InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "#Back2Back"

. (spacecowboys) wrote in rooms,
@ 2015-08-24 01:07:00

Entry tags:

!marvel comics, *log, bruce banner, bucky barnes, gwen stacy, pepper potts, selina kyle, steve rogers, tony stark

"Mortal Danger" in Marvel - Bruce B, Pepper P, Selina K, Steve R, Gwen S, Bucky B (+JARVIS)
[The coordinates that Robert provided were on the water, just at the river and overlooking the murky blue that Selina assumed hid Tony's bay lab from nosy eyes. And, honestly, what had the man been thinking? Building something down there. It seemed the most unsafe thing a person could do, and it didn't surprise her at all that Tony had done just that. Oh, she'd known about the lab when the last version of Robert Banner had been working on it, but looking down at that murky water made her comprehend just how deep the thing had to be.

Alright, so the kitty cat was fond of taking risks, but she was as hypocritical as anyone else. And right now? Right now she wanted to hiss at the tin man. It didn't help that she was tense, and that her mood wasn't precisely buoyant. And maybe she was a tiny bit concerned with what they'd find inside the lab itself. JARVIS had all but confirmed that Tony was inside and not doing well.

Impatient, she settled her hands on her hips. She'd taken a few minutes to change into skinny jeans and a simple t-shirt in black, her whip looped through the jean's beltloops, and heeled boots on her feet. And unlike the hotel lobby, now it was her turn to pace.] What's taking them so long?

[She assumed they'd let JARVIS know when everyone was there, and commence this farce of mortal danger that somehow involved six people who hadn't even been in the same space prior to said mortal danger occurring. And the fact that JARVIS went for that? It was the most worrisome thing of all.]

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

propatria
2015-09-07 03:11 am UTC (link)

[If nothing else, the soldier was adaptable. The target was Stark, who was somewhere beyond this hallway. So he would go through it, using whatever means necessary.

The first was a lucky stroke - ahead of the rest, he made it just past the lasers as the hissing began. Not the sound, however, which struck him just a moment after stop made him turn to look sharply behind him, the first sign of any recognition of the rest of the party since they'd exited the pods.

It was so loud that it put his heartbeat in his ears, so he covered them and moved beyond its edges, sliding past the limits of its force, knowing that it had to be focused to be so intense. In that moment of disorientation, his vision swiveled to the floor, where green foam was slithering up to his boots. Up on a table in the workroom, then, out of reach.

Whatever those focused blasts of weaponized sound were intended to do, by the time he could focus his eyes again he was actually looking, not just honing in on the target. He looked down at the massive green creature where Dr. Banner had been, and he reassessed.

The lasers were moving, which meant that the rest of them should be able to get through, theoretically. They'd have to move fast, though.] Up here. [Loud enough to be heard, and then tossing off a knife into the circuits of one of those climbing spiders. The next closest was crushed under his boot as it skittered up onto the tabletop.] There's a clear path to the other side. [The tables would keep their feet off the floor, at least, and out of the foam long enough to cross the room.

In the meantime, someone needed to keep the path clear between the end of the hall and the room in which he was standing. He produced another knife from god knew where, slicing through the dense, puffed up cloth of a spider about to grasp at Selina's leg. Dr. Banner should be able to get past the lasers no problem, he assumed. Good thing, too - he was too big to dodge them. Bucky could only hope that the big guy was just as immune to sound, in this state.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

atomic26
2015-09-07 10:50 pm UTC (link)

[It seemed, at least, that once these defenders and obstacles were managed, there would be none further. More of the transparent, four-limbed creatures sprang from wall to wall, attempting to grab at each of the visitors without success. To a one, all seemed aware that fighting the Hulk would be pointless. If the adhesives and focused sounds didn't keep him back, the robotic defenders certainly had no hope.

After the flurry of sound (the hissing pop of expanding chemicals, the frantic rattle of armored machines scrambling on the attack, the roars and shouts of the combatants) lulled, JARVIS finally spoke quietly into ears and surrounding speakers.] My apologies. Further defensive measures have been deactivated, thanks in part to Dr. Banner's [Insert polite pause here.] current state. Various other protocols are now in place to maintain lab functionality. Exits should be fully operational.

[Emergency lighting, like that in most aircrafts, lit up in soft arrows pointing back toward the landing bay. Under Gwen's watchful eye, the walkway mechanisms suddenly powered up.]

[JARVIS' tone grew... very sober.] Mr. Stark is in the central living room.

[Beyond the halls and under more of the gently pulsing lights, the silence was deafening. The place smelled of stale toast and congealed coffee. Tony generally brought a cloud of unavoidable sound and presence with him whenever he went anywhere, and it was clear even when he came into sight, a strangely small form at the end of the couch, that something was wrong. The place smelled of stale toast and congealed coffee. The geometric light in the center of his chest was cold and dim, and every hero in New York knew that when Tony's heart was beating, the reactor never turned off. His features, quiet in a sleep that didn't breathe, looked strange without the relentless light.

Despite the number of days he had been sitting there, silent and deathly still, there was no decay, no sign of trauma, other than the ugly burn scars twisting over his forearms and back wherever the thinner sleeveless shirt didn't hide them. Tony hadn't worn a shirt like that around any of them in years.

The green panacea's oral version's delivery, a rather ordinary looking pill container, was in his left hand. His eyes were closed. His chest didn't move. The body was cold.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

spacecowboys
2015-09-08 02:56 am UTC (link)

[There were moments when Selina really missed her hedonistic life of crime. Charity galas, cars with warmed leather seats, caviar and massages in a penthouse suite, and this? This was certainly one of those times. Hanging there, from the wall, as Robert turned green, and as James strode forward and expected to be followed, she wondered what she was doing with her life?. Oh, she wasn't afraid of the Hulk, and she wasn't afraid of James. She certainly wasn't afraid of Pepper's emotionless visage. No, it wasn't that. But this? This was a losing proposal. Whatever they found ahead? It was going to be bad.

And bad was something she would rather not do in an enclosed and watery grave. Thanks, Tony. It wasn't even that she didn't trust her companions. No, it was that this was doomed. If something terrible waited ahead? Then it was bad. If Tony was dead, then it was bad. Part of her thought the former would be better, and not out of any sense of sentimentality. No, it was just that Selina couldn't imagine a world in which the Hulk didn't lose it if Tony was dead.

For a moment, she actually considered retreat. She could overpower the blonde child at the walkway. Piece of cake.

She'd already taken that step back, but JARVIS spoke, sober and somber and not good, and for some reason? That led Selina forward. She didn't look at the state of the lab, because it reminded her too much of another lab, another time, and she stopped in front of the scarred man in a death slumber.

And Selina? She didn't bother with vitals. She didn't bother with anything. She looked for a few seconds, a few seconds longer, and then she turned, hip and sway, for the exit.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

propatria
2015-09-08 03:24 am UTC (link)

[Bucky made it to the next room only a few steps behind Selina, and slowed to a stop in the doorway.

How long had it been since Stark's disappearance? Days. He knew a corpse when he saw one, and he also knew decay. This was not a man who'd been long dead. That didn't mean he was still alive - the dead light in the center of his chest answered that. It just meant he'd probably suffered for a long time. If he was lucky, he'd died while he was unconscious, and he hadn't known how long it took him.

He checked his vitals, because that was what you did. No pulse, no breath, cold skin.

He picked Stark up and slung him over his shoulder, over the left arm Stark had built, without any sign of what the man weighed. Back, again, to the single-minded mission, watching Selina stride away.

Their mission was complete, and they had failed it. There was no room to feel anything about failure. A good asset mopped up the mess and moved on. A better one didn't fail in the first place, but that was done.

It was important now to get everyone out intact, and it would be easier to do that if it wasn't obvious to the Hulk that Stark was dead. He made brief eye contact with Pepper as he moved back past her, toward the exit. If she had realized what was going on, that look spoke to silence.

The vial he removed from Stark's hand and pocketed.] We're going.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

muchworse
2015-09-08 04:35 am UTC (link)

[IT WAS TOO LOUD! The sound hurt and Hulk didn't like it. He looked around, swinging his gaze from one side to the other, trying to find what was so loud, but it was loud enough to make his head hurt. And even smashing the skittering spiders until they lay still wasn't enough to make the sound stop.

He eventually stepped forward, and the sound didn't hurt as much, so he took two more lumbering steps forward, crossing half the space, and was able to look around. Kitty was still up. And there was shiny up ahead that wasn't redgoldfriend. He knew that tiny Banner knew the shiny, but it only made him grunt. And thankfully not turn to smash anyone else that was moving around in the space. He managed to avoid the foam by the simple expedient of leaping over it, landing with a dome-shuddering thud on the other side. He knew, too, the voice that filled the space when everything else went quieter, but he didn't pay attention to what it was saying.

Big enough to almost fill the hallways when he walked through them, Hulk hunched his shoulders as he moved forward. He didn't know where he was going, but there were thoughts pushing him forward. Even if he couldn't focus on them. Forward was the way to go, and he knew Kitty and Shiny and Lady were there, going the same direction. He didn't care. He was looking for... yes. There. Redgoldfriend. Sleeping. Silly friend.

But then he stopped.
And looked.
Something was wrong.
There was...
Hulk's eyes narrowed into a squint.
There was no glow.
Hulk grunted. It sounded confused.
No glow.
Redgoldfriend needed a glow.
HE NEEDED A GLOW.

Hulk remembered the last time when there was no glow. Falling and jumping and falling and catching and then there was no glow and it hurt! It hurt to think of there being no glow. Kitty was leaving. Shiny was picking up the no glow. And Hulk hurt.

The roar started as a rumble in his broad chest and quickly proceeded to fill the space, nearly as deafening as the earlier weaponized sound. The first roar was short and sharp, just like it had been the last time when there had been no glow. But the bundle over Shiny's shoulder didn't stir, and the next roar was delivered after a breath to fill large lungs. It started suddenly and didn't end for a very long time. Long and loud enough that it could be felt as a tremor of the air and structure around them. A possibly damaging tremor. There was a silence as he drew air again, almost as painful as the volume, and then the roar began again.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

ephemeras
2015-09-08 10:23 am UTC (link)

[From her place near the raised walkway, Gwen had a limited understanding of what was happening inside the lab. Sounds carried, and there was a certain level of security footage available on the panel that controlled the walkway lever, but it wasn't comprehensive. She was about to ask JARVIS to inform her of the situation, when she heard the roar. In an inverse of the way the lightening traveled faster than the sound of an accompanying thunderclap, the roar preceded something super bad.

The tremor, from where Gwen was, began as something small. It made the walls of the submerged lab creak, and objects throughout the walkway space clattered. Gwen edged back to the walkway itself, toward the elevator doors, which were currently closed, yet operational. She leaned against a metal wall as the trembling because something worse. At least she stuck there, no need for webs, and that was lucky, because standing up within the shaking lab would've been super hard.

Around her, the entire lab began to echo the Hulk's roar, and Gwen knew Mr. Stark was dead. But there wasn't any significant time for mourning, because the lab's watertight exterior began to buckle under the force of the tremor. Water began pouring in at her feet, quickly filling the compartment with the bay, frigid even in early Fall at this depth.

And this was bad. This was super, super bad. Beyond them, the water was churning and overturning its banks, carving creases on the stone abutting the bay.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Gwen was super sure that her not-really-clone self wasn't supposed to drown in the Bay. She was sure of it.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

spacecowboys
2015-09-09 02:42 am UTC (link)

[The water was pouring in by the time Selina made it to the walkway, which was also flooded with water. So, great. Wonderful, and she couldn't get away fast enough. Well, assuming there was enough juice in that waterlogged elevator to get her to a point where she could swim to the surface. And this had all been a terrible idea.

Tony was dead.

Stevie was gone.

Robert was destroying the lab, and she should stay, help, do something. But she couldn't. She didn't have it in her. Like the Gotham kitty cat she was, she just wanted to go, flee, lick her wounds somewhere dark and safe, where the entire world wasn't a piece of shit.

There was only so much she could take, and the breaking point? This was it. Pepper was here, she reasoned. And James, and the little girl sticking the wall. No one needed her, and she was very good at feeling sorry for herself, but she was all burrs beneath the skin.

She climbed into the elevator, water at her thighs now, and she pushed at the buttons until it climbed.

Climbed.

Climbed.

And then stopped.

Which, you know, was just wonderful.

It took five good kicks to the glass, all her weight and her steel-gripped boots slamming into the reinforced surface, for it to give. It was a lucky thing, the pressure and the tremor weakening it. Water rushed in, and she had a tiny moment of concern, one where she wondered if she'd just made this method of escape inaccessible for the others.

But she? Had no abilities, no powers, no regeneration. No, better not to think about. She swam through the shattered opening, and she headed for the surface, lungs feeling like they were going to explode, and it was probably only the partial ride up that made it possible for her to surface without, you know, dying.

And the kitty cat? She wasn't hanging around. She was done with all of it.

Good luck, Marvel.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

saltedand
2015-09-09 05:03 am UTC (link)

She'd frozen. In that living area, silent and thankfully, unswaying although the room felt as if it had been thrown up in the air and shaken out. The body -- Tony -- was ashen. Waxy. Pepper had a moment of insane certainty he would mind, his vanity, being seen with his face slack and his hands splayed loose and he looked older all of a sudden, his age without the candle-wick of his curiosity, his pleasure in the world in his eyes.

It was what Pepper had imagined finding, for years. She'd pictured it; a hotel room or one of the Malibu rooms, or even the Tower, once he'd built it. But it wasn't the same as the picture-memory; not the man walking silently into the frame and retrieving Tony as effortlessly as if he were a puppet, slack-stringed. Her throat worked and her vision smeared over as Selina turned, slid past her with buttered elegance, as the decimating, decibel-shaking roar broke the air.

Shaken out of it, Pepper turned and abandoned the empty room, its air dead of life, as water trickled underneath her boots. Toward the walk-way and the elevator, and Tony hadn't thought of proofing that. Metal, and it rose like knife-blade slicing through foam without need of controls and electronic panels. The elevator speared upward, Pepper rattling within, damp denim and teeth clattering together with something more than cold.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

muchworse
2015-09-09 02:41 pm UTC (link)

[The second (third? fourth?) roar tapered off, and Hulk stood there, hunched enough that his hands touched the ground, breathing heavily as his head drooped. He was alone, everyone else leaving while he tried to shout away the hurt at seeing no glow. Alone. Alone except for the water that had begun to swirl around his feet. Head still hanging low, he watched the pattern of it around toes, ankles, calves. And though his thoughts were slow and jumbled at the same time, he knew (with a lift of his head toward the murky water on the other side of the glass) what was happening.

It hurt too much to think of Kitty, and he didn't know Lady or Shiny well enough to think of them. Somewhere in the chaos of his thoughts, he might have remembered someone else, blonde and young, but she was quickly washed away by the next tumbling thought of no glow.

He needed to go.
He needed to not be where the no glow had been.
Away.
AWAY!

He wasn't going to be using any elevator, any constructed shaft to carry him to the shore again. Even if he could fit in it, he didn't have the presence of mind to think that part of the journey through. He crouched down, not thinking of the others that might still be there, tension bunching in his legs and back, and then jumped. Through glass, into the high-pressure water of the bottom of the bay, and then made his way up up up until he found ground to jump again.

Going away.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

ephemeras
2015-09-09 06:38 pm UTC (link)

[Climbing the wall was totally turning out to not be a solution. The water was rising, and Gwen was so not panicking. Nope, panicking was not happening, because she needed to focus on the situation at hand, and the timing for this was super bad. Dying was like something supernova in her head, and she didn't even need to think hard to remember what it felt like, and she was scared. Fear was a survival instinct. Fear existed to keep people alive, but it was also kind of immobilizing sometimes.

Like now.

But Ms. Potts was raising the elevator, and Gwen glanced toward it with a snap of her blonde hair (Move!). In her defense, she did move, into the water, and she swam toward the elevator with something ridiculously unscientific (Hope!) fluttering in her chest.

But the crouch and roar from behind her made the water like a wave, high and slamming against the lab walls of the lab, and the last thing Gwen felt, before her head slammed into metal, was pressure sucking her back through that hole the Hulk had just created, and out into the frigid Bay.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: "Mortal Danger" in Marvel

propatria
2015-09-10 02:14 am UTC (link)

[Bucky slid onto the elevator with Pepper, then out into the deep and rushing water, following Selina's path. He was disoriented and half-deaf from the gargantuan monster roaring into his ear, one of his eardrums burst and bleeding down the side of his face. Balance was a challenge, let alone swimming the rest of the way to the surface with dead weight across his back. It was a long, cold climb, only one arm and one leg moving freely, kicking hard and fast, seeing white stars from lack of air.

But he made it, reaching the surface with a harsh burst of air from his lungs, letting Tony's weight slide from his shoulders. He rolled Tony to float facing upward, even if all the evidence pointed to it not being necessary anymore.

He levered up to his feet. He cauhgt his breath. Then he leaned down, levering the heavy body up and over his shoulder again.

He made his slow progress up through the shallows to the shore. He weaved a little, equilibrium lost from the sharp change in pressure underwater and losing his hearing in one ear, but he did not stop.]

Going to a doctor. [In case anyone was still listening on the comm, which was partially broken and handing from his left ear by a limp, bent wire. He ripped it from his ear and tossed it into the water, walking slowly toward the road.]

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -