Arms Races and Crimson Faces (US Agent and Crimson Dynamo)

[Rift]

24 Hours Ago, Undisclosed Military Facility

John Walker stood inside a large circular room, the walls lined with monitors that each showed the shadowy, pixelated form of members of The Commission. Each person was someone within the United States government. Policy makers, politicians, and a few military personnel. They had for the better part of the last several years been the body responsible for sending Walker on missions to protect and serve his nation. They were also, Grade A D-bags as far as he was concerned.

So many of the pencil pushers didn't have a clue what it was actually like in the field. They didn't get that intel can make or break an operation, that missions change on the fly, and that unforeseen complications (like the interference of some nutcase dressed like thrift store Satan) messing up missions beyond the ability to recover. Such had been the case when they dropped him in the literal war zone that had once been Hell's Kitchen, to apprehend a maniac former soldier codenamed Nuke. The whole thing went less than smoothly with the so-called Devil of Hell's Kitchen refusing to let Walker do his job. Rather than blame the city for letting a crazy man with religious psychosis run rough shod as a vigilante, instead of listening that SHIELD or other authorities should have been securing the area and running off the costumed crowd, they chose to lay blame solely at his feet. It was a disaster that left him in the wind. Aside from a personal venture that saw him lead a team of New Invaders into Iran to rescue captured diplomats from the B-list villains they'd hired as enforcers, Walker hadn't seen much action. He was persona non grata after the Hellzone debacle.

As usual though something had come up and they needed him again. He tried not to think about whether it was because they didn't care if he succeeded, if they expected him to die, or if he was their only option.

"What you are watching is footage an asset in Berlin has sent us. The man you see is Anslo Wulf. He's a scientist, a genius by all accounts who happened to fall in with an AIM offshoot working on radical, cutting edge research involving concepts such as temporal dialation fields," one of the mystery men explained.

"Mad scientists. Gotchya. Seen enough of these beekeeper suit wearing whack jobs to know they are all the same. Nerds with egos that need stroking who got frustrated living in mom's basement while pretty boys like Stark got all the TV shows and covers of Geek Monthly. What makes him any different?" John asked.

"He's defecting. See's the error of his ways or at least believes that this arm of AIM would use whatever he has invented for means other than what he intended. If it is enough to rattle its creator, an immoral scientist from a think tank of immoral scientists, it is best it doesn't end up in the hands of someone like Doom, radicalized mutants, or a terrorist state," a woman said.

"So what does this have to do with me? I'm a soldier, not a spy."

The silhouette on the center monitor spoke next. "You are a soldier. A soldier in need of a battle and this will be one of those. You successfully extract him or barring that outcome, retrieve whatever technology he has developed, and return it to Uncle Sam then we will consider the whole Hellzone debacle...water under the bridge. You'd be back in."

Grinning he reached for his shield. "Where am I heading?"

Now-Madripoor

John Walker sighed as he pulled his American Flag ballcap down over his eyes. He hated Madripoor. The place stank, you couldn't turn around without smacking into someone, and even the damn wildlife looked like it was ready to hold you up and steal your wallet. 

"He better be here dammit," he cursed, scanning the crowd inside the lobby of what passed for a hotel.

Of course it was not just the doctor he was looking for. Mad scientists were one thing, but according to the file he read on the flight over a number of mercenaries had been employed by other interested parties. He didn't know who else was searching for the man. It could be mutants, it could be Latverian spies, or something much worse. 

Never thought I'd miss Canada. At least Omega Flight knew what they were doing even if everyone was too fake nice and Sasquatch lacked basic hygiene appreciation, he thought.

[shadejak]

Madripoor...

Galina hated this place. Its profound way of displaying the few haves and numerous have-nots kept equally poor through the illusion of equity reminded her of the sorry state her home country of Russia was once in. A state that led to her family's deaths. It really perplexed her why there were those in her new host country who would think it'd work in their favor. Still, the mercenary wasn't here to stress or criticize the economic situation of this island providence, no, she was here because her employer who had promised her a very large sum of money had sent her to carry out had told her the target she was to recover was here. He'd already provided the half-now payment, so there was no backing out of this.

She'd arrived at the cheap, seedy place that was a hotel in theory dressed casually, her Armor Matrix securely around her waist disguised as her belt. Everyone here looked like the type that'd try and justify theft though trying it on the ex-soldier would have been a huge mistake as she was already skilled in plenty of self-defense moves that she didn't need her armor for.

The young woman's ice-blue eyes took a quick examination of the crowd in the lobby. Not long enough to appear suspicious but enough to comb over for any chance of someone who fit the description of the man she'd been told to capture for her employer or suspicious enough to possibly be him. She'd been briefed that he was a defected AIM researcher who had some valuable data and technology her employer wanted for himself. She didn't much care what he did with it, so long as she got the other half of the pay she'd been promised. Unfortunately, for now at least, it seemed there was no sign of him. Either he wasn't in the lobby or he was better at being inconspicuous then she'd expected a rogue scientist hiding out on a place like this to be.

Her employer had also warned her AIM would have likely sent their own men after him as well, possibly others, so there was every chance hell would break loose fighting over who walked away with the prize, and it wouldn't do for that to happen. Ideally she'd find him first, contact her employer to send the transport off this revolting island before anyone was the wiser.

Galina hated playing the waiting game.

TAG Rift

[Rift]

Walker sighed as he entered what passed for a hotel in this part of the world. Intel suggested that the defector would be there any minute, the location's lobby picked due to it being filled with people including tourists. While he was trying to blend in, John knew full well that he stood out like a sore thumb. Nobody vacationed in Madripoor for the culture. There was no fine dining and the beaches were subpar considering the countless other locations around the globe that you could go to stick your feet in the sand without getting them chopped off and sold on the black market. Every "tourist" was either a literal pirate getting a drink before hitting their next target, smugglers, assassins on holiday or interviewing for their next job, or the elite businessman sort who was there for access to illicit substances and other more questionable vices.

Even if he had blended in perfectly, he would have still been worried. A public spot was safer and great for a meeting or pickup...in a civilized society. In a place where everyone and everything was for sale, where you could spit in any direction and hit a killer? It just meant the asset would be surrounded by that many more blades (or bullets) to go in his back.

They really should have demanded he try and make it to a friendlier country. AIM could probably buy half the damn island if they haven't already. Wouldn't even need a professional hitter, just some low level junkie looking to come up in the world, he thought.

Ignoring the stares and more than a few sneers at his American flag adorned ballcap, John made his way through the crowd clutching his backpack tighter. Approaching an in-lobby bar he stood at the counter and ordered a drink, glancing out the corner of his eye and using the reflective lens of his sunglasses to try and keep an eye on the main area. He hadn't even had to decipher what the barkeep was saying before he saw the asses.

Wulf, a pale skinny man with a prominent nose and only a few wisps of hair left around the top of his scalp walked through the lobby, nervously shoving his bifocals up. He sat on a couch, a tiny man between two guys that looked like they chugged steroids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not only had he positioned himself between two potential threats, he sat in a position that would have left him wide open for a sniper or for someone to walk right up and end him. The man clearly had spent more time thinking up evil technologies in a lab than he had in the real world. And he had never stepped into the realm of espionage or he never would have left himself so open.

Fighting the urge to simply walk over and haul him out the back way, Walker instead slapped down a couple bucks for the drink and began acting as if he was already a few sheets into the wind. His improvisation skills would likely be eviscerated by an actual spy like Black Widow, but then again he warned his superiors that he was a soldier not a black ops guy.

"Mike! Mike is that you!? Oh Mike it is good to see you you sum...sumb...you Mike you!" he yelled over the teeming masses. "So good to see an American again you know? Felt like I was the only red blooded patriot in this place!"

Please take the hint and play along Poindexter. I need to get this done and fast he thought.

Tag: shadejak

[shadejak]

Galina remained where she was as she scanned the room once more when her ice-blue gaze fell upon a scrawny-looking man who couldn't stand out more if he tried. In a place full of pirates and other cutthroats the man would be an easy target for anyone if it was assumed he had anything of value on him. He'd sat himself between two brutish guys as if he thought they'd somehow protect him, which was unlikely unless he had any money stashed someplace he could pay them for the favor later, but from the looks of it, that wasn't likely. As she lingered on him just a second longer, though, she recalled her employer's pictures of the man she was looking for.

Target acquired.

Galina would not be surprised at all if others intended to claim him were here as well...




Dex couldn't help but think this was his kind of place. So many pricks he could kill just for whatever reason and no one would be the wiser. Hell, the high-and-mighty prissy dandies in the city part would probably pay him plenty of jobs if he stuck around long enough, but his place was New York, where HE was. Bullseye could never turn his back on New York until their game was over, and Bullseye emerged victorious and stood over HIS corpse. But that wasn't something to dwell on right now.

Instead here he was on some island of haves and have-nots, after some stringbean scientist the guys at AIM paid him to silence. No doubt there were others, this guy was quite the hot commodity! Luckily AIM did not specify needing the scientist alive unlike probably plenty of others who'd pay good money for what he knew. Sure, by definition it'd make his job slightly easier but that hadn't been why he took it, it was that it afforded the opportunity to enjoy striking down anyone else who came for him. Better to dispose of them first and deal with the runt later, after all, it made it more fun!

Dex had not been in costume as for now he couldn't stand out, but he'd taken an alternative of a long coat and cargos perfect for carrying anything he'd use if he was short on things to throw and a beanie covering his scar. He'd of course reveal himself in full when the time came. When you died, the last thing you'd know is it was Bullseye that killed you, as would anyone who was there to see it and tell the tale.

It wasn't long before he spotted his prey when it came in, nestled between two thugs he could kill without even trying, when some drunkard approached him. The man narrowed his eyes in suspicion, couldn't be coincidence, likely someone sent to retrieve him. Time to make some noise!

Bullseye made his way to the bar table, snapping his fingers for a glass of the best stuff on the house. Tasted like piss, no surprise. Upon finishing, the assassin smashed the glass on the bar table and before the bartender could respond, Dex had seized a pair of shards in his hands and flung them straight at the foreheads of the two large men sandwiching the runt.



Galina's eyes widened as the two men suddenly dropped before her eyes, glass embedded in their foreheads and the commotion started in no time, she turned and saw a sneering man in a beanie and it was clear who she was dealing with. Tapping her belt, Galina's armor swiftly formed around her, which added to the commotion of whoever hadn't started to flee. Two options, deal with Bullseye or make a move for the target. The former would neutralize him as a threat but it would result in likely losing the target. The latter would mean risking Bullseye's wrath, her armor would have been all that'd keep her from ending up dead as well once he knew she was competing for what she gathered they were here for the same person.

She chose the latter and flew across the room to shove the bodies aside for the scientist. "You're coming with me," she ordered, foregoing any and all manners or explanation now that the situation had escalated.

Bullseye, meanwhile, flipped up the end of his beanie, revealing a white target as he grinned widely, pulling out several shuriken and wound his arm back...

TAG Rift

[Rift]

Things turned chaotic in an instant. One moment John was doing his best impersonation of a drunk, hoping that the target would get the hint to come towards him and the next the two mountain-sized threats beside him were dead. He had been concerned about someone trying to grab Wulf, to make off with the scientist, but he hadn't expected an assassination. Perhaps he should have and he had to admit, eliminating a guy as dangerous as Wulf could be rather than giving him a new job doing the same bad stuff for a supposedly more benevolent employer? Definitely would have been easier.

But you didn't sign up for easy, he thought with a grin.

With all manner of hell breaking out at least he didn't have to pretend to be a dumb tourist anymore. Spy crap was never his strong suit anyway. He'd leave that stuff to Widow and others. Now was time to do what he did best. And he was just about to do it too, nearly ready to spring forward and grab the scientist as he fought his way out of the place and to the rendezvous point when a freaking robot landed between him and the target, declaring that Wulf was leaving with it. Or...her? The voice sounded feminine.

Great, it's a suit. More wayward Stark-Tech no doubt. That jackass can't not screw up the world for a day can he?



"I don't think so Ms. Terminator, the Doc's leaving with me!" Walker declared.

Against his better judgment he glanced behind him and through the sea of people rushing about he noticed a pale man with an evil smile and a stupid marking on his forehead. It took a moment for him to realize just what it was and who he was staring at.

Crap! Someone sent out the big guns for this one! I think it's that Bullseye twerp the Devil moron throws down with, Walker thought, remembering his recent showdown with said moron.

Whipping his backpack off he quickly pulled his shield from it and shouted at Wulf. "Stay behind me!"

The risk of losing the target to the woman in the suit was bad, but losing him to the Grim Reaper courtesy of Bullseye was far worse. If she made off with him there was still a chance to recover the target before they escaped the island. Couldn't do that with him dead.

[shadejak]

The Crimson Dynamo's suit protected from the assassin's incoming throwing blades, and it seemed she wasn't alone as a man with a shield... no he didn't appear to be Steve Rogers... also took action in protecting the scientist. Dynamo aimed her hand at Bullseye to fire an energy blast at him, the hoodlums filling this place be damned, but he swiftly flung a man in his path and ducked out of the way, disappearing from sight as Galina looked about, her suit's computer trying to trace him but finding nothing.

"Damnit!" she hissed angrily, her hand outstretched ready to blast him the moment she saw sight of his telltale symbol. The man was good, but she knew one detail was he liked people to see him when he struck, so they knew it was him who killed them.

A yelp as the bartender was knocked down, Bullseye had thrown himself over the counter and Galina thrust up her arms as Bullseye grinned from where he stood, a pair of glass bottles in his hands as he immediately began to fling them, and then the ones lining the walls behind him at such a speed she didn't have much of a chance to counter as they exploded violently against her visor, blinding her view as she promptly fired off a shot of concentrated energy from her Vanko reactor's power at him and causing an explosion. People scattered and fled from the lobby, Bullseye was nowhere to be found.

This wasn't good, if he wasn't dead, and she doubted he was, the man was notoriously hard to kill, he could appear at any time and eliminate her target when she'd least expect it. Speaking of...

She spun to face where the man with the shield and the scientist were. Chances were this disturbance would draw in whatever passed for authorities in a place like this as well.

Bullseye rose up from behind an overturned table, a grenade of some sort in his hand as he flicked the pin out and flung the explosive in their direction...

TAG Rift

[Rift]

John grimaced as chaos erupted around him. He knew protecting the scientist was going to be a pain and that getting out of Madripoor with him intact was going to be even harder. What he didn't expect was for there to be not one, but two superpowered attackers each seemingly working against the other. It was bad enough there was somebody sporting tech not dissimilar to the crap Rhodes and Stark used, power armor being a hassle even for folks with more superhuman abilities than he had, but the cherry on top of the crap sundae had to be appearance of the assassin.

Over the years there had been a number of times he had read up on the man they called Bullseye. Most recently he had done so following the Hellzone fiasco and his clash with Daredevil. The guy was dangerous, of that there was no doubt, but everything he had read had indicated he was more likely to be working for some mafia don or other organized crime syndicate. It not only let him get paid for murder, but it kept him floating around the peripheral of Daredevil's world. He hated the vigilante (something John understood having met the man) and apparently relished opportunities to run up against him. To cause the freak just a little bit more pain each time they met. Noting in the intelligence indicated he'd be working as an international hitter or involved in intrigue and spy craft in any way.

As glass shattered around him and people ran screaming, he tried to keep track of all that was happening, placing himself between any would be projectiles and the scientist. Between a man who could turn anything into a weapon, a power armor wearing mercenary, and the authorities the ruckus was sure to draw the only certain thing was that they were in trouble if they didn't get moving.

"Stay down and behind me!" he shouted.

Before he could fully assess the situation or see what the tech wielding woman was attempting, he caught the briefest glimpse of the assassin as a grenade came flying their direction.

"Dammit! Shield your eyes!" he shouted as he swung upwards in an attempt to deflect the explosive with his shield. With any luck it would bounce far enough away to avoid any large-scale blast damage.

[shadejak]

"Nice toy!" Bullseye sneered as his glass missiles exploded in a burst of liquid with each toss and the armored mercenary had fired back. Bullseye may not have hard powered armor to protect him, but his suit granted him more mobility. Upon flinging the grenade, he watched as the man with the shield barely managed to deflect it, sending it flying into a corner.

BOOM!

Bullseye ducked. Crimson Dynamo instinctively thrust her arm up as deadly shrapnel flew through the air tearing apart and injuring many who had not already suffered the explosion itself. Bullseye meanwhile emerged from behind his cover, grinning and making it clear he'd not been among those who'd ended up in its path, stepping out as he ripped a chunk of shrapnel lodged in a body's shoulder and flung it at Galina like a bullet straight at her helmet's visor.

Galina recoiled, the loud clack and the impact had not subjected it to damage but it distracted her long enough given the crowded environment and recent explosion as the assassin started flinging ninja stars at her, his hands a blur of motion and it didn't take long for the mercenary to notice the man had been aiming at every chink in her armor had to grant it its deceptive mobility, forcing her on the defensive.

To anyone else, seeing him engaging someone in power armor head-on with conventional weapons would look like absolute madness, but due to that this someone was Bullseye, maybe it's because Bullseye WAS that mad, or had done his homework on the off-chance he'd find someone normally above his weight class standing in his way on a mission like this. He just kept throwing everything that wasn't nailed down and within reach to ensure she had no opportunity to attack and tire her out.

"Nadoyedlivaya malen'kaya sobachka!" Crimson Dynamo shouted in Russian. Galina's patience was wearing thin, anger replaced strategy, emotion replaced logic. She had her pride, and she was not going to accept being shown up by some thug who spent his time in Hell's Kitchen over a grudge regardless of who he was! Galina let out an angry snarl as the building and anyone in it no longer mattered as much to her as a pair of turrets opened on her armor, missiles ready as Bullseye grinned and took out a bandolier of grenades from his coat, sneering at her, but it was evident Galina no longer cared at all about collateral or if the damn building fell on her, she just wanted to kill this bastard!

Bullseye chuckled as he yanked the chain, pulling the pins in a single gesture before running as Galina's missiles went off...

TAG Rift

[Rift]

As the deflected grenade exploded and shrapnel rained down, Walker shoved the scientist down and crouched over him as glass, wood, and stone shards clanged against the shield. Wulf readjusted his glasses and blinked up at him in horror. The man was clearly used to working in controlled environments where the danger was contained and safeguards were in place. An active battlefield with people crying out in pain with blood flying was new and likely traumatizing. Considering he was developing weapons designed to cause far more carnage than what was occurring around them John didn't feel sorry for him.


"Th-th-thank you Captain America!" he shouted in a heavy German accent.

Walker sighed at the mistake. Damn foreigners see a guy with a shield an automatically assume it's Rogers he thought.

Agent didn't have time to correct the scientist though, not with the craziness happening at rapid pace. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed Bullseye, insane as could be, with plenty more pineapples he was ready to lob in his general direction. Worse yet, the woman looked like she went from trying to obtain the scientist to attempting to reduce Madripoor to a crater with all the heat she was packing.

That lunatic and the crazy Ruskie deserve each other!

"That freak with the grenades and the Iron Cyka over there are going to bring this whole place down in a fight over who gets to kill you first, so when I say move you move your backside like the devil himself was after you. You got it Poindexter? Because I am not above dragging you out of here unconscious if I have to!" Walker shouted over the ringing in his ears.

Hoping the pair would stay focused on trying to murder each other long enough for him and the target to make their escape, John waited half a beat before hauling Wulf to his feet by his shirt collar and shoving him along.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" he shouted, drawing a sidearm and firing randomly behind him to put some space between the assassins and himself.

[shadejak]

Galina saw out of the corner of her eye through the visor the man with the shield and the scientist fleeing, firing back at them. She had no time to respond, however for what followed...

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

The explosions of missiles, grenades, artillery between Bullseye and the Crimson Dynamo left the lobby leveled. Though her armor could take a lot, she still felt the blunt force enough it sent her crashing into the opposite wall and partially through it. The place was since deserted as the smoke settled, but as she scanned about, Bullseye was nowhere to be found. Dead? No signature of a body anywhere. By her assertion, he'd likely fled.

Standing herself back up, her armor having taken punishment and in her dazed state she felt she had little choice but to retract it and took up a fallen pistol, checking it before sliding it into her belt, making her way out of the rubble and outside.



She could feel the fatigue in her. Bullseye was gone, who knew where he was, now. All she could do for now was stay alive and track down the damn scientist whom hopefully the assassin hadn't reached first.

It didn't take long, she saw the man with the shield and the scientist.

"He's coming with me," she seethed, pointing the gun with one hand and her other hand's index finger over the switch of her armor matrix, making it clear she was willing to go all out if this wasn't going the diplomatic route. "There's a massive sum for him alive and unharmed I intend to collect on, and I suspect the same can be said for whoever's sent you."

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[Rift]

Walker turned to face the woman, keeping his shield upfront and the scientist behind him. He listened to her words and couldn't help but sneer in response. He had met her kind before. Mercenaries who did what they did, no matter how dangerous or abhorrent for cash. There was no greater cause, no meaning behind what they did, no loyalty to country or ideals greater than themselves. They might be skilled, but they lacked substance of character.

"He's not going anywhere with you merc. Poindexter here may not look it, but he's a very dangerous individual and I'm not gonna let psychotics like Bullseye or knockoff Iron Monger's like you take him off to make some kind of end of the world device that some spandex wearing yahoo will have to smack out the hands of a Doctor Doom or a Red Skull in a couple of months. So I'm gonna give you one chance to back off before I'm forced to send you back to Mother Russia in traction," he responded.

Truth was after the assassin and she leveled the area, he didn't know how much firepower she was packing. A straight up fight with a walking armory was not something he was eager to get into, after all even bootleg Stark Tech could turn someone into a one man army. Unfortunately he didn't see much of an alternative and the longer the fight dragged on, the more likely the scientist would either catch a stray bullet or be abducted. Madripoor had criminals and mercenaries on every corner and something told him that even a super soldier and a robot suit wouldn't be enough to fight off every money hungry piece of scum on the island.

[shadejak]

Galina sneered at the man's remarks, but kept her gun trained. Nothing short of the right leverage to be granted pardon would convince her to go back to Russia willingly if she didn't want to spend the rest of her life in prison for treason.

The man made an unfortunate valid point. Now, it being Madripoor, it wouldn't take long for practically it's entire population of thugs and mercs to want this scientist in their clutches and find out who'd pay the most for him. She wasn't too concerned about the scientist's well-being, he was worthless dead, and priceless alive. Anyone who wanted any chance of collecting a huge sum would protect him like he were a vital organ of their own body. Still, conflict could cause an accident.

The mention of Red Skull brought another concern to her. She knew HYDRA had people here... as did the Hand. Fantastic, the little incident moments ago was likely to make things interesting if news about why she or this man with the shield were here got to either of them before she was gone. She'd expected some trouble. She'd not expected Bullseye or the one currently standing in front of her and now everything had gone sideways.

The young woman let out an irritated sigh. If this man was anything like Captain America she'd be no match for him in a straight-up fight without her armor, and she didn't have the time to see if her armor would need any fixes, and the longer they stuck around was more time for Bullseye or anyone else to descend on them. This was supposed to be a much cleaner retrieval with the armor as a security measure but Bullseye had changed all that. Perhaps it was the soldier in her still that allowed her to understand his point. Her ice-blue eyes on him, Galina dropped the gun and held her hands up and away from her belt. "You make a fair point. I offer a truce, until we are able to leave the island. That man is as valuable to me alive as he is to you, and I would prefer the chances of keeping him so to be higher."

She took a step forward. "...The way I see it, neither of us have much choice. Bullseye will be but one of our problems once Hydra or the Hand learn the cause of this incursion." Her gaze turned towards the scientist, Anslo. "...You may as well have bathed in blood and dove into a school of sharks coming here."

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[Rift]

John felt his jaw tighten as he listened to the woman. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. There was no way for either of them to complete their missions if they all ended up shish kabobs courtesy of the psychotic Bullseye or imprisoned by one of the many terrorist and criminal organizations that existed within Madripoor. Still, that didn't mean he had to like the arrangement.

Soviet Union may be gone in name at least and the Cold War is over, or so the public believes, but there is a part of me that will never not see the Ruskies as anything but a bunch of sociopathic commies. But I guess a merc is actually closer to free market ideals and it could be worse. Sure we are gonna likely try to kill each other when this is over, but at least I know going in what I am dealing with. Not like that nonsense in New York where the supposed hero decided his personal morals were more important than Uncle Sam wanting a threat neutralized. And the armor is definitely a better look than the devil of Hell's Kitchen. You'd think a blind guy dressed him, Walker thought.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Truce, for now, but if you even look sideways at the asset before we are in a position to settle this..."

He glanced around and sighed. "We need to move. This is criminal land, you're the criminal, where do you suggest we go?"

[shadejak]

Galina smirked a little at the man's suspicion and threats. "Between that lunatic we just escaped from, and the crime factions that run this place, I'd rather not give myself even more problems," she said. Her blue eyes met his with a look of sincerity. "You can trust me, for now. I only ask the same of you. As I've said, this man is only worth anything to me alive."

She looked over at the understandably frightened scientist, hostility fading from her. "I understand you're afraid. Who wouldn't be in the crime hub of the world? Even the Bratva have men here..." Her mention of the name gave a hint of contempt. "...But be assured, I will do everything in my power to ensure you leave this place alive. Try not to make that difficult."

She turned her attention back to the soldier. "Our best course of action is to get as far away from the city and civilization as possible," she said. Galina knew the jungle areas to be mostly uncultivated and while some may have hidden there it'd be less dangerous then being here in the open where their asset would attract the attention of plenty of others when word got out.

That just left Bullseye, whom they'd need to make an escape from before he recovered and got the same idea and pursued. It also meant they'd have to remain on the move. Picking up the gun slowly and holstering it for later use, Galina gave the soldier a nod. "There's a beaten path through the jungles my employer spoke of used for ground transport of assets that leads to one of the beaches. We use that we shouldn't get lost."

Maybe it wasn't the best or most ideal choice, but it was, given the circumstances, the only one that came to mind right now. It had been the backup option if simply spiriting the man away didn't work and one she didn't look forward to.

TAG Rift

[Rift]

Walker frowned. He didn't like it. Not having to protect a man who very much deserved to have bad things happen to him, not having to fight one of Daredevil's psychotic playmates, and not having to work with a woman who was working to make sure his mission was a failure.

Not to mention this whole third world circus down here is filled with criminals of every kind who wouldn't think twice about slitting the throats of me, her, and Bullseye if they thought there was a payday in it for them. Not to mention she's probably a damned Commie! he thought.

Jaw tightening he gave a nod. "Fine. We can go play Predator with the rest of the predators out in the jungle. And for now I'll forget that you tried using some sad Cold War era Stark-knockoff tin can to screw this up. Until we are away from the army of scum and that freak, I've got your back. But make no mistake missy, I've got my eye on you. There better not be a gang of Ivan's and Boris' waiting in the brush or so help me you will wish that Daredevil's boyfriend back there had finished you off."

Instead of offering a hand to shake on it, he motioned like he was shooing away an annoying dog.

"This is your plan, you take point. We keep Poindexter here between us."