[Maria doesn't know how long she's been in this hellhole. A few days? A week, maybe? It was hard to tell how long she's spent unconscious.
The time went by in a blur between interrogation, unconsciousness, and waking hours she spent wondering how long it take them to decide what to do with her. It was likely they had orders not to kill her, she was too valuable. No, they had bigger plans, and she was in for a lot more pain before she ever saw the light of day again. That's what she told herself. Her only hope was that SHIELD also thought she was valuable enough to rescue.]
Re: 8 - RescuedgoodheartedMay 16 2012, 13:41:44 UTC
[It's been a pain in the ass trying to find her, too. Everyone knows you can set a watch by Maria's schedule and when she didn't come into work, or check in to say traffic was a bastard and things were running late, it was Fury who knew something was wrong.
It took three days to find her. They'd taken her north, out of the country into a remote section of the Canadian coast, and Maria could thank the combined genius of Stark and Banner, Inc for figuring out how to track the frequency of the bad guys' radio signals. On the fourth day, before dawn, SHIELD broke into the formerly-secret hideout of an organization loosely allied with HYDRA. While the big guns made rubble of the building, Steve and Natasha went Hill hunting.
He located her first, in a cell barely fit for animals, and used his shield to get the door busted open.] Commander Hill, your ride's here.
[Maria groaned and lifted her head, blinking at the light that was shiining through the open door. Silhouetted there was Captain America himself, her rescuer.]
Rogers... [It came out in a croak and she coughed from the effort it took. She struggled to get her hands free, but they were tied behind her back, her ankles strapped to the legs of the chair she was sitting in.] Steve, thank god.
[He tapped one of his ears, still trying to get used to the little pieces of tech that could do so much, alerting those in charge of the rescue party that he'd found SHIELD's second in command, and where they were in relation to what was left of the front door. He also added a demand for medical personnel before shifting the round shield to his back and crouching to the side of her chair.]
Save your strength, we'll have water and bandages down here soon enough, ma'am. Just stay still so I can get you loose without breaking anything.
[He worked at the ankle straps first, and once those were taken care of, he started on the rest.]
[She took deep breaths, nodding. Her head throbbed but she worked hard to keep focus on him. She needed to stay awake, sleep could come later.]
Steve... How long has it been? [Her wrists stung when she felt them come loose, the dried blood pulling painfully at her skin.] How long have I been down here?
Few days. [He worked quickly, but as carefully as he could, to get the restrains off without hurting her again, then held out an arm to help her stand up.]
This is probably going to be painful, but we need to get you out of here so the medics can take a look. I'll help as much as I can.
[She gave him a nod, steeling herself.] Just don't let go of me.
[She reached for his arm, holding on tightly and gritting her teeth against the pain as she pulled herself up. She gasped and fell toward him when she got to her feet, her legs giving out on her.] Jesus--
[It's a good thing Steve can handle holding a lot of weight in one hand. Not that Agent Hill weighs a ton, but he's got his shield strapped to the other arm, so there really isn't an abundance of free hands right now. He carefully adjusts his stance to prop her against him without hurting anything, then radios ahead with one of those ear pieces Fury gave him to let those up top know their coming.]
Just say with me, Commander. It won't be long now.
[She clenched her jaw and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, her other hand holding onto his arm.] I'm with you, Captain. Let's get the hell out of this place.
[She started to step forward, grateful for the support he offered her.]
Why they chose the library, of all places, to storm into, AJ will never know. Who they are doesn't matter, and neither does what they want - she immediately goes into serious mode, gathering up all the kids she'd been reading to, and herding them into the small sitting area.
She watches the men sent to keep an eye on her area warily, doing her best to keep the kids calm, and distracted, although it's pretty obvious that something bad was happening. She's got one small dark haired boy in her lap, brushing his hair back from his face, trying to reassure him that yes, he would see his mommy again.
Re: Ha! 8 - fitting.goodheartedMay 17 2012, 14:12:36 UTC
Because they clearly haven't read the Evil Overlord Handbook, easily found by anyone who can competently work a computer. Or there's potentially something important in said library. Either way, it's a choice that's going to cost them.
The attack is three pronged, consisting of exactly one Avenger and a handful of SWAT members, coming in from opposite sides of the building in a ploy to divide the attention of the hostage takers, and take them out. It's Steve who figures out where the under 18 crowd is, and his shield speeds through the air, aimed at taking out some of the guards without gunfire, followed by a verbal "Anyone who's not a bad guy -- duck!"
Or perhaps they'd thought that using the people inside the library as hostages would give them the leverage they'd wanted. They'll find out just how wrong they were, and then some. AJ's generally not a violent person, but she finds herself wishing quite a large amount of harm on them, whoever they were.
At the command, the kids are quick to comply, lying on the floor, heads down, not at all taking it as a sort of suggestion. She's with them, making sure they all stay down, but not able to stop watching. Maybe she wants to see some of the captors get exactly what they deserve.
Steve's not much of a violent person, either, it's just that anyone between him and the kids being used as hostages is in for a world of hurt. Once the shield has taken out whoever was dumb enough to stay upright during the not-so-surprise attack, it returns to the hand of the person who threw it. He's standing there, a smirk on his face beneath the cowl, and motions toward one of the uninjured men with his free hand in the universal 'come and get it' signal.
It doesn't take half a minute, and two weaves and a well planted fist in the guy's face to take him down, and the remaining two take that as a signal to rush the lone soldier in hopes of overwhelming and knocking him unconscious.
She can't help the gasp that leaves her lips as they fall, even though she tries to stifle the sound just so that it doesn't alert the kids to the fact that anything is happening. She doesn't need one or more of them to look up. They've been through enough, they don't need to watch this as well. AJ really hopes the guy left standing doesn't take the invitation, but, inevitably, he does, and he too gets knocked to the floor.
She utters a small, quiet 'Oh, no' when the last two decide to try their luck, although from what she's seen thus far, this will get them nowhere. All she can hope for is that this is over soon, and that everybody, save for the bad, and apparently, very stupid, guys, come out of it unhurt.
Steve isn't paying much attention to anything but the two hostage takers that are left, to be perfectly honest, and for the next few minutes he's occupied with taking care of them sans bloodshed, mostly because his audience consists of kids. But it is eventually over, thanks to a few head slams and a couple of shield hits, and he steps back through the archway to signal to the SWAT teams it's all clear.
From the sound of things, they've got backup in the form of street cops, so Steve turns his attention to the children. "I know that was probably pretty scary, but you were all very brave. If you'll stand up quietly and come this way, we have some nurses and doctors who are going to make sure everyone's okay."
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The time went by in a blur between interrogation, unconsciousness, and waking hours she spent wondering how long it take them to decide what to do with her. It was likely they had orders not to kill her, she was too valuable. No, they had bigger plans, and she was in for a lot more pain before she ever saw the light of day again. That's what she told herself. Her only hope was that SHIELD also thought she was valuable enough to rescue.]
Reply
It took three days to find her. They'd taken her north, out of the country into a remote section of the Canadian coast, and Maria could thank the combined genius of Stark and Banner, Inc for figuring out how to track the frequency of the bad guys' radio signals. On the fourth day, before dawn, SHIELD broke into the formerly-secret hideout of an organization loosely allied with HYDRA. While the big guns made rubble of the building, Steve and Natasha went Hill hunting.
He located her first, in a cell barely fit for animals, and used his shield to get the door busted open.] Commander Hill, your ride's here.
Reply
Rogers... [It came out in a croak and she coughed from the effort it took. She struggled to get her hands free, but they were tied behind her back, her ankles strapped to the legs of the chair she was sitting in.] Steve, thank god.
Reply
Save your strength, we'll have water and bandages down here soon enough, ma'am. Just stay still so I can get you loose without breaking anything.
[He worked at the ankle straps first, and once those were taken care of, he started on the rest.]
Reply
Steve... How long has it been? [Her wrists stung when she felt them come loose, the dried blood pulling painfully at her skin.] How long have I been down here?
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This is probably going to be painful, but we need to get you out of here so the medics can take a look. I'll help as much as I can.
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[She reached for his arm, holding on tightly and gritting her teeth against the pain as she pulled herself up. She gasped and fell toward him when she got to her feet, her legs giving out on her.] Jesus--
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Just say with me, Commander. It won't be long now.
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[She started to step forward, grateful for the support he offered her.]
Reply
She watches the men sent to keep an eye on her area warily, doing her best to keep the kids calm, and distracted, although it's pretty obvious that something bad was happening. She's got one small dark haired boy in her lap, brushing his hair back from his face, trying to reassure him that yes, he would see his mommy again.
She hopes. For all of them.
Reply
The attack is three pronged, consisting of exactly one Avenger and a handful of SWAT members, coming in from opposite sides of the building in a ploy to divide the attention of the hostage takers, and take them out. It's Steve who figures out where the under 18 crowd is, and his shield speeds through the air, aimed at taking out some of the guards without gunfire, followed by a verbal "Anyone who's not a bad guy -- duck!"
Reply
At the command, the kids are quick to comply, lying on the floor, heads down, not at all taking it as a sort of suggestion. She's with them, making sure they all stay down, but not able to stop watching. Maybe she wants to see some of the captors get exactly what they deserve.
Reply
It doesn't take half a minute, and two weaves and a well planted fist in the guy's face to take him down, and the remaining two take that as a signal to rush the lone soldier in hopes of overwhelming and knocking him unconscious.
Reply
She utters a small, quiet 'Oh, no' when the last two decide to try their luck, although from what she's seen thus far, this will get them nowhere. All she can hope for is that this is over soon, and that everybody, save for the bad, and apparently, very stupid, guys, come out of it unhurt.
Reply
From the sound of things, they've got backup in the form of street cops, so Steve turns his attention to the children. "I know that was probably pretty scary, but you were all very brave. If you'll stand up quietly and come this way, we have some nurses and doctors who are going to make sure everyone's okay."
Reply
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