Scene #14641: Fortunate Son: Bright Sunshine in Kentucky

Owner	Pose
James Barnes	It had been an elegant proposition. Ready at 0600, on the jet by 06:05, in Kentucky at 09:30... just Bucky, Skye, and Nick. But as the re-opening of Operation Fortunate Son became more widely known, more people were drawn in. Specialists, local guides, backup, old friends, comrades in arms... and before long, Bucky had himself an actual team assembled, ready to go take on this holdout of HYDRA in the Kentucky hills. Supposedly. Possibly. Touchdown is still at 09:30, but due to the size of the team the Jet became The Bus. To say that Pike County airport was surprised to see a large multi-engine jet touch down would be an understatement. To see it touch down VTOL? Yeah, the element of surprise was rapidly fading. The advantage of the bigger plane is, however, that the team can now roll out in two SUV's painted government standard black. And it's at the imprompty rally point on the tarmac that Bucky finally lays out the details of their mission. There's a map of the area, with a small sector circled in grease pencil, and two photos of what appears to be an elderly couple. Not the most high-tech of briefings, but it worked for Bucky back in Europe nigh on a century ago, and it's good enough now. "Listen up. Place we're heading for is called Bright Sunshine Farms. Up until six months ago, it was known as the Bright Futures Reformation Farm, and it was known to be a HYDRA training facility hiding in plain sight as a reformation farm for young offenders on parole. Now it's owned by Jessup and Abigail Adkins, better known as Ma and Pa Adkins." He lets that hang for a moment, both eyebrows raising before he goes on. "We know the project the previous owners were running is still active, but we've got no current evidence to link it to this site, aside from the fact that one of the people that ran an attack on a SHIELD agent a few days ago came through the Bright Sunshine Farm on his way out of prison. I don't believe in coincidences, so we're checking it out." At that, he looks over the team "Until we know what we're dealing with, we're playing it covert. Try not to let on that you're part of a federal agency of some sort, or we'll spook half the county". Yes, he's aware he's saying that when they're going to be rolling up in government standard cars... "We've got a local guide, a Mister Guthrie, who came highly recommended. He'll be driving the lead vehicle. I'd like our consultant from WAND to drive the second vehicle. Questions?"
Hellboy	This wouldn't normally be Hellboy's gig. He's not a stealth agent, he's an ass-kicker and a massive one at that. But that's why he won't be one of the first ones in. He'll let the little humans use their clippers on the chain-link fence and disable the security system and crawl through the vents. And when they get caught, cause they always do, he'll kick in the front gate and blow some suckers away. Since the farm is at an intersection of ley lines, the agency determined there's a possibility of mystical or magical happenings, so Hellboy was attached as a safety measure. Most of the other agents are tough badasses, but they won't shrug off hellfire and they don't have weapons to kill demons. "Do yer sneaky shit," he says, leaning back against one of the SUVs. "I don't mind drivin', though. Hope the seats push back pretty far. I ain't exactly built for compact."
Clint Barton	Covert? Really? Making a mental note to send a copy of the Perfect SHIELD Agent Manual for Winty to review the definitions, Clint Barton shrugs, getting ready to hop on whichever vehicle. "Pa and Ma, at Bright Sunshine Farms. Check. No doubt, we're in Kentuky." While commenting, the archer glances at his companions. They sure are a motley crew, but one that can do serious damage. "Let's hope they don't raise chickens." Well yeah, Kentucky is not as inspirational as the Czek Republic for bad puns.
Samuel Guthrie	Samuel Guthrie looks over and has been on the phone for a bit on the way down. Once they are landing and he looks over to the vehicles "Everyone and their brother are going to peg us for G-men." He says and says "Ah made a few calls on the way in. The place has plenty of room to be more than it appears, old coal mine there, no telling how deep down it goes. They seem to be above board, maybe a bit to much. Most of the places like that around, are growing weed on the side, this place aint. He pauses looking at something down the road a min, and will pull his phone back out and sends a quick text. "None of the folks there are local, even Ma and Pa Adkin, They fit in but can't find anything remembers them from before they bought the place. They have hired hands also not local. A bit quite and keep to themselves, when they are out and about they act normal, but from sounds of it you aint going to see them at the Christmas Parade.
Skye Johnson	Skye sat quietly throughout the debriefing. Nodding. "Shall I gear up, or should I run the computer side of things? Either way is ok with me." Almost all their team had been aware that she wasn't only a geek. Almost. And the enemy who wasn't aware about that little tidbit would be very shortly. She smiled a tight little smile, guessing for the time being she would boot up her laptop. "Well fuck. No wonder they have their recruitment centre out in the middle of satan's armpit.. I'll let you know when we get a stable carrier." If. Even with her friends on the down low there were something that technology couldn't get around.
Nick	Amongst the group there is a figure who looks suspiciously similar to someone folks have been interacting with for the past week save for some key differences. Nick's hair has been altered a bit having shifted to a natural blond style, The hair, while not cut extremely short seems to have been shortened enough to be managable with a tuck behind the ears. A pair of contact lenses adjust the color of the eyes to green. Clothes are reasonably about the same. Low end clothes are still low end clothes and it's been reasonably established that Nick knows where to get them. With the changes coupled with a shift in posture to a general 'don't give a fuck' look, it's a considerable contrast to the grumble Nick of a few days prior. Not bad with such short notice and very little explanation. Nick's brow raises to the mention of an agent being attacked, glancing over towards Bucky. The musician parts his lips slightly before they close again, letting the building comment die away unspoken. That's probably for a conversation later on. Not when they're trying to deal with a large mess. The green tinted eyes look back to the map. Clint's comment about chickens does trigger the slightest of smirks but it dies away quickly. There's probably a Coop joke in there somewhere but the actor's still trying to take in the additional information given by Sam.
James Barnes	Bucky takes the comments remarkably well. Considering that in the space of a few moments he's been told that the place is likely suspect, their cover won't fool anyone local, and the online support is offline, and with all of the complications this brings to the mission, he takes it well indeed. There's just a slight sigh and a shake of the head. "Right, plan B." He points to Sam and Skye "Right, the three of us are now IRS agents, coming to do an audit on the books of that farm." Then to Clint, Hellboy, and Nick "Nick is now a juvenile delinquent released on parole to be placed at the farm. Clint, up to you to play the surly, world-weary parole officer..." momentary pause "... just like that, excellent, got that in one!" Yeah, that was coming. It seems that's it for the briefing, and he gathers up the materials, pausing only to look at text that's been received, who knows how long after it has actually been sent. For a moment he looks at Nick and Sam, and then pockets the phone. "Local source told us to watch our backs, don't believe most of what we see. So if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, suspect it to be a HYDRA agent. Alright, roll out!" And of course, when people turn on the radio in the cars, the first song that starts playing is C.W.McCall's 'Convoy'. Because of course it is.
Hellboy	Hellboy grins as he revs the engine for a moment, his Hand of Doom laid across the top of the steering wheel. He rolls the window down and lights up a cigar. "You got complaints, put 'em in writin' and mail 'em to me. I'll wipe my ass with 'em later." He resist the urge to tailgate, but only barely.
Samuel Guthrie	Samuel Guthrie looks over to Bucky and says "If it is the same one I was just talking to he said they are good." He will look over to Clint and says "Want to ride with us, try to get a passable version of my accent down?" His aint as strong as the locals as he has been away for a while, but it is falling back into place. Once they are on the road, he will add, "Places like this were always the threat to keep kids in line, knew one or two kids who ended up in places like that, but Ah been gone for a few years.
Clint Barton	Given the assignment in Team Drago, Clint had jumped on the vehicle driven by Hellboy. Making another mental note to get back at Winty for it, the archer also rolled down the window of the passenger seat. "Awright Hellboy. We'll play good cop, bad cop, with Nick in the middle. The only detail is, what do we once there? I vote for delivering Nick and driving back." Indeed, it is not quite clear what they are supposed to do once there. Get access, and buy time until some sort of signal - bullets and guts flying probably. Turning slightly to look at Sam, Clint comments, in a quite Mid-Westerner accent, "Born in Iowa, and when it comes to delinquants, been there, done that." Is there such a thing as an Iowa accent? If there is one, then Clint has it. Not that he uses it normally.
Skye Johnson	"Sounds about right. And the problems getting on to their internet can only help this disguise." Though Skye doesn't sound very comfortable not being able to hook up. The trouble with your lie being the truth! "I can focus on the extraneous noise? That's something they would be expecting. Though I have to confess, it's been a while since I have had to use it." More often she tones the world down to hear. She remembers what it was back when she became Quake. Everything was LOUD. Very loud. To the point she couldn't function until she learned to focus on only what she wanted. Like conversations that she was involved in.
Nick	Well it's a good thing Nick doesn't have a uniform. That'll at least eliminates a wardrobe change. As Bucky pats himself on the back for having the solution determined in a single breath, Forever 21 speaks up, "Alright then... Specific charge or just make it up?" Considering Clint got assigned the role of parole officer when Bucky did the initial casting, Nick ends up moving towards the archer. Probably wouldn't make sense for him to arrive separately from Clint. So into the Hellmobile he goes. "...I guess- assault?" At least he wouldn't have to pretend to know about brawling.
James Barnes	"Assault, resisting arrest, dealing drugs." Bucky rattles off before getting into the lead car. Yup, he clearly wants this to sound good. Then there's a nod to Skye "Do what you can. I got a funny feeling about this place." Which is, under the circumstances, perhaps the most terrifying thing he could say. On the ride over, Bucky listens to Sam and nods at the explanation. "Makes sense. Why go through all the trouble to hide something when you can just do it out in the open. People here expect a place like this, couldn't do it in somewhere like New Jersey or Virginia." The road rolls on. The music on the radio changes somewhat jarringly from 'Convoy' to 'Riot' by Bullet for my Valentine. ~Are you ready? It's time for war~ ... ~Let it out, just let it go. We'll burn it down as we lose control. Set the fires, can you feel the heat?~ ... ~Here come the sirens, here comes the law!~ ~Run from the sirens, run from the law!~
Hellboy	Hellboy pushes his hand out the window and makes a trucker horn-pull motion, going 'Toot toot' inside the car. "It's tradition for a convoy," he says. At Clint's suggestion, he turns his head slowly towards the archer, "Good, bad, don't make no difference to me. I don't like cops. You a cop, Hawkeye? Or are you cool? Lemme know now so I know if you can be trusted. Cause every cop I ever met tried to take a shot at me and if you take a shot at me, I'm gonna shove that bow right in your bullseye. Capisce?"
Samuel Guthrie	Samuel Guthrie 's brow raises a bit at the music changing, but he seems distracted "Ok, Ah am going to go out on a limb, and say "Most of the folks are on their payroll as well." He motions towards the cars as they are getting closer. All the houses have the same car and all new. "Now odd that they aint got any older cars around, Ah mean might be some cars on blocks in back yards, but should be more old trucks around than anything else." He tells them
Clint Barton	Hawkeye rolls his eyes at Hellboy's suggestion that he might be a cop. "I'm as much of a cop as you are a ballerina, big boy. Don't get your shorts in a knot, d'you really think Winty would entrust me with the most important part of the mission?" The archer grins, "Actually, the only part of the mission he seems to have planned. We go ad lib, and I'm sure you'll do wonder." As they drive along, he too notices that the scenery isn't quite characteristic of a Kentuky countryside. "This will be fun," Clint finally concludes.
Skye Johnson	Skye nods. As an IRS Agent she presumes she's tired. A bit weary - after all, this was the umpeeth billion audit this week. ..Well this month. She couldn't care less who they were, or what they are doing. Do their books add up? Great, then she be gone. At least that is what she wants them to believe. Meanwhile she was going to try to get into their computers and download all that she can. "Sam, you are taking the lead. I need as much time as you can buy me."
Nick	Nick gives a look at the 'dealing drugs' part. "I know I'm in the entertainment industry but that doesn't mean I'm up to date on the terminology." Especially with over a year of not being able to go to his usual work. But he gives a nod, getting in the car. The musician's quiet for a chunk of the ride but when the topic comes to the trustworthiness of cops he's more or less found common ground with the role he got assigned to play. "I agree." He responds, "There are good ones but never around when needed." The sudden change of the music causes for Nick to glance to the radio. The other signal wasn't exactly weak so the sudden switch over was- "...Ok one of those signals is not a normal station."
James Barnes	The clues are rapidly stacking up. And Bucky does not like what he's seeing and hearing. The whole thing is starting to look too much like a trap, except for the fact that it hasn't been sprung yet. And normal procedure for this kind of situation is to take out the Winter Soldier before he gets to his objective, not simply let him pass, that's HYDRA special ops 101. That, above all things, is bothering him. "Listen up everyone..." he starts over the team comms, shared in the vehicles "... this is not looking normal. But this is our only shot at this, so we proceed as planned. Agent Red, fall back three hundred yards, we don't want to arrive at the same time. Clint, eyes open. Nick, try not to look too much like yourself." It's going to be that kind of mission. The next words are for the car he's in only "We need data so we're doing this. Mister Guthrie, if or more likely when the shooting starts, I want you in cover somewhere. Because if you get your ass shot, it's a whole lot of paperwork I don't want to do." Which means Bucky probably doesn't know too much about Sam, or he wouldn't be worrying. "Skye, I want a full copy of their network as soon as you can. We'll try to keep them talking." The car turns gracefully into Wolfpen Branch Road, off Wolfpen Fork, passing a school bus on the way. Then, a few miles further on, the gates of Bright Sunshine Farms... Invitingly open, with nobody watching them. At all. All quiet in Eastern Kentucky...
Hellboy	Hellboy snorts at Clint, "Don't you diss my dancin' skills, hombre. I'll pirouette your ass off," he says. He takes a big puff on his stogie and hits the communicator button thingie to respond to Bucky, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Big demon spooky, I been hearin' it all my life. Just remember to tell me I'm pretty when I bust down the door and come save your asses."
Samuel Guthrie	Samuel Guthrie looks over to Bucky and says "If the shit hits the fan, they won't be able to hurt me, Ah'm a bit more than a friendly face when it comes to a fight, but Ah will warn ya, if Ah go all out, there will be quite a ruckus around me." He offer to them. He will continue to drive up to the farm looking for a parking space. "If you need some protection, get to me." He tells Skye.
Clint Barton	"You wouldn't be the first one to try," Clint replies, shrugging. "But so far, my ass's still where it belongs, all my ex-es can attest to it." Of course, Hawkeye has his eyes open. Already looking for a perfect vantage point, ideally above the melee so he can have a better view of the enemies when the time comes to assault the place. There are a few higher buildings, but this isn't New York City for sure. And if there is an assault - which is quite certain with Winty around - the archer won't be the only one looking for the best spot. Any glimpse of the sun reflecting on a pair of binoculars, or the sight of a snipper gun, the archer will spot it. So far, there's nothing to report.
Skye Johnson	"The network is much faster than the average person needs. More along my type of connection." Which makes Skye frown. "Be prepared for something out of the ordinary. These aren't your usual bad guys." (?) "In fact, they may be onto us." Would there be someone who recognized Skye from before? But Bucky had the thought she did. "Soon as I'm able to latch on, I'll start the download. And hopefully it won't be long.." Wait a minute.. That's strange. "The connection goes dead about fifteen feet outside the fence. Like dead dead. Unless they got something like I have, they've got no connection. I would have to say it's a satellite focused on here, and nowhere else." Again what Skye has at her house. In other words she will have to break in from inside, and use their connection - which made it a tiny bit more dangerous. After all, while she could read their files, they could read her files in return. Tit for tat? Maaaaaybe..
Nick	It is at this point Nick could politely mention that he does act from time to time. That if he was shit at acting he probably wouldn't be asked back... as often but one gets the point. He COULD mention this. But there's this guy called Murphy and he just KNOWS if he brings any of this up. That rat bastard is going to beat him with his shillelagh named 'humility'. So let's not go up on that pedestal and kind of cut the potential distance if there's a fall. "...I'll try." The blond haired, green eyed musician mutters, slouching a bit more, arms crossed as he just stares daggers at the back of the seat. Nothing like dealing with potential abductors like wandering straight into their lair voluntarily. Nick adds 'Why the hell is he even here?' to the list of questions to ask Bucky later. Hellboy's comment gets a glance. "You're pretty cool." He offers as an advance. He looks back to the chair. "...Just in case I'm not myself when you come busting in." Well, beyond the hair and contact lenses.
James Barnes	"You need to come save my ass, I'll buy you every round you can drink for a week, Agent Red." is Bucky's reply over the comms just as they roll into the farm. Pretty safe bet, come to think of it. Bucky isn't the damsel in distress type and tends to look to his own rescues. It's utterly silent here on the farm. There's plenty of parking space, most coveniently right outside of the farm building, a quaint three story home that looks like it can house a family and some farm hands in some comfort. There's an abundance of farming equipment, heavy and otherwise, all ready to go. What there is a lack of is people with guns and satellite dishes. It's rural Kentucky at its finest. Combine harvester parked a short distance away, a watering tank detached from a tractor halfway down the courtyard between the farm house and the barns... you couldn't think of something more rustic. Except, perhaps, for the old man who comes out of the house just as Bucky is getting out of the car, stretching out as if they've been driving for a while. The old codger, easily recognisable from his picture shown earlier, crosses his arms and looks over to his unexpected visitors. "What y'all want then?" "Mister Adkins?" Bucky asks, all bored official. "Agent Chalmers, IRS. We're here to inspect..." "Aww hell, it's the revenoo!" Pa Adkins grumbles and then seems to find his manners "Well, ya'll c'mon in then, I'll get Ma to fix ya some tea." And it's as the agents are going into the house that the second car drives up. Rolling his eyes, Pa Adkins motions to a young man in his early twenties who is working on the harvester "Johnny!" "Pa?" "Revenoo's here an' I ain't got time for no more visitors. You go see what them folk want an' give 'em a proper Kentucky welcome, y'hear?" "Yes Pa!" Which means there is a young man wiping his hands on a greasy rag waiting for Nick, Clint, and Hellboy.
Hellboy	Hellboy snorts at Clint, "No shit. You mean people before me have found you annoying? I'm flamin' shocked, my brother. Don't worry, though, I don't do friendly fire. Usually. Unless you get possessed by a demon," he says, reaching into his pocket and taking a swig from the flask he found there before giving a big toothy grin. "Then I'll shoot your soul right out of your body." Seeing someone approaching, so much for him not being noticed. He keeps his window up, "Well, it's up to you guys now. Get on out and meet the boy and prep his ass or he's gonna shit himself like a New York Pigeon when I get out of this car."
Clint Barton	As their vehicle comes to a stop, Clint nods and steps out, moving to the rear door which he opens, taking a bag that he had placed there, containing the archery kit. "C'mon kid," the archer prompts Nick, "I've got other kids to deliver, so move it." Keeping his voice loud enough for Johnny to hear him, Clint motions for Nick to step out. While waiting for Nick to join him, the archer turns toward Johnny, "Hey, kid! I've got papers to be signed for this delivery. I'd appreciate if you could speed up the transfer, I've got another client to take care of after this one. Then another one, and yeah, another one. Why they don't just lock them in and lose the damn key, is beyond me."
Samuel Guthrie	Samuel Guthrie will move to open the door for Sky if she is getting out, and if not he just heads around towards Bucky and Pa. "Sorry to come by with no gall Mr. Atkin, but they were supposed to called you, We left Frankfort, earlier, and left the calls and paperwork to those at the office, you know how it is, get into some of these hollars, and you aint getting reception worth a dang."
Nick	As the stop to start the charade. Nick maintains the glare, turning his head to fix it upon Clint. There's a pause before he gives a grumble of discontent. He unclips the seatbelt, allowing for the built in tension of the belt sling the metal insert against the frame of the open door with a loud clunk. Good seatbelt. Disrespectful little shit. The arms are unfolded briefly as the surly looking kid climbs out of the car and shuts the door, quite possibly a bit harder than polite people are inclined to do. Speed does not appear to be an element Nick wishes to apply to his approach to Clint. As he gets closer, there's just the hint of personal amusement to his expression for being an inconvenience to the one barking orders at him. Compliance. But an annoying one.
Skye Johnson	"Maybe because you don't have the control over them." Of course, Skye was snarking (quietly) at Clint. ..OK.. She's an IRS agent who has a past? Maybe. Taking her lead with Sam, she remarks as they go in, "Do you have an internet connection? You'll make my job easier if you do."
James Barnes	It is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a very comfortable and homely room that Bucky and Skye are led into by a slightly preoccupied Pa Adkins. The old man is clearly not happy to see the IRS pay him a visit, but then what Kentucky farmer would be? On the way to the sitting room, he stops another young man. "Jess, you go an' get the red folder from my office, then go help yer brother in the north field, ya hear?" "Yes pa!" The sitting room seems to come straight out of a different era, an era where doilies and antimaccasars were still the height of style. It's like sitting down with your grandparents for tea... which is not long in coming, brought in by a smiling elderly woman, who serves up three cups and then leaves, presumably to fetch cookies... home baked, if the smell is anything to go by. Bucky sits awkwardly, holding the cup and saucer in his hands as if he would break them just by looking at them. Pa Adkins, on the other hand, sits comfortably, waiting for the paperwork to be brought in, giving a glance over to Bucky and Skye. "Ain't the first time I got the Revenoo 'round here. I figgered y'all had 'nuff to be gettin' on with after that last inspection." In the meantime, the young man known as Johnny approaches Nick and holds out a hand. "Welcome to Bright Sunshine farms. Ain't so bad around here." And then he calls over his shoulder "Hunter! C'mhere an' get the new guy settled in!". This turns out to be another young man, who hurries around the corner of the barn and heads on over to Nick, with an open smile. "Hey there. C'mon with me, we'll get ya settled." Meanwhile Johnny turns back to Clint, his expression somewhat more world weary... and belligerent. "Y'all got the paperwork for this one, officer? Wouldn't wanna keep you from delivering all them other kids you're so keen on gettin' delivered."
Clint Barton	Clint waits for the young men to take charge of Nick, but has no intention of letting them walk away with him. With a weary smirk on his face, the archer looks back at Johnny. Bad attitude Johnny. "Kiddo," Clint grunts, "Drop the attitude," he says. "Ah ain't the one who broke the law, A'm just delivering him." A pause, "And making sure this establishment," saying that, the archer look around at the farm, "Meets requirement. So here's what we'll do, kid. I'll go in and check the housing arrangement and only then'll sign the papers and A'll be on my merry way." It has been years since he left Ohio, and maybe faking the accent isn't such a good idea. Nonetheless, Barton always tought he was a great actor, but all his ex'es always disagreed. Ah well.
Hellboy	Hellboy is mostly staying inside anyway. Covert, huh? Maybe he really should've actually read the folder after he got assigned. He would've asked for one of them dumb magical disguise amulets. He hated them, but he did it. Sometimes. When he had to. He lights his cigar and takes a few puffs, rolling down the window just the barest crack to let it out. Evidence of his existence, at least, but what, did they think the thing was drivin' itself? "Keep yer peepers away from the gap here or yer like to get the cherry o' my stogie shoved in yer friggin' eye."
Nick	As he gets closer to Clint and Johnny, the arms fold once more. Having made his point he goes back to the surly demeanor of before. Johnny's offered hand gets a look but it doesn't appear the offering is enticing enough to break the comforting position his arms are currently set in. There's a distrustful look, before he looks to scenery with a frown. "Yeah whatever." the blond mutters, barely audible. He drifts back into quiet as Johnny calls over Hunter and Clint responds to Johnny's demands for paperwork. Nick looks over to Hunter, rolling his eyes as Clint details what the group's next steps are going to be. Nick's not even going to try for an accent, rather banking more on a general trend of families that move for various reasons, be it better opportunities or for peace and quiet. It just happens not all kids adjust to the change in environment in a constructive manner.
Skye Johnson	Following Bucky in, Skye looks around. "To tell the truth, you probably were picked at random. I wouldn't qorry about it. Besides, I'm only the bookkeeper. I don't have any power here. He does." She nods towards Bucky. (Well, she didn't lie! Bucky was the lead on the mission.) Skye makes a pleasant smile, and begins to take out her laptop. "We've done it with worse. It may take a little longer, but.." She waves off as she boots it up. While she waits she looks around the living room. "Seems I'll have to bounce it off the satellite." That is if the signal is strong enough. Here's hoping!
James Barnes	"Ah them damned hell machines..." Pa grumbles when Skye boots up her laptop. Possibly he knows that a computer doesn't lie, or isn't as easily fooled or bribed as a human IRS agent, which likely constitutes the vast majority of his arsenal of evasion. He certainly doesn't seem to mind modern technology, as evidenced by the fact that there's a large combine harvester sitting at the northern end of the courtyard, with several young men working on it. As for signals, well... there's a signal here alright, and seems to be a pretty decent one. Public unsecured hotspot too, which just further proves that Pa probably had one of the youngsters in his care set up the network and then never bothered with it again. He certainly doesn't seem the type to be using computers much. "Bad 'nough y'all come pester a man fer his last pennies, you hadda bring one of them machines with ya that won't leave me with naught but the shirt on my back." Jess, meanwhile, enters with the requested folder, gets a nod from Pa, and then withdraws from the drawing room. "Things sure ain't like they used to be." "That's right, they're not." Bucky agrees, wondering how he's going to keep this cover intact long enough for Skye to gather the data. "It sure ain't..." Pa sighs as he opens the folder. Skye is in luck! The connection is stable. Very stable. Really, really stable. And fast. Too fast. Within moments, the firewall is flashing warnings as someone tries to hack into Skye's laptop. "No sir, it ain't." Pa repeats himself, just as there is a sound in the hallway. "Gives a man a desire to go back to them good ol' days, y'know? A longing, rusty, seventeen..." the litany begins, while Pa reads from a slim red book with a black star on the cover, accompanied by two other voices reading from what looks like home made copies, slowly walking into the room while reciting the code. It is roughly at this moment that Bucky throws his saucer at one of them, and the cup at another to shut them up. Just in time for Skye to recognise the hallmarks of IcedLotus making an attempt on her laptop... Outside, Johnny steps between Nick and Clint "Soon as I see the paperwork for the inspection, officer. Maybe we ain't angels, but we gots rights." The physical intervention allows Hunter to step up to Nick and put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon quick, get ya away from this guy." And Nick gets a shove towards the barn just as the first six HYDRA shock troopers appear from behind the combine harvester to the north, from around the water tank to the west, and the house to the south. The rumbling of engines on the access road quite heavily implies that going that way wouldn't be a good plan either. But the trap isn't truly sprung until a jet of flame fires out of the quickly opened vehicle shed, aiming to immolate the car containing Hellboy... as a HYDRA flame tank rolls into view.
Clint Barton	Right, so the shyte hit the fan, this quickly. With a vague mental note that everytime he tried to lie to an ex, he faced about the same reaction, the archer reacts instinctively and dashes for the black vehicle, retrieving his sport bag and already grabbing his bow and quiver. "Awright, let's get this show on the road, guys!" Unwilling to become a human shichkebab, Clint starts in the opposite direction from the tank, barely stopping to club Johnny in the back of the head with his bow. Once at a safe distance, the archer takes cover behing a rusted piece of metal that might have been a tractor at some time, and aims at the tank. Bullseye, of course, as a detonating charge enters the frontal canon of the tank. Unless it has a special protective system, the tank should be out of commission in no time and its crew properly fried in Kentucky.
Hellboy	The blast hits the SUV hard and, while the thing's definitely armored up compared to your average vehicle, it isn't a tank. The flame shoots in through the open gap in the window first, immolating the inside of the car around Hellboy. There's a brief moment of him swatting his left hand through the glass and shattering the window right before the fire breached the seal on the gascap. And the thing explodes around him, engulfing him in a ball of flame. Hope nobody left anything important in the cup holders. After a good long burn, the wreckage shifts and Hellboy shoves the roof of the car off of him, a shriek of metal tearing as he emerges. He sheds the remnants of his longcoat, leaving him clad in a pair of trousers and boots. His red-skinned body is massive and crisscrossed with scars and arcane markings and he has both a longsword and a battle axe strapped criss-cross to his back. He reaches under his arm and draws the Samaritan, flicking the chamber open and closed as the Hand of Doom crumples the remaining steel in his hand. "Aw, shucks, boys. It ain't even Christmas no more. You didn't haveta get me nothin'," he says.
Nick	As Johnny doubles down, Nick finds himself spinning round with the help of Hunter. "Hhn?" Out of feasible excuses not to start walking, Nick starts stepping in the direction he's being steered in. If they were trying to hide the shock troopers from his line of sight, they would have been successful. But it's pretty damn hard to hide a giant jet of flame. The general heat, lighting, and sound of it is a dead give away. So Nick does what he can. He commits. Turning his head to the sound, his eyes widen. "-TH'FUCKISTHAT?!" Panicked response. Seems reasonable right? And if someone for SOME reason didn't see, hear, feel that, well- Consider yourself advised.
Skye Johnson	At first Skye was comfortable. So they didn't have a computer in their living room. But obviously they had them around. If not Ma and Pa, certainly one or two of the people working around here. She had just connected her laptop onto it, and had just gotten the vpn set up.. Weird. This podunk place had good connection. In fact.. really good connection. Either Ma and Pa were full of shit (which was her first guess), or someone outside was prepared for this little rendezvous. Someone was prepared. IcedLotus. "Fuck." So much for the polite little civil servant. "We got a little problem he.." Two little problems. And both of them were bad. Really bad. Let IcedLotus at her computer, and let Bucky revert to an assassin under Hydra's command. Or the other way around. Either way it wasn't going to be pretty. Of course, Skye first tried to break off the link. But she wasn't convinced that would be enough. With IcedLotus, she didn't really think it would work. Second plan: If she was trying to take over Skye's laptop.. what was keeping Skye from taking over HER computer. Tit for tat? "You ok?" Skye was working over her keyboard as she asked Bucky. "Cause I would really like to shut this hacker down." She hadn't told who the hacker was.. yet.
James Barnes	Hunter grabs Nick and pulls him into the barn, slamming the door shut behind them. It's dark in there, but there are old fashioned oil lamps lit, and the place is warm and somewhat cavernous. But it's safe from the chaos outside, and the young man looks wide-eyed at Nick. "What the hell man?! It's like world war three out there! Who the hell are these guys?!" Yup, that is one lost and confused young man, looking around the barn in desperation, one hand on his hip, the other running through his hair. "I mean, this shit always happens to me! Always man! I try to go straight, I try to play ball, and here I am, stuck with .... with... whatever those things are! I mean, holy shit..." A few deep breaths as he tries to calm down, meandering, coincidentally now meandering directly next to Nick. "Fuck man... you know what they say? Life bites!" And there's a flash of a taser coming towards Nick. In the far darkness, something stirs... The vehicle shed goes up in a ball of flame as the HYDRA flame tank is transformed into a ball of expanding gases and fragments of ballistic armor plate when Clint's explosive arrow cooks off the flamethrower tank. Since that also accounted for the vast majority of the internal volume of the vehicle, the explosion is quite impressive. Shards of tank are flung far and wide, neatly shearing off the roof of the farm house and blowing in all the nearby windows. It certainly stops the shocktroopers in their tracks for a moment. What truly stops them is the sight of Hellboy unfolding from the burning car. That... was not part of the script. A storm of shots comes his way, while as per doctrine the tactical squads send in the flame troopers to contain and subdue. Someone, it seems, didn't get the memo. With Jess and his brother smashed in the face by flying crockery, their zeal for advanced Russian incantation is lessened, and their litany trails off while they drop their copies of the Winter Soldier code. Pa, on the other hand, is grinding on relentlessly "Dobroserdechnyy! Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu! Odin!" And with only one word left, a dazed Bucky launches himself bodily at Pa, getting the man in a stranglehold although he's still trying to form the final command word. Which is when the windows blow in, and the book is ripped out of his hands. As the vibranium arm has him dead to rights, he gasps "Mercy... zimny soldat..." And when the hold is fractionally released, take the instant to whisper something at Bucky. IcedLotus is in Skye's system but good, making headway, having learned from their previous encounters. It is likely things would have gotten very bad very soon, were it not that Skye flips the script... literally. What was a highly skilled incursion into Skye's system now turns into a battle of wits between the two greatest hackers of the age. In a tug of war like that, something as small as the windows blowing in and two young men running back into the room with assault rifles may not even rate!
Clint Barton	Giving an appreciative look at HellBoy for a moment - very short moment, enough to assess that his /driver/ can honestly take care of most Hydra idiot enough to rush at him - Clint also worries as he notices Nick running inside with the other boy. Was it part of the plan? Some sort of infiltration? This will have to wait, as for now the archer is taking shots at troopers, neutralizing them as he can, not aiming any detonating arrow too close to HellBoy. Oh, the big red guy would survive a few detonations, no worries: but how he would appreciate friendly fire is another story. Reaching for his comms, Clint tries to reach the Winter Soldier. "Where the fuck are you, Winty? Ye're missin' all the fun." Before resuming his communication, the archer dashes for another position, as he felt like becoming a target for stray Hydras. "Wassup in there?" Actually, what needed to be known is if Nick going inside was part of the plan, but the archer is wary of intercepted communications. While he shots a couple more Hydra, the archer wonders if a plan with a single first step can really be called a plan. He'll have to check with Winty.
Nick	As the door slams shut cutting Nick off from the others. There's a hint of adrenaline hitting. Then again flame throwing things and being plunged into darkness would likely cause for this reaction for most people. So... yay for character continuity? The musician stumbles forward, turning to look to the door and then to the room itself, giving a confused look. Such great acting. One would think he wasn't expecting what he was seeing. Hunter's ramble causes for Nick to look over to the other guy, giving a slight nod to a few points that kind of hit home. But that spark of a weapon draws Nick back in to what's going on. For a moment Nick drifts back into his old self. Eyes narrow and the young-ish man shifts forward, hand going up to redirect the one holding the taser away from him. His movement moves forward, bringing the other hand to strike at the man's head before shoving back, putting distance between him and Hunter. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Nick snaps, "Is this some fucking scared straight program on crack?"
Hellboy	Hellboy absorbs the shots without much in the way of impact, although one might at least make his shoulder jerk now and then. He still has his cigar clamped between his teeth as he lifts up his oversized revolver. These are base assault rounds, nothing special, just your average incendiary shell. Like being shot with a small ship's cannon. No biggie. POW. POW. And another one gets facepalmed by the hand of doom, dangled up and off the ground. "You ain't even got horns or nothin'. Yer about as dangerous as a chipmunk." he snarls.
Skye Johnson	"Please.. shit.. I haven't got time.." There are things she knows in her head. But there are plenty of things she knows, and had access to with her computer. Most of the time, she was fairly certain that her firewalls are sufficient to keep everyone out. But IcedLotus? There was an opponent who she kind of gave her respect to, but also Skye was no fool, IcedLotus was up to snuff against Skye. This was going to be a real battle. However, in order to be in Skye's computer, IcedLotus had to be open for attack. And who knows what other things Skye could glean when she captured IcedLotus'. Really, she really didn't think she could take control completely. Once IcedLotus had an idea, Skye was hoping that she would retreat post haste. At least that was the plan. Skye had to give up on Bucky for a moment. He was one. In Skye's computer, there were many.. many others who were at risk if she didn't stop IcedLotus. She hoped that Bucky would understand. As it was, Skye felt ill. As she digs deeper into the battle of wills, she put up code that would make IcedLotus's computer pretty much a problem. After all, Skye was not hoping to keep her computer long term. Just to send her back to a right royal mess.
James Barnes	In the barn, Hunter is handily knocked back and takes a moment to shake his head clear. His grip on that tazer is surprisingly professional, and the look in his eyes has gone from confused panic to something closer to manic hatred. This kid is not playing with a full deck. "Oh, so they did teach you something other than how to be a bad actor." Another swipe with the tazer, more aggression than technique. "You think that disguise fools anyone? You're still on Netflix!" That rustling in the corner is getting pretty loud now, something is opening. Something which creaks. It has the overtones of a bad horror movie. "They want you! The master wants you! You made him look like a fool!" Hunter is raving now, and his technique rapidly improves as he finds reserves of icy lunatic calm inside of him. This is a young man on a mission. A young man with a clear task. A young man, one might say, in thrall of something. A figure rises in the darkness. Of course, no plan survives contact with the enemy, which means it's perhaps best to go in with no plan at all? At least then there's nothing to get confused about, no conflicting objectives to suddenly disentangle without the help of some form of battlefield commander. The HYDRA flame troopers engulf Hellboy in fire, and only give up their strategy when two of them are pulped by shots from the Sameritan, and one finds themselves briefly suspended from the head. After that, they rather lose heart and reconsider their plan. Which means that, inevitably, a whole lot of fire and firepower shifts focus towards Clint. Whatever these troopers are after, they seem perfectly content to keep the Avenger and Hellboy pinned down in the courtyard, while finding cover themselves. Arrows through the torso, after all, are a surefire way to have your day ruined. From the driveway, four more pickup trucks emerge, loaded with people in black tactical gear. And Bucky is not responding to comms. In fact, inside the house which is rapidly turning into a disaster area, Bucky suddenly stands up as if pole-axed, and looks around him in a daze. He takes one step, two... and then falls face first through the coffee table. The two young men with rifles approach him cautiously, while Pa rubs his throat. That was a close one! Skye finds that IcedLotus is running the connection through dozens of sacrificial proxies, each of which have a hexidecimal code and seem to be fairly local. Whenever one node is shut down, an attack would resume from another node in the chain, requiring a new scripe, a new defense, a new attack. It takes superhuman effort to keep up with the onslaught, with nothing less than all the secrets of SHIELD on the line! And, perhaps, the secrets of IcedLotus, because Skye's attack code slowly begins to creep up the network towards the master terminal.
Clint Barton	The lack of reply over the comms doesn't reassure the archer. Nor is the increasing fire directed at him. Since he's not going to buy the farm today, Clint quickly looks around for a way out, his current position being literally less of a defensive one. As he looks around, the archer notices the pickups and tact guys. Friends or foes? Hard to tell, and he's not gonna wait to know. Skye is in there, so are Nick and Winty. It's close to extraction time, infiltration having failed. "Watch out for new players!," Clint shouts over the comms, hopefully HellBoy has his working. Damn if you do, damn if you don't. "Damn!" And with that, Clint bolts towards the door where Nick went in. There's no time for subtlety, so another small detonation should take care of the door. If he can locate Nick, then they'll all focus on Skye and Winty. It's definitely too hot on this farm.
Hellboy	"I got yer ass covered like an ex-wife's lawyer, pal!" he yells at Clint. "Go help yer friends. They ain't got nothin' I can't handle," he says. That, of course, may or may not be true. But he'll be damned if he needs back-up against regular joe schmo Hydra schmucks, no matter how good their equipment. And if there is something supernatural afoot...well, he'd shove his fist up that ass when it crossed in front of him.
Skye Johnson	Skye really doesn't have a place to do this. What with Bucky fighting for his life.. She hopes that IcedLotus figured she would protect her secrets, instead of going counter offensive the way that she had. Following her back to her 'secret lair' so to speak, Skye had gained a modicum of seconds that she could place Trojan bombs, and even worse, Logic bombs, that would render IcedLotus dead in the water. And if Skye did it right, it would backtrack to Skye's computer and make it a doorstop. In other words: Two birds, one stone to make it impossible to get info from Skye's computer. Skye wasn't dumb enough to leave all her bits and pieces for just such an attack. Her work computer was very info light compared to her super secure home computer. And if that was the one being attacked.. well, let's just say, Barbara would be very interested in kicking IcedLotus's ass.
Nick	Yeaaaaaaah. Nick kind of had that feeling when there was a reference to Life Bites! that the on the fly character assignment Bucky gave wasn't going to work. Although the flaming vehicle was a good tip off too. Ok this whole operation was kind of sus. Well, if Clint had been in the building, this would be a perfect time to give him a 'I told you so' look in regards to why he can't be an agent. "This place has Netflix?" Nick asks, opting not to give Hunter the satisfaction of confirming his declaration. He might know that Nick knows, but it's never quite the same as a solid form of acknowledgement. "How about Disney plus and Hulu?" Unaware of what's going on behind him, the musician's focus is primarily on the guy with the taser backing him into an unseen area. He stumbles back slightly, hand grabbing at the handle of one of the oil lamps, swinging it back. "What master? What did I do?"
James Barnes	"You ruined my reputation!" is the loud hissing accusation from behind Nick, where a vampire looking exactly like his character Dominic on 'Life Bites!' is rising up from the ground. That is one angry looking bloodsucker... Hunter sways back when the oil lamp is grabbed, but keeps herding Nick back, back... always further back towards the angry vampire, who launches himself at the back of the actor and music star. This may end up going badly! But it's in mid flight that the vampire sees the door to the barn suddenly explode, whirring sharp and above all wooden fragments in all directions. The reaction is instinctive, to gain altitude, flying to the rafters where someone with the eye sight of Clint can't possibly miss him. The HYDRA shock troops start to pull back from Hellboy, and the people in black tactical gear that are joining the party are ignoring the demi-demon tank while double timing to the farm house to the south, rifles at the ready. They come, in the end, for Bucky. Together they swarm into the demolished sitting room, surrounding the downed Winter Soldier with a ring of rifles, one of the new arrivals cautiously approaching with a pair of vibranium manacles. One objective is about to be achieved, so it seems. Neither Pa nor the youngsters, nor the new tactical squads, pay attention to Skye as she fights IcedLotus. That, as it turns out, is a huge mistake. When the defenses of IcedLotus' system finally melt under the onslaught of malicious code from Skye, the first logic bombs find their way into the system, nestling there until certain conditions are met. Then come the trojans. And then comes the cyber apocalypse! Petabytes of junk data flood across the networks and proxies, knocking out the internet connection in two surrounding counties in a DDOS attack never before seen. Among the flood of random code, some interesting tidbits from the IcedLotus system make it to Skye's own computer before the sheer volume of data terminates the connection with extreme prejudice. Which leaves Skye ignored in a room filled with HYDRA troopers, about to carry off Bucky.
Clint Barton	It doesn't take long for Clint to spot Hunter, but what catches his attention is that thing flying to the rafters. A few seconds are all is needed to categorize this thing among the blood suckers species. Which means, it's already dead, so killing it is perfectly correct. While he's not a fan of the genre, the archer knows that on TV vampires are dispatched with a stake, or by fire. Fire will do. Decision made, the incendiary arrow hits the rafters just above the vile batman, splashing its alighted fuel on the vampire. This being taken care of, Clint turns toward the Hunter. "Kid, I've got another one for you," he says, aiming an arrow at Hunter, "Let him go." Meaning, of course, Nick. Maybe this will distract the tug and give Nick a chance to neutralize him. If not, the concussion arrow will do the job. "How is it going there?" Clint calls over the comms. He's still unsure who these tact guys were, what they came for, and where they are. Talking of where they are, "HB, we need to locate Winty and Skye. Now."
Nick	Hearing the accusation, Nick's glance to the side reveals someone of a similar stature, although with dark pitch black hair. With a spin, Nick starts to swing the oil lamp at the vampire but the explosion of the door causes the problem of some wooden shrapnel heading towards the vampire. And consequently those around him It's a sharp pain which causes for Nick to give a bit of a gasp. Oh dear -God. Nick's form lurches forward, figure shifting as a darkness starts to seep over him and the clump of wood imbedded into his back. The added element seems to melt into his form, leaving but a shrouded figure where Nick once stood. With a screech, the Phantasm scoops up a stick to leap up after the doppleganger vampire.
Skye Johnson	This was the single most effective hack Skye had done, excepting what she did when she had been a double agent while Hydra took out all the internets around the globe. And that one she had help. Funny that. IcedLotus was there too.. Well, in theory. She escaped without a peep. As the hack was in place, there wasn't anything to do. It would work, or wouldn't. But luckily, Skye was now available to help Bucky. And while she prefers to think of herself as a hacker, really, she was a kick ass Metahuman besides. "Bucky!" She looked around at the mess that had happened while she had been busy. No one would be able to live here for a very long time when they were done. Which made her scowl. This was not a random attack. No. They had specific goals. The odds are that this team was planned for. To hell with this. Standing up, now that her job was or was not going to work, she held her hands out and focused on two of the people that had circled around Bucky, who was out cold (or so she thought!).
James Barnes	There are few things as calculated to make a Vampire panic than a skilled archer, except perhaps for fire, or a shadowy figure where an easy prey once stood wielding a piece of sharp wood with intent. Combine all three, and 'Dominic' flees for the only place he expects safety... the rafters. Burning fuel splashes on him and sets his clothes on fire, making the vampire flail as he flies, setting more fires along his erratic path, aware that all the time behind him that shadowy figure is closing in, certain death (again) made manifest, whereas the fire is only probable and eventual oblivion. The old wooden beams of the barn go up like kindling in a dry oven, the fire spreading along the roof with a loud WOOMF that instantly turns the structure from a cavernous darkness to a brightly lit scene from Dante's inferno. Oh my, does it burn! Hunter, seeing his undead master in jeopary, throws himself at Hawkeye with more anger than common sense, and takes a stun arrow to the chest for his trouble. He drops like a puppet with its strings cut. With his thrall unable to help, 'Dominic' flees further and further into the fire, shrieking as he does, desperate for a way out... he's an artist, you know, not a fighter. And how do you fight someone who can impale you from a distance, or something that can barely be seen? A dark opening appears in front of the vampire, and on pure instinct he soars for it. Dodging burning debris pattering down from the roof, around a wooden beam fully aflame, into the dark coolness of... The open air. As 'Dominic' clears the black smoke that is pouring out of the barn, he has just a moment to realize his mistake before the bright Kentucky sunshine hits him. With a final indignant shriek, 'Dominic' turn to dust, wafting away in the updraft. His artistic soul will forever be tormented by the fact that his final expression was, by and large, a Wilhelm Scream. MEANWHILE, IN THE FARM HOUSE There is a series of sudden motions as the tactical team, having discounted Skye as a threat, are suddenly made aware again of her presence. A dozen assault rifles are aimed her way, several of them wavering slightly as their wielders are clearly nervous about something. These three happen to be standing closest to the unconscious Bucky, and probably have good reason to worry about their immediate future. It's likely to be short and full of incident. "Now see here missy..." Pa Adkins begins, still unarmed but clearly considering himself in control "... ain't no need fer you to be shot t'day. So how 'bout you just sit down quiet like on yer knees, put yer hands behind yer head, an' these fine genn'l'men will take you away alongside your friend here?" A slight creak from the remains of the coffee table. For a moment, Pa Adkins looks a bit worried.
Nick	An artist. Appearance. And apparently three letters. As much as Dominic and Nick have in common, it is no wonder that the once easy prey was cast to portray the doppelganger. And look! What was once Nick appears to have just as easy a time getting up to the rafters as Dominic. The screech from below appears to have been more a warning as the sounds coming from the pursuing Phantasm have now devolved into angry snarls. As the vampire turns to dust, the shadowy figure soon erupts from the hole the vampire had so kindly pointed out before. Flecks of Dominic flutter about, the unseen ones simply passing through the shadowy form uninterrupted on its path to the ground as in the end, Dominic remained true to the book in terms of fate. Deprived of its kill, the phantasm's head turns towards the rest of the sounds going on about. A glow of eyes peer from the abyss where the face should be, narrowing as a jagged teeth forms. The expression, likely disconcerting for anyone else who just HAPPENS to be on the roof of a burning barn instead of concerning themselves with leaving it. The glow of the smile and eyes dim, going back to darkness as the shrouded figure takes an unnatural leap towards the farm house, a leap one can only dream of. With the considerable air time, his path adjusts, allowing for him to fall through the other building. When he lands, he quickly shoves the stick into the shooting arm of one of the people he DIDN'T recognize and lets go. One thing is certain. The clock is ticking and all of this needs to be shut down. Now.
Skye Johnson	Skye was pissed. Really, really pissed. ~Assholes~ she bitched to herself. She originally was going to use her powers to keep Bucky out of the hands of the enemy, but now? Now she had a bigger idea, thanks to those rifles. "How about /you/ drop your guns, before you shoot your eyes out." Okay, she'd been watching Christmas shows. Sue her. "I figure, you've got to the count of three to drop them. One.. Two.." She never made it to three. She wasn't a fair player when her friends were on the line. On three, she sent a pulse with her hands. Only this time rather than a rather narrow beam, she went as far as she was able, with a wide spread beam. Yippee Ki-Yay assholes.
James Barnes	Things happen quickly, too quickly for the unaugmented human eye to follow. At first, there is an urgent whispered argument between one of the troopers in black and Pa Adkins, which goes roughly like this. 'That's Quake!' 'She ain't got no powers left!' 'Well, how do you know?' ''cause I got told by -' 'What if they were lying?!' The discussion turns hypothetical when the ultimatum is made, and a dozen trigger fingers come off the trigger guards, with one or two of the troopers surreptitiously thumbing the fire selector to 'rock and roll'. Not everyone, it seems, has the same confidence as Pa Adkins. And with good reason! In one crowded moment, a Phantasm drops through the ceiling and impales the arm of the tactical leader with a piece of wood. The scream has no time to form, because the next thing to hit the team and the HYDRA agents is a wave of energy that throws them clear across the room and through the back wall into the kitchen, which promptly collapses on top of them along with a good section of farm house. The only trooper spare this fate is grabbed around the ankle by a Vibranium hand, and then thrown through the side wall as Bucky gets up, incidentally flattening the final young man in the farm house who had been lurking there with an automatic shotgun. Unfolding more than standing, Bucky rises. There's a dark gleam in his eyes as he looks over the carnage, flexing the fingers of his left hand and rolling his shoulder, Winter Soldier style.
Nick	Things are quite busy indeed. As the tactical leader experiences the worst kind of morning wood possible, the phantasm's now freed hand grabs on to the tactical leader's firearm which, does not appear to be held onto as well as it used to be. When Skye's blast hits, the rifle starts to shift in the direction of the blast before it suddenly loses resistance. The phantasm looks to the men that have been knocked down and then shifts the weapon back in hand, looking over to Skye and Bucky. There's a quiet moment of reflection upon the Phantasm's eyes before the rifle is offered over to Bucky. There's the start of a growl before it's halted. "...leave." In this form, Nick is truly a master of words. There's a flick of the other hand, causing for the nails to extend out like claws. Well, at least he's not unarmed.
Skye Johnson	That was easy.. to a point. With Nick's help, and the spreading fire.. Of course that meant who was Nick now, and whose side was Bucky on? If he was on their side bonus. But if he was not? It wouldn't be very pretty, and Skye was a bit concerned that she would be in trouble. "I do what he says." Skye pointed at Nick. Just in case, she gets ready to fight again. Fuck, she's going to hurt later. Please, oh please, oh please let Bucky still remember them as friends, not targets!
James Barnes	The sound of gunfire comes from the courtyard, where a battle still rages. From the north and north-west, the HYDRA shock troops continue to press Hellboy and Hawkeye, the longer ranged rifle troops providing covering fire for the flame troopers, who have learned that there's no point in attacking Hellboy. As a result, Clint is receiving a lot of hate, expressed in lead and napalm. With deliberate movements, Bucky steps forwards and accepts the rifle from Nick without a word, checking the magazine and chamber as he goes, eyes then fixed firmly forwards. "Find the files" he grates out as he passes Skye, proceeds into the hallway and completely unnecessarily kicks out the front door. The first HYDRA troops fall to disciplined bursts fired into their rear as the Winter Soldier advances, at a steady pace towards the north. Seeing the new threat in their rear, the west flank of the assault collapses and withdraws north. Arrows find their mark, the Samaritan booms out defiance, and deadly accurate shots begin to tell as the shock troopers collapse ever further north, beginning to cluster around the harvester.
Nick	When the rifle leaves Nick's hands, the glow that represents the eyes brighten, approximating a little bit of the expression that comes with the nod of the shrouded figure. He turns, the now freed hand flicks out sizable claws to form a complete set. Instructions were somewhat unclear leaving some room for interpretation. Does Nick help with searching for files or does he go out into the battle with Bucky? Deep down there's an urge to join into the foray but something kills that. While Bucky joins the battle, Nick pulls back to quickly look around the remaining rooms for any last second arrivals waiting to make a cheap shot. And if he happens to find something that looks like a file, maybe he'll nab that. Either way, in times like this it's good to have it to where doors are an optional thing.
Skye Johnson	Phew! Bucky was definitely on their side. Now that that is that, Skye nods. Get the files. Gotcha. Only, the laptop was really just a rock now. What with she had done to it. It certainly could not use the net. Then again, there were zero indications of files to be found on the net. Which meant she was looking for hard copies. And with the growing flames she didn't have time on her side. Would they actually put them in a file folder? ..No way? ..Really? Quickly she scanned looking for anywhere that would have had the files on the boys. And from there she would look in the circular pattern if needed.
James Barnes	Amazingly, the youngsters around the harvester continue to work on it, as if the battle around them isn't happening. These are some really dedicated farmers, or something else is going on here... Resistance is starting to dwindle, as projectiles of many different forms are taking their toll on the HYDRA troops which are now clustering up together. A fatal mistake... As one, Hellboy and Bucky charge forwards, firing as they go. Arrows zip past them, and neither agent is at all concerned. If Hawkeye isn't aiming at them, they're not going to be hit. It's that simple. When the two living embodiments of violence reach the HYDRA line, things get a bit... violent. The farmhouse has seen better days. It has survived landslides, storms, and all manner of natural and manmade disasters that only happen in the Kentucky hills... but it has singularly failed to survive a clash between SHIELD and HYDRA. The top floor, already weakened by the blast from the flame tank, has toppled and slide into the backyard, much of currently on top of what used to be the kitchen, under which Pa and Ma Adkins as well as the HYDRA tactical team are, to use the most accurate phrase possible, interred. What Nick mostly sees is devastation and ruined rooms, which may have been sights of normality before Bucky took an interest in the place. The only way still really open is down, into the basement. The unnecessarily large basement. At one time, there was a mining tunnel here, which has been capped off in recent times, leaving a series of rooms and passages underground. And in one of these rooms, deep in the shadow and the gloom, there is the telltale sound of someone having taken pains to secure one room from prying eyes. The door is impressively locked, and probably impervious to most destructive means of entry. It's as insubstantial as hot air to a Phantasm. Behind this door, this truly well locked and reinforced door, is another cavern. Stacked from floor to ceiling with book shelves and filing cabinets.
Nick	And so this event ends the way it all started. With Nick dropping into the basement. Amongst the darkness the sounds of things securing leads to the shadowy figure to turn its head. Focusing upon the door before him. Alright. So actively locking down door. Someone's on the other side. Someone, who is PROBABLY watching the door annnnnnd likely is paranoid enough to be armed. The Phantasm stills, looking to the door as he fades from view and steps through.
James Barnes	The air in the room is dusty and still, smelling of old paper and faint hints of glue. It's very much like stepping into a library, it has the same silence to it, the same sensation of compressed knowledge weighing down on the space around it. It is identical to a large research library in all but two ways. The first is that in here someone is unlikely to find an old recipe (except for some very specific concoctions) or a long lost tome of poetry. And in any other research library, there would not be a man running along the aisles of books and filing cabinets as if death itself was on his heels. In fairness though, he's probably not far wrong. Outside, the fight is coming to its conclusion. The harvester rocks momentarily, the top of the collection tank buckling as Bucky vaults on top, using the additional height to mop up what is left of the resistance who, to a man, refuse to surrender and go down fighting. It's only when the battle is over, when the dust has settled around the farm, and the smoke begins to rise from the burning ruins, that Bucky stops, jumps off the harvester, and knocks on the side with his left fist. He's expecting a hollow clang, the sound of a void, not the solid thump of something completely filled with what appears to be a solid mass. There's a certain fragrance in the air, once smelled never forgotten, of home-cooked explosives. With rising suspicion, Bucky rips the maintenance panel off the harvester side panel, and peers inside. At the circuit board, the mass of wiring, and the steady blinking red light. "Ah, shit..."
Nick	Unaware of the findings up top there is little to hasten the phantasm's departure from this newly found room. How unfortunate that is... For the one running away. Challenge accepted, the phantasm sprints forward with a speed that one only could dream of. Or is it a glide? Who can tell when he looks or doesn't look like this. But despite the stylings of the movement forwards, the lack of physical restrictions or needing to watch for tripping hazards makes for a quick chase which ends with the shrouded figure exercising EXTREME RESTRAINT as the prey does not get killed by the phantasm's hands or phased into anything. Now the force in which the figure was thrown into the cabinets each time is likely debatable for the one on the receiving end but they can listen to the complaints whenever he comes too. But right now he's out cold and on the ground. Quarry quieted, the phantasm moves back to the door, grabbing a couple books along the way. With a few placements of phased and suddenly unphased reading material, he works on breaking the logs. Man there's a lot of reading material here. The amount of knowledge they contain? Well- Guess the Skye's the limit.
Skye Johnson	With Bucky outside, and Nick in the room, all there was was waiting.. And waiting.. Of course while waiting, Skye was positioning herself outside the door to the locked room. If someone came out, he (or she!) would be in trouble. After all, if he (or she!) tried to break free, he (or she!) would run right into Skye. And let's face it, Skye was taking her time to be ready for just such an occasion.
James Barnes	The pen is mightier than the sword, or so it is often claimed. By extension, the book must be more powerful than ... well... anything. This is not generally held to be a useful aphorism, but then again the detractors of this phrase have never seen a book being used to sheer off locking bolts and mangle armored steel. In their defense, books don't normally do this, but under the influence of a Phantasm, such things become possible. The superbly locked door swings open on oiled hinges after a few moments of literary deconstruction. Above ground, there is not much going on, aside from Bucky half pushing himself into the maintenance hatch of the harvester and working steadily on the detonation mechanism with a multitool, flashlight held in his mouth. It's a good thing that it appears to be a HYDRA standard, and he pretty much wrote the field manual on these things. Literally. A very good thing indeed, because there appears to be enough Amfo in this harvester to scythe the farm down to the bedrock, obliterating everything in a half mile radius.
Nick	As the door opens, granting Skye the view of the cavern of paperwork. There's the faint traces of a figure coming back into view, giving the outline of someone for Skye to focus on. The figure gives a nod before pointing a clawed finger in the direction of the out cold figure on the ground as a form of advising to potential threats. "...maybe more" Lengthy speech done with, Phantasm turns, moving further down the cavern to leave Skye to peruse while he looks for others who might be hiding in there.
Skye Johnson	"Surprise?" Skye really felt sorry for that guy (..Not!) Though she did feel sorry for herself. Maybe next time? But, even moreso, look at all the files! Holyshit. Piles and piles and piles of them. "I suppose we should find any reference about you." And anything else. What else could they find? Sometimes people have lost thing they did not mean to lose in places just such as these. And moreso, some things are purposely hidden where people wouldn't expect them to be found. Like here. Skye was excellent at finding files that were hidden. Data transfers, or hard copies.
James Barnes	This vault is a repository of data in the same way that Fort Knox is a small piggy bank, or the Federal Reserve occasionally has some loose change. The sheer quantity and diversity of information here is staggering. Breath taking. All the information that a HYDRA cell usually keeps digitally is right here, on paper, classified according to a meticulous scheme that must have taken a very skilled librarian years. It would probably take that librarian to find everything here, possibly even just to catalogue it all. Someone who would, when threatened with violence, run to the deepest, safest place they could think off: the data vault. There is, in fact, a faint groaning from just such a figure, and the click of something in their hand. For a brief moment, a flame flickers in the depths of the gloom, issuing from a small lighter. Near all the dusty, dry, flammable paper... There is a final snip from inside the harvester, and the cessation of a steady beep. For moment, everyone holds their breath to see if the next heart beat brings salvation or obliteration. A large, cataclysmic explosion stubbornly fails to happen. The Amfo simply sits there, inert and slowly decomposing, leaking through the seems of the holding tank. Then Bucky appears from the maintenance hatch and throws the circuit board on the ground. "See? Not that hard once you know how." And at that exact moment, there is a click from the circuit board, a final beep, and the spark of two separated wires as someone, nearby, uses a remote control. Luckily for all involved, the board is nowhere near the bomb, and detonation doesn't happen. The librarian down below is not that lucky, as their cranial explosive detonates in mid arson attempt. Whatever they might have known, someone made damned sure they took it with them to their grave.
Nick	There are drawbacks to becoming a phantasm. A lot of them. But the loss of the sense of hearing is not one of them. Nor is the loss of sight. These two facts leads to a small drawback to Fred the Fuego Friendly Librarian as the phantasm's walk back down the corridor leads him closer. The flash of light makes the figure move quicker. The gore is...messy. And as the brain matter passes through the nearby phantasm, it highlights another drawback the phantasm does not have. Well, sometimes. There's still a dollop of brain on his shroud. Words do not convey what Phantasm is feeling at the moment. Or at least they do not come this time. But the snarl of discontentment as he strides further down the corridor to check for any who may have triggered that. The piece of brain is soon forgotten and falls through the figure to meet its final resting place a few yards from the body.
Skye Johnson	And Skye. Always with getting secrets, and holding them. Without the Librarian, she imagined quite a bit of this work could go to her. Or not. It wasn't on a computer, but it was secrets. And she had quite a few of her own. Including things about the people she worked with is SHIELD. "Somebody should watch this, until SHIELD sends a retrieval team. Do you want to, or should I? Providing everything has been wrapped up outside?" She thinks she is still safe from the fire.
Nick	Having confirmed there aren't any others that are hiding in the cavern area, Phantasm moves back towards Skye. The question causes for the outline of the shroud to tilt before giving a nod, pointing to Skye. Of the two of them, he's probably better suited for whatever's outside. Plus. He's not sure how long he CAN wait for a team to show up and retrieve stuff. "...you." He moves towards the area of the ceiling the had dropped through earlier, steps quickening as he leaps up, through the ceiling to move up to the next floor.
Skye Johnson	"As you wish." Skye grins. Another quote, not that she expects anyone to know. And, all things considered, she was quite happy to stuff her nose into the piles of files. Alas, it's too bad they aren't in digital form.. Come to think of it, there might be some stuff in the oldest section that may be of interest to her, about her mother..
James Barnes	As combat ends above ground, the bomb has been defused and the site thoroughly cleared of any HYDRA presence, with prejudice, it's time for those awkward questions. Or, more to the point, Bucky thinking about awkward questions Director Fury might ask him later. Small things, such as 'did you really need to set the whole place on fire' come to mind, as he watches the farm house collapse like a house of burning cards. Another presenting itself for his consideration is 'and just how did you manage to lose Mister Drago after using him as bait?!' because nobody can find Nick. Or Skye. Bucky feels on safer ground there, because Skye at least is a fully trained agent, whereas Nick is still a civilian he should have been looking after, and didn't. That's until he sees Phantasm floating up through the wreckage of the farm house. Any hopes of going after the mysterious watcher or the missing HYDRA operatives in training go out the window when it becomes clear that Nick is injured and needs immediate help. With only one car left on site, Bucky details Clint and Hellboy to get Nick to safety... the former because he needs someone he can trust implicitly to watch Nick's back, and the latter because he has turned out to be a good driver, and someone even HYDRA will have problems messing with. It would have been too ironic to do all this and then lose Nick on the way home... This leaves only to secure the site (the bits too soggy or too fire retardant to burn), call for a retrieval team... and an excavator to move the wreck of the farmhouse. Somewhere in the hills, a lone figure watches through a high powered scope, smiles, and walk away to their car...