7525/Changeling: Your Mission if you Choose to Accept It...

Changeling: Your Mission if you Choose to Accept It...
Date of Scene:	18 May 2019
Location:	Clint and Skye's, Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	Clint invites Mack over for a beer. Surprise! It's a briefing, and SHIELD is in real trouble.
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Melinda May, 8277
Tinyplot:	Changeling

---

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
It was all meant to seem really casual to anyone who might be monitoring Clint's texts. Just a random invite to an old friend from missions gone by.

Clint >> Hey, been a bit, want to roll by my place and grab a beer or something?

Message sent, Clint nods to May, "Okay, message sent, let's hope Mack's not still mad at me about the Miami thing," he says with a grin. He was pretty sure that'd been squared.

Then making his way to the fridge, he opens it and grabs a can of beer. At least that part of things wasn't a ruse, there was always beer at Clint and Skye's.

Melinda May has posed:
May nods back to Clint. "If he is, you won't appease him with that beer." She knows it's the frou-frou stuff, and it's AWFUL. At least there's leftover pizza from yesterday. "Are you thinking of sending him with Twining and Carter?" It would be a good idea to have another on their team to help protect the trainee.

While Clint's getting beer, she's leaning against the kitchen counter waiting for tea to brew. Because she's working. Technically.

Mack (8277) has posed:
Mack looks up from his laptop when his phone buzzes. He raises an eyebrow when he sees the text.

Mack >> Sure, not busy. Will swing by.
Mack closes down his laptop and throws on his leather jacket. Before long he rolls out of his building's underground parking on his new Harley and heads over to Clint's. He leaves his bike parked nearby and heads up to knock at the door.

"Hey man, how's it going?" Mack says when Clint opens the door. He smirks when he sees Melinda in the apartment behind Clint.

"I knew it!" he says pointing a finger at Clint as he comes in. "There better actually be beer. Hey May. How's it going?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint lets the fridge swing closed as he cracks his beer. "You never know. He might be the one other person who actually likes it," he offers with a wry grin. Odds weren't good it was one of those overwrought craft beers that had started as a joke before growing on him.

"And yeah, thought about it. They're team is light on the firepower and when Zola figures out what they're up to, then he's going to be coming at them hard. Plus, if they hit a snag on the tech side, he's got the chops to handle it."

They didn't make you chief engineer on a helicarrier by pulling a prize out of a cereal box.

At the knock Clint answers, grinning. "Good man, long time, come in," he says stepping back showing off a townhouse that looks like it was decorated by the R&D department, high end tech is all over, connected by wires duct taped to the floor. A passing glass suggests most of it is computer and comms gear.

Oh and yes, the deputy director of SHIELD is here also.

Clint smirks in return, "Sorry man, you know how it is, and c'mon, of course there's beer, sure I'm a bit of a dick but I'm not a monster."

He leads the way on inside to the kitchen.

Melinda May has posed:
May can only agree with Clint. Mack would be helpful to the Nyx team in just about every way necessary.

She stays in the kitchen minding her tea as Clint lets the taller man in and leads him back to where they've been hanging out. "Mack. Been a while. Good to see you back local." She pours her tea and takes a sip, just waiting for the reaction to the frou-frou beer. "You do realize, Clint, that you and Skye are likely the only ones keeping that beer in production." She'd almost ask them to stop, but she's not that heartless.

She only sounds like it.

Mack (8277) has posed:
"Clint, you know my place doesn't even look like this. You need a garage or something," Mack says as he follows Clint to the kitchen.

Mack accepts a beer from Clint and frowns. "The hell?" he says as he sees the label. Mack takes a drink and puts it down, his nose wrinkled. "You /are/ a monster, man. You drink that?"

Mack shakes his head as May comments on Clint and Skye keeping that beer in production. "I'd believe it. I just escaped bad beer, I was hoping I'd get something good coming back stateside. How've you been, May?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Yeah, well when your place gets turned into a field base, we'll talk decor," Clint snarks back with a laugh, stepping over some heavy cables.

Not that their old decor was much better, a mix of broken and mis-matched furnishings totally at odds with the upscale surroundings of Greenwich Village townhouse. The kitchen though is more or less prestine (May wouldn't tolerate it otherwise) even if the beer selection leaves much to be desired.

"Every day," Clint says taking a swallow of his own beer and grinning. The complaints are met with a roll of his eyes. "Man, everyone's a critic..." he says as he sets down his beer and walks to the pantry, pulling it open and bringing out the unopened selection of beers May had brought time gone by.

"Here, they're British style," room temperature, "But non frou-frou. Only because you just got back."

Melinda May has posed:
"Try the one in the dark brown bottle, it's actually British and meant to be room temperature," May offers upon seeing the beers that Clint has unearthed. "And your current decor was Skye's idea, Barton. I just agreed with her on it."

She gives Mack a chance to choose a beer and take a drink before continuing. "Do you want the whole story now, or over food? It'll have to be leftovers unless you want to wait for delivery or something to be cooked."

Did she just offer to cook?

Mack (8277) has posed:
Mack reaches for the beer Melinda suggested. "Better than what they've got in Japan," he says. He twists the cap off and cleanses his palette of that other poor excuse for beer.

"Ah, whatever you like May," Mack replies with suppressed smile and eyebrow raise to Clint.

<cooked?> he mouths.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Yeah, well as much as I miss the old stuff at least it's for a good cause," Clint says of the decor. "The heat off all this stuff is something else though."

As for Mack's mouthed question, Clint just smiles, remembering that not everyone has been exposed to 'Team Mom' or 'Ninja Nanny' May like he and Skye had.

"Cooked is always good if what we've got in the fridge is workable," he says. It was slim pickings with Clint having been overseas for a brief trip of her own and Skye locked up in medical. "Otherwise, yeah we can get something delivered."

Melinda May has posed:
"I'll see what I can cobble together, or I'll reheat the pizza. Barton, you should probably start catching Mack up on why your house looks like R&D puked on it."

Yes, she just said puke.

Setting her tea aside, she brushes past Clint to look in the fridge and push a few things around. Then, she checks the freezer and... aha. She pulls out a lidded container and looks at the others.

"If you'll both relocate to the table so I have some room here."

Mack (8277) has posed:
Mack moves out of May's way and brings his beer to the table. He lowers himself into a chair and sets the beer down.

"How is Skye?" he asks Clint.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Thanks, May," Clint offers the deputy director with a smile, one that widens a little at the word 'puke', "Really? You say puke?" he observes with amusement. "And sure, I can, ahem, puke up the details and get Mack up to speed."

Clint collects his beer and hurriedly vacates the kitchen to grab a spot opposite Mack at the table.

"Skye?" he pulls a bit of a face wondering how much of the changes to Skye's life and DNA were his to tell. "She's been through a lot," he settles on. "But she's still her, all of this," he gestures around at the townhouse's tech infusion. "Is her baby."

"Which is why you're here, SHIELD's systems have been compromised, we're working to get them back and kick Hydra in the teeth while we do it."

Melinda May has posed:
With a nod to both men, May lets them flee to the kitchen while she gets the stove going with the ease of familiarity. In short order, there are the sounds of sizzling heralding the aromas of something Asian in persuasion being cooked. Clint will likely know what it is -- he was here when she made potstickers from scratch and put the uncooked ones in the freezer.

"The timetable has become a fair bit tighter recently, Mack," she calls from the kitchen. "So you'll hopefully pardon that we're ditching most formalities here." Like, paperwork.

Mack (8277) has posed:
Mack glances over at what May is doing when the smell starts to fill in the kitchen. He makes an appreciative face.

"There anything you can't do, May?" he quips.

"Glad Skye's okay," Mack says to Clint. "I heard she was in hospital or something, so I was worried. But there wasn't a lot of news getting from HQ to the field office in Japan, it was quiet."

Realization hits Mack when Clint tells him about what has happened.

"Oh man. How bad is it? Can we recover?" he asks, looking around more intently now, taking inventory what is here and what it was set up for.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint smiles when Mack offers to help with the kitchen. "Way to make me look bad," he stage whispers. "Yeah, me too, May," he calls out.

"Yeah, there was a thing on her last mission, had to spend a couple days in medical, mostly to make sure she followed doctor's orders," he says, apparently like archer like girlfriend. "Think I'm a bad influence?"

"Pretty bad," he says. "Arnim Zola, Hydra guy and the psycho who sunk a section of San Diego in 2019, apparently is working on turning himself into a computer program and he's put himself into our system during the net outage a couple of years back," he gestures at all the machines. "All of this is to simultaneously knock him on his ass, and deliver a custom virus to take him out of our system. For now though, we're keeping everything out of official channels, and we're preparing to raid his base of operations, he's apparently still human enough that if we attack him there we can distract him, open the door for us to take him out of our systems."

Clint let's Mack chew on that for a bit before he delivers the rest, "And because Zola's Max Headroom thing isn't enough of a project, he's been messing with a certain kind of powered people called Inhumans, he's got some and the stuff to activate them at his base, which is why our distraction isn't a bunker buster dropped on his doorstep."

Melinda May has posed:
"Yes. I can't repair a motorcycle engine," is May's quip back to Mack. "And I'm nearly done here, Clint. Do either of you need a fresh beer?"

Sure enough, just a few moments later, the sizzling noises are done, and May carries in a plate with a paper towel and about a dozen freshly fried and still piping hot potstickers on it. Fresh plates and silverware (chopsticks if desired) accompany the snack and she disappears again only to return quickly with her tea cup topped off again. "The risk of innocents being affected by the substance Zola has collected is too high. We have to make it a surgical strike. And, we have to take out both his base with the substance and the main computer servers Zola has been using as his virtual base of operations. Simultaneously."

Mack (8277) has posed:
Mack nods slowly, even as he digs into the potstickers. He thanks May for the offer of another beer and takes it all too gladly.

"The damage... Even if we kick him, the time it's going to take to figure out what he's done, sabotaged... Leaked. We can't trust any of those systems even when he's gone. All it would take is a dead man's switch and the Trike could fall out of the sky. Not to mention this Inhuman thing."

Mack chews his food thoughtfully for a moment, seeming to sort something out in his head. He drinks from his beer again.

"So we hit him. What's the play? Where do you need me?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint smiles his thanks to May as she appears with the potstickers, digging in like it's his last meal. The potstickers cannot be wasted!

"Right, even if that Terrigen stuff doesn't work on everyone, it'll turn enough Inhumans that it'd be a disaster, people with powers, afraid, and with no control... Anyhow, it'll be a mess, so we're going in to get the stuff, get the Inhumans he's got and get to those servers. That last part is where you come in, during the prep phase, we could use your help with all this stuff," again the computers are waved to. "On the day of the raid, we want you with one of our new agents, Samantha Twinnings, she's got alien tech in her and she's our delivery system for the virus, we need you to watch her back, and if plan A fails, kill those servers by any means necessiary and get the hell out of there."

"There's another level to it too, Twinning's is basically a kid that was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got stuck with all this tech in her that we can't get out She's game to do this, and she's got the makings of an agent. but she's green and she might need someone to see her through." And Clint couldn't think of anyone better for that duty than Mack.

As to the assessment of the damage, Clint nods, "Yeah, it's going to be a real mess even if we win, but that's our next crisis," he says before taking a sip of his beer.

Melinda May has posed:
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. One crisis at a time. You good with probie-sitting, Mack?" May sields a pair of chopsticks with all of the skill and ease of Master Shifu, snaking one of the potstickers away from Clint before he's able to snag it. "I'd go myself, but I'll be driving the Bus for the other group."

"If you have any questions about any of this, Mack. Now's your chance. There are so many pieces in play here at once the ball gets rolling, there's no stopping it until this whole situation is over with one way or another."

Mack (8277) has posed:
"I'll get her through," Mack assures Clint and May. "Rough spot to put her in though. If she's that green let's make sure I have a good backup. Anything available that Skye might have whipped up?" he asks Clint.

He turns his attention squarely to May. "Just the usual questions. Expected rnemy forces, available kit, exfil plan and who's buying the beer after."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint makes a face as May steals his potsticker. "Hey, what gives?" he grouses, before he grabs another and swallows it down quick to keep it out of 'enemy' hands.

He sets down his chopsticks, and nods, "Won't lie, worried about the kid too, but as best as we can tell Zola knows nothing about her, so he won't see her coming." Which in of itself spoke tot he seriousness of the mission. "Back up tech stuff, I am sure Skye has some thoughts, you Skye and Fitzsimmons should talk, between the four of you I am sure you'll put some things together."

As for those remaining questions, Clint leaves them to May, reclaiming his chopsticks as he surveys the tray of fried dumplings.

Melinda May has posed:
May doesn't even bother looking at Clint smugly. She cooked them, she should get to eat at least one.

"We've already tapped another agent to accompany Twining, so you're additional firepower in that regard." On top of being more than computer savvy enough to actually pitch in and help if needed. She goes on to explain what sorts of resistance they expect to see at each target location, and what toys and accoutrement they'll be able to use without risking compromising the need to keep this off of Zola's proverbial radar.

As to the beer... "Rest assured, I won't let Clint or Skye pick the beer."

Mack (8277) has posed:
Mack says, "Thank goodness for that," he says about the beer. "These are really good, you know." Mack stuffs another potsticker in his mouth.

"Sounds doable. What a mess, though. What happened to nice, boring, steady routine? Remember that? I used to complain about that. What an idiot," he says with a self-deprecating smile.

"When do we go?""

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Okay so May should get a /few/ potstickers for her efforts, Clint leaves off, spinning a chopstick around his finger idly as the plan is explained, throwing the odd tidbit here and there to help May along.

"Right? Miss the days where Thor's hammer falling out of the sky was weird," he says about the uptick in weird and the banishment of boring.

"Depends on when we get the virus ready, but no more than two weeks," Clint says of the time. "In the meantime we play like nothing's wrong."

Melinda May has posed:
"Admit it, if we were back there, you'd be complaining again some more that you were bored. Of course, if you really want zero dull moments, do Director Fury's job for a while."

She claims one more potsticker, then sits back, clearly satisfied with the ones she got. And speaking of the potstickers? "At least you didn't describe them the way Agent Lewis did."

She leaves that comment hanging. Either Clint will offer an explanation or Mack will have to ask.

Mack (8277) has posed:
Mack looks between May and Clint, not sure he wants to ask. Nobody should ask what Darcy said. Ever.

"The desk is, uh, too small in his office. I'd never fit. I'll have to stay in the field. Real sorry though, good luck with mid-year budget cycle," he says dryly. "I hear Clint loves paperwork though. Big admin guy. Maybe he'd like the job."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Wise choice Mack, however Clint is anything but wise. "Sex in the mouth," he supplies clearly pleased with himself.

"Does the job come with the eyepatch? Because I'd consider it for the eyepatch," Clint chuckles putting his chopsticks down over his plate. "And hey, we could always get you one of those sit-stand desks, I am sure you could sit behind one of those."

"Seriously though, May, no clue how you do it, the paperwork would drive me crazy," he says saluting her with his beer.

"Anyhow, Mack should we chip in and do the dishes here? May can supervise and we can wax nostalgic about the boring days of yore."