look out to the future

[assembles]

Who: The Avengers, Wonderland-style (Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson, Wanda Maximoff, Bucky Barnes, Billy Kaplan, Rocket)
Where: The training area
When: 08/16 and the following days
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Let's get down to business...! Mingle training log for the Avengers!
The Story:
A few days have passed since the event ended, enough time for everyone to recover from being thrown into the zombie apocalypse. Steve's heard a few whispers about people getting infected and having to be put down, though he's relieved to know that as far as he's aware, no one he's close to went through something that scarring.

He's also relieved to be back to what he considers "normal," and it's that which has him down in the training area on Sunday afternoon. He finds it empty, which is a pretty rare thing, although he soon realizes he could change that, presumably with nothing more than a text message. He's put this off for too long already and he can't say for sure that his new team has been proactive enough to seek each other out on their own time, so what better moment than the present?

Each of the five other members of the team will receive a text message: Avengers Assemble. 1500 hours at the training center.

Steve waits (in full uniform, no less) for them all to arrive one-by-one until everyone has gathered, at which point he stands before them to deliver a brief speech. Thankfully this sort of thing comes naturally to him by now, so there's no awkwardness in his tone or bearing.

"I know I threw this team together pretty unexpectedly, but I thought it was important for the Avengers to exist even here in Wonderland. We're not really gonna be a team unless we start acting like one, though, so pair off, get to know each other, show everyone what you can do. We can start to figure out strategies and make sure we know the best way to cooperate with each other in a fight. We've all got our own talents, let's put them to good use, all right?"

They have the entire training room to themselves, though Steve won't mind if someone pokes their head in to watch. The place is huge, with all different kinds of training courses meant to cater to various skillsets, so Steve's pretty sure the six of them can spend a lot of time here in the coming days.


[ OOC: It's a mingle log! Post open comments, tag around, play out whatever combination you see fit! ]

Comments

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[actualwizard]

The text couldn't have come at a better time. Billy had been looking for a distraction since he decided to call it quits with Teddy and training with the other Avengers here was a happy distraction. To say he wasn't looking forward to working with them would be a lie. He'd trained with Natasha when she was here, and he trained with Bucky now, but being part of a team again- he hadn't realized how much he actually missed it.

Being an Avenger was a dream he'd had since he was a kid, even more so once his powers manifested and it was an actual possibility. It was something he had worked hard for. So even though it was Wonderland, and he wouldn't remember a thing of it when he was home and even if they weren't the Avengers from his world, to be able to be one here still meant something to him. It still felt like something he had finally achieved.

He listens to Steve's speech (and was he supposed to come in uniform?), glancing around at his teammates. He's met everyone except Rocket. He knows who he is, here and from back home. Guardian of the Galaxy- he just never met any of them back home, but he's updated their Heropedia entry a time or two when new information came in.

Steve tells them to break up and pair off and he immediately gravitates towards Wanda and Bucky- just because he already knows them, but he's ready to train with all of them.

[ ota. ]

[assembles]

Despite the fact that some of the people that are on Steve's team have powers that extend far beyond his own enhanced abilities, that doesn't stop him from walking into the proverbial ring with him. He doesn't have much on his side beyond his super strength, agility, and his shield, and yet he's practiced enough now that he's even willing to go toe-to-toe with someone like Thor.

Granted, what Steve focuses on more than pure sparring is figuring out how to combine his skills with those of his teammates. When a crisis hits, they're not going to be fighting against each other, they're going to be fighting side-by-side against some unknown force. So they need to be ready for anything.

Sometimes he steps up to one of the team members to suggest a way that they can combine their abilities. Other times he watches two of them face off against each other, interjecting to make a suggestion here and there. Even more often he watches from the sidelines to observes, making mental notes to offer up as advice later on.

And if anyone else other than the five he texted wanders into the training area to show off their skillset, Steve will be watching that too.

[assembles]

Steve understands that it's natural to want to work with the people you're already familiar with, but the whole point of this exercise is for them to all become comfortable with each other. In the middle of a firefight, it shouldn't matter who's close at hand, they should all be able to work together seamlessly.

It's for that reason that he stops Billy from making his way over to Wanda, jogging after him to catch his shoulder.

"Hey," he greets, an easy smile coming over his face as he removes his shield from where it had been strapped to his back. "I know a lot of what you can do is similar to Wanda's powers, but I also know there's a lot more to it. How about you show me what you can do?"

As much as they've discussed Billy's powers, Steve hasn't had much of a chance to see them up close and personal. Given that it's a pretty long list of all kinds of different things, chances are they're gonna be here for a while.

[hulk_ling]

Teddy entered the training room needing to work off some of the tension he'd been feeling all week when he was surprised to see the others already there. At first he figured it was a coincidence but then he noticed a pattern to the training and he realized it was a team building exercise. A team. Without him.

Anger flared up in his chest at feeling excluded. It was the icing on top of the crap cake that was his week. Still, there was probably a reason that didn't include anyone being malicious. He had to give them the benefit of the doubt, even if his irrational brain was ready to go into full hulk mode.

Teddy saw Steve standing by the sidelines watching the others. He walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder. "Hey," Teddy said. "Can I talk to you for a minute? In private?"

[assembles]

Steve hadn't imagined that Teddy would happen to come by when they were in the middle of training, but they'd been here for a few hours now and so he probably should have anticipated something like this. It wasn't like he'd meant to keep any of this a secret, but Steve could already guess at what this conversation would be about. He'd had the same discussion with Tommy. Steve had only spoken with Teddy a couple of times in all the time that they'd both been here, so he hadn't felt like he could put him on the team in good conscience.

Still, if Teddy wanted to vouch for himself now, then Steve was willing to hear him out. He knew that he and Billy were close, and chances were that he had what it took to be an Avenger.

The rest of the team was busy with training exercises, so they wouldn't miss him for however long this took. Steve nodded firmly at Teddy. "Sure." There were a lot of empty rooms off of the main training area that they could use, so he led them into one and then closed the door behind them. This particular room was a shooting range, but Steve didn't pay their surroundings any attention.

Instead of preempting Teddy on what he had to say, Steve gave him the chance to start. "What is it?"

[hulk_ling]

"I should be on this team."

It wasn't a question and he wasn't asking. Teddy stood in front of Steve with his arms crossed over his chest. This was one area Teddy knew he belonged and he wasn't going to be left out.

"If it's a question of abilities then let me show you. If it's a question of loyalty, Billy can vouch for me. I belong on this team."

[assembles]

Well, Teddy was bold, Steve had to give him that. It was a side of him Steve hadn't yet seen, and that was the whole problem here. He mainly knew Teddy through Billy, not having had a good chance to get to know him.

No better time than the present, then.

"Maybe you do," Steve conceded with a slow nod, "but I didn't have any way of knowing that. I can't just go on Billy's word. So why don't you tell me yourself? About who you are, where you come from, and why you should be on the team."

A demonstration of his abilities could come a little later. This might feel something like a job application and that was because it pretty much was. Steve had to get a good feel for Teddy before he let him on, and he didn't think that was unreasonable.

[hulk_ling]

Teddy nodded. At least Steve was willing to let him plead his case. He wouldn't expect any different from Captain America, after all.

"I'm from Queens, New York," Teddy started, holding Steve's gaze. "I've grown up thinking I was a mutant. I'm a shapeshifter - I can become anything and anyone. I also posess super strength. When I was fifteen I joined a group calling themselves the Young Avengers. I took the name 'Hulkling' and it's been my callsign ever since.

I joined the Avengers during the Civil War. By that time I knew my true origins. I'm not a mutant but a Skrull/Kree halfblood. I don't know if that means anything to you but the Skrull are not big fans of Earth or the Kree. I'm technically in hiding however I don't exactly hide who I am. I'm from Earth - that's all I've ever known.

I belong on the Avengers. My job is to protect people. I use my abilities to make New York a safer place to live. I'm good at it and more so, I want to be here. I can't stop going out and helping people. If I'm not on the team then I'll find some other way of helping out. It's who I am."

OTA

[beatupgrass]

[Miracle of miracles, the issue with Rocket's voicebox sorted itself out by the end of the event, though the sheer fact that it happened at all hasn't sit well with him. To that end, he's grateful as hell that Steve called this little meeting, because having an excuse to show off and feel useful is bound to be a nice distraction.

Given he's primarily a ranged fighter, he's taken his position in one corner surrounded by targets and armed with his unfeasibly large gun.]

This is a laser cannon. Juiciest killware in the galaxy. I particularly like it 'cause of this satisfyin' "KZZWARK" [his imitation of said sound leaves something to be desired] sound it makes when it's fired. [he demonstrates and the blast of laser energy utterly obliterates one of the targets with, indeed, a satisfying KZZWARK sound.] Music to my ears.

ota / will match format

[reignbringer]

[ he doesn't even hesitate to respond to the text -- just throws on his armor, freshly-shining, and then makes his way to the appointed place.

at the appointed time is... another thing altogether, but he doesn't mind waiting there until whatever time "1500 hours" is meant to be arrives.

truth be told, he expects to have to hold back, but that's fine. he's used to holding back on Earth, and in Wonderland in general. he knows how to fight a normal, completely-human opponent without breaking them into pieces.

truth be fully told... it's been some human-standard centuries since Thor last sparred with someone as strong, and as skilled, as he is. stronger, yes; more skilled, sometimes; but both at once...? so going 'all-out' is not an option he has had with friends, not in ages, and he only misses it a little.

okay, maybe more than just a little...

Thor is an expert in hand-to-hand combat, and skilled with many weapons. and a tiny bit overconfident he smiles warmly at any who approach, and nods his head in greeting. ]

[reignbringer]

"We may need targets." It's a suggestion, though, and only that. Though they are both natural leaders, Thor has always deferred to Steve in Avengers business, and that won't be changing anytime soon.

[reignbringer]

[ he cracks a smile ] So I see.

[ guns are all right, if you don't have an enchanted hammer handy ]

[reignbringer]

"Your magic is impressive." Thor means it as a compliment; or an icebreaker; or both.

It still feels strange, though, to have... any idea at all what magic is, how it feels. For all that he supposes he's always been a creature of it, calling storms the way he does, feeling them in his blood... it's still a new word for that old feeling, and a different way to focus it.

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket takes another shot at the second target, obliterating it too.] It's got a stun settin' too, but I only use that when people are particular about the shape their bounties get turned in.

OTA

[disassembles]

James shows up in full combat gear; a leather vest that includes a sleeve to cover his right arm, and all of his weapons sharpened, loaded, and holstered on his person. The only thing he doesn't bring is the mask.

He's a sharpshooter at heart, so unless he's otherwise instructed he spends the first little while hanging back and watching the others from a distance. Avenger or not, he's interested in anyone who passes through to work. He occasionally steps in to comment - pointing a move that might be more efficient, asking to try something together - but the team that Steve has assembled is highly competent. For the most part, he just absorbs information about each one and catalogs strengths and weaknesses as they work. It's especially gratifying to see things like Billy's training pay off against an opponent other than himself.

Showing off practically goes against the grain for someone who's accustomed to using surprise to his advantage... but he's on this team now, so he participates. When he spars with people on the team he's careful not to seriously hurt them, when that might actually be a concern, but otherwise gives it his all trying to get a feel for everyone.

After that, it's time to team up and fight together against the training room's combat simulations. He favors people he hasn't worked with before, but he'll go through with anyone and assist where he can.

James is a walking armory, and never seems to run out of weapons, swapping between knives, guns, and the occasional small explosive to suit his needs. He's relentless and apparently lacking somewhat in self-preservation instinct from how close he tends to cut it when eliminating a target. Thus far, he's been lethally efficient when it comes to eliminating targets.

At the moment, however? He's being pinned to the floor by a large, humanoid robot. It might be a little pissed that he ripped off its arm - which, yeah, the irony isn't lost on him - but it's taking all of his considerable strength to hold its remaining fist back from turning his head into ground beef.

He knows it's a simulation and he can call it off at any time. Too bad it feels every bit as heavy and solid and intent on killing him as the real thing.

A little help, team?

OTA

[beforeblue]

Wash had heard that there was a training room somewhere in the middle of the insane hallucinatory mansion that he was stuck in. Hadn't had chance to check it out yet, what with the... hordes of the undead and Christ, he can face Insurrectionists and Covvies, but zombies? Little out of his realm of experience. They'd gone down easier than Covvies at least.

He needs something to focus him, and training has always been that. Needs to work out stress and... forget. Forget about waking up with that name on his lips.

He shows up in full armour, helmet held under his arm, and of course there's people there using it. Just his luck.

It's kind of interesting to watch though. Some of them look like rookies, but there's a few of them fight like pros. Almost like being back on the Mother of Invention, watching the other Freelancers spar.

[reignbringer]

[ Thor makes a snorting noise ] And that is rare, I presume?

[minimoff]

When Tommy shows up, he stays by the door, watching the others train. Billy had invited him to stop by, but he had not noticed he was here yet, and for once Tommy did not want to be the center of attention. For all his pride said he belonged here, his insecurity kept him hovering.

Last thing he needed was Captain America yelling at him because he interrupted his training session. Tommy did not do well with authority figures, but this was one he did not entirely want to give the middle finger to.

At least, not yet.

[assembles]

It really was a little bit like listening to someone's CV. Is this how Fury had felt when he'd tried to decide who would make up the Avengers? Well, Steve didn't have to do it Fury's way. He was going to go with his gut on this.

So Teddy was also from New York. There was supposed to be some kind of rivalry between Brooklyn and Queens, not that Steve usually paid attention to that sort of thing. The point was that they had common ground. Granted, everything else Teddy had to say about himself was pretty foreign, although his own origins had been a surprise to him too.

Steve had heard about Teddy's alien background from Tommy, so he wasn't too shocked to get the news now. "I haven't heard of either of those species," he admitted. But it seemed like the bottom line was that there were probably people out there who resented Teddy's very existence. Not an easy way to live. Despite that, Teddy had a similar attitude to Tommy. He wasn't going to stop trying to help people no matter what Steve said. Good.

"A couple questions," Steve said once Teddy was done. "First, why Hulkling?" Because that was something that was reminiscent of Bruce, he couldn't help but be curious. "Second, who did you grow up with?" Had Teddy ended up with adoptive parents like Billy and Tommy?

[assembles]

"Wanna use one of the simulation rooms, then?" Steve grinned as Thor stepped over, because if there was anyone who could give him a good fight, it was the God of Thunder.

"There's a few tricks I've been meaning to show you anyway. Stuff that we figured out during the year that I was gone." As it turned out, combining the hammer and the shield did some interesting things and they'd both had fun playing with that.

[assembles]

[ No matter which way you slice it, it's ridiculous to see a tiny bipedal raccoon carrying around a gun that's the same size as him. But the fact that Rocket can lift it at all is a testament to his enhanced strength. Steve's curious to see just how far that goes.

After he wanders over, Steve steps back, hands on his hips, and watches Rocket fire off the gun. It's a devastating weapon and reminds him a little too much of some of the weapons that HYDRA had used, but it still gives them an advantage. ]

There such a thing as a non-lethal shot with that thing? Just wondering.

[ Probably not, but he has to be sure. ]

[assembles]

It didn't take long to notice that they had a visitor. It couldn't have been coincidence that Tommy showed up when they happened to all be training as a team, and so Steve had to assume that Billy had given him a heads up. They were twins, it made sense that they were looking out for each other and Steve knew how much Billy wanted his brother on the team.

Well, here was Tommy's chance to prove himself. He looked uncertain with the way that he was hovering near the door, so Steve made eye contact and waved him over.

"So..." He looked Tommy up and down, then fixed him with a disarming smile. "Want to show me what you've got?"

TWO-FOR-ONE SUPER SOLDIER SPECIAL [ OTA. ]

[disassembles]

James spends as much time as possible moving between the others to train and learn their styles, but eventually he ends up paired off with Steve. There's a lot they could learn about each other from sparring, now that they're roughly on the same level, but James doesn't suggest it, and he knows Steve won't either. The last time they'd fought against each other isn't something either of them want to re-live in the middle of a team training session.

Fighting together, on the other hand? That's another story. He and Steve are set up to take on anyone - or any pair of people - who feel confident enough to challenge them.

"I dunno if us teaming up is really fair to the other guys - or the lady," James says. He's mostly joking, considering that the other half of the team is godly, magical, equipped with space weaponry, or some combination of the three. On the other hand, several years of experience working together isn't anything to sneeze at.

OTA

[beforeblue]

Can't say he's not impressed. Some of them are obviously kids, rookies learning the ropes, but a few of them are definitely seasoned fighters. Good ones. At least he knows who to speak to now if he feels like a good sparring session.

The other man catches Wash's attention; the one who shows up for what looks like a laid back training session just as armed and ready as any of the Freelancers would. The test to destruction method of training. If you survived, you deserved to be there. Not many survived to get on the main squad.

"Hey, is this place usually open to anyone?" he asks when the guy gets close, watching a match between a couple of the trainees. Or has he just barged into a private training ground.

[reignbringer]

His eyebrows go up, and he smiles more broadly.

"By all means. Show me." He means both the danger simulation rooms, and these tricks. They sound... good. Good to the point where he almost doesn't notice the word trick -- or remember how once he would have had a different reaction to it.