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Post by DornKoon on Dec 13, 2023 20:20:54 GMT
The Shade was casually leaning on his case while Steve was talking, one of his eyes closed behind the sunglasses. It was possible for the observant person to see that it was a subtle gesture. He was peeking out through the shadows and patches of darkness he found, counting enemies and searching for anything interesting, interesting for his own mission anyway. He was not the kind of person who made either approach; honestly, he preferred to go in unnoticed and leave before anyone figured out what he was after.
"Well, it's A.I.M. I would be insulted if they did not hide something deadly inside this place." He commented with a dry smile. "If they did not, this would be a waste of a perfectly good evening for both of us, I should imagine."
Swift smirked before turning his attention to the door; he raised one hand... and moved it to the side. For a split second, he was motionless, staring at a spot on the wall, then... he closed his hand. There was the swirling of darkness as one of the shadows in the room extended, followed by a small surprised cry as the A.I.M. guard came tumbling out onto the floor.
"There you go, got him here for you," The Shade looked to Steve over his shoulder, giving him a grin. "Good luck, Captain."
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 16, 2023 10:40:14 GMT
The guard fell down hard, and Steve was on him before he could cry out. He hoisted him with ease, one hand on his uniform, lifting him off the ground. Steve's expression was hard and stern. His other hands gripped the shield tight, ready to strike out and land this man into unconsciousness with a single swing.
"No noise, or you'll regret it. Tell us the plan here. Are you A.I.M.? Is there more to this facility? How many other guards are inside?"
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Post by DornKoon on Dec 22, 2023 22:06:05 GMT
"Well, you seem to have things well in hand, Captain," said The Shade as Captain America pulled the guard from the ground, lifting him off his feet like a ragdoll... and he was thinking of the cat. "I'll just pop out and look around for myself. Much luck with your integration." He did not wait for a reply before sinking and vanishing into the room's darkness. "It might be best if the good captain is not there to see what I'm looking for, so many uncomfortable questions. Would hate to ruin this nice cooperation we have going; it had been such a shame." The Shade thought to himself as he traversed the Dark Zone.
Using his Umbrakinesis, the shadow demon snuck from shadow to shadow, using the dim light and darkness in the base to move virtually undetected. Most of the rooms he passed were mainly used for storage, smuggled goods, most likely, weaponry and other boring objects that criminals liked to keep staches off. He quickly noted that they had enough weapons for a nicely sized army, which did feel within A.I.M.'s wheelhouse. Still, this was not what The Shade was looking for...
Meanwhile...
The guard struggled in vain against the strength of Captain America, hoisted into the air and neutralised; unable to do anything about it. He glared defiantly at Steve with eyes that shifted from surprise to recognizing to anger.
"Nothing, I will tell you nothing." Said the guard, and he still continued to struggle, no matter how little effect it had on his captor. "The new world is inevitable, and nothing you freaks in tights and masks do can stop it. This world will belong to A.I.M." As he said this, he tried to spit Captain America in the face.
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 28, 2023 11:56:54 GMT
Steve didn't balk as the Shade vanished, but made a wary note of it. He still wasn't sure why the man was here, and it wasn't like he fully trusted him. Whoever he was working for, they wouldn't have the same goals as Steve. He flinched as the guard spat in his face, using one free hand to wipe it from his face. He glared at the man, before driving his whole body into the ground with force.
"Didn't A.I.M. teach you manners? Tell me what I need to know, or you'll be sitting this out for a long time. Do you think your bosses care about a guard, more than they do protecting themselves?"
Steve gripped the man tighter, pressing him into the floor.
"Last chance. Where's the main facility? We know there's more than meets the eye, here. Either you tell me, or I'll just have to tear this whole place apart. What would your superiors prefer?"
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Post by DornKoon on Jan 1, 2024 21:03:32 GMT
It did take some searching, but soon enough, Shade found darkness below the building, so the theory of an underground facility seemed right on point. Traversing the Dark Zone, he soon found himself inside shadows in very different surroundings. These corridors and rooms were pristine where the base on top had been run down and old, most likely a repurposed military barack of some description. He had identified a few guards armed with more advanced weaponry than those above and what appeared to be scientists milling about the place.
"I wonder what A.I.M. could be doing here?" He thought to himself. "State of the art facility, such a waste of money."
There was no alarm, so it did not seem their intrusion had yet been detected. He was thinking about returning to tell the Captain but decided against it... he would find his way down here before long anyway. This way, The Shade had time to look around before Steve arrived.
The guard gasped as his body was slammed into the ground, and it took him a few seconds to regain his breath. He continued to glare up at Captain America.
"O-Of course- they care." The guard did not seem as confident as he had moments ago; at a closer look, he did not appear very old either, maybe in his late 20s at most, if not younger, a recruit at best. Of Brazilian heritage, with brown hair and eyes. It was impossible to know what was going on inside his head, and after a few tense moments, he stopped struggling.
"They never told us-" he was avoiding meeting Steve's piercing gaze. "B-But, I know they take supplies to a part of the base, where we are forbidden from going. I only saw tools for digging. And they transport a lot of dirt from somewhere. We don't get paid to ask questions- and those who do are never seen again." He paused, slowly shifting his gaze to look at Captain America again. "S-So, you going to kill me now?"
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Post by Beriadan on Jan 7, 2024 12:25:54 GMT
Captain America loosened his grip, releasing the A.I.M. soldier. He stood across him, one foot on either side of him, staring down at his enemy with a frown.
"I'm not the murdering type. I'm not the likes of your bosses. What could lead a young man like you to follow people like that is beyond me."
He dragged the man across to a set of steel shelves. From his best, Steve produced some wire ties, which he wrapped around both the soldier's wrists and one of the steel supports, so his arms were over his head. He took a step back, shaking his head. The lengths some people would go to commit evil astounded him, even now. The world certainly hadn't changed since the 1940s.
"'They care'. Sure, that's why they kill off any of you who asks too many questions."
Steve lifted the man's discarded gun, and snapped it over one knee like it was a fallen twig, tossing the two halves to one side. He turned away, one finger to his ear.
"Oracle. Did you get all of that? The main compound must be underground. It didn't show up on any of our radars or scans, so it's definitely a big operation."
He paused, frowning to himself.
"Do me a favour as well. Run a scan on the Shade... he helped me get inside, but I can't read his intentions. Flash should know more about him, but I want to know what someone like that is doing here, infiltrating an A.I.M. facility."
Steve removed his fingers, turning to the guard.
"Which way is the restricted facility?"
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Post by DornKoon on Feb 5, 2024 11:05:33 GMT
The soldier did not move when the Captain released him; it was clear he was smart enough to know that anything he could do would be useless. He flinched slightly when Captain America snapped his weapon in half, looking at the discarded halves with wide eyes...
"Dios mío," he muttered, a mix of fear and amazement in his voice.
He looked back to Steve when he was spoken to again.
"There is a door in the back. A big corridor from the outside, large enough to fit trucks. It leads to the gate you seek; it is massive, impossible to miss; it has a smaller door built into it." he replied, hesitating for a moment. He continued, "I've not been inside, but I've seen a big inclined elevator going down a shaft, one of them really big industrial-sized ones." That would mean that the underground base was not straight below this building but potentially off the side, underground.
"I'm reading you, Captain," came Oracle's voice in his ear, followed by a brief pause. "Bringing up the file on The Shade now. His real name is Richard Swift, and he has English heritage. Power to manipulate darkness to an unknown degree-" Oracle paused but soon continued. "He is a former member of the Injustice Society, but from what I can see, he stepped down as a member and became a freelance agent; he does not kill, and most of his crimes have been related to theft and sabotage. He's been known to associate with people such as Ra's al Ghul and Vandal Savage, but no alliance has ever been proven; suppose if you live long enough, you'll meet others who also live long enough." Silence followed: "Be careful, Captain. The Shade is a bad matchup for you; he is not an opponent you can easily overcome with physical strength. According to notes by Flash, "He is more durable than you would think, but light usually does the trick." He could be there for several reasons, but I'll keep digging."
The Shade was starting to get a somewhat good idea of the layout of this underground facility, and he had taken extra precautions not to leave the Darkzone, only peaking out through shadows where they existed naturally. Still, there were a few places where he found it impossible to spy; bright light and lack of shadows made it... problematic. He'd had little luck concerning his objective, so it would imply that his target was located inside one of the places he could not go without revealing himself. The Shade did not feel inclined to do so.
Maybe awaiting the arrival of Captain America was the right choice?
"Why must every day involve a conflict with an American," The Shade muttered to himself with a dry smile; he was fairly certain the good captain could become a problem. Chances were he would not... approve of his client, or maybe he would? "Still, a hero is a hero."
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Post by Beriadan on Feb 9, 2024 14:12:04 GMT
Steve listened, adding things up in his head. A large gate meant it was designed for something equally as big, allowing it to move in and out. As for the shaft... so it was deep underground. He nodded to the guard, with a smile, holding out a hand for the other man to grab. if he did, Steve would pull him to his feet with ease. If he didn't, then Steve would simply move on.
"Thanks. Take my advise, kid. Get out of here. Get as far away from A.I.M. as you can. Go and hug your mother, and live your own life. This place will kill you, one way or another.
Steve was on the move as Oracle spoke, slipping quietly towards the door at the back. He was ready for this to be a trap, but hoped that the guard was someone who wanted redemption. The news of Shade wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good, either. Morally grey folk were often the hardest to deal with, and their whims could change like the wind.
"Oracle, I've not met an enemy yet that I couldn't overwhelm with physical strength. Some of them just take longer than others to knock down. But thanks. He's not indicated who he's working for yet, but our goals seem to be the same. The only worry is if his contractor has asked him to retrieve whatever is in use down there... if that's the case, then things might get difficult."
Through the small door, Cap found himself at the mouth of a larger corridor. He saw the immense gate at the other end, and gripped his shield tight, dipping into the shadows around the edges. He would have to be vigilante, and stealthy! Steve began to make his way towards the objective, watching for more guards that might be patrolling and keeping an eye out for intruders.
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Post by DornKoon on Mar 10, 2024 12:10:47 GMT
The A.I.M. soldier hesitated but accepted the offered hand. He looked at the Captain for a moment, and after a few seconds, he replied with only a nod. It did seem Steve had given the young man a lot to think about, which, in many ways, could be a good thing. As Captain America left, he remained in the room but did not indicate he would follow him.
"Well, as far as morally grey people go, you could have been running into someone far worse," Said Oracle, accompanied by the faint tapping of a keyboard. "I know he's been doing jobs for Planetary lately and has been seen in meetings with Mr Snow. I'll keep digging into who he might be working for, see if one of our allies might shed some light on it." There was a pause... "Do be careful, Captain."
The large corridor was indeed big enough for a big voice to move through it without trouble, and the marks on the ground indicated it had been frequently used for that purpose. In addition, many remains of what looked like rocks and dirt. As the soldier had said, at the far end was a very big gate with a smaller door attached for easy access. A pair of guards in black armour flanked each side of the gate, holding what looked like military-grade rifles, their faces covered by protective masks.
"They are digging for something." Steve heard the familiar whisper of the Shade as he kept to the shadows. It was impossible to tell if the Shade was there or just using the darkness to speak to him, but thankfully, it did not seem like his voice carried outside of the shadow. "I just saw a truck leaving, so it should be arriving topside soon. It might be the perfect opening for you to get in." As if in the queue, noises came from over at the gate, which was opened, revealing an impressively sized elevator and a truck filled with dirt and rocks.
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Post by Beriadan on Mar 14, 2024 12:57:12 GMT
"Always am, Oracle."
Steve smiled to himself as he continued deeper into the compound. So he was a vigilante, of sorts. Not good, not evil, just one of the many people settling into the ambiguous grey landscape that Steve was becoming more and more familiar with. Sticking to the shadows, he moved quietly, stealthily. He paused, crouching, looking across at the gate, and the guards. The voice didn't startle him, but he did narrow his eyes slightly. So Shade could move around, or at least communicate, without being detected. He needed to be careful what he said. This man might be a temporary ally, but people like that could change on a whim. Shade might leave the Captain in the lurch at any moment. Still...
"Thanks for the intel. I'm going down. If you need a rendezvous, meet me at the other side of the shaft. I'm going to see what they're digging for."
Steve began to move forward. There was a lot of open ground, and this would be trouble if he was seen. Two guards, and it looked like a single driver in the truck. As it began to rumble towards him, Steve moved so it was between him and the guards, blocking their eyesight. The driver seemed to notice, unsure as to what was happening as someone stepped in front of the vehicle. Steve was already running at that stage, and as the truck reached him, he leapt feet first through the windscreen.
It shattered inwards, and he hit the seat. His arm thrust out, striking the driver in the head and pushing it against the metal backing of the cab. The driver's body was dragged across him, slumping into the passenger seat as he took the wheel. Steve slowed, pulling on the headgear that the driver had been wearing as he came to a stop and began to reverse. The guards hadn't checked the man's identity. He checked the mirror, slowly heading backwards towards the elevator. He pushed the driver further down, and readied himself for the questions. He felt the adrenaline surge through him. This was the crucial moment.
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Post by DornKoon on Mar 14, 2024 13:54:12 GMT
"I'll meet you there; I'm rather curious about it myself; doubt it's for the world's deepest located spa." The Shade's voice said... before going silent again. Whatever paranoia it might cause, Swift was no longer there and did not listen in on Steve.
As Captain America performed feats that would leave a normal man crippled, the two guards at each side of the door did not move, so it was obvious they must not have noticed anything amiss. But, what made it more curious was that the two did not react when the Captain started to reverse the truck back; a glance in the mirror showed that the duo remained motionless, heads turned forward, standing at attention with their weapons at the ready. Looking more like statues than people. No questions came, and no one stopped him as the truck returned through the gates, and onto the massive lift.
However, it did look like he would need to find a keycard and a code to get the machine to go back down again.
Meanwhile, the Shade quickly found where the shaft went to the surface. There was some activity there, a few loose guards with rifles patrolling about and some more scientist-looking fellows in lab coats talking over a screen, one taking notes on a pad. A clear track also showed regular heavy traffic passing and going down a gently sloping corridor... deeper into... whatever one might call this, a bunker? A laboratory? HQ? Evil Lair? The Shade felt a little out of practice with the villain business these days... still, he could admire the esthetics.
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Post by Beriadan on Mar 21, 2024 8:59:43 GMT
Steve was cautious of guards like that. Either they were poorly trained, or highly trained, and he couldn't tell which was which. Still, they had let him through without question. It was suspicious, but welcome. He glanced at the unconscious driver. Their outfits were fairly different, but he wasn't wearing what Steve would call a uniform. More like working clothes. The guards hadn't moved, so he opened the door, finding the ground with both feet as he inspected the machine that would lead the elevator down again. Damn, a keycard, and a code? He could potentially find one on the driver, but a code would be verbal. He looked again at the guards, facing forward, stoic. They probably wouldn't want to just let him have the code, even if he asked politely.
Steve jumped back into the cab, rummaging through the pockets of the driver, ducked out of sight of the guards. He didn't have much time before the abnormal routine behaviour, if it was indeed abnormal, was noticed. Judging by the guards, it was perfectly normal for a truck to want to descend... or they had been ordered not to acknowledge them. That, or they knew Steve was already there, and it was a grand, elaborate trap. He allowed himself a grin. That would make things interesting.
Steve found the keycard, but the code was another matter. He frowned. The driver would be out for at least an hour or two, so that wasn't any use. He leapt down, moving to the machine again. Gave the guards a surreptitious side-eye to make sure they were still facing forward, and looked down at the machine as he entered the code.
He flashed a sign in front of his eyes, a fist onto an open palm. Oracle, watching through the contact lenses that acted as a remote camera, would read it as the sign-language for "HELP". If anyone could crack this code in moments, it would be her.
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Post by DornKoon on Apr 17, 2024 22:10:42 GMT
"Give me a moment," came Oracle's voice into his ear. More typing followed as Oracle was doing something on her computer; a moment of silence before: "Got it, put in... 6.5.9.4.9.5.0.0.9.9." Steve would find that the code was indeed correct, and using it, he would gain access to the controls of the elevator; the massive doors leading into the elevator would also close... with the guards outside still having not moved.
The massive machinery would vibrate slightly upon activation before the elevator began moving down the deep shaft. The walls of the shaft were a mix of rock, dirty and beams holding it all together.
"It's odd," Oracle said as the elevator moved. "I've been keeping track, and-" there was a pause as if she was trying to figure out the right words. "I did not get any vitals from those guards at the door. No heat, breathing, nothing."
As the elevator began its descent, The Shade found himself in a comfortable patch of darkness, watching as some scientists began to talk, with one gesturing at the elevator. They spoke in Spanish, a language The Shade had never bothered to learn; apart from a few key phrases, "Una cerveza por favor" did not seem appropriate in the current setting.
Still, he could make an educated guess that they were not expecting the elevator to come back so soon after going up, and it seemed guards were of similar thoughts as they began to gather at the base of the elevator... waiting for it to come down. Armed with an assortment of weaponry, mostly rifles.
"Maybe I should warn the good captain?" The Shade thought to himself, "No, I don't think I will..." If Captain America was going to be surprised by a group of obviously armed guards, well, it would be a shame for his reputation.
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Post by Beriadan on Apr 19, 2024 11:12:48 GMT
Steve exhaled as he listened to Oracle's words, setting himself back into the truck. That was odd, but explained why they showed no reaction. Decoy guards. That meant the majority of the armed force would be... he slowly turned his gaze to the elevator doors. He didn't have long until it reached its destination, he assumed.
Steve moved to the back of the lorry. He grabbed a sizable rock, taking it back to the cab and putting it down on the accelerator, his other foot on the clutch. The lorry revved and roared like an untamed beast. Steve waited, watching as the elevator shuddered down. As soon as those doors opened... Steve was ready to dive clear, shield raised, and make the truck leap forward at high speeds. If there were armed guards waiting for him, they'd be in for a nasty surprise.
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Post by DornKoon on Apr 19, 2024 21:59:25 GMT
The massive doors into the elevator opened, and the soldiers readied their weapons.
What followed was chaos.
The large truck barreled out of the elevator with a roar from the engine. Some guards dove out of the way, some were not quick enough to react, and a few even tried to fire their weapons at the unmanned vehicle, which did so little they could just have tried to hit it with their fists. Without anyone controlling it, the truck quickly turned sideways and rammed through at least half a dozen computers, workstations, and barrels of equipment. People cried out before being mowed down, and the soldiers who got out of the way now turned their attention towards Captain America, and they did not even bother to wait for orders before starting to fire at him.
What had just happened was NOT even close to what The Shade had imagined would happen, which was a welcome surprise. The Shadow demon had watched as the truck appeared from the elevator, creating a path of destruction that continued as the vehicle made another uncontrolled turn, going down the path further into the base and crashing into walls repeatedly. Maybe the slight slope to the ground naturally caused it to follow gravity as it continued down the excavated path towards... whatever was further down there.
An alarm had also started to ring out, which... was to be expected.
"Well, it would be a shame if I was completely outdone," The Shade said to himself. Moments later, he materialised from one of the shadows in the area behind the group of soldiers as they opened fire towards Captain America. He raised his cane, and a pair of shadow hands appeared from the nearby darkness, quickly grabbing two soldiers and slamming them into each other.
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