((OOC Note: This post links to the following posts:

An Incident in the Market Place
Crusada Cremesin
Abbey Road

This post runs concurrent with or just after the events currently occuring in these threads, as well as the events surrounding Kain's escape. I hear it was a good time to be had by all, and I'm sorry I missed it.))

He'd had only a little time to get off the line with Leo.

He had all the files on the Avengers roster, past and present. He'd gone through them all personallay, in fact, and knew them just about by heart. As soon as Ed had handed it over to him and Leo, the two of them had made it their top priority, and between the two of them they had managed to assemble a lineup that very nearly covered every angle this realm could throw at them.

The trick of it was going to be making the whole become more than the sum of its parts, as the saying went.

He'd been pondering that thought only a few moments as he went through the lineup when Diana's voice interupted his thoughts. "Mr. Pontius. I have something that you should see."

Great. He looked up and growled at the AI. "This'd better be good, Diana."

The AI did not even blink at the grumbling tone, simply vanished and replaced her image with a scrolling readout, a series of data streams that made him sit up, forgetting everything he had just been thinking about.

Kain escaped.

Raven in the city, with forces clad in black, hunting another man.

Troops leaving, headed for Marfa, and whispers of battle brewing there.

"Diana. Is the headquarters ready to go yet?"

There was no pause before the soft, sultry feminine voice came back to him. "It is, sir. Everything is prepared as you and Mr. Heracleides specified."

The big man nodded as he got to his feet and stretched. "And the insignia have been delivered to everyone?"

"Yes, Mr. Pontius. They were delivered by private courier yesterday, and are all currently showing as being active."

The 'Insignia' themselves were just about the size of a standard identification card, made of what appeared to be a clear, rigid plastic or plastic-encased glass. In the middle was a holographic representation of the red, white and blue insignia originally designed by Wolvinator, through which the AI would alert them all individually by built-in communications technology designed by Batten himself.

He started for the door. "Then send out the alert. Get everyone that's available headed for the HQ, as soon as possible."

It didn't take him long to get there himself. The building was one of Batten Industrie's many holdings around Rhy'din, a large, triple-story affair at the main crossroads of the temple district. The building was designed to be modular and modifiable in accordance to what it was being used for...

...tonight it would see use as a base to bring the fight to the enemy, at last.

The first floor was a mostly empty space, with a few displays and lights showing the way to the double, spiraling staircases leading to the second floor.

That was where the fun started. The second floor held a long, oblong-shaped table with eight chairs on either side. Comfortable chairs, fully adjustable for size, weight, what have you. The table itself looked to be made out of transparent, thick crystal that had a faint cerulean glow to it, with separate displays at each seat to give detailed views of whatever information was being discussed or which needed to be looked at. Along the walls were various other displays, showing a variety of information - data feeds, video, schematics, other information. Another section, cordoned off from this main briefing room, held the arsenal, various equiment as needed...including Kyle's own armor.

And the third floor was for transportation. The foor, altered to be retractable, could be pulled back over a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a brand-new MV-22 Osprey, which could get most - if not all - of the Avengers where they needed to go in a hurry.

Kyle took a seat at the table on the second floor, waiting expectantly.

He was nervous...but he had been given more difficult tasks, with material far more raw than what he had to work with presently.

((Auther's Note: Edited to include descriptions of the insignia and the links at the beginning. Sorry for all the rewrites, hope you enjoy the finished product!))

Hammer on steel rang loudly in the ember glow of his shop as Sylus rounded off a support ring for a smuggler's barrel. He didn't take non-armament commisions often but this one had been simple enough that it didn't impede any other projects. Hanging it with the other two rings he caught a faint flash from the corner of his eye. The shifting display of red, blue, and white.

"So it begins..." he intoned gruffly and drew the leather thong from where it bound his hair. With practiced movements he cut off the supply of oxygen to the forge, having upgraded slightly to keep up with orders and switched away from a bellows system. Everything else remained hand produced.

In a blink the light of the wash room was on, accompanied by the sound of running water, before a flitting shadow left the empty room with a click of the light going off. Across the breezeway he stood before an unassuming wall and pushed, releasing the magnetic latch to swing the hidden door outward. Not much was kept in this reserve station, but it still held everything he might need for immediate deployment.
--------------

Minutes later he disengaged from the clutch of shadows to look upon the building indicated by device Wolvinator gave him over a year ago. Tucking it into the lining of his insulated leather armor, the Elder Kurgen made his way into the building. No sound came from his movements as he passed for just another flickering shadow in the area. Within he cast a cursory glance to the vacant area, but picked up the scent of few others as he moved for the staircase with only a muffled thud of his boots on the steps. He looked from the two at the long table to the other vacant chairs and made his way around to one that offered a view of the entrances and exits. He remembered the first meeting like this.

The insignia was tucked into a pocket on the inside of Ebon's sleeveless tunic, hanging over the back of his desk chair. He had just come from washing up after a workout session when Diana's voice sounded. "I'll be there shortly," he replied to the unseen AI as he headed for the closet to change into what his son referred to as his "hero clothes".

A few minutes later he stepped out into the yard of his family townhouse, not far from the Red Dragon Inn, and rose into the sky. Opting not to draw undue attention to his destination, Ebon settled back to ground by the fountain in back of the Rhy'din Public Library, made his way through, and quickly walked a few blocks to the Batten Industries building to which the directions led him.

Spying Rachael entering just as he came into sight of the building, he chuckled and followed her inside. Climbing the stairs, he noted the others who were already there, a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces. "Hello," he said to them with a nod as he strolled around the meeting room rather than take a chair just yet.

Between the swings and landings of her punches, Isuelt thought she heard one of her Sisters. With her breaths coming in the proper quickened rhythm of her workout, she paused and let the sand bag sway softly under the duress of her strikes. Her damp head turned toward the door, but she saw no one. Instead, the faint glow from the corner of the room, where she had left her towel snagged her attention. It only took her a moment to remember that the insignia she had received would behave in such a manner when it was activated. The woman's voice was no Scathachian.

Her long legs turned immediately as she stripped off her gloves and hurried to the corner. She flung the towel over her shoulder to soak up some of the sweat; her now naked fingers took up the insignia as Diana's voice recanted its message.

"Okay, time to play," her breath was let out in a long sigh as she knew she would have to clean off in record time.

----------------------------------------

Arriving just behind Ebon and another young man, the Scathachian's long form easily caught up and entered the second floor meeting room.

Upon hearing the young man's inquiry of sexy voices, the warrior's blades oscillated against her hips. Her signature tone of morose indifference rang true, "Please tell me this isn't going to me one of those sorts of gangs." Having more than a passing acquaintance with those already seated, Isuelt moved past the leaning Johnny and pulled out a chair along the left side of the table. A deft swipe at her blades and she lowered herself into the chair and looked around with a sigh. She had hustled without reservation to make it here in time, her espresso hued hair was even darker in its damp state. Luckily for her, most of the water from her brief shower had evaporated on the way here.

She cut an impressive form, and although it was mostly reserved, the sight of so many familiar faces did well to calm the ever suspicious nerves of the Scathachian.

Rhiannon had been assisting two of her elder sisters with some young students in a self defense class when the message came. It was their hope that the class would save some lives. Several children in Old Temple had been reported missing and, save one that they knew of, turned up dead. Part of the training was to remind the kids that there was safety in numbers and escape was often their best option. All three sisters remembered what it had been like growing up with weapons and defense training. Each had her own magical talents, so, too, did some of their students. Parents in Rhydin were not always prepared for the innate gifts of their offspring. The sisters took on the challenge of helping each child to be comfortable with who they were.

When she arrived at the three story building, she studied the place from the outside. "So this is it ... the next step," Rhi said quietly before going inside. Whether he had been expected or not, the aging Collie dog went with her. If Rhi had been Frodo, Riddle was Sam. She chose a seat near an inside wall and, leaving room for people to walk, the dog rested against that wall. The young woman had learned long ago that in Rhydin, doors didn't matter. Mages could use something as innocuous as a glass of water to gain entrance if they really wanted to.

She offered a simple, "Hello," to those she didn't recognize. Those she had known for some time were given a warm smile as well.

Johnny frowned and mumbled under his breath as he pushed off the doorway and into the room, "No sense of humor."

The gathering was growing as a few more had stepped past him or bypassed him altogether, both men and women alike. He looked over the faces gathered, only recognizing a few. He had, after all, only arrived a few days ago.

He really didn't know anyone there very well, nor did they know him, and he wasn't sure yet if he was going to get to know anyone. His brash personality and snappy remarks tended to keep most people at a distance, but maybe it was better that way.

Though brash he might be, he wasn't stupid by any means, and he heard Issy's retort, wondering what she meant by it. Those sorts of gangs? What sorts of gangs? He let it go, for now, his sense of humor obviously lost on her and on the others present, or so it seemed.

He noticed how Wanda seemed to tense at the remark, but he wasn't sure why. He also noticed how she seemed to be favoring the wounded hand, but again said nothing about it, at least for now.

He hadn't been overjoyed about what he'd been forced to do to the man in the cage, and he wasn't too sure what the situation was exactly that he'd been summoned from Earth to join this group, but he'd been told it was a force for good and that he was needed. It was enough to have piqued his interest, but he still had more questions than answers.

"Hi, Beautiful," he said as he greeted the Scarlet Witch, taking a seat beside her, with a wink. "How about some introductions?" It seemed a good place to start.

Stepping away from the wall where he'd been leaning, Ebon moved to the table and took a seat next to Isuelt. "Ebon Ilnaren, or the Black Knight if we're using codenames... psionic talent, telepathy and telekinesis primarily." He glanced around the room before settling those dark eyes on Kyle.

Introductions? That was easy enough. She sat up a little straighter. "Rhiannon Brock ... Elpis." She left the explanation of that name for another time. "Frankly, I'm surprised to have been asked to be here. There are lot of people that don't take me seriously because of my age." Rhi was all of eighteen, but had held her first wooden sword when most children were mastering the basics of their native tongue.

"I'm good with a blade and can hold my own in hand to hand. I'm magically inclined." She cleared her throat before going on. "I don't know everything I can do, yet." That might have been Rhi's way of evading things the others didn't really need to know right now. Like how she knew who wore that red and yellow tin suit. "It's the curse or blessing of being descended from people on both sides of my heritage that are innately gifted." She tipped her head a bit. "I'm empathic and, until recently, that talent had been limited to animals and people that I've grown close to." She glanced to Johnny as if to say no wise cracks, please. "One of those other gifts is speaking to animals. Literally, talking in their own languages."

She took a drink from a bottle water that she'd brought along. "My mother always says once a battle is over, someone has to bat clean up. It's her gentle way of saying that battlefields are bloody mess and in the end, the healers will be the ones tasked with the aftermath. I got my healing gift from Mother and learned to stitch up anyone that can't handle magic from my sister, Diana."

Johnny opened his mouth to speak, to offer some cheeky reply to Rhiannon, but when he saw the look on her face, he refrained. He knew that look; he'd seen it often enough from his sister. That "Don't say what you're thinking or I'm going to kill you" look.

"Will you be providing the refreshments for this proverbial clambake then, Monsieur Storm? I am partial to dark chocolate almond bark in my S'mores if so."

His attention was then drawn toward Rachael to whom he offered a smile. "Nah, I'm fresh out of marshmallows. Maybe we should ask the girl with the sexy voice for refreshments." No one had yet explained whose sexy voice had summoned him - them - there, as yet, and he was curious. Anyone with a voice like that had to have the looks to match.

And until Kyle took control of the meeting, Johnny would most likely continue with the repartee, because he just couldn't help it.

His dark eyes went from person to person as they passed introductions and pleasantries. He recognized them all, though Johnny was from another man's memories, and remained silent until the woman behind the curtain made her appearance. With calm confidence he took out his card, slightly different from the others, though the modified one that matched everyone elses was on his person, and placed it face up on the table.

The posture of the gruff, dark dressed man remained perfect in his chair as the Elder Kurgen looked to the man at the head of the table, then to the woman who arrived just before himself. Sylus passed his gaze between them and then addressed his words more towards Kyle.

"What manner of situation warranting our involvement has arisen?" His tone while pointed and serious might come off as terse but such is not his intent. He knew there were multiple troubles assaulting the city-state of Rhydin, but they could only address one at a time realisticly. They had a job to do, and the order was getting taller by the day.

The Scathachian Priestess was never one to advertise her skills. They seemed precede her in most cases. And as far as the group gathered here was concerned, she was fairly certain that her athleticism and old fashioned battle skills would garner no lofty impression from those that could wield magic, fly or temper the elements. Isuelt pondered at that moment why she had been invited to join such an extraordinary group. Her lashes lowered as her mind sought an answer, but before she could satisfy her curiosity, the conversations going on around her leached her attention.

Isuelt sat in the chair, her toned arms folded over her black leather corset. Those deep espresso eyes ticked back and forth as she took in the group and its dynamic, owing her attention to D.I.A.N.A. when she spoke and then to Kyle finally. Her sharp gaze rested on him, thoughtful to the last. She hadn't remembered when she'd seen Batten last, but she figured he was needed elsewhere. And while her experience with Kyle was limited; if Batten trusted him as his high ranking position proved, then Isuelt would respect him. Her chocolate locks dipped past her shoulders as she nodded slightly to him, and waited.

Rhiannon listened as the others talked including what seemed to be a holographic woman. "Zulu, so that's who this man running the show is," she thought. While the banter was fun to listen to, the relative silence from Issy, Julianna, and Sylus spoke volumes. She'd seen Issy and Julianna in action. Sylus, well, Sylus had been a family friend, especially to her sister, Rachael and her family, for many years.

Anything she had spoken of was already publicly known about her. Digging through old dueling records, including those for team competition, wasn't likely to reflect her skill. However, it might have reinforced that she was tenacious; Rhi rarely gave up on anything she really wanted without a fight. It was a family trait or as someone once said, "It's like a dog with a bone. You won't get it until the dog is done." That is, unless, you knew that dog very well or fit into its pack in some fashion.

Johnny looked over the hologram with a smile and whistled in appreciation of the view. It was too bad she wasn't real. "I think I'm in love," he muttered to no one in particular, having trouble pulling his eyes away from the sight.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Storm. The 'sexy voice', as you like to put it, is taken from the voice samplings of a sixty-four year old woman by the name of Beatrice Degotti, a resident of Baltimore, Maryland. I believe she works as an erotic voice operator for her primary means of employment."

Johnny chuckled. "That's one grandma I wouldn't mind having phone sex with," he remarked with a grin, seemingly oblivious that he might be grating on the nerves of his teammates, the females in particular.

Upon hearing Sylus and Julianna, Johnny glanced to the man Diana had called Zulu. The message he'd received had been from someone named Spartan. So far, no one had introduced themselves as that name or had even mentioned it, and so far, he had few if any explanations as to why he'd been summoned there, other than the fact that heroes were being gathered to defend the place against evil. But other than for what he'd seen a few nights before, Johnny didn't know what that evil entailed. He had been waiting for someone to take charge and explain, but other than for what Ebon had already told him, as such, no one had.

In light of that fact, he turned suddenly serious. "Pardon me for asking, but could someone please explain why I was summoned here?"

Deep in the space of Carix-X, one of the other Avengers, within the vessel the Nexus Traveler, sat inside the captains quarters of the virgin vessel. His ID coming to him shortly before launch, only its buzz reminded him, at the last minute, of the meeting that was about to occur back home, seemingly so far away from the system, and yet a mere wink and jump away for the newest ship of the Rhy'Din space force.

"Commander Loren, you have the comm," the Sangheili captain spoke to his Communications Officer before the door closed and locked. That is when he took a seat at the desk, looking into the holographic video feed that would hopefully go to the new Avengers HQ meeting room.

On a screen before one of the empty chairs, Buram's alien face would flash on the surface for all to see, as the quadruple mandibles flashed about to form the words in almost perfect English, or Common as some knew it.

"Many apologies for my tardiness, Zulu," spoke the head in the deep voice coming traditional to his people. "I just returned from a mining operation on Ariacius," the captain further explained as he looked through the vidscreen at all those present.

It was hard not to roll his eyes at his boss as he made his entrance, but he'd seen the Playboy do it several times before at board meetings. This wasn't much different to Ed, it seemed.

He put a hand out towards Diana as she looked about ready to get started, to stop the AI. "I'm sure most of you here know, or at least know of, Edward Batten. For those of you who don't he's the CEO of Batten Industries, whose company supplies funds for this." He gestured at the building and room around them. "His codename is Ranger, as I'm sure you're all aware of by now. The man that sent you your invitations and insignia, Spartan, is also known as Leo Heracleides. I'm sure you were all expecting him to be here instead of me, but he's on assignment at the moment."

And speaking of that. He turned to Diana, motioning to the holographic construct. "Diana, I need a full three-dimensional map of Rhy'din proper and the surrounding area for two hundred miles, please. Full topography and all data you relayed to me, as well as any new reports."

The Scathachian's posture, which to this point had been aloof and perhaps supercilious, changed as Batten entered and Kyle spoke. The slight creak of her leathers leaned into the air as she uncrossed her legs and her arms and gravitated toward the table's edge. Her fingers, which were now without their leather casings, interlaced and rested on the table. One thinly arched brow was aimed at framing her expression as those dark espresso eyes blinked and looked to the area where D.I.A.N.A. was conjuring forth the map of Rhydin. This was the meat of the matter, the reason why they were all here.

It occurred to Isuelt that Batten's informational net must have picked up on something. Someone who was brewing trouble for the city, someone who was biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike.

As the Scathachian looked around the table, there was an overwhelming sense of confidence that surged from within her. The people that were gathered, if they could all be united, would be quite a safety net for the city of Rhydin. Those she knew: Ebon, Kyle, Rhiannon, Batten, Rachael, Julianna, Sergei, Eless, and those she didn't know as well as she would have liked: Wanda, Sylus, Johnny, Buram. She was anxious to know, daring to hope that everyone would be able to interweave and work together.

If they could, things might be looking up Rhydin and those who called it home. A light smile touched her lips and transformed the veil of cynicism to one of assurance. The change of visage suited her, and that spark in her eyes was something that was in short supply lately. It was good to see it again.

The golden construct blinked, remaining in the middle of the table, as in the middle a fully-detailed, three-dimensional map of Rhy'din and the surrounding area began to appear and build itself. The process took only moments, as it assembled itself from the bottom up, until it was completed and the AI started talking again.

"Greetings. As Mr. Pontius has indicated, I am Diana, an artificial intelligence constructed and programmed by Mr. Batten. I am capable of multiple functions in a variety of capacities, and have an extensive archive of knowledge from both Rhy'din and places beyond, including the world we come from. Should any Avenger wish to access my databanks, you may do so with the insignia cards provided to you, which serve not only as a communication device but also as a miniature, portable interface into my systems."

The AI looked around the room for a moment, as if awaiting questions, before she went on. "The Avengers have been assembled from a wide variety of people, with an equally wide array of skills, to combat threats to the Rhy'din populace which cannot be handled by the standard authorities, as they exist here. As such, the Avengers are a government-sanctioned law enforcement authority, which at this time remains a secret from the public at large. These conditions may change once the current administration changes, but for now we operate with the authority of the Governor and the Rhy'din Government Advisory Council."

Once she stopped speaking, the map began to light up at certain points with smears of glowing, flickering light much like flames. Some of them were not very big, and they appeared in the city, scattered around it. A somewhat larger smear highlighted over the marketplace and much of its surroundings, whilst the largest smear of light showed up north of Rhy'din, well outside the city proper.

The softly smooth, sultry voice of the AI continued once the points stopped lighting up. "Throughout this city, in every available public space, are sensors which act as a combination of audio sensors and ultrasonic real-time mapping, programmed to detect by various means any indications of violence. For the most part these are small, isolated incidents which the Watch can - and usually does - handle: muggings, shootings, assaults. However, over the past year, there has been a steady rise of more serious activity. Much of this is the responsibility of Renna, also known as the Betrayer; however, she is currently incapacitated and being held beneath the Security division of Batten Industries. Until recently, an accomplice of hers named Kain Starsong, was also being held there; however, as some of you are aware, he has recently managed to free himself, taking his cell with him and causing extensive damage in the process."

There was a brightening of the area marked around Batten Industries for a moment as Diana spoke, and then it faded back to the normal dull smear of reddish orange. "The capture of this individual remains a priority; however, this is not the reason you all have been called here this day." The other places around the city, lit up as they were, began to pulse a bit brighter again. "It has come to our attention that the forces of Brian Ravenlock, who calls himself Raven, are in the city, hunting another man. Who this man is, is not clear: however, according to intelligence received through our audio network, it seems that this man bears a strong resemblance to Ravenlock, based on descriptions."

The marketplace brightened a bit more, standing out amongst the rest of the map. "The first sighting of this mysterious man was here, in the Marketplace. According to witnesses the man was already injured and being pursued by three men in black raiment similar to what has been seen on Raven and those in his thrall. What follows is rather confusing, as witnesses are unsure if the man was their target, or if they were simply a skirmish party, but whatever it was, everyone seems to agree that this 'John Doe', despite being injured, defended them against the attackers, with the aid of what some claim to be 'black tigers' or some other form of feline creature. He then fled, along with the felines, some claiming he was assisted by a pair of women."

The marketplace stayed brightly lit, and was now joined by the other smears of light situated around the map as they too grew in illumination. "Since then there have been increased reports of these men in black, hunting our unidentified John Doe. It is unknown at this point if they know who this man is, but their actions seem to indicate he is of some great threat to the efforts of Raven, and he seems to be expending a good number of his troops to the unidentified man's capture."

Now the smear of light north of Rhy'din brightened to join the rest. "This is Marfa's Abbey, north of Rhy'din. Some months back refugees from this place came to Rhy'din, seeking shelter and safety from Raven, whom they said had sacked their town and drove them out after killing many in the process. A good deal of Raven's forces are here, and according to satellite imagery they are currently being moved upon by troops carrying the mark of the Clandestine Order of Scathach, a splinter group of the Scathachian Sisterhood here in Rhy'din. Their size and movements indicates it is an assaulting force, intended to either decimate Raven's forces or force them to flee the Abbey, it is uncertain. Mr. Heracleides is currently taking part in an assignment with Race, a GAC member, to ascertain what the situation is."

The lights dimmed again slightly. "This division of Raven's forces gives us an advantage. Should Raven be forced from Marfa's Abbey and his forces scattered, he will almost surely attempt to flee to the city, and regroup with his forces here. If we can catch him between the forces that will be pursuing him and cut him off from his forces here, he can be stopped before he is able to meet them, and hopefully he can be captured."

The AI stopped and looked around at those around the table. "It is uncertain what kind of forces Raven may bring with him, should he be forced to flee the Abbey. Thus far he has been observed to use undead creatures of varying types, as well as normal soldiers, and Raven has demonstrated himself to be a very capable opponent with or without help, evading all attempts at capture or else fighting his way out through physical and magical force. He has also intimated at some kind of end game which we believe involves a descendant of Icer Shimmerscale that Raven calls Pestilence. What precisely that is, is unknown, but what has been seen indicates that she is creating an army of dragons which this Pestilence is breeding for him. If we can stop him outside the city, however, this plan may never come to fruition."

The alien from his quarters on board turned up the volume of his monitor as the AI started her report. Buram scanned the faces of his teammates idly as she gave it, sizing them up for their strengths and weaknesses, as would any warrior of his people. The Scathacian, of course, he knew only by reputation from the talks about them in Rhy'Din, though he never had the opportunity to meet one. A respectful incline of his head was directed her way.

When Diana was complete, he leaned back in his chair and spoke after Julianna said her piece, the mandibles flashing quick to form words in the absence of an actual tongue. "And what of this dragon? That flying monstrosity, with a name like Pestilence, is only destined to cause trouble."

She listened to what was going on around her before adding her own insights on Pestilence and even Brian. She didn't know if it would be news to anyone. She had been trying to get this information out...

Now seemed to be a good time as any.

"I have been able to get close and actually speak to the man calling himself Raven. Subject seems to be mentally unbalanced, traumatize and very dangerous when provoked. Perhaps even corrupted or possessed by another outside influence. In the three instances I was able to observe and indeed had to engage him, He was provoked twice."

She glanced around the table to all present, her brown eyes meeting each.

"Pestilence is a relative of Icer Shimmerscale... Indeed her grand-daughter and has been corrupted by this Raven. This has been confirmed by Icer. Raven has also been corrupting and using Hatchlings borne of Pestilence in his battles. We have faced them on at least one occasion."

The face of the Witch was grim, "Raven's ultimate end game is death. His own and anyone who gets in his way. This includes one Jenai and Governor Helston. These are his targets... his ultimate end game... He has no purpose, no goals other than these deaths."

She steeples her fingers in front of her face, "Icer was able to take a good sized chunk of flesh from Raven's shoulder. I have this sample stored and preserved as evidence. As gruesome as it sounds, perhaps we can use this sample for genetic or even necromantic tags on him. Also, names that have been coming up are Darkin and this abbey... Marfa."

She looked meaningfully at Issy, "If he cannot be contained, then my vote is elimination as well." She had blood on her hands already. If need be, she could do so again.

She then looked to Kyle, "Also, this Renna is not as contained as she seems. She is able to possess the bodies of her blood relatives as seen in the confrontation with Raven behind the Inn."

She looked around again, "I... don't know if this information provides any further pieces to this puzzle."

As Rhi spoke, Ebon nodded in agreement. "It could be a time shift, or parallel realities, and that's not even bringing magic into the matter. Nonetheless, as Isuelt has mentioned, Ravenlock is clever with tricks, and a highly skilled strategist; we cannot take any encounter with him at face value. At the same time," and he took a breath before proceeding with his suggestion, "if we can locate this hunted man, and if we can safely detain him... then we may be able to use him as bait to lure Raven to a location of our own choosing."

Letting the others digest that notion, for good or ill, he looked up at D.I.A.N.A. and grinned. "To go back to an earlier point, the madman Kain Starsong has, in fact, already been recaptured. He turned up at the Red Dragon, still in his cage but not powerless, and gave several of us quite a fight before we were able to disable him and seal him--cage and all--within a pocket-dimensional vault." A frown crossed his face. "I wrote up a report for the Governor's office, but as of yet there has been no response."

With his own question now answered, Sylus had fallen silent again to let Kyle and DIANA expand their explanations. His dark gaze cut from speaker to speaker before leaning forward on the table with a gentle creak of leather. Patiently he listened as Ebon, Wanda, Rhiannon, and Issy offered their sentiments. His mind was much on the same page as Julianna and Johnny.

"We have three physical objectives." He finally said. The Elder Kurgen's gruff voice was steady and firm. "Pestilence, John Doe, and Raven. This Mad Man is in a known location, just a matter of collecting him." Referring to Kain with the last.

A planned pause to let them gather their senses after his first comment before issuing his second. "We should look at the known holdings of Raven and see where the most likely source for a hatchery would be. I'd say the Abbey of Marfa is where Pestilence started breeding. It's gone undisturbed until now and is easily defendable. However the dragon has probably moved since then and there are more than one clutches scattered for retrieval."

Gently pushing to his feet, Sylus felt the inability to sit still that came with his thought process. Wolven eyes look up and down the table as he gathered his next statement. "We don't have to worry about finding Raven, he always makes himself known. I wouldn't doubt that he uses himself as a ploy so we're all focused on him and not what his peons are doing with our gazes drawn. As has been said, our Raven Doppleganger might be another ploy to cause further confusion, but with the unpredictable nature of Rhydin it would behoove us to discount the hand of duplicity. More often than not the plots of this realm are near verbatem to any cheap novel. Two hundred squared miles to find a dragon's den and an entire city to find one man. There aren't enough metal detectors for this needle hunt."

Sergei listened to each of them quietly; watched, not as much. There were a number of unfamiliar faces here, and he seemed to be the youngest among them, or very nearly anyway. He was honored to be invited to the Avengers, but was also aware his sole "power" was flight, and that came from a rocket engine! So he sat and listened until he heard what he felt was a reminder to him of why his services had been requested in the first place.

"Well, uh... hi, again, Sergei Rodovic for, uh, those of you who arrived late, alias: the Rocketeer," he added all in one breath with a very quick smile shot somewhere across the table. "I think I can help with Pestilence and the other dragons. I mean, they're hiding somewhere, right?" He nodded over to Rhiannon, briefly. "Somewhere underground, and while there's a lot of area to cover, I'm sure we can, you know, pick some prime locations, and mark any ways in and out on a map, 'cause... well, it stands to reason they come out to hunt, or learn to fly, or search for a mate sometime. I could... um..."

He shrugged. "Well, I could patrol for them. It'd be pretty easy for me to make a grid that'd cover any major points of interest, stay high enough to see an awful lot but low enough to make out any details... and I know lots of pilots around here, I know the local jargon, so I'd listen to the radio for talk of anything weird. At some point someone's gotta see something... right? I could do the patrols by myself, or with a few others who can fly pretty quick... and, uh, if it comes down to it..."

He rubbed the back of his neck for a moment, looking away, then managed a grin back at them. "Let's face it. My rocket goes pretty quick and can make a god-awful racket. If we need to, I can get their attention and keep it, lead them wherever we want them. Short version: live bait." Somehow this prospect seemed to frighten the Rocketeer a whole lot less than, horror of horrors, social interaction in a group setting with relative strangers.

He kept his place standing near the end of the table, watching and listening to those around it. He knew only three of those present personally: Issy, Ed, and Julianna. Of them all, he knew the Playboy best, had worked with him for the past seven years, both in business and on the Ranger Project, as they called it. Julianna he'd worked with on a couple of occasions, and he was well aware of her capabilities, as well as why she was chosen for this. Issy he had met only once, but it was enough - no-nonsense, tough-as-nails type.

The others he knew only by reputation, from the files he had on them, but all were equally impressive...at least, on paper. Kyle, however, was more the kind to judge by practical experience rather than by what he read, and what he saw seemed promising enough.

But was it enough against what was undoubtedly coming for them?

He had to hope it was.

Finally he raised a hand to the others for silence. "We can speculate on these things all day, but the fact of the matter is, there's no time. We know a great deal about Raven's plans already, but not enough to stop it, just enough to have a good idea of what's coming. While some more intelligence would be nice to have, it's hard to say if we're going to get any more than we have, which includes this."

He gestured to Diana again, and the lighted portions of the map faded to darkness, replaced by three others around the city. "These facilities were investigated a few months ago, when Ed discovered their connection to Ravenlock. One of them is already justly famous as the old Public Works building, which was destroyed in the events that took place a little over a year ago...however, the lower levels remained intact..." as he spoke, a glowing line connected one of the buildings to another, seeming to be under the projected map, "...including some sort of service passage that leads from it to the Solid Waste facility across town, which - according to records that took some serious digging to find - has a storage vault in it. The other location, here in the Temple district," the final patch glowed brighter as he spoke of it to join the other two, "is - or rather, was - a military depot. Indications were that he was storing things in these locations. They were investigated by Ed, Leo, and myself. All three were found to contain elements which we have seen Raven use before: undead creatures, warriors in armor of similar construction to his own, and the like. Under the Public Works building there was evidence that Pestilence, or some other large beast, was being kept prisoner, but by the time we got there she was already gone. They also contained explosives, a stockpile in each location, of some kind we're not familiar with, but which appears to be not only highly unstable but extremely powerful - enough at each location to destroy several city blocks, at least."

He took a breath, then continued. "All three places have been cleared of the troops and critters inhabiting or guarding them, so these locations aren't a worry as far as Raven drawing troops and supplies for them. However, all indications are that they're important to his overall plan, so we left them more or less intact, and planted sensors to alert us if he decides to pay them a visit."

The big man nodded to Sylus then. "These are just three places, and while each has - or rather, had - tremendous damage potential, it's not nearly enough to cause death and destruction on the scale that Raven seems to be hoping for...which leads us to the conclusion that there's more to uncover."

Johnny listened, turning serious once again. He almost felt as if he'd stumbled into the middle of all this. He didn't understand all of what was going on, and he wasn't very good at strategy, but tell him what needed to be done, and he'd do his damnedest to accomplish the task.

He glanced over at the kid named Sergei, who'd volunteered to fly overhead and scout for this dragon or whatever it was, and nodded his head in agreement, though he had a slightly different idea in mind.

"I'll go with you. I can detect heat signatures. If we know what we're looking for, maybe we can find her from the air."

Like Sylus seemed to, Rhiannon tended to think better on her feet, but if everyone in the room had done that, chaos would have ensued. For some reason, she flashed on Katt's face and heard her voice in the back of her mind. It put a new spin on what Rhi was listening to in the conference room. She had made the suggestion of catacombs earlier and wondered if, perhaps, Buram had been expanding upon it. Given what Sergei and Johnny had to say, she had questions.

"Johnny, how far underground are you able to see heat signatures? A dragon's would be huge, but the question on my mind is whether or not something undead would have one. Also, would you be able to identify identical patterns?" She held her first and middle fingers together and pointed them upward. "Two parts of the same person would be almost if not exactly identical," it was the voice of experience speaking. "Not quite DNA, but if you end up searching anyway ... two birds with one stone; Pestilence and Doe. That is, of course, contingent on D.I.A.N.A. having a record of anything like that on Raven."

She addressed her next question to Buram. "Wouldn't this probe you're talking about need to be adjusted? Zombies don't exactly count as living and might not show up on a life scan." She drew in a breath and let it go. "As for my chosen father's sister, Icer, it would behoove us to not ignore her or her claim lest we find as many of her kin as she can muster to work against us on this mission."

Rhiannon took a deep breath before looking between Ranger and Zulu. "Once plans are in place, I'd like to be going after the clutch of eggs or hatchlings, whatever they might be at this point. Not alone, mind you, but given my background, I believe I have the best chance of surviving in a dragon's nest." Something Buram had said had caused friction between the two halves of her heritage. She managed to keep the Irish half under wraps. "With all due respect to this gentleman," she didn't recall his name being mentioned, "I was under the impression that one of the duties of this organization was to be willing to place ourselves in harm's way to divert it from the general populous of Rhydin. The safe route is not always quickest or the best and it's already been pointed out that time is wasting."

Ebon raised an eyebrow at Rachael's comment about the group's secrecy. "It is true that the Avengers' existence as a coordinating organization is not public knowledge, but most--if not all--of us have acted openly as heroes in the defense of this city on more than one occasion. It would not be unreasonable for those of us with the means, seemingly acting as individuals, to search for traces of our opponents."

"We should use all available resources to locate both Pestilence and the hunted man, whether technological, mystical, innate abilities, or plain old-fashioned informants. I have contacts within the city's underground, so I can pay them a visit to see what news they've scrounged." He leaned back in his chair, his expression contemplative. "A man on the run, like our John Doe, may hide from search up above but leave traces that those down below can spot."

Then, with an expectant look on his face, Ebon turned towards Ed and Kyle. "It's your show, gentlemen... but the clock is ticking. It feels like weeks since we started this meeting."

Johnny was getting antsy and irritable again, tired of the debates and the arguments, all of which were valid in their own right, but accomplished nothing.

He'd never been part of such a team before, where everyone seemed to think they knew the best course of action. What was needed was for someone to take charge and figure out how each of their individual talents could be put to the best use. He knew what he was capable of, but not how those particular abilities compared to those around him.

He was about to answer Rhiannon's question when others jumped in. It seemed there was little point in him trying to detect a heat signature if Buram's ship was capable of doing the same thing. He was starting to wonder why he'd been summoned here in the first place. Was he really needed or not? His first night on Rhydin he'd been involved in a battle, and that group had worked well with each other, but here, discussing strategy, there seemed to be nothing but debate. In his opinion, there was too much talk and not enough action.

Johnny rose to his feet with a sigh. "When you all decide what you want me to do, let me know. In the meantime, I'll be having a beer and trying to get laid."

She was at this point leaning back and letting everyone else talk. The fingers were steepled in front of her face. She glanced between each of the personalities gathered.

She's been in the chair at the head of the table. She did not want the headache that was surely developing now. She watched who was staying calm and absorbing things.

Rockteer, Johnny and the Armors were not the only beings capable of flight but she was not in the mood to add her voice to the cacophony.

She could afford to wait and be patient.

He put both hands up for silence before he started speaking again. "These are all excellent suggestions and ideas, people. And believe me when I say that most of this has been taken into consideration...particularly the part about the Shimmerscales." He dips his head in Rhiannon's direction, as she had been the first to bring up a point that he had gone over in his own mind many times. "To sum it up, our objectives are simple: locate and stop Raven and Pestilence, and try to find our Raven look-alike."

Reaching down, he tapped the interface at his seat, hardly looking at it. After years of working with the AI and her systems, he knew them almost by heart. The glowing points on the map disappeared, leaving the holographic projection of the town and surrounding area displayed over the table. "Both goals are of equal importance - Raven and Pestilence together have caused far too much damage already, and John Doe could be working with or against them; in either case, he needs to be found and either stopped or debriefed, depending on his intentions."

Another tap sent a network of crisscrossing lines, like some spiderweb gone to insane detail, across the town. "We have Ed's audio/video scanning network, which covers every public area in Rhy'din, except WestEnd, where our equipment malfunctions or doesn't work altogether; however, we do have assets in the area which can be just as effective." He looked over to the seat that Buram's holographic image was occupying. "If you'd be willing, we can set up a link between your sensor feeds and ours, which will be monitored by Diana," he motioned to the holographic construct still standing on the table nearby, "and that will give us a hand in getting an area-wide picture of this theater of operations, letting us watch for the big things, and with our insignia cards we'll be instantly reachable should she pick up a development."

He looked arpund the table at everyone assembled again. "That covers the general, wide-area surveillance, from the technological aspect of things. As our young friend the Rocketeer has stated, though, nothing is quite the same as good old organic surveillance - the eyes and ears can pick up things that even our AI here may end up missing. And, with the diverse group we have here, we can cover the town from the land and the air equally well."4

Another tap and the map vanished. "Patrols will be assigned, from ground and air. Nails, JaX, Black Knight and the Enforcer, the ground side is going to be your area. All of you, I am sure, are highly familiar with the town and surrounding area," he said, then turned to look between Rachael and Issy, "and I know you two have assets you can bring along to help out. Feel free to use them, although I do ask that you keep this as covert as possible - the longer we stay a secret, the better our chances."

He turned to look between Johnny, Sylus, and Sergei. "Myself, the Virus, the Torch, and the Rocketeer will be taking the airborne side of patrol ops. We don't have as many assets to help us with this as the ground crew does, but we can cover ground more quickly, which will help a lot."

He turned to eye Rhiannon, Elessaria, and Ed next. "Elpis, Ranger, Nightingale: you three are going to meet with the Shimmerscales. We need them to know the situation and get their cooperation if at all possible - no one will be able to find a dragon like another dragon, and as Elpis pointed out, we'd be foolish not to at least have them in the loop." A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "And before you voice your objection, Ed, don't. As long as that black dragon sister of Icer's isn't there, you should be all right."

He held the man's gaze just long enough to be sure he didn't have anything to say, and continued once he heard the Playboy's chuckle and affirming nod. "All right, now that's out of the way, there are other things to consider as well - like what we do once we find Raven and Pestilence. The primary objective is to keep them out of the city. With Pestilence, that should be relatively easy, especially if the Torch and the Rocketeer there can play bait-and-chase with her. The perfect place to lure her to would be the Glen, south of the city. If you can get her there, we can have a trap laying in wait for her. Virus, I want you and Scarlet Witch to be part of this as well - if we're going to take her whole and relatively unharmed, I think you'll have the best chance."

He took a breath, then went on. "Buram, once you have your sensors set up and the feed is established, we'll need you groundside for another assignment, working with JaX, the Enforcer, Nails, and Black Knight. Since you four are already on the ground patrols, I'd like you also to be looking for two things, along with Buram." He held up a finger. "The first is more of Raven's safehouses. I'm thinking they may not be obvious, but there are a couple clues to look for. Keep an eye out for anyone in one of Raven's black robes that all his people seem to wear; you may find other indicators, like maybe undead critters running around with them or alone. The three places we uncovered were all derelict, disused buildings; chances are most, if not all, of any other places Raven has will be the same."

He held up the second finger to join the first. "Your second objective is going to be locating our John Doe. I know it'll be like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack, but with a couple people patrolling around the town, you're going to run into him at some point. If you do happen to encounter him and you're alone, call for backup and keep your eyes on him until someone comes to help. I know you're all capable on your own, but if this unknown is anything like Raven, he's not someone to tackle all by your lonesome."

He looked around the table at everyone again. "Then there's the hard part: Raven himself. We should have two primary objectives when it comes to him, once he's located. The first is obvious: keeping him out of the city and away from any targets he might be going for. The second one is going to be separating him from any of his forces he might have with him. If he's got Pestilence and her horde of hatchlings with him when he comes and tries to attack the town directly, it could make our job many times harder."

He taps at the interface under his hands, and the map comes up again across the table. "It's hard to say exactly what his plan is going to be. He could come alone or with a small, hard-to-detect force and attempt to infiltrate the town by stealth, which means we need knowledge of as many entrances into the town as we can get, as well as where he's most likely to be heading. He may come with a massive force and stage an attack, just to keep the town's defenders busy while he sneaks past. Those are the two most likely scenarios, but either way, before he gets here, we need to find out where he's going to be heading. Once we know that for certain, we can be laying in wait for him to get there. If we can't get that intel, then we'll just have to give chase and halt him before he gets to whatever destination he's trying to reach."

"Torch, Rocketeer, Virus and Scarlet, you're going to be assigned the task of baiting and trapping Pestilence. Get her to the Glen and ground her if you can, then call in Ranger - we've got a little surprise that should be able to effectively neutralize her while keeping her alive."

He looked around once more at all those present. "That leaves the rest of us standing between Raven and the town. We want to keep him outside of it, as we've said, and try as best we can to herd him to an open, remote location where he can be contained and he won't be able to use civilian casualties and destruction of city property against us. He will most likely be coming from the north, and if possible we should try to keep hgim there, drive him back towards the Abbey and catch him between two forces."

A few taps to the multi-touch surface in front of him brought more lights across the surface of the map. A blue glow, just north of the border of the town and extending across it, indicated the Avengers. "This is going to be us, watching for Raven, along the north border." Another glow, this time green, appeared much further north, a large smear near the location of the Abbey. "The Clandestine Order of Scathach, up here, will most likely be driving him south, if they are successful in routing him from his current position." Yet another smear of light, this one red, appeared between the green and the blue. "What we need to do is catch Raven between our forces..." and as he spoke, the green and blue began to move to surround the red glow on both sides, "...and tighten the noose. Spartan and I will be covering the air. Buram, we may need your ship in on this too, if you can manage it, to give us a ceiling and to keep an eye out for any swarms of hatchlings or other big airborne messes."

"He's not going to make this easy, people. We know that much. We don't know what kind of numbers or what kind of warriors he has at his disposal, and it is very likely we will be outnumbered by the enemy." The grin that split his features showed a large number of even, very white teeth as he spoke. "But you were all picked because you are not ordinary soldiers, and most of you, I know, are used to being in the disadvantaged position. It's not going to be a smooth ride by any means, folks...but I'm putting money down that we're coming out of this the victors."

One more time he looked around the table, meeting every eye he saw there. "So? What do we say? Are you in?"

"Torch, Rocketeer, Virus and Scarlet, you're going to be assigned the task of baiting and trapping Pestilence. Get her to the Glen and ground her if you can, then call in Ranger - we've got a little surprise that should be able to effectively neutralize her while keeping her alive."

A slow smile spread across her lips. She was certain she could muster the power to help clip Pestilence's wings. The math was something she would work out ahead of time. They needed every edge they could come up with and then some.

"So? What do we say? Are you in?"

Those brown eyes met Kyle's dead on. "Absolutely." The flighty woman she had been had slowly faded into the confident one before them. She had been on the front lines of a few battlefields in the past.

A thick tendril of deep espresso hair tumbled past her left shoulder as she nodded slowly. Her voice was quiet, though the resolve in her eye left no mistake. She was to be a keeper on the ground, a net of sorts. She would be mindful of bringing in the rest of the Scathachians, keeping information on a need to know basis.

So this was what it felt like? Betrayal.

"Yeah," this was for all of the marbles. She could feel it in her bones. Come hell or high water, lich or dragon, her ties with Brian Ravenlock would be settled one way or another. Unknowing was giving out to somber desistance, and it ached within her. The Scathachian had hoped and dared to pray that this day would not come. But here it was. The day when war was declared on Ravenlock; between these Avengers and Jenai's Clandestine Order, it was coming to a head.

So this is what it felt like? Making war on loved ones.

Her toned form softly sat back in her chair as her vision blurred on the matrix of colored lights in the map before her. Pestilence, Ravenlock, the John Doe, and many others whose fates would be decided in the coming dawns. There was a prick within her breast as she felt her friendship with Brian come to a close. It was the way of things, she would need to put aside her feelings for him if she was to do her job. And this Scathachian always did her job.

Johnny sat back down, somewhat mollified by Ebon's speech, jaw clenched as he quietly listened to Zulu's directions, everyone around him, it seemed, agreeing to the plan and their part in it.

"Torch, Rocketeer, Virus and Scarlet, you're going to be assigned the task of baiting and trapping Pestilence. Get her to the Glen and ground her if you can, then call in Ranger - we've got a little surprise that should be able to effectively neutralize her while keeping her alive."

"Great. Playing Chicken with a dragon. That should be fun," Johnny thought to himself. He glanced at the others surrounding him, each face looking about as grim and determined as his own. There were times when being who he was seemed more a curse than a gift, and he sometimes wondered why he'd come here at all when he had his own world to worry about. Still, he'd come here to help, and he wasn't leaving until he'd finished what he'd started.

"I'm in," he replied finally, with a small smile. "Wouldn't wanna miss out on all the fun now, would I?"

JaX had been quiet. She had not been directly affected by Raven, she had no loved ones that had fallen to any of his evil plots or expolsive displays of hate that had been happening around the city. She had been a part of one or two of those skirmishes and had only further proved that she had been worth the creation, despite that her creator used every chance he had gotten to tell her she was nothing but a mere xerox of someone else.

As her ice greens flickered from face to face as each had spoken, her expression softened a bit. The vibe in this room had fluctuated here and there as the personalities gathered pushed back and forth, trying to feel each other out. It was amusing to her to watch such an extraordinary group of individuals do a slight flexing of skills or abilities here and there, many eager to vocalize or display why they were here for the first half of this meeting and then to watch with satisfaction as the suggestions began to compliment each other. This was going to be quite the group.

She wasn't much for allowing too many into her world. Ed was the only one in the room that knew what she was and he had only been told because she had needed his help. She trusted few, all but one of those few were gathered here, and was used to being alone, preferred it actually, unless she chose to intereact. This was going to be a challenge for her but the more she listened and watched, she had no doubt the cream of the crop had been chosen to be in this room. Not just chosen for their skills or capabilities, but for their motivations to do the right thing. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a challenge for her after all, time would tell.

When Kyle had taken the lead once more, she had focused her full attention on him. A slight nod of her head here and there as each assignment had been doled out efficiently. Following the close of that well laid out list of assignments, several of her compatriots had given their acceptance and consent to do their part. Who was she to not respond in kind?

That signature smirk curled her lips as her gaze fell on Kyle first, "Oh, I'm in." Then those eyes flicked to each of the other three assigned on ground patrol as well, "Good thing I have comfortable footwear. I'd say between the four of us, and the connections the two of you have.." indicating Nails and the Enforcer, "..we will be able to cover every possible corner Raven might be stashing goods or taking cover. West End seems to be a good place to start seeing as Ed's 'eyes' of sorts can't even get in, that's the first place I'd consider if I were wanting to hide anything. That's where I'd like to start." She picked up her insignia card that was on the table in front of her and slipped it back into her boot. Having that link to the rest of the Avengers was going to be a necessity once they were all out, around and above the city. "I don't know about all of you but I'm eager to take a stroll and play find and go seek." She stood, stretching a bit before placing her hands on her hips and looking around. There hadn't been an official adjourning of the meeting and she wasn't entirely sure she was going to wait for one just yet, but she stood there for a bit anyway, her eyes landing finally on Kyle. He knew enough about her to know that she would be patient, but not for long before she would take her leave. Time as a luxury they couldn't afford had been mention several times and she was eager to fulfill her part and get to work.

The Captain of the Nexus Traveler was silent as he listened to Zulu's plan, and he nods several times. "Well thought out. Good use of all resources available. When we return, I will be sure to set the Marine's on patrol in safe zones of the city, and we'll keep the Traveler up here to keep planetary scans activated in the safety of space. And I will be more than willing to provide an overhead curtain once Raven reveals himself. We'll see just how powerful he is when pulse lasers come searing through him and his mutant brood of dracolichs. My sword is yours."

"I've been down in the undercity many times, so I know from experience that you're speaking truth," Ebon replied to Sylus with a wry grin. "I wasn't concerned with the deepest warrens, though. As you say, the residents there don't like surface folk, and they would look as unkindly upon Raven as they would upon me. There are avenues closer to the surface yet still unseen, however, that are worth a look."

She couldn't stop that signature smirk from curling those lips as Johnny made his exit. Those ice greens held traces of mirth as she glanced quickly around the table before clasping her hands together, "Well, you all know where I'll be. I'm a card call away if you need me." A clipped nod even as that smirk remained. She turned on her combat booted heel and out she headed.

The meeting wasn't dismissed. At least, not officially. Johnny was just getting antsy and had decided he'd heard enough talk for one day. He had his orders, he knew what he had to do, and he wasn't one for sitting around too long while others discussed strategy. If he caught hell for being too impulsive, it wouldn't be the first time, or probably the last. What were they going to do, after all? Fire him?

He'd sat back and listened as the others talked, keeping his silence. Despite the varying personalities and methods each of these Avengers had, he had no doubt that when it came down to crunch time, they would deliver. And it would be with a vengeance.

Pun definitely intended.

He flashed a familiar grin as he spoke up for himself. "Y'know Ah'm in dis t'ing, Zulu."

He watched as Johnny and Julianna both left, heading out to carry out their assignments. No objection from him - he knew Julianna well enough to know she preferred action over talk, and would keep a cool head. And then there was the Torch, with his brash attitude and lack of patience with discussing things - another who was eager to get the show on the road.

He decided he liked the kid just as he was, and if Pont had something to say about it, he'd be sure to correct the man. Somehow, though, he didn't see it being a problem.

He did see one hole in the big man's plan, but fortunately he didn't have to point it out - Ebon got there first, and both he and Rhiannon had some useful suggestions.

"De underwater side o't'ings, we c'n set somet'in' up for...dere's plenty o'tech where me an' Zulu dere are from 'specially made fer monitorin' aquatic environments, an' it'll be easy 'nuff t'modify some sensin' 'quipment t'watch fer anyt'in' bigger'n a minnow tryin' t'make an underwater approach. Ain't gonna be usin' buoys, t'ough...we'll drop 'em so dey sit along the harbor's floor. Buoy's'd jus' give Raven a target to take out. As fer translatin' de languages of de critters an' any undersea folk out dere," he looked toward Rhiannon at that, "Ah'm 'fraid Ah don' speak dolphin, or mermaid. If you do, petit, Ah'd appreciate ya doin' what ya can to pass dat knowledge 'long to Diana, an' she can keep her ears out fer it."

He turned to Buram next. "Ah'm sendin' ya de access codes fer de audio sensor network now." His fingers moved and tapped on the interface at his seat as he did just that. "Whenever yer ready, pass along de same fer yer sensors to Diana. Never hurts t'have two heads workin' on de same line o'problem, after all. Ot'er dan dat, go 'head an' get to it, hoss."

And on that note, he pushed up from his seat. "Now, if y'all will excuse me, Ah gotta go have a talk wit' Mrs. Shimmerscale." Without another word, he turned and headed out himself.

The Sangheili nodded as Eddie inputted his access codes to the audio network. "I will get my people on that stat, and get the codes uploaded to our data banks up here. We should be back in a matter of days, and I'll launch the scans of Rhy'Din from orbit once we do."

After clarifying his duty, the Captain nodded to his teammates in turn, and the image on his screen flickered to nothing.