6963/Swamp Rescue

Swamp Rescue
Date of Scene:	20 March 2019
Location:	Slaughter Swamp
Synopsis:	Wolfsbane and Angel show up at a special recovery mission and run into trouble.
Cast of Characters:	Archangel, Wolfsbane

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Archangel has posed:
It was mid-evening when the distress call went out.

"Med-evac Alpha Two Four, mayday, mayday! We're carrying precious cargo. A heart for transplant, we're going down! Mayday, mayday!"

That was ten minutes ago. Now, over Slaughter Swamp, Warren Worthington III, otherwise known as Angel is in the air over the area. He carried in his arms a young woman that as he got near the swamp, he set down Rahne to let her go. "I couldn't see anything from the air. It's near pitch black down there. You going to be alright?" he asks, concern over his features for a moment as he prepares to release her.

"Stay in touch. I'll be flying around and ready to transport whoever I need to when you find them."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Since graduation from the New Mutants, Wolfsbane's role at the mansion has been in a state of flux. While there's been some talk of her potentially moving up to join the X-Men, that's all it's been so far: just talk. For her part, she's been in no particular hurry on a decision, giving her time to figure out if she'd work better as a mentor to the current New Mutants, be an X-Man, or just be around to help out as needed.

The 'as needed' part is how she ended up with Warren on the way to Slaughter Swamp, responding to a call of a downed medical helicopter with something very time-sensitive on board. Flying there with Warren, it's not the most comfortable method of travel but it's also not the slowest, all things considered. Squinting into the darkness of the trees that surround the swamp area, she says, "It's hard tae make oot verra much from up here either. I dinna see any smoke or fire, an' I'm no' sure if tha's good or bad yet. I think I'll do better if I can get a scent."

As such, she's let down so she can break into a cautious run forward, going in practically blind. They at least have two-way communications so they can speak. "I'm going in."

Archangel has posed:
Once she's on the ground, the scent of swamp hangs heavy in the air. The decay, life, vegetation, waste disposal. All of it mixes together into a not altogether pleasant odor. However, now that they aren't rushing through the air, and Rahne has a moment to get her bearings, the scent of oil smoke is somewhat present in the air - it comes from the southwest, where the spruce trees grow thicker, and the land of the marsh becomes more impassible, the tangle of roots and ground water and mud all jumbled together into a marshy mess that hides pitfalls where a person could disappear to never be seen again. It's why it got it's name - the mob used these grounds to hide the bodies of informats and those turned against them.

Angel takes back to the air and he chuckles. "Be careful, Rahne. It didn't smell all that pleasant down there, and I'm sure I'm going to have to pay for a good dry cleaning after this is done."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Och, it smells horrible," Wolfsbane confirms, nose wrinkling from her spot down on the surface. "But I've go' something, Go toward th' southwest from muh spot," she adds, beginning to move in that direction. She has to do it more slowly than she'd like, and as she goes there may be an increased chance she's going to need a very long soak in a warm bath later on, but that bridge will be crossed as needed.

For now, the wolfen mutant's got to navigate terrain that's difficult to pass. She doesn't really know the history of the swamp area, and it may be for the best right now. A bare foot sinks into something squishy, and she makes a face.

Archangel has posed:
The swamp's darkness seems to go on forever. In the light from the sky, it didn't seem so bad - but now, that Rahne is in it? It seems that the darkness and dankness of the swamp is all encomapssing. Eventually, however, after about ten minutes of searching and following her nose, Wolfsbane can make out the faint glow of chemlights in the distance.

As she gets closer, the trees start to give way, and she can make out the helicopter. It was a military surplus Blackhawk that had been pressed into medical service. It was still a good workhorse. But it's broken in half now. The tail and rotor of the helicopter is hung up in the trees of the swamp. The main part of the helicopter is nose-down in the swamp itself. %

Wolfsbane has posed:
Fortunately it's not a bad night to be out, so there is some natural light for the mutant to track by. Wolfsbane's still got to be careful about it, however. There's no telling what she might run into out here as the minutes tick by agonizingly slowly, while also feeling like they go by swiftly.

"I can see some sort o' lights ahead," Rahne now reports back, giving her location for the flyer to lock on to and follow from above. "Do ye see them, or are they under cover from where ye are?" she asks. Fortunately she finds a few good spots to plant her feet as she approaches, but the state of the chopper is..not good. "Och, this is bad," she notes. "Part o' it's in th' trees, an' th' rest is in th' muck. I dinna see anyone yet."

Archangel has posed:
"I hear you, Rahne. Send me a sign and I'll be there in a matter of moments." Angel responds as he circles back around and tucks in his wings to pick up speed and head towards the swamp and the spot that Rahne marks for him.

From the wreckage, one of the moments of the crew comes crawling out of it. Around his shoulders, he's carrying a satchel - an Igloo shaped container marked with a large + - Human Organs for Donation - + on the side of it.

As he just gets out of the wreckage, a large arm rises from the swamp, grabbing the man and starts to drag him down. "Noooo!" he screams.

Rising from the swamp is a figure made of plants and wood. "Who comes into the Floronic Man's swamp belongs to me!" he growls, the plants on his body reaching out to wrap around the man to start to drag him - and his precious cargo underneath the muck to possibly devour!

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane frowns. "I didna bring anything tae use for a sign," she points out, checking herself over. No flashlight, no flare, none of that. "But it's just up ahead from where I am." /That/ ought to help pinpoint things, right?

Just as she begins to say she can see someone alive with the donated organ in question, there's a yelp that comes through the comms. "There's someone attacking!" she calls out, dipping into a crouch near a mass of plants and vines tangled into the swamp.

Then, she gets a look at whoever appears responsible for it. Floronic Man? Not someone, or something she's ever heard of, but she shouts, "Let him go! He's trying tae transport a heart tae someone in need o' it tae live!" Maybe she can appeal to whatever reason the creature possesses? But, the plants coming to life in a place like this? Not so good.

Archangel has posed:
"Great. That's real helpful, Rahne.." Then he hears her change in voice and yelp. "Wolfsbane? Report! Talk to me, Rahne!" he calls out, as Angel stops in mid-air, spreading his wings wide. Maybe if she can see the white of his wings, she can tell him where to go. His voice is concerned and worried for her - he's the one he asked for help, after all. And now she's in trouble.

"They all rot! You rot. They rot. They all become food for the green!" Floronic Man claims as he tosses aside the crew member for the moment, sending him careening against the side of the helicopter. And he lifts his arm, and the roots beneath Rahne start to move to try to grab at the woman if she's not fast enough to escape their grasp. "I shall feed you to the plants. As many others before!"

Wolfsbane has posed:
"It's someone controlling plants!" is all Wolfsbane can share for the moment, urgency in her words. Looking up, unfortunately, is not the easiest thing for her to do right now considering the focus she needs to spend on the one who's surprised her, not to mention the poor pilot or whoever it was from the helicopter. "I said let him go!" Maybe Warren will hear the voices as he gets closer?

Then, "Why are ye doing this? Whit did they do tae ye?" Wolfsbane asks, voice still raised. As soon as she feels something rustling beneath her feet, she hops away. She can only hope the impact on the crew member isn't too bad, and that the heart inside the container isn't damaged by any of this. It has to be fragile. A couple of the roots graze an ankle, but that's the most for the moment. "Just stop it!"

Archangel has posed:
"They invaded my land. They spread their pollution and death. They will feed my world instead!" Apparently Floronic Man isn't listening to what Rahne's offering at the moment. "I did let him go. But both of you will end up food for the Green. It is your inevitability - you should give in to it now." he responds as he moves to cut off Wolfsbane from getting to the crewman - throny vines rip from his body to try to slice into her sides and take hold as he moves forward. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be able to get bigger.

The sound of a voice catches Angel's ears - his eyes and ears more made like an avian's, and he perks. "Just keep screaming, Rahne, I'm coming!" he promises her, as he makes a sharp 180 in the sky to head back to where he heard her voice.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane might not have much say in the matter if those thorn-laden vines get in on her. "I'm doon here!" she shouts, but more of her attention is on the one now moving to attack her. At least it beats him drawing the crewman and the cargo down into the swamp. "I'm no' about tha'!" she claims. "I love nature!" It's true, at least. Whatever he's talking about with the Green is beyond her, but it must be related to the plants he can clearly control.

As those vines surge forward she ducks under them, but a couple still leave cuts over exposed shoulders and arms, enough that she hisses out in initial pain before the adrenaline kicks in. "I'm asking ye..please listen tae reason!" But, what reason? They don't even know who the heart transplant is for. It could be for a good person. It might be for a bad one.

Archangel has posed:
"You are worse than a human - you are a creature. Creatures only feed on the Green. They do not respect it as they should. The world belongs to the Green!" Floronic Man starts to whip at her with a vine again, when a pair of feathered blades whip through the darkness with a high whistling sound, and collide with the vine, slicing it off and sending the plant creature backwards.

"Stop playing with the salad, and get to the heart!" Warren calls out to Rahne as he flares his wings. "I don't know who or what you are, but you're preventing us and hurting others, and we're not going to play nice." he rumbles. Wolfsbane's enhanced senses may pick up on it. Warren isn't exactly playing nice at the moment. He may be on the verge of becoming Archangel.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane tried. Nobody can say she didn't. She sought to appeal to whatever good nature might be in the one attacking, but it's gone for naught. "Creature? Ye're one tae talk," she finally bites back after figuring out she isn't liable to talk Floronic Man down from his aggressiveness. "From whit I can see, ye're th' one no' respecting life, no' me." About that time, the feathery blades cut through the vine that was about to come close enough to strike, and she uses the opening to rush on ahead toward what's left of the chopper, crouching by the likely injured man.

"Are ye all right? Can ye stand?" she asks, working an arm underneath a shoulder. Hopefully there's no bad reaction to when it's realized she's what she is, as she's also reaching for the cargo. "We need tae get ye oot o' here, an' get tha' where it belongs. Where's yuir partner?" Nobody flies alone.

But, something about the way Warren's coming in aggressively gives her extra reason to hesitate. "Angel! Stay under control!" she calls out, sensing added danger there.

Archangel has posed:
The crew member looks up at the former New Mutant as she approaches. He looks rough - but then again, he just survived a plane crash. "Pilot and co-pilot are dead. We need to get this to Mt. Sinai." he responds, gesturing to the satchel at his side. He gets to his feet, but it's clear he's not walking, the leg is broken.

Floronic Man turns his attention to Warren. "Even birds are only food for the Green!" Thick wooden vines lash out, grabbing Warren by the legs, and his wings slice at them, but more and more vines wrap and yank him down and beneath the surface of the muck, a loud 'Gack!' coming from Angel as he diseappears beneath the surface, and starts to thrash his wings wildly.

Apparently Rahne is not the only one that will be needing a bath tonight if they survive this.

Turning his attention back to Wolfsbane and the crewmember, Floronic Man prepares to attack them directly. So far Rahne hasn't attempted to strike - so he doesn't see her as a threat. "You will be a meal - just like your winged friend!" he crows, chuckling darkly as he approaches the pair.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane's expression falters at the news, confirming the conditions of the other two. "If we can get them oot o' here, we will, but we've go' bigger problems right noo." She's crouching a bit, using the side of the helicopter for whatever cover it can provide, but things take a sudden turn for the worse.

Angel, as the primary focus of Flornic Man's new attack, is ensnared by multiple vines that seek to drag him down into the depths of the swamp, and in this moment she reacts. "Nae!" The bag is left with the crewman, because just as their attacker is coming back around to face the others, he'll be dealing with fangs and claws practically in his face, a snarling leap made by the wolfen woman as she makes to pounce and slash at him. "We will /no'!/" she growls, anger and survival pushing her to finally act more decisively.

Archangel has posed:
Floronic Man is surprised by the woman's sudden attack. There's a yelp of surprised - although he's made of plant, he's not terribly strong, and Wolfsbane is up in his wheelhouse. The plant druid tries to bring up vines to protect himself and pull Wolfsbane off of him. He's screaming and yelling about feeding her to the swamp the whole way. Poor Rahne is getting sprayed with smelly swamp goop, but her attack is starting to push Floronic Man back.

Warren continues to thrash and fight - until Rahne's attacks finally weaken Floronic Man's spell enough he can rip free on the vines and he rockets skywards, screaming in anger. His skin has taken on a completely blue hue - gone are the white pure wings of the Angel. Instead, those metallic silver wings of Deagth - the Archangel - flare out from either side of the blue-skinned, blonde-haired mutant. "Your reckoning has come!" he roars out.

The crewman, unsure to be more scared of Floronic Man or of the appearance of Archangel, is pulling back deeper into the helicopter wreckage.

Wolfsbane has posed:
It's what she had to do, and once she's launched into the attack, Wolfsbane is unrelenting as she cuts at the man made of plant and wood, likely chipping pieces of him off. "I asked ye nicely!" she growls. "But ye didna listen tae reason!" Even as the vines begin to wrap around her limbs and body, trying to pull her off, she continues to lash out at him, getting swamp-messy in the process, but she's got him reeling.

And then..enough of a distratction is created by the veracity of her attack that Angel is given a second chance, leading to him surging up from the muck. She barely catches a glimpse of him, picking out the blue skin, the metal wings gleaming in what light there is. Even then, she has enough foresight to shout, "Get us oot o' here! We have tae go!"

There might not be a chance to save the bodies of the already dead. It'll be all they can do to escape with their own lives intact at this point, and those vines are making it harder to take a full swipe.

Archangel has posed:
As much as Warren /wants/ to fight...

...as much as Archangel /wants/ to destroy...

Rahne's call to him snaps Angel out of his dark thoughts. Sending down a blast of wing blades to drive back Floronic Man, Warren flies down quickly to the side of the aircraft. The man within screams. "Please, no!" But Warren doesn't really have time for it. One flick of a blade, and the crewman succumbs to the neurotoxins within the feather, passing out as he uses his wings to rip open the aircraft to grab the man and lift him.

"Wolfsbane!" he calls out as he turns towards her, ready to catch her when she leaps at him, and get them all into the air, vines ripping at the air just below them as he holds the man under one arm, and Rahne around the waist beneath the other. "Hold on tight. And tell me where we're going."

Wolfsbane has posed:
It's a testament to how accurate Archangel is with the blades that even as she's in the midst of an up close and personal attack, none of them strike Wolfsbane even as she struggles with their would-be killer. The onslaught is enough to create an opening for them, and she leaves Floronic Man with as hard a punch as she can deliver before flipping back away from him in time to see the crewman slumped down.

"Did ye have tae..knock him oot?" she asks, short of breath from the intensity of the short fight. A hand extends toward him, ready to hold on with both of them as he plays transport for mutant, crewman, and cargo, then there's a repositioning to make it a little more comfortable and definitely safer. "Mt. Sinai. I dinnae know how much longer we have. A heart transplant can only last a few hours like this, safely, before it may fail." Good thing she was paying attention to that part of her medical training.

Archangel has posed:
Floronic Man is left with his prize - the helicopter and the two dead crew members. The blades and strikes drive the druid back, but he may have won his own part as he watches after the departing heroes.

"I could have killed him instead?" Warren asks. Whether or not he's teasing isn't made immediately clear as he turns in the direction of Mount Sinai. "May want to shield your eyes. We're going to be going fast." Well, as fast as Warren can as they make the short trip to Mount Sinai and lands outside of the Emergency Room.

And what a sight it is. A pair of swamp soaked and bloodied mutants, and an unconscious human with a heart for transplant. The medic and heart are rushed inside, and Warren glances to Rahne. "I'll leave them my number so they can call to let us know how it went. But I'm not sticking around. Want a ride back home? I'm going to take the longest shower ever."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"There's nothing about tha' tha's funny," Wolfsbane answers, quick to chide even as her life is literally in Angel/Archangel's hands while they fly. The chopper and the pilots are a loss, unfortunately, but there's nothing they can do about it now. It would be dangerous for /anyone/ to go back down there until daylight at the earliest, and even then what would they encounter?

Shutting her eyes tightly, or at least covering them with a hand to try seeing, they zoom to their destination and she stops to catch her breath back on solid ground once the crewman and the heart are whisked within. "I just hope we got here in time, but we'd best no' dally. There could be Sentinels around." There surely are, somewhere, patrolling. She's a mess. They're both a mess. But, that can be washed out. They made it.

Archangel has posed:
"It wasn't meant to be a joke." Warren responds, as he starts to fade back to his normal skin tone and wings. "I have to hold my control over.. that.. all the time." Letting out his breath, he nods to the comment about the Sentinels. "I'll get us home." he promises, waiting for her to pick up and carry back to the mansion.