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Post by Beriadan on Dec 10, 2023 15:32:15 GMT
"Our intel shows that there is most likely am A.I.M. laboratory twenty three miles outside of El Ayote, in Nicaragua. They've been distributing high tech weaponry into South American terrorist cells for less than a year, but they're already causing chaos."
Steve nodded as he listened, hands on the Quinjet as he navigated it deftly over the West Coast, down towards Mexico and beyond. Sounded like a classic Captain America mission. Go in, beat up some bad guys, destroy their hideout, and leave. Steve smiled to himself as Oracle spoke further, more information that had been gathered by their own intelligence over the past few months. He wondered if A.R.G.U.S. would know any of this. He wondered if they'd care.
"We estimate that there's perhaps three dozen A.I.M. agents, scientists and... possibly more. I'm not totally sure. Just be careful, Steve."
Steve nodded again as he steered the jet across the Gulf of California. The Quinjet wouldn't be detected, not by today's technology. It was designed to slip in and out of airspace, crossing boundaries of countries as of they didn't exist. He rose after initiating the autopilot, which would drop him off and rendezvous once the job was done.
"Got it. I'm always careful, Oracle. Don't you know that about me by now?"
Steve grinned as he turned to face the opening rear door. He adjusted his shield and then began a full sprint, leaping out as the Quinjet crossed over the drop point. Below was Nicaragua, a lush green country. Steve initiated his tracking goggles, which showed him the drop point. The wind tore at him from all angles as he folded his arms to his side, soaring faster towards the ground.
He landed somewhere in a sparsely wooded area, landing heavily yet with some sort of grace, poise. Steve rose to his feet, finger to his earpiece. He was a mile off target. Was he getting less accurate in his old age.
"Oracle? I'm on land. Four clicks North-Northwest and I'll be close to the target. Update me if there are any new developments."
Steve began to jog towards the A.I.M. base, which for him was a regular person's fast run. Best not take up too much energy just yet. By the sounds of it, there might be more than scientists and armed guards waiting for him.
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Post by DornKoon on Dec 10, 2023 16:26:01 GMT
As Captain America began his casual jog through the wilderness, Swift stood in the shadows of some trees on the rise overlooking the base below. He slowly adjusted his cravat and gloves; he was not such a big fan of the Central American heat at the best of times, and being dressed in all black was not helpful. A slight miss in his own calculations when he accepted the mission.
"A.I.M, Advanced Idea Mechanics." He muttered to himself, taking out and putting on his sunglasses. "Such a silly name for a group of supposed "enlightened" minds. This world has enough to worry about without another group of megalomaniacs on a quest for technological dominance and world conquest. At least Von Doom has a certain sense of style..."
The Shade sank down, disappearing into the shadows, returning to the comfortable and cool darkness, moving swiftly from shadow to shadow, using the dark zone to travel at an incredible rate. A few moments later, Swift was hidden inside one of the shadows outside the A.I.M base. Guards were moving about the area, but none of them could see, much less sense, the shadow demon's presence.
"Now, If I was an archive... where would I be?" He thought, reaching out with his umbrakinesis, and began to search the inside for spots of suitable darkness. Thankfully, there were a lot of those to chose from, places like these were not that high on windows. "Well, no time like the present. If I get this done quickly, I might be able to go do some shopping before I go back with the documents."
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 10, 2023 17:12:02 GMT
As Swift began to probe into the shadows within the base, Steve reached the boundaries. He began to move with stealth, pushing forward through the trees that surrounded A.I.M.'s base. He was quick, quiet and efficient, as was Captain America with most missions he applied himself to - which, incidently, was all of them.
"Oracle, I'm near the perimeter."
Steve paused, moving silently into the shadows. Ahead he saw someone, his enhanced vision picking up the tell-tale signs of a figure in the dark. Concealed, against the guards and anyone else who might by prying. Luckily for Steve, he wasn't just anyone else.
"I've got company. Someone else on the perimeter. Not sure if they're friend or foe. I'm approaching with caution."
He spoke low into his earpiece, low enough that it wouldn't travel far. Steve began to slowly approach the figure in the shadows. Whatever they were, the fact that they were also here was enough to ring alarm bells in his head. Steve had to be cautious, and so he was.
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Post by DornKoon on Dec 10, 2023 17:33:01 GMT
Swift did not move, and he was just about to use his power to return to the dark zone when something caught his attention... there was movement in some nearby shadows. He did not have to see them to sense them, someone efficiently concealing themselves in the darkness, quick... and quiet. The Shade smiled ever so slightly before reaching out with his powers, connecting himself to the surrounding shadows. The sheild was enough of a give-away to make it clear who he was dealing with, and honestly, it was not an unwelcome surprise, if anything it was not a rival in the strict sense of the word.
Captain America noticed that his coms began to go into a state of statics, just for a brief moment, before turning to normal again.
"As I live and breathe, if it isn't the good captain himself." Steve could hear a soft voice coming from close to his ear; a quick glance would reveal no one there, and the voice seemed to come from the shadow itself. "What an unexpected pleasure."
"I assure you, Captain, you've got nothing to fear from me." He added a few seconds later, letting his voice travel through the shadows. It would not take much for Steve to figure out that the "modus operandi" of using shadows was that of the creature more commonly known worldwide as The Shade, even if his presence there was unexpected.
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 10, 2023 17:45:13 GMT
Steve tensed as his radio went static, cutting off his communication with the League. Yet as he readied himself, he suddenly knew who he was dealing with. It was someone who had crossed paths with the Justice League on occasion, though this was Steve's first interaction. The Shade. He relaxed slightly, fists unclenching as the shadows around him.
"The Shade, am I right? Didn't expect to see someone like you out here."
Steve pulled his shield from his back. Fighting the Shade was pointless when he was in his shadow form, and it didn't seem like he was fighting for the other side. For now, at least. Steve might not have a personal vendetta against him, but the man was still a criminal. He could overlook that for now.
"Is this coincidence? Or are you scoping out this base as well?"
Steve turned his attention to the base, not far from them now. Guards were milling around, seemingly quite lax for such an important sounding operation. He frowned to himself. There must be something.
Steve didn't relay the information to Oracle. She could hear it through his comms, which weren't in static anymore. The Shade didn't need to know he had someone in the chair, passing him information.
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Post by DornKoon on Dec 10, 2023 18:06:08 GMT
"Correct," Swift replied, his voice casual in the way that one might be talking about the weather or catching up with an old friend. Moments later, The Shade materialised through the shadows, stepping out where Steve was, greeting him with the tip of the hat, and flashing a polite smile. He shot a glance at the shield but made no hostile moves, just showing his free hand, holding the cane in the other. "Tell me, how is Flash doing these days? I've not had the pleasure of seeing the dear boy in a while, making himself comfortable in the Justice League, I hope?"
"You would be surprised how few coincidences there are in the world," he replied. "But yes, I was indeed looking to make my way into this base; I take it you're in a similar position?"
The Shade curiously looked towards the base and the guards' movements, his eyes hidden behind the sunglasses.
"I would have expected more guards at a location controlled by A.I.M." He added after a few seconds, voicing something similar to what the captain was thinking. "They clearly were not expecting visitors, or maybe they are getting sloppy. Thoughts?"
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 10, 2023 18:44:43 GMT
"Flash is fine. Fastest Man Alive, never seems to have the time to stop and chat."
Steve smirked as he surveyed the guards. It did seem poorly covered, especially compared to other A.I.M. bases he had shut down. Way below what he was used to. Steve frowned, turning towards the Shade.
"We've had reports that this is a base of operations, as it were, for a lot of weapon sales into South America. This isn't what I expected."
He tightened his grip on his shield, eyes back on the guards. There was definitely something wrong here.
"Can you see inside with your shadows? Anything out of the ordinary going on?"
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Post by DornKoon on Dec 10, 2023 19:25:30 GMT
"Glad to hear it, " Shade said with a slight smile. " and that is not surprising; actions over words, and all that. He still sends me Christmas Cards every year."
The Shade cocked one of his eyebrows as Steve talked, weapons sales into South America? Well, it certainly would seem to be in the wheelhouse of A.I.M to put in and disrupt the order of other countries. It was curious to hear him say that he did not expect it; maybe he had imagined it to be a more tightly guarded location. Still, it would seem he and the good captain were here for different reasons and after very different objectives; perhaps it was best to keep it that way for the moment.
"Yes, it is oddly... unprotected for place dealing in weapon sales." Shade said in agreement. "It seems that they were not expected guests, or they feel more guards are unnecessary, which is not encouraging. Still, it does make things a little more interesting than I had initially planned."
He tilted his head to the side, glancing at Captain America before returning to the building.
"Yes, that is within my abilities." He replied. "Depends what you mean with out of the ordinary? I did find a good spot inside without guards that I planned to go to first. A storage area from what I could gather, not sure if that of any use to you, Captain."
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 10, 2023 19:37:24 GMT
"Without guards? I think that sounds perfect."
Steve nodded, confidently. A storage area that wasn't heavily guarded... it meant there was nothing of interest there, but it was a start. Perhaps there were lower levels within. They wouldn't hold anything of importance on the first floor... not if it was as important as their intel said.
"This whole scenario is out of the ordinary, for A.I.M., at least. This place should be crawling with guards. Something's up."
Steve glanced at the Shade again. He reckoned he had found a good ally for this mission, temporary and coincidental as it was. He gave the man a small nod.
"You can travel though shadows, right? Anyway of getting us both inside without alerting the guards?"
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Post by DornKoon on Dec 10, 2023 19:52:58 GMT
"Excellent, no time like the present; off we go then."
Swift raised his hand slightly as the shadows extended from under his feet, creating a path of darkness below himself and Captain America. Two things would happen. Simultaneously, The Shade would sink into the darkness, and Captain America would lose all footing and feel like he was falling into a very thick mist unless he consciously chose to hold onto something. The experience of being teleported by The Shade's power was... an "experience" like being surrounded by flowing mist and darkness, falling for a moment, before being pulled upwards; he could still detect that The Shade remained next to him.
The journey took only a few seconds, and as quickly as it appeared, the darkness retreated. Steve found he had footing again as the unlikely duo was now standing inside a room filled with storage boxes of different sizes. It was silent, colder than outside, which was on account of the stick stone walls most likely.
" And here we are, " said Swift with a bow and tip of the hat. "The first few journeys can be a little disorienting."
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 10, 2023 20:57:40 GMT
Steve had gone free-falling a lot. It was practically a hobby. Even earlier this day he had dropped from the Quinjet from many miles up. It didn't phase him anymore... and yet, this method of teleportation was something else. Down, down, then dragged upwards, forced back into the light.
"Geeze... give a guy a warning next time."
Steve gave a slight smile towards his temporary ally. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. It was cold, and quiet. He moved silently to one of the boxes, testing it. Unlocked, filled with nothing that could be a weapon, or advanced tech. Slowly Steve replaced the lid.
"Not here. I think what they're hiding here must be further in. Perhaps underground. That would account for the small amount of guards."
Steve spoke quietly, just in case they weren't alone. He couldn't hear any movement, but shadows had ears. Speaking of... he looked towards the Shade.
"I never asked you what you were here for. You know what I'm looking to find. What about you?"
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Post by DornKoon on Dec 10, 2023 21:33:58 GMT
"Apologize," The Shade tipped his hat a little. "I shall keep it in mind should we need to journey together again."
He watched as Steve moved to examine the content in one of the boxes but made no attempt to join him and instead turned his attention to the room itself. He was listening to Captain America on only half an ear as he reached out with his powers, searching the shadows and darkness but making no visible sign of doing so, at least for the moment.
"Not an unreasonable idea," he replied, leaning on his cane.
"No, indeed you did not." Shade shot Steve a small smile. "But, to return the curtsy, what I'm looking for. I don't know yet. I was hired to look into the business of what A.I.M is really doing here, what my client intends to do with the information I cannot say, nor would I tell even if I knew." He did not mention anything of why he was working for, neither did he tell the whole truth, deciding to keep it at that for the time being.
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 10, 2023 22:12:03 GMT
Steve stared at the Shade for a hot moment. Then he nodded, accepting that answer for the time being. It didn't matter right now. He needed to get into the heart of this base, and this man was the best way. If things turned south, then Steve could handle it. For now, he and the Shade made for an unlikely, yet durable, friend.
"Right. Well, you help me, and I'll help you. We need to find a way deeper into this place. I'm certain it's not as empty as it seems. The guards are lazy because there's nothing real on the surface for them to guard. The real base is below."
Steve pointed two fingers across the warehouse. Two double doors sat there, wide, shut and quiet. On the other side was unknown, but it would lead them deeper, towards the heart of this place.
"Through there is our best bet. Can you look through your shadows, check if the coast is clear?"
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Post by DornKoon on Dec 10, 2023 22:39:07 GMT
"Then we have an accord," The Shade said with a nod. He looked at the same double doors when Steve pointed at them, taking a moment to collect his own thoughts. "I also think the guards were lazy because most people would only look at the surface, meaning that the base below is most likely hidden. We are professionals after all..." he cocked an eyebrow and looked to Steve, "The Boy Scout of America and the Shadow Demon, no one would expect that combo."
"Yes, I can certainly do that." The Shade took a few steps forward, reaching out with his powers. "In fact, I can do you one better. My powers let me connect to the darkness within; I could bring us directly into the base below. If there is such a space, I could find it. Why do you think heroes had such a difficult time keeping me out over the years?"
The Shade cleared his throat and returned his attention to Captain America.
"So, either we go by the more traditional means using the door, or we make a gamble and go into the lair of the beast directly. There is currently one guard patrolling the corridor outside, armed with a rifle, should not be a problem."
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 13, 2023 12:05:45 GMT
Steve cocked an eyebrow at the boy scout comment. At least it wasn't the old comment of Captain Showgirl. He shrugged it off, instead focusing on the issue at hand. What would be the best way in? He knew people that would decide on the latter. Someone like Bucky would leap into the jaws of hell without question. Steve felt like a more cautious approach could help.
"We don't know what we're facing below. My vote would be to work our way carefully and stealthily the old fashioned way. If a guard trips the alarm, at least we'll have a few moments to make a decision. If we teleport right to the target, that could take us unawares. Whatever A.I.M. have here, it has the potential to be deadly."
He shifted his shield, grasping it tighter than before. Steve nodded at the Shade.
"You're here separately, so feel free to go on ahead. I'll work room by room. If you're with me... then you can always do me a favour and get me behind that guard."
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