[Nicaragua, South America] Down To Earth

The Shade, largely due to Steve being who he was, did not have to do much more and only watched him make short work of the guards.

"No, not bad; you came this far without triggering the alarm." The Shade said with a slight smile, using the shadows to follow the captain as he descended the tunnel. They would not get far before they heard a loud crash, moments later finding that the truck had rammed into a wall. They passed small corridors which led to what looked like laboratories of different kinds, and a few times along the way, more soldiers intercepted them... which was not much of a problem for their combined efforts.

It did not take long before the tunnel became more rock than metal, as it had been excavated; it was also the only place large enough for a truck to fit into... but not enough to let it turn.



"I don't wish to alarm you, Captain," said The Shade in a tone that one might use to talk about the weather. "But, I believe a large force is following us. It would not be a far stretch to think that all security in the whole place has been called down upon us. Maybe..." The Shade stopped mid-sentence as his eyes widened slightly. A faint green glow started to reflect on the walls as they came further down. Moments later, the tunnel broke into a larger cave; inside, workers manned a large excavator, and another truck was standing close to the mouth of the cave. The source of the glow was a large pond of vibrantly green liquid, roughly the size of a small swimming pool. A.I.M had built machines going into the liquid and walkways crossing it on several places. It was blatantly clear they were studying it. "An unrefined Lazarus Pit..." Said the Shade, and for the first time, he sounded genuinely shocked. He had expected anything else, but the notion that A.I.M had found something like this was not even close to what he had imagined.



Of course, there was no time to stand around, as the soldiers inside the cave, warned by the alarm, quickly started to open fire upon the two intruders. The workers and scientists dived for cover behind boulders and vehicles.

"Bad news," Oracle replied, with her voice slightly distorted. "Have you ever heard of the Fountain of Youth? That might give you an idea of what it is. They are mystical restorative pools capable of instantly healing injuries, resurrecting the dead, and even granting immortality to those who bathe in them." There was a pause. "If A.I.M seeks to use it, that can only be bad news. This is serious; they could do a lot of damage if they were given the power of Immortality. We have enough trouble with those immortals already running around. The last thing we need is more of them."

---

The Shade, and as he was being fired upon, used his powers over darkness to summon a portal, causing the shots to go inside, only to appear moments later from another direction, returning the fire to the attacks and forcing them to take shelter. If A.I.M had found a Lazarus Pit, it was serious for sure. He was not part of the conversation between the Captain and Oracle; he knew it was her because Steve had said her name. Still, he could make an educated guess that he was given the rundown of what the pit was... Oracle, of all people, would be very familiar with it.

"I've only seen it in the hands of Ra's al Ghul", The Shade commented, summoning a few shadow hands to slam some of the guards into the ground. Richard had not been talking to Ra's for a few years but was very familiar with the nature behind his old friend's longevity. He did NOT like the idea of a group like A.I.M getting their hands on a Lazarus Pit. So something had to be done. " And I would not recommend going for a swim in it, as it can have a very corrupting effect on the mind and soul and cause a person to break out into uncontrollable rage, Lazarus Fever they call it."

The Shade glanced at Captain America from the corner of his eyes, using an opening to grab another guard and fling them across the cave. Seeing the shadow demon's eyes behind his sunglasses was impossible, but he smiled after a few tense seconds and took off the sunglasses, revealing the eyes of the man beneath them—a symbolic gesture, if ever there was one.

" And risk going up against the might of Captain America? Perish the thought, dear boy. I'm in this with you to the end, now more than ever." He shook his head, protecting himself with another barrier as more soldiers arrived at the cave. "I've got no use for this pool, and I can assure you that neither has my employer. Besides, I've enjoyed our little partnership so far, and it would be a shame to end it on a sour note."

Richard was starting to enjoy himself. It was not often he got to "kick about" like this and against so many convenient targets. That being said, he only knocked them out; he was a gentleman, not a murderer. If Cap wanted to bring the place down, who was The Shade to stifle him?

"It will have to be extreme to prevent them from digging it out again. My powers are yours, Captain. What do you have in mind?" The Shade was curious to see what Steve's plan might be. If he had one, or if he would just go by the seat of his pants. Besides, Richard would be doing Ra's a favour by keeping the Lazarus Pit outside of the hands of the "unworthy". Still, he would have to contact his old friend once all this was over... this might not be the only location where A.I.M was poking around after all.

"Very well," said Richard, sending out a wave of dark energy to throw a group of soldiers into a wall. "I'll see what I can do. Do try not to die while I'm gone." There was a slight smile before The Shade vanished into the cave's darkness.

Richard was unsure where one might find explosives, so it would take him a little time to find them. The facility was on full alert now, with scientists running around, and it was most likely saving research. Still, he was surprised all they threw at them were goons with guns... the fact they had a Lazarus Pit would imply it was important... so why did they not send in anything bigger? Or someone with a little more... fame.

---

"Sure, Cap," replied Oracle, "Let me see what I can do. Wait a moment. What's-" But Steve did not hear whatever she was about to say because static overtook the line, followed by a soft click. "I think not," It was not Oracle's voice; it was a man now, slightly annoyed but measured. "We've invested far too much to let you blow it up, Captain. We are on the cusp of greatness, a cure that will make all other cures obsolete. What we seek will elevate humanity beyond our wildest dreams: immortality, strength, and health. Surely even you can see the benefits of being able to cure Cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, and many, many more."