5354/Changeling: You are Cordially Invited...

Changeling: You are Cordially Invited...
Date of Scene:	12 September 2018
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	Clint is kidnapped! Skye is called to discuss terms for his release. Skye and May change things up, tune in for the exciting conclusion(s)!
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Quake, Melinda May
Tinyplot:	Changeling

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Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Earlier...

Released from monitor duty early, Clint had come, home dropped his Avengers kit off in the basement and decided to celebrate his time off with an early morning beer and a game of Bass Pro 10 on the StarkBox.

It was a whole hour before the cops and the army caught up to him and killed his fisherman. He didn't know how this stuff kept happening. Apparently other people didn't have this problem with the game (ref: ).

Of course as he's trying to make his failed escape he spills his beer on himself. He grumbles, gives himself a sniff and decides to pause the game.

"Time for a shower," he says to the empty house and pads upstairs tossing the beer soaked shirt in the laundry bin on the way to the ensuite in the room he shared with Skye.

Flicking on the bathroom light on his way into the bathroom Clint turns on the water in the shower all the way up to scalding. Then stifling a yawn and waiting for the water to heat, he looks at himself in the mirror and flexes a little, makes a face and then frowning leans forward to check out a bruise on his forehead. "When did I hit my head?" he wonders to himself.

He never sees the blow coming.

One second he's looking at himself in the mirror, the next second his head feels like it's split open and he's lying on the bathroom tile.

He turns trying to find purchase for his feet on the slick tile but his head spins and the ramen he had for dinner tonight splatters on the tile as he vomits from the head wound.

That's when the men come in.

They're dressed in black suit jackets and pants with white shirts and black ties, single colour neon masks over their eyes.

The Neon Dragons, he remembered them from Hong Kong, they looked silly but they kick like pros, laying into him with their fancy dress shoes.

Clint had taken worse.

He drives a heel into one guy's groin then twists on the wet puke splattered tile to scissor one guy's legs out from under him. Two more take his place diving on him, messing up their suits, but they've got stun guns.

Clint twitches and goes limp.

Now...

When Skye is due to return home from the Trisk, the house is quiet, but the lights are all on, the TV showing the pause screen for Bass Pro 10 is on.

A beer, wet and empty sits on a coaster on the coffee table and there's a wet spot of beer on the cushions.

Quake has posed:
Skye felt a bit guilty about not telling Clitn what she'd been up to. To be fair, she hadn't fully intended on going all out investigator on the crystals, only once she'd started, she found herself hooked on needing to know - despite the fact that they had a number of other pressing issues she should be looking into.

Some of them even work.

She smirks and shakes her head when she comes in the front door to the tv pause, and beer can just sitting there. Likely Clint had gotten himself distracted and headed downstairs to try some shot he'd just thought of.

Turning off the game, picking up the can, Skye heads to the kitchen to throw the can out, and to check downstairs for Clint.

"Hey, Hotshot, I know we've got a maid, but you know where the cans go." Voice teasing. "I mean, c'mon, you had to walk by the garbage to get down here."

Only, he's not down there, which is puzzling.

Nap? Could he have gone for a nap upstairs? Why he'd have left the game on, she doesn't know, but enh, it wasn't a huge problem.

Turning off the basement light, she starts locking up and shutting things off as she heads upstairs to join him.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
As Skye is turning off lights in the basement she finds the door to the security box is open, and if her lessons with May and Clint on getting past security are still fresh she can see someone bypassed it; cleanly and professionally.

The rest of the house is deathly quiet.

Quake has posed:
Now, there are good reasons for not letting agents wander around their homes with SHIELD issued weapons, but at a time like this, Skye can't think of any at all, and really, really wishes she had one.

May, however, would calmly point out she's got all the training she needs, gun or no gun - that she is the weapon.

Skye wisely finds herself a flashlight, because if they've gotten to the box, she can't count on the power.

Slowly, carefully, she mounts the stairs to upstairs, clearing rooms as she goes.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The main floor clears quickly. Though in the kitchen the back door has been left slightly ajar. A closer inspection shows no sign of forced entry.

Upstairs, one of the expensive rugs left in the place is missing from the space at the top of the stairs, the guest rooms look untouched, but the carpet seems trampled by multiple pairs of feet. As she draws closer to the master bedroom she can hear the shower running.

Quake has posed:
"Shit!" The single word is uttered softly, but meaningfully. If she hadn't seen the box, she might have just thought he'd gone for a shower and forgotten to turn his game off. But with the box? The missing rug? The mussed carpet?

Skye moves the flashlight to her left hand, police-style, and heads into the room she shares with Clint. Silently, as she knows he'sn ot just there thinking about her and having a good time with the water running.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
In the bedroom the bed is made and the door to the ensuite is open, spilling yellow light into the rest of the room.

Nudging the door to the ensuite all the way open, shows, spots of blood and a pool of puke on the wet tiles. The shower is running cold despite the temperature knob turned half-way into the red, just like Clint likes it.

Quake has posed:
Carefully, Skye shuts the shower off. If they're here, they know she is too, so there's no sense pretending or letting the thing run. Not to mention, the noise aids them, making it harder for her to detect any other sounds in the house. And once the shower is off, she examines the mess on the floor for heat, and how gelled or dried the blood has gotten - though with the water running cold as it is, Skye already knows it's been awhile. Which means whoever they are, whoever has Clint, are long gone, and him with them.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The remaining condensation on the tile has kept the spots mostly liquid but the thicker parts of the pool of puke has begun to harden, that along with the cold water that had poured from the shower suggests whatever happened, happened a while ago.

The quiet of the brownstone is broken by an urgent knock on the front door.

Quake has posed:
Flashlight still in her ledt hand, Skye carefully heads back downstairs.

Even though she's cleared the rooms, she still takes caution, and definitely uses the peephole before opening the door.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Outfront on the stoop is the pinched face framed by silver locks of the Floofy Dog Lady, aka Florence Sutcliffe. Like always she looks, like she wants to give someone a piece of her mind. "Helllooo" she calls. "I saw you come home. I know you're in there."

Quake has posed:
"Fuuuck," Skye whispers, her cuss word being upgraded in favour of Floofy Dog Lady.

Taking a deep breath, and exhaling slowly, Skye plants a smile on her face and opens the door partially, left hand, still holding the flashlight, behind the door, with the right controlling the opening edge.

"Mrs. Sutcliffe. Uh.. we didn't leave our garbage bins out did we? I thought Thursday was garbage night?" Skye didn't recall walking past them on her way in, and if they'd forgotten them that long, she'd have expected a knock on the door days ago. "Uh. I mean, uh, hi, What's up? Can I help you?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"I wanted to let you know the Orientals you hired to take your rug away to be cleaned were very rude and they should really lose your business," Florence explains, the term Orientals thrown around without even a breath of self-awareness given her audience. "I was walking Fifi, when I saw them come out back with your rug and I asked them how much they'd clean my for, and they told me to," she drops her voice, "F off," she says in a conspiratorial tone, "Before hurling your rug in the back of their van and driving away. Absolutely disgusting, if I were you, I'd call the company and complain."

Quake has posed:
Skye's brain goes into overdrive. Orientals (as Mrs. Sutcliffe put it). The rug. Clint. Missing. It was all coming together now.

"Uh, look, I've got the shower running. Late shift. But thanks for letting me know. I'll make sure I let them know exactly how unhappy I am with them."

And she could be absolutely truthful about it, too. In fact, Mrs. Sutcliffe should be very certain by Skye's tones, and darkening features, that Skye is very, very unhappy with her 'rug cleaners' and they were going to get more than just a piece of her mind.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Good," Mrs. Sutcliffe says with a firm nod. "You do that. I mean we don't mind who you hire to work on your home, but, if they're rude to the neighbours, well, they can't really be the best people to handle your rug, are they?" she says then turns to leave, only to stop and turn back. "Oh," she digs into her purse, "One of them left this," she hands over a neon green domino mask, like the ones the gang in Hong Kong wore.

Quake has posed:
Skye has to force herself not to snatch up the mask. She takes it carefully, still keeping her left hand behind the door, really wishing now that she had an ICER and not a flashlight there. Still, she wasn't about to shoot Mrs. Sutcliffe, so and ICER wouldnt do much but make her feel slightly more capable of handling the fact that Clint had been kidnapped by the group they'd confronted in Hong Kong. They'd suspected, but not confirmed a connection to the Hand.

Rudely, perhaps, Skye closes the door abruptly once she's got the mask. And equally without preamble, soon as the door is closed, she's pulling out her phone and texting May.

Skye >> Big problem. Not sure how official we make this yet. Need you. Now.

Melinda May has posed:
It takes about thirty seconds, but a reply appears on Skye's phone.

May >> Ten minutes.

Quake has posed:
Longest. Ten. Minutes. Of. Skye's. Life.

All she manages to do while waiting is pace, going over the fight in Hong Kong in her mind. Over and over, trying to figure out if there were any clues that might help her now. Nothing jumps out at her, nothing except the fact that SHIELD had rescued Genus from Matt's girlfriend.. the self same girlfriend who'd sent Darcy that gift.. the self same girlfriend who ran the Hand (oh, gods, why hadn't she told Fury that? Why? Or May? Or someone? What the hell was she thinking keeping /that/ a secret??) and now Clint was missing.

If it weren't for the mask she'd have thought.. "What, Skye? What? Right now you are up to your eyeballs in people gunning for you. This is why you have May coming over. Sit down and get control of yourself."

May will find the door unlocked, and Skye sitting on the couch - not the purple on, but the one facing it - staring at a mask in her hands. A process that would likely be helped more if she'd turned any lights on after closing the door on Mrs. Sutcliffe.

Melinda May has posed:
May lets herself into the house, frowning faintly at the lack of light sources. She pulls a baton and moves near-silently into the living room... and reaches to turn on a light when she sees Skye sitting there with something in her hands.

"Sitrep, Skye. Now." She puts the baton away and steps over to sit next to the younger woman.

Quake has posed:
Skye just shakes her head, but she has presence of mind enough to pass the mask over to May. "My neighbour dropped this off. Said my carpet men dropped it."

She swallows. "Clint and I ran into this group in Hong Kong. Stopped them from taking down this old man and a couple other businesses. We think we ran into them again when we headed into mainland China. Really didn't think much about it. Only Mrs. Sutcliffe says my carpet guys dropped this, and Clint is missing."

She knows she should have started with that salient point, but it's taken her that long to be able to say it without breaking down. And now that it's out, she feels shaky, but somehow relieved. Saying it didn't make things worse. They were just words. Even with the mess upstairs.

"They knocked him out. Vomit and blood upstairs. Already congealing. Shower was running cold. Based on how clint likes his showers, and the tank downstairs, they have an hour, hour-half lead on us?" Based on what she saw in the bathroom - but May was welcome to confirm Skye's figuring. "I don't know if this is personal, or if this is SHIELD."

A sigh.

"There are a few things you don't know." There was a time for secrets. And a time for truths. Skye knew they'd crossed that line.

Melinda May has posed:
May herself is the one that taught Skye how to reckon those kinds of things, so she doesn't have to reconfirm it. She believes the younger agent.

And then there's more. "Go on. Then we'll plan what to do next."

She's already making a mental list: Pull the traffic cam data from around the area for a vehicle big enough to transport a full size rug with a human rolled up inside. Track the most likely vehicles through the city and see where they end up. Based on the mention of Hong Kong, she's going to give preference to any vehicle going anywhere near the areas with heavier Asian populations. And she knows where they ALL are.

Quake has posed:
Skye runs through a list of the details she has from Hong Kong. "There wasn't a definitive Hydra connection. There wasn't a definitive connection to much of anything, but the biggest culprists were that, or the Hand."

She shrugs.

"We raided an underground " - literally - " tech centre where Lag was. You know that. Only, it seems Karl may not be totally under Hydra's thumb. He's been contacting me privately, trying to coerce me to come to him."

Not all new news to May. That's how and why they were after Lumley.

"We left it up in the air and didn't push. Trouble is, was just as likely it was Hand business we stumbled into. And that's where it gets really complicated."

There's an exhale from the young woman, and an apologetic shake of the head. "That whole rescue of Genus? Happened because we know who runs the Hand. I mean, it's not a third party we know, it's.. we know. Only you and Darcy and Clint don't know we know. I do."

With the implication, heavily weighted in how she says it, that Fury may not know this one either.

"I know who runs the Hand. And she just sent Darcy that birthday present. And Genus is missing. And.. I don't know if they took Clint because of that or because of Hong Kong or if this is tied up in something else, and I don't know what to do anymore, May."

Melinda May has posed:
May listens as Skye explains what she can, and doesn't once interrupt, though she does take the mask to examine while the younger woman is trying to explain about knowing the person in charge of the Hand. She looks over every inch of the mask, squinting a bit at the embossed symbols on the inside.

"First thing we're going to do is get Clint back. Suit up." She sets the mask aside and pulls her phone, making a call in to SHIELD. First request: traffic cam data for the time frame Skye mentioned. Second request: clearance to take a quinjet.

Quake has posed:
When the expected being yelled at doesn't happen, Skye is slightly surprised, but more so, it gives her the ability to pull herself together and do as May asks. Suiting up she can do. Gear she'll have to pick up at the Trisk.

Of course now she was going to have to tell Matt that Elektra's secret was out, but in the grander scheme of things, she had bigger concerns to worry about. Ultimately, if that gift to Darcy was a bargaining chip, or a cry for help, keeping Elektra's secret wasn't going to help, and within the circle of those who would know in SHIELD, it would still be as much of a secret as could be. It wasn't like they were taking out a full page ad in the New York Daily announcing it.

In short order, the younger woman is ready to go.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
As deputy director, it's less about requesting clearance as giving orders to prep a quinjet. The only questions asked on the other end of the phone is when and where do you want it ma'am? Rank, privledges, etc.

The traffic cam data is also swiftly pulled up and made available. There aren't many white panel vans in Greenwich Village at that hour of the morning, making it easy to find the likely target, a battered white van, that rumbles down from Greenwich to Hell's Kitchen then through the Lincoln Tunnel to Gotham. From there the coverage gets spotty, the locals like to break the cameras, but there is a reasonably good sighting of the van turning into the neighbourhood of China Basin and vanishing into a dead spot of broken cameras and twisting alleys.

That's when Skye's phone rings, the call display reads: Clint

Quake has posed:
Skye's eyes widen and she holds the phone out to show May. "What do I do?"

Because she didn't want to mess this up.

Melinda May has posed:
May leads Skye out of the house, handing her phone over as she drives. And when the occasion calls for it, she is fully capable of making CABBIES get out of her way. Which is what she does now. While en route, the note that a quinjet is being prepped comes in on the phone, as does a message from Surveillance saying they have the tracking data May requested.

Then Skye's phone rings. "Answer it, but not on speaker phone. Just turn up the volume." She'll be able to hear it well enough. And she keeps driving but slows down to give Skye time to talk and her to listen in and gather clues. Hopefully there will be some discernable background noises.

Quake has posed:
Skye nods, flipping the call to answer, and upping the volume button.

"Hey, Hotshot," she answers, trying to sound all casual. "Got stuck at work. Fitzsimmons wanted me for some tests. You know how it is. Vampires. Both of them. What's up?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The voice on the phone is definitely not Clint's, it uses British pronunciation but with an accent from the east. Something Skye would have heard more than a little on the trip to Hong Kong. "I am sorry Miss Johnson, this is not Mr. Barton, but we do have Mr. Barton and our employer would like to speak to you about his release. Do you have a pen? We will give you the address where you can meet with him."

It's all so matter-of-fact and polite, like he was asking her to pick up a delivery at his shop rather than negotiate the release of her boyfriend.

There's the faint noise of traffic in the background and plenty of muffled talking in Chinese... maybe a market, definitely out of doors.

Quake has posed:
Skye scrambles to poke around in the glove box. Pen and paper are both found.

"Sure. yeah. Go for it."

'Our employer' suggested Karl. Or Hydra. Skye was pretty sure Elektra was out of the running for this one. Too late to take that admission back, however. She'd still have to have a talk with Matt.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The man offers an address, it's not in Gotham but in New York's Chinatown, a familiar address to Skye and May, the site of the 'magic' alley entrance to St. Molly's Bar in Madripoor. The man carries on, giving them instructions on how to use the door. A small snippet of haggling in Cantonese can be caught in the background, definitely a market.

Melinda May has posed:
Listening carefully, May tries to make out anything she can from the background noises. Someone hawking wares, haggling over prices, anything. The moment she hears the address, she pulls over and comes to a quick stop.

Gesturing for Skye to keep going with her call, she takes her own phone and starts hastily messaging the Triskelion back, changing the directions she'd previously sent. She requests a pilot be set to fly the quinjet (the best pilot available, and she names a person in particular that she knows is on base and has had at least six hours to rest), and then she notes that the intel is to be given to Skye on a tablet to review while in flight. Then, she looks at Skye to see how the phone call is going.

Quake has posed:
Skye makes fumbling noises, and curses, then curses again, as she 'bangs' her head on the dashboard. "Uh.. can you repeat that last bit again? I dropped the pen. Can't see it.. think it's.. wait.. just a second.. C'mon you motherfucker.."

In case they're being watched, Skye really does do the leaning over like she dropped her pen. They can't twit her for stalling if she's not actually getting the information, right? Right?

At least that's her hope.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Please be more careful," the voice instructs calmly. "I will not repeat this a third time without harm coming to Mr. Barton," the man promises. Again the guy could be discussing the weather.

May catches another snippet arguing over purses, and the faint sound of boat's whistle. If the man went with the van he's likely at the knock-off market at the China Basin docks.

An affirmative is sent to the assignment of the pilot and providing the intel to Skye enroute.

Melinda May has posed:
With the confirmations from the Triskelion, May gets the car back underway and races traffic all the way there. At the gate, she gestures for the security guard to remain silent so as to not tip off the person on the phone, and then she drives the car around toward where the quinjets take off rather than pulling into the parking garage -- she knows the change in background noise would be detectable to the person on Skye's phone.

If the call is still ongoing at this point, she'll stop the car again and wait with the younger agent.

Quake has posed:
Skye knows better than to pull a stunt like that a second time. She gives May a look, questioning if they've got all they need.

"Got it." Skye considers pretending she has no clue what that alleyway does, then gauges it against Clint getting hurt. "So you want me to come meet you at this address. I follow your instructions, and he gets released."

She makes it not a question.

"I come to where you say, and your boss and I meet. But you let him go first. That's the deal."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The voice on the phone is cautious, "You'll meet with our employer to set the terms of Mr. Barton's release. He was quite specific that he would only discuss terms with you in person. Do we have an agreement?"

Melinda May has posed:
May nods to Skye that she has enough info, and then again when the man asks if they have an agreement. And then she thinks of something and hastily sends another message on her phone asking for two more things.

The first is an armored leather-like jacket nearly identical to the one she usually wears, fully kitted out with weaponry and a portable first aid kit in the lining. The second...

Quake has posed:
"I'll be there," is all Skye says, and then to assert her own control over the situation, she hangs up on the call.

Turning to May she asks, "We know what we're doing? I think it's Karl. He's.." Well, they both know he's working for Hydra, but under his own terms. It could complicate things heavily.

Melinda May has posed:
"Yes, we know what we're doing. You're getting on that quinjet right there and going to Gotham. The pilot has a tablet for you with the intel you need to get Clint back." May then snags the pad of paper away from Skye and gets out of the car. "I'm going to meet this employer person in your place."

She turns and accepts the jacket from a swiftly approaching agent and offers it to Skye. "Go."

Quake has posed:
Skye blinks. "You're.. what?"

Her glance flips to the quinjet, then back to May. "We sure about this?"

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm sure. Go." May all but shoves the jacket into Skye's hands, then turns back to the agent who has yet more clothing in his hands. She sheds her jacket only to put a hoodie on underneath it, then swaps out her usual low-heeled boots for a pair more like what Skye typically wears. A hasty re-part of her hair down the middle and pulled forward over her shoulders also in clear emulation of how Skye's hair is normally worn, and then she's got her back fully turned toward the younger agent as the man there hands her one last thing that she seems to be pressing to her face.