7075/It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...HYDRA

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...HYDRA
Date of Scene:	29 March 2019
Location:	A Caribbean Island
Synopsis:	Avengers enjoy fourteen minutes of tropical paradise, an hour or so of pumpkin spice weather, and only THEN remember they forgot the bactine. They take back a souvenir.
Cast of Characters:	Spider-Woman (Drew), Thor, Black Panther, Rogue, Black Widow (Romanoff), Captain America, Wasp (van Dyne)
Tinyplot:	Weather Spheres

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Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
The evening is typical of early spring in New York. During the day, the sun warms those who venture out into it. But in the shade, and in the shadows, there is still a crisp bite in the air. As the afternoon begins to wane, Jessica has arrived at the Hangar to greet those who have endeavored to join her.

Outside, the wind is beginning to lay, but it's getting crisper and colder, seemingly by the minute. A Quinjet is warmed and prepped for the journey.

The dangers and conflicts of the past several months are culminating in a long, slow burn in the hearts and minds of many. Surely, for one night, the spirits of those involved can be lifted by a bit of camaraderie.

Thor has posed:
    A large red metal cooler sits on the floor of the hangar, its squeaky wheels having caused a few echoes in the bay when Thor had rolled it up and set it down behind the Quinjet. It, for now, provided a decent place for the Asgardian to sit as he leaned forwards resting his forearms on his knees and with his attention on those around him.
    Currently he wears his usual black and silver armor, though the red cape is missing and there's no helm. Mjolnir sits on the other half of the cooler, and for now Thor looks around back and forth between people, clearly people watching.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa is there with a bag over one shoulder and a large cooler in both hands. He's already helped load some things onto the jet. He's wearing sandals and a bathing suit, and a baja shirt. Though he has one of his necklaces on that contain his Black Panther suit. Because. He's the Black Panther, yo.

"Jessica, is everything ready?" he asks. He carries the cooler inside of the quinjet, setting it next to some of the other items that have already been stowed away.

Rogue has posed:
When you're going to a beach and told to bring swimming attire, who's the first person you think of to ask to go along? Well, Rogue, obviously. Its entirely safe for her to be traipsing around in small amounts of clothing afteral-- maybe her inclusion wasn't entirely thought through to a cohesive conclusion.

Either way, Rogue is here.

She slings a backpack over her right shoulder and reaches up to put her designer sunglasses on over her eyes. "Well this is an unexpected treat." She quips lightly, allowing her gaze to roam over the others. She's wearing her leather jacket and a baggy shirt beneath it, jeans and some simple leather boots.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha arrives dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a tank top, with a lightweight leather jacket over the top to deal with the slight chill outside. She has a small duffle bag slung over her shoulder inside which happens to have all her working goodies. Why? Because it's a casual day so she left the grenades at home. (Not really.)

"Hello, everyone," she says, giving a nod in the direction of those already present.

Captain America has posed:
It took some convincing from one side to the other (guess who did most of the convincing and who did the hemming and hawing), but two figures approach the Quinjet from the far side of the hanger. One happens to be Steve, with Army duffel bag over his shoulder filled with "The Necessaties" for this sudden journey. He's got a large overnight bag in his other hand at his side, but it doesn't belong to him. It couldn't, not with how fashionable it looks. He's in a white tanktop beneath his leather bomber jacket, fleece lapels and all, and rather than combat boots, he's wearing sturdy sandals beneath his jeans -- his one immediate concession to this proposed vacation.

Janet, on the other hand? On point, as always. The Wasp swans along at Steve's side in a carmine-red bikini with golden metal accents. Her low wedges match hue-for-hue (of course) and about the nip of her waist flows a merrily-bright red and orange floral sarong. The flowers patterned on it all speak to the tropics. Steve's the first to speak up.

"Let's get this show on the road?" His voice rings out towards the Quinjet and its collective with a smile to be heard.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Yes please, I am freezing," Janet says, shivering violently. Apparently she thought the beach weather would be provided en route? She burrows heavily into Steve's side and tries to hide under his jacket, hugging him for warmth.

"I thought you said 'wear a swimsuit!'" she accuses Jessica, scowling at the woman for Janet's own lack of foresight. "It's freezing! We *are* going somewhere warm and sunny, right?"

Thor has posed:
    "Hah!" Thor says as he gains his feet and advances towards Rogue and Natasha when they make their appearance, the Asgardian spreads his arms in greeting, "Hello, strangers." He stops before them and reaches out to embrace one and then the other if they allow, just a one-armed hug and thump, then he shakes his head.
    To Rogue he says, "I am surprised you still remember us, so taken with your mutant friends. I expected you to respond to any entreaty from us with 'Avengers? Who are the Avengers?'."
    Then to Nat, "You have missed much, I shall tell you all about the madness on the flight. But it is all better now for I have forgiven Steve."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Afraid we wouldn't have enough ale for you?" Jessica chides Thor as he wheels up his ginormous cooler. She grins and flits among the others, clearly excited about this little adventure. She's needed it.

Pausing for a moment as T'Challa approaches her, Jess grins. "I think we're about ready, just gotta get this ungainly bunch onboard. Accommodations should be waiting when we arrive." She pulls out her phone from a pocket in a pair of khaki cargo capri pants, and taps it a few times. When it responds with a DING! she looks back up at T'Challa. "The coordinates for the island - I just sent them to you. It's not far from where we went to play." She pauses, reflecting on that day for a moment with a faint smile.

Steve and Janet garner a mischievous grin and a shake of Jessica's head. "It'll be warm where we're going. I promise. And don't you look DIVINELY dressed for sun-kissed beaches?" She breathes a laugh and shoots Janet a look. "You look pretty good too, Janet." Jessica winks.

Natasha gets a warm greeting and a smile, as does Rogue. "I'm SO glad you guys came. We NEED this..." And Jessica goes about merrily herding them onto the jet, not unlike cats - one of which is dragging a huge metal cooler. "We're a hop, skip, and a jump away from paradise, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Only here and there for a moment at a time does a shadow cross her face as she thinks about the current state of certain things. To be more precise, the state of a man who sits captive in a mirrored room, and has yet to decide on his name.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet shrinks to something about the size of a Barbie doll and flies up to Steve's neck, and burrows under his t-shirt collar like a giant blanket to wrap around herself. "Fine! Yes! Whatever, let's gooooo~" she says, sticking a tiny tongue out at Jessica.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa smiles, moving over to great everyone as they arrive. "Janet, Steve, glad you are here," he tells them warmly, and chuckles softly at Janet's seeking warmth and shelter. "Thor," he gets a hard clap on the shoulder. "Natasha, I was hoping you'd be able to make it," T'Challa says.

Then he comes to the one he does not know. To Rogue, T'Challa says, "Hello, I am King T'Challa of Wakanda. I apologize for not being familiar with you yet. When obviously you have been one of our member in the past," he says after catching Thor's greeting to her. T'Challa will offer Rogue his hand to shake.

After the greetings are all accomplished, T'Challa will head for the cockpit. He sits down and says, "T'Challa".

"Access denied."

"The Black Panther"

"Access denied."

"Panther".

"Access denied."

... ... "Your Majesty."

"Access denied."

T'Challa gives a long-suffering sigh and a shake of his head. "Meow?"

"Access granted."

The plane starts up, and will soon be airborne once everyone is aboard.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is not to avoid the Thor-hug, she returns it as well also with just one arm and a gloved hand. "Oh, you." She says in a sappy sort've way. "I wouldn't forget ya'll, especially you, tall blonde and muscley." She looks up at him and grins. "Besides. I still plan to get you back for tryin' t'feed me to that giant snake monster. Oh yes, I haven't forgotten... its comin' too, when ya least expect it." She raises a gloved hand toward his face and wiggles her fingers before she looks to the others, Nat gets a grin and a nod, she's been seeing her a lot more lately.

Janet gets a wolf whistle from her. "We gotta get this one t'the warm places, before she becomes a Popsicle."

Rogue's never met Black Panther, but she's a big fan of him already and offers him a flirtatious grin as she walks for the Quinjet. "You may not know me right now, but I promise you won't forget me." She's grinning then, just playing around, which is her usual style.

She passes by Jessica and offers her a small bag. "I brought a bag'a these, incase we do any cookin', sugah. I got a person who gets me these on the wholesale." Its a bag filled with ornate spatulas. Jessica probably doesn't have any idea why, but its okay.

Captain America has posed:
Everyone gathered gets a warm wave and grin from Steve. He glances down at Janet and leans his head to one side a little as Janet shrinks to hide away beneath his undershirt. A twitch of his eye means the wee fashionista does tickle in her quest to be warm, but he makes no negative reaction otherwise.

"Happy to take in some sun for a bit." He's at least easy to herd up and into the Quinjet. Finding a seat, he then tucks duffel bag as well as large overnight bag beneath it and sticks out his feet, folded at the ankle. For once, the man actually looks...rather like he's not mulling over the next potentially world-ending event for once. A glance towards the front means he catches the specific access title and laughs under his breath. "Oh Tony..."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Good to see you too, Thor," Natasha says as she returns the hug before shifting her duffle up further on her shoulder and heading into the Quinjet. She piles into one of the seats, setting the duffle on the floor between her feet.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica bursts out laughing at T'Challa's passcode, unable to stifle it long enough not to let him hear her. AND SHOOM, just like that, the jet's in the air, and there are rocks and water, and mountains, and more rocks, and more water, then substantially more rocks and hills, then a lot more water, and then...more water, and more water, and still more water, as the sunlight waxes more brightly until AT LAST...there is an island not far below. Jessica sits in the cockpit next to T'Challa, and only has to threaten to turn the jet around twice before they've arrived.

The island is a vision of tropical paradise. The Quinjet is set down not far from the beach...in fact the sand itself is within sight. On the beach, there are tables set up in a vast buffet of roasted meats, vegetables, beverages, and fresh fruit. Flowers everywhere. Torches, and racks of towels. The temperature is a balmy 92 degrees, and the crystal waters are lapping gently on white sand. Here and there about the tables, there are groups of Caribbean island natives, clearly not well-off, but working hard to make sure that the setting is as idyllic as possible. "I hired locals to help us out here. Every penny counts...especially for the people here."

Jessica, wearing a black bikini top now with her capris, looses her hair to tousle in the wind, and looks down the beach to where the sands disappear into undergrowth of forest. "It's amazing..."

Thor has posed:
    As Thor steps off the Quinjet he can't help but smirk a little bit at the tableau that greets him. A few strides carry him down the ramp and with each step a golden beam of light slides smoothly over his frame, causing the armor to disappear with a flash of light and for it to be replaced with something else entire.
    Instead of armor he now wears little more than a pair of flip flops, a pair of orange 'jams' shorts that reach his knees, and an entirely open blue and white Hawaiian shirt that just hangs from his shoulders, leaving his tan chest bare. Over one shoulder is a small beach umbrella that is joined by the cooler as he hefts it up onto the other.
    "This is a fine place you have found, Jessica." And with that he starts towards the beach, his flip flops smacking his bare feet as he moves.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther brings the jet in to touch down with only a little jostle on the uneven ground. Once landed, he rises and follows everyone else out of the jet. Stepping out of the ramp at the back, the smell of the ocean rolls over him, drawing a warm sigh. The warm air is such a refreshing change from the cold of New York. T'Challa slips off his shoes, carrying them so he can walk barefoot out onto the warm white sand beach. He stops to dig his toes in, wiggling them about before continuing on towards the table with the feast.

T'Challa takes a moment to greet the islanders, shaking hands and thanking them for their assistance. Assuring them everything looks wonderful. He turns back to his team then, moving to help carry anything else they've brought with them down nearer to the water. "This was a fine idea, Jessica," he tells Jessica Drew.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Woo!" Janet emerges from Steve's shirt at the very end of the flight and starts down the ramp, fists held overhead in victory. "Now this is what I'm talkin' about!" She hops up and down, applauding once, and looks over her shoulder at Steve laboring along with their luggage. "Hey, you coming, slowpoke?" she inquires of him, and starts down the ramp with a happy skip to her step.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue raises her sunglasses up onto her forehead after initially stepping out of the jet. She stands off to the left then as she starts to take off her leather jacket and starts out toward the sandy beach while glancing over at the others. "Its just 'fine'." She says sidelong toward Thor with a smirk at him. Her sunglasses come back down over her eyes and onto her nose as she drops her jacket onto the sand and then starts to peal off the rest of her clothing, aside from her swimsuit she wears beneath it, green and gold because--yeah! It even has a black X inside of a circle on the left side of the bikini top. Custom suit, clearly.

A moment later and Rogue is sitting down ontop of her leather jacket, using it as a blanket to sit on the hot sand, her knees coming up and her arms going to rest ontop of them as she watches the waves.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Once they arrive, Natasha is heading for the ramp to exit as well. She has her duffle slung back over her shoulder. She still is in the same jeans and tank she had on at the hangar, although she did remove the jacket and left it on the Quinjet since she doubted she would be needing it in paradise.

"This is beautiful. Thank you, Jessica," she says to the other woman in passing as she heads straight for that sand. There is already a towel laid out and she quickly kicks off her shoes and goes about stripping off her outerwear. Once she is done, she is there in a black one piece swimsuit with high cut legs.

Thor has posed:
    As Thor wanders along he sets the cooler down, then takes a few more strides towards the edge of the bach until the water is licking at his feet. He hefts the small umbrella up to his shoulder like a javelin and then casually /throws/ it off and out towards the ocean, the umbrella _slashing_ across the distance and disappearing into the ocean with a splash.
    Nodding, Thor seems satisfied as he then turns and moves back up towards his cooler to claim one of the towels near the others.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Along the water's edge is arranged an array of floats, boogie boards, and lounges. Jessica, reaching the beach, unbuttons her khaki capris and slides them down, the string-drawn bottoms releasing the baggy bottoms of a pair of blue and white board shorts over her bikini bottoms. They're big on her, and cinched up at the top. The bottoms flap in the island breeze around her ankles. Only Jessica could start to undress and become /less/ nude. She's barefoot now, and she shuffles along the sand, letting it get between her toes. Crabs scurry here and there, and she offers a warning to the others. "Don't chase the crabs, by the way. They are easily agitated if you chase them." Something she knows from experience.

"I'm just so glad we could all get here, Nat," Jess offers with a grin. "I think we all needed a break, even if only for one night."

Jess moves among the local women, admiring a headwrap here, a dress there. She speaks to them in quiet tones, and laughs when they do. The cliffs that rise up above the jungle at the far end of the island are painted in hues of violet in the sea air, and Jessica moves over to mingle with the others, to see if there's anything anyone needs. She offers T'Challa a hug and a soft "Meow." Life is good.

Captain America has posed:
"'m coming, be patient," the Captain admonishes the Wasp. Still, he smiles as he exits the Quinjet into the bright sunshine. It is indeed a tropical paradise. During the flight, he changed over into a pair of navy-blue board shorts. It's too warm for the leather jacket, so this he slings over his shoulder while he follows in Janet's wake, content to play baggage-butler for now.

He's certain to thank and greet people as he goes, wishing them well and offering gratitude for their input towards making this brief vacation a pleasant one. "Janet, 'm gonna take the bags down to the beach." He's headed in the direction of Thor and Rogue - they've got the right idea, burying toes in the sand and enjoying its warmth.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther heads over to the table where the feast is. He looks over the assortment of drinks that have been set out. "Thor, I think this one is yours," he says, picking up an oversized mug of ale and bringing it over to pass to the Asgardian.

As Jessica comes over, he flashes her a smile and says, "Nice job getting everyone out here." He returns the hug warmly and glances over the table. "I'm guessing this is yours," he says, moving to pick up some iced tea which he gives to Jessica.

T'Challa then returns to the table and considers other drinks before picking up a pina colada, served in a large hollowed out coconut with a straw stuck in the top. "Rogue," he says, having caught her name during the flight. "Are you a fan of coconut?" he asks her as he brings the drink over to where she's sitting if she indicates she is.

After the drink delivery, T'Challa peels off the baja shirt, revealing a chiseled physique. He lets the sun beat down on his dark skin as he pauses to look over at the boogie boards with a faint smile.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet waits for Steve to show up with her luggage and pops it open to start throwing a seeming endless supply of beach gear down. Most people bring a beach chair. Janet makes everyone stand clear and deploys an entire patio deck *with* a hot tub simmering in place. Beach chairs are already unfolded and ready for people to use.

The last little touch is a full canopy that deploys to guard against the hostile rays of the sun.

"Steve, be a dear, get my shoulders?" she inquires of Cap, and hands him the sunscreen to slather on her bare neck and back.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue watches Jessica walk by and she calls out to her. "This place is amazin', Jaydee." She tells her before catches sigh of Cap waddling by with the belongings of his and Janet. "Feel free t'start unwindin' any time now." She teases him before she notes the Asgardian throw his hammer into the ocean which just makes her stare at him for a second. A grin crosses her lips and then she shifts her stare over to T'Challa when he offers her a drink.

The 20 year old sits up and crosses her legs in front of her, she reaches up to accept it. "I love coconut, why thank ya, Mistah!" She happily responds, making sure not to touch the handsome Wakandan royalty with her bare hand. He probably doesn't know that part of her, so she has to be extra careful around people who don't.

A sip is taken and she's all smiles there-after. "Absolutely delicious."

Captain America has posed:
Busy eyeing one of those crabs tutting along nearby to his sandaled feet, Steve glances over at Rogue with a small smile. "'m working on it," he replies to Rogue in particular even as he makes a small shooing motion with his foot towards the crab; those pincers were coming awfully close to his bare toes. It scuttles away, no doubt mortally offended and off to rage against another collection of unsuspecting toes.

Not too distracted to miss the query from Janet, he walks those few steps over and takes the sunscreen bottle. A dollop onto his hand and he then smoothes it over her shoulders, his face set in a markedly thoughtful expression. Out of idle habit, his eyes still roam about the immediate area. Still...nothing bad seems to be randomly cropping up to wreck the idyllic affair thus far.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jess takes the iced tea from T'Challa and gives him a playful nudge as she notes his gaze toward the boogie boards. "We should." She winks and watches him hand Rogue a coconut.

With little warning beyond a giant WHOOSH, a cold burst of wind sweeps over the island, tossing umbrellas, lounges, and towels. A giant flamingo floaty takes off for who knows where across the water. Wherever it goes, Jess hopes it will be happy.

"Why is it cold?" Jess calls out to no one in particular, addressing them as a group. The islanders scurry to secure and cover the tables as sand is whipped up, and strangely, dead leaves begin to blow in from the jungle. In fact, the greenbelt along the center of the island has withered and browned, and leaves on every (until now) living bush and shrub have withered and turned an array of autumn colors. One by one, they loose their hold to their anchoring plants and tousle down the beach. The sun, once high in the west, has begun to set, turning the island a hue of greyish purple in twilight's palette, and an eerie orange light illuminates the cliffs that recently stood stately and uninhabited.

Rogue has posed:
As things start to get oddly unpleasant on this otherwise picturesque beach, Rogue's left hand goes up to her sunglasses and she raises them back up onto her forehead. Her dark eyebrows are held down and her eyelids are all squinty as she's looking around now. She starts to stand up again and sets the coconut drink aside.

"Is this some kinda Avengers trainin' scenario after all?" She asks, her eyes instantly going to Cap for confirmation on this, their luck can't be -this- bad on a nice vacation trip can it? She continues to look around while her hands go up to rub at the sides of her arms, she may be invulnerable but cold air still makes her uncomfortable, so she leans down to get her leather jacket off of the sand to start to slip it back on over her bare shoulders.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther grins to Jessica and says of the boogie board. "If you would like to? Just let me know. But you know everyone is going to want a turn then," he tells her with a warm, soft chuckle. The Wakanda turns to wander down to the water's edge then. He's just about to move in when the sudden burst of cold air strikes.

As the other effects begin to be noticed, T'Challa moves away from the water, perhaps not wanting to risk being standing in it should it keep getting colder and start to freeze. "This is most unnatural," he comments, eyes narrowed as he looks about. He sniffs the air and finds himself looking towards the unusual light over on the cliffs. Turning towards one of the natives, he asks, "Have you ever seen something like this happen before?"

Captain America has posed:
Steve's hands working the sunscreen into Janet's shoulders come to a slow halt as he feels the temperature take its dive. They lift from her skin even as he stands to his full height and looks around.

"I didn't sign us up for one if it is," he replies to Rogue as he quickly glances to Janet and then to the pendant hanging from her neck. He hears T'Challa speak up and turns to watch the reaction of the locals to this sudden shift in weather, including the eerie ambiance of the cliff-light.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet squeaks in complaint and turns to bury her face against Steve's chest, shielding her head and hair with her other hand. The wind rips and tugs at her sarong and she pins it in place against her thigh.

"What the shit!" she demands. "Is this a hurricane or something? Damnit Thor, we-- Thor? Where'd he go?" she yells over to Jess, Rogue, and T'challa, raising her voice to be heard.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I've heard the saying 'time flies when you are having fun' but I believe this is a bit extreme, Natasha murmurs as she watches and feels what seems like the seasons changing in an instant. She frowns and is moving to her duffle, crouching down and reaching inside where she pulls out one of her bands to lock around her left wrist. She takes a moment to pull on her jeans while she is there and a pair of shoes since the chill seems to cut through her to the bone.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
A native woman turns to T'Challa and shrugs, looking back toward the cliffs. "Never in my lifetime," she replies.

Only a few women remain of the islanders who were there to help with the soiree. Their gazes are fixed on the cliffs, bathed in an amber glow, and they have ceased their attempts to stay the winds from the tables. The food is covered, the drinks are put away, and the women simply stare, bewildered, at the cliffs as the jungles that were lush and green at the foot of the cliffs are now brown, partially bare, and losing ground by the minute. Jessica speaks with them in hushed tones, and a tongue that is not English. She nods and turns to the others. "There's nothing down there to cause those lights. I wish I could say this is a practice mission, but I wouldn't have the first idea how to do..." Jess gestures vaguely toward the jungle. "...That."

From within the brushy terrain where many of the islanders had already fled, there is the unmistakable rat-tat-tat of gunfire, and screams.

Rogue has posed:
"Well great." Rogue replies when Steve confirms that this is not an Avengers training exercise. Her leather bomber jacket is zipped up to chest level, but she still doesn't have pants on beside her bikini bottoms, which doesn't really concern her since she's practically invulnerable. She starts to take a few steps forward and then looks back to where they parked the jet.

"Should I do a fly around?" She then asks, again looking to Cap because in Rogue's mind (carol's stolen mind) he's the ranking officer here. She regards the others, then looks to where Thor HAD been... his cooelr is still there. "Son of a bitch... if this involves another giant snake, I'm gonna push his whole new city inta the ocean..."

Captain America has posed:
Once the wind has died down enough that poor Janet's attire is no longer at risk of leaving her frame, Steve's in motion. He snags up his leather bomber jacket and shrugs it on before holding out a hand towards the Wasp -- he indicates at the pendant in particular. Small, silvery, it just happens to be also red, blue, and sporting a small white star. One guess.

"Yep, fly quick, Rogue, and get back to us ASAP. Where is -- " A sigh at the missing Asgardian. "We'll make do," he murmurs, confidence in this. A dig into his duffel bag and out comes a handful of small ear-coms. Each is tossed towards an Avenger nearby until everyone's fitted. "Janet, shrink and fly ahead at ground-level - tag-team with Rogue on what we'll be running into. T'Challa, Jessica, Nat - we move as a unit. Safety of the locals comes first."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther hears the gunfire and looks towards Steve to see if he sets a marching order for them. As Steve hands out assignments, T'Challa nods and begins moving towards the sound of the gunfire, checking to make sure his teammates are advancing together. His Black Panther suit deploys from his necklace. Thankfully he pulled off the baja shirt already. He loves that shirt. And it's not like he gets to wear in Wakanda very often. Not a very regal look, that. It makes him look more like Jeff Spicoli than it does a king.

Ok, not really.

But he does end up in his uniform as he moves forward into the bushes, only when his teammates are moving too.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
By the time the orders are given, Natasha has on a black t-shirt which was not what she was earing earlier. Her belts are in place with holsters strapped to either thigh with her Glocks in place. (Yay for no TSA on the flight here!) She has both wristbands in place. The comm has been tucked into her ear and she moves with her unit.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet catches the earpiece and pushes it into place. She flings herself at Steve and pops up onto her toes to kiss him quickly but sincerely. "Be careful," she orders him, and touches Steve's cheek. Then she darts past him and smacks his rear. "That's an order!" She breaks into flight, buzzing in Rogue's wake. She turns, blows Steve a kiss, and flings the pendant she wore on her neck at him. It grows in midflight, capturing the ambient lights, and resolves into his full-sized iconic shield.

"Rogue! Did I tell you I love your suit? Because I *love* your suit," she compliments the southern belle. One might catch a subtle Georgian accent affected in Janet's voice as she addresses Anna-Marie.

Captain America has posed:
"Hey -- !!!" Reproach is useless in the heat of it all for the butt-swat. Steve's resigned to a sigh and then the easy, second-nature catch of the shield arriving full-sized at his upraised hand. The bomber jacket and navy-blue board shorts are no substitute for his uniform, but it'll have to do. He joins up in the earth-bound section of the team, squinting as they all enter the falling and rapidly-dying jungle.

"Eyes up, team. Anyone who doesn't look like a local gets laid out," he says into the coms. They're nimble, they're quick, and cover ground with practiced speed -- but how long until they come into contact with trespassers?

Not long.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue darts over to Natasha's grab bag of gear and she snatches one of her ear communicators. "God bless ya for bein' such an overly paranoid packer, Natty Light." The southern belle tells the super spy with a grin as she puts the ear piece in and then looks to Janet as she takes off.

"You're a peach!" She says down to her partner on this patrol. "I'm pretty sure I've liked everythin' you've ever, ever.... worn!" And now the on-loan-X-Woman is soaring up high into the air and scouting the area around them. "It feels like October up here!" Rogue calls down to the others as she looks for any threats to bomb dive!

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
By the time Steve gives the orders, Jessica has managed to slip into a full-body suit that is a clone of her crimson suit, save for the fact that it is a charcoal gradient instead. The webbing and spider are silver. She has slipped her mask into place, framing the vacant white lenses of her eyes and holding back her hair. She nods to Steve and starts down the beach while Janet kisses and smacks him. "If that's the new salute, count me insubordinate," she deadpans to Steve as she moves alongside the Black Panther. She gives T'Challa a sidelong look and a nod, and as he starts to run, Jess thwips out a web that snags him square in the center of the back, and she hooks the web to the spider on her chest deftly, spreading her arms wide and letting the wind catch her gliding apparatus like a kite. She rises quickly into the air, just above the level of the trees ahead, a silent and dark shadow against the night sky.

As the group enters the jungle, a sniper takes aim at Natasha, hitting a tree just above and behind her head. A bullet also ricochets off Steve's shield and falls uselessly to the ground. Gunfire pings off and all around T'Challa as a squad of gunmen huddle in the dwindling cover of the jungle.

A light ahead glows from between the trees. Like a candle, only a thousand times brighter, illuminating the empty spaces between the trees and shadows.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther darts forward, going quickly to help Jessica gain altitude as he tows her like a boat pulling a parasail. Once she's up high enough and the gunfire starts, he reaches behind him to cut the web loose. Panther darts forward in a direction to try to make himself a target for the gunfire, particularly trying to draw any fire that would otherwise be aimed at Natasha.

Bullets hit Black Panther, leaving a purple glow behind in the weave of his suit. He dashes forward, lunging low to swipe at a gunman, slashing through his leg and then finishing him with a punch to the chest as the man is falling down.

Rogue has posed:
"Well." Rogue says over the comms. "Looks like there's a small private army in the jungle. How the hell did they know we were comin' out here?" She asks, going out on a limb to assume that they knew the Avengers (And Rogue) were going to be here today, nevermind how they changed the weather... she's already forgotten about that part for the most part now that there's gun toting a-holes to deal with.

"Well this should be a hoot." She quips as she drops out of the sky then and lands right where she sees a clump of soldiers in the trees. She's lands in the center of them and they all look over to the bikini clad girl with the leather bomber jacket on. She poses for them with one hand on a hip and the other waving enticingly at them. "Heya, Boys. Ya'll look a little hot in that gear. How about I see if I can't help ya out of some of it."

Of course they start to open fire on her, but she's already moving to engage the first two with a rushing clothes-line, while bullets bounce off of her body with essentially no effect to her as she's a blur of motion in the jungle now, gunfire and men's screams.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Well, I'm always looking for more models," Janet tells Rogue. "You want to help me with my summer fashion line?" She keeps the banter up the whole way down, and lands on Rogue's shoulder where there's clothing between the fashionista and the belle's bare skin. She hunkers down, barely Barbie sized, and starts taking careful aim with her bioblasts. A little mobile artillery station to support the bulldozer that is Anna-Marie's combat tactics, and taking full advantage of the fact that the other woman's more than capable of absorbing gunfire until Janet can leap clear and start flanking, laying down even more fire on the ambush team.

Captain America has posed:
The bright sprats of gunfire illuminate the surrounding jungle despite the distant lurid orange glow. It turns all into a shocking, nearly Halloween-esque contrast of ruddy hue and stark organic shadow. Steve does his best to keep track of where and how the team splits, but then he's sucked into a small collection of goons himself. Gunfire spits at him and the metallic resonance of the shield taking the fire can be heard through the distant shouts and cries of men who chose a very bad day to get out of bed.

Once there's a break in the hail of bullets, Steve darts in. The man's a blur of silver shield, spinning whip-kicks and arcing punches, and navy-blue board shorts. It takes but a handful of seconds before his sector is clear of tac-team nuts.

"Moving in towards the light," he reports, tone deadly-serious in the coms. Leaves and vines splat and splash against him as he does so, eyes narrowed.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
The ambush team that Janet and Rogue are obliterating (or what's left of them) are trying desperately to fall back into the jungle toward the amber light that's glowing at the base of the cliffs. Likewise, the men seeing that they have little effect on the team moving in begin to backpedal. Those who don't end up on the ground are practically fleeing back toward the mysterious light. Jessica thwips down webs to ensnare them as she spots them using her night vision, but T'Challa, Cap, and Natasha are doing a bang-up job of making sure that whoever they come into contact with stays put, usually in a crumpled heap. Gunfire continues deeper into the jungle, but the light is growing brighter, to the point that they can see fallen islanders here and there, many injured by the previous gunfire.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther is in his element, moving through the vegetation, popping up to hamstring an enemy and then finish him. Rolling forward to sweep a leg out from someone else. He only appears fully when necessary to help draw gunfire away from a teammate. At one point he jumps upwards, off a tree to push off and sail through the air to take a gunman from above as he was aiming in on Steve. "I would think they would have brought better weapons," T'Challa says into the comms. "If they knew they were facing us."

He rises up again, moving to walk forward with Steve and Nat towards the light, while Jessica is sailing up above them on her gliding wings. T'Challa stops to check on an islander, but this one didn't make it. He frowns behind his mask. "They have much to answer for," he says angrily.

Rogue has posed:
Once the gunmen stop firing on her, Rogue stands there in the jungle's edge and she glances down at herself. "God. Now I gotta get my jacket fixed again." She says, noting all the bullet holes. "I'm so sick of guns!" She looks up then and traces aver Janet's form, and grins at her. "Me a model? Uh... yeah, sign me up!" She says back to her tag team partner in this fight. "Pretty sure I was born for that job!"

Rogue's eyes then look up to see Steve doing his thing too, but when he speaks of the light is when she actually -notices- it out past the edge of the woods. "Is that a campfire?" She asks, even though she knows within a split second that its definitely not a campfire.

A look is given to the other Avengers, but they've got the ground covered, between the Wakandan King, Black Widow and Spider-Woman... So Rogue looks to the skies again and where she was standing one second, she's gone, shooting back up into the sky again!

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Ro-- Rogue! Get back here!" Janet shouts back up at her wingwoman as the flier zips away. Janet's swift enough but there's no matching Rogue's sheer acceleration and velocity. She instead shrinks even smaller and dodges into the underbrush to proceed more tactically, weaving through the brush and using her bioblasts to disable weapons and cripple enemies instead of incapacitating them with single bursts of green power.

Captain America has posed:
T'Challa's pause and report is enough to make Steve's jaw clench. His cheekbones show high for it and his lips pull thin. "They'll answer for it." The Captain's voice is iron-cold as he continues through the brush, still headed for the light slowly gaining luminant strength. As he begins to close on it at his brisk pace (far louder through the underbrush than the Panther and Wasp and...basically everbody, really), he speaks towards the airborn X-Man-on-loan.

"Rogue, you said it looks like a campfire from up there?" he asks after confirmation. Another sudden up-cropping of enemies means strafing fire. He has to slide into a low kneel and hide behind the shield, gritting teeth at the cocophany of metallic impacts yet again. They're all so close! He's nearly certain that he can make out what's causing the glow.

In his peripheral, he sees movement. A quick look and the attempted assassin suddenly disappears into the underbrush. The flash of limbs marks his savior.

"Thanks, Nat, owe you that one," he says to her before peering over his shield again.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Through the trees ahead, the source of the light is becoming more apparent. A woman, seemingly illuminated from within herself, glows brilliantly. She stands against the wall of the cliff, holding a sphere high above her head in both hands. She seems serene, perhaps sedated. The light issues from the orb, as well, in hazy waves. Her dress is pale white, perhaps amber - it's hard to tell if it bears the color or simply reflects it. Her eyes are closed.

The gunmen who have backed up toward the light are now surrounding the woman, and the gunfire intensifies.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue was just too eager to get up into the sky and get a better look at whatever that light was, and she left Janet behind. "Its definitely not a campfire!" She says loudly back over the comms, hovering about fifty feet over the tree line of the jungle canopy.

"Its a person." She says then, trying to decipher it, even having to put a hand up over her sunglasses covered eyes. "She's holdin' something up over her head, looks like a damn nuclear bomb or somethin'! I can't tell. We better get up there fast though, cause this is startin' t'get weirder'n weirder, which means bad stuff I'm sure!"

And with that said, Anna-Marie does a full backward arch and comes zooming back down into the jungle, looking for Janet to pick her up and carry her back up and out of the treeline again! "Lets go, Partn'ah!"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Woohoo!" Janet banks out of the undergrowth and buries herself against Rogue's collar behind the flow of her thick brunette locks. It provides a good guard against the slap of jungle underbrush and sporadic gunfire sent their direction.

"Here, this is good! I'll get closer, you stay out of sight!" She breaks free just ahead of the break in the treeline and buzzes towards the glowing orb on her wasp wings, staying her explosive bioplasma bursts in favor of superior recon. And she starts whistling up her insect allies, just to be safe. Centipedes and arachnids start to respond, as to legions of ants underfoot. In the distance-- jungle hornets buzz and start bobbing along towards the sound of Janet's summons.

"Uh, wow, this *is* freaky," Janet informs the others, and starts rapidly feeding them surprisingly useful tactical data-- troop placement, equipment, distribution, even loose formations and points of defilade. Just because she *sounds* like a ditz doesn't mean Janet's a useless ally beyond her powers, after all.

Captain America has posed:
A very, very large centipede crawls past -- and over -- Steve's foot. He barely avoids yelping as he kicks the thing away from him and blows a sharp sigh. "Warn a man, would'ya?" he asks rhetorically into the coms as to the sudden summoning of insectoid assistants. At least those very large hornets won't go for the team!

"Then we clear out the gunmen before we deal with her. She looks like she might be in a trance," the Captain reports as he makes his final entry at near-top speed. He slams into the gunman wielding the heaviest form of artillery with all the force he can bring to bear.

Spoiler alert: the gun does not win verses the shield.

A bullet wings him along the rounding of his shoulder and the entire team will hear him splutter out something in Gaelic that was definitely unkind.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
The men surrounding the woman with the sphere are swatting, stomping, cursing (in perfect English) and fleeing. The woman, however, stands stately and still. Eyes still closed. Orb grasped above her head. The light that issues from it comes in waves - musical in appearance - if music could be a visual. There is a serenity about her, and the only movement about her is the way the suddenly increasing winds whip at her raiment. There descends there a peace that comes from the slow death of the world, with the promise of renewal.

Jessica is in awe. She loses track of what she's doing, and her gliding apparatus folds beneath her. "This is so...unearthly beautif--oh SHI--" And she comes tumbling down from the sky, taking out a few limbs on her way down to a hard fall on the ground. "That's just a buck fifty..." she groans into her comm. "I didn't get to finish it."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther stopped to bandage an islander. And then another. A third, a woman who suffered a serious gunshot to their spine. T'Challa slips a sphere from his pouch and it sinks into the wound, a blue glow spreading as the person stabilizes. "I will come back for you," he tells her, touching the woman's shoulder gently. "Just stay calm, you will be ok."

Black Panther moves forward then, drawing near to where his teammates have dispersed the mercenaries. He comes to a stop as he gets a better look at the source of the light. "What... is this?" he asks, turning to look over towards his teammates.

The sound of Jessica falling has Panther whirl about, but he is too far away to reach her in time, just having to wince as she crashes down through the branches.

Hearing her quip, T'Challa turns back. He starts walking forward slowly, pausing at the same distance as the armed men had had as he looks over to Steve to see what his plan is.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue was ABOUT to go after the soldiers, but then she saw the bug army... specifically the spiders in it and it made her hesitate. "Uh... I think Miss Janet's got this on the lockdown." She says then, apparently being super strongth and having absurd durabiliyt doesn't cure arachnaphobia...

"Jessica, no!" Rogue shouts as she sees Spider-woman fall out of the air, she swoops down to try to catch her but isn't fast enough and just after Jaydee lands on the ground, Rogue is now standing beside her. "I missed..." She says in a defeated voice. "You okay?" She then asks. "I'd offer a hand up but my hands are all, ya know, deadly bare!"

Its then that Rogue looks to regard the Panther, then the glowing sphere and the woman. "I think this might be... something we need t'talk to Strange about." She hovers again up into the air and goes to reluctantly help the bug army!

Captain America has posed:
Steve, along with the remaining men, go still at the sight of the insect army coming to life around them. He shrugs at the poor goons behind their visored helmets and turns his attention to the rest of the team, sure to be untouched by the crawling and buzzing mass. All around, screams rise -- all hail to the queen Wasp in this swarm.

"'m gonna knock the sphere out of her hands with the shield. Somebody be ready to catch her if she collapses and somebody else be ready to knock her cold if she gets fussy about it." Once the team is ready, he turns and squints against the bright shining of the light. The shield is then hucked at the glowing point and Steve drops to one knee, an arm upraised as he peers past to see what comes of this.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Steve's accuracy is dead-on. The shield, aimed at the sphere, travels precisely to - and through - the sphere, to bounce off the cliff and ricochet crazily back in his general direction. It narrowly misses T'Challa's head as it whizzes back past. However, tendrils of energy snake up over the woman, whose eyes suddenly open, and she opens her mouth as if to scream before she vanishes - orb and all, into nothingness. All that is left in the darkness is something dark where the woman's feet once stood. It is an orb - larger than the one she held - ornate in its design. It rests on a base - something energy-resistant or energy-absorbing perhaps - and in the corner of the base is the unmistakeable insignia of HYDRA.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"I'm not touching it," Janet volunteers over the radio, breaking the silence after the snapping nothingness envelopes the woman. Screams of panic follow not long after as the insects of the jungle come alive in response to Janet's summons. She's not even really participating aside from directing the army of insects, sitting primly on a low branch with her legs crossed at the knee. She examines her nails with a critical frown and hisses. "Damnit, I chipped my polish again," she mutters at no one in particular.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue drops down out of the sky and lands where the woman was. "Wow. Nice shot, Cap." She says then, her bare feet stepping around any lingering bugs, she moves right over to where the woman was. Her leather jacket is instantly unzipped and she peals it off of herself again, apparently not that bashful about her swimsuit still being all she's got on... but it is Rogue after all.

Crouching, she drapes her jacket over the sphere and then scoops it up like a baby!

Rising back up to her full height again she turns around and displays it. "This looke like a Crystal Ball!" She shouts then, a grin spreading over her lips. "I'm so glad ya'll invited me t'this. It feels like that David Bowie movie, the one where he gets lost in the maze with that girl who was way too young for him."

Stepping down now she walks toward the others, holding the sphere out. "What do we do with it? I say we try'n go bowlin' with it."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica sighs, getting up off the ground, and tries to take a step, only to instantly go down on her face again. "Dammit..." She pushes herself up off the ground to stand, this time on one foot, keeping the other an inch or so off the ground. "Ok, so I guess the party's over. We gotta get that thing back to Tony. Or...Strange. Or somebody who knows what it is. And I'm gonna need to get to the medbay before this uh..." She looks down at the bone and flesh sticking out through her bodysuit below the knee. "Yeah, I shoulda brought the bactine."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther goes over to Jessica as Rogue has got the orb under control. He checks on her wound and winces. "It will be ok once we get you back," he tells her. T'Challa gently picks Jessica up, being careful of the broken leg as they begin making their way back to the plane.