Fractured Cycle

Summary:
February 14, 2015: Fracture's plans are about to be interrupted as SHIELD closes in. (Some violence)

An undisclosed warehouse

It's really, really cold in here.


Characters

NPCs

  • Various SHIELD agents

Mood Music:
None


It starts with a letter:

Dear.

"I found your wallet. I took your card. I'm going to New York. Will return soon." xoxoxo

Left behind with said letter was a box of files. What was in those? It was up to anyone to guess.

This all leads to a neighborhood watch. Men and women gathered into a livingroom, seen from the outside it looked like an angry congregation, a string of robberies and murders, inspiration from those who actually do the heroing leads to them showing off boards of costumes, fighting over names and colors chosen. Vigilantes in the making.

On the outside still, flash bangs rock their meeting point, a cacophony of screams followed by a hail of bullets and laughter. A body soon thrown through the window and soon a lone figure follows through, boots hitting the grass with a thud, those slender legs walking upon the lone woman who tried to get away…

..A hand sinks into the copse of red hair; green eyes alight to the terror with pitch black eyes who stares down for effect, a cats meow from the mouth of the babe as the victim's juggular is gripped and /tugged/.

It all ends here:

A dilapidated warehouse; concrete cracked due to the freezing and heating of the elements, windows torn asunder due to kids with rocks and other foul things that taken place, row of steel and metal, latters a smattering, work benches and other odd tools and devices that litter the catwalks.

It was cold here, no heat in the building what so ever, the ancient HVAC torn down and hung from the ceilings, it was here where Fracture was to meet with a contact, to sever ties to Ubekistan in favor of more fruitful ventures. The phone call was soon placed to the contact of when and where to meet where she pulls up a dirtied chair and waits.

*

Killing hero sorts tends to be high profile, particularly when done in great volume. Such acts have not been ignored. They have not transpired unnoticed. SHIELD has been watching, learning, putting the pieces together. Despite everything else which has been happening on their turf of late, this case has not been ignored.

Fracture's contact is going to be a little late. In fact, it's probably best to assume they aren't coming at all. One more figure does arrive at the warehouse, though it likely isn't anyone expected.

"This weather is just awful, isn't it?"

Stepping forth from the shadows is Maria Hill, in uniform complete with two holstered sidearms. And very little else.

Anything more which she might happen to need is already in position around the building. She's not stupid, nor is she truly alone. Everyone else brought along for this operation can hear every word spoken from inside, she's not about to take chances today.

"Freeze a body solid in no time at all once the heart stops pumping. Helluva way to go. Probably better than having the throat torn out, though. That's just nasty."

*

He prefers the bright red, white, and blue. Not only is it a political and ideological proclamation, the loud colors tend to bring fire onto him and away from others. Enemy fire is not something Captain America fears.

Instead, Steve Rogers is wearing the deep blue outfit with highlighted silver trim. His shield, while still carrying the national star is painted in deep blue and grays.

He's read much of the reports on this particular perpetrator. What made her noteworthy, in his opinion, is how little was known about her and how much was assumed. Wild conjecture and little evidence. So much of the time that made for a worryingly unstable cocktail of overconfidence and false security.

He's propped up high with a good angle at the interaction between Hill and Fracture from his spot just outside a warehouse window. Crouched in the crook of the window, it takes some gymnastics to get up into position and some strength to hover there, but Cap is up to the task. He's heard all sorts of capabilities this woman has and is ready for anything.

*

Hawkeye is exactly where he should be. Climbing the walls may be Spider-Man's schtick, but with some decent handholds, the Senior Field Agent can manage. Once up, he's checking for any 'extras' that may have arrived with their target. That doesn't take too long, on the roof of said dilapitated warehouse. Once he's satisfied, Hawkeye moves silently into position, bow out, incindiary arrow nocked and ready. He catches the chatter on the com as he stops at the prearranged one of the many HVAC holes with their ragged steel edges, catching Hill's exact location. "In the nest. Have 40 yard visual."

*

Peacoat sinched (because there's a love for peacoats, they're warm and just lovely), gloved fingers tugging along the neck as she takes a few strides along the concrete. The voice, however.. was not the voice of the person she had contacted, and this gives her pause. Serious pause.

There was a slight turn of her body, brows knitted, icy blues settle upon the woman weighing her by the inch as words of her recent exploits grace her ears.

"Perhaps you should have worn something a little bit more weather friendly." Where at home, her normal accent shown through, yet this time, she was more Americanized.

She finally turns now, whatever she had beneath that peacoat remained hidden as she crosses the way only just a touch, not breaking into Maria's personal bubble, keeping that distance fair and proper as she looks on to the woman with a slight tilt of her head.

"What have you done with Farhod." T'was not a question put forth. Inquiring minds would like to know.

*

Sure, it's cold. Hill's breath can be seen in the air, regardless of being indoors. The uniform provides some amount of comfort (and thank goodness for the gloves,) but she'd rather be cold than risk hindering herself. Being chilled also serves as a constant reminder to not..waste..time.

"I don't mind a little cold," she replies in a fairly pleasant, conversational tone.

When Fracture moves Hill's silently being grateful that there's still a bit of space separating the two. Getting anywhere within arm's reach is -not- anywhere she wishes to be. -Ever.- The enemy always deserves some amount of respect, if only for what they are capable of.

"See, what you -should- be worrying about here isn't your buddy, because when -I'm- standing out here in the cold, all by my lonesome? You're in some kinda trouble."

Over the coms another voice softly cuts in. "Bravo team in position."

"You've put up a good fight, I'll give you that. Now it's time for you to make another important decision. I represent SHIELD, you may have heard of us. Right now I'm putting a lot of work aside to give you the only opportunity you're going to get to turn yourself in. We can all walk out of here, right now, nice as you please. We can also do this the hard way but that just starts to feel cliche after a while."

*

Cold. Of -course- it's cold. Why wouldn't it be one of the coldest days in February yet? Dropping down to 7'F the moment the sun dips is pretty much what Hawkeye would expect of his luck on today, of all days? And on stake-out on the roof, surrounded by God and rusted metal? Tetanus shot after this. "Colder than a witches' tit. And I should know…" is murmured. Married one. Divorce papers to prove it.

"Target acquired." With an incindiary tip. (At least it'll be warm when it goes off.)

Hawkeye's target probably isn't Veruca herself, but rather the exit behind her. The only way for the 'bad guy' to go is -through- Hill.

*

"If you've got any direct attacks on Hill, I've got the surrounding area," Rogers whispers into a device upon his wrist. "Check that." Hawkeye's aim, at least as far as Cap can see, is set not on Fracture herself. That means he's got to take point. "Also, if you're referring to Bobbi, I've met her and she's very nice. You should go easy on her." It's probably prying into Clint's personal life a bit too much, but Steve is unable to prevent himself from rushing to the woman's aid; especially given that she's not here to defend herself.

Silently he begins to treat the rafters like monkey bars as he gets into position up above in a position to better defend Hill if she comes under attack. From there, He peers down at Fracture, trying to get a good look at her in person. He's seen the multimedia videos over and over and pictures that SHIELD was able to obtain, but there's nothing quite like the real thing. Out of all of the "supervillains" (that's what they call them these days) that have made noise over the last 6 months, Fracture has been the most persistent, consistent, and ominous. If they're able to get her here tonight, a lot of people will be able to feel some semblance of justice.

*

"Oh. S.H.I.E.L.D."

There was a little disdain in her voice, one that causes her to draw back and turn, taking a few steps away from Maria to bend at the knees to pick up a chair to set it upright. Fingers move to unbutton each button that kept her peacoat together, soon shrugging it off of her shoulders to place politely upon the back of the chair, only stopping to pick an errant stray hair from the shoulder of the cloth to flick it into the air. If the woman represented SHIELD? That means that there may be more, and possibly an entire team there waiting to take her into custody.

"You have the look of a woman who does not know what the hard way is." She states, one shoulder rolled as her head leans to that said to put an ear to it, stretching.

"You carry the look of someone who does not have to face the hard times that most of your men and women do." Other shoulder lifted, and there was a soft crack heard, soon her hand lifts to sink fingers into her dark hair to braid, each strand that could get into her hair tucked back, eyes rolled slightly and soon down to reveal pitch black.

"But I'll show you."

Her words were clear as she turns once more, hands sinking behind her back to grip the sai's that remained at a cross, long enough to touch shoulder blades. They sing in the air as both are raised, both tips pointing towards her own temples to tap.

"Now you'll say.. 'I should not have brought a knife to a gun fight.' But darlin', wait til' you see what I do with these.."

*

"Presentation is everything, and looks can be deceiving," Hill responds while glancing down at the tips of her fingers. The gesture makes a bit more sense when one can actually see their own fingernails, which she currently cannot.

The *crack* brings her attention back on point in an instant, though there's nothing malicious happening. Not yet. Just..messing with her hair. Really? "If you're waiting for me to die of hypothermia you're out of luck, sweetheart."

There it is. Fracture's going for weapons. This is a point where Maria stays completely focused on the villain at hand, a momentary interruption could be all that it takes for her to not walk away from this.

With the challenge issued she still doesn't reach for her sidearms. Instead, she replies "No. I'm going to tell you that you should have surrendered."

When diplomacy fails, always have a strong Plan B. Having some super-heroes never hurts, either.

*

Roger's eyes grow just a bit wider as Fracture begins to make her move. When the sais are pulled from behind, Cap hangs with one arm while using the other to grab his shield. From there, he simply releases his grip upon the rafter and begins to plummet down between Maria and Fracture, like a deep blue bowling ball dropped from on high.

He tucks in a bit behind the shield; the strongest attribute of which is in its ability to dissipate forces at an unbelievable clip. His aim is for her hands, trying to knock the sais away.

*

Clint's focussed on the scene before him, beneath him. His expression is neutral now; nothing at all matters but Hill's safety and the apprehension of the woman. Veruca's speech doesn't even gain a smirk; apparently she doesn't know Hill's a former Marine? Trenches is where the DepDir prefers to be.

It's when the sais come out that Clint pulls his string back. Cap's on the weapons, he's blocking exits out now. "Fire in the hole," is murmured through the com. Behind Veruca. The arrow held is finally loosed, flying through the cold air silently, on its course for the back, covering any potential escape, or perhaps any who may come in behind the hero-killer.

The moment that arrow is loosed, Clint's got a second on the string; it's a 'regular' arrow. "Target acquired. Tell me when." Leg shot.

*

There was no way Veruca was going to make this easy. She's already surrendered once, but she was going to make them fight for it. Just when her hands draw back to plant the sais within each shoulder of Maria's, a tumble of blue and steel fall from on high which draws reflexes into play for her leap backwards quickly. And there it was; that look of shock as she notes the shield, the obvious description that was given to her by another person she was to meet this week. Yeah.. strange coincidences indeed.

The sais were held firmly and aloft, twirled expertly within her fingers, blades pointed downward as a step is taken and withdrawn once the arrow that was fired behind her marks a boom. That was one exit gone; she was being trapped in a hell of her own making.

FUN!

"I was looking for you." She states towards Cap, advancing forward with blades in striking position. There were three present, one unseen.. but she didn't have time to project and guess where the third one was, he'd reveal himself in time.

*

Oh, there's more than three. The Division has plenty of armed individuals to spare. Case in point, "Bravo on the move" comes through the instant Captain America dive-bombs their Baddie of the Month. One exit's on fire. A few more are overtaken by men and women bearing the SHIELD insignia. Carrying nasty looking weapons.

Hill takes the opportunity to step clear of the dueling powers, drawing one of her sidearms just in case Fracture manages to break through what amounts to their first line of defense.

Her other hand is coming up to the side of her head, giving Hawkeye the green light. "Put her down."

Cap's one of SHIELD's best resources for a situation like this, but Hill knows the additional risks involved with putting one of this country's greatest icons up against a woman who would like nothing more than to gut him on the spot. She can't afford to let this skirmish go on for long.

Simply put, she doesn't want Fracture to get a taste of blood today. Not Steve's.

"Bravo hold point, don't let the bitch maul our Captain."

*

"Well, it looks like your patience paid off," Steve responds as he brings up his shield, attempting to cover Hill with both the vibranium and his body. "Allow us to take you in, I'd love to have a cup of coffee and chat."

It's true that the supervillain probably has a great desire to add Steve's head to her growing collection of superheroes from around the world, but that doesn't concern him. He's almost been dead so many times now—worrying about it has never been something he affords himself in the moment.

He takes a step towards her, extending the shield slightly with a wave, gauging her response.

*

Clint's got the immediate area covered, and catches the command for the others to make their move. Everyone on this op knows their job; it's a well-rehearsed dance they've done countless times on names consigned to history over the years.

It's his turn, now, and as Cap moves forward to 'escort', Clint is given his own command. There's no killing on this op; he's just supposed to make it harder for Veruca to walk out.

Step.

Step.

As Veruca advances, Hawkeye's got his mark. It's something he's good at. One of the best in the world. The string is pulled back, and in the next beat of a heart, the arrow flies through the air- silent and deadly, aimed for one of Veruca's calves. The moment the arrow is gone, another is in its place, ready for any follow-up.

*

It just got serious. Just when Veruca was on the charge and attack, the shield was put towards her with a wave, her hand swings down in a launch of a sai to discard the weapon into his body. It was a harsh throw, one with a touch of power behind it, intending on bypassing Captain and going straight for Maria. They protected her the most.

What she didn't account for was another arrow; one that planted itself within her calf, causing her to slip and stumble, one knee put to the ground as her bare hand graces against the concrete. And.. that really only served to make her angry.

The people that filtered in? Even more upset. Nasty looking bitches they were, agents of good or no. So it was going to be this type of game. She knew better than to stick around; there were many of them against just her. And she wasn't even in her final form! (Get it?)

Her good leg shifts forward, pushing hard against the ground to send her at a launch, latching herself onto a catwalk to pull herself upright, only settling upon the ground for but a second to draw the arrow from her leg which was soon tossed to the side. Time to bounce!

*

Sai..Sai!

Hill reacts to the thrown weapon even without it ever making its way through to her. One of the problems with handling powered individuals, they don't play by the rules of human limitations. Such as reaction time, and how hard they can throw something. Even though the Deputy Director isn't skewered, Fracture did get her attention!

In the next instant Fracture is already off of the ground and up in the catwalks, pulling the arrow right out of her own leg. Here's a villainess that can -move!-

Hill's already got her sidearm up and aimed, blasting a shot out at the catwalk to try and cut Fracture off from escaping out through the roof. Rusted metal and broken glass alike simply disappear into vapor, leaving glowing edges behind.

"Eagles one and two, intercept south end! Hawkeye, don't let her leave!" Whether this means 'hit her with a taser arrow' or 'spear her lungs' is his call to make. Just don't..let..her..LEAVE.

*

PING!

CLANG!

The pair of sais ricochet off the vibranium of the shield and skitter off into the darkness of the warehouse. Though he was able to protect Hill, it allowed Fracture to get a move on. Rather than get down about it, Steve begins to give chase by running up the side of the nearest wall, onto a set of old rickety pipes.

His large arms pull him upwards a wire covering. Within a moment he's scaling towards the catwalk, but he's lost a large amount of time.

*

Hawkeye's got a good seat in the house, and he's hit his mark. "Okay…" he murmurs softly. Veruca's on the move, and bow shifts from shooting the sais out of the air to pulling a taser arrow and setting it on its string. "She's not getting past me." He's a sentry on the roof, and he's not only a good archer.

The shot is taken, a taser to shock and stun rather than unconsciousness or kill. The moment the arrow leaves the bow, Clint is on his feet and waiting for the woman to show her head up onto the roof.

*

With a turn and a launch to her feet, Veruca sets off to running until.. *BOOM!* With a skip-stepping stop, she turns to view the burning embers of what was left of the rest of the catwalk and.. gawks. Fucking. Cool. She needs one of those. Ut! Time to fly! Her braid whips around as she goes for the intended exit, but with Captain America intercepting, she immediately turns back towards the way she came, speeding through with a limp, her hand soon grasping the edge of the bar close to where the metal burns, her body soon flinging over the edge of the disintegrated edge, narrowly missing being hit by the arrow.. which, she'd later call Shock and Awe. Cool right?

That little fling was intending to bring her just a little bit closer to where she first started, in front (or behind) Maria, and once she lands with a slightly bended knee and a stumble, her hands strike out and curl, fingers splitting the gloves she wore to reveal shards of glass that protrude from the tips of her fingers.

While she could say a few words to mark the occasion of going toe to toe with Maria? She leaves it up to the birds as she leaps forward in a bound to draw her 'claws' in a downward arch to maim the woman upon the surface.

*

Good lord, this gal can move fast… Hill's brought along some of the big toys, great for area denial and gaining immediate entry where required but not so good for use against living targets or for precision work. Friendly fire isn't!

This doesn't keep her from trying to follow Fracture's every motion with the sights of her plasma pistol, which is a challenge all on its own. Add to this the black on black issue of tracking someone in the shadows and she's at a slight loss.

Suddenly the challenge shifts from 'keep her from leaving!' to 'holy shit she's going for my face!'

As glass-tipped gloves lash out Hill holds her arms up to try and block the attack. Her uniform's rated against some edged weapons, glass being more brittle than steel, but the force behind the motion proves to be too much. A series of ragged holes are ripped through the pristine white issued gloves, cutting deep enough to dice through the sleeve and nick the skin beneath.

Then Hill's training kicks in, attempting to play on the weakness both ranged weapons and melee weapons alike have in common. Get in close to the attacker. -Real- close.

The bottom of Hill's pistol violently lashes out toward Fracture's temple in the same moment she's bringing one of her legs and her other hand around, barking out once as she tries to stun and knock the other woman to the ground in one desperate response.

Break contact, -get the hell away!-

*

"Hawkeye," Captain America says calmly as Veruca now hops downward back towards where he came. He knows that chasing is fruitless. He also knows that despite her efforts, Fracture has allowed herself to get in a crossfire situation, and one where the SHIELD agents may have a tactical advantage. "Listen to me, Hawkeye. On my mark, take a shot." Her ability to dodge is impressive, but dodging two things at once is next to impossible.

"1. 2. 3." Cap's body twists as he sends his shield out in a mighty toss from one side, hoping that Hawkeye can get a shot off in the other direction.

Cap trusts Hawkeye not to hit Hill, despite his recent miss.

*

Missed?

Missed?!

Clint… never misses. Ever. It's what he's trained for since he was a teenager. Hours upon hours under mentors.

It's Cap's voice that comes through the buzz, and blue eyes narrow as he catches the words. "Roger." Clint's voice is soft and determined with a touch of something else in the mix. The countdown catches him and it's easy to pull an arrow in the time allotted.

One… Choose and nock the arrow.

Two… Pull back in a breath, shoulders taut, elbow up.

Three… Exhale, slip the fingers from the string, setting the arrow in motion.

The arrow flies through the air; a perfect set-up and release, towards the called target that is Veruca. The taser is on the move.

*

HAH! A knick! That's all she really wanted. It was about the little things that made her happy. A tiny sight of blood, is all a girl needs to get the day going right. But the butt of the gun? Yeah, she didn't expect that. The clear knock of her head against the temple had her head whipping, the knee to her side sent her stumbling in the opposite direction, one hand lifting to hold her temple as another draws around to take another swipe and grab towards the neck to go for the quick kill.

But, as soon as her hand swings around, the whistle of the shield catches her right in that side, crushing ribs upon contact to send her flying, straight into the path of the arrow that plants itself upon the other side.

If that arrow had any force, she'd be swimming up shit creek.

Which she is anyways! But to continue, the electricity fires from the taser arrow, shocking her into submission, her body falling flat to the ground as muscles lock and seize, thanks to the combined effort of the three.

*

Hill can find the time to bleed later, which also happens to be something horribly cliche. When Fracture goes down with the literal one-two punch from the fire support Hill takes the opportunity to back up a few much-needed steps and level her big scary pistol down at the downed form of their baddie.

"Tango down! Bravo, move in!"

Suddenly: Ground forces! The team formerly holding defense quickly closes the distance, fully surrounding both Fracture and Hill. Those with the appropriate gear for restraining and containing a metahuman step forth to put Fracture under lockdown until the transport vehicle can swing around.

Maria's just going to keep her weapon trained until the moment that their mark is secured, roughly dropping it back into the leg holster. She's injured, though she turns this into irritation. She's still got work to do.

"Eagles one and two on full perimeter sweep, we're not out of the woods yet. And someone bring me my goddamn coat."

*

Captain America lets himself fall off the catwalk and begins to head back down towards Hill. He slams down into the pavement, but doesn't seem to show any worse for wear as he rises to his feet. A swift kick downwards pops his shield up into his hands, which he places across his back.

With a bit of a heavy breath he gives a nod to Hill.

*

Hawkeye watches, another arrow nocked and ready, just in case the target doesn't go down or (ohgodpleaseno) he misses. Again.

Aim is true, and the arrow finds its intended target, and with the spray of electricity going through Veruca's body plus Hill and Cap, their quarry goes down. Alive but down.

Across the roof, down the side of the building, Barton enters through the door Hill et al did at the beginning, bow still out. He's not trusting anything to chance!

Twisting around at request for the coat, Hawkeye offers up, "I think it's in the car parked in the loading zone."

*

Veruca twitches.


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