14363/Cat and mouse - The hunt begins.

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Cat and mouse - The hunt begins.
Date of Scene: 06 May 2022
Location: Crosby Street Hotel, Soho, NYC
Synopsis: Skye finally gets to meet her mother Jiaying and nothing goes as planned.
Cast of Characters: Hawkeye (Barton), Quake, Phantasm (Drago)




Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Following a clue delivered by cat Grant - or was it Ward? - on a possible rendezvous point with her mother, Skye and Clint had quickly debriefed Nick of their intention of investigating the plush Crosby Street Hotel. Scooting the place at night had been a discarded possibility for the civilian nature of the location and the near impossibility to obtain valuable information from the front desk by barging in in combat attire. Nick - who proves every time that he should join SHIELD - had came up with a less conspicuous approach.

In order to accomplish this new plan, Clint Barton had to visit a specific department of the Triskelion which he never saw before. After what seemed like hours of torture for him - and minutes of fun for the special agents tending him - the archer escaped the Wardrobe Room with a very classy black 3-piece suit, complete with white shirt, shiny black shoes, black bow-tie, and a large business-like case that will serve to transport his bow and arrows. With this in hand, he had returned home, changed into this costume, and joined Skye and Nick in order to grab a taxi to reach the Hotel.

And now, they stand there, in front of the amazingly luxurious hotel, ready to start their investigation on Skye's Mom, Jiaying, leader of the Inhumans.

Quake has posed:
Skye had been to the department about as many times as Clint had. She really didn't enjoy putting on girlish things. Well not so girlish, ahem! Still her sojourn was relatively easy, compared to his.

Standing before Clint, she shook her head. "Remember when we went out for dinner at the expensive restaurant?" Like Tony Stark expensive. They hadn't managed to make it for their appetiser to be delivered.

No, Clint and Skye were not the people you wanted to take out to your fancy todo.

"You look nice! Five minutes is what I'm betting before you tug on the tie." Skye grins. "So what are the plans?" She nodded to Nick.

For her part, she had on a sheath of a dress that cascaded down to the floor, high heels, opera glove (to hide her bracers), and a wrap. All in black.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
It is at this time that one should say 'Define less conspicuous'. While Nick's suggestion has prevented the poor front desk clerk from being grilled by the more agressively attired. It still involves bringing in a celebrity for a discreet affair.

Is there such a thing?

Nick's attire, while considerably more dressed up than what he has worn before runs by different guidelines. He is a class of celebrity called musician and even though he may know violin, he's hardly considered of the classical type. Nick's attire is slightly more relaxed because rich-ass rock stars don't give a shit about tradition. Where the white shirt would be in the ensemble, he wears red and where Clint has on a bow tie, Nick has skipped it.

Damn the rules.

But as a concession to the whiny, he did leave it to just one of the top buttons being undone on the dress shirt. His long hair has also been tamed back to a neat ponytail.

Upon the pair reaching the hotel and settling things with the driver, Nick retrieves an overnight bag from the vehicle, and glances to the hotel before taking the additional three steps to join the other two. "Alright." Nick states, "Let's go check in."

Considering the nature of how they get into the hotel, Nick ends up turning towards the hotel first.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The archer grins at Skye, "Five minutes? Damn, it took me twice that time just to tie the dang thing." And then his eyes travel all over her feminine form. Appreciatively. "Oh yeah," Clint replies in a low voice, "You look amazing, I'd love to miss the appetizers again, just right now."

All teasing aside, they do have a mission. Sort of anyway.

As the trio is now formed, and just before they walk in, the archer quickly reviews the marching orders. "Get a room." Beat. "I mean, we need a room." Another beat. It's hard to keep a straight mind when Skye looks so nice. "Dang. Nick, you rent the suite, then we wait for the dead of night, and go on investigating. It's 22:00 now, which will give us time to plan more in detail. And order something to eat."

As they enter the magnificent hotel lobby, they walk by the large 12-foot-long bronze statue of a black cat. Which is the clue Skye and Clint think might be related to the location where her Mom is hiding. Or waiting.

"Ok, remind me to never complaint about how fat the cats are," he states as he glances at the huge metal cat guarding the doors to the hotel lobby.

As they step in, they can notice staff waiting to welcome the rich and famous - of which only Nick can really pretend to be part of. Security is paramount in this place with vid cameras covering every door and angle of the large lobby.

Quake has posed:
"Was there even an opera tonight?" Ooops? Maybe they should have checked before they put on the outfits. Skye had a grin on her face. "Probably it took you more time to get that bowtie right then everything else."

Oh.. yes. Skye was remembering that night.

As they wandered in, Skye surreptitiously looks around the hotel's lobby. Checking for video cameras. Hidey holes which protected from that. And the usual people who were wandering in and out - guests and staff.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Not being challenged by security, Nick comes up to the front desk and sets his bag down upon the floor. His foot shifts the bag between himself and the deep brown wood front of the desk. Straightening up, he rests his hands upon the desktop.

Nick glances to the woman typing at her keyboard, not making a sound as he watches her amusedly. Eventually the realization someone is there takes hold and the typing slows to a stop.

Nick smiles. "Hi."

Large eyes look back. "Omigod..."

Looks like someone is new.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint walked behind Nick with Skye, close enough to the rock star for the staff to realize that they form a trio. At the reaction of the staff at the desk upon recognizing Nick, the archer rolls his eyes. Not two minutes in, and the poster boy has been recognized. Figures, with him being known all over the planet.

This also suits Clint, since all the attention is focused on Nick and the agents are almost ignored. Might not be the best way to pass incognito. But there isn't much other choice than to move with the parade if they want to find information.

"What a misery it must be, to be rich and famous," the archer comments under his breath.

By that time, Clint has counted the number of staff on the floor, number of cameras, exits, windows and other useful details. With Skye's laptop in his briefcase, running and capturing information on the hotel's network, she will have to analyse the data once they get to the room.

Quake has posed:
Oh god. He actually did it!

Then again he made it easy for them to check in. As he did the check in, she pretended to lounge across the front desk. Bored. Or so she pretended.

While her computer downloaded the last three months of guests, she managed to put a bug on the computer where the girl was oohing and aaahing over Nick. This way she didn't have to be here, or break into the hotel.

Thanks Nick!

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Hey. Nick has said time and again he's not an agent. Clint wanted him to pull the Rockstar card so... HERE they go. The perks and the downsides in one package.

Nick takes his time with the lady at the front desk. Based from the initial reaction, she wasn't complaining with the added time with the musician and true to high end hotel form, it's apparent that one of the reasons she was hired was so those being waited on by her didn't mind the wait earlier.

There's plenty of time for the duo to get their initial setup in place as the basic dance of the hotel clerk and celebrity wanting a quiet place to relax takes place. A last second, impulsive decision. No reservation. What is the best they have to offer right this moment? Of course the late check out oh and yes of course... that other thing.

Exchange completed and envelope in hand. Nick gives the woman a warm smile once more before he scoops his bag up off of the floor. With nary a word, he starts to head to the elevator, letting the entourage follow him if they'd like.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Follow if they want? Clint is not leaving Nick's shadow as he does indeed follow the rock star, offering his arm to Skye as he starts to get the feeling of being rich and famous. Might as well have fun, "If you will?" he asks Skye, inviting her to follow.

As soon as they will reach the room, the tie is destined to the trash basket! Dang this thing is trying to strangle him. And then they'll have access to everything from this hotel, including anything they might have in the Cloud. As they approach the elevator, a staff member calls the elevator.

Quake has posed:
Skye leaves the hotel front desk reluctantly, and waves at the girl who checked them in. As far as the staff would know Nick had friends who were not quite the type who would be able to afford the hotel, never mind rub elbows with the guests.

Which was almost true. Skye had taken those classes to be able to fit in. But she figured, get them looking for one type of guest, and use the other.

"Oooh, they call the elevator for you!" Who needs them to call upon?? Holy cow. "Thanks." Always catching the person by the eyes.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick keeps the envelope in his hand closed, obscuring the room number the clerk had written inside its fold. The musician gives the staffer pressing the button a nod. The reaction is better schooled than the one at the front desk as a silent nod is returned. When the elevator door opens up, Nick steps in. When the three are safely inside, the elevator zooms them up. ALL THE WAY TO THE

Third Floor.

This is what happens when you don't have a reservation.

But it turns out to still be nice. The suite still boasts two bedrooms to it. And being Nick's not dating anyone in the group, it looks like he's getting one all to himself.

Once inside with the door shut, Nick pockets his key and hands the envelope with the two remaining keys over to the one closest to him. He looks to the couple. "Do you guys want the room to the right or the one to the left?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
As soon as the door is closed, Clint walks in and places his briefcase on a table. Not a coffee table, a real table. This is a /large/ suite, larger than his digs in Williamsburg. The briefcase is open, revealing its content: his folded bow and arrows, and Skye's own weapon, her laptop.

Looking around quickly, the archer locks eyes with Skye and signs to her //We need make sure no listening bugs//.

Having spotted the kitchen corner facilities, including a coffee maker and a mini fridge bar, the archer intends on having coffee up and running immediately. It will be a long night.

As he walks by Nick, a large grin appears on the archer's face as he answers his question. "We rarely keep to a single room, but we'll try to be good," he says, chuckling. Understand what you want. Yeah, it's a serious unofficial mission, which doesn't mean you can't joke around.

Quake has posed:
~When I was stealing from companies, apparently I was doing something wrong!~

With that she checked out the room for bugs. "I don't know? He's paying for all of them, isn't he? Can't we roll a die, and then switch every hour?" Yes, Skye was having fun. ~So far, all clear. We can use the dns scrambler with my laptop.~

And, of course, the white noise scrambler.

Once everything was in place, the laptop was opened up. "Coffee please." And began to weed out the data.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
To be honest, the suite is larger than the condo Nick shared with Wade and the apartment he got when he moved to the Baxter Building. But there's really no reason to point this out to the other two.

Nick quietly watches as Clint signs to Skye. Frowning for a moment, His lips part as if to say something. But a sound doesn't come out.

When he hears Skye's added in joke, He shakes his head, turning to head to the room on the left. "Fine. I pick this one then. And thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to lock my door so your antics don't overflow onto my stuff."

The room Nick ends up picking has a bit of an interest in the color blue. It's just...everywhere. He shakes his head, setting the overnight bag on the floor of the bathroom before going over to the bed.

"Hmm. At least blue is a calming color." He mutters, flipping up the side of the sheet to check along the mattress, looking for a different type of bug altogether.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Soon, the coffee smell fills the suite and Clint returns with three large mugs filed with fresh brew, that he places on the table, close to Skye so she only has to extend her hand to grab one. That is typical Skye's working station.

With the white noise scrambler on, now they can speak more at ease and Nick can hear them from his room. "Ok, good, no bug in here. I guess any Chinese national will be of interest," he says, watching Skye accessing the data from the front desk. "I doubt she would register under her name. And heck," he frowns at that, "We might be ending up with nothing more than a hefty bill."

With that, the archer sits on one of the very comfy couch, enjoying the excellent coffee. "In a few hours, I'll go have a look around. I checked the blueprints, and will focus on the upper floor. For the richest and famousest."

Quake has posed:
"Well, she could have registered with a man. Which makes this more difficult.. Let me see.."

But Skye has a few things she wants to check: Chuju. Either the name, or the flowers. If her mother was here, she would want to be found. What better way than her daughter's name. She looked over the names of guests, and if anyone orders bunches of daisies.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Finding no sign of bed bugs, Nick smiles slightly, straightening up the bed once more. Taking the suit jacket off, he hangs it up and undoes another button on his shirt. Alone in the room, he stands at the foot of the bed, holds his arms out in a 'Y' pattern and falls back. Despite how well made the bed may be, there's still enough of a give to give a slight sound to tip off the others to what he's doing.

Yep. The super cool rock star just flopped onto the bed. Sort of. His still shoed feet are dangling off, careful not to mess with the comforter. Despite his more horizontal state and his eyes closing, he does listen in to the conversation going on through the open door.

"And those who had time to get a reservation." Nick points out. Although he's not protesting too much. Like hell he wanted to drop $6K on a room he might not get to enjoy for long.

He sighs, enjoying the comfort of the bed. Being that right now is Skye's time to shine, it just makes sense for him to kick back, relax, and rest.

Eh, if they really need him they can just call him into the room.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
As he waits for any results from Skye's investigation, Clint enjoys the coffee. Having memorized the floor plan of the upper floor, the archer is planning his own reconnaissance of the 10th Floor.

"You know," he says, rubbing his forehead, "If she's around, and did not do anything yet, it's kind of a good sign, don't you think?"

His coffee finished, the archer stands. And staggers. "Woah, super soft carpet," he grins, then walks to the table to check on Skye's laptop. And doesn't make it.

The room starts to spin, and the archer can hardly stay on his legs. Behind him, first the door, then the windows, resonate with a loud click sound, as if an extra lock had been activated on them.

"Oh shit," Clint says, falling to his knees. "Gas.. Think the.. mouse got.. the cats."

The room is soon filled with anesthetic gas of high efficiency, it resulting in the archer falling down on the carpet, unconscious.

Quake has posed:
Damn. There wasn't anything Skye could do. Sure she could delay it, using her powers, but there really wasn't anything with vibrations.

Still, she tried to get out of the room.

Leaving her laptop, and her powers were used, she got almost to the door before she passed out as well.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the two agents came to the horrifying realization of what is going on with Clint even giving warning. There is no last minute rescue coming from Nick. With him lying down and already starting to doze off, just a small bit of Clint's utterances even reached his ear.

"Wha-"

The musician's question isn't completed as he drifts fully asleep.

But on the bright side-

The bed really IS comfy.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
As the SHIELD agents and the rock star lie down, prone, the same sound can be heard all around the room, the door and windows unlocking. The door opens and two men step in, standing guard.

A lone figure appears in the door frame, a woman looking to be in her forties. She steps in, glancing over at the bedroom where Nick is visibly unconscious, then her gaze falls on the two agents in front of her.

"Huanying Chuju"

Then she turns around, and leaves.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Some time later, on the rooftop of the Crosby Street Hotel.

The hotel's kitchen garden is situated on an unused space on 12th floor rooftop. It's an urban fruit and vegetable patch which supplies the hotel with fresh, seasonal produce such as melons, blueberries, tomatoes and herbs. All things that Skye Johnson would dream of not eating. There is also a Tudor style chicken coop with chickens that produce unique pale blue eggs.

Right now, the coop has found another utilitarian use in the form of prisoners' post where Nick and Clint are tied with heavy chains to the vertical posts supporting the coop, with a good four feet separating them. For some reason, they have been undressed except for their pants, leaving them bare chested, with the exception for Clint, who is still sporting the offending black bow tie. Someone has a sense of humour.

By their side, keeping an eye on them, are two armed henchmen, the muzzles of their automatic riffles constantly aimed at them.

In front of the coop, at about twenty feet, a nice 5-feet-long shiny oak table has been dressed, with one large wing chairs at each extremity. On the table has been served what looks like traditional Chinese dishes, including dumplings, rice cakes, and Poon choi. On the side of the table is a Chinese tea set.

In one of the wing chairs lies Skye, unrestrained, while the other one is occupied by the same woman that entered the suite after the trio had been put to sleep. Literally.

"You can now stop faking being asleep, Haizi," Jiaying says matter of factly. From her direct vantage of her daughter, she was able to determine exactly when her gas-induced sleep ended with the return of her normal breathing.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well, it's a good thing Nick exercises and maintains good hygiene. Otherwise, he'd be very self-conscious right about now. Well, assuming he had his full faculties. But it seems that when Nick gets dosed with something meant for sleep, it's super effective. Head hanging down, its likely the chains that are doing all the work serving to hold him upright.

Quake has posed:
She'd been awake for several seconds, trying to get her balance, and get an idea of where she was. Skye knew she wasn't alone - that was for certain. What she didn't know is that this was her mother.

Haizi. Child.

Her eyes opened, there was no need to pretend anymore. But 'child' threw her. ..Child?

Unless..

"Muqin." Skye tested her limbs. "I should have known."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Reaching for a bamboo basket full of a variety of dumplings, Jiaying helps herself. The Inhuman mother seems quite relaxed and even enjoying the meal, with her daughter and the uninvited chained guests.

"I cannot believe you will be thirty years old soon. I thought we could enjoy a meal together," she says, while pouring herself a glass of water. "I will never forget the joy I felt holding you in my arms for the first time." She then glances over at the men chained to the posts, "You are doing well, Chuju. But I cannot accept that you would prefer the company of such men, weak men, instead of mine and your own people."

Her gaze returns on Skye, studying her reaction to this statement.

At this point, Clint slowly returns to the present, with a ponding head. Frowning, it takes him about one second to realize his position. A slight movement confirms that the chaining has been done quite thoroughly. Forcing his head up, the archer quickly assesses the set up, with Skye and her Mom seemingly enjoying a meal.

"Oh, hi there, Mom," Clint croaks, grinning. "Long time no see." Beat. "Wait, never seen you. I'd ask how you've been, but I'd have to care."

At that, Jiaying raises her left arm, index pointing at the sky above. The immediate reaction is for Clint to find himself starring at the end of a risfle. The lethal end, that is.

"Silence, mongrel," Jiaying says, not even looking at the archer. "If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. Do not force me to change my mind."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
It is an odd sense when the effects of the gas relinquishes a little bit of its hold. The eyelids are still a bit heavy but there is a gradual awareness of the darkness being from the lids. Another realization that hits Nick is that he's no longer lying on the bed he had been on earlier. Instead he's...sitting?

Why is he cold? Well duh. His shirt is off.

But why is his shirt off?

By this point Clint running his mouth and getting a general reaction is starting to fill in some blanks. Or at least Nick thinks.

Either way, he's still getting his bearings.

Quake has posed:
"Skye. My name is Skye." Never mind she had this exact same talk with her father, and in the end he recognized her new name, and she allowed her to call her Daisy. "Si Kai."

"And don't threaten my friends, or I will leave." Ha! Fat chance. Until she cleared her head, she was a prisoner just like them. "What do you want anyways? I've been here. You could have talked with me anytime."

Like when Calvin showed up and caused that rigmarole that ended up with her being Quake. Or earlier. Like when she drifted through all those foster parents only to find herself in an orphanage. Or anytime since she's become Quake.

She must know that she became Quake??

"How are they? My friends." My boyfriend, in particular.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Jiaying takes the time to sample some of the different dishes, always looking totally relaxed and at ease, visibly enjoying the meal. She raises an eyebrow at Skye's statement about her name.

"You can be Skye to yourself," Jiaying states, "But you will always be Chuju to me."

At the mention of her friends, the mother simply extends her left arm in the general direction of the chicken coop, about twenty feet away, where the chained men are sitting. The view is partially obstructed by some plants, but once Skye's eyes and focus is fully returned, she will see them.

"What I want?" Jiaying repeats, "I wanted to see you and share a nice meal - which you are unrespectful and not eating."

She pauses, her gaze returning on Skye before assuring, "I have no ill intentions toward your friends as long as they behave as the good little boys that they are. But since you brought the subject, I must tell you that I am quite sad to see you associating with a circus freak and a rock star, among other SHIELD agents." She pauses again, smiling, "I would much prefer to see you with a god, or someone with some power."

Meanwhile, the archer got the message, delivered by the automatic riffle muzzle which is now removed from under his nose. It's clear that Skye's mother doesn't mess around when comes the time to get her point across. But she has a point: if she wanted them dead, they would already be cold meat.

Glancing over at Nick, Clint makes sure his companion is fine. "Hey, Nick? You ok over there? Going back to sleep and /dream/?" The way the word dream is pronounced seems to indicate the importance of the word.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Listening can only get so much information. Other than the headache, Nick's pretty much gathered that they're outside, and he's chained up to some type of post. Clint's somewhere to the side of him and Skye is somewhere to the front of him. And for some damn reason, his shirt didn't meet the dress code for wtf they are.

Nick's also determined he doesn't like Skye's mother very much.

Clint calling his name does help with the encouraging to look. Just a bit differently than before.

Feigning grogginess isn't hard for Nick. The fading aftereffects of the gas does help with getting into the mindset. Eyelids slowly blink open and closed, taking in the location of the table, those seated at it, the gunmen, and Clint. His eyes close as he nods.

Or nods off, hard to tell as Nick's head doesn't lift back up after it lowers.

In a way, it might be a good thing that Nick's lower arms are covered in chains. It hides the scar's shifting to the other arm.

Quake has posed:
Skye was not happy. Not one little bit. Still she put some dumplings on her plate, as if to say 'There? Happy?"

As her mother goes on, talking about the boys, Skye gets angier, to the point she clenches her jaw, and spat out, "A circus freak? Pardon? I'll have you know he's an Avenger. And a damn fine one too. The others all depend on him. Besides, I love him. What do I care what he is?"

Sorry Nick, she nailed you.. except Jaijing didn't quite get the whole thing correct. Nick /also/ had powers. And with luck her mother didn't know about them. If she doesn't know, then Skye was /not/ going to poke anything that might tweak her mother's memory.

Nick was her ace in the hole.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Skye's outburst leaves her mother unfazed, as she drinks some water, looking around the table and finally locating the moon cakes. She points to a plate of very appetizing greens close to her daughter's plate. "Do not forget to eat vegetables," Jiaying states, "Or you will make your little paramour sad." The smile on Skye's mother face is bright as she mentions the vegetables, which might reveal the extent of what she knows about her daughter's private life.

After a moment, the smile on Jiaying's face disappear, and she remains silent for a moment. "Like I said," she starts, "I wanted to see you. You need to stop your association with SHIELD. They are using you. Do this, and I promise to help you work on developing your potential to its fullest. You will be by my side, as you should always have been."

Meanwhile, said paramour keeps observing the scene before him, knowing how much Skye wanted to find her mother. Judging by the ways Jiaying talks and acts, the archer isn't sure that Skye is enjoying the meeting. Meanwhile, the gunmen stept backward, out of sight of Nick and Clint, which doesn't help assess the escape options with a possible riffle aimed at them.

Another escape option might be with Nick, and his special ability. It worked once to extract the archer from an awkward position. Maybe it could work again. But there's nothing Clint can do right now, so it might be best to let the women talk and see how it turns out.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Ace in the hole or not, there's a bit of a slow reveal when it comes to Nick. The situation is quite awkward. Clint is a bit too far for him to just simply grab on to the Avenger and get him out. Nor would he believe Clint would want that. Not with Skye presently sharing a table with the mom.

Also the very reason they were at the hotel was so Skye could find the woman. Acting ahead of time had the potential of one of them getting shot. It probably wouldn't be him though so-

Hmm.

Nah. He'd rather that not happen.

So Nick continues giving the outward appearances of being the good guest.

Nick cracks an eye open, taking in the beam that connects the two posts, making it one piece.

Bingo.

His hand rest against the post he's resting against, focusing his ability on that part of the structure. Ok. No sudden jump starts but if stuff goes down, at least Clint can make a break for it.

Quake has posed:
"Wow." Skye can't believe it. "You are just like everyone. aren't you?"

"For one thing, I don't eat my vegetables just because you tell me too. And saying Clint's name doesn't do it for me. What did I think, I am five? That's the last time that type of talk was used on me successfully."

If that.

"I'm good where I am. Really good. And more so SHIELD respects me for my original skill. I'm amongst the top ten in the world." Could be in the top four. "You make me sick. You know? You could have all along reached out to me. Long before I got my powers. And suddenly, after my powers came, and learned them, then.. and only then.. did you want me by your side."

"As though you needed to be sure about my powers. Nothing about me. Just my powers. So fuck you. Ta ma de."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
It seems that what Skye just spat out did it for Jiaying. As the mother suddenly pushes her seat back and stands, frowning, there is like an electrical current making the henchmen move forward, as if to signify their readiness. Their master isn't happy.

Jiaying takes the time to inhale deeply before speaking. "You speak of circumstances you do not know about," she states, "It was never my choice what happened to you. I did not want to interfere with your choices, once I found you again. But I must admit that your choices were not the right ones." As she speaks, she steps toward the chicken coop, eyeing the chained men for a moment. She then turns around to look at Skye, "You show only disrespect and ungratefulness in return for all I have given you. Your life. Your friends' lives. Which I could just take right now."

At the mention of killing Clint and Nick, resounding clicks can be heard coming from the automatic riffles.

"You say you are amongst the ten best. I offer you to be the best. Why would you settle for less when you can have it all? You are highly illogical."

While the conversation turns to argument, Clint tries his best to keep his mouth shut. Better shut than shot. As if to make sure Nick was on the same track, the archer glances at his companion. Nick's posture doesn't seem quite right to him, as if he was still recovering from the anesthetic gas. Or, it could also mean that something is going on on this side. Which, frankly, Clint hopes for, since the fan started spinning and the shit seems to be about ready to hit it. Whatever happens - and something needs to - it will most likely require reacting quickly. And get the hell out of here.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the implied threat of killing him and Clint is heard, Nick finds it a good time to have his eyes open for what may come. He does need to allow a chance for them to get adjusted to what light there is out after all.

After he takes care of one thing of course. The energy passes through the portion of the coop that both he and Clint are chained to. And with it, some general effects may become noticable to the Avenger soon enough. But being that he couldn't really TELL Clint about it. It seems now is as good a time as any to draw some attention to his side of the coop. Minor as it may be.

"Nggh." Slowly he blinks his eyes open. He looks down to his bindings like it's the first time he's been made aware of them. "...the f-?"

Quake has posed:
"Let me see. You didn't want to take me from SHIELD. Except I am ruining my chances at being the best?" Skye is, frankly, pissed. Good thing she's got training to keep her temper down. Sure she's pissed, and her voice is almost over the edges, but as far as tempers went, she still had control.

Thank goodness. She blew up the entire underwater lab the first time. And the entire forest later.

Skye losing her temper was not a happy thing.

"I meant my hacking. But once again, all you can think about is my powers and how you can use them."

"Give me Clint and Nick. Now." Skye pushes her chair back. "You blew it. You could have had a daughter. Instead you saw me as a pawn. One more piece that you could push on the board. No. I'm not playing that. For Hydra. For you. And frankly, if SHIELD starts to treat me like that? Not even SHIELD."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Skye's mother stands, listening to her daughter. She slowly shakes her head, maybe in dismay, as she walks closer to Skye's chair.

"When you are done with your tantrum," Jiaying starts, "And you start thinking like a mature person, we will resume this conversation." She pauses, leaning just a bit forward to lock eyes with Skye as she adds, "I am not asking you to be a pawn," she slowly states, "I am telling you that I want you at my side. For the day I am no more, you will be the first. I fail to see how this meets the definition of a pawn."

That said, Jiaying walks toward the door leading down from the rooftop and departs, not before adding over her shoulder. "We will meet again, Chuju."

Meanwhile, the henchman closest to Nick looks down at his prisoner who just seems to be emerging from his slumber, shrugging his shoulder as the rock star still seems quite out of it. On his side, the archer did feel some changes in the post on which he is chained. Not wanting to alert the guards, he slowly tests the resistance against the chains. It seems to be gone. While this isn't time to ask questions, Clint quickly assesses the distance between him and the guards.

There's a second, or two, between the moment Clint leaps to his feet, the chain loosening around him, and the henchmen's realization that something is happening. Years of training makes it possible for him to quickly kick one guard's head with his foot. The henchman falls to the floor, unconscious. And by the time the remaining guard takes aim, the archer is already gone, rounding behind the chicken coop while getting rid of the chains. The guard closest to Nick redirects his aim, waiting for the archer to emerge from the other side of the coop.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Due to to the nature of what he's doing, Nick remains seated until he sees Clint leap up. No longer needing to loan his powers out to the coop, the musican's eyes close for the briefest of seconds before he launches himself up. Lacking a person to wrap around, the chains fall to the ground while the musician barrels into the man starting to aim in Clint's direction. A hand grabs onto the gun to control where it's pointing.

Quake has posed:
Oh yes, Jiaying got under Skye's skin - and not in a good way either.

Still in a rising fury, she turned on the one who had, unfortunately, had his gun on Clint. Poor henchman..

Skye lifts her hand and focuses, as she descends on him. At first it doesn't look like she is doing a thing. Until, he begins to clutch his heart, and goes pale. Really, really pale.

Still she gets closer.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Skye's powers are known to Clint, and the archer quickly realizes what is happening. Instead of jumping to neutralize an armed gunman, now his priority is to stop what is happening. And what is happening, exactly? More than Skye killing a man.

Now freed of the chains, the archer runs to Skye, tackling her at the waist, falling on the floor with her securely held in his arms.

"Skye! Stop," he commands, "Don't be like her." His voice then lowers, taking a comforting tone, "Stop, Keyboard. It's over. All's fine," he adds, using her nickname.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
NOT aware of Skye's power but currently on top of the guy feeling Skye's wrath, the musician finds it easier to separate the firearm from the guard's grasp. Quite possibly because the guy is clutching his chest now.

However it doesn't quite register until after the gun is shoved away from the man that there are more pressing concerns. When it does, Nick rolls off the man, looking wide eyed. Did he ac-? "N-n-"

His features unreverse as he drops his powers, staring at the downed man.

Quake has posed:
She wants to reach out with her anger. Really she does..

When Clint tackles Skye, it is enough to break her concentration and let the poor henchmen regain his heartbeat.

"Let me go!" She wants to carry on! Really she does. But to do that either Clint would have to let her go, or she would attack Clint. There's the rub. Attack Clint, or let the anger go.

"Let me go!" Clint probably shouldn't let her go. It's the Keyboard that begins to open her mind and realises what she *almost* has done. "Get. Me out. Of. Here.. Before I lose myself."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Usually, when she is pissed or annoyed, the archer usually uses a distraction, which often ends in more horizontal endeavours. But this is more than pissed or annoyed, and usual tricks won't work.

Releasing his grip around her, Clint lets her go, getting on his feet. Glancing over at the guard and seeing that he's still alive - although in a very poor state - the archer holds his hand to help Skye to her feet.

"Come on, Nick," he says, "Let's get the hell outta here. Now." Taking Skye's hand in his, not letting go of her, he points to the fire escape ladder at the edge of the roof and starts in this direction. The door would be safer, if not for the risk of meeting Mom-in-Law-From-Hell again. Which would be the last thing they would need right now.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Pale eyes continue to fixate upon the downed guard. As the man seemingly starts to recover, the musician lets out a breath he didn't realize he was even holding. The utterance of his name causes for Nick to blink, looking in the direction of Clint. "Uh yeah..." He pushes himself up to his feet, glancing around. "Anyone see a red shirt laying around?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
For some reasons, which the trio will not question at this time, all their belongings - including Nick's shirt, Skye's laptop and Clint's briefcase - were left on a table near the table dinner. On their way out, the group can leave with everything they brought in.

The escape is completed successfully, without any trace of Jiaying who is probably already gone. For now.

Not that any of them misses her.