the legs to grab one of her arms, resulting in a firefighter's carry. He may not be armed but that doesn't mean he wants BOTH hands tied up carrying the woman down stairs. Having his own task which likely includes not getting the nurse shot. He's resigned to let the Winter Soldier take the lead. He follows, albeit from a less prone to get shot position.

Whatever those coming up the stairs were expecting, a flying bucky was not one of them. As the gun starts rounding the corner and gets grabbed. The officer getting kicked ends up wheeling back briefly before the kick ends up making him pitch forward. With the man banging his head hard against the railing, a clanging sound echoes in the stairwell. Seeing stars, the man falls over, flailing his other arm up blindly to try and stop another attack. The few microseconds seem like minutes as the ringing reverberates before the sounds of additional footsteps running up stairs can be heard.

If Punisher's wish was to draw attention, consider it granted. Startled shouts can be heard as the heads of a few officers lurch back from being struck, falling down. Mercy rounds or not, getting struck in the head is a big deal and the ones hit are not getting back up anytime soon. In the heat of the situation, most can not further investigate the ones who have fallen, being left to assume the worst as they are dealing with an active shooter TARGETING THEM.

Live ammo vs the undetermined but quite possibly live rounds. Either way, they'd be idiots to downplay the potential risk. As for the two officers that abandoned their post, they soon join into the fray.One of them shoots back while the other tries to check on the ones already struck.

There is a call made asking for the status of additional backup.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Flailing arms are good from the point of view of a determined attacker, especially one that is planning to stick to his promise not to use lethal force. The officer's arm is grabbed, and Bucky uses it to pivot the man around, pushing him towards the officers coming up the stairs, but pulling him back before he has a chance to go flying down the steps face-first, counting on the hesitation of officers who are trying hard not to shoot their own colleague.

    Leaving the (probably) concussed man spinning, the Winter Soldier ducks under his flailing arms, nudges him towards the safety of the wall of the landing, and makes a grab for both of the weapons still in play, forcing arms up and back.

    It's like watching a cheesy Hong Kong action movie at twice normal speed.

Punisher has posed:
Technically, the Punisher's goal is to keep the police occupied... but drawing attention is most definitely part of that. As they start firing, the Punisher takes a flash grenade and tosses it over towards the police, before he makes a beeline around the building and gets into the smoke... running into the two policemen guarding the side entry. In the confusion, a side punch is directed at ones head, and a side elbow from the momentum of that suddenly hits the back of the others head. In just a few seconds, Frank silently knocks both out, and presses against the wall as he waits for police reaction.

With no idea where he is, hopefully the police will assume he's still out front... allowing him to flank into the entry and grab his motorcycle back.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As it looks like the one armed man is about to topple forward, the two men coming up the step start to back away, guns tilting down to avoid pointing them at their teammate. One of them, a bit startled ends up misstepping and stumbles back himself and has to take a moment to recover his steps.

The one who was being tilted is still seeing stars from the railing earlier but the general sense of being off balance does cause for him try and lean back. He ends up hitting the wall.

It is a comedic view to the outside observer with nothing to lose in this scenario. Bucky manages to knock the two remaining men off balance to get by. The one who does recover enough to raise his gun at Bucky ends up getting a boot to the face from the nurse carrying Colby currently enjoying the advantage of higher ground. The gun clatters upon the steps, fortunately not going off.

Taking in the cue from Frank, the attack drone ends up adding a few more blasts to the assortment, continuing the chaos and smoke to buy even more time for the soldier. There are two general truths in a scenario of this volume level. One is that if you are guarding the entrance that is currently being attacked, you should thank your stars. The second is, you should probably expect someone to come from the direction of the firefight at some point. With how easily they were taken down, it is questionable on if the two guarding the side entrance, payed much attention to the second point.

And Micro got to see it play out. "Alright, with those two down, the only ones positioned outside are the main entrance. So avoid that area. Back entrance will get you the quickest route to the garage."

There is a car in front of the van that sat through an entire green light. What the hell?!

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "I never said anything about the garage..." Bucky comments over the comms, pausing a moment to throw a smoke grenade up the stairs to confuse the three officers he's just left reeling, after ensuring Colby and the nurse are clear. "... I said I was going out the back."

    And on the second floor, when he's sure that he's facing the rear wall, he stops Colby and motions him to the side. Winding up a punch, Bucky puts all the strength of both himself and his left arm behind making his own exit...

    .../through/ the back wall. Easier and safer than traipsing around the ground floor and trapping himself at the lowest point of the building with only one way out. "What's your ETA?"

Punisher has posed:
"I'm drawing half the NBYPD down onto me out here. Tell me the second he's clear so I can get out of here with the cycle." Punisher barks. Sure, he can turn this entire neighborhood into a guerilla battlefield... but he only brought so much hardware on that motorcycle. GOing up against SWAT would be tricky with only three magazines of Mercy rounds. He'd have to start fighting dirty in the building for that to work... which is the exact opposite of what he wants.

As Barnes speaks, Punisher grunts, "I can leave this mess anytime. Get clear somewhere and Micro can bring the van around. I'm gettin' out with the motorcycle." As he finishes the whisper, before he glances around the corner, trying to zero in on the remaining police... before he starts firing bursts into them.

The bait is set, time for actual tactics.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"No but I did say something about a garage." Microchip reminds checking the screen to see that the van is once again moving, with no more lights between them. "Van will be reaching that point in two. Level 1, back gate. Go Right, Cross street, Garage, Level 1 back gate. Get moving."

Colby staggers to a stop backing up to the motion, giving Bucky a questioning glance before looking to the steps to the first floor. The question dies away as Bucky lets off a HELL of a good punch into the wall, causing brick to fly out.

If people were still guarding the back it would have drawn a bit of attention. But in this case only one person saw it.

"Barnes." Microchip states over the line, voice devoid of humor, "I hate you. So much." Shaking his head, he starts making adjustemtns. "Van rerouting to back alley, towards that big fucking hole he just made. ETA now 5."

Because U-turns.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Exfiltrating now." Bucky comments over the comm, as he casually jumps out of the man-sized hole he just made, does a quick perimeter check, and then motions for Colby to throw the nurse to him and follow him out.

    And that's when Bucky realises he's been hanging around the Avengers too long, too used to Quinjets, VTOL escape craft and other high tech shenanigans. Waiting for a van? Man, he hasn't done that in /years/. "Punisher? Suggest we head North, give the Van a clear space to pull up. We can slip through the cordon perimeter from here before they realise we've gone. Bounding overwatch, I'll see you at the corner."

Punisher has posed:
"Barnes, if Microchip says the best exfil is the fucking garage, you better believe he knows what he's talkin' about." Punisher continues between bursts at the policemen, "There's a reason I trust him to do overwatch for me."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Oh NOW you remember how to walk." Micro mutters, looking to the screen, undoing the chaos that winter brought to the gameplan. He pumps up a fist as Frank speaks up but if anyone asks later, he did NOT do that. Changes in place, he keys up the mic once more. "We're not opening up that van full of witnesses out in the middle of a busy street and praying we stay lucky. Garage. Level 1. Back Gate. Get moving."

Mic muted once more, Micro makes sure to cue up a few more distracting blasts to the front, drawing the attention of a few that should be focusing on Frank.

Easy pickings.

The van, now not having to add three minutes to its route, makes its way into the garage.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "That's good enough for me." Honestly, the moment Frank said that he trusted Microchip, that's all it took for Bucky to be convinced. The Punisher doesn't strike him as a man who trusts easily, and so any trust is likely well earned.

    Besides, the man talks sense when he comes on the comm, and James nods. "Garage, level one. Ass in motion."

    Which means at the double. A pace he's certain Colby can match, and if his military record is anything to go by, he's unlikely to 'get lost' on the way. "Having fun yet, kid?" he asks, tone light, as he sets the pace for the extraction jog. "Remember to tell your grandkids about this some day."

Punisher has posed:
"Microchip, let me know when I should stop playing with these amateurs and get my bike." Punisher barks as he loads a new Mercy round magazine... and moves to a new position around the corner, before burst firing some more.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Colby moves quickly after Bucky. The events of the day serve as just the right amount of adrenaline boost to counteract the waning effects of the medication he had taken earlier. "Oh yes. A blast." Colby replies, tone not really providing the sincerity one would hope for such a comment.

As they move to the end of the alleyway, Micro's intel proves to be solid in that no one is watching the busy street. Much less the garage that is RIGHT across from them. As if by some miracle, A redlight stops traffic, making it to where they don't even have to stop running.

It's almost like someone above was watching out for them. Upon the group making it to the other side, the lights turn green once more.

"They've reached the garage." Micro relays, "Get out of there." The attack drone starts shooting again.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Now this was more like it. Bucky's esteem for Microchip rises significantly when the route is actually clear and the lights are conveniently turned red to let them pass at pace. This might actually work. And he knows very well that he needs to cajole Colby the whole way, to keep the blood pumping and his mind active. Who knows what he'd been drugged with? Best to act as if this was just another exfil or training exercise. It's easier to keep running when the man next to you is running too.

    "Battle taxi is on the way, kid."

Punisher has posed:
Punisher doesn't reply, instead, he pulls a gas mask from the gear web, sets it on his face... and slings his rifle. "This is going to suck." He notes to no one on particular.

Pulling two tear gas grenades from the sling on the gear web, he reaches to either side... sets for rapid release, and tosses the canisters inside and outside of the entry.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Deep breath. And the Punisher is running right for the motorcycle, punching out anyone in his way even through the stinging of his eyes.

Yes, the Punisher is running right through his own tear gas grenade with only a partial gas mask, to grab that motorcycle.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Bucky is rewarted with a grunt of acknowledgement from the younger man as the trio move upon the curb and duck into the shadow of the garage. It's rather quiet in the garage with no signs of people heading to or from their respective vehicles, nor does it look like this particular garage has a human attendant to it. Instead it appears RFID cards are the key way in which to get the gates to open and close.

As the group makes their way towards the back gate area to approach the only vehicle that really could be termed a van. There is a flicker of the tail-lights.

"Load 'em up." Micro states over the mic.

As much as it may suck for Frank. It sucks even more for those without any masks. Even if the Punisher's eyes were closed, it'd be easy for him to target the remaining cops still standing due to the cries of agony they shed. None of them had as much prep time as Frank to get anything to protect their face.

But the one who has it the worst? Well, that would be the poor eagle eyed receptionist who called in the silver alert in the first place. She is currently curled up in a bit of a fetal position to avoid all of the gunfire that had been going on. "I need a new career." She sobs.

But if there's one nice thing about all of the tear gas, it's that the shooting has stopped.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Look at that, better than a yellow cab." Bit of a dated reference, but... oh well.

    Opening the rear doors, Bucky is greeted by the sight of Fiona, the Doctor, and one very securely tied and unconscious ... someone. "Sorry for the overcrowding folks, two more for the trolley."

    The 'Nurse' is deposited by Hall and secured in place. "I'll leave you to introduce yourself, kid. Meet the other two people who were on Stuck's list. Sure you'll all have a lot in common."

    And with Colby safely aboard, he slams the doors shut and slaps the van twice, in the time honored 'let's go' signal.

    "Package secure."

Punisher has posed:
He doesn't waste time, he just grabs the motorcycle, turns it around, and guns the engine as he races out of the hospital and out onto the streets, getting away as far as possible. "I need to resupply my web soon, but I'm out. Am I looking at any chasers, Micro?" Punisher asks as he pulls the mask off and puts on his helmet.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Yes a dated reference.

Except when you are in New York. Then it is still relevant.

The doctor is still seated next to Fiona. And judging from the angle in which they were seated, they were having a lovely discussion. You should have been there. Upon Colby and the nurse getting loaded up in the back and the door getting closed. The back of the van locks up once more. Full house! There's a bit of a puse before the van backs out and heads to the back gate. The van pauses, long enough for the gate to open on its own, allowing for the driverless vehicle to head off. Leaving Bucky behind.

First order of business, get that van away from any possible blowback.

Van with its orders to get the hell out of dodge in a discreet manner, Micro is freed up to focus on Frank's situation. He checks the feeds and turns on the microphone, "You're good Frank. They're still bawling. And it seems there's a bit of congestion heading towards the hospital for some reason."

Wonder what that could be...

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Bucky is close behind that van as it leaves the garage, not planning on getting trapped inside the locked parking garage and having to break his way out. Best that no traces of any of them ever being here are left behind.

    Which leaves him a free agent again, and his first order of business is to take off his mask and trot away from the hospital, into an alley, to whistle up a SHIELD car to take him to HQ.

    Where by now, all going well, Alonso Stuck will be sitting in an interrogation room.

Punisher has posed:
"Got it. I'm on my way to you now, Barnes." Punisher states as he starts to drive around, and back towards him. "I can get this bodysuit off later. We need to keep on the Van and make sure it's not being tracked."