riverviewlogs | In poison places

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In poison places

who: Ava, Bucky (616), Tony (MCU), and Sam (MCU)
what: Going to fight some monsters and fix a fence
when: August 5th
where: Outer fence
warnings: Some monster violence? Who knows. Will update, etc etc

She almost doesn't wear the costume. Back home, as lost as she'd felt before ending up here, she'd at least known who she was, and there had been people that had known who she was. But, she'd clung to that name when she'd been going through orientation and they'd asked her for her username. Maybe not the best choice given some of the reactions, but it was hers, even if it was inevitably twisted up in Natasha. And she was going to keep it. Also, her costume had been made from a kind of microkevlar and pieces of what had been Alexei's fencing jacket; seemed a waste to turn down the added protection or the sentimentality.

So when she shows up at the meeting place, it's in the white sleeveless catsuit, zipped up the front with that symbol of the crossed hourglasses over her heart. Two slender blades sit on the left side of her hips. It's not exactly a mirror image of Natasha, but it's hard to ignore the inspiration. She wanted to prove to herself that she could do something, do this, and not just on SHIELD field missions that ended with Coulson giving her the disappointed-dad look because she was reckless.

And, well. If things got messy, that's why there were people she trusted, hard as that usually was for her. Sam she'd admittedly never met; knew more of him than anything else. But he'd been recommended as someone good for keeping an eye out, and so their little team had been formed. Besides, having helped with the whole Hydra mess and Steve-approved were pretty shiny references.

She shows up early, waiting on her parked bike and fidgeting with what looks to be a rather ancient iPod. When someone arrives, there's a smile and a wave as she tugs her headphones out. "Hey."

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It's not too much longer before the red and gold armor drops out of the sky to land gently by the two bikes. It's probably a more dramatic entrance than is strictly necessary, but Tony does love his drama. He does at least flip the faceplate up as he takes them both in, with just the briefest moment of hesitation at Ava's outfit.

"Barnes. Mini-Widow." He flicks them both a faint smile. "Always nice to have an entourage." So it's technically Ava's mission. Details. He's still going to have to lose the suit to do the actual hands-on work, so it's nice to know they'll have his back. And that he can trust them there.

He's actually feeling remarkably calm about the whole situation, despite the whole monster thing. It's probably just because he has something constructive to do.

Sam just walks up casually in his tactical gear, goggles pushed up on his forehead. There's a distinct lack of a jetpack, although he does have a carrying harness on his back with Redwing in it. In addition, one shoulder of his jacket appears to have extra padding sewn onto it.

"Hey, guys." He lifts a hand in greeting to Tony and Bucky, then turns to Ava. "You must be Ava. Nice to meet you." He doesn't know much about her background - didn't ask many questions - but she looks competent enough. And, well, nobody's likely to claim to be a Widow lightly.

Sam glances up into the canopy and steps back from the others for a moment as a large white bird lands on his shoulder. "This is Jareth." He still feels a little self-conscious about the name, thank you, other Tony. "He'll be scouting, too." Bucky, at least, should be used to that, or so he hopes. "Along with Redwing."

She'd tried to arrange things in a way that made sense, and not just people that she trusted, though it had been heavily influenced on that point. But it had come together pretty well, in the end. With James in particular she feels a little self-conscious in her costume. But she eyes him too, a nod and a smile because it's a good look on him, she thinks, even if it's surprising. She nods at the question and is about to say something in affirmation, but then Tony's dropping out of the sky and she can't help smiling for a second.

She never actually got to see him in the armor in person-- he and Pepper had been on a break from chaos when everything had gone down with the quantum link. And then he calls her mini-widow and she can't help rolling her eyes. That's never going away, is it? "Always nice to have a mascot," she quips back with a smile. She feels a little bit calmer about this than she thought she would. People she definitely doesn't want to mess up in front of, but Bucky and Tony are people she trusts.

And then there's their last arrival. She waves, nodding in acknowledgement. "You must be Sam. I've heard good things," she comments. Then he introduces his bird and she can't help but grin. "I know that one." Don't mind her if she looks a little pleased with herself. Her pop culture knowledge is pretty sparse.

"Hey Tony, can you link Sam's comms to the rest of us?" She just wants to make sure they can all hear their eyes in the sky. She trades out her headphones for the wireless earbuds, checks the gun on her opposite hip.

When Tony calls them an entourage, Bucky smiles wryly, leaning on his bike. Everybody seems prepared; things should go smoothly enough. Granted, he's not banking on it, because the wilderness on this moon can be unpredictable, the woods and jungles full of any manner of alien creatures looking for an easy meal. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. That's why he has pellet explosives, a couple of grenades, a handgun and ammo, a hunting knife, and some other surprises tucked into his belt. "Seems small for an entourage," he remarks, slightly teasing.

Then he glances over at Sam, and is only mildly surprised by the bird. The pop culture reference goes completely over his head, because he was certainly not watching movie musicals in the 80s. "I'll have to remember it ain't the other way around. Used to Redwing being the actual bird."

Redwing, at least, Tony is used to, and he can't help shooting Sam a slightly arch look as flesh and blood bird appears. Well, if Sam says it can help then Tony's not going to question it. He does hold out a hand in Sam's direction, though.

"Sure," he says with a nod towards Ava. "Actually, everyone give me your comms and I'll make sure they're all hooked up." They weren't going to do themselves any favors if someone ended up being out of contact with the rest.

Which, come to think of it, means he's going to need to do some fine work. Tony lets out a breath and the armor cracks open to let him step nimbly out. "Anything else you want me to look at before we get started?" Might as well get it all out of the way now.

"You the opposite of Steve, then?" he jokes to Ava with a grin. "It'll be good to have someone who actually understands pop culture references. Uh, no offense, Bucky." Really, it's more a comment on the fact that he runs around with a guy who was on ice for decades than anything else.

Surprise, guys, Sam has powers he's been hiding. Mostly because it's kind of awkward to be like "hey, guess what, I can suddenly talk to birds now" (and really it's only some birds). Especially after he's emphatically explained to everyone from the other universe that he doesn't do that.

"Same as back home," he tells Tony, passing the goggles over. "You should have the specs already. If you wanna grab a remote feed from Redwing, you can do that, too." Like he even needs to tell the guy who designed all his gear anything. "Can't help you with Jareth, though."

Ava watches as the armor opens and he steps out, and Ava hops off her bike for a moment to obligingly handing her comm so that Tony could sync them all together. "Thanks," she offers with a twitch of a smile. She's still thinking best arrangements for this, but with this team, one of the nice things is a fairly decent capacity for flexibility, to move to where the threat is. "Not for me, anyway," she says. Her gear is honestly pretty low-tech. Swords and knives and guns.

Then she's looking over at Sam a little bit sheepishly. "Well-- Actually, my pop culture knowledge is pretty much limited to the movies they sometimes played at the Recreation Center or the YMCA. Usually on VHS." She shakes her head a little. There are a couple Disney movies she knows, but those have darker connotations. "There wasn't a lot of variety." Sorry, Sam. She's not particularly pop culture savvy, though she is maybe more savvy to the world in general.

But things like Star Trek? Alexei had been the one that understood those things, traded pop culture quips with Tony Stark once he got over being starstruck.

Bucky passes in his earpiece to Tony also, so that he can sync them all up together and keep them all in touch. It'll be necessary; they won't be able to stick tight together the entire time. Sam just gets a flat look for his 'no offense, Bucky' comment.

He mostly stays out of the conversation. It's easier to observe. Sam and Tony seem to have worked together before, to some degree, but that makes sense - they're from the same timeline, universe, what have you. When it comes down to a close and dirty fight, though, he figures his and Ava's styles will mesh more easily. That works out. They're here to defend Tony while he fixes the breach.

His attention drifts, and he looks skyward for a few moments, listening to some far-off screeching sound that barely carries to where they are. "Keep your eyes peeled when you're up there," he remarks to Sam. "Hopefully nothin' eats your bird."

He's listening to the chatter around him with half an ear as Tony concentrates on fiddling with the various comms to link them all up. It isn't particularly difficult, but he does want to make sure the connection is as clear as possible. Especially since he won't be able to monitor communications once he gets to work out of the armor -- this is pretty specifically for the three of them. And if Tony can't fix things on the fly, he wants to make sure he won't need to.

"Here, your highness," he says to Sam as he hands the goggles back. Safe to say he caught the Jareth reference, then. "Won't need anything at the moment, might download the feed from Redwing later." Can't hurt to get a better look at everything out there, when he doesn't have to worry about watching his own back.

He hands the other comms back to Barnes and Ava, then moves to step back into the armor and lets it close comfortably around him. "Anyone need to use the bathroom before we go?" He asks dryly as the glow of Iron Man's eyes flares back to life.

Jareth appears to understand English, because he lets out an indignant squawk at Bucky's words, rustling his wings as he tightens his talons on the padded leather. "Yeah, well, maybe if someone would let me put armor on him, that wouldn't be an issue," Sam grumbles, and, yes, he's referring to an argument with said bird. Don't ask.

To no one's surprise, Sam prefers to keep his fights ranged. He's got a gun slung on each hip and a longer piece slung carefully over his back, arranged to avoid fouling Redwing's harness and his own wings. Of course he's more than capable of fighting up close and personal - both his Air Force training and time spent as an Avenger ensure that - but it's mostly with fists and feet. He does have a knife attached to his belt, though, just in case.

He pulls his goggles back over his head, rearranges the earpiece so it's nestled in his ear again, then settles them over his eyes. "Good to go if you guys are." Fingers dance over his left gauntlet, setting the drone into follow mode for the moment, and Jareth pushes off his shoulder with powerful flaps of his wings.

She takes her comm back with a nod of thanks to Tony, slipping it back into her ear as she moves back to her red Harley, sliding into position with that easy grace. There's a brief flick of her eyes up to the sky. Most of the monsters will probably be on the ground, but it'll still be good to keep an eye on with Sam and Jareth up there.

She revvs her bike with a grin and a last look around at their little team, a tilt of her head vaguely in Bucky's direction. Nothing else that she could think of; anything else would be based on what came up once things got started. "Well then, let's go," she says easily, pulling her bike out. "You guys see anything, call it," she tosses in the direction of Sam and Tony. Given that they can both fly, unless something manages to get the jump on them, they'll have eyes on it first.

Bucky only flashes the bird a 'whatcha gonna do' kind of look. Maybe that had been a bit of a test. Apparently it understands people that aren't Sam. "I don't think you can armor a bird, Sam," he remarks dryly, taking his comm from Tony and settling the earpiece in place. After clicking the comm on, he mounts his bike again, leaning slightly on the handlebars as everyone gets sorted and ready to go.

It's hard not to make some 'Avengers assemble' quip as they head out, two in the air and two on bikes. He's making an effort not to, but it's a bit hard not to step up and take the lead; that's what he's been doing as Cap for the last several months, but this is Ava's team and he's trying to hang back and let her lead. "Ava, watch the ground for movement. Heard some tunneling creatures are migrating while the soil is soft." They may or may not run into any, but it doesn't hurt to mention it's a possibility.

"You can armor anything," Tony puts in idly, still only half paying attention to the interplay as he checks his HUD to make sure everything is in working order. The sound of the bikes revving pulls him back to attention, but it barely takes a thought and a flash of repulsors before he's airborne.

He keeps some decent height over the two on the ground as the move out, sensors extended as far as they can go. Tony's still not completely sure what they're keeping an eye out for, but more information is always better than not enough. And between the four of them, he's probably got the most maneuverability to intercept whatever it might be. Doesn't hurt to be ready for anything.

"Guess who offered to make him armor," Sam says dryly. "The one from your world," and he tips his head towards Bucky. Although probably this Tony would be willing to take the task on too, if it was necessary.

But then they're moving out, and Sam's wings slide out of his back and into position with a flash of red light. He gives Bucky and Ava a lazy salute before he hops into the air - he prefers to think of it as a leap, because leaping is more elegant, but from ground level, it's really more of a hop. Regardless of terminology, he's in the air in a heartbeat, heading in the opposite direction from Tony.

Ava can't help but smile at the discussion of the virtues of armoring or not-armoring Sam's bird, but she nods in crisp answer when Bucky mentions the possibility of some kind of tunneling creatures. "Alright, will do. Not sure we need to make this trip too interesting," she muses, her tone light, but genuine. She takes these things seriously, but she has a sense of amusement about it too, as long as things are okay.

She can't help watching as Sam takes off with a flash of light, it's pretty neat to watch. Their two eyes in the sky, leaving Ava and Bucky on the ground. Possibly with some burrowing creatures migrating for the fall, she supposes. "So, how much bigger than a bread box are these burrowing guests anyway?" Ava has never actually.. seen a breadbox, but it was a staple measurement in twenty questions.

She revvs her bike, because she might as well enjoy the drive, right?

"Well, if anybody can, it's Tony Stark," he says dryly, still wondering briefly how that would even work, considering birds have to have hollow bones to even fly. Weight is a big issue there. But there are more important things to worry about. Creatures, the terrain, etc. He flanks Ava on his own bike, matching her speed easily (and then some, if he sped up - the bike is SHIELD modified).

"Big. Heard 'em described as pig-snouted moles with long claws. I don't know if we'll be in their path or not, but we should try to steer clear of any freshly turned dirt." He weaves around a couple of thickly-growing brush patches and ramps off a tree trunk embedded into the soil. Showing off a little? Maybe. He enjoys a good off-road drive.

"I heard that," Tony returns, sing-song, despite the fact that it wasn't an insult and Barnes probably wasn't actually talking about him in the first place. He takes his amusement where he can, especially when he's going to need to focus hard when they get to their destination.

He twists lazily through the air overhead as he keeps pace with the two on the ground, though he does at least focus in on the terrain ahead of them as the topic of giant moles comes up. It should probably be worrisome that he doesn't even blink at the idea anymore.

"Not seeing any sign of tunnels immediately ahead," he says, putting on a quick burst of speed to put him a little in front of them. "Keeping an eye out, though. Falcon, watch the skies?"

Sam's eyes flick down to the ground, but he doesn't see anything, either. "Don't wanna put a couple on the grill, Barnes?" he cracks. "Bet they'd taste good with a couple of cold beers." Okay, he doesn't know that, but it seems like Bucky has a penchant for both hunting animals and barbecuing them. And Sam, well, he's willing to try just about anything once.

"Will do," he replies to Tony. What Tony doesn't know is that he's stretching his awareness out to the larger birds in the area, feeling their minds to see if there's anything out of place or unexpected. He's been working on this trick for awhile now, and he's getting pretty good with it. All's quiet in birdland, though, and he doesn't see any pterodactyls or giant insects about to swoop in and try for a quick snack.

Ava can't help being a little bit competitive, even if James' bike clearly has a couple advantages on hers (maybe she should ask if Tony could spruce it up a bit some day). That said, she was very good at handling it, good at stunts and taking turns too tight and too fast. So she makes a Hell of an effort at trying to match him.

She does, however, make a bit of a face at the description of the creatures he'd been warning her about. Tony says he doesn't see any tunnels, but she still watches the terrain in front of them, even if she is still trying to pull ahead.

"Might not fit if they're as big as he makes them sound," she comments lightly. "The beers aren't a bad idea, though." She grins a little; cheeky, red hair flowing behind her as she enjoys the wind in her face. Even if they're not there yet, this feels good. She still keeps her eyes sharp, ready to call it and react if there's something off as they make their way toward the fence.

"You were meant to," he shoots back at Tony over the comms, grinning slightly, not that anyone can really see it. Then Sam starts in on him, and he snorts. "I've eaten bear, it can't be any worse. If there's ever a famine, you're gonna be glad for my hunting and butchering skills." Where he learned to do such things, growing up in Virginia on an Army base, is still a mystery that will never be solved.

He weaves after Ava toward the section of fence they're trying to find; the ride is nice, the company is decent. As far as missions go, it feels like half a vacation. Granted, it probably won't feel that way for long, but he's going to enjoy it while the peace lasts. "Beers are on me after we get this done, then."

"Careful," Tony says in a lazy drawl, "I might take you up on that." It's a nice thought, actually. The team back home had made a habit of getting some kind of food after a mission, it'll be like old days.

And this has been a pretty easy-going one so far, though at least Tony knows better than to say so out loud. That kind of thing is just asking for trouble. It means he can at least enjoy the nice flight.

"I see the fence coming up," he adds, the HUD zeroing in to give him a better look. He puts on a tiny burst of extra speed to aim right for it. "Area seems clear for now."

"Hell, bear's probably an improvement over the rations you had in the war." Sam knows how easy they have it with MREs, and he's grateful for that, thank you very much. "I got no problem with a little barbecue."

This is certainly easier than the last mission Sam went on, at least so far. No sign of rock golems or plants that'll put you to sleep. Even the moles (or whatever they are) don't strike him as much of a threat.

"Clear on my side of things, too." He sends Redwing down to get a close-up look of the fence, the drone hovering in front of the breach.

"Definitely taking you up on that," she says to James with a smile. She wasn't unfamiliar with alcohol, though generally it was cheap, traded or won off one of the guys in the shelter where Sana stayed. Teenagers without supervision, et cetera. She likes the idea of it here for the suggestion of camaraderie, that sense of bonding, though. It's a sort of thing she hadn't really had before, not like this, group dynamics after the good kind of mission.

She wont say it, but part of her is hoping they kick up at least a little excitement as she continues moving toward the section of fencing that's glitching. Not enough for anyone to get hurt, but it'd be a shame if they all got suited up and didn't get to hit anything.

Then Sam brings up rations and Ava can't help making a face and there's a touch of a shudder. "God, if I never have to see military rations again it'll be too soon. Bear's probably an improvement on all of them. You ever have one of those veggie and cheese omelette MREs?" Omelette is admittedly giving that vague attempt at foodstuff far too much credit. Hey, at least she'll never criticize anyone's cooking. Ever.

"Beers after we finish up here, then," he says, since it's apparently going to be a thing now. At least this Tony drinks, or he'd feel pretty awkward even bringing it up (he's used to trying to be nice and keep alcohol out of his Tony's vicinity). They make it to the fence, the glitching section, and Bucky pulls to a stop, eyeing the general area. He can survey for threats and dangers while he talks; he's a multitasker like that.

"Big babies, whining about your MREs." It's a teasing quip. "In my day we had canned mystery meat and stale crackers. Sometimes a chalky chocolate bar if you were lucky."

"And walked uphill both ways in the snow, we know," Tony puts in with a snort as he settles into a gentle landing next to Barnes. It's all but autopilot as most of his attention zeroes in on the fence, but like a lack of focus is ever going to stop Tony from saying something obnoxious.

"Keep your eyes open, grandpa," he adds with an almost audible smirk that becomes a lot more obvious as the armor suddenly cracks open and Tony steps out of it. "If I get eaten, I'm coming back to haunt everybody."

Tony turns back towards the armor on the heels of that announcement. He reaches in to the still-open armor to pull out what looks like a roll of tools, then steps back. "Guard."

The armor's eyes flick back to life as it closes back up, one hand rising to point a not-quite-lit repulsor out at the surrounding forrest. Tony almost absently pats one metal shoulder as he passes to go head towards the fence.

"Bad idea to try any kind of MRE you wouldn't eat out of a can in a normal situation," Sam offers to Ava. "Eggs? Hell no. Steer clear of the vegetarian and vegan options if you have any choice."

While everyone else stops by the fence, Sam patrols the air above, circling above the canopy. He keeps one eye on the situation below through Redwing and the video feed on his gauntlet.

"If you haunt me, I'm getting someone to exorcise your ass." Sam is clearly unimpressed by the threat of ghosts, probably because he hangs out with too many magic-users.

"There were some day where canned mystery meat would have been a step up." She says with a hum of amusement, smiling good-naturedly as she pulls to a stop near Bucky, looking around, eyes sharp as Tony slips out of the armor.

She looks up toward the sky briefly at Sam's commentary and shakes her head. "In my case I was a little short on anyone to trade with. So I was just sort of stuck with what I got." There's a pause and her eyes narrow. "Does anyone see anything?"

She can't quite put her finger on it, but the way the leaves on the low bushes doesn't seem quite normal. She slips off her bike, so she can feel it a little better, the hum in the air. Something's not right and her hands wait against the hilts of her blades.

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In poison places

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W O W I super lost this apologies if ppl wanna just ignore it uh... feel free...