The Battle

[time_dancer]

The sudden change from clean air and Earth normal gravity to stale bog air and low gravity is bound to be disorientating so Val has made sure that they come through to a sheltered rock outcropping away from the combat. Everything is weird, rocks float in the night-like sky, sounds are muted, the light is a weird orange-ish hue and the horizon  spins slowing as the asteroid they are standing on rotates.

Quietly, Val says, "Everyone take a minute to get your bearings. I'll go take a peek at the situation."

As Val comes back from her peek at the army to give her sitrep the night turns to day in a bright flash of light some might read a nuclear blast, there are no sounds nor concussive waves though. Val's eyes widen and she looks to She-Hulk for confirmation.

If she's right, Johnny just did a nova burst and is going be in even more trouble now as that attack typically leaves him weak and nearly unconscious.

Comments

Right Flank

[time_dancer]

Val's hands crackle with arcane energy as she leaps into the air and starts blasting away to try and open a way to her uncle.

Re: Right Flank

[will_scarlett]

The kevlar armor feels heavy but Will can fire in it and once he takes a moment to adjust starts firing arrows into the crowd ahead of them.

He has to adjust as he fires but this is something he does very well and few things can stand up to anything fired from an English longbow for too long.

Re: Right Flank

[time_dancer]

Val for her part starts cast her "magic missiles" and while they don't have the range and punch the English longbow has they do have more explosive power.

Re: Right Flank

[will_scarlett]

As Val fires, Will tries one of the trick arrows and there's a nice explosion in the midst of Val's and Will grins.

Re: Right Flank

[time_dancer]

Val smiles over her shoulder at Will and raises her eyebrows in a clear, "See they're pretty nice aren't they". Her expression falls though as she catches sight of a BEM leaping towards them and she slams it away with a force field.

Re: Right Flank

[will_scarlett]

Will turns and pierces another BEM that's coming from another angle.

As he can fire far enough, he's trying to make sure they don't get too close.

Re: Right Flank

[time_dancer]

And he has been doing a great job of just that. Problem is with gravity so low sometimes you get surprises.

Val throws up another shield to catch a volley of energy blasts from the BEMs and kicks herself for not thinking to warn everyone that the enemy may be armed.

Re: Right Flank

[will_scarlett]

When the bolts come towards them, Will has a bad moment of realizing there's no cover out here before firing back.

Re: Right Flank

[time_dancer]

"Sorry, invisible force fields," Val calls out when she sees Will flinch. "I'll try to call out next time. Ellen, can you cover me? I've an idea for a good distraction but it's going to need a lot of concentration."

Left Flank

[time_dancer]

Val sends a battering ram shaped force field smashing through the first rants and beyond to open a path for her friends to start their charge.

Re: Left Flank

[gammagammahey.livejournal.com]

"Johnny," Jen breathes to Val. "Supernova. Let's move out, people! Watch everything around you! Val, slow down a little until we get our bearings."

She scans the horizon by turning in slow circle, a hand shading her eyes lest Johnny REALLY turns up the fireworks.

She's used to the Negative Zone - the nausea, the smell, the feel of the air as almost thick - but still reacts with a ball of tension in her stomach.

[itwasjustified]

Raylan's stomach roils again, and his knees nearly buckle.

He focuses on Jen, willing the rest of the world to stop pinwheeling.

"Real nice red carpet they've rolled out for us," he says, with an accompanying grimace.

[gammagammahey.livejournal.com]

Jen offers Raylan a steadying hand.

"You'll get used to it, handsome. You look like the sort that adapts quickly to changes. Do you need an airline upchuck bag? I can carry you a stretch until you find your sea legs, so to speak."

She offers him a dazzling smile. Focus on that, Raylan.

"You're going to be okay. I will it so."

[itwasjustified]

He breathes a weak, stilted chuckle.

Jen's hand helps bring him closer to baseline, as does her grin.

"Oh, I'm all right." He gives her fingers a brief, reassuring squeeze before pulling away. "Brings back memories of too much moonshine in the halcyon days of my youth."

[gammagammahey.livejournal.com]

Jen literally does have vomit bags in her Hulk backpack, along with a first aid kit, water for everyone, and other helpful things.

She regards Raylan appreciatively and speculatively.

"Thank you for coming," she finally says, softly. "In about a minute we're going to up to our ears in ugly things, and the person we're trying to rescue is family to me. So thank you. I don't even know your name. I'm Jennifer Walters, and I'll be wanting to hear those stories of your halcyon days of your youth. I spent mine pouring over books and being a good girl. I'm done with that now."

She grins, and offers her hand again for a tight shake.

[itwasjustified]

"Raylan Givens," he says, just as low, as he takes her hand once more.

He still feels like he's moving through muddy water, but he's beginning to gain some kind of equilibrium as his body adjusts to this atmosphere.

"And don't thank me just yet. When we get back, we'll split a jar to celebrate."

[gammagammahey.livejournal.com]

"It's a deal. In return, I'll introduce you to Kree ale. Alien beer is the best."

Jen moves closer to Val - she moves easily, shifting her body weight from leg to leg as she's learned to do.

"Shift your weight from leg to leg, pressing on the leg that's moving, Raylan- that's how it works best. For me, at least. Don't worry about falling - the gravity's so low it won't be more than bruised feelings."

The Retreat

[time_dancer]

After stepping through her final portal and reuniting the teams, Val looks around to make sure everyone is accounted for. She sees Wasp and Mel, Ben and Raylan and Ellen and Will of course, but she doesn't see Enzo right away. That is until she looks up and spots him in a pretty brutal fight in the air. "Enzo!" She calls out hoping her voice caries enough. "Time to regroup!"

It's then she catches sight of Aunt Jen and Uncle Johnny. She takes one look at Johnny in Jen's arms and her heart jumps to her throat.

"We're not too late are we?" She yells as she heads towards them. She batters a few bugs away as she runs and then spikes another with a force field as it's being persistent before stopping to set up a safe zone for the team, a ring for now until Enzo get out of the air. They won't be any good for Uncle Johnny if they're over run.

Re: The Retreat

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I don't think he can hear you," says Ellen. "Let me try- the suit was designed for this-"

It's not Ellen's voice so much as a growling, snarling American man's voice- it's built into the suit. But it's a loud American man's voice, designed for bellowing across a battlefield.

"Enzo! SHIFT YOUR ASS NOW, SOLDIER!"

Re: The Retreat

[a1enzo]

It's the tone. Enzo, who has been somewhere beyond the realm of conscious thought, jerks straight and only manages not to salute because his hands are full of bug. He slams the insect in question into another, looks around wildly, spots the source of the noise, and bolts toward the group in an aerial slalom.

Re: The Retreat

[unbreakableben]

While down below, Ben Grimm bellows, "Sir, Yes Sir!" before he realizes he's not on the flight deck of a helicarrier back in Basic. One particularly nasty bug takes advantage of Ben's distraction by raking a set of claws across his face and neck which likely would have decapitated him had he not been powered up.

"What the hell was that?" Ben bellows into the bugs face as he smashed mandibles and chitin. "Really, that the best you got! Raylan, time to retreat!"

Re: The Retreat

[itwasjustified]

Raylan's in the middle of reloading.

His fingers finish the job he could do in his sleep, muscle memory more than adequate.

With a sharp upward glance, his eyes narrow; he blasts away another bug with two well-aimed rounds, and nods.

"We're out," he shouts, hoping his voice carries over the chaotic den. "Fall back, people!"

Re: The Retreat

[will_scarlett]

The voice out of Ellen's suit is surprising but Will doesn't stop slashing bugs. His wounds from earlier are starting to hurt but he'll worry about them when they're out.

Re: The Retreat

[gammagammahey.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, Jen smiles because she's taken Johnny's pulse by putting two fingers against his neck. There's a pulse there - it's weak and thready and tentative, but it's there.

He's alive.

Tears of relief roll down Jen's face. She's grateful, so grateful for Johnny still being alive and the kind, brave people who came with Val to rescue him.

Then it's back to business because she's been so focused on Johnny she's lost track of what her compatriots have been facing. She gathers Johnny gently in her arms and stands when Valeria arrives. "He's alive!" she shouts. "Barely, but alive! He needs medical attention stat!"

Re: The Retreat

[a1enzo]

"I can help with that," Enzo pants, touching down close by so his force field encompasses Jen and Johnny.