14272/AEC Group 1, Meet and Greet

AEC Group 1, Meet and Greet
Date of Scene:	05 April 2022
Location:	Badlands, Tanzania
Synopsis:	A meeting is had and the results are hammered out.
Cast of Characters:	Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye (Barton), Black Widow (Romanoff), Winter Soldier
Tinyplot:	Avengers Exploration Corps

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Captain America has posed:
    In the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro the early morning sun beckons from across the horizon. Hints of dew are still on the leaves of the tall camphor tree that provides shelter for a small wandering tribe of colobus monkeys, perched there and awakening as their young rush back and forth across the dusty grassland. There's a hint of peace even as the nearby rivulet serves as a focal point for various fauna to gather and hydrate before another day of survival begins proper.
    The sky above is markedly clear, only a few wisps of clouds drifting past, though the sunrise casts subtle colors across their thin wispy tendrils. Until, after a few moments pass, those clouds seem to draw in toward each other, slowly swirling and twisting into a hint of a cyclone as some unseen force draws them together. More clouds seem to appear as the wisps grow larger, still twisting in that hint of a slow vortex until abruptly there's a rush of light that washes down from the heavens...
    And cascades heavily into the badlands. The cries of the small tribe of monkeys are barely heard as the crash of the rainbow energy splashes down. Loud enough to send most creatures in view rushing off in a mad dash to get away from that brush with the arcane or the advanced. Steady streams of power pulse into the ground, setting rock and sand and grass sizzling as parts burn out and the outline is blasted into the landscape.
    Only for when the blast recedes it leaves several figures standing there. One of those just so happens to be Steve Rogers, wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt as well as sunglasses and his distinctive faded blue Brooklyn Dodgers ball cap. A backpack as well is slung on one shoulder. Just in case.
    "Alright, we have..." The Captain checks the data display on his arm and then looks around at their surroundings. "Thirty-four minutes roughly before anyone can burn a satellite to observe if they figure out where we went." A pause then he scrunches his eyes a bit as he looks up toward the sky, "And no ships in orbit near enough."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony arrives in that burst of brilliant light as well. It's certainly a cinematic entrance, so of course he'd be part of it.

While Steve is 'dressed down' for the meeting, Tony wears a dark shirt with a matching dark slacks, a sport jacket over all, and darkly tinted sunglasses to hide his eyes. As the group appears, his arms are crossed, which is carried through to the 'landing'.

Tony has become used to stepping off platforms the moment they land, and this trip is no different in his head. He steps forward, his arms dropping. Remaining behind on the burnt ground is a large, steamer sized locked box.

That'd be his.

Tony doesn't even have to glance up to read the data feed that is being pumped into the little HUD in those glasses. "Yup, we're good. Nothing is homing in on our position from the satellites." Yet. "If they do, I have orders in to shoot them down." And that is said with a straight face, though he's not above looking around, pulling those dark glasses down a little to look at the group.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Among those who just arrived along the Legend, is Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. Contrary to his companions, the archer chose to wear his full tactical suit, and carries his bow and quiver. Those closest to him might notice that the high tech quiver has been modified, although the exact nature of the modifications remains unclear.

He glances around, assessing his surroundings for a moment. "Am I the only one with this we're-not-in-Kansas-anymore feeling?" he asks to no one in particular.

Altough he's been to many places over the year, he hasn't been here before. With the wildlife running away, there isn't much of anything around but the Badlands. "Note to self, bring coffee next time."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
She's getting more used to this method of travel. Not that she wanted to. Her first time traveling by Bifrost was enough to make her stomach take a slow ugly turn to the left. She'd managed not to be ill. And each time, it was getting easier. She suspected the feeling of being in the Bifrost must be like what flying was for those with that power.

Natasha was dressed in civilian clothes. A pair of jeans, red top with a high neckline, lightweight black leather jacket over the top. There was a glimpse of metal at her arms when she moved her hands, indicating she had her trademark wristbands in place. Knowing her, there were at least three weapons outside those hidden on her person.

She glanced around at their setting, arching a brow at the level of privacy to be had for their meeting. A glance over at the box Tony had brought along then to the others gathered.

When Clint voiced her thoughts before she could, she had to smile. "And danishes."

Captain America has posed:
    "So," Steve says as he's walking toward the tall tree with its twisted trunk and limbs that reach in many myriad directions. It's a good place of shade at the least even as the sun rises, though the temperature is a gentle seventy something. He sets the backpack down and unzips it with the whir of metal teeth even as he turns to look at the others. "This is a good time for us to get everything out in the open."
    A look is given to each person in turn as he pulls out a bottle of water. He offers one to Natasha and Clint, no words needed just the lift of it and the quirk of an eyebrow. One is set aside for Tony on one of the branches for him to grab if he had the inclination.
    "First thing's first. Our jaunt next week is going to be to Proxima Centauri B." A nod is given toward Tony, "Stark has the files and data. Nothing surprising beyond what's publicly known except..."
    He straightens up and twists the cap of his own bottle open, then takes a sip. "Ages ago, during the reign of Thor's grandfather the Asgardians had trade there in some form. They lost a ship, but the entry in the ledger of whomever was recording it declared they were wise traders and did not walk as we do."
    Which has him flaring his hands slightly, knowing that intel is thin on the ground.

Iron Man has posed:
The Stark luggage remains behind on the landing area; he's not going to heft that thing and carry it. That's why he has 'staff'. Instead, hands go into pants pockets and he begins to walk towards the shade of the tree where Steve is moving. In the next couple of seconds, the trunk does lift, and there's a robot underneath it, leaving treadmarks in the dirt as it carries its heavy load.

The water set down for him is acknowledged and appreciated, as one hand is removed from it's spot to take it up.

At his name being mentioned, Tony goes into 'leader scientist' mode.

"As you may or may not know, Proxima Centauri B is the closest exoplanet to us; just around the corner and go 4 light years or so. It's sitting in a system with red dwarf suns, and for all intents and purposes, scientists down here seem to think that it's not able to support life. Apparently," there's a twist and he looks at Steve in regards to the added intel of the Asgardians, "it does."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Following the others to the shade-providing tree, Clint gladly accepts the bottle of water, although he doesn't drink any for now. Recent missions, including one somewhere in Amazonia, taught him to use water wisely. Soon, the archer expects, the temperature will rise. Sure, they're only here for what now, thirty-one more minutes? Yeah, that's the plan and it remains to be seen if it will all go according to plans.

Bottle in hand, Clint reaches the trunk of the tree, leaning against it, arms crossed over his chest as he listens to Cap.

As Tony provides more details about their destination, the archer chuckles at the last bit about the planet habitability. "Yeah, but the question is: what kind of life does it support?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Following Steve's lead, Natasha heads for the tree as well. When the water is offered, she closes the distance to take the bottle with a nod of appreciation but she doesn't interrupt verbally. Instead she is looking first at Steve then at Tony as explanations are given.

"So per scientists, not likely to have our sort of atmosphere," she theorizes, looking to the men that are leading the briefing for correction if that is wrong. "So our equipment will need to compensate for that. "Do not walk as we do" could mean most anything with Asgardians. They like their tales to sound good so it could be that the beings on that world don't follow their same path in life or it could be literal."

Captain America has posed:
    A nod is given by Steve as Tony speaks and he gestures with his water bottle. "The plan as we know it is to start at the nearest systems then expand our search in a concentric sphere. Next mission, if our first is successful, is to Proxima Centauri C. The objectives are primarily gather intel, take what we can in the window we have."
    A deep breath is taken, "Speaking of windows. When we use the Bifrost since it's in Norway it's subject to the Earth's rotation. So when we deploy we have an initial window of 47 minutes where we can get there and get back with no delay." He takes another sip then sets the water aside, his hands settle on his hips as he elaborates. "We miss that window then it's 23 hours til it opens back up. Give or take."
    A look is given to Tony, "So when we go out here, we're taking supplies for a week's stay, just in case. The powers that be also want us to take two emergency boxes."
    And for some reason that has him stop for a moment. He lifts a hand to scratch at the hair above his ear, then looks back up. "Which I'm going to want to hear your thoughts on." He looks to the others.
    It's then to Natasha and Clint he nods, "We need to be ready for off atmosphere, and as for life..." He shakes his head, "Seems the Asgardians didn't keep a lot of records for places and people they encountered." A slight half-smirk touches his features, "Unless they went to war with them. So on the positive side of things, they didn't go to war with the Centaurians."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony had absolutely ignored the comments regarding coffee and danishes. He likes a well stocked bar when working, but as decisions had to be made as to what to bring with him, the portable bar was left behind.

Everyone can thank him later.

"Well, apparently the atmosphere is breathable by the Asgardians, though I don't know what sort of system they had to use, if any." That's still a big ol' question mark in what is know of them. "We do have drones that can go in and take a quick look around, get weather data, atmospheric, graviational.. all that. But," he nods at Cap, "we don't have a lot of time. 47 minutes gets eaten up quickly."

As Cap continues, and mentions the supplies plus two, Tony stops and proves that he does actually listen, even if at times he may look completely bored. Or, in his current case, pedantic.

"Wait.. two emergency boxes." Brows rise behind dark sunglasses, and he shakes his head slowly. "Nothing is going unless I know what it is. Call me suspicious, call me cynical, but I really need to see what's there."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Yeah, last time I used Bifrost, we had to rush-fight an angry mob of Rackas," Clint states, glancing over at Nat to see if she remembers it as well as he does, or again, if they have different memories of the same event.

Shellhead has a point here about the boxes. Not that the archer is over concerned about additional weight, but knowing what you're dragging along might be of vital importance.

"I agree here," Clint states, "What would be in these boxes? Don't tell me they're coffins." Oh yeah, it wouldn't surprise the archer that the Powers that Be would be that cynical.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Are they expecting us to figure all this out in 47 minutes?" is Natasha's next query as she is considering all the possibilities. "That's not a lot of time for recon on a single target, nevermind figuring out details about an entire planet. Not complaining, mind you. I'd rather not be trapped on a potentially hostile planet for 23 hours. Just seems a small window."

But something that was said has her attention even more than that. And she focuses directly on Steve, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Two emergency boxes from the powers that be." She makes sure to enunciate those last three words in particular.

"And who are the powers that be?"

Captain America has posed:
    Captain Rogers gives a nod to Natasha, "Currently the nations that are involved with this operation are the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Russia, and China. There's support from several other nations, but in a material capacity as they're not privy to the nature of the missions."
    A pause before he adds, "That's another thing. The boxes." Cap says then looks over at Clint. He folds his arms over his chest and looks pensive, but then starts with the good news. "First one, I don't disagree with. It's a drone that is programmed to take what data we acquire, then get somewhere safe and go to ground in energy saving mode and awaits retrieval. If it sees a Bifrost blast it's supposed to run into it. We activate it if something catastrophic has gone wrong and we're not going to make it back."
    He lets that settle in for a moment. Perhaps another.
    "The second." He frowns and rubs the back of his neck, "Is a high yield nuclear device, that is to be used in an emergency or to address a direct threat to the Earth."
    Steve looks around and then says simply. "I need opinions on this." As he meets each person's gaze in turn.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "It's life, Clint, but not as we know it." It's the first thing Bucky has said since landing, being too busy in the whole to survey the area through a pair of binoculars while crouched somewhere he'll be less readily spotted. He might be in civilian clothing, but he has a kit bag that is currently gathering dust in the dust by his feet, and which knowing the Soldier probably contains enough firepower to wage a moderate local war. "Not as we know it, Captain." he ends the quote with a grin and a wink to Steve. Who installed a sense of humor into him?

    Content that there is no immediate threat to the team, he joins them in the shade of the tree (complete with duffel bag) and takes a sip from his canteen. There's no comment on the time frame, other than to nod at Natasha, agreeing with her assessment. 47 minutes isn't enough time to gather intel. It's barely enough time to get lost in.

    The drone also gets no comment, but his eyebrows rise at the mention of the nuke. "So we'll be assessing threats to Earth by taking a weapon of mass destruction with us to ensure the locals of our good intentions? I can guess which country wanted that added in..."

Iron Man has posed:
"If we keep to a plan, and everything doesn't go sideways, we might be able to do it. I'm not above doing some dry runs." Tony finally pulls his other hand out and unscrews the water bottle's cap and takes a swallow.

With it thus brandished, however, the wildcat scientist, genius.. purveyor of world peace in a suit shakes his head. He gestures with it, even as he's reaching out with the other hand to cap it. "No. It's not reasonable."

Tony looks at the team, "I put in the suits a little black box. It's not big.. but it's a data card. We all will have them, and I encourage everyone to consider that we don't leave anyone behind."

Tony begins his pacing, his expression serious. "I knew they were gonna try something like a nuke." His jaw sets, "That's their first game." He still has nightmares about pushing the US governments nuclear weapon that had been aimed at a concentrated population center up into space. The governent considered it 'acceptable losses'. All those lives.

"Forgive me if I don't buy into it."

Bucky's approach as the last gives Tony the opportunity, then, to act as 'host', as it were. "Right, boys and girls. Probably should show you what I meant."

Tony strides towards the box, and with a quick unlock, the case slowly rises on its hinges. "Encounter suits, each individually tailored for each of you. Plays on your strengths and supports your weaknesses. Barton, yours took the most time. All those weaknesses.." He smiles quickly; it's there and gone before he pulls out the first. It's.. stylish, for an encounter suit. Light; doesn't look like any government issue bit of suit anyone might have seen. "Has vitals array, a recorder. Has a targeting hud that jacks into your system.. short distance. No one is going to catch it from afar." Tony sounds like he's detailing the specs of a new car he bought, so non-chalant with the bleeding-edge tech he's handing out is he. "If I had more time, I'd toss a little AI in there for you. But maybe next mission."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint walks to where Tony is distributing his christmas present, formulating a silent /fuck you/ followed by the same sort of smile in reply to the mention of weaknesses. As he returns toward the trunk of the tree, not giving any attention to the suit, he stops by to look at Cap.

The archer didn't miss Cap's description of the contents of the boxes. Especially the content of the second one. His words mirror Winty's. "No shit. So if we manage to piss them off badly enough for them to want to destroy Earth, we'll have to use a nuclear device, convincing them that we're that bad." He pauses, then adds, "And most likely buy the farm doing so."

With a fleeting thought about the necessity of always reading the damn small prints, the archer finally opens the bottle of water. Like his companions, he often put his life in danger, this wouldn't be the first time. The only concern being, that it should not be the last time either.

"Honest? I find it stupid," he concludes, "If their threat is to destroy Earth, man, what would a lil' nuke do to them? Nothing but kick the hornets nest."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
She wished she was surprised. She wished that she didn't know governments and their idiocy as well as she did.

Natasha shook her head negatively even as she walked over toward the suits. She had seen them in early planning stages. She had also been ribbed by Tony about how hers was going to be the most difficult to design so it amused her when that teasing was turned on Clint.

Only, she wasn't showing that amusement. Instead, she was focusing her mind on this situation.

"So they want us to go to another planet, allegedly for us to find out if there are other threats, then if they are a threat, they want us to nuke them." That seemed to sum it up from what little they'd been told. She turned to Steve.

"No. No nuclear device. The drone to hide and retrieve later is fine. But I am not going to go invade another planet, which has done nothing to us at this point, andd be a first strike option for Earth. I am not going to pick a fight with an entire planet that may not even be aware humanity exists light years away."

Captain America has posed:
    Bucky's words gets a small smile from Steve but it's that sort of half-pained smile as the good Captain's thoughts are indeed likely on that nuclear device that they're supposed to take with them. It's seen in that slow way he nods along with the words spoken by him and then by the others.
    Then Tony displays the equipment he'd been working on and he gives a nod. "Excellent work, Tony. That should go a long way to making sure we get back alright." Though he doesn't move to investigate the suits himself, he trusts Tony's craftsmanship to know that whatever he does will be an improvement on the gear they were given.
    When Clint speaks then about the nuclear weapon and is followed up by Natasha he takes a deep breath and looks between them. "You've said before Clint, better to have an arrow in your quiver as an option than not to." Though amongst them Bucky might well catch that subtle tinge to Steve's tone that shows he's more speaking from a devil's advocate point of view than aught else.
    As in the next moment he says, "But I agree with you. The possible drawbacks are a lot. Hard to make first contact with people if you've got a dagger hidden in your hand behind your back. I don't know what all we'll find out there, but if something is that bad..."
    He looks around at the others and nods slowly. "Then we'll do what we always do. We'll improvise."
    The way he says that, it comes across as settled. So he moves on to the next point. "Tony you had reservations about the emergency drone?" He looks around to the others. "Maybe we get our hands on it and you can break it down and come up with a better use for it. Or a better way to fulfill that niche."
    He takes up his water bottle again and holds onto it, tightening the cap slightly as he considers. "Also the initial missions are going to be run out of Avengers Mansion. Suit up in the basement, use the Quinjet bay doors to access the Bifrost. Eventually someone will start noticing the heightened use. Story we're going with is that the Asgardians are needing to calibrate because of..." A look towards Stark, "What was it, Tony? Galactic drift?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "That's right." Bucky agrees with Natasha as he joins the team by the suits. "Who do they think we are? Assassins?" Aaaaand nope. Not a blink, not a glance, not a hint of self aware irony, although every sarcasm meter in the nearest ten miles may have just exploded. "They were very clear on that 'no assassinating people' bit when I had a chat with those tame shrinks. Really clear. Crystal clear." Honestly, he doesn't think he can get any clearer himself.

    "And look, I get the whole steel fist in a leather glove thing." Flex fingers, roll shoulder, smile. "But we take a nuke with us, who has authority to detonate? Who gets the codes? Or are we going to find out the hard way that thing's on a timer? One week and then boom? Whenever someone in the office gets cold feet? Hard pass."

    But luckily the topic of the nuke is dropped, so he can look more closely at his own suit. Most difficult to make, according to Tony, because it would have to be sleeveless. He could take a joke at his own expense...

    "As long as you're not flying, Steve. No offense, you have a thing about crashing planes."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony looks at his teammates; he hadn't immediately thought of using it on the 'natives' of Centauri. No.. his head went immediately closing all exits for //them// in case of emergency, to keep the planet from flowing towards Earth, regardless of manner of egress. These missions, they're inherently expendable. He's quiet, however, with his own thoughts on that matter. The others have perfectly valid opinions on what the nukes could be used for as well, and regardless, it does seem like a sticking point to them all.

Good to know.

"I'm going to put a beacon in it. Tune it to Asgard, most likely." After all, there is no other race, world that could do what they're doing. Maybe? "Unless someone's got a better idea as to where to send Lassie?"

Still, that bit is put into his lap where he feels that it's safest. Call him a control freak, but there's a burning need to know that they're not going to get screwed by their own. It's not a good feeling.

"Cosmic drift, galactic drift.. either words. The trick is, the excuse is that the bifrost is recalibrating to account for the drift." Tony's attention is more elsewhere once again; more work to do before they leave. "I'll try and have a rudimentary AI so you all don't have to worry about anything in the suits."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The suit is placed on the ground at his feet as Clint resumes his position, leaning against the trunk, arms crossed over his chest. Cap nicely closed the discussion about the nuke. There wasn't much of a discussion anyway, as it seems there's no option available.

For a moment, the archer was really tempted to ask Cap why he sought their opinion in the first place, if it was already a settled matter. Did he think they would all cheer at this ridiculous idea? But no, the archer is not asking.

Instead, he remains silent. No crack jokes, no comments. Not a word.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The reassurance is accepted with a nod. But Natasha follows up on the question brought up by Bucky, mirroring her own thoughts. "The nuke has to be looked over by Tony, just like all other equipment. He sets up the controls. Makes sure there is no remote detonation even possible by the 'powers that be'." This time the last three words came across as sarcastic.

"I say codes in the hands of Steve and Tony. I want nothing to do with it, even if I were trusted with such, which I wouldn't be." That does have her smirking a bit. "Sorry, Bucky. You fall in that category too." Like he didn't know. Since they both had to go through extra hoops even to get a seat on this ride.

Captain America has posed:
    "No planes at all this time, you all are lucky." Steve says as he gives a nod and points toward Bucky in that somber way he has during briefings, though it is a touch toward humor beyond the norm. He takes another deep breath and weighs the words from the others, however.
    As for the drone he seems to agree with Tony along those lines as he ponders what changes there are to make. He glances at Natasha as she offers her point of view further about it.
    "I'm thinking we don't even accept delivery on it. At this point." He lifts a hand and rubs the back of his neck. "We're doing this. And we can do it without any of the Powers That Be. I don't want it to come down to that, since their reactions could be negative. I want them to know they're with us for the ride. But they're not in charge." Which is a strong sentiment coming from the man known as Steve Rogers.
    He takes up his pack and slips his own water inside of it, then lifts it by the straps. "I think we all have things to do. Tony's got a mountain of work," He shoots a glance over at the inventor, "You need help with that Tony, feel free to draft any of us to help."
    Then it's back to the others, "Rest of us need to get familiarized with the gear, maybe go through some training exercises. Delve into the briefs."
    He slings the pack over one shoulder. "Anyone have any questions?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Yeah, one question..."

    Bucky is still checking out his suit and nodding in appreciation at what he sees. He can imagine a few training exercises, and gives Natasha a nod with a shrug. He knows they're not trusted, that makes them utterly trustworthy. After all, they'll have paperwork to prove it. But he doesn't look at Steve when he first speaks up, instead making sure his equipment is properly stowed before he finally turns his blue eyes onto his old friend.

    "Who's been keeping track of time while we were here, and how long before the Bifrost window closes?"

Iron Man has posed:
"No thank you."

Tony states it clearly and succinctly. There is nothing that would convince him to hold that sort of power, to make that kind of decision.. particularly in the heat of a moment. Sure, it'd be an informed decision, but there are always, always variables.

Maybe that's why he's considered a 'good choice'?

"Take your suits, they're marked," Tony reminds. "They're not off the shelf like Barton likes to buy." Nothing like poking at the archer. He shakes his head, however, in response to Steve's question. "I got it. You know where to find me." A soft whistle is given, and the little bot that had carried the case shuts the lid the moment everyone who will take their suit does so. "C'mon, speedy. Let's go." With the command thus given, the tech bot digs underneath the trunk, and it's lifted slightly off the ground with a soft whistle.

"It's pretty much time to go, big boy." Which is why Tony's on the move back to the 'rendezvous point'.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint takes the time to drink some of the water from his bottle, then grabs the suit. With it slung over his shoulder, visibly not utterly interested by it, he's ready to follow the group. At least, up to the departure point and back from where they came from.

Questions? No sir. The archer, if he had any questions, has none anymore. Or rather, none that really matter anymore.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"No questions." She far prefers they don't take the nuclear device with them at all. Thus hear earlier statement. So this makes things not quite as stressful.

Outside the whole going to an alien planet with little to no intel.

She tooks the package with her suit and tucked her bottle of water into an inside pocket on her jacket. "Anyone wanting to work out in the suits, to get a feel for them, we can arrange for some place private and do so." After all, they all knew how to get in touch with her.
Shehe followed the group toward the bifrost mark on the ground.

Captain America has posed:
    A slight snort comes from Cap as he holds up a fist with wrist turned outwards to show the data display there that has a timer ticking down. Right now its display shows a prominent, '7:04' ticking down to '7:03' then '7:02' as at the least Steve is keeping an eye on it.
    "Alright campers, let's pack it up then." He nods after Clint and Tony then starts to round back toward the 'scorch zone' where the Bifrost left its mark. Then gives Natasha a small pat on the shoulder as she passes. He brings up the rear as they step away.
    After a bit of time there's that same flash of brilliant rainbow light that cascades into life near that tree, sizzling the ground and burning some of the grass. It leaves just smouldering embers behind and that gleam of runes upon the badlands even as the small family of monkeys sneak back up to the tree they had called home the last few weeks.
    A brave monkey sniffs at the launch sight, shakes its head, then lifts its eyes to the heavens.