Having Lila’s body pressed against his own was not an altogether unpleasant experience, but the mild euphoria was quickly replaced by dizziness and a strange weightless sensation as they jumped. Joe barely had time to register that they were on another planet before they found themselves back inside Canary Wharf.
A quick visual scan of the area revealed they were alone - this floor, at least, was deserted. He pinched his nose through the lining of his mask and sniffed. “Bloody hell. This inter-dimensional travel stuff always makes my sinuses flare up."
"All right," he said, motioning for Lila to follow him after a quick check of his weapons and ammo. “I didn’t know who these guys were before, but based on those outfits and the tech they’re using, I’m fair certain we’re up against HYDRA. Dunno how much you know about ‘em, but the short of it is that they’re a terrorist organisation bent on world domination and all that bollocks. Nazis, super-villains, mad scientists, you name it."
He paused, peering around a corner to ascertain the coast was clear before continuing in an undertone. “They’ve been kicking about since before World War Two, but more recently their leader - bloke by the name of Gorgon - ran afoul of Wolverine. I thought they were defunct, but they’re called HYDRA for a reason - cut off one head and two more shall take its place, that’s their shtick. It’s possible that these guys are a splinter group, but with RAID out of the picture it’s entirely possible they’re looking to make a comeback."
As they approached a flight of stairs, their faces were bathed in a dim blue light - they were nearing the source of whatever was making Canary Wharf glow.
"Mind how you go," Joe told Lila warningly. “They might look like a bunch of tossers, but they’re a fanatical bunch of tossers, and that makes them bloody dangerous."
"Sinus talk. You definitely know how to flirt with a girl...." She muttered with a little cheeky roll of her eyes. "Exhale on the teleport. Like diving. And it ain't inter-dimensional, it's just seriously fuckin' far."
She checked her own weapon along side him. Lila was regretting the choice of such a big weapon considering she had to put the strap around her shoulders just to lug the weight. Of course, it would only take a couple of seconds to go get another one but she had the distinct impression that if she swapped for something smaller she'd regret the lack of fire power.
"HYDRA?" She asked with another roll of her eyes."What is with all the weirdo's coming back out the woodwork? I swear, you take a couple of years out, tour the red nebula and when you come back the world is turned to shit."
When they approached the stairs and Lila felt the light on her face her eyes went wide and she grabbed Jack and pulled him back in to her side.
"Don't look at the light directly!" She hissed in his ear, "I've seen this before...it's a kind of mind control. Creates complete chaos and destruction. Oh, shit, this must have been what happened a couple of summers ago."
