I came in like a wreeeeecking ball!

[reconstitution]

Who: Winter & You (poor bastards)
Broadcast: n/a
Action: Iskaulit
When: early am

[ OOC Note: This thread is mainly for closed CR, though new people who want to thread with Winter are willing to participate. Just keep in mind that the end results are predetermined! Personal threads won't be dependent on one another, but if you have any questions about anything, send me a pm or catch me at skorozima on plurk. This is a mod-approved augment glitch, the effects of which will only last briefly.

**Content of thread may hold Civil War compliant material, reader and participator be warned!** ]

[ Beginning;; Meditation Room ] 
[ It's early morning, not that it's easy to tell with the endless expanse of starlight outside of every window. Winter finds himself wandering into the mediation room after his morning workout. There's been a general sense of unease that he's been carrying for the past few days, though nothing has appeared out of the ordinary. 

It's different than the hyper vigilance he normally suffers from, like a whisper no one else seems to hear. Grabbing one of the cushions, he sits at the far end of the room with his back to the wall. His legs are crossed, hands settling on his legs. A deep, focused breath inwards, held for just a moment before it is exhaled through his nose. This is only the third time he's come to this room on his own, and he really is trying to make it a part of his day. It's still difficult. 

Things are silent, save for the normal creaks and groans of the Iskaulit. His head isn't buzzing with activity, and he's almost calm. 

Longing. 

The word reverberates sharply in his mind, causing his eyes to snap open in search of the voice. There's no one else around, yet the sweet, crooning lilt sounded like it came from right next to him. His heart is pounding against his rib cage. 

Rusted.  

Winter jerks almost violently. No no no no. Not here. How? his hands slam up to his ears to block the voice out, and the noise in his head increases. 

The voice is just as melodious and clear, somehow more prominent, now. A few more words are spoken so sweetly, even as he writhes on the floor with an angry howl. There's no way for it to stop. 

Trying to concuss himself doesn't work. The voice sounds almost chiding for his poor attempt. 

Then the words stop. Everything stops. And then, 

Good morning, Soldier. ] 

«Ready to comply.»

[ His limbs feel heavy, but he listens intently for the voice to give him his new mission. The Soldier is ready. 

Let's get started, shall we?  

Anyone who happens upon Winter in this state will be aware of a few things that are off. His stare is vacant and unsettling; those who met him his first week on the fleet will recognize it. It's certainly not the expression of someone who means you no ill-will. Winter's posture is aggressive and strained like a tightly drawn bow ready to snap. Any sort of verbal greeting is met with silence. ] 



[ Middle;; Hallways ] 
[ Whoever crosses paths with Winter in the halls is bound to have heard the commotion coming from the Meditation Room. Perhaps one of the unlucky ones made a fleetwide broadcast calling for backup? 

Whatever you were doing, you're not going to be getting very far. He clenches his metal fist, the plates shifting to accommodate the movement. His eyes are locked, harmful intent in his expression. 

You're next. Be prepared to fight for your life. ] 



[ End;; Gym ] 
[ While he's done a great deal of damage, he's not looking so hot, himself. At this point, Winter has collected a great deal of injury, though he doesn't seem to notice or even care. There is a mission. It must be completed at all costs.. 

Even if the metal of his left arm is warped, almost decayed and rusted in appearance. It hangs lifelessly at his side, fingers stuck in a half curled position. He's sporting a gunshot wound in his thigh and his abdomen, still oozing stubbornly. There are a few broken ribs, but that doesn't seem to slow down his rampage much. 

At least this way, he'll be easier to subdue. Maybe all he needs is a little cognitive re-calibration. ]

Comments

Hallways

[pain_train]

[Damn straight she heard the commotion, and despite the fact that she has no business heading toward it, she does, Officer Snuggles at her heels.

She spots Winter immediately, and she knows that something is very, very wrong. She knows that posture. She snaps her fingers at Snuggles.]

Home.

[The fox skitters off obediently, so it's just her and Winter in that hall for the moment. She keeps her posture relaxed. Non-threatening. But she's ready.]

Hey, Winter. Are you okay?

[He is not fucking okay. She already knows that. He's on a different planet from okay. But his response is going to tell her what she needs to do next.]

Hallways

[reconstitution]

[ The Soldier regards her with the subtle tilt of his head. He watches her shoo the fox away with a command. The woman's posture is forced, on edge while trying to maintain the air of calm.

She isn't fearful, but she doesn't attack him. It's of no consequence, he'll make the first move. Orders are orders. His fingers itch to get around the solid hilt of a blade. Quick, maneuverable, lethal. Maximum damage with minimal force.

He takes one step forward, then another. The girl standing in front of him is nothing more than a target- a nonspecific face. Forgettable. His stance squares. ]

hallways;

[sylphystia]

[It doesn't take a Shepherd to sense the malevolence here. Dezel knows that letting this guy walk on by could endanger lives. He's alone and he's not sure if the augment gives away his presence-- he's never sure-- and he might lose this fight. But if he needs to, he can always escape.

What he should do is put out a warning. There's no time for a blind man to fuss with a communicator though. He breaks his opponent down as much as the wind tells him. Brown hair, metal arm. Human, mostly. Strong.

He's fought dragons, he can do this. He stands somewhat in the middle of the hall, wires ready, probably invisible. He's going to give communicating a shot anyway, so he hits a button on the comm to broadcast his voice.

Maybe this guy has enough resonance to hear him. Maybe he doesn't.]

Hey. Where do you think you're going?

hallways;

[reconstitution]

[ The halls have remained relatively uninhabited, so coming across someone so soon is his mission according to plan. Where is he going? That's not a question that is deemed worth answering. The only one The Soldier reports to are his masters, and they're not around.

Instead, his pace remains steady as he makes for whoever this target thinks he is. Once he's within striking distance, The Soldier raises his arm, swinging backward with an angry whir of metal arm. ]

Hallway

[save_the_souls]

[Allen had been on his way to Crowley's bar, to help check his books as he did every month, when he heard the sound of Winter's footsteps from behind him. The Iskaulit was a busy enough ship that the someone else's presence didn't immediately alert Allen. But the sound of metal plates shifting? Well that's enough to cause him to turn to look.]

Winter? Hey, how are...

[His voice trails off as he sees the look on Winter's face. Full of hostility and void of familiarity. His fist clenching into a fist.]

...Winter?

Hallway

[reconstitution]

[ He's made it far enough down the hallway to have changed tactics from slow and steady to take no prisoners. The Soldier stares down Allen, assessing him critically, before making his move.

His stride is purposeful and heavy. No need for him to walk on silent feet when he's been spotted. Subtlety isn't a necessity. The target looks surprised to see him, though not wholly unwelcome. His first mistake. The Soldier cocks his fist, the metal arm emitting a loud, mechanical whir as it rears back, striking out at him. ]

Gym

[scrubscrub]

[There's been a horrifying amount of violent noise in the area -- and Koala, well, she was terrified. She did the best thing she could think to do: crawl into a small supply cupboard in the gym and wait with her hands over her ears, praying for the fighting to stop. Her knees tucked up to her chin, heated by her own breath, she waits. Listens. There were gunshots, she heard gunshots. And worse. Is someone trying to destroy the ship?

Is this like the slave auction? Is someone breaking in to take her and the others, sell them? Her heart thumps miles a minute, but she swallows hard and cracks open the cupboard, peering out into the gym and trying to control her rapid breaths.

...!

It's --

Mr. Winter.

Mr. Winter, bloody, hurt! They must've...!

She swallows her fear, wiping the tears prickling the corner of her eyes. It's time to be brave; there's nothing she can't handle that she hasn't already, and if she can help Mr. Winter from whoever's doing this, she can conquer the fear shaking her whole body right now. She rushes out from the hiding spot quickly, her legs like jelly.]

M-Mr. Winter, Mr. Winter -

[Ah, her voice is cracking a little. She swallows and smiles her best.]

Are you -- you're hurt! Let me see; we can hide here. It's okay...! It'll be okay!

[She reaches to touch his arm, worried but determined.]

Gym

[reconstitution]

[ He makes it to the far end of the Iskaulit, slipping inside of the gym to assess his injuries. Most of them on their own are minimal inconveniences. The Weapon is destroyed, non-functioning weight hanging off of his shoulder. There are a few gunshot wounds- nonfatal. The severing of one of the tendons in his leg nothing more than inconvenience. He can fight through the ache.

Head pounding, blood pumping between his ears. Loss of blood. Cracked ribs, possibly broken. Several lacerations, also nonfatal.

He's lost focus. Something light brushes up against The Soldier's arm and the arm rears back, lashing out immediately. Careless. Fatal mistake. Retraining mandatory. His eyes lock on the small child and he reaches to pick her up by the front of her clothes. ]

hallw-- look just chuck him alright

[collegedropout]

[Sam just wanted a goddamn drink okay, just one quick drink, you monster you. But once things start getting noisy around here, he's quick to rush to the heart of the loudness. Because he's an idiot hunter with no concern for his own self-preservation. He's got a weapon, draws the gun to hold down at his side, and rushes around the corner to see...

... You?

His expression morphs from confusion to a 'don't you do it' sort of expression, hand out in front of him as if to try and tame a beast that he can clearly see. For a moment, he thinks Meg might have genuinely went possession-jumping. But that's not a Meg expression. That's a stone-cold warrior face, something that is about as stoppable as water through a sponge.

He's gonna try anyway.]

Winter, are you in there? I don't know what's going on, but try to snap out of it.

a'ight

[reconstitution]

[ It doesn't matter what you want, Sam. Why do so many people have guns in this fleet, anyway? It's like you're preparing for something like this to happen or something?

The Soldier works his way down the hall, plowing everyone in his path down like nothing more than an inconvenience at best. There are footsteps, then a figure rounding the corner quickly. His stance squares, thousand-yard stare in full effect. Detached.

Winter isn't here, Sam. There is only what Russia made him. The man's posture is placating, as if trying to approach a spooked animal. He would be offended if given the opportunity. Instead, The Soldier eyes the gun and stalks forward, metal hand outstretched to deflect any possible incoming bullets. ]

Hallway, after Zhas

[mortalcoil]

[he heard the commotion in the meditation room alright, along with pieces of everything that followed. he'd been deep in the bones of the Iskaulit at the time, but those hollow, metal passageways practically sing with sound if the noise is violent enough. and what he hears is more than enough to get him moving--snatching up his simple weapons and creeping through the vents toward the heart of the trouble.

once he finds it, he follows along for a while, as best as he can. he doesn't know what he's seeing, exactly, but adrenaline is running high as the violence unfolds on the floor beneath him. but those vents don't run everywhere, and his view is a little limited.

so, he loses sight of the soldier for a bit... and when he finally crawls into another passage that offers him a good look down, it's to see someone very familiar slamming back into a wall.

it's the dead weight that the skull-faced man hits the floor with, the way his limbs crumple and fold without life, that strikes all that morbid fascination right out of him. all at once, he's no longer seeing his strange, metal-armed friend reign fascinating hell down on the rest of the fleet. all he sees now is a creature that needs to be stopped.

he doesn't think about it. he's not thinking about anything, really. it's all screaming instinct and old habits now, as he slams a foot down to knock the grating out, hoping that the crash of it hitting the ground will pull the soldier's attention.]

Who the hell is Zhas?

[reconstitution]

[ The one with the painted face had gone down, though it wasn't without a fight. The Soldier doesn't lose; it was his only downfall. One well-placed throw into one of the inner walls had silenced his target quickly enough. More effort put into a target than most. He looks over the crumpled figure momentarily, though his attention is immediately drawn to the crashing grate behind him.

He looks to the grate, then around to see where it fell, gaze snapping upward. ]

Hallways

[axiomed]

[ He had finished setting up the room when he felt it. A surge of power, or purpose echoes through the Iskaulit. Frowning, he wheels himself out into the hallway letting his telepathy spread out to the rest of the ship. And stopped when he heard the cries of shock and horror.

Not good at all, he thought, warily moving closer towards it. ]

Hallways

[reconstitution]

[ The Soldier rounds the corner, having finished discarding his previous target. His movement is purposeful and harmful intent radiates off him like something visceral. It was always lingering just below the surface, and now it's the only thing occupying his mind.

His vacant gaze falls onto Charles. New target acquired. Sorry, Charles- the captain isn't here, anymore. ]

Hallways

[grandstanding]

[Erik had been in one of the unused rooms, scoping things out. Now that he's more aware of his surroundings and how they affect him, he's been attempting to work through it by facing it squarely. No better method than looking around small spaces, right? The door was still shut behind him as he checked the space out-- and that's when the noise starts somewhere nearby.

He goes still, listening. Whatever's happening, he doesn't need to get involved. Erik's barely through thinking that when he's interrupted by a flash of warning-- Charles. There's a threat that needs to be stopped. It's the only impression he gets before the link goes quiet.

When a brief silence falls, he walks to the door and throws it open, heading straight out into the hallway. While he was expecting some kind of threat (he knew there would be one, eventually, there always is--), he wasn't expecting to see Winter a few feet away, eyes boring holes into him in a manner he's not unfamiliar with. The sound of metal plates flexing draws his gaze for one crucial instant.]

Hallways

[reconstitution]

[ He's nearing his destination when doors opening narrows his focus. The targets keep turning up like sheep to slaughter. It's easy, just like that soft voice said.

It doesn't matter who it is, it's not as if there's any sort of recognition past the blood pumping in his ears. At this point, he's broken off a piece of metal, using it as a sort of club. The other man comes into his line of vision and the Soldier goes in swinging. ]

just outside the meditation room »

[mucked]

[ see, peggy has been looking for winter. actively searching for him, this morning. she checked the gym first, and after that she'd begun to systematically search nearby rooms on the iskaulit.

they cross paths at the doorway. something in her posture relaxes -- for a fraction of a moment -- until his body language begins to register. something is very, very wrong.

first max disappears, and something's buzzed up winter's bonnet. she frowns, but doesn't yet understand the extent of the problem. ] Winter, [ she addresses him coolly. ] Have you seen Max around here?

[reconstitution]

[ The mission parameters are still fresh in The Soldier's mind. This woman is standing in his way. No, the target. Her words make little sense in the moment. It won't take much to put her down.

It's been quite some time since Peggy's seen this particular expression on his face- if at all. He'd been in the fleet long enough by the time she came around to have calmed. His gaze isn't so much trained on her, but almost staring past her.

The Soldier raises his arm, rearing back to shove her bodily out of his way. ]

( gym )

[uprightness]

[ the news come, of course they do, he hears the echoes of it the moment he enters the Iskaulit, it only takes a short search to find the eye of the storm. Steve knows this scene all to well, he had lived through this at least twice before, had to reach and accept blows in order to call to the man beneath, the man he cares enough for that he will call him Winter when he knows him to be Bucky.

He knows the posture, the knows the look in his eyes, the emptiness that hides a volcano beneath. it's almost quiet here in the gym, in the place where there is steve and the man he has to call back from whatever place he seemed to have gone to. ]

Bucky.

[ steve's voice is leveled, a calm he doesn't feel, not when he knows what is going to happen, not that he sees him hurt and knows he may have to hurt him more before he remembers ]

That's enough.

(Gym)

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda arrives only a few seconds after Steve, having followed him over to the Iskaulit when they both caught wind of what was happening. Steve had managed to get to the scene before her, naturally, but Wanda soon arrives with her powers already flaring up. The scarlet red luminescence glimmering in her eyes and enshrouding her hands. She takes a ready stance, standing two or three feet behind Steve and to his right.]

[She allows Steve to do the talking, watching Winter carefully. She is ready to intervene as soon as necessary.]

Hallways bc I hate myself obvs

[shoujoreject]

[He'd been on the Iskaulit to check on the plants, and the commotion had caught his attention. Originally, the plan had been to avoid it, to head back and worry about what was going on when he was in a safer place. He's had some training with Sam, a little bit of practice with Finn, but a couple of months at most isn't enough to make him think he has a damn chance in hell with something like this.

Of course, that's not the way things work. He recognises the body - and the metal arm attached to it - when it appears before him. Even if he hasn't spoken to Winter in a while, he'll not forget the things that now stir in the back of his mind.]

... Winter?

[His voice seems small, even compared to normal. The look on Winter's face - a familiar look, something he saw in that flapping reel of tape and those long heartbeats of time in the Calibration room - makes his body tense up. Fight-or-flight rushes adrenaline to his muscles and he can feel them start to burn with the effort of standing still for just a second longer.

He's not stupid enough to fight. That leaves flight, but he has to see... the way out is behind Winter, which means he's going to have to find an opening.

And rushing the Winter Soldier is the last thing he wants to do.]

get reck't boy

[reconstitution]

[ The Asset watches as the fear makes itself known. He knows he is intimidating. Part of being effective as a tool to HYDRA is his ability to make grown men piss themselves at his presence. Be afraid of ghosts.

He can see the wheels turning. He blocks the only entrance to the room. The target is too small and feeble to rush him or hope to do any sort of damage. The Soldier's fist clenches. Their delicate bones will crush like glass in his hand.

He takes a step forward. ]

Hallways

[unbearablynaive]

[The Vision arrives late to the party, though early enough that it's not all over with just yet. Something had felt off and he'd simply been unable to place it. When he docks the shuttle and sees his ship's fox sitting obediently but whining and very clearly upset, he knows he's in the right place. He secures Officer Snuggles on the shuttle and stalks off quickly to find Wrath...or trouble.

Naturally, he finds trouble first, already injured somewhat from earlier encounters.]

Winter. [That's what Wrath calls him, so he chooses that among the other names he could use.] What's happened?

[reconstitution]

[ It's kind of you to think of his preferences, red floaty target, but unnecessary. Winter isn't home, and neither is Bucky. The Asset stares at him coldly, assessing his odd appearance and looking for a weak spot. The inability to find one is bothersome, so instead of verbally replying, the Soldier strikes out with the Weapon. It makes a loud, metallic whine as it powers up and decompresses as he strikes forward. ]

Meditation Room

[mistyday]

[Misty is in the Interfaith Center praying when she hears the howl coming from the meditation room. It's soul-wrenching and terrifying and so of course she has to go to it. Someone needs help. The howl is followed by silence as she heads for the room, only to find Winter staring, almost unseeing, at her.]

Winter, honey, you all right?

Meditation Room

[reconstitution]

[ The thousand-yard stare continues until Misty speaks, then focus seems to snap back into place. The Soldier stands up, analyzing the woman in front of him. Zero threat, easily broken with a strike in the right area.

Which is exactly what he does. The metal arm goes up with a high-pitched metallic as it revs up, before lashing out. ]

Hallway; YEAH I'M LATE, FIGHT ME

[theboogieman]

[of course he had to investigate the noise. Coil is up in the vents somewhere, ready to observe and (hopefully) step in if it's actually a problem--so Zhas has no qualms about stepping towards the commotion and the familiar guy who's causing it.

and it's metal-arm guy. that's a twist.

kinda.

he knows the look of someone about to try killing him, so this skull-faced guy is already braced for a fight without even stopping to wonder why this is happening...]

OKAY BRUH.

[reconstitution]

[ Well, the more targets, the merrier. It makes the Asset's mission that much easier. He wastes no time closing the distance between them, muscles coiled tightly and ready to strike.

As soon as he's within range, he raises the Weapon, aiming a solid punch to the target's center. Even if he's a little tough, it should knock the wind out of him long enough to launch another attack. ]