#united event 003.2

[usedshield]

Falcon here. WSC event a bust. Credible threat pending against S.H.I.E.L.D. facility near Bedford, NY. Rendez-vous coordinates 41.1989988,-73.657528. 21:00 HRS. Confirm when message received.

He shouldn’t have been surprised; god knew he shouldn’t have been surprised. Alexander Luthor had a special talent of twisting situations to his advantage --- hadn’t they learned that at the gala? ( And Steve was really beginning to doubt the man didn’t have something to do with this. ) Steve read the message once, twice, and let out a sigh. They’d prepared for this. It was the reason they had remained unregistered, after all. He returned the message with one word: CONFIRMED. 

[cahrter]

GREEN - ON - RED sees the beam of her weapon’s laser sight boring right between the helmet’s eyes, all LIT UP like a Macy’s window at Christmastime.

( Only people who think the guns themselves are the intimidating factor in a confrontation take so much gcddamned time re - loading. )

––––––– Okay, edgelord !

❝ --- --- Yeah, the benefits SUCKED. ❞  Her support elbow’s locked, her dominant one loosened enough to be agile should she need to shift past the three - and - nine they’ve dug into.  ❝ Sorry, was I interrupting ? ❞  

@rougehoods​ / continued !

[legrandsaut]

AS FAR AS BLOWS TO THE EGO GO, THIS ONE DEFINITELY STINGS MORE THAN MOST.     Dick has been working the Red Hood case for the better part of three months, immersing himself to a degree that he knows has taken him too far. Farid’s pointed look when he showed up at the Manor three days ago was enough to quell any protests but the weakest of weak jokes as he was ushered inside and made to take up a place of honour in one of the larger guest suites.     (     Funny enough, Farid knew better than to try and cajole Dick into his old bedroom. Can’t exactly convince someone who’s a kid at heart to sit still surrounded by all those childhood memories.     )

❝     I’m out for at least two weeks, maybe more.     ❞     He’s sipping a blessedly hot cup of tea, knee expertly bound by Dr. Aptowicz’ trained hands.     ❝     ------     Though if I keep getting fresh muffins every morning, I may never leave.     ❞

Dick’s doing a fairly good job covering the malaise with humour, as per usual.

@ anyone who would visit an injured Dick at the Manor     /     UNITED OPEN STARTER FOR EVENT 003.2

[tmthydrake]

“I’m fine — you don’t have to worry about me.” The boy has had plenty of brushes with death lately, but he as STILL here, right? Tim knows that he looks like HELL, but his body was only human after all. It want unusual for him to be covered in bandages so it’s easy to ignore. His own health never as important compared to a mission. He gives his company his full attention, even forgetting about the coffee growing cold on the table. “What can I HELP you with?” His tone soft, with a smile stretched across his features.

[vnmblast]

❝  you’re not supposed to be here.  ❞  neither is she technically,  that little (  possibly  )  unknown fact left draped between them in the form of wispy red locks. everything presented is a well manicured LIE. the voice :  adenoidal,  rich and inviting;  the look :  matronly,  picked specifically to disarm,  making her intended feel in control,  emboldened enough for mistakes she catalogued throughout their conversation  ---  ❝  forgive me,  i’m positively tickled by your timing.  ❞  her movements are slow following a small bout of laughter,  yet another character choice as this apparent older woman takes all the time necessary to turn in her seat. fingers,  however,  remain atop metal case.  ❝  they’re gone. have been for the better part of an hour now.  ❞

[flashoutoftime]

Life was complicated enough being a speedster; add to that being displaced onto of all the tension going around with all the headlines lately as well as trying to keep a low profile? Things got more complicated. Wally was still struggling to keep up with all the changes around him while also trying to grasp at fuzzy memories. If he was honest, a year into being back and he was still trying to remember if he was friends with the mailman who waved and asked how he was doing every morning.

 He made mistakes that he probably wouldn’t have, if he weren’t so troubled in his own thoughts. Like getting his ass handed to him by an older, more aggressive Captain Cold of all people. Barry would be ashamed for sure. Hissing, Wally did the limp of shame into an alleyway after having just barely managed to subdue him long enough for the authorities to handle it. Despite the whispers that The Flash was back, Wally just didn’t feel like he could fill Barry’s shoes well enough. Let them speculate. For now, he was more concerned about the rib he could feel out of place beneath the skin currently blooming black with bruises. Shit, he was going to have to re-break it if it was going to heal properly. For a moment, he considered contacting one of the old crew, but then he remembered the news that week; talks of division between teams and the government hunting down people like him to keep them on some kind of legal leash. 

He just didn’t know who to trust anymore; and that in itself was frightening. Shifting, he leaned his good shoulder against the wall and thunked his forehead against the cool brick. “God, everything’s a mess.”

[usedshield]

@cfbartcn !! 

“this one’s going to go better than last time.” steve would be more careful this time, less driven by stark anger. ( this was a new threat, a new worry, a new chance. ) he felt less like he was made of ragged edges. they weren’t in any less danger, but they had a plan. they had clear heads. “everyone else is busy. i don’t see any other option.” he let out a sigh. yes, it was up to them to find the red hood; no, it was none of them alone. “ --- are you ready?” 

[cahrter]

HER SIDEARM SITS ON THE ISLAND, deftly disassembled : an olive branch, or close enough.  Sharon taps her nails against the countertop, ever - so - slightly out of beat.

❝ --- --- Are you seriously like this all the time ? ❞

@legrandsaut / continued !

[cahrter]

>> ORIGIN //: UNKNOWN >> DATE //: 31 AUGUST 2019 >> COMM/ID //: UNKNOWN >> ENCRYPTION //: VATSYAYANA SYMM. KEY. >> GENERATED PROGRAM ID 'HELLO.' PROCEDURE DIVISION. DISPLAY ... >> movement in MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY. >> requested : AGENTS ON STANDBY. >> requested : DO NOT ENGAGE. >> movement in OLD GOTHAM, GOTHAM CITY. >> requested : SURVEILLANCE. >> requested : GENERATE PROGRAM ID 'LIST.' >> four names in file : further action required. >> download.

THE COMMUNICATION COMES THROUGH JUST AFTER THREE AM, that is, right during prime Chopped and night owl - knitting hours.

Sharon reads the message ; Sharon reads the message again.  WITH EVERYTHING THAT’S BEEN GOING ON, anonymous tipsters with access to S.H.I.E.L.D. encrypted devices shouldn’t even have her batting an eye, yet something needles her, niggling the back of her mind like a splinter that you only thought you’d successfully removed.  Dispatching agents would draw attention ––––––– is that what they wanted ?

With an inhale pulled in as if she was setting to rip off a bandaid, Sharon taps DOWNLOAD, teeth set into the meat of her bottom lip once the creeping anxiety such a vulnerability can easily produce sets in.  AFTER SO LONG IN THE MIDDLE --- --- after so long playing both sides --- --- maybe she’s just getting sloppy.  Or maybe this is the sort of thing that PROVES she isn’t.  Who knows.  ( Who knows ? )

The screen fades to static, then boots back to BLACK and pale - green code.  She waits for the promised names to appear.

[vnmblast]

‘  i don’t know why everyone believes that,  but that isn’t true.  ’

“  gossip is the devil’s telephone.  ”

it’s easy to crack wise from her perch on the wall. got no bills to pay up here,  or responsibilities towards truth and justice and yadda yadda remind her to hire a heroic speechwriter.  “  best to hang up,  but every now and again there’s a valuable nugget of information.  ”

gotham transitioning from summer into fall meant an array of new fashionable choices for its protectors,  and it seems this nightwing fella hardly stood against trend.  “  c’mon,  it’s not that far a leap in logic. gotham has an underground empire growing from outta nowhere,  it’s only safe to assume their ringleader knows that underbelly like someone who  ---  say  ---  worked around it for years might. i’m just asking if you’ve noticed anything unusual about our fellow masked friends.  ”

[legrandsaut]

THE MOB IN GOTHAM IS NOTHING NEW,     but there is something undeniably suspicious about its sudden surge. A madcap grab for power doesn’t just come out of nowhere ; turning smuggling operations already running day and night into a 24 / 7 assembly line of import and export takes manpower. It takes logistical organization. It takes funding.

❝     I’ve been told you’re a guy with connections.     ❞     Nightwing showing up in your window may be slightly less terrifying than Batman’s imposition, but he keeps to the shadows well enough to cast a sort of eerie omniscience nevertheless.     ❝     ------     Mob money. What do you know about it     ?     ❞

@isaiahrcss     /     UNITED EVENT 003.2 PLOTTED STARTER

[vnmblast]

“ you know i adore you. ”

“  nothing says j’adore quite like changing the subject,  ”

it’s an interesting game they’ve engaged in over these  (  ...  long  )  years. there were few jessica could entrust her life with,  and yet keeping each other at arms length seemed an unspoken necessity between the two women. if not for their own safety,  then for the other.  “  do you know how long i’ve been tracking luthor for ?  four years. and you just  ---  you swoop in like an elegant seagull after the last sandy fry.  ”  trivializing every modicum of hard work natasha has put into these  (  clearly  )  strategic moves. out of love. and a slight bite of theatrical jealousy.  

[usedshield]

@ailesdefaucon !! 

“i gotta be honest, pal ---” the scene they were involved with was far too near to the last one, the one where it all went wrong. all the same, steve was falling into pre-mission banter with a familiar ease. this would be different because they’d make it different; the team had suffered enough failures, enough hardships. he slipped on his gloves. it was time. “i’d rather be here than at that gala.”