13127/Agents was Filmed on Location

Agents was Filmed on Location
Date of Scene:	27 April 2021
Location:	Food Court, The Triskelion
Synopsis:	SHIELD agents gather to watch an internal documentary about their profession.
Cast of Characters:	Phobos, Liansong "Song" Qing, Black Widow (Romanoff), Quake, Yaozu Lin

---

Phobos has posed:
    There is a steady stream of chatter, rumbling around the cafeteria, just that white noise that comes from a small crowd gathered in a not so large place. There's some hint of tension, some levity, as it includes a myriad of off duty individuals all sprawled along the series of tables in the eating area. An older LCD monitor had been dragged out of storage on a rolling double decker cart that seems tacitly made for electronics with its own trailing extension cord and its own bank of plugs for whatever devices are connected. Though right now it's just a laptop and that monitor.
    Around the room various people are already settled, there's the fresh scent of popcorn even as it's being distributed around the room. The teams have settled once again into their smaller groups based on specialty, interests, and other forms of overlap. All in all the mood is a positive one, though there are some small pockets of tension around the place from other people who... might not think it's a good idea.
    Then the lights are turned down as the monitor flickers to life, the soundtrack starts and it's likely one everyone in the room is familiar with considering their chosen profession.
    // Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when SHIELD comes for you? //
    There's a ripple of laughter, and then the video flickers alive as an image of a visored SHIELD agent is seen /running/ after an AIM agent whose beekeeper-like uniform is in tatters and he's beating feet across the pavement. The pursuing agent lets loose with a staggering stream of invectives so thickly bleeped as to be almost unintelligible.
    "Mother****ing son of a ****! The **** did your mother give you so much **** to **** around think I'm not going to..." And then the agent /leaps/ and makes the tackle, causing a few bleeps to come from the AIM agent, only for the SHIELD agent to start restraining him while still cursing. Kelso's voice, however, still comes across pretty clearly despite the beeps and the voice modulation. All while in the back ground...
    // Police don't give ya no break. Nobody gonna give you no break. //
    There's a montage of shots with Hawkeye mugging for the camera. Skye walking out of a shattered church in profile looking all tired but still rather bad ass. And then a slow motion shot of four agents' silhouettes walking together down a poorly lit hall.
    And suddenly it jumps to a voice narrating as it follows a shot of Quinjets taking off. "So what is it..."
    It's a female voice that's heard and then the image trails down to a visored SHIELD agent who looks at the camera while they stand on the helicarrier as it lifts and drops in the ocean. "That brought you to SHIELD in the first place?"
    The agent laughs a little, voice modulated by the helmet as he answers, "Well, my dad is a bit of a prepper. So my childhood was kinda messed up. It was either do this or I dunno, go live in a commune somewhere."

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
As that particular song plays, with the adjustment to SHIELD instead of Cops, Liansong rolls his eyes. He watches as the video rolls on, sat, once again, in the middle of the group, at the back. With his eyesight and his hearing, he can see and hear perfectly well, once the crowd of talking dies down.

As the video comes to him, it seems to be in a lab somewhere, but not here. The colors are all wrong. The labcoat is all right, though. White and long, though not quite long enough to cover the trailing end of his tail, or his wingtips. His head turns to look at the camera.

"Genetics and virology," he says, beak clacking once, feathers all kinds of slicked back. "I wanted to make a difference. And with Shield, that has been possible, and will continue to be possible in the future." As the video plays, in the cafeteria, Liansong's feathers are just as slicked back as they are in the video. And though they are just as shiny, they are snow white instead of black. And not the slightest bit wet.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As different recognizable people on site appear on screen for the first time, there might be murmurs or comments from friends or associates. Sometimes a little whoop or, such as the case with Kelso, laughter.

When the next image comes on screen, it is none other than Natasha Romanoff. She was in her SHIELD uniform in her office, a stark metal and glass sort of look to the furniture. There is nothing notable in the room, no personal things that make it stand out. Nothing to tell about the person who occupies it. It could be anyone's office.

"I can't answer that. It's classified. If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Which has the interviewer laughing at the old line that everyone knows is a joke. Only Natasha continues to stare at her until the laughter fades nervously. Then the redhead speaks again to the person by the camera.

"Yes, literally. Next question?"

Quake has posed:
They caught up in the break room, thinking they'd caught Skye in the middle of her break. No. It's the place where she works. (They panned out and in to a desk, presumably Skye's (the name on indeed was Skye's) and back to the break room).

/"So, how did you come to work for SHIELD?"/

Skye continued working on her program in one window, while watching others spin through several convos. "You have to be kidding me? Right?" Only the female emcee laughs and repeats the question.
/"No. Really."/

"You'll be sorry you asked." Skye sighed. "It was this or maximum security prison for the next 25 or so years. Happy?" She turned back to her laptop, when the lady continued..

/"So, what made you choose to stay?"/

Skye's voice goes quiet. "About 6 months in, I was given the chance to walk out of here a free woman. All my records erased. And I couldn't. I.. couldn't. I've been ever since."

Silence fell.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
It's not a very visible thing, but there may be a glimpse of a wide black ring around the base of Yaozu's right thumb as he lowers that hand after stepping into the cafeteria. In the next moment, he slips his right hand to the small of his back, to let it rest there, tucked into the sleeve of the dark burgundy robes that he wears. They are an older Chinese style of robes, made of silk, and he wears a pair of black silk pants beneath them. His steps are fairly quiet. He's paler than what he typically runs, and his long hair falls loose over his back. He's late, but... he was only just released from the medical facility.

There's a glance cast over the setup that's within the cafeteria, and he steps forward, unhurriedly. He's quiet, which isn't terribly unusual for him. He finds a seat somewhere near to the back and near to Liansong, not with either group but in between, his hands moving to settle within his lap.

When the video gets to his part of it, he was also somewhere other than anywhere here. There's a mural of some sort on the wall behind him that doesn't exist here. He's all in black, and his hair braided in the video, his features showing nary an emotion to them. 'What brought him to SHIELD?' His answer is a simple one: "I was recruited. To save people." It seems perhaps rehearsed, but his English is good. He says nothing more than that for that part of the video.

Phobos has posed:
    A few more answers are given, a plethora of things. 'Well the pay is good?'
    But then more and more people start to build on Yaozu's answer, as it becomes a faster series of responses. 'I came here to help people.' 'To help people.' 'I think to try and save people.' 'To do the right thing.' 'To make a difference.'
    And the screen starts to fade on that as the words, 'To Make a Difference.' remain on screen.
    There's a transitional shot to the skyline of some town somewhere in Eastern Europe showing a few teams digging around in what looks distinctly like debris from some old building. There are locals standing around and looking concerned while SHIELD agents pick through the remains of the building. Occasionally one stands up and shouts as they brandish a metal spider-like object with many limbs, "Got one!"
    The camera cuts to another visored SHIELD agent, this time with a young woman's voice as she says, "So what we have here today is some of the CCGs busted into this Hive, took out an enemy base, and now we're doing the important part. Bagging and tagging all the equipment."
    "Got another!" A voice calls from behind her as a SHIELD agent in full armor stands up holding one of the tiny spider-bots that's still twisting its legs in the air.
    The interviewer asks, "CCGs?"
    "Critically Cool Guys, our word we use for the... you know."
    "Oh I See. So what are you doing here?"
    "Just clean up. Don't want any of the locals finding these things down the line, or any school kids or anything. So rounding them up."
    "Here's anoth..." Then there's a ZZZZT followed by an AGH! As the SHIELD agent has a spider-bot leap on his face and zaps him, only to fall out of frame.
    The other agent seems unperturbed, "So we just bag and tag all the things."
    "Is he alright?" Asks the interviewer.
    "What?" She glances over then waves it off, "Oh yeah, he'll be fine. It's one of the small ones." Only for there to be a groan off to the side.
    In the cafeteria some of the agents laugh and O'Hara slaps Nelson on the shoulder.
    But then the question comes, "So would you call this one of the high points of being a SHIELD agent? If not what do you consider a high point?"
    Only for the agent on screen to answer, "Oh good God, no. This is grunt work. I mean it's honest work, but not as fun as some of the other things they have us do."
    Which cuts to an abrupt montage of training shots. The assault course, the gun range, the gymnasium, all with agents going through the movements looking sharp and precise and military.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
As the other videos play, Liansong's feathers go back to a more normal position. Less sucked down tight and more relaxed. Slightly fluffed out. His beak clacks at Natasha's answer to that first question, and again at her answer, then gaps open. As close to a grin as an owls beak can come.

He sits quietly as the other videos cycle through, but his eyes ever leave the screen. As the camera fades to the 'make a difference' part, Liansong nods once. It's the truth. His beak opens again in that grin at the woman's apparent indifference to the guy getting zapped by the spider-bot. "That's gotta sting," he says softly.

He glances to Yaozu as the man sits, and blinks once at him. There's a quiet huff of breath, then his eyes go back to the video. In the video of the gymnasium, if one looks at just the right moment, Liansong, feathers all black, lounges along one of the ceiling beams.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Still in that barren office, Natasha responds, "That's an interesting question."

She falls silent. Long enough that the editors probably considered cutting that little section in editing. But she spoke and it was obviously not a cut as she looked back to the interviewer.

"The high point is seeing the people we've helped. Our job isn't glamorous and we don't get all the attention other groups do, preferring to work in the shadows. Anonymous in many ways. But to see the happiness and relief of those we have protected from a threat. Those we have helped through a disaster. That's the high points."

Quake has posed:
"Most of my days are here, in the break room. Hell, a lot the agent thought I was IT. You know, find the password, help me get that lost email back?" Skye shrugged. "My job doesn't show up on the board most of the time. If I do it right, nobody should tell I've been in and out. Heck, most of the time I chose to work right here. I'm usually someone who stays home."

Of course they rolled the film of when she was on the UN Most Wanted list.

"Oh god.. That." Skye shock her head. "That was mostly.. where did you find that? It's confidential. Okay? I was on a job."

Yaozu Lin has posed:
There isn't a single glance towards the screen when his own part of the video is playing. Yaozu seems to have no interest in seeing the recording that had been taken of him. And yet, his gaze strays back towards the screen for other people's parts in the video. Make a difference. Has he, though? Yaozu's gaze turns to where his hands have come to rest upon his lap, his left hand atop of his right. His gaze flicks over to Liansong, and he tilts his head faintly to one side. "It is monitored," he says quietly, moving aside his left hand from his right, so that Song can see the wireless pulse oximeter on his thumb.

There was no footage submitted of him on any missions, though perhaps that's simply something that's cultural or particular to where he's from -- classified, perhaps. There is some footage of him from the assault course, from the gun range, and some sparring footage from the gymnasium. He's not without skills, but what was shared is more snippets than a good look at his full capabilities. Never give too much information away, perhaps. "High points? Doing the job well. No one getting hurt or dying."

Phobos has posed:
    The theme of helping people, giving them a hand, and a few shots from across the years can be seen. Back to some of the first appearances of SHIELD operatives during the Battle of New York, all the way to a more recent event of shutting down a hijacking at an airport before it could turn lethal matching Yaozu's statement about people not getting hurt or dying. A myriad of images that swirl together creating a feeling of success and prominence.
    Then it cuts away to another agent in what seems to be a storage room, his visored helmet off this time, Agent Aaron holding what looks like a high tech sticker gun in his hand as he rests a gauntlet on what seems to be an energy rifle.
    Then the interviewer's voice lifts, "So what would you change if you could? If you were the director of SHIELD?" Her tone was amused, curious as she asked him.
    "If I could change anything?"
    "Yeah?"
    "Mmm, better food in the food court?" Which then cuts away from him, but maintains the voice from that question. Instead it fades in on Alexander visibly eating at a food court table rather animatedly and in a manner that likely assumes he's not being observed. He's got a piece of pizza, and a soda, and is enjoying the heck out of his fries.
    "You don't like the cafeteria food?"
    "I mean, it's not bad." And yet freezes on him with a mug shot of him chewing rather... voraciously. Which causes a series of laughs to sound around his team.
    It shifts to the interviewer asking another agent, "What would /you/ do if you were director? Change anything?"

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Liansong is quiet, as he watches the videos, for the most part. Except when answering Yaozu. His beak opens a little in a smaller smile. "I know," he says. "It was my idea, so you wouldn't miss out." The question asked, the high point, the black feathered Liansong considers. "I would have to say, helping people." As the question shifts to the next one, he considers it for a moment. "I dunno, mate. I mean, what would you change if you could? There's always something. Can't really complain about mah lab, though. It's about as state of the art as it gets. Food's decent. But really, the director don't have it easy. It can't be anything near easy jugging the giant rolling ball that is all the agents and scientists. I mean, I wouldn't want to be the man in charge. All those decisions. Lives on the line, both civilian and agent, in the lab and in the field."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Change?" Natasha glances off toward the building proper, the light from the windows of the office behind her and casting her face into shadow briefly.

"You couldn't pay me enough to be in the Director's shoes." Then she turns and looks at the camera.

"This interview is over. I have work to do."

Quake has posed:
Now Skye has heard, from the director himself, that someday her name could be on the desk: Director Skye Johnson..

She just smiles a tight lipped smile, but doesn't answer the question.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
Quietly, Yaozu moves his left hand back over his right hand, shifting his hands to let the fabric of the sleeves of his robes slide forward over his hands. And then he gives a small nod, to Liansong. A smile ghosts at the corners of his lips, and his hazel gaze turns to Liansong. "Thank you, Song," he says softly, his tone sincere and grateful, and he inclines his head towards the avian. He still isn't one for saying a lot of words, perhaps.

The next question in the video has him tilting his head a touch to one side, and then he shakes his head. "Meiyou she me," comes his answer, in Mandarin. 'Nothing.' is what the subtitle offers in translation. "I would not presume to know a job that is not mine."

Phobos has posed:
    The video shifts focus then to another image of a man in a business suit sitting at a large desk, looking a bit curiously at the camera. "So you wanted to know what again exactly?"
    The unseen interviewer raises her voice, "How your time with SHIELD helped you, what skills you took away, how it's affected your day to day life."
    "My day to day life?"
    "Yeah,"
    "Well, I mean, now I have one?" At that the man laughs and lightly thumps a hand on his desk, "But really it helped me prioritize things, the technical skills were great. But all in all it put things into perspective. No matter what we do here at Schuman and Markus, it's not as important as what we were doing in SHIELD."
    Then he smiles, "But yeah, now I actually... have a life and do things."
    "Instead of what?" She asks.
    "Well, instead of staying on base..." It shows a shot of a poker game being played in the ready room, and zooooms in on the clock showing it's 3am in the morning.
    "Crashing in my cubicle." Which brings on a montage of shots of /sooooo/ many agents crashed in various states, sleeping on the benches in front of their lockers. In the break room. In the cafeteria. In their cubicles. And finally one of Kelso /snoring/ it up while sprawled on top of an old snack machine in a storage room.
    "Or working long endless hours?" Until a final shot comes up showing almost all of the agents in the ready room watching a mission briefing, all looking attentive and focused as the tension is palpable there.
    Then she asks, "So how has your life changed from being in SHIELD? And what do you see yourself doing afterward?"

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Liansong nods with those who's sentiments seem to match his own. No way, no how. He's not interested in being a director. He knows he couldn't make some of the hard calls the director has to make. Nope. He's quiet as the next question comes around.

In his video, black feathered Liansong takes a moment to think about that question too. "Better research facilities. All in all, I'm pretty much the same as I was before Shield, but I as recruited right out of college. After this? I see myself doing much the same thing. Working in a lab somewhere trying to solve the mysteries of genetics."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Though they had been booted from her office, apparently they had chosen to wait for another time to continue their attempts. This time Natasha is seen in a hallway, coming around a corner and stopping quickly as she spies the camera crew and interviewer. She frowns.

As the question is posed, her brow tightens a bit. "Change? It hasn't really changed. I'm doing the same thing I've always done." Just on a different side, though that is not voiced.

But the last question, she shakes her head negatively. "I doubt there will ever be more than this for me. I'll do this until the day I die, most likely."

Quake has posed:
"Me?" Skye shrugs. "I found my family." Both SHIELD and her father. Someday she hopes to find her mother to ask these lingering questions about her heritage. But for now? She has family.

And Clint. Never forget Clint.

As for years to come..

"Someday I'll take over for Director Fury." There. She said it. "Until then.." Her eyes twinkle, as she gets back to business.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
Softly, Yaozu gives a gentle tug to the silk of his sleeves, ensuring that his hands remain covered by them. He sits quietly, continuing to both watch and not watch the video. He doesn't seem to care for his own parts in it. He shifts slightly, the sound accompanied by a soft whisper from the silks he wears. He lifts his left hand, gathering his hair and drawing it forward over his left shoulder.

In the video, Yaozu slips both of his hands behind his back where he stands, his eyes slightly narrowing at the questions asked this time. There's a moment of pure silence, and Yaozu glances very briefy to someone beyond the frame. "Wo de wenjian yongyou wo suoyou de jineng," Yaozu says. 'My file has all of my skills,' offers the subtitles. Not overly helpful, but... accurate, in his own way. "It gives purpose," he says, giving only a faint nod. And that seems to be all that he's saying on that particular question. "Shihou meiyou," he says in a quieter voice. 'There is no afterward.'

Phobos has posed:
    The video continues on for roughly another 18 minutes or so, making that half hour run time. Though it does take time to show a little more insight into peoples' lives, to show hints of normalcy around the base. There's a segment on the softball team. There's a bit about a mixer and a charity ball where various agents had to dress up and it was clear a good number of he were not comfortable. There was even a segment about The Fashion of SHIELD which took the time to linger on peoples' choices of clothing and style.
    Until finally, at the end, there are shots of various agents repeating their highlights or giving insight into them in gentle human ways, ending with their outlook for the future.
    And then, after the credits start to roll, the lights come up and Agent Tracy Hawkens, the interviewer as well as apparently the camera crew, she stands up and takes a bow. While in the background 'Bad Boys' starts to play again.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Liansong clacks his beak at the end of Natasha's answer. He turns to Yaozu, his very white feathers slicked back. "I feel about the same, I think. I will be working in a lab even if I have to be in a wheelchair to do it." Not that that's a very pleasant thought, but hey! He turns back to the video and watches to the end.

In some of the clips, a black feathered Liansong can be seen. Sometimes in the cafeteria. Once coming in for a landing and nearly taking out the camera man. Then a blue feathered Liansong dancing at that mixer. Once the video is over, he looks to Yaozu again. "How are you feeling?"

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The Chinaman lifts his hazel gaze from where it had been lowered, and he turns it towards Song. "You will find a way to do so, or you will find a better way than a wheelchair," Yaozu says softly, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He has no great illusions about living to such an age, though -- death with honour. "Tired, if I am honest," he says softly, in answer to Song's question, inclining his head slightly towards him. There might have been a thing or two over the past few days.

Someone, somewhere, might have snuck a snapshot of Yaozu to the agent making the film. A snapshot that he was, no doubt, unaware was even taken since he's in a set of black robes and admiring a low-hanging branch of cherry blossoms. He's not looking towards whomever took the picture.