After breakfast, Captain America and Luke Cage head to the garage dressed in street clothes.

They gather any of their visitors that are interested in going on patrol in front of a white van.  While Steve loads a round bag into the back, Luke tells the "There's a lot of danger in this city.  If we see anyone unregistered being harassed, or a crime in progress we step in, but we gotta be subtle.  The police are less your friend than you may be used to if you're caught using your powers.  You have any subtle moves, you use those first and if shit goes to hell, make sure you're not followed before you head back here."


"Don't forget."  Eddie calls out from the kitchen as they get ready.
This message was last updated by the player at 13:58, Fri 23 July 2021.

"Subtle moves," Wade said, nodding. No Funny business, then, unless his flaming counterpart was absolutely necessary. "And chocolate milk for the orthodontist's nightmare."

"Subtle," Danny grins, clapping his hand on Luke's shoulder playfully. "Sure thing, 'Power Man.'"

“Like, monkey wrench a radiator or short-circuit powered armor, instead throwing a garbage truck at ‘em,” Sally offered as she sauntered over beside Wade. “I can dig it.”

Luke cocks an eyebrow at Danny and says "You know that Spandex shit doesn't fly in my neighborhood."

Matt Murdock isn't in the room, but he isn't far.  He doesn't react.

"You ready to head out?"  He gets into the back of the van.  Steve takes the driver's seat.

"Shotgun!" calls Wade, getting into the van's passenger seat.

It might seem greedy, but it wouldn't pay to have the others know that the Terror of the Highways gets carsick riding in the back.

Danny follows Luke into the back, taking the middle seat. Only once he's buckled in does he realize he's left the remaining window seat to Polaris. He tries not to appear pleased, though anyone who knows him well could see through it. He liked the girl's vibe, but there was a mission to focus on, after all.

Sally sidled into the seat next to Danny. “You left the window seat for me!” She gave Danny a wet peck on his cheek. “Thanks, I’d like to see the City while we drive!”

OOC: If Tigro shows up, he can be in the van if he wants to.

Luke turns to Wade and says "I like you better than the other Wade.  Thanks for not saying something really weird."

The van drives off, and it's fairly quiet for a while, the radio playing interrupted by occasional chatter from two police scanners - one seems to be for normal police and the other for SHIELD.

Danny gets to hear himself calling into a morning radio talk show saying "This act doesn't even clearly define what a superpower is.  And not just martial arts.  There are plenty of people who are born with abilities and might not know they have them.  If someone gets a tooth knocked out and they have another one, SHIELD can decide to arrest them for not registering.  This law is unconstitutional and never should have been put into place, and it harms this country... some of our most gifted are heading to other countries to avoid being conscripted."  "Thank you Danny Rand, we'll be back with a counterpoint from James Rhodes after this commercial break."

A code comes through one of the scanners and Steve says "We've got something."

He drives for a few more minutes and pulls the van into an alley.  A block down the street, two SHIELD trucks are blocking off a cafe.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:53, Fri 23 July 2021.

"I usually leave the 'weird' stuff to the other guy." Was that weird? Did Luke know about Funnybone? No, Wade didn't think he did, come to mention it. Whoops. "Not that I can't run my mouth and get under people's skin, of course. I can do that. I can be mucho annoying. It's my shtick. But it's voluntary, unless I have my game face on. Then you can't shut me up.

"You'll see what I mean soon enough."

When the code came in, Wade fell silent. That was something that 'the other guy' couldn't do. He didn't speak again until they were pulling up down the street from the SHIELD trucks.

"Do we have any idea who they're after? Besides 'everybody' that is."

"Er, yeah, don't mention it," Danny mumbles, blushing slightly beneath his mask. Despite himself, the "strong, silent type" exterior he's been wearing since he got here seems to be melting away more and more. He's not sure how to feel about that.


"Does my voice really sound like that?" he winces, maybe imagining he had a cooler-sounding set of pipes than the soft, hoarse tone he naturally speaks in. Not everyone could have Luke's smooth, buttery baritone. C'est la vie.

Soon, the van has pulled into position around the corner from where the S.H.I.E.L.D. trucks are. Danny leans forward in his seat, looking from them over to Cap.

"So, what's our play here?"

Captain America replies, "We're going in blind. Our target is Jennifer Walters, a high-profile defense attorney and... also... the Hulk. She's registered, but she's been a thorn in Stark's side. Castle intercepted law enforcement chatter last night."

He frowns. "Apparently, there was a typographical error in her paperwork."

"Our goal is to get in, make contact with Walters, and get out without engaging with SHIELD and especially without allowing Walters to engage SHIELD. She's good people, but her transformations have been less and less restrained since her cousin, Bruce-- the original Hulk-- vanished."

In reply to Iron Fist (msg # 11):

"Yes Danny, you do sound like that."  Luke says.  "You don't need that mask.  Attracts attention and Danny Rand has an ironclad alibi, sitting in a broadcast booth in L.A. with War Machine."

Steve says "There's a special code to call for backup in a Hulk incident.  These guys requested it and were denied.  Now's our chance."

Luke gets out of the car.  A few civilians walking away from the scene are talking:
"Is that one of those freaks?"
"I thought she'd be taller."
"They can't kick us out, I had a reservation."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:33, Sun 25 July 2021.

Polaris stared toward the restaurant in question. “Let me get this straight. In this universe, the unstoppable Force of Nature otherwise known as ‘The Hulk’ is a woman?” Sally visibly pondered that significant change. “Chicks being the ‘Muscle’, too, still wasn’t a thing where I come from. A lot of us gals were ‘Point & Pose’ types, with a few Karate experts like Black Widow or Mystique. Far out.”

Steve says "There's two of them but that's close enough."




Down the street at a cafe, a woman in her thirties sits at a table holding a latte.  She's wearing an expensive blazer and a long purple skirt.

A human SHIELD agent is standing next to the table talking to her, with a large number of android units circling.

More SHIELD agents are standing across the street watching.  You can't hear what's being said yet.

All the other outdoor tables have cleared out.

]
This message was last edited by the player at 13:14, Mon 26 July 2021.

"And we're supposed to extract her without engaging SHIELD?" Wade asked, incredulously. "I think that ship sailed, hit an iceberg, and sank. I mean, they're right there. We'd need a major distraction to pull this off."

Sally nodded. Softly, she muttered, “Hey, dig this, guys. They came prepared for magnetics.” She frowned as she surveyed the cafe. “No direct whammies, I’m sorry to say.

But if you get ‘em on the street, I can Sock it to them.”

Danny nods in response to Luke, removing his mask and stowing it in a pocket as they approach the restaurant. "Any idea who owns this place?" he asks his partners, an idea forming in his mind. It was a long shot, but it might serve them all better than a heated confrontation with SHIELD agents, especially if their goal was to keep a Hulk in check. "I have a plan... no 'socking' required."

"This place is too fancy for me.  No idea who."  Luke says.  "Think you're onto something though.  Steve and I can't just walk over there, but Wade and Danny are registered.  Far as they know.  Sally might not be identified."