New York - Avengers Facility - Living Area (January 2018)

[Hollywood Heidi]

***Captain Rogers, Fury, Hope, Nat, Peter, Sam, and Scott enter from New York - Avengers Facility - Hangar***


The walk over had been peaceful and relatively quiet, only a couple one-on-one conversations occurring along the way. She'd noticed Fury and Nat exchanging private words as they'd lingered behind on the first leg of their way but was more distracted with her annoyance over the budding bromance between Peter and Scott.

Considering the fact she was still on shaky ground with the decision to stay, it was good that Hope had no idea that Fury had initiated a lockdown. With her temper having been stoked and already feeling like an outsider with actual Avengers back in-house, she might have taken it personally to have found the door locked against her without her having been the one to initiate the lockdown. Most likely, with the added insult and blow to her ego of Friday declining her request to unlock the door.

Tony may have temporarily put her in charge, but with the Accords, he technically didn't have the authority to have done that. By signing, he'd put the power and control of the Avengers and the Facility in the hands of the government.


Hope opened the door to the Living Area and looked over the occupants. Rocket sat on the counter with his small, fur covered legs hanging over the side eating leftover pizza while Groot was slumped in the barstool chair beside him with tree limbs that served as arms crossed over his chest, looking like a huffy teenager. Loki appeared to be annoyed, no doubt because Drax, still as a statue in the middle of the room, was just standing there, staring at him. With their arrival, Drax, at an odd and slightly disturbing slow pace, started to turn his head toward the group piling into the room.


Catching sight of her, Groot perked up. "I am Groot."

Hope grinned at him, having no idea what the only three words he ever said happened to mean this time. "Good morning, everyone," she greeted in a friendly, yet still business-like tone. "Reinforcements have arrived. You all remember Nat from New Asgard." She gestured toward Nat then to Steve and his crew. "This is Captain Steve Rogers and his team and this," she gestured toward Fury, "is our mutual friend, Director Fury."

Turning her attention to Steve's team, she began introducing the occupants of the living area with a gesture toward each, starting with the controversial one everyone knew in hopes of burying the thought of him sharing the same room as them with the distraction of introducing the rest of the motley crew made up of a talking tree, a talking raccoon, and a big grayish-green alien covered in red tattoos doing what she could only guess was a sub-par imitation of a statue. "Team, this is Loki, Drax, Rocket, and Groot."

"I am Groot, she heard Groot say again as she stepped aside, giving Cap the floor to introduce his people.

[wesleybucks]

It was a short yet strange journey from the hanger to the living quarters of the facility. It was a place he had spent a good sized chunk of his life yet now it felt cold and unfamiliar. It was like returning to your childhood home but to find all the furniture was changed, the walls were different colours and complete strangers were living there. This clearly was no longer his home. But then where was? Yet again, Steve couldn't help but feel displaced. Alone.

Hope lead them into the living area where several people were already sat. Several STRANGE people. Steve managed to stop himself from gawping at the raccoon eating pizza, the humanoid tree sat on a barstool chair and the muscular man (clearly an alien) who apparently was frozen in shock much like them. And of course, beside them was Loki. Steve felt his jaw tightening and had to fight the urge to launch himself across the room. His attention was then drawn to Hope who began to speak.

"Good morning, everyone. Reinforcements have arrived. You all remember Nat from New Asgard. This is Captain Steve Rogers and his team and this is our mutual friend, Director Fury."


Scott smiled and gave a small wave until he realized nobody else was doing that so whipped his hand back to his side. The others gave smiles of varying sizes and a few nods of greeting. Steve's face remained still like marble. His eyes did not leave Loki's face.

"Team, this is Loki, Drax, Rocket, and Groot."


The tree, who had seemed to be rather melancholy before gave the hint of a smile at them.

"I am Groot."

Steve took a breath, walked through the center of the room, around into the bar area and placed the locator on top of the bar itself. He gave a slight smile and nod to the tree.

"And I am Steve Rogers."

Steve looked around the room at the various people that were giving him their attention. It felt like the old days.

"As you may or may not know, Fury here contacted us regarding some of the problems you've been facing. He didn't go into detail and when Nat met up with us, she too seemed reluctant to tell us exactly what happened at New Asgard. All we know is that it resulted in the arrest and capture of several of our...of your people. Thor, Bruce and...others, have been taken to the Raft prison. I can attest that it is a maximum security facility. A while ago I managed to break into it myself and rescue some good people."

Steve caught Sam's eye who gave him a smile and gestured for Steve to keep going.

"However, that was right after an International crisis and when the prison was still new and vulnerable. This is a different matter. We managed to retrieve this locator from an old SHIELD base in Africa. It can provide the current location of the mobile Raft prison. With it, we can find the prison, rescue our people and bring them home."

With his speech finished, Steve turned to Fury.

"I believe Fury has the framework of a plan for us?"

With the room now turning to give Fury their attention, Steve's focus returned to Loki.

[wesleybucks]

"Good morning, everyone. Reinforcements have arrived. You all remember Nat from New Asgard. This is Captain Steve Rogers and his team and this is our mutual friend, Director Fury."




Nick couldn't help but cringe when Hope mentioned the title Director. He hadn't been Director of SHIELD for quite some time now, ever since the incident in Washington D.C. Hope continued to introduce people and Nick made a mental note of the names belonging to the new and unusual faces. He assumed they must be with Star man. Then of course, there was Loki. Nick still had the facility primed and ready to activate counter measures to assist in dealing with the Asgardian should it become necessary. Nick turned back to Steve who was now talking.

"However, that was right after an International crisis and when the prison was still new and vulnerable. This is a different matter. We managed to retrieve this locator from an old SHIELD base in Africa. It can provide the current location of the mobile Raft prison. With it, we can find the prison, rescue our people and bring them home. I believe Fury has the framework of a plan for us?"



Several faces then turned to Nick as he stepped forward.

"My name is EX-Director Nick Fury but you will call me Fury. The Captain is right, this will not be an easy mission. Much like Captain Rogers, I don't have the full story regarding the events of New Asgard but I know enough. I know that we'll need the assistance of every member of your group currently imprisoned aboard the Raft."

Nick strode over to the glass coffee table beside the sofas and placed a small round device onto it's surface that he'd produced from one of his jacket's many pockets. Scanning his thumbprint on the surface, the device then shone a large blue image into the middle of the group. It was a 3D model of the Raft prison. Alongside it was currently a bird's eye view of Guatemala City. Nick used it as an aid for his plan.

"I have the foundations of a plan to get you in and everyone out. I obviously don't know all of you so please feel free to comment if you think your skill sets would be best utilized in a different way. The first step would be to get you all to the Raft Prison. For this, you'll need to divide into two teams. Rogers will lead Blue team with Drax, Rocket and Groot. Ms Van Dyne will lead the Red team with Quill, Loki, Lang, Wilson and Romanoff."

Nick gave a quick glance around the room. He still had their attention and the proposed group leaders hadn't started an argument. Good.

"I have a contact currently stationed at the SHIELD facility in Hawaii, codename 'The Torch'. She'll be able to provide us with a Quinjet not currently registered as stolen like the one currently sitting in the hanger. It will be loaded with some fake delivery and be sent to Guatemala City to a small SHIELD unit currently stationed there. Agent James Davis, an old friend, will be the pilot and will be aware of the plan. When Agent Davis reaches the unit in Guatemala City, he’ll make the delivery, refuel and then begin the return journey. However, he’ll land the jet at the nearby Puerto de Champerico."

The image of Guatemala City then moved to show Puerto de Champerico, close to the Guatemalan coast.

"That is where Red team will board the Quinjet. Quill, Loki, Wilson and Romanoff will then disguise themselves in SHIELD uniforms. In the meantime, Blue Team will be positioned in Tapachula, a Mexican City not far in from the Guatemalan border. There, we will stage some heroics for you all to be seen doing. The important thing is that you are spotted doing them. SHIELD will be alerted to Blue team's presence and send out a general alert for any nearby agents to get to them. Red team, you will answer the call being the closest SHIELD presence. You will arrive on site and those dressed in uniforms will 'capture' blue team. Ms Van Dyne and Lang will shrink right down to be concealed in the manacles that will be attached to Rocket's wrists, his being the smallest wrists. When you shrink, you will also have the equipment to break the manacles free."

Nick gave Hope and Scott a nod at this. Scott seemed lost already. Nick made a mental note to go over the plan with him again at a later point.

"The locator has found that the Raft prison is 15 miles North of the island of Beru, one of Tuvalu’s islands in the South Pacific. In the Quinjet, it should only take three hours. for you all to travel there. Whilst you're making that journey, I will be reaching out to another of my contacts, this time in Paris. We will need access to the SHIELD network for this plan to work and she's someone I trust to provide us with it. Using her SHIELD access, I can hack into the Raft prison systems. However, once I start, it would take 17 minutes before the prison realizes that something is amiss and a further 2 minutes 14 seconds before they track it back to the access point I would be using but that's fine. I'll be able to deal with anything they send to Paris."

Nick pressed a button on the device and the image of the Raft Prison took center stage.

"When your Quinjet reaches the Raft, you would need to provide the command deck of the prison the relevant codes to have permission to land and for the prison to rise up out of the ocean. The codes change on an hourly basis. However, thanks to the large part Tony Stark played in the building of the prison, I've called in a favour from an ex-employee of SHIELD and current employee of Stark Industries, Ms Maria Hill. Hill will be in NYC and will provide you with the relevant codes to land.
Once you have landed, you'll once again need to split into two groups: Alpha and Omega. Team Omega will remain on the Quinjet to provide a quick exit should it be needed. Romanoff and Wilson will be on that team. The rest of you are Team Alpha and will have the task of infiltration and rescue."

The 3D prison image now displayed a small line showing Alpha Team's journey from landing pad to the cells.

"Obviously, Rogers, Rocket, Drax and Groot will be surrendering themselves as prisoners with Lang and Ms Van Dyne concealed in Rocket's manacles. When you pass the prison scanners, the lead lined manacles will protect you from detection. Loki and Quill will still be wearing SHIELD uniforms and pose as the soldiers taking the prisoners to the cells.
You will all be scanned upon arrival meaning you cannot have any weapons or comms on your persons. All of that will be shrunk down also in the manacles. You will then be escorted to the lifts to descend down to the cells and the bowels of the prison. There are additional scanners in the lift shafts that will be able to detect anyone on their criminal record. That would include Loki, Lang and Ms Van Dyne. When you enter the lift, that is when I'll start the hack to prevent the scanners and start the clock.
"

Nick started to pace around the 3D image hanging in the air, pointing to sections of the prison as he continued.

"The lift takes three minutes to descend to prisoner check in. During that time, Alpha Team will need to take the manacles off the prisoners and share out the ear comms that you will have smuggled in. When the lift arrives, there will be two soldiers on the desk, a receptionist and three attendants ready for the medical exam prisoners often undergo upon arrival. You'll need to take them all down before letting them raise an alarm. You can then take their weapons. should you wish. You'll proceed down the prisoner check in hallway but take an early left through a door I'll remotely unseal for you. This will take you to evidence storage. Two soldiers will be on guard outside the doors. Anything your allies brought with them when they were arrested will be in evidence storage. You can shrink it down to size should there be too much to carry. You will then need to take one right, go down two floors in the stair well and another right. That will bring them to the maximum security cells. These are reserved for the most powerful and dangerous prisoners. This is the most likely place your allies will be being held. There will be 6 soldiers on guard duty outside the blast door to the prison chamber, all armed with melatonin infused shock batons which will put to sleep anyone they hit. You will place this device onto the security pad on the blast door which will unlock it and cause it to open.
"

Nick drew a small object that resembled an iphone from a pocket, displayed it to the group and placed it on the bar beside the locator.

"By that point, my 17 minutes will be up. The cells will have keypad locks. If you enter the code 04071950 a small eyepatch symbol will appear on the keypad. On the iphone device will be an audio file. If you play it, my voice will play saying 'authorisation Fury, Nicholas J. Activate Howling protocol.' This will unlock the cell doors and you'll all be reunited and can give your friends back their equipment. That however is when all hell will break loose. You'll need to get back to the lifts
and back to the top floor. The alarms will be going off by this point but I'll still be in the system to prevent the prison taking control of the lifts. However, there are hundreds of personnel on the Raft that will try to contain you. Once back at the top floor, you'll need to fight your way back to the Quinjet and take off. The prison has anti-air turrets. Omega Team may be able to neutralise them whilst you're infiltrating the prison but I cannot provide assistance on that front."

The image of the prison vanished and Nick scooped the device back up and into his pocket.

"Once you have left the prison, I'll need to go dark and get out of Paris. You however, will all fly the Quinjet to San Nicola De Tremiti, a small island off the east coast of Italy. You will jumo from the jet and into the ocean. There, Agent Davis will then fly off to another location to ditch the quinjet and also go dark.
You will be picked up by Bennie Pollack, an ex-SHIELD agent and ex-bank robber. He has a yacht that will take you to a safe house on a tiny island called Barbarinac, just outside the City of Split on the coast of Croatia.
The safe house is secure as was never on any of the SHIELD books. My hope is that I'll join you there. Give me 48 hours to get there. If I'm not there by that point, you'll need to leave to a new location. Any questions?"

[Anduin]

Finally Hope and the rest of their Crew arrived at the Living Room. And their Crew had grown. Hope introduced the new arrivals.
"Hi, guys," he mumbled while he finished his breakfast.
He also listened intentdly to every single word they said.
Obviously these people were a bit similar to him and the rest of the Guardians Crew. And some of them were friends of Thor, the so-called Avengers.
At least Steve Rogers asked that Fury-guy to tell them more.
"I believe Fury has the framework of a plan for us?"

Rocket gave a wolf whistle when Fury started to use the 3D model to explain his plan.
"Yeah, that’s good technique." His head turned to Peter. "That’s much better than your old walkman, Quill. Seems like stuff from Earth is no longer outdated."
He stopped mocking Quill and kept silence again because he felt nearly everybodies warning eyes on him.

"I have the foundations of a plan to get you in and everyone out. I obviously don't know all of you so please feel free to comment if you think your skill sets would be best utilized in a different way. The first step would be to get you all to the Raft Prison. For this, you'll need to divide into two teams. Rogers will lead Blue team with Drax, Rocket and Groot. Ms Van Dyne will lead the Red team with Quill, Loki, Lang, Wilson and Romanoff."
Rockets first impression of Steve was that he might be a very serious man – not like Quill. He wasn’t sure if their team would work but for the moment he kept his mouth shut. Maybe Rogers will teach him better…
Luckily Fury decided to not depart him and Groot. He was sure no one else would be able to handle his teenage sapling. To be honest he wasn’t even sure if he could handle him himself.

"That is where Red team will board the Quinjet. Quill, Loki, Wilson and Romanoff will then disguise themselves in SHIELD uniforms. In the meantime, Blue Team will be positioned in Tapachula, a Mexican City not far in from the Guatemalan border. There, we will stage some heroics for you all to be seen doing. The important thing is that you are spotted doing them. SHIELD will be alerted to Blue team's presence and send out a general alert for any nearby agents to get to them. Red team, you will answer the call being the closest SHIELD presence. You will arrive on site and those dressed in uniforms will 'capture' blue team. Ms Van Dyne and Lang will shrink right down to be concealed in the manacles that will be attached to Rocket's wrists, his being the smallest wrists. When you shrink, you will also have the equipment to break the manacles free."
"Hah, doing some heroics is a cinch."
Being catched and break out also but this time it would be a bit more complicated because they also have to free the others who were already brought to the jail.
He didn’t ask why that SHIELD guys would try to catch them if they did 'heroics'. Maybe it was always the same at any places. At least he thought Fury was sure they would do so because Groot, Drax and him were strangers and Rogers a fugitive if he got it right.

Fury went on explaining his plan. Rocket has to admit that it was a well-conceived one.
And he had to grin when he heared about Fury’s companions.
"Once you have left the prison, I'll need to go dark and get out of Paris. You however, will all fly the Quinjet to San Nicola De Tremiti, a small island off the east coast of Italy. You will jumo from the jet and into the ocean. There, Agent Davis will then fly off to another location to ditch the quinjet and also go dark.
by hook or by crook
You will be picked up by Bennie Pollack, an ex-SHIELD agent and ex-bank robber. He has a yacht that will take you to a safe house on a tiny island called Barbarinac, just outside the City of Split on the coast of Croatia.
The safe house is secure as was never on any of the SHIELD books. My hope is that I'll join you there. Give me 48 hours to get there. If I'm not there by that point, you'll need to leave to a new location. Any questions?"
"Ex-bank robber, huh?! I like that plan. I’m in. And – thanks to Quill," he said with a sardonic grin in Peter’s direction, "our team is good in rig a plan up if it doesn’t work like we‘d expected. So, don't worry. It will work by hook or by crook."

[Anduin]

After Hope introduced their complete team Loki just gave them a short nod like the others.
This was not the right time or place to talk about old differences.
And there were still a lot of them. He only needed a short look at Captain Rogers to notice this.


Anyhow Nick Fury was well-prepared. He didn’t change since he had left SHIELD.
"[…]The safe house is secure as was never on any of the SHIELD books. My hope is that I'll join you there. Give me 48 hours to get there. If I'm not there by that point, you'll need to leave to a new location. Any questions?"

Loki tried to ignore Rockets saying and hoped inwardly that Quill also would decide to do so.
So he raised his voice before anyone else could do and turned directly to Fury.
"EX-Director Fury," he said in a serious tone. Only the sparkle in his eyes showed that he couldn’t resist to call him not just 'Fury'. "You are well-prepared. But I got a few questions. Are you able to make sure that we will not become target number one on your wanted list? The others got caught voluntary because they wanted to convince your government to prepare themselves for the mad Titan. So we have to be sure that their warnings were not ignored before we helped them to break out.
Thanos is our common enemy."
He stopped for a little moment and sized Fury up, a provoking look on his face.
"Maybe you can also get the pieces of information they got from our friends? That might be a child’s play for you, am I right?"
And it would be the best way to convince themselves if their imprisoned allies had done their job.

[Kristi Lynne]

"...So we have to be sure that their warnings were not ignored before we helped them to break out. Thanos is our common enemy. Maybe you can also get the pieces of information they got from our friends? That might be a child’s play for you, am I right?"

Once back in the living quarters, Peter had proceeded to the refrigerator and pulled out a gallon of milk, turning it up to drink straight from the carton as introductions were exchanged and Shaft began his presentation. It was certainly more than 12 percent of a plan, which Peter and his crew were used to working with. There was an admirable quality in their ability to improvise. Once Fury revealed he knew the exact location of the Raft prison, it took everything in Peter not to just run to the Milano, fire it up, and go. 

But for one, the ship was still badly damaged and repairs would take a while. And two, Gamora had chosen to go there. They all had. So even though this ex-director guy was on a roll, he felt compelled to hit the brakes. "Much as I hate to agree with Mister Congeniality here," Peter spoke up, gesturing toward Loki with the half-empty milk carton, "our people got themselves locked up so they could make their case to whoever's in charge there. We go in guns blazing, we take a sledgehammer to any goodwill they've been working to build."

Peter took a quick survey of the faces around the room. "Look, I know some of you guys are new to the party, but that's what we all agreed on. We need to give our people on the inside more time," he urged. Granted, patience wasn't his strong suit, and he was fairly sure Fury and Rogers were not gonna' be hot on the idea to sit and wait, but if this plan endangered Gamora or Mantis or anyone else, he couldn't support it.

"In the meantime, can't we, like, strengthen Earth's defenses?" Peter inquired. "I've been away for a while, so I'm guessing NASA's had time to come up with space lasers or a planetary defense shield or something?"

[DarkSideCookie]

(tempplay by DarkSideCookie)


After Hope had ruined his state of invisibility by giving away his name, Drax had decided to give his training another round at a later time. These people, anyway, seemed to be wanting to discuss something.

When once again a growling sound was coming from his stomach, Drax decided to leave the thinking to the others and to get himself some of the left-over pizza pieces instead.

"...""...""...""Any questions?"

Drax looked up again. He had a question, but the others had been quicker to ask theirs first. So he kept silent for now, repeating his own question in his mind until it would be his turn. However, as he feared to forget it while everyone else was still talking and, with that, was giving him a hard time to concentrate, Drax turned towards Rocket in quiet, almost as if they would be students in a classroom. "Who are these people?"

Actually, he had stopped listening after Hope had introduced them - couldn't remember their names anyway - and took up the thread again only when the man with the eyepatch had asked them if they had any questions.

[Hollywood Heidi]

This was no framework, as Rogers had put it. This was a full fledged, solid, well thought out plan. And in short time, no less. It was also one of the reason he was still Director in her eyes. Not officially a part of the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D., she didn't much care about their hierarchy. She hardly knew the current Director. It was Tony who was usually tasked with calling her in when they needed the Wasp. Title or not, she'd worked directly with Fury and he'd earned her trust.

Hope listened intently to Fury's plan, increasingly impressed with each detail but also growing increasingly worried for personal reasons. She also wasn't too thrilled about being teamed up with Scott but she'd never say so and her unreadable expression would never give it away. She knew Scott felt guilty and saw how uncomfortable he was with having to face her again. She could feel and see him glancing at her from the corner of her eye every now and again since his arrival, but Hope did not give any glances of her own toward him. She preferred the detached unacknowledging method. She'd get the satisfaction of seeing him squirm in his own guilt, which she was sure would be amplified when they were shrunken and tucked away together in the manacles.

But Hope had bigger things preoccupying her from putting much effort into dealing with Scott's return. She might be able to hold back from letting anything show in regards to him, but she couldn't help the slight bit of worry that hinted on her features when thinking about how putting herself on the War Criminals list was going to affect her father as well and their efforts to find her mother. She also had a company and all its employees to think about.

Confidence in Team Tony getting through to the higher-ups wasn't so much an issue as her confidence that they'd act quickly enough, no matter the urgency of the situation. It was most likely they'd be enacting Fury's plan, but at least the higher-ups would have an understanding of why they did what they did, maybe even a grudging appreciation down the line if they managed to take care of this Thanos issue.

Leaning against the counter with arms crossed, Hope looked distracted in thought. She was mentally preparing lists of things she'd need to do before this prison break whilst the others chimed in.


...So we have to be sure that their warnings were not ignored before we helped them to break out.
Thanos is our common enemy." "Maybe you can also get the pieces of information they got from our friends? That might be a child’s play for you, am I right?"

Something Loki was saying caught her ear and Hope was brought back from her mental to-do list. She hated to say it, but he was right. If they were going to do this, if she and the rest not already on the War Criminals list were going to do something that got them added and as a result, start living in hiding, they had to be sure it was well worth it and that they'd done all they could while living in the open and still having the ear of the higher-ups.


"Much as I hate to agree with Mister Congeniality here," Hope snickered. "our people got themselves locked up so they could make their case to whoever's in charge there. We go in guns blazing, we take a sledgehammer to any goodwill they've been working to build."

"Look, I know some of you guys are new to the party, but that's what we all agreed on. We need to give our people on the inside more time,"

"In the meantime, can't we, like, strengthen Earth's defenses?" "I've been away for a while, so I'm guessing NASA's had time to come up with space lasers or a planetary defense shield or something?"

"Scanning and tracking devices, but no space lasers or shields yet, I'm afraid," Hope finally chimed in. "There was an attempt to create a 'suit of armor around the world' but that went the way of I, Robot."  Realizing that movie was out long after Peter had left Earth, she grasped for another title. "Terminator without the time travel?" she tried, not as movie savvy as Peter or even the average person was. "Basically any robot movie ever."

Hope uncrossed her arms and gave a dismissive wave at the unimportant wander off topic. Coming up from her lean against the counter, she wandered closer to Fury and the scan, giving it a better look. She was still addressing the room but directing her input more toward Fury, who she was used to viewing as the person in charge. "I agree that we need to make sure Team Tony has done everything they can before we set this plan in motion," she gestured to the images floating in the air. "They won't listen to anybody on 'The List' and once we break them out, we'll all be on it."

[wesleybucks]

"EX-Director Fury. You are well-prepared. But I got a few questions. Are you able to make sure that we will not become target number one on your wanted list? The others got caught voluntarily because they wanted to convince your government to prepare themselves for the mad Titan. So we have to be sure that their warnings were not ignored before we helped them to break out.
 Thanos is our common enemy. Maybe you can also get the pieces of information they got from our friends? That might be a child’s play for you, am I right?"

Fury's one eye narrowed as he glared at Loki who, so casually, threw him the question. He swallowed the desire to draw his pistol and open fire on the Asgardian. There were things at stake that outweighed his desire for revenge. Justice would still come to the God of Mischief if Fury had any say in the matter but now was not the time. Before Fury could respond, Flash Gordon spoke up.

"Much as I hate to agree with Mister Congeniality here, our people got themselves locked up so they could make their case to whoever's in charge there. We go in guns blazing, we take a sledgehammer to any goodwill they've been working to build. Look, I know some of you guys are new to the party, but that's what we all agreed on. We need to give our people on the inside more time. In the meantime, can't we, like, strengthen Earth's defenses? I've been away for a while, so I'm guessing NASA's had time to come up with space lasers or a planetary defense shield or something?"

"Scanning and tracking devices, but no space lasers or shields yet, I'm afraid. There was an attempt to create a 'suit of armor around the world' but that went the way of I, Robot."

Hope had jumped in to take the question about Earth being one giant Death Star much to Fury's relief. He involuntarily flinched at the reference to Ultron but did not interrupt.

"Terminator without the time travel? Basically any robot movie ever. I agree that we need to make sure Team Tony has done everything they can before we set this plan in motion. They won't listen to anybody on 'The List' and once we break them out, we'll all be on it."

Fury leaned back onto the arm of one of the sofas facing each member of the group in turn as he spoke.

"I understand your reluctance to stir up trouble. I get that you want to give the others time. But you haven't heard from them yet? Not a single scrap of communication?"

Fury left the pregnant pause in the air after his question before continuing.

"If it makes you feel any better, I can use the locator we 'acquired' to find the Raft. Once we know where in the world they are at that point, I still have people in SHIELD I can speak to for assistance to hack into the Raft's security system. We can look at the camera footage since they arrived at the Raft and can see how things have progressed. That should give confirmation on whether anyone of importance has been persuaded to assist. If they have, then there isn't anything to worry about and your friends will most likely be released. If they haven't, we will need to intervene. SHIELD isn't how some of you may remember. It's a far less 'open arms' type affair. They won't hesitate to lock your team mates up and throw away the key. They may even move them to a more secure location. This isn't something to sit on and not act."

Fury, used to action, stood from the sofa and approached a nearby bookcase. He slid 'Pride and Prejudice' from the shelf, opened the cover and drew out the bottle of whiskey and glass from the hollowed out book. Having Tony Stark heavily involved in design did have it's benefits.

[wesleybucks]

"I understand your reluctance to stir up trouble. I get that you want to give the others time. But you haven't heard from them yet? Not a single scrap of communication?"



Fury paused. No response from the room. Cap tried to read their faces for reactions but for now, they seemed to be deep in thought watching the Ex-Director speak.


"If it makes you feel any better, I can use the locator we 'acquired' to find the Raft. Once we know where in the world they are at that point, I still have people in SHIELD I can speak to for assistance to hack into the Raft's security system. We can look at the camera footage since they arrived at the Raft and can see how things have progressed. That should give confirmation on whether anyone of importance has been persuaded to assist. If they have, then there isn't anything to worry about and your friends will most likely be released. If they haven't, we will need to intervene. SHIELD isn't how some of you may remember. It's a far less 'open arms' type affair. They won't hesitate to lock your team mates up and throw away the key. They may even move them to a more secure location. This isn't something to sit on and not act."

With that, Fury moved to the side of the room and seemed to magically draw a bottle of whiskey from the bookshelf. Making a mental note to check more of the books later, Cap stepped forwards.

"I've had experience with the government, the World Council and politicians before. There's a reason I didn't sign the Accords and it's for moments like this. We don't have the time to waste letting four star Generals and narrow minded politicians debate and decide on matters that they don't understand. The time to act is now. We can give Fury time to enter their internet and find out that Tony and the others are safe. If it turns out that they've convinced people of their story then that can only be good news. However, there is no way they'll be released from the Raft without conditions that will seriously hinder us and hold us back. Sometimes a show of immediate force and resolve is the right move. It worked when Hydra revealed themselves in SHIELD. It worked when we refused to sign the Accords. Hell, it worked when the 107th were captured when I fought against Hydra the first time round."

Looking around the room, he could see Scott and Sam were with him. They were the safe bets. The Racoon had also seemed rather eager to cause havoc. Nat was always hard to read and had watched silently alone in the far corner of the room. The others were much harder to anticipate. He returned their looks with steely determination.

[Anduin]

"Who are these people?"
Rocket wasn't sure if he could believe his own ears.
"Dude, are you serious?! You..."
He smothered a curse and also lowered his voice so that hopefully only Drax could hear him.
"Let's just they they're our new team mates, okay?"

Dealing with Drax' ignorance made him stop following the discussion.
Suddenly they were talking about... robots?!
"Crap, blockhead," he growled at Drax.

"I've had experience with the government, the World Council and politicians before. There's a reason I didn't sign the Accords and it's for moments like this. We don't have the time to waste letting four star Generals and narrow minded politicians debate and decide on matters that they don't understand. The time to act is now. We can give Fury time to enter their internet and find out that Tony and the others are safe. If it turns out that they've convinced people of their story then that can only be good news. However, there is no way they'll be released from the Raft without conditions that will seriously hinder us and hold us back. Sometimes a show of immediate force and resolve is the right move. It worked when Hydra revealed themselves in SHIELD. It worked when we refused to sign the Accords. Hell, it worked when the 107th were captured when I fought against Hydra the first time round."


"Okay, Captain 'Whatever' - your people seemed to be idiots who love to make things more complicated than they already are. I've never signed your stupid Accords so count me in. I'll be your man when it comes to any kind of weapons or if you need a great improviser!"

[Anduin]

Loki was glad that some of the others obviously shared his oppinion.
And he also was thankful that Fury gulped down his anger and concentrated on the here and now. Maybe he will adress him in the nearer future. But for now they seemed to have a unspoken agreement to put the past aside.

"In the meantime, can't we, like, strengthen Earth's defenses?" "I've been away for a while, so I'm guessing NASA's had time to come up with space lasers or a planetary defense shield or something?"

"Scanning and tracking devices, but no space lasers or shields yet, I'm afraid,"
Loki just nodded. He knew that Earth's Defence wasn't the best. If the Avengers hadn't stop him and Thanos' army he probably had concoured Earth a few years ago...


"I agree that we need to make sure Team Tony has done everything they can before we set this plan in motion," "They won't listen to anybody on 'The List' and once we break them out, we'll all be on it."
The God of Mischief sent Hope a thankful glimpse. She was very clever and if Fury didn't want to listen to him then maybe he would listen to her.

"I understand your reluctance to stir up trouble. I get that you want to give the others time. But you haven't heard from them yet? Not a single scrap of communication?"
Well, that point goes to Fury. But at least they had no real chance to communicate with the others.

"If it makes you feel any better, I can use the locator we 'acquired' to find the Raft. Once we know where in the world they are at that point, I still have people in SHIELD I can speak to for assistance to hack into the Raft's security system. We can look at the camera footage since they arrived at the Raft and can see how things have progressed. That should give confirmation on whether anyone of importance has been persuaded to assist. If they have, then there isn't anything to worry about and your friends will most likely be released. If they haven't, we will need to intervene. SHIELD isn't how some of you may remember. It's a far less 'open arms' type affair. They won't hesitate to lock your team mates up and throw away the key. They may even move them to a more secure location. This isn't something to sit on and not act."

Loki followed Furys steps with his eyes and couldn't supress his surprise when the Ex-SHIELD-Director put a bottle of whiskey out of a book. Fury either knew Stark very well or he always had his capabilities to spy out the whole building.


"I've had experience with the government, the World Council and politicians before. There's a reason I didn't sign the Accords and it's for moments like this. We don't have the time to waste letting four star Generals and narrow minded politicians debate and decide on matters that they don't understand. The time to act is now. We can give Fury time to enter their internet and find out that Tony and the others are safe. If it turns out that they've convinced people of their story then that can only be good news. However, there is no way they'll be released from the Raft without conditions that will seriously hinder us and hold us back. Sometimes a show of immediate force and resolve is the right move. It worked when Hydra revealed themselves in SHIELD. It worked when we refused to sign the Accords. Hell, it worked when the 107th were captured when I fought against Hydra the first time round."
It seemed like Steve Rogers also brought himself to overcome the past and decided to accept Loki's help for once.

The Racoon was the first one who jumped on the train. But the Asgardian wasn't sure if he and the strange muscle-man had even follow the whole conversation.

"Well spoken, Mister Rogers," he said. This time there was no (or to be honest not much) ridicule in his voice or words.
"So we follow Fury's plan while he tried his best to find out if our friends had been succesful."
Loki made some steps towards one of the shelves and took a glass out of it. Then he went over to Fury, grabbed the bottle and filled his glass.
"I never thought that I really would be the one who rescued my brother some day," he grinned while he clinked glasses with Fury.
"Cheers!"

[Kristi Lynne]

"I agree that we need to make sure Team Tony has done everything they can before we set this plan in motion. They won't listen to anybody on 'The List' and once we break them out, we'll all be on it."

"If it makes you feel any better, I can use the locator we 'acquired' to find the Raft. ... This isn't something to sit on and not act."

"I've had experience with the government, the World Council and politicians before. There's a reason I didn't sign the Accords and it's for moments like this. ... Sometimes a show of immediate force and resolve is the right move."

"Okay, Captain 'Whatever' - your people seemed to be idiots who love to make things more complicated than they already are. I've never signed you stupid Accords so count me in. I'll be your man when it comes to any kind of weapons or if you need a great improviser!"

"Well spoken, Mister Rogers. So we follow Fury's plan while he tried his best to find out if our friends had been successful."

Peter was starting to feel like the plan was going into motion with or without him. He didn't want to be left behind when the train left the station; that would mean he would have no input on what happened when or to whom. It didn't surprise him at all that Rocket would jump at the opportunity to unleash firepower on some unsuspecting Earthlings. Groot would of course go along with him, and Drax ... well, just put something sharp in his hands, point him in the direction of the thing you wanted stabbed, and he'd go at it full steam ahead. Gamora may be the most lethal one among them, but she was also the most level-headed. An absence that Peter felt deeply right about now.

At least Fury and Rogers seemed willing to put their jailbreak on hold until they could get a sense of what was going on at the floating prison. And maybe that possibility of a delay was the best he could hope for in the circumstances. It would give him time to finish the needed repairs on the Milano, and maybe catch up on a few more movies that he'd missed. What was it Hope had said, something about a robot....

"I know nobody asked me, but I'm still a No on the whole 'breaking into a supermax prison' option," Peter proclaimed. "But personal objections aside, I know Gamora. I'm sure right now she's recklessly putting her own safety aside for the sake of doing the right thing. Which means doing whatever it takes to stop Thanos from getting what he wants. If everyone can agree on the best way to do that, I'm in." 

[DarkSideCookie]

(tempplay by DarkSideCookie)


"Dude, are you serious?! You..."

Drax looked back at his furry friend as if waiting for him to continue because he had no idea why this would have been a stupid question. In fact, he himself saw it been a very fundamental question. But for some reason, people were constantly looking at him like he'd be some kind of idiot. He really wondered why. He was one of the tallest men in this room. Sure there was a lot of brain inside him.

"Let's just say they're our new team mates, okay?"

"Okay," Drax replied with a shrug before turning his attention, yet again, elsewhere.

In silence, he wondered about what kind of eye or non-eye might be lying beneath the one dude's - Drax had forgotten his name - eye patch. He observed his face for a while, which led him to, yet again, forget to follow the conversation.

"Crap, blockhead,"

[Hollywood Heidi]

"I understand your reluctance to stir up trouble. I get that you want to give the others time. But you haven't heard from them yet? Not a single scrap of communication?"

Well of course they hadn't. They hadn't had time to put a plan into effect. How, exactly, were they supposed to have a way to communicate with prisoners on the Raft? Practically everything on their person would have been confiscated unless they found a way to keep something undiscovered. They hadn't had Fury's special ability to toss together an elaborate plan at the drop of a hat. She'd liked to have seen even him pull that off with the military closing in and only the paltry supplies of what was basically a refugee camp. But Hope kept her jaw tight and didn't say anything. They needed to all work together and right now, there was already a bit of a disagreement on the extremely important decision of going forward with breaking them out.


Hope's serious, intense gaze went from Fury, then to Rogers as they spoke. Just because she felt they were right didn't mean she had to like it. They didn't have time to wait it out or mess with all the red tape and the bullshit levels of bureaucracy. She and her father had just started feeling hopeful and positive about the headway they were making in finding her mother. She could feel herself slipping back into her older self. The CEO now along but with the hard, serious edge of the angry person she used to be with this complication making her feel as if she were losing her mother once again.


As Cap finished another of his righteous speeches, complete with what some might consider to be a humble brag, Hope pulled out her phone and started transferring the mental To-Do list into a physical one, the enormity of the tasks weighing heavily on her mind and causing her to mostly zone out the others now speaking.

After a couple minutes, she gave the daunting list a quick once-over and swallowed down the edge of anxiety that had begun to creep over her. She'd managed to tackle many obstacles in a short time, but never so many all at once. Squaring her shoulders, she rid herself of apprehension. She could do this.

Hope mentally resurfaced in the middle of Peter's contribution.


"--still a No on the whole 'breaking into a supermax prison' option," "But personal objections aside, I know Gamora. I'm sure right now she's recklessly putting her own safety aside for the sake of doing the right thing. Which means doing whatever it takes to stop Thanos from getting what he wants. If everyone can agree on the best way to do that, I'm in."

There was a moment of sympathy when she looked at Peter. She understood and felt the personal stake in all this as well. She was more of a 'pause' rather than a 'no' to the breaking out as she couldn't fathom Team Tony being able to get further than bringing awareness of what was coming at them and maybe the very slow process of talks. Still, they couldn't go charging in completely in the dark. The more they knew, the better prepared they'd be.


Hope might have claimed she was not in charge here, but she was very much in charge of her own life. What they were getting ready to do was going to make such a personal affect on her life that Hope took charge now. She gathering what she felt was the most valuable input provided by each. "They might be listening to our people, but they won't act. Not soon enough. So let's stop wasting time and get to showing that immediate force," she said in a serious tone with a look toward Rogers. She looked to Fury. "Use the locator, get the footage. This isn't about 'feeling better'," she tossed back, having taken slight offense to that comment earlier. She momentarily glanced over at Peter. "We need to find the best way to do this. That means knowing exactly what's happened with our people in there and knowing where they stand so that we can take the right action at the right time."

Finished with this order of business, she got to work on the next. "I have some affairs to get in order before going underground," she said matter-of-factly, belying the emotional turmoil she kept well hidden inside. She purposefully avoided looking at Scott. Out of everyone here, he probably knew the inner workings of her mind and emotions the most. Probably better than the intuitive Fury could manage to read off her. But nobody besides she and her father knew of this new hope in finding Janet Van Dyne or of all the work they'd already put into it. Well, there was a slight chance Fury had somehow sussed it out. He had the tendency to poke his nose into everyone's business but with so many people's businesses to get up in, he might not have dug that one up yet.

Attention already going to the contact list on her phone, she took a small detour on her way to the door to grab a slice of cold pizza. She wouldn't have time for lunch so this would have to do.


***Hope exits to Avengers Facility - Tony's Office***

[wesleybucks]

"Well spoken, Mister Rogers. So we follow Fury's plan while he tried his best to find out if our friends had been successful."

Loki slithered up from his seat, grabbed the bottle from Fury's hand and filled a glass.

"I never thought that I really would be the one who rescued my brother some day. Cheers!"

The Asgardian then clinked his glass with the one Fury was holding and sipped down the drink. Fury stepped close, his eye inches away from Loki's.

"We find ourselves temporarily aligned and so are working together. Don't test me. You'll find that Earth is far more prepared to deal with Asgardians since New York."

Flash Gordon then spoke up from across the room.

"I know nobody asked me, but I'm still a No on the whole 'breaking into a supermax prison' option. But personal objections aside, I know Gamora. I'm sure right now she's recklessly putting her own safety aside for the sake of doing the right thing. Which means doing whatever it takes to stop Thanos from getting what he wants. If everyone can agree on the best way to do that, I'm in."

"They might be listening to our people, but they won't act. Not soon enough. So let's stop wasting time and get to showing that immediate force."

Ms Van Dyne's interjection caused Fury to look her way. He'd taken her to be far more level headed. However, he wasn't opposed to her suggestions. He nodded at the mention of 'immediate force' as she looked his way.

"Use the locator, get the footage. This isn't about 'feeling better'."

Fury raised an eyebrow. He knew the sound of a touched nerve when he heard one. Hope turned to Peter as she started to make a move.

"We need to find the best way to do this. That means knowing exactly what's happened with our people in there and knowing where they stand so that we can take the right action at the right time."



With that, she started to make her way out of the room, addressing the group.

"I have some affairs to get in order before going underground."

Fury took another sip of whiskey as he watched her leave. That was...unexpected. There couldn't be that many things that would take precedence in her mind. Fury knew she was close with her father. Closer than most people realized given her work history with Darren Cross. Fury touched the device nestled in his ear as the door closed behind her.

"Confirm a tail on Ms Van Dyne and a monitor on Hank Pym. I need to know if they meet."

"Confirmed."

Finishing his drink, Fury stepped forwards.

"Then it's settled. My SHIELD contact is in Paris. I'll head there now and set up. If anyone else has any 'affairs to get in order' I suggest you do so. Once we get the location of the Raft and the footage of the prisoners, it may be that we have to act relatively quickly. I'll contact you all here at the facility when I have the intel and we can make a choice based on that. If you don't hear from me within 48 hours, my cover is blown and I'd been caught. You'll have to make a decision based on the info you have at that point. If the facility is no longer safe and you have to vacate, let me know."

Fury placed the glass on the coffee table and nodded to the group. He strode forwards in the same direction that Hope had taken moments before, picking up the locator as he went. Stopping briefly by Agent Romanoff, Fury placed a hand on her shoulder.

"The Jotun Class Energy Rifle is on site. If the Lord of Mischief steps out of line, don't hesitate."

With that Fury, stepped out of the room and into the shadows of the hallway, his hand once again going to the device in his ear.

"I'm gonna need a flight to Paris."

***Fury exits. His side of events will continue on the Dr Waynesboro's apartment thread***

[wesleybucks]

"Well spoken, Mister Rogers. So we follow Fury's plan while he tried his best to find out if our friends had been successful. I never thought that I really would be the one who rescued my brother some day. Cheers!"



Steve's eyes narrowed as Loki's grin widened across his pale face. Fury stepped close to him and whispered something too quietly for Steve to hear. He felt however that he didn't need to step in as well. When Nicholas Fury needed to be threatening, he rarely needed assistance. As Steve turned his attention back to the group, the futuristic spaceman spoke up.

"I know nobody asked me, but I'm still a No on the whole 'breaking into a supermax prison' option. But personal objections aside, I know Gamora. I'm sure right now she's recklessly putting her own safety aside for the sake of doing the right thing. Which means doing whatever it takes to stop Thanos from getting what he wants. If everyone can agree on the best way to do that, I'm in."



Steve nodded. He knew what it was like to try and handle an infiltration mission whilst there were prisoners on site. Especially if those prisoners were friends. For a brief moment, he thought back to Bucky, trapped in that Hydra base. It felt like a lifetime ago. It felt like it had in fact been someone else's life. So much had happened since...

"They might be listening to our people, but they won't act. Not soon enough. So let's stop wasting time and get to showing that immediate force."



Steve's attention snapped back to the present with Hope's statement. He was pleased that she seemed to agree that force was needed. It was a sentiment he could get behind.


"Use the locator, get the footage. This isn't about 'feeling better'."



Steve wasn't surprised at Hope's apparent anger at Fury. It was typical that people seemed to develop those sort of feelings around the Ex-Director. Hope turned to the spaceman.

"We need to find the best way to do this. That means knowing exactly what's happened with our people in there and knowing where they stand so that we can take the right action at the right time."




Hope then turned to address everyone in the room.


"I have some affairs to get in order before going underground."



With that, she was gone. Steve was surprised at such a sudden exit. He had been expecting Hope to stay with them whilst they watched the footage. Steve opened his mouth to address the group but Fury spoke up first.

"Then it's settled. My SHIELD contact is in Paris. I'll head there now and set up. If anyone else has any 'affairs to get in order' I suggest you do so. Once we get the location of the Raft and the footage of the prisoners, it may be that we have to act relatively quickly. I'll contact you all here at the facility when I have the intel and we can make a choice based on that. If you don't hear from me within 48 hours, my cover is blown and I'd been caught. You'll have to make a decision based on the info you have at that point. If the facility is no longer safe and you have to vacate, let me know."



Fury put down his glass, gave them all a nod, turned and made his way out the room. He stopped briefly to mumble something to Nat. Then that was it. He too was gone. Steve was not best pleased that two of the people he knew to be most capable amongst them all had left. However, this was not the time to second guess. Steve stepped forwards.

"Alright everyone. Rest up, eat up and get ready to suit up. When Fury gets in touch we may have to move right away so we need everything in place. Does anyone have any questions?"

[Anduin]

Rocket was a bit angry about Drax' behavior but at least he also started to let them all talk and talk but didn't listen that much to their words.
Then Hope left the room.
"I have some affairs to get in order before going underground,"
And right after that the eye-patch-man decided to leave, too. It sounded like the meeting was over now.
"Then it's settled. My SHIELD contact is in Paris. I'll head there now and set up. If anyone else has any 'affairs to get in order' I suggest you do so. Once we get the location of the Raft and the footage of the prisoners, it may be that we have to act relatively quickly. I'll contact you all here at the facility when I have the intel and we can make a choice based on that. If you don't hear from me within 48 hours, my cover is blown and I'd been caught. You'll have to make a decision based on the info you have at that point. If the facility is no longer safe and you have to vacate, let me know."
But it was the so-called Captain who really closed the preparations.
"Alright everyone. Rest up, eat up and get ready to suit up. When Fury gets in touch we may have to move right away so we need everything in place. Does anyone have any questions?"

Rocket strechted himself.
"Enough talking. I'm glad that we soon start to do something. And I've just one question: Did anyone know where that Stark-guy keeps his weapons?"
There was a toothy grin on his hairy face.
Of course, that had been no real question. He probably will find any kind of weapons if Stark did possess some.
"Oh, wait, there's another one. I need more of these pizza. An empty bag cannot stand upright, ya' know. No one wants to see how I shoot if I'm hungry, believe me," he said while he blinked sneering at Quill and Drax.

[Anduin]

Fury stepped closer to him.
The God of Mischief knew that it was no good idea to mess with that man but he also couldn't keep himself in silence. He didn't want the Ex-SHIELD-Director to think he had become weak or that he and his people would exercise power over him.
"We find ourselves temporarily aligned and so are working together. Don't test me. You'll find that Earth is far more prepared to deal with Asgardians since New York."
"I hope so," he gave back with a set smile.
That was all. No verbal threats.


Finally their meeting came to an end.
It was Hope who first left the room and said that she had to do some things before they start. Loki didn't know her well because they just have met but he wondered if her businesses also dealt with their current situation. For him she appeared like a very top-heavy and intelligent woman.

When Fury also left the room he stopped right at Agent Romanoffs side for a moment and wispered to her. Nats look went over to him for a few seconds so that Loki came to the conclusion that Fury told her to keep an eye on him. The God of Mischief raised his glass in Natasha's direction.
Again no real provocation but just a sign that he was not their good underling.

At least it was Captain America who led the meeting to it's end.
"Alright everyone. Rest up, eat up and get ready to suit up. When Fury gets in touch we may have to move right away so we need everything in place. Does anyone have any questions?"
Loki just emptied his glass and nodded to Cap as a sign that he was ready.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Enough talking. I'm glad that we soon start to do something. And I've just one question: Did anyone know where that Stark-guy keeps his weapons? Oh, wait, there's another one. I need more of these pizza. An empty bag cannot stand upright, ya' know. No one wants to see how I shoot if I'm hungry, believe me."

"Yeah, a hangry trash panda doesn't help anyone," Peter stated. And while talking of aim, he finished off the milk, flipped open the lid of a trash can in the kitchen, and pitched the empty carton like a three-point shot. It bounced off the rim and skidded across the floor, so Peter scrambled to pick it up and place it in the bin. Nobody saw that.

"I need to get back to work on the Milano, anyway. Come on, Rocket," he prompted. "This is your one and only invite to cannibalize my ship to make things that go boom. You too, Groot."

"I am Groot."

"No, no more video games till you do some work." Peter gave them both a wave of his arms to encourage them to follow him back to the hangar. Drax could continue to do ... well, whatever he was doing.

*** Peter exits ***

[DarkSideCookie]

(tempplay by DarkSideCookie)


"Enough talking. I'm glad that we soon start to do something. And I've just one question: Did anyone know where that Stark-guy keeps his weapons? Oh, wait, there's another one. I need more of these pizza. An empty bag cannot stand upright, ya' know. No one wants to see how I shoot if I'm hungry, believe me."

"Yeah, a hangry trash panda doesn't help anyone,"

Drax said nothing as he watched Peter doing whatever he was doing, thinking that nobody would notice how he was a total loser again. This time though, Drax kept his amusement about that to himself, primarily because Peter went on with talking already, so the moment of showing him up was unfortunately gone.

"I need to get back to work on the Milano, anyway. Come on, Rocket,""This is your one and only invite to cannibalize my ship to make things that go boom. You too, Groot."

"I am Groot."

"No, no more video games till you do some work."

Drax watched everyone leaving the room while he just leaned back in his seat, thinking about whatsoever. He also realized that he was missing Mantis. He hoped she was alright. Shouldn't they, at some point, talk about how to get them out of this Raft place? Drax shrugged. Maybe he should bring that up as soon as everyone would be back.


***

[wesleybucks]

Steve watched the group of misfits before him. He had fought alongside some pretty colourful heroes over the years but these people...

Loki raised his glass and gave Steve a nod. Steve met his gaze for a second before looking away towards the others. An empty sensation still weighed heavily in his stomach when looking at the Asgardian. A pack of blood stained Captain America trading cards flashed before his eyes. A conversation for another day.

"Enough talking. I'm glad that we soon start to do something. And I've just one question: Did anyone know where that Stark-guy keeps his weapons? Oh, wait, there's another one. I need more of these pizza. An empty bag cannot stand upright, ya' know. No one wants to see how I shoot if I'm hungry, believe me."

Steve couldn't tell if the talking Racoon was kidding or serious. Fighting the urge to point towards the pizza box sticking out of the nearby trashcan, Steve instead gave the creature a smile and a thumbs up. It had always worked back in the early 40's when signing children's comics and seemed to end the conversation now too.

"Yeah, a hangry trash panda doesn't help anyone."

The Sci Fi man downed a milk carton, hopefully still in date as Steve had no idea who was still stocking the kitchen, before tossing it at the kitchen bin. It bounced off the side and clattered across the floor. The man snatched it up and crunched it into the garbage with the pizza box. He then seemed to look away nonchalantly as if nobody had noticed. Steve raised an eyebrow.

"I need to get back to work on the Milano, anyway. Come on, Rocket. This is your one and only invite to cannibalize my ship to make things that go boom. You too, Groot."

"I am Groot."



The tree man lazily walked forwards after the others.

"No, no more video games till you do some work."


Steve turned to the other alien who was still sat down. He had an almost blank expression as if he was deep in thought. Steve assumed it must be strange to visit an alien planet. So many new cultures, sounds and sights. It must be overwhelming. Steve couldn't help but wonder at all the deep and philosophical quandaries the man must have been going over.

"Well...that was awkward."

Scott walked over to Steve, miming wiping a furrowed brow as he went. Sam and Nat walked over close behind him.

"You could've cut the sexual tension in here with a knife."

"Could you Tic-Tac? Could you really have cut the sexual tension with a knife?"

"Well sure. Didn't you see all that electricity between Hope and me? God I could barely hear what anyone was saying over all the crackling."

Sam slapped Scott hard on the back causing the man to catch himself on the side of the sofa.

"OH THAT SEXUAL TENSION! My bad, I assumed you meant the one between tree man and the mushrooms on the pizza over there. Because that chemistry, MAN! I thought we were about to get some plant action. They were photosynthesizing all over the place."

Scott glared and Sam and walked out of the living area. Sam happily jogged along after him, still shouting.

"Are you sure it wasn't the plants!? Maybe the ROOT of your problem is that you weren't focusing on the right thing. Maybe you should BRANCH out in your interests and then you'll spot these things? Cause I didn't even notice either of you insect people over the love between those two FUNGHI'S!"

Nat patted Steve on the shoulder as they watched the door close behind their team.

"You did well Steve. As patriotic and as stirring as always."

"You sure? Felt like I was second guessing myself the whole time. We marched in here with a Quinjet and the Raft locator like some heroic cavalry and what was their response? Don't worry, we have it covered, thanks for coming by but we're fine. It felt like we had to explain ourselves to a group of people sitting in our own home."

"Yes, I am sure. I hear you Steve but...this isn't our home anymore. Not since the Accords. If anything, we were trespassing far more than they were. At least, I'm assuming, Tony invited them."

Nat was right. Steve drew in a deep breath through his nostrils and out of his mouth. He wasn't really angry at the people they'd found at the Facility. If anything, he was grateful to find that there were several people here that appeared to be handy in a fight. Deep down, he knew what his real problem was. It was that since parting ways with the Avengers, he hadn't had to answer to anyone. As a team, they had fought for what they knew to be right. They hadn't hesitated. They'd gone in and got the job done. Now, being told to wait for others to resolve things first...especially when the 'others' in question was Tony Stark...

Steve smiled at Nat and started to make a move.

"Right, time for us to get prepped too."

"You know...Tony had to keep that shield somewhere after Germany...there's a good chance he kept it here. Want me to have a look for it?"

Steve paused. Only for a moment.

"No thanks. It's not mine anymore."

***

[Hollywood Heidi]

---

---

Around 10 hours have passed.

It is now early evening.

---

---

[Anduin]

Time passed away. A few ours - what did that mean to a god?!
But at the moment he had nothing to do instead of waiting. It reminded him of his imprisonment on Asgard. (And - but he tried to thrust this memory aside - on his mother's dead.) Maybe Mr. Stark possessed some interesting books to pass the time.

So Loki stood up and took some steps to a rack which appeared like a bookshelf. He was aware that Natasha's eyes were following every single move he made. Fury had told her to watch after him and so she did. But she hadn't say a word during the last hours.
"Are you serious," the Asgardian talked to himself when he noticed that nearly all books were dealing with Midgard's technology and something like that. He also noticed a small layer of dust. It seemed like Tony didn't like to read that much. Or maybe he once had read them all and kept the important things in mind. Loki had to admit that Tony was really clever, for a human of course.
"I do not suppose you brought a good book with you, Agent Romanoff?"
Natasha just wagged her head.
Loki's eyes went over to Drax. The strange muscleman just quietly sat there. He hadn't even move for hours. It probably would be the best to go on ignoring him. But it was impossible to ignore the growl of his stomach.
"Well, what about something to eat?," he turned back to Natasha while he also walked over to her.
She just drew her cellphone and started to tap on it with her fingers.
"I still can see you," she said while she looked up for a moment.
"Do not mind me. I will not go anywhere."
'But I could if I want,' he thought but not spoke out loud.
"Food will be delivered. This time you'll be able to sit beside us and eat some shawarma. Hope you'll enjoy."

[Kristi Lynne]

*** Peter, Rocket, and Groot enter from New York - Avengers Facility - Hangar ***

"Hey, we heard the dinner bell," Peter announced as he entered the room. "Or y'know, the house computer lady. What's on the menu?" He began to inspect the various bags and food containers that were being laid out on the kitchen island. "Shawarma? Chicken, beef, lamb," he read aloud. "Pretty sure they don't serve that at Dairy Queen. Smells good, though."

Sure, it was slightly more exotic than pizza, but no one had ever called Peter unadventurous. At least not to his face. He retrieved a beer bottle from the refrigerator and smacked it on the edge of the counter to remove the cap. "Anybody heard from Eyepatch?" he asked.

[Anduin]

"Hey, we heard the dinner bell," "Or y'know, the house computer lady. What's on the menu?"
When they entered the Living Room Rocket couldn't suppress a grin. Peter nearly always acted so childish.
After Peter had picked up something to eat Rocket also went to the food-bags and picked out two - one for Groot and one for him. He didn't care what it exactly was because he didn't know any Earth-Food before.
But it was okay. In this case Quill was right.
"Anybody heard from Eyepatch?"
"I am Groot."
"I'm sure no one here knows if you can get some batteries, Groot. But if you keep on being a good child I'll ask Hope when she'll be here - promise."
"I am Groot."
Rocket turned his face to Peter.
"Hey Quill, never call me a trash panda again! You should have seen yourself moments ago! Stucking your nose in the food-bag..."
Rocket's joke maybe didn't have the effect he wanted to achieve because actually he had spoken with his mouth full.

[DarkSideCookie]

(tempplay by DarkSideCookie)


When the room got flooded with more people, Drax eventually gave up on his training. Others might think he'd been just sitting there, but that was not the case. A man like him never did nothing, not even when he was supposed to. Even pretending to do something was doing, or wasn't it? Anyways, all the chattering around had thrown him out of his balance.

"Hey Quill, never call me a trash panda again! You should have seen yourself moments ago! Stucking your nose in the food-bag..."

"Wasn't it your species that stick their noses into the excrements of others?" Drax asked in a matter-of-fact tone as he walked past Rocket on his way to get a bit more of the food this time, like he was just greedy for knowledge. Drax had forgotten where he heard that, maybe from Quill while he had told them all some boring Earth stories, but this one was too tempting to be not brought up. As if his brain would have known that, one day, this information would be good for something. Mocking always was a good reason to memorize at least one or two things from what Quill had to say, although most of it wasn't applicable, or just not interesting.

[Anduin]

After their meal had been delivered the house's electronic voice called out to everybody.
Peter Quill, the only one of his brother's new friends who once had been living on Midgard, was the first one who entered the Living Room closely followed by the talking rabbit and the strange tree.
Luckily Loki already took himself a piece of food before the others walked inside. He didn't want to argue with them about who would get which kind of food.

"This is better than most of the food on Sakaar, believe me," he said to Natasha with a smirk.
"Maybe sometimes you had to be a bit more modest," she responded. "Or at least you just should be glad that the Hulk didn't eat you!"
"Are you serious?"
"Who knows... Hope the Big Guy is really all right..."
"Well, let me put it like this: He is not what I first expected him to be. He is..."

Suddenly Loki got interrupt by Rocket's yelling.
"Hey Quill, never call me a trash panda again! You should have seen yourself moments ago! Stucking your nose in the food-bag..."

"Wasn't it your species that stick their noses into the excrements of others?"
And finally Drax, the disconcerting musclehead, stood up and started to take part in a conversation.
It was not that the Asgardian felt sad that this bonehead had pretend to be invisible during the last hours.
Agent Romanoff also had been quiet most of the time. They only had a few monosyllabically dialogs. But none of these had been that dull.

Anyways the God of Mischief couldn't stop himself from mocking Peter.
"I hope you do not have to repair your ship just because of my brother. Thor can be very... destructive, you know?"

He still felt Natasha's eyes on him for a few moments but she didn't try to continue their chit-chat.
So he hadn't to speak about Bruce any longer. 
However he had to thought about him for a moment.
What would he call him? A friend? Maybe the first one he ever had? 

[Kristi Lynne]

"Hey Quill, never call me a trash panda again! You should have seen yourself moments ago! Sticking your nose in the food-bag..."

"Wasn't it your species that stick their noses into the excrements of others?"

“Dude, not while we’re eating," Peter scolded Drax. "But yes, that is a true fact.” He placed his beer bottle on the coffee table, using a coaster of course, sank onto the sofa and propped his booted feet up on the same table.

"I hope you do not have to repair your ship just because of my brother. Thor can be very... destructive, you know?"

“Yeah, I know," Peter agreed heartily with Loki, around a mouthful of seasoned pork and flatbread. "And what Conan didn’t break with his stupid muscle-y arms, got thoroughly jacked up by our less-than-graceful entry into Earth’s atmo. Could take a week to fix everything, which is time that we don’t have.” He turned to the Russian spy. "Hey, Red, any secret coded messages from your boss?"

"Radio silent still," Natasha replied. "And he's not my boss."

"Fine, your colleague, co-worker, partner in planetary crisis-averting," he reworded. "I just think that we--" he said, waving a hand to include himself, Rocket, and Drax, "--have all held one of these super powerful Infinity Stones and not exploded into ash, so maybe he could be a little more open to our ideas."

"Fine, tell me your idea, I'll judge whether it's a waste of time or not, and then I'll run it by my colleague," she prompted.

"I mean, I didn't say I had one at this precise moment...."

[Anduin]

"Wasn't it your species that stick their noses into the excrements of others?"
"What the..."
“Dude, not while we’re eating,"
"THAT'S what you..."
"But yes, that is a true fact.”
"Just for your info, you stupid asses: I don't do that! And don't dare to say that again!"

"I hope you do not have to repair your ship just because of my brother. Thor can be very... destructive, you know?"
“Yeah, I know," "And what Conan didn’t break with his stupid muscle-y arms, got thoroughly jacked up by our less-than-graceful entry into Earth’s atmo. Could take a week to fix everything, which is time that we don’t have.”

"I am Groot."
Rocket sighed. "Yes, I know that they aren't listening any longer. Maybe it's better that way..."


He listened to Peter and Natasha.
After all Quill included all of them instead of trying to get all the credit.
But in the end he was just the same fool than ever.
"Fine, tell me your idea, I'll judge whether it's a waste of time or not, and then I'll run it by my colleague,"
"I mean, I didn't say I had one at this precise moment...."
"Hah, best would be if we could find these gems before shitface Thanos would! If we would just knew where..."
Suddenly Rocket stopped for some seconds. He had a brainwave.
"Hey, I'm not sure if we got the resources and so on - but what about trying to built a gadget which might be able to find the Infinity Stones?! If we got them first he had to come to us. And maybe we might be able to use some of their powers against him..."